SailorStar9: With Chapter 80 uploaded, this is Chapter 81 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 81: The Last Gift
Time passes...
"This woman..." Mouri frowned, sitting down for breakfast and watching Hirose Junko appear in the news.
In the MPD Tonkoro Station...
"What's so important you want to discuss, Mouri-kun?" a disgruntled Megure asked his former subordinate.
"First, could you tell me the sequence of events of the case?" Mouri requested.
"It started yesterday on Saturday morning." Takagi explained. "The body of Katsui Masaru, thought to be killed the night before, was found in a park in Tonkoro City. Because he's a serial blackmailer, we believed the suspect is one of his victims. As we were questioning our list of suspects..." he related how Hirose had confessed.
"We arrested her because she had motive and seemed to admit she had done it."
"You're sure Katsui was murdered around 8pm on Friday night?" Mouri pressed.
"His watch stopped at that time, though Mizuno estimated the time of death to be between 7pm to 9pm." Megure replied.
"We believe it broke when he was killed." Takagi showed Mouri the photos forensics had taken. "He was also caught on security cameras at Tonkoro Station around 7:20 pm."
"If he met the murderer and was killed after that..." Megure trailed.
"If the time this watch is stopped at is the time of the murder, then she didn't kill him." Mouri declared. "Around 8pm that night, she was in Beika City." he recollected how he had bumped into Hirose after a night of drinking. "It was impossible for her to have done it. It takes about an hour to drive from Beika City to the crime scene."
In the interrogation room...
"Roll up my pants?" Hirose echoed, after hearing Mouri's request.
"It is you." Mouri grinned, seeing the bruise on Hirose's knee. "I happened to see you around 8 pm on Friday night in Beika City."
"What is the meaning of this, Hirose-san?" Megure pressed.
"He's right." Hirose admitted. "I was going to a restaurant in Beika City. I ended up not going since my leg hurt."
"More importantly, why did you lie about killing Katsui?" Takagi asked.
"I thought the killer must have been like me." Hirose replied. "If they were being blackmailed by Katsui, then I was willing to take the blame for them."
"You have an alibi." Megure remarked.
"Giving false testimony is an interference with public duties." Takagi reminded.
"We'll let it go this time." Megure relented. "We're also at fault for being too hasty in making an arrest."
In the detective agency...
"Hirose Junko-san seems like a strange person." Conan remarked, after Mouri recounted what had happened earlier.
"Why would she take responsibility for a murder she didn't commit?" Ran was confused.
"She had motive." Conan pointed out.
"She has someone to verify her alibi, though." Ran deathpanned.
"Maybe the actual time of the murder was different." Conan pondered. "Maybe the killer adjusted the time on his watch after killing him. Didn't Mizuno-san give a time frame for an hour-and-a-half?"
"Hirose Junko-san admitted to the crime." Mouri scoffed. "If she was going to do that, there would be no need to hide the actual time of the murder."
On the streets...
"It doesn't make sense." Conan whined, Mouri grabbing him by the collar to stop him from investigating any further.
"I'm going to investigate." Ran declared. "We may be able to figure out why Hirose-san pretended to be the murderer."
"You should look into her connections to Beika City." Mouri suggested. "When I saw her, she didn't have the expression of someone on their way to eat, drink and be merry."
"Hirose-san was lying." Conan realized.
"I still don't think she's guilty." Mouri insisted.
At the sealed off crime scene...
"You're trying to prove Conan-kun wrong." Takagi noted.
"I thought it would be the best way to find the real killer." Mouri nodded.
"This is where they found Katsui Masaru's body." Takagi led Mouri to the location where the body was discovered.
"I'm surprised they found a body in such a well-concealed area." Conan noted.
"An anonymous woman called the police." Takagi revealed.
"What was that woman doing here?" Conan wondered. "We're assuming the victim was killed around 8pm because his watch stopped at that time."
"We're certain Katsui arrived at Tonkoro Station around 7:20pm." Takagi referred to his notes. "That matches the time of death Mizuno-san determined, which was between 7pm to 9pm."
"Then if she hurried back to Tonkoro City after being spotted in Beika City around eight, she would've arrived on time." Conan pondered. "Hirose-san could barely have done it and make it seem like he'd been killed at eight."
"She would have fabricated an alibi for that time." Mouri argued. "Like another witness who happened to see her. Is there any evidence that points to the true killer?"
"There isn't any." Takagi admitted. "Katsui brought two packs of cigarettes at the station, but one was left untouched in his pocket.
In an udon and soba eatery later...
"Her man lives in Beika City?" Mouri echoed, after Ran reported her findings.
"More accurately, he's her ex-boyfriend." Ran corrected. "His name is Matsubayashi Atsuro-san: apparently, he recently got engaged to the daughter of an executive at his company."
"So, he dumped Hirose Junko-san." Mouri noted.
"She has no other connections in Beika City." Ran related. "Maybe she was actually visiting him the other night."
"So, she does have someone besides ojii-san to verify her alibi." Conan noted.
"You're saying that's him?" Mouri blinked.
"What are you talking about?" Ran was confused.
"Fabricating an alibi." Conan clarified. "If you assume she used him..."
"Wouldn't she have told the police about Matsubayashi-san when the police suspected her?" Ran wondered. "I figured out why Hirose-san pretended to be the murderer."
On the streets...
"That night, Hirose-san went to see Matsubayashi-san." Ran theorized. "She went to get rid of old mementos still left there. She couldn't tell the police. If she did, the police would've tried to confirm her story with Matsubayashi-san. Then his fiancée might find out he let his ex-girlfriend into his home. His fiancée would think he was up to something. She might even call off the engagement. His fiancée is the daughter of an executive in his company. Matsubayashi-san would lose his job. Hirose-san hid the truth because she didn't want to put Matsubayashi-san through that. Even if it meant being convicted of a crime she didn't commit, she wanted to protect Matsubayashi-san's happiness."
"He left her for another woman." Mouri pointed out.
"She still wanted to do it." Ran insisted. "Hirose- san still loves Matsubayashi-san. Pretending to be the murderer would Hirose-san's last gift to Matsubayashi-san."
"Interesting." Mouri mused. "If we meet this Matsubayashi guy, we'll know right away which of you is right."
At Matsubayashi's place...
"Did Junko come here?" Matsubayashi echoed.
"Two nights ago." Mouri replied.
"Of course not." Matsubayashi snorted. "We broke up. You're bothering me. Don't come back again." he slammed the door in his visitors' faces.
Back on the streets...
"Ojii-san, how did Hirose-san react when you went to confirm her alibi?" Conan thought to ask.
"She was surprised, perplexed, thoughtful, and then happy." Mouri replied.
"I was just checking." Conan beamed.
As the sun set...
"What could you possibly want now?" Hirose asked, she and Matsubayashi were called back to the crime scene.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" Matsubayashi demanded.
"We have no idea, either." Megure was also present with Takagi.
"Thanks for waiting." Mouri entered.
"Mouri-san, we examined this thing Conan-kun brought us." Takagi took out an evidence bag. "You were exactly right. What does this mean?"
At this moment, Conan sniped Mouri with his tranquilizer dart. "Did you run out of patience, Hirose Junko-san?" he used Mouri's voice to present his conclusion. Katsui Masaru was using something to continue to blackmail you. Your boyfriend, Matsubayashi-san, ran after an executive's daughter so he could marry into money. When Katsui Masaru demanded money from you again, you decided to remove the obnoxious blackmailer from this world. It's impossible to run from murder. You made up your mind; if you could use a murder for another purpose, then you were willing to get arrested. So, you put your plan into action. Just after seven of the night of the incident, you visited Matsubayashi-san in Beika City. While you were using an excuse to get into Matsubayashi-san's home, Katsui Masaru was arriving in Tonkoro City at your invitation. At eight, after you left Matsubayashi-san's home and were hurrying back to Tonkoro City, I happened to see you. Then, you led Katsui Masaru to the crime scene and murdered him around nine. You set his watch to eight and broke it, stopping the watch. The next morning, you made an anonymous call to the police so they would find the body. When they came to question you, you confessed to the crime. Everything was complete. If the suspect denied committing the crime, the police would've suspected you of manipulating the watch. Because you confessed, no one suspected you. Matsubayashi-san, you learned through the news that Hirose-san was arrested for murder. The time of the crime was 8pm on Friday night. Even though you were the one person who knew Hirose-san couldn't have done it, you didn't come forward."
"I was just thinking about doing it." Matsubayashi protested.
"You're lying." Hirose snapped. "You would never give up the golden ticket you got your hands on."
"Your other goal for killing Katsui was to make Matsubayashi-san feel as though he allowed an innocent woman to fall." Conan continued. "Since Hirose-san was a first offender, considering her motive, she would've gotten out in a relatively short amount of time. And then..." he relayed how Hirose had intended to haunt Matsubayashi and his wife relentlessly. "The reason you made us believe the murder was committed at eight was so you could send Matsubayashi-san, the selfish man who dumped you, one last gift: one full of hate. Your only miscalculation was the appearance of a second person who could verify your alibi. That was why you were surprised, then perplexed, then thoughtful; you were considering how to handle my testimony. Then, you happily latched on it. Though you'd be unable to get your revenge on Matsubayashi-san, you could avoid becoming a murder suspect."
"This is all speculation." Hirose declared. "I haven't seen Katsui in years."
"Where were you that night between 7:20 when Katsui arrived at Tonkoro City and nine when he was murdered?" Conan questioned. "You wanted us to believe he was killed at eight, you couldn't let Katsui been seen by anyone. The safest place to hide him was in your home. Detective Takagi, please explain the situation."
"Inside this evidence bag were ten cigarette butts and a box containing ten unsmoked cigarettes." Takagi took over. "Katsui's fingerprints were found on all of them. We found Hirose Junko's fingerprints on this bag." he took out a second evidence bag.
"Katsui was waiting for you in your home for you to return." Conan continued.
"So, he could be killed by me." Hirose admitted. "I meant to use his murder to take revenge for the betrayal at the hands of the man I loved and trusted."
"What a stupid woman." Matsubayashi scoffed, after Megure led Hirose off.
"Should you be laughing, Matsubayashi-san?" Conan retorted. "When the details of Hirose-san's crime are reported, what will your fiancée and her father think of you?"
Later that night...
"I don't get some women." Ami complained, cuddling against Amuro on her sofa as the end-credits of their rented movie rolled in.
"Why's that?" Amuro noted amusedly, biting back a comment of her being also a woman.
"I mean, why bother taking revenge on a former lover when walking away is so much better?" Ami wondered. "That way, you keep your pride as a woman."
"Was that what happened with him?" Amuro blinked, remembering how she had broken off with her ex-lover from America.
"I thought we agreed not to talk about exes." Ami chided, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.
