SailorStar9: With Chapter 56 uploaded, this is Chapter 57 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I do not own Sailor Moon or Detective Conan, I only own this plotline and the pairing.
Pairing: Established!Furuya Rei/Mizuno Ami
Chapter 57: Bekapon's Bleeding Service
Time passes...
"Regarding the request you made the other day, a thorough investigation revealed, Kanzaki-san, that not a single person hates you." Mouri revealed to Kanzaki Yukio and Udagawa Katsumi at the Detective Agency.
"But someone called to say they'd kill me." Kanzaki insisted.
"You mentioned a couple of calls like that, but I think it's a joke played by your friends." Mouri concluded. "Everybody I asked had only good things to say about you."
"So, no one is trying to kill Kanzaki-kun?" Udagawa asked.
"I understand your concern for your employee, but if they really meant to harm hi, they wouldn't send him a warning." Mouri reasoned. "It only puts him on guard."
"And it doesn't help the culprit at all." Conan quipped.
A few days later, at Supermarket Beikado...
"Die, Kanzaki!" a masked man dashed out from behind the staircase and stabbed the person in the Bekapon raccoon costume.
Akaiwa Teruko was startled for a moment, before screaming after the culprit ran off.
After a while...
"I'm sorry to ask the same question over and over." Megure addressed the supermarket staff.
"Mouri-san." Kanzaki blinked as Mouri and Conan entered the scene.
"Inspector Megure, who was stabbed?" Mouri inquired.
"Employee Shimomura Gyosuke-san, twenty-five years old." Takagi reported.
"Like Kanzaki-kun, he is one of my employees." Udagawa supplied.
"An ambulance took him to the hospital." Megure informed Mouri.
"Is it true the culprit mistook him for Kanzaki-san?" Mouri inquired.
"It was because he was in Bekapon." Fujii Hiroshi remarked.
"That's Beikado's mascot." Conan recalled.
"I'm Fujii, the store manager." Fujii introduced himself. "Every Sunday at Supermarket Beikado, Bekapon distributes fliers and balloons to customers. Normally, we have Kanzaki-kun wear the costume."
"I was supposed to today, but I had a stomachache this morning." Kanzaki explained.
"After talking to floor manager Shimomura-kun..." Fujii related how Shimomura was swapped out with Kanzaki for the day.
"The culprit said' Die, Kanzaki'." Mouri repeated.
"The culprit knew Kanzaki-san normally wears the costume." Takagi mused.
"But not realizing someone else happened to be filling in today, he attacked Shimomura-san thinking it was Kanzaki-san and fled." Megure concluded. "He mistakenly assaulted the wrong target. He attacked the wrong man."
"That threat wasn't a joke, Mouri-san." Udagawa was certain.
"And Shimomura-san got caught up in the crossfire." Kanzaki added.
"I didn't investigate thoroughly enough." Mouri belated himself.
"I wonder why the culprit attacked him when he was wearing the costume, though." Conan pondered.
"He won't get blood on himself through the costume." Mouri replied.
"He attacked the wrong person because of that plan." Megure reminded.
"But he'll realize soon enough that he attacked the wrong man." Mouri noted. "I'll find him before he attacks again."
"Inspector Megure." Chiba entered the scene. "I didn't see anyone dressed like the witness described on the security footage."
"I know I saw him." Akaiwa insisted. "He had a yellow jacket and red pants."
"He probably took off his ski mask and got out of those conspicuous clothes." Takagi reasoned.
"Either the culprit took them with him or if it was the work of a store employee, then they could still be hidden in the store somewhere." Megure guessed. "Your employees knew Kanzaki-san normally wears the costume." he reminded Fujii.
"I understand." Fujii nodded. "Our employees will cooperate. Examine everything, including our personal belongings."
"I had no idea who did it." Kanzaki admitted, once Megure interviewed him in the administrative office. "That's why I hired Mouri-san."
"Udagawa-kun, you're drenched in sweat." Fujii noted, Udagawa having been roped in to work in the storehouse. "Why don't you take off your jacket? You could at least roll up your sleeves."
"I have a bit of a cold." Udagawa expressed.
After some time...
"Who accidentally stabbed Shimomura-san, thinking he was me?" Kanzaki asked, after Conan had gathered everyone into the employee restroom and tranquilized Mouri.
"It wasn't an accident." Conan replied. "He always meant to attack Shimomura-san. The culprit wanted to erase Shimomura-san from the world. But if he simply killed him, the killer's motive will lead us to him. To prevent that, he tried to make us believe he accidentally killed Shimomura-san instead of Kanzaki-san. This is a planned murder disguised as a mistake to avoid a police investigation. Isn't that right, Udagawa-san? With Shimomura-san hovering between life and death, it's not murder but attempted murder. The situation tells me everything. First, you called to threaten Kanzaki-san. You then encouraged Kanzaki-san to hire me. You needed someone to corroborate the threats made on Kanzaki-san's life. You used a famous detective like myself to verify the story. Today, you gave Kanzaki a stomachache by using tea spiked with laxatives, ordered Shimomura-san to wear the costume instead and tried to kill him. To make us this it was a mistake, you needed someone to hear you say 'Die, Kanzaki'. New employee Teruko-san was the perfect choice. A veteran employee might recognize it as your voice. After stabbing Shimomura-san, you fled into this break room. Kanzaki-san was here, but you were fast asleep: probably because of the sleeping pills you were given as stomach medicine. Just when you changed out of your ski mask and clothes into your uniform..." he related how Izumi Tenko had burst into the break room to inform Udagawa about Shimomura.
"This is nonsense." Udagawa snapped. "Why would I try to kill Shimomura-kun?"
"I didn't have time to reveal your motive." Conan admitted. "If I don't hurry, you would get rid of the damning evidence. With the commotion caused by the incident, you didn't have the time to take them out of the store. Searching the store would have been fruitless: you're still wearing them right now, Udagawa-san. That's why you can't take off your uniform."
"Please excuse me." Takagi spoke, he and Chiba restrained Udagawa.
"It's reversible?" Megure gawked when Takagi peeled off the store uniform.
"He sewed a yellow jacket onto the inside of his uniform." Takagi blinked. "Which means... I knew it." he lifted Udagawa's trousers to reveal the red inner lining.
"He didn't change into different clothes." Conan stated. "After committing the crime, he simply flipped his jacket and pants inside out."
"We know where he hid the clothes, but what about the ski mask?" Megure asked.
"I can only imagine Udagawa-san has it on him." Conan answered.
"You're right." Udagawa bragged and unzipped his pants to reveal the ski mask (aka his underpants).
"I know I shouldn't be laughing, but..." Akaiwa giggled.
"You shouldn't wear a hat as underwear." Megure sighed.
"Why?" Kanzaki was confused. "Why did you attack Shimomura-san?"
"I just appointed you the manager of the new Beikado branch that's opening." Fujii pointed out.
"That's exactly why." Udagawa scowled. "Shimomura noticed I was embezzling our profits. Surprisingly enough, he threatened to report me. To finally become the manager, he had to die."
"Fool." Megure roared. "This is Megure." he took the incoming call. "Got it. Shimomura-san is going to live." he informed Fujii. "Because the costume was so thick, the wound wasn't fatal."
"If I'd stabbed a bit deeper." Udagawa snorted.
"Get this disgraceful-looking idiot out of here." Megure ordered.
Later that evening, in a training hall on a sparring mat...
"Culprits nowadays are getting stupider and stupider." Ami complained, catching Amuro's punch with an open palm.
"Are you referring to your most recent case?" Amuro joked, drawing his free hand back for an uppercut which Ami parried away with a slap.
"Yes." Ami rolled her eyes, side-stepping Amuro's next punch. "The Inspector's totally exasperated over it."
Amuro avoided her palm strike by passing his arm under her outstretched arm.
Ami retaliated by grabbing his unguarded wrist and flipping the taller man onto his back with a two-handed throw.
"You and your Hakuda Style." Amuro muttered, letting Ami pull him up. "You certainly have improved."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.
