A/N: Whew. I thought I'd never get this chapter finished. Well, sparring you the whole boring story, lets just say that after my week long Christmas hiatus (Dec 23'rd - Dec 30'th), I went to get on the computer... and my mouse had died. Better yet? The store was sold out. Are mice hot Christmas presents or something? Anyway, this was supposed to be the short version. I'm back now, and that's what counts, right?

As usually, this was not quite what I'd originally envisioned. These chapters seem to have a way of getting away from me. But, I think it will do, and I hope you all enjoy! : )

This has been one of my more rushed chapter, believe it or not. (Seeing as how I've only actually been working on it for four days now.) So it's especially important here that you point out any parts that just don't jiive with you. (Is it possible to say the word 'jive' without dragging it out?)

Oh, and I have a question. I've seen it both ways, so I'm kind of unsure. Is it the Shounen Tantei, or the Shounen Tantei Dan? Just for future reference. : )

As always, if you see anything out of place, let me know. Was Conan out of character? Did I mess up an honorific? Did the descriptions leave something to be desired? And if so, how could I improve? (I decided to deviate a little from the usual rant, though of course all of it still applies. ;D)

Obligatory plea for refinement out of the way, here's my review responses! And remember, the Akai discussion is being continued at the bottom.

- - - - Reviews - - - -

x.S T R E A K Z.x: *Jumping for joy* I was seriously bouncing in my chair, grinning like a loon reading that. ^_^ Thankyouthankyouthankyou! And I'm sorry that this update wasn't quite as... prompt, as usual. :P
I'm usually pretty Hakuba-like with the whole deadline thing, but it's not called the unexpected without reason.
And I'm soooo scared that that's exactly what's going to happen. XD I can just imagine putting all this effort into a Kid heist, and then people being like "... That was IT?" No worries, though, it'll still be written, for better or worse. And Corvus will indeed make a few more appearances, not to worry.

blue-espeon: Sorry, I'm afraid I've imposed a wait. And thank you for being nitpicky! It's exactly those little details that escape me in my hours of editing. :P

Chelseaj500: Wow, having the BO make contact like that would be a perfect idea, but unfortunately, that isn't where things are headed. It would make quite an interesting story in its own right though. I can just see it, Gin continued to monitor the Detective Agency after the shoot out with Akai, and some of the phone calls made between a certain shrunken detective and biochemist put them on the Org's hitlist.

Miruial: Well I have to admit that I hardly ever get anything right. Unless something strikes me as particularly strange, I usually take the "sit back and wait for Shinichi to do it" route. In fact, I bet the number of times that I've correctly solved a case before the resolution could be counted on my fingers. XD

Jebbifurzz: *Facepalm.* I edited the chapter, many apologies. I guess it was so Sonoko-like, it must have been floating around in my head as something that she'd actually said. ^_^ Hehe well, the sincerest form of flattery...

Elena Forest: Oh, I was recommended was I? Well Streakz, if you're reading, extra brownie points to you. (And you already have quite a few!) Hmm, well the altered footage he made is certainly going to come back around. I hadn't really planned on writing a chapter about the police discovering... Well, I guess "remains" would be quite an appropriate term. However, I can certainly make sure to mention him! And obviously that won't be Gin and Vodka's only appearance. I just haven't quite gotten to that part of the story yet. Ack! And thanks for the tip, problem fixed.

Z: *Facepalms once more. Over the same issue.* My fault, my fault... When I went to edit out a previously mentioned mistake, I accidentally submitted the edited chapter into the chapter 5 slot, not chapter 3. If you're reading this, you probably already know the problem's been fixed. But if by some happenstance you are reading this without having read chapter 5, everything is once again in working order.

A handful of hours later once Kogoro had finally decided to grace the world with his presence, lunch had been served and devoured, and Ran had shown her father the letter, they were once again piling into the rental car making their way toward Matsuki. As none of them happened to know what or where the place was, a quick look-up in the phone book had been required prior leaving. Except for Conan, of course, but he was hardly about to confess to keeping tabs on all of the popular places around town just in case the knowledge came in handy.

Matsuki had started off as just another over-priced seafood restaurant, but by that odd stroke of luck that seemed to come around every so often, quickly developed into a hotspot for the rich and well-to-do. They were booked a month in advance, and their originally over-priced food was a bargain compared to the items the newest menus sported. It seemed the higher their prices climbed, the more 'exclusive' the restaurant became, and so the more desirable it was to those that could afford it.

Thoughts of the absurdity of it all brought a small smile to Conan's eyes. But as he returned his attention to the blur of colors that were the buildings and lights of places past, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving him once more to gaze out the window, boredom the predominant emotion on the reflection staring back at him. He seriously doubted that tonight would amount to much. He wouldn't have even tagged along if he hadn't been cooped up inside of the house the whole day. Kogoro received at least one of these cases a month, usually from richer clients who could afford to pay his exorbitant fee when any other detective would only charge half the amount. The only real mystery here was who the client cold be, but even this mystery would reveal itself without prompt. Such an anticlimax, in his opinion, was even worse than having no mystery at all.

In the front, Kogoro was muttering something about all of the stupid people that weren't able to drive to save their life, but Conan didn't pay him much attention, instead keeping his gaze pinned to the last dark purple remnants of the sunset that he managed to catch between the gap in two buildings. After all, it would have been far more noteworthy had Kogoro ever stopped muttering, for that would either have meant they were the only car on the road or that everybody was driving 30 over the speed limit. And the latter was a maybe.

However, as the mutterings continued to grow in volume and frequency, his interest was roused, though in this state of boredom that really wasn't saying all that much. Twisting his head straight once more, his gaze fell on the canary yellow sportscar that seemed to be drifting from one side of the lane to the other. He noticed, his sense of cavalier interest growing once more, that all of the other cars seemed to have either backed off from the car and its odd swaying, or stepped on the gas and simply left it behind. So they've been doing this for a while, he mused. Then, probably some idiot who decided to have a few drinks after work.

The car continued to sway, one way then the other, usually not too extreme but occasionally giving a sharp jerk to one side or the other when it got too close to the line. Conan quickly lost interest, reverting back to his previous state of boredom, resorting once again to simply staring out the window and watching the buildings fly by. He yawned, then rubbed the following tear from his eye with the back of his fist. All of the excitemeant must be catching up to me, he thought, enough sarcasm to make even Haibara's eyebrow quirk, if only she had heard.

Only a moment after that thought, several things seemed happen at once. The swerving car was riding on the lines on the left side of the lane, tires occasionally leaving a black scar on the median as they brushed against it, and a blue minivan in the right lane decided that that was the perfect time to speed ahead so that they wouldn't have to drive behind this erratic driver all the way home. But just as the minivan had nearly passed, with only inches to surpass the yellow sportscar, the car jerked suddenly to the right, once again over correcting itself. Front bumper met rear bumper with a solid thud, and the sharp jolt sent the minivan fishtailing. The sportscar went completely out of control, front tires skidding sideways for a time that was both brief and seemingly infinite as the surreal scene refused to register in any observer's mind. Then just as the car had skid roughly 90 degrees, it flipped.

Conan uttered something that surely would have warrented a scolding, had Kogoro not shouted the exact same thing and drowned him out. The sudden G-forces threw him violently forward as Kogoro slammed on the breaks, his seat belt feeling like some kind of skinny boa constrictor trying to crack his ribs as it held him firmly in his seat. But they weren't slowing down fast enough.

When canary yellow seemed to take up the entire windshield and impact seemed inevitable, Kogoro tugged the steering wheel hard to the left and pulled on the emergency break, sending them into what Conan could only hope was a controlled skid and not a wild slide. Tires squealed, the back of the car spun around sharply, and suddenly they found themselves at a dead stop after a 180 degree pivot facing oncoming traffic. In the opposite lane, some part of Conan's brain noted, but his conscious mind wasn't yet ready to take notice of this.

Where before the sound of their screeching tires had blocked it out, the sound of crunching metal and glass was plain to hear as the sportscar rolled one final time, at last coming to a rest right-side up, with it's front end resting on the median and it's rear sticking out into the road. Conan could see the minivan out of his window as the driver regained control and pulled over on the side of the road, a sizable dent on the side of their bumper all they had to show for their flirt with disaster. He couldn't see the sportscar, for it had come to rest somewhere out of view behind him, so he could only imagine the damage it had sustained.

After some length of time had passed, be it minutes or moments he couldn't say, Kogoro had pulled up on to the median. Once they were safely off the road, he let out a deep sigh, switching the car off. "Is everyone all right?"

"I'm ok," Conan responded, forcing himself to breathe after realizing that he'd been holding his breath ever since the collision.

"So am I," Ran said, a slight quiver to her voice that matched the way her hand was gently shaking. Kogoro yanked the keys from the ignition and threw open his door, remembering something just before he slammed it shut. He gave a quick "Call an ambulance! And the police," before running off to check on the other drivers and passengers. Ran found her phone in hand, as if by reflex, and dialed the all too familiar number without even needing to think about it.

Conan was barely out of the car before the first of the far off sirens could be heard. Apparently there had been a patrol car nearby, though he didn't think it would be able to arrive any time in the next few minutes, especially with the traffic that was starting to build up behind them. Kogoro was over making sure everyone in the minivan was ok, so Conan went to check on the occupants of the sportscar, who were likely far worse off. That is, if the pile of yellow wreckage before him still qualified as an automobile.

Shattered glass crunched underfoot, the remnants of what was once the side and rear windows. This did give him one advantage, however, for it allowed him an unimpeded view of the cars interior. He peered inside, finding only the form of a single man, anywhere from his late thirties to mid forties. There were shallow abrasions covering his face and arms from the sharp glass that had blown in on him, but they'd barely even drawn any blood, so more than likely they wouldn't be life threatening. Internal injuries, though, he couldn't be sure about. The man's arms and legs appeared unbroken, but that only meant they weren't broken to a horribly gruesome extent. Conan noticed the man looked slightly flushed. Probably from alcohol, or the cold, he concluded. Maybe a combination of both.

He grabbed hold of the metal door handle, testing it out with a quick tug. Locked. Or Jammed. He reached inside, making sure the door was unlocked, and tried again. Still nothing. He raced around to the other side of the car, trying the passenger side door as well, but the effort was made in vain. He grunted and bared his teeth as he pulled, utilizing every ounce of his body weight to try and pry the door open. But still, success eluded him. If only I were stronger, he growled. He stopped soon after, panting from the effort. His breath fanned out in great white plumes in front of his eyes, like some kind of enraged dragon ready to let out its deadly blaze. A realization struck. He looked up, observing the driver once more. One, he counted in his head. Two, three, a small tug in his gut told him that his suspicions had been right. Four... Five.

Over the course of the last five seconds, the driver's chest hadn't budged. He wasn't breathing. "Ojisan!" He yelled, scowling at his own inattentiveness. How could he have missed that? Was he too wrapped up in his own self-pity, his own pining for his older stronger body, to notice a man dieing right in front of his eyes?

It was then that he heard the opening of a car door, and turned in time to see it fall shut behind a female officer, chocolate brown hair cascading to just bellow her shoulders. Yumi, her usual bubbly attitude for the moment suppressed under a veil of professionalism, took in the three involved cars with a careful but tired eye. Her shift was supposed to be over in less than ten minutes, and then she gets a call like this?

Kogoro had started toward his little nuisance in glasses, ready to give him a wallop over the head if he'd been called away for no good reason. He'd already opened his mouth to say something along the lines of "This had better be good" when Conan cut him off, yelling it loudly enough for everyone around to hear. "He's not breathing! I can't open the doors, they're jammed!"

Everyone, excluding the pregnant wife of the minivan's driver and their four year old son, had taken turns trying to get the door open. However, three minutes after first discovering that the driver wasn't breathing, and knowing that his heart had stopped some time before he'd discovered this, Conan backed away with a solemn expression. The man was dead, whether or not the others realized it. And he wasn't going to be the one to say anything. He saw his own emotions reflected in Kogoro's eyes. Obviously the same thought had occurred to him.

It wasn't long before the paramedics arrived, giving the mother, child and husband a clean bill of health. But with a quick check of the sportscar's driver's pulse, one paramedic simply gave a date and time while the other wrote it down. It was impossible to attempt resuscitation with him stuck in the car, and they'd have to wait for the fire department to cut him out. Besides the fact that he hadn't taken a breath in well over five minutes, any doubt was erased by the icy chill the body had already taken on.

Meanwhile, Conan was running some peculiarities through his mind. There weren't any visible wounds, aside from the shallow scratches. The scratches that didn't bleed much at all. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, being more preoccupied trying to get the man out of the car, but something about them seemed off. The paramedics and two other police officers that had arrived were discussing something over by the ambulance, Yumi was taking statements from Kogoro, Ran, and the husband and wife from the minivan.

While everyone was distracted he took the chance to look at those cuts again. He stepped lightly, fearful that should a piece of glass crunch too loudly under a careless step it would bring everyone's attention crashing down on him. After dodging around a couple of larger pieces of glass, he found himself back at the driver side door, examining the driver once more.

His face became a solid mask of concentration, thumb and forefinger sliding into place beneath his chin. His face appears flushed, he reiterated to himself. Flushing involves the expansion of blood vessels, allowing more blood into the cheeks. So then, why did these lacerations draw as little blood as they did? He came to a conclusion that didn't make any sense. If the scratches are postmortem, then that means he was dead before the glass shattered. And since the glass shattered when the car started to roll... He would have had to have been dead before he ever hit the minivan.

The obvious, immediate thought that came to mind was but the dead can't drive! Nonetheless, the evidence stared him right in the face.

Looking for anything else that could have been overlooked, he noticed something peculiar once more, this time with the man's hands. His fingertips, to be more precise. There's no way, he realized. He took another look at the man's face, then his fingertips, and continued to eye them back and forth, comparing them to make certain that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing. They're still red. Not only should the blood have drained away by now, but it's not quite the right color. It's too bright to be natural.

He didn't have many clues to go on, but slowly the pieces were falling together. Something happened in that car, in the last few minutes of the man's life. And since he didn't pull over, he probably never knew it was coming.

Welcome back to Theory Time everyone! *Theme music plays as the audience applauds.*

blue-espeon: Haha, 'red' herring. Now that's punny.

Pu7o: True, very true. The only really obvious hint is that Conan immediately trusted Okiya from the moment he met him, even offering to let him stay in the Kudo mansion. Everything else you really have to look for.

Miruial: I know, i want more storyline episodes! XD
Well, maybe not thaaat obvious, but like I said I'm not usually the one to pick up on the hints before everything's revealed. But maybe these were just things I happened to actually notice for once. :P
That's what I always hope for, that at the end of an episode or series something unexpected happens that throws all of your preconceptions out the window. Those are always the best cases.

YumeTakato: I got quite a bit of info from the detectiveconanworld wiki, but now I guess I'll have to give the dctp a look too. : )