Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 1275 Shinichi Kudo, you murderer!
"...Even if you say that, I can't remember anything."

After a brief moment of panic, Makoto Yata regained his composure, a troubled expression on his face.

He is about to play a genius detective whose intelligence has been tested by many cases and mysteries. It is very difficult to pretend to be a smart person, and Makoto Yata, who has never thought of himself as very smart, certainly knows this.

That's why he gritted his teeth and jumped into the lake despite the high temperature.

Amnesia is a great excuse, as for the part about this case...

He turned his gaze to the house, which was in a state of disarray and resembled ruins.

"I guess a normal detective investigation would start by examining the traces, right? You have to determine the basic situation at the scene first."

“Well, detectives all have different habits,” Nanatsuki Koshimizu shrugged, listing off her methods as if answering casually. “For me, I pay more attention to the source and destination of traces, and more attention to the details of physical evidence. Then I use logic to predict the general chain of evidence, and try to find what is missing and why it is missing. Akechi’s style is more focused on scientific investigation. He always looks at bloodstains, footprints, and fingerprints first. His brain seems to automatically combine time patterns. In this respect, many veteran police officers who have handled cases for many years are ashamed of themselves…”

As she spoke, she glanced at Hattori Heiji, who had already crouched down to examine the broken picture frame on the ground.

"I haven't had much contact with Hattori and Kudo. If I had to describe the impression Hattori left on me, his reasoning and investigation style is like a straight blade, just like his swordsmanship style—courageous and aggressive."

Upon hearing this, even Tang Ze couldn't help but turn his head and look at Koshimizu Nanatsuki with an indescribable gaze.

Is it really true that working at Amuro's office for a long time makes one susceptible to contagious diseases? Look at this art of conversation.

Koshimizu Nanatsuki smiled and turned to look at Hattori Heiji, who was stunned by her words: "As for Kudo-kun, I haven't had any contact with him since I came to Tokyo. We only had a voice call during that program, so I really don't know much about his style. Hattori, you should know him better, right? What do you think Kudo will do?"

"Kudo..."

The conversation lingered on this topic, and Hattori Heiji naturally picked up on the signal conveyed by Koshimizu Nanatsuki.

She also found the man's identity suspicious and didn't think he was Shinichi Kudo, so she kept pressuring him with words, trying to see what was hidden beneath his facade.

"If you insist that I summarize or describe it, I can't say, but anyway, if it really is Kudo himself, he is probably working hard to 'grade papers' right now, just like me."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and pointed to the black marks in the pile of junk.

"Officer Shiroyama, was this bloodstain also left from that time?"

After watching for a while, not knowing what the detectives were doing, Shiroyama Kazuma, who was puzzled but impressed, came to his senses and nodded: "Yes. This was caused by the culprit stepping on Mrs. Hihara's blood with his shoes and then walking around the room."

As he said this, he pointed to the steps leading up to the top, and in the middle of the steps, he outlined a human figure with white lines.

Although their home was in the remote village of Higashi-Oku, it is not difficult to conclude from the fact that the Nichihara family was not poor, and Nichihara Takitoku must have had some assets.

This house is a two-story French-style building, exquisite and beautiful, and because it is built on the top of a hill, it overlooks almost the entire village.

This is the complexity of the wealthy; even their deaths are more complicated than those of ordinary families.

"The village chief's wife was stabbed in the middle of the stairs."

Heiji Hattori avoided the bloody footprints on the ground and approached the marks on the stairs to examine them.

At this moment, Hoshikawa Teru, who had just received Tang Ze's gaze, sighed inwardly.

Since Nanatsuki Koshimizu had just given such a critique of Goro Akechi's investigative methods, it would be inappropriate for him not to speak up at this point.

“There are no signs of a struggle.” Hoshikawa Teru took a step closer, looking at the completely black and red bloodstains, and quickly made a judgment. “This Mrs. Hihara was probably fleeing upstairs when the perpetrator caught up from behind and stabbed her, causing her to fall backward onto the steps. Then, she was stabbed again in the front…”

As he spoke, he stepped up the stairs and soon reached the outline drawn by the white lines.

There was a large pool of congealed blood flowing down the steps, like melted wax.

"...She didn't struggle at all. The killer stabbed her in a vital spot, and she died very quickly."

This is a judgment that Hoshikawa Teru could make based on his own experience without needing any professional knowledge or cheating.

Limited by his age and abilities, he had not been in charge of any important matters in the organization in the past, but he had done a lot of work in helping people in the organization to clean up the mess and remove such traces.

He even has reason to believe that Karasawa probably considered this aspect, in addition to taking into account Karasawa's own unique perspective, when setting Akechi Goro's style as a detective in this way.

Who told him that he was better at doing shady things than a detective?

After finishing his straightforward explanation, Hoshikawa Teru seemed to realize that his expression had been a bit too cold. Looking at the policeman standing dumbfounded at the door, he added, "The process was quick, and she didn't feel too much pain, which is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

“…Uh, um.” Shiroyama Kazuma blinked hard. “You’re right, that’s what the forensic doctor said. Kudo-kun said the same thing back then.”

The expression is just a little different. Shinichi Kudo meant that the characteristics of the scene and the crime were very consistent with a crime of passion committed under emotional excitement. This became the basis for Shinichi Kudo's quick judgment that it could not be a burglary or robbery turned into a murder.

“He certainly didn’t say it that directly.” Koshimizu Nanatsuki waved her hand with a smile. “What Kudo meant was that criminals who break into homes, regardless of their purpose, are definitely mentally prepared for direct violent conflict. People who are taking chances would never choose such a reckless method.”

If a burglary is discovered by the homeowner, it can easily escalate into violence.

Having already murdered the couple, if there were a robber, there would be no need for him to leave the scene in this state, much less leave behind valuable collectibles that are obviously worth a fortune.

Once inside the room, the culprit could easily determine that the only residents were the village chief and his wife, along with their two underage children. After murdering the couple, he could easily stop and pack up their valuables to make off with. "Yes, that's his assessment." Shiroyama Kazuma glanced furtively at Koshimizu Nanatsuki, finally understanding the young lady's earlier meaning.

Shinichi Kudo is not only a detective, but a first-rate one, praised by the media and the police.

There's no reason why Shinichi Kudo couldn't make the same judgment as them.

Following this logic, the person who is still standing in the room now seems even more out of place.

Makoto Yata stared intently at the bloodstains at Hoshikawa Teru's feet, blinking his dry eyes in silence.

The prime suspect in the case was Makoto Yata himself, and it was he who contacted and invited Shinichi Kudo to become the detective. It is no exaggeration to say that he participated in the entire investigation of the case.

However, he was emotionally agitated and mentally confused at the time. Perhaps considering his psychological capacity, the village policeman, Kazuma Shiroyama, took the initiative to separate him from the firsthand on-site investigation, so he was unable to hear all of Shinichi Kudo's judgments and explanations.

All he saw and heard were the conclusions of Shinichi Kudo's deductions after the investigation was over.

So, Shinichi Kudo only took a very short time to conclude that this wasn't a burglary...

Noticing the gazes directed at him, Makoto Uta turned his head with difficulty, pointing along the trail of bloody footprints to the French doors leading to the balcony: "These footprints extend all the way to the balcony. We can't say for sure that there wasn't a third person at the scene. If the burglar had prepared in advance, he would have definitely tried to cover up his tracks..."

Yes, these detectives are too arbitrary. Can they start drawing conclusions before they've even examined all the traces?
Hattori Heiji stood up, without refuting his statement, and walked over and pushed open the two doors in the direction he pointed.

Outside the door is a fairly large open space. Although it is currently empty, just looking at the size, it could easily fit two large dining tables.

"What a huge balcony. The view from here must be quite nice during the day..." Toyama Kazuha, whose interest was completely off the murder case, followed him out, looked around, and sighed.

Choosing to build a house here shows great foresight. Although the elevation difference isn't significant, this is the highest point in the vicinity, offering a panoramic view of the entire Higashi-Osui Village. On one side are villages with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, and on the other side are surrounding forests and lakes. The view from this terrace is like an unfolding scroll, and on a clear day, it must be an incredibly attractive sight.

"The bloody footprints turn back here." Hattori Heiji squatted down and examined the bloodstains.

He took out his flashlight and shone it on the marks on the ground. After observing them, he stood up, leaned on the balcony railing, and looked down.

As expected, a human figure drawn with white tape was on the ground directly below the balcony.

Weeds have grown there again, and it's not completely bare anymore. Apart from this outline, there are no traces of blood or other marks left.

"It seems the village chief fell to his death from here." Hattori Heiji nodded knowingly.

"Where's the murder weapon? We just said the village chief's wife was stabbed to death. Has the murder weapon been found? What is it?" Kogoro Mouri slowly followed, examining the bloody footprints on the ground, and asked the policeman behind him.

He wasn't interested in what these kids were babbling about; when it came to murder cases, he preferred to start with the most important questions.

“The village chief’s wife was stabbed to death with a sharp weapon, that’s for sure, but the knife that was used as the murder weapon has never been found.” Shiroyama Kazuma answered quickly, “There was no trace of the missing knife in the room either, but a lot of gems and antiques are missing.”

"Where are the footprints? Are these all?" Hattori Heiji asked to confirm.

“The only other footprints we could find were between the back door and the concrete floor. We can’t confirm whether they were left by the village chief himself,” Kazuma Shiroyama explained. “It was raining heavily here until the day before the incident, and the ground was slippery. Normal entry and exit from a house would leave traces.”

"Hmm, so in other words, it's possible that someone broke in, killed the village chief and his wife, and then left through the back door with the murder weapon and stolen goods, right?" Kogoro Mouri stroked his chin, making a deduction that made sense.

"That's right, you all know, this is what normal people think, isn't it?"

Right after Kogoro Mouri finished speaking, a woman's voice, sounding quite stern and dissatisfied, rang out.

Everyone who was still discussing the case turned to look and saw a short-haired girl stride in angrily, staring intently at "Shinichi Kudo" standing in the room.

"The result is that this incompetent detective actually came up with the deduction that the village chief forced his wife to commit suicide with him! You know how ridiculous that is!"

"...Who are you? How did you just barge in like that?" Hattori Heiji's lips twitched as his train of thought was interrupted.

"What, isn't the case closed already? Is this still considered a crime scene? Are you not letting people in?" The girl who walked in crossed her arms and snorted rudely. "The lights here suddenly came on. Everyone in the village is saying that a detective is investigating this matter. Can't I come and take a look?"

After the deaths of the Nihara couple, the house has been uninhabited and completely vacant.

When they arrived at the scene, they walked in without even using a key, so it's really not fair to accuse the villagers of trespassing.

"She's Hikawa Moe, Makoto's classmate." Shiroyama Kazuma stepped forward, stepping aside from her almost poking someone's face, and gave a brief introduction, "She lives alone and has always been taken care of by the village chief..."

“After my parents died, I was always taken care of by this family. I’m not the only child the village chief takes care of.” Bingchuan looked at the other people in the room. “How could a village chief like this kill his wife and commit suicide because of a small incident? Nobody in the village would believe such an absurd thing.”

"You're Makoto Yata's classmate, and you're quite familiar with him?" Nanatsuki Koshimizu quickly grasped the key point. "Do you know where he is? He wrote a letter saying he found a mistake in Kudo's deduction and hoped I could help him. But when I came over, I found out that he had been missing for a long time."

“Chengren hasn’t disappeared.” Upon hearing this name, Bingchuan Mengsheng’s expression darkened. “He has probably been murdered somewhere.”

"What do you mean?!" Hattori Heiji lowered his eyebrows.

“The villagers say he went to Tokyo to work and study, but Makoto is a formally adopted son. After the village chief died, he inherited a considerable fortune and doesn’t need to worry about his living conditions at all. How could he do that?” Hikawa Moe said, noticing “Kudo Shinichi” looking at her, and glared back angrily. “It must be you, you lying detective, who let the real murderer get away with it. He was targeted because of the inheritance and had his life taken too! Kudo Shinichi, you murderer!”

The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Tang Ze, Hoshikawa Teru, and Koshimizu Nanatsuki coughed in unison twice: "..."

(End of this chapter)