SSJBowser

The Detective Prince Chapter 55 Double Hit It was a bright morning. Very few clouds could be seen drifting throughout the sky. The sound of an ice cream truck could be heard in the near distance as they crossed the street. She looked down at him after they arrived to the other side, a look of concern coming upon her face. "Conan is everything ok," Ran asked. "You're not your usual talkative self this morning." "I'm fine," Conan assured. "Just a little tired is all." "How late were you up for?" "Just until eleven." Conan replied looking up at her. "What were you still doing up at that time of hour?" Ran asked. "Just a lot of thinking," Conan answered. "I couldn't sleep." "You must have a lot on your mind," Ran said. "Would you like to talk about it?" "It's nothing really, I'm fine now." "Are you sure?" Conan nodded in response. They continued to pave their way, looking forward to see the apartment complex just up ahead. "You've been up in his room a lot, I was wondering if Dick stays there as well." "No, he's staying at his own apartment about a mile up." "I wonder why that is." "It probably has something to do with space." Conan said. "That's the only thing I could think of." "I'm bound to agree with you." Ran said as they approached the front entrance. They stepped inside to be greeted by the air conditioning which circulated throughout the lobby. Conan took the lead as they walked toward the elevator. They made their way up, heading down the hall to the right side. They came to a stop once reaching the door to his room. "Do you think he's inside?" Ran asked. "Where else would he be?" Conan said while giving the door two solid knocks. The two of them stood in silence, watching as the door slowly cracked open in the following moments. "Oh, hey Ran." "It's not just me," Ran said pulling Conan to her side. "Conan came along as well." "Glad to see you stopped by." Tim smilingly said while slightly closing the gap. "Uh.. aren't you going to invite us in?" Conan asked. "About that," Tim said with a pause. "I'm kind of in the middle of something." "In the middle of what?" Conan asked. "I'll tell you what," Tim said looking down at him. "Give me an hour, I'll be done by then." He tried closing the door only to have Ran spring her hand forward to keep him from doing so. "Hold it right there." "Ran, I don't have time for this." Tim said keeping a firm grip. "What's wrong," Ran said trying to peak into the room. "Is there some girl in there with you?" "I can assure you there is no one in here but me," Tim stated. "I have something I really need to get done." "Can you at least give me Sonoko's phone," Ran asked. "She been yapping about getting it back all morning." "I may have misplaced it, but I'll find it as soon as I'm done here," Tim said. "I promise I won't be long, I'll even bring it to your house if you prefer." She gazed at him for awhile longer, finally lowering her hand from the door. "I'll be waiting." "Thanks, I really appreciate this." Tim said before stepping back with the close of the door. This left them standing in the quietness of the hall for a second time. Ran turned to walk with Conan following at her side. "Why didn't he let us in," Conan thought. "Something must have happened last night, but what?" It wasn't until after noon that he finally arrived at the office, dragging himself along as he made his way through the hallway. He was still half asleep, dropping his left hand up against the the wall to take a moments rest. Without realizing he found his eyes closed, listening to the sound of someone walking from behind. He reopened his eyes, turning to see Miwako had come to a stop at his side. "I've been trying to reach you all morning," Miwako said noticing his lingering posture. "You look exhausted, how long were you up last night?" "I was looking over something involving a case I'm working," Wataru said. "I don't recall what time I fell asleep, some time after two I believe." "How about lunch," Miwako suggested. "You look like you could use a little something to get the day started." He took a few moments to think about it, nodding his head. "What time were you thinking?" "How does one thirty sound?" "That works for me," Wataru said giving his watch a look. "Where would you like to go?" "I'll leave that up to you." Miwako replied. The two of them turned at the sound of someone coming to a stop from behind. "Takagi, Sato," Ninzaburo said joining the two. "Megure would like to have a word with the both of you in his office." "What about?" Miwako asked. "He didn't say." They looked to one another, wondering just what it was he wanted to speak to them about. "It sounded important," Ninzaburo added. "I'd head over there right away." He walked back into the direction he had come, leaving the two of them standing alone. Wataru lead the way as they made their way to his office, arriving within the next minute. He gave the door a knock before taking a step to the side. "Come on in." Juzo said from the other side. Miwako was the first of the two to enter the room. He sat at the desk with his hands rested out in front of him. "Would you like me to shut the door?" Miwako asked. "That won't be necessary," Juzo said. "This won't take long." "We're listening." "I'd like to start with the explosion of that car that took place near the fire station," Juzo said. "Did you ever find out the name of the victim?" "Maru Hou," Miwako replied. "They were able to confirm this through his dental records." "That leads into my next question," Juzo continued. "Do we know what his occupation was?" Miwako nodded. "He was a part time security guard at a cemetery," Miwako informed. "Usually working the night shifts." "Do we know what he was doing up at that fire station?" "No, but I can look into it." "That would be great." "I'll get on it right away." Miwako said. "Let me know what you find out." She left the room from there. "How do you feel Takagi?" "Tired." "Good work last night," Juzo complimented. "You handled yourself quite well." "When do we plan to exploit everything we've learned?" Wataru asked. "Not until we know who their business partners are," Juzo replied. "That way we can try and lock down this whole operation." "What did you want to see me about?" "These recent killings have picked up some media heat, which has lead to a lot of outsiders coming in," Juzo informed. "They're holding a press conference right where the last murder occurred, I'd like for you to be there on our departments behalf." "What do you want me to say?" Wataru asked. "Not too much, but enough." "When is this being held?" "It starts in twenty minutes," Juzo replied. "So I'd head down there now." "Right away." "Let me know how things go when you get back." Wataru nodded his head, heading for the door to make his way out. "Looks like I'll be late for lunch." There was much on his mind, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator like he had done most other days. He arrived down into the lobby shortly after. The sound of something bubbling from his side grabbed his attention, looking to see a fish tank up against the far wall. "Don't recall that being there, it must have got imported some time this morning." He made his way out the door, hearing the sound of someone whistle from behind after only taking a couple steps. He turned around to find him standing with his back pressed up to the side of the wall. "Wasn't expecting to see you here." "And I was under the impression you wouldn't be more than an hour," Conan said looking down at his watch. "It's well past two now." "Didn't know it would take that long." Tim admitted. "What were you doing in there anyway?" "Cleaning up from this mornings unexpected episode." "What happened this morning?" "The meeting we were expecting to take place tonight was rescheduled for this morning," Tim replied. "I tried calling but you didn't answer, which can be expected given the time it was." "Sorry I wasn't able to be there," Conan said. "So what were you able to find out?" "More than we were expecting," Tim said. "Not only did we find another of Brutho's stocking facilities, but we also know where they've been importing half of their weaponry from." "And where might that be?" "It seems the Outworlders have a deal going with LexCorp." "Can't say I'm too surprised at this point," Conan said. "First ROTI, and now this." "You're telling me." "But that still doesn't explain why you didn't let us in earlier." "I still had some cleaning up to do." "Cleaning.. what kind of cleaning?" "After splitting with Nightwing and the others a small incident occurred," Tim replied. "To make a long story short I found myself wounded, barely making it back to the apartment under my own strength." "What happened when you got back?" "I had lost a lot of blood, and by the time I got my hands on the first aid I fell unconscious," Tim informed. "Luckily Nightwing came to check on me after I didn't respond to any of his calls." "So you spent these past few hours cleaning up blood?" "That's pretty much it in a nut shell." Tim confirmed. "After getting my wound sewed up I went straight to work on cleaning everything up." He pushed away from the wall, walking up to him after doing so. "Not bad," Conan stated. "And here I thought you were going to come up with another one of your stories." He reached into his pocket, only taking him a few seconds to pull it out. "I had planned on giving it to her myself," Tim said handing him the phone. "But since you're here I'll let you take it with you." "You don't want to come along?" "Still rather tired, I just plan taking it easy for the rest of the day," Tim said. "On another note, how come Ran didn't come along?" "You lucked out," Conan said. "She got caught up with something on TV." "That would explain why she didn't call." He secured the phone into his pocket, taking only a few steps before looking back at him. "When should I expect to see you again?" "Probably some time tomorrow," Tim replied. "Unless something comes up of course, I'll let you know if that's the case." "Gotcha." The city conference had taken longer than he had expected, not arriving back to the police station until after four. He could hear all of the commotion going on before entering through the front door, walking in to find a new group of criminals being checked in. He looked from side to side in attempt to find her, having no such luck. "I see you're finally back," Juzo said coming to his side. "So how did everything go?" "The press had lots of questions, as did many others," Wataru replied. "It was crowded just like I thought it would be." "So what did you say when asked about the recent murders?" "I didn't say anything," Wataru informed. "Matsumoto was there as well, he did all of the talking." "And here I thought he was out of town on business." "Have you seen Sato around by any chance," Wataru asked. "I was supposed to meet with her a couple hours ago." "Sorry to say, but you just missed her," Juzo said. "She took off no longer than ten minutes ago." "Any idea where to?" "I didn't ask, but what I can tell you is she left in a hurry." "I wonder why that is." Wataru thought. "I'll be in my office if you need me." Juzo said before leaving his side. He took this time to pull out his phone, immediately calling her after doing so. It rang and rang, no one answering from the other line. "Looks like we'll have to reschedule." The sky darkened as the day progressed, a margin of damp clouds drifted in from the south side. A cold chill past through the city as the night neared, making for a gloomy ending to the day. The next morning brought a light shower, the sound of the rain touching down to the outside wall being what awoke him. He rolled out of bed after laying for over two extra minutes. He then got dressed before heading into the bathroom. "Yet another Monday, and another week of school," Conan thought to himself. "How I've been looking forward to this." He exited the bathroom after brushing his teeth and washing his face. It was quiet all throughout. He looked into the office on his way down the stairwell to find that no one was inside. "I guess that makes me the last one out." He made his way down to find his friends waiting for him at the left side of the sidewalk. "I told you he would be out in under five minutes." Genta stated. "That was a first." Mitsuhiko said. "What are you guys talking about?" Conan asked out of curiosity. "He said you wouldn't be out for another ten minutes," Genta replied. "And I said you would be out in under five." "So, it's one of those things." "Conan, did Agasa tell you about Space Inc?" Ayumi asked. "What's Space Inc?" "He hasn't given us the full details," Mitsuhiko replied. "But he said he'll bring us along when it opens up in the next week or so." "When did you guys stop over at his house?" "This morning when we went to see if Haibara wanted to walk to school with us," Mitsuhiko answered. "Turns out she had already left before we got there." "And that's when we came here to see if you were still home." Genta added. "Anyone know what we're going to be doing in class?" Ayumi asked as the group began walking. "We have an upcoming test a week from now," Mitsuhiko reminded. "So I'd assume we'll probably be doing a lot of review and note taking." "I hate taking notes." Genta muttered. He kept to himself for most of the walk there, listening on as his friends continued to chat. They arrived into the school yard shortly after, the four of them heading straight for the entrance. "I wonder what Space Inc is all about," Conan thought to himself. "I'm also curious to know how long Agasa has known about it." He bumped into several other students on his way to class, the halls being just as crowded as any other regular day. They arrived into class to find that most everyone was already seated, the four of them quickly doing the same. Everyone pulled out their supplies for the day, all ready to begin before the bell rang. Not even four minutes into class he could see her looking his way. He did the same in return only to have her focus her attention back to the front of the room. "I wonder what that was about," Conan thought. "Is there something I did?" It rested to the back of his mind through the remainder of class, occasionally looking her way. Sumiko opened up one of the windows at about noon to help bring in some fresh air to help cool the hot room. He didn't take very many notes from the slide show they watched, being one of the first to pack up as the end of the school day neared. "Just a few more minutes, and then we're home free." He tapped his pencil to the side of his desk, resting it onto the side of his ear after hearing the sound of the bell ring. He dropped down from his seat, making his way out of the room along with everyone else. "Be safe, and don't forget to study." Sumiko said on their way out. "We won't." Ayumi said assuringly. He came to a stop after arriving into the hall, looking around in attempt at finding her. He didn't have to search long, turning just in time to see her step up to his left side. "We need to talk." "I figured that much," Conan said. "So what exactly is it you want to dicuss?" "Aren't you two coming?" Genta called out as he continued walking. "Do you have anything planned for the rest of the day?" Ai asked. "Not that I know of." Conan replied. "Good, then that means you can come over," Ai said as she turned to walk. "We'll talk there." He waited for a couple seconds longer, closely following behind his friends. "I wonder what she could possibly want to talk to me about?" This kept him on edge the whole way there. The others went their separate ways after a couple blocks of walking, leaving just the two of them. He turned to face her, waiting to hear what she had to say. She didn't respond, simply keeping her sights set forward as they walked. He continued to follow her step for step, the two taking another turn which brought them within view of the house. "Where were you yesterday morning?" Ai finally spoke as they approached the gate. "Yesterday morning?" "From 3:00 to 6:00 A.M?" Ai specified. "Asleep of course," Conan replied. "Why do you ask?" She didn't answer, opening the gate for the two of them to enter. Everything was becoming more confusing by the second. He didn't know what to think, becoming a little concerned as they made their way in through the front door. He closed the door once in, looking over to see Ai standing in the center of the room. "Take off your bag." He raised a brow, tossing it to the side in compliance with what was instructed of him. "Haibara, what is this about?" "Now.." Ai said taking a few steps toward him. "Remove your shirt." His eyes widened, reacting with a step back of his own. "My shirt?" "Was I not clear," Ai asked taking yet another step forward. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can leave." "Get what over with?" The sun rested behind a group of clouds, helping to keep the mild temperature they were experiencing. He walked alongside the road, looking to the sky with his hands comfortly rested into the depths of his pocket. He turned at the sound of someone running up to his side, finding a warming smile upon her face. "Where are you going in such a hurry," Ran asked after coming to a stop. "You're usually one of the last to leave the school." "Homework will do that to you once in awhile." "Still cleaning up that gasoline spill from yesterday?" "Gasoline spill," Tim thought. "What is she talking about?" "Conan told me all about it," Ran continued. "Having something resting in the carpet like that can be dangerous." "Can't believe that's what he came up with," Tim thought. "I'll have to hand him ten points for creativity." "What were you doing with gasoline in your room anyway?" "Long story." "How about coming over after you finish your homework," Ran asked. "We could have another go at a few of those games." "I thought you would be tired of losing at this point," Tim teasingly said. "Considering me and your father bested you and Conan three to one in that last set." "That wasn't my fault." Ran said with the turn of her head. "So are you implying it was Conan's?" "Of course not," Ran said. "We just had a little bad luck, that's all." "On another note, why did you leave school so soon," Tim asked. "Don't you have practice today?" "Not until Wednesday," Ran replied. "They're using the training area to set up a small book shop, which will be there for the next two days." "Guess that leaves you with a little extra time, have anything planned?" "No, but I'll probably use that extra time for any unfinished assignments." "Sounds like a good idea." "Well I have to make a stop at the store before I head home," Ran said before turning back. "Try and be over if you can." "Will do." He watched as she skipped off into the opposite direction, removing his hands from his pockets as he made his way across the street. There was much running through his mind as he walked, arriving at the front of the apartment building to find him standing up against a light pole nearby. "How'd school go?" "Pretty solid day." Tim said heading his way. "What are you doing here?" "Came to discuss details regarding the most recent death." Dick replied as he pushed up from the pole. "What do you have?" "The explosion of that car was triggered by a wire which was connected to the driver side door," Dick informed. "The thing is the car didn't explode until seconds after he took a seat." "What do you think it means?" "It's just like you and Conan predicted," Dick stated. "Whoever is behind this is sending us a warning for something, foreshadowing a hidden message." "Now I get it," Tim said. "The bomb that was connected to the car was timer based." "And Now we need to figure out what its relevance is to the next planned attack." "Do we know the exact time it took for the bomb to go off after the wire was sprung?" He shook his head from side to side in response. "Sorry, but no." "Then we need to head back down there," Tim said. "There could be a surveillance camera or two that could have gotten a shot of when it all happened." "Why do we need to know how long it took for the explosion to occur?" "This whole thing is about time and numbers," Tim replied. "That's how the culprit has been communicating to us from the beginning." "I'll see what I can find," Dick said. "You plan on coming along?" "I already have enough on my hands, Katina Sugo has returned to Japan, checking into a hotel in Osaka just this morning," Tim informed. "Which means I should be on the look out for Deadshot." "Why is she in Osaka?" "On business," Tim replied. "I've been keeping tabs on her activity since arriving here." "When do you plan on going down there?" "In the next few day perhaps," Tim said giving it some thought. "I'll probably give Heiji a call before I go, there's something he might be able to help me with." "I'll go look into that request of yours, who knows how much time we have left before this guy strikes again." "Thanks Dick," Tim said. "Let me know what you find." "Sue thing." With that he made his way in past the sliding doors. He took a seat at the desk once arriving into the room. He clicked on the power to the computer, sitting back as he waited for it to load. His phone rang in the next few minutes, pulling it from his side to see who it was. "Don't have time to chat with Sonoko, I have enough on my agenda as it is." Nearly an hour passed as he went through all the clues left behind, trying to piece everything together. He looked away from the computer at the sound of someone knocking from the other side of the door. He stood up from where he sat, making his way over. "What are you doing here." Tim asked after opening the door. "We need to talk," Conan replied. "Can I come in, this time?" He stepped to the side, allowing for him to walk in. He closed the door before following after him. "How come you didn't tell me you stopped by Agasa's after getting injured?" "How did you know about that?" "A trail of your blood was left behind upon the stairs," Conan replied. "Haibara tested your blood that next morning." "And?" "Turns out you and I have the same blood type," Conan informed. "She mistook your blood for being mine, she even knew what part of the body the blood came from." "Is that so?" "That's why she gave my upper body a look, to check for any severe cuts," Conan said. "She's probably just as suspicious of me as she is of you at this point." "What did you say to her when confronted about it?" "The truth, I told her I wasn't there that morning," Conan replied. "Like I said before, I'm done lying to those closest to me." "I understand." "She's closing in on you," Conan continued. "At this point you only have two options." He jumped up to the end of the bed to have a seat, looking directly into his eyes after doing so. "Either you sit back and wait for her to figure it out, or you can simply tell her yourself," Conan said. "So, what's it going to be?" To Be Continued