"How do you conclude that the deceased must have been strangled to death, rather than directly crushed?"
Mouri Kogoro felt very confused upon hearing Sera Masumi's confident tone.
"First of all, whether it's the strangulation mark on the deceased's neck or the bruise on his head, there are very clear signs of life."
"This proves that the deceased was attacked in two ways while he was still alive."
Sera Masumi showed Mouri Kogoro the deceased's neck and head wound.
"There had to be a sequence to the two attacks."
"By examining the injuries, you can tell that the degree of bruising on the deceased's head was much less than the injury to his neck."
"Isn't that nonsense? The human neck should be more fragile than the head."
Obviously, Sera Masumi hadn't convinced Mouri Kogoro.
"Eh ~ This brother's throat seems to be broken ~"
Conan's voice sounded from the side.
Mouri Kogoro turned around and saw Conan reaching out to touch the deceased's throat.
He quickly pulled Conan's hand away and then also touched the deceased's neck.
Mouri Kogoro's eyes opened noticeably.
"If my guess is correct, the deceased's throat bone should be broken, right?"
"Yes."
Mouri Kogoro nodded reluctantly at Sera Masumi's question.
It was clear that the tomboy detective in front of him had never touched the deceased, yet knew the situation better than he did.
"Just by looking at the depth and pattern of the strangulation marks, you can see that the killer was determined to strangle the victim."
"Additionally, by examining the bruise on the deceased's head, it can be seen that there's only one wound."
"If the deceased had died from a single head blow, the severity of the head injury would be far greater than it is now."
"Moreover, based on common sense, it's much easier to render someone unconscious and then strangle them than it is to strangle them until they pass out and then crush them to death."
"There's also a third point that can confirm my theory."
"Akikawa also has bruises on his forehead caused by being struck 'multiple times' with a hard object, but there are no strangulation marks."
"This aligns with my inference of the sequence in which the deceased was attacked."
"It's a pity that the killer clearly panicked and fled the scene in a hurry."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"
Mouri Kogoro felt a bit overwhelmed by Sera Masumi's too-rapid explanation.
"First of all, how do you know that this person who isn't dead is called 'Akikawa'?"
"Furthermore, if you think about it logically, isn't the most suspicious person in this crime scene the one who's still alive?"
"Finally, where did you see the killer fleeing the scene in such a hurry?"
Mouri Kogoro asked three questions in a row. Conan felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but complain inwardly:
"Uncle, you're a detective, after all. How come you can't see such obvious things?"
After finishing his rant, Conan looked up at Mouri Kogoro.
"Uncle, I wonder if you still remember the serial murder case from six months ago."
"At that time, after Miss Sera solved the serial murder case, there was another car accident on the national highway, not far from the crime scene."
"And this brother Akikawa was a victim of that car accident."
"Eh? So, this guy named Akikawa encountered such incidents twice in a row? Isn't he very unlucky?"
Mouri Kogoro sighed.
"I don't know if he's truly unlucky, but at least this time, the killer doesn't look like Akikawa."
Sera Masumi said.
"Why is that?" "Because there was neither a hard object capable of causing bruises nor a murder weapon used to strangle someone at the scene."
"Is it possible that Akikawa hid the murder weapon after killing someone and then returned to the scene pretending to be the victim?"
Mouri Kogoro stroked his chin and speculated.
"That doesn't align with criminal psychology."
"Although many killers will return to the crime scene."
"But that's usually because the killer sees the deceased as a bystander and expects the police to discover the case."
"If he could dispose of the murder weapon, there would be no need to come back and pretend to be the victim. This is simply pointless."
"Because, as the primary suspect, his interpersonal relationship with the deceased would inevitably be investigated."
"Based on common sense, he had no motive to do this."
"What if we don't consider common sense?"
A deep voice sounded.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
They saw a slightly chubby man, wearing a hat and jacket, entering with Chiba Kazunobu and several suited police officers.
"Inspector Megure!"
Upon seeing him arrive, Sera Masumi and the others greeted him.
That's right.
He was Kogoro Mori's former superior, the former head of the Criminal Investigation Division 3 of the Metropolitan Police Department - Megure Juzo.
Inspector Megure entered with the detective from the forensic department and then looked at Mouri Kogoro.
"I heard that Brother Mouri, you were invited to watch a play and then stumbled upon a murder case?"
"Yes." Mouri Kogoro nodded.
"You're really a plague god. How is it that you bring death wherever you go?"
Inspector Megure's bluntness left Mouri Kogoro feeling a little embarrassed.
Conan on the side also nodded, feeling that his uncle had something of the aura of a plague god about him.
Inspector Megure didn't wait for Mouri Kogoro to respond; instead, he looked back at Sera Masumi.
"What is the out-of-the-ordinary situation that you just mentioned, Miss Sera?"
"That is-"
Sera Masumi looked at the still-unconscious Akikawa Kyousuke and lowered her voice.
She whispered in a voice that only they could hear:
"The killer has a severe antisocial personality and a desire for theatrics."
"He has absolute confidence in what he's doing and is not at all afraid of exposure or of the police finding evidence."
"He doesn't hesitate to be the prime suspect while also pretending to be the victim because he enjoys the control over the police and the crime itself."
"For this type of person, the crime is never the goal; it's just a means to an end."
Sera Masumi's words instantly chilled the surrounding air.
It wasn't just Kogoro Mori.
Even Chiba Kazunobu and several detectives nearby felt chills running down their spines at Sera Masumi's description and couldn't help but swallow.
This kind of person.
Even in Japan, where cases happen frequently, they're definitely a minority.
Sera Masumi saw the serious and surprised expressions around her, and a warm smile instantly appeared on her beautiful, delicate cheeks.
"Of course, none of this aligns with the evidence at the scene, so there's no need for you to pay attention to what I just said."
**(End of Chapter)**