Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"You were wearing high heels when you were driving last night, weren't you?" Inspector Samezaki suddenly asked, his gaze sweeping over Yui Murakami's ankles.

“No,” the female teacher shook her head. “I never wear high heels. I tried them once a few years ago, but they were so uncomfortable to walk in that I never wore them again.”

“I can testify to that,” Lin Xiuyi interjected. “Murakami-sensei always wears flat shoes at school. Yesterday, she was probably wearing a pair of pink and white sneakers.”

Murakami Yui suddenly blushed, glaring at Lin Xiuyi with embarrassment and annoyance: "You brat, do you always stare at my feet for no reason?"

The atmosphere in the office suddenly became subtle.

Inspector Megure coughed twice and turned his face to look out the window.

Inspector Samezaki's lips twitched, clearly not expecting this unexpected turn of events. He cleared his throat, frowned again, and scanned back and forth between Murakami Yui and Takeshita Matsufumi.

Lin Xiuyi walked to the window and stared blankly at the rain outside.

The cyanide has lost its effectiveness, and Yui Murakami hasn't gotten off the bus...

So whose high-heeled footprints were next to the body on the riverbank?
Perhaps that was the real killer?

That bastard Ichikawa is really tough!

Lin Xiuyi leaned against the window, her fingertips unconsciously tapping on the glass.

Murakami Yui's confession kept echoing in his mind, especially the sentence "Ichikawa clutched his stomach and went into the convenience store."

Ichikawa clutched his stomach...

Lin Xiuyi's gaze fell on the autopsy report on the table.

The reason Ichikawa had abdominal pain was most likely because of the tea that Takeshita Matsufumi had added expired cyanide to.

Although the poison failed to kill, it is reasonable that the substandard chemicals irritated the stomach and intestines, causing pain.

But was he just going to the convenience store to use the restroom?
Lin Xiuyi's brows furrowed more and more. Could Ichikawa have done something else in the convenience store?

For example...who did you contact?

The idea had barely surfaced when it began to grow wildly, like a vine.

Lin Xiuyi turned around abruptly and walked quickly to Inspector Samezaki: "Inspector, let's go to the crime scene from last night, especially the convenience store that Ichikawa went into."

Inspector Samezaki, who was frowning at the crime scene photos, looked up when he heard this: "What? A new discovery?"

“Murakami-sensei said that Ichikawa went into the convenience store, and I suspect that he made a phone call to someone else while he was inside,” Lin Xiuyi said quickly. “If we can find out who he contacted, we might be able to figure out the identity of the owner of the high-heeled shoe footprint next to the body.”

"Did Ichikawa make a phone call at the convenience store?" Inspector Samezaki asked, looking at Yui Murakami standing to the side.

The female teacher shook her head blankly: "I...I didn't notice what he was doing inside. At the time, all I could think about was Naoko-neechan..."

"Let's take the teacher with us," Lin Xiuyi decided immediately, "so she can point out which convenience store it is."

Takeshita Matsufumi, who had been silent all along, stood up at this moment: "I'll go too."

The old man's voice was still hoarse, but it carried an undeniable determination.
"I need to get to the bottom of this."

Inspector Samezaki shook his head and winked at Inspector Megure beside him: "I'm sorry, sir. Even if the cyanide was expired, you can't escape the suspicion of premeditated murder. Please stay at the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with the investigation and do not leave for the time being."

Inspector Megure immediately stepped forward; though he didn't say anything explicitly, his gesture was clear. Takeshita Matsufumi looked at them, his lips moved, but he ultimately sighed heavily and sat back down in his chair.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his gray hair and reflecting the desolation on his face.

Lin Xiuyi, Inspector Samezaki, and Murakami Yui drove to the river scene. Murakami Yui sat in the back seat, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt. Her profile was flickering in and out of the light of the streetlights, and it was clear that she was very nervous.

“It’s that one up ahead.” As the car drove past a street corner, Yui Murakami suddenly spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

Lin Xiuyi looked in the direction she pointed and sure enough, there was a convenience store with warm yellow lights on the side of the road. The words "Open 24 Hours" on the sign were particularly eye-catching in the night.

As the three entered the convenience store, the wind chimes rang crisply.

The shop manager, dressed in a blue uniform, was dozing off on the counter when he was startled awake by the sound of the wind chimes. He rubbed his eyes and looked up: "Welcome... Huh?"

Upon seeing the cherry blossom crest on Inspector Samezaki's uniform, he instantly snapped back to reality and hurriedly straightened up.
"Hello, how can I help you?"

Inspector Samezaki flashed his badge: "We are investigating a case from last night and would like to ask who was on duty at your store between 8 and 9 p.m. last night."

The store manager didn't dare to be negligent and quickly flipped to the duty roster on the wall: "Xiaoze and Xingzi were on duty at this time last night."

He called out a couple of times, and soon a young man and woman emerged from behind the shelves. They looked to be in their early twenties, with youthful faces.

"Officer, is there something you need?"

The male shop assistant, Xiaoze, scratched his head, looking somewhat nervous.

The female shop assistant, Kyoko, stood to the side with her hands behind her back, curiously observing Yui Murakami.

"Did a middle-aged man wearing a dark suit and with slicked-back hair come into the store around 8 p.m. last night?"

The Samezaki Police Department took out Ichikawa's photo.
"He was probably clutching his stomach when he came in; he didn't look well."

Xingzi leaned over to take a look, then shook her head: "I don't remember. I was organizing the snack shelves last night and didn't pay much attention to the customers."

Ozawa frowned, his fingers unconsciously stroking the stubble on his chin: "There was a man in a suit... he rushed into the store clutching his stomach, asking where the restroom was."

He paused here,
"However, I can't be sure if it's the person in the photo."

"Besides using the bathroom, did he do anything else?" Lin Xiuyi stepped forward and asked, her voice rising slightly with urgency.

Xiaoze thought for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands: "That's right! After he came out of the bathroom, he also made a call from the public phone by the door."

He pointed to the two green public telephones at the entrance of the convenience store.
"I happened to be restocking at the time, and I overheard a few words as I passed by."

"What did he say?" Lin Xiuyi and Inspector Samezaki asked in unison, and even Murakami Yui subconsciously took half a step forward.

Ozawa frowned, trying hard to recall the details: "It seems...it seems he said he wasn't feeling well and asked someone to come and pick him up."

He smiled apologetically, revealing his slightly crooked teeth.
"I didn't hear clearly whether they gave me the address or who was supposed to pick me up. It was a bit noisy in the store at the time, and I felt bad staring at the customers."

Despite the limited information, the discovery has already excited Lin Xiuyi.

As expected, Ichikawa contacted other people at the convenience store!

He walked quickly to the two public phones. Ozawa reminded him, "It should be the one on the right, the one where the buttons are worn down and the numbers are illegible." (End of Chapter)