Everyone followed Heiji's gaze and saw a security camera with a blinking red light pointing directly at them.
[A camera? Of course! How did I not notice something so crucial?]Conan hit his head in frustration. Heiji was always one step ahead of him, and it annoyed him greatly.
"A camera? Is it running?" Inspector Megure asked Director Ochiai.
"Yes, it's running," Director Ochiai nodded.
"Take me to the surveillance room."
Inspector Megure asked Director Ochiai to lead the way, and they quickly headed towards the room.
Conan followed closely behind them: This time, I have to find the murderer first. I can't lose to Hattori again.
Heiji followed them as well, but...
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, he stumbled and bumped into Takagi. Without anyone noticing, he pressed Kubota's thumb and index finger against Director Ochiai's pen. As he had deliberately hit a pressure point on Kubota's arm that made it go numb, Kubota himself didn't even notice.
"Sorry, Officer Takagi."
"It's alright, it's alright."
"I'll go on ahead then."
Takagi didn't know that, right in front of him, a malicious smile was playing on Heiji's lips. The decisive proof was already in his possession. No, rather, the decisive proof to make Kubota the murderer was already in his possession.
In the surveillance room, everyone was watching the monitor.
"Stop! Inspector Megure, this is the key moment."
The video froze at the instant Manaka picked up the pen from the nearby table.
The recording continued. While the murderer had his back to him, Manaka picked up a note from nearby. Suddenly, his face changed drastically. He grabbed the pen to modify something, but... he suddenly threw the pen down in anger. At that moment, the murderer turned and delivered a thrust, piercing his heart and pinning him to the wall.
The surveillance room fell silent!
[What happened? Why was his expression so surprised at that moment?]
Conan touched his chin, thoughtful.
"Young Hattori, the video doesn't clarify why there's a pen mark. Owner Manaka surely wrote Kubota's name and then threw the pen away," Inspector Megure said, confused.
"Look at his expression. If he had written the murderer's name, he shouldn't be so surprised, unless there was something on the note that surprised him..."
[I see. I get it, I completely get it.]
Conan snapped his head up, looking at Heiji with complete confidence.
"Young Hattori, don't leave us in suspense," Inspector Megure said with resignation.
Satō Miwako looked at Inspector Megure with doubt. She was curious to know what was so special about this Heiji Hattori for the inspector to trust him so much.
Conan said nothing. He wasn't Shinichi Kudo now, and even if he spoke, no one would believe him. Besides, he also wanted to see Heiji's reasoning.
"It's very simple. The mark on the note was made by owner Manaka with that pen."
"What? But Kubota's name is on it... Young Hattori, are you saying that owner Manaka was surprised to see that name? But why would he be surprised?"
Inspector Megure was lost in thought.
"That name was written by someone else on purpose, with the intention of blaming Kubota. But owner Manaka discovered the true identity of the murderer and wanted to cross out Kubota's name. However, he realized the pen didn't work, which is why there's a mark but no ink."
Satō Miwako said, furrowing her delicate brows.
"Of course! That has to be it. Let's go to the crime scene, that pen surely doesn't write."
The group returned to the exhibition hall and found the pen in a corner.
"This is it."
That said, Inspector Megure prepared to draw on his own hand.
"Inspector Megure, you're going to stain your glove," Satō Miwako warned him.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it doesn't work."
"That pen works perfectly fine."
As soon as Heiji finished speaking, Inspector Megure had already drawn a line on the palm of his hand. A black mark stained his glove.
"Ah, how is that possible?"
Inspector Megure was dumbfounded.
[Impossible. Could it be that the murderer let us see the recording on purpose?]
Conan was alarmed.
"Young Hattori, why did this happen?"
Inspector Megure and the others looked at Heiji, waiting for an answer.
"Because the murderer let us see the recording on purpose, with the goal of leading us to an erroneous conclusion, a thought trap," Heiji said confidently.
"A thought trap?"
Everyone present looked at each other.
Conan lowered his head in thought, his brain working at full speed.
"When you saw this note, what was your first thought?"
Heiji slowly guided the reasoning of Inspector Megure and the others down another line, gradually creating a thought inertia.
"Kubota is the murderer."
"No, Kubota can't be the murderer."
"Kubota was set up."
These were the thoughts running through the minds of Inspector Megure and the others.
[A setup?]
Conan snapped his head up, an expression of astonishment in his eyes: I get it. What Hattori means is that the murderer is Kubota. But, why is he so sure?
"Heiji, I don't get it."
Kazuha voiced the doubt that many felt.
"I'm sure your first thought was that Kubota had been set up. Because no one would think a murderer would write their own name on a note for everyone to suspect them. It is precisely this reverse thinking that easily leads us to rule him out, thus allowing him to escape justice."
The eyes of Inspector Megure and the others shone with astonishment. It was true. Upon seeing the note, at first they might have thought Kubota was the murderer, but after thinking it over, they would surely think he had been set up.
"And then, with that idea in your head, if you discover that the pen from the video has a problem, what would be your first thought?" Heiji continued to ask.
"That whoever has the pen that doesn't work is the murderer," Satō Miwako said, stunned.
"Exactly. And Director Ochiai has that pen. It's this one."
Heiji took out the pen and smiled confidently.
"How absurd! How can you just keep such an important piece of evidence so carelessly?" Satō Miwako tried to snatch it from him.
"I'm preserving the evidence."
Heiji put the pen away directly, and Satō Miwako's hand met empty air.
"Young Hattori, are you saying that Kubota deliberately tried to frame Director Ochiai?" Inspector Megure asked, surprised.
"For sure. Director Ochiai was always scolding Kubota for not taking the artworks seriously, and he held a grudge against him. That's why he wanted to blame him for the murder. That has to be it!" Iijima said loudly.
"No! I didn't kill him! I really didn't kill him!" Kubota shouted.
"But, young Hattori, what would be his motive for killing?"
"Because he often stole items from the museum to sell them. Owner Manaka found out and demanded a large compensation from him. It's possible he wanted to kill him to avoid paying," Heiji said calmly.
"That's not true! I didn't kill him! If you say I killed him, where's the proof? Where's the proof!?" Kubota shouted, furious.
"Proof??"
A cold smile played on Heiji's lips.
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