"It's a bow tie shaped voice changer!"
"Voice changer?"
"YOKO-CHAN!"
"This is going to be impossible…"
"Wow! What an amazing apartment complex! I can see why Okino Yoko would be living here!"
"Well? Do you recognise him?"
"Nope, never seen him before…Right Yoko?"
"N-Never…"
"Inspector! Look at what's under the sofa!"
"If Shinichi were he would solve this case right away…"
The pieces are all here… But how do they fit together?"
"The killer was, the deceased Fujie-san himself!"
Tokyo
8:35am
25/6/XXX9
Teitan Elementary School
"Nice to meet you…I'm Edogawa Conan…" The class is unresponsive so I try to fill in the silence.
"H-Hi…" I laugh nervously…. Why are Japanese schools so different! I glance at my name written in Japanese on the board. In America it was never like this…
"Eddo-gawa…Konan?" A boy sitting directly in front of my butchers my name as I try not to flinch at the pronunciation. I hope they get it right soon…
"What a weird name!" The class starts laughing spontaneously and I feel my face grow hot. Geez, how rude.
"Okay, everyone, let's spend period 1 showing Conan-kun around the school!"
That seemed unnecessary. I watched the class cheer, still laughing.
"I-I'm okay, sensei…I don't need it, please start the lesson…" I wobble over to the only empty desk, just wanting to get away from the embarrassing situation.
Geez, Agasa-hakase…why'd he send me to school so suddenly? At least some warning would have helped…
I miss my school in America… I didn't have many friends, but I liked the environment, I guess.
"Okay everyone, what's one plus one?" I stare at the teacher. She's got to be kidding…
"Two!" The class shout the answer.
Guess not… This is going to be a long day.
12:16pm
I kick the ball up and around, completely shocking the other kids. A small crowd has formed to watch the game between our class, Class 1-B and some other class… 1-A I think.
I run up to the goal, as I hear cheering. Hehehe, these guys are easy, I guess all that practice with Shinichi-niichan really payed off!
I look down at the shoes Agasa-hakase gave to me this morning. I grab the nob on the side and turn it just a little. I just hope it won't explode…
12:24pm
Maybe explosion was a better option… I stare at the hole ripped through the goat, surrounded by shocked and seemingly traumatised children.
Oops.
3:15pm
Geez, there's such a thing as moderation, you know.. I got to be more careful with these. I look at the shoes, looking perfectly normal, and stick my tongue out at them. As I look up again, I see Oji-san holding a large newspaper.
"Ah! Oji-chan!" I step over to him as he tenses before shush-ing me.
"What are you doing?" Hehe, shush all you want, Oji-san.
I notice a suspicious looking guy in a trenchcoat and sunglasses.
"Are you shadowing this guy?" I point at him, to make myself clear.
"Ahh! What id he hears you?! You're a bother, Go home, home!"
He waves his hand dismissively.
"Tell Ran I'll be a while, so don't make dinner for me!"
He turns back to the man, but accidentally knocks over a trash can.
"Wah! Ah, ah!" He struggles to remain upright, flailing his arms around before glancing at the suspicious man, who was staring at him. Oji-san smiles at him casually and looks away.
He's not very good at this…
4:25 25/6/XXX9
Mouri Detective Agency
"Hahahaha! What a piece of cake!" Oji-san waves a stack of notes around happily.
"I got 500,000 yen just for following some guy around for three days!"
"That's great! You're finally getting some good work!" Ran smiles at her father, still waving the money around.
"Hahaha…Finally the rest of society has noticed my genius!"
"You were so amazing in that last case, Otou-san! And your work's gone great ever since Conan-kun came…"
Uh oh, Ran-neechan probably'll get mad if she finds out I was the one that solved that case… That'd end in a lot of explaining.
"Maybe you brought us good luck?"
I smile, not answering, hoping she'll move on to another topic.
"How long do you wanna keep this brat? Are his parent's still in hospital?" Oh, so that's what Agasa-hakase told Oji-san, I guess having my mom practically abandon me for a month wasn't something that would be taken lightly. Ran would probably get mad.
"-charred remains of a human body were found in the yagura* at the Himatsuri** of the bustling tourist town of Akaoni… From lost articles and such, his identity has been confirmed as Negishi Masaki-san, Age 42."
Oji-san jumps up and grabs the TV.
"What was that?!"
"Huh?"
"It is him…It has to be!"
"What's wrong Otou-san…Did you know him?"
"Knew him? I was right behind him for three whole days…"
Oji-san turns to face me and Ran-neechan just as an image of a man, presumably Negishi Masaki, appears on the screen.
"The one I was shadowing until yesterday… Was that man!"
"EH?!"
Metropolitan Police Headquarters
5:07pm
"Otou-san's really late…He said he was only providing evidence…"
Well, he would be the most important witness, he was tailing the guy for three days…
I kick my ball around to relieve my boredom, Oji-san has been in there for over an hour! The police at the front won't let us inside, so we have to wait of him to come out to get told anything.
Right then, Oji-san storms out of the building, clearly angered.
"Otou-san came out!" Ran and I jogged over to Oji-san who was fuming.
"Suspicious! Way too suspicious!" We headed home, down a busy road as Oji-san let out some steam.
"He's got to be the one that did it! 500,00 yen! He paid me 500,000 yen to follow that guy for three days! That's way too much! And that disgusting self-confident smile…I'm not swallowing it!"
"Then why didn't you arrest him?" Ran asked, confused.
"His alibi's perfect…And furthermore…He used me to make it!"
"Eh?"
7:03pm
"Shit! I will crack his alibi!"
Mouri-san opened a large, yellow envelope and dumped out it's contents on the coffee table. Dozens of photos scattered, all of the same man staring at the camera.
"What's that?" Ran leaned over to scan the photos.
"This is the schedule of Abe Yutaka's trip to Kyuushu and the photo's he took!"
"Did you just take them without asking?!"
"No, I asked the inspector and he said he would lend them especially to me!" Mouri-san is glued to the photos, checking them one by one to find a fault or clue within them.
Mouri-san and Ran-neechan keep talking, but I've stopped listening. I hang off the back of the couch, where Mouri-san is sitting, to get a clearer look at the photos. It's then I notice something strange.
The photos, every single one of them, as a clock clearly within the frame. So clear, that we can tell exactly at what time the photo was taken. Mouri-san was right, this is suspicious. But it was kinda funny too, having all the photos like this, it's almost annoyingly deliberate…
"What's so funny?!" I realise that I was laughing, Mouri-san glares at me and I explain.
"In all these pictures, there's a clock!"
"Now that you mention it…"
"He must really like clocks."
As Mouri-san ponder this, I notice another yellow envelope leaning against the other side of the table. I quickly jump off the couch and run over to it.
"What's in this bag?" I grab the envelope, holding it up. Photo's fall out of the bag, scattering across the table. Oops, I should have checking if it was open first.
I quickly try to grab the falling photos, but only succeed in pushing them around, mixing them with the photos of Abe Yutaka. I desperately try to separate them without much luck, I feel myself panicking. Oops again…
"The pictures I took…Of the man…Who was murdered!" With every word I hear him getting angrier and angrier as I mess up the photos even more.
He hits me over the head, and I immediately retreat from the table, running into Ran-neechan who had started rearranging the photo's correctly.
"You don't have to hit him so much…" Ran-neechan picked up one of the photos before asking, "Are you sure this is the person who was killed?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it. The victim's ID was found on the ground nearby, and the dental records matched! IT's gotta be that guy!"
"Hmm…" Ran-neechan looked unconvinced. I guess I understand, what kind of criminal would leave the ID nearby the crime scene as well as leaving the body in such an obvious place, just waiting to be found… There's got to be something, a clue as to why…
I glance back at the pictures and notice something odd about one of them. I could have sworn… I'm sure the other picture of Negishi Masaki-san was…
I grab another picture, confirming my suspicions. The first picture showed him eating noodles, with his chopsticks in his left hand; but the in the other one, he was writing with his right hand! I notice that he seemed to have swapped hands on Wednesday… which is also when Abe Yutaka's vacation started!
"That's enough you little brat!" Mouri-san pulled me away from the photo's that I had been rearranging.
Jeez…
"Hmph, I know the killer is Abe Yutaka anyway! He had a motive too! His company was three million yen in debt!"
"Huh?" I move back over to Mouri-san.
"He's going to use the five hundred million yen he got from Negishi-san's life insurance to repay the debt…I'm sure of it! And he's going to use the remaining two hundred million ti take off overseas!"
"Overseas?" Now Ran-neechan moved over.
"He's leaving an employee in charge and taking a vacation! And…he's leaving tonight at 9 o'clock!"
I immediately check the clock on the wall. five to six.
We only have three hours left! Maybe we can trap him and make him confess! He has to!
6:14pm
I input Mouri-san's number into the public call box, hoping he couldn't track the source. I fiddle with the dials on my bow-tie-shaped voice changer to make me sound like Inspector Megure, and wait for Mouri-san to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Mouri-san? I believed we've cracked Abe Yutaka's alibi!"
"WHAT?! You cracked his alibi?! Are you sure Inspector Megure-dono?"
"Yeah…We're on our way to the airport now! We want your testimony as a part of this, so could you come too?
"Of course!"
"Great! I'll be waiting at the airport!"
I hang up, my ears still ringing a bit from Mouri-san's shouting. It was harder than I thought to act like a grown-up even with the right voice. I just hope no one can tell…
Okay, next is Oji-chan's voice….
"Hello?" Inspector Megure picked up the phone.
"Ah, Hello Inspector Megure-dono! This is Mouri Kogorou…"
After the Inspector hung up, I quickly abandoned the public call box, avoiding the curious stare of a nearby shop-lady. I run around the block back to the Mouri Detective Agency just as Oji-chan and Ran-neechan were leaving.
"Ah, Conan-kun! We just got a call from Megure-keibu, apparently he cracked Yutaka-san's alibi! We were just heading to the airport!" Ran-neechan took my hand and followed Oji-chan into the newly flagged taxi.
8:35pm
"Don't you dare get in my way!"
"Ok!" Me and Ran-neechan answer simultaneously as Mouri-san glares at us before returning to scanning the area for the Inspector.
I check the time. Eight, thirty-five.
They're gonna start boarding soon. I should get going…
I run up to a service desk, where two assistants sit.
"Hello little boy, can I help you?"
"Ah, yes. I need to find someone, he's about to get on a plane and I really need to talk to him!"
"Okay… We can call him using the speakers. What's his name?"
"Well, I don't need to talk to him, but say Negishi Masaki is waiting in the parking lot for him. His name's Abe Yutaka-san. HE should be boarding a flight to Seattle at 9!"
"Okay, I'll call for him, it'll just be a second."
8:44pm
This is a notice for one of our customers… Abe Yutaka-sama, on flight 99 to Seattle… waiting for you, there is one Negishi Masaki-sama in the front parking lot outside the airport. I repeat…
8:48pm
"That was quite a good plan, Oji-san… Negishi-san really died on Tuesday night, right?"
"Who's there?"
I stayed hidden behind a large car, echoes stopping Yutaka-san form discovering my hiding place.
"Yes, the night before you left on your vacation… And the next day, you have detective Mouri follow a fake who looked just like Negishi-san in order to make him think Negishi-san was alive through wednesday night. And then the body was found on Thursday evening, during the Hitmatsuri which you carefully checked ahead of time to make sure the times matched. With the body burnt in flames of the yagura, it was impossible to find the exact time of death. Ultimately, from detective Mouri's statements, he must've died sometime from Wednesday night to Thursday evening. And then you came back from your trip on friday night with a totally innocent face and your alibi was complete!"
I felt smug, I grin made it's way onto my face. Judging from Yutaka-san's silence, it seems I was right. But, there is only one way to be sure.
I jump on top of the hood of the car, while Yutaka-san faced away.
"Well? Was I right?"
Yutaka-sam's mouth fell open, and he stood, frozen.
"I just talked to one of the police detectives over there, and I tried my best to figure out what happened… It turned out your fake was unsuccessful. You might have tricked the detective, but you can't trick a photograph. Unlike Negishi-san, the fake was left handed."
I looked up at Yutaka-san, his eyes were obscured by his glasses, showing only reflections of the bright lights above us. It felt odd, staring up at him, it almost hurt my neck from looked directly upwards…
"Give it up. Lots of detectives are coming here right now!"
For a few seconds there was only silence before Yutaka-san burst into laugher.
"Amazing little boy! Suburb sleuthing!"
The sudden outburst made me jump a little and squeeze down on the tape recorder I'd been holding in my pocket. Luckily, it let me record what came next.
"Yes, I was indeed the one who killed Negishi Masaki….I, Abe Yutaka… But, I'm not going to be doing any giving up… I'm going to like nice and comfy in America!"
I press back down on the recorder, hearing a satisfying click.
"Eh? But I'll tell them that you confessed!"
"Hmph. No one will believe the words of a child."
"But…Oji-san. They'll believe your words, won't they?"
I raise the tape recorder and press play.
Yes, I was indeed the one who killed Negishi Masaki..I, Abe Yutaka…"
Yutaka-san struck forward and, before I had time to react, clasped his hand's around my neck, causing me to drop the tape recorder.
"Don't mess with me you little brat! Do you understand the feelings of the president of a company on the verge of bankruptcy?! Hahaha! It's his fault for being tricked! He was an idiot to fall for my plan and take out that insurance! He never even knew he was going to be killed!"
Noticing that struggling wasn't working, I bit down hard on Yutaka-san's hand causing him to toss me into a nearby car, knocking a spare tyre loose.
"And you were stupid for coming to me so I could kill you too…"
Yutaka-san slowly moved closer as I stood up. I felt dizzy and my head hurt from the impact, but I still had to deal with this guy.
I moved over to the spare tyre, now lying in front of me. I reach down, turning the dial on my shoes. I take a step back before kicking the tyre at Yutaka-san's head with all my might. I watched his glasses break as the tyre hit him squarely in the head, knocking him out instantly.
After I'm sure he's not getting back up, I walk over to the tape recorder. It had been recording since I'd dropped it, but it still had the important part. The rest was mostly inaudible and didn't give anything away.
8:56pm
"W-What's this?!" I watched Morui-san and the Inspector approach Yutaka-san's body with the tape recorder repeating what he had said. As I watched a policeman officially arrest Yutaka-san I grinned before making my way back to the airport terminal and an awaiting Ran-neechan.
?
5:46am
28/6/XXX9
?
"Oi, Kudo! Down here!" A masked man waved at me from further down the corridor.
"Yeah, gotcha'. Just a sec."
I was almost done with this door, the electronic locks in this place were a nightmare to break through. Suddenly the keypad flashed green and the door slides open. I grin and flash a thumbs up to the guy down the hall who just shakes his head.
The room appears empty, but there's not much light so it's hard to tell. I move to the centre of the room, avoiding overturned desks and spilled chemicals slowly eroding the floor.
"Come on… It's got to be here somewhere…"
I pull a flashlight off my belt, switch it on and use it to try and find my way around. I listen for any sound, maybe a survivor. I haven't seen any bodies, but there are bullet holes in some of these desks.
As I reach a far corner I see where all the bodies are. Around a dozen bodies, all in lab coats are piled just out of sight, behind an upright desk.
But, before I could get a closer look I hear light footsteps and I freeze.
I hear a faint click of a gun and spin around, grabbing my own to point it at…at…
I stare at a young girl, around 7 or 8, holding a pistol, pointed straight at me. I can see her shaking but she's glaring at me.
"Hey… I don't want to hurt you." I lower my gun for emphasis.
"Whatcha' doing in a place like this?"
She doesn't say a word, she's frozen in place and won't stop glaring.
"I want to help you. You survived the attack yeah? You've been stuck in this room."
She still seems wary of me, but she lowers the gun a bit and nods.
I grin at the progress. "Do you, want to get out of here? You can go somewhere safe. Uh, got any relatives or something."
"No." She shakes her head.
There must be something I can do…
"Hmm… I know, me and my friends outside will find you somewhere safe. Like, uh, I have a friend… who lives in Tokyo with one of my relatives. He'd be about your age. If we can't find a family member or something then I'll see if you can stay there!"
"Only if they're not… stupid."
"Eh?"
"I hate stupid people. Like them."
"Then you'll have nothing to worry about!" I say, grinning. "My friends an inventor and Conan-kun's almost as bright as me! C'mon, let's get you out of here. You don't need to worry about them anymore. Especially not with me on the case!"
I hold out my hand for her to take and, after a moment's hesitation, she takes it.
"Oh, I didn't catch your name."
"Miyano Shiho. But…they know who I am."
"Well, you can pick another name! Anyone you want. Oh, I'm Kudo Shinichi, by the way! Nice to meet you, Miyano-san!"
Though it was hard to tell, in the dark room, I could've sworn I saw a faint smile.
Yo, Jodie!
The, uh, fifth lab was clear. But we uh, well, I, found this girl here, who survived. I know, cool, right? Anyway, she'll need somewhere to go, maybe a relative or something. Say's her name's Miyano Shiho, she's the little sister of one of the scientists…uh, gimmie a sec. uh, Akemi Miyano, yeah. But, the lab is empty, they all ran off I suppose and we couldn't find any clues to their other bases, so we're back to square one, I suppose. We're heading over now, We'll arrive in an hour or so. I'll see you soon.
Kudo, OUT!
hehe. I mean, uh, Over.
*Yagura (櫓, 矢倉) is the Japanese word for: "tower", "turret", "keep", "scaffold". The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well.
**Himatsuri: Fire Festival (火まつり)
