In Today's Case: Darien's Capture

Tess ran out of the library and looked around. She didn't see any sign of Darien or Jacob.

"DARIEN! DARIEN!" She called out. Conan came rung out after her. He looked around. Tess cupped her hands around her mouth calling her best friend's name. But there was no response. People looked at her passing by on the streets but that was about the only answer she got. Tess lowered her hands as she looked down. "He's gone…" she mumbled.

"Don't worry Tess, we'll find him." Conan said to her. Tess sighed as she looked at him.

"But… how long will it take? We don't have any leads or a last name to Jacob." Tess said to him. Tess looked forward across the street. "The only thing we can do is tell the police and hope we reach him in time." Tess said. Conan looked at her. He's never seen her this depressed in her life.

Suddenly she took off running and Conan blinked and then he followed her, "TESS! SLOW DOWN! I CAN'T KEEP UP!" he shouted trailing behind her. Tess didn't stop she kept on running without a word to Conan telling him to speed up or anything.

'It's my fault that he was captured. I'm not about to lose him. The only best friend I've had. Darien… I'm coming.'

Tess quickly turned the corner with Conan following. Both of them ran up the stairs and pushed open the doors to the police station. The glass doors swung backwards hitting the walls. Everyone looked over hoping that they didn't break. Tess ran forward and then up a pair of stairs. Conan tried to keep up with her but with a small body it was difficult.

Tess then opened a door, it too hit the wall. "INSPECTOR!" She shouted. Inspector Maguire looked over at her. Tess huffed and puffed as she entered the room. "Inspector…" she said again catching her breath. Inspector Maguire stood up.

"What is it Tess?" he asked. Conan by now has entered the room leaning up against the door catching his breath as well.

"Darien's been kidnapped." Tess answered. Inspector Maguire's eyes widened.

"By who?" he asked.

"By Jacob. Some guy who we just found out was stalking me." Tess said. Inspector led Tess and Conan to the chairs in his office to have the sit. Tess tossed herself into the chair as Conan sat down next to her.

"What happened?" he asked. Tess took a deep breath getting ready to retell the story.

"When I was picking Conan up from school yesterday I bumped into a man name Jacob."

"What's his last name?" Inspector Maguire asked writing everything down on paper.

"We didn't get his last name." Conan answered. Tess started up with the story again.

"When I bumped into him he told me that he was a major fan of me and Richard. But I also lost my gun while bumping into him. And tonight… he was trying to rape me or kill me with my own gun."

"So he has your gun?" Inspector Maguire asked getting interested in the story.

"Yeah, I think he picked it up when I bumped into him." Tess answered.

"And what about Darien? When did he show up?"

"He showed up right after I tried calling Richard… but I guess Conan picked up the phone and they both raced down here to save me." Tess answered glancing at Conan. Inspector Maguire looked at Conan who sat there. "And… Conan had thrown a rock through the glass doors of the library and hit had hit Jacob in the back of his head… And Darien opened the doors pulling me away asking me if I was fine. And then Jacob grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to his chest and held my gun to his head. Then his target changed and my gun was now pointing at me and Conan. But before I could make a move Jacob and Darien had disappeared down the street. In what direction I don't know."

Inspector Maguire was shocked. "All this happened in…"

"Tow days." Conan cut in as he leaned back into his chair. Inspector Maguire followed Conan's movement and he leaned back into his chair.

"Wow… Conan, you and Darien are pretty brave." Inspector Maguire said.

"I wasn't going to let someone get a hold of kidnap Tess after she had rescued me." Conan said to him thinking about the day he was kidnapped. Tess looked down. The kidnappings of Jimmy and Darien are her fault. Only if she had pushed her father to pay the money that he owed she wouldn't be here right now making a statement or recalling the capture of Darien.

Inspector Maguire stood up followed by Tess and Conan, "alright. We'll send out search parties for him tonight and we'll look for him." Tess and Conan nodded their heads.

After that Tess had made a description of Jacob. The officers went off on that. They traveled in groups. Richard and Rachel got involved but Tess didn't want anyone to be with her. She wanted to do it on her own. And as stubborn as Conan was he wasn't about to let her do it without his help. Conan and Tess were granted the permission to work together with no one else. Tess and Conan knew what Jacob looked like but they needed to carry a picture around to ask people on the streets. And so it began. The search for Darien.

"Excuse me." Tess said stopping a man on the street, "but have you seen this man anywhere with a teenager whose a male?" she asked. the man shook his head and she went to another person. In total Conan and Tess must've asked about 100 people who passed them on the streets.

Tess's direction then changed down the street heading back to the library. She entered the library with other cops around. She slipped on some gloves as she walked around looking for something on the floor. Conan followed her as he was careful were he stepped with all the equipment everywhere.

"What are you looking for Tess?" Conan asked as he followed close behind her. Tess glanced back at him and then forward again as she came to the desk.

"I'm looking for that needle Jacob had." Tess said. She got onto her knees and looked around in the area where she had heard the needle fall to the ground when she kicked it. Soon enough she founded. She picked it up and then stuck it into her pocket. She stood up. She placed her hand onto the back of her head and rubbed it painfully. Conan noticed and he watched her. Tess removed her hand and looked at it to see there was blood on her hand. 'Great… now what do I do I can't let anyone know that I'm bleeding.'

"We found blood!" someone yelled from the shelves in the library. Tess looked over to see three or four cops run over.

"Come on." Tess said. Conan looked at her. He turned back to where all the cops were running. He looked forward looking at Tess.

"Don't you want to see…"

"No." Tess cut in before he could finish asking her his question. Tess knew whose blood it was. It was hers from when Jacob hit her in the head with the grip of her gun. She didn't want to go back there just to let everyone find out its her blood. She exited the library with Conan following behind her. "Do you think Shiho is still up?" she asked Conan turning to him.

"I think so… why?" he asked.

"Because I want to see if she'll run a print for me." Tess answered heading towards Dr Agasa's place.

"Why? Let the police do it." Conan said to her looking up at her.

"I can't do that Conan. I need to do this and find Darien. I don't even think I should've even gotten the police involved in all of this." Tess answered him knocking at Dr Agasa's door. Tess didn't wait for answer. She opened the door. "Dr Agasa?" she called out. Dr Agasa turned the corner and blinked as Tess shut the door after Conan had walked in.

"Hi there Tess. Hey Jimmy." Dr Agasa greeted.

"Is Shiho around?" Tess asked. Dr Agasa nodded his head. He waved his hand for the two to follow him. Tess and Conan followed him. Dr Agasa came to room to see Ai sitting on the couch watching the news.

"Shiho, Tess and Jimmy are here for you." Dr Agasa said to her. Ai looked over as Tess approached her.

"Hey." Tess said with a smile. Ai sat upright as she then stood up.

"What can I do?" Ai asked. Tess pulled the needle out of her pocket as she handed it to Ai. Ai didn't touch it. Tess then took her gloves off and wrapped the needle in it and then handed it to her. Ai looked at Tess.

"Can you find who those fingerprints belong to?" Tess asked.

"But Tess, we know who they belong to." Conan stated. Tess turned her head and looked at Conan.

"I know that. But maybe finding his fingerprints… that will give us a last name." Tess said to Conan. He nodded his head. Tess turned her head back to face Ai. "Can you do that for me Shiho?" she asked. Ai nodded her head.

"Yeah." She answered.

Tess and Conan waited around. Tess waited nervously thinking about how much time she had left to save Darien. She leaned against the wall looking nervous as Conan sat on the floor leaning up against the wall next to her. Ai worked on the finger print, hacking into the police computers and then she ran the print. Ai searched and searched. It almost took an hour but soon, she got it.

"Found it." Ai called as she turned to face Tess and Conan. Conan got up off of the floor as Tess ran over. Ai turned her head to the computer. There sitting in front of them was the crime file of Jacob.

"Wallis?" Tess read. "Jacob Wallis?" she repeated.

"Sounds like he's an American." Conan said looking at the computer.

"But if he's an American..." Tess never finished her sentence. She took to the door and ran off. Conan looked over at her and followed her.

"TESS! WAIT!" he shouted for her. Ai and Dr Agasa looked over at the door as it sat there pushed up against the wall.

"She's always in a rush that she can never finish her sentences." Dr Agasa said as Ai and him blinked a few times.

"TESS! TESS! WAIT!" Conan called reaching out to her. Tess came to a halt looking back at Conan who huffed and puffed catching up to her. "What were you going to say?" Conan asked her.

"Nothing." Tess said looking away with a furious look on her face. Conan blinked a few times. He knew she didn't want to tell him what she was thinking but he was going to force her.

"Tess, tell me. I want to find Darien just as much as you do." Conan said to her. Tess turned her body around and walked forward.

"I know you do Jimmy." Tess said. Conan followed her speed walking till he caught up to her.

"Then tell me what your thinking." Conan demanded.

"No!" Tess shouted refusing to tell him. Conan looked at her. Sometimes Tess can be very frustrating, and these were one of those times.

"Tess! The only way we both can find Darien is if we work together!" Conan shouted at her. Tess came to a halt as she turned looking at him.

"I don't want you to help me!" she shouted. "It was my fault that he was taken! My fault that his mother is dead and now he has to live with you! and it was my fault dragging you down into a mess I call my life!" Tess shouted at him.

"That's what you call your life? A mess?" Conan asked her. "Your life isn't a mess Tess! At least it doesn't have to be if you let me help you!"

"My life is always going to be a mess with or without your help! There's nothing you can do about it Jimmy! Just back off! If you come with me you'll be killed!" Tess shouted at him. Tess took off running as Conan watched her run on down the street and disappearing around the corner. These were one of those times where Tess needed someone. And he was going to be there. He chased her. Using his tracking lenses to follow her signal. Soon he came to her grabbing onto her hand pulling her to a stop. Tess looked at him to see the seriousness in his eyes.

"I chose to help you!" Conan shouted at her. Tess looked at him as he continued. "I want to help you! No matter how dangerous it gets I'm going to be right there with you!"

"Even if your life is at stake?" Tess asked him. Conan nodded his head.

"Even if my life I at stake." Conan said. "What are friends for Tess? We scratch each other's backs. Your not going to tell me to stop while you continue to scratch mine by hiding my secret from Rachel and Richard and helping me with my cases, helping me catch murderers, and helping me get the antidote for me to go back to my normal body. I'm not going to stop while your standing in front of me right here and now while some wacko and a woman hunt you down. Do you think I'm not going to help you!"

Tess was speechless. She didn't know what to say. Conan saw that she had nothing to say to him. He then let go of her hand as it dropped to her side. Tess let out a sigh as she lowered her head.

"Alright Jimmy." She said.

"Now, are you going to tell me what you were thinking?" he asked her.

"I am. I was saying if Jacob Wallis was an American why is he here in Japan? That was what I was going to say." Tess said.

"And what was with the sudden out burst of running out of Dr Agasa's?" he then asked her throwing his arm back in the direction of Dr Agasa's house.

"I don't know. I just had to get out of there." Tess said as she stuck her hands into her pockets. Suddenly they heard ringing. Conan and Tess blinked as Tess pulled out her cell phone. She looked at the little window as it said: "Private Caller." Tess opened her cell phone and placed it against her ear. "Hello?"
"What ticks and is in the middle of town?" came a voice. Tess blinked. It was a riddle. A pathetic one. Tess's head turned behind her looking at a bell tower that looked like to be 100 yards away.

"A bell tower." She answered.

"And what goes tick-tick-tick?" he then asked.

"The second hand." she answered.

"Find your clue there." The caller hung up. Tess blinked a few times as she hung up her phone placing it back into her pocket.

"A bell tower? A second hand? What?" Conan asked confused.

"It was most likely Jacob; he's giving us clues to where to find Darien." Tess said. Conan and Tess ran forward to the bell tower. Conan soon ran out of breath and Tess had to carry him the rest of the way. The burst through the doors of the bell tower and up the stairs to the top.

Tess placed Conan on the floor as they walked up a small set of stairs that consisted of 10 steps. Tess and Conan came to the back of the clock and to the door leading outside. She opened it looking around. She walked out onto the balcony and looked up. She saw the second hand all the way up at 12. Conan walked out after her and they waited for it to come to them. Tess reached out and grabbed onto a bag that was tapped shut. She ripped the tap off and reached in. Her eyes widened as she pulled out Darien's black shirt.

"Darien's shirt." Conan said. Tess felt that it was wet. She placed the shirt into her other hand to see blood on her on. And it was fresh.

"He's bleeding."

Next Time on Case Closed: "We have to find him before it's to late." Jacob sends Tess and Conan on a wild goose chase. With Darien maybe bleeding to death their times was quickly cut short. Tess continues to get worried as Conan worries about Tess. What will happen to them when one nearly experiences death? Will they survive? And will they reach Darien in time to save him?

Next Time: Darien's Capture, Part 2

Next Conan's Hint: Phone Call