My theory… Is something like that, yes. Perhaps a bit more complicated. I don’t believe he could be responsible for both. It would have been more convenient for him to leave the corpse in the burning cafe. Likewise, if he was responsible for the murder and putting the body in the dumpster, that could mean he was capable of taking on whoever his assailants were – and for him to not immediately flee the scene of the fire is most peculiar, because rather he was knocked out a few blocks away… I feel he has an important role in this but…
*She paused – now reminded of the tea she hadn’t even touched.*
Eh? O-Oh… My apologies, thank you…
*She picks up the tea cup and takes a small sip – before bringing it up to her lips again and draining most of the cup.*
Anyways… If we could rewind for a minute… When the two of you first entered the cafe. Did you notice any changes in perhaps his personality or composure at any point? Since this is where his memory breaks off, I feel this is a key moment…
*She decided to hold back any of her forced memory loss and split personality theories for now, just in case it would be met with a negative reaction. She hadn’t been keen about telling the Osakan detective about her own experiences, so she didn’t want to go through it again in attempt to justify it. Plus, she wasn’t sure if Heiji wanted her planting this idea in others’ heads, so she wanted to figure it out and confront him about it above anything else.*
Once the other detective had had some tea, Hakuba felt much more at ease. Not about the case at hand – no, that still left him quite unsettled – but at least he could be assured that he had been a decent host for his guest. A relief to be sure.
“Changes… hmm..” Hakuba looked thoughtful at that, stirring his second cup of tea, which he took with him as he leaned back in his chair. He crossed one leg over the other, then took a sip from the cup before responding.
“Actually, yes. Once I brought up his father, I saw in him the fury that I had always suspected had been there but had never seen. Despite being in an uncomfortable position then, it was validating to finally see Hattori-san snap. That’s awful of me, though, isn’t it?”
More tea.
“Immediately after, however, once the dust had a chance to settle… he did seem to change. I imagine it was the realization dawning that I had been right. He removed himself from me without a word, at first, and seemed to suffer from an incredible headache. From that point on, it was only cold, terse exchanges. None of the previous banter – except for when I returned for the lighter. It was not quite what I had expected, but then… I had provoked him into physically attacking me, which I think may have surprised him more than it surprised me.”
Hakuba pursed his lips. “Have you had a chance to look over Hattori-san’s medical files? I’d be very curious to see what the report of his reception said regarding his condition. Actually, do we know how he was found and by whom?”