Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 545 Crime Scene?

"What do you mean by the crime scene you just mentioned? Has there been any progress in the missing persons case?" Shiraishi asked Natsumi.

Yu Jian was also puzzled at this moment...

Shiraishi had not known about the case before, but Mitsurugi had certainly done so.

The problem is that, to his knowledge, Shizuoka has not made much progress in the disappearance case three years ago, which is also a difficulty in prosecuting the case.

“I don’t know… The police officer said he wasn’t sure… But I did find my sister’s hair clip there, and… and passersby heard arguing and stumbling sounds coming from there!” Xia Mei was a little downcast, but then she became excited again, wanting to prove her discovery.

“I understand. Well… it’s getting late.” Shiraishi glanced at the time; it was already eight o’clock.

If Yuto were to continue working at this hour at the Mikasa Police Station, it would only be considered that he was cooperating voluntarily.

Natsumi looks even younger than Yuto.

"It's okay! Do you want to go to the scene?" Xia Mei asked immediately.

It's clear that Xia Mei is willing to cooperate fully with anything that can help her sister's case, even if it's just a small thing.

“This…” Shiraishi hesitated and glanced at the Namiki couple.

The Namiki couple were also in a state of confusion and did not notice Shiraishi. After Ayako noticed, she specifically said, "We will take Natsumi home later."

The Namiki couple finally came to their senses and agreed.

Seeing this, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi did not discourage Natsumi's enthusiasm.

After paying the bill, Xia Mei changed into her usual clothes and, along with Shiraishi and Yujian, went to a nearby park.

It's called a park, but it's not as big as Mihana Park; it's just an open street-side activity plaza.

The small square where the event was taking place was completely empty at the moment; pipes were still scattered on the ground, and even...

"This is it. Three years ago, on that night, when my parents and I came out to look for my sister, I was at that corner just now. I heard from Oda-sama that I heard sounds of arguing and colliding coming from this side, so I immediately came here..."

Bai Shi suddenly placed his hand on Xia Mei's head and comforted her, "Don't rush, tell me slowly. We will definitely catch the murderer who killed your sister, I promise you!"

Xia Mei, who had been somewhat confused, calmed down a bit and said after taking a breath, "I understand, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. If you apologize, this guy should commit seppuku." Shiraishi said, trying to lighten the mood—pointing at Mitsurugi.

Sword Control: ...

Yu Jian had nothing to say. Although he had been under a lot of pressure in this case, the final decision not to prosecute was not his original intention. However... he was indeed the prosecutor in charge of the case, but he failed to prosecute the suspect!
Afterwards, Xia Mei recounted the events of that night three years ago in detail once again...

That day, Namiki Saori didn't come home until very late, and... just a short while ago, Hasunuma was kicked out of the store for taking advantage of Saori, and even made some threats before leaving. So her parents and younger sister were very worried, and together with other friends, they went out to look for her.

Natsumi was with Uncle Tojima at the time...

They learned from Oda's house, which was not far away, that Mrs. Oda had recently heard sounds of arguing and colliding coming from the small square.

However, she assumed it was just those delinquents causing trouble again, so she didn't pay much attention and only reminded Xia Mei not to go over there.

But when Xia Mei heard this, she instinctively realized something was wrong and rushed over, and then...

“It was right here that I found the hair clip my sister was wearing that day,” Xia Mei said confidently.

This is why Xia Mei considers this place the "crime scene".

but……

"Was that hair clip handed over to the police afterwards?" Yu Jian asked, frowning—he hadn't heard of any hair clip!
"Yes!" Xia Mei nodded vigorously.

"Why didn't the police accept this in the end?" Yu Jian asked, somewhat puzzled.

In Yujian's opinion, even if no other evidence was found in the surrounding area or on the hair clip, since the victim's family had confirmed that the hair clip was worn that day, and someone had heard suspicious sounds before... if there was no counter-evidence, this should be accepted!

But of course, Xia Mei didn't know about this...

At this moment, Shiraishi vaguely guessed what was going on and asked Natsumi, "Natsumi, when you were here... did you find anything else? Like bloodstains or anything... or was there anything unusual on the hair clip?"

Xia Mei shook her head upon hearing this.

If the ground had been covered in blood, Xia Mei would have been even more terrified!

Upon hearing this, Yu Jian realized something, opened his mouth, but looking at Xia Mei, he couldn't say anything.

Mitsurugi clearly understood what Shiraishi meant—at the fire scene, the police found Hasunuma's work clothes stained with a lot of old blood...and from the obvious damage to the victim's skull, it could be inferred that the murder scene must have been extremely gruesome.

If the crime was committed here...

How could there be no blood at all?

There was no blood, not even on the ground, but on the hair clip?

Apparently...

This clue is likely a mistake.

However, considering Xia Mei's feelings, Yu Jian did not say it aloud.

"Afterwards, the police should have interviewed people in the surrounding area and questioned Hasunuma... Well, at least they interviewed people in the surrounding area, right?" Shiraishi asked.

Hasunuma had previously harbored lustful intentions towards the victim and made threatening remarks. In a small city like this, where interpersonal relationships are relatively simple, that guy was definitely the first suspect!
However, after asking, Shiraishi realized that Hasunuma did not have an alibi.
That guy will definitely stay silent again!

Regarding the visit to the surrounding area...

Xia Mei shook her head—the police couldn't possibly tell her something like that. "By the way, where's that hair clip now?" Shiraishi asked—although he felt there might be a mistake, he hadn't given up on the lead.

“The police took it away. A few days ago they said they wouldn’t prosecute that person… My parents applied to get the evidence back, but it hasn’t been approved yet,” Xia Mei said sadly.

Hasunuma was not prosecuted, and as the victim of the missing persons case, her body has been found, so the missing persons case is naturally closed. As for the murder case... theoretically it has nothing to do with the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, since it is hard to say that the deceased died in Shizuoka Prefecture and the body was found in Tokyo, so of course the case is filed in Tokyo.

Originally, the clues and evidence provided by the Namiki family weren't in a hurry to be returned, and even...

I would prefer those things to still be kept by the police, so that Saori can still feel like she is being "searched for".

But now that they know about Saori's death, and the police and prosecutors are still unable to catch the murderer, then... those pieces of evidence have become items to express their grief. The Namiki couple plan to bury those items as substitutes; they are all Saori's personal belongings.

After all, the Namiki couple wanted to preserve the remains themselves... at least, there would still be a chance to solve the case!
If, many years later, even the remains are returned and the murderer has not been caught, then that is truly a time of despair.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi exchanged a glance—they were still with the police?
So, the police should at least admit that this belongs to Namiki Saori, otherwise there would be no need for them to keep it with them...

However, Natsumi obviously didn't know any more details, and she could only ask "Shiraishi's friend" tomorrow.

Afterwards, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi took Natsumi home, and then the two agreed on a place to meet the next morning—since there was no progress at the moment, they were too embarrassed to meet directly at Namikiya, so they chose a coffee shop instead.

The next morning, Ayako coaxed Ai to go out and play together—fearing that Ai would be unhappy because "her brother wasn't there."

When Shiraishi arrived at the coffee shop, he found that Yokomizo and Mitsurugi were already there, but since the two didn't know each other, they sat at two adjacent tables.

Judging from their expressions, Shiraishi guessed that they probably had a premonition, but... neither of them were particularly outgoing in their private lives, and they didn't even greet each other before Shiraishi arrived.

"You've arrived... Let me introduce you. This is Inspector Yokomizo Sango, the superintendent of the First Investigation Division of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, and this is Prosecutor Mitsurugi Reiji, a senior prosecutor from our Tokyo District Prosecutors Office." Shiraishi introduced the two.

"Eh?" Yokomizo was taken aback by the words and looked at Mitsuki in surprise. He then realized what he meant and said, "Ah, my apologies, I am Yokomizo." He then extended his hand.

Mitsurugi already knew that Shiraishi had made an appointment with the local First Investigation Division's superintendent today, but Yokomizo didn't know that the "friend" Shiraishi was talking about was a senior prosecutor from the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office!

When Yokomizo saw how young he was, he assumed he was a detective from the Beika Police Station, or one of Shiraishi's men...

"Hello, I'm Yujian. I need your help with this case..." Yujian said stiffly.

After all, this isn't how he usually communicates with the police. To Inspector Itogiri, he usually says things like, "If you mess up again, your bonus is in for a rough time."

Even if he was completely clueless about social niceties, he understood that the police inspector from Shizuoka was there to "help".

"Back in Tokyo, Inspector Yuken couldn't prosecute that bastard, but he was holding his breath. This time, we're determined not to let him get away!" Shiraishi said nonchalantly.

"Yes, sir!" Yokomizo instinctively stood at attention and saluted.

"Hmm? Inspector Yokomizo, I'm just asking you to help me out privately, there's no need to be so nervous," Shiraishi said gently.

Yokomizo chuckled dryly upon hearing this—"It's a good thing the section chief sent me. So it's not just Superintendent Shiraishi, but also a key member of the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office, right?"
Indeed, if the two of them solve the case while the Shizuoka Prefectural Police are completely unaware, then things will get really interesting.

As for why we know that Yujian is the "backbone"?
Not to mention such a young "senior" prosecutor, Shiraishi just made it clear that this murder case is Mitsurugi's responsibility!
Those who can handle murder cases, especially such mysterious ones, are naturally key prosecutors.

Originally, it was Shiraishi who asked him for help, but at this moment Yokomizo was somewhat grateful to Shiraishi for bringing him along—thanking him on behalf of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police!

After all, the Tokyo Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office has a more obvious leading role in the prosecution, and the Shizuoka Prosecutor's Office is theoretically under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Prosecutor's Office.

(The prosecutors in Ace Attorney, such as Mitsurugi, are more like those in the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, because they are directly responsible for prosecuting cases. However, in terms of power, they are closer to the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office. Mitsurugi's final promotion is also closer to the position of the head of the High Public Prosecutors Office. So let's set "Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office" and "Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office" as one department for now.)
Yokomizo then brought over the case files as well...

If it weren't for the support of the head of the First Investigation Division in Shizuoka, Yokomizo really wouldn't have dared to just take it over like that; at most, he would have just dictated it to Shiraishi.

However, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi have now seen the original archives...

The first thing Shiraishi and Mitsurugi wanted to see was the "crime scene." They both reached for the case file at the same time, and after exchanging a glare, they started reading together. This made Yokomizo sigh—look at how harmonious the relationship is between the police and prosecutors in Tokyo. Why can't the prosecutors in Shizuoka learn from them?

Soon, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi also understood why the hair clip was evidence, but the scene wasn't this one...

Saori's fingerprints were indeed found on the hair clip, confirming that it belonged to the victim.

However, no signs of an argument were found at the scene, and the police had also investigated the "argument" incident...

Although no one saw what happened, cross-referencing confirms that the argument was brief and did not seem to be a major conflict, especially since no cries for help were heard, which is not typical of a kidnapping case.

Therefore, the police ultimately did not use this place as the crime scene...

After seeing the scene, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi also thought so—after all, there wasn't even a drop of blood at the scene!
Furthermore, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi discovered something else...

"Hmm? The missing person is at school and has been behaving strangely? They even inquired about taking a leave of absence?" Yu Jian keenly noticed this.

“That’s right, that’s what it says in the interview testimonies.” Yokomizo nodded.

"Do you...do you still remember the specifics?" Yu Jian spoke to the local police in an unnatural tone.

Yokomizo replied helplessly, "I'm sorry, I was still in Saitama three years ago."

Yokomizo was unaware of the events surrounding the case from years ago...

However, it's not entirely unimaginable—the victim goes missing, no body is found, and then it's discovered that the victim has aversion to school and emotional instability...

Although the case was not immediately closed because the victim was a "high school girl," the police inevitably wondered if she had run away from home on her own.

In reality, if it were a boy, the police wouldn't even conduct these investigations. If an adult male goes missing after exhibiting emotional distress, the police might just register the case...

The reason for conducting so many investigations is that the victim's family and friends firmly disagree with the claim that the victim ran away from home, especially since they submitted various indirect evidence such as the card being issued and previous harassment.

Fortunately, a lot of investigation was done; otherwise, when the murder case was exposed, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police would have faced even greater difficulties!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongdong: Today is September 24th, the birthday of Mai Kawai, the actress who plays the lead role in the live-action drama "Secret Insider - Female Police Officer's Counterattack" (by the way, this is the third time she's been in the news for having an affair). Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)