Chapter 56: This Idea Is Brilliant!
Page 1/3
“Because when I reached for the handkerchief, it slipped from my pocket and fell to the floor,” Kaede Katagiri hurriedly explained. “I just bent down to pick it up!”
“I was just serving the dishes according to procedure…” Sachiko Eguchi added.
“Detective Megure!” A police officer briskly entered, instinctively glancing at Chi Feichi sitting in the distance, then approached Megure Juuzou, leaning in to whisper.
Fevered from watching the commotion, Niaka suddenly perked up. “Finally, they’re here! They’re way too slow!”
Chi Feichi: “…”
Anticipating being a suspect alongside his pet — quite a rare experience indeed…
Megure Juuzou’s expression gradually grew serious as he listened, then nodded to the reporting officer and approached Chi Feichi. “Brother Chi, before dinner began, what did you discuss with Mr. Kikuto and the butler, Shigematsu?”
The restaurant fell silent; all eyes turned to Chi Feichi.
Heiji Hattori and Conan suddenly recalled Chi Feichi’s previous words —
“I’m avoiding suspicion.”
Chi Feichi met everyone’s gaze calmly and said, “I refuse to answer that question.”
Megure Juuzou’s face turned stern. “A servant said that after you left Mr. Kikuto’s room and came to the dining hall, Butler Shigematsu asked him to tidy up Mr. Kikuto’s room. He saw it was in disarray; ornaments were shattered. If you had a quarrel earlier, then you have a motive. Though you were seated too far to physically harm the victim, not clarifying the situation will be detrimental to you!”
“That’s not true,” Yuri Morizono quickly interjected. “Feichi and Mr. Kikuto got along well. They… they…”
Suddenly remembering that it was indeed Chi Feichi who approached Shigematsu Akio earlier, she faltered.
Chi Feichi insisted, “I promised to keep it confidential.”
Megure Juuzou stared at him for a moment before relenting. “Very well, but if necessary, the police have the right to require your cooperation.”
Chi Feichi nodded, indicating no objection.
Megure Juuzou then turned to Sachiko Eguchi. “Ms. Eguchi, I understand your daughter worked at a research institute and conducted medicinal research on snake venom a year ago. Is that correct?”
“Yes, yes!” Sachiko admitted, then explained, “But after my divorce, my daughter has lived with her father. We only occasionally speak on the phone and haven’t met in a long time.”
“I see!” Kogoro Mouri’s face lit up with realization as he looked seriously at the three. “Mr. Chi has a motive but no opportunity. Ms. Eguchi can procure snake venom. And Miss Kaede could serve as cover or even the perpetrator. This is actually a collaborative murder! The three conspired to help each other kill their respective targets!”
Chi Feichi: “…”
Heiji Hattori: “…”
Conan: “…”
Page 2/3
What a brilliant theory!
Megure Juuzou stared blankly at Kogoro Mouri. “But Mr. Chi knows snake venom well. He was the one who first noticed the injection amount was suspicious. According to hospital reports, the amount injected didn’t match what a venomous snake bite would produce. If it could have been disguised as an accidental snakebite, why leave such a clue to make everyone suspect foul play?”
“That’s precisely to mislead you, Detective Megure,” Kogoro Mouri said. “To make us think that someone knowledgeable about snake venom wouldn’t make such a mistake. But in reality, it’s part of the plan to deceive us!”
Chi Feichi sighed, “It’s a shame, Mr. Mouri, that you don’t write detective novels.”
“Brother Chi, writing detective stories isn’t so easy, you know?” Conan immediately defended his father’s profession. “Crafting a good story requires logic and building a reasonable conclusion based on the clues revealed.”
Chi Feichi realized this was somewhat unfair to people like Yusaku Kudo. “Sorry.”
“Hey, hey,” Kogoro Mouri felt slightly offended, glaring at Conan disdainfully. “What would you know? You’re talking like you write them yourself!”
Conan internally chuckled: Sorry, I don’t write, but my dad is a world-renowned detective novelist, and I’ve read quite a few myself…
“Dad, Conan was just making a point,” Ran Mouri defended him.
Megure Juuzou, seeing the conversation veering off-topic, rubbed his temples. “Let’s leave unrelated matters for later!”
Silence.
Everyone was stunned at Megure Juuzou’s sudden outburst.
After shouting, he felt a bit regretful, noticing some subordinates looked at him weakly. Would they think he’s a hot-tempered boss? He’s really quite mild. “Ahem, now, let’s focus on solving this case.”
“Yes!” the police promptly responded, their expressions serious.
Megure Juuzou: “…”
“Sometimes showing authority helps with management,” Chi Feichi summarized.
Megure Juuzou: “…”
Don’t misunderstand him; he never intended that!
Chi Feichi is really something—he says what he shouldn’t, stays silent when he should speak, misleading everyone about his personality. He’s definitely not a scheming boss.
“Uh, but Miss Kaede wouldn’t want to kill her fiancé, right?” Wataru Takagi finally returned to the main topic. “Moreover, none of their personal belongings include anything resembling a venomous snake’s fang that could be used as a weapon…”
“The weapon is indeed a problem,” Heiji Hattori whispered to Conan. “But Miss Kaede might still have a motive. The atmosphere between her and Mr. Kikuto was strange — not like a couple about to marry, more like two people in the middle of a fight or cold war. Don’t you think so, Kudo?”
No response.
Heiji looked up and saw Conan walking thoughtfully towards Chi Feichi, sighing silently.
Page 3/3
Why not discuss clues with him? Why go straight to Chi Feichi…?
But after thinking it over, he followed. It wouldn’t hurt to ask Chi Feichi, who arrived here over a day earlier, and might know something.
Conan approached, tugged on Chi Feichi’s sleeve, and quietly asked with a blank expression, “Hey, the culprit is Ms. Eguchi, right?”
“Mm,” Chi Feichi confirmed.
Heiji Hattori: “…”
They both know who the murderer is? Isn’t that a bit too fast? Must be a joke!
“The culprit deliberately chose snake venom to frame you. You had a conflict with Mr. Kikuto and Butler Shigematsu, then let a snake bite him, making it seem plausible. You said you wanted to avoid suspicion because you realized the culprit’s plan. The culprit must know about your quarrel with Shigematsu and Kikuto. Miss Kaede was with us the whole time and couldn’t have known. That leaves only Ms. Eguchi,” Conan analyzed, although he wasn’t happy about it — he deduced the culprit not from clues, but from Chi Feichi’s demeanor. “When did you realize Ms. Eguchi was the culprit?”
“At the exact moment of the incident, I observed everyone’s expressions,” Chi Feichi replied. “While others showed surprise mixed with confusion, Ms. Eguchi’s face was purely shocked.”
“Just because of that?” Conan felt a bit disappointed. He’d hoped Chi Feichi had some concrete clue.
In that situation, Chi Feichi was still observing others’ faces—what was he thinking?
“Even if we know she’s the culprit, it’s useless without the weapon or evidence,” Heiji Hattori glanced at the table’s contents. “To fake a snakebite, you’d need a conical object sharp at the tip and wider at the base, like a snake fang. Then something like a syringe to inject the venom. Ms. Eguchi only had a phone and handkerchief in her apron pocket. She might have hidden something else, but it’s hard to buy anything resembling snake fangs. The only things I can think of are pens or steel needles…”
Chi Feichi asked Heiji, “Do you know how many types of cake decorating nozzles there are?”
“Cake decorating nozzles? Why ask? I’m not familiar with that; my mom doesn’t often bake with cream…” Heiji stopped mid-sentence, his expression turning serious. “Could there be nozzles similar to snake fangs?”
“I’ve seen the most complete set – 108 nozzles in total. The Morizono family kitchen has many. While many have wide ends, some are slender and sharp,” Chi Feichi explained. “Also, you can use a piping bag for cream cakes.”
“I get it now!” Conan suddenly understood, stroking his chin. “So the crime might have unfolded like this: prepare two slender nozzles, seal the piping bag’s tip, fill it with snake venom, trap some air, then attach the nozzles. The items can be hidden in an apron and brought into the dining room. When no one’s looking, fix a nozzle to a corner of the serving cart, open the piping bag’s tip, and as you pass Butler Shigematsu, prick him with the nozzle and press the bag to inject venom.”
“To accomplish all this requires very little time and no need to bend or squat passing Shigematsu,” Heiji added. “Then, continue pushing the cart, and when serving Mr. Kikuto, bend down to pick food from the lower shelf and retrieve the nozzle and bag. Taking advantage of the body’s movement while serving, block Miss Kaede’s view on Kikuto’s right side and use the left hand nearby to prick Mr. Kikuto’s side with the nozzle, pressing the bag to inject the venom.”
“Because the police focus on syringes or conical objects, flat items are easily overlooked,” Conan pointed at the serving cart. “Afterwards, the piping bag can be stuffed into the nozzle, flattened, and wedged against the metal cart. If unnoticed, it’s hard to detect. The lower edge and wheels of the cart are possible hiding spots…”