Chapter 1018

"Mr. Akashi," Akaso Kaze said in a deep voice, looking at the bleeding gums, "has your father had any teeth pulled recently?"

Akashi Hiroto was a bit dazed because of Yamamura Misao's words, and upon hearing this, he came back to his senses and said: "He seemed to have seen a dentist a few days ago, because my dad said his toothache was very painful and he had to see a dentist."

"Is that so?"

Akaso Kaze turned on his flashlight and quietly looked at the bleeding gums without saying anything more.

Yamamura Misao on the side was still pursuing the situation with the dentist, but didn't get any useful information.

Putting away the flashlight, Akaso Kaze stood up and looked up at the rope hanging from the crossbeam, paused, and then turned his gaze to the light pull cord hanging on the side.

Unlike other rooms, the pull cord here was a section shorter, and the knot of the extension cord in the middle was also different.

This pull cord was tied with a simple overhand knot, while the one in the living room was a fishing knot. The pull cords in this house were all made of fishing line material, so using a fishing knot should be the most appropriate choice.

Looking at the fishing knot, Akaso Kaze gradually had some impressions.

So it was that case.

"How could it be suicide? I advertised it to my colleagues, saying I was going to record a deduction show."

Yamamura Misao on the side heard Uncle Mouri's deduction, holding his camera in frustration, looking dejected.

"No, this is not necessarily suicide," Conan said.

"Hmm?" Uncle Mouri asked: "What's wrong? Where are the doubts?"

Conan looked at the pull cord and said, "The light pull cords in the house were all lengthened because of the old gentleman, right? But the pull cord in this room is obviously much shorter."

"Oh, this?" Akashi Hiroto explained, "This is because my dad felt this cord was a nuisance when he got up at night, so only the light cord in his room is shorter."

"I see," Uncle Mouri put away his doubtful gaze, "So it really is suicide?"

Yamamura Misao's heart, which had just lifted, fell back down, and he said disappointedly: "Yes, then everyone should go downstairs and wait for now. I'll call you if there's anything."

"That's fine too, it's very late."

"Suicide?"

Conan stood next to the corpse with his hands in his pockets, noticing the fine marks on the corpse's wrists while the forensic personnel moved the body.

It looked like marks left by some kind of thin thread.

He grabbed the old man's arm to look, his gaze narrowing slightly.

"It's too early to call it suicide, Officer Yamamura."

"Eh?" Uncle Mouri and his group stopped in their tracks.

"This is," Yamamura Misao said in surprise, "it looks like it was tied by something! It seems."

"It should be the marks of a rubber band," Akashi Hiroto interrupted with a cold sweat, "My dad likes to tie everything with rubber bands, and he always wears rubber bands on his wrists."

"Rubber bands?"

"Officer," an officer said, "there are indeed many rubber bands under the pillow."

"I-I see."

Yamamura deflated again: "This old gentleman is really strange."

"My dad's mental state was indeed a bit problematic," Akashi Hiroto looked at the old man's corpse and said, "He said some strange things during dinner, so I chatted with him for a long time before leaving."

"Really?"

"Yes, he said he might as well die, but I didn't expect it to really turn out like this."

The night was heavy, and rain kept washing over the forest and the only old wooden villa in the forest.

As the bell struck, time unknowingly reached 1:00 AM. The people waiting in the living room gradually began to yawn, but the investigation was still not over.

Mouri Kogoro acted as a temporary forensic examiner to help check the corpse, and Conan followed like a tail, wanting to speak but unable to make a sound.

"Lost your voice? I told you not to be a busybody."

Akaso Kaze shook his head and smiled: "It's okay, it's just temporary. You'll be fine after going to the hospital to check tomorrow."

Conan looked anxious: "Ah ah..."

"Don't worry, I won't let this incident be closed as a suicide. I also know who the murderer is."

Akaso Kaze stared directly at Akashi Ganfu's bleeding gums.

"Such a good deduction opportunity, what a pity, you lost your voice."

Akaso Kaze shrugged.

Conan grabbed his throat, looking helpless.

"One key thing is still missing," Akaso Kaze ignored Conan and focused on searching around the room, "It should be in this room."

Akaso Kaze used a prediction spell.

In the first-floor living room, Yamamura Misao found the tired group and asked embarrassedly: "Everyone has worked hard. I wonder if you remembered anything? Like suspicious people appearing nearby, or hearing strange sounds, etc."

"Well..."

"Speaking of which," Ran recalled under Yamamura Misao's expectant gaze, "when I went upstairs for the first time, I heard a 'woo-woo-woo' sound coming from the old gentleman's room, as if he was crying."

"Crying, crying sound?"

"He must have been crying when he decided to commit suicide," Uncle Mouri said listlessly, supporting his chin.

"In short, this incident is already very clear. Mr. Ganfu in the second-floor bedroom hanged himself around 9:30 PM. At that time, Ran, Conan, Sonoko, Hiroto, and Akaso-san were all in this living room, so there is an alibi."

"And I, who was taking a bath at the time, had no motive, and didn't even know where the rope was. Moreover, Ran went to check twice; the first time the light was on, the second time the light was off."

"No matter how you look at it, this is suicide. We can only assume Mr. Ganfu turned off the light in the bedroom himself and then hanged himself. So, let's finish the search and go back."