Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 390 Coordinate Warning
Shiraishi was taken aback: "Yu Amagi? Isn't he on vacation today?"

Despite the fact that the police station has more than 500 people... Shiraishi can memorize the work schedule of each department at a glance, and he knows exactly who should be there and who is not.

“That’s right, it was because I was taking a break that I ended up in Chiyoda. There happened to be a murder case in Chiyoda, and then Amagi ran into me…” Munakata said matter-of-factly.

Shiraishi:? ? ?
"So what? What does this have to do with us?" Shiraishi asked curiously.

Shiraishi is tough, but he's just the head of the Beika Police Station...

Although some detectives from Beika were transferred to Chiyoda, they were just ordinary detectives—without any connections, they were directly assigned to manage all of Tokyo? Even Shiraishi couldn't withstand that pressure!

Especially in Chiyoda...

That's right under the noses of the Metropolitan Police Department and the National Police Agency!

Moreover, the legendary "Kasumigaseki," which is the location of the government offices of the eastern island nation, is also located in Chiyoda.

If Shiraishi dares to point fingers today, will he dare to issue a martial law order tomorrow?
“Originally, there was no connection… but Detective Amagi stumbled upon a ‘serial murder case,’ and Amagi even claimed to have deciphered the coded message left by the killer, predicting that the next murder would occur in Beika Town, specifically at the Suzuki Hotel,” Munakata explained.

"The Suzuki Hotel?" Shiraishi frowned upon hearing this, then asked, "What exactly happened?"

"specific……"

Just then, at the entrance of Shiraishi's office, Inspector Megure knocked on the door: "Excuse me, I noticed the office door is open. I hope I haven't disturbed you two?"

“Perfect timing! Looks like I don’t need to explain.” Munakata said, glancing at his watch, then said to Shiraishi, “Chief, I’ll head off work now… It’s already time for school to let out, and if I don’t go soon, Kotomi might get kidnapped by the Detective Boys.”

After saying this, Munakata greeted Inspector Megure and then left.

"Inspector Megure, is this about Chiyoda?" Shiraishi looked at Megure strangely—what happened to the "500 million yen heist" that the Beika Police Station was supposed to be assisting your Third Division?

Why is it that only our Mihana Department is doing this?!

“That’s right… The First Investigation Division has been very busy lately. I’ll leave the final investigation before the statute of limitations expires to the Beika Police Department.” Megure knew that Shiraishi’s tone indicated some doubt.

Shiraishi didn't dwell on the matter further, and instead asked, "Have our officers caused you trouble again?"

"Not at all, Detective Amagi is very perceptive. It's thanks to him that we discovered the clue." Inspector Megure quickly spoke highly of Amagi Yu.

Of course, besides being "keen," what surprised Megure even more was that this detective, who had "not long been transferred to the Beika Police Station," had adapted to the Beika Police Station's style so quickly—even if it had nothing to do with him, he would "as if no one else was there" and join the on-site search!

"The clue refers to..." Shiraishi said solemnly upon hearing this. Munakata had previously mentioned that Amagi speculated that the killer's next target in this "serial murder case" was likely in Beika Town.

"That's how it is... In the past week, three murders have occurred in Dongdu..."

"Hmm? Only three cases?" Shiraishi immediately questioned.

Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure awkwardly corrected him, "What I meant was... these three cases are related, not just these three."

Shiraishi then nodded.

"The first case was in Shinagawa, where a housewife was attacked and strangled while jogging at night; the second case was in Kasai, where a company employee was strangled on his way home after drinking; and the third case was today in Chiyoda, where a civil servant from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry was struck on the back of the head with a heavy object and died in a quiet alley..."

Megure then recounted the three murders in detail, but Shiraishi frowned deeply upon hearing them.

"These three murders...the victims knew each other?" Shiraishi asked doubtfully.

sound……

Aside from both dying on the road, they seem to have nothing in common. Professionally, they should have no connection, and their causes of death are also different.

“No, the reason we’ve determined it to be a serial murder is because the killer left a coded card on each victim.” Megure nodded, indicating that he understood what Shiraishi was wondering about.

"I see... Do we have a clue about the code?" Shiraishi confirmed further.

"Originally, there was no such thing. The so-called code was actually just two very strange long numbers... However, today, the Tianshu Detectives offered a conjecture: these two numbers are likely international standard latitude and longitude coordinates! Indeed, we have also compared them with the code left at the first crime scene. If interpreted as coordinates, it would be the location of the second murder scene!"
"The coordinates found at the second crime scene are the same location where the murder occurred today. And the coordinates we found at the scene today, after calculation, are located in Beika Town... which is the location of the Suzuki Hotel," Megure said solemnly.

Not only because it was a code deciphered by Yu Amagi of the Beika Police Department, but also because, according to this pattern, the next murder would likely take place in Beika Town, so Megure certainly wouldn't hide it from Shiraishi.

"I see..." Shiraishi nodded in understanding.

This interpretation method has been correct twice already, and the third interpretation also pointed to Dongdu, so it can be said that this interpretation should be without any problems.

If that's the case, not only is there a fourth murder, but it's very likely happening in Beika Town!

even……

If the perpetrator isn't caught, there might be a fifth, a sixth...

However, what Shiraishi was more puzzled about at this moment was...

"Have we found the motive for the murderer leaving the coded message?" Shiraishi asked curiously.

Kidd left the code beforehand to attract "spectators," or even to entice the police to make more preparations—because the more people there were, the greater his chances!

Of course, his own self-admiring personality also played a part...

But why would a murderer leave behind a code?
Surely they couldn't possibly need an audience? Even if the police guessed it, they wouldn't release the information publicly, causing chaos and attracting police attention. No matter how you look at it, it wouldn't benefit the murderer.

"We don't know for sure yet, we can only assume it's... a provocation against the police," Inspector Megure said helplessly.

This reason did not convince Shiraishi, but one thing was certain: the Beika Bureau had to take this seriously!

"What did the Criminal Investigation Department say? Are they going to establish an investigation headquarters?" Shiraishi asked proactively.

After all, the crime scenes were scattered throughout Dongdu, and...

It's still unknown whether this will happen in Beika Town!
No matter how domineering Shiraishi is, he wouldn't try to "grab everything" like this. "This..." Megure was a little embarrassed upon hearing this.

Just then, the phone on the white stone table rang.

Shiraishi glanced at it and saw that it was the number of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division, but not the department head's office.

After Shiraishi answered the phone, a somewhat stiff voice came through the receiver: "Inspector Shiraishi, it's been a while since I greeted you. I am Ninomiya, Director of the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department. I apologize for bothering you because the Investigation Headquarters of the [Coordinate Serial Murder Case] ​​has discovered that the murderer in the case we are investigating may very well move to Beika Town to commit more crimes."

The caller was none other than the gossipy Ninomiya. Shiraishi remembered that he had previously said that Kujo Reiko was the "representative of middle-aged prosecutors" in the prosecutor's office, and the news had reached Kujo's ears!
In addition...

In several cases in a row, Shiraishi and Ninomiya were at odds.

Of course, it can't be called animosity, it's just that the relationship is rather strained. At this time, Ninomiya's tone is also very formal and distant.

At the same time, Shiraishi also realized...

Usually, if a serial murder case, or even an ordinary murder case, cannot be solved quickly, an "investigation headquarters" will be established. This time, three people have died, one of whom was a civil servant from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry...

Of course, an "Investigation Headquarters" was established long ago!
After all, other local police stations are not as "tough" as the Mikasa Police Station.

And it just so happens that it was Ninomiya who started it!

"Hello, Director Ninomiya, I have heard Detective Amagi's reasoning, and I also think it makes a lot of sense... Therefore, I suggest that the investigation headquarters be moved to the Beika Police Station from now on."

Since Ninomiya was very formal, Shiraishi was naturally just as serious.

However, Shiraishi still reminded him in his words that the one who cracked the code was Detective Amagi Yu from our department!

Hearing Shiraishi's words, Ninomiya said with displeasure, "No, since there haven't been any cases in Beika Town yet, it's better to keep the investigation headquarters at Shinagawa Police Station. Beika Police Station can just send people to assist."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi wasn't surprised that Ninomiya said that, but...

Shiraishi was naturally worried, so he sent his subordinates to Ninomiya.

At the same time, Shiraishi remained calm in the face of Ninomiya's rejection.

"No, no, no, it's precisely because the case in Beika Town hasn't happened yet... After all, preventing further murders is more important than solving the case, isn't it?" Shiraishi retorted directly.

Before Ninomiya could refuse again, Shiraishi continued, "Besides, the location is the Suzuki Hotel, and if the investigation headquarters is at the Beika Police Station, it will be easier for us to cooperate with the police."

"Of course... if Director Ninomiya disagrees with Detective Amagi's reasoning and is worried that the Suzuki Hotel is not the killer's next target, we can split up and the investigation headquarters can continue to investigate the previous three murders, while the Beika Police Station will be responsible for the security of the Suzuki Hotel, and we can conduct further investigations focusing on the 'killer's attempt to kill a fourth person at the Suzuki Hotel'."

After hearing what Shiraishi said, Ninomiya fell silent for a moment...

Are they moving the "Investigation Headquarters" to the Beika Police Station?

Of course, Ninomiya was unwilling!
If it were any other director who didn't get along with him, Ninomiya would be quite willing to do so.

Even if the chief of a large police station is actually one rank higher than him, after the establishment of the "Investigation Headquarters," the head of the headquarters will have a "lower-dimensional attack" on local police stations, and can show off his power in front of them...

But let's forget about the rice cake shop!
Being sidelined is the least of his worries. If Ninomiya dared to act arrogantly in front of Shiraishi at the Beika Police Station, he'd be afraid that if Shiraishi lost his grip on the cup, someone would jump out and beat him up...

However, when Shiraishi mentioned the "Suzuki Hotel," Ninomiya couldn't bring himself to directly refuse.

Normally, since Ninomiya is in charge of the case, if he grits his teeth and refuses to move, Shiraishi wouldn't be able to say anything...

But as Shiraishi said—do you still want "police-community cooperation"?
Ninomiya suspected that if he simply sent someone to the Suzuki Hotel, even a receptionist would demand eight hundred procedures from him.

After all, it's no secret that Shiraishi's girlfriend is currently in the Metropolitan Police Department...

These kinds of big hotels are inherently difficult to deal with. If you really want to restrict the procedures, requiring this certificate and that proof, it will be difficult for criminal police to carry out their work. And big hotels are not easy to handle, especially Suzuki Hotels, which are backed by a large conglomerate!
The best approach is to cultivate relationships with those "behind" the law, fostering cooperation and avoiding any resistance to police investigations—otherwise… just look at Kunikida; if everything is strictly done according to the rules, one's abilities will be greatly diminished.

Now it's very easy for Shiraishi to use this connection, even...

It would be very easy to ruin all of the second palace's relationships!
"Then I'll leave it to the Beika Police Department. Although there haven't been any murders yet, the Beika Police Department must not slack off and must do everything possible to prevent any murders from happening." Ninomiya had no choice but to accept Shiraishi's suggestion and settle for second best—to split up with the Beika Police Department.

Of course, Ninomiya also made sure to shift the responsibility for safety to Shiraishi first!

Shiraishi didn't care about his petty thoughts—both for the public good and for personal reasons, Shiraishi would do everything in his power to prevent the murder from happening...

"Chairman Ninomiya, rest assured, both I and the Beika Bureau will do our utmost... By the way, since our bureau is not familiar with the case, would it be alright if Chairman Ninomiya could send the Third Division to provide some support?" Shiraishi asked casually.

The First Investigation Division's Criminal Investigation Department, specifically the one led by Inspector Megure, is the same department that handles homicides.
Hearing Shiraishi's reasonable request, Ninomiya had no reason to refuse.

Ninomiya initially wanted to seize command and get the Beika Police Station to send out more detectives, but in the end, he "borrowed" Inspector Megure himself to the Beika Police Station.

After all, there's no point in him agreeing...

Everyone knows that Megure and the Beika Police Department have always had a good relationship. In the past six months, he has solved more murder cases with the Beika Police Department than the Beika Police Department detectives. You could say they are "sworn brothers"!

If Ninomiya disagrees, Shiraishi could easily get Megure's help with just a word; all that's missing is the official title.

After clearly assigning responsibilities to Ninomiya, Shiraishi immediately convened a meeting of the Criminal Investigation Division...

Although he had a date with Ayako tonight, Shiraishi's "standing up" this time was arguably the most "reasonable" he'd ever done.

After hanging up with Ninomiya, Shiraishi called Ayako.

“I’m sorry, Ayako… Yes, it is a case, but if it’s alright, could you please come to the police station? Actually… this case is somewhat related to the Suzuki Hotel… Yes, if you come, everyone will be more than happy to welcome you…”

Shiraishi stood them up, but not completely; he also brought Ayako along, since getting Suzuki Hotel to cooperate later depended on Ayako…

(End of this chapter)