Chapter 100: The Cold-Blooded Wealthy Family
Conan lay listlessly in the corridor, feeling utterly miserable.
The humiliated detective had never been so disgraced.
Tears welled in his eyes, but were immediately wiped away by the resilient elementary schooler.
Even the great strategist Han Xin endured the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs.
As long as one's heart remains steadfast, these things are nothing.
Fortunately, Natsukawa didn't know what Conan was thinking. Otherwise, he would have reminded him that Han Xin suffered greatly in the end, unable to prevail against anyone.
"He's dead!" Mouri Kogoro said gravely, withdrawing his hand after checking for a pulse.
"Did anyone else enter?" he asked Butler Suzuki, who was still slumped in the corridor.
"N-no. Is the master really dead?"
Natsukawa looked at him strangely. "Didn't you say he was dead first?"
The butler choked, unsure how to respond.
After a moment, he stood up. "Should I call the police?"
Conan had just told him to call the police, so he could only leave quickly to cover his embarrassment.
"Go ahead." Natsukawa's eyes narrowed as he watched the man stand and depart.
"The key was on the outside. It should have been locked from the inside. The butler opened the door with his key."
Natsukawa fiddled with the key several times using a handkerchief, then looked down at the floor.
A bright pink flower by the door was particularly eye-catching.
"This is a flower unique to Hatamoto Island." Hatamoto Natsue, who had just arrived, frowned slightly, as if she'd thought of something, but hesitated to speak.
If she remembered correctly, this flower should belong to Hatamoto Takeshi.
Natsukawa waited a few seconds, but Hatamoto Natsue didn't reveal where the flower came from.
It seemed that in this newlywed wife's eyes, her husband was more important than her grandfather.
At that moment, the rest of the Hatamoto family gathered. After learning of Hatamoto Gozo's death, their expressions remained indifferent. Even knowing their father (grandfather) was dead, they showed no sadness.
Natsukawa even spotted a slight smile on Hatamoto Akie's lips.
How realistic.
"I remember Natsue gave Takeshi-kun one of these flowers when she left the island, right?"
Hatamoto Mariko covered her mouth and chuckled, craning her neck and glaring at Hatamoto Takeshi with her mismatched eyes. "Could it be that you killed Father?"
She then nudged Hatamoto Akie beside her, signaling them to gang up on the man together.
"I think it was Takeshi-kun who did it. After all, Natsue was deeply loved by Grandfather. Now that Grandfather is dead, he can immediately inherit a large sum of money, which is much faster than working."
Hatamoto Akie said this, but felt somewhat strange.
Wasn't it agreed that we'd make our move after returning to Tokyo? Did that old fox Kenzo Masuyama change the script at the last minute?
Hatamoto Takeshi held his hands protectively in front of his chest, looking terrified. However, the women's sharp words were equally effective, quickly forcing him back against the wall.
It wasn't that he was afraid to fight back—he feared that if he made a move, the three men watching would gang up on him.
Natsukawa silently observed the drama unfold while also covering the bloodstains that had been wiped away on the floor.
Conan: "Natsukawa-san, quick! Lift your foot! Lift your foot!"
Natsukawa looked down and saw Conan lying on the ground, looking pitiful.
Upon closer inspection, he realized he'd stepped on Conan.
Natsukawa lifted his foot.
He really hadn't meant to.
But you've been lying there for ten minutes already—are you trying to scam Uncle Mouri?
How greedy! You've already extorted Uncle Mouri's darling daughter, and now you're doing this!
Natsukawa bowed his head apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't see you lying on the ground."
"It's alright." Conan shook his head, not dwelling on it. "Natsukawa-san, please move aside a bit. I need to check the carpet."
"What did you find?" Natsukawa asked.
Conan glanced at Mouri Kogoro, noticing his unfriendly gaze, then waved his hand. "Nothing."
He'd better investigate secretly himself.
He was afraid that if he spoke up, he'd give Uncle Mouri another reason to punch him.
He couldn't be too cheeky like Anya—it was better to be well-behaved.
Since Conan wouldn't elaborate, Natsukawa didn't press the matter and continued watching the show.
At that moment, Hatamoto Takeshi was completely surrounded, and Hatamoto Natsue couldn't stop them alone. She could only watch as her newlywed husband was restrained by her uncle and brother-in-law.
"Of course, I'm not just making baseless accusations. I overheard you talking with Father earlier."
Hatamoto Mariko's eyes narrowed, a cold glint within them.
"You're the son of Zaiki Yuji, whose company was acquired by Father ten years ago, right? Ten years ago, your father committed suicide by jumping from a building because of the company's acquisition, and your mother followed him a year later. You're Zaiki Yuji's son, Zaiki Takehiko, who was sent to the orphanage back then!"
Then she turned to Hatamoto Natsue. "You really are Father's favorite, finding a husband who had a grudge against him. I wonder if it was intentional."
The Hatamoto family's ethical entanglement continued, but I won't elaborate further here.
Zaiki Takehiko was locked in a storage room, and neither Conan nor Mouri Kogoro stopped them. That didn't mean they were certain he was the murderer, though.
The investigation continued.
Conan was the first to notice something suspicious.
Right where Natsukawa had just stepped, there was a spot where blood had been wiped away.
This bloodstain should have been cleaned by the murderer, but why didn't they notice the fallen flower beside it after wiping the blood? It was completely illogical.
This looked more like someone deliberately framing him.
Uncle Mouri also emerged after examining the body.
"The deceased died from excessive blood loss after being stabbed in the abdomen. There was no murder weapon at the scene. Time of death was approximately thirty minutes ago—about half an hour after everyone returned to their rooms following the scolding."
Mouri Kogoro stroked his chin, looking troubled.
"At this time, everyone except Natsue-san, Shoji-san, and Butler Suzuki is a suspect. This makes investigation difficult. Hatamoto Gozo essentially berated everyone, so it's hard to say who did it. Everyone's equally suspicious."
"Mouri-san, there's blood outside the door. It seems the murderer wiped it away."
Mouri Kogoro glanced down and, combining the bloodstains with the body inside, made a rough deduction.
"The deceased was probably stabbed when opening the door but didn't die immediately. After locking the door, they died from excessive blood loss."
Conan nodded. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the locked door.
But why would the murderer wipe away the bloodstains at the door?
Wiping the bloodstains shouldn't have resulted in not noticing the flower.
Instantly, Conan's suspicion of Hatamoto Takeshi plummeted. This murder was likely a frame-up.
Butler Suzuki, Hatamoto Shoji, and Hatamoto Natsue were all in the restaurant at the time of Hatamoto Gozo's death, so they could be ruled out.
Everyone else was a potential killer.
Good heavens—they're all Hatamoto Gozo's family.
After locking Takeshi in the storage room, the Hatamoto family departed, leaving Gozo's body lying there alone, uncovered.
No one even thought to drape their father (grandfather) with a cloth.
Hatamoto Natsue was devastated by the shock, so Natsukawa called Yor to accompany her to the restaurant to calm down and recover.
Only Natsukawa, Mouri, Conan, and Butler Suzuki remained at the scene.
As the butler, Suzuki had to cooperate with the detective to solve the case and find the murderer.
"There's really no familial bond among wealthy families," Mouri Kogoro remarked with some emotion.
Natsukawa paid no attention to what Mouri was saying, his gaze fixed on Conan.
This kid was like a robotic vacuum cleaner, diligently scouring the scene and searching for crucial clues.
Suddenly, Conan showed a curious expression and grabbed something from the floor.
(End of Chapter 100)
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