Chapter 54 You Should Turn Yourself In

Kaoru Uemori was silent for a moment, then untied her eye patch.
"Kaoru?!" Kazue Yashiro asked with a look of surprise. "Who beat you up like this?"
Kaoru Uemori's left eye was covered in a deep bruise. She put the eye patch back on and laughed self-deprecatingly, "My husband, of course."
"My mother-in-law doted on him endlessly since he was a child, and he can't stand the slightest grievance. We had a fight a few days ago, and then..."
Moray nodded. "In that case, you have a motive as well?"
"Motive? Who doesn't have one?" Kaoru Uemori certainly didn't want to be listed as one of the only two suspects. She looked at Kazue Yashiro on her right. "Aren't you the same? You look like you've been my mother-in-law's best friend for thirty years, but wasn't she the one who stole the man of your heart twenty-seven years ago? Don't you come to the cooking class every time just to see my father-in-law? It's just a pity he passed away last year..."
Kazue Yashiro clicked her tongue and looked away, but she did not deny it.
Just then, a call came from the hospital.
"Hello? Yes, yes, I understand." Inspector Megure let out an obvious sigh of relief after hanging up. "The hospital says the first-aid measures were very professional and timely, especially the part regarding the puncture, which bought them a lot of time."
"Mrs. Uemori is now out of danger. In addition, the hospital's examination report shows that the wound depth is about five centimeters, with a diameter of less than one millimeter."
Hearing this, Conan let out a long breath of relief.
Good thing Moray was here... He looked at Moray with a sense of gratitude, lowering his head as he exhaled deeply. If Moray hadn't been present this time, Mrs. Uemori might have missed the golden window for emergency treatment due to his erroneous operation.
Even though Conan knew he couldn't be entirely blamed and that it was ultimately the culprit's fault... he still would have felt guilty for the rest of his life.
Ah, having saved a person, Moray must feel quite gratified as well... Conan looked over at Moray.
Only to see Moray showing no particular reaction, continuing calmly with the investigation.
Well, that's true. The culprit hasn't been caught yet; it's not time to feel relieved just yet... Conan composed himself and began recalling whether any of the others had exhibited any abnormal behavior.
Moray asked the three suspects, "Would you please cooperate and hand over your personal belongings for inspection?"
Left with no choice, the three of them laid out their items one by one.
"Based on the wound, the potential weapon is either a syringe or a sewing needle. A syringe puncture would rupture capillaries and cause bleeding, but the wound just now showed no bleeding, so we are ruling it as a sewing needle first."
The more Hiroaki Nishitani listened, the more alarmed he became. Yet, thinking of where he had hidden it, a sliver of wishful thinking arose in him.
"Please, officers from the forensics department, check everywhere a weapon could possibly be hidden."
"For instance, this ballpoint pen..."
Moray put on his gloves and picked up a pen from in front of Hiroaki Nishitani. "Like this, the inside needs to be taken apart as well... Huh?"
Moray pulled out the ink refill, and a sewing needle was suspended inside the ink.
Everyone's gaze turned to Hiroaki Nishitani.
He was breaking out in a cold sweat, waving his hands as he explained, "I... I don't know!"
"I really don't know where this needle came from. Maybe the culprit shoved it in there just to frame me..."
"We haven't even run the blood test yet," Moray frowned. "How do you know this is the murder weapon?"
"Uh..."
"However, Moray, how could anyone pinch such a thin needle to stab someone?" Inspector Megure raised a question.
"That part is actually simple. Do you know what a thimble is?" Moray looked at Conan.
"It's that ring-like thing you use when sewing clothes to press against the needle and make it easier to apply force..." Conan had already learned to seamlessly take over the conversation. "Wait, Moray-niisan, are you saying Mr. Nishitani used his ring as a thimble?"
"I didn't say that. But doing so is obviously feasible." Moray gazed intently at Hiroaki Nishitani, whose face showed a bitter struggle. "If you really did it, you might as well turn yourself in."
"First, the forensics report will arrive shortly. If blood components are detected on that needle, the only person present capable of piercing Mrs. Uemori's back with it using a ring as a thimble would be you. Surrendering now still gives you a chance for a reduced sentence."
"Second, Mrs. Uemori is not dead. Given your voluntary surrender, you might not serve many years. But if your attitude towards confession is poor, you might be looking at a life sentence."
Hearing these words, Hiroaki Nishitani finally collapsed, falling to his knees on the ground.
...
Hiroaki Nishitani was escorted into a police car, and Moray and his group prepared to head home.
Despite having been told it was a vacation these past few days, they hadn't really rested at all...
It was either running into a murder case or being subjected to Sonoko's daily invitations.
"Moray-niisan, you know so much!" Conan's eyes sparkled. "How did you know the difference between types of pneumothorax?"
Moray glanced at him. "You don't know so little yourself. For an elementary school student to know how to administer first aid for an open pneumothorax..."
"Shinichi-niisan taught me that!" Conan gave a startled shudder, his tone naturally slipping back into a child's voice.
"So he should read more books as well. First aid is a very serious matter." Moray reached his right hand toward his cigarette case, but seeing the two girls present, he gave up the idea.
Conan was left speechless.
Moray let out a long sigh.
"Moray-niisan, what's wrong?" Conan noticed Moray lacked enthusiasm and asked in confusion.
Weren't people saved already?
"Sonoko."
"?"
"!"
Suzuki Sonoko looked as though she had thought of something, her entire face lighting up with anticipation.
"Don't you think the frequency with which you've been inviting me out to play lately is a bit too high?" Moray said somewhat helplessly. "If you ask me, you'd better go find a boyfriend sooner rather than later, so you won't end up with no one to hang out with..."
An unexpectedly dense guy... Another supreme dense guy, Conan, twitched the corner of his mouth.
Suzuki Sonoko's face, which had been brimming with anticipation, instantly stiffened.
How, how could this be?!
Did her intensive offensive tactics actually backfire instead?!
"I have my own things to do, and besides, you guys are... Oh right, aren't you high school students??" Moray suddenly recalled a crucial matter. "Where on earth do you find so much time to wander around outside?"
His gaze suddenly turned stern. "Sonoko, even if you are the heiress of the Suzuki conglomerate, your studies are also important. You can't neglect your education, understand?"
"Ha... Hai!" Sonoko gave a startled shudder, as if she saw her school's strict headmistress embodied in Moray.
The handsome image of Moray in her heart quietly shattered by a corner.
"And you, Miss Mouri, how are your academic scores?"
Mao Ran trembled slightly.
Moray frowned. "Sonoko has a family business to inherit, but you... Oh, that Kudou kid's family seems quite well-off."
"Speaking of which, why hasn't that kid been seen around lately?"
"I don't know, maybe he's dealing with some case again..." At the mention of Shinichi Kudou, Ran's expression visibly drooped.
Ran... Conan's expression softened. He would just have to call her again later.
Moray nodded. Then he looked at Conan. "And you, little brat..."
He was silent for a moment.
"Never mind."
"Wait, why am I a 'never mind'?!" Conan was somewhat displeased. "My grades are actually very good, you know!"
Nonsense, you're a genius high school detective posing as an elementary schooler; it would be a miracle if your grades weren't good.
Moray rolled his eyes at him.
Finally, at a three-way intersection, they bid each other farewell.
Moray stretched lazily, planning to head home and read a few more academic papers.
He casually pulled out his phone and checked his inbox, the topmost message coming from Gin.
Gin: "Are you that idle?"
He typed out a reply.
"No, I'm very busy."
To his surprise, Gin was still awake in the middle of the night, replying with characteristic brevity.
"?"
"Busy reading research papers. Say what you need to say directly."
"...Tomorrow, usual place."
"OK"
Work, is it? Missions, is it...
Just wait until I become the Boss; I'll make sure you work until you've had enough!