In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 72

"Furthermore, as you also mentioned in your report, the two have long been bound by mutual interests, and Sawai Yasunari's financial records show..."

The financial transfers from Yoshihiro Nakamura have been quite stable and consistent. Unless we encounter a major disagreement that could instantly turn Sawai Yasunari against us and make him want to kill us, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, he indeed lacks a strong motive to kill Yoshihiro Nakamura.

“Yasunari Sawai has repeatedly denied killing Nakamura, and his sophistry is not entirely without merit.”

“The second one…” Deputy Director Bai Ma continued, his voice lowering, “is the result of on-site forensic examination.”

"The method of killing Yoshihiro Nakamura was professional and efficient, almost a one-hit kill, with almost no trace of struggle or clues to follow at the scene."

"This is more like the work of a professional killer than the spur-of-the-moment act of a pampered high-ranking police officer who is used to abusing his power rather than taking action himself."

"As the financial director of Mishima Corporation, Yoshihiro Nakamura's position is sensitive, and the financial transactions he handles likely involve astronomical sums and extremely deep shady dealings."

"Given the fact that the Mishima family is a criminal organization behind it, it's obvious that this was something the Mishima family did."

"Based on what we currently know and the information that has been revealed in the case of Yasunari Sawai, Nakamura's death is likely still related to the Mishima family behind him."

His gaze swept across the entire room before finally settling on Yuuki Takada: "So, Yuuki Takada, almost all the suspicions now point to that behemoth—the Mishima family."

"But behind this, there is clearly an invisible hand manipulating things, taking advantage of the chaos within our Metropolitan Police Department to precisely eliminate Yoshihiro Nakamura, a key figure."

"Director Tota's meaning is very clear: the case must be closed, but it must be closed beautifully, without leaving any obvious loopholes, and the real culprit must not be let off easily, even if the other party has great power."

"We need to grasp this balance."

Deputy Director Hakuba leaned forward, staring at Yuuki Takada: "Yuuki Takada, you are the person who knows the details of this case best."

"I hereby formally appoint you as the head of the investigation team for the Yoshihiro Nakamura case, and you will be directly responsible to me."

“You need to re-examine all the clues, especially the connections with the Mishima family.”

"Matsumoto Kiyonaga and Inspector Megure will coordinate manpower to fully cooperate with you. Report directly to me if you need anything. Remember, time is of the essence, but the truth is more important."

"Yes! Understood! I will do my best!" Yuuki Takada felt a weight on his shoulders, but a strong sense of mission also surged up with him.

This is no longer just about solving a murder case; it's about uncovering a thick layer of darkness.

Previously, we hadn't taken any action against the Mishima family's influence because of Deputy Director Sawai. Now, everything points to one place: the Mishima family.

After the meeting, Yuki Takada immediately threw himself into his work.

Yuki Takada slowly returned to his office, where all the files related to the Yoshihiro Nakamura case and involving the Mishima family were laid out before him.

He first re-examined the time of Nakamura Yoshihiro's death.

Yasunari Sawai's alibi was indeed solid, almost ruling out the possibility that he personally committed the crime.

But if it really was the work of a professional assassin, perhaps it was an assassin belonging exclusively to the Mishima family?

We can only check if there are any traces of financial transactions first.

Their gaze fell upon the organizational chart of the Mishima family.

Mishima Corporation is a massive conglomerate spanning multiple sectors including finance, real estate, and entertainment, with intricate family relationships among its members.

The head of the Mishima family, Ryuichi Mishima, is now quite old and rarely manages affairs directly.

His eldest son, Chairman Mishima Ryunosuke, is the current president and is responsible for the group's main business. His second son, Yusuke Mishima, seems to have little interest in business and is more enthusiastic about art and socializing.

In addition, there were several elders and sons-in-law who held real power.

As the CFO, Yoshihiro Nakamura is undoubtedly one of the core figures in the Mishima family and knows too many secrets.

Who benefits most from his death?

Or, who did he threaten?

Yuuki Takada recalled a piece of news he had heard from Inspector Megure:

During the investigation of Yoshihiro Nakamura's communication records, it was discovered that in the week before his death, he had frequently contacted an unregistered prepaid mobile phone number, with the last call occurring on the morning of the day of his death.

The technical department attempted to locate the signal, but the signal sources were scattered and short-lived, and they were ultimately unsuccessful.

This storyline was temporarily shelved due to Yasunari Sawai's sudden exposure.

Now, Yuki Takada feels that this might be the breakthrough.

He immediately contacted the technical department, demanding that they do everything in their power to re-trace the signal source of that number, even if it was only within a general range.

At the same time, Yuki Takada asked Section Chief Kiyoshi Matsumoto for help in coordinating a limited audit of Mishima Corporation's finances under the guise of assisting in the investigation of Yasunari Sawai's bribery case.

The focus is on the last few major projects that Yoshihiro Nakamura handled before his death.

After a moment's thought, Matsumoto Kiyonaga agreed.

After all, he still remembered what the deputy director of the White Horse had said before.

Even though it is difficult and will inevitably encounter strong resistance from the Mishima family, it is a move that must be made.

As expected, the investigation request was met with strong resistance from the legal department of Mishima Corporation, which claimed that it was unwarranted harassment and would affect the group's reputation and normal operations.

Some political figures even called, expressing their "concern" in a tactful but clear manner.

The pressure was passed down layer by layer, eventually reaching the deputy director of the White Horse Company.

Deputy Director Hakuba withstood the pressure and said to Yuki Takada, "Proceed according to plan, but be careful with the methods and approaches. Get what we're entitled to, and don't leave any leverage for the other side."

"Yuki Takada, go ahead and do it. I'll take care of things."

With his boss's support, Yuuki Takada felt a little more at ease.

He decided to take a two-pronged approach: on the surface, an experienced Inspector Megure would lead a team to deal with the legal and financial departments of Mishima Corporation, conducting routine inquiries and document reviews.

Meanwhile, Yuki Takada, with a few absolutely trustworthy subordinates, approached the situation from another angle.

Yuki Takada revisited Yoshihiro Nakamura's office and residence, trying to find any clues that might have been overlooked.

However, after searching for a while, they found nothing in the office.

Led by Yuki Takada, the group quickly arrived at Yoshihiro Nakamura's residence.

"Inspector Takada, look here! There seems to be something here..."

In Yoshihiro Nakamura's study, Miwako Sato made a new discovery.

Upon hearing her words, Yuuki Takada walked into the study.

The study was furnished in an extremely simple manner, with almost no personal belongings, reflecting the owner's cautious and even somewhat obsessive-compulsive personality.

"Sato, where's what you said you were talking about?"

Miwako Sato pointed to the gap in the bottom drawer of the desk, "The thing is there. I think I just touched something foreign."

Yuuki Takada nodded and gently lowered his head to examine it.

But while inspecting the gap in the bottom drawer of the desk, Yuki Takada's fingers touched something extremely thin, resembling an SD card.

Yuki Takada carefully took it out, and sure enough, it was a micro SD card, cleverly hidden in the shadows on the back of the drawer's wooden slide rail with transparent tape.

My heart started pounding.

Carefully and cautiously, I placed the SD card into a transparent bag, ready to take it back to the Metropolitan Police Department.

"Sato, you did a good job. Now see if you can get any more useful information."

Yuuki Takada glanced at his watch and said, "In about five minutes, we should be ready to leave..."

However, in the end, apart from the memory card, there was really nothing else to be found.

Chapter 94 Exquisite Dress

Back at the Metropolitan Police Department, Yuki Takada immediately handed the memory card to the technical staff, asking them to help him decipher its contents.

Fortunately, the card was not encrypted; it only contained one encrypted audio file.

Technicians spent some time cracking the code, which appeared to be a combination of Yoshihiro Nakamura's birthday and the founding year of Mishima Corporation.

The audio file started playing, and the voices of two people talking could be heard.

One of them was Yoshihiro Nakamura, whose voice carried anxiety and a hint of fear.

The other voice was relatively low and calm, and sounded quite old.

Yoshihiro Nakamura: "...This money can't be touched anymore. The accounts are already very difficult to balance. Although the clan head doesn't ask about the details, Chairman Ryunosuke has been investigating very closely lately..."

An unfamiliar voice said, "What's the panic? Just do things the usual way. That old codger is getting on in years now. I have my own ways of dealing with Chairman Ryunosuke. The important thing is to meet their demands, otherwise we'll all be in trouble."

Yoshihiro Nakamura: "But... this isn't the first time, the hole is getting bigger and bigger. And I suspect that Yusuke might have sensed something..."

An unfamiliar voice, its tone turning stern: "Mishima Yusuke? What could a playboy who only knows how to have fun possibly know? Do your job properly, and don't forget who gave you the opportunity you have today. Think about the consequences of disobeying me."

The recording abruptly ended there.

This conversation is packed with information!

It mentions the Mishima family, with the patriarch Ryuichi Mishima, Chairman Ryunosuke Mishima, and the second son Yusuke Mishima.

More importantly, it is clear from this conversation that Yoshihiro Nakamura was doing something private with another person without the Mishima family finding out.

Although the unfamiliar voice could not be immediately identified, it was clearly that of a person of extremely high status within the Mishima family.

What does "demand" mean over there?

Or is Yusuke Mishima secretly plotting something big?

Yuki Takada realized that Yoshihiro Nakamura's death was probably not just a simple case of being silenced, but more likely a result of a power struggle within the Mishima family, and that he was merely the trigger for this incident.

Whose unfamiliar voice is that?

Yuki Takada listened to the recording repeatedly, trying to recall where he had heard the voice before.

He suddenly remembered that at the emergency meeting before Sawai Yasunari's arrest, a representative from the Mishima family seemed to have made a brief appearance, expressing the patriarch's support for the Metropolitan Police Department's work and concern for the incident, and the tone seemed somewhat similar.

At the time, his attention was entirely focused on Deputy Director Sawai, and he didn't pay much attention.

Thinking of this, Yuuki Takada immediately got up and retrieved the limited records of that meeting, the non-core confidential parts, and found the name of the representative—the butler of the Mishima family, who was also Ryuichi Mishima's special assistant, named Toshio Kuroiwa.

An elderly man who had served the Mishima family for over forty years held a prominent position and wielded considerable influence within the entire Mishima clan.

Could it be him?

Yuki Takada wasn't sure; the sound would be distorted after being recorded, and it was only a few short sentences.

Just then, the technical department reported new developments regarding the cell phone number used for Yoshihiro Nakamura's last phone call.

Through more detailed base station signal analysis and simulation tracking, they roughly narrowed down the number's activity range in the last period before its demise to a high-end residential area in the port area.