(Then, if we know who is closest to where the rag is placed, we can find the murderer————)

"Prosecutor Sugiura, which of the witnesses was closest to the rag at the time?"

Hattori Heiji pointed his finger at the place he was observing in the photo.

Prosecutor Sugiura took a look and replied in confusion.

"I don't know about that, and in the final analysis it is irrelevant to the case."

"Please don't change the subject and make irresponsible remarks."

...How could this be something unrelated to this case?

Hattori Heiji continued reasoning without hesitation, using his strange Kansai accent. "Can't you see? First of all, if the murderer used an ice pick, there would be no fingerprints left."

"It could only be that he was wearing gloves. If he wasn't wearing gloves, he must have used some cloth to wipe it off..."

"Or just use the fabric as a middle layer to grab the ice axe and injure someone."

"And this rag is most likely the crime prop used by the murderer to do one of these two things."

His words immediately made Shiratori Renzaburo frown at the witness stand.

But, he didn't remember any dark-skinned high school detective in Tokyo?

"As for why I infer this, just look at the location. If you want to use a rag..."

"They are either washing dishes, cleaning the chopping board and the surrounding area, or cleaning the dining table."

"And there's nothing near the rag in this photo, so it shouldn't be there."

"I believe that women who are professional domestic workers -- that is, maids -- would not make such a mistake."

"And other people in this situation probably didn't have the thought or behavior to go into the kitchen."

"So the rag in the wrong place...can only have been placed there by the murderer."

"He had so little time that he couldn't put the rag back in place after using the ice pick, and that's probably what happened."

"So as long as we identify the person closest to the rag, we can know who the murderer is."

Under normal circumstances, if he was at the crime scene, Hattori Heiji would have been able to come up with the final answer.

But now it is a day after the crime, even though the witnesses are now in the court.

They may not be able to give a direct and decisive answer to this question——————

It is even possible that the six witnesses gave six different answers.

"So, do you have evidence to prove that your reasoning is completely correct?"

Prosecutor Sugiura gently played with his hair.

He asked in a somewhat strange tone.

"If you don't have evidence to prove it, then the reasoning that follows is meaningless."

...prove the reasoning process?

If you were at the crime scene, it would not be difficult to review this.

But... in the Tribunal, it's not that easy.

Hattori Heiji's mind started to work rapidly again.

However, Xiang Yuanguang knew that Hattori Heiji was unlikely to prove this.

Indeed, as a detective, Hattori Heiji's abilities can be said to be quite outstanding.

But the detective's reasoning is difficult to put into practice outside the crime scene.

When Kudo Shinichi, disguised as Edogawa Conan, first helped Genmizu Mukai to deal with Eri Kisaki.

He spent the night sorting out the difference between a detective and a lawyer.

Hattori Heiji was totally unprepared for this, which is why he was caught red-handed.

(Sure enough, it’s still a little bit difficult to go through the trial in one go.)

(Even if Prosecutor Sugiura fully agrees with Hattori's claim and allows the six witnesses to testify one by one.)

(It is not necessarily possible to get a unified answer, so this reasoning is correct but cannot get a result.)

Xiang Yuanguang took another sip of coffee.

What's more, there is a fatal loophole in Hattori Heiji's reasoning.

There are plenty of opportunities for trial and error at a crime scene, but not so many in a trial court.

Chapter 376: The referee is a big reversal! (7)

"The defense wants to question Inspector Shiratori's second statement [The reason the police arrested him as a criminal was simple: he had no alibi]."

"According to the case file, this group of people stayed in the Mycroft Hotel for a total of three days, and the serial murders began at 3 a.m. on the third day of their stay."

"The police believe that the murderer killed Kanaya Hiroyuki between midnight and 3 a.m. on the third day, and faked the scene of driving a vehicle, so the murderer must be someone who was not in the restaurant, right?"

"May I ask why these people gathered in the restaurant at that time?"

Xiang Yuanguang took a sip of coffee and directly asked Inspector Shiratori who was at the testimony stand.

Hearing this, Hattori Heiji came to his senses and turned to look at the testimony stand.

In response to this question, Shiratori Jinzaburo answered without hesitation.

"According to the activity rules, the innkeeper will show up on time at 9:25 every night."

"On the first day at 1000: p.m., we will introduce an activity called " Questions for Sherlock Holmes Fans."

"Then they will come out at 9:25 the next evening to collect the answer sheets for grading."

"On the last day at 9:25 pm, the final prize will be decided through the answer set."

Prosecutor Sugiura at the prosecutor's table reached out and fiddled with her wig.

Inspector Shiratori added some testimony.

"The so-called final reward is the first edition of the rare collector's edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet."

"The high price is probably the reason why the murderer killed Kanaya Hiroyuki."

"And this first edition was found in the defendant Kawazu Hiroo's room. The situation speaks for itself."

The voice of Tokyo's most powerful prosecutor was filled with pride and confidence.

"It's obvious, right? It was during this time that Kawazu Hiroo left the restaurant and killed Kanaya Hiroyuki."

"Then he took this precious first edition book from his room and put it in his own room for safekeeping!"

"The prosecutor is here to submit this book to the trial court as evidence in this case."

He calmly took out the precious book from the desk drawer at the prosecutor's seat.

The moment they saw the book, both Kawazu Hiroo and Hattori Heiji had a flash of surprise in their eyes.

Kawazu Hiroo was surprised that Kanaya Hiroyuki was actually killed for this rare collectible book.

Then, I was shocked as to why this book appeared in my room.

Hattori Heiji was puzzled as to why such a precious book did not come with a matching wooden box when it was taken out.

After all, books are not something that cannot be aged. Only the original collector's edition box can prove the value of the book.

(Strange, could it be that the murderer didn’t want this rare first edition of A Study in Scarlet?)

(Then why did he commit crimes in succession, killing two people and wanting to kill a third person?)

(Was it a revenge killing? But there doesn’t seem to be any particular connection between the three victims.)

The famous detective from Kansai quietly returned to the defense seat, his thoughts still turning.

(Could it be that the motive of the deceased was simply to be upset with fans of Sherlock Holmes?)

(Kill them one by one, then throw the book into someone else's room and escape immediately?)

...Have the folk customs of Beika Town become so simple?

"Is this the book 'A Study in Scarlet' that you mentioned? It doesn't look...anything special."

The presiding judge in the main seat looked at the rare book that was suspected to have triggered the murder case with some curiosity.

But maybe he is not in this circle, or maybe there is really nothing special about this book.

I feel like the only difference between this and the printed version in the bookstore is the cover.

"Prosecutor Sugiura, are you sure this book is the first edition collected by the deceased Kanaya Hiroyuki?"

At this point, Prosecutor Sugiura was speechless.

You ask him, who does he ask? Mainly the Sherlock Holmes fans present all said so.

Otherwise, how could he, an outsider who had no knowledge of this kind of book, dare to directly identify it as evidence?

Subconsciously reaching out to fiddle with his wig, Prosecutor Sugiura spoke in a somewhat ethereal tone.

"Ah, that's right. There is no second Study in Scarlet on site."

"And the witnesses present said that this was the first edition of the rare book they saw last year."

The bald old man nodded in sudden realization.

So that's the case, no wonder.

It's impossible that all witnesses with different positions can tell lies in the same tone, right?

Snap. At this moment, someone snapped his fingers.

He reached out to stop Hattori Heiji who was standing next to him, turned Genmitsu's palm over and pointed at Prosecutor Sugiura.

"Prosecutor Sugiura may not have investigated it carefully. There is a difference between the first edition and the first edition collection."

"As a collector's item, this book should have a specially marked box for its placement."

"Otherwise, there is a possibility that it will be forged or counterfeited, and its value will drop significantly."

The hedgehog-haired lawyer slammed his hands on the iron table.

I guess you can guess why the tables here were changed from wood to iron.

Iron products make this kind of noise when you tap them, and he doesn't even dare to imagine what the wooden table would sound like if he tapped it!

"The defense asks the prosecutor to produce the box containing the first edition of the collector's edition!"

"Otherwise, there is no way to prove that this book is the first edition of A Study in Scarlet!"

Hearing this, the presiding judge nodded again.

Although he had previously thought that Prosecutor Sugiura's statement was very convincing.

But on the other hand, Lawyer Xiang Yuan’s words now seem very convincing.

He looked at Prosecutor Sugiura at the prosecutor's table and asked.

"Prosecutor Sugiura, didn't the police find the specially marked box containing this book at the scene?"

"If not, there is a possibility that the book has been replaced or framed."

(…No, which side are you on?)

The corner of Prosecutor Sugiura's mouth twitched slightly.

He shook his head and spoke loudly.

"You can't just say this kind of thing casually. Does the defense say that the first edition of the collector's edition has a box? Does that mean it has a box?"

"The labels of different collector's editions of books are not necessarily on the so-called collection boxes!"

Tokyo's most powerful prosecutor sneered at Yuanguang Xiang in the defense seat.

"If the defense claims that the first edition of A Study in Scarlet was in a specially marked box."

"It should be the defense that presents evidence that proves that, and then it will be the prosecutor's turn to prove it."

"How about it? Can the defense prove that the first edition of A Study in Scarlet has a box?"

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