Chapter 1065

This case doesn't look like a robbery case at all.

There was a pearl earring on the table, and the other one was found worn on her right ear when the body was moved.

Even without considering these, it's hard to make sense of it logically.

If the robbers only wanted to steal the necklace and bracelet, there was absolutely no need to turn it into a murder case.

Stealing them after the mistress fell asleep would have been the same.

Unless they were caught face-to-face, it's possible they would kill to silence the witness, but according to the crime scene, the victim was killed on the balcony facing the river embankment.

What's even more ridiculous is that all the tools used for the crime were left at the scene; this can definitely not be explained by a word like panic or carelessness.

Rather than saying the killer left them behind out of negligence, it's more like they had no choice but to leave them at the scene.

Considering the earrings, it's more like she had just returned to the room, taken off one earring and put it on the table, when someone called her to the balcony.

"Excuse me," Akaso Kaze looked at the maid and asked, "Was the mistress wearing this pair of pearl earrings when she went out that day?"

"Yes."

"Then where were you between 9 and 10 o'clock the night before last, when the mistress was killed?"

"I, me?" the maid said in astonishment, "Are you suspecting me? By the way, who are you?"

"Me?" Akaso Kaze smiled slightly, "I am a senior advisor to the Metropolitan Police Department; can you tell me where you were at the time of the incident?"

When the maid heard this, she was startled and hurriedly looked at Inspector Megure; seeing him nod in approval, she became much more respectful.

"I was in the living room downstairs with two friends, discussing the dishes needed for the family party that was supposed to be held today. I was there from before 9 PM until after 11 PM when my friends left."

"Regarding this," Takagi took out his notebook and said, "I have already asked those two friends; they were indeed with her at that time, and they also saw the mistress return to her room to rest."

"Then what about Mr. Funamoto?" Akaso Kaze suddenly asked, "Where was Mr. Funamoto at that time?"

"Master and the young master finished dinner and returned to their rooms to rest before the mistress returned," the maid said, "Master had been pestered by the young master to play since the evening the day before last, so he was probably tired."

"In that case, Mr. Funamoto doesn't have an absolute alibi."

"Hey, hey, Lord Akaso!"

Megure hurriedly called out to Akaso Kaze, who seemed to be about to make a conclusion.

"The mistress's gunshot wound is a penetrating wound from the back of the head to the forehead; considering the angle of the bullet's entry, the culprit's height should be over 180cm, but Mr. Funamoto is only about 160."

"And we have also asked the doctor; Mr. Funamoto happened to have an X-ray taken the day before the incident, and his bones haven't healed yet; without someone to help, he can't even stand up."

Kogoro Mouri stood silently behind.

Watching Akaso Kaze, who was listening to Megure with a serious and inquisitive look, he couldn't help but be thoughtful.

Akaso Kaze frowned and continued to ask Megure: "Can you be sure the culprit is over 180cm tall?"

Megure still shook his head: "That's the case considering the angle of the bullet; if the mistress was shot from top to bottom while crouching down to pick something up, there should be bullet marks left somewhere."

"What if it was shot from bottom to top?" Akaso Kaze's voice was not loud but clearly reached everyone's heart, "What if the mistress was looking up at the night sky at that time?"

"The, the night sky?"

Megure didn't react for a moment.

"Could it be?"

"That's right," Akaso Kaze said with concentration: "The mistress originally liked to observe the stars very much; being shot on the balcony itself explains the problem. The reason only one earring was left on the table is probably because someone said there was a meteor, so the mistress rushed to the balcony without even having time to take off the remaining earring."

"Oh, that actually makes sense."

Megure was enlightened and cautiously cupped his chin to think.

"As long as you make the mistress look up, even if you fire from a low position like sitting in a wheelchair, the bullet will enter from above the back of the head and exit through the forehead.

So it looks like a tall person fired the gun; using this method, the muzzle is pointed upward, so there will be no bullet marks left in the room, and the bullet will fly to the opposite side of the river embankment and disappear."

As he spoke, Megure's entire line of thinking became clear, and he said happily: "You are amazing, Lord Akaso; why didn't I think of that?"

"Because of preconceived notions," Akaso Kaze smiled, "I only confirmed it after seeing that only the glass at the bottom of the balcony door was broken, because Mr. Tatsuhito couldn't reach the lock above while sitting in a wheelchair."

"So the crime tools were also left near the scene? Because the killer never left this house at all." Megure said in a deep voice, "But if Mr. Tatsuhito is the culprit, where did the pearl necklace and bracelet go?"

Megure frowned, unable to figure out the key, and became even more troubled.

"Even if Mr. Tatsuhito murdered the mistress here, he couldn't have secretly thrown away the necklace and bracelet, right?

Because Mr. Tatsuhito's leg is broken and he can't even go downstairs alone, we have searched everywhere that looks like it could hide things, including the distance a person in a wheelchair could throw outside the balcony."