Ch3

Case Closed

"Hey uncle Moori!" Conan called.

The detective wobbled over in annoyance. "What is it, can't you see I'm busy." He moaned.

"Bend down I want to tell you something. I think it's a clue." Conan said looking up.

Kogoro bent down to listen to what the little boy had to say. A sudden sting came upon his neck, the drowsiness followed soon after. Conan pushed the chair, to which the dead man sat over and caught his dozed uncle. He carefully pushed the chair back to the desk and positioned the dreaming man.

Conan dashed up to the living room where all of the members of the house as well as the officers were gathered and told in a joyful sound, "Hey everyone, uncle Moori wants everyone to go down to the study. He says that he solved the case!"

Surprised faces filled the room. They all ran down as commanded by the young lad. Awaiting them there with a cold face and his eyes closed was "The Great Sleeping Kogoro"

"Moori-san, is it true? You have solved the case?" The inexperienced officer asked with great excitement.

"Yea, I have. I've figured out the Misshitsu's trick as well as the one who did it." Moori replied boldly.

"Wow, I can't believe I am actually listening to the great detective do his deductions. This is sooo awesome." Hakumo jumped up and down.

"Now that everyone is all settled, lets begin. The murderer is indeed a member from the inside of the house!" began the famed crime solver. Eyes rolled around the room, all-wondering who could be the killer.

"But the only entrance to this room is the door or the window! The door was locked when we got here so wouldn't that mean that the killer came from out side?" Ran asked.

"Yes, it would appear that way. But the room wasn't sealed. There is that window on top of the door that can open isn't there?" Moori continued.

"Still, there's no way anyone could fit through that space with the wooden bars on the outside, and that window was locked when we came in here." Ran followed once more.

"Perhaps not a person, but the key to the room can pass through. Also, that window wasn't locked when we came in. The killer locked it afterwards. Do you still remember how Kazuko-san fell when we came in here heavily against that door? When Conan jumped on top to see what has happened on the inside, I remember distinctly of hearing the window clank above. Yet, when Kazuko-san fell upon the door it did not. Why, because she locked it. Her fall was caused by her miss landing when she jumped up to click the key down, not due to too much excitement from the murder it self." The man spoke with his voice slowly ascending in volume.

"Wait a minute are you saying that…" Kousuke turned to the woman biting her lips at the back of the crowd.

Light reflected off of one of Conan's lenses." That's correct. The person who killed Harimoto-san is non other than you, Yamanagi Kazuko-san!" Great thrust was upon his words. All turned and faced the woman.

"W..w..what are you saying Moori-san? How could I have killed him? And besides the room was still locked when I came. Maybe if I was inside maybe." Kazuko laughed nervously.

"But you were Kazuko-san, during the time Harimoto-san was murdered." Conan smiled, he continued on with his bowtie in front of his lips, "Ran! I want you to do exactly as I tell you now. I will pretend to be the dead man and you are going to show everyone here how the trick was done!"

"Hai!" the young lady answered strongly.

"I've brought the things you need. They're behind you on that chair."

Ran turned around; she found some fishing line, and the key to the room.

Conan moved back to the staircase so he still had a clear view of the hall.

"Now, put the fishing line through the hoop on the key chain of that key and let the ring of the key chain pinch it so it won't move from that spot, but not too far in. Good, now take one hand and let it circle the center pole of the window around the outside. Now do you see that desk lamp at the corner of the room beside the door? Yes, take that to my left side and place it so that it forms a straight line from the pole, that lamp, and me. Excellent, now take the open end you used to circle the pole and let the string through between my two fingers then around the lamp on the other side. Finally, take both ends of the string and through it over the window above the top of the door to the other side and the trick is set up."

A triangle formed across the room. 1 point at the pole of the window, one point at the desk lamp, and one point above the door. Ran walked outside and picked up the key as she awaited for further instruction.

"Now lock the door and tie the two open ends of the string together so it completes the circuit. Turn the line slowly."

Ran did as told. The key slowly entered the room, following the string's passage. It went to the window and got caught momentarily on the pole but sided around with a little tug. The key continued to travel.

"Ran, tell me, can you see where the key is right now?" Kogoro asked.

"No!" an obvious reply came from behind the door.

"Think of a way so that you would and bring the key right under my hand." Moori said.

Ran thought for a while then she realized the window above. She jumped up, kicked her feet onto the door and held one of the wooden bars on top for support. She peeked inside to see that the key still had some distance to go before reaching its destination. With her free hand, she continued to let the line circle until the key had reached safely to its finish line.

"Wonderful! Now just keep the string tense and shake it a bit."

The string vibrated, it took a little time but the key eventually came off from the hold of the ring. The string was now through the loop of the chain.

"Now cut that string with your teeth, (Snap) and keep on rotating it the way you were."

The circuit now broken, the string came out side while the key was now lying under the detective's hand as though he had it there the whole time.

A look of astonishment flew into the crowed. Gasps came out the mouth of the bunch.

"And thus, the impossible crime has been proved possible."

Sweat of nervousness flowed down Kazuko's face. Retrieving her energy she smiled, "However, that's only your theory. There's no proof, and without proof you can't say it was I who did it."

"Oh, I've got proof. Everyone, do you remember how a small stream of blood came from Harimoto-san's mouth? That means that he was poisoned. Seki-san, judging by the size of the coffee bag you buy, Harimoto-san loved to drink coffee did he not?"

"Ahh, Yes. He especially loved the coffee we always buy." Seki-replied.

"Yes, that is what killed him as well. Kazuko-san, you put poison into his coffee last night that you brewed. However, you did not expect Seki-san to be still up. That's why after you made him drink the coffee, you got nervous from hearing his footsteps above. In panic, you grabbed that paperweight to finish him off. The man was already dying from poison so he could not scream. You knocked him cold while he chocked upon this chair." Kogoro continued.

"That still won't make any proof. Or what? Did you find my finger prints on that paper weight?" Kazuko looked sharply toward the man accusing her of the crime.

"True, what I just said can not justify you, and though I know if we search the pipes we will find residue of the poison you used that still won't make for solid proof. But last night, on the second close call you encountered with Seki-san you panicked yet again.

After you had wiped your prints off the things you touched in that room, you came back to the kitchen, thinking that by that time Seki-san must have already gone to bed, to wash up the cups. You washed the coffee maker so that people won't know about the fact that someone brewed some coffee last night and was washing the cup that the poisoned coffee was in when you heard Seki-san coming once more. You hurriedly put the cups on to the drying rack and picked up the bag of coffee to put it back under the shelf. That why today morning you washed that cup once more to make sure the poison was removed. I can tell because the sink was still wet." Kogoro spoke slowly.

"So, what are you saying?" Kazuko swallowed her saliva and looked angrily at Moori's face.

"Kazuko-san, when you put that bag of coffee back in place, you must have touched it with your bare hands, which means your finger prints must be still on it." He articulated.

"Of course my prints would be on it. Seki-san isn't the only one that makes coffee in this house you know." Kazuko laughed.

"No, if anyone then he would be the only, specifically to that bag. You didn't know did you Kazuko-san, that that bag was a new bag of coffee that Ran had bought yesterday." Kogoro laughed back.

Realizing the cold fact, her eyes lost all confidence.

"Correct, you can't even say now that, that bag was a spare bag because Ran's prints would be on it as well. Now would you mind explaining to us all of how your prints would be on the coffee bag that you never touched!" Conan watched from behind the door with his strict piercing eyes.

The woman fell on her knees, tears running down her cheeks.

"Your motives was that photo on the shelf over there, was it not?" Conan still using Kogoro's voice uttered gently.

Kousuke and Seki took the picture to their hands. "This picture, the woman in here looks like Yamanagi-san! Its different but still looks like her!"

"It should," the woman whispered, "That's my older sister that was forced to suicide by that old son of a B&#."

"Forced into suicide?" Kousuke voiced in bewilderment.

"Yea. His number one hit mystery novel "Darkness within Love" was done with a partnership with my sister about 7 years ago; I was only 17 at the time. No, it was practically written by her! This was when my sister went to Europe. She told me much about meeting another "Great Writer" to write a book in coop. The plot was her idea, so was the characters. The only thing that man ever did was give out a few lines and type the pages. She let him have the credit to help him get back to his feet and as a way of hope so that he won't give up for she found out that he wasn't all that of a good writer. And yet he used his fame to ruin my sister's later works. With that one hit book, he became the most well-known book critic. He gave one horrible comment after another to my sister's work. In the end, the world saw my sister as an insult to all authors in the world. She fell under that and committed suicide." Hatred built in her eyes, "I became his student to see if this was true or not. Then about a month ago, I managed to get him drunk and he talked. He talked about how he purposely gave the horrible reviews because of how my sister was a threat to his career."

"Kazuko-san, you may have not known this, but Harimoto-san has been very sorry for what happened to your sister." Conan looked, still keeping one side of his body out of vision, sadly.

"Shut up! What do you know!" Kazuko screamed.

"That is true, Kazuko-san." Seki stepped forward, "Master-Harimoto wasn't only sorry for it. He suffered everyday almost, wanting to turn back the flow of time. He knew that you were that woman's sister, that's one of the main reasons as to why he let you be his student. He always told me how he wished for you to be a great writer just like your sister. That was the only way he knew how to repay his debt to you. He even specially designed this house in a European fashion to honor your sister! I was a long time butler of his so he told me many things, which I vowed not to tell. Master Harimoto probably knew that you had put poison into that coffee and let you kill him as well."

Kazuko opened her eyes, tears running more rapidly down her face. She didn't say anything, she couldn't say anything, she just sat there and wept.

Epilogue

'Conan's thoughts'

Later that day, Ms. Yamanagi let with officer Hakumo. All was done and things seem to start to get back to normal. Three figures stood on the brick walkway when they had first came to the house.

Kogoro looked up to the sky and said sadly, "But man, what an unfortunate case."

Ran looked over and replied, " I know. Poor Harimoto-san. I wonder if dieing is what he wanted or…"

Kogoro looked over in a questioning look, "Huh? What are you talking about my 10. I was supposed to become rich for helping him get his next best seller!"

"Daddy!" Ran bursted in disgust.

"What?" a questioning face rose on Moori's face.

'Eh he he he, shameless geezer!….'

End….

This story is now officially over. I'm hoping that this story can get a bit more reviews then what it has right now lol.

Remember all reviews are well appreciated :-p