Playing the Right Note
A Detective Conan AU fic
by
Deborah J. Brown

Detective Conan is copyright Aoyama Gosho.

Author's Notes: This story is a sequel to Playing with the Big Boys. As such, it's really a good idea to read that fic before you read this one. There are things only barely referenced here that were established in the original story and won't make sense without reading Shoji's introduction.

I'll be making further comments on the story in my Live Journal, user name: kosaginolegion. Review here, if you would, but feel free to comment there as well, or respond to stuff there. I'll be answering any questions on the fic there as well.


Chapter 2: Imbroglio

SHOJI:

"Oh children! I'm so sorry about this! I didn't remember there was that other room in the Exploritarium. I know how scary all of this has been." Miss Tsukano hugged Shoji and pulled out a handkerchief. "Young man, your face is all dirty. Here, let me wipe it for you." He had to fight her off quickly, embarrassed by the attention and a trifle bothered by her perfume. There was something wrong with the scent, a faint bitterness beneath the lilac that hadn't been there before. At her insistence, though, he took her handkerchief and went into the washroom attached to her uncle's office, ignoring the smirk on Ai's face as he passed the two girls.

Leaving the door open, Shoji listened as the policewoman told the Tsukanos, "The children are sort of witnesses," the young woman told the pair. "So I think Inspector Nakamori will be wanting to talk to them, later. Just in case they saw or heard something important. We'll need to keep them here for the moment, so you should call their guardian and let him know."

Miss Tsukano's voice was calm. "Of course. I'll phone Professor Agasa right away. Uncle? May I use your phone?" Shoji only half listened to the next part, being too busy cleaning up his face. Now, at least, he knew why Nakamori had stopped so suddenly when the man had seen his face. There were faint tear tracks trailing from the corners of his eyes. Embarrassing, he thought, a trifle annoyed that the man now thought he was so soft that a bit of yelling would make him cry.

On the other hand, it had been a convenient burst of emotion, especially since he'd not been doing too well pretending to be a small child before that. His mother's voice, distorted though it had been by both volume and a peculiar shift in its pitch, had nearly broken his heart to hear. Strange. That recording in the Sound Room had the same distortion. He wondered if he ought to mention it and doubted Nakamori would care.

Something he heard outside made him blink. Miss Tsukano was really distracted, he thought, because she'd just told Professor Agasa that he should tell Shoji's parents that Shoji would be late coming home that night. That he was staying the night at Agasa's she couldn't know but why in the world had she said parents in the plural? The story Vermouth had given to the school was that his bad manners were due to grief over losing his mother. Miss Tsukano knew that. He climbed down from the step stool and came out, giving Ai and Ayumi a puzzled look and seeing a similar expression returned.

Looking at Miss Tsukano, he frowned. Something wasn't right but he couldn't - quite - tell what. Another glance at Ai confirmed the opinion. She wasn't reacting like this was a Black Organization operative, though, so he relaxed a bit and waited until their teacher was off the phone to ask, "What's going on? The only thing I understand is that the diamond was stolen."

Mr. Tsukano looked regretful and Shoji couldn't help but think that he looked like a man who'd been under a lot of pressure lately. It was there in his pose, in the way he moved. In the way he tapped nervously on the pad on his desk with a pencil. "The Kaitou Kid sent a warning to the news that he was going to steal the diamond we were displaying. Inspector Nakamori arrived a bit ago to... try and protect it." He shrugged. "Apparently not very well."

Though a part of him bristled at the sour tone in the man's voice about Nakamori's failure, Shoji supposed he really couldn't blame the man for feeling that way. From the looks of things, the curator was already harried and overworked. This theft could end up costing the museum a lot of money. Or could it? Didn't I read that the Kid always returns what he steals? There was always a first time, admittedly, but... There's something else. Something about what he steals.

"I thought the Kid only steals old things," Ai asked in a puzzled voice. "Things with a history." That was what Shoji had half forgotten in his reading up on the thief. He'd not bothered memorizing much about the Kaito Kid because every instinct had told him that the young thief was not involved with the Black Organization. Perhaps it was the fact that he did return his prizes. More likely it was that he and Black Organization didn't get along. There were some hints that they, or some similar group, sometimes went after the Kid, showing up at a heist and trying to kill him.

Mr. Tsukano gave Ai a wintry smile. "I don't pretend to understand it myself. I only found out this afternoon when Inspector Nakamori showed up, claiming that he believed the note to be a threat." He paused, recollecting, "'On the day across from that of two ill-fated black cats, the brightest star shall shatter into nothingness from the house of the tainted knight.' Really meaningless, frankly. I suppose he was right about that much."

Before the curator could continue, though, the young policewoman's radio crackled. "Get Tsukano down here. NOW! I want to talk to him!" She gave the older man an apologetic look and he shrugged, following her out the door.

.oOo.

AI:

Settling on the couch, Ai watched her teacher silently. Before she could really try to figure out just what was wrong, though, Ayumi asked, "What does it mean? I don't get it."

Ai smiled wryly. The Kid was given to sending warnings to the police in a long and well established routine of playing with their minds. However, she had to admit that she wasn't sure exactly how this one had been worked out. Oh, the tainted knight part was fairly obviously a reference to that old murder case but the day of ill-fated black cats? "What's that supposed to mean?"

It was Shoji who answered. "A day of two ill-fated black cats must be something twice unlucky." Ai nodded. It was a western superstition, admittedly, but not an unknown one. She perched on a chair, pondering and rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Rather to her annoyance, Shoji smirked, as if something was amusing him. The smirk broadened into a real smile when Ayumi perched beside Ai and assumed a similar pose. "Friday the 13th is unlucky too, at least in the west."

Ayumi sounded puzzled as she asked, "But why black cats? Black cats are lucky, aren't they?"

Shaking his head, Shoji told her, "Not in places like America. A lot of people think it's bad luck to have one cross your path. Personally, I like them." Ai looked at him, dourly. He would like the sneaky little critters. He was a natural born sneak himself. "Doesn't explain the two black cats, though. Friday the 13th is unlucky all by itself, and 13 is unlucky, but not all Fridays."

Again, Ayumi shook her head. "I still don't understand. Four's unlucky, but why would black cats be? They're cute." Her question caused Ai to raise her head and look at the calendar, a thought hitting her. "What is it, Ai?"

Ai didn't answer. Instead she grabbed the calendar off the desk and flipped backwards. "Yes! That's it." She pointed to the day in question. April 13th had - indeed - been a Friday. "Exactly 6 months ago. Two unlucky things at once." Shoji looked puzzled and she noted, "April is the fourth month. So a Friday the 13th would be doubly unlucky." She should have realized that point sooner. Her real name, Shiho, had the unlucky number four in it. She'd always felt it was unfair that her parents had given her such an inauspicious name. I wonder why?

Shoji nodded after a moment. "That makes sense, then." He settled into a seat and skritched absentmindedly at his wrist just under the cast, stopping only when Ai glared at him. "It itches," he whined.

"So? Show some self-control." Ai looked up at Miss Tsukano, who belatedly realized that she should be providing some sort of adult supervision and added her voice to the general scolding of Shoji. Rather to Ai's irritation, this only amused the wretched man. "Anyway," she said after a bit more glaring, "I don't understand why the Kid is doing things this way. None of it makes any sense."

Shoji cocked his head and looked at Miss Tsukano, still skritching a bit. "No, it doesn't. Does it, Mr. Kid?"

.oOo.

SHOJI:

There was a moment of silence at Shoji's pronouncement. He was, however, pleased to note that while Ayumi was staring from him to Miss Tsukano with an expression of disbelief, Ai simply looked like a suspicion had been confirmed. He was, he knew, taking a bit of a risk here. It all really depended on what sort of person the Phantom Kid really was. But all the reports tended to suggest that - while criminal as all hell - the thief had a peculiar code of honor. He didn't kill and he only rarely caused physical damage to anything except - occasionally - someone's property. Indeed, for a thief he had an almost obsessive respect for other people's things.

Miss Tsukano's eyes widened. "Shoji, how could you suspect me of being the Kid?" Her tone had just the faintest edge of humor and Shoji knew he was right. "That's so terribly rude of you!"

"It'd be ruder if I came up behind you and pulled your hair off," Shoji pointed out. "Want me to do that, too?" He eyed the apparent woman. "Come off it, Kid. You're not fooling me. For one thing, you just told Professor Agasa to tell my parents that I'm not coming home quite yet. My mother's dead and Miss Tsukano knows that." The Kid looked startled and he smiled sweetly, thinking, Not to mention, the perfume she wears doesn't smell right on you. He wasn't going to say so, however. No need to reveal all his methods, nor to help a criminal improve their disguise. "Besides, you walk wrong for a girl."

There was a moment of silence. Then the Kid sat down on his chair, eyeing both Shoji and Ai with an interested expression. "What is it about Conan?" he muttered in the voice of an adolescent male. "He's collecting them, now?" He grinned as Shoji stiffened. The Kid knew the truth about them, or at least suspected. Damn, damn, damn, damn damn! "I know. You're all a bunch of genetically modified clones who have replaced the real Conan, Ai and Shoji. You'll use your superior knowledge and intellect to help you take over the world." The Kid's words made Shoji sigh inwardly with relief. He knew, yes, but he wasn't going to blow their cover, even to Ayumi. It occurred to him that Ai wasn't worried about it and that he shouldn't worry either.

"Mr. Kid," Ayumi said reprovingly. "That was a Yaiba plot. And not a very good one, either. Was it, Ai?" Somehow Shoji kept from laughing at Ai's pleased expression. He could almost read her thoughts, 'finally someone pays attention to what I think of that show'. The girl nodded, gazing up, wide-eyed at the Kid. It was an expression that made Shoji long to ruffle her hair the way he used to. Fortunately, he kept the urge under control as Ayumi continued, "Where's Miss Tsukano, Mr. Kid? You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"I have a feeling," the Kid answered, "That if I did anything to her that wasn't gentlemanly, your friend here would take me apart limb from limb." The look he gave Shoji was disconcerting, especially on Miss Tsukano's face. "Don't worry, Miss Ayumi. You know I don't hurt people. With luck, she won't even have a headache from my sleeping gas."

Shoji paused for a long moment. It was sort of a relief not to have to disguise himself and he took full advantage of the moment to gaze levelly and consideringly at the Kid. Finally, as the Kid threw his arms up and hid behind them whining about 'the eyes, the eyes, the terrible, terrible eyes', he took pity on the younger man. "Okay. I believe you."

"Phew!" The Kid sat up straight and sighed. "Well, what am I to do now that I've been discovered? Do I get treated to a demonstration of deductive skill as the three of you figure out exactly how I accomplished this marvelous theft?"

Ai shook her head. "You're not the thief."

The Kid eyed her, blinking at the firmness of her tone. "Oh? And how do you know?"

"One, you never steal anything without a history."

"First time for everything. Maybe I want to be the first for this one."

"Your riddles make sense and aren't a bunch of tangled phrases thrown together haphazardly."

"An off week."

Ai shook her head. "Maybe, but you never send a message to the news. Always to the police."

"I could have changed my ways."

Surprisingly, Ayumi decided to join in, "You play fair with the police. You never send a warning so close to the time. Inspector Nakamori said the news only got it today!"

"I'm rushed."

It was Shoji who added the clincher. "Then why are you still here?"

The Kid laughed. "Oh, all right. I confess. I'm not guilty." His expression turned serious. "I am however, very annoyed. That so-called diamond was an over-hyped piece of trash. I don't care how much carbon went into the making of it." He frowned. "I didn't get a good look at it, either, but there was something else wrong about it, too. Something about that stupid coating."

.oOo.

AI:

Reflecting that there was nothing quite so self-righteous as a criminal accused of the crime he didn't do, Ai considered the Kid's comments. "You mean like on the glass pieces on the signboard?" At his nod, she frowned deeply. An idea was flickering in the back of her mind but it wasn't - quite - strong enough to make sense. It had to do with all the noise during the theft, though she wasn't sure what.

The Kid continued his diatribe. "The real criminal even had to phone an anonymous tip to Nakamori so he wouldn't miss the clue. Honestly, if someone is going to use my name it'd be nice if they didn't make me look like a complete feeb. And what was with all that music? I know I'm melodramatic - it's part of the image - but I don't need an orchestra for background music! Fireworks are a lot more fun."

Waiting for the litany of complaint to be over, Ai glanced over at Ayumi, who was listening with wide eyed seriousness, nodding occasionally in agreement. It amused Ai that the little girl was behaving more and more like herself and Conan. Thankfully, she saw little of Shoji in her, probably because - while Ayumi apparently liked the taller boy - he was a rather rough and tumble type. Ayumi was very brave and very foolhardy but she was also very ladylike.

At last the Kid wound down and Shoji remarked, "So. What do you expect us to do about it. We're just a bunch of kids. Meddling kids, yes, but kids. Inspector Nakamori isn't going to listen to us. Even if we do figure out how it was done." He paused and added, "Besides, Conan's not here."

"I know," the Kid said regretfully. "I was actually hoping he'd show when I saw Ai and Ayumi in your choir class earlier. I wasn't expecting you." He eyed Shoji with a rueful expression. "I didn't know you were with them until you showed up at the exhibit hall." It occurred to Ai that Shoji had to have given the Kid quite a start. From his expression, Shoji wasn't particularly sorry if he had.

"The point remains, what do you expect us to do about it?"

The Kid turned and looked at Ai appraisingly and she suddenly wished that she had Conan to hide behind. The Kid knew about her, that much was obvious. He'd left her alone, probably because it was a lot more fun picking on Conan than it was picking on a scared little girl. At his look, though, Shoji stiffened. "You don't need to drag her into this. What if the criminal turns violent? Since it isn't you, we have no idea what they might do. And Nakamori isn't going to like having a little girl poking around in his investigation."

Irritation suffused Ai and made her straighten, standing up. "I'll do what I can," she said. "I'm not as good at this sort of thing as Conan, but I'll try my best." She walked up to Shoji, who was staring at her as if she were a kitten who'd suddenly transformed into a wildcat. "As for you. You are not my big brother. I don't need a big brother. And you will stop this overprotective, patronizing, nonsense or I will kick you in your shins!"

Whistling softly, the Kid leaned over to Shoji. "Whew. It's scary when girls get mad, isn't it?" Shoji ignored him, his greenish-gold eyes staring at Ai as if she'd slapped him with a fish. His mouth dropped, then closed, then dropped, then closed again and for a moment Ai thought he was going to yell at her.

At last, however, Shoji just stood up. "Madame detective, it's your case. I'll be your faithful Watson, then. Or would you prefer something closer to Agatha Christie?" There was a note of bitterness in the sarcasm. "Where shall we start?"

She took a deep breath. "I want to look at those fake diamonds on the advertisement. Let's see if we can get down there without being noticed."

.oOo.

SHOJI:

He didn't have any right to be so mad at her. She didn't know, after all and now that she'd said that, he wasn't sure he dared tell her the truth. He watched her walk ahead of him, barely answering something Ai was saying to her and fought for self-control. The worst of it was, for just that moment, she'd resembled their mother so much that it'd scared the bejeebers out of him. Damn this body, anyway! It didn't seem to affect Conan and Ai this way but he seemed to have more problems keeping the physical responses to strong emotions under control. Puberty was going to be sheer hell, in that case, because he remembered being an angst ridden whining puppy during that time. I got over myself, though. So I have to get over myself right now.

Beside him, the Kid eyed him curiously, walking in such an excessively feminine way that Shoji was suddenly rather glad of certain physical changes. That would have been distracting if he'd been an adult. No matter how good one might be at not letting a girl know that you were interested the body still made sure to let you know what it thought of the matter. "Miss Tsukano doesn't walk like that," he pointed out. "Slow down a bit and don't swing the hips so much. You're good at doing girls, but you have to be careful not to overemphasize certain traits. Miss Tsukano's a lady, not a chick."

"Ooooo. Experience?"

"Hmph. Something like that." Shoji shrugged. While there were usually sufficient female operatives in the FBI, his boss liked to have a few men on hand who could cross dress effectively. Being slight and rather pretty, Shoji had been among those trained in the skill, though he'd only used it once - when going after a serial killer in New York. He'd learned then that it wasn't nearly as easy as it looked to walk in high heels or maintain a believable feminine guise. He wondered, idly, if Vermouth had had similar learning experiences when she'd first started disguising herself as men. He also decided not to ask her.

"Wanna tell me..."

"No."

"Oh. Well be that way."

Shoji eyed the young man. "And don't put your arms behind your head when you're walking. What if a policeman shows up?" Honestly, sometimes kids didn't have a clue. He caught a slight smirk on the Kid's face and realized his leg was being pulled, big time. Trying to suss me out, eh? Fine. Two can play that game. "So, why do you do it? Play this game with the police?"

The Kid grinned. "Oh, it's fun, that's all."

"Pretty risky for a bit of fun." The Kid shrugged at the observation and Shoji continued. "No, you're right. People do worse than that for a thrills."

"Yep."

He probed further. "Interesting choices of targets though. Always something with a history, something said to have legendary powers behind it." A slight twitch of the Kid's fingers was just noticeable. "Seems like they're the sort of thing other people want. You have a following. Not a very nice one." Dark eyes glanced his way warily. "And you're awfully young for a thief who's been around for a while, less a few years hiatus, that is. Makes me wonder where your father might be..."

"SHUT UP!" The Kid's voice broke into a sharp hiss that made Ai and Ayumi turn around and look at them with startled expressions. The young man smiled and waved unconvincingly but the two girls turned away even so.

Eyeing the Kid, Shoji said genially, "That's fine. I don't need to know about it. It's not my business. Is it?"

A moment of silence. "Yeah. You've made your point. You're not my business either." The young man glared down at him. "You're not as much fun as Conan, you know?"

"Nah. Just a different sort of fun." Shoji grinned. "The sort that sneaks up on you. But you're not my quarry. If anyone has any right to think of you as his quarry, it's Conan. I won't interfere." Not said was that he wouldn't interfere as long as the Kid didn't interfere with him. He had no doubt his movements would be tracked for a bit, that the Kid - being as curious as a cat - would try and find out more about who he was. However, he was also reasonably sure the Kid wouldn't do anything about it unless he was given a reason. Which is all I want from him.

.oOo.

AI:

She half listened to Ayumi telling her about the time that the Kid had shown up on her apartment balcony, looking for all the world like a vampire getting ready to pounce. Another part of her was still fighting down her irritation with Shoji but - mostly - curiosity over the case was getting to her. The case wasn't like a lot of Conan's usual ones, perhaps because of all the misdirection being thrown in the way.

Could she believe the Kid's claim not to be the criminal? She thought so. For one thing, he wouldn't have been able to slip into the role of Miss Tsukano between the point where they'd met her with Nakamori and now. Which meant that he'd been hanging on to Shoji when the diamond had been stolen. Note to self, ask Shoji if he lost track of the Kid any time during the theft. A glance back at Shoji, however, was returned with a cold look and she added to herself. Later. When he's over his snit.

The sound of someone walking down a cross hallway caused Ai to pause and lean against the wall, quickly followed by the others. The lights being on again meant that it was easier to see but they also meant it was easier to be seen. Thinking about the lights reminded her of the rapid succession of events once the lights had been restored to order earlier, so once the policeman pacing down the other hallway had passed, she looked at the Kid. "Do you know where the fuse box is for this place?"

"Probably the basement," the young man answered after thinking about it. "I'm afraid I don't know the place well enough to tell a lot, though." Another point in his favor, but one that really didn't mean a lot because he could be lying.

"Could someone set up a timer device to set off all that music?" Ai asked then, frowning. She would have loved to investigate the scene of the crime before checking for other clues, but she had a feeling that there was no way the police would let them into the room. "And where did the music come from, anyway?"

Ayumi pointed up at the ceiling. "There are speakers all over," she told Ai. "They use them to announce when the museum's closing, remember?"

Ai did, too, now that Ayumi mentioned it. It puzzled her, though, because those small speakers shouldn't have been good enough to make as much noise as had filled the exhibit hall. Not to mention the question of why they were working when the power had gone out. Then there was the question of exactly why the music had been necessary. She said as much, adding, "And why Angela Beda, anyway? That was the same song as the one I was listening to in the sound room."

"Exactly the same," Shoji remarked, forgetting his snit for a moment. Then he shut up, suddenly, to Ai's annoyance. At her expression he looked away, not explaining himself.

Ayumi giggled. "You really do know music, don't you, Shoji. I wondered." The glance Shoji gave the little girl ought to have chilled Ayumi into silence but she just smiled up at him, eliciting a sudden wry smile in return.

The Kid looked from Ai to Ayumi to Shoji and shrugged, "Who's Angela Beda?"

It was hard for Ai not to say straight out that the singer was her mother. There was a part of her that was very proud of her mother's accomplishments and would have loved to boast of them to everyone. That part, however, was quickly squelched by the knowledge that she couldn't risk being identified - fully identified - even by someone as innocuous as the Kid. If you can call the Kid innocuous.

Shoji answered the question instead, sounding a trifle odd about it, "An opera singer. Soprano. She left stage a long time ago but she was considered one of the finest in her generation. That was her singing the last song before the alarms went off."

A question tried to form but right as it was flickering into life, the Kid grinned. "Oh. Maybe that's how the case broke then. It broke at the sound of her voice and the thief just snatched the diamond then." Ai rolled her eyes at the young man, annoyed at the return to that subject. She could accept that it was possible to break a wine glass, though she still had doubts about Shoji's memories. Breaking a whole glass case, on the other hand...

"Impossible," Shoji said flatly, surprising Ai. "The case would have taken more than just an amplified voice to shatter. It was plain glass. A single note couldn't do it. The best that recording of Angela Beda could have done was shatter a piece of crystal and only if the frequency was right." At Ai's expression, he added, irritably. "I told you mother could do it. But it took finding the frequency the crystal vibrated to and singing it. Really, really, really loudly"

.oOo.

SHOJI:

The memory of his mother standing in the middle of the kitchen, raging at life and everything wrong with it came to him. She'd been a very frustrated woman, forced to silence by circumstances and only later when he was older and knew more about why she'd left the stage and married his father did he understand that frustration, and her determination that he succeed where she had not. He wondered if Ai remembered that part of their mother's character and sort of hoped not. She'd loved all her children, despite the things she'd had to give up to get them. It wouldn't be right to remember only the pain.

Fortunately, Shoji's comments didn't seem to awaken any memories in his little sister. She simply gazed thoughtfully into space. At last she said, "But I heard something crash just a second before the alarm went off. It wasn't very loud, though, so it couldn't have been the case. Something else? And could that have been what set off the alarm?"

Oddly, that made a peculiar sense. "It could, if the alarm's sound sensors were turned on.. The security system was a good one. Motion, sound, heat, pressure... I doubt anyone could get within a foot of it with all those things going." He paused, adding, "Though you usually don't turn the sound detection on unless the room is empty."

The Kid nodded agreement. "I checked it out this afternoon, after I realized what was up. The unit was from Shafer electronics. Some of the best out there. I could bypass them, but it wouldn't be easy and it wouldn't involve breaking everything in sight, either. I don't know what did break, either. The only thing in that case that I saw was the diamond itself."

There was a moment of silence while Ai pondered. She looked so much like Conan now that Shoji felt his ill-humor with her evaporate in a wave of fondness. He liked his little sister. He just wished he could express that fondness without pissing her off at him. She worked so hard at things that he simply couldn't stay mad at her. From her expression, she was beginning to have an idea and he wondered what it was. If she followed Conan's methods it was unlikely she'd say anything until she was sure.

"I'd really like to get a good look at that case," Ai murmured finally. "But I don't think we're going to get in there very easily." She made a face. "If Mouri were here we could wander in behind him. Even Professor Agasa..." She paused, "I really don't want to get into trouble over it."

"No," Shoji agreed, "Nakamori probably wouldn't smack you, since you're a girl, but I wouldn't want to push our luck." He glanced at the Kid, ignoring her glare. "I don't suppose you could distract them?"

The Kid considered that, stroking his chin in imitation of Ai and Conan. Shoji smirked a bit at the sight, especially when it elicited a sigh from Ai. "I could. Hmmm. Yes, in fact, if I lead them all a merry chase outside the building, I should be able to keep them out of your way for as long as you need." He crouched in front of Ai. "Will that do, Miss Ai?" Shoji had to fight back an urge to interfere, reminding himself that the Kid wasn't a danger here.

Ai bit her lip consideringly. "That should be good, yes.." She paused, hesitated and handed the Kid her Detective Boys badge. "This will let us keep in contact. Don't expect us to keep using that frequency later, though."

With a laugh, the Kid took the badge. Then he tossed a smoke bomb. "Buh bye!"

As the smoke cleared and the three children stopped coughing, Ai sighed. "Well, at least that's out of his system."

.oOo.

AI:

The Kid was nothing if not an excellent police baiter. It took a bit for things to really get going but once it did, Ai was reminded of a scene from an old black and white comedy. Not quite Keystone Kops. Nakamori's men weren't incompetent, just outmatched. More like Harpo Marx making the militia completely crazy by his rapid appearances and disappearances. Every so often she could hear the Kid singing, "Ping. Pong. Badabing." Then shouts and Nakamori's enraged curses would drown the young man's voice out and once again the chase would be on. At least until the next disappearance.

"I like how he managed to make Nakamori handcuff himself to that suit of armor," Shoji remarked, watching the show with the first real grin she'd seen on his face ever. It occurred to her to wonder why an FBI agent would find the antics of an annoying thief so funny, but though she longed to ask, she didn't dare. Not in front of Ayumi. Instead, once it was clear, she just beckoned for the two to follow her into the exhibit hall.

The room was empty now, though signs of the police presence were everywhere. Fingerprint powder scattered on every surface, revealing millions of smudges on the glass cases. One set caused Ayumi to start to giggle because they were the clear impression of someone's face pressed against the glass. Ai just hoped she didn't notice the two rounded ones about six inches beneath the face. She smacked Shoji - lightly, so as not to draw attention to his words - when he muttered, "34 B. At least." She did not want to know how that got there. Nor why.

The case that had contained the diamond had gotten the most fingerprint powder of all and had the most smudges. The poles containing the security sensors had been moved aside and Ai pointed Shoji towards them. "See if there's anything odd about them," she told him and ignored Ayumi's puzzled look as the girl obviously wondered how Shoji would know.

Fortunately, Shoji had the answer to that one. "Didn't I mention my father sells security equipment, too?" He moved to the poles and added, "The Kid was right. Shafer. Top of the line, too. Wonder how they afforded it. Did they get the insurance company to pay for it?"

Ai shrugged, going over to the case itself and examining it. There was, fortunately, a small set of steps outside the range of the sensor array that would let children peer at the top of the base without having to be held up. A good idea, because Ai was pretty sure that any kid held in their parents arms would be kicking wildly and setting off the motion sensors around the case. That was the problem with security. Too little and you risked losing whatever you were protecting. Too much and the thing couldn't be looked at or enjoyed.

Not that there was much to enjoy now. She helped Ayumi stand beside her and peered at the remains of the glass case, trying to see some sign of whatever had broken just before the case. Intriguingly, she noted that the pattern of breaking did not suggest something had struck the glass from outside. The shards were scattered evenly all over the floor and inside the case. It was suggestive, but if that voice couldn't do it, and she believed Shoji on that count, then what could?

She paused, looking at Shoji. "How did the alarm go off with the power off, anyway?"

"UPS. Good for a couple of hours at least if it's the sort they usually supply with this equipment."

A puzzled Ayumi cocked her head. "What's a Yupeehs?"

"Western alphabet," Shoji answered patiently. "Letters U, P and S. Stands for Uninterrupted Power Supply. It's a really big battery that only gets used when the power goes off."

Ai was about to note that that was a bit simplistic but stopped, reminding herself with difficulty that Ayumi - while a lot smarter than most girls her age owing to the people she hung out with - was still too young to understand all the physics involved. "That's right, Ayumi," she agreed.

There was another silence as the three examined the crime scene, being careful not to touch anything. If there was anything Conan had bashed into Ayumi and Ai's skulls it was that you simply didn't disturb a crime scene. Not until all the evidence had been properly documented. She didn't doubt that Shoji already knew that much. For that matter, he'd probably handled quite a few such scenes of his own. That was why it startled her when he pulled out a pocket knife and - very carefully - began prying at something at the back of the case. "Hey? What are you doing?"

.oOo.

SHOJI:

Looking up at Ai, he grinned. "I know, a bit of a risk but I'm pretty sure they didn't see it. If we don't open it now they may not realize it opens at all. Don't worry, I'm not touching anything. I don't want them to have my fingerprints."

Climbing down to join him, Ai glared down at him. It didn't work and she gave up, "What is it, then?" Ayumi joined them on the other side and echoed the question. He shrugged. It was just something odd at the moment, something he wasn't sure belonged. That the case was hollow was no surprise, but he didn't see a reason for a full length access panel unless there was something important inside it.

The panel, so carefully inset and disguised by the base's design, swung open, revealing a large speaker pointed straight upwards.. "This is interesting." He gazed at it, puzzled. "Is there one of those sound bite things that tell you about the exhibit on the case somewhere?" That didn't make sense though. Something like that needed a button to set it off and there was nothing of the sort anywhere near the exhibit. Nor any sign telling the viewer how to access such a lecture.

Ai looked like she was getting an idea and Shoji waited. At last she murmured, "Could it get strong enough to shatter glass?"

It sounded ridiculous and he very nearly said so. Then he noticed just how very thin the glass on the floor was. Thinner than glass for exhibition cases usually was. Particularly thin for a case that was supposed to be this securely protected. Why put so much money into the alarm system and not into the physical protection? And that alarm was loud. Far louder than it needed to be. He nodded slowly. "The case? Yes. Given this glass is what it was made from, given the noise went on long enough and given that it was close enough. The vibration alone might have done it."

Ayumi's eyes lit up. "Oh! That's how the criminal broke it without being anywhere near." She paused, looked worried. "But that would mean that the Kid could have..." Her disappointment was palpable and Shoji thought she might have a soft spot for the Kid.

Quickly, Shoji shook his head. "Even if he set all this up, which I doubt he would have been in a position to, he never left my side when the diamond got grabbed. So I don't think you need to worry. He's still on the good guy's side this time, Ayumi." She looked relieved and Shoji rose to his feet, brushing glass off his knees. "So, anything else, Chief?"

A quick glance his way showed that Ai was not going to let him amuse her. At least not yet. He sighed inwardly and watched her stand as well, peering more closely at the top of the case - standing on tip toes to do so. She frowned, then. "That's odd. What made the glass near the center shatter so finely? Most of the shards are a lot larger."

She was right. A closer examination, which Ayumi could only join by getting up on the steps again, revealed a scattering of very small bits of glass. Shoji frowned and used his pen knife to nudge one of the shards. Even weirder. It was thinner than the other pieces. "An inner case?" he guessed. "It's coated with something."

"Show me."

After a moment's consideration, Shoji pulled out the handkerchief Miss Tsukano... or rather the Kid... had given him and carefully lifted one of the small pieces, showing it to Ai. She frowned, looking very like their mother in that moment of concentration, then headed for the door.

Wrapping the piece of glass up, Shoji followed her, Ayumi trailing behind, worriedly. "Ai? What is it?" the little girl called. Ai beckoned them over to the signboard and pointed at the gaudy gems attached to it. "Coated like that?" He eyed the things. Poked at them. Took one off and tapped it lightly, holding it as delicately as he could as he did so. The note was clear and perfect and he barely stopped himself from singing it softly. "Crystal," he murmured. "Hollow crystal. High A# over C " He started, turned and stared at Ai. "That's..."

"What broke first," she agreed. "Angela Beda's voice was probably altered to match the frequency of the other so-called diamond. You said it sounded distorted earlier, right?" He wanted very badly to lie but this wasn't the time. Instead he nodded helplessly under her intent and almost accusatory gaze.

Ayumi's eyes lit up. "Oh! I see. Someone used software like that game to alter the sound file, then played it - really really loud - to break the diamond. Then, when it broke, the alarm went off." She frowned then, running out of ideas. "But then, how..."

"The alarm was what broke the case," Ai told the little girl, though her eyes were still on Shoji. Still watchful. Still questioning. He'd revealed more in the last hour than he'd ever intended to and though the little spats between himself and Ai had distracted her, she hadn't forgotten those little revelations. No doubt she was putting entirely too many numbers together. "It was all a trick."

"Unfortunately, true." Shoji spun around and stiffened as he found himself face to face with an antique snub nosed pistol, held in the hand of Mr. Tsukano. "And I can't let the three of you ruin my plans."

.oOo.

AI:

"RUN!" Shoji's shout was accompanied by the thin form throwing itself at the curator and grabbing the man's wrist with his good hand. The force of the movement spun Tsukano around. Amazingly, the pistol didn't go off despite the shock to Tsukano's hand. Behind her, Ayumi was doing exactly what she was told and Ai thanked God that the little girl had learned exactly when it was a bad idea to freeze like a deer in the headlights or, worse, attack a criminal. Courage was one thing. Foolhardiness quite another. Now, if only Shoji knew better. She hesitated and Shoji yelled angrily at her again, "DAMNIT GIRL, STOP STARING AND GET OUT OF HERE!"

She nearly did. Ayumi had taken the sensible course for once and Ai ought to as well. Then Shoji, still attempting to keep Tsukano occupied, bit the man on the wrist, causing him to yell furiously and throw the boy across the hallway. Shoji struck the wall hard and crumpled, gasping for air. Ai backed up, prepared to run. It wasn't in time. Tsukano took two huge steps and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to her knees. "Just be quiet, girl. I don't want to hurt you."

Shoji got to his feet. "Let her go."

"I can't do that, boy. Bad enough the one has gotten away. I'll have to search her out, but I can't leave you two wandering around while I do so. Come along." Tsukano dragged Ai beside him, pistol at ready. She gave Shoji a look, demanding he run as well, but he had that stubborn look. The one that said that he meant to protect her, no matter what. He was trying to find an opening but Tsukano was keeping the boy in his sight, making it impossible for Shoji to do anything but follow helplessly.

"Shoji... Go. Get help!"

"And leave him to kill you?"

Tsukano actually sounded hurt. "I'm not going to kill any of you. Just cooperate. You're not going to leave a little girl all by herself, are you, boy?." He continued moving, taking Ai - and perforce, Shoji - thru the oldest part of the building and into the basement. "It's a nice big safe," he continued as he pushed a door open with his shoulder. The room beyond was a clean, surprisingly well lit, office storage room with a big safe door set in one wall. "Plenty of air."

Shoji stopped. Smiled triumphantly. "And how do you plan on opening that holding onto Ai?" he asked. Tsukano looked at him, though and his smile caused Shoji to falter. "I won't..."

"Oh, no, you don't need to." The man shoved Ai at him and pressed a set of buttons on the side quickly. They beeped, a set of musical notes that sounded vaguely familiar, and the door swung open silently. "Now. Go in. Don't give me any more trouble boy. In this small space someone's sure to get hurt."

There was a moment of silence. Shoji looked at Ai helplessly, then marched into the safe, shoulders cracked back

To Be Continued...