Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Chapter 342 The Disfigured Frozen Head
Something was clearly wrong at the convenience store. Lin Xiuyi was worried about Fei Yingli, so he rushed downstairs to check, and Lingzi followed behind him.

The brother and sister arrived at the convenience store entrance, where the glaring police tape gleamed yellow in the morning light.

Several uniformed police officers were maintaining order with serious expressions, while a number of onlookers had gathered around, whispering among themselves.

Through the glass door, Lin Xiuyi saw that Fei Yingli was sitting on a chair next to the cashier, her face as pale as paper.

A policewoman was half-squatting in front of her, asking her something in a low voice, occasionally jotting down notes in her notebook.

"Lingzi, wait here." After instructing her younger sister, Lin Xiu bent down, crawled through the police tape, and entered the convenience store.

“Shuichi…” Seeing her childhood friend approaching, Eri Kisaki could no longer contain her fear, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She ran straight over and hugged Lin Xiuyi tightly with both hands, as if she had grasped the last straw, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Lin Xiuyi caught her steadily, and feeling the trembling of the person in his arms, he couldn't help but tighten his arms.

"It's alright, I'm here," he comforted her softly, patting the girl's back gently.

Lin Xiuyi turned his gaze to the policewoman. She was the same policewoman who had treated his wounds when he had rammed the robber in the ambulance into the Mika Police Station with his police car last time.

The policewoman recognized him and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"What happened?" Lin Xiuyi asked while comforting Fei Yingli.

The policewoman lowered her voice and explained, "This young lady came to buy meat buns, and seeing that it was hot, she wanted to buy some ice cream as well. But while searching the freezer, she found a purse..."

She paused, glancing at Eri, who was still trembling.

"The bag contained... a severely mutilated human head."

Lin Xiuyi felt the delicate body in his arms tremble suddenly.

He tightened his arms, holding Eri Kisaki even closer.

Although there have been frequent cases in Beika Town in recent months, and Eri Kisaki has seen many crime scenes with him, directly facing a disfigured human head is still too shocking for a sixteen-year-old girl.

"Is it the freezer next to the cashier?" Lin Xiuyi asked.

“Yes,” the policewoman nodded.

Just as Lin Xiuyi was about to ask further questions, a sudden screech of brakes came from outside the store.

Through the glass door, he saw Inspector Samezaki and Inspector Megure walking briskly towards him with several detectives from the First Investigation Division.

Upon entering the convenience store, Inspector Samezaki saw Lin Xiuyi there and questioned him about the situation.

"I just arrived recently too," Lin Xiuyi briefly relayed the information the policewoman had given him.

Eri Kisaki seemed to have calmed down a little, but she still held onto his arm tightly.

Inspector Samezaki nodded and turned to the open freezer: "Let's look at that... head first."

Lin Xiuyi gently patted the back of Fei Yingli's hand: "I'll go check on her. You rest here."

Eri nodded, biting her lower lip, but the force with which she released her fingers showed her reluctance.

The policewoman stepped forward at the right moment and took over the task of taking care of Eri Kisaki.

The three walked toward the freezer. When the black leather bag inside was carefully opened, revealing a head disfigured by corrosive liquids such as sulfuric acid, Inspector Megure's face turned deathly pale, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

Compared to him, the other two were much calmer. Inspector Megure couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's understandable that Inspector Samezaki is calm, after all, he's a veteran detective with over twenty years of experience."

How could a high school student like Ke Lin Xiuyi be so calm?

This person's mental fortitude is even stronger than mine, a professional police officer.

The traces of sulfuric acid corrosion blurred the facial features of the skull.

Inspector Samezaki put on gloves and carefully examined the frozen head: "The earlobe is pierced; it's very likely a woman."

Forensic officer Denmi chimed in, "You can't determine a man's gender just by looking at his ear piercings. These days, many young men are getting their ears pierced too."

“Young people these days like to dress neither male nor female,” Inspector Samezaki shook his head and continued, “The severed head and disfigured facial areas were very clean, with almost no blood or tissue residue.”

Lin Xiuyi bent down to inspect the inside of the freezer: "The freezer is very clean, with only a few drops of blood."

“Strange,” Inspector Samezaki pondered, stroking his chin. “The killer didn’t dispose of the head after dismembering the body, but instead deliberately hid it in the convenience store’s freezer. What was the point of doing that?”

"Could the murderer be the convenience store manager or an employee?"

Inspector Megure suppressed his discomfort and spoke.
"He originally intended to deal with his head, but something else suddenly came up, and he didn't have time to deal with it, so he just hid it in the freezer, thinking he would deal with it after he finished his business?"

“That’s possible,” Lin Xiuyi nodded in agreement. “Let’s ask the store manager first.”

Soon, a slightly overweight man, around fifty years old, and two young employees were brought in.

The man hurriedly waved his hands as soon as he saw Inspector Samezaki: "Officer, this really has nothing to do with us!"

As he spoke, he turned to look at Lin Xiuyi, his eyes revealing a pleading expression.
"Lin Jun, we're neighbors, you know me, how could I do such a thing?"

Lin Xiuyi knew this store manager, Matsuzaki, who was indeed an honest and upright businessman.

“Mr. Matsuzaki, don’t be nervous,” he reassured calmly. “The police are just conducting a routine inquiry; just answer truthfully.”

Manager Matsuzaki wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded repeatedly, "I'll definitely cooperate, I'll definitely cooperate."

"When was the last time you cleaned this freezer?" Lin Xiuyi asked.

“Yesterday evening…” Matsuzaki, the store manager, recalled, “we were almost out of ice cream, so I restocked. Oh, right!”

He suddenly remembered something and turned to the two shop assistants to confirm.

"Is it around 7:30?"

Two young employees nodded in agreement: "Yes, around 7:30. We were also sorting out the remaining ice cream; there were definitely no wallets around at that time."

"Did the ice cream business really pick up last night?"

Lin Xiuyi recalled that when she checked the freezer earlier, she found that there wasn't much ice cream left. That's why Fei Yingli noticed the purse buried under the ice cream.

"It's great!" Manager Matsuzaki hurriedly explained, "The weather has been very hot lately, and ice cream and popsicles are selling very quickly."

"The freezer is right next to the checkout counter," Inspector Samezaki asked, frowning. "Didn't you notice someone bringing this bag in?"

The store manager, Matsuzaki, looked troubled: "When there are a lot of customers, we really don't have the energy to pay attention to what each customer is carrying."

The remaining two shop assistants also shook their heads, clearly not having noticed anyone like that either.

(End of this chapter)