Bluff

"Mr. Washinuma, can you explain what these negatives are about? You didn't snatch them from Ootaka Kazuhiro, did you?" Shiraishi, holding a stack of negatives, stared at Washinuma Noboru with a grim expression.

Due to his height, Shiraishi stood in front of Washinuma Noboru, completely blocking the light from the cabin's spotlight, casting his face in shadow as he looked down at him...

Gulp--

Washinuma Noboru immediately buckled under the pressure and hastily explained, "No! These are photos I took myself. They're not very clear, but I thought I could sell them for a little money... Tachikawa, you've seen Ootaka's negatives before, they're much clearer than these, right?"

Right!

Exactly!

What kind of garbage did you take?

Shiraishi Kuro cursed inwardly...

Earlier, prompted by Shinichi, he had decided to temporarily conceal the fact that "the negatives are gone" to trick these guys, mainly Edward, and had also searched the luggage of the other two.

As a result, he discovered that Washinuma Noboru's luggage also contained negatives!

Although they were just negatives, with Shiraishi Kuro's [Insight], looking at them against the light was almost the same as looking at photos; he could even discern the color differences perfectly.

However...

Shiraishi Kuro found that while the photos were somewhat recognizable enough to make out the American Congressman's face, the woman's face was completely indistinguishable!

Negatives like these couldn't satisfy Shiraishi Kuro's needs.

Therefore, Shiraishi Kuro deliberately said this in front of Edward to draw him out, and at the same time...

"We didn't find any negatives in anyone else's luggage. It's hard for us to believe what you're saying..." Shiraishi Kuro said deliberately.

"Huh? But..." Washinuma panicked.

"How about this: since you say you took these, tell us where and how you took them, and we'll verify it afterward." Shiraishi Kuro put on a concerned expression.

Shinichi watched from the side, speechless...

He could tell that Officer Shiraishi was targeting the "scandal" this time, rather than the murder case at hand. He wasn't planning to reveal that piece of debris immediately.

At this moment, Shiraishi ignored the murder case and began interrogating Washinuma Noboru on the side...

However, Shinichi didn't know his purpose at the time, thinking it was some internal struggle, so he didn't pay much attention.

What Shiraishi was doing played right into Shinichi's hands. This was his first murder case, and he wanted to thoroughly deduce the truth, not "solve" the case based on one or two pieces of evidence or clues.

The way detectives... or rather, these "master detectives" solve cases is quite different from how the police solve them.

Master detectives mostly use deduction to reconstruct the crime scene, thereby forcing the culprit to confess, while the police don't need to know every detail perfectly.

For the police, solving a case isn't primarily about "deduction." Or rather, "deduction" is only used in the first step – "determining the investigation direction."

They don't need overly rigorous deduction. They just need to come up with a few possibilities, then conduct interviews and gather evidence for each investigation direction. Once they have evidence and motive, they apply for a "search warrant" and "arrest warrant." Through searches and interrogations, they obtain more confessions and decisive evidence, forming a chain of evidence, and then they can write a "case submission report."

If the prosecution deems the report sufficient, they will directly prosecute. If they feel something is lacking, they will scold the submitting officer and point out what needs to be investigated further...

Therefore, a "master detective" is not necessarily an excellent detective, and vice versa. A "master detective" essentially magnifies the ability to "determine the investigation direction" infinitely, and even from the police's perspective, they rely on it too much.

Cases where Megure seeks Kudo's help are usually "hopeless" cases where the police can't even find a "direction for investigation." This is when they turn to "master detectives."

Shinichi's goal, or rather, his "hobby," is clearly "deduction"...

Therefore, Shinichi didn't mention the crucial clue in Shiraishi's pocket at this time. His mind was entirely focused on how Amano Tsubame dealt with the murder weapon and how she fabricated her alibi. Given her relationship with the deceased, it wasn't surprising she could incapacitate him. The key issues were the missing murder weapon and the alibi!

Meanwhile, Shiraishi ignored his detective game and was busy taking Washinuma's statement... his attention was actually on Edward nearby.

Just then...

Ring ring ring--

"Dear passengers, due to weather conditions, this flight will be returning to Yokohama Airport in Kanagawa Prefecture for landing. Our airline will provide complimentary accommodation and arrange for the resumption of your journey as soon as possible. We ask for your patience..."

An announcement was made on the plane about the return flight. However...

After a slight sigh of relief, Shiraishi's heart immediately tightened again. Yokohama Airport? Landing at an airport on the east coast was normal, but...

The matter Shiraishi was investigating was the connection between the Minister of Justice and local violent organizations in Kanagawa Prefecture. The "Metropolitan Police Department," where Shiraishi worked, was essentially the "Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department" and couldn't investigate cases in Kanagawa Prefecture. This was why he had to "attack from afar."

Yet now...

Landing directly in the enemy's base, wasn't that a bit targeted?

However, Shiraishi's heart stirred, and the corners of his mouth even curled up slightly. He hadn't found any usable negatives. In such a situation, if the other party didn't make a move, Shiraishi would have no way to proceed!

If this emergency landing location was indeed targeting him...

Then that would be even better!

They want to resort to force?

As long as they play by the rules and don't bring out heavy weaponry, Shiraishi Kuro won't back down!

Gulp--

Washinuma Noboru looked at Officer Shiraishi in front of him, let out a cold laugh, and became even more nervous as he confessed!

As for Shinichi...

He was currently breaking down the suspect's alibi!

According to the flight attendant's testimony, she went to the restroom before the deceased—though this was merely a "little trick."

"I see! I understand now... that mark was actually... Ran! Let me ask you something!" Shinichi had finally figured out what the murder weapon was.

There was security screening on the plane, so an overly conspicuous murder weapon wouldn't have been allowed on board.

The victim's wounds must have been...

...the result of the steel wire from the "Kyocho," sharpened to a point!

However, Shinichi, not entirely familiar with this, still needed to ask Ran for advice first...

Ran's face instantly turned red. She pushed him away, exclaiming, "What are you talking about! You pervert!"

"No... I'm just investigating the case normally... Can you tell me..." Shinichi immediately tried to explain to Ran.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Megure's mood soured as he watched the "couple" flirting.

"No! Inspector Megure, I already know who the culprit is!" Shinichi declared, his spirits soaring.

Amano Tsubame had actually shown signs of her guilt earlier. Because the iron wire from the "Kyocho" had been pulled out, she would scratch herself when she moved vigorously—in fact, even without Shinichi's current Deduction, once the plane landed, a thorough search by female officers would have revealed it!

As for the "false alibi"...

The blood on the steel ring of your "Kyocho" was already solid evidence. The flaw in the alibi would eventually be revealed through interrogation. Moreover, the strength of the alibi wasn't enough to overturn the evidence of the murder weapon being hidden on her person. It wouldn't be wrong to send her directly for trial, disregarding the flight attendant's testimony, unless the Lawyer could further uncover the flight attendant's testimony, which would then become a matter for courtroom confrontation.

However, with Shinichi present, things were indeed made a bit easier. He directly exposed her method, using "Deduction" to forcibly compensate for the detective's lack of an "interrogation" phase...

"Wait, but didn't Tsubame not have the negatives on her either?" Chikawa still couldn't believe his friend had committed murder.

"About that..." Shinichi glanced at Shiraishi Kuro, only to find... the latter glaring at him. Thus, he decided not to reveal that "the negatives had already been cut up and flushed away."

Amano Tsubame was also no longer willing to resist and directly confessed her crime.

At the same time, Shinichi didn't forget to expose Edward's tampering with the corpse. Shinichi also knew that Edward could actually understand the Japanese language.

As the plane landed at Yokohama Airport, Edward immediately called the embassy to request bail—his crime wasn't serious, he had only tampered with the corpse...

As for the "scandal negatives," he and the American Congressman were the victims of extortion!

After all, the police couldn't interfere with "scandals concerning personal conduct."

"I'm taking your negatives as evidence," Shiraishi Kuro said to Washinuma Noboru without further ado.

"Huh? Oh... okay..." Washinuma Noboru didn't dare to retort at this moment...

Although it was unrelated to the murder case, he had indeed been planning extortion.

After taking a large amount of Washinuma Noboru's confession and the "negatives," Shiraishi Kuro, carrying the confession and negatives, checked into the hotel arranged by the airline, feigning triumph...

Edward looked at his expression... and also believed that he had obtained the crucial evidence!