The murderer is in the midst of everyone.

As soon as this appalling conclusion was announced...

Lin Xinyi, Gray Yuan Ai, and Conan, they all looked as usual, and basically didn't react.

Because they're all used to it.

Especially Conan.

But Nakamura, Shimoda, and Sakai, the three elementary school teachers who have never experienced strong winds and waves, were extremely shocked:

"W-What..."

"No... Is there such a terrible guy hiding among us? ”

They were all somewhat reluctant to believe Maoliland's conclusions.

But the facts are in front of you:

"There is only a string of footprints, pointing to the front door of the villa."

"Unless the murderer can fly, he can only be in this villa now."

Maolilan repeated his findings.

"What about inside the villa?"

"If the murderer had gone around the snow for half a circle before escaping through the front door into the villa."

"Then he should have some snow chips on the soles and uppers."

"After walking into the villa, there should still be water footprints left on the ground of the entrance."

Lin Xinyi raised a question in a timely manner:

If the murderer really escaped into the villa, not only the interior of the villa should also have his footprints.

"Nope."

Maoriran shook his head.

But instead of a no, she replied in the affirmative:

"But there are no footprints of water stains in the room, not because the murderer did not enter the villa."

"Because the murderer threw the slippers he was wearing into the snow outside the door before he entered the door."

"He's smart and didn't come in straight in these slippers."

"Instead, I threw away the slippers stained with snow chips at the door, and changed into a pair of clean slippers at the entrance before I dared to enter the door."

"It makes me even more suspicious that the murderer is among us."

"This..."Lin Xinyi's expression changed slightly.

He understood what Maolilan meant:

If the murderer had come in wearing the slippers he had stepped on in the snow, the soles of the slippers on his feet would have been wet.

In this way, others can see that something is wrong at a glance.

So the murderer deliberately left the snow-soaked slippers outside the door, and changed into a pair of clean slippers at the door.

And that just says that...

The murderer is one of those who are now present.

After all, if the murderer was someone other than them, some mysterious person hiding in the corner of the villa, then he didn't need to change his slippers at all.

Only after the incident, it is necessary to rush to the scene quickly, mix in the crowd and pretend to be innocent, and the few people present who must appear in front of everyone have the need to change slippers to disguise themselves.

"It looks like the murderer is indeed between us."

After coming to this conclusion, Lin Xinyi couldn't help but set his eyes on Nakamura, Shimoda, and Sakai.

Although the investigation must be suspicious of everything, not close to each other.

Strictly speaking, everyone present could be the murderer.

But even putting aside the motive for the crime...

At the time of the crime, he was with Gray Yuan Ai and was not suspected of committing a crime.

Conan's small body did not have the conditions to cover the adult's mouth and nose from behind.

As for Maoliland and Belmode, if the two of them are murderers... No matter how much ether is used, an empty-handed attack can blow people's heads out.

Then temporarily exclude the two victims, Yonehara-sensei and Suzuki Sonoko.

The suspects shrunk down all of a sudden, Nakamura, Shimoda, and Sakai, these three.

"Sakai is also unlikely..."

Lin Xinyi temporarily ruled out the suspicion of Mr. Sakai.

It's not because Sakai-sensei is a fan of him, so he deliberately favors him.

It's because they came to this villa today because of the invitation that Mr. Sakai took the initiative to offer.

If he's a murderer... How could a murderer premeditate on an acquaintance and take the initiative to invite the police over?

So the possibility of Sakata-sensei is also low.

"So, Ms. Nakamura, Mr. Shimoda..."

"Where were you all and what were you doing at the time of the crime?"

Lin Xinyi looked at the two of them with blazing eyes.

And they seem to realize that they have become the key suspects in this case.

"I was burning the fireplace with Sakai!"

Shimoda-sensei defended himself in a panic:

"The two of us were together at the time, I don't believe you ask Sakai."

"By the way, the screams came from the beginning, and Miss Maori should have seen the two of us in front of the fireplace when she ran from her room to the scene and passed by the living room."

"We just waited a little longer because we were afraid."

This is clearly an ironclad alibi.

After Mao Lilan nodded to corroborate, the suspicions of Shimoda and Sakai could be completely ruled out.

In this way, the current suspect is left ...

"Ms. Nakamura."

Everyone turned their questioning eyes to Minori Nakamura.

The young elementary school teacher suddenly lost her face.

She struggled for a long time before she looked flustered and said incoherently:

"I—I was alone in the kitchen preparing dinner."

A person, that is, no one can give her an alibi.

Mr. Nakamura's suspicion is even greater.

At this time, Mao Lilan was still thinking about words with a tangled expression, and gave her a fatal blow:

"Actually... I also think that Mr. Nakamura is the most likely murderer. ”

"Because when I was tracking, I also paid attention to the footprints of that string of snow footprints."

"Although I didn't observe very carefully in order to come back in a hurry to report the situation, I still made some discoveries:"

"First of all, the soles of the slippers that the murderer threw outside the door are consistent with the pattern of the snow footprints, and it can be determined that the slippers were worn by the murderer when he committed the crime."

"And these slippers are smaller in size."

In general, women's shoe sizes are 24 and a half sizes (size 38) or less, and the forefoot width is often 8.5 cm or less.

Men's shoe size and forefoot width are mostly above these two data.

The shoe size is smaller, indicating that the owner of the footprint is likely to be a woman.

"Not only the shoe number, but because the murderer left clear footprints on the snow, I also paid attention to the observation..."

"On the footprints she left behind, there are obvious signs of 'internal bulldozing' and 'internal rolling'."

As mentioned earlier, due to the physiological characteristics of women, the heels tend to move slightly inward and forward along the ground when walking, causing the heels of the footprints to form ridge-like mounds called "inner bulldozers".

When the bottom of the footstep is pressed from the heel to the front of the palm, the force of the sole of the foot is exerted inward and forward on the inside of the forefoot, and a pit-like indentation called "internal rolling" is often formed.

Both internal bulldozing and internal rolling are characteristics of female footprints.

"So, from the analysis of the footprint, the murderer is likely to be an adult woman."

"And today the adult women in the villa ... At the time of the crime, I was with Miss Chrissy, and Sonoko and Yonehara-sensei were the victims. ”

"Then the only suspect left..."

"Minori-sensei Nakamura."

Mao Lilan analyzed it from another angle, but it was the same way, and the suspicion was locked on this Nakamura lady.

Minori Nakamura's face became paler:

"What's the joke..."

"How could I be a murderer?!"

"I'm not guilty of any grievances with Yonehara-sensei, and it's the first time I've met that Suzuki-sama... How could it be possible to attack them? ”

"That won't clear your name."

"Because you and Yonehara-sensei have been colleagues for many years, even if you have an unknown grudge in private, it is difficult for others to understand."

"And although Miss Suzuki doesn't know you, it's very likely that she accidentally broke into the scene of the murderer's murder against Yonehara-sensei, and broke through the murderer's murder, so she was murdered."

"This is an accident, and she doesn't need to have any grudges with the murderer."

Lin Xinyi's objective analysis made Minori Nakamura's expression more and more nervous and desperate.

But at the same time, he added:

"Of course, Ms. Nakamura, we can't be sure that you are the murderer just because of mere suspicion."

"I'm a police officer, and I will talk about evidence when handling cases."

"As for the evidence..."

The most direct evidence is, of course, the victim's confession.

And now Suzuki Sonoko and Yonehara Koko haven't woken up yet, and they can't ask who attacked them from their mouths.

Then, if you want to find evidence, you must first find physical evidence.

As for where to find the physical evidence...

Lin Xin suddenly looked at Gray Yuan Ai.

Feeling his gaze for help, Gray Yuan smiled knowingly, and tacitly gave the answer he wanted:

"Ether, with a boiling point of only 34.5 degrees, is extremely volatile."

"In an indoor heated environment, it will evaporate quickly."

"So it is impossible for the murderer to pour ether on the towel in advance and wait for the opportunity to sneak into the room and attack the victim."

"In that way, before you have time to get closer, the drug will evaporate, and it will lose its anesthetic effect."

"The reagent bottle must be opened for immediate use in order to ensure the efficacy of the drug and achieve the effect of covering it with a towel."

"So... The murderer must have been carrying a container containing ether when he committed the crime. ”

Gray Yuan paused slightly, and continued:

"And this container is also very recognizable."

"Because ether is extremely volatile and flammable, the minimum ignition energy is only 0.19 joules, and the flash point is only -45 degrees."

"If it's not stored properly, it will explode if you're not careful."

"Therefore, the ether must be kept in a closed and light-proof container, such as the common dark brown reagent bottle, to ensure safety."

"Such a bottle should be very conspicuous."

"And the murderer rushed to the scene after committing the crime, pretending to be innocent and mixed in with everyone, and he must not have had time to dispose of the container containing ether."

"Look carefully in this villa, and you might find it."

"If the container can be found, it is possible to find the killer's fingerprints and dander from it, so that the murderer's identity can be truly locked."

In the slightly shocked gaze of outsiders...

The little genius Gray Yuan Wai used an orderly narration to tell everything Lin Xinyi wanted to say.

After speaking, she still had a light smile on the corner of her mouth, and shook her head helplessly at him.

The cute little eyes that were slightly disgusted seemed to tell Lin Xinyi:

"With such basic knowledge, you still have to confirm it with me?"

"It's so stupid..."

Lin Xinyi shrugged helplessly and recognized his girlfriend's ridicule:

In fact, he knows this chemical knowledge.

But the efficacy of ether in this world has become so strange, who knows if its physical properties have changed?

It's like some serious injuries that can only be judged to be car collisions or traffic accidents according to forensic injuries, but in this world, it can be completely slapped by Miss Maori in a fit of anger.

In the face of Ke Xue, he was no longer confident in his previous experience and knowledge.

"Anyway..."

"The main task now is to find the container."

"It's probably in the villa, even... Because of the urgency of the escape process and the lack of time to deal with it, it is likely that it has been hidden by the murderer now, and it has not been left anywhere else. ”

Lin Xinyi said this, and his eyes fell on the teacher Minori Nakamura again.

Minori Nakamura can read the air.

She knew that Lin Xinyi was actually saying that before looking for a needle in a haystack to look for physical evidence in various parts of the villa, she had to check her belongings.

"Okay, check it!"

Minori Nakamura replied with a grim face:

"Look at me, if I have any container you said."