A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 10: So, Akikawa-kun Killed His Mother, Right?

"My sister is in her second year of college, about the same age as me, so that means I'm around 20 years old?"

"That's surprising. I thought the original owner was just a high school student."

Kousuke Akikawa listened as Nakajima Takuto spoke about his younger sister while also sorting through the information he gathered from his words.

‘Repeatedly confirming whether I have insomnia means that the doctor detected traces of sleeping pills in my system last night.’

‘So they concluded that I was attempting suicide.’

Earlier, when Kousuke was in the restroom, he couldn't confirm whether it was poison or sleeping pills that were detected in his body.

Though this might not be entirely accurate, sleeping pills, when taken in large amounts, could indeed become toxic.

What Kousuke cared most about was how the original owner chose the method of suicide.

Depending on the type of drug, the half-life of the concentration in the body would vary.

By detecting the concentration of the poison, they could calculate the time the poison was ingested.

Kousuke still held on to a slim hope that he wasn't the killer, so he couldn't help but entertain the faint possibility that the original owner might actually be innocent.

‘The police have already concluded that I took the sleeping pills after the woman died, so continuing to consider this issue seems meaningless.’

Just as Kousuke was chuckling at his naive thoughts, Nakajima Takuto’s words once again caught his attention.

"Speaking of which, my little sister really gives me a headache. She's been arguing with my mom since middle school. I originally thought it was just a phase, but even now, at her age, she still fights with my mom a lot."

"Is… is that so?" Kousuke Akikawa replied hesitantly, unsure of how to respond.

‘Talking about my sister's insomnia and now about her relationship with my mom?’

‘So, the woman who died in the car, that really was the original owner's mother, wasn't it?’

After suspecting that the original owner was likely abused and confined at home by the woman in the car, Kousuke had started to make guesses.

To his surprise, the woman was indeed the original owner's mother.

‘That means the original owner, who had been confined by his mother since childhood, prepared sleeping pills and a knife, intending to kill his mother on this trip and then commit suicide?’

‘I can think of it, and the detectives have probably thought of it too. But they haven't arrested anyone yet, which means the evidence isn’t conclusive.’

‘Aside from not finding my fingerprints on the murder weapon, they haven’t gotten any concrete answers from the witnesses, right?’

‘Because I opened the car lock, creating the possibility of a third party being involved.’

'As long as this possibility hasn't been ruled out, they can’t convict.’

‘Since the original owner took the sleeping pills only after the mother died, then the 'third party' they fabricated must have been witnessed by the original owner.’

'If I want the detectives and police to believe this, the scene I describe of the mother being stabbed must make sense.’

‘If I get any details wrong about the 'third party' that contradict the original crime scene, the detectives will immediately realize I'm lying…’

‘But I woke up with a foggy mind yesterday, how could I have noticed so many details?’

With no way to go back to yesterday and observe the crime scene again, Kousuke concluded that the only way for him to obtain information was left with one option—

The detective in front of him, who was rambling about his sister’s relationship with his mother.

<+>

After complaining about his sister’s strained relationship with their mother, Nakajima Takuto turned to Kousuke Akikawa with curiosity and asked:

"Although it might be a bit rude to ask at such a time, I’m curious, Akikawa-kun, how is your relationship with your mother?"

"This... this has nothing to do with you, Nakajima-san."

"I'm just curious."

"Uh, the relationship... it's fine... I guess."

Kousuke Akikawa avoided Nakajima’s gaze, his eyes darting around.

This subtle behavior could not have escaped Nakajima’s notice.

For a detective, who was especially skilled at reading people, Kousuke's attempt to lie was painfully obvious.

"But Akikawa-kun, after your mother’s death, it seems like you didn’t show much sadness."

"If you really had a good relationship, wouldn’t you react differently?"

Nakajima Takuto's tone shifted from the gentle and kind approach to one that became progressively more intense. He leaned closer to Kousuke and locked eyes with him, continuing to apply pressure.

"No, it’s just... it was too sudden, I don’t know."

Kousuke's speech was becoming increasingly disjointed.

Nakajima Takuto could tell at a glance that Kousuke was trying to make excuses but was too nervous to form coherent sentences.

"Akikawa-kun, stop lying. Your lying skills are really bad."

"...It’s just... we don’t get along that well."

Kousuke Akikawa spoke quietly, then looked up, glancing at Nakajima Takuto's suddenly frightening demeanor.

It seemed as if he wanted to check if this nurse, who had suddenly turned intimidating, believed his words.

Sigh

Nakajima Takuto sighed deeply.

"I truly want to help Akikawa-kun," Nakajima Takuto said.

"Eh?!"

Kousuke Akikawa eyes widened, his expression a mix of shock and confusion.

"Akikawa-kun, you killed your own mother, right?" Nakajima Takuto said in a low voice.

"Ah—?!"

Kousuke Akikawa gasped in shock, as if someone had stabbed him in the back, and instinctively shrank away from Nakajima Takuto.

But Nakajima Takuto didn’t give Kousuke a chance to breathe. He immediately stood up, placing his hand on the small table holding the meal tray and leaned in towards the pale-faced Kousuke Akikawa.

"Answer my question."

"No, I didn’t... My mother... she... didn’t she die in a car accident?"

"My mom... was driving... and accidentally hit the guardrail, so she crashed to her death."

"That’s not right, is it? Ryoko-san was rear-ended after making a sudden stop, which caused her to hit the guardrail!"

Nakajima Takuto, watching Kousuke Akikawa struggling to breathe and faltering under pressure, had already made his conclusion.

From the moment Kousuke Akikawa started fabricating the cause of Ryoko’s death, Nakajima was certain that it was Kousuke who had killed her.

It was precisely because Kousuke Akikawa had caused the crash that he was trying to cover up the real cause of the accident.

‘What a pitiful child, you don’t even know that the police can easily determine what happened before the crash just by examining the tire marks on the ground.’

‘Your mother’s knife is still lodged in her body, yet you claim she died in an accident?’

‘What a terribly clumsy lie.’

Nakajima Takuto reached into his pocket and quietly pressed the record button on his voice recorder.

Although recordings without the other party's consent have no legal effect, a confession made by the criminal themselves can serve as strong evidence.

"Do you still want to lie to me? Ryoko was still alive after the accident. Stop pretending—you killed Ryoko-san, didn’t you?"

Nakajima Takuto raised his voice again, repeating his question.

This wasn’t just to continue applying pressure to Kousuke Akikawa, who was on the verge of collapsing, but also to ensure the recorder clearly picked up his question.

"You... you need evidence. I clearly saw my mom after the accident..."

Nakajima Takuto looked at Kousuke Akikawa, whose eyes were red and looked like he was about to break down and cry. He knew Kousuke had reached his limit.

He reached out and ripped open Kousuke's hospital gown, revealing his thin, skeletal shoulders.

Nakajima Takuto pointed at Kousuke Akikawa's unscathed shoulder and sneered.

"You wanted evidence, right? This is your evidence!"