The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 2

**The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 2** is the 39th chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Clark and Mia arrive at the crime scene and find Garnder dead in his room. Tiger Dan meanwhile notes the ice pick stuck in Gardner's chest, as well as the flowers. Toto tells him not to touch anything, as he raises his badge as a police detective. All the guests are various states of concern and shock.

Clark says he heard something about an apartment manager during dinner but... Ron interrupts and says that is him, and that Officer Isshiki is the metropolitan police's most outstanding detective. Toto tells Sakai to contact the local police, then asks Clark to assist him as a doctor. Meanwhile Ron says he is Toto's crime scene assistant as he lays down beside the victim.

Clark says Gardner did not die right away, that it appears he died in pain, and it has been three or four hours since he died. Thus, Toto says it was in the middle of the night. Who would do such a thing?

Ron looks out a window and tells Toto to look at the ground outside. The surface of the ground is all torn up, as if someone was trying to erase their footprints. Toto guesses that the killer came in through the window, but Ron says that is impossible because the window is locked. Toto asks how then did they enter, since the door to the room was also locked. Tiger Dan asks if this means this is a locked room murder. Toto notes a slight gap between the door and the floor, and guesses that after the murder the killer could have used the gap to lock the door and make it look that way. Ron says there is no need for such a process; the door can be locked by pushing a button, so it will lock after you leave the room.

The truly impossible mysteries are, Ron says, the flowers scattered around the corpse, and the menu taped to the door. Ron also notes an emerald beside the victim, similar to the one he and Mia hold.

Sakai returns, saying he can't get a call through, not with the landline or the smartphone. Ron asks how many route lead up to the auberge. Sakai says it is just the ropeway that all of them took, and the mountain road, but the mountain road is currently closed off due to a landslide. Ron then says that if the murderer really made it so they could not use their phones to contact outside, it wouldn't be surprising if they also cut off their travel methods. When they check outside at the ropeway, they confirm that it is indeed out of service today. Toto asks if it was planned, and Sakai says he is not sure. Ron notes that the people down at the bottom won't realize anything's wrong. He asks if there are any other businesses in the area. Sakai says he heard that the auberge is the only establishment open during the off season. Thus Lily exclaims, it means it has basically become a desert island.

Toto asks them to calm down, and he starts to review the facts again. But Ron stops him, saying at the time of the crime, just before dawn, everyone was in their room, thus nobody has an alibi. Just then Sasaoka starts running away from the group, and Ron and Toto chase after him, as Toto tells the others to return to the auberge.

Ron corners Sasaoka from behind as he hides at a bush, saying he has nowhere left to run. When Ron asks why did he run, Sasaoka say isn't it obvious? Because you're here! Ron nor Toto understand. Sasaoka continues: the conspicuous dinner meal, that cruel murder method, giving out emeralds, all of it is obviously to blackmail him. Ron asks what he means. Sasaoka says he has not forgotten about him. Ron says he does not know him. When Sasaoka says he is trying to play dumb, Toto intervenes, saying Ron really doesn't know anything about this, that he is Ron's friend. Ron adds that any rate he is not his enemy. Could he please tell him a little more about this?

At the garden fountain Sasaoka begins to talk. It happened a while ago, and he quickly says that he is innocent, that he didn't know anything, begging Toto that he would not turn him in. Ron says that it depends on the situation, and if it's like he says and it was out of his hands, he will look the other way. Toto, after some objecting, relents and says he will consider it.

Sasaoka then gives the story. He realized it as soon as the first dish came out. It was the same menu as when a man he had met online treated him to a meal in London 17 years ago. Back then, he worked as a smuggler on the side in addition to driving a taxi. Ron asks if it was transporting drugs and other illegal goods on the black market, but Sasaoka says he will leave it to his imagination. He was only ever directed to be at the handoff point. He wasn't allowed to look at the goods he was carrying. The man in the restaurant came to him with a request. He said there was a man wit a pregnant woman looking for a taxi. He asks that Sasaoka pick them up and drop them off at a certain hospital. That was all, and Sasaoka says he had no idea things would turn out like that. Ron asks what happened. Sasaoka says that a few days later, the body of the man he picked up was found in the Thames river in a sorry state. Ever since then, he tried to convince himself that him giving the man a ride had nothing to do with what happened. But now it's come back to him.

Ron concludes that he was basically used by the man from the restaurant, and that the man sounds like a real villain. Sasaoka shouts that yeah, he was a conniving, cowardly, cruel bastard, and that he looked exactly like Ron! His height, build, and even eye were just like Ron's. And just how he poured brown sugar on his food, the man doused his food in maple syrup.

Ron objects, saying he was just a kid back then. Sasaoka says that makes sense now when he thinks about it, but the resemblance is so strong he was shocked. Plus, it is true that Ron doesn't have a crescent moon birthmark on his cheek. At this, Ron recalls something in great shock. Sasaoka continues that the more he looks at Ron, the more he looks alike. Is he that guy's son or something? Toto says that is impossible, Ron's father died of illness before he was born...right? But Ron had left his side and disappeared.

Toto catches up to Ron inside the auberge, asking him what is wrong. Ron says he has seen a picture of his parents together, and his father had a crescent moon birthmark on his cheek. Toto is confused, wasn't he dead by then?

Ron holds his head and groans as he remembers himself as a small child. He tells Max and Molly while holding a book that playing dinosaurs is dreadfully boring now that they are three. Someone laughs saying he is a riot. He tells Ron is going to be a big deal someday, as little Ron looks up, even more than him, his dad. The man with the crescent moon birthmark.

The silence is broken as Lily loudly exclaims "Oh my God!" in English. Everyone starts running to where she is. Lily says she was going past the bathroom, and on the door, all of them find a copy of last night's menu. Ron runs into the batch followed by Toto. Toto notices that the door to the bath is open, as steam comes out of the bath.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Mia Costa
* Tom Sasaoka
* Bill Clark
* Shusuke Sakai
* Karen Lily
* Ron Kamonohashi
* Totomaru Isshiki
* Tiger Dan
* Lenny Gardner
* Eliot Moriarty (flashback only)