Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan and Magic Kaito, but my OCs are mine.

Chapter 11

Reading the Fraudster

Kaito sipped his coffee as he read today's newspaper in Nakamori's dining room. As usual, he was there for breakfast. Ginzo had already left for work, leaving him alone with Aoko again in the early morning. The inspector had been very busy lately ever since Arata's murder occurred. Now with the addition of Kaitou Kid's attempted murder which happened recently, no doubt Ginzo was becoming busier. On the other side, the thief himself was quite idle. Kaito decided to take some rest after Aoboshi heist. That dangerous heist had taken almost all of his strength. He and Jii had to monitor places around Arata's mansion for a whole day to make sure if the sniper truly wanted to kill Kid at the heist and to make sure whether or not Snake and his minions would appear that night. Kaito was fortunate that that night Snake and his followers did not seem to come. He was even more fortunate for being able to find the sniper around an hour before the heist was started. Once the thief was sure about the sniper's presence, he and Jii could prepare everything else—the blackout, the card message, the dummy—with more confidence since that time they were already sure that Kid was indeed involved in the sniper case.

Kaito was relieved that everything worked out as he had planned. Aoboshi heist was very important to him. This heist was his way to convey his message to the police and Tantei-kun, a message about him being related to Yusaku's and Arata's case. He was pretty sure that they had understood his message, therefore he would leave the case in their hands for a while, but that did not mean that he would totally leave it. Kaito still watched the case's development. He often read news about it and discussed it with Ginzo, Jii, or Chikage, even with Aoko sometimes. The teenage girl was not really interested in the case, but she was well informed in it since her father was working on it. Not to mention Aoko was a genius girl for her age, able to respond such a delicate topic with her bright ideas from her own perspectives, so Kaito found himself quite comfortable in discussing the case with her.

"Hmm... Interpol have finished their investigation regarding Arata's connection to suspects and prisoners on the list. They seem to find nothing from them," Kaito murmured, reading the news on the newspaper. "And what's this? Oh, TMPD have started to investigate Arata's employees."

"Yeah. Actually, it has been going on since yesterday. Otou-san said that they wanted to investigate Arata's crime further. He said that the fraudster probably had done something more serious than a mere fraud," Aoko responded as she cut a piece of her fried egg.

"Something more than a fraud?"

"Yup. Something bigger than that," Aoko nodded, then she lowered her voice, "you know, Kaito, Otou-san said that perhaps Arata was the one who hired assassin to kill Yusaku Kudo and Victor Wood."

"Eh?" Kaito blinked. He was actually happy that the inspector finally noticed this possibility, but still, he was curious as to how the inspector could make such deduction. "Where did this come from?"

"You remember our talk the day before yesterday? About the possibility that the sniper who shot Kid and Arata could be the same sniper who shot Yusaku Kudo?"

"Yeah. What about that?"

"TMPD really take it seriously. They act based on that presumption, so they investigated Arata deeper to ensure it, and you know what they had found out?"

"What?"

"More crimes!" Aoko exclaimed. "More frauds, more accomplices. Recently the police found him to be guilty in a smuggling case too."

"I already know that," Kaito snorted. He knew that the police had found another crimes committed by Arata. He knew that Arata had another business other than a gymnasium for multiple sports and some martial arts. He could explain easily to anyone that in fact Arata also owned an apartment, a mall, and a restaurant, and that that man turned out to be a fraudster in all of his business, not only in his own gym. Kaito also knew that Arata was involved in illegal business such as smuggling illegal drugs.

"Oh, but you don't know that actually there is a suspect who knows Arata, do you?" Aoko smirked.

"Huh? Really?" Kaito looked at his childhood friend in disbelief. He just thought that Interpol had not found anything important.

"Yeah. A suspect called Mia... what's her surname again?" Aoko frowned, then she shrugged. "Well, the point is that suspect called Mia visits Arata's gym for kyudo training this year. She knows Arata, but it seems their relationship is only to the extent of customer and owner relationship. And you know? She was in Tokyo, scheduled to have a training there for two months when Yusaku Kudo got shot."

"Yeah, yeah, I already know that, but she was practising when Yusaku Kudo got shot and she has witnesses: her instructor and some students. She can't be the sniper," Kaito waved his hand uncaringly. Seriously, he almost thought that there was really a suspect who knew Arata. Perhaps Mia knew Arata, but the athlete only knew a little about him. They hardly knew each other.

"Heeh.. so you already know," Aoko raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Of course, she can't be the sniper. Aoko doubt she's the hirer too since she doesn't know Arata that much."

"Yeah, although I wonder why she has to learn kyudo in Tokyo. There are many kyudo dojos in America too," Kaito said.

"Mia-san loves archery and kyudo is archery too, and the best place to learn Japanese martial arts is Japan, of course. That must be her reason to learn in Tokyo," Aoko responded. "Besides, her instructor, Lily Mizushima-san, is a very skilled kyudoka. Not to mention she is fluent in English since she stayed in America for a few years. Maybe that's why Mia-san wanted to learn from her."

"Her instructor once stayed in America? Why?"

"Aoko heard that she grew up there. She's half although she doesn't know her parents. They said she grew up in an orphanage ever since she was a newborn baby, not knowing her parents or her family."

"So her instructor is a half, huh..." Kaito mused. He did not know such info before. This was new for him. "So? Why did you bring Mia-san up? I seriously doubt she's the assassin."

"Yes, yes, but that's not what Aoko wants to talk about," Aoko shook her head. "Aoko wants to talk about Arata. When the police ransacked Arata's house on the day he was killed, they found out that Arata has a license for owning rifle and gun, but they only found a gun without rifle. And then they found out that the bullet which killed him actually matched with his rifle. Recently the police also noticed that the bullet which pierced through Kid's dummy is a bullet that matched Arata's rifle license."

"Huh? Seriously?" Kaito's eyes widened.

"Yes, but all of his bodyguards stated that Arata never used a rifle even though he has a license for owning it. The police also couldn't find the rifle among Arata's bodyguards and servants; the rifle isn't in his mansion. That's why at first the police dismissed it, thinking that maybe Arata indeed didn't have a rifle and the bullet that killed him which matched his rifle license was just a coincidence—after all, many hunters could have the same rifle and bullets—but after they found the bullet which pierced Kid's dummy, they changed their mind," Aoko explained.

"Why?"

"Because of Kid's message. Otou-san said that Kid's message actually told the police that he's also involved in Arata's case. Aoboshi heist was his way to tell the police about it. His attempted murder that night confirmed his message. The sniper also wanted to kill him. That's why the police decided to investigate the bullet further."

"I see... but why would he need a rifle license if he never used it?"

"He used it, actually, many years ago. He often went for hunting, but not anymore."

"Why not?"

"Aoko heard that he had problem with his eyes."

"Then how come the police couldn't find his rifle?"

"That's the question, Kaito. Arata's servants said that Arata gave his rifle to his butler. He asked the butler to get rid of it around 2 years ago."

"What do you mean by 'get rid of it'?"

"No one knows for sure. The servants assumed the butler had sold it, but if we think about it again, it doesn't have to mean that way, right?"

"Yeah. It could also mean that he gave the rifle to someone else," Kaito answered. "Maybe he gave the rifle to the sniper, is that what you think, Aoko?"

"Bingo!" Aoko smirked. "The police also thought about that and since they couldn't find the rifle in Arata's mansion, they decided to search for it by investigating Arata's employees."

"I see. If the butler actually gave the rifle to the sniper, then maybe he and Arata knew the sniper quite well. If that's the case, maybe the sniper is one of Arata's employees. It's more likely that the sniper was Arata's accomplice before he or she decided to kill him. If the police find the rifle among Arata's employees, then perhaps their suspicion about Arata hired the sniper to kill Yusaku Kudo and his Interpol friend is right after all and if they can't find the rifle, perhaps at least they can find another Arata's accomplices," Kaito fully understood now where this conversation was headed. "But hey, why did Arata need to kill Yusaku Kudo and Victor Wood? As far as I know, they don't even know each other."

"Ah, about that... this is only presumption, Kaito, and it's a secret..." Aoko whispered, "Otou-san said that perhaps Arata had a grudge against them about a criminal or some criminals who were arrested by them."

"Huh?" Kaito blinked again. "Are you implying that Arata knew some prisoners?"

"Well, that's what Otou-san told me," Aoko shrugged. "But it's probably true if Arata truly committed more dangerous crimes."

"Strange... I haven't heard anything about all of this... The rifle, the bullet, the prisoners... It has always been fraud after fraud these days and smuggling recently," Kaito murmured.

"It should be on the news anytime now since the police only got those revelations recently," Aoko said cheerfully. "Otou-san was happy when he told me those news yesterday, you know. He said that it was a big step, big development. Maybe this case will end soon."

"I hope so," Kaito responded uninterestedly. He was not really sure the case would end soon. Usually it would take a long time for the police to figure out things as complicated as Arata. Kaito was not sure if they would be able to find out about Wolf or Black Fox. Besides, it seemed that the police had not found Takenaka yet. It had been many days since he disappeared from Arata's mansion. That butler certainly had something important related to Arata. He could be an important clue to this case.

'But maybe it will end sooner than I expected with Tantei-kun's help. Who knows?' Kaito added in his mind. He suspected that those police's brilliant presumptions actually were Conan's presumptions—Conan's deductions—which led the police to the revelations that Aoko had just talked about. It was very certain Yusaku helped the police too. Perhaps this big development that Ginzo had told Aoko yesterday actually happened thanks to the Kudos' ideas. Kaito seriously doubted that TMPD could act this swift without Conan's or Yusaku's help.

Kaito spent the rest of the day thinking about the sniper case. He thought about it everywhere: school, Aoko's home, Jii's parlor, and his home. Based on Aoko's story, the police had suspected that Arata had a link with some criminals, that the fraudster knew some prisoners. It was not far from what kaito had suspected. He suspected that Arata knew Wolf and Black Fox. No, he was certain. Aoboshi heist had made him sure. After all, who did want to kill Kid aside from Snake and Wolf? He had made sure that Snake and his followers were not there at Aoboshi heist, so the only one who could shot him—or rather shot his dummy—was Wolf or his minion. He even had seen the sniper through his dove's camera. Moreover, Aoko told him that Arata had given his rifle to Takenaka and perhaps Takenaka gave it to someone else, most likely the sniper, leading to a possibility that Takenaka knew the sniper. Added with the fact that Black Fox was arrested with Yusaku's and Victor's help and Wolf asked Kid to release the smuggler, now the thief was sure that the sniper was related to Arata and Wolf. Now he was sure that Arata was the one who offered his gemstones using Wolf as the mediator. He was sure that Takenaka actually was Wolf, but what he was not sure yet was the sniper. The sniper could be Wolf or someone else. And what about Wolf? Kaito was not sure if the muscular man was still alive or not. The teen also did not know yet the reason why Arata and Wolf wanted Kid to release Black Fox. The answer to that question was very important to him.

"Now that I think about it again, Arata was already a suspect of fraud case when Wolf asked Kid to release Black Fox," Kaito mumbled as he laid down on his bed. Why would Arata want to release Black Fox when he himself almost got caught? Could Black Fox assure his safety from prison if he was released? What could Eric Wu do for him? The smuggler was nowhere near a wealthy person anymore now after he got arrested. Kaito had heard that the authorities confiscated his wealth. Without wealth, he was weak. He should not have any power. There should not be anyone who wanted to follow him, not anymore. He was useless even if he was free from jail, so why did Arata and Wolf want him to be released?

"Slander?" Kaito blinked. 'Really? Arata wanted to put the blame on him?'

After another thought, Kaito dismissed that idea. The smuggler could easily tell the police the truth, the truth that someone released him from prison, the truth that he did not do anything that Arata claimed he did. Besides, there was another possibility that Kid might tell the police the truth. maybe, if the thief was still alive and able to talk.

"Huh? Does that mean he would kill me after I released Black Fox?" Kaito frowned. "Does that mean those payments he offered to me actually were only a bluff, because I would have died before I have it?" Kaito knew that it was possible Arata had planned to kill Kid since the beginning. After all, the fraudster seemed to have a strong attachment to his gemstones which he used as a payment if Kid accepted the job to release Black Fox. Arata even tried to hide Aoboshi and Bellatrix from the police by giving Bellatrix to his daughter—this decision also could save the jewels from being stolen by Kid at the same time—so the probability of him wanting to kill Kid after the thief managed to release Black Fox was quite high, although Kaito wondered how in the world Arata would be able to do that, to kill Kid. He might be able to kill Kid using a sniper, but surely he should have known how elusive, how sneaky, and how clever the thief was that even after all these years of stealing, the police had not been able to capture him, not even once. Arata should not take the thief lightly. A criminal like him should be able to think far ahead. What if he failed to kill Kid? The risk was too great for him. Not only he would not be able to escape from the police, he would be charged for trying to release a criminal, for his attempt to murder Kid, and of course, for his act of slander toward Eric Wu. Kaito did not think Arata would be so unwise like that, considering he was able to commit fraud over the years.

"Nah, that can't be the case, though it may be possible if Arata was quite depressed and couldn't find any other choice to save his life from prison." After a moment, Kaito decided to ignore his thought about the possibility of Arata wanting to kill Kid after the thief had released Black Fox. There was something else that he should think, like what exactly was Arata's reason for wanting to release Black Fox.

'If it isn't slander, then what? It can't be because Arata was fond of him, right? Very impossible. He should have been desperate that time because the police were trailing him, he almost got caught, he was a suspect! Eric Wu must have important meaning for him,' Kaito thought. 'Something important that Arata was so desperate to have... or to guard, perhaps? And Eric Wu has it. Is it their secret? Secret that could be dangerous, maybe? Arata's position was already in danger that time, so what if that secret was leaked? Obviously he would be in a very bad situation. To prevent that, the secret must remain secret. Eric Wu should never talk about it to anyone. Arata has to... shut his mouth.'

Kaito froze.

"He had to kill him," the magician mumbled in surprise. "He wanted to kill him! Black Fox should be out of prison if he wanted to kill him! That's why he asked Kid to release him!"

Kaito was shocked with this sudden realization. He did not know what to do. He just laid there, on his bed, with his eyes staring at the ceiling. For a few minutes, he only stayed there, not making any movement until suddenly he got up when he remembered something.

"That sniper won't kill him, right? Black Fox is still in prison, so he or she shouldn't be able to kill him," he said worriedly. 'But what if that sniper actually is able to kill him?' Suddenly Kaito felt anxious. 'Eric Wu may have something important about Arata. Perhaps about the sniper too. He's important. He can't die yet. What should I do?'

Kaito really hoped that the sniper would be arrested soon. He really hoped that the police and Tantei-kun could gather evidences as many as needed. Kaito would not be able to help much from this point. Even if he knew about Black Fox's involvement in the case, the teen would not be able to ensure the smuggler's safety when he was in a foreign country. Kaito had thought about using himself as a bait once more by performing another heist, perhaps Bellatrix, but recently Arata's daughter was depressed. She was constantly under pressure of authorities. Kaito did not want to add her problem by performing another dangerous heist to trap the sniper. The truth was he himself sent her a bouquet of flowers with Kid's card in it, telling her that he wished her well and that he would not steal Bellatrix until everything had been calmed. Maybe the news would report it tomorrow since he sent it just this evening—actually, Jii was the one who sent it. Kaito only prepared it.

Kaito sighed. He really could only rely on the authorities.

'Maybe I'm tired. I'm too worried. Eric Wu is still in prison, guarded by police officers, so there's no way the sniper can kill him. Even Wolf asked Kid to release him before he intended to kill him, right? Yeah, I'm thinking too much,' Kaito thought as he smiled weakly. He laid back on his bed, drew a deep breath to calm himself. For now, the teen decided to forget about Black Fox. He would trust the authorities.

Kaito closed his eyes tiredly, thinking that maybe right now was a good time to sleep. In the end, the teen really decided to sleep. He was too tired to think of anything else.

~o0o~

The next day, Kaito still could not get Black Fox out of his mind. It seemed that he could not really trust the authorities after all. His heart and brain kept telling him to do something. Anything. He had to ensure his presumption about Black Fox. He had to be sure whether or not the smuggler was in danger. If he was right about Black Fox, then he had to coax the important information out of him. Kaitou Kid had to do something even if every authorities in the world were against him. It did not matter if the smuggler was under police's protection in prison. Kaito would get that precious information from him. Eventually, the teen became preoccupied with his plans to break through prison security, but his assistant clearly did not like the idea and did not want to support him in such a dangerous and risky mission like that. Kaito was disappointed and decided to complain to his mother about it.

"Hahaha...! I never thought you could have such a fantasy, Kaito! Breaking through a prison!" Chikage laughed when she heard her son's plan.

"Kaa-san! I'm serious here!" Kaito protested while looking at her mother on his laptop. "Besides, even Oyaji haven't done that. This will be the first time Kaitou Kid tries to enter a prison and get out of it!"

"Yes—pfftt—yes..." Chikage replied, trying her best to stop her laughter. "But Kaito, Jii's right. This is too dangerous. Too risky. You don't know how tight a prison security can be and you don't have allies except Jii and me. Not to mention America will be very different from Japan. Even if you're good in disguising, you still don't really understand Americans and because of that, you will make mistake."

"Whaaat? Kaa-san! Even you are against me?"

"Yes, for this matter," Chikage nodded. "Why do you want to enter prison, Kaito?"

"I told you before, didn't I? I have to talk with Black Fox. He may have important information about this sniper case," Kaito answered impatiently.

"But it's only your presumption. You don't have any proof."

"That's why I have to go there. I have to make sure whether or not this smuggler knows Arata."

"Think again, Kaito. If he knows Arata, that fraudster should have been in prison right now. Black Fox surely will tell the police about him," Chikage said.

"Why would he tell them if they were partners?"

"I thought you said that Arata wanted to kill him?" Chikage asked back. "If that's the case, they didn't seem to be a good partners, did they?"

"Well... I guess..."

"They weren't good partners, so why do you think Black Fox hasn't told the police about Arata?"

"He... he doesn't know him."

"That's it!" Chikage nodded once again. "They might have some sort of relationship in the past, but Black Fox doesn't know that he once had a business with Arata."

"You mean Arata knows him but he doesn't know Arata?" Kaito frowned. Now that he thought about it again, he remembered the news told him that the police did not find any connection between Arata and suspects and prisoners on Interpol's list. That could only mean one thing. "It means Arata used his mediator or false identity when he worked with Black Fox."

"Probably," Chikage agreed.

"If he used his mediator, then perhaps the mediator was Wolf. Perhaps Black Fox knows him," Kaito went on. "If he used false identity, then Black Fox knows his false identity. The police have to figure it out."

"That's the only way they will be able to connect Arata to Black Fox," Chikage added.

Kaito was silent for a moment before finally he spoke again, "Kaa-san, the sniper probably wants to kill Black Fox. Not only that, I still don't understand why Arata wanted to kill Victor Wood and Yusaku-san when his aim was actually only Black Fox."

"Hmm... what I know is Yusaku and Wood are the ones who arrested Wu. Maybe Arata was afraid of them since they might have deep knowledge about Wu. They won't just sit down if they know that Eric Wu is killed after escaped from prison. I don't know about Wood, but Yusaku is a serious matter for a criminal. He's smart and well connected to the authorities," Chikage answered.

"Huh, so that's probably why Arata wanted to kill them before releasing Black Fox," Kaito mumbled. "But what about the sniper? The sniper may want to kill him."

"I think you shouldn't worry about the sniper, Kaito. You know very well that Black Fox is safe inside his prison."

"Well, I can't help but worry. I can't stay calm if I know that someone wants to kill him."

"In other words, you need to ensure his safety?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Then there's a way," Chikage grinned.

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. If I'm not wrong, someone in Interpol's list of suspect is Wu's acquaintance."

"Yes. Elizabeth Gray," Kaito nodded. "What about her, Kaa-san?"

"Listen to me, Kaito. The police suspect that Arata may have another bigger crime. They suspect him to be the one who hired sniper to kill Yusaku. They suspect that Arata knows prisoner who is connected to Yusaku and Wood, and if the sniper killed Arata, it is possible that the same sniper wants to kill this prisoner too, just like what you have in mind, Kaito, so my point is the police have to protect this prisoner. They may not know yet who the prisoner is, but at least they can predict that the prisoner could be someone on the list," Chikage explained.

"And Black Fox is one of the prisoners on the list..." Kaito continued, stunned by his mother's idea.

"Looks like you understand what I mean," Chikage said.

"Yes," Kaito smiled. "Thanks, Kaa-san. You're genius."

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" the Phantom Lady smirked, then she glanced at a corner of her laptop to look for the time. "Well, I guess this is the end of our talk. Sorry, Kaito, but I'm almost late for magic show."

"Yeah, have fun, Kaa-san. Bye."

"Bye, honey."

Kaito turned off his laptop with excitement. He could not hold his cheshire grin thinking of his mother's genius idea. The teen had decided. He would tell this idea to Ginzo as soon as he saw him. He really hoped for the prisoners to stay safe and he would make sure that the police would give them that safety.

TBC

Looks like I'm able to update this story sooner than I expected. Heheh...

Review please :)