Minna konnichi wa! This is the 3rd chapter of [Coming Home], my 2nd Detective Conan fanfic. Do you guys like it so far? I hope so! I haven't been very good about updating this story. *sigh* Schoolwork, schoolwork, schoolwork...
Omigosh, did you guys hear the awful, sad news? FUNimation Productions, who is producing the English version of Detective Conan, totally changed EVERYTHING of the series! First of all, our beloved anime is no longer called, "Detective Conan", but "Case Closed". Also, the characters' names are changed! Kudou Shinichi = Jimmy Kudo. Mouri Ran = Rachel Moore. Thank God that Conan's name won't be changed. I think that I would cry if he was called...Conan Smith or something like that. Ugh, I'm about to cry anyway...gimme my Shinichi back, FUNi!!
Arg, that's just angrifying (yup, that's my own special word ^_^) But other than that, everything is just fine and dandy...lalala...enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: If you donate a lot of money to me, I will BUY the copyrights of Detective Conan! Then I wouldn't have to say "I don't own Detective Conan" anymore! But for the meantime, I don't own Detective Conan...
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Chapter 4 ~ Finding the Murderer
Shinichi searched for a pulse: nothing. He turned around, looked at Yuki, Marina, and Tanaka, and slowly shook his head.
Who did this? Shinichi wanted to shout, staring at Carson's bloody figure. Who the heck has enough guts to take the life of another human being? But of course, he couldn't say that in front of two sobbing flight attendants and a pale, shocked co-pilot. Instead, he turned on his cell phone and called Takagi.
"Moshi moshi?" Takagi answered.
"This is Kudou," Shinichi said. He gravely informed the policeman about Carson's death. Takagi and Satou immediately headed over to the control room.
He then turned to Yuki and Tanaka. "Would you two please go and find the head of the Airport Security, please?"
"But," Yuki protested, "they're all working on the hijack case right now—"
"I DON'T CARE!" Shinichi shouted. "Just go! Tell them that someone has been murdered! That should make them make a mad dash for this tower!"
Tanaka nodded, grabbed Yuki's arm, and they left the room. Marina asked feebly what she should do, and Shinichi just sighed and said, "Regain yourself, okay? The police will ask you a lot of questions soon." She nodded. "May I go use the restroom?"
"Wait until the police get here, and I will have someone accompany you. For now, just stay put."
After taking care of her, Shinichi began the investigations. Hmm...he's definitely dead of that stab in the back, that's for sure. If he was stabbed AFTER death, the blood wouldn't have splattered everywhere. The handle of the knife looks quite normal; I don't think there's been a booby trap planted here...huh? Red marks around his neck?
Indeed, there were some strange markings on Carson's neck. It looks like he's been strangled by a rope of some kind. I get it...he was strangled to lose consciousness, and then stabbed to death...which means, when he was strangled, he was still awake...and that means he would have struggled with the murderer.
He looked at the victim's fingernails. "Aha!" he whispered. There was something underneath his nails. It was a black, plastic-like substance. "What is this stuff...?" he murmured. "Oh well, better wait until the forensics team gets here."
As he spoke that, Satou and Takagi showed up with seven members of the Salisbury Airport Security, all panting. Yuki and Tanaka were leading them.
"Oh my..." Satou said when she saw Carson. "Takagi-kun..." Takagi nodded.
"Hello," a man introduced himself to Shinichi in English. "My name is Etou, assistant chief of the British airport security."
Shinichi shook Etou's hand. "I am Kudou Shinichi," he replied. "I'm a Japanese detective; I was returning to my home in Tôkyô when this case happened."
Etou nodded. "I see...well, the forensics team should be arriving any moment, so—" Just then, the forensics team showed up. "Ah, just in time," Etou said. "Now, why don't you tell me about this case, from beginning to end."
So, Shinichi, Takagi, and Satou told him the entire thing—how the plane was threatened by a bomb, how Shinichi found those messages, and how after he figured out the final message—shi ne (to die) –when Tanaka burst in with the news that Carson was missing.
"According to my deductions," Shinichi said, "the notes and hijack threat were just a cover-up, with the true intention as murdering Mr. Carson."
Etou nodded. "Well, who could have set this up?"
Shinichi lowered his voice. "The only four who know about the threatening letter are Mrs. Carson, the victim's wife, Miss Marina, the victim's younger sister, and Mr. Tanaka, the co-pilot of the plane. Well, and Mr. Carson, of course…I believe that the murderer must have been one of them. Only the four were involved with setting up the waiting room and everything here; only someone who would have known in advance that they would stop in Salisbury would set up a note there."
Etou frowned. "What were the messages, anyway?"
The young detective's face lit up with joy, as if he'd been waiting for someone to ask that question. "Well, you see, the first message was written on the back of the threatening letter, you see. It read, 'Every number only counts once.' I've seen my share of strange notes…after pondering, I found that it wanted me to go to seat 1C. Why? Let me show you.
"You see, you must take the first letter of the first three words: E for Every, N for Number, and O for Only. Then, spell E-N-O out backwards—one, right? The first letter of the word Count is C, so it must be somewhere on seat 1C. The first TWO letters of the last word, Once, is on. Therefore, the next message is on seat 1C.
"The next message, Creed, Shinjite, and Croix takes the same pattern—but you must look at the last letters of the words. It spells D-E-X. Doesn't make much sense, does it? But what if you reversed the pronouciation of X? Then it would say—"
"DESK!" Etou exclaimed. "I understand now. That's quite smart, actually! Well, what about the third message?"
"The third message was the most difficult to figure out. It read, Shanghai, China, Switzerland, France, Everest. I figure that the criminal was still using letter-play. What you do for this one is…you take the first letter of the first word, second letter of the second word, third letter of the third word, etc…and you get 'shi ne.'"
"Wow!" Takagi and Satou exclaimed. "You're amazing, Kudou-kun!" Satou said admiringly. Shinichi blushed slightly and said, "Nah, it's nothing big…"
Suddenly he remembered something. "Oh my gosh!" he exclaimed. "Could it be—"
It all makes sense then, if that person was the murderer, he thought. So that's why that person said that thing back then…it just slipped out, I guess. But what about the thing that this person used to strangle Carson? It must have been disposed of…but nevertheless, it doesn't hurt to search a bit.
"Mrs. Carson, Miss Marina, Mr. Tanaka," Shinichi said. "We have to interrogate you."
"Interrogate?" Yuki repeated. "Why?"
"Because...I have good reason to suspect that the murderer of this man right here is one of—" Shinichi pointed "—you three!"
They all gasped. Marina laughed weakly. "C-come on, Mr. Kudou," she said. "It couldn't be US! We were the people closest to Bertie. We couldn't have killed him! Right...? Yuki? Mr. Tanaka?"
They nodded in agreement. Shinichi shook his head.
"Only the four of you were involved in planning the waiting room, correct? And do you know what I found in the waiting room? A message, from the killer. Yes, that means that whoever is the criminal had planned this for a while. It must be one of you."
"So," Etou cut in, "we're going to have to search your possessions. Would you mind emptying your purses and pockets, please?" The three suspects obeyed willingly.
"Now, we have some questions for you. First of all, where were you when you were informed of Mr. Carson's death, Mr. Tanaka and Miss Marina?"
"I was in Terminal D," Tanaka said. "We all split up to look for Carson."
"And I was in Terminal B," Marina replied.
"You discovered the body of your husband, Mrs. Carson?"
"Yes."
"Hmm...has the victim been in an argument with any of you recently?"
"No." They all shook their heads.
"Thank you." The police and Shinichi began to examine the objects. Tanaka had his old pilot's notebook, a pen, a handkerchief, a flight emergency kit, and his wallet, which had some credit cards and a ten-pound note.
Yuki had a silver watch, her nametag, keys, twenty pounds, the first volume of the manga Kodocha, and a necklace with a broken clasp. Marina had two pens, a mini-clipboard, a novel, some change, and her keys on a string that could be worn around the neck.
Huh? There's nothing that resembles the thing I found in Mr. Carson's fingernails. It could be essential to the investigation! What IS it? It's the key to finding the evidence!
At that moment, the forensics team showed up. "We've analyzed the strange substance under the victim's nails, and it is made of plastic. As to what it belongs to, we're not sure yet."
Plastic? Then I WAS right after all, thought Shinichi. But then... Suddenly, one of the suspect's possessions caught his eye. "Sogga! Soudattanda! And if I'm not mistaken, that thing will be..." he whispered for Satou and Takagi to distract the suspects with some more questions, and he searched one of the suspect's bags. A triumphant grin appeared on his face.
"I've finally figured it out..." he declared. "The murderer is...you!" he shouted, pointing at one of the suspects.
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MWAHAHAHA!!! You don't get to find out who the murderer is...at least not until I have my next chapter up. That's what you get for not reviewing! Please, people, I want reviews! I'm deeply saddened that there are only THREE reviews so far for Chapter 2 of this story. Come on, guys! I want reviews!
So, no reviews, no finding out who the murderer is.
And for those kind-hearted folk who did review...(this is a response for everyone who has reviewed so far)
I am Sango: Yayness! Anta wa [first reviewer] desu! Arigatou gozaimasu!! Yesh, when I got the idea, I was SoOoOoO excited! Thank you for reading!
Ke: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Conan ROCKS!
Eulene: I've updated...but you haven't reviewed for any other chapters! *tear* please review!
Maggie: Yay! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Ooh, I hope that you will review for [Mysterious Truth]! I love reviews. (By the way, is Let's Stay Together, Itsumo) written by you?
Meitantei Conan: Thanks for reviewing & liking the story! BTW, if you write a story, please tell me & I will read it!
