Finally – Kaito and Shinichi face to face! Enjoy the chapter. :)

Meitantei

Chapter 5: Through the Looking Glass

Kaito received the information from the guard that a detective was going to meet and discuss his case with circumspection. He'd already seen Kisaki Eri-san. He knew that she had never lost a case, yet at the same time, losing a case as a defense lawyer did not always mean absolving a person from all guilt. In this instance, her case was that he had not intentionally killed Motoyama-san. The charge of theft would still hold, but she was determined to prove him innocent of murder and at least commute his sentence.

In addition to Kisaki Eri-san, he had also seen Hakuba Saguru. Hakuba had offered to help. Sort of. Kaito had been unsurprised that Hakuba was working to prove that he hadn't killed anyone, yet rather upset nonetheless to learn that Hakuba believed he had actually committed the theft. Hakuba's parting words would not be stricken from Kaito's memory anytime soon:

"Clearly you were sloppy in terms of scouting out the jewel. Karma came to get you in the end. But don't worry, the murder charge won't stick."

Somehow Hakuba's reassurance had been less than reassuring.

Still, if Kisaki-san proved that it was manslaughter, it would release him since the prosecution was adamant that it was a homicide. If they pushed through the charge without changing what he was being charged with, he would be released and not recharged due to the legality of double jeopardy. That was only if the prosecutor from District Court did not pursue the case to the High Court and then to the Supreme Court. There were so many ifs in those scenarios. He just wanted people to know he was innocent!

But Kaito was a little leery when he'd gotten word from Kisaki-san saying that she was going to have a detective helping her with the case and that he would be meeting with him in Kisaki-san 's place. If it was her husband, well...Kaito knew how much of a fraud Mouri Kogorou was. If it was Hakuba who had decided to go to her to present what evidence he had, well...that wasn't all that comforting, though at least he would be helpful in clearing him of homicide charges.

As the guard led him away to meet his visitor, he hoped the person was competent.

Shinichi had always felt that one day he would see Kaitou Kid's true face behind the monocle and disguises. Seeing it for the first time while Kid was behind bars (or rather through the thick glass between prisoners and visitors) and not because Shinichi had unmasked him personally felt extremely unsatisfying.

Shinichi knew it was a petty thought and frankly didn't give a damn. The whole situation irked him. Besides the fact that Kid had been caught, he'd been caught for a crime Shinichi was almost positive he hadn't committed, meaning that there was still a murderer on the loose. While Kid wasn't exactly innocent, Shinichi had always felt that if criminals committed crimes other than murder and were able to rehabilitate themselves, then depending on the situation, Shinichi was willing to make exceptions to help them out.

Idly Shinichi's mind ran back to the cases where he had been able to prevent a murder or suicide. His mind drifted to other cases where he had helped clear misunderstandings of attempted murders, helping the people involved patch things back up before more than one life was ruined.

His mind was brought back to the present as the guard who had been escorting him into the visitors' room motioned for him to sit.

Shinichi sat in the cold metal chair the guard indicated. He put down the folder Kisaki-san had given him and pulled out his detective notebook, making notes of all the video cameras and the guards' positions. Besides the guard who escorted Kuroba-kun into the room, there was one outside the door, and from the empty seat closest to the door on the other side of the glass paneling, Shinichi expected only one other guard to appear.

It would not be easy to openly accuse Kuroba-kun of being Kaitou Kid with so many witnesses unless he wanted to further complicate matters for Kuroba-kun. He also couldn't explain that he knew what the face of his assistant looked like, but no matter. He was sure if the Moonlight Magician could make riddles, surely he could solve them.

When the guard on the other side of the glass escorted Kuroba Kaito to sit in front of him, he watched as recognition and apprehension then hope crossed his features. Kuroba-kun sat down, both of them looking at each other through the glass for a moment. Shinichi gave him a short nod and did his best to keep the smirk off his face but knew it wasn't working. They both picked up the phone receivers, but Shinichi made sure to be the first to speak –

– which was good for Kaito since he was having trouble finding words. A little mantra had gotten stuck in his head that went a little something like crapcrapcrapcrap. Kudou Shinichi was currently sitting across from him and seemed to be trying to tame the shit-eating "Gotcha!" grin. It was not working. The detective looked far too pleased for Kaito's liking. Still, Kisaki-san had said he was there to help with his case. At least he'd be able to prove he wasn't a murderer.

"You received the message that Kisaki-san had traded her time to allow me to speak with you, correct?" Shinichi asked. Kaito nodded, taking a deep breath and composing himself.

"Yes, but she didn't tell me who it was. To have the great detective of the east on my case certainly makes me hope that you'll be able to prove my innocence," Kaito said, flashing a smile. Right away Shinichi had been able to see the height and body type were similar to Kaitou Kid's. Once he spoke, the voice intonation, the manner of speech, the dulcet murmurs were all that Shinichi recognized from Kid. But being put in jail had clearly drained his good humor despite the wide grin Kaito flashed at him.

Most people who were innocent of crimes and incarcerated burned with an anger of the injustice of being blamed for something they didn't do or fear and desperation of never getting out.

Kaito's manner spoke of a slight fear, but it was overwhelmed by a weary resolve. The hope at seeing Shinichi had clearly meant he believed in Shinichi's ability to help solve what had really happened, meaning he wasn't the culprit in this case. However, the weariness – not to mention the wariness at seeing Shinichi – meant that he was guilty of something and perhaps felt that his incarceration was not entirely unjustified. He was clearly uneasy with Shinichi snooping into his case. Yet Kaito had thrown up a good front, not giving much away. Someone who wasn't looking for the facial tics and tells would have missed them. In fact, if it had been someone else, Shinichi might have missed them. But there was something strangely familiar about Kid's face – and not just because he couldn't deny that the two of them looked alike. He was probably one of the few people who had gotten a good look at Kid's face. Shinichi, as Conan, had probably noticed more than anyone else what Kaitou Kid really looked like. Being short and looking up at Kid had given him the advantage since the thief generally tilted his hat to hide his eyes from those at eye-level. Sadly, for quite longer than he would have liked, Shinichi had been anything but on eye level.

The fact that Kaitou Kid would feel guilty for his crimes yet continue with them despite the weight of it upon his conscious spoke of a greater purpose than just stealing. Once this case was over, Shinichi felt he would enjoy figuring out what that purpose was.

"Kisaki-san has given me the information for your case, and I have reviewed several aspects that I wish to go over with you for clarification," Shinichi said, wishing he had more time to speak with Kaito. Considering the fact that Kaitou Kid was a jewel thief, it spoke volumes to Shinichi that he must truly not keep what he stole if he was unable to pay the bail to release him for the time before his trial.

Shinichi made a mental note to ask Kisaki-san the cost of the bail. The ludicrous thought that he was planning on how to help bail Kaitou Kid out of jail made him want to smirk, but, despite everything, he didn't want to give that expression to Kaito. At least, no more than he already had.

"First and foremost, do you believe your trick resulted in Motoyama-san's death?" Shinichi asked, his face schooled, and his posture set. Kaito took a deep breath.

"No. Besides the fact that I always triple check my tricks, I didn't plant a trick. I've reviewed it countless of times in my head since being in here, but I didn't hear him yell, nor do I understand how I could be considered the culprit. It's like someone else set up a trick, and I was blamed for it. I can't see how it could have gone so wrong. Yet..." Kaito 's shoulders slumped. Shinichi nodded to himself. Kaito insisted that there was no trick and that he hadn't been involved. But everyone else had an alibi during Motoyama-san's death. And from what Shinichi could tell, people thought it was some sort of prank which Kaito had set up. From all the details that Shinichi had gleaned from this case, everyone had agreed that the "trick" had resulted in Motoyama-san's death. The question came down to if it was malicious or a horrible prank gone wrong. Meaning was it indirectly Kaito's fault or was it the work of someone whose alibi wasn't real?

Having experienced Kaitou Kid's tricks first hand, he was sure that the master thief would have triple checked everything just as he said. The fact that Kaito felt he hadn't caused the death meant that another trick was involved; another trick that pointed to Motoyama-san being murdered with Kuroba Kaito as the fall guy. If Kaito insisted that he hadn't set up a trick then clearly it meant someone else had to be the culprit.

It wasn't to say that tricks didn't go wrong or that Kaito couldn't be lying. After all, Kaitou Kid had made mistakes before with impersonations, but not with the tricks, at least, to Shinichi's knowledge. There were too many inconsistencies, too many holes leading back to Kaito for it to have been intentional – on Kaito's part. Surely Kid would lie if it meant to save himself, yet from Shinichi's experience, Kid wouldn't lie if it meant it would physically harm someone. Not to mention, Shinichi's gut reaction was that he was, in fact, looking at a murder where Kaito was the fall guy.

"For this next question, please be as honest as you can," Shinichi said, looking at Kaito in the eye. "Did you steal that big jewel?"

"No," Kaito's firmness and his glare were telling. Without the air to talk freely, neither would ask about what the other knew. Shinichi's use of the term "big jewel" had clearly hinted to Kaito that Shinichi suspected him of being Kid. Yet, if truth be told, Shinichi had suspected that Kaito hadn't stolen it to begin with. Shinichi nodded again.

"I didn't think you did," Shinichi murmured half to himself, half to Kaito. This time when Kaito's shoulder dipped, it was from relief.

"You don't think I did?" Kaito asked. Shinichi gave him a half smile.

"There wasn't a notice," Shinichi whispered but noticed the guards looking at him intently so he spoke louder. Kaito's eyes widened at the implications, but Shinichi pressed forward. "It seems to me that a magician would know how to better conceal his tricks. Really, leaving fingerprints? It seems contrived to me. This leads me to my next question – when they found the jewel on you, had you put your hand on or near the place where it was found?"

"No. I don't remember touching the jewel at all that day. I touched it once, awhile ago, but-"

"Wait. You did touch it at some point? When was it? How long ago? Who was there? Who knew about it?" Shinichi asked, his eyes hardening. Kaito looked taken aback at his sudden line of questioning.

"Ah, well. It was a week or two before Motoyama-san died. Motoyama-san was there, along with his niece Reiko-san, Kyoko-san, Nakahara-san, and Yamamoto-san."

Shinichi jotted down their names and asked for him to elaborate on who each person was.

"From what you can remember, explain who handled the jewel and in what order along with any other strange habits or anything peculiar you noticed."

Kaito explained the order of who had handled the jewel and some other details.

"But we all handled it. How could I have been the only one to leave prints if there was someone who touched it both before and after I had? That was the last time I touched it. If my fingerprints were on it, all of ours should be on it. Instead of five sets, only mine are on it. The person in charge of cleaning the jewel also gave a detailed report that the jewel was cleaned that very day. Being a master of sleight of hand," Kaito said, not smugly, just as a matter-of-fact, "I would have noticed if someone had tried to switch the jewel under my nose."

"Duly noted," Shinichi said. Even so, he had an idea of how the true culprit had manipulated the situation. Getting the proof would be the difficult thing. If only he had been present at the scene! He looked at his watch, noting the time. "Don't worry about the how – that's my job. Remember that a detective is a critic who follows in a criminal's footsteps and figures out their tricks."

"Oi, oi. Nothing creative about a murderer," Kaito intoned.

"I never said there was," Shinichi quipped back. Looking at Kid behind bars, knowing what he did now about Kuroba Kaito and his father's death, his earlier comment about him checking his equipment along with Kaito's apparent mistrust of detectives...

When a person distrusted the authorities because of a failure to properly investigate a case, it would be very plausible that they would take matters into their own hands to seek justice. Adding Kuroba Toichi's death to the list of things to look into after this case, Shinichi began to start his questioning as he took down Kaito's statements of what exactly happened from the time he entered the house until the time he was escorted from the premises.

Shinichi's biggest area of interest was the "prank gone wrong."

"There was no prank. It's just what they're saying. I didn't do any magic trick. I didn't do anything. Motoyama-san – if you see the video – basically backed up, hit a door that was not latched properly, stumbled through the door, and tumbled down the stairs. That was the extent of it. I was in a room nearby the whole time and didn't notice a thing," Kaito added bitterly.

Shinichi asked him multiple questions about the scenario of what he knew, finding the entire thing extremely strange.

"I'll have to see the video."

"I haven't even seen it. I was just told what happened. I don't think I'm on it. It just implies that the person who scared him must have been nearby and pulled some sort of prank that scared him enough to make him stumble backwards. But I swear I didn't do it."

"Hmm."

After Kaito's narrative, there was only a minute or two left before Shinichi had to leave. Deciding that he had what he needed for the time being, he would wait for the next round of questions next visit when he had more time and after he had further investigated his leads. Explaining this to Kaito, he watched as the thief, thinned his lips together. His eyes darted behind Shinichi to the guard stationed there, as well as to the ones behind him.

"How did you hear about my case?" Kaito asked.

"A little hyacinth macaw told me in passing."

At this, Kaito's eyes widened dramatically, but he held his tongue, waiting for Shinichi to say more. Kaito wasn't going to give away more than he had to. Shinichi was only going to give him one clue.

"Tomorrow I will be heading to the Motoyama Bird Sanctuary. Do you have anything else to suggest that I look into?" Shinichi asked. Kaito merely shook his head, so Shinichi said his goodbyes.

"Wait, Kudou-kun," Kaito said, stopping Shinichi.

"Yes?"

"Hakuba Saguru, he's a detective too-"

"Yes, I'm familiar with him."

"I – I know he's investigating things on his own. He believes that Motoyama-san's death was an accident. Either that, or possibly someone set me up. However, he thinks that I did steal the jewel. Please believe me when I say I didn't steal that jewel."

Shinichi gave Kaito a blank look. Did Hakuba-kun have an inkling as to Kaito's identity? Would he truly not investigate the truth behind this case because of Kuroba-kun's past deeds? Perhaps he would. Then again, all the evidence did currently point to that conclusion. Shinichi, for his part, still had a few theories that he wanted to work out.

"I already told you that I don't believe you stole it. I'm familiar with how single minded he can be. Seems like it'll be a good challenge for me, proving him wrong," Shinichi said, giving Kaito a wink. Kaito looked extremely grateful.

"Thank you."

Shinichi shook his head.

"It's what I do."

Continued in Chapter 6: Investigating…

A hyacinth macaw is a blue parrot. For those who don't recall, the Blue Parrot is the name of the bar that Jii Konosuke owns. They're actually not at all little, but I liked the expression a little birdie told me. Ah, well. Hope you liked the chapter! ~ Jelp