Chapter 287

Hattori Heiji put on white gloves, reached into the body's mouth, and took out the fish scale.

"Her finger is bleeding, so it's very likely that this fish scale is also stained with her blood."

"Also, the deceased's wound was likely caused by the fish scale, so there might be residual fish scale surface tissue inside the wound."

"If the two DNA test results match, it would be enough to prove that this fish scale is indeed a death message left by the deceased."

"However, looking at the condition of this fish scale now, it seems there's no need for testing."

Conan leaned over to look.

Upon seeing a trace of blood on the fish scale, a smile immediately appeared on Conan's face.

"I see. After this blood-stained fish scale was swallowed into the mouth by the deceased, it probably stuck directly to her palate, so the blood inside wasn't diluted by saliva and was able to be preserved."

"In that case, our reasoning should be correct!"

Conan and Hattori Heiji both had smug smiles.

Suddenly, footsteps and crying sounds came from the side.

A middle-aged man ran over, saw Ebihara Sumi's body, and collapsed to the ground, sobbing as if he had lost his soul.

"Sumi, how could this happen!"

"He is Sumi's father. Sumi's mother passed away when she was young, and she has always been raised by Mr. Ebihara."

Shimabukuro Kimie introduced the man's identity in a low voice from the side.

Everyone looked at the grieving father of Sumi, all feeling somewhat silent.

Just then, Kobayashi Masaki suddenly walked over and said, "We just contacted the Fukui Prefectural Police, and they said that the wind and waves at sea are too strong to send anyone over!"

Hattori Heiji glanced at Sumi's father, then pinched his chin and said:

"Since that's the case, there's nothing we can do. Let's perform a simple autopsy, take photos, and by the way, investigate the area around the crime scene carefully to see if there are any missed clues. Also..."

"Mr. Kobayashi, you work at the village office, right? Could you trouble you to list everyone on the island whose name, job, life, etc., is related to fish? We would like to visit them one by one later to determine their alibis!"

"Uh, okay, no problem." Kobayashi Masaki nodded and agreed.

"By the way, do you still want to go to Saori's house? Come to think of it, Saori's father, Mr. Benzo, is here right now."

Shimabukuro Kimie said, her gaze looking toward a certain position.

Conan and Hattori Heiji looked in the direction of Shimabukuro Kimie's gaze.

They saw a man holding a small wine bottle, his face flushed with drunkenness, standing in front of the waterfall, looking at everything around him with blurred eyes.

"Isn't that person the third winner of the Dugong Arrow? I really didn't expect him to be Kadowaki Saori's father." Hattori Heiji frowned.

Conan also frowned slightly: "Really, a murder case has occurred here, and that guy is still drinking. Looking at his drunken state, it seems we won't be able to ask anything."

"Let's investigate the suspects tonight and visit tomorrow."

Conan turned his head to look at Shimabukuro Kimie and said, "By the way, Sister Kimie, may we visit the Longevity Hag later?"

Shimabukuro Kimie was slightly stunned, then nodded.

"Of course you can. However, because the festival is being held today, my great-grandmother should be very tired, and I don't know if she is willing to see you."

"How about this: I'll go home and check first. If my great-grandmother is willing to see you, I will notify Mr. Kobayashi to take you to my house."

"Okay, thank you for the trouble." Conan and the other bowed and saluted together.

Half an hour later, at Shimabukuro Kimie's house.

Conan asked puzzledly, "You don't know where that mermaid skeleton is either? Didn't you ask your friend to bury it?"

"Yes, I really don't know."

The Longevity Hag's face, as old as tree bark, wrinkled, and her voice was low:

"I just didn't want anyone to continue disturbing the remains of the dead, so I asked a friend for help and had him bury the skeleton on the mountain."

"As for exactly where he buried it, I don't know either. After all, with my legs, I can't reach the mountain at all."

As the Longevity Hag spoke, her cloudy eyes looked at Hattori Heiji.

"Tell me, you don't think that's a mermaid skeleton too, and want to find it to realize the dream of eternal life, do you?"

"Haha, how could that be!"

Hattori Heiji shook his head. "We just think that the skeleton is very likely related to the case of Miss Sumi's murder, so we want to investigate it."

"Is that so?" The Longevity Hag responded in a deep voice. "If you really want to know, go ask that guy Kawakami; he was the one who buried the skeleton."

As the Longevity Hag spoke, she grabbed the cane beside her with both hands, supported herself to stand up, and slowly shuffled toward the door.

"I'm a bit tired and want to rest for a while. You can let Kimie take you to Mr. Kawakami's house. Kimie! Kimie! You take the guests to Mr. Kawakami's house later."

As soon as she finished speaking, Shimabukuro Kimie's voice suddenly came from outside.

"What? Mr. Kawakami? He passed away last year, and I even attended his funeral on your behalf. Have you forgotten?"

Hearing this, the Longevity Hag stopped in her tracks.

A few seconds later, she continued walking out the door, muttering to herself:

"That's right, I almost forgot. Kawakami always lived alone, and now that he's dead, no one knows where that skeleton is buried. Perhaps this is fate."

Conan and Hattori Heiji's expressions changed as they listened to the Longevity Hag, and they frowned: "Damn it! How could this happen? The clue is broken again!"

"Yes." Conan nodded.

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he asked, "By the way, Longevity Hag, are you sure Mr. Kawakami buried the skeleton in the mountain?"

"Of course. Kawakami would certainly not disobey my words." As the Longevity Hag spoke, she finally walked outside.

Hattori Heiji pinched his chin and pondered:

"Conan, do you think we should find a Yin-Yang Master to help us divine it? His magic power is still very high; he should be able to find the truth easily."

"Hattori, can you have some confidence? We are both high school detective prodigies. Is it appropriate to beg a Yin-Yang Master to help solve a case?" Conan said with a dark face.

Outside the room, the Longevity Hag's movements suddenly paused, she changed direction with her cane, and continued walking toward the room next door.

At the entrance of the Shimabukuro house, Conan, Hattori Heiji, and Kobayashi Masaki, who brought them, bowed and said goodbye to Shimabukuro Kimie.

Shimabukuro Kimie smiled: "You are all too polite. I still need to help my great-grandmother wash her body, so I won't see you off."

"Okay, please stay."

The two of them turned and left.

After walking some distance, Hattori Heiji turned his head to look at the Shimabukuro house and found that Shimabukuro Kimie was gone.

He curled his lip and said: "That Longevity Hag is just an old woman on the verge of death after removing her heavy makeup! Looking at her pale face, I'm afraid she won't live much longer."

Conan immediately elbowed Hattori hard. "Hattori, you are being too rude!"

Kobayashi Masaki didn't seem to blame them, smiled and said: "Haha, it's nothing. If the Longevity Hag is free from illness and disaster, she won't pass away so easily."

Conan and Hattori Heiji both went "Huh?" and turned their heads to look at him. "Mr. Kobayashi, what do you mean by that?"

"Uh, nothing." Kobayashi Masaki realized he had made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly coughed lightly to change the subject.

"By the way, everyone, there are still more than a dozen suspects. Which one should we visit now?"

"Hmm, let's find the closest one." Hattori Heiji raised his hand to check his watch. "Let's hurry and try to visit everyone before twelve o'clock."

— Author's Notes —

Thanks to Huiyi and WJZ513 for the monthly tickets.