The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 4

**The Case of the Plateau Auberge Serial Murders Pt. 4** is the 41st chapter of the *Ron Kamonohashi: Deranged Detective* manga.

## Summary

Clark asks Ron: if all of them are connected to Dr. Gore's murder, what is his connection to it? Ron does not reply but is concerned by the implication. Lily adds that she has ben thinking the whole time, but he looks just like the crescent moon man. Tiger Dan adds that the man poured maple syrup on his food that way Ron did with brown sugar syrup. Lily stands and demands to know what he is to that man, that vile murderer. Clark adds loudly, is he the one behind the murders here? Is he trying to do the same thing as the crescent moon man?

Ron does not answer. Toto defends him, saying Ron was with him at the time of the crime. Lily loudly says that all the invitees are connected to the murder from 17 years ago. Toto answers that it is true Ron's father also had a crescent moon mark on his cheek, but the father was already dead by the time Ron was born. Further, Ron was just a child 17 years ago, so he had nothing to do with it. Lily asks, how is she supposed to believe that? Clark says that it could all be made up. But Tiger Dan says that in Ron's defense, he reminds that the veracity of everyone else's story is just as suspect. Toto says at least thy have gathered some info about the past. Right now their top priority is preventing the next murder.

Mia asks if they are sure they are the only ones in the auberge. Lily agrees, saying the murderer could be hiding somewhere. But Sakai says he would be scared if there were, and he does not know since he was just hired. Toto asks if there are any rooms not being used. Sakai says there are but the doors are all locked. Lily offers to pick the locks and open the rooms.

Just to be safe, Toto says, they will check out all the rooms together. Clark defers, asking if he could get some rest. On top of performing 2 autopsies, he also needs to recover from the ropeway trip. Sakai also defers, saying he has hardly had any sleep. Tiger Dan asks for a break for 2 hours, since he could use a breather too since a lot has happened. Lily, in contrast, shouts that she could not wait that long! If she sees a cockroach, she will put everything else on hold until she chased it out. Those who want to rest can do so. If they want to help, she invites them to come on.

While walking through the auberge Mia notes that she was so excited that she packed a week's worth of clothes, but never imagined it would turn out like this. Lily says they don't know when they will be able to leave, so that might turn out to be the right choice. Lily opens the first locked door. She, Mia, Ron and Toto enter the room, but Ron notes that it looks like nobody has been there. Toto adds that they have checked all the rooms now. Mia concluded that it means the killer is one of them, and Lily says "Be careful" in English. If there wasn't anyone in the vacant rooms, she says, then who becomes the most suspicious? But she drops it, telling Mia they will go back to their own rooms, they will be safer there.

Walking together, Toto uneasily says it makes sense that everyone is feeling suspicious. Ron thanks him for earlier, as Toto tells him not to worry. But Ron says how could he not? The man with the crescent moon mark has too many traits in common with his father, and he is starting to get the feeling that his father was still alive 17 years ago. Toto is confused. Ron says he told him that he was missing memories from his childhood, but earlier he got a clear glimpse of a memory of his father. Toto is still confused. Ron continues that it's awful, his father was a cunning criminal, who got others wrapped up in a murder. Ron feels he is just a cunning hypocrite who had some inconvenient memories erased, and on top of that, the M family is connected to Dr. Gore's murder.

Toto says they still don't know anything for certain, as they stop at another door. Toto notes that Lily already left. Ron reminds that he is also good at picking locks, also the door is not locked. The door opens to a storage room. Toto notes that it looks like where they store a Christmas tree and other party goods, such as balloons and crackers.

Toto also finds an emerald, placed on top of a picture frame. Ron picks up the picture frame and turns it over. They find a clear picture of the crescent moon man, and Ron identifies his father. Toto does note that the man definitely looks like him. Toto notes that there is a recorder placed under the picture frame.

When the recorder plays, it runs a child's voice, saying in English "I don't wanna pick locks anymore, daddy!" Ron says it is his voice. He has heard recordings from when he was a child. The recording continues with an adult man saying in English "That's my boy, Ron! The son of Eliot Moriarty! I didn't expect you to unlock one hundred different locks this fast! Great job, buddy!"

Ron is shocked into remembering the father who just called himself Eliot Moriarty. He suddenly remembers being a little boy and exposed by his father to firearms, explosives, lockpicking, and his father demonstrating killing by slashing a neck with a knife. Toto is also very surprised, asking if it means Ron's father was part of the legendary crime organization the M family. Ron says that's right.

Toto asks if he is alright, and Ron admits no, as he wobbles and topples to the floor. His memory fragments finally connected. He has solved the mystery. The way he can understand the feelings of violent criminals, and the reason he can't hold back his aggression even with the medicine, is because he inherited those things from his father, one of the M family's criminals. Toto asks what he is saying. Ron says not genetically; until he was six, his father forced him to learn all about crime. As much as Ron talks about trying to catch criminals, half of him is steeped in the M family culture, his archenemies who stole 5 years of detective work from him. Ron holds his head and cries, of all the things, the blood of the people he hates the mosts flows through his veins! He plaintively asks: Which am I? What should I do? Toto is left not knowing what to do or say.

Sakai rushes into the room, saying it's awful, there has been a third murder. Toto is shocked, in such a short time? Ron is left in a daze. They all go to the wine cellar. Sakai says he came to grab some wine, and there was a menu taped to the door. He cautiously snuck a peek inside, he says, as he opens the door for Toto. Inside they find Clark dead and surrounded by fire extinguisher foam. Mia screams.

Toto ask if this murder is copying the meal too, but Ron is very dazed and unresponsive. Mia cries that she hates this and wants to go home, it is just too cruel, who could do such a thing? Meanwhile Toto muses that normally Ron can't stop himself from investigating. But at the moment Ron is too dazed that his eyes are glazed over.

Toto grits his teeth and declares it's okay! He stands in front of Ron and uneasily says he will catch the murderer.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

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

## Trivia

Dialogue in the recording is given in English in the original Japanese, with a translation in parenthesis beneath. This is also true of some dialogue by Karen Lily.