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Chapter 202: The Fishing Line Trick
Inspector Megure ignored the daily bickering of the estranged couple, straightened his expression, and began questioning them about the case.
"The deceased is Kenji Otsuka, 38 years old, president of a trading company," Takagi Wataru reported while writing in his notebook. "Cause of death is a stab wound to the heart with a sharp object. Instant death. The weapon is a steak knife commonly used in the restaurant."
"Inspector," Takagi continued, "the scene is a complete locked room. The door was locked from the inside, and there are no other exits. Furthermore, according to the restaurant staff, no one entered the restroom after Mr. Otsuka went in."
Inspector Megure rubbed his chin, his brow furrowed. "Suicide?"
"Impossible!" Mori Kogoro immediately retorted, pointing at the corpse. "Look at the angle! And there are no fingerprints on the handle—the killer obviously wore gloves! Besides, this guy was just discussing divorce litigation with Eri. His head was full of ways to make his wife leave the marriage with nothing. How could a greedy man like that commit suicide?"
Just then, the restaurant doors burst open again. A woman in a plain dress, her makeup running, stumbled in.
"Kenji! Where is Kenji?" The woman's face was streaked with tears, her expression frantic.
"It's Mr. Otsuka's wife, Mrs. Asami Otsuka," Takagi immediately stepped forward to stop her. "Ma'am, please calm down. We are still collecting evidence."
Hearing the news of her husband's death, Asami Otsuka went limp and collapsed to the floor, wailing. "How could this happen... He was fine when he left this morning..."
In the crowd, a young male waiter holding a tray tightened his grip, his knuckles turning white. His gaze was glued to Asami Otsuka, a complex mix of emotions flashing in his eyes.
Pain, adoration, and... satisfaction?
These subtle changes did not escape Blake's eyes.
"Interesting." Blake cut a small piece of dessert and put it in his mouth.
The waiter's breathing was erratic. Although he tried hard to hide it, the unique aura of excitement and fear that comes after killing someone was as conspicuous as a torch in the night to Blake's Observation Haki.
Conan was hiding under a table, using his small size to weave through the crowd. He noticed the young waiter's anomaly. The man was staring at Mrs. Otsuka with a gaze that was far too intense.
"Hey, Big Brother," Conan ran up to the waiter, tilted his head, and asked in a sweet, sugary voice, "Can I have a glass of water? I'm so thirsty."
The waiter was startled, nearly dropping his tray. "Ah... O-Okay, little boy, just a moment." He turned flusteredly to get water.
Conan stared at his back, a flash of white light reflecting off his glasses.
"Inspector Megure!" Mori Kogoro suddenly shouted, pointing at the weeping Asami Otsuka. "The murderer is definitely you! You were dissatisfied because your husband wanted you to leave with nothing in the divorce, so you followed him and killed him while he was in the restroom!"
Silence filled the room.
Kisaki Eri rubbed her forehead with a look that said, I don't know this idiot.
"Detective Mori," Inspector Megure looked at him speechlessly. "Didn't we just say this was a locked room? And Mrs. Otsuka only arrived after the crime occurred."
"This..." Kogoro was at a loss for words, then tried to force a save. "Then it was a contract killing! Maybe the killer is still hiding in the restaurant!"
Inspector Megure looked at Mori Kogoro with resignation. This brother's "process of elimination" method was famous in the police department. Usually, the first suspect he identified was guaranteed to be innocent. However, his last statement wasn't wrong—the killer must still be in the restaurant.
Megure's gaze swept over everyone present. Diners, waiters, chefs. Less than twenty people in total. Everyone looked at each other, the atmosphere growing heavy.
"Hmph, simple!" Mori Kogoro adjusted his tie and pointed confidently at the young male waiter who had kept his head down. "Hey, you, the one with the tray! You were closest to the restroom just now, and you look panicked. You must have done it!"
The named waiter trembled violently, the tray in his hand nearly slipping again. His face was pale, lips quivering. "No... It wasn't me! I was just delivering water..."
"Delivering water? I think you were delivering death!" Mori Kogoro pressed forward, spittle flying. "How did you do it? Sneak in when no one was around, stab the victim, and then..."
At this point, Kogoro suddenly froze. He scratched his head, his expression stiffening. "And then... what about the locked room?"
Kisaki Eri sneered from the side, pushing up her glasses. "Accusing people without even figuring out the modus operandi—is this the style of a famous detective?"
"Shut up!" Kogoro shouted in embarrassment and anger. "It must be some trick! Or a spare key!"
Just then, a tender, childish voice cut in.
"Ah-le-le? That's strange!"
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn. Conan was squatting by the restroom door, holding a roll of transparent stuff, waving it under the light.
"Police officer uncle, look what this is!"
Inspector Megure walked over quickly and took the item from Conan's hand. "This is... fishing line?"
It was a segment of extremely thin, transparent fishing line, with cut marks at both ends. If one didn't look closely, it was impossible to spot.
"Where did you find this?" Megure asked urgently.
Conan pointed to the slide bolt on the inside of the bathroom door. "Right on that latch! It's very short, but it was definitely wrapped around it! And..." Conan pointed to a faint groove on the top of the door frame. "There are strange marks on the door frame too, like it was rubbed by a string."
Inspector Megure was a veteran detective; looking at these two things, a light bulb went off in his head. He held the transparent fishing line, examining it repeatedly against the light.
"Fishing line?" He looked back at the door lock; the broken latch was still hanging on the frame. "What can this do? Even if it's wrapped around the latch, a person outside can't turn the lock inside, right?"
Mori Kogoro leaned in, looking dismissive. "Inspector, in my opinion, Otsuka brought it in himself. Maybe he wanted to go fishing in the toilet? Ha, just kidding."
Kisaki Eri glanced at him coldly. "If you poured the water out of your brain, you probably could raise fish in there."
Just as Kogoro was about to explode, he felt a tug on his pant leg. Conan looked up, pointing at the faint mark above the door frame.
"Hey, Uncle, look here. If you fold the fishing line into two strands, loop it around the lock's knob, and then pull both ends out through the gap at the top of the door..."
Conan gestured while guiding everyone's train of thought with his innocent voice. "If you pull hard, the knob inside will turn and lock. Then, you just let go of one end and pull the line back out. The secret room is complete!"
Inspector Megure's eyes lit up. He walked to the door and simulated the motion according to Conan's description. Although he didn't physically do it, theoretically, it was completely feasible!
"I see! This is the trick to the locked room!" Megure turned around abruptly, his gaze burning as he scanned everyone present. "Since the trick is cracked, the killer must be here! Who had this kind of fishing line on them just now?"
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