It was already evening when Takato arrived in Osaka. However, since he had already contacted Lawyer Shimada Kaoru beforehand, Takato went directly to Shimada Law Office upon his arrival in Osaka.
At the Office, Lawyer Shimada had already made arrangements, and after Takato arrived, he was taken to Lawyer Shimada's Office.
"Akechi-san is very efficient in his work."
Shimada Kaoru greeted Takato with a warm smile.
"Currently, it's only a suspicion; the specifics can only be confirmed after DNA information comparison."
Takato said, handing the sealed box containing the empty cup to Shimada Kaoru.
Taking the box, Shimada Kaoru placed it aside, then said with a hint of regret, "Compared to this, the current problem is that we can't get Mr. Nishikawa's DNA for comparison."
"That's easy. If we can't get Mr. Nishikawa's, we'll use his son Nishikawa Hiroaki's."
Takato suggested.
Shimada Kaoru's eyes lit up upon hearing Takato's words.
"That makes sense!"
With that, Shimada Kaoru got up and went to an adjacent conference room, returning with a cigarette butt.
"Just a short while ago, Mr. Nishikawa Hiroaki came to me to discuss his will. This is the cigarette butt he smoked. Along with the item you brought back, I'll arrange for DNA testing tomorrow."
At this point, Shimada Kaoru suddenly paused.
"However, the most pressing issue now is that Mr. Nishikawa is critically ill and it's uncertain if he can hold on until the results are out. After all, whether to change the will or not, it ultimately requires Mr. Nishikawa to confirm after seeing the evidence."
"Why did Mr. Nishikawa suddenly become critically ill?"
Takato had many thoughts about this news he read in the newspaper, especially since the "Phase Three" mission required him to investigate the car accident.
"I'm not sure about that. I suppose he's old, and after such severe injuries, his body simply couldn't take it anymore. However, it's precisely because Mr. Nishikawa suddenly became critically ill that Mr. Nishikawa Hiroaki was so eager to ask me about the will today."
Shimada Kaoru said, "But I'm just a lawyer; I can only act according to the client's requests. If Mr. Nishikawa doesn't make it, then Mr. Akechi, you'll have made a trip for nothing."
"Alright, then I'll take my leave."
Listening to Shimada Kaoru's words, it seemed he didn't want to get involved in other matters. The search for Mr. Nishikawa's illegitimate child was likely an agreement made with Mr. Nishikawa beforehand, so he was very willing to cooperate once there was progress. Since that was the case, there was no point in staying.
With that, Takato prepared to get up and leave.
"Excuse me, I kept forgetting to ask. Regarding the lady who is suspected to be Mr. Nishikawa's illegitimate daughter, what is her name?"
Shimada Kaoru called out to Takato and asked this question.
"Hanada Emi."
Takato said, giving the answer to Shimada Kaoru.
For this name, he had hacked into the Nanyo University database, found the list of students who recently went to the United States to study, and found the blonde woman's name.
Leaving the Shimada Law Office, Takato went to a coffee shop and sat quietly by the window, seemingly waiting for someone.
Soon, the person Takato was waiting for arrived.
The dark-skinned "High School Detective"—Hattori Heiji—walked into the coffee shop, sat opposite Takato, and placed a document bag on the table.
"Detective Brother's actions are really fast; you found Mr. Nishikawa's illegitimate son in just two days!"
Hattori Heiji praised him sincerely.
"It was just luck."
Takato humbly replied. If it weren't for Kaito Kid happening to steal the very jewel he was investigating, he didn't know how many detours he would have to take. Moreover, even though he acted so quickly, something still happened to Mr. Nishikawa!
"The car accident information you wanted, I asked Officer Otaki to get it from the traffic Police. These are photocopies of all the documents."
Hattori Heiji pushed the document bag on the table towards Takato.
Takato took the document bag, opened it, and began to read.
"So, Detective Brother, you also think this car accident is very strange?"
Hattori Heiji said.
"Yes, a wealthy man who was struggling with whether to find his illegitimate child and give him half of his assets suddenly gets into a car accident, and his legitimate son is very concerned about the will after the incident. All of this seems too suspicious."
Takato said, carefully examining the contents of the car accident report:
The car accident occurred around 6 AM in the morning, at the entrance of a tunnel. The accident involved a sedan. The front part of the car was almost completely crushed together, severely deformed; the front half of the car roof was also caved in.
The driver in the front seat had severe head and leg injuries, likely dying instantly.
Sitting in the back seat was Mr. Nishikawa, the director and shareholder of the magazine company. Both were knocked unconscious instantly and sustained serious injuries. Fortunately, they were discovered by a passing vehicle shortly after, and after the Police were called, they were sent to the emergency center.
Around the front part of the sedan, shattered glass and car parts were scattered everywhere. Furthermore, there were no brake marks found on the trajectory of the sedan before the accident.
According to the caller, when he was driving near the tunnel, he saw a car stopped in the right lane inside the tunnel entrance from a distance. He was very curious, and when he drove closer, he realized there had been a serious car accident. He immediately called the Police and an ambulance, then stayed at the scene to manage traffic and wait for the emergency center and traffic Police to arrive.
Based on the conditions at the car accident scene, the Police initially determined it to be a rear-end collision.
It was estimated that the sedan involved in the accident, for some unknown reason, crashed head-on into the back of a truck, and the truck driver likely saw the accident and immediately drove away.
Although the Police were also tracking the whereabouts of the large truck, if it was a rear-end collision, the primary responsibility would still lie with the sedan, as there were no brake marks from the sedan at the scene.
This could have been caused by improper driver operation or fatigued driving. Subsequent Police inspections of the sedan also found no signs of tampering.
Therefore, the Police believed that even if this car accident was indeed intentional, the problem could only lie with the driver. However, the driver died at the scene, and subsequent interviews and investigations found no suspicious points about the driver. Ultimately, this case was deemed an unfortunate accident.
Seeing Takato turn to the last page of the documents, Hattori Heiji spoke, "So, Detective Brother, have you found any suspicious points in here?"
"Although the fleeing truck is suspicious, looking at the scene, the responsibility indeed lies with the sedan. The driver, after seeing the truck ahead, neither braked to slow down nor swerved to avoid it... The vehicle also showed no signs of tampering... It can only be considered an accident caused by the driver's improper operation at the time."
Takato had to admit that, based on these documents, no suspicious points could be found in this accident. The only person who could have intentionally caused this accident was the sedan driver—but no suspicious points were found about the driver in the subsequent investigation!
That's strange. Could this car accident really just be an accident?
"Oh, by the way, do you know? During the subsequent questioning of the parties involved, Mr. Nishikawa said that he had been sleeping before the car accident, so he had no idea what happened. And the director, when asked about the situation before the accident, told the Police something very strange."
Hattori Heiji paused at this point, and Takato knew that what followed was the crucial part.