Ch3.

The Murder

Conan checked his watch, 7:45, and looked both ways to see for any signs of neither. All of a sudden from behind him a hand grabbed him violently from behind holding his mouth. "So you found out about are plans earlier today did you?" A look of terror stroke across his face.

He kicked free from the man and turned quickly to face him. There stood non other than Hattori Heiji, the high school detective of the west.

"AHAHAHA!! You should have seen your face Kudou, was it ever funny AHAHA!" The young lad laughed.

"You! You bastard." Conan looked on him with teasing anger and pulled out his tranquilizer gun and targeted him.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. Oh and here comes the professor and that little lady." Hattori looked up and pointed.

"Excellent." Conan ran to Agasa's car, "did you bring them?"

"Ohh. Shinichi, here's the things you asked for. Here I added night vision to these new pair of glasses, and look I fixed your skateboard." The professor introduced with excetment.

"Whoa, thanks professor." Conan replied excited about his new mod.

Professor turned around and pulled out a stack of chip like objects, "Here, I made these for you as well."

"What are they?"

"That's something I've just came up with today morning. When you peel the protective lair on the bottom this object become a small ball. Inside is a transmitter and when you kick it, it will release a special fluid that allows the object to stick to what ever surface it touches. But remember, the fluid is very soluble in water." Agasa explained.

"Hmm. That's interesting. Hey Kudou, you got it made. I think most of these stuff the police don't even have." Hattori looked upon each object with interest.

Haibara sitting in front of them spoke with her usual coolness, "So lets hear this plan of yours. The man is an excellent sniper, which means he can be in any of these buildings near by. He is an excellent demolitionist as well and knows how to use the perfect amount to do the exact amount of damage. How are you going to stop him let alone find him."

The young detective laughed with ease, "Don't worry about that, before you guys came I've scanned every area where the entry to the building can be seen and called Chief Megure to bring some of his men over and I stationed them in cover, 3 in each area to look for suspicious beings. As for demolition, that's not gonna happen. One, the building it self requires the destruction of 5 main Poles in order to do some sort of damage, each of these cement pole will most likely require a minimum of 10-20 pounds of dynamite. With all 5 that are 100 pounds of dynamite before the building will take damage. And this is the City Hall. The guards around this place is way too heavy to sneak 100 pounds of dynamite and hide it without being noticed, and I over heard in the conversation that they told him to kill that one man and only him and to not blow anything up because they wish this one to remain a mystery."

"If you knew that why did you bother checking?" Haibara questioned.

"Well according to what you said about him, I needed to make sure that he will follow that order. In this case I don't thing he would have done it even if the order wasn't there to begin with so I stopped worrying about it." The small boy explained looking ever so innocent to the casual eye.

"And the purpose of you bringing me into this mess is because?" Hattori asked half seriously.

"Oh that? I just wanted to see your face and show you a few places around Tokyo." Conan laughed. ( Sooo, how does it feel to be on the receiving side of your medecine)

Hattori thought: th..this guy….

"Well, we're off, later professor, Haibara" Our young hero turned his back with his companion and ran in to the building.

"I'm sorry you can not enter the building unless you have permission." A guard-man stopped us, as we were about to go in.

Conan looked up and smiled, "Mr. Guard-man this is my brother Hattori Heiji-kun, he came here because he wishes to do some investigating. We won't take long"

"Your that famous High school detective of the west, Hattori Heiji? The son of the chief of police in Osaka Hattori Heizou?" The guard spoke with admiration, "Ofcourse you may enter, take as long as you wish."

"Ah.. Oh, thank you." Hattori bowed and took his "younger brother" in with him. He bent down and looked at Conan with an irritated look and said "So this is why you called me all the way from Osaka huh. To be your ticket into the city hall. Man your evil, it costed me 4000 yuans to get to this place in time because I was told there was a emergency."

"hehe, don't take it that way. Besides there is a emergency and I might need your help again later" Conan gave a large smile showing his teeth and walked toward the Ballroom.

Hatrtori thought: MIGHT? The little bastard, I won't forget this

As they entered the ballroom many recognizable faces can be seen in the crowed.

"Famous Author, Sakamura Aogi. Computer software company owner, Yamakiku Soshi, famous actor Nakamura Kousuke, and actress, Kiakugi Kazuko, Foreign international trading company owner Amy Anderson, man this place is full of famed people all over." Hattori looked with astonishment

"Well it is a party of the mayor, I bet he don't' know half the people in here and just invited them because they are famous." Conan spoke with a low voice.

"Man, you really don't have any cute points you know that."

"Well excuuuse me, anyways I already took the most likely person that will get shot tonight."

"Yea, the one that's nervously standing over there right?" Hattori said pointing toward a small man in a corner in a red T-shirt trying to rub something on some cards

"No, do you see the cards he is holding. If my theory is right, he is probably going to give some sort of speech tonight on stage. I believe he is a careless fellow that possibly spilled something on the speech cards."

"How do you know that."

"Look at his pants and shirt and shoes, he has folding all over and a few scratch marks on his shoe that is made only when careless scratched by the oil brush when pressed to hard.

All these facts can add up to the fact that he was busy at doing something, and had no time to work on his appearance so he had no choice."

"But with only that, you can't exactly tell that he spilled something, can you?"

"No but if you look at is right thigh, don't you notice some water marks. That is made when he wiped his pants on what ever that was spilled and a few water drops flew out and landed elsewhere from the original spill. That is why it was not cleaned off and left a mark."

"Interesting, then who do you think it is."

"Most likely it's the man over there shaking hands with people over there."

"I see, he is most likely the so called special guest of this party. That is why he is so eager to get acquainted with everyone."

"Yes, His name is Katsuoka Shinzou and he is a Lawyer. Most likely he is to go to a specific spot once the awards or what ever gets handed out. That is the most likely place that Merlot will strike."

"And when that happens we will see him and catch him is that it?"

"Yea and if we're lucky we can get him before he strikes"

"Are you sure about this? What if you're wrong"

"don't worry, with night vision on even if I'm wrong I will be able to see any unusual movements in the crowed"

"Ladies and gentlemen sorry to have kept you waiting, we will now start tonight's party with the intoduction of our special guest." A voice was heard from the speakers above."

"See, his moving now."

Shinzou slowed walked over to an empty location in the back of the room. The spot light turned on him. He put up his hand and moved forward. Suddenly the spot light disappears.

Conan turned around to see what happened to the spotlight. He could see 3 or 4 men trying to find out what has happened on top. A popping sound echoed follwed by a thud.

"Ouch" Conan bursted.

"What is it?" asked Hattori

"I don't know something hit me." Conan replied then suddenly realizing the thud, "shit what happened to Mr. Katsuoka. (Turn on night vision). WHAT!!"

"What something bit you this time?" Hattori said jokingly

"That's impossible! His dead. How?!"