"But before then the knife was stolen from the kitchen. And if I remember right Succi, Mew and you are the only people who could have stolen it." said Fushichin confidently.

Of course, this wasn't exactly true. Yumiko and Jude were considered to be suspects.

Fushichin knew this but didn't care.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Marian.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Fushichin playfully then continued "I'm saying you knew about Yumiko's affair and you threatened to kill Yumiko at 15 pm in the library with the knife you stole!"

"Stop screwing around, you're just guessing!" grunted Marian.

The two of them exchanged mean glares.

"Also, hold on a sec. Wouldn't that be strange?" said Salim.

"Why?" pondered Fushichin while looking at him.

"Threatening someone to kill them and arguing about the affair should have taken plenty of time no?" asked Salim.

"Probably, it's definitely more time consuming than casual exchange of dialogue." said Fushichin while rubbing his chin.

"Then wouldn't your theory contradict this evidence?" said Salim and showed his phone.

"Jude said he went to the library at 15 pm and didn't find anybody there." added Salim.

"Yeah, that's true." said Fushichin then smirked and added "But that's elementary dear Salim. Jude lied."

People's eyes rose up at the sound of that.

“Jude, Marian, Yumiko. All three are lying. I didn't mind much attention to the private conversation that was done so fast that Jude didn't spot them at the library. But after we exposed that Marian lied about her whereabouts at 15 pm I became vary of this." said Fushichin.

"You have no proof to back this up" said Marian.

"True. But the great thing about having 3 people working together is that at some point, one of them will rat out the other." said Fushichin with a grin.

"So, that's the plan huh." said Hellen.

"Yeah, if you're not gonna admit to this, then the other two might, Marian." said Fushichin with anger.

"I don't care. You're wrong about this." said Marian.

"Well then, Salim, keep an eye on Marian in the recroom. We'll interrogate Yumiko and Jude one by one." said Klancy.

Hearing that Salim grabbed Marian from her shoulder and they entered the recroom. Jude was called into the room, he was questioned about the incident. Jude still claimed that his testimony was true. Tired of questioning him, Galtomor took him away to a different room and Yumiko was called. And after a brief questioning and convincing Yumiko answered.

"Y-yes. You are right. That's what happened. Marian asked me to come with her to the library. After we got there Marian told me that she saw what me and Tenma were doing. I said I was sorry. Of course, that wasn't enough."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Yumiko’s voice become hoarse, her eyes depressed.

“She wanted to punish me, wanted me to leave this mansion for good. I had no intention of losing my job so I told her that Tenma was my employer and her opinion didn't matter. Saying that I tried leaving the room. But Marian attacked me from behind. She pushed me to the ground, got on top of me and pulled my hair. I tried resisting but she was strong. I finally managed to push her off from myself. That's when she brought out a kitchen knife from her clothes. She attacked me with the knife. I thought I was dead for sure but Jude subdued Marian from behind her. Marian dropped the knife, she started crying while Jude comforted her. I was stressed out so I left the library. I went back to the dining hall and afterwards Jude came. And we decided to call everyone for dinner."

Yumiko looked at the detectives with guilt and spoke "That's it. That's the lie the three of us told you all. I'm sorry."

"So that's what happened." said Hellen while crossing her arms.

"Miss Marian, she isn't going to be in trouble is she?" asked Yumiko.

"Hell yeah, she is. It's first degree attempted murder. I'm guessing that she is gonna be imprisoned for 20 years or even for life." said Fushichin.

"My gosh! That's horrible." said Yumiko with fear.

"You seem awfully compassionate for someone who tried to kill you tho. I know you're the victim in this case. But perjury is still perjury." said Klancy with a frown.

"I mean, it's not like she was under oath. She did not testify at court." complained Fushichin.

"There have been changes to the law. Lying during an interview with a police officer about a case could be considered a crime now." said Klancy.

"What was I supposed to do? Marian tried to kill me but...she failed. She seemed genuinely sorry after dinner. I knew she would receive some sort of legal punishment if the truth was told to everyone. And I didn't want that. And also...it's entirely possible she wasn't going to kill me. Maybe she was just trying to threaten me." said Yumiko timidly.

"Galtomor. Call Salim, Marian and Jude. We're gonna have a talk." said Klancy.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the dining hall. Klancy notified them of the situation. How Yumiko had spilled the beans.

"So, you've finally said it huh." said Jude with a scolding tone towards Yumiko.

"It's fine. She had no reason to hide the truth outside of sympathy for me. And the longer she hid this, she would only be causing problems for herself if she got caught. As for the detectives, congratulations. You got me. Yes, what Yumiko said is the truth." said Marian with sarcastic smirk.

“So, you hid the kitchen knife behind the bookcase, Marian?" asked Klancy.

"No, that would be me." said Jude.

"I cleaned it up and hid the knife behind a bookcase. I thought it wouldn't be found but you cops are quite good at searching." added Jude with irritation.

"Why did you go to that extent to help them hide this truth Jude?" asked Hellen.

"Why, it is because I don't like cops. You policemen think of everyone as some sort of a criminal. What Marian did was a human reaction, I feel deep sympathy for her. I know how you slaves of the state treat anyone who has stepped out of boundaries." said Jude with disgust.

"We aren't slaves to anyone. I'm here to find the truth." claimed Hellen.

"Find the truth for what? You didn't need to know about what happened at 15 pm. That was not related to Hori's disappearance or Tenma's murder." grumbled Jude.

"Hey, how were we supposed to know that? I was just following the trails of lies, that's all." said Fushichin with a frown.

"Well, now you know the truth. Yumiko, you don't have any ill grudges towards Marian, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And I don't want anything bad happening to Marian, so please, forgive her." said Yumiko.

Klancy looked at the three troublemakers, sighed and said "If only the law worked like that. Marian will be punished dearly. The law was meticulously written so that those who have the potential to be murderers are also to be imprisoned and contained. What Marian did was vile and malicious. She is not that different from the person who killed Tenma."

Yumiko who seemed afraid from Klancy’s fierce face said "But, doesn't my opinion matter? I have no complaint."

"What you think doesn't matter. Marian has deliberately taken steps to plan out a murder by stealing the knife and hiding it. And had the intention and made a move to kill." grunted Klancy.

He shook his head and said "Of course, it is for the judges to decide the exact years. And speaking of which, you will not go scot free Jude. You willfully hid evidence from the cops. Expect a good fine or at least 2 months in jail."

"Hmph, punishment is the only language you mongrels can speak of. I did what I thought was right. It's as simple as that. It still pisses me off that my actions led me to give money to an unjust system." said Jude and he gritted his teeth.

Galtomor went out with Marian and came back.