DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DETECTIVE CONAN.
Date Uploaded: February 29. 2016- Monday.
Note: Advanced apologies for the wrong Japanese terms inserted in the story. And for the OOC's. And for the explanation used in the case.
chey721: You'll find out at last what Shinichi had figured out! And thanks for your review!
Sorry for the late upload. Here it is! Let's find out who the murderer is!
Read on guys!
CHAPTER 22.3: CASE CLOSED
"Ran." Ran pulls away from him. She noticed his voice was in the verge of excitement. "I figured it out. I just need your help with something."
"Of course."
XXXXX
Everyone was gathered to one place while everyone else was investigating. And one by one being interrogated. Checking the surveillance cameras, the alibis of each member, everyone was being double checked, regarding their locations and relation with Makijima.
Ran entered the room and was pulled by Sonoko.
"Hey! Where have you been? You disappeared all of the sudden." Sonoko bursts in frustration. It was as if Ran left her to suffer.
"I- I was with Shinichi."
"At the crime scene?"
"Un."
"That's new." Sonoko said in disbelief. Ran had never run after Shinichi in a crime scene, let alone assist him.
"There are changes between Shinichi and I." Ran explained. She wanted to explain further but Sonoko could hear that Ran was in a rush.
"I'll go get us some coffee." She offered and also, her excuse of leaving. Ran smiled at her friend knowing Sonoko understood.
Ran sat beside Seiko.
"Ne, Seiko-san. Watashi wa anata ni shitsumon o suru kuto ga dekimasu ka? (Hey Seiko-san. Can I ask you a question?)" Ran started.
"Sure." Seiko nodded. Her expression showed that she seemed sad. Her cheerful voice was washed away by sadness.
XXXXX
Shinichi on the other hand approached Osugi who was at the hallway of the fourth floor, leaning on the wall again. His eyes were staring blankly at the wall, his earphones on. Osugi saw Shinichi coming from a distance and took off his earphones knowing what the young detective was after.
"I need to speak with you." Shinichi started.
"Go on." He said, focusing his eyes on Shinichi.
"You know who it is, don't you?"
"What of it?" he sounded that he's not interested.
"I know you want to bring the killer to justice."
"What do I do?" Shinichi smirked knowing he got his interest.
XXXXX
Later, Inspector Megure, Kogoro and the rest are gathered at the crime scene.
"Why are we here?" asked Noboru.
"Kudo-kun said he's here because he already knew who the killer was." Megure said.
"How can you trust someone like him? Who is he to order us all to gather?" complained Kisuru.
"Kudo Shinichi. Tantei-san." Shinichi said as he walked forward.
"You brat! You better get on with it!" Kogoro said. "So who is it?"
"I'll tell you. But first I want to ask something..." Shinichi said. "...Noboru-san."
Everyone darted their glaring eyes at Noboru. He acted normal despite the pressure and intimidation from everyone's eyes.
"Have you ever been inside Makijima's room yet?"
"No."
"Then you're not the killer."
"Nani (What)?! How could you believe him so easily?!" Kisuru yelled.
"What about you Kisuru-san, ever been inside Makijima's room?"
"No." Kisuru answered.
"Of course you did, you're his nephew, how could you not enter his room?" Shinichi said. Megure, Kogoro and the others didn't know if he were teasing or simply proving his point. "Do you think I should believe Noboru-san?"
Kisuru didn't answer. He kept his mouth shut and Shinichi shifted his gaze to a certain someone.
"Has any of you ever entered Makijima's room before?" He asked aloud and everyone turned to Rikai.
"I- I did. But what does this prove?"
"You're the only one who has a key to his room besides Makijima-sama." Masami stated.
"Chottomatte! Anata wa kono tame ni watashi o hinan shite inai, anata wa arimasu ka? (Wait a minute! You're not blaming me for this, are you?)" She yelled.
"I didn't say anything. I was simply asking who have entered his room before. After all, the crime scene is inside Makijima's room. And the door was locked when you entered, like you said." Shinichi said. "The bomb that was set in his room. The knife in his chest. It could only happen in this room, am I right?"
"Just what do you really want to say boy?!" Kogoro pushed. Irritated that the spotlight was on Shinichi.
"If only Rikai-san is able to enter, she's the only one liable for the crime." Noboru concluded.
"The key can be duplicated! What if someone duplicated the key or stole it when they committed the crime!" Rikai desperately defended herself.
"That would be correct. Unless Makijima himself gave a copy of the key to a certain someone." Shinichi said and everyone reacted in denial.
"What do you mean, Shinichi?" Sonoko asked.
"What if there is someone that Makijima trusted enough to give a duplicate key of his room?" He said, eyeing that certain someone. Everyone followed his gaze and traced it to the quiet Seiko.
"Seiko-san? What is he talking about?" Masami asked. Seiko didn't answer.
"Takashi Seiko is a smart woman. A young genius who was said to be a protege of Makijima himself but has flaws because she keeps on messing up by 'accidentally' creating explosive chemicals. But is it true that it ends just there, Takashi Seiko? Or should I say- Makijima Seiko?"
Everyone's eyes widened.
FLASHBACK:
"Ne, Seiko-san. Watashi wa anata ni shitsumon o suru kuto ga dekimasu ka? (Hey Seiko-san. Can I ask you a question?)" Ran started.
"Sure." Seiko nodded. Her expression showed that she seemed sad. Her cheerful voice was washed away by sadness.
"Are you.. are you related to that old man Makijima?" Seiko didn't answer. She was thinking things through before she does.
"I'm his daughter." Ran sighed. She thought that she had to force Seiko into telling the truth. "That person, Kudo Shinichi, he figured it out didn't he?"
"Y- Yeah."
"He's a smart guy if you ask me. From the moment I saw him I knew he looked familiar."
END
"I- It can't be!" cried Masami. "Seiko-san's..."
"An illegitimate child of Makijima." said Osugi.
"Rikai-san's hunch of Makijima stealing money from the corporation was true. Because he needed to provide enough money to his other family." Shinichi continued.
"Osugi-san, you knew about this?!" Masami couldn't believe it. The quiet genius spoke.
"My real name is Makijima Shinji. Seiko's older brother." He said as he took his wig off, revealing his soft, silky brown hair. Sonoko couldn't believe it. She's willing to bet his eyes were also fake. "I was sent by our mother to look after her. She stopped communicating us for almost a year and my mother was worried."
"So I was right!" Rikai shouted victoriously. "He cheated on me!"
Shinichi watched everyone's expression very carefully.
I got you now.
He smirked.
"You're right. He did. But he hid them because he didn't want to hurt you for his actions. He gave Seiko the key to his room because most of the time they'd spend the time together. Makijima wanted to know if Seiko will satisfy your standards as a daughter." Shinichi said and Rikai was in shock.
"What do you mean? H- He's..."
"Otosan said that you were sad because your child died after a fire accident." Seiko spoke at last. "So he asked me if I wouldn't mind to pretend to be your daughter that miraculously survived somehow. I cut contact with my mother and brother in order to do what I have to." Tears started to gather in her eyes as she looked up at Rikai's eyes. "Otosan is not a bad man."
"What are you talking about?!" Kisuru yelled. "He impregnated a woman other than his wife!"
"Do you know about this Kisuru-kun?" Rikai asked, staring closely at his reaction.
"Of course I did! That old man threatened to remove me from my place if I tell anyone!" He snapped.
"In other words, you had to kill him." Shinichi finally said it.
"What are you talking about?! I have nothing to do with his death!"
"Of course you don't want to get your hands dirty. That's why you have Masami-san to do the dirty work for you."
Both Kisuru and Masami's eyes widened. Shinichi smirked.
I guess I hit the spot.
"W- Why are you blaming me on this one too, Kudo-kun?" Masami asked nervously, trying to keep herself together.
"First I wondered why Kisuru would suddenly snap at Seiko when Makijima died. But now that everything was revealed, it's all clear now. Kisuru was angry at Seiko knowing the situation that she's the daughter of Makijima, which means that she's a hindrance from your succession of the position."
"S- Stop making nonsense conclusions!" Kisuru shouted.
"Of course I did! That old man threatened to remove me from my place if I tell anyone!"
"If Makijima threatened you with your position, then that tells how much you wanted to stay. And if you pretend to care about him, that means how much you were a nephew who was willing to go through desperate measures to get what he wants."
"I don't have a key! I couldn't have done it!" Masami defended.
"Not if Kisuru had access to it. After all, he knew of Seiko's existence. He knew she had a key." Shinichi said. "All he did was give it to you, you enter and you set the bomb. You still believed that it was Makijima's fault that's why you had to do what you were told."
"B- But I didn't kill him! I brought in a different device in his room!" Masami continued to prove her innocence.
"I know. Somehow the device was switched. That's why it was the laboratory that exploded. The one from earlier. No one expected there would be an explosion, no one would suspect you or the person who switched the bomb either. Because everyone would blame the careless Seiko for everything. Seiko didn't mind taking the blame that time, just as she said, no one got hurt. So she thought it wasn't bad to take the blame for that little accident."
"But who switched the device?" Megure asked.
"No other than Kisuru himself. He was the only one who knew about it."
"How could you?!" Masami yelled at Kisuru. "I would've died! People could've died!"
"He needed to kill you. After all, you knew he wanted Makijima dead. If anyone died, everyone would blame Seiko for it." Shinichi explained.
"Then how was the the old man killed if Masami's bomb didn't blow?" Kogoro asked, annoyed that Shinichi didn't get to the point yet.
"Inspector, go over to that wall." Shinichi pointed towards the wall that Ran was staring at earlier. "Then open it."
"Open it?" Noboru wondered. "How can he open that?"
"Exactly the point, is it? But what if it was open on the other side?" Shinichi asked. "Inspector, can you knock on the wall twice? Then take a step back."
The Inspector nodded and knocked before stepping back. Then the wall slides open like a door. Ran came out of the other side and everyone was surprised. Seeing the wall open and Ran entering. How was it possible? Who else knew there was a door there?
"It used to be a secret door only Makijima and Seiko knows. It's a path for Seiko to enter." Shinichi explained. Ran, the credit is yours.
"How did you find that out, Kudo-kun?" the Inspector asked.
"It wasn't me. Ran found it." He said and Ran blushed a bit, not expecting that Shinichi would give her such attention. "Then I asked Shinji-san to tell me about the tunnel. Surely he knows the path as well."
"Yes, I do." replied Shinji.
"This is where Kisuru entered and planted the bomb. The tricky thing that he did was, he set up the bomb to set off a poisonous smoke containing fluoroantimonic acid. Makijima was already sore from inhaling smoke from earlier, so he was too weak to leave the room or even turn the device off. The way his flesh melted started from the inside instead of beginning at his skin because he inhaled the poison. But when Kisuru checked the body, he was still breathing. So he stabbed that knife into his chest." Shinichi explained.
"Way the go saying nonsense! You have no proof to all this!" Kisuru shouted.
"Between you and Masami-san, she was with us at the time of murder. Also, what Shinji-san has been listening to." Shinichi pulled out Shinji's earphones. The device wasn't there but something played over the speakers. The voice of Kisuru himself, shouting and cursing Makijima when he survived the poison just as Shinichi said. "It was a recording device to keep an eye on Makijima."
Kisuru knelt down the ground. He was defeated.
"It was his fault." He stared softly. "Because of that old man's hardness, many committed suicide. Their inspiration and very souls were crushed at his harsh words. Including my girlfriend. I wanted to take this company from him, show him that I can handle better!" He yelled. "It was his fault!"
XXXXX
Shinichi and Ran walked home after the case was closed. Masami was arrested for her involvement in murder. Kisuru was arrested for murder. Noboru turns out to be a CIA agent undercover. CIA was tipped that the Black Organization had contacts inside. Although he never confirmed anything yet so he kept his cover and he only told it to Shinichi and Ran. Noboru thought that it was Seiko because she seemed suspicious but it turns out that she was only keeping her secret as an outside daughter. Sonoko went home, tired of the events. Ran told Kogoro that Shinichi was going to take her home, he didn't like the idea but he was late for some Yoko Okino replays.
As they walked home, Ran wanted to say something, realizing something about Shinichi.
"Shinichi... is this what you always feel when you solve a case?" She asked.
"Huh?" He studied her closely. She participated in this case and even contributed evidence. She knows how it feels to solve something. "Yeah. Why?"
"No wonder you really loved them." She smiled at him.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing." She said and walked faster. Shinichi noticed that she kept her smile up. What's up with her?
"No really, what is it?"
"Nothing Shinichi."
Ran and Shinichi continued to walk. Shinichi couldn't pry her to what was on her mind. But he knows that Ran was very happy for some reason.
Ai-chan, today I helped Shinichi solved a case. I guess I don't need a script as well to tell him how I feel. It was a hard case but it seems like it was a challenge to him. He told me that he loves me for who I am, that I shouldn't change. I guess he wouldn't have told me that if it wasn't for you. So, thank you.
XXXXX
How'd you guys like the case? Was it good? Well, see you in the official Chapter 23! Thank you for reading!
The following chapters are the chapter finale! Look out because this story is about to end!
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