BWDC:SDDK Chapter 129: Case in Progress?
A few moments later, Daisuke Torakura and Mouri Kogoro emerged from the hallway together.
It was plain to see that this famous horror novelist—who loved scaring people in Dracula cosplay—still had trembling legs. He hadn't quite recovered from the earlier fright. Sitting in a nearby chair, he spoke to his student, Toshiya Tadokoro.
"It's getting late, and it's not convenient for Mr. Mouri and his group to leave now. Tidy up the guest rooms so they can stay the night. Also, it's about time for dinner; I'll leave that to you as well."
After hearing the instructions, Toshiya Tadokoro nodded and left the living room.
Mouri Kogoro returned to the table where Ren Ichimonji and the others were sitting. He lowered his voice and leaned in toward them.
"This time, Mr. Torakura has commissioned me to investigate an affair involving his wife, Etsuko Torakura."
"The fee alone is one million yen, and other labor expenses can be reimbursed by Mr. Torakura. Well, even though he seems a bit eccentric, he's certainly quite generous."
If Daisuke Torakura hadn't been so much wealthier than the other clients Mouri Kogoro usually dealt with, Mouri probably would have picked a fight with him for jumping out and scaring him in that room earlier.
--- So, it really is an investigation into an affair?
This matched the conclusion Ren Ichimonji had reached just moments ago.
However, since Daisuke Torakura was aware that Etsuko Torakura was having an affair, why would he agree to let Shuichi Hamura—who clearly had a special relationship with Etsuko—visit and even stay over at his house?
It was truly a bit strange. Ren Ichimonji pondered the situation.
While Toshiya Tadokoro was busy preparing dinner, the editor-in-chief of the Horror Times monthly magazine, Fumio Doi, sat down next to Daisuke Torakura, carrying his stuffed briefcase. He pushed the briefcase toward the author and whispered something to him.
This behavior was certainly suspicious.
It wasn't just Ren Ichimonji; even Conan's attention shifted toward the whispering pair. The relationship between those two was clearly unnatural as well. However, Conan hadn't yet pinpointed exactly what was wrong; he only had a vague gut feeling.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Toshiya Tadokoro pushed a dining cart into the living room, setting the prepared dishes, red wine, cutlery, and glasses onto the table. Afterward, he stood to the side like a waiter in a restaurant rather than a student of the house.
Without much talk, everyone began their meal.
After dinner, Daisuke Torakura picked up the briefcase Fumio Doi had given him and stood up immediately.
"I'm going back to my room now to begin writing," he announced.
"Tadokoro, go to the collection room in a bit and bring up a videotape of a vampire movie. I want to watch a film later to find some inspiration for my novel. Understood?"
--- The collection room.
That was located on the first floor of the Dracula Villa. Ren Ichimonji had noticed its existence earlier when they followed the group up to the second-floor living room. He had also noted a basement on the premises. However, the basement contained nothing but various books—nothing particularly special.
As for the collection room... that was actually quite odd.
When Ren Ichimonji had slipped into the collection room before dinner started, he had smelled the scent of oil paint. Yet, there were no oil paintings in the room; there were only wooden stakes that had been painted.
If his guess was correct, a real wooden stake had likely occupied the spot where those painted fake stakes now sat.
If a violent murder was about to occur, the missing stake would very likely be the murder weapon. However, Ren Ichimonji was still considering who could have taken it.
The stake had been removed before they even arrived. Anyone in the Dracula Villa besides himself, Mouri Kogoro, Ran Mouri, and Conan could be the true criminal who had hidden the stake in preparation for a killing.
But for now, there was perhaps one person whose suspicion was greater than the others.
Before heading off to deliver the videotape to Daisuke Torakura, Toshiya Tadokoro asked Mouri Kogoro and Conan if they wanted to take a look at the collection room. He mentioned that it housed many props related to vampires.
Given Ran Mouri's courage, she naturally refused outright.
However, Conan was very interested. Helplessly, Ran was forced to accompany him, following Toshiya Tadokoro to see what was inside the collection room.
Mouri Kogoro and Ren Ichimonji remained in the living room.
Unlike Ren, who seemed lost in thought, Mouri Kogoro had already picked up a nearby newspaper. Crossing his legs, he leisurely enjoyed his post-dinner reading time. It was as if the one-million-yen fee for the affair investigation was already in his pocket.
--- Mouri Kogoro believed he was very talented when it came to investigating affairs.
Furthermore, the behavior between Etsuko Torakura and Shuichi Hamura was far too obvious. Therefore, he only needed to put in a little effort to find the evidence of their illicit relationship and claim that one million yen!
At the thought of this, Mouri Kogoro couldn't help but smirk. If this weren't a private setting, he might have even burst into a loud laugh to celebrate his "grand plan."
Ren Ichimonji was completely unaware of Mouri's thoughts. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have bothered to comment. In Ren's experience, Mouri Kogoro's commissions usually didn't end "normally."
Either the client was killed, or the target of the investigation was killed. It would be weirder if Mouri Kogoro actually managed to collect that one-million-yen fee successfully.
Inside the collection room, Toshiya Tadokoro's eyes swept over the many movie tapes on the shelf. He quickly selected a vampire film titled The Blood Mirror.
It was as if he had already decided which movie to bring to Daisuke Torakura before he even arrived.
Conan noticed this, but he didn't become suspicious yet. His gaze scanned the various vampire-related items in the room—the capes, formal wear, masks, and prop hands. Finally, his attention landed on the wooden stakes.
For some reason, Conan felt like there was a faint scent of oil paint near the stakes. But strangely enough, there were no oil paintings in the collection room.
While he was thinking, Toshiya Tadokoro's voice called out.
"Miss Mouri, could you please check if the windows in the collection room are locked?"
"If they are, please come upstairs with me. I need to lock the door to the collection room in a moment."
Ran Mouri walked quickly to the windows and gave them a scan. Noticing that they all seemed to be securely locked, she took Conan and walked out.
With the sound of the collection room door being locked, the trio headed back up to the living room.
End of Chapter
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