This next case, aka the red vs black case will be split up in different chapters because it is so long. I am not sure how many yet, but I'm foreseeing four to five. Also the updates might take longer because the chapters will be longer. This is part one, covering episodes 495 and 496.
Sitting in Mizunashi Rena's room, guarding an unconscious body allows a lot of thinking time. It had been awhile since we had gotten her, and in the meantime we FBI agents have been working double time trying to dig up more information. We have just received more information and had a meeting on it, pooling it all together in a mixture. It was what I was currently going over in my head as I stared unseeingly at the patient in front of me.
Jodie has been spot on by getting information from a source, she won't disclose, but I am almost positive her spy might have glasses and a cowlick, about a boy named Hondo Eisuke, whose father was heard to be a part of the 'company', and also possible brother to Mizunashi Rena. Apparently they look alike, yet their blood types are not the same.
After looking into Ethan Hondo, and checking in with some of my friends with the CIA, it was determined that he was indeed an American spy on Japanese soil, investigating a familiar organization. Jodie brought to the table that the one who killed him was Mizunashi Rena, which would be sad if they were related.
Although, it would make sense if they were related. If they were, I bet Ethan staged his death to make it look like she shot them, if they were both undercover anyway, to save her instead of himself. Did that mean she was a NOC? Was she apart of the CIA? I don't have proof, as well as no definite proof that she and this Eisuke kid are related. Blood types don't lie, usually.
Another guard came in, relieving me. I step out and to the roof, needing a breath of fresh air after being in a sterile hospital room. I blink as I look out over the parking lot, leaning against the ledge, taking out a pair of binoculars to scout the surrounding area for snipers or bad guys. Hospitals remind me of when I met Akemi. I felt so bad at the time, using her to get into the organization, and I regret it still to this day. I finger the phone in my pocket with her last email to me.
My phone rang, making me jump. I pull it out, flipping it open. What could Jodie want? She said she needed to go check on something.
"Yes Jodie?"
She answered quickly, panic evident in her voice.
"Shu, are you with Mizunashi Rena? We need more guards on her quickly."
Only one reason could get her this worked up, and it wasn't the CIA.
"Why what seems to be the problem?"
"An operative of theirs might already be there."
Finally, they have come. I lean comfortably against the partial wall, swallowing my anticipation.
"Ho, one of their operatives is in this hospital huh?"
Jodie answered calmly, even though I can hear the slight tension in her voice.
"Yes, that's right, but they might not be still hidden there. It could only have been for a brief visit."
Wait a moment, should we get all worked up? What if this is just a rumor to be spread by the organization to get us to react?
"Can we be confidant in your source?"
I hear the smirk in Jodie's tone.
"It's Edogawa Conan. A boy he knows witnessed someone at the Haido Central Hospital punching in the email address of the organization's boss."
Why am I not surprised? Her favorite detective. Hold on a moment, how did the boy know the boss's email? Nevermind, thoughts for later. I smirk as I glance at the phone in my hand.
"That kid again? You are infatuated with him Jodie."
Although I bet she has him with her and James, and they are on their way here as we talk. I will finally get to see the boy in action. I get to see why James and Jodie think so highly of him. I admit, he has more intellect then a common child, but he is reckless, and inexperienced. I want to test him in a way to see if he is the real deal. He is like a rookie coming into a group of highly trained, experienced professionals. Will he measure up, or will he fold under the pressure? It should be interesting. I step toward the door of the roof as Jodie completely ignores my teasing.
"Regardless, I have the nurse who spoke to that boy waiting for me. Avoid taking any conspicuous action before we arrive. Convey that to the other agents as well. If it is revealed that Mizunashi Rena is being sheltered by the FBI in that hospital, our only line to the organization will be cut."
"Roger."
I flick my phone shut as I stroll briskly down the stairs to Mizunashi Rena's room.
Our only line huh? If we only dangle a line in a dark sea, we won't catch anything. One line won't cut it. To reel them in, we need a line with bait that tempts them from deep in their hearts, a hook that goes deep inside their throats. I want to catch them completely within our grasp, not something as thin as our line of Mizunashi Rena. Although, if my theory about her being CIA is correct, that line might be just what we need. I didn't get to where I am now by hoping though. We will just have to plan accordingly.
I made my rounds and passed along the message to the other agents before going down to the front desk to meet Jodie and James. They walked in and trailing behind them was Edogawa Conan. I resisted the urge to stiffen as his sharp gaze fell on me, before it dissolved into almost childlike innocence. He looked the perfect picture of casual; hands in jean pockets, back slouched only slightly, giving off a nonchalant attitude. This was the first time I had seen him up close, and not having to worry about being a stalker. I stared at him, letting him feel a little of my ominous pressure, just to see how he would react. Do you know what you are getting into boy?
His response made me instantly like the kid. The transformation was barely noticeable, but there. The boy straightened to his full height, which was still short, yet he cast a big shadow. He looked me right in the eye, not in the least intimidated. This boy understood the ground that he was currently treading on. He was entering into the temporary headquarters of a national law agency, and a foreign one at that. He was a stranger, an outsider, and a child, yet he was not intimidated in the slightest. He felt like he had a right to be here, just like anyone else. It didn't matter if he wasn't an agent. It didn't even matter that he wasn't even was supposed to be able to tie his shoes yet. He was here to do a job, same as us, and we were working on the same side. That fact made me respect the kid.
The exchange took a second, and Jodie beamed.
"I don't think you all have been formerly introduced right?"
Edogawa Conan smiled up at me, already dropping his guard back down to near minimum levels, but just because I can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there.
"Edogawa Conan, detective."
Ho is that how he always introduced himself, or just when he was on unknown ground trying to prove his worth? I nodded, my eyes never leaving his.
"Akai Shuichi, FBI investigator."
He held out his small hand and I shook it. I see his cerulean eyes light up with new knowledge, and I see the barely perceivable glance toward our hands. Was he analyzing them, just from this handshake? He let go, and I step back.
"Thank you very much Akai-san, for your help."
It took me a second to understand what he was referring to. Ah, the sniping job of when we caught Kir, when I took out the transmitter and Wireless tap that he placed. I smirked.
"No problem Boya. Thank you for helping to bring in an old friend of ours."
His eyes flashed in understanding and he nodded. I asked.
"What are you doing here boya?"
He blinked innocently and smiled disarmingly.
"Just helping Jodie-sensei."
James gestured to the Nurse's station.
"The nurse is in here."
Edogawa Conan skipped inside first, putting forth a picture.
"Ne, Oneesan, have you seen this boy?"
I slip into the background, watching the boy work carefully. I had to admit, a child would definitely get information agents couldn't, and the boy was giving off that guard dropping persona that made Jodie's look like about as subtle as a train wreck. In fact, that wasn't all either. He was asking all the right questions, giving all the right lies to cover up our involvement, as well as giving logical answers to the lady's questions, always bringing the topic back around so he was the one asking the questions. It was expertly done interrogation techniques, some I have seen in police stations everywhere. How did a child learn it so flawlessly?
When the nurse brought up the fact that someone else had asked about Mizunashi Rena, the boy was quick to ask questions about identifying features, any information he gained could be useful.
Jodie, James, and I made eye contact and we quietly excused ourselves, going out into the hall. Jodie whispered.
"Then there really is a member of the organization hiding out in this hospital."
James nodded in agreement.
"It seems there is no doubt about it."
I hum in response, a smile coming unbidden to my lips. Finally, the chance to go up against them has come again. We can increase the number of lines we have in the dark ocean, and eventually catch the biggest prey of all.
We meet again in an empty hospital room. Jodie insisted.
"We need to transfer Mizunashi Rena to a different place immediately. Seeing as we know that there is a member from the organization here, we'd be taking too big a risk leaving her here."
James nodded, but argued calmly.
"But, if we make any sudden moves, it would be like announcing to them she was here. However, if there was a hospital who will allow us to admit her, we could do it."
No, if we move her, we lose our chance. It would be better to confront them now then later. Not to mention, they don't know for sure she is here. I voice my opinion aloud.
"Wouldn't it be better to leave her here?"
"Leave her here?"
Jodie asks incredulously.
"After having someone become a patient here, and seeing as they've only asked a nurse a leading question about Mizunashi Rena's whereabouts, they must still be in their initial investigative stage. They came here to get decisive evidence. Besides, this is our chance."
"Chance?"
I smile.
"Yes, chance. To add a second line to the one we already possess."
Jodie seemed to be on the fence. James interrupted our thoughts.
"Well I do think it's best we catch him before he discovers us but…"
He trailed off, which Jodie picked up mournfully.
"It seems there were more than twenty male patients admitted by the end of the year."
"Not to mention, investigating each of them without making it known we are FBI will be difficult, and it would take too much time."
Jodie lamented.
"If only that nurse could remember which day that man made the inquiry…"
Edogawa Conan, who had been sitting quietly in the corner for a while now, not drawing attention to himself, piped up.
"I think it was one of the four days between the December 18th and December 21st."
I turn to look at him. Why would he say that? He explained.
"The winter break for Teitan High School started on December 23rd. I heard Eisuke-niichan came before winter break, so he must have come before the 21st. If those sandals were only introduced in the shop on the 18th, we should focus only on those hospitalized during that time right?"
There was a second of silence before Jodie nodded, but I could tell by her almost stutter she was impressed.
"Right."
That was indeed impressive, however, that was just him having information we didn't, right? James strode to the door.
"Then, I will get a list of those hospitalized during that period from the director right away."
He shut the door with a barely audible click. Jodie frowned.
"What's left of concern to us is the whereabouts of that Eisuke boy."
Yes, although I don't particularly want him here. The last thing we need to worry about in a battle with the organization is a boy whose ignorance is going to get him killed.
"Well, as an FBI agent, I say it is more convenient he stays gone. Having the son of a NOC around would present various obstacles."
"NOC?"
The boy asked with curiosity prevalent in his voice. Jodie explained nonofficial cover to him, and I see his face fall into a state of confusion and nervousness. Even as Jodie teases him about it, he explains vaguely. Something is bothering him about that word. I don't know why. Maybe I can ask him about it later.
This Eisuke kid was in a bad place. He has already learned such a valuable secret from the crows, the boss's email address there is no way they are going to let him live. It would take too much of our resources away from the upcoming battle to find and babysit this kid. He is probably going to die. It is the harsh reality of life.
I say my thoughts aloud, if only for the boy, but the look he gives me is strange. It is like he doesn't accept the fact that there need to be sacrifices. He wants to find a way to protect the teenager; I can see it in the determined light in his eye.
We take a short break, where the boy disappears. I decide to look into him, following him secretly. Where could he be going?
I relax as I see him go in the bathroom. Geez, why was I acting like this kid was a threat? I guess because he is so mysterious. I know he is hiding a lot more than he is showing us, and it makes me uneasy.
He was walking back to the room where we were supposed to meet James, when the nurse that gave us the previous information. I kind of tune it out, until she mentions the boy had leukemia and had to have surgery for it. I see the boy stiffen, and I understand why. If this Eisuke kid was born O type like Jodie told me, and his sister gave him blood, it was probably to get rid of the old blood in his system and it changed his blood type. He and Mizunashi Rena could be siblings, which meant that she is also the offspring of a NOC. This changed things. Did that mean she was a CIA agent like my theory? It made it more plausible, but still a theory at this point in time.
I walk back into the room with Jodie and arrive just ahead of the boy. He seems to be pondering something, and I am guessing it was that nurse's conversation with him.
James walks in and in his hand are three photographs.
"Great news, by only considering patients who were hospitalized between the 18th and the 21st without serious injuries or illnesses, we have narrowed it down to three men."
He laid down a picture of an old man.
"The first one was hospitalized on the 18th after fracturing his right leg, Shinki Choutarou."
The man didn't look threatening, but those are the ones you have to look out for. I give a sidelong glance toward the main one that followed this rule, who was sitting calmly on the couch also looking at the photos with a keen gaze.
"Forgive me the quality of these photos as we had to take them quickly and in secret. The second one was admitted the 19th for a cervical sprain, Kusudo Rikumichi. Lastly the third one was hospitalized on the 21st due to lower back pain, Nishiya Chuugo."
Three men to investigate would be a lot easier than the twenty we originally started with, however we can't spread ourselves too thin by following all three of them separately and guard Mizunashi Rena at the same time. We need to figure out the one true culprit to keep an eye on. James continued.
"All three requested private rooms, and haven't had many visitors."
That was good. I interjected.
"In that case it seems they haven't found out yet that Mizunashi Rena is here and that we are hiding her."
Jodie nodded in agreement.
"That's true. If we had been discovered to find our numbers and positions of our agents, they would have had several people sneak in pretending to be his friends coming to visit.
"In any case, tell the guard in Mizunashi Rena's room to carve these faces into his brain."
Jodie grabbed the pictures.
"Yes, I will do that now."
She left hurriedly. The boy spoke up.
"Should was also check to make sure that Mizunashi Rena is still truly unconscious?"
That was a good point. If there are people from the organization hiding out in the hospital, and she gets word of it, with Jodie going up there to tell the guard of possible people that might discover her position, she might try to find some way to contact them. James raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose I can ask the director to check, but why Conan-kun?"
I stepped in, explaining before the boy had the chance.
"If she is awake, she will now be hearing that an ally is in this hospital looking for her. we don't need her trying to meet up with them or contacting them to rescue her."
James nodded and we followed him to the door.
"We can go check on her."
In the room, the director pushed on her toes to check her conscious level. I watch her carefully for any sign of discomfort or pain. I don't see anything, but that meant nothing. A true agent would have a high enough pain tolerance to not react in such a situation.
Wait a moment. Her breath fogging up the respirator; was it my imagination or was there a slight hesitation in the even breathing? Was she truly awake? I ignore the other conversations as I focus solely on counting her breaths. They seemed more sped up now than when I had counted earlier when I was guarding her. I had always done it just in case this situation arose. If I was her, I would pretend to be asleep as long as possible.
I say quietly.
"There is one silver lining, with her in a coma, even if those guys did locate her room, it would be too risky carting an unconscious body outside."
I had to pretend for now, that I thought she was still asleep. That is when she will get careless and expose herself.
"No, we must give 100 percent to not being discovered, if only for the director and hospital staff cooperating with us."
Jodie agreed readily.
"Yes, even if they didn't know the situation, the ones helping us could become targets of the organization."
James glanced toward the supposedly unconscious patient.
"The issue now is how will we determine which of the three patients is their member."
I know what I would do in this situation, however, this is a delicate operation. Secrecy is key. Not to mention, we aren't in America. We have basically no power here.
"Normally I would take the three of them to a different hospital and interrogate them in length."
"We are in Japan. Since our investigation isn't sanctioned by the Japanese police, we can't do that. Also two of them are normal patients. Having said that if we approach them badly here, and they figure out we are FBI, and then they would figure out she is here at this hospital."
So what to do? We are at a standstill, with no way to pursue the perpetrator. We can't make a move, just wait until one of them slips up, or finds out that she is here.
"Well then, why not try the good idea that I came up with?"
I look down at the boy by my side. He has reverted back into child mode. Jodie asked quizzically.
"Good idea?"
Conan reached for the doorknob.
"I will tell everyone about it after we leave her and go to another room. If two foreigners and someone with such a mean look in their eyes left this room at the same time, that would be memorable and rumors would spread."
I smirk, biting back a chuckle at the jab at me. He seemed to ignore me as he looked out into the hallway.
"There is no one in the corridor now."
Jodie and James looked puzzled by the boy's actions. Why should we discuss it in a different room unless of course the boy also knew that Mizunashi Rena was awake? How? I had noticed because I had guarded her a lot of the time and could see the discrepancies. He had only seen her for maybe five minutes total. How could he tell?
We walked out into the hallway single file. I was the last one out, and heard the boy insist.
"You too Mr. Lookout."
I heard the skeptical tone.
"Me?"
Conan smiled sweetly.
"Yes, I want you to hear the idea too."
His face hardened as he glanced toward the bed. Ho? Is that your plan?
"It will be over quick. Hurry."
He shut the door and pointed down the hall. I wait a few seconds before following his directions. He should be implementing it right about now.
No sooner had I thought about it, he turned, looking sheepish and exclaiming in a voice that was so fake it was almost comical.
"Ah, I forgot something. Hold on, I will get it really quick."
I know for a fact he didn't bring anything into the room, nor did he set anything down. I didn't say anything as he ran back into the room.
We had had a guard in her room twenty four seven, never leaving her alone. If she was awake, she must have been uncomfortable for being in such a position for such a long time, but couldn't move with the constant surveillance. By removing everyone from the room, it allowed her to shift into a more comfortable position, or at least move a little. That was what the boy wanted. This was a much more reliable test to check and see if the announcer was awake.
"Did you find what you forgot?"
He turned around from his inspection, looking embarrassed.
"No, I guess I was wrong. Sorry."
He stepped out of the room. Well, did you find what you wanted to find?
"Mr. Lookout, you should stay in the room after all. It would be bad if that announcer lady woke up all of a sudden."
So he did. He had found something that lead to the irrefutable truth that Mizunashi Rena was awake. This boy was becoming more interesting by the minute. I glance toward the door. I wonder what he found that caused him to be completely sure.
We went back to the room that we were in before and gathered the rest of the FBI agents. Conan waited until all had gathered before he put forward his idea.
"You all cannot question these three suspects right, without being suspicious. What if I interrogated the subjects myself?"
Jodie bent down a little, looking the boy right in the eye.
"You will question the three of them? Alone?"
Conan nodded.
"We will be found out if I am not alone. I figure the bad guy will lower his guard in front of a child."
James added.
"Although it is true that they probably won't figure out you are such a clever boy, we can't rely just on your judgement to decide which one is their colleague."
Conan looked up at the man.
"It won't just be me. I will let you FBI agents think about it with me. I will record both the audio and video with a hidden camera that you all can check later. Actually I think it would be better to be receiving directions from you all when I am asking them things, but…"
He trailed off and James questioned.
"You don't want the radio waves interfering with the equipment right?"
All of this was well and good, except for one thing. This boy was a civilian. Sure he had been tangled up in the organization before it looks like, although it looks like Vermouth hasn't ratted him out yet, but he is still unknown. We have used him as a consultant, but this will pull him directly into the line of fire. Does he understand what he is signing up for with this proposal?
"Hey boy."
He looked toward me, his gaze curious.
"Are you truly ready? If you do this, whether you like it or not, your face will become known to them, a dog that helped the FBI."
As I talk I see his face morph into a confidant smirk. I continue, trying to dissuade him.
"Afterwards, don't think the resulting sparks will stop at you."
I had been in the organization; I have seen how they operate. They work with a vengeance. If they find one enemy, they destroy everything that their lives touch and the people around them. This meant that Shiho might be caught up in this also. He explained calmly.
"I am just like the director."
I blink. Did he mean that the organization might think that we just used him without telling the true story? He continued, looking at all the agents.
"I believe in you all, you FBI Agents."
He glances at me, and I see the change in his eyes. This was no normal child.
"You will definitely capture the bad guy, and never let him go right?"
Suddenly the seven year old had a predatory gleam in his eyes, looking for all the world like a wolf, his eye on the prey at hand, ready to tear it to shreds. He was a hunter, and I had only seen that look in my own eyes. I was stupid for asking. He knew what he was getting into. He was just like an agent, a highly capable one at that. Maybe this will work.
Jodie fitted him with the camera and microphone while I went down to wait in the van that we held our equipment. James and Jodie soon joined me.
"Did he make it in all right?'
Jodie shrugged.
"There was some minor complication, but he managed it well."
She looked over at me.
"What do you think of the boy Shu?"
I smirked.
"You are right, he is impressive."
It was about twenty minutes later that Conan came walking nonchalantly out of the hospital looking around casually to look for any pursuers before climbing into the van. James checked his watch.
"It seems we were able to record them all safely."
Jodie smiled fondly at the boy sitting next to her.
"It is all thanks to you Conan-kun."
He nodded as I set up the TV screen so we could watch what he recorded.
"Let's start watching now. The first is the one hospitalized for the acute pain in his lower back, Nishiya."
We played the tape and I watched carefully for anything that stood out to me as strange. The organization agent will probably be faking their injury, and they have to be able to use the cellphone.
The boy played his part well, incredibly so because his act even fooled Jodie and James. He hid so well behind his little boy façade, and to the untrained eye it did look like an innocent child, falling down and annoying the patient, however, just from that short exchange, he had gotten the man's fingerprints and had proven that the man wasn't faking his injury. This man was innocent.
"Next is the one with the cervical sprain, Kusada Rikumichi."
A new man came up on the screen and Conan tensed as he leaned forward. Oh, is this the man?
After a few seconds, you could definitely tell he wasn't faking his injury. He had the act at first, but after a few attempts of trying to spot the boy without any pain as well as the boy once again gave an important piece of evidence that this man was indeed the culprit. He didn't need us either. He already knew who it was I am guessing. Jodie gave him a hard time on his approach; however, if it worked then he should keep doing it, as well as with the consistency it would be easier to see the differences between the suspects.
Did he usually do this, leading investigators, inspectors, police, and other detectives around the crime scene by the nose, childishly pointing out crucial pieces of evidence like this? If he was he was even more flexible and had a larger variety of talents then I already assumed.
He had given me the impression that Kusada Rikumichi was indeed our man. However, I cannot draw conclusions without seeing the last man.
"And now lastly we have the man with the fracture in his right leg, Shinki Choutarou."
This man was suspicious, and was faking an injury, however, once again after just a word from the man, the boy leapt into action, saying he had something on his collar, which the man removed so we could see the scar leftover from pacemaker surgery. He had taken that small tidbit of information that the man wouldn't pick up the cellphone, figured out a possible explanation, and had acted on it to try to see if his theory was correct.
It was masterfully done; one of the easiest and the best interrogations I have ever seen, and it was amazing because no one else had seen its brilliance. Even Jodie and James were still in the dark on which patient was organization's colleague. This boy was on a higher plane then them, and they couldn't see its genius because they weren't on the same level.
"All three of them could still be faking."
"I guess we will just have to watch the three of them a while longer."
I smirk.
"No, we only have to keep an eye on one of them."
I glance back at the boy who had skillfully manipulated all of the exchanges.
"Right? Isn't that so boy?"
He smirked dangerously.
"Yes."
Jodie looked surprised.
"Who is it?"
I smirked.
"Why don't we go talk inside? It is getting hot out here."
I should let them stew on it for a while, see if they could figure it out on their own. Jodie is the first to ask.
"Hey Shu, is it true we only need to watch only one suspect?"
Jodie trusted the boy, for sure; however she trusted my judgement even more. We had known each other longer, and she knew I was seldom wrong. I nodded.
"Yes, this boy figured it out after all, quite accurately showing us who their colleague was."
I make eye contact with the boy, and his eyes brightened. He seemed to know that I understood what had happened in the three rooms, even when the others didn't. The fact that he had an ally that could keep up with his intellectual prowess made him absolutely beam at me. Jodie still was confused.
"Figured it out? But Conan-kun all he did was fall in front of those three, have them pick up his cellphone, and check if they knew how to use it. Afterwards he messed around in their rooms until they were angry and kicked him out. How could you figure something out of that?"
See, that is exactly what he wanted you to see. This weapon at his disposal was quite impressive, and if we couldn't even see through it, then the enemy definitely didn't.
"It's true that only one admitted to using a cell phone, but…"
James picked up where I left off.
"If they were part of the organization, then they could lie about being able to use them right? Like the one who said he wasn't familiar with digital devices, Nishiya."
I shake my head slightly.
"No, that man is innocent. The one who infiltrated the hospital to find Mizunashi Rena shouldn't still have pain in his back."
I look over at the boy, who was watching me carefully as I deduced what had happened.
"You see when the boy shook the curtains to raise the dust in the room, that man put his fingers in his nose and attempted to control it, as it would have been painful if he sneezed normally. In other words, he was afraid to put pressure on his body and feeling pain run through him, so he sneezed out of his mouth. If he sneezed the normal way, his back would have been shaken considerably."
The boy's eyes gleamed knowingly, telling me that my deduction was correct. Jodie protested.
"I sneeze that way in front of people too though. Not to mention he could have done it to trick us."
I argued her point.
"There was just a small child in the room. He had no reason to resist the urge to sneeze. If he had suspected the boy he definitely wouldn't have given us his fingerprints on the phone. He would have thrown him out."
James tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"So you are saying the organization's operative faked an injury?"
They are starting to get on the right track.
"Yes, no matter how he was on admission, he should be healed by now."
Jodie paused before commenting.
"Now that you mention it, Shinki stood up on both legs with a fracture."
James agreed.
"Yes, his fracture seems to have healed. As for the one with the cervical sprain, Kusada has recovered too hasn't it? When Conan-kun moved out of his sight, he looked around instead of rotating his whole body."
Conan jumped into the conversation.
"And he drank all the canned coffee completely."
I blink and let the little guy take the stage to explain this one. He demonstrated.
"See, when you drink from cans, if you don't tilt your head back you won't drink it all. When I knocked those cans on the ground, they didn't have anything in them, including the one that he said he just drank. It didn't have time to dry, so he must have drank them all dry right?"
Jodie frowned.
"That means two of them are faking, but why would the one not connected to the organization lie?"
I smirk. It looks like we have to lay it out completely for them.
"He's likely in it for the admittance insurance, that old man. There is an insurance bonus you get after staying for more than twenty days. He can pretend he hasn't recovered by refusing x-rays. Simply his motive is to get the medical certificate."
"Couldn't he have just said that to trick us?"
Jodie asked. James nodded, agreeing.
"He did say Conan was a spy for the doctors. Maybe he intended to pretend he was after the insurance if it was discovered he had recovered."
Jodie nodded.
"Right, and that old man is the only one who didn't touch the cellphone. Isn't that strange?"
Conan smiled; explaining like an adult would a child, which was highly ironic.
"He couldn't touch it for a good reason. He has a pacemaker that makes his heart work. If a cellphone or any other device emitting radio waves came near him he would be at risk."
I smirked down at him, praising his quick thinking silently. He brushed the back of his head awkwardly.
"There was no battery in my cellphone anyway."
"How did you know he had a pacemaker?"
Conan blinked and answered childishly.
"Remember, there was a scar and protrusion under his left collarbone. That is the sign of a pacemaker implant."
Jodie finally understood the boy's genius.
"So the reason you lied about the insect wasn't to frighten him into standing up, but to confirm he had the pacemaker?"
Conan nodded, grinning from ear to ear.
We found our culprit, and it was all due to this one seven year old boy. I was worried about the boy folding under pressure, when the opposite had happened. He didn't treat us like bosses, like any normal new person, and he didn't look down on us even with his superior intellect. He treated us as equals, like he was our age, and had been in the FBI for as long as we have. I also wanted to test the boy, to see why Jodie had such an obsession with him. I now understood. He had exceeded all expectations from me, surprising me pleasantly at every turn. I have never been so glad that we have him on our side, to have him as an ally. Just imagine the damage both of us can do to the organization. I will never again underestimate Edogawa Conan.
Now with the knowledge of who exactly our target is, it was time to tail him, and add another line to the one we already have.