Maori Kogoro began to understand everything

"By the way, I've let Huibara drink the Lao Baigan liquor there. If everything goes well, she should be able to recover from a cold just like I did last time. Then she can climb up the chimney..."

"Buzz!"

Just after finishing talking to Conan, the phone in Maori's other pocket rang again. It was Ai calling.

"Uncle..."

Huiyuan's weak voice came out.

"Are you okay, Ai?"

Maori asked hurriedly.

"Well, it's okay for now,"

Huiyuan panted a little and said, "But the members of the organization will find us sooner or later. Listen, don't come to save me. You can't deal with the organization with your own strength... I have already cleaned up the traces on the phone. They should not know the relationship between you and me..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Uncle, don't you understand? If they already know that I've become smaller, I'll be found quickly even if I escape. By then, not only the people who come to save me, but everyone related to me will be killed... We can't meet again. This is our last call..."

"Little sorrow!"

"Dudu."

Before Mao Li could respond, the call was disconnected and a busy tone sounded.

Maori frowned, gritted his teeth, put away his phone and turned to Officer Megure who was waiting foolishly on the side.

"Is there something urgent? Brother Maori," Megure said blankly, "If it's really inconvenient..."

"Inspector Megure," Maori interrupted, "Can you take me to see those seven people?"

"Ah good……"

Near the venue, the police were still conducting investigations, but several suspects gradually became dissatisfied.

"What on earth does this mean?" a woman with short hair and glasses said angrily, "It's fine if we haven't been questioned yet, but why can't we go back after being questioned? We can't even make a phone call? How long are you going to do this!"

Detective Takagi laughed dryly with a cold sweat on his face: "Sorry... We still have some things to deal with, that..."

Maori followed Inspector Megure and looked at the seven suspects waiting in the aisle one by one. After comparing their identity information, he had a general idea in his mind.

35-year-old music producer Naoya Tarumi, a long-faced young man with loose hair.

The owner of the 62 professional baseball team, Yasuo Sanpei, has a bald head and a beard, and looks very fierce.

The 38-year-old female writer who won the Naoki Prize, Mika Nanjo, has short hair and wears glasses. She is the one who lost her temper and looks impatient.

An honest university professor, 58-year-old Yoshiharu Omote.

Kenzo Masuyama, the 71-year-old chairman of an automobile company and a silver-haired financial giant, checks his watch from time to time.

The 43-year-old emcee Mai Cangzhi said, feeling quite uneasy.

Finally, there is the 29-year-old super popular American actress Chris, with long golden hair. She looked calmly at the snow falling outside the window until Maori passed by, then she looked back, with a hint of surprise on her face.

Everyone is suspicious, but no one looks like Pisco. For the organized killers who are good at disguise and hiding, it is too difficult to identify them just by looking.

However, Pisco must be among them.

"Only Miss Chris didn't have a handkerchief. She said she lost it in the confusion."

"After the incident, Miss Chris and Professor Biao were both at the place where the crystal chandelier fell. Professor Biao was almost injured when the incident happened."

"But Miss Chris seems to be fine."

While Inspector Megure was telling the story, Maori's gaze only stayed on Chris for a moment, and he held his chin and began to think.

Although the police investigation did not yield much, it still provided some information. At least the behavior of several people during the interrogation could be considered a clue.

If you think about it carefully, Pisco must have locked up Ai and left temporarily to do something when he was stopped by the police.

Although they caught Ai, it was impossible for the other party to directly think that Ai was a smaller version of Miyano Shiho...

In addition, members of the organization certainly do not want to be questioned by the police all the time, so anyone who is in a hurry to leave now may be Pisco.

The temper-thrilling female writer Nanjo, the silver-haired old man Kenzo Masuyama who is always looking at his watch, and the uneasy-looking Naomichi Mugura, all three are suspects - a classic choice between three.

As for who it is...

Although this member of the organization named Pisco has killed people, he does not seem to be a professional killer like Gin. Maori can't feel the aura that a professional killer should have.

According to Ai, the organization does have many members hiding in society, including ordinary people, celebrities, and even serial killers like Kiichiro Numabuchi, the experimental subject that Maori and his friends met last time in Osaka...

So how would such a person with a hidden identity behave?

Mao Li lit a cigarette for himself, and in the rising smoke, the details of the crime scene reappeared in his mind. The broken crystal chandelier, the position of the victim, the position of other people after turning on the lights...

Finally, there was the broken chandelier chain and the purple handkerchief with burn marks that fell when the crime happened...

Seven suspects flashed before his eyes like movie characters. In the darkness, they took out silenced pistols and aimed at the fluorescent chandelier chain. They covered the silencer with handkerchiefs to cover the gunfire. Then, they fell among the crowd as they shot. The bullet broke the chandelier chain, and a small piece of it flew out and landed on the dining table...

Maori let out a long sigh, and his sharp eyes swept over the crowd again, finally falling on the kind-looking silver-haired old man.

"Mr. Masuyama."

"Hmm?" The old man felt Maori's gaze, opened his slightly squinted eyes, and looked at Maori in confusion.

Mao Li's expression remained unchanged. He turned to Officer Megure and said, "Search my lower body again."

"This……"

Officer Megure looked embarrassed. They were all celebrities, and it was already a stretch to keep them for questioning. If they searched them without sufficient reason...

"The criminal didn't use any special devices," Maori handed the handkerchief and the chain fragments to Megure, "he just painted fluorescent paint on the chandelier chain in advance, called the victim under the chandelier when the lights were turned off, and then used a silenced pistol to break the chandelier chain in the dark. It's that simple."

"What?" Inspector Megure and everyone present looked at Maori in surprise.

"pistol?"

"I remember... you seem to be the famous detective Maori Kogoro, right?"

Finally someone recognized Maori's identity.

"Is it the detective known as the Akechi Kogoro of the Heisei era?"

The female writer Nanjo frowned and said, "What do you mean by that? Do you suspect the murderer is among us?"

"That's right,"

Mao Li said in a tough tone, "The bullet should not be so easy to deal with. There must be traces left somewhere in the venue. We will know if we check again..."

"Is that why I have to search you?"

Nanjo looked at Mao Li coldly, who didn't give her any face at all, and her temper instantly rose. "What if you don't find it? Will you, a famous detective, be responsible?"

Maori ignored Nanjo's princess syndrome and continued to say to Inspector Megure: "Even if the gun is not on the criminal, it must be hidden somewhere here. We will find out if we search carefully. And if there are no accidents, I think the criminal... should be you! Mr. Masuyama!"

"what?"

The old man opened his eyes wide and met Maori's gaze in astonishment, his expression slightly changed.

"Don't, don't joke around," the old man said with a forced smile, "How could I be the murderer?"

"You're the only one who could do it," Maori said firmly. "Of course, I'd have no problem if you've already removed the fingerprints on the gun, but if you really want to investigate, you'll definitely find clues."

"it is good!"

Seeing Maori's confident performance, Officer Megure also calmed down and decided to take a gamble as Maori said. He quickly ordered his subordinates, "Go find it immediately!"

"you!"

The old man's face became even uglier, and he no longer had the calmness of a financial tycoon. He angrily said to Inspector Megure, "Even if he is a famous detective, what does he say count?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Masuyama,"

Officer Megure said with a straight face, "Brother Mori is not only a famous detective, but also a special advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department. Also, our police will definitely investigate whether the story is true or not. Until then, please wait for the result here."

The second sentence was said to everyone. For some reason, Inspector Megure was very happy now. He felt that with Mori's presence in his case, he had more confidence in handling the case - look at these people, although they still acted indifferent on the surface, they still didn't mention leaving, right?

Until he left the corridor, Inspector Megure's fat face was covered with a bright smile: "Ah, you are worthy of being Brother Mori. You saw through the criminal's modus operandi as soon as you arrived!"

Maori did not look very happy. Solving the case would take time. Now they just detained Pisco. The real enemy was still the organization behind Pisco.

Gin might be nearby, but Maori couldn't tell Inspector Megure...

Thinking of what Ai said last, Maori frowned tightly. No matter what, he had to find a way to rescue Ai first.

……

At the entrance of the hotel, Gin's black Porsche was parked not far in front of Dr. Agasa's Beetle sedan. Gin, wearing a black coat, and the other driver walked straight towards the hotel.

"It's them!"

Dr. Agasa, who observed Gin and Vodka, said worriedly, "Why are they here? Could it be that Pisco contacted them?"

"No, it's impossible! Uncle Maori won't let that guy leave!"

Conan gritted his teeth and said, "Haibara! The situation is not good, Gin and the others may have passed by! Hide in the fireplace quickly! Haibara!"

Dr. Agasa anxiously watched Gin and the other man squeeze past the reporters and enter the hotel: "Shinichi, what should we do now?"

"Habara's body has changed. We need to delay for a while..." Conan picked up the detective badge, "Uncle, how are you doing? Gin and Vodka have already gone to the hotel. Let the police question them! Hurry!"

"what?"

Maori's pupils dilated and his body suddenly tensed up.

Judging from the situation, these two people are either going to Ai's place or coming to the venue. The former may be because Pisco left some clues in advance, and the latter may be because Pisco is suspected by the police.

The information about the interrogation of Pisco cannot possibly leak out, so the first possibility is the only one...

……

"To stop two men in black?"

In the lobby on the first floor of the hotel, a police officer received an order from Inspector Megure and said at a loss, "But, officer, the entrance is surrounded by reporters and it's hard to tell who is who!"

"Anyway, stop the suspicious person first!" Although Officer Megure didn't know what was going on, he still shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Hurry up!"

"Officer Megure."

Mao Li pulled Megure and said, "Let me go and take a look. I'll trouble you here."

"But Maori brother..."

"All that's left is to find the pistol, right?"

Maori couldn't say much to Megure, so he nodded and turned to ask the hotel receptionist for directions.

The wine cellar with a fireplace was used to lock people up, so it was probably not used very often. You should still have a chance to find it by asking the hotel staff.

"I'm sorry, Miss Huibara, my daughter Xiaolan also went through a rebellious period like you, so I will never go along with you."

"Also, I, Maori, am known as the Detective of the God of Death. The God of Death will not come to take you away without my permission!"

……

"No?!"

Outside the hotel venue, Mao Li looked at the employee being questioned in astonishment and said anxiously, "Think about it again. There is a wine cellar with a fireplace, a room that will not be used for the time being!"

"Well, there is indeed no room like the one you mentioned..."

The employee who was questioned by Mao Li thought about it seriously, and then suddenly slapped his thigh as if he suddenly remembered something, "Ah, maybe it's in the old building that is about to be renovated, there seems to be one over there."

"The old building of the Haido Hotel? I see!"

……

The rooftop of the old building of Beihu Hotel.

The chimney covered with snow made a series of banging noises. A woman in cleaner's clothes struggled to lift the iron covering, climbed out, and gasped uncomfortably.