Case One: the one who fell from the heavens

Chapter Two

Morning arrived on Okinawa Island as the students got out of bed for a new day. Orion and Satoru had already risen and washed their faces. Then, the two got their knapsacks packed and headed out of the hotel room to meet up with Mari and Amane. They had agreed to meet at the elevator lobby on their floor for the next day. Satoru changed into a casual green hoodie with light blue jeans for the second day of their field trip.

Satoru and Orion headed outside to the rendezvous point with the girls. When Satoru and Orion arrived, Mari and Amane were already there. Mari had on a yellow button-up blouse, a matching white knee length skirt and red Mary Janes while Amane wore a white flowy short-sleeve shirt, a pink pleated short skirt and white buckle shoes.

“Hey you guys!” Amane called out to the two boys approaching them.

“Good morning,” Orion greeted. “I hope you didn’t wait too long.”

“Nah, not at all, right, Mari?” Amane giggled.

“That’s correct,” Mari muttered, her eyes looking away from the others. “Umm... So should we go now? Wait, where are we going today?”

“Well, we do have a free day today,” Amane answered.

“Oh sweet,” Satoru whistled. “But man, if I knew, I would have slept in instead. Oh well.”

“Let’s grab some breakfast first,” Orion suggested to which everyone assented.

The group of students descended the elevator to the third floor where the restaurant was located. The school reserved the third-floor restaurant for the students during their stay. A waiter approached the group and led them to a table by the window, and as they were seated, they picked up the menu and perused the items.

“I’ll like an omurice and orange juice,” Orion ordered.

“Continental breakfast and apple juice, please,” Satoru said as he put down the menu.

“The three stack pancakes!” Mari called out. “Oh, and orange juice, please.”

“Belgian waffles and orange juice,” ordered Amane, putting down the menu.

The waiter bowed and took the menus with him as he departed for the kitchen with the new orders. Orion leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly. He glanced around the restaurant, which wasn’t too crowded for a 9:00 AM breakfast; there were a few other tables with students seated and a couple of waiters standing scattered around.

“Is something amiss?” Amane asked innocently.

“Huh?” Orion looked at the other girl. “Oh, no, just looking around.”

“Hee hee, I thought we had a case in our midst!” Amane giggled.

He wouldn’t just answer like that if I was the one asking… Mari thought to herself, feeling a tinge of depression. She sighed and looked away from her childhood friend, attempting to distract her mind.

“So, when is everyone’s birthday?” Amane inquired.

“Huh?” Orion countered the question with another question of his own.

“Horoscopes!” Amane squealed.

“Oh. Mine is March 13,” Orion replied.

“Um… my birthday is July 20,” Mari mumbled that it was almost inaudible.

“I’m a Leo,” Satoru said simply.

“Oh! Fellow Pisces!” Amane exclaimed, extending her arm out for a high five to Orion, who returned the high five. “My birthday is actually March 10. We’re a match made, Orion!” Amane giggled.

Mari winced but tried to hide the pain from showing on her face though she noticed Satoru had a worried expression on his face, so she probably didn’t do a good job. Her thoughts ran along the lines of: Why is she able to do all that with him without any repercussions? How does she get away with it? I hate this…I…I… hate… her… Then realizing what she was thinking, Mari shook her head vehemently, holding back the tears.

“Are you alright?” Orion inquired, looking straight at Mari.

“Huh… uh, yeah, I’m fine,” Mari quickly nodded. “I’m all good.”

“Suspicious,” Amane eyed the other girl. “Did I say something to upset you?” To which Mari just shook her head rapidly. “Well… if you say so. I’m sorry if I did.”

“She’s just weird sometimes, don’t worry,” Orion shrugged.

Amane giggled. “Hee hee, the three of you seem so close. I’m almost jealous.”

“There’s nothing to be jealous of,” Orion said. “You have your friends.”

“Hehe, that’s true,” Amane smiled. “But all of us aren’t that close.”

Just as Orion was about to respond, two waiters arrived carrying their meals on serving trays. The waiters quickly spread the meal to the person who ordered it and left with the empty serving trays. Everyone partook in their breakfast, not saying much until all four students were finished.

“We should play some cards for now,” Orion suggested.

The other three assented with a nod as the four of them rose from the table and headed to the elevator lobby. They ascended the elevator to their floor and stopped in the lobby. It had to be determined which room they would be using for the playing cards. Orion decided they would use the guys room to avoid potential embarrassment, so they followed Orion to 14C.

Orion swiped the key into the key machine and a beep was heard, where Orion turned the knob and pushed the door open. He stepped to the side while leaning on the door to let the others in first. Then Orion let the door close and walked toward his bag. He ruffled through his belongings until he found some playing cards and took them to one of the beds where the other three were already seated.

“Let’s get started,” Orion flexed as he sat down on the bed across from Amane. “What should the rewards be for the winners?”

“Hmm… how about the first winner getting free lunch?” Amane suggested uncertainly.

“Sounds good to me,” Orion nodded.

“No objections here,” Satoru said.

“None here either,” Mari said softly.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The four friends played a round of cards, an intense round as they would want to be the one being treated for lunch. After approximately twenty minutes, the first victor came out to be Orion. He leaned back onto the headrest and stretched out.

“I’d like some Okinawan soba,” Orion casually commented.

“We just had that yesterday,” Satoru refuted.

“What can I say, it was really good,” Orion shrugged and sat upright. “Okay, let’s get some desserts then.”

“Desserts for lunch? Well, can’t say I will refuse it,” Amane smiled. “The rest of us should play a few more rounds. The last one will pay for the meal for all of us.”

“Challenge accepted,” Satoru said.

The remaining three passed the time with more cards, with the first winner being Amane and then Mari won. It turned out Satoru owed the group lunch. Satoru fell flat on the bed amidst the cards which scattered while he groaned loudly from his losses.

“Why did I have to lose?” Satoru wailed. “Ahhhhh… Please be kind to my wallet, everyone…”

Amane and Mari laughed as Orion just rolled his eyes. “Come on, that’s your own loss,” Orion said. “Let’s go now.”

Orion and the two girls got up while Satoru took his time to compose himself and to grab his laptop. He tucked his laptop under his arm as he followed behind Orion who was walking close to Amane and Mari. Satoru sighed to himself as he tried to resign himself to his fate this afternoon.

The group departed the hotel and walked to a nearby café. As they were seated, everyone perused the menu for a few minutes before deciding what to order. Orion signaled the waitress once everyone was ready.

“I’ll like a tiramisu cake,” Orion ordered.

“I will have strawberry cheesecake,” Amane spoke.

“And I will have an egg custard,” Mari said.

“I’ll take a regular cheesecake,” Satoru ordered.

“Would you like something to drink?” the waitress asked.

“We’ll take green tea,” Orion replied.

“Thank you, we’ll be back with your order shortly,” the waitress bowed and left the group to head into the kitchen with the orders. Another waitress came by with a teapot and four small cups and settled the teapot on the table with a cup for each person. She poured the tea into each cup before departing the table.

The four students discussed various topics loosely until two waitresses came by their table with their food. The main waitress for their table set the ordered dish to each person before both waitresses left the table again. They ate in silence, enjoying their dessert lunch in peace. That was when Orion heard a few customers gossiping about Tokyo again.

“Did you hear? The police still haven’t caught that killer.”

“That’s terrible. What do they think they’re doing?”

“I don’t know but Tokyo is getting quite dangerous. What if the killer does it again?”

“I have to warn my son, he’s living in Tokyo now.”

“Yeah, you better tell him to be careful.”

Orion finished his tiramisu cake and set down his fork as he listened to the other customers. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Orion was so lost in thought that it took a couple of tries from Mari to take him back to reality.

“Orion!” Mari called out. “What’s going on?”

“Huh, oh, it’s nothing,” Orion said, startled.

“It’s the other customers,” Satoru explained. “He’s dying to be invited to the team.”

Orion was about to respond when his phone beeped a few times; it meant he received a text message.

‘Orion, where are you? Text or call me when you can – Fujioka’

Nailed it, Orion thought, smiling to himself. He pulled up the contact for Erika Fujioka and dialed the number. After a few rings, a woman’s voice came on the phone.

“Orion?” Fujioka asked.

“That’s me,” Orion replied. “I’m on my school field trip right now. It’s our second day.”

“Oh, sorry to disturb you during your trip.”

“It’s no problem. What’s going on?”

“You surely must have heard about the murder we discovered yesterday?”

“Sure have.”

“Well, we’re having a bit of trouble here. All the suspects have airtight alibis.”

“Hmm…” Orion contemplated. “What are they?”

“The first one is the vic’s boyfriend. He was last to see her alive, but he claims to have been at the bar with his friends. They also got into an altercation recently because he suspected the vic of cheating. The second one is the vic’s best friend. She claims to be at work and that is checked out. She’s also in love with the vic’s boyfriend. The third and last sus is someone named Satoshi Kagome. We can’t find a motive for him but he was seen at the vic’s house on the day of the crime. However, he was supposedly on a business trip in China.”

“Hmm… Kagome’s alibi doesn’t SOUND very airtight, but who knows…” Orion pondered, closing his eyes. “What was the cause of death? Time of death?”

“Right. The victim died between 9:00 PM to 10:30 PM. The cause of death is strangulation, but we suspect it was drowning. There’s evidence of some of the hair being soaked premortem.”

Orion remained silent for a few minutes before opening his eyes. “Did you investigate Satoshi’s alibi thoroughly? Are you certain he was in China on the day of the crime? He…” Orion stopped himself when a bulb lit up in his head. “I’ll call you back.” Then Orion hung up and looked at Satoru. “Can you look up some flight information for me, Satoru?”

“Huh, what’s up?” Satoru asked confusedly. “But we’d have to go back to the hotel. I don’t have internet access here, you know.”

“Right, right,” Orion nodded as he waved his arm for the waitress. The waitress came by and gave them their check, to which Satoru paid and the rest of them departed for the hotel.

Upon arrival, Satoru led the group to the hotel lobby toward a settee. Satoru sat down and turned on his laptop. Glancing at Orion, he asked, “So which flight?”

“Any flight coming back from China yesterday,” Orion replied. “Any airline company will do.”

Satoru nodded and began typing rapidly on his laptop. He was so focused on his task that he was motionless except for the tapping on the keyboard. Orion leaned back on the settee and closed his eyes in contemplation. Mari and Amane exchanged small talks together until Satoru made a noise.

“Got it!” Satoru cried out. “So further details, please?”

“The arrival time should be around 12 to 6 PM and there should be a similar arrival time for today,” Orion stated, opening his eyes.

“Understood,” Satoru nodded and returned to his task.

“This is interesting,” Amane commented to Mari.

“No surprise, Satoru is such a dork,” Mari giggled.

“Shut it, Mari,” Satoru called out before he resumed typing.

“It’s typical work,” Orion yawned. “Don’t get too excited now, Amane.”

Amane giggled. “Why not? I’ve never seen a detective in action, you know.”

“You’re just being silly,” Orion commented casually.

“Thanks!” Amane said, laughing.

“That wasn’t really a compliment,” Orion stated.

“Sure it was! Better than other words you could’ve used,” Amane smiled.

Mari winced at their exchange, feeling a tinge of jealousy that someone new could have such an exchange with Orion. She turned away from the two chatting casually and leaned forward to Satoru. “How’s the search?”

Satoru looked up from his laptop briefly. “Huh. It’s going.” He leaned backwards and looked over to Orion. “Hey, I’m almost done. What other details do you need?”

“Look for a passenger named Satoshi Kagome,” Orion replied. “If he actually took the right flight, if he went another one, something like that.”

“Got it,” Satoru mumbled to himself as he returned to his task.

“You’re a nerd too, Amane,” Orion returned to face Amane.

“Am not!” Amane pouted. “You’re the nerd!”

“You wear glasses, just like Satoru here,” Orion said, pointing at Satoru working on his laptop.

“Just because I wear glasses???” Amane asked incredulously. “YOU’RE the weird one!”

Orion laughed. A genuine, heartfelt laugh that Mari has never heard before. Her heart felt like it was sinking as Mari clenched her fists away from their sight. Not that they would notice, Mari thought. Satoru had noticed though and looked up from his task.

“Don’t worry about it, Mari,” Satoru whispered to which the other girl sniffled. “Oh, I’m done now, Orion.”

“Great, spill it,” Orion leaned forward in his seat.

“Okay. Here goes,” Satoru started, leaning back on the settee and pulling his laptop on his lap. “There’s a flight booked by Satoshi Kagome for yesterday, but he never showed up for it. However, there’s a record that shows him on a flight for the day before yesterday.”

“Just what I thought,” Orion nodded eagerly. “Wait, what time was the flight?”

Satoru glanced at his screen for a moment. “1:20 PM.”

“Time to call Fujioka.” He took out his phone and dialed the same number as earlier. It took a few rings before a woman’s voice came on.

“What’s up, Orion?” Erika asked.

“Satoshi Kagome. His alibi isn’t as airtight as you thought. He came back the day before yesterday on the 1:20 PM flight. I wager he pretended he was back yesterday as that was his original flight, but something must have happened to make him return a day earlier…”

“Wow, how did you get that information? We couldn’t find that out.”

“Um, it’s a trade secret.”

Erika laughed on the other end. “Well, I’ll get this to the others, and we’ll search Kagome again. Let you know when we get anything solid.”

“Much thanks,” Orion nodded and then hung up the phone.

Back in Tokyo, a woman was moving around her apartment to clean up for her special guest today. She had long black hair, hazel eyes and wore a simple sky-blue chicken strap dress. The woman’s movements had grace even as she was cleaning up. After thirty minutes passed, the doorbell rang throughout the apartment and the woman cleaned herself up before rushing to the door. She opened the door to a man a little taller than herself, dressed in white dress shirt and dark blue trousers.

“It’s been a while,” the woman smiled fondly at the man standing across from him.

“It has,” the man smiled fondly.

“Come on in, Satoshi,” the woman stepped to the side to allow the man inside the apartment.

“Thank you, Yuzu,” the man smiled. “I do need to use the restroom right now.”

The woman named Yuzu led the man Satoshi to her bathroom by hand. When she entered, Satoshi suddenly grabbed Yuzu from behind as if giving her an embrace. Satoshi pulled the lift rod and turned on the cold water. When the water filled, Satoshi thrust Yuzu’s head into the water and held it there. Yuzu tried to struggle but it was to no avail as Satoshi kept his strength on her head underwater.

Once Yuzu stopped struggling, Satoshi released his grip on her head and the body rolled off onto the floor. Satoshi pressed the lift rod and allowed the water to release. He then dragged the body into the living room and dropped it off by the couch. Afterwards, Satoshi pulled out piano wires from his pocket and wrung the wire around Yuzu’s neck tightly to ensure there were residual markings. He pulled along the wire through the apartment and tied the other end to the door. With that, Satoshi made his finishing touches and left the apartment.