Signs of Murder

Chapter 6

One hour.

That was all the time they had.

Kaito Mori grabbed his coat, barely waiting for Reina Takagi as they rushed out of the precinct. The pieces were finally coming together—Hajime Kiryu. The victims had all been investigating him in some way. If that was the connection, then the next target had to be someone else tied to Kiryu's secrets.

But who?

They ran through the rain toward the car. Reina was already making calls, cross-referencing names. "Kiryu has his hands in everything—finance, politics, media. If someone was close enough to expose him, they'd have to be in a position of power, right?"

Kaito's mind raced. The journalist, the investigator, the lawyer, the media executive—all of them were middlemen. People looking into something bigger.

"What if we're looking at this wrong?" Kaito muttered, gripping the wheel as they sped down the city streets.

Reina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The victims weren't just investigating Kiryu. What if they were working with someone? A source. Someone feeding them information."

Reina's eyes widened. "An informant?"

Kaito's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "If that's the case, then the killer isn't just silencing people digging into Kiryu. They're working their way up the chain—eliminating anyone who might expose the real truth."

A new sense of urgency hit him. They needed a name—now.

Reina's phone buzzed. She glanced at it and paled. "I have it. The sixth person connected to all of them."

She turned the screen toward Kaito.

A picture of a man in his late fifties, dressed in a sharp suit.

Kenji Takahara.

A whistleblower. Former Kyosei Group executive. He had gone into hiding six months ago.

And if the killer had found him—

Kaito slammed the gas pedal. "Where is he?"

Reina checked her notes. "Last known safehouse—an apartment in Minato Ward."

Thirty minutes away.

Kaito pushed the speed limit. They didn't have thirty minutes.

They had less than one hour.

And the killer was already ahead of them.

To Be Continued...