Chapter 162: Doubts
The criminal investigators at the scene split into two groups.
One group set out to search for the black suitcase in which the corpse had been abandoned.
The other group headed to the guest room area on the second floor to search the rooms of the three suspects and the deceased.
It was almost seven-thirty in the morning.
By then, many tourists were already waking up one after another.
Additionally, the large group conducting the search in the rooms drew attention, and many people opened their doors, watching curiously.
Unlike traffic officers, Japanese criminal investigators do not typically wear police uniforms when handling cases.
However, the uniformly formal attire and markedly different demeanor of the criminal investigators compared to the other tourists made it easy for many to identify them.
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Misaki Itakura also opened her door and peeked out to check the situation.
Earlier that morning, she had vaguely heard the sound of police sirens in her sleep, which had woken her immediately.
Although she had no concrete reason to believe it, Misaki Itakura couldn't help but feel that whenever a case occurred, it was likely her artist who had been killed.
She quickly tried to contact Akikawa Kyousuke.
But there was no response.
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'I feel like I'm becoming neurotic. Every time I hear sirens, my heart starts racing.'
Misaki Itakura silently prayed that Akikawa Kyousuke had simply overslept.
Then, she saw several people, who appeared to be detectives, standing at the door of Akikawa Kyousuke's room.
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"!!!"
Misaki Itakura felt her heart suddenly sink and rushed out immediately.
"Excuse me, may I ask what's going on?"
She inquired anxiously to the individuals who looked like criminal investigators and were about to enter Akikawa Kyousuke's room.
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"Do you know Akikawa Kyousuke?"
One of the detectives turned and asked.
"I'm Mr. Akikawa's manager. Are you saying that Mr. Akikawa has been killed again?"
"Again?"
The two detectives exchanged confused glances at Misaki Itakura's statement.
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'What does that mean?
Could it be that the person living here is frequently killed?'
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"It's not that he was killed. Someone else died, and Akikawa Kyousuke is one of the suspects.
We're about to search his room."
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"I see... That's a relief."
Misaki Itakura let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
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The two detectives observed Misaki Itakura's reaction and were equally baffled.
'What's going on?
This manager seems relieved that her artist is a murder suspect?'
---
After thanking the two detectives, Misaki Itakura returned to her room.
Once she closed the door, she gently patted her chest, where her heart was still racing, and took a deep breath.
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'So, he wasn't killed; he's just a suspect.'
After spending so much time with Akikawa Kyousuke, Misaki had developed great confidence in his character as an artist.
To her, Akikawa Kyousuke was like a white rabbit—innocent, adorable, and harmless.
---
Although there were times when Akikawa Kyousuke's ability to read people's thoughts felt a bit unsettling, Misaki Itakura firmly believed that he neither knew how nor had the capacity to harm others.
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Elsewhere.
Dr. Agasa, along with the Junior Detective League and several detectives, was in the deceased Takeshi Furusawa's room.
The room appeared spotless.
Nothing was found that could have been used to produce hydrogen sulfide gas.
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"The air conditioning in the room was on, and the room keycard was still inserted into the power slot," said Conan.
"A person only has one room card.
If Takeshi Furusawa left the room, he would have definitely taken the card with him."
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"Of course, there's also the possibility that Takeshi Furusawa, being drunk, forgot to take the room card.
But judging by the indentations on the bed sheets, this must be the crime scene without a doubt."
Conan examined the folds on the bed linens, muttering to himself.
The white sheets clearly showed the marks of someone lying down and being dragged.
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"It would be unreasonable for this not to be the crime scene," Haibara Ai remarked beside Conan.
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"The first thing the criminal investigators did when they entered the room was test the hydrogen sulfide concentration in the air."
"The detection equipment didn't register anything, proving that the concentration was too low to be detected at all."
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"The room's windows were closed, and the ventilation system was off."
"If the killer had used hydrogen sulfide gas to kill Takeshi Furusawa here, how could there not be even a trace of it left in the air?"
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Meanwhile, the police were also searching Takeshi Furusawa's belongings and everything else in the room.
"It seems we haven't found anything suspicious here."
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"Excuse me, is it possible to produce hydrogen sulfide gas using items present in the room?"
A criminal investigator stepped forward and asked Dr. Agasa.
"Impossible!"
Before Dr. Agasa could answer, Haibara Ai spoke up.
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"Hydrogen sulfide isn't a gas that can be easily produced with common household items.
Otherwise, anyone could easily commit murder using it."
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The detective, surprised to see a little girl who appeared to be about 7 or 8 years old respond to his question, was left speechless.
But what surprised them even more was the boy with round-framed glasses beside her, who chimed in with something equally startling:
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"Is it difficult to produce hydrogen sulfide?
Isn't it as simple as using something that contains sulfur and reacting it with acid?"
"I recall that some shampoos and shower gels contain sulfur compounds, like selenium sulfide."
Conan looked doubtful as he asked this.
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Selenium sulfide, known for its antifungal and seborrheic properties, is often added to anti-dandruff shampoos.
Conan speculated that the killer might have used shampoo to produce hydrogen sulfide gas.
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However, Haibara Ai quickly refuted his hypothesis.
"No.
First, selenium sulfide's chemical properties are relatively stable, so the likelihood of it reacting with acid to generate hydrogen sulfide is very low.
Second, the concentration of selenium sulfide in conventional shampoos is very low.
Even if used to produce hydrogen sulfide gas, the concentration wouldn't be sufficient to kill someone."
---
As the developer of the second-generation APTX-4869 drug, Haibara Ai possessed extensive knowledge of pharmacology, toxicology, and biochemistry.
With this expertise, she was able to deduce that the hydrogen sulfide concentration in the air indicated a homicide.
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Similarly, the fact that there were no traces of hydrogen sulfide left in the room made her feel that something was very off.
Hearing this, Conan fell into deep thought once more.
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"If that's the case, there are two mysteries in this case."
"How did the killer produce hydrogen sulfide gas?"
"And how did they ensure no trace of the gas remained at the crime scene?"
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Just as Conan was puzzling over these questions, he suddenly heard Genta Kojima shout excitedly:
"Wow—! Look, it's the Masked Superman's cape!"
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(End of the Chapter)