218 Chapter 218: Interrogation Investigation
After understanding the outline of the case, Senichi decided to first visit the crime scene.
With Natasha driving, they quickly arrived at the front of the villa.
Here, Senichi saw the central figure of the case, Reika Akana.
Although the records stated she was only thirty years old, in person, she looked like a young girl in her early twenties.
However, there was an added charm to her youthful appearance, giving her a mature and intellectual allure, unique to a "yamato nadeshiko" (traditional Japanese ideal woman).
"I never expected to meet a familiar face in a foreign land," Reika Akana said, smiling at Senichi.
"Apologies for meeting under these circumstances."
After the initial pleasantries, Reika Akana did not show the expected caution. Instead, she welcomed Senichi with a certain degree of hospitality and invited him into the villa.
Entering the villa, Senichi felt like he had stepped into a castle from the last century, with its opulent European style.
The luxurious decor was admirable, and the warm colors, along with carefully arranged flower arrangements, created a sense of gentle coziness in the whole room.
However, Senichi couldn't help but notice that there were no photographs in the room.
It seemed natural; if it was a beloved husband, his pictures would surely be displayed everywhere.
But in this case... Reika Akana probably didn't want to see his face anymore.
After some small talk, Senichi left Natasha to entertain Reika Akana and met with the maid, inquiring once again about the events at that time.
Compared to the written records, Senichi preferred to hear directly from the parties involved; perhaps he could discover something new.
As he entered the kitchen, it was equally luxurious.
The kitchen was quite large, resembling the back area of a restaurant, with an oven, toaster, and other cooking utensils.
The maid was busy preparing lunch, and upon seeing this, Senichi rolled up his sleeves and joined in, helping with the ingredients while asking questions.
"At that time, I was roasting beef to prepare dinner, and the madam was entertaining Miss Aissha," the maid replied to Senichi's inquiry.
"So, when was the Imagawa-yaki made?" Senichi asked.
"It was made the same day. While I was roasting beef, the madam made Imagawa-yaki for Miss Aissha," the maid replied after thinking for a moment. "Later, Miss Aissha helped madam to put the desserts into the dessert plate"
"I see. Thank you," Senichi nodded, basically ruling out the possibility that the poison was placed in the desserts before it was made. Otherwise, Reika Akana wouldn't have let Aissha help, considering it looks alike, and it would have been troublesome if the dessert got mixed up.
At least after this batch of Imagawa-yaki, it was not possible to add the poison. As for whether another Imagawa-yaki was prepared in advance, Senichi asked the maid, but he didn't get an answer either.
Asking Reika Akana was also unlikely to yield any answers.
After that, Senichi asked about some trivial details, such as what the husband had for dinner and how much beef was roasted that day.
These questions seemed more like casual chit chat to the maid, and after expressing his thanks, Senichi left the kitchen.
"How did it go? Any findings?" Reika Akana asked Senichi as he approached, wearing a faint smile, seemingly like an outsider unconcerned with the matter.
"Well... it was just things I already knew," Senichi chuckled, feigning helplessness, and waved his hand, signaling Natasha to get up and leave.
"Oh, why not stay a bit longer? It's rare to meet someone from the same homeland," Reika Akana said.
"No, thank you. Maybe next time," Senichi slightly bowed and turned to leave.
As he walked through the courtyard, ready to leave, Senichi seemed to suddenly remember something.
He turned back to look at Reika Akana with a hint of regret in his voice. "By the way, Imagawa-yaki is delicious. I like the matcha flavor. Unfortunately, I can't find it here in England."
"Huh?" Reika Akana was taken aback by Senichi's words, but then a smile appeared on her face. "If you don't mind, Senichi-san, why don't you come and have Imagawa-yaki made by me before your training abroad ends?"
"Ah, can I?" Senichi appeared slightly embarrassed and bowed slightly to thank her. "That would be truly kind of you."
"Not at all. When you're abroad, you sometimes miss the taste of home," Reika Akana said with a smile.
"However... Imagawa-yaki doesn't taste as good once it cools down, right?" Senichi regretted, "Cold Imagawa-yaki loses all its deliciousness; it becomes hard and unpleasant to eat."
"Don't worry; there's an oven in the house," Reika Akana replied with a smile.
"Speaking of that, when your husband, Mr. John, came down, did he also heat it up?" Senichi smiled and said, "I asked the maid, and you prepared the Imagawa-yaki quite early, didn't you?"
"Yes, of course, I heated it up," Reika Akana's expression remained unchanged as she smiled.
"But I remember the maid used the oven to roast the beef that day, right?"
Senichi, somewhat at a loss for words, continued, "I heard there was quite a lot of roasted beef that day, and she used the oven to heat it. At that time, the oven could not have been used to heat the Imagawa-yaki, right?"
"Yes, the toaster was used to heat it up," Reika Akana responded, facing Senichi's sudden attack with a slightly unnatural smile.
"Senichi-san, you must have seen it in the kitchen earlier. The toaster was used to heat it."
"Ah, I see." Senichi smiled, somewhat mysteriously. "That's... quite useful."
"Yes, it's indeed quite useful," Reika Akana agreed, smiling along.
"Well then, sorry for the intrusion."
Senichi politely bid farewell to Reika Akana again and turned to leave.
"Mr. Senichi, I'm not sure why you came here," Natasha looked puzzled.
"The questions you asked Akana are already recorded, and I don't think you'll find any crucial clues from the maid's answers. We've asked her the same questions several times, and her answers have always been the same."
"Apologies, sometimes I'm just very particular about details. As for crucial clues... I'll keep that confidential for now," Senichi chuckled, not answering her question, and changed the subject, "By the way, do you know where the mayor lives? I'd like to visit Miss Aissha."
"Putting on an act..."
Natasha mumbled to herself but continued to operate the car, starting the engine.
After all, her colleagues wanted to shift the blame and asked her to accompany Senichi in investigating the case.
Naturally, she had to comply with his wishes and let him finish the investigation. Otherwise, if he stopped pursuing the case, they wouldn't be able to shift the blame later.
Although she didn't want to waste any more time, Natasha reluctantly fastened her seatbelt and stepped on the gas pedal, driving towards the town center.
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