Whoo! I finally finished this! :'D
So, I've been getting into Case Closed and I wanted to write some of my own stories for it! :D I'll be writing a series of short cases to be solved by your favorite detective, Conan Edogawa!

I hope you enjoy the series! :D

Case Closed Shorts: The Museum Murder Case

Damn that Ran. Why'd she drag me out of bed at four in the morning to go to a damn museum…? a disgruntled short detective thought. He and the taller girl he was with were on their way to the train station. Ran dug around in her purse for some spare change to buy some coffee.

"Ahh… Conan-kun, would you like something to drink? A-as an apology for waking you up so early," Ran said, smiling down at the short boy. He yawned and nodded, his glasses sliding down his nose. "What would you like?"

"Hmm… coffee…" he said, not realizing what he said until it was too late.

"Kids shouldn't drink coffee, Conan," Ran said somewhat sternly.

C-crap! Why do I keep forgetting that I look like a damn seven year old!? "Er… uh… that was a joke, Ran-nēchan!" Conan laughed. "Of course kids shouldn't drink coffee~ That would be bad~! I want… uh… juice instead!"

Ran gave Conan a weird look and went to the nearest vending machine. She bought a can of coffee for herself and a can of apple juice for Conan. Ran gave the can to Conan and said, "Here, Conan. You like apple juice, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Ran-nēchan~" The two drank their drinks in silence until they got to the train station. They got their tickets to Osaka so they could go to the National Museum of Art. There, they would see the new Ancient Egypt exhibit since Ran needed write an essay on an ancient society, and she wanted Conan to learn something new and exciting.

"Here's your ticket, Conan-kun," Ran said, handing Conan his ticket. They put the tickets through the machine and headed towards the train. They got on, found some seats, and Conan fell asleep. Four in the morning was an unacceptable time to be awake.

Around nine o'clock, Ran and Conan reached Osaka. The city was already bustling with people even though it was a Sunday morning. The two walked through the crowded streets, Ran keeping a tight hold on Conan's hand to be sure he didn't get lost. When they got to the museum and saw the impressive structure outside, Ran exclaimed, "Wow! Check this out, Conan-kun! Have you ever seen something like this?"

"Uh… nope! It's cool!" Conan lied. He had, in fact, been to the National Museum of Art in Osaka many years earlier with his family when he was still known as Shinichi Kudou.

"Let's go in! We'll be some of the first people to see the exhibit!" Ran said excitedly, pulling Conan towards the door.

"Ran-nēchan… it's not open yet." Ran stopped abruptly and looked at Conan. He pointed at the sign in front of the door which read "Open 10:00 – 17:00. Closed on Mondays." Conan showed his watch to her and said, "It's 9:14."

"O-oh. I knew that! What are you talking about?" Ran sounded flustered as she briskly walked to bench and sat down heavily. She crossed her arms and muttered something unintelligible. Conan grinned and walked around the front of the building, looking into the windows at the art. Some of this art is really incredible… it probably be worth a lot of money. He walked around the back of the building and saw a shady man run out of a door. He didn't seem to notice Conan, so the little detective followed the man. What's this guy up to? Maybe I should find out~ Conan thought as he started to run. As soon as he took a couple steps, he heard Ran calling his name.

"Conan? Conan! Where did you run off to? God, that boy… always getting into trouble!" Ran shouted. She walked round to the back of the building and saw Conan. "There you are! What are you doing back here?"

The short detective laughed sheepishly. "Eh heh… well, I was looking at the artwork and found this place! I thought it would be fun to play back here till the museum opened!" he lied. Conan scratched the back of his head as the two walked back to the entrance. Ran gave him some suspicious looks on the way back, but didn't question him further. They went inside with the rest of the crowd that gathered outside the entrance. Ran took hold of Conan's hands again and led him inside the large building. They were, however, oblivious to the horrible crime that was already committed…

"Wow~! Conan, take a look at this!" Ran said excitedly. She pulled the short detective to a stone tablet. Of course, Conan couldn't care less. If I have to see one more rock with pictures of hawks and wheat on it… I swear… he thought disdainfully. He grumbled something or other and Ran pointed at the tablet. "Look at this dog thing… and the ankhs or whatever they're called. Isn't it interesting, Conan?" she asked.

"Sure," Conan sighed.

"Are you interested in Egyptology, young lady?" a man asked. Ran and Conan turned to see a middle aged man with black hair and a black suit. His brown eyes sparkled when he said, "That 'dog thing', as you put it, is the God of Death, Anubis. This picture depicts Anubis judging souls with his weighing scales as he sends said souls to the Afterlife. It was a very highly held belief in Egypt."

"Wow… that's pretty cool," Ran said, astounded. Conan raised an eyebrow as the man talked.

Afterlife? Souls? Eh… definitely not my cup of tea, Conan thought, drifting away from the man in the black suit and Ran. He looked round at the other pieces of art. Statues, tablets, pots… an archeologists dream. Not the best place for a detective. He sighed. The short detective wandered back to Ran and the man babbling on about Egyptian religion.

Ran noticed the little boy come back and said, "Oh, Conan? Did you leave? I didn't notice."

Gee… thanks for your unbounded attention span. "I just wanted to see some more exhibits!" Conan gave a big smile for the two older people. God… sometimes I hate having to lie to Ran… but eh. She'll get over it.

"Well, Hanzo-san here was explaining the various deities of Ancient Egypt. Conan, you haven't met him. This is Sora Hanzo, the archeologist who found most of the artifacts you see here," Ran said.

Sora laughed, "My partner in crime isn't here at the moment… I think he went to the bathroom… but anyway! I really hope you enjoy your time here today, kids! I should go find the curator." With that, Sora briskly walked into the crowd of people. Ran and Conan looked around at the other artifacts until they reached the back of the building. The curator's office and a couple other offices lined the walls, and a frightened shout echoed the walls.

"Wh-what was that?" Ran asked. She looked at Conan with worry.

Conan furrowed his brow and said coolly, "Ran, call the police. Now." Ran didn't move, so Conan yelled firmly, "Go!" She ran to find a pay phone as Conan ran to the source of the shout. What happened? That sounded like Hanzo-san… did something happen to him?! He reached the curator's office and saw Sora backed against the wall, sweating with a look of utter horror on his face. "Mr. Hanzo!"

"Th-th-the curator! K-Kurosaki-kun! Kurosaki-kun is dead!" Sora cried. He pointed into the office. Conan looked in and narrowed his eyes. An older man lay on his back with a knife wound in his chest, his eyes wide open in a blank stare. Blood pooled around the body. It was obvious that the curator was murdered.

"So… the name of the victim is Daiki Kurosaki. 53 years old. The curator of the National Museum of Art. No record of any criminal history… he died around nine today…" Inspector Megure said, scratching his head. He looked around at the few officers he had at the crime scene. "The only possible suspects we have are Sora Hanzo (38), the man who found the body, Hideki Fujioka (39), Hanzo's partner in the archeological expedition, Ran Mouri, and Conan Edogawa. We'll hear their alibis. Hanzo, we'll question you first." The inspector walked out of the office.

Sora stepped out with Megure and said, "I was on my way to find Kurosaki-kun… I knocked a couple times of the door and there was no answer… oh, God… I-I need to step outside and have a smoke…" he muttered. He went out the back door and lit up a cigarette. Unbeknownst to them, Conan listened to the conversation and went back into the office.

Oh? What's this? Conan picked something up off the ground. It was a cigarette butt. A cigarette? That would mean that the evidence would point to Sora Hanzo. But, he seems innocent enough. The cigarette butt was planted.

He looked around some more, when a police officer said, "Hey kid! Get outta the crime scene!"

"O-oh… sorry!" Conan laughed, running out of the office. Once he was out, he thought, I think I saw a piece of paper in Kurosaki's hand. I wonder what it says? He glared at the police officer. He won't let me back in. Heh… I'll just do this~ "Mr. Policeman!"

"What is it now?" the police officer grumbled.

"Inspector Megure needs to see you!" The police man rolled his eyes and went to see the inspector. Conan smirked and looked at Kurosaki's hands. I was right. He is holding a slip of paper! I'd like to see what it is… He gently pulled the paper out of the dead man's clenched fingers. The short detective raised an eyebrow and thought, What the hell is this gibberish?

The note read:

Hideyoshi
Dent
Kishen

Futuro
Jitensha
Oak

Conan blinked. These are a bunch of words… they don't have any connection… maybe it's a code… He was deep in thought when a familiar punch landed on his head. "OW!"

"What the hell are you doing, brat?" Kogorou grumbled sarcastically. He grabbed the note out of Conan's hands and read it. "What is all this, then?"

"A note!" Conan said. "And give it back! I was reading it!" That earned him another punch. He sulked out of the office, thinking. Tch… well fine, then.

"… and where were you about nine this morning?" Inspector Megure asked. Conan presumed that he was questioning the other suspect, Hideki Fujoka. Hideki had black hair that was graying slightly. His dark navy suit was faded and worn, as if it had been used for many years. His dark brown eyes glanced shiftily around the hallway.

"I was here early to be sure no one was in the museum. That's all," Hideki said.

"Have you got any witnesses?"

"…no."

"Right… well, I want you to stay here for further questioning." Hideki nodded and passed Conan. Conan looked up and saw the strangest sight; Hideki Fujioka had the slightest smirk on his face, almost as if he'd gotten away with something.

That's odd. He seemed so quiet… and now he looks like he's the one that did it! Well… I'm sure of it. Now I just have to prove it. Conan smiled a bit and whispered to himself, "This is when it gets interesting." Conan quietly followed Fujioka up the back stairs. He seemed to be carrying something in his coat. Something that he was trying to conceal. What are you hiding…? Conan thought. He'd followed Fujioka up to the top floor and saw him dispose of a bloody rag in the trash can. There was a clank, and Conan thought slyly, Aha~ Blood? A rag? A metal clank? A knife. That's the only thing it could be~ Heh heh! Caught you~ The short detective ran back downstairs and thought about the note. All those words… they have no connection whatsoever. Hideyoshi was an Emperor, dent… and English word, Kishen… I'm pretty sure that's an Indian name, futuro… future in Spanish, Jitensha is the name of a song… and the last word is oak. Suddenly, something clicked in Conan's mind. That's it! Now I have undeniable proof that he's the killer.

"The only one who it could possibly is Sora Hanzo!" Kogorou said wildly, pointing his finger at the innocent man.

"It wasn't me! I would never kill Kurosaki-kun! He was my friend!" Sora protested. The police men were beginning to advance on Hanzo, when Kogorou suddenly leaned against the wall, appearing to be asleep; Conan shot him with a sleeping needle out of his watch.

"Eh? Mouri… he's solving the case…!" Inspector Megure said with excitement. Conan darted behind the wall and turned his voice changing bowtie to Kogorou's voice.

"I've solved the case, Inspector," Conan said with Kogorou's voice. "It was actually all very simple. You see, the note that Conan found was actually a code that Daiki Kurosaki wrote before he died. Conan, will you show the inspector what I'm talking about?" Conan ran out from behind the wall and said, "Inspector, can I see the note?"

"Sure, Conan…" The inspector gave the note back to Conan.

"Here, look!" Conan took a pen out of his pocket and circled the first two letters of each word and rearranged 'oak' to 'oka'. "You see, Inspector?"

Inspector Megure looked at the note for a minute and gasped. "Hold on a minute…" Conan dashed back behind the wall and got his bowtie ready. "This says…"

"Yes," Conan said with Kogorou's voice again, "the note says the name of the killer; Hideki Fujioka."

"Where is he?! Arrest that man!" Inspector Megure shouted. His men hurried about, looking for their killer.

Wait a sec… I know Fujioka is on the top floor; I followed him up there… but the more important thing is… where is Ran?! Conan thought quickly. He ran out from behind the wall and scanned the people in the hallway. Megure, Kogorou, the policemen, Sora… no Ran. Shit! Where is she?! He ran up the stairs and looked around the empty hallway. Conan heard rustling noises in a small room, so he ran into the room. "Ran!"

"Don't move, kid," Hideki hissed. He held a bloody knife at Ran's throat, and her hands were tied behind her back. "You move, she dies."

Conan narrowed his eyes and he snarled, "Stay away from her, Hideki." But Fujioka laughed maniacally.

"And you're gonna do something about it? A kid? Bullshit! I'll kill you, too!" Hideki shrieked, throwing Ran aside and lunging at Conan. The little detective rolled out of the way before the knife reached him. He looked at his feet.

What do I have… one box…! Dammit all! Conan turned the knob on his electricity empowered shoes and kicked the box as hard as he could at Hideki. But, the murderer was faster than Conan's kick and caught the box. … what?! "How did…?!" Conan was cut off by a swift kick to the ribs. "Kkkh…"

Hideki cackled, "You little brat! Did you think that something like that would surprise me? The greatest keeper from Tennoji High School!? You can't trick me, brat!"

"… ugh… " Conan got up and smirked. "I… I do wonder why you killed Kurosaki-san… why is that, Hideki?" he asked. The kick sent him flying into some boxes and some glass. He grabbed a piece of glass, slightly cutting his hand in the process, and started inching towards Ran.

"Why? Why did I kill him? Because! He was gonna cut me out of a deal," Hideki said, his hands trembling. Conan scooted closer to Ran as Fujioka continued, "Hanzo and I found all the artifacts in Egypt… I had a right to be rewarded! But that damn Kurosaki… he said I wasn't going to see any of the money! He cut me out of the deal! That bastard…!" Conan slid the piece of glass over to Ran. She took it and started to cute the ropes. "But… now that you know… I have to kill you, too, brat!" Hideki roared, running at Conan and swinging the knife wildly.

Conan ran between Hideki's legs to dodge him, but the taller male struck out at Conan with his heel in a swift, karate-like movement. Conan cried out and fell to his knees. Obviously, he did more than just football in his past… Hideki grabbed Conan by the hair and held the knife at his throat.

"I'll kill you, you meddling brat, and then I'll kill your pretty little friend! Nobody will guess that I killed him! NOBODY!" Hideki shouted, ready to follow through with his crazy idea. He raised the knife and swung it down. Conan expected to die right then and there, but Hideki made a growling, coughing noise and dropped the knife. Ran cut through the ropes, snuck up behind Hideki, and drove her fist into his ribs.

"You're not the only one with karate skills here," Ran hissed. Hideki dropped Conan and he landed with a thud. The murderer staggered forward, clutching his side.

"Y-you… bitch…" Hideki choked out. He lunged for his knife, and Ran kicked it out of reach. She brought her heel down on Hideki's head. He was knocked out immediately.

"That was close…" Ran sighed and kneeled next to Conan. She picked him up and asked, "Are you okay, Conan?"

"… I'm fine, Ran-nēchan…" Conan murmured. His ribs throbbed terribly and his hand still bled from the broken glass. He was pretty sure that some of the glass from when he hit the boxes cut his back, too, but he didn't care; he was in too much pain in the first place to care. That could have gone better… but… Ran is safe and the murderer has been stopped. Now… I really want to… fall asleep… Conan shut his eyes and let Ran take him downstairs. She called an ambulance for Conan, Hideki was arrested, and Sora was proven innocent.

A couple days later, Conan was lying in his hospital bed, reading about the case in the newspaper. "'Great detective Kogorou Mouri solves another case and proves Hideki Fujioka, the alleged murderer of his boss and coworker Daiki Kurosaki, guilty of all charges,'" he read quietly. Well… that was mostly me doing the solving, but whatever. I'll let the old man take the glory till I turn back to normal, he thought. There was a knock on the door and Ran came in.

"Hey, Conan-kun. How are you feeling today?" she asked. She had a copy of a manga that Conan was interested in, so she put it next to him on the table.

"Much better~ Thanks, Ran-nēchan~" Conan answered gratefully. He picked up the manga and started to read it. Hideki Fujioka was apprehended and Sora Hanzo was innocent… it looks like this is another case closed!