Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 287 Returning to Hometown
Under the suspicious gaze of Guidao's roommate, Shiraishi stepped on the accelerator and left...

After Takashima got out of the passenger seat, Aoki, who was sitting in the back, began to feel a little uneasy - as a middle-aged man who was more disciplined, Aoki felt very uncomfortable sitting in the back seat of his leader's car.

Taking advantage of the red light, Aoki hurriedly got out of the car and said, "Director, let me tell you about the case." Then he went to the passenger seat and sat down again.

"Inspector Otaki showed me the files on the fire case six years ago. The victim died in his own bedroom, and there was certainly no sign of oil being poured on his body. And according to the testimony at the time, Tajima Akemi was not at home." As soon as Aoki opened his mouth, he refuted Tajima Akemi's "nonsense."

If the body was burned after escaping the house or even doused with oil, how could the police not have discovered it?
And if such a thing had really been discovered, they would have definitely filed a case of arson, and would not have left it unsolved in ambiguity...

"Yeah, so she was dreaming." Bai Shi nodded - of course he knew about this kind of thing.

"Dreaming or something...is the reason really that simple?" Aoki still felt that the so-called "nightmare" was just an excuse.

"Just because it's a dream doesn't mean it's 'simple'. After all, 'what you think about during the day you dream about at night'. Another possibility is that although she didn't see these things with her own eyes,... she actually knew that it was her uncle who set the fire." Bai Shi reminded at this time.

Aoki had never studied this kind of psychology and it was impossible for him to figure it out on his own, so Shiraishi just gave him some direct pointers.

"What you mean is..." Aoki was stunned when he heard this.

"Takashima had previously inadvertently revealed that he and his uncle felt a sense of 'sympathy' because they were both 'living under someone else's roof'. At the same time, Takashima also understood that his uncle's family was willing to take him in, which was already a great benefactor to him...

"If Takashima knew at the time or afterwards that it was his uncle who set the fire, but kept it secret and did not tell the police, it would be understandable that he kept dreaming about his uncle burning his uncle to death in his dreams under such conflicting emotions," Shiraishi explained at this time.

And this should be the real reason why Guidao suffers from PTSD and has a deep fear of "fire-like" scenes - the scenes in the dream are fake, but the mood in the dream is real.

Because what she was afraid of was not "fire" but the fire scene in her dream, she would naturally be more sensitive to the "red sunset" that was more like a fire scene than to the "burning glass of wine".

Or rather, what she really couldn't face was her own dilemma...

Moreover, this dilemma will not diminish with time, but will only make the heart more tormented.

"If Takashima really knew that it was Yamauchi Yohei who set the fire, then... if she really wanted to kill Ono Yuuko two years ago, she would have had evidence to threaten Yamauchi Yohei to help her." Aoki was mainly concerned about the Misaki Cape case at this time.

Although Shiraishi felt that if she could use this incident as a handle to threaten Yamauchi Yohei, she would not suffer from PTSD, but he did not directly refute anything, but only reminded: "Before that, we must also consider... If you admit that it was Yamauchi Yohei who set the fire, then anyone who knows about it can threaten him later."

Aoki paused when he heard this - indeed, if that was true, if Kijima could discover it, then others might be able to discover it too!

"But if that's true, then Osaka might have made a mistake..." Aoki muttered.

The Osaka Prefectural Police now believe that the six-member group set the fire and killed Yamauchi Yohei to silence him.

Then Qingmu said a little embarrassedly: "Director, please let me down at the dormitory."

Being so old, Aoki certainly doesn't live in the dormitory like the younger police officers. Shiraishi understood that he was probably going to talk to Otaki about the case - Otaki came to Toudou on a business trip, and because he didn't follow the formal procedures, Shiraishi was afraid that the Osaka Prefectural Police would not reimburse his food and lodging, so he specially arranged for him to stay in an empty room in the police station dormitory.

Although Ayako also told Otaki that he could stay at the Suzuki Hotel freely, Otaki still did not go. After all, the rooms at the Suzuki Hotel, even if they were just ordinary rooms, were very high-end.

Since Shiraishi was on his way there, he just dropped it off at the dormitory and then went back to his apartment to rest.

……

The next day, February 2, was a rare calm day, and there was a regular meeting of directors in the afternoon.

At the regular meeting, Yan Tu Haici specifically emphasized public safety and...

Between the lines, it's all about the murder rate in Timihua Town!
But since he didn't say it directly, Shiraishi just pretended not to hear it. He said his homicide rate, Shiraishi said his overall crime rate...

Shiraishi and Ayako have an appointment in the evening - Ayako was also supposed to be busy tonight, but I heard last night that after Shiraishi used "exposure therapy" on Akemi Takashima, she suddenly became fine.

When the two were in the car, they heard the news on the radio - "Takigawa Foods is under investigation for suspected forced labor", "Shocking! The cooperating employer actually did this to the rehabilitated personnel", "Food factory involved in scandal, agricultural cooperatives speak out"...

The Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries... were "resurrected" overnight, and they couldn't wait to knock Takigawa to the ground and step on him ten thousand times.

"This Takigawa deserves it! He can't get away now." Ayako said angrily.

Shiraishi also understood that Ayako might not be really angry, mainly because... Tagigawa was the one who got in, so of course Ayako had to share the same hatred for the enemy.

"There is also suspicion of forced labor... Was he arrested by the Beika Police Department?" Ayako asked curiously.

"It's not our turn. I heard that the Ministry of Justice arrested the person first." Shiraishi said, and sarcastically said, "The Ministry of Justice is really anxious. Even the public security has been dispatched."

Departments such as the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have their own public security departments, which have overlapping powers and responsibilities with the police's "public security" departments.

If we are investigating the same case, theoretically it depends on who is quicker, but in reality...

As expected, the police have to take a step back. Except for the Self-Defense Forces, the police basically will not confront any other department. It’s like, if you dare to pinch me, I will show you how soft I am.

"By the way, you said before that people from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare are always robbing your drug dealers, right?" The "before" that Ayako mentioned was before the two of them separated, when Shiraishi had just joined the team.

Shiraishi had never encountered this kind of situation at the police station, but he had experienced it many times when he was in a team!
The problem of illegal narcotics is basically caused by violent organizations behind the scenes, so naturally, controlling illegal narcotics is also an important task for the organization, but the "Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare" also has a "Narcotics Countermeasures Division."

Although in theory the police have the power to enforce the law, and the "Narcotics Countermeasures Division" only has the power to investigate, in practice, if the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Narcotics Countermeasures Division wants to ask the police for help, it only takes a word...

And this is not the case with Zeden - if Zeden dared to be passive and lazy, Bai Shi would dare to take him back to the office, but if other departments came to recruit people and the higher-ups approved it, Bai Shi had no choice.

"Well, the Narcotics Countermeasures Division of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare... They all think they are civil servants, they are too arrogant, and they do their work in a rough manner. Tsk." Shiraishi shook his head.

Although it may seem like he is generalizing, Shiraishi did have a bad impression of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Narcotics Countermeasures Division.

These people are not police officers, but civil servants of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

In Shiraishi's opinion, these people are even more unruly and unprincipled, and they completely inherited the rigidity of the civil service system in handling cases...

"Aren't you also a civil servant?" Ayako teased.

[The following is an urgent news: The Shilling Bank in Haido-cho, Tokyo, was robbed. The robbers were armed with guns and have caused casualties among staff. The police have blocked the following roads. Drivers are requested to take an alternative route...] When Ayako heard the "urgent news", her heart suddenly sank.

When she heard it was "Haito Town", Ayako breathed a sigh of relief - fortunately it was not Beika Town.

"Robb a bank?" Bai Shi's face turned strange when he heard that.

Kidnapping and bank robbery are now typical "non-profitable crimes". It is hard to avoid being caught, but there are always criminals who enjoy doing it...

"Beihu is under the jurisdiction of Chief Yan Tu, right? Do you want to go and take a look?" Ayako asked proactively.

"No, it's not on the way." Bai Shi shook his head.

That guy Yan Tu Hai Ci...

At the director's regular meeting today, he emphasized public safety, but a bank robbery happened in his own jurisdiction. Bai Shi laughed at him in his heart.

In this kind of situation, Bai Shi is not in need of any fighting ability, so of course he did not cause trouble.

……

The next day, on February 2, when Shiraishi was at work, he heard from the radio that the robber from last night had actually escaped!
【……Please pay attention to safety and report any suspicious persons to the police promptly. 】

"What the hell? You can even get away with robbing a bank?" Bai Shi was speechless.

That's it? My strict head, can you do this?

However, since it was a matter concerning Haido Town, Shiraishi did not take it seriously and went to the police station as usual, and then called Murasakibara over as usual.

"Deputy Director Murasakibara, you've heard about the incident at the Beido-cho Shiraki Bank, right? You must be extra careful these two days. If the Beido Office asks for help, respond promptly and cooperate in the interception..." Shiraishi gave Murasakibara some instructions.

Although Shiraishi doesn't want to meddle in other people's business, because the distance is close, he will not be passive if there is a need for cooperation.

After Shiraishi instructed about the matters of Haido Town, Aoki and Otaki soon came to the director's office together.

Seeing that the two of them arrived together, Bai Shi understood and said, "Is this... any progress in the case?"

Aoki seemed to want to nod at this time, but he hesitated again after opening his mouth, and finally said: "That's right! I think... the identity of the murderer can be determined."

"Two cases?" Bai Shi asked meaningfully.

"Yes, the murderer of two murders... Misaki in Toudou and Orange Apartment in Osaka!" Aoki's tone was very firm, but... he felt like he was encouraging himself.

Then Otaki added: "To be precise, the murderer of the arson case six years ago has already been identified... What a pity." He shook his head as he spoke.

Seeing Otaki's reaction, Shiraishi knew that the two of them had now confirmed that the arsonist was Yamauchi Yohei!

However, because Yamauchi Yohei is dead, this case can only be buried in the past. After all, a dead person cannot be judged or convicted.

"What did the Osaka Prefectural Police say?" Shiraishi did not ask who the murderer was, but looked at Otaki and asked.

"All persons related to the case have been invited to reunite at a villa near Mika Cape at 2 o'clock this afternoon," said Otaki.

Obviously, Osaka has acknowledged the search results of the Beika Police Department and... is willing to cooperate with the Beika Police Department to close the case here first!
Qing Mu said embarrassedly at this time: "Because the evidence is not clear yet, we also hope that the murderer can slip away out of guilt. That would be the best."

The three people related to the case who were still in Osaka were all rushing to Dongdu at this time, and Shiraishi understood that they must be followed by police officers. If they escaped halfway, they would be exposed!

Since Aoki said so, it is obvious...

If we directly identify the murderer, I'm afraid there is not enough evidence.

"Two o'clock in the afternoon? I'll be there then too." Bai Shi said after looking at the time.

"Yes! Sorry to trouble you!" Aoki's eyes immediately lit up.

Bai Shi looked at him with a little surprise - does he really want me to go?

But Shiraishi thought that with the prestige he had accumulated over the past six months, if he were present, the detectives would be much more confident, which would not be surprising.

……

At the invitation of the police, Akemi Takashima in Touto, and Shiro Rokuinbe, Masaaki Munakata, and Machiko Munakata in Osaka, returned to the holiday villa in Misaki Bay, where they had met two years ago...

When Takashima returned here, he was still a little dazed. His uncle Yamauchi and his good friend Ohno seemed to be still greeting him, but now...

When I came to my senses, I saw furniture covered with white cloth everywhere. On the only exposed sofas, my aunt, cousin, and cousin's friend... as well as Shiraishi and two other police officers were already there.

"Sorry, I'm late." Guidao said embarrassedly.

"No, it's just one fifty." Bai Shi said after looking at the time.

Although the appointment was for 2 o'clock, the other three people came early because they were in Osaka.

"They even specially invited us to a place like this... How unlucky." Machiko, who was wearing leopard print trousers, looked around unhappily at this time, and then said impatiently: "Okay, now that Zhu Mei is here, can we stop keeping us in suspense?"

"Of course." Bai Shi sat steadily on the sofa, nodded without getting angry and said, "Aoki, you come and explain it to everyone."

"Yes." Aoki has calmed down his nervousness.

As an old detective, Aoki shouldn't get nervous easily. The reason why he had such emotions was, firstly, because it was the resentment of his deceased friend, and secondly, because... he really wasn't sure that he could force the suspect to confess directly this time, but the stage had been set, and he had to come up and perform this drama in this "detective"-like way.

(End of this chapter)