Finally, his fat body collapsed like a deflating valve.
"Yes, I did it. Everything is just as you analyzed."
Hiroo Tsuchio sighed and shook his head.
However, he immediately added,
"But I'm just an employee! The real mastermind is actually someone else who was present at the time—the butler of Lavender Villa, Renzo Kotani!"
"That's right. Those five million of unknown origin were transferred to you by him,"
said Keisuke Kumiko with a smile.
—On the uninhabited island, Kotani Renzo was also identified as one of the three suspects and was accused by one of the three detectives, Hattori Heiji. However, he only knocked on the door to check the situation. After confirming that there was no sound inside and that Tokatsu Junya had been murdered, he came to report to everyone.
—Well, let me think. He might have used the suicide of the maid at Lavender Villa a year ago to force you into doing things for him, because you were the one who lowered the window at that time. He may have claimed that you were the one responsible for the maid's suicide. If you didn't do what he asked, he would tell the people around you.
—It seems you've analyzed everything —
said Hiroo Tsuchio with a wry smile.
He gave Keisuke Kumiko a long look.
"I really doubt—are you a detective or a lawyer? I'm curious, how can you deduce everything without even being at the scene?"
Keisuke Kumiko smiled slightly and did not respond.
It was very simple—he did not use the thinking of a detective at all.
A detective is someone who searches for clues, relies on small details at the scene and evidence, and pieces together the scattered fragments of the puzzle step by step.
And him?
He simply created a puzzle without any evidence. If there was something missing, he used special means to complete it.
What does "special" mean?
For example, the way he used falsified evidence to deceive the other party just now.
It suited Keisuke Kumiko's style very well.
However, this type of evidence certainly could not be presented in court.
Therefore, additional measures were required in this case.
"Mr. Tsuchio, you may not know why I'm here."
Kumiko got up from his seat, stretched out his hand with a smile, and patted Tsuchio Hiroo lightly on the shoulder.
"I'm a lawyer. I contacted you with the intention of helping you. You have to believe that I'm on your side,"
Keisuke Kumiko whispered in Hiroo's ear in a captivating voice.
Hiroo Tsuchio raised his head and looked at him in confusion.
"You're here to help me?"
"Of course. Do you know the legal consequences of your actions?"
Keisuke Kumiko said softly.
"You're just an accomplice. Do you know what an accomplice is? You were forced into this. The murder was not of your own will. Everyone will forgive you because you're not the real killer..."
Hiroo Tsuchio's eyes suddenly lit up.
He also knew what it meant to be an accomplice.
Legally speaking, the crime committed by an accomplice is less severe than that of a principal offender.
"Lawyer, will you defend me? How many years will I be sentenced to?"
He looked at Keisuke Kumiko with hopeful eyes.
Keisuke Kumiko said nothing but raised his hand and signaled a number.
"Three years? That long?"
Hiroo Tsuchio frowned slightly. That number was still beyond his expectations.
If possible, he only wanted to serve one or two years at most.
By the way, the only one who knew about this now was this lawyer...
As he thought about this, Hiroo Tsuchio looked at Keisuke Kumiko. His expression gradually changed, becoming somewhat fierce, as if he were devising a plan in his mind.
But at the same time, Keisuke Kumiko's voice came from the other side.
"Don't even think about harming me," Keisuke Kumiko said with a smile. "I have people in the café who are protecting me from a distance."
"What!"
Hiroo Tsuchio was startled and looked around in a panic.
There were sparsely populated areas in the café, some people chatting among themselves or looking down at their phones.
It was impossible to tell who was on Keisuke Kumiko's side.
"If you don't believe me, you can take a gamble."
Keisuke Kumiko tapped the table, looking as if he had planned everything.
"If you kill me, you'll be sentenced to life imprisonment instead of just three years. If you're unlucky, you'll have to stay in prison for the rest of your life. Because, including me, you would have killed two people in total. The circumstances are quite serious."
"..."
After hearing Keisuke Kumiko's words, Hiroo's face changed, and he struggled internally.
Finally, he sighed and sat down in defeat.
"I understand. I will follow your instructions, Mr. Lawyer."
"Very well."
Keisuke Kumiko nodded in satisfaction, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Hiroo Tsuchio smiled bitterly.
There was no escape. During the ten-minute confrontation, he had been completely controlled by the lawyer in front of him.
Every word he said grasped the essence of the matter and also exposed all his weaknesses.
The lawyer's eyes were like a cat's, and he was the poor mouse that couldn't escape.
...
The conversation with Hiroo Tsuchio lasted until five in the afternoon.
After explaining everything, Keisuke Kumiko returned to the office.
"Is it done?"
Ai yawned and rubbed her eyes.
She had been too tired from work over the past two days, so she had taken a nap in the afternoon.
Keisuke Kumiko nodded. "Well, the opponent was easier to deal with than I expected. Half of the information you gathered wasn't even used."
He briefly told Ai about the conversation.
"It seems this person is really stupid,"
Ai said mercilessly after listening.
"It's clear that you had no direct evidence, yet he confessed completely based solely on a falsified appraisal report. Moreover, even if the report were true, it wouldn't be enough to convict him of any crime. And there wasn't actually anyone on your side in the café, was there? He really believed you."
"Because he's illiterate,"
Keisuke Kumiko said.
"There are many illiterate criminals in this world. That's why detectives and the police have it so easy."
"Oh, so you're saying that if you commit a crime, no one can catch you?"
"No, no, no. No matter how smart a person is, there will be times when they make mistakes. Even I can't guarantee that I won't be caught,"
Keisuke Kumiko said.
After a pause, he smiled slightly.
"But I can guarantee that even if I am caught, there will be no way to convict me."
This statement.
San Zhang.
Definitely Zhang San.
Ai gave Keisuke Kumiko a deep look.
People like him were truly terrifying—people who understood the law so well that they could completely manipulate the rules of reality.
Ai couldn't help but think of her former organization.
Even though the members of the organization were so powerful, they could only live in dark sewers like rats and couldn't come out openly.
But people like Keisuke Kumiko, even though they were covered in gray hair, could walk upright under the sun like light itself.
This was the most terrifying thing in a society ruled by law.
End