Manga |
Testimony Puzzle is 1st case in Kindaichi Case Files : Akechi Case Files. Created by Seimaru Amagi as Author and Fumiya Sato as Mangaka.
In the book, it was recorded under the name of "Superintendent Akechi's Case Files" in "Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Short Collection 1", and later in the spin-off "Superintendent Akechi's Elegant Case Files" under the title of "Testimony Puzzle".
Story[]
The case begins with Akechi visiting Kindaichi in jail after was arrested after being found alone in a train car with the dead body of Tadao Eguma. According to the passengers and employees's testimonies, the crime seems impossible for anyone besides Kindaichi. Knowing he is innocent, can Akechi figures out the true culprit from the various testimonies?
Characters[]
| Testimony Puzzle Characters | ||||
| Main Characters | ||||
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| Kengo Akechi | Isamu Kenmochi | |||
| Suspect List | ||||
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| Hajime Kindaichi | Tadao Eguma | Shingo Sumiyoshi | Naomi Shikazawa | |
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| Otohiko Noshiro | Ryusuke Kunito | Kiyoshi Yagi | Yoshikatsu Kaneko | |
Suspect List[]
- Yoshikatsu Kaneko (46) - Fudosan Railway Driver.
- Kiyoshi Yagi (28) - Fudosan Railway Conductor.
- Ryusuke Kunito (26) - Freelance Writer.
- Otohiko Noshiro (45) - Office Worker.
- Naomi Shikazawa (17) - High School Student.
- Shingo Sumiyoshi (29) - Police Detective.
- Tadao Eguma (55)
Cases[]
First Case[]
Conclusion[]
Akechi explains that the case is not a planned murder, instead it's a spontaneous murder, as the murder weapon is Tadao Eguma's own umbrella. If it's a planned murder, the culprit must've bring his/her own weapon and couldn't possibly prepare to use the umbrella as the murder weapon. He then exposed the culprit as Kiyoshi Yagi, the train conductor.
Turns out, at Kikawa station, where Ryusuke Kunito boarded the train, there's was person who entered the train near the ticket checkpoint, which was Tadao Eguma himself. who had just come from loan sharking to a passenger in Kikawa. Yagi noticed Eguma entering the third car as he has to check every passenger who enters and exit the train. Yagi pretended to check his tickets while looking at Eguma as he seemed to know who he was. The two then got into a fight and Yagi killed him using Eguma's own umbrella.
Yagi then realized what he had done and noticed the sleeping Kindaichi nearby. Before arriving at Itsushina station, he discovered a trick to escape the authorities. First, he took off Eguma's mantle and hat to use. Due to it's dark colour, even if there was some blood in it, it wouldn't be easily recognizable. As the train entered Itsushina station, Yagi exited the train and entered the first car again. He then walked past both Ryusuke Kunito and Otohiko Noshiro. When he arrived at the third car, he threw the mantle, coat and Eguma's suitcase to make a mess and make it seems there had been a fight and got out of the third car in six seconds.
Yagi asks Akechi if he got any proof that he's the killer, to which he happily answers that he has, which is his testimony. Yagi who should've been in the third car, knew that Otohiko Noshiro who banged the engineers door was previously sleeping.
Yagi then explains that Tadao Eguma used to be his father's friend from high school. His father's company went bankrupt from immense debt and Eguma was the only one who happily lend some money. He was cruel retainer but also his father's best friend, once the debt reached the collateral amount, Eguma's attitude changed and started loan sharking his father and confiscated his family's house and business, causing his father to commit suicide and his mother's sickness.
Trivia[]
- This is one of the five cases on which Hajime Kindaichi is accused of murder, the other ones are Western-style Hotel Murder Case, Murder Committed by Young Kindaichi, Bee Poisonous Sword Murder Case and Young Kindaichi's Trip of Death Preparedness.