Original subtitles

Even a gigantic wall that seems to block the path.

Turns out to be a large door if viewed from a different angle.

A novelist's life is sought after by a character

that appears in her novel!

Is this fiction or non-fiction?

He sees through the one and only truth.

A child in appearance with the I.Q. of an adult.

His name is Detective Conan!

"Pro Soccer"

They're calling.

Pops?

Excuse me...

Inspector!

I have a feeling it's time to make an appearance!

Here goes!

Hey!

-Pops! -Inspector!

You must really have a lot of time on your hands.

No, this brat tells me in tears to go help

with the invitation so.

Inspector, what kind of case is this?

Homicide.

The victim is the person who lives in this unit.

Ms. Murako Saikawa, age 65.

She's living alone.

She looks to be a novelist.

Do you know her, Mouri?

Murako Saikawa...

Come to think of it, there was a novelist by the name some time ago.

Murako Saikawa...

"The Village of Orochi"

Was a once famous mystery writer.

She died instantly after being struck

in the back of the head with a bronze figurine.

From the looks of the corpse,

she was probably killed last night between 7 pm to 9 pm.

As to the estimated time of death,

I'm sure we'll be able to find out more in detail after the autopsy.

Who would want to kill that famed mystery writer?

And for what reason?

"My Favorite Mystery"

Inspector.

They are the two people who first found the body.

"Shunichi Tono (26)" -I'm Tono. I'm editor from Meikyu Publishing

and was in charge of Ms. Saikawa.

And he is the manager of the apartment.

"Keizo Murata (55)" -I'm Murata.

Please explain how things were when you first found the body once again.

When I came to make arrangements here yesterday,

she asked me to bring her some documents today.

But despite pushing the doorbell many times there was no answer.

So I sensed that something was not right.

So I went to call the apartment manager,

had him open the door and entered the room.

Ms. Saikawa?

We saw Ms. Saikawa lying over there...

I see.

Mr. Tono, were you at Ms. Saikawa's yesterday too?

Yes, I was.

From sundown to around 8 pm.

The murder was committed between 7 pm to 9 pm.

You've got great intuition?

I mean, you felt that something was not right,

only because after pushing the doorbell, nobody answered, right?

That's true.

Most people normally wouldn't think that way right off the bat.

Oh, well...

That's because several days ago,

Ms. Saikawa received this.

A postcard?

"Dear Ms. Murako Saikawa,"

"I'm thinking of adding your life to my collection next."

"I will go to visit you in the near future to take your life."

A murder warning?

The sender is...

Taniyoshi Ohebi?

It's read, Ryo Orochiya.

Ryo Orochiya?

It can't be!

"Ryo Orochiya" -Who is this Orochiya person?

He is a genius killer

that appears in one of Ms. Saikawa's main novels.

He's somebody who appears in her novel?

The novelist was killed by a character that appears in her novel?

No darn way!

Oh, I guess not.

But, that's what actually happened.

It's a cheap trick that the killer is using.

To complicate investigations!

To complicate investigations?

I wonder if anyone would do something like this just for that purpose.

Mr. Murata, if you have a vacant room,

could you lend it to us?

I would like to use the room as a stronghold for investigation.

Oh, yes.

-Chiba. -Yes, sir.

Mr. Tono, I think you're probably the last person who met the victim.

Could you spare us a little more of your time?

Yes, sir.

Inspector.

Yeah.

You said that the door was locked, didn't you?

I guess the killer locked the door when escaping last night.

In order to delay discovery of the body.

But, it seems that at this apartment the residents are given two keys.

And both of Ms. Saikawa's keys were found in the room.

The killer used a spare key?

Yes.

And if someone did use a spare key, the number of people

who can do so is limited.

For example, the editor in charge

who used to come make arrangements with her.

He could make one, if he waited for the chance to do so.

The manager also has a key.

Megure here.

Okay...

Got it.

Anything?

It's from Mr. Kawanaka who's going around the neighborhood

asking question looking for a lead.

He says that somebody heard the victim and the manager

having a heated argument several days ago.

It seems that the suspects have been narrowed down already.

Mr. Tono was here at the time the murder was committed.

Mr. Murata seems to have a motive to commit the murder.

And the two men could get spare keys of the room if they wanted to.

And if either of the two is the killer.

It may not be a coincidence that the first to ones

to discover the body were the two.

In order to get rid of the evidence they left behind the day before,

they snuck in here pretending to be the first to discover the body?

It's very probable.

What?

It's just a slice of fresh marinated ginger slices.

Ms. Saikawa hated fresh marinated ginger slices.

She used to say she didn't like the sweet sour taste of it.

That's why I think that after having sushi delivered here last night,

she disposed of the ginger slices without eating them.

Ms. Saikawa ordered delivery sushi last night?

Yes. I ordered it because Ms. Saikawa asked me to.

Inspector, the room is ready.

Oh, I see. Good work!

Then, Mr. Tono,

will you tell us in detail what happened last night?

Yes, sir.

If it was thrown away last night,

it would've been left there for half a day.

If so, then most naturally...

Ms. Saikawa was killed last night between 7 pm to 9 pm.

I came here last night around 6:30 pm.

Although she has stopped writing now,

Ms. Saikawa has written many masterpieces so far.

We talked things over for about an hour

on making a compilation of her masterpieces.

This is the Saikawa residence.

Yes, of Pearl Mansion.

One serving of the usual prime sushi plate.

The sushi came at about 8 pm.

But I had another place to stop by

so I left soon afterwards.

I'll bring the documents you wanted tomorrow morning.

Thank you.

Well, then. Excuse me.

At around 8:15 pm,

I joined my friends at a pub in front of the station.

And stayed there all the way through till midnight.

"6:30: Business meeting with Mr. Tono" -All through till midnight...

"7:30: Ordered sushi, 8.00: Sushi delivered"

"8:15: Mr. Tono left, meeting up with friends"

I will have to confirm what you said with your friends too.

I know that you suspect me.

But how could I do something like that

to Japan's jewel of mystery?

I didn't have any brawl with Ms. Saikawa!

Somebody saw wrong!

It could be.

Then, what about last night?

I was in the manager's room right through.

I was alone, so there's no one to prove it, though.

That manager's hiding something.

8 pm is the point of focus.

If between 7 pm and 8 pm,

Mr. Tono could've committed the crime.

If after 8 pm, Mr. Murata could've committed the crime too.

Well, split up and find back ups for everyone's testimony!

-Yes sir! -Yes sir!

"Treasure sushi, Not yet open for business." -What?

Ms. Saikawa was?

I hear that you delivered a take-out meal to her last night.

How stupid of me!

Excuse me?

It's the mistake of a life time!

Why don't you spit it all out?

-The squid and octopus... -What?

Squid and octopus?

We don't usually put squid and octopus

in our prime sushi plate.

But we used to specially put them in Ms. Saikawa's order only.

Because she used to like them both.

But I carelessly forgot to put them on her plate last night!

I mean, no big deal...

What do you mean it's no big deal?

I goofed on the last order, you know!

I can't face up to Ms. Saikawa.

I would like to ask you about the time you delivered the order to her.

Yes?

He didn't see her?

Yeah, he definitely delivered the sushi to her at 8 pm,

but he says he didn't see Ms. Saikawa

or hear her voice at all.

At that time, she was no longer in the world.

That's a possibility.

Excuse me.

Who are you?

No, chief editor, please don't!

Let me go!

"Yasunobu Shimasaki (50)" -I'm Shimasaki, Head of Meikyu Publishing.

I hear that you are considering Mr. Tono a suspect?

Oh, no...

He's a guy that came to work for our company

that specializes in mysteries because he adored Ms. Saikawa, you know?

He even planned the compilation of Ms. Saikawa's stories this time too.

Yeah...

So, he was a fervent fan of Murako Saikawa?

Did you know the novelist called Murako Saikawa?

Not until this incident...

Because she's a forgotten novelist, that's why.

But he's the one who insisted,

if so the more the reason to publish her stories.

The public know much too little of how great Ms. Saikawa is.

Creative and unique tricks and a perfect composition.

-I have my mind set on letting entire Japan -To be honest with you,

-become aware of her jewel-like sparkle! -I don't think it'll sell much.

Our management is always in dire straits.

If we publish a compilation that is unlikely to sell,

it'll only make things worse.

But, I agreed.

I was moved by his wanting to make her happy

for the very last time with his heart and soul.

For the very last time?

The doctor had told her that.

She only had only six more months to live.

The one who would be most vexed by Ms. Saikawa's death is Tono!

Excuse me.

Megure here.

Oh, from Beika Medical University Hospital.

Yes...

Okay, thank you very much.

We've got the result of the autopsy.

There seems to have been a little rice grain

and raw seafood left in the stomach of the body.

Sushi, I guess?

Yeah. She seems to have been killed an hour after eating.

Since the food was delivered at 8 pm.

She was killed around 9 pm.

So, as for Mr. Tono.

Since he was with his friends right through after 8:15 pm,

his alibi has already been established.

Alibi established?

We're sorry to have suspected you.

You may leave.

-I'm happy for you, Tono. -Thank you.

Goodbye then.

Then, who's the killer?

What? You saw him last night?

Is it true?

Yes.

I had a package I had to deliver at a designated time.

So it was when I came to deliver it.

I'm sure it was just around 9 pm.

9 pm?

I really love this.

But that old lady found me sipping this since afternoon.

And she said she would report it to the maintenance company.

No way, if she does, I'll be fired!

That's why last night,

I went to see her to ask her not to report me.

But!

No matter how many times I rang the doorbell,

that old lady wouldn't answer.

If you insist on suspecting me,

show me proof, won't you?

Show me proof!

Mr. Murata!

You smell of liquor.

Let me go and air the room out a bit?

"The autopsy report"

"Stomach residue: Rice grain, tuna, octopus, squid, egg..."

I get it! There was one more...

And that marinated ginger slices.

I need proof...

I got it.

I've figured out the trick the killer used.

I've figured out the trick.

But why would he kill her?

Inspector.

From among the things that the forensic officers gathered,

nothing points to Mr. Murata as having committed the crime.

Nothing, huh?

Yes... There it is, clearly and bold letters.

"Mystery-novel authoress murdered!" -It's an attention catching headline,

"Murako Saikawa's own character sent a murder notice!" -isn't it?

Murder warning sent from a character in her novel?

Mr. Tono, told the press about the postcard too, didn't he?

It's supposed to be kept a secret

while investigation is underway and yet...

I see. So this is why.

Mouri?

Is it the usual?

Mouri!

Inspector Megure.

Please tell Mr. Tono and Mr. Murata to come back here again.

I've figured out the entire mystery!

Takagi! Chiba!

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Inspector, the killer used an alibi trick.

An alibi trick?

Let me organize this case.

Ms. Saikawa was killed between 7 pm and 9 pm last night.

And we also know that it was an hour after she had eaten the sushi.

In other words, she was killed around 9 pm.

That's the point.

How can you be so sure?

Because the sushi was delivered to her place at 8 pm.

But, that doesn't mean that the sushi

that was found in Ms. Saikawa's stomach was the sushi that was delivered?

Just what do you mean?

There was another sushi package.

Another package?

Other than the sushi that was delivered here at 8 pm,

there was another package

that Mr. Tono had brought along with him as a present.

The sushi that Ms. Saikawa had eaten

was in fact the gift sushi that Mr. Tono had brought along.

She ate the sushi, not after 8 pm but at 6:30 pm.

And an hour later, Ms. Saikawa was killed by Mr. Tono.

This is when Ms. Saikawa's digestive system stopped functioning.

It stopped at an hour after she had eaten the sushi.

After this, Mr. Tono ordered sushi delivery.

Yes, please deliver one order of the usual prime sushi plate.

Thank you for your patronage!

You probably put the sushi that arrived at 8 pm

into a plastic bag or something.

And locked the door using a spare key that you prepared before hand,

to delay discovery of the body.

You got rid of the sushi and spare key on the way.

And went on to establish your alibi from after 8:15 pm.

But, we finally got word after the autopsy that she was killed

after she had eaten the sushi.

Since the sushi was delivered at 8 pm, so...

This most naturally lead us to think

that the time the murder was committed was 9 pm.

As a result, Mr. Tono who had an alibi during that time

was cleared from the list of suspects.

I had things figured out till that point.

In other words, he used the result of the autopsy

that is used to help solve cases

to his advantage for his alibi trick.

So, you!

Wait a second, Mr. Mouri!

However, you made one mistake!

The slices of ginger.

If the slices were ones that came along with the sushi

that was delivered last night,

they would've been dried out long out.

But, the slices of ginger that were found in the disposal

were still soft. Why?

Because when you got rid of the sushi that was delivered last night,

you carelessly also threw away the slices of ginger.

You realized what you did this morning,

so you made Mr. Murata open the room

and when he wasn't watching, you went to the kitchen

and threw the slices of ginger you had on you

into the triangular disposal basket.

That's enough!

What gift sushi are you talking about?

Of course, Ms. Saikawa ate the sushi

that was delivered at 8 pm!

Inspector.

What was left in Ms. Saikawa's stomach after the autopsy?

Like I said, sushi.

We got more detailed information, didn't we?

What? Oh, let see...

Rice, tuna, sea urchin, flatfish, squid and octopus.

Squid and octopus?

Yeah, no mistake about it.

Isn't it strange, Officer Takagi?

Strange?

Yes! It's strange!

How stupid of me!

The squid and octopus...

He forgot to put in on the plate?

You probably made sure that the squid and octopus

that Ms. Saikawa liked was in the sushi gift that you brought for her.

You assumed the sushi's fillings, didn't you?

You were proven guilty by the autopsy that you schemed

to use to your advantage.

Tono, you...

Admit your crime, Mr. Tono.

The criminals that Ms. Murako Saikawa writes

in her books including Ryo Orochiya

all admit their crimes in good grace,

when they are cornered, don't they?

Why, Tono?

Ms. Saikawa had only a few months to live because of her illness.

But, if she dies of an illness,

nobody would make anything of a writer who is long forgotten.

However, if she were killed

and more so by one of the characters who appeared in her books.

The media would make a big thing of it.

It would make Ms. Saikawa's name known to the public.

Therefore, you wrote that strange postcard warning of the murder

and carried it out.

No matter what the motive,

taking another person's life is totally unforgivable!

But, in Ms. Saikawa's case,

-there wouldn't have been a better way... -Tono!

Did you really do it only for Ms. Saikawa's sake?

If people are attracted, the compilation of her work will sell

and the company you work for will benefit.

Didn't you also have that in mind?

I wanted to protect Meikyu Publishing,

the fortress of mystery.

Tono...

You idiot!

Mr. Shimasaki!

Those who really love mysteries

never take the life of others.

What? The manager of this apartment changed.

I'm not surprised.

If the manager was drinking from daytime,

he wouldn't be able to fulfill his duties.

Don't want to waste a drop!

A detective can fulfill his duties despite drinking though?

Next Conan's Hint:

"Name in katakana character"

How do you write your name in kanji, Conan?

"Co" the kanji meaning moth orchid

-and "nan" the kanji meaning difficult... -What?