Detective Conan: The Indecipherable Case

Ichi (1) (Part 2)

R E C A P    F R O M    T H E          L A S T    C H A P T E R:

Mouri was invited to have dinner with a politician, Mr Orochi Akiyama. Conan and Ran tag along with Mouri. At the politician's house, they meet four people - besides, Orochi Akiyama, they met:

- Keiko (his wife),

- Hitomi (a close friend to Orochi),

- Katsumi (a politician running against Orochi),

- Emiko (the maid of Keiko and Orochi)

The five adults and two children had their dinner, without Orochi. After dinner, Ran offers to wash the dishes with Keiko. Shortly after, she screams after stumbling upon Orochi's dead body in the shed, gaining Mouri and Conan's attention.

_______

'Love is hard to define.

And the reason is suspense.'

- Conan Edogawa

_______

"Hey? What's going on?" Keiko ran into the room with Conan, Ran and the deceased Orochi. Her eyes followed Ran's panicked ones and she gasped at the sight of Orochi.

She fell to her knees, before her dead husband. "Orochi!" Her hands grabbed his shoulders. "Orochi!" She shouted once more, with tears in her eyes. She began to shake him back and forth. "Orochi!"

Conan stared at Keiko. As she rocked Orochi back and forth, her hair also rocked back and forth. What caught his eye was that her blonde strands weren't all completely dry. There were strands which were wet.

Hitomi came in, her eyebrows knitted together. "I heard some noise from here, what's going on?" She asked, but was soon answered by Keiko's loud cry. Hitomi's face softened, when she put two and two together.

Conan could have sworn that he saw tears in her eyes, too.

Keiko shook Orochi back and forth even harder as she wailed. "Orochi!"

"Don't touch him," Conan warned, as he stared at the dead politician.

Mouri was right behind him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "Conan is right. This is a crime scene and it should not be tampered with. Ran, go call the police immediately,"

"Yes," Ran nodded, before she ran back into the house. She nearly bumped into Katsumi, who was trying to follow Hitomi after Hitomi heard Ran's scream.

"Oi! Keiko! What's the big idea?" Katsumi walked in, breathing heavily as he supported himself against the door. He paled at the sight of Orochi. "Orochi?"

"Mr Akiyama," Emiko choked out, from behind Katsumi.

"Calm down, everyone. Now, before the police arrive, I need everyone's alibis so let's all go to the dining room right now," Mouri said, before gesturing to the door.

In a single file, a muttering Katsumi, a sobbing Keiko, a silent Hitomi and the surprised maid, Emiko left the room, with Mouri and Ran behind them.

Now it's just you and me, Orochi Akiyama, Conan thought. How did you die? And who committed the crime?

Conan shoved his hands into his pocket as he carefully walked around Orochi Akiyama. Blood meandered from his neck onto his grey coat and white shirt from the inside.