SailorStar9: After taking a break for three weeks, I present Chapter 140 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?
Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami
Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.
Chapter 140: Misfortune of A Positive Man
Time passes...
"Aside from occasionally going out to shop, I spent my time in my apartment writing." Hazama Shokichi, an aspiring writer, told the Detective Boys.
"Doesn't it discourage you that you've never sold a single manuscript?" Mitsuhiko asked.
"When the company I worked for went bankrupt, I realized God was rooting for me." Hazama replied. "Like He was saying He gave me time to write and there's no way I wouldn't make it big. That's my landlady, Imaizumi Teruyo-san and my neighbor Kodakara Nenji-san." he recognized the arguing pair in front of the rented apartment. "What are you arguing about?" he hurried over.
"Apparently, Kodakara-san was robbed." Imaizumi informed.
"I just got back from a business trip and my place was ransacked." Kodakara explained. "But when I tried to call the police, she told me not to." he turned back to Imaizumi.
The next day...
The Detective Boys went back to inquire about any updates about the robbery when Inspector Megure and Detective Takagi arrived.
"It's you kids." Takagi instantly recognized the Detective Boys. "We're actually here for another case. You're Hazama Shokichi-san, aren't you?" he approached Hazama who was taking out the trash. "We're the police."
"We're here regarding the murder that occurred a week ago." Inspector Megure clarified.
In Hazama's unit...
"Exactly a week ago, a serial extortioner named Tarao Yasushi was found dead in his apartment in Kuroganedai." Takagi began his questioning. "He was knocked out and then strangled to death. His estimated time of death is that evening. The nylon rope used to kill him was found near the scene and fingerprints we believed are the culprit's were found on the rope. However, the investigation came to a halt when we couldn't find a match among those with criminal records or Tarao's victims. We were then contacted by the Beika Station."
"Your fingerprints they took as part of a robbery investigation matched the prints in question." Inspector Megure revealed.
"I don't know any Tarao." Hazama protested.
"Hazama Shokichi-san, your fingerprints were on the rope used to kill him." Inspector Megure insisted, showing Hazama a photo of the rope in question.
"That is mine." Hazama admitted. "I think it was ten days ago. I received some food from my grandmother in Hokkaido. That rope had been used to tie it. Since I untied it, it's only natural that my prints are on it. After that, I put the rope in a trash back and threw it away; which means someone must have secretly taken it to use it for murder. Besides, who would use an object with their fingerprints on it as a weapon?"
"It's also possible you chose that weapon so you could use that excuse." Inspector Megure refuted.
"You graduated from Kezuka Middle School in Kezuka City." Detective Takagi added. "So did Tarao-san; he was a year above you. Tarao-san had been blackmailing people since then. Maybe you were victimized by him and resented him for it."
"That's the first time I heard we attended the same middle school." Hazama was surprised.
"But, Hazama-kun." Imaizumi, who had been listening in with the Detective Boys by the door, stepped in. "As long as we can establish your alibi..."
"I can't." Hazama sighed. "You know I spent all day in this room writing.
"But last Sunday, you went out in the morning once." Imaizumi reminded.
"That day." Hazama recalled. "Then, I do have an alibi. I was playing pachinko. All day, at Dorubako Tengoku by the station."
"We'll check with the store." Detective Takagi noted. "But even if you appear on their security cameras, that alibi alone isn't enough."
"You have a sibling." Inspector Megure revealed. "An identical twin brother named Daikichi-kun."
"You think I used my brother to fabricate my alibi?" Hazama realized what Inspector Megure was implying. "I haven't seen my brother in years. He's been missing and I can't contact him."
"We'll continue this conversation at the station." Inspector Megure declared.
After discussing their next step in the nearby playground, the Detective Boys decided to ask the neighbors.
"Is it true you found something?" Conan asked, running up to Mitsuhiko and Genta with the others.
"Apparently, that apartment was robbed before." Genta informed.
"It was two years ago, shortly before the landlady's husband passed away." the middle-aged woman explained.
"Bu the victim said nothing much was stolen and they couldn't be bothered to call the police, so the landlady..." Genta added.
"She and her husband called the police right away." the neighbor took over. "They said a crime is a crime."
"That's strange." Fumio frowned. "It isn't what happened this time."
"Why are you snooping around my business?" Kodakara glared down at the kids. "A man arrested this morning on suspicion of theft had committed other crimes and he confessed to breaking into my apartment yesterday?" he took the incoming phone call and was updated on his robbery case.
"By the way, what were you doing last Sunday afternoon?" Conan inquired.
"I was on a business trip to Madagascar." Kodakara replied. "What about it?"
"Thank you." Conan smiled and led the others off to the playground to put together their findings.
At the Kuroganedai Police Station afterwards...
Conan revealed to the others what he found out from Detective Takagi; the murder weapon had been wiped of fingerprints and forensics only managed to get a partial print.
At the rented apartment...
"Maybe it's the other way around." Conan realized after Imaizumi told the kids she was the one who convinced Hazama to go out last Sunday. "If you think of it like this, it explains everything. Listen up." he whispered his plan into the others' ears. "So, let's split up and investigate."
"Since we lack conclusive evidence, we can't keep him detained." Detective Takagi drove Hazama back to the rented apartment. "I'll come for you early tomorrow morning."
"Wait, Detective Takagi." Conan called out. "We need to talk to you too, landlady."
In the nearby playground...
"We though Hazama-san was framed by the culprit." Conan explained. "But because the fingerprints were wiped off, it made me realize it was the other way around. The true culprit wasn't trying to frame Hazama-san; they were trying to make sure suspicions wouldn't fall on him. To that end, they tried to wipe his fingerprints off the rope and on that day of the crime, they even made sure he had an alibi. When the robbery occurred, they even opposed to calling the police. If they failed to wipe away any fingerprints, suspicion would fall on Hazama -san. So, you opposed to calling the police so his prints wouldn't be taken, isn't that right, Landlady Imaizumi Teruyo-san?"
"You were the one who killed Tarao Yasuhi-san." Fumio continued.
"You decided to knock him out and strangle him." Haibara took over. "Because even an old woman could kill someone that way."
"You probably tried to acquire a weapon, but since every store had security cameras, it didn't go well." Conan related. "So, you decided to use the rope you saw at the trash collection site. But you knew Hazama-san had thrown it out, so you wiped away his fingerprints so that he won't be a suspect. On the day of the murder, you made sure Hazama-san had an alibi, knocked out Tarao-san with a blow to the head and strangled him to death."
"Why would I kill this Tarao fellow?" Imaizumi pressed.
"It's probably related to your husband's death two years ago." Conan reasoned.
"You visited your husband's grave on the day it wasn't his death anniversary." Mitsuhiko revealed what the grocer had told him. "But the day after Tarao Yasushi-san was killed, you ran into a neighbor, so you lied about happening to be in the area."
"You were actually there to tell him you avenged him." Conan concluded.
"If you've already figured out that much..." Imaizumi sighed. "Two years ago, our niece was blackmailed by Tarao Yasushi. She died when she was stuck by a car. Her death was an accident, but Tarao caused it, and yet when we confronted him about it, he laughed at us. There was no way to prove he caused it, so my husband went to drink out of frustration. He got drunk, tripped on some stone steps and died." she sobbed. "But two years later, the other day... I knew it was unjustified, but when I saw Tarao laughing, I felt like this man had taken both my niece and husband from me."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.