Conan In The USA Chronicles

CASE #001: THE CONCEALED KILLER

February 4th, 2001: 8:00 PM

Conan, Ran and Kogomori were walking down a well-lit road in a lavish residential area of Los Angeles, California.  They seemed to be lost, but none of them were concerned for the exception of Kogo. Besides, Conan and Ran were enjoying their ice cream cones, so there wasn't a single worry in the whole world that could have destroyed their moment.  Suddenly, Kogo came to a stop.

Kogo <holding his head with both hands>: AHH!! I can't take this any longer!! We've been roaming the same area for ages, and we still didn't find the main street!

Ran <smiling>: Relax, dad! There isn't anything to be pissed at. The weather tonight is wonderful, and the neighborhood is so quiet, you can hear the gentle blow of the wind against your face. I am rather enjoying this pretty much...what about you, Conan?

Conan <aside>: Aha, just wait until Kogo goes berserk and runs us over all the way to San Diego!

As they walked further along the road, they heard an ear-piercing female scream coming from a  mansion at the right. It was quite dark from the inside, but they noticed a light being switched on at the top-left window, a few seconds after the shriek. Then they heard a loud male voice coming from within the place.

Voice: He's dead! He's dead! Call the police now!

Kogo: Yes!! Finally, we'll get a ride to the hotel as soon as the police finishes from the investigation!

Ran <angry>: Dad! What are you saying?? Someone died inside that house and all that you're concerned about is getting yourself to that stupid hotel??

Conan <intervening>: Ran is right, uncle Kogo! I think you should look into it and save the day as you usually do back home! *as if he's the one who solved all the cases!*

Kogo took ten minutes arguing with his daughter and Conan, but he gave up in the end as usual!

Kogo <puffed>: Hmmm...YOU ARE RIGHT! This is a job for the one and only KOGOMORI, the famous Private Detective! Ok, let's go in and check it out!

Ran: Dad, wait!!

Kogo was stopped by a policeman just before he held the door knob.  Conan was amazed by how fast the police had arrived to the scene of the crime...But then again, this is America!

Policeman: Where do you think you're going, sir?

Kogo: What?? You dare ask me questions? Who are you??

Policeman: I am Detective James Danson of the LAPD...And you are..?

Kogo <embarrassed>: Oops! I am so sorry, Detective! My name is Kogomori, and I...

Danson: What? You mean you're the famous Kogomori of Japan??

Kogo <not embarrassed anymore>: Why, yes...

Danson: This is quite an honor, Mr. Mori! I've been following your astounding cases for the past two years, and might I say that I am a devoted fan of your crime-solving techniques. Would you consider joining us on this case? We might be able to use your super inductive methods to our benefit!

Kogo <very happy>: OH, WOULD I?? And please, call me Kogo!

Conan <aside>: One more compliment and I swear the guy will grow wings on his back!

The gang (along with five other policemen) walked across the front lawn and tried to open the door, but it was locked.  Danson knocked the door as hard as he could, and a tall man in his late fifties opened the door.  From his attire, it looked like he was the butler.

Butler: Are you the police?!

Danson: Yes! I am Detective Danson, we received a call regarding a murder that took place ten minutes ago!

Butler: Oh, Detective! Please come in! The master, Mr. John Henderson, was murdered upstairs, and Mrs. Henderson had collapsed on the floor unconscious after seeing the horrific scene! 

Kogo: Then don't waste our time, old man, and take us upstairs!

They all ran up the stairwell until they reached the room.  The mistress was unconscious, half of her body was outside the door. A young man in his early-twenties and a child in her early teen years were standing next to the woman. Ran was instructed by Kogo to calm the crying girl and to escort her to her room, while Danson and Conan ran inside, only to see the man's body soaked in his own blood, a frantic look conquering his lifeless face!  A window to the north of the room was shattered to pieces.

Danson <shocked>: Oh my Lord! His neck is partially severed from his body!

Kogo went inside the room and knelt in front of the body to examine it. "I believe the wound was caused by a sharp knife...Otherwise he wouldn't have shed that much blood in ten minutes!"

Conan took a closer look at the body. As usual, he proved Kogo's wrong after seeing that the weapon can't possibly be a knife.

Conan: Uncle Kogo, I think that Mr. Henderson was not killed with a knife!

Kogo: What do you mean? Don't you see the amount of blood covering the floor? Only a knife could cause a wound to be wide enough to spew at this rate in such a short time!

Danson: Who is this boy, Kogo? He shouldn't see such a thing!!

Kogo: Oh, he's Conan, a little kid abandoned by his parents for BEING SUCH A NOSY PRAT! 

Conan: Uncle, listen to me! The wound was caused by a rusty instrument. Note the jagged edges of the neck wound...This means that the weapon was not very sharp, but rather a dull one!

Danson <examining the wound>: Why, he's absolutely right! And the cut is long and seems to have taken a lot of effort to make, which means that the killer used a very small weapon to kill the victim. It must be...

Conan: A razor blade! 

Danson: Exactly!

Kogo: Ok, "Einstein", how do you explain the huge pool of blood over there?

Conan: We heard the scream at 8 o'clock, but that doesn't mean that the murder took place at that time.  The blood had to spew out of his neck for at least three minutes in order to make such a mess. Don't forget that the police arrived ten minutes later too!

Just as Kogo began to lose his temper and hit Conan on the head, Detective Danson interrupted their argument and went on to question the young man who was still standing next to the door.  Apparently, Mrs. Henderson was picked up by the Butler to another room.

Danson: What is your name, sir?

Man: My name is Henry. I am Mr. Henderson's son and I work at his steel manufacturing business. The little girl is Helen, my eleven-year-old sister.  I just arrived five hours ago from the plant's location at San Francisco.  I thought about spending the night with my parents since I haven't seen them for quite sometime. I dosed off as soon as I arrived, but then woke up when I heard her scream.

Danson: I see, and where is Mrs. Henderson right now?

Henry: We called a doctor after notifying the police, so he arrived two minutes after you guys.  Swanson, our butler, carried my mother to Helen's room on the right. After examining her, he left, leaving Swanson, Helen and Kogo's daughter with her.

Danson: Aha. How's her condition? 

Henry: The doctor said that she's in a temporary coma, but the shock was unbearable. You see, mom loved dad so much, she couldn't handle the sight...

Danson: I understand. What a poor lady!

Conan: Mr. Henry, may I ask a question?

Henry: Sure, little kid!

Conan: Well, I cannot but help notice the sheer volume of history books that are stacked next to the broken window.  To whom does this collection belong?

Henry: It belongs to my mom. She's a freak when it comes to British history! She knows everything from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to the most minor event that took place in that century. No wonder, she is an anthropologist and a dedicated historian at Stanford.  Too bad dad never cared about her work...He even called her library a waste of money and space...That used to upset her a lot...Oh well, I guess he won't be upsetting her now, may God have mercy upon his soul!

Conan: Hmmm....

Kogo could not withstand the fact that he was not doing the interrogation personally, so he had to blurt a question to Henry.

Kogo: Did your father have any enemies? It is quite possible that one of his business rivals had broken the window and sneaked in to do the job!

Conan <aside>: Kogo is right, there isn't any other way that the killer could have entered through any of the doors since the they were all confirmed to be firmly locked at the time. But, that idea is impossible! First of all, the bedroom is located on the second floor, which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to climb the smooth walls of the mansion. Even if the killer tried to throw a hook through the window, he can never find anything to support his weight.  Secondly, the floor is crystal clean, which means that the glass shards were blown outwards...That could only mean...No, I have to test my assumptions first!

Suddenly, a policeman got out of the bathroom to announce the contents of the cabinets.

Policeman: Sir! We found the razor blade, and it has some blood on it!

Kogo: Aha!! Then my suspicions were correct!!

Conan: YOUR suspicions?? Oh man!!

Danson: What else did you find there that could be of importance to us?

Policeman: Let's see...We found some aftershave and suppressive pills hidden behind one of the cabinets.

Conan <aside>: Suppressive pills? For what? And why were they hidden behind the cabinet and not within? I am so sure that the purpose behind this is to prevent someone in the house to reach them. But who? Could it be Helen because she is a young child? No, Ginta is as stupid as a kid could get, and even he knows better than to mess with medicines! :-P

Danson <picking a black hat from the floor>: Hmmm...That could be true, Kogo, and it seems that he was in a rush too,  for he left his hat behind!

Henry: Yes! My father never wore hats in his life! The killer must have forgotten it before jumping out of the window!

Conan was shocked at the statement.  He couldn't help but examine the hat himself.

Conan: Mr. Danson, may I look at the hat please?

Danson: Sure, but just for a second.

After getting the hat, Conan began to examine the hat's inner ring.  To his astonishment, he found the initials S.L. sown in the left corner.  He thanked the detective, handed him the hat and stormed out of the room as fast as he could.

Kogo: Where is the idiot going this time??

Conan opened the main door and exited to the front lawn.  He then took a turn around the house where the broken window is.  He saw a shattered blue vase amidst the glass debris.

Conan: Just as I thought! The killer broke the window AFTER murdering the victim!! I KNOW WHO THE KILLER IS!!!

Conan then rushed into the mansion and went upstairs, hoping to get Kogo under the influence of his Watch Dart.  He stood behind him while he was still chatting with Henry.

Conan: Uncle Kogo, would you please stop asking him your stupid questions? You bored him to Hell!

Kogo <furious>: Why you LITTLE...!!

Conan <aside>: YES!!

Conan ran as fast as he could so that Kogo doesn't get to him before he reaches Helen's room. As he flung the door open, he found a chair facing the bed, where Ran, Helen and Swanson were standing.

Ran: Conan!! What are you doing??

Conan: Sorry, can't chat right now!!

Kogo: I will get you this time you mini-devil!

As they ran around the chair in circles, Conan succeeded in sneaking behind Kogo, thus shooting him in the neck with his Watch Dart.  Kogo, losing consciousness, falls on the chair in a sitting position. Conan then hides behind the chair and uses his bowtie to change his voice tone...

Kogo: Ran, I have solved the murder case!

Ran: You did??

Kogo: Yes, please call everyone to this room.

Ran: Right!

A couple of minutes later, everyone was present.  Danson was so excited and couldn't help not knowing Kogo's (or rather Conan's!) conclusion.

Danson: So, Kogo?! Who did it??

Kogo: First of all, we have to know for a fact that the killer did not come from outside to kill Mr. Henderson. Rather, the killer is right here in this room, right now!!

At this, everyone gasps with amazement!

Danson: How come?

Kogo: It's simple. The broken window was only a decoy to throw us away from finding the real killer.  The glass shards were on the backyard, and the room was totally clean.  This means that someone had to break the window from inside the room! The only mistake that the killer did was that he didn't pick up any of the glass shards from outside.  A small amount of glass on the grass and a tremendous number in the victim's room shows that the killer came from the street. But the killer's time was running out as soon as the murder took place.

Danson: That's a fantastic analysis, detective! So who is the killer, Henry or Swanson?

Henry & Swanson: WHAT?!

Danson: Yes! The killer was wearing a hat when he entered the room, since Mr. Henderson never wore one in his life! Both of you are known to have worn hats sometime in your daily routines!

Kogo: Don't be haste in your conclusions, Mr. Danson....

Conan then raised Kogo's hand to point at the killer...

Kogo: HERE IS YOUR KILLER!!!!

Danson: MRS. HENDERSON?! You must be insane!

Ran: Dad?! What are you talking about? She's been in a coma BECAUSE of the murder!  The doctor testified to that!

Kogo: True, but what the doctor did not know was that Mrs. Henderson is suffering from the Double Identity Syndrome, isn't that right, Mr. Henry?

Henry <sweating like Hell>: Umm...Well, yes...

Danson <baffeled>: But still, what would that have to do with anything?? And if she was the murderer, what was her motive?

Kogo: Apparently, someone in this room pushed her to assume her dark identity to kill her husband...

Danson: Who is...?

Kogo: Who is YOU, Mr. Swanson!!

Swanson <hysterical>: NO! It wasn't me! Why would I do such a thing?

Kogo: You are madly in love with her, and felt so jealous of her husband! Knowing that she suffered from D.I.S., you hid her suppressant pills before inserting poisonous ideas into her mind about her husband's affairs with other women! Then, you placed the hat in her study room, a hat that was quite familiar to her!

Danson: What about the hat? It doesn't exclude Henry in any way!

Kogo: Wrong! It's the butler's hat, for it carries the initials S.L., standing for Swanson and Linda, Mrs. Henderson's first name. I know that I'm not mistaken, because I saw one of her books in the library next to the shattered window! You loved her so much, you sewed your incriminating evidence!

Swanson, apparently shocked to the bone from Conan's conclusion, fell to the ground on his knees, and then gave a long sigh before nodding his head...

Swanson: Yes, I loved her so much, but she wouldn't understand. John was cheating on her with his secretary, and that was like a needle in my side! So, I had to get her to assume her dark identity, so that she can get rid of him once and for all...That, that unfaithful bastard! I knew that she adored his existence, and that is why I hid the pills behind the cabinet, so that Linda wouldn't get a chance to calm herself. And then, it happened...She wore the hat...

Kogo: And killed him with a cold-hearted, concealed killer...You also knew that the forensic department will find out from the fingerprints on the razor and the vase pieces that it was the doing of Mrs. Henderson. Since she suffers from a severe mental disorder, the court will not prosecute her and will close the case, laying a clean and safe road for you from further suspicion.

Swanson: You are quite clever, detective! But know that I carry no regrets for what I have done, because he deserved death!

Danson: All right, I've heard enough! Take Swanson to the precinct and take down his confession...I am so impressed, Kogomori, but can you tell us about that dark identity?

Kogo: Mr. Swanson knew that Linda was infatuated with British history, and since her husband did not care about her interests, he found it to be a golden opportunity to get closer to her.  Therefore, he encouraged her to teach him about Jack The Ripper, one of the most famous murderers at the time. Her constant involvement with his story made her other identity absorb the finest details of his personality.  Hence the use of the jagged razor blade, the black hat and the severed neck method.

Ran: Wow! That sure is a scary thought!

Conan <aside>: That's scary? Wait till Kogo wakes up!! :-P

Danson: All right, but how did you guess that he was madly in love with her?

Kogo: Think about it...How many butlers in this world sew their initials in their hats along with other people's? Even though it was a weak assumption, it worked!

THE END