the other side.
After all, it was near the police station, so Mao Lilan did not choose a telephone pole on the roadside to vent her anger.
"I'm not angry, Shinichi." The girl smiled softly, "Really."
"Sorry, Lan." Kudo Shinichi scratched his head in embarrassment. He believed Maori Lan's words without any doubt.
"I will never abandon you next time. I met a very interesting person today and I am a little excited."
"Mr. Kawakami Tsumugi?"
"Yes, he is also a Sherlock Holmes fan and has good reasoning skills, but his personality seems a bit bad."
Knowing that his little boy forgot everything when he saw the case, Mao Lilan was almost relieved and no longer bothered about the fact that Kudo Shinichi left him to solve the case.
There was something she needed to tell Kudo Shinichi.
When she went to the police station, she and Kikuchi Mizukina took the same car. Mao Lilan felt a sense of violation from the female clerk's performance.
"While riding in the car, Miss Kikuchi asked me about Mr. Kawakami." Mao Lilan said, "I feel that she seems to care about Mr. Kawakami very much."
"Ask for news about Kawakami Tsumugi?" Kudo Shinichi fell into thinking instinctively.
"She asked if we knew each other, and asked what kind of person Mr. Kawakami was."
This isn't right.
This isn't right.
Something flashed through Kudo Shinichi's thoughts, as fast as lightning in an ominous shadow. And the junior high school detective caught it sharply.
During the investigation, Kikuchi acted like the perfect victim.
At first, he was so frightened that he cried. After he stabilized his emotions, he helped call for surveillance and actively investigated the case. In the end, he volunteered to put himself in danger in order to arrest the murderer. Attitudes change very naturally.
But Kikuchi Mizukina is still an ordinary person.
When such a big thing happened, why would she bother to ask for information about irrelevant people?
Moreover, Tsumugi Kawakami is an old customer of the convenience store, and the two of them know each other. At least Mizukina Kikuchi must be more familiar with Tsumugi Kawakami than they are.
Kudo Shinichi suddenly discovered a huge loophole:
When analyzing the suspects in the case, almost everyone ignored the weak and innocent female clerk. Kikuchi Mizukina's gentle and gentle appearance doesn't look like a murderer at all.
In fact, Kudo Shinichi did not ignore Kikuchi Mizukina, but Kawakami Tsumugi looked obviously more suspicious at that time, which attracted his attention.
Then during the reasoning, Kawakami Tsumugi took the lead in pointing out that this was a murder notice, identifying the possible victim as Miss Kikuchi.
According to reasoning, the latter does meet the murderer's selection conditions. Miss Kikuchi gave a more likely suspect: the delivery driver Hota Shinji.
The reasoning seems reasonable and perfect, but it is all based on the premise that Kikuchi Mizukina's testimony is true.
In normal times, Kudo Shinichi would definitely be able to find something wrong.
But that guy Kawakami Tsumugi has been unconsciously diverting his attention and interrupting his reasoning; in the car, he first claimed that he was interested in becoming a detective and then guided him to deduce the identity of the caller...
As a result, he never had time to review the case.
Thinking of this, Kudo Shinichi turned on his phone and entered Kawakami Tsumugi's phone number:
"Beep... beep... beep..."
----------------------------------------
...Kawakami Tsumugi rang the cell phone.
Well, there was no bell, he turned it on silent.
He knew who was contacting him without looking, and it seemed that the little detective had reacted belatedly.
Kawakami Tsumugi and Kikuchi Mizukina called a taxi.
"Go to a convenience store?" Kawakami asked, and then he rejected this option, "No, the convenience store should still have a seal at this time."
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's case handling procedures, the seal should be removed tomorrow.
Kikuchi Mizukina reported a list of addresses, "Can you come to my house, Mr. Kawakami?"
"If it's convenient for you." Kawakami replied.
Kawakami felt his phone vibrating crazily. He blindly entered the settings interface and turned off the vibration prompt.
It's not time to respond to Kudo Shinichi yet.
Kikuchi Mizukina's home is located in an old residential building with few passers-by. The two entered the dilapidated door and walked up the dimly lit stairs.
"I actually quite like you, Miss Kikuchi." Kawakami Tsumugi suddenly spoke up.
This is the truth.
Sales of Kawakami's preferred lemon candy have been tepid. Many small stores didn't stock them, so he often had to go to large department stores to buy them.
After Miss Kikuchi knows Kawakami Tsumugi's preferences, she will specially buy more goods for him. The two became familiar with each other.
So such a good girl...sigh. Kawakamiji sighed in his heart.
"Mr. Kawakami...I..." Miss Kikuchi was shocked by the gray-haired young man's straight shot.
"I told you at the convenience store that I would never go there again. Yoneka Town is neither big nor small. There is a high probability that we will not meet again in the future. Therefore, you think today is your only chance."
Kawakami shook his head helplessly: "I'm so angry, Miss Kikuchi."
"I, I don't know what you are talking about." Kikuchi Mizukina replied.
Generally speaking, people who say this often know everything.
"The kid said that the severed hand was a message left specially by the murderer. It was a provocation, a threat, a murder notice... In fact, there is another possible purpose: a gift."
"A gift?" Miss Kikuchi repeated the word mechanically.
"Yes, a gift." Kawakami continued to explain, "Of course, the gift does not conflict with the murder notice. Miss Kikuchi... maybe you haven't noticed this.
“If it’s a murder notice, you didn’t choose the best time.
"In other words, you did not make the victim lose the ability to resist when discovered. You gave me time to call the police.
"So why, Miss Kikuchi? I have been thinking about this question, and then found a reasonable explanation: You want to know my reaction to the severed hand, maybe it is out of a... Approval-seeking mentality?”
The corners of the gray-haired young man's mouth were raised, and his smile was so bright that it was almost cold: "It's just... seeking a sense of identity from the victim, don't you think you are a little pathetic, Miss Kikuchi?"
----------------------------------------
"Damn it!" Kudo Shinichi clenched his fists, but Kawakami Tsumugi never answered his call.
That severed hand is a warning of murder.
The most likely targets of the notice are two people: Mizukina Kikuchi, who works in a convenience store, and Tsumugi Kawakami, who prefers that flavor of lemon candy.
If Kikuchi Mizukin has a problem...
From the start, they got it wrong about who the victim was!
Kikuchi Mizukina works in a convenience store. She is familiar with Kawakamiji's shopping habits, and she can also ensure that the severed hand is not discovered by others.
Moreover, Kawakamiji discovered that the time when he lost his hand was close to closing time. If he and Mao Lilan were not in the convenience store...
Using drugs and other means, it is not difficult to knock down an ordinary person by surprise.
In addition, Kawakami Tsumugi also has a certain degree of detective fetish. If Kikuchi Mizukina comes to him for help or provides new clues, the other party may be unprepared and may be tricked.
"Officer Megure!" Kudo Shinichi called the police without hesitation, "Kawakami Tsumugi is in danger, Kikuchi Mizukina is probably the real murderer!"
