Winning is everything: Conan

Chapter 5: You Invite Conan to Pet the Dog, Conan Invites You to Jail.

The conversation between Keisuke and Sakaguchi continued until noon.

Before leaving, Keisuke Kumiko suddenly remembered something and asked again.

"Mr. Sakaguchi, are you sure that Maehara Tsuyoshi was really killed by your trained dog?"

"Of course, it's true!" Sakaguchi replied immediately. "I've been training my dog for a long time. Maehara Tsuyoshi must have been killed by my dog."

"Oh? Is there any possibility," said Keisuke Kumiko, "that your command didn't actually have the intended effect? Could it be that Maehara fell down the stairs while playing with your dog?"

"Huh?"

Sakaguchi didn't react for a moment.

"After all, you weren't there," Keisuke Kumiko shrugged.

Many people assume they're criminals after committing a crime, but sometimes, that may not be the truth.

The crime rate in this world is very high. During his judicial internship, he saw many similar cases while reading through various case files.

After all, this is the real world, and the original work is just a mystery comic, full of plot holes. What happens in reality may not be exactly as written in the original story, so the original work cannot be used as a foundation.

After obtaining all the information Sakaguchi knew, Keisuke left the detention center and headed straight for the subway station without stopping.

Now, he needed to do two things.

The first was to conduct a field investigation at Sakaguchi's house, the scene of the crime, to gather firsthand information and prepare for the upcoming courtroom debate.

The second was to contact the eyewitness, a woman named Sanae Sugita.

While walking, Keisuke Kumiko pulled out a smartphone from his pocket.

Regarding the technological level of this world—taking civilian computers as an example—the highest level reached is Intel's 13th-generation processor.

However, public preferences here are quite "nostalgic."

Some areas appear highly modern, while others retain many facilities and equipment from the previous century.

That's why it's common to see people using "cell phones," "flip phones," and "smartphones" on the streets.

Well, this is very typical in Conan's world and not surprising at all.

Keisuke Kumiko dialed a number on his smartphone.

After a burst of Mai Kuraki's music, an impatient female voice came from the other end of the call after a long wait.

"I finally have a day off to sleep in—who is this?"

Keisuke Kumiko tried to use a patient tone. "Hello, is this Miss Sugita Sanae? I'm Masayoshi Sakaguchi's defense attorney."

"Attorney? What do you want from me?"

"Excuse me, are you available now? Could we meet? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh? Is that so?" The tone of the person on the other end of the call immediately changed. "Of course, you can meet me if you want. Just prepare 20,000 yuan as a service fee first."

Sugita Sanae was a materialistic woman who liked money, sports cars, jewelry, and all things shiny. She once dated Maehara Tsuyoshi for a while because of this.

This was information provided by Sakaguchi, including her phone number.

Perhaps out of hatred, he had investigated Maehara Tsuyoshi quite extensively before the murder.

Keisuke agreed to Sugita Sanae's request without hesitation.

"No problem, I'll pay you after we meet."

After all, he didn't have to cover that expense himself. These additional costs were included in his attorney's fee, along with the one-million commission. He could ask Sakaguchi for reimbursement later. This was clearly stipulated in the contract they had previously signed.

On the other end of the phone, after hearing Keisuke's agreement, Sugita Sanae's attitude changed immediately, and even her voice became softer.

"Mr. Attorney, you're very generous. Shall we set a time and place?"

"How about the Boston Italian restaurant near Beikacho Station at 5 p.m.?"

"Sounds good! I'll put on some nice makeup~ See you then!"

After hanging up, Kumiko took out his wallet and counted the money inside.

He still had plenty left. Although the lawyer's licensing exam had cost him a lot, fortunately, he had received a salary during his internship at the Judicial Training Institute—180,000 yuan per month. He still had more than 100,000 yuan in his wallet, which was enough to cover his expenses until the trial was over.

After scheduling a meeting with the witness, Keisuke immediately took the subway and a bus to Beika-cho, where Masayoshi Sakaguchi lived.

At first glance, it appeared to be a large house—a common 2+1 floor single-family home in Japan, but much bigger.

He used the key Masayoshi Sakaguchi had given him to unlock the door. The yard was spacious, with some roses planted there, exuding a fragrant scent. A small doghouse stood not far away, but no dog lived in it.

Before the trial concluded, all evidence had been handed over to the prosecution, and naturally, the dog named Jhon, who had attacked people, was no longer here.

Keisuke Kumiko opened the door to the house with the key and entered.

The interior decor was a blend of Western and Japanese styles. Past the entrance and hallway was a large living room.

The living room was spacious, with a ceiling reaching the second floor. On the right side of the wall was the staircase leading to the second floor, the exact location where Maehara Tsuyoshi had died.

Keisuke Kumiko walked through the living room for a while and reached the stairs.

The staircase consisted of two flights. On the landing platform, the outline of the body was still marked with white chalk, a tracing line used to indicate the scene.

Keisuke Kumiko crouched down and stared at the outline for a while.

The lower half of the silhouette lay on the platform, while the upper half extended onto the wall above, proving that the cause of death was indeed a broken neck from hitting the wall.

Then, Keisuke Kumiko stood up and climbed to the second floor.

At the top of the stairs was a platform of about ten square meters. On the right wall was a room with a sign reading "Masato" hanging on the door, indicating it belonged to Sakaguchi's deceased son.

The dog named Jhon also used to climb up to this platform every night to greet its owner.

Keisuke Kumiko stood on the platform and stretched out his arms to measure its area.

The platform was quite large for standing.

There were several steps between Masato's room and the staircase.

If, as Sakaguchi claimed, he had trained his dog to precisely push Maehara Tsuyoshi down the stairs, then Maehara had been incredibly careless and extremely unlucky.

After his inspection, Keisuke Kumiko took a document out of his bag.

It was a copy of the forensic report on the deceased, which Keisuke had obtained earlier from the Metropolitan Police Department.

In criminal proceedings, defense attorneys have the right to obtain, review, extract, and copy investigative materials from administrative agencies.

"Hmm..."

Looking at the information in his hands and comparing it to the surrounding environment, Keisuke Kumiko began thinking.

As for how to argue in court, after the field investigation, some ideas had begun to form.

Bang!

At that moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the yard.

Through the hallway window, Keisuke Kumiko saw several police officers outside, carrying a cage with a dog inside. Beside them were two men and a woman in prosecutor uniforms, as well as several children watching.

"Hurry up, we still have work to do when we get back!"

"Yes!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The dog in the cage kept barking and baring its teeth at the officers outside.

"Conan, wasn't John sent to the prosecutor's office? Why is he back?"

Among the children, a girl dressed in red whispered.

"Well, dogs tend to experience anxiety in new environments."

Conan nodded at the boy in a blue child's suit and a bow tie.

"I heard that after John arrived at the prosecutor's office, he barked day and night. The guards couldn't take it anymore and had to release him temporarily."

"Is that so? That's so sad!"

Just then, a sharp and sarcastic voice was heard from the side.

"You people impose a cheap sense of justice on animals without reflection, elevate them unjustifiably, and then criticize your own kind. Isn't that what's truly detestable?"

(End of Chapter)