usatvline Chapter 234: A Treasure Chest Full of Fruits (Part 4)
Chapter 234: A Treasure Chest Full of Fruits (Part 4)
[Savage: Um, actually Mr. Wild Boar prefers carrots.]
[Acrobat: Um, regardless of what it likes to eat, is it rolling around outside in the mud and leaves?]
[Spider: Oh, Muro took Mr. Wild Boar to the mountain to play this morning, and Valletta saw it.]
[Crying Clown: Wow, the couch in the Supervisor's lounge is in trouble.]
[Dancer: Oh my god, look at those muddy footprints! Oh no, Mr. Wild Boar is coming towards the Survivor Rest Area!]
[Batter: Eh? I remember we just changed the tablecloth last time! Stop it!]
[Forward: Hey! Watch me! (Just give it a try! Don't worry too much!)]
[Toymaker: It seems Mr. Boar has a much harder head than William.]
[Cowboy: Look at me, Grandpa Niu is here! (Hello, Tu Tu~ It's me, Grandpa Niu~)]
[Spellcaster: Um, Kevin, I don't think you can pull Mr. Boar.]
[Savage: I'm coming! I'm coming! (He uses an apple to lure Mr. Wild Boar away)]
[Philanthropist: Oh, looks like the manor needs another thorough cleanup.]
After a while, Inspector Megure arrived at the scene and examined the body.
"In other words, the box that was supposed to contain the fruit used in the cooking competition show was filled with the body of Mr. Takeki, the judge of the show."
The host explained, "Mr. Takeki, we haven't been able to contact him. We didn't expect him to be inside the box."
"The judges weren't present, but you still started the taping as scheduled?"
Maori Kogoro jumped out from the side and said, "I just happened to come here as a spectator to watch the recording, and then I was chosen by the staff to replace Mr. Takeki as the special guest."
Inspector Megure showed his crescent eyes directly: "Why you again? You are obviously not a gourmet."
[Fire Investigator: Haha, the Inspector is treating Maori Kogoro like a plague god again.]
[Ms. Farrow: But the real plague is Conan.]
[Philanthropist: What do you think? If Conan came to the manor, would he be the kind that attracts ghosts? The kind that makes the supervisor fly into his face within ten seconds of the start of the game.]
[Lawyer: I have to agree with you on this.]
[Mechanic: But it's also possible that anyone near him will suddenly make a mistake.]
[Prisoner: That's too scary.]
"I asked the producer to let Mr. Mori be a judge. At that time, the recording time was almost up, so I wanted to ask Mr. Mori to come and help." Yoko Okino explained.
Producer Mr. Taruoka nodded and said, "After all, it would be more interesting to have the famous detective Maori Kogoro as a judge."
Officer Takagi asked Mr. Taruoka about the rumors about the two locks on the box and received a positive response.
"At first, it was Mr. Kasuga, the food specialist, who would put the fruit in a box, lock it, and send it to me. I would then lock it with another lock. Then I would send the box back and have Mr. Kasuga open his lock before sending it back to the TV station."
"The host will use the key I give him at the beginning of the show to open the box and reveal the fruit to be used in today's competition."
"This method was proposed by Mr. Takeki himself. He set up such a foolproof measure to prevent the questions from being leaked."
Inspector Megure thought for a moment and said, "So, the only ones who could have put the body in the box are Mr. Kasuga, who locked it at the beginning, or you, who holds the last key."
Mr. Taruoka immediately retorted, "No, I only personally handed the key to the host at the beginning of the show. Apart from that, the key has always been kept in a rented safe at the bank and is not in my possession."
"Also, I've entrusted the locking to this person here, Furuya. He's also been entrusted with the responsibility of managing the boxes."
The staff member named Jōtani also said helplessly that he was not guarding the box 24 hours a day, and the transportation of the box was also done by young staff.
Officer Takagi was a little curious: "If you get closer to the box, won't you be able to smell the fruit?"
"That's impossible. The lid is sealed with the same gasket as the refrigerator. No smell will leak out."
"Then is there a spare key?" Xie Bian walked forward and asked.
Mr. Taruoka shook his head and denied it. "No, the only key is the one kept in the safe."
Maori Kogoro said: "It seems that the only possibility left is Mr. Kasuga who locked it in the beginning."
"I also heard that Mr. Takeki went to Mr. Kasuga's residence yesterday." Officer Takagi stood up and said.
"Yes, Mr. Takeki did come to my house yesterday. It was right after I packed the fruits and before the staff were about to take the boxes away." Mr. Kasuga spoke directly.
"Mr. Kasuga, why are you here?" Mr. Taruoka was surprised.
"Mr. Takeki invited me here. He said he's going to catch the culprit who leaked the box's contents this time. He plans to reveal it directly on the show, so he asked me to come and watch."
"So Mr. Takeki went to your house to..."
"He came to check my lock and told me not to leak the information. After all, I'm the only one who knows what's in the box. I think he suspected I had leaked the fruit used in the test."
"So what happens after Mr. Takeki goes to your house?"
"He brushed past the staff who came to pick up the box and went straight home."
This was confirmed by the staff, and the two staff members who were responsible for moving the boxes that day also saw Mr. Takeki leaving.
Maori Kogoro immediately got furious: "Hey, if that's the case, there's no time to put the body in the box!"
Xie Bian covered his face with his folding fan and said with a smile, "And there's something else that's very suspicious. Why is Mr. Takeki so sure that the contents of the box have been leaked?"
Conan spoke up: "That's because he thinks someone already knows it. He thinks that Mr. Kurimura, the champion who won for six consecutive weeks, knows the contents."
"Because the champion always seems to bring ingredients that match the fruit in the title, that's why they think so."
"Is that so?" Officer Takagi was a little surprised.
"Yes, at the beginning, Mr. Takeki said that luck is also a part of strength."
Shira raised a new question: "What's more concerning than this is that the staff said that Mr. Takeki was not present today. Not only in the studio, he didn't even come to the TV station."
Officer Chiba brought new intelligence: "Someone said they saw Mr. Takeki at the TV station last night, mixed in with a group of extras from a period drama."
"Mr. Takeki seems to know the director of that period drama. He said that blending in would make the enemy careless, so I asked that director for help."
"So, Mr. Takeki should have gone to the warehouse to check the boxes last night, and ambushed there to try to catch the criminal who leaked the information." Xie Bian put away the folding fan.
"That's right," Sera said, pointing to the wiped bloodstains. "Mr. Takeki was brutally murdered while trying to capture the criminal."