Chapter 375: Great Ace Attorney… No Way! (6)

“…In short, the analysis report of the ice axe can show.”

“There are no fingerprints left on it, and the blood at the tip has been tested and confirmed to be Fujisawa Toshiaki’s.”

Prosecutor Sugiura at the prosecutor’s table added at this moment.

He stared at Hattori Heiji who was standing next to the evidence table before continuing.

“I know. You mean the murderer wiped off the fingerprints on the handle of the ice pick, or used something to grab it remotely?”

“Unfortunately, when we arrived at the scene, there were indeed rags and the like.”

“But the problem is that the crime scene was near the kitchen, and it is normal to have a rag in the kitchen.”

“As for the fingerprints on the rag… let’s not talk about whether there are any. Even if there are, the completeness is not high.”

“It was not enough for the police to conduct a fingerprint comparison on the suspect in this case.”

“So, whatever you want to say, for now, is meaningless.”

…is all meaningless? How is that possible?
Hattori Heiji’s gaze shifted slightly and fell on Prosecutor Sugiura.

For now, it seems that Inspector Shiratori is unable to provide direct assistance.

Then let’s just target the prosecutor Sugiura.

His fingers gently pressed the brim of his hat down.

“I say, there is no reasoning that is meaningless.”

“According to normal law enforcement procedures, photos should have been taken at the scene, right?”

“Send the evidence photos of the scene where Fujisawa Toshiaki was injured, and you will know after you take a look.”

(This guy doesn’t seem to understand how to act as a defense lawyer in a trial.)
(This style is more like a high school detective who ran away from school…)
Several thoughts flashed through Prosecutor Sugiura’s mind, and he looked at Xiang Yuanguang in the defense seat.

The hedgehog-headed lawyer just watched the fun and did not interfere.

The worst that could happen is that Hattori Heiji would be kicked out, and he would just carry on with his defense as normal.

If Hattori Heiji could solve the case directly based on the evidence, that would be even better, as he would get paid for nothing.

This is a win-win situation, win twice, win twice.

“Since the defense claims so… well, then let’s submit this photo as evidence.”

Tokyo’s most powerful prosecutor reached out and fiddled with his wig.

He said this and pulled out a photo from his folder.

And this photo was taken at the crime scene, at least it was the photo taken when the police arrived.

At that time, the witness in the case, Kento Toba, helped to maintain the scene and said that no one was there after Fujisawa Toshiaki was attacked…

Things at the scene have been moved, so it can be regarded as the original scene photo after the crime.

(The evidence [Photograph of the crime scene – Toshiaki Fujisawa] has been added to the evidence record.)
Hattori Heiji’s eyes flashed across the photo.

Needless to say, he noticed the irrationality of the photo at a glance.

(The dishcloth seems to be placed in the wrong place. Normally, the dishcloth should be placed next to the dishes.)
(Or just put it away in the cupboard, but the rag in the photo is just randomly placed.)
(Just now, Mr. Shiratori said that there was a maid among the original suspects, so the position of the rag is very strange.)
The famous Kansai detective narrowed his eyes slightly, and his gaze instantly became sharp.

(How could a maid who is in charge of housework not even have the common sense to put away the dishes?)
(Unless the person who placed the rag was not the maid at all, but someone else…)
(Because the ice pick was used to try to kill someone, but it was unsuccessful, there was no time to return the rag in this case.)
(You can only put it as close to you as possible and then continue with your plan…)
(Then, if we know who is closest to where the rag is placed, we can find the murderer————)
“Prosecutor Sugiura, which of the witnesses was closest to the rag at the time?”

Hattori Heiji pointed his finger at the place he was observing in the photo.

Prosecutor Sugiura took a look and replied in confusion.

“I don’t know about that, and in the final analysis it is irrelevant to the case.”

“Please don’t change the subject and make irresponsible remarks.”

…How could this be something unrelated to this case?
Hattori Heiji continued reasoning without hesitation, using his strange Kansai accent. “Can’t you see? First of all, if the murderer used an ice pick, there would be no fingerprints left.”

“It could only be that he was wearing gloves. If he wasn’t wearing gloves, he must have used some cloth to wipe it off…”

“Or just use the fabric as a middle layer to grab the ice axe and injure someone.”

“And this rag is most likely the crime prop used by the murderer to do one of these two things.”

His words immediately made Shiratori Renzaburo frown at the witness stand.

This familiar feeling, could it be another famous high school detective?

But, he didn’t remember any dark-skinned high school detective in Tokyo?
“As for why I infer this, just look at the location. If you want to use a rag…”

“They are either washing dishes, cleaning the chopping board and the surrounding area, or cleaning the dining table.”

“And there’s nothing near the rag in this photo, so it shouldn’t be there.”

“I believe that women who are professional domestic workers — that is, maids — would not make such a mistake.”

“And other people in this situation probably didn’t have the thought or behavior to go into the kitchen.”

“So the rag in the wrong place…can only have been placed there by the murderer.”

“He had so little time that he couldn’t put the rag back in place after using the ice pick, and that’s probably what happened.”

“So as long as we identify the person closest to the rag, we can know who the murderer is.”

Under normal circumstances, if he was at the crime scene, Hattori Heiji would have been able to come up with the final answer.

But now it is a day after the crime, even though the witnesses are now in the court.

They may not be able to give a direct and decisive answer to this question——————

It is even possible that the six witnesses gave six different answers.

“So, do you have evidence to prove that your reasoning is completely correct?”

Prosecutor Sugiura gently played with his hair.

He asked in a somewhat strange tone.

“If you don’t have evidence to prove it, then the reasoning that follows is meaningless.”

…prove the reasoning process?
If you were at the crime scene, it would not be difficult to review this.

But… in the Tribunal, it’s not that easy.

Hattori Heiji’s mind started to work rapidly again.

However, Xiang Yuanguang knew that Hattori Heiji was unlikely to prove this.

Indeed, as a detective, Hattori Heiji’s abilities can be said to be quite outstanding.

But the detective’s reasoning is difficult to put into practice outside the crime scene.

When Kudo Shinichi, disguised as Edogawa Conan, first helped Genmizu Mukai to deal with Eri Kisaki.

He spent the night sorting out the difference between a detective and a lawyer.

Hattori Heiji was totally unprepared for this, which is why he was caught red-handed.

(Sure enough, it’s still a little bit difficult to go through the trial in one go.)
(Even if Prosecutor Sugiura fully agrees with Hattori’s claim and allows the six witnesses to testify one by one.)
(It is not necessarily possible to get a unified answer, so this reasoning is correct but cannot get a result.)
Xiang Yuanguang took another sip of coffee.

What’s more, there is a fatal loophole in Hattori Heiji’s reasoning.

There are plenty of opportunities for trial and error at a crime scene, but not so many in a trial court.

(End of this chapter)