In Today's Case: Protecting Rachel
Tess and Conan played a board game as Richard sat at his desk ticked off at the newspaper about him and Tess. He didn't really like getting help fro anyone else. Rachel sat next to Tess on the couch as she read Tess' book. It was dark and raining. Rachel decided that she was going to go to the store. Rachel closed her book and placed it on the couch next to her in between Tess and herself.
"I'm going to the store to pick up some things." Rachel said as she walked over to the coat hanger picking up her rain coat. Tess looked up from the game board.
"Want me to go with you?" Tess asked. Rachel shook her head.
"No that's okay, I can go by myself." Rachel answered. Richard looked up from the newspaper.
"Be careful." Richard stated. Rachel nodded her head as she opened the door and then shut it. Tess and Conan looked at each other as they continued their game.
Rachel walked down the street to the corner store. She walked through the door as she heard the bell above her ring. She smiled as the cashier and she headed down the rows. Then the bell went rang again as a man wearing a blue bandanna with a white T-shirt and black leather jacket and blue jeans walked into the store. Rachel watched him as he walked right up to the cashier.
"Can I help you?" the cashier asked. The man nodded her head as he pulled a pistol and held it to his head.
"Yeah gave me the money." He said. Rachel crouched down to hide herself as she listened to them talk.
"I don't have you're money." He said. The man shook his head.
"That's to bad." He said. The cashier had forgotten that Rachel was in the room.
"Please... I'll get you're money..." the cashier pleaded for his life. The man simply shook his head.
"No." the gun went off and the cashier fell with a thump. Rachel covered her mouth. She waited for the bell to ring to let her know that the man had left. The bell rang and Rachel stood up slowly. She looked around to see that the man was gone. She walked over to the counter. She looked over to see the cashier had a hole in his head and blood poured onto the floor. Rachel covered her mouth again.
The phone of Richard's desk started to ring. Richard placed the newspaper down as he picked it up.
"Richard Moore's office. Oh hi Inspector." Once Tess and Conan heard 'Inspector' they looked over at Richard. "Oh at the corner store... WHAT? RACHEL HEARD THE WHOLE THING?!! I'LL BE THERE SOON!!!" Richard slammed the phone done. He picked up the coat to his suit put it on and ran out the door. Conan and Tess followed. They got to the corner store. Richard pushed the door open as he saw Rachel talking to Inspector Maguire. "Rachel!" Richard yelled. Rachel turned around.
"Dad!" Rachel yelled. Richard ran over and then he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Are you all right?" Richard asked. Rachel nodded her head.
"Yeah I wasn't hurt at all." Rachel answered. Tess Hugged Rachel.
"YOU'RE OKAY!!" Tess yelled. Conan rolled his eyes at the sight of Tess hugging Rachel.
'Gees, thank god I'm not related to her.' Conan thought.
"Rachel you said that you've seen the killer." Inspector Maguire said. Tess let go of Rachel. She stared at her kind of funny.
"You did?" Tess asked. Rachel looked at Tess, she then nodded her head.
"What does he look like?" Conan asked. Rachel looked down at Conan.
"Well, he was wearing a blue bandanna, a white T-shirt a black leather jacket and blue jeans. Inspector Maguire turned toward a cop.
"Put a description out for this man." Inspector Maguire said to him. The officer nodded his head he looked for a piece of paper and pen. Tess looked down at the ground as he eyes shook in a fear a little.
'Could it be him?' Tess asked herself. Conan looked up at Tess funny.
'I've never seen her look like that... I wonder what's wrong.' Conan thought. "Tess." Tess shot her head forward. She looked down at Conan. Tess bent down as Richard walked around her as he followed Rachel and Inspector Maguire.
"What Jimmy?" she asked softly enough for him to hear her.
"Are you feeling okay?" he asked. Tess smiled and she nodded her head.
"Yeah."
"Oh and Tess."
"Yes?"
"I'm going to tell you one last time... call me Conan." He said seriously. Tess smiled then he nodded her head.
"Okay but Jimmy."
"What?"
"Since when do I listen to you?" Tess asked. Conan blinked a couple times as he stared at Tess. "Yeah, never." Tess stood up and walked over to Richard, Rachel, Inspector Maguire and the officer were writing down what the man looked like. Tess stood there thinking. 'If it is him, he'll be back to kill Rachel... I got to protect her.'
The next day; the man's description was in the newspaper. The man was in a hotel room reading the newspaper. He held his gun in his right hand as he held the paper in his left hand. He stared at the picture of Rachel.
"Rachel Moore. Richard Moore's daughter." He said. He then started to laugh. He threw the page into the air. He shot it. As it floated back down to the floor there was a hole in Rachel's picture.
Rachel and Tess walked down the hallway to their lockers for the end of the day. Tess' locker was 10 lockers away from Rachel's. She shut her locker holding her suit case in her other hand. Tess watched Rachel as Rachel talked to Sirena.
'I really hope that it isn't him. If it is then I need to protect Rachel with everything, which includes my life.' Tess thought. Tess walked down toward Rachel and Sirena.
"So would you like to come over my house?" Sirena asked. Rachel looked down.
"I can't I have to watch Conan." Rachel answered.
"I can do that Rachel." Tess said. Rachel looked up at Tess.
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. Tess nodded her head.
"Yeah, you go to Sirena's house and I'll watch Conan."
"See it's settled then come on." Sirena said as she grabbed Rachel's hand and ran down the hallway.
"Thanks Tess! I own you one!" Rachel yelled. Tess shook her head.
"You don't own me anything! What are cousins for anyway?" Tess said as Rachel disappeared out the door. Tess smiled. She walked forward out the door. She turned to the left to go pick up Conan from school.
Tess was standing in front of Conan's school scanning everyone for Conan. Conan was standing by the school talking to Amy, Mitch, and George with his hands in his pockets. He looked over to see Tess. Conan looked back at his friends.
"I got to go see yah!" Conan yelled as he waved goodbye running toward Tess. They watched him as he met up with Tess. Tess and Conan walked to the right toward home. Conan had his hands behind his head. "So where's Rachel?" Conan asked.
"She's going to Sirena's house." Tess answered as she looked forward.
"What was wrong with you yesterday?" Conan asked. Tess looked down at Conan as they stopped by the cross walk waiting for the sigh to say walk.
"What do you mean?" Tess asked.
"You seemed to be in deep thought yesterday about everything, why?" Conan asked Tess looked forward as she watched the sigh say walk. They walked across.
"Nothing, I was just thinking."
"You can't fool me Tess." Tess looked down at Conan. "What are you not telling me?"
"Nothing Jimmy."
"Lair."
"I'm not lying."
"Yes you are."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES YOU ARE!" Conan yelled. Tess sighed as she rolled her eyes.
'You can't get anything past this kid.' Tess thought. "All right. You're right I am hiding something."
"That would be what?"
"Before I moved to America I used to be in a gang."
"A GANG!!" Conan yelled surprised.
"Yup, if I seemed to be a good little kid then you're wrong. When Rachel said black leather jacket that hit me by surprise as it hit you by surprise when I told I use to be in a gang." Tess stated.
"So this gang is where you got you're black leather jacket?" Conan asked. Tess nodded her head.
"Yeah."
"So why do you still where it?" Tess hesitated to answer.
"I really don't know... I would tell you if I had an answer but I don't."
"So you think that the guy that killed the cashier in the corner store was in you're gang?" Tess nodded her head.
"Yeah I do. And if it's the guy I think it is then he'll go after Rachel and kill her."
"WHAT?!"
"You heard me."
"So..."
"I'm planning on protecting her." Tess and Conan entered the office where Richard would sit as his desk wasn't there.
"Where's Richard?" Conan asked.
"I think he's down at the police station trying to figure out who the shooter is but I already know who he is." Tess answered as she entered her room shutting it behind her changing into her normal black clothes. she came out putting her hair up in a pony tail.
"Tess I have a question."
"What?"
"How long were you in the gang?" Conan asked. Tess sighed as she sat down onto the couch as Conan sat onto the couch opposite o her.
"I've been in the gang since I was nine."
"NINE!!!" Conan yelled. Tess answered.
"Yup. I didn't get the jacket till I was ten."
"Oh." Tess stood up as she saw a man wearing a black leather jacket walk down the street toward Sirena's house. Tess' mouth dropped. She ran out the door without a word to Conan. Conan followed her. "TESS! WAIT!" Conan yelled as he followed her down the street. When Tess got to close to the guy she hide herself behind a building in an alley. Conan looked around. Then Tess' hand came out grabbing Conan pulling him into the alley.
"Shh!!" Tess said as she looked out. She stuck her hands into her jacket pockets. Conan looked up at her funny as he stared at her eyes. Her eyes were like burning with fire. He's never seen that look in her eyes except for the day when she solved her first crime being in Japan. Tess walked out of the alley trying to stay a safe distance away from the man. Conan followed her.
"What are we doing?" Conan asked. Tess didn't even look at Conan.
"We're following him." Tess answered as the man turned the corner. In a few seconds the man was standing in front of Sirena's house. Tess and Conan watched as the man walked behind the house. Tess ran after him trying not to be seen. 'Not this time Zach.' Tess thought as the man walked up the back porch.
Next Time on Case Closed: "RACHEL!" Tess and Conan really have to protect Rachel since she's been shot at twice!!! Will Tess' past help them or not? Find out!
Next Time: Protecting Rachel Part 2
Next Conan's hint: Shadow