Jiang Xia said, "Since Zhanshi's chewing gum would be hard to peel off, and it wouldn't be very proper to inspect the soles of your shoes in public, whoever stepped on it might wait until they got home to deal with it. That way, they would naturally take away the murder weapon. Besides, if that unlucky passerby handled it improperly, there might be another 'Locked-Room Poison Needle Death Case' the next day."
Inspector Megure broke out in a cold sweat. "..." Life really was fragile, and the traps of working overtime really were everywhere... Fortunately, Jiang Xia had discovered it early.
The frightened inspector only wanted to wrap things up quickly.
Inspector Megure looked at his colleague from the Forensics Department and pointed at the Curly-Haired Clerk's shoes. "Extract the physical evidence and fingerprints from them immediately!"
Shimizu Takayasu, however, did not panic. Instead, he chuckled. "What a pity. I never touched either of those things. And look—"
He took a cigarette case from his pocket and tapped out a cigarette for the police to see. "I don't smoke that brand. Someone must be trying to frame me using this. After all, I often chew chewing gum to ease my nerves while playing games. That hasn't been a secret for a long time—this is a setup tailored specifically for me."
Inspector Megure's head was practically turning into a pendulum, swinging from one side to the other.
Jiang Xia said, "The cigarette butt and chewing gum used to hide the Poison Needle were probably dug out of an Ashtray at the Game Arcade by the killer. As long as they used a pad underneath them, such as a cigarette case, it would be difficult to leave fingerprints behind."
Inspector Megure was shocked. "Then what do we do?"
Jiang Xia said, "The