It's been such a long time! I'm so sorry for people who were waiting for the next chapter! I'll make no excuses... haha
enjoy the next chapter :]
The Case of Ran's Cell Phone
Chapter 4
Ran and Hattori got on the motorcycle, while Conan rode his turbo skateboard, created by Professor Agasa. By the time Conan and the rest reached the library, it was already 2:30. The Beika Central Library was located far from the Detective Agency. It was the biggest and the most elegant library in that city. It was famous for its tall building and ornate architecture. Each floor had high roofs and their own distinct color that represented the room. It was impossible to reach for a book that was located at the upper section, unless someone used the ladder, which was about eight feet tall. Conan, as well as his father, loved to visit this library to read detective stories and other novels.
As Conan approached the entrance, he took out his memo pad.
"The history section is on the 6th floor. Let's ride the elevator."
As the elevator door slid open, they rushed out of the elevator and headed to a librarian that was standing by the counter. Conan flipped open his memo pad that had the code number, and he handed it to the lady. The librarian looked at the paper curiously, until she realized that it was a book number. She skillfully typed the numbers into the computer and pressed the enter key.
"Sir, your book is titled Hiroshima. It is located at the last lane."
"Thank you, miss."
Hattori replied back. They rushed to the last lane and they started to look for the book. Conan searched the lower section, Ran searched the middle section, and Hattori got on top of a ladder to search the upper section. About five have minutes passed.
"I found it!" exclaimed Ran, forgetting that they were in a library. Conan and Hattori got close to Ran, and she took out the book. It was entitled Hiroshima, a documentary about the bombing in Hiroshima. Hattori took the book from Ran and flipped through the pages, expecting something to come out. There was nothing. It was just a book.
"I wonder why it had to be this book. I don't think the criminal just randomly picked it," said Hattori. He flipped through the pages again and stared passively at the pictures of a city completely destroyed by a nuclear bomb.
"Hmm… 'Hiroshima' is a name of a city. Well, it is also a last name. Do you think this is a clue?" asked Conan.
"Probably. There must be a purpose for him to send us here. Ran, have you been to Hiroshima? Or do you know anybody named Hiroshima?"
Ran never visited Hiroshima. However, that name sounded familiar to her. Ran tried to recall someone named Hiroshima. There was a deep silence until Conan broke it.
"Kei Hiroshima. He killed a child right in front of this library by crashing her with his van."
"Tell me more in detail," demanded Hattori.
Six months ago, it was December 21st, few days before Christmas. Snow was piled up everywhere, seemingly cleansing the whole city. It was one of Ran's favorite holidays, and she did not want to spend Christmas with just a drunken old father and a messy room, filled with beer cans and stinging stenches of cigarettes and leftover food. She decided to have a party with her close friends and families, including her oh-so beautiful mother (Of course, she did not tell that her mother was coming to her father).
Hand in hand, Ran and Conan went inside a department store, which was located near the Beika Central Library. She held a long list of things-to-buy for the party. Later did they notice that they needed more hands for help, when Conan was dragging the bags.
Shopping time was over, and it was time for them to head home. Ran and Conan crossed the street when suddenly, a car made an earsplitting screech and a crashing sound. A woman's scream followed afterwards. Conan, as usual, ran toward where the accident occurred, and Ran followed after him. It wasn't a pleasant sight at all. It wasn't even entertaining.
A big white van was flipped over, probably from turning the wheels too much and because of the slippery snow. The driver seemed fine, as he came out of the car with minor cuts and bleedings. However, near the front of the car there were splatters of red paint- no, blood. The red blood diffused throughout the snow, like wine staining a white dress. As Conan got closer, ignoring the adults, he saw a hand coldly lying on the ground. It was not moving. Conan heard Ran gasp.
While the crowds were paying attention to the child who got killed by the car, the driver decided to run away. He backed away slowly, and then he turned to sprint.
Conan pressed the button on his belt. A soccer ball popped out and when Conan tried to kick the ball, he slipped his foot and only managed to trip the man. While Conan cursed his stupidity, Ran rushed toward the man and held him down.
"You're not going anywhere!"
The man struggled to escape, but Ran's strength suppressed him. The police came and the man got arrested. Ran and Conan were taken pictures and praised as brave heroes. A small article about the incident got published.
"Hmm… Then, we're almost sure that the criminal wants revenge," said Hattori. Ran and Conan agreed.
"Ok, we found the book. Let's head to the benches."
Conan checked his watch, and it was 2:58. Hattori still held onto the book and started to read it. Ran fidgeted quietly with her cell phone, waiting for a call or a message. When the right hand of the clock reached "12," Ran's phone rang.
"Hello?" answered Ran. She was still scared, but she managed to speak without chocking.
"I see that you got the book. Go back to your office. You will find a letter stuck on the door. Follow the instructions. If you fail, you don't know what's going to happen to your mother."
The line went off. Of course, the criminal had to keep the conversation short and simple. If it went too long, someone can pick up hints by the extra sounds in the back. Conan became infuriated. He couldn't withstand this emotional and psychological torture that Ran was going through.
It was 3: 25 when they arrived back home. The three ran up the stairs and, as told, they found a letter by the door. The letter had a seal on it with a name "Mistella." Hattori tore off the seal and took out a small paper with even smaller letters.
"You passed the test," read Hattori aloud.
Please R&R. I'll accept flames.
