Alright, this chapter took a while to come together. I had a hard time expressing some of the details, but I think it turned out well in the end. Thank you thank you thank you to every one of you that reads, reviews, +story alerts, or favorites this story. Words cannot express how greatly I appreciate the support. If any of you have your own Detective Conan fanfictions, feel free to let me know, and I'd love to read, review, and support all of you as well!
Jodie stopped for a moment to regard the charred remains before her, a shattered memory of the building that had once stood there. This was the address the fire department had given her, the Mokubasou Apartment Building – the site where it had been found, relatively undamaged after being consumed by the flames. What did all of this mean?
Jodie closed her eyes, reflecting on the odd events that had brought her to this building.
"We don't normally do this," the man behind the front desk at the Fire Department Headquarters had said to Jodie. "So many items get left behind in burned buildings, and they're usually burned beyond repair, so the original owners don't even want them back."
Jodie had nodded slowly, convinced the entire situation had to be a mistake. The man turned from Jodie and began perusing a collection of square plastic containers stacked behind his desk. He selected one container, marked "Mokubasou at Beika City, 2nd District, #23", and turned back toward Jodie, placing the container on the front desk.
"But every now and then," he continued, popping the lid off of the container, "some of the previous residents ask us to retrieve a few of their valuables." The man began digging through the container, filled with model cars dirtied by ash. "This kid who lived in the building," he reflected with a smile, "asked us to get his model cars back to him."
"They collected the cars easily enough," he recalled, "and then one of the boys found…" The man pulled a golden, heart-shaped locket on a gold chain from the container. "This piece of jewelry!" he exclaimed excitedly.
Jodie regarded the locket with wide eyes.
"It appears to be pretty valuable," the man continued, "so we asked the landlord if any of his tenants were missing it. He said they had not said anything, so the boys were perplexed about what to do with this." The man paused to open the locket, revealing a charred photograph of Jodie within. "But when they showed it to me," the man announced proudly, "one look at those fine foreign features and I knew this was my son's old English teacher, Jodie Starling." He beamed at Jodie from behind the desk. "I got your contact info from the school, and here we are!"
Jodie remained silent and motionless for a moment, taking in the information. Then slowly, she reached out and took the locket from the man's outstretched hand. She traced her fingers along its grooves, feeling for the engraving – there. Jodie turned the locket over to examine the engraved letters. They read: "Forever yours, Jodie". Jodie nearly dropped the locket. It was the same. The same one she had given him, so many years ago. Shuu… She covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to take everything in.
She struggled to compose herself. "Did- Did this belong to one of the tenants?" she finally asked.
The man drew his breath apologetically through clenched teeth. "We don't really know," he confessed. "But surely you remember the lucky man to whom you gave that…?" The man smiled slyly. "Unless, of course, you have a string of broken-hearted men, all bearing these lockets as painful reminders…" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Jodie blushed involuntarily. "N-no," she stammered. "I know to whom this belongs. It's just…" Jodie paused, and then turned quickly to face the man. "Would I be able to acquire the contact information for the previous tenants?"
The man looked taken aback. "Er, no," he answered. "I'm afraid we can't reveal information like that…"
Jodie shook her head, coming back to her senses. "No, of course not," she agreed. "Would you tell me the address of the building where this locket was found?"
The man nodded. He jotted an address down on a slip of paper and handed it to Jodie. "There you are," he said. Below the address was the man's phone number. "If you don't find your man, maybe you could give me a call," he offered smoothly.
Jodie backed away from the front desk slowly. "Okay!" she said in English, an enthusiastic look plastered on her face to mask the repulsion within. "Thank you for your time." Jodie had then turned and left the Fire Department Headquarters, made her way to her car, and driven to the site of the burned-down Mokubasou apartment building.
Jodie opened her eyes, once more regarding the charred building before her. She silently wondered why she had bothered coming here. What had she expected to find? In the end, it was just a burned building. If Shuu had been there… If he had been the one who left behind the locket, he was not here anymore. It was just an abandoned building.
She glanced down at the locket in her hand. How long… How long ago had she given this to him? Jodie once again unclasped the golden heart with a flick of her thumb. Too long… So many years ago, the memories themselves dull and grey, faded from the passage of time. But they would never fade completely – the memories, her feelings, even this cheap locket – so she would never forget that it had been real.
It had been real. He had been real. There was no question in her mind. The memories, though dull, nevertheless persisted as indisputable truths. But the truths of the present were so much more…obscure… It was all a dizzying array of surrealism in which the line between reality and fiction was blurred, truth and fantasy dancing in and out of each realm.
Akai Shuichi was dead. She had personally given Conan's phone to the police. The fingerprints matched. It was indisputable proof. Truth. Reality. And yet she could not bring herself to accept it. Something within her believed, or maybe just wished, he was still alive.
But then she had seen him, at the bank and the shopping mall. It was not just fantasy. He had physically been there. But… She could not accept that either. That man… She wanted to believe it was him, but something in her heart rejected that idea as well. But that written message she found in the shopping mall… Not one element of reality corroborated the idea that Shuichi had written it, but her mind nevertheless clung to that thought with unwavering conviction.
She knew. There was no question. But everything she knew was contrary to the perceived reality. So what was the true illusion? Had reality been obscured, or were the convictions of her mind nothing but delusion? Delusion, brought on by grief over the loss of a loved one. It was an easy explanation. Everything could be resolved with easy explanations. But Jodie rejected them. They were all wrong. All…wrong.
No, Jodie told herself. Focus on the truth. Jodie returned her attention to the locket in her hand. The locket was real. She had given it to Shuichi, many years ago. It had been found in the ruins of this burned building.
Suddenly, a young boy emerged from behind a pile of wreckage on the left side of the building, interrupting Jodie's introspection. He stared intently at the ground, idly circling around the front of the house. He appeared to be searching for something, but without success. He sighed, glancing casually around the house. His eyes passed leisurely over the building's remains, and then quickly darted toward Jodie. The boy, startled, froze on the spot.
Jodie, similarly startled by the boy's sudden appearance, paused a moment before speaking. "Hi!" she finally offered congenially. "My name is Jodie. What's yours?"
The boy studied Jodie, a puzzled look on his face. "Sugiura Kaito," he mumbled quietly.
"Kaito-kun," Jodie continued, "what are you doing in a place like this? Are your parents nearby?"
The boy suddenly smiled. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "You're the obasan from the locket!"
Jodie inhaled sharply. "W-What?" she stammered.
"The red guy," Kaito explained, "He had this heart locket with your picture inside. I saw him looking at it every day."
Jodie slowly edged closer to the boy. "Red…guy?" she repeated curiously.
Kaito nodded. "Like a fire truck!" he exclaimed, "because he watered the flowers every day. I asked if you were his girlfriend, but he said that he hurt you, so he needed to fade from your memory so you could find happiness again." The boy scratched his head absentmindedly. "Though I'm not sure I understand," he confessed. "My mom and dad are always happy when they're together, so wouldn't he make you happier if you two were together?"
Jodie knelt down in front of Kaito, her eyes wide. "That… red guy," she prompted anxiously, "do you know where he is?"
Kaito shook his head. "He used to live here with me, my parents, and the other tenants, but I haven't seen him since the house burned down…" The boy despondently surveyed the area. "My dad tells me not to play here, but… it feels like it's still my home."
Jodie placed her hand on the boy's shoulder sympathetically. "Can I walk you home so your dad doesn't have to worry?" she asked sweetly.
Kaito nodded. He reached out to grasp Jodie's hand and began to lead her down the street. "It's not very far," he assured her.
Jodie nodded, pondering Kaito's "red guy". Could it have been Shuu? The "red guy" was a man who had been in possession of the locket she had given to Akai Shuichi, but that did not necessarily mean the two were one and the same. And would Shuichi have really kept the locket for so long? She had assumed he'd thrown it away long ago, when he had ended their relationship.
Would not the "red guy" then simply be another man who had acquired it? Perhaps he found it, or purchased it, or perhaps it had passed through the hands of many owners, serving as a silly, useless trinket. But… Jodie flipped open the locket. Then why did her picture remain inside?
Was it her picture the "red guy" had continually looked at? And was she the one whose memory he wished to fade from? Would… Would Shuichi really feel that way? He had always seemed so cold. It was to be expected, of course. He had fallen in love with another woman, who was subsequently killed for her involvement with him. Such an experience would surely poison him against any sort of relationship.
But could the "red guy" be Shuichi? Could he really be alive, and was she really so close to finding him? It was all almost too good to be true…
"We're here," Kaito announced, releasing Jodie's hand. He stepped toward the door and turned to face Jodie. "Thank you, Jodie-san," he said graciously.
Jodie nodded, still lost in her thoughts.
Kaito smiled. "I hope you find him!" he suddenly remarked. "Then maybe you can kiss and make up!"
Jodie smiled uneasily. "Ah, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," she explained gently.
"You look a lot like him," Kaito added.
"Heh?" Jodie shot Kaito a puzzled look. As far as she and Shuichi were concerned, no two people could look more different…
Kaito nodded enthusiastically. "Because you both wear glasses," he explained, "and you both have light-colored hair of the same length. And you're both strong, and tall, and have a commanding presence."
Jodie felt her heart sink. The last part may have described Shuichi, but the rest was all wrong… Who was the man Kaito was describing? Who had held Shuichi's locket, with her picture inside? And why?
"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Inspector Nakamori Ginzo, folding his arms over his chest.
"Then why did I bring him here?" Suzuki Jirokichi retorted. "To watch helplessly as the jewel gets stolen?"
"A crime scene is no place for a kid," Nakamori reasoned. "This kid," he said, pointing at Conan, "will just have to amuse himself among the other spectators."
Jirokichi scoffed. "You police and your stuffy rules," he lamented. "If you really wanted to catch Kid, you would know that this kid is the best chance we have."
Nakamori eyed Jirokichi coldly. "There will be no debate on the matter," he asserted. He then turned and strode towards his men who had assembled outside the building.
"Sheesh," Jirokichi remarked as the inspector was out of earshot. He leaned over to address Conan. "I'll keep working on him, but in the meantime, let me introduce you to our devices we will be employing for the evening."
Conan nodded and followed along behind the old man. He cast a quick glance toward Ran, who walked right beside him. Ran, sensing Conan's gaze, turned toward Conan, who immediately looked away, his face flashing bright red. Conan slowly glanced back toward Ran, who, upon catching Conan's gaze, turned her face forward quickly, blush spreading across her face.
Say something! Conan commanded himself. The two had been silent the entire drive over. The tension was so palpable that he was surprised Sonoko had not noticed anything amiss before she had left them, hoping to gain access to the building. Of course, he thought wryly, she was too busy talking about meeting her Kid-sama to notice much of anything…
"Kichida-san, this is Edogawa Conan, our little thief-catcher," Jirokichi announced.
Conan shook himself from his thoughts. They now stood under a temporary tent-like structure that had been erected beside the building that would be used for the heist. A long table stretched across the space under the tent, itself covered in five computer monitors. A young woman, dressed casually and with long brown hair, stood up from her seat behind the computers.
She rendered a polite bow. "I'm Kichida Kita," she said formally in a soft voice. "Nice to meet you."
"Kichida-san," Jirokichi prompted, "would you explain the plans to Conan-kun here? I need to go talk to the inspector."
Kita nodded, biting her lip nervously.
"Alright," Jirokichi grumbled. He turned and walked briskly from the group.
"Okay, umm…" Kita began, seating herself once more in front of the computers. "It's a pretty straightforward plan," she admitted.
Conan and Ran moved closer to the monitors to watch Kita's work.
"This building used to be used for an animal testing facility," she explained, "and as such, they have several security features in place to prevent the animals from escaping."
Kita opened a blueprint image of the building. She highlighted the doors in red, revealing an immense number of them – three doors alone guarded the entrance to each room. "Each door is made from a thick sheet of steel," she continued, "so it is impossible to pass through any door without the proper clearance."
"What is the clearance?" Conan asked grimly.
Kita smiled timidly. "That's where I come in," she answered, her soft voice taking on a slightly higher volume in her enthusiasm. Kita gestured towards her various computers below the table on which the monitors stood. "This is our command center, where we will be controlling everything." Kita glanced around uncertainly. "It's just me right now, but I'll of course have Suzuki-san and Nakamori-keibu here to give the tactical orders. As soon as Kid sets foot inside the building, we will be able to trap him quite easily."
"What about the roof?" Conan asked. "The gem is on the roof, so couldn't Kid simply land on the roof and then leave without ever entering the building?"
Kita stared blankly for a moment. "Oh, of course," she finally said. "I forgot to show you…" Kita opened a window displaying a blueprint of the top of the building. "This is only a simulation, but when he lands on the roof-" Kita clicked, and on the screen, the outermost ledges of the roof, which extended in a sort of overhanging ledge around the building, began to fold upwards like a flower, enclosing the space on the roof.
"It happens far too quickly for anyone to escape," Kita continued. "I was honestly confused why an animal testing facility would come with a feature like this," Kita admitted frankly, "but then Suzuki-san told me it was mandated to maintain quarantine of the animals." Kita furrowed her brow and chewed on her thumbnail absentmindedly. "I- I guess that makes sense…" she concluded uncertainly.
Conan examined the setup, thoroughly impressed with the extensive technology. "And the system you're using to manually control the doors," Conan began, "did that come with the building too?"
Kita bit her lip again and shook her head. She then turned and began rummaging through a purse at her feet. She drew a card from within and held it to her chest.
"The building came with the doors controlled locally by entering codes into them," she explained, "but Jirokichi-san wanted them all controlled in one central location, so he hired us…" She handed the card from her purse to Conan. "We are the most widely acclaimed security research and installment corporation in the Kanto region." Kita glanced apprehensively toward the computers, seeming to gain confidence as she continued. "This particular system is actually my own design, so the big boys at the corporation let a silly little computer programmer like me come down for this job." Kita's timid smile grew. "It-it's exciting, isn't it?"
Conan nodded slowly, going over the details in his head.
"Would it be possible for Kid to override your controls?" Ran asked.
Kita shook her head. "As a security corporation, we have access to some of the best guards against corruption. It would be nearly impossible for an outside source to gain control." Suddenly, Kita straightened up. "Ah, Nakamori-keib-"
Conan felt himself lifted off the ground. "This kid is not going near that gem," Nakamori asserted, "no matter how badly you want him up there."
Jirokichi grumbled to himself, but said no more on the subject. Nakamori, followed closely by Ran, carried Conan away from the group and toward the fence keeping the numerous spectators away from the center of operation. He set him down gently and knelt to address him.
"We really appreciate your enthusiasm, kid," he confessed, "but this situation is much too dangerous for a child, no matter how smart you are. We'll let you stay on this side of the fence, but for tonight, just stay here with Mouri-san and be a kid for a change, alright?"
Conan glanced around to make sure their conversation was private. "Kaitou Kid does not harm anyone," Conan stated flatly, "so Nakamori-keibu would not be afraid of that. This leads me to ask: how much do you really know about tonight, Kid-san?"
Klette290595, Haha, yes. That would be ideal, wouldn't it?
Pu7o, Sorry! You misunderstand. Schnapps doesn't know who Kudo Shinichi is either. He got the name from the message he was reading, forwarded to him by Bourbon. Shinichi's name only came up because the Information Branch is conducting a full audit of the system, and Shinichi's death has been confirmed, but it has two outstanding issues: the police did not report the discovery of a corpse in the area, and Sherry was the one who confirmed the death. So they sent that file, among many, to Bourbon's department for verification. But I'm glad you liked the reference to the London arc! Since this is my attempt at the ending of the story, I have to keep it current! :)
Out-Of-Control-Authoress, I know! I loved Shinichi's confession. Still not straightforward enough though… As far as the important thing to Ai goes, I had a really hard time coming up with it, and I'm still not very happy with it, so maybe your idea is better…? Only if you want to tell me, of course. I'd welcome and give full credit for your input though!
Chelseaj500, Haha, in Detective Conan, EVERYONE is suspicious! XD
Miruial , Yup yup, lots of trouble brewing on the horizon! Thanks for mentioning Heiji; I really need to bring him to Tokyo soon. I have a bunch of stuff I want him to do, but he needs a good reason to come over all the way from Osaka, lol.
Gamer AlchemistZ, Thank you so much!
Mirai M. Mieux, Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words. Welcome to the story!
AngelOfTheHealingLight , Awwww thank you! That really means a lot to me. I respond to everyone because I am SO deeply thankful, I feel like this is the least I can do! I loved your oneshot, by the way. Let me know if you write any more Detective Conan fics, and I'll be sure to read them!
bubblyangel101, Thank you so much for your extensive comment. I actually read your review immediately after I wrote the segment with Jodie, so I literally laughed out loud at the irony. While I try not to reveal too much of the plot so that you can all enjoy the mystery, I am sensing that you uphold Detective Conan canon as devoutly as I do, so I would like to put your mind at ease. I came to a similar conclusion when Subaru-san was introduced in the manga, and I have planned my story with this in mind. I am a HUGE Detective Conan fan, so I am striving to make everything as plausibly canon as possible. I want this to be an ending that could really fit the story. Once again, thank you so much for your input. It is always welcome, but thankfully, in this case, I have been in full agreement with you from the beginning. In chapter 9, some of the things Conan says to Haibara give a pretty clear indication of Subaru's intent, and Conan's knowledge of it. And of course, this chapter has the Jodie segment. Hope it is all to your liking! Let me know if something else comes up in which I am straying from canon. Otherwise, it's great to hear that someone shares my opinion of Subaru!