Naoko

I dont own Case Closed! But I do own Naoko!

Chapter Four: The Ransom Note

Ran Mouri was awoken from her sleep as she heard the doorbell ring. It rang again. She flung off the blankets and ran out into the hall.

'It's Conan! He's back, he was never kidnapped!' she thought. She hurled open the door and peered out. No Conan. No one was there. Just a letter on the mat. She reached down and picked it up.

"Who is it Ran?" Kogoro called. She walked zombie-like into the living room.

"It's – It's a letter," she stuttered. Kogoro frowned and stood up. He took the letter from her and opened the envelope. He hesitantly unfolded the thick paper and set it on the table so they could both read it together. In various letters cut out of a magazine, it read:

Mouri,

We have your boy. If you want him back unharmed, you will leave ten thousand at the tree in front of the white picket fence in the park. After, you are to leave immediately. Your boy shall be brought back to your house promptly the next day. If police are involved, the boy shall not return to you healthy and whole. We will be watching.

It wasn't signed. Kogoro re-read it a few times before sitting up. Ran was sitting shell-shocked next to him. Kogoro rubbed his forehead.

"What do we do, dad?" Ran asked quietly. "We don't have that kind of money. But we have to get Conan back," she said tearfully.

"I know Ran. We'll get him back, no matter what. I promise," he said.

"Thank you dad. Should we call Inspector Megure?" she asked.

"Yes. I think we should. Go call him, tell him to come over," her father told her. She nodded. He went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. He sipped the scorching liquid, trying to clear his head.

"Dad," Ran said. He turned around. "They'll be here soon." Kogoro nodded.

A few minutes later, they arrived. Kogoro shook Inspector Megure's hand solemnly.

"Hello Kogoro. I was told there was a ransom note?" Magure said.

"Yes, here," Kogoro answered, pulling it out of his pocket. Magure studied the note for a while.

"I'll go check it for fingerprints. Don't worry, we'll keep you posted," Magure assured them. He left. Kogoro hugged Ran.

'I won't let you down...'

---

Shinichi had eventually fallen asleep. He awoke a little while later, and it was still freezing. Naoko was sleeping peacefully on the other table.

Loud footsteps echoed through the basement. Shinichi shivered and shuddered. The man he recognized as Taro walked into the cold space and up to the table he was bound to. He smiled sadistically.

"We sent the ransom note to your family," he said. Conan looked into his eyes. "But they called the police. We warned them what would happen if they did, but they didn't listen. You must be punished for their mistakes."

"W-What do y-you m-mean?" Conan shivered. The man grinned. He reached out of Shinichi's line of vision, but when he brought back whatever he'd grabbed, Shinichi's eyes widened and he began struggling against the ropes.

"Ah, I see you know what's going to happen," Taro said, raising the whip.

'No!' Shinichi thought 'He wouldn't!'

But he did. He brought the whip down with a loud CRACK! The sound echoed through the room. Shinichi clenched his jaw and his fists to keep from crying out. The man didn't seem satisfied at his defiance. He whipped Conan six more times, making rows on his stomach. Shinichi didn't scream once, this made Taro angry.

He touched one of the bleeding cuts on Shinichi's chest. He gasped in pain. Taro smiled insanely. He ran his fingers over each one of the cuts, making them sting horribly. He punched Conan in the stomach, hard. He cried out in pain. Taro patted Conan's face when he was done.

"Good boy," he said, almost proudly. He took a vial out of his pocket and filled it up with Conan's blood. He snapped the lid on and held it up to look at it. He smiled sadistically again "We'll see if this will convince them to tell the police to back off." He left.

Shinichi shuddered as he felt the blood trickle out of his whip marks. Naoko was staring at him with remorse in her eyes.

"Naoko sorry," she whispered. Conan blinked.

"It's not your fault," he groaned. She trembled.

"All Naoko fault," she whispered.

"Don't blame yourself," he ordered. "It doesn't matter."

She stayed silent. Shinichi wasn't surprised. She wasn't much of a talker. He squirmed. He was sure he'd get frostbite if he was kept down here, Naoko too.

'I need you, Ran! Only this time, you have to save me...'

---

A few days after the ransom note came; a small box arrived on the Mouri's doorstep. Kogoro called the Inspector before he opened it. Magure sat across from him. He took a deep breath and opened the box. Inside was a note, Conan's watch and a glass vial. He pulled out the note first. It said simply:

We warned you.

With shaking hands, Kogoro pulled out the vial. It was filled with thick red liquid. Kogoro knew it was blood, knew it was Conan's blood. He dropped it. It landed on the carpeted floor. He ran from the room and retched violently. Ran rubbed his back with shaking hands.

"Daddy, do you think he's okay?" she whispered.

"I don't know, Ran. I don't know," he whispered back, wiping his mouth. She looked distraught.

"Oh dad," she cried. He hugged his daughter close to him.

"It'll be okay Ran. I'll make it okay. Whoever hurt Conan will pay, I'll make sure of it," he whispered determinedly.

---

Conan shuddered and sobbed as they tortured him. They pressed the smoldering iron up against his skin, burning him. They had great pleasure watching him suffer. The smell of his own burning flesh made him want to vomit. He'd learned his third captor's name was Shiro.

Shiro, Taro, and Jiro were all in it together. Their names meant fourth born son, first born son, and second born son. Shinichi wondered in his free time who was the third born son. Shiro pressed the scorching hot iron on his stomach again. He wailed in agony as he applied pressure to it on his stomach. Tears leaked out of his eyes.

"RAN!" he screamed, "HELP!"

---

Ran shot up in bed. She could've sworn she'd heard Shinichi calling out to her. She wiped off her forehead and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Gently tiptoeing down the hall, she filled up a glass of water from the sink. She gulped it down quickly.

"Ran, what's the matter?" Kogoro asked sleepily from the doorway.

"Oh, sorry dad. It was just a nightmare," she said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kogoro asked.

"I just thought that I heard Shinichi yelling for me to help him. You don't think they got him too, do you?" she asked. Kogoro shook his head.

"I'm sure he's fine. It was just a nightmare," he assured his daughter. She nodded. It had been almost two weeks since Conan was kidnapped. They'd gathered the money and were going to put it at the tree the next day.

And they did. The next day at eight PM, they put the money in a metal box and closed the lid. Ran took the box to the designated tree and set the box down. She took a deep breath, turned around, and ran as fast as she could back home.

---

Shinichi opened his eyes as someone gently poked his face. Jiro stared back at him.

"Well hello there, child. I've come to tell you that your family has finally paid the money and you'll be going home tomorrow," he said pleasantly. Conan felt like crying in relief.

"But Naoko isn't going with you," he interrupted. Shinichi's labored breathing became harder.

"Yes. Our little niece is staying here," Jiro said, smiling triumphantly.

---

Hey guys! What's up with you? I only got TWO reviews for chapter 3!! ::sulks:: Well, better two than none I suppose!

caseclosed lover - I'm not mean! I'm not I'm not I'm not!

Katrina (my BFF) - Yeah, thanks Trina. You're still a dork though! Not human?? ...Who's not human? ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME SOMETHING?!?