A Genius In The World Of Conan

Chapter 8: The Missing Conclusive Evidence

Nakajima Takuto returned to the room at the hospital where the Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers were working.

In the room, besides Conan and Chiba Kazunobu, who were already there, another person had joined—Sera Masumi, the high school detective who had been gaining significant attention recently.

"Good day, Officer Nakajima."

"Ah, Sera-san, thank you for your help this time."

Nakajima Takuto had heard of Sera Masumi’s name long ago, but upon meeting her face-to-face, he couldn't help but marvel at her appearance.

She had a face so delicate it seemed almost unreal, with distinctive deep green eyes. Her light gray cap and neatly stylish short-sleeve shirt paired with a smart blouse made her look incredibly sharp and attractive.

Sera Masumi’s presence was far more impressive than what the newspapers and online sources portrayed.

Nakajima Takuto now understood why Sera Masumi, despite being a high school detective, had such a large female fanbase.

‘With looks and charisma like that, I bet she could attract a whole crowd of girls wherever she goes. It's quite a thing to have a top-tier handsome look, but be a female high school student,’ Nakajima Takuto thought to himself.

After greeting Nakajima Takuto, Sera Masumi returned her attention to the table. On it were the collected materials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police about Kousuke Akikawa and his mother, Akikawa Ryoko, along with case files available for the detectives to review.

"Takuto-kun, how's it going?" Chiba Kazunobu asked.

"Not bad. He was initially very wary of me, but I’ve pretty much gained his trust now."

"As Officer Toda mentioned, Akikawa actually has a strong desire to communicate with others."

"I think if I go back and talk to him again, he might be willing to confess."

At this, Sera Masumi suddenly lifted her head and sharply looked at Nakajima Takuto.

"Sorry to ask, Officer Nakajima, but you're not planning on coercing a confession, are you?"

"No, how could we do such a thing?!" Nakajima Takuto was startled by Sera Masumi’s sharp gaze and hurriedly responded.

"Then I apologize," Sera Masumi said, her gaze slowly returning to the table.

Just moments ago, Nakajima Takuto had been completely overwhelmed by Sera Masumi’s commanding presence. Reflecting on it now, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Perhaps it was because she had guessed the correct answer, which made him feel guilty. So Nakajima Takuto didn’t dwell on her earlier rude behavior.

Once again, Nakajima Takuto couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, thinking, ‘She really is sharp for a detective.’

If word got out about what he and the others were doing, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police would likely face public backlash.

Nakajima Takuto was still uncertain about some things Conan had said the previous night. Now that Sera Masumi had arrived, he decided to ask her.

"Sera-san, I wanted to ask, how did you determine that Kousuke Akikawa used a knife to commit the crime after the car accident?"

"Through the ligature marks."

Sera Masumi replied, taking out a photo. It showed the deceased, Akikawa Ryoko, taken by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers the previous day.

"You can see a thick ligature mark around 5 cm wide on the right trapezius muscle, extending diagonally downward. This is clearly from a car’s seatbelt."

"Most cars in Japan have the driver’s seat on the right, so the seatbelt runs from the right shoulder to the lower left, which matches the direction of the ligature mark."

"But shouldn’t this mark have been left during the car accident? Because the car swerved violently, the seatbelt would have left a mark on the deceased, right?"

"If that’s the case, then Kousuke Akikawa, who was sitting in the passenger seat and is lighter than his mother, should have a corresponding ligature mark in the opposite direction."

"And the kid (Conan) checked the suspect Akikawa's body yesterday, and there was no such mark."

Nakajima Takuto nodded slightly. "Indeed, he does seem weaker than his mother, so the same force that left a seatbelt mark on her should have left one on him too."

"Of course, I also examined the victim's body yesterday and confirmed that the victim did not have a tendency to develop scars easily, so the seatbelt marks couldn't have been left during the car accident."

"That means the victim must have left the marks during a violent struggle after being stabbed."

"Once we know this, we can determine that the stabbing occurred after the car accident. And then, I heard that Triazolam was found in the suspect Akikawa's system, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then the sequence of events in the case becomes clear," Sera Masumi smiled faintly.

"Does that mean," Nakajima Takuto suddenly became excited, "we now have conclusive evidence?"

"No," Sera Masumi's smile suddenly turned awkward.

"Neither the dagger nor the victim’s body showed any fingerprints from Kousuke Akikawa, and when Officer Miyamoto found the car, it wasn't locked. The car is quite old and lacks an automatic locking feature. Also, the witness testimony regarding the rear-end collision is somewhat unclear."

"In other words, there's still a very slim chance that a third party might have committed the crime."

"..."

Nakajima Takuto felt a bit speechless.

The motive, process, and weapon for Kousuke Akikawa’s crime had already been determined.

And there were no other suspects at the scene.

This effectively confirmed that the detective’s judgment from yesterday was correct—Kousuke Akikawa was indeed the murderer.

The only missing piece was the concrete evidence linking him to the crime.

This kind of situation was not uncommon. The usual approach for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police was either intense interrogation or having the suspect confess voluntarily.

The former required a lot of investigation and visits.

Although the detectives had already obtained a search warrant, it would still take some time.

If Nakajima Takuto could get Kousuke Akikawa to confess before then, that would be ideal.

It would save time, manpower, and also earn him some merit.

"It’s about time. I should go get his meal," Nakajima Takuto stood up and left the room.

‘Though the term might not be entirely appropriate for a murderer, I still think Akikawa isn't entirely bad by nature.’

‘After all, it was his mother who made the first mistake. Being locked up at home every day, he probably didn’t have a basic understanding of the law, which led him to impulsively commit such an act.’

‘Once I go back and talk to him properly, he should confess on his own.’

Nakajima Takuto thought to himself, then headed towards the hospital's food preparation area.

‘Indeed, as Officer Toda said, this is much more efficient than wasting time and manpower on an investigation.’