Chapter 38: The Choice of Three, Though Late, Has Arrived

This was Karasawa’s second time assisting with an investigation at a murder scene, though this time he was effectively present as a piece of evidence.

Due to the severe damage he had caused to the scene, the arriving police were forced to leave Karasawa exactly where he was, taking photos of him and the blood splattered on his clothes as part of the forensic documentation.

"Are you done yet?" Karasawa asked, keeping his hands raised while waiting for the officers to finish their photography. "Can I clean myself up now?"

"We've collected everything we need from your end. Go ahead and wipe your face," Inspector Megure said, handing Karasawa a clean handkerchief before glancing at the door lying on the floor. "Next time you use public facilities, please try to handle them with care... though, I suppose you’ve just had a run of bad luck."

Inspector Megure had seen plenty of detectives who were magnets for trouble, but someone like Karasawa, who simply went to use the restroom and ended up ripping the door right off its hinges while getting splattered with blood, was a bit of a rarity.

Karasawa thanked him for his concern and silently wiped away the dried blood from his chin.

"Karasawa-san?" Ran Mouri’s confused voice came from the doorway. "And Conan? Why are you two here?"

Conan, who had been stealthily lurking by Karasawa’s feet to observe the body and the murder weapon, was snapped back to reality by her voice. Before he could begin his awkward "Ah-ha-ha" routine, Karasawa clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I came out for a coffee, and it just so happened that Conan-kun came downstairs to find me to help him with his reading, so I brought him over here to take a look. I didn't realize you were at this shop too, Mouri-san," Karasawa said. His acting skills were leagues ahead of Conan’s, and he spun the story smoothly.

"Ah, isn't Ran-neechan here to meet Shinichi-niichan?" Having regained his focus, Conan remembered the reason for their visit and asked with feigned innocence, "Why isn't Shinichi-niichan here? If he were here, he would have solved the case in an instant!"

"Well, about that..." Ran’s expression stiffened, unsure if she should be blunt.

"What is everyone crowding around here for?" A mature, sophisticated female voice came from behind. Ran turned around to see a woman in professional attire, looking both sharp and elegant, walking toward them.

Ran couldn't help but exhale in relief, a joyful smile spreading across her face. "Mother, you're here."

"Long time no see, Ran." Eri Kisaki embraced her daughter before turning to look at the scene inside the restroom. "Has there been a murder?"

Karasawa looked down at Conan, observing his reaction.

*Wait, so Ran came to meet Eri Kisaki today? Is that who she meant by 'someone important'?*

Conan, completely frozen, couldn't help but shrink back behind Karasawa. The painful, childhood memories of being scolded into the ground by Eri Kisaki came rushing back. He instantly lost his footing, and his investigative drive to poke around and ask questions wilted away.

Meanwhile, Eri, having exchanged a few brief words with Inspector Megure, had already begun inquiring about the details of the case.

"First of all, the killer is definitely not me," Karasawa said, opening with a defensive statement before describing the likely state of the crime scene. "The victim must have been pressed firmly against the door, which explains why the door wasn't locked but wouldn't budge when I tried to push it open."

"The victim is Yayoi Himeno, 24 years old," Inspector Megure said, reciting the investigation findings without actually viewing Karasawa as a suspect. "A single, precise stab to the heart. The killer was quite decisive."

"There's a ligature mark on her neck," Conan, who had been secretly snooping around for quite a while, crouched by an officer’s feet and pointed at the victim’s throat. "The killer probably used a rope to strangle her into unconsciousness first, then stabbed her."

"What a vicious method," the officer next to him remarked, stunned.

"The victim's wallet is empty. Since it’s possible this was a robbery, the killer probably didn't want their face to be seen," Inspector Megure said, pointing to the window behind the toilet in the stall. "I suspect the killer climbed in through here, waited in the stall, and when the victim pushed the door open, they subdued her, took her money, and made a run for it."

"That's impossible," Karasawa said, cutting in before Conan could speak. "I only pulled the door open, and the blood soaked my pant leg. If the killer had committed the crime that way, they would have been covered in blood. If they had left through the window, there’s no way the window wouldn't show any traces."

Eri nodded in agreement. "They were careless enough to leave the murder weapon behind; the culprit wouldn't have had the time to carefully wipe the window clean."

"But that doesn't make sense," Inspector Megure said, pointing to the door that had been the victim of Karasawa’s strength. "The door was tightly shut, and the victim's body was blocking it. If they didn't leave through the window, how did the killer get out of the stall?"

"The answer is simple: from above," Eri said, pointing to the gap at the top of the adjacent stall.

"That gap?" Inspector Megure looked up, rubbing his chin. "It’s a bit narrow, isn't it? Could an adult fit through there?"

"Why not just test it and find out?" Just as Eri was about to instruct an officer to try climbing through, Karasawa walked over to the neighboring stall, grabbed the top edge of the door, and prepared to hoist himself up.

"You'd better not go up there—let go, let go!" Inspector Megure grabbed Karasawa by the back of his collar, looking rattled. "Don't rip this one down, too."

"I told you, I didn't rip it down..." Karasawa defended himself with a weak sigh, then stood aside obediently while Inspector Megure called over an officer to test the theory.

"It is passable, but I'm afraid only someone with a relatively slender build could make it through," Inspector Megure said, rubbing his own stomach, knowing full well he would never fit.

Karasawa chimed in, "In that case, the killer isn't an outside robber, but someone from inside the shop, right?"

"That's right," Inspector Megure replied smoothly, his brain gears finally turning comfortably.

"Inspector Megure..." Karasawa tilted his head.

"Then we should seal the shop immediately and determine who has been in and out," Eri added.

Inspector Megure suddenly understood their meaning and waved his hand, ordering, "Right! Keep all the customers and staff here. Does the shop have surveillance? Confirm how many people have entered!"

***

"So, the suspects are everyone who entered the restroom after the victim," the list of potential culprits was quickly narrowed down via the store's security footage. "Mr. Yuichi Sumeragi, Mr. Juzo Denyama, and the person who discovered the body, Mr. Akira Karasawa. Please state, in order, your purpose for coming to the shop and what you did while you were here."

Karasawa looked at the people around him and couldn't help but puff out his chest, striking a pose.

*Here it is. The classic 'choose one of three' scenario has arrived.*

Even though Karasawa felt like a suspect added just to fill the quota, he felt strangely engaged.

He was going to give the killer a piece of his mind shortly, and he planned to demand to know why they had to leave a body in a stall with such a flimsy door.

Being a suspect was a minor issue, but getting splattered with blood and ruining his new clothes—that was something that really annoyed Karasawa.