In Today's Case: Insane Murderer
Tess sat on the steps that led up to Richard's office thinking. What will happen when I capture the guy who killed my parents? Was what she was thinking about. She knew that this whole thing was dangerous. And she wondered why that she hasn't just come here to Tokyo just to visit Richard and Rachel. She knew that Rachel was catching onto Conan and herself, but did she want her too? Tess didn't know what to think when it came to Jimmy. She thought about what Richard had said about the case of the missing girl that soon turned into a suicide attempt. 'Certain things make people do certain things.' Were his words. The certain thing that made Tess do for Conan was her feelings for him. Her emotions made her do a certain thing and that was finding a cure for Jimmy which she knew that Dr Agasa was working on right now. She also thought about another certain thing. Her parents. Their death made her do a certain thing as well. Not just fill her up with revenge and sorrow… it made her want to go after the man who claimed to be connected to the mob in New York City. New York City, her home. That was where everything had changed herself. After she had moved away from Japan and also from the gang where she had gotten the leather jacket from; that's where she started to put together her life again. Using her knowledge for the good of the people and not bad. Her brains helped the U.S government track and capture terrorists and that was when she was rewarded with her job as an FBI Agent.
Tess took out her badge looking at it. She knew that this was the main thing that had changed herself. She didn't know how but it did. All of her thoughts were connected to her badge. She sighed away her thoughts as she stood up and looked up into the sky. The sun was high up in sky telling her it must've been like 3 in the afternoon. And no one was found anywhere leaving her alone at home. Conan was gone with his 'friends.' Rachel was with Sirena and Richard… heck. He was probably at the liquor store or at a bar. Tess turned around and started to walk up the steps when…
"There you are." Tess reached inside her jacket. "It's much to hot to be wearing a leather jacket." Tess turned slightly. Only enough to see who was talking to her. She saw the man who had killed her parents. Her hand in her jacket reached toward her gun when she heard a click of a hammer of another gun from behind her. She turned slightly and looked to see a woman standing there holding an automatic hand held pistol. Her pistol couldn't complete with that type of gun. Tess turned to her side keeping an eye on both of the woman and the man.
"What do you want?" Tess asked.
"What do you think?" the man asked back.
"My life." Tess answered as he removed her hand from out of her jacket as she glanced back at the woman.
"No… not yet. We don't want that yet." The man stated as he placed his right foot on the first step. Tess brought up her right foot that 'was' on the first step and brought it up to the second step with her left foot. "What's the matter? Scared?" the man asked as he leaned forward onto his knee. Tess turned fully around to face him.
"Why would I be afraid of you? You're a dirty…" Tess was cut off at the feeling on the back of her head that was the automatic hand held pistol up against her head.
"I would watch what brave words you chose my girl." The man said to her. Tess glanced back at the woman.
"How can I when my nose is in front of me?" Tess asked rudely. The man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pocket knife.
"I can change that for you." he stated. Tess looked at the tip of the blade that was close to her face.
"What do you want here?" she asked. The man smiled and slide the blade back into his pocket.
"I wanted to say that in a few days someone close to you will die. He does live in Japan and I think you still care for him." The man stated. Tess's eyes widened thinking of Jimmy.
"You…"
"Oh but I would." The man cut in. "And I might slash the throat of your pretty little cousin as well." Tess felt something tugged out of her hands. Tess looked at her hand that held her badge. She turned and looked at the woman who was scanning it.
"You do know that she's an FBI Agent right?" the woman asked as she looked up. The man nodded as Tess looked back at him.
"I do." He answered her.
"Then why are we messing with her? She can walk right into the Police Station after we are done here." The woman said. The man smiled.
"She wouldn't do that." He said, "I know this girl. She would want to take care of it herself if anyone else died in her family like her cousin."
"Don't you dare…!" Again Tess felt a nudge from behind her that she knew was the woman pressing the gun to her head telling her to lower her voice. "Don't you dare touch my cousin." Tess hissed.
"What about your uncle? The detective? Or better yet… the little boy I always see you with? What about him?" he asked. Tess's eyes widened as the man removed his foot from the step.
"I will kill you if you touch any of them!" Tess shouted swiping her arm through the air not caring who or what was behind her. The man chuckles.
"Great. Then I'll expect you to come searching for us tomorrow?" he asked. Tess nodded her head.
"You can bet your life on it. And when I find you… I'm going to slash your throat open." Tess hissed.
"Not if… I get to your cousin first." The man stated lifting up a finger. The woman placed the automatic in her shirt keeping it out of sight as she pushed Tess out of her way. "See you later." The man and the woman disappeared. The woman turned around tossing her badge onto the ground. Tess walked down the steps and picked up her badge closing her wallet and placing it in her back pocket again.
"Tess?" Tess turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. It was Conan. "Are you all right?" he asked her. Tess looked down the street where the man and the woman disappeared from.
"Did you hear that?" she asked. Conan nodded his head.
"I only caught the end where he said…"
" 'Not if I get to your cousin first'?" Tess asked as she turned and faced him.
"Yeah." Conan answered. Tess shook her head as she looked up. She placed her hand on her forehead then she straightened her head and walked up the stairs entering Richard office with Conan behind her. "Tess, do you know how much…"
"Yeah I know Jimmy!" she shouted as she entered her room to see an open window where she was guessing the woman came through. "And I know how much danger Rachel is in now." she added. She closed the window and exited her room tossing herself onto a couch.
"What are you going to do?" Conan asked. Tess shrugged her shoulders as she rolled over burying her face into the cushion of the couch. She lifted up her head placing her head in her left hand.
"I didn't mean for all this to happen…" she stated on the verge of crying. "I didn't mean to get Rachel mixed up in this nor you or Richard!" Tess felt her throat tightening up as she tried not to cry. Conan stood there by the door watching her. "I didn't want this to end like the way it is going to." She stated. Conan walked forward toward her.
"What did you have planned?" he asked.
"For me to…" she choked. She couldn't say anymore without letting a tear drop. It was the first time Conan saw Tess cry. It was odd though. Tess was the one who usually never cries or shows any kind of emotion.
"For you to… what?" he asked. Tess didn't answer for her throat was to tight to answer and she didn't want to anyway. She looked at her charm bracelet and then sat up. She kept on staring at her bracelet till she looked up at Conan.
"None of you were supposed to get involved." Tess said to him. She stood up walking to her room and locking herself inside. Conan turned toward the door as he heard the door lock. He was worried about Tess and he knew that Tess had to worry about Rachel, Richard, and himself. Tess was going through a hard time, she had to cope with her parents' death and now she had to protect Rachel, Richard, and him. But… who was going to protect Tess?
The day came and went. Tess sat up in her bed as Rachel slept soundly. Tess would turn to the window a couple of times. She finally stood up and walked over to it. She opened it letting in a slight breeze that felt good on the hot summer night. She looked back at her clock and it read 3:45 AM. She got onto her knees and rested her arms on the windowsill. She placed her chin on one of her forearms as she stared outside. Sometimes she wished that she could just disappear taking her memories and secrets with her but she knew that would never happen.
Once the cold breeze stopped Tess stood up again. She closed the window and locked it. She turned around to look at Rachel making sure she was still sleeping. She walked out of her room keeping the door open so it would be easier to get there if anything happened. She was now standing in Richard's office. She didn't quite understand why Rachel's room was in the office but she didn't both with that thought. She turned and disappeared down the hallway making her way to Richard's room. She cracked open the door enough to see Richard half falling off of the bed with his blanket tangled on the bed. She shook her head as she came completely into the room. She picked up Richard that took some of her strength considering he was heavy. She placed him back into bed. She left the blankets as is and left the room. She made her way to the guess room checking on Conan to see he was completely fine. She walked back to her room. She knew that she couldn't sleep. She had to protect her family and possibly… her love Jimmy.
The next day Richard sat at his desk. Conan and Rachel worked on the puzzle that they didn't complete yet. Tess was in bed for she was up all night but no one knew it. It was close to 1:00.
"Should one of us go wake up Tess?" Conan asked as he picked up a puzzle piece. Rachel looked at the clock and nodded her head.
"Yeah. I'll do it. You keep on working on the puzzle." Rachel told Conan. He nodded his head as Rachel quietly opened her bedroom door to see Tess's back facing her as she was wrapped around in her blankets. Rachel wondered how she could sleep wrapped around in her blankets like it was winter when its nearly 90 degrees outside. Rachel walked toward her cousin and she placed her hand on her shoulder then she begun to shake her gently. "Tess. Tess, come on wake up it's almost 1:00. Wake up." Tess's head lifted up off of her pillow as she inhaled. She turned and looked at Rachel. She then stretched and pulled her blankets up over her head.
"Why did you wake me up?" Tess asked as she yawned underneath her blankets.
"Because it's nearly 1:00 and you need to get up. Your wasting this day by sleeping." Rachel answered as she stood upright placing her hands on her hips.
"Let me worry about that." Tess told Rachel.
"Don't make me Tess." Rachel stated as she watched Tess. There was movement underneath the blanket but no response. Rachel walked to the edge of the bed. She grabbed onto the blue blanket and pulled, pulling it right off of her. Tess curled up. She then sat up glaring at Rachel with messy hair. Rachel tossed the blanket onto the floor. "Get… up." Tess fell backwards onto her pillow placing her hands on her eyes.
"I'm up! I'm up!" Tess shouted. Rachel walked out of the room as she shut the door behind her.
"Is she awake?" Richard asked as he looked up at his daughter. Rachel nodded her head.
"Yeah. I think she's getting dressed right now." Rachel answered her father.
"Good." Richard said afterwards. Soon Tess came walking out of her room putting in her diamond stud. She looked down at Conan and Rachel sitting on the floor working on the puzzle.
"I can never figure…" Tess let out a yawn, "that thing out."
"Did you get enough sleep last night?" Richard asked her weirdly. Tess looked at him and nodded her head.
"Um… yeah." Tess answered. The phone rung. Richard answered it.
"Richard Moore's Office Richard speaking." Richard sat upright as he nodded his head. "Yes Inspector We'll be there. What time do you want us there? Leave now? Oh… all right see you there Inspector." Richard hung up the phone. "All right I got a…"
"Another case." Tess interrupted as she picked up her holster with her pistol in it wrapping it around her waist. "Where?" Tess asked as she looked up.
"It's a 3 hour ride."
"3 HOUR RIDE?!" Rachel, Conan, and Tess yelled out. Richard nodded his head.
"Yup. So everyone into the car!" Richard said. They all left the office and got into the car for a three hour ride. Once they got there it was close to 6. It ended up to be a 4 hour ride considering the traffic. They walked up to the house when Conan heard something in a tree near by. He didn't bother with it; he thought it was a cat. They entered the house to see Inspector Maguire standing at the far end of the wall looking at a body. The body was pinned to the wall in a T shape.
"Inspector?" Richard called out. Inspector Maguire turned and looked at them.
"Richard! Glad you can make it. We got a problem here." Inspector Maguire stated as he walked toward them.
"What is it?" Tess asked. Inspector Maguire turned and looked at the body.
"We're dealing with a real insane murderer." He answered Tess. "This man kills his victims and then hangs them on the wall." He added.
"What a sicko." Rachel stated as she looked at the body.
'This man is really sick.' Conan thought to himself.
"All of the suspects are in the kitchen. There are two females and one male." Inspector Maguire stated as he led them into the kitchen. They looked around. "There names are Anis, Satsuma, Gloki, and Kotari." Anis had brown hair and blue eyes. She had some blood stains on her white shirt and blue pants. Satsuma was a blonde. She wore a red halter top with black pants and Gloki was the male. He had brown short hair and a suit on with a blue jacket. Kotari was the shortest one. She looked about to be thirteen or fourteen. Capable to commit a murder. Kotari walked forward.
"I didn't kill my father! He's the only family I have." Kotari shouted out. Anis nodded her head.
"She's got a point Inspector." Anis stated.
"You all can leave when I say." Inspector Maguire stated. "Kotari is the dead man's daughter. Anis was the one he found him hanging on the wall."
"Anis tell me… why do you have blood on your pants?" Tess asked.
"Because I tried to take down the body!" Anis shouted at her. Tess tried her hardest not to lose her temper and she managed.
"Kotari wouldn't kill her father Inspector." Gloki stated.
"I don't know about that." Richard stated. Satsuma walked forward.
"Please, just let her go to a hotel or something." Satsuma begged. Inspector Maguire shook his head.
"I'm sorry about all three of you would have to stay here." He told them. Richard and Inspector Maguire talked about the murder, Rachel asked Kotari, Satsuma, and Gloki questions, Tess and Conan looked at the body. The way the body was hung on the wall in a T form was sickening. There were rope burns on the wrist of the body and the hands were stabled to the wall by what looked like with a stable gun.
"This is so sickening." Tess stated as she looked at the raw skin of the man's wrists.
"I agree. An insane murderer must've done this." Conan stated as he looked at the blood that was splattered onto the wall. Tess nodded her head agreeing with him.
"Yeah. And we dealt with one insane man before. We can do it again." Tess said to him as she got down looking at the bloodily foot prints on the floor. "This man must've lost at least half of his blood." She stated. Conan nodded his head agreeing with her.
"Yeah. I agree. So that means this man probably bled to death." Conan said.
"Probably but…" Tess stood upright as she pointed out the hand marks on the neck, "it looks like he was also strangled too."
"He could've been strangled to the point where he passed out." Conan said.
"True. I don't know. Another thing that bothers me is the raw skin on his wrists." Tess pointed to the peeling skin of the wrist. "I don't like this murderer. He's worst then the terrorists we had in America." Tess sad scanning the body.
An hour has gone by and they were no closer to solving this case. The case looked like it would be unsolved. And it seemed that their only few suspects had alibis.
Tess soon tossed herself onto a couch in the living across from the body sighing. "Looks like this case might go unsolved." Tess said as Conan stood next to her.
"I guess so." Then… the lights went out. Tess jerked herself upright letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. "Maybe not." Tess stood up. She pushed Conan behind her and held onto his hand as she walked forward. She had her right hand out searching for any close walls. Her eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness. And it might take awhile for them too.
"Tess! Conan!" Someone called out with the familiar voice. Tess stopped as Conan bumped into her.
"Rachel?" Tess called out looking around. Rachel, Richard, and Inspector Maguire came walking down the hallway with their suspects behind them.
"Are you all right?" Rachel asked as she placed her hands onto her shoulders. Tess nodded her head.
"Yeah." Tess answered.
"Where's the brat?" Richard asked.
"I'm right here Richard." Conan answered him as he walked in front of Tess. Kotari slowly moved herself in between Satsuma where she left safe.
"What happened to the lights?" Kotari asked frightened.
"Seems like someone turned them off." Tess stated. Then there were screams in pain coming from the living that sounded like the officers. Tess stepped back as she turned and disappeared into the darkness.
"That girl! TESS!" Richard shouted out as he followed her. Tess was much more faster then any of them and she got there first. She stood in the doorway of the living room as a shadow stood hunched over walking toward what looked like the only living officer. Tess drew her gun pointing it at the sick and twisted shadow.
"FREEZE!" Tess shouted out. The shadow took one more step toward the frightened officer and turned toward Tess's voice. His body stayed hunched and he lunged toward her. He grabbed onto her wrists and pinned her against the wall. She slammed Tess's right hand into the wall trying to get her to let go of it when it went off causing them both to duck. The Shadow turned toward the right taking off down the hallway.
"TESS!" Came Richard's voice out of the dark. Tess turned toward his voice then looked at her wrist that begun to swell. She didn't care. She wanted to stop this mad man. Tess followed him down the hallway leaving the surviving officer.
Richard came to the living room looking in to see the frightened officer had pushed himself up against the wall breathing hard. Richard ran toward him getting down onto his knees placing his hands on his shoulders.
"Man are you okay?" he asked. The officer nodded his head slightly. Richard felt something liquidy on his right hand. He looked at his hand to see a blood stain. The shadow must've hit him with a knife or something. Then Rachel, Conan, Inspector Maguire, Kotari, and Satsuma appeared in the living room doorway.
"Where's Tess?" Inspector Maguire asked as he walked into the room. Richard turned to look at him and shrugged.
"I don't know." Richard looked around the room. "Looks like this officer is the only one left alive." Richard stated as he stood upright. Conan looked to the left. He knew she must've have gone after whatever was in here. That's just like Tess to do that. Conan backed away when Rachel caught him.
"Conan where are you going?" Rachel asked as she looked at him. Conan didn't answer. He took off down the hallway. "CONAN!" Richard sighed.
"I'll get him." Richard followed him down the hallway.
"I'll go as well." Inspector Maguire and Richard disappeared down the hallway leaving Kotari, Satsuma, and Rachel alone unprotected. Kotari looked around the room and then behind her.
"Where's Gloki?" She asked.
Tess ran in the hallway looking left and right able to see a little bit now but her wrist killed and throbbed with pain from the tight grip and that shadow slamming her wrist against the wall. Tess turned walking backward with her gun pointed out in front of her. The shadow came out of a room holding something in his hands what looked like a wooden chair. He raised it over his head and then smashed it downward onto Tess.
Tess's body went forward as her finger pulled the trigger. Tess hit the ground knocked out as the broken pieces of the chair laid on her body and the ground around her. The shadow smirked and grabbed Tess by her feet and dragged her off down the hallway.
Conan heard the gun go off and he stopped. He could smell the gun powder. He then took off running down the hallway when he felt someone lift him into the air.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING BRAT?!" Richard yelled at him. Inspector Maguire showed up behind him huffing and puffing. Then he looked at the floor to see broken pieces of a wooden chair and Tess's gun.
"The murderer has her." Inspector Maguire stated. Richard and Conan looked at him funny.
"What?" they asked in unison. Inspector Maguire picked up Tess's gun.
"Look. Here's her gun but there's no sign of Tess. And here are broken pieces of a wooden chair. The murderer must've smashed it onto her back knocking her out and dragging her away."
Next Time on Case Closed: "Tess is what?!" Tess is still missing and the last surviving officer and one suspect were killed. Where is Tess? And how is Conan going to protect the others when he fights to protect himself? Uh-oh. Seems like things are getting hectic for him.
Next Time: Insane Murderer Part 2
Next Conan's Hint: Jacket