A/N:Well this will be the last of the 'filler' chapters for a little while, thank goodness. Writing these is way more difficult than the more exciting chapters.(And probably not as fun to read, I'd imagine.)

The setup for Kaitou Kid's heist and the next case is here, and after this it's just mystery and heist, and a surprise or two I'm going to throw your way. One of them being one of the core plot points to this story. (I bet you were thinking I was going to pull a Gosho and just have thirty mysteries without any plot expansion, huh? ;P)

See if you guys can crack the Kid's message!

Review for any conceivable reason.

- - - - Reviews - - - -

Miruial: Haha ok. ^_^ I'll put my theory at the bottom of the story, to keep this top part from being massive. Gotta keep it clean.

Chelseaj500: Yep, and the suspense and mystery will only thicken from here on out. I can promise that. :P And thank you for reviewing every chapter so faithfully! I really do appreciate it!

YumeTakato: Yay, a new fan! Well, I hope I don't disappoint, and as I'm always stressing, don't be afraid to point out the flaws. I like being able to polish my work, but after looking at each chapter for so long, it becomes impossible to spot all of the flaws in it. (I hope that makes sense. XD)

- - - - Update! - - - -

I forgot to mention! The spaces in the number puzzle are only there because Fanfiction was deleting it for some reason. If you are trying to solve the riddle, don't be thrown by them!

Conan sat on the couch in the Agency, really not sure what to do. Ran was on the phone with his school, calling to let them know that he wouldn't be attending that day. He couldn't hear what was being said on the other end and when Ran's features twisted into an annoyed frown, he could only guess at what they'd said. Maybe even they want to know if I've solved the Kid riddle? he thought with a bit of wry humor.

He diverted his gaze to the large windows where it was easy to see the gathered masses outside. Some had left after he went back inside, including two of the journalists, but the rest remained. Out of pure curiosity, he reached for the remote laying on the seat next to him. The tv flickered on a moment later, an infomercial trying to sell something that resembled a shoebox filed will clear jelly that was supposedly the hottest craze for cat owners.

It disappeared with the push of a button, replaced with some cartoon. An anvil was falling through the air, the sides warping and bending as it fell. He didn't wait to see where it landed, almost certainly on the head of some unsuspecting character. Somehow, the humor in that wasn't all there after seeing one too many people crushed to death by falling objects.

Finally he landed on a news station. Better yet, one of the stations that still had a reporter outside of his house, which meant that they were surely still covering the Kid news. He missed the beginning of the sentence, but he could tell that the woman was indeed talking about the Kid notice. Only, it was nothing helpful. She only reiterated what he already knew. Kid had sent out a notice, the police were working on it, and they were doing what they could to protect the "Dragon's Eye". Apparently, that was the name of the jewel being targeted. He also gather that it was being kept at a very expensive looking restaurant, but that was about it for their 'in-depth' coverage.

Conan let out a dissatisfied groan, the screen fading to black as he jumped up out of his chair. He felt the weight of the two phones he had, one in each pocket, and decided that there were better, more reliable ways to go about getting the information he needed. Ran had long since ended her call with his school, now telling her own principle that she wouldn't be coming to class today, and trying to explain why her father couldn't be bothered to make the call himself.

Since she wasn't paying attention to him to begin with, slipping away without her noticing was easier than it usually was. He couldn't go into his room, Kogoro was still sleeping but would be waking up at any time now. So he went to the only place that he was guaranteed some sense of privacy; the bathroom.

He grabbed his phone, flipping through to his contacts, then paused as he tried to decide who to call. It only took a moment. There was only one person that made sense to call in a situation like this.

Agasa was leaned over a low work table, welding mask shut firmly over his face, sparks flying from a small metal device in front of him. It was a surprise he was working on for a certain shrunken detective, who was outgrowing one of his earlier gadgets. He'd been working on it for the last three days, and was nearly finished. All he really needed was to finish the shock-resistant, water-proof shell since, naturally, being around Shinichi was just about the most hazardous environment any electronic could face.

However, those weren't the only improvements he was making. Oh no. The first generation had been made in a hurry, but he was taking his time with this one. A lot of time, actually. He'd been working on it for three hours solid just this morning, before Haibara had even woken up. He couldn't help it. He'd been too excited to get it finished to sleep, and as soon as he'd found himself suddenly awake so early in the morning, he knew he'd never be able to settle back down.

But now, that decision was catching up to him. His hands felt sluggish and his eyes were growing heavy, and he was afraid that in his haste to finish the project he'd wind up making a mistake and actually postponing its completion by a few weeks at least as he waited for new materials. One of these near mistakes was when his phone suddenly went off, vibrating and screeching in his pocket. It took him a few seconds to shut off his electric welder, yank off his mask and check the caller ID before he answered. "Shi- Uh, Conan-kun?" he answered, his confusion obvious to anyone paying attention.

"Hey Hakase," came the quiet reply. "It's ok, I'm alone."

"What are you doing out of school, Ai-kun left half an hour ago?" he asked. Then, "Don't tell me you ran into a case on the way to school?"

"Not exactly. Well, kind of, really, but not how you're imagining it. Actually, I sort of need your help with it."

"Oh?" he asked. He cast a quick glance at his unfinished work before turning away, walking toward the stairs. Usually when his help was needed, it was either as a researcher, or as emergency transportation. And he could be neither of those things from his basement laboratory.

"Kaitou Kid sent out a heist notice last night," Conan said. After a short pause, and silence from the professor, he continued. "I need you to find out what it said."

"You didn't get a chance to read it?" he asked, while inside he was thinking researcher it is. He made his way to the top of the stairs, changing course toward his study. But that still didn't answer the question as to why he wasn't in school. Besides, this whole thing was strange. Why didn't Shinichi just look at the notice himself?

Conan, knowing about where the professor's thoughts were headed, decided to answer both questions at once. "I only found out after I tried to leave the Agency and was stopped by a crowd of Kid fans and reporters standing out in the street."

Agasa let out a low hum as he began to understand the situation. "This isn't good, Shinichi. The last thing you need is attention. What if They start suspecting something is going on?"

"Believe me, I know," he groaned, not at the question but at what it entailed. "But I've thought this through from every direction. They have no reason to suspect me of anything just because I solved a few riddles. And if we're worried about me becoming famous in general, either way it's fairly much a guarantee that they'll run a story on me. If I don't show up, then I go from a small mention at the end of the article to the center of the story. People would want to know where I was and why I wasn't at the heist. And when people have questions, that leads to investigations. And where there are investigations..." He didn't need to finish that sentence, allowing it to hang. The message had been conveyed.

"But the same could be said for chasing after him," Agasa warned. "If you start to get your own fans again, then there will be stories about you, too."

A rush of static met the inventor's ear as Conan sighed. "I know. But it's the lesser of two evils. I just have to try and be more discreet, while still showing up."

Finally sitting down in his office chair Agasa shook the mouse to dispel the screensaver, currently nothing more than a small ball that bounced around the black screen changing shape and color every so often, and typed in his login and password. A quick search landed him on a Kaitou Kid fan page, where all of his riddles were displayed, including the most recent.

"I think I've found it Shinichi," he said as he read over the lines himself, trying to make sense out of it. He read it a few more times, taking his time, really thinking it over.

"Hakase?" Conan asked as the silence stretched on.

"Oh, right!" he stammered with a short chuckle. "Here goes. When two becomes one, time itself will guide me to the Dragon's Eye on the eve of the exterminator's return. Make any sense to you?"

Conan was silent, eyes gazing unseeing at the back of the bathroom door. "Nothing yet. Could you copy it and send it in an email? It might help if I can see it."

Agasa nodded before remembering that Conan couldn't see him over the phone. "Sure, one second."

But just as he was about to start, he saw a comment below the riddle and decided to scroll down to take a look. "Hey Shinichi?"

"Yeah?"

"Has Kid ever sent two notices before?"

Conan thought for a minute, trying to recall. "Well, there was the Black Star heist. The first notice was fake, to toy with the police, and then he sent the real notice. And-"

The professor shook his head, once again remembering that Conan couldn't see him. "No, no," he cut him off. "I mean two at once. Because it appears that he left two notices, side by side."

Conan muttered something the professor couldn't quite make out, then "What's it say?"

But the professor had already copied both notices into an e-mail and sent them to the 'Shinichi' phone. "Take a look."

Conan didn't know what he meant for a split second, then his other phone started to vibrate. He reached into his pocket, flipping open his other phone. A One new message, alert popped up, and once he closed it, found a one new voicemail alert behind it. Ignoring it for now, he went straight to the new email from the professor and opened it. At the top was the first notice, but bellow that...

Here's a hint, should my favorite little club of ace detectives figure it out.
.107011.0111011101. .070110.1011.0. .01.1.0. .0.101.0701.0.0.. .10.0.1.
070.1.0. 0.. .10.0 .10.1. .0.. .070.. ..0. .0.. .070. ..0.01. 1.0. 1.0 .010. ..0. 1.1.1

"It's a challenge," the professor spoke. But even as he did so, something elsewhere caught his eye that made his already serious face fall into a frown. But it was nothing to bother anyone with now.

"At least the reporters make sense now," Conan spoke in a near whisper. He wracked his brain. This really threw a wrench into the works. Everything had to be reevaluated and reanalyzed. It wasn't that he was getting more popular, it was that he was being called out. Showing up but trying not to garner any attention wasn't possible anymore. Regardless of how low profile he was, if he still managed to stop the thief, then the thief would continue to acknowledge him. But he still couldn't suddenly stop chasing him, or the same consequences would ensue. It was the worst of both scenarios.

"Thank you Hakase," Conan said, still lost in thought.

"Oh, one more thing Shinichi."

Conan blinked. There was more? "Yeah?" he asked warily.

"I have something to show you later. Come by, maybe some time tomorrow, once you've sorted all of this out."

This tickled at his curiosity just enough to snap him out of his contemplation. "What is it?"

"Two things, actually," Agasa said with a brighter tone. "You'll see when you get here. Don't worry about it for now."

Conan wondered for a split second if he should push it, but decided to follow his advice and not worry about it. He had enough on his plate. "Thanks again," Conan said sincerely. "I hate to think of where I'd be without you."

The professor gave a short chuckle, then "Me too. I'd go crazy if I had that much free time." Then, joking aside, he finished with all seriousness "Just be careful."

"I will, Hakase," he said, and then the phone disconnected leaving the professor alone once more, at his desk, feeling nothing but sympathy for the young boy. He turned back to the screen, closing the tab with the Kid information on it and bookmarking a news report he'd found. He organized them then, moving the newest addition into a group with several other reports similar to it before standing. He yawned, his back crackling as he stretched. Maybe, he thought, heading towards the second floor. I'll just take a quick nap before Ai-kun gets home.

Conan had slipped out of the bathroom a moment later. He could hardly stay locked in there all day, after all. Besides, he'd long since memorized the notice, and he could think just as well on the couch as he could in the bathroom, couldn't he?

He flopped down on the couch, reclaiming the spot he'd taken earlier, and gazed at the black television screen. He could reach over, grab the remote and turn it on, if he wanted to. Which he really didn't. It was nice and quiet, and that suited him just fine. It let his mind mull over the notice, toss it around, examine the important parts, and the parts that might be disguised as insignificant. "When two become one," he muttered to himself. Well, that could mean pretty much anything. "Time itself will guide me," he spoke again, followed by a silent sigh. Definitely Kid. Nobody else could be that theatrical.

He tossed ideas around, playing with them, like a small child finding that a square won't fit through a round hole and experimenting to see if any other shapes would. He thought, and pondered, and scrutinized until he could feel the beginnings of a headache settling between his eyes. During this time, he just kept staring ahead, in the dead silence, hoping desperately for inspiration, but none ever came.

Then suddenly, after what seemed like hours, he couldn't sit there any longer. If he did... Well, some of his thoughts even he could tell were being overly dramatic. But he still couldn't sit on the couch all day, staring at a blank television set until he fell into a sensory deficit coma.

That's when the front door opened, and Ran walked in, kicking off her shoes and bring in an armful of mail. It was only as she appeared that he realized he hadn't seen her ever since he'd left her on the phone to go call the professor. But surely it didn't take that long to get the mail, so where else had she been?

She plopped down in Kogoro's chair behind his desk, sifting through the mail. "Bill, bill, bill," with every muttered word, one envelope would end up in a stack. So far, that would be just one stack. Bills.

"Bill... A client?" she said surprised, turning the very last letter in her hands back and forth to see both the front and back. Conan hopped down from the couch to take a look, and Ran held it down once he was standing at her side.

"No return address?" he asked. Ran made quick work of the envelope, finding a letter and a check inside. Conan was instantly suspicious. Anonymous requests were rarely anonymous without a reason. He took a closer look as Ran unfolded the letter, holding it open for them both to see. The first thing he noticed was the paper. There was a look to it that just screamed expensive taste. It was very possibly from an upper-class company, maybe a law firm or the like. The letter seemed to be hand written with a very elegant handwriting style, further supporting his theory.

Mouri-sama,

I request your help on a very personal matter. I have reason to believe that my love interest is being unfaithful.
I have tried to deny my suspicions for long enough, and now I want proof, one way or the other. Meet me at
Matsuki, we'll be able to blend in with the crowd. I'll make contact there, and give you additional information.

I trust you are professional enough to keep this letter, the information it contains, and anything further that you may learn, confidential.

A/N: Theory time! Feel free to skip this part if you wish, my fantastical readers. This is mostly for Miruial, but I want to keep it public in case our little discussion has caught anyone's attention. :P

That's mostly dead on what I was thinking. XD All I can do now is give further evidence, and add one or two things toward the bottom.

'Scar Akai' made the deductions at the end of the department store bomb scare case and sent them by email to Kogoro, who read them just after Conan's deductions. He wanted them out of there for some reason, I haven't figured this part out yet. This doesn't necessarily point to him being Bourbon, Akai has quite a head on his shoulders himself, but we are told that Bourbon is a deduction master. (or something along those lines.)

Then when Okiya bumps into Jodie (same episode again), he says they share a 50-50 responsibility because she "wasn't paying attention to her surroundings". Jodie was trying to find Akai. Yeeaaahh...

After ordering Chianti and Korn to stand down, Gin said "Always doing as he pleases. Irritating as usual." He then goes on to compare 'him' to Sherlock Holmes.

This would also explain Haibara's "feeling" about Okiya being with the Organization that comes and goes.

Not to mention that Akai Shuichi, Moroboshi Dai (his alias in the Org.) and Subaru Okiya are all plays off of the Gundam character Char Aznable. (I sort of cheated on this one. It came from the DC wiki. I never would have noticed otherwise.)

My only hesitation would be that it's almost too obvious. Think about how it was when everyone was so sure that Jodie was Vermouth. There were no hints, no little clues. I've had a moment or two when I've suspected that maybe Okiya is both Akai and Bourbon. I mean, a guy like Akai is not going to sit still. He'd re-enter the Organization in a heartbeat, but in order for it to go that quickly, he would have already needed to have planned on disappearing and becoming Okiya even before the Kir situation, and have already made several appearances as Okiya in front of them.

I also kind of have a suspicion that Scar Akai could be James Black, working for the Organization. Not to say that the fact that they've never appeared in the same room together is suspicious or anything, but he does seem to pop up right when James leaves, and disappear right when James arrives... Not to mention, with a name like James BLACK, it does seem a bit like an alias. James is also the only main FBI character to have not seen Scar Akai.

You know... Unless I'm forgetting something, and look really stupid now. ^_^