Aibou TV Season 4 Episode 4 - A Secret Serial Murder(密やかな連続殺人)

Subtitle: A Secret Serial Murder(密やかな連続殺人)

 After leaving the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in season 1, Hideki Sako (佐古 秀樹) started an oden stall. While eating there, Sergeant Kaoru notices that Hideki keeps an earring on a chain near him. Hideki explains that it's a memento from the victim of an unsolved murder case thirteen years ago. Hideki gives the earring to Sergeant Kaoru, telling him he it may be better if the Sergeant, who is still in the police force, keeps it.

A short time later, a woman's body is pulled from Arakawa(荒川). Oddly, she was wearing only one earring. Inspector Ukyō and the Tokumeigakari investigate further and discover that across Japan, there have been a total of 10 unsolved murders of young women who was wearing only one earring when their bodies were discovered. They zero in on Shigeo Muraki(村木 重雄) who was caught years ago after one of these murders, although he was let go due to a lack of evidence. He is disabled now, however, and most likely could not have committed the last three murders. Did Shigeo really murder those ten women and why?

Characters appearing/mentioned in the story

Junchan(ジュンちゃん) - Name of the dog who discovers Ayuko Hidaka(日高 鮎子)'s body floating in the river.

Hideko Onozoka(小野塚 秀子) - A serial murder victim from 13 years ago (October 8, 1992). She was strangled to death with a string-like item.

Ayuko Hidaka(日高 鮎子) - She was a 23 year old single office lady who lived in Ikebukuro(池袋). She was also a part time employee of the dating club using a pseudonym Chinatsu(ちなつ) there. On the day she was killed, she left her workplace at 6 PM and ate at a ramen restaurant near her home at 6:30. Her body, without one earring, was discovered floating in the Arakawa(荒川) the next day, She was stabbed, then thrown into the river, and died as result of the blood loss. She didn't have trouble at work, and no one there seemed to dislike her. She didn't have a steady boyfriend. Later, the police confirm that she was killed and her body dumped into Arakawa(荒川) from a tall bridge in Saitama Prefecture.

Shigeo Muraki(村木 重雄) - Former popular prep school instructor at Myōshin Seminar(明新ゼミナール Myōshin Zemināru) who gave lessons all over the country and made fifty million yen(五千万円) annually.

He was a suspect in Hideko Onozoka(小野塚 秀子)'s murder 13 years ago. Both he and Hideko took the same train to go to work. Even though the shoe prints around the scene of the crime matched his shoes and an eyewitness montage also matched Shigeo, there were other people wearing the same shoes who happened to be nearby around the same time. As a result, Shigeo was released for lack of evidence. However, rumors persisted, and he was forced to stop teaching.

He now lives in Asahiga Hill in Nerima District(練馬区旭丘 Nerima-ku Asahigaoka). He has walked with a cane after he was hit by a motorcycle five years ago and doesn't have a driver's license. He paints disturbing paintings while attending Dr. Uchida's therapy sessions and while staying at home. When he is alone, he keeps on repeating the phrase "vim patior."

The Sōichi is questioning him when he suddenly slit his own wrist with a pair of razors. Later, the Sōichi discover that all the earlier victims worked close to the prep schools where he taught. The first victim might have been one of his students.

Junko Muraki(村木 順子) - Muraki's wife with a permanently damaged left ear, She is a talented management consultant at NSP consulting(NSPコンサルティング NSP konsarutingu). She is one half of an odd couple, as witnessed in the scene when she visits her husband at the Northern Police hospital (北警察病院 kita keisatsu byōin). She slaps Shigeo, hits him with her hand bag, and steps on him all the while the police and the police stare at the couple in shock.

Misaki Uchida (内田 美咲) - Psychiatrist and a forensic psychologist. She has treated Shigeo Muraki(村木 重雄) for the past eight years, after he was removed from the list of suspects for Hideko Onozoka(小野塚 秀子)'s murder.

Inspector Ukyō asks her about the Muraki couple. She tells Inspector Ukyō that the police should be more careful when dealing with Shigeo since his experience in the police interrogation room was traumatic.

Since Dr. Uchida is an expert in criminal psychology, Inspector Ukyō then asks her to give the profile of this serial killer. She tells the inspector that the suspect is male and has been insulted by the opposite sex for his lack of sexual abilities. Under normal circumstances, he is quiet and serious. Most people won't suspect him to be the serial killer.

She reaches these conclusion based on the following reasons.
1) The suspect isn't motivated by attracting attention to himself - that's how he's been able to commit murders and not get caught for so many years.
2) The suspect travels across Japan from going on business trips or from switching jobs frequently. The suspect most likely commits crimes at the places where his job takes him.
3) He probably either leaves marks only he can identify or takes an item which will allow him to recall the killings. During the Middle Ages, ear piercings were used as a way to prevent evil spirits from entering through the ear. To the suspect, then, taking the ear piercing signifies making the victim defenseless and entering, or conquering them.

Naotarō Anzai (安斉 直太郎) - Misaki's assistant. He accompanied Junko Muraki(村木 順子) to the Northern Police hospital (北警察病院 kita keisatsu byōin) after Shigeo was taken there to treat self-inflicted wounds.

Timeline of the murders

9/5/1981 Osaka(大阪) - strangulation with bare hands or arms(扼殺)

8/28/1983 Sapporo(札幌), Hokkaido(北海道) - fatal stabbing(刺殺)

12/19/1987 Hiroshima(広島) - death by poisoning(毒殺)

2/10/1989 Miyagi(宮城) - fatal stabbing(刺殺)

10/?/1992 Tokyo(東京) - strangulation with an object(絞殺)

11/?/1996 Chiba(千葉) - death by poisoning(毒殺)

3/?/1998 Nagano(長野) - strangulation with an object(絞殺)

11/18/2001 Fukuoka(福岡), Iizuka(飯塚市 Ītsukashi) -  a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture - death by drowning(溺死)

6/30/2004 Kyoto(京都), Ukyo-ku(右京区 Ukyō-ku) -  one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture - strangulation with bare hands or arms(扼殺)

2005 Tokyo(東京) (actually Saitama(埼玉), Kawaguchishi(川口市)) - fatal stabbing(刺殺)

Trivia

According to Miwako, Sergeant Kaoru uses teinei-go(丁寧語) in his speech when he lies.

Sergeant Kaoru went to college on a sports scholarship.