Chapter 86: Pointing at the Killer

"Our department head is dead?!"

Akikawa Kyousuke was slightly shocked when he heard Mouri Ran's words.

He was also surprised by the director named Sogabe Ryo.

This was one of the directors at the first table, whom Okino Yoko personally introduced to him during last night's dinner.

Akikawa Kyousuke clearly remembered how Sogabe Ryo seemed drowsy throughout the dinner.

When teased by Okino Yoko, Sogabe even mentioned that, had he known in advance, he would have rested at the hotel instead.

'Kosaka Tsunekazu and Sogabe Ryo are both directors I greeted at the first table.'

'The only one left is Souma Miho, who had joked with Okino Yoko but suddenly complained of back pain before shaking hands with me.'

'Although Kosaka Tsunekazu, Sogabe Ryo, and Souma Miho are in different situations, they share a "common link."'

'Now that it's known Dr. Takao Ohga was acquainted with Kosaka Tsunekazu, it's highly likely he knew the other two as well.'

'If the cause of Sogabe Ryo's death resembles that of Kosaka Tsunekazu, then the killer is most likely Hotta Yoshitoki, who held a grudge against Takao Ohga.'

Through Sogabe Ryo's death, Akikawa Kyousuke became aware of the connection between this case and yesterday's incident.

But something still felt inconsistent.

That was Takao Ohga's invitation to the personal exhibition room of Hotta Yoshitoki.

'If Hotta Yoshitoki had invited me, that would make sense.'

'Perhaps he wanted me to provide him with an alibi.'

'Or, in the worst-case scenario, he might even try to frame me for the murder.'

'But in this case, Takao Ohga is clearly the "victim."'

'So, what was the purpose of inviting me to Hotta Yoshitoki's exhibition room?'

As Akikawa Kyousuke struggled to form a precise conclusion due to limited information, he overheard Mouri Ran whispering to Suzuki Sonoko.

"Sonoko, why don't we go take a look? I'm worried Conan might be in danger."

"But isn't Sera with him?"

"Even so, Sera is just one person. I'm not sure she can fully protect Conan."

"That's true. It's time for the great detective Suzuki Sonoko to step up!"

Persuaded by Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko stood up alongside her.

She turned to Akikawa Kyousuke.

"Mr. Akikawa, Ran and I are stepping out for a moment. Please stay here with Miss Itakura."

After Suzuki Sonoko said this, she and Mouri Ran quickly walked in the direction where Sera Masumi and Conan had gone earlier.

Akikawa Kyousuke glanced at Itakura Misaki.

"I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back shortly."

Sitting on the other side, Itakura Misaki hadn't heard Mouri Ran's whisper to Suzuki Sonoko. She nodded slightly without suspecting anything.

Akikawa Kyousuke followed Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko from a distance.

They arrived at the personal rooms specially reserved for directors and screenwriters within the exhibition hall.

Here, Akikawa Kyousuke saw several film exhibition staff and security guards surrounding one of the rooms.

Inside Sogabe Ryo's room, he spotted Conan and Sera Masumi examining Sogabe Ryo's body lying on the floor.

'Forget Sera Masumi—how can Conan, a primary school student, openly access a crime scene?'

Akikawa Kyousuke was baffled but edged closer to Sogabe Ryo's room.

He then clearly saw two prominent wounds—one on Sogabe's forehead and the other on his arm.

'Gunshot wounds?!'

Akikawa Kyousuke was utterly shocked when he saw this scene.

He had assumed Sogabe Ryo's death would be similar to yesterday's case, involving respiratory issues.

But he hadn't expected such a straightforward cause of death—a gunshot wound.

'I can't see the exact details of the forehead wound, but I'd guess it's a blind tube injury.'

'The arm wound is a penetrating injury, and the arm wound shows signs of vital reactions.'

A blind tube injury is a wound caused by a bullet lodged in the body.

A penetrating injury occurs when a bullet goes through the body and exits.

'In other words, the killer first shot Sogabe Ryo in the arm and then fired a shot to his forehead.'

Being well-versed in gunshot wounds, Akikawa Kyousuke quickly determined the nature of the injuries and cause of death.

He began observing the blood on Sogabe's forehead and arm.

He noticed the blood color was no longer bright red or dark red but was gradually turning into a deep red.

However, ambient temperature could also affect the blood color changes.

Since Akikawa Kyousuke was observing from a distance and hadn't entered Sogabe Ryo's room, he couldn't determine the exact room temperature.

'The runtime of Ryo's movie is 70 minutes. After the screening, there are still 15 minutes allocated for the audience to leave and for staff to clean up.'

'Ryo Sogabe was supposed to give a speech before the movie started, meaning he was still alive at that point.'

'Considering the waiting time before the movie, the maximum time of death couldn't have exceeded 100 minutes.'

'Therefore, the room temperature shouldn't have been a "low-temperature environment" below 10°C, as 100 minutes isn't enough for blood to darken this much in such conditions.'

'The handsome detective looks fine, but the little grim reaper is sweating from his neck and forehead, which suggests the room was a "high-temperature environment" exceeding 30°C.'

'In a high-temperature environment above 30°C, the time of Sogabe Ryo's death should be less than an hour.'

Akikawa Kyousuke deduced an approximate room temperature and time of death based on the scene's details.

Although many people had entered and exited the exhibition hall during this period, this information alone couldn't pinpoint the killer.

But Sogabe Ryo's death clarified the doubts in Akikawa Kyousuke's mind.

Why was Sogabe Ryo's death different from Kosaka Tsunekazu's yesterday?

Why did Takao Ohga, clearly a "victim," personally visit Hotta Yoshitoki's exhibition room?

The answer was—

Although Kosaka Tsunekazu and Sogabe Ryo had something in common,

their killers were entirely different people.

There's no way to confirm whether Hotta Yoshitoki killed the former.

But the killer of the latter is now crystal clear.

The murderer altered the room temperature solely to mislead the police and detectives about the time of death.

Assuming the room temperature was maintained between 20–25°C,

the blood would take at least 60 minutes to change from bright red to deep red.

At that time, Akikawa Kyousuke and Itakura Misaki were still watching a movie in Oda Ema's screening room.

The same was true for the Grim Reaper's young disciple and others.

Furthermore, there's another individual with an alibi who's connected to Sogabe Ryo.

—Takao Ohga, a plastic surgeon and graduate of Tokyo University's School of Medicine.

(End of Chapter)