Apologies for the wait! I'll spare you the details and simply say I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a longer one.

The Red Oni of Uji: The Suspicion

Furukawa Daichi was dead. The glassy eyes and frozen-in-pain expression said as much. Ran clutched at Shinichi's shirt, burying her face against his chest to hide from the gruesome sight. He absently wrapped his arm around her, but his gaze remained fixed on the slumped figure half-fallen out of the car. The knife in Furukawa's back looked like an ordinary kitchen one. Blood pooled from the wound, scattering in red splotches on the gravel.

"Ran," he said, gently holding her back from him. "I'm going to take a closer look. I need to check on the driver. You've got your cell phone on you, right? Call the police and let them know what happened."

She nodded, though her face was still sheet-white. It seemed she would never get used to seeing dead bodies. He wasn't sure which was better: being desensitised like him or still being able to feel the shock and horror of confronting murder.

Shinichi left her to make the phone call and moved to the right-hand side of the car. The airbag had deployed, so the driver's face was hidden. The short black hair and suit indicated a male. Shinichi could not see any knife wounds, but then he could not tell if the man was breathing either. Frowning, he covered his hand with a handkerchief and pulled open the door. He was just about to check the man's pulse when the sound of running footsteps and someone calling his name made him pause. It was Hattori and Kazuha, followed closely by Kid and the gardener.

"We heard the crash," Hattori said by way of greeting, skidding to a halt. "What happened?" He swore when he spotted Furukawa's body.

"Good timing," Shinichi said, sparing the other detective a glance. "Get some photos before any more people turn up. I don't want the scene compromised."

Hattori didn't argue and pulled out his phone and started taking pictures. Kazuha stood anxiously beside Ran, who was having trouble getting reception on her phone. Meanwhile, Kid was trying to calm down the gardener. Uehara had gone into a panic the moment he'd seen his master's knifed body, babbling something about demons and curses. He only got worse when he noticed the person in the driver's seat.

"Nao!" Uehara exclaimed. He tried to run forward, but Kid held him back.

"It's best if you don't get any closer, Uehara-san," Kid said firmly. "Shinichi-niichan will check on your friend."

Uehara's gaze was still wild with anxiety, but Kid's air of calm seemed to have an effect. The gardener's shoulders slumped. "Is Nao alright?"

Shinichi placed two fingers against the man's neck. A pulse greeted his fingertips. "He's alive," Shinichi confirmed. "Probably just got knocked out when the car crashed and the airbag deployed."

Uehara sighed in relief. Kid, on the other hand, furrowed his brow. Shinichi thought he could guess what the thief was thinking. Why had the murderer left the driver alive?

Dismissing the matter for now, Shinichi turned to Uehara. "Help me get him out. I didn't notice any injuries, but I won't know for sure until I can check him properly. Just try not to touch anything else."

Uehara nodded and walked over to help Shinichi lift the unconscious driver out of the car. Fortunately, the man—Nao, as Uehara had called him—had a slim build and was easy to carry.

"Shinichi, I can't get any reception," Ran complained.

He cursed under his breath. "Must be the mountains," he muttered, shifting his grip to lower Nao to the ground, even as Uehara lowered his legs. "There'll be a landline at the mansion, so—"

Uehara let out a strangled yell. Kazuha screamed a second later, joined in chorus by Ran, who had gone chalk white. Shinichi whipped his head round to follow the girl's line of sight, gazing across the bridge to the front gate. His eyes widened. There was a woman standing on the far end of the bridge: a woman with vermilion red skin and her hair twisted into five horns. Kid was the closest to the demon-like figure, having been kneeling on the bridge to examine something.

"Conan-kun, get away from her!" Ran cried, making a dash for the boy.

Even terrified, Ran only thought of protecting others above herself. It was admirable; however, Kid just threw out his hand in a gesture for her to stop, not even glancing back at the girl.

"Keep off the bridge!" he ordered, his voice far sharper than was warranted from a first grader, even if he was pretending to be Haibara.

Shinichi realised why a split-second later. There was a faint beeping noise, followed by a deep, bone-resonating boom. Flames gushed into the air, swallowing the bridge in a cloud of burning orange.

"Conan-kun!" Shinichi shouted, remembering at the last second to use the fake name.

The smaller boy emerged from the flames, soaring backwards through the air as if thrown from the impact of the explosion. He hit the ground, rolling a few times before planting his palm against the gravel and pushing himself up onto one hand. A soccer ball appeared a split-second later. Kid kicked it hard while he was still in mid-air, moving in a fluid motion to land back on his feet even as the expanding ball went flying just as a second bomb went off. This explosion was bigger, ripping the bridge apart into chunks of wood; however, the flames and ricocheting bits of debris were stopped by the now giant soccer ball that acted like a wall to take the brunt of the impact.

"Wow," Kazuha breathed from next to Shinichi.

Wow was about right. Kid had just pulled off an amazing kick, not to mention protected most of the crime scene from the explosion. Not that the thief in question seemed to care. He just slumped a bit, breathing hard, and watched the soccer ball deflate in a hiss of air. The black and white material folded in on itself, still flickering with tiny flames. Shinichi saw that the bridge had been destroyed; a gaping chasm remained where it had stood. There was no sign of the red oni.

"Conan-kun!" Ran rushed to Kid and pulled him into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"Can't breathe," Kid gasped, trying to wriggle out of her boa constrictor-like grip.

Ran quickly released him, but then she spotted the crimson trickling down his forehead and let out a cry of dismay. "You're bleeding!"

Kid tried to fend her off, assuring her that he was fine. It was just a scratch. Ran was not to be appeased and kept fussing over him, making little clucking sounds whenever she spotted new scrapes or found reddened patches of skin where he'd got burnt. She was just ordering him to come back with her to the house so she could fix him up when Kogoro and Ichirou joined the group. Both men looked out of breath.

"What happened?" Kogoro demanded.

Shinichi filled him in, making sure to keep an eye on Ichirou. He was curious to see the man's reaction. Ichirou certainly went pale when he discovered that his father had been murdered; however, he was more concerned with the fact that the bridge had been destroyed. Especially since the so-called red oni, otherwise known as Hashihime, had appeared moments before the explosions had started.

"Why would Hashihime want to blow up the bridge?" Ichirou asked, pushing his glasses up his nose into a more secure position. "She's an oni."

Shinichi decided not to point out that the woman they had seen was unlikely to have been Hashihime, let alone an oni. Instead, he explained that the murderer probably wanted to make sure no one could escape.

"If the murderer really is following the legend, your father is meant to be the first victim," he said, glancing at Furukawa Daichi's body. "Hashihime also killed her husband's lover, along with all of his relatives."

Ichirou swallowed audibly. "You can't be serious."

"Afraid so," Hattori said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Blowing up the bridge means no one can leave, but it also means no one can get in without a helicopter, including the police. It's a standard tactic for this kind of scenario."

What colour left in Ichirou's cheeks drained away. "What do you mean 'this kind of scenario'? And why the hell are you being so calm about this? My father just got murdered, and it sounds like you're saying my family and I are going to be next!"

Shinichi and Hattori exchanged a glance. They couldn't very well explain that this wasn't the first time they'd been trapped at a mansion while a killer was on the loose. Sure, it was awful, but panicking didn't solve anything. Kogoro seemed to have missed the detective memo, though, because he jerked as if zapped.

"Ayano-chan!" Kogoro exclaimed.

He looked ready to bolt to go check on the pretty woman who had caught his fancy, so Shinichi suggested that Kogoro should take Ran, Kazuha and Ichirou with him to round everyone up at the mansion into one room. It would be safer for them to stick together, and the police still needed to be informed. Plus, the Furukawa family and their retainers would all have to be questioned at some point. This would just make it easier.

Kogoro couldn't argue with this logic, even if he didn't look pleased at being ordered around by the "detective boy", as he liked to call Shinichi. He did soften enough to tell Shinichi and Hattori to be careful, and to make sure that the freeloader brat didn't get into any further trouble.

"Conan-kun is coming with me," Ran said, gripping Kid's shoulder. "He needs first-aid."

"Actually, I thought I could help him with that," Shinichi said, flashing a disarming smile. "I need to ask him some questions anyway."

"That's right," Kid chirped, seizing the chance to escape. "Don't worry, Ran-neechan. Shinichi-niichan will take good care of me."

She folded her arms across her chest, giving Shinichi a hard look. "You had better."

"He'll be fine," Shinichi said, placing his hand on the small of her back and ushering her towards Kogoro. "We'll be along soon, anyway; Hattori and I just need to finish things up here."

"Don't worry, Neechan," Hattori said with a grin. "Conan-kun is safe with us."

Ran surrendered to their combined assurances, though she still looked worried. Luckily, Kazuha was there to distract her.

"You should go with them, too," Shinichi told Uehara. "Think you can carry Nao-san? It looks like he doesn't have any serious injuries, so it should be fine."

Uehara nodded. He was a burly man, so he simply scooped Nao up into his arms and followed Kogoro and the others back to the mansion. Shinichi watched the group for a moment and then turned to Kid. The thief was holding what looked like Ran's handkerchief against the cut on his forehead, using the cloth to stem the bleeding. Shinichi's mouth drooped at the corners.

"Are you really alright?" he asked. "I can take you back now if you'd prefer to get bandaged up first."

Kid waved off the concern with a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. Bit singed and bruised, but fine. Head wounds always bleed more; trust me, it's not as bad as it looks."

"Alright," Shinichi said, and then he smiled. "By the way, that was an impressive kick you pulled off earlier. I didn't know you had it in you."

Kid opened his mouth to respond, but then he paused when he noticed Hattori watching him. "I didn't know either," he said with a shrug. "Guess all those soccer games you forced me to play paid off."

It was a Haibara-ish enough answer, but the small moment of hesitation suggested that Kid had been planning to say something else. Of course, Hattori noticed the slip.

"I don't know if I'd say it was that much of a surprise," Hattori observed, his teal eyes gleaming. "You are Kudo, after all."

Kid blinked, genuinely surprised by Hattori's deduction that he was the real Kudo. Shinichi could understand. It had thrown him for a loop as well.

"There's no need to look at me like that," Hattori said, folding his arms across his chest and smirking at the both of them. "I knew something was weird when I first saw you two together. I'll admit I didn't figure it out at first because fake Kudo here—" he nodded at Shinichi "—is a pretty good actor. Still, you can't change the facts."

"Facts?" Kid echoed, raising his eyebrow. "And what would those be?"

"That injury for one," Hattori said, pointing at his forehead. "If you were really that little scientist girl, your mask would have been shredded from the cut alone, but I don't see any damage like that."

Shinichi inwardly cursed. Yes, that was true.

"Then there's the trick you pulled with the soccer ball," Hattori continued, counting the list on his fingers. "Maybe that girl does play soccer with you now and then, but I doubt she has the skill to pull off something like that. Kudo does."

Kid spread his hands. "Okay, let's say I really am Kudo-kun. Who is that supposed to be then?"

Hattori frowned and stepped close to Shinichi. Far, far too close. "That's what I'd like to know," he said, peering intently at the teen's face.

Shinichi swallowed and backed up, raising his hands in a warding gesture. "Look, this isn't what you think."

"True enough," Kid muttered.

Hattori narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between them. "Well, then why don't you explain what's going on? And don't give me that rubbish about the scientist girl dressing up as Conan, 'cause I won't believe it."

Kid shrugged. "I told you. Mitosis."

"Yeah, I'm not buying that."

"Too bad," Kid said with a saccharine smile. "It's all you're going to get."

Hattori made a frustrated sound. "Kudo, just tell me the truth!"

"But I'm not Kudo," Kid responded, sounding just a little too gleeful. He really did enjoy riling people up. "I don't have to tell you anything."

Shinichi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can see this is going to drag on for a while, so let me just say this now. Hattori, that kid isn't me. I mean he's not Kudo. Think what you will, but it is the truth." His gaze shifted to Kid. "And you, stop antagonising him."

Kid pouted a little. "Killjoy."

Shinichi just shook his head. "I'm respecting your request. Don't make me regret it."

"Fine," Kid said with an exaggerated sigh. "So, what were these questions you wanted to ask me?"

Hattori blinked and stared between the two. "Wait a minute. You're actually being serious, aren't you?"

Kid patted the detective on the arm as he walked past him. "Try not to have an aneurysm."

Shinichi threw the smaller boy a pointed look. Kid ignored the reprimand, but not because he still wanted to tease Hattori. Instead, all trace of levity vanished from his expression and he crouched in front of Furukawa's body, examining the knife wound.

"Do you know why Furukawa-san tried to leave?" Shinichi asked. "You were with him earlier." He frowned. "What happened with that, anyway? I thought you were keeping an eye on him."

"I was." Kid shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I, er, left to use the restroom and got trapped into looking at tea sets with Mariko-san on the way back. I figured it wouldn't matter since Mouri-san was still with Furukawa-san, but it turns out that moustached detective ended up getting distracted by Ayano-san. Something must have happened during that time while Furukawa-san was alone."

"About that," Hattori said, and pulled out a folded piece of paper that had been wrapped in a handkerchief. "I found this in the old guy's pocket."

Shinichi scanned the note, recognising the handwriting as belonging to the same person who had composed the twenty-one revenge notes. This time the message consisted of one word written in hiragana:

あめ

A crease formed on his brow. Since the word had not been written in its kanji equivalent, it could be interpreted as meaning sweets or rain. Neither of those struck a chord with Shinichi; however, he did notice that the paper looked far too wrinkled, as if Furukawa had crunched it in his fist as soon as he had read the note. Clearly, the word 'ame' meant something to Furukawa—enough to make him try leave the manor without his bodyguard.

"I'm not sure about the meaning of the message," Hattori admitted, but he didn't seem bothered by this fact. If anything, his eyes sparkled at the challenge of solving the clue. "I'd say the note was left to lure Furukawa-san out of the mansion, though."

Shinichi rubbed his chin in thought. Yes, that seemed the most likely theory.

Kid made a humming noise in the back of his throat. "Well, I don't know about the message, but I can say your culprit probably has some kind of background in theatre or at least experience with setting up props."

Shinichi and Hattori both turned to stare at the smaller boy. Hattori's gaze, it must be noted, was particularly intent.

"What makes you say that?" Shinichi asked.

"The Hashihime we saw was a dummy," Kid said flatly. "I was on the bridge because I spotted the wires. There was probably a remote-controlled mechanism on the other side to release the fake oni when the culprit wanted, and then the bombs would go off to blow up the bridge and take the dummy with it." He stood up, dabbing away the fresh trickle of blood on his forehead. "My guess is the oni that Uehara took a picture of last night was just from the rehearsal. The culprit wanted to make sure the trick would work."

"Makes sense," Shinichi agreed.

Hattori frowned. "If this is true, then the culprit could be anyone."

Shinichi nodded. He had been almost set on the culprit being female, but now the culprit didn't even need to have the same build as the figure in the photograph. More frustrating was the fact that any forensic tests would have to wait, since the police probably wouldn't be able to get through until the next morning now that the bridge was destroyed. It would be too dangerous trying to navigate the helicopter at night.

"It looks like we're going to have to solve this case the old-fashioned way," he observed.

"Best not waste any more time then," Hattori said, mouth curving into a grin. "Though, either way, Osaka will be taking this point."

Kid blinked at them both. "You're still planning on continuing this deduction battle thing of yours?"

"Of course!" both teens said, as if Kid was crazy to suggest otherwise.

Kid just shook his head and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "detectives". Shinichi repressed a smile. It probably did seem like he and Hattori were taking the situation too lightly, but murder had never amused Shinichi. Sure, he could admit that the more complicated a case got, the more exciting it was for him to unravel; however, that didn't mean he was going to let any more people die if he could help it. At the end of the day, he was here to stop a criminal. The deduction battle was just a harmless addition to the equation.

Not that Shinichi planned on losing.

The three boys finished collating what clues they could from the crime scene and then headed back towards the mansion. Hattori parted ways with them at the door, but not before warning that he would get to the bottom of the double Kudo mystery.

"Don't think you're going to get out of telling me the truth that easily," he told them. "As soon as I've solved the Furukawa case, I'm coming for you."

"Good luck with that," Kid responded, waving his hand in another of those dismissive gestures.

Which, of course, had only irritated the Osakan even more.

Shinichi frowned at Kid once they were alone. He wished the thief would stop baiting Hattori. It was like Kid couldn't help but egg people on if they got close to the truth, though it was true that Hattori made himself an easy target. The Osakan always had been a bit hot-headed. Well, it was no sweat off Shinichi's back; he wasn't the one who cared if Hattori found out about the switch. Besides, there was a question he was still curious to have answered—truthfully, this time—and now was the perfect opportunity.

"What were you going to say earlier?" he asked the smaller boy. "About what you did with the soccer ball, I mean."

Kid laughed. "Oh, that. Just that your body is hardwired to act with your feet. I've seen you use your hellish gadgets enough times to figure out the mechanics, so I just let instinct do its work." He shrugged. "I suppose it's a small consolation. Your hand dexterity sucks, I'll have you know. I have to re-train myself all over again just to do basic magic tricks."

Shinichi snorted. "Sorry to be such an inconvenience to your thieving ways."

"So you should be."

"But I guess this means you're not really good at soccer, are you?"

"I've always been better at rugby," Kid admitted with a cheeky glint in his eyes. "All that practice escaping tackles."

Shinichi fought back a smile. They both knew Kid was referring to his antics with the Kaitou Kid Task Force.

"Well, that's too bad," Shinichi said, shifting to a more nonchalant tone. "I would have been curious to see how you held up against me in a soccer match."

"Help me get my body back and I'll play as many games of soccer with you as you like." A pause. "Just don't expect me to play by the rules."

"Shameless cheat."

Kid flashed a grin. "It's only cheating if you get caught."

Shinichi just shook his head, though the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "Come on, let's get you fixed up. Ran will kill me if I let you walk around bleeding any longer."

Kid could find no fault with this plan, so they entered the mansion and tracked down the maid, Himura Yori, for a first-aid kit. It was not long before the smaller boy was holding still while Shinichi smoothed a bandage over his forehead. Kid's other scrapes and burns also got treated, though the fact that the thief had anticipated the explosion meant that he had been able to avoid taking any serious damage. Shinichi could only be grateful.

"Think you could try to take better care of my body?" Shinichi scolded, though his tone was light enough to show he was teasing. "It's only on loan to you, you know."

Kid pulled on a clean shirt. "Says the guy who gets himself thrown out of blimps."

"That was only once," Shinichi retorted. "Besides, you're no paragon of safety yourself. I've seen the scars."

Kid plastered on a scandalised expression. "Have you been perving on my body, Detective-kun? I'm shocked!"

Shinichi let out an undignified snort. "Don't flatter yourself. And you know what I meant."

Kid did, of course, but that didn't mean he was going to answer the unspoken question. Instead, he recommended that Shinichi put that overly-nosy, detective brain of his to better use. Like solving the Furukawa case.

"You know," Kid said dryly, "because we still don't know who killed Furukawa-san, and we both know the murderer won't stop there."

Right. Because the murderer had purposely cut them all off from the outside world—even the phone lines, as it had turned out. It was like the Magic Lover's case all over again, except this time Shinichi didn't have the flu and he was helping to keep Kid's cover.

"I was already planning to do that," Shinichi said, "but you're welcome to join me in my investigation. I'm going to go question everyone now."

Kid shrugged. "Not like I have anything better to do. Lead away, Detective-kun."

Shinichi put the first-aid kit back on the shelf and backtracked with Kid to the room where the rest of the household had been gathered. They arrived just in time to hear the dispute between Ayano and Natsumi. The black-haired beauty might have scoffed at the idea of a murderous oni, but she was not laughing now that her father had actually been killed. It also seemed that she had decided Natsumi was the culprit.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ayano said, curling her lip at the swallow-faced woman. "You've never liked any of us, and everyone knows that you and Ichirou are drowning in debt. I bet this was all an elaborate ploy to inherit the company early since Father refused to pay your loans."

"Don't be ridiculous," Natsumi said coldly. "And if we're to talk of motives, I heard all about your little affair with the accountant." A frosted smile curved her lips. "Father made you end the relationship, didn't he? I heard he even had your precious Kyo-chan fired so the two of you couldn't see each other."

Ayano's cheeks flushed. "That's hardly a reason for me to kill my own father."

"But money is?" Natsumi let out a harsh laugh. "As if I would be that stupid. My husband will inherit the company anyway; there is no need to risk imprisonment for it."

Ran moved to stand beside Shinichi. "It's been like this for a while," she murmured. "Dad let slip that the killer is probably one of them, so everyone has been on edge and blaming each other. Mariko-san is the only one who seems calm."

Shinichi glanced at the matriarch of the household. Mariko sat primly on her chair, not a hair out of place or a sign of red eyes. In fact, none of the household seemed particularly upset that Furukawa Daichi had been murdered. The man had been a tyrant, that much was certain. It made sense that his family and retainers were more concerned with not becoming a suspect themselves than with grieving.

Well, first things first. Time to establish alibis.

Kid got trapped in Ran and Kazuha's clutches, so Shinichi went alone to question the chauffeur, who had woken up and was sitting with Uehara. Nao—or Inoue Nao, as he introduced himself—was a slim man with dark hair. He looked to be somewhere between his mid to late thirties, and his features were rather effeminate. Right now, he also looked very pale and shaken.

"I still can't believe the master was murdered," Nao repeated over and over, obviously in shock. "I was right there. God, that could have been me!"

Shinichi allowed the man a moment to calm down, then got him to start his story from the beginning. Nao explained that he had been reading magazines in his room when Fujimoto arrived to tell him that the master wanted him to get the car ready. He had thought that his master had seemed more on edge than usual. Furukawa didn't even disclose where they were supposed to be going.

"I figured he would tell me once we were on the road," Nao said, and then his hands curled into fists, making his knuckles burn white. "The thing is that we never made it that far. Hashihime suddenly appeared on the bridge just before I was about to drive onto it, and I—" he swallowed "—well, I panicked and crashed into the post. I guess I got knocked out after that, because I don't remember anything else."

Shinichi kept his expression bland. "Could you tell me where the oni was standing on the bridge when she appeared in front of you?"

Nao's brow furrowed. "I can't remember exactly. She just appeared out of nowhere, and it gave me a fright."

"If you were to make a guess, though, would you say she was closer to the gate or the mansion?"

"The mansion, I suppose. Does it really matter?"

Shinichi offered a noncommittal answer and moved onto his next questions. He remembered Kid's comment about the culprit probably having some kind of experience with stage work, so he threw in a few baited questions about theatre as well. Nao seemed a bit puzzled by the shift in conversation, but he disclosed that he had always been a fan of kabuki theatre. He'd never performed anything himself.

"I was really shy during high school," Nao confessed with a wry smile. "Being on stage in front of people was the last thing I wanted."

Shinichi chuckled, because he knew he was supposed to, and then he got Nao to write out a few words in hiragana and kanji on the little pocket notepad he carried around with him. Shinichi knew the killer probably would have disguised their handwriting to write the notes, but he liked to be thorough.

"One more thing," he said, slipping the notebook back in his pocket. "Does the word 'ame' mean anything to you?"

Nao shook his head. "Sorry, don't know a thing about that."

Shinichi nodded and then moved onto Uehara. The gardener's alibi was as expected. Uehara was having dinner in the small house set aside for him on the grounds when Shinichi and Hattori had showed up to question him. He'd just been cleaning up when he'd heard the crash, so he'd gone outside to check what had happened and bumped into "Conan-kun". Together, they had run towards the sound, and—

"Well, you know the rest," Uehara said with a grimace.

Shinichi nodded and repeated the same little test he had performed on Nao. Uehara didn't care much for theatre, and he was just confused by the question regarding 'ame'. He said that he didn't really like sweets, if that was what Shinichi had meant, but rain was good for the garden. Shinichi thanked the man, took back the notebook, and then moved onto his next target, the ever-composed Mariko.

The elderly woman was not bothered by Shinichi's questions, somehow looking dignified even in her pyjamas and dressing gown. When asked to give an account of her actions after dinner, she explained that she had gone to clean her tea set collection.

"I like to do it myself," Mariko said with a smile. "It's a delicate task, and while Himura is a responsible enough girl, she can be clumsy."

"So, you were in the tea room this whole time?" Shinichi asked.

"No. I did use the restroom and met that child—Conan-kun, was it? Such a clever boy. I showed him my collection, and he proved quite knowledgeable about the different types of pottery and their value."

No surprise there. Shinichi would have been more surprised had Kid not known how to appraise the objects. The thief was a walking, talking encyclopaedia on all things antique and valuable.

"After Conan-kun left, I retired to my room for the night," Mariko continued. "Himura came to help me take my medicine and get ready for bed; I haven't been in the best of health, you see, so I often retire early. That was when we heard the crash and explosions."

Shinichi nodded, asked her a few more questions to work out the timing of everything, and then once more repeated the handwriting, theatre and 'ame' test. Mariko wrote the kanji and hiragana in perfect, stylised calligraphy. She also demonstrated a deep passion for theatre, expressing a regret that she had never been allowed to act in any plays because her parents deemed it improper. The question about ame threw her, and for a moment she just blinked at him.

"Rain?" she repeated. "Should it mean something to me? I've never liked getting wet."

Shinichi smiled and thanked her, then moved onto Himura. The maid was fidgeting with nerves, convinced that being questioned by no less than three detectives must mean that they thought she was the murderer.

"It's not like that," Shinichi assured her. "This is just standard procedure."

Himura pushed a few strands of mousy brown hair from her face. She told him in a fumbling voice how she had helped to clear away and clean the dishes after dinner, then had gone to prepare extra beds for "Detective Mouri's family and friends", since more of them had turned up than expected. After that, she had been summoned to help Mariko.

"We both got such a fright when we heard the explosions," Himura said with a shiver. "I still can't believe the master is dead. It's awful to think the killer might be in this room with us right now."

Shinichi murmured something reassuring and then offered her the notepad and pen. Himura wrote out the words as requested, and then he repeated the question about ame.

"Do you mean the candy or rain?" Himura asked, scrunching her nose.

Shinichi shook his head. "Never mind."

He tossed out a question about theatre, but she failed to take the bait. Shinichi thanked her and then went to join Hattori in questioning Ayano, Ichirou and Natsumi. The two women had finally stopped bickering with each other, though neither was pleased to be questioned by two teenagers. Especially not Natsumi.

"I already answered Mouri-san's questions," Natsumi said with a faint sneer. "Why should I have to repeat myself?"

Shinichi and Hattori responded with the "standard procedure" argument, but in the end it was Ichirou who managed to calm his wife down enough to get her to answer their questions. She told them in clipped tones that she had been in her room with her husband.

"Mouri-san interrupted us when he was trying to find Father, so Ichirou went to help with the search," Natsumi said, folding her arms across her chest. "I stayed in my room."

"So, you were alone during the time of the murder?" Hattori questioned.

"Yes," she admitted, "but I hardly think that makes me the killer. The room I share with my husband is in the far wing of the mansion; I wouldn't have had the time to get to the gate, stab my father-in-law, and then get back to my room without being seen. It was not long after my husband left that the explosions started."

"And you?" Shinichi asked, shifting his gaze to Ayano.

Ayano shrugged. "I have no alibi."

The teens blinked at her bold statement.

"Uh, care to elaborate?" Hattori prompted.

Ayano heaved a world weary sigh. "I was bored and had nothing to do after dinner. I remembered that idiot detective had seemed taken with me, so I thought I would pass the time by amusing myself with him. Father didn't mind; he had some business to attend to in his office anyway." She shrugged. "Mouri-san and I played card games in the parlour until he thought he had better check on Father again. We discovered that Father was missing from his office, so Mouri-san left to look for him. I returned to the parlour, and I was alone for the rest of the time."

Shinichi nodded and proceeded to question Ichirou, who confirmed that he had been with his wife after dinner and then Kogoro after that. Unless Ichirou and Natsumi were lying about being in their room together for the time they had stated, the man had a perfect alibi. Shinichi got the three to write the same words down on his notepad as he had the others, paying close attention to how they wrote 'revision', since it was almost identical to the kanji for revenge. Then he asked them about ame. All three expressed confusion as to what rain had to do with anything. His throw-away question about theatre got a much more substantial response—at least from Ayano. She mentioned that she had been part of a drama club during her college days and had often got to play lead roles.

"But why are you interested in that?" Ayano asked, furrowing her brow.

"Oh, nothing," Shinichi said with a smile.

He left them after that. Kid and Hattori fell into step beside him.

"How's it going?" Kid asked.

"Well, we found out that Ayano-san used to be part of a drama club," Shinichi responded.

Kid raised his eyebrows. "But?"

Shinichi shrugged. "I'll tell you my thoughts once I've finished questioning everyone."

With that cryptic remark, he headed over to the chef, a portly man in his late forties named Tanaka Sousuke. Tanaka was a man of few words, so it didn't take long to establish that the man had been in the kitchen the entire time except for when he had gone for his cigarette break. Himura had also been with him for a bit while doing the dishes, and that was when he had realised one of his knives was missing. He had been looking for it when the crash happened and the explosions started. Tanaka had no idea who had taken the knife or when it had been stolen.

"I have a lot of knives," he said simply, "and people often come and go through the kitchen. It could have been stolen at any time."

Shinichi asked if he could get a list of all the people Tanaka could remember entering the kitchen that day, then did the usual handwriting, theatre and ame test. Tanaka stated that he had never really thought about theatre; cooking had always been his passion. His eyes widened at the mention of 'ame'.

"I know there was a maid named Ame who used to work here. You'd have to ask Fujimoto-san if you want to know more. She was his niece."

"Was?" Hattori said, picking up on the past tense.

Tanaka nodded. "Ame-san died not long after she stopped working here. My father was the chef back in those days, so I got to talk to her now and then when I was visiting him. Nice lady."

Shinichi and Hattori thanked the chef and then, with the air of hunters who had spotted their prey, zoned in on the elderly butler. Kid trailed behind. Fujimoto mopped the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief, clearly nervous. And for good reason. His alibi was shaky—aside from the time when Shinichi and Hattori had found him, no one could account for his whereabouts—and he had been the one who had informed Nao to get the car ready. Fujimoto paled when the boys showed him the note about Ame.

"She was your niece, wasn't she?" Shinichi said. "Tanaka-san said she used to work here as a maid."

Fujimoto cleared his throat. "Yes, but that was a long time ago."

"Can you explain why a note with your niece's name was found in Furukawa-san's pocket at the crime scene?" Hattori asked.

Fujimoto swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. His gaze flickered to the other side of the room, though it was difficult to tell who or what had caught his attention. There were several people in the man's line of sight, including Mariko, Ayano, Uehara and Nao. It was also possible he was just nervous and trying to avoid their gaze.

"I—I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"You're lying, Fujimoto-san," Kid said softly.

The man mopped at his forehead, refusing to meet the three boys' penetrating stares. He only lasted a few seconds before he broke. "Ame-chan, she—she was in love with the late master. Their relationship was kept a secret from everyone, but then she got pregnant. Daichi-sama refused to marry her or even accept the child as his own. His parents had already arranged for him to be engaged to Mariko-sama by that point, and she came from a very wealthy family." Tears prickled in Fujimoto's eyes. "Ame-chan was devastated."

Shinichi bowed his head. The last of the puzzle pieces had fallen into place now.

"I'm sorry," Fujimoto said, lowering his gaze. "I'll inform the others now; they have a right to know who killed the master."

Shinichi placed his hand on the old butler's arm. "Ah, wait a moment, Fujimoto-san." A faint smile curved his mouth. "I'd like everyone to listen to my deduction first."

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. Is Fujimoto really the killer? Will Hattori ever find out the truth about Kid? The next chapter reveals all!

Also, please point out typos. It's 3am and I can't be bothered editing. Got to get up for work in three hours. Eek. Oh, and reviews are most welcome. I'd love to hear your thoughts!