The puppet master sent a strange threatening letter to the police.
In order to verify its authenticity, we got on the Silver Meteor Express Train.
He's dead!
The body disappeared!
The second killing is...
The Magical Express - File 3
Hajime-chan!
Kindaichi, where are you? Senpai!
Be careful. We are surrounded by a bottomless swamp.
Don't tell me... Kindaichi...
God, please.
Please make sure Hajime-chan is fine.
That's...
Rose.
Come here.
I can't breathe.
I must hurry up.
There's no way you can get up there. Go down now.
Hajime-chan.
Thank goodness.
Kindaichi.
Hajime-chan, we are lucky to find you on time.
You were in the clammy swamp for too long, you were exhausted.
You must take a good rest.
I... I am saved.
I dreamed that I was still in the swamp.
I felt like I've already dead.
Hajime-chan.
Miyuki.
These boobs are so real! Now I really feel like I am alive!
I can't believe that you guys are already philandering.
Officer Akechi. Kindaichi.
Your life-force is so strong. Just like a cockroach.
Hey, are you here to visit me?
Or you are here to tease me?
None of them.
I am here to tell you some of the hints to identify the puppet master.
What? Hints?
The first hint is the bleeding condition of Yurama's dead body.
His wounds were already stop bleeding when we discovered his body.
What did you say? That means...
That means Yurama was killed,
before the dead body appeared on the stage.
It was around 15 till 20 minutes.
That means...
Before the living puppet went on stage, Yurama...
He's already dead.
When we were watching the show, the one who
controlled the puppet from the ceiling...
It was done by the puppet master.
Anyway,
the killer is the one in the team who understands the secret of living puppet.
The second hint is this. Have a look.
What's this?
Information on Chikamiya Reiko?
Chikamiya was the one who got killed in this theater five years ago...
It wasn't an accident actually.
Chikamiya Reiko-san was murdered.
What did you say?
The leader of the famous Chikamiya magician team,
Chikamiya Reiko, 45 years old,
she was found dead on the stage in this theater five years ago.
It is said that there was a board fell from the ceiling,
lying beside the body. It was a board for walking convenience.
The screws were purposely made loosen.
But, even if that was a murder case,
what does it got to do with this incident?
It's the rose.
When she fell from the ceiling, she hit the vases on the stage.
The roses were like the bloods flowing out from her body.
Please accept this bloody red rose.
Red roses?
You're invited to gather here is not for no reason,
but it's because we've found an important fact.
An important fact?
Yurama who got killed on stage,
was actually got killed before the living
puppet show that was suppose to be done by him.
What are you saying?
The one who controlled the puppet from the ceiling,
was the puppet master.
Well then, who's the killer?
The one who knows the secret of the magic show.
The one who knows the secret of living puppet, is...
So it's the two of you.
Sakonji-san, Yuumi-san.
Things have come to such an extent.
The living puppet magic show,
was developed by leader, Yuumi, Yurama and I.
However, if we were called the killers just because of this,
wouldn't that be slapdash?
That's right. Let's not bother about
Yurama's, but why would I kill my husband?
Furthermore, Kenmochi-san,
isn't there a bigger mystery yet to be solved?
What?
Yamagami's dead body.
Wasn't Yamagami's dead body disappeared from the train?
And it appeared again in this hotel?
If we look at the size of the train windows, even though I'm a magician,
there's no way I can carry the body out from there.
I shall return to my room if there's nothing else here.
It's just a balloon. I'll get it for you.
Come.
Here you go.
Thank you!
Kindaichi.
I suggest you should exercise more.
Thanks for your concern!
That said the balloons beside Yamagami in the cabin on the train,
there must be something useful about them.
What do you mean by that, Hajime-chan?
If the roses in the room is the symbol of this incident,
shouldn't the balloons symbolize anything else?
Perhaps you are thinking too much.
A man who has gone mad will not do something meaningful.
How do I put this?
Although he's not normal,
but he's incredibly smart.
A killer with such a comprehensive plan,
would he do something meaningless?
Hajime-chan, did you find anything?
Over here.
The hands... Yamagami's hands were floating.
These balloons...
I've figured out the trick behind the disappearance of the body!
Really?
Yeah.
Ossan, please contact the police from Asahikawa.
I have something to put on today's train.
Okay.
Saki. Yes.
I need your help.
Can you help me to steal that puppet from the team?
Okay.
Why did you ask us to come to a place like this?
I heard that you already figured out
the trick on the disappeared body.
What's this?
It's just like what happened on Yamagami back then.
Yes. We simulated the scene according to the situation back then.
Apart from replacing the body with the puppet,
the incident began with a call.
We were asked to come to this cabin by the puppet master.
And we discovered Yamagami's dead body here.
As we were blocked by the thorny roses,
we couldn't get near to the body.
The smoke tube released the smoke,
and we ran panic-stricken towards the door.
The sound...
It's the sound of balloons bursting.
Just like what happened back then.
I've made an estimation.
It stopped after one or two minutes.
Then, we opened the door again.
Ah!
The puppet is gone.
Hey, where did you hide it?
Hey, Kindaichi.
Don't worry.
The puppet is there.
Hello.
How come?
It's impossible!
The window in the toilet can be opened like this.
The puppet is not able to get out from there.
How did you do that?
It's true the puppet couldn't get through the windows on the train.
But, if you have the head and the cloak
you'll be able to get through that window.
Eh? But when we saw Yamagami,
his body was there too. How could that be?
Have a look at this.
Look carefully.
Do you find anything strange?
Strange?
Ah! His hands...
His hands were floating in mid air.
Human's hands will not float in mid
air just because of these tiny balloons.
The things under the cloak...
were these.
Balloon?
The killer made the balloon into a human shape, just like this.
And he put it under the cloak.
Next, if he pulled the head and the cloak
from the toilet next door using a string,
the rose thorns will make the balloons burst.
All in all, the balloons floating in the room
were used by the killer to deceive us.
Yes. Once the balloon under the cloak is burst,
the trick will be unveiled due to the explosion and the balloon shatters.
However, if there were a lot of balloons,
the explosion and the balloon shatters under
the cloak will mix with the other balloons.
Amazing. I am so impressed.
But, detective.
If someone touched Yamagami's body that time,
the trick would have been goofed up.
That's right. How do you explain that?
That's why,
the killer filled the room with roses.
You just have to remove it, that's all.
But if we stop for a moment.
That will be just enough.
It's because after that,
the killer prepared another mental barrier which was more effective.
An effective... mental barrier...
That was the bomb disturbance earlier on.
Before Yamagami's body was discovered,
the killer told us there was a bomb on the
train, which had caused a big disturbance.
Then he shown us the real dead body.
The scene started to emit smokes.
It's for sure we would think that there was a bomb there.
Therefore none of us managed to touch Yamagami's body.
Huh? What happened next?
What happened next?
Geez, officer. It's the leader's body.
When we found the body at the hotel, wasn't his body in good condition?
When we got off from the train, the
baggage were checked thoroughly too.
It's impossible to carry leader's body
into the hotel under a situation like that.
Hey, Kindaichi.
Detective, can you solve that mystery too?
However, you're considered great as an amateur.
Perhaps you can be a magician in future too.
Damn it! How cracky is Sakonji!
I believe that he's the killer!
Perhaps Yuumi is his complicity.
It's still early to make the conclusion now.
Perhaps the truth of this case is out of our expectation.
Out of our expectation?
If it was a magic developed by Sakonji and the other three,
the living puppet was actually the idea of their sensei,
Chikamiya Reiko who had died five years ago.
What did you say?
Officer, why would you say that?
She told me personally.
Chikamiya Reiko told me personally.
I like magic. Because I went to Chikamiya Reiko's show very often,
I got the chance to talk to her.
It was the day when I went to Los Angeles
Police Department to further my study.
I met her at the airport lobby by chance.
Ah... You're going to Los Angeles?
I've just came back from a meeting in Italy.
You were there for assignment?
Half of it yes.
And another half was on personal matters.
Oh yeah.
Have a look at this.
A puppet?
Is this your new magic trick?
That's right. If you snip the strings,
and let it moves freely, wouldn't that be interesting?
Yeah, I've never seen that magic before.
Is it?
The puppet without strings attached can
do the skipping, and even playing the ball.
And cycling.
Cycling? That's a good idea.
Thanks for your idea.
A notebook?
Yes. Whenever she has an idea,
she will jot them down in the notebook
that she carries with her all the time.
She said the magic written on the book was not for herself,
but a gift to that person.
I'm waiting for the day when that man standing on stage,
this will become handy to him.
This is what I can do for him.
A few weeks later,
I heard the news of her death in Los Angeles.
I found her death dubious.
When I returned,
I did an investigation on her mortal accident.
Just as what I thought, her notebook was missing.
Would it be Chikamiya was killed by her students,
and they took away the notebook?
I believe so.
It will affect the magician team reputation,
that's why they never mention it. That said the motive for this crime,
Is to avenge the murder of Chikamiya Reiko five years ago.
But, who would that be?
Be careful.
Everything's here? Yes.
Let's pack up quick.
Hey, what are you guys doing?
Huh? What are we doing?
We're sending these baggage back.
There're only five of us. But there are too many baggage.
I shall leave these to you. The booking note are complete.
Kindaichi, this is getting troublesome.
If there's anything inside that is an
important evident to finding the killer...
Senpai, the train is here.
Saki, I need to have a look on the video again.
But the baggage... It's okay, hurry up!
Exactly. Just like what I thought.
Exactly?
What did you find in the video?
Yuumi-san!
What's going on?
Yuumi-san!
There's some kind of sound inside.
Ossan.
Alright, I'll kick the door open!
There's nobody here?
The puppet master.
But, where is the killer?
I really heard something!
Maybe...
Hajime-chan?
This is the room downstairs?
What's wrong? Why did you come down suddenly?
I see.
I've figured it out.
I've figured out who's the puppet master.
Really, Kindaichi?
That fellow made a big mistake.
The mystery is solved.
Kindaichi, I heard that you've figured out who killed leader and the rest.
Is it really true? Yes.
Interesting.
Who is the killer then?
I need to make myself clear before I continue.
The killings are related to Chikamiya Reiko who
died five years ago here in the same theater.
The accident?
It wasn't an accident.
Chiukamiya Reiko was murdered.
Do you have any evident?
Four students of Chikamiya Reiko,
Yamagami, Yuumi, Yurama and Sakonji.
It was the four of you who killed her.
Bullshit.
What does Yamagami's murder got to do with Chikamiya-sensei?
Why would us kill sensei?
For the magic notebook.
Magic notebook?
It was the notebook that Chikamiya Reiko-san carried with her all the time.
The notebook that she used to record magic notes.
A great magic can bring the magician fame and wealth.
Moreover, with the magic notes from a great magician like Chikamiya Reiko,
is like getting the greatest wealth.
In order to get the magic notes,
the four of you lured her to the ceiling,
and killed her as if she fell down accidentally.
What a joke.
Do you have the evident to prove that we killed Chikamiya-sensei?
Where's the evident?
I have the evident.
The living puppet created by the four of you.
Chikamiya Reiko told me personally before she died.
H... How could that be possible?
The police treated it as a mortal accident.
You thought the plan went smooth.
But, someone discovered your despicable crime,
In order to avenge, to kill those who murdered Chikamiya Reiko,
the culprit chose this hotel as the revenge platform.
The culprit created a drama with a reign of terror.
And the one who acted in this killing series,
the puppet master,
is among us!
The lodger who stayed in this hotel once, Totsune Mario,
who is also the man in mask who predicted death.
And because of the magic from the fantasy team,
the killer who had also planned a clever trick.
Who is he?
The legitimate inheritor of Chikamiya Reiko's magic notes,
the puppet master who swore to avenge her.
That person is you!
Next time in Kindaichi Case File.
The Magical Express - File 4
Can you solve this mystery?
The killer is among them!