"The lost little kitten has been found."
"The lost little kitten?"
Ritsu paused for a moment after hearing those words before realizing that the kitten Gin was referring to was most likely Shiho. But she had already become Haibara, so why had the Organization managed to pick up her trail?
He cautiously asked, "Really? I've been tracking Sherry's movements for quite some time without finding anything."
"It was Pisco who saw her. He said she entered the Twin Towers Building. Although he only caught a glimpse of her back and profile, he's certain it was Sherry."
Ritsu frowned, but a moment later he remembered someone's new hairstyle that had also surprised him, Sonoko had recently gotten the exact same loose, wavy curls.
Come to think of it, as long as Sonoko wasn't acting like her usual goofy self and instead behaved like a proper lady, anyone who didn't examine her closely could easily mistake her for Shiho.
Now that he knew it was simply the old fool Pisco mistaking someone else for Sherry due to his failing eyesight, Ritsu no longer felt concerned. When the opening ceremony came around, Pisco would see for himself that the woman wasn't Shiho at all.
"Heh. Sounds like the Twin Towers Building is an interesting place."
"Because of its height, it's also called the place closest to heaven... Augier, don't you think it makes for an excellent hunting ground?"
"I'll bring you Sherry's corpse. That woman actually made a fool of me. I really want to know how she escaped from the gas chamber."
Gin seemed quite satisfied with Augier's response. Leaning back against his seat, he slowly said,
"Good. Leave the interrogation to you. Make sure you obtain everything related to APTX4869, as well as the identity of the person who helped her escape."
"Understood. I'll hang up now. I've arrived downstairs at the MPD."
After ending the call, Ritsu parked the car in its space. The smile on his face vanished almost instantly, replaced by a grim expression. A bad feeling settled over him.
He knew Gin all too well. Even if Gin later realized Pisco's intelligence had been wrong, he would still detonate the bombs planted inside the Twin Towers Building.
After all, Gin wasn't the sort to waste time sending lower-ranking members back in to dismantle explosives, nor was he kind enough to notify the Bomb Disposal Squad and let the police handle it.
Those bombs would definitely explode.
He had to find a way to evacuate everyone safely.
His eyes shifted to the boxed donuts on the passenger seat. Before entering the MPD, he made one more phone call to Akemi, informing her that he wouldn't be able to return for quite a while.
Taking the elevator to the ninth floor, Ritsu walked straight toward the conference room without slowing down.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he spotted Kogoro's group. Even the Detective Boys were all present.
Seeing Onizawa arrive, Megure said with a serious expression,
"Onizawa-kun, this case involves a city councilman. Make sure it's handled properly. I've still got another case on my hands, so I'm leaving this one to you."
"Understood."
Ritsu sat directly in the seat at the head of the table before looking at Takagi, who was holding a notebook.
"Takagi, explain the situation. Also, where's Hayasaka?"
Takagi replied,
"Hayasaka went to obtain the victim's family's consent for an autopsy so we can determine the time of death more accurately. I'll explain why everyone has been gathered here."
He glanced down at his notebook before pinning several prepared photographs onto the whiteboard behind him.
"A murdered body was discovered inside a suite in Building B of the Twin Towers skyscraper."
"That person?!"
"I-Isn't that Councilman Iwamatsu?!"
Conan immediately turned toward Onizawa, disbelief filling his eyes.
Didn't Sensei personally promise him? Then why had Iwamatsu still been killed by the Organization?
But soon, he noticed Onizawa looking at him while subtly moving a finger from side to side.
'Sensei was telling him this wasn't the Organization's doing? Then who was it?
Could someone present yesterday have held a grudge against Councilman Oki?'
Conan lowered his head in thought.
"Takagi, go over the estimated time of death and the cause of death," Ritsu said, withdrawing his gaze from Conan.
"Yes. The victim died sometime between 10:00 p.m. and midnight. The cause of death was a single stab wound to the heart inflicted with a sharp weapon. The murder weapon was most likely a kitchen knife, but it wasn't found at the scene."
"However..."
Takagi placed an evidence bag on the table.
"The victim was found clutching a wine glass that had been broken cleanly into two pieces."
He continued,
"This wine glass is a very expensive item. Our preliminary conclusion is that the killer deliberately left it behind as a clue to their identity."
Ritsu raised an eyebrow as he examined the broken wine glass.
The killer had actually gone out of their way to leave the police a clue? There were only two likely possibilities.
Either the murderer was openly provoking the police or they wanted the police to identify them in hopes of preventing a second murder.
Turning his attention to the five photographs Takagi had posted on the whiteboard, he opened the organized case file before saying,
"It appears the motive is very likely connected to the Twin Towers skyscraper. Councilman Iwamatsu used his authority to force through amendments to the city's ordinance, allowing high-rise buildings to be constructed where they had previously been prohibited."
Ran suddenly understood.
"No wonder Tokiwa-san couldn't refuse Iwamatsu-san's request to move in early."
Sonoko kept staring at the broken wine glass inside the evidence bag. Subconsciously raising her hand, she looked toward Onizawa and shared her thoughts.
"Onizawa-san, I think this wine glass looks a little like the small dishes Japanese painters use while painting. It's also very similar to the small mortar used for grinding pigments."
Her words caused Ritsu to freeze for a moment. He carefully studied the broken wine glass. In his mind, he reconstructed its original shape.
If it were turned upside down on the table, it looked just like Mount Fuji.
Kisaragi Hosui, a Japanese-style painter famous for painting Mount Fuji.
Ritsu quickly recalled the profile he had just read.
Kisaragi lived on a hill in Asahino Town, Nishitama City. Opening Yahoo! Maps and checking the location, he discovered it was very close to Mount Fuji.
If he remembered correctly, after the Twin Towers skyscraper had been built, it blocked the view of Mount Fuji from many surrounding buildings.
That meant Kisaragi's motive was likely that he could no longer properly paint the mountain he loved.
Because of that, he had murdered Iwamatsu, the man responsible for passing the city ordinance. Kisaragi's next target was most likely Mio.
And the murder would probably take place during the opening ceremony.
He had to stop him.
Just because the Twin Towers Building blocked the view of Mount Fuji from his home, he intended to murder everyone connected to the project.
'What a strangely familiar motive.'
The sound of explosions echoed through Ritsu's mind once again as he recalled the insane actions of Moriya.
Honestly, why were middle-aged and elderly people these days so unreliable?
They already enjoyed wealth and prestige that countless others could never hope to attain, yet they still insisted on causing trouble for police officers who barely earned enough to get by.
'What a headache.'
Movement came from the doorway.
Ritsu turned, expecting Hayasaka to have returned. Instead, he met a pair of grayish-blue phoenix eyes.
"Excuse us, Onizawa-san. We've received an anonymous tip that the killer's next target is very likely Hara Yoshiaki. The Public Security Bureau is requesting permission to join the investigation."