SailorStar9: With Chapter 132 uploaded, I present Chapter 133 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 133: The Mystery-Solving Water Taxi, Part Two
On board the Hinode Pier water taxi...
"So, you thought you got away." Mouri cornered Takase on the water taxi. "The fact that you fled when you saw me proves it. Takase Rintaro-san, you're the culprit."
"I fled?" Takase echoed. "I just wanted to try riding the water taxi."
"You only have forty more minutes to crack jokes." Mouri scoffed. "Then, this boat will arrive at Asakusa. Inspector, Mouri here." he made his call. "I'd like to hand over Kadowaki Eiji-san's murderer. Could you come to the water taxi pier in Asakusa? The alibi you've been relying on to prove your innocence is easily constructed if you have a friend to help you. You used a person with a build similar to yours as a stand-in. You swapped places with you friend in the bathroom, left the store and killed Eiji-san. Then, you returned to the restaurant and swapped places with your friend again, creating your fake alibi. Unfortunately, this is the end of the line for you. Listen, Takase-san, it would be best if you came clean and turned yourself in."
"Where's the proof?" Takase demanded. "You were just saying how I could've killed him. What proof did you have that I did it? I think I'll go have a drink downstairs until the great detective remembers what proof he has." he smirked, having stumped Mouri.
In the passenger's deck...
"Then, who do you think killed Kadowaki Eiji-san and why?" Conan asked, taking a seat beside Takase.
"How should I know?" Takase snorted. "He probably got on someone's bad side. I heard he was one hopeless dude."
"So, Eiji-san isn't a very good person." Conan blinked.
"Since the good brother was around, Kadowaki-sensei..." Takase related. "I gotta use the bathroom." he got up before he gave himself away.
"So, he knew." Conan noted. "If that's true, isn't it strange? If he wanted to get back at Kadowaki Yasuko-san, he would've killed Kadowaki Yuichi-san instead of Eiji-san. Were you really that rowdy when you were a kid?" he cornered Takase in the toilet.
"I guess." Takase reminisced. "Bad enough that my parents abandoned me. You got into trouble at school, no? Someday, you'll understand what a blessing it is." he then exited the toilet.
"Drink up." Mouri offered Takase a fresh can of beer.
"You said you ran into Kadowaki-sensei." Conan reminded Takase. "Where was that?"
"She was there when I went to the orthopedist for my chronic back pain." Takase recalled. "She was at the hospital, too. I couldn't believe that careful teacher fell off the staircase. I think it was last Saturday."
"She must've lied on the spot." Mouri declared. "She couldn't tell her former student that her son was abusing her."
In the Police Headquarters...
"Are you sure about this, Mizuno?" Megure was reading the autopsy reports of the two dead Kadowaki.
"Very sure." Ami nodded, using her ballpoint pen to single out the defensive marks on Eiji's arms. "According to Kadowaki Eiji-san's post mortem injuries, I can conclude it wasn't him who was abusing Kadowaki Yasuko-san but..."
"Takagi, Chiba, take Kadowaki Yuichi-san into custody!" Megure barked.
Back in the water taxi passenger's deck...
"Who's calling?" the flustered Mouri took the call. "I'm busy. Mouri here. What do you mean? I understand. If it's Mizuno-san, then there's no doubt about it. Takase," he stormed up to Takase when Conan knocked him out with a tranquilizer dart.
"Takase-san." Conan took over, using Mouri's voice. "You probably thought you were returning the favor when you killed Kadowaki Eiji-san. When even your parents had abandoned you, Kadowaki Yasuko-san was the only one who paid you any attention. You felt indebted because of that. When you saw her again at the hospital, you couldn't believe that careful woman could have done that. When you started investigating the Kadowaki family, you heard a certain rumor. Yasuko-san was being abused by the younger son, Eiji-san, daily and her older son, Yuichi-san, was trying to protect her. You had an idea. Fortunately, Yuichi-san had protected Yasuko-san from Eiji-san's violence until now. However, there is no guarantee that Yuichi-san would always be there in the future. At this rate, Eiji-san might eventually kill her. Believing that, you..."
"I told you, I didn't do it." Takase insisted.
"When you think of it this way, it explains what you said." Conan pressed on. "You thought you'd saved her from her son's violence, but in the end, she was destined to die. Isn't that what you meant? Takase-san, you shouldn't assume rumors are true. You ran into Kadowaki-sensei at the hospital last Saturday. In other words, Kadowaki Yasuko-san was injured the day before, on Friday night. That Friday night, Eiji-san wasn't at home. Since Yasuko-san was injured regardless, there's only one explanation: it was the older brother, Yuichi-san, who was abusing his mother Yasuko-san daily and it was the younger brother, Eiji-san, who was protecting her. Without Eiji-san to put the brakes on the situation, the worst possible outcome occurred; the murder of Yasuko-san at Yuichi-san's hands. Perhaps he did it for revenge: Yuichi-san couldn't let go of his rage. After killing his mother, Yuichi-san set the house on fire to destroy the evidence."
"What evidence is there of that?" Takase demanded.
"I just got a call." Conan replied. "When asked about the post mortem injuries on both Kadowaki Eiji-san and Kadowaki Yasuko-san, as well as the unnatural way the fire started during his deposition, Kadowaki Yuichi-san admitted to it. He killed his mother and started the fire to hide the evidence. The police's current coroner is among the best in the world, so her findings are rarely ever wrong."
"Then, what I did was..." Takase stammered.
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.
