A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 19: Deception

When it is difficult to determine whether a suspect's testimony is truthful, having them recount their statement in reverse order often helps reveal the truth.

Many criminals, when interrogated by the police, fabricate a story to cope with questioning.

If the police question them normally, they can respond fluently.

However, if they are asked to repeat their statement backward, inconsistencies in their fabricated story often emerge.

Since Sato Miwako, Sera Masumi, and others were already aware that Kousuke Akikawa had prepared a response in advance for Nakajima Takuto’s questioning, Sera Masumi instructed Sato Miwako to probe for as many details as possible when questioning him.

If Kousuke Akikawa's statement was premeditated and intended to mislead the police, then he would have to improvise when asked about specific details.

Taking too long to respond to such questions would seem unnatural, while fabricating a response quickly would make it difficult for his story to remain logical and coherent.

Once Kousuke Akikawa had finished his account, he would suddenly be asked to recount it in reverse order.

By then, his original fabricated narrative would have been supplemented with many additional details due to Sato Miwako’s persistent questioning.

If his testimony did not align with the truth, it would be nearly impossible for him to recall everything accurately in reverse.

Having Takagi Wataru take notes outside the door from the beginning was also intended to lower Kousuke Akikawa’s guard.

Had he known in advance that his words were being fully recorded, he would have been more cautious.

Sera Masumi was confident that if Kousuke Akikawa had been fabricating his testimony, he would undoubtedly reveal inconsistencies at this point.

“Repeat it in reverse… What do you mean?”

Kousuke Akikawa appeared confused, his pale face showing a trace of bewilderment.

“Simply put, start from when you were knocked unconscious and recount everything in reverse order.”

“What’s the point of that?”

“It’s just to be thorough, to confirm whether or not you’re lying.”

Sera Masumi made no attempt to conceal her intent and stated it directly.

After speaking, she gave Sato Miwako a subtle glance.

Sato Miwako nodded slightly in understanding.

“……”

Kousuke Akikawa's mouth opened slightly, his expression one of disbelief, as if he couldn’t comprehend why the police doubted his testimony.

After a brief pause, he slowly spoke.

“Uh… After confirming that my mother was no longer moving, the motorcyclist pried open my mouth and forcibly made me swallow a large number of sleeping pills before knocking me unconscious…”

“How did you know they were sleeping pills?”

“Detective Nakajima said that he believed I had planned to commit suicide with sleeping pills after killing my mother… So I assumed that what I was given must have been sleeping pills.”

‘That Nakajima…’

Sato Miwako’s eye twitched slightly as she suppressed her growing anger.

“I’m sorry, but can you describe again where he took out the pills from? And what they looked like?”

“I think they were small, round, white tablets, kept in a black bottle.”

“How many did he give you?”

“A lot.”

…

And so, under Sato Miwako’s persistent questioning and Sera Masumi’s scrutiny, Kousuke Akikawa recounted his testimony in reverse order.

At first, Sera Masumi was confident.

However, as Kousuke Akikawa continued recounting his story, her confidence began to waver.

‘This isn’t right… He remembers everything too clearly. Even though there are minor differences in wording, the details and overall sequence are almost perfectly intact.’

‘If he were lying, how could he recall everything so precisely?’

For an ordinary person, reversing a fabricated story is already difficult.

Yet Kousuke Akikawa flawlessly repeated an extended testimony filled with details without any inconsistencies.

‘Unless his memory is extraordinarily sharp, how could he remember so many details?’

‘Not to mention, he just suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning, which affected his brain, and he sustained two head injuries yesterday…’

‘Could it be… that everything he said was truly what he witnessed firsthand?!’

Sera Masumi was deeply shaken and gradually started to believe that the real culprit was someone else.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Akikawa-san.”

After he finished speaking, Sato Miwako softly expressed her gratitude to Kousuke Akikawa.

“Now you can confirm that I’m not the culprit, right?”

Kousuke Akikawa asked.

“No… We can only say that the likelihood of you being the culprit is decreasing.”

“However, we still cannot rule out the suspicion that you had a motive to kill Ryoko-san.”

“Because of the existence of three insurance policies, Ryoko-san’s accidental death would allow you to receive over 100 million yen in compensation.”

“Insurance? What do you mean?”

Kousuke Akikawa looked utterly confused.

“Aside from the compulsory automobile liability insurance, Ryoko-san also purchased two life insurance policies.”

“Your family isn’t wealthy, and Ryoko-san didn’t have a stable job. Even covering living expenses with her part-time wages was already a struggle, so it’s highly unreasonable for her to have purchased so many insurance policies.”

“……”

Sato Miwako’s words once again left Kousuke Akikawa staring blankly, his mouth slightly open.

After a long pause, he seemed to finally process what was being implied. His face flushed red, and he raised his voice slightly.

“You— You think I killed my mother for insurance money?”

Sato Miwako remained silent, making it clear that she was not denying his accusation.

“That’s ridiculous! If I wanted the insurance payout, then why would I take sleeping pills and attempt suicide?”

Anyone could hear the suppressed anger in Kousuke Akikawa’s tone.

“It’s possible that Akikawa-san didn’t even know about the insurance policies,” Conan interjected.

“But didn’t you find fingerprints on the dagger? I don’t know how this works, but can’t you just compare them with mine to find out the truth?”

Hearing this, Sato Miwako turned to Takagi Wataru.

“Akikawa-san has a point. Since the forensics team detected fingerprints, all we need to do is compare them with his to confirm, right?”

For a brief moment, Takagi Wataru looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Uh… Well…”

Sato Miwako knew Takagi Wataru far too well.

Watching his evasive gaze and hesitant demeanor, she immediately understood what was going on.

“Takagi-kun, you’re not lying to me, are you?”

“No, no, Sato-san, it’s not what you think! Let me explain!”

As Takagi Wataru spoke, he leaned in, intending to whisper the truth into Sato Miwako’s ear.

But before he could get close, Sato Miwako raised her hand to block him, her beautiful eyes now filled with an unmistakable fury.

“Enough. No need to explain—I think I’ve already figured out what’s going on.”

Her tone grew colder, while beads of sweat began to form on Takagi Wataru’s forehead.

“So… You were deceiving me again?”

A moment later—

Kousuke Akikawa, who had only now fully processed the situation, spoke in a voice filled with disbelief.

And that single word—"again"—struck a particularly sharp chord with everyone in the room.

Because they all knew—

Just this morning, Kousuke Akikawa had already been deceived once by another detective.

“You never actually found any fingerprints, did you?! Then why are you still suspecting me?! I didn’t even have gloves or anything!”

Kousuke Akikawa shouted, looking directly at Sato Miwako and the others.

“The absence of fingerprints doesn’t mean you’re innocent. There are many ways to remove fingerprints.”

Conan muttered quietly.

“First, you accused me of trying to kill my mother and then commit suicide.”

“Then you said I killed her for the insurance money.”

“When I asked why I would attempt suicide if I wanted the payout, you said I wasn’t after the insurance money.”

“Now that you can’t find any fingerprints, you claim that I must have erased them.”

“So tell me this—if I had planned from the very beginning to kill my mother and then take my own life, why would I even bother wiping off my fingerprints?!”

“Or are you just like Detective Nakajima this morning—forcing a crime onto me and trying to coerce me into a confession?”

The sheer anger in Kousuke Akikawa’s words sent a chilling shock through everyone in the room.

Their pupils shrank in unison.