Just then, Conan seemed to remember something. He looked around. "Dr. Araide, why is your house so quiet? Where are your grandmother and the live-in helper?"
In Conan's memory, Dr. Araide came from a family of doctors, and this clinic had been founded by his father. After his mother passed away, the school doctor had lived happily with his father, grandmother, stepmother, and housekeeper.
However, unlike the gentle Dr. Araide, Araide's father had been cold and habitually unfaithful. After driving his first wife to her death, he married her best friend as his second wife—only to later be electrocuted in an "accident" arranged by that second wife.
His father was dead, his stepmother was in prison, and Dr. Araide's household had dwindled to three people. The spacious house naturally felt rather empty.
Empty or not, though, they had been sitting here for so long, yet that diligent young housekeeper had not come to pour them any tea. Conan looked around and felt that something was off.
Hearing Conan's question, Vermouth sighed inwardly. Cool Guy's instincts were truly sharp sometimes.
Fortunately, she had already prepared an explanation.
A sorrowful smile soon appeared on the face of the unfortunate school doctor. "This place holds painful memories for me, and the pressure of working in Tokyo is too great. A hospital in Aomori Prefecture happened to invite me over some time ago, so I'm planning to move there for work.
"My grandmother and Akari have already gone ahead, but this clinic still has quite a few longtime patients. I need to refer them to other hospitals before I can leave without worry.
"Also, regarding my father's murder, I'm not only a family member but also an important witness. When that case goes to trial in Tokyo, I'll have to appear and testify."
Mouri