"Kurosawa-kun, you must be mistaken?"
Takayoshi Tsujimura's gaze darted between his mother and the young detective.
Kogorō Mōri shook his head. "Kid, I think you're overthinking this. Who would commit murder right in front of three detectives? That's just asking to get caught."
Tsujimura Kimie nodded, about to speak, but Kurosawa Hoshino cut her off.
"Mrs. Tsujimura, proving your innocence is simple. We just need to check your belongings. Ambassador Tsujimura was poisoned, and Hattori found a needle on the floor. We don't know if that needle is poisoned yet, but if it is, there must have been something to hold it. So—may I check your bag?"
Ran walked in at that moment, keeping her voice low. "Dad, I made the call. Inspector Megure said he'll be here in half an hour."
Kogorō didn't turn around. His eyes were fixed on Tsujimura Kimie, waiting to see if she'd dare let Hoshino search her things.
"Fine." Tsujimura Kimie placed her bag on the desk and stepped aside.
Kurosawa Hoshino stepped forward, opened it, and rummaged briefly. Soon he pulled out a keychain with an oval-shaped ornament.
Without hesitation, he pried the ornament apart. One half revealed a groove in the middle—clearly large enough to hold a needle.
"Mrs. Tsujimura," he said, setting the keychain on the table, "do you think the police will find poison residue in this?"
Hattori Heiji and Conan leaned in, staring at the keychain. Their expressions grew serious.
"Mrs. Tsujimura, is it really you?" Kogorō asked, still struggling to believe she'd kill someone in front of three detectives.
Tsujimura Kimie's lips moved, but no words came out.
"Kurosawa," Hattori interjected, "why did Mrs. Tsujimura kill her husband?" He wasn't used to this style of deduction—usually, you worked backward from the motive. Now, he needed to know.
"I think..." Kurosawa Hoshino walked to the bookshelf behind the desk and picked up a photo frame. He turned it to face everyone. "Look at this photo, and you'll understand."
Everyone crowded around.
The photo showed a man and a woman. The man was clearly the deceased ambassador, younger in the photo. The woman was presumably Tsujimura Kimie.
But the more they looked at her youthful face, the more familiar it seemed. Almost instinctively, their gazes shifted to Sachiko Katsuragi standing beside Takayoshi.
The young Tsujimura Kimie looked strikingly like the woman before them.
"What's going on?" Sachiko asked, staring blankly at Tsujimura Kimie.
Kurosawa Hoshino's voice was calm. "It's obvious. Mrs. Tsujimura is Miss Katsuragi's mother."
"That's right." Tsujimura Kimie finally spoke from where she stood apart. "I am Sachiko's mother."
She began to recount an event from twenty years ago—and her motive for murder.
Sachiko Katsuragi was the child of Tsujimura Kimie and her ex-husband, Kenji Yamashiro.
Twenty years ago, Kenji Yamashiro—also a diplomat—was imprisoned for dereliction of duty. He died in prison five years later.
None of that would have mattered. But when Takayoshi Tsujimura showed his father a photo of his girlfriend, Ambassador Tsujimura immediately recognized her as the daughter of his old rival, Kenji Yamashiro. He was agitated, shouting about it.
Kimie, overhearing, found it strange and pressed him for answers. Unable to contain himself, Tsujimura Isao revealed how he had framed Kenji Yamashiro.
He even admitted that his father—the then-not-yet-retired diplomat Toshimitsu Tsujimura—had helped him.
"He said that getting me was one of the reasons he went after Kenji." Kimie's voice was hollow. "Do you know what I felt when I learned that? I gave my daughter to Kenji's relatives to raise because of his lies. I spent twenty years living with the man who framed him, who destroyed him. Twenty years."
"Kimie, I'm sorry." Old Toshimitsu Tsujimura's voice cracked. "I don't know what got into me back then. I shouldn't have helped Isao."
"It's too late for apologies, Father." Kimie turned to Sachiko and Takayoshi, who stood frozen in shock. After a long silence, she spoke softly. "Takayoshi... I may not be in a position to say this to you now. But Sachiko—I'm entrusting her to you."
Takayoshi was Isao's son from a previous marriage. He had no blood relation to Kimie.
He swallowed hard, words stuck in his throat. Finally, he just nodded.
Sachiko burst into tears. Tears for the mother she'd just learned existed. Tears that her mother had killed her boyfriend's father.
Conan sighed. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Hattori's expression. The detective's already dark face had gone darker. He had to stifle a laugh.
Frustrated, aren't you? he thought. I was just as frustrated back then. You're not any better off. Heh. Looks like you're not as sharp as I thought. Finally, someone else knows how I feel.
Twenty minutes later, Inspector Megure arrived in a panic.
He'd braced himself to wait for Kurosawa Hoshino to solve the case—only to find out he'd already left. Panic set in.
Then Kogorō explained: the murderer had confessed. She was waiting upstairs in the study. All they had to do was arrest her.
Megure was bewildered. Then the reality sank in, and he nearly jumped for joy. The case solved, the culprit waiting to be arrested—this was perfect!
"Mōri, where's Hoshino?" Megure asked as he prepared to leave.
"He said the case was closed, no need to wait for you. He went home with Ran."
"Ah, right. Case closed. No need to wait for me."
"..."
"Should I give you a ride home?"
"No, I've got errands to run." Kogorō declined. A rare chance with his daughter out—he had some fun in mind.
Everyone dispersed.
But two people stayed behind.
Hattori Heiji and Conan.
Hattori was devastated. He needed time to think. Why hadn't he suspected Kimie Tsujimura immediately? Isao Tsujimura had just died. His wife should have been the prime suspect.
A soft laugh reached his ears. He spun around. Conan was smiling, looking far too pleased with himself.
"Kid, what's so funny?"
"Cough, nothing. I just think that you, big brother, being on par with Shinichi... well..."
He doubled over, clutching his chest. Pain twisted his face.
Hattori jumped. "Hey, kid, what's wrong? You're not trying to scam me, are you?"
"I... my cold's getting worse. I just need to lie down."
"Ugh. Fine, fine." Hattori scooped him up and carried him back inside. "Mr. Koike, could we use a room? This kid's cold is acting up."
"Right this way." Koike led them to a guest room.
"Mr. Koike, you can get back to work. I'll keep an eye on him."
"Call if you need anything."
Once Koike left, Hattori looked at Conan writhing on the bed. Guilt gnawed at him. Probably took cold medicine, then drank that liquor. Some kind of reaction.
He nudged Conan's shoulder. "Kid, let's just go to the hospital. Don't tough it out here."
"No... I..." Conan could barely speak.
"Kid, you—you—you—"
Hattori's voice died in his throat. The child in front of him was growing. Stretching. Expanding. He stumbled backward, landing hard on the floor, staring in horror as the child on the bed transformed into a high school student—his too-small clothes straining against his frame.
For a moment, Hattori thought he must be dreaming back in Osaka. He'd never come to Tokyo at all.
This is a pretty vivid dream. A kid turning into a high school student. Heh...
He slapped himself. Hard.
The pain was real. He wasn't dreaming.
Everything in front of him was real.