"Yes, Mr. Fujino is right." Chie Yoshino agreed with the explanation. "If it were really excessive formaldehyde, I shouldn't be dizzy only sometimes, and my husband should show some symptoms too."
She chuckled slightly. "I still feel like it's just stress lately, just like Mr. Fujino said. Since I've already bought the herbs, I'll make the soup tonight and try it."
"But what if the construction crew was careless... and accidentally did something in the kitchen or your bedroom, Ms. Chie..." Ran Mouri actually didn't dare to state her suspicions directly. She could only hint at the possibility. After all, the couple seemed very affectionate, and it would be terrible if her suspicions caused a rift in their relationship. But she also couldn't just let this matter go...
"I think it's highly likely that the issue isn't with the renovation." Fujino glanced at Ran, naturally knowing what she was trying to say. However, she hadn't focused on the key point yet.
"Not a renovation issue?" Ran asked, confused. Hearing Fujino's tone, she pressed, "Then... Fujino-senpai, do you already know where the problem is?"
"I do have a few ideas," Fujino said, turning to Chie Yoshino. "You mentioned earlier that your dizziness disappears when the weather is cool or when school is on holiday, right?"
Chie Yoshino recalled. "Yes, that's right..."
"The car's air conditioning," Fujino stated, crossing his arms. "If you have no problems on rest days or when you're at home, and only get dizzy when you head to Shizuoka, and not when the weather is cool... that means the days you *don't* have symptoms are the days you *don't* need to use the air conditioning. Therefore, the problem might be with the car's air conditioning."
Conan, listening nearby, thought for a moment, then suddenly understood. No wonder he felt something was off! It was the air conditioning! Thinking this, he couldn't help but nod, inwardly wondering why he hadn't thought of it himself.
"Thinking back, it seems like every time I felt dizzy, the air conditioning was on," Chie Yoshino considered this possibility, then looked a bit confused. "But why would the car's air conditioning be the problem? That car has never had any issues... Could it be because it hasn't been cleaned?"
"Let's go take a look and see," Fujino suggested.
***
They arrived at the Yoshino family's garage. Chie Yoshino took out her car keys and unlocked the car. Fujino naturally sat in the driver's seat and examined the air conditioning unit in the center console.
He paused, then leaned his nose towards the air vent. Just one sniff, and he detected a strange smell. Immediately after, he felt a wave of dizziness. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly covered his nose with his sleeve and moved away.
Fujino got out of the car and said in a low voice, "Someone put something in the air conditioning..."
"Put something...?" Although Conan and Ran had somewhat anticipated this, having their suspicion confirmed still startled them. Sonoko and Chie, on the other hand, looked completely bewildered.
"Who on earth..." Sonoko was about to say something, but remembering what Fujino, Ran, and Conan had said yesterday, she stopped. Chie, meanwhile, had stepped back two paces, a bewildered look in her eyes, completely frozen on the spot.
"Ms. Chie, looking at the situation now, it seems someone is trying to murder you..." Fujino turned around and pulled out his phone. "Personally, I think the smell of this substance is probably pesticide... Do you mind if I call the police and have them come and test it?"
"Ah...?" Chie finally snapped out of it. "Let me tell my husband first..."
"It's better not to tell anyone," Fujino interrupted. "Until we determine if this is a harmful substance and who put it there, anyone is a suspect."
Fujino knew that in this situation, the only person with a motive was Chie's husband, Akio Yoshino. But even though he knew, he didn't say it out loud. He didn't want to be the one to break the painful truth. Such things were better left to the facts.
"Okay..." Chie nodded, not asking any more questions. But she didn't quite understand why Fujino didn't want her to tell her husband. After all, for something this serious, it seemed necessary to inform him. However, after thinking about it, she decided not to say anything further. She had seen this young man on television and in newspapers before; he seemed to be a famous detective. For something like this, from the perspective of a flower arrangement teacher, Fujino, the famous detective, was clearly more professional. It was better to leave professional matters to the professionals.
Fujino called Inspector Megure's number. As someone who was practically semi-official within the police force, his words carried some weight. Although they used to carry weight due to personal connections, now it was official business. Upon hearing Fujino's request, Inspector Megure immediately decided to send a forensics team over. After all, potential murder cases involving poisoning were certainly within the scope of forced investigation.
***
Before long, Miwako Sato and the forensics team arrived at the scene. As instructed by Fujino, they did not come in a marked police car. Miwako Sato wore a smart suit that highlighted her figure, and with her came forensics officers dressed as renovation workers. Without attracting attention from those nearby, they quickly analyzed the substance in Chie's air conditioning. "Consultant Fujino, Detective Sato, the analysis results for the substance in the air conditioner are out. It's diluted organic salt pesticide."
Miwako Sato nodded and asked again, "Are you certain it's organic salt pesticide?"
"That much is certain," the forensics officer replied, flipping through the report. "Our initial assessment is that it was mixed with water and sprayed into the air conditioning unit using some kind of spray device. Although most of it has evaporated, based on the residue on the surface, there should be no mistake."
"Then this is a poisoning case," Miwako Sato said, not surprised by this finding. After all, Fujino had already determined it was poisoning before they arrived... Fujino's deductions were usually not wrong.
"Poisoning?!" Chie was shocked to hear this. Clearly, she couldn't understand why anyone would poison her. After all, she hadn't been living here for very long...
Having been mentally prepared by Fujino beforehand, Sato nodded and turned to Chie, asking, "You must be Chie Yoshino, who lives here and works as a flower arrangement teacher in Shizuoka, correct?"
"Yes," Chie nodded, adding, "Besides me, there's also my husband."
Miwako Sato began her routine questioning. "What is your husband's name, and what does he do?"
"My husband's name is Akio, and he works at an insurance company..." After answering the basic information, Chie couldn't help but ask the forensics officer, "But why did the hospital examination show no problems?"
"That's perfectly normal," the forensics officer explained. "These pesticides have been diluted, so the smell isn't very strong. Inhaling them would indeed cause the symptoms you mentioned, but once you leave the car, the effects of the symptoms would lessen. Without a detailed examination of your respiratory tract and blood, it would be difficult to detect any residue."
Hearing this, Fujino thought for a moment. He felt this point was quite similar to his speculation. The earlier abnormal pulse reading was also corroborated. Thinking this, Fujino asked the forensics team, "Can this organic salt pesticide cause any harm to the human body?"
"If it wasn't diluted, then inhaling it in a confined space for a long time could potentially lead to death for a normal person," a forensics officer explained. "However, what we detected in the air conditioner this time is diluted. The amount blown out by the air conditioning, while it can cause mild pesticide poisoning, isn't enough to be fatal." The officer continued, "Although it won't cause fatal poisoning, prolonged inhalation can very likely cause dizziness, migraines, nausea, weakness, nerve damage, and even loss of consciousness. This time it happened in the car; if she were to lose consciousness while driving, that would be dangerous."
Conan, listening nearby, interjected, "So, the headaches Ms. Chie mentioned earlier, falling asleep while driving, and almost hitting us... was all because of these pesticides?"
The forensics officer nodded in confirmation. "Based on the residue on the surface of the car's air conditioning, it seems this has been ongoing for a long time. That's why Mrs. Yoshino still experiences headaches even when she's not inhaling it."
"If that's the case, then Ms. Chie is in danger..." Ran frowned. "If she suddenly loses consciousness on her way to Shizuoka, there could be a car accident."
"It seems the person who did this was well-prepared," Miwako Sato said, stroking her chin in thought. "If Ms. Chie were to suddenly lose consciousness while driving and die in a car accident, it would likely just be considered a simple traffic accident, and the air conditioning wouldn't be examined in detail." She paused, then speculated, "If that's the case, then the culprit must be someone nearby..."
"The culprit definitely intended to cause a car accident using this method, that much is certain. As for the killer's identity, we'll need to catch them red-handed to confirm..." Fujino interrupted Miwako Sato before she could continue, turning to Chie. "By the way, Ms. Chie, you're supposed to teach at the school in Shizuoka tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes..." Chie nodded. "If classes aren't canceled tomorrow, I will definitely go to teach."
Miwako Sato, who had been interrupted, was momentarily taken aback. She had been about to say that the person capable of doing the poisoning must be someone nearby. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to poison her regularly without arousing suspicion. Moreover, cars are usually locked... The only person who could possibly be the culprit was the husband of the house.
Thinking this, Sato felt that Fujino's intentions were definitely not simple, so she asked, "Consultant Fujino, do you have a plan?"
"Yes, I do have a plan," Fujino said, deliberating for a moment. He didn't plan to personally reveal the culprit's identity. After all, for a wife like Chie, it would be unbearable if her own husband were the culprit. Anyone with common sense could probably guess that Akio was the culprit. But for her, even if she thought of it, she probably wouldn't believe it. Telling her now would only make things more complicated.
So, Fujino proposed a plan. "The forensics officer said that the poisoning wasn't just once or twice. This means the culprit has been continuously poisoning Ms. Chie, otherwise she wouldn't have symptoms every time she goes to teach in Shizuoka. Since that's the case, we can do a 'stakeout' tomorrow morning."
"A stakeout?" Miwako Sato murmured, then nodded, agreeing with Fujino's plan. "That way, we can catch them in the act and also seize the tools used in the crime."
With the plan set, the time approached late afternoon, nearing twilight. Miwako Sato returned to the Police Headquarters to make preparations. Fujino, meanwhile, drove Ran, Sonoko, and Conan back home. Before leaving, he specifically instructed Chie not to tell anyone about this and not to act suspiciously. Otherwise, the culprit would likely discover the police action. Chie naturally promised not to tell anyone. Fujino's double title of "famous detective" and "police consultant" was enough to earn the trust of most ordinary people.
On the way back in the car, everyone was silent. Fujino sat in the driver's seat, quietly driving. Sonoko was the first to break the silence, looking down. "Although I don't know the details, the one who poisoned Chie-neechan... must be her husband, right?"
"Yes," Fujino replied. "In this situation, he is the most likely suspect."
"Yeah, right now, he's the only one with suspicion. And the motive should be that 100 million yen insurance policy he recorded a few days ago to boost his performance," Conan added, arms crossed, looking a little upset. "Her working at the flower arrangement school in Shizuoka, moving into the new house, and taking out that 100 million yen insurance policy... the motive is just too obvious."
Ran also lowered her head, looking a bit dejected. "If we hadn't found out, wouldn't Chie-neechan have..."
"Yes, sooner or later her body wouldn't be able to handle it, and she would have had an accident on the highway. Even if she was lucky enough to survive, she would inevitably suffer irreparable harm," Fujino sighed. "At that point, her husband could use that insurance policy to get a large payout. Even if she didn't die, he could get a considerable insurance payout, and then just walk away without consequence."
"Poor Ms. Chie," Sonoko sighed, her voice filled with indignation. "She's such a nice person, and that scumbag wanted to kill her just for 100 million yen. That's too much!"
"Fujino-senpai," Ran looked at Fujino. "You didn't tell her who the culprit was just now because you were afraid she couldn't handle it, right?"
"Perhaps," Fujino murmured, then continued, "But until we are certain who the culprit is, we can't just guess. Anyway, we'll know for sure who the culprit is tomorrow morning."
Fujino didn't join in the indignant conversation that followed. He simply watched the streets dyed red by the sunset with an unusually calm gaze. He didn't know what he was thinking.
(End of Chapter)