I am definitely only going to send two more chapters into this story before it is completed. For the last chapters I didn't mention the help of my coauthor Kaede Tsukino. I thanked the coauthor before and will continue to do so every time I remember how much work was put in thanks to Kaede.

XXX

If Conan said one more thing that made Kogoro look like a bad detective he was going to throw that kid into the water and drown him. Kogoro didn't care how close his daughter Ran and him were because a little boy solving an adult's case made him too angry to think straight.

"Then he was probably beaten up or tortured before he was finished off. What a sick and twisted criminal!" Kogoro concurred. "And based on the hand print shaped bruise, it's likely the culprit is a man. It's impossible for a woman have such a strong grip."

"It's still too soon to say that, Oji-san. We have yet to confirm where those injuries came from." Conan pointed out.

A large vein pops on Kogoro's head.

"Shut up!" Kogoro grabs Conan by the back of his collar and throws off somewhere. "You're disrupting our investigation. Go somewhere else!"

Sheesh. Just because he couldn't think up some decent ideas doesn't mean he can take it out on him... wasn't what Conan wanted to say but refrained from doing so.

Anyway, the mystery of where those wounds came from still bothered Conan. It doesn't seem like he'll be able to thoroughly investigate the location the body was found with Kogoro and the police there. Considering that the body was found near a river, it is possible the body was drifting in the river before it was found meaning that the real location of the crime scene could be elsewhere.

Walking upstream beside a river was the same as walking up a mountain. The surface was flat near the water, since they were near a beach there was no signs of rocks near the water, and unlike a family hike doing it alone was slower than going upstream together with friends or family.

Going upstream wasn't the only problem Conan had to think about. He was looking for a body and a murderer. Maybe the murderer knew what the police would do or how clever just one of police (in this case Conan) would be.

Conan's search soon comes to a dead end when he sees a waterfall at the end of the river.

'A waterfall?' Did that mean that the victim's death was accidental then? If so, then what was that weird bruise on his leg? Did he get that prior to his demise or did it occur during the process? For now, there were still many questions left unanswered so whether this case was an accident or a murder is still unsolved at this point.

Judging from the height unless you had mountain climbing gear, it'd be dangerous climbing up the hard earth.

!

'This is!'

At the edge of the end of the waterfall, Conan saw something that caught his eye. From the looks of it, it was a flashlight. And quite broken up he might add.

It'd be too much of a coincidence if someone had 'happened' to have lost a flashlight when a murder had occurred. Chances are that the flashlight most likely belonged to the victim or the culprit.

If he asks the forensics to check, he'll be able to determine whether it was simply a lost property or an important clue to the case. And if this does belong to the victim, then this just proves that the real scene of the crime was here after all.

The only issue was where?

If it was dragged along the river current, then the location should be somewhere upstream as the body flowed downstream the river.

Having finished his surveillance of the area, Conan went back to take the flashlight to the forensics. All he had to do was wait for the results until then he'll just do a bit more investigation on the individuals involved with the victim.

Or he was going to until he unexpectedly ran into a familiar face.

"Long time no see..." Yoru greeted Conan. "It must be fate or destiny for the both us to come here on vacation and run into a case in the same place."

"..."

"Regardless of what your suspicions are of me or what you think of me, we are in the midst of an important case." Yoru said. "I take it you want to interview the prime suspects too. But unfortunately, Inspector Megure is already in the middle of that right now. No children allowed in or at least that's what that shoddy, mustache man detective said."

'Oji-san...' Conan sweat dropped.

"Relax, I already prepared a back up plan. Before I left, I made sure to install a bug in the room, but whether you'll trust me and listen is completely up to you." Yoru made sure to give his father a listening device so that he could hear the entire interview. There was a possibility of his father delivering him wrong information, and he couldn't take that chance.

What could Yoru possibly do with Conan. He didn't ask Conan but he looked like the kind of kid who could find clues by himself; telling him how he bugged the room might have been a mistake.

Looking at this, it was the perfect opportunity to gain more information on the case. But the issue was the person giving him the opportunity. What could he have gained by letting him have this chance? Moreover, this already revealed that he was no ordinary kid as no ordinary kid would plant a bug in a room to listen in on the conversation in the room. But most of all, can he really trust him well enough to go along with his deal.

No matter. He needed to listen in the suspects' statements and alibis so there wasn't much choice in the matter.

The two began to listen in the on interviews through the earbuds.

From the other room, they could hear Inspector Megure beginning the interview.

"First, we'll start with your relationships with the victim." Inspector Megure started.

"Yes, we all work for the same company so we're coworkers." Nicholas spoke up for his friends. "I've known Takano for some time, but I never knew he'd end up carelessly getting into an accident like this."

"Accident? How do you know that his death was an accident?" Inspector Megure suspiciously inquired. "We've only verified his death but haven't confirmed it to be murder or an accident."

"That's because last night he was really drunk during our party. We left him alone a while, but when I came back to our room he was already gone so I assumed he had either gone to the baths or took a walk. He often had a hobby of taking a walk after dinner. And I noticed that my flashlight was gone so I thought he mistook his for mine with him being drunk and all. I didn't think much of it so I went to bed. Then the next morning, I heard people talking about someone dying. I didn't know it was Takano until Russel and Ruri told us. So I assumed his death was an accident considering how dead drunk he was last night."

His story does make sense. It wouldn't be odd to hear about a drunkard dying in unfortunate accident. That does happen.

They pretty much are just playing with their lives when they get drunk in the first place. There was no words about what to call the changes in the brain but there is a word for the people who consume too much alcohol: drunkards and drunks.

The problem was some people just don't look at murder happening as simply as that.

"Inspector, it is likely that it was an accident or possibly a murder under the disguise of an accident." Kogoro whispered to Megure which didn't go unheard by the two buggers.

"They're both plausible, but we have yet to confirm that." Megure whispered back.

Moving on back to the questioning, Inspector Megure proceeded back where he left off.

"What time was it when you noticed that the victim was missing?" Inspector Megure asked.

"Around 10 last night when I came back from the baths." Nicholas answered. "I saw him still there at 9."

"Wait, you took a bath for an hour?!" Kogoro stated in disbelief. Sure, he liked the baths here, but one hour was kind of long.

"No, it was only probably for thirty minutes or so. I met up with Rose on my way to the baths. She was on her way there too. So I asked if she wanted to have a drink our baths. We chatted for a bit after our baths and headed back to our rooms."

'So that's what those drinks were...' Conan remembered seeing Rose briefly before he and Ran went to take their baths. But it was odd, Conan remembered seeing Rose carry several drinks rather than just two. If Nicholas's story was true, then why did she buy more than just two unless it was for the rest of their friends. If so, then the number of drinks matched up. However based on Nicholas's story, it was only just the two of them. Something didn't add up.

No wait, Conan and Ran didn't go to the baths until around 8 so then what were those drinks for?

"Ms. Miller, can you describe the events last night from your side?" Inspector Megure asked.

"Yes..." Rose answered quite shaken up by the current events. "L-Last night, we were celebrating a dear friend's birthday. During the party, Takano-san drank too much alcohol and became intoxicated. He stayed like that the whole time and kept on muttering several strange things. Everyone started feeling thirsty so I went out to buy some drinks."

'That's what those were for...' So she actually bought drinks for the whole group and then a couple with Nicholas after the baths.

"When I came back, I gave everyone their drink and left Takano-san's drink on the table since he looked like he was in a deep sleep from the alcohol. We cleaned up a bit. Russel and I left a bit earlier to take our baths since Nicholas and Ruri said that they only had just a little bit more clean up. I had forgotten something in my room so back to get it."

"Oh? And just what was this that you forgot?" Kogoro inquired. He found it suspicious how Rose had conveniently forgotten something in her room the night of the murder/ accident in question.

"Uhm, it's kind of embarrassing so..." Rose's face slightly flushed a little as she began to fidget around. Something that Kogoro found suspicious.

"Surely, it wasn't anything related to this incident... For instance, a murder weapon?"

Now he was just being plain forward. Inspector Megure couldn't help but sweat drop at Kogoro's forwardness. Detective Satou and Takagi too. Even Conan too couldn't help but sweat drop either.

'Oji-san...'

"I-It's not!" Rose immediately denied.

"Then what was it?!" Kogoro further inquired.

"Like I said, it's embarrassing!"

"Trying to play innocent aren't we... Unfortunately, you can't fool this great detective's eyes! Now what was it that you forgot!"

"MY UNDERWEAR!" Rose blurted out in completely embarrassment unable to handle the pressure any more.

Eh?

"I was heading to the baths with Russel when I remembered that I didn't have any spare undergarments so I went back to my room to get them." Rose admitted covering her completely flushed face with her hands.

"Mouri-kun..." was all Inspector Megure could say.

'Oji-san...' He did it again.

Kogoro was going to interview Russell. Generally it was hard for people to answer interviews and all Kogoro would find out was how difficult he was going to be.

" Did you see anything? I know you were heading to the baths. You were alone though because your friend forgot her undergarments. I am also going to ask if you had anything to do with her not having her undergarments."

"That's plain sexual harassment! How could you make her say that out loud?!" Russel criticized Kogoro followed by Ruri as Nicholas comforts their friend.

"That's right. Even if you're police, you shouldn't just force someone to say such things!"

"Mouri-kun..." Inspector Megure said as Kogoro sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

To make things worse for Kogoro, the last person he wanted to see showed up. "Really, just what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be some 'great detective' as you say you are..."

Eri gives Rose her card.

"Call me if you ever feel like settling things on court. I'll be more than happy to be of help." Eri added much to Kogoro's chagrin.

Lightning sparks between both husband and wife as they glare at each other.

"Now. Now. You two." Megures tries to pacify the two.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, as for a couple of eavesdropping detectives, Yoru just had one thing to say to Conan.

"Is this guy really a detective?"

Conan sometimes wondered the same thing too.

"Hearing this makes you wonder how he even became one in the first place..."

XXXXXXXX

Moving on, Megure continues with the interview as he asks Russel for his side of the story.

"And what about you?"

Russel first had a look on his face that he was trying to be scary and that if he had a flashlight he would use it to show Megure how scary his face looked. Russel started to change his behavior though as being scary wasn't a good idea during an interview.

" I was on my way with Rose to the baths. It would have been a nice evening if she went away to get back those sundries or whatever belonging to her. It wasn't just sundries though and we were laughing about one thing." Russel rubbed his check as Megure saw his face blush a little when he mentioned his part.

"After I finished my bath, I went back to our room to check up on Nicholas and Ruri to see if they were done yet but didn't see either of them there so I thought they had finished already. Come to think of it. I didn't see Takano either." Russel didn't remember seeing the drunk in the room when they went to check up on his two companions. "Then I went to read a book in the lobby where I met Ruri and we played some ping pong. Not later did Nicholas and Rose showed up. I played for a while and went to sleep. I don't remember seeing Takano in our room when we got back so I didn't know where he went after I left to take a bath."

Accepting Russel's story, Inspector Megure moves onto the next suspect, Ruri Blythe.

"Ms. Blythe, if you please."

"Okay, let's see..." Ruri began trying to recollect last night's events. "After Rose and Russel left, it was just Nicholas and I left. It didn't take long for us to finish cleaning. Nicholas took all the trash we collected to give to an employee while I organized the room. Not long after Nicholas left, Takano-san woke up. He looked quite intoxicated so I recommended some hangover medicine for him, but he insisted that he was fine. So I reminded him that we were supposed to go hiking today and couldn't have him troubling the others if he wasn't feeling well tomorrow. Thankfully, he complied and went to get some medicine. And that was the last time I saw Takano-san. As for the rest, I went to take a bath and played ping pong with the others."

The problem with Ruri Blythe's story as well as the others was the last time they saw them could have been when one of them or all of them killed him. It was a dumb idea to go on but it came from Inspector Megure's head so even if he was wrong he would go by it blaming the closest friends

"Inspector Megure!" A forensics member barges in with the broken flashlight he received from Conan in a zip-lock bag. "I've brought the results of the analysis."

"Very well, and what are they?" Inspector Megure inquired.

The forensics member walks over to Megure and whispers over to him, "According to our analysis, we've found the victim's fingerprints as well as Mr. Nicholas Fay's. And we've estimated the time to be between 1:00 - 3:00 PM."

Processing the new information he received, that would mean that from 1:00 - 3:00 PM one of them most likely committed the possible crime of murder. However they have yet to determine whether it was an accident or a murder.

"And what were you people doing from the time 1:00 - 3:00 PM?" Megure questioned.

"Sleeping obviously." Nicholas rebutted. "Neither me nor Russel saw Takano by the time we went to bed."

Russel nodded his head in confirmation at Nicholas's story.

Megure had the sudden instinct in his head that asking a question now would complicate him trying to prove who the murderer is. It was all unlikely. He was trying and he was staring and the way he looked didn't mean he could get everyone who did it because of an accident out of his head; entirely clueless and desperate for good results he wanted to use something-anything at the scene-to make the eyes of the murderer blink.

XXXXXXXX

Based on the information he had just received, it was still too early to determine whether the information the case was an accident or a murder. Still, it did prove to give an adequate amount of information. So far, he's got the background of the suspects, their alibis, and the time frame of the victim's death. At that hour, it's difficult to confirm whether they were actually asleep or not since anyone of them could have snuck out of their room at any time.

"Looks like you're stumped." Yoru remarked. "Since we've come this far might as well enlighten you a bit on this case. And maybe you might find the answer to this case before me."

This got Conan's full attention. Was this the reason why Yoru helped him eavesdrop on the suspects' questioning? Was he testing him? Or maybe challenge him? Well, Conan wasn't one to turn down a challenge when it came to deducing cases.

"Last night, I met with one of the suspects, Rose Miller. To be more specific, we ran into each other. I was feeling ill at the time and was running a cold. When we collided, the medicine I was carrying spilled onto the floor. I'm not sure if it was luck or not that they were in pill form so I didn't have to worry about any liquid stains. She offered to help me, but I declined and picked them all up by myself. Now here's the strange part, in the middle of the night, I felt thirsty so I went to get a drink of water, but when I returned back to my room, I felt someone staring at me. Since I was ill at the time, I could find out who it was since they were gone by the time I turned around."

*cough* *cough*

Yoru begins to cough showing that he was still a little under the weather.

"Hey, you should rest. You're still sick."

"I'm fine. There's still a case to be solved. Until I find the answer, I'm not resting."