i was way too excited to publish this story, that's for sure. i'm still figuring out how to nail the culprit, and of course, the motive. hehehe...
disclaimer:i don't own Detective School Q. If i did then i would have gotten Ryuu to be the better detective and destroy Pluto. oh well...
Chapter 5: The Secret Door
"The burglar sure made a mess," Kinta grumbled. A lot of books were still scattered on the library floor.
"Well, let's put them back anyway and spare Mr. Hashimoto the trouble. Who knows, maybe we'll find some sort of clue," said Meg.
The hundred-yen bill that Ryuu had found wasn't the only one. More bills fluttered out of several books as they shook them them out and picked them up. Collecting all the money, they found out that it added up to only several thousand yen.
"There wasn't much money here, that's for sure," muttered Kazuma.
Shizuko was finished with one of her bookshelves and was staring at the fireplace again. There's something about this fireplace that isn't right…
Kyu saw her staring at the mantelpiece. "You think the burglar came from the chimney?" he asked, trying to guess her thoughts.
Shizuko shook her head. "No, the ashes and wood are undisturbed. Besides,if he had come down the chimney, then he would have left tracks all over the room."
"So why are you staring at it?"
She turned to Kyu."There's something about this mantelpiece that isn't right."
"What's wrong with it?" asked Kinta suddenly. He patted the mantel. "Looks okay to me."
Shizuko sighed,exasperated. "Ryuu?"
"Hmm?" he said indistinctly.
"I've got a feeling that something's up with this fireplace. Any ideas?"
"Well, the only thing I can come up with is that there's another way into this library aside from the doors and windows," Ryuu answered.
"I do have an idea, though," said Shizuko.
"Which is?" prompted Kazuma.
"Well, this seems a bit off hand, but I read somewhere that if there are several fireplaces in one house, they're built around a central chimney stack. There are two fireplaces in this house, and one chimney. In this way, the two fireplaces are connected."
"So what? You said the burglar didn't come from the chimney," said Kinta, confused.
"I'm saying that there might be another connection besides that."
She cleared the mantelpiece of all the ornaments and placed them carefully on the nearby table.
"What are you doing?" asked Meg.
"You'll see," was the reply.
Placing her hands firmly on the mantel, she hoisted herself up. She was now standing on the ledge. "I noticed this earlier. The mantelpiece is wide enough for a person to stand on."
"Be careful, though," said Kyu.
"Oh, I'll be fine. I'm just glad I didn't wear a skirt."
Kyu grinned sheepishly.
Shizuko began tapping the panels above the mantel. She smiled. "I was right."
She reached into her pocket and brought out a penknife.
"What's she doing?" asked Kinta.
A sudden burst of understanding came to Ryuu. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"
"What is it,Ryuu?" asked Kyu.
But Shizuko was already answering the question. She inserted the penknife between two panels and applied a bit of pressure.
Suddenly a hidden door slid open!
Class Q gasped. "A secret door!" cried Kazuma.
Unfortunately, the sudden movement startled Shizuko. When the door slid open, she slipped from her precarious position on the mantel shelf and fell to the floor with a dull thud.
"Ow," she groaned. "Not again."
rants: this one's a little shorter than the others, heheheh. i'll update again soon!
PLEASE REVIEW!
chapter 6: WHODUNIT! (tentative title, i couldn't decide yet.)
i may reveal the culprit soon. hopefully this doesn't become too dragging.
