Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 247 "Investigation Division Case Files"

lounge.

Gao Mo was assigned to preside over the interrogation.

First, she faced the crying president's daughter, while next to her stood Inspector Megure with an encouraging expression.

Is this an attempt to train him, the newcomer?
But in reality, he had already read the projected book several times and absorbed all the necessary experience.

For him, routine criminal investigations were not difficult, and as a detective, he didn't really need to go through these procedures.

"Ahem, Miss Tatsumi, the most important thing now is to find the murderer who killed your father. You don't want President Tatsumi to die with resentment in his eyes, do you? He might even become an evil spirit if he dies with resentment."

Gao Mo offered a few words of reassurance, which worked quite well; the president's daughter on the other side immediately changed her expression.

The previously blurry projected text immediately took shape—[Find the murderer who killed your father].

"Matsuda, start questioning him," Inspector Megure repeatedly signaled with his eyes.

The interrogation process must be written into a report at the end, and you can't just say things like grievances or evil spirits.

Of course, you shouldn't scare others either.

"Miss Tatsumi, could you tell me what happened after your father left? What did you and Ooba Satoru talk about?"

Oba Satoru is that long-faced young man, 31 years old, the manager of the video game company, who is said to be highly valued by the president.

"Say as much as you remember, don't hold back," Gao Mo asked, noting, "It seems like the two of you are dating?"

"Ah."

The president's daughter nodded, wiping away her tears as she spoke.

"Daba and I agreed to meet at the elevator before 8:30. I spent some time getting ready and even wore my new earrings..."

"You've been at the elevator since you met?" Gao Mo's gaze fell on the president's daughter's pink earrings. "Why were you at the elevator?"

"Because we had been secretly dating before, maybe it was because the elevator was dark?"

"Very dark?"

"The lights weren't turned on over there until the party ended."

“Excuse me,” Gao Mo stood up from his seat, “could we go to the elevator and demonstrate it in person? What exactly did Mr. Oba do to you back then…”

"What do you mean?" the president's daughter asked suspiciously. "Do you suspect that Oba is the murderer? That's impossible, he's been with me the whole time."

Being with you doesn't mean I can't commit crimes.

At the elevator entrance, the victim's body had already been removed.

While instructing the police officers to turn off the lights, Gao Mo signaled to the president's daughter to recreate the scene.

"So you were facing away from the elevator at the time?"

“Yes,” the president’s daughter said, stunned. “At that time, Oba hugged me and touched my earrings, saying he would give me a pearl necklace to match the earrings. I remember that his glow-in-the-dark watch was showing 8:30 at the time.”

Gao Mo glanced at the pink pearl necklace around the president's daughter's neck.

"You mentioned the new earrings you bought before... weren't these a gift from him?"

"Is there a problem?" The president's daughter was starting to get impatient. "I just bought it on my way here. Doesn't that just mean we're on the same wavelength?"

“No problem, but…”

Gao Mo smiled.

"I just saw him wearing the watch on his left wrist, how did you see the time?"

"What's so strange about that?" The president's daughter grabbed Gao Mo's left hand and put it to her left ear in exasperation. "Now you can see it, right?"

“That’s the strange thing,” Gao Mo said, gesturing with his free right hand. “When you’re face to face, your left hand should naturally touch your right ear. Why is he awkwardly touching the other side?”

"Of course, it's because my hair is covering my right ear, that's why..."

What was he doing with his right hand at that moment? Why did he specifically use his left hand?

"This..." The president's daughter thought for a moment, and realized that she hadn't felt her boyfriend's right hand at the time.

“It’s very simple,” Gao Mo said, glancing at the long-faced young man who was eavesdropping. “At that time, he couldn’t use his right hand; his right hand was needed for other things…”

"What do you mean? Are you saying I'm holding a gun in my right hand?" The long-faced youth's expression changed.

The meticulously planned scheme went wrong in this very place.

“I didn’t say you were holding a gun, I just thought you might be pressing an elevator button,” Gao Mo stared at the top of the young man’s head, “but now that you mention it, it’s possible you were holding a gun, just waiting for the elevator doors to open so you could shoot and kill President Tatsumi.”

[Don't be intimidated by this rookie cop] — Satoru Ohba.

"Stop joking!" The long-faced youth shouted angrily at Gao Mo, "Do you think you can just say whatever you want? What evidence do you have? The president left a long time ago..."

Gao Mo remained unmoved: "You only saw President Tatsumi take the elevator down, but who can prove that he left the elevator? There are no security cameras in the elevator. What if President Tatsumi made an appointment with someone and was actually planning to come back to surprise his employees?"

"Then tell me, where is the murder weapon?" The long-faced youth stared fiercely at Gao Mo. "The police can't just accuse people randomly, can they? Yingzi and I have been together the whole time!"

Sakurako is the president's daughter, Tatsumi Sakurako.

“We weren’t always together,” the president’s daughter unconsciously stepped back behind Gao Mo, suddenly feeling that her boyfriend was terribly unfamiliar. “When I went to the bathroom to put on my necklace, Oba was waiting for me outside.”

"That's only two or three minutes, Sakura, you should believe me, right?"

The long-faced young man looked at his girlfriend's reaction in disbelief. Was she really hiding behind the police?

How did things turn out like this after just spending some time with the police...?

“If you really don’t believe me, you can check the gunpowder reaction,” the long-faced youth said, his face darkening as he regained his composure. “If I were to shoot and kill the club president, there would definitely be a gunpowder reaction!”

"No need to investigate. I don't think you're stupid enough to leave such evidence. You probably covered it up with something beforehand, like wrapping the gun in a plastic bag."

Gao Mo did not follow the long-faced youth's lead.

"Putting on the necklace shouldn't have taken more than two or three minutes, and Miss Tatsumi probably touched up her makeup while kissing you..."

Whether it was sending the necklace or something else, you deliberately bought yourself time. There are trash chutes outside the restrooms in this building, which would have been perfect for disposing of the murder weapon. The extra time was probably used to deal with fingerprints, so I won't investigate further.

The long-faced young man's eyes turned red: How could you not investigate?
To avoid arousing suspicion, he even prepared a trap to use in such situations to launch a counterattack.

"police officer!"

Several police officers ran back to the scene and shouted.

"We found a silenced pistol and empty magazines at the garbage disposal center downstairs!"

Megure stared intently at the long-faced youth: "Mr. Oba, did you hear that?"

"So what?" The long-faced youth sneered and closed his eyes. "It's all your speculation. No matter how much you say, there's no evidence. I was framed!"

With a sigh, Megure turned to Takamori.

Matsuda is still inexperienced; even if he suspects someone is the murderer, he shouldn't have confronted them so quickly.

We can wait until more evidence is found.

Gao Mo's eyes were calm.

He did indeed habitually not think of himself as a criminal investigator, and still used his previous way of thinking.

However, dealing with this kind of criminal might be more troublesome if we follow the normal procedures.

He wasn't looking for physical evidence, but rather for witness testimony.

Several attempts have successfully aroused the suspicion of the president's daughter.

“Ms. Tatsumi,” Gao Mo asked the woman, “when Mr. Oba kissed you, did you hear any sound? Even with a silencer, it’s impossible to be completely silent.”

“Well,” the president’s daughter looked troubled, “I didn’t notice because my ears were covered by Oba… and the party was firing cannons at that time.”

"And the light?" Gao Mo continued, "Even with your eyes closed, you should be able to sense the change in light after the elevator doors open..."

"Hey!" The long-faced youth, sweat beading on his forehead, forced a stiff smile. "This is practically coercion, isn't it? You can't just believe whatever she says... Yes, right now, Sakura's words are completely unreliable." "If Tatsumi-san's words don't count, then what about yourself?"

Gao Mo pressed the elevator switch at the dimly lit elevator entrance.

"You didn't see these earrings before you met with Miss Tatsumi, right?"

"So what?"

"Why would you say that a pearl necklace and earrings go well together?"

"Of course, it's because they're all pink..."

The long-faced young man subconsciously responded, but his expression froze instantly.

The color of the earrings was not visible in the dim light until the elevator doors opened and the light shone through, revealing their pink hue.

"Now you know, right?" Gao Mo released the president's daughter. "No matter how much you deny it, it's useless. It's only because Miss Tatsumi didn't realize what was happening that you fooled her."

You keep saying there's no evidence, but in reality, once you're identified as a suspect, it's impossible not to find evidence of your crime, whether it's witness testimony or physical evidence.

Now please explain why the elevator door opened at that time, and what your right hand was doing at that time.
Don't even mention someone pressing the button inside the elevator... I just tried it, and there's no elevator arrival announcement only when the door is opened from the outside.

The long-faced young man lowered his head in silence, then chuckled self-deprecatingly: "I thought I would never be exposed. Don't people say that Japanese police are useless? They can't solve so many cold cases, how come I solved them on the spot when it was my turn?"

"It might be because you're having bad luck."

Gao Mo curled his lip.

Given the technology and environment of this era, designing such a complex method is less efficient than simply pushing someone off a mountain.

The simpler the method, the harder it is to solve the case.

Fancy and elaborate designs often leave too many clues and traces, making it difficult to avoid revealing any flaws, even for Takato Yoichi.

On the other hand, Ooba Satoru probably treated the president's daughter as a tool for his love-struck mind, completely unaware of how terrifying it was that the president's daughter became a witness.

In court, whatever the president's daughter said really went.

“Speaking of which,” Inspector Megure said, carefully observing the long-faced youth, “your father wouldn’t happen to be the video game company owner who committed suicide 20 years ago, would he?”

“That’s right,” the long-faced youth lowered his head unwillingly. “My father was driven to the brink by that guy and pretended to be killed by him. In the end, he lost more than he gained and ruined himself. If my father had chosen to kill him back then, perhaps it would have been a different story.”

"It seems I remember correctly, I was a newbie who had just joined the company at that time."

Megure sighed, then looked at Gao Mo with a strange expression.

Twenty years ago, it was Yusaku Kudo who solved the case here; now it's his subordinate's turn.

The case was solved, but why does Matsuda seem more like a detective than a police officer?

In his experience, cases are usually solved through extensive investigations and interviews. This involves confronting the suspect directly at the crime scene, cornering them, and finding clues... These are typical detective methods.

I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing.

"Ok?"

Gao Mo noticed a person's expression of mixed feelings of joy and worry.

It doesn't matter what method they use, as long as the case is solved.

Missing investigation steps can be added later.

Ignoring Inspector Megure, Gao Mo turned his gaze to the notebook projection.

He chose the president's daughter mission because, for the first time, the projected text from Inspector Megure was not focused on solving cases, but rather on training him.

[The First Investigation Division's Case Files: 3 stars]

I drew a strange projected book; it must be from Inspector Megure?
It seems like I've recently become attached to Inspector Megure.

Gao Mo didn't pay much attention.

The only advantage of this book is that it makes it easy for him to look up information; it can be useful for both detectives and police officers.

However, he is now more concerned about career advancement.

The detective level 1 has been upgraded to level 2.
[New Talent: Reconnaissance Expert]

First came the bomb disposal expert, and now we have a reconnaissance expert.

Investigation involves investigating cases and collecting evidence, but it's more professional and formal than detective work. It requires gathering complete evidence to prepare for subsequent criminal proceedings, and deduction is only one part of it.

If there are problems with the investigation, even if the case is solved, the court may still acquit the murderer.

Therefore, elite police officers often regard detectives as laymen, even though many police officers themselves are quite incompetent, and some police officers cannot solve cases without the help of detectives.

Gao Mo looked at the dazed Inspector Megure and rubbed his nose.

Talent is definitely more valuable than projected books, but for him right now, it seems that "The Case Files of the First Investigation Division" is more useful.
He was just temporarily acting as a police officer; criminal prosecution was not something he needed to consider.

He is not lacking in talent when it comes to investigating cases; what he lacks is experience and knowledge.

Yusaku Kudo's collection of case files is extensive and comprehensive, with many involving foreign countries. However, the content is not as detailed as official documents like the "First Investigation Division Case Files," because much of it is publicly available information, and the classified parts are difficult for outsiders to know.

However, this talent also helped him reduce the difficulty of becoming a police officer.

Based on his experience as a police officer, he at least knew how to write the subsequent report.

"..."

Being a police officer is really troublesome; you even have to write reports.

"police officer!"

As the police officers detained and took away the long-faced youth, the president's daughter, who needed to go to the police station to give a statement, suddenly called out to Gao Mo.

Can I come with you?

“I don’t have time to take your statement,” Gao Mo glanced at his watch. “I have other things to do.”

"Is the police officer single?" the club president's daughter asked, her face slightly flushed. "I don't mean anything by it, I'm just really grateful to you..."

"Ok?"

Gao Mo almost didn't react.

"I have a girlfriend."

Is it too fast for her to get over the trauma of her father's murder?
The murderer was her boyfriend...

"So you're not married yet?" the president's daughter asked happily.

“Ms. Tatsumi,” Megure said with a strange expression, “my subordinate has a very good relationship with his girlfriend, so don’t even think about it.”

Gao Mo regretted making his disguise too cool, but fortunately, Inspector Megure helped him out and took the president's daughter away.

"Matsuda, the rest is up to you. I'll take the men to the police station first."

"it is good."

The aftermath wasn't too difficult; it was mainly handled by the local police station. The officers who initially took over the case were also experienced.

At first, there was a clear distance between him and the detective from the First Investigation Division, but now the look in his eyes is full of admiration.

The relationship between the local police and the Metropolitan Police Department in this world is not as bad as it is in some Japanese dramas about the Metropolitan Police Department. This may be because the detectives of the First Investigation Division are not so arrogant and have a good reputation in their jurisdiction.

Gao Mo, the rookie detective, successfully put the situation in order.

Is this also part of Inspector Megure's plan?

Could they really be treating him like a subordinate?

Gao Mo gave a slight, wry smile.

He really wouldn't last long, and he wasn't that concerned about things outside of solving cases.

(End of this chapter)