PNB Chapter 104 The Dumpling Murder Case in Chinatown (5)
Chapter 104 The Dumpling Murder Case in Chinatown (5)
"As for the other eyewitnesses..."
Inspector Megure watched the figure bustling about in front of and behind the camera with his crescent-shaped eyes, a strange feeling rising in his heart. "We meet again, Conan."
Last night, after finishing his shift at Mihana General Hospital, he overheard the doctors discussing poisonous plants and their antidotes as he passed by the emergency room. Apparently, there's a folk theory that everything in the universe has its counterpart, and that an antidote will inevitably grow within seven steps of a poison.
Inspired by this, Inspector Megure inexplicably came up with a similar theory—according to the principle of mutual generation and restraint, is it possible that a detective will inevitably appear within seven steps of the crime?
As a police inspector with extensive experience in handling cases, he certainly wouldn't take such a scientifically unfounded joke seriously, but that didn't prevent him from making connections at the time of the incident.
The instant he learned that Conan was present, Inspector Megure felt a strange sense of satisfaction, as if his theory had been proven!
Before he could elaborate, a bright and cheerful voice came from behind:
"Inspector, we are also eyewitnesses!"
Inspector Megure looked up at the sound and saw Haruya Kuromon, his wheelchair practically sparking, speeding towards the stage. Behind him, Masato Hanzawa, radiating an aura of "I'm the murderer, I'm suspicious," was relentlessly chasing after him, clutching his cane.
"Mr. Kuromon, please slow down!"
Click.
Just as he was about to get close, for some reason, the handcuffs hanging around Inspector Megure's waist suddenly unlocked automatically.
Looking at the silver bracelet that was pointed at him with such hunger, Fanze Zhenren swallowed nervously and hid behind Heimen Yaoye, silently reciting the topic the two had just discussed.
"Desensitization therapy? But my acting talent test at the training ground showed that I'm terrible. I get extremely nervous when I see the police."
"So why not use reverse thinking to desensitize the police to you?!"
"what?"
"Mr. Fanze, just be yourself. Once the officers are familiar with your style, even if they have doubts, they will correct them to a stereotype about you."
"That being said, is it really necessary to go to the crime scene?"
"My idea is that by studying enough cases, I can devise the perfect method to solve Shinichi Kudo's crimes. If Mr. Hanzawa finds that a stretch, then forget it..."
“Not forced at all!”
Inspector Megure eyed the suddenly determined Hanzawa Masato with suspicion, his eyebrows furrowing in a nervous manner.
If he hadn't known that this suspicious person was Black Gate's friend and neighbor, he would have definitely taken off the handcuffs, controlled and interrogated him first, and then said, "You're here too, that's great."
More effort means a higher probability of closing the case sooner.
Crossing the police line and the crowd of onlookers, Officer Takagi glanced curiously at Haruya Kuromon, then saluted and reported: "Report! We haven't found the lady in the red robe who just left the stage."
Inspector Megure had anticipated this, and nodded to the four suspects: "Let's hear your testimonies first."
"The time of the incident was 12:00, and the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. The perpetrator's modus operandi was to apply poison to the button on the fixed microphone on the stage and then use the coin-eating dumpling segment to induce the victim to ingest the poison."
According to witness testimonies, the victim went down to the arena to interact after the 11:40 timeout and tasted fruit filling from a neighboring area, showing no signs of poisoning. Therefore, it is evident that the perpetrator poisoned the microphone between 11:40 and 11:55, during the 15 minutes the stage prop was being moved.
"Ms. Pu Siqinglan, could you please tell me about your activities during this period?"
Pu Siqinglan looked at Jin Tian, who was covered by a white cloth, and bravely wiped the corners of her eyes, suppressing her sobs: "Of course, there's no problem."
"I was invited to host the competition in order to promote Romanov culture. The claim that I was harassed is true, but I have kept the recordings of Jintian harassing me and am going to report it to the police. There is absolutely no need to kill him."
She added with a hint of regret. She had originally planned to personally eliminate this scoundrel after the business deal ended, but he beat her to it.
"Like Mr. Kaneda, I also interacted with the audience in the arena after I stepped off the stage. There were cameramen filming and following me the whole time, and the audience members present can all testify to that. The wireless microphone signal was not good at the time, so I went back to ask Mr. Kawashima to replace it. I did not touch any other equipment at all. The video playback should prove that."
Inspector Megure looked at the photographer not far away and received an affirmative reply: "Okay, thank you for your cooperation."
“You’re welcome.” Pu Siqinglan turned around and suddenly pointed to Mr. Wu next to her. “However, when I was changing the equipment, I saw a figure that looked similar to Mr. Wu from behind.”
"Mr. Wu, do you have anything to say about this?"
A sharp gaze fixed on him, but the fortune teller merely rubbed the temple of his sunglasses with a leisurely grin: "No wonder my divination results were so vague today; it turns out I'm caught up in the situation myself. Don't you think so, Chairman Song?"
"President Song?"
Among those present, the only one who could be considered the chairman was... Inspector Megure looked at Chairman Matsuo, whose expression remained unchanged, only coldly snorting, "Mr. Wu, don't make false accusations just because I tested your abilities this morning."
"Heaven knows, earth knows, and you and I know."
Mr. Wu raised his hand mysteriously, and while doing some calculations, he recounted the conflict that had occurred that day: "I was invited by Chairman Song, who was Chairman Matsuo before he changed his surname, to explore the feng shui of his new business location."
This morning, Chairman Song had someone wake me up early, saying he wanted to divine the fortune of today's competition and whether it would bring good luck to the business. I divined, and oh no! A very bad omen! I then advised Chairman Song to do more good deeds and accumulate merit, but unexpectedly, I was driven away for doing so.
Inspector Megure has handled many cases involving mediums and monks, and he's long been immune to their platitudes: "Excuse me, Ms. Aoran, was the figure you saw yours?"
"It's me, and it's not me."
This old man looks like the kind of charlatan who's all talk and no action!
Conan, a staunch materialist, curled his lip and deliberately asked, "So, Uncle, you can't clear your name?"
"No, no, no. It's because I was invited over by one of Chairman Song's men at noon, who said we'd meet backstage to apologize. But after waiting for a while, I suddenly had a bad feeling, so I left early."
Mr. Wu stopped calculating and looked at the time.
"I think it was before the timer ended? I even waved to a camera position."
If he left before the timer ended, what figure would Miss Qinglan have seen?
"If you don't believe me, I'll randomly give someone a fortune reading. This opportunity doesn't come often! Let me see... this young man will do!"
Mr. Wu looked around at everyone present, his gaze settling on Heimen Yaoye, and then he was about to take off his sunglasses.
“Mr. Wu, thank you for your kindness.” A pair of long, strong hands gripped the frame of the glasses. Through the dark lenses, Heimen Yaoye met his gaze calmly and shook his head in refusal.
"But there's an old Chinese saying that goes, 'The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.' We should focus on the case."