Chapter 510
Today, Kenji Hagiwara had a day off, so he came over to have dinner with Shinryu Kanakawa. He was on his way back with Shinryu Kanakawa when he saw a group of police cars surrounding the area. When he looked at the license plates, they looked familiar. Since they were from the same group, Kenji Hagiwara decided to get out of the car and ask them what was going on.
Police officers like Kenji Hagiwara don't really get a break even when they're on leave; they'll still be called upon when something happens.
Although Hanchuan Shenliu wasn't particularly interested, he respected his friend's habits and agreed to come along. Unexpectedly, he saw Edogawa Conan.
His interest was immediately piqued.
Especially when he saw the guy whose face turned ashen after seeing him, as if he had eaten something unclean, Hanchuan Shenliu felt that he looked familiar. After a moment's thought, he remembered.
"Ah, it's you."
Inspector Megure's gaze towards the suspect immediately changed: "You two know each other?"
Who would know Han Chuan Shenliu outside of his circle, and even be remembered by him?!
Inspector Megure had an answer in his mind.
Han Chuan Shenliu didn't keep anyone in suspense: "Well, he consulted me about what to do when a real estate company tries to forcibly acquire his shop..."
The suspect's heart cracked slightly.
Shouldn't such consultations be kept confidential from customers...? Why did you reveal it so easily?!
And what kind of reaction is this from the police? If they know each other, shouldn't they arrest Hanchuan Shenliu first?! Why are they starting to suspect him based on what Hanchuan Shenliu said?!
Others: "…………"
After a deathly silence, Professor Agasa broke it with a dry laugh: "Uh... what a coincidence, the deceased this time was the president of a real estate company..."
Han Chuan Shenliu seemed unconcerned: "I see."
Kenji Hagiwara asked in confusion, "Wasn't that business of yours already suspended?"
"Yes, this is a previous client, it's been quite a while."
Suspect: "..."
You recognized me right away after all this time! I look like an ordinary person, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?!
Kenji Hagiwara sighed: "Alright, sir..."
"Wait, wait a minute!" The suspect snapped out of his daze, realizing he could still be saved and couldn't just be carried away like this. "Although, although I did go for a consultation... actually I gave up halfway through!"
Inspector Megure squinted at him: "Give up what?"
Did you give up on killing him? Your presence at this time and in this situation, with that kind of scene inside, doesn't seem like it!
The suspect said firmly, "I was telling Mr. Hanchuan about the trouble I was in, and as I was talking, I realized that as long as I firmly refused, he wouldn't dare to do anything. I didn't need to be too afraid, so I left halfway through the conversation."
Actually, he was intimidated by Han Chuan Shenliu's gaze and couldn't continue speaking. He felt like he was about to wet his pants at any moment, so he could only nervously find an excuse to run away. Otherwise, if he really peed in someone's room, he was worried he would be killed...
Unexpectedly, this experience of giving up halfway can now be used to make up for it.
Hanchuan Shenliu nodded, agreeing with his statement: "That's true."
The suspect breathed a sigh of relief.
Sigh, although this can't completely clear his name of suspicion, he's already the only suspect, and there's a lot of suspicion against him. Explaining himself is better than nothing.
After all, consulting someone about how to commit murder is very different from consulting someone about how to get rid of a real estate developer.
Besides, as long as no evidence can be found...
Inspector Megure nodded, accepting the explanation, but he was clearly more suspicious of the suspect. However, out of concern that he might be reported for saying too much without evidence, he remained silent on certain details and turned to explain the situation to the two newcomers.
"Here's the thing, a murder has occurred here. This gentleman was the first to discover it. This is the crime scene. Let's talk as we walk."
Kenji Hagiwara and Shinryu Ayakawa followed Inspector Megure inside.
Inspector Megure looked at the suspect who was standing still and said, "Could you please demonstrate what happened?"
The suspect was reluctant to demonstrate, but dared not refuse, so he could only timidly agree: "Well, it's like this... when I came here, I was at this doorway, and I was searched by the bodyguards. They knew I didn't have a weapon on me. Then I waited in the entrance hall for a long time, but no one came out, so I went inside and saw that the bathroom dressing room door was open. I went in and found that he was already dead."
Hanchuan Shenliu followed behind all the way to the scene of the death, stroking his chin.
Inspector Megure explained, "Because the victim was holding the scissors invented by Professor Agasa, I thought they might have a recording function, so I asked Professor Agasa to come over..."
Suspect: "…………"
He'd never heard of such a thing! Why would a pair of scissors need a recording function?!
“Recording function…” Han Chuan Shenliu sighed. “Basically, I recommend that everyone who comes to me for advice buy a voice recorder to keep on hand, so they can record any slips of the tongue by their enemies at any time… But voice recorders are sometimes quite conspicuous, so some are made in other shapes, which may help to lower the other party’s guard.”
Conan Edogawa immediately chimed in, "Professor Agasa thinks the same way, right, Professor Agasa?"
"Huh? Yes, yes." Professor Agasa, who was suddenly called upon, cooperated perfectly with Conan Edogawa.
Kenji Hagiwara carefully observed the surroundings: "There's water in the pool?"
Inspector Megure nodded: "Yes, the tap was even running at the time."
"Hmm." Hanchuan Shenliu suddenly pondered, "This scene seems somewhat familiar."
Everyone immediately looked at Han Chuan Shenliu.
Inspector Megure was a little suspicious: "Could it be that someone overheard you casually mentioning some murder plot?"
“Inspector, I don’t think so. When Shinryu talks about these kinds of topics, he always chooses a time when there are no outsiders around.” Kenji Hagiwara tried to defend Shinryu. “Besides, he’s not so easy to manipulate. The fact that the bomb he designed was used was really an accident. Please don’t be prejudiced.”
Conan Edogawa: "…………"
So aren't you going to refute his casual remarks about murder plans?!
Sigh, never mind, he's Mr. Hanchuan after all!
However, what Mr. Hanchuan said sounds familiar, could it be...?
“It has nothing to do with me.” Han Chuan Shenliu pressed his temples. “It’s a case from seventeen years ago. There was an unturned faucet, scissors, and shards of glass at the scene.”
Inspector Megure was inexplicably moved: "So you still look at old case files. I thought you just dealt with whatever came up and never looked at those old files..."
"It's an American case, quite a big one, and it's been unsolved for a long time. I only paid a little attention to it because of some personal reasons."
Mumu Police Department: "..."
Conan Edogawa thought warily and suspiciously: The case from seventeen years ago can be confirmed as the Haneda Koji case, but... what is the reason that Mr. Haneda mentioned for "personal reasons"?
Could it be related to the organization...?
Kenji Hagiwara asked, "So, these two cases, with these elements overlapping, can't be a coincidence, right?"
"It's all for the same reason," said Shinryu Suzumikawa. "Professor Agasa should know, right? If you cut glass while it's submerged in water, the result will be different..."
"Ah!" Professor Agasa, reminded of the situation, readily took over the explanation, "Yes, if you cut it in the air, the glass will shatter instantly, making precise cutting impossible. But if you cut it in water, the water molecules will embrittle the glass structure, making it much easier..."
Kenji Hagiwara understood: "The victim wanted to cut off the letters on the glass... Check what letters are on the glass at the scene, that should be the code left by the deceased."
The suspect was pale.
This...this...
It's okay, a code is just a code. Dead people can't talk. As long as there's no evidence, he can just claim that the police made random identifications to solve the case.
So many people escape the law, why can't he be included?
The forensic team quickly brought over the data from the on-site investigation.
Kenji Hagiwara glanced at it: "The glass is printed with FUSAE BRAND. Apart from the fragments found at the scene, the missing letters spell SENBA... It was probably washed away by the water, probably because they were afraid of being too obvious and being discovered by the murderer."
Senba, the pronunciation of the suspect's surname, was trembling slightly. To cover it up, he quickly leaned against the wall and explained, "I... I was just discharged from the hospital after a car accident, and my foot is still injured, so I'm a little unsteady on my feet."
Kenji Hagiwara noticed some details: "Speaking of which, your clothes are a bit messy, like you just threw them on in a hurry. Is it really necessary to be in such a rush when visiting someone's home? Besides, didn't you wait at the door for a long time? Wasn't that enough time for you to tidy up your clothes?"
Suspect: "This...this..."
Han Chuan Shenliu said calmly, "Maybe they're too busy. If they don't want their clothes to get blood on them, taking them off is the easiest way. They can just go to the bathroom next door to wash up and then put their clothes back on... Has the bloodstain been checked in the bathroom?"
The forensic investigators, as if called upon by their superiors, snapped to attention, almost saluting: "Report! No! Because it looks very clean!"
Suspect: "..."
Can you please stop being such a sycophant to a crime consultant? Even though I killed someone, I used to pay taxes. Your behavior makes me feel like I might as well have evaded those taxes...
Inspector Megure immediately said, "Go get it tested. If it's clean, it might have been treated!"
"yes!"
"...No need to test it, I did it."
The suspect gave up trying to argue his case.
He could tell from Han Chuan Shenliu's unwavering tone that his struggles were pointless, and that the other party had already seen through everything.
Since we've already mentioned the bathroom, it's obvious that even though he washed off the blood, a blood test could still detect a significant amount of blood splattered from the murder...
After all, although his bottom line had reached the point of murder, it wasn't to the point of running naked in front of the victim just to kill. He was wearing his underwear when he killed the victim, and there was some blood on it. He didn't wash it; he just washed himself until he could wear clothes and it wouldn't be noticeable.
Han Chuan Shenliu is unwilling to say this directly, perhaps because he thinks that going into detail would be too low-class, which is why he is beating around the bush.
But when the topic of Hanchuan Shenliu came up, the suspect couldn't hold back any longer: "I admit to killing him, but aren't you going to consider arresting him? He's a notorious crime consultant; he's provided crime plans to countless people!"
Inspector Megure sighed, "You're not the first person to have this kind of misunderstanding... No, Kanakawa-kun was simply providing some legal advice. He's actually an advisor to our Metropolitan Police Department. The one who was planning the crimes was another advisor, and he's already been arrested."
Suspect: "…………"
No, look at his demeanor. He says he only provides legal advice, but do you believe him?!
They even invited him to be an advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department! Why don't you invite Kaito Kid into the Emperor's Treasury? At least Kaito Kid might return the items!
The suspect hesitated, but then saw Inspector Megure patting Shinryu's shoulder with a trusting look, saying something like, "Thank you for your help again this time..."
Well, the Japanese police force is hopeless. No wonder their detective work is booming!
The dejected suspect was taken away by the police, while Conan Edogawa stayed behind a little later, taking the opportunity to ask Shinryu Samakawa about the situation.
"Mr. Hanchuan, since the case from seventeen years ago follows the same principle as this one, shouldn't we be able to identify the culprit by deciphering the code? Has Mr. Hanchuan cracked that code?"
Conan Edogawa already had a guess in his mind.
He pieced together the information from the scene seventeen years ago in his mind and found that the missing letters could be combined to form the names Asaka and Rum, the bodyguards who were taken there by another victim from that year but whose whereabouts are unknown and who were therefore listed as suspects.
...Could it be that Asaka is Rum?
Conan Edogawa really wants to compare answers with Shinryu Sakkawa.
Then he heard Hanchuan Shenliu answer absentmindedly.
"The code... it's Karasuma Ren."
Conan Edogawa: "Huh?"
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