Chapter 052 Birthday Party (End)
After Dong Yetao finished speaking, the whole audience fell silent again.
He glanced at Inspector Megure and said, "Let's all gather on the first floor, and you police officers go search. With so many deaths in such a short period of time, there must be traces left."
Inspector Megure nodded: "Okay. Then please cooperate."
The third brother, Higashino Teru, disagreed, "Don't you know how many valuables we have at home? How can you let anyone search it?"
After hearing this, Dong Yetao couldn't help but roll his eyes.
The expressions of the policemen around him all turned unhappy, and Higashino Teru almost said directly that he was afraid that they would steal things!
Maori Kogoro said angrily: "What did you say?!"
Officer Megure stopped him and said seriously, "As police officers, we will never steal other people's belongings. As long as it is not evidence related to the case, we will never take it!"
Higashino Teru wanted to say something else but was stopped by his mother's look.
At this time, the old housekeeper stepped forward and said, "How about this, I'll go with the police officer. After all, I'm very familiar with everything in the house. If you have any questions, you can ask me."
Inspector Megure agreed and asked the old butler to go with Takagi Wataru and others to search, while everyone else stayed on the first floor.
Since they are not from the Higashino family, they have no psychological pressure at all. They just keep a bystander mentality and communicate with their eyes.
The group's executives secretly wiped their sweat. They hadn't expected Dong Yetao to step up and take charge, even declaring, "There are plenty of people who could inherit the group." Now that they thought about it, it made sense. Even if the eldest son couldn't be saved, there was still him. Back when the two of them were vying for power, Dong Yetao hadn't fallen for it. It was just that, for some unknown reason, he suddenly lost. Later, he single-handedly founded the Xinhe Group, and its growth to its current size in just a few years was a testament to his strength. No one on the board would object to him taking over the group.
The most nervous were those who worked in the house. They weren't feeling guilty, though; they were more worried about their own future. The head of the family had died, the eldest son was in imminent danger, and the third son was in dire straits. What if no one could hold the family together and the family fell apart? What would they do?
In the Higashino family, except for the eldest wife and Higashino Tao, who always had a bad expression, everyone else was worried about the safety of the eldest brother.
Higashino Hanasaki leaned against her mother's arms, tears streaming down her face, sobbing occasionally. Her uncle, Hanasaki Hiko, held them both in his arms for comfort, leaving her second uncle, Higashino Lang, feeling a bit lonely. But since Higashino Lang wouldn't hold her, he could only hug himself, his brows furrowed in thought.
However, they were not within Edogawa Conan's observation range. His main focus was on Higashino Natsue and her son.
Dong Yexi had told him before that the key word in this case was "interest".
Initially, after the patriarch's death, his wife, Tono Natsue, should have been the biggest beneficiary. However, the estate was divided between marital and personal assets, and he didn't believe Tono Hai hadn't obtained a pre-nuptial financial settlement before Tono Natsue married. A few years after the marriage, Tono Hai stepped down as chairman of the board, but he received no salary, only dividends. Since these shares were pre-nuptial assets, Tono Natsue could only receive his salary from the years he served as president after the marriage, along with some other assets. Compared to the Tono family's wealth, this amount was probably not even a drop in the bucket.
The biggest beneficiary at this time became the eldest son Dong Ye Xu.
But he didn't need to kill his father because he was already the leader of the group and he probably had more than his father.
Therefore, the main suspects in the first case are everyone except Dong Yexu.
Later, the eldest son, Higashino Xu, was attacked and Higashino Xi was almost shot. If the two of them died, all the benefits would be transferred to the third son, Higashino Teru.
However, this may also be planned by Higashino Hiroshi, who wants to make himself a victim and get rid of suspicion.
So Edogawa Conan only believed 60% of what Higashino Ki said at the time.
But by the time he saw Kawatani Yasushi's "suicide note", he had already identified the murderer.
Regardless of whether the contents of the "suicide note" were true or false, it was clearly intended to smear Dong Yetao. Because of his outstanding abilities, if the group faced a crisis, the board of directors would definitely nominate him as president.
Conan Edogawa held his chin in thought: Now all we need is evidence, evidence that can point directly to the murderer!
He turned and went to the scene of Kawatani Yasushi's death, searching for clues in the flower bed, and Yuiichi Hatori accompanied him.
And Toru Amuro hid aside and replied to the message.
First, I replied to Rum and told him the reason for the mission failure, asking him not to vent his anger on others.
Then, he clicked on the information about the Tono family that Yuya Kazami had sent him and read it carefully. He skipped over the others and focused on the information about Tono Natsue, Tono Teru, and Kawatani Yasushi.
Kawatani Yasushi was indeed dumped by his lover, as stated in the suicide note, but it is not certain whether this person is Tono To's mother. Therefore, the contents of the suicide note are questionable.
Higashino Natsue's story is quite remarkable. She came from a modest family, her parents favoring their son over her eldest daughter. She earned money working part-time and barely finished vocational high school. After graduation, she didn't choose a related career, but instead became a hostess in a brothel.
By chance, she had the opportunity to get close to Dong Ye Hai. She disguised herself as a female college student and successfully attracted Dong Ye Hai's attention with her acting skills. After several meetings, she became Dong Ye Hai's mistress.
Later, she unexpectedly became pregnant, and Dong Yehai doted on her even more. Even after his wife found out, he was still reluctant to break up.
However, according to the time of her pregnancy, she had not yet left the brothel, so this child... she didn't know whose father it was, but she was sure that it was not Dong Ye Hai's.
Because her appearance in the adult entertainment industry was completely different from her appearance in front of Dong Yehai, her experience was never exposed. Even when Dong Yehai asked someone to investigate her, they couldn't find anything. As for her university identity... she didn't reveal which university she attended. There are many fake universities whose diplomas can be bought.
Seeing this, Toru Amuro said: ...I feel a little bit like this is a waste of talent.
As for Higashino Teru, he was a complete idiot. The investigation revealed that he probably didn't know his own background.
From this perspective, Dongye Xiajiang's motive for murder is very strong.
Her son is not from the Tono family. If it is exposed, he will definitely not have the right of inheritance, and it will also cause a series of problems.
As for why I chose to take action today, perhaps it was because...
In the past, Dongye Lang had children from time to time, and the frequent paternity tests were very troublesome for the Dongye family. So the old head of the family, who had long since passed away, decided that every child in the family would go to a hospital under the group to preserve their genes after adulthood to avoid the trouble of paternity tests in the future.
Toru Amuro:......
After tomorrow, Higashino Teru will go to the hospital. When the genome is compared, if it is found that he is not Higashino's child, then it will be a serious matter.
So she had no choice but to kill Dong Ye Hai, and also intended to kill her eldest son and second son at the same time. And Kawatani Yasushi was her tool.
But man proposes, God disposes, and now the plan is only half completed. So, she can only find a way to get herself out of the situation and kill the witness to silence him.
After confirming the direction, Toru Amuro went directly to Higashino Natsue's room to look for clues.
Conan Edogawa was digging in the flower bed when he found a small pearl. He immediately picked it up, put it on his handkerchief, and continued looking.
After a while, Hatori Yui handed him another one: "Are you looking for this?"
"Yes!" Edogawa Conan took it happily.
"Is this from her lace gloves?" asked Hatori Yuiichi.
Edogawa Conan nodded: "That's right. It should have been pulled off by Kawatani Yasushi when he was struggling." He turned his head to look at the main entrance, "But how did she avoid everyone's sight and walk from the room to here?"
"There are a lot of bushes outside, so it's easy for her to hide if she wants to," Hatori Yui said. "The question is, how did she complete the series of actions of 'going out', 'killing', and 'returning' in such a short time?"
"Yeah." This is also what Edogawa Conan is confused about.
The two of them walked around the outer wall of the house, and not far away, they saw the outdoor venue for the banquet.
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Hatori Yui's mind. He said, "I know where she came from!"
"Where?" Edogawa Conan looked up at him.
Hatori Yui led him directly to the supply station and pointed at the boxes stacked up in a staircase shape. He said, "Look, the boxes here are piled so high that you can climb down directly from the second-floor window!"
Edogawa Conan immediately ran over, first tested the box's load-bearing capacity, confirmed it could support him, and then climbed up. When he reached the highest point, his height was still a little far from the second-floor window sill, but with Tono Natsue's height, he could definitely climb up and down.
At that moment, the window suddenly opened, and Amuro Toru leaned half of his body out from inside. When he saw Conan under the window, he was also stunned, then smiled and said: "The last piece of the puzzle is put together."
Edogawa Conan also smiled: "She can't escape!"
They returned to the first floor lobby, and at that moment, Maori Kogoro also returned to the first floor. Edogawa Conan shot an anesthetic needle into the back of his neck, and he immediately turned around and staggered to sit on the sofa beside him.
Seeing his appearance, Inspector Megure said in surprise: "Brother Maori, could it be that you..."
Edogawa Conan hid behind the sofa, tuned into his voice, and said, "Yes, I already know who the criminal is!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Ahem. First of all, the person who killed Tono Kai and attacked Tono Xu and Tono Xi was Kawatani Yasushi."
Higashino Teru: "Tsk, isn't this something that's obvious at a glance? Do you want me to tell you?"
"Shut up!" Dong Yetao glared at him coldly, and he immediately pursed his lips and lowered his head.
"Since everyone agrees on this case, I'll continue," said Maori Kogoro. "Kawatani Yasushi was instructed by someone else to commit murder. This person not only orchestrated the entire case, but also killed Kawatani Yasushi to silence him when he was about to be exposed."
"According to what you said, this person must be someone closely related to the Tono family, otherwise he wouldn't be able to contact Kawatani Yasushi." Inspector Megure asked, "Then who is this person?"
After hearing this, Dong Yezhao immediately shouted excitedly: "What do you mean? Do you suspect that I am the murderer?"
"Master Dongye, please calm down. I didn't say you were the murderer." "Mouri Kogoro" said, "In fact, you can't be the murderer."
Higashino Teru relaxed and said with a smile, "Of course!"
Maori Kogoro added: "Because this plan is so interconnected and so vicious, it's not something an ordinary person could come up with."
Higashino Teru's smile suddenly froze on his face.
Is the implication of this statement that he is stupid?
He wanted to retort, but Dong Yetao stuffed an apple into his mouth and threatened him, "If you interrupt the detective again, I will break your legs!" He could only bite the apple silently and shut up.
"Mouri Kogoro" continued, "In fact, what I said is very clear. Not only is he a smart person who can come up with a series of murder plans, but he also knows Kawatani Yasushi and can make him willingly be used as a pawn. There is only one person in this family who meets the requirements. That person is you - the wife of the head of the family, Higashino Natsue!"
Everyone present was stunned, their eyes all focused on her. But except for Higashino Teru, the rest of the Higashino family weren't surprised at all.
Higashino Natsue said in panic, "Mr. Maori, are you mistaken? How could I possibly kill my husband? Besides, the two conditions you mentioned are also met by other family members. After all, my second uncle and fourth uncle have only been away from home for a few years and have known Kawatani Yasushi longer than I have!"
"Just because you've known him for a long time doesn't mean you can order him around. As the wife of the head of the family, your status in the hearts of the employees must be different." "Mouri Kogoro" said.
"Well, even if I can order Kawatani Yasushi around, why should I kill my own husband?" Higashino Natsue asked back.
"Mouri Kogoro" said: "Of course it's for the right of inheritance."
"What you said is irrational," Dongye Xiajiang said. "The group was inherited by Axu a long time ago. Azhao wouldn't compete with his eldest brother for it. You think all wealthy families have to fight? Well, let's think about this darkly: Azhao is my husband's favorite child. Only if he's alive can we enjoy everything we have now, right? So how could I possibly kill him? I wish he would live a hundred years! The longer he lives, the better it will be for us mother and son!"
The people around looked at each other, feeling that what she said made sense. The younger son could no longer compete with the eldest son, and could only rely on his father's favor to share the benefits. There was no way he would give up this support.
"Mouri Kogoro" said: "You are right. But the premise of all this is that your son is really the child of the Tono family."
Everyone:!!!
Dongye Xiajiang's face turned pale in an instant: "W-What do you mean?" She scolded harshly, "How can you say such a thing! This is a slander against us mother and son!"
Higashino Teruya angrily took the apple out of his mouth, pointed at Mouri Kogoro and said angrily: "What kind of crappy detective are you? You rely on nonsense to reason? I, I'm going to find a lawyer to sue you!" As he said that, he picked up the fruit plate beside him and was about to smash it on Mouri Kogoro's head.
Ran Mouri and Eri Kisaki, who had not left yet, immediately stood in front of him.
Mao Lilan slapped the fruit plate away with a palm, clenched her fists and stared at Higashino Teru. If he took another step forward, she would attack.
And Hibiki Eiri said, "If you need a reputation defense, you can come to me, but the prerequisite is that my husband's words are all lies." The corners of her mouth rose slightly, "However, as a detective, what he says must be true! Right, dear?"
Edogawa Conan almost choked on his own saliva. He could only cough twice and said, "Madam is right. Every word I said is true. This is not a reasonable guess, but the truth." He said in a deep voice, "Children of the Tono family must go to the hospital to enter their genetic information after they reach adulthood. Tono Teru will also go after his birthday. Whether he is the biological child of the Tono family or not can be known through a test."
Cold sweat broke out on Dongye Xiajiang's forehead.
"Gene comparison takes a long time, so we can discuss this later." "Mouri Kogoro" continued, "Let's talk about your overall plan."
"Your original plan was to have Kawatani Yasushi kill the head of the family before seven o'clock, and then find an opportunity to kill the eldest and second young masters while waiting for the police to arrive. But you didn't expect so many police officers to be present at the banquet today. You had no choice but to temporarily change your plan.
"You had Kawatani Yasushi take advantage of the young master being alone and kill again. He first tied a rope outside the windowsill, made it look like he'd killed someone, and then slid down from the third floor to the garden, diverting the police's attention outdoors. In reality, he jumped directly to the second-floor balcony, changed his clothes, and then reappeared as the security captain.
"But unexpectedly, another accident happened along the way. The murder scene was witnessed by someone, and not only did the eldest son survive, but the second son was also unharmed. Even though Conan and the others didn't see the murderer's face, Kawatani Yasushi didn't dare to gamble, so he could only escape as planned and hide for the time being.
"Now, your plan has completely failed.
"Afterwards, the entire Higashino residence was under martial law, and Kawatani Yasushi couldn't escape. He could only ask you for help. And you, tell him that you have a way for him to escape, and have him hide at the gate and wait for you.
"When no one was paying attention, you went to a room on the second floor and used the boxes piled high outside to quickly reach the front door. Then, taking advantage of Kawatani Yasu's unpreparedness, you killed him, disguised it as a suicide by shooting himself, and placed the 'suicide note' you had prepared on him."
After he finished speaking, Dongye Xiajiang couldn't help but applaud: "Excellent, really wonderful. If I hadn't done it myself, I would have believed it myself."
"It's no use denying it." "Mouri Kogoro" didn't want to waste any more words and said directly, "There's already enough evidence left at the scene. First, on the window frame of that room, there are fibers left by your lace gloves, which must have been hooked off. Second, in the flower bed where Kawatani Yasu died, there are pearls that fell from your gloves, which must have been torn off by Kawatani before he died."
Dongye Xiajiang was stunned and immediately said, "That doesn't mean anything! Lace can be caught anywhere, even on the maid's clothes! The pearls on the gloves may have fallen off when we found the body. I have no idea!"
Seeing that she was still resisting, Amuro Toru couldn't help but sigh, stepped forward and said, "Then, can you show us the pair of gloves in your hand?"
Dongye Xiajiang subconsciously clenched his hands.
Amuro Toru: "This shouldn't be the original pair, right? The original gloves were stained with blood and you threw them away. The ones you have now should be the perfect pair, without any scratches or pearls falling off."
"Doesn't this mean..." Dongye Xiajiang wanted to defend himself again.
Amuro Toru interrupted, "Madam, is your skirt a little long today?"
Dongye Xiajiang was stunned. She looked down at her dark blue fishtail skirt and suddenly her pupils shrank.
"There's blood on your skirt."
I saw that there was a small dark spot on the edge of the longer skirt at the back. Compared with the color of the fabric, it was invisible without a close look.
Amuro stared at her. "You probably didn't get close to Kawatani Yasushi's body just now, so how did you get these bloodstains? Also, when you climbed back through the window, you got some blood on the windowsill. How did Kawatani Yasushi's blood, who died at the gate, get to the windowsill on the second floor behind?"
The blood color on Dongye Xiajiang's face disappeared instantly.
Seeing this, Officer Megure took out handcuffs and handcuffed her hands: "Come with us, Mrs. Higashino."
At this time, Dong Yexi, who was racing against time with death, finally received the notification that he had successfully escaped the threat of death.
The corners of his mouth, hidden by the mask, curled up slightly.
He knew that Conan and the others could definitely do it!
Now, his anxious heart finally settled down halfway. The remaining half was all on his eldest brother!
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