Chapter 122: Bad Cop
11:10 a.m.
Mouri Ran and her group had just finished watching the play Sakura Rain, directed by Yuya Tanaka.
Following the other theatergoers who had just seen the movie, they exited the projection room with excitement.
"Impressive! Truly impressive!"
"The emotional scenes in Sakura Rain are even more delicate and moving than the movies I've seen written by Oda!"
Suzuki Sonoko couldn't help but sigh as she recalled the content of the film they had just watched.
"Yes, yes! Director Tanaka really deserves his reputation! It's truly amazing!"
Mouri Ran also seemed deeply moved.
"Speaking of which, I read the manga Sakura Rain when I was in high school. I was really worried the movie adaptation might ruin it."
"I didn't expect the result to be this good! It far exceeded my expectations!"
"Exactly! Ran, you're absolutely right!"
Sera Masumi walked silently behind them, smiling as Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran animatedly discussed the plot.
---
"By the way, I didn't see Director Tanaka speak before today's screening started," said Mouri Ran.
"The director was caught for drunk driving."
"Eh?!"
Conan, who had been playing with his phone with his head lowered, suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this, Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran both showed surprised expressions.
"Didn't the screenwriter Oda accidentally swap the non-alcoholic beer with regular beer?"
"Then, the traffic police caught Director Tanaka driving home because he drank what he thought was non-alcoholic beer, but it turned out to be regular beer," explained Conan.
"Is something like that even possible? But Director Tanaka didn't do it on purpose, right? Will his driver's license be revoked?" asked Suzuki Sonoko.
"That's not clear," Conan replied.
---
They walked for a while.
After reaching a quieter area away from the crowd, Mouri Ran took out the rice balls and drinks she had bought earlier from her bag and looked at Sera Masumi and the others behind her.
"Sera, Conan, why don't we have lunch here?"
"Eh? Isn't it too early? We haven't been up for that long since breakfast," complained Conan.
"Don't you plan to watch The Sound of Silence by Director Soma later? If you eat inside the projection room, you might disturb others," Ran said.
"Oh, Ran, it's fine~" Suzuki Sonoko interrupted.
"Anyway, I asked the organizers to arrange a private screening for us. It'll just be a few of us in the theater, so we won't bother anyone else."
"Yes, Ran. Also, rice balls aren't like sandwiches. They're practically tasteless and won't bother others," Sera Masumi added with a smile.
"Alright, let's eat while watching the movie.
But remember, don't leave a mess in the projection room! Otherwise, we'll only make more work for the cleaning staff."
Hearing what Suzuki Sonoko and Sera Masumi said, Mouri Ran reluctantly put the rice balls back in her bag.
Conan, on the other hand, stretched out his childish voice and responded lazily, "Alright~."
---
"Sonoko, when does our movie start?"
"I already told you, it's at 11:40."
"What?! We don't have much time left! We need to hurry!"
The exhibition hall for Director Tanaka's play wasn't close to the one showing Miho Soma's work.
Mouri Ran and the others stopped lingering and quickened their pace toward Miho Soma's theater.
---
"Miss Sera," called Conan from behind.
Sera Masumi, who was walking ahead, turned her head and saw Conan handing her his cellphone.
Perhaps due to the angle, Conan's large round glasses reflected a white light at that moment, making it hard to see his expression clearly.
Sera Masumi took the phone.
Her eyes widened in shock as she read the headline on Conan's phone screen.
---
[The killer from the Minato Film Festival shooting case in Tokyo, Takao Ohga, attempted to attack a police officer during interrogation and has been subdued.]
---
Seeing the headline, Sera Masumi immediately connected it to the recent case involving Koichi Nishihara attacking a police officer.
Koichi Nishihara, the killer in the Imperial Theater case, had also made headlines for attacking a police officer after his arrest.
At the time, both Sera Masumi and Conan agreed that Nishihara Koichi neither had the motive nor the circumstances to attack the police.
The two detectives had considered one possibility:
The attack on the police by Nishihara Koichi had been deliberately staged.
---
And it was obvious who could orchestrate something like that.
It had to be a high-ranking criminal officer from the First Investigative Division's Third Criminal Investigation Section at the Metropolitan Police Department.
---
Conan knew that Sera Masumi detested such actions, just as he did.
However, he still found it difficult to believe that a police officer—someone who represented justice and fairness—would do something like that.
"Miss Sera," Conan called softly, looking at Sera Masumi, who had lowered her head in silence.
Sera Masumi snapped out of her thoughts and handed the phone back to Conan.
---
"If a criminal intends to attack a police officer during interrogation, at least three conditions must be met.
They must be provoked to the point of losing their temper, remain physically capable of acting, and possess something that can be used as a weapon.
Both Koichi Nishihara and Takao Ohga are cold-blooded killers. How could such situations occur?"
The emotion in Sera Masumi's tone began to fade.
Conan noticed this as a sign that Sera Masumi was growing angry.
"There are bad cops in the Metropolitan Police Department," Conan replied solemnly.
"As expected, it must be Officer Toda who directed Nakajima Takuto during the previous car accident case."
---
Both Conan and Sera Masumi still remembered that Sato Miwako had ordered Takuto Nakajima to report the case to "Officer Toda" due to his coercion of a confession from Akikawa Kyousuke.
In other words, Takuto Nakajima wasn't Sato Miwako's subordinate.
The officer named "Toda" was at least of equal rank to Sato Miwako.
---
"By the way, wasn't it Officer Toda who took Oda Ema, the one who killed Kosaka Tsunekazu, into custody?" Sera Masumi asked, glancing at Conan.
Conan nodded seriously.
Suddenly, a worrying thought crossed his mind.
Would Oda Ema, who voluntarily turned herself in, suffer the same treatment?
---
As they discussed, Conan and the group finally arrived at Miho Soma's projection room, which had been closed due to the shooting.
Suzuki Sonoko stepped forward and tried to push open the door, but it didn't budge.
"Eh? Why is it locked? Didn't the staff come to unlock it?"
Just as she finished speaking, a man's roar erupted from inside the projection room:
"How can someone like you exist in this world?!"
"You're truly sick!"
"Damn it! Damn it! You deserve to die!"
---
Everyone froze, shocked by the voice.
Sera Masumi reacted first, realizing that a crime might be taking place in the projection room.
She ran to the door, trying to open it, while banging loudly.
But the door wouldn't budge.
---
"Ran, Sonoko, stay back," Sera Masumi instructed firmly.
Mouri Ran and the others saw Sera Masumi take a step back and adopt a combat stance.
They quickly moved aside.
---
Sera Masumi began her signature Jeet Kune Do movement, a sharp shaking technique.
After two light jumps, she suddenly extended her right leg like lightning.
Her entire body rotated 360 degrees horizontally in an instant, slamming her foot into the metal door.
With a loud BANG!, the door collapsed.
---
Inside, they saw Detective Kyouji Toda, whom they had met two days earlier at the Harbour Court Hotel.
He was pulling a dagger out of Akikawa Kyousuke's neck.
(End of Chapter)