In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 41

……

Yuki Takada got into the driver's seat, the dull thud of the car door closing shutting him off from the outside world.

The police radio crackled with the indistinct voices of the dispatch center, but his world was unusually clear—every sound, every image was magnified, as if his senses were adapting to this dual life.

He started the engine, but did not drive away immediately.

His fingertips tapped lightly on the steering wheel, recalling every detail of how the evidence had just been destroyed.

The buzzing of the miniature digester still seemed to echo in his ears; the almost imperceptible sound was deafening to Yuki Takada.

"High-strength acidic solvent, dissolves within seconds, leaving no residue." Yuuki Takada murmured the organization's technical specifications, as if this would convince him that the evidence had indeed vanished without a trace.

But his police instincts whispered in his ear: Is there really anything that can completely disappear?

Even the most sophisticated technology leaves traces; it's just a matter of whether someone looks for them and whether anyone knows where to look.

The car radio suddenly came on, and Sato Miwako's voice came through with obvious excitement: "Takada-senpai, we found the surveillance footage! Around 2 a.m., an old Porsche did drive through the nearby streets. Although the license plate is not clear, the model is very rare."

Yuuki Takada's knuckles turned slightly white, but his voice remained steady: "Very good, continue the investigation. What about the line in the tattoo?"

"We have contacted the Yakuza Crime Countermeasures Division, and they have provided a list of several members with crow tattoos, all of whom have had conflicts with Nobuo Shimazaki. Two of them have recently gone missing."

"Keep a close eye on those two," Yuki Takada said. "I'm heading back to headquarters right away."

On the way back to the Metropolitan Police Department, the Tokyo night view flowed like a river of light outside the car window.

Yuuki Takada stared at the rearview mirror, not only to observe the traffic, but also to make sure he wasn't being followed—whether by colleagues or members of his organization.

The Metropolitan Police Department building is brightly lit; the night never truly lets it sleep.

As Yuki Takada stepped into the First Investigative Division's office area, he sensed a special energy permeating the air—the tension and excitement of a major case making a breakthrough.

Miwako Sato stood in front of the whiteboard, which was already covered with photos and information about Nobuo Shimazaki's enemies.

Chapter 63 Yakuza Organization

Miwako Sato turned around and saw Yuuki Takada, her eyes shining. She said, "Inspector Takada, we have another discovery. The forensic team found several fibers in the vicinity. They are not from the victim's clothing, but may have been left by the murderer."

Yuuki Takada's heart nearly skipped a beat, but his expression remained impassive: "What material?"

“It appears to be wool fibers from a high-end suit, and it’s dark black,” Sato Miwako said excitedly. “It doesn’t match the cheap suits that yakuza members usually wear.”

Stay calm, you must stay calm.

Yuuki Takada walked to the coffee machine, poured himself a cup of black coffee, and used the action to buy himself some time to think.

“Not necessarily…” he said as he turned around. “Even high-ranking yakuza officials wear bespoke suits. Don’t forget, I once investigated a case where the team leader was wearing an Italian brand.”

Miwako Sato nodded, convinced: "Indeed. Also, the traffic department is tracking the last known location of that Porsche."

Yuki Takada took a sip of coffee, the bitterness spreading across his tongue.

He knew he had to steer the investigation in the right direction, but he couldn't appear too eager.

“Continue tracing the source of the fibers, but the focus should still be on suspects with tattoos,” Yuki Takada continued. “My intuition tells me that tattoos are key. What exactly did the witnesses see the patterns?”

Miwako Sato retrieved the convenience store clerk's inquiry record: "The clerk said it looked like a crow with outstretched wings, with an exceptionally long beak, almost like a crane. This is quite unique; most crow tattoos don't have this feature."

Yuki Takada noted this detail down.

The organization's hints became more explicit—the raven, a symbol of the Black Organization.

But he couldn't let others associate that with him.

"Notify all units to pay close attention to people with this distinctive crow tattoo," Yuuki Takada instructed. "I'll go check the surveillance footage with the technical department again to see if there are any further details."

In the dimly lit room of the technical department, Yuki Takada stared at the blurry image of a Porsche on the screen.

That was indeed Gin's car, without a doubt.

But what alarmed him even more was that the surveillance camera captured a blurry profile in the driver's seat.

Although the face was not clearly visible, the outline of the top hat had become almost a signature feature.

“Pause here,” Yuuki Takada suddenly said, pointing to a corner of the screen, “Zoom in on this area.”

The technician did as instructed, and the screen showed a small sticker on the Porsche's rear window, resembling a club logo.

"Can it improve the clarity?" Yuki Takada asked, hoping the answer was no.

The technician shook his head: "It's too blurry. At most, you can make out a circular logo, and there might be a pattern in the middle."

Yuki Takada nodded, secretly relieved.

He knew what it was—the organization's symbol, a secret mark that only members could recognize.

“It’s probably just the logo of some ordinary club,” Yuki Takada said casually. “Let’s continue tracking the vehicle’s route.”

Back in his office, Yuuki Takada closed the door, enjoying a rare moment of privacy.

He needs to report progress to the organization, but he must be extremely cautious.

Yuuki Takada took out a modified old-fashioned pager and entered the pre-set code: "The clue has led to Yakuza Vendetta. The second batch of test subjects is ready and will be sent to the laboratory in three days."

A few minutes later, the reply came: "Received - Gin"

Seeing this, Yuuki Takada quickly deleted the message and took a deep breath.

Gin already knew that the second batch of test samples would arrive in time, which meant the organization would monitor the laboratory's progress to ensure it wouldn't become a problem.

A knock sounded at the door, and Sato Miwako poked her head in, saying:

"Senior, the Yakuza Countermeasures Division said there's someone with tattoos matching the description at a club in Shinjuku. Shall we go check it out together?"

Yuuki Takada grabbed his coat and walked outside with practiced ease: "Let's go."

On the way to Shinjuku, Sato Miwako seemed a little nervous: "Senior, if it really is a yakuza vendetta, why choose to do it in a bar? Such a daring place is not like their style."

Yuki Takada already had the answer ready: "Nobuo Shimazaki recently applied for a witness protection program. He may be preparing to denounce his past accomplices. In this case, the yakuza would choose to execute him in a high-profile manner as a warning."

Sato Miwako nodded in agreement, but Takada Yuki felt a spasm in his stomach.

He was performing his duties perfectly—not only as an organization, but also as a police officer, only the former was eroding the latter.

Plainclothes police officers were already stationed outside the club.

Yuki Takada and Sato listened to a report in the command vehicle—the target was Kenichi Yamamoto, 35 years old, who had been imprisoned three years ago for assault and had recently been released.

He and Nobuo Shimazaki belonged to the same yakuza organization and had a definite feud.

“Most importantly…” the police officer in charge of surveillance said, “we confirmed that he had a raven tattoo on the back of his left hand, with a long beak, which matches the description.”

Yuki Takada observes the club entrance through binoculars.

This is a typical yakuza business location, understated yet luxurious, with guards standing at the entrance who are clearly members of the group.

“He won’t give in easily,” Yuki Takada said. “We need to devise a suitable plan.”

Yuki Takada's heart sank.

After all, these yakuza organizations are still a force to be reckoned with by the police, not to mention the causes of death of Matsui Shosuke and Kobayashi Kenji, plus Inspector Megure's attitude.

They were clearly much more insidious than ordinary suspects.

But now that things have come to this, Yuuki Takada has no choice but to either steer the situation toward the Yakuza organization, or their secrets will be in jeopardy.

"Senior...?" Sato Miwako looked at Takada Yuuki, who was in a daze, and asked in confusion, "Is there a problem?"

Yuki Takada shook his head, forcing a smile: "No. I've thought of a way to get into the club."

Immediately afterwards, Yuki Takada pretended to be an ordinary customer and went inside, ordering Miwako Sato to guard the back door in case the suspect escaped in a hurry.

Pushing open the club's glass door, a whiff of air mixed with smoke, alcohol, and expensive perfume hit you.

In the dim light, the bass vibrated in his chest.

Yuuki Takada's gaze quickly swept across the booths, finally locking onto the deepest corner—Kenichi Yamamoto was embracing a scantily clad woman and laughing loudly, holding a wine glass in his left hand, the long-beaked raven on the back of his hand appearing and disappearing in the changing colored light.

Yuuki Takada straightened his black trench coat, a perfectly measured look of weariness on his face, as if he were just an ordinary office worker looking for some relaxation after get off work.

He deliberately bypassed the dance floor, sat down in the empty booth next to Yamamoto's, and ordered a whiskey.

The opportunity came quickly.

The woman in Yamamoto's arms got up and went to the restroom.

Yuki Takada, holding his wine glass, stood up naturally, and gave Kenichi Yamamoto a slightly apologetic smile the moment Yamamoto looked up at him.

Chapter 64 The Perfect Scapegoat

"Excuse me for bothering you, are you Mr. Yamamoto?"

Yuki Takada's voice was not loud, just enough to drown out the background music. "I don't know if you remember, but about half a year ago, we met at the 'Blues' jazz bar in Minato Ward 3-chome. You were with Mr. Shimazaki at the time."

He threw out Nobuo Shimazaki's name like a carefully laid trap, while meticulously observing Kenichi Yamamoto's facial reaction.

A flicker of wariness flashed in Kenichi Yamamoto's narrowed eyes, like a startled venomous snake, but a savage smile spread across his lips.

He did not deny knowing Shimazaki, which is a good sign.

"Oh?" Kenichi Yamamoto looked Yuki Takada up and down, leaned back on the sofa, casually resting his tattooed hand on the armrest, and exhaled a puff of smoke. He said, "A blues jazz bar? I can't quite remember."

"you are?"

“Takada Yuki. At that time, I only had a brief business relationship with Mr. Shimazaki, so it's normal that Mr. Yamamoto doesn't remember me.”

Yuuki Takada sat down in the chair opposite him, relaxed, and said softly, "I saw you earlier and thought you looked familiar, so I took the liberty of coming over to say hello."

"How has Mr. Shimazaki been lately? I heard he's run into some trouble?"

Yuki Takada deliberately blurred the background, casually mixing "business" and "trouble" together, trying to lead the other party to think of the internal strife within the Yakuza.

He took a sip of whiskey and immediately felt the alcohol burning his throat, but at that moment, Yuki Takada's mind was unusually clear.

Kenichi Yamamoto sneered, his eyes sharpening even more: "Mr. Shimazaki?"

"Hmph, that traitor brought this trouble on himself."

"What, Mr. Takada and he are quite familiar with each other?"

Kenichi Yamamoto used the word "traitor," his tone revealing his disgust, but he didn't seem surprised that Takada brought up the murder of Takeshi Shimazaki.

“We’re not that close.” Yuki Takada immediately shook his head, revealing a businessman’s cautious expression. “I just heard that he seems to be seeking some… protection recently, and is worried that some of the collaborations we’ve discussed before might be affected.”