According to the unwritten rules of this world, anyone who makes a claim must prove it. Detectives, in particular, enjoy the privilege of roaming around the crime scene, which means there's a lot of work to be done.
Inspector Megure had seen plenty of detectives do this in the past.
But this time, just as he was about to time Jiang Xia with his stopwatch, Inspector Megure heard Jiang Xia politely refuse: "No need."
Inspector Megure blinked: "Huh?"
Jiang Xia wasn't interested in running, because he knew this incident wouldn't help solve the case.
He glanced at the shikigami resting on the host's lap, then looked at the window and swiftly continued: "The murderer didn't need to come to this room. He just needed to be upstairs, lure the victim to lean out the window, and then shoot."
He pointed to the blood-splattered window and the neat break in the upper window frame: "After shooting, throw the gun out the window, so when the body falls, the window will naturally close. By leaving bullet marks inside the room first, you create the illusion that the killer was standing in the room and shooting."
The host, standing nearby, had a peculiar expression. He felt like he had hair standing up behind him, suspecting that Jiang Xia had actually followed him around when he committed the crime and witnessed everything.
Jiang Xia spoke quickly. Some people understood what he was saying, others didn't, but the next steps were clear.
Inspector Megure mulled it over for a while before calling the forensics team and asking them to check for gunpowder residues on the corresponding windows on the floors above.
Before long, gunpowder traces were found on the seventh floor—that was where the shooting had actually taken place.
If the host wanted to go from the studio on the ninth floor to the warehouse on the seventh, four minutes was more than enough.
The host's alibi had just crumbled in an instant.
He tried to argue, but at this point, he didn't even know what to say anymore.
Jiang Xia had essentially stolen the murder script and laid it out for everyone to see. The host had never expected things to play out like this.
From there, things became easier.
Although the seventh floor was close to the studio, four minutes was still cutting it short. If the host had fired at that time, the gunpowder traces would've been detectable. But with the quick timing and the disguise, his armor had been difficult to hide. A simple search along the route revealed a powerful piece of evidence.
While the host was hunched in a corner, clutching his head and sulking under the watchful eyes of the officers, Takagi discovered the raincoat and gloves the host had worn when he fired the shot, hidden in a fire box on the eighth floor.
After identifying these physical pieces of evidence, the murderer would be clear. Judging from the host's reaction, however, the outcome was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
The case practically fast-forwarded to its conclusion.
The officers began looking at Jiang Xia with newfound warmth. This kid always found himself in the middle of murder cases, but he solved them quickly. Who wouldn't like a quicker workday?
Inspector Megure, content, slapped his back and gestured for his subordinates to bring the suspect and the evidence back to the station.
As for him, he had to deal with another matter his old friend had asked him to help with—Kudo's wife was missing.
Kudo Yukiko had only been gone for a few hours, and all they had was a phone call. It wasn't enough to file a case yet.
But Yusaku Kudo seemed worried, so Inspector Megure decided to look into it privately.
Before leaving the Nichiuri TV Station building, Inspector Megure absentmindedly glanced around the crowd and spotted a familiar figure.
A woman, wearing a sun hat and sunglasses, was trying to hide her face, but Inspector Megure couldn't shake the feeling that it looked a lot like Yukiko Kudo. He quickly ran over.
However, with the crowd packed tightly around, when Inspector Megure arrived, the woman was already gone.
Scratching the back of his head, Inspector Megure was puzzled when his phone rang.
He checked the caller ID and picked up: "Hello? Kudo. Oh, I haven't had the chance yet, but I think I saw someone who looks a lot like your wife... It was a crowded scene, so I couldn't see clearly. Huh? Yeah, I'm at the TV station. There's a murder case here..."
Jiang Xia, who was walking by, froze for a moment when he overheard the call.
But he quickly calmed down.
I was just saying hi to the neighbor lady and talking about my plans for the day. No need to feel guilty, right?
After a few seconds of soothing his conscience, Jiang Xia walked back to the backstage as if nothing had happened.
...
Yoko Kinoshita also had an evening show. After cleaning up the mess, she parted ways with Jiang Xia, a little regretful.
Kudo Yukiko and Jiang Xia went downstairs together, but halfway through, she paused, her eyes shifting nervously.
When they reached the entrance of the TV station, Kudo Yukiko saw two people, one large and one small, glaring at her with resentment. Yukiko froze.
She awkwardly smiled and patted Jiang Xia's back: "You go ahead."
Jiang Xia nodded politely to Kudo and his son, then left.
Kudo Yukiko turned to face her husband and son, who had been searching for her all afternoon. She adjusted her hat, feeling a bit guilty.
Earlier, when Jiang Xia had started recording the show, she had sat in the audience. After some time apart, she finally remembered her "real business."
But by that point, the show had already begun recording, and she had promised to stay with Jiang Xia and the rest of the family. So, she turned and left.
Feeling guilty, Yukiko quickly thought of an excuse.
According to the doctor, when members of the Black Organization saw Shinichi, they immediately knocked him out with a blow to the back of the head.
But she and her husband couldn't be that cruel to their son, who was so smart. If things went on like this, Shinichi might start suspecting that these "organization members" weren't so violent after all, especially since they were so patient with his troublesome antics. If he found out, their whole fake kidnapping would fall apart.
And so, the best option was to disappear suddenly, giving Shinichi a chance to realize how dangerous his situation was. The father and son had solved so many cases together, after all, their brains were sharper than most...
...
Outside the Nichiuri TV building, Yukiko Kudo faced the other two Kudos, who were full of resentment. She took a deep breath and bravely started explaining her pre-planned remarks.
Kudo Yusaku was silent for a long while before finally sighing, deciding to cooperate with her for the time being and discuss her disappearance later.
So, Kudo Yusaku turned to Conan: "Have you thought about the consequences of staying here? If the organization finds you, the people around you will be in danger—just like your mother today."
But Conan wasn't convinced. He looked at Kudo Yukiko with a deadpan expression: "You must've followed Jiang Xia first, and then remembered I was still stuck at home, so now you're making up excuses... Anyway, leave me alone. I'm not leaving!"
...
Jiang Xia, unaware of the Kudo family's argument, returned home with his newly acquired shikigami.
A few days later, when he saw Conan running out of Dr. Agasa's house again, Jiang Xia finally relaxed—the case collector was still on the job. He no longer had to worry about traveling to the United States to find someone if he couldn't find any more ghosts.
After the live broadcast of the case, Jiang Xia's reputation in the detective world grew again, especially after a genius photographer illegally aired the case content.
Since the case was solved so smoothly, some speculated that it was all scripted or just a special "overtime" program.
But when news broke the next day that the host was arrested and the producer was killed, those suspicions faded away. The host and producer were both famous, so it was clear they weren't killed or arrested for a show.
Despite his growing fame, Jiang Xia still hadn't received any mysterious requests from faraway clients offering to let him pick up many souls. He was still busy chasing cats and dogs for Xiaobai to stare at.
Jiang Xia even wondered if Conan had attracted the commissions on his behalf.
But after investigating Mouri Kogoro's detective agency a few times under the pretense of meeting with Yoko Kinoshita, Jiang Xia found that Mouri Kogoro hadn't received any decent cases.
It wasn't that Jiang Xia's reputation wasn't enough—it just wasn't the right time yet...
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 8/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*