Chapter 24: Waiting
Ran and Kazuha were sitting on Ran's bed in their shared college dorm room, each clutching mugs of tea and wearing almost identical worried expressions on their faces. They spoke rarely, and glanced often at the news mutely livestreaming over the screen of Kazuha's laptop.
"I wonder where Aoko-chan is," Ran said presently.
"Yeah," said Kazuha, her chin in her hands, her mug perched precariously between her knees. "She must be a wreck."
"Mm," Ran agreed.
They fell silent, watching the silvered pandemonium continue to play out in the clock tower courtyard on the screen.
Ran looked up. "Did you hear that?"
"No, I muted the computer. I could turn the sound back on, but it'll just be journalists babbling—"
"No, I mean that beeping. Can you hear that?"
Kazuha cocked her head. "Oh, yeah, I do hear beeping!"
"What is that?"
"I don't know!" Kazuha said. Her eyes grew wide. "You don't think—it could be a bomb?"
"Ah…" Ran said nervously. "It sounded like a cell phone beep to me, but—"
"Oh!" Kazuha cried. She pulled out her cell phone. "You're right! I got a text from Heiji!"
Ran sighed. She lifted her mug to take a sip of tea, but then nearly dropped it as Kazuha gasped.
"Ehhh?"
"What is it?" Ran cried, sloshing hot tea on her hand.
"Heiji…" Kazuha said. She passed Ran the cell phone, who took it in her dry left and and read:
Kazuha- wait 30min, then
call police to Tokyo
Theater in Beika.
–Heiji
"Geez," Ran moaned. "What does this mean?"
"I don't know," Kazuha said, taking the phone back and rereading the text. "But it looks bad."
"How can you tell?" Ran asked, wiping her hand with some tissues.
"'Cause he wrote my name in the text," Kazuha said. "And then signed it with his. Heiji takin' the time to do that is like a normal guy sayin' 'I love you.'"
"You think they're in trouble?" Ran gasped.
"I think they're gettin' themselves in trouble," said Kazuha. She clutched the phone and looked at Ran. "What do we do?"
Ran pushed back her chair and stood up, her face set. "It'll take us about half an hour to get to the theater," she said firmly. "Let's leave now. After thirty minutes we'll call the police on our cell phones, and then we'll be the first ones there." She strode to the door.
"But Ran!" Kazuha said, following her. She clutched her cell phone in both hands and watched with anxious eyes as Ran picked up both their coats. "Maybe we should call the police now!"
Ran looked up, and they exchanged glances. Kazuha bit her lip, her eyes wide; Ran narrowed her eyes and frowned.
"No," Ran said finally. She gave a small, forced smile. "We have to trust that they know what they're doing."
Kazuha frowned at her, her brow creased. Then she nodded. "You're right." She took her coat from Ran. "Let's go, then!"
"Right," Ran said. Kazuha raced out the door and down the dorm building steps; Ran locked the front door behind them and then leaped down the first flight of steps to land behind her.
"We'll call the police in twenty-nine minutes," Kazuha said over her shoulder as they sprinted down the steps. "And an ambulance."
"Ambulance?" Ran repeated. "But—do you think—"
"Yeah," Kazuha said grimly, her feet pounding on the steps. "I'm certain Heiji will need one."
…
Across the campus, Aoko was alone and pacing in her own dorm room. The television was live-broadcasting the Kaitou Kid case. She could still feel Kaito's lips against hers.
Aoko's eyes fell on a picture of her and Kaito on her desk. She frowned.
"Oh…"
Her hands started to shake, then curled into fists.
"Kaito—I'm sorry—but I can't just wait here."
She grabbed her own coat and purse from her desk chair and flung open the door.
"This is my story too."
…
…
**Next Chapter: "His Most Dedicated Pursuer." Just who is the Kid's most dedicated pursuer? Could it be Kaito himself?