Case Two: blood runs colder

  Chapter Eight: disinheritance

  The clock struck 3:00 AM in the Maruyama household. Inside Yamada’s room shared with his spouse and daughter, a silhouette was seen hovering over Yamada’s side of the bed. They were holding up a small item in their hand, slowly lowering it on Yamada’s head. Another figure was seen tackling the silhouette just as it was about to come crashing down on his head.

  Meanwhile, Kana had woken from her slumber and was watching the scene unfold from a sudden noise in the room. Gripping her phone tightly, Kana was ready to message Orion when she noticed a silhouette approaching her father. Moving quickly, she sent an SOS text message to Orion and then tackled the silhouette head-on.

  The silhouette fell but it was too dark to see who it was. In addition, the shape had on a robe with the hood covering most of their head. The mysterious person escaped the room quickly and dashed out of the hallway. In a few minutes, Orion and Amane arrived at the bedroom together. Orion turned on the lights to see Kana on the floor.

  “What happened?” Orion asked, moving quickly to Kana’s side. He knelt to her and offered a hand.

  Kana looked up at Orion with tears in her eyes. She took his hand and the two of them rose. “I-I’m sorry… I heard something in the room, so I woke up. Then I saw someone near my dad with something small in their hand. I thought they were going to kill him, so I texted you.”

  “It’s a good thing you messaged me,” Orion reassured. He had been in a light doze holding onto his phone when Kana texted him. Upon reading it, Orion shook Amane awake and the two departed to Kana’s parents’ bedroom.

  Lying near Orion and Kana was a small statue. It appeared to have been dropped by the culprit when Kana tackled them. Orion bent down and picked up the statue as he examined it. It was small but solid; it could probably kill someone with enough force. He set the statue on the lamp stand and returned to the girls.

  “Let’s check out where the culprit went off too,” Orion suggested while he led the girls outside the bedroom. As they stepped out, Hiyono was walking outside but going to the garden. The observation had been an afterthought for Orion considering he was chasing after the potential culprit.

  The group descended the stairs into the living room where they found Ayane sitting on the settee with a glass of milk in hand. She nodded to the group as they approached her.

  “What are you doing here at this time, mom?” Kana asked nervously. She was worried it was her mom she tackled and the one who tried to kill her dad.

  “Me? I couldn’t sleep so I went to get a glass of milk,” Ayane answered plainly, without anything to hide. “Hiyono is so good to us even after Father was killed.”

  Kana was about to speak when Orion gestured to her for silence. He grabbed Kana by the wrist and led Amane to the kitchen where Kaede was sitting on one of the chairs by the table. She was wearing white lingerie with a floral design. Hearing the group’s footsteps, Kaede turned around.

  “Oh, it’s you kids,” Kaede said. It was fortunate she was able to hide the robe she was wearing earlier before the kids showed up. But it wasn’t lucky that she dropped the statue she had. Now she needed to find another weapon.

  “Hello Kaede,” Orion greeted. “What brings you here at this time of night?” He had a suspicion it was Kaede, but it could also be Ayane. He didn’t want to suspect Ayane because of Kana, but he knew he’d have to if the evidence against Ayane rose.

  “Oh, I couldn’t sleep so I came down here to think,” Kaede said, smiling. Her smile proved a little faked. She certainly had a lot on her mind since her father-in-law announced disinheriting his children. That meant lack of funds for her family, especially her children Satori and Maeko.

  “Did you bump into Ayane on the way?” Orion asked cautiously. He wanted to figure out their alibis. If both people are downstairs, one of them had to be the culprit. It was likely that the second person downstairs is the culprit.

  “Ayane?” Kaede thought for a moment. She certainly saw Ayane in the living room when she got there but she couldn’t tell the kid that. She deliberately answered, “No, I didn’t see her when I got here.”

  Kana’s expression changed, becoming dark as she started tearing up and gripping her fists tightly. She felt devastated, like someone dropped a bunch of bricks on her. Shaking her head, she turned away from Orion and Amane and started to leave the kitchen.

  Orion grabbed Kana’s hand and pulled her closer to him, shy of an embrace. He whispered, “Hold on a moment, Kana.” He let go of Kana and turned to Kaede. “Are you sure? She must have come by here for that glass of milk.”

  “Oh yes, I’m very certain,” Kaede continued smiling. “I didn’t see anyone here when I came here.” She didn’t like how the kid Orion kept interrogating her about seeing someone else here or not. It was like he suspected her of murdering her father-in-law.

  “Hmm, well, all right,” Orion nodded and started leaving. Kana grabbed a hold of his sleeve with a questioning look on her face. He merely gestured toward the exit to her.

  The three left the kitchen and headed toward the living room. Orion stopped just at the entryway to the living room and cautioned the other two to stop as well. Ayane was still sitting there with her glass of milk, which was currently half full.

  “We have to determine their alibis and who was here first,” Orion whispered. “Someone must be lying. I’m going to pose the same question to Ayane. Don’t worry, Kana. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  Orion and the others approached Ayane on the settee. She was wearing a pink negligee under a white bathrobe with her glass in hand. Ayane looked serene from the angle where Orion stood. Upon hearing footsteps, Ayane lifted her head up.

  “Oh, how may I help you now?” Ayane asked sweetly, making Kana wince a bit by the sweetness. Kana knew her mother wasn’t sweet at all; in fact, she’d say her mother was more bitter. But Ayane put the most innocent expression on her face.

  “I was wondering if you could tell me what time you came down here,” Orion asked. He was determining who came down first and if they saw one another in passing.

  “Around 1 AM,” Ayane guessed. “I couldn’t sleep at all.”

  “Did you see Kaede at all?” Orion finally pushed the vital question through. Depending on Ayane’s answer, it will show which one is the culprit.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Kaede? Hmm…” Ayane thought for a while. In her mind, events flashed through since she came downstairs. There was no one in any of the rooms until Hiyono came over to her. He asked if she couldn’t sleep and she said yes, so he went and made her some warm milk. Then it was until shortly ago when Kaede showed up in a bathrobe. “Ah, yes. Yes, I did see Kaede not long before you kids came around.”

  ‘Bingo,’ Orion thought. ‘This is definitely something I can use.’ Out loud, he said, “Thank you for cooperating.” He bowed his head before heading to the kitchen, with the two girls following along cluelessly.

  “What’s going on, Orion?” Amane asked in a whisper as she walked alongside Orion back to the kitchen.

  “I’m pretty sure Kaede is the one,” Orion whispered back. “At least she’s the one who tried to attack Yamada.”

  Orion took large strides to the kitchen, and before Kana could get in a question, the three already arrived at the kitchen. Kaede was still in her seat, staring out into space. Her hands were on top of each other, the thumbs twiddling lightly.

  “Hello again, Kaede,” Orion greeted from behind. Kaede had jumped up slightly in her seat when she heard Orion’s voice calling her. “Relax.”

  “W-what is it?” Kaede asked nervously. She thought she was clear to go when Orion left at first, but he returned. She was panicking, thinking she made a mess up.

  “Ayane remembers seeing you. A little before we came by. Can you explain that?” Orion asked sternly. He was getting right to the point. He couldn’t afford to mess up at this point.

  “Uh… Well… That can’t be it,” Kaede said nervously, unsure what excuse she should use. There wasn’t anything she could use. She was in the kitchen the whole time, wasn’t sure why Ayane would sell her out like that.

  Just as Orion was about to grill Kaede, a scream was sounded throughout the house. Orion looked up and glanced around the kitchen to determine where the scream came from. Amane and Kana were doing the same as Kaede, who looked alarmed.

  “Auntie Kaguya!” Kana finally said. “She’s in trouble, Orion!”

  Orion dashed to the living room with Amane, Kana and Kaede following right behind him. What was missing was Ayane and the only thing that remained was the empty glass. Ayane had been lying and trying to set up Kaede as the culprit. The curious part is why Ayane would try to kill her own husband. Orion dashed up the stairs with the others following behind.

  Once Orion reached Kaguya’s bedroom, he pulled open the door forcefully. The others had finally caught up and Orion entered the room, turning on the lights. Ayane was standing over Kaguya holding the small statue that Orion left behind in their room.

  “Stop it, Ayane!” Orion shouted to the woman. He started walking toward the bed with Kana following closely behind.

  “Mom, what are you doing…?” Kana asked, shocked at this development. She never expected her mother to try to kill anyone. “Did you…”

  “Shut up, you ingrate!” Ayane shouted back at Kana. “I did this for us. That old man dares to disinherit us. Now that he’s gone, all that’s left are the other family members, and then we can get all the inheritance.”

  “Stop it… mom… stop it!” Kana said, crying and shouting at her mom. She fell to her knees with tears running down her cheeks.

  Amane knelt to Kana, patting her on the back. She held the other girl close to her. “I’m sorry, Kana…”

  “I’m sorry to inform you but you won’t be getting his inheritance,” Orion said sternly. He looked down at Kana and felt a pang of regret in his heart. But he had to do this. He decided to risk it. “He had a will done already.”

  Ayane looked taken aback. “W-what…” She fell backwards and dropped the small statue on the floor. Ayane stared straight blankly at the news. Her plans were ruined.

  “What are you doing, Ayane-nee?” Kaede asked. She stared at Ayane and Kaguya and then the statue on the floor. “Did you… kill Father?”

  “No! I didn’t kill him!” Ayane shouted, shaking her head. “I… just… attacked Kaguya.”

  “What about your father-in-law? Your husband?” Orion pushed for an answer. It was either Ayane or Kaede who killed Gombei and attacked Yamada. He was determined to find out who.

  “I didn’t kill Father! Why would I attack my own husband?” Ayane screamed. Then she got up and picked up the statue. “I didn’t kill anyone…”

  Orion turned around and faced Kaede who was staring at Ayane. Then he grabbed Kaede by the wrist. “It was you then. You killed Gombei Maruyama and attacked Yamada Maruyama.”

  Kaede stood still in her negligee. She didn’t say anything or move at all. Then a laughter came from her. Slowly, it grew in intensity until it became a full out maniacal laughter that rang throughout the house. She tried to cover her mouth, but she was laughing hysterically by now.

  “AHAHAHA!” Kaede screamed while laughing. “You… who do you think you are? Accusing me of killing my father-in-law and attacking my brother-in-law? This is a joke!”

  “It’s not a joke,” Orion said softly. He gripped Kaede’s wrist tighter, so much so, she started to wince. “Murder is not a joke.”

  “I did no such thing, and you can’t prove it!” Kaede shouted into Orion’s face. She flung the arm that he was holding onto, causing Orion to reel backwards and let go of the arm.

  Kana rose up with Amane when Kaede pushed Orion back. Both girls went to Orion’s side with a worried expression. Orion regained his balance and walked back toward Kaede with a determined expression. He grabbed her arm again and raised it in the air.

  “We can get proof,” Orion said stubbornly.

  That was when the other family members showed up, including Yamada Maruyama and Takeshi Maruyama. Kaguya had wrapped herself up with the blanket and her husband Yosuke was holding her with one arm. Hiyori had worn the white bathrobe around her, and Hiro was in a tee and shorts walking behind his wife. Takeshi came in last with a depressed expression on his face.

  “Just drop it, Kaede,” Takeshi said softly. “I saw you sneak out of the room and go into Yamada’s.”

  Kaede froze in place. Everything felt like it was falling apart in front of Kaede’s eyes. She saw her daughters Satori and Maeko show up and disappear from her. Her husband Takeshi came and went as well, without a word. Now, it was futile.

  “I thought you were cheating on me with Yamada at first. That I did something wrong, and you were mad. That you were taking revenge on me for something,” Takeshi said stoically. “But this is worse. What will I tell our baby girls?”

  “I… I did this for us… For our babies…” Kaede said dejectedly and fell on her knees. She stared at her hands and started sobbing. “I… what have I done?”

  Orion took out his phone and texted Himura to quickly come to the Maruyama household immediately. As they waited, Orion watched over Kaede and Ayane, the latter in case she tried to attack another family member.

  “Why did you attack me?” Kaguya asked Ayane. She had released the blanket around her and stood on the other side where her husband Yosuke was.

  “I wanted to get rid of you for the inheritance…” Ayane said slowly, staring at the statue in her hand. Slowly she dropped the statue on the floor, which made a clunk! noise.

  “Mom…” Kana said, tearing up. “I… I’m sorry, mom…” Kana started crying again.

  Kana continued to bawl for a while until Himura showed up with a few officers in tow. When Himura arrived at Kaguya’s bedroom, Orion simply nodded and pointed to the sobbing Kaede on the floor not far from him. But before Himura moved, Orion gestured for him to move closer.

  “Also, Ayane attempted to assault Kaguya, the one on the bed there,” Orion whispered to Himura. “Ayane’s stooped near the bed.” He stared down at the sobbing Kana, unable to help her as he was not used to crying girls.

  Himura moved forward and handcuffed Kaede and Ayane. He led the two women outside the bedroom when Orion called out to Kaede.

  “One moment,” Orion interrupted. Himura had stopped in his tracks. “How did you get in and out of the study, Kaede?”

  Kaede smiled at him. “Since you found out it was me, I might as well tell you!” Kaede said playfully. “The study window has a latch on the inside and outside. And once you’re outside, there’s a little ‘secret’ passageway leading directly to the garden.”

  Takeshi walked up to Kaede with sorrowful eyes. “Why, Kaede…? What about Satori and Maeko? What am I to do with them?”

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Kaede said sadly. “You’d have to raise them yourself. Don’t be mad at my Mother and Father for how I turned out. Let them help you out.” Kaede raised both handcuffed hands up and touched his cheek before dropping them again.

  “Mom…” Kana said slowly as Ayane passed the kids. “Why…” Kana clenched her fists and looked down, tearing up again.

  Ayane remained silent. “I’m sorry, Kana. Yamada. I’m sorry,” was all Ayane managed to say as she stared at the ground.

  Himura continued to the squad car with police officers surrounding the arrested women. The officers helped Ayane and Kaede into the police cruiser before getting into their own cars. The others were gathered in the living room watching. Hiyono finally showed up, looking nervous as he looked around for someone. It was Orion that he found.

  “Master Orion!” Hiyono came running, out of breath. He was holding a bathrobe in his arms. “Kaede-sama… It’s not all her.”

  “Are you saying you helped?” Orion inquired quietly. His eyes were on the bathrobe in Hiyono’s arms. It was most likely Hiyono played the accessory part in this case.

  “Yes, Master Orion,” Hiyono acknowledged. “I helped Lady Kaede out of her robe and helped stash it in the garden. She is not the only one who should be arrested.”

  Amane and Kana both stared at the butler in surprise. They didn’t expect him to come up with such a reasoning. Orion simply looked at him and said, “You know what to do.”

  Hiyono was speechless for a few seconds. Then he said, “Y-yes, Master Orion! I will go to the police station and confess everything.”

  “Really, Orion?” Kana asked uncertainly. “But he’s done so much…” Tears threatened to flow.

  “Yeah… I’m sorry, Kana,” Orion averted his eyes from his classmate. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure. He should get a lighter sentence since he’s confessing.” He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the house. “Well, we should be going now.”

  “We?” Kana said, cocking her head to the right. She looked around and saw a black SUV parked by the house. “Ah…”

  “Well, see you later, Kana,” Amane waved as she said her farewell. She walked over to Orion’s side and the two of them set off in the darkness to the vehicle. The chauffeur was already waiting, so he opened the door for Orion and Amane. They soon left the vicinity in the darkness.

  Kana stood watching the soon gone SUV. She felt a pang of jealousy as Orion and Amane left. It was obvious Orion wouldn’t have gotten here in his time if he took the trains, but she still felt pained that he came with another girl. She wanted to be the one in his eye, the only one he’d look at. But it seemed impossible now.

  Kana sighed deeply, drooping her head. It caught the attention of the other family members who looked at her curiously. She put up her hands and said, “Oh no, it’s nothing to worry about! I’m fine! Should we go then?”

  “No, we should get some sleep, if possible,” Yamada advised. “It’s like 4:00 AM anyway.” Yamada looked extra tired as if he hadn’t slept for days. His voice sounded worn out because of what happened in one night. It felt like a night gone forever.

  The remaining family members went off to their bedrooms, all worn out physically and mentally. They were wary of the spouses of those arrested but ultimately, they were family so all was forgiven. Or mostly forgiven.