Pursuance: Part 3 - History, Repeated - In which Heiji learns that the past has much to do with the present.
A Detective Conan/Chounouryoku Tantei Heiji Heiji Fanfic (Psychic Detective Heiji)
By
Deborah J. Brown

Acknowledgements:
All usual disclaimers regarding ownership of Detective Conan and related characters apply. This stuff is copyrighted to Aoyama Gosho.

Much thanks to Icka M. Chif for her beta-read.

KAZUHA:
I sat down beside Miss Akemi's bed and watched Mrs. Shiratori knit. I had no idea what it was she was trying to make. Something white and fluffy, with no discernable shape to it. She glanced up at me and smiled. "Heiji seems a very intense young man, Kazuha-chan," she said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "He's having the time of his life, though. The drama was a fun idea, but if he has a choice between a real mystery and a play one, he'll take the real one everytime." I shook my head, smiling wryly.

"Ninzaburo-kun can be that way, too. Though I fear his imagination tends to run along some rather bizarre lines, sometimes." Mrs. Shiratori paused, examined her knitting a moment, then smiled. "My fault. I used to tell him some very fantastic stories when he was a child. I'm afraid it's made him a bit – over-excitable – when he's solving cases."

I must have shown my disbelief over that idea and Mrs. Shiratori shook her head. "He had to learn to think methodically to get anywhere in the Force," she added. "His step-father's influence. He's very successful, of course, but I sometimes think he would be happier if he hadn't worked quite so hard at being a good policeman and trusted his instincts more. The way your boy does."

"My boy" I stammered. "He's not I mean, we're not"

Mrs. Shiratori eyed me. "Don't try to hide it, child," she said gently. "It's obvious that the two of you care very much for each other." She paused, frowning a bit. "Enough that you trust each other to take care of yourselves. He nearly told you to go back to your rooms, didn't he? That's his father in him."

I nodded. "He knows better, though. I wouldn't listen to him if he tried to protect me." I smiled a bit, recollecting those times that I'd gotten in trouble and he'd been there to save and help me. "Not that I mind it when he does," I admitted, a bit abashedly. I didn't know what it was, but something about Mrs. Shiratori invited confidences.

"That's not surprising," Mrs. Shiratori murmured. "Is it just me, or is he troubled by something?"

I hesitated. Confidences aside, what was going on with Heiji was probably his business. Before I could say as much, Mrs. Shiratori smiled gently and returned to her knitting. "No, it's not my business. I'm just something of a – student – of human nature."

"He doesn't talk about it to anyone," I said finally. "I think something's wrong, but as long as he keeps his mouth shut I can't do anything about it."

Mrs. Shiratori nodded. "And you want to," she agreed. "He is very like his father in that as well. Shizuka had to learn ways to get information from Hattori-san despite his preference for staying closed-mouthed. I'm sure that you know ways to get information from Heiji without his realizing it, as well. You're an intelligent young woman, Kazuha-chan. I'm sure you'll work out what's bothering him."

Before I could say anything more, Akemi-san started coughing and I moved to her side. "Akemi? Are you all right?"

"Wh what happened?" Akemi's voice was hoarse and raw.

"Perhaps Akemi-san would do better to write down what she wants to say?" Mrs. Shiratori murmured, setting her knitting down and getting a note pad and pen.

Akemi took it with a look of thanks and I wished I'd thought of that myself. Setting that thought aside, I sat down beside her and explained how she'd come to be in the sick bay, while the doctor, called in from his office, checked her out.

"I should have taken more time to check my equipment," Akemi wrote. "Captain Yamamori wanted to talk to me after the first scene. I didn't have time."

Nodding, I continued, "It may have been a murder attempt, Akemi-san. Do you think anyone on board would want you dead?"

She blinked at me and for the briefest moments I thought I saw satisfaction in her eyes. "Dead? No. No reason," she gave me a quick smile. "I'm sure it really was an accident. Who thinks it wasn't?"

"Superintendent Shiratori," I explained. "And my friend, Heiji."

"Who?"

Mrs. Shiratori answered, "Superintendent Shiratori is with the Tokyo police – and I understand that Hattori Heiji is known as the 'Great Detective of the West', Akemi-san. I think that – if this is an attempted murder – you may be confident that they will find the culprit and see to his arrest."

A strange, surprised, look crossed Akemi-san's face, becoming a look of relief. Then a big, bright, smile. "I am absolutely certain of it," she wrote. "Definitely."

***

HEIJI:
"The uniform your father was wearing," I asked, looking at Toshini curiously. "Was he an officer?"

"He worked for a cruise line. This one, in fact." Toshini said, with a bewildered look. "Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity. Facts can be useful," I told him. "Where is he now?"

Toshini looked pained. "He he died thirteen years ago. They said he fell overboard." A quick shudder went through him and I fought to keep my own reaction to myself. I was right about the ghost, then. "Grandfather never gave me the details, but they never found his body." he continued, expression unhappy. "I don't know why. I think – maybe – he's afraid father killed himself out of depression about Mother. She left us just before he went on that voyage."

Shiratori raised a brow at me. "You surely don't think that has anything to do with this, do you?"

I shrugged. "Like I said, facts can be useful." I glanced at the notebook that Shiratori had been looking through. "Anything in there?"

"Just the basic plot planned for the drama. Which I suppose is useful in that it will tell us what was intended to happen in the story." He handed it to me. "Nothing very elaborate. Akemi-san was supposed to have been murdered and the investigator was to realize it based on the fact that her neck wasn't broken. Just as you noted earlier."

I was a bit surprised that Shiratori'd been paying attention, but I nodded acknowledgement of the deduction. "Who's to be the investigator?"

"Akemi-san. With a new outfit and make-up job, obviously," Shiratori grinned a bit. "I take it the troupe is a bit short handed?"

"Well, I could have played Detective Yamato's part," Toshini said, a bit disgruntled. "I thought I was going to, but Akemi insisted that she had something better for me to be doing. Not that she told me. She can be so irritating, sometimes."

Standing up, I smiled wryly. "Yeah, but wouldn't you prefer to be irritated than in mourning?"

Toshini flushed and stammered, "Yes Of course I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suggest"

"Don't sweat it." I glanced at Shiratori as I stepped out of the room and back into the hallway. "Should we go talk to the others?"

Shiratori nodded. "Toshini-san, if you would gather your fellow actors somewhere perhaps the lounge I'd like to discuss their whereabouts in the last hour."

***

KAZUHA:
"You're sure she's asleep?"

"She hasn't moved for twenty minutes. I don't think we need to worry about her."

"Then perhaps we can risk discussing Heiji?"

There's something about having a familiar name being spoken nearby that just pulls your attention in, I thought as I lay on the bed nearest the entrance to the sick bay. Mrs. Shiratori was sitting at the other end of the room, still knitting, and Aunt Shizuka was sitting beside her. The two of them were talking quietly and I wouldn't have eavesdropped for the world except for one thing – it had to do with Heiji.

"What do you think of him?" Aunt Shizuka asked.

"I've had little contact in the last few hours," Mrs. Shiratori said softly. "Yet my initial assessment is that you're right. Something is definitely going on with the poor boy. Something in my area of expertise."

I forced myself not to tense. Mrs. Shiratori's area of expertise? What is she? There was one thing I could think of, but I found it hard to believe that Aunt Shizuka would have her son evaluated by a mental health specialist. Though maybe, if that specialist were an old friend, she would.

"What should I do?"

"There isn't much to be done at this point. He appears to be coping well with it." Mrs. Shiratori made a soft sound, rather like a snort. "There is more to it than I am used to, as well. I've never experienced something quite like this before. Has he always been so readily involved with murders?"

Now it was Aunt Shizuka who snorted. "For at least two years now. No, that's not true. It really started when he was thirteen. No murders then, but he's always had a way of getting involved in odd little cases, and he's always been nosy. His first real murder case was when he was fifteen. I have to admit, though, the frequency has increased in the last half year. Is this common?"

"In some, yes. Something about adolescence seems to bring it out. He's actually a bit old for it." With a sigh, Mrs. Shiratori continued, "I really should do a more intense evaluation before confirming anything – but I didn't want you to worry too much."

"No, I understand. I'll wait. It's good to know you agree with my assessment so far, though." A rustle of fabric followed Aunt Shizuka's words, the sound of her kimono rubbing against itself. Then she began moving and I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to react as she went out the door. "Thank you, Amiko-sensei. I'll wait until you've had time to consider the problem. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

As the door closed behind Aunt Shizuka, Mrs. Shiratori rose to her feet and walked to my bedside. "Young lady, eavesdropping is usually considered rude. Is there anything you'd like to ask me, now that Heiji-kun's mother is gone?"

***

HEIJI:
"I'm absolutely certain we have no enemies." Toshini Ikura shook his head as he answered Shiratori's questions. "Who could we offend? We're just a small troupe. No one has any ties to anyone important. No one is heir to any large inheritance." He shook his head. "Yet What you tell me is worrisome. I find it hard to believe what happened was accidental."

"Is it at all possible that Akemi-san was trying to kill herself?" Shiratori asked musingly. "Perhaps she deliberately set up the harness to fail so that no one would realize?"

"Akemi would never do that!" Kiro protested. "She loves life! She has no reason to kill herself."

"That you know of," Shiratori pointed out. "I'm not saying she did, though. I'm trying to eliminate the possibilities."

I glanced at the two women, both of whom were simply looking worried. I couldn't be certain, of course, but I didn't think a lover's triangle had anything to do with the situation. The only man young enough to be a possible love interest for Akemi was her brother. "What of you?" I asked. "Has Akemi mentioned anything that might help?"

The woman in red – Todashi Mariko – shook her head but Mrs. Kitano frowned. "She's been awfully secretive this time around. This whole trip was her idea. We usually go over the plot from beginning to end but"

"That's true," Toshini-san murmured, frowning. "She's been a bit focused this time. She said she had something special planned this time around. She hasn't even told us which of us is to be the murderer."

I glanced at Shiratori, who was frowning consideringly. "Maybe she" The Superintendent stopped, shook his head. "No, that's just silly."

"What is?"

"I was just wondering if she was trying to make a point. Maybe warning someone or even blackmail?" Shiratori shook his head. "As I said, it's silly. Why not just contact whomever it might be privately and talk to them?"

"Not quite silly," I disagreed. "A bit over the top – as you say, it would be safer to keep blackmail private. Yet" I thought about it. Something about the possibility echoed intriguingly with the way I was thinking. "It could have been an attempt to warn someone, or get someone's attention. We should probably talk to her."

Shiratori nodded slowly. "Yes. Tomorrow, when she's feeling better."

"Given no one tries to kill her again," I muttered.

***

KAZUHA:
I finished drying my hair and began dressing, moving as quietly as possible to avoid waking Aunt Shizuka. Mrs. Shiratori had sent me to my room to clean up and I was due to take over for her in fifteen minutes so she could do the same. It was early in the morning, though, and I didn't want to bother my roommate.

My mind was still working its way around what Mrs. Shiratori had and had not told me. Aunt Shizuka had brought her in to help Heiji with whatever had been troubling him. She hadn't told me exactly how she was supposed to help, but she had said that it was her job to assist people in dealing with less tangible problems.

And why don't I think she's a regular psychologist? I wondered. Maybe because she didn't act like the few therapists and councilors I'd known. She didn't ask searching questions about how one felt or poke around in one's family life. Nor could I think of how she could have confirmed Aunt Shizuka's suspicions – whatever they were – in the few short minutes of contact she'd had with Heiji.

I would have continued thinking about the question, but as I stepped out into the parlor I realized that someone was sitting at the computer, typing quietly on the keyboard. Heiji? He was bent over the computer screen, his face limned by the faint light from the monitor. He'd turned the brightness down and I realized he was trying to avoid notice. I tried moving towards the doorway, intending to slip past without disturbing him, but he muttered, "Don't creep, Kazuha."

"I didn't want to bother you," I answered, moving closer and speaking as quietly as possible.

"It's not like I didn't hear you in the shower already," he answered. "Mrs. Shiratori's waiting for you. Better not hang around too long."

I glared at him. "Belabor the obvious, why don't you?"

Heiji shrugged, leaning closer to the screen. "Hold on. Gotta read this."

"What are you up to?"

"Getting some facts about an old case." I followed Heiji's gaze and realized he was using his father's passwords to get access to the police files over the internet. He glanced at me wryly and put a finger to his lips. "A crewman named Toshini Yuji went overboard from this ship thirteen years ago. His body was never found, but there were signs of damage to the propellers. Pieces of cloth from a crew uniform" I shuddered at the thought but Heiji ignored that to continue. "Signs of an impact. Even if nothing was found, it's fairly certain he's dead. Now his daughter nearly gets killed in a play that mimics incidents that surrounded her father's death. Coincidence?"

I knelt beside him and looked at the screen, reading the text in the window. Toshini had been accused of stealing a passenger's briefcase and was facing an investigation by his superiors. There was a suggestion that he'd been so afraid of losing his job that he might have thrown himself overboard. "Still, it was determined to be an accident," I said. "Maybe she's just using the play as a catharsis? To help her deal with his death?"

"Maybe," Heiji answered, doubtfully. "But catharsis doesn't usually involve deliberately trying to kill oneself. I can't believe that rope was damaged accidentally, which seems to suggest that someone doesn't like what she was doing."

I glanced at Heiji, glad to see the intent and thoughtful look on his face. He always enjoyed these things so much and I'd been worried that whatever else was disturbing him was taking the joy out of his mysteries. Sure, Kazuha, not a chance, I thought to myself. Then I remembered something I'd meant to tell him when I saw him next. "Heiji? Akemi-san woke up a bit after you and Superintendent Shiratori left."

"Did she say anything?"

"Not really. She acted really puzzled that someone would want to kill her. Except" Heiji turned to look at me and raised a brow, waiting for me to continue. "Except she seemed pleased. Like things were going the way she wanted them to."

"I see," Heiji murmured. "Maybe Shiratori was thinking in the right general direction, then." He shook his head. "Not enough facts yet Hello, that's weird." He pointed at the screen, at a section that he'd just scrolled down to.

Reading it, I frowned at a haiku that had been found in the dead crewman's diary. "Bilge?" I read aloud. "'This thing is not right. Such cruelty should not be. Like fish in a can' What in the world does it mean, Heiji?"

Heiji shook his head. "Dunno yet. It's strange. What's even stranger is who the reporting officer was on this case."

As he scrolled the screen up to the top of the document I stared at the name. "Toyama My dad?"

***

HEIJI:
Once Kazuha had left, returning to the sick-bay to allow Shiratori-san a chance to clean up, I leaned back in my chair and finished reading Toyama-san's report. He'd been aboard ship on an undercover case and had thought something odd was going on aside from the drug smuggling he'd suspected. The theft and return of his briefcase had been worrisome, especially when Toshini had asked to meet him on deck to discuss something he thought was wrong aboard. Except Toshini had never shown up.

Suspicious of the circumstances, Toyama-san had pushed to have the ship searched. Nothing and no one was found, but evidence showed that Toshini must have gone overboard. Since no body was found and there was nothing to show that what had happened had been anything other than an accident the case had been closed. Somehow, though, I didn't think it was an accident. Kazuha's dad certainly hadn't. Nor does Akemi-san, I bet. Is she trying to find her father's killer?

The truth was still obscured, though I was getting little flashes of light that revealed intriguing bits and pieces of what was happening. Whatever it might be, though, I was willing to bet my Dad was deeply involved. He and Kazuha's dad had been friends and associates for years. The two of them had always worked together when Toyama-san was with the force and – even now – they helped each other out. I remembered Dad's sudden decision to go on this cruise and wondered if he knew something was going to happen.

I got to my feet and went to the door of the room I was sharing with Dad and looked in, intending to see if he was awake and planning on trying to question him. Not that I expect much in the way of answers from that closed mouth old I stopped at the door, though, and frowned. Dad wasn't in his bed and since I'd been in the state room for over an hour getting access to the police files and the Toshini case in particular, I knew he had to have been gone for a while. I'd heard Kazuha sneak in – not even noticing me at the computer – and I was pretty sure I would have heard Dad leave. Maybe he's in the toilet?

Knocking on the bathroom door, I heard no answer. Nor was anyone inside when I opened the door. Now I was getting a bit concerned. Why would Dad be wandering around at this hour? Unless, of course, he's investigating on the sly. Wouldn't put it past him, either. I shook my head, glancing over our stuff. My clothes in their usual disarray in the suitcase beside my bed, Dad's folded away in the dresser, the suitcase pushed under his bed. If I were the sort to go poking around in my father's stuff, now'd be the time.

I shook my head. Dad and I may not get along very well, but there are some things you just don't do. Spying on one's father behind his back was one of them. Not without a damned good reason. Maybe he stopped by the sick-bay to check on Kazuha? She was under his guardianship for the trip, after all, and he took that sort of thing seriously.

With Franky trotting beside me, I headed back down the hall.

***

KAZUHA:
"Oh dear. What a mess," Mrs. Shiratori looked chagrined as her bag of knitting spilled over the floor, scattering balls of fluffy pink, white and blue yarn all over the place. If I were a more suspicious type I'd have thought she'd knocked the bag over on purpose. Surely she isn't avoiding discussing whatever she's up to?

As I picked up the yarn, I had to ask, "Just what is it going to be, anyway?"

Mrs. Shiratori chuckled. "Dear, I wish I knew. Knitting is more therapy for me than anything else. A redirection of thought. I'll probably end up making a blanket for someone."

I frowned at the ball of yarn I was winding. "Therapy?"

A slow smile was Mrs. Shiratori's answer as she picked up another ball and began winding it as well. "Yes. Sometimes life can become overwhelming. There are many demands on one's time and energy. So many people desperate to be helped. To be guided out of the traps that they often create for themselves. I like to think I do well at it, but one cannot do what I do without a certain amount of strain"

Before I could open my mouth to ask just what it was Mrs. Shiratori did to help people, the door to the sick-bay opened and the one person I didn't want to hear our conversation stepped in.

"What th Are you two planning on killing somebody with all that yarn?" Heiji asked, grinning broadly. He had a running gag that the number of murders each year would decrease dramatically if all string, rope or other thread like items were outlawed. "Or setting a trap for the"

I looked up at Heiji, startled that he'd stopped his tease so suddenly. He was looking over at Akemi-san's bed and I'd swear his face had gone pale underneath his tan. In the dim light, though, it was hard to be sure and he shook it off quickly. "Setting a trap for the killer," he continued hurriedly.

Mrs. Shiratori surely noticed his hesitation. I saw her glance at him, then in Akemi-san's direction, but I doubted she'd seen much more than I had. Yet, it's almost like he was looking at something. Heiji's eyes had been focused, but I would have sworn he hadn't been looking at our near murder victim. He glanced at me, as if daring me to comment and I forced myself not to.

"Much as I'd love to be able to capture the one who attempted such a cruel murder," Mrs. Shiratori said, packing the last of the knitting away and picking up her bag, "I fear my poor yarn is scarcely adequate to the task." She handed the bag to Heiji, who stared at it, then at her confusedly. "Come along, young man. You may as well make yourself useful and carry this for me."

I fought back a snigger as Mrs. Shiratori guided Heiji out the door, pausing only long enough for Heiji to ask me if I knew where his father was.

"Sorry, Hei-chan," I grinned at him and let my grin broaden at his glare, "But I have no idea. I thought he was in bed."

"Perhaps he is speaking with my son," Mrs. Shiratori said. "All the more reason for you to accompany me."

With a sigh and a glance my way that promised revenge for that 'Hei-chan', Heiji followed Mrs. Shiratori.

***

HEIJI:
I followed Shiratori-san with a feeling of resignation. I would have liked to give her the slip, but if Dad was with the Superintendent then there wasn't a point. One thing I was glad of. We were outside, on deck, and the cool morning breeze was helping wash the fuzz from my mind. I'd gotten no sleep yet and I was beginning to get tired. Maybe that's why that ghost in the sick-bay hit me so hard. Glad I saw him before I got anywhere close.

In my mind's eye, I envisioned the ghost – the same man I'd seen on deck the night before – standing beside Akemi-san's bed and gazing down at his daughter. Ai would probably say I was seeing him there only because I knew who he was and because my mind was projecting feelings on something that was simply a memory.

My ghosts have never been quite so aware of their surroundings, either. Maybe Ai's right and I am projecting what I think he ought to have felt onto him. Why would he even be in the sick-bay, after all? He certainly didn't die there. I shuddered, remembering the look on his face. The pain and longing of a father who had never meant to leave his children orphaned. I was just glad that Akemi-san couldn't see him. Not what was left of him.

I shivered, trying not to think of the ship's propellers and failing. The very thought of being mangled on them was enough to make me almost physically ill. It was too close to my own brush with death. That near drowning wasn't the only time I'd come close to dying, but it was somehow becoming larger in my imagination – especially now.

"Tell me, Heiji-kun, you have followed in your mother's footsteps, not so?" As I gave Shiratori-san a startled look, she smiled at me. "In kendo, of course. It is obvious that your love of mystery comes from your grandfather."

Shrugging, I answered, "Yeah. I do a bit of kendo." Mom and I still sparred together, but not nearly as often as I'd have liked. It just wasn't ladylike for a middle-aged married woman to practice kendo. Especially not with her teenaged son. "Why?"

Shiratori-san turned an unreadable gaze on me. "I have found that repetitive exercise can help the brain redirect itself around uncomfortable and difficult thought processes. Allowing the mind time to work out a more adequate way of dealing with the problem."

My scowl must have been memorable. I could feel my brows pulling together. Only one thing stopped me from responding to her the way I would have responded to Kazuha. I can be a rude little brat, but I don't yell at my elders. Well, except Dad and that's a different story altogether. "Why do you say that?" I asked finally, once I'd gotten my temper under somewhat better control.

A quiet nod of approval accompanied Shiratori-san's response. "I prefer to do this kind of thing in a more controlled environment," she said, more to herself than to me. "Would it surprise you to learn that your mother has asked me to see you? That I am somewhat experienced in helping people deal with their problems?"

Light dawned and I came to a dead halt. "Yer a shrink? Mom called in a shrink?!" I felt sharp panic. I'd been trying so hard to keep them out of things. If Mom got too involved she might find out about the Black Organization and involve Dad. It wasn't that I didn't trust my parents' intentions but the last thing I wanted was to have those bastards turn their attention on my family. Besides, who'd believe that I was seeing ghosts, anyway? I felt like the walls of a cage were closing in on me. Tell the truth and be believed and end up endangering everyone, or be disbelieved and wind up committed to an asylum.

"While I have a Doctorate in psychology," Shiratori-san said quietly, "I prefer to consider myself a counselor, not a shrink." She cocked her head at me. "Nor do I like to offer my counsels to someone unprepared to consider them. To tell the truth, I only agreed to see you because your mother had been such a good friend to me at a time when I most needed one."

Shaking my head, I turned and leaned on the railing. "What if I tell you to take a flying leap?" I demanded, all manners gone, erased by my fear. "I don't need a shrink."

Shiratori-san leaned on the railing beside me and chuckled. "No, I don't think you do either. You have found your own coping mechanisms." She gazed off at the dawn light with a small smile. "Of course, the problem with some coping mechanisms is that they can create their own troubles, which then need more coping mechanisms to deal with. Fits of bad temper can drive those you love away from you when you need them most. I only suggest kendo as a redirection method because I sincerely doubt you'd like to knit."

***

KAZUHA:
I glanced over at the door to the sick-bay, surprised to see it opening so soon. Shiratori-san had only been gone for half an hour and I didn't think that was long enough for her to have cleaned up. "Oh, Doctor. Captain. Akemi-san isn't awake yet."

"And this is a problem how?" Dr. Makashino answered gruffly. "I just need to get some records the Captain wanted to see. Wait here, Captain." He went into his office while Captain Yamamori wandered around the sick-bay restlessly, pausing momentarily at Akemi-san's bedside to glare at her angrily.

I blinked at the Captain, startled at his expression and he turned to me. "You think I'm horrible, don't you?" His tone was plaintive.

"I don't think anything of the sort, Captain," I told him, firmly. "You're just concerned for the safety of the passengers and the crew. You have every right to be." Heiji was like that too, I realized. He was always at his most angry and bad-tempered when he felt helpless and out of control. Or when someone he cares about is in danger.

The Captain looked embarrassed. "It reflects badly on the ship to have something like this happen." He shrugged, returning to his restless movements as Dr. Makashino stepped out of the office and held out a thick manila folder. The Captain reached out to take it. "Thank you, Doctor. I'm sorry to have been so insistent, but"

"It's not like I have much else to be doing. Like sleep." The doctor's sentence went uncompleted as the papers in the folder slipped out and went flying all over. For a moment the three of us stared at the mess – the folder had been stuffed to capacity – then Dr. Makashino murmured, "DAMN DAMN THIS THING" He looked at his prosthesis angrily, then flushed sharply when the Captain muttered something about his language. "I'm sorry, Toyama-san."

He didn't sound sorry, but I smiled anyway. "Don't worry, I'm used to it. Heiji says things like that all the time," I reassured Makashino as I got down to help pick up the papers.

"Toyama?" The Captain's voice held an odd note and I looked up at him, seeing a momentary frown cross his face. Then he shook his head and muttered, more to himself than to me, "No, coincidence, surely."

I wondered if he were remembering my father and decided not to ask. He was tense already and knowing that I was the daughter of the policeman who must have been a thorn in his side during that earlier case might make him even more upset.

"Coincidence?" Dr. Makashino asked as he knelt on the floor and picked up more sheets of paper, "What do you mean, Captain?"

Moving around the room restlessly as he went to pick up some of the more scattered papers, the Captain answered, "That cop. The one who was aboard when we lost Yuji."

It was an effort not to say anything but somehow I just couldn't. Heiji was always complaining that I tended to talk too much, to reveal more than I ought to and that that was why he never told me anything. In a way he was right, infuriatingly so. I like people and I like to talk. He may call it gossip, but I call it connecting. Still, this time something made me keep my silence. It was almost as if a ghostly finger had been placed at my lips, hushing me.

"Anyway," Captain Yamamori said as we finished gathering the papers and he tucked the folder under his arm. "I'd better go and look these over. I'll be seeing you at breakfast, Makashino. I trust you'll keep me posted regarding the young lady." With that, he stalked out the door.

***

HEIJI:
"The Chief Inspector and I were talking," Shiratori told me as his mother shooed us out of their cabin. "He gave me some information about the case that"

"Strongly suggests this probably was a murder. Not to mention that Akemi-san's little drama probably is aimed at whomever killed her father thirteen years ago." At the Superintendent's look, I grinned wryly. "I looked up the information about that case through the police files."

Shiratori looked a trifle scandalized, but went on. "Did you know that someone sent your young lady's father an anonymous letter last month? One suggesting that the case might be solved if he were to be present for said 'little drama'?"

"No, but it doesn't surprise me – and it explains why Dad decided to take this trip," I shook my head. The Old Man could be pretty sneaky sometimes. "Wonder why he didn't bring Kazuha's hey, what do you mean, 'my young lady'?"

A small smile quirked the Superintendent's lips. "Oh, sorry. I must have misinterpreted." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets as we walked back down towards the sick-bay. "Have you had any further thoughts on the case, however?"

"A few, but nothing provable," I shrugged. "There's not a lot of evidence this time. Anyone with access to those keys could have gotten into Akemi-san's room. The damage to the rope might have been done with a soldering iron, but I'm sure there's a few of those aboard ship." I glared down the hallway, recalling a certain very short detective's quote that it was a mistake to theorize without facts. Unfortunately, facts are one thing we simply don't have yet. Theories in abundance but only a few shreds of evidence. Clues. NEED Clues.

"If the murderer is covering up a previous crime then there has to be something about Akemi-san's plot that would worry him," Shiratori said. "Yet I've gone through her notes and aside from a weird poem, there's nothing. Your father said something about looking into that angle."

Well, what do you know? Ask and thou shalt receive. I glanced Shiratori's way. "It wouldn't be about bilge, would it?" At his nod, I frowned consideringly. "That was a poem Toshini left behind before he disappeared. Damn it, Dad. You're keeping secrets again."

"He may be trying to protect you, Hattori-kun," Shiratori said soothingly.

"Shyeah, right. Which is why he brought all of us on this trip in the first place. He knows perfectly well if a crime is committed somewhere near me, I end up involved." I've always enjoyed resolving mysteries, but that didn't change the fact that – like my chibified friend, Kudo/Conan – I am always in the thick of things when there's danger. Makes me wonder if Franky's always been with me and it's just my additional abilities that makes it possible for me to see him. And if I looked, would I find another hanging around Kudo too? I shrugged. "So I guess my next move is to find him and see if he's found any clues. You going to talk to Akemi-san?"

"Mmmm," Shiratori agreed. "It seems like the best thing I can do at the moment. Though I fear she's unlikely to be forthcoming about her intentions." He glanced my way. "Your father didn't tell me where he was going, though. Do you know where he is?"

"Somewhere in the bowels of the ship, I'd bet. That poem was titled 'Bilge', after all." I nodded to Shiratori as we parted ways. "Give my regards to Kazuha and tell your Mom I'll think about what she told me."

***

KAZUHA:
I yawned, feeling sleepy despite the naps I'd had over the night. I can't be getting too old for this kind of thing, I thought, wiping my eyes. Dr. Makashino yawned as well, then gave me a sour look. "Quit that, girl. You're making me sleepy."

"Sorry," I apologized. "It's been a long night." I took another sip of the coffee that the doctor had poured for us. "But I don't know. I've had long" I yawned again. "nights before and never felt so"

What am I doing? I can't fall asleep. I shook my head as hard as I could, trying to drive the sleepiness away and failing. My eyes felt so heavy. So hard to open. I yawned again, felt myself slumping and saw Dr. Makashino watching me with a strange, wide-eyed, look, his body almost unnaturally tense and straight.

I shook my head again, struggling against sleep. Through the blur of exhaustion I could see Akemi-san lying on her side, her eyes open as she watched me. When did she wak Then everything seemed to tilt sideways and I watched the tile floor grow closer. I barely felt the impact. Dimly, just before I went unconscious, I thought I heard the sound of something heavy landing nearby.

To Be Continued

Author's Notes: For those wondering what the heck is going on... This is the third in series. Heiji gets his neat abilities in "Sense & Sensitivity" and gains Franky in "Nor'hanger Abbey".

Mrs. Shiratori's knitting is a direct bow to Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.