In Conan, people have a brain option system.

Chapter 52 Out of Control
"Hello, please tell me your name."

"Nishihara Koichi."

"Hello, Mr. Nishihara. Do you know a lighting technician named Uesugi?"

"I don't know him."

Behind the stage of the Imperial Theater, Koichi Nishihara is being questioned by a detective from the Metropolitan Police Department.

The police then took out a photo of the deceased and showed it to Hiroshi Nishihara.

"This is it."

“I have no impression.”

Koichi Nishihara shook his head again, denying that he knew the deceased.

"So his last name is Uesugi."

This was the first time that Koichi Nishihara knew the name of the deceased.

He did not know the deceased and had no connection with him.

But when choosing the target, I realized that the other party was a lighting technician and no one would care even if he disappeared for a while.

When the detective heard that Koichi Nishihara did not know the deceased, he did not continue to ask Koichi Nishihara whether he had ever seen anyone arguing with the deceased.

Instead, he asked Nishihara Koichi the next question:
"Mr. Nishihara should know Mr. Akikawa."

"I know him. He's an artist from the same company as me. What happened to him?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Nishihara, do you know anyone who has ever had friction or conflict with Mr. Akikawa?"

"Ok?"

When Koichi Nishihara heard the detective's questions, he felt a little confused.

"Why did the police ask who had a conflict with Akikawa? Normally, shouldn't they just ask who had a conflict with the deceased?"

"Could it be that the police and detectives have already begun to suspect that the murderer is someone else?"

Koichi Nishihara noticed that things seemed to be starting to go wrong.

"I'm not sure. I've never seen Akikawa-kun have any conflicts with others."

Hiroshi Nishihara was confused, but he still responded to the police's questions with a friendly smile.

The criminal police did not notice anything unusual and silently made a note in the notebook.

A few moments.

Megure Juzo, Mori Kogoro, two detectives and several policemen all came out from the laundry room.

When Koichi Nishihara saw them appear, he guessed that the police should have completed the on-site investigation.

In other words, the police and detectives already have a basic conclusion about the murderer.

Megure Juzo walked quickly to the backstage and looked at the police officer who was in charge of questioning.

"How is it, have you found any clues?"

"Regarding the deceased Uesugi, people who knew him said he was a very good person. Apart from occasionally doing something wrong and being scolded by Director Takemura, he had never had any friction with anyone."

The police officer in charge of the questioning answered.

"Well, continue."

Megure Jusan nodded.

"We then investigated the director, Mr. Takemura."

"Mr. Takemura said that he had been in the stage monitoring room since before the show started, and only left the stage monitoring room when the show was stopped midway."

“We also asked the sound operator, who was also in the stage monitoring room, and the assistant director, and the lighting operator.”

"It has been confirmed that Director Takemura has an impeccable alibi, so the possibility that Director Takemura is the murderer has been ruled out."

The policeman looked at the notebook in his hand and continued:
"In addition, we also found the person who went to the dressing room to pass on the message to Mr. Akikawa, and that person confirmed that this incident was true."

"And he also confirmed that the message was delivered at the beginning of the second act, which is consistent with Mr. Akikawa's description." "Then did you ask him who asked him to deliver the message to Akikawa?"

Megure Jusan said.

"The man said he didn't see the face of the person who asked him to pass on the message. He was working at the time and the other party left after leaving some instructions." The criminal police replied.

"Indeed, no normal person would doubt whether the content of such an ordinary message is true or false..." Megure Jusan thought to himself.

"In this case, there is no doubt about Akikawa's motive for going to the laundry room."

Upon hearing this, Sera Masumi smiled.

"The murderer is definitely not Qiuchuan."

"!!!"

Koichi Nishihara, who was eavesdropping on the police's conversation, felt his heart sink after hearing what Masumi Sera said.

"What?! She concluded that Akikawa was not a suspect just because he was once called to the laundry room?!"

Nishihara Koichi was shocked when he heard this.

Not to mention that he originally killed the deceased after knocking Akikawa Sosuke unconscious.

It was the rope that was only touched by Akikawa Sosuke, and the blood of the dead that stained Akikawa Sosuke's clothes.

No one should be allowed to let Akikawa Sosuke get rid of suspicion so easily.

"What on earth is going on? How long has it been? How did the detective know that Akikawa is not the murderer?"

At first, Hiroshi Nishihara had a vague feeling that things seemed to be gradually getting out of his control and developing in the wrong direction.

"Since the police have confirmed that Akikawa is not the murderer, it means that they will now start looking for the real culprit."

"Fortunately, I never showed my face during the crime, and didn't even make a sound."

"The murder weapon and the deceased have nothing to do with me. I also have a perfect alibi, so there is no way they could suspect me."

——Just as Koichi Nishihara was comforting himself in his heart.

Then I heard the policeman who reported to Megure Jusan say:

"We also asked people at the scene if they had seen anyone get into a conflict with Akikawa Sosuke."

"Most people responded that Mr. Akikawa was very kind and it was hard to imagine anyone holding a grudge against him."

However, the policeman was interrupted by an angry voice halfway through his words.

"No, the murderer is definitely him--!"

"He has always held a grudge against Akikawa-kun and has a motive to kill him!"

This voice was familiar to everyone present.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound in surprise.

Then, I saw Yoko Okino, who was originally kneeling on the ground, with an angry look on her face, pointing her finger at Koichi Nishihara beside her.

"Eh?! What are you talking about, Ms. Yoko? How could I be the murderer?"

Koichi Nishihara felt as if his heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly spoke.

However, the main reason for his drastic emotional fluctuations was not that Yoko Okino guessed that he was the murderer.

It was because it was the first time he saw Yoko Okino with such an angry expression.

Yoko Okino's speech successfully attracted the attention of Juzo Megure, Masumi Sera and others.

Just as Megure Juzo was about to step forward to ask questions, he was suddenly pulled back by detective Chiba Kazunobu, and then whispered a few words to him.

Chiba Kazunobu was reminding Megure Jusan that Yoko Okino's words could not be completely trusted.

Because the detectives who have participated in the previous car accident investigations all know,
Akikawa Sosuke also has an older sister who followed his father when his parents divorced.

(End of this chapter)