Just as he was thinking, the footage on the television beside them suddenly showed the cameraman playing with a dog.
"Saburo!" The camera focused on the dog lying on the ground. The current victim, holding the camcorder, tossed it a ball. "Come play! This is your favorite ball."
Saburo glanced at him, then lazily turned away and yawned.
"Play! Why aren't you playing?" The reporter clicked his tongue in confusion. "I clearly remember that you loved playing with balls."
Watching this, Conan suddenly remembered something and asked the owner of Fuyudo Villa, "Ma'am, why is that dog named Saburo?"
The old woman hummed. "Before Saburo, there were also Taro and Jiro. Unfortunately, neither of them is in this world anymore."
Suzuki Sonoko was startled. "Both puppies died?"
The old woman shook her head. "Taro was my husband's name."
Suzuki Sonoko said, "Uh, sorry, I meant..."
The old woman magnanimously waved it off and began telling them Jiro's story. "Jiro, like Saburo, was a Shikoku Dog. He was raised by my late husband's previous wife. Not long after Mrs. Reiko passed away, Jiro seemed to follow her and die of illness."
Conan seemed very interested in the loyal dog. "Are there any photos of Jiro? I'd like to see one."
The old woman stroked her chin. "There should be. I saw some in my late husband's photo album. Come to think of it, his room has already been converted into a guest room—it happens to be where the late Mr. Futagaki was staying."
The short-haired woman froze. "So that's why there were so many books on the bookshelf... I'll go get the photo album right away."
The old woman nodded. Being advanced in years, with bad legs and an aching back, she could not be bothered going up and down the