The search of the group naturally turned up nothing.
The stolen exhibits really were not large items. Once they had been switched, secretly transporting them away would not have been difficult. Yet this group did not have much in the way of personal belongings. Even if the process had not been particularly rigorous and anyone with ulterior motives had had plenty of chances to move them, at least for now, the police had no evidence to arrest any one of them.
The only person who ran into trouble during the inspection was Inui Shoichi, who had driven all the way here in his own car with bags slung over both shoulders.
Juzo Megure looked at the shovel, lockpicking tools, high-powered flashlight, and other equipment spread out before him, all of it practically professional-grade, then gave Inui Shoichi a subtle look. "You said these were your 'professional tools'?"
Inui Shoichi glanced at the items that had been pulled out onto the floor, swallowed, and stubbornly lifted his chin. "Y-Yes! This is treasure hunting. I came here to—right, I came here as a treasure hunter. There might be secret passages, treasure vaults, poorly maintained ruins, things like that... Then, then maybe..."
Juzo Megure snorted. He had no interest in listening to the man's excuses. Only after motioning for his subordinates to collect the entire bag of items that looked suspiciously like dangerous contraband did he signal that everyone could enter the castle.
Just as he had tactfully put it earlier, whether there truly was treasure in the castle remained uncertain, but it should still have been highly appealing to the unknown thief. Whether for protection or surveillance, the police had ample reason to take part in this exploration.
Natsumi Kousaka took a deep breath, cast an inconspicuous glance over the crowd, then