The Lucky Cigar Case

Chronology
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Episode 318-319 (Int. Episode {{{int-episode}}})
Information
Title:	The Lucky Cigar Case
Japanese title:	幸運のシガーケース (Kōun no Shigā Kēsu)
Original airdate:	May 5, 2003 (Part 1) May 12, 2003 (Part 2)
Season:	12
Manga source:	TV Original
Case
Cast:	Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Sango Yokomizo
Case solved by:	Kogoro Mouri (via Conan)
Next Conan's Hint:	Cigar (Part 1) Answering machine (Part 2)
Staff
Director:	Yasuichiro Yamamoto Masato Sato (asst.)
Screenplay:	Shunsuke Ozawa
Storyboard:	Chika Ichimaru
Episode director:	318 Nana Harada 319 Kazuyoshi Yokota
Animation director:	318 Izumi Shimura 319 Akiko Kawashima
Music
Opening song:	Kaze no lalala
Closing song:	Ashita o Yume Mite

Cast

Characters
Conan Edogawa Kogoro Mouri Ran Mouri Sango Yokomizo

Gadgets

Gadgets
Voice-Changing Bowtie Stun-Gun Wristwatch Wristwatch Flashlight

Case

Situation

Kogoro, Ran and Conan driving in a rented car late somewhere in the mountains when suddenly the car breaks down. Being all dark outside and with fog everywhere, Ran starts to freak out. Not long after, they notice a car right in front of them turning into a small passageway (through the mountains) which they haven't noticed before because of the fog. They decide to walk and take the passageway in the hope of finding help nearby. They eventually come across a building that belongs to a company named "Kuron Healthiness Instrument Stock Company". There are some cars in the parking lot and some of them are still hot (which Conan figures were recently used and that one of them is most certainly the car they noticed earlier). After ringing at the door, a man shows up but almost immediately asks them to leave in an unwelcoming tone. After locking the door and disappearing inside, another man shows up 15 seconds later telling them to come in. Once inside, the same man who tried to push them away loudly expresses his disapproval for letting them in saying they could be "spies". Suddenly, the company owner comes out of his office quite upset about all the noise. Kogoro quickly tries to reassure them all saying they're not suspects and that he's private detective, Kogoro Mouri. The owner immediately adopts a friendlier attitude and apologizes for being so ignorant. He then offers his business card to Mouri introducing himself as Meko, the owner of the Kuron Healthiness Instrument Stock Company.

Attempted Murder
	Location: Kuron Health Appliances Company Victim: Shiro Umetani Suspects: Masaki Hiramatsu

Accident?
	Location: On a road in the mountains Victim: Masaki Hiramatsu Cause of death: Car accident (due to brake oil leak) Suspects: Shiro Umetani, Haruo Nakano, and Eigo Kasahara Masaki Hiramatsu is found dead in a car accident.

People

Shiro Umetani
	45 years old President of Kuron Health Appliances Company

Haruo Nakano
	40 years old Director of Development Department 1

Eigo Kasahara
	42 years old Director of Development Department 2

Masaki Hiramatsu
	Victim (fell) 33 years old Director of Development Department 3

Resolution

  Show spoilers »

The president, Shiro Umetani was found guilty. He cut off the braking fluid of the victim's car and adjusted the position of a roadway mirror so that Hiramatsu would be blinded by the reflection of his own headlights and fall to his death. To further insure he died, all the other cars had their tires punctured so that the victim could only use his. The competition for the model chair design of the company's was also delayed so that the murder could occur when there was fog (completely impairing the victim's vision).

Umetani pretended that he would refuse to auction the Aimizu model and keep the victim as his subordinate but the deal had already been made. Umetani could not resist selling such a well designed chair and Hiramatsu blackmailed the president to let him leave the company having already preprogrammed the chair to self detonate after midnight.

In the surveillance video, Hiramatsu was talking to the president about the password necessary to stop the detonation. He later impulsively stabs Umetani twice, the first out of blind rage that his initial murder plan failed and second because he was goaded by Umetani to finish the job (lest the president come after him with a warrant) Specifically Umetani tells Hiramatsu to stab him at the letter O of the massage chair apparatus to fatally kill him. However he prepared the cheap cigar case to block the stab beforehand. The fact that the Umetani model refuses to self-destruct confirms the transaction in the mute video and that the president killed Hiramatsu. A digital recording of Hiramatsu's voice entailing the deal seals the case. 

Umetani's motive to kill was how Hiramatsu intended to murder him then inherit his assets using a fake will indicating suicide. Hiramatsu besides being sick of the president's harsh work ethic left the company out of spite to let it fail after the Aimizu chair loses all popularity upon release.

See also

• Season 12