Sorry it took so long to update. I had two tests this week and needed to study for them. I'm so sorry I am a piece of garbage don't hate me. And I am going on vacation next week. I will try to upload another chapter before I leave. Now then, onto the chapter. This is 542 and 543.
It had been a few weeks since moving into the Kudo house, and everything was peaceful. I had kept an eye out for 'Bourbon' and hadn't seen anyone suspicious. Still kept a distance from Haibara, and had not extended my hand of friendship just yet. Boya kept me in the loop on what was going on, and so far my only problems consisted on helping the Boya out on an occasional case, and putting up with Yukiko-san's shenanigans every week. Progress was made on my make-up and cooking skills, and I had made significant progress on reading all the books in the library. All in all, my life was pretty good.
I had decided from the get-go that I would not question the Boya about being Kudo Shinichi until I had obtained undeniable proof that he was Kudo Shinichi. I had to be secretive about this; if he had any inkling that I was investigating him, he would cover his tracks and make my job so much harder. I would just sit and quietly gather information as it comes to me. This will probably be a long investigation, but I have to do this properly. My opponent has outsmarted and escaped Gin twice.
It was late in the afternoon when my phone rang, or the Kudo house's phone rang. I answered it quickly.
"Subaru-kun? Can you do me a favor?"
Hakase, and he sounded frantic.
"What can I help you with?"
He explained quickly.
"The kids went fishing today, but my automatic ham and egg maker malfunctioned and I need to go over right away to fix it. I can't go pick them up, so can I trust you to take care of it? If you just go to the pier there is already a boat waiting for me."
Hmm, I wasn't doing anything else, and if he meant the 'kids' he meant the Detective Boys, which meant Haibara. Maybe I could use this as an in, to start trying to build that bond between us.
"Sure, I will head over now."
I grab my keys and cellphone and climb into my car. Within a short time, I was boarding the boat with minimal explanation, and we were off.
I stand on the front of the boat, sighing as I enjoy the cruising speed and the wind through my fake hair. The last time I had been on a boat was a mission in America. I had missed it. The driver yelled at me as we bounced across the waves.
"Oi, you might want to sit down. You don't want to fall do you?"
I wave politely, disregarding his question. I had better balance than most people, being a sniper and all.
After a short ride, I see the fishing place that Hakase mentioned, with a taller figure to signify the adult, two children standing next to him, and three others waving their hands at the boat yelling, which they all stopped when they noticed I was not who they wanted.
All right two goals for this short trip back to Hakase's house. One, make Haibara not look at me like I was a bear about to maul her. Goal two, try to keep an eye on the Boya without him noticing. It was quite a challenge, but I mean I used to deal with being shot at; dealing with children that at least one is a teenager shouldn't be too hard.
I stepped off the boat as it docked and the three normal children came running up to me.
"Oi Subaru-san, where's Hakase?"
I smile easily at them, dropping my intimidation levels to below zero. I don't miss how the two not so normal children stand back, with Haibara using the Boya as a shield again, but I ignore her. I can't give her attention without her getting worked up.
"I'm sorry, the professor couldn't make it."
Mitsuhiko asked in disbelief.
"The professor couldn't make it back?"
Genta followed up, wide-eyed.
"Seriously?"
I explain.
"Yes, the invention he made and distributed to the neighbors, the automatic ham and egg maker, seems to have malfunctioned. The complaints have poured in. He thought it would be an instant repair, but it is taking longer than expected. That's why he left it to me to pick you all up."
The three children all went 'Oh' in realization. The boat driver grabbed a rope.
"Well let's not stand around. We don't want to be out here when the sun goes down. Let's go."
The adult fisherman started handing the children down to the driver, with Genta first. I stay near Ayumi and smile down at her.
"Be sure to watch your step."
She nodded up at me, her eyes glowing with energy.
"Right."
The two super children aside, these other children…weren't cute per say, but they were refreshing in a way. They were innteresting and from what I have noticed, are bright in their own ways. They were endearing.
Out of the corner of my eye I see the two other children talking briefly. Hmm, I wonder what the subject can possibly be. Definitely not me.
"My what is taking you all so long? It's your turn."
The Boya nodded and jogged forward, Haibara on his heels. She glanced up at me and I see the terror and guarded defenses. I just smile down at her. I am honestly not going to hurt you. You don't need to be so troubled.
Suddenly I see her kick against the edge of the dock, tripping forward with a surprised gasp. The Boya glances over and reaches slightly, but if he tried to catch her they would both fall. The boat was just far enough away that she would fall between it and the dock and possibly get crushed.
I reacted instinctively, diving forward and grabbing her with both of my hands as I plant my feet. Everything went into a standstill, and she glanced back at me. I let out a barely perceivable sigh.
"We can't have that now. Keep an eye out."
She looked taken aback, like she didn't know how to respond to that. Finally, she nodded.
"Right."
I slowly lower her down to the driver, making sure she was safely on the boat before stepping back to allow the Boya to jump on. I stepped down onto the boat and don't miss how Haibara's eyes follow me. Well, at the very least, my heroic act has made me look less like a bear and more like a wild dog. It's now with curiosity and only slight paranoia. That's good. I shouldn't push though, so I step again to the bow of the boat as we take off.
The other children chatter about their catches sadly.
"Ah it's just too bad we can't eat them since Hakase's busy."
Oh, now that's a thought. I was not a great chef, with my minimal cooking lessons from Yukiko-san, but I had just learned to cook fish the other day, and she had said it was passable. Not to mention the more I hang out with them and the nicer I seem, the less suspicious Haibara will be of me, I hope.
"Well then how about I prepare it?"
Genta looked up at me.
"You can cook."
"A little bit. I'm not up there with the high class chefs, but I can do home dishes. Once we get back, if Hakase will let me use his kitchen, I can cook it up for you."
The children cheered throwing their hands in the air. The boat driver distracted them by commenting on the sunset and they all clamored to the side of the boat, already onto the next topic. I followed their eyes and noticed an interesting rock formation in the distance.
"That's Ikkaku rock, or one horned rock. A long time ago there was a sea dragon with a big horn on its head. After fisherman caught its young, the sea dragon got angry and stuck is horn out of the water to defend its home. Fishermen have been cautioned their boats will sink if they go near it, we only look at it from a distance."
Huh, interesting little story. I had no idea the rock held such a history. The driver smiled kindly.
"Do you want to go see it?"
Mitsuhiko gulped.
"Won't the ship sink?"
The driver laughed.
"Not at all, the dragon loves children. It's said that any kids get near it the dragon wil grant them powers of the sea and they will be perfect swimmers."
The kids all agreed excitedly, and I don't miss how the two 'older' kids watched the other three with something akin to fondness. Haibara looked relaxed, and even the Boya had a soft smile that actually spoke of contentment instead of his usual smirks or grins. Maybe these kids were good for them. I can imagine that from being on edge all the time from an evil organization, these children were a good stress reliever.
So with a slight turn of the wheel we were heading west toward the famed rock. The children all gathered by the bow, chattering with each other. I just stood in the background, observing them. This was peaceful in its own right. I could also use them, which sounds kind of wrong, but it wasn't for nefarious purposes. If I can get these three kids to trust me, then maybe Haibara will as well. Suddenly there was a shout.
"Oi, what are you doing? That's Ikkaku rock. You are going to sink!"
We glance over at another boat as it pulls up next to us. I notice three men aboard. Out of habit I take stock of what each man is wearing and identifiable features. They seemed to have brief discussion before turning their boat away and driving off.
"Wonder who they were?"
"They seemed to be looking for something."
Yes, I got that vibe also. What could they be looking for though? It was almost dark. Perhaps night fishermen?
"Ah those are divers that started coming to this area recently with a company president's daughter. They disturb the fish and make it a lot more difficult for us fishermen. I understand we should share the ocean, but I wish they would be considerate to us."
That didn't explain what they were looking for though. Another diving spot? But the sun was going down soon, and diving at night was more dangerous than in the day. Ah well, I just hope they find what they were looking for.
We slowed down as we approached the rock. I leapt ashore and caught the boat, keeping it from banging into the rock. The three children waited until I had one hand free to help them climb out of the boat, before they started exploring a little. Haibara looked at my helping hand and gave me mild glare before clamoring out without any help. The Boya followed her and I see him glance at me and roll his eyes a little. That made me feel a little better.
While the driver tied the boat to the rock, the children examined their surroundings.
"Up close it looks like it has a lot of potholes."
The Boya agreed.
"Yes, it looks like the seawater has eroded it overtime."
Hmm, I didn't know they taught about erosion in first grade. I thought that was later primary school middle school topic. Although, what am I talking about? This Boya knew things about crime scenes most police didn't know. That isn't evidence. Ayumi pointed.
"Let's all take a picture in the pretty sunset."
I pull out my cellphone. Ah a photo.
"Will my cellphone do?"
The other two boys agreed while Ayumi pushed the Boya and Hiabara toward them. Both seemed reluctant, but I know why. Pictures can be leaked, and they could be discovered. Well at least the Boya is at ease, knowing I won't use the pictures with evil intentions.
They assemble into a formation as I raise my cellphone. Maybe I could snap a few just for…hold on a second. I zoom in on Haibara, staring at the rock face. Were those natural scratches? I walk forward and kneel in front of the girl and don't miss how she stiffens but I am more concerned about the scratches, which upon closer inspection appears to be writing.
"On that rock behind you, there's some writing."
Haibara leaned to one side to expose four words. The Boya read them aloud thoughtfully.
"Mackerel, carp, sea bream, flounder."
Who could have marked this?
"Maybe someone carved the names of the fish they caught here to commemorate the occasion?"
No, fishermen don't come to this rock because they believe in the curse.
"Hey look at this; something's sticking out of the rock."
Genta grabbed my attention, pointing to…was that a divers fin? Why would someone stick a fin in the rock? And that writing looked freshly chiseled; otherwise the words would be harder to read. Did that mean that there was someone on this island? I didn't even have time to voice my thoughts as the Boya sprinted off. Already on top of it aren't you? The other children ran after him and I followed at a somewhat slower pace.
I walk up on them crowded around a woman, in a diving suit. There was a tank and a regulator next to her, but it was obvious from her still form she was dead. The other children stood back as the Boya examined the body carefully. I stalk forward and knelt next to him and don't miss the seriousness on his face. What a transformation from the calm and peaceful boat ride.
In any case, let's check the body. It looks like she died from dehydration, and being stuck on this rock all day was probably the cause. The rigor mortis looks like she's only been dead for a couple of hours at the most. Haibara stated.
"She probably had some trouble diving and managed to get here, but was unable to get off the rock."
Oh, interesting, you deem it safe to use your intelligence in front of me? Well then, progress was made at last. Mitsuhiko agreed.
"Yes, after all no ship would come close for fear of sinking."
No that can't be right. The lipstick is smudged but the respirator has no sign of being used. Also, even if she had diving problems, with an air tank and fins she should be able to swim out to catch someone's attention. No there was evidence of foul play here, well at least the possibility should be overlooked.
"We should move her to the boat."
I say calmly. I can't startle them, they are children afterall.
"No, we shouldn't move her until the police arrive."
Mistuhiko looked up in shock.
"You can't mean she was—"
Boya picked up the regulator, and I don't miss how he uses his handkerchief to do so, keeping his fingerprints from getting on the tube.
"Yes, it's possible she was left here on purpose. Look at this, the regulator is clean like it hasn't been used, but her lipstick is smudged, and there is no lipstick on the regulator."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone substituted this for another, and for a specific purpose, probably the culprit."
I already had my phone out and stepped away to call the police. After I reported in everything, and the dispatcher said that the police would be there in half an hour did I hang up and drift back to the group. The group was splitting up it seems, Haibara and Ai going one way around the rock and Mitsuhiko and Genta another, trying to search for more clues, while the Boya stayed with the body. He glanced up at me as I approached.
"What do you think Subaru-san?"
I knelt down observing the body closely.
"I'm not sure yet Boya."
He narrowed his eyes.
"And the message?"
Ah yes the mysterious message. I couldn't understand that either. If this woman was the one who carved it, then what could she have carved it with? And she was a diver not a fisherman so fish hold no significance for her. I just shook my head.
"I see."
Suddenly his eyes narrow and he pointed.
"That mark, on her wrist."
I look at what he was talking about. It looked to be a band about an inch thick.
"A watch?"
He nodded and stood up.
"It must be around here somewhere. I will go look for it."
I glanced at him.
"The police will arrive in half an hour. We should probably get those children back on the boat."
He nodded and started off in one direction while I went off on another. I walked around to see Ayumi and Haibara to pull the fin out of the rock from earlier. As entertaining as it was to see them struggling, I walked forward and asked.
"May I help?"
Both girls looked up at me, Ayumi beaming and Haibara glaring. Ayumi answered for them.
"Yes please."
Together we pulled the fin out of the rock. I turned it over in my hands, frowning. No other writing, like I expected since it was pinned in the rock. I thought it would give us a clue on the other message.
"Oh you got it out."
We looked up to see the boys running toward us with the other fin. I looked at the Boya.
"Find it?"
He pulled the item out of his picket, again with his handkerchief. How did he learn to do that? Certainly not a first grade classroom, but I mean how did he learn anything? He held it out.
"This is the thing she used to carve the message with."
He turned the watch over and I see the back was covered with scratches. Hmm it looks like writing, and one of the words is completely scratched out.
Suddenly Mitsuhiko grabbed the Boya's hand.
"Come on Conan-kun, we are going to the boat and discussing this mystery."
Ayumi already had Haibara in tow and both were practically dragged off against their will. All five children gathered on the boat in a circle, talking in low tones, although it was mostly the three normal ones, while the Boya looking like he wasn't paying a lick of attention and Haibara looked bored. These kids, super ones notwithstanding, are really calm considering they just saw a dead body and are possibly in the middle of a murder case. How often did they come across cases? I know that Jodie said the Boya came across more then the average person, but still. No six year old should be comfortable around corpses, unless it happened a lot.
Finally the police arrived the scene and the children were quick to show them the body. The main Inspector didn't seem surprised at seeing the children there. He crouched next to the body and offered an explanation to the children, which I had already guessed. After his deduction Mitsuhiko whispered.
"That's amazing."
The Inspector looked proud at the praise.
"Well it is just detective's work after all."
Mitsuhiko shook his head.
"No Conan-kun, he told us all of that stuff before you got here."
The other children nodded in agreement. The Inspector sweat dropped.
"But really, this kid is always involved in cases."
Oh, so this did happen often, enough for police in prefectures not of the Boya's own to recognize him on sight, and know of his mental capabilities, at least a little bit of them. Did that mean they knew he was Kudo Shinichi? No, impossible. The Inspector at the arson case, and this one, still treat him like one of the other Detective Boy's, just smarter than the average bear.
I doubt the Boya is flaunting his talent, probably exposing evidence or possible clues to the culprit's identity just like in the three hospital rooms, drawing attention to it for the adults to take care of it, or at least follow the lead. Still, having a six year old Boya a normal occurrence at a crime scene is going to raise attention, and I am actually surprised that the organization hasn't noticed yet.
The Inspector glanced at the Boya.
"Don't tell me you already knew there was a body here when you landed?"
The Boya played it off immediately, and I can see him shrinking under the attention. Ah, so he does stick to the shadows.
"I had no way of knowing. I just thought there was someone here when we arrived."
The Inspector leaned down, questioning.
"Why would you have thought that?"
I have to get his attention off of the Boya, so I interrupt.
"Because of a fin stuck in the rock on the other side."
Ah, success, the man turns toward me. I continue.
"There is a diving fin tightly wedged in the rocks. It must have come to the boy's mind after seeing that."
"A fin?"
"Yes, no one would have brought an extra fin as a prank, so we must assume it was left as a message instead. That's the natural path of deduction."
The Inspector looked a little irritated.
"So let's pull it out and check the message."
I quickly describe our actions before the police got there, that we had found nothing unusual with the fins, while the Detective Boys described the message on the rock.
"So what does it mean? All those fish names."
"Isn't it a dying message?"
The Boya pointed out the tanline on the woman's wrist and produced the watch, showing off the scratches to the Inspector. Haibara cut in.
"I see, the size of the area on the watch is roughly the size of the writing on the rock. She most likely used that to carve her dying message right?"
Mitsuhiko interrupted.
"But the criminal only came here once right? That person might have written it to implicate someone else."
Boya explained it carefully.
"But if that were true it wouldn't be so well hidden. If we consider she hid is deliberately, we can say she did so in order to prevent the culprit from realizing that she had left those words as a dying message. Even though only a few ships passed by this rock, it's possible she would have been seen by someone. The woman knew the culprit wouldn't be able to stay long so she hid the watch for the police to find, and decipher the message after her body was discovered. Because there are initials on the back of the watch."
He pointed to the timepiece in the Inspector's hands. He flipped it over and sure enough there was writing.
"Even if we didn't find it right away, we would still know who she was."
The boat driver leaned over, rubbing the Boya's hair fondly.
"It looks like your deductions are as great as ever kid."
Was there anybody this boy hadn't met because of a case? I mean he did say he knew connections but this was ridiculous.
"He's been trained by the great Mouri Kogoro. This kid just likes to play detective."
Ah, so that's how he stays under the radar. Claiming it's a game, and saying he learned it from another. Plausible, and I haven't met Mouri Kogoro to determine whether the claim is true or not, but if that's what most people think then that is better than getting unwanted attention.
"Anyway, starting now this is a police investigation. Even if the kid is smart, there is no way he knows who the woman is."
He just had to say something didn't he? The Boya smiled sheepishly.
"She is the only daughter of a chairman to a finance group that recently branched out in Kanagawa. His name is Akamine. Right oji-san?"
The driver confirmed the Boya's deduction. I am surprised the Boya didn't know her birthday, blood type, what kind of pets she had, and other personal information. He is the oracle after all.
"Lady Hikari."
Ah, the boat from earlier. Wait, was this woman the thing they were looking for? It would be the group of guy that was diving in the area the driver mentioned, and he just said that she was diving with them. Hmm, something smells fishy here. They were probably the only ones in the area all day, so the probability of one of them being the murderer is high.
They docked the boat and came ashore. They explained that they had been looking for her for three days that this had happened before and didn't think too much about it until she didn't come back. As the Inspector interrogated them, I observed them and everything they said, searching for some clue that might be a motive or something to pinpoint the culprit, and I wasn't the only one. The Boya had crept closer, listening to the conversation intently, before sliding in easily.
"But say, as divers, don't you all go out with two or more people? Did you just lose sight of her?"
Ah yes, that was true. Divers never went alone mostly in case of accidents such as this one. The ocean is a large place and people could get lost, attacked by animals, equipment malfunctioned, or any other problems that arise in diving.
"That woman was always going off on her own. She always said she wanted to be alone with the sea. Due to that, she almost got swept up in a current a half a year ago."
"Yeah, that could have been really bad. If it weren't for that, Yoshirou wouldn't have died."
Ah, what's this now? A person died half a year ago, could that be the motive, that one of these men blamed Hikari for the death of Yoshirou?
"Yoshirou?"
The Inspector questioned. One of the men went to answer, when another cut him off.
"Don't talk about him, it is unrelated."
I blink slowly. Why wouldn't this man want us discussing him, unless he didn't want the motive to be found? Or I am overthinking things. Nevertheless, I am mostly suspicious of this man.
"By the way, why do you have that eye patch?"
The driver commented pointing to suspicious guy.
"This guy hit me last night when I suggested the lady went to another man's house."
"And your cold mask?"
The man with the mask coughed.
"The lady forced me to dive with her when I wasn't feeling well, and it has turned into a prolonged cold."
The suspicious guy scratched his cheek nervously, right by the bandaid, a sign of lying.
"Just acne. I was at an internet café when it burst when I leaned on it and it burst."
"What were you looking for on the net?"
"Signs of the lady of course, see if anyone had picked her up."
Wait a moment if I was sitting at a computer…well technically it is different for me since I am a lefty, but this man is obviously right handed with the way he picked at his face. The mouse would be on the right side of the computer, which means he couldn't possibly lean against his arm and pop the acne and operate the mouse at the same time. So what could he be hiding under the bandaid?
"Hey misters, can you tell us what your favorite fish is?"
"And tell us slowly please."
"Tell us already. I like eel."
The Detective Boys asked innocently, and I had a sudden flashback to the arson case. I doubt it would be that easy little ones, but at least they are thinking of something. If this Aosato is the culprit, the proof will be in that dying message somewhere.
One of the culprits asked angrily.
"What's up with these kids?"
The Inspector tried to calm him.
"No, no."
He bent down, chastising the children in stage whispered tones. They explained their reasoning.
"That's absurd."
I think that is partially unfair. It isn't a bad place to start, and our top priority is finding out the true meaning behind the message. Also, these Detective Boys have already solved plenty of cases, mainly because of the Boya, but still, the other three have heads on their shoulders too. It would be foolish not to at least cater to their request. If it's wrong, then we try something else.
Is this what the Boya has to deal with, even though he is a genius? Constantly having to prove himself at crime scenes and dealing with adults that think he is a normal child and doesn't trust his judgement no matter how many cases he helps solve? How annoying. How does he stand it? I decide to defend their stance. Maybe if an adult backed them the Inspector might change his mind.
"No, the point they are aiming for is not a bad one. Innocent conceptions unbound by that of common sense, it may be at times the one key that is instrumental in wading through to the sole truth of a puzzle. In addition, we have the words and hints from that Boya that have already lead to a number of cases solved correct?"
He looked a little embarrassed.
"It hasn't been that many…"
He finally relented.
"So you lot, what are your favorite fish?"
They all three glanced at each other.
"We practically like all fish."
"We don't dislike any either."
Hmm, so a dead end. That's ok, there just has to have another meaning.
"Oh, oji-san, that watch you are wearing. It is a diver watch just like the lady's isn't it?"
I glance at where the Boya was looking, to see an identical watch to the one the victim was wearing. The man lowered his arm.
"Yes, the Lady had these custom made for us."
"She said as a diving team, we should have a common link between us."
"Akamine Angelfish Club. That is the name she selected."
Ah, the name on the back of the watch, was actually the team name. And the way the word fish was crossed out, was that on purpose, or just done in haste to carve the message? What could it all mean? Suddenly Mitsuhiko piped up.
"I know what those fish names mean now."
Wait seriously? I glanced at the Boya to see he was looking at the group of other children with interest. So he was stumped as well huh? Then there was no way he could have figured it out.
"If you add a character and connect them, it becomes a sentence."
Add a character? Like in the writing?
"If you add Ku to Saba, it becomes Sabaku, or desert, and Ai to Tai becomes Aitai, or want to meet. As such, I want to meet, come to the desert is the real message."
Hmm, not bad decoding skills, but that is a completely illogical answer, while also missing a fish. However, there is something to that. I feel like the kid is on the right track. Ayumi is the first to comment.
"What about flounder?"
Mitsuhiko explained.
"Ah, she meant it to be a flash of inspiration. That's that meaning."
Genta frowned.
"But wait, who is waiting in the desert?"
Ayumi nodded.
"Yeas, the lady is already dead."
Mitsuhiko scratched his chin sheepishly.
"Guess you are right."
Haibara butted in.
"Beyond that, even if you are to conveniently add characters, and therefore force sentences, would we really be able to solve it? Adding or subtracting won't matter, without a keyword, none of it will matter."
Wait, subtracting, and a keyword. The message! If the keyword is fish, because she scratched it out that must mean to subtract the fish character from all the fish names. Doing that leads to… and then that injury…
"Well done you guys."
Ah, I see the Boya has reached a conclusion as well. I was right to allow those children to speak their minds. Even if they didn't solve it themselves, they provided necessary clues that lead us to the conclusion in the end. They didn't stop thinking about the dying message, while the adults were distracted by questioning the suspects. I can see how this group could be very useful to the Boya on cases, gathering information for him, allowing him to multitask. No wonder he gets his job done. Genta asked cluelessly.
"What did we do?"
I step forward, hiding a smile.
"Indeed, it seems innocent conceptions should not be taken lightly."
The children looked at me, eyes wide.
"You mean, the culprit?"
"You know who it is?"
I grin down at them.
"Yes, all thanks to you all."
Haibara glanced at the Boya.
"So what is it?"
The Boya smirked that invincible smirk of his.
"Don't worry, the culprit exposed himself from the beginning. It was as if he said 'the one who left the lady at Ikkaku rock was me.'"
We turned back to the main conversation, only to hear the Inspector say.
"Well, let's get her body to the ship…"
Crap, were we leaving? No, we have to do this now, before the evidence disappears.
"Wait a moment!"
I glance down in surprise at the Boya, who looked up at me. Ah crap, I forgot, this was his area of expertise. He knew the police better than I did, even if he is a child. Besides, if he wants to solve a crime and take credit for something, anything and enjoy himself, I wasn't going to stop him.
"Seriously, both of you? What is it?"
Ok, so let the Boya do the deduction and let Okiya Subaru fall back into the background again where he belongs.
"No, I think the Boya wanted to say something."
The Boya stuttered.
"No, I think Subaru-san had something to say, so he should go first."
Oh? Boya you want me to do the deduction? That was odd. The first case I saw him on he wasn't afraid to show his true colors. Was it different now? Maybe that was a one-time thing and now he plans to do his deductions in the shadows, where he likes to stay. If he was going to let Okiya Subaru have the spotlight with him being the supporting actor, I had no problem with it. Ever since I had become Okiya, I hadn't had the chance to do a real deduction of a case. I have missed it.
"I said we are going. We are going to continue this at the station."
The Boya blinked, trying to explain.
"Well, you see."
"You're trying to say that if we leave, key evidence will disappear, right?"
I glance quickly at Haibara who stood slightly behind the Boya. He nodded in agreement. The Inspector sighed.
"Evidence, what kind of evidence?"
Genta spoke up indignantly.
"Don't you get it?"
Mitsuhiko pointed dramatically at the victim. I see some of the Boya's dramatic flair has rubbed off.
"That is of course regarding this woman who was left here at Ikkaku rock. Evidence pointing to the criminal."
The Inspector's eyes widened.
"Hey hey, to be able to destroy evidence, does that mean—"
Our driver interrupted.
"Yeah, he is here, isn't he? The murderer."
All three men retaliated instantly.
"Hold on a second how could you say that?"
"While it is true she did go missing a few days ago while we were diving."
"She could have been picked up by some bad guys and left here."
Well this should be fun. I start the deduction process, watching and reveling in the men's facial expressions.
"No, that's not it. At the time she disappeared, you claimed she sent an email saying to 'please handle the rest' right? Actually what proves that the culprit is among you is that evidence. Most likely the culprit, after stranding her here, sent that email himself so the search could be delayed. To manage that he had to abort his dive early and hurry back to the boat before anyone else. After locating the lady's phone and hurriedly typing the message and sent it. Unlike with telephones, emails have solid address attached. If it had not been directly from her phone, it would have been doubted."
That narrows down the suspects to just these three considering they were the only ones who knew she was diving and had access to her phone at that time. The Inspector turned toward the suspects.
"I see, only you guys would know that email isn't strange from her. That means only one of you three could have sent it."
The cold mask man protested.
"The lady's cellphone, where is it now?"
Hmm, a piece of evidence with possible fingerprints on it? I supply helpfully.
"If it were me, I would have tossed it in the ocean."
"Then where is your evidence?"
This poor man, he doesn't believe that one of his friends could murder their other one. That's why he is protesting so much. I glance over at the Boya, only to see he had moved, toward the message. Ah, so he does want to do it. I smirk silently as he answered.
"No, the evidence is here, where the lady neatly left behind the name of her assailant. Isn't that so Aosato Shuuhei-san?"
Ah, appetizers are over. Time for the main course. Aosato's eyes widened and he started sweating.
"Hey, that's a weird thing to come out and say. Am I really that much like the culprit?"
The Boya just blinked up at him innocently.
"Actually Boya, how did you know? Shuuhei's first name?"
"We only gave family names right?"
The Boya's smirk turned predatory as he squared up against the adults.
"Because the lady stranded on Ikkaku rock carved the name of the culprit here. Their full name was Aosato Shuuhei."
"Where was that done?"
Ayumi spoke up.
"Carved, you mean the names of the fish? But that was just mackerel, carp, sea bream, and flounder."
The Boya turned toward the rest of the Detective Boys, explaining.
"While it is true they just appear to be names of fish, when she used it to carve in those names, on the back of the lady's watch, one word ended up being leveled down. Do you see it now?"
Mitsuhiko asked, puzzled.
"Leveled down?
The Boya nodded.
"Yes, the word between Angel, and Club."
Haibara narrowed her eyes.
"Akamine Angel Fish Club. The word fish. In other words cancel out the fish."
Ah, Haibara has it now. The Boya nodded in confirmation, before Mitsuhiko spoke up.
"Wait a minute, fish is written as sakana right?"
Genta piped up.
"And all of those names are fish names."
Ayumi clenched her little fists.
"If you canceled them out you wouldn't have anything left."
Our boat driver suddenly thumped his fist into his palm.
"I see, it's the kanji."
I smirked as he continued.
"Think of those four names in kanji, and remove the sakana from them."
Mitsuhiko asked.
"Kanji? Is there even a kanji for mackerel?"
The Boya supplied helpfully.
"Yes, the kanji for mackerel is the kanji for fish and Ao written together. The kanji for carp is fish and Sato written together. The kanji for sea bream is fish and Shuu written together, and finally flounder is fish and Hei written together. Now then, what do we get if we remove the fish from each of the names?"
The four children thought for a second, before answering dutifully.
"Ao."
"Sato."
"Shuu."
"Hei."
They glanced at each other before shouting, pointing at the man.
"Aosato Shuuhei!"
Both of the other men rounded on their friend, who backed up, hands in the air.
"Hey don't take him seriously. With just this little riddle theory am I really going to be called the culprit?"
The evidence is literally set in stone. You can't get out of this one. The Inspector seemed to agree with me.
"Still, it is a little too convenient for how well it fits."
He tried protesting.
"If I was the criminal, why didn't she just carve my name into the rock?"
I notice the pointed look in my direction. I got the cue Boya, it's my turn again.
"That's because she believed you may erase it afterwards. It was natural to assume that you would return to check and see if she had died."
"The hell are you saying? You saw it didn't you? When I came here."
The Boya piped up, drawing attention to himself again.
"I didn't see you, but I can think of another reason why you would want to return. To switch out the regulators. Most likely, you started by severing her regulator pipe with a knife, in order to create the appearance of an air leak. You brought her here to Ikkaku rock under the pretense that you would come back for her but never did. Since no one comes near Ikkaku rock and you knew she couldn't swim, you knew she couldn't escape."
The Inspector's eyes widened.
"In other words he replaced the damaged regulator with his own regulator he usually uses? That's because if the damaged regulator was found it wouldn't be seen as an accident. By covering the slice with some vinyl tape you could escape with it."
"But none of you all saw all that did you?"
Ah but we didn't need to. I will take this one.
"That bandage under your mouth. You claimed while at a net café you burst the acne on your face by leaning on it, right? The mice in internet cafés are usually on the right side. In other words you would have been leaning on your left hand. By that logic, the burst acne should be on your left side. But judging the bandage's appearance, it is not on the right side."
The Boya followed up as the Inspector stepped forward.
"It came off there didn't it, when you used her regulator. Her lipstick."
The Inspector removed the bandage, exposing the cosmetic. So we were right.
"You only realized once you got back to the boat and removed the regulator. That's when you decided to cover it with a bandage. When it comes to lipstick it isn't easy to wipe off with just your hands."
I narrowed my eyes as I watched Aosato Shuuhei as the discussion about lipstick progressed. Something seemed off about him. I didn't know what it was yet. Ah it was as I feared, he did blame the girl for Yoshirou's death, and he was getting more panicked. Crap, this was bad. Panicked men make bad decisions, reckless decisions that might endanger others. I slowly shift forward.
"That's why I left her here at Ikkaku rock."
No I don't like that smile. He is planning something. I ready myself trying to predict when—
He swooped down, grabbing Ayumi and raising a blade to her neck. I stiffen, but don't move, focusing all of my attention on the man. He has the upper hand here. He could take her as a hostage and take one of the boats, and possibly disable the others to strand us here. I underestimated him; that was foolish.
"I will let you all have the same experience."
The other man tried to talk him down while Ayumi started crying. I don't blame her, she is young after all.
"Don't worry, I am just using her temporarily until I get away. I will leave you all here for awhile."
Meaning she will die. I can't have that. He inched toward the boats, ordering the Inspector into talking to the other police to get them away, and then discussing to get rid of our boat and fleeing on the boat he came in. I glance toward the Boya, who was glancing around. Looks like he isn't prepared to deal with this threat, unless he does something reckless, which could lead to him or Ayumi getting injured. No Boya, this time let the adult handle this one.
Ah well, this is something I can deal with, or am used to dealing with. I will probably scare the crap out of Haibara, but I don't have time to worry about that now. The main priority is getting Ayumi back to safety. So I increase my intimidation and step forward. I just need to get close enough to see a window, and I need to create one. I have to get him to back down, or at least get him to see me a bigger threat and get the knife away from Ayumi and towards me instead. Time for a little bluffing.
".12 percent."
Haibara and the Boya both looked at me, as well as the culprit. I nodded slightly to the Boya. I will take care of this. He gets the message and steps back, pushing Haibara out of the way as well. She looks terrified but I don't focus on that. I focus all of my attention on the suspect as I slowly walk forward as not to spook him into slitting her throat.
"That's the probability of an offender's flight that will end in success. That gives us one in every thousand, but of those who fall under the devil's influence many grow tired of leading a false life and living in fear. If we exclude those that turn themselves in or commit suicide, the amount that does successfully escape is zero."
He starts shaking. Here is comes, be ready. He is on the edge. I paint the life he is about to live as desolate and miserable as possible, shoving him into a corner. I subtly shift into one of my Jeet Kune Do stances, readying my muscles for a quick attack.
"Are you prepared to endure the loneliness and pressure as a result of your actions?"
The man's eyes widened as he yelled.
"Shut up!"
There, my window of opportunity. He jabs the knife forward at my face. I sway easily to the side and knock the knife away with my fist, into the ocean. He stands surprised, stance open. Object one: get weapon away from criminal completed. Object two: get hostage away from criminal commencing. I duck in, easily swiping Ayumi out of the man's grip and retreating before he even realized what happened. I silently let out a sigh as I drop a very surprised Ayumi to the ground a few feet away, giving her a relieved smile.
"There, you are ok now."
She smiled up at me, tears still prevalent but disappearing.
"Thank you."
Genta cheers in admiration. I stand back up and slowly shift so that I am facing the man, shielding the children just in case he tries to grab for them again and give him a stern glare. Step down buddy. You have no more cards to play. The Inspector reaches forward, grabbing him by the lapels.
"Let's escape to the police station, friend."
To my relief he decides to go quietly. I relax from where I had been rigid, prepared to deal with the threat.
"So strong!"
"That was so cool."
"Thank you Subaru-san!"
The children clustered around me in admiration. I smile modestly and play it off. Suddenly another voice cuts in.
"But was it true? That figure of .12 percent."
I glance over at the Boya who was looking at me in almost dry amusement. I smirked.
"Of course, I made up a random number. To get that knife and this little one away from him I thought it best to provoke him."
I glanced over to see Haibara looking at me with the same eyes as she did when I first showed up today. Crap, well there goes all of my progress lost in the span of one minute. I had thought that saving the girl would make her trust me more, but if she suspects that I just did it to get closer to her, then of course she is going to be suspicious. I will probably never win with her.
I sigh as the children drag me by the hand back onto the boat. Both of my goals today were completely shredded and not completed. That sucks. Ah well, the criminal is behind bars, Ayumi is safe, and we still have fish to have for dinner. Maybe then I can convince Haibara then that I am not trying to kill her.