Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 526 Falling in love with someone you shouldn't love! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

"!!!"

Butler Suzuki's words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly making everyone present nervous. Their eyes were attracted as if by a powerful magnet, all focused on Butler Suzuki, waiting for the secret he was about to reveal.

Under the burning and anxious gazes of the crowd, Butler Suzuki slowly raised his head, his eyes revealing a complex look of hesitation, fear, and more of a deep helplessness.

"That night, I was patrolling nearby as usual. When I walked to the corridor near the master's room, the voices of the master and Young Master Xiao Wu came into my ears. I immediately knew that Young Master Xiao Wu was talking to the master in the room. At first, I didn't pay much attention and was about to leave quietly, but I was shocked to find that the tone of their conversation rose sharply, and soon it turned into an extremely fierce quarrel."

Everyone held their breath and listened attentively. Conan's eyes were fixed on Suzuki, not missing any changes in his facial expression. His focused expression seemed to be trying to decipher the hidden truth from every texture on his face.

Butler Suzuki's voice was low and hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor, like a leaf shivering in the wind. "I was worried that something might happen, so I quietly approached their room. But I always kept my duty and boundaries as a servant, and never stepped through the door. I just stood nearby, trying to hear their conversation clearly."

At that time, his heart beat faster and beads of sweat kept oozing out of his forehead. He was afraid that any sound would disturb the two people in the room.

After all, no matter how much concern is expressed, the gap in status between master and servant is ultimately difficult to cross.

As a servant, you should never secretly eavesdrop on your master's private conversations without your master's permission.

This is the rule and the minimum bottom line.

"As the argument became more intense, I heard the master mention the cancellation of the engagement, followed by Master Xiao Wu's angry rebuttal."

Butler Suzuki paused for a moment, as if he was recalling every detail of that thrilling night, or as if he was sorting out his chaotic thoughts, and then he said, "I wanted to go in and stop them, but when I approached the door, the quarrel stopped abruptly."

"Then, I heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, followed by the panicked footsteps of Master Xiao Wu."

Conan's eyes flashed with doubt, and he asked: "Grandpa Butler, you said you heard the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground and Master Xiao Wu's footsteps, what did you do after that?"

Butler Suzuki wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, "I stood there for a while, struggling in my heart whether to go in or not."

Mao Lilan was also deeply affected by the tense atmosphere. Her voice was soft but anxious as she asked, "And then?"

Butler Suzuki had a bitter look on his face, and that bitterness seemed to overflow from his mouth and permeate the air around him. "Then, Master Xiaowu opened the door and came out. I quickly hid in the shadows nearby, and saw that he looked flustered, and his clothes were a little messy. He left in a hurry, and I came out of my hiding place and walked to the door. I wanted to knock on the door to ask if the master was okay, but my hand was suspended in the air. After hesitating for a long time, I finally let it go. I thought maybe the master was just angry for a while and didn't want to be disturbed, so I'd better not meddle in other people's business."

Maori Kogoro crossed his arms and snorted coldly: "It would have been fine if you didn't go in to check, but you didn't even tell anyone about this. You are such a competent housekeeper!"

Such a big thing was let go so easily? This housekeeper is really competent!

Butler Suzuki's face was filled with shame. He lowered his head like an eggplant hit by frost. His voice was full of regret and self-blame. He said, "I know I failed in my duty, but the situation at the time made it difficult for me to make a decision."

Hatamoto Gozo only talked to Hatamoto Takeshi, and it was obviously a private conversation that he didn't want others to know.

He had already crossed the line by accidentally eavesdropping, and if he had gone a step further, it would have been an even bigger mistake.

In addition, Hatamoto Gozo's temper has been very bad recently. If he knew what he had done, he would probably not let him off easily.

"I... I subconsciously thought that the master just slipped and fell, and that Master Xiao Wu would help him up in time. Besides, this is ultimately the family affair between the master and Master Xiao Wu. As a housekeeper, it is not appropriate for me to interfere."

Although he is the steward of the Hatamoto family, his last name is not Hatamoto after all, and he is ultimately just an outsider.

If he rashly intervened in the delicate and complicated relationship between the grandfather and grandson, Hatamoto Gozo and Hatamoto Takeshi, he would easily fall into an awkward situation where he was caught between a rock and a hard place, and would be in a difficult position.

"But I never expected..."

Butler Suzuki's face was instantly shrouded in pain and guilt. He stammered, "Things turned out like this. If I had known this earlier..."

If he had known that his master would die tragically because of this, he would have entered the room and "interrupted" the conversation between the other party and Hatamoto Takeshi, even if he knew that his actions would make the other party angry. He would never have been so derelict in his duty.

However, there is no medicine for regret in this world, nor is there a miracle of resurrection from the dead.

Butler Suzuki's words revealed a heavy sense of guilt and uneasiness. His eyes looked even dimmer under the gaze of everyone, and his voice became lower and lower, finally disappearing into the air.

In fact, he had been feeling a little uneasy since he left the vicinity of Hatamoto Gozo's room, but Hatamoto Takeshi and Hatamoto Gozo did not show any major abnormalities. What's more, he really didn't want to bear the infamy of eavesdropping on his master's conversation, so he was hoping for a lucky break and that it was just a small disturbance.

Unfortunately, it now seems that his original decision has resulted in an irreversible and regretful mistake.

At this moment, the room was silent, as if time had stopped at this moment. Only the heavy, bellows-like breathing of Butler Suzuki could be clearly heard.

Conan frowned slightly, his smart brain working rapidly, he always felt that things were not that simple, butler Suzuki's narration seemed to contain some key clues that had not yet been discovered. Thinking of this, Conan paused for a moment and broke the suffocating silence at the scene, "Butler, you said you didn't enter the room, but how can you be sure that nothing more serious happened in the room?"

Butler Suzuki's face became even paler, like a piece of white paper that had lost all its color. His voice was filled with a hint of despair and pain, as if he had fallen into an endless dark abyss. "I... I really didn't think much about it at the time. I just felt that if I really went in, it might make things worse."

If a third party intervenes and takes a neutral stance when two people are arguing, it may indeed help ease the conflict, but it is not always helpful.

If a third person comes in to lend his support, then no matter who he is helping, it is more likely to intensify the conflict because the other person will feel that he is being targeted and will become more emotional in order to prove himself.

In fact, there was no third party intervening in their matter, and the quarrel would eventually calm down. Without an audience, the quarrel would not last long. With an audience, they would care more about whether they were right or wrong, and the quarrel would become even more intense.

With his identity, he can be the third party, but the key issue is that Hatamoto Gozo is the current head of the Hatamoto family, and Hatamoto Takeshi is the husband of Hatamoto Natsue, the future heir of the Hatamoto family. No matter which one he helps, he will offend the other.

By then, nothing good will happen to anyone.

"Also, the sound of footsteps nearby later prevented me from checking the situation inside the house."

"Footsteps?" Maori Kogoro frowned, and there was a hint of shock in his voice. "You mean, that time, besides Hatamoto Takeshi, there were other people present?"

Butler Suzuki nodded mechanically, looking somewhat lost, "Yes, I think that man might be the real murderer of the master."

"It was just because I was in a panic at the time and was only concerned about leaving. In addition, it was too dark and the shadow was moving too fast, so I couldn't see the true face of the owner of the footsteps. I only felt vaguely that his figure was somewhat familiar."

If he had known that the man wanted to kill Hatamoto Gozo, he would have stopped him no matter what, and would not have left without even seeing the man's true face.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now.

Conan's eyes sparkled, and he quickly analyzed what Butler Suzuki said, "Uncle, if what Butler Grandpa said is true, then the murderer is likely to have entered the room after Mr. Xiaowu left. He took advantage of the dispute between Mr. Xiaowu and Master Hao Zang and took the opportunity to commit the crime."

Bai Ye also joined the discussion, his expression serious and focused, "Also, Butler Suzuki feels familiar with this man's figure, so it is certain that he should be a member of the Hatamoto family."

At this point, Bai Ye paused, "Butler Suzuki, which one do you think that figure looks like, Hatamoto Kitaro, Hatamoto Mariko, Hatamoto Shoji, Hatamoto Ichiro, or Hatamoto Akie?"

Butler Suzuki hesitated for a moment, his eyes wandering, full of entanglement and struggle, he glanced at Hatamoto Takeshi, and then slowly said: "I'm not sure, but I feel that figure is a bit like Master Ichiro."

Although he didn't want to "betray" the young master Hatamoto Ichiro, he was unwilling to watch Hatamoto Takeshi go to jail and be separated from Hatamoto Natsue because of love turning into hate.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked as if they were struck by lightning, and the expressions on their faces froze in an instant.

Hatamoto Takeshi's eyes widened like bells, his face full of disbelief, "How is it possible? Although Ichiro had some conflicts with Grandpa because of painting, how could he do such a cruel thing to him?"

Although Gozo Hatamoto's approach to painting was indeed a bit excessive and inhumane, after all, Gozo Hatamoto was Ichiro Hatamoto's grandfather, and they had an unbreakable blood relationship.

Killing his grandfather just because his dream was thwarted is such a cruel and ruthless act, isn't it too brutal?
Could the cowardly Ichiro Hatamoto really do such a terrible thing?
Why did he feel that this matter was so absurd?

Conan seemed to have suddenly thought of some key clues. He muttered to himself: "If the murderer is really Hatamoto Ichiro, then what is his motive? Is it to compete for the family business?"

When he saw Ichiro Hatamoto's injuries earlier, he felt that something was wrong with him. Now he learned from Butler Suzuki that he had appeared at the scene of Hatamoto Gozo's murder. This clue undoubtedly increased his suspicion of Ichiro Hatamoto.

Maori Kogoro stroked his chin, fell into deep thought, and said slowly, "That's possible. The biggest beneficiaries of Hatamoto Gozo's sudden death may be his children."

With his hands folded across his chest, Maori Kogoro narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought. His tone was thoughtful, "If there is no special will, then Hatamoto Kitaro, Hatamoto Shoji and others will have the opportunity to become the heirs of the Hatamoto clan."

"As the son of Hatamoto Kitaro and Hatamoto Mariko, Mr. Ichiro will naturally have the opportunity to inherit the huge industry and endless wealth of the entire Hatamoto family in the future."

Bai Ye frowned and continued, "If the murderer is really Hatamoto Ichiro, then Hatamoto Ichiro is very likely to have quietly entered the room again after Mr. Xiaowu left, brutally stabbed Mr. Hao Zang to death with a sharp knife, and then carefully created a false impression that Mr. Xiaowu had accidentally killed him, trying to cover up the truth."

"This explains why there was no large-scale destruction at the scene and no obvious signs of a fierce fight."

Conan nodded in agreement, his young face full of seriousness and earnestness at the moment, "I also think this possibility is more likely, but when we carefully investigated the scene before, we did not find any obvious evidence left by Hatamoto Ichiro. Therefore, the most important thing now is to find Hatamoto Ichiro as soon as possible and thoroughly understand his specific whereabouts and every move on the night of the crime."

Bai Ye raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of depth and shrewdness, "In addition to this most urgent task, it is also very necessary for us to deeply understand the murderer's real motive."

At this point, Bai Ye paused and cast his gaze towards the nervous butler Suzuki standing aside, with a meaningful expression on his face, "Regarding this matter, I think, butler Suzuki, you should know some unknown inside information, right?"

"For example, the reason why Mr. Gozo is so dissatisfied with Mr. Ichiro, and even curses and gets angry at him at every turn, is it because he has fallen in love with someone he absolutely shouldn't like?"

(End of this chapter)