Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 276 The twice-killed corpse

Shiraishi was very satisfied. Not only did he learn about the [Quantum Apostle] from Koizumi Akako, but he also unexpectedly obtained the "Red Battle Robe" - although Shiraishi didn't understand why this thing was called a "robe", he respected the name given by the maker.

Anyway...

This [Quantum Apostle] is an organization with a power similar to that of the [Dark Organization], and it also has a "unique skills guy"!

It's hard to say which one is more dangerous...

After leaving Koizumi's old nest, Shiraishi turned around and drove towards the eastern urban area.

Before reaching Beika Town, Shiraishi called Otaki...

"Hey, Otaki, are you at the scene or in the office?" Shiraishi asked.

drip-

Just as Otaki was about to answer, he heard a sound coming from Shiraishi's side, and Otaki was also very familiar with this sound...

Shiraishi turned his head and saw Yumi, who had appeared from nowhere, riding her motorcycle parallel to him.

Shiraishi:……

"Inspector Otaki of Osaka Prefecture, how is the joint investigation case going?" Shiraishi asked loudly after rolling down the window after parking the car.

Yumi heard that it was the Osaka Prefectural Police, so after rolling her eyes at Shiraishi, she said in a pinched voice: "Dear Officer Shiraishi, you are on official business, right? Please come over quickly... Do you want me to clear the way for you?"

"No need, you step back first!" Bai Shi waved his hand.

Yumi made a face at him and left...

After all, there is an "outsider" here, and this outsider is the Osaka Prefectural Police. As a police officer of the Metropolitan Police Department's Traffic Department, Yumi still has to give face to "her own people".

Otaki: ...

Otaki listened to the strange conversation, then pretended not to have heard anything and said normally: "I'm still here in Mika Cape, Detective Aoki is helping to restore the scene."

"Okay, then I'll go there first." Bai Shi was a little surprised when he heard that.

Otaki was there, so there was no problem, but Aoki...

In Shiraishi's impression, Aoki is usually a detective with more "style", and is even considered to be more "out of touch" in the Criminal Division. His usual image is also different from that of other unkempt detectives. His slicked-back hair is always combed meticulously. Together with Akasaka (the airplane) and Haidani (the side-swept hair), they are the hairspray trio of rice flowers.

Given his personality, he usually doesn't want to "meddle in other people's business"!
Originally, Shiraishi thought that for someone like Otaki who came to investigate the case privately without formal coordination, only a kind-hearted person like Minamoto or a good guy like Suzuki Atsushi would take the initiative to assist.

However, when they arrived at the scene, Shiraishi saw that Aoki had brought a chair with him, and placed it where the body had been sitting, according to the photos taken at the scene. He also brought a dummy that was used for rescue practice in the agency, and placed it where the body had fallen...

Behind the dummy and the chair is a cliff more than ten meters high, facing the sea. There is no beach here, just a small piece of broken rocks and mudflats.

After all, "Mihua Cape" is not a big tourist attraction...

It is a very niche place, the kind of place where you can take photos from a certain angle that look great, but if you post them online and people see them and come here to visit, they will definitely curse!
There were only six people who came here to play at the time. If someone hadn't happened to come here to paint, there probably wouldn't have been any eyewitnesses.

……

"Director." When Aoki saw Shiraishi coming, he hurriedly greeted him.

"Detective Matsuki is not here?" Shiraishi asked curiously why his partner was not there.

"Actually... we are on vacation. My wife and children are not in Dongdu recently, so I came here to help." Aoki said honestly.

He also specifically emphasized that his partner Songmu was not lazy, he just had nothing to do!

Shiraishi was even more surprised at this moment. He suddenly had an idea and took a look at Aoki's condition...

really!

Trial mission!

One of Aoki's "body" was also occupied by "trial mission" - because he had seen this happen to Akasaka before, Shiraishi now had experience and roughly understood what was going on...

but……

Why is this case so concerning to Aoki?
Shiraishi remembered that according to the files, the person who handled the case was a criminal policeman who is no longer in the Mika Police Department.

Out of curiosity, Shiraishi asked, "Detective Aoki, has the Detective Aoyagi who handled the case been transferred to another place or resigned?"

If you are still in Dongdu, you can also go and ask him about what happened back then.

At this time, Qingmu said sadly: "Qingliu...has passed away."

"Huh?" Bai Shi was also stunned when he heard that.

"Back then... Qingliu had been investigating this case. Even after the agency had decided to put it on hold for the time being, he used his rest time to investigate on his own. Just one month after the case was shelved, Qingliu became ill from overwork and was hospitalized in emergency. He died soon after." Aoki's tone was very sad. It seemed that he and Qingliu had a very good relationship.

In this way, Shiraishi understood why this case was so concerning to Aoki!
A former good friend became ill due to overwork because of this case and eventually died of an acute illness. Of course, this case has a special place in his heart.

So when Aoki heard that there was a "follow-up" to this case, he immediately took the initiative to use his vacation time to assist, and in Shiraishi's view, this triggered the [Trial Mission].

In this type of case, the corresponding police officers will receive a huge improvement, and their various abilities in use will be easier to exercise and improve.

If Aoki also succeeds in getting promoted, the Beika Agency will have seven SRs, and two problematic SSRs - Kunikida and Narcissistic.

April is coming soon, when new police officers are assigned and the police stations and departments are reassigned at high rates...

In the past, these were the days that the young "professional group" cared about the most. Although Bai Shi is no longer in the promotion sequence, we can still look forward to the people who will be transferred in.

In fact, there are frequent transfers among patrol police in normal times - because the training process for non-professional police officers in East Island Country is "training in police academy - placement in patrol for internship - going back for training - going to patrol for internship again - formal assignment and employment".

Shiraishi also takes a look at the patrol officers assigned to practice, but if there are no very good ones, Shiraishi will not pay special attention to them...

April is the time to allocate the main force!
There will be a simple interview and allocation process at that time. Although it is in the Metropolitan Police Department, as the "Senior Superintendent" and "Chief of a Large-Scale Police Station", Shiraishi can go and cry and do public relations, and I believe he can also be selected first.

In addition...

Shiraishi's experienced people can also be introduced to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Not only is it considered an "expansion of opportunities", but for Bai Shi, there will also be "achievement point rewards"...

Therefore, Bai Shi was particularly concerned about Aoki's [Trial Mission] at this time.

……

"Is this the scene of the crime?" Shiraishi asked, looking at the arranged chairs and the dummy lying in front of the chairs.

"Yes, I compared it with the photo and it's the same location." Aoki said, showing the photo to Shiraishi.

Bai Shi had not seen such detailed information before. At this moment, he only saw the photos. The victim was indeed a young woman, wearing a floral dress and long hair, lying next to a chair. There were also two close-ups of the blood on her head...

The cause of death was a blunt force trauma to the back of the head. After comparison, it was determined that the murder weapon was a stone that was half the size of an average person's head and fell nearby. Next to the stone was a book that she should have been reading before her death.

Also worth noting…

"I remember the report said that the results of the forensic autopsy showed that there were two scars, right?" Shiraishi confirmed with Aoki.

Although Aoki was not the main detective in the case, he should know something...

"That's right. This was also what was most troubling to Qingliu at the time... The deceased should have been attacked twice, and the wounds were in corresponding positions on this stone. Because of this, Qingliu could not accept the case being closed as an 'accident', so it has remained an unsolved case until now." Aoki nodded.

If it was an accident caused by the natural fall of rocks, it shouldn't have been hit twice!
"Of these two blows, one was very heavy and direct, and the other was slightly off, but the injuries caused were not light. The forensic doctor at the time could not determine which one was the fatal injury." Aoki said, shaking his head helplessly.

Hearing that he was complaining, Shiraishi explained on behalf of the medical examiner at the time: "The wounds of the human body before and after death are mainly determined by bleeding, blood clots, skin contraction... these life reactions.

"So it's relatively easy to judge if it's a punctured artery or a stabbing with a sharp object that leaves a smooth wound. It's really hard to draw a conclusion about a heavy blow to the head. After all, life reactions don't stop abruptly, but rather go through a process. Two injuries in a short period of time are really hard to judge."

Qing Mu also said at this time: "Yes, I understand... So the final forensic identification of the time of death is between 2 and 5 pm. The reason why the time of death was narrowed down to 4 to 5 pm after the preliminary investigation is because..."

When Aoki was halfway through his speech...

drip-

Two car horns sounded from the cliff behind.

I saw a van parked here.

"Ah... an important witness is here." Aoki said when he looked up and saw it.

As they spoke, the three of them came up the ramp nearby...

An old man who looked quite old but in good spirits got out of the car.

"This must be Director Shiraishi, right? I really didn't come at a good time..." The old man said with emotion as soon as he came down.

That's right, this old man used to be a police officer. After retirement, he drove a car to transport goods, so he can be available at any time. If it were an ordinary witness, in the case two years ago, the witness might not be willing to cooperate even if the police took the initiative to visit him, let alone come specially.

"Is this Mr. Yoshimoto? Hello, thank you for coming all the way here to cooperate with our work." Shiraishi had read the files and of course knew the witness's last name.

"Huh? Where's Detective Aoyagi?" Yoshimoto looked at the three people present and asked in confusion. Yoshimoto was not a police officer of Mika, so he didn't know about Aoyagi's death, but Aoyagi had been pursuing this case all along, which left a deep impression on him.

"Aoyagi...died more than a year ago," Aoki replied.

"Really? That's a pity." Yoshimoto was stunned when he heard this, and then said regretfully.

Seeing this, Otaki took the initiative to interrupt the somewhat sad atmosphere and asked about the case...

“Yes, I remember it very clearly… Although I have been a police officer for more than 30 years, I have only been a witness in this one murder case!

"That afternoon at 2 o'clock, I finished delivering the goods and came to paint the oil painting. When I got out of the car to move a chair, the chair hit the stone, so I took a closer look. It was the stone I found at the scene...

"Among the other people who came that day, one of them was also included in my painting. The people at the main store took the original painting away and never gave it back to me. But every time I finish a painting, I take a picture of it."

After retiring, Yoshimoto still works very casually, not working so hard that he has no time for himself, and still comes to paint...

There aren't many people here at Cape Mika, and it was a place Yoshimoto often visited, so there was a witness in that case. Otherwise, no one would easily come to this dead-end road leading to the cliff!

Yoshimoto said this and showed Shiraishi a photo of an oil painting Yoshimoto himself had drawn...

"Mr. Yoshimoto handled the shadows and perspective very well!" Shiraishi praised politely.

"No, no." Yoshimoto was also tickled.

In the painting, there is the position of Yoshimoto's car, and you can also see the beach with a small person fishing. However, because of the angle, Yoshimoto cannot see the victim at the bottom of the cliff.

"This person is Yamauchi Yohei, right?" Shiraishi confirmed with Aoki.

When Otaki heard this, he immediately became more serious - Yamauchi Yohei was the victim of the Osaka case!
"That's right. Yamauchi Yohei said that he went fishing until after four o'clock that day." Aoki also knew the circumstances of the case at that time.

"From his position... he really can't see Ono Yuuko." Shiraishi stood on the cliff and looked at the terrain below.

Yoshimoto also said at this time: "Later, when I left at around four o'clock, the stone was still there because it was right next to my car. I took a closer look at it!"

This is why, in the early stages of the investigation, the time of the crime was narrowed down to between four and five o'clock.

Because the police believed Yoshimoto's testimony, they thought that after he left, someone picked up the stone and went down to commit the crime!

At the same time, Shiraishi was also very clear...

This is also thanks to the fact that Yoshimoto is also a police officer - it’s just that no one knows which department he was from before, only that it was marked as a sensitive department.

Otherwise, if it were an ordinary person, the police would hardly accept such testimony - you can recognize a stone? Isn't it just "sensationalism"?

However, when the case reached a stalemate, Yoshimoto's testimony was inevitably questioned...

"Mr. Yoshimoto, when you left, everyone except the victim had left?" Shiraishi confirmed with Yoshimoto.

It was also Yoshimoto's testimony that established the alibis of the five relatives and friends who were traveling with Ono Yuuko!
"Well, two of them left when I just arrived. They should be a mother and son. When I was halfway through the painting, the young man and woman also left together. The last one is the one fishing. He came up with me when I left." Yoshimoto nodded.

According to the testimony at the time, the first mother and son to leave the Munakata family was the son, Masaaki Munakata, who had to return to Osaka for something, and his mother, Machi Munakata, drove him to the station.

The six people and Guidao who left later returned to the nearby rented holiday villa to prepare dinner.

When Yamauchi Yohei came up at last, the Rokumanbu came to him to get the fish. At that time, Yoshimoto's car had just driven past, which showed that neither Yamauchi nor the Rokumanbu had the chance to turn back. Takashima Akemi was cooking in the villa and had not left at all.

Later, after dinner was ready and Mrs. Munakata returned, when everyone went to call Oono Yuuko, they found that she had been killed!
After comparing the surveillance footage at the station and calculating the time it took to drive away, it was found that the Munakata mother and son also did not have the time to kill.

Of course, this "time of the crime" is entirely based on "believing Gibberne's testimony."

Otherwise, according to the forensic autopsy results, the crime would have occurred much earlier.

"Although it seems that I have caused you a lot of trouble, but... I insist that I am definitely not mistaken." Yoshimoto said very confidently at this time.

"Of course not. Mr. Yoshimoto's certainty is already the greatest help to us." Shiraishi also said affirmatively at this time.

Aoki also recalled at this time: "At the beginning, Qingliu always looked at the time of the crime and the mind map of their alibi. He must have felt that the time of the crime was the key to solving this case."

At this time, Bai Shi already had some ideas in his mind, but he still couldn't figure it out, and the barrier between the two cases had not been broken...

Shiraishi glanced at the time and said, "Come with me to the University of Tokyo. I have an appointment with Akemi Takashima...Mr. Yoshimoto, I won't bother you any more."

"Well, if you have any questions about the case, you can always come to me." Yoshimoto said, and prepared to drive away.

"Huh? Mr. Yoshimoto isn't painting today?" Shiraishi originally thought that Yoshimoto just came by chance, but he didn't expect that he came specifically to cooperate with the inquiry.

"It won't do in this weather. It's still too cold in February and the paint will clump together," said Gibberne, shaking his head.

Bai Shi's expression suddenly froze when he heard this...

I vaguely thought that I felt there was something "uncomfortable" just now!
Shiraishi walked quickly to the cliff, while Yoshimoto and Otaki were still confused.

Bai Shi stood on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the location of the chair and the dummy...

"Shiraishi... Police Chief Masaru?" Otaki was still puzzled at this time, but Aoki reminded him to be quiet.

……

From Bai Shi's perspective, the "dummy" stood up and turned into a long-haired young woman wearing a floral dress. She picked up the "stone that appeared out of thin air" on the ground, looked up at Bai Shi, grinned, and threw the big stone back...

Shiraishi also caught it without saying a word and put it on the cliff. At this time... the other three people, including Yoshimoto's car, were all gone.

Xi Yuzi sat on the chair, took out the book and started reading, but...

"Mr. Police Officer, do you feel a little cold being blown by the sea breeze here?" Xi Yuzi suddenly looked up and asked.

"The time of the incident... August 2014, 8." Shiraishi muttered to himself while looking at the sun and pointing with his finger.

Not only did the surroundings suddenly change from "spring flowers blooming" to "summer scorching hot", but the lighting angle also subtly changed.

even……

"The time of the incident, four o'clock..." As Shiraishi continued to drag the sun...

Oono Yuuko from below shouted again: "Hey, can I see clearly?"

I saw that the sun at four o'clock in the afternoon in August was already shining on her. It was obviously impossible to read in such sunlight!
Seeing this, Shiraishi slowly dragged the sun back. As the light and shadow changed, Oono Yuuko initially kept shielding her eyes with her hands, until... when the sun was dragged to an angle of nearly two o'clock, the shadow finally covered the place where Oono Yuuko was sitting.

"That's pretty much it..."

At this time, Ono Yuuko also calmed down and continued reading.

"Two o'clock?" Bai Shi said as he dragged the sun back.

But after a little while, at about two o'clock, Ono Yuuko was once again unable to sit still due to the dazzle of the sun, but this time...

Duang——

A "little black guy" came over and hit her directly on the head, as if angrily retorting to her complaint!
Now Ono Yuuko couldn't complain about the sunlight, she just let herself be moved back to the chair with the book stuffed in her arms.

Then, Xiao Hei ran up hurriedly with the stone in his arms. At this moment, the sound of an engine was faintly heard - Yoshimoto's car was coming!
So "Xiao Hei" quickly put the stone down, bloody side down, and ran away again...

Yoshimoto, who came here to paint, parked his car at the old location. When he got out of the car carrying a paint bucket, a chair and an easel, the leg of the chair happened to be hit by a stone.

"Huh?" Yoshimoto looked puzzled when he saw the stones that were not usually here.

after that……

As time went by, Yoshimoto's painting was gradually finished. During this period, the people who came with Ono Yuuko also left the scene one after another. The last one was Yamauchi Yohei, who came up almost at the same time as Yoshimoto, but after Yoshimoto drove away...

Yamauchi transformed into Xiao Hei, picked up the stones on the ground, came to the edge of the cliff, aimed at the body of Ono Yuuko who was sitting there, and threw the stones down!
Hit again!

Ono Yuuko's body was knocked to the ground, and the books and stones fell to the side.

"Uncle Yangping, the meal is almost ready. Haven't you caught any fish yet?"

At this time, the six-member team came over and asked Yamauchi to give them some fish. Yamauchi immediately pretended that nothing happened and asked the six-member team to go back to the villa together...

Because of "two wounds", Yamauchi had no time to return and was considered to "not have the time to commit the crime".

It was the first time for the six-member group to come here, so they didn’t notice that a stone was missing on the road!

At this moment, the BGM of solving the case sounded around...

Shiraishi looked down again and saw Ono Yuuko sitting in front of a piano that appeared out of nowhere with blood all over her face, playing "Duel".

but……

"Stop playing. Yamauchi Yohei came fishing after Yoshimoto arrived. The first 'Xiaohei' was definitely not him." Shiraishi interrupted Ono Yuuko who was playing the BGM in advance.

"Eh? Are you okay, officer?" Oono Yuuko stopped unhappily, then lay back down where the body should be.

Gradually... Ono Yuuko turned back into a mannequin, and the bright sunshine around her turned back into the chilly spring breeze...

(End of this chapter)