Chapter Three

The middle aged man sat at the wheel of his car, driving down the highway at a safe Fifty Miles Per Hour. Every weekday except for holidays he would travel this road to get to his job. It was as simple as that, go to work, work, drive home, and spend time with his family. Nothing extraordinary ever happened to him or to those around him.

By chance, he looked over to the right of the car toward the side walk. There, he saw something that he would never expect to see. On said side walk was a small child riding a skate board. Now, it wasn't the fact that the child wasn't wearing a helmet that made this sight amazing. It was the fact that said boy and skateboard were keeping up with him and his car, accelerating slightly as the seconds flew past. The man continued to stare until the blaring of car horns brought him out of his stupor. He felt a jolt as his car hit into another car and the air bag deployed, saving his life and blocking his view of the child.

The paramedics arrived to take the man to the hospital for his minor injuries and he was questioned along the way. "Sir, why didn't you stop at the stop sign?"

The man never answered, but the police report said that his breaks were faulty and that it could have been that he tried to stop, but couldn't. No one else seemed to notice the child who was on the skateboard, at least if they did, they didn't say anything.

-

Said child was Edogawa Conan and said skateboard was currently going about Sixty-Five miles an hour. The oblivious boy didn't even notice that he had, once again, caused a major accident. The only thing on his mind was getting to the museum and getting the information he needed.

There was only one problem that the boy couldn't seem to get over: how was he going to check out the crime scene and the surveillance video's without Mori there? He had a plan, but there was a good chance that it wasn't going to work… 'I'll just have to figure that out when the time comes,' he thought as he turned left, seeing the museum.

He waited until he reached the steps before he hopped off of his skateboard, picking it up and carrying it up the stairs with him. He reached the doors and pushed them open, wandering inside.

"Hey, kid," a person said in Irish, walking up to the child. "You can't be in-"

Zing

The guard fell and Conan lowered his arm, smirking at the watch. He had been grateful to Agasa for updating it, now he could shoot multiple darts. He didn't know how much time he would have, though. He knew that with Mori, it could take a while (but the fact that people woke him up prevented him from sleeping for the whole time. He checked his watch and nodded, seeing that he still had plenty of time to look around before the museum started. He was thankful that he had read the hours on the sign outside and was thankful that it was in numbers and not in Irish…

He crept around the museum, being careful to avoid other guards so he wouldn't have to use any more darts. He was probably going to have to use a few on Mori later on so he needed some in stock. He ran down a long hallway full of paintings until he came upon an open spot in the wall. The plaque below it read "Moonlight Shadow".

"So, this is the crime scene," he said to himself as he pulled out a camera and began to take pictures of everything he could find. One thing really stood out to him, and that was a piece of fiber he found on the corner of a small table near where the painting had been hanging. He put it in a piece of tissue and placed it in his pocket for further examination.

Suddenly, Conan felt himself being lifted by the scruff of his jacket. His eyes widened and he found himself face to face with a big bulky security guard. "Ano…" Conan began, squirming a bit. "Can you put me down?"

The security guard said something that Conan couldn't understand and motioned for someone to come up to them.

"Why, if it isn't the little boy who hangs around Mori-san!" That, he understood. Conan looked at where the voice was coming from and saw someone who looked familiar… but where had he seen him? "Don't tell me you've forgotten already," the man said with a laugh as he walked over to the guard and Conan and ruffled Conan's hair a bit. He turned to the guard and said something in Irish and the guard nodded before he put Conan back on the ground.

Conan stared at the man who was smiling and pointing at himself until it clicked. "Ah! You're Awayuki-san!"

"Bingo! Bingo," the man said with a laugh as he grinned. "So, Conan-kun, what are you doing here in Ireland?"

"Um," he began, twiddling his thumbs. "We're here to solve the missing painting mystery, Awayuki-san…"

"Ah, so you guys are here to find my painting! Splendid! I've been looking for it everywhere, but I don't have any leads on where it might be…"

"Really?" Conan asked as he stopped moving his thumbs.

"Yes," the man said with a nod of his head. "There are many people who would love to have it, but none of them are in range of here. Not only that, it hasn't turned up at any auctions either. I am getting worried that my beautiful painting will never be found!"

Conan felt his face drop a little at the man's childish behavior. He was like a kid who lost his favorite toy truck. "Um, I'm sure we'll find it, Awayuki-san…"

"Good, good," the man said with a smile. "You see, Conan my boy, that painting is of an old friend of mine who passed away a long time ago."

Conan had to suppress a gasp as he stared at the older man. A friend…? But… "But the person in the painting-"

"Is a dear friend whom I miss," Awayuki said, cutting off Conan. "No more, no less, no matter what anyone else says about him." Conan nodded his head, noting who he knew was on the painting thanks to his search on the internet. The question now, was who had it? He knew that Artemis was somehow involved in the theft, but he had no evidence to back up his claim.

"So… back to the painting," the shrunken detective said, leaving his mental tangent for the time being. "Are you sure you don't know anyone who would want this painting?"

The man chuckled and a small noise was heard from his watch. He looked at it and cleared his throat before stopping the noise. "Well, his fan club would," he said with a laugh before he pat Conan on the head again. "Now then, Conan, I have to go to a meeting, so you be careful and make sure you leave soon. Tell Mori-san that I send my regards!"

"I will," Conan said, things starting to fall into place like a puzzle. Why didn't he see it before? The case was so simple now… A smile came to his face as he started to walk toward the exit, a plan forming in his mind.

-

Conan, after leaving the museum, decided to stop at one more place that seemed to be of interest when it concerned the Fowls. He had read a little something about it on the internet, but nothing that went into great lengths.

He got on his skate board and rode to the nearest cemetery and walked around, looking for-

He stopped at a tombstone and frowned sadly. So that was why….

He walked back out, his mind set and determined to bring Artemis to jail.

-

The young heir watched as the child entered the drive way, going a bit fast on the skateboard he was riding on. The child was a strange one and reminded him of himself when he was a child. He watched as the boy came to a stop and grabbed his skateboard, running up the stairs and entering the house. The slamming of the door shook a few things in the library that the young man was currently sitting in, but he made no move to do anything about it. He smiled as he heard the fast footsteps running up the stairs, stopping only when they reached the carpet. He then heard the door to the boy's room open and close, signaling that the boy was now in his own world.

"Butler," Artemis said as he walked away from the window he had been staring out of and went over to a bookshelf. He took out a book and opened it, retrieving an item that had been hidden inside of it and placing it in his pocket.

Butler looked up from the Newspaper he was reading and looked over at his young charge. "What is it, Artemis?" The teen placed his hands behind his back and walked over to his friend, a smile present on his face.

"What will happen if the inevitable happens?" The question surprised the body guard and he placed the paper on the desk, getting up from the chair to walk over to the teen.

"If that time comes, we will just get-"

"No," Artemis said as he shook his head. "I want a plan that doesn't involve The People." He pushed back his dark bangs and sighed, his head throbbing from thinking to much. "What if that child is able to prove that I did steal the painting?"

"That child," Butler asked. "Don't you mean the detective?"

Artemis shook his head, looking out the window for a few seconds. "That child is smarter than he lets on. I am more than positive that he will figure something out, Butler, and, as sad as this sounds, that scares me."

Butler was silent for a few minutes, trying to understand what the teen was talking about. "I'm saying," Artemis said, as though he read the mans mind. "That Conan is just like I was when I was his age… Hell, I'll say he was just like me when I was 12!"

Butler shivered at the thought of another Artemis Fowl II running around, causing mischief and stealing fairy gold. "Artemis, you can't be serious…"

"I am very serious," he said as he went and sat down in a chair, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "The detective is an idiot… but that child… I am positive that we are going to have hard times ahead, my friend," he confessed, closing his blue eyes. "If she is let out, then you can call them. But only if she is let out."

"Understood, Artemis," Butler said as he picked his paper back up and began to read it again. "May I ask what we will do until then?"

Artemis smiled as he closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to claim him in a light nap. "We wait, Butler, we wait."

-

Flashing lights littered the Fowl drive way as the Police got out of their cars and made their way into the mansion. They had received a call saying that they needed to come to the Fowl estate to find out who really took the "Moonlight Shadow." As the police filed inside the house, Artemis looked over at a smug looking Edogawa Conan. Artemis looked away and watched from the corner of his eye as Conan went and sat behind the couch that Detective Mori was currently situated on.

"Now, then," Mori said from his place on the couch. "I am glad that you gentlemen decided to join us this evening for the unveiling of the real thief. It was simple once I got all of the information on him as well as the evidence from the scene of the crime."

The room was silent for a few minutes while everyone waited for Mori to say who had stolen the painting. "It was you, Artemis Fowl II!" The room was filled with gasps as people started to murmur about "am insane detective." "I have my evidence," he said. "It's laid out on the table in front of you." On the table were two items. One was a piece of cloth while the other was something covered by a large white sheet.

"The first piece of evidence is a piece of an Armani suit that was found at the museum. I looked it up and found that Mr. Fowl here had the same suit, custom made to fit only him."

Conan banged his head on the desk, growling in frustration. He sat at the computer desk, waiting for his laptop to load. Yes, he had a laptop that Agasa had made him (aka his lunchbox), but it couldn't connect to the internet. Something about porn or what not. Why would he worry about porn? Instead, it connected to satellites and other things that would prove helpful to the boy. "But I need the internet sometimes," he muttered, waiting for the lunchbox to finish analyzing the cloth and figuring out where it came from.

Ding.

He lifted his head up as the results finished and he read what it said.

Armani custom made suit, Artemis Fowl II

He smirked, now all he needed was the painting and he was as good as gold.

"Now then," he said as all eyes were on him. "This last piece of evidence is the most crucial. Would someone please take off the sheet so everyone can see what it is that I found in Mr. Fowl's room?" A random police officer lifted off the sheet and gasps were heard around the room. "That's right, I found the painting "Moonlight Shadow!"

Conan collapsed on the floor of Artemis' room, completely worn out. He had searched the house at least three times and this room at least four. Yet, he still couldn't find the painting. "If I was a criminal, where would I put it? I checked in the closet, between the matrices, in the pillows, the desks… Hell, I dismantled the damn computer." At this, he lifted his head warily and looked at the once beautiful piece of technology that now lay in shambles.

"Where is it," he said again as he laid his head back down and looked toward the bed. Something under it caught his eye and he pulled it out, hitting his head against said floor. He truly was an idiot.

Everyone turned to Artemis who simply shrugged and turned to Butler, shaking hands with the older man. "Call my parents and tell them what has happened," he told him as they let go and he walked over to the police. "The evidence does not lie, I'm just surprised that you guys didn't figure it out sooner," he said this in Conan's direction as the pint sized boy came out from the behind the couch. "It's as if you didn't even check the crime scene."

Conan froze and frowned, what he had said was true. The crime scene had been preserved and it was like no one had even bothered to check. Heck, the only thing that the police took were the tapes… and those had hardly any information on them at all from the night of the crime.

Artemis looked at Conan, a smug look on his face. Conan felt uneasy… like he felt when he when he Super Snake and found out that Genta still had his exploding watch on. Suddenly, Conan didn't see the young man who had put up with them this entire time, no, he didn't see that at all.

He saw THE Artemis Fowl II.

Artemis looked over at Butler and gave the man a small smile. "You know what to do, Butler," he said as he was led out. Several squad men quickly brought out there shields, not wanting to get hurt by the massive giant that was Butler. However, Butler simply nodded and watched as all of the police men walked out of the house and got into their respective cars. One went to shake hands with Mori, but found that Mori had passed out.

"I thought that he was going to attack us," one man said to another as they all took down their shields and left behind the police officers. "That would have been a nightmare.

The painting was taken away and everything seemed to be over. Conan looked over at Butler and saw that he was heading down a hallway. Being the ever curious boy that he was, he followed, wanting to know what he was going to do now that his master was in jail. He followed him soundlessly, priding himself on his stalking techniques. Butler rounded a corner and Conan waited a few moments before he also turned the corner…

And found himself grabbed by his collar and hoisted into the air. His eyes widened and he stared at Butler who had a simple compact in his other hand. The older man looked between the compact and Conan before he shoved the item into his pants pocket.

"Congratulations, Conan," Butler said as he looked away. "Artemis Fowl the second is now in jail…"

-

Anyways, you know the drill Stop, drop, and roll aka review if you think it's good or if I need improvement.

And in case you guys were wondering, the reason this came out late is because I re-wrote most of it -; It just didn't feel right I guess…. It was moving WAY to fast for my tastes… so yeah, that's why it is late And I am sorry for the wait I really wanted to post it, but it just didn't seem right Cries it still doesn't seem right.

Oh yes, Artemis was supposed to go to jail later on in the story… like, two more chapters later… but because I keep writing long chapters, I decided that chapter three was fine… (Real reason: I couldn't think of anything to delay him going to jail since Conan can't speak Irish….) plus, I wanted Conan to suffer a bit After all, he just figured out that Artemis had been toying with him all along.

Until next time

Hatake Shiko