Heiji offered Okino Yoko a faint smile—calm, reassuring—enough to ease the tension in her face.
Then he walked over to Tomoko Ikezawa.
"Ms. Ikezawa, may I ask you a few questions?"
Tomoko lifted her chin and looked down her nose at him. "About what?"
"You knew about the threatening letter Okino Yoko received, correct?" Heiji asked evenly.
"Of course. Everyone on the concert staff knew."
"Then have you seen the letter itself?"
"Of course not." Tomoko rolled her eyes. "Once it came in, everything about it was kept under wraps. How would I have seen it?"
"Are you sure?"
Tomoko's expression tightened. Being studied so directly made her visibly uncomfortable, and the edge in her voice sharpened. "What's with that tone? I'm telling you, I haven't seen it. If you don't believe me, ask Sonoko Suzuki."
Sonoko nodded at once. "She's telling the truth. I've had the threatening letter with me the whole time. I was planning to show it to you, Heiji."
Tomoko's lips curled into a smug smile. "See? I'm innocent."
Heiji gave a small nod, but his gaze cooled. "If you haven't seen the letter, then I'd like you to explain something. Just now, you spoke as if you knew exactly what was written on it."
Tomoko's smugness froze on her face.
Officer Takagi, flipping through his notebook, looked up in surprise. "She did say that, didn't she…?"
Inspector Megure's expression hardened. "Ms. Ikezawa. Explain."
Tomoko's eyes darted. "Th-that… I heard Miss Suzuki mention it by chance."
Sonoko's reply was immediate and flat. "I don't remember speaking to you about it."
Tomoko's mouth opened, but no words came out.
Heiji didn't press her on that point yet. He simply continued, voice steady. "And there's something else. Ms. Ikezawa—why is your dress wet?"
The question landed like a blow. Tomoko's face changed instantly. She reflexively grabbed at her skirt, fingers tightening as she felt the damp fabric for herself.
"I… I slipped in the restroom," she blurted. "So… so it got wet."
Miwako Sato stepped forward, eyes sharp. "There aren't any water stains on the restroom floors here. Which restroom did you use?"
Tomoko's composure cracked. She snapped, forcing anger where panic was starting to show. "What is this supposed to mean? The weapon was found on Okino Yoko, and a fountain pen with her fingerprints was found on Akiyoshi Fujie's body. She's the murderer!"
Megure and the others exchanged uneasy looks. Tomoko's behavior was clearly strange, but the facts they had in hand were still damning—every visible piece of evidence pointed to Okino Yoko as the primary suspect.
Inspector Megure turned back to Heiji. "Hattori—if you don't have anything more, I'll have to bring Miss Yoko to the station for questioning."
Heiji didn't flinch. "Officer Sato, please check Ms. Ikezawa's dress for any white granules."
"White granules?" Sato's brow furrowed, but she moved immediately. "Ms. Ikezawa, cooperate."
Tomoko stiffened as Sato examined the damp fabric. The cloth felt soaked, and as Sato's fingers pressed along the skirt, she felt a faint prickling—tiny grains catching against her skin.
She opened her hand. Small white specks dotted her palm.
"Heiji," Sato reported, holding her hand up. "There are white particles."
Heiji nodded and turned to Takagi. "Officer Takagi, check Miss Yoko's dressing room. There should be the same white particles on the floor—especially in the corners."
Takagi hurried off and returned shortly after, breathing a little faster. "Mr. Heiji—there are a lot of white particles in the corners of the floor."
"Then, Inspector Megure," Heiji said, "please bring me that mop."
Heiji pointed to a mop set not far away. Megure picked it up, and sure enough, white granules clung to the strips of fabric.
Heiji's eyes never left Tomoko. "Ms. Ikezawa, you came down from the stage with everyone else. Earlier, you said you didn't even know someone had been killed back here. So tell me—why do you have the same white particles on your dress that are in Miss Yoko's dressing room… and on that mop?"
The backstage went quiet. The air felt tight, as if everyone had stopped breathing at once.
Inspector Megure stepped forward. "Ms. Ikezawa. Explain."
Tomoko's shoulders trembled. Her voice broke as panic overtook her. "I… it wasn't me! I didn't kill him! When I came in, he was already dead! I got scared—I fell, and that's how the white stuff got on me, and that's why my dress is wet. But I swear I didn't kill him!"
Sato's gaze stayed steady. "You found the body, but you didn't report it right away. Why?"
"Because… because…" Tomoko stammered, eyes shining with fear.
Heiji's tone remained calm, almost gentle—more dangerous for how controlled it was. "Because you were the one who sent the threatening letter. Akiyoshi Fujie found out, and you were afraid he would expose you. In the panic, you killed him with an ice pick. Then you tried to make it look like suicide. After that, you still couldn't relax—so you wiped the fingerprints off the weapon and hid it in Miss Yoko's drawer to frame her. Isn't that what happened?"
Every head turned toward Tomoko. No one spoke. Even the rustle of clothing seemed too loud.
Tomoko shook her head violently, tears spilling as her last shred of arrogance collapsed. "No! I didn't kill Akiyoshi Fujie! Yes—I sent the threatening letter." Her voice rose into a desperate scream. "I was jealous of Okino Yoko—her popularity, her image. But I only wanted to scare her! That's all!"
She gulped air, words tumbling out. "I came back here to pour pig's blood in her dressing room. But when I got there… he was already hanging there. He was already dead. I swear it wasn't me!"
Inspector Megure let out a low breath, then lifted a hand. "Enough. Hattori has the evidence. Ms. Ikezawa, you're coming with us."
Sato stepped in. "Hold still." The handcuffs clicked shut around Tomoko's wrists.
"It wasn't me—really, it wasn't!" Tomoko sobbed, shaking so hard she could barely stand.
"Save it for the station," Sato said, firm but not cruel, guiding her away.
Megure turned to Okino Yoko and cleared his throat, his expression softening with visible relief. "Miss Yoko… my apologies. I misjudged you."
Okino Yoko exhaled slowly, her face settling back into composure. "It's alright, Inspector. You were doing your job."
Her eyes shifted to Heiji—quiet gratitude shining there.
Megure gave a sheepish laugh. "Well then, Hattori… looks like I owe you another meal. I'll make it up to you next time."
Heiji didn't smile. Instead, he asked, "Inspector Megure—what exactly are you planning to charge Tomoko Ikezawa with?"
Megure blinked. "She's suspected of murder, and of making threats. Together, that makes it even more serious."
At those words, Tomoko's legs gave out. She sagged to the floor, staring blankly as she whispered over and over, "I didn't kill him… I didn't kill him…"
Heiji's gaze stayed on Megure. "The threats charge is fine. But where does the murder charge come from?"
Megure hesitated. "Th-this… weren't you the one who said it?"
Heiji's eyes narrowed slightly. "When did I say that?"