Non-mainstream Conan viewing style

Chapter 541: Crossroads of the Maze (11)

Inside the Sakurako Art Store, the lights were dim and the pages of books were turning. Conan's eyes wandered between the bookshelves and finally stopped on the title page of a book. "The Yoshitsune Ki, Ise Saburo." He read it softly, then turned to look at Hattori Heiji, "Hattori, look at this."

Hattori Heiji came closer and frowned: "What? Mr. Sakura is Ise Saburo? This..." Before he finished speaking, Conan had turned to another page, which was a photocopy of a painting. "What's going on?" Conan asked in confusion.

Hattori Heiji stared at the copy and spoke slowly: "This is... a copy of that painting. Could it be that Mr. Sakura also has this painting? Was that letter really sent to Sannoji by Mr. Sakura?" His tone was full of confusion and shock.

The scene shifts to Sakura House, where the atmosphere becomes increasingly tense. Maori Kogoro scratches his head, looking confused: "But what is it for? Mr. Sakura is Ise Saburo? He is also a member of Genji Hotaru? Wait, the one who was killed like this... Could it be that the next one to be killed is me, the one who was missed?" His voice trembled slightly, and he was obviously shocked by this sudden news.

Conan thought to himself, his eyes determined: "If that was the case, I would have been killed long ago. If the painting in Mr. Sakura's house was a photocopy, then the original was most likely carried by him and then taken away by the murderer." His reasoning was like a flash of lightning, cutting through the fog.

Hattori Heiji suddenly realized: "So that's it! The murderer didn't expect Mr. Sakura to have a copy in advance." Toyama Kazuha asked anxiously: "Then who is the murderer?" Hattori Heiji pondered for a moment and slowly said a few names: "I think it is someone among Mr. Ryuen, Mr. Nishijo, Mr. Mizuo and Ms. Chiga Ling."

Mao Lilan frowned: "But none of them carried the murder weapon." Suzuki Sonoko added: "After you two left, the police searched you." Hattori Heiji snorted disdainfully: "How can there be an idiot who kills someone and still carries the murder weapon with him?"

Conan took over the conversation: "It must have been thrown away or hidden. But we didn't find it in the store. What about the river? Maybe it was thrown out of the glass window in the basement?" There was a hint of speculation in his words, but it also made everyone's eyes light up. Suzuki Sonoko suddenly remembered something: "Sonoko said she heard the sound of something falling into the river." Mao Lilan asked in surprise: "Really?" Suzuki Sonoko nodded: "Yes, but the police searched the river and found nothing."

Hattori Heiji scratched his head: "How strange." Conan's eyes were stern: "In this case, there must be an accomplice - an accomplice outside who picked up the murder weapon from the river." Hattori Heiji shook his head: "This is impossible. Why, Conan?"

Conan explained: "It's a full moon tonight, and it's very bright outside. And there's a crack in the balcony floor, and you can see the river below. If there are accomplices on the other side of the river, Xiaolan and the others should have noticed it." Maori Kogoro nodded in agreement: "That's right."

Then, he slowly stated his reasoning: "The truth is this: the murderer is someone outside. Before Xiaolan and the others reached the balcony, he entered through the glass window downstairs and hid in ambush in places like the bathroom. When Mr. Sakura came in to look for something, he killed him. Then he escaped through the glass window with the murder weapon!"

Suzuki Sonoko frowned: "But we didn't see any suspicious people, and there were no witnesses on the riverbank." Maori Kogoro shrugged: "It was just a coincidence, the murderer just had better luck."