Chapter 101: Did I Kill My Father?
9:30 PM.
Natsukawa stood at the edge of the cruise ship railing, phone in hand.
His voice carried Tequila's unique tone.
"I understand."
Natsukawa hung up, silently gazing at the dark seascape.
It was Gin who had called, informing him that Hatamoto Gozo had been killed by Pisco, and instructing him to contact Hatamoto Shoji to begin dividing up the Hatamoto Group upon returning to Tokyo.
Damn it!
Pisco stole the credit.
This case was clearly handled by Hatamoto Gozo's grandson, Hatamoto Ichiro.
That scoundrel!
He beat him to it and reported first. Now the credit had nothing to do with him.
All that work for nothing.
He should have known better than to linger at the crime scene so long. If he'd called Gin sooner, the credit would have been his.
But how did Pisco know Hatamoto Gozo was dead so quickly?
Since the incident, Hatamoto Akie had been with several other family members and hadn't even gone to the bathroom. She shouldn't have had a chance to inform Pisco.
Could Pisco have another informant on the ship?
Natsukawa narrowed his eyes.
Could Ireland be on the ship?
Pisco had mentioned that Ireland would oversee this operation.
Tomorrow was the day of the operation, so it wasn't unreasonable to believe he'd infiltrated the Hatamoto family's cruise ship beforehand.
If so, where was he?
If he wasn't hiding, who was he impersonating?
Although Ireland didn't possess disguise skills, Vermouth did, so the possibility of him being disguised was high.
The faces of everyone on the luxury cruise ship flashed through Natsukawa's mind.
Soon, he had an answer.
He picked up his phone again and made a call.
The call was quickly answered.
Natsukawa didn't mince words and directly stated his requirements.
"Franky, check if the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department received any emergency calls about the Hatamoto family's luxury cruise ship tonight. If so, what time?"
"Got it."
The call didn't end, and the sound of Franky typing on a keyboard came through.
Ten minutes later.
"Confirmed. No emergency calls related to the Hatamoto Group were received tonight."
It really is you—Butler Suzuki!
He hadn't expected Ireland to disguise himself as Butler Suzuki.
He'd thought this butler was somewhat strange before. He hadn't even approached the body, yet was so certain the person was dead.
Knowing the plot beforehand, coupled with unfamiliarity with Butler Suzuki, allowed Ireland to take advantage of the situation.
"Damn it, they stole my credit! Pisco, Ireland—you two will remember this!"
Plans couldn't keep up with changes, which irritated Natsukawa.
Although he'd also planned to strike first, he hadn't even made his move yet, so these two lacked sportsmanship.
But it was fine—he'd make some adjustments!
Just then, a loud crash of a heavy object hitting the ground caught Natsukawa's attention, followed by the sound of splashing water.
Natsukawa walked to the other side of the railing and looked down.
He saw a figure in a gray suit hurriedly running back to the cabin from the edge of the first deck.
On the ground, Hatamoto Tatsuo was leaning against the railing, mouth wide open, red and white fluid dripping from his head.
Hatamoto Ichiro had been caught throwing away the murder weapon by Hatamoto Tatsuo, which triggered the killing.
The plot was still unfolding smoothly. He still had room to maneuver.
Suddenly!
Conan's head popped out from the second deck.
He first glanced in Tatsuo's direction, then looked around for the perpetrator.
Finally, he looked up and spotted Natsukawa on the third deck above him.
"Natsukawa-san, did you see anyone else?"
Natsukawa fabricated a story. "Yes, I just saw a man in a suit hit Hatamoto Tatsuo with something, then throw what looked like a kitchen knife into the sea. That man looked somewhat like Butler Suzuki."
Butler Suzuki, pulling up his trousers, had just emerged from the bathroom, completely unaware he'd been framed.
First floor deck.
Everyone gathered for the second time.
"He's dead," Mouri Kogoro said, shrugging.
His skull was cracked open—there was no way he could have survived. There was no need to even check for a pulse.
Hatamoto Akie screamed and threw herself at Hatamoto Tatsuo, forcing tears into her eyes.
Hatamoto Ichiro stood in the crowd, eyes downcast, lost in thought.
Conan whispered something in Mouri Kogoro's ear.
"Natsukawa, is what Conan said true?"
Mouri Kogoro asked seriously. "If so, that kitchen knife could very well be the one that killed Hatamoto Gozo!"
Natsukawa nodded. "Possibly. It was too dark—I only saw it vaguely."
"What are you talking about?" Hatamoto Mariko frowned and scolded. "This happened as soon as you boarded the ship! The deaths of Father and Tatsuo are definitely related to you outsiders!"
"No way!" Anya pouted, really wanting to name the culprit.
But she'd just been with everyone, and if she claimed to have seen the murderer, no one would believe her.
Besides, a child's testimony wasn't considered valid in Japan. Even if she spoke up, it probably wouldn't matter.
Feeling she'd played her part well, Hatamoto Akie said, "It must be Takeshi! That guy is the real killer!"
Reminded by her words, Mouri Kogoro suddenly remembered Hatamoto Takeshi, who was locked in the storage room.
Thinking of this, he immediately ran toward the room where Takeshi was being held.
Conan followed closely behind, also noting this detail.
The rest of the group exchanged glances for a few seconds before following.
Arriving at the storage room door, Mouri Kogoro was shocked.
The door had been locked from the outside, but the bolt had been opened.
The door was slightly ajar!
Opening it fully, the room was empty.
"It really is Takeshi!" Hatamoto Akie declared.
"It shouldn't be him. This door opened from the outside—someone must have released him, possibly to frame him!" Natsukawa shook his head, looking at the Hatamoto family. He was about to add fuel to the fire by mentioning Butler Suzuki when he noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Hatamoto Kitaro?"
Everyone present was stunned, then immediately realized the implications.
Hatamoto Mariko looked around but didn't see her husband.
"He said he was going to the restroom..."
Halfway through her sentence, Hatamoto Mariko's face darkened.
The commotion caused by Tatsuo's death was considerable—her husband couldn't have missed it.
Just thinking about Tatsuo's gruesome death made her tremble. Could it be... Kitaro was also in danger?
Mouri Kogoro and Conan rushed toward the restroom.
The cruise ship's restrooms were separated by gender and quite spacious. As soon as Conan and Mouri Kogoro entered, they saw Hatamoto Kitaro lying on the floor.
Hatamoto Kitaro lay stiffly, his right hand clutching his abdomen, thin streams of blood trickling from his suit jacket, soaking half the bathroom floor.
This amount of blood loss was greater than Hatamoto Gozo's—he was clearly beyond saving.
His expression was one of shock and terror, as if he'd seen something horrifying before he died.
"Kitaro! My Kitaro!"
Her husband's death caused Hatamoto Mariko to completely break down.
She and Hatamoto Akie were different—her marriage had been genuinely happy.
"Mariko-san, please calm down. There's blood everywhere. You shouldn't go near it."
Natsukawa raised an eyebrow. It seemed Ireland couldn't wait until tomorrow to make his move.
If I'd known he was going to act, I wouldn't have falsely accused him.
Behind the crowd, Hatamoto Ichiro stood terrified, eyes wide open.
His mind was filled with the blood in the bathroom. Fear overwhelmed his thoughts.
Father is dead?
The manner of death was exactly the same as how he'd killed his grandfather.
Both from excessive blood loss. Both stabbed in the abdomen.
Did I... did I kill my father?
(End of Chapter 101)
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