"Ok, let's get back to the station," Megure-kebu decided and waved his troop away.
"Ch-" Conan started saying but was gagged by a hand from behind. He struggled and kicked as he felt his feet lifted off the ground.
"Hondou!" he exclaimed when he finally faced his abductor. "What do you think you're doing?"
"That's what I should be asking you," Eisuke replied huffily.
"What do you mean?"
Eisuke pointed towards Ran who was looking around as if searching for someone. "Have you any idea that she had been observing you the whole time? And now you're going to disclose the truth behind this case in front of her! Do you want to expose yourself?"
Conan blinked. It felt weird to be given a lecture about carelessness by someone like Eisuke. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. But I can't let the culprit get away like that!"
"You can't expose yourself either," Eisuke countered. If Ran finds out about you, then I don't have a chance at all...
Conan looked at the thoughtful Eisuke and guessed what was on his mind. Don't worry Eisuke, I won't reveal myself to Ran. This is for you, and for Ran.
"I've got a plan," he said. "I'm going to announce the killer using your voice while you play your part."
Eisuke nodded. He was glad of the chance to impress Ran.
"Ok, let's do it!"
--
"Choto matte!" Eisuke called out to a departing Megure-kebu. The inspector groaned significantly. Whenever he was about to leave a crime scene, someone ALWAYS stopped him. Usually it was Kogoro or Conan, but this time it was Eisuke.
"Hmm?" he asked.
"I know the truth, kebu-san, the truth behind this odious crime," Eisuke mouthed in accordance to his voice emitted through Conan's bowtie.
"Crime?"
"Hai, kebu-san. This is a premeditated murder. And the murderer is one of the three main suspects, Kawae-san, Nishimura-san and Toshida-san!"
"But how?"
"The culprit found out that Shitsuji-san would be coming here with his girlfriend today and concocted this murder scheme. It shouldn't be hard, after all he came here annually on this specific date. Then he added laxatives to his drink. Toshida-san, where did you throw the cup away?"
Toshida seemed taken aback to be asked that question. "I forgot. It was a really trivial matter."
"I thought you might say so. It shouldn't be hard to locate it though since the culprit didn't have the chance to throw it outside this park's vicinity. Takagi-keji, can I trouble you to find the cup?"
Takagi glanced at Megure-kebu who gave a slight nod. "Right away!"
Soon, they saw Takagi running at high speed back with a paper cup in his hand.
"Megure-kebu, this cup tested positive for laxatives and Toshida-san's fingerprints are on it too!"
Megure-kebu nodded comprehensively. "I see. So the culprit was tailing our vic waiting for him to use the bathroom. But I still don't see how the culprit poisoned Shitsuji-san."
"As soon as Shitsuji-san was in the toilet stall, the culprit planted the poison into the toilet stall."
Megure-kebu chuckled silently. Amateurs! "But you see, the stall was locked. He couldn't have any chance to insert the poison, what more to say the whole toilet stall, even through the small opening," he said in a patronising tone.
"Ahh, but he can. Using bubbles."
"Bubbles?"
"Exactly. The culprit used a child's toy to carry out murder. He blew poisonous bubbles into the toilet stall. The bubbles, light as they are, drifted around the toilet stall and popped everywhere. It only takes one to poison someone to death and I imagined the culprit rained down quite some bubbles on Shitsuji-san until he could not avoid them. Anyway, he wouldn't have known they were poisonous. He would have thought it was merely someone's prank. After the culprit made sure he was dead, the culprit had to dispose of one last piece of evidence indicating this is not suicide."
"Nani?" Then an inkling of truth dawned on the people present. Concurrently, the all turned in horror towards the murderer.
"That's right. The culprit had to dispose of the cup containing the laxatives. Hanninwa, anata!" Eisuke followed his cue and pointed accusingly at Toshida-san. He trembled convulsively.
"Y-you've got no proof!" he roared.
"But I do. When you threw away the paper cup, you must have thrown the container holding the poison too. There might not be fingerprints on it, but can you explain why of all the garbage cans in this park, it would show up together with the cup you threw away?"
Megure-kebu signaled Takagi to retrieve the container enclosing the venomous liquid. Meanwhile, Toshida-san ran his fingers roughly through his hair in desperation.
"That man!" he howled out. "He killed my daughter! Three years ago, he drove into my daughter. At that time, he was a juvenile and consequently not condemned as he should have been! I have to punish him myself! My daughter was only three-years-old... Only three..."
He crumpled onto the ground, sobbing horribly. Kawae Kyoko spoke up.
"But he regretted it, he really did! The incident haunted him so much at times he would wake up at night bawling, 'I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry' over and over again. He wasn't even willing to drive a car after that!" she cried.
Everyone within earshot bowed their heads at this tragedy. Ran, in particular, was cheerless, not just because of the heart-rending misfortune befallen on the victim and the little girl, but also because it was not Conan who made the deduction...
Subsequently, the group split up into two – Conan with the Shonen-tanteis and Ran with Eisuke. The Shonen-tanteis decided that they did not feel like playing anymore after the demoralising case. They left the park as Genta, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi chattered endlessly about the case. It was then Conan noticed the something, or rather the lack of something. He had not heard Haibara's voice all that time. Haibara could be subdued, but never that unresponsive. He glimpsed at Haibara who was some distance behind them.
He almost stopped in stun. Haibara was shivering all over, her exquisite aquamarine eyes widening in fear and her shaky hands clutching her overcoat tightly to herself. Conan had never seen her so panic-stricken before, even when she was facing Vermouth on the bridge.
He slowed down his footsteps in tandem with Haibara's.
"Oi, Haibara. Daijobu?" he asked in concern. Haibara did not reply.
"Oi, OI! What's wrong?"
Suddenly Haibara hurled herself into his lap, her quivering figure snuggling up to his warm chest as she gripped Conan's body intensely. Conan did not know what to do. Haibara did not show her fragility easily, and when she did, she had to be in much emotional distress. In fact, the only time Conan ever saw her delicate emotive nature was when she was crying over the death of her beloved sister.
And he did the most natural thing that came to him. He wrapped her in his arms, gently rubbing her back as she juddered uncontrollably. He was so absorbed in soothing her he did not discern that the remaining Shonen-tantei members had wandered off out of sight.
Abruptly, Haibara pushed Conan away and rushed off, leaving a startled Conan in her wake.
"Haibara, oi HAIBARA!" Conan yelled. His words fell on deaf ears. Haibara scampered off into the road as a car came at her at full tilt!
It's my fate... There's nowhere for me to run. Haibara closed her eyes in acceptance to her likely fate. Suddenly, someone lunged at her and bounded away from the car with her. Haibara unfastened her eyes. Conan was panting heavily at her side. She gasped as Conan's wound broke apart and started to bleed profusely.
"Never run away from your fate, Haibara," Conan wheezed out, the paleness of his face at a crescendo. The words struck every nerve in her. Conan's philosophies never failed to touch her, and it was part of the reason why she was infatuated with him. That, and the way he would always protect her.
"Why, why did you save me?" she shrieked, tears flowing down her flushed cheeks.
Conan shrugged feebly. "Just because I want to."
Haibara flung into his lap again, seeking for console in his warm embrace. "I'm so scared, Kudo-kun!"
Conan hugged her. "Shinpai shinaide. Whatever happens, I'll be here to protect you. Now tell me what's wrong."
"I-I met Gin j-just now!" Haibara murmured out in immense dread. She glanced around as if afraid someone was listening in. Conan stiffened.
"What exactly happened?"
"W-when you were solving the case, I saw Gin at the park! And I think he saw me!" Haibara vibrated convulsively done saying that.
Conan pondered upon what to do. But first and foremost, he had to alleviate the quavering girl in his arms. Haibara had once worried herself sick – literally – because of her phobia towards the Black Organisation.
"Everything will be fine, alright? Until you are convinced that nothing bad will happen, I will stay with you, ok?"
Haibara stared at him. "I-It's ok, I'm fine really. You don't have to do that," she hurriedly said. Don't treat me so nicely, Kudo-kun, please just don't. Not when you have someone else in your heart.
But Conan, ever so chivalrous, brushed her words aside. "Look, I promised to protect you. I won't forego what I said," he stated unwaveringly.
"No, really, I'm-"
Conan dialed his cell phone.
--
Ran's cell phone rang. She read the name flashing on the screen: Conan. She immediately picked it up.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Ran-neechan, I'm not coming back tonight. Haibara's sick and I have to take care of her."
Ran gripped her phone tightly. An alien sentiment tugged at her heart. Was it – could it be – jealousy?
"Demo Conan-kun," she impulsively reacted.
"Gommen, Ran-neechan. She's really ill. She needs me by her side."
Calm down, Ran. Calm down. What are you getting so worked up about?
And she replied, masquerading serenity, "Ok, Conan-kun."
Conan was about to hang up when Ran's voice summoned him. "Choto, Conan-kun?"
"Hmm?"
There was a long pause as Ran argued with herself, the words rolling on the tip of her tongue and yet not quite ready to be articulated. She replied hesitantly, "Uh... ja ne."
Conan heard the poignancy in Ran's voice. His heart plummeted. Ran sounded so sad, and he wanted to be by her side.
"Um, Ran-neechan?"
"Yes?" Ran said. Conan did not miss the expectancy in her voice. He smacked himself. What are you doing, Shinichi? Why get her hopes up to only crash them later? Don't break her heart anymore, will you?
"Err... Sleep well tonight."
"Oh," Ran said, sounding incredibly disappointed. Conan felt like kicking himself. Way to go, Shinichi! You just have to let her down, don't you?
Conan opened his mouth to say something more before he heard the click on the other end of the phone. He hung up, his face full of misery.
"Just go back to her," Haibara intervened his thoughts with a chilly tone.
Conan jumped. He had completely forgotten her presence. You already upset a girl, don't do it to someone else, Kudo Shinichi. Haibara needs you and you know it.
"What are you talking about? Come on, let's go back to hakase's ho..."
Suddenly, everything was a blur and then total darkness as he felt the cold hard ground colliding into his head.