"You taste it yourself..." Conan gave the repairman a speechless glance.
How could you say something like that? Asking a child to taste whether it's sweat or not. Didn't you see Officer Sato's expression?
"Mrs. Masuo also said earlier that a suspicious man was loitering near their home. It's highly possible that she saw the bank robber's face or some characteristics, which led to her death."
Officer Sato stated her thoughts. This clue was also provided by Mr. Masuo when he was in the car with them.
"Mm, good deduction," Tsuneo nodded.
Not bad, it feels a bit stronger than Uncle Kogoro, although it might be miles away from the truth.
Director Ko turned to stare at Mr. Masuo.
These words and actions, if the murderer were someone else, would be too much of a coincidence.
But if he was the murderer, how did that phone call happen?
A pre-recorded message? No, Mrs. Masuo had spoken directly with Officer Takagi. Playing a recording should be difficult to achieve that.
Moreover, if that were the case, the time of death wouldn't match; she had clearly died not long ago.
To kill his wife at home while being at the police station?
"Conan-kun!"
Ayumi and the others waited outside the villa for a while, and when they found no movement, they stealthily sneaked in.
"Hey, don't look!" Conan saw them at the living room entrance and quickly held out his hands, trying to block the body on the floor.
Be careful not to have nightmares tonight!
The Detective Boys were still staring into the living room, showing no intention of moving. Fear? That simply didn't exist, okay? Who are you looking down on?
If they were the first to discover it, and there were no adults around, Ayumi might have screamed a couple of times. But with the police present, there was nothing to be afraid of.
"You need to maintain the integrity of the crime scene, children, please go outside," Officer Sato squatted by the body, turning to the three children at the living room entrance.
Suddenly, she frowned, a vague feeling in her heart, but she couldn't grasp it. She motioned for Officer Takagi to take the children out first.
"Ah, why doesn't Conan have to be sent out?" Genta was led to the villa's entrance, looking at Officer Takagi.
Although he wanted to investigate the case inside like Conan, he couldn't disobey the police. After all, it wouldn't be good if he really damaged any traces.
The chubby boy remembered the time Tsuneo had singled him out at the Blue Castle, and his butt still felt so sore.
"I guess it's because of Tsuneo-niichan. He must have secretly asked them again, so he could stay," Mitsuhiko had already analyzed the truth.
Takagi, after hearing them say this, remembered that Conan was still standing in the living room. Even if he was smart, he was still just a child...
"Hey, Officer Takagi, do you like Officer Sato?" Ayumi's focus was very unique, and she was also very sharp in this regard.
"You, you..." Takagi's face flushed. How did you know...?
...
The Mobile Investigation Team quickly arrived at the scene and began a preliminary investigation.
"The deceased is Masuo Kayoko, forty-two years old. The murder weapon is the knife embedded in the center of the deceased's back," Officer Sato said, holding her notebook and describing the scene.
"The deceased doesn't appear to have struggled. It seems she died on the spot," an officer from the Mobile Investigation Team nodded, also taking notes.
"The perpetrator's time of attack should be when the victim screamed."
Officer Sato remembered very clearly that at exactly two o'clock, Mr. Masuo arrived at the police station. Shortly after, he called home to inquire about the situation, and coincidentally, Takagi pressed the speakerphone, allowing everyone present to hear the scream.
"It certainly seems that way," Mr. Masuo lowered his head, his expression grim.
"So, the victim was stabbed in the back with a knife while on the phone," two officers from the Mobile Investigation Team were recording the details of the case.
Conan heard the police discussion and said to the repairman beside him, "That person..."
"Oh, he definitely killed her," Tsuneo nodded directly.
No need to think. And it was most likely the bank manager himself.
He could even figure out the motive now. He was probably the inside man during the bank robbery, and when his wife found out, he decisively chose to silence her!
"Officer Sato, let's go ask around nearby now to see if anyone witnessed the situation at the time of the incident!" The Mobile Investigation Team officer said, preparing to start their work.
"Also, this house needs to be thoroughly searched. We cannot rule out that the perpetrator's goal was to steal property," Officer Sato also noticed the neatly cut circular hole in the glass in the corridor.
Every detail, every possible situation, must be considered.
"Understood!"
After the Mobile Investigation Team left, Officer Shiratori, dressed in a light blue suit, made his appearance.
"The culprit could never have been simply after property, because their target was already focused on this lady from the very beginning. That's my view."
This guy stood with his hands in his pockets, looking cool and aloof.
"Kid must love playing him," Conan commented.
"Any insights?" Tsuneo thought, that kid loves cross-dressing the most. He heard that thing is either zero times or countless times...
"The first impression these two give is really similar," the great detective looked speechless.
"Deputy Chief Shiratori?" Takagi was a bit surprised.
"No, I'm no longer Deputy Chief. Because starting today, I've officially been promoted to Chief," Shiratori corrected with a smile.
"By the way, this case is now entirely under my command."
Tsuneo suddenly nodded, feeling some sense of recognition.
Yes, they are very similar, both very smug.
"That's great. Office workers get promoted faster. If you don't mind, can I be included among your potential brides?" Officer Sato said, smiling and pointing to herself.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure," Officer Shiratori nodded.
Takagi's face was a sight to behold. He didn't know what he was imagining, shaking his head with a blank expression.
The repairman felt his heart must be breaking. This guy was probably already picturing Shiratori and Sato getting married and having children.
"No, no, how can I think about these things during work!" Takagi muttered to himself, scratching his hair, seemingly wanting to shake off all his strange thoughts like grabbing prizes from a claw machine.
"This is really..." The great detective was momentarily speechless, unsure of what words to use to express himself.
It was clearly a joke, why are you so nervous?
"He can't beat Officer Sato," Tsuneo said, shaking his head as he looked at Takagi.
"If he could beat her, what should he do???" The great detective's face was full of question marks.
I always feel like you're thinking about illegal things.
(End of Chapter)
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