The Riddle of the Crying Time

On October 4, 1986, the members of the wealthy Ushiromiya family gathered on Rokkenjima, one of the Izu Islands owned by the family, for their annual family conference. But what awaited them was the question of how to divide the estate after the head of the family had died, and tensions soon began to simmer beneath the surface. The relatives suspected that Ushiromiya Lion had embezzled the ten tons of gold granted by the witch Beatrice as security for arranging the family's finances.

A few rules for this book:

1. This book is just for my own amusement. I posted it online because I wanted to find an opponent who could solve the case.

2. Remember Arthur Conan Doyle's words: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

3. This is a stage where deduction and fantasy clash. There are thunderous plot twists ahead, so stay away if you haven't brought a lightning rod.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.