V1Ch2: The beginning of the end part 3

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Translator: Soafp

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That night, she could not sleep at all.

If she didn't report it, there could be more victims.

The photos in the car.

One of those girls, smiling innocently, might be mercilessly killed next.

But if she reported it…

What would happen to her mother?

Her mother had never doubted her father.

What if she found out that he was the serial killer…?

The thought of her gentle, always-smiling mother knowing the truth made her chest ache.

And above all…

(Dad… could it really be him…?)

All of Haru's memories of her father had always been kind. A little unreliable at times, but he always cared for her. That was all she could picture.

For her father, it couldn't possibly be true. That thought filled her mind.

“But… if Dad really is the killer…”

If he really was, Haru thought she had to report it as soon as possible.

“Seven people have already been killed. All girls not much older than me… I have to stop this now…”

She loved her father, even if he was sometimes a little embarrassing. She didn't want him to commit any more crimes.

Even if that meant he would be arrested now and punished severely.

“I shouldn't tell Mom, right…?”

After much deliberation, Haru decided to report it to the police herself.

If she told her mother, she might just think it was a joke.

More importantly, if her father found out, he might cover up everything, destroying the evidence he had left behind.

With a nervous expression, Haru dialed 110.

“This is 110. Is this an emergency or an accident?”

A calm, neutral voice answered.

“An emergency… a crime.”

“A crime? What kind of crime?”

“It's about the serial murders that have been happening…”

“Is anyone else around right now?”

The officer's tone changed slightly. The police had been exhausted by false leads and had no solid evidence in the serial murder case. Even the smallest report made them tense.

“No one.”

“What information do you have?”

Haru paused for a moment. The officer probably noticed her hesitation.

“It's okay. The police will protect you. Be brave…”

Those were kind words from the officer, thinking she was just a witness. But the caller was the daughter of the culprit.

“My… my father… is the killer…”

Her voice trembled, but she told the truth to the officer.

After the report, things moved quickly.

Before Haru could regret it, the police arrived at the house.

“W-what is this?”

Her mother was shocked and confused by the sudden visit.

Her father confessed easily.

“…You've reached this point. I thought I had hidden everything perfectly, but why…”

Without panicking, he watched as the detectives examined the car thoroughly.

The murder knife, the bag used to carry victims, the photos of past victims, and the photos of future targets.

He admitted that he had prepared and used all of them in his crimes.

“Why… why would you do such things…!”

Her mother, listening to the confession nearby, asked in disbelief.

Her father, faintly smiling, answered:

“You and Haru will probably never understand this feeling in your lifetime.”

Thus, the horrifying case of the seven murdered girls was solved with just a single report from Haru.

According to later investigation, her father had approached the girls with his friendly demeanor, asked for directions as a pretext to isolate them from crowds, and then rendered them unconscious with chloroform before placing them in bags.

He would change into a uniform prepared from a hotel linen cleaning service so that carrying the bag wouldn't draw suspicion.

Even while carrying the bags containing the girls, he made it appear as though he was just carrying laundry. Most often, he chose a corner of a hotel's underground parking lot to put the girls to sleep.

“Did they all follow him without suspicion?”

When asked, he explained:

“The girls were led to the hotel's underground parking lot under the pretext of asking for directions. I would tell them I have a daughter about their age, that I was going to see her after a long time, and I didn't know what to say… maybe she would dislike me… I wasn't confident I could speak well…”

With that gentle, approachable demeanor, he removed any suspicion the girls might have had. As a result, there was no evidence that the victims had resisted.

“I ensured they didn't suffer. While they slept, I pierced their hearts with a single stab. There were no sexual acts. I have no interest in children.”

Her father's words were true. There was no evidence of any clothing disturbance, and no trace of his own clothing, skin, or bodily fluids on the victims.