Chapter 19 Unidentified Corpse
On Friday evening, the Metropolitan Police Department received a call reporting that someone had died in the building that caught fire last week, and the body was first discovered by children playing nearby.
Date rushed Takagi to the crime scene without even having dinner.
"The deceased was male, approximately 60-65 years old, and based on the state of rigor mortis, he had likely been dead for two or three days. There were no identifying documents or items on his body, so..."
Before Takagi could finish speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by the boy behind him.
“I think the deceased was a homeless person!” Shinichi expertly put on white gloves and began examining the body. “The clothes were tattered, the shoes had toes sticking out, and the fingernails were full of mud, indicating very poor hygiene. Hmm? There’s a small bell here? It looks relatively new; checking where it was purchased might help identify the person. However, given that the deceased was homeless, the bell might have been found. The face was sallow and emaciated, clearly indicating long-term malnutrition. There were also festering wounds on the knees and elbows. They don’t look fresh; they’ve been there for some time…”
"Could it be that he died from an infected wound?" Takagi asked, following behind Shinichi.
“There are no other external injuries on the body. Maybe that’s the case, maybe not,” Shinichi pondered. “The deceased’s face was bluish, so it’s also possible that he died of poisoning.”
“That makes perfect sense! It seems we still need a forensic autopsy to determine the cause,” Takagi said, nodding repeatedly.
Date, who stood to the side without saying a word, was already used to this.
Ever since this young detective came into his sights, Shinichi has been involved in every case, big or small, for the past year.
Date liked Shinichi's cleverness and quick wit; this young detective often came up with unexpected new ideas to solve cases.
However, due to his youth and inexperience, the amount of help Shinichi provided to the police and the trouble he caused over the past year seems to be roughly equal.
So much so that in order to prevent this kid from interfering with law enforcement, Date had to send Takagi to keep an eye on him.
Over time, Takagi forgot whose subordinate he really was.
Date expressed considerable frustration with this.
For a 15-year-old boy, the issues his peers care about are nothing more than endless pimples, his crush, cool sneakers, and all sorts of competitions.
Shinichi, however, is more interested in cases and criminals.
Aside from his love of soccer, Date couldn't find any other typical traits in Shinichi.
"Could it be due to the influence of his mystery novelist father?"
However, according to Date, the Kudo couple raised their son rather loosely.
If it's due to genetic inheritance, that's too far-fetched.
Fortunately, Shinichi hasn't caused any major problems so far.
The best thing is to be safe and sound.
"Things will be alright in the future, right?" Ida thought to herself.
"What are your thoughts on this case, Officer Date?" Shinichi suddenly jumped in front of Date and asked. "Officer Date looks so serious. Don't you also think this isn't an ordinary death?"
"We'll discuss everything after the forensic examination is complete. Right now, we need to investigate the deceased's identity. It's getting late, Kudo-kun should go home for dinner."
"I can also help with identifying the deceased!" Shinichi volunteered.
"No need, let the police handle this." Ida firmly refused the other party's offer.
“Officer Ida, I believe this is a premeditated murder case, and it is closely related to the arson case last week. I hope you can investigate the two cases together!”
Ida frowned. "Fire incidents aren't our responsibility, and why do you think the two things are related? Wasn't the fire caused by workers smoking?"
"That's not it! I suspect someone deliberately set the fire to achieve some ulterior motive," Shinichi said in a low voice. "To investigate the truth behind the fire, I installed surveillance cameras in the building."
"What?!" Ida exclaimed in surprise. "Then you saw the criminal?"
Shinichi shook his head in distress and said, "No. I was just being cautious, thinking that if the arsonist came back, I could catch him."
"If someone really set the fire, they usually wouldn't return to the scene, right? Especially since a week has passed..."
“But I have a hunch he’ll come back, and I even filmed it,” Shinichi said smugly, showing Date the surveillance footage. “This footage was taken around 1 a.m. this morning. Although it only shows a shadow on the first-floor wall, you can tell that someone walked out, right?”
Ida asked, puzzled, "But why is there only footage of this person walking out? How did the deceased get in? And there's no way to prove this person is related to the case, is there? The surveillance cameras are on the first floor, but the body is on the second floor."
“The prisoner may have used a different entrance,” Shinichi replied. “Although we can’t be sure yet, I find this person very suspicious!”
“Well, even so, what was the perpetrator’s motive for committing the crime? If, as you say, he was just an ordinary homeless man, how could he have been murdered for no reason?” Date was confused by Shinichi. “Besides, I really can’t connect this case with the fire. Did the perpetrator deliberately set a fire just to build a grave for this homeless man?”
Shinichi was also completely baffled, but he had an extremely strong intuition:
The blond man driving the white RX-7 sports car is connected to this case. He's even nearby, lurking in the shadows, his murderous intent palpable.
"I will investigate this case thoroughly no matter what! Officer Date, can you help me? This case is very important to a friend of mine," Shinichi pleaded earnestly.
Date sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, I'll let you know when the forensic results are out. But Kudo, remember, don't act rashly. Tell me immediately if anything happens!"
"Yes! Thank you, Officer Date!" Shinichi replied enthusiastically.
Ida shook her head, feeling a headache coming on from the other person's boundless energy.
If the deceased was a homeless person, investigating their identity would not be easy.
Because homeless people generally have no social relationships: no family, no colleagues, no employers, no neighbors.
Perhaps there are a few close friends who are also homeless.
"But homeless people usually wander around in a certain area, right?"
So Shinichi decided to start his investigation by examining the nearby neighborhoods.
However, after asking from house to house for a long time, no one recognized this homeless old man.
"Couldn't it be a homeless person from the neighborhood? If it was murder, that's quite possible. But that expands the search area even further..."
After two busy days, he gained nothing, and on Monday he had to go back to school.
However, upon arriving at school, Shinichi was surprised to find that the case had already spread among his classmates.
Shinichi listened intently and heard people around him discussing whether the burning building was cursed: "They say that anyone who gets close to that building will have bad luck. Several reckless people went in and never came out! They all died inside!"
"Hey, that's ridiculous! There was only one dead person."
"It seems that the only person who came out of that building alive was a policeman, but he also became seriously ill as a result."
"Does this mean Officer Takagi had an upset stomach that night?"
"It seems some people have even seen ghosts inside! And at night it makes sounds like a baby crying..."
"Isn't that pure nonsense?"
To Shinichi's dismay, many people actually believed such outrageous nonsense. Some girls, in particular, were trembling with fear.
Shinichi couldn't help but shout, "There's no curse, no vengeful spirit! This is all a man-made crime!"
"How did you know it was done by someone, Kudo? Has the culprit been caught?" a classmate asked curiously.
Shinichi replied somewhat dejectedly, "Not yet. But only one person has died in that building; it's not as terrible as the rumors say!"
"So, someone really did die, right?"
Shinichi was speechless and argued, "But the cause of death has nothing to do with that building! Moreover, the deceased did not die inside the building, and the children playing nearby during the estimated time of death can prove that there was no body in the building."
"How did the corpse move? It must be some kind of ghost causing trouble after all!"
Upon hearing this, the students started discussing ghost stories again.
Shinichi shook his head helplessly and sighed, muttering to himself, "It's obvious the culprit moved the body. But what was their purpose?"
If it is unrelated to the arson case, then it can be explained as a way to dispose of the body and conceal traces.
But what if it's related to arson?
Shinichi still has no clue.
"Damn it! Did I make a mistake in my reasoning?"
The students were still making a racket, which Shinichi found annoying.
"Shinichi, are you alright? You look terrible!" Ran asked worriedly. "Could it be that cursed..."
"I already told you there's no curse!" Shinichi interrupted, somewhat angrily.
"But Shinichi's been acting really strange these past few days! Ever since the fire, Shinichi's become very, very..."
"How is it?"
"It's strange, and you're very stubborn." Xiaolan tried hard to find the right words. "You don't pay attention in class. Although you can answer all the questions and finish your homework, I know your mind isn't on the lesson at all. Sometimes you even mutter to yourself. You can't be found after school and on weekends. I don't know where you go. Shinichi used to be very focused when he encountered a case, but he's never been like this before. Are you really okay?"
"I'm fine, I'll catch the culprit soon."
Shinichi scratched his head and comforted her.
However, these words seemed to have no comforting effect. Ran left with a complicated expression, leaving Shinichi lost in thought: "Where exactly is that person?"
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