Chapter 41

Everyone heard the sound of the scream.

And all got up with a "whoosh" to go to the source of the sound.

That was the location of the penance room.

Hoshino Mu followed the crowd's footsteps and walked calmly.

"Ab, abbot!"

Looking closely.

It was indeed the temple's abbot, Monk Ten'ei.

"Ahhh!"

Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko screamed.

Abbot Ten'ei had been hanged by someone with a rope on the rafters of the penance room.

There was no wind inside the room.

But his corpse was still swaying non-stop.

This was the first case Hoshino Mu had participated in.

If he hadn't known the modus operandi in advance.

He would have really thought that demons and ghosts were at work.

"Call the police quickly!"

Mouri Kogoro reacted first.

And asked his daughter Mouri Ran to call the police.

The sound of police sirens echoed through the temple.

Several police cars arrived outside Sanni Temple.

Officer Megure brought people to investigate Sanni Temple.

"How did you discover the abbot on the rafters?"

"An ordinary person entering the room shouldn't look up first."

Officer Megure made a routine inquiry to the first witness who discovered the abbot's corpse.

"It's natural that I would discover it!"

"Because two years ago, the same thing happened."

The monk in the temple gave an explanation.

"Two years ago, it was also in the same location..."

Although they suspected it was possible that someone had strangled Ten'ei first.

And then hung his corpse on the rafters.

But the structure of the "penance room" was very special.

It was a special room 3 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 4 meters high.

The wooden boards all around were lacquered and very smooth.

There was only a very small skylight at the top for light.

It was impossible for a person to climb 4 meters along the smooth, straight wall to reach the rafters.

Of course, it was also impossible to carry a corpse and climb to the rafters from the skylight.

Because both the skylight and the rafters were too small.

Only one person could pass through.

The only explanation was in the folklore.

That the flying Mist Tengu entered from the skylight to do it.

Just when the case was at a stalemate.

"Isn't the murderer him? Monk Shunen."

Hoshino Mu suddenly spoke up.

Attracting everyone's attention.

"This student, you say Monk Shunen is the murderer? What evidence do you have?"

Officer Megure walked to Hoshino Mu's side and asked anxiously.

"How dare you frame me!"

Monk Shunen's face turned pale, and he hurriedly argued.

"Isn't there an inflatable rubber boat in this room?"

Hoshino Mu looked calm and said indifferently.

"Plus this mountain waterfall..."

At this moment.

A cherry blossom petal drifted down from the rafters and landed right on Conan's nose.

Conan was very puzzled.

Why would there be cherry blossom petals on the rafters?

Plus the two hints given by Hoshino Mu.

Suddenly, his inspiration flashed.

He finally understood the murderer's modus operandi.

Hoshino Mu watched Conan's actions from the sidelines.

Anyway, the old abbot was already dead.

The task was completed.

For the rest, he just needed to watch Conan "act" and cooperate with the police investigation.

It turned out the murderer treated the "penance room" as a rectangular container.

Used wooden boards to divert water from the waterfall.

The murderer strangled Ten'ei first.

Then rode the inflatable rubber boat.

Waited for the water level to rise to the rafters.

Then hung Ten'ei's corpse on the rafters.

He himself escaped from the skylight.

And finally opened the door to release the water.

Because "Sanni Temple" is close to the waterfall.

The sound of the waterfall is very loud.

It covered up the sound made by the crime.

The murderer's intention in doing this was to disguise the murder as the work of the Mist Tengu.

In folklore.

The Mist Tengu is an ancient creature that likes gloom and darkness.

And specializes in gnawing on human souls.

Gosho Aoyama used Conan's mouth.

To popularize Japanese Tengu culture.

Ancient people saw some meteors making very loud noises.

People who came from China to Japan said those meteors were dogs in the sky.

From then on, people called those meteors that made loud noises Tengu.

The Chinese believed that once such a meteor landed on Earth.

It was an ominous sign.

Later, this legend spread to Japan.

The Tengu went from being a strange phenomenon.

To being misunderstood by everyone as a monster.

Mr. Aoyama is worthy of admiration.