The carefully crafted alibi has now become irrefutable evidence proving that she is the culprit. This is truly an ironic turn of events.
But when a deception is meticulously designed and the truth is obscured, it appears flawless.
However, once the fog is lifted, and the truth is revealed, weaknesses are naturally exposed.
Senichi had already examined the trunk of the car long before the reasoning began. While ordinary people couldn't detect the scent, Senichi smelled the mixture of lavender and the scent of blood emanating from the trunk.
Where one has walked, there will be traces.
The evidence in the trunk was already enough to become the second and most crucial pivot in Senichi's reasoning.
Regarding these matters, Senichi had already contacted the forensic team to gather evidence before the reasoning began. The rest was just a matter of time.
"It's a pity. Did Detective Senichi discover it? To confuse your sense of smell, I even prepared lavender sachets to give to you." Sakurako Hanyu seemed aware of the outcome, smiling as she candidly admitted to everything.
"Miss... why..."
"Why indeed! Why did you kill my uncle!!"
Faced with their questions, Sakurako Hanyu coldly smiled and said, "Just killed those two money-grubbing men and women!"
"Nonsense!! My uncle treated you so well!!"
Haruhiko Hanyu was genuinely furious at this moment. Because Saburo Hanyu never had children, he treated Haruhiko like a son.
This was why, after Sakurako Hanyu appeared, he felt uneasy and targeted her.
The reckless things he did were partly for money but mostly a rebellious response to being abandoned like a child.
So, he glared at Sakurako Hanyu in anger and shouted, "Even the priceless award-winning painting was given to you!! That painting could sustain you for a lifetime. What more could you want!! Why did you have to kill him!!"
But no matter how much he shouted, Sakurako Hanyu only coldly smiled, maintaining her silence.
"Because... Saburo Hanyu's painting was a gift from her biological father before he passed away."
In the silence, a male voice calmly responded, answering Haruhiko Hanyu's question. However, the onlookers were shocked and looked towards the person who uttered these words, uncertain if it was due to the information being too incriminating or the person being too horrifying.
Because the one who spoke was Okahara Makoto.
"Kaito Kid!!"
Ginzo Nakamori and Conan looked at the short-haired woman before them and simultaneously shouted, revealing the identity of the person.
"That's right, it's me."
The woman revealed a devilish smile, then swiftly pulled at her clothing, and in the next moment, Kaito Kid, dressed in white, appeared before everyone.
"You scoundrel Kid!! You're under arrest!!" Ginzo Nakamori, seeing Kaito Kid's appearance, immediately lunged forward like a fierce tiger, attempting to apprehend him.
"Hold off on arresting me for now."
Kaito Kid effortlessly evaded Ginzo Nakamori's "hug of death," and with no way out, jumped onto the railing of the mountain road. Simultaneously, he shot several poker cards from his poker gun, nailing them at Ginzo Nakamori's feet.
Taking advantage of this brief gap, Kaito Kid, as if walking on level ground, gracefully bowed towards Senichi, placing a hand over his chest. "Thank you, Detective, for helping clear my suspicion. As a token of gratitude, let me share some insignificant information I've gathered with you."
"Information?" Hearing Kaito Kid's words, Ginzo Nakamori halted in his tracks, his face filled with impatience. "If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don't beat around the bush."
"Well, well, don't be so hasty, Inspector Nakamori." Kaito Kid smiled, unfolding his right hand to reveal four jewels held between his fingers. "Let's start with these four gems."
"Ah! 'Starry Night'!! You scoundrel!"
Upon seeing them, Ginzo Nakamori immediately wanted to step forward. However, the next moment, a gloved fist blocked his path.
"Well, don't look at me like that, Inspector Nakamori. I just happened to pick these up while passing by Miss Sakurako." Kaito Kid opened his palm, revealing the four sparkling gemstones. "Here you go. Now, please don't interrupt me while I speak."
The four radiant gemstones dropped one by one from Kaito Kid's hand, and Ginzo Nakamori hastily reached out to catch all of them.
"Now, let's get to the point."
Kaito Kid pressed down on his hat. "I was able to find all this information because of the gemstones, more precisely, because of the 'Southern Cross' formed with 'Starry Night,' which caught my attention.
The Southern Cross is a constellation visible only near the equator and in the southern hemisphere, and in Japan, the Southern Cross can only be seen at the southernmost tip of Okinawa.
But, as far as I know, the "themes" of Hanyu's paintings over the years have never strayed from the scenery around the Hanyu family estate. However, this created a contradiction.
Why were all the paintings based on the estate's scenery, except for the most precious one—the self-portrait of the daughter—which fabricated the background of the Southern Cross?
So, I asked a friend to go to a place where the Southern Cross is visible—Hateruma Island."
Kaito Kid sighed as he reached this point, looking at Sakurako Hanyu. "I must say the island is not large, so the investigation was relatively easy. There, he discovered that a year ago, an unidentified man was hospitalized at the local hospital.
He suffered complete memory loss, to the extent that he couldn't speak or comprehend others.
Before the man passed away, he painted a picture—'My Beloved Daughter.'"
"What! How is that possible? The master..."
"You're saying Uncle's painting is someone else's work! Don't joke around!"
"Yes, that's not possible." As an art dealer, Hachi Hiromi countered, "I've dealt with Mr. Hanyu for several years. This 'My Beloved Daughter,' in terms of strokes and tones, I can assure you, is unmistakably Saburo Hanyu's! Even if it's an imitation, it's impossible to mimic it so realistically!"
"So, there's only one possibility: that man is probably Saburo Hanyu's shadow painter." Senichi looked at the grieving Sakurako Hanyu and said with a heavy tone. "And that person... probably Miss Sakurako's real father."
"That's right, actually, Saburo Hanyu ran out of talent five years ago."
Kaito Kid nodded, affirming Senichi's words. "At that time, he chose to let a talented but unknown painter act as a ghost artist, presenting the artist's paintings as his own. These outstanding works received widespread acclaim, but what happened between the two afterward, I believe everyone already knows."
The shadow is inevitably unwilling to remain in the shadows, and an irreconcilable conflict must have occurred between them!
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