Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 361 Everyone Has Special Skills
In the director's office of the Beika Police Station, Shiraishi received a call from the deputy director of the Metropolitan Police Department, Toshio Moroboshi...

"No, it has been basically confirmed now that the real murderer killed Ayabe Yutaka to silence him. Currently, the Beika Police Department is also investigating in this direction." Shiraishi denied the rumors that the "case has been solved."

After all, Ayabe Yutaka's body was found in Toriya Town. It was already very kind of the Toriya Police Station to give Shiraishi a "favor". It was impossible for them to keep it a secret for Shiraishi and the Metropolitan Police Department... The news reached the Metropolitan Police Department in an instant.

This is the third call Bai Shi has received...

The previous two people were Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda and Director Shiraba, both of whom came to ask Shiraishi whether the case should be sorted out and closed.

But Shiraishi's answer was no - apart from anything else, just the scene of Ayabe Yutaka's death...

Any experienced police officer seeing this would have noticed something was wrong!

All the evidence is there, just as it were, ready to go.

Shiraishi estimated that the murderer should be familiar with the police's work flow, and the reason why he disguised himself so crudely was actually an open conspiracy.

With the evidence he provided, he wanted to use this death to close the case. Although it was not perfect because of the "death of the suspect", it was enough to give an explanation to all parties.

After all, all the loopholes and inconsistencies appeared during the investigation phase. They can only be described as "problems noticed by front-line police officers." As long as the front-line search passes over this side, the evidence will be completely wasted later.

In similar cases, nine out of ten times the "standard procedure" is that the front-line detectives see that there is a problem, but the person in charge, that is, the director or the head of the criminal section, puts pressure on the case to be solved as soon as possible, and then the case is forced to be closed with the existing evidence...

When the case later came to the prosecutor's side, they didn't think there was a problem just by looking at the evidence without visiting the scene.

Likewise, if there is a problem with a case in the future, the responsibility will only fall back on the investigating detective, and the director or section chief will at most be implicated...

But in the Mihua Department, the situation is certainly different.

Shiraishi decisively told the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency - the case needs further investigation!
and……

"Well, the nature of this case is very bad. The Beika Police Department must solve it as soon as possible. You have to put more pressure on your subordinates... Okay, you continue the search." Moroboshi Toshio just gave some routine encouragement.

Perhaps it was because everyone already knew who Shiraishi was, or perhaps it was because of Onoda's previous delegation of power, even Deputy Director Moroboshi, who was directly in charge of criminal cases and was eager for quick success, had no intention of hinting at Shiraishi.

Since you said no...

Then continue checking!
……

Meanwhile, in the conference room, the Criminal Division is holding today’s search meeting.

"It seems that the real murderer is very familiar with our police's handling procedures. Does he think he can just close the case just like that once he has captured us? If you really think so, you are totally wrong!" Although Zong Fang looked a little sloppy and unkempt, he spoke powerfully at this time.

He seemed to notice that Shima was distracted, and took the initiative to say, "Detective Shima, what else have you found about the suspicious circumstances surrounding Ayabe Yutaka's death?"

Everyone has said a lot just now, but most of them are "groundless", such as "all the evidence is on the table", which cannot be regarded as direct evidence.

"Ah?" Shima was stunned when he heard that, then he came to his senses.

Seeing this, Yamada quickly touched his forehead to cover his mouth and whispered: "The fall is suspicious... just agree with the section chief."

The section chief has already said a lot, and in Yamada's opinion there is nothing to add. This is what everyone has said before.

However, Shima hesitated and said, "Actually, there is one more thing that I also find strange... The body was not wearing gloves, but I just saw the report from the forensic department, which showed that although Detective Takahashi's DNA was found on the knife, there were no fingerprints on the handle."

Indeed, there are no fingerprints, of course they have been wiped off, but...

Why would a person who wants to commit suicide wipe off his fingerprints?
And there were no gloves on the body...

It's impossible that he wiped the knife with gloves on, threw it down, took off the gloves, hid them, and then committed suicide, right?
This is too unreasonable.

Zongfang nodded when he heard this, but then he directly pointed out: "Well, it seems that you are thinking about the case... Have you thought of anything?"

"Um... nothing." Shima smiled awkwardly.

It was true that he was thinking about the case just now, but what he was thinking about was...

Can this case be investigated further?
After all, Shima used to be a detective in the First Investigation Division. He had seen many major cases and understood the complexity behind them.

This is not something that can be advanced just by the insistence of frontline staff. Just like in the case of Ono Miki, all Megure could do in the end was to preserve the evidence and investigation notes.

……

At this moment, the door of the conference room opened directly.

In the Mihua Police Department, only the Director can enter any door like this. Except for the women's lounge and the women's bathroom, he can push any door he wants...

"Section Chief Sohkata, has the investigation mission been arranged? I have already promised Chief Cabinet Secretary Onoda that the real murderer will be caught within three days, otherwise the case will be sent to the Investigation Section for investigation." After Shiraishi came in, he said directly and casually.

The real murderer...

When Shima heard these words, he understood that Director Shiraishi not only did not recognize Ayabe Yutaka as the murderer, but also reported this to his superiors!

"Not yet, but there are clues." Zongfang said.

That's right, the murderer seems cunning, and even wants to take advantage of the police's weaknesses to force the case to be closed as soon as possible, but he also reveals many flaws. Once the Mihua Police Department withstands the pressure and takes him seriously, they are actually not completely clueless.

At this moment, Kanzaki, who was not in the meeting room, knocked on the door and came in.

"Director, Section Chief, we found an important clue when we were identifying Ayabe Yutaka's body just now!" Kanzaki reported immediately after he came in.

He had just gone to the identification room and personally participated in the examination of the body.

Although they do not have forensic qualifications, the Identification Department of the Beihua Police Department will not open the corpse, but they will conduct a detailed examination without causing any damage.

Kanzaki discovered this time...

"Is there any problem with the cause of death?" Zongfang asked directly.

"The fatal wound on the corpse's skull does match the characteristics of a fall. The time of death was between 1 and 5 a.m. last night... However, fine black fibers were found on the skin of the corpse, especially on the wrists. The same fibers were also found in the cracks between Detective Takahashi's fingernails!" Kanzaki said excitedly.

"The wrists and the gaps between the nails...it looks like they might be the gloves worn by the murderer." Zongfang nodded when he heard that.

There were fiber residues on the skin of the wrist, which should be because the murderer grabbed the opponent's wrist. There were fiber residues in the nails, which should be because Takahashi struggled after being stabbed.

"Are there any other clues?" Shiraishi asked directly, but he didn't ask Kanzaki, but looked at everyone.

"Yes, Director, today, Zilian and I visited Takahashi's activities before his death and found that he seemed to be investigating Sakamoto. He contacted several clients who had business dealings with Sakamoto and encouraged them to do appraisals...

"It's Iwasaki Art Transport. Hasn't he been doing antique trading business in the past few months? Takahashi seems to have doubts about these antiques. We are also verifying the specific results. We are not sure how many people accepted his proposal and what the appraisal results are, but...

"Considering the quarrel between Takahashi and Sakamoto before, I think today's visit will be fruitful." Huitani took the initiative to say.

When Haitani was tracing Takahashi's activities during his lifetime, he unexpectedly discovered that this was most likely the reason for the conflict between him and Sakamoto!
After Huitani sat down, Kuroki continued, "After further investigating Ayabe Yutaka, we found that he owed a large amount of high-interest loans during his lifetime... This may be the reason why he took such a risk. Today I will visit the Arakawa Group that loaned him the high-interest loans to see if I can get any clues."

Creditors, especially those like the "Arakawa Group", often have a deeper understanding of the debtor than ordinary relatives and friends!
Of course, generally speaking, these "creditors" involved in organized crime are not easy to cooperate with the police.

Especially the "Arakawa Group". Although it is not large in scale now, it is already considered a "vibrant" and "powerful" organization in the Tojo Clan...

Generally speaking, if you want him to cooperate honestly, Bai Shi would have to at least call him to "say hello", not just visit him in person.

but……

Shiraishi already knew that Kuroki had some connections with the boss of the Arakawa group, so if he came, Shiraishi wouldn't have to worry about it.

……

Shima felt a huge pressure at this time...

It feels like everyone in this Mikado Agency has special skills - why do they have to go directly to the "Arakawa Group" to inquire about the situation?
I know that the "Organized Crime Countermeasures Department" has achieved initial results in recent years, but...

Is the effect so obvious? Have they become law-abiding citizens?

"The only one left is the widow of Mr. Kinoshita who committed suicide five years ago... Well, I heard that there is a detective in the Beika Police Station who is good at communication, but it's a pity that he is not here..." Munakata said deliberately at this time.

As expected, when Yamada heard this, he couldn't sit still and volunteered, "Section Chief, leave it to me!"

Shima:......

Are you really good at communicating?

It was too late for Shima to stop Yamada...

The final task of investigating the murder case five years ago, with the focus on "communicating with the widow of Masayoshi Kinoshita", fell on the team of Yamada and Shima.

As for Sakamoto, it's not that he is unimportant, but because he is too suspicious. Everyone assumes that he will not tell the truth so easily, which means it is not easy to find a breakthrough, so Akasaka just goes to "make a show of force".

……

After the investigation meeting, Shima watched Kuroki and Kanzaki get in the car and head towards Kamurocho. He couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Detective Kuroki... is everything okay?"

"No problem, he often goes to nightclubs and is very familiar with those violent organizations." Yamada said confidently.

Shima:? ? ?
Just by going to nightclubs frequently, can you become so familiar with violent organizations?

Shima felt that this was strange, but judging from what Yamada said, it didn't seem like he was deliberately keeping it a secret from him...

Yes, that’s exactly what Yamada thought!
After all, apart from Shiraishi, no one else in the police station knew the crux of the matter.

In Yamada's opinion, Kuroki often went to the nightclub run by the Arakawa Group, and after that... he and the Arakawa Group became very familiar with each other!
At the same time, the one who was even more puzzled than Yamada was Kanzaki Ryuichi. Although the "fate" between Kuroki and the Arakawa Group originated from Kanzaki Ryuichi, Kanzaki was not aware of this. Instead, every time he came to the Arakawa Group... or to be more precise, every time he met Arakawa himself, Kanzaki felt that his attitude towards him was strange.

But now he still thinks that his biological father is Kanzaki Kenji. Kuroki certainly can't tell him that "your biological father is Kenji's informant. Eighteen years ago, because his identity was exposed and his wife was killed, he formed the strongest rebellious team with Arakawa Masumi who also wanted to rebel because of his wife's murder. They directly killed their way through Hikawa Kosan, and then handed you over to Kenji, and were shot dead on the spot by the police"...

Therefore, Kuroki did not doubt why Arakawa looked at Kanzaki differently - after all, he had a good relationship with his father.

It is precisely because of this friendship...

When Kuroki and Kanzaki came to inquire, Arakawa Masumi not only did not show his "desperate Arakawa" side, but instead called over Wakashiro Sawajo, who was in charge of lending.

As soon as Zecheng entered the team leader's office, he frowned and looked at the two detectives - Arakawa had said before that if Kuroki and Kanzaki came, they could come directly to the office.

only……

Zecheng was not very confident about them and always paid special attention to these two people.

"Sawashiro, is there a young man named Ayabe Yutaka who recently owes money to the group?" Arakawa asked directly.

"Brother, Ayabe returned the money two days ago. His death has nothing to do with us." The second half of Zecheng's sentence was obviously directed to Kuroki and Kanzaki.

Sawashiro looks to be about the same age as Arakawa, with an old-school gangster-style slicked-back hair. He doesn't look as fierce as the average minions, but he is very stylish.

"Paid back? He owes you millions, right?" Hei Mu frowned when he heard that.

"Detective Kuroki doesn't think that we care where his money comes from, right? It's only natural to pay back debts. He borrowed money and paid it back, and other things have nothing to do with us." Zecheng obviously didn't want to waste any more time talking to the cop.

"May I ask what did Ayabe use to pay back the money?" Kuroki further confirmed.

Zecheng replied sullenly, "Cash."

"Is the money still there?" Kuroki asked immediately.

"It's been borrowed." Ze Cheng said impatiently.

However, Kanzaki suddenly thought of something and added, "Several million in cash... should have been put in a bag or a large envelope? Is it still there?"

Zecheng frowned when he heard this, but Arakawa had already said, "Zecheng, go find the things and give them to them."

Hearing the team leader speak, Ze Cheng changed his expression and said, "Yes."

……

On the other hand, Yamada and Shima were still being humiliated by Erika Kinoshita...

Come to think of it, it is inevitable.

After all, Erika still hates the police because of her husband's suicide. How could she possibly cooperate?

If there was a source of "central air conditioning" spirit here, maybe it would move her, but...

Yamada, as the partner, obviously did not have these two skills. He was just busy "competing" and took the job directly.

But I forgot that his communication skills are actually weak...

After all, this kind of work is usually left to Yuan!
After being driven out by Erika Kinoshita again, Yamada couldn't help but sigh: "It seems so easy to watch Yuan do it usually... As expected, partners still need to complement each other."

Yamada would make excuses for himself...

However, when Shima heard the word "partner", he fell silent again. As soon as he was silent, Yamada patted his shoulder and said, "Shima, go ahead!"

"Ah?" Shima was stunned when he heard that.

"You see, my communication skills are so weak, you should complement me!" Yamada said righteously.

Shima:......

Is this how you make up for it?

but……

Shima actually nodded.

From Erika Kinoshita's attitude just now, he did discover something.

Jingle Bell--

Accompanied by the sound of wind chimes at the door of the store, Yamada and Shima walked in again.

"Welcome..." Kinoshita, who was behind the counter, immediately frowned when he saw the two of them. After the routine greeting, he asked indifferently, "What would you like to order?"

The two of them had just finished dinner and were kicked out afterwards, but...

"Two servings of beef rice." Shima said calmly.

"Huh?" Yamada didn't understand why Shima continued to eat - just now when they were eating, Kinoshita still didn't answer them at all.

But at this time, Yamada had no choice but to eat it.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Ms. Kinoshita, may I ask..." Shima had just finished his meal and was about to ask something.

"Thank you for your patronage, 1,400 yuan. It's my pleasure to serve you." Kinoshita had a cold face and read it as "It's my pleasure to serve you" and wrote it as "You can leave after eating."

"Two servings of beef rice." Shima said as he took out three thousand-yuan bills.

"Huh?" Yamada was stunned again.

but……

At this time, Yamada felt that as a "senior", he certainly couldn't be timid!
belch--

"Ms. Kinoshita, I want to know five years ago..."

"Thank you for your patronage, fourteen hundred dollars. I am glad to serve you."

“Two bowls of beef rice!”

Seeing that the two of them together had already stuffed Bai Shi half full, he was obviously beginning to feel uncomfortable, but...

"Ms. Kinoshita, five years ago, did Mr. Kinoshita..."

"..."

“Two bowls of beef rice!”

"enough!"

Erika Kinoshita interrupted the two of them at this time, and seemed to be planning to starve to death in the store.

"Ms. Kinoshita..."

"Why? Why are you investigating again after five years?" Kinoshita said impatiently.

"Because... I believe the murderer is not Mr. Kinoshita." Shima said solemnly.

"Hey..." Yamada whispered, trying to stop him.

But at this moment, I found that Erika Kinoshita was very shaken: "You... really believe..."

"I believe it, and... judging from the current evidence, perhaps if we work harder, we can see through the truth of that year!" Shima stared at Erika and said.

Erika's face changed at this time...

That's right, Shima had just noticed that Kinoshita Erika's attitude towards the police officer seemed to be not only resentful of "forcing her husband to death", but also fearful...

What she was afraid of was not anything else but the worry that her husband might really be the murderer!
Now she can still say that her husband was forced to death by the police, and she doesn't need to feel guilty, but can be full of anger. But what if...

That's what happens when a person dies.

Even if you want to use death to express your anger, as long as you choose suicide, you will naturally have to take countless blames and deal with countless dirty waters in the future.

Even if you originally believed in your family, your mentality will gradually deteriorate under such pressure.

When Zhengyi just committed suicide, his wife still firmly believed that he was innocent and was forced to death by the police. This was also the initial public opinion.

But dead people will not speak again, but living people can continue to speak. The police repeatedly emphasized that it was just a mistake in the search method. It is unreasonable to believe someone's words because of suicide. As long as they repeat it enough...

If it weren't for the recent events, maybe in a few years, Kinoshita would really have killed Washimiya and then committed suicide out of fear of the crime...

"I believe that Mr. Kinoshita must also want to see the day when the real murderer is arrested," Shima continued.

Erika couldn't help it and suddenly squatted behind the counter and burst into tears.

Shima and Yamada watched, but didn't bother...

(End of this chapter)