Author's Note: the disclaimer is in my profile. This is the sequel to Conan's Choice.

Unhappy Birthday

Conan Edogawa is turning forty. He has a nice career as a detective and has helped put many vicious criminals behind bars. Conan is still as young and fit as he was when he was twenty. While he worked he managed to raise his daughter and hoped that she wouldn't want to be in his line of work, but things didn't go the way he wanted.

His daughter, Jamie Kudo, is twenty-five and just finished college. She majored in criminal justice and hoped to be a detective like her father. Since her mother died she had watched Conan work and learned most of her skills from him. When she heard he was turning forty she decided to throw a party for him.

Jamie wanted to have the party at Conan's apartment and he didn't mind, but he really didn't want one. Conan didn't have many friends, but Jamie told him to invite everyone he knew. Conan only invited seven people, including Amy, and Jamie brought her boyfriend.

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On the day of the party Jamie and her boyfriend started to prepare the food when Conan walked in. He tried to sneak in but Jamie caught him.

"Dad, get out! What we're making is a surprise."

"Ok, I'll leave. Who's this guy?" Her boyfriend looked at Conan and Jamie put an arm around his neck.

"This is my boyfriend, Nathan Bara." Nathan is tall with dirty blond hair and grey eyes.

"Nice to meet you sir," Nathan said and held out a hand. Conan shook it.

"You too. Uh Jamie, can I talk to you in the other room for a minute." They left Nathan alone and went into Conan's bedroom. "How old is that boy?"

"I think he's nineteen," she replied.

"Isn't he a little young for you?"

"I don't think age matters. We love each other and we're happy."

"Well, as long as you're happy, just don't do anything stupid ok."

"Dad, I know not to sleep with him yet. I'm not an idiot!"

"I just don't want you to do something you'll regret the rest of your life."

"I won't."

After that Jamie returned to help Nathan and there was a knock on the door. Conan opened it and found Amy there and he smiled.

"Amy you came!" She hugged him and he pecked her cheek. "Where's your husband?"

"He couldn't come because he's sick. How've you been?"

"Fine. Wow, there's a lot that's happened since the last time we talked." They sat on the couch and started chatting. Later they were interrupted with another knock on the door. Conan answered it and a brown hair and brown eyed friend was there.

"Hey Conan. Happy birthday!"

"Thanks Jake. How's work?"

"It's murder. Ha, get it?" Jake is a detective that use to work with Conan, but then he went out on his own. He hasn't had as many clients as Conan and is a little jealous of him. The friends laughed and Conan introduced Jake to Amy. Soon two other guests arrived.

"Zach, Sally, you made it," Conan said. Zach and Sally both had red hair and hazel eyes and were clients of Conan at one point. They were being blackmailed by someone and they hired Conan to find out whom. It turned out to be their son Chris and Conan killed him in self-defense. They are still shaken by the event, but while working on the case they became friends.

"Happy birthday," replied Zach. "Here's your present." It was a bottle of saki.

"Let's have some," said Sally. Conan got cups and everyone had saki, even Jamie, but of course Nathan couldn't.

"Where's your brother Eric," Conan asked Zach.

"He's over in Sapporo working."

"Who else is coming to the party," asked Jake.

"I invited Kyle and Brittany, but it was their anniversary today. So that just leaves Paul." There was a knock on the door. "That's him." Conan opened the door and Paul walked in. Paul was an inspector and had worked with Conan on many cases. Paul is still mad with Conan for letting a felon get away one time and because of that Paul got fired, but he opened his own detective agency afterwards.

"The food's ready," announced Jamie. "We made my dad's favorite, stir-fry!"

Everyone ate and talked about things that were going on in their lives. Soon the saki was running out, but Conan had another bottle so they drank more. When they were done eating Jamie brought out a cake.

"You didn't have to make a cake," Conan said.

"I wanted to dad, it's your birthday. Blow out the candles." Conan did and everyone clapped. Jamie served the cake and they ate that.

"So, have you had many cases Jake," Conan asked.

"Yeah, but not as many as I would like to have."

"Not many dangerous ones?"

"No, mostly just people wanting me to follow their lovers and make sure they aren't having affairs. You always get the awesome cases Conan."

"I haven't had a real hard one in months, but I still get some cases."

"Can I work with you," Jamie asked her dad.

"I didn't want you to become a detective Jamie."

"But I majored in criminal justice. It would be a waste not to."

"You can work for me," said Jake.

"Jake!"

"Relax Conan, I was just kidding." Suddenly Nathan got up.

"Where're you going," asked Jamie.

"To the bathroom."

"Can I have more cake Jamie," Amy asked.

"Yeah… Hold on I got to get a knife to cut another piece." Then Zach got up.

"I just want a look around this apartment," he said and left while the others talked.

"You're not saying much Paul," said Conan.

"Nothing interesting has happened lately."

The friends were just sitting around the table talking, laughing, and having a good time, and then abruptly the lights went out. Somebody screamed.

"Who was that," Conan asked.

"Sorry," replied Amy. "That was creepy."

"Somebody turn on the lights." Jamie got up and groped the walls for the light switch.

"Nobody turned off the lights."

"A fuse must have busted."

"I'll fix it. Where's the fuse box dad?"

"It's in your old room."

"Hurry," yelled Amy. Jamie ran down the hall and bumped into someone.

"What happened Jamie?" It was Nathan.

"A fuse went out. I need to go fix it." Jamie continued to her room and groped for the fuse box. She found it and tried different switches. Finally she got the right one and the lights went back on. Then Amy screamed again.

Jamie returned to the others and found why she screamed. Conan was on the floor, a knife was sticking out of his chest, and blood was dripping from the wound. She knelt down by him and felt his pulse. A tear ran down her cheek.

"He's dead."……