Police vehicles were already at the scene, their red lights flickering over the entire area. It was a narrow street with neat rows of modern and traditional restaurants stretched into the distance, some with tables out near the entrance.
They made their way toward the yellow tape set around the building. It was a fast food restaurant with a little ramen bowl sign next to the sliding double doors and soft orange lamps hanging above them, reflecting down on the brown walls. There were people still inside being questioned by officers. A few looked annoyed and Teruo heard loud arguing.
An officer slid open the doors and Teruo stepped inside, Miyazaki close behind him. Silence fell and he threw a glare around the room for good measure, then followed the officer through the back door and out again on the other side of the building. The back faced another narrow road, too narrow for any cars to fit. The forensic team was gathered around two large green and orange garbage containers and the victim was visible on the ground behind them.
“Who was first on the scene?” Teruo asked the officer.
The man pointed to another uniform, who was gesticulating at the forensic techs, holding a clipboard in her arm. Teruo thanked him and headed toward her.
She noticed them and gave a curt bow.
“Hayashi Teruo, lead detective on this case. This is my partner Miyazaki Shinji. What can you tell us?”
“We’re currently waiting for the techs to take pictures and to sweep the area around her for evidence before we push aside the containers.”
“Have you called the M.E. yet?”
“Was about to before you arrived. It’s been chaos here with all these people inside the restaurant. We had to do crowd control first.”
“Call now,” Teruo said. “And do me a favor; ask them to send Suzuki if available. They’ll know who you’re referring to.”
The officer nodded and stepped aside, phone at her ear.
“The M.E. from yesterday?” Miyazaki inquired.
“Yeah, I prefer working with her. She’s great at her job, very thorough. And we get along well together. She’s used to my… quirks, let’s call them.”
“Quirks,” Miyazaki repeated, his lips curling up.
Teruo opened his mouth for a retort, but the officer returned confirming she relayed the message and the medical examiner would arrive soon.
“Who found the victim?” Teruo asked her.
“One of the restaurant’s employees.” The officer looked to her right and beckoned for one of the people there to approach.
A teenager wearing a black apron over his long-sleeved t-shirt and light grey jeans walked to them. He greeted and bowed, his voice barely a whisper and his lower lip trembling.
“Get me the manager as well, please,” Teruo told the first officer, then returned his attention to the boy. “Tell me exactly what happened. How did you find the victim?”
The boy swallowed hard, moving from one foot to the other. “I c-came out t-to take the trash, mister detective. I work here part-time. And… and I threw one of the bags too high. It flew to the other side of the container… so I went to get it and put it in. I noticed the garbage containers had been moved—”
“How did you figure that?” Teruo asked.
“Well, they’re usually against the wall and none of us move them, so it was strange. I decided to place them back, t-then… then I found her.” He swallowed again, his face draining of color.
Teruo nodded. “When was that?”
“I think h-half an hour ago.”
“Have you taken a good look at her face?” Miyazaki said. “Do you recognize her?”
“She’s a regular here. At first I thought maybe she was… unwell… maybe fainted. But when I saw the blood on her neck…” He shivered.
“How often did she come and what did she order?” Teruo inquired.
“Twice a week,” the boy replied. “Always Tuesday and Friday in late afternoon because that’s when her shift started. She worked afternoon hours in some call center and got takeout ramen. She came by today and picked her usual.”
As the boy spoke, Miyazaki suddenly left, entering the restaurant through the back door. Teruo frowned, but turned to the teenager. “Did she offer other details about her personal life?”