Lightest of Nights: A Deck of Minds

Chapter 29

Mystery aboard the Cruiser: Part Two

The guard's eyes drifted wide. "You.. I've heard of you. That's right! You're that up and coming detective from Osaka! My niece talks about you all the time!"

The young detective advanced forward. Damian's eyes sharpened, following each and every move made by the newcomer. "Him… this must be the guy Inaba mentioned earlier," Damian figured. "Clearly he boarded before the rest of us."

As he neared the body himself Heiji took notice of Mitsuhiko. "You're that kid! Hey, is Kud.." Heiji managed to stop himself in mid-sentence. "I mean.. is Conan-kun with you?"

Mitsuhiko shook his head. "No, it's just me." He proudly pointed to himself. "The lone Detective Boy ready to solve this case."

Heiji was a bit disappointed to learn he was alone. Either way that was of small concern, what mattered was finding out the mystery behind the hanged man.

While he hadn't paid it much mind before the detail of it was very prevalent. "This room.. it is notably warm in comparison to the other rooms I've visited thus far," Damian took mental note of that very detail. "Is there a reason for that?"

"Hey!" the security guard spoke. "You seemed positive this man was dead, what made you so certain about that?"

Heiji raised a hand. "There."

Everyone looked to the directed, the placement of the dagger that had been driven into the victims abdomen. The security guard didn't quite understand. "That confirms nothing. Many people can and have survived being stabbed."

While he hadn't realized at first, Damian too noted the undeniable evidence. "Blood."

Both the security guard and Mitsuhiko looked over at Damian. "What are you talking about?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"There is no blood, look," instructed Damian who nodded in the direction of the body. "Think about it, when someone is stabbed, especially in the place our vic' here was wouldn't there be-"

It was now becoming clear. "Blood! Yes, there should be blood. Since there isn't that can only mean.."

"That's right," Heiji said. "The insertion of the blade occurred postmortem."

The question now, why?

"Well there's that, that also raises the question for how long he has been dead," the security guard said.

"That's quite the question isn't it?" That was something he hoped to determine. Heiji pressed on once more. After only taking two steps he heard a splash under foot. He looked down to spot a puddle. "Water?"

Where had it come from? Focus then trailed to the main attraction, the body. Moving another inch forward he held out a hand, placing it upon the deceased's neck as he examined further. The neck was the main area of emphasis; it took little time for him to note something of importance. "So that's how it is."

In those quiet filled moments the security guard crossed his arms across his chest. ".. Well?"

Heiji lowered his hand back to his side as he turned to face everyone. "He's been dead for at least a day."

"AT LEAST A DAY!" both the security guard and Mitsuhiko shouted at once.

Damian instinctively narrowed his eyes. "An entire day? Then who the hell was the man I saw board earlier?" Could things be any more sophisticated? "Just what the hell is going on?"

There was one more alarming detail yet to be revealed. "From the feel of his body and the fact there is not a single trace of blood on the knife, I'd say our dead man was drained of his blood," Heiji added.

Mitsuhiko's eyes widened as he gulped. "Blood drained as in.. like he encountered a vampire?!"

"Well.. something like that," Heiji said in short. "Though, that does beg the question of why?"

"Try that for this entire situation. Why kill a guy by hanging, and then drain his blood with the finishing touch of planting a dagger in him," the security guard questioned. "This is all so bizarre."

"About that," Heiji began as he looked back at the body. "This man did not meet his end by hanging. I checked the marks on his neck, like the dagger they too came postmortem."

The surprises just kept pilling. "What?! Then if he didn't die from hanging or being stabbed, then what is the cause of his death?" The security guard questioned.

Heiji looked hard and long at the body. "I honestly can't say at the moment."

"None of this makes any sense," Damian said aloud. "I saw that man board just like everyone else."

"Looks can be deceiving," Heiji spoke in response. "Someone clearly must have disguised their self as this individual."

Heiji couldn't help but raise a hand to his chin. "The question is.. why?" Focus drew back to the hanging man. "Looking at it as pieces, rather than as a whole there seems to be some kind of .."

"What are you talking about?" the security guard did not understand.

Heiji began breaking it down. "A man is killed, then hanged.. stabbed, left for us to find. There is no mistaking it."

"Mistaking what?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"A hidden message," Heiji conveyed. He lowered his hand, reaching into his pocket to grab hold of something. "Furthermore the victim's apparel seems to give further credibility to what I believe."

"What the victim is wearing?" the security guard questioned. The lighting in the room was notably dim, making it hard to make out the fine details from where he stood.

Surfing through his pocket Heiji finally made contact with what he was searching for. "Here, have a look for yourselves." Pulling out a miniature flashlight, he pointed its ray of light upon the hanging man.

Damian looked over every detail. The victim had on a three piece suit of white and black, the two colors split directly down the center. This was the same for his shoes, one shoe was white, the other.. black in correlation with the black half of the suit. Damian then took note of the placement of the dagger. "He was stabbed directly where the black and white meet." All doubt had withered away. "This detective from Osaka is right, there's definitely a hidden message within all of this. That now leads to.. who is the message meant for? I decipher that; I should be able to figure out who is behind this."

If there was anything Damian was certain of, whoever did this was aboard the ship. "I have a feeling our display dead body killer is not done yet. I need to find out who it is before they're able to make another move." One name stood above all others, Bane. Could it truly be him who is behind this all?

"Yin, Yang." Those were the words that escaped Heiji's lips as he looked the body up and down. "Dark.. light, the two sides meet at the destination of the blade. Then there's the hanging and the drained blood… only one detail is left unsolved, how did he truly succumb to death?"

"So you can't tell what that may be just by looking at him?"

Heiji turned to face the security guard, shaking his head as he did. "Unfortunately that's not the case with this one."

He nodded, understanding there would be occurrences such as the one they now faced. "By the way, my name is Aellun."

"Aellun?" Heiji paused. "That certainly is an unusual name."

"My father was never one for the norm, so we'll chop it up as that," Aellun concluded. "Given the circumstance I'm going to need you all to stand outside the room."

"Fair enough."

Leading the way Aellun, Heiji, Mitsuhiko, and Damian all stepped out of the room to rejoin Taro in the hallway. There was an immediate difference to notice.

"Hepperway," Damian said looking from one end of the hall to the other. "Where is she?"

"Who?" enquired Heiji who was clueless for whom he spoke of.

"She was the woman who was the first to discover the body," Mitsuhiko informed.

Aellun looked at Taro. "Did you see which way she went?"

Taro nodded. "After you bunch entered the room she strolled that way." He pointed to the left.

"Did she say where she was going?" Heiji was hopeful.

Taro shook his head. "She said nothing. Though it was clear she was in distress as she walked away."

"Understandably so. It's not every day you come across a dead body." Aellun then reached down to grab hold of his walkie-talkie.

"What are you doing?" Taro asked.

"Contacting Yumin," Aellun replied.

"Yumin?"

"He's the other guy working security with me for this cruise," Aellun relayed. "I wish for you to all remain here with me. I will have Yumin gather the remaining guests and bring them here. Everyone will need to be questioned regarding this situation."

"What about Hepperway-san?" Taro questioned.

"I'll leave it to Yumin to track her down and bring her back as well," Aellun responded. "Like everyone else she too will need to be questioned about her whereabouts leading up to the discovery of the body."

Aellun raised the walkie-talkie in hand, making the expected call. "Yumin, emergency red, third floor."

"Aellun-san, if I may, I feel this is the wrong action to take," Heiji voiced.

"I beg your pardon?" Aellun lowered the phone in hand.

"If you elect to bring everyone down here and question them about the body it will only bring panic," Heiji stated.

"Then what do you propose I do? I can't let this go-"

"Call for a roll call," Heiji suggested. "Gather everyone in the cafeteria."

"And then what? Getting everyone together isn't going to magically unravel who killed and left this man hanging in the armory, not without questioning everyone directly."

"He makes a good point," Taro agreed.

"You will question everyone; the key is not to present it as an interrogation. Nor can they know about the murder," Heiji ran down. "Instead you'll simply pass it off as one of the guests aboard the ship has gone missing, which in turn will give you a legitimate reason to question everyone about their whereabouts within the past hour or so. Anyone who comes off as nervous or frazzled during the gathering or questioning process will be our prime suspect, or suspects."

"That's genius!" Aellun was fully on board. "So we'll simply say the victim is missing and from there we can-"

"No, that won't work." Heiji shot down.

This caught most of them by surprise. "What do you mean it won't work, this was your idea after all," Taro felt the need to remind.

Of the bunch there was one who agreed with the detective from the west. "Hattori is correct," Damian backed.

Mitsuhiko's instant reaction was to look over at him. "He is?"

Damian went on to clarify. "That plan would fail for one reason, whoever placed the body there would know Lukmar Xiene has been dead for over twenty four hours," Damian noted. "Thus leading them to determine the whole gathering would be for determining who killed Xiene."

Heiji finished. "Exactly. We won't name Lukmar Xiene as the missing party, but rather.." A grin formed across the young detectives lips. "Me."

Aellun gasped. "What?! You?!"

"Yes," Heiji responded. "If the killer believes you're simply looking for a passenger that is unrelated to their scheme there is a chance they will be far more forthcoming with handing out details about their activities within the past hour, as opposed to knowing they're being set up to give that information."

"You know.. you make a really good point." Aellun could not deny this. "Let's say we go through with this, where will you be stationed while everyone is being questioned?"

"Would I be right in assuming there is a security room on this cruiser somewhere?"

"That would be correct."

"Then I'll observe all interactions from there, giving me the option to watch over everyone without anyone being aware." Heiji replied. "Of course if that's ok with you?"

Aellun gave it a seconds thought. "That may very well be the wisest action to take."

Heiji was pleased to hear this. "Then it is settled."

Taro was in full agreement. "The rest of us can study each and everyone's reactions front and center. The guilty person will no doubt reveal themselves in one way or another."

It was now time to take action. "I'll call it in," said Aellun who raised his walkie-talkie in hand. "Yumin, do you copy?"

Damian and Mitsuhiko looked to one another, both sharing the same thought, would this strategy work in reeling in the killer?

"Who would have thought your dead man in the back of a truck finding would have led to this?" Damian said. "To think, you running into that man on the street all happened by chance."

Mitsuhiko's mind immediately reverted back to the trials leading to this point. His eyes popped. Damian noticed this.

"Something wrong?"

"My friends.. my parents!" Mitsuhiko yelped. "I almost forgot, no one knows I'm here! They must be really worried."

Damian didn't see the problem. "Then why don't you call them?"

"My phone's battery ran out," Mitsuhiko reminded.

Overhearing their conversation Heiji stepped up. "Here, you're free to use mine," the detective offered.

Mitsuhiko's face lit up. "What? Really?! Thanks a lot!" Mitsuhiko happily accepted the phone in hand.

Damian who now stood off to the side had only two things on his mind. "Who killed that man? And what is their end game?"

The same thought sat at the top of Heiji's mind. "No matter what, I will find out who is behind this."

The details of it all weighed heavily on Miwako's mind. Who was Aldor Sunshine? The house that had been discovered in his name… Fun Entertainment Inc, a jug of expired milk, a deck of playing cards, and a receipt for a Kamen Yaiba show. What did it all mean?

Who is Aldor Sunshine? Is he truly the one behind the spread of the toxin that had been unleashed on Japan? Miwako tightened her grip around the steering wheel as she came upon a stop sign. Yielding to a couple of pedestrians who walked across she continued onward after they cleared. It was now all fogging into a cloud of clutter. Everything was there; all that remained was to piece it together.

"I have a feeling Aldor-san will act again soon. I need to find out what that may be before he can act." The thought of it finally slid to mind. "If there is anyone who can figure it out it's Mouri-san.. yes, I'll bring all I know to him."

Fifteen minutes passed. Many now stood gathered in the cafeteria. Damian's immediate focus turned on Bane who stood a number of feet away. If there was someone to suspect it was him. The boy wonders eyes then drifted to those who stood at the giant man's side. Trogg and Bird, there was no mistaking who they were; the third, a long brown haired woman wearing a white dress shirt and a pair of grey khaki pants.

"Who is she?" Damian didn't recognize her. Taking a couple moments to look the woman over he noted her hair was in the process of drying. "Could it be she was the person I spotted in the lap pool earlier?"

The door leading into the cafeteria swung open in the following moments. Aellun and the captain of the ship who stood beside him both looked over to spot Yumin, to their dissatisfaction he was alone. Yumin shook his head as he stepped in range of them, looking from one to the other.

"Aellun-kun.. Hirata-sama, there was no sign of the remaining two," Yumin conveyed to the pair. "Wherever Hepperway-chan went after discovering the body is a mystery, and Manabu Yoneda has not been seen since he boarded the ship initially."

Damian batted an eye upon hearing this. "Yoneda.. that was the suspicious man who was one of the first to board."

"Their rooms, did you check their rooms?" Aellun questioned.

"Of course," to which Yumin replied. "There was no sign of either of them in their respective rooms."

"I see.."

Yumin went on to give his full focus to the captain. "Captain Hirata, has Aellun-kun gotten you up to speed on what's going on?"

Hirata nodded. "He has; every important detail there is to know. It all makes no sense though, there's still so much we don't know."

"How do you mean?" Yumin asked.

"The man who was found hanging is someone who apparently boarded my ship just hours ago, yet.. he's been dead for at least a day?" Hirata shook his head in ultimate confusion.

"It's a mystery that clouds us all," Aellun said.

Those who had been gathered to the room and had no idea why were now becoming impatient.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Anna called. "Why have you gathered us all here?"

"Yah, we deserve an explanation!" Saburo added from another side of the room.

Clearing his throat Captain Hirata stepped forward. "Yes, I'd say an explanation is well in order. Listen up, here is the deal," Hirata began. "We have a passenger that has gone missing aboard this ship. His name is Heiji-san, he is traveling with a young boy who wants nothing more than to be reunited with his travel mate."

Hirata then went on to point in the direction of Mitsuhiko who sniffled, giving off a display of sadness in his face.

Damian was impressed. "Tsuburaya sure is playing his role rather convincingly."

"In attempt to find Heiji-san you all have been gathered here for questioning in regards to your activities for the past hour," Hirata relayed. "The safety of everyone aboard this ship is my top concern. Each of you will individually be questioned by either officer Yumin or Aellun, anything you may have heard or seen over the past hour, whether it may seem important or not could be key in finding the missing passenger."

"That's all well and said," Anna spoke. "But what's the point? Doesn't this cruiser have surveillance? Couldn't you find out where this Hej guy is by simply checking that?"

"A great question, but it is unfortunate for me to inform that our security has been.. sustaining some difficulties in certain areas of the ship," Yumin informed.

"That's right, that was mentioned to me earlier when I crossed the security guards," Kaito recalled internally.

A couple feet behind Yuriko pulled out a small bottle before going on to spray something.

"Uhmmmm.. that smells so good," Chiasa commented. "What is that flavor? It gives off a, I don't know.. variety apple, grape, berry scent?"

"Not entirely sure," Yuriko admitted. "Saw it on sale and decided to give it a try."

"Hey! Watch where you're spraying that stuff!" Neour angrily grunted. "Not all of us are interested in smelling like a pile of fruit."

"Well please do forgive me," apologized Yuriko who rolled her eyes in the process.

Neour went on to clutch his fists. "Forget all this. I've yet to finish my reputations for the weight lifting." Neour made an immediate move for the door. "If y'all want me, you know where to find me."

"Hey, you can't just leave," Reira stated from where she sat.

"Watch me," Neour venomously responded. In short he found his way out of the room.

Captain Hirata turned to Yumin who stood right of him. "Yumin-kun, follow him. There's no doubt he's heading to the recreation center."

Yumin nodded. "I'll question him in there."

From there Yumin followed after the man who had excused himself.

Aellun moved to his captain's side. "Shall we get started Captain Hirata?"

He nodded in response. "Yes, it is time."

Unknown to most Heiji watched on from the security control room through the surveillance feed, intrigued for what he would discover from what was to come. "And so it begins."

To Be Continued