novelraw Chapter 316 The Alibi of Backlash
Chapter 316 The Alibi of Backlash
Chapter 316 The Alibi of Backlash
I know this Akutagawa Hiko very well. Isn't he the murderer who uses famous people to create alibis? It's just that this time the murderer might not dare to provoke the famous detective. He just happened to see the Junior Detective League in the newspaper.
Being featured in the newspapers, especially for something as simple as capturing a fugitive bandit leader, lends even children considerable credibility, thus lending their testimonies greater credibility.
The group quickly arrived at the crime scene.
The deceased was named Hisashi Ishikura, the president of Ishikura Industries. He died from a stab wound to the back and was found lying on the ground without any signs of life.
Furthermore, there were traces of tape binding the deceased's mouth and wrists.
The safe next to it was open, and there were some valuables that looked like they hadn't been taken because of time constraints.
Inspector Megure was overjoyed to see Hiko Akutagawa arrive and quickly led him to inspect the scene, while another officer reported the situation to him.
Whether it was Akutagawa Hiko or the police officer, they were extremely familiar with the process.
"This is a very standard crime scene of murder for money, and we are currently investigating in this direction."
Then, a police officer standing nearby added, "Although he's not working today, Mr. Ishikura came to the factory to inspect the finished products."
Takagi Wataru picked up his notebook and began to contribute to the investigation.
"Although the specific autopsy results will not be available for some time, it is inferred that the victim was murdered approximately one hour ago."
Upon hearing this, Akutagawa Hiko turned his gaze to Conan and the others: "An hour ago, when you went to chase after that hit-and-run driver, right? Judging from the timing, that person is indeed very suspicious."
Inspector Megure sighed upon hearing this.
The police thought so too, because this person, Kenichi Shishido, who was the hit-and-run driver, was originally an employee of this factory, but was fired by the deceased last month for his indiscretions.
So they have already questioned Kenichi Shishido. According to him, when he was being chased by Conan and the others, he didn't park his car at the back gate of the factory, so he didn't have a chance to run off and kill anyone.
Through their investigation, the police also obtained corresponding testimony from an elderly woman at the tobacco and alcohol convenience store.
At that time, she didn't see any parking behind the factory or in the alley. Given the location of the convenience store, if there were parking spaces, they wouldn't have been overlooked.
Akutagawa Hiko already had a general idea of what was going on, but he still needed some evidence to confirm it, especially since he needed to know from Conan what had happened when they were chasing Kenichi Shishido.
When he took Conan, Genta, and Mitsuhiko away to inspect the factory's surroundings, Conan very conscientiously recounted the events of that time in detail.
Akutagawa Hiko stroked his chin and said, "So, you lost him for three minutes while you were chasing him, right?"
Genta and Mitsuhiko quickly responded, "That's right, we thought we had lost him at the time, but then he reappeared."
Three minutes may sound like a very short time, but you can do a lot in that time.
Ultraman's transformation has a three-minute limit, but it's still enough time for him to defeat small monsters and also enough time for a killer to kill a bound person who has no power to resist and escape the scene.
As for setting up the scene, it could have been done before the murder, right before President Ishikura was tied up and waiting for his death.
"There are tire tracks here. It seems the person you were chasing drove through here. The car must be covered in mud."
Conan suddenly looked up: "Wait a minute, when he drove to turn himself in, the car was spotless, like brand new!"
Reminded by Conan, Akutagawa Hiko figured out the killer's method of murder. However, the most crucial part was those three minutes. Not only Conan and the others, but also the old lady at the convenience store provided him with an alibi.
"That's the convenience store. From that location, if you passed by the factory's back gate, you definitely wouldn't escape the old lady's notice."
As Akutagawa Hiko walked toward the convenience store, he began his analysis: "The old lady can't possibly keep staring at the road the whole time. It's quite easy to distract her, like—"
The phone suddenly rang behind the old lady, and she turned around and picked it up.
After the elderly woman at the convenience store finished her call, the group learned from her that two wrong numbers had indeed been dialed.
Back in the factory warehouse, a red sports car came into view, with the same license plate as the car impounded by the police, and the front of the car was still reflecting light.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the badge of the Junior Detective League that Ayumi had lost.
With numerous pieces of evidence presented, Kenichi Shishido was unable to come up with any defense. In addition to hit-and-run, he was now charged with murder.
Moreover, his surrender after the hit-and-run was merely to cover up a second crime, namely, killing his former boss out of resentment for being fired. This is extremely heinous and will likely be dealt with severely.
"So, that person will be sentenced to a very heavy sentence?" Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya asked curiously.
Seeing Akutagawa Hiko nod, Kojima Genta waved his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, looking like he had gotten his revenge: "Who told him to kill someone and then bump into Ayumi as a cover?"
After saying that, he could no longer hold back and began to eat the eel rice in large mouthfuls.
Since the Metropolitan Police Department would reimburse him anyway, Akutagawa Hiko, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, ordered as many different kinds of dishes as possible, thinking he might as well take advantage of the expense.
The meal was a truly enjoyable one for both host and guests.
After returning home, Akutagawa Hiko received a call from Sonoko, the young lady. Thinking of the gift that had been delivered to him that morning, which was not particularly expensive but was quite ingenious and contained a lot of heartfelt sentiment, he could only smile helplessly.
"Hello, Yan, good evening. Have you had dinner yet?"
Sonoko's lively voice came from the other end of the phone. Akutagawa Hiko figured that Ran must have informed Sonoko after Conan returned home, which was why she was able to call so conveniently.
"I've already eaten. Did you eat by yourself or with your aunt and uncle?"
Sonoko's family situation is rather special. Her older sister is already considered part of another family. Her father, Shiro Suzuki, and mother, Tomoko Suzuki, are both busy and prefer to spend their time alone.
Although she is so rich and has a good personality, and everyone, from the maids to her friends, likes her very much, she can never replace family.
The fact that they enjoy lively atmospheres and are somewhat prone to being love-struck might be related to this.
Sensing that Akutagawa Hiko was concerned about her, Suzuki Sonoko couldn't suppress the smile on her face. Although she really wanted to laugh out loud without caring about her image, she was on the phone right now.
So she quickly extended an invitation to Akutagawa Hiko.