Chapter 11: Who Am I?

With Kid finally being able to speak, Shinichi and Hakuba decided to drop by as well with questions of their own.

A school day had never felt this long before in quite some time.

After returning to his normal life, Shinichi almost liked being able to attend high school again instead of elementary school. Getting back into the flow of daily life made time pass considerably faster. It was until he received a text message that morning from Hakuba that made Shinichi antsy about the school bell ringing. The other detective had announced that he encountered a potential breakthrough in his case.

Seeing that he could not make it for the final dinner date he promised, Shinichi swore to Ran he'll extend his promise for the rest of the month. In actuality, he had been rather enjoying the evenings getting food with her. The dinners felt more like an excuse to spend more time with Ran in order to make up for the lies he told her, at the expense of his allowance.

Once the teen detective was freed from class, he headed straight to the train station. Arriving just shy of Ekoda, Shinichi spotted a familiar head of dark blond hair amongst the people sitting at a coffee shop. In turn, Hakuba saw him as well from inside the store. The blond swiftly paid for his drink and walked out to greet Shinichi.

"My apologies, Kudo-kun. I just had to refresh myself after a busy few days."

"That's understandable, Hakuba-kun. If you don't mind, I can't wait to hear about the important development in your case." With a single glance of the other detective's appearance, Shinichi's eyes drifted immediately to the sporty duffel bag Hakuba carried over his shoulder.

Following the other detective's gaze, Hakuba understood. "In case you were wondering, this bag is not mine. I am simply borrowing it for now." He pulled out his phone. "My housekeeper will be coming by soon to pick us up."

"Where are we going?" Shinichi was not told about the actual meeting spot. Considering his current location, he thought that they were going to walk back to Hakuba's house.

"To the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital."

After Hakuba's housekeeper had dropped them off, the blond haired detective spoke to the guard officers in an upper floor inside the hospital to inform them of his and Shinichi's arrival. One of the men walked away to relay the message to Nakamori. The section inside was peaceful and quiet, a much needed break from the droning atmosphere of a classroom.

When Shinichi wanted to ask why they were at a hospital, the red hot glare of Inspector Nakamori caught his attention. He thanked his lucky star that the man wasn't directing his anger at him. Even after attending to heists, Shinichi was not sure what he should do in case Nakamori's sights were set on him.

Meanwhile, Hakuba firmly stood his ground as the inspector stomped towards him. Seeing the indifference in the other detective's face, Shinichi assumed that this wasn't the first time this had happened. He watched as the inspector ultimately took a deep huff of air before addressing Hakuba with a displeased tone soaking his voice.

"You had better be here to give me answers, or else I will detain you for illegal possession of evidence and obstruction of justice until you talk."

Shinichi's eyes went back and forth between Hakuba and Nakamori. He had to find a way to diffuse the tension. And while he was at it, he demanded answers too. "If it makes you feel better, Inspector, I was not told about anything either."

Seeing that there were two people waiting on him, Hakuba responded warily as he glanced down both ends of the corridor. "We can discuss things in a more private area."

"This entire wing had been reserved. Pick any of the rooms and we can talk there." Surprisingly, the inspector acquiesced with Hakuba despite the obvious foul mood he displayed.

The three of them walked to an empty room, safe for a visitor's chair, some nightstands installed at the foot of the walls, and unused curtain screen walls. Closing the door behind him, Shinichi saw the inspector take over the lone chair while Hakuba lifted the sports bag strap over his head to then rest it on top of a nightstand. From the sound of it, the bag must have contained an assortment of things.

Hakuba addressed him first. "Kudo-kun, I want to apologize for keeping you uninformed. I just didn't feel comfortable speaking about it out in the open, not even around my governess."

"So this is super sensitive information, I presume?"

With his arms crossed, Nakamori was tapping a foot against the floor. "Hmph, enough with the chit chat. Just get on with it."

Bearing with the man's impatience, Hakuba tried to pretend he wasn't annoyed as he continued. "Right. We will have plenty of time to talk later. Anyways, the breakthrough I mentioned in my message to you occurred a few days ago at a heist." He paused to unzip the sports bag and dig through its content. "I did not expect Spider to show himself there and attack Kaitou Kid."

Recalling what they discussed together, Shinichi remembered Hakuba mentioning an assassin working for the organization he wished to bring to an end. Things were beginning to fall into place, as shocking as they might be to Shinichi. It would explain the secrecy going on and the inspector's presence. "So the reason we're here is because Kid has been secretly admitted to the hospital?"

"Exactly." Hakuba pulled out a clear plastic case and showed it to the other detective. "These were the needles that stabbed Kid during the heist. The blood on the needles and his wounds proved to me that the person was indeed Kaitou Kid and not another of Spider's victims he pinned the evidence on."

The metallic needles rolled around inside the case as Hakuba moved. From their diameter, they resembled more like thin ice picks than needles. Something made to hurt. Once Shinichi was done making his observation, he inquired further. "With Kid in custody right now, what do you plan to do?"

Hakuba put away the evidence. "I wanted to ask him about his connection to Spider and the organization. There has to be a reason why they want him dead. But I had to wait until now since Kid was still recovering from the poison."

"Poison? I thought the assassin used hypnotism and mind tricks to kill his targets." After his talk with Hakuba, Shinichi did a bit of research on Spider's public alias. The man was a professional illusionist and performer. With those abilities, the detective could see how his victims' deaths could be manipulated into looking accidental or self-inflicted.

"My guess is that his more complex hypnotic tricks require setup at the scene and Spider couldn't do that since there was an unexpected change in the targeted gem's position. Because Kid had encountered him before, there was a real chance that Kid might not fall for a basic hypnosis attempt."

The squeak of a shoe pulled the two detectives' gaze towards the inspector. His face remained twisted with irritation. "Is that all you have to say? A crazy killer and his gang want to off Kid. This is some info you already told me. I want new details, damn it!"

"Rest easy, Inspector Nakamori. Between that night and now, I have been busy with my own investigations." From the depths of the bag, Hakuba materialized a paper binder containing a folder that looked recently made.

Nakamori immediately recognized the logo and the labeling style. "What are you doing with an accident file report?"

An accident report? Shinichi then remembered an incident he and Hakuba stumbled upon. "Is that the case at the Blue Parrot?"

Handing the folder to Shinichi, the blond nodded. "Yes, I have added some additional information about the victim's background. It also includes photographs of the scene taken by forensics where the body was found and a list of the people who investigated this."

"Hakuba-kun, while I do appreciate you getting your hands on this case files for me, I'm wondering how this is connected to the current situation."

The inspector followed up on that. "I agree with Kudo-kun here. We don't have time to waste on side business!"

"Not quite what-" Shinichi was interrupted by Nakamori's continued yelling.

While Nakamori and Hakuba were occupied with a debate, Shinichi took the liberty of opening the folder to quickly skim read the inside information. 'Jii Konosuke, age sixty one. Owner of a billiard parlor.' Nothing outstanding, until a single tidbit caught the detective's eyes. 'Former assistant to a world renowned performer.' Being the right hand man of a celebrity was quite an achievement. As for who exactly that person was, Konosuke Jii's name must be connected to the name of the celebrity in question. Shinichi himself only knew of a handful of names for famous individuals that would qualify.

By the time Shinichi tuned back into the conversation, the inspector was in the middle of an angry rambling about frivolous use of time. The brunet stepped in between them with an apologetic look. "Inspector Nakamori, I didn't mean it that way earlier. After reading it, I do see a possible connection."

"Huh?" The inspector looked at him as he lifted a brow.

Unexpectedly surprised by it was Hakuba. "You do, Kudo-kun?"

"It's simply a guess, but I haven't gotten a good piece of evidence to create a solid answer."

Making a snorting noise, Nakamori began tapping his foot again. "Well, I made some actual progress today unlike you two, who are treating this like a game."

Shinichi smiled thinly as he turned to the man while ignoring the dismissive tone. "What did you learn, Inspector?"

"I got Kid to confirm that he is an apprentice of the original Kaitou Kid. The first one is dead."

The two detectives made a mental note of the new information. Already, Shinichi felt the pieces begin to collect and fit together.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Hakuba proposed his next course of action. "Speaking of which, I came here to talk to Kid too." He paused to retrieve something shiny from his pockets and gave it to the seated man. "Here, Inspector Nakamori. I believe that you have some paperwork to do. Just say that you found it on the ground behind the hotel."

Resting inside the inspector's hand was the peridot ring taken from the heist. Nakamori pushed down his shock and accepted it as he grumbled about routine tediousness. From the sidelines, Shinichi couldn't help but think that Hakuba handed the gem to keep Nakamori busy with a menial task. An unexpected knock at the door made all three of them jump slightly.

A man's voice came from the other side. "Sir, Detective Yasui has handed me the results of the fingerprint analysis."

The inspector answered the door as he identified the voice as Yoshimura. A few sheets of paper stapled together slipped through the gap of the door and into Nakamori's waiting hands. After dismissing the officer, he walked back towards the center of the room while impatiently flipping through the report. His steps hesitated when he reached the final page.

"Inspector?" Hakuba asked tentatively. Both him and Shinichi had their eyes focused onto the side of Nakamori's face, waiting for a reaction from the inspector who was pacing around with the papers.

From seeing the man's eyes darting back and forth, it seemed like he reread the page over and over again until finally letting out an exasperated sigh mixed with a growl. "What was I expecting?" Nakamori rubbed the back of his head. "I'll just deal with…this later. I'm gonna drop by the office and come back later. I need a break from this place… "

Unceremoniously flinging the report onto a tabletop, Nakamori walked out of the meeting with another tired sigh. Curious as to what the papers contained, Shinichi and Hakuba gathered around it. After taking a glance for themselves, the detectives felt sympathy for the inspector. It must feel like the man was encountering one dead end after the next.

With Inspector Nakamori busy elsewhere, Shinichi felt more comfortable heading towards Kid's recovery room. The fingerprint identification results provided the final clue he needed.

After a brief search and check for disguises by the officers posted directly outside the room, Shinichi and Hakuba were allowed to pass through the sliding door to meet face to face with Kaitou Kid.

"My, what an eventful day I'm having! Not only Inspector Nakamori, but two detectives also decided to drop by!"

Sitting at the edge of the bed with his legs crossed, Kid greeted them by loosely spreading his arms open. An oversized white jacket was draped on his shoulder, the hood covering his head. It appeared that the intravenous tube stuck to him and the injured arm didn't allow him to slip on the sleeves.

Almost immediately, the most apparent thing to Shinichi made him freeze momentarily. With the thief's face framed by the white hood, it only served to highlight their identical looks right down to the eye and hair color. Shinichi tried to suppress an uncanny shiver running down his neck.

"You look much better than last I saw you." said Hakuba as he brought in the duffel bag and rested it on the nightstand next to Kid, who glanced at it before returning his gaze back at the two detectives.

"Hm?" In response to the remark, Kid tilted his head after crossing his arms.

"I was the one that found you bleeding out." The detective took a step back to be at a more comfortable speaking distance. "Those needles- I discovered that they were made hollow in order to contain poison. Compared to the inspector, you probably received a dosage almost twenty times larger. By all accounts, you would be dead if I left you lying there for any longer."

"And is that your way of making me talk? While I do appreciate you saving my life, I prefer to keep my own hand of cards hidden." From behind his bangs, he eyed the detective with his signature confident smirk.

Shinichi stood at the side once again, taking in as much information as he could while he listened. His friend seemed to be taking a more confrontational approach with Kaitou Kid, which Shinichi appreciated. Anybody with enough experience dealing with Kid knew that the thief had a knack for banter and wasting time.

Hakuba retorted, giving Kid an equally intent stare. "A mild hallucinogenic, a numbing agent, and a potent anti-coagulant. Those are the compounds inside the poison, and they fit Spider's sadistic ways to a tee. The slow acting effects meant that he planned to have you die once you're away from the heist location and by yourself."

"Still trying to convince me that I owe you something, Hakuba-san?"

"No. But I do want to know why Spider wants you dead. In fact, I want to know how someone like you has gained such unsavory attention."

"'Someone like you', you say? What do you mean by that?" Kid answered in an exact imitation of the blond's voice. He seemed to be testing the detective in response to the pushy attitude.

It earned an unamused look from Hakuba. "You know what I mean, Kurokawa Haneji. It was after I found you half-dead and then saw you again today that I realized that when we first 'met', you were in a rather basic disguise."

Kid went quiet for a moment. After a few seconds of heavy silence, he scoffed. "So? You claim that a master impersonator such as me was disguised at the time. I don't see anything unusual about that."

Time for Shinichi to jump in. "But it's not just any plain disguise, Kid." He lifted up the papers he carried inside with him. "These are the results from the police's fingerprint analysis."

The thief only laughed as if he had been presented with something inconsequential. "It renders that thing quite redundant, doesn't it? I am already aware that the police have found my real name, so I'll give credit where credit is due."

"True, your prints were indeed tied to someone named 'Kurokawa Haneji' and I do recall you having an identification card under the same name. Even the basic description matches your disguised appearance. But- " Shinichi flicked the pages to the very last one, where the significant information was located. "A deeper and more thorough search found that there exists no birth record of such an individual. The simplicity of the disguise leads me to believe that it is something you have been borrowing for years. More precisely, something a parent or guardian would come up with if we were to consider your age. I highly doubt a young child would conceive such an elaborate ruse all on their own."

Shinichi's observations only elicited an empty chuckle from Kid. "Don't overthink, Detective-kun. It could be that the ones that raised me were simply cautious people since they knew the dangers that came with the job. The reason could be as plain as that."

Listening to Kaitou Kid saying that indicated to Shinichi that he was headed on the right track. Now to present the findings he collected. "Deflect all you want, Kid. I already have a solid guess of your true identity."

For a split second, a hitch in Kid's breathing became visible. His shadowed eyes dug into his doppelganger's, like he was considering if he should challenge the detective's claim or not.

Hakuba interjected. "Kudo-kun, is this what you were hinting at earlier?"

"Yes. You might call it a coincidence, but I do happen to know the trivia needed to solve this mystery." Shinichi held out a hand. "May I have the case file, Hakuba-kun?"

"Of course."

As Hakuba handed the requested papers over, Kid caught a glimpse of it. His demeanor immediately shifted once he read the name written on the file. The smirk dropped off to be replaced by a placid neutral expression. A near tangible wall had been brought up as he stayed quiet.

"I'm sure you remember the day we supposedly met, 'Haneji'-kun." Turning back towards Kid, Shinichi flipped the folder open to refresh himself on the case. "Back then, your behavior confused me. You were so fervent on Jii Konosuke's death being a murder, yet you backed out at the last minute."

Tilting his head away, Kid sniffed to show his displeasure at the note. "I simply realized that you two were too nosy for my taste. In combination with the police being around, I no longer felt like talking."

"I believe that the more probable reason is because if anyone investigated you, they would find that your identity had been fabricated. And for the owner of an establishment to hire someone without proper papers, there has to be a deeper connection than simply being an employer and a part time worker."

With an answer ready, the thief shot back. "Jii-san was a kind man and simply overlooked that detail. Nobody apart from me and him would know."

"A reasonable excuse, but I refuse to accept it." The detective shook his head before turning the pages to the victim's personal information. "This little detail tipped me off. 'Former assistant to a world renowned performer'. Unfortunately, Jii Konosuke's name yielded minimal results when I searched up his name on my phone, likely due to the use of a stage name or staying out of the limelight. But all I needed was for Inspector Nakamori to inform me that the original Kaitou Kid had passed away to finally connect the pieces of this puzzle."

"..." The more Shinichi spoke, the more agitated the thief became. Searching for a way out, Kid's gaze darted back and forth as he avoided direct eye contact with the detectives by looking at the floor.

"If the first Kid has passed away, then the eighth year time gap can be seen in a different light. All I needed to do was to find a public figure that had died around the same time. However, the next problem becomes who exactly that person was since many notable deaths can occur in a year." Having done looking at the dossier, Shinichi shut it with a hand. "My mother had the fortune to be mentored by Kuroba Toichi, a famous magician who was also versed in the art of disguises, and his death coincides with Kaitou Kid's sudden absence. The man's skillset leads me to believe that he was the original thief, while Jii Konosuke acted as his assistant."

The smirk and glare Shinichi received from Kid could only be described as filled with resentment, like the stars have aligned to be specifically against the thief's favor. "Of all the chances, you happen to know that…" He knew that Shinichi had all the evidence needed to draw an answer. No need to prolong a losing fight. "Fine. Go on then, Great Detective. Who am I?"

It was high time to conclude the guessing game. Digging up old memories, Shinichi recalled the news headlines he saw long ago. They had been especially memorable since his parents were so hung up on the reports and investigations back then. "There was a string of accidents that killed off an entire family. Kuroba Toichi died from a stage mishap, while his wife and eight years old son perished in a house fire. But clearly, some facts are now proven untrue given that you are alive right in front of me almost ten years later… Kuroba Kaito."