"In other words, when President Moriyama's body was discovered, his hands were raised above his head?"
A little further back in time, in the corner of the rock field on the second floor, Shimizu Shizu was listening to Suzuki Sonoko telling the details of the murder of Moriyama Hiromichi.
"Yeah, that's it!"
Suzuki Sonoko nodded repeatedly, then stretched her hands straight above her head, making a classic "Astro Boy" pose.
"When we first saw him in front of the sink, President Moriyama was soaked in the water like this. His hands and feet were very straight, and only his waist was tilted back a little. It looked so weird..."
[This posture is indeed very problematic...]
Listening to Suzuki Sonoko's description, Qing Shuijing lowered his eyes.
"Brother-in-law, have you thought of something?" Suzuki Sonoko looked at her curiously.
Facing her expectant gaze, Qing Shuijing carefully considered his words and replied: "The posture in which the body was first found was indeed very wrong.
Even considering that President Moriyama had fought or escaped from the murderer before he was killed, it is unimaginable that he would make such a strange gesture.
I think the strange posture of President Moriyama’s body should be directly related to the murderer. "
"Related to the murderer?"
Suzuki Sonoko pointed her chin with her index finger, looking confused.
"So the murderer arranged his body like that after killing President Moriyama? But what was his purpose? Was it some kind of evil ritual?"
It was obvious that her thinking was too divergent.
"Well, it is indeed possible."
Smiling and nodding, Qing Shuijing turned his head and scanned the entire rock field.
"When was the specific time President Moriyama was killed?"
"The police said it was between one and three o'clock yesterday afternoon." Mao Lilan, who was also sitting aside, replied.
"Are the suspects the ones sitting over there?"
Following Qing Shuijing's gaze, there were three suspects sitting in the corner on the other side of the rock field, the breeder Reika Kuramoto, the lame technical director Takashi Yaguchi, and Sotaro Harada who had an injury to his right arm.
Among them, Harada Sotaro saw Hattori Heiji and Conan walking towards the abandoned warehouse in the rock field on the left, and he also got up and walked over.
Takashi Yaguchi then stood up and walked toward the police gathered not far away with a cane. Only Reika Kuramoto sat alone in the corner in a daze.
"Well, because except for President Moriyama, only the three of them have the key to the rock field, so they are the most likely suspects."
"Did the police find any clues on President Moriyama's body?" Qing Shuijing suddenly asked.
"There don't seem to be any clues..." Suzuki Sonoko replied.
"Yes, there are gardens. They are the two that the police took over later." Mao Lilan reminded her.
"Oh! I think I found a USB flash drive and a broken pocket watch." Recalling this, Suzuki Sonoko said quickly.
"Broken pocket watch?" Qing Shuijing was keenly aware of this abnormality.
"Well, I heard from Officer Sato and others before that the time on that pocket watch seems to have stopped at six-ten..."
[Ten past six? 】
Suddenly realizing something, Qing Shuijing quickly turned to look at the abandoned warehouse in the rock field on the left.
"Is that warehouse abandoned?"
"Well, it is said that it has not been used since last year."
"……I see."
She nodded slightly, then looked at Suzuki Sonoko beside her, and said with a smile: "Sonoko, can you help me find the breeder lady to ask a few questions?"
"..."
"Well! Leave it all to me!"
After clearly remembering Shimizu Shizuo's words, Suzuki Sonoko immediately stood up and walked towards the breeder Reika Kuramoto in the opposite corner with her head held high.
"Miss Kuramoto!" Suzuki Sonoko grinned as she sat directly next to Kuramoto Reika.
"Hello, may I ask..." Reika Kuramoto looked at the female high school student with some confusion.
"Just call me Sonoko, Miss Kuramoto, can I ask you a few questions?" Suzuki Sonoko got straight to the point.
"Uh, well, if it's an issue related to the case, then the police just..."
"It's okay! The police and the two detectives are my good friends! I suddenly thought of some doubts, so I came to ask them for them first!"
"Huh? Is this like this?"
"So, Miss Kuramoto, what exactly were you doing yesterday afternoon?" Suzuki Sonoko asked the first question according to Shimizu Shizuo's instructions.
"Well...if you are asking about the time when the president was killed, I was always in the aquarium, cleaning the water tank with other keepers." Kuramoto Reika replied.
"I see, what happens next?" Suzuki Sonoko continued to ask.
"after?"
"That's right, what were you doing after three o'clock until Miss Kuramoto before you got off work yesterday?"
Hearing this, Reika Kuramoto looked at her with some embarrassment, "Well, this and the president..."
"It has a relationship! It's a very important relationship! Please don't hide it, Miss Kuramoto!" Suzuki Sonoko suddenly pressed her shoulders and said decisively.
"Yes, yes..."
Nodding subconsciously, Reika Kuramoto recalled it and continued:
“After three o’clock, after we cleaned the sink, we sprinkled it with a neutralizer to neutralize the detergent.
Because it would take some time for the detergent to take effect, everyone followed their previous habit and went to the cafe upstairs to rest together.
But I didn’t follow them, I went to Xiye Building..."
"Why are you going to Xiye Building?" Suzuki Sonoko asked.
"Because around 3:50 yesterday, the president sent me an email, saying that he had something to say to me and asked me to go to Xiye.
Now that I think about it, the president should have set the sending time for this email in advance, right? After all, he had been killed before three o'clock, so it's no wonder that I couldn't wait for the president yesterday..."
"Hmm..." Nodding, Suzuki Sonoko continued to follow Qing Shuijing's instructions and asked: "Then Miss Kuramoto, when did you come back to the aquarium after you left?"
"It was probably a little after five o'clock. I couldn't wait for the president in Xiye, and it was almost time for the neutralizer, so I went back to the aquarium, started to fill the tank with water, and then put the fish in. The group moved back to the water tank, and we were busy until about six o'clock, when I left work."
"During this period, have you never entered that warehouse?" Suzuki Sonoko asked, pointing to the abandoned warehouse in the rock field on the left.
"No, none of us will go..."
As if she was hurt by this warehouse, a hint of gloom flashed in Kuramoto Reika's eyes.
(﹃)
(End of chapter)
