Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 183 The Dead Murderer

The Nagato family kitchen.

The chef brought Gao Mo some desserts: "It is indeed a bit late today, but if you are hungry, you can have something to eat first. Dinner will probably take another half hour."

"excuse me."

Gao Mo looked at the nearly 10-person chef team in the kitchen and sighed with admiration.

This is probably what real life in a wealthy family is like. The Suzuki family really can't be judged by conventional standards. Last time I visited the Suzuki family, I only saw one chef and a few servants. Mrs. Suzuki would even cook herself.

"Has anything strange happened at the Nagato family lately?" Gao Mo asked casually.

"A strange place?" the maid, who was relatively free, replied. "It must be the strange thing that happened last night, right?"

"And before that?" Gao Mo asked, devouring a dessert. "Did anyone behave differently?"

“It’s not quite the same… It might be because of Miss Hinata’s stay. Young Master Hideomi has had a particularly good appetite since yesterday, and he even ate all the desserts that he rarely touches.”

"And the son-in-law of Guangming is also strange; his appetite has decreased significantly."

The other maids chimed in.

"Also, the son-in-law of Guangming keeps saying that the master should give up the chairman's position to him."

"Shh, stop talking nonsense!"

By the time Gao Mo left the kitchen, he had already thoroughly investigated the situation of the Nagato family.

Whether it's true or not, it's certainly what the servants think.

Gathering intelligence is also a skill; the art of language, psychology, and interpersonal skills all play a significant role, and Gao Mo can only say that he is barely qualified.

According to the servants, the son-in-law was ambitious and cunning.

He and Hideomi Nagato were childhood friends, like brothers, and were known as the "Handsome Duo." However, their relationship deteriorated rapidly after a fire 20 years ago.

Especially after Nagato Mitsuaki married the second young lady, the two became increasingly at odds, and even had a fight yesterday.

Based on the information available, it seems that Nagato Mitsuaki is planning something...

Gao Mo stroked his chin, wondering if he should remind Hattori Heiji again.

After all, he was his younger brother—it was clear he wanted to prove himself to their father, otherwise he wouldn't have made an excuse to bring his "boss" over as well.

"Kido-kun! Something terrible has happened!"

Hattori Heiji ran downstairs, his head covered in sweat.

"Hideomi is going to kill Kōmyō! I'm going to find the guards, you go and check on him right away!"

"Ok?"

Gao Mo walked up to the second floor with a slight sense of doubt, just in time to see Nagato Yasue pounding on the door and crying out, "Brother, don't hurt my light! Please, brother!"

"Second Miss!" The old butler came running from the other end, breathless. "I've brought the spare key!"

Gao Mo squinted as he watched the old butler hurriedly open the door.

A cold wind blew in from the balcony.

There wasn't a soul in sight, only the open French windows with their curtains fluttering.

"Kyouko?!" Nagato Yasue rushed into the room crying, and after not finding anyone, she quickly ran to the balcony.

There was no one on the crescent-shaped balcony either, only ropes and hooks hanging from the railings.

Looking down, Nagato Mitsuaki was hanging like a dried fish on the iron railing below the balcony, his chest pierced by several iron spikes, his blood staining his white shirt and suit, a gruesome death.

For the second young lady of the Nagato family, it was like a bolt from the blue; she was so shocked that she almost fainted.

"bright!!"

Gao Mo stood on the balcony, facing the wind, and quickly scanned the scene amidst Nagato Yasue's cries, glancing up at the upper floor: "Upstairs is..."

"It's the master's room."

The old butler was also quite frightened and was rather at a loss.

This matter is beyond the scope of what the housekeeper can handle.

"We received a call from Guangming's son-in-law while we were waiting upstairs. We only exchanged a few words before the accident happened. We heard Guangming's son-in-law scream from below the balcony... Looking down from the balcony, we saw Xiuchen's young master sticking his head out with a kitchen knife in his mouth, his bandages covered in blood..."

The old butler was still shaken.

"Everyone rushed to stop Master Hideomi, but the door was locked... I never expected Master Hideomi to kill someone."

"That would be interesting."

Gao Mo wasn't sure if the old butler's description was accurate.

It doesn't quite match what he saw on the scene.

Moreover, Nagato Mitsuaki, who was predicted to commit the crime, was actually murdered...

"call!"

Gao Mo's gaze returned to the corpse downstairs.

At this moment, Hattori Heiji also arrived at the room with the guards. He was stunned when he saw Nagato Yasue crying on the balcony. He quickly turned serious and discovered the body.

A murder has really occurred!
why?
"Kido-nii, this..."

"Call the police first."

The sound of pages turning echoed in Gao Mo's ear.

Needless to say, Nagato Hikaru downstairs has absolutely no chance of survival.

……

The Nagato family mansion under the moonlight.

It took the police some effort to remove the railing from Nagato Mitsuaki's blood-stained body. The kitchen knife, blood-stained bandages, and hat were also found nearby.

The case is being handled by our old friend Inspector Megure and Takagi, who has returned to the team.

As Gao Mo looked at Takagi at the investigation site, his memories returned to when he first came to this world, when it was Inspector Megure and Takagi who came to his door.

"Brother Kido," Inspector Megure exclaimed in surprise, "what are you doing here?"

He wouldn't be surprised if he saw Mori.

“I just came with Hattori to help out,” Gao Mo pushed Hattori Heiji forward, “and happened to be caught up in this situation.”

After their trip to Hokkaido, Hattori Heiji and Megure had become quite close: "Inspector Megure, have you found any suspicious individuals nearby? Especially those with burns on their faces."

“No,” Megure shook his head and said, “The security cameras outside didn’t capture anyone leaving.”

"police officer!"

"That's what the forensic team reported."

"In addition to the fatal penetrating wound to the chest, the deceased also had minor puncture wounds on the back of his hands and a 5-centimeter-long laceration on his upper arm..."

Gao Mo squatted down beside the corpse to examine it closely, his gaze thoughtful.

Although he was not an eyewitness, he learned the general situation from Hattori Heiji and the others.

The mental palace can be used to recreate the scene.

However, based on the clues at the scene, it was impossible to replicate Hattori and the old butler's description.

However, the fact that the murderer was biting a kitchen knife and leaning forward couldn't be deduced—

The only explanation is that the murderer was alone in the room where the crime occurred.

It was all staged by the murderer.

This was true at least before Nagato Mitsuaki's death.

The technique was quite clumsy; even without the Hall of Mind, he could sense the deliberate intent in it.

……

The chairman's bedroom is on the third floor.

Heiji Hattori, now in detective mode, joins the police in their search, while Gao Mo is sent to look after the elderly client.

Short-haired secretary Hinata Yuki was standing by the bedside. Upon seeing Gao Mo, she hurriedly asked, "Mr. Kido, was Hikaru really killed? I heard Kang E crying and heard police sirens... but Hideomi couldn't have killed anyone..."

Gao Mo didn't respond, but instead looked at the balcony and asked, "Have you been guarding this place the whole time?"

"Oh? Right, the chairman needs someone to look after him, so I didn't go down with him."

"Did anyone notice anything unusual after they went outside?"

"No, right?" Hinata Yuki's fingers tightened. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I just feel like the killer deliberately lured everyone away."

Gao Mo turned his gaze to the old man on the bed, noticing that the old man's eyes twitched slightly and his breathing became erratic for a moment. He was pretending to be asleep.

After everyone left, something did indeed happen in this room, something that the old man needed to help cover up.

Gao Mo walked to the balcony to take a look, then left the dormitory with one hand behind his back, just like when he was the housekeeper.

Even the most complex cases have a clear structure, let alone cases set in a fixed location like this.

Although it may seem a bit strange, the case can be solved instantly if you grasp the key points.

He vaguely understood what was going on.

However, we still need to wait for the police to find Nagato Hideomi.

No conclusions should be drawn before all clues have been collected, no matter how perfect the deduction may seem.

Hyuga Yuki – [I'm sorry, Hideomi]

Chairman Nagato – [Giving Hyuga Yuki a bright future]

Nagato Yasue – [Give Me Back the Light]

Megure – [Find the culprit]

Takagi – [Wanting to know if Sato likes her]

Heiji Hattori – [Proving himself to his father]

Nobuko Nagato – [I Want to Get Married]

……

The corridor of a luxury mansion.

After Gao Mo walked around, he activated the projected text for everyone.

Takato Yoichi's mission, "Become a Death Agent," is not yet complete, but the new mission seems unaffected.

Fortunately, there were no obstacles to completing the task.

Otherwise, between abandoning the old mission and the new mission... he could only abandon the new mission.

Although the problem of becoming a Shinigami agent cannot be solved in the short term, there is a high probability that you will draw Takato Yoichi's ability after completing the mission.

The higher the difficulty, the better the quality; it might just be another 5-star book.

As for this time...

Gao Mo pondered as he looked at the projected text.

The quality of this mission wasn't very good; it seems like only Inspector Megure was somewhat reliable.

However, after reaching Tier 2 Transcendent, you actually get two extra draw opportunities, and the probability of drawing a good mission is much higher than before, so you don't have to worry too much.

Of course, you can also wait until the end to choose it, like in the Dead Bone Plains incident, and use it as a mind-reading tool, although some tasks will disappear when you draw them later.

Wait a minute.

Megure's mission should not disappear until the case is solved.

He doesn't need these tasks as much now as he used to.

"Kirouto-nii!"

While deep in thought, Hattori Heiji nearly bumped into Gao Mo.

“I have some ideas. The commotion last night was very likely a rehearsal by the murderer, and he killed Nagato Mitsuaki as planned even though he knew I was here... Either he was very confident, or he had some reason that prevented him from changing his plan.”

Hattori Heiji deduced in a deep voice.

"There was also a kitchen knife, bandages, and a hat left at the scene... It's obviously illogical to leave these things behind when you're running for your life. Plus, the fact that they deliberately showed up in front of us makes it seem like they were trying to frame Nagato Hideomi."

"Have you found Nagato Hideomi yet?" Gao Mo interrupted.

“No, we’ve searched everywhere that could hide someone. I’m wondering if Nagato Hideomi might not have been home in the first place?” Hattori Heiji said, his head in his throat. “If what you’re saying is true, Kido-kun, the servants were all in the kitchen, and the guards were outside the villa, then the only person who could have impersonated Hideomi at the time was Nagato Nobuko, who was alone…”

"It shouldn't be her."

Gao Mo shook his head.

“The woman was drunk and making phone calls in her room. If she were the murderer, she would have no reason to do these things, and I don’t think she could have committed such a crime.”

"But she had a conflict with Nagato Mitsuaki, and she's the only one without an alibi..."

Hattori Heiji pressed his forehead.

"Damn it, I didn't expect Kido-kun to be right. I thought someone was trying to kill Nagato, but it turned out to be that son-in-law who died... These prisoners really don't take me seriously!"

Gao Mo's gaze lingered briefly on Hattori Heiji: "When you encounter problems in your reasoning, you might as well go back to the starting point; perhaps you'll find a new way of thinking."

It seems my little brother has fallen into a mental trap again.

I never considered the possibility that Nagato Mitsuaki was directing and acting on his own.

"The origin?" Hattori Heiji snapped out of his chaotic thoughts and looked again to find that Gao Mo had already left the corridor.

Nagato Hideomi's room.

The table and the floor were covered with books in a mess, which Hattori and the police had already searched through.

Gao Mo picked up a copy of "Literary Times" magazine, and as he walked, the world around him seemed to be pulled into a virtual space.

Beneath the hall of thought, the room began to be simplified and reconstructed, with a massive amount of detailed information emerging and being sifted through Gao Mo's mind.

At the same time, the words spoken by the servants in the kitchen resurfaced.

[Perhaps because of Miss Hinata's stay, young master Hideomi has had a particularly good appetite since yesterday, even eating all the desserts he rarely touches.]

[Ever since his disfigurement 20 years ago, young master Xiuchen has always been wrapped in bandages and spends most of his time writing novels in his room.]

"It wasn't written."

Gao Mo closed his eyes and then opened them again, stopping in front of his desk.

Most writers today are accustomed to handwriting their manuscripts, and this young master Nagato is no exception.

However, judging from the state of the study, the other party had not written anything for quite some time.

"Beep!"

Gao Mo pressed the answering machine next to him.

"This is Yamada from the editorial department of Literary Times. The next article will be at the usual place tomorrow afternoon..."

"This is Yamada. What's wrong? Why didn't you come over? Didn't you see yesterday's voicemail?"

"I've been waiting for you for 6 hours, what happened?"

These are voicemail messages from yesterday and today.

Gao Mo paused for a moment, put down the magazine, and walked out of the room.

Heiji Hattori did not come along, but continued to look for people in other places.

After thinking for a moment, Gao Mo turned around and went into Hinata Sachi's room.

The interior was clean and tidy, with no clutter.

"Mr. Kido?"

Hinata Yuki appeared at the door, clutching her fingers, and her eyes trembled when she saw Gao Mo.

The projected text had somehow changed to "Go to another world to find Hideomi".

"You, how did you..."

“I was wondering if Nagato Hideomi was here with you,” Gao Mo turned to look at his female secretary. “He doesn’t seem to be here.”

"is it?"

Hinata Yuki's face was stiff. He avoided eye contact, picked up the electric kettle on the table, and then silently walked out of the room.

Gao Mo followed behind him, and after seeing the new projected text, a look of understanding appeared on his face.

No wonder... he said Nagato Hideomi went somewhere.

It seems that Nagato Hideomi had already run into trouble yesterday.

He basically knew what had happened in this case.

It's normal that the police can't find Nagato Hideomi.

There aren't many places for the living to hide, but there are many places for the dead to hide...

Gao Mo followed Hinata Sachi back to the old man's bedroom on the third floor. Hattori Heiji, who saw this scene from the side of the corridor, opened his mouth in confusion, but stopped in his tracks just as he was about to call out.

(End of this chapter)