Case 01: Scarlet's Letter (Part 2)

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
April 22

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

Where was I? Oh, yes.

After we said goodbye to Miss Scarlet Vance, we immediately got to work.

Seth: Midori, I want you everything you can dig up on Simon Yamada. There's something I want to check out on this blackmail letter Miss Vance received.

Midori: Acknowledged.

He did some scribbling on the blackmail letter while I scoured the internet and the local paper. A few minutes later, he glanced up at me smugly.

Seth: My suspicions have been confirmed. An indentation of Simon Yamada's signature was left on the letter. Even if he didn't write this, we can be certain that this page was indeed from his own stationery. But why resort to blackmail if he's so rich--?

Midori: Not according to this gossip column. It seems that Yamada-san is quite the gambler. This insinuates that the only thing keeping his investments -- including the Hub -- afloat are the fundraising efforts done by his secretary, a Miss Naomi Snow.

Seth: Why don't we go to the Hub and pay Miss Snow a visit? Let's see what she has to say about all this.

So Seth had me disguised as a reporter doing a feature on the Hub. As luck would have had it, we immediately ran into Snow-san.

Naomi: Excuse me, but the club opens at 10 PM.

Midori: Ya don't say? You're Naomi Snow, right? Recognized ya from the paper. I'm uh... Maddie Moore from uh... Midnight Daily. Think ya can gimme an interview on the new fundraising event Mr. Yamada's cooked up?

Naomi: Always a pleasure! I'm glad the press has caught wind of this great event; I sent out PR materials a week ago but no one's really contacted me for a story--

Of course I had to let Snow-san talk on about their fundraiser. Her eyes lit up as she babbled on and on about Simon Yamada's visionary leadership; the woman obviously had it bad. I knew, though, that sooner or later I had to move in for the kill.

Midori: So, yeah, ya think Mr. Yamada's latest squeeze will be there? His new girl... uh, Scarlet Vance?

Naomi: Where did you hear that? Mr. Yamada and Miss Vance have absolutely nothing to do with each other. There are more things worthy of Mr. Yamada's time than that two-faced spoiled brat. Please do not mention a word of her in your paper -- having her name linked to Mr. Yamada's will certainly be his undoing. Well, if you'll excuse me...

Seth came up to me as Snow-san walked away.

Seth: She may have done her job to deny the rumors between Simon and Scarlet, but it looks like there's no love lost between her and our client, huh?

Midori: And let's not forget that as Simon's trusted secretary, she'd have unlimited access to that stationery.

Seth: But... Midnight Daily? That makes no sense at all. Was that the best you could come up with?

Midori: If you don't like it, then maybe you should do it next time.

Seth: Where did you get those hideous glasses anyway?

Midori: From your desk.

Seth: Oh. Okay.

I'm sure Seth of the I-made-certain-those-glasses-were-hidden fame would have my head once he gets wind that I am sharing the details of this case with you, but I don't care! I would love it if you were here with me every step of the way.

Midori

Case 01: Scarlet's Letter

Mori
Itsukishima
Hiroshima Prefecture
April 13

To Ojiisan, Obaasan, and Chihiro-basan:

She had legs up to here and lips the color of an angry sky. When she entered the room, she didn't even glance in my direction; she headed straight for Seth, as if she knew instinctively who was in charge. Or maybe I really look like the hired help.

She said her name was Scarlet Vance.

Vance-san pouted her blood-red lips as she laid out her dilemma before us. It seemed that she had received a blackmail letter a few weeks ago.

Eager to shut the blackmailer up, she placed one thousand dollars in an unlined envelope, which she slipped into a garbage can in the park. She thought that was the end of it. A few days later, the blackmailer had written back, asking for more.

Seth: What was he blackmailing you over, Miss Vance?

Scarlet: My father owns the Vance Group of Companies, which runs restaurants and clubs and other establishments in the city. A young upstart named Simon Yamada has been aggressively challenging him and my father hates his guts. Simon also happens to be my boyfriend. We've always been very discreet! But this blackmailer sent me a photo of us together and threatened to send it to Daddy. My father would kill me -- or worse, take away my inheritance -- if he found out!

Was I supposed to say poor little rich girl? Vance-san didn't seem to strike as one who was looking for sympathy.

Seth: Can you tell me a bit more about this photo? Where were you? Who could have seen you together then?

Scarlet: It was taken at Simon's club called Hub. We've always had absolute privacy. No one knows we're dating, except for his secretary.

I asked if we could see the letter. Vance-san looked startled, as if she had forgotten all about me. She handed the letter to Seth, who examined it carefully.

Seth: What's this mark here?

Scarlet: Oh... I've never noticed that before! It's Hub's logo. It's printed on all their correspondence.

Midori: The dance club has official stationery? No matter how many people go there every night, I don't suppose just anyone could have access to the company stationery.

Seth: Then we know where to start looking.

Well, one thing's certain: things are starting to heat up at Midnight Confidential!

Midori