No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"You don't need to worry too much. If you really can't swallow this, we can just use the 'Napoleon' persona to get rid of that driver, just like we did last time."

Kitahara Masaki also dislikes people who escape trial by claiming to be mentally ill. They are unable to take responsibility for their actions simply because of their mental state, and the victims' families can only silently endure the fact that he was sent to a mental hospital for treatment, and even released a few years later, supposedly because the treatment was successful, but he showed no remorse for what he did.

"Thank you."

A few days later, the police had collected evidence and confirmed the suspect, and were just waiting for the prosecutor to file charges. However, as Kitahara Masaki and Vermouth had expected, Tobacco Mori was sent for a mental evaluation, and the result was that he needed to be sent to a mental hospital for treatment.

Upon seeing this result, Kitahara Masaki naturally notified Vermouth immediately. After a moment of silence, she asked:

"Do detectives, or rather the police, have to tolerate such ridiculous results every time?"

"What else? So-called human rights protection is necessary, so what do you plan to do?"

"Go take a look first. You should know the delivery route by now, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Vermouth solved a case for the first time, but it didn't give her a sense of accomplishment. Instead, it left her feeling frustrated. For someone like her who also disliked being tied down, this outcome was always uncomfortable.

The two men had now disguised themselves as middle-aged European nobles, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to their original appearances. However, compared to the two who had acted on a whim, it seemed that someone had prepared much more thoroughly.

The delivery truck slowed down gradually after passing a row of brake spikes, and was eventually forced to pull over because both tires had burst.

Then a man dressed in a tight-fitting suit and wearing a helmet walked over with a grenade launcher. He shot through the glass of the transport vehicle and fired a tear gas canister. The police officer in charge of the transport did not have a gas mask and could not withstand the stimulation. As soon as he got off the vehicle, he was hit on the back of the head and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Heh, it seems we're not the only ones who have a problem with this mentally ill driver."

"Hmm, those three people should be the Inudou brothers. Let's not get off the bus yet."

Even with the disguise, Inudou Gajiro's skills are not low. If he saw a man and a woman here who were also interested in this driver, he would easily be able to make a connection with Vermouth and her boyfriend Kitahara Masaki, who made a deep impression on everyone today.

After the Inudou brothers captured Tobacco Mori, they did not execute him on the spot, but instead tied him up and left the scene.

How do they plan to escape?

Kitahara Masaki was also curious about this. After following them for a while, he discovered that they had arrived at a dock with many yachts, which he guessed included their Inudou's private yacht.

"I see. They used a yacht to evade police searches. I guess that yacht was also bought from the underworld. Even if they investigate afterward, they won't be able to trace it back to them. That's really a clever tactic."

"Let's go."

After seeing the Inudou brothers planning to take vigilante justice against the murderer, Vermouth told Kitahara Masaki to leave the scene, as her displeasure had largely subsided.

However, three days later, the local police station received a package containing a severed hand. DNA testing confirmed it belonged to Tobacco Sen. While the bus robbery could be covered up, this provocation against the police was unforgivable to the higher-ups. And just like that, all three of them became Class A wanted criminals.

Kitahara Masaki had originally planned to recruit the three of them as his subordinates if the opportunity arose, but it seems that's no longer possible, as these three have already sacrificed everything for revenge.

Chapter 258 Who was the first to report the crime?

Since that bus robbery, Vermouth has lost her previous interest in being a detective. Instead, she became a psychologist. She invites the wives of high-ranking police officers to dessert parties, guides them to express their troubles, and offers advice based on her witch-like experience. As a result, she has recently become popular among these wives. Kitahara Masaki has also been praised for this, because he said that his wife's temper has improved a lot after talking with Vermouth, and they are no longer scolded as soon as they walk in the door.

"So—you've become the confidante of those ladies?"

"Hmm, of course, this kind of change that is within my reach suits me better. If I were a detective or a policeman, and I saw a criminal I hated but couldn't shoot him dead, it would be really frustrating."

Kitahara Masaki cut her a steak to calm her down. Even if Kitahara Masaki were to do something bad, he would not plan ahead before firing a shot. That would not be an undercover agent, but a judge.

The two were having dinner at an Italian restaurant. They had Chinese food the day before yesterday and Japanese seafood yesterday, so they decided to try Western food today. However, just as they were about to start feeding each other, Kitahara Maki's phone suddenly rang. The contact name was 'The real body is a hat'.

"Another case?"

"Yes. Even though I've joined the First Criminal Investigation Division, most of the cases I receive come from the First Investigation Division. It's basically Inspector Megure calling to ask me for help."

"Well, let's eat quickly then. After all, isn't maintaining a good relationship with the First Investigation Division a basic requirement?"

Sigh—After answering the phone, I learned that there had been a case in a nearby shopping mall. Someone had been stabbed. The person who called the police did so at 7:30 p.m., and it was only 7:33 p.m. now.

Inspector Megure, you thought you couldn't solve the case, so you immediately transferred it to me after receiving the report, right?

After quickly finishing their meal, the two went straight there, as the mall where the incident occurred was near the restaurant. When they arrived and were about to enter the mall, two men in black suits ran over and shouted at the police officers who were blocking the mall entrance:

"Hey! Why didn't you let us in, but let these two in instead? Do you believe that this congressman teacher can make you all resign!"

Looking at the two clowns in black suits, Kitahara Masaki said:

"If you lose your jobs because of this, each of you can come to me and collect a check for ten million. I mean what I say."

Upon hearing Kitahara Masaki's words, the man in the black suit realized that the man was a police officer named Kitahara Masaki, and left the scene with gritted teeth.

"What's the deal with those two people?"

“Oh, it’s like this, Inspector Kitahara. We received orders from Inspector Megure to seal off the entrances and exits, saying that the culprit might not have left the mall yet. The two men claimed to be bodyguards for a member of parliament and insisted on entering, but we didn’t let them in, so they adopted this attitude.”

“Well done. What are members of Congress? I’ve already arrested one of them. And who are their bodyguards anyway?”

"Yes!"

After encouraging the patrol officers who had rushed over to seal off the entrances and exits, Kitahara Masaki, hands in his pockets, arrived at the second floor of the scene of the incident. Inspector Megure waved to him, and beside him were the familiar trio—Moriko, Ran, and Conan. Ai was also sitting to the side reading a book.

"So everyone's here? Are you all here for lunch at this time?"

"Yes, Uncle Maoli made a reservation at a nearby Italian restaurant for 8 o'clock. I guess he won't make it."

"I've already finished eating. I came here to read."

The two kids kept talking about things unrelated to the case. When Inspector Megure saw that Kitahara Masaki had steered the conversation to some ridiculous everyday topic, he quickly interrupted their discussion and had Takagi recount the events of the case.

"Here's the thing: the victim, Mr. Kenichi Yamada, was stabbed in the back from the left side and fell straight to the ground. His belongings weren't taken, so the perpetrator's motive was likely revenge. Because the mall is relatively remote, there were few customers at that time, resulting in only the discoverer, and no witnesses seeing the victim being stabbed. This is the discoverer, Ms. Yamaguchi, and Mr. Koide, the owner of the cosmetics store on this floor, called the police after hearing Ms. Yamaguchi's screams at 7:36 PM."

Huh? What's going on?

"What happened? Wasn't Mr. Koide the first person to call the police? I remember Inspector Megure saying that you received the first call about this case at 7:30, right?"

Inspector Megure also looked troubled and said:

"Yes, that's how the police report is. The first person to call the police did so at 7:30, and the second person to call to report that someone had been stabbed was Mr. Koide. Does that mean the victim was stabbed at 7:30, and the real first person to discover the crime left after reporting it?"

"impossible!"

Conan immediately rejected Inspector Megure's idea, and Inspector Megure, being good-natured, squatted down and asked:

"Conan, can you tell us why it's impossible?"

"Here's the thing, this shopping mall doesn't have elevators, so very few people come here. The only way to go up and down the floors is through the staircases on both sides. However, one of the staircases is being converted into an elevator today, so it's impossible for anyone to pass through there. In other words, you can only go up and down the floors through the staircases on one side."

As he spoke, Conan led everyone to the first floor. Near the stairwell on the first floor, there was a young man selling chestnuts. Conan pointed to the young man and said:

“I asked that older brother, and I was the only person who came downstairs after 7:30 pm! So the first person who called the police definitely didn’t leave; he’s still in the mall.”

"Hehe, if that guy remembers correctly—"

Kitahara Masaki walked up to the small shop selling chestnuts and asked:

"Hey buddy, are you sure this is the only kid who came downstairs at 7:30?"

"I'm sure, officer. I only knew it because I heard the TV outside."

"The TV outside? What program is it showing?"

"Yes, the hide-and-seek show starts at seven o'clock, and I happened to hear the host say that the ghost who was catching people had half an hour left, so it must have been seven-thirty at that time."

So that's how it is. Kitahara Masaki then confirmed with the police that the televisions outside the mall were broadcasting live programs, making it impossible for them to be faked. Moreover, when the host said there was still half an hour left, it was indeed 7:30. This was also confirmed with the television station.

Kitahara Masaki then reviewed the mall's security footage and confirmed that the incident occurred at 7:31 a.m. The footage showed a person wearing a coat stabbing the victim.

After that, at 7:36, Ms. Yamaguchi, who walked up to the victim and screamed, and Mr. Koide, who came to call the police, appeared one after another.

Chapter 259 The Man Who Broke the Laws of Science

"Thank you, sir. I'll buy a few bags of chestnuts from here."

After taking out a 10,000 yen bill and buying several bags of chestnuts, Kitahara Masaki naturally couldn't eat them at the crime scene, so Uncle Mori, Ran, Conan, Ai Haibara, and Vermouth all started eating chestnuts.

"Brother Kitahara, it seems you bought too much."

"Well, I didn't expect the chestnuts to be so cheap here. It seems business here isn't doing too well. But that guy was a big help this time; it confirms that the real first person to discover the problem and the person who called the police are still in the mall."

"Yes, it's all thanks to Conan reminding us to seal off the scene, otherwise that person might have escaped."

Really?

Kitahara Masaki squinted at Conan, who choked on a chestnut after being stared at for two seconds, prompting Ran to hand him water and massage his back.

After confirming that the first discoverer was still on the site, Kitahara Masaki naturally wanted to find this eyewitness. However, Conan tugged at Kitahara Masaki's sleeve at this moment.

"What's wrong, kid? You want to put on a show again?"

"No! Actually, I know a witness who saw the murderer commit the crime!"

"Then take me to her!"

"It's probably difficult. That woman is a thief, and I only discovered her by chance. Now she definitely won't want to come forward and testify."

There are no coincidences. It's clearly the law of convergence of extraordinary characteristics. Kitahara Masaki signaled to Conan to tell him everything he knew.

"First, the victim seemed to have feelings for Ms. Yamaguchi and pursued her relentlessly. Then, Mr. Koide was blackmailed by the victim. Finally, there was the only eyewitness, the thief. She was positioned perfectly to see the perpetrator when she stole the lipstick, but she said she only saw the moment of the attack and didn't get a clear look at the perpetrator's face. I only realized she was a thief after seeing many unopened cosmetics in her bag."

After hearing these things, Kitahara Masaki remained silent for a while. He had thought that the female thief could provide some new clues, but just like the surveillance footage, all he could see was the murderer wearing a black trench coat and a hat, stabbing the victim straight in the back.

Furthermore, the female thief is also a suspect. She told Conan that she was an eyewitness because Conan discovered she was a thief, so it's possible that she is the murderer.

"Sigh—I thought you, the great detective, had found something, but in the end it's still a choice of three."

Kitahara Masaki immediately issued instructions for Inspector Megure to interrogate and search the three suspects separately, with a focus on finding the murder weapon and the coat and hat worn by the killer.

"Brother Kitahara, don't you find this strange?"

"Strange? What's strange about it? The victim was stabbed at 7:31, Ms. Yamaguchi appeared on the surveillance footage at 7:36, and then Mr. Koide arrived after hearing the screams. They had time to deal with the murder weapon and the victim's clothes. And then there's that thief woman. She's a criminal, so how credible are her words?"

"That's not it! Don't you find it strange? If the murderer is one of the three of them, why are they still here? And the first call to the police was made before the incident occurred! That means the murderer called the police beforehand!"

Yes, that's the strangest part. The crime occurred at 31 minutes past the hour, but the police were called at 30 minutes past the hour. This means the person who called the police must be the murderer. However, none of the three suspects had any motive to call the police beforehand, which is what Kitahara Maki couldn't understand. Even after using Holmes's magnifying glass, he couldn't find any clues on the three suspects or at the crime scene.

"Yes, what exactly happened?"

According to the laws of cosmology, since three suspects have emerged, it can be basically determined that the murderer is one of these three people. However, no clues can be found, and there is no motive for the murderer to have called the police in advance.

As Kitahara Masaki was deep in thought, Conan pointed to the third floor and said:

"Brother Kitahara, this mall has a third floor, don't you want to go up and take a look?"

The three suspects had already been found on the second floor where the crime occurred, so why would I go up to the third floor?

However, Kitahara Masaki still let Conan go up, so as not to disturb his train of thought.