"Understood, we're heading over now!"
Hanging up the phone, Officer Megure immediately rallied his team, ready to take off with Takagi in tow.
As the portly officer stepped out of the elevator, he ran into Shiratori, who was carrying a travel bag over his shoulder.
"Inspector Megure!" Shiratori greeted.
"Shiratori, weren't you on vacation in Karuizawa?" Megure asked, puzzled.
Why was he suddenly back at the station?
"It got boring at the villa," Shiratori explained with a smile, his expression turning serious as he asked, "Is there a case?"
"Exactly. Come with us!" Megure nodded, eager to bring his capable subordinate along.
…
Soon, the police helicopter touched down on the helipad of the Suzuki family's private cruise ship.
"Seriously, it's always these guys…" Megure muttered as he stepped off the helicopter, spotting the all-too-familiar faces waiting for him.
Leading the pack was, of course, his old pal Maori.
Then there were Tsuneo and Conan.
"Officer Megure, we've been awaiting your arrival!" Uncle Maori stood ramrod straight, addressing his former superior with respect.
"Why is it that wherever you three are, a case always pops up?" Megure asked, exasperated, eyeing the trio.
Uncle Maori, watching the officer's back, offered a weak defense. "I suppose it's the will of the gods…"
"More like you're the god, Mr. Maori."
"The god of death, that is!"
Shiratori, passing by, tossed out the jab with a pointed look.
Tsuneo shot a glance at the elementary schooler beside him.
You got it wrong. This kid's the real grim reaper.
"Shiratori's got a sharp tongue," Takagi remarked, standing nearby.
"Pretty nasty guy," Tsuneo said, patting Conan's head.
The great detective rolled his eyes.
Compared to you, he's got nothing!
"By the way, what's with the bandage on your forehead?" Uncle Maori asked, eyeing Takagi curiously.
"Oh, nothing. Got into a scuffle with a suspect yesterday," Takagi said hurriedly, covering the bandage on his right forehead with a flustered explanation.
Uncle Maori blinked.
A scuffle with a suspect…
…
"The victim's name is Ryu Hikawa, 32 years old, freelance filmmaker…" Officer Megure jotted down the basic information.
Inside, the forensics team was still scouring the scene for evidence.
"Officer Megure, this is a robbery-murder!"
"And the culprit stole that ring!" Uncle Maori declared confidently from the sidelines.
"A ring?" Megure's face lit up with curiosity.
"Yes, it belonged to Maria, the third daughter of Nicholas II. Hikawa wore it on a necklace around his neck," Uncle Maori said with a nod.
That ring's value was no small matter!
"But if the goal was to steal the ring…" Conan, who had somehow slipped into the room, started to object but froze when he saw Tsuneo grinning at him from the doorway.
"Damn it, you little brat! Why are you messing around at a crime scene again?!" Uncle Maori barked, ready to drag him out.
"Conan, you were saying something about stealing the ring?" Megure prompted, curious to hear the kid's thoughts.
"I just thought it was weird!"
"If they only wanted the ring, why would they trash the room like this?" Conan said, reverting to an innocent tone with a smile.
"Split personality…" Tsuneo muttered from the doorway.
Shiratori, standing nearby, smirked and gave the repairman a knowing look but said nothing.
Megure stood in thought. Indeed, as Conan pointed out, not only were the clothes scattered, but even the pillows and bedding had been torn apart. The room was an absolute mess.
"Inspector, we found this on the floor!" A forensics officer handed Megure a blue ballpoint pen.
"M. Nishino," Megure read the name engraved on it.
"Masato Nishino?!" Uncle Maori perked up instantly.
We've got our killer!
…
In the ship's grand hall, the police had gathered everyone.
"Mr. Nishino, this pen is yours, correct?" Megure asked, holding up the evidence bag.
"Yes, but… how did it end up in Mr. Hikawa's room?" Nishino replied, looking genuinely clueless.
Uncle Maori, hands in his pockets, smirked. "You were the first to find the body, weren't you?"
"It was almost time for dinner, so I went to call him," Nishino said with a nod.
"Did you enter the room?"
"No."
The police questioning continued.
Nishino claimed he never entered the room, yet the pen had somehow ended up there, making him a prime suspect.
Ran frowned, glancing at Conan, who was sitting cross-legged on a sofa nearby, his fingers resting on his chin in deep thought.
What's this feeling…?
She turned to Tsuneo, who was casually devouring a feast as if nothing had happened.
"Could you grab me two more plates?" the repairman called out to a waiter with a smile.
"Y-Yes, of course," the waiter stammered, nodding before heading toward the kitchen.
Though he'd seen it earlier that morning, the waiter was still floored. A case like this, and this guy was calmly scarfing down a dozen plates of meat.
Truly, the people on this ship were something else!
"Inspector Megure!" Takagi rushed back.
The room had been thoroughly searched, but all of Hikawa's videotapes were missing.
According to the others, Hikawa was almost always filming, so he should've had a decent stock of tapes on hand.
It seemed the culprit had trashed the room to collect those tapes.
At that, Conan leapt off the sofa and bolted out of the hall.
He had questions and needed answers—now!
"Conan, don't run off on your own! Get back here!" Uncle Maori shouted.
Seriously, even if you're about to wet your pants like usual, find someone to go with you!
The armed culprit could still be lurking somewhere—it's too dangerous!
"It's fine, I'll keep an eye on him!" Ran called out, chasing after him.
"Tsuneo, you still not full?" Megure asked, shooting him a sidelong glance.
Maori's dragging his feet instead of sleeping, dishing out brilliant deductions.
And you, usually the reliable one, just keep eating.
Tsuneo looked up, noticing everyone's eyes on him. He chuckled, then went back to his food.
Time to feast!
(End of Chapter)
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