Ishiwatari was the first on the list of people the kids had to visit, him being the least likely to be the criminal (both Shinichi and Heiji knew the kids would be too excited to wait for Kazuha or Ran).
Genta knocked, and a muffled "Come in" sounded through the door. The Detective Boys walked in, each greeting Ishiwatari with an "excuse us" as they entered.
They found him sitting on his bed, a deck of cards in his hands. Even as he rose from his seat, the cards flew from one hand to the other. The kids watched in fascination as he cut the deck, shuffled, and made the cards disappear into thin air.
"It's you kids. Here, have a seat." He motioned to the bed. As they sat, he took up a seat in an armchair nearby. "What can I do for you?"
"We have a few questions. About Mina-obasan and Kakei-ojisan."
At the mention of his friends' names, his face fell, and Ishiwatari felt a mixture of relief and nausea at the line of questioning. One of them really did it, he thought as a lump formed in his throat. The small hope that an outsider had come and killed his old friend was banished, and reality came crashing down. The murderer was either Akagi's barren, bitter wife or his manipulated, forgotten coworker.
"Playing detective, then?" he sighed. "Ask away."
The kids exchanged a look of guilt. "Maybe we shouldn't ask him," whispered Ayumi. "I think asking him would make him sadder."
"But we have to," Mitsuhiko whispered back, just as distraught. "Shinichi-san and Heiji-san need our help."
Genta, oblivious to the other kids' conversation, frowned at Ishiwatari. "Can you tell us about them? Or are we being mean?"
Ishiwatari shook his head. "No, it's not a bother. I simply didn't think either of them would ever have the real intent of killing Akagi. Sure, he was twisted in his own way, but he was a good guy at heart. He went sour at the end, but I never saw him do anything to hurt Mina-chan or Kakei directly." He took another deep breath. "I suppose I never thought anyone would have enough hatred for him to actually murder him."
Mitsuhiko opened his mouth, but it was Genta who pressed for more information. "What makes you say that?"
Ishiwatari shrugged. "It was a joke, most of the time. Anything that went wrong we'd blame it on Akagi. We all said at one point or another that we were going to kill him, but-" he stopped, searched the floor. "We never meant anything by it," he finished eventually.
Mitsuhiko let the silence hang in the air for half a moment. "Did you notice anything strange before Akagi-san died?"
Ishiwatari almost smiled. "An old drinking buddy of mine picked up a bunch of kids, one of which acts far too mature for her age and another that goes home with a life threatening cold. Hattori Heiji, Akagi's favorite high school detective, just so happens to be on the scene and Kudou Shinichi, the boy rumored to be dead, appears and helps solve the case." A mirthless smirk. "Strange is a relative term, boy."
It took Mitsuhiko a moment to find the words. "Did either Mina-obasan or Kakei-ojisan do anything weird? Like something that was different from before?"
Ishiwatari shrugged again, but a thoughtful frown soon came upon his face. "It wasn't odd, per se, but I guess it was a little out of character. Mina-chan told us she was going to take a bath before we left to search for Akagi. She's a confident and eccentric girl, that's for sure, so it wasn't necessarily odd if she wanted to bathe while we were milling around the area. But she used to make a point of saving the first bath of the night for Akagi. It was something of etiquette her parents taught her when she was young. She told us about it after a couple of drinks and a game of truth or dare.
"'Even if he's late home, make sure he gets the warmest bath ever,' they said to me. Of course, I thought it was an absurd idea, outrageous. But nee-chan made me promise to do it for Oto-san, so I made sure to do it for Taichi since nee-chan wanted me to."
...she said. I know it's a small thing, but it was different."
"I'll bet Heiji-san and Shinichi-san will find it helpful," Mitsuhiko offered.
"Now that I think about it, Kenshin-kun acted oddly as well." The kids perked up. Something else? "He got sick after only one glass of beer. He comes by my bar every now and again, and he keeps up with some of the best. That kid can hold his liquor like nobody's business. He might've been sick, though, seeing as he refused the food Mina-chan offered us for a snack."
Ayumi watched Mitsuhiko write down a few more notes before asking the last question on the list. "Do you remember what Akagi-ojisan said over the phone?"
He thought for a moment before responding. "It was something like 'I'm coming home, so you don't need to be concerned. Don't tell the others; I'm okay,' although it was hard to get his meaning. He must've been in an area with bad reception since his words were choppy and broken up." Ishiwatari looked at the kids. "Is that enough for you chiisai tanteis?"
Genta bristled at the comment, but Ayumi leveled almost-a-glare at him. Mitsuhiko nodded at Ishiwatari and started nudging his friends out the door. "Arigatogozaimasu, Ishiwatari-ojisan. I promise Shinichi-san and Heiji-san will be done really soon."
"Thank you for the peace of mind. Go ahead and find your other interviewees. I'm sure you've got questions for them, too."
With another quick bow from each and a slew of good-byes, the Detective Boys took their leave.
Hovering in the hallway for a moment, they quivered like puppies who'd just gotten a Grade-A steak.
"We did it," Ayumi whispered excitedly. "We just did that without Conan's help!"
Genta puffed up with pride. "We are so bragging about this when he gets better."
"Come on, guys. We're on a roll," Mitsuhiko said, grinning. "We'll go to Kakei-ojisan next."
"There ya brats are," came a menacing growl. "I've been lookin' all over for ya." Kazuha planted herself between the kids and Kakei's room, hands on her hips. "Ran-chan was nappin', ya know, an' she got real worried 'bout ya when ya decided ta go an' disappear on her. Runnin' off without me or her wasn't safe at all, either. What if someone decided ta get violent? What would ya do then?" Her glare was accusing, her tone reprimanding with a sprinkle of worry that no one missed. The Detective Boys hung their heads guiltily.
"Gomenasai," they mumbled collectively.
"We won't do it again," Mitsuhiko added.
Kazuha cast her eyes over each of them, scanning for any signs of mischief. Finally satisfied, she sighed. "Honestly, Shinichi-kun an' Heiji 're bein' such a bad influence on ya. Ya're all actin' like Heiji when he was little." She turned around and started walking. "Y'all were goin' ta Kakei-han next?"
"Yup." Genta nodded.
"Ya're lucky I found ya. Heiji said he was one of the more... vocal suspects. I'm only takin' one of ya in, since he's gonna say things I don't want ya ta hear."
A collective groan, quickly silenced by another look from Kazuha. "Or I could take the notepad an' go in alone. Doesn't make a difference ta me."
The kids looked at each other. "You ready? Genta asked the others. Mitsuhiko and Ayumi nodded, holding up their fists.
"Saisho wa guu..."
Each player tensed, then said together, "Jan-ken pon!"
They looked at each other's hands. Genta and Ayumi were paper, Mitsuhiko was scissors.
"Ayumi-chan, you come with me when we talk ta Mina-san, an' Genta-kun can come in when we talk with Kenshin-han. Mitsuhiko-kun's comin' with me for Kakei-han." Kazuha said. Her tone made it clear that this was not up for debate. "C'mon, let's go."
(ง'̀-'́)ง
"You're his girlfriend, aren't you? That Hattori-kun? What are you, his errand girl?"
Kazuha thanked whatever deity she worshiped that her self control was stronger than her temper. It took a great deal of energy to resist the urge to throw this idiot of a man over her shoulder.
"Just answer the question." She just managed not to let out her mama bear growl. It was only a nee-chan grumble. Slightly less ferocity, slightly less volume.
Nothing fazed Kakei. He'd been in the journalist industry for years. It took a certain type of person to get answers and keep face simultaneously.
"What did you ask again? What I thought of Mina-chan?" he pretended to think, humming loudly with a hand on his chin of stubble. "Well, she's a brave girl, all right. She was pretty much alone in the house while we went looking for Akagi. It's no joy ride, living in a house like this one. It creaks and groans, and when you least expect it, monsters leap out at you and-"
Mitsuhiko pinched his arm to prevent a squeak from escaping. He's lying. Besides, Conan-kun wouldn't get scared by something like monsters. He made the effort to banish fear from his expression and met Kakei's eyes with a hardness that rivaled Kazuha's.
"Kakei-ojisan, we didn't ask you about the house. What did you think of Mina-obasan?"
"Ooh, you're learning to be a detective, aren't you. That's why you're so tense, forcing yourself to be brave and determined. Very well done, tantei-kun. I'll answer your questions, though there are a few words to describe her that are not for the faint of heart." Kazuha's glare intensified. She could stand the man swearing out if it was just her, but the kids- if you swore in front of Heiji's kids, there was h*** to pay.
He did have a colorful language, but he had a heart. "She really was a flipping two-faced witch. She said she hated the jerk-arse, but then she turned around and pampered the son of a motherless goat. She went flipping insane after her sister died. Ryoko-san never lived up to her name, being killed in a car crash when we were only in our twenties. She was going to her first day at her dream college that day. Her story is nothing interesting, only tragic. She had so much in her future- so much she could've become. But the little dragon was slain just as she stepped out of her cave." His voice had a note of remorse before it flashed back into a twisted fury. "The purest woman alive, killed because of a drunk driver that didn't even survive the flipping crash."
Mitsuhiko saw an opening. "What do you know about the crash?"
"Not much. It was Akagi and Mina-chan who were there. Akagi told us Ryoko-san ran out onto the street, while Mina-chan said her nee-chan got pushed. I don't remember the charges, if any were brought up. I'd just met Akagi right around then. He was kind enough to invite me to the funeral." He scratched his chin again. Suddenly, Kazuha realized that he was actually scratching, not just doing that pose to look like a-
"Kakei-ojisan, did you forget to shave this morning? You have fuzzies around your face." Mitsuhiko pointed to Kakei's scratching.
Realizing what he was doing, Kakei looked at his own hand. "I'll bet it would make your life easier if I told you yes, but I hate beards and this five-o-clock shadow. My razor disappeared somewhere, so I'll have to go home and shave after this is all over."
"Where did ya last see it?" Kazuha saw where this line of questioning was leading. She'd seen that picture, too. The razor, black with dried blood, laying in a basket of towels.
"Hmmm. I know it was at the sink in my room, but I brought it into the main bathroom before we started playing poker. After that, you kids showed up. I assumed one of you took it and didn't feel like making a big deal out of it."
Kazuha made a mental note: he didn't know about the razor. "Thank you. That's all, Kakei-han."
"Wait!" Mitsuhiko looked at Kakei. "Why did you stop looking for Akagi-san so quickly? What happened?"
Kakei ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't have to tell you, kid. It's none of your business. Listen to the nee-chan and get out of here."
"I'd rather stay here and hear what ya have ta say. Your lack of an alibi is one of many reasons ya're the main suspect." Kazuha smirked, a devilish glint in her eyes.
A bead of sweat formed on Kakei's forehead, slowly dripping down the side of his face. "You want to know? Fine. Fine!" He slammed his hands on his armrests. "I called Akagi to tell him to meet me. He picked up, and I could tell he was outside. I could hear the rain, the thunder. But then I saw Ryoko-san dragging Akagi from his house- I could see the back window from where I was- she was wearing a pure white dress, her hair splotched with white. I swear to you it was Ryoko. Her ghost killed Akagi! I heard her say- oh my g-" he violently dragged a hand down his face, drew a gasping breath.
"It was her, her voice, and she said, "This is retribution. You killed Ryoko, now you join Ryoko." I swear it was her. She did that when we were together- talked in third person. It was her, I swear. I know it was. She looked at me through the forest and her black eyes- they were just like I remembered. I didn't say anything because it's completely idiotic- Honestly, a ghost killing Akagi? Nothing like that would ever happen. He deserved to be slaughtered by a devil, not stabbed by a ghost. I swear it was her, though. Ryoko killed Akagi. She did it and set herself free." The man relaxed, like a weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"Ya dated Ryoko-san?" Kazuha's hand clenched into a fist. She hated it when people didn't tell her things. She got enough of it from Heiji, she didn't need it from this pudgy old man.
"Freshman year of college. Five months, eight days, thirteen hours, and two and a half minutes after Ryoko accepted my kokuhaku, she was killed by a complete imbecile. Not only did he slam into her, he swerved into a lamppost on the side of the road and ended his own life."
"What time did ya see 'Ryoko-han' kill Akagi-han?"
Kakei frowned at Kazuha. "I heard those quotation marks around her name, young lady. I know Ryoko did it." Kazuha was not going to roll her eyes, not going to do it, don't you dare roll your eyes, Kazuha, don't even think about it- "The time had to be between seven and seven-thirty, as Nakano didn't get a call from me then."
Mitsuhiko looked up at Kazuha. Is that enough? he asked silently. She glanced at him, gave a short nod.
"Thank ya for your time." A short, curt bow, and she gently pulled Mitsuhiko out the door.