Chapter 87 A fruitful journey
"Ms. Suzuki, Miss Lan is taking care of the children, and Mr. Maori is still not feeling well. She has to take care of so many people by herself and may not be able to handle it. Could you please go down and help her?" Zhu Fujingguang said.
"Lan? Yes, Dad, Mom, I'll go downstairs and help Lan first, you two can chat."
Seeing Sonoko leave, Morofushi Kagemitsu asked, "Speaking of Mr. Suzuki, when were you replaced? Do you remember? Or do you have any impression of Chef Kikuchi's route of action?"
It wasn't that he was on guard against Sonoko. He was simply afraid that when they talked about Kid, Sonoko would turn around and see Kid and tell him. Although he had no intention of arresting Kid, he decided to ask the fan to leave first just in case.
During the banquet, they were all focused on eating and didn't pay attention to the flow of people at the banquet. He Jing Yayoi, who could see souls, might have noticed something, but he didn't mean to speak.
Suzuki Shiro thought for a moment and replied, "The last time I saw Chef Kikuchi was around 8:45 p.m. When Ms. Fumiyo came to see Chef Kikuchi, I tried to get her out of the way. I saw Chef Kikuchi leave the banquet hall with a bad look on his face."
"As for Ms. Fumiyo, I chatted with her for a while, and she left at about 9:00, but I'm not sure where she went. Chef Kikuchi was supposed to give a brief speech to everyone at the end of the dinner, which was 10:00. I heard that he planned to leave the Victory Goddess and open his own restaurant."
"It is said that he had submitted his resignation to Captain Mori three months ago. But because of our annual celebration, Captain Mori had to ask him to finish the celebration before leaving. After all, there will be many celebrities and wealthy people attending this annual celebration. If they hear that Chef Kikuchi is opening a new restaurant, they will definitely be willing to give him a large investment, and I believe his career will be more successful."
"Captain Mori asked me to do this and asked if I could allow Chef Kikuchi to promote his restaurant at the end of the dinner. My family and I love Chef Kikuchi's cooking very much. We chose the Victory this time because of Chef Kikuchi's cooking. So of course I am willing to help with this small favor. In other words, I want to be his biggest investor."
"But, the strange thing is that when 10:00 came, Chef Kikuchi didn't show up. I thought he didn't want to see Ms. Fumiyo, or maybe he couldn't bear to give up the relationship he had with the Victory for so many years, so he gave up temporarily. After all, Captain Mori was really good to him, and it was Chef Kikuchi who was appreciated by Captain Mori and recommended him to the ship."
"When I saw that Chef Kikuchi was not there, I wanted to ask Captain Mori to help find someone. But First Officer Fukuyama told me that the light in the captain's room was broken, so Captain Mori went to fix it. Originally, First Officer Fukuyama should have been on duty, but since Captain Mori went to the captain's room, Captain Mori took the night shift and the first officer came to help maintain the dinner scene. So I asked First Officer Fukuyama to find Chef Kikuchi."
Conan asked in confusion: "Lights? The captain has to fix this? Isn't there a maintenance worker on the ship?"
Suzuki Shiro touched the back of his head awkwardly and hinted, "Although I don't know how Captain Mori behaves in front of you, he is actually a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder and mysophobia. He has to fix everything in the captain's room himself. It is said that he will find out if something is crooked by one millimeter, and he is also very strict with time control, and all employees must act according to the duty roster."
"So if there is any problem in the captain's room, Captain Mori is asked to repair it himself. However, as the captain of such a large cruise ship, these are necessary for the safety of the entire ship. So Captain Mori actually has a very good reputation in the industry, and we are also his old customers."
Hearing this, Conan suddenly realized, "No wonder he even remembered the time when the Tsuchiya couple attended the banquet. Could he really remember the time when all the guests came in? If he does this, is there really no problem with his interpersonal relationships?"
Suzuki Shiro was a little embarrassed because he had said bad things about Captain Mori behind his back. "Uh... not really. Captain Mori didn't set his standards for everyone. He was just a little strict with his employees. Also, you can't touch anything in his captain's room. If there are other people on duty, they need to put everything back to its original position when they leave."
Suzuki Shiro had no intention of saying this behind his back, so he chuckled and changed the subject, "Why don't we get back to talking about Mr. Kidd."
"After the dinner, I attended a small drinking party. Because we finished very late, Tomoko went back to the room first. It was around 2:30 when I finished. I don't remember exactly, but you can ask the people I drank with yesterday. I drank a lot of wine. I seem to be helped back by a bartender. I don't remember what happened afterwards. Tomoko, how about you?"
Suzuki Tomoko tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I came back two hours earlier than you, and I took a shower and went to bed normally. Nothing special happened. I was very tired after a busy day, so I fell asleep quickly."
Conan nodded when he heard this. "It seems that Kidd's accomplice is Uncle Suzuki who was replaced at 2:30. It is very likely that he is the bartender who supported you at that time. Uncle Suzuki, is there anything missing from your room?"
"When Dr. Agasa came to call for help, Kidd's companion walked out of this room. That proves that he stayed in there until 4:30 in the morning. Since he stayed there for so long, he must have done something, right? And since the doctor called urgently, he probably didn't have time to clean up the traces."
Suzuki Shiro looked around the room after hearing this, then thought for a moment and denied it: "It seems that there is nothing special. Everything is still there. The main thing is that we didn't take anything on board."
After hearing this, Zhu Fu Jingguang pointed to the laptop on the table and asked, "Mr. Suzuki, is the prescription of your glasses not suitable? This laptop is placed very close to the edge of the table, and the chair is also close to the table."
Suzuki Shiro shook his head in confusion. "No, although my eyesight is not good, I recently got a pair of new glasses, so the prescription is fine."
After hearing this, Zhu Fushiguri walked forward and opened the laptop on the table. "It seems that Kidd's companion is a person with poor eyesight. He has to put it so close to see the screen clearly. Moreover, it seems that his physique is thinner than Mr. Suzuki."
Hearing this, Jing Yayoi stepped forward, patted Zhu Fu Jing Guang and signaled him to move aside, "Let me do it. Even if Kidd's accomplices don't have time anymore, they won't leave particularly obvious traces. Leave it to me."
Zhu Fu Jingguang was stunned. Although he knew that He Jing Yayoi's network technology should be good, he didn't expect He Jing Yayoi to show it in front of Conan. He subconsciously glanced at Conan, but saw Conan turned his head away, pretending that he saw nothing.
Well, he is indeed a detective who has a good relationship with Kid. When faced with minor crimes, Conan will choose to turn a blind eye and pretend that he did not see anything.
Kazukage Yayoi tapped her fingertips briskly on the keyboard. "Hmm? It seems that Kidd's accomplice not only has poor eyesight, but also is not proficient in computers. He didn't even clean up the simplest event viewer. Is he an old man? Kidd is really too oppressive to the labor force."
"Let me see...what did he look at...the bidding documents for the Victory? Is Kidd interested in this?" He Jing Yayoi clicked on a 400-page exquisite PPT and browsed through it quickly.
After hearing the bidding documents, Shiro Suzuki suddenly realized something. He walked over and dragged the PPT to page 224. "I see. They probably want to check the safe escape routes on the ship. After all, a cruise ship is a prison on the sea. If you get caught, you need to know the route. You can start from this page for the specific escape route information, or I can tell you briefly."
Zhu Fu Jingguang didn't care about Kidd. He pointed at the computer and asked, "Then could you please tell me what the situation is with this security door?"
Shiro Suzuki explained: "Every 100 meters on the ship, there will be an automatic sensing emergency safety door. When it is closed, the space inside is completely sealed, mainly to prevent the spillover of fire and seawater. So whether it is fire or water, as long as it touches the sensor at about two-thirds of the height of the wall, these safety doors will close."
Zhu Fu Jingguang immediately remembered what he had just said to Jing Yasheng, that the Fire Spirit Cult was planning to burn all the people on the ship to death. He felt something was wrong and frowned and asked, "What if there are still people in this enclosed space?"
Suzuki Shiro hesitated for a moment and replied, "Excuse me, at a height of two-thirds, whether it's fire or water... I don't think anyone inside can survive. But it's not really completely impossible. The captain, first mate, second mate, room manager, entertainment manager, and chef on the ship can all open and close the safety door with their work cards."
Zhu Fu Jingguang pointed to the promotional page of the lifeboat and asked, "What about the lifeboat?" Since Chef Kikuchi's work card was in the hands of someone unknown, this safety door was probably useless. If a fire really broke out on the ship, whether the lifeboat could be used normally would be crucial.
Although Suzuki Shiro found it strange, he still answered honestly: "There are a total of 16 escape exits on the ship, and there are two lifeboats next to each exit. There are also two spare lifeboats at the stern. Each escape boat can carry 120 people, and the total can carry 3,840 people. There should be 3,176 people on the ship at present. Even if Kidd takes one boat away, there will be enough."
"Um?"
Kazukage Yayoi suddenly looked up and asked delicately, "There are 3,176 people on board now? Including those who have died?"
Suzuki Shiro was stunned by the question. He answered with a puzzled look on his face: "I mean the people who are still alive. If there is an accident, no one will risk their lives to bring the body onto the lifeboat, right? So... I don't need to... count... a seat for... the body, right?"
Hearing this, He Jing Yasheng narrowed his eyes, and a playful and sarcastic sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. Then he seemed to realize that something was wrong, lowered his eyes and regained his composure, and asked again: "Does this 3176 count the two deaths, plus Kidd and Kidd's accomplices?"
Suzuki Shiro nodded in confusion. "Including our family, we invited a total of 2271 guests. One died, so there are 2270 left. The number of staff reported by Captain Mori was 907. One died, so there are 906 left. As for Kidd, Room 1002 was recorded as having two guests from the beginning, so...is there any problem?"
"No, nothing... I'm worried that there won't be enough lifeboats... that's all." He Jing Yayoi said softly. Everyone present could tell that he was hiding something, but no one could tell what he was hiding.
Seeing the air suddenly freeze, Conan had to change the subject, "By the way, Uncle Suzuki. Since you know something about Chef Kikuchi, do you know anyone who has a bad or good relationship with Chef Kikuchi?"
Suzuki Shiro also changed the topic with high emotional intelligence. He shook his head and said, "I only know that he has a good relationship with Captain Mori, but not so good with Ms. Fumiyo."
"What's the reason for not being so good?"
Suzuki Shiro thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the details. Ms. Fumiyo and Chef Kikuchi were lovers before, and they were even discussing marriage. The restaurant owned by Ms. Fumiyo's father was Chef Kikuchi's former employer."
"Ms. Fumiyo's family has been famous chefs for generations, and her ancestor was a chef for the French royal family. Chef Kikuchi's family is mediocre, even very poor. Their story sounds like a fairy tale, two people in love who broke through the secular class."
"In fact, Chef Kikuchi worked very hard. He got up at six in the morning and went to bed in the early hours of the night. Unfortunately, his salary was too low and he could only barely make ends meet. He even lived in the restaurant for a long time. When he went on dates outside, it was Ms. Fumiyo who paid for them, so many people laughed at him for dating a rich woman."
"You have also met Ms. Fumiyo. She is very beautiful and rich. So she loves to have fun and often attends parties. Well... I don't mean that her private life is necessarily flawed, but the rumors about her are indeed not very good. And after the incident with Chef Kikuchi, she quickly married a noble and lived the life of a rich lady."
"As for Chef Kikuchi's matter, it all started when Mr. Ramsay, the owner of the Victory, publicly invited Chef Kikuchi to come aboard and become the sous chef of the banquet hall. The original chef was very old and would retire in two years, so Chef Kikuchi's path to promotion was obvious."
"The chef community was in an uproar at the time, and no one knew what was going on. So many news media went to interview Chef Kikuchi, and then everyone found out. Chef Kikuchi's average salary over the past five years was only $700 per month, and even the cleaners earned twice as much as him."
"Everyone denounced Ms. Fumiyo's father, believing that he was maliciously using the contract to exploit Chef Kikuchi's labor. After all, Chef Kikuchi's cooking skills were recognized by Mr. Ramsay, and his salary must be more than $700."
"Chef Kikuchi, with the help of Captain Mori, sued Ms. Fumiyo's father and broke off his engagement with Ms. Fumiyo."
"Chef Kikuchi later withdrew the lawsuit and started a new business. Unfortunately, even though he withdrew the lawsuit, because of the previous news, people harassed Ms. Fumiyo's father every day and the restaurant was forced to close."
"Ms. Wendai's father committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of the restaurant on the night the restaurant closed."
"Chef Kikuchi had just finished his six-month voyage, and he reportedly tried to attend the funeral, but was beaten out by the angry Ms. Fumiyo, who nearly broke his hand."
Mr. Suzuki sighed helplessly, "Although we outsiders don't know the specific situation. But I have also paid attention to this matter. The original contract was indeed suspected of contract fraud, and Chef Kikuchi did not lie."
"He was working as a chef, but his salary was still the same as when he started. No matter how good the restaurant business was, he didn't get any profit. If it weren't for his relationship with Ms. Wen Dai, he would have found another job long ago."
Hearing this, Conan nodded, "It sounds like they do have a lot of conflicts."
Zhu Fu Jingguang thought for a moment and asked, "What about the husband behind Ms. Wen Dai? She seemed to be attending the dinner alone."
This was obviously another story that Suzuki Shiro was reluctant to tell, but he still explained with a frown: "Her husband died soon after, and it was rumored that she was the one who did it. Because when her husband died, he was very young, less than 40 years old. And Ms. Fumiyo inherited all of her husband's property and became a wealthy woman overnight."
"But I don't think Ms. Wendai is such a person. I saw that she still carried a photo of her late husband with her. If she really did it, she wouldn't do this, would she?"
Kazukage Yayoi shrugged. "It's hard to say. Didn't Mrs. Tsuchiya attack Mr. Tsuchiya? It's just that someone killed Mr. Tsuchiya first. Who knows what's going on behind these loving couples?"
Suzuki Shiro felt that he was being scolded for no reason and was about to speak, so he looked at his wife for help. Suzuki Tomoko smiled and walked forward, "Why don't we go downstairs to find Mr. Maori first and call Ms. Fumiyo over to ask about the situation? What we said is just a rumor, it's not as clear as what Ms. Fumiyo said herself."
"That's right, let's meet up with Uncle Maori and the others first." Conan thought for a moment, "By the way, can we see the duty roster in the captain's room?"
Zhu Fu Jingguang frowned and looked at Conan, "Are you doubting the captain?"
"No... just in case..." Conan's face darkened. He had a bad feeling, but he didn't want it to come true.
Suzuki Tomoko looked at the black-faced trio and said weakly, "Then... I'll go take the photo?"
Zhu Fujingguang nodded, "Excuse me, it's best to take pictures from the beginning of the ship's departure. Please also take a picture of the captain's room... that light."
"OK"
So Suzuki Tomoko went to the captain's room, and the rest of the group returned to room 1005. Under Mr. Suzuki's crazy suggestion, Mr. Maori also thought that Ms. Fumiyo really needed to come over for a confrontation.
Captain Mori was very reluctant, but he finally agreed to this request. Soon, Ms. Wen Dai arrived at the scene, her face pale and her eyes dark.
As soon as she arrived, she turned her attention to Captain Mori and asked anxiously, "I heard that Kikuchi guy is dead?"
Captain Mori nodded and pointed at the rope on the ground. "This morning, a body was found hanging under Room 1003. We initially suspect that the deceased is Kikuchi."
"How, how could this happen?" Ms. Wendai staggered two steps and was supported by the quick-eyed and quick-handed Mao Lilan, who helped her sit on a chair.
"Ms. Fumiyo, I'm sorry to doubt you at this time, but can you provide proof of your alibi from 1 to 3 a.m. today?" Mr. Suzuki sighed, "I'm sure you're aware of the conflict between you two."
Ms. Fumiyo's face turned even paler when she heard this. She looked at everyone's expressions in disbelief: "Are you doubting me? No, although I hate Kikuchi very much, there is no need for me to kill him, right?"
Captain Mori hesitated to speak, and finally chose to turn his head and said nothing. The version Suzuki Shiro heard was too unfavorable to Ms. Fumiyo, and he had no intention of speaking.
In the silence, only Detective Maori asked in confusion: "So Ms. Bundai, what is the conflict between you?"
Ms. Fumiyo hesitated to speak, but finally spoke with difficulty under the pressure of everyone's gaze, but she told a story that was very different from what Mr. Suzuki told her: "You should have heard that Kikuchi had a contract dispute with his former employer. That former employer was my father's restaurant."
"Fifteen years ago, Kikuchi worked in my father's restaurant. He was just an apprentice at the time and I was the manager of the restaurant. Kikuchi is a very taciturn person, but I like taciturn people because my father is such a person. I think he is very practical and capable, and an excellent talent like my father. Soon, we became lovers."
"After they became lovers, my father took him in as his apprentice. He was very strict with him, but very attentive, and passed on all his experience to him. Although Kikuchi didn't talk much, he was very hardworking and smart. Soon his skills surpassed my father's, and he took over my father's position. At that time, there was an endless stream of customers, and the restaurant business was getting better and better, and even our wedding date was approaching."
"My father always said that I had good vision and found a good successor for the restaurant. He said that he would retire with peace of mind after we got married."
"But suddenly, the day before our engagement party, Kikuchi suddenly resigned. Then, newspapers all over the city were full of news about my father bullying Kikuchi. They also said that our family was committing contract fraud and exploiting Kikuchi's labor. I hurried to find Kikuchi to ask him, and wanted him to come forward to clarify. But he kicked me out... Later, Kikuchi sued us. I went to beg him, but he didn't see me. But he withdrew the lawsuit the next day, and then he went to the Victory Goddess and became a famous chef on it."
"But things didn't end with Kikuchi's departure. Every day, countless people came to the restaurant to cause trouble and throw dirty things at the restaurant. Even when I stayed at home, I would be hit on the head with stones. I didn't dare to accept gifts and phone calls, they were all threatening messages. My friends also received many pornographic pictures of me..."
Speaking of this, Ms. Wen Dai couldn't help but burst into tears, and her voice was choked with sobs.
"I don't understand... My father taught him cooking and taught him all the knowledge. Why would he do this to us? Yes, what the newspaper said was right. My father paid Kikuchi a very low salary because he always treated him as his own disciple. As a tradition in our family, the salary of a disciple is very low, because what the master teaches is a priceless treasure, and we should not ask the master for money."
"I know there may be misunderstandings, and maybe Kikuchi doesn't know about this. But I'm his girlfriend, so why hasn't he complained to me? Why didn't he tell me that he felt wronged, that his salary was too low, or that he was worried that my father didn't like him?"
Speaking of the sad things in the past, Ms. Fumiyo couldn't stop her tears from flowing out. "I... I hate Kikuchi, but I also know that it's not Kikuchi's fault that things have come to this. When I chose him, I knew that he had low emotional intelligence, couldn't speak, and was dull. My father was also this kind of person. He never expressed his satisfaction directly, and only saw the shortcomings of others..."
"Kikuchi has probably met more people over the years, and his emotional intelligence has improved. He can now say a few human words. From the way he looked at me yesterday, I could feel that he was very sorry. Unfortunately, he passed away before I could even hear an apology..."
Seeing that Ms. Wendai's makeup was about to be ruined by crying, Conan quickly handed her a handkerchief and comforted her: "Auntie, use my handkerchief to wipe your face. Your eyelashes are all gone because of crying."
Ms. Wen Dai was stunned for a moment after hearing this. She looked at everyone, then hurriedly opened her handbag and took out a small mirror to check her makeup. Seeing her false eyelashes falling off, she quickly took the handkerchief and wiped her tears repeatedly, then took out a foundation and started applying it, "Sorry, I scared you. Thank you, little friend."
She restored her makeup and her smiling mask. In an adult social setting, a lady is not allowed to cry for too long. Ms. Wendai knew that if other people with bad intentions knew about her behavior today, who knows what new rumors would emerge.
"I'll wash the handkerchief and return it to you, okay?" Ms. Wendai's voice was still a little hoarse, but her expression had returned to normal. She smiled awkwardly and carefully folded the handkerchief stained with foundation and mascara.
Conan gave a bright smile, "No need, I can wash it myself."
He took the handkerchief from Ms. Wen Dai and quietly retreated behind Zhu Fu Jingguang. He leaned closer and gently smelled the scent on the handkerchief. It was the scent of osmanthus.
Noticing Conan's actions, Morobushi Keimitsu's eyes met Conan's for a moment, and Conan shook his head slightly at him.
Ms. Wendai is not the murderer.
There was nothing herbal about her makeup.
Who is the murderer?
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