Shida Tomoaki Captain
The events took place on JAM flight 366 bound for Haneda.
Soon after takeoff, smoke filled the plane's interior.
We were worried it was terrorism, but relaxed when learned it was a smoke bomb prank.
Still, after the commotion died down, the crew came out to check on the passengers.
During that brief ten-minute period, the captain was murdered in the cockpit.
How the captain was killed in a locked cockpit 10,000 meters in the air is a mystery...
...but I swear I'll solve it!
In the name of my grandfather!
The Case File of Young Kindaichi Returns
Murder at 10,000 Meters
Murder at 10,000 Meters!
There's something that's bothered me from the very beginning.
From the beginning?
Yes. Smoke filled the cabin and there was a panic right afterwards.
Based on my knowledge and experience, something unbelievable then happened.
I see. Actually, I noticed something, too.
The unnatural state of certain people...
I see. Then why don't we compare notes?
Okay, one-two-three!
Kindaichi-kun...
Yeah.
All of the mysteries...
...have been solved!
Hajime-chan!
In the nick of time!
Inspector Kenmochi, please gather the suspects and crew members.
All right, got it!
And Kindaichi-kun. I was two seconds faster than you.
What are you talkin' about? I was obviously a second faster than you.
No, I was.
Wrong! It was me!
I was faster.
Jeez. They're like little kids!
Do you know who did it?!
Co-pilot Koganei. Are the controls okay with you here?
Yes. We're flying steadily and I have it on auto-pilot,
so as long as it's just a short time, there's nothing to worry about.
Koganei Mamoru Co-pilot
Besides, if you're going to reveal who murdered Captain Shida,
I definitely want to be here.
Understood.
Let go of me! What is this?!
Ishida Maria Actress
Why do I have to be here?!
I'm being treated like a criminal just because I was in the restroom?!
Ohgoshi Yutaka Cameraman
Kenmochi-san, what is this?
Don't tell me I'm going to be treated as a terrorist?
No, Ohgoshi-san, that's not...
You're the only two with no verifiable alibi, so I'd like you here.
I'd also like the cabin crew members present.
Sekiguchi Shinobu Purser
Um, we're not terrorist suspects, are we?
Momoyama Akari Cabin Attendant
Kagaya Yui Cabin Attendant
We all have alibis, as we were comforting the passengers after the smoke commotion.
It wasn't terrorism.
It was premeditated murder, cleverly disguised to look like terrorism.
The prank-like terrorist threat received before takeoff and the smoke bomb fuss, too...
It was all a trick the killer planned to pull off the murder.
The person who made it look like terrorism and murdered Captain Shida is among us!
W-Wait a second!
The captain was strangled at the controls in the locked cockpit, right?
Yes, that's correct.
Going by the state of his body,
the cause of death was obviously asphyxiation from being strangled.
Then wouldn't it have taken time before he was actually dead?
Anticipating that passengers may have health issues while on board,
I've studied medicine in my spare time,
so I know that it would take at least six minutes for someone to die of asphyxiation.
The captain took the controls and the co-pilot came out of the cockpit.
The captain would be killed in the next ten minutes,
but as for people who were out of sight for more than five minutes,
that would only be the actress, Ishida-san, and the cameraman, Ohgoshi-san.
Hey, what are you saying about one of your passengers?!
I'm an actress! What's wrong with an actress freshening up in the restroom?!
And I just can't verify my alibi because this detective, seated next to me,
was running around in the commotion.
I hope I'm not branded a criminal because of that!
If one of us is the killer, it's definitely him!
He looks like he would murder someone!
Wha...?!
Okay, okay, both of you...
Right now, we're just going by the premise that the murder happened
when the captain returned to the cockpit after coming out to deal with the trouble.
But what if that premise is a trick set up by the killer?
There was a terrorist threat made before the flight,
but that whole fuss was actually an alibi trick concocted by the killer.
An alibi trick?
What do you mean?
Captain Shida wasn't murdered after the trouble over the smoke.
He was already dead by then!
Huh?!
The captain was murdered during the disturbance.
There was enough time then for any one of us
to take advantage of the panic and slip away for ten minutes.
That doesn't make sense.
Momoyama-san...
The captain came into the cabin during the incident and spoke to the passengers.
If it was really him.
The captain was wearing his hat and UV protection sunglasses then,
and was covering his mouth with a handkerchief, so we could hardly see his face.
His voice was muffled because of the handkerchief, too, so we couldn't tell.
I couldn't even tell if his beard was a fake from those brief glimpses.
We only thought the man who came out was the captain
because of the hat and uniform he was wearing.
Come to think of it, you're right...
Actually, during that time, the captain was still in the cockpit.
He was probably chloroformed and knocked out in an instant.
Then, during the panic in the cabin from the smoke,
the killer strangled the captain to death with a rope, their alibi secure.
Even with no one at the controls, if the plane is stabilized,
it's no problem to let it fly on auto-pilot for ten minutes.
Then the fake captain who came out during the commotion...
Of course, that's the killer.
There are actually two culprits.
Two?!
One of them knocked out the captain and put the plane on auto-pilot.
Then they gave instructions to the other one to kill the captain,
put on a captain's uniform themselves, and went into the cabin to create an alibi.
The smoke was so the killer could cover up with a handkerchief and play the captain.
Isn't that right, Co-pilot Koganei?
Koganei-san is...
You're the only one on this plane who could've credibly behaved like the pilot.
And you're one of the two people who murdered Captain Shida.
Y-You gotta be kidding me! What grounds do you have?!
Good question.
There are plenty of grounds, but what stuck in my mind
was how casually the "captain" entered the cabin despite an apparent terrorist situation.
When I was in America,
I met Captain Shida a number of times and he told me something once.
In America, you never know if you've got a terrorist on board,
so if something happens, the only thing we can do
is lock the cockpit from the inside
and do everything we can to keep any terrorists from getting in and taking over.
In a possible terrorist situation, it's a strict rule and common sense
for pilot and co-pilot to lock the cockpit door and make sure terrorists don't get in.
And yet, that Captain Shida
casually left the cockpit, even amidst suspicions of terrorism.
He went out to deal with the passengers directly when he could've let a CA do it.
That's what aroused my suspicions.
But at the time, I wouldn't have even dreamed that the real Captain Shida...
...was being murdered in the cockpit.
Is that all, Detective?
What was the captain thinking when he didn't follow common sense?
How should I know?
But anyway, he told me to take the controls and went into the cabin.
There's no proof to refute that, is there?
Not to mention proof that it was me who came out and dealt with the passengers?
There is proof.
Proof that you're the one who impersonated the captain.
I realized it after all the hullabaloo, too. That it could've only been you.
Y-You're bluffing!
It's no bluff.
I realized the same thing for one more person.
The beautiful cabin attendant over there.
The person who strangled the unconscious captain according to Co-pilot Koganei's plan...
...was you, Kagaya-san.
Kagaya-senpai...?
W-What?! Why me?! On what grounds?!
Both you and Co-pilot Koganei did something that was clearly unnatural.
Even though you didn't realize it...
They didn't realize it? What is it?!
The smell.
Smell?
After the smoke fracas, you two were going around to the passengers, right?
And when you came by me...
We're okay now.
Thanks.
When the smoke came out, he was in the cockpit, right?
So why does he smell like sulfur from a smoke bomb?
Do you feel all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
She's a cabin attendant, right?
During the fuss, she should've been in the cabin, but she doesn't smell a bit like smoke.
And come to think of it, I don't remember seeing her in here...
It was fishy, but I didn't imagine you were committing murder.
So what are you two going to do?
When the police thoroughly investigate later on, your stories will crumble.
The Case File of Young Kindaichi Returns
It wasn't me!
The captain rejected her long ago and she asked me to help her kill him!
What?! You're the one who told me to do it!
You said it was all over because the captain found out you were smuggling drugs!
Please! You're the only one I can turn to!
You're my fiancee, aren't you?!
I need your help!
That guy dumped you, didn't he?
But...
If he squeals to the cops, it's all over for me!
He's gonna try to ruin our lives!
I only did it because of what you said...
I don't know what you're talking about!
Detective, she's the killer! Hurry up and arrest her!
What kind of man are you?! I did it all for you!
You... You...!
You're the one who should die!
Ishida-san...
Wow...
This is nothing.
You don't play a Secret Service agent for years without learning a few tricks.
Don't underestimate me. I'm an actress.
I don't know what happened with you.
But don't make it worse on yourself by committing another crime.
In my line of work, I've seen tragic deaths many times.
People who want to live but don't make it... It happens all over the world.
No matter what happens, you mustn't take another person's life!
Koganei-san...
Koganei-san! Koganei-san!
Miyuki!
He's breathing, but he won't wake up!
Koganei-san! Please wake up!
You're the only one who can fly the plane!
Koganei-san! Koganei-san!
You mustn't move him. It seems he bumped his head.
What should we do?! We're supposed to land in half an hour!
Half an hour?!
Without a pilot or co-pilot, who's gonna land the plane?!
If he doesn't wake up, we'll eventually run out of fuel and...
Don't tell me...
W-We'll crash...
No...
Hajime-chan!
Please calm down.
It'll be okay.
Leave it to me.
What?! The pilot and co-pilot?!
I'm piloting the plane in their stead, so please give me guidance.
O-Okay!
Prepare for a worst-case scenario!
Yes, sir!
This is the control tower. JAM Air flight 377 has an emergency.
We're going to get ready for landing in a moment.
Please turn off your cell phones and all electronic devices.
Please bring your seats to an upright position.
Please fasten your seatbelt securely.
Turn off all electronic devices and fasten your seatbelt securely.
JAM 377, Tokyo approach.
Descend and maintain 4,000 feet immediately.
Your emergency situation is understood.
JAM Air 377, descending and maintaining 4,000 feet now.
Are we really gonna be okay?!
All we can do is have faith, right?
You surprised me before. I'm impressed.
That was all reflexes.
Despite my appearance, I'm used to this kind of mayhem.
Sounds like we have that in common.
I was surprised by the little speech you gave back there.
Even though you look like a villainous character...
You didn't need to add that last part.
Here they come!
JAM Air 377, request landing clearance.
We're landing in 30 seconds. Brace for impact.
Lean forward and cover your head!
Heads down!
Wind speed, 20 knots!
Cross wind!
The plane is barely over the runway as it is.
If you lift the nose now, the rear might hit the runway.
Pilots get scared of being blown off the runway and lift the nose without thinking.
That's led to a lot of accidents.
We have landed safely at Haneda Airport.
JAM Air 377, stop on the runway.
Great job. Please stand by on the runway.
JAM Air 377. Roger.
I appreciate your cooperation.
The important thing is you're all safe.
Thank goodness, Hajime-chan!
Yeah. I thought he was kidding when he said he could fly a plane...
When I was in Los Angeles, Captain Shida taught me how to fly.
Please relax.
Considering my simulator grades, I should have no problem with the real thing.
I can't believe Akechi can even fly a passenger plane.
By the way, what was written on those papers before?
Oh, this?
"The captain came out without thinking about the possibility of terrorism."
"The smell of the cabin attendant when she..."
Hajime-chan, your writing is way too messy!
Koganei's conscious, but they're gonna take him to the hospital for tests, just in case.
I didn't know what was gonna happen, but I'm happy to be safe and sound on the ground!
Thank you, Akechi-san!
I just did what was to be expected. You don't need to thank me for it.
Come on, you give him your thanks too, Hajime-chan.
Yeah, yeah. Thanks to you, we were saved.
Hajime-chan, that's no attitude to take after being saved.
What? You wanna say that I'm incompetent?
I never said that!
What the hell, Miyuki? You side with that arrogant four-eyes too much!
What's that?!
Shida-san...
Thanks to you, the lives of several hundred passengers were saved.
A man's jealousy is just pathetic!
What?!
What what?!
In the first place, you're the one...
Hey, I'm leaving.
The Case File of Young Kindaichi Returns
What's wrong, Miyuki?!
That's right! It happened three years ago in summer! A theft at a campground!
Hajime-chan! Be honest and 'fess up!
Cafe Owl
You've got the wrong idea! I didn't steal your panties!
I stood up to clear my good name!
The Case File of Young Kindaichi Returns! Middle school version!
The Campground "Ghost" Case
The Campground "Ghost" Case!
I swear I'll expose the real culprit... in the name of Miyuki's panties!