Natori Mishio continued, "But I was just lying to him! I intended to stand him up from the start! That lecherous old man, relying on his status as a screenwriter, harassed more actresses than just me! While I disliked him, it wasn't to the point of wanting to kill him!"
She then changed the subject, pointing at Terado Unpei. "It's Terado-san who has a very strong motive for murder! Tetsuyama-san has been demanding more money from you recently, hasn't he?
He even threatened to replace you as the lead actor if you didn't give it to him! Did you kill him because of the money, or because you were afraid of losing your role?"
Terado Unpei's expression changed, and he angrily said to the police, "What about Tanzawa Junsaku? Doesn't he have a motive? Tanzawa-san was blacklisted by Tetsuyama-san five years ago and never had another acting opportunity! Doesn't he hate Mr. Tetsuyama?"
Facing the accusation, Tanzawa Junsaku smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I don't hate Tetsuyama-san. To be honest, after all these years of reflection, I've realized that I might not truly be suited to be an actor.
On the contrary, I am very grateful to Tetsuyama-san for giving me the opportunity to transition into an agent, which allowed me to have a stable job and income."
Officer Yokomizo Jugo looked at the three suspects, each telling their own version of events and exposing each other's flaws, and felt an even bigger headache.
Just then, a police officer from the forensic division brought new findings.
"Report, Inspector Yokomizo! We found a discarded mineral water bottle in the trash can inside the bathroom, with a sip of unfinished water still in it.
Additionally, on the surface of the lake outside the open-air hot spring, we found quite a few discarded matchsticks that had been lit."
"Mineral water bottle? Matches?" Yokomizo Jugo frowned, unsure if these items counted as clues.
Mitsuhiko, who was listening nearby, thought for a moment and suggested.
"Officer Yokomizo, why don't we call in the staff guarding the entrance of the hot spring main building and have them confront these three gentlemen and ladies?
If the killer really hid in the hot spring last night, then the staff shouldn't have seen him enter the hot spring this morning."
Officer Yokomizo thought it made a lot of sense and immediately called the staff over.
However, the result was disappointing.
The staff member responsible for the morning shift explained with a troubled expression.
"I'm very sorry, Officer. To save electricity, our inn only has the lights on inside the hot spring facility before 6 AM.
We were guarding the entrance of the main building, and the light outside was very dim. And later, more and more guests came running to watch the commotion,
We really can't remember the order and exact times everyone entered and exited. We only remember that Tetsuyama-san was the first to arrive, and then these few children ran in…"
Conan seized on a detail and pressed, "Uncle, the official opening time for the hot spring is 5 AM, right? Why was Tetsuyama-san able to enter at 4:30 AM?"
The staff member replied, "Oh, Tetsuyama-san is a regular customer here. He particularly likes to be the first to bathe, enjoying the tranquility when no one else is around. So we all know him.
Every time he checks in, we open the lights in the bathroom first and make an exception by letting him go in early."
At this moment, another police officer came forward to report. "Inspector Yokomizo, we searched the room of the deceased, Tetsuyama-san, and found that he had lost a ring, with only an empty box remaining."
Upon hearing this, Natori Mishio immediately said, "I know that ring! It was Tetsuyama-san prize when he won the Best Newcomer Screenplay Award that year, an antique-style silver ring. He always kept it with him as a good luck charm and treasured it greatly."
Yokomizo Jugo immediately questioned the police officer, "So, have any suspicious items been found in the rooms of these three suspects?"
The police officer's answer brought the case to a stalemate again. "Report, some suspicious items were found in all three people's rooms."
"In Terado Unpei-san ashtray, there were many used matchsticks."
Terado Unpei quickly explained, "I just habitually use matches to light my cigarettes! What's strange about that?"
"In Tanzawa Junsaku-san backpack, a glove was found, but only for the left hand."
Junsaku Tanzawa calmly replied, "That's a non-slip glove used for golfing. Because I'm right-handed, my left hand primarily needs non-slip grip and support when swinging, so usually, wearing only a left-hand glove is enough."
"In Natori Mishio-san room, a broken wine glass was found, along with several crumpled pages of a script."
Natori Mishio defended herself, "That was me rehearsing the script in my room last night. There just happened to be a scene where the character angrily tears up script pages and smashes a wine glass at the other person.
To get into character, I completely immersed myself, and I accidentally… What does that prove?"
To verify their statements, the police quickly conducted an investigation.
The results confirmed that Natori Mishio indeed rehearsed late into the night, and even ordered room service for a late-night snack, indicating that she stayed in her room after the hot spring closed.
The air conditioning in Terado Unpei's room malfunctioned last night, and repair records showed that a staff member entered his room for repairs after the hot spring closed.
In other words, all three suspects had alibis, proving that they did not hide behind the exhaust fan inside the hot spring facility in advance last night.
Officer Yokomizo Jugo rubbed his temples, feeling that his previous deduction had been completely overturned.
He glared at Conan impatiently, his tone accusatory. "Hmph! A child's deductions are indeed unreliable! You said the killer hid beforehand, but now they all have alibis! It seems an accident is indeed more likely!"
Conan ignored Officer Yokomizo's complaints, his brain was working furiously, piecing together all the fragments of clues.
Tetsuyama-san entering the women's bath early, the mineral water bottle in the trash can, the discarded matches on the lake, the lost ring, and the fact that none of the three suspects had hidden inside the hot spring facility beforehand.
Wait!
If the killer didn't hide in the facility beforehand… Could it be…!
A light bulb went off in Conan's mind, connecting all the clues.
He understood! He completely understood the killer's identity and modus operandi!
The killer is you!
Conan looked at one of the three suspects.
But… Conan fell into a new predicament.
Dr. Agasa was still fast asleep, and Uncle Mori was far away in Beika, he urgently needed a substitute to use his voice changer for the deduction!
His gaze anxiously swept over the crowd present, finally settling on Rin, who was standing nearby, yawning.
As the only adult present, besides the police and suspects, who knew the entire case.
No one was more suitable to be his deduction substitute than her.
"You're the one!"
Conan aimed his tranquilizer watch at Rin's nape and fired a tranquilizer dart.