SailorStar9: So with Chapter 96 uploaded, this is Chapter 97 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Pairings: Established!Furuya Rei (Amuro Tooru)/Mizuno Ami

Disclaimers: I own absolutely nothing, except this plot and pairing.

Chapter 97: The Lost Article That Smells Like a Case

Time passes...

"This way." one afternoon, Ayumi led the Detective Boys to the spot where she found the broken bracelet. "It's over here. I found this bracelet among these shrubs."

"I see." Mitsuhiko noted. "I'm impressed that you spotted something here, though."

"O took a peek because I heard a kitty meow." Ayumi explained. "That's when I found this on the ground."

"But this looks pretty expensive." Genta remarked, the three not knowing that Conan and Fumio had spotted something else: tyre skid tracks by the road. "It's got a jewel or something on it."

"It's a garnet." Ayumi peered closer.

"Conan." Genta voiced, Conan then swiped a finger across the dried blood that was split between the cracks of the pavement.

"Why don't we return this bracelet to whoever lost it?" Ayumi suggested.

"But how are we going to find them?" Genta wondered.

"If we can find the store that sells that bracelet, we should be able to find whoever lost it." Mitsuhiko reasoned.

After a while...

"We haven't been able to find them." Ayumi moaned, the gang having no luck after asking around the shopping district and the various jewelry stores.

"Is turning it to the police our only option?" Mitsuhiko wondered.

"Hey, kids!" the store worker at Kaneko Jewelry Store called out. "When I asked the other staff about it, one of them said they remembered the person who bought that bracelet. Their name is Yamaki Shinobu. Since you've already got their bracelet, could you return it to them?"

On the streets...

"This is the place." Mitsuhiko stopped before the door of the Yamaki household.

"Coming." Yamaki Risa called when the doorbell rang. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Miss, is your name Yamaki Shinobu?" Ayumi asked.

"Shinobu is my older brother." Risa replied. "Do you have any business with my brother?"

"We found a bracelet that we believe belongs to your brother at the park." Mitsuhiko explained after Ayumi handed the bracelet over.

"That's definitely my brother's." Risa confirmed. "Thank you for coming all this way to return it. My name is Yamaki Risa."

"Where's your brother?" Conan thought to ask.

"He's out of the house right now." Risa answered. "I'll return this bracelet to my brother."

"I'm glad we were able to return the bracelet to its owner." Ayumi was relieved after the gang left the house.

"Sorry." Conan suddenly voiced. "I forgot that Ran-nee-chan asked me to run an errand for her. Careful on your way home, guys." he ran off.

"He's lying." Fumio deathpanned.

At Oi Yutaka's house...

"Sorry for visiting out of the blue, Oi-san." Risa paid a visit to one of her brother's friends. "I actually lost touch with my brother this week. I visited his home, but he hasn't been back in a while."

"That's concerning." Oi admitted.

"These are the last letters I exchanged with my brother." Risa dug out her mobile phone and showed Oi the last messages from Shinobu.

"We went out to eat that day." Oi confirmed.

"What was my brother like that day?" Risa pressed.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question." Oi replied. "Come to think of it, he didn't have anything to drink since he was meeting a friend later." he recalled. "If Yamaki-san was meeting a friend, then it probably was Yagi or Kogure-san. I'll give you their addresses. Wait a moment."

On the streets...

"Is this the errand Ran-san had you run?" Fumio was not too impressed when the rest had caught up with Conan who had been tailing Risa.

"Risa-san is probably looking for her brother." Conan replied.

"What does that mean?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Crap, Risa-san's gone." Conan gaped, peering around the corner and realized he had lost track of Risa. "She went to meet either her brother's friend Kogure-san or Yagi-san." he explained. "Let's split up and look for her."

At Yagi's apartment...

"Good afternoon." Fumio greeted Yagi who had answered the door.

"Sorry for suddenly dropping in, but are you Yamaki Shinobu's friend, Yagi?" Mitsuhiko asked.

"Yes." Yagi blinked. "Wait a minute..." he protested when the kids pushed past him and entered the apartment unit.

"We're looking for a lady named Yamaki Risa." Ayumi explained. "Did she come here?"

"Risa is Yamaki Shinobu's sister." Mitsuhiko supplied.

"She seems to be looking for her brother." Ayumi added.

"I was at home all day today." Yagi answered. "But nobody visited me."

"Then, she must be at Kogure's place where Conan went." Genta was disappointed.

"Now that you know, get out of here." Yagi shooed the kids off.

"Sorry for interrupting your busy schedule." Fumio bowed, having already noticed the hastily boots that was shoved onto the shoe rack.

"This place was a dead end." Genta complained, walking out.

"Guys, can you hear me?" Conan voiced over the Detective Boys Badge. "Risa-san isn't here. According to the neighbors, Kogure-san hasn't been home since this morning. Risa-san's probably headed to Yagi-san's place."

"About that, she didn't come here, either." Genta replied.

"Conan-kun, I think Yagi-san is lying." Ayumi admitted. "I smelled Risa-onee-san at his apartment. It was the smell of her perfume."

"Not only that," Fumio added. "I also saw a pair of boots hurriedly stuffed inside the shoe cabinet."

"Stay where you are." Conan instructed as he dashed off. "I'll be right there."

"I see." Fumio realized. "Since we suddenly showed up, Yagi-san had no choice but to hide Risa-san's shoes inside those boots. In other words, Risa-san is still inside the apartment."

"But why would Yagi-san do that?" Mitsuhiko wondered.

"Probably because Risa-san brought Yakima-san's bracelet to him." Conan explained. "I found it odd when we visited Yakima-san's house. Risa-san doesn't live there. Her brother lived there alone. There was only a men's umbrella in the stand in the entryway. There was also a wilting houseplant with yellowing leaves."

"That means, her brother hasn't been home in a while." Fumio concluded. "And Risa-san probably went to her brother's place after she couldn't get in touch with him and she got worried."

"Because we returned the bracelet to her, she believed her brother may have been gotten swept up in something." Conan added. "The string on the bracelet was broken, right? It must've been torn off during an argument with the culprit. There were tire tracks in the road in front of the park and what looked like bloodstains, too. It was Yagi-san who got into an argument with Risa-san's brother. Just stay where you are and don't do anything until I get there."

"We can't wait for Conan-kun." Mitsuhiko insisted, dragging the rest back to Yagi's unit.

"We should rescue Risa-onee-san ourselves." Ayumi agreed. "Besides, if I hadn't found that bracelet, this wouldn't have happened."

"Ready?" Mitsuhiko voiced, outside the unit. "I'll ring the doorbell and while Yagi-san is distracted..."

"I'll jump out form behind the door and tackle him." Genta grinned.

"Then, Fumio-kun and I will go inside and rescue Risa-onee-san." Ayumi smiled.

"Guys..." Fumio hissed a warning when Yagi opened his door. "Behind you, Mitsuhiko."

"I thought I told you kids to leave." Yagi roared, grabbing the struggling Mitsuhiko.

"Let go of Mitsuhiko." Genta threw himself at Yagi.

"This is what you kids get for playing detective." Yagi glared, pointing a knife at Mitsuhiko.

"Mitsuhiko, close you eyes!" Fumio shouted and Ayumi sprayed a nearby fire extinguisher at Yagi, temporarily blinding him. "Guys, run for it!" the blonde took charge, snatching the fire extinguisher from Ayumi and throwing it at Yagi for good measure.

"It missed our floor." Mitsuhiko gaped when the lift shot upwards. "There's another elevator over there."

"Hurry!' Ayumi urged, the kids running into the lift and Mitsuhiko slammed the close button, just as Yagi ran forward.

"Get down, guys!" Conan barked as Yagi stalked into the elevator.

Yagi turned, only to be hit by a powerful soccer kick boosted by the Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes.

SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.