Notes: This was supposed to be a one-shot, but thanks to SN's encouragement this is now a multi-chapter mystery story!
Chapter Two
It was obvious to Ayumi's friends that she had been through some sort of harrowing experience, but for a reason that they did not understand, she refused to speak of it. She seemed somewhat in a daze, and anxious besides, as she would continually start when she was tapped on the shoulder or spoken to, but when asked what was wrong, she would emphatically say that nothing was, and smile.
"What could have happened!" Genta cried in distress at the end of the school day, two weeks after the incident. Ayumi had hurried out as soon as the bell had rang, before anyone could get a chance to talk to her further.
"Maybe she's worried about Conan being absent because of having the flu! . . . Or maybe she got her heart broken!" Mitsuhiko suggested. "Maybe she finally confessed her feelings to Conan and he told her that he cares about someone else!"
Genta banged a fist on his desk. "That Conan!" he growled. "If he's hurt her like that, then I should go beat him up!" His eyes flashed. No one would hurt Ayumi as long as he was around! He would see to that. She deserved kindness and understanding, and someone who would give her all the love possible in the world. And Conan could never give her that. Both Genta and Mitsuhiko were aware that he loved another.
"Save some for me!" Mitsuhiko chimed in now.
Ai Haibara, watching them, shook her head slowly in some semblance of amusement. Ah, puppy love, she thought to herself with a slight smirk. Children were so innocent at that age, and so cute as they tried to imitate adult emotions. She wondered if she had ever been like that. She recalled various things from her very young years, when she had been Ayumi's age and earlier, but most of those early times blurred into experiences she recalled with two specific people, who had been more important to her than anyone else. She had loved them both, in different ways---one as a sibling, the other . . . well, it had started as a childhood crush, and had developed over the years into so much more. She sighed, not wanting to think about that.
At last she spoke. "Ayumi isn't upset about anything Conan did," she said flatly.
Both boys turned to her in surprise and confusion, blinking dark eyes at her. "How do you know?" Genta demanded.
"Did she tell you what's wrong?" Mitsuhiko chimed in.
Ai shook her head. "Women can tell things that men can't," she answered, carefully placing her notebooks into her backpack. "Ayumi had a bad experience two weeks ago, but it didn't have anything to do with Conan. Something scared her." Her eyes narrowed. "Something scared her very badly."
Genta and Mitsuhiko exchanged looks. "What could have scared her?" they both cried then, looking back to Ai.
"Maybe she found a body!" Mitsuhiko exclaimed, thinking over the cases that they had solved with Conan and how dead bodies seemed to always turn up in the strangest places. After a while, that could definitely get to be too much, especially for someone sweet such as Ayumi.
"Maybe she saw someone getting murdered!" Genta declared.
"But if that happened, wouldn't she have told us?" Mitsuhiko frowned. "Wouldn't she have told Conan?"
Ai stood up, ready to leave. She thought that what Genta suggested was not that farfetched, but that there would have to be more to the story than that. Under normal circumstances, it seemed to her that Ayumi would have said something, after everything they had come through and all the crimes that they had already witnessed. "Maybe the killer saw her," she put in. "She might've ran away from him before he could catch her. Or he might have sworn her to secrecy if she didn't want to get hurt. He could've threatened to kill her if she told anyone."
"Then we should go beat him up!" Genta said instantly, slamming his fist into his palm.
"We won't let him rest until he's paid for scaring Ayumi and for killing someone!" Mitsuhiko added.
Ai walked past them, still vaguely amused over the simplistic minds of children. It amazed her sometimes, that even after all the horrors they had seen while solving mysteries, they could still be so innocent. She hoped that it would always stay that way, though she wondered if Ayumi's innocence could have been shaken by whatever had frightened her. She intended to speak with Conan about it. "You won't be able to do anything until you actually know what happened," she remarked as she walked past them.
They stared after her, knowing that she was right.
Ayumi stood in front of the Mouri Detective Agency, shifting uncertainly as she gripped the straps of her backpack. Part of her wanted so badly to go inside, to talk to Conan about what had happened a fortnight earlier. She knew that the man had told her not to tell anyone, and she did not want to go against his wishes since he had spared her life, but she felt so uneasy about the whole thing. She wanted to tell someone how she felt, of the terror that still gripped her heart and caused her to make sure that she was not being followed.
In her nightmares she still could hear the balding man's smooth, scary voice, and he would chase her, saying that he wanted her to come with him and that everything would be alright; he just wanted her "company." She would run, trying desperately to get as far away from him as she could, but she would always fail. He would catch her and she would scream and struggle, all to no avail. Then she would wake up crying out, bringing her parents in to find out whatever was the matter. But she could not tell them the truth. She could only say that she had been having bad dreams, but not what they were or why she was having them.
With a sad sigh she turned away. She would not betray the secrets. She would not betray her strange saviour.
But as she turned to go, she nearly crashed right into Ai, who was standing and watching her on the sidewalk. The redhead looked at her calmly, her blue eyes not expressing surprise in the least at their meeting.
"I knew you'd come here," she said then. "You've been coming every day for a while, but then you leave without going inside. You want to talk to Conan, Ayumi. Why don't you?" She wished that she could get Ayumi to speak with her or Conan. She had the feeling that Ayumi would never tell Genta or Mitsuhiko, but that she might tell Conan or Ai, if they were patient with her. Still, she wondered how long this would go on. She could see that Ayumi was feeling very lost. She wanted to say something about her experience, but something was holding her back. Ai wished that she could help the poor child to not be afraid.
Ayumi backed up, biting her lip. "I . . . I can't," she whispered, shaking her head as the conflicting emotions surged through her own cerulean orbs. "I . . . I promised. . . ."
Ai frowned. Then it must be exactly as she had surmised. "You promised who, Ayumi?" she demanded. "Did you witness a crime?" She took several steps closer, seeing the brunette's expression becoming more and more trapped. "There's some secrets you aren't obligated to keep," she said in a softer tone, not wanting to intimidate her. "If a secret hurts you, you shouldn't keep it." She could tell that Ayumi was torn, and it made her angry that someone had placed such a small child into that situation. It was very cruel, in her mind.
Ayumi hesitated. She longed to say something, but if she mentioned the horrible man who had wanted to take her, then she would also have to tell about the one who had let her go free. She was certain that the both of them had been involved in something illegal, but still, the blonde one had saved her. She did not want to get him into any trouble. And what if word somehow got back to the scary man that she was still alive? Would he come after her? No! That could not happen!
Tears filled her eyes and spilled over. "I can't talk about it!" she sobbed as she turned and fled, leaving a concerned Ai standing on the sidewalk. "I just can't!"
Gin was sitting at a sidewalk café, reading the newspaper and smoking as usual. It seemed that the news was largely the same from one day to the next. There were tales of murders, robberies, embezzling. . . . This issue spoke of an ingenious heist that Kaitou Kid had pulled the previous night, as well as the murder of a respected businessman, and the arrest of several people who had been stealing money from the company they worked for. He was about to set the leafs aside out of boredom when a another article caught his eye. He scanned it over, frowning darkly as he did, and then folded up the paper, slamming it down hard on the table. In response, the cups and saucers jiggled.
Vodka, who was sitting on the other side of the table, started at the sudden noise. "What's wrong, bro?" he asked, looking over at the blonde assassin. Gin actually looked quite annoyed, and Vodka knew that there were not a lot of things that could irritate his ally so much. Gin was normally quite calm in the face of possible threats, whereas Vodka was often the one who would grow visibly frustrated.
Gin growled. "There was another murder last night, and the man's kids disappeared." His green eyes narrowed as he spoke. "I think we both know who was responsible for that." For the last month, such murders and kidnappings had been occuring in various parts of the country. Gin was positive that the man whom he and Vodka had met in the park two weeks earlier was behind it all. He would tell the children that it was their fault about their parents' deaths and that he would take them away, where they would never be found. Then they would suffer far worse than if they had simply been killed at the scene. Most of them did not even witness the crimes and would not have needed to have anything done with them at all, but the man's abominable feelings knew no bounds.
Vodka swallowed, nodding slowly. It sickened him as well, but there was not a thing that they could do about it---not as long as their boss still wanted Yusuke Ushio to remain alive.
"It's disgusting." Gin lighted another cigarette, and from the fire that burned in his eyes, Vodka gathered that Gin had a personal reason for his feelings. He did not merely dislike what Ushio was doing because of the principle of it, even though that was certainly reason enough. Vodka felt certain that Gin had dealt with Ushio before, or at least someone like him. Heaven knew there were plenty.
Vodka shrugged helplessly. "I know, but we can't do anything about it," he said now. Not that he thought Gin would try, but he felt that it needed to be mentioned anyway.
Gin grunted. "At least we kept one girl from becoming his property." He stood up, heading for the car. "Even that's a victory over his kind."
Vodka got up as well and followed him, wondering if he dared to ask. Gin was in a very bad mood, not that Vodka blamed him, but yet he seemed as if he might be willing to talk. As they got into the Porsche, the shorter man finally spoke again.
"Bro . . . what did you mean when you said that kid reminded you of a 'ghost from the past'?" He had the feeling that whatever it was connected somehow with Gin's strong feelings over Ushio's practices. He was still puzzled over why Gin had let the child go, as his associate had never fully explained the reason. Gin was not known for his kindness . . . not anymore. Both he and Vodka had long ago been corrupted by the Black Organization, and Vodka had doubted that either of them possessed any compassion for anyone.
Gin was silent as he turned the ignition key and pulled out of the parking space. He did not say anything in reply until they were several blocks away. "She just reminded me of some people," he answered finally, keeping his eyes on the road. "People I used to know a long time ago, in another lifetime."
Vodka knew he was taking a chance by even suggesting it, but he asked, "Is one of them Sherry?"
Gin did not answer. He did not want to, and in any case, he felt that he did not have to.
Conan was sitting up in bed, a mask over his nose and mouth, as he listened to Ai describe Ayumi's behavior from a few short moments before. His eyes narrowed deeply in concern. He agreed with Ai, the child was most likely too frightened to say what had happened because of being threatened. What he was not certain about was how to get her to speak to them.
"It's possible that this person threatened everyone around her, and not just her alone," he said when Ai had concluded. "Maybe she's afraid that this person will come after us if she talks about what happened." He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.
Ai nodded slowly. "I thought of that," she admitted. Then she hesitated. On her way in, she had brought the evening paper from the doorstep, and she had not been able to help but notice the same article that Gin had been reading. She had to wonder if it was at all possible that Ayumi had seen whoever had been murdering men and abducting the children. That would certainly be enough to give her a terrible fright.
Conan frowned behind the mask. "What is it?" he asked, recognizing that she was not telling him everything.
Ai sighed, pushing the paper onto the bed. "Kudo . . . is there any chance that Ayumi could have seen this man, or someone like him?" she said quietly.
Conan looked it over, allowing a small gasp. He, of course, had heard about the monstrous crimes, but he had never once thought of the possibility that Ayumi could have seen the one responsible---he supposed because he did not think she would ever be able to have gotten away if she had. But now he was starting to wonder if it was something that he should at least consider. He set the paper aside. "Maybe we should ask her about this," he mused.
Ai got up and brought the cordless phone to him. "Maybe she'll tell you," she suggested softly.
Conan nodded slowly and dialed the number. The phone rang for some time before it was picked up on the other end and the detective heard a quiet voice answering. Well, he thought to himself, at least she's home and not out wandering somewhere. "Hello, Ayumi-chan," he greeted. "Haibara-san told me that you came by earlier."
He heard a gasp of surprise. "Conan-kun! . . ." Ayumi was glad to hear from him, but he also detected a certain apprehension in her voice. Conan knew that it would not be easy to get her to come back, if he could convince her at all.
"I'm sorry you had to leave so soon," he continued. "I would've really liked to see you."
A hesitation. "I'd like to see you, too, Conan-kun," she said at last.
Conan wondered if he dared to relax. "Well . . . if you could come by before dinner, that would be great," he said hopefully, exchanging a look with Ai.
Another hesitation, longer this time. Conan narrowed his eyes as he listened, almost sure that he could hear soft sobbing. "Conan-kun," Ayumi finally choked out, "did Ai-chan tell you what happened what I came?"
Conan sighed softly. "She did," he admitted. "Ayumi-chan . . . we're both worried about you. We know something is wrong." Deciding that he did not have anything to lose at this point, he read a snippet of the article over the phone and then said, "We need to know, does that sound like someone you may have met?"
Ayumi's eyes had widened in alarm. She was almost positive that it was the same man, that horrible man. And the article meant that he was still at large and taking other children just like herself. She gripped the phone cord, wondering if she could possibly stay silent any longer now that she knew this. More tears came to her eyes. Maybe . . . maybe she could mention him, if it would help to get him caught. She would not have to mention any of the details, or about the man who had saved her. "Yes," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm pretty sure I saw him. . . . It must've been him . . . Oh, Conan-kun! . . ."
Conan's eyes widened. He had not expected to get this admission, and he had to admit that a part of him had been hoping that it would not be true. Ayumi was so young, too young to have to encounter such evil. "When, Ayumi-chan?" he said urgently. "When did you see him?" He noticed Ai perk up and lean forward, and he nodded to her, indicating that he was on the right track.
She sniffled. "Two weeks ago, in a park," she replied, and cast a furtive glance around, as if she expected the beast to suddenly appear out of the woodwork. No one was there, but she pressed herself against the wall anyway. Somehow it helped to ease her mind, at least somewhat.
"Did he see you?"
The new tears broke free. "Yes!" she wailed. "He saw me. . . . Oh, it was horrible. . . . He was such an awful man!" She shut her eyes, trying to block out the memory of feeling him grab hold of her, lifting her up to look into his glittering, wretched eyes and to see the twisted smile. But the images were still there, whether her eyes were opened or closed. She could not stand it. She wanted to run to someone for protection from the wicked face---to her parents, or to Conan, or even . . . even to the man who had saved her. He seemed to know the awful person, so surely he knew how one could be protected from him.
Conan could not quite decipher some of her words through the weeping, but he thought he was getting the gist of it. It was making him grow more outraged by the minute. Asking the next question proved difficult for him. "Ayumi-chan, I know this is hard, but I need to know---did he do anything to you?" He leaned forward himself, feeling extremely tense with this entire matter. And he was astonished that Ayumi had managed to escape with her life intact. But . . . was she alright in other ways?
"No," Ayumi answered, and Conan felt an immense relief wash over him for that blessing. "He wanted to take me, but he didn't get to. . . ."
"Why, Ayumi-chan?" Conan demanded. A new thought came to him. "Was someone else there?" That would make the most sense. He seriously doubted that Ayumi could ever escape such a treacherous person all on her own. There must have been another, one who had somehow helped her get away. But who could it have been? A passer-by in the park?
Ayumi's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Conan-kun," she exclaimed then, her voice trembling, "I have to go!" With that she hung up without so much as a goodbye and sank to the floor as she tried to control the tears that insisted on falling. She could not bear to lie to Conan. She could not say that no one else had been there. She wanted that monstrous man to be caught before he succeeded in hurting anyone else, but she also did not want to betray her protector. She wondered what she was ever to do.
Perhaps, she decided after a long moment, she should try to find the blonde man again. Maybe he could tell her what to do. In determination she stood up and headed for the door.