give it all to miss machima

Haibara paused for a moment, then asked:

"You... know me very well?"

"My companion understands you, or rather... he... he understands your sister better."

Judy's tone was slightly unnatural when she said this.

"That's exactly why he and I noticed you."

"..."

Haibara fell silent—the other person had said "me and him," not the FBI, which meant…

I see……

Although the specific reasons are still unclear, the results seem to be good.

His sharp gaze once again focused on the rearview mirror.

So, as long as we solve the next problem...

Therefore! There is only one truth!

Shinichi Kudo pointed to the assistant among the four suspects, whose expression was exceptionally innocent.

"You're the one who plotted to murder Tomie Kawakami!"

"What!?" Uncle Mori and the others stared wide-eyed.

"But...but she clearly went into her room and didn't come out! Several of the staff on duty can testify to that!"

"Don't forget, this is a masquerade ball, Uncle Mori—in situations where most people can't see their true faces, our memories of a person often rely on their clothing. The assistant, however, is one of the few who isn't wearing makeup or any other attire, and she deliberately struck up a conversation with the waiters to ask about the time, to reinforce their impression of her and her arrival and departure times..."

Shinichi Kudo spoke eloquently.

"But in reality, as long as she changed into a costume and swaggered out, the waiters wouldn't recognize her at all. That's why they thought that after being scolded by Tomie Kawakami, the assistant went to her room to rest in a low mood and didn't come out during the incident, thus successfully forging an alibi."

"Are you kidding me?! Just because of such a simple deduction? You think you can fool everyone by changing your clothes? Then everyone here would be a suspect?!"

The assistant glared angrily at Shinichi Kudo.

The latter nodded:

“That’s true, but don’t forget, based on the traces at the scene, the person who entered Ms. Tomie’s room was undoubtedly an acquaintance she wasn’t wary of. Of all the suspects, you are the one most likely to make her lower her guard.”

"This is just your imagination. Where's the evidence? What makes you think I did it?! It's entirely possible that others did it too!?"

The assistant looked flustered, but remained strong and calm.

"Of course there is evidence!"

Shinichi Kudo spoke with unwavering confidence.

"Based on the traces at the scene, when you murdered Ms. Tomie, your costume must have been covered in a lot of blood. It would have been impossible for you to return to your room in such a costume without attracting attention. Therefore, you must have changed out of that blood-stained costume. In other words... you must have prepared two sets of costumes."

“Your blood-stained clothes weren’t found in Ms. Tomie’s lounge, nor in your room, so you must have disposed of them. But you have to create an alibi on time, commit murder, clean up the bloodstains, change clothes repeatedly, and then deal with the staff who are urging Ms. Tomie. You don’t have much time. In other words, you can only hide the blood-stained clothes somewhere along the way.”

"Ah! Could it be..."

Sonoko, who was standing nearby, immediately recalled that she and Ran had met the seemingly tired assistant in the restroom.

“That’s right, Inspector Megure. Please send men to search the restroom immediately. I think we should find a blood-stained set of clothes there.”

"Takagi!"

"Hey! I'm coming right now!"

A short while later, Officer Takagi came over with a black pile of garbage.

"Found him! Inspector Megure!"

Faced with overwhelming evidence, the assistant suddenly knelt on the ground, looking at Shinichi Kudo in despair, and even burst into laughter.

"Ha...hahahaha! That's right, the murderer is me. As expected of the famous detective, you found out so easily..."

Shinichi Kudo shook his head:

"Your methods are hardly sophisticated. In fact, if it weren't for the suspicious actions of the others that almost covered up your behavior, even without me, I think Inspector Megure and the others would have solved the case."

The other suspects quickly said:

"I...I just wanted to find some dirt on Kawakami Tomie! I didn't intend to kill her!"

"I...I just want her to honor her contract again..."

"I didn't really intend to kill her! I was just saying it!"

The assistant, increasingly angry as she looked at the group, shouted in an agitated tone:

“That’s right! I did all of this, but it’s all her own fault! If it weren’t for her! My brother… he should have had a wonderful life! But because he fell for that viperous woman! He… he…”

Subsequently, through the assistant's poignant narration, everyone learned that the assistant's brother was originally a promising star and a responsible older brother.

However, during his career, he was captivated by the charm of Tomie Kawakami. From then on, he seemed to lose his mind and tried to pursue Ms. Tomie at all costs. But in the end, he was mercilessly insulted and ridiculed in public, and even became the gossip and joke of the time. In the end, he developed depression and his acting career was completely ruined.

"That woman...that woman isn't even human!"

The assistant became increasingly agitated as she spoke, even appearing somewhat hysterical.

"She's a demon! A monster!"

Shinichi Kudo frowned slightly: "But even so, you shouldn't..."

"No! I mean—that woman really isn't human!"

The assistant's tone carried a hint of fear.

“When I slit her throat, she didn’t resist at all! She even… she was smiling at me! It was as if… as if she felt no pain and had been waiting for me to do it!”

"Alright, let's talk about it when we get back to the police station."

Inspector Megure ignored what the other person said, signaled to the officers to take her away, and then patted "Shinichi Kudo" on the shoulder with delight.

"I really need your help this time, Brother Kudo! What have you been up to these past few days? You haven't shown up much."

Shinichi Kudo glanced at Ran Mouri, who had already seen through his scheme and was glaring at him with displeasure, and could only manage a dry laugh.

"Um, Inspector Megure...actually..."

Chapter 262 Direct Confrontation with Machima – Different Paths, Same Goal

With a sudden stop, the silver-white sedan forced Judy's car to a halt beside the empty port road.

The two, still trying to play their respective roles, engaged in a series of pointless exchanges—"You know my identity, I know your identity, you know I know your identity, and I know you know my identity"—but both continued to pretend they didn't know and were putting on an act—before finally revealing their true colors.

"."

Judy smiled as she looked at the new doctor in front of her.

"Do you remember? These were the last words you left me. To remember them forever, they became my mantra... You were the one who killed my father, weren't you, Chris Binyard?"

"No, or rather, I should call you... Vermouth."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Vermouth smiled and tore off her disguise mask, then patiently listened to Judy recount her past "connection" with her.

"Ah, so you were that little girl back then... No wonder your remains weren't found at the fire scene afterward, huh... Looks like you've bravely inherited your father's will, even joining the FBI and investigating me. Too bad..."

"do not move!"

Judy suddenly executed an American-style Iaijutsu, drawing her pistol and aiming it at Vermouth, who seemed about to make a move.

"At this distance, I won't miss. Although I want to spare your life as much as possible, if you make me feel threatened, I won't hold back!"

"is it?"

Facing the dark muzzle of Jodie's gun, Vermouth seemed completely unafraid.

"You seem confident of victory, but have you considered this—if I were to be executed right here and now, someone you can't afford to offend might be very angry. After all… the FBI isn't having an easy time in Japan these days, is it?"

"You're trying to threaten me with Aphrodite?"

Judy gave a cold laugh.

"Then you've got the wrong idea. The FBI has no idea about this operation. Even if you die here, no one else will know... In fact, compared to the risks of arresting you, the risk of killing you is even smaller for me."

"Very confident, huh? But how do you know no one knows I'm here?"

Vermouth glanced at Haibara, who was still sitting in the passenger seat, and sneered.

"You know, I was ordered to bring that girl back. Aphrodite might be watching us from the shadows right now."

"Hmph, sweet talk."

Judy didn't believe it at all.

"You underestimate the FBI. We've known all along that you're caught between the organization and that dangerous woman. You seem to be able to handle both sides, but you're actually walking a tightrope, aren't you? Given the suspicion from both sides, it's not hard to understand why you want to get your hands on that girl first and then sell her for a higher price."

A flash of anger crossed Vermouth's face, and she wanted to burst out cursing—"You self-righteous, stupid FBI agents, what a load of rubbish about holding onto girls for a pittance!" If it weren't for Kudo and her Angie, and if it weren't for that awful Machima's twisted sense of humor, she would have already packed that little girl up and thrown her onto Machima's bed! Instead of here…

But her expression seemed to make Judy misunderstand something.

"Hmph, I knew it, Vermouth... But I still have one question—why are you so concerned about that CoolGuy?"

A hint of doubt flashed across Judy's face.

"On the bus before, you risked your own life to save that boy, and now, after completely diverting him away, you're trying to take that girl away yourself... Why is that? Is that child... special to you?"

Has even the FBI noticed this...?

I've been really... lately

A hint of unease and discomfort flashed through Vermouth's mind, but she remained calm and even wore a mocking smile.

"You want to know the answer to this question? Okay, then I'll tell you... because..."

Judy looked at Vermouth, who was sneering, and suddenly felt extremely uneasy.

Driven by this urgent sixth sense, she almost instinctively flinched. The next moment, a bullet grazed her shoulder, followed by a barely audible but still recognizable gunshot from the distant containers, even with a silencer.

A sniper!?

Judy rolled behind the car as fast as she could and fired several shots in Vermouth's direction, but the latter easily dodged them.

Both sides took cover behind the vehicle, but Judy immediately yelled for Haibara to lie down while reloading.

"Miss Judy from the FBI, you don't think I've been talking to you for so long just because I want to chat, do you?"

Vermouth shouted sarcastically.

“I did not inform the organization of the girl's whereabouts, just as you suspected, but that doesn't mean I was without help. Continue to block her movements, Calvados.”

Vermouth drew her pistol, stood up from the back of the car, and pointed it at Haibara, who was still sitting in the passenger seat.

"Now, get out of the car, Shirley. The little bird has been flying for too long; it's time to go back to its cage."

"No! Don't go there!"

In a panic, Judy tried to reach out with her pistol from behind the car and shoot Vermouth, but with her arm injured, Vermouth seized the opportunity and shot the pistol out of her hand.

Unarmed, Judy was quickly and easily shot in the abdomen by Vermouth, who stepped forward. Although she was wearing a bulletproof vest, the impact of the bullet still forced her to kneel on the ground.

Vermouth walked forward with a smile and kicked the pistol off the ground.

"The game is over, little girl. It's a shame you caught me, but this is no longer a game for you."

“You…you knew all along…” Judy gasped for breath.

"Oh? Are you saying I knew all along that you were listening to my communications, or that I knew all along that you had been in my room?"

Vermouth crouched down, savoring the other's resentment.

“A clever hunter will disguise himself as the prey. Of course I know that the FBI is monitoring me, and I know that I am about to take this girl away. So naturally I will cooperate with you. But I must admit that I did not expect you to go alone. I thought it would take more effort.”

She stood up and pointed the gun at Judy's head.

"Alright, this reunion after 20 years should come to an end. And you... you should be happy now, after all, you'll be seeing your father in heaven soon, won't you?"

Shuichi... you're too slow!

You're really going to get me killed this time...

A flicker of despair crossed Judy's eyes.

"Please wait a moment."

Haibara's voice came through.