Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews everyone! I'm really fueled up to write whenever I receive them. And I'm very happy that everyone likes the story so far. ^^

Happy reading everyone!

CASE 3

The cubicle door sprung open and a smile curled on the other detective's lips as the person she had been expecting finally came to view. "Long time no see, Great High School Detective Kudo Shinichi."

She received a smirk from him as he placed both hands on the pants' either pocket and faced her proudly. "Aa. I would have to say the same thing to myself," he said ironically more to himself than to his companion.

However, the smirk faded instantly and was replaced by an irritated look and he stared at her accusingly, "What are you doing here anyway? This is the men's room."

She raised both of her hands. "My, my, your mood swings seem to be as bad as of a lady's already. Being Conan for quite a while did the trick, eh?"

He just gave her one of his famous glares in reply.

She sighed and put down her hands to her sides. "There are no people around. Besides, you should thank me because after all, if I didn't enter this restroom, you'd still be naked until now."

Shinichi's cheeks visibly burned to that statement. Who wouldn't? What she said was true, after all. He cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Just like what I've thought, you really are a member of the Organization."

"Huh?" she blinked innocently.

"I don't know what method you used in entering the Organization but you've just transformed me back into Kudo Shinichi. Not to mention, your antidote seems to be more successful than the ones Haibara makes because I need to have a cold so the antidote could work but yours, it didn't require anything at all. All I needed to do was to drink it and the effect was instantaneous. There is only one thing I can deduce from it, you have the data about the Apotoxin 4869 and can make a much more reliable antidote. Well, now you've proven your deduction that Edogawa Conan and Kudo Shinichi are one, I'm cornered. So, what's next? Gin and Vodka would appear?"

"Huh? What such moronic things are you talking about?"

"Don't play games with me!" he snarled and his voice echoed the empty rest room. "Because of what you've done with me, the puzzle pieces are starting to form together! Start telling me everything before I force it out of you!"

The atmosphere was getting heavy and both of them were aware of it completely. The Detective of the East was already losing his patience. He had been chasing the Organization for almost a year now and he ended up empty handed every single time. Or when he did discovered something new, it just complicated things all the more and just ended up useless most of the time. At this moment, a possible member of the Organization was right in front of him. He cannot lose the chance, the opportunity. Not anymore. Especially this person was someone closely related to him. The other detective just dealt with the pressure in a chuckle before she replied,

"How scary. But now is just not the time to tell you everything, yet."

He was taken back of her statement and blurted out, "WHAT?!"

She was, also, starting to get impatient. She closed her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest and answered his question with a different one, "You better hurry and not let Ran wait any longer. She already had enough."

That instantly calmed him down. Well, that did the trick, Harumi thought. Just a mention of Ran's name could change everything with Shinichi. He blinked. "Then, this means…"

"Aho. Don't get your false hopes up. What I've given you was just a prototype. I gave it to you just for me to confirm my deduction which I presume you've already seen through. Well, since it turned out quite well and not to waste your transformation, you should show yourself to her. Setting business aside, Ran's a good friend of mine and I don't want her to be sad on her birthday just because of some guy like you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Sorry for being that some guy."

"Also, you can let Hattori-san go back to Osaka now. You don't want to spoil your break with Ran, no?" she said casually. "Ne, Hattori-san, you didn't see or sense anything or anyone suspicious, right? So, you're free to go out and show yourself."

A screeched sound echoed the room as a cubicle door next to Shinichi's cubicle opened and the High School Detective of the West Hattori Heiji came into view, with his trademark cap on. He whistled in amazement and turned to them, "When'd ya notice me? I'm quite impressed."

"Ah. Don't be. I've noticed you not a while ago. I heard your snicker when I've let out the statement about Shinichi being naked," she dead-panned.

Shinichi narrowed his eyes to Heiji while the Osakan did not even tried to suppress another chuckle. "Is that so?"

"Wari, I just couldn't help it."

"I think my work's done here," she interrupted as she clasped her hands together. "Well, I'll be going ahead now and find myself another spot to watch the meteor shower so you and Ran can have your own privacy. A little piece of advice, before showing yourself to Ran, you better make up a good explanation for your long absence because if you won't, you'd surely get beaten up. And about Conan, just tell her I've taken him with me."

She concluded it with a wink and waved, "I'll be going now. Ja!" She just barely took a step when a strong grip on her right wrist stopped her quite forcefully. She snappily turned at the owner of the hand and said firmly; her cheery mask was now off, "You are making a huge mistake, Shinichi. I'll just be saying this once, Let go of me. Now."

"Not so fast, Harumi," Shinichi said, his hand was still gripping her wrist. "You don't expect me letting go of you now, no? I have a lot of questions and you have a lot of explaining to do."

She smiled as she made a swift move with her right hand and the situation was turned around. Harumi was the one who was gripping Shinichi's hand and she earned a glare from the detective. "Like what I've just said now is not yet the time to tell everything to you." She released his wrist and she rubbed her right wrist where the other detective had gripped it quite mercilessly. "Well, after saying this, I'm sure you'll still investigate everything and before I know it, you might have deduced everything perfectly already. You are Kudo Shinichi after all."

Shinichi figured forcing things out of her would be useless, not at this situation since she already had made up her mind. Without further ado, he just allowed a smirk and replied, "I'm quite pleased since you seem to have so much faith in me. If that's the case, don't be too surprised if I've already figured out everything."

She dismissively turned and walked towards the door. Before opening it, she added, "Before I leave," she turned her head. "Shinichi, you've seen the parked black Ferrari car not far away from our spot, right?"

He nodded. "Aa. What about it?"

"That's the car I've prepared earlier. Both you and Ran can use it in going back Tokyo. The keys are inside of your lower left jacket along with your student's license."

Shinichi checked and confirmed it as he took both out. Heiji peered over Shinichi's shoulder to see it. "Ya ain't really prepared with this, huh?"

She just smiled to that and continued, "And you have exactly twenty-four hours, so spend it wisely." Saying all of these, she opened the door and was about to step out the comfort room when Shinichi interrupted.

"I'm not sure what your motive is and I still cannot understand a lot of things but -" he smiled. "I want to say thank you for tonight."

She froze to that but she immediately composed herself and replied, "I'm just returning a favor from a long time ago. But don't be too comfortable, Shinichi."

"I know. I never forget."

She stepped out the rest room and closed the door.

"Ne, Kudo," Heiji said. "What did she mean 'bout the favor?"

"Long story but to make it short, I was the one who introduced to her on what she is right now."

"WHAT?! Ya mean yer the one who introduced to her the Black Organization?!"

"Baro! What I meant was being a high school detective!"

"Eh?" he blinked. "Ya did?"

"Aa. She still has not forgotten about it yet."

"Change of topic: Just now, I've noticed da two of ya look a lot alike."

He narrowed his eyes. "Ah? Is that so? She is also a Kudo, after all."

"W-w-WHAT?! Ya mean she is yer-?!"

"Aa. My cousin. And an annoying one."

"Why didn't ya tell me that earlier? I didn't even know yer father had a sibling."

"Why should I? I'm not obliged to tell you and besides you didn't even bother to ask before."

"Anyway, if she's yer cousin and a Kudo, everythin' ain't make sense. If she really is a member of the Organization, she would be breakin' the Kudo's name. Besides, Kudo for all I know seem to be people who have a strong sense of justice."

"That's right. That's why I've allowed myself to trust her even just a bit because she might be an ally and secretly helping my side."

"I see. So she may be indeed a part of da Organization to spy them."

"Aa. Probably. But I'm still not sure and I still have to investigate deeply now that the pieces are starting to click in though an awful a lot of pieces are still missing."

"However, da possibility of abandonin' the Kudo's name just to join da Organization is another that we cannot ignore."

"Aa. That's why I still should not put my guard down. It could be what she is doing right now is just an act to put my guard down."

"But there's still one more thing that is still botherin' me. If she is a Kudo, wouldn't the Organization have already known about it and became suspicious? Not to mention, the possibility that she would had not been accepted was high. But she still managed."

"Aa. That's bothering me, too. I'm sure she had done something to trick the oh-so sharp Organization. And I'm going to find out what it is."

"Ma, if you need any help, I'm just here," Heiji offered.

Shinichi nodded. "I would be very grateful."

"So, what're ya plannin' now?" Heiji asked.

"Huh?" Shinichi blinked.

"Hora, about nee-chan."

"Ah, that." He winked. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve," he said and he let out one of his famous grins.

Heiji was glad to see his friend happy. He was truly happy for him but he was not planning to show it in any way. He smirked and gave him a strong pat on the back and as a result, his companion was forced to lean forward due to the impact. "Good luck on that, Kudo! As much as I wanna see yer blushin' face while proposin' to nee-chan, I have to go back to Osaka. I still have some things to do there tomorrow, ya know."

"Well, that's a relief to hear," he murmured loud enough for Heiji to hear.

Heiji laughed as he approached the door then, waved. "Ja, Kudo!" He opened the door and went out.

He sighed. "Taku…" He reached a hand in his right jacket pocket and retrieved something from it with closed fist. "Well, it's a good thing I brought this with me, right?" He opened his palm and a small red box came into view. He smiled as he looked at the precious little thing on his hands. "I'm going to make sure tonight's going to be a perfect night for the both of us. I will make sure that you will be happy on your birthday."

After saying it, he placed back the box on his right pocket and approached the door to go out the room when a loud bang startled him. A gunshot.

The high school detective's eyes suddenly widened when a horrible thought occurred to him. "Don't tell me… Ran…"

With bewildered eyes, he grabbed the door open and searched the place in panic. He saw Harumi was running towards his direction with determined eyes and was about to shout a combination of nasty things to her when he saw Ran sitting on their previous spot, peacefully ate soba and obviously unharmed.

He froze for a moment to his utmost relief and sighed. "Ran…"

"Hora, Shinichi, why are you just standing there?!" Harumi shouted at him when she passed by in front of him which caught him out of his reverie.

"You heard it, too, right?!" she added, still on the run. "It's probably from that house!" she pointed at a beautiful villa meters away from them, probably fifty meters or so.

He gasped as he saw the house. He put his thoughts back together and collected himself, he ran after her and caught up on her immediately, thanks to his athletic legs.

"Taku, you seem to be disoriented a while ago," Harumi said to him with narrowed eyes. "I think I already know why."

Shinichi chuckled embarrassingly. "You can't blame me, after all."

She sighed. "That mind of yours sure is imaginative. Well, thanks to that, you've become a great detective."

A vein popped in annoyance on the lad's forehead. "Heh. Really?"

Before they reached the house, Shinichi saw an awfully familiar bike that was parked outside the gate – it was Heiji's.

'So, he's already here?' Shinichi thought.

When they reached the house, they immediately headed for the gate but it was obviously locked. They also learned that the security guard that was usually on duty behind the gate was not there since there was a guard house but the guard was absent.

"Let's break in," Harumi said. "We don't have time to waste."

"There's no need for that."

"Eh? WHY?"

"That's because," he pointed Heiji's bike with his thumb. "Hattori is already inside." He took out his cell phone before he added, "There's no need to worry. We just need to wait for Hattori to open it for us." He flipped it open and pressed a few buttons and placed it on his ear.

"Aa, Hattori," Shinichi said as the line was answered. "We're currently outside the villa where we heard the gunshot. You're inside, right? What's the condition?"

There was a moment of silence as Shinichi listened to Heiji's reply. "I understand. Well, can you open the gate for us?"

XXXTHE ONLY TRUTHXXX

Both Shinichi's and Harumi's pupils dilated when they saw the scene. They were inside the villa's bathroom on the second floor. The bathroom was big, more like the size of a king's bedroom. It had everything: a bath tub, a shower area, a Jacuzzi, you name it. But what surprised them was not the size nor what was inside of the bathroom but what was lying inside the tub. The water which filled the tub was stained crimson red courtesy of the body lying in it. He had a whole on his right temple, a bullet wound, and blood flown out from it. The deceased's name was Tsuraya Sai, 30 years old. A company stock holder. The scene called out for suicide.

Upon seeing the scene, Shinichi automatically scanned the room. He only saw one large window, which was next to the tub, in which an adult can pass through and was opposite the door. It but was obviously locked. The body had his back at it and it blocked the opening of the window. Aside from the door, there was no more passage available.

He still had to ask more of the details from Heiji before theorizing further. As what Holmes had said,

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all evidence. It biases the judgment."

"I've already called the police," the guard reported as soon as he arrived. The guard had recognized Harumi since she was quite famous here. It was Gunma, her hometown after all. Also, when Harumi had introduced the other two high school detectives, the guard did not even bothered to ask more questions and had happily let them observe the scene."It might take a while before they come. They've been encountering a problem with a current case they are holding."

"It can't be helped," Shinichi said. He turned to Heiji and asked, "So, can you tell me in detail what happened before we arrived?"

"Well…" Heiji started. "I was juz' 'bout to pass by the house with my bike when I suddenly heard the gunshot."

"It was around 11:25, right?" Harumi interrupted.

"Aa. There's no doubt 'bout it. I checked my watch right away after stoppin' my bike in front of the gate. The guard was juz' 'bout to go inside the house to check when I caught his attention. Then, together we directly went to the bathroom to check the situation and this is what we've seen. Also, while I was still outside, I've seen no one goin' out."

"Aa. While we were running towards the villa, we didn't see anyone coming out either," Harumi said.

"Was the door locked?" Shinichi asked.

"That's right. It took us a few seconds to locate the key from the guard's stack of keys that he's keepin' with him and open da door. But da room's door was unlocked."

The guard held up the stack of keys. It was around thirty or forty keys in all. No question about it since the villa was very huge. "These are all the keys in this villa." He singled out the key for the bathroom in question. "And this is the key for this bathroom."

"Can I take a look at it?" Shinichi asked.

The guard nodded and handed it over to him. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket before he took the stack of keys. He observed the key of the bathroom. "And is Tsuraya-san the only one occupying this villa?"

"No. There were three people other than Tsuraya-sama who are staying here for this weekend. But they are not here right now because of personal things."

"Sorete? Did those three people have keys for this bathroom?"

The guard shook his head. "No. They only have their own keys for their own rooms."

"So, you're saying other than the key for this bathroom in your possession, one the keys over there," Shinichi pointed at the two keys that are lying on the lid of the basin since it was closed. "Is the only key for this bathroom?"

The guard nodded. "There's no doubt about it." He bowed his head as he said sadly, "I can't believe Tsurayam-sama committed suicide."

Shinichi approached the body and took a closer look on his temple. There were burn marks from the gun's barrel around the bullet wound. And both of his hands were dipped on the crimson-colored water, therefore, they can't see the hand that's holding the gun for now. Before he took a step to observe the scene more, he noticed the floor was slightly wet. He crouched down and tapped the floor. It was truly damp. Why?

Then, he stood up and proceeded to check the crack on the wall where the bullet had hit it earlier.

"This one said everything, right?" Heiji said.

"Aa. He made a mistake here."

"Oi, Kudo," Heiji said. "You and I are thinking the same, right?"

"Aa," Shinichi replied, his usual confident and arrogant smile on.

The three of them exchanged looks and suddenly smiled.

"Since the police might take a while and we can't be sure if how long will that be," Heiji said.

"Why don't we start investigating more thoroughly ourselves, no?" Harumi added.

"We can't wait much longer, right? Because investigating in a closed room like this while the scene is still fresh is an advantage. Also, waiting much longer can only mean giving the culprit a chance to erase some evidence. So, I'll be keeping these keys, for now," Shinichi concluded.

"Cu-culprit?" the guard stuttered. "Isn't this a suicide?"

"Aa," Shinichi answered. "That's what the culprit's trying to do but this really is a closed-room murder case."

Another case coming soon!

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading everyone! That was the third chapter! How was it? Sorry if this chapter seems kind of slow. The story is still building up.

Also, I apologize with my writing with regards to Heiji's accent. I really don't know how to write it so I'm still exploring it.

And this is my first attempt to write about a murder case so I hope this would work out fine. So, had anyone already guessed the trick that the culprit used?

Please review! Leave me comments, suggestions or constructive criticisms!

Well, until next case!

September 13, 2012