Hey everyone! Quick note: Break-In has been changed a little bit (only a little, promise!) after some helpful advice from a friend and sibling.

Sorry it was so long before this one updated. I was struggling between running some interrogation dialogue in this chapter and ultimately decided against it.

Enjoy!

-The night before-

* Conan *

Conan watched Subaru slip away, calling someone as his friends left with Miki and came out from his hiding place in the kitchen.

Subaru was not long on the phone, and Conan learned nothing from the livingroom. Miki must have known, he realized.

"Okay, what's going on?" Conan demanded. "Why isn't James just asking her his questions here?" Subaru shook his head.

"He was afraid she would run," he answered. Conan frowned. "I know, she is less likely to run from this house-I even told him that, but he refused. Only trusts her under his own security, which I cannot fault him for." Conan nodded. "Besides, she knows this place better than him."

"He would want a place he knows better than her," Conan agreed.

"She's going to be angry when she wakes," Subaru confirmed.

"Shouldn't you be there, then?" Conan asked. Subaru shook his head.

"The worst that will happen is she runs back here. I'm not worried. She won't kill them unless it's by accident-but even that's highly unlikely."

Conan nodded after thinking for a moment. It was highly unlikely anyone would get hurt, so why was he so uneasy? He shook his head free of the thought for a moment and walked over to the nearest computer. Subaru followed, very clearly curious.

"It's bothering me," Conan began to explain. He was cut off from anything further when his phone rang. Shinichi's phone, that is.

He excused himself and walked back to the kitchen. Subaru's rhythmic clicking away at the computer annoyed him, but only because he could not see what Subaru was doing.

It was Ran, of course, mentioning she had seen their old babysitter living in his house and being driven somewhere by Jodie and Camel, and did he know anything about it?

Conan played dumb, of course, pretending to be shocked that she was alive in the first place.

"I was surprised as well!" Ran exclaimed. "At first I thought Subaru had a lover or something, but he denied it and when I heard her talk at Café Poirot, I knew it was her!"

"Maybe it's just my mom messing around again," Conan misled. Sorry, Ran, but it's too dangerous.

"Maybe..." Ran sounded doubtful. "Oh yeah! The other reason I called! Sonoko, Sera-san and I are headed over to ask Subaru-san tomorrow, too, in case he knows something."

Conan paused, but only for a moment.

"Okay," he relented, "but be careful how much you say about me again."

"Got it!" Ran replied. "Thanks, Shinichi!" She hung up then.

Conan sighed and returned to the computer to check on what Subaru was doing.

"You know, just as you left with your phone, I remembered Miki had been on the phone with someone when I interrupted her. Not sure who it was. James saw she was on the phone, too, but I should probably remind him, just in case."

Conan blinked a few times, something clicking in the back of his mind.

"Did she say she would meet you guys somewhere tomorrow night?"

Subaru shook his head.

"I never heard those words from her. She requested two days from James-oh!"

They shared a knowing glance. Miki had agreed to meet someone else tomorrow night, and they had no idea who...

"So what do we do now?" Conan inquired.

"That is what I am trying to figure out," Subaru admitted. "Had I known James would take her right away, I would have done things a little differently. For now, though, your mother is on her way, and she seems to be worried about what Vermouth might do in response. Personally, I'm wondering if there is anyone else that might come if she fails to check in."

"She hasn't mentioned any outings for this week other than to find the rest of her hairpin," Conan reported.

"That's what I was looking for," Subaru informed him. "If we can find it, give it to her, make sure she can meet with the person for a moment or two, we might be able to avoid incident..."

They both let out a sigh.

"I hope it's only Daichi," Conan offered. "He's the easiest to deal with..."

"Not likely, but it would be nice," Subaru concurred.

"Got anything?"

"Not yet."

"I guess I can ask the Professor to look for it, since Ayumi already has part of it."

"Probably the best chance we have," Subaru agreed. "The less people dragged into it, the better."

Conan nodded in agreement. While Miki probably would not harm anyone, her contact just might and Miki could not risk being discovered. In fact, it would be preferable if she had never announced herself in the first place...

* Ayumi *

Ayumi hummed as she walked back into her bedroom. She stopped by her dresser and smiled as she picked up the supposedly dead woman's hair pin. It was really pretty. The woman, Miki, had told her not to wear it in public, though, which was too bad.

She began wondering if she could maybe find one like it...but it had been specially made, she remembered with a sigh.

What was the use of a hair pin that was never worn? She had to shake her head free of the thought, but it made absolutely no sense to her.

By don't wear it in public, she meant outside...right? If she showed it off to Conan and company in her own house, it should be fine...

With a smile, she placed it back in the box. Tomorrow. She would wear it tomorrow in her house, but never outside. It would disappoint her mother, sure, but Miki had seemed very serious, so there was probably a serious reason.

Tomorrow was another day.

"Ayumi!" Her mother called. What was it now, she wondered as she headed downstairs.

"Yes, mother?" Her mother smiled at her as she reached the landing.

"Think you can handle watching the house tomorrow evening?" She asked. Ayumi bobbed her head.

"I will have dinner ready, never you worry. I just have a friend to accompany, alright?"

"Of course, mother!"

* Daichi *

He fiddled with his phone as he sat, leaning against his chair.

...Kuroba Miki, huh?

...died from an exploding plane...was she telling the truth, then?

She had ample reason to lie in that situation, after all: it was the secret police, she was breaking the law already, they had lied to her, and that waiter... Zero...

Wait, Zero?! Impossible! He must be a different Zero! There was no way that...guy...was...

...but Viola...and Ripple...

Daichi dropped his phone onto his desk and held his head in agony.

...no...no...no, no, no, no-

"No!"

The yell jolted him from his reverie and his eyes flew open. He turned to face the door.

Takagi stood there, a small folder in his hand.

"...you asked about the case," he said calmly. Ah, it had arrived! Wait...

"Who yelled?" Daichi asked. Takagi blinked twice.

"No one," he informed him. "Or, at least, I didn't hear anyone..."

Daichi's eyes narrowed, but he stood. A small cord he stepped on gave him pause, but he played dumb for a moment. There was a muffled thud as well. Takagi gave no reaction.

I'll figure it out in a moment, Daichi decided, taking the small folder. It probably is not urgent.
"Thank-you," he offered, stepping back and letting Takagi in. "Would you like juice or tea?"

"Juice, please," Takagi answered. Daichi nodded and placed the file on the table on his way to fetch it. He heard Takagi move it, open it and begin to flip through it.

...of course...

Returning immediately after fetching juice for the both of them, Daichi placed the juice down and snatched the folder away from Takagi.

"...Kuroba..." He noted.

"Er-do you recognize the name?" Takagi inquired. Daichi nodded.

"Yeah, heard the name Kuroba Miki and did my homework is all..."

"This is the death of her parents," Takagi offered as Daichi flipped through it, finding he was correct.

...the will...a kimono, a sword and a...hair pin...an eerily familiar hairpin...

"...Madeira," he whispered in surprise.

"Who?" Daichi shook his head.

"Do you recognize this hair pin?" He asked, holding up a small picture. Takagi's eyes blinked a few times.

"...yeah...that was the hair pin in the picture Sato-san showed you..." Daichi nodded. "It belonged to Madeira."

"It appears Madeira has the same hair pin as the one Miki-chan inherited..."

"So you think Kuroba Miki was Madeira?"

"I see no other real conclusion to make from this...unless there was a copy made," Daichi sighed. Takagi echoed his sigh.

"Madeira ceased all activity ten years ago," Takagi revealed. "Your theory lines up."

"No one picked up the mantle, huh?" Daichi mused.

"Well, one person tried," Takagi offered, "but a sniper shot them as soon as they called themselves 'Madeira'. We never found the sniper...and the hair pin was different..."

Daichi placed a thoughtful finger on his chin.

"...odd," he murmured. "How different?"

"It seemed more of a cheap copy," Takagi revealed.

"So the hair pin was never recovered, then?"

"Never." Daichi frowned.

"Sorry, my father worked on this case. The guys who killed her parents...were they all caught?"

"All but one," Takagi answered, flipping through. They had no picture, no gender, though Madeira seemed to hint she knew their true identity but had no proof.

"No proof, huh?" Daichi murmured. "Could she possibly have been close to gathering the evidence and been silenced, then?" Takagi's eyes widened. "It seems likely...in fact, I'm almost certain...and extremely curious-"

He was cut off by one more thump. Sighing, Daichi grabbed the small, metal cord and followed it to the wall. Next door?

"Sorry, I need to check on my neighbour Shizuka," he apologized as he ducked out the door, taking his key with him and locking it behind him.

He knocked. No answer. Again. Nothing.

With a deep sigh, he tried the handle. Sure enough, it was unlocked.

He walked in to a messy room. Clearly ransacked.

...not now, he internally groaned. Ah, well, let's see if there's anything I can do...

"Takagi-san, I may need your assistance," he said quietly into the piece of metal. On his end, it was surrounded by plastic, boosting the noise a little. To some, it may look like he had tapped his neighbour's phone – which he nearly had a few times, honestly – but it had only ever been out of concern for her safety as someone with a few debts.

No one in the kitchen, he noted, now wishing he had made it run all through the flat – but then someone definitely would have noticed, he reminded himself.

"You know, you really should get an alarm system," he said aloud to no one in particular, "maybe with video?"

Shizuka was lying on the couch, unconscious, still wearing her usual choice of work clothing: a light red blouse and medium red skirt with navy blue tights. A small, black sheet rope hung out the window. Sure enough, the thief was already long gone. With a resolute sigh, Daichi lifted her black sunhat hat to check her forehead and then felt concern. Slight fever.

Seriously?!

He checked for injuries. There were a few. A small scrape on the top of the head, a tiny scrape on her pointing index finger, harmless, really, and a blister on each heel from her new deep blue heeled shoes which he had already warned her about the other day.

Tapping Shizuka's powdered cheek seemed to revive her and she gasped, then calmed, then seemed to panic.

"What was taken?" She demanded, deep blue eyes darting from his to all points in the room.

"I'm not certain," Daichi confessed as Takagi entered the doorway. "To be honest, I was checking your state first. I mean, you yelled earlier." Shizuka waved it off.

"It was only because the clumsy would-be thief nearly smashed all my fine china!" She defended. Daichi let out a sigh of relief.

"So? What was the thief after?"

"A small photo," Shizuka revealed. "I have no idea where it is now. Maybe they made off with something valuable instead?"

"Did you see their face?" Daichi asked hopefully. She shook her head.

"No. All I caught was that it was an adult male, honestly. Even had his hair tied back under a hood. Could not see even a strand!"

"Well, we should take care of that cut. It could get worse if left alone. You should see a doctor about the wound to your head...and maybe put on a bandage of sorts?" Shizuka smiled.

"Thank-you for your concern," she offered as Takagi poked his head in. "I'm all right. I will see a doctor about my head, though, you're right to advise that."
"Worry about what you're missing once you've calmed down, all right?" Shizuka nodded.

"Thank-you, Daichi-san," she offered, getting to her feet. "I'll take care of these. Maybe you can start cleaning up?"

"No, we should leave things in case there are fingerprints," Takagi advised.

"He wore gloves," she countered. "I doubt he left any."

Takagi nodded, jotting things down on a pad of paper. Daichi let him do his job as he poked his head in the bedroom. It was completely undisturbed, as was the bathroom. The culprit for her head wound was a large book the culprit must have smacked into her head in an effort to not be dissuaded. A cassette player was on the floor.

How long had she been out?!

Then he saw the state of the books. They were in an odd arrangement. He took a few pictures.

"Oh. You can borrow those books if you want," Shizuka offered. "I had bought them as a gift for you, anyway."

"Did you place that player there?" Takagi checked.

"Oh, no, it must have been moved during the scuffle-oh!" She paled when she glanced at the clock. "A few hours ago?" Daichi made a face.

"But I heard the sounds barely ten minutes ago," he muttered. Shizuka shrugged.

"Honestly? I yelled about my china, slapped the wall, which injured my hand, then got hit over the head with a book. My cold must have gotten the better of me then and let me sleep a couple of hours. No idea what you heard." Cold, reason for the slight fever. Injury to the hand must have been from a nail, he deduced. Sounds without cause? Probably a recording...

Daichi rewound the tape and played back the sounds he had heard through the metal cord. He let out a long sigh. Takagi seemed unsettled, but allowed Daichi to continue.

"So what time DID the thief come through?"

"About two hours ago," Shizuka managed, still a bit shaken by the time difference.

"And the cut on your finger?"
"It was bleeding at the time, and a bit wider. I queezed it tight...and the thief actually bandaged it. He didn't say anything, though, just smacked me over the head and I guess he kept looking." Shizuka shrugged. Takagi frowned. Daichi replayed the tape. It was pretty short, and the rest was blank.

"I'll take the tape in," Takagi offered, "have it properly analyzed. It may have caught his voice – even a slight cuss will do."

Daichi nodded, handing over the player with the tape in it.

"I'll calm her down," he offered, "and I took a bunch of pictures, so I'll send them to you."

"Yes, please do," Takagi agreed. "You can't take the books for a little while, though, I'm afraid."

"I'll look at them here, then leave them as I found them," he promised.

Takagi nodded and left the room to call his superiors.

"Honestly, I thought the thief had the wrong apartment!" Shizuka managed after a bit. "He wanted to see the books, and a photo I was certain you had, not me, but he was certain it was here..."

"What was it?"

"I have no idea...oh! He said it was an old picture...with a friend of mine in it...but I didn't recognize the name...but you know the photo with the kendo stick, right? I mentioned you had it, but he seemed to disagree..." Shinai, Daichi internally corrected.

...she looks a bit like that sniper Viola, Daichi noted with a nod. ...maybe...

After flipping through a few pages while Takagi confirmed a few things with the victim, Daichi finally sorted out the message he knew was left for him:

Kid, I might need your help later. Caretaker.

"What was the name?" Takagi finally asked.

"Madeira."

Now it all clicked for Daichi: Madeira's old caretaker had mistaken the poor young woman for Viola and simply assumed she'd have a picture somewhere...until she had mentioned he was next door and then left a small scene just so he could leave a message that would get his attention...

...he might need my help later...with what? Maybe there would be another message?

Either way, Daichi was moving soon.

"Hey Shizuka," he addressed as the place was being combed, "would you like to come over for dinner?"

She immediately accepted, clearly grateful to be away from the scene.

"You have the photo still?" She asked as he set the food before her. Daichi twisted his lip.

"Actually, I left it in your jewellery drawer in your room a few weeks ago, if you can believe it," he revealed. "It should still be there." Her eyes became saucers.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Shizuka exclaimed. "That's even riskier than a book!" Daichi shrugged.

"It's less likely to be stolen," he argued. "More likely to be left behind."

She ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay, I'm not mentioning that. It's stupid and he's not liable to come back through the window without announcing himself again, anyway."

"Yeah, he might pay me a visit in future, but I doubt he'll cause a scene if he does," Daichi agreed. "I'm moving soon, anyway."

Shizuka just smiled at him. After all, he had told her just yesterday.

The case was closed just an hour later, since Shizuka refused to push charges or look for the thief. Daichi was grateful.

Later, he might disclose the message...if anything came of it, of course.

After everyone left, he leaned back and closed his eyes, immediately falling asleep for the night on his couch.

Working on the next bit which does have some of the interrogation so far. Still debating how much to include or how much should be revealed to whom.