The Case of the Island Observatory Murder Pt. 3

**The Case of the Island Observatory Murder Pt. 3** (孤島天文台殺人事件③, *Kotō tenmondai satsujin jiken ③*) is the 11th chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Toto hears the crunch of broken glass behind him, and he turns to find Grizzly carrying a ladder. He came to investigate the observation dome, but says it looks like Toto beat him to it. When Toto asks if he means there is more he wanted to look into, Grizzly says he is there to collect evidence to firmly prove Ron's guilt. He will ensure that he gets the death penalty this time. Grizzly supposes that Toto came for the opposite reason. He already questioned the guests, and offers to tell Toto.

According to various people's testimonies, Onodera disappeared a little after 11pm after she said she was heading back to her room to grab some photography equipment. Grizzly thinks it was odd that she had not prepared her equipment ahead of time, especially since the weather started getting bad in the evening. Judging by the body, the gunshot they heard at 1am was the sound of Onodera being shot.

Grizzly asked everyone for their alibis until then: Jumonji briefly returned to his office at 11:30pm, saying he forgot his astronomical observation notebook, but was back on the roof by midnight. Besides a trip to the restroom around midnight, Donzawa was on the roof all night. When they heard the gunshot at 1am, Grizzly saw both Donzawa and Jumonji on the roof. Unno was in the first-floor kitchen from 11pm to 1am, saying she was making stew the whole time. At the time of the gunshot, she was talking with Princess Ori who had gone down to get something to drink. Princess Ori was broadcasting a performance from within the building starting at midnight. When her broadcast finished at 12:40am, she went to the kitchen and was with Unno when they noticed the commotion caused by the gunshot at 1am. Princess Ori says she heard someone screaming so she wondered what happened. Lastly, Toto was with Grizzly on the roof the whole time, and Ron went back to his room to sleep at 10:30pm, after which nobody saw him. This means everyone except Ron Kamonohashi has an alibi for the time of the gunshot.

Grizzly is left concluding that Ron is the culprit. But Toto says he believes in Ron, and knows that someone else is the killer. Grizzly pauses, then asks: Why does he not even suspect that Ron is the culprit? Toto emphatically says Ron is not the sort of person who would do something like that. Grizzly says that is an illogical assertion. Toto replies that is not his field as this is Ron's thing. Grizzly pauses again, then says Toto is the first person he has ever seen speak about Ron so fondly and asks what Ron is to him. Toto says without hesitation that Ron is his friend.

Grizzly then says it seems Ron has changed internally as well as externally. There was a time when Ron was totally closed off, and nobody could get close to him. Grizzly thought Ron would never have a friend who would believe in him against all reason as long as he lived. Toto is left wondering: Ron used to be like that?

But Grizzly lets it be, and asks Toto if he has found anything. Toto tells him about his findings in the room. All seven lights in the room were shot and destroyed. He found bullet holes in all the spots where they are attached to the wall. He checked to see if the telescope recorded anything at the time of the crime. The power was on starting at 11pm, but from then until 1am it was totally dark. From 1am onward, only the North star is visible. That was when the dome opened, and they heard the gunshot. It did not record anything that would give us a clue about the crime.

Grizzly analyzes the information for a moment, then gasps, blaming himself for being careless. He gives the handcuff keys to Toto, telling Toto to give it to Ron, and to tell Ron what Toto just told Grizzly. Grizzly says Ron Kamonohashi is not the culprit. He adds that this is no time to celebrate, and they must capture the true culprit without delay. He tells Toto to not let his guard down, no help is coming because the police are not coming. That means the island has become a classic closed circle case. If the case is connceted to the incident from ten years ago, it is possible there will be more victims.

Outside the rain has begun to pour. At the storage room Toto releases Ron. Ron shakes his previously cuffed hand congratulating Toto that his investigation just proved his innocence. But Toto asks him to explain how Grizzly decided that. Ron agrees, if Toto does not mind that he hums it. When Toto tells him to do it without humming Ron pouts for a while before he ultimately explains it.

First, the telescope's recording showed that the dome was pitch-black from 11pm to 1am. It would be impossible to precisely shoot out multiple lights if the dome was totally dark. This means the lights were shot out either before 11pm or after 1am. There were seven lights but they heard only one gunshot after 1am, which means the lights were shot out before 11pm. Basically at 11pm the dome's floor was already covered in glass fragments from the lights. Ron was discovered barefoot. If he had walked through that dark room, what would his feet have looked like? Toto answers that they would have been sliced-up and bloody from the glass shards, but Ron was completely unharmed. Thus, he did not take a single step in the dome after 11pm. On the other hand, they can assume that Onodera was killed when the gunshot sounded at 1am. But between her and Ron was the telescope, large enough to block each of them from the other's view. If Ron did not take even a step at the time of the murder, how could he shoot Onodera on the opposite side of the telescope. Toto understands that there is no way Ron could have shot her where he was.

Ron thanks Toto because of his investigation Ron's brain is up to 2% functionality. Now comes the exciting part! he says. The powerful drowsiness he was attacked with after dinner was due to sleeping medicine that was put in his brown sugar meal. When Toto suspects Unno, the chef, Ron says no. Everyone would have had a chance to drug him in those circumstances. Then, Toto asks, who was it. Ron says that they leave that for now. First they have to do the exciting part: time to drink some sleeping-medicine-free brown sugar!

Meanwhile, Grizzly keeps investigating at the dome. On the telescope, he finds some fishing line tied to a part. He realizes who is the culprit. The rain has worsened, now with thunder and lightning. Grizzly knocks at a particular door, introducing himself and saying he needs to speak to the person.

Back in Ron and Toto's room, Ron happily guzzles down some brown sugar syrup. He says that earlier he bought twenty pounds of brown sugar syrup just to be safe. Now his brain is back up to 100%. Toto reminds that they need to catch the culprit. But Ron says that is why they came back to his room. The culprit must have carried him from the room to the dome after making him sleep. He thought there might be some trace of that in the room, but the suspect erased any evidence. But the methodology makes something clear: The culprit meticulously planned and prepared for this murder. It was not some spur-of-the-moment crime. Toto asks if he thinks they were targeting Ron from the start, and Ron says it is possible.

Toto tells Ron that Grizzly wanted to apologize to him. Ron says that is the sort of man he is, and he's sure Toto can see why he tips his hat to him. Toto says that Grizzly has a scary face but he is a great guy. Grizzly also said he wants to re-open the investigation into the Bloody Field Trip Case. Ron squeezes the syrup bottle hard, spilling brown sugar syrup on Toto. Ron was able to talk about the incident when his brain was frozen, but it's too much to handle now.

While they sit by the window, they hear a loud gunshot. They turn to the window and find Grizzly falling. Ron and Toto confirm what they saw with each other, then Ron opens the room window as they both look out and downward, then they stand and go running outside.

Grizzly has fallen outside, a gunshot wound to the heart. He weakly tells Ron that it is a trip, but Ron and Toto do not reach him on time; by the time, they do, Grizzly is already dead. From the roof of the observatory, someone is watching them with a grin.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Totomaru Isshiki
* John Grizzly
* Ron Kamonohashi