Chapter 158: Absolute Murder
Conan hid behind Dr. Agasa and presented his deductions using a bowtie-shaped voice changer.
Since Sera Masumi wasn't present this time, Conan had no reasonable way to examine the body.
Therefore, he could only use the currently observed circumstances to deduce the cause of the deceased's death.
After listening to Dr. Agasa's (Conan's) reasoning, all the police officers present nodded, showing expressions of understanding.
However, the officer from the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters still had doubts about Furusawa Takeshi's cause of death.
After all, in Hakone, a place with natural hot springs and near volcanoes,
hydrogen sulfide poisoning was not an uncommon occurrence.
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"Dr. Agasa, are you claiming the deceased didn't die from drowning simply because his body didn't float in the water?"
"Hydrogen sulfide poisoning isn't rare in Hakone, but fatal cases of hydrogen sulfide poisoning are practically unheard of."
"Usually, hydrogen sulfide poisoning causes, at most, a coma."
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After hearing the officer's remarks, Kunio Furuzumi, the manager of Kosen-an, also chimed in, saying:
"Yes, this sort of thing does occasionally happen in Hakone."
"For example, someone unknowingly inhales too much hydrogen sulfide gas, which causes confusion, loss of balance, and eventually falling into the hot spring."
"And Mr. Furusawa appeared in the women's hot spring area. I'd guess he probably wanted to sneak in and do something perverted while no one was there."
"As a result, he accidentally fell into the spring and drowned."
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"No, while such a situation could happen, the deceased's cause of death this time was clearly not drowning."
Conan interrupted, refuting both the police department's theory and Kunio Furuzumi's addition.
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"Firstly, if the deceased had accidentally fallen into the hot spring, he would have struggled and tried to breathe during the drowning process, resulting in a large amount of water and air being inhaled into the respiratory tract."
"Since the airways would be partially blocked by water, air and water would mix and enter the lungs, causing the body to float much faster."
"This time, the deceased did not exhibit this condition, meaning he must have lost consciousness before entering the hot spring."
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"That doesn't mean he didn't die from hydrogen sulfide poisoning, right?"
Kunio Furuzumi, the hot spring hotel manager, retorted once again.
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"At the very least, a forensic autopsy would confirm he didn't die from drowning, correct?"
Typically, if the police want to determine whether someone drowned, a forensic autopsy is conducted.
The deceased's lungs would be opened to check for signs of excessive inflation or the presence of a large amount of pink froth, which would indicate drowning.
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"Actually, it's possible to determine whether the deceased drowned without conducting a forensic autopsy."
"Simply observing the secretions from the mouth and nose, or using an endotracheal tube to extract fluid from the respiratory tract, can confirm signs of drowning."
"The first method only requires observation, while the second can be determined using emergency vehicle equipment."
Conan explained.
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"Additionally, the features of the deceased resulting from hydrogen sulfide poisoning include cyanosis of the skin and hypoxia symptoms. The deceased's muscles would also relax, and the eyes would become bloodshot."
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After hearing this, the police from the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters quickly sent officers to examine the deceased's eyes.
Sure enough, beneath the deceased's bluish-purple eyelids, bloodshot eyeballs were found.
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"If the officer's claim is correct—that the deceased was rendered unconscious due to excessive hydrogen sulfide inhalation—then it is absolutely impossible for such evident poisoning symptoms to be present."
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"Mr. Furuzumi, if you still don't believe me, you can also observe the deceased's blood."
"Hydrogen sulfide combines with hemoglobin to form sulfhemoglobin, giving the blood an abnormal color. You'll understand once you see it."
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After hearing what Dr. Agasa said, Kunio Furuzumi finally stopped arguing.
The officer observing the situation turned to Kunio Furuzumi with suspicion and asked:
"Mr. Furuzumi, you've been vehemently denying that the deceased died from hydrogen sulfide poisoning."
"Could it be that you know something?"
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Upon hearing the officer's interrogation, Kunio Furuzumi suddenly showed a frightened expression.
He quickly avoided the officer's gaze.
His reaction only made the surrounding officers even more suspicious.
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"No, it shouldn't have anything to do with Mr. Furuzumi."
Just as everyone began to doubt Kunio Furuzumi, Conan spoke up again.
"Mr. Furuzumi is likely worried about the news of Mr. Furusawa's death spreading and affecting the reputation of the hot spring hotel."
"After all, if Mr. Furusawa accidentally fell into the water while spying, it has nothing to do with the hot spring hotel."
"But if Mr. Furusawa died here from hydrogen sulfide poisoning, it might impact the hotel's business."
"Everyone knows that hydrogen sulfide can be naturally produced in areas near hot springs."
"If tourists believe that the hydrogen sulfide levels at Kosen-an are enough to kill, they definitely wouldn't dare visit anymore."
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After hearing Dr. Agasa's explanation, the officers at the scene looked back at Kunio Furuzumi.
They saw Kunio Furuzumi nodding awkwardly.
Faced with a death occurring at his hot spring hotel, Furuzumi's first reaction was concern over its impact on his business.
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After the officers realized this, expressions of disdain appeared on their faces.
But what Dr. Agasa said next shocked both the police and Kunio Furuzumi:
"Mr. Furuzumi, there's no need to worry about this matter."
"Because Mr. Furusawa's death was clearly not an accident—it was an outright murder."
"And the perpetrator must be here in this hotel and knew Mr. Furusawa personally."
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As Conan finished speaking, a group of young, familiar voices suddenly rang out:
"Finally, it's time for our Young Detective League to make an appearance!"
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Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voices.
They saw three elementary school students—two boys and a girl—pretending to be detectives, confidently addressing the crowd.
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"Hey! What are you kids doing here causing trouble? Get back now!"
Haibara Ai saw the sudden appearance of Yoshida Ayumi and the others and quickly stepped forward, trying to push the children away.
However, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya and Genta Kojima, usually mischievous and unruly, ignored Haibara Ai's orders as expected.
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Serious expressions appeared on the faces of the three children.
"Someone actually killed the Masked Superman. This kind of thing is absolutely unforgivable!"
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(End of the Chapter)