In Conan, people have a brain option system.

Chapter 49 Corpses Don't Lie

Akikawa Sosuke's words were like a bolt from the blue.

Conan was stunned on the spot.

When Masumi Sera and Kazunobu Chiba heard what Sosuke Akikawa said, their faces showed even more complicated expressions.

"I'm sorry, kids can be a little outspoken. I'm really sorry."

Megure Juzo apologized to Akikawa Sorasuke on behalf of Conan.

"We are not doubting Akikawa-kun, we just want to learn from him about the situation at that time. This may be of great help to the progress of the case."

Akikawa Sosuke nodded, as if accepting what Megure Jusan said, and then explained:

"He said something like 'Go to hell' when he attacked me, so I judged from his voice that he was a man."

Conan and Masumi Sera both felt very unbelievable when listening to Akikawa Sousuke's speech.

In the opinion of the two detectives.

The things that the murderer described in Akikawa Sosuke's words did were inconsistent with the cautious image of the murderer that they had analyzed before.

"The murderer was so cautious that he wiped his fingerprints before entering the house, and he also wore a full-body protective suit and a motorcycle helmet when committing the crime. Would he really expose his voice so easily?!"

"This Qiuchuan is an actor in this stage play. He has been in the Imperial Theater for at least more than a month."

"Isn't that person afraid of exposing his voice and being recognized by Qiuchuan?"

"Since the murderer was able to find a place like this where there are no cameras and it is difficult to make any noise as the location for the crime, he must be someone who is very familiar with the Empire Theater and definitely cannot be an outsider."

"That means the other party is sure that even if Akikawa Sosuke hears his voice, he won't be able to recognize him."

"So, it's not an actor or a director, right?"

Conan began to ponder again.

"Or maybe this Qiuchuan is lying about all this."

"Or is it that the other party is actually someone who has enough hatred towards Akikawa that he lost his mind after seeing Akikawa?"

Conan thought to himself.

Then, looking at Akikawa Sosuke's left eye which was red due to subconjunctival hemorrhage, and his left face covered with blood, he made a rough judgment in his mind.

He could feel it from Akikawa Sosuke's injuries.

The murderer must have a great hatred towards Akikawa Sosuke.

While Conan was thinking silently, Sera Masumi asked Akikawa Sousuke:
"I want to ask, Mr. Akikawa, why did you come to the laundry room? This place should be far away from the artists' lounge, right?"

"Because, when I was in the dressing room, I heard someone pass a message to me."

"He said Director Takemura asked me to come to the laundry room to change my hat before going on stage."

"!!!"

When Conan and Sera Masumi heard what Akikawa Sosuke said, their eyes immediately widened.

Even Megure Juzo and Mori Kogoro and others who were present at the scene noticed that something was wrong.

"Was this Qiuchuan called over by someone?! If this is true, then the most likely explanation is that Qiuchuan was the murderer's target from the very beginning!"

"But if that's the case, it doesn't match the conclusion we just made. The murderer acted hastily after seeing Qiuchuan and then fled the scene in a hurry."

The more Conan heard Akikawa Sosuke's explanation, the more strange this case seemed to him.

"Since the murderer was planning to kill Akikawa from the beginning, then the murderer did not panic because of Akikawa's appearance. It was because of other reasons."

Conan felt that as long as he could figure out the reason why the murderer left the crime scene in a hurry,
You can identify the murderer yourself.

After thinking for a while, Conan suddenly felt an idea flash in his mind.

He asked quickly:
"Brother Akikawa, when were you told to get your hat?"

“I was watching the second act.”

"After being told to fetch your hat, did you set out immediately?"

"No. I didn't want to miss the show, so I waited until the second act was over before I got up and went to the laundry room."

"After all, my performance is in the fifth act, and there is no rush."

"This is it!!"

Conan's eyes lit up and he spoke quickly.

"Eh? What do you understand, you little brat?"

Kogoro Mouri looked at Conan with disdain, as if he didn't believe that this little guy could deduce anything.

Just when Maori Kogoro was about to ask further questions,
The emergency personnel from the Fire Department finally arrived at the Imperial Theater. They came in with a stretcher and carefully moved Akikawa Sosuke onto it.

Seeing that Akikawa Sosuke was about to be taken away, Conan hurried to Akikawa Sosuke and asked:
"Brother Qiuchuan, two last questions."

"Besides the chair, did you see any other murder weapons?"

Conan is asking about the murderer's weapon used to strangle the victim.

Akikawa Sosuke thought for a moment, then slowly said:

"I didn't see it clearly, I just knew it was black and looked like a thick rope."

"Also, do you think the laundry room is different from other rooms, Brother Akikawa?"

"What's the difference?" Akikawa Sosuke seemed not to understand what Conan meant.

"Temperature or something."

"It seems. The laundry room is indeed much colder than other rooms."

After saying that, Akikawa Sosuke was taken away from the scene by emergency personnel.

Megure Juzo sent a detective to follow the emergency personnel away, and then looked at Conan.

The look in his eyes was very clear, he wanted to know what Conan had just learned from Akikawa Sosuke's words.

"Let me explain it for you kid."

Sera Masumi took over the conversation and began:
"Akikawa just said that someone suddenly asked him to go to the laundry room to get his hat."

"So I infer that it was probably a plan that the murderer came up with to lure Akikawa to the laundry room."

"But if the murderer had targeted Akikawa from the beginning, it would be illogical for him to leave in a panic after seeing Akikawa."

"So the murderer was not panicked because he saw Akikawa, but because Akikawa showed up later than the expected time of the crime, so he didn't have much time to confirm whether Akikawa was dead, and he even left in a hurry without even having time to clean up the traces."

Chiba Kazunobu suddenly understood what he said and nodded.
"That Qiuchuan just said that he didn't leave the dressing room immediately after receiving the notice. Instead, he left after watching the performance of the second act! So he left much later than the murderer expected!"

"That's right." Sera Masumi nodded.

"Then why did he leave in such a hurry?" Kogoro Mouri was puzzled.

"This brings us to the question of the killer's identity. He must be some kind of person who must be in a certain place at a certain time."

"Actor!" Chiba Heshen's eyes lit up.

"Since Akikawa said he left for the laundry room after watching the performance in Act 2, the murderer can only be the actor who appeared in Act 4 and later scenes."

“So what we have to do now is very clear.”

Sera Masumi raised his fist towards everyone, and then slowly said:

"First, go find the person who sent a message to Akikawa. Confirm whether someone really sent a message to Akikawa, asking him to go to the laundry room."

"Second, investigate whether there are any actors who appear in the fourth act and later who have a motive to kill Akikawa and the deceased."

"Third, confirm and search for the murder weapon, as well as the protective clothing and motorcycle helmet described by Akikawa."

"Fourth, re-determine the time period of our alibi that we need to confirm."

Maori Kogoro watched as Sera Masumi pointed his fingers one by one and pointed out the direction of investigation to the police, and quickly interrupted:
"Wait, wait! Isn't the time period of the alibi very clear? It's what Akikawa said, around the third act."

Since Akikawa Sosuke said that he went to the laundry room after watching the second act of the performance.

Then the time period in which the murderer's absence needs to be confirmed should be around the third act.

Kogoro Mori didn't understand why they had to go through the trouble of investigating further.

"Humph."

Sera Masumi laughed softly.

"Because all our reasoning is based on the premise that Qiuchuan did not lie to us."

"My first point, looking for the person who delivered the message to Akikawa, was to confirm whether Akikawa's motive for going to the laundry room was true."

"The fourth point, reconfirming the time period of the alibi, is to confirm whether the time Akikawa said he went to the laundry room was true."

"I see." Maori Kogoro nodded, "Then how do we confirm this time period?"

"That's easy, because corpses don't lie."

As Sera Masumi said this, he also looked at the young male corpse in the room.

"As long as we confirm the state of rigor mortis and livor mortis, we can know the time of death of the deceased and whether Akikawa's words contain any lies."

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(End of this chapter)