Chapter Four: Taina's First Case

Rachel, Conan, and Taina were just about to head up to the stairs to the apartment. They had been out shopping for school supplies. Suddenly Richard came running down the stairs. Only he tripped and took a little tumble down half the stairs. He ended up on his back on the sidewalk.

"I did it. My first job in 6 months. Some rich guy's daughter has gone missing. Kidnapped by a man in black." Richard said getting up and calling a taxi.

"He hasn't had a job in 6 months. Man he must really stink at this." Taina thought to herself with a Richard you're a complete nincompoop look on face.

"This may be a lead already." Conan said and hopped in the car along with Rachel and Taina.

"Alright, Conan's taught me everything he knows about being a detective. Now's my chance to prove myself." Taina thought.

"Oh yeah. Richard Moore is back on a case. Look out would be criminals." Richard said proudly. He just then noticed everyone sitting beside him. "What the heck are you doing in here?"

"For your information I was trying to get them out." Rachel responded.

"Those brats are bothering me. So get them out of here." Richard said looking at the kids.

"Oh yeah. I'll just throw them out the window. In the middle of the highway!" Rachel said in her angry tone.

The taxi stopped in front of a mansion. Everybody got out and walked in the backyard. Richard started talking to the father, Mr. Tongan. Mr. Tongan handed Richard a picture of his daughter.

"They've kidnapped my daughter. Her name's Mashel and she's 10 years old." Tongan said.

Richard looked at the picture. Conan was jumping up and down trying to get a look at the picture.

"Being short is such a pain. I can't see a thing." Conan thought. Richard put his hand to his side and Conan grabbed the picture. "Ok tell me everything that happened." Conan said acting like his usual detective self. Richard grabbed him by the coat collar and held him up to Rachel.

"Rachel do something with him." Richard said. Taina grabbed him by the arm.

"Don't worry detective. I'll take care of him." Taina said pulling Conan around the corner of the house. "Are you crazy? What do you think you're doing?"

"What?" Conan asked.

"Jimmy you can't act like a detective anymore. You're supposed to be a little kid. Do you want Rachel to figure out who you are?" Taina responded.

"Well no. But what am I supposed to do? It's not like Richard can solve these cases on his own." Conan said.

"So give him little clues by what you say or something so he can." Taina said and went back to the others with Conan following.

"Alright tell me everything that happened." Richard said.

"My servant Aso, saw everything." Mr. Tongan said.

"Miss Mashel had just arrived home from school and was playing in the garden. When a man dressed all in black jumped over the back wall and grabbed her. He said for Mr. Tongan to close his company for one month. Then he would get his daughter back. Then he scaled the pine tree and leapt over the back wall." Aso told Richard.

"And no one else heard any of this?" Richard asked the other servants.

"No we were all inside. It was very quite until Aso called out that Miss Mashel had been taken." A female servant replied.

"Then it's probably one of Mr. Tongan's competitors." Richard deducted.

"I knew it. Now those bloodsuckers want 10 million dollars in unmarked inconsecutive bills." Mr. Tongan announced.

"No it must be a mistake." Aso said in a panic.

"You stay out of this Aso." Mr. Tongan yelled.

Conan and Taina went over to a ball and Conan started kicking it and bouncing it on his knees. He was a very good soccer player.

"This doesn't make sense. Why didn't the kidnapper just grab her on the way to or from school? Then phone in a ransom? It seems like an amitcher job to me. But it's very professional to request unmarked bills." Conan thought.

"Wow Conan you must be really good at soccer." Rachel said when she saw him with the ball.

"Not bad." Conan replied.

"Ya know Jimmy does that when he's trying to think. He says it helps him clear his mind of distractions." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I am Jimmy." Conan thought to himself. Conan missed hitting the ball and it rolled over near a bush. Conan went over and picked up the ball. Suddenly a big Great Dane leapt out of the bush and started barking at Conan.

"Conan don't move." Rachel said as she ran over to Conan. But Conan started spinning the ball on his finger and that got the dog's attention. The guard dog started licking Conan.

"Is that your dog Mr. Tongan?" Richard asked.

"Oh yes. His name's Jumbo, he's an excellent guard dog." Mr. Tongan replied.

"Does he always bark like that?" Rachel asked.

"Only if he doesn't know them." Tongan answered.

"But wait. According to the butler's story the kidnapper used this tree to get over the garden wall. Then the dog should have barked at him too." Conan thought. Obviously Taina was thinking the same thing.

"But wouldn't he have barked at the kidnapper?" Taina asked. Aso started sneaking off toward the house.

"Hold it right there Aso." Richard said and Aso stopped.

"Good he gets it." Conan thought.

"You said the kidnapper used this tree to escape but old Jumbo never barked once. I think the only man in black here tonight was you." Richard said.

"Aso how could you betray my trust in you?" Mr. Tongan asked.

"Enough small talk. Where's the girl." Richard said.

"In a hotel nearby." Aso answered. One of the servants brought the phone outside.

"Yes hello?" Mr. Tongan said into the phone.

"You better be busy getting my money." The kidnapper said.

"Who's this?" Tongan said.

"You got a pretty short memory old man. I'm the guy that's got your daughter." The kidnapper said.

"So you did have an acomplis." Richard said.

"No I acted alone I swear." Aso responded.

"I don't believe you." Tongan said.

"Daddy help me!" Mashel said.

"Mashel! Alright I'll get the money." Tongan said. "Just don't hurt my daughter."

"Fine." The kidnapper said.

"We're in a school equipment shed with a big chimney outside the window." Mashel screamed into the phone.

"Quiet you." The kidnapper said and hung up the phone.

"Alright Richard Moore solves another one!" Richard said with a cocky attitude.

"No. No. No He hasn't solved anything. Yeah the butler did put Mashel in the hotel. But after he left she was kidnapped again by someone else. Somebody far more dangerous. If my hunch is correct Tongan's daughter is still in serious danger." Conan thought. He unhooked Jumbo from his leash and he and Taina jumped on his back.

"Ahh Conan, Taina what are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"Come on follow that dog!" Richard said following Conan. Rachel followed her father.

"Conan the chimney that Mashel saw out the window must have been a smokestack." Taina said.

"And there are 5 schools in the area where one would be visible." Conan replied. They went to every school and nobody was there.

"I can't believe it. None of them were right." Conan said.

"Unless there's something we've missed. From the side that building looks like a chimney." Taina said.

"And the only school visible from there is..." Conan said looking at his map with Taina looking over his shoulder.

"Franklin Junior High." they both said together. They jumped on Jumbo's back and started heading toward the school. Meanwhile the kidnapper was talking to Mr. Tongan on the phone.

"That's it. The deal's all set. That means I don't need you anymore." The kidnapper told Mashel pulling out a knife.

"Hold it right there." The kidnapper heard.

"What who's there?" he asked. He dropped the knife and headed to the door. He looked out but didn't see anybody.

"Down here." Conan said and Jumbo attacked. Conan and Taina ran in and Conan took tape off of Mashel's mouth.

"But who are you?" Mashel asked.

"Jimmy Ku..." Conan trailed off just in time. "I mean Conan Edogawa."

"And I'm Taina. We're detectives." Taina said. Jumbo suddenly took off running. Conan jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting hit with a metal baseball bat. They ran out of the shed. Taina tried to jump up and kick him but the kidnapper caught her leg and flung her into a nearby store window.

"She's to small. She's not strong enough to take down this guy." Conan thought. Suddenly he noticed a soccer ball lying right in front of him. "Well how about this?" He said as he kicked the ball but the kidnapper just blocked it. "You've got to be kidding. I can't even kick a soccer ball anymore!" Conan thought to himself. The kidnapper hit him in the side with the bat. "Oh great. So I can still track down the criminals. There's just nothing I can do to stop them." Conan thought as he was about to be hit again when Rachel jumped out of nowhere and blocked with her arm. She punched him in the face and the repeatedly in the stomach the she jumped back and kicked him in the face. That knocked him out.

"Man she kicks ass!" Conan thought. "How did you know where to find us?" he asked.

"I saw Jumbo." She answered. When Richard got there he saw what Rachel had done.

"Never should have let her take those damn karate lessons." He said.

"What an idiot." Conan thought. Richard brought everybody back to Tongan's house.

"Daddy please don't be mad at Aso. It was all my idea. You were always o busy working that you never had time to play with me. So I asked Aso if he would help me kidnap myself." Mashel confessed.

"So the first kidnapping was a hoax. Boy didn't see that one coming." Richard said.

"That's because you have no brains." Taina thought to herself.

"Well even if it was all Mashel's idea there's no excuse for what you've done Aso. So as punishment tomorrow you'll plan a vacation for 2 to Australia. Where Mashel has always wanted to go." Tongan said and started to leave. "Excellent work detective. Using the dog to find my daughter was brilliant." Tongan said when they were all in front of the house.

"Just another day's work." Richard said.

"What's he got to brag about? I'm the one that found her." Conan thought.

"Thank you Mr. Detective." Mashel said to Conan.

"Mr. Detective?" Rachel questioned.

"Ahh... You're dad's the detective here right." Conan said pointing to Richard.

Author: Thanks for reviewing everybody!

Silver Sky Magician: Actually Taina is one of my friends from school. I made her up before I even knew about Ai. I don't read the mangas.

Mandi-Solo: Wow your stories are turning out great. You really get in the characters. Keep writing!

Twistedillusions: You're a really good writer. But you should write more anime!

Well as Inspector Megwire says: See you next crime scene!