One morning, the garden... #WeeklyShortShortNote 'The Serial Mastermind Case'

"Um... my garden, it's been cleaned up."
When Officer Matsumoto at the police box picked up the phone, that's what the man on the other end said.
"And what about that?"
He didn't quite understand the situation.
"I mean, I woke up this morning and the trees in my garden had been pruned, the weeds were all cleared away..."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"I didn't ask anyone to do it, and it's creepy, isn't it?"
Thinking that it should feel nice if it's been cleaned up, Matsumoto headed to the scene.

When he actually saw the garden at the scene, it had been beautifully maintained, to a degree even an amateur could recognize.

There were seven similar reports in that month alone. Following a remark from a gardener present at the scene investigation that "this is the work of a master," it was dubbed the "Serial Mastermind Case," and an investigation was launched.

It didn't take long to solve the case. The culprit, having seen the news, turned himself in at the police box.
"I was out for a walk, and I thought, 'What a waste of a garden,' and I just couldn't stand by and do nothing."
The man was a veteran gardener with 30 years of experience in the field.

While it technically constituted trespassing and property damage, the case was settled out of court, accompanied by words of gratitude from the victims.