Conan: The Heart Thief

So, Kisaki Eri was forced to accept this commission.

The client is Nagao Hodogara, the director of a private clinic called "Hodogara Clinic".

He planned to sue his wife and divorce her because she had an affair.

Nagase Hodohara had already come to Eri Kisaki's law firm to consult with her. On the day of the incident, Eri Kisaki came to the clinic to look for evidence in favor of Nagase Hodohara, but unexpectedly, an accident happened.

Hodohara Nagashima died in the clinic, and Kisaki Eri was the first person to discover him and also became the first suspect.

The police suspected that Eri Kisaki was the murderer of the client and gave a sufficient motive for the crime. Eri Kisaki was forced by Nagase Hodohara to take over the divorce case that he was unwilling to take, and she held a grudge and killed Nagase Hodohara. The motive for the crime was established!

Hibiki Eri was speechless and panicked, but then she suddenly had an idea and thought of borrowing the power of the detective to clear herself of the charges.

Naturally, Eri Kisaki would not look for the unreliable Detective Maori, and instead specifically looked for the reliable high school student detective Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao received a call from Fei Yingli and learned about the situation. He accepted the commission without hesitation. How could he not accept the commission from his mother-in-law?

Chapter 187 Marriage is a Ponzi Scheme

Lin Xiao rushed to the scene, but Shiratori Renzaburo, who was in charge of the case, was unhappy. He considered himself an elite of the Metropolitan Police Department and disdained the help of detectives.

"Detective Lin, why are you here? I don't need a detective." Shiratori Renzaburo lifted the hair on his forehead, showing that he was different from other criminals.

Fei Yingli said coldly: "Did I ask him to come over?"

"Lawyer Fei, why did you call the detective here?" Shiratori Renzaburo was quite unhappy.

"I was slandered as a murderer by a confused detective like you, so of course I have to call a reliable detective to clear my name." Hibiki Eri put her hands on her hips, very annoyed. First she was forced to take on a divorce case she didn't want to take, and then she was slandered as a murderer by the police. It was really bad luck and a bad year.

"Officer Shiratori, Lawyer Fei is a famous lawyer. It will be difficult for her to be slandered," Lin Xiao added.

"Okay." Shiratori Renzaburo also realized the interests involved. Kisaki Eri is a big lawyer, not an ordinary person, and cannot be offended.

Lin Xiao came in front of Fei Yingli and looked at his beautiful mother-in-law.

She was dressed like an office lady, wearing a smart office uniform and black high heels under a hip skirt. Her brown hair was tied up, revealing her white neck. She wore a pair of frameless glasses, which added a bit of intellectual beauty to her. Her every move was full of feminine charm.

Our mother-in-law is so beautiful!

"Aunt Fei, I'm not late."

"No, let me tell you about the clues the police have found so far."

Fei Yingli was simple-minded. She only wanted Lin Xiao to clear her of suspicion as soon as possible, so she told Lin Xiao the whole story.

Fei Yingli is worthy of being a lawyer. She speaks in an orderly manner and Lin Xiao clearly understands the ins and outs of the case.

This is a murder case, and there are three suspects besides Eri Kisaki.

There were two people in the living room of the bungalow next to the clinic where the crime occurred. When Eri Kisaki found the body, Nagase Hodohara's wife (Natsuki) and her friend (Keika) were drinking tea and chatting in the living room. The two got to know each other because they were both housewives.

There was also a young lady named Qiu Jiazhuangzi, who had an appointment with Mr. Changsheng in the afternoon. She came to the clinic only after the police and emergency personnel arrived, and was then also suspected by the police.

The four people, including Eri Kisaki, have already been briefly questioned by the police.

After forensic identification, the cause of death was poisoning.

There was a mug of unfinished coffee on the desk. The police found a toxic reaction from the remaining coffee, and also found a bottle of poison in the room - the label on the bottle also had the name of the poison.

In addition, the unique almond smell of poison can be smelled from the mouth of the body. Therefore, it is almost certain that the victim died by drinking poison, which is potassium cyanide.

After listening to Hibiki Eiri's narration, Lin Xiao said without hesitation: "Excluding Attorney Hibiki, it's a classic choice of three."

"Detective Lin, have you thought of anything?" asked Hibiki Eri anxiously.

"No. I still have some questions in my mind. I want to ask the person involved in person."

Kisaki Eri looked at Shiratori Renzaburo and said, "Officer, Detective Hayashi wants to question the person involved. Do you have any objection?"

Shiratori Jinzaburo nodded and agreed. He judged that Kisaki Eri was the murderer, but due to Kisaki Eri's identity and fear of misunderstanding, he could only agree to the detective's intervention.

In the flat building connected to the private clinic, Lin Xiao questioned the three people, and all three cooperated very well.

"My husband often stays in the clinic even on his days off. To be honest, it's easier for both of us than for him and I to stay at home all day on weekends... My husband only told me last night that he would meet with a few people today."

The above is the testimony of Ms. Natsuki Hodohara.

As for the people he was scheduled to meet, there were only two people: Nagao Hodogawara and Miss Shoko Akie.

When Lin Xiao asked further, Ms. Xia Shu said that the couple had not seen each other since they got up early this morning.

Hodogawa Nagase woke up alone, ate breakfast alone, and went to work at the clinic next door alone.

Ms. Xia Shu said they do this often.

"My husband works in a pharmacy. He has been a friend of Mr. Changsheng since college. They often go out for drinks together. I remember that they often patronize the hotel where Miss Zhuangzi works..."

This is the testimony of Ms. Kano Mayuka. Her husband is a pharmacist, and the pharmacy he works for has a relationship with this clinic.

"…Oh, sorry, my husband called me."

After speaking, Ms. Jianxiang temporarily left the table to answer a phone call. She said that the text message she had sent to her husband mentioned the death of Mr. Hodogawa Nagao, so even though it was during work hours, her husband took the initiative to call her back.

"Whether I have a cold or am hungover, I often come here to get an IV. The reason I came today is to return Mr. Changsheng's watch that he forgot in our store. Um...anyway, can I give the watch to my wife?"

This is the testimony of Miss Qiu Zhuangzi. As for the returned watch, after Ms. Xia Shu confirmed it was indeed Mr. Changsheng's watch.

"The reason why I met with Nagase Hodogawa was because I accepted the lawyer's commission from Nagase Hodogawa. As for the content of the commission, I am obliged to keep it confidential to Nagase Hodogawa, even if he is dead." Kisaki Eri is also a suspect and explained the situation in the same way.

At this time, Ms. Jianxiang, who had left the table to answer the phone, returned to the living room.

"Detective Lin... I have one more thing I want to explain to you. When I told my husband that Mr. Changsheng died of potassium cyanide, he seemed quite shaken and even said in a panic, "This is ridiculous" and "It's just like I killed him myself," Ms. Jianxiang added.

This shocking new fact is enough to overturn the foundation of the entire incident.

"It seems that the person who gave the potassium cyanide to Mr. Hodogawa Nagaoshi should be my husband. He said that Mr. Nagaoshi asked him for it personally a few weeks ago." Ms. Jianxiang said.

In other words, the person who prepared the potassium cyanide was the victim himself.

The person concerned prepares a drug that is deadly out of his own will.

Suicide - these two words naturally came to Lin Xiao's mind. Could it be that this was not homicide, but suicide? Rather than saying that this conclusion would be drawn in the end, it would be better to say that other causes of death could not explain this incident.

but……

"If that's the case, why did the police come to the conclusion that it was probably a homicide?"

For example, someone who intends to commit suicide will not make an appointment to meet someone. Even if someone intends to commit suicide by taking poison, the likelihood of choosing potassium cyanide is low. Since the deceased is a medical professional, he should know many easier ways to die.

The main reason is -

"The victim's phone was not found..." Shiratori Renzaburo did not hinder Lin Xiao's investigation and added clues, "Whether it was on the victim's body, on the table, on the bookshelf, on the floor... The police searched the office at the murder scene but could not find the victim's phone. Even if they called the phone number, they could not get through because the phone was not turned on."

"Officer, in other words, was the cell phone stolen by the prisoner?"

Shiratori Renzaburo shook his head and said, "I don't know about that."

At this time, the deceased's wife, Natsuki Hodohara, said: "In fact, the possibility of loss is also very high. My husband was still using his mobile phone to talk about business late last night. He went to the clinic early in the morning until he was found by lawyer Princess after his death. There was no sign of him going anywhere other than the clinic.

No matter what type of mobile phone it is, it is an indispensable tool for modern people.

For people over a certain age, this is an item that everyone carries with them.

It is natural to carry your mobile phone with you, and it is rare to see it without it.

Therefore, if a person dies and there is no mobile phone or other communication equipment among his belongings, the police will speculate that it may be a homicide. The mobile phone must contain information that is very unfavorable to the criminal.

"I see,"

“——Okay, you are the criminal. Miss Zhuangzi!” Lin Xiao suddenly stood up and pointed at Qiu’s manor.

"...What? Wait...what are you talking about? I'm a criminal? Stop talking nonsense."

Miss Zhuangzi retorted unhappily.

Others looked at Lin Xiao in surprise, wanting to know how Lin Xiao found the murderer in such a short time.

"why?"

Fei Yingli raised doubts. She didn't expect Lin Xiao to find the murderer so quickly.

"The reason is simple. The clinic was closed on the day of the incident. Lawyer Fei sought out Hodohara for a commission. So, what was your purpose, Ms. Zhuangzi?"

"Ah? I have a medical condition that I want to discuss with Hodogara."

"I don't think so. You killed Hodohara and took his cell phone. There must be information in the phone that is very unfavorable to you, Ms. Shoko. I think it must be evidence of your wrongdoing."

"Eh? What!" Ms. Xia Shu asked in surprise, "How could this happen?"

Kisaki Eri sighed and said, "Dr. Hodohara's request is for me to help him collect evidence to use him for a divorce lawsuit without telling his wife. He plans to divorce his wife and marry Miss Shoko."

Ms. Xia Shu was stunned. She didn't expect her husband to be so despicable.

"Ms. Zhuangzi, did you really kill my husband?"

Zhuangzi would naturally not admit it: "Of course not."

Zhuangzi pointed at Lin Xiao and asked, "You said I was the murderer. What's the evidence?"

Of course there was no evidence, so Lin Xiao had to use the method of the Phantom Thief of the Heart to steal the heart!

"Wait a minute, I'm going to the bathroom."

Lin Xiao turned and left, disappearing from everyone's sight. He took out his business card and wrote a temporary letter of warning about the Phantom Thief of Hearts, stealing Zhuangzi's heart.

Zhuangzi's spiritual palace is a rose garden full of contradictions.

The reason why the rose garden is called the contradictory rose garden is because the roses in the rose garden have different shapes, some are blooming, some are withered, and some are half dead...

Lin Xiao met Zhuangzi, the owner of the rose garden, and raised the questions in his mind.

"Ms. Shoko. Since Mr. Hodohara is willing to marry his wife and take you as his wife, why do you want to kill him?"

"Who said I killed Mr. Hodogawa?"

Zhuangzi looked quite flustered.

"There's no point in lying here."

"Okay. I just needed some pocket money, so I cheated on Hodohara. But that guy actually wanted to divorce his wife and marry me. Of course I wouldn't agree to such a thing."

"what!"

Lin Xiao was confused. Isn't what Zhuangzi said contradictory?

Zhuangzi saw Lin Xiao's confusion and continued to speak out her outrageous remarks: "Marriage is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme for humans. I have no interest in joining this scam. That bastard Hodogawa actually used the intimate photos of him and me to threaten me to marry him. Of course, I will not give in to such a thing!"