In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 87

Yuki Takada was not discouraged. He carefully examined every figure who left the parking lot shortly after the time of the incident.

Ms. Date watched the surveillance footage.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared at the edge of the surveillance screen!

The man was wearing the uniform jacket of a Teitan Junior High School teacher. He was walking hurriedly with his head down towards the parking lot exit and soon walked out of the surveillance camera's range.

It's Mai Shimazu!

The homeroom teacher of Class D, Grade 1 at Teitan Junior High School, was also one of the teachers accompanying the group on this field trip!

Yuki Takada's pupils contracted slightly.

Mai Shimazu? How could it be her?

Shouldn't she be with her students right now?

Ms. Date immediately recalled the previous scene: Ms. Shimazu Mai was indeed with him arranging class activities, but later the riot occurred, and his attention was drawn to her, so he didn't pay special attention to where she went.

After Higashiyama-sensei was killed and Date-sensei screamed, among the teachers who rushed to the scene, it seemed that Shimazu Mai was not immediately seen.

A thought flashed through Yuuki Takada's mind: slim build, the right shoe size, dark coat (Teitan teachers' coats are dark blue), familiar with the park's terrain, as the teacher in charge, he must have known about it beforehand, so there was a reason for him to be nearby.

Moreover, the dark red stains on that piece of fabric gave him an ominous feeling.

Could it be... that so-called shadowy figure was actually Shimazu Mai-sensei?

Yuuki Takada immediately contacted Juzo Megure via radio: "Brother Megure, please confirm the current location and status of Mai Shimazu immediately!"

A moment later, Inspector Megure replied: "Brother Takada, Shimazu-sensei just showed up. She said she felt a little unwell because of the commotion on the beach and went to the park's restroom to rest for a while. She just came back. She's currently helping to calm the frightened students."

"Was she injured? Or were her clothes torn?" Yuki Takada pressed.

"Uh...nothing seems amiss. Her clothes are neat." Inspector Megure's voice carried a hint of doubt. "Brother Takada, are you suspecting her?"

“I’ve discovered a new lead and need Mr. Shimazu’s assistance in the investigation. Brother Megure, please have her stay where she is; I’ll be right there,” Yuuki Takada said calmly, though his heart was already in turmoil.

If it really is her, what is her motive?

And why did she come back and forth?

Yuki Takada rushed back to the main scene.

The students have been moved to a safe area and are being supervised by other teachers.

Mai Shimazu was standing near a group of students, her face looking somewhat pale, as if she had really been frightened, and she was talking to Miwako Sato.

Seeing Takada Yuuki approach, Shimazu Mai looked up and gave a forced smile: "Officer Takada, I heard you were looking for me?"

"This is terrifying, how could something like this happen..."

Yuuki Takada observed her carefully.

Her dark blue teacher's coat looked very neat, with no obvious damage.

Although his expression was tense, he didn't seem to feel much guilt or panic.

"Mr. Shimazu, may I ask where you were at the time of the incident, which was about 20 minutes ago?" Yuki Takada asked directly.

Mai Shimazu paused for a moment, seemingly not expecting the police to question her directly. She glanced at Miwako Sato instinctively before replying, "I... I had a bit of an upset stomach, so I went to the public restroom over there."

She pointed to a restroom that was in the exact opposite direction from where the murderer had fled.

"Can anyone prove it?"

"Well... I don't think there was anyone else in the restroom at the time... I'm not sure." Shimazu Mai's eyes flickered.

“According to our investigation, the perpetrator’s clothes were torn during the escape, possibly leaving marks.” Takada Yuuki stared intently into her eyes. “Shimazu-sensei, if you don’t mind, could we examine your coat?”

Mai Shimazu's face turned even paler, and she instinctively gripped her coat tightly: "Officer Takada! What do you mean by this?"

"You doubt me? How could I possibly kill Mr. Higashiyama?!"

"I have no grudge against him!"

Her reaction was somewhat intense, attracting the attention of several police officers and teachers nearby.

"It's just a routine check, please cooperate." Yuuki Takada's voice was calm but carried an undeniable authority.

Miwako Sato stepped forward, her tone gentle but firm: "Ms. Shimazu, please don't misunderstand. This is just to eliminate suspicion and find the real culprit as soon as possible."

"If there are no problems, it's good for everyone to have it checked."

Mai Shimazu bit her lip, a hint of struggle and panic flashing in her eyes.

Just when Yuuki Takada thought she was going to refuse, she suddenly deflated, loosened her grip on her coat, and whispered, "Okay... you can check it..."

Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato carefully examined her coat, front, back, cuffs... and found no damage or scratches.

Mai Shimazu seemed relieved, and her tone became more forceful: "See? I told you it wasn't me!"

"How could I possibly do such a thing!"

Yuki Takada didn't speak; his gaze fell on Mai Shimazu's shoes.

She was wearing a pair of flat loafers, the size seemed to be correct, and the pattern on the soles... was not clearly visible because she was standing on hard ground.

"Mr. Shimazu, your shoes..."

"What's wrong with the shoes? They're just ordinary!" Shimazu Mai seemed a little annoyed.

Just then, Shinichi Kudo walked over, his sharp gaze sweeping over Mai Shimazu's entire body. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the inside of the right cuff of her coat.

“Shimazu-sensei,” Shinichi Kudo began, his voice calm and clear, “what’s that stuck to the inside of your cuff?”

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked in the direction that Shinichi Kudo had pointed.

On the inside of the right cuff of Shimazu Mai's dark blue coat, in an extremely inconspicuous place, were a few very tiny, already somewhat dark red spots!

Mai Shimazu's expression suddenly changed drastically, and she abruptly put her hands behind her back.

Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato immediately stepped forward. Yuki Takada grabbed her wrist, while Miwako Sato carefully lifted her sleeve to check.

Those dark red spots... they look exactly like splattered blood!

Moreover, the color and condition are quite similar to the blood from the wound on Professor Higashiyama's throat!

"This isn't mine! I don't know what this is!" Shimazu Mai cried out in panic, trying to break free.

"Ms. Shimazu, please calm down!" Yuuki Takada held her firmly. "This needs to be taken back to the police station for testing. Please cooperate with our investigation."

"No! It wasn't me! I really didn't kill anyone!" Shimazu Mai was on the verge of collapse, tears streaming down her face. "I just... I just..."

Chapter 106 Miyamoto Yumi, what are you doing here?

Just as Shimazu Mai was so emotionally distraught that she almost collapsed, Sato Miwako caught her in time.

Yuki Takada's gaze remained sharp, but the doubts in his heart had not been completely dispelled.

Mai Shimazu's reaction was not just guilty; it seemed to be mixed with other, deeper fears.

"I really... just... happened to be passing by there. I'm not the murderer." Shimazu Mai sobbed, her words broken. "I saw it... but I'm not the murderer!"

Just as Yuuki Takada was about to ask further questions, the urgent voice of the police officer who was positioned at the edge of the woods suddenly came through his radio headset: "Report! Inspector Megure! Inspector Takada!"

"We found a suspicious woman deep in the woods on the west side, near the highway median!"

"She tried to climb over the fence to leave the park, but we stopped her! However, she was very agitated and claimed that she was innocent!"

This news immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Inspector Megure immediately responded, "Control her! We're coming right away!"

Yuuki Takada glanced at Mai Shimazu, who was on the verge of collapse, and said to Miwako Sato, "Sato, take care of Ms. Shimazu first. Take her to the police car to rest and calm down."

"Her suspicion cannot be completely ruled out, but the findings over there may be more important."

"Understood." Sato Miwako nodded and helped the still trembling Shimazu Mai walk toward the police car.

Yuki Takada and Juzo Megure exchanged a glance, then immediately led several officers and hurried toward the location reported by the officers.

Shinichi Kudo also keenly sensed that this might be a new breakthrough and immediately followed.

"Officer Takada, Inspector Megure, let me go with you! Maybe I can find something!" Shinichi Kudo said urgently.

Yuuki Takada glanced at him but didn't object: "Stay close and be careful."

The group quickly passed through the woods and arrived at the western edge of the park.

The trees here are relatively sparse, and a tall wire fence separates the park from the road outside.

Several police officers were surrounding a woman with her back to them, wearing a casual outfit and with her hair somewhat disheveled.

The woman appeared to be arguing heatedly with the police officer.

"I really was just passing by!"

"You can't do this! Let me go!" The woman's voice was filled with anger and a hint of barely perceptible panic.

This voice...

Yuki Takada felt the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

"What's going on?" Inspector Megure asked in a deep voice.

An officer turned around and reported: "Inspector, we patrolled this area as planned and found this woman trying to climb over the railing in a very panicked manner. Her behavior is highly suspicious. We asked her to cooperate with the investigation, but she is very uncooperative."

Upon hearing Megure's voice, the woman turned around abruptly and shouted, "I already told you I'm not a bad person! I am..."

The moment she turned around, all the police officers who had rushed over, including Yuki Takada and Juzo Megure, were stunned.

Even Shinichi Kudo's eyes widened in surprise.

That pretty face, tinged with anger and a hint of dishevelment, was none other than—Yumi Miyamoto.

"Miyamoto Yumi?!" Takada Yuki and Inspector Megure exclaimed almost in unison.

The person stopped by the police was Miyamoto Yumi, who had gotten separated from Takada Yuki and the others.

"Miyamoto Yumi?!" Takada Yuki walked up in disbelief. "What are you doing here? And in this state?"

The Miyamoto Yumi in front of me was not as energetic as usual.

Her light-colored casual clothes were covered with some mud and grass clippings, her hair was a little messy, a few strands of hair stuck to her slightly sweaty forehead, and her face had a flush from exercise and an excited expression, making her look like she had indeed run and traversed through the woods.

Upon seeing familiar faces, Miyamoto Yumi first breathed a sigh of relief, then, as if finding an outlet for her emotions, her voice became even more excited: "Inspector Takada! Inspector Megure! That's great!"