The night after Jiang Xia reported the crime.
Conan, along with the three other mischievous children, followed the treasure map. Finally, they successfully found a building with “Ghost Cherry” written on it.
At this moment, let alone the three first-grade children, even Conan was secretly excited at the thought of the massive amount of gold coins, enough to fill a bathtub. After all, he was still just a 17-year-old big kid.
The mischievous children cheered, and Conan led the way, excitedly running into the building.
However, the moment they entered, a figure suddenly reached out from the wall just inside the door, grabbing Conan into its arms and covering his mouth.
It was already night, and the surroundings were dark.
The other three children didn't notice anything unusual and foolishly followed Conan inside.
...And then, one by one, they were caught by the people lying in ambush.
Conan struggled desperately, staring at this scene with a pale face.
Several tall figures in ambush, plus this being the treasure location... He instantly thought of the group of international thieves who were on the run.
Conan gritted his teeth, looking at the criminals in front of him. According to routine, at this point, the “robbers” should let out a cackle, then pull out their pistols, cock them, and point the muzzles at their heads, demanding to know where the treasure was...
Sure enough, the next second, Conan saw the suit-clad man who had grabbed him reveal a sinister, insincere smile.
The big man reached his rough hand into his pocket and pulled out...
A Police ID.
Conan: “...?”
“Little ones.” The Police officer, with dark circles under his eyes from overtime, tried to force a smile at the mischievous children, “Don't be afraid, we are the Police.”
...
Sato Miwako emerged from the shadows and had someone lead the four children aside.
She herself continued to stake out the entrance, half-believing, half-doubting, ambushing the robbers who, according to the information provided by Anonymous, might follow the children into the building.
In just a few minutes, three Italian robbers actually appeared.
...
Although the robbers were tall and strong, and each had a gun, their combat ability was clearly not very good.
Sato kicked two of them flying with one blow. Even Takagi easily subdued another.
The robbers were instantly defeated, shamefully handcuffed and escorted to the Police station.
...
Sato breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned to the four children, intending to take them back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
But the children refused to go with her.
Conan's words were even more surprising: “The 15,000 stolen gold coins are hidden in this building!”
After he finished speaking, he saw Sato Miwako indeed show a surprised expression.
But soon, Conan was surprised to find that Officer Sato didn't seem to be surprised that “there's treasure on the roof,” but rather puzzled as to why the children knew this.
Sato Miwako bent down and patted the mischievous children's heads: “Thank you for your information, but the gold coins are no longer here. Please come back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department with us first, and we'll talk about the rest later.”
—Yesterday, after receiving the alarm call from Anonymous, since it involved an international fugitive, the Police immediately rushed to the building and conducted a thorough search inside and out.
However, they couldn't find the stolen gold coins, only a few discarded empty bags on the top floor.
...
Sato Miwako led the four bewildered mischievous children back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The international fugitive was taken to another area.
The treatment on both sides was completely different; the children sat in a spacious and comfortable office and were even given cookies and hot tea.
But Conan was not in the mood for cookies.
What he was more concerned about now was—why were the Police ambushing in the building, and how did they know the culprits were following them?
This question was quickly answered.
...
Takagi, holding a notebook, asked the children: “Have you ever met someone who calls herself Anonymous?”
Now the robbers were caught, but the stolen goods were missing. In this regard, Anonymous was very suspicious.
“No.” Conan pondered Officer Takagi's words and gradually understood, “Did Anonymous tell you that the robbers would go to the Ghost Cherry building? And did she mention us?”
Takagi looked at him in surprise.
He had been worried that the child wouldn't understand the situation. Unexpectedly, he only asked one question, and the child immediately understood the whole story.
Takagi Wataru: “...” No, on second thought, it might also be because these children had come into contact with Anonymous, which is why they immediately thought of her!
Officer Takagi's spirits lifted, feeling that there would be a big harvest.
He picked up the voice recorder and played a recording of Anonymous's alarm call for the children, asking expectantly:
“Is this the kind of voice you've heard?”
However,
Contrary to Takagi's expectations, all four children shook their heads.
...
The voice in the recording was very pleasant, with an indescribable rhythm, making it highly recognizable.
Conan was very sure he had never heard that voice.
However, not having heard Anonymous speak doesn't mean not having seen her.
Conan thought: Perhaps this afternoon, when the Detective Boys were searching for treasure with the treasure map, Anonymous happened to see them. That's why she made the prediction that “the children would find the building while searching for treasure and be followed by robbers,” and made that prophetic alarm call.
In other words...
Conan's eyes lit up: He could use this to inversely determine Anonymous's range of activity today!
—Conan's observational skills were very strong, and he always paid close attention to time during the treasure hunt.
He could remember approximately where he was at what time.
In other words, by comparing the time Anonymous called the Police with his location during the treasure hunt this afternoon, he could determine where Anonymous was during which time period. Then, he could look for nearby surveillance footage to find relevant clues.
The more Conan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
He pushed up his glasses and asked calmly: “What time did she make the alarm call?”
“That... one moment.”
Takagi glanced at the information and quickly replied: “Yesterday at 9:17 AM.”
The fighting spirit in Conan's eyes froze with a click.
He was stunned for two seconds, suspecting he had misheard: “Yesterday??”