Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK


A Curse Marked Fate

20: Calling

Shinichi barely heard the screaming. He was down at the woman's side within minutes of her debut and checking her vital signs.

For a fleeting moment, he had hoped that they might be able to save her. She had had no obvious wounds, and her body was still mildly warm, but there was no pulse. All signs pointed to poison.

Ran hurried upstairs to wake her father while others called the police. Soon, the entire place was swarming with officers, all of them asking questions and taking statements. As they did so, Shinichi was sniffing at a still warm, wet stain on the woman's sleeve that smelled like coffee. Then he was off, asking questions of his own.

Kaito followed Shinichi out of the room as the police began questioning the men and women who had brought and presented the stasis refrigerator. He caught up to the small boy in front of one of the resort maps that had been tacked up all over the place with events and schedules marked out on them.

"What are you looking for?" he asked. "I take it this has to do with that stain?"

"There must have been an unusual flavoring in her coffee," Shinichi explained, scanning the resort map for all its food and drink venues. "It kind of smelled like ginger and citrus. It might help us find out where she got her coffee."

"Well, if it's ginger orange coffee you want, there's this tiny booth specializing in it. Sounded like a weird flavor for coffee to me, but my mom liked it. I believe they're set up out by that fountain with the castle centerpiece. Shall we go talk to them?"

As the young detective and his magician chaperon tracked down the ginger orange coffee, the police were speaking to the dead woman's friends, all of whom were more than happy to share the many photos of that day's expo that the dead woman had been sharing on her social media page before she'd been killed. The woman had apparently made a circuit of the entire resort before she abruptly went silent online at around three in the afternoon.

The police then called her husband, who had gone home early due to a headache, and asked him to return to the resort for questioning. Others set off to find and question the people depicted in her photos to see if any of them remembered her or recollected anything unusual. With the discovery that the dead woman was the head of research and development at a major corporation, they also began eyeballing the representatives from rival companies.

"Oh yes, I remember her," the girl at the stall that sold the ginger orange coffee said when Kaito showed her the dead woman's picture (which he had found on said woman's company profile). "She was here with her husband."

"Do you remember when that was?" Shinichi asked, gazing up at the girl with big, earnest blue eyes. Kaito had to turn away to hide his laughter as he didn't want the girl to start wondering if there was something wrong with him.

"It was shortly before noon," the girl replied. "That was when we ran out of our special blend. We had to switch to this honey almond coffee after that."

Shinichi's gaze sharpened as he leaned forward slightly on the barstool he had perched himself on in order to talk to the vendor. "You mean you haven't sold any ginger ones since noon?"

"That's right. But we'll have more shipped over from our main store for tomorrow's event since it was so popular today. This almond honey blend is good too though. Would you two like a sample?"

The way Shinichi's face lit up this time had nothing at all to do with his investigations and everything to do with the little sample cups of coffee that the girl set out on the counter. Kaito picked up his own sample, smiled charmingly at the girl who'd poured it, then turned away again so he could laugh silently into his cup. Strange how something as simple as a cup of coffee could make the shrunken teen go all bright-eyed like the young child he wasn't.

"This is really good," Shinichi exclaimed upon tasting the coffee.

His honest delight had the coffee vendor beaming and offering him a refill.

"Did you see either of the Shiramotos again after they bought coffee from you?" he asked as she poured him a second cup.

The coffee girl shrugged. "Not up close, but I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of the lady in the afternoon."

"Do you remember when that was?"

"Not really. I only noticed at all because of her bag. I mean, she was very nice and all, but that bag was the most hideous thing I've ever seen—bright pink with big feathers all over it. I almost swallowed my tongue the first time I saw it, trying not to laugh."

"Was she with anyone when you saw her the second time?"

The girl shook her head. "To be entirely honest, I didn't even see her face. I really just noticed the bag. But I can't imagine there are many people here with a bag like that."

Shinichi and Kaito traded speaking looks.

"You're thinking someone shoved Lady Shiramoto into that fridge then went around with her bag to make people think she died later, aren't you?" Kaito asked as he and Shinichi left the coffee stall.

"It's the only logical explanation for why the stain on her sleeve wasn't just wet but warm. Those stasis spells preserve things as they are when they're put in. I'm guessing the killer was hoping to fake her time of death. Whoever it is should also have her phone. That, or he or she knows her social media passwords. They stopped posting pictures as her at three to give the impression that that was when she was murdered."

"Which means the culprit probably has an alibi for that time."

"Exactly."

"So where to now, Tantei-kun?"

"First I want to see if we can find out where the stasis refrigerator they used for the demo was at noon and where it's been since then, who had access to it, and why no one found Shiramoto-san sooner."

Kaito grinned. "In that case, just follow me."

Shinichi blinked up at him. "Do you know something?"

The Sky Mage returned his look with a distinctly superior smirk. "My dear, you forget, I helped organize this expo."

X

"The police were just here asking about the stasis refrigerator too," said the member of the hotel staff who had been in charge of the setup for the series of demos in that particular wing of the building. "That demo unit was in that room all day. It's not exactly light after all, so it was more practical that way. They had other sample units in the home utilities showroom."

"There were five other presentations held earlier in that same room, right?" Kaito asked, looking over the detailed schedule he had procured from his mother's room. This was an administrator's copy if the day's plans, and it included not only what and where products were being presented but also the names of specific presentation teams and their contact information.

"That's right," the older man agreed. "Lots of people at every one. But I didn't notice as any of them took any special interest in the fridge at the time. Though this one little kid opened it before the cotton candy sculptor demo looking for sweets. He was pretty disappointed when it was empty."

Indigo eyes ran down the lists. "So that would have been around eleven thirty. Do you know if anyone else opened the fridge?"

The man shrugged. "I wouldn't know for sure. But I put up a sign asking people not to touch the demo unit after I saw the kid looking in it. I didn't want to risk someone damaging it or accidentally messing up the spell work. That wouldn't have been fair to the presenters. But of course not everyone pays attention to signs. All the presentations drew decent crowds, and the room was empty for fifteen to thirty minutes between each one. Anything could've happened then. The doors aren't locked or anything, so all sorts of people have been ducking in and out of rooms between events for a bit of quiet."

"I guess that wasn't very helpful, was it?" Kaito remarked as they made their way back to the chambers where the police were interviewing witnesses.

"I wouldn't say that," Shinichi replied. "Now we know why Shiramoto-san wasn't discovered earlier. And we can reasonably assume that her murderer probably planned for her to be found during the demo."

"I thought we'd guessed all that already."

"Yeah, but having more evidence is always a good thing."

"Well, I bow to your expertise in this matter."

Shinichi blushed and ducked his head. "A—anyway, the police should have narrowed down the suspects by now. I want to see what they've learned."

Kaito was mildly surprised at how quickly the police officers outside the makeshift interrogation rooms allowed Conan and himself to slip inside. For all that the child had supposedly only begun showing up to cases with Kogoro a few weeks ago, he was already clearly considered to be part of the team. It was odd and yet somehow not. Shinichi fit in that room, he noted, watching his small friend settle himself on an empty chair out of the way to watch and listen. Like an actor who knew his role slipping back into the cast who too recognized his presence and his place.

The woman facing Megure-keibu right now was Umaba Achiko, Shiramoto's rival since their years in university together. A lead developer for a competing company, the police suspected that she might have decided to settle the score between them via violent means.

The suspect, Umaba, disagreed.

"The last product her team released had a better reception than ours, sure," she told the police. "But my team's been working on something completely new that's going to make her antigravity shoes look like amateur work. I wanted her to see our triumph. She can't do that if she's dead. And I mean yeah, we compete, but that's what makes this job fun. We bang our heads together to spark new ideas then see who can take those new ideas to the next level. I wouldn't bother competing with someone I didn't respect. There'd be no point. I certainly wouldn't kill 'em just to stop them from having more ideas. That's like shooting myself in the foot. I've derived inspiration from her work before just like she's done so from mine. That's how people make progress."

"The person you want to be talking to is that no good husband of hers," the woman added. "They got together when they started working at the same company, and I hear things were good until her career took off and his didn't. He was one of those idiot type of guys who can't stand it when a woman turns out to be smarter and more capable than he is because he thinks that being male should make him better somehow. He'd be thrilled that she's dead."

Said husband, however, had an alibi for all that he did not appear particularly grieved by his wife's demise. He had left the resort right around lunchtime, and he had been on the phone with the renovators working on the Shiramoto estate on his way from Bell Tree Springs to the flat they kept in the city. His phone had been linked to the speaker system on his car, and the renovators confirmed that they had spoken to him and recognized his voice despite the unusually loud static. They had also recognized his rude style of speech and demanding mannerisms.

"So you see, that proves I was on the car while Minami was still running around here."

An officer moved to whisper something into Megure-keibu's ear. The inspector frowned and fixed Shiramoto Eiji with a searching stare.

"The representative from the renovation company also says he heard a woman's voice in the background while you were talking. He assumed it was your wife because he heard her say she preferred emerald when he asked you if you wanted them to install the teal or the emerald carpets. But clearly he was mistaken as we both know your wife could not have been on the car with you. Would you care to explain?"

The man flushed and glowered. "What are you implying?"

"I am not implying anything," the inspector replied, implacable. "I am asking you who the woman on the car with you was. We will need to speak to her. After all, she is a witness to your alibi."

"Oh. Right." Shiramoto Eiji relaxed. "That was Minami's secretary, Yukimura Nanako."

"And why did you want her opinion on the color of your new flooring?"

The man hesitated a moment then shrugged. "I just wanted a second opinion."

"So you consulted your wife's secretary and not your wife?" the female officer standing behind Megure's chair asked, eyebrows rising.

"I couldn't well call her while I was on the phone with the renovators," he retorted. "Besides, everyone knows Minami had no eye for colors."

Megure nodded. "I see. In any case, we will need to examine your car and your phone."

Next to be brought in was the aforementioned secretary. Yukimura Nanako had begun working for Shiramoto Minami only a year and a half ago.

"She was very strict," the girl said, staring at her hands where they were clasped on the table. "But she wasn't mean or anything. I had nothing against her, if that's what you're asking."

"Can you think of anyone who might have had a grudge against her?"

"There was that guy she discovered was selling company secrets," the girl offered. "He was fired because of that. His name was Taki something. And I guess there are all those rival creators. Maybe one of them did it. There are a whole bunch of them here, aren't there?"

"What about Shiramoto Eiji?"

The girl blushed but ducked her head quickly to hide it. "What—what about him?"

"What was his relationship with his wife like?"

Yukimura hesitated for a long moment, chewing her lip before she eventually answered with a vague, "I don't really know. I didn't see them together much at work. They were in different departments."

"But you were on his car with him earlier today," Megure pointed out.

"Oh. Well, he said he had a headache. It was a really bad one, so he asked me if I could drive him back to the apartment."

"Do you know Eiji-san well then?"

"I wouldn't say that," the girl muttered, blush resurfacing. "I just knew him because of Minami-san."

As the police continued with their questioning, Shinichi slid off his chair and wandered over to talk to the officers at the door. Then he left the room. Kaito slipped out after him, unnoticed by the guards.

Silent as a ghost, he came up behind Shinichi just as the boy tugged on Takagi-keiji's sleeve.

"You look tired," Shinichi chirped. "Did something happen with Shiramoto Eiji-san?"

"What? Oh, not really," the police officer replied with a self-conscious sigh. "It's just that he couldn't remember where he'd parked, so we ended up searching almost every parking area in the resort."

"All of them?" Kaito whistled. "Seems kind of extreme. Didn't he only just come back? He couldn't have parked more than, what, half an hour before his interview with you guys?"

Takagi rubbed his chin, looking somewhere between thoughtful and uncertain. "Well, this resort is very large, and I've known people before who aren't good at remembering where they've parked their cars, but I forgot he was only just recalled for the interview. I guess it is a bit strange to lose track of your vehicle so completely so fast..."

"Well, did he act strangely at all when you found the car?" Shinichi asked.

"Not really. It took us a bit of time to find his phone, but he let me look through his call records and search the rest of the car. The phone was linked to the car during his drive home like he said, and he was on it pretty much the entire way."

"Wait, you said you had to find his phone. You mean it wasn't on him?"

"What? Oh, no, it was on the car. He thought he'd left it in the glove compartment, but it turned out it had slid under the seat. He seems to be quite a forgetful man. He left his car keys locked in the car too. I had to use a spell to open the door."

Kaito watched as Shinichi's hand rose to his chin and his blue eyes grew distant. He recognized that expression from their childhood days back in Beika Park, and the sudden feeling of nostalgia had him shaking his head, half in fond amusement and half in wonder at the sheer bizarreness of this moment. That he could be standing here, eight years later, and be looking at that same face with those same big, blue eyes that had caught his attention all those years ago…

"Takagi-keiji?" the boy piped up suddenly, waving for the man to lean down so that they were more at eye level. "There were a few things Uncle said he'd kind of like to have checked on. Do you think you could help us with it?"

"Oh, of course."

Waving the man a little closer, Shinichi began whispering into his ear. When he had finished, the police officer nodded and left at a brisk trot.

"I take it you've pieced everything together?" Kaito inquired, crouching next to boy.

Shinichi blinked at him. "You have too, haven't you?"

Kaito grinned. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm guessing that Takagi-keiji is going to discover that Miss Secretary back there was also on the phone the entire time she was driving Eiji-san home. And I'll wager at least one of them has more than one cell."

Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment as he nodded, his expression smoothing into something rather more grim.

"Takagi-keiji is looking into it now," he said softly. "But there are a few more things we need to check upon in the meantime."

X

No one was really surprised when it was determined that Shiramoto Eiji had indeed been the one who murdered his wife. A few eyebrows were raised at the discovery that he had done so with the aid of her secretary, with whom he had been having an affair, but those eyebrows had been raised more at the fact that the timid secretary had had the nerve to aid in committing a major crime than at her connection to the main culprit. But apparently the allure of Shiramoto Minami's considerable wealth had been too much to resist for the girl. That wealth was also the reason that Shiramoto Eiji had decided to murder his wife rather than divorce her. His extravagant tastes demanded that he take everything he could from the woman that he thought had stolen his opportunity for success. The fact that she had done so by working hard and coming up with brilliant and unique ideas that he could never dream of inventing didn't matter to the man.

As Shinichi and Kaito had suspected and Takagi-keiji later proved with their assistance, Eiji had used a burner phone he'd purchased just a week prior to the expo to call his mistress, Yukimura Nanako, so that he could use the speakers on her phone to converse with the renovators through his car speaker system. As he'd done so, he had been back at the resort, walking around disguised as his wife with her hideous pink flamingo bag and taking pictures with her phone to post onto her social media pages. Then he had dumped the disguise and Minami's phone in a rental car and driven out of the resort in search of a good place to dispose of it all. Unfortunately for him, he got caught in traffic and was called back to the resort before he was able to make it all the way to the apartment where he would have met up with his accomplice. So he had driven the rental with its evidence-packed trunk back to the expo and parked off of resort grounds, and his accomplice had driven his car back. The extra phone, wig, and hideous pink bag were unearthed from the rental car once they got the license plate number from the rental company and tied the car to Shiramoto Eiji. With the proof that he was the one who had been behind the pretense that his wife had been alive all the way until three in the afternoon and the stain on her sleeve proving that she had been killed and placed in the stasis refrigerator around noon and invalidating the alibi he might have had had the aforementioned disguise not been found, there was more than enough evidence to arrest both Shiramoto Eiji and Yukimura Nanako.

It was with great disgust that Shinichi watched the police march the culprit and his accomplice away. How people could be so selfish was one thing that he just could not understand. Not, admittedly, that he really wanted to understand.

Shinichi slipped away as the reporters piled in.

Kaito found him sitting outside on the balcony overlooking the many gardens of Bell Tree Springs. The flower-shaped lights trimming the lush lawns were beautiful and soothing in their own quiet way.

"What're you doing out here all by yourself?" Kaito asked, coming to stand beside him and folding his arms on top of the railing. "One of the reporters was looking for you. He seems to want to share the story of Mouri Kogoro's second protégé." Which struck Kaito as rather hilarious considering, from where he'd been standing, Shinichi had clearly been the one who actually knew what he was doing. If anyone had been the assistant, it had been Mouri Kogoro. Although that Judo throw he had used to subdue Shiramoto Eiji when the man had tried to flee had been truly splendid.

Shinichi made a face. "That's why I left. The last thing I need is my face on the news."

"Because those Foundation people might recognize you?"

Shinichi nodded solemnly. "Miyano-san—I mean Haibara told me that they have information on every test subject they've used their curse amulets on."

Kaito made a face. "You shouldn't refer to yourself as a test subject. It's demeaning. Anyway, I assume you know this already, but I'm going to be helping you look into these Choice Foundation people."

Shinichi tilted his head back to give his much taller friend his best attempt at a disapproving stare. "These people are dangerous. And this isn't really any of your business. You should be focusing on your studies so you can create all those amazing magical whatnots you keep saying you're going to make."

"I am perfectly capable of doing both," Kaito shot back. "I'm good at multitasking. Besides, what are friends for if not to be there for each other?"

Shinichi sighed, torn between gratitude for Kaito's kindness, the wish to prevent yet another person from getting tangled in his problems, and a desperate yearning to be able to spend more time with this friend he had been missing for years. "I suppose there's nothing I can say to change your mind?"

"None," Kaito replied cheerfully. "So I suggest you get used to it."

Shinichi made a resigned noise in the back of his throat, but Kaito was certain he caught a glimmer of gratitude in those beautiful blue eyes and the hint of a smile before the little detective turned back to the gardens spread out below them.

TBC


A.N: Sorry this is a bit late. I'm really busy right now. Anyhow, I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Take care!