Maori Kogoro began to understand everything

Takagi and Shiratori were both stunned at the same time, swallowed nervously, and began to think hard.

Mao Li stroked his chin and said, "If I unlock it... can you ask for anything?"

"Ah?" Sato was stunned for a moment, then stammered and laughed, "Of course, but..."

"Then it's okay to have dinner together, right?"

Maori scratched the back of his head and suddenly felt the temperature around him drop a little, as if he was being stared at by two pairs of murderous eyes. He turned around and saw Takagi and Shiratori breathing heavily, and immediately shrugged and explained clearly: "What I mean is, you treat everyone to a meal together. I just happen to have a restaurant I want to go to recently..."

"One meal is too little," Yuan Tai said with his mouth drooling, "I want a thousand servings of eel rice, is that okay?"

Ayumi also looked around Sato expectantly: "I want to try what it's like to live in a castle in Tropical Paradise!"

Mitsuhiko followed up, "I just need a ticket to the International Space Station!"

"Good good."

Sato smiled bitterly and responded. Before he could say anything more, Huiyuan next to him couldn't help but said, "I want the latest PRADA handbag."

Conan also joined in the fun with an excited look on his face: "Can I have a ticket to this World Cup?"

"Hello..."

Mao Li's mouth twitched.

Does Conan, a rich second-generation, still need money for World Cup tickets? How many tickets can he buy with the money in the gold card his father gave him?

How could this young man like to take advantage of others so much? He is really outrageous!

What? You want to have a free meal with Officer Sato?

Oh, that's fine! You'd be a jerk if you didn't take advantage of a bargain!

Chapter 96: If you don’t write about mermaids when writing Conan fan fiction, you’re just a nobody!

In the evening, Takagi and Shiratori were called by Officer Megure to Shinagawa to hunt down a long-haired man who was suspected of arson, leaving Sato to continue investigating the fire scene.

Maori followed Sato and found the place where Ayumi saw the suspicious person yesterday.

There were several Kamen Rider toy machines next to an alley, and the fire happened to be located across the alley. Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras in nearby stores could not capture this area, so there was no way to verify the arsonist that Ayumi mentioned.

"If that guy continues to commit crimes, he will probably set fire somewhere today, right?"

Maori took a map and marked the scenes of five consecutive fires.

The first one was in Ikebukuro, then Asakusa-bashi, then Tabata, Shimokitazawa, and finally Yotsuya where they were investigating. Apart from the fact that they were all near the station, there was really no connection between them...

Huiyuan took the map from Maori and outlined the location of the fire with a pen and paper: "If you connect them with lines, it's just an ordinary trapezoid. There's no regularity..."

Yuan Tai and the others came over and said, "It looks a bit like a tadpole."

"It should be more like a spoon, right?"

"spoon?"

Conan was deep in thought and looked at the map again. "Whether it's Tadpole or Spoon, the order of setting the fire is wrong, right? The criminal didn't seem to set the fire along the adjacent areas. We are clearly the fifth place, but we are in the middle of the other places, and the 3rd and 4th places are too far away. It's like graffiti on the map..."

"Graffiti?"

Maori's expression changed slightly and he snatched the map from Haibara.

Huiyuan stared blankly at Maori and Conan who were lost in thought again. After a pause, he asked Sato helplessly, "Officer Sato, Officer Takagi, have they caught the arson suspect?"

Sato took out his cell phone and said, "I'll give them a call and ask."

At Shinagawa Station, Takagi answered the phone: "We have arrested the suspect who escaped at Shinagawa Station, but he kept saying that he was not an arsonist, but just a thief who broke into a house..."

"Thief?" Sato turned around and shook his head regretfully at Huibara, "It seems we need to think of another way..."

"Yes, that, Officer Sato," Takagi glanced at Shiratori secretly, covered the phone and whispered, "I already know who the robber was eighteen years ago. If my guess is correct, maybe... don't be shocked when you hear it, the robber may be among the few people we met this afternoon..."

Shiratori suddenly appeared beside Takagi with a sullen face, causing Takagi to swallow back the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He laughed dryly with cold sweat, "What's the matter, Officer Shiratori? You almost scared me to death!"

Shiratori looked at Takagi suspiciously: "Takagi, your actions are suspicious. Who are you calling?"

"What are you talking about, seriously..."

"Officer Takagi?" Sato called out, but there was no response from the other end of the line. He said in confusion, "What is Takagi doing? He suddenly said he knew about the robber from 18 years ago and stopped talking..."

"Officer Takagi already knows?"

Huiyuan was a little surprised. "Aren't they busy catching the arsonist? How did they bring up a case from eighteen years ago?"

Sato smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either..."

"Officer Sato," Takagi's voice rang through the phone again, panting as if he was running, "I have figured out all the puzzles from eighteen years ago..."

"Takagi, what the hell are you doing?" Sato urged, "Tell me quickly if you know who the robber is!"

"I'm sorry," Gao Mu leaned against the wall and took a breath, "The robber should be..."

"boom!"

The sound stopped abruptly, leaving only a crash, and the phone seemed to have fallen to the ground.

"Takagi?" Sato's face turned pale. "What's wrong? Takagi! Answer me now!"

Sato kept calling, but in the end there was only a busy tone.

"Someone hung up the phone...Is something wrong with Officer Takagi?"

Seeing Sato anxiously calling Shiratori, Huibara felt a little depressed.

The arson case has not been investigated yet, but they have even brought up an old case from 18 years ago. It is very likely that Gao Mu was attacked by the robbers back then...

But this also shows that Takagi really knows the identity of the robber.

In the afternoon, four old friends of Sato's father came to the intersection to pay their respects. They must be the ones Takagi was talking about...

"Officer Sato," Huibara asked again, "Can you find the location of your father's old friends?"

"Ah? They went to a pub to drink, probably the Nanakome Izakaya in front of Shinagawa Station..." Sato was holding the phone, his face suddenly changed and a trace of sweat flowed from the corner of his eyes.

"The murderer must be among them,"

Conan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said seriously, "One of the four people accidentally heard what Officer Takagi said, and it is very likely that he wanted to silence Officer Takagi."

"In Shinagawa..." Maori suddenly said from behind, "The arsonist's next fire location is also near Shinagawa Station."

"Eh?"

Officer Sato looked at Maori in astonishment: "Mr. Maori, how did you know that?"

"Scribble," Maori held the atlas upright and drew lines with a marker, "The arsonist said there was only one more place to complete the eve of the festival. Some festivals use words made of fire, right? The arsonist actually wanted to write a big 'fire' in Tokyo, and the last stroke would fall on Shinagawa Station."

"The one who attacked Takagi..."

"If the arsonist mistakenly believed that Officer Takagi had witnessed him setting the fire and called the police, it is not impossible that he would attack Officer Takagi," Mao Li paused and looked in the direction of Shinagawa. "If this inference is correct, there may be bodies found near the scene of the next fire, just like the fourth fire."

As Sato listened to Maori's story, the image of Takagi being killed popped up in his mind, and his face became even paler: "I'll go to Shinagawa Station! Mr. Maori, you take them back first!"

"I take them back?"

Mao Li turned around and looked at Ayumi and the others who were obviously reluctant, and said hesitantly, "But my commissioned work..."

"Someone has to take care of these kids, right?" Sato anxiously sat in the driver's seat. "Take them home by train and meet at the main office tomorrow..."

Huiyuan interrupted, "The criminal who attacked Officer Takagi might also be the arsonist. Shouldn't we bring along Ayumi, the only person who witnessed the criminal?"

"This..." Looking at Huibara who was questioning like a little adult, Sato was stunned and sweat ran down his face.

Whether it was because he communicated with me before or because he hit the nail on the head now, even if he was Maori's so-called assistant, this kid was too capable, right?

"Then let's all go together," Mao Li looked at Officer Sato and said with a smile, "I will take good care of them."

……

Shinagawa District.

The Nanakuma Izakaya that Officer Sato mentioned was not far from Shinagawa Station. After she parked her car, she immediately ran into the store, but the manager said that the four people had already left.

While Sato was asking questions, Maori pulled Conan over and said, "Leave the arson case to me. I'll leave Sato and Officer Takagi to you. If it's you, you should be able to solve the mystery of the old case from eighteen years ago quickly, right?"

"I'm fine, uncle,"

Conan nodded and looked at the group of children left in the car with some hesitation, "But if it's you, these children..."

Conan didn't finish his words, but Maori completely understood what he meant. He looked at Ayumi and the others who were staying in the car peacefully, and said with a headache: "It should be okay, right?"

After returning to the car, Yuan Tai couldn't wait any longer and grabbed Mao Li and asked with concern: "Uncle Mao Li, did you catch the bad guys?"

"No, those people have already gone back."

Mao Li calmed down and said, "Let's go catch the arsonist. There is no fire now, so the arsonist probably hasn't succeeded yet."

"Uncle Maori, are you going to take us with you?"

Ayumi stared at Maori, somewhat unable to react.

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"We thought you were going to let us stay in the car..."

"What are you talking about? I'm the advisor of the Junior Detective Team, and you're members of the Junior Detective Team. We should act together, right?"

Mao Li shrugged. "Besides, even if I arranged this for you, can you really stay in the car? So you might as well follow me... but you have to be obedient."

"Yes! We won't cause any trouble!"

Ayumi and the others raised their fists seriously.

"Young Detective Team, move out!"

A few serious children strode ahead and started searching with Maori.

Huibara followed Maori, and a smile appeared on her calm face: "Detective, where should we start the investigation now?"

"From the previous arsons, it seems that the arsonist roamed in the deserted alleys near the station. If he is dressed the same, it should not be difficult to find him."

Mao Li pondered and compared the map. "The simplest method is often the most effective. Let's search the alleys one by one..."

Maori had just finished speaking.

"Ah!" Ayumi suddenly screamed, and looked at the crowd on the street with horror, "That person..."

Maori stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

"That man is the weird uncle from yesterday." Ayumi pointed fearfully at a long-haired man in the crowd.

He was wearing a hat but no eye-catching coat, and he was walking on the street with his hands in his pockets like an ordinary person.

Mao Li's eyes tightened, and he immediately stopped Ayumi and the others and said, "You guys follow Ai, and I'll handle the rest."

With tears in her eyes, Ayumi looked up at Maori eagerly: "But Uncle Maori..."

Mao Li, who used to be a daughter slave, felt soft-hearted when he was seen. He turned his head away helplessly and said, "I know, we can go together, but you can only follow quietly behind."

"Ok!"

Ayumi instantly turned from crying to laughing, nodded repeatedly, and nervously made gestures to Genta and Mitsuhiko to keep quiet.

The long-haired man disappeared at the end in a blink of an eye. Maori didn't care about the good kids and hurried to catch up.

It is not yet certain whether the man had a gun, but based on the fourth incident, it is certain that he had a knife...

"Strange, where did he go? Why are there alleys everywhere..."

Shinagawa 6-chome. Maori, who was unfamiliar with the place, lost his sense of direction after turning a corner, and even lost the figure of the long-haired man.

"Uncle Maori, this way!"

Ayumi and the others crowded at an alley, waving at Maori and whispering, "The arsonist is inside and has already set the fire!"

Maori looked across the alley and saw a long-haired man lighting a pile of newspapers in front of an old wooden warehouse. The flames surged and leapt up the dilapidated warehouse in the blink of an eye.

This guy is indeed an arsonist...

"Just stay here and wait for the fire truck." Maori rolled the map book in his hand into a tube and chased after the long-haired man without saying a word.

This time, Ayumi and the others were very obedient and just looked at the growing fire with worry.

"Is it okay for Uncle Maori to be alone? Didn't they say the criminals had a knife?"

"The fire is getting bigger and bigger..."

After Huibara made the fire call, she stood silently behind and watched Maori chase the arsonist.