Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 312 The Lucia Doll Murder Case

Hokkaido.

Koji Takarada drove everyone into the deep mountains, where fog was everywhere. Fortunately, there was a road leading directly to the lake, so they didn't lose their way.

In the back seat, Xiao Ai sat close to Gao Mo, engrossed in reading a novel, occasionally making strange muttering noises.

The black cat perched by the window, its eyes wide with wonder. It seemed it had never seen such a misty landscape before, and the trees in the fog looked like grotesque and terrifying monsters.

Professor Agasa, sitting in the front seat, was still fast asleep, unable to keep up, until Koji Takarada called out to him, which made him drowsily open his eyes.

"Reached?"

“It’s just ahead,” Koji Takarada said with a smile, pointing ahead. “Look, that’s the building built on the floating island in the lake, Professor Yamanouchi’s villa, the Lucia House.”

It became clearer when you got closer, through the fog.

It was a castle-like building with a strong Muslim style.

“Although it’s easy to mistake it for a mosque, the onion-shaped roof is actually a characteristic of Russian architecture,” Takarada explained. “It is said that Russia was originally a country that practiced Greek Orthodoxy, but through…”

This guy seems really excited.

That's true. Who wouldn't be excited about the chance to inherit a huge fortune?
Gao Mo followed Bao Tian, ​​who was showing off his knowledge, out of the car. Just then, someone came by boat from the villa, and the sound of the engine rattling through the fog carried far away.

On the boat was a well-dressed, white-haired old man with meticulously groomed hair, wearing round-framed gold-rimmed glasses, and always wearing a smile.

To some extent, they are peers.

"Hello, I am Professor Yamanouchi's butler, Tashiro. I will be here to greet you. Is everyone here?"

"It's been a long time, Butler Tashiro," Takarada said, slightly suppressing his smile. "This is my specially invited helper, the famous detective Kindaichi, along with his agent, Professor Agasa, and his granddaughter."

"welcome."

The butler smiled politely.

"This way, please. We need to take a boat to the Lucia Pavilion."

Baotian narrowed his eyes and quietly provided Gao Mo with information, saying, "He is Professor Yamanouchi's butler, Tashiro Fujio. He is two years older than the professor. Be careful. He has been a butler for so many years but has no right to inherit the estate. Who knows what he is thinking?"

Gao Mo glanced at Bao Tian, ​​who was suspicious.

This guy hasn't become the heir yet.

The group arrived at the villa dock by boat, only to be severely punished by a sudden gust of cold wind. The black cat was almost entirely nestled in Gao Mo's arms, rubbing its head against him. When it realized something was wrong, it quickly pretended to be busy and jumped back to Ai's side.

"Everyone else has already arrived at the villa. I'll take you there."

The butler helped carry the two bags of luggage and watched the ferryman sail away.

"As instructed by the teacher, you will all be staying in the villa for the next few days."

"It feels like a locked room," Ai said quietly as she followed Gao Mo, looking at the island surrounded by the cold lake. "If a serial killer or something shows up, we won't be able to escape."

Professor Agasa's beard trembled: "Ai, this joke isn't funny at all."

The question is, why did they flee?

Gao Mo was also observing his surroundings, but he was more focused on figuring out the deceased mystery novelist's purpose.

He investigated it carefully again before coming.

Of the five candidates, apart from the high school detective whose information was insufficient, it is clear that the others had all offended Yamanouchi Tsunehiro.

Takarada, who seemed to have a good relationship with Yamanouchi, had also angered him by relentlessly pressuring him to submit his manuscript in the past.

This is definitely not the script for handing over an inheritance to a friend.

As a fellow mystery novelist, he probably guessed Yamanouchi's crazy idea.

Inheritance is nothing but a honeyed death trap.

"Did you sense any evil spirits?" Gao Mo nudged Xiao Ai, who was trying to scare the doctor.

“It seems like there’s some kind of malice,” Ai said helplessly. “But I’m not a psychic. It’s always evil spirits that come after me. Are you sure you want to use me as bait?”

"That guy has no reason to come looking for you; he should be hiding and watching the show now."

Gao Mo looked up at the clock tower above the villa.

If the extraordinary level is useless, then we can only engage in a battle of wits.

He's not just a mystery novelist, he's a top detective, how could he not beat a dead man?
"Your room is upstairs, please follow me," the butler continued to lead the way.

Despite her advanced age, she carried two bags of luggage without any difficulty.

Gao Mo focused his gaze and followed. The moment he stepped into the castle, a sudden chill ran through his mind; someone had triggered his mental network.

It's the aura of Takato Yoichi.

Although he was eager to know what was going on with Gao Yuanyao, Gao Mo's expression remained unchanged, as if he were just a follower.

"Mr. Takarada has finally arrived."

Several people were sitting in the central hall, matching each photo with the one provided by Baotian.

The most eye-catching one was the boy with dyed hair.

“I heard Mr. Takarada even hired a detective,” the boy said sharply, scanning the room before fixing his gaze on Gao Mo. “The famous detective Kindaichi? That’s really shameless. This isn’t the way to hire an accomplice, is it? But I won’t admit defeat. When it comes to deduction, we might not lose to the famous detective!”

"He's playing the amateur detective again."

In the lobby, a middle-aged drunkard dressed in pajamas, acting like the owner of the house, wore a mocking expression.

"You just happened to solve a minor murder case, and you actually think you're some kind of high school detective? You have no idea how amazing a famous detective is."

The drunken uncle then turned to Gao Mo with a grin: "Detective Kindaichi, how about we team up? That Kindaichi guy is no good..."

"Don't go too far, God!"

Baotian suppressed his anger and pulled Gao Mo aside.

"That's the critic, Tadashi Kami. He always turns into this when he drinks. Just ignore him." "Mr. Takarada, you've really gone a bit too far," a short-haired beauty with a full bust and deep cleavage said softly as she walked down the stairs, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Although the teacher didn't restrict the number of helpers, what do you mean by bringing in a famous detective?"

Mystery novelist, Kaoru Umezono, 28 years old.

“Mr. Meiyuan, you can’t say that,” Baotian said stiffly. “You could have found help, couldn’t you?”

"That's right. Since the teacher didn't explicitly restrict it, it means it's tacitly agreed. It's Mr. Takarada's skill to be able to invite a famous detective."

A long-haired beauty pushed open the door and entered from the side of the hall, followed closely by a tall man in a suit and mask.

The long-haired beauty wore a black suit. Her figure was slender and not as voluptuous and sexy as Umehara Kaoru, but she had just the right amount of curves, like she was engaging in uniform seduction.

Illustrator Yuzuki Ryoumu, 32 years old.

Gao Mo's gaze fell on the man in a suit and mask behind the long-haired beauty.

What is Takato Yoichi doing?
"This is the helper I found, Mr. Rosyth the magician. To be honest, I think he is much more capable than the famous detective."

"Better than a famous detective? A magician?" Tadashi scoffed. "Anyone can talk big. I think I'm even better! Heh heh, I can solve that code even without help!"

"Isn't he too confident?" Dr. Agasa muttered to himself.

Amor is no ordinary detective; in his opinion, he's already reached the ceiling.

“If you don’t need help, you have one privilege,” Baotian explained in a low voice, “that is, you can get the contents of the code in advance. He may have already had someone outside study it.”

"So that's it."

Dr. Agasa suddenly realized something, but then became somewhat worried.

"Isn't this terrible? What if we solved the mystery ahead of time..."

“It’s not that simple,” Baotian said calmly. “That’s at most half a code; it’s useless without coming to this villa.”

"Is that Kindaichi?" The masked man ignored everyone's reactions, only observing Gao Mo with a deep gaze. His pupils seemed to hold many secrets. When Gao Mo looked over, he quickly looked away.

The long-haired beauty was somewhat surprised by the masked man's reaction, but simply smiled gently.

She was fully aware of her helper's identity.

The Hell Puppet Master, Gao Yuanyao, could only be invited because he owed her a favor.

During this inheritance battle, she vaguely sensed some inside information: Takato Yoichi's role was far more significant than that of a famous detective.

Because Takato Yoichi understands killing better, and he understands Yamanouchi's thoughts better.

……

Second floor guest rooms.

After tidying up, Gao Mo chose to share a room with Ai and the Doctor.

As a top magician, he discovered many magical mechanisms as soon as he entered.

This is the only room that seems normal among the available options.

There were no secret passages or hidden peepholes, only a magic mirror that allowed you to see into the next room.

"Amo... Kindaichi," Professor Agasa asked with concern, sounding exhausted, "What's next?"

"Of course, it's to help solve the mystery."

Gao Mo was curious: what would happen if he solved the puzzle directly?
The fact that there are no restrictions on the number of helpers in Yamanouchi is a huge loophole. No matter what the plan is, the first priority is to ensure that the puzzle is not solved.

Unless Yamanouchi has absolute confidence, or the puzzle itself is a trap.

“Mr. Kindaichi,” Takarada knocked on the door from outside, “everyone needs to gather in the reception room, let’s hurry up too.”

The Bell Tower Reception Room.

A young lawyer began the announcement only after everyone had arrived: "I am Daisuke Aritomo, the legal representative of Professor Yamanouchi's advisor. I am speaking on behalf of the law firm..."

Gao Mo noticed a row of Lucia dolls placed by the window, and the words "Lucia Doll Murder Case" immediately popped into his mind.

That was one of Yamanouchi's early representative works.

The scene here is exactly the same as described in that book: five blue-eyed Russian puppets, some large and some small, each holding a violin of a different style, as if they were holding a concert.

"My beloved quintet members, I regret to say that I will no longer be here when you see this video..."

The lawyer began playing a video recording of Tsunehiro Yamanouchi's message; his slightly hoarse voice was calm yet carried a hint of eeriness.

The novelist in the picture is almost skin and bones, like a skeleton talking. His expressionless face releases an extremely strong malice through his sunken eyes.

"Thank you for coming to my final deduction story... First, there's the code I prepared. But the code alone won't solve the riddle. Now comes the main event. See those five Lucia dolls behind you? They are the second code to unlock the mystery."

"This reasoning competition is limited to 5 days. All participants will be required to stay here and are not allowed to contact the outside world..."

Baotian whispered to Gao Mo, "The phone line has been unplugged, there's no cell phone signal, and the only way to leave here is by that ferry."

Gao Mo seemed to see Yamanouchi laughing in the video.

This is not a reasoning competition, but a killing game.

Despite not restricting the number of helpers, they still want to close off the villa island.

The reason is obvious.

This old guy didn't want outside intelligence to get in, and he prepared a perfect breeding ground for killing.

If I'm not mistaken, Yamanouchi's posthumous work should have also surfaced, right?
To use a novel to reenact a real murder case? What a mad novelist.

Gao Mo stood with his arms crossed, watching coldly as if he were just a passerby observing the changing expressions of Bao Tian's five people—that gradually irrational fanaticism.

Speaking of which, he has seen quite a few crazy people in this world. There are even detective writers who want to stage the perfect crime in real life, and detectives who have become criminals because they can't think straight.

This is the first time I've encountered someone like Yamanouchi.

Although Gao Yuanyao's mother had dug pits for her apprentices before her death, her purpose was simply revenge, not something as perverse as this.

(End of this chapter)