novelraw Chapter 42 Proof
Chapter 42 Proof
"Please relax, everyone. This isn't a formal court procedure; we, the police, just want to verify some testimonies."
Before the meeting started, the older of the two detectives stood up and made a joke.
"But once the evidence is confirmed and the crime is established, you will inevitably transfer the case to the prosecutor, right?"
Lin Xiuyi asked.
When the older police officer saw that it was the detective's student assistant asking the questions, he immediately felt that this young man really didn't know the rules.
If you make definitive statements, then there's no room for resolving the situation.
He was the one who had previously characterized the death of Kenpei Maeda, and even now, he is certain that Maeda committed suicide. The uproar that has inexplicably arisen today is purely the media stirring up trouble for publicity.
He was experienced and immediately saw through the true nature of the meeting: of the people present, he and his colleagues were there to keep their jobs, Principal Yokota wanted to escape the media's stigma, the detective was there to extort a quick buck, the female teacher had long since passed away and was now in heaven, and this young lad was taking this so-called evidence-gathering meeting seriously, thinking he was playing a super-realistic detective game. He didn't have the energy to play along.
Although that's what he thought in his heart, the inspector, who was about to retire in a few years, still said diplomatically, "Of course, the procedure is the same, but we also have the right to judge and make a preliminary assessment of whether the prosecution's evidence meets the standards for initiating a public prosecution..."
He glanced at the detective without making a sound, wanting her to control the people she brought.
Unexpectedly, Eri Hasegawa seemed completely unable to read his eyes, instead letting the boy beside her do as he pleased, while she herself seemed to be lost in thought.
He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized: the detective was pretending to be stupid, and the boy was the tool she was using to blackmail him. It turned out they had planned it all along, and this meeting was a complete trap.
These detectives are always ruthless when it comes to uncovering dirt on people, so it seems Principal Yokota will have to spend a fortune today.
Anyway, it has nothing to do with him.
"Chief Inspector, the recording has been started."
The young detective standing nearby offered a reminder, while simultaneously picking up a pen to take notes during the meeting.
"Then let's begin." The old policeman nodded.
Lin Xiuyi secretly kicked Hasegawa, who was still in a daze, under the table to wake her up.
"Yes, yes, our claim is that Yokota Daiji killed Maeda Kenpei, and the evidence is this..."
She hurriedly stood up, took out a document, a stack of photos, a somewhat worn notebook, and a piece of letter from her bag, and handed them to the old policeman sitting in the main seat.
"Based on the submitted opinion, we believe that Maeda Kenpei could not have committed suicide, while Yokota Daiji had a motive to kill and there is sufficient evidence to prove his murder."
The old policeman took out the opinion letter from the document, and while looking through it, he flipped through the photos, his expression becoming subtle.
"You believe that Yokota Daiji killed Maeda Kenpei with the intention of covering up a bribery, but these photos and the diary entries alone cannot prove that, can they?"
"Please see the floppy disk that was attached to the document. If possible, please play it directly using the computer projector in this conference room."
The older policeman then noticed that there was indeed a black floppy disk in the file folder, which he took out and handed to the younger policeman beside him.
After some fiddling, an edited video started playing on the conference room screen.
At the center of the frame is the boastful Daiji Yokota, who is negotiating with the person recording him about exchanging one million yen for his son's eligibility for school admission.
"This video was provided to us by a woman who wished to remain anonymous. The video and audio are both authentic and can be submitted to the relevant departments for verification."
"This constitutes a violation of privacy rights, and this evidence is completely illegal!"
After watching the video with a dark expression, Yokota Daichi stood up with a red face and loudly criticized the recording.
"I don't know if there was any assault," Lin Xiuyi said calmly, "but if you have any objections, you should go find the woman who provided the evidence. It's not like you realized something was wrong afterward and wanted to arrest her but couldn't, is it?"
"You, you..."
Yokota Daichi's face flushed red, as if a volcano was about to erupt, but he then forced a smile, suppressing his anger: "Even if it really is true, then I am corrupt, I am embezzling, so what? Does this prove that I killed Maeda?"
"Hey," he suddenly slammed his hand on the table with an air of authority, "Don't joke around! He was one of those corrupt officials too. The death of that coward who committed suicide out of fear of being exposed has nothing to do with me!"
"That's because..."
Eri Hasegawa was intimidated. Her lips moved but she couldn't make a sound. Her mind went blank after Yokota's shout and she couldn't keep up with what he said.
Lin Xiuyi remained unfazed and replied, "That's because you're different from him. You're Principal Minato, a high-ranking and powerful figure deeply rooted in the education sector, and also the biggest beneficiary of corruption and embezzlement. Naturally, you'll be the first to be held accountable. Maeda might lose his job and face a fine of millions."
But if you were punished, you would lose all your social standing, be burdened with unpayable debts, and even have to mortgage your mansion, ending up homeless. In comparison, you would undoubtedly find the disparity caused by such a price far more unbearable.
Maeda desperately needed money, and whether through joint embezzlement or high-interest loans, you practically became his only source of income, using this leverage to drive him to his death—please continue with the next recording.
He explained, looking at the young policeman.
The latter instinctively operated the computer.
The screen then went blank, showing only the man's voice.
It details Yokota's plan to buy Maeda's debts from the yakuza and use those debts and subsequent loans to blackmail Maeda Kenpei into willingly being killed by him.
The moment the recording was released, even the veteran detective's brow twitched several times.
It's too detailed, and too bizarre. If the recording is real, then it means a third-party witness has come forward to confirm the motive and method...
What's going on... Is that detective for real?
He looked at Hasegawa Eri, who also had an incredulous expression, with disbelief, and was even more astonished.
What's going on?
"This is a fact personally admitted by Imai Yuno, the leader of the Imai Group who has close ties with you. If the police are unsure, they can go and question him at any time. He will admit to these statements 100%."
Lin Xiuyi said coldly, "In addition, there is the real will written by Maeda Kenpei himself for his daughter. The sad contents show that you knew in advance that his daughter was seriously ill and would need huge expenses, and on this basis, you provided important assistance at an unknown price, which can fully corroborate the above point."
Sweat poured down Yokota Daichi's face as he looked at Hayashi Hideichi as if he were facing a man-eating beast.
He suddenly remembered his initial impression of this student—it was in his office, where he had gently persuaded the student to give up pursuing the scholarship issue.
Lin Xiuyi dared to question who had taken his scholarship, and his eyes burned with a strange desire for revenge.
At the time, he found it quite funny, after all, it was just a helpless and incompetent stray dog.
How could a stray dog like that possibly defeat an adult?