In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 96

Guests were asked to remain in their rooms temporarily, and all staff were gathered to verify their identities.

Yuki Takada, on the other hand, focused on the clues about room 1504 itself.

He stood at the bedroom door, simulating the killer's behavior: "If it were a real killer wearing a repairman's uniform and pushing a tool cart, it would be easy for them to approach the door."

“He might knock on the door, and Yasuda Akiya would open it… He must have tricked his way in getting the door open.”

"After entering the room, could there have been an argument or a sudden attack in the living room?"

“The first blow wasn’t necessarily fatal, hence the drag marks, indicating the victim was dragged into the bedroom and then dealt the fatal blow there,” Yuki Takada analyzed. “The overturned water glass…was it the victim trying to resist? Or was it intentional on the part of the killer?”

“That dagger looks very professional, not something an ordinary repairman would have,” Miwako Sato added. “The killer planned this meticulously.”

The preliminary on-site investigation report came out quickly: the fingerprints on the door handle were messy and needed time to be compared.

The hilt of the dagger had been carefully wiped clean, and there were no clear fingerprints.

The water glass only had the deceased's fingerprints on it.

Preliminary testing revealed that the wet stain contained trace amounts of ether.

“Ether…” Yuuki Takada’s eyes narrowed. “An anesthetic? The murderer used drugs to subdue the victim before attacking? That’s why there are no obvious signs of a struggle at the scene?”

“But the stab wound to the chest was precise and fatal, which requires calmness and skill.” Sato Miwako felt a chill. “This murderer is frighteningly calm.”

The deceased's laptop was attempted to be unlocked by technical officers, but a password was required.

The sticky note with the chemical formula written on it was photographed and quickly sent to the Metropolitan Police Department's technical support department for analysis.

Meanwhile, preliminary results have been obtained from the screening of hotel staff.

The maintenance department is indeed missing an employee named Yosuke Hayakawa. He came to work as usual this morning, but left his post about an hour ago and has not been contacted since.

His height and build match those of the "repairman" seen in the surveillance footage.

The manager is retrieving Yosuke Hayakawa's personnel file and photo.

"Coercion? Or is he an inside man?" Sato Miwako wondered.

Yuki Takada shook his head and walked to the wall near the fire escape in room 1504.

Looking out the closed window, one sees a narrow alley behind the hotel and the wall of another building.

"Forensic department, check this window, the exterior windowsill, and the wall below for any signs of recent touching or installation," Yuuki Takada suddenly said to the forensic personnel.

The forensic team had some doubts.

The windows were locked from the inside, but I still checked them carefully as instructed.

"Takata Police Department!"

"We've found something!" Soon, a forensic expert shouted anxiously to Yuki Takada, "There are extremely fine scratches on the outside of the windowsill, like the marks left by some kind of fine thread."

"About half a meter below, in the crack of the wall tiles, we found a small piece of... almost transparent fiber? It looks like a very strong fishing line or a special plastic line."

“Oh?” A knowing glint flashed in Yuuki Takada’s eyes. “He didn’t come in through the door, nor did he leave through the door. At least, he didn’t leave last.”

Sato Miwako instantly understood: "You mean... a locked room trap?"

“It’s very likely.” Yuuki Takada walked to the bedside table and pointed to the overturned glass of ice water. “This glass might not have been knocked over during the struggle. Look at the direction it fell and the shape of the water splashes…”

Then, Yuki Takada pointed to the window: "Those tiny scratches and that piece of fiber... the murderer may have used ice and thin thread to create a simple time-delay device."

"After subduing the victim, he secured one end of a thin thread to a hidden latch on the window, and perhaps the other end was connected to a dagger?"

"Or, as a trigger mechanism. And the ice cube, as a fixed point or a weight balancing device, is placed in a certain position in the water glass."

"As time goes by, the ice melts, its weight changes or it loses its holding function, the thin thread becomes taut or loose, triggering the mechanism, which may cause the dagger to be ejected and stab the victim."

"Of course, that also explains why we specifically called the waiter to bring ice."

"Yes, it triggered something else... and at the same time, it knocked over the water glass, making a noise that might attract the attention of anyone outside the door..."

"The perpetrator could leave through the fire escape at any time before the ice melts, or even deliberately be caught on camera to create an alibi."

"That maintenance worker's uniform was probably abandoned in the stairwell a long time ago."

This deduction sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

If this is true, then the murderer's calculation of time, utilization of physical principles, and psychological manipulation all reached a considerably high level.

“But… Inspector Takada,” an officer questioned, “if that’s really the case, why did the deceased’s face show shock and fear?”

"If he was previously anesthetized with ether..."

Yuki Takada was silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Perhaps... he wasn't completely anesthetized, but only lost control of some limbs?"

"Of course, it's also possible that the killer deliberately kept him conscious so he could witness his death? Or even... that trace of ether, was it a deliberate deception by the killer?"

The case suddenly became even more perplexing.

Just then, Yuki Takada's phone rang again; it was a call from the technical support department offering their initial interpretation of the note.

"Inspector Takada, the chemical formula on the note has been preliminarily identified as a simplified synthetic route diagram of a very obscure and unstable compound that is highly corrosive and toxic."

The numbers next to it, after checking, look very much like a set of coordinates…

"Coordinates? Can you deduce them?"

"We're trying it; it will take time."

"In addition, regarding the background of the deceased, Akira Yasuda, we have just received feedback from the university that his recent research projects involve some sensitive areas, and... in the past six months, he has had frequent contact with several chemical materials companies with overseas backgrounds, and the source of his funding is somewhat complicated."

Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato's expressions both became extremely solemn.

This murder case, which took place in a secluded room in a luxury hotel, likely involves far more than just a simple revenge killing.

"Expand the search area..." Yuuki Takada said coldly and firmly, "Focus on investigating all personnel in the hotel with backgrounds in chemistry and physics, including conference attendees and hotel staff! At the same time, determine the meaning of that set of coordinates as soon as possible!"

“And another thing,” he added, his sharp gaze sweeping across the dimly lit alleyway outside the window, “is to find that missing repairman, Yosuke Hayakawa, alive or dead. I suspect he knows far more than he should.”

In the darkness of night, secrets and dangers may lurk behind every window of a hotel.

However, the investigation by Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato was far more complex than that.

Chapter 116 Three Suspects

The hotel guests remained in their rooms at the request of the police to cooperate with the initial questioning that was about to take place.

Of course, during this time, whispers of complaints and unease spread behind the closed door.

The forensic team conducted a more detailed and thorough examination of room 1504.

Yuki Takada squatted down by the windowsill, using a powerful flashlight to stare at the almost invisible scratches and the transparent fiber.

My brain was racing, imagining all sorts of possible methods.

On-site investigation and preliminary control are still underway.

The hotel was temporarily locked down, causing widespread anxiety.

Yuki Takada knew that he had to quickly find a breakthrough before the information spread and caused greater panic, and before the murderer destroyed the evidence.

He and Miwako Sato decided to immediately conduct a preliminary screening of hotel guests, especially members attending academic seminars.

Based on the list provided by the seminar organizers, and an emergency phone call with Akira Yasuda's colleagues in his department.

Yuki Takada quickly identified three individuals who were also at the hotel during the time of the incident and who had a clear connection to Akiya Yasuda, suggesting potential conflicts.

They were placed in several temporary rooms in the hotel and questioned.

The first suspect is: Hirokazu Nishimura, 48, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Tokyo University, and a colleague and academic rival of Akiya Yasuda.

Hiroichi Nishimura wore gold-rimmed glasses and was dressed impeccably, but his face showed a hint of impatience and just the right amount of shock and regret.

He sat opposite Yuki Takada, while Miwako Sato took notes beside him.

"Professor Nishimura, thank you for your cooperation. When was the last time you saw Associate Professor Yasuda?" Yuki Takada asked directly.

"It ended around four o'clock this afternoon during the group discussion at the seminar."

“After that, I never saw him again.” Nishimura Hiroichi pushed up his glasses. “I was really surprised to hear that something happened to him. Although Professor Yasuda and I had some disagreements… well, he was a bit radical in academics, but it shouldn’t have led to such a fatal disaster.”

"Oh!? Radical?" Yuuki Takada caught the word. "Could you tell me more specifically?"

"Hmph." Nishimura Hiroichi snorted lightly, a hint of disdain on his face. "He's recently become obsessed with researching the unstable synthetic pathway of that Carson catalyst, believing it can lead to groundbreaking industrial applications."

"But I think that direction is extremely risky and ethically controversial. We've had heated debates about it at several academic conferences."

He thought I was conservative, while I thought he was short-sighted and disregarded safety.

"Controversy? What exactly do you mean?" Yuuki Takada glanced at him.

"If that catalyst is not synthesized properly, or if the formula is leaked, it could be used to create extremely destructive substances."

“I reminded him that research requires caution, and he should pay particular attention to the background of his collaborators.”

"But he seemed unconvinced and even privately contacted several...commercial companies with complicated backgrounds." As Nishimura Hiroichi spoke, his anger intensified.

"Which companies are you referring to?" Miwako Sato asked, looking up.

“I’m not too sure about that, I’ve only heard about it.” Nishimura Hiroichi avoided mentioning specific names. “Officer, I know you will suspect me.”

"After all, Professor Yasuda and I have a clear competitive relationship, and we recently had a disagreement over the allocation of funding for a key laboratory."

"But please believe me, I would never resort to such extreme methods to solve problems."

"After the seminar, I stayed in my room organizing materials for the next meeting and preparing my report for tomorrow. I can provide my notes and computer operation records as proof."

Yuuki Takada remained calm: "We will verify."

"Are you familiar with the properties of diethyl ether?"

"Or do you know if Professor Yasuda has recently been in contact with such substances?"

“Ether?” Hirokazu Nishimura frowned. “A basic chemical reagent, very common in laboratories.”

"But Yasuda's recent research probably doesn't require a large amount of diethyl ether. As for me, my research focuses on theoretical computational chemistry, and I rarely come into contact with a large number of actual synthetic experiments."

Yuki Takada nodded, ending the first round of questioning.

Hiroichi Nishimura remained calm and proactively mentioned the competitive relationship to clear himself of suspicion, but his evasive attitude regarding the business company and ether is worth noting.

"Alright, you can go now. Wait outside for Mizutani Keine to call you in," Takada Yuki said to Nishimura Hiroichi as he stood up.