The Detective Prince
Chapter 72
Off to the Club
He took a step down from the fleet of stairs, looking toward Conan after doing so.
"You stay here," Bruce instructed. "I'll go find out who our guest is."
With that he made his way back down. A couple birds flew overhead as he approached the gate. He reopened the after reaching, walking over to confront the man in the suit of white.
"Can I help you with something?" Bruce asked.
He didn't respond, simply continuing over to the other side of the car. He opened the door to the back seat, handing the briefcase to whoever was seated inside. Bruce took another step forward, wanting to know exactly what was going on. He didn't have long to wait, watching on as a woman in a black sweater stepped out from the car.
"Hello Bruce."
"Leslie," Bruce said removing his hands from within his pockets. "What a surprise this is."
"I need your help with something," Leslie said making her way around the car. "Are you busy?"
"Not at all," Bruce replied. "There's nothing too important that I can't put on hold for the time being."
"Good," Leslie said. "Then you wouldn't mind if we discussed this inside, I promise this won't take long."
"Right this way." Bruce said turning back for the house.
He watched from afar as the two made their way into his direction.
"From their exchange, I'd say he knows her."
It didn't take long for them to reach the stairs, only making it up halfway before she stopped at the sight of him.
"Bruce, who is this?" Leslie asked.
"Oh, this is Conan," Bruce replied. "I'm watching him for a friend for about the next week."
"Is that so," Leslie said before looking down at him once again. "I'm Dr. Leslie Thompkins, a long time friend of Bruce."
"Nice to meet you." Conan said holding out his hand to meet hers.
She smiled, shaking it in return.
"You have really soft hands you know," Leslie commented before turning back to Bruce. "What do you say we head inside?"
"Right after you."
She took him up on his offer, leading the way as they continued up the stairs toward the house.
"So Conan, how have you been enjoying your stay here thus far?"
"There's been plenty to keep me occupied, I especially enjoy hanging in the book room," Conan replied. "No complaints from me."
"So you like to read huh, a very good trait to have."
"What's inside the the briefcase?" Bruce asked after closing the front door.
"Why don't we take this into the kitchen," Leslie suggested. "It will only take a minute for me to explain."
Knowing the situation that it was he decided to make his way toward the staircase.
"I'll be up stairs if you need me." Conan said before walking to the upper floor.
Bruce wasted no time in heading to the kitchen with Leslie right behind. She placed the briefcase atop the table after reaching it.
"It's not like you to drop in unannounced," Bruce said. "I would have at least expected a call before hand."
"That would usually be the case, but I felt the need to get to you about this as soon as possible."
"What seems to be the problem?"
"Danielle Walden, a patient of mine since the beginning of this year has gone missing," Leslie began. "He was scheduled to meet with me at my office two days ago."
"Let me guess, you haven't been able to get a hold of him."
"And if things couldn't get any worse," Leslie continued. "His daughter Mera, she's missing as well."
"How old is she?"
"She turns eleven two weeks from tomorrow."
"Are there any immediate relatives you've tried contacting?"
"It was actually Kalein, the mother of Mera and the ex-wife of Danielle who reported him missing."
"When was the last time she saw either of the two?" Bruce asked.
"Four days ago when she dropped Mera off to stay with him for a couple days."
"Was she the last to see them before they went missing?"
Leslie nodded.
"Which means we've got a time table strapped within a four day period in which the two of them could have gone missing."
She decided now was the time to reveal what was inside the briefcase. He looked on as she pulled out a folder stuffed with a stack of papers.
"What's all this?" Bruce asked.
"Everything you need to know about Danielle," Leslie replied. "I've even got a photo of him in there, I know how important visuals can be."
"I'll get on it right away." Bruce said accepting the folder.
"He might have his problems, but he's been seeking to better himself which always makes the difference," Leslie said. "Please Bruce, try and find he and Mera."
"You know me well enough Leslie," Bruce said. "I will."
She smiled at his response, closing the brief case before taking it back into her possession.
"You're right Bruce," Leslie said with the cross of her arms. "I do know you all too well."
He didn't know what to make of her change in posture, a look of confusion coming to his face. She quickly took notice of this.
"You know you can't hide anything from me."
"Excuse me?"
"That boy, Conan," Leslie said. "You're not one to babysit, so why's he really here?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask," Bruce said. "It's all complex, but if you've got the time I'd be willing to tell you."
"And time isn't something I have, another patient is coming in at four thirty" Leslie said looking down at her watch. "But next time you stop by, I'd love for you to share."
"I'll make it soon," Bruce said. "Here, let me escort you back to the car."
"Thanks, but I think you have enough on your hands as it is," Leslie declined. "I'll see myself out."
"I'll keep you updated."
"And I'll be waiting."
She exited out of the kitchen from there, heading straight for the door. He stood there for awhile longer, looking over the folder of papers she had given to him.
"He lives right outside of Devil's Square, If there's any place to start it would be there."
A damp fog drifted in from the north side as the day progressed, leaving the sky in a gloomy state. He had been up in the room for a measurable time, setting the book aside in his hand before dropping down from the bed.
"I wonder what's going on with everyone down stairs."
He decided he'd head down to go have a look, checking the time on his watch after walking out into the hallway. It was a little past six, less than thirty minutes until the evening news was to begin. The sound of a TV from the left side could be heard as he made his way down. Paying little attention to this, he chose to head straight to the study. Unlike most other times he came to find the door open upon reaching it. He took a peak inside to see him sitting at the desk with all focus on the computer screen.
"I see you've finally decided to come down," Bruce said. "What were you doing up in that room for the past hour?"
"Got a well enjoyed session of reading in," Conan replied. "Would have continued, but I want to see what's on the evening news."
"I see."
"So how are things going in here," Conan asked. "Have you taken a look at this Mini Lon yourself?"
"I've put it on hold for the time being," Bruce replied. "When I accessed the network, the virus Tim spoke of was not detected by my security."
"So I see you're playing it safe."
"Tim's on his way now, and I'm running a scan as we speak," Bruce informed. "All the blanks should be filled in soon enough."
"But don't the both of you operate from the same network," Conan asked. "If he was able to detect this virus, shouldn't you have been able to detect it almost instantly?"
"We have several networks we use, having a variety keeps things flexible," Bruce replied directing his attention back to the computer screen. "And to answer the other part to your question, that's why I'm holding off on any further activity until we've cleared everything."
"Smart move, definitely can't disagree with that." Conan said while looking down at his watch.
Six thirty was fast approaching, every minute seemingly passing by faster than the last. He turned back for the door, taking a couple steps before coming to a stop. He was going to say something, but lost track of what was on his mind. He left the room from there, trailing about halfway across the room before stopping infront of the staircase. He took a seat at the step above the last before looking at his watch yet again.
"Fifteen minutes until six thirty, no need to rush to the TV room just yet."
He sat there for minutes to come, the events of the past few days circulating throughout his mind. Before he knew it the clock struck twenty two after six, prompting him to push up from where he sat. He took a deep breath to help clear his ravaging thoughts, heading toward the door leading to the dinning room.
"I wonder what this evenings broadcast has to offer," Conan thought to himself. "Here's hoping for a light night on any uproaring activity."
He walked forward, unaware that someone had arrived at the front door. It wasn't until he reached for the knob that he heard the front door swing open, recognizing the sound of the voice that spoke from behind.
"So this is where you've been staying for the past few days, so how goes the alteration in environment Kudo?"
"Heiji." Conan said turning to face him.
"He was finally awake by the time I went back to check on him," Tim said with the close of the door. "I gave him a brief tour of the city before deciding to bring him here."
"This place is a lot bigger than I was expecting," Heiji said beginning to have a look around. "So Kudo, where's your room?"
"Upstairs," Conan pointed. "Right past that door there, second room on the right."
"Where's Bruce?" Tim asked.
"Still in the study," Conan replied. "He was running a scan on the Mini Lon last I checked."
"He told me he would."
"What's the Mini Lon?" Heiji asked looking to the both of them in slight confusion.
"It's a secretive network used by several individuals who have been plotting out hits for multiple targets," Tim replied. "What else they might be trying to accomplish is still under investigation, not to mention we have yet to completely bypass their security walls they have currently running."
"Oh.. kay."
"In short, it's a long story." Conan added.
"Maybe I'd have a better understanding if I saw it for myself."
"That can be arranged," Tim said before turning back to Conan. "You said he was in the study right?"
He nodded in reassurance.
"I'm going to go and speak with him about the server they're working from, in the mean time you're free to show Heiji around if you'd like."
"That can wait," Heiji rejected. "It's not like we're in a complete rush, besides I'd like to find out a little more about that Mini Lon you just mentioned."
"Right this way."
Tim turned to the opposite side of the room, heading straight to the door leading to the study.
"So Kudo, how come you didn't let me know you'd be coming to Gotham before you left Tokyo?" Heiji asked as they followed from behind.
"It was only a matter of minutes between me finding out myself, and then packing to leave shortly there after," Conan replied. "I planned on contacting you as soon as I settled in."
"It's no big deal, at this point it doesn't really matter anyway."
They reached the door in the moments that followed, opening it to find a pitch dark room.
"I thought you said Bruce was in here," Tim said switching on the lights. "You sure he didn't go out for a evening drive?"
"I was sitting at the bottom of the stairs the whole time," Conan stated. "I would have seen if he had left."
"Are you sure he was in here," Heiji questioned giving the room an in depth look. "This is the only door leading out of here."
"I'm positive."
"Maybe he did come out, you probably just missed him."
"And how would I do that?" Conan asked looking up at him with the cross of his arms.
"Not saying that you did, but you do have the tendency to dose off while you're thinking." Heiji smilingly replied.
"Don't we all." Conan thought with the roll of his eyes.
He looked away from there.
"Well since he's not here, how about that tour?" Heiji asked.
"That's fine with me," Tim replied. "Wherever he is I'm sure he'll be back soon, we'll discuss things further when he does."
"Now, where to start." Heiji said giving it a seconds thought.
"Didn't you want to see the room I'm staying in?"
"That works."
"Follow me." Conan said before turning back for the stairs.
"Right behind you."
With that the two of them made their way toward the stairs. He watched on from the side of the entryway to the study as they did, deciding not to follow after them. After standing there for the next few moments, he looked back into the room with one question on his mind.
"So I see he hasn't completely let him in on everything about the manor, I wonder why that is."
Silence ensued in the following moments. He walked into the study, heading straight toward the grandfather clock beside the fireplace before stopping in his tracks.
"And it's not my place to tell him, I'll leave that up to him."
After reaching the top of the staircase he followed him to the right, taking a step to the side as he watched him open a door.
"Come on, we're almost there."
Conan lead him down the dark hall, taking each step at a time as they neared the room. He reached for the knob upon reaching the door, twisting it as he pulled back to force it aside.
"Well, this is it." Conan said flipping up the light switch.
It took all but a few seconds for him to take it all in, stepping further into the room to get an all around look.
"Not bad, it's much more spaced out than I was expecting," Heiji commented. "How much time do you usually spend in here a day?"
"Besides when I'm asleep, up to around two hours," Conan replied. "I've spent a majority of my time in the book room since arriving."
"The book room?"
"We past by it on the way up, I'll show it to you when we go back down."
He looked to his side before looking back to the door.
"What's wrong?" Conan asked taking note of this.
"Where's Drake?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, I thought he was behind you the whole time," Conan replied. "That is of course until we got in here."
"He's probably still down in by the study."
"Wouldn't doubt it," Conan said looking to switch gears. "I heard about that incident that occurred at the city hall."
"Don't remind me, I'm still a little sour with how things unfolded."
"Have you spoken with the Commissioner since then?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"He came looking for you when we were up at Wayne Enterprises earlier," Conan informed. "He wanted to talk to you about further investigating what happened."
"I heard they had released Aileen from custody, but this is my first time hearing about this."
"You can talk to Bruce about it, he might know more about what he expects from you."
"Then what do you say we go and find him?"
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
"Why don't you try calling him?" Heiji suggested.
"I haven't added his number to my contacts yet, and don't remember where I put that slip of paper given to me."
"Don't sweat it, I'll talk to him about it the next time I see him," Heiji said. "So what do you say we head back down stairs?"
"Your call."
With that the two of them exited the room, shutting off the light on the way out. They headed back down the hall they had come, arriving back to the top of the staircase shortly there after.
"So, have you spoken with anyone back home since arriving here?" Heiji asked as they made their way down.
"I've made a call or two," Conan replied. "I plan to check in later tonight some time, everyone should be up by then."
"Good call."
They made it to the bottom within the next couple steps taken, looking just in time to see the door to the study slide open. He raised a brow at who he saw, watching as a young boy headed their way.
"Hey Kudo," Heiji whispered almost instantly after looking down at him. "Who's the kid?"
"Damian." Conan drily answered.
Heiji turned back upon hearing this, smiling as he neared the two of them.
"Hello there," Heiji said holding out his hand to greet him. "I hope you don't mind me."
He stopped in mid sentence, watching as he simply walked past them without even acknowledging their presence. This left him completely speechless, continuing to watch as he made his way up the stairs before disappearing after walking past the first door.
"Oh... kay, was it something I said?"
"Don't see the big deal," Conan said with a smile coming to his face. "You got off easy."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Let's just say he's not exactly a peoples person."
"A fair warning would have been nice."
"I guess my change in tone wasn't enough to alert you."
"I take it you two don't get along?"
"That's an understatement."
It wasn't long after that the door to the study reopened, this time with Tim being the one to walk out.
"Done with the tour already?" Tim asked heading their way.
"We've actually put it on hold for the time being." Heiji replied.
"If you don't mind me asking, what were you and Damian doing in there?" Conan asked out of curiosity.
"Just discussing something we plan to do later," Tim replied before turning for the door. "Speaking of time we better get going, we only have about two hours before he plans to be at the chess club."
"You're right," Heiji said looking down at his watch."How long do you think it will take for us to get there from here?"
"No longer than an hour." Tim replied.
"Hold on a second," Conan said looking from one to the other. "Why are you going to a chess club, and who are you planning on meeting with?"
"Hopefully to gain some headway," Tim replied. "There's a man by the name of Jefferson Eldelmon who's going to be there, an acquaintance of Herman."
"You mean the same Herman who's name was listed on the Mini Lon?"
He nodded in response.
"So you think this Jefferson guy is some how involved?"
"It's no longer a hunch at this point, we know for a fact he was the one who hired someone to have Mr. Richardson exposed of," Tim said. "The why is the only unanswered question as of now."
"How did you find out all of this?"
"I had a little help, but don't have much time to explain," Tim replied. "If you'd like, we can go over the details when we return."
"Would it be ok if I came along with you guys?"
"It would prove to be useless," Heiji stated. "They won't allow anyone under the age of sixteen into the building where the club happens to be."
"Makes you wonder what kind of chest club it is." Conan said in disappointment.
"Guess we'll find out when we get there." Heiji said.
"What do you hope to accomplish by going to this club meet," Conan asked. "Is the plan to confront Jefferson in conversation?"
"Yea, I was wondering that myself." Heiji said.
"This is nothing but a light task," Tim replied. "The key is to learn as much about him as we can without engaging him directly."
"And how do you propose we do that?" Heiji asked.
"By keeping it simple of course," Tim answered before turning for the door. "I'll let you know what we're going to do once we get there."
"Right behind you." Heiji said resulting to follow after him.
"Wait a minute," Conan said gaining their attention for a final time. "I didn't hear you guys park after arriving, so how did you get here?"
"We took a cab," Heiji replied. "The guy left shortly after dropping us."
"Why didn't you just call Alfred to give you a ride?"
"We spent most of the time walking around the city as it was, didn't feel the need to drag him along," Tim replied. "Besides, he's out doing something."
"That would explain why I haven't seen him since this morning."
"He should be back anytime now, you can let him know we stopped by when he does," Tim said before reaching out to open the door. "If we don't return later tonight you can expect to see us some time tomorrow morning."
"Keep your head up Kudo," Heiji teasingly said before patting him on the shoulder on his way out. "Look on the bright side, you've got Damian here to keep you company."
"Don't remind me." Conan muttered as he watched the door close before him.
He stood there for the next couple seconds before looking down at his watch. It was now forty three after six. From there he headed into the TV room like he previously planned to, having a seat at the couch before flipping on the television to see the news was already in full swing. Most of what was being shown was the weather report for the next few days.
"Looks like things are really going to start cooling down in the next couple days, not surprising with October just around the corner."
He rested the remote to the side before laying back, watching on to see what the local news had to offer.
They had spent over an hour driving along, passing by one road block to the next as the traffic continued to heat up. After reaching the already crowded city park he tapped the back of the drives seat which caused him to look back to face him.
"This will be far enough, we can walk the rest of the way from here."
"As you wish."
He maneuvered around a bit, finding an empty space at the side of the road before pulling over. The two of them stepped out of the cab from there, closing the door in the process. He had no idea how much further they had to go, keeping pace with him as they trotted down the sidewalk. He found himself becoming increasingly interested in what was inside the bag that hanging from his shoulder, hearing the sound of several items sliding back and forth from within. They finally came to a stop upon reaching a semi beat down building, looking up to the roof to see someone walking from one side to the other.
"This is it."
"Are you sure," Heiji questioned. "Not exactly your ideal location for a club like this."
"I doubled checked the address before we left, this is defiantly the place," Tim confirmed. "Hope you're up to date on your chess, it's time to play."
To Be Continued
