Chapter Three

The rest of the evening and night passed by in relative peace, as did the next two weeks. However, as Ayumi was walking home from school a fortnight after the odd telephone calls, she suddenly caught sight of someone who looked familiar to her. Perking up, she ventured around a nearby hedge to try to catch the other. "Vodka-san!" she called, seeing him vanish into an unfamiliar house. Biting her lip, she moved closer to the open front door to look inside.

She wondered why Vodka would be here, in this neighborhood, and if Gin was with him. The chance of getting to see the blonde again made her hopeful enough that she crept in through the doorway and stood uncertainly in the hall. No one was in sight, and everything seemed perfectly quiet. Too quiet. Suddenly the thought occurred to her that maybe if Vodka was here, it was to kill someone. And that was not something she wanted to see. Deciding that perhaps fleeing would be the best course of action, she turned to do so---and instead was greeted with a gun. She let out a gasp.

Vodka looked down at her coldly, though she could not see his eyes behind the infamous sunglasses. "You shouldn't be in here," he remarked, reaching for her.

She started to back up, confusion in her blue eyes. "I . . . I just wanted to see you, Vodka-san . . . and Gin-sama," she stammered, swallowing hard. "Is Gin-sama with you?" She tried to look around him, but he stepped forward and took hold of her arm, twisting it painfully.

"No, he isn't," Vodka answered. "And you're going to come with me for a ride." She struggled, but he held her firmly and pointed the gun at her with his other hand. There was no compassion this time, nor any sign of the uneasiness he had once had around her. He was cold and indifferent and uncaring.

"Why are you doing this, Vodka-san?" she cried, shaking in terror. Tears filled her innocent blue eyes. She could not understand. This was not the quiet and shy man she remembered. This man seemed a stranger. And all she wanted now was to get away.

"You've seen too much," he answered, "and you're a nuisance." He pulled her along to the back door and then hit her over the head with the handle of the gun, not extremely hard, but enough to badly daze her. He could not have her screaming for help, after all. Then he laid her on the floor while he bound her wrists and feet and placed a gag in her mouth. Smirking, he lifted the limp body into his arms and carried her outside to where the white Porsche was parked.

This child, whom Gin had risked his life for in the past, was his trump card. And if she believed that he was Vodka, and told that to Gin, the blonde was certain to believe her. And there would not be anything that Vodka could do about it.


Ling's plan involved having the real Vodka be away at this point. Gin's partner would not have an alibi for the time when Ayumi would say that she had been taken. Vodka had been contacted by one of Ling's associates and told to meet elsewhere in town, where the contact would provide him with the proof of Gin's "treachery." Then, Ling felt certain, no one would believe Vodka when he would try to explain. And if he actually did say what he had been up to, the chances were that Gin would believe that Vodka himself had put together the "evidence" against him.

And so it was that Vodka mysteriously vanished during the afternoon, leaving Gin to wander around the Black Organization's base in irritation. He was tempted to take the Porsche and go after him, or at least to try to contact him on his cellular phone, especially after the strange calls from two weeks before. Vodka had not given an explanation as to where he was off to before he had apparently left the base, and Gin was highly annoyed.

He and Vodka had barely spoken to each other after the calls they had taken. Gin had been certain that Vodka had been upset about something in connection with the call, but he had not been able to get his ally to say anything except the wrong number story. A few times Vodka had acted as though he wanted to say something else, but then had not. Something was holding him back. He seemed nervous and almost afraid of something.

Is he afraid of me? Gin wondered as he sat in the living room of the suite they shared, smoking a cigarette. Or could he be working against me and he's afraid of what will happen if I find out? His eyes narrowed. He would not believe that he had known Vodka for years and had been deceived the entire time. Vodka was loyal to him. Sometimes Gin had the feeling that Vodka even perhaps cared about him. Surely he was not so gullible that he would be led to think that if it was not the truth.

Abruptly his cell phone rang and he was startled out of his thoughts. Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed and unfolded it and held it up to his ear. "Hello?" he said gruffly.

"Agent Gin?"

Gin blinked in surprise, recognizing Ling Hi Sou's manner of greeting. "What is it?" he demanded.

"There's a situation here," Ling answered grimly, and Gin became aware that he could hear crying in the background.

"What's that noise?" Gin growled. "Where are you---a day-care center?"

"No," Ling replied, and Gin could hear a car door slam. "I was out talking to some of my contacts, and one of them mentioned hearing someone crying in this old warehouse where they store some of their stuff. When we went inside, there was this little kid tied up in a crate. She kept saying that 'Vodka-san' took her, and she kept asking for 'Gin-sama'. She still is, actually." He glanced over to where Ayumi was sitting on the seat next to him in the car, sobbing.

Gin froze, his eyes widening in shock. Gin-sama. . . . There was only one who called him that. But the thought of Vodka taking her was absurd! It would not happen. He had been so uncomfortable around Ayumi when she had been with them before. And he would not have a logical reason to take her. Gin had not ordered it, and Vodka would not go against Gin's wishes. "Where are you?" he demanded, getting up and heading for the door. Memories of the notorious mailroom incident swirled through his mind as he did, and he narrowed his eyes in vexation.

"I'm coming back into the main part of the city," Ling replied. "What do you want me to do with this kid?"

Gin walked into the hall and shut the door behind him. "Go to Hyde Park," he answered. "I'll meet you there." He was not certain what he would do after arriving, especially if Ayumi continued to insist that Vodka had taken her. It did not make sense! And yet he doubted Ayumi would say anything that she did not honestly believe, and why would she believe Vodka had taken her if he had not?

Where the devil was Vodka, anyway?

As Gin hung up with Ling, he began to dial Vodka's cell phone number. He only grew more frustrated when he could not get an answer. Something was definitely wrong, whether Vodka had abducted Ayumi or not.


As it turned out, Vodka was meeting his contact at that moment, at a rundown apartment house. He was feeling anxious and on edge, and against his better judgement he had done what the person wanted and had kept his cell phone off. The last thing they wanted was to be interrupted, or so the contact had said. And Vodka supposed he could see the logic in that, though on the other hand he knew Gin would be furious.

He still did not believe that Gin had betrayed him. It was too ridiculous, was it not? Vodka clenched a fist in despair as he wandered down the decrepit and dark hallway. Yes, Gin had been more aloof even than usual, but that did not mean anything. He was just upset because of the memories that the Ayumi girl had brought to the forefront of his mind. That was all. But Vodka still wanted to see what this person would say to back up his claims. He just hoped Gin would forgive him for it later.

Abruptly he heard a loud squeak and he started, backing up as a large rat darted past him. He watched it in disgust and decided that he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, for more reasons than one.

Then, to his relief, he saw the correct apartment up ahead and to his right. Quickly he went to the door and knocked, then waited until it was opened a crack. An unfamiliar man with shoulder-length brown hair peered out cautiously, and upon seeing Vodka, pushed it open further. "Hurry and come in!" he directed, and practically hauled Vodka inside before he could reply. Then he shut the door behind them.

Vodka looked around at the dimly lit room, noticing the cracks in the ceiling and on the walls, and the cobwebs hanging down that the tenant had neglected to remove. Ducking under the nearest one so that it would not catch on his hat, he gave the person a cold stare. "You said that you had proof that my partner is working against me," he said now. "I'd like to see it."

"You'll hear it," the strange man nodded, and went over to an elaborate tape player. "I have his cell phone tapped, and I got this conversation recorded where he talks about what he thinks of you." He looked up at Vodka sympathetically. "I'm sorry about this, I really am, but it's better that you know the truth," he declared, and hit the Play button. After a moment of static, voices loudly filled the room as hellos were exchanged, and the person hastily adjusted the volume.

"I don't like being watched," Gin's voice growled after the greetings. "I know he's doing that."

"But Vodka is the closest thing to a friend you have," the other, unfamiliar voice objected.

"I don't have friends," Gin snapped. "You don't have any proof of what you're saying."

"But he's a loyal, admiring comrade."

"Thanks for the enlightenment. And that's ridiculous. I don't care about . . ."

"I didn't think you . . ."

"I don't see that it's your business one way or another." Abruptly there was a click as the conversation ended.

The man looked up at Vodka, seeing his stunned expression. "I know, it must be hard to accept," he said apologetically. "I was alarmed when I got it recorded and heard what he thought of you. Apparently whoever he was talking to was trying to convince him of how you really are, and he wouldn't accept it."

Vodka frowned darkly. "It doesn't prove that he's betrayed me," he said then. "It sounds more like he thinks I betrayed him!" And he could not understand how Gin would get that idea. Vodka could not think of anything he had done that would cause Gin to think that, unless it could have been the telephone call from before. "When did you record this?" he demanded.

"An afternoon two weeks ago," the brunette replied, and Vodka suddenly remembered that Gin had been on the phone at the same time Vodka had been. "I'm afraid, though," he continued now, "he really has betrayed you. Yesterday I intercepted this email he was sending to the person he was talking on the phone to." With that he led Vodka over to his computer and brought up an authentic-looking email, which Vodka perused in shock.

Vodka is no longer useful. He's become a threat. And you know how I handle

threats. He's going to have to die.

Vodka swallowed hard, glaring at the message on the screen. It had been sent from Gin's email address, and of course, all of the operatives' emails were highly encrypted. Not just anyone could break into them. But it still seemed to him that there was something phony about the entire thing. He wanted to confront Gin about it. "Give me a printout of this," he ordered.

The other man blinked at him, as if not comprehending. "A printout?" he repeated then. "Why?"

"I'm going to take it and show it to Gin. The tape, too." Vodka started to reach for the computer mouse, but without warning his hand was slapped away.

"You can't!" was the almost panicked reply. "He'll kill you for sure! Your only hope is to kill him first!"

Vodka grabbed the boy and physically moved him away from the keyboard. "Well, I'm going to find out," he retorted, and clicked the Print button on the screen. "I'm not going to lose faith in him this easily. Anyone could have faked this email to make it look like Gin sent it."

"But not the telephone conversation!" the brunette exclaimed from his new position on the floor. "Even if someone was faking it, why would they?"

"I don't know," Vodka answered, grabbing the sheet of paper as it ejected from the printer. "I'm going to talk to my partner about it." He emphasized the word "partner" for several reasons, meaning that he still considered Gin to be his partner, and that he was tired of discussing the matter with other people. He should have gone to Gin in the first place. He hoped that it was not too late. Perhaps if Gin had already been suspicious of him, that phone call had been the final straw. Vodka wished he had simply told Gin the truth, despite the caller's warnings against it.

The boy watched as Vodka removed the tape and left. He had been told that if Vodka attempted to do what he had just done, that it was to be allowed. To not let him to take the materials would be suspicious. Ling apparently had more tricks in mind, most likely with changing Gin's opinion. And if that could be done, it would not matter as much what Vodka's view was. If Gin could be made to feel that Vodka was a traitor, it would be very hard to discourage him with the truth.


It did not take Gin long to find Ling's car in Hyde Park. It was a Porsche as well, only white. If Ling had not told him what to expect, Gin would have been stunned by the sight of it at first. As it was, he simply parked behind it and got out, then walked over to it and looked in the passenger window, which was rolled down partway.

He was startled when a small form suddenly leaped up and looked back out at him. "Gin-sama!" Ayumi cried in delight, her blue eyes sparkling. There were still traces of tears on her face, but she ignored them as she rolled the window down the rest of the way and climbed out, throwing her arms around his neck. He fell back slightly, even more startled by this, and for a moment looked as though he did not know what to do about it. But then he regained his composure and reached up, loosening her embrace as he lowered her to the ground. She did not seem to mind, and instead looked up at him, as if in awe that she was actually seeing him again.

Ling shook his head in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. Gin was actually quite gentle with her, even though he did not seem to know what to think about her affections. "She really likes you," he remarked. "I never would have thought it of you, Agent Gin."

Neither would I, Gin muttered silently, and bent down to be at eye level with the child. "What happened to you?" he demanded. "Hi Sou told me that you've been saying Vodka took you."

Ayumi bit her lip, sadness flickering in her eyes again. "He did," she said softly. "It was awful, Gin-sama. . . . He . . . he hurt me. . . ." Tears filled her eyes again as she looked at the blonde assassin. "He grabbed my arm and pulled me . . . and he hit me with his gun. . . . He said I was a nuisance and that I saw too much. But I didn't see anything, Gin-sama!" she cried, the crystalline drops spilling over her cheeks. "I just saw him in that house, and I thought you might be there too, so I went over to see. And then he got mad!"

Gin frowned deeply. "What house?" he wanted to know.

She tried to think. "Well . . . it's on the way back from school," she said slowly. "It has a hedge around it, and it's kinda pink and there's flowers in the garden and along the walkway. It's pretty!" She smiled weakly, but it soon faded. "Gin-sama . . . why would he treat me like that?" she said softly. "I didn't do anything wrong. . . . I just wanted to see him . . . and you." From her crushed expression and the way she looked at Gin so pitifully, he could tell that she felt as though she had been betrayed by a dear friend. And his eyes narrowed.

For some reason that he did not understand, it made him angry---the thought that she had been mistreated, and especially by Vodka. And yet, he still did not see how it could be. He believed that she had seen what she said she had, but he could not comprehend that Vodka was actually responsible. He wondered if there could be another explanation.

Slowly he straightened up, looking out at the park. "I don't know," he growled, "but I'm going to find out."

"Are you going to take the kid with you then?" Ling asked, leaning on his steering wheel.

Gin nodded coldly and turned to go back to his car, then stopped. "What contact of yours was it who heard her crying?" he asked.

"One of my weapons dealers, as I mentioned," Ling replied. "I don't like to give out the names whenever possible." He smirked slightly. "I'm sure you can understand, Agent Gin?"

Gin grunted, opening the door of the black Porsche. "Fine. But I may want to talk to him later," he replied.

Ayumi glanced back to him. "Goodbye, Hi Sou-san!" she called, and waved as she got into the passenger side.

Ling watched after them thoughtfully. "When she trusts me like that, I feel like a heel for dragging her into this," he muttered to himself, rolling up the windows of his own car and revving the engine. But then he did not think more about the matter. He was determined to do whatever it took to bring about his revenge on Gin and Vodka. And if that included using an innocent child, well then, so be it.


Gin was just leaving the park when his cell phone rang. Frowning in confusion and slight annoyance, he got it out of his pocket and opened it. "Hello?" he said into it, making certain to keep his eyes on the road.

He nearly steered off the road when he heard Vodka's voice. "Bro?"

Gin's eyes widened, then narrowed furiously. "Where have you been?" he snapped. "I tried to contact you several times, and your phone wasn't on." He did not look at Ayumi, but if he had, he would have seen her cringe in fear as she realized who Gin was speaking to.

There was a hesitation. "I'm sorry, bro . . . I was talking to someone and he didn't want us to be interrupted." Another pause. "Look, I have something I need to talk over with you. Can you come get me?"

Gin grunted. "Maybe," he answered in a dark tone, and Vodka suddenly felt ten times more nervous than he had a moment earlier. "Where are you?" Vodka told him, and Gin then hung up to turn the car in that direction.

Ayumi watched him, biting her lip. She was not certain that she liked this development at all. "Gin-sama," she said softly, "what are you going to do when we get there?" She shifted anxiously. "What if . . . what if Vodka-san tries to hurt me again?" She did not think she could bear that. It had been hard enough to have it happen once. She did not want to see Vodka again at all if that was the way he was going to treat her. It made her heart hurt too much. She was closer to Gin than she was to Vodka, but she still had been fond of Vodka as well.

"He won't," Gin assured her now. "I'll make sure of that."


Vodka's location was towards the bad part of town. When Gin found him, he was standing in front of the telephone booth he had used, and he had his gun out, most likely in case he met any characters who wanted to give him trouble. But Gin was not about to take any chances. He took out his own gun once he had parked, and Ayumi stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Gin-sama!" she gasped, and suddenly she had to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Just stay here," he growled before she could say anything more. "This is a bad neighborhood." And with that he exited the car, shutting the door quietly. Vodka had not seen the car approach, as Gin had parked up the street, and now the blonde stealthily walked over, abruptly pointing the gun at Vodka's head as he had done once before. And as before, Vodka froze in shock and alarm.

"That girl we rescued in the past is saying you abducted her," Gin growled in a low tone, watching his partner tense.

"That's . . . that's ridiculous!" Vodka cried, struggling to find his voice. It was shocking enough to be greeted by Gin in this way, but to be given this news was outrageous. Suddenly he wondered what he was going to do. It almost looked as if the brunette had been right---Gin would kill him.

"Oh?" Gin retorted. "Then maybe you'd like to tell me where you were and what is it you wanted to talk about." His eyes narrowed, and Vodka heard the gun click.

"Bro . . . just let me explain," Vodka pleaded, his heart racing. And so, swiftly he began to tell about the man he had gone to see and what he had learned. Gin listened, letting Vodka turn around to face him, but then holding the gun to his throat. He did not give any indication whether he believed Vodka's story or not, and he could see that the other man was growing increasingly nervous.

"Where are these things you supposedly took?" he asked when Vodka had finished his narrative. For his part, he was strongly considering that Vodka was telling the truth. It made sense, a lot more sense than the idea that Vodka had taken Ayumi. And yet, if Vodka's story was truthful, then that meant that someone had tried to make Ayumi think that Vodka was taking her. Gin did not like that idea, either. It would mean that they were all pawns in someone's game. Still, that was preferable over his comrade turning traitor. He did not want to deal with that.

"I have them here, bro," Vodka replied, holding up a briefcase with a shaking hand. He could not see beyond the mask that Gin had put up, and he knew that was intentional, but that did not make him feel any better about it. He did not like feeling as though Gin would shoot him any minute. He had felt the same way when this scenario had played out in the mailroom, but if anything, Gin seemed more furious now than he had then.

"I want to listen to the tape and look at that email," Gin said in a low tone. "I didn't send an email like the one you're describing." He still had not removed the gun from Vodka's throat, and suddenly he and Vodka both started when Ayumi's frantic voice rang out as the child ran over to them.

"Gin-sama! Please don't hurt Vodka-san!" she wailed as she approached, tears in her eyes again. "It was so scary when he took me, and treated me awful, but . . . I don't want you to hurt him!" She clutched at Gin's right hand while he and Vodka both stared at her in disbelief. "Oh please don't. . . . He's your friend!"

Vodka was the first to find his voice. "But . . . I didn't hurt you!" he cried. "I've never even seen you since that night when we were at Ushio's house!" He looked back to Gin, his heart pounding, pleading to be believed. At this point he was much too upset over this case of mistaken identity to stop to think about the fact that Ayumi seemed to believe that he and Gin were friends.

Gin grunted. "I wasn't going to hurt him . . . yet," he retorted, and looked back to Vodka. "I'll be the judge of whether you're telling the truth or not. Let's set up the tape player and listen to the message." His eyes narrowed. "From what you told me, it almost sounds like they took pieces of a conversation I did have and rearranged it to mean something entirely different." Slowly he lowered the gun, and Vodka relaxed immensely.

Now Gin looked down to Ayumi again. "You were supposed to wait in the car," he scolded.

She bit her lip. "I know, but I saw you holding the gun on him, Gin-sama, and I got really scared that you'd shoot him. . . ." Then she looked up at Vodka in awe, remembering what he had said. She was feeling extremely confused, and did not know what to believe. She knew what she had seen earlier, but she could see that now Vodka seemed more like the man she remembered. Was there a chance, she wondered, that it was not Vodka who had taken her? Oh, she hoped so! She had seen some very good actors when she had solved mysteries with Conan, and maybe the person who had taken her had been another one. But then she shuddered, wondering why anyone would want to play such a mean trick.

Gin growled. "Next time you'd better do what I say," he said as they walked back to the car. "I don't tell you to do things for no reason."

"I know," Ayumi replied softly. As she walked with them, her vision suddenly swam and she stumbled, nearly crashing to the sidewalk before Vodka reached and caught her.

"Are you okay?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Yeah," she said quietly, and pulled away from Vodka. Right now she still felt uneasy around him, even though she badly wanted to believe that he had not been the one who had taken her. But since she could not know for certain yet, she would prefer to stay away from him as much as possible.

She rubbed at her head, trying to blink away the spots of dizziness she was seeing. She was confused over why this was happening. She was actually starting to feel sick, and she gripped at Gin's hand as she moved over closer to him again. She felt safe with Gin. He would make her feel better.

Gin watched her with narrowed eyes. Somehow he did not believe at all that she was alright. She looked disoriented as she grabbed his hand, and he could see her blinking repeatedly, as if to try to clear her vision. He decided he would have to keep a close watch on her. And for the moment, and for different reasons, he would have to keep watch on Vodka as well.