Chapter 3433 3445 [It’s Kidnapping]
On the ghost ship at Halloween, next to the bar.
Kogoro Mouri was completely unaware of the peeping from the side and was concentrating on talking to Jiang Xia.
In his pocket, the phone screen lit up and rang, but there was too much noise on the boat and the vampire suits were layered, so the middle-aged detective, who was concentrating on chatting with the bartender, didn't hear it.
Amidst the gloomy background noise, he muttered to Jiang Xia, "I didn't expect so many people would come. When I first received the invitation, I thought it was a prank against me, but now..."
Whether it was this expensive-looking cruise ship, the sheer number of people aboard, or the exquisite interior decoration, everything made Maori Kogoro wonder: Why would they mobilize so many people to target just him? ... That shouldn't be the case. Could it be, as the staff said, that this was a prank orchestrated by a colleague who disliked him?
Looking at the skull candlestick next to the bar, Kogoro Mouri touched his chin and began to take stock of who his bad friends were.
…
A few hours ago.
In the suburbs, the county's comprehensive park.
After receiving the text message, Suzuki Sonoko returned to the gymnasium curiously and peeked into the backstage of the contestants, trying to see which contestant had made Maori Ran so excited that she didn't even answer the phone.
I looked around but couldn't find it, but that's normal - after all, the competition is approaching, and many players won't wander around in the corridors, but go into the lounge.
Suzuki Sonoko then walked into the corridor as if nothing had happened, and passed by each room as if nothing had happened, glancing inside from time to time. However, until the end, she did not see Ran Mouri.
"Have they already finished signing and are heading to the tennis court?" Suzuki Sonoko scratched her head and muttered to herself, "That's right, how long does it take to sign autographs? Compared to signing autographs, taking a photo on the tennis court is obviously more meaningful."
She left the backstage and went to the crowded and noisy stadium.
…
Ai Haibara sat in the stands on the sidelines, shivering and trying hard to blend into the crowd.
Just then, she suddenly saw a familiar head.
"?" Haibara Ai stared at the chestnut head with a hairpin, watching Suzuki Sonoko running from outside the stadium into the stadium, then from the stadium to the court, and then from the court to the audience seats... She was looking around, not knowing what she was doing.
After going back and forth a few times, Huiyuan Ai finally couldn't help rubbing her dizzy eyes. When Suzuki Sonoko passed by her, she stretched out her hand to stop her: "What are you doing?"
"Oh my!" Suzuki Sonoko was startled by a small hand suddenly reaching out from her feet. She looked down and saw that it was a child she knew. She breathed a sigh of relief, "It's you. Why are you sitting here alone?"
Huiyuan Ai pointed to the court: "I didn't participate in the tennis match training. The main players in today's game are these three."
"Really?" Suzuki Sonoko was also tired from running, so she simply sat down next to her and planned to rest her legs.
She leaned her hands against the pergola and looked at the bustling venue. While continuing to look for people, she remembered something and asked the little girl beside her: "By the way, you should have been here all the time. Did you see Xiaolan?"
It was getting dark and the lights in the stadium came on.
Ai Huiyuan looked at the beams of light and felt a sudden jolt in her heart: "I didn't see it. Were you looking for her just now?"
"Yeah." Suzuki Sonoko grumbled dissatisfiedly, "We agreed to return the phone together, but when I went to the bathroom, Xiaolan met a celebrity player passing by and asked for his autograph."
Ai Haibara asked a few more questions in detail, and then fell into silence for a short time.
After a moment, she took a deep breath and said, "It shouldn't take that long to take a photo and sign autographs."
"Of course, if it's fast, it will only take a minute or two." Suzuki Sonoko thought she was just an ordinary child, so she patiently explained:
"However, Xiaolan met him by chance, so the process was probably very bumpy. For example, as soon as she arrived at the venue, the athlete was pulled away to do something else, and when he finished, the competition had already started. Xiaolan could only wait to get an autograph and take a photo with him."
"Also, it's possible they've already taken the photos but didn't bring their Polaroid cameras, so they had to rush to get them developed nearby and then bring them back to get the celebrity to sign.
"There's still a possibility..."
Or maybe, while they were taking photos and signing autographs, a murder suddenly happened in the lounge, and the contestant Xiaolan liked was unfortunately involved in it, so they had to rush around and couldn't get the autograph until the case was over...
"I'd better not say anything. Don't scare the kids." Suzuki Sonoko silently swallowed the possibility and muttered to herself, "And I didn't see any police cars or ambulances coming - it's a mess here, but there's no way I wouldn't notice these two big vehicles coming with sirens blaring."
"Speaking of which, if a murder really happened, Jiang Xia would probably be very happy. He would love to catch the murderer and redress the victim's innocence."
Just as she was daydreaming, a small hand beside her shook her.
Huiyuan Ai always felt that things were not so optimistic: "Since you can't find her, why not give her a call?"
Suzuki Sonoko: "Lan said the venue is a bit noisy, so it's best not to call her, just send her a message."
The corner of Huiyuan Ai's eye twitched slightly: "Don't you think that in this situation, most people should say 'If the call doesn't go through, send me a message' instead of 'Don't call'?"
"Huh?" Suzuki Sonoko was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it, she suddenly came to her senses, "Yes! Then why did Xiaolan..."
"Call her." Huiyuan Ai's face was solemn. "Don't act abnormal. Pretend that you only called because you couldn't find anyone."
Suzuki Sonoko saw her expression and couldn't help but panic. She took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and then, as the elementary school student had instructed, she called Mao Lilan.
Next to her, Haibara Ai watched this scene, quietly took out her cell phone, and clicked on a contact.
…
far away.
In a quiet abandoned factory.
Mao Lilan was dazed when she suddenly heard a familiar ringing sound. Her eyelashes moved and she opened her eyes with great effort. Then she found herself lying on the ground with her right arm numb.
"This is……"
After a while, Mao Lilan suddenly remembered what happened before she fainted. She moved her bound hands, sat up with great effort, looked around, and found herself locked in a gloomy and gray locker room.
Outside, behind a tightly closed door, a cell phone rang. At the same time, a panicked voice said, "Someone's calling. It's that Yuanzi!"
Mao Lilan: “?!”
She quickly held her breath, trying to hear clearly what was happening outside.
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