Heya !
Eh, well only 2 chapters remaining after this one (+the epilogue)... this went fast once again ; )
Let's go for some action ! :D
o.O.o
emmahoshi : Haha, well, I liked the idea of the BO being involved, though it'll be quite a mess for our boys ; ) Hmm the guys had a rough night and the rendez-vous was at 10 so yea, they left late xD Eh, agree, I think authors and artists in general don't get paid enough for their hard work^^;;; We pay so many taxes in France for 'artists' and 'creativity' but in fact we're just paying some big companies who then pocket as much as possible for themselves, not giving anything to the real artist, such a pity... Hmm they could have used their phones but, with such a serious subject, the connexion is safer on a computer... Phones are so easy to spy... ^^;; And reading a whole book on a phone screen would hurt the eyes, right ? (poor Conan xD) Haha, nah, no worries, there wasn't much typo in your reviews : ) Not more than when your laptop's keys are malfunctioning xD And you'll see for the end !~
Chapter 17 : Ambush
"- So you're saying that... This Sahashi-san had discovered something about a secret criminal organization and wrote it all in his book ? And that that organization, discovering somehow what the content of this book was, tried to kill him during that party and finished the work early this morning since you hindered them last night ? And that the whole thing could be related to the Superintendent General Hattori's death ?"
That was fun how, in his mouth, my story, though absolutely true, sounded like some kind of fairy tale out of a paranoid mind... At his tone, I could so much picture his face, with his cold and neutral expression, calm facade to hide his disbelief in my story…
Ok, I had to remove some serious chunks of it and that made it even more unstable but accusing Kasai wouldn't help me to get the policeman's trust, clearly.
"- Yea, I know, it sounds crazy but..."
I threw a dark look at Kudô. I knew this was coming, I knew it from the second I picked up his phone !
"- Try to be more convincing ! " He whispered, unable to refrain from smirking when he spotted my expression.
The other side of the line still remaining silent, I finally decided to play the cord of his pride as an inspector.
"- Come on, I bet they didn' even contact ya ta help them in the investigation despite the fact this guy is from Kyoto, him an' all his relatives. Ya can't say it's not fishy… It's more than just murder."
Another silence was my only answer, and I was starting to think about giving up, this idea had been crazy from the beginning...
"- Mori Taeko. This is his editor's name. I'm texting you her phone number."
I almost let my phone go with the surprise. What could have been able to convince him ? Clearly not my clumsy blathering…
But I was too happy to have that information to ask any further question, not yet.
"- But one thing Hattori-kun… I don't want to hear the single complaint about you. And if there's anyone to question, that'll be under police surveillance. Mine, to be more precise.
- Haaaai " I docilely answered, feeling, for once, in the exact same situation than my reduced best friend, a kid knowing someone was doing him a favour and knowing he should be thankful about it…
"- And I'll be expecting to hear from you."
Those were his last words before he hung up, leaving me, still startled, staring at my phone a long moment, before noticing the promised contact information was indeed coming.
"- So ?
- Well… He gave me the intel about the editor…
- Hey, see, I told you !
- I don' understand… This guy has always been treatin' me as a child playin' detective, why is he acknowledgin' me now, all o' a sudden ?
- Think he's suspecting something about that case ? "
I took my chin in my hand to give it a thought. The man should have been the one interrogating the prisoners from that organization he arrested two weeks ago. Perhaps something did catch his attention ?
But that would be a lot of 'if'… So I just shrugged.
"- Maa, never mind, at least, we're able ta move forwards."
o.O.o
The next half hour had been dedicated to calling the editor.
After the tiniest innuendo about the fact I could be someone from the police – ok, let's say I didn't contradict her when she wondered if I was a policeman and yea, I knew Ayanokoji was going to kill me if he ever heard about that after he helped me for the first time…, I had been able to get some information.
The author was someone really secretive, there was no real surprise about that, seeing how the man had been locking himself in his house. But, on the contrary, it meant that he tended to be extremely talkative with the few selected ones he kept contact with, starting with his editor. The affection was reciprocal and the woman's emotion after that loss was quite palpable in her voice.
She knew, from her long discussions with Sahashi-han, who could had been able to have access to the draft of the book and she was sure there wouldn't be anyone else, knowing he'd never use the web to transfer it – I remained silent about the fact that we had been able to see that book on a website, conscious now of how much the man wanted us to be able to read it. The list of the ones who had seen the hard copy or would have been able to was pretty short, I could count them on the fingers of one hand…
Once I got that list, my primary purpose after all, I nevertheless took the opportunity to have some information about the book. The editor didn't know where he had been able to get such intel but she guessed it had been during his researches for his previous book, about Japan's political dysfunction, because one night she had seen him coming back home, an excited smile on the face. And she knew him well enough to recognize his "I found something interesting enough for my next book"-face.
But she was wondering if that book he dedicated so much energy into would be published one day. Voluntary or not, the author's personal computer had been destroyed, probably by his murderer, and the hard copy was nowhere to be found. She herself had one exemplary, probably the only one remaining, but she need the agreement of his legatee to do anything with it so it would be his choice, whoever it was.
As to the murder, she admitted she knew Sahashi-han had asked his house staff not to come, but she wasn't really surprised, that was the kind of things he could do when he wanted to see some important guests or even sometimes just to enjoy some solitude. But yea, no use hiding it, the man had enemies, more than she could count, but none was supposed to have his postal address…
Since I had nothing to ask anymore and she hadn't anything to add, the conversation ended and Kudô and I were now looking at the paper in front of me, the one on which I had written the names she gave me.
Four persons. Only one name was familiar among them, Tanioka's but well, I was expecting to see it, the son having hinted the two men were close friends.
The man was in jail, so there weren't many chances for him to talk about the book anymore. But perhaps he did mention it earlier… Or to the ones who kidnapped his son even ? It would be worth asking the former Superintendent General if he let any information leak.
"- All in Kyoto, eh ?" I sighed when my eyes finished looking through the addresses.
"- Time to call your best pal again !
- I'd appreciate if ya could have the slightest bit o' dedicacy an' stop mockin' me everytime I'm forced ta call this man. This isn' fun.
- Haha, sorry…" He finally apologized, trying to have a straight face – not really a success, if you wanted my opinion. Damn brat… "So… "
I looked at the time on my computer screen. Half past three.
"- If we leave now…
- We could gather quite the bits of information before I leave, yea…
- I could even drive ya ta Kyoto's station afterwards. Since ya'll have ta pass through it, yer Neechan will be able ta retrieve ya there, that would give us an extra hour. Up ta ya ta convince her ta let ya go !
- Eh, same for you and Kazuha AND your mother…"
o.O.o
Despite the chill I had when my best friend reminded me that fact, things went quite smoothly with the girls. The fact we didn't hide anything probably helped. Yes, we were going to question some suspects in the case of Sahashi-han's murder but we'd be with a police officer. Not alone. No risks. And we'd be careful about the timing, I'd bring "Conan-kun" right on time to get on his Shinkansen, no problem about that either.
And, as promised to them and Ayanokoji...-keibu, we were obediently standing behind the policeman while we visited the ones from the editor's list - we nevertheless gave vague answers to the officer as to why we thought the suspect or a possible accomplice were among them , answers received a sigh, the man wasn't a fool...
But he was helping. The questions were always the same : do you have an alibi for Sunday's early morning and have you read the book ? If yes, did you talk about it to anyone ?
Our researches had for the moment not really been fructuous and I was wondering how we'd be able to identify our accomplice - voluntarily or not - of the BO...
Last door was Tanioka's, and since I knew the teen, I decided it would be easier if I did the chat.
"- We're about the same age an' I kind o' know him, do ya mind if I... ? If ya interrogate him, ya'd need the presence o' his guardian an' I don' think it'll help..."
Ayanokoji eyed me a second before stepping back, staying outside near of the gate, leaving me free reins to go first and to push the door's bell.
"- Who's here ?" A female voice answered to the interphone, not sounding really happy to have visitors.
Was that woman a relative of Tanioka ?
"- Eh... Hello, I'm Hattori Heiji, I'd like ta see Tanioka-kun..."
The name seemed to ring a bell, according to her short silence. "A moment please, I'll ask if he can welcome you."
The sentence was polite but the tone wasn't, so I was kind of giving up about that "relative" theory. I didn't know who that guardian was, acting half like a housemaid though without manners but she didn't seem to belong to the family.
The gate opened and so did the door facing it a few meters away, revealing a familiar face, Takeo's.
"- Oh, Hattori-kun ! Ya brought a friend ?" He asked as his eyes fell on Kudô. "Still, quite the surprise ta see ya here ! Though, ya do seem ta like ta spot in places ya shouldn' be in..."
The teen's wink was clearly indicating he was referring to last evening's party but, well, he didn't mention it directly. Luckily for me to be honest since, the teen wasn't seeing him, but Ayanokoji was just at the corner and that would have been embarrassing to explain, knowing I kind of implied I had been invited that night...
"- Come in !"
We chatted a bit in front of a cup of tea, but once again, none of the answers helped. Of course, there was no need to check Tanioka's father's alibi, seeing the man was in jail, but, as to whether he spoke or not about the book, apparently, that was also a no, according to his son. He himself had also been able to have a glimpse on it but didn't mention it either.
Taking advantage of the fact his 'nanny' didn't follow back to the entrance, I took a bit longer than needed to put back my shoes and finally asked my last question.
"- Ne, Tanioka... Have ya heard o' somethin' called the Black Organization ? Durin' yer kidnappin' maybe ? Or through Sahashi-han ?"
The teen stopped an instant, before shaking his head. "Nah, sorry, that name isn' familiar...
- Never mind then ! Come on K... Conan-kun, time ta go ta the Station, yer Shinkansen awaits ya !" I joyfully declared, ruffling his hairs as I got up.
"- Stop it..." He grumbled, putting his hair back in place. "And it's still a bit early to go to the station, got at least two hours...
- Yea... "
We left and I stopped in front of Ayanokoji who was standing a few meters away, expecting some kind of comment from us, but probably guessing we were empty-handed at our bored faces.
"- So I guess this is the end of this little useless role play, Hattori-kun.
- Almost. " I objected, trying to keep my calm despite his annoying comment. "Just one last thin'. Could ya check if any o' those four got a call from a certain phone number ?"
The man raised a brow. "I could... I just hope this time we'll get something... Whose number ?
- I'll tell ya ta who it belongs afterwards, wouldn' want ta spoil the surprise ta ya..."
The policeman rolled his eyes, clearly starting to lack of patience, and that almost made me smirk. Until a kick to my chin forced me back into a straight face.
"- Please ?" I asked with a not-so-pledging face but I was doing my best, I swear !
o.O.o
One half hour later, we were sitting in front of some cans in a nearby park, Kudô and I insisting we preferred not crowded places. And since the weather wasn't on our side today, we almost had the place for ourselves.
I eyed Ayanokoji with boredom as he got up to answer a phone call.
"- So, any opinion about those suspects ?" The fake child asked after a gulp from his iced coffee.
"- Not really. None seemed formidable enough ta belong ta the BO but that could be a strength... Or it was somethin' said unintentionally...
"- Hmm they all seemed to know how important that work was, I don't think any of them could have done such a mistake... Nah, I'd say it was voluntary. Meaning we met this afternoon someone who belongs to their ranks...
- I don' like the idea...
- Me neither."
I was getting up to throw my can when a few things happened in a short time, stopping me in the middle of that task.
One, Ayanokoji was coming back and I could guess that, at his frown, the phone number I gave to him had appeared on one of our suspects' list of calls.
Two, Kudô seemed pretty agitated all of a sudden, though I didn't really know why. I think he tried to say something but my ears were ringing so I couldn't hear a thing.
And three, something hit me. Hard. Some droplets of scarlet shone in the sun in front of my eyes before I fell backwards.