Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK

Sky Colored Eyes

32: The Maze Maker

"All right you guys, time to get to work. You two, you'll be going to Beika today. As for the rest of you, I want you to spread out around these five buildings." A metal pointer tapped at the city map tacked to the wall. This map was a little unusual as it looked very much like a photograph of the city taken from a bird's eye view then overlaid with a more conventional map with the colors adjusted so as not to make the whole thing a visual mess. "You got that? Good. Remember, keep those cameras clear."

Striding across to the aviary window, Kaito threw it open and stood aside. There was a flurry of wings and a stream of feathery bodies poured past him and out the window. He waited until the last bird had vanished over the rooftops before turning back to the room at large. With a snap of his fingers, the map disappeared. While there was nothing particularly incriminating on it, he preferred to err on the side of caution.

"Going to see your new friend again?"

Glancing up from where he'd been tying his shoes, he grinned at the sight of his mom standing in the kitchen doorway with that knowing smile of hers. "Yep. We're going to have lunch together." Of course Shinichi didn't know they would be lunching together yet, but the magician saw that as a minor detail.

"Well try not to be out so late today. I invited Jii-chan over for dinner. It's been a long time since we last sat down together for a meal, especially with you running off at all hours."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Kaito hopped to his feet and grabbed a light jacket. "I just have a lot to do."

Kuroba Chikage laughed, shaking her head. "I'm sure you do. Bring something back for dessert when you come home."

"Can I get anything I want?"

'Within reason."

"Just what I wanted to hear."

Stepping over to give his mom a quick hug, he turned and bounded out the door. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and he'd learned from eavesdropping on Shinichi and his young friend's conversation the other day that the detective thought he was amazing. That sounded like a green light to Kaito. That certainly had been time well spent. The magician rubbed his mental hands together.

Now to step things up a notch. Today, he was going to take Shinichi on a date. Although, for the time being, it would probably be best not to make it too obvious that that was what they would be doing. With no upcoming exams for school and nothing for them to do for the case until they heard back from their feelers, the stage was set.

Or it was until he arrived outside Shinichi's apartment door to see not one detective stepping out of it but two.

"Hakuba? What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, annoyed.

"We are going to visit Kogane Inosuke," Shinichi explained.

Kaito spluttered. "What? Why wasn't I told about this?"

"Huh? But Hakuba-san said he'd already…" Shinichi trailed off as realization dawned.

"I'm sorry. I intended to, but I guess it slipped my mind," the blond said airily.

Indigo eyes narrowed. "Why you little—" He caught himself and straightened, smoothing his features into a Poker Face smile as his eyes shot daggers at the blond. "I guess we're lucky I was headed here anyway. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd end up in running around with Mister Faulty Memory."

Shinichi coughed lightly before Hakuba could respond to the less than subtle jab. "Are we waiting for Aoko-san too?"

"No. She's helping out at the school gardening club's Green Awareness event at the park today. I will be seeing her for dinner later, so I can update her on our findings then."

Kaito scoffed, but Shinichi's elbow jabbing him in the side prevented any further discussion on the subject.

X

As Aoko and Hakuba had discovered in their research, Kogane Inosuke lived in a rundown apartment building in what was technically a business district of the city. Many of the buildings here were, however, between renters, so to speak. Empty offices looked dully out through covered windows, hoping to see someone coming to fill them with life and purpose again. It was rather a sad sight.

The apartment building itself was marginally less spooky. It, at least, looked like it was being used. As the three teens approached, a woman opened the door of one of the ground floor units, an empty grocery tote in hand. There was a series of high-pitched barks as a tiny dog tried to follow her out the door. Laughing, she set the grocery tote aside and bent down to pet the dog before herding it back inside with her hands.

"Mommy will be right back, okay," she told it before shutting and locking the door.

She spotted the three visitors as she turned and paused. She looked them over, curiosity clear in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. Instead, he smiled, nodded a brief, polite greeting, and walked away.

"The records say that Kogane's apartment is on the third floor." Hakuba led the way up the rickety stairs and down the length of the walkway to the last door on the third landing. The mailbox outside did indeed have the name Kogane Inosuke painted on it in peeling black letters.

Hakuba raised his hand to knock then stopped as his eyes fell on the note taped to the door at eye level. It had been written in blue ink on a blank index card and secured to the door by a thick edging of blue tape.

"What's the hold up?" Kaito asked impatiently. "Just ring the bell like it says."

"In case you have not noticed, there is no bell to ring."

All three boys looked up and down the lengths of the walls to either side of Kogane's apartment door. The paint was peeling from the wood in some places, but for the most part it was all just smooth, unmarred wall.

"I'm going to try knocking," the British detective announced, doing just that. Three sharp, hard taps rang out against the wooden door. There was no answer.

"Perhaps they are not home," he mused.

"Or he is and just don't want to answer someone who can't even find a little doorbell."

"Kuroba. There is no doorbell."

With a rather triumphant smirk, Kaito reached past the blonde and flipped open what had looked like just another piece of the doorframe. There, hidden in the now exposed alcove within, was a button. The magician pressed it and the door before them swung open almost immediately.

They were met by the sound of clapping.

"You know, it usually takes longer for people to find that," a thin, slightly sandy voice said, heralding the appearance of a skinny, brown-haired man with round spectacles and a sallow complexion. His smile faded a little when he got a closer look at them. "You don't appear to have my package."

"Pardon?"

"You aren't here to deliver my package." It was a statement, not a question. Now the man's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of suspicion creeping into his features. He took a discreet step sideways in the direction of the phone sitting on a corner table. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hakuba Saguru, and these are my associates," the blonde replied, introducing all three of them before either of his classmates could say anything. "We are conducting an investigation, and we were hoping you could help us with it."

"An investigation?" the man repeated, thin eyebrows knitting together as what was left of his smile fell away completely. "What do you mean?"

"We're working on a project for school," Shinichi cut in, earning a startled look from Hakuba. "We're putting together a research report on the current quality of city life. For our report, we wanted to focus on how people balance work with recreation. I know this is probably a bit sudden, but would you mind answering a few questions to help us?"

"Oh, I see." The man's posture relaxed slightly, but the suspicion was still there. "Do you three live nearby then?"

"No, but we're visiting multiple areas so that we can study how conditions differ between districts."

"Huh. That certainly is a very thorough approach. I didn't realize schools were starting to assign such involved projects."

"Our teacher wants us to use only primary sources if we can help it," Kaito chipped in. "She's big on getting out there and actually connecting with people."

"That's…that's good. Not enough of that these days, certainly. I must say, it's impressive that kids your age are putting this much effort into your schoolwork." A new smile flickered across the man's face. "I wish I'd done that when I was still in school. Maybe then…" He waved them in. "Have a seat. I don't mind answering a few questions as long as it doesn't take too long."

The three boys left their shoes by the front door and picked their way into the apartment's common room. It wasn't spacious by any means, and it had been rendered even less so by the clutter. It wasn't just any clutter though. A large, half-completed model of a European castle occupied the entirety of the table in the living room. Tiny towers and turrets stood above a drawbridge and even a dry mote. On the corner table by the phone, a miniature duplicate of the Ekoda Clock Tower stood beside the Eifel Tower. On the floor beside the table sprawled the Great Wall of China. The Pyramids of Giza sat in a sand box in the opposite corner. Next to that was an entire shelf full of an assortment of model buildings. Cushions were strewn over both the couches and the floor. Each couch cushion had the image of a different bridge printed or stitched on it. Through the doorway leading to the kitchen, they could also see that the dining table too was occupied. What had to be multiple sets of dominos stood together in intricate, swirling patterns all over the dining room table. Then there was the paper. Large sheets of paper had been tacked to the walls or rolled up and stuck into a row of tall, wicker baskets. The ones on the walls were covered in writhing black lines that, Shinichi realized upon closer inspection, came together to form intricate mazes with ant-sized hallways. A person would have to use a magnifying glass just to find the starting point and follow the thread thin routes.

"Did you draw these yourself?" he asked, amazed.

"Oh, yes. I did. It's a bit of a hobby of mine. My name is Kogane Inosuke, by the way. So what were these questions you had?"

"Well first, if you wouldn't mind, what kind of work do you do?"

"Nothing special really. I mostly handle administrative paperwork, keeping track of company records and schedules and that kind of thing. Handling incoming orders and setting up conferences…" He shrugged.

"So how much time would you say you spend at work?"

"Longer than I'd like," Kogane laughed dryly. "On most days, I'm there from seven in the morning to eight at night at the earliest. Ten or eleven on other days."

"But you still found time to put all this together?" Kaito asked, waving a hand at the mazes on the walls and the models sitting on every table and shelf. "I mean, this is real good work. It must have taken hours!"

Kogane nodded, visibly pleased by the praise. "It certainly did. But it's how I unwind. What I really wanted to be when I was younger was an architect. But I didn't have the grades for it. So now I build things in my spare time instead. It's not what I wanted, but I guess it's like my mother says, things turned out for the best. I have a steady job, so I can afford to build things for fun when I have time."

"It's cool that you think that way," the magician laughed. "More than half the people we've talked to said that they don't feel like they have any time for hobbies. It was actually starting to get a bit depressing."

The bespectacled man nodded. "I've felt that way sometimes myself, but I'm lucky that my hobbies are the kind I can do at home at any time. People who prefer to go out for things like sports have a harder time of it since most jobs eat up your daylight hours."

"That brings us to our next question, actually," said Shinichi. "Do you go to any social gatherings outside of work? Maybe model building contests or conventions, that kind of thing?"

"No. I've never really cared much for competition. Mother always says it's about creating good work, not about showing off."

"What about socials?"

The man paused for a moment, gaze sliding sideways to the biggest maze on the wall before returning to the young detective's sapphire gaze. "I do occasionally meet up with friends, but parties aren't of much interest to me."

"Does your neighborhood put any effort into getting people together?" Kaito asked.

"I don't really know. Although I suppose that makes the answer somewhat self evident."

"I guess it does," Shinichi agreed. "Have you always lived here?"

"Here?"

"In this neighborhood."

"I…well, yes. Is that part of your report?"

"Sure is," Kaito interjected. "Since we're comparing districts, we need to know when one of our interviewees changed districts or moved in from out of the city or wherever to see if that changes things for them or their new communities," he explained, brimming with sincerity. "For example, if you've ever lived in a big house then switched to a small apartment or vice versa, how did that change your lifestyle?"

"I'm sorry I can't help you with that," Kogane said shortly. "I've always been an apartment man. Mom likes them too. They may not be as big, but they're cozy, and much easier to take care of since there's less you have to clean everyday."

"Does your mother live here too?"

"Yes, but she's not home right now. I would appreciate it if you three could go before she comes back. She doesn't really like uninvited visitors."

Recognizing the dismissal, the boys stood.

"Thank you very much for all your help," they chorused at the door.

Kogane nodded, a quick jerk of his head. "Glad I could help."

X

"Hey Nuisance, what in the world possessed you to introduce us with our real names?" Kaito demanded as soon as Kogane's apartment building disappeared from sight.

Hakuba rolled his eyes. "Kudo-san and I have both had our pictures in the papers before. It would have been unwise to use false names in lieu of that. And I was not originally planning to beat around the bush for our investigations." Brown eyes turned to Shinichi. "A research report?"

Shinichi scratched at his cheek, looking vaguely embarrassed. "It was just that that expression on his face when you mentioned investigations… It seemed to me like he had something to hide. The report was the first thing that came to mind that would allow us to still ask our questions." He'd used similar tactics so often as Conan that it had just sort of slipped out. But he kept that part to himself.

"I thought it was a good idea," Kaito assured him with a grin as his arm slithered into its customary position over Shinichi's narrow shoulders. "And now we know that, if he has ties to that mansion, he doesn't want people to know about it. I also got the feeling that he didn't want to talk much about whoever it was he occasionally hangs out with."

"It would have helped if there had been any signs about if he has lost anyone…"

Hakuba cleared his throat loudly, growing slightly irritated at the way it seemed as though he was being edged out of the conversation. "He has, and we now know that the probability of there being a connection between him and this cult are very high."

Shinichi's gaze focused on him immediately. "Really? What did you notice?"

"As I am sure you remember, he said that his mother is living with him. He often referred to her in our conversation as well. However, according to the records Aoko and I were reading, his mother passed away almost fourteen years ago."

There was a dead silence for the next few minutes as they walked, their footsteps unusually loud in this mostly vacant street.

"He certainly seems happy though, doesn't he?" Shinichi said finally, casting a look back over his shoulder though the apartment building had long gone out of sight. The man's outlook on life had struck him as pleasantly optimistic for the most part in a down to earth kind of way. His demeanor too had been natural: without nervousness or grief.

"At least we know he isn't the one running up the bills at the mansion," Hakuba replied. "Though he may be lending them his name."

"Do you think we could approach the group through him?" Shinichi wondered, thinking out loud.

Kaito shook his head. "It would take a lot of work, and it'd be risky. I'd say that should be a last resort, especially considering Nuisance here just waltzed in and told them who we are."

"You're the only one here who enjoys lying for no reason," the blonde grunted.

Shinichi wondered if Hakuba had noticed that he was answering to "Nuisance", but it was probably better not to point it out. "In any case, we should probably keep an eye on him." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just wish we didn't have to do all this waiting."

"Then you are in luck," Kaito declared, waving a phone in front of him—his Taoki phone, Shinichi observed. "We got a call back from the antiques dealer. He wants to set up a meeting. One of his clients is interested in one of our pieces, and they'd like for us to bring the real thing so that they could get a better look and, if everything checks out, talk business."

Shinichi's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

"Perfectly."

"But I thought you said you didn't actually have any antiques."

"I never said that. I said I didn't have a grandfather who left me lots of antiques."

"…"

"Anyhow, I'm scheduling the meeting for tomorrow afternoon. He'll be sending me the address later once he gets the okay from his client. That gives us the rest of today to put together suitable disguises."

"I shall be taking my leave then," Hakuba said. "If I head for the park now, I should be able to meet Aoko and help them clean up after their event."

TBC