Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 436 The Third Person!
"I see, so it's to help with the police officer's case? Asking directly like this won't work..." Shirai had no choice but to accept their purpose.

He had just seen a detective from the Beika Police Station being questioned, so he came over to interrupt—Shirai didn't know Amagi, but he did know Narcissism.

"Is Inspector Amamiya in charge of the case investigation?" the narcissist asked Shirai to confirm.

"That was true before, but now the case has been transferred to the local police station." As a police officer in the publicity department, Shirai knew nothing about the case, but he was very familiar with its progress.

After all, the publicity team had to do more work in this case than the criminal police...

"They actually transferred it to the police station instead; it seems they're determined to minimize the impact," the narcissist remarked.

Amagi's expression shifted slightly as he asked, "But the body was taken back to headquarters, right? Was the autopsy performed by the forensic department, or was it sent to the Forensic Science Research Institute?"

"They didn't send him away, they probably just found a professor from the University of Tokyo who's collaborating with them? But getting the autopsy results won't be easy." Shirai shook his head.

Although Shirai knew that Chief Shiraishi had studied forensic medicine at Tokyo University, he probably wouldn't be able to find out much based on that connection alone.

However, Amagi glanced at the time and hurriedly said, "Excuse me..." before walking quickly toward the autopsy room of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Shirai was completely bewildered. Seeing this, Narcissistic realized that Shirai had discovered something, so he greeted Shirai and quickly followed.

Sure enough, Amagi blocked Domoto, who had just finished the autopsy and was changing clothes to leave.

“Professor Domoto…” Amagi quickly called out to him.

Narcissistic saw that Tian Shu had directly stopped the old professor who occasionally did autopsies, and he felt a chill for the old man—this old man was usually unfriendly to everyone, so asking him for advice was probably...

"Tenki, didn't you go to the Mikasa Police Station?" Domoto greeted him with a slight smile.

Narcissism: ? ? ?
"Because of some case matters..." Tian Shu said, deliberately showing a troubled expression.

"A case?" Domoto was taken aback. Knowing Amagi as he did, he already guessed what was going on—if there was nothing wrong, he probably wouldn't have come to greet him first, not because they didn't get along, but because…

"Yeah, it's... a case that the police inspector is filling out," Amaki said softly.

Upon hearing this, Domoto said kindly, "I see... Speaking of which, you haven't been home for dinner in a long time."

Narcissism: ? ? ?
"Then I'll have to trouble Father tonight to add two more sets of bowls and chopsticks." Tian Shu pulled Zilian along without hesitation.

Although the narcissist didn't understand what was going on, he felt that the relationship between the two was a bit strange, but since he had the opportunity to learn about the case, he naturally didn't refuse, and besides...

Narcissistic also sensed that Amagi was probably somewhat unwilling to have dinner alone with Domoto.

It wasn't dislike or fear, but a more complex emotion...

Because of the narcissistic persona, although they had dinner at Domoto's house, the two of them basically didn't talk about any private matters. At most, Domoto asked about Amagi's recent work situation.

In addition...

Most of the time, they talked about things related to "autopsies"!

Two criminal police officers and one forensic doctor.

They didn't seem to care about the "disgusting" issue.

……

That evening, as the narcissist drove Amagi home, he couldn't help but ask, "Amagi, what's your relationship with Professor Domoto...?"

“He is my father-in-law,” Tian Shu said without any concealment.

"Huh? You got married?" the narcissist exclaimed in surprise.

“Well, but… my wife has passed away,” Tian Shu said somewhat silently.

"...Sorry." The narcissist didn't say anything more for a moment.

Now, Narcissism understands why Amagi was somewhat hesitant to be alone with Domoto.

When the father-in-law and son-in-law are alone together, the conversation easily turns to their deceased wife and daughter, which is something that neither Amagi nor Domoto wants to recall.

……

October 5, Wednesday.

The day after assigning the investigation into the "inspector's suicide case," Shiraishi personally attended the investigation meeting...

Yesterday, the officers from the Beika Police Station split into four groups to investigate the "hotel scene," the "pub where Nakamura Rika works," the "headquarters' handling of the case," and "Minato Tetsuro's family background."

The meeting had just begun when Yuanxian stood up and gave a self-criticism—he and Yamada were the group that had gained the least yesterday!
Although she went to Tetsuro Minato's house, she was turned away at the door. In fact, if Ninomiya hadn't arrived in time, Yuriko might have already called the police...

"Inspector Ninomiya seems to take good care of his senior, Tetsuro Minato, and Mrs. Yuriko trusts him a lot, but... Inspector Ninomiya didn't answer us afterward," Gen said at this point.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi nodded and said, "Yes, we can put Inspector Ninomiya's matter aside for now."

If Ninomiya knew any useful clues, he would have told Shiraishi long ago... He wouldn't even need to ask Shiraishi for help!

The only certainty about Ninomiya is that Minato would never commit suicide with someone else, much less engage in any forced suicide pact.

Munakata looked at Shiraishi strangely—he had wondered before why Chief Shiraishi knew there was something wrong with this case, but Shiraishi had only said something enigmatic like, "Don't underestimate my intelligence network"...

Looking back now, it seems that after Inspector Ninomiya's visit, Chief Inspector Shiraishi suddenly wanted to investigate the case. The so-called intelligence network was probably just something that Ninomiya explained to Chief Inspector Shiraishi regarding this case!
However, Munakata didn't care. No matter how Ninomiya convinced Director Shiraishi, based on his understanding of Director Shiraishi, if Shiraishi believed it, then there was probably more to the story.

Besides that, Yuan didn't get many clues, and he didn't have many friends. Moreover, the nature of his work meant that he couldn't share work-related matters with his friends.

Then Ash Valley stood up—unlike Gen, Ash Valley seemed very confident.

"Yesterday, the Kobe detectives and I re-examined the crime scene and made a major discovery!"

As Ashiya spoke, he brought up photos on the projector...

"This is... a hotel toothbrush cup?" Shiraishi looked at the photo posted by Haiya—it showed a transparent toothbrush cup with toiletries inside, and another set of toiletries on the countertop, clearly located on the sink. "Yes, it's a toothbrush cup, and there's only one wine glass here, and look here..."

As Ash Valley spoke, he switched the projected photos—one of evidence with serial numbers, showing two wine glasses and an opened bottle of red wine, with red wine still in the glasses.

These crucial pieces of evidence were sealed and taken away by the police, and Ash Valley did not see the actual items.

According to the police's current assessment, Officer Minato and his lover committed suicide after drinking, but the problem is...

"These are the photos of evidence that you obtained before, Director. We have also confirmed with the hotel that the red wine was prepared in the room and could not have been opened before. However, the problem is that the liquid collection data shows that the red wine in these two glasses and the red wine in the bottle, when combined, is still less than the amount in one bottle."

"Also, one of the toothbrush cups in the room is missing, and judging from the fact that the disposable toothbrush and toothpaste were taken out, someone must have used the toothbrush cup, for example... while drinking alcohol," Ashiya said confidently.

If that's the case, then it proves that there was a third person in the room, and that they took a third "wine glass" with them when they left.

"Isn't this reasoning a bit too crude?" Shiraishi frowned.

Because one toothbrush cup is missing, it proves that someone used the toothbrush cup to drink alcohol, which in turn proves that a third person exists.

This inference is clearly not rigorous!

However, Amagi raised his hand and said, "Chief, actually, when compared with the autopsy report, Detective Haiya's deduction is quite consistent with the situation... According to the autopsy report, red wine was found in the stomach of Detective Minato in both bodies, while no saliva residue was found on the two glasses at the scene."

The information Ninomiya gave to Shiraishi was only basic data, without details of the autopsy, since the autopsy hadn't been completed at the time!

Moreover, even Ninomiya couldn't obtain information about the autopsy afterwards...

However, Tian Shu is an option.

With the autopsy data as corroborating evidence, Haiya's deduction became much more rigorous—neither of the two wine glasses had been used, and there was red wine in Minato's stomach, with the same composition as the red wine found at the scene.

Therefore, it is indeed very likely that the missing toothbrush cup was used by Minato to drink alcohol.

The toothbrush cup from Beika Hotel is indeed a very suitable glass for making wine glasses.

If there is indeed a third person present, and they are too lazy to ask the front desk for another glass, it can indeed be used as a wine glass.

As for why there weren't enough cups and why the toothbrush cups disappeared from the scene, they all point to the fact that there was indeed a third person at the scene!

"What did the hotel say?" Shiraishi pressed.

“Besides the elevator, there are no other surveillance cameras in the hotel, so we can’t be sure if anyone entered Officer Minato’s room. Also, since it’s only on the fourth floor, we can’t rule out the possibility that the person walked up the stairs to that floor,” Ashiya said helplessly.

Shiraishi nodded upon hearing this.

"Furthermore, other traces at the scene indicate that the area was 'cleaned up,' especially the spot where Nakamura Rika was stabbed. We tested it with prominox, and the blood splatter was quite exaggerated. To say it was suicide would be a stretch. However, no signs of cleaning were found at the scene where Minato Tetsuro died," Haiya said conservatively.

Judging from the traces at the scene, if Haiya were to make a judgment, Minato's actions would seem like suicide, while Nakamura's actions would be more like homicide—although it cannot be said with certainty "that's it".

but……

Based on the situation at the scene, if we rule out the possibility of a "third party," it still points to "forced suicide."

In other words, after committing the murder, he cleaned up the scene to make it look like a normal suicide, and then committed suicide himself.

After Ashiya sat down, Shiraishi didn't say anything immediately, but said to Amagi, "It seems that Detective Kogure and Detective Amagi have also made a lot of progress... Then I'll leave it to you."

At this moment, Amagi stood up and began to report the information he had obtained from Professor Domoto—that is, firsthand data from the autopsy!
Besides more detailed basic information such as the estimated time of death, and the previously mentioned fact that he had consumed alcohol before his death, there was another important finding...

"Rika Nakamura died from a ruptured heart, almost instantly, while Tetsuro Minato died from excessive blood loss. The murder weapon was the same dagger. Furthermore, considering the way the dagger entered the wound, the wound on Rika Nakamura's chest does not fit the characteristics of suicide, but rather the result of being stabbed forcefully. Tetsuro Minato's wound, on the other hand, does fit the characteristics of suicide."

Compared to Ashiya's speculation, the autopsy data is undoubtedly more telling.

Shiraishi then slowly nodded: "Unfortunately, the autopsy data is probably just data; the Metropolitan Police Department doesn't seem inclined to conduct a thorough investigation."

After the autopsy, Domoto only provides data. The final determination of whether it was suicide will not be made by the forensic doctor. The conclusion will be drawn by the criminal police based on his data. Even if the forensic doctor refuses to specify that it "fits the characteristics of suicide", if the investigating criminal police are determined to determine suicide, it is not impossible to push for it. The only difference is the issue of accountability if the case is overturned.

This is what Ninomiya told Shiraishi this morning.

Shiraishi could understand...

The scene looks too much like a "forced suicide"!

It's already shameful enough that a police inspector committed suicide for love, but if it was "forced suicide," it will undoubtedly increase public distrust of the Metropolitan Police Department.

If there really is a "third person," it is very likely that they would create such a disguise in order to take advantage of this mentality among high-ranking police officers.

"There's another point... Although it's not on the autopsy report, given the way Nakamura Rika died, when she was stabbed in the chest, she must have spurted out a lot of blood."

“Not only did Detective Haiya just say that the bloodstains in the room showed signs of being cleaned up, but also, the marks on Officer Minato’s body are very strange. The blood on his body is almost entirely his own. Although there is some Nakamura’s blood on it, it is negligible and does not match the normal amount of splattering,” Amagi added.

This was also the conclusion he reached last night after having dinner at the Domoto family home, which he hadn't done in a long time, and talking with his father-in-law—this kind of external conclusion wouldn't be written in the autopsy report, and... Domoto also specifically mentioned that the detective in charge of the case didn't talk to him much at all, and even if he wanted to bring it up, no one would listen.

Nakamura was stabbed in the front. Logically, the person who stabbed him should also be covered in blood, but Minato Tetsuro's corpse does not meet this requirement!

“It seems the possibility of a third party is getting bigger and bigger…” Shiraishi nodded at this moment.

After Amagi sat down, Kuroki also stood up and spoke.

Kuroki first reported what he learned from the landlady's testimony about the true feelings between the two—that Nakamura was more passionately in love with Minato, while Minato didn't seem to have any feelings for him in return...

This can be considered the first piece of evidence that indirectly refutes the claim of "forced suicide pacts".

In addition...

"Furthermore... although we don't know if it's related to the 'third person' that Detective Haiya just mentioned, we learned from Nakamura's workplace that Officer Minato had a conflict with the Giovanni group before his death. The reason was that the Giovanni group members got drunk one time and caused trouble in a bar, and even tried to forcibly take Nakamura out... After that, someone even saw the Giovanni group members following Officer Minato!"

(End of this chapter)