Fun Fact: I solely listen to the Detective Conan and Magic Kaito OSTs when writing this story. It helps create a good mood. ;)
Rin's POV
The next morning I was up and ready to go. There was a sense of excitement coursing through me. I'm going to catch that thief today! I took a quick shower and changed into my school clothes. I could hear Dad getting ready in the other room. He seemed to have the same kind of energy as me. After I changed, I skipped down the stairs and made myself some breakfast. Dad had turned on the news where they were reporting about the Masked Gentleman's newest notice.
"The Masked Gentleman plans to steal the Gem of Dreams, an ancient diamond from the 18th Century," the reporter said. She was standing in front of a large mansion, which obviously belonged to someone filthy rich. "The diamond is currently held in the home of Ms. Lapis, who inherited from her late father who passed away last December. Possession of the diamond has been under dispute between Ms. Lapis and her sister." The reporter walked alongside the mansion, showcasing already set up police barriers. "The police have already begun preparations to stop tonight's heist. Since there is lower level security in the mansion, the police will have to be on their guard if they want to catch the Masked Gentleman. Let's wish them luck tonight! Now, on to the weather."
So the Gem of Dreams was kept in someone's house? You'd have to be pretty rich if you just left diamonds lying around. It would be more difficult to catch the Masked Gentleman there, like the reporter said. A mansion didn't have the same kind of advanced security systems that a museum or gallery would have. We'd have to outsmart the Masked Gentleman without the help of much technology. It would be an old fashioned fight, which I was ready to win.
I walked to school and was greeted by Miku, just like usual. She seemed to have dropped all the phantom thief stuff, which was good because I didn't want her getting involved. Instead, she wouldn't stop talking about much fun she and Kaito had last night. I tried to tell her that I knew. I was there too. "Don't be so grumpy," Miku pouted. "Just because you don't have a boyfriend to talk about doesn't mean you can ruin my fun."
"I don't need a boyfriend," I told her for the thousandth time. "Are you sure?" Miku questioned. "Because I'm pretty sure there's someone who would love to be yours." Miku looked over at Len's desk, which was empty. "We're only friends," I insisted. "Besides, we've only talked to each other for about a week."
"Love knows no bounds," Miku said with a dreamy look. "You're full of shit," I told her. Anyways, love wasn't really the most important thing on my mind. There was a criminal on the loose that I needed to help catch. I could think about a boyfriend after that, if I even wanted one at all. By the way, where was Len? He was usually at school by now. He could be sick, but he looked healthy yesterday. The bell rang to begin class. I guess he's really not coming. I'd text him to see what's wrong, but I don't have his number. I should get that the next time he's at school.
I could hardly stay focused throughout the school days. My notes were sloppy and probably wouldn't be very useful when studying for an exam, but I didn't care. I was too excited. I went to the library by myself for lunch. Hanging out with the others was fun every once in a while, but I couldn't handle it every day. I like my quiet time. I took my usual seat by the window and started reading my manga. This chapter was the confrontation between the ace detective and his enemy, a great phantom thief. Ironic, right? Except in this manga, the phantom thief is actually a pretty good guy. He has a good reason for stealing things, unlike the Masked Gentleman. He's cute too.
I noticed that there was a book lying open on the table. I closed it and looked at the cover. It was a book about diamonds. That's awfully specific. I wonder who might have been reading it. No one is ever in here. I picked up the book and walked over to the library's reception desk. "Excuse me," I said. The librarian looked up at me, excited that someone was even in the library. "How can I help you?" she said eagerly. She was way too excited about this. "I found this book on the table, but I don't know where it goes on the shelf. I don't think anyone checked it out. Can you put it away?"
"Of course," the librarian stood up and walked out in front of her desk. She took the book from my hands and looked at it. "I remember the boy who was looking at this yesterday," she said. "I'm surprised he didn't put it back. He seems like the responsible type. He was such a cute boy too."
"Who was it?" I asked. "What was his name…" the librarian paused, thinking to herself. "… Oh, yes. It was Len. His grandfather donates a lot of money to school, especially to the library. He's a nice boy." So it was Len? He must be really into gems and stuff. He was looking for that book about geology when he first talked to me. "Thanks for putting the book back," I told the librarian and then I returned to my table to read and finish lunch.
The rest of the day was boring as expected, but finally it ended. I ran home as fast as I could. Dad was already sitting in his police car. "Hurry up and put your bag inside," he called out from the car. "It's a bit of drive to get there." I quickly put my stuff away and hopped in the car. Here we go!
Dad told me that the mansion where the Gem of Dreams was kept was pretty far away. It was out in the woods somewhere. The original owner apparently loved being surrounded by nature. After about an hour drive, we arrived at the mansion. The police barriers from earlier were set up and police cars surrounded the house. There was a large white van sitting in front. Through its windows, I could see a bunch of TVs and computers. They must be wired to any cameras inside the mansion.
I noticed that there was a group of people near the police barrier. They were holding signs and shouted. One of them said, "Masked Gentleman, I 3 You!" Weird. "Who are they?" I asked Dad, as we got out of the car. "Fangirls," he said. "The Masked Gentleman has gotten popular. I expect the crowd to grow later in the night." Great, I thought to myself. Now we get to deal with crazy fans. What do people find so cool about a criminal?
"Rin!" someone called. I looked up and saw Gumi running towards me. She gave me a big hug. "Inspector," Dad said seriously. It was weird to see someone act so formal towards Gumi. She wasn't a very serious person. "How are you, Leon? Doing good? Just wait. Tonight, Rin and I are gonna catch this guy, right?" She turned to me with a smile. "Yep," I grinned back. Dad nodded and let me go with Gumi. It's nice to have such an easygoing father. Most parents would freak out at the idea of their daughter being at a future crime scene and working with the police.
Gumi took me mansion and showed me around. The front door was guarded by officers. The mansion had two huge wings to the east and west. There was little of value there, so there were only a couple officers. Upstairs was where the Gem of Dreams was being kept. It was in a small room in a glass case. There were bookshelves everywhere, so I assumed the room must have been a tiny library. It was probably chosen because it had no windows. "All the windows in the house are locked," Gumi explained. "But we didn't want take any chances, so we chose to keep the diamond in here."
"Why don't you just put the diamond someplace else?" I asked. "Then the Masked Gentleman won't know where it is." Gumi shook her head. "If we move it, we give him more chances to steal it and outsmart us. It's best to keep it where it is." I could understand that rational. As Gumi and I walked down the stairs that connected the mansion floors, she pointed out a few visible security cameras. As I had guessed, they were connected to the TVs and computers in the van outside. She also said there were multiple hidden cameras.
By now, it was about 7:00. There was still a lot of time until midnight. Gumi took me into the white van to show me the video feed. You could see every inch of the mansion. There were no blind spots. It would be impossible for the Masked Gentleman to get in. I could hear a lot of noise from outside the van. The crowd had grown. People were excited to see the Masked Gentleman appear and successfully steal the Gem of Dreams. I hope they won't be too disappointed when he's caught.
"We'll be here awhile, so I'm gonna go grab some snacks," Gumi said suddenly. "Do you want anything?" she asked me. "Do you have any oranges?" Gumi smiled and promised to grab me one. She left the van. I was the only one in it. The other officer who was supposed to be in the van was fixing one of the security cameras. To pass the time, I took out my phone. Miku had sent me multiple text messages. She wanted to know if I was already with the police and that she wanted me to be careful. She also wanted a picture of the Masked Gentleman if it wasn't too much trouble. I texted her back and told her to "buzz off".
It was now 9:00. Where had Gumi gone to get those snacks? On cue, she walked in, a bit out of breath. "Sorry," she apologized. She had an orange and some other snacks in her hands. She also had two bottles of water. "The store was a bit further away than I thought." She handed me the orange and some water. "Thanks," I replied. I didn't think she would go out to the store herself. She's a pretty high ranking officer. Didn't she have underlings to go shopping?
The two of us ate our snacks and chatted. We mostly talked about me. She wanted to know all about school and my interests. It was weird to talk so much about myself. Dad came into the van every so often, just to check up on me. Finally, it was 11:30. Only thirty minutes until the Masked Gentleman should arrive. "I want to go check on the diamond real quick," Gumi said, standing up. She gave a yawn and then left the van. I followed her. I wanted to get a good look at it again.
The police gladly let us enter the mansion. We headed upstairs into the library with the gem. Gumi walked up to the glass case and was given a pair of gloves by an officer. She put them on and took the glass case off the stand. She carefully picked up the diamond and brought it close to her face. She seemed to be examining it. When she was satisfied, she set the diamond back down on its velvet cushion. "It's the real thing," she sighed. "I was a little worried for some reason. Now I know there was nothing to worry about." An officer put the glass case back over the diamond and Gumi threw her gloves in the trash.
"Yo, chief," one of the officers said. He pulled something out from his pocket. It was a bag of vegetable chips, carrot flavored. "Do you want one? I found them at the store the other day. They're pretty good."
"No thanks," Gumi declined. She turned to me. "Rin, let's head back to the van. The Masked Gentleman will be here any minute. It's 11:55."
"Shouldn't we wait up here?" I asked. "It'll be easier to catch him in the act." Gumi shrugged, but continued to head back towards the van. She really wanted to go back there. All of sudden, a thought popped in my mind. I told Gumi to wait for me at the bottom of the stairs. I ran back into the library and went up to the nearest officer. "Excuse me," I said. "Inspector Gumi forgot her handcuffs. She sent me up here to borrow someone's." The officer gave me his handcuffs. "Thanks," I told him. I ran out of the room and down the stairs. Gumi was still waiting for me.
"Thanks for waiting," I said. "No problem," she smiled. "Hey," I said suddenly. "Can we go check out that room right there?" I pointed to a room in the east wing. "I saw someone go in there earlier, and I'm a bit suspicious." Gumi looked confused, but she agreed to go in with me. I opened the door. The inside was dark, so I turned on the lights. Just from looking, the room was visibly dusty. I knew that no one had been in here for a long time, especially not a little while ago.
"I don't think anyone is in here," Gumi coughed. The dust was beginning to stir since we walked in. Then, there was a satisfying click. "Uh, Rin," Gumi said. She held up her hand, which I had handcuffed to me. "What are you doing?"
"I'm arresting the Masked Gentleman, of course."
?'s POV
I began to laugh. I knew Rin was clever, but I honestly hadn't expected her to figure me out. The radio on my belt was going off. "Midnight, and no sign of the Masked Gentleman yet. Be on standby." No one else had figured it out yet. "What's so funny?" Rin pouted. "Nothing," I smiled. Using my free arm, I pulled off my mask and officer uniform. "Just like I thought," Rin said. "You were the Masked Gentleman. Where's Gumi?"
"She's asleep in one of those police cars. She's completely fine," I reassured. "Now, how did you figure me out? I'm a bit disappointed that I was discovered."
"It was simple," Rin smirked. "I was suspicious of you the moment you returned to the van. Gumi talks more about herself than anything and she would never turn down anything with carrots in it." I laughed again. "I'll have to do more research next time," I said. "Well, I'll have to be going."
"Not so fast," Rin said. She grabbed my handcuffed arm. "You have the diamond already, don't you? When you pretended to check it, you actually stole it and exchanged it for a fake one." Man, she really knew everything. I'll have to be even more careful next time. I pulled the diamond out of my pocket. "This little thing?" It was a magnificent gem, probably worth billions of yen. I could understand why the client wanted it so bad. Selling it could make anyone rich instantly. Rin tried to grab it from my hand, but I quickly put it back in my pocket.
That's when Rin started to scream. "Police! The Masked Gentleman is in here!" She maintained a firm grip on my arm. She didn't trust only the handcuffs to hold me back. Smart, but even that wouldn't be good enough. I pulled a small explosive filled with sleeping gas out of my other pocket. "Sorry, Rin," I smiled. She looked at me in alarm. "Don't worry. This will only put you to sleep." I threw the explosive down and a pinkish gas filled the room, sleeping gas. Rin's eyes got droopy and she fell to the ground. Luckily, I had a lock pick and I released the handcuffs. "See you next time, Rinny," I winked. I ran to the window and kicked it. The window shattered. Locking glass windows wasn't very effective. "Damn it," I heard Rin mumble. She was still slightly awake. That was pretty strong sleeping gas. She should be completely unconscious. She was stronger than I thought. "Bye," I waved, as I jumped out the window.
The police were all rushing in to help Rin. They wouldn't notice me disappearing into the woods. As I ran, I couldn't help, but smile. Another successful heist. Maybe this thief thing wasn't as bad as I first thought. Once I was deep in the woods, I pulled out my yellow cellphone. I dialed Piko's number and waited for him to pick up. "You got it?" he answered. "Yeah, were are you at?" I asked. "I parked alongside the road about a mile and a half out from that mansion."
"Okay, I'm close," I told him. "I'll be there in five." I continued through the forest and found Piko's car parked alongside the road. He was pretending to be fixing a tire, otherwise people would be suspicious of a car just sitting there. I got into the back of the car. Piko put all his tire stuff in the trunk and then got in the driver's seat. I took off my mask and set the diamond on the table between the two front seats. "Let's go," I said. Piko drove off into the night, and we were gone, just like that.
Rin's POV
When I came to, I was surrounded my officers. Dad was there too. "Are you okay?" Dad said. He sounded worried. "What happened?" I rubbed my eyes and sat up. "Did he get away, the Masked Gentleman?" If everyone was too busy focusing on me, he could have easily gotten away. "He never came," Dad said. "The diamond is safe." I shook my head. "No, it's a fake. He was disguised as Inspector Gumi and exchanged the real diamond for a fake one. He knocked me out with sleeping gas and jumped out the window." I pointed to the broken window. Glass pieces were all around its base.
All the officers were in awe. They cursed their own stupidity. Then one of them said, "So, where's the Inspector?"
"She's in one of the police cars outside, asleep. She should be fine." A few officers ran off to find Gumi, while Dad helped me stand up. He was worried, but I assured him I was fine. I had no cuts or bruises. I was only angry. He had tricked me again, and he wasn't afraid to use dirty tactics like sleeping gas. I just wish I could've seen his face. His mask covered his distinguishing features and he was definitely wearing a wig, so I didn't even know what his hair color was. But I did know his voice. There was something about it that was familiar. I had heard it somewhere before, but where.
"We found her!" an officer called from outside. Like the Masked Gentleman said, Gumi was fast asleep in the police car. When she woke up, she explained that she had been attacked when she went to go get snacks. The Masked Gentleman had put her to sleep and put her in a police car. There was still a crowd outside the mansion. The police tried to explain to the Masked Gentleman's "fans" that he had already come and gone. They were disappointed to say the least.
After that, Dad took me home. He was quiet the whole ride home. He was also disappointed that the Masked Gentleman had gotten away. I fell asleep on the ride home. It had been another late night, but luckily tomorrow was the weekend. I could sleep in. I wanted to have a peaceful sleep, but I was plagued with nightmares of the Masked Gentleman. He seemed to be mocking me by following me in my dreams. Damn him!
Reviews and criticism appreciated! :)
