“Sorry, but where I drop you off later depends entirely on whether or not you’re the murderer,” Satou said expressionlessly.
Having heard from Miyamoto Yumi about Shouichi stealing a car, Satou had a poor impression of him, assuming he was nothing but a troublemaker.
Shouichi shook his head.
*This lady cop really isn’t giving me any respect.*
“It doesn’t matter if I eat or not, but there’s a child here, and she hasn’t had dinner yet,” Shouichi said.
*Wasn’t it you who insisted on dragging her out?*
Though she thought this, Satou still pulled out a piece of bread and handed it to Ai so she could at least pad her stomach.
Ai softly thanked her and took small bites of the bread.
Shouichi patted Ai’s head, slipped a pair of headphones over her ears, and said gently, “You can’t slack off on your studies just because we’re in a car.
Listen to some French.”
Ai nearly choked on her bread.
*Ugh, what a suffocating parent.*
Satou soon drove the car up to the apartment building.
She warned Shouichi, “There are some unpleasant things upstairs.
I suggest letting the little girl wait here; we’ll have an officer keep her company.”
“No need.
It’s good for kids to broaden their horizons,” Shouichi said.
*Living in the scientifically absurd world of Conan, how could anyone be afraid of corpses?*
Seeing Shouichi say such a thing so calmly, Satou frowned, finding it hard to imagine just how these wealthy conglomerates raised their heirs.
After Shouichi led Ai into Okino Yoko’s apartment, before he even had time to see who was at the scene, a familiar voice rang out.
“My autopsy results conclude that the deceased died by suicide,” the forensic doctor said expressionlessly to Inspector Megure.
Inspector Megure’s face was dark and stormy.
*This forensic doctor…
it’s not the first time.
Shouichi is merely a suspect, and you’re already this impatient to classify the victim’s death as a suicide?*
As a veteran officer, Inspector Megure was naturally composed.
Satou, however, did not have such a good temper.
She snapped at the forensic doctor, “Mr.
Nagamune, please remember your position!
You are a forensic doctor for the Metropolitan Police Department, not someone’s lapdog!”
Wearing his surgical mask, Forensic Doctor Nagamune adjusted his glasses and said earnestly and solemnly, “I have always known exactly what my position is.”
Mouri Kogorou was also a hothead.
Especially when it involved his idol.
He aggressively stormed toward Shouichi, but suddenly his body stiffened, and he collapsed straight back into a chair.
“Mr.
Nagamune is correct.
The deceased, Mr.
Etou, did indeed die by suicide.”
“Mouri, my boy, why are you doing this again!” Inspector Megure said helplessly.
‘Mouri Kogorou’ ignored Inspector Megure’s complaints and continued his deduction.
“It was nothing more than a simple trick using a block of ice.
“He froze the handle of the knife inside a block of ice, placed it on the floor, and then fell backward from the chair.
This created the illusion of a homicide with a stab wound to the back.
There is even a dent on the floor right now from the impact.
“The reason the heater is turned up so high is to quickly melt the ice.”
Inspector Megure frowned and asked, “But why would he commit suicide?”
“Perhaps because he was still deeply in love with Yoko,” Mouri Kogorou said.
“He likely wanted to reconcile with her, but mistakenly identified Yuuko—who was in the room searching for dirt to blackmail Yoko with—as Yoko herself.
“When Yuuko ran away, Etou assumed that Yoko simply didn’t love him anymore.
In his despair, he decided to commit suicide and frame Yoko for the murder.”
Okino Yoko looked somewhat dazed.
Everyone just assumed she was deeply affected by the incident.
Yamagishi gritted his teeth, not daring to speak.
It was logical and reasonable, the chain of evidence was sufficient, and moreover, there was absolutely no proof of homicide.
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like a murder.
But, even with the temperature cranked up, how long would it take for a block of ice to melt?
And how long would it take Etou to set up the scene?
These past few days, because her contract was about to expire, Yoko had turned down a lot of work and was relatively free, spending much more time at home.
And then there was that guy, Mouri Kogorou.
*Before Young Master Shouichi arrived, he had been wildly shouting accusations, but the moment Young Master Shouichi showed up, he couldn’t wait to put on a performance in front of his master.*
*What an ugly desire to show off.*
Ai had been staring intently at Mouri Kogorou’s face.
*How strange.
His mouth clearly isn’t moving, so where exactly is that voice coming from?*
Shouichi took Ai’s hand, quietly shifted their position, and discreetly pointed behind the sofa, showing Ai a sight that made her vision go dark with exasperation.
A little boy about her height was currently speaking into a bowtie.
Furthermore, he was completely oblivious to Shouichi spying on him.
Shouichi, who hadn’t even gotten to drink a cup of hot tea yet, said with some regret, “The case is already solved, so can I leave now?
Honestly, it’s so strange.
“This matter clearly has absolutely nothing to do with me, yet you guys always love to drag me over here, almost as if you’re prejudiced against me.”
Shouichi felt that he was being far too gentle.
*To be suspected like this and not even lose my temper…
my patience has really been improving lately.*
Meanwhile, everyone else felt he was just being passive-aggressive.
Inspector Megure looked at the deceased for a moment longer, then sighed and said, “You may go back and rest.”
*Let’s close the case as a suicide.*
Forensic Doctor Nagamune expressionlessly began packing up his equipment.
*I told you it was a suicide from the start, but you didn’t believe me.
It seems I also have the potential to become a great detective.*
Shouichi waved at Satou and asked, “I didn’t drive here, and you said you were going to take us to the Beika Hotel for dinner.”
*I never said that.*
Inspector Megure helplessly nodded at Satou.
Under Takagi’s worried gaze, she still went downstairs to drive them.
*Police officers are supposed to provide convenience for the citizens, after all.*
Without greeting anyone else, Shouichi headed downstairs to go to the hotel after his brief visit, treating the crime scene as if it were merely a rest stop.
As for Satou, she truly felt like she had become Shouichi’s personal chauffeur.
Picking him up from his house, and now dropping him off at a hotel.
“I am not driving you home,” Satou said stubbornly.
“Of course.
After you drop me off at the hotel, you can clock out,” Shouichi said.
Satou’s eyebrows twisted together.
*Why does that tone sound exactly like a boss talking to his employee?*
*This condescending attitude is seriously pissing me off.*
Ai picked up her bread and continued nibbling on it.
*See?
I told you so.
Not being able to stand Shouichi isn’t a ‘me’ problem.*
Shouichi fiddled with his phone for a while, then said to Satou, “Honestly, you police officers really should listen to the opinions of professionals more often.
“Take that forensic doctor, Nagamune, for example.
He already used ‘professional’ methods to determine it was a suicide, which means you could have pretty much closed the case right then and there.
“Needing a detective like Mouri Kogorou to do a whole deduction before you believe it is truly uncalled for.
“It’s not that the police are incompetent—the Metropolitan Police Department actually has many capable people.
It’s just that the opinions of those capable people aren’t recognized, which makes the department look incompetent.”
Satou gripped the steering wheel in a death hold.
She was genuinely afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to crash into a telephone pole by the side of the road.
Meanwhile, Ai had stopped nibbling on her bread and carefully tightened her seatbelt.