Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 550 A Lifetime
"What do you mean there's no blood at the scene? That's impossible... I saw blood at the scene! If you didn't notice, then his wife must have tampered with the scene!" Hasunuma immediately retorted.

Now that they have admitted to moving the bodies, the previous "silence tactic" is no longer effective.

The best time to use the "silence tactic" is at the beginning...

It often takes a complete silence from beginning to end to give the police and prosecutors a headache.

He admitted to some of it, then it was overturned. If he then remained silent, it would be considered an "acquiescence." Therefore, Hasunuma needed to make excuses.

The reason he said this was because he wanted to take a gamble: the police didn't conduct a blood test at that "empty" scene...

If there is simply no bloodstain, it can be easily claimed that the scene was destroyed.

As for now...

Three years have passed, and of course, no bloodstains can be found.

However, Shiraishi shook his head and said, "No, that's impossible... We found the victim's hair clip at the scene and had it tested. It had the victim's fingerprints on it, but there was no blood reaction, which is enough to prove that Namiki Saori did not bleed at the time."

Hasunuma's face turned grim; he hadn't expected such a coincidence...

That's right, it was Hasunuma who witnessed the "murder" when he was driving his garbage truck to collect garbage in the vicinity.

Hasunuma immediately realized that this was an opportunity!
Not only can it coerce the "murderer," but afterwards... there might even be a chance to get compensation from the police and prosecutors!
It has to be said that after tasting success once, he was about to treat it as a cash cow.

That was his original plan!

After hiding the body, he could extort money from Rumi Niikura. Three years later, he could pretend to be the murderer, allowing those stupid police officers to catch him and the stupid prosecutor to prosecute him...

Finally, they produced enough evidence to overturn the verdict—communication records with Rumi Niikura, proving that the real culprit was actually Rumi Niikura!

That way, I could at least get another ten million, right? This is the second time I've been "wrongly accused"!

However, to his surprise, just as he was hiding the "corpse" in the garbage truck and preparing to take it away for burial, the "corpse" suddenly woke up...

“Saori didn’t die at the time, she just fell into a coma… I guess it was spinal shock. She looked like she wasn’t breathing or conscious, but there’s a chance she could wake up on her own within half an hour,” Shiraishi said, offering his guess.

Unlike hemorrhagic shock or shock caused by intracranial hemorrhage, spinal shock can resolve on its own, but treatment is still required afterward, otherwise there may be sequelae.

Hasunuma's face was now ashen, and she said no more...

That's right. When he saw Saori shouting and yelling, and it looked like he was about to attract attention, he decided to go all the way and kill her!
after that……

Hasunuma was certain that Rumi Niikura probably didn't know that Saori hadn't died on the spot!
So instead of being afraid, Hasunuma proceeded according to the original plan.

They continued to blackmail Rumi Niikura, trying to prove that she had killed Saori and hidden the body at her grandmother's house...

When the three-year period was up, they immediately set fire to the place as planned, which attracted the attention of the Metropolitan Police Department.

only……

The Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office's current head of criminal cases, Gou Karama, is already cautious, and Hasunuma has a history of being acquitted, therefore...

The Tokyo District Prosecutors Office did not file a lawsuit at all!

This greatly disappointed Hasunuma.

Over the past three years, his extortion of Shinkura Ryumi has reached its limit, and it is difficult to get any more large sums of money. So he plans to use his reputation rights to sue the Namiki family to get money.

But now...

"Inspector Shiraishi, we'll wait for news from the Metropolitan Police Department. We can transfer the suspect at any time," Yokomizo promised Shiraishi.

The murder case was filed in Tokyo because the body was found there. Although the prosecution was "suspended," the case was not dropped. Of course, it will be transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department for handling later.

If it weren't for the incident involving Shiraishi and Mitsurugi, and the case were solved entirely by the Shizuoka Prefectural Police, then it would be worth considering filing a case in Shizuoka—after all, the crime scene was indeed in Shizuoka.

However, at this point, putting aside interpersonal relationships, Shiraishi and Mitsurugi's investigation alone made it impossible for Shizuoka to bypass the Metropolitan Police Department, and he had no intention of taking credit for it.

However, the transfer of the suspects still needs to go through a procedure; Shiraishi and Mitsurugi cannot simply take them back directly.

After all, the case wasn't filed at the Mikasa Police Station, and Mikasa wasn't even a police officer.

Just then, another bus from Shizuoka Prefecture arrived...

Upon receiving the news, prosecutors from the Shizuoka District Prosecutors Office were also dispatched.

The case of Namiki Saori's murder is being handled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but...

The cases that Namiki and his gang committed, as well as Niikura's premeditated murder tendencies, are naturally crimes, and these are the responsibility of Shizuoka Prefecture!
This wouldn't normally be enough to prompt the prosecution to intervene immediately, but after hearing that Mikami Reishi from the Tokyo Prosecutor's Office had arrived, they were unwilling to lag behind. At least... they hoped to recognize her face so that if they had the opportunity to be transferred back in the future, they would at least have someone they knew.

"I see... The case is quite complicated." The prosecutor from Shizuoka scratched his head as he looked at the people in front of him.

It can be confirmed that Niikura attempted murder, but...

What about the rest?

Accomplices in attempted murder? That seems a bit too harsh, especially since they don't admit they intended to kill anyone...

As for crimes of assault, coercion, and violence... each has its own justification.

The prosecutor in Shizuoka never expected to encounter a real case that was comparable to an "exam question".

At this moment, Miken said, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone at the Shizuoka Prosecutor's Office. However... there's something I want to say, but I'm not sure if I should." As he spoke, Miken seemed a little embarrassed.

"It would be great if you could offer some guidance," said Prosecutor Shizuoka, who was very cooperative.

"The Namiki family... and their relatives and friends, as well as Mr. Masumura, the family member of another victim in that case, still thought about getting the murderer to confess and still placed their hopes on the law when the law could not give them justice. Although their actions undoubtedly violated the law, their motives should still be considered, as well as the trust in the law involved," said Miken frankly.

Ultimately, it was because the Shizuoka and Tokyo prosecutors offices failed to bring the perpetrator to justice that the victim's family resorted to "overly drastic measures" to find evidence on their own, instead of directly killing the suspect...

It is evident that they still trust the law—a kind of "trust that persists even after being betrayed," which Yujian believes is an emotion that should not be hurt.

Upon hearing what Mitsurugi said, the prosecutor from Shizuoka also straightened up and said seriously, "Yes, we will definitely consider these things as well."

……

That evening, Shiraishi drove back to Dongdu.

Although Miken was reluctant, or rather, embarrassed, she still hitched a ride with Shiraishi at Ayako's invitation.

"What? Lady Niikura committed suicide?" Ayako exclaimed in surprise upon hearing the news.

"Yes, but it didn't work. She's been rescued... I heard from Yokomizo that when they went to the Niikura family to arrest her, they caught her hanging herself. Although she had already passed out due to spinal compression, she was rescued in time and brought to the hospital... It seems she was left with some paralysis. I don't know if she'll recover." Shiraishi said, with a hint of regret.

At that time, Shiraishi felt...

In her panic, Rumi Niikura might have thought Saori was dead, but she even made a mistake about Hasunuma. It's highly likely that she was in shock at the time, and it was probably shock caused by spinal cord injury—which is why she was able to wake up on her own.

Later, when Lady Niikura attempted suicide by hanging, she was miraculously saved from this state of shock, which indeed gives one a sense of cause and effect.

"I hope the murderer didn't get away this time?" Ayako asked with some concern.

"Well, that depends on how well the people behind us perform," Shiraishi said calmly.

Sword Control: ...

"Ah! I'm sorry, Inspector Mitsurugi," Ayako said awkwardly.

"Don't worry, I'll prepare the indictment materials as soon as I get back. This time... I definitely won't let him get away!" Yu Jian said confidently. "Can you really sue? Actually, in your old man's opinion, it's still a 'not a sure thing' case, right? Unless..." Shiraishi didn't finish his sentence—unless "some tricks" were used.

For example, some evidence might appear out of nowhere...

Yu Jian also sensed his implication and the teasing tone in it, and his face darkened. However, he still said, "I will win in my own way! By the way, you two might as well come and listen in."

"What kind of special dating activity is this?" Shiraishi rolled his eyes—no wonder you're single!

Although Shiraishi said that, but...

Friday, January 7th.

That is, four days after Hasunuma Kanichi was arrested.

At the East Capital Court, Shiraishi and Ayako arrived at the First Trial Chamber as scheduled—just as Mitsurugi had said, the prosecution had finally decided to file charges!
And very quickly...

Prosecutions in this world are already quick, but once Yujian got serious, they became even faster—arresting someone on Monday and taking them to court on Friday.

Outside the courthouse, Shiraishi also met the Namiki family and Saori's other relatives and friends—although their cases were also under investigation, the Shizuoka Public Prosecutor's Office had granted them bail...

After all, many things require their cooperation, and neither reason nor emotion restricts them from coming to Dongdu.

"Officer Shiraishi, I'm sorry to have troubled you all." The Namiki couple greeted Shiraishi as soon as they saw him approaching.

Shiraishi also met Saori for the first time—Mrs. Namiki was holding her black and white portrait.

In her memorial photo, she was smiling brightly, after all...

At this age, no one would think of leaving a portrait for their funeral.

Shiraishi greeted everyone and exchanged pleasantries. He was quite surprised to see that Naoki Niikura was also there.

Niikura also noticed the questioning look in Shiraishi's eyes, so he took the initiative to explain, "What happened before was all due to my wife's and my immaturity. If..."

Halfway through his explanation, Mr. Namiki slapped him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, enough with the long, tedious explanation. He's just here to watch the trial on behalf of his wife."

Niikura nodded.

As for Rumi Niikura herself, she has not yet regained sensation in her lower limbs.

"Where's Xia Mei?" Shiraishi asked in confusion—the person who was sure to come hadn't arrived yet.

“Xia Mimi is a witness and has already gone to the witness room,” Tojima explained.

"I see, that's truly remarkable." Shiraishi nodded; being a witness isn't so easy after all.

The opposing lawyer will definitely keep asking questions.

Just then, Shiraishi saw another familiar face walking over—Ikukura Yukio!
"Inspector Shiraishi, it's been a long time... This case shouldn't be related to the Beika Police Station, right?" Ikukura's expression was somewhat unnatural when he saw Shiraishi.

only……

With a height as large as Shiraishi, he couldn't very well pretend he didn't see him.

"So it's Attorney Ikukura... You and this kind of defendant have a strange kind of fate," Shiraishi said sarcastically.

"Hmm? Mr. Hasunuma wasn't a criminal before the court trial..." Ikukura thought that Shiraishi was mocking him for defending the "murderer".

However, Shiraishi nodded and said, "That's right. Whether someone is a criminal or not is for the judge to decide. But... I met this Hasunuma in Kikuno before. He also had that inexplicable confidence, that feeling of 'I will absolutely not be arrested'... What was the last person who said that called? He was sentenced to fifteen years in the end, right? I remember he was also one of your clients, Attorney Ikukura..."

Live Warehouse: ...

After being hit where it hurt by Shiraishi, Ikura slunk into the courtroom first.

However, Shiraishi's expression darkened at this moment, and he said with some concern, "Natsumi is a witness..."

"Is Officer Shiraishi a very capable lawyer?" Takagaki asked worriedly.

Shiraishi smiled and said, "Don't worry, even the most skilled lawyer can't change the facts."

Of course, this was just a consolation; Shiraishi was actually quite worried about the upcoming court hearing.

Xia Mei is still young...

As the person who found the crucial evidence "the card," and who was required to appear in court, Shiraishi was also very worried.

……

After the trial began, it was indeed a battle of wits between Yujian and Shengcang, with both sides exchanging blows, and the court was adjourned twice in between!
During the second recess, Ayako asked worriedly, "Kuro, does Prosecutor Mitsurugi... have some kind of grudge against this lawyer Ikukura? He seems a bit emotional..."

"Maybe we've met before... But Mitsurugi only ever lost to Ayasato's spiky-haired student. If we really did meet, Ikukura would have lost!" Shiraishi said confidently.

After the court session resumed, the main event began, and Xia Mei was invited to the witness stand to testify about what happened that night.

Sure enough, after the testimony...

"Wait a minute, Ms. Namiki, you said you found your sister's hair clip in the park at 10 p.m., right?" Ikukura asked aggressively from the start.

“That’s right.” Xia Mei nodded nervously.

"After that, you went to call the others... How long did that take?" Ikuma actually discovered that in the other people's testimonies, there was a 15-minute delay in the arrival time at the scene.

Xia Mei's face turned pale, as if she were recalling the night she parted forever from her sister...

Upon seeing this, Yu Jian slammed his fist on the table and said, "Objection! This has nothing to do with what the witness is trying to prove."

“No, it has a direct relationship with whether the evidence has been damaged,” Ikuma explained to the judge.

"Objection overruled. Witness, please answer." The judge nodded.

Xia Mei's expression was indeed strange, which gave Shengcang hope. After all, Xia Mei was still young, and three years ago she was only fourteen years old. Discovering her sister's hair clip under those circumstances would naturally have been a huge shock to her.

However, as a defense attorney, if it can be proven that her memory was unclear and she was not sensitive to time at the time, it can be further argued that she was in a dazed state, and the veracity of her testimony can be questioned...

Seeing that Xia Mei was already in tears, the relatives and friends in the audience became agitated, but thankfully Shiraishi stopped them...

Just as Yu Jian was about to raise his hand and request that the witness be allowed to leave, preferring to be passive rather than pressure the girl any further, Xia Mei's eyes suddenly hardened.

“Attorney Ikukura, Your Honor… I’m sorry, I lost my composure… When I found my sister’s hair clip, I thought… I’ve lived a whole life!” Natsumi said firmly.

Live Warehouse: ...

Upon seeing this, the audience immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. Not only the spectators, but even the jury members started whispering among themselves. The judge, seeing this, quickly brought down his gavel to signal for silence.

Ikuma felt a chill in his heart, realizing that he had brought trouble upon himself!

Xia Mei couldn't remember the exact time, but...

The pure sisterly affection at this moment not only proved the seriousness of Xia Mei's testimony to everyone, but also changed the originally evenly matched situation in the courtroom.

"I'm sorry..." Under these circumstances, Ikuma had no choice but to apologize first in front of everyone.

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 30th, which is my country's "Martyrs' Day" and the day before National Day. We remember the martyrs. Without their sacrifice, there would be no new China.

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(End of this chapter)