"Eh? Really?" Hearing that, Suzu Chiga looked bewildered and shocked. "When I went to the police station to give my statement, no one collected anything like that..."
Everyone else present nodded unconsciously, turning to look at Conan, who had just said something astonishing.
"They didn't?" Conan looked somewhat confused. After a moment, he scratched his cheek. "But Uncle told me..."
Conan was one of the family members who had come to Kyoto with Mori Kogoro. Naturally, everyone present knew exactly which uncle he meant.
The others exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
If Mori Kogoro had revealed details of the investigation, then it might really have been true...
"Ah, perhaps they really didn't collect anything from Miss Chiga. After all, based on the evidence we've obtained, there's a very high chance the culprit is male." Heiji Hattori patted his head, looking troubled and pained. "It is still an ongoing investigation, after all..."
He did not say anything further, but his meaning was already clear.
What this little boy had said was true. The police had likely taken the opportunity to collect their fingerprints and DNA when they asked them to come to the station and cooperate with the investigation.
It was not formal evidence collection, and no court would recognize the process, but once they identified someone, they could arrest them and take proper samples for comparison afterward.
The important thing was finding out who it was. Once they identified the killer, the procedures could be completed later.
"...Oh, so you've obtained such critical information." After staring blankly for a while, Harutaro Mizuo picked up his tea again. He seemed fairly composed and even remembered to offer praise. "You've already obtained evidence that can directly identify the culprit. As expected of Kansai's Great Detective, Hattori."
"Not at all." Heiji Hattori