The First Investigation of Rookie Career Police Officer Akechi - Chapter 6
Chapter 6 : Scene Reconstruction
“So, you mean there’s a possibility that Yoshida-san was murdered by someone?”
Kobayashi folded his arms and muttered quietly. Nakamura followed suit, mirroring Kobayashi’s arm-folding gesture. Akechi had a startled expression and began apologizing to both Kobayashi and Nakamura.
“I-I’m sorry! I got a bit too excited… What I just said was purely speculative, based on multiple assumptions. There’s no evidence. It’s just a possibility.”
Upon hearing Akechi’s use of the word “excited” and seeing Akechi’s still slightly flushed face, Kobayashi was concerned that Nakamura might once again start imploring. However, Akechi himself seemed lost in thought, with his arms crossed. Kobayashi placed his hand on Akechi’s shoulder with a pat.
“It’s certainly just a speculation. But I think it makes sense. I believe it’s worth investigating based on Akechi-kun’s deduction.”
“Thank you so much” Akechi gave Kobayashi a deep bow.
“Scene reconstruction!”
Out of nowhere, Nakamura let out a loud yell. Akechi and Kobayashi, taken aback, redirected their attention toward Nakamura.
“Assistant Manager Kobayashi, what does ‘Scene Reconstruction’ mean? Yes, please explain.”
“Don’t startle me like that. ‘Scene Reconstruction,’ well, it means that there’s always a hint at the crime scene. So, it’s about visiting and investigating the scene over and over, even a hundred times. That’s what my senior used to say until he was blue in the face.”
“Yes, that’s right! Well then, I’ll head to the scene from here. I’ll rent a car, Mitchy will take care of that. Assistant Manager Kobayashi, please take care of handling the files and the temporary release of evidence items.”
“Hey, come on, it’s a case from half a year ago. Going to visit it now…?”
“Scene reconstruction!” Nakamura shouted loudly again and quickly exited the document storage room. Kobayashi and Akechi exchanged glances.
†?†?†
“Seriously, they keep saying it’s almost autumn, but it’s not getting any cooler.”
Kobayashi, who had parked the car on the roadside near the crime scene, stepped out of the back seat and fanned his face with a fan while muttering to himself.
Akechi, in the front passenger seat, and Nakamura, in the driver’s seat, both exited the car. Akechi had agreed to sit in the front passenger seat, likely because Nakamura had wanted to go for a drive with him.
With a slightly heavy expression, Akechi held the file and pointed to the map included in it as he explained.
“We’re currently at the exact midpoint of the serpentine road. The incident site is just ahead, right before the left curve.”
“I’ve never been here before. The road is wider than I imagined. However, there are curves both ahead and behind, and the visibility is quite poor. Plus, there aren’t many streetlights.”
As Nakamura said this, she took photos with her smartphone. Perhaps due to it being before rush hour, there were hardly any cars or people passing by. The three of them lined up in the middle of the road and began walking towards the direction of Akabane Station.
The serpentine road generally extends from southwest to northeast. Heading northeast toward Akabane Station, the left side is flanked by stacked block retaining walls that are approximately 1 meter high. There should be a housing complex beyond them, but a row of temporary steel fences, standing about 3 meters high, has been placed on top of the retaining wall, blocking the view.
Towards Akabane Station on the right-hand side, there is a small stretch of greenery that persists, and further ahead, it transforms into a cliff, providing a panoramic view of the residential neighborhood below.
“Did this temporary fencing around the housing complex exist on the day of the incident?”
In response to Kobayashi’s question, Akechi flipped through the documents in the file.
“Yes, it seems it was there already… Oh, this is where Mr. Yoshida was found collapsed.”
The three of them stopped near a left curve. To the left, there were about ten gentle steps leading upwards. Next to the steps, someone had placed beautiful flowers.
“According to the report, the person was lying in the middle of the road with their head on the right side towards the cliff and their feet pointed towards the left side with the stairs.”
“In the middle of the road like this…”
After gazing at the now empty road for a moment, Kobayashi closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. Nakamura followed suit, joining her palms. Observing this, Akira hurriedly placed the file on the ground and also pressed his hands together. After a while, Kobayashi opened his eyes, glanced around, and looked up at the staircase. It appeared to be some kind of park.
“Was there a park in a place like this?”
“Do you want to go up?”
Upon saying that, Nakamura started climbing the stairs. Kobayashi and Akira followed behind.
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Translated by : Cutae30