Spoiler warning: This article reveals the clues and provisional deductions behind the three paper bags in File 1142. The full resolution continues into File 1143.
Answer: All three men’s accounts contain lies. The large cash bundle most likely belonged to the man identified as A, but lawful ownership and the larger crime remain unresolved in File 1142. B appears to be a television assistant director, while C appears connected to a model gun and drawing work. The story continues into File 1143.
The chapter continues the paper-bag mystery from File 1141. Kogoro, Eri, Ran, and Conan move the questioning from the station to Danny’s so that the crowd cannot interfere.
Kogoro’s phone call remains another open question. He mentions asking a woman what his high-school-aged daughter might want as a present, but File 1142 does not identify the caller. Yukiko Kudo, Miwako Sato, Yui Uehara, and Sonoko Suzuki are possible candidates, but none is confirmed in this chapter.
Detective Conan File 1142: “Who’s the Liar?”
Three men collide near the station, and a large amount of cash spills from one of their bags. A gun is in another bag, while the third contains a bloodied knife and clothing. All three men claim the money, but each gives a different explanation.
The Three Stories Do Not Match the Evidence
- A wears a suit and claims to be a lawyer collecting a one-hundred-million-yen ransom for a wealthy family.
- B wears a backwards cap and says he won a fortune through horse-racing.
- C has a moustache and says he is a film assistant director carrying props for a scene in which banknotes fall from the ceiling.
Eri moves the group to Danny’s, where all three men can be questioned without their names being made public. The setting lets Kogoro and Eri compare details while Conan watches the physical evidence.
A’s Lawyer Story Has Immediate Problems
Eri notices that A’s lawyer badge uses a screw fitting rather than a pin fitting. A also cannot recall the registration number on his badge. Those details do not prove the entire money story on their own, but they make his professional identity doubtful.
B’s Horse-Racing Story Is Also Suspicious
B says that the word “gun” refers to a pistol, but Kogoro is using the Japanese word teppō for a horse’s return to racing after an extended break, rather than as a literal weapon reference. B takes the word only in its literal weapon sense, suggesting that he does not understand the professional vocabulary he claims to know. Conan also notices vinyl tape on B’s trousers and a thick marker in his pocket.
C’s Film-Assistant Story Does Not Fit His Hands
C says he is a film assistant director carrying props for a scene in which banknotes fall from the ceiling. Eri notices the way his thumb is bandaged, while Conan notices a callus on his middle finger. The model gun is nonfunctional; its fingerprints suggest that it was held in the left hand with the muzzle pointed toward its holder, and white eraser-like debris is present. Those clues can fit someone drawing a scene, which makes C’s movie-assistant story doubtful.
The Paper Bags Reveal Three Layers of Deception
The cash is genuine and smells of mothballs. The gun is a model rather than a functioning weapon. The blood on the knife and shirt is paint, while the milk carton and red paper are part of the staged props described in the chapter. These observations support Kogoro and Eri’s conclusion that all three stories are false, but the evidence does not make their deceptions equally serious.
Kogoro and Eri treat all three accounts as lies; the remaining deduction is which lie conceals the real crime.
The Chapter’s Main Deduction
B Is Probably a Television Assistant Director
The tape on B’s legs may mark performers’ positions, and the marker and sketchbook may be used to give performers instructions. Kogoro also uses the Japanese production term bami for those position marks, and C does not understand the reference. Conan stops Kogoro from opening the milk carton, while the red paper is made to look like blood. Those details fit a staged television scene and make B’s horse-racing story unreliable.
C Is Connected to the Model Gun
The hand callus, eraser dust, and the inward-pointing model gun suggest that the gun may have been used as a drawing reference. This makes C’s claimed film-assistant role doubtful and supports, but does not prove, a manga-artist interpretation.
A Is the Likely Original Carrier of the Cash
A claims he has just withdrawn the cash from a bank as ransom money for a wealthy family. The genuine bills smell of mothballs, which instead suggests money stored in an older household reserve. This raises the possibility that A is a fake lawyer involved in a scam targeting an elderly person’s savings, but File 1142 does not identify the victim or prove how A obtained the cash.
Kogoro and Eri Work in Perfect Sync
Kogoro quietly uses ambiguous professional words to test the suspects, while Eri reads the legal details and physical evidence. Their deductions overlap naturally, making the case a strong reminder that their estranged marriage does not erase their investigative compatibility.
Conclusion: File 1142 establishes that all three men’s accounts contain lies. A is the likely original carrier of the cash, but the lawful owner and larger crime remain unresolved. B’s clues point toward television production; C’s clues point toward a drawing-related use of the model gun. The story continues in File 1143.
Further reading (contains spoilers): Volume 107 chapter guide.
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