One Step Closer

By Raining Dreams ("Bunny")

She's talking again: Heya. Well, is down at the moment, so the stuff I write here will prolly be outdated by the time I actually get to POST this. Tomorrow is the first day of highschool. I'm a nervous wreck. On a slightly brighter note, the neighbor kid is starting to go to middle school at my old school. That's GREAT for me. Not only am I not going to be alone at my bus stop (it made me nervous to be there alone) but I can make him my little messenger to my old teachers and friends I had to leave behind XD I highly doubt I'll be sleeping tonight, and I am NOT looking foward to getting up at 5:30 in the morning. I don't fancy going to bed at 9:30, either. I can't sleep that early... I'm not a morning person and I am a bloody night owl!! Well, at any rate, after this chapter, don't expect such prompt updates. At least for the next week or two. I'll try to have chapter five up by next Sunday.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Detective Conan, but I will once I suck out the brainmeats of the owners via their ears through my pink bendy straw of DOOM. Wait... -flips through The Evil World Conquest manual- oh crap. I wasn't supposed to tell you that.

One Step Closer: File 4

Jimmy pushed himself off the wall. "Hello," he said simply in response to Harley's gaping and Rachel's look of pure shock. It was killing him not to run up and hug Rachel right then and there; But there would be time for that later. Right now, he needed to solve this case.

Harley blinked, a competitive smirk tugging at his lips. " What makes you so sure that Ms. Hoshima didn't kill him? All the evidence suggests otherwise." he paused. "Hey. How did you even know we were HERE?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Conan called me earlier. Said there was a party and Rache needed a date." he jutted a finger at his best friend, who blushed furiously. "I went upstairs to see the squirt before I said hello when I noticed the crime scene and began to observe you all. There is one very simple way to tell that Ms. Hoshima is innocent."

"And the evidence suggests otherwise. Let the games begin, Kudo. Everyone, come upstairs." Harley said, a bit uncertain. What did I miss that Kudo found? The group responded, and Jimmy just shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets out of habit. Rachel stood in a daze as she watched everyone else walk upstairs. She realized just how far she'd fallen behind and hurried after them. Harley cleared his throat, stopping everyone in the doorway as he walked it.

"It was quite simple, actually. My first clue was the knife. It was missing from the display downstairs. Ms. Hoshima was helping with food preparation and could have easily stolen it. My second clue was the victim's eyes. He would have died in extreme shock for his eyes to look the way they do. And the third and final clue, the nail in the coffin," he pulled open the drawer and yanked out a photo. "was this photograph!"

The picture, which looked to be at least 20 years old, depicted a college age Miki and George cuddling on a bench in some park. Ms. Hoshima gasped. "Where'd you--?!"

"You thought you could get away with it, didn't you? You wanted revenge, Ms. Hoshima, because George Mitimo married her." he pointed to Mrs. Mitimo.

"It's true!! I was jealous!! I loved George with all my heart, and he left me for her! I was crushed!! But I'd never KILL him!!" she broke down in tears.

"There's one thing you missed, Harley." Jimmy said calmly, pushing his way into the room. "One vital detail that proves who is innocent and who isn't." He walked to the corpse, pulling the right shoulder of the shirt down, reveling a bruise. "See this? Someone held onto him while they stabbed him. Now here is where it got tricky. The night stand is splattered with blood, and it's to your right if your in the bed." Jimmy walked to the desk in the room, pulling out a pen and paper. "Ms. Hishima, please come here and write something; Let's say your signature." she nodded, walked over, and did as she was told. "Now Mr. Cunningham, I'd like you to do the same thing." he turned around to face the group again. "Mr. Cunningham is left handed."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Harley asked, staring at him.

"Well, try it in the air. The person held onto Mr. Mitimo with their right hand and stabbed him with their LEFT. Otherwise, the blood would have sprayed over to the floor rather than over the night stand. The murderer is left handed, and Ms. Hishima is right handed. The killer is none other than Mr. Cunningham!"

All the gazes in the room fell onto Mr. Cunningham, who sighed, staring at the ground.

"You're right, kid. I did do it. George and I were best friends, and when he stole Anna from me, I knew I could never forgive him. We met again ten years later at a business meeting. Everything had worked out so perfectly for him. He was rich, had Anna, and a beautiful daughter. I couldn't let him get away with stealing my one true love from me, so I killed him," Jimmy's eyes got wide. The man was smiling. "Just like I'm going to kill all of you. I'm not spending time in jail for something he deserved." Everyone backed up as the man pulled out a hand gun, pointing it at all of them. Jimmy glared and tore off, holding every intention of knocking the man to the ground and making him unable to harm anyone. Instead, Mr. Cunningham turned around and fired a careless shot at the boy. Jimmy fell to the ground, crying out in pain. Rachel backed up, shivering uncontrollably, chest heaving. She wanted to move. She wanted to kick his BUTT for hurting Jimmy. But she couldn't move. She was frozen in fear.

He walked out, holding the gun at all of them. "Move, and I'll shoot." he snapped, walking downstairs. Mrs. Mitimo's eyes got wide.

"Oh no...the security system..." she whispered. "It'll bar us in until the police get here...only they and my husband had the password to undo it." ((A/N: Yes. It's corny and Panic Room-y. But It adds a definite twist, so shut up.)) Within moments, sheets of metal could be heard securing all the ways into, and more importantly out of, the house. Rachel shivered, her stomach doing flip flops. She paused, before running into the next room, kneeling next to Jimmy.

"J..Jimmy, are you alright? Where'd he...did he...?" she couldn't seem to finish her sentence.

"I'm fine, Rache. He just grazed my arm. I'll be okay. Oh come on...don't tell me you're CRYING. You baby." Rachel batted her eyes furiously in attempts to hold the tears back.

"C...creep!" she snapped, whacking him gently over the head. She looked around the room, walking over to the bed and carefully tearing off a strip of the sheet, walking back over and carefully tying it around his arm. Jimmy couldn't find anything to say to her. The lights flickered before going out, plunging everyone into total darkness. Rachel's hand clenched for a moment in mid wrap, before she quickly finished with his makeshift bandage. There was the soft scuffle of feet outside and the closing of doors. Rachel gingerly closed the door with her foot. Outside, the creak of the stairs sounded. Slow and suspenseful. Like a horror movie. Rachel seemed the hold her breath and, out of terror, wrapped her arms around Jimmy. He blushed, glad it was too dark to be noticeable, and, with a bit of a shaky hand, placed his arm around her, pulling her close.

5 minutes away from a nervous breakdown...: That last scene was spooky and cute all at once. I'ma illustrate it, methinks. Either I'll do it or I'll nag Ember into it. At any rate, I hope you all like the fic so far, and I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Love ya'll. REVIEW. MWAH!!! -poof-