SailorStar9: Well, we finally hit Chapter 50 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 50: The Whistling Bookstore
Time passes...
"Yujiro-oji-san, you brought so many books." Ayumi noted, the Detective Boys peering into the cartful of books Tamaki Yujiro had purchased from the used book sale.
"Yeah, I found some real treasures today." the elder Tamaki beamed. "I'm off." locking his cart in place, he proceeded to pull the cart back to his bookstore, only to find the weight was too much for him. "Thanks for the help?" he blinked, noticing the kids had helped him push the cart from the back.
"We're finally finished." Conan heaved in relief after the boxes of book were loaded onto the Tamaki Bookstore floor.
"Thank you, everyone." Yujiro brought out beverages. "As a reward, you can each have one book of your choice from the store. You're not going to get one?" he peered at Conan after the others split up.
"Are you sure it's okay?" Conan inquired. "You know, for the store to give out books"
"Children shouldn't worry about that." Yujiro assured. "Just choose whatever you like."
"Dad, that's enough." Tamaki Ichiro chided his father as the kids were choosing their books. "Where are we supposed to put these books? The store's already packed with books we can't sell."
"Finding a used book is a once in a lifetime experience." Yujiro told his son. "Someday, these will pass into the hands of the people looking for them.
"You know this isn't a warehouse, right?" Ichiro reminded. "Besides, we need money to run a business. You understand that, don't you?"
"Yes, I know." Yujiro relented.
"When did you guys...?" Conan turned to find the others standing behind him.
"Fumio-kun?" Ichiro recognized the blond boy who had frequented the store with his mother. "The rest of you are here, too. Did you come to buy something?"
"No." Genta smiled. "Since we helped to move the books, we each get a book for free."
"Genta-kun!" Mitsuhiko and Ayumi retorted.
"Dad, is that true?" Ichiro glared. "How generous of you when the business is struggling.
"Ichiro-san," Fumio voiced. "Did you just come back from work? You're wearing an apron."
"No, I just came back for my wallet." Ichiro replied. "I'd better hurry." he hurried to the bedroom attached to the store.
"Ichiro, sorry for the trouble." Yujiro apologized.
"If you're sorry, shut down the store." Ichiro advised. "That vague attitude of yours is so annoying." his frustrated kick on a bookshelf's bottom caused the bookshelf to topple over.
"Watch out, Ichiro-san!" Fumio warned as the bookshelf fell over Ichiro.
"Are you okay?" Mitsuhiko asked, Ichiro was supporting the bookshelf with both hands.
"Looks like this bookshelf rotted." Haibara looked at the cracked wooden panel at the bottom of the shelf.
"You and this store are at the end of their rope." Ichiro stated, using a concrete brick to support the rotted bookshelf. "You should've realized this by now." with that, he exited the store.
The next day...
"It's so awesome!" Genta gushed at the train engine on display in the park next to the Tamaki Used Bookstore.
"I just learned about it recently, too." Mitsuhiko declared. "And this park has a secret. This steam engine moves."
"You're blushing, Mitsuhiko." Fumio pointed out.
"But there's no tracks." Genta looked around.
"It's not like that." Fumio tsked. "It's the wheels that move in place."
"So, when does it run?" Genta inquired.
"Twice a day at 11 and 3." Mitsuhiko replied. "There's still some time."
"Then, let's play soccer until then." Genta suggested.
"Mitsuhiko, where'd you get that?" Conan watched Mitsuhiko bring out a camera.
"I borrowed it from my father." Mitsuhiko answered. "I thought I'd take picture of the steam engine running."
"Hey." Ichiro called out. "What are you kids doing?"
"We're waiting for the steam engine to run." Mitsuhiko explained.
"What are you doing here, Ichiro-san?" Fumio asked.
"I'm working the evening shift today, so I was out for a walk." Ichiro replied.
"That was intense." Mitsuhiko gushed, the group was returning after watching the train engine.
"The store!" Conan gaped, seeing the bookstore's door was partially open and slid the door aside.
"What is this?" Ichiro entered the store. "Dad!" he spotted his father buried under the fallen bookshelves.
"Will he be okay?" Ayumi wondered after the ambulance took Yujiro to the hospital.
"His life isn't in danger." Ichiro assured. "I'm sure he'll be fine. How did this happen?"
The clock stopped at three. Conan returned to the store and walked around the fallen bookshelves when he spotted the cracked clock. That exactly when we were watching the steam engine. That's why we didn't hear the shelves falling. Judging by the situation, the shelf on the end fell and the rest fell one by one like dominoes. They were badly rotted. He squatted by the ripped shelf bottoms. I guess an accident was waiting to happen. What's this? Standing up, he saw a straight line mark across the side rail.
"Come on, kids." Ichiro voiced. "It's dangerous. Get out of the store. Go home." he urged.
Later that night...
"You shouldn't go in there." Conan cautioned, the Detective Boys flashing their wristwatch flashlights on Ichiro who had returned to the park's steam engine to retrieve the string. "It's dangerous."
"Ichiro-san, what are you doing here?" Fumio questioned.
"I dropped something when I came here in the afternoon." Ichiro replied. "I'm here looking for it. Anyway, what are you kids doing here?"
You're the one who caused the accident, aren't you?" Conan accused. "This incident could only have happened deliberately. There aren't any books on the shelf on the end. In other words, it's the lightest. Do you think that bookshelf could've pushed over a shelf full of books?"
"They were all badly deteriorated." Ichiro reasoned. "I don't think it's strange that the slightest bump caused an accident. "Besides, when the shelves fell, I was..."
"You were with us." Fumio cut in.
"This is the photo that was taken at exactly three when the steam engine began running." Conan showed him the picture Mitsuhiko had taken. "Judging by the broken clock in the bookstore, the accident happened exactly at three, too."
"So, I couldn't have pushed the shelves over then." Ichiro surmised.
"Maybe not directly, but it's possible using a trick." Conan stated. "Look closely at the photo. These photos were taken using burst mode. Let's replay the series. Pay attention to the butterfly at the edge of the frame. Don't you think the butterfly's movements are strange?" he pointed to to the butterfly on screen after flashing through the series of photos. "It's weird it's not flapping its wings, but later it jumps up into the air. I think the butterfly was stopped on an invisible thread and was thrown upwards by the shock. Ichiro-san, you connected the strings to the steam engine's wheel and the bookshelves with thread, didn't you? Once the steam engine's wheels started moving at three, the bookshelves fell one after another. After most of the thread was wound up by the wheel, the thread broke, throwing the butterfly in the air. The reason you had a leaf stuck to you when you came to see us was because you were in the bush tying the string to the shelves."
"You're wrong." Ichiro insisted.
"Then, show us what you're hiding behind you back." Conan requested. "If I'm right, then what you're holding is evidence that you planned this accident. It's burned and damaged in a few places." he looked at the coil of thread in Ichiro's hand. "It should match the marks on the bookshelves."
"You don't have to say anymore." Ichiro confessed. "I did it."
"You're lying." Mitsuhiko protested. "Ichiro-san would never try to kill Yujiro-san."
"Mitsuhiko, Ichiro-san wasn't trying to kill him." Fumio corrected. "Do you remember what Yujiro-oji-san said? He happened to go back to the store to get his wallet. What Ichiro-san is trying to do is break the shelves, but Yujiro-oji-san was caught by it on accident."
"It was really stupid of me." Ichiro admitted. "I didn't want my father to push himself so hard anymore. No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen. I thought he'd stop if the shop was gone."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted, by the way. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Read and review.