Chapter 170: Suspect Locked In
Hirota Masami's Apartment - Bedroom
Conan suppressed his excitement and opened the file.
Several documents immediately came into view.
"Huh, this filename... it's the name of that deceased armored car guard!"
Takagi's eyes lit up as he pointed to one of the filenames.
"Miyaji Takao? Great! Looks like we've found him!"
Conan excitedly scanned through the files, memorizing the names of the others.
In the "Study Materials" folder, besides Miyaji Takao, there were three other documents with names as their filenames:
Matsubara Issui, Matsumoto Yoshimitsu, and Miyano Akemi.
"Miyano Akemi? Judging from the name, this should be a woman. This might be Hirota Masami's real name!"
Conan clicked to open the file, and a personal photo taking up half the screen appeared.
Although the attire was slightly different from Hirota Masami's usual appearance, Conan recognized her at a glance.
"Officer Takagi, quickly notify Inspector Megure! Hirota Masami's real name is Miyano Akemi. Check her real identity—maybe we can find some new clues!"
"Understood!"
Takagi didn't have time to look at the other people's information and hurriedly left the bedroom, intending to use Miyano Akemi's house phone to notify Inspector Megure.
In front of the bedroom computer, Conan looked at the four people's information and felt somewhat dejected.
I didn't find any clues about the Black Organization in the data.
It only recorded the four people's work histories.
Apart from Miyano Akemi, the other three were social outcasts with massive debts, and there was nothing worth investigating in depth.
From the data alone, it was impossible to even see how the four of them came together to plan this robbery.
Therefore, the breakthrough should be with Miyano Akemi.
It's suspicious that a lowly bank employee would own a two-bedroom apartment in Tokyo that she bought outright.
Moreover, he found a detailed plan, from which Conan fully understood the particulars. This case was planned entirely by Miyano Akemi.
She'd started planning it three months ago when she began working at the Teito Bank branch in Beika.
To be precise, she'd joined the company specifically for the robbery.
Miyaji Takao, Matsubara Issui, Matsumoto Yoshimitsu, and Miyano Akemi all belonged to different industries and locations.
Matsubara Issui and Matsumoto Yoshimitsu weren't even native Tokyo residents. How did they get together?
Was it the Black Organization's doing?
Did they bring the four of them together?
"Their professions and ages seem unlikely to overlap naturally. There might be someone else behind them."
Conan turned to Natsukawa, who was speaking. "Uncle Natsukawa, did you notice that too? Although Miyano Akemi was the mastermind behind this case, her plan seems incomplete. For example, the car-switching action doesn't seem to be part of her original plan.
Her original plan was to change cars in the suburbs after the robbery, then drive to the Beika Grand Hotel to hide the stolen money in a room there. But now they've made a decision inconsistent with the plan—changing cars at Beika Bridge ahead of schedule.
This shouldn't have been her original intention. Something must have happened. There must be someone else directing them!
That would explain how four people with no prior connection could come together."
Isn't that me?
Natsukawa suppressed a laugh and continued guiding the conversation. "If their plan changed at the last minute, will they still go to the Beika Grand Hotel?"
Conan lowered his head and pondered for a long time before looking up with certainty. "If the car change location was changed at the last minute, they definitely won't hide the stolen money at the Beika Grand Hotel anymore. The people behind them will definitely change the location."
"But they could have left Tokyo. So why did they come back here?"
Natsukawa's question was exactly what Conan was wondering about.
Conan lowered his head in thought, completely lacking the self-awareness of an elementary school student. He looked like a seasoned adult detective now, and if Ran saw him, she might become suspicious.
Fortunately, she'd already gone home.
"I know!" After thinking for a while, Conan suddenly realized. "The person or organization behind Miyano Akemi probably plans to complete the transfer of the stolen money in Beika! That's why they had Miyano Akemi change cars in Beika—to get the money as quickly as possible!"
But why? Wouldn't it be more convenient to transfer the stolen money after leaving Tokyo? After all, it's such an important matter involving one billion yen. They shouldn't take risks just to get the money faster.
This idea makes some sense, but safety isn't guaranteed.
After racking his brain for a long time, Conan picked up the mouse again, right-clicked the folder, and opened its properties.
He examined the folder properties for a while, then looked up with a knowing expression, as if he'd already caught the mastermind.
"Any findings?" Natsukawa asked.
"The person behind this probably doesn't intend to let Miyano Akemi go. Miyaji Takao's death today is proof—the person hiding behind this wants to kill all four robbers!"
Natsukawa's forehead creased with confusion, and metaphorical question marks appeared above his head.
I only wanted to guide Conan to find Miyano Akemi, but how did he figure out that the Black Organization plans to kill all four robbers?
Noticing Natsukawa's confusion, Conan's head tilted slightly, his glasses reflecting white light.
"This USB drive was deliberately left at Miyano Akemi's residence by the person behind her.
Judging from the folder properties, this folder was created just yesterday. If Miyano Akemi had created it herself, the date would definitely be earlier, and it would only contain information about the other three people—not her own data.
Since she's the planner, she definitely knows herself best. There's no need for her to create a separate personal information file."
The USB drive was clearly something Miyano Akemi's backers deliberately wanted the police to see. They want to make her a scapegoat.
I knew it! Changing cars outside of Tokyo would have been the best option, but Miyano Akemi's backers still chose to have them change cars at Beika Bridge. Changing cars at that point still carries the risk of being discovered.
After all, it's a densely populated area in the city, and some roads have surveillance cameras installed, making it easy to track the vehicle they switched to.
Therefore, there's only one reason why their backers wouldn't care about the four robbers being exposed!
These four are expendable after the robbery. Dead people don't pose a risk of exposure.
Having completed his deduction, Conan said solemnly, "Uncle Natsukawa, we need to find them quickly!"
Takagi: ...
What about me?
I'm the police officer here, okay?
"Shouldn't you be saying that to me?"
"According to your deduction, they'll meet with their backers in Beika? But where? Beika Town isn't that big, but it's not small either. A thorough search definitely won't work."
Natsukawa frowned outwardly while feeling speechless inwardly.
What an incredible deduction! Such convoluted logic! No wonder he's called the Washing Machine of Heisei!
So clever that it makes me hesitant to meet Miyano Akemi tonight.
"Large restaurants or hotels have high foot traffic, making them the least likely places to be spotted in a crowd. Large storage facilities can be rented near hotels to store cash, so when they make the transaction, they only need to exchange keys—completely unnoticed."
"Sugoi, Conan-kun! You're amazing!" Takagi's eyes widened in admiration.
"Huh? Officer Takagi, weren't you making a phone call?" Conan was startled by the voice. Does Officer Takagi walk without making any sound?
"Oh, you guys were using the internet, so my line was busy."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Conan rolled his eyes. Does Inspector Megure still not know about any of this?
But no big deal. I'm about to deduce where the robbers might be hiding.
"Based on your reasoning, I do know a place that matches your description."
When Conan and Takagi looked at him expectantly, Natsukawa explained, "There are three large hotels in Beika: Beika Grand Hotel, Beika International Hotel, and Suzuki Grand Hotel.
Considering the need for large storage space nearby, it should be the Beika International Hotel. Beika Station is less than fifty meters to the left of this hotel, and the station has large coin lockers."
"Natsukawa-san, you're amazing! You even know this?" Takagi exclaimed in shock.
Who's the real detective here?
He now understood why Inspector Megure liked calling in outside help. This kind of deductive reasoning was like having cheat codes.
Natsukawa smiled and nodded outwardly but rolled his eyes inwardly.
Of course I know. I just arranged this meeting place after the robbery.
Miyano Akemi and the other two should already be settled in at the Beika International Hotel.
Last night, I combed through the entire map of Beika Town to find the place Conan just described.
I can't believe Conan deduced it so easily with just a few hints.
Good heavens, this is a bit too much.
I could accept deduction through clues, but Conan relied entirely on hypothetical reasoning!
A perfectly good investigation turned into solving mathematical equations.
Looks like I can't leave Conan any obvious clues next time, or things will definitely go awry.
Ten Minutes Later
Natsukawa hung up the phone with Inspector Megure.
"A handgun and a plan were found at Miyaji Takao's house. The plan matches the one we saw, but there was no list of names.
Also, thanks to your method, Inspector Megure has found a suspicious vehicle."
Conan nodded. "If there's a suspicious vehicle, as long as it's parked near the Beika International Hotel, we can confirm our theory. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Inspector Megure has already started arranging officers to investigate the Beika International Hotel, but to avoid alerting the suspects, I've instructed them to conduct the search using normal patrol methods."
"Can't we just seal off the hotel?" Takagi asked curiously. "If we confirm that the three robbers are at the Beika International Hotel, wouldn't sealing it off be much safer?"
Conan rolled his eyes, wanting to explain, but remembering he was supposed to be just a child, he swallowed his words.
"The Beika International Hotel has foreign guests staying there, so it's not something you can just shut down. Besides, shutting down such a large hotel would mean losing nearly ten million yen in revenue in a single day. Who would compensate for that? The hotel wouldn't agree to it.
Rather than a high-profile shutdown that could lead to endless complications, it's better to investigate discreetly. We can retrieve the hotel's registration information—maybe we'll find some clues there."
"That's true. Natsukawa-san's thinking is more thorough."
Takagi thought to himself admiringly and silently made a mental note. This kind of matter indeed involves many considerations. A direct shutdown would easily lead to complaints.
Beika International Hotel Area
When the three arrived at the Beika International Hotel, Inspector Megure and Kogoro had already been waiting for some time.
Miyaji Takao's residence was even closer to the Beika International Hotel than Miyano Akemi's apartment.
The police had found a good observation spot in the office building opposite the Beika International Hotel.
"Inspector, has the investigation begun?" Takagi asked seriously. I've finally encountered such a major case—I have to be deeply involved to make a name for myself.
"We've started searching the nearby parking lots, and hotel management is being cooperative. I believe we'll have good news soon."
Inspector Megure turned to Natsukawa, patting him on the shoulder with satisfaction. "Natsukawa-san, thank goodness you found that USB drive. This case seems much easier than I expected."
"It's nothing. We're all friends. Besides, I only notice these details because I've seen Uncle Mouri solve so many cases."
Kogoro nodded vigorously behind him. "Natsukawa-san, don't underestimate yourself. It's mainly because you have strong learning ability."
Conan sighed, ignoring the adults' mutual flattery session.
The social pleasantries ended, followed by a long wait.
There were many parking lots near the Beika International Hotel, and secretly checking them without revealing their identities was time-consuming.
The negotiations with the hotel were also unpleasant, dragging on for quite a while.
Natsukawa took the opportunity to go to the restroom and called Gin to inquire about the situation.
The dog-stealing operation was proceeding smoothly.
The plan was to be implemented after dinner.
It would be darker then, making it easier to operate.
Another point was that Bourbon was only available after 6 PM.
True to his professionalism—he can't take on another job before 6 PM.
Natsukawa asked again if he needed any assistance.
According to his plan, Miyano Akemi's matter could be resolved by 8 PM at the latest, leaving plenty of time.
However, Gin didn't agree.
Although Miyano Akemi was only a peripheral member, she was still quite important because of Sherry's involvement, and Gin hoped Natsukawa would focus on his assigned task.
Especially since it involved one billion yen.
Although it was less than the profit from stealing the dog, that was only relative.
After Natsukawa finished his call and returned, Inspector Megure and Kogoro were having an animated conversation.
Seeing Natsukawa return, Inspector Megure explained with obvious delight, "We found the suspicious vehicle in a parking lot near the Beika International Hotel! We've already set up surveillance. If the three robbers try to leave, we can definitely catch them all!"
"It seems they're indeed at the Beika International Hotel. If that's the case, we should also investigate Beika Station. The stolen money might be in a coin locker there."
Inspector Megure asked curiously, "Natsukawa-san, if they're at the hotel, they could easily bring one billion yen there. Why put it in a locker at the station? Isn't that redundant?"
"No, bringing that much money to the hotel would be too conspicuous. One billion yen would require at least a dozen large suitcases. Besides, if they're exposed, they definitely won't be able to escape with the money, so keeping it elsewhere is safest. For better monitoring, this location should ideally be close to the hotel.
If, as I suspect, they have people backing them, this will make the transaction much easier."
Kogoro spoke with great confidence. Even Conan looked at him with surprise.
Has Uncle suddenly become so sharp?
(End of Chapter)
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