Chapter 47 Lifting Your...

However, regardless of everything else, the key to solving the case lay in the contents of the suitcases.

If Nakajima had intended to kill Tequila, then the suitcases belonging to the other two men should simply contain their own personal belongings.

If someone had switched Nakajima's suitcase in order to murder him, then the item the Organization needed to trade should still be inside the killer's suitcase.

And right now...

Moray turned his head to look.

Ueda opened his own suitcase and checked the contents. "Aren't you two going to check yours?"

"After all, our suitcases are all the exact same model. It would be terrible if someone ended up taking the wrong one."

"I don't really think that's necessary..."

"Ah, haha, exactly, exactly, no need for that..."

In that case, Ueda could be cleared of suspicion.

Nakajima's suitcase contained the cash brought by Tequila, so it made complete sense that he was reluctant to open it.

But what about Takeshita? Why didn't he dare to open and inspect his bag either?

Was it because once opened, everyone would discover that the items inside did not belong to him?

Moray narrowed his eyes.

He sent a text message to Gin: "I have a way to get the trading item. Shall we proceed?"

The reply came: "The target item is a list. Permission granted to proceed."

Then there was nothing left to hold him back. He dialed Gin's phone number. When Gin answered, there was complete silence from the other end.

What is this guy up to? Gin wondered, feeling suspicious.

Moray called out to Inspector Megure, "Inspector."

"What is it, my boy Moray?"

"I have already found the culprit, but I still need your help with something." Moray looked over at the trio of Ueda, Nakajima, and Takeshita, who were chatting nearby. "Please ask the president of Mantendo for a suitcase identical to the ones their company uses."

"Then, take Mr. Nakajima away from the main hall temporarily—ideally out of sight of both Mr. Ueda and Mr. Takeshita—and announce to everyone that this case is a random crime, and that the bomb was planted on the restroom door before it detonated."

I see. Gin curved the corner of his lips into a smirk.

The closest member to this location is... Chianti.

Gin used the landline to dial another number.

"After that, I have a way to make the culprit walk right into the trap," Moray said confidently.

Inspector Megure hesitated for a moment, but out of trust in Moray, he decided to follow the instructions.

After the police made the announcement as Moray had requested, everyone fell into a state of panic, buzzing with discussion about a random bomber. Anxious and impatient, Inspector Megure kept glancing over at Moray's direction.

Isn't it ready yet? Dragging this out for too long will ruin the police's reputation!

***

Hearing the police's announcement, Conan was struck with a mix of shock and doubt. Wasn't this supposed to be a premeditated murder? Why did the police suddenly declare it a random crime?

He watched as Moray, carrying a suitcase, walked toward Ueda and Takeshita.

Moray... what are you planning to do?

***

"Where did they take that guy Nakajima?" Ueda checked his watch. "He hasn't come back after all this time?"

"I have no idea either. Should we just forget about him..." Takeshita cowered, looking timid and choosing his words with extreme care.

"Gentlemen!" Moray greeted them cheerfully, then addressed Takeshita, "You must be Mr. Takeshita, right?"

"Yes, that's me. Is something wrong?" Takeshita asked, looking bewildered.

"Mr. Nakajima suddenly realized that this suitcase isn't his—it doesn't have the special mark he made on it." Moray displayed the suitcase in his hand with a bright smile. "He wanted to know if he might have taken the wrong one by mistake."

"Would you mind letting me check both of your suitcases to confirm?"

Ueda harbored no suspicions and directly opened his suitcase, which contained his personal belongings and some documents.

Takeshita, however, turned pale, beads of sweat breaking out all over his face.

This is bad...!

The police said it was a random crime, which means the bomb that went off earlier wasn't the one I planted. In that case, the suitcase in this person's hand, Nakajima's suitcase...

Isn't that the bomb suitcase I switched?!

Takeshita coughed a few times, completely flustered. Holding the suitcase, he didn't know whether he should open it or not.

Moray raised an eyebrow. Isn't this guy's reaction a bit too suspicious? He pressed on: "Huh? Isn't this the scratch Mr. Nakajima told me he used to mark his suitcase?"

He pointed a finger at a scratch on the suitcase. In reality, there was no mark at all; it was just an ordinary scuff.

"It seems you must have gotten your suitcase mixed up with Mr. Nakajima's." Moray held out the suitcase toward Takeshita. "What's wrong? Take it already."

Watching Takeshita back away step by step, he asked, "Could it be that you suspect this isn't your suitcase? Then open it and see for yourself."

He flipped the latches and yanked the suitcase wide open—

"Eeeaaahhhhh—!" Takeshita clutched his head, spun around, and bolted away with a desperate leap.

No... no explosion?

He turned back in sheer disbelief.

The suitcase was empty.

"Mr. Takeshita."

Moray stepped forward and picked up the suitcase Takeshita had dropped on the floor.

He opened it, glanced inside, memorized all the information on the list, immediately snapped it shut, and gave a brief hand signal to Inspector Megure.

Observing Takeshita's reaction, Moray instantly knew that this was the man who had planted the bomb.

***

"Don't you understand yet, Mr. Takeshita? Your own reaction has given everything away."

"You panicked so much simply because you were afraid the bomb hidden inside this suitcase would detonate, right?"

Handing the two suitcases over to Inspector Megure, Moray turned back to the pale-faced Takeshita and said, "You planted a bomb in your own suitcase beforehand, and then took the opportunity to swap your claim ticket with Mr. Nakajima's."

"However, for some reason, Mr. Nakajima's suitcase ended up in the hands of that man in black. The reason for that will probably have to wait for the police to ask him later; but your crime is inescapable."

Conan had initially been thrilled that the culprit had been found, but upon hearing this, a sudden realization struck him—

Where had Hideaki Nakajima gone?! He needed to hurry and find him to ask about the Organization!

"Brother Moray!!" he shouted anxiously. "Mr. Nakajima..."

"Outside the main hall."

Conan sprinted out the front doors.

Moray's deduction continued inside.

"All we have to do is check the suitcases of all the Mantendo employees in the building, and we will find that only yours is missing, because it was already blown to pieces in the explosion earlier..."

Takeshita collapsed onto his knees, completely drained of strength as if his spine had been removed.

"That's right. It was me..."

Conan dashed out of the hall, looking frantically left and right.

To his relief and surprise, Hideaki Nakajima was standing not far away to the right of the entrance, under the protection of several police officers.

"Uncle Nakajima—" He ran toward him at full speed.

"Ah, isn't this the kid who hangs around Detective Mouri..."

A gunshot rang through the air.

Hideaki Nakajima's skull was blown entirely open in a horrifying and gruesome spectacle.

Up on a distant rooftop, Chianti lowered her rifle and let out a whistle. "Nice shot!"

Conan froze in place, his pupils contracting with sheer terror, until he was scooped up entirely by a police officer and carried back inside the hall, snapping him out of his trance.

Taking advantage of the sparse crowd around them, the police quickly covered Nakajima's body with a sheet to prevent mass panic. Looking at the chaotic scene before him, a wave of grief and fierce indignation surged within Conan.

How dare they commit murder in broad daylight?!

How could they...

Yet, he also knew all too well that it was impossible to reason with a criminal organization.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails nearly pierced the skin of his palms, drawing blood.