AN: And without much delay, here's chapter two! I forget to mention it in the previous chapter, but I'll definitely be playing fast and loose with the established timeline and canon events- certain characters will definitely be showing up much quicker than they would otherwise! I'm not really interested in doing a straight up retelling, naturally.
But anyways, here's the second chapter~! Please be sure to tell me what you think, I love hearing feedback, thoughts, and theories from you guys! Remember, the best way to convince your favorite authors to update is to leave them a good review!
Powered
Chapter Two
The Missing Detective of the West
It took her a moment before she realized that the odor of fire and smoke were simply lingering remnants from her dream.
Perhaps nightmare would be more precise, Jodie thought, pushing herself up into a sitting position. Glancing over towards her clock, she squinted at it, the digital monitor revealing to her that it was already two in the morning. Heaving a sigh, she slid out of bed, taking her glasses from the nightstand beside her. She was too wide awake now to get back to sleep. She might as well get a drink.
She hadn't had a nightmare like that since she was a child, and she couldn't help but wonder what had brought it on now. Perhaps it was simply because they were slowly closing in on that woman- and the rest of the mysterious Organization that she was linked to, she hoped.
But in order to catch Vermouth's tail, they needed a foolproof plan. Otherwise the elusive woman would just slip away again.
Carefully opening up her bedroom door, Jodie cautiously peered out into the living room. She didn't want to wake Heiji up, after all. Creeping through the living room, she paused only briefly, glancing at the sleeping form of the teenage boy on the couch. She had tried to insist that they at least get him some kind of futon, but he had turned down her offer, saying that someone might find it strange if she had something like that delivered to her house when she was supposed to live alone.
Quietly making her way into the kitchen, she reached up into her cabinets, pulling out a glass. Fetching a bottle of sherry, she poured herself a glass. She had classes to teach tomorrow, but going without a little sleep was nothing that the FBI investigator hadn't dealt with before. It would be nothing.
Carefully making her way back into the living room again, she quietly pulled out a chair at the table, taking a seat. Listening to the steady breathing of her apartment's unlikely guest, Jodie quietly let out a breath of her own. Picking up her glass, she took a drink, making sure to set it down with the utmost care so that she didn't disturb him.
To think that she had come all the way to Japan chasing after that woman. Closing her eyes, Jodie rubbed her forehead, wondering if she was feeling a headache coming on. There was just something about knowing she was so close that somehow made her nervous. They weren't there yet- there were still more pieces that needed to fall into place.
What she definitely didn't understand, was what a boy as young as Conan could have to do with all of this. And if she didn't miss her guess, he was somehow deeply involved in this whole affair. As smart as the boy was, the fact that she was involved in something like this definitely bothered her.
Heaving a sigh, she took another drink, swirling the alcohol around in her glass. In the darkness of the room, she could faintly hear Heiji mumble something, and for a moment, she briefly thought she had woken him up, and opened her mouth to apologize.
"It's no good, Kazuha... I can't eat anymore." He mumbled, turning over in his sleep. "Yer the only one left now who can avenge Otaki-han... Ya have to uphold his honor..."
What kind of dream is that, I wonder? Jodie found herself letting out the faintest of chuckles, an amused smile dancing on her lips. Well, strange dreams were far better than nightmares, and she knew that the young man currently freeloading on her couch had no shortage of them, much as he tried to deny it. Well, considering what he'd gone through, it didn't surprise her, however mentally hardy he otherwise seemed to be.
Her eyes narrowed slightly as the direction of her thoughts shifted. The first thing she had tried to do after hearing this young boy's story out (or at least, what he was willing to share of it) was attempt to convince him to join the Witness Protection Program- an offer which he had turned down without so much as a second thought. He wasn't interested in running away, he said, and besides, he had some personal scores to settle with those mysterious men in black that had forced him to go into hiding in the first place.
He'd been hesitant to trust her at first, even after she had proved to him that she was an agent of the FBI. Well, given what kind of secret he was hiding, it wasn't like she could blame him. She had joked about it earlier, but there really was a fair share of people who would be willing to kill to have an ability like his, one which the boy himself didn't seem to care for, however much he exploited it.
She knew, of course, there were matters in which Hattori Heiji was not being very forthcoming. The fact that he had chosen not to turn to his father in this situation, when he wielded no small amount of power, was something that had always set off an instant red flag in her brain. The fact that he kept it a secret exactly what he had been doing in the five months before she had crossed paths with him was suspicious as well. The only thing she knew for certain was that before coming here, he'd been in Nagano for quite some time. It wasn't that she believed he was trying to deceive her in any way- rather, she was quite certain he was keeping cards to himself because he'd decided to deal with them himself, something which troubled her more than a little.
"Don't forget you're still a child yourself." Jodie whispered, before finishing off her glass of sherry.
Sherry... that peculiar red riding hood girl from the bus that Conan had so desperately tried to hide. She wondered what connection such a young child could have to such a dangerous organization, and why it was that Vermouth seemed to have it out for her so badly. It felt like the more answers she found, the more questions she had.
Well, she knew from the start that investigating them was no easy matter. Even when they thought they had gotten a promising lead, the research lab that they had been raiding had exploded. She and her fellow agents had just been lucky to get out of there with their lives- but everything in the lab had been completely lost. The police department, had of course, ruled it as a simple accident, something which didn't surprise her.
If there was one thing that Organization was good at, it was covering their tracks.
"Better try to get some sleep." Jodie mumbled, getting to her feet. Her gaze lingered for a moment longer on the slumbering form of the teenage boy, before she quietly crept back into her room.
Even though the research lab had been completely destroyed, not all was lost, as they had first thought. In spite of the absolute destruction, there had at least been one survivor.
That was, of course, none other than Hattori Heiji.
Frankly, Conan didn't know what the odds were that two high school detectives could have possibly encountered the mysterious group he'd come to know as the Black Organization. But then again, he had been very surprised as well to learn that he wasn't the only person to shrink due to Apotoxin 4869, so perhaps the odds weren't entirely out there.
Well, it was another matter entirely if this Hattori Heiji had actually survived his encounter with the men in black. There couldn't possibly be a third shrunken teenager wandering around there somewhere, was there?
Naturally, the first thought that had come to his mind was consulting Ai about the matter. If it was something dealing with those guys, especially if had happened six months ago when she was still working for them as Sherry, she might know something. Of course, he could also be completely wrong- there were definitely other reasons as to why a teenager might suddenly disappear, he supposed.
As eager as he was to get his own investigation started, Conan found himself confronted by one looming obstacle- he had school.
Heaving a deep sigh, and wondering what he had done to deserve being forced to go to elementary school for a second time, he glumly followed behind Ran as she walked him to school. At the very least, he could tell Ai that there was something he needed to speak to her in private about at school. There was no way he was going to have a serious discussion about the men in black where there were listening ears- even if they were children, around to hear it.
"Is something wrong, Conan-kun?" Ran asked, glancing down at him. "You're looking a little gloomy this morning."
"Doesn't he look that every morning?" Suzuki Sonoko spoke up, casting a slightly distasteful glance down towards what she thought was a small child. "He's not cute in the least, after all."
Shut up. Conan glowered back at her, before perking up, flashing Ran the biggest smile he could make. "I'm fine, Ran-neechan! I was just thinking about Kazuha-neechan's case!"
"Ah, is that so?" Ran smiled at him. "Well, you don't have to worry too much about it, Conan-kun. I'm certain that dad will find him quickly."
"Who's Kazuha?" Sonoko asked. "A client of your dad?"
"Yeah." Ran nodded her head. "She came to the agency yesterday asking dad's help to search of her missing childhood friend."
"That sounds oddly familiar." Sonoko couldn't help but remark. "Don't tell me he's another high school detective?"
"He is." Ran blinked, looking a little surprised. "Dad said the same thing, actually."
"Are you serious?" Sonoko blanched, apparently not enjoying having had the same line of thought as Ran's father, if only for a second. "Don't tell me that Shinichi's had another childhood friend floating around this whole time? I'm surprised that unsociable guy even has the two of us to begin with."
Sorry for being unsociable, Conan thought. "It's not Shinichi-niisan! It's another high school detective!"
"How many missing high school detectives can there possibly be?" Sonoko observed dryly, quirking a brow. "Seriously, what are the odds? Are you sure he hasn't just flaked off on some case, like your husband, Ran?"
"Like I keep telling you, Sonoko, he's not my husband!" Ran protested, puffing out her cheeks. "Honestly." Regaining a bit of her composure, she finally shook her head. "But no, Kazuha-chan doesn't seem to think so. He hasn't even called once, and it's been six months. If Shinichi hadn't contacted me in that long, I think I'd be at my wits end myself."
"Well that's true. Even I might start to worry about that guy after six months." Sonoko said, her lips twisting into a frown.
"Kazuha-chan gave me a photo of him to take. I was thinking of showing it around school, to see if anyone has seen him. He seems pretty memorable, after all..." Ran trailed off, fishing a photograph from out of her bag, showing a beaming, dark skinned high school student in uniform. "I don't suppose you've seen him at all, Sonoko? His name is Hattori Heiji."
"No, I haven't." Shaking her head, Sonoko shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry I can't be of more help to you, Ran. If it's dark skinned guys, the only one I really know is Makoto."
"By the way, how's it been going with him lately?" Ran inquired. "Has he gotten in touch with you since last time?"
From the way the brunette began to suddenly crackle with sparks, it seemed that Ran was right on the mark. Giving Ran a slow nod, Sonoko pulled out her cellphone, a heavily customized model to protect it from the unintentional surges of electricity she sometimes put out, she brought up a message.
"He said that he dedicated his last tournament win to me." Sonoko mumbled, small electric sparks continuing to crackle off the flustered girl.
"My, how romantic!"
At the sound of Jodie's voice, the trio started. Briefly, Conan wondered when the English teacher had managed to sneak up on them- he hadn't noticed her at all. "Ah, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" She quickly apologized, flashing them a smile. "I just couldn't help but overhear!"
"Ah, Jodie-sensei. Are you walking to school today?" Ran asked, blinking a little. "Don't you usually drive?"
"I was meeting someone this morning, so I just decided to walk the rest of the way." The teacher answered, briefly glancing down at Conan, giving the boy a smile. "But I didn't know, that Suzuki-san had a boyfriend."
Well, I think Sonoko forgets herself sometimes. Conan couldn't help but note, wisely deciding not to give voice to that thought.
"His name is Kyogoku Makoto." Ran told her, beaming from ear to ear. Frankly, she was just as happy about Sonoko's successful relationship as she was herself. "Right now he's traveling around the world, participating in karate tournaments, so she doesn't get to see him as often."
"Oh, the Prince of Kicks! I've heard of him!" Jodie clapped her hands. "It seems you've found yourself a wonderful partner, Suzuki-san! You should hold on to him."
"I fully intend to." Sonoko said, carefully putting her phone down, the field of electricity that had been crackling off her finally beginning to die down. For the most part, Sonoko had full control over how own abilities as a Powered- but every so often, usually when she was flustered, she would set off a shower of sparks around. Well, it wasn't really any worse than a bit of static electricity, so it wasn't like it caused too many problems in the long run.
"Ah, that's right, Jodie-sensei." Recalling the photograph she still held in her hand, Ran turned back towards the English teacher. "I'm asking around about a missing person for my dad right now. Have you seen this boy around anywhere before?"
To Jodie's credit, only the slightest of flinches made it's way onto her face, and she quickly shook her head. "No, I haven't seen him before. But I'll keep my eyes open if you need me too, Mouri-san."
To think that none other than Mouri Kogoro, known in most circles as the Sleeping Kogoro, had been assigned the case of tracking Heiji down. She could only hope that his client was Toyama Kazuha, or perhaps his mother, Hattori Shizuka, rather than anyone else. She didn't dare cast her eyes downwards at the moment, not needing to see his expression to know that Conan's gaze was currently leveled on her, a look written in his eyes that would make it clear that he had noticed something.
And he had.
To anyone else, it probably wouldn't have been obvious, but to Conan, Jodie's earlier flinch was clear as day. She had clearly reacted to the picture that she had been shown- but the question was why. For the briefest of moments, his earlier words to Professor Agasa sprung back up in his mind.
"No. He kept his face covered with a hood and a cap." Conan shook his head. "He had dark skin, though, and they seemed to think he was fairly young."
Sure enough, this Hattori Heiji had dark skin, and his hair was the right color to match the dark hairs he'd found in Jodie's drain. It couldn't be that the person that she was hiding in her apartment was none other than the missing high school detective?
No, it was too early to jump to conclusions. What reason would she have to conceal Hattori Heiji's existence? What would be her motivation for hiding him in the first place? There were many more questions than answers at this point, and the niggling feeling that his fellow high school detective's disappearance might just possibly have something to do with his interests only grew.
And if that was the case, if Jodie-sensei really did recognize him and was concealing this fact, then that would be nearly concrete evidence that she had something to do with that Organization.
Speaking with Haibara, he thought, was imperative.
"This missing boy of yours," Jodie spoke up after a moment, looking towards Ran, deciding to fish for a bit more information. "Who is it that hired your father to find him? His parents, maybe? I'd imagine if their son is missing, they must be quite distressed."
"No, it was his childhood friend, actually." Ran told her, finally tucking away the photograph. "She's really worried about him. Since I can sort of relate to her, I thought I'd do my best to help out and ask around myself!"
"Is it because of that Kudo Shinichi boy you mentioned once before?" Jodie asked, putting a finger to her chin as she recalled what she knew about the missing friend of Ran's.
"Yeah." Nodding her head, Ran gave her a small smile. "I was just thinking to myself how worried I'd be if Shinichi didn't check in with me every once in awhile, and I realized I'd probably feel exactly how Kazuha-chan was feeling right now. There's no way I could just sit around and do nothing after that!"
Besides, she had a feeling that she was going to take a liking to Kazuha as well. She wondered if maybe the two of them could become friends- perhaps she should introduce her to Sonoko, if she ever had the chance.
It had been her first time meeting another Powered in awhile, after all! She was certain that if Shinichi was still here, he'd be interested in speaking with as well.
"Well, as I said, I'll keep a sharp eye for this missing boy of yours, Mouri-san." Jodie promised her again, before patting her on the shoulder. "Now, come on. If we just keep standing around here all day, all four of us will be late for school."
"We can't have a teacher be late for teaching her own class, can we?" Sonoko spoke up with a grin. "You'd be in big trouble then, Jodie-sensei~."
"So," Haibara Ai raised an eyebrow as she set aside her backpack, her markedly unchildlike gaze fixing on Conan. "What was it that you wanted to discuss with me that was so important? Yoshida-san and the others were quite disappointed that we couldn't all go to the police station together to give everyone the cakes Yoshida-san worked so hard on."
"You almost sound like you were looking forward to it." Conan couldn't help but observe, setting aside his own backpack.
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Her tone was slightly sharp as she gave her retort.
"No, there's nothing wrong with that." Conan quickly shook his head.
"So?" Ai asked again, taking a seat on the sofa. "I'll ask again. Exactly what is it that's so important you had to talk to me about it right away? Especially because you and the Professor have been sneaking around me lately." Arching an eyebrow, she gave him somewhat of an amused grin. "Or did you perhaps think I didn't notice?"
"We're not exactly sneaking around you..." Conan trailed off, unable to come up with a reasonable excuse for his more than secretive behavior lately. He just didn't want Ai to get it into her head again that she had to try and run away, that was all! She had finally found a place where she seemed happy, after all, and honestly, he just wanted to protect that.
Of course, there was the fact that she was the only person he knew that was currently capable of creating an antidote to the Apotoxin, but that took a back seat to Ai's happiness, really.
"But it's true that what I need to talk to you about might relate to them." Conan told her. "Although I'm not one hundred percent sure. It's more of a hunch, really."
"I'm listening." Ai said simply, leaning her cheek into her hand.
"Recently, a girl came to the detective agency with a request for uncle. She said she was looking for her childhood friend." Conan began, opening up his backpack and pulling out a photograph. He'd been able to convince Ran to make him a copy as well, just in case, after promising her she'd show it around. "Apparently he's another high school detective, like me. He disappeared six months ago."
"A month before you were shrunk." Ai noted. "So, you're wondering if perhaps he could have shared your unfortunate fate?"
"Or worse." Conan said, passing her the photograph. "His name is Hattori Heiji, and he's from Osaka."
"Well, the picture's not familiar in the least, but," Ai began, glancing over the picture briefly, before passing it back to Conan. "You had better convince that uncle to give up. He's dead."
"That was more of a resolute answer than I expected." Conan confessed after a moment, almost forgetting to take the picture back from her until she held it out towards him again. "Are you sure, Haibara? You know, I'm supposed to be dead as well. You too."
"I'm sure." Ai said, leaning back in her chair. "I told you before, right? There's a list of everyone who has been given Apotoxin, right?"
"Yeah." Conan nodded. "You mentioned that I was the list. What about it?"
"His name was there." Ai observed. "And unlike you, his death wasn't unconfirmed. The person who gave it around stayed around to make sure it worked. Apparently she wasn't in any hurry."
Conan's eyebrows knitted together in thought as he took in this new information. Something about it really didn't sit right with him. "But why would his childhood friend be looking for him if he's supposed to be dead?"
Perhaps his father had kept his death under wraps? He was the Superintendent Supervisor of Osaka's police, so it wasn't impossible. All the more so if his death had been under mysterious circumstances. But, if that was the case, he had a hard time imagining that he would be okay with Kazuha running around and searching for him on his her own. After all, she might run into trouble that way.
And there were two other things that bothered him. That Kazuha girl had mentioned that there had been things removed from his room- clothes and his wallet, mainly, something which Conan found curious. There was also Jodie's reaction to the photograph... something clearly didn't add up here. It was his intuition that told him that this wasn't as cut and dry of a case as Ai described it as.
"Who was it that fed him the poison?" Conan asked. He didn't picture Gin as the type to linger, and from the sound of it, he hadn't actually used the Apotoxin before he'd used it on him.
"Another scientist for the organization." Ai told him after a moment, her gaze leveling with Conan's. "If I recall correctly, her codename was Absinthe. Apparently she considered herself to be my rival, though I've never met her myself. From what little I heard of her, she didn't care very much for me. That was probably the reason she lingered to see if the drug really worked."
"Absinthe?" Conan frowned, putting a hand to his chin. That was a new name. "Do you know anything else about her?"
"You'd just go chasing off after her if I told you, right?" Ai asked cooly, before heaving a sigh. "But I really don't know anything else, Kudo-kun. She worked in a completely separate location from me, and I can't even tell you where."
Clicking his tongue, Conan heaved an irritated sigh. He had hoped maybe that he would have gotten a bit more of a lead here, but it seemed like it was no good. Scratching his head, he let himself collapse into one of the Professor's chairs. "There's something I don't like about this, Haibara."
"You're going to investigate it, aren't you?" Ai asked, peering over at him. "The disappearance of this Hattori Heiji."
"Yeah." Conan nodded his head. "Even if it's really like you said, and he's really dead, I might be able to pick up a trace of them if I look into the matter."
This new information had, after all, only managed to make him more curious about Jodie's reaction.
"It's a good thing everyone liked your cake, Ayumi!" Mitsuhiko remarked as he exited the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters alongside his friends, Ayumi and Genta. Usually Conan and Ai would have been alongside them, but it seemed like the two of them both had something important to do after class, and couldn't make it.
"Yeah!" Nodding her head, Ayumi held the cake box close to her chest. "Ayumi is happy as well! Maybe I've got a future as a cake baker in me?"
"I'd support all the way, if that were the case!" Genta volunteered, beaming from ear to ear, his gaze drifting over towards the cake box. "Say, about that leftover piece..."
"It's not leftover!" Ayumi said with a huff. "I already told you, Genta-kun. I'm saving this piece for that nice onii-san!"
"Ah, that one who saved you the other day?" Mitsuhiko recalled. "It's a good thing that he was there when he did. Otherwise, those bad guys might have really carried you away!" Frowning, he folded his arms in front of his chest, looking slightly troubled. "But I wonder why he didn't stick around until the police showed up? It was almost like he vanished into thin air."
"Maybe he was just shy?" Ayumi ventured, though somehow, the explanation didn't sit quite well with her. The boy with the Osaka accent had seemed pretty outgoing during their brief encounter, so she had trouble imagining him having difficult interacting with other people out of shyness. Still, he had kept his face covered with the hood of his jacket the entire time...
"Maybe he's actually a bad guy, too!" Genta chimed in.
"That can't be!" Ayumi gave her friend a cross look. "He was a really nice onii-san! If he really was a bad person, he wouldn't have saved me in the first place!"
"Ayumi's right." Mitsuhiko agreed, nodding his head. "Maybe he was just a runaway. Adults have complicated circumstances after all..."
"That's true." Genta said after a moment. "But, how do you plan to find him in the first place, Ayumi? You can't give the cake to him if you don't even know where he is."
"Did you get his name?" Mitsuhiko asked, pulling out his notebook. This certainly looked like a job for the Detective Boys, even if there were only three of them here at the moment.
"No." Ayumi shook her head. "I didn't. All I know is that he spoke with an Osaka accent, and had really dark skin! You know, like that karate-oniichan that Ran-san's friend dates?"
"Dark skin with an Osaka accent..." Mitsuhiko mumbled to himself, scribbling this down in his notebook. "Was there anything else?"
"No." Ayumi shook her head. "I was thinking of returning to where I met him. Maybe he lives around there somewhere?"
"At the very least, we can start asking around there." Mitsuhiko nodded.
"Hey, what do you plan to do with the cake if you can't find him?" Genta asked, not even trying to conceal the slight bit of drool that trailed from his mouth. "It would be a waste if you had to throw it away!"
"I'm not giving it to you, Genta-kun." Ayumi frowned.
Hattori Heiji found himself letting out a rather loud sneeze.
Maybe Jodie had been onto something. Maybe he was starting to catch a cold, he wondered, though he also half felt that it would be impossible.
Tugging on his jacket's hood, to make sure it shadowed his face well, Heiji once again glanced over the text he'd gotten from Jodie. Of course, he'd left his cellphone at home- it was possible that they could trace him by that, after all. But he'd been able to acquire another one, thanks to the help of a certain person. A prepaid cellphone that could be paid for with cash, less likely to leave a trace. There were no numbers programmed into the phone, and he cleaned out the phone log and the message inbox for ever new one he received. Even with that, he knew it was somewhat of a gamble- but not having a cellphone might even be more of a problem.
It did, after all, let him get helpful messages like this much faster. Grumbling a little, he almost glowered at the content of the message, before he sent off a short reply, and deleted the message almost just as quickly.
Your friend has hired a private detective to look for you, Hattori-kun. You might want to be a little more careful and lay low for awhile. The detective's name is Mouri Kogoro- who, incidentally, is helping to look after that cool kid from last evening.
There was a second message after that one, considerably less serious than the first.
(Although it's really just his daughter doing most of the work of looking after the both of them.)
"The Sleepin' Kogoro, huh?" He said aloud. Naturally, he'd heard about the private detective's rather interesting reputation. There were some people who had hailed him as a modern day Akechi Kogoro, but what had always caught Heiji's attention was his unusual 'habit' before solving cases. After all, what kind of detective went to sleep to solve a crime? It was weird no matter how you looked at it.
"'Sides, there's no way I could just sit still when there's clearly somethin' goin' on in this town." Heiji mumbled, tucking the cellphone away again. There was definitely that something Jodie wasn't telling him about her investigation into that Organization, he knew that much. He wasn't suspicious of her- he knew full well that her claims of being an undercover FBI agent were very much true, otherwise he never would have actually accepted her offer of hiding out at her apartment while he was here in Beika.
She just wasn't being very forthcoming, probably in part due to regulations, and in part due to the fact that she probably perceived him as just a kid. That irritated Heiji- he didn't like people underestimating him just because he was a teenager.
Well, he thought, after reflecting on it a little, she probably just wants to keep me safe in spite of that. It stuck out as a little ridiculous to him, really. what was the worst that could possibly happen to him at this point? He felt like he'd already gone through literally every worst case scenario since he'd started looking into those guy's activities, starting with trying to track down the one who poisoned him in the first place.
That had dead ended- pretty literally, in fact. Frankly, he was almost mad at the FBI for getting involved when they did- in spite of the situation he had found himself in. He definitely could have gotten himself out of that situation all on his own, he kept insisting to himself. Things would have worked out just fine even if they hadn't shown up, and that woman hadn't taken the extreme action of blowing up the entire lab, just so they couldn't get to any of her research.
That marked the second time he'd woken up on an autopsy table, and frankly, Heiji wasn't hoping for a third time.
"Well, puttin' that aside." Heiji lifted up his binoculars, peering across the street. This Agasa Hiroshi's house sure did stand out, especially when it was compared to the house right next to it. He'd found it kind of funny, actually, when he realized that the Professor that had caught Jodie's interest lived right next door to none other than Kudo Shinichi, the other high school detective that Heiji had always been compared to.
Just once, he'd like to meet that guy. Frankly, Heiji had almost considered asking him for help, but it seemed like the fellow high school detective had pulled a similar disappearing act in the month after Heiji's own... unfortunate mishap. He didn't know if it was related to those guys or not, but from what he gathered while he was here in Beika, it seemed that he still contacted that Neechan from the detective agency- the one who had been on TV not long ago- from time to time.
Come to think of it, that Edogawa Conan looked a bit like Kudo Shinichi, didn't he? And that reasoning he'd displayed yesterday... that was definitely no ordinary child. If Heiji didn't miss his mark, he probably had some kind of connection to his fellow missing high school detective.
Which was what brought him to spying on this Professor Agasa's house, perched securely in a tall, nearby tree across the street, his position concealing him well from the street. He'd spotted that 'cool kid' and another child going inside of the house- probably the girl that this Agasa person was looking after, he assumed.
He'd heard that Kudo Shinichi was a Powered- something which had, at the time, caused Heiji more than his fair share of annoyance, ironic, considering the current circumstances- but he didn't actually know what his ability was. It wasn't like Powered Children were made to disclose that kind of information to begin with- whether or not they wanted to be open with their abilities was entirely up to them. He'd heard that it was different in some places, and there certainly were still plenty of people who resented them in Japan, but it was far from a bad situation, especially now that people had over ten years to get used to them.
"Maybe he can shrink?" Heiji mused. "Or perhaps an illusion? Shapeshiftin'? No, there would be better forms to take on if that were the case, other than a kid, right? Well, granted, nobody would be suspicious of a child, usually, but..."
Maybe he should consider investigating Kudo's house. It didn't seem as if there was anyone living in it at the moment- he'd learned that his parents were both currently overseas. He supposed, technically, it would be breaking and entering, but at this point, Heiji had done worse.
Besides, if a private detective really was looking for him, he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stay in this town. It wasn't like he wanted to leave, not while he knew that the FBI was in the middle of investigating one of the Black Organization's members, whose codename was apparently Vermouth, but he might want to consider relocating to the next city over, at the very least.
"Hm?" Blinking, he focused his attention back on the Agasa house. That Conan kid was coming out of the house again, a troubled expression on his face, judging from what Heiji could see through the binoculars.
And then he made the curious move of entering into the Kudo household. Quirking an eyebrow at that, Heiji couldn't help but flash a grin.
He was certain that this kid must have had some kind of connection to Kudo Shinichi, and he intended to find out how.
Heaving a sigh as she glanced down at the reply to her text message, Jodie's lips twisted in a frown. Somehow, she didn't feel Heiji's reassurances that he would be good were very convincing.
Quickly erasing the text messages, Jodie tucked her cellphone away in her jacket pocket, getting to her feet. She'd finished up what work she'd needed to take care of at the school, so there was no point in sticking around here anymore. She would have to swing by the supermarket to pick up some ingredients for dinner before heading home.
Grabbing her bag, she headed out of the teacher's room, making her way off campus. She had come to enjoy posing as a teacher quite a bit- and she had gotten more than a little fond of her students, especially the combination of Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko. She had to admit, she was a little surprised to find out that she had two Powered in her class (three, technically, she supposed, but considering Kudo Shinichi was never around, he basically didn't count), but she had quickly established that they were both good girls.
As she headed out of the gates of the school, her cellphone rang, and she wondered for a moment if the call was perhaps from Heiji. This idea was quickly dashed, however, as she recognized the number displayed on her phone.
"What is it, Shu?" Jodie asked, answering her phone. "It's rare for you to call me like this."
Although she had an inkling as to what it could be about.
There was a pause, before her fellow FBI agent, Akai Shuichi, responded. "I don't suppose you could make some time in your busy schedule as a teacher to arrange a meeting between the two of us, do you?"
"Is it important enough that we can't talk over the phone?" Jodie asked, her eyes narrowing. Had they discovered some new information?
"Well, not unless you want to chat about that boy you're hiding where anyone could hear you, that is."
Half opening up her mouth to deny Shuichi's claim, Jodie instead let out a deep breath. If he was speaking with that much certainly, there was no question that he knew. That was the sort of person Akai Shuichi was, after all.
"I know a rather private place to get coffee." Jodie replied finally. "Did the boss tell you?"
It was a silly question, she admitted that much. She didn't need to hear Shuichi's simple reply of 'no', to know that this clearly wasn't the case.
Heiji, she thought dimly, probably would not be pleased with this turn of events.