"He took the bait."
Conan's heart filled with joy, and he immediately asked,
"Oh, right, Akikawa Brother, did you notice any characteristics of the killer's hands? Like tattoos, nail polish, scars, or any other special features?"
Before entering the ward, Conan had separately asked Officer Takagi Wataru.
That was, if Officer Takagi Wataru heard him lightly tap the microphone, he should come in and report that fingerprints had been detected.
And when reporting, the first piece of information should be a true one.
The purpose was to increase the credibility of the subsequent report.
"Because no fingerprints were detected on the dagger, and Akikawa Sosuke didn't have gloves."
"If he were the killer, then he could only have wiped away the fingerprints on the dagger using the absorbent cotton material of the victim's clothes, and then used the blood to cover up the grease and skin cells left on the clothes."
"Unlike the trap set by Masumi Sera, which was 'Police Secret Information' known only to the Police."
"This is 'Criminal-Specific Information' known only to the killer and the Police."
"Only the criminal who wiped away the fingerprints would believe that the Police would not be able to detect fingerprints on the dagger."
Cyanoacrylate fuming, also known as super glue fuming, is a method commonly used by modern forensic scientists to develop fingerprints by heating and vaporizing cyanoacrylate to form a white polymer.
Although this method cannot one hundred percent develop fingerprints that have been wiped with blood.
But the mere possibility is enough.
"As long as Akikawa Sosuke is not aware of the Forensic Science Division's findings, he cannot be one hundred percent sure that his fingerprints were completely processed."
Conan seemed to be asking Akikawa Sosuke about the characteristics of the perpetrator's hands.
But what he actually wanted to know was whether the perpetrator had directly touched the dagger with his bare hands.
"Since he heard Officer Takagi say that fingerprints other than Akikawa Ryoko's were detected on the dagger, if he were the criminal, he would definitely assume that his fingerprints were not cleaned properly."
"In this situation, he wouldn't be able to use excuses like 'a third party wearing gloves committed the crime' to stall the Police."
"Because in the face of 'concrete' evidence, refuting it would only appear suspicious."
"From the perspective of the 'criminal' Akikawa Sosuke, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has already confirmed that someone touched the dagger handle with bare hands."
"Therefore, Akikawa Sosuke can only fabricate a hand characteristic that is completely different from his own."
"But no matter what he answers, he must be the killer!"
"Because, given the circumstances yesterday, only he could have touched the dagger with bare hands!"
All the investigation results from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department indicate that Akikawa Sosuke is the only person with a motive in this case, and the only person who could benefit from Akikawa Ryoko's death.
By considering Akikawa Sosuke as the killer and combining it with the clues at the scene, he could deduce his method of committing the crime.
This was Conan's absolute confidence in his deductive abilities.
As long as Akikawa Sosuke did not deny that the criminal touched the dagger with bare hands, it would be equivalent to him admitting that he was the criminal.
Precisely because of the presence of Takagi Wataru, Akikawa Sosuke also had no way to deny that the criminal touched the dagger with bare hands.
In a situation with asymmetric information, it was clear that his side held the advantage.
Akikawa Sosuke looked at the confident expression on Conan's face, his heart pounding.
Indeed.
After hearing the Detective who came in later say that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had detected other people's fingerprints through cyanoacrylate fuming, he couldn't help but doubt his own handling.
But then, upon hearing Conan ask about the perpetrator's hand characteristics, Akikawa Sosuke keenly noticed something.
That was—
"Sure enough, Nakajima didn't hand over the recording from the ward this morning!"
If Conan knew that he had already learned the Forensic Science Division's findings, it would be impossible for him to ask him this.
Then it could only be that Nakajima Takuto had not informed them of this matter.
Through his contact with Nakajima Takuto this morning.
Akikawa Sosuke was convinced that although Nakajima Takuto had the sense of justice and responsibility of a Detective.
He was ultimately someone who would prioritize his own interests above all else in his heart.
So, for this kind of person.
As long as his own tangible interests are threatened, the scale in his heart holding responsibility and self-interest will definitely tip towards the latter.
To achieve this goal, two things needed to be done.
First was to accumulate his anger and reduce his patience.
Ultimately causing Nakajima Takuto to lose his composure and force him to confess, leading to discovery.
Second was to deliver another blow, reducing his psychological endurance.
By damaging his body through excessive eating, the mistakes made by Nakajima Takuto would increase.
In this situation, the recording that documented his colossal mistake would become an unstable bomb threatening his career as a Detective.
Without knowing when the bomb would explode and affect him, completely defusing it was clearly the safest option.
As expected, Nakajima Takuto didn't dare to hand over that recording.
At least, everyone present was unaware that he already knew the Forensic Science Division's findings.
Conan's lips curved into a confident smile, his sharp gaze fixed on the stunned Akikawa Sosuke, watching him open his mouth.
"No, how could this be…"
Conan heard Akikawa Sosuke utter words from his mouth that reflected his inner turmoil.
"Could it be that he can't even make up a hand characteristic? Just knowing that his fingerprints were exposed has completely flustered him?"
Conan thought to himself.
Immediately after, he heard Akikawa Sosuke continue:
"I clearly, clearly saw that the person who stabbed Mom was wearing gloves."
Akikawa Sosuke's statement caused Conan's eyes to widen sharply, but his pupils suddenly contracted.
The confident smile on his face froze instantly.
Even though he had sealed off Akikawa Sosuke's retreat, leaving only one path that would lead into the trap no matter how he walked.
He never expected that Akikawa Sosuke would still walk towards the path that was sealed off.
Conan had been observing Akikawa Sosuke's reaction.
His eyes suddenly widened, showing shock.
Then his eyebrows furrowed tightly, showing confusion.
Before speaking, his eyes looked upwards, which is a sign of recollection.
Finally, he gave a definite answer.
All these reactions were too natural.
It really seemed like the reaction of someone who had heard a result different from their memory for the first time.
Indeed.
Regarding the description of the perpetrator's hand characteristics, no matter what Akikawa Sosuke answered, he would be the perpetrator.
But if Akikawa Sosuke directly stated that the perpetrator wore gloves, then the situation would be different.
"Could it be that he really isn't the perpetrator?!"
"Is there really someone who rode a motorcycle, caused the car accident, then killed Akikawa Ryoko and fled?"
Masumi Sera noticed that Conan had temporarily fallen into shock because the situation had deviated from his expectations.
So she quickly prompted Sato Miwako to continue questioning Akikawa Sosuke.
"The interrogation is not over yet."
"As long as Akikawa says anything that doesn't match the facts, he still cannot escape suspicion."
However, until the questioning was completed.
Akikawa Sosuke did not say anything that made them notice a discrepancy with the facts or a problem with the logic.
Masumi Sera looked at Takagi Wataru's detailed notes, which recorded everything, and nodded.
Then she looked at Akikawa Sosuke and said with a smile:
"Excuse me, Mr. Akikawa, could you please repeat what you just said, but in reverse order?"