Honestly, I'm not doing a too good job editing this story. Another chapter I find cringy. Bare with me please. I might go back later and edit from the start.
Wordcount: 7050
Published: 15.10.18
Warning: crime scene
Chapter 6 – The bird
Fuglen Tokyo was a café transplanted to the concept of a backstreet corner a year prior. It was located not far from Yoyogi Park. The café was decorated with Biri-straw wallpaper, which was 50's vintage and even had outdoor seating. The popularity of the place was due to the transfusion of Japanese and Norwegian coffee and food. Not that Heiji could see the appeal. He preferred traditional food. Fusion just clang badly to him. Why ruin two perfectly good meals by fusing it together? Made no sense to him.
He glanced down at the boy walking next to him. They had not spoken much except that one sentence earlier. There was just something unnerving about him. He did not act like a normal six year old boy would. He was quiet and calm. Something no child should. God knew he himself had been a reckless child. Annoying his parents 24/7, getting into trouble, being in general very loud. Conan seemed older than his years.
Heiji cocked his head thoughtfully. What could a kid have been through to look so serious? There definitely had to be some sort of trauma. He glanced at Ran. She seemed to be the most attached to him. However, they did not share last names or share any apparent facial similarities. That narrowed the options to either half-siblings, orphanage kids or just the simply explanation that they were neighbours and Ran was babysitting him.
Would it be considered rude to ask? They barely knew each other. He scratched his chin, eyeing the girls walking a few feet in front of them. Mah, maybe Kazuha would learn something. Girls did have a habit how talking about sensitive subjects that could not be breached by a member of another gender.
His eyes wandered back down on to the boy. He was wearing a rather grumpy expression. Clearly unhappy with the situation, but clever enough to not voice his complaint. Children should not be clever enough to not know when to complain. Children lived to inquire about everything and general make a nuisance. He shook his head in confusion. He placed a hand on Conan's head.
"Brightened up, chibi," he grinned good-heartily in hopes of shaking the boy's expression. "Yah can nap while we wait for the food."
If Heiji was expecting a smile or a grumpy 'I'm not a baby' any child his age would make, he was fairly disappointed. The glare cast in his direction was one filled with seething anger, an expression that spoke of something dangerous. Every hair on his neck stood as his survival instincts blared in warning.
"I don't need a nap. I simply don't want to spend any more time in your presence. You reek. It's giving me a headache.
Heiji stopped abruptly in his track in surprise. That was definitely not the voice of a seven-year-old boy. Confusion flooded through him. He eyed the retreating form. Even if he had stopped, everyone else had kept going. What the hell was going on? Who is that kid? Curiosity mixed with dread waved inside him. Something was whispering in the back of his mind to stay clear of the kid. But why? Had there been something he had picked up unconsciously that warned him of danger?
No, he shook his head. That could not be it. Where could a child hide a weapon that was dangerous to him? No, it had to be… he gritted his teeth in irritation, intuition. He hated to rely on gut-feeling. There was a logical explanation to everything. He should know, he was a detective after all. Leave superstitions to Kazuha.
"Oy, Heiji. You coming or not?"
He blinked out of his thoughts as his childhood friend waved at him in exasperation. He held a hand up. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses, Kazuha." He hurried after them.
Entering the café, the scent of fresh-brewed coffee hit him. He took a deep breath in pleasure. After the long day he had, he bloody well deserved a cup. He made to follow the girls to their tables, however he drew short as his feet collided with something soft. He looked down.
Conan stood frozen just inside the entrance. He was not moving a muscle.
Heiji crouched in puzzlement. Something told him not to ruse the child. He stood so very still, his chest barely rising to indicate he was breathing. The teen detective cringed his eyebrows in uneasiness. Was he having an epileptic seizure? He clenched his hands together so as not to reach out. He thought back on the pamphlets his mother had made him read while he was little. When someone has a focal seizure, do not restrain them, do not make any sudden movement or loud noises. He nodded to himself as he mentally clicked off the boxes. He made to rise to get Ran when something made him stop.
The boy's eyes were half-lidded, somehow both glazed and focused on the room in front of him. Cerulean eyes seemed to almost glow. He frowned slightly. Probably just a trick of the light. He looked up to survey the room.
It was a spatial room, with the bar at one end by the entrance and two dozen or so seating places scattered around the room. Considering the early morning, the room was not even one quarter full. Next to the bar was two windows, one showing a chief chopping up vegetables and waving to a duo of girls. The other window was filled with white smoke. The unmistakable form of a person hid somewhere between the smog. There was a low whirring in the air. A barista handed a tray with coffee to a female waiter. Further down the room stood a male waiter taking an order.
Something prickled on Heiji's skin. The unnerving feeling of being watched. He glanced back at the child. An aware, intelligent gaze met his. A shiver ran through him in surprise.
The boy seemed to have brighten up. An expectant gleam in his eyes. His lips twitched slightly as he was holding back a grin.
Heiji frowned in confusion. Had he missed something important in the few seconds he had spent surveyed the room? What had brightened up the eerie child? The thought of finally getting some food? The questions went unanswered as the boy tripped around him. Heiji stood slowly as he watched Conan head to towards the girls.
A smile blossomed on Ran's face as she scooted over to make space. He jumped up without assistance.
Heiji raked a hand through his hair. Weird kid, he thought as he followed. He sat down on an unoccupied chair.
The girls busied themselves with opening the menus and general chatting between themselves that he droned out in thought. His eyebrow twitched as his mind tried to make sense of the odd circumstance. Only when Kazuha drilled her elbow into his side did he look up with a confused expression.
A silence had gathered around the table with eyes looking in his direction in curiosity – only then did he realize that he had been asked a question. A faltering smile curled on his lips as he tried to indicate with his eyebrows he had no idea what was going on.
Thankfully, Ran took pity on him as she repeated her question. "You are a high school detective, right? That's pretty impressive. My father is a detective too."
Heiji looked at her with renew curiosity. What had her name been again? Mouri? The name sounded familiar. Was her father a famous detective then? He ruminated through the detectives he knew about in the Tokyo are- He blinked it finally dawned to him. Oh.
"Your the Sleeping Kogorou's daughter?" He could hit himself. Why had it not dawned to him earlier?
Ran's cheeks coloured as she nodded briefly. "Yeah. You heard of him?"
Heiji snorted slightly. "Aye. I have ta habit of keeping track of the competition," he grinned ruefully. In the peripheral, he could see Conan snap his head in his direction with a calculating gaze. He shuddered slightly as an odd feeling shivered down his spine. It felt like those cerulean orbs could gaze into his very soul. It was an unpleasant feeling. He dragged his eyes away and focused back on Ran. He swallowed slightly.
"He's a pretty unusual case, ain't he? Solving cases in a trance of half-unconsciousness and having no memories of doing so? He's definitely an impossible case known in the PI circles. Just three months ago he was a-" He stopped abruptly as Kazuha elbowed him again. He shot her an annoyed glare. One which Kazuha mirrored.
"What?" he hissed through clenched teeth. Confusion filled his head. What had he possible done to merit abuse? He had just been talking about – oh. Redness flushed his cheeks. He had almost said something rude about Ran's father. Kazuha knew this particular rant well. He scratched his cheek to hide the blush. He cleared his throat.
"I mean. He's a great detective, just a peculiar case, yah know?"
Uncertainty drained from Ran's face as she hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Three months ago he was a lousy, sleazy and lazy detective."
Kazuha squeaked slightly in surprise. Here she had tried to be all tactful while Ran just told the truth flippantly.
Heiji grinned. He liked this girl.
Ran smirked at their responds. She waved a hand slightly. "Don't worry about stepping on something. I know my dad well. I live with him after all. He's a drunkard and an idiot. But he's a decent detective," her face softened as she regarded the youngest member of their group. "I think he cleaned up his act when Conan came to live with us."
Heiji glanced at the boy. Conan had gone very still and avoided their gazes. The little the teen detective could see, was something dark flickered in those cerulean eyes. He swallowed slightly, the earlier warning bells chimed in his ears.
"I'm a detective too," Sonoko interrupted haughty, wanting to be included into the conversation.
Heiji snapped to her in surprise. Another teen detective? His pulse raced in excitement. He had wanted to meet one and go head to head in a battle of wits. He observed her with renew interest.
Light brown hair pulled back with a headband. Wide blue eyes. A face covered up with moderate – but expensive, makeup. His eyes wandered down to her hands. Long smooth, fingers, no callousness. Indicating no physical exercise nor used to labour. Expensive manicure. Her blue jacket, on fashion, probably worth more than his entire wardrobe combined.
Heji leaned back with a puzzled frown. This was not what he had expected from someone he might think of as an intellectual equal. He had expected something more than a rich bimbo. He shook the thought away. He should not jump to conclusions. First impressions could be misleading. What had she said her name was again?
He vaguely noticed Conan's annoyed expression as he regarded the girl. The little body tensed with an unnamed emotion.
"Oh! Then you must be the deduction queen, right?" Kazuha tittered in excitement. "Heiji's been going on and on about the case with the ducks," she sent the aforementioned boy a mischievous grin.
Heiji had frozen in shock as he regarded the girl again. She was the Deduction Queen? This girl, sitting in her expensive clothing, was the teen he had been not entirely stalking? When the name 'Deduction Queen' had popped up out of nowhere three months prior he had thought it had been a lucky-strike. But when she kept being mentioned in one case after the other, he had looked into her. He had read the reports. Her deductions were brilliant. Once or twice even he had been baffled of one of the cases. His respect had risen as the weeks passed by. He felt cheated. He expected something more, something bright and dazzling that could never be mistaken for anything else. An intelligence so brilliant and witty.
Heiji slumped on the seat and raked a hand through his hair. He sighed heavily in disappointment. What was it that people usually said? Never meet your heroes (or in general people you admired)? You would only be disappointed.
Kazuha elbowed him again.
This time he did not rise to the bait. He sent her a half-hearted glare.
Annoyance evaporated from her pretty features as she regarded him with a worried look. "Heij? Is something wrong?" her voice was thick with concern for her childhood friend.
Heiji shook his head as he avoided her gaze. He had no desire to chat. He needed time to digest his disappointment.
His brooding was cut short a moment later as the waiter approach their table. He glanced at her. She was of Caucasian decent. With heels she towered over their table around 178 cm tall, 18 cm taller than the average Japanese woman. He had a hard time not to follow the slender legs as they travelled upwards, disappearing from view into a yellow skirt.
Something hard elbowed into his stomach. A low groan escaped his lips in surprise. Tingles of pain crackled under his skin. Only his pride kept him from doubling over. He turned towards his assailant.
"What the hell Kazuha?" he glared. "Are you trying to incapacitate me permanently? If you don't like me. Tell me straight in the face would yah. At least I'll keep all my limps intact."
Kazuha flushed with anger. To his utter surprise the girl avoided his gaze and slumped back into her seat.
Heiji blinked in surprise. He had expected another outburst from his childhood friend. A mixture of anger, disappointment and pain read clearly in her pretty features. Heiji's stomach clenched in confusion and worry. What had been the reason for her devastated expression? He loathed seeing it. She was supposed to be fierce and fiery. Not this weak, timid creature. He did not like it one bit.
He rubbed his stomach absentminded. "Kazuha?" he queried softly.
She did not glance at him, keeping her head turned away. The one visible hand he could see, clutched on the fabric of her jeans.
"Kazuha-"
The sound of someone clearing their noise interrupted him. He glanced at the waitress. She looked uncomfortable. Blue eyes wide in her delicate, pale face. A strand of light blond hair curled between her eyes.
"Maybe I should come back later." To his surprise, her voice had no foreign accent.
"It's fine," Kazuha's livid voice cut in. Her face tight as she regarded the waitress. "I want coffee. Black."
Heiji tried not to cringe. If she was ordering black coffee, she was definitely pissed off. She avoided his questionable gaze.
"I'll have the gourmet white chocolate please," Ran cut in. a strained, but friendly smile adorned her features. "and the smorgasbord," she hesitated, her lips stretched out a few times as she tried to pronounce the foreign vocals.
The waitress clanked back and forward with an uncertain expression. A slightly fidget showing her indecision between being a good host and the urge to retreat.
Sonoko joined Ran in trying to pronounce the words.
Kazuha was glaring out the window. Heiji felt whiplashed. Just a moment ago he had been cranky, and now suddenly everything had turned hundred and eighty degrees. He shook his head slightly and sighed in resignation. Women were a mystery. He raked a hand through his hair and glanced at the youngest of their members.
Conan was ignoring them, seemingly not to have been paying attention to the confusing drama. His gaze absorbed the room with keen eyes. The little body shaking almost with anticipation for… what exactly? Food?
The sound of clattering and a large thump boomed through the café. The occupants of the room fell abruptly silent as every eye was turned in the direction of the sound. Conan jumped off the chair and was halfway across the room even before the sound of the crash had stopped echoing through the room. He disappeared through the door to the kitchen.
Heiji swore, taking a couple of seconds too long to squirm out of his seat. The waitress, who had gone still at the commotion, startled at his movements, and followed at his heels as he made his way towards the door.
The room was the one who had previously been clouded in vapour, the fan over their heads hummed as the room started to clear bit by bit. The furniture in the small kitchen room variated from several large fridges, benches and ovens. A large casserole sat upon the oven, boiling. On the bench next to it, stood a chopping board with several cut and uncut root-vegetables.
Heiji's eyes snapped towards the figure on the ground. A man, possibly in his late thirties, Caucasian with sun-bleached hair lay on the ground. Another large pot lay halfway on him, the hot soup still trickled out of the pan, the rest already spread half across the room. A single, whole tomato lay squashed in their midst.
He turned towards the waitress. "Call an ambulance!" he barked out the order.
The woman widened her eyes as his words got to her, a hand came up to hide the lower parts of her face.
He swore loudly as the clear sign of going in to shock was visible in her too-blue eyes. Behind her another man appeared. He grabbed the woman's shoulder and mumbled something incoherent to her. He then turned towards the detective and nodded.
"I will call," he said louder with a thick accent. He then continued to usher the woman out of the doorway.
"Call the police too while you are at it."
Heiji's head snapped back into the room as another, dark and mature voice spoke. Had he somehow missed the presence of another person in the room? He scanned the room with his eyes as he stepped in. It was not before he settled his gaze lower, that he noticed –and remembered that he had been the second person to enter, Edogawa Conan. The child stood crouched next to the body, his face unreadable as he regarded the presumably unconscious chef.
The tan teen blinked in surprise, the wheels in his head working in overdrive trying to connect the presence with the voice. Maybe he had misheard? "Wha-"
"He has already been dead for at least an hour." Conan interrupted him and stood. Keen cerulean eyes turned towards him.
Heiji's breath hitched slightly. For a second he could have sworn he had been staring at an older person. The wheels in his head stopped completely as the child elaborated with an annoyed expression as the detective had been quiet for longer then he liked.
"Rigor mortis has already started to set in on his jaw. His temperature has already gone down one point five degrees, considering the humidity, that's quite a defeat. Not to mention the blood on his temple has already dried," the boy added dryly and pointed down.
Heiji's eyes followed the motion. He swore softly to himself, how could he miss the clear evidence of dried blood? The blood-crust shade stood out like and Kansai-ben speaker in Toyko. He looked back at Conan.
The child stood there impassive, not once had the expression on his face wavered as he spoke. If Heiji had not known better, he swore the boy was doing nothing more essential than watching Kamen Yaiba or taking a morning stroll. Cold shivers raked down his spine. The only thing conveying that the boy's not as indifferent to his surroundings, was the clear hunger gleaming in his cerulean orbs.
Who the hell is this kid?
…
The room milled with police officers less than twenty minutes later. The guests at the café had been ushered into the back, and was now giving statements to various officers. Megure and his closest subordinates had gone directly into the small kitchen. The four remaining employees sat around the table, head bowed in mourning, whispering between themselves or answering questions from the officers.
Next to her, Sonoko lay draped across the table, complaining every two seconds about how an utter inconvenience this was, and how horrible hungry she was. Kazuha had not elicited a single word as she followed Heiji's trek around the room with her worried, green eyes. He had been unable to sit still for more than two minutes. Somewhere among the chaos, Ran had lost track of Conan.
"Ran-chan."
The familiar voice of the only female officer in division one reached her. Ran looked up with a smile as she spotted Sato making a path towards them.
"Detective Sato, you haven't seen Conan-kun anywhere by any chance?"
The question made the short-haired woman pause. It was clearly not the inquiry she had expected. She scratched her chin as a thoughtful expression flickered over her face. "Ehm," she articulated. "I think I saw him in the women's bathroom." Her smile was hesitant, looking almost guilty as she regarded the teen.
Confusion filled Ran's head with a haze. What is he doing in the women's bathroom? She shook her head slightly. Clearly she had to talk to him about boundaries. If he had to go to the loo, he should have told her. Next to her, Sonoko snorted as she straightened slightly.
"That brat. Can't even read the Kanji for the different genders yet."
Kazuha shifted slightly, snapping out of her stupor as she turned towards them. "Actually," she started, a blush crept up from her neck. "I was in the bathroom earlier, the signs for the bathrooms are in three different languages and there's this really cute cartoon."
Sonoko blinked, before chortling. "Then he's just stupid."
"Sonoko!" Ran exclaimed, quite exasperated at the way Sonoko always called her ward names. "Conon is an exceptionally bright boy," she chided. "If you always call him names, he'll think you don't like him."
Sonoko's deadpanned expression of "I don't," did not come as a surprise to her.
Ran sighed deeply, giving up on her best friend. She leaned forward, settling an elbow on the table and rested her head on the palm of her hand.
Kazuha glared at Sonoko. "He's just a child, why do you have to be so rude?"
Sonoko glanced at the Kansai-ben speaker with a confused expression. She sat up slowly and put her hands up slightly. "It's not like I dislike him or anything. He's just-," she hesitated. A haze of uncertainty and nervousness settled in her eyes. "Weird," she stated after several seconds of contemplation. "He makes me nervous at times," she shrugged slightly.
Kazuha did not look particularly placated, making Sonoko sigh in frustration, the heiress waved a hand slightly in dismissal as she muttered darkly. "I'll buy him a toy or something later as an apology. Happy?"
The sound of clothes rustling made Ran look away from the two girls. Amusement blossomed in her chest. She liked Kazuha better by the minute. She glanced at Sato, the same amusement shone in her face as a smile adorned her features. Her smile sharpened into a grin as they shared a look. Ran mirrored her expression.
Conan suddenly popped up in her vision over Sato's shoulder. He zoomed in on the table with the four employees and started waving his arm and saying something to the male barista. She could not tell his expression from the distance, but she assumed he was wearing the usual amused confusion when talking to an over-intelligent seven-year-old boy. Ran smiled warmly to herself.
Edogawa Conan had popped into her life and squirmed into her heart faster than she had anticipated. She adored him greatly. She had never imagined having a little brother – someone to take care of, would change her and her father's life so drastically. Kogorou seemed to have cleaned up his act now that he had to support another child. Conan seemed to look up the older detective as well.
Her musing was cut short a few moments later as Heiji popped up next to their table. He was now wearing a cap, the brim pressed down into his face. His jade-coloured eyes gleamed with excitement as he peered down at Sonoko.
Sonoko shot him an annoyed expresson. Her shackles raising slightly from the competitive glare the teen was giving her. He had previously tried to drag her into the crime scene to see who could solve the crime first, but Sonoko had blatantly refused. Heiji had earned a slap to the face as a reward for his persistence.
A large grin spread across his features. His voice filled with anticipation and gleefulness as he stated with a booming voice. "I figured out the trick! I know who the killer is."
Sato twirled around in surprise, eyeing Heiji with renew interest. "Who are you?"
Heiji glanced at her, his grin still plastered on his face as he exclaimed proudly. "Hattori Heiji, Im a detective." Before anyone could react, he had grabbed Sonoko's arm and dragged her half across the room in the direction of the four employees. Sonoko's protest and kicks fell on deaf ears.
Kazuha jumped out of her chair, shouting her childhood's name as she followed with quick feet.
Ran and Sato stared after them in disbelief. They shared another look. Twin expression of 'did we accidently walk into a zoo somewhere?' shone in their faces. Ran stood, worry for Sonoko flushing through her.
By the time she reached them, Heiji had planted himself in front of the table. A large, red mark glowed slightly on his cheek. He was no longer attached to Sonoko, as Kazuha was now hissing angrily as she kept herself between the heiress and the detective.
Conan glanced up at them in confusion. He sought Ran with queried eyes. Something dark flickered through his cerulean eyes and she dropped her gaze uncomfortable. Sonoko was right, sometimes the child could be unnerving.
She shook her head slightly to liberate herself from the thought. Conan had been through so much in his short life. Some nights she could not sleep thinking about it. Found in the streets at the age of five, kidnapped at seven. Who knew what had happened to them before hand? Some evenings she just wanted to hug him, but he would rarely let her. Everyone else seems to keep him at an arm's distance. Not her though. She refused to let him think he was unwelcomed. She was more intrigued than nervous, he reminded her slightly of that person she had met a few months prior. They shared the same aura.
Her thoughts were cut short as Heiji started to talk. His voice wavered slightly as the bruise from earlier started to swell on his cheek.
"Let us reintroduce ourselves. This is the Deduction Queen, Suzuki Sonoko," he waved a hand in the direction of the mentioned girl.
Sonoko's eyes narrowed in fury. Her hand shook slightly as if she looked ready to either murder the teen or run away.
Ran hurried to stand next to her. She grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Sonoko's anger drained slightly as she glanced at her childhood friend. A thankful look flickered over her face as she squeezed back. The entire situation seems to make her anxious. Ran could understand it perfectly.
The waitress from earlier glanced around nervously, before settling on the teens in front of her. She squirmed slightly and folded her hands. "I'm Annette Bjørnvik. I'm the head leader of the personnel and the co-owner, as well as a waitress. I arrived together with Erik and Fredrik after 9 am. I never entered either kitchens. Thomas dislikes being disturbed when he's cooking." When she spoke, it was still soft and impeccable. No sign of any accent whatsoever. It still surprised Ran that she was speaking fluently Japanese, looking like a sore thumb. One needed no more than half a glance to see that she was definitely not of Asian descent.
"I Erik Henrikson. I second chef," said the man sitting next to her. His voice was thick with a foreign accent. Drops of sweat trickled down his forehead as he looked severally constipated. Strands of red hair plastered on his forehead. He opened his mouth a few times, gurgling at some half-words before he leant towards the waitress. He mumbled something quick. The tones wavered up and down in what Ran could only describe as singing. A flush crept up from her neck.
Annette listened to him silently. She put a hand over his wrist and nodded. She turned towards them. "He said he went directly to his own part of the kitchen upon arriving, he did not greet Thomas," she licked her lips nervously. Something unreadable flickered in her eyes. "We have two separate kitchen. One for slow-cooking and one for easily prepared food. Erik is responsible for the latter today, Thomas got in early to prepare a Norwegian dish called 'Lapskaus' for tonight. The beginning of every month we serve traditional food from our home." She started to shake. Tears accumulated in her eyes and started to fall. The red-head next to her took an arm around her and started to hush softly. Annette burrowed her face into his chest, clutching on his uniform with clawed hands.
Ran evaded her gaze, a heavy feeling in her stomach. It never stopped upsetting her whenever someone was killed. What if it was someone she knew next time? She would not be able to bear it.
Sensing her distress, Conan shifted to stand next to her. He was glancing up at her with an unreadable expression. He reached up to yank at her cuffs.
She immediately lowered down to meet him at eye level. Before she could ask, he queried with a soft voice.
"What's wrong Ran-neechan? Why are you crying?" His face lifted slightly as he regarded her. From somewhere, light reflected from his glasses, leaving his eyes hidden from view. But she knew, without
t any doubt, that his attention was solely on her. A shiver ran down her spine.
She reached her hand up to her chin, only then noticing that she had been crying. She chortled slightly at herself. Lifting up her free arm, she wiped the tears on the fabric. "I'm alright Conon-kun. I guess I was just thinking how horrible it would be to be in their shoes."
The boy went very still next to her. His little hand twitched slightly, before letting go of her cuffs. The glare from the glasses vanished, leaving her with full access to the expression shining in his eyes.
She blinked in surprise. Her heart clenched slightly at the utter disbelief and befuddlement in those cerulean orbs. Her breath hitched as she contemplated the meaning. Why had her statement confused him so? Could he not believe her compassion? What could possibly have happened to him to someone so young to give that stricken look?
His face shut down a minute later. His eyes turned unreadable and dark. His eyes narrowed slightly as a cold calculative look gleamed in his eyes.
Ran's heart contracted once more. "Oh, Conan-kun," she mumbled and embraced him. She could feel the small body tense in surprise. He twitched slightly in discomfort, starting to pat her arm uncertain as to what to do after a few moments have passed. She vowed to hug him more often from here on out.
In the meantime, the previous conversation had continued.
Fredrick's story matched the previous two. He had met them at outside the café and entered the building together. He too, was speaking Japanese fluently. His hair was a shade darker and his eyes a murky brown, indicating that he was possibly of half-Scandinavian half-Japanese descent.
The last of the four was the barista, Kino Ryushi. The only Japanese working in the cafe. His hair was dark brown. He had arrived first after the victim to start up the coffee machines. They needed a few minutes to heat up and boil fresh water. He was currently the main suspect.
Heiji waved the accusation away and told everyone to join him in the kitchen.
Ran disentangled herself from Conan when he started to squirm, clearly wanting to join the others. She did not like his obsession with crime scenes, but the point had turned moot weeks ago as they had happened to cross paths with murders everywhere they went. It was disconcerting to say the least. Had they been cursed by something supernatural? Her stomach dropped, and a cold shiver went down her spine from the thought. It was a scary idea. Logically, she knew the supernatural, and ghosts and vampires did not exist. Regardless of that, she could not help being scared of the 'what if''s. Her karate could do nothing to protect her.
Ran snapped out of her thoughts as the noticed she was alone. She blinked in confusion. Had she been so caught up in her thoughts she had not noticed everyone leaving without her? She picked herself up from the floor and hurried after them.
They were all in the adjacent kitchen from the crime scene, the two room separated by a wall. The rooms were pretty much identical, except this one was a mess. Several pans, pots and ingredients were scattered across the benches. They had been forgotten about in the chaos.
She focused on the people and motions in the room. Heiji had acquired a rope at one point. He was currently attaching one end to a large pot on the stove. It looped in an intricate pattern around Takagi, whom looked very uncomfortable.
Every now and again, the teen detective glanced at Sonoko. Said girl had her arms crossed as she glared into the room. Kazuha fluttered nervously next to her, not letting her eyes off the eccentric boy.
Conan looked up at her from his spot next to the doorway.
Ran stopped behind him. She looked upon the room with amused curiosity as Heiji started to balance on a chair, his hands sticking into the air-fan in the ceiling, attached the rope to the large blades.
Ran leaned slightly over as she whispered to Conan. "What is he doing with the rope?"
The boy's eyes slowly dragged away from the scene to regard her. A slight annoyance flickered in his eyes, making her frown in confusion. It not seem as if it was her he was irked at.
"They found ropes in the ceiling-fans in the adjacent room," he replied, his voice dark as his head turned back to observe Heiji, his jaw clenched slightly. "Heiji-niisan is trying to reconstruct the crime scene."
For some reason, the word 'trying to' echoed in her head. She blinked slightly in confusion once more, staring at the boy with wide eyes. Something chimed wrongly, but she could not put her finger on it.
"Alright, Officer Tamaki –"
"Takagi," Sayo corrected hurriedly. Her voice a mixture of curiosity, confusion and exasperation. She folded her arms and eyed the teen with sharp eyes.
Heiji blinked, before his features smoothed out. "Right, sorry," he coughed and continue with a louder voice as if the interruption had not happened. "Officer Takagi, rest your weight on the rope. Don't worry, it'll hold you."
Takagi did not look remotely reassured. His eyes were wide, slightly panicked as he eyed the teen detective. Heiji's grin matched the cat who hate the canary. His jade eyes gleamed darkly under the shadow of his cap.
Takagi searched Megure's expression for advice on how to proceed. The head investigator squirmed slightly on the spot, uncertainty reading clear in his features. His moustache vibrated as he sighed. He waved a hand to either give permission or just as a 'do whatever you want'. The meaning was ambiguous. One should think they were used to eccentric detectives by now, having to deal with the 'Sleeping Kogorou' and the Deduction Queen on a regular basis.
The poor officer wrapped in ropes still looked nervous and uncertain. Ran's heart went to him. She did not imagine she could have trusted a stranger just like that.
Seeming to make up his mind, Takagi closed his eyes and relaxed. His body wobbled forwards. The ropes tightened slightly around him, and the pot jumped, but did not fall over. It must have been filled with something to keep its weight. Takagi's eyes opened up on surprise. His breath came out in short breath as he exclaimed in exhilaration – and relief. "I didn't fall! It can keep my weight up."
Excitement swelled in the room between the inhabitants. Heiji ducked his head and grinned. A flush crept up from his collar. He turned to sought out Sonoko's eyes as his grin sharpened in triumph. Sensing his intention, Sonoko's smile dropped from her lips. They tightened slightly as she looked away.
"This is all interesting and everything," Sato interrupted. She looked to be fighting several expressions mixed between excitement, calculative and sceptic. A hand fell on her hips as she regarded the display.
Heiji turned away from his staring contest with Sonoko. He grasped the brim of his cap and pushed it further down his face. Ran swore he looked slightly hungry for the conclusion of the crime.
"Someone turn on the fan."
As a collective consciousness, everyone turned towards the inconspicuous button by the door. Several eyed it as it if would bit them.
Ran glanced down at Conan. Instead of looking at the switch, he was staring at Heiji with a fascinated expression. Something dark flickered in his cerulean eyes. It shut down a second later as he noticed – or more accurately felt, Ran's gaze. His expression morphed into that of a child's. Round eyes filled with childish curiosity, leaving Ran uncertain as to whether she had been imagining the previous look.
Someone reached out and clicked the switch. Almost immediately, the little room was filled with sounds as the fan started to hum. The rope tightened. And the pot tipped forwards. Takagi, who had been relying on the pot to stand up, wobbled backwards as the rope disappeared from underneath him. He tipped backwards, the pot falling with him. The room clang with metal as the pot hit the floor. Cold water splashed out, drenching the fallen officer to the bone. The rope coiled and disappeared into the vent as the rotating blades tangled it around the machine.
The room was completely silent for a full thirty seconds. Everyone looked upon the display with shock, trying to digest what had just happened. Someone murmured something that sounded like 'awesome'.
Heiji looked smug.
The magic ended as Sato finally got her bearing back and stepped forwards. Her voice thick with mirth as she leaned over her partner. She looked like she could not decide whether to laugh or be worried. "Takagi-kun, are you alright?"
The soaked man gaped up at her, his mind still not completely back on track. He nodded just as someone called out. "Someone get him a towel." An officer by the door slipped out of the room. He came back a few moments later with several towels. That cleared up, all eyes turned towards Heiji, begging for an explanation.
The mentioned teen's eyes shone with triumph. "The culprit executed this trick easily. The fans in both kitchen is controlled from this switch." He pointed towards it.
Once again, all heads turned towards the spot – except for a seven-year-old boy who did not relinquish his gaze on the tan detective.
"The only one who could have accomplished this plan is you," he pointed at the chef.
Heads snapped in the direction. Ran felt whiplashed. Her neck aching from the abrupt movements.
Annette flinched away. Her eyes grew large as she regarded her companion. Her eyes started to shake as she mumbled, "Nei, nei."
Erik looked back and forward, looking dazed and confused. Seeming to not understand the situation. He reached out to grab her shoulder, but she recoiled. His arms fell slack to his sides as he looked desperately around for an explanation.
Fredrick took piety on him and leaned forward to say something in that singing language. Erik paled and started to shake his head. "Nej, Nej." He then switched over to Japanese to stutter. "Not me."
Ran's heart dropped. She was relieved the culprit had been caught, but the man looked so confused and heartbroken. Committing a crime in a different country where you did not speak the language? He would be swallowed up whole by the justice system.
Heiji's smile turned possibly feral. "He's the culprit, the only one who could have had the opportunity to commit the crime. He was alone in the kitchen when it happened."
Annette startled out of her sob as she looked up. "But- why would he? Erick has no motive to kill Thomas. He had been picked out as his apprentice. He was like a father to him."
Heiji shrugged with one shoulder. "Resentment against being dragged into a foreign country? Wanting to be the head chef? You ask him."
Annette's eyes watered with angry tears. She took a step towards Erik and grabbed his hand, hissing like a protective mother cat to the police officer who stepped forward to handcuff the man. "That's not true. Erik is my fiancée. I was the one who asked him to come. If it's someone he should be resenting, it's me!"
Erik blinked in confusion, looking back and forwards between the two. Sensing his fiancé's distress and anger, he squeezed her hand.
Ran curled a finger around her chin. Why would he commit a murder that was bound to be pointed in his direction? He clearly loved Annette. Something felt wrong to her, but she could not pin point what. She felt rather than saw Conan step back to hide behind her feet.
Suddenly, Sonoko swayed backwards. Her back hit the wall behind her and she slid down onto the ground. Her head flopped forward, shadowing the lower part of her face. Before Ran could turn around and ask what was wrong, her friend spoke.
"That's a brilliant deduction, Hattori Heiji – detective of the west."
Heiji turned towards her. A pleased expression on his face. "Seems like I win –"
"Too bad it's wrong."
…