The piercing scream echoing from the phone instantly drew the attention of everyone in the café.
"Hey, Ran! Ran, what happened?!" Mouri-shisho reacted instantly, rushing forward to snatch the phone from Sonoko's hand and shouting into the receiver.
Dammit! We just found out those three girls who were attacked were customers of the department store, and Ran is still over there!
"Dad... Dad, there's a girl here... her head is covered in blood..." Ran was clearly shaken.
She had gone out to buy a few things and was having a perfectly lovely time; she never expected to turn around and be confronted by such a gruesome scene.
Hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted grimly. Without waiting for more details, they all bolted out of the door and sprinted toward the department store.
Tsuneo scratched his head, picked up several shopping bags, and stood up leisurely. He didn't forget to drain his freshly ordered iced tea in one gulp before leaving.
In terms of combat ability, after that period of special training, Ran was actually significantly stronger than Mouri-shisho. While her resistance to ghosts and the supernatural was firmly in the negatives, as for a living human trying to get close to her?
They'd be seeking their own death.
"Um, excuse me, sir..." The waiter, holding the bill, stopped Tsuneo, who was the last one out the door.
The police officers from earlier hadn't settled their tab yet.
Tsuneo: "..."
Next time, I'm running out first!
"The victim's name is Aizawa Tae, twenty years old. She used to work as a clerk at this department store but was dismissed a year ago. She hasn't found another job since."
Officer Takagi relayed the basic information.
Tsuneo took a look as well. The young woman was slumped against the wall. She had blonde hair and a noticeably deliberate tan; the knit cap on her head was now soaked through with dark blood.
It was a brutal way to go.
"Did the culprit actually kill someone on their fourth strike?" Inspector Megure's expression grew heavy.
Unlike the victims of the previous three attacks, this woman was cold.
"It should be the work of the same perpetrator," Officer Takagi nodded.
"Correct. The police haven't released the specific characteristics of the victims to the public, and this is the basement parking lot of the same department store. I doubt it's a coincidence," Officer Sato agreed.
The victim's traits matched, and the location was the very store all three previous girls had visited.
"In that case, the killer must be someone with a grudge against the department store," Mouri-shisho offered his deduction. "Are they trying to put them out of business?"
"No. Usually, criminals who target a specific demographic are looking at the people, not the establishment," Koshimizu Natsuki leaned in closer, carefully inspecting the deceased's wrists and neck.
She didn't find any matching necklaces, rings, or bracelets.
"Tae!"
"Tae!"
While the police were still conducting their forensic work, a young man in a suit ran over. With tears in his eyes, he cried out the victim's name.
The newcomer was Shirakawa Noriyuki, Aizawa Tae's boyfriend. His father was the owner of this department store. It was this young manager who had met with the victim inside the mall earlier.
A year ago, he was also the one who had secured her the job.
"Ran, before you found the body, did you see anyone suspicious nearby?" Mouri-shisho asked his daughter.
Since the time of death was very recent, there was a high probability of spotting a suspect.
"There wasn't anyone suspicious... just a security guard who passed by me," Ran shook her head.
She had seen him while she was heading downstairs, but before she could find the exit, she discovered the body.
"I believe she's talking about me."
"At that time, I happened to be leaving my post to use the restroom. The culprit likely took that opportunity to strike," a middle-aged security guard in a brown uniform chimed in from behind the father and daughter.
"Hmph. If you ask me, I'd say you're the one who committed this crime," a stout figure wearing glasses walked over, hands behind his back, letting out a cold sneer.
This was the owner of the department store, Shirakawa Yasuyoshi, aged fifty-three.
"Dad?" Shirakawa Noriyuki looked at the guard, confused by the accusation.
"As far as I know, up until six months ago, you were working as a guard for the department store that is our direct competitor, weren't you?" As a businessman, Shirakawa Yasuyoshi naturally jumped to the conclusion of a sinister corporate war.
"No, I... I didn't," the guard, Sadakane Yoshio, hurriedly shook his head.
"Regardless, now that Noriyuki has seen the consequences, he'll find a different woman to date in the future. This time, you'd better find me a good girl without a criminal record," Shirakawa Yasuyoshi said, not seeming to care much about the tragedy. He gave his son a firm instruction before turning to leave.
The "criminal record" he referred to was a traffic accident Aizawa Tae had caused in this very parking lot one year ago.
At that time, she had driven into and struck a very young boy. It was because of that incident that she had been fired by the company.
"I heard Yumi mention this. Back then, the child was waiting for his mother in the parking lot, but a car suddenly sped out from a blind spot and hit him," Officer Sato nodded, recalling the case.
Because it was in a parking lot, the speed wasn't very high, but it hit a vital spot, and the child passed away.
"Sakurai Akira?" Upon hearing the child's name, Koshimizu Natsuki couldn't help but frown. She turned to look at Tsuneo.
He was currently staring at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought. In comparison, the elementary student named Conan had an expression very similar to hers.
Both were fatal cases occurring within a parking lot; it was hard not to draw a connection.
"Well? Have you two figured anything out?" Tsuneo finally returned from his mental wandering and turned to ask the two of them.
Why are they both staring at me?
Conan and Koshimizu Natsuki locked eyes. The Great Detective was the first to react, scratching his head and saying with a laugh, "Tsuneo-niichan, really! I can't figure out anything at all!"
Koshimizu Natsuki gave Conan a strange look before speaking up: "First, I suspect the culprit is someone from within this department store."
Given that all four victims had entered this mall within a two-week period, this deduction wasn't without merit.
"Secondly, the culprit specifically targets girls with this specific style of makeup. There must be a purpose behind it."
The key was that purpose—and it wasn't easy to guess.
"In terms of height, that President Shirakawa is certainly suspicious," Tsuneo glanced over toward Mouri-shisho's group.
According to the accounts of the first three victims, the culprit's height was locked at around 150cm. That president was quite stout and looked to be exactly about 150cm.
"That doesn't quite add up, and..." Koshimizu Natsuki shook her head.
If the motive was to stop his son from dating Aizawa Tae, the first three attacks would have been completely unnecessary. Furthermore, committing a murder in one's own place of business was highly unlikely.
Besides, this victim... she looked a bit awkward...
(End of Chapter)
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