Inspector Megure did not answer Ezaki Sachiko's question and instead continued, "Do you know a man named Yoshizawa Tadashi?"
"Yoshizawa Tadashi?" Ezaki Sachiko thought seriously for a moment. "He doesn't ring a bell... Do you have a photo?"
Inspector Megure showed her the driver's license.
Ezaki Sachiko frowned as she studied it for a while, then shook her head. "He looks a little familiar, but I really can't remember where I've seen him before—why are you suddenly asking about him?"
Inspector Megure said, "According to Conan's testimony, this man was the kidnapper who abducted Shojun."
"!" Ezaki Sachiko suddenly understood. "No wonder he felt familiar—when we exchanged the ransom, the kidnapper hid his face with sunglasses and a face mask, but his hairstyle was the same as in this picture. That's right, it was definitely him."
Inspector Megure watched her for a while but failed to spot any flaws.
He did not want to keep beating around the bush. With a sigh, he said bluntly, "Just a short while ago, we found Mr. Yoshizawa's body beside the Teimuzu River. This earring of yours had fallen next to him.
"Various clues indicate that the dead kidnapper had an accomplice. And it is very likely that his accomplice killed him to silence him."
Officer Takagi added, "We sent people to search the dead kidnapper's residence and found that he had specifically marked tomorrow on his calendar—the day Shojun would be discharged from the hospital.
"When the kidnapper demanded ransom, he called Mr. Kataoka's cell phone directly. Also, comparing surveillance footage from both ends of the tunnel, the kidnapper spent very little time inside after entering it—this shows that he knew exactly where the transmitter was hidden in the ransom bag.
"Taken together, these circumstances give us reason to suspect that the kidnapper's