Conan: I'm Not a Model Worker in the Winery

Chapter 499: The Winery That Sneaks into the Metropolitan Police Department

The case discussion meeting lasted until about noon.

The lineup of members of this conference is quite luxurious:
The head of the First Investigation Division, Seiinaga Matsumoto, personally came to supervise the progress of the case. The police from various counties involved in this serial murder case totaled nearly 50 people;

The Investigation Division has conducted a thorough analysis of the specific circumstances of the six people who have been killed so far, and has also shared the current intelligence with the police departments of each county, but...

Because the murderer who committed a series of cases was too cunning, they have not yet found any strong clues pointing to the murderer.

Therefore, we have to hold a joint meeting to pool our wisdom.

The common points of several cases - including the mahjong tiles next to the deceased and the items that were taken away - are enough to show that they were committed by the same person.

But unfortunately, up to this point, these are almost all the clues the police have...

Even the point about "overlapping social circles" raised by Jinpei Matsuda was completely unfounded: after investigation, it was found that the social circles of these six people were completely unrelated to each other.

Moreover, let alone the murder weapon, there was not even a trace of the criminal at the scene...

In this situation, even if a famous detective arrived, he would be at a loss what to do. What's more, the ones who came this time were two "fake detectives" named Rei and Maori Kogoro... Apart from holding their chins and thinking the whole time, they did nothing.

……

Outside the first meeting room.

Ran Mao Li pulled Conan to sit on the chair and waited while reviewing her homework.

Conan, wearing an invisible headset, listened with a slightly heavy expression as he heard what he had heard from the bug he had placed in Kogoro Mouri's pocket.

He didn't expect that the case he discovered in the middle of the night would become more and more serious...

If he had known earlier, he would have participated in the process of solving the case. Maybe the case would have been solved long ago.

Conan is optimistic.

……

When Vermouth left the Metropolitan Police Department, she looked a little dazed.

She looked back at the towering Metropolitan Police Department building, the lenses of her glasses reflecting a slightly dazzling light.

——She is now the police officer with glasses who is being patted on the back and asked "Is the Vermouth delicious?"

"How did you find out?"

Vermouth was a little discouraged.

——If the tricks you are so proud of are seen through, anyone would be disappointed...

However, when she thought about meeting the little angel she had been thinking about today, Vermouth's mood instantly improved a lot.

Considering that she would continue the case discussion meeting in the afternoon, but she was not a participant, after thinking for a while, she went to the public toilet to remove her disguise and called her companion:

"Calvados, are you still keeping an eye on the Metropolitan Police Department?"

It is natural that there would be no one responsible for surveillance in such a major operation of infiltrating the Metropolitan Police Department. However, because all the intelligence officers have been transferred away, the only ones left are low-level members and a few snipers.

So after careful consideration, Vermouth chose Calvados, with whom she had worked together.

...Even though this guy had somewhat screwed himself over in the last operation against the FBI.

"Miss Vermouth! Of course I am still at the post you assigned me." Calvados' voice still sounded flattering. "How dare I leave without your permission when you are so noble, beautiful, graceful and elegant?"

Vermouth twitched her lips obscurely: "Really? But I remember that last time Gin gave an order, someone ran faster than a rabbit, right?"

Calvados chokes:
“…Ah, this…Oh! Actually, it was because Gin pointed a gun at my head. Even though I resisted desperately, I was still dragged away by him in the end… Miss Vermouth, you have to believe me, I am innocent!”

Belmode: "..."

What was Gin thinking when he brought Calvados into his organization?
——It was only when Vermouth reluctantly agreed to join the Five-Star Team that she found out that Calvados was actually from Gin's side.

Not only Calvados, but also Chianti Cohen, the two snipers he brought out, were won over by Gin...

But to be honest, although Calvados is not very reasonable most of the time, and even likes to stand people up, and usually does things according to his temper... but, in terms of loyalty, he is really good. For example, even if he has a good impression of Vermouth, when Gin said "sell" during the last operation, he turned around and sold her without hesitation.

Vermouth, on the other hand, was happy to see this happen, and would occasionally talk about him, but mostly in a joking manner. There was actually no rift between them - they were all professional graduates of the organization, and as long as their interests and goals were the same, there was nothing that could not be resolved.

"...Come on, Calvados, stop being so mean!"

Listening to the voice on the phone, Vermouth felt like a hundred ducks were quacking, and interrupted the other party with a dark face:
"Listen, Ireland will probably stay in the Metropolitan Police Department for two more days until this phase of the meeting is over... During this period, we'll need you to help keep an eye on him. Of course, Cohen and Chianti can also be transferred over."

"Oh! Want to watch for another two days? No problem! I'll ask Xiao Ke and Xiao Ji to bring some camping tools right away!" Calvados' voice suddenly became excited.

This confused Vermouth.

Xiao, Xiao Ke? Xiao Ji? Picnic tools?

Is this a surveillance mission or an outing?

Calvados on the other end of the phone didn't think there was any problem at all. "Ms. Vermouth, your mission should be over, right? How about having a cup of afternoon tea together?"

“…No, drink it yourself.” Calvados’s actions once again refreshed Vermouth’s perception of him. He held his forehead speechlessly and said, “I still have to find a way to speed up the process of solving the case… That’s all.”

After saying that, she quickly hung up the phone, fearing that Calvados might continue chatting with her.

Before joining the five-star team, Vermouth really didn't think Calvados could be so unreliable.

After explaining Calvados, Vermouth became even more worried——

She could even imagine Calvados, Chianti, and Cohen lighting a bonfire on a building with sniper rifles, skewering meat with the gun barrels, grilling it while staring at the Metropolitan Police Department through scopes.

Vermouth trembled all over.

The picture was so beautiful that she was worried.

After thinking for a moment, Vermouth took out his cell phone and sent a text message to Ireland, asking if he had finished his work.

……

Metropolitan Police Department, outside the meeting room.

Rei and Maori Kogoro, who were invited as consultants, did not get the special treatment of "leaving early". Instead, they were left behind after the meeting and were asked about their well-being by Inspector Megure with earnest words...

...Well, Inspector Megure actually came here to ask them not to keep anything to themselves and to tell the police whatever they thought of.

Anyway, all these colleagues gathered in Tokyo today are free labor.

"But~ it's not that Mr. Maori and I are not good enough, it's just that we really can't see anything~"

Lie spread his hands, expressing his helplessness, and took out his little notebook: "Look, Officer Megure, there is a circle on each mahjong tile that is painted red, with subtitles on the back and a vertical line in the middle... There have been six identical incidents. This must be the criminal giving some hint, right?"

"That's right." Megure Jusan nodded.

This is an issue that has been made clear at the meeting just now.

"But, until now, we haven't found any connection between these six people, and we don't know what the conflict is between the victim and the murderer. There is no way to make any inferences at all~" Lie sighed sadly.

Maori Kogoro tried hard to show his presence: "If you ask me... after all, we are friends who play mahjong together, right? Otherwise, why would we use mahjong tiles to represent it?"

Lie retorted: "No, no, no~ This is unlikely... Because if it's just playing mahjong, then the lines and English on the back have no meaning..."

Inspector Megure looked at Retsu, then at Kogoro Mouri, and also sighed.

The difficulty of this event is too high for them, right?
However, Inspector Megure suddenly had an idea and looked at the Shinigami who was sitting with Mao Lilan:
"Well, if it was Conan, would he have any opinion?"

Rei and Maori Kogoro were both stunned.

"Conan? Is he the child who lives in the Mori family?"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga, who was standing next to Inspector Megure, had a puzzled expression on his face.

(End of this chapter)