The Book of Vengeance: A Mystery Novella
By: Kelly M. Maraglia
Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan except for the items I have bought and I do not really wish death upon anyone, it is merely for the story's sake. I do not own the concepts of Kindaichi Case Files, but I highly recommend the manga, despite that Tokyo Pop cancelled it. *sends glares to Tokyo Pop*
Conan Edogawa, Ran Mori and Detective Mori wandered around the Eastside Mall to kill some time. The detective was being honored by the mayor of Rocktown for solving a difficult case, which Conan really solved. He walked around the mall, laughing obnoxiously as people smiled and applauded. Ran looked around at the various clothing stores, while Conan was quite bored.
'Doesn't this mall have anything except clothing stores?' Conan thought to himself as he walked briskly by Kids' Place and pretended he didn't hear Ran ask him if he wanted to go in and buy a new outfit. He gave a bored sigh and then he saw a welcome sight. He stood in front of Phantom Books. He sprinted toward it happily.
"Wait up Conan" Ran called out and ran after him, followed by her father.
Conan Edogawa or rather Shinichi Kudo, teen detective genius, enjoyed reading mystery novels, especially about great detectives like Sherlock Holmes so he went straight for the Mystery section.
"Oh hello little boy, are you looking for a good mystery novel for your dad?" A tall woman with a ridiculously fake smile on her face asked. Her nametag read, 'Stacey, Store Manager.'
"No, I'm looking for…" Conan began but was cut off.
"Your dad will love this book, Trip & Trip Some More, it's an exclusive bestseller!" The manager said somewhat enthusiastically, handing the hardcover book to Conan.
The young detective shrugged and read the blurbs on the inside cover. It was about a lawyer who got caught up in a credit card scheme and had to try to get out of it. The idea didn't interest Conan at all. There really was no mystery to it, but as a thriller novel, it was placed with mystery. Conan noticed Stacey walked away so he put the book back in its place on the shelf. As he looked around the store he noticed huge signs and displays promoting the book. He also noted that no copies seemed to be missing.
'You can only push a book so far, I guess,' he thought, shrugged and picked up a special edition, leather-bound copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes before proceeding to the manga section. He was surprised to find such a large selection for such a small bookstore.
An employee was shelving new manga into the section quickly and continuously checking her watch like she was being timed. She wasn't too much taller than Conan but she was obviously an adult. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a long, messy braid and wore glasses over her hazel eyes. Those eyes held a look of panic until she noticed Conan.
"Well, hello, are you finding everything okay?" The employee, whose nametag read 'Keelia,' asked.
"I'm just looking" Conan replied, noticing Keelia smile at something. She was looking at the book in his hands.
"Sherlock Holmes, huh, the most classic of all detective stories, you may want to check this one out. It's about a teenage detective genius who solves mysteries before the police do." She explained, handing Conan a copy of Kindaichi Case Files: The Opera House Murders.
"I'll try it," Conan agreed, interested to see if Kindaichi was as smart as he was. As he walked away, he could hear the manager's unhappy voice.
"I know I'm supposed to suggest Trip & Trip Some More, Stacey, but I felt that since he liked Sherlock Holmes, he may prefer an actual detective story. I have been reading it as you demanded and it has nothing to do with detectives. To be quite honest, the book is a little boring." Keelia explained her decision, whispering the last part which Conan quietly chuckled at.
"It seems boring because you don't read books, Miss Arrogant Manga Girl who's been here for seven years!" Stacey hollered loudly for everyone in the store to hear. Then she began mumbling all sorts of insults loudly under her breath.
"Stupid Rockton people; this whole town is full of stupid hoodlums" she ranted.
When Conan advanced to the register, he sighed noticing both Ran and her father held copies of Trip & Trip Some More.
"What happened to your copy little boy? Oh well, I'll ring up an extra copy for you." Stacey assumed as she rang up their purchases.
"I put it back! It looked boring because it had no detectives in it." Conan protested.
"Conan, that's not nice." Ran scolded.
Stacey ignored him and rang up the extra copy anyhow. Conan noted this and the evil glare the manager sent her employee in the manga section.
The banquet was cancelled due to harsh rains that night and the Japanese trio sat around bored, all except for Conan who was enjoying reading Kindaichi Case Files. Detective Mori and Ran were falling asleep trying to read Trip & Trip Some More.
"No more, I can't read this boring thing anymore!" Mori stood and stretched. Ran stood as well and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Conan put a bookmark in his manga and stood full of energy.
"How can you not be tired brat?" Mori asked while yawning.
"I wasn't reading a boring book like you two were." Conan said in an innocent voice.
"True, Dad we should have Conan judge books before we buy them from now on." Ran suggested.
"Why did I buy a book anyway, I'm going to return them." Mori decided and so the trio returned to Eastside Mall.
When they arrived at the bookstore, the gates were closed, but they could see a few police officers inside. There was a small crowd forming outside the gate. Detective Mori used his influence to enter the bookstore gates, along with Ran and Conan who snuck in, too.
Conan dashed for the store's backroom from where all the commotion seemed to stem. Then he saw it. The manager, Stacey, lay dead, half buried under a pile of Trip & Trip Some More, including one sticking out of her mouth.
The local police ruled it an accident and were finishing up, but Conan noticed something peculiar.
"Hey, isn't it weird that one book fell perfectly in her mouth?" Conan asked in his child-like, innocent tone.
Detective Mori looked closer at the corpse. He noticed bloody stretch marks along her cheeks.
"This was no accident. Someone forced that book into her mouth. This was a murder." Detective Mori announced.
A while later
The Inspector read about the suspects.
"All the employees of Phantom Books are gathered in the foyer of the store as they are all suspects:
Tessie – Mother of 2, works mainly mornings and just got keys to open the store. Reports say she didn't get along with the deceased at first
Merritt – Works part-time, only brief hours and housewife during the day, also has 2 kids
Charles – High school kid, first part-time job, openly mocked by the deceased
Dick – Openly argued and challenged the deceased, he was quitting because he got a different job
Janie – Very bubbly, but also negative in the way she looks at things, works in the kids' section
Patricia – Did have keys, but got a different job and now bitter about getting few hours
Brendan – Spy for manager, key holder, coworkers describe him as a wimp
Marianne – Assistant Manager, also referred to as a spy by her other coworkers, described as negative all the time and complained about the deceased to employees
Keelia – Senior Bookseller, 7 years with the company, specialties in manga and special orders, she did not get along with the deceased at all from reports."
Most of the employees were shocked at the scene. Some wanted to vomit as well. However, everyone had comments when they were individually interviewed by Detective Mori, with Conan listening in.
Tessie: "I have 2 kids, why would I kill her? Plus I lost my keys, they were on a little panda keychain!"
Merritt: "I had no beef with her."
Charles: "She was mean."
Dick: "Bitch got what she deserved, but that doesn't mean I killed her! Charles hated her, you know."
Janie: "I wasn't particularly fond of her. Her personal life was crucial, but she didn't give 2 shits about anyone else."
Patricia: "She was always rude to the people in this town."
Brendan: "If it was one of the employees, they all hated her. I know."
Marianne: "I think Dick did it."
Keelia: "She was very self-centered and rude to the people in this town. I didn't like her at all, but that doesn't mean I killed her!"
Who did it? Chapter Two on its way!