“Ishikawa and his accomplice’s method of operation was just like this.”
After narrating the murderer’s trick, Shinichi Kudo finally concluded:
“However, I am still missing the crucial evidence; I need to go back to that alley and search carefully again.”
While saying this, his expression did not seem very nervous:
The method of operation had been completely seen through; the evidence should not be hard to find.
Having reached this point, the case-solving progress was already ninety percent complete.
And in comparison,
Lin Xinyi would probably be slower than him.
After all, the ability he displayed before was only examining the corpse; he probably couldn't see through the trick the murderer used the environment for to escape punishment, right?
“This time,”
Lost in thought, Shinichi Kudo suddenly became confident:
“I should be the one to win.”
Thus, Ishikawa led the way, and Shinichi followed him out of the department store building full of high spirits.
Shinichi currently felt very secure:
He believed that in this case, his detective skills would definitely have a greater advantage than Lin Xinyi’s forensic skills.
Ishikawa also felt very secure now:
Even the Great Detective Shinichi Kudo personally confirmed that this case was a simple suicide; those incompetent Tokyo police officers would certainly have no way to deal with him, the murderer.
Thus, harboring similar confident moods, the murderer and the Great Detective returned to the alley next to the department store building, one after the other.
And at this moment, taking advantage of the roughly ten minutes Shinichi Kudo and the others spent investigating, the swiftly dispatched Tokyo police had already arrived at the scene in a timely manner.
Several police cars were already parked on the road, and there were police officers in uniform maintaining order on the sidewalk.
The entrance to that unmanned alley had been cordoned off by an emergency blockade line, and outside the blockade line, the crowd was surging, filled with onlookers attracted by the case.
“Make way.”
Shinichi Kudo hurriedly squeezed up to the blockade line.
Ishikawa and Ran Mouri also returned to the scene.
The police officer maintaining the blockade was about to stop the three of them, but as the savior of the Japanese Police, Shinichi Kudo’s face was the best pass.
Shinichi Kudo walked into the blockade line just like that, and upon seeing the police officer in charge:
As expected, it was his old friend with whom he had long cooperated:
“Inspector Megure!”
Shinichi Kudo greeted him enthusiastically.
Now that the police were here, he could use the power of the Forensics Department to thoroughly search the scene and help him find the crucial evidence that would complete the final piece of the puzzle.
This way, in this battle of deduction without smoke, he could achieve true victory.
“Brother Kudo.”
“You’re here too?”
Inspector Megure seemed slightly surprised, but then inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief:
“No wonder I encountered Mr. Lin Xinyi twice at the crime scene today.”
“So it wasn't because of him.”
“With Brother Kudo here, everything makes sense.”
One Grim Reaper was enough.
If Lin Xinyi also caused deaths wherever he went like Shinichi, the pressure on the Metropolitan Police Department would be even greater.
As an older middle-aged man, Inspector Megure was more inclined to believe in such superstitions.
“Haha.”
Shinichi Kudo automatically ignored Inspector Megure’s complaint.
Detectives are always drawn to cases; being misunderstood is very normal.
He smiled and got straight to the point:
“Inspector Megure, I have an idea about this case.”
“Uh.”
Inspector Megure’s expression immediately became somewhat subtle.
“What is it?” Shinichi Kudo sensitively read Inspector Megure’s expression: “Did something happen with this case?”
“Nothing much happened, it’s just that—”
Inspector Megure seemed to be saying this to Shinichi for the first time, his tone very tactful:
“You arrived a bit late.”
“The suspect has already confessed guilt.”
As he spoke, Inspector Megure pointed behind him:
As expected, Aoki, who had been left in the alley, was surrounded by several strong police officers.
He had handcuffs on his hands, and as he was being escorted to the police car by the officers, he couldn't help but cry out:
“It, it was Ishikawa who committed the murder!”
“We were just accomplices, just accomplices! You must understand that!”
Shinichi Kudo: “...”
I was only gone for ten minutes, and I haven't even found the key evidence yet, but the suspect has already confessed?
Did Lin Xinyi do this?
How could this be? What method did he use?
Thinking of this, the Great Detective Kudo’s competitive spirit was instantly shattered.
Beside him, Ishikawa’s expression was even more dramatic:
“A-Aoki, what nonsense are you spouting!”
“I—when did I commit murder? Don't drag me into your madness!”
Seeing Aoki expose the truth to the police without holding back, Ishikawa was completely stunned:
The trick I designed even deceived the Famous Detective!
And my accomplice reported me from behind?
Do you have any regard for my brain cells!
“Bastard!”
“Shut up!”
He roared hysterically at Aoki, but this instead attracted the attention of the police:
“Oh? You are that Ishikawa?”
The officers looked over with malicious intent.
Ishikawa nervously shrank his head, and finally braced himself and roared:
“So what if I am?”
“Is Aoki mentally ill? Should we believe whatever he says?”
“I think you should quickly send him to a mental hospital!”
“If you want to call me the murderer, you need to present evidence!”
“That’s right.”
“Inspector Megure, what is the evidence?”
Unprecedentedly, Shinichi Kudo spoke up for the criminal.
Because he also really wanted to know what clue Lin Xinyi used to discover the truth, and what evidence he used to make Aoki obediently confess.
It couldn't be that he just randomly tricked Aoki by exploiting his fragile psychology, could it?
That would be too lacking in technical skill.
“Uh, this...”
Inspector Megure stated very calmly:
“We don’t know that, because we just arrived at the scene.”
“And just as we arrived, that guy named Aoki was already kneeling before Brother Lin, repenting and crying that he was guilty.”
“Before we could even say anything, he ran over weeping bitterly, saying he wanted to surrender, and even offered to have us put handcuffs on him.”
“As for the specific case details...”
“We haven't even had time to ask yet.”
Shinichi: “...”
Ishikawa: “...”
Neither of them knew what to say, and Ishikawa was trembling with anger:
He now wished he could kill Aoki too.
This useless coward was truly going to ruin him.
“So there’s no evidence at all?”
Ishikawa forcefully maintained his composure amidst a moment of silence.
He stubbornly refused to yield, preparing for a desperate fight:
“You can’t prove I committed murder based only on Aoki’s ramblings.”
“You police won’t believe the words of a madman, will you? Right?”
“Uh.”
Inspector Megure was speechless for a moment, and finally cast a pleading gaze toward Lin Xinyi standing beside him:
“Regarding this point, Brother Lin should be able to provide the answer.”
As soon as the words fell, Lin Xinyi instantly became the focus of everyone present.
The police officers present, the onlookers, all cast their gaze toward him.
In the crowd, some onlookers were even holding cameras and taking pictures of him with expectant expressions.
And our Great Detective Shinichi Kudo, at this moment, was frustratingly categorized among the inconspicuous “onlookers.”
“Fine, then I’ll have to exert myself a bit more.”
Lin Xinyi stepped forward, his gaze calmly fixed on Ishikawa, who stubbornly refused to yield.
Before Ishikawa could utter a few harsh words to bolster his own morale, Aoki, who was already obediently wearing handcuffs nearby, preempted him, speaking in his trembling voice:
“Ishikawa, confess.”
“That man was like a perverted peeping tom who secretly installed a camera in the women’s changing room; somehow, he ‘saw’ everything we did!”
“We can’t escape, we can’t escape.”
“If we confess now, at least it counts as a surrender, and the sentence can be reduced a little!”
”...”
Ishikawa’s face turned green upon hearing this:
“Shut up for me!”
“I didn’t commit murder, so what am I surrendering for?!”
“Aoki, if you’re going crazy, go to a mental hospital! Don’t run to the police and start biting people randomly!”
Aoki was shouted into silence.
But the look he gave Ishikawa was filled with despair.
And at this moment, as the focus of the entire scene, Lin Xinyi finally spoke again:
“It’s fine if you don’t surrender.”
“Committing murder and evil deeds deserves punishment.”
“It would be too much of a pity to let a Scum like you reduce your sentence by surrendering.”