Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 484 Is this matter really that interesting?
Gen and Yamada rushed downstairs to the restaurant and asked about the morning's delivery. After learning the height of the truck, they quickly inquired about the truck company and the delivery route...

Meanwhile, Fuji had already taken Kawai back to the barbecue restaurant they had passed by that morning when they responded to the call.

At the time, Fuji and Kawai didn't find anything strange—at least not except that "someone was eating barbecue at six in the morning."

As for what Qi Shan said when he skipped out on the bill, they, like the barbecue restaurant owner, didn't believe him at all!

After all, these patrol officers had heard similar reasons countless times...

Especially this time, there were no other customers in the store, yet they still claimed that someone was in the restroom?

However, just as Teng Lian realized, things were not so simple!
"Huh? What's wrong, officers?" The boss was puzzled to see the two policewomen from this morning had returned.

"It's nothing, didn't Qishan pay in the end?" Teng said, while first glancing at the positions of several waiters in the store.

"Yes, his friend paid for it later." The shopkeeper nodded.

"By the way, there should have been some employees who had just started working at the store at that time, right?" Teng asked keenly.

If it were an "outsider," it would be difficult for them to hide in the bathroom like that; they would probably want to escape further away, unless... that person is very familiar with the store and is confident that "even if they are discovered, they will not be suspected."

In other words, it is very likely that they are employees of the store.

“This…yes, there is one, it’s Shirai…” the shopkeeper said, looking at the young man wearing a nameplate that read “Shirai Kyoji” on his chest.

The latter's expression changed drastically at this moment. He flipped the plate in his hand and ran away!
Fujiya caught up immediately, with Kawai close behind...

Actually, Teng Gang had been paying attention to him!

Since he already suspected that the murderer was someone from the store, Fuji had been observing the store's employees beforehand. This Shirai Kyoji was not only the right age, but he had also been lingering around the store in a subtle way—as if he was eavesdropping on the boss and him talking about the case.

Upon hearing that the police had identified him, Shirai panicked immediately. He didn't bother to argue anymore and ran towards the back door.

but……

At this point, Teng wasn't in a hurry to chase after them, because...

Fuji was seen slowly chasing or rather "driving" Shirai out of the back door, and he immediately saw the surprise outside the door - several police officers were already waiting for him at the back door!

Before he could turn around, he was swarmed forward—to avoid casualties, Teng had already ordered people to guard the back door.

Fuji was confident in his skills, naturally believing he was no less capable than any male police officer. However, Kawai was with him after all, and besides... why take risks when there was a foolproof plan?

The reason only Fuji and Kawai entered the store to ask questions was to lower the killer's guard. After all, this was a restaurant, and if he got desperate and grabbed a kitchen knife or something, it would be troublesome...

……

Meanwhile, Gen and Yamada finally caught up with the delivery truck's route. After explaining the situation to the driver, Gen climbed onto the roof of the truck, and sure enough...

"Yamada, look!" Gen called his partner over.

Seeing the clear shoe print on the roof of the car, and a bloodstain that looked like it was from someone bracing themselves with their hand, the two felt that they were safe now.

"really……"

"Afterwards, we can ask the forensic team to pay more attention to footprints and bloodstains along the way!"

Just then, Yuan's phone rang.

Seeing that it was a call from the department, Yuan answered with an arrogant tone, "Hello, this is Yuan... Section Chief, don't worry, I've found what the culprit left behind...?"

Yuan was stunned when he heard what the section chief said halfway through his sentence.

After a long pause, Yuan hung up the phone, looking utterly dejected. Yamada, seeing this, asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"Fuji caught the criminal at a barbecue restaurant..." Yuan said unwillingly.

"Huh? How did you catch them? Are you sure?" Yamada asked, still not entirely convinced.

"A dagger, suspected to be the murder weapon, was also found in the toilet tank..."

Yamada:……

"That cunning mother gorilla!" Yuan stomped his foot in anger.

"Then... shall we go back?" Yamada asked tentatively.

“What’s the point of going back? This case is no longer our concern… Let’s continue investigating Kijima’s evidence!” Yuan said helplessly.

……

Monday, October 6.

"Chief, Kijima has confessed. We'll take him to the crime scene this afternoon," Munakata reported to Shiraishi.

After two days of investigation and interrogation over the weekend, Kijima confessed to killing Merry at home and conspiring with his secretary to fake her leaving home and obfuscate the time of her death in order to forge an alibi.

"This guy put on a disguise and came back from abroad full of confidence, yet he confessed so easily?" Bai Shi thought he was going to try to argue again.

"Mainly... when I saw the aluminum mask, my mentality collapsed," Zongfang said, waving his hand.

"Oh? He also guessed that the aluminum mask was related to the thunderstorm on Saturday night?" Shiraishi asked with interest.

The Mihana Police Department and the Japan Meteorological Agency have confirmed that the only recent instance of lightning striking the Hulu Lake area was the night before last, which reversed the estimated time of death to Saturday itself!
"No, when he saw the aluminum mask... before I could even explain the principle to him, he was already terrified and confessed on the spot," Zongfang said, shrugging.

Shiraishi:……

Although there was some gossip online before, it was just gossip and had not been confirmed.

When the murderer actually saw this thing, he was greatly shocked and confessed on the spot.

"Of course, it's also because Yuan and Yamada have been very energetic and spirited these past two days." Zongfang also gave his subordinates a brief commendation.

Shiraishi certainly knew why the two were so popular.

When Shiraishi gave the hint, he already suspected that Fuji might "get ahead"—after all, Fuji had dealt with the "free meal" incident, which Genji and Yamada were completely unaware of. Shiraishi usually wouldn't give hints...

However, the trucks had already left by then. Shiraishi knew that trucks would be parked there every morning because he had lived in the Yingmihua Apartment before and went for a run every morning.
It's a bit much to expect them to make the connection themselves by thinking "whether there's a large truck parked here" without any prompting.

Furthermore, Shiraishi could tell that Judy clearly knew something and was scrutinizing the Beika Police Station's investigation. Of course, Shiraishi didn't give her a chance to look any further and directly gave the hint to Kawai so that they would receive it during lunch break.

"By the way, how are those two young masters and young ladies doing lately?" Bai Shi asked, not only because someone had asked him to "take care" of them, but also because... their situation was indeed very special!

Upon hearing this, Zongfang said with a hint of headache, "That young lady is alright. Haigu is very composed, and she's easy to coax. Recently, Haigu has been putting her in charge of some less important criminal cases."

Well, it's not very important; it's a criminal case.

After all, in the Miho Police Station, any slightly important criminal case is a murder case, which is quite dangerous. Even when she went to "fish" for that robber whose statute of limitations was about to expire, she encountered some danger.

If it's not a criminal case, firstly, she herself wouldn't be satisfied with being a criminal investigator, and secondly... most civil disputes can be resolved with money, so if she were to spend money recklessly, it wouldn't be good for the reputation of the Mikasa Police Station!
“That young master is troublesome. He seems to be more interested in organized crime, and unlike the young lady, he is very goal-oriented. It gives the impression that his purpose in becoming a detective is not as simple as ‘ideal’,” Zongfang said astutely.

"Is that so... Keep a close eye on them as well, and report to me immediately if anything happens," Shiraishi instructed.

Although Zong Fang had no choice, he still agreed, "Yes."

He was originally a criminal investigator...

It's perfectly normal to put him, the head of the criminal investigation department, in charge!

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Hearing this frequency, Shiraishi knew it was Section Chief Mado...

"Come in."

When Mado entered, he wasn't surprised to see Munakata there. Instead, he asked, "Excuse me, Chief, Section Chief Munakata, may I bother you for a moment? There's something I need to discuss..."

Seeing that she not only didn't wait for Munakata to leave, but even wanted to speak directly in front of Munakata, Shiraishi knew that what she was about to say must be related to the Criminal Investigation Division!

Seeing this, Shiraishi gestured for her to begin speaking.

“Just now… Inspector Haiya and Kobe patrol officers caught a groper on the train this morning… ah, I mean, suspected, suspected.” Mado said, carefully choosing his words.

"What did the victim say? Were there any witnesses at the scene?" Bai Shi frowned upon hearing this—given the example of that senior executive from the Masuyama Group, even if the person arrested had some status, they shouldn't dare to cause trouble at the Beika Police Station.

Of course, Shiraishi did not assume that the other party was necessarily a criminal. As Mado said, before a conviction, everything is suspected. Therefore, Shiraishi did not even ask about the identity first.

Mado was already used to this—Chief Shiraishi had always been like this, more concerned with the facts, it would be strange if he asked about other things first.

"The victim is certain, but his attitude isn't firm. As for the witness... there seemed to be a witness when he was arrested, but when we tried to contact him later, he seemed a bit annoyed. If Inspector Haiya hadn't intervened, the Kobe police might have wanted to... cough cough, encourage the witness." Mado said it very tactfully.

But Shiraishi understood—how to encourage them? With money!

However, no matter how much Miwako Kobe emphasizes that she is "just asking the other party to tell the truth," this kind of operation is still very problematic—the police give money to the witness, and then the witness testifies... It's impossible to explain this clearly!

"What did the suspect say?" Shiraishi asked again.

Yuanwei then said impatiently, "The one who was arrested is the executive director of Teito Trading... He himself vehemently denies it, and his lawyer just arrived. According to Inspector Haitani, it seems there are some problems with the victim's testimony."

What Yuanwei really wanted to say was the identity of the person who was arrested.

However, she also knew that if she said this directly, the director would criticize her, so she waited until she had the opportunity to bring up the issue of this information before speaking out.

"Imperial Capital Trade? Executive Director?" Bai Shi's expression turned somewhat strange upon hearing this.

Imperial Capital Trading is a large enterprise, and the title of "Executive Director" is fundamentally different from that of a minister.

The minister from Masuyama Group last time, although he seemed very important, was actually just a "high-level employee". In the end, he was abandoned by Masuyama because he lost face.

However, the "Executive Director" is a "Board Representative," and theoretically, in terms of management authority, he is second only to the President. If the President is relatively weak, the "Executive Director" may also be the actual head!

"Is this thing... really that interesting?" Shiraishi muttered to himself, puzzled.

A business executive in the capital city, would he lack women? Countless celebrities would be willing to climb into his bed...

However, Munakata and Mado couldn't answer Shiraishi's question either—we don't understand what rich people think.

“Oh, right, that lawyer has been to the police station before… Ikukura Yukio.” Mado specifically reminded him, “He seems to be the legal advisor for Teito Trading.”

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi nodded. Of course, Shiraishi remembered Ikukura Yukio. He had previously defended Segawa, who had "forged an alibi by giving false testimony," and Shikishima, the "son of a member of parliament who indiscriminately attacked foreign workers."

Despite his two setbacks at the Miho Law Firm, he is quite well-known among lawyers, especially for his shrewdness and connections, and he also holds a position in the Bar Association.

“Well then… Section Chief Munakata, why don’t you go and give him some guidance?” Shiraishi said directly.

This case is too minor...

Unlike the case with the head of the Masuyama Group, where the suspect "self-destructed" and was purely trying to make money outside the company, and since Shiraishi had only recently come to the Beika Police Station and was in the process of establishing his authority, Shiraishi challenged him to a duel, which can be considered as setting the tone.

And now...

Mikasa-shu's standards are already high enough!
The detectives, in particular, have no worries about outside influences and have complete trust in the chief. If they can solve a case, they will not hesitate to act decisively.

In this situation, as the chief of staff, Shiraishi has no reason to personally handle such a "trivial matter"—even if he is a suspect, the situation remains the same.

Unless the other party really resorts to some underhanded tactics, Shiraishi will personally oversee things, but...

Shiraishi felt that the executive director wouldn't be so unwise.

Although the Imperial Capital's trade is not located in Beika Town, it's impossible for them not to know about Shiraishi's achievements. Even Ikukura Yukio wouldn't let him make a fool of himself.

Most importantly, judging from Yuanwei's wording, not only does the suspect deny everything, but there are also some contradictions in the victim's own testimony...

In other words, it's a problem with the case investigation!
If Shiraishi were to intervene rashly at this point, it might foster a culture within the police department that prioritizes identity over thorough investigation. It's wrong to assume that someone with power and influence is necessarily guilty, or that the victim's account is always true. Problems in the investigation process mean the truth remains unclear. What's needed at this point isn't the chief's support, but rather supplementary evidence gathering…

(End of this chapter)