"So, why didn't the killer draw anyone's attention when shooting Ryo Sogabe and Miho Souma in the arm?"
Megure Juzo still seemed confused about Sera's reasoning.
"In this case, I think the killer probably covered the victim's mouth when shooting their arm," Sera Masumi guessed.
"Actually, I believe there's another possibility," Conan's voice once again captured everyone's attention in the room.
"Perhaps the deceased was already in a state where they couldn't speak loudly or resist."
"How is that possible? There were clearly no injuries aside from the gunshot wounds, and there were no traces of the victims being tortured or resisting," Megure Juzo replied.
"What if the deceased were injected with some kind of sedative or anesthetic?"
Conan's words silenced the room instantly.
Though he was "just an elementary school student," his suggestion managed to quiet the experienced detectives present.
Then they heard Conan continue with his youthful voice:
"I thought of this after looking at the wounds of Director Sogabe and Director Souma."
"There's a similar scenario in one of the detective cartoons I've watched before."
"Big Sister Sera just mentioned that the killer targeted their arms to conceal something."
"So, I thought maybe it's the same as in the cartoon."
"If the victim's arm had a needle mark from an injection, could it be covered up by the bullet wound?"
Conan spoke with an innocent expression.
His words immediately lit up the eyes of the police officers in the room, as well as Sera Masumi.
After Conan's reminder, she quickly added:
"It seems I've thought of a possibility that could reasonably explain all of this!"
Her words shifted the attention in the room from Conan back to her.
But instead of speaking further, she turned to look at Megure Juzo.
"Inspector Megure, may I ask about the autopsy report on Tsunekazu Kosaka from yesterday? When will the results be released?"
"We're rushing it, but it'll take at least a week."
Megure replied.
"What about the 'toxicology analysis'? All other steps can wait; I want the blood test results as soon as possible."
Sera pressed further.
Forensic autopsies are typically conducted in several stages: a preliminary autopsy, sample collection, toxicological analysis, and report compilation. Toxicology analysis is crucial for examining the blood of the deceased.
"That will take at least three days."
"Excuse me, has the deceased's cause of death already been determined? If the preliminary autopsy was done, the results should have been available by now, right?"
"Yes, Kosaka died of asphyxiation," Megure answered.
"But an additional cause of death hasn't been confirmed yet."
Hearing this, Sera Masumi glanced at Conan, and they exchanged a look of understanding.
"Inspector, I'm sorry, but I need to confirm something. Where is Dr. Ohga, the physician who performed first aid on Kosaka yesterday?"
"And did he have an alibi during the murders of the other two victims?"
Sera spoke with a serious tone.
---
Meanwhile...
Akikawa Kyousuke chatted with Misaki Itakura for a while before pulling out his phone, checking the time, and standing up.
"Mr. Akikawa, are you going to the bathroom again?" Misaki asked casually.
"No, didn't I make an appointment with Mr. Ohga to meet in Mr. Hotta's private office at 1 o'clock? It's about time I head over now."
"Huh?! You're leaving now?" Misaki was startled.
She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered her voice and whispered to Akikawa:
"Isn't there a murderer on the loose outside? Isn't it safer to stay here for now?"
"It's fine. I saw plenty of police officers outside."
"But the killer hasn't been caught yet, has he?"
"Don't worry. I'll go out and take a look. If the other exhibition rooms aren't restricted, I'll head over to Mr. Hotta's room first," Akikawa said.
"I thought that maybe the people in the other exhibition rooms aren't aware of what's happening."
"If that's the case, breaking my appointment with Mr. Hotta without notifying him first would likely leave a bad impression."
"Well…" Misaki hesitated after hearing this.
She only knew that there had been a murder outside but had no idea about the specific situation.
And Yoshitoki Hotta was indeed a very important director. Misaki didn't want Akikawa to leave a poor impression on him either.
"How about I accompany you, Mr. Akikawa? I'll wait outside the exhibition room and won't go in."
"Thank you, Ms. Itakura, but that's unnecessary."
"After all, Mr. Ohga is also acquainted with you. It wouldn't be good if he saw you there," Akikawa replied with a smile and then left the projection room.
---
Not long after Akikawa Kyousuke left, Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran returned from the private hall.
Seeing the empty spot where Akikawa Kyousuke had been sitting, Sonoko turned to Misaki and asked:
"Where's Mr. Akikawa?"
"Oh, he left to meet someone," Misaki replied.
"Left?! As in, outside?!"
Sonoko's eyes widened in shock.
There's a murderer with a gun outside! It's way too dangerous for Akikawa to leave now!
Just as Sonoko was about to scold Misaki and call Akikawa back, she saw Misaki pull out her phone and say, "Excuse me."
Misaki saw the name displayed on her screen: Okino Yoko.
She answered the call, and Yoko's anxious voice came through immediately:
"There are a lot of police officers in the festival exhibition area. Ms. Itakura, where are you and Akikawa-kun right now?"
"I'm in my director's projection room. I heard our director was killed. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"What about Akikawa-kun? Is he with you?"
"Mr. Akikawa…"
Misaki hesitated at Yoko's question.
Ohga Takao had asked her not to reveal the private meeting, and she wasn't sure whether to tell Yoko.
However, before she could decide, Yoko's voice rose in urgency:
"Will something happen to Akikawa-kun?! Isn't he with you?"
"No, no, no!"
Startled by Yoko's sudden tone, Misaki quickly replied, "Mr. Akikawa went to meet Mr. Ohga at Director Hotta's private exhibition room at 1 o'clock."
"Ohga? Do you mean Ohga Takao?"
"Yes, that's him," Misaki answered.
But before she could finish, Yoko hung up abruptly.
Seeing Yoko's reaction, Misaki realized she might have made a mistake.
She quickly dialed Akikawa Kyousuke, but his phone didn't connect and eventually went to voicemail.
A deep sense of unease gripped her heart, and Misaki hurriedly got up to leave.
Knowing Yoko's personality, she would likely head straight to Hotta Yoshitoki's private room to find Akikawa.
When Sonoko saw this, she quickly stopped Misaki.
"Ms. Itakura, what's going on? I just heard you say that Mr. Akikawa went to Director Hotta's room, right?"
"Yes, but I can't reach him now. Ms. Yoko is probably looking for him, so I have to go there too," Misaki explained.
"Then let's go together," Sonoko said.
Just as she was about to follow, Ran placed her hands on Sonoko's shoulders and said firmly, "Wait."
---
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(End of Chapter)