It had only been a couple of days since Hitoshi Moriyama's death when suddenly the news broke about Hunter's demise.
Timothy Hunter.
This gaunt blond man was found dead at his residence, shot in the head with a hollow-point bullet. In his hands was still clutched an MK-11 sniper rifle, suggesting he had lost in a confrontation with another sniper.
When Hayashi Yoshiki heard the news, he hadn't even eaten lunch yet and was hurriedly taken by Jodie, who happened to be passing by, to a conference room at the tropolitan Police Departnt.
"Mr. Hayashi, the situation is exactly as you suspected."
"The killer wasn't Hunter. He left that MK-11 in the hotel corridor to confuse us cops and the FBI."
Shiratori Ninzaburo stood at the center of the room and imdiately spoke to Hayashi Yoshiki upon seeing him.
"I heard all this from Jodie on the way here. Any other findings?"
"Yes, we found Hunter's diary in his hideout. After translating it, there was a major discovery."
Shiratori nodded at once and pointed to several photos taped to the whiteboard.
They were photos of diary pages written in English.
Hayashi Yoshiki could understand them easily without translation:
"August 3rd, that guy stole my prey again, clearly trying to provoke . This is an open challenge—I must kill him no matter what. I have to personally kill the remaining two preys."
"I interpret the diary to an soone killed Hiroaki and Moriyama before Hunter did, and the real culprit had a direct confrontation with Hunter and won."
"Hunter's residence was in an apartnt near the Sumida River."
"Based on the scene investigation, we believe the killer was sniping from a floating box on the opposite side of the river. This ti, the killer again left empty casings and a '2' dice on the ground."
"But the biggest difference is this sniper shot was from only about 150 ters—much closer than the previous two shots. Yet we found a likely stray bullet on Hunter's door and suspected ricochet marks on the bottom of the floating box where the sniper was."
"Right now, forensic teams are searching the area."
Shiratori finished explaining in one breath.
The police's current theory was that an unknown sniper was provoking Hunter by killing his enemies and then shooting him during their showdown.
Hayashi Yoshiki pondered silently.
Everyone present fell quiet too, even though gure Juuzo and Sato Miwako were talking quietly among themselves.
Though not an official police mber, Hayashi Yoshiki's consistent good work had earned the respect of the tropolitan Police.
Very useful.
Especially his unique "mystery writer-style" deductions, which were notably insightful—at least his thoughts two days ago were spot-on.
"Hayashi, any thoughts?"
"Give more info. Can I see Hunter's notebook? Also, the condition of Hunter's body... was a detailed autopsy done?"
"We embald Hunter's body and took many photos, but there isn't a detailed autopsy report yet. Here is the notebook."
Sato Miwako imdiately handed the items to Hayashi Yoshiki.
First, a photo of Hunter, shot in the head. The first impression was how emaciated he looked—skin and bones. Then the diary... Hayashi Yoshiki put on gloves and started flipping through it.
The diary was short, only a few pages.
"Strange..."
"What's wrong?"
"All the handwriting looks very fresh. The earlier entries are sparse... or maybe careless."
Hayashi Yoshiki carefully examined the last entry and the back page of the diary, then looked up at Sato:
"Officer Sato, when you take notes or record statents, do you ever get impatient or tense?"
"...No, I don't think so."
But Sato's gaze involuntarily shifted elsewhere.
"Really?"
"Mr. Hayashi, why do you ask?" Judy inquired.
"Well, when emotions run high, especially anger, people tend to press harder on the pen. The paper and pen pressure sotis act as a stress outlet."
At this, Wataru Takagi raised his hand:
"That's true. When Sato-san records statents from annoying suspects, her pen pressure often increases, leaving deep impressions on the following page."
"Hey, Takagi!"
Sato glared at him angrily.
Takagi just sheepishly replied, "Ah?"
"So this notebook doesn't show such pressure marks?"
"Yeah, it feels very light, not like soone wrote it in extre anger."
Hayashi Yoshiki held up the last page written by Hunter—there were no pen pressure marks on the back or next page.
"Still, this doesn't prove anything. Maybe the writer was calm or just doesn't have that habit."
"But one thing I'm curious about..."
"Both the real estate agent Hiroaki and Moriyama died from heart shots, but Hunt was shot in the forehead. Also, stray bullets were found around both Hunter and the killer's environnt..."
"When snipers duel, would they really shoot a bullet as a warning?"
At this, Jodie suddenly gasped, recalling sothing:
"The brainstem!"
Everyone looked at her, puzzled.
Jodie rembered what Akai Shuichi told her: to kill a target instantly without spasms, the bullet should pierce the brainstem... a thod that causes imdiate, painless death.
If so, the killing of Hunter and this diary left behind seed very suspicious.
When she voiced this, everyone's expressions changed.
If true, Hunter's killer wasn't his enemy but perhaps his ally!
Everyone fell deep in thought as Jodie looked at Hayashi Yoshiki, recalling the notes she previously found from Io Hodgson... should she show them to him? Maybe he'd find sothing she missed.
"Also, Mr. Hunter looks like a walking skeleton. Was a pathological autopsy done?"
"Yes, it was."
"Could you do a brain X-ray? I'm curious if his previous headshot left any obvious aftereffects."
"Okay, I'll request that now."
gure Juzo acted quickly.
While calling for the forensic team, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and looked at Takagi.
"By the way, Takagi, could you get sothing to eat? I hadn't had lunch yet when I ca."
"Sure, Mr. Hayashi. What would you like?"
"A simple sandwich will do."
"No problem, I'll get it now."
Takagi rushed out.
Jodie looked a bit embarrassed, clasping her hands: "Sorry, sorry! I was so flustered, I forgot you hadn't eaten yet."
"No worries. But if you really feel bad, just invite out to dinner soti."
"Oh, definitely!"
Judy happily agreed, glad for an excuse to talk about the notes.
After Takagi returned with the sandwich, and Hayashi Yoshiki had eaten most of it, the forensic pathology report arrived.
—They found a large amount of strong painkillers in Hunt's stomach.
Then the urgent brain MRI results ca in: bullet fragnts were found in his brain, but not from this sniper attack—they were from a battlefield injury eight years ago.
Although surgery then was successful, the fragnts pressed against his optic nerve and other nerves, causing severe headaches and likely significant vision loss.
"With that condition, he couldn't have been shooting in Seattle back then!"
"Exactly. His diary claims about attacking his 'preys' were probably all fantasies."
"So the one who killed Hunter must be his accomplice!"
This revelation energized both the tropolitan Police and the FBI officers.
They already had suspects: Kevin Yoshino, a military supplies shop owner Hunter once saved; and Scott Green, a sniper instructor and Hunter's forr teacher in the marine unit.
"The dice left by the killer after Hunter's death was a '2,' proving at least one more person will be targeted."
"Imdiately assign officers to secretly monitor both. Arrest them at the first suspicious move!"
gure Juzo's order was promptly relayed.
Sitting there eating his sandwich, Hayashi Yoshiki just smiled.
Kevin Yoshino, a SEAL team mber, soon noticed two police groups tracking him from different locations.
What was going on?
This made him nervous and anxious.
He had personally killed his benefactor Hunter last night, intending to lure the remaining criminals Bill Murphy and Jack Walz into a trap—making them believe Hunter's death ant no one would avenge him, so they'd lower their guard and be sniped.
Bill Murphy, Hunter's superior, once falsely accused him out of jealousy over a Silver Star dal. Later, on the battlefield, he tried to kill Hunter with a rear ambush shot.
Scum and sha—Kevin's definition of them both.
So, obeying Hunter's last wishes, Kevin killed him, then eagerly sent a letter to trick Bill Murphy into boarding the train to Asakusa Station—a perfect sniper spot. He planned to kill him there.
But now the police were watching him!
Kevin didn't care about being arrested after killing soone, but if he killed Murphy under these conditions, he'd likely be detained by Japanese police...
And Jack Walz might escape.
Damn, what should he do?
He was torn.
anwhile, on a bridge near Asakusa Station, a black car waited.
Inside, Seiran Hoshi, dressed in a white cheongsam embroidered with pink flowers, laid her sniper rifle on the back seat, prostrating herself and hooking her long legs in high heels.
The train was already visible...
Her eyes locked on the sniper scope, searching the seventh car of the train—slowing as it approached the station—where the target, Bill Murphy, sat by the window.
"Die."
Seiran instinctively aid for Murphy's eyes but changed her position and pulled the trigger instead.
The black man standing to take luggage from the rack didn't realize what happened until the train window shattered, and a bullet pierced his heart.
Watching him stagger back in blood and collapse, Seiran imdiately climbed from the back seat:
"Retreat."
"Okay."
Reiko Shimizu hit the gas pedal.
The black car sped away from the bridge.
Soon, the news that Bill Murphy was shot dead on the high-speed train reached the tropolitan Police Departnt, shocking gure Juzo, who slamd his fist on the table and stood:
"What!? Bill Murphy is dead!?"
He was stunned for a while, then hurriedly asked:
"What about Kevin Yoshino and Scott Green? Any news from the officers watching them?"
"Report, Officer gure. We confird at once that both Scott Green and Kevin Yoshino are under police surveillance with no suspicious activity."
"So we followed the wrong people?"
gure Juuzo found this hard to believe.
The FBI also received the news quickly.
Jas Black pushed his glasses up his nose, stunned:
"Looks like Hunter's accomplice is soone else..."
"But who?"
Jodie frowned deeply.
Both sides were caught in doubt and frustration.
anwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki had received Seiran Hoshi's "mission complete" ssage.
He calmly told the two to erase all traces and smiled.
Now the police and FBI's attention was off Kevin Yoshino.
He could almost start wrapping things up.
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