novelhk Chapter 220 Caught Red-Handed
Chapter 220 Caught Red-Handed
Chapter 220 Caught Red-Handed
The bizarre events gave the girls goosebumps. Under psychological influence, the howling cold wind seemed to be blowing directly into the gaps between their collars and necks.
Although Heiji Hattori also let his mind wander for a while, he was still a proper high school detective. Even if he wasn't quite pure anymore, he would still solve cases according to his usual approach under normal circumstances.
At least for now, Heiji Hattori is certain that the snow woman Kazuha and the others saw was definitely someone playing tricks on them at the roadside shop. Excluding their group and the disabled shop owner and his wife, then—
He glanced at the other two, who seemed confident, and without further ado, said, "So it seems the snow woman you saw, Kazuha, is either Ms. Kinoshita or Ms. Asanuma."
Hattori Heiji's words caused quite a stir. Conan drew a simple map on the snow, showing that from the snow pit where the snow woman's clothes were buried, following the direction of the footprints, one could reach the persimmon tree near the inn.
Akutagawa Hiko said, "Whether it is or not, we'll find out by following the footprints."
After reburying the snow woman's costume, the investigation team followed the footprints and indeed arrived at the persimmon tree. Because of the snow, the climbing marks were clearly visible even to a layman.
Conan, as nimble as a monkey, darted up the ladder placed to the side: "Wow, there are footprints on it!"
Just then, the shopkeeper came over carrying an old-fashioned lantern. Seeing Akutagawa Hiko and his group outside instead of sleeping, he was completely bewildered: "Akutagawa-kun, what happened?"
Akutagawa Hiko shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious. I have some questions I'd like to ask you."
After obtaining the phone number of the former hotel owner, the group returned to their warm room.
Akutagawa Hiko also dialed the phone number of the innkeeper in the next village where he was currently staying: "Hello, this is Akutagawa Hiko, a detective investigating suspicious matters. I'd like to ask if you recognize the name Kinoshita Akiko or Asanuma Yoko?"
After a while, Akutagawa Hiko hung up the phone, and Suzuki Sonoko eagerly asked, "How did it go? What did they say?"
C
Akutagawa Hiko gave a reassuring look and calmly explained to the group, "Ms. Asanuma worked for her former boss when she was in school; this isn't her first time here, as she claims."
Xiaolan is a kind person. She is not very willing to think the worst of people, but the experience she has accumulated over such a long period of time tells her that something bad is likely to happen.
Having spent so long in the "peaceful" atmosphere of Osaka, Kazuha Toyama is far less perceptive in this regard than the others living in the turbulent Tokyo. He is still somewhat confused about the situation, but he does understand that the Yuki-onna is Yoko Asanuma.
"So, why did Ms. Asanuma dress up as a Yuki-onna (snow woman) and bury a Yuki-onna outfit on that hillside?"
Akutagawa clapped his hands, preparing to let everyone go back to sleep; tomorrow was the main event.
"That's the problem, but it looks like nothing will happen today. Everyone should get plenty of rest and a good night's sleep. Even if something does happen tomorrow, we'll have the energy to deal with it."
They didn't think much of it when it wasn't mentioned, but now that it's been brought up, they all started yawning. It was well past their usual bedtime.
Back in his room, Heiji Hattori, lying on the tatami mat, couldn't fall asleep. The inn was quite old, made of materials and structure from many years ago, and the soundproofing wasn't very good; he could vaguely hear the howling wind outside.
The amount of information that happened in such a short time was too much for him to bear.
The disappearance of the famous detective Shinichi Kudo is actually due to being poisoned by a mysterious organization, which turned him into a child due to the side effects. He is currently working hard to destroy the Black Organization.
Another famous detective who rose to prominence in a short period of time is actually a figure from the mystical side, possessing amazing supernatural abilities. Although he did not take direct action, he indirectly supported Kudo's plan to dismantle the Black Organization.
And then there's the "witch," who was only briefly mentioned. This world has finally gone completely mad and become incomprehensible.
Heiji Hattori thought that humans who choose to kill or prepare to kill for all sorts of bizarre reasons, which perfectly fit the laws of species diversity, were already crazy enough, but he never expected this—.
"well"
In the darkness, Hattori Heiji let out a long sigh, while the two culprits were fast asleep.
The next day, watching two figures, one in blue and one in pink, smoothly leave the ski resort and head into the woods, the group exchanged glances, nodded to each other in tacit agreement, and then quietly followed them.
Behind a very sturdy and robust tree, the six people split into two groups, their heads overlapping as they spied on the conversation between the two.
Unaware of this, Yoko Asanuma continued her plan. After Akiko Kinoshita unsuspectingly drank the beverage laced with sleeping pills, a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes, but more than that, she felt a sense of relief.
Unexpectedly, just as she was about to unbutton the clothes of the unconscious Akiko Kinoshita and let her freeze to death in the freezing snow, a group of people suddenly rushed out and grabbed her.
Sonoko Suzuki, blushing, straightened Akiko Kinoshita's clothes and glared at the horrified Yoko Asanuma.
Even if you like someone a lot, you can't drug them and then try to do something indecent in this freezing forest. That's not just being a hooligan and immoral; it's a crime!
Moreover, this kind of weather makes it especially easy to catch a cold.
However, after hearing the detective team's reasoning, Sonoko Suzuki realized she felt like doing the splits. This wasn't some kind of indecent act; it was a deadly murder.
Because you don't want to continue being a shadow, choosing to ruthlessly kill the real person seems pretty cool, doesn't it?
No no no!
Sonoko Suzuki quickly shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the strange and unusual plots that had been lingering in the novels she had been reading recently.
A crime is a crime. Emotions cannot obscure the facts of a crime. Remember this, or you might never be able to have a proper conversation with a detective again.
Xiaolan took out her phone and called the police. Regardless of whether Kinoshita Akiko chose to forgive Asanuma Yoko afterward, or whether she prosecuted her for attempted murder, such a big matter definitely needed to be handled by the police.
This time, it wasn't Inspector Megure who came, but Officer Kawada from the nearby Mikazuchi Police Station: "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Akutagawa. What brings you here—"
Since she wasn't a dispatcher for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, she couldn't understand the whole story from Ran's concise explanation and needed the detective's clarification.
After listening, Officer Kawada had a terrible headache. If this kind of case involving a celebrity wasn't handled properly, the police station might receive a bomb tomorrow!