Chapter 372: Hiding a Tree in the Forest

As mentioned before:

One of the essential skills for detectives and law enforcement officers is acting.

In the confrontation with the suspect, the verbal exchange between both sides is, in fact, a psychological battle.

Every action, every reaction, and even subtle changes in facial expressions reveal significant amounts of information.

Cunning and elusive criminals use this to interpret the information conveyed by the law enforcement officer, to assess how much intelligence the other side has, to judge their own situation, and to determine if the other side is deceiving them into confessing.

On the other hand, skilled law enforcement officers, in the midst of verbal probing, interpret all the information conveyed by the suspect's behavior to obtain the information they seek.

Hiroshi Miura is evidently not a formidable criminal. Although somewhat clever, using a button to frame Haruka and divert attention to clear suspicion, he is ultimately an ordinary person with average psychological resilience.

So when Senichi mentioned the computer, his nervousness began to surface.

Later on, he attempted to divert attention and guide Senichi to search for documents.

However, Senichi easily saw through this little scheme. After that, the anxious expression on Miura's face already sealed his defeat.

As for search warrants and the like?

Time is of the essence. If evidence that could lead to conviction is found during a visit to the suspect's home, should one obediently wait for a search warrant? What if the suspect destroys the evidence midway?

In a sense, the field of law enforcement is also about determining victory or defeat based on results.

As for the process, as long as the behavior is not too extreme, generally, there is no problem.

After Senichi opened the casing of the computer, it was obvious that, inside the empty slots of the computer, there was an unconnected hard drive!!

This is also why, when checking the computer, Hiroshi Miura, although somewhat flustered, did not immediately break down psychologically.

Because he had hidden the hard drive he received from Miss Terazumi inside the computer casing but did not connect it.

This is also why he was not afraid of the contents being examined.

Because the hard drive was not connected at all; it was simply placed inside the CPU. Therefore, no matter how it is checked, those contents that he did not want to be seen cannot be found.

But unfortunately, "As demons rise, so do saints." This little trick was completely seen through by Senichi.

"Oh? This is truly peculiar~"

Placing the casing of the CPU on the ground, Senichi looked at the situation inside and smiled, saying, "I didn't expect there to be an unconnected hard drive in the CPU. Let me help you connect it."

"No!!"

Hiroshi Miura, hindered by Takagi and Haruka, watched Senichi wearing white gloves and connected the hard drive to the computer. He saw Senichi pick up the mouse and open the newly revealed disk in the computer, and a feeling of despair was silently rising in his heart.

"Hehe, it seems your fate is already sealed."

Senichi turned around to look at Hiroshi Miura kneeling on the ground. Although there was a smile on his face, his eyes were sharp and profound. "You are indeed clever. That heavy computer was probably brought out of Miss Terazumi's house by you, and you directly destroyed it.

Because the remaining contents only need the hard drive to complete.

Similarly, you also know that your wife, Miyako, is an important witness in the case, so the possibility of a police search at home is high.

If you hastily hid the hard drive, it would be bad if it were discovered. So, you thought of the best hiding place."

Senichi tapped the CPU and continued, "It's like hiding a tree in the forest, right?"

"I'm afraid you didn't expect this hard drive to be found, did you?" Haruka looked at Hiroshi Miura and said, "You probably haven't wiped off the fingerprints on it, right?"

"After going back, as long as the forensic team confirms that this is Miss Terazumi's hard drive, it's enough to convict you." Takagi added, "How about it? Do you still want to resist stubbornly?"

"..."

Facing the words of the two, Hiroshi Miura seemed as if he hadn't heard them, maintaining silence. This attitude made Takagi frown in anger and say, "Hey! What are you doing? You won't admit your mistakes even in the face of ironclad evidence?"

"Hehe, he naturally doesn't want to speak."

Facing Hiroshi Miura's silent resistance, Senichi showed no signs of anger, just looking at the other party with a playful expression. "He remains silent because he wants to see how much we actually know. If our investigation falls short, he'll maintain silence and accept the assumed guilty charge. This way, he can avoid a more severe punishment."

"What did you say!" Haruka turned around abruptly, looking at Senichi in disbelief. "Could it be... Yoshiaki Miura, the case from a year ago..."

"That's right, it's probably him who killed Yoshiaki Miura."

Senichi looked at Hiroshi Miura kneeling on the ground, his calm words stating what seemed to be an ironclad fact. "And the motive for killing Miss Terazumi is not at all related to your wife; it's purely for yourself. If my deduction is correct, perhaps Miss Terazumi found out about your killing of Yoshiaki Miura? So, you chose to silence her by committing murder."

"How!!"

Upon hearing Senichi's words, Hiroshi Miura's silence could no longer hold. His mindset shattered as he shouted, "How can you know even that kind of thing! It's as if you personally witnessed and experienced everything..."

"Because he is Detective Senichi..."

"Because he is Detective Senichi..."

Facing Hiroshi Miura's desperate questioning, Takagi and Haruka both sighed involuntarily.

"Just an ordinary person." Senichi smiled and said, "Just someone with some experience in deduction."

"Senichi..." Hiroshi Miura's pupils constricted upon hearing the words of Takagi and Haruka. Then, he slumped and said, "Damn it... to think I would encounter you. It seems this is fate."

Accompanied by the wailing police sirens, after the forensic team arrived to collect evidence, they escorted Hiroshi Miura back to the criminal investigation department.

"By the way, there's one thing I don't quite understand." Standing outside the interrogation room, Takagi looked at Senichi and asked, "Hiroshi Miura already got Miss Terazumi's computer, right? So why leave the hard drive behind? Just destroy it like the computer, why create such a big loophole?"

"Well, he's a somewhat clever guy. You can see that from how he used the button to frame Haruka, trying to shift our search focus," Senichi replied, looking through the one-way glass into the room where Hiroshi Miura was seated. "Because of this, he thought of a possibility and feared that this possibility might become a reality."

"Possibility?" Takagi and Haruka exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

To this, Senichi smiled and reminded them, "Did you forget?..."

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