Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 631 The murderer is beside me! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"How could this be possible? Yumi died a long time ago. How is this possible?"

"Impossible, that person definitely can't be Yumi!"

"That's right, that person must not be the real Yumi!"

It took a long time for everyone to come back to their senses from the horrifying "horror news" that Atsushi Omura claimed he saw Yumi Horikoshi alive while going to the toilet. They all shook their heads like rattles, trying to get rid of this terrible and incredible thought from their heads.

"So, the Yumi I saw might be..."

Omura Jun's voice was trembling, and the words came to his lips, but he swallowed them back nervously, his eyes full of fear and hesitation. It was as if as long as he said the second half of the sentence, it would awaken something terrible.

"Don't be ridiculous. There are no ghosts in this world. I think you are too tired and in a trance, so you have this illusion."

Before he could finish his words, Nakamichi Hezhi immediately refuted loudly in a very decisive tone with a frown on his face, as if he was extremely disgusted with such superstitious statements and was eager to erase them from everyone's mind.

At this time, the hotel staff came over cautiously with a worried look on their faces, and asked with a trembling voice: "Um... May I ask what happened in the hotel? Why did you say those things just now?"

His eyes moved back and forth across everyone's faces, full of anxiety.

Ayashiro Yukio looked sad and said solemnly: "One of our friends was shot dead in the room. The police are on their way."

"What?! Could the murderer be among you?"

Hearing this, the staff members widened their eyes and looked around at everyone in horror, their eyes filled with anxiety and vigilance, as if there was a ferocious beast hiding among them that could pounce on them at any time and hurt people.

Maori Kogoro had a complicated expression, and he quickly waved his hands to explain: "Of course this is impossible, the murderer is an outsider. Okay, Kazushi, I'll leave this to you to take care of it first, I'm going to the bathroom."

After saying that, he turned around and left in a hurry, his steps quick and slightly heavy.

Conan and Bai Ye looked at each other, took decisive steps and followed.

"Uncle, isn't it too hasty to conclude that it was an outsider who committed the crime? Uncle, are you listening to me?"

Conan looked up with an anxious look on his face. His little hands tightly grasped the corner of Mouri Kogoro's clothes, and there was a hint of urgent pleading in his voice.

"Boom!"

Maori Kogoro ignored him and suddenly punched the wall hard. The moment his fist hit the wall, the lime on the wall fell down. The muscles on his face were tense and his expression was full of anger. The anger was like a surging tide, almost drowning him.

"Stop talking nonsense. I don't need your nonsense!"

Seeing this, Conan's heart skipped a beat. The past experience of being beaten suddenly came to his mind. He thought Maori Kogoro was blaming him for being too talkative. Fearing that he would be taught a lesson again, he quickly waved his hands and stammered to explain: "Uncle, I... I really don't mean anything else, I just think this case doesn't seem that simple."

However, Bai Ye, who was standing by, with his keen insight, instantly realized that Maori Kogoro might have vaguely guessed the identity of the murderer.

Kogoro Mori's anger at this moment also stems from his hatred and sorrow for the murderer hiding in the dark.

Because the murderer who brutally killed Yumi Horikoshi was not someone else, but one of Kogoro Mori's old classmates.

This truth was like a sharp dagger, piercing Kogoro Mori's heart and making him suffer and angry!
Thinking of this, Bai Ye patted Conan's shoulder gently and said softly: "Okay, Conan, stop asking. I think Uncle Maori has already noticed something is wrong. After all, if it was really done by an outsider, then the murderer would have no need to disguise the scene as a suicide! In other words, the murderer is one of our own!"

"Moreover, there is a high probability that there is some unknown contradiction or conflict of interest between the murderer and Miss Yumi, which led him to kill her so ruthlessly!"

Maori Kogoro closed his eyes in pain, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and he said slowly: "Yes, that means the murderer is one of my classmates. I don't know who he is and why he wants to kill Yumi, but this time, I will never forgive the murderer. I must find him out and give Yumi an explanation. Just wait and see."

His voice was low but firm, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, with great determination.

Conan pushed his glasses up on his nose, a sharp light flashed through the lenses, and he said calmly: "Uncle, since we suspect the murderer is an insider, let's start by investigating everyone's movements and motives. There must be something wrong with the 'Yumi' that Uncle Omura saw. Maybe the murderer is just being mysterious."

Based on the current clues, it can be preliminarily determined that the murderer of Yumi Horikoshi is one of the four people: Atsushi Omura, Yukio Ayashiro, Noriko Ayashiro, and Kazushi Nakamichi.

But the key point is that the 'murderer' had an alibi because everyone was playing billiards in the billiard hall at that time.

If they cannot break through this seemingly perfect alibi, they may never get to the heart of the case, let alone uncover the murderer's true identity hidden in the darkness.

"Conan is right."

Bai Ye nodded and added, "And judging from the fact that the murderer faked the suicide scene, he is meticulous and has a certain understanding of the police's investigation methods. He is likely to be familiar with the criminal investigation process or has relevant experience."

Maori Kogoro took a deep breath, calmed down his emotions, and said, "You are right. I will try to investigate the whereabouts of Achun and the others before and after the incident to see if I can find any loopholes."

After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the bathroom with steady and powerful steps, ready to start a new round of confrontation with the murderer...

……

At the same time, in the room, Ayashiro Yukio and others were still discussing the case enthusiastically.

"Why did the murderer want to kill Yumi?"

Noriko Ayashiro frowned, her face full of confusion, and her voice was trembling with doubt. "Maybe he was caught while stealing."

Nakamichi and Zhi guessed, but his eyes were a little evasive, and the trace of panic that flashed across his face was keenly caught by Conan who walked into the room quietly. Conan's heart couldn't help but skip a beat and he became alert.

Omura scratched his head, looking confused, his eyes full of puzzlement, "But this is too strange, you know, when we were playing table tennis, we didn't hear any gunshots at all."

"Why, the murderer is clearly among us, but he has an alibi? And the time of Yumi's death, judging from her stiffness after death, it was around 3pm. So, Yumi was killed after she separated from us and returned to the room. We were playing table tennis from 3pm to 6pm, and no one had the chance to kill her. But what Chun said was a little unusual, but Chun went to the bathroom at around 5pm, so Yumi couldn't have been alive at that time. But why did Chun say that?"

Listening to their discussion, Kogoro Mori frowned, paced back and forth, thinking hard, muttering to himself.

Conan and Bai Ye looked at each other and suddenly spoke with a mysterious smile on his face, "Brother Bai Ye, come on, let's play table tennis."

Bai Ye pretended to be surprised and raised his eyebrows. In fact, he understood Conan's intention. The other party wanted to give Maori Kogoro a reminder to help him solve the case. "Conan, are you okay? Why are you playing table tennis at this time?"

Conan raised his eyebrows slightly, "I want you to see my handshake style. Oh, I remember that Aunt Yumi also used the handshake style. Sister Xiaolan, you have also seen it, there is a photo of her holding the racket in the handshake style, why don't you try it too?"

Mao Lilan waved her hands quickly, showing a look of disgust on her face, and wrinkled her nose slightly, "No, if you play table tennis, you will definitely sweat a lot."

Bai Ye, who had guessed Conan's thoughts, pondered for a moment and helped Conan continue acting, "That's right, if you sweat, you have to change clothes again."

Hearing their conversation, Maori Kogoro's pupils suddenly shrank, as if he was hit by an electric current, and his whole body froze in an instant: "Sweating, clothes, handshake-style fighting method... Think about it carefully, Yumi was indeed changed into a large yukata, and she was not wearing any underwear. Even the index finger of her right hand holding the pistol was not on the trigger but stretched straight out. The handshake-style fighting method is exactly the way of holding the racket with the index finger stretched out. Could it be that Yumi played table tennis with the murderer before she was killed? How is this possible... Why did the murderer go to so much trouble? Wait a minute, when I was in the police academy..."

Seeing Maori Kogoro lost in thought again, Bai Ye decided to give him another push, so he turned to the old woman next to him and asked politely: "Old woman, was Benkei standing when he died?"

"Yes, because Benkei fought against many people alone, and died standing up after being shot by several arrows. He was very brave."

The old woman nodded, a look of admiration appeared on her face, and she spoke slowly, her voice full of respect for the hero.

"Yes, this is the key!"

Hearing this, Kogoro Mouri's pupils suddenly shrank and he suddenly shouted excitedly. His voice echoed in the air, attracting everyone's attention.

Ayashiro Yukio looked puzzled and frowned at Maori Kogoro, "Maori, why are you shouting so loudly?"

Maori Kogoro's chest rose and fell violently, unable to suppress his inner excitement: "Because, I finally know who killed Yumi."

"Who the hell is it, Dad?"

Mao Lilan asked anxiously, her eyes flashing with anticipation, and she couldn't wait to know the truth.

Maori Kogoro suddenly pointed his finger at Nakamichi Kazushi and said loudly and decisively: "You are the murderer!"

"What? Kazushi killed Yumi?"

Everyone was in an uproar, showing expressions of disbelief, and looking at Zhongdao Hezhi in unison. There was shock, confusion, and even anger in their eyes.

"How could it be him?"

Ayashiro Yukio's face flushed red, veins popped out on his forehead, his eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembled slightly with excitement, it seemed that he could not accept the fact that his former friend was actually a murderer.

"How could Kazushi kill Yumi? Kogoro, are you mistaken?"

Noriko Ayashiro's eyes instantly turned red, tears welled up in them, her voice was sobbing, her hands subconsciously clutched the corners of her clothes, and her body was trembling slightly with shock and fear. The scenes of her past interactions with Nakamichi Kazushi and Horikoshi Yumi flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope, making her unwilling to believe the cruel accusation before her.

Maori Kogoro took a deep breath, calmed down his excitement, took a step forward, and locked his gaze on Nakamichi Kazushi with a firm and unquestionable tone: "I am not wrong, the evidence is conclusive, the murderer is him!"

Nakamichi Kazushi's face turned pale as paper in an instant, and his calm expression disappeared without a trace. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and rolled down his cheeks. A trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he still had a fluke, pretending to be calm, and pulled a stiff smile at the corner of his mouth, pretending to be relaxed and retorting: "Mouri, don't joke, we inferred the time of Yumi's death. At that time, I was clearly playing billiards with you in the billiard room. How could I have split myself to kill someone?"

As he spoke, he spread out his hands, trying to excuse himself with body language, but his slightly trembling fingertips revealed his extreme inner anxiety.

Maori Kogoro pressed on step by step, his eyes revealing a sharp light, as if he wanted to completely tear apart Nakamichi Kazushi's disguise, "Yes, you have a perfect alibi, but the premise is that Yumi really died at three o'clock in the afternoon."

"What nonsense are you talking about? The autopsy after Yumi's death was clearly performed by you and me." Beads of sweat appeared on Nakamichi Kazushi's forehead, and his voice unconsciously rose with a sharp tremor, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, baring its teeth and claws and trying to fight back.

"The toes of the corpse have already started to stiffen, so I think Yumi must have died more than seven hours ago. But there is another surprise, that is, sudden death during intense exercise. At that time, the protein in the human muscle can easily coagulate quickly, so the stiffness after death will also be faster than that of ordinary people, just like when the great hero Musashibo Benkei died."

Kogoro Mori explained in an orderly manner, and every word was like a blockbuster bomb, accurately hitting Nakamichi Kazushi's psychological defenses and making his disguise shaky.

"So, Benkei died standing up?"

Noriko Ayashiro asked in a low voice, her face full of confusion and her voice trembling slightly due to nervousness.

Maori Kogoro nodded affirmatively, "Yes, it is possible to die while standing. This has been confirmed in medicine."

(End of this chapter)