Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 280 Hattori: I was careless.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the agreed time arrived, but Hattori Heiji was still nowhere to be seen.

At first, Gao Mo thought he was delayed by something, but when there was still no movement at two o'clock, he realized something was wrong and made a phone call.

"Shut down?"

After failing to get through on the phone, Gao Mo raised an eyebrow and looked out at the gloomy weather.

This is completely unreasonable for Hattori Heiji.

"Is there a problem?" Ai asked, carrying out a huge pile of snacks.

"There is a serious problem."

Gao Mo looked thoughtful.

"If something comes up temporarily and you're delayed, you should at least make a phone call or send a message. Even if your phone is broken or lost, you can always borrow one."

An hour has passed without any word... which means he can't make a phone call, or is unable to make one.

Thinking of what Hattori Heiji had said that morning, Gao Mo's thoughts gradually unfolded.

"Kusukawa from Beika Detective Agency, interesting. It seems Osaka Black Chicken has crashed and burned."

"Stop gloating," Ai's expression turned serious. "That couple might be in danger!"

"It's alright, he shouldn't die."

Gao Mo was quite confident in his precognitive abilities.

The absence of signs of death indicates that the situation is acceptable.

I made a call to Beika Detective Agency and learned that Nanakawa has been investigating a major case alone recently and I haven't been able to contact him for several days.

“In the morning, around 10 o’clock, a couple from Osaka came looking for Kusukawa. I gave them Kusukawa’s address, Arihata-so, 4-chome, Beika-cho. It’s easy to find.”

The president of Beika Detective Agency seemed to be counting money, speaking very casually.

"By the way, I've arranged to play mahjong with Mori tonight, do you want to come over?"

"No need for that." Gao Mo chuckled twice and hung up the phone.

Because of his mustache, he knew almost everyone at the Tokyo Detective Agency, but he could never truly integrate.

Mahjong, drinking parties, horse racing, customs... there's not a single thing he likes.

"There's no other way, I'll go find them," Gao Mo told Xiao Ai.

The rain had subsided considerably outdoors. Gao Mo put on his helmet, hopped on his little motorcycle, and took a few steps forward before finally setting off.

I really need to buy a car.

This motorcycle isn't very comfortable to ride right now.

"Swish!"

The road was sparsely wet with rain, and there were few pedestrians, all seemingly affected by yesterday's bombing.

The people at Lao Mihua were very conscientious; they avoided gathering in groups during the bombing and observed the situation for a few days before things returned to normal.

Acupido 4-chome.

Gao Mo found the cheap apartment where Nan Chuan lived in no time.

The income of world detectives is actually not bad, especially for experienced senior detectives.

People like Nan Chuan, who used to be criminal police officers, are sought after everywhere.

However, he just checked in the circle and found that Nan Chuan lost his police job because of gambling. Gamblers like him usually don't have much money, so it's not surprising that he lives in a cheap apartment.

"202 Nanchuan."

Gao Mo checked the mailbox and then went up to the second floor via the escalator in the outer corridor.

A note was stuck on the door.

I will be back before noon. Please leave any packages with the landlord. —Nanchuan

A watermark of a hat can be faintly seen next to the note.

Gao Mo's sharp eyes opened, and as details were absorbed into his mind, the blurred Hattori Heiji came up the escalator. After seeing the note at the door, he leaned against the door and waited patiently.

After standing and waiting for a long time, Hattori Heiji squatted down again, leaving a watermark of his hat below the door, and then...

Gao Mo bent down to examine the inconspicuous transparent tape underneath, which seemed to be used to warn whether anyone had entered the room.

The tape had peeled off and was covered in dust, indicating that someone had been in the room a long time ago.

"Crack!"

Gao Mo turned the doorknob and easily opened the door.

It was not locked.

Heiji Hattori probably noticed this as well.

The detective, Nanchuan, was very cautious; he placed similar warning signs not only on the door but also in many other places.

There was a folded piece of paper on the floor under the drawer, suggesting that someone had sneaked in and opened the drawer, triggering a small mechanism.

Nanchuan knew he was in danger, which is why he was being so careful.

They're probably tracking down some case where someone might be silenced.

Judging from the fact that he hasn't contacted his former boss, he's most likely been caught.

What about Hattori Heiji?
If Nan Chuan wasn't found, why did something still happen?
Gao Mo scanned the entire room, his gaze settling on the sticky note on the computer desk.

The desktop has some pencil marks, but it looks very new.

"call!"

The blurred Hattori bent down to pick up the warning note in front of Gao Mo, then checked the table and took a pencil to repeatedly scribble on the sticky note.

Because of the pressure from the pen tip, the paper underneath will also have marks left from writing, which can be made visible by smudging with a pencil.

Heiji Hattori must have realized that something had happened to Kusukawa and was trying to find clues through these traces.

Gao Mo picked up the sticky note and, finding that there were still marks on it, also used a pencil to erase them.

【Kenbashi Town, Ito】

There was a phone number below, but it was completely illegible.

Gao Mo shared police intelligence in his mind, and the Ito family in Kenjiro Town instantly came to mind.

The number is not small, but it's not insignificant either; there are a total of 13.

He didn't know how long it would take to find them one by one, but he knew some basic information about them.

If someone can make a former criminal investigator feel threatened and specifically treat it as a major case to be followed privately, it is highly likely to be a case of embezzlement and bribery.

I don't expect a gambling detective to have much of a sense of justice.

The fact that he didn't contact Department Head Toyama in Osaka afterwards speaks volumes; it's clear that Kusukawa himself didn't want his former boss to know.

Gao Mo quickly reviewed the information of the 13 Ito families, temporarily excluding ordinary people, leaving only 5 families.

From lawyers to company presidents, anyone could be targeted by Nanchuan, and these are the only people who are likely to have interactions with him.

"Let's test the waters first."

Gao Mo closed the door and left the cheap apartment.

Even for him, narrowing the scope to five households was already the limit, given the numerous possibilities and the limited intelligence.

Of course, it's not about foolishly searching randomly.

Judging from Nan Chuan's actions, the target was dangerous, but not dangerous enough to warrant more vigilance from Nan Chuan, or perhaps Nan Chuan himself was unaware of the extent of the danger.

The threat posed by the target's apparent identity was both dangerous and something Nan Chuan felt he could handle.

After a general screening, a well-known female lawyer came into Gao Mo's view.

"A lawyer?"

Gao Mo continued riding his little motorcycle, circling the small puddles as he continued on his way.

If it were a female lawyer who caused Hattori Heiji's downfall, he would be interested to see it for himself.

"A boy with a Kansai accent?"

A plump, bespectacled middle-aged woman opened the door, looked Gao Mo up and down with a friendly smile. She was wearing a well-fitting suit and holding a small Siamese cat in her arms.

Renowned lawyer Misa Ito.

“I didn’t see them. They probably didn’t come to my house.” “Are you a lawyer?” Gao Mo’s gaze fell on the entryway floor behind the woman.

Because of the rain outside, there were many shoe prints in the entryway, including two that indicated the shoes had only entered the house and not come out.

“Yes,” the lawyer said with a kind smile, “you can contact me if you need any help.”

"That's great, I need it right now."

"what?"

The female lawyer's smile froze slightly.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't see what you said..."

“I only mentioned the boy with the Osaka accent, why did the lawyer mention them?” Gao Mo looked away. “The lawyer actually saw them, right? There are so many footprints at the door, it looks like there are quite a few guests.”

“Oh, this,” the lawyer said, sweat beading on her forehead. “A client came here with his family before, but they only stood at the door for a while before leaving. Now I’m all alone at home.”

"But it's strange that there are shoe prints from sneakers among them; there are only those from the entrance."

"This……"

The female lawyer's eyes narrowed sharply, and she quickly explained with a smile.

"These are the shoe prints from my running shoes. I've already wiped them clean in the bathroom and let them air dry."

“Running? I didn’t know lawyers liked running,” Gao Mo glanced at the female lawyer’s short, stubby legs. “And the two shoe prints are different sizes. Are they really lawyer’s shoes?”

"Really?" The female lawyer glanced back at the clearly visible shoe print. "Maybe there were too many people and things got mixed up... Besides, what's so special about shoe prints?"

“Shoe prints can sometimes tell a lot,” Gao Mo’s eyes flashed with the image of Hattori Heiji again. “For example, someone was taken hostage as soon as they walked in… The sneaker shoe prints were stepped on twice in the same spot, isn’t that strange?”

"You..." The female lawyer's face darkened, and she stealthily reached behind her back, "Who exactly are you?"

"This is not important."

Gao Mo stepped forward and punched the female lawyer in the head.

A cell phone fell from the female lawyer's back, and her obese body collapsed with a look of astonishment on her face.

"Meow!"

The frightened Siamese cat tried to run away, but Gao Mo grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and after struggling for a few moments, it remained motionless.

In just a few words, Gao Mo managed to extract a lot of information from them.

There were obviously other people in the house besides the female lawyer, most likely accomplices in something shady.

attic.

Heiji Hattori was pinned to the floor in the darkness, a pistol pressed against his temple. He looked like he had been beaten up, his face covered in blood and bruises.

Next to him, Kazuha was bound with ropes, and Nanchuan lay on the side, his life hanging in the balance. The light coming through the skylight made it possible to vaguely see dust moving around his nose.

He should still be alive.

However, the thugs were unaware of this, which is why they kept pressuring him to decipher the code left by Nan Chuan.

"You brat!" The long-haired thug continued to tighten his grip. "Don't think I won't kill you. See this guy? I accidentally hit him too hard and killed him. If you don't cooperate..."

"Shh!"

Another hooded thug guarding the attic entrance sensed something was wrong.

"Has Professor Ito been gone for too long? Has someone found out?"

"No way? Maybe a customer came in."

customer?

Hattori Heiji's expression shifted slightly.

I did hear the doorbell just now.

If nothing unexpected happens, Kido-san should have discovered his troubles by now.

If Kindaichi's master were here, finding this place would be a piece of cake.

"Something's not right!" The hooded thug who was keeping watch became even more alert, glanced out of the attic window, frowned, and released the safety on his pistol. "I'll go down and check it out!"

"Gulu!"

The long-haired thug panicked for some reason. After watching his companion leave the attic, his breathing became heavier, and he couldn't help but hit the restless Hattori Heiji hard again.

"Behave yourself! Did you secretly call the police?"

Blood trickled from Hattori Heiji's mouth, but his eyes shone even brighter: "How could I have had a chance to call the police? If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have been arrested by you."

"It better be this way!"

The long-haired thug kept a close eye on the entrance to the attic. When he noticed that his accomplice had gone out and there was no further movement, his expression became suspicious.

Hell?
At least give a response, whether there's something wrong or not.

It couldn't be that she was deliberately trying to scare him.

"Come down first, someone's looking for that Osaka brat." A familiar voice came from downstairs, which immediately made the long-haired thug breathe a sigh of relief.

It's Ito-sensei's voice.

Who is it? A police officer?

The long-haired thug released Hattori Heiji and walked down from the attic, his face still solemn. When he saw Gao Mo speaking outside, he froze and was punched to the ground before he could react.

Although he was an armed thug, his actual combat ability was pitifully weak.

Gao Mo's mind raced through a dozen ways to kill someone, and he quickly shook his head to stop his wild thoughts.

He used to be unafraid of guns because he could dodge them using his superhuman abilities, but now he finds that even without superhuman abilities, dealing with armed criminals is still easy.

No wonder the Pramia people remained completely calm even when guns were pointed at them.

You can't be called a pro if you can't dodge bullets.

"Kiroto-san?"

Hattori Heiji shuffled to the entrance of the attic, and when he saw Gao Mo going upstairs alone, he was surprised and spoke up, his eyes full of disappointment.

"How could it be you? Where is Master?"

Gao Mo's forehead twitched.

You brat, you came to help but are so dismissive.

"If you can't even handle an old lady lawyer, how do you have the confidence to become Kindaichi's apprentice? I don't know who said they would be at the office at 1 o'clock, but then they just disappeared without a trace."

Hattori Heiji's face flushed red, and he stubbornly retorted, "How was I supposed to know that? I was stopped by two guns as soon as I walked in. I was fine on my own, but Kazuha..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Kazuha, who was still feeling relieved to be rescued, was furious. "Idiot, isn't it all because you were too careless? How come Kido-nii is alright?"

"I'm just worried you'll get hurt, okay?"

"You think I'm a burden to you?"

"In short, if I had to do it again, I definitely would..."

"How could it possibly happen again?"

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Watching the young couple, who were tied up with ropes, still manage to argue, Gao Mo's forehead throbbed wildly.

"Can't you wait until after this is over to flirt and banter? I've already called the police, what's going on here?"

“Kido-san, you should ask Mr. Kusukawa,” Hattori Heiji glanced at Kusukawa, who was pretending to be dead on the ground. “It seems that the lawyer was caught by him for instructing tax evasion. Honestly, if he had just said what he was investigating earlier, none of this would have happened.”

"I'm sorry, Hattori," Kusukawa said with difficulty, his face bruised and swollen. "I didn't expect things to turn out like this, dragging you all into this too."

As he spoke, Nan Chuan turned to look at Gao Mo, his face showing considerable surprise: "Boss Kido?"

“This kid is a detective at my firm,” Gao Mo said, helping to untie the ropes. “He’s good in every way, just a bit reckless. He doesn’t even report things when he notices something is wrong. But it’s good for him to suffer a little.”

"I already told you I was misled. If I had known there were armed robbers, why would I have brought Kazuha here? At first, I thought Nanchuan was seeking refuge with the old woman."

Hattori Heiji felt that he couldn't avoid this embarrassing history in the future, so he rubbed his numb face in distress and changed the subject.

"Kido-kun, you were able to find this place so quickly, it must have been Master's doing, right? Is Master watching from outside?"

"You're overthinking it. Kindaichi wouldn't come here for something so trivial." Gao Mo had been thinking about revealing his identity sometime, but now he felt it was better not to let this guy know.

"A small matter?" Hattori's face twitched.

How can saving him be considered a small matter?
(End of this chapter)