A/N: Hey guys! Me again, with another Conan fic, believe it or not. Had this one in a drawer for a while (blows off several pounds of dust bunnies BACK foul beasts BACK), and I thought I'd pull it out riiiiiiight NOW! It's here because I couldn't be a Conan fic writer without writing a murder mystery, and because I like writing bizarre things. And, y'know, because I haven't written anything in like a year. Yes, there is a very slight AU, but you'll know it when you see it. This story is not related to anything. Ever. At all. Just so you know. Because it was pretty much finished when I got it, I'm releasing two chapters a day, daily!
And if anyone else is wondering how Heiji miraculously ends up in Tokyo for all my stories, he's just as confused as you are.
"Dad," Ran called inside, "I'm home!"
There was a note on the couch reading Out on a case, be home before tomorrow. It had the distinctly illegible scrawl that the girl knew to be her father's.
"Tsk, probably playing mahjong again. Where's Conan- CONAN!" she shouted further into the house. "I went shopping, we're going to have nabe!" Silence. Ran shook her head, laughing at herself. Of course, how silly, he wouldn't be here all alone, even her dad wasn't that stupid. Even so, it did seem very odd for him not to have left some sort of notice... She picked up the house phone and dialed Professor Agasa.
"Hello? Oh, Ai-chan, hi, listen, is Conan there? I'm not sure if he... He's not? Okay, well, call my cell phone if he drops by. Thanks." She hung up.
Strange. She felt innately worried, as if this call confirmed something dreadful she'd been thinking. But she hadn't been thinking anything of the sort, and all this meant was that Conan was out with her father, helping with a case.
No wonder I'm worried, she sighed. She put the makings of dinner in the fridge, scrawling out Oden as soon as I get home on a sticky note as she realized that she'd forgotten something, and made for the door again.