With the crucial clue in hand, Inspector Megure immediately requested assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department's technical division. They analyzed the bottle cap Conan had found and compared it to the enhanced image captured on the tape. The results were conclusive: the microscopic imperfections on both number "one" markings were an exact match.
Clutching the official lab report, an energized Megure once again knocked on the door of Director Odagiri Toshio's office.
"Enter."
Megure burst through the door, his face flushed with excitement. He spoke before Odagiri even had a chance to look up. "Director, I've found the key evidence! That bottle of water was given to Hajime Saionji by Tomokazu Yamashita!"
"Are you certain?" Odagiri shot up from his chair, his voice sharp with disbelief.
"Absolutely, sir! Look!" Megure hurried forward and placed the appraisal report and a file containing the supporting evidence on the desk.
Odagiri picked up the documents, his hands trembling slightly as he reviewed them. The number of powerful figures connected to this case was staggering. If he could prove this was a deliberate act of murder and not a tragic accident, the blame would shift away from the Metropolitan Police Department. Their responsibility would be minimized, perhaps even erased entirely.
After carefully reading through all the evidence, Odagiri looked up, his face grim but satisfied. "Excellent. Truly excellent."
"What's our next move, sir?" Megure asked.
"Next, you will accompany me to report this to the higher up. The final decision on how to proceed rests with them."
"Understood!"
Superintendent Hakuba stood by the panoramic window of his top-floor office, sighing as he gazed out over the sprawling city. While this incident wasn't enough to threaten his position, it was a significant stain on the reputation of the entire police force. He knew his political enemies would seize this opportunity to weaken his influence, transferring his most trusted subordinates and installing their own people within the department.
When he thought of Takuya Fujiwara and Hajime Saionji, two young men dead because of a reckless street race, his teeth itched with frustration. Yet he couldn't openly curse their foolishness. As far as the official investigation was concerned, the Metropolitan Police Department had made a serious error in managing the situation.
A sharp knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. Hakuba returned to his desk and straightened his posture. "Enter."
"Director Odagiri, what can I do for you?" Hakuba asked, slightly puzzled to see his subordinate.
"Sir, I have a significant discovery regarding this morning's car crash."
"A discovery?" Hakuba stood up abruptly, his interest piqued.
Odagiri gestured to the inspector beside him. "Megure, report your findings to the Superintendent."
"Yes, sir." Megure stepped forward, handing the file of evidence to Hakuba before beginning his report. "Sir, it's like this…"
He recounted the entire chain of events concisely and comprehensively, starting from Conan's initial suspicion about the bottle cap to the definitive forensic match from the footage.
"Incredible!" Even a man as composed as Hakuba, a veteran of countless political battles, couldn't stop himself from slamming a hand down on his desk in triumph.
"Sir, what are your orders?" Odagiri asked.
Hakuba's mind was already racing, calculating the possibilities. "Odagiri, you will personally lead the team to apprehend the suspect, Tomokazu Yamashita. Leave the rest to me."
Truthfully, the evidence was still circumstantial. It wouldn't be enough to guarantee a conviction in court. But the arrest itself was the key. With a credible suspect in custody, Hakuba could transform the narrative from one of police incompetence into one of a sinister criminal plot. Once Yamashita was under their control, they could find the rest of the evidence at their leisure. The Metropolitan Police Department had its methods.
"Understood!" Odagiri saluted, then turned and left with Megure.
On their way back down, Odagiri issued his orders. "Megure, inform every officer in the First Investigation Division. I want them to be assembled in front of the building in ten minutes. We are going to arrest the suspect, Tomokazu Yamashita, together."
To arrest a single man, Megure's own Homicide Division Three would have been more than sufficient. There was no need to mobilize the entire First Investigation Division. But this was no ordinary arrest. Following the Superintendent's implicit instructions, Odagiri knew he had to turn this into a spectacle. He had to let everyone know that this was not an accident, but a premeditated murder. By muddying the waters, the police would seize the initiative.
"Yes, sir!" Megure took off, his portly frame moving at the fastest pace of his life as he relayed Odagiri's command.
The entire floor erupted into a flurry of activity. Only Gustave and Conan remained still, watching the controlled chaos like two outsiders.
"Hey, Gustave, shouldn't we go along?" Conan asked, looking up at him. "You know, to watch the arrest?"
"And do what, exactly?" Gustave countered, placing a hand on the boy's head to keep him from dashing off. "We wait here. It's not like you have the authority to join a police raid. Besides, do you have any idea how much gas costs?"
Once the First Investigation Divison had cleared out, Gustave led Conan to a window. Below, Odagiri was giving a rousing speech to the assembled officers. A moment later, they piled into a fleet of police cars, sirens blaring as they peeled out of the department headquarters in a massive, imposing convoy.
"You'd think they were going to war," Gustave couldn't help but mutter.
Because he had been in a coma, Tomokazu Yamashita had been taken directly to Beika Town Private Hospital. The entire facility was thrown into a panic when Odagiri's convoy descended upon it. At first, doctors and patients alike thought it was some kind of terrorist attack.
Their fear turned to confusion when they saw several officers escorting a single man in a hospital gown out of the building. "All of this for just one person?" someone whispered.
Curiosity got the better of them, and people began asking questions. The story spread from one person to another until, inevitably, an "unnamed source" within the Metropolitan Police Department leaked the reason for the dramatic arrest. The man being taken away, the source claimed, was the prime suspect in the murders of the two men involved in the sensational high-speed crash on the Bayshore Midnight.
The news spread like wildfire. Soon, nearly everyone in Beika Town, and then all of Tokyo, knew. The crash wasn't an accident; it was the result of a bitter feud between two wealthy families.
The Fujiwara and Saionji families, who had been preparing to form a united front to exert pressure on the police, were caught completely off guard. How had things spiraled in this direction?
Given the massive public display made by the police, it seemed plausible that the crash had indeed been a deliberate act. The alliance between the two families, forged just hours before, instantly shattered under the weight of suspicion. They began to turn on each other.
A few clear-headed members in both families urged for calm, arguing that this was a time to stand together against a common enemy. But it was too late. Public opinion had already exploded. Reason was no longer possible. Judging by the police's confident actions, the rumors might well be true. Even if the families managed to put aside their conflict now, it would only fester and erupt later. It was better to let it all burn down at once.