SailorStar9: With Chapter 67 uploaded, this is Chapter 68 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I do not own Sailor Moon or Detective Conan, I only own this plotline and the pairing.

Pairing: Established!Furuya Rei/Mizuno Ami

Chapter 68: The Ventriloquist's Illusion, Part Two


In the police headquarters interrogation room...

"How many times do I have to say it?" Togawa insisted. "I respected my master. I would never set him up like that."

"Then, what's this?" Megure pointed to the bagged recorder. "Didn't you use this to make Tengan-san believe he had a spilt personality?"

"That's mine." Togawa admitted. "I used it every day to practice ventriloquism. But it disappeared at some point. I had no idea it was set up there."

"Do you really have no idea why these glasses stained with the victim's blood were hidden in your bag?" Megure pressed.

"I lost these recently, too." Togawa stated. "I have no idea what they were doing in there."

"That's too bad." Megure shrugged. "I thought it'd be better for you to admit your crimes before the warrant we requested arrives."

"I really didn't do it." Togawa held on to his innocence.

"From Mouri-san?" Takagi echoed after Detective Inoue walked in and whispered into his ear.


In the Tengan apartment unit...

"Conan-kun?" Takagi was surprised to find the boy in front of the police tape. "Where's Mouri-san?"

"He had something else to investigate, so he told me to come check this out." Conan smiled. Walking into the apartment, he noticed the photos pinned on the wall of the entrance and realized what had been out of place. "Detective Takagi, this photo was taken in the living room where the crime took place, right?" he pointed.

"Looks like it." Takagi agreed.

"When the suspect Togawa-san found the body of Tengan-san's wife, he used a spare key to come in." Conan stated, kicking off his shoes.

"He came to pick Tengan-san up for work as usual." Takagi recounted. "And when nobody answered the doorbell, he entered using his spare key. Then, he found the body in the living room. He woke Tengan-san up who was sleeping in the other room and called the police and Mouri-san to ask for help. At least, that's his story. He has a spare key: he could've snuck in while Tengan-san was sleeping while under the effects of the sleeping pills he was always using. It's also possible that the victim, who was having an affair with him, invited him in. Though we're not sure yet if he stayed at the crime scene after committing the crime or returned in the evening."

"The trophy that was used as the weapon was here." Conan walked over to the trophy display counter. "It looks like it was displayed somewhere else originally. The dust is shaped differently from the weapon. And originally, the trophy was sitting back there."

"This was here?" Takagi moved the murder weapon back to its original place. "That's a perfect match."

"The photo in the entryway shows the same thing." Conan reminded. "Detective Takagi, there's something I want you to confirm."

"I had them ask the suspect Togawa Haruomi." Takagi ended his call. "Tengan-san received that trophy the first time he finally won the national contest. He always displayed it in the front since it was valuable to him. And then, there's the location of the phone he used to call the police and Mouri-san."

"What's this?" Conan pointed to the strand of fabric sticking out from the glasses in the photo he was holding.

"Forensics said it was probably fibers from a glove." Takagi blinked. "We think he wore them during the murder so his fingerprints wouldn't get on the trophy covered in Tengan-san's . We didn't find anything in his house or in the area, let alone the gloves. He probably threw them away somewhere."


Later that night...

Riichi returned to the performance stage and set up his props. After calling the stagehands off, he poured himself a glass of red wine. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Partner." he downed the glass.

"We did it, Partner." the ventriloquism doll chuckled. "Make me offer a toast, too."

Panicked, Riichi ran to the sound control room to find the device that was responsible for making the doll talk.

"What are you looking for, Partner?" the ventriloquism puppet asked, Riichi returned to the stage and starting searching under the coffee table. "Could it be the recorder and speakers? You won't find those here. The police seized those a long time ago. If you don't want to talk, I can't. You and I are one. I am you and you are me. Don't you know that, Partner?"

"Am I actually..." Riichi stammered. "Impossible."

"It's impossible." Mouri agreed, the spotlight casting on him in the audience. "Because you're definitely sane, and you definitely planned to kill your wife."

"I knew you set up speakers and a recorder somewhere in here." Riichi remarked. "What do you think you're doing? I killed my wife? Spare me your jokes. I'm busy practicing my encore performance."

"He's right." Megure also entered the performance hall. "You'll need to explain yourself properly, Mouri-kun. Though we did put a hold on that arrest warrant like you said. After all, only proper explanations hold up in court."

"I know, Inspector." Conan took on Mouri's voice. "Allow me to describe the truth behind this case that I have discovered."

"Didn't Togawa kill my wife" Riichi inquired. "He made me believe I had a split personality and framed me."

"That was precisely your plan." Conan stated. "Your clever plan to initially cast suspicion on yourself, have me clear your name, and frame Togawa-san. Didn't you change your plans and put on that performance to mislead me? Tengan-san was the one who set up Togawa-san's stolen recorder and speakers and told him he's check his progress the next day so he'd practice alone and have no alibi. Now, let me explain how he committed the crime. The trophy he used to kill his wife is normally at the back of the sideboard. Before the crime was committed, it was swapped with a trophy of great value to Tengan-san. If Togawa-san was the murderer, it would be a meaningless act. It wouldn't have mattered which trophy he used as a weapon."

"Couldn't he have done it to frame me?" Riichi growled. "He must have."

"There was no need for him to do that." Conan insisted. "Tengan-san, only your fingerprints were on the weapon. Of course, that's because you grabbed the trophy barehanded, so you'll fall under suspicion first. Furthermore, you even confessed you killed your wife. What need would he have had to do anything else? After committing the crime, you put on gloves and out the victim's blood on Togawa-san's glasses which you stole beforehand. In the morning, you were awakened by Togawa-san and pretended you had just learned of your wife's death. Then, while Togawa-san was calling the police and me for help in the entryway, you donned the gloves again and placed the bloodied glasses at the bottom of his bag. That's probably when the fibers from your glove got caught on the frames of his glasses. Then, you pretended to have a split personality, and claimed the doll ordered you to do it, initially casting suspicion on yourself. Then, you had me discover the recorder and speakers. You transferred suspicion to Togawa-san and had the police discover the glasses to seal the deal."

"This is absurd." Riichi scoffed. "What proof do you have?"

"The proof is in the gloves." Conan related. "The gloves Tengan-san wore while placing the bloodied glasses in Togawa-san's bag that I mentioned earlier. Later, Tengan-san, you hid the gloves. Considering the timing, you could only have hidden them in the living room where the crime took place."

"Have you found them?" Riichi challenged.

"Not even the police found it during their inspection of the crime scene." Conan admitted.

"After all, those gloves never even existed." Riichi was confident.

"Then, why don't we ask your partner?" Conan questioned. "You know where he did it, don't you, Partner-kun? Don't worry, Partner." he changed to the ventriloquism puppet's voice. "I'll never tell them I've got them. My lips are sealed. That's enough jokes." he reverted back to Mouri's voice. "Detective Takagi."

Takagi entered the stage, picked up the ventriloquism marionette, lifted his shirt and pulled out a pair of gloves hidden in the contraption. "I found the gloves."

"Impossible." Riichi gaped, seeing the bloodied gloves. "I already threw those away."

"I'm sure you did." Conan cut in. "Those are fake, of course. Tengan-san disposed of the actual gloves once he was acquitted. But you should've thrown away the doll, too. However, he's your partner who's been with you for years and even helped you win a national contest. I doubt you even considered that. When you left your doll here to meet with your staff in another room, I had it examined."

"Traces of fiber matching the ones found on the gloves were collected inside the doll." Takagi confirmed. "The victim's blood was on them. Furthermore, another person's sweat was collected from the fibers and DNA was detected."

"It was probably on the gloves." Conan concluded. "Tengan-san, if necessary, we can get a warrant for a sample of your saliva or hair and wait for the test results."

"That won't be necessary." the defeated Riichi sank into his chair. "I couldn't believe my wife was cheating on me with my apprentice, even though I finally won the national contest. My pride wouldn't allow it. Mouri-san, how did you know?"

"The doll told me." Conan answered. "Because you hid the gloves inside him, his expression was different from usual. In fact, you and the doll were telling the truth from the start. You used your confession to commit the perfect crime."


Meanwhile...

"'The Hands Resist Him'?" Amuro raised an eyebrow, looking over Ami's shoulder as she watched the Buzzfeed Unsolved video on the reportedly haunted painting. "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

"With the latest case we have, I thought it'd be appropriate." Ami shrugged, the player on her laptop switching to the 'The True Story Behind 'Scream'' video.


SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.