Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"Let me take you..."

Officer Matsumoto was interrupted by Officer Morimura before he could finish speaking.
"I'm really fine, just a scrape. This killer was ruthless, not only killing two people but also daring to openly attack the police to silence them. He's no ordinary person."

"Although Lin Jun is quick-witted, he is still young, and Megure is even less experienced. I don't feel comfortable letting just the two of them investigate. It would be safer for you to go with them."

As he spoke, he tried to move his ankle, and although he was wincing in pain, he still forced himself to act as if nothing was wrong.

Looking at his friend's determined eyes, Officer Matsumoto could only nod helplessly: "Then let Megure take you to the hospital. If you keep acting tough, I'll take you there right now."

He then turned to Inspector Megure and solemnly explained his situation.
"Take good care of Morimura. Call me as soon as the test results come out, and report any changes immediately."

Inspector Megure nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my master!"

……

On the way, Officer Matsumoto tried to ease the tense atmosphere in the car by talking about Hideaki Hayashi's experiences in the United States.

“Inspector Samezaki told us that you not only arrested terrorists over there, but also killed a gunman who randomly opened fire in a school. We were all quite surprised.”

“We all thought the situation in Mihua over the past six months was chaotic enough, but we didn’t expect it to be even worse in the United States.”

He shook his head, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel.
“Every time I watch the news, I feel like America is a crazy place.”

"The United States has too lax gun control, and coupled with many social problems, it is easy for accidents to happen."

Lin Xiuyi shook her head, her gaze fixed on the rapidly receding street scene outside the window. She couldn't help but recall that afternoon at the University of California—the gunshots, screams, and the smell of blood.
He will probably never forget these memories for the rest of his life.

"Many people used to think of America as heaven, but now it seems it's only slightly better than hell,"

Officer Matsumoto looked on with a mixture of emotion and relief, his voice carrying a hint of relief.
“When a homicide occurs here, it usually kills one or two people at a time, but when a shooting occurs in the United States, a whole bunch of people die at once.”

While the two were talking, Officer Matsumoto had already driven the police car to the front of a detached house.

This is a typical Japanese house with a "Yamada" sign hanging in front of the door. The yard is planted with carefully trimmed plants, making it look neat and elegant.

Officer Matsumoto stepped forward and rang the doorbell.

Soon, footsteps came from inside the door, and a man in his thirties with a haggard face opened the door.

"We are from the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division. We've come to ask some questions about Associate Professor Yamada."

Officer Matsumoto showed his police ID, his gaze lingering on the man's face for a moment.

"May I ask you are?"

"I……"

Just as the man was about to introduce himself, a woman with red eyes and a sorrowful expression walked out of the room.

When she saw Officer Matsumoto, she was taken aback at first, then choked up and spoke.
"Officer Matsumoto? What brings you here?"

"I'm sorry, Madam, I'm bothering you again."

Officer Matsumoto looked apologetic. He had already been there once that morning and knew that the woman in front of him was Associate Professor Yamada's wife.

According to Mrs. Yamada, the man who opened the door was her brother-in-law, Kosuke Yamada. After learning of his brother's murder, he came all the way from Osaka to help take care of her and her elementary school-aged son and handle the funeral arrangements.

Kosuke Yamada's face remained grim throughout, his eyes filled with impatience as he looked at Officer Matsumoto, clearly still immersed in the grief of losing a loved one. Officer Matsumoto took out his notebook and went straight to the point: "Madam, we'd like to confirm again, what are Associate Professor Yamada's usual social relationships like?"

"Has he ever had any conflicts with anyone? Or have you recently noticed that he has been in contact with a doctor named Kenichi Sato?"

Kenichi Satoh was the first victim, and finding the connection between the two might be the key to solving the case.

Mrs. Yamada sat on the sofa, thought carefully for a moment, and then shook her head.
“My husband has a very gentle nature. He spends most of his time at school and at home, and rarely gets into arguments with anyone.”

"As for the name Kenichi Sato, I have never heard of him, and he has never mentioned having such a doctor friend."

The answer was exactly the same as the result of the questioning that morning, and Officer Matsumoto couldn't help but frown.

Seeing that the questioning had reached a stalemate, Officer Matsumoto turned to look at Hayashi Hideichi, signaling with his eyes that he had no further questions.

Lin Xiuyi pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on Madam Yamada's red and swollen eyes, and asked softly, "Madam, has Associate Professor Yamada been behaving strangely in the past six months? For example, frequently staying out all night, or looking flustered, as if he's hiding something from you?"

"Hey, what do you mean?"

Kosuke Yamada suddenly stood up from his chair, his voice excited.
"Are you implying that my older brother betrayed my sister-in-law and has other women outside?"

“I’m telling you, that’s absolutely impossible! My brother and sister-in-law have always had a very good relationship, how could he do such a thing!”

Before he could finish speaking, Mrs. Yamada interrupted him.

She slowly shook her head, her voice filled with undisguised weariness: "Kosuke, don't say anymore... Your brother has indeed been acting strangely for the past six months."

"what?"

Yamada Kosuke looked at his sister-in-law in disbelief.

"Sister-in-law, are you telling the truth? My brother really has another woman on the side?"

“I’m not sure either, but the facts are certainly suspicious.”

Mrs. Yamada bit her lip, her expression a mixture of sorrow and resentment.
"It started about six months ago. Every Saturday, he would say he had work to do and often didn't come home at night."

“When I asked him what he was going to do, he was always vague and just told me not to worry.”

"When I pressed him for an answer, he gave me a phone number and said I could call him if it was urgent."

At this point, Mrs. Yamada's voice choked with emotion. She picked up a tissue from the table and wiped away her tears.

"About two weeks ago, I couldn't hold back any longer and made that call to him at around 1 a.m.

"He answered the phone, but he sounded very impatient. He said he was seeing a doctor and told me not to bother him, and then he hung up the phone in a hurry."

"Who goes to see a doctor in the middle of the night? That's clearly an excuse; he's definitely with that woman!"

"After he got into trouble, that vixen disappeared somewhere, she didn't even dare to show her face, she's so heartless!"

Mrs. Yamada became more and more emotional as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Madam, could you please give us that phone number?" Lin Xiuyi asked. "We might be able to find her through this number. Regardless of whether she's Professor Yamada's lover or not, she might have important clues." (End of Chapter)