The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 5

**The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 5** is the 42nd chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Toto calmly tells the guests that he will examine Clark's body, and that everyone should stay. Toto looks with great concern at the still heavily dazed Ron, thinking that he has never seen Ron so indifferent to a case, though he could not blame him.

Toto checks Clark's body at the neck and carotid pulse, and notes that the body is still warm; Clark just died. Toto asks if the fire extinguisher foam covering the body meant to resemble last night's third dish, the white wine steamed fish with foam garnish? Sakai concurs that the foam looks like the ecume sauce. Toto also notes a mark on Clark's neck. Clark was killed by strangulation. Tiger Dan notes that up until now, they were just stabbings, with an icepick and a knife. Toto also wonders why the suspect used a different murder method this time.

Toto asks Sakai if he could tell him about the events leading to when he discovered the victim. Sakai relates that he tried to rest but just couldn't calm down. Cooking relaxes him, so he was standing in the kitchen. Then he came down to the wine cellar to get some wine to use in a dish. He notes that there was a menu taped to the door. He opened the door to confirm his suspicions, and found Clark. He then went to look for Toto right away.

LIly accuses the chef of killing Clark, after all there weren't any witnesses. Toto tells her to wait, that she does not have proof. He asks the rest of them what they were all doing before the event. Lily was trying to connect to the internet but it was no use. Mia was writing in her journal. Tiger Dan was working, since he is part of a major lawsuit in America. Toto tells them that he was in the storage room with Ron, thus Ron is not the murderer.

Lily angrily says they do not know that! It is possible that Toto and Ron are a fake cop and a serial killer! Toto jumps at this. Lily then points at Ron and says that out of everyone invited there for their connection to the murder 17 years ago, he is the most suspicious. He looks just like the vile man at the center of it all. But Ron's eyes are still glazed over and he remains unresponsive. Lily asks why he is acting so spaced-out? Is he enraptured after killing someone?

Toto fumbles and tries to intervene. Their top priority right now is to prevent another murder. If it follows the same pattern, the fourth dish is three varieties of roast game. Tiger Dan immediately asks: does that mean three people are going to get killed? Everyone remaining gasps, then Toto tells them to please calm down. He asks all of them to stay in the dining room while he investigates. If the murderer is really someone among them, then they won't be able to make a move, and they won't be able to interfere with the investigation either.

Lily shouts to be counted out. There is no way she will sit in a room with someone who might be a serial killer. At this, Ron starts walking out still with a blank gaze, even as Mia asks if he is okay. Toto says in that case, he will take Ron with him while he investigates, and repeats for them to relax and wait in the dining room.

Toto thinks aloud as he walks through the halls with Ron, saying he could not believe the third murder happened in under an hour, and there are still more courses left in the menu. But he does not have any leads, nobody has an alibi, and he can't deduce who the murderer is. He thinks silently for a moment that all he knows is that everyone is connected to the murder from 17 years ago, and wonders if Ron was invited because his father was the one who organized it. He still could not believe Ron's father was a criminal mastermind in the M family. He slips back into thinking aloud, saying that Ron said his ancestors were detectives.

On his mother's side, Ron says, as Toto is surprised to be caught thinking aloud. Ron's mother is from the Holmes detective family, and his father was from the horrible Moriarty criminal organization. But enough about that, he says, let's focus on the case. Toto wonders if he has moved past the stuff about his father. Ron says he has come to a conclusion. A dangerous person like him, who was trained to be a brilliant criminal, has no right to be a detective. He is going to stop doing detective work.

Toto is surprised, and asks if he is giving up on become a detective again, and that this is a joke. Ron is serious, he says, and not even Toto can stop him. But his father got those people wrapped up in this, and he cannot allow any more of them to die. He is going to settle this. This will be the last case he ever solves. This is not some shallow case, he continues. He tells Toto not to let his guard down for a second. The case is most likely linked to the M family, so one of the invitees works for them.

Ron then tells Toto, when you've lost your way, return to the crime scene. Toto worriedly asks where that is coming from. Ron says that once he is gone, he will have to do this on his own. They stop at the holder of the fire extinguisher, and Ron quietly realizes something. He tells Toto that he missed it since he was so distraught about his father, but the fire extinguisher from the hallway was used for mimicry.

They walk back to the crime scene at the wine cellar. The third course was the white wine steam fish with foam garnish, and Toto confirms. In that case, they could have just poured on some of the wine in the cellar. So then why would they take the risk of being seen by using the fire extinguisher from the hallway? Toto asks if it was not just for show. But recently, Ron says, fire extinguisher ten to be the powder type rather than the foam type. Either the murderer got lucky or...but Ron tells him they will head back to the first crime scene.

On reaching outside Gardner's room, Ron kneels at the carpet, and says he didn't notice it before since everyone was standing there. There is a bloodstain on the carpet. Toto asks if that means the victim was killed outside the room, and Ron says it is certainly possible. They enter the room again. Toto says he didn't realize it when they first found him, but the petals around the body really do look just like the ones in the edible flower salad. Ron plops down and lays beside Gardner's body, as he asks why is the killer so fixated on mimicking the food? Toto says that now that he mentions it, it's pretty strange. Ron notes the flowers on the body as bellflower, tiger lily, and cosmos, as the body holds a flower at the right hand.

He then suddenly sits up and says the garden. There are flower vases in their rooms, too, but there are way too many petals on the body. The killer brought the flowers in from outside. Ron fully stands and runs, as Toto follows him to the garden which has flowerbeds. On reaching the garden, Toto notes that some of the flower have been plucked. Then he repeats that it's a good point, why IS the killer so fixated on mimicking the food?

While there they overhear Lily walking through the garden, followed by the other guests and Sakai. Lily loudly says she has had enough and cannot stay there any longer. Toto asks what is going on, and Tiger Dan says she is going to walk down the mountain. Toto asks if the didn't see from the ropeway how dangerous the terrain is. Lily says she will go down a different way. Sakai says that is too reckless. But Lily, too decided, says in English "Worry about yourself!", attempting to walk past a sign that is fully in Japanese with no English, warning "Beware of landslides ahead!". Mia tells her to stop, that she could start a landslide. Lily does stop in confusion. Tiger Dan adds loudly for her to look at the sign, she should stop! At this, Ron realizes something.

Toto asks her why she would do something that reckless. Lily answers loudly that it's a lot better than being shot to death. Almost everyone wonders at this. Lily says did they forget? She told them she heard an explosive sound in the next room when the first murder happened. Tiger Dan heard it too, he says, but the cause of death was stabbing. Lily says then it was used as a threat. There is no telling what the crescent moon man would do. And the culprit is the one who looks just like him, Ron Kamonohashi! She is certain he is carrying a hidden gun.

Ron keeps silent for moment, then smiles and chuckles, as the guests and chef shudder. Ron swishes his hair away. After 17 years, this last supper has revealed a foolish Judas. Ron then adds that he does not have a gun, so he doesn't mind if he is searched. But first, could they let Officer Isshiki share the results of his investigation? Deflecting to Toto, he says Officer Isshiki knows the reason for the food mimicry, and which person is the serial killer.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Totomaru Isshiki
* Karen Lily
* Mia Costa
* Tiger Dan
* Shusuke Sakai
* Ron Kamonohashi