A/N: My dearest readers and loyal fans, long have you endured the wait for this installment and finally I announce its presence! We are back! At last we return from our brief hiatus.
The reason for this was simple and I believe you will understand us once more. My trusty comrade's and co-author's finals were up and rudely interrupted with our schedule. We should be used to this by now, but for reasons unknown to us, it took us by surprise^^ Anyway, we talked and agreed that she should concentrate on her finals for that moment, as the story would not run from us. To make up for the longest wait ever (hopefully), this is THE longest chapter I have ever written. We tried to split it in half, but simply could not find a right angle to do so. It felt better keeping it all attached to each other. In consequence, this has galloped away from us and has grown insanely large. Also, I really wanted that fictional day to end^^
And we love it!
Updates might be a bit haltingly from now on, as TwilightReader1 has informed me that during her summer break she will be working a lot, so she might not always be able to work on the chapters with me. We just mean to warn you before-hand. And while we're on the subject, let me assure you again, I WILL FINISH THIS STORY! Therefore there will be no need for worries my friends.
Thank you for the immense interest and the amazing support you've shown us during the chapters published before and we hope the length of this chapter makes up for the incredibly long wait you've had to endure.
Stay strong my friends, we finally come to the good stuff! And thank you all for the tremendous amount of cyber-cookies we received, I believe we can send the chibi to therapy after all... He looks like he might need it^^
Spelling errors found may be kept for personal entertainment, though I did try to find them all... But on occasion, even my correcting feature decides to overlook them^^
Chapter 11
Tuesday 21st September 2011
Beika Park
Late Afternoon
The day had been bright and though the sun had already begun its journey to meet the horizon, it was still quite warm and seemingly peaceful. At a nearby playground children ran around and parents sat chatting with each other. To an outside observer it would have seemed the epitome of tranquil harmony, but to anyone who looked closer it was obvious that it was all one giant act. The children were not as energetic as usual, more often than not glancing to their parents, who kept them under a watchful eye. More than was common.
The appearance of such harmony did not faze the man watching them. No matter how hard they all tried, he could not be deceived. They were frightened. Feared for their children and guiltily hoping some other person's child would be taken. But he hardly paid the adults any heed. He watched the children run around and his excitement grew. Everything was ready, his trap was perfect. He had used it on so many children before and she, just like all the others, would traipse right into it. It was flawless.
Now, it was only a matter of keeping his roaring desire to possess her in check. He needed to be patient for this to work, to wait until this little angel was close enough for him to take action.
He knew it was risky to take her during the day, but any later would have been near impossible. Most children were no longer allowed to be outside when the shadows crept closer, wrapping the world in a cocoon of calming darkness.
So he needed to take her now... and damn the risk.
He had planned for this moment, had thought of every contingency; he could not fail. Not with his intelligence. He feared nothing any more, especially not discovery. He'd been sitting calmly while two police officers were in the same room with him. He could not be outfoxed by mere children. No one was a match for his might, nor could they even hope to challenge his intellect. Smugness radiated from his being. His confidence in his might was well placed, he truly believed there was not one single person that could rival his skills. Though it was somewhat disappointing to realise this. For a mind like his, it would be ideal to be pitted against the ultimate foe, he lacked a counterweight, so to speak. He would like nothing more than to make the game more challenging by having an opponent worthy of crossing blades with him. He would still win, of course, but there was no better way than to show his superiority.
Carefully his eyes roamed the surrounding area again. He knew she was bound to come this way, she always did. He'd taken the time to follow her around for a few days and thus knew her habits. After all, children, as all humans, were creatures of habit. They took the same path every day, the same street-crossings and ate at the same place each and every day. Their predictability would be their downfall, especially since it made following people that much easier. And delightfully entertaining. A cruel smirk slid across his twisted expression.
The girl, for instance, stopped at the same convenience store every morning to get a can of soda. Then, after school had ended, she stopped at the same store again to buy some candy. She did the same things, took the same route, and just before she took the shortcut through Beika Park she stopped to gaze at a store window. A quick examination had swiftly revealed what had captured the small brunette's interest. The window belonged to a toystore and a gaudy Western porcelain doll was currently on display there. It told him all he cared to know about the girl.
The perfect bait...
After the store, she'd cross through Beika Park, the only place convenient to take the small girl. But first, he had to lure her away from her friends, dull as they were. After all, it was only a thin, apparently smart boy and a big, rather lumpy fellow, who didn't seem very bright by comparison. On occasion, he'd also seen another boy wearing glasses with them, but he hoped the glasses-kid would be absent today. The killer had quickly discovered that this boy was an obstacle. Not a big one, mind you, but an obstacle nonetheless. His sharp, piercing gaze rarely missed anything.
That brat was alarmingly alert to his surroundings and so forced the maniac to maintain his distance. Also, when four-eyes was there, the other three kids stuck closer to him than a leech with separation anxiety. But, to the killers immense pleasure, the boy had not been present when he'd followed the girl earlier, and thus he could concentrate on obtaining his target. Namely, the small brunette girl with the pink hair-band and those round, trusting eyes.
Eyes that would soon spark and blaze in terror as they gazed up at him, while her innermost being realized she would die at his hands.
Glorious indeed...
He barely restrained an anticipating shudder as he imagined her gaze. His pupils dilated as his body was flushed with adrenaline. He was becoming too excited with the thought of how lovely it would be to witness these three beautifully long days of fun and games that awaited him. He could hardly contain his eagerness for it to begin.
As he hid himself and watched from afar, his plans started to become reality, making his heart race. Now it was only a question of having the patience to wait until she would be near enough.
It's really only a matter of time... he thought smugly, knowing she would soon be there to spring the trap.
The deranged man looked at his watch to confirm the time. She always came through here right about this time. It also did not matter that she was not alone today. He had taken far more difficult targets; and this one was only guarded by two small boys, who were seemingly only slightly older than she was. The two boys could be avoided, they were no threat. It was easy prey for him. Now the girl was his main goal and his target.
The hunt was on.
Shuddering in anticipation, he crouched down lower. The park was not completely deserted and he could not risk being seen before he had his playmate with him. Nevertheless, he had carefully laid out the route he meant to take to exit the small grove of trees around him. As soon as he had her, he would be able to literally vanish. Now, he only had to wait for her arrival.
The killer carefully peeked through the shrub he crouched behind, his heart jittering an exited beat as he finally caught sight of her. Laughing and chatting with her friends, she became the centre of his focus. Her demeanour was all carefree jokes and innocent smiles.
To think that soon she'll be using her lungs to scream and beg for mercy...
His eyes sparked as he thought of that, his mouth twisting into a deranged grin. His eyes hushed to the gift he had set for her, the bait to his trap, as it were. He just wanted to ensure it was still there. She would pass by it and then the trap would fall shut. He could hardly wait for that moment.
He'd already spent three agonizingly long days imagining all the fun he could have with this little angel. How her eyes would cloud with fear and pain, to the point where he could see it happening in front of him, even with his eyes wide open.
As he watched her get closer, his world narrowed to focus on nothing but the girl and her reactions. She walked together with her friends, chattering idly away, as the killer drowned out everything but her voice. Soon, so very soon, that voice would rise in pitch as pain would claim her thoughts and fear would rule over her. His hands shook as his brain thought of every delightful scenario his deranged mind could concoct.
Calm down... You'll alert her otherwise...
He sternly shook himself. He could not let this one get away.
He took a silent, but deep breath as he watched her, seeing his plan starting to work out, as he knew it would.
The girl let her gaze wander and after a little while her eyes settled on the gift he'd set for her; the Western porcelain doll she had admired, all curly hair and frilly dress. At first, she did not seem to see it, but then her eyes wandered back to settle on the doll as her steps slowed gradually until she stood. Such a typical reaction, he privately thought. The two boys predictably wandered on, unaware that the girl had stopped.
Perfect... Everything falls into place...
The two boys passed the edges of his focus and his gaze zeroed in on her. She stood not more than 10 meters distant from him, and it took all his willpower to remain where he was and not rush out to grab her. He was too cautious for that. He could not risk the girl seeing him yet, could not risk her screaming.
Not yet...
And then she moved: a first hesitant step towards the gift. Her eyes nervously glanced to the trees surrounding the place, causing the murderer to frown a little. Seemingly, this girl was different. She was more alert than the others.
No matter... It will not help her anyway...
He kept absolutely still, literally unmoving, quieting his breath until it was inaudible. Silently, he willed the girl to come closer, close enough for him to grab her and pull her out of sight.
Another step, another furtive glance, she was coming slowly closer, her eyes set on the gift for her. Her small, thin eyebrows knitted together almost suspiciously. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to peer through the shade of the tree in front of her as she took another step.
That's it... Come closer, little angel... Just a little more...
Then it was like time had ceased to exist as the girl did something he had not expected. Something no other child had done so far. Her body came to a complete standstill, her gaze still fixed on the doll. She seemed to be more careful than he had thought.
Baka... That's impossible...
He could not wait any longer. This was bordering on ridiculous. Just as he was ready to finally give into his desire to rush out and grab her, damning the consequences of eventually being seen, two things happened at once. The first, and most prominent thing was that she took a step - backwards. The curiosity in her eyes had shifted into suspicion. The girl continued to edge back until she had reached the path behind her once more.
The murderer was shell-shocked; this had never happened before.
And the second thing was that four-eyes careened around the corner on a skate-board, his eyes practically all over the place, his small face the picture of fury. The looks this boy cast around were much too aware, too obviously searching. The kid shouted the girl's name and pulled a squealing stop right in front of her.
Angrily the killer balled his hands into fists. He had been so close! His plan had been perfect; there should have been no disruptions! His temper flared. This was the first time something like this had happened. No one had ever gotten away from him, especially not a child.
Damned four-eyed brat!
If it hadn't been for that kid's appearance, he would have the girl with him now! But now, that the glasses-kid was there, the girl was out of reach! Furious he bared his teeth in a raging snarl.
The hunt was over for now.
He quickly rushed over and grabbed the doll, hiding it under his coat as he slunk away, his hateful gaze darting ever to the boy with the glasses.
His beautiful opportunity, his perfect plan, had been foiled. And ultimately it was the fault of that little brat!
Tuesday 21st September 2011
Early evening
Conan's heart nearly jumped out of his chest and his throat closed up as he made the mistake of imagining everything that could have happened already. He rushed through the streets at breakneck speed, recklessly tearing through intersections with no regard for his personal safety. All he cared about at the moment were the three small dots on his glasses that signalled the position of Ayumi and the others. He would have tried to contact them via the badges, but as bad luck would have it, he had left his at the Agency this morning. Also, none of them were picking up their cell-phones, which only fuelled the dread the shrunken detective felt. Seeing as there were no more options left, he was faced with only one alternative: Get to their position as fast as possible and make sure Ayumi was taken care of.
The mini-tantei knew that Mitsuhiko and Genta were with her, the tracking feed proved that, as it showed three dots. At least they were taking his order to stick together seriously. But that didn't mean the chibi allowed himself the luxury to relax.
Conan needed to find his friends and get them off the streets. At least as long as it took him to think of a plan to head the killer off before he got too close to Conan's friends.
It felt as if his nightmares had suddenly sprung to violent reality and for the first time in a really long while, he felt truly and utterly afraid. He was terrified that one of his friends would get harmed before he managed to get there. He feared that it would end like in his nightmares, where he was always too small or too slow to change events. He'd never forgive himself if Ayumi got hurt because he had not figured out the killer's MO earlier. He should have been quicker, should have been smarter. Now, because of his blind oversight, Ayumi might be the next target.
I have to find her...
He hated to admit it, but experience had taught him that it was usually Ayumi that was sidetracked the easiest. She would spot something or hear something and go alone to check it out. Not that curiosity was a bad thing, at least not from a detective's point of view, but she was too naïve to be suspicious of people around her. How often had they encountered murderers who were able to play 'model citizen' so effortlessly that it was hard to believe their crimes exceeded an unpaid parking ticket?!
With this killer, the danger was upped by a lot of notches, which was why he sped through Tokyo's streets in such a hurry, took dangerous shot-cuts and pushed the skateboard to its limit, as he blindly disregarded all rules of the road and weaved through traffic.
The location of the dots seemed to be moving slowly, but steadily towards Beika Park. Which was the normal route Ayumi took when on the way home.
What had him concerned was the fact that it seemed to him as though she wanted to cross through the park, even though he'd told them to stay around as many people as possible. While the park was far from being completely deserted, it still had more trees than people and plenty of places to hide, even for an adult. Not exactly a route Conan would have suggested for them, even if the park meant a 10-minute short-cut. They had chosen on the quickest route, not the safest, which unsettled the shrunken sleuth somewhat.
Quickly, he called Professor Agasa to pick them up by the park-entrance, if only to ensure himself that Ayumi would get home safely.
As he drew closer to the park, he noticed the moving pattern of the dots changing. Two appeared to be moving further north, while one simply stopped moving, as if the person wearing the badge had stopped walking. When Conan saw that, his blood ran cold. His heart was racing and his mind froze before going into overdrive, because in that one precious split-second, Conan knew what happened. And what was going to happen, if he did not get there in time. A shiver travelled down his spine as the urgency and severity of the situation intensified about a hundred fold. All his detective instincts were on red alert, he knew; simply knew; that the girl was the next target. His instincts were something he never doubted, they had led him well all his life. He had learned to listen to them long ago and right now, they were practically screaming at him to hurry.
Just as he saw the park-gates some distance ahead of him, his heart skipped several beats as he saw that one dot move even further away from the other two, towards the centre of the park.
Damn it all to Hell, why can't they ever do as they're told?!
Fear consumed his core, coldly biting terror at seeing that dot move away. A dangerously sharp curve took him into the park. Now, he was less than 500 meters and one curve away from the position of that dot. He hoped to Hell that it was not already too late, but that dot continued to move oddly. Even though he had no way of knowing whether that dot was truly Ayumi or not, he could not ignore the gut-wrenching feeling that she was in danger.
Please, don't let it be Ayumi...
He would not be able to stand it if she was taken next. Not that it would be any better if another child got picked, but he wanted to keep his friends safe at the least. He wanted to keep three kids out of the line of fire, whatever the cost. He couldn't explain that urge to its core, he just felt like he owed it to them after all the danger he regularly dragged them into.
Conan was sure that by now he had broken several laws of physics with the speed he was going, but it still did not feel fast enough. He kept trying to go faster, but to him it felt as if he was moving through thick, invisible slime. Every movement felt too slow, every second felt like hours dragged by.
Then he rounded the last corner, fully taking in the scenery in front of him with one sweeping glance. The small sleuth believed he had the equivalent of a small stroke, though he suspected his brain was merely reacting to seeing Ayumi in front of him, perfectly all right and unharmed. Standing on the very edge of the path.
Who knows how long she stood there by herself?!
He took a squealing stop about three feet from her, his frantically pounding heart causing his breath to come in short, ragged gasps.
"Conan-kun!" she shouted excitedly, moving to stand in front of him.
"W-what.. are you... doing here?! Wh-where ... are ... the others?" Conan panted out, willing his breathing back under control and his heart-rate to return to a normal level, while he already felt anger bubbling dangerously upwards. He witnessed Ayumi taking an unsure glance around herself.
"They were here a second ago. We all wanted to go to Mitsuhiko-kun's house to play a little bit more."
Even as Ayumi said that, the two boys jogged into view behind the girl. As soon as they spotted her, their eyes lost the fear and they drew closer.
"Ayumi-chan, there you are! Mou... don't scare us like that!" Mitsuhiko moaned, a slight frown tugging on his expression. Conan was suddenly aware that the boy had no idea how terrible things could have ended for them all. It was that innocent expression his friends sported that caused Conan to clamp down hard on his anger (even though he felt like fighting a losing battle), infusing his voice with an eerie sort of calmness.
"Where were you guys? I thought I'd told you to stick together." he asked, his voice calm on the outside, but plainly accusing on the inside. Unconsciously he balled his hands into fists.
"We were!" Genta threw back, obviously caught between pouting and indignation. It was that precise level of cluelessness that sent Conan's emotion skittering over the edge.
"THEN WHY WAS AYUMI-CHAN ALONE?! I TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL WITH THIS MANIAC ON THE LOOSE!" Conan had been close to explosion before, but had somehow managed to fight the impulse down. Now, his emotions decided to take action for once. After all, one can only bottle up intense emotion for so long before everything just came right out.
"We were together, Conan-kun," Mitsuhiko tried to explain, if only to make Conan stop shouting, "we thought she was behind us the whole time, I swear." A sad look crossed the lean boy's face. The worry in his eyes was enough to make Conan instantly regret his harsh words. He knew, that while he had tried his hardest to protect them from the danger this case posed, in the end it was because of him they knew of this case to begin with. The small sleuth managed to keep a straight face to hide his inner turmoil; a poker-face that rivalled even KID's. Mitsuhiko continued to talk, desperate to explain this situation.
"We were walking when we became aware that Ayumi-chan was rather quiet. When we didn't see her with us, we immediately turned around and came back."
"It couldn't have been more than a few minutes!" Genta threw in, crossing his arms over his wide chest, as always unwilling to admit fault. The bulky kid didn't like to be wrong, especially if that resulted in disappointing his friends. Therefore he would always defend his actions, hoping that it truly hadn't been his fault, but Conan was in no mood to entertain him at the moment. For a moment he could only stare at Genta's harsh words, ignorant to his brain's protest that they were only children. As a result, Conan felt a muscle under his eye twitch; it always happened when he was either extremely annoyed or immensely angered with someone. In this case, it happened to be both.
"A few minutes is all this guy would need! Geez! What if something had happened to Ayumi-chan?" the shrunken teen shot back, forcing himself to stop yelling. He reminded himself that while he only looked like a child, they were actually children. Yelling at them would not help.
The two boys in front of him jerked simultaneously, as the true danger of the whole situation finally sunk in. Instantly, their eyes became filled with fear and they lowered their heads, breaking eye-contact with the irate detective.
"Sorry." they both chorused. They weren't used to Conan shouting at them, but they knew that when the small tantei was at the point of shouting, he usually had a very good reason to. Shame dawned in their eyes and posture. These kids tried everything to act mature and responsible so adults would take them seriously, but at that moment they were reminded of their own carelessness. They understood all the things that could have happened to their female friend and were sorry they had not paid proper attention.
Conan took a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself back down again, though the anger still lingered. Just as Conan was about to say some more things, Ayumi decided to intervene.
"I wanted to show you guys something!" she said.
Out of everyone, Ayumi was the most innocent and arguing around her always made her uncomfortable. In her innocence she had diverted the conversation to make them focus on something else. At this, Conan had to huff a quiet laugh that melted most of his anger at the carelessness of the kids. Turning, he gave her his undivided attention.
"Now you can have a look at it too, Conan-kun! Look, there's a doll over there," the girl pointed to a tree some 10 meters off the path, but when everyone turned, they saw nothing by the tree, "Huh? That's weird. It was there a second ago." Ayumi turned a puzzled glance to Conan, who stood rooted, his brain going into overdrive again.
Deductions swirled through the shrunken sleuth's mind at what felt like the speed of light. He thought about all the possible reasons why a doll would suddenly disappear from sight. In the span of less than four seconds, he came to only one conclusion, and it nearly made him nauseous. The killer had indeed been here and had set a toy down to lure Ayumi away from the others.
His earlier deduction had been right: the small brunette to the left of him was the next target. And apparently she had been only seconds away from being kidnapped. Instinctively, he turned and gave the two chagrined boys behind him a stern glance. Though he couldn't hide the worry that was so ever present when someone dear to him was in any sort of danger. Catching on rather quickly for a child his age, Mitsuhiko's eyes sharpened in intensity for a moment.
"We're leaving. Right now." Conan ordered, ignoring the questioning glances of his friends. He turned around and quickly picked up the discarded skateboard, before turning back to the kids. "I've called Hakase... He's going to give you a ride home."
Conan was about to start walking when Genta exclaimed, "I don't want to go home yet! I wanted to try Mitsuhiko's new game!"
Feeling the muscle underneath his eye twitch again, Conan turned once more, facing the bulky kid again.
"This is not a discussion, Genta. We're leaving." He drove the point home by mustering up the most intimidating look he could find. With no room left to argue, Genta visible deflated, while Mitsuhiko nodded in agreement. The last thing the thin boy wanted was for Conan's anger to be directed at him.
Before finally walking towards the park-entrance once more, Conan threw a last glance to the tree Ayumi had indicated. There were several bushes behind and to the side of the tree, large enough to hide the crouching form of an adult. It was also seemingly the only spot in the entire park that was only visible from one angle. In short, it was right to this guy's liking. The shrunken teen huffed a quiet sigh, because all of that was useless information now. That maniac was likely already halfway across town by now. His plan was interrupted, he would not stick around and chance getting caught. No... he was much too smart for that. With another quiet huff, Conan finally started walking, albeit very slowly.
As the kids followed obediently; sensing that the small detective would not tolerate further attempts to discuss matters; Mitsuhiko spoke up from his position next to Ayumi, while Genta was still busily muttering something about having to follow orders from a shrimp under his breath.
"Ne, Conan-kun," the thin boy began and Conan turned his head to give a silent, questioning glance, purposely ignoring the overly loud muttering behind them all, "Why are you here all of a sudden?" Mitsuhiko paused briefly, before continuing confusedly. "I thought you said you had something to do today." the freckled boy said quietly, his gaze straying over the shrunken teen's face to guess his intention.
Conan suspected the thin boy could see the pensive lines on his face, while he silently debated whether he should think of a believable excuse to explain his sudden appearance or just tell the truth to his friends. In the end, Conan settled for the latter. It was better if these kids were warned properly; it gave them an edge over the killer. Plus, they deserved the truth at this point. Everyone knew what was at stake here and he wanted them to pay the utmost attention to their surroundings.
Conan turned back to the front before speaking.
"I... I'll explain when we get to the car, okay?" he answered. Conan could feel the weariness creeping back into his bones, now that the adrenaline-rush started to subside. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling tired beyond measure. Apparently, this answer satisfied the freckled kid, because he didn't ask any further questions. For a moment, Conan could imagine his friend's face grow almost deathly serious, as if he had once more deduced correctly what the true reason was.
The mini-tantei had no time to ponder that any further, as they reached the park-entrance and saw Agasa's yellow beetle drive up. The portly professor hastened out of the car, just as the four kids reached him.
"What happened? What's going on?" the man asked worriedly, levelling a look at the shrunken teen.
Conan however, paid him no mind for a moment. He firmly placed a stern expression over his features and turned wordlessly to the kids, opening the car door. The implication was clear and they silently complied. Waiting until the kids had filed into the car and had taken their seats in the back, he closed the door and motioned for the Professor to come closer.
"Now, will you tell me what's going on, Shinichi?" the man asked, lowering his voice as he used Conan's real name.
"Hakase, I need you to call the police and get them here. I think the killer is after Ayumi now." Conan explained, casting a quick look to the car.
"WHAT?!" Agasa exclaimed before quickly controlling himself for the benefit of the three little one's in the car, worriedly looking down at the shrunken sleuth.
"Ayumi says she saw a doll under a tree, but now it's gone," Conan elaborated, "the killer probably took it away when he saw the chance. I think he placed it there to set a trap for Ayumi. There may be evidence he left behind, since he had to get the doll in a hurry. At any rate, we need to tell the police and get them here, so could you please just call Takagi-keiji? I know he's in on the investigation." the chibi-tantei finished, casting a quick look around, but seeing nothing.
No great surprise there... didn't expect the bastard to stick around...
Conan looked back at the portly man in time to see him nod, while pulling out a cell-phone. Leaving the man to call the cops, the faux child returned to the car, opening the door and climbing onto the passenger-seat. He left the door open, to listen with half a mind to the phone call. Without explaining everything about the situation that would normally be required, Agasa managed to put just the right feeling of urgency into his voice, though Conan suspected that was no act. The man was worried and truthfully, so was the detective watching him.
"Conan-kun..." Ayumi's small voice broke his thought, causing him to look back to the girl sitting dejectedly in the back-seat, her small hands clasped tightly in her lap, "I'm sorry I looked at the doll and stopped walking with Mitsuhiko-kun and Genta-kun. I didn't mean to make you angry." she said, causing the faux child to sigh heavily.
Should have known Ayumi would blame herself... This was the last thing Conan had wanted.
"I know..." he answered the girl with a sincere smile, "but it's not your fault, Ayumi-chan."
Then Conan's face became serious once more as he turned his full attention to the girl.
"I have a few questions, if you don't mind too much," he asked, waiting for her to nod, before continuing, "You said you saw a doll... Do you remember what kind of doll? What did it look like?"
The girl leaned slightly back, cupping her chin and frowning deeply. The classic thinking-pose these kids had adopted from him.
"It was one of those expensive Western porcelain dolls, I think. You know, like the one in the toy store around the corner."
"Was it a new one? And where exactly was the doll when you saw it?" Conan pressed, eager for more information. If Ayumi knew what it looked like, they could find out where it was sold and who had bought one. This was possibly the slip-up the shrunken sleuth needed to track the elusive killer down.
Ayumi thought for a few moments, before she looked up and began answering his questions.
"It was leaning against the trunk of the tree. I only went a few steps to see it better. I wanted to go back for the others when you showed up. But I remember that it was new. I'm sure about that." the girl answered, locking gazes with the shrunken teen. Suddenly Mitsuhiko turned pale and he sucked in a startled breath.
"Could it have been the same doll you were looking at every day of the past week? You know, the one in the toy store we always pass by on the way to school?" the thin boy threw in, sharing a brief glance with Conan, which confirmed the mini-tantei's suspicion that their thoughts were running in similar directions.
"I... I think it's possible. I can't be absolutely sure, since I didn't go that close. But it could be." Ayumi told them, unsure for a moment.
Before Conan could ask any more questions, the Professor came back to the car, pocketing his phone.
"Takagi-keiji said they'd be here right away and to wait for them. Now, would you please explain what is happening, Sh-...Conan-kun?" the older man asked, slipping slightly on the name. It only happened when the man was too worried to pay proper attention to which name he was using.
The faux child sighed slightly, wondering briefly how to start explaining. He knew it was best to have the kids properly informed, as it would prevent them from taking any foolish actions. But at the same time he didn't want them to get so worried that they would no longer be able to keep a look-out. Taking a deep breath, he decided to simply take the plunge and started talking.
"Okay... I had a phone-call with Heiji-niichan earlier," Conan began, "and while we were talking, we realized something the vanished kids had in common." He purposely avoided the word 'killed', as it would only frighten the kids in the back-seat. However, as soon as he had ended his sentence, four pairs of eyes locked onto him and everyone drew closer.
"Really?!" they all cried in unison. Hope and excitement were fairly radiating from them. They knew that this was precisely what the police puzzled over.
"Yes. It's because of the names. He's counting the syllables."
"But the Kanji..." Mitsuhiko started confused, but was interrupted by the shrunken teen.
"Its not the writing; its the pronunciation. If you speak the names and count, you always get exactly 6 syllables," Conan threw an uneasy glance at Ayumi, causing everyone to frown worriedly and start counting, "He asked me if I knew someone who fits both the age and that characteristic in their name." he finished gravely, looking at Ayumi, who had suddenly turned at least two shades paler. The girl still held her fingers in the air, having counted through her own name. Mitsuhiko's eyes were close to bulging from their sockets as he looked back and forth between Conan and Ayumi. The look in the girl's eyes told Conan that she understood it now.
"Me?!" she whispered frightened, tears already pricking in the corners of her eyes.
Conan could barely stand that scared gaze, and he briefly looked down, wondering what to say now. In the end, all he could think of was a weak: "Yes."
After a moment of silence, during which all of them sat quietly thinking and worrying, Conan had covered up all his fears and managed to slide back into his professional mode. If these kids realized how worried he truly was, they would lose all hope. For their benefit, he had to give off the impression as if things were under control now, even if they weren't.
"I wasn't sure when I showed up... But when you mentioned the doll, plus the fact that it's gone now..." Conan left the sentence unspoken, sighing quietly before continuing, "I have no more doubts about this. But you don't have to worry, Ayumi-chan. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? That's a promise, and you guys should now that I never break a promise, right?" he added, throwing the girl a sincere smile while the others chorused in agreement. No one would permit Ayumi getting harmed and despite her fears, the girl knew this.
Silence descended upon the car for a moment, as everyone came to grips with the true severity of the situation as a whole. Seeing his friends so frightened, Conan cringed inwardly.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you guys," he said quietly to Mitsuhiko and Genta, "but when I tried to call you, none of you picked up your phones. I just got so worried that something might have happened and I snapped. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have behaved like that, it was out of line." Conan apologized, knowing that while these boys now understood why he had been so furious, he had no right to blow up in their faces like that.
That's why I usually exclude emotion... It clouds the judgement...
"It's all right. We understand," Mitsuhiko answered with Genta nodding next to him, "So... What do we do now?" the freckled boy asked, looking worried and afraid.
"Right now, all we can do is wait for Takagi-keiji and the police to get here," the shrunken sleuth explained, "Then, the Professor will drive you guys home. Tomorrow morning, you Ayumi-chan, will wait at your place until we three come to pick you up, okay?" He gave the girl a sympathetic look. She was obviously still shaken up by the new information. Conan even doubted she could process everything at the moment, it was quite a lot to take in. She seemed overwhelmed with the situation and he couldn't blame her for that. After all, she was still a child. She did not meet his gaze. Instead, she just sat on the back-seat, her brow creased in worry, while staring at her hands still clasped in her lap. Nevertheless, she gave him the smallest of nods to indicate she had heard him. Looking at the two boys, the shrunken teen continued.
"As long as we stick together, this guy won't be able to get close enough. With no more stunts like this one just now, I think she'll be perfectly fine." This time, Ayumi did look up at him, her scared eyes meeting his reassuring ones. Seeing this, the girl gave a courageous smile and nodded in agreement to his conclusion. She had the utmost faith in Conan. If he promised nothing bad would happen to her, she believed him.
"You stay with us, no matter what the reason is... okay?" the small sleuth insisted, receiving a chorus of agreement. He couldn't help but smile at their determination.
"As soon as the police are completely informed, I'm guessing they'll be posting a guard at the school too, so it should be all right." Conan explained further, but even as he said it, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was lying to them. Considering his track record, things rapidly progressed from bad to worse. This case swiftly spun out of control and the small detective hoped that none of his friends would be caught in the crossfire. But he would not show his worries to them, he didn't want to stress them any more. And even if it killed him, he'd keep his friends safe.
Conan looked up to see his friends nod earnestly and it calmed him down a lot. They knew what was at stake now and would be careful. The mini-tantei turned his head to look at the Professor, still standing next to the car.
"Hakase, can I talk to you for a second?" Exiting the car once more and closing the door behind him, Conan turned to the older man, who waited patiently until the faux child had walked a few steps away from the car, before he addressed the small sleuth.
"Now, I think there's more to this than what you've just said. And since I believe you want me to explain all of this to the police, I would like to be filled in." the older man said, patiently waiting for the shrunken teen to respond.
Conan sighed heavily, for what felt like the billionth time today. Between his irregular sleep-schedule and the research, not to mention the massive panic-attack he'd experienced not 20 minutes prior, he felt close to collapsing.
Bet I look like it too...
"Okay, short version is this: the killer is choosing them based on the sounds of their names," The faux child elaborated, getting tired of having to repeat this over and over, "he's obsessed with the number 6 and looks for kids around that age with names that consist of exactly 6 syllables. Yoshida Ayumi has 6 syllables. He keeps the kids for roughly 72 hours, which can be divided by 6, giving 12. And... Hattori thinks he's aiming for 12 kids in total. When I realized that Ayumi could be the target, I got here as fast as I could. And the fact that there has apparently been a doll suggests he's been using toys to bait the kids out of sight. If they ask you, tell them Hattori figured it out. I don't think he'd mind if we use him as a cover for this one. If you tell them that, they'll call him and we'll wing it from there."
As the shrunken teen drew his explanation to a close, he let his skateboard slide to the ground while listening for the sounds of sirens in the distance. So far, there was no indication that the police were getting here.
"If you get stuck, or they ask you something you don't know, tell them Hattori didn't explain that to you. And have Ayumi give them a description of the doll. Mitsuhiko suggested it could be from a store near here. Have them give the address to the police; maybe we can get a description of who bought it." Conan went on, but Agasa interrupted him.
"What exactly do you think you're doing, Shinichi?" the Professor asked, while eyeing the skateboard suspiciously.
"I'll go and have a look at the spot Ayumi mentioned before the cops show up. Occhan doesn't know I'm involved in this and I'd rather he wouldn't find out. The place is not far in either, maybe 500 meters. A big, old birch; the only birch this side of the park. You can't miss it."
"But... do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, this guy could still..." Deep concern spread plainly over the old man's features. Agasa saw that the boy looked like he barely slept, and he knew the small detective hadn't stomached anything noteworthy for a while. He knew the boy would never admit to his own weaknesses, and oftentimes this worried the older man even more. He knew first-hand how strong the shrunken sleuth could be, but he also saw that he was fast approaching his limit. Agasa sighed quietly, knowing that any attempt to reason with the small detective would be a useless effort on his part. Nonetheless, he wished this would end quickly, this case was taking too much toll on the teen-turned-child.
"There's no way he'll stick around after a failed attempt," Conan harshly brushed off the older man's concern, "He's long gone anyway. And I'd like to have a look around before the police get here. Keep an eye on the kids for me, Hakase." the shrunken sleuth ended quickly and without further ado, sped off through the entrance again.
Time was limited as it was, and he wanted to be the first on a scene for a change. Nevertheless, he hoped the kids would be all right in the meantime.
As long as they stay in the car, they should be okay... he tried to convince himself.
Before long, Conan spotted the massive tree Ayumi had indicated earlier. Stopping the skateboard, the shrunken sleuth looked carefully at the huge mass of tree in front and listened for any form of suspicious sounds. Upon hearing nothing, he cautiously walked closer to survey his surroundings. Right in front, the old tree loomed up, its leafy canopy plunging the trunk in deep shadows, while the surrounding greenery gave off the impression as if it was capable of hiding anything.
Vigorously, the faux child shook his head to banish such foolish and overly paranoid thoughts. What he had told the Professor was true; it was unlikely the culprit was still around, the risk of discovery was just too great for him.
Unless of course, he's feeling invincible by now...
The small sleuth threw a quick glance around and noticed that hardly any people were left in the park. He could only spot a couple some distance away, just making their way out. Dusk was slowly settling and seemingly no one wanted to be out when it got dark.
Small wonder...
Focussing on the task ahead, Conan switched on his watch-light and let the beam circle around. Granted, there was not much to gain on the first glance. The thick grass made it unlikely for footprints to show, but maybe the ground was softer at the base of the tree. Also, the small detective wanted to have a look behind the bushes. For a successful abduction according to this guy's MO, the culprit would have to be insanely close by. Those bushes seemed ideal for that.
Conan mentally excluded the ones that were either too small to hide the crouching form of an adult or had obstructions that prevented a clear line of sight. Quickly, he was able to narrow it down to three possible spots: One on either side of the tree and one slightly to his right.
Carefully, the small sleuth approached the first bush to the left of the tree, taking a relatively wide berth too avoid getting too close too fast. It would help nothing if he found evidence, but accidentally tampered with it. Cautiously he peered behind the first bush, or rather the ground beneath it. Sadly though, there was no indication that anyone had been there lately.
Frowning, Conan rounded the back of the tree, his gaze fixed to the ground, but all his senses on high alert. He knew the risk was slim, but he was not about to let his guard down.
Suddenly, just as he looked at the patch of clear soil beneath the next bush, his eyes spotted an irregularity. Before his brain could process what it was in all detail, he already knew. He simply looked and knew immediately. Carefully getting closer, Conan could discern three individual foot-prints, all from the same kind of hiking boot. And from the looks of it, reasonably fresh.
Now, there aren't so many people wearing hiking boots in Tokyo...
A slow smile spread on the detective's lips as he bent to examine his find closer. Someone had crouched here for a while, evidenced by the fact that two prints only showed the front of the boot. Typically, when crouching, the heel of the boot rises, leaving a deeper impression at the balls of the feet. Slightly behind it, there was a complete imprint.
In conclusion, someone had crouched here, but then the same person had stood up and had turned into the direction Mitsuhiko and Genta had come from. Conan quickly took out his cell-phone and snapped a few pictures. He could send those to Hattori later.
The small detective carefully made his way to the front of the tree, checking the ground near the bush. On a protruding root, there was another print, unfortunately slightly smudged, but fresh. Therefore Conan could not be completely sure, but his reason told him that the crouching person could have reached forward to take something positioned at the base of the trunk. The probability that these prints belonged to the culprit they all sought was incredibly high now.
Quickly he typed a few words to Agasa's cell-phone:
Have them check the ground beneath the bush on the right side of the tree. Found some footprints. Make sure the kids get home safely, I'm heading to the Agency now.
Personally, Conan would have preferred to go back to his friends, but he'd heard sirens not two minutes before, so the police had arrived. If they realized that he'd snuck off by himself, he'd never hear the end of it. After all, he wasn't supposed to know any of this anyway. He'd probably be grounded for all eternity.
Thinking of that alternative, Conan groaned involuntarily as he remembered he had given Ran no information of where he was or what he was doing, and he had been expected back a while ago. Quickly he typed another mail, this time for Ran.
Sorry, got caught up in a videogame at the Professor's. On my way home now. Be there soon.
Hoping this would calm the storm he was sure to face for leaving his 'guardians' in the dark, Conan turned to head out of the park by another exit, while typing yet another message to Agasa.
Don't mention I was here. Mouri doesn't know I'm on the case.
As Conan leisurely rolled out of the park, he idly wondered if he would be able to prevent the worst from happening. No matter how this would end though, he was determined to do anything in his power to keep Ayumi and his friends safe. At all costs.
Tuesday, 21st September 2011
Mouri Detective Agency
Evening
When Conan arrived at the Agency, he felt ready to pass out. Weeks had passed since he had felt fully rested and the miniature adult knew that it was beginning to show quite plainly. One night, just one night without the terror he faced in his nightmares would be enough.
Wearily climbing the stairs, the shrunken sleuth absently cursed the architect who had apparently thought people needed a work-out before reaching their destination. He wasn't entirely sure how long it took him to reach the landing on the second floor. His brain rapidly lost the ability to think clearly, a sure sign that he was overdue on some shut-eye.
But damn him, every single time he closed his eyes, the images would return, assaulting his mind when he could not shove it away. Information and data clogged his brain and in the deepest parts of the night, his fears came true in his nightmares. Leaning his skateboard to the wall behind the door, Conan took a moment to rake a hand through his dark bangs, wishing for all the world that he could just pass one night without fear. One night would be enough.
He'd even contemplated sleeping pills before, if only to make his brain shut down for some hours; but he hated the after-effects. On the few occasions he had resorted to artificial means of sleeping, his brain had taken hours to be close to normal working capacity. He just could not risk that with the high stakes he faced right now. He needed to be at his sharpest and quickest to prevent the worst. So sleeping pills were not an option.
Absently, Conan looked at his watch, while his hand was reaching for the doorknob. It was already half past 7. And though he had sent a mail earlier, Conan was still pretty sure he'd have to face Hell as soon as he set foot into the flat, especially since Ran and Kogoro had enforced a strict curfew on him, meaning he had to be home by 6. They had instigated this a little while ago and though it annoyed the mini-tantei, even he saw the foolishness of him staying out after nightfall. Hattori had been right on that point: He was smarter than all the other kids, but that did not change the fact that he still looked like one.
Bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught, the shrunken teen turned the doorknob. On any other day, he might have tried the kiddie-act with Ran to soften the blow, but he lacked the energy to make an attempt today. Not now. Not after Ayumi had nearly been kidnapped.
Cautiously, he set a foot inside and was on the verge of announcing his presence when something came flying for his head. Thank God for his freakishly fast reflexes, as he managed to duck and witness the thing smashing into the wall behind him. A quick look proved his suspicion: someone had thrown a sake bottle at him. And there was only one person in this household that would throw sake bottles.
Then it came, just as he expected: the screaming began.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! YOU'RE ALMOST TWO HOURS LATE!" By the time the sentence had ended, Kogoro had cornered him, as Conan had instinctively backed away from the irate drunkard. Behind the furious man, Ran advanced also.
Oh man... This will be brutal...
Conan tried to argue back, feeling his nerves already stretching way past their natural limit. His tolerance for the drunkard was low on an average day, but this evening, it felt shot to pieces. He didn't get a chance to say anything though, because Kogoro's raging speech continued on.
"I've told you a million god-damned times! You were supposed to be home by six, for heaven's sake!"
Luckily for Conan (and his almost non-existent patience with the drunken man), Ran decided that now would be a good time to step in and protect her surrogate little brother from Kogoro's wrath.
"Mou... Otou-san, I bet Conan-kun didn't mean to be late. And he has sent a mail earlier. I'm sure he just lost track of time." the young woman said calmly while pulling her father lightly back, allowing Conan a temporary reprieve. Then, she turned her gaze towards Conan for a moment. What he could see in her eyes made the shrunken teen stare back, almost in shock. She had a sad, unknown look in her eyes. It almost resembled pity, but that made no sense to Conan. His brow furrowed in confusion. Did he look so drained that he warranted her intervention? He had no time to dwell on that look however, as Kogoro's angry voice pulled is attention back to the present.
"I don't care how many god-damn mails the kid sent! He's supposed to be home at six, that's not a hard rule to follow, now is it?! I'm telling you, that brat lives to defy rules!" Kogoro spat in Conan's general direction. Ran frowned disapprovingly at her father's choice of words, but couldn't be completely angry at him. His reaction was understandable.
On an ordinary day, Conan would have actually agreed with him. On occasion, it was even fun to rile the older detective, even though he got a noogie out of it more often than not. But today had been a simple oversight on his part. He just forgot to inform them and it annoyed him somewhat that the older detective actually thought he had done it on purpose.
Before he could answer and defend his actions however, a third voice sounded off, ironically from behind Conan, in the direction of the still open door.
"Oy, oy... Occhan, take a breath, will ya? Bet da kid didn' do it o' purpose."
Conan would recognize THAT butchered speech anywhere.
What the fuck is HE doing here?! Why didn't he tell me he was coming here?! This is not going to end well...
Before he could fully turn around to give his best friend a death glare, Hattori gave him what would have seemed like a normal pat on the back. However, due to Conan's surprise (and general weariness), the friendly pat actually send him stumbling forwards, nearly landing flat on his face. Quickly righting himself, he threw a dark look back to the smug face of the Osakan detective.
Ironically, it was Kogoro who voiced the obvious question still swimming through Conan's mind, as he addressed the tanned teen still crouching slightly behind Conan.
"And what do you want here?!" the irate detective spat, apparently not minding the change in targets for his anger. And still, the smug look on Hattori's face never wavered.
"I 'ad a phone call wit'..." he faltered slightly as he caught Conan's patented death glare, "...wit' Hakase earlier. I was actually on my way ta Tokyo then, jus' ta check in, ya know?" Hattori answered, standing up again and burying his hands in his pockets, still wearing that insufferably cheeky grin. But Conan had to give his friend credit. For someone who was not very good at lying, period, he'd managed to conceal his involvement quickly enough.
"Why didn't you tell us you were coming, Heiji-niichan?" Conan asked levelly, still fixing his friend with a glare, which proved to do nothing more than make the tanned teen laugh slightly.
"Ah, I jus' wanted ta surprise ya all, tha's it." Hattori answered, still grinning like the fictional Cheshire cat, and for the thousand and one times they interacted with each other, Conan actually wanted to kick him in the shins. He hated it when we wasn't given all the facts, or was caught off guard.
I bet that guy was already on the train when we talked...
Seeing as he couldn't very well explain the entirety of all the happenings here, especially not with Ran and Kogoro standing three steps behind him, Conan opted for subtlety coupled with a bit of needling. He didn't know why exactly, but he simply felt like needling somebody. Though he wasn't sure which one of the two detectives he would end up annoying.
"Well, now that you're here, you can help the police and Oji-san!" he chirped, feeling his lips curve into a slightly mean grin. He knew exactly what effect this little sentence would have and apparently, judging from the faltering smugness on his friend's face, Hattori knew as well.
"I don't need the assistance of that whelp!" True to character, Kogoro took that sentence as implication that he was incapable of solving the case on his own and promptly went for the Osakan's throat. Now it was Conan's turn to look smug and Hattori's to be annoyed, while Kogoro ranted and raved at him.
Hey, two in one go...
But at least Hattori understood the hidden meaning Conan had thrown in there. For that, the shrunken teen was immensely grateful. Having someone on the inside would help a lot.
"Tha's wha' I meant ta do." Hattori confirmed, his glare vanishing for a short moment.
"I don't care what you meant to do, but you sure as Hell aren't staying here! I'm not taking in another freeloader!" Kogoro shouted angrily and for once, Conan fully agreed with him. The last thing he needed was for Hattori to see just how shot his nerves truly were. He was grateful for the short distraction his friend had brought, but there was no way he was going to let him stay here. Hattori already seemed like he had an inkling of what Conan was hiding, the small sleuth didn't want to make it worse by confirming it with a nightmare or two.
"Otou-san, don't be so rude! Of course you can stay here, Hattori-kun!" Ran answered, overriding her father's protest with practised ease.
"Over my dead body!" Kogoro shot back, ending the discussion in his usual manner: by retreating back into the flat, mumbling angrily about finding something to drink.
"Don' worry 'bout it, Neechan. I'll find somewhere else ta stay then." Hattori supplied, seemingly deciding to take the better part of valour and temporarily concede. Conan immediately pounced on the opening.
"You could stay at Shinichi-niichan's house. I'm sure he wouldn't mind." the shrunken teen said, allowing his voice to lose it's childish quality towards the end of the sentence, delivering yet another silent message to the tanned teen. After all, Hattori had probably deduced that Conan had left the case-material there.
Man, I grow tired of subliminal messages...
"Good idea. I'll give 'im a call later th'n, ta tell 'im I'll crash a' 'is place."
Ran seemed doubtful, but in the end she agreed that it was a better plan than try and convince Kogoro, especially since Conan had no great desire for the other detective to stay either. He didn't want Hattori anywhere near when he bolted from another of his seemingly endless string of nightmares. And by all appearances, the Osakan detective understood that, even though no words were said on the topic.
After a short while, the tanned detective turned to leave, but stopped on the stairs to turn back around, his cheeky grin all but on for show. His eyes had suddenly grown very serious.
"Word o' advice... Get some sleep, a'rite?" was the only thing the tanned teen said, before waving slightly and proceeding down the stairs.
Would if I could... ba'rou...
Finally, we have everyone's favourite Osakan in the game! I so looked forward to adding him in, I'd planned on it from day one^^ I might throw a good load of his POV in the mix, to spice everything up a bit^^ Thank you for reading the chapter and stay strong, we are already working on the next installment! Stay tuned, more action is to come!
Regards, Caledonia1986 and TwilightReader1