The Clue to Suicide

## Chapter 9: Clues to Suicide

Lin Xinyi provided the answer.

Everyone present also reconstructed the full picture of the case in their minds:

Approximately three hours ago, the deceased drowned, and due to their large build, the body floated directly to the surface. It remained in the river's dark waters, unnoticed.

A little over ten minutes ago, the body unexpectedly collided with a passing cruise ship and was subsequently caught in the propeller.

The propeller's immense force severed the body into several pieces, leaving numerous messy cuts and gashes on it.

During this process, the body also rotated at high speed with the propeller, scraping against the ship's hull multiple times, causing extensive skin abrasions.

Afterward, the cruise ship continued on its way, leaving the fragmented body in that section of the water.

Blood flowed out in large quantities as the body dismembered, staining the river red and ultimately leading Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran, who were passing by, to witness the horrifying sight of the bloody waves.

"So that's how it is."

"A simple accident made the case appear complicated on the surface."

Inspector Megure, now knowing the truth, couldn't help but feel a deep sense of lament.

And the truth about the propeller accident dismembering the body still sounded somewhat unbelievable.

Yet, no one present, including Kudo Shinichi, could question Lin Xinyi's conclusion.

Because every word he spoke was supported by evidence.

Just as Lin Xinyi himself said, he wasn't doing detective work; he was merely helping the deceased speak.

"Wait a minute—" After a moment of reflection, Inspector Megure suddenly noticed another issue: "This evidence only proves that the deceased drowned and was accidentally caught in the propeller. It doesn't prove she committed suicide."

"Brother Lin."

He very casually switched to a more familiar form of address:

"Why did you initially conclude that the deceased died by suicide?"

"Well…"

"The clue that suggests the deceased committed suicide is around the waist and abdomen of the body."

"Regarding this, Detective Kudo should have noticed it too, right?"

Lin Xinyi gave Kudo Shinichi a meaningful look:

He had noticed earlier that the young master detective's gaze had immediately fixated on the deceased's waist and abdomen the moment he saw the body parts.

Clearly, Kudo Shinichi had also noticed this detail on the body.

"That's right."

Kudo Shinichi nodded and began to explain under Lin Xinyi's gaze:

"I noticed right away that there was a clear ligature mark on the deceased's waist and abdomen, caused by rope binding."

"Did the killer tie up the victim?"

Inspector Megure instinctively made a guess.

"No, it was most likely tied by the deceased themselves."

Lin Xinyi slowly denied:

"Because on the deceased's wrist—although only one hand has been recovered so far, we can still see that there are no rope marks on the deceased's wrist."

"Only the waist is bound, but the hands are still free to move."

"If this were a homicide, and the rope was tied by the killer, would they leave the victim with hands that could move freely?"

"If the hands could move freely, the victim would be able to untie the rope themselves after being pushed into the water."

"Therefore, this kind of ligature mark usually only occurs in one situation—"

He paused slightly here.

And the renowned detective named Kudo Shinichi very cooperatively picked up the thread:

"It's a suicide by drowning."

"People who commit suicide by drowning often tie heavy objects around their waist to prevent themselves from floating to the surface after entering the water."

"That's why they'll have rope marks around their waist, but no signs of being bound on their wrists."

"The deceased only had rope marks around their waist and died by drowning, so this is most likely a suicide by jumping into the water."

Kudo Shinichi meticulously reconstructed the scene:

"I deduce that the deceased entered the water with a heavy object tied around their waist, and consequently drowned."

"And in the three hours that followed, the rope around the waist gradually loosened under the impact of the river current, and the body consequently broke free from the heavy object and floated to the surface."

"This is the entire truth of the case."

Kudo made a definitive conclusion about the case, reconstructing the scene based on his deductions.

Lin Xinyi, however, out of professional habit, very carefully weighed his words:

"It's still too early to say it's a definitive conclusion. After all, I can only perform external examinations on the body for now, so I can't completely rule out other possibilities."

"But based on the evidence gathered so far, it's highly probable that the deceased died by suicide."

"Next, please send divers to search carefully. They should be able to find the rope and heavy objects left by the deceased at the bottom of the river."

"At the same time, the police need to quickly confirm the identity of the deceased and, through interviews and investigations, ascertain whether the deceased had any suicidal tendencies before death."

"If possible, a full autopsy should also be performed to confirm that the deceased did not have any subcutaneous hemorrhages from external injuries sustained before death."

"I understand!"

Inspector Megure let out a long sigh of relief:

Although Lin Xinyi's words always left room for doubt, he could tell that this case was basically settled:

"So the truth was this simple!"

It turned out there was no murderer in this case at all.

Just like that, a dismemberment case that had a terrible social impact and put immense pressure on investigators was easily solved by these two "Shinichis"—Lin Xinyi and Kudo Shinichi.

Thinking of this, the police officers present, just like Inspector Megure, relaxed their expressions.

But Kudo Shinichi, who had just solved a major case, instead fell into deep thought.

"That's right, the truth is that simple."

"A boat, a propeller, an accidental death, nothing more."

"Why didn't I think of that?"

This answer wasn't difficult for Kudo Shinichi, the renowned detective.

If he had been given more time to think, he should have been able to uncover the truth hidden behind it.

However, no matter what, This time, he had been completely outpaced by Lin Xinyi.

Lin Xinyi had already seen through everything while he was still hesitating. Clearly, Kudo Shinichi had lost this detective showdown.

Come to think of it, this was probably his first defeat in such a detective contest, wasn't it?

Raising his head, Kudo Shinichi's gaze towards Lin Xinyi had changed.

In his eyes was reluctance, but also respect and admiration:

"Mr. Lin Xinyi, are you a detective too?"

"No."

Lin Xinyi shook his head decisively:

"I'm not some famous detective you imagine, and I'm not much smarter than an ordinary person."

"You were a step slower than me simply because you lacked some knowledge and experience."

Although he had participated in the investigation of many cases, including some major ones, Lin Xinyi had never regarded himself as the kind of incredibly intelligent, almost supernatural, detective found in novels.

Because just as programmers can code, architects understand design, and mathematicians excel at calculation—autopsies were just common work skills for Lin Xinyi.

He was good at it not because he had a higher IQ than ordinary people, but because he had spent more time and effort studying it.

"Indeed…"

Kudo Shinichi nodded thoughtfully:

"I'm better at starting with clues from the crime scene other than the body. Examining wound traces isn't my strong suit."

"If I knew a little more, perhaps I could also see the truth immediately, like you."

For a high school student, Kudo Shinichi's knowledge base was already incredibly vast.

That was because he had an incredible father, and his father had taken him to an incredible Hawaii Technical School.

But while that Hawaii Technical School could teach him to drive cars, boats, and planes, it simply couldn't teach him how to perform autopsies.

Because this skill is useless just by reading books; it can only be honed through long-term practice.

Even forensic medicine students who graduated from proper programs and studied hard for years were essentially clueless when they first started internships. The only thing they could do was help their mentors move bodies.

Only by attending enough crime scenes and examining enough bodies could one gradually grow into a forensic pathologist capable of working independently.

The reason Kudo Shinichi lost this time was his lack of experience in this area. He couldn't interpret what the body was trying to communicate immediately, unlike Lin Xinyi.

"I understand."

"I'll work hard to improve in this area!"

Kudo Shinichi said with great enthusiasm.

"Uh… good luck."

Lin Xinyi smiled noncommittally:

He's just a high school student. Where would he find so many bodies to practice on?

Does he encounter dead people every day?

"I should probably go back to studying hard and see if I can get into a good Medical School someday."

"Mr. Lin Xinyi."

Kudo Shinichi spoke again, full of anticipation:

"I hope we'll have another chance to face off."

"..."

Lin Xinyi's smile faltered slightly:

Who would want a next time for something like this?

You're that excited about dead bodies? Are you really a high schooler?

And it's not just Kudo Shinichi.

It seems everyone, including the onlookers, has a strange enthusiasm for criminal cases.

Even that terrifying Dismemberment Case couldn't completely scare them off. There were even many women and children among the spectators.

For example, Miss Mouri Ran, who looks so delicate and frail. She was clearly pale with fright from the dismembered body parts, yet she still remained engrossed, staying by the side to watch Kudo Shinichi's live deduction.

Have I come to some strange place?

Lin Xinyi gradually realized that this world was a bit off.