As expected, Inspector Megure arrived with Sato Miwako in tow.
Inside the reception room, Megure glanced at the body, then past Hoshino and the others, fixing his gaze on the three unfamiliar women. "Your relationship to the deceased, Maru Denjiro?"
Kogoro Mouri cut in. "Inspector, the woman in the middle is his wife, Maru Ineko. The other two are family maids."
Megure nodded, then looked at Kogoro. "And you are here because…?"
Without thinking, Kogoro blurted out, "I was here to tell Mr. Maru about his wife's affair—" He clapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late.
All eyes turned to Maru Ineko. Under their stares, her face flushed crimson, then paled.
Ahem. Megure cleared his throat, shifting focus. "Let's examine the scene. Something feels off."
Conan nodded, satisfied they were finally getting to work.
Then, in the next second, he watched Inspector Megure turn to Hoshino Kurosawa with an almost deferential smile. "Hoshino-kun, what are your thoughts?"
"Me…" Hoshino scanned the room. It was all too familiar—an episode few Conan fans would forget.
The place was a massacre of blade marks. Walls, ceiling, furniture—everything was shredded by katana strikes.
Maru Denjiro, eyes wide in final shock, was pinned by a sword to a pillar, covered in blood. Another katana was gripped in his hand, as if he'd fought a desperate, losing battle.
"Inspector Megure," Sato Miwako announced, returning from outside. "We found three suspicious men outside the estate. They're here."
"Good." Megure nodded, then looked back at Hoshino. "Hoshino, what do you make of—"
"No rush, Inspector. Handle your witnesses first."
"Right." Megure waved a hand. "Sato, bring them in."
Soon, three men were ushered into the nightmarish room. Their faces drained of color at the sight.
"You know why you're here. Introduce yourselves," Megure said, his tone all business.
A meek-looking man in glasses spoke first, uneasy. "I'm Tawano Kikuya, Dr. Maru's physician. I come for his weekly check-up. Today was that day."
"I'm Suwa Yuji. I came to repay a debt." Suwa stood stiffly, pulling an envelope of cash from his pocket.
The last man was burly. He sighed under their collective gaze. "Akutsu Makoto. I came to ask Dr. Maru for an extension on my loan."
"Oh! A notebook!" Conan's voice piped up opportunely.
"Conan, shush," Ran whispered.
"I know…" Conan feigned obedience.
"A notebook?" Megure followed Conan's pointed finger and picked up a blood-stained notebook. His eyes widened. "It is a notebook. It lists meetings today with… all three of you. No, four—Kogoro, you're in here too!"
Kogoro, unconcerned about being named, stared intently at the three men. "If that's the case," he declared, stroking his chin, "the killer must be one of you three."
"Why, Dad?" Ran asked.
"Two hours ago, I was reporting to Mr. Maru about his request. Then a visitor arrived, and they came to this room. Mr. Maru logged my visit, meaning no fifth person was expected today. The killer is among you."
Excellent, Conan thought. Next, check the room's phone for messages. Today, I will solve this before you, Hoshino Kurosawa.
He looked up, his gaze fiery and competitive, locking onto Hoshino.
Hoshino felt the stare and met it. He didn't need to guess the thoughts behind those glasses.
"Heh." A faint smile touched his lips. He gave Conan a meaningful look, then turned to Megure. "Inspector, since the preliminaries are done, let's address the obvious question."
"You have a lead, Hoshino-kun?"
"It's the blade marks," Hoshino said, pointing at the scarred walls. "They're the key."
Kogoro crossed his arms, smug. "I noticed that too. The cuts look deliberate—fake. Clearly, the killer's attempt to misdirect us."
"That's one possibility," Hoshino acknowledged. "But there's another." He paused, letting his words hang. "What if Mr. Maru left a dying message? A clue the killer found but couldn't erase, so they tried to hide it by making the entire room a clue?"
Conan's whole body jolted.
A flash of inspiration struck him. His pupils shrank. His eyes darted rapidly around the destroyed room, pieces clicking into place in his mind.
Is that it? Is that the truth hidden in this chaos?
The race was on.