Chapter 111: Promotional Poster

The third part of "Death of a Mystery Novelist" tells of the detective beginning the investigation process.

After discovering that the female caregiver had a habit of vomiting whenever she lied, the detective asked her many questions.

Worried about being exposed, the caregiver strictly adhered to a method the mystery novelist had taught her: "Only tell part of the truth, and avoid talking about the key parts."

After a round of questioning, the detective ended the conversation. Just as the caregiver breathed a sigh of relief, the detective made another request: he wanted the caregiver to be his assistant in the investigation.

The caregiver was filled with trepidation, but to avoid arousing suspicion, she agreed.

In the process of following the detective to investigate, the caregiver dealt with many clues she hadn't covered up well before—including the gate's surveillance records and the footprints in the mud.

But she was still very afraid; at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the detective discovered the truth.

Was she really going to go to prison?

A few days later, the lawyer entrusted by the mystery novelist before his death came to the house to announce the will. He declared that the mystery novelist had left all his wealth to the female caregiver.

Hearing this, the mystery novelist's family was shocked. Some cursed the lawyer for talking nonsense, some clamored that the mystery novelist lacked the capacity to act, and others claimed the caregiver had seduced him.

The caregiver herself was also shocked.

Just as the caregiver was surrounded and questioned by the crowd, the mystery novelist's eldest grandson pulled her out of the crowd and drove her to a cafe.

At the cafe, the eldest grandson used the caregiver's vomiting trait to force the real reason out of her.

But just as the caregiver thought he was going to call the police, the eldest grandson said he wanted to make a deal: he would help the caregiver escape conviction, but he demanded that she share a portion of the inheritance with him.

The caregiver agreed and returned to her dilapidated apartment.

But in her apartment mailbox, she received a letter. On the stationery, the words "Murderer" were written, and besides that, there was a document.

Seeing the contents of the letter, the caregiver panicked and collapsed on the floor.

……

Setagaya Ward, AICClassic Internet Cafe.

Toki Ippei frowned tightly, not knowing what to say.

He was speechless about this serialization on the forum; every time it reached a critical moment, the other party would end the update, leaving him with a feeling of wanting to vent but being unable to.

Yet he had to admit that the more this happened, the more interested he became in reading on.

He scrolled the mouse and found that the comments below were indeed full of cursing. Most people replied with things like "Hope you update soon," "I hate you, OP," etc. A rough look showed several hundred comments.

However, there were also a small number of people seriously discussing and analyzing whether the caregiver could escape legal sanctions.

Seeing this reply, Toki Ippei couldn't help but ponder.

The caregiver had the flaw of vomiting when she lied. If she could be continuously pressed, it could quickly be clarified that she was closely related to the old man's suicide.

Besides that, the caregiver had left many traces, and these traces would sooner or later be discovered by the detective.

So he really couldn't think of any way for the caregiver to escape.

But would the story's outcome really be as he imagined?

Before, he had thought it definitely wasn't suicide, but the previous week's serialization showed it was indeed suicide.

Forget it, he would just keep waiting for next week's serialization to see how the author would write it.

Toki Ippei moved the mouse, closed the page, and then clicked a button labeled "Post."

He had come this time not only to read the serialization but also to promote a work he had read—"The Devotion of Suspect X."

After being recommended by this serialized manuscript before, he had specifically gone to a bookstore to buy a copy, then ran to a nearby park, sat down, tore open the packaging, and started reading.

Originally, he didn't have high expectations; it was purely out of curiosity.

But unexpectedly, he became engrossed as he read, and it wasn't until late at night that he finished the book by the light of a park streetlamp.

After finishing the book, he felt a great shock. The connotations within this mystery novel were different from any series of works he had read before.

In other mystery works, even if the culprit committed murder, it was for themselves or other purposes.

But in this work, the protagonist committed murder to protect a mother and daughter, even sacrificing himself. It could be said that the protagonist's motive was unbelievably noble!

After this, he completely became a fan of "The Devotion of Suspect X" and admired the author's talent to an extreme degree.

He really couldn't imagine how this author named Akiwara Yuto had come up with this murder motive.

After opening the new "Post" page, Toki Ippei started typing on the keyboard, beginning to organize his thoughts.

He couldn't wait to let more mystery fans see this mystery novel that could be called a "classic"!

As Toki Ippei typed, he thought of another question.

Come to think of it, what was the relationship between this OP who was serializing and Mr. Akiwara Yuto?

……

Yokohama City, Hodogaya Ward, Fujitaka Bookstore.

Uesugi Sonoko walked through the literary section of this bookstore, flipping through the books laid out on the display table with slight boredom.

Since finishing "The Devotion of Suspect X" last time, Uesugi Sonoko had found that this book had become her favorite work. She had even read it over and over five times and made corresponding reading notes.

But because this book was too brilliant, it made her feel like she was chewing wax when reading other mystery works on the market.

Even some other works she had spent money to buy had become unreadable.

For example, the copy of "Searching Footsteps" by Menxie Youzhen she had bought before had been left in a corner, and was even occasionally used as a lid for instant noodles.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Sonoko sighed. When would Mr. Akiwara Yuto release a new book?

However, she was just lamenting. She knew in her heart that, generally speaking, few writers could release new books one after another; often, one book a year was considered a prolific writer.

Just as she was sighing, a bookstore clerk walked to the wall, took out a poster, and pasted it on the wall near the bookshelf.

Could there be another new book recommendation?

Uesugi Sonoko was a bit curious, so she took the initiative to walk up and look, then read the content on the poster.

"Akiwara Yuto, 'The Devotion of Suspect X' signing event, Tokyo……"

Seeing this line, Uesugi Sonoko opened her eyes wide in surprise.

She clenched her fists tightly and silently made a decision in her heart…… ===== CHAPTER 112 =====