The Detective Prince
Chapter 40
Royal Mountain
The ball bounced from one foot to the other, juggling it the whole way to school. Once there he kicked the ball into his arms. Ayumi was the first to approach out of his friends, walking from the wall where she had sat.
"Are you the only one here so far?" Conan asked resting the ball at his side.
"Mitsuhiko is here to," Ayumi replied. "He went to class early to check up on something."
"I wonder what he went to go check on?"
"It took me nearly half of last night to get the homework done," Ayumi said. "How long did it take you?"
"Homework?" Conan questioned.
"The research of course," Ayumi replied. "I hope you didn't forget to do your part, it's ten percent of our grade."
"Of course I didn't forget," Conan said with a laugh. "How silly would that be?"
"Hopefully none of the others forgot either."
They stood at the front of the school awhile longer, awaiting the arrival of the others. Ayumi looked at her watch, a little over two minutes until class was to begin.
"Are you sure they didn't walk past you," Conan questioned. "They could already be inside for all we know."
"You might be right," Ayumi said looking over one last time. "Come on Conan, I'll race you."
"Race me in what?" Conan asked watching as she took off.
He stood alone for the passing seconds, looking downward as he to headed through the front doors.
"Can't believe I forgot to do the research."
It had been a relatively delightful day thus far, everything seemingly going his way. He turned the corner which lead to his class, seeing her standing at her locker with her books in hand.
"Hi Ran, what are you still doing here," Tim asked. "You're usually in class by the time I come by."
"That's because I don't usually have someone I need to talk to."
"Is this about me asking Sonoko to Fukuoka," Tim asked. "Like I told her, it was Shoji who suggested I bring her along."
"How informative of you, but that's not what I came to talk to you about."
"It's not?"
"It has nothing to do with Sonoko in fact," Ran said. "But rather another good friend of mine."
"And who might that be?"
"Tell me Tim," Ran said moving in closer. "How well do you know Shinichi Kudo?"
"You mean that detective," Tim questioned. "I've never met him remember, just heard stuff about him from others."
"That's funny, considering the little story Kazuha told me over the phone just this morning," Ran continued. "The one about a certain someone telling you her and Heiji were together."
"And now my accidental mention of Kudo comes back to haunt me."
"Still say you haven't met him?" Ran asked with a keen look in her eyes.
"Ok, so maybe I did," Tim began trying to think what to say. "It was a little unexpected, came across him while he was working on some case."
"How come you didn't tell me," Ran asked. "Did he ask you not to?"
"He didn't tell me not to, but what he was doing seemed under the radar," Tim replied. "I thought it would be best if I didn't, given the circumstances he was in."
"The two of you obviously talked for some time, being the fact he brought up both Heiji and Kazuha to you," Ran said. "Just out of curiosity, did Shinichi happen to mention me by any chance?"
"You were one of the first things he spoke about," Tim confirmed. "He told me all about your fighting skills, and I see he was right in every aspect."
"Was that all he said?"
"Yea, that was it."
She fell silent, walking past him toward her own class which was in the opposite direction. She came to a stop after a few steps, looking back to him one last time.
"Just remember," Ran said keeping her grip on the books. "I've got my eye on you."
"That makes two of us Ms. Mouri," Tim said. "I've got my eyes on you as well."
She couldn't help but be humored by his claim, turning away with the shake of her head. Tim did the same, not interested in being late for class.
"That went well, considering how things usually turn out." Tim thought. "I'll have to be more careful on what I say from here on out."
They were allowed to leave early with the final minutes of the school day ticking away, the Detective Boys keeping on his case the whole way out.
"Can't believe you forgot to do the research Conan," Mitsuhiko said. "I don't even recall the last time you failed to bring in any assignment."
"You told me you did it." Ayumi said crossing her arms.
"I guess I sorta forgot about it."
"Look on the bright side you guys," Genta said. "It won't count against our main grade, just the group one."
"And to think," Ai said coming to his side. "I even reminded you before you left yesterday night."
"Can we change the subject already, I'm sue there's something better we can talk about," Conan said. "Any idea what you guys want to do with the next few days off?"
"We should do something fun." Ayumi said.
"Yea, something we haven't done in awhile." Mitsuhiko added.
"Or something new all together," Genta finished. "What do you think Conan?"
"As long as it's legal and non life threating, you can count me in."
"Anyone have any ideas?" Mitsuhiko asked.
"We still have plenty of time," Ayumi said. "We could think about it over night, then get back to each other tomorrow."
"That sounds good to me." Genta said in agreement.
"As long as it's not bug collecting," Conan thought to himself. "Fifteen minutes in, I could potentially suffer from a bored stroke."
An hour had passed since arriving back to the room, finishing up the last of his packing. He folded everything neatly into place, tightly zipping the bag shut. The phone rang from where it lay upon the pillow. Tim reached over to answer it.
"I've been expecting you to call," Tim said. "So what's it going to be?"
"Would have gotten back to you sooner, but I had to make sure it was ok with my parents first."
"So what's the final verdict?"
"When are we going?" Sonoko answered.
"I'm just about ready to head down to the train station here in a minute," Tim replied. "Doesn't leave for another hour, but I always like to be early."
"Another hour," Sonoko exclaimed. "I haven't even packed anything!"
"Better hurry, don't think the trains in a waiting mood today." Tim teased to hear her click off on the other end.
Tim slid the phone into his pocket before walking over and tossing the bag over his shoulder. He made sure everything was in place, locking the door on his way out.
They had decided to part ways, agreeing they'd meet back some time the next day. Conan arrived home to find the door to his room open, something he never did when away. He quietly made his way over, walking in to see Ran dusting anything that needed attendance.
"Sorry for intruding," Ran apologized looking over her shoulder. "Thought I'd get a quick start on the cleaning, which will leave more free time for the couple days we have off."
"It's ok," Conan said placing his things on the ground. "I'll actually help if you'd like."
"Don't worry about it," Ran said hooking his calendar back in place. "I'm just about done."
"If you change your mind I'm always open."
"Thanks Conan, I can always count on you when needed," Ran said. "So what do you plan to do for the next few days?"
"I don't know to tell you the truth," Conan replied. "What about you, anything fun planned?"
"With Sonoko leaving for the week, I'm just as clueless as you." Ran said taking a seat onto the bed.
Conan jumped up next to her.
"I'm sure we can think of something."
"I guess we could go out somewhere in these next few days," Ran suggested. "I think Dad could really use it, with all that he's been dealing with recently."
"I love that idea." Conan said.
"This will be our little secret ok," Ran said. "So don't go saying anything to him."
"I won't." Conan promised.
"Good, that's what I want to hear."
It took him just under thirty minutes to arrive at the train station, grabbing his ticket before taking a seat in the waiting area. He looked at his watch every few minutes, the time closing in for the train to leave. Within five minutes of it's departure she could be seen trotting down the stairs, a displeased look very apparent across her face. Tim walked over to greet her.
"What took you so long?"
"What do you mean what took me so long," Sonoko stomped. "I had less than an hour to get ready, not to mention getting down here before the train took off!"
"Relax Sono, I'm just giving you a hard time."
"What did you just call me?" Sonoko asked.
"Like I said," Tim replied with a turn. "I'm just trying to give you a hard time."
They entered the train minutes later, Tim taking to the back like he had previously done his last trip. Sonoko joined him, having a seat at the side of him.
"Why are we sitting all the way back here," Sonoko questioned. "There were plenty of empty seats up front."
"Let's just call it a habit." Tim replied.
"It's going to be a long ride there," Sonoko said settling in. "So what would you like to talk about to help pass the time?"
"Who says we have to talk," Tim asked. "We could play a game."
"A game," Sonoko questioned. "What kind of game can we play sitting here?"
Cleaning all areas of the house had taken longer than she had expected, giving every room her undisputed attention. Ran had everything wrapped up by the time the evening rolled around, deciding to go on a stroll of the city.
"I'm going to go on a little walk," Ran said. "Would you like to come along?"
Conan finished tieing a knot to the already full trash bag, sticking it into the side before looking up at her.
"Of course I'll come."
"Great, just give me one minute," Ran said walking toward her room. "It's a little cool out, so I'm going to go throw on a light sweater."
Conan waited for her to return, the two of them walking side by side on the way down. He made sure his phone was on as they continued, just incase he received any important calls. It was a relatively calm night, not as many walking the streets as the previous couple nights. Their first stop was tempted by a couple street performers, intrigued by their skills.
"Conan, thanks for helping me clean things up around the house today."
"You don't have to thank me," Conan said. "I had just as much fun as you did."
"That's good to know, then I'll just have to ask you to help around the house more often." Ran said delighted to hear.
Conan gulped at this, his hands falling down to his side.
"Should have just kept my big mouth shut." Conan muttered.
After watching on for awhile longer, they decided to keep walking. The moon shined especially bright tonight, both Ran and Conan finding a seat at a bench overlooking a park. They sat there for minutes to come, watching the few birds flap by.
"Kogoro hasn't been at the house all day, do you know what time he's coming in?" Conan asked.
"He called me about an hour ago," Ran informed. "From what he said he should already be there."
"That's good," Conan said dropping his hands into the warmth of his pocket. "Any idea on where you'd like the three of us to go in the next few days?"
"Not yet, I'm still thinking about it." Ran replied.
The sound of the wind whistling through the trees captivated their attention, neither speaking a word, lost in the moment of the night. Everything seemed to go blank, the body unresponsive, the mind tangled in thought. Then it happened, a brief flash sparking at them. Conan looked to all directions, dropping down from the bench.
"Conan is there something wrong?" Ran asked.
"Didn't you just see that?"
"See what?"
"A flash," Conan answered. "Kind of like when someone takes a picture."
"Are you sure," Ran questioned looking in the direction of the trees. "I didn't see anything."
Conan narrowed his eyes, giving the area one last hard look. There was nothing, nobody in sight.
"Is someone watching us?"
After hours on the track it had finally come to a haul, everyone grabbing their belongings before heading for the exits. Tim reached over with a shove, waking her from her sleep.
"Rise and shine, we're here."
She didn't respond to his words, due to the fact of how tired she was.
"We'll have you back to sleep in no time," Tim assured. "Already made reservations at a hotel not far from here."
They made their way to the roadside, catching a cab shortly there after. Sonoko struggled to keep her eyes open the whole way there, pinching the side of her own leg to stay awake. She looked over to see him texting. Who it was, was unknown to her. The ride lasted another ten minutes, coming to a stop in front of the entrance.
"Don't fall out on me now," Tim said opening the door. "We're almost there."
Tim grabbed their bags, paying the driver for his services before heading in through the automatic doors. Sonoko had a seat to one of the chairs in the lobby as he checked in. He returned shortly after, handing her a key card.
"Come on," Tim said. "We're in room 518."
She followed him into the elevator which took them to the fifth floor. Once there they headed to their room, Tim being the one to unlock the door. The bathroom was exactly to the left, a closet sitting opposite of that. They moved further in to find two beds at the right side. They then looked to see a TV atop a dresser on the left. Sonoko unpacked while Tim walked into the bathroom. She felt the urge to dive into one of the beds, still tired from the long ride here. He returned a minute later to find her sitting at the end of the first bed, removing her shoes from her feet.
"All done," Tim said with the flip of his toothbrush. "The Bathrooms all yours."
She sat up once her shoes were removed, heading straight for the bathroom.
"Sonoko hasn't said a word since we've arrived," Tim thought. "I wonder if she's feeling alright."
Sonoko came out a few minutes later dressed in a green night dress, looking over to see him laying to the far bed with his hands rested behind his head. She slid under the sheets to the bed opposite him, closing her eyes in the seconds that followed. One minute turned into five, losing track of time from that point forward. There was something on her mind, something she felt she needed to get off her chest.
"I have to know."
Sonoko rolled onto her stomach while looking over at Tim who was still awake, staring up at the ceiling like he had been minutes prior.
"Tim, can I ask you something?"
He turned his head to face her, a little surprised that she had not fallen asleep by this time.
"Sure, what's on your mind Sonoko?"
She sat up to the edge of the bed with the cover sliding off of her. Silence filled the room for a short period. She sat in place with her arms wrapped around her legs, lowering her chin to the top of her knees. Light peaking through the curtin touched down to the side of her face, revealing the optimistic look in her eyes.
"Sonoko are you ok," Tim asked. "Is something bothering you?"
She remained silent for a few moments longer, thinking about how to say what was on her mind.
"Tim, do you... find me attractive?"
He was a little taken back by this, not exactly sure how to respond.
"Why do you ask?"
"I know you lied about that whole Shoji bit," Sonoko informed looking at the ground. "Before we left the Seawolf he said his next show wasn't for another month."
"If you knew I was lying, then why did you come along?" Tim asked sitting up.
"...I don't know."
"Are you mad at me?"
She looked back at him, just enough light in the room for her to see the faint grin on his face.
"Not mad, just curious is all," Sonoko replied. "If this is you making it up to me from those mashed potatoes, I've completely dropped that from my mind."
"Does this mean that tutoring session is off?"
"Not a chance," Sonoko stated. "No use in spinning around my question, is that what this is all about?"
"It has nothing to do with that lunch day incident."
"Then what?"
"Can't spoil the surprise," Tim said laying back. "You'll find out tomorrow, I promise."
"Come on," Sonoko said. "Just tell me already, I've had enough surprises from you as it is."
"And where would the fun be in me telling you," Tim questioned. "Try and get some sleep, you don't have to wait much longer."
"Fine," Sonoko said rolling her eyes. "But this better be worth it, or you're doing all my homework for the rest of the semester."
"Whatever you say Sono." Tim whispered to only where he could hear.
She slid the blanket over herself once more, looking back at him to still see that grin on his face.
"Is everything funny to you?"
"Only when it comes to you Sonoko." Tim answered.
She flipped over to the other side while closing her eyes, pulling the cover just below her neck for warmth.
"I wonder what this little surprise is he's hiding."
After minutes of laying everything seemed to fade from the mind, finding herself slowly drifting with each passing minute. It had been one of those days, leaving more questions than answers.
The next morning was an early start for most, the sun just beginning to peak up from the distance. Conan dropped the shirt over his shoulder with the adjust of his glasses, opening the door to walk into the next room. He headed in to find Kogoro running in place, surprised to see him in his jogging attire.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing," Kogoro replied. "I'm jogging."
"I can see that, but why in the house," Conan questioned. "What's wrong with jogging outside?"
"Waiting for Ran," Kogoro replied. "She should be out anytime now."
"Can I come along to?"
"Only if you think you can keep up," Kogoro replied. "I'm in no mood to slow up for anyone falling behind."
"I won't," Conan said running back too his room. "I'll only be a minute."
Conan quickly went threw his drawers, locating the jogging suit stashed into the far corner of the bottom drawer. He removed what he had on, dressing for the mornings special occasion. Kogoro still jogged in the same spot when he returned, looking over at him once more.
"I can't take all this waiting, especially when this whole thing was her idea," Kogoro said walking toward the door. "I'll be outside, the two of you can come down as soon as she comes out."
Conan stood against the wall in wait for the next minute or so, looking at his watch with rising concern.
"I wonder what's taking her so long?"
At that very moment the door to her room cracked open, Ran kneeling down to tie her shoes before coming out.
"Good morning."
"Oh hey Conan," Ran said finishing her last knot. "I didn't even know you were awake yet."
"Kogoro's already down stairs waiting for us."
"I'm glad you decided to come," Ran said pushing up. "It's not as fun without you."
"Perfect timing to," Conan said opening the front door. "I hear it's supposed to really heat up as the day goes on."
Ran locked the door on their way out, the two taking their time down the stairs.
"What took you so long to come out of your room just now?" Conan asked keeping conversation.
"I was on the phone with Sonoko," Ran replied. "She's a little worried."
"Why would she be worried," Conan asked. "Did something happen?"
"It's Tim," Ran informed. "He didn't take her along to go see some show as it turns out."
"He didn't?"
"That's what she told me," Ran continued. "She said he left the room early this morning to go do something."
"Sounds suspicious."
"You know him better than I do," Ran said. "What do you think he's up to?"
Conan brought a hand up to his chin, nearly as clueless as she was on the matter.
"Hmm, maybe he plans to propose." Conan joked.
"Really Conan." Ran said narrowing her eyes down at him.
"Sorry, that's all I could come up with." Conan said with a laugh.
"Well thanks, you really know how to keep a girl on her heels."
It had been over an hour since the time he had left, leaving her in the room alone to flip through channel to the next. She finally came to a stop once reaching a conditioning program, tossing the remote to the side while rolling onto her back.
"This is not how I wanted to spend these few extra days from school," Sonoko said with a frown. "I should have never agreed to come on this trip."
She laid there for awhile longer, looking at the door just in time to see it slide open.
"Going back to sleep already?" Tim asked walking in.
"No, just meditating ."
"Well you'll have to save that for later," Tim said. "Time to get up, I have something I want to show you."
"Ok then," Sonoko said still in bed. "Show me."
"It requires that you get up and put on your shoes," Tim replied. "Come on, we don't have far to walk."
She lazily rolled from the bed side, taking her sweet time to slide on a pair of socks. Tim ignored her antics at trying to annoy him. He then walked over and shut off the TV just as she placed the second shoe onto her foot.
"Ok Timmy, I'm all ready," Sonoko said. "This better not be some sick joke you thought up either."
"You won't be disappointed." Tim assured.
She was more than a little skeptical, but followed him none the less. Once leaving the hotel they followed a small trail which lead them to a large park nearby. Many others walked along as well, Sonoko becoming more and more lost on what to expect.
"You said it wasn't far, how much further do we have to go?"
She could hear him lose a step, watching as his hands came from behind to cover her eyes.
"We're almost there," Tim said. "Keep walking, I'll tell you when to stop."
It took a few seconds for her to respond, nervously continuing to the unknown. She was directed to turn right after a few steps, followed by a quick left. They finally come to a stop after about a half minute of walking. His hands dropped from her eyes, taking a step away from her as he did.
"Is this the part where you tell me to keep my eyes shut and to open my mouth?"
"Not what I had in mind," Tim said giving into her humor. "Go ahead Sonoko, you can open your eyes now."
She did as he said, her vision taking a few moments to wave clear. Then she saw him, standing just a few feet away, that same look he seemed to always have when seeing her.
"Makoto..."
"It's good to see you, Sonoko."
She raced forward, embracing him with a warming hug. Tim watched from the side, a smile coming to his face.
"Well I'm sure the two of you have much to discuss," Tim said turning to walk. "Call me if you need anything."
With that she released her hold on him, taking a step back.
"Hold on one second!" Sonoko yelled.
"Should have known it wouldn't be that easy." Tim muttered turning back to face her.
"What's wrong Sonoko?" Makoto asked.
"Exactly how long have the two of you been talking?" Sonoko asked crossing her arms.
"Since my second week of being here," Tim informed keeping a smile on his face. "Got in contact with him shortly after our little conversation my first day at Teitan High."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not his fault," Makoto said. "I was the one who wanted to surprise you, he just agreed to help."
This left her speechless, looking up at him with a sparkle in her eye. His phone began to vibrate within that second, alerting him it was time.
"That's my cue," Tim said. "I really have to go, but I'll be sure to join the two of you some time later."
"Where are you going?" Sonoko asked.
"A scheduled meeting," Tim replied. "It'll only take a few hours."
"What meeting," Sonoko questioned. "You never told me you were going to some meeting."
"I never told you anything remember."
"I'm sensing a certain trend."
Makoto couldn't resist a smile from the back and forth between the two, choosing to stay neutral on the matter.
"Can't you lighten up a little, we did this for you." Tim stated.
"Would have preferred to know ahead of time." Sonoko said under her breath.
His phone began to buzz once more, forcing him to turn yet again.
"I have to go, it's really important." Tim said walking back in the direction they'd come.
"What time should we expect to see you this evening?" Makoto asked.
"No later than five." Tim replied.
Sonoko looked back to Makoto after he disappeared into the distance, her arms still firmly crossed to her chest.
"I hope you're not to angry." Makoto said.
"That would explain why you haven't been answering my calls for the past week," Sonoko said. "And what's this stuff about meeting later this evening, is there something else I don't know about?"
"You'll have to wait until this evening to find out," Makoto replied. "In the mean time I have this place I'd like to show you, it's not very far from here."
She walked at his side, finally lowering her hands from where they rested.
"And here I thought my day was going to be spent watching television in that hotel room."
They paved their way down street to street, picking up the pace with each approaching block. The two of them looked back to see him struggling to keep up.
"Dad do you want us to slow down a bit?" Ran asked.
"No need to," Kogoro assured. "I'm just warming up."
"Sounds more like he's out of breath to me." Conan thought.
The temperature seemed to rise frome one minute to the next, Conan catching the sun from the left side of his eye as they continued on. He could hear the ring of his phone as they turned yet another corner, choosing to answer it.
"What's up Haibara." Conan said holding the phone in place.
"I have an update on that account for you."
"You're the greatest, so what do we know?'
"As of last night someone withdrew a large amount of the money."
"How much are we talking?" Conan asked.
"All but five cents." Ai replied.
"Why just leave only five cents behind," Conan questioned. "Was there anything else you were able to find?"
"No, that's all we have as of now."
"Guess I should have expected that much," Conan said. "Let me know if you find anything else."
"Will do."
He dropped the phone back into his pocket, feeling more lost than he had regarding this whole ordeal. He wanted answers, but knew they wouldn't come easy.
It wasn't a far walk, heading for the place they had agreed to meet. There were many trees at each side, keeping him remotely shaded from the suns heat. But there was one tree that stood out amongst all others, the one bearing the apples from its branches. And there he was, standing at the spot he said he'd be.
"Wow Tim, you did a good job at finding this place," Dick said looking at his watch. "I'm surprised you arrived so quick, being that you've never actually been here."
"This forest isn't all that complex to tell you the truth." Tim said.
"Hope you don't mind me adding an extra member to our little mission here." Dick said.
"Added member?"
He then caught sight of someone sitting up from one of the neighboring trees, watching as he walked their way.
"Heiji, what are you doing here," Tim questioned. "Don't you have school today?"
He brought a hand to his mouth, doing his best impression of a fake cough.
"I called in sick." Heiji informed.
"Does your father know about this little stunt you've pulled?" Tim asked.
"I let him know before hand," Heiji said. "Told him about wanting to check up on a lead involving the recent killings, surprisingly he let me come."
"How'd you get in contact with Dick?"
"Found out what hotel I was staying at," Dick replied. "And given his expertise it didn't take him long."
"My dad gave me two days tops to investigate," Heiji said. "So whatever we plan on doing, we better get on it."
"Were you able to find out anything since coming here?" Tim asked.
"Caught your boy Freil on camera just last night," Dick informed. "He's supposed to be meeting with a guy named Franko Jarred at a donut shop just a couple miles from here."
"So what's the plan," Heiji asked. "We goanna go in and bust the two of them?"
"That's not the plan," Dick said. "All we need to do is listen in on what they're saying, that should get us one step closer to finding out who's running the tables from their end."
"That's even better."
"You'll wear a wire, all you need to do is get within twenty five feet of them." Dick said. "I'll be right outside watching from the opposite roof, if anything goes wrong I'll be right there."
"Anything else we should know?" Tim asked.
"That's about it," Dick said. "Just make sure you keep your eyes on the back exit."
"About that," Tim said looking down at his watch. "I actually have somewhere I need to be around five."
"Then go," Dick said. "This is a light task anyway, Heiji and I should be more than enough to handle this."
"If things turn sour just remember I'm a call away," Tim reminded. "On another note have you heard back from Kent or Bruce?"
"Kal's already looking into it," Dick said. "Bruce on the other hand has yet to call me back on the matter."
"So what happens from here?" Heiji asked.
"We head down to this place and set up shop, knowing our surroundings could be key incase things go south." Dick replied.
"Sounds easy enough," Heiji said turning to Tim. "What about you Drake, what are you going to do?"
"I have a few calls to make, but other than that it's a wait and see kinda deal."
"I think we all have the plan down, now let's go," Dick said. "Remember to keep your phone close Tim, you should be hearing from me any time tonight."
"I'll be waiting."
Laying back to the wall was what he had done for most of the day, occasionally looking up to see what was on TV. The scent of the soup boiling at the oven flowed throughout the room, becoming stronger by the minute. Conan leveled up from the wall, looking out to see the moon floating in the distance.
"Dinner is almost ready, we'll give it another few to simmer." Ran said joining Kogoro at the table.
The sound of him fiddling with the phone in his hand alerted her of his presence, wondering why he was back near the wall.
"Conan, why don't you come over here and sit with us?"
He made his way over to her side, dropping the phone onto the table while having a seat.
"What are you playing?" Ran asked looking over his shoulder.
"Packman," Conan replied. "I just reached level thirteen not to long ago, hardest level yet."
"Can I have a go at it," Ran asked. "I haven't played that in quite some time."
"Of course you can," Conan replied handing her the phone. "I haven't heard you talk to Sonoko since this morning, did you ever find out what the trip was about?"
"Her phones been off, either it's dead or she's busy." Ran replied.
"Same story with Tim, I wonder what's going on down there."
The clock struck six straight, walking in to pin point his man. He kept his head low as he walked past, finding a corner seat just a few feet away.
"Dick, he's here just like you said." Heiji said pressing down to the ear piece.
"Yea, I can see him from here." Dick radioed back.
"When's this other guy supposed to show up?" Heiji asked.
"Keep your eyes peeled, I don't think we'll have to wait much longer."
Heiji glimpsed back at Freil, keeping his eye out for whoever was supposed to join him. Luckily they didn't have to wait long, a man with a clean cut suit sat to the seat across from him, laying a folder out onto the table.
"Looks like it's show time." Heiji said.
Time was something he'd never been to good with in situations like this, and tonight was no different. He sat in the back of the cab with his phone in hand, knowing he'd be receiving a call any moment now.
"Lost track of time with all the stuff I was going over, hopefully she doesn't chew me out."
Just as expected his phone began to ring in the seconds that followed, raising it to his ear to answer it.
"I was expecting Sonoko to call, not you."
"Where are you," Makoto asked. "You were supposed to be here over an hour ago."
"Got caught up in something, but I'm almost there," Tim said. "Sonoko's not angry is she?"
"Not at all, she's been to busy to even realize."
"Guess I lucked out," Tim said in relief. "Where are the two of you now?"
"We're on the top floor of the club house, there's only about twenty people here so it shouldn't be to difficult to locate us."
"Thanks for heads up, I'll be there soon."
The cab drove for another few blocks before coming to a stop. He had finally arrived, stepping out to look at the buildings that surrounded the area.
"Now here comes the fun part," Tim said continuing his search. "Where to find this place."
In that instant a striking sound could be heard from above, causing him to shift his head to the left.
"Those were gun shots fired... looks like I might be later than I thought," Tim said beginning to undo his tie. "Now to find a discreet place where I can change."
Things remained unchanged from the time he had taken a seat. It was hard to figure what was going to happen when neither man had spoken a word. Heiji looked at them once more, watching as Freil looked through some papers which was in the folder.
"Grayson I can't see what he's reading," Heiji radioed. "Do you have a clear visual?"
"Some kind of demographic, the title reading Royal Mountain," Dick replied. "Can't make much out of it from my position, have either of them said a word yet?"
"Nope, it's been all mute since he arrived."
"Hold on a sec, it looks like something might be going down."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look out the window." Dick informed.
Three trucks with similar color schemes rolled down from the end of the block, coming to a stop once reaching the shop. Heiji continued to look on as a few men exited from the truck sitting closest to the window, hearing the chip in his ear begin to beep.
"What now?" Heiji asked pressing down on it.
"Get out of there right now."
"Why do you want me to leave," Heiji asked. "We still haven't figured out what these guys are up to."
"Those men are armed who just stepped from that truck, you need to get out of there A.S.A.P."
With that Heiji pushed up from the seat, making his way to the the door as quickly as he could. It was to late, freezing at the sight of them inching in just a few feet outside the door.
"And this is why they tell kids to stay in school." Heiji thought.
He could hear the buzz in his ear once more, to stunned to answer for another time.
Finding a local bathroom didn't take long, swinging upward to where he'd heard the gun shots fired.
"Don't see anything alarming, but I know that sound came from somewhere in this vicinity."
Red Robin latched onto the side of a metal pole hanging from one of the buildings, taking that time to give the lower roofs a look. It was faint, but something had caught his eye from the building directly below. He glided down to the building, landing to a rocky-hard surfaced roof top. It didn't take long for him to see it, a woman laying on her back with her eyes closed. She had on a blue dress with matching shoes, her long black hair spreaded amongst the gravel.
"This doesn't look good."
He walked over to the body, immediately feeling for a pulse.
"Looks like she's gone," Red Robin said with the shake of his head. "She's still warm, must have happened recently."
This had been the direction the sound of the gun fire had come from, but there was no blood, not even a bullet near the body. Was this a completely separate incident? He reached down to open her eyes, everything seemed pretty normal except for the slight blueness on her lids.
"That's defiantly not eye shadow."
What was the cause of death? That was something he couldn't tell by just looking at the body.
"Doesn't look like any type of foul play took place," Red Robin said. "Can't count it out yet, what could she have been doing up here?"
He looked to the other buildings in the near distance, trying to make sense of it all.
"Where am I anyway," Red Robin questioned. "If I know that I might just have something to go off of."
It wasn't until that second that he heard the door leading to the roof swing open, quickly turning around. There he stood, just two yards away. He now knew exactly where he was.
"Who are you?" Makoto asked letting the door close behind him.
He then noticed the dead woman laying at his feet, looking back to him with fire in his eyes.
"Now I see," Makoto said tossing his jacket from his shoulders. "You're that guy the police have been after."
"This is not what it looks like." Red Robin tried explaining.
"Your little killing spree ends tonight." Makoto declared with a step forward.
"And this is what happens when you're late."
To Be Continued