Jiang Xia said, "According to Mr. Mizumachi, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that prefer clay-rich red soil are planted south of the winery. And because of the heavy rain this morning, the soil in the southern farmland is extremely muddy now. So anyone who really went there..."
He pointed at Mizumachi Tomoaki's shoes. "Would have a lot of the southern farmland's distinctive red soil stuck to them, like Mr. Mizumachi here."
Everyone looked at Mizumachi Tomoaki's muddy boots, then at the proprietress, who claimed to have gone south to look for someone but whose shoes were spotlessly clean. "..."
Jiang Xia also looked at the proprietress. "After separating from us, you didn't actually go south to look for your husband as you claimed. You came straight to this warehouse in the north side and dealt with the body that had already been strangled to death."
The proprietress's expression turned awful. After a long while, she finally forced out, "What kind of evidence is that?! As long as you're careful while walking, you won't get dirt on yourself. On the contrary, someone like Mizumachi, with his feet covered in mud, is the suspicious one—he must have deliberately stepped in it to prove that he went south! He's obviously the murderer! Why do you keep picking on me?!"
Mizumachi Tomoaki sighed. Looking at the proprietress he had known for years, his feelings were complicated.
Jiang Xia said, "At your suggestion, Mr. Mizumachi did tie up the factory manager here. But the one who actually killed him was you—after the kidnapping this morning, Mr. Mizumachi never went back to that factory."
"Also, from one to four this afternoon, Wood Vinegar was being sprayed over the farmland north of the Winery. It's an acidic pesticide made from ash produced by burning wood. Anyone who came to