Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 921: Strong Aggression

"Looking for your girlfriend who disappeared this morning..."

Looking at the man sitting opposite him introducing himself like this, Kogoro Mouri nodded and glared at the guy behind him who was sighing loudly.

The client is still here, this attitude is a bit too outrageous.

The man sitting opposite named Sankaku Atsushi first looked at the people standing behind Maori Kogoro in surprise, then nodded and continued to describe his client: "Yes, we live together, but when I got up this morning, I found that she was gone. She didn't go to work either, and her phone was turned off..."

"Is it confirmed that she is missing? Is there something urgent?" Kogoro Mouri quickly entered the private detective's questioning process.

"Yes, I think so. The main reason is that we had a fierce argument last night, so we didn't sleep in the same room at night. When I got up in the morning, she was gone. I think she must have run away from home because she was angry with me..." Sanjiaodu showed a frustrated expression, lowered his head, and looked at his hands on the table.

"Can I ask the reason for the quarrel?" Kogoro Mouri raised his eyelids and looked at him subtly.

Searching for someone who has gone missing due to a quarrel is not a particularly rare commission, and finding people is a common area of ​​work for private detectives.

Precisely because of his high level of proficiency, Kogoro Maori felt that Sankaku Atsushi's performance was subtle and unusual.

"It's not a big deal. It's just a common quarrel among couples." Sanjiao Du lowered his head and looked at the tea in front of him. "I've been too busy with work recently and I can't spare any time to accompany her. She thinks I don't pay enough attention to her ideas, so we quarreled... Then, it was some trivial matters. You blamed me and I blamed you. She said angrily that she was still the same as before and I was the one who changed. I replied that of course we can't go back, and it's impossible for us to go back to the time when we met..."

Having said this, perhaps noticing the unanimous gazes from the people across the seat, he shifted uneasily on the sofa.

"...I rarely went against her ideas in the past. I always tried to discuss traveling with her and plan our free time. Maybe this sentence made her very unhappy. She quickly locked me out of the room and never spoke to me again. When I woke up in the morning, she and my car were gone."

"It sounds like a common contradiction." Suzuki Sonoko touched her chin, "Maybe she is not missing, but just hiding from you."

"Maybe..." Sanjiao Du smiled bitterly, "We have been together for four or five years. We have been arguing more and more frequently recently. I am not surprised that she doesn't want to pay attention to me."

"In this case, she shouldn't have encountered any personal threats. Are you sure you want to commission her here?" Maori Kogoro crossed his arms. "You know, even if we can't find the person in time, the commission fee will not be fully refunded. She may calm down in a few days and go home."

As he spoke, he also tapped his chest, hinting to Triangle Du that his expenses were not cheap.

Kogoro Mouri has become a famous detective, and now his commission fees are quite high. If his financial situation is not particularly good or the situation is very urgent, few people will give him priority to complete such an ordinary commission.

"I can't wait that long!" Sanjiao Du raised his head. "She can be angry with me and ignore me, but I have a plan in my car that must be submitted tomorrow. The company's planning can't wait, so no matter what, I have to find her today!"

These words were spoken with great force and sounded much more sincere than the previous contents. Several people's eyes suddenly became clear.

Bathed in such a gaze, Sanjiao Du coughed twice and added: "Of course, I am also very worried about her situation. Well, she has a bit of an impulsive personality..."

"...I see." Feeling that he had understood his true intentions, Maori Kogoro shook his head and was too lazy to expose his words. He just picked up the notebook and said, "Then I can give it a try. But Mr. Sankaku, you know that there are too few clues now. I can't guarantee whether I can find her."

"Give me a direction, and I can tell you her personal information. We have lived together for so many years, and I know her very well. Please, Detective Maori!" Sanjiao Du saw that he was about to refuse, so he immediately leaned over the edge of the coffee table and bent down, looking very sincere, "That project plan is really important! Of course, I really need to confirm her safety."

Conan observed him from the edge of the sofa back with his half-moon eyes.

Rather than worrying about his girlfriend's safety, it sounds more like he's worried that his girlfriend might get angry and destroy the work he's worked so hard to complete...

"Well, I think she's just angry..."

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to continue explaining, a soft voice came from the direction of the door.

"...If it's this kind of commission, I think I might have some ideas. But, Mr. Sankaku, are you sure you want to commission this?"

"Akechi?" Maori Kogoro turned his head, very surprised. After thinking about it, he couldn't help but be a little wary, "Why did you come here?"

He thought that he hadn't had any conflicts with this guy recently, so he shouldn't come to steal such an insignificant business...

Moreover, his prices are already very high, and this guy's prices are even higher than his. People cannot accept this level of consumption upgrade.

Tang Ze, who was standing at the door, bowed to him and said modestly: "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Maori, I don't mean to compete with you for priority. I came to the cafe to see the boss and said hello to you on the way. I didn't expect to encounter such an interesting case. This commission is of course left to you to handle. I can only provide some small help."

Kogoro Maori looked at his smile strangely, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether he was telling the truth or being sarcastic in another way.

After observing for such a long time, he was basically certain that beneath Goro Akechi's polite appearance, he was definitely not a kind and friendly person, but a boy with a lot of evil in his mind.

"What kind of help?" Sanjiao Du turned his head and looked at the young man who appeared there, and asked uncertainly, "You mean, do you have any clues about my girlfriend? But I haven't told Detective Maori her name yet..."

Tangze looked at him and smiled, suddenly pointed at Maori Kogoro: "Before I answer, please pay the advance deposit first. I am a private detective and have my own principles. It is impossible for me to provide voluntary help unconditionally. I am just helping my respected senior free of charge, not that my help itself is free of charge." Maori Kogoro raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that he would be so considerate to help him improve his status, but in front of the client who came to him, it was naturally impossible to refuse this kindness.

Sankaku Atsushi's thick black eyebrows twitched twice. He vaguely realized that there might be something bad hidden behind this young and handsome face. But after looking at the eyes of Mouri Kogoro and other people in the office, he gritted his teeth and had to do as he was told.

Knowing his purpose and understanding that he would definitely not refuse the bait, Karasawa looked at him calmly. After Maori Kogoro counted and accepted the bills he handed over and confirmed that Sankaku Atsushi would not go back on his word, he nodded and finished the topic he had started.

"What I'm going to say next may not sound pleasant, Mr. Sanjiao. I apologize for any possible offense. The following content is based on my own experience in handling cases and the conclusions I have drawn from my reasoning." Tang Ze tilted his head and scanned the bearded, haggard and dishevelled man with a penetrating gaze. "I don't know if you've heard of a saying that if a wife dies or goes missing, the first suspect considered is the husband."

The corner of Sanjiaodu's eye twitched violently.

Although he had stacked armor at the beginning, this sentence was no longer just an offense. It was almost a direct statement that he suspected that Sanjiao Du himself was the cause of his girlfriend's disappearance.

Tang Ze raised his hand predictively to stop his rebuttal: "I know you will be unhappy with what I said, but I hope you will listen to me first. This is not a conclusion based on probability or statistics. Violent injuries and homicides are a manifestation of the murderer's strong emotions. The beneficiary theory is often used in homicides, that is, the person who benefits the most from the death of the deceased is most likely the murderer. The same applies to husband and wife or romantic relationships, because the high correlation of interests is a direct result of this relationship."

He first threw out a string of confusing nouns, and after Sanjiaodu's expression calmed down a little, he directly dropped the bombshell.

"Your girlfriend disappeared this morning, along with your car. Based on the fact that you had an argument before, it's easy to tell that her disappearance must be related to that argument, and that she ran away in anger. But you didn't call the police, nor did you try to find your common connections to contact her. Instead, you went straight to one of Tokyo's most expensive private detectives... Let me ask you directly, Mr. Sankaku, have you killed your girlfriend, and have you thought of some way to cover up your crime, and are eager to find a third party to clear your name?"

"You...!" Hearing this almost provocative accusation, Sanjiao Du could no longer sit still and slammed the table and stood up, "What nonsense are you talking about, you bastard!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't be angry, sir, calm down..." Before Sankaku Atsushi could step out to hit someone, Mao Lilan took two steps forward to hold him back, "Akechi-kun, this is not good, right? This is a serious accusation."

Tang Ze calmly watched Sanjiao Du, who was blushing and unable to break free from her grasp, and smiled fearlessly, "It is indeed very serious, so I said it, which may be a bit offensive. But there is no way, my professional instinct cannot explain such unreasonable behavior. Mr. Sanjiao, why didn't you call the police? You said that you did it for the safety of your own personal information and her personal safety. This is different from the nature of the missing person commission that has to be entrusted to the detective for privacy or other reasons. I think the police will help you."

"Because she's only been missing for less than 12 hours." With his eyes twitching wildly, Sanjiaodu explained in a clumsy way, "You all think she was just angry for a moment, and the police will definitely not take it seriously..."

"That's a possibility. But your answer shows that you didn't even try to call the police." Tang Ze shook his finger. "That's weird, sir. That's weird."

"I don't, I don't trust the police, is that not okay?" Sankaku Atsushi said as he tried again to get rid of Mao Lilan's pull. However, those soft and slender hands were much more stable than he had imagined. He was sweating all over from pulling, but he still didn't move.

"That's one explanation." Tang Ze nodded in agreement. Before he could relax, he changed the subject and said, "Does your girlfriend know that you have important documents in your car?"

"Of course she knows. I think she might know, so she did it on purpose..."

"That is to say, her original intention of driving your car away was to put pressure on you with the documents, to force you to be anxious, or to force you to go find her." Tang Ze nodded again, "This is even more strange, Mr. Sanjiao. Your girlfriend would do this because she is sure that you can find her, otherwise this series of actions would be meaningless. But now you say that not only can you not find her, but you even need a private detective to help you find her..."

"Stop talking nonsense! There is a limit to humiliating people!" Sankaku Atsushi widened his eyes and looked like he wanted to walk away, but when he turned around and saw Mouri Kogoro, the rest of the words got stuck in his throat.

Kogoro Mori's commission fee was a bit high, so much so that the deposit alone made those who had already paid in advance and found it difficult to get it back dare not turn around and leave.

Seeing this, everyone present finally understood what Goro Akechi had meant when he had abruptly asked him to pay the deposit first before proceeding.

He didn't mean to say that he would not help voluntarily. He was deliberately trying to keep Sanjiaodu here and force him to answer questions.

Tang Ze, who was watching his helpless rage with a smile, waited for a few seconds to see whether he dared to cancel the commission and leave immediately, and then he said leisurely: "Okay, Mr. Sanjiao. My doubts will not be easily dispelled, and you will not easily admit such a serious accusation. Next, it is not us who need to find someone, but you need to prove your innocence. Tell me, where do you think your girlfriend is most likely to have gone?"

He did not completely insist on the accusation, leaving a little room for it, but the looks people around him gave Sanjiao Du were completely different from when they first saw him.

The nature of a depressed man who is a little down and out due to emotional setbacks and a suspect who may have committed a serious crime and is eager to use a performance to clear himself of suspicion is completely different.

Sanjiaodu took a deep breath, and then another deep breath, and then another deep breath, as if he wanted to reject his provocative question outright, but he was restrained by something and couldn't open his mouth.

"Such a strong aggressiveness..." Hondou Eisuke, who was standing at the outermost edge and crouching behind Maori Kogoro's chair, whispered, "Is this also a famous detective? I haven't heard of him having this style before."

"Hmm..." Suzuki Sonoko hesitated, but still followed her heart and said, "It's indeed not his style. But he must be a detective who values ​​his reputation very much. It's impossible for him to make such an exaggerated judgment for no reason. Some police officers said that his style of solving cases is like X-ray, fast and accurate. Sometimes, he can judge the most likely murderer based on many details at the first glance..."

In other words, if one dares to speak out, it means that he has already determined the truth.

Hondou Eisuke said "Oh", not knowing whether he believed it or not. He turned his head again and looked at the two people in confrontation.

In the stressful silence, Sanjiaodu squeezed out a word from between his teeth.

"The ski resort in Gunma Prefecture. She most likely went there..."

(End of this chapter)