"That about right?"
"Yeah," Conan said, comparing Takagi's pose to the killer's traces, nodding in agreement.
The culprit must've been hiding in the dark, out of the streetlight's reach, before the attack.
"Oh?!" Officer Megure exclaimed, studying the nearly identical marks on the wall, tapping his chubby hand with a look of realization.
Impressive, Tsuneo!
Piecing together so much from these tiny clues!
"Heh," Tsuneo shot Conan a glance.
Specialization has its perks—Tsuneo hadn't even noticed the faint nick on the wall left by the knife.
Fair point: smoking with the left hand doesn't prove someone's left-handed.
Why are there so many lefties in Beika Town, anyway?
The wall's traces weren't definitive evidence, but they gave the police a solid lead.
Megure issued orders, dispatching officers to investigate the victim's relationships.
…
"Alright, time to finish that ghost story," Tsuneo said, returning to the apartment, switching off the lights, and grabbing his flashlight to resume his tale.
"How about video games instead?" Genta said, looking at Mitsuhiko.
"Seconded!" Mitsuhiko nodded, flipping on the TV.
The story had been interrupted by a real scream right after mentioning a scream—keep going, and who knows what might pop up next?
"Tsuneo's ghost stories are like the doc's corny riddle jokes—banned!" Ayumi declared, crossing her arms.
"Two plague gods," Haibara muttered, arms crossed from her corner.
"It's him. I've lived here over two years—when has anything like this happened?" Tsuneo said, pointing at Conan.
Conan slumped against the wall, too tired to argue.
Buddy, have some self-awareness.
This ghost story was getting too wild.
…
The next afternoon, Tsuneo got a call from Officer Megure.
"Thanks to you, Tsuneo, we've got a suspect."
No multiple-choice this time.
The police zeroed in on a man from the victim's circle: roughly 180 cm tall, left-handed, smoker.
"Hiroshi Takami. He and the victim, Yoshinaga, were colleagues at the same company," Megure said.
"Were?" Tsuneo asked, holding the phone between his ear and shoulder while working on Dr. Agasa's car maintenance.
"Yeah. Takami quit six months ago when Yoshinaga got promoted to department head," Megure explained. "According to coworkers, he's impulsive, a real powder keg—always clashing with Yoshinaga."
"Sounds like a motive…" Tsuneo said, shaking his head.
If Yoshinaga's promotion forced Takami out, causing financial ruin or some dire fallout, murder might make sense.
But quitting voluntarily, then killing?
That's not impulsive—that's unhinged.
Then again, in Beika Town, it tracks…
"After leaving the company, Takami's business tanked, leaving him broke. That's likely when the murder idea took root," Megure said, sharing the police's theory.
"Any evidence?" Tsuneo asked, spotting Conan approaching and setting the phone on the car's hood, switching to speaker.
"Nothing yet. He's denying everything," Megure said, sounding frustrated.
They'd turned Takami's life upside down but couldn't find the murder weapon.
"Alibi?" Tsuneo asked.
"None."
Conan frowned, asking in his innocent kid voice, "Officer Megure, how much does Mr. Takami weigh?"
"About seventy kilos, give or take," Megure said, without the file handy.
"180 cm, under seventy kilos—that doesn't quite match our suspect profile," Tsuneo said, musing.
Too skinny. Something's off.
Yoshinaga, a middle-aged office worker, wasn't a fighter, but how could he be stabbed twice in seconds with no sign of resistance?
"True, but he's the only one who fits the description. We'll dig deeper," Megure said, thanking them before hanging up.
"Got any ideas, detective?" Tsuneo asked, crouching to pack his tools, then standing to grab the phone from the hood.
As he picked it up, he froze, frowning.
Conan caught the moment, a smile curling his lips, a glint of insight flashing across his glasses.
"Looks like we gave the wrong information," Conan said.
Tsuneo chuckled, looking down. "Even the wisest miss something sometimes."
"Being too observant isn't always a win."
"By the way, the Suzuki boss called—invited me to dinner. This case is all yours, detective," Tsuneo said with a grin, slinging his tool bag over his shoulder and walking off with the phone.
"All he thinks about is food…" Conan muttered, darting into Dr. Agasa's house, grabbing the bowtie voice-changer to call Megure.
"Doc, is Kudo showing signs of a split personality?" Haibara asked, tilting her head at the detective, who was now dead serious on the phone.
"Ahem, you're the expert on that…" Dr. Agasa coughed.
Haibara, the pharmaceutical genius, would know better.
Sure, Shinichi could be a bit childish, but not that bad.
Dr. Agasa recalled Conan throwing a tantrum over a lost soccer match…
"What? You're saying the killer might not be left-handed?" Megure asked, confused. "But Tsuneo, the scene's traces match that profile."
Takagi's reenactment last night—leaning against the wall, smoking, drawing a knife—lined up almost perfectly with the marks.
Mimicking Tsuneo's voice with ease, Conan smirked confidently. "Oh?"
"What if he saw the victim approaching from a distance, then turned to face the wall?"
(End of Chapter)
-----------------------------------
Can't stand the cliffhanger?
Skip the wait – read the newest chapters right now!
👉 pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ
Be ahead of everyone else. The story doesn't wait – why should you?