No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Masaki, what... what's the basis for this?"

Kitahara Masaki narrowed his eyes. Koshimizu Nanatsuki seemed to have some other ideas. She was calling his name while she was still in shock. But never mind, a girl with a beauty score of over 80 might get more leniency.

"No, not at all, but you can investigate based on these three things. For example, right now, I didn't stop Conan from going out. He has already found some evidence that the forensic department hasn't found yet."

Conan had already gotten ahead of the competition, finding the evidence the forensic team couldn't find. Looking at the wood shavings he was holding, Nanatsuki Koshimizu suddenly understood everything Kitahara Masaki had said. This kid was indeed interesting; he found something the forensic team hadn't been able to see clearly.

Most importantly, the presence of sawdust immediately brings to mind Yasuo Fujino's wood cakes.

Moreover, it's a huge quantity of wooden cakes.

Chapter 208 The Busy New Inspector

"The murder weapon that wasn't found was probably turned into a cake, or more precisely, wrapped in cream, and looked just like any other wooden cake!"

After hearing Nanatsuko Koshimizu's reasoning, the officers from the First Investigation Division all picked up kitchen knives and cut all the dozens of wooden cakes in the kitchen in half.

click!

"Hey, why is there a piece of wood in this cake?"

Koshimizu Nanatsuki watched as the child uttered terrifying words in a cute tone, and despite being virtually identical in appearance, he managed to find the 'cake' so quickly... Oh, he weighed it in his hands and then found the heaviest piece!

"Masaki, who exactly is that child?"

"The agent of death: remember to get along with him when you're on a case, and stay away from him when you're on vacation. If you get the order wrong, you'll be unlucky."

Just as Kitahara Masaki was instructing Koshimizu Nanatsuki on how to maximize Conan's marginal utility, the forensic team had already found the victim's DNA on the piece of wood covered in cake and cream. With the evidence irrefutable, the cake prince had no choice but to confess.

"Okay, although it seems like someone has confessed and the case is closed, in addition to finding the murderer, our police also need to rule out the possibility that others are not the murderers. For example, what about that female chef who used candy as the main ingredient? Could she have used a large candy to kill the victim? And then used a pot in the kitchen to destroy evidence? These are things we need to rule out. So don't think that everything is fine just because we found a murderer."

"Oh, oh," Koshimizu Nanatsuki nodded heavily, indicating that she understood.

After all, it was the New Year holiday, so Kitahara Masaki left after explaining the situation. Since the First Criminal Investigation Division was now responsible for assisting with all cases from the First to the Fourth Divisions, the paperwork and other follow-up work were not their responsibility.

After double-checking, the possibility that the other two people were the murderers can be completely ruled out.

After finishing their work, the First Crime Division continued to enjoy the cake. Koshimizu Nanatsuki, who had initially felt guilty, watched Kitahara Masaki and Vermouth feeding each other cake and suddenly felt like a fool for still worrying about work.

------------------

"The deceased was Inspector Ozaki of the Second Investigation Division. He died from excessive blood loss due to a carotid artery injury. Based on the on-site investigation, this was definitely not the primary crime scene. He was murdered elsewhere before being transported here. The time of death was between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m."

The day after the cake party ended, which was also the first day after the New Year holiday, the First Criminal Investigation Division immediately received a case from the Second Investigation Division. And it was no ordinary case; a patrol officer from the Second Investigation Division had died in a peculiar place.

Standing beside the deceased, Nakamori Ginzo looked grave. In the Japanese police department, murder cases were usually handled by the First Investigation Division, but the deceased was indeed a patrol officer who belonged to the Second Investigation Division, and he had to be present.

"Inspector Kitahara, what's your opinion?"

“Inspector Nakamori, you don’t need to be so formal. I’m younger than you, and you’re still using honorifics with me. If word gets out, people will say that I’ve forgotten my friends after getting promoted.”

"Alright, Inspector Kitahara, I'm really not good at murder cases, so I'll leave it to your Criminal Investigation Division. Also, I've already had someone prepare information on the fraud ring that Ozaki investigated before his death. But I remember this place very clearly. A year ago, someone fell to their death here, and that person was an informant who was assisting Ozaki in investigating the fraud ring. I remember it very clearly at the time—because there was no way to prove it was murder, it was eventually left unresolved, but it was obviously the work of the fraud ring."

"Hmm—I see. It seems this location holds such significance for Inspector Ozaki. So the person who brought his body here must also know about the case from a year ago."

Kitahara Maki and Koshimizu Nanatsuki squatted beside the body and soon noticed something that caught their attention—a voice recorder clipped to the deceased's chest pocket, though it had been severely burned.

"Damn it! Burning the recording pen is a common tactic used by scammers to ensure the data can never be recovered. Putting it back in Ozaki's place is just a provocation to the police!"

Upon seeing the charred recording pen, Nakamori Ginzo trembled with rage. However, Kitahara Masaki, a keen observer of wounds, found the victim's wound very strange; the incision was angled upwards and located directly on the front of the neck. This meant the perpetrator was facing the victim directly and stabbed him in the neck from the bottom up.

Initial examination revealed no external injuries on the deceased, meaning he did not resist and was killed instantly.

"Have the forensic doctor thoroughly examine the body for any traces of sleeping pills."

After examining the body, the next step is to check the deceased's personal belongings.

"Inspector Ozaki still has the money in his wallet, oh, and the phone card that can only be used at public phone booths, and here's a receipt..."

"The receipt is from last night. He only bought a bottle of cleaning detergent. A single man going to the supermarket at night and only buying a bottle of cleaning detergent—he must have gone there to meet someone!"

After reaching this conclusion, Kitahara Masaki called Inspector Nakamori to go with him. Upon arriving at the supermarket, they discovered that the sales promotion for that brand of cleaning products was handled by a single person. After obtaining the salesperson's information from the supermarket manager, Inspector Nakamori suddenly exclaimed:

"This guy... I remember he has a criminal record. He was involved in fraud, and Ozaki was in charge of his case."

Kitahara Masaki smiled and said:

"Looks like we've found the place."

When the supermarket led the man to the meeting room, the man, named Katsuhiro Sakai, looked terrified, just like an ordinary employee. If Inspector Nakamori hadn't recognized that he had a history of fraud, it would probably have taken even longer to investigate him.

“Mr. Sakai, I am Masaki Kitahara from the First Criminal Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. I’m here today to ask you—did you see this person last night?”

After saying that, Kitahara Masaki took out a photo of Inspector Ozaki and placed it on the table.

"Oh, yes, Inspector Ozaki came here yesterday and asked if I had gathered any information... Did something happen?"

It seems Mr. Sakai is also one of Inspector Ozaki's informants, but that doesn't mean the possibility of him committing the crime is zero. Since this isn't a three-way choice or a proof question, we must thoroughly investigate everyone's alibi.

"He was murdered last night."

Upon hearing the news, Katsuhiro Sakai was shocked and then burst into tears. However, Masaki Kitahara could clearly see that his hands were clenched into fists, not out of sadness, but out of anger.

Chapter 209 I'm Really Not Called Kitahara Masaki

“I understand. Since Officer Ozaki came to see me last night, I am also a suspect, right? You can come to my house and see. There are many letters that Officer Ozaki wrote to me, and text message records on my phone can also prove that I am definitely not the one who killed Officer Ozaki. He saved my life.”

After that, Sakai took Kitahara Masaki and the others to his house and retrieved several letters.

“At the time, I saw that my fraud had caused someone to commit suicide by jumping off a building, and I felt very regretful. Just as I was about to commit suicide by lying on the train tracks, Officer Ozaki saved me. He told me to turn myself in and atone for my crimes, and then come out and be a good person. These letters were written to me by him while I was in prison.”

Kitahara Masaki glanced through it; it was full of encouraging and inspiring words, and he had written "I will definitely catch Hyoudou" many times.

"Who is Hyoudou, the character Officer Ozaki wrote about?"

"He was the mastermind behind the fraud ring when I was still in it, and he was also the CEO of a company. But he was always the target of Inspector Ozaki's investigation. I think it must have been Hyodo who ordered his men to kill Inspector Ozaki!"

The real boss of the fraud ring, who is still at large after Sakai surrendered... This is another suspect, and Sakai's suspicion has been greatly reduced now, because letters and text message records are very difficult to forge, so he should be a new informant found by Officer Ozaki.

"I understand. We will investigate him later."

After leaving Sakai's room, Kitahara Masaki first wrote down the results of his investigation in his notebook, then asked Koshimizu Nanatsuki:

What aspect do you think we should investigate next?

"Um—we initially determined from the supermarket receipt that the victim had seen a former fraudster, so we initially thought that this Sakai might be the murderer of Inspector Ozaki. However, evidence showed that they had a close relationship and often helped each other, making it less likely that he would be the murderer. So, next, we should continue to investigate where the primary crime scene is and find the murder weapon!"

“That’s right, so let’s go check out Officer Ozaki’s house next.”

Kitahara Masaki did not mention the possibility that Sakai was still hiding something. He looked intently at the window of the room, then turned and drove to Officer Ozaki's house.

"Nakamori Police Department, does Officer Ozaki have any family members?"

"No, he's always been single. We've tried to persuade him to find someone and settle down, but he's still completely focused on the case. Sigh, I never expected..."

After finding the landlord and opening the door to the room, Kitahara Masaki confirmed that there were no surveillance cameras installed, so even if someone had come to Officer Ozaki's house last night, he wouldn't know who it was.

"There were no signs of forced entry on the door lock, and the balcony door was locked. Cough cough."

Kitahara Masaki opened the balcony door to the front. The single man's house had a mixed smell of takeout containers and sweat. There was a thin layer of dust on the table and the floor, which showed that it had not been cleaned properly for a long time.

Upon entering the bookstore, although the smell was faint, Kitahara Masaki immediately detected a scent resembling disinfectant or cleaning agent. He immediately crouched down and carefully inspected every part of the bookstore.

"Yue Shui, have you discovered anything interesting?"

"Yes, the study is much cleaner than the outside; there isn't even a speck of dust."

Officer Nakamori was completely baffled and asked:

"What does this mean? Is it possible that Ozaki cleaned it himself? After all, the study is used frequently."

"No, someone definitely cleaned this place. There's still a lingering smell, which means it was cleaned recently. To clean it so thoroughly, it must have been done by professionals with cleaning tools... Hmm, it seems this is the primary crime scene."

"Hey! Why? Couldn't it be one of the cleaning ladies Ozaki hired or something—"

"Ahem, Inspector Nakamori, have you ever seen a cleaning lady who only cleans one room? A cleaning company that you hire will definitely clean the whole house, so this must have been done by the murderer to destroy traces—like bloodstains."

Unfortunately, the murder weapon is still missing. Kitahara Masaki searches for answers in his study, but the magnifying glass gives him no clues.

"Hmm... why is there a safe here? Have someone open it later, it might contain clues for Inspector Ozaki's investigation."

"Um—Inspector Kitahara, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

“Inspector Nakamori, we are all trying to solve the case. And Officer Ozaki is a member of our Metropolitan Police Department. If we don’t solve the case for a long time, the higher-ups will lose face.”

"Alright, alright!!! I'll have someone take this safe back right now!"

At this moment, Inspector Nakamori received a phone call. After confirming some things, his expression gradually became serious. He hesitated for a while before speaking:

"Ozaki... seems to have some connection with Hyoudou. I mean, the technical department found call records between Ozaki and Hyoudou on Ozaki's phone, and more than once. Sigh... I've heard the rumors before, but now, I can only tell you two—there have been rumors in the Second Investigation Division that Ozaki accepted bribes to prevent the arrest of Hyoudou's fraud ring. After all, it's been confirmed that Hyoudou is the mastermind, but no further action has been taken. I've been busy arresting Kid, and then this case came up. I've always scoffed at these rumors, but now the facts are before me, and I hope you two can get to the bottom of this!"

Kitahara Masaki looked at the police officer Nakamori who had told outsiders about his family scandals, slowly helped him up, and smiled as he promised to thoroughly investigate the case. In his heart, he cursed the police officer.

They were supposed to be investigating the murder of Inspector Ozaki, but now they're not only investigating a well-established fraud ring, but also acting as the internal affairs department to investigate whether Inspector Ozaki is a corrupt cop.

After visiting Officer Ozaki's house, it was already dinnertime. Kitahara Masaki and Koshimizu Nanatsuki went home from get off work. At this stage, most of the evidence was either kept safe by the police or had already disappeared, so there was no use in rushing. Eating was the priority.

Sitting in the ramen shop, Kitahara Masaki picked up a piece of char siu and suddenly thought that he should buy some bread for breakfast when he went home tonight, and also ask Vermouth if she wanted to eat daifuku as a late-night snack.

"Masaki, how can you change your mind so quickly? This case involves so many people, aren't you worried at all? This is our first case of the new year in the Criminal Investigation Division."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki is very clever. In front of others, she calls him "Inspector Kitahara," but in private or when they are alone, she calls him by his name affectionately. This made Kitahara Masaki understand the female detective's intentions again. However, it's better to maintain a colleague relationship for now, as there are still too many secrets about him that cannot be told.

For example, 'Kitahara Masaki' is not his real name at all.

Chapter 210 Even scammers need to perform, right?

In the past, cases involving Conan were mostly crimes of passion. No matter how ingenious the method of the crime, the decisive evidence could usually be found on the same day and the case could be closed. However, this case requires a longer investigation to clarify the victim's interpersonal relationships.

For example—what exactly is the relationship between Inspector Ozaki and the con artist boss Hyodo? If it's just a simple bribery relationship, then Inspector Ozaki wouldn't need to spend so much time and effort on a nobody like Sakai.

Inspector Ozaki did not have Sakai, who had just been released from prison, rejoin the fraud ring to infiltrate it. Instead, he obtained information by contacting members of the fraud ring. Specifically, he did this by giving them small gifts, which were then secretly fitted with listening devices by Inspector Ozaki.

Inspector Ozaki has spent so much effort uncovering the fraud ring's crimes for several years, but his contact with Hyodo only began a month ago, so Kitahara Masaki doesn't think he's a corrupt cop, at least not always...

To determine the direction of today's investigation, Kitahara Masaki called Inspector Nakamori, who was originally enthusiastic about Kid's case and had organized a large-scale operation the night before in order to speed up the investigation.

"In order to investigate Hyodo, we raided several fraud dens last night and arrested more than a dozen small fry. They all said they did not know Ozaki, and they did have alibis for the night of the incident. They also said they had seen Sakai. Sakai did give the fraud gang members a lot of small gifts with listening devices on them, as instructed by Ozaki. This is why we were able to arrest them quickly."

However, Kitahara Maki wanted to know something more—the list of scammers.

If Hyoudou was found to have some crucial evidence by Ozaki, leading him to order Ozaki's execution, then the answer should lie in the fraud list, since the police always start by understanding how the victims were scammed.