Detective Conan/Batman Crossover

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 92

The Drain

They drove for several blocks more. The increase in traffic could clearly be seen as it picked up with each passing minute. The lot was empty upon their arrival, quite the opposite of what it had been on their previous visit. He found an empty space near the front entrance before locking it all down

"And here we are." Rick said with the detachment of his seat belt.

"There's no other vehicles here besides us," Heiji said. "You're sure there's someone waiting inside for us?"

"They probably parked around back somewhere," Rick said unlocking the door to his side. "Come on, the sooner we handle business here the sooner we can head to the next location."

Not wanting to cause a further delay he did the same in response.

"What a clear view it is," Rick said looking up at the sky after exiting. "It's looking to be another good one."

"It appeares that way." Heiji said being the first of the two to head toward the front doors.

He observed a display of life sized statues beside the building wall as he walked, something he hadn't seen on their last visit.

"They've clearly brought in new merchandise," Heiji thought. "If this is truly the place where our first victim was killed, one can only hope the scene hasn't been too altered since then."

They closed in on the entrance with each step taken, both caught by surprise with the open of the doors before reaching it.

"You must be Mrs. Baker," Rick greeted. "We spoke over the phone, if I'm correct."

"Detective Gates?"

"One and only around here."

"Then you've come to the right place," She said with a welcoming smile. "I had no idea the two of you would arrive so soon after contact."

"I was already on the road when I called," Rick informed. "I thought it'd be best if we handled this matter before opening hours."

"I can't disagree with that," Mrs. Baker said in agreement. "Right this way, I'll take you to where our mushroom samples are held."

"Jumping right on in I see." Rick said following after her.

He trailed from behind, having a good idea on where they were headed from the last time they had come.

"Mrs. Baker," Heiji spoke out. "Can I ask you something?"

"Ann, call me Ann."

"Alright then, Ann," Heiji said. "About the mushrooms here at Living Green, what type are they?"

"Well let's see," Ann said giving it some thought. "We carry high quantities of cremmini, morels, enokitake, and even have a sustainable amount of maitake's."

"Poisonous," Heiji said shortening the field. "Are any of the mushrooms in stock here poisonous?"

"Not at all," Ann replied. "All mushrooms sold here are edible and non harmful."

"That's all I needed to know."

They continued to walk along the left wall, which lead them to the back corner where a large steel door could be found.

"Is this the door we were told leads to the outside facility?" Rick asked.

"You guessed right."

"You first." Rick said opening the door.

They looked directly ahead to see a smaller structure surrounded by several yards of empty land. The growing products were very apparent at first glance, from the bushes nearby to the tall trees afar.

"And are we to assume that is where the mushrooms are held?" Rick asked.

"Some, but most of it grown throughout the fields," Ann pointed. "We have added business with our export of certain products."

"Why don't we start with the out house." Rick suggested.

"Your call," Ann said. "Right this way."

She lead him across the field to where the smaller structure was located, fiddling with a set of keys as they neared.

"Here we are." Ann said grabbing hold of the correct one.

"That's quite a bit of keys you have there," Rick commented. "Are they all used for this facility?"

"Partially," Ann replied. "Between here and the other Living Green facility."

"Another Living Green," Rick questioned. "I thought this to be the only one."

"The other is only about a seven mile drive from here." Ann informed with the turn of the key.

She unlocked the door, allowing for him to walk in. The glass cieling from above made for a clear view of all contents throughout the room. He cited many different materials stocked on each side, scouring the room from one end to the other with the rotation of his head.

"I don't see them," Rick declared turning back to face her. "Where do you usually stall the mushrooms?"

"There, in the far right corner," Ann pointed. "I'll show you to them."

"Right after you."

It was then that he noticed, looking behind to see he was nowhere to be found.

"No sign of Hattori," Rick thought to himself. "I wonder what could have caused his sudden disappearance."

He then looked ahead, carefully stepping around a vase of flowers as they headed deeper into the room. They reached the back corner shortly there after, arriving to come upon a large shelf filled with merchandise of many brands.

"Here they are," Ann said. "The mushrooms we have in stock are on the bottom shelf."

"I really appreciate this." Rick said taking to a knee.

"And what of your other friend," Ann said looking around. "It appearers he's taken off."

"I'm sure it's something of importance," Rick said. "He's usually not one to walk off without saying something first."

He laid his eyes to the different packaged mushrooms, grabbing a dose of each before standing back to his feet.

"This should about do it," Rick said keeping a grasp to each. "If you don't mind I'd like to purchase these."

"Your intent is well understood." Ann said turning back to where they had come.

"Every lead will be checked, speaking of which," Rick said. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about the other facility close to here?"

"What would you like to know?"

"Do they carry a sum of mushrooms as they do here?"

"Since a large portion of what we put on the shelves comes from the fields here, all mushrooms found there would have been here at some point or another," Ann replied. "That's not to say we don't mange business overseas."

"And this other facility doesn't have a field of its own to output sales?"

"Afraid not," Ann replied. "This here is the heart of all production."

They arrived back to the door they had entered through shortly after. It was then that he saw him standing in the distance out in the field, seeing an enclosed ziplock bag in his hand.

"What's he doing out there?"

What he had stashed away inside was another mystery in itself. He could hear the lock of the door from behind, turning just in time to have her rejoin his side.

"I see you've spotted your friend," Ann said. "It seems something has caught his attention."

"That might explain why he didn't follow us in."

"Any idea what it could be?"

"Only one way to find out."

Before either knew it he was trotting back into their direction, a look of a satisfacation more than apparent.

"What were you doing over there?" Rick called out as he neared.

Nothing was said in return, only coming to a stop after reaching the two.

"What's that you've got your arms wrapped around?" Heiji asked taking note of the packaged items in his possession.

"Mushrooms that were located in the out house here," Rick pointed. "I'm going to run these back to the lab to have Harold take a look, that way we can have him compare the mushroom residue found on the body in comparison with these."

"And you belive whatever happened might have taken place here?" Ann asked.

"Like I said, we're checking all possibilities." Rick replied.

"Here, why don't you let me take take a load off," Ann said reaching for the sealed packages. "I'll go ahead and ring these up for you at the counter."

"Thanks, that would be great." Rick said handing them over.

She took lead once again as the three headed back for the main building. The sound of several vehicles roaring past from the other side fell clear to their ears as they moved on. He couldn't help but look down at the bag still in his hand, more than curious to know what was inside.

"Is something wrong?" Heiji asked after noticing this.

"What do you have locked away inside there," Rick asked. "Does it have something to do with what you were just doing?"

"Just a little something for Mr. Jones to examine," Heiji replied. "Let's not forget there were other compounds found on the victims backside besides mushroom residue, such as minerals found in dirt."

"Good point," Rick said. "So you gathered some samples from the field?"

"Not just any plain old samples," Heiji confirmed. "But that from the vicinity of where mushrooms were present."

"Nice going," Rick complimented. "That's not something that didn't cross my mind."

"That's why we're here to help one another."

"No way can we go wrong there." Rick said as they came upon the door.

They made their way back in shortly there after, with the snapping close of the door from behind.

"Making minimal progress is better than none, but we still have one more stop to take before heading back to the lab," Heiji thought. "Libits, the only other known location to have mushroom production in this city."

The collaboration between the two was next to none, both keeping to themselves while working over the riddles. He had been at this since the moment he'd awoken, feeling they were no further along than the previous day.

"We've checked all companies associated with Starlest, but none are hosting or involved with anything that the riddle could be referring to," Conan thought to himself. "It might be in our best interest to look at this whole thing from another perspective."

He kept that in mind as he moved forward with his analysis.

(X) the prosper of growth isn't fostered within the past or present, for the Diamonds eye is for all to see."

Feeling the need to crack the code was now greater than before, knowing the time to do so was gradually slipping away. It seemed with each passing minute the temperature pushed to new heights, feeling the drain of his focus fall south as he leaned back in the chair.

"Why are things so heated all of a sudden... I feel like I've just stepped out from a running lane."

A skid of sweat slouched down the back side of his neck, following with a sudden exhaustion that sprang throughout.

"That's what happens when you spend all night working on a single matter such as this." Damian said from his position on the other side of the table.

"I got six hours of sleep," Conan said in response. "I hardly see that as a large lack of rest."

"Or maybe it's the fact you've spent too much time on this," Damian said. "Why don't you take a back seat and let me take over for a couple of hours."

"Can I ask you something?"

"About?"

"This case, what is your interest in it?"

"Does that even require a response?"

"From the time this incident became known to us you didn't show any interest in it," Conan said. "Let alone any detective work since I arrived, why the sudden change?"

"Maybe because I'm tired of this night show running free," Damian said stepping down from his seat. "And make no mistake, the plug to their little operation is soon to be discharged."

Nothing further needed to be said in his mind, keeping his sights set forward as he made his way for the door. This left him alone, feeling the silence that seemed to be looming large.. patiently waiting to be revealed.

"He seems determined.. but determination doesn't equal cause," Conan thought. "There must be a reason for his shift involving the matter, then again.. I could be wrong."

He brushed off what had just conspired in the wake of it all, knowing his importance lied with decoding the true message of the riddles.

They cruised along the road at normal speeds, feeling their findings would have them in position to solving where it all had occurred. He stashed the sealed bag into the depths of his jacket before pulling out another that resembled it in comparison.

"I see you have another zip lock bag," Rick said. "Planning on collecting another sample?"

"That's the plan," Heiji replied. "So tell me, what do you know about this Libits?"

"Not much, haven't been there myself," Rick replied. "Though unlike Living Green, Libits is a researches based company."

"Research huh, what kind of research?"

"In the medical field," Rick answered. "That's about as much as I know regarding the matter."

"Guess we'll find out the full story when we arrive."

"Which won't take long," Rick said as a structure located at the end of the block slowly came into view. "We're here."

"That didn't take long at all."

"That's due to the short cut we took, I know these parts inside out like the contents in the rule book."

"What rule book."

"That's a story for another time."

They reached the front of the building soon after, driving in to find a much smaller parking lot than the one they had previously visited. The two stepped out of the car once parked, looking ahead to see a well aged structure standing in the wait. The derailment of the paint surrounding the walls was most evident. Once a bright white, only now milked down to a damp brown from erosion that occurred over time. They finally began their path toward the front entrance after a short time of observing the place. It didn't take long for either to notice an electric sign pinned against the right wall as they walked, glimpsing up as it sparked a small current of electricity from its field.

"Libits," Rick said reading the sign. "This is defiantly the place."

"What a difference this is from the last site we visited."

"That's an understatement."

They reached the door soon after. It showed ware just as the rest of the building. The handle was rough and rigid, listening to the whispers that cracked free as he pulled the door open. They stared into a dark room, what to do next was unclear to both.

"Think we should come back," Rick questioned. "Doesn't look like anyone is here."

"Yet the door is unlocked," Heiji said. "Someone must be here."

He stepped in with nothing further said. The window aside the door was the only source that allowed for a lighted path into the room. He followed the strand of light to the left side which brought him to a desk. It took moments for his eyes to adjust to what was laid out across the table, which turned out to be a; pile of papers, jar of pens, and what appeared to be a mini bell.

"Hey, what do you say we come back," Rick said restating his claim. "I really don't think anyone is here, that or they're not open for business at this given time."

"It might appear that way, but why don't I give this a try first."

"Give what a try?"

It was too dark for him to see what he was reaching for, only hearing the sound of a bell ring to his ears in the following seconds.

"You're not serious are you?"

"Hey, maybe this is the method used by customers for service." Heiji said placing the bell back onto the desk.

Nothing happened in the moments that passed.

"Maybe you're right, it doesn't appear anyone is currently here."

"We could take what we have back to the lab, and then drive back in about an hour." Rick suggested.

"I don't see the problem in that." Heiji said looking back his way.

Just as the two were to leave a faint light came to view, carrying through the hall from behind the desk.

"Looks like we spoke too soon." Heiji said.

The sound of someone pacing in their direction could clearly be made out. The light that fumed throughout brightened with each second that past.

"That's strange, are they carrying a flash light of some kind?"

His suspicions were soon answered with the appearance of a man from the back room who held a lit lantern in hand. He flashed his eyes from the fogged glasses, studying each with a quick glance. The only thing to be made out was the dusted top hat upon his head, along with the rugged sweater he wore.

"Who are you people?"

"I was prompted to ask you the same," Rick said in response. "Are you an employee here?"

"One of four, yes." He replied resting the lantern to the desk. "And who might you folks be?"

"We're investigating a murder," Rick said holding out his ID. "Detectives."

"I see," He said with a pause. "And how is it that I may be of assistance to you.. detective?"

The way he spoke raised an alert, giving both a shady impression.

"Your name would be a start."

"Sal," He replied. "You can call me Sal."

"Don't know if you have a thing for lanterns," Heiji remarked. "But what's with the electricity in this place, don't you have any lights?"

"Very few," Sal replied. "A lot of the specimens we're working with are very reactive to lighted areas."

"Specimens?"

"You mentioned you were here in regards to a murder," Sal said. "What relation does that have with Libits?"

"We were told you have access to a margin of mushrooms, is that true?" Rick asked.

"Several," Sal confirmed. "Is there a type in particular you had in mind?"

"Undetermined at this time," Heiji replied. "But if you would be so kind to take us to where you keep them, that would be most appreciated."

"Is there an option?"

"Either that, or we can go and fetch a warrant if you'd prefer." Rick said in response.

"That won't be necessary," Sal said reaching back for the lantern. "I have nothing to hide, but please do tell me what this is all about."

"And we will, but first lead us to where the mushrooms are stalled."

"Of course," Sal replied signaling for the two of them to walk around the desk. "Watch your step, I've got some.. accessories sitting around."

"Thanks for the heads up." Rick said doing as told.

"Which direction to the spot?" Heiji asked.

"We take a left."

They stepped around the desk, following his every move from there. Laying next to one another near the wall was a set of boxes. They made sure not to touch anything, carefully making their way around all contents that sat on the ground. The hall they entered was darker than the room they had left, only the light of the lantern providing for visibility.

"So there's no lights for even the non working areas." Rick asked as they continued on.

"There are a few exceptions."

"You said a lot of the subjects you're working with take an affect to light," Heiji said. "What kind of specimens did you mean?"

"That all depends on the complexity of your question."

"What do you mean?"

"Are we talking plants, or animals?"

"So this is basically a holding facility for the night life?" Rick questioned

"I wouldn't necessarily put it that way," Sal replied. "It just so happens that a majority of our subjects in testing are in favor of the dark."

"We were told this was a medical researchers facility," Rick said. "What exactly is being researched here?"

"Depends on who you ask," Sal replied. "The four of us are all focused in on our own outline of work."

"Sounds like a lot to handle, wouldn't it be easier if you all focused in on one goal at a time?"

"We're all experienced in this line of work, we can bare the weight of our own assignments," Sal replied. "Of course collaboration is immanent in certain situations."

They followed him for a little over a minute which brought them to a closed off door with a large lock hanging from the door.

"Here we are."

He reached down for a stash of keys hanging from the side of his belt, almost instantly sighting the correct one. He took little time in unlocking the door, stepping off to the side after doing so.

"Do you usually keep all rooms locked at this place?"

"Only when the danger level exceeds that of level three," Sal replied. "A system we've set up here at Libits."

"And what percentage of the rooms do you have on high alert?"

"Six, including this one."

"That's quite a bit if," Heiji said. "Especially for a public place like this."

"We rarely ever have the luxury of having a visitor, let alone two," Sal said clamping the keys back into place. "Your presence here today marks the fifth visitor we've had in the past seven months."

"You're not serious?" Rick asked.

"Besides us who work here, only those who have interest in our progress care to drop in occasionally."

"Progress..?"

"Anything we should know before entering?" Rick asked.

"I'd advice not to touch anything, at least not before checking with me first," Sal replied. "A majority of what is behind these doors can cause harm."

"So what are we waiting for, I'm ready to see what's inside."

"As you wish."

He reached for the handle, pulling the door open which allowed them to peak inside. It was nearly pitch dark, but something could be seen from the tips of their eyes, something sitting deep within the room. Neither could tell what it was at first glance, casually moving in to get a closer look.

"What is that back there," Rick asked. "It looks as if something is lighting up."

"You said you wanted to see the mushrooms, correct?"

"You don't mean?"

"Mycena chlorophos, one of the few types of mushrooms that have the capability to glow." Sal said stepping into the dark room.

He reached to his left, pushing upward on a switch to flash on the dimmest of lights. What they saw left them in a bit of a surprise. Rather than coming to find a room compiled with common lab materials, they looked on to see what appeared to be an inside garden of sorts. The ground was nothing but grass, surrounded by the several plants on each side of the room. Small amounts of water found its way down the right wall from a pipe above, scaling in velocity on its descension downward.

"Come, and be sure to step only to the stones." Sal said looking back to the two before advancing further.

He shut off the lantern in the moments that followed, leaving only the shallow lighting from above the only means for a clear path throughout the room.. They did as instructed, following the stones set in place. He took note of anything that came to sight, from the layout of the room to everything that clothed it. The most notable that came to view was the mushrooms, accounting for at least six different brands sprouting from the grounds. He finally came to a halt after reaching the center of the room, a grin dropping to his face as he turned to face the two.

"Well, I'm not sure what you're hoping to find but this is it."

"These mushrooms," Heiji said. "Are any of them poisonous?"

"A few of them are, yes," Sal replied. "We have Amanitas for example, which all contain amanitin."

"Amanitin..," Rick said giving it a seconds thought. "I've heard of that somewhere."

"Amanitin is an extremely poisonus amatoxin," Heiji informed. "One which can be found throughout nature in many places."

"Very good detective, I see you're familiar with the material." Sal commented.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like a list of all the mushrooms that have poisonus roots."

"I'll see to it," Sal said in compliance. "Give me a moment to go and fetch you a copy of the data list."

"I'd really appreciate that, thanks."

"I'd advice for the both of you to stay put in my brief absence, we wouldn't want for an unplanned.. accident now would we?"

"You have our word we won't move until your return."

"I'll be no more than a minute."

The lights above flickered as he made his way out, both holding true to their word as they waited in place.

"So what do you think?" Rick asked after Sal fell out of view.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think this could be the place where our mystery victim engaged in the scuffle before their death," Rick asked. "After all, there's plenty of mushrooms and dirt surrounding this room that could account for the residue found on the victims back side."

"I've already sealed samples away collected from this room," Heiji informed. "It'll be up to Mr. Jones to make a diagnosis of what has been collected from both scenes to draw a conclusion."

"One thing that I thought I should point out," Rick said looking to the right. "The walls are built of brick in this room, yet different in the rest of the building."

"They're steel enforced."

"How do you know that?"

"If you look to the pipeline you'll see a clear path leading to the inner wall, or second layer of it."

"Nice find, I guess that puts that suspicion to rest."

"It's not the walls I'm concerned with," Heiji said. "If there's anything to worry about, it's our tour guide."

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

"It's not just Sal that leaves me deeply disgruntled," Heiji thought to himself. "This place... there's just something about it that doesn't quite feel right, but what?"

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 93

Full List

The demonstration had finally gone underway, starting with the slow deterioration of the walls that kept everything intact. It then escalated to the main drive, spreading its damages from one file to the next at an increasing rate. This lasted for a short time more, both looking on to see everything wiped clean right before their very eyes. Not a single file remained, nothing but an empty system.

"Excellent, it works better than I had imagined," Bruce commented. "And to think this is only the beta, which only shows flashes of its full potential."

"That's what it'll do to a hard drive with an average security wall." Tim said.

"And have you tested it against a formidable security system?"

"A system similar to my own, one created just for the occasion."

"And the result?"

"It took a timely two days to wipe the slate completely clean," Tim replied. "Which shows an adequate security wall can cause for a delay in its progress, the amount of files within a system can also alter the time."

"Is there anything this virus can't bypass?"

"Stumbles in the road have been recorded, but the Red Eye evolves as it migrates," Tim replied. "Nothing has been seen to completely contain it."

"What about an anti virus?"

"Already working on it."

"I'd like for you to launch another trial."

"What security level?"

"Clearance ten," Bruce replied. "That will tell us where we're at with this project."

"Taking it to the extreme I see."

"How long before you can have it all set up?"

"In the next three hours at most," Time replied. "Generating results of course will take time."

"Which is not a concern."

The door opened in that next second, causing the both to look over to see who had entered.

"I see you've begun testing."

"We were actually wrapping up for the time being," Tim said. "It'll take time for the next test to be set."

"And the first was a success?"

"Affirmative," Bruce replied. "The Red Eyed MB after entering the system showcased its flexibility in shutting down all systems, regardless of the conditions that were presented."

"And you plan on using this virus in the field?"

"If a situation calls for it, then yes," Bruce replied. "With the increase in technology having something like this at our disposal could prove useful."

"On another subject, I have some saddening news to bring," Alfred said. "Unfortunately young Mr. Collins of Nitro technologies has past."

"Mr. Collins the CEO?" Tim asked.

"Correction, his son." Alfred replied.

"What was the cause death?"

"Said to be a heart attack as of now."

"And how old was this guy?"

"Just turned twenty last week."

"What an age to be taken," Tim said. "Did he have any prior heart complications before hand?"

"I was told no upon asking."

"Think it could be related to the uproar in deaths involving the heart attacks?" Tim asked looking to Bruce.

"Only one way to find out," Bruce replied. "I'll have to see if we can get a hold of the file surrounding the details of his death, if there is a correlation between this and the other deaths we'll know by checking the brain."

"Might be our only way of finding out."

"I'll make the call." Bruce said reaching for his phone.

Conversation between the two remained to a distance as they paved the way along the road side. They had accomplished what they had set out to do, gathering needed information from both chosen facilities visited in the last hours. He looked over the sheet of data laying in his lap, memorizing anything of importance that came to mind.

"Six out of the eleven poisonus mushrooms found at Libits were lethal enough to cause next to fatal damage within a week, if absorbed by the body," Heiji thought. "The question now left to answer, what exactly was the victim given before their death."

He took a moment away from the wheel after reaching a street light, looking across to see he was hard in thought. Not wanting to disturb he decided to face forward, only a short time passing before the light reverted back to green. He pushed down to the pedal just in time to hear the sound of his voice from his side.

"How long do you think it will take for Mr. Jones to get this all analyzed?"

"It depends," Rick replied. "Let's hope he's down in the lab when we arrive, that way he can get this kick started right away."

"We're on a short leash of time as it is."

"So what's your final verdict on Libits," Rick asked. "Think we should return for a second visit?"

"If anything uncovered points that way."

"That Sal guy sure calls for suspicion, I got the feeling he was hiding something."

"I have to agree, but also the way he spoke," Heiji said. "Almost everything we asked was never directly answered."

"I know what you mean," Rick said. "His response to your question about his job at Libits is most evident."

"We won't worry about that too much," Heiji said. "After all, our objective is to find out what happened to the person who was found in the aftermath of that explosion, not to investigate Mr. Sal."

"Agreed," Rick said looking ahead once more. "Not much longer to go, we're nearly there."

He marched down from the upper floor, much still weighing down on his mind. There was no one to be seen upon reaching the bottom, the silence only reinforcing the emptiness that filled the area. Where everyone had gone was the first thing to come to mind.

"It seems like everyone around here is always out doing something."

A familiar sound found its way to his ear, turning to the right to see exactly where it was coming from. He followed the beep that continued, almost certain it was coming from the study. It was no surprise when he opened the door to see him sitting at the desk in front of a computer.

"I had no idea you were here," Conan said walking in. "I heard the alarm from the computer, what are you working on?"

"Setting up a system for a trial we're scheduled to run in a bit here."

"What kind of trial?"

"For a computer virus I've been constructing over the past year," Tim replied. "The Red Eyed MB."

"And why are you constructing a computer virus," Conan asked. "I don't see the reasoning in that."

"Accounting for anything that may come your way is key," Tim replied. "The meaning of this exercise is to give us an edge against those looking to hack or take over high security systems all together."

"Ok, makes sense," Conan said. "That the only reason?"

"And for studying purposes, as of now."

"So it's called the Red Eyed MB," Conan said. "Just curious as to what the MB stands for."

"Manipulating Boundaries," Tim replied. "A virus that continuously evolves, changing with every cross road that may stand in its way."

"Almost sounds like a common flu the way you put it," Conan said. "Always changing in its genetic form every wave in which it moves."

"Which also calls for an updated vaccine year after next."

"How dangerous is this Red Eyed MB," Conan asked. "Have you found away to contain it from spreading if by chance your system was infected?"

"Not yet, but progress is being made."

"Good luck with that."

"You're free to observe next trial, and who knows," Tim said. "You might find it interesting."

"Goanna have to pass," Conan declined. "I'd rather work on the riddles."

"Make any progress?"

"Was just looking to ask you the same."

"No, but something did come to mind," Tim replied. "It's only a hunch, but there could be some depth to it."

"I'm listening."

"We looked into all businesses associated with Starlest," Tim began. "But what if it's deeper than that, maybe we should branch off even further."

"Furthering our searches to the other companies," Conan said. "Maybe one of them is connected to the company named in the riddle."

"Simply put."

"What do you say we look into it now?"

"I'm busy with this," Tim smilingly said. "But that's why there's two of us."

"I had a feeling you'd say something to that degree." Conan said as his phone buzzed from below.

Without looking he reached down to grab it, bringing it to his eye to see the number displayed.

"Who is it?"

"A missed call." Conan replied.

"That's strange, I didn't hear your phone ring earlier," Tim said. "Who was it that called.

"Ran."

It was as quiet as any other time walking down that empty hall, finding their way past all security measures before finally arriving to the forensics lab. A strong odor came to their senses almost instantly, being alerted of the dead body laid out atop the table before sighting it.

"Welcome back," Harold said appearing from the right side. "You two have returned at a very convenient time."

"Hopefully that means you've got something for us."

"I followed up with the examination of the body found at the explosion site," Harold said. "Focusing paticularly on their dental."

"And?"

"I was able to get a match, the victim was listed in the database."

"Great," Heiji said. "So what's this guy's name?"

"She," Harold corrected. "The body discovered belonged to a woman by the name of Leian Foster."

"Any immediate relatives that can be contacted on the matter?"

"That has already been taken care of."

"Good," Rick said. "So what do we know about Leian, any criminal record?"

"Quite the opposite, she put in a lot for the community," Harold informed. "She even participated in a group created for collecting and donating canned goods on a weekly basis."

"Looks like we'll have to dig deep on this one."

"Maybe not," Heiji said. "Some times the surface isn't always what it appears, we should hold off on judgment until we've spoken with those who were closest to her."

"Up for another drive?"

"Sure, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Heiji said reaching into his jacket. "The samples, collected from our travels."

"You're right."

"What samples?" Harold asked.

He waited only moments before his question was answered, watching as two zip locked bags were pulled from from within his jacket.

"I gathered debris from both Living Green and Libits," Heiji informed. "When you've got the time could compare these samples gathered to what was found on Leian Fosters back side?"

"I'll get to it as soon as I'm finished here."

"Thanks." Heiji said handing him the two enclosed bags.

"I also purchased a set of mushrooms from Living Green," Rick informed. "I'll leave them on the counter for your convenience, maybe one of them will match what was found on the body."

"We can only hope."

"Time will tell," Rick said. "We better be on our way, contact me if you come across anything worth mentioning."

"As always detective Gates."

"Come Hattori, we've got some relatives to visit." Rick said turning for the door.

He followed from right behind, glimpsing back at the lab after walking out.

"We now have all that we could possibly need, let's just hope it leads to the results we're looking for."

The next hour had arrived with yet another call coming to his phone, deciding not to answer it before dropping it back down to his side.

"So let me get this straight, you think it'd be beneficial if I had a story lined up before calling back?"

"You disagree?"

"I don't see any reasoning to your claim."

"Your journey here is bound to spark many questions."

"Point taken, but I don't see the harm in telling her I flew out for a short visit."

"Too sudden," Tim said. "That could lead to unintended suspicion."

"You sure do have a talent for making things more difficult than they need to."

"I'd suggest correlating a story with Heiji before calling," Tim stated. "No way you can go wrong with that."

"I'm almost inclined to agree," Conan said checking the time. "It's six now, which would make it about seven in the morning there."

"When do you plan on calling?"

"As soon as I get this all situated, which should be in the next hour or so," Conan replied. "Which is also about the same time of her morning jog."

"That's more than enough time, being that Heiji's already on his way here," Tim informed. "I received a message from him a short time ago."

"Where's he coming from?"

"Returning from a trip he and detective Gates went out on."

"No doubt something dealing with the body found at the explosion site."

"Heard you got a peak of the body yourself while visiting the GCPD Lab," Tim said. "How did that go?"

"Let's just say they were more than surprised to see me," Conan replied. "Speaking of cases, what's the update on that woman?"

"No luck at all, she never returned to that cavern," Tim replied. "Her current whereabouts are next to none."

"That's only one of three that have gone cold," Conan said. "We're still in relatively good position considering."

"Don't you mean four," Tim corrected. "There's still that loose cannon of a gunman we've yet to apprehend."

"Don't you find it odd, the shooter has not made a move in the last few days," Conan said. "Think their spree has come to an end?"

"No way of telling for sure," Tim replied. "They could still be on the move, only on more discreet terms."

"Maybe," Conan said. "But that wouldn't explain the dramatic change in form if they were truly keeping it under the radar, in both incidents all bodies were found in the public where they could easily be discovered."

"Fair point."

"I think it's time we moved in on this from another angle."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Instead of focusing in on what he did do, why don't we direct our investigation to what he didn't." Conan suggested. "Starting with the weapons."

"Those were intentionally left behind, probably to elude us deeper into a scheme set in place," Tim said. "Which would fall under the category of what was done."

"Agreed."

"Establishing what was intentional and what wasn't will be difficult to figure."

"You're right," Conan said. "Since all incidents happened out in the open, time had to be a high priority."

"Which would include potentially being spotted."

"We've got the weapons used, location, and the time of day," Conan said. "Yet no cause."

"And the only thing they seemingly didn't do was."

"Leave any hint to the why." Conan finished.

The two then turned at the sudden sound of the door, looking to see they had been joined.

"I just received information on Mr. Collins medical history," Bruce said walking toward them. "Turns out he had no prior heart problems."

"Sounds like one of ours."

"I put in a request to get an x-ray of the brain which his father agreed to, we should have the results back soon enough."

"And what did he make of your request?"

"I told him it was strictly for researching purposes," Bruce replied. "So naturally he accepted."

"Any other reported heart attacks in the past day?" Conan asked.

"Not someone of high profile," Bruce replied. "But we're keeping tabs as they come in, we should have a wide scale update in the next hour."

"This only continues to escalate, and all nations have experienced a loss over it," Tim said. "The cause must be wide spread, maybe even an unnatural virus of some kind."

"I don't think so."

"If not a virus, then what?"

"Something being distrubuted, maybe not appearing to be harmful at first glance."

"Are you suggesting a product of some kind?" Tim asked.

"A possibility, yes."

"If that is true, that would raise an important question," Conan thought. "Could someone intentionally be causing this outbreak?"

"I'll be upstairs if needed, there's a call I need to make," Bruce said turning for the door only to come to a quick stop. "Oh, and give this to Heiji when he gets in."

He reached down to his side, pulling out a small sheet of paper.

"When he gets in," Conan questioned. "Has he already arrived?"

"They're just now pulling in past the gate." Bruce replied before exiting the room.

"I didn't hear anything."

"Don't mind it, he's got really good ears," Tim said heading for the door as well. "What do you say we go and greet them?"

"Anything to get out of this room, even if it is only for a minute."

He followed from close behind as the two made their way through the main room all the way to the front door. They stepped out just as the car came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, watching as the passenger door slid open in the seconds that followed.

"How'd the trip across town go," Tim asked. "Gain any insight?"

"Hopefully so," Heiji replied with the close of the car door. "I left some collected samples at the lab to be tested."

"Samples for what?" Tim asked on their descension down the stairs.

"I collected debris samples from both Living Green and Libits," Heiji informed. "Two facilities that could be where our mystery victim took their last breaths before being stashed away."

"Anything else?"

"That's pretty much it in a days wrap," Heiji replied. "Didn't quite get around to anything else, though it's all been on my mind."

"Happens all the time."

"And what of you, any luck with any of the cases."

"Been busy working on an outside assignment."

"Some virus," Conan added. "What they're calling the Red Eyed MB."

"I heard you mention that before," Heiji said. "What purpose does this project serve?"

"Only time will tell, but we have work to do," Tim replied reaching into his pocket. "Here, Bruce asked for me to give this to you."

"What is it?" Heiji asked accepting the slip of paper.

"No idea."

He unrolled the folded slip of paper, finding a small list of names sitting in place.

"This saves me the trouble," Heiji said more than pleased. "I had planned on looking into this tonight."

"What is it?" Conan asked.

"A full web of companies associated with Starlest," Heiji replied. "Branched from its main partners within the circle."

"One of them has to be the chosen site referred to in the riddles," Conan said. "Now's the time we compare notes with each and every location."

"I don't believe it." Heiji said sighting it as he went down the names.

"What is it?"

"Libits," Heiji replied. "It's one of twelve companies listed."

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 94

Shocked

All gathered material had been taken to the book room to be further examined, keeping it in order from the right side to left. They used the computer to surf for any additional information unknown to them surrounding the names listed. After skimming through each once more, he looked down to the slip of paper in hand before placing it down to the table as well.

"Cennals Inc, Delmore Industries, Scnapp Labs, Syclons, and Wayne Enterprises," Heiji read. "The five companies tangled in a partnership with Starlest."

"Which isn't something you'd normally find as linked associates," Conan said. "All companies excluding Syclons are all technology based."

"Starlest doesn't exactly fit the criteria either, they put out common accessories for clothes and shoes," Heiji said. "And of course the expected jewelry line they're known for."

"Why don't we start with Syclons," Conan said looking down at the printed sheet. "It's a small company that distributes goods from this city to others, and vice versa."

"Besides Starlest, Syclons is in a partnership with another shipping company in the area," Heiji said. "Which has two stations located here in Gotham."

"I hardly see that as a place of gathering," Conan said. "I think it's safe to assume Syclons isn't the place referred to in the riddle."

"Next we have Cennals Inc, a computer company," Heiji said. "Their expertise being in the field of design, in the form of architectural construction."

"And the companies linked with it?"

"Salvon's Bridge and Silver Engineering," Heiji replied. "All in the same line of work."

"Starlest would be the odd apple amongst the four," Conan said before looking back to the list. "What about Scnapp Labs?"

"The only company of the lot with only one connected associate," Heiji said. "Scnapp Labs is under the radar, located at the bottom of a building near the center of the city."

"And the name?"

"Futures Building," Heiji replied. "That's what it is called."

"And this Futures Building is directly connected with the Scnapp Labs?"

"That's what it says here," Heiji replied referring back to the sheet. "The lab was created first, with the building being built on top of it roughly a year later after beginning their project."

"Any mention of what these projects are?"

"That has yet to be reveled, but we'll know soon enough," Heiji informed. "They plan on answering that very question at their grand opening set for two nights from now."

"That leaves Delmore Industries and Wayne Enterprises."

"Always the best for last."

"So what do we know about Delmore Industries?"

"They're a company that manufactures sophisticated systems to collect and store important data on a large scale."

"What kind of data?"

"It didn't say, must be some real secretive stuff," Heiji replied. "And that's only their main operative."

"What else are they commonly known for?"

"Nothing that doesn't fall under the same category."

"That leaves Wayne Enterprises, which we're already quite familiar with."

"Now comes the task of linking one of these companies to the riddle."

"Using the process of elimination could prove key," Conan said. "Starting with Syclons."

"You think it's a possibility?"

"It has no set facility for their operation, only several smaller buildings throughout."

"Right," Heiji said catching on. "Syclons has no true vocal point, making it next to impossible for a gathering as foreshadowed in the riddle."

"That's one of twelve," Conan said. "We still need to narrow it down."

"Why don't we focus on the purpose of each," Heiji suggested. "The product and the demand for the companies tells a story in itself."

"Not a bad route to go."

"Eliminating Libits from the equation next seems fit."

"Why's that?"

"It's secluded, and they rarely receive visitors," Heiji replied. "As stated by one of the employees on my visit."

"I'd say that's a safe bet then," Conan said. "Next we have the company for collecting data, Delmore Industries."

"They didn't have detailed information surrounding the contents of their facility, so we'd have to go in for a visit to gain further information," Heiji said. "They do happen to be holding an open house event in the next couple days."

"Which could be the affair referred to in the riddle," Conan said. "How many people are estimated to show?"

"They're expecting a full house, however many that may be."

"Which leads into my second question, what is this open house event for?"

"A test run for updates they've made to a margin of their software."

"Think you could get a list of all software that will be shown?"

"One call should do the trick," Heiji replied. "What's your take on Cennals Inc?"

"I'd rule that out," Conan said in response. "I doubt a center for architectural design sparks for the highest interest, which wouldn't be a place the thief would choose."

"Then there's Scnapp Labs, located under the Futures Building," Heiji continued on. "They've also got an upcoming event of their own."

"Key point, between that and Delmore Industries I'd say we have a set out of the two."

"Yea, but which one?"

The door opened in that moment, causing both to look across the way.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," Tim said upon entering,"Any made progress?"

"We're heading in that way," Heiji replied. "We've got the list narrowed down to two locations."

"Scnapp Labs and a company known as Delmore Industries." Conan elaborated.

"Which one is favored at this given time?"

"We're still undecided," Heiji replied. "We've referred back to the riddle several times to help make a determination."

"At least it's coming along," Tim said. "I thought I'd drop in to let you know I'm on my way out."

"Where to?" Conan asked.

"Back to the city."

"What about that virus of yours, did you run a scan?"

"Already launched the trial," Tim confirmed. "So there's no need to stick around, especially when there's more to attend."

"Wait up," Heiji said. "I'll come with you, there's a stop I'd like to make myself."

"Fine by me."

"Think you can handle this in my absence?" Heiji said looking down to him.

"I'll keep you informed."

"Hold on," Tim said. "Have the two of you discussed what we talked about earlier?"

"That completely crossed my mind." Conan replied.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"I received a call from Ran earlier today, unfortunately my phone must have been off at the time."

"So you missed a call, I don't see the big deal in that?"

"In most cases it wouldn't, but she probably just found out about my trip here."

"What do you mean she just found out?"

"She received an invitation for a sporting event about a month ago, which she accepted," Conan informed. "That's where she's been for the past three weeks or so."

"Oh, that's right," Heiji said recalling this. "And the facility where this was held had no signal for you to reach her by phone, correct?"

"That's right."

"So what did you need to speak with me about?"

"I thought it'd be a good idea for you to let her know the two of you traveled here together," Tim replied. "There's a higher level of comfort if you know what I mean."

"Can't disagree with the idea." Conan said.

"Sure, I'll give her a call tonight."

"I was actually thinking I'd tell her myself." Conan said in protest.

"Don't worry, I've got this one covered Kudo," Heiji said laying a hand to his shoulder. "You just focus on those riddles, you can speak with her as soon as I've explained everything."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Remember to call if anything comes up," Heiji said heading for the door. "I'll leave my phone on for your services."

"As will I," Tim said. "I'll be calling in the next hour to check on your progress."

"I'll be sure not to disappoint."

He watched as he to left the room, finding himself as the lone investigator to go through everything laid out along the table. He walked back to the chair, taking a seat as he looked directly to the most recent riddle

"(X) the prosper of growth isn't fostered within the past or present, for the Diamonds eye is for all to see.... the Shows beginning shall proceed with all λ0-(-30) 105 accounted in (Y)."

"Delmore Industries and Scnapp Labs, this is what it comes down to," Conan said. "But it can only be one out of the pair, so.. which one is it?"

He looked over all collected riddles as a whole, memorizing each sequence of numbers and structured messages, bringing it all to the surface of his conscious to try and untwine the mystery at hand.

"There's something wrong... something's missing," Conan thought with a long pause. "One key element still lays abstruse, and until that's figured we'll be stuck in this same position."

The ride there had been a smooth one, taking over an hour for him to finally arrive. He stepped out of the vehicle after stalling at the side of the street, heading straight for the entrance doors in the near distance. Things were quiet and calm as opposed to the earlier hours, which was to be expected visiting the police station at this time. He slid up his sleeve to look down at his watch, coming to find it was roughly forty after eight.

"Got here much sooner than anticipated."

He arrived to the doors, walking in to surprisingly find the room half full of those standing around.

"It's getting late, I wasn't expecting to find so many still here at this hour."

It didn't take long for him to realize something was taking place. Very few spoke as he made his way further into the room, still unclear what the matter was at hand. He stopped once reaching the center of the room, surrounded on all sides by those who stood in wait. It was then that he felt a hand weigh down to his right shoulder, turning to see him with a smile on his face.

"What a surprise, you're here too," Heiji said. "Any idea what's going on?"

"I'm just as surprised to see you," Rick said in response. "We're all actually here for an update on the case."

"And which one is that?"

"The riddles of course," Rick replied. "And what of you, who called you in?"

"No one did, I'm here on my own accordance," Heiji replied. "Believe it or not, I'm here with a potential lead of my own."

"That doesn't surprise me," Rick said. "I assume you've been at that from the time we parted ways earlier?"

"It's been on the back of my mind the whole day," Heiji said looking around the room. "I'd say this meet isn't squarely based on a hunch, not with this many people showing up at this given time."

The two of them then turned at the sound of the entry doors sliding open, looking to see five others join them in the room.

"How many officers are expected to show anyway?"

"Can't say, we've got guys coming in from all across town," Rick replied. "And this isn't the only meet being held."

"From the way you've put it, it would seem they believe they know where the thief plans to make their move."

"That was my first impression when I walked in to see everyone gathered."

"Who's supposed to be the one dropping down this newly acquired information to us?"

"The commissioner himself." Rick replied.

"Gotcha."

"You said you had a lead of your own, mind sharing?"

"I have an idea or two," Heiji replied. "I'll let you in on it as soon as we've heard what the commissioner has to say."

"Sounds like a deal."

They continued to stand around for a time to come, watching as the room gradually filled with those who came in through the entryway. Checking the time on his watch became very apparent the longer this lasted, coming to find the wait was now over twenty minutes from the time he had arrived.

"Time sure is passing, makes you wonder how long they plan on keeping us waiting."

Unknown to them they didn't have much longer to wait. The door located to the right side of them room flew open, captivating everyones attention who stood throughout the room.

"Bout time we got this thing underway." Rick said in delight.

"How long have you been here?" Heiji asked.

"Arrived about fifteen minutes before you."

The two then directed their attention to the front of the room to see Gordon making his way there assisted by two police officials at his side. The room gradually fell silent as this occurred, leaving it open for him to take the floor.

"I appreciate everyones attendance as well as your patience during this process, as you all know we have a situation on our hands," Jim began. "The daunting riddles that have circulated throughout this city, and most recently to others surrounding our own."

"But from the ground we've covered in these past two days, we're certain this will be put to an end very soon." An officer aside him spoke.

"We now have a selected location to where we think this thief will appear to preform their next act," Jim informed. "A place known as Kelver Side Crafts."

"Kelver Side Crafts," Heiji questioned. "What's that?"

"It's an art museum," Rick whispered back. "Pretty popular with the locals if you know what I mean, not too bad with the many visitors either."

"Gotcha."

"Most who don't follow Kelver's schedule wouldn't know about the auction they're holding two nights from now, high profiled items are listed for any to gain at the right price," Jim continued. "We've already made plans for security measures that will be taken."

"And we've also alerted all other stations across the way about our findings," The unnamed officer spoke once more. "They two will play a hand in making sure this thief is properly apprehended before any further damage can be done."

"And what makes you so sure Kelver Side Crafts is the place?" Someone asked from amongst the crowd.

"Those details will be addressed tomorrow, but right now I'd like to discuss how everyone will be positioned for the big night."

What was said from there on became lost to him, feeling they were ultimately wrong in the direction they were taking.

"There's no way this Kelver Side Crafts is the chosen target, not once did it flash to our radar," Heiji thought to himself. "But there's no way of getting them to look elsewhere until I've gained more evidence in my corner, Scnapp Labs or Delmore Industries has to be the true destination of the affair."

He stood there for awhile longer, continuing to listen in on what was instructed to the others. Without warning a deepening feel came over him, that same feeling he ever got when standing in the mist of it all.. an unclear view in a small sense.

"There's no telling when the clock on the deadline will come to an end, it could be as early as tomorrow," Heiji thought. "The times ticking, which means finding the true location before it's too late."

His speech lasted for a short time more, only catching small amounts of what was said. It didn't take long for them to start heading for the doors once he was finished, clearing out the room one by one. He looked back to the front of the room to see the commissioner still standing along with three others who continued to engage in conversation.

"Can't go to him yet, there's not enough to support my belief just yet."

"So," Rick said coming back to his side. "What was this hunch you have locked away?"

"Never mind it," Heiji replied. "What I've heard tonight sounds much more plausible."

"So what now, plan on heading home?"

"Maybe after a stop or two."

"Need a ride?"

"No thanks, I think I'll be able to manage."

"Your call," Rick said turning for the door. "Until next time."

He elected not to follow, standing there for awhile longer to figure what he would do next before the nights end. He didn't have to wait long for a distraction to arise, feeling the vibration of his phone from below. He raised it to his eye level, thankful to see the number on the screen.

"Please tell me you've got something." Heiji said answering the call.

"You'll be pleased to know that I do," Conan replied. "You sound a little distressed, everything alright?"

"The police say they have a lead, I disagree," Heiji replied. "We're going to need more than we have to convince them otherwise."

"Not to worry, though we don't have a clear cut answer I've made some progress."

"Ok, what do you have?"

"As you know the Futures building is where the Scnapp Lab is located."

"Yea."

"And we also know they're getting ready to have their grand opening," Conan continuied. "Then you have Delmore Industries, they have an event scheduled as well."

"Ok, so what's the connection?"

"Not necessarily a connection, but the opening event for the Futures building is two nights from now," Conan informed. "As is the event at Delmore industries."

"Meaning we now have a set date for when the thief plans to make their move," Heiji said. "We have less than two days to figure out the correct location of the two."

"There's no stop there," Conan said. "There's also a big time auction being held at an art museum."

"Kelver Side Crafts?"

"I see you've heard of it."

"That seems to be the wild card of the day," Heiji replied. "What's your take on it?"

"Unlike the other two locations, Kelver Side Crafts doesn't connect with the riddle on all fronts."

"So what you're saying is you don't believe Kelver is part of the equation."

"Correct," Conan confirmed. "No matter how you look at it, it just doesn't key in with all elements in the riddle."

"If that is true, then what brought your attention to it?"

"During my cross examination between Scnapp Labs and Delmore Industries," Conan replied. "After finding both had scheduled events for the same night I checked for any other planned activity within that time frame."

"And that's when you discovered the auction to be held at the art museum?"

"It didn't take long," Conan confirmed. "But I do have a question for you, why do the police believe Kelver Side Crafts is the place where the thief plans to make their mark?"

"Don't know," Heiji replied. "They chose to remain mum on that tonight, but said we'll be enlightened tomorrow."

"We've got less than forty eight hours to make the correct call, every minute is vital at this point."

"I know that just as well as you."

"Delmore Industries is having an open house for newly acquired products while the Futures Building is hosting their grand opening," Conan said. "As common as the two may seem, on a business stand point there's bound to be a denominator that separates the two."

"And figuring that should give us the answer we seek."

"I'll see what I can find."

"That's all I can ask."

"Not to direct the subject elsewhere, but have you spoken with Ran since the time you left?"

"Planned on doing so after catching the bus."

"What do you plan on saying when you get a hold of her?"

"I haven't put much thought into that, but don't worry," Heiji assured. "I'll keep it simple, just a couple of guys taking a tour around the world right?"

"Careful not to over shoot it."

"Think you'll be up in the next hour?"

"Why, do you plan on stopping by again?"

"Well of course," Heiji replied. "The sooner we crack this thing the more time we'll have to figure out what exactly they're after."

"I'll hold down the fort in the mean time."

"Good, I'll be there as soon as I can."

He lowered the phone from his ear, tucking it away into a secure area within his jacket. He then turned for the door, coming to find the room had nearly been emptied.

"That didn't take long, I suppose they all left to make preparations for where they think the heist is to take place."

He too made his way for the exit in those following seconds, not once turning back on his way out. Not many could be seen as he walked to the end of the block. He stopped once there, having a seat at the bench located right next to the bus stop. He sat there for minutes to come in wait of the bus.

All file work he had set out was dealt with just as planned, feeling a small sense of relief as he stepped up from where he sat. He shut the light off on his way out, entering the front room to find it darkened. The only flash of light cracking through the door of the book room. Unaware of who was inside he made a move toward the room, pulling the door aside to see him sitting at the table with his eyes glued to whatever was rested upon the table.

"You're still down here, I thought you'd be up in the room by now."

"Not quite yet," Conan said taking the time to look away from the material. "I guess I can be a bit of a night person myself, especially if there's work to be done."

"What is it you've got laid out?" Bruce asked moving in.

"All the evidence surrounding the riddles that have sparked a wide audience."

"And how has that been coming along?"

"We've got two possible locations and only two days left until the thief's planned grand finale."

"Sounds like progress to me."

"If you're not too busy, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

He glanced back to the table, directing his focus to the second line of the riddle.

"the Shows beginning shall proceed with all λ0-(-30) 105 accounted in (Y)," Conan read before looking back to him. "I believe that part of the riddle is profiling a location."

"And to what did you have in mind?"

"Don't know yet, but I've got an idea or two," Conan replied. "I have a feeling the zero is the center point of it all."

"Maybe."

"Is there a location throughout the city considered to be the mid or center point?"

"That would be the area in between the Gotham reservoir and Robinson Park," Bruce replied. "That area is widely considered to be the heart of the city in many peoples minds."

"That helps, though I may need to pull out the map for further reference."

"Why don't we stop there for a moment," Bruce said. "Tell me the names of both places where you think our unnamed thief plans to emerge?"

"Scnapp Labs and Delmore Industries."

"I know them both," Bruce said. "What lead you to this assumption?"

"As you know the episode that occurred at Starlest was nothing but a red herring," Conan began. "And after reading this line from the riddle, we took our searches to companies associated with Starlest."

He reached back down to the table, grabbing the riddle in question before handing it over for him to read.

"i am solely for the eye beyond all affiliated kins, at the Affair shall I appear."

He read over it for a second time before setting it aside.

"I agree, a plausible response to what was written."

"We didn't find anything on our first initial look, so we branched off even further which brought us to the second list of companies," Conan continued. "And out of the set both Delmore Industries and Scnapp Labs came to interest, both are holding events that are sure to attract a crowd."

"What is being held at Delmore Industries?"

"An annual event we came to find that is held every year."

He didn't say anything in response to to the news gained. He brought a hand to his chin as he took a step back in thought.

"Event.. grand finale, that must mean."

The door pushed open within that moment, causing both to turn to see who had entered.

"Oh, it's just the two of you," Alfred said. "Just checking to see if anyone was in here."

"And perfect timing," Bruce said. "I want you to call that representative back from the Futures Building, let them know I've accepted their invitation."

"Couldn't agree more on the decision."

"This visit will benefit us in more than one way."

"I'll make the call right away." Alfred said before stepping out of the room.

"Invitation?" Conan questioned.

"For their grand opening," Bruce informed. "I was asked if I could deliver a speech."

"So you knew about the event set to take place in two days?"

"Only at first was I hesitant on accepting, but now I've decided to make an appearance," Bruce said. "Because I now know that's where the thief plans to be."

"Wait," Conan questioned. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm familiar with the activities being held at Delmore Industries, since I've had the luxury of visiting myself," Bruce said. "Most of what they do is meant to attract the locals more than anyone else."

"And the Futures building?"

"It is their grand opening, and also the time to reveal the new technology they've been working on in the Scnapp Labs," Bruce replied. "Several from across the globe are expected to come for a first hand look."

"Ok, but that doesn't explain why the choice over.."

It all came to him within that moment, all details resurfacing with a clarity not seen before.

"It makes sense, the reason other police stations outside of Gotham received the latest riddle," Conan said. "It was to broadcast their big move to be made on the biggest stage this city has to offer."

"Exactly."

"As you said before, this event is expected to grab the attention of many across the nation," Conan said. "The distrubuted riddle in the latest case is directly linked with the expected turn out in guests."

"But why Gotham?" Bruce questioned not expecting an answer.

"Guess we'll have to catch this guy to find out the answer."

"How soon do you think you can get a hold of Heiji?"

"He's already on his way now."

"Good, we now have the location," Bruce said. "All that remains... the who and why."

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 95

Preparation For the Big Dance

He sat at the back of the bus, holding the phone out in front as he dialed the number once more. There was still no response, resulting in him putting the phone away. He looked out the window to a street sign, knowing his destination was fast approaching. He exited the bus upon reaching the next stop, being the only one to do so. He immediately checked the time on his watch, coming to find it was now eight after ten.

"Only a couple miles left, catching a cab the rest of the way there seems fit."

He trailed along side the road looking to do just that.

The energy that followed was a delight. After all the twists that had passed there was now a sense of accomplishment, a feeling that seemed far fetched in the previous hours. He remained seated, going through everything in his head once more to keep it all clear to his mind. Several sounds generated throughout, even coming from the cracked window across from where he sat. None of this disturbed him in the least, he welcomed it even. The door opened without warning, not surprised to be rejoined.

"You've been sitting here in silence for over twenty minutes now, why don't you go up stairs and get some rest." Bruce suggested.

"Not just yet," Conan declined. "There's one last thing I'd like to clear up."

"Your call," Bruce said. "What about Heiji, does he still plan on stopping by?"

"From my knowledge nothing has changed from the last we spoke."

"It's been almost an hour since then, he should be here relatively soon."

"So what happens two nights from now?" Conan asked slightly shifting the subject.

"Pardon?"

"When you attend the Futures building," Conan replied. "Is the plan for me to stick to the side lines once again?"

"There's no telling what they're after, let alone what they've got planned if they're successful," Bruce replied. "I'm going to need all eyes this time around, which will require your services."

"That leads into my second question, what's the task exactly," Conan questioned. "To look out for anything unusual?"

"Simply put, which directly ties in with the main objective."

"What happens if they discover our whereabouts before hand?"

"That's something to account for, which will heavily rely on our positioning," Bruce replied. "I'm familiar with the layout of the structure and have a good lock on all known exits."

"That leaves us set in that regard."

"But only a fraction of what we need," Bruce said. "We still need to find out what they're after, the sooner we know that the sooner we can build measures for counter."

"Now that we've got the location, my first guess would be they're eyeing something that is scheduled to be revealed," Conan said. "Maybe something that was created in the Scnapp Labs below."

"I'm inclined to agree, but we need to be sure," Bruce said. "Which will be difficult to figure since they're keeping a lid on what they plan to show until the night of the event."

"Regardless, I'm sure somewhere the riddle hints at the content of interest," Conan said. "I'll see if I can at least pin point that."

"I'll do the same when I return, but tight now I have somewhere to be," Bruce said. "If there's anything to report, you know how to contact me."

"Of course."

Bruce left the room with nothing further to be said. He rested his hands to the back of his head as he leaned to the seat. There was no need for him to look to the riddles again, each line sitting with a clear distinction in his mind. He sat there for a time to come, going through everything that had been discovered up to this point.

"There's no apparent nod to what they're after, perhaps there's more than one meaning to each phrase," Conan thought to himself. "Or one complete hidden message within the riddle as a whole."

Most questioning of all was the numbers surrounding the riddles, he hadn't quite determined their complete meaning evolving around the riddles.

"Then there's the lambda figure in the most recent riddle," Conan said with a slight turn in the chair. "The relevance in that defiantly has something to do with place or distance, maybe even a hint at what they plan to do."

All possibilities laid dormant to the back of his mind as he pushed up, heading straight for the book shelf for something he'd come across earlier in his searches. He stopped just before reaching out, feeling a sudden coolness pass through his body. It was then that a bright light flashed past the window, it was brief but just enough to catch his attention.

"He's here."

He put a hold to the investigation, heading out of the room with the switch of the light. The main room was dark as it had been before. He approached the front door, hearing the sound of more than one set of foot steps heading up the stairs from the other side. The door pushed open seconds later, causing him to step off to the side.

"Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long." Heiji said entering along with Alfred at his side.

"I had no idea you had left the premises," Conan said. "Were you the one to pick him up?"

"No, I simply opened the gate upon his arrival," Alfred replied with the close of the door. "He pulled up in a cab."

"I thought that much," Conan said. "I saw the tail lights while in the book room."

"I take it you can handles yourselves from here, if needed I'll be up stairs." Alfred said before making his way along.

"Have you leaned anything since the past hour?"

"More than we could have asked for."

"Perfect."

"And Ran," Conan asked. "Did you get a hold of her?"

"She didn't pick up, but I'm certain she'll call back at her earliest convenience."

"Did you leave a message?"

"I'd rather I speak with her on the matter rather than leave a message."

"So tell me, what did you come across on your searches?"

"The Futures Building is the place, I'm sure of it," Conan said in response. "Bruce seems to agree."

"Alright then, what closed your decision between the two?"

"The riddle of course, but not just the riddle itself," Conan replied. "The distribution of the last riddle played a hand in our belief."

"I thought that might prove to be a deciding factor."

"With that in mind we looked to the cause of each, the audience can be just as important as the product."

"No disagreement there."

"What I came to find is the event being held at Delmore Industries is targeted at the locals, while the other has sparked an interest on a global level," Conan continued. "Why else spread the riddle across and out of town, it was a hint to where they plan to be."

"Clever, and their motive?"

"Still unclear," Conan replied. "I've gone through all the riddles an uncountable of times and can't seem to pin point what they're hoping to gain."

"Thankfully we've got time on our side."

"Not much."

"But it'll have to do," Heiji said. "Any analogy to what the lambda represents in relation to the location?"

"Haven't quite figured that out either," Conan replied. "Nor have we been able to deduce the role of the numbers."

"What if it's not dealing with location, but rather time and position?"

"Perhaps, but then there's also the deceptive nature of the individual in question," Conan said. "Instead of trying to understand what the numbers represent, why don't we try leveling our minds within a zone relative to theirs?"

"Putting ourselves in their shoes?"

"We have a small understanding on how the culprit thinks, that gives us a tweak of light to exploit," Conan said. "From what we've learned thus far, if you were the fugitive what would the numbers be used to symbolize?"

"That's a good question." Heiji said giving it some thought.

Neither had an answer, both diving deeper to try and gain an understanding of what they should prepare for. He looked to him with the shake of his head, seeing he to had nothing to say concerning the angle.

"Trying to match our psyche with whoever we're dealing with isn't exactly an easy task." Conan thought.

"There has to be something," Heiji said. "It doesn't fit the criteria for someone to give us a time and location but no hidden cause."

"Maybe not, but that might be the point," Conan said. "Instead of figuring out what we don't have, why don't we keep our focus to what we do."

"What are you thinking," Heiji questioned. "That this might lead to what they're hoping to obtain?"

"Possibly."

"Not what I had in mind, but we're thin on leads as it is."

"I was thinking we should start with the location, the Futures Building," Conan began. "That's one known fact we now know."

"As well as the time."

"What if we inserted the location into the riddle itself?"

"Insert the location?"

"the Shows beginning shall proceed with all λ_0-(-30) 105 accounted in (Y)," Conan repeated. "The zero aside the underscore is what caught my attention."

"Why so?"

"Zero is usually the starting or center point on a coordinance, what if that point in this case is the Futures Building?"

"Ok, let's say this is true," Heiji said. "What about the -30 and 105?"

"Maybe two important locations aligned with the Futures building, or even something within it."

"Clever, and there's no telling since we don't know what the distances represented here are," Heiji said. "It could be miles, yards, even inches from point zero for all we know."

"Taking into account we still don't have a confirmed position for point zero, we should also look into other potential sites."

"Any that may be of interest, perhaps Starlest," Heiji said. "That's where this whole thing began."

"Then of course there's the center of the city itself, don't know what the odds are of that being the main point of focus."

"It's up in the air right now."

"How to narrow the list down from here is the question."

"How about starting with the first part of the last riddle," Heiji suggested. "(X) the prosper of growth isn't fostered within the past or present, for the Diamonds eye is for all to see."

"That first line seems to pack a message of its own."

"I got the same feeling while reading over it on the way here." Heiji said as the sound of his phone buzzed from within his jacket.

"Who is it?"

"One moment." Heiji said pulling it out to have a look.

He held the phone out in front of him, getting a clear view of the incoming call.

"Who is it?" Conan asked once more.

"It's Ran, keep it quiet for a second," Heiji said. "You speak with her as soon as I'm finished explaining."

"What are you going to say?" Conan asked with skepticism in his tone.

"Relax, I'll keep this as straight forward as possible."

He took his word for it, taking a step away as he watched him bring the phone to his ear as he answered the call.

"Good to hear from you, I heard about your adventure to that camp."

"How'd you find out?"

"From a mutual friend of your fathers," Heiji replied. "So, how did you like it?"

"It was a wonderful experience," Ran answered with high energy. "There's a plan for another around this time next year."

"And you plan to return?"

"Possibly," Ran replied. "I saw that you had called, why didn't you leave a message?"

"I was in the middle of something at the time, still am."

"Am I to assume it has something to do with a case?"

"You hit it right on the nail." Heiji confirmed.

"Where are you anyway," Ran asked. "When you called earlier your number registered as long distance."

"That's exactly what I wanted to speak with you about," Heiji said. "I'm actually on a trip of my own, been out here for the past week or so."

"Past week, where are you?"

"We're currently here in Chicago, but plan on taking our investigation to Ohio in the next two days."

"We, what do you mean we?"

"Well you see," Heiji laughingly said. "The kid's actually been accompanying me on my travels."

"You mean Conan," Ran questioned. "I was told he was in Gotham."

"That was the case four days ago."

"So you've been with him this whole time?"

"From day one."

"And why are you dragging him along on this case you're working?" Ran asked becoming short in her tone.

"Sightseeing was the planned agenda, things just happened to take an unfortunate turn."

"Where is he now," Ran asked. "Can I speak with him?"

"Of course," Heiji said dropping a hand down to his shoulder. "He right here next to me, I'll put him on right away."

"I'd really appreciate that."

He lowered the phone down to him taking a step off to the side after doing so. He immediately brought the phone to his ear, standing there for a brief period time before finally bringing himself to speak.

"Ran."

"Conan, are you ok?"

It was only shallow at first, increasing with each moment that passed..

"Conan..?"

The surging streak coolness from within took over, rendering him speechless. His sense of feel became lost to which resulted in the phone releasing from his grasp. His vision followed as he toppled forward into what could have been a pit of darkness.

The sound of the drops trailing along the window side served as a lullaby, even while his mind was closed off from all else around. A flash of light passed from afar, doing just enough to alarm him. He was unsure of where he was, only feeling a sharp pain on his left arm and the smooth surface below. His eyes slowly opened, rolling to his side to see the rain pouring down from outside. He then pushed up, taking little time to look to his left arm to see something wrapped to the upper half. He was back, back to the room registered to him from the day he had arrived.

"My arm.. I wonder what happened to it." Conan said slightly moving his it to test it.

He quickly stopped in response to the expanding pain. He then brought his right hand to his head, trying to recall what had put him in his current position. Bits came back little by little. He then looked to the window again to see the sun making its descension to the other side. It seemed to have gotten lighter from what he remembered.

"I wonder how long I was out?"

He looked down to his wrist to answer that very question only to find his watch no where to be seen. Before another attempted move could be made the door opened.

"I see you've finally awoken." Alfred said closing the door upon entering.

"What happened?"

"We're still in the process of figuring that out."

Feeling light he leaned back to the headboard of the bed as he looked to the ceiling.

"How long was I out, about an hour or so?"

"Afraid not," Alfred replied. "You were out for nearly twenty four hours."

"Twenty four hours?!"

"We've been monitoring your condition ever since your unexpected fall."

"What about my arm," Conan said focusing his sights downward. "Why is it wrapped up, did I hurt it on my fall to the ground?"

"As I said before we've been monitoring your condition," Alfred stated. "After you didn't awake by noon of today we decided to extract blood from your system to have a closer look."

"And the results?"

"Master Wayne hasn't gotten around to that just yet," Alfred replied. "He and the others are down stairs discussing the plans for tomorrow nights big event."

"That's right, the Futures building." Conan said making a move to get out of bed.

"I strongly object, in no way should you be up and about at this time," Alfred said. "The last thing we'd want is for your condition to worsen."

"How long do you propose I sit it out here?"

"At least until the morning," Alfred replied. "If you show convincing progress I see no harm in you rejoining the others, but until then it would be wise for you to rest for the time being."

He was hesitant but found it in himself to stash himself back under the sheets.

"Is Heiji here as well?"

"They all are." Alfred confirmed with a nod.

"Before he leaves do you think you could send him up, there's something I'd like to ask."

"Of course, I'll gladly let him know," Alfred said. "If there's anything you may need, call and I'll be here."

With that he turned for the door, exiting as swiftly as he had entered.

They all stood gathered around the table, watching as a large sheet was placed out in front for all of them to view. Each section was just as complex as the other in form.

"This is it," Bruce said. "The floor plans for the Futures building."

The next moments were taken to familiarte themselves with each divided section, taking note of the marked areas.

"What do the red areas represent?" Heiji asked.

"Where each of us will be positioned, I also circled in all the exits in blue," Bruce pointed out. "Knowing all potential escape routes is just as important as finding out what they're after."

"So besides Grayson and Damian the rest of will be in attendance?"

"Correct," Bruce confirmed. "They will be watching the outer boundaries as we discussed."

"Why don't we go over the fine details once more just so we're all certain everyone is on the same page." Dick suggested.

"Agreed," Tim said. "We've only got one nab at this, we've gotta make it count."

"Then we'll start with the perimeter," Bruce said. "Our other sites to account for."

"Which means referring back to the riddle," Heiji said. "We've all come to agree the zero is the vocal point, being the Futures building."

"Then there's the -30 and 105, and with the lambda attached it points directly to longitude," Dick added. "With that known fact the Futures building should be viewed as the Prime Meridian, for this case."

"The only given coordinates are a -30 and 105," Tim continued. "All numbers east of the Prime Meridian are viewed as positive, on the flipped side all numbers located west of point zero are negative."

"And exactly 0.0597 of a mile to the east of the Futures building you have the Starlest that was originally targeted," Bruce said. "While 0.01704549 of a mile to the west of the Futures building is where the original Starlest facility is located, and exactly thirty miles to the north of that is the Gotham City Police Head Quarters."

"0.0597 and 0.01704549 when converted into yards amounts up to 30 and 105 yards respectively." Heiji added.

"Though each of those locations have played a prominent role in our investigation, we still don't know what their relation is to the planned heist." Dick said.

"Which is why you'll be covering the west side within a two mile radius from the Futures building," Bruce said. "I'll leave the east end for Damian to watch."

"And what is it we should be looking out for?" Damian asked.

"Anything out of the ordinary," Bruce replied. "Remember to keep your sights on Starlest, if anything comes your way be sure to radio before pursuing after anything."

"Sounds simple enough."

"Which leaves the rest of us to occupy the insides of the chosen target." Heiji said.

"You almost sound displeased." Dick commented.

"Not at all, I'd take this over sitting in wait any time of the week."

"So now that we've got everything lined up, what happens next?" Heiji asked.

"We keep digging until there is nothing else to find, starting with what is directly located in between the first Starlest hit and the Police headquarters," Bruce said. "The connection between the two as opposed to the Futures building may prove worth while."

"I'll look into it as soon as I touch base with something else I've been working on." Tim volunteered.

"Good," Bruce said turning his sights elsewhere. "The police seem adamant this thief will make their move at Kelver's, Heiji I'd like for you to have a word with Gordon."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Present to him what we've discussed," Bruce replied. "At less we'll get a small margin to attend the Futures building tomorrow night."

"I'll head there first thing tomorrow morning."

"Will that be all?" Dick asked.

"I'm going to call their center to check for scheduling, but other than that it's a wait and see approach." Bruce replied.

The door opened just as they were closing up, all looking over to see Alfred enter in.

"I've come with some pleasing news," Alfred informed. "The boy has finally awoke."

"How is he?" Heiji asked

"He seems fine, but advised for him to stay put until tomorrow," Alfred replied. "He asked to see you, you're welcome to go up any time."

"I think I'll do that."

"I'll come with you." Tim said.

The two of them left the room in that given moment with Alfred following in their trail. That left the three of them as the only to remain in the room.

"I must say, I'm surprised in your decision to have Heiji talk with Gordon on the subject rather than going to him yourself."

"Getting in contact with him these past two days has been difficult, being with the schedule I'm on," Bruce said. "He also wasn't in his office when I stopped by yesterday night, he was probably out making preparations for what he believes is to occur at Kelver Side Crafts."

"I really don't see the use in police force involvement," Damian said. "This is a light task, one which we should be able to handle with little to no problem."

"Having an extra pair of eyes isn't always a bad thing," Dick said in response to his comment. "Not to mention having areas watched we're not able to account for with our small numbers."

"Seeking the help of anyone to increase our numbers far exceeds what is required," Damian said. "My instinct tells me we're dealing with nothing but a push over, one which will fold easily once discovered."

"Never doubt the unknown boy," Bruce warned. "As soon as you do, it will run circles right past you."

"That works both ways," Damian said. "They too have no idea what they're dealing with."

".. Maybe."

Every minute that past brought a higher level of comfort, easing back down as he looked to the ceiling once again. He laid there for a small amount of time, remembering almost everything that had happened before he had fallen under. He turned his head at the sound of the door, sitting up as he watched the two of them enter.

"Look who finally decided to rejoin us," Tim said. "How do you feel?"

"A little light headed," Conan replied. "But other than that, I'll live."

"That's good to know, we were worried about you there for a second."

"How much did I miss?"

"We believe we solved almost all elements of the riddles," Heiji replied. "Only a few minor points remain to be addressed."

"Any change on where we think the thief will appear?"

"No, the Futures Building seems to be the place," Tim replied. "Though other locations have been added to the mix, we're still in the process of determining their relevance."

"And where are these other places located?"

"Why don't we save that for a little later, now's not the time to over load your mind with anything," Tim said. "We came up strictly to check on you."

"Alfred said there was something you wanted to ask," Heiji said. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the moments following your fall."

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask about," Conan confirmed. "What happened with Ran, what did you tell her?"

"Nothing," Heiji replied. "I hung up."

"You what?"

"That was the best decision that came to mind at the time," Heiji said. "I didn't want to come up with something on the fly, I was more concerned with your condition more than anything else."

"Please tell me you've called her back since then to clarify what happened?"

"Of course," Heiji said. "I simply told her the battery to the phone juiced out during your conversation."

"I guess you can't go wrong there, did she ask for me when you recalled?"

"I told her you were asleep," Heiji replied. "Which worked out for the best since she tried reaching you through your phone as well."

"I better call her back within the next twenty four hours before she becomes worried."

"We've got a lengthy road ahead of us," Tim said checking the time. "Is there anything you need or want before we take off?"

"A sheet of paper and a pen would be nice."

"I don't think so, no riddle solving for you tonight," Tim said. "What you need is some shut eye, we'll evaluate your status come tomorrow."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm being punished?"

"Laying it low isn't always the funnest of things," Tim said. "But it's a good idea at this point, at least until we know what you've come down with."

"Don't worry Kudo, we'll keep you filled in every step of the way." Heiji added.

"I'd rather be a part of it, not just as a spectator." Conan mumbled.

"Well, it's about that time." Tim said. "You should expect my return some time tomorrow morning."

"You plan on coming as well?" Conan asked sitting up even further.

"Don't know," Heiji replied. "I have a trip to make to the police station, how much time that will take up is uncertain."

"And I get to camp it out here, what a joy."

"It might not be for much longer, but until then try to keep a limit on your activity." Tim said turning for the door. "I'll be back no later than ten tomorrow."

The two left the room with nothing further said, shutting the door on their way out. He dropped back to the pillow, setting his sights to the ceiling once again.

The coming hours brought a brightening sky, no clouds to be seen within the seeable distance. He sat there in the quietness of the room, finding it hard to hold back a sinister grin that found its way to his face. He stood up from the chair in the coming moments, pulling an envelope from his jacket as he did.

"It is near."

What was laid away within the envelope was quickly unraveled, staring down at the invitation before him. He traced his finger along the letters, following all the way through to the final line which read out as 'Grand Opening Of The Futures Building'.

"Only one day remains, then the domino will be set in motion."

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 96

The Closing Hours

It was just after ten upon his arrival. He wasted no time, heading straight for the station doors. The room wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been on his last visit after entering, only two officers who stood behind the front desk were present. He made his way up to the two, placing his hand to the desk after coming to a stop.

"The commissioner, where is he," Heiji asked. "It's urgent that I have a word with him."

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"Don't mind him," The other answered. "He's been lending a helping hand as of late."

"I had no idea."

"Gordon came in earlier today, if I'm not mistaken he should still be up in his office," The officer replied looking back to him. "I haven't seen him come down since."

"Appreciate the help, I'll go take a look."

"Won't you be needing a key to access the stairwell?" A familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Rick," Heiji said turning to face him. "Just the person I was hoping I'd run into."

"What so important that requires you to meet with the commissioner?"

"Walk with me."

".. Ok." Rick said following with a look of confusion falling to his face.

They walked to the door located on the right side of the room. From there he removed the set of keys attached to his belt before unlocking the door, allowing for the two to progress into the stairwell.

"So," Rick said snapping the keys back into place. "What is it that has you so wired up?"

"What gave you that assumption?"

"Well, you do seem to be a little more anxious than usual."

"With good reason, Kelver Side Crafts isn't where the thief plans to be tonight."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The riddle would seem to point otherwise."

"Ok then," Rick said as the two began their ascension up the stairs. "If not Kelver Side Crafts, then where?"

"A structure known as the Futures Building."

"The Futures Building," Rick questioned. "You mean that place holding its grand opening?"

"That'd be the one."

"I've read over the riddles several times myself, I don't see why that'd be the place."

"You'll know soon enough," Heiji said. "All will be explained when we reach his office."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Rick thought to himself. "Then again, he hasn't been wrong yet."

They continued onward, finally arriving to the third floor. The two advanced down the hall, turning to see his office sitting in the waits. They could clearly hear voices coming from the other side prompting them to stop.

"Sounds like he's already in the middle of something, think we should hold off until he's finished?"

"Nonsense," Rick said. "Especially not with something as important as what you have to share."

He stepped up to the door with a light knock, gaining the attention they were hoping to get.

"The doors unlocked, come on in."

They did just that, entering to find Gordon sitting at his desk accompanied by two other officials sitting across from him.

"Sorry to disturb you commissioner, but our good friend here believes to have some important information to share."

"Well of course," Jim said. "Why don't you pull up that chair from the corner there."

"No need, I don't plan on being long." Heiji declined.

"Alright then, tell me what's on your mind."

"The riddles and the thief ."

"Then you've come to the right place," Jim said. "I was just discussing that very disturbance with our guests here."

"Major Gaffeny," One of the men spoke turning in his seat. "From the Marple Philadelphia region."

"And this gentleman here is Lieutenant Herman," Jim said pointing to the man seated opposite of him. "A well respected man from West Virginia."

"It's a pleasure to be joined by you all." The Lieutenant spoke.

"We're all here for the matter you speak of," Major Gaffeny said. "So if you would, what information might you have regarding tonights event at Kelver Side Crafts?"

"That's just the thing, all signs point elsewhere," Heiji said. "I don't think that's where the thief plans to show."

"Say what?"

"The Futures Building," Heiji replied. "I'm sure you've been informed of its opening by now, which of course happens to be tonight as well."

"On what grounds lead you to believe that's where this heist is to be launched?"

"The riddles," Heiji replied. "The very same riddles we've all been going through for the past days."

"I can assure you Kelver Side is the place," Lieutenant Herman said. "I've gone over the riddles several times myself, as have many other trained experts."

"Every one who has read the riddle including myself agrees that Kelver Side Crafts is the place," Major Gaffeny added. "Not only does it fit the category, but also has cause for interruption."

"By that, he means the bidding to be held," Lieutenant Herman clarified. "That would be an idle scenario for a thief to want to make an attempt."

"If you let me explain you'll see that."

"We've already set up for tonights event, which we've intensely prepared for in the last twenty four hours," Major Gaffeny interrupted. "Pulling out now isn't an option, especially with all departments lined in to see this all come to an end."

"Unless you can present to us solid proof of your claims legitimacy I'm afraid we aren't looking to move elsewhere." Lieutenant Herman said. "There's too much riding on this."

"I understand your uncertainty, but if no one is there to scale the Futures Building the thief may get away again." Heiji declared.

"Which could also be the case at Kelver Side Crafts."

"I'm not suggesting an overhaul of all units transporting from Kelver Side Crafts to the Futures Building," Heiji clarified. "But if we could at least get a sum of men on both ends that would be of great help."

"Like I said, everyone is already in position for what is to come." Major Gaffeny restated.

"Lieutenant Herman and Major Gaffeny, do you think I could have a minute alone with these two?"

"Well of course," Lieutenant Herman said standing to his feet. "Take all the time you need."

Major Gaffeny nodded, following Lieutenant Herman who made his way out. He waited for the close of the door, looking to the two of them as he stood up from where he sat.

"You seem pretty certain about this." Jim said.

"I am."

He turned to the window side, placing his hand to the wall. He stood there for a time to come, neither aware of what was running through his mind.

"Four.. six men."

"What?"

"I'll have six men from this department join you at the Futures Building tonight," Jim said turning back to face him. "One which will include Mr. Gates here."

"Thank you," Heiji said. "You won't regret this."

"Will you be joining us?" Rick asked.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you, as you know my presence is expected at Kelver Side Crafts."

"I understand."

"If anything does happen to unfold from your end, don't hesitate to contact me," Jim said. "We'll get all units in your direction if you are indeed correct."

"Loud and clear."

"Good, now you're free to go," Jim said. "I'm sure you have some setting up to do before tonight."

"Yes, of course."

"Detective Gates would you send both Major Gaffeny and the Lieutenant back in on your way out?"

"I'll see to it."

The two turned for the door, stepping out into the hall to see the two of them standing against the wall across from the door.

"We're done here," Rick said. "The commissioner would like to resume talks with the two of you."

"We'll head right on in." Gaffeny said in response.

They did just that after the two passed. The two of them continued down the hall, heading back in the direction of the stairwell.

"I'm surprised."

"Surprised, surprised at what?" Rick questioned.

"Not once did he ask about the details surrounding my claim," Heiji said. "You would have at least thought he'd have wanted to know my thought process on the matter before giving the nod for this to take shape."

"That was rather unexpected, but your deductions up until this point have been stellar," Rick complimented. "That might have played a hand in his decision."

"Doesn't sound too far fetched."

"Besides there will only be six of us, if you're wrong we'll only suffer a small margin of miscue," Rick said. "But if you're right, you'll be the hero after all is said and done."

"I wouldn't put it that way."

"It doesn't matter how you choose to view it, that's what the headline will label," Rick said in response. "Now come, we have some arrangements to see through."

The sound of the bell could clearly be heard from his position in the kitchen. He hurried along, making his way to the front door with the check of his watch.

"I wonder who this could be, I'm expecting any visitors at this time."

He pulled the door aside within that instance.

"Tim," Bruce said a bit surprised. "Why ring the bell, you could have just walked in."

"The door was locked, and I just so happened to leave my spare back at the house."

"I see," Bruce said moving aside to make a path for entry. "So, have you acquired any new information?"

"It's just as we thought," Tim said stepping in. "The Starlest that was first victimized by the thief is completely aligned with the police headquarters."

"And were you able to determine what was located directly in between the two?" Bruce asked shutting the door.

"There was nothing but a road intersection, but catch this," Tim said. "If driving at a pace of thirty miles per hour further to the west from that spot you will reach a theme park known as Mount Zomoph in a time of exactly an hour and five minutes."

"30, and 1: 05 minutes could be referring to the 105 in the riddle," Bruce said. "The key numbers in the latest riddle."

"It doesn't end there, believe it or not Mount Zomoph is in the location where the first Starlest was planned to be built four years ago," Tim informed. "I happened to come across that bit of information upon my deeper searches."

"One hour and five minutes, what are the details surrounding that," Bruce asked. "Does that include traffic estimation as well?"

"Using a computer simulation I eliminated all turns and disturbances that were present and created a straight line from the road intersection all the way to point B."

"Long night I presume."

"I'd say," Tim admitted. "But I still don't know how Mount Zomoph relates to this all."

"Only one way to find out," Bruce said. "You'll have to make a trip down there, taking a closer look at the grounds might lead to something insightful."

"Maybe even a hint to what they plan to steal or do tonight."

"Tell me, how long has this theme park been in fruition?"

"This will be its second year in business."

"Doesn't sound like an important detail."

"You plan on coming along, right," Tim asked. "There's plenty of ground to cover."

"You'll have to collaborate with one of the others in that regard," Bruce replied. "I still have some final arrangements to make before tonights big event."

"The others are busy with a lot as well, looks like I'll be tackling this one solo."

"Trip, what trip?"

The two turned at the sound of his voice, looking to see he was already half way down the staircase.

"You've finally come from your room," Bruce said. "How do you feel?"

"Remotely better," Conan said stepping down to the main floor. "Did you get the results back on my blood."

"Not yet, but I'll get to it soon."

"So this trip," Conan said directing his attention to Tim. "Where exactly are you going?

"To a theme park located a little over an hour from here," Tim replied. "We think it might have something to do with the thief has on their agenda."

"I'd like to hear how your searches mounted up to that."

"It's nothing more than a hunch at this point, but we're looking at everything that comes our way."

"Mind if I come along, I could use a breath of fresh air," Conan said. "Especially after being stashed in here for the last day."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it," Tim questioned. "You don't plan on falling unresponsive on me do you?"

"I can assure you I'm fine, I'm feeling more than up to the task."

"Alright."

"An alright as in yes I can come?"

"Yea, just be sure to alert me if any of those unusual symptoms resurface," Tim said. "Or anything else strange for that matter."

"So, when are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Tim said checking his watch. "If we were to go now we'd get there at around three thirty."

"And the grand opening at the Futures Building is set to take shape at six this evening," Bruce added. "We don't have much time, only a matter of hours."

"Which means getting a move on," Tim said looking back to Conan. "Is there anything you need to do before we head out?"

"No, but I do have one last question," Conan replied. "What is considered this cities greatest structure?"

He had done his fair share of traveling that morning, finding himself standing in wait for the arrival of yet another bus. Without realizing he leaned back to the light pole, feeling the vibration of his phone around the same time. He looked down, taking all but a few moments for him to recognize the number before taking the call.

"Mr. Fournier," Heiji said. "I was wondering when I'd hear back from you again."

"I have more details concerning the matter we discussed."

"Have you gotten any closer to finding the employee in question?"

"Not quite, but I have a lot of information to share with you," Lonard replied. "With your expertise I'm sure you'll have this under wraps in no time."

"I'll do my best," Heiji said. "When would you like to meet to discuss these new emerged details?"

"As soon as tomorrow," Lonard replied. "Between the times of eleven and noon, sound good to you?"

"Works perfectly."

"Great, I'll get back to you later on with information in regards to a meeting place."

"Take your time, we've got a full day ahead of us."

"Of course," Lonard said. "Pleasure speaking with you again detective."

"With you as well," Heiji said. "Until tomorrow then."

Their conversation ended with those final word. He put his phone away just in time to see the bus heading his way from the end of the block.

"This couldn't have been timed any better."

The voices carried throughout, from those standing in line all the way from the other side of the wall. They had been waiting in line for a little over three minutes, quickly finding their way close to the front.

"Things are moving along much quicker than expected, just a minute ago we were near the back." Conan said.

"They must have good transitioning."

"What time do you have?"

"Thirty two after three," Tim replied. "Right on schedule, with time to spare even."

"How long do you envision this search lasting?"

"Any range from an hour and a half to an hour," Tim replied. "That leaves us with a tight window, but still enough time to get back and prepare for the journey to the Futures Building."

"Now the question becomes what to look for."

"I've been contemplating that the whole way here."

That very questioned loomed largely as the line continued to move forward. They arrived to the ticket booth shortly there after, purchasing their tickets before joining all others who had already inhabited the inside of the park.

"So this is Mount Zomoph," Tim said observing the surrounding area. "Now, where to start?"

"So what's the plan," Conan asked. "Do we look around together or split?"

"We'll get this done a lot sooner if we take our searches in separate corners of this place."

"My thoughts exact."

"We'll keep in contact by the minute, if you see or hear anything give me a ring," Tim said. "Even a gut feeling about something."

"I'll take everything to the right," Conan said. "I'll leave everything on the left for you."

"Either way, let's just try not to leave this place empty handed."

"That never crossed my mind."

"Then it's settled," Tim said turning for the left. "Keep your eyes peeled, I'll check back in with you soon."

"I'll be waiting." Conan said before turning for the right.

He casually headed in his chosen direction, passing by a set of slot machines where another line could be seen. He stopped not too much further ahead, looking from one side of the park to the other in hopes of finding something that might relate back to the riddle. He saw nothing of this sort, only that of much amusement on all fronts.

"Nothing yet," Conan thought. "I need to keep looking, there has to be something."

The premises had finally come into view after a time of driving. The cab came to a stop upon reaching the gate. He stepped out, giving him the wave to see the cab head back in the direction they had come.

"Time to report in."

He headed toward the gate only to have it open before reaching it.

"Looks like they've been expecting me."

The gate automatically closed behind him after stepping in. He made his way across the lawn to the fleet of stairs in the short distance away. He trotted up to the top before coming to a stop after reaching the door. He lifted his hand to give it a knock, only to have the door open before an attempt could be made.

"Come in," Bruce greeted. "I've been expecting you."

"You don't say," Heiji said accepting his invitation in. "I presume it was you who unlocked the gate."

"Using the remote," Bruce confirmed. "How did things go at the station?"

"A couple of the guys were skeptical as expected," Heiji replied. "But regardless of that Gordon made the decision to have six of his men attend the grand opening for the Futures Building tonight."

"I would expect no less," Bruce said. "I'm familiar with several of the employed officers in town, did he happen to mention who he'd be sending?"

"Detective Gates will be there, as for the others no idea," Heiji replied. "Does it really matter?"

"In these parts, yes."

"I could call to find out if you'd like."

"Don't bother, it's not as important as seeing the mission through," Bruce said. "As long as we keep our positions as discussed we should be in good condition, regardless of any other outside elements."

"Just so we're clear, where is it you wanted me to be?"

"You'll stand in the foyer along with the other guests," Bruce replied. "Your objective will be to scour the crowd for any suspicious people or out of the ordinary ongoing activity."

"Sounds easy enough," Heiji said. "And where will you be?"

"I haven't been given the full schedule for this evenings events, but I'd imagine I'll be dinning in more than one spot over the course of the night."

"Which means the rest of us need to be at the top of our game," Heiji said. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing else that concerns your task, I'll handle the rest."

"While we're on the subject, where's Drake," Heiji asked. "He said he'd be stopping by hear at some point today."

"He left to check on a lead that was brought to his attention."

"And Kudo?"

"He went with him," Bruce answered. "That was over an hour ago, I don't expect their return until at least five."

"That's a tight window, that must mean they plan on meeting us at the Futures Building," Heiji said. "Speaking of which I better head back to the house."

"For what?"

"My apparel," Heiji replied. "I need to dress in something more presentable than what I have on now."

"Don't bother, we've got a wide selection of clothing here," Bruce said turning for the stairs. "I'm certain we have something in your size."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course," Bruce replied. "Besides, it'll save us some time."

"Alright," Heiji said following his lead. "Right behind you."

Every activity had been looked into, from the many rides that filled the park to the additional side ploys that occurred off to the side. He had completed his search of things on his side of the theme park, coming to a stop after reaching a gift shop he had passed by just minutes prior. He stood there for a time to come, now focusing his sights to those moving about. This lasted for minutes to come, finding nothing out of the ordinary in anyones behavior.

"I'm starting to think there's nothing to find here," Conan thought. "He might have been off on his deduction all together, but could it be coincidence that this location is where Starlest was planned to be built?"

He tried keeping a flexible view on things as he leaned to the wall, finding his eyes staring to the large ferris wheel that occupied the center of the park. In the brink of the moment he saw it, standing high and vast as it had been his first time seeing it.

"Nano High," Conan said pushing away from the wall. "I had no idea we were on this side of town."

He found himself in that position for seconds to come, thinking of any other possible areas he might have neglected to check in the process.

"The bathrooms, I have yet to check any of them," Conan said with the snap of his finger. "Now.. where to find them."

It didn't take long for him to spot one, looking over to the left from where he stood to see them in the near distance. He casually made his way over, dropping his hands to his pockets as he did. About half way across he was stopped in his tracks, blocked off by a man in an orange jump suit and cap who stepped in front of him. He had no idea who it was, staring up to have a pair of dark blue eyes gazing down at him.

"You looking to use the bathroom kid?"

".. Yea."

"Sorry to say, but this one's currently out of order." The man informed.

He then took notice of something hanging from out of his pocket, an antenna of some kind.

"Who are you?"

"Janitor Garrett." He replied pointing to the badge upon his shirt. "If it's urgent there is another bathroom on the other side of the park."

"What's wrong with this one?" Conan asked.

"Trust me," Janitor Garrett said standing tall. "It would be an awful sight to see, a deadly experience even."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't, but I should have this trash taken out in the coming minutes," Janitor Garrett said with a deepening tone. "But I think it would be best if you didn't wait around, I can't guarantee a quick finish."

"Alright," Conan childly responded. "I'll just let my dad know."

"See you around kid."

With that he turned back from where he had come, and that's when he saw it, a sinister smirk finding its way to his lips.

"What was that all about?"

He stopped after only a few steps taken, looking back to see the janitor smilingly waving to him. He smiled back before moving forward once again.

"It's probably nothing.. but I can't help it," Conan thought. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere, just can't seem to quite pin point the place."

This quickly dropped from his mind as a young man could be seen heading his way, moving at a rather fast pace with his hand clutched to his chest. He didn't know what to make of this at first glance, simply stepping off to the side to allow him a clear path by.

"His eyes," Conan said just barely getting a peak at them. "Were they blood shot?"

He decided to follow his every move, watching as he made it all the way to the bathroom without being confronted.

"That's strange, I wonder where Janitor Garrett disappeared off to in such a hurry." Conan said as the sound of his phone rang below.

He wasted no time in answering the call, not surprised to hear his voice from the other end.

"Anything?"

"Nothing to report on the matter," Conan replied. "Just a couple off task encounters, what about you?"

"I spoke with Alfred just before contacting you, I had him look into something," Tim replied. "Looks like we might have the answer to what we were looking for."

"Which is?"

"Meet me at the entrance, we no longer need to hang around here," Tim replied. "I'll tell you everything on the way out."

"Be right there."

"I'll be waiting."

He hung up from there, dropping the phone back into place.

"I guess that about wraps up business here."

With those words spoken a booming sound of high proportions ignited from behind, soaring in all directions. An anguish of many screams quickly followed in response, ringing loud for all to hear.

"That noise, an explosion?"

He spun around, looking to see the spewing flames flashing to his eyes. No longer could the bathrooms be seen that had been there moments ago.

"You've got to be kidding."

Almost all adjustments had made, the only thing remaining was to button the loose sleeves. He looked himself over in the large mirror once finished, nodding his head in acceptance after doing.

"What do you think?" Alfred asked from where he stood on the other side of the room.

"Perfect," Heiji replied slightly tightening the tie in place. "It fits perfectly."

"I figured it would."

"We've got roughly an hour and thirty until six," Heiji said checking the time. "How much longer do you propose we wait before heading out there?"

"I've already removed the car from the garage, I thought it might be in our best interest for one of you to arrive early," Alfred said. "After all you're supposed to meet with those folks from the police station, correct?"

"You make a good point, and could prove beneficial," Heiji said. "What about Bruce, is he coming as well?"

"He's in his room making final preparations for his speech," Alfred replied. "He'll soon join you at the Futures Building once he's finished."

"That's fine with me, I should be able to hold off on my own for the next hour or so."

"I'll go down and bring the car around front." Alfred said turning for the door.

"Hold on," Heiji said following after him. "I'm coming with you."

"Very well."

He exited the room at his side, feeling they were just hours away from closing this chapter that had plagued them for the last week.

"Futures Building, here I come."

The attention it had brought in the aftermath was to be expected. The flames continued to sway, steadily declining in strength from the water that fell down upon it from the water hoses that were being fired. Observing the efforts to put out the fire became the least of his concerns as he focused his attention to those standing amongst the crowd.

"Where is he?"

His searches came to a quick end after re-sighting him, standing across the way in between a large group of people.

"Janitor Garrett, there you are." Conan said pleased to relocate him.

He witnessed a devilish grin slip to his face in the coming seconds, one which he took full note of.

"I don't know what in the world just happened, but I'm certain this guy is the center of... wait."

The same feeling from before came back to him within the heart of the moment, a sense of familiarity he couldn't quite key in on. He stressed the matter deeply, tightly closing his eyes. That's when it opened up, rehashing where he believed to have seen him before.

"That's him," Conan thought springing his eyes wide. "The one from the other night, the man from the bus!"

He was most sure of this, wasting no time in raising his hand to take aim.

"Confronting him directly will only produce false claims from his behalf," Conan said. "But placing a tracker to him will assure me of his whereabouts, maybe even leading to whoever he's working with."

He extended his arm out in front of him, steadily holding it in place as he chose his point of attack.

"There."

He pressed down to the gizmo, watching as the tracer spiraled toward its intended target. It touched down with light force, connecting to where he envisioned it would. He lowered his arm in succes, finding it hard to hold back a smile of his own. It was at that moment that the man he came to know as janitor Garrett slowly faded into the depths of the crowd. He showed no sign in following after him, simply clicking the side of his glasses to activate the display screen to see what direction he was headed in.

"You can run, but you most certainly can't hide."

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 97

Face of The Unknown Revealed

The gathering they came to see upon arriving in front of the large building far exceeded their expectations. Finding a place to park was no easy task. There were many vehicles swirling in all directions which made for a bit of a jam.

"Here we are," Heiji said looking out the window to the giant structure in the wait. "This wasn't hard to find."

"I had heard there would be a large number of guests in attendance, but I could have never imagined a showing quite like this."

"Nor did I," Heiji agreed. "It's nearly impossible to find a parking space in this vicinity with the conditions like this."

"Why don't I pull up to the sidewalk and let you out there," Alfred suggested. "That is if you don't mind walking a short distance to the entrance."

"That would be perfectly fine," Heiji said. "No need to drive around any longer."

"Very well."

He did just that, pulling up to the walkway before unlocking the door.

"I'll see you soon." Heiji said before exiting.

"Good luck." Alfred replied with the tip of his hat.

He brushed off the sides of the shirt as he headed for the entrance which was a couple yards away. He kept his eyes wide as he walked, not familiar with anyone who stood around the front of the building.

"No sign of Rick, maybe he's already inside," Heiji said. "That or he has yet to arrive."

He reached the entrance in no time, stopping for a brief moment before looking upward.

"So this is it huh.. the Futures Building."

Both doors were locked off to the side, making for an easy transition in. Where to go next was the question. There was a long straight ahead with two different directions to choose from. He listened to the voices that carried throughout, making for an easy decision. He followed the voices which lead him to the right, eventually finding his way to a large room filled with many people.

"This must be it," Heiji said. "The foyer Wayne was referring to."

He reached into his pocket to pull out the piece of paper, looking over the layout of the building in relation to his position.

"This is the place alright."

He put it away soon after, no longer feeling the need for it at that given moment. He then checked the time, coming to find there was a little over forty five minutes until six.

"They had better hurry, there's not much time left before the show begins."

He looked around the room once more, this time only to have someone step up to his side from behind.

"I see you made it in a timely fashion."

"Rick," Heiji said turning at the sound of his voice. "I didn't see you on my way in, did you just get here?"

"I've actually been here with the other guys setting up shop for the past hour, I was actually wondering when you'd show," Rick said. "Have trouble finding the place?"

"Not at all," Heiji replied. "It would be hard to miss, it's one of the larger structures around."

"You have a point," Rick said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys."

"Where are they?" Heiji asked.

"Located throughout the place."

"You lead the way."

After minutes of shooting it down their efforts were finally awarded. The fire had finally been put out, all that remained was the ruble left behind from the explosion. Many still continued to gather around, wanting an explanation for what had happened.

"Alright everyone, get back," One of the security guards instructed. "We need this area cleared out."

They did a good job of moving everyone back, setting up crime scene tape around the area in the moments that followed. He stood in place, still monitoring the movements of the man who had taken off.

"Looks like he's in a real hurry, he's already left the premiss."

It was then that he felt a tap at his shoulder, looking up to come face to face with on of the officers.

"Hey there little boy, I'm going to need you to keep moving back," He instructed. "We need to close this area off as best we can."

"Yes sir."

Just as he was to make a move for the other side of the park they were joined by another security guard who showed distress in his face. Seeing this he pulled back with each step taken to try and hear what was to be said.

"Natt we have a problem."

"Yea I know, we're handling it now."

"I wasn't referring to the explosion."

"Do I even want to hear this?"

"If the bathroom incident wasn't enough, one of our employees was found stripped and tied down to a chair in one of the lower level closets."

"Someone tied up..?" Conan mumbled.

"You're not serious, who was it?"

"That janitor, the new guy."

"You mean Garrett?"

"That'd be him."

"What away to open up on your second week on the job."

"Yea, no kidding."

He had heard enough, finding it was now time to move on.

"Looks like we don't have a name after all," Conan thought as he walked. "The tracer planted is our only link to this guy now."

He grabbed hold of his phone as he walked, quickly dialing his number before bringing it to his ear.

"Hey it's me, we have a problem."

"Yea, I know."

He looked up at the sound of his voice, putting his phone away in the process.

"There you are," Conan said. "I was wondering when you'd come."

"I heard all of the commotion clear from the other side of the park," Tim said. "I came as soon as I could, what happened?"

"The bathrooms on this side of the park exploded."

"Something like that doesn't just happen by chance."

"They have things under wrap here, our focus is needed elsewhere."

"You running away from a potential case, never would have predicted that."

"I think catching the criminal is just as important as the analyzing process."

"Criminal," Tim questioned. "You saw who did this?"

"And I have a good idea of how they set it up."

"Did you get a look at their face?"

"Clear as day," Conan confirmed. "Believe it or not, I think it's the same man I encountered on the bus the other night."

"The shooter?"

"Yes."

"Small world."

"And a lucky break," Conan said. "Come on, he's still on the move."

"You managed to place a tracer on him?"

"He's currently moving across the parking lot," Conan confirmed. "We better hurry before he falls out of my range."

"How do you know he was the one to cause the bathrooms to explode?"

"A series of things," Conan replied as the two began to walk. "I'll give you all details on the way out, if not later."

The clock struck past twenty after, inching in closer to the widely anticipated opening for the Futures Building. He sat at the edge of the bed, all possible scenarios looming large to his mind. A gentle knock came from the other side of the room, ejecting him from his train of thought.

"Just a moment."

He stood up from where he sat, taking each step at a time as he made his way for the door. He opened it to see the two of them standing there.

"I got your message, I came as soon as I could."

"Come on in." Bruce invited.

"I'm surprised you haven't left yet," Dick said. "The opening is set to erupt in less than twenty minutes from now."

"And my appearance isn't scheduled until roughly seven," Bruce informed. "There's still plenty of time between now and then."

"I already visited both locations you'd like us to stand guard," Dick said. "Everything is a go."

"Good," Bruce said. "Have you gone over the details with him once more?"

"I know the plan," Damian declared. "I'll be watching out for any suspicious activity east of the facility."

"And in the case you see anyone making a run for it you redirect their escape route to the north," Bruce instructed. "Which will take them to where Kelver Side Crafts is located, also where a large sum of police officials will be."

"In the case that doesn't work out, force them to the west," Dick said. "You can be sure I'll lock them in."

"We've already gone over this," Damian said. "Besides, what are the chances someone would be foolish enough to try and escape on foot with a big crowd such as this?"

"Never doubt a method," Bruce stated. "Nearly anything is possible if planned to high excellence, and executed with just as much care."

"What time do you want us to get into position?" Dick asked.

"Anytime around six thirty, the main event doesn't begin until seven," Bruce said. "Whatever they plan to steal most likely won't be revealed until then."

"Sounds good to me."

"I need top focus tonight from you all, this is our moment," Bruce said. "The one we've been waiting for."

The signal remained strong, moving at the same pace as it had been before. They continued to follow it, exiting out from where they had entered. He explained all details as they walked, becoming clear on all events leading to what had happened. Only a couple more steps were taken before coming to a stop just before reaching the parking lot.

"What's wrong, why are we stopping?"

"Because he has," Conan replied. "He's about sixty two yards from where we stand, directly ahead."

He looked into that direction in response to this information.

"An apartment complex and a series of smaller city buildings."

"You think he's camping it out somewhere?"

"That's a possibility, which is why we need to move in with extreme caution," Tim said. "If this is the man you say you saw on that bus, then there's a chance that he could be armed."

"That's the thing that bothered me about this latest incident," Conan said. "All other kills were in the use of a firearms or blade, why the sudden change to an explosive?"

"Anything to get the job done is the way I see it."

"How long do you think we should give it before progressing on?"

"No longer than five minutes, unless they make a move before then," Tim said looking down at his watch. ".. Let the time begin."

They were joined by several others who exited the theme park as well.

"You think they're evacuating everyone from the park?" Conan asked.

"That or they all might have been rattled enough to want to leave," Tim replied. "At most I think they'd simply close off that small section in particular."

"So what happens when we apprehend this guy, are we going to hand him over to the police?"

"The jury's still out on that one, I'm not certain we're going to bring him in just yet."

"What, why not?"

"We need to learn as much about him and his operation as we can," Tim replied. "he's bound to have acquaintances, if we take him down on the spot I'm betting he won't be too forthcoming with any of that information."

"So what do you suggest, that we spy on him for a period?"

"That might be our best option."

"I can't disagree," Conan said. "Besides wiring his home and any potential software he may have, how else shall do you propose we proceed?"

"Once we know his game plan, we'll insert ourselves into the fray."

"Close and personal, that seems to be your ace card."

"Fastest way to get to the core of things."

He continued to monitor the time, closing in on two minutes before their move was to be made.

"Any movement from our run away?"

"Nope, he still in the same spot."

They stood there for a little longer, still watching as those from the park continued to move past. It was at that second that the heard their names called, turning to see two familiar faces heading in their direction.

"Bernadea Fournier and Nathan," Tim greeted. "What a surprise this is."

"We could say the same," Nathan replied. "We had no idea we'd run into the two of you here."

"Just another day in the park." Tim stated.

"How long have the two of you been here?"

"For over two hours," Tim replied. "We were actually just on our way out."

"Did you have fun?" Bernadea asked looking down at him.

"Tons," Conan replied. "Just as advertised."

"On the way through the parking lot we heard there was some kind of disturbance," Nathan said. "Either of you know what they were talking about?"

"Some kind of explosion," Tim replied. "Wasn't there when it erupted, only heard it from a distance."

"Is that why the two of you are leaving?" Bernadea asked.

"Oh no," Tim assured. "We just have somewhere else to be."

"Do you think it will be safe to go in?"

"The incident occurred off to the side, yards away from the entertainment areas," Conan informed. "Everything should be a go."

"That's good to know," Nathan said. "Any idea if anyone was hurt?"

".. No one knows yet." Tim quickly replied after slight hesitation.

"Let's hope not."

"What's in the bag." Conan asked taking notice of the long strap across his shoulder.

"Yea no kidding," Tim said. "Looks like you could fit a sword of staff in that thing."

"I asked him that very question on the way here," Bernadea said. "But he refuses to tell me."

"Like I said before," Nathan said. "It's a surprise, I'll reveal what's inside at the end of the evening."

"I hate surprises." Bernadea muttered.

"Well I guess it's about that time," Nathan said. "Maybe we'll catch the two of you around again some time."

"We'll be looking forward to it."

"As will we, later you two." Bernadea waved as the two of them took off for the entrance.

He reactivated the tracker at that given time, coming to find little to no movement had been made.

"He has yet to make another move," Conan said. "Are you ready to move in?"

"Let's go, we've held off long enough."

Everything had finally been set in motion, all that remained was the arrival of the others. In his mind the game had already begun. He searched the room for anything less than normal, quickly coming to find nothing alarming.

"You've been rather quiet for the last minutes," Rick said. "Is everything alright?"

"Nothing to worry about," Heiji assured. "Just looking around."

"You expecting someone?"

"Maybe a friend or two."

"Just remember to keep your focus on the task," Rick reminded. "If the thief is in fact here we're going to need all eyes and ears."

"Of course."

"We've already got two guys covering the front exit and two watching the back," Rick said. "That leaves you, detective Galldon, and I to observe everything that goes on in here."

"We still have time before the big reveal, if we could some how figure out what they're after we'd be a step closer to stopping them in their tracks."

"How do we figure," Rick questioned. "We have no leads to their true intent."

"Of course we do, it's all within the riddle."

"And what part might that be?"

"We've accounted for almost all sequences, all for except two lines," Heiji said. "a tune to Hear with a misdirection Red (1)' and 'for the Diamonds eye is for all to see'."

"Ok."

"Minus the 'misdirection' and 'red', which seems to be this guys theme, I believe lies our next hint," Heiji said. "A tune to hear (1)."

"I'm clueless as to what that could mean," Rick said. "Unless they're hosting an opera here tonight we've yet to be informed of."

"It's more subtle than that."

"Then there's the second part of the riddle you mentioned," Rick said. "'for the Diamonds eye is for all to see."

"What of it?"

"That's exactly why Kelver Side Crafts makes the most sense, they're hosting an auction tonight," Rick said. "Which of course will also include many rare brands of jewels."

"Did it ever occur to you that's what the thief wants you to belive," Heiji questioned. "Yes the riddle mentions a diamond, one that could be symbolic for something else."

"Like what?"

"The 1... which in affect could mean the ultimate prize."

"What now?"

His phone rang from below before he had the chance to respond.

"One moment," Heiji said after checking the incoming number. "I better take this."

"Who is it," Rick asked out of curiosity. "The commissioner?"

"Just an off to the side assignment." Heiji replied before turning for the opposite wall.

He immediately brought the phone to his ear before answering the call.

"It's Lonard, I have an update for you."

The signal became stronger the closer they got, still showing no sign of movement. This only kept him more alert for anything to come.

"Any change in his position?"

"No, he still seems to be sitting it out in the same location," Conan replied. "Makes you wonder what he's up to."

"I don't like it."

"You actually think he might know someone has caught onto his trail?"

"Why else would he be sitting still?"

"I guess we're about to find out, we're almost there."

"Wait, we better make a plan for an approachment," Tim said. "The last thing we want is a casualty."

"I don't think there will be cause for concern if I move in alone."

"We still don't know exactly where he is," Tim said. "For all we know he could be camping it out in one of the buildings here with a rifle in hand."

"You're thinking way to into this." Conan said as they continued to walk.

"How close are we now?"

"Less than fifteen yards away." Conan replied before slowing it up.

He stopped after reaching the front of an apartment building, seeing that they were now in the red zone of things.

"Wait here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to move in a little closer, there's a light pole right over there," Conan said pointing to the left. "I'll take cover there before moving in any closer."

"You sure about this?"

"As long as you watch my blind side."

"I'll see to it."

Without further ado he turned for the other side, heading straight for the light pole just as he said he would. He leaned to it once there, checking his location versus that of where the tracer was.

"According to the tracker he should be directly behind a little over ten yards from this spot."

He peaked around the pole to see an alley in the wait. He then took a deep breath, taking a step away from the light pole as he made his way in that direction.

"Shinichi, wait." Tim whispered from where he stood.

He had already made up his decision, paying no mind to what was said as he carried on. He kept a straight face, resting his hands into his pocket to look as casual as possible. The signal continued to heighten, leading him further into the unknown of the alley. It lead him all the way near the back, coming to find the signal was coming from a garbage bin.

"There's no way he'd be hiding it out here, he must have dumped the clothes."

There was only one way of finding out. He lifted the top open, coming to find the clothes that were worn by the man along with the tracer laying there.

"Just as I thought, he ditched the clothes," Conan said. "That puts us right back where we started."

He reached in, removing the tracer from the shirt before turning back from where he had come.

"The coast is clear," Conan loudly spoke. "He's not here, only the clothes and the tracer were left behind."

It took all but a few moments for him to appear from around the corner. He made his way toward him, stopping halfway through the alley. There was something wrong, he could see it in his eyes. He chose not to say anything, at least not for the first seconds that passed. He watched as he pulled out a small square shaped device from his jacket before pressing down to it.

"What is that?" Conan asked.

He didn't answer at first, letting a little extra time go by before looking up to him once again.

"It's a signal disrupter."

"Signal disrupter," Conan questioned. "Why?"

"We've been had."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy you planted a tracer on must have found out about it relatively quickly, he set up a video camera to the wall right behind." Tim pointed.

He looked into the direction pointed out, and there it was, clamped down to the side of a window.

"I can't believe it."

"This guy is much more organized than we originally thought." Tim said reaching up to grab the small camera.

"Are you sure it was him who set it up?"

"Now I do," Tim said bringing the camera into his possession. "There's a wire attached enabling for wireless viewing."

"How far from here are we talking?"

"Sixty, a little over a hundred yards maybe," Tim replied. "Less than a mile for sure."

"How did you know that it was there?"

"The shade," Tim said pointing to the shaded area of the alley. "Light from the sun projected off of the lenses which gave me the heads up."

"How did you know there was a wired feed before using that signal disrupter?"

"I didn't," Tim admitted. "I used it in case there was."

"Smart thinking," Conan said. "Are you saying they didn't get a clear shot of your face?"

"Correct, only one of my back side."

"I see."

"Whoever this guy is now has a clear shot of you, not that he's unfamiliar with you since the two of you have met on more than one occasion."

"But now he probably knows I was the one to plant that tracer," Conan said. "Fortunately that's all he got, thankfully he didn't get a good shot of you."

"We need to be really careful with this from here on out," Tim said. "The bad part about this is this guy now has more on us than we do on him."

"Not necessarily," Conan said. "Let's not forget I got a distinctive look at him as well, good enough to produce a sketch."

"Point taken."

"What about the camera?"

"I'll take it with me, though I doubt there will be anything to find," Tim said checking the time. "And it looks like we're going to be late for our appointment at the Futures Building, Bruce isn't going to be pleased?"

"For being late or for what occurred here?"

"Double jeopardy."

"You want me to explain?"

"No, I think it'd be better if I did the talking," Tim replied stashing the camera away. "Come on, we better get moving before the real rush hits."

"Right behind you." Conan said following from behind.

Six was now fast approaching, only twenty five minutes remaining before the scheduled time. He watched as the room continued to fill with those in attendance. The longer this went on the more impatient he became.

"I guess I'm the only one who remembers the importance of tonights proceedings."

Following up on his train of thought was the ring of his phone from in his pocket.

"Please let it be who I think it is."

He reached down to grab it, answering almost immediately after bringing it to his ear.

"Hello."

"It's Dick."

"Where are you?" Heiji asked.

"Just about ready to get into position," Dick replied. "How are things looking from your end?"

"Besides the absence of the others, relatively normal."

"Bruce should be there soon, I just spoke with him a minute ago," Dick informed. "Have you tried contacting the others?"

"Neither responded."

"I'll try giving them a ring myself, in the mean time sit tight and stay focused," Dick said. "There's no telling when this guy will make his move."

"You're telling me, it's been a hassle looking out for things on my own till this point," Heiji said. "Of course there's the hired guards and the officers sent in by Gordon, but it would be nice to get the other guys involved as soon as possible."

"I'll see to it, stay sharp," Dick said. "You'll hear back from me soon enough."

"Loud and clear."

He put an end to the transmission, bringing his complete focus back to the task at hand. He put the phone away before looking across the room to see Rick heading toward him.

"Where did you run off to?"

"Just checked in with the guys monitoring the front and back entrances, everything is clear thus far," Rick replied. "No sign anyone of suspicions nature entering."

"And I don't think there will be, whoever wrote the riddle is probably already registered to the guest list."

"Have you had a look at the list yourself?"

"Yes, but at this point they're all just names," Heiji said. "We don't exactly have enough time to run a background check on each and everyone attending."

"You don't say," Rick said checking his watch. "We have less than an hour until the presentation begins."

"There's still a margin of time before now and then, giving us a small time frame to try and figure what they're after."

"Sounds to me like you're working another case." Someone spoke from behind.

He turned at the sound of the voice, coming to find a familiar face.

"Hello Heiji Hattori."

"Matthew Thompson right, or is it that you preferred Matt?"

"So you do remember me, I'm pleased."

"You know each other?" Rick asked.

"Yea, we met at the City hall days ago." Heiji confirmed.

"I couldn't help but over hear the two of you talking," Matt admitted. "Is there something going on?"

"We believe so, and that is all I'm entitled to say." Heiji replied.

"I fully understand."

"What about you," Heiji asked. "Where is the rest of your crew, are you here alone?"

"Not quite, Aldon Boomer plans to come as well," Matt replied. "Last we spoke he was on his way."

"When was that?"

"About twenty minutes ago," Matt replied. "But with the traffic on this side of town I'd give it a couple more before he makes an appearance."

"Spoken for the truth." Rick commented.

"I'd hate to interrupt what you've got going, so I'll go find amusement elsewhere until the showing begins."

"I'll catch you later then."

Before he could make a move for the other side of the room a loud sound could be heard peering in through the walls, a sound similar to that of a helicopter finding its way down to ground levels. High pitches of joy soon followed, pitching through the halls all the way into the room where they stood.

"What's going on out there?" Heiji questioned.

"I think that one's pretty self explanatory," Matthew stated. "It can only be the arrival of Gotham's favorite son."

"And who might that be?"

"The Bruce Wayne himself," Matthew replied. "Don't tell me you've forgotten him already, he was attending the town hall meet along with us the other night."

"Bruce Wayne, yes of course," Heiji said. "How could I forget, he was one of the many interviewed in the questioning process."

The voices and and excitement only heightened with the seconds that followed. There prediction of his arrival was proven correct in the short time to come, all eyes looking to the left side of the room upon him entering.

"That's Wayne alright, his popularity always seems to stay intact," Matthew said taking a step forward. "If you don't mind I'd like to go over and give him a proper greeting."

"Be my guest," Rick said. "You can do it for the all of us."

"Will do," Matthew said. "See you gentlemen around."

With that he made his way forward, carefully making his way through the crowd to the other side of the room.

"Grayson and the kid are already in place, and Bruce has arrived," Heiji thought. "That only leaves the other two, where they are is anyones guess."

He was determined to answer that very question. Just as he reached for his phone it ringed once again, not hesitating to answer.

"It's me again."

"Any luck getting into contact with any of the others?"

"They're still unresponsive," Dick replied. "Whatever they're tangled in must require a set of distance, I'm sure they'll reach us when all is cleared."

"I'll try asking Bruce, he just arrived a few moments ago."

"Yea, I saw the Wayne helicopter pass by not too long ago," Dick said. "Keep me updated on anything going on in there, I'll move in if need be."

"That's the plan."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you and the others," Dick said. "Gotta go."

He hung up with those final words spoken, placing his phone back into the security of his pocket before making a move for the other side of the room.

"Where are you headed off to now?" Rick asked taking notice of this.

"I have to speak with someone, I won't be long."

"Remember to keep your eyes peeled for any ongoing activity."

"No worries," Heiji assured. "I haven't lost sight of the importance of our task, this will take all but a moment."

"Your claim is well trusted, I'll keep an eye on things on this side of the room."

"Thanks."

He carefully moved through the crowd, closing in with each step taken. He finally reached him, joining the several others who were crowded around.

"Well look who it is," Bruce said taking notice of him almost instantly. "I'm glad to see you were able to make it."

"That was always the plan remember?"

"Oh yes, that's right."

"Wayne, I wasn't expecting you so soon," A man dressed in a suit of white said joining the fray. "I was told you wouldn't arrive until close to seven."

"I had a change in plan Mr. Irvin."

"Works out for the better, there's actually a couple guys I'd like you to meet."

"In time, I have some preparations to see to first."

"Of course, I'll catch up with you at a more convent time."

"I'll keep an eye out for you." Bruce said watching as he turned for the other end of the room.

"Bruce," Heiji said redirecting his attention. "I haven't been able to get ahold of Drake, any luck with you?"

"Oh.. yes, he'll be here soon," Bruce replied. "There's just a little something he had to, to take care of."

"I figured that much," Heiji said. "I wonder why he didn't call and let me know."

"Why don't you ask him when he arrives detective, I'm sure he'll give you the answer to that," Bruce said. "Now if you would, I have some important matters to see through."

"Wait, what about our?"

There was no use in talking on any further. He watched as he wrapped his arm around a woman who followed him to the far side of the room, still accompanied by the few who had greeted him upon his arrival.

"Detective... when does he refer to me by that?"

He continued to watch him from afar, taking note of his every move from his departure to the other side of the room.

"What's he doing, he doesn't seem to be taking our task very seriously," Heiji said. "Unless of course this is an act of his to deeply blend in with the other guests, which does pose for advantage on our side."

He left it as that for the time being, focusing his attention to all other areas of the room. He began to walk along once more, moving at a pace matched with everyone else's. Rick could be seen standing under a vent across the room, clearly scaling the room for any suspicious activity as he was in the process of doing. He stopped after circling half the room, finding he was now in an ideal location to keep an eye on most of what could possibly take shape. He remained there for several minutes to come, watching as someone took to the stage straight ahead for the introduction speech.

"It's ten after six, where are they?"

This question lingered on as he continued to wait.

"Didn't recognize you without that cap of yours." Someone spoke from behind.

He turned at the sound of the familiar voice. There she was, standing in a black dress with a matching fitted flat hat atop her head.

"Selina," Heiji said. "Selina Kyle."

"Pleasure you remember me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Selina replied. "You've been up and down the room since you arrived."

"With good reason."

"I bet."

"How did you know my name?"

"Pardon?"

"The first we met at Starlest you knew my name without any mention of it," Heiji clarified. "You also disappeared around the time the diamonds were stolen from that glass case, the same ones you had been talking about before the incident occurred."

"I thought they caught the person responsible for that."

"No, they haven't."

"Tells you how much I follow the news." Selina said pushing away from the wall.

"Where did you disappear off to after we talked?"

"Are you suspecting me?"

"Should I be?"

"I had to leave on short notice, I received an emergency call from the fire station about a toxic leakage around my apartment complex," Selina informed. "You can check my phone records if you don't believe me."

He felt a tap at his shoulder, turning to face someone he had never encountered before.

"Excuse me sir, but someone has asked to speak with you."

"With me?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, he said it was important." The young woman replied.

"And who might that be?"

"That little boy," She replied. "He's the only one of that age that I believe is in attendance."

"Where did you see him?"

"He should still be next to the door leading into this room, that's where he pointed you out to me."

"Thanks, I'll go look into this right away." Heiji said before heading for that direction

"Does that mean we're done?"

He turned back to face her, that same astute look still present across her face.

"Yea, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, after all you have an investigation to run."

"How did you.."

"You questioning me about what happened the other day at Starlest and your obvious moping around tonight tells it all," Selina said cutting him off. "It doesn't take a detective to figure what you're doing here."

"Fair enough," Heiji said. "But that still doesn't answer how you knew my name."

"You're one for questions aren't you?"

"Only if necessary."

"I thought you might say that."

The sound of a ring interrupted, taking only a couple moments to find it was none other than her own phone from below.

"We'll have to continue this another time," Selina said. "This is an important call that I must take."

"Of course."

She stepped away while answering the phone. He turned for the other side of the room in that very moment, heading in the direction he was told he was needed. Most everyone had their eyes fixated to the stage, now listening to the second speaker to take the stage.

"She's too comfortable.. confident, I had better continue to keep an eye on her."

He slowly moved along, not wanting to disturb anyone in his path. It didn't take long for him to sight the two of them, joining the pair within the next steps taken.

"Where in the world have you two been, you didn't answer when I called."

"We got stuck up with a little something." Tim informed.

"How do we look," Conan asked. "We picked these suits up on the fly."

"Presentable," Heiji replied. "Now onto what happened."

"The same man I crossed paths with on the bus nights ago was at the theme park we were investigating," Conan informed. "Turns out he had an agenda of his own."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, he's increased his body count by one," Tim replied. "And now has a visual of the two of us."

"How did that happen?"

"Another story to tell."

"That must mean he knows we're onto him."

"Unfortunately, yes," Tim answered. "Assuming he was the one to plant the camera."

"Camera?"

"We'll explain later," Conan said. "How have things gone here thus far?"

"One person of interest," Heiji replied. "Other than that everything's been straight forward."

"Who should we be looking at?" Tim asked scouring the room.

"Ms. Kyle."

"Didn't expect her to be here."

"Nor did I."

"Am I to assume that was the woman you were speaking with just now?" Conan asked.

"That'd be the one."

"Good, then you keep an eye on her," Tim instructed. "Shinichi and I will focus our sights to everything else."

"Before you go I think you had better have a word with Bruce."

"Why?" Tim asked a bit surprised by this.

"I spoke with him when he arrived, something seemed odd," Heiji stated. "Like something was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Like when I asked about your whereabouts, he was a little hesitant in his response."

"Hmm, I'll speak with him when the chance presents itself," Tim said in response to this. "In the mean time we better get started."

"No argument there."

"Here, I already gave a pair to Shinichi in the case things do flip a one eighty on us."

He looked down to what was handed to him, raising it up to see what appeared to be some type of goggles.

"What's this for?"

"Night vision," Tim replied. "There's always the possibility of a staged black out, especially if the thief plans to get away with a prized item undetected."

"The goggles are a form of insurance so to speak." Conan added.

"Sounds simple enough."

"Alright, I'll take the east side of the room," Tim said. "Shinichi, the west is yours."

"And me?"

"You're keeping an eye on Selina remember, that's a whole task in itself."

"I'm curious as to what you means by that."

"Stay sharp, that's all that is required of you," Tim replied. "Of us all."

"I've already set my phone to vibrate, I think it'd be best if you two did the same," Conan said. "That way if we need to contact one another through phone it won't cause a scene."

"Agreed," Tim said. "Especially if someone is in the middle of a speech."

"So this is it huh, anything else we should know before we part ways?" Heiji asked.

"That's it, what happens next squarely falls on us," Tim replied. "Let's not disappoint."

"Not once did that cross my mind." Conan thought as he made his way further to the west side of the room.

Everything seemed normal on his initial look of things. This prompted him to dig deeper, looking to the expressions showcased across their faces to the posture everyone showed. Everything was clear in that regard as well.

"Whoever plans to rob this place isn't showing any signs, that must be a sign of comfortability," Conan said. "Or.. or could it be we're not looking out for the right person?"

In his mind this was something he felt needed the time of thought, taking all but a few moments for his mind to revert back to the riddle. It wasn't the individual messages that crossed his mind, but the constant theme that covered it as a whole.

"It's all about deception, from the beginning and most likely to the end," Conan thought as he looked to those towered around him. "What could the thief possibly have up their sleeve that fits the criteria?"

All that came to a halt as he looked to the stage ahead to see Bruce had taken to the center, which resulted in a positive response from most.

"Thank you, I thank you all for the warm hospitality I've received since arriving," Bruce began. "I'd first like to direct everyones attention to the man standing beside me, Armond Stanton, CEO of the Futures Building."

"I'm glad to be joined by you all," Armond commented. "This facility wasn't built for the intent of today or next week, but for the future which is always so forthcoming."

"Which is why I agreed to speak here on behalf of the cause," Bruce said. "I will also be the first to reveal one of the new devices this company has been working on for the past year."

He focused his attention to a box laid out to the side of the podium, reaching inside to pull out a triangular shaped device.

"I wonder what that is?" Heiji thought.

"This here is the beginning of what is to come," Bruce said setting it to the podium. "The very item that signifies what this company plans to achieve, the one device that symbolizes all other production."

He froze at this statement, something subtle clicking from within.

"misdirection Red (1).. could this be it, the 1," Heiji thought. "Could this in fact be the item referred to in the riddle?"

He looked back to the stage, only to hear the sound of a loud pop ring from all sides. Most everyone reacted by covering their ears. This was it, the moment had finally come, but in no way was he prepared for what happened next. Unaware of where it came a flash of light streaked across the room, blinding anyone who looked on. He brought a hand to his eye in the wake of it all, slowly removing it to find his vision to be jittered about. This lasted for seconds to come, rubbing his eyes as his vision slowly began to mellow back into place.

"What the hell just happened?!" One questioned from the near distance.

"I was just about to ask the same thing." Another spoke.

Many other complaints followed in the seconds that came. He paid no mind to this, looking straight ahead to the podium to see the device that had been set there was now gone, replaced by a red diamond of beauty.

"I don't believe it," Heiji said. "That device is gone."

It didn't take long for the others to notice this as well after regaining their stance on the matter. Bruce looked down at the diamond laid out before him in shock, turning to Armond who was just as surprised.

"What just happened?" Bruce asked.

"Our four million dollar hand held device is now gone," Armond replied. "We need to contact the police, seal all exits, no one is to leave."

Those who stood amongst the crowd were as confused as ever, some more verbal than the others.

"Hey, what's going on," A man standing near the front spat. "What was that bright flash of light all about?!"

"We're looking into that as we speak," Armond replied. "In no way was that planned."

"This diamond, where could it have come from." Bruce questioned.

"Whoever took the device must have switched it out," Armond said in response. "The question is, why?"

He still stood at the west side of the room, his vision finally settling in after a small period of time.

"So much for the night vision goggles." Conan thought with the roll of his eyes.

He looked to the stage, coming to realize the device that had been there was now gone, replaced by a diamond that seemingly captivated the sights of everyone in the room.

"Can't say I saw this coming."

He paused within that moment, feeling there was a connection.

"for the Diamonds eye is for all to see," Conan said thinking back to the riddle. "This must be the first part of their trick, I'm certain whoever took the diamond is still amongst us.. but who?"

He searched the room once more, most everyone he laid an eye to more rattled than anything from what had happened.

"Everything seems normal considering the circumstances," Conan said. "I've observed all guests, could it potentially be one of the employees who staged this?"

He looked to the stage once again, seeing a group of security guards had taken to the center stage of things.

"Looks like the investigation is underway," Conan said. "Speaking of which, where did Bruce run off to, he was there moment ago."

He checked the surrounding area, finding no sign of him there either.

"Wait, could it be?"

He stood in place, looking around the room to try and relocate her position.

"Great, I lost her." Heiji said.

"Lost who?" Tim asked stepping up to his side.

"What are you doing, aren't you watching things on the right side of the room?"

"No one has shown any signs to call for our attention, besides the first move has already been made," Tim said. "It's time we changed up in strategy."

"Yea no kidding."

"What they were after was obviously that device Bruce was showcasing," Heiji said. "I discovered that while in the middle of his speech."

"As did I," Tim said. "Which bothered me about it."

"What do you mean?"

"If I recall Bruce had no idea what they would be presenting tonight."

"Yea, so?"

"When he was up there speaking I got the impression he was very familiar with the material, like he had been briefed ahead of time."

"Maybe he did."

"Not to the level of familiarity he showcased in a matter of minutes."

"You make a good point."

"You said something seemed strange about him when he arrived, right?"

"What are you implying?"

He didn't reply, simply looking to the stage to find he was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't tell me," Heiji said. "You're thinking."

"We need to find him, and now."

Before either could make a move the sound of a phone rang from below.

"It's mine." Tim said reaching down for it.

He answered the phone on contact, his claims confirmed by the sound of his voice.

"I just arrived, I'm on my way down the hall now, anything I should know about concerning the situation thus far?"

"Bruce?"

"You sound surprised, is everything alright?"

"No it's not," Tim replied. "We have a serious situation."

"I'll be right there."

He hung up, looking to Heiji who did the same in return.

"Yea, you were right to worry," Tim said. "That man who took the stage wasn't Bruce."

"How do you know?"

"I just spoke with him, he's on his way now."

"If that wasn't him, then who?"

"Stay here," Tim instructed. "I'm going after our imposter."

He took off before anything further could be said, heading straight for the stage. He wasn't left alone for long, joined by Conan who came running to his side.

"We have a problem."

"Is this under the lines of Bruce not being what he seems?"

"So you figured it out too."

"It was actually Tim who made the claim," Heiji said. "He went to go and confront the look alike as we speak."

"I guess it's our job to make sure they don't try and re-route past us."

"How did you know that it wasn't Bruce?" Heiji questioned

"That blinding flash of light," Conan replied. "Given the circumstances and our knowledge of a potential thief don't you think he'd have tightly held onto the object in hand, to the point where no one could disarm it from him?"

"I see."

"He was the only one near the podium who could have set the diamond there and hid that device away within the security of his jacket in such a short amount of time," Conan continued. "And with everyone blinded for those very few moments it gave him the time he needed."

"What made you become suspicious?"

"Your earlier comments about him seeming off," Conan replied. "That coupled in with everything I just said along with the riddle."

"The riddle?"

"The thiefs motto has been deception, what better way to deceive us all then by taking the face of one of this cities finest."

"You really put some thought into that didn't you?"

"Let's just hope Tim gets to them in time."

He had made his way to the stage, no one clear as to where the imposer had gone off to. He finally approached Armond Stanton who was nervously pacing in one area of the stage.

"Mr. Stanton," Tim said stopping in front of him. "Would you happen to know where Bruce went to after his short lived speech."

"Back stage," Armond replied looking to him. "He said his eyes were still bothering him."

"Mind if I go back and check on him?"

"Fine by me, as long as you're escorted by one of the security guards."

"Well understood."

"Very well."

He looked to one of the guards, signaling for him to come to his side. It took all but a few seconds for him to walk over.

"Could you escort our good friend here back stage, he wishes to speak with Mr. Wayne."

"Yes of course," The guard said turning toward him. "Right this way."

He followed him past the curtain that concealed a small set of stairs which lead to the lower levels. He followed him down, stopping once reaching the door at the bottom of the stairs.

"This is it, the room I saw him enter."

"Thanks."

He opened the door, greeted by a cool chill that drifted by the two. What they saw laying on the ground left them in a state of shock. The suit that had been worn along with a latex mask could be seen in the center of the room.

"What in the world?!"

"Someone was posing is Bruce Wayne."

"I can clearly see that."

"Whoever it was is now gone, you had better go and inform Mr. Stanton."

"How can you be so sure of this?"

"The opened window," Tim said pointing to the right corner of the room. "There's not many who couldn't exit through there."

"I don't believe this." The guard said taking off.

Time was now slim and he knew it. He pressed down to the codec piece inserted in his ear, contacting him immediately.

"Please tell me you have something, things have been that of a bore these last thirty minutes."

"That all might change, someone might be headed out."

"From where?"

"The Futures Building, don't take your eyes off of it," Tim said. "And report back to me if you do indeed come across something."

"I'll leave that option open, Robin out."

The transmission ended with that.

"Better go and let the others know what's going on."

He took off in the heat of things, heading back into the direction he had come. He returned to the stage to see Armond was already being informed about the situation. He skimmed over the crowd, quickly finding where the two of them stood. He dropped down from the stage, wasting no time in rejoining the two.

"So what's the verdict?" Heiji asked.

"Too late," Tim replied. "Whoever orchestrated this escaped through a window, but no worriers I've already got Damian keeping an eye on the situation."

"I'm even more worried than I was before." Conan mumbled.

"What about Selina," Tim asked. "Have you relocated her yet?"

"Been looking," Heiji replied. "Can't seem to single her out."

The ear piece buzzed, informing him of an incoming message.

"What do you have?" Tim asked pressing down to the ear piece.

"Someone's defiantly on the roof, I can see them from here." Robin informed.

"We can't seem to pin point Selina's location, would you say this figure resembles her?"

"The cat lady Selina?"

"Yea."

"Don't think so." Robin replied.

"Are you sure?"

"When's the last time you saw her sporting a cape?"

"A cape," Tim questioned. "Stay put I don't want you making any further moves until."

His message was cut short by the disconnection of the transmission.

"I don't believe it."

"What happened?" Heiji asked.

"The darn kid just cut off our link," Tim replied. "I better call Dick and inform him about the situation."

"Before you do that, I'd like to know exactly what is going on."

They turned at the sound of his voice, coming to find Bruce had finally arrived. The look on his face said it all, nothing but business.

"Alright Tim," Conan said stepping aside. "You said you'd handle the talking."

He watched from afar, waiting for their next move to be made before springing in with one of his own. The figure held something into the air as if to examine it. What it was, was unclear to him. This left them in a state with their sights set to something else other than their surroundings, leaving it open for him to move in undetected. But that's not the approach he had in mind. He lunged from where he stood, free falling with an air diving glide toward the figure standing atop the Futures Building. He landed a few feet behind with a loud thump, springing to his feet almost immediately. He got a clearer view of the unknown.

"The game ends here, place the item down and hands in the air."

He received no response at his first attempt, stepping in closer to further his point.

"Let me guess, you have hearing disability?"

"I was not expecting any company tonight." A soft and comforting voice spoke in return.

"Funny that you should say, being that you're the one who sent out that invitation for many to have."

"Yet you're the only one to attend, or are there to be more?"

"I'm not here to carry conversation," Robin stated. "Who are you?"

"I was wondering the same," The dark figure replied turning to face him. "By the looks of your apparel I'd associate you with some kind of Robin Hood."

"Minus the hood and you've got a winner."

"Robin it is."

"Enough, you have one last chance to answer to me thief," Robin snapped. "If you don't I can't fully be held accountable for what happens to you next."

"My what a brash one you are, but if you're going to address me by name I'd advice to get it right," The figure said moving toward him. "For the new kid is in town."

He stepped out into the light generated from the moon, smiling down at him with a pleased look in his eye.

"Joy meeting you Robin," He said stopping a few feet across from him. "Call me Kaito Kid."

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 98

Planned Escape

He stood his ground, keeping an eye out for anything in the surrounding area. He was surprised, disappointed even. He looked back to the boy standing before him to see he had changed the form in how he stood.

"So, you really are the only one to have accepted my invite."

"What were you expecting, the whole city as your audience," Robin questioned. "Sorry to disappoint, but they believe you to be elsewhere."

"Kelver Side Crafts."

"You knew?"

"A planned red herring, one which I was hoping most would bypass."

"It wasn't hard to figure, after we caught onto your motto it was only a matter of time before we closed in on you."

"We.. so I see you're not the only one after all," Kaitou Kid said. "I'm not surprised, after all I wouldn't expect someone such as yourself to be able to comprehend my riddles to their fullest."

"Why, the predictability you've showcased was most evident."

"If that were true then why are you the only standing here," Kaitou Kid questioned. "Where are these so called acquaintances of yours?"

"Patience."

"Then you'll have to give them my best wishes," Kaitou Kid said stashing the device away into his jacket. "For I don't plan on sticking around for much longer."

"And here I thought you wanted a major showing of guests."

"Perhaps, but I have somewhere I must be."

"Why so soon, the main event is just about to start."

"Finally something we can agree on, you're right," Kaitou Kid said. "The event is about to take flight, but not quite the main event like you've spoken."

"What's so important about that gizmo you put so much effort into obtaining?"

"That's my little secret."

"If you wanted it why not just take it, why the whole big set up orchestrated here tonight," Robin asked. "Why the invitations?"

"You were able to locate me, I'd figure you'd be able to find that out for yourself."

"Sorry to say, but the games over," Robin stated. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, your choice."

"I prefer an option of my own."

"Which involves running no doubt."

"You're one to rush to conclusions, none of it is that simple," Kaitou Kid commented. "None of what I do ever is."

"So you plan on sticking around for the authorities is that it?"

"Oh no, I do have a set schedule to keep."

"Sorry to put a clamp on your claim, but you're not going anywhere."

"Humerus, but it's not like there's anything stopping me from doing so."

He felt opposed by this statement, readying himself for the next move to be made.

"Try me."

He remained attentive as possible, listening to everything that was brought to his attention. The conclusion was the same, just like the others he had not been anticipating a move to be made quite like this.

"So let me get this straight, the person who impersonated me has already escaped?"

"Through a window in one of the rooms back stage." Tim confirmed.

"We need to catch whoever this person is."

"They shouldn't get far, Damian has already spotted them," Tim confirmed. "I tried to pressing him to stay put until I got ahold of Dick, but he cut me off before the chance could arrive."

"Call him now," Bruce instructed. "We need to keep this guy locked in."

"Already on it." Tim said stepping off to the side.

"Anything we can do to help?" Conan asked.

"Don't see how," Heiji said. "We're stuck in here, and I don't think Mr. Armond plans on releasing anyone until they've got this whole thing situated."

"Actually there is something you can do to help."

"There is?"

"You're here with that group from the police force right?"

"Yea, detective Gates came along with the five other chosen guys."

"Good, then go to Mr. Gates and have him call in all the other units to this location," Bruce said. "That way if this thief makes a run for the north side they'll be able to corner them."

"Of course, I almost forgot," Heiji said. "I'll go and tell him right away."

He left the group from there in search of detective Gates who was standing on the other side of the room.

"Guess that leaves the two of us," Conan said. "What happens now?"

"We wait," Bruce replied. "Let's see if our preparations hold up to form."

He had yet to make a move like he presumably hinted to, electing to stand his ground for seconds to come with nothing such as a blink.

"I don't get it, why hasn't he made a run for it.. is this another one of his riddles?"

In his mind it was now time to engage. Without warning he launched forward, racing toward him at him at top speed.

"That's it, come to me."

He swiftly leaped over his attempt, landing to the spot he had been standing just moments prior.

"Thanks for the opening boy," Kaitou Kid remarked. "I guess this is the part where I check out."

He let out a grin, this time following up on his claim as he turned to make a run for it.

"Lucky move."

He wasted no time in following after him, exploding with a surge of energy that had been waiting to be unleashed. He chased after him with extreme persuasion, looking ahead to see the edge of the roof was near. Even more obvious was the gap between the Futures Building and the closets structure across the way.

"No way he's making that jump."

With that he began to pull back on his strides, anticipating he'd do the same after reaching what was a seemingly dead end. That wasn't the case, he pushed on with a powering force which resulted in him diving off the side of the roof.

"Did he just?"

He ran to the edge, looking downward to see him soaring away on what appeared to be a hang glider of some kind.

"Where in the world did he get that, no way he had that stored away on his body," Robin said keying in on his grappler. "Dare I say some kind of magic."

He jumped down, launching the cable free as he homed in on him.

"Magic or not, no way he's getting away."

Closing in wasn't going to be an easy task, due to the winds working in his favor, carrying him in the direction he seeked. Unaware if he was being followed or not he took a peak back to observe that was in fact the case.

"What's this, some kind of hook line," Kaitou Kid said. "I thought for sure the path would have been cut, no matter, it shouldn't take very long to lose him."

With that thought in mind he slightly angled downward, picking up speed in the process. He immediately took note of this, knowing he'd have to speed up in his progressions.

"He knows I'm tailing him, which makes things just that more difficult," Robin said to himself. "Gotta close the distance some how."

The two of them had remained in the same spot, anxiously awaiting the return of the others. He checked the time, coming to find it was now forty five after six, fifteen minutes before he thought his speech was to be held. He looked ahead just in time to see him maneuvering his way back to the two of them.

"How did it go," Conan asked. "Were you able to get in contact with him?"

"I informed him of the situation, Dick's already in pursuit of them," Tim replied. "According to him, Damian is already on the move."

"In what direction?" Bruce asked.

"Exactly what we didn't want," Tim replied. "That being the east where he was supposed to stand guard, the one to take the device must have gotten past him some how."

"I wonder how that could have happened." Conan remarked.

"What about Heiji, has he spoken with that detective?"

"They're contacting the others stationed around Kelver Side as we speak." Bruce confirmed.

"By the time they get here it will be too late, the thief will most likely be out of sight by then," Conan said. "Are you sure there's nothing more we can do?"

"Maybe," Bruce said skimming the room. "But first, we'll need to find a way out of here."

"Which won't be easy, considering they have no plans on releasing anyone until they retrieve whatever it was that was taken."

"Then we'll have to plan up something to cause for a change in scenery." Tim said.

"How about an alarm," Conan questioned. "This place should have a fire alarm right?"

"That might have been idea if the security guard hadn't been standing right beneath it." Bruce pointed out.

"Glad to know you're both on the same page," Tim said. "But that's not what I had in mind."

"Can't wait to hear this." Conan said looking directly to him.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of a man none of them had ever seen before.

"Mr. Wayne there's someone who'd like to have a quick word with you," He informed. "Are you in the middle of something?"

"Of course not, I'd be happy to speak with them," Bruce replied turning to face him. "Where might I find this person?"

"Look no further," He answered pointing to the left. "They're already on their way over."

".. They?"

He repositioned his stance, turning to see a young man and woman standing aside one another as they approached. The mans dark brown hair was slicked back, accompanied by a bright smile that could clearly be made out. He wore a casual brown suit with a purple tie. The woman had a strand of long black hair which was pulled back as well, knotted up in a pony tail. The color scheme of her clothing was the same as his, a dark brown dress with a purple shirt beneath. They arrived seconds there after, stopping after reaching him.

"After a long weeks tour it's a pleasure to finally meet you," The man spoke holding out his hand. "Bruce Wayne."

"And you are?" Bruce said shaking his hand in acceptance.

"Galen," He replied. "Galen Kefalas."

"You mentioned a a tour, I'm assuming you mean of the city."

"That is correct," Galen replied. "This is the fourth city we've visited in the last six months, we've spent an extended period in each before moving on to the next."

"Sounds like a promising journey," Bruce said. "Where is it you're from?"

"Thessaloniki Greece."

"That's a long way from home," Bruce commented. "What is it the two of seek or hope to gain on your travels across the world?"

"You're not the first to ask that, and most certainly won't be the last," Galen replied. "We're actually checking in on the other facilities, it's for a major project the company we work for plans to launch."

"What's the name of this company?"

"You're probably quite familiar with it," Galen stated. "After all there is one located here in Gotham."

"There are too many to count, even if you only look at the ones that have overseas business," Bruce said. "Which company would you happen to be referring to?"

"Nano High," Galen replied. "The largest growing company in the use of creating new resources in many different fields."

"Of course."

"We heard about your recent partnership with us, and wanted the chance to meet you in person after hearing so," Galen said. "Which I'm glad came into fruition."

"I'm honored," Bruce said before setting his sights elsewhere. "And who is this beautiful woman at your side?"

"Ademia Kefalas," She answered with a twinkling sparkle in her eye. "I appreciate your very amiable remark Wayne."

"That was my intent."

"And who is this young man beside you?" Galen asked taking notice of him.

"Timothy," Bruce replied. "But he usually goes by Tim."

"Nice to meet you." Tim said holding out his hand.

"Alright then Tim." Galen said with the shake of his hand.

"And this here is a guest of mine who's been staying at my place for about a week now," Bruce said dropping a hand down to his shoulder. "This is Conan."

"Hi." Conan said waving up to the two.

Galen became wide eyed, finding himself frozen within the moment. He was snapped out of it by a pinch at his side from Ademia, Tim being the only to take notice of this.

"What was that for?" Galen muttered turning to face her.

She simply glared at him, saying nothing in response to his complaint.

"Is everything alright?" Bruce asked.

"I was just surprised to see someone of this boy's age at an event such as this," Galen replied. "He seems to be the only minor here."

"I hadn't really paid any attention to that," Bruce said. "But he doesn't mind, Conan here loves the big crowds."

"I did as well when I was his age," Galen said tightening his tie. "Well it was nice to meet the three of you, I actually have a call to make so.."

"We understand," Bruce said. "Maybe we'll see you again before you head off to the next city on your radar."

"I'll see to it," Galen said reaching for his phone. "Until that time."

He left the group from there, turning for the left side of the room in the process.

"I'm sorry about the sudden departure, it's always business with him first." Ademia said.

"It's not a problem," Bruce said. "I for one know how consuming work on a level such as this can be."

"I knew you would," Ademia said turning to walk. "Keeping our lives balanced between work and family is of high importance to me."

"He's lucky to have you."

"As what I feel about him."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you two been together?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, how long have you been married?"

"If that's the way you've viewed it then you're completely wrong Mr. Wayne," Ademia said flashing her eyes back at him once more. "Galen isn't my spouse, he's my brother."

"I guess I had it all wrong," Bruce said. "But please call me Bruce, most everyone does."

She managed a smile before pushing on once more. He couldn't help but look on, watching as she disappeared into the depths of the crowd.

"There's something about her." Tim said.

"Yes, there most certainly is." Bruce smilingly agreed.

"I don't think we're on the same page." Tim said looking up at him.

"I didn't sense anything wrong," Conan said. "Everything seemed normal about her to me, what exactly shot out to you?"

"It wasn't just her, but that Galen as well."

"Now that you mention it, they did share a brief moment," Conan said. "But I doubt it's anything to concern ourselves with."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Sounds like you're pushing it more than anything," Conan said. "They seemed relatively normal from my angle."

".. Maybe."

"Whatever the case it'll have to wait," Bruce said. "We have more important matters to concern ourselves with."

"Have you thought up a way out of here?"

"Not just yet, but I'm working on it," Bruce replied. "In the mean time I'd like for you to recontact Dick, get an update on his position."

"I'll see to it." Tim said.

"Do you think he's caught up to them yet?" Conan asked.

"It all depends on the pace they're moving at," Bruce replied. "Dick knows the layout of this city just as well as the next, he'll reach them eventually, it's only a matter of when."

"Hopefully before the guy somehow manages to escape."

"He won't," Bruce said. "I'm sure of it."

They were clearly watched from all sides, several spectators looking on as the two pressed on with high energy. He was unaware of where he was headed exactly, but had a small sense that it would soon all come to an end. He glimpsed back, confirming that he was still in the process of being pursued.

"I'm surprised to see he's keeping up, especially for someone his age," Kaitou Kid thought. "But that begs the question of why, he's obviously working for someone or some group."

Gaining the audience of an even larger group at this point was now something he wasn't looking to have.

"It's only a matter of time before the police catch on, pending that they've not already been briefed about my whereabouts."

He knew whatever it was he was to do needed to happen soon. The sound of sirens from many blocks away could faintly be heard, driving the dagger even further into the time limit.

"No matter the city, they never seem to disappoint."

He smilingly weighed his options as his descension toward the ground continued. A breath of strong wind blew past sailing him higher into the air, in affect buying him extra time. It was at that moment that he saw a large pick up truck driving along on the road below. An instant idea popped into his mind, resulting in him soaring down toward it. Robin seeing this followed after him.

"What is he up to?"

He landed to the top of the truck, letting the hang glider fall to his side. He turned to see Robin drop down a yard or two away from where he stood.

"Nowhere else to glide, you just sealed your fate but touching down here."

He showed little to no emotion in response to this, simply waving him his way.

"Things would seem to appear that way, now don't they," Kaitou Kid remarked. "If you're so confident, why don't you come over here and apprehend me?"

It was all too convincing, but deep down he knew there was some kind of catch to this, a hidden trick.

Discussions for many sustained as he continued to plot a means of finding a way out of their current situation. All of that was put on hold as he looked ahead to see him step through the crowd to rejoin them.

"You're back," Conan said. "Got an update for us?"

"I spoke with detective Gates on the matter, I told him of our suspicions," Heiji replied. "Half of the unit that was stationed at Kelver Side Crafts is already in pursuit of the situation."

"That's all good and said, but how will they know where to find him," Conan questioned. "He's obviously still on the move."

"It hasn't been hard since calls have been coming in about two guys flying across town," Heiji answered before turning back to Bruce. "Any word from Grayson on the matter, has he reached the two as of yet?"

"We're uncertain," Bruce replied. "As long as Robin keeps pace, that will give him the time to catch up and rotate the tables into our favor."

"So I guess that leaves us to sit around and wait for results huh?"

"Maybe not for too much longer," Bruce said. "I'm going to walk over and have a word with Armond Stanton."

"Anything you'd like us to do in the mean time?"

"Stay put," Bruce replied. "I won't be long."

"Sure thing."

They did as instructed, observing as he made his way back to stage side. He didn't let the latest command stop him from skimming the room once more. It wasn't long after that an idea popped into his mind, but he needed to look over the outer walls to confirm his claims.

"Be right back, I think I might have a way out."

"What do you mean," Heiji questioned. "Bruce said he'd handle it."

"In the case that it doesn't work I might have an alternate solution."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"No, I can handle this on my own," Conan replied. "I won't be long, when Bruce returns tell him I'll be back shortly."

"Care to let me in on this plan of yours?"

"I have no fill to if it will work or not, it all depends on if someone is standing guard throughout the main hall."

"The main hall?"

"The one leading to this room," Conan clarified. "I'm going to go and check it out, stay here."

"Ok," Heiji said as he watched him walk off. "Whatever you say."

He took off for the left wall as planned, stepping around those who anxiously waited for their questions to be answered. He reached the wall soon there after with little effort made, checking to make sure no one was looking out for his ongoing activity.

"All is clear, now to find a place to set the recorder."

He continued on his path along the wall, keeping his sights to the trimmings below. He stopped about halfway through, looking ahead to see a man leaned to the wall with a newspaper in hand which covered his face. This was only a minor set back, but knew he'd have to wait for him to move before pushing on.

"Great," Conan thought in displeasure. "Now I'm presented with the task of some how getting this guy to reposition to somewhere else."

He looked over his shoulder to see Bruce was still on stage, letting him know he still had time. Just when he was to take another step the man with the paper in hand lowered it to reveal his face. His eyes widened at what he saw, those same dark shades covering the very essence of what was behind the man. His heart raced at this, resulting in him reaching for his chest as he took to a knee. There was no mistaking it, he knew who the man was, standing not even ten yards away from where he was.

"It can't be," Conan gasped in disbelief. "Korn, but what's he doing here.. could it be?"

All else fell to complete darkness as his body fell forward, toppling to the ground below. Those who stood nearby gathered around in concern, alerting security of what had happened.

A move had yet to be made by either. He stared over at him, surprised he had yet to attempt a move. The deceleration of the truck became evident in the following seconds that past, alerting him of a nearby street intersection. His eyes wondered at the thought of this.

"What's the hold up, devising a master plan to assure my arrest?" Kaitou Kid remarked.

"He's given himself up for attack much too easily, my next move will be as important as any."

"You seem less verbal than before.. oh, now I get it," Kaitou Kid said with the snap of his finger. "I'm receiving the silent treatment."

He blocked out everything that was said, knowing it was only a form of distraction. He slightly crouched in his current position, lowering his right hand down to the utility belt as he did. The bell was just seconds away from ringing, execution was now the deciding factor to what would happened next. The street light flashed to his eye, turning red in the wake of it all.

"Now!"

He darted forward at the anticipated stop of the vehicle, slinging a birdrang into his direction in hopes of it posing as a distraction. He easily saw through this, moving off to the side as it flew by.

"Kind of predicatable don't you think?" Kaitou Kid deviously grinned.

There was no decline in his rush toward him, leaping at him with a left hook only to have his arm grabbed.

"Perfect." Kaitou Kid said springing out what appeared to be a whip from his sleeve.

"Lucky move." Robin said before following up with another punch.

He welcomed this, grabbing hold of his right arm as well before locking it down to his left with the use of the whip.

"I must say you've made for great entertainment," Kaitou Kid said kicking the hang glider up from the ground to his right hand. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to put a hold on our little session."

"That's what you think."

Before he could even attempt to release his arms from the grasp of the whip he felt the hang glider get attached to him.

"Toodle-oo kid."

The next thing he knew he was kicked from behind, sending him gliding toward a dark ally across the way. He landed directly into a dumpster, feeling the glider crush under him. He used his gauntlets to cut free of the whip, looking back to the street to see Kaitou Kid give him the salute just as the truck started up once again.

"I don't think so."

Just as he was to push up a banana peel caused him to slip, resulting in the garbage caving in on itself along with him. The top of the dumpster fell shut in the process. This only infuriated him further. He powered out with one single push, dropping to the ground to see the truck was no longer in sight.

"No, I can not let that no good show boater get away."

He raced forward only to have someone drop down in front, blocking his path. He raised his head to see him, the look in his eyes telling the whole story.

"Nightwing I."

"Where is he?"

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 99

Alteration in Ego

A strong scent of an ongoing shower came to him. He opened his eyes, feeling the smooth surface below him. The first moments were that of a blur, taking time for his vision to clear up. He looked down to see he was laid out on a couch. Knowing this he turned his head to the right to find himself in an unfamiliar environment.

"Where am I?"

He slowly sat up from where he laid, removing the light blanket that had been placed over him. He then browsed the rest of the room, looking to the wall opposite of himself to see a fish tank set up atop a dresser. He then focused his attention to the left, finding an opened window in the clear where small drops continued to drift in.

"What is this place?"

Not a moment later did it take for him to realize that something was off, reaching for his face to find that his glasses were not in place. This raised more questions than before. Not wanting to sit around any longer he dropped down from the couch, taking notice of a door on the right side.

"That could be my way out, pending that it's not locked from the other side."

Making little noise as possible he quietly made his way to the door, not wanting the possibility of someone to hear.

"Step one complete."

He reached for the knob once there, slowly turning it only to hear the sound of a voice from behind.

"No need for the stealth, it's just the two of us."

"Let me guess," Conan said turning around. "You were there the whole time."

"Only for the past five minutes." Tim replied stepping away from the wall.

"Guess this is what happens when you don't check the whole room," Conan said. "What is this place, and why did you bring me here?"

"We had a dispute with the time and all last night, so we came to the decision to bring you here," Tim answered. "My place."

"Ok, that explains," Conan said. "But what about my glasses, where did you put them?"

"I thought you would have been more concerned with what happened after that black out of yours."

"I blacked out?"

"You don't remember?"

He took the next seconds to try and rehash what had happened, trailing his way back to the sofa as he did. He took a seat once there, bringing a hand to his head with the shake of his head.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

"The last thing I recall is going on a search of the room."

"As I was told," Tim said. "Something about finding a way out of there right?"

"Yea, that's right," Conan said sliding down from the couch. "The thief, what happened with him?"

"One topic at a time, you first," Tim said. "What's the last thing you remember from last nights occasion, preferably what you remember seeing last?"

"Let's see here."

He brought a hand to his chin, stepping around the couch as he did.

"So you went in search of the room, then what happened?"

"If I'm not mistaken I followed the the outer wall on the left side in hopes of finding an unattended vent."

"For what?"

"I had the intent of planting a recorder onto it," Conan replied. "It was all part of the plan."

"So you're following the outline of the wall, at any point did you stop for any given reason?"

"I don't recall.."

He paused, giving it a couple seconds to think back.

"Now that you mention it there was something," Conan said looking up at him. "That man, he was there."

"What man," Tim asked. "Anybody I might know?"

"Korn, I'm sure of it."

"Wait, you don't mean the less than talkative Korn from the Organization do you?"

"I know it sounds far fetched but I'm positive it was him I saw."

"Ok, let's say this is true," Tim said. "What would he being doing here in Gotham?"

"I don't know," Conan replied. "It could be a variety of things, a planned hit would be my first guess."

"I was thinking the same."

"Was anyone hurt or maybe killed last night that you might know of?"

"Not at the convention," Tim replied. "If that was indeed him, there might be another reason for his attendance."

"And I doubt he was there for the big reveal."

"What exactly did you see him doing, was he with anyone?"

"No, he was alone," Conan replied. "I didn't notice him at first, he had a newspaper covering his face."

"Sounds to me like he might have been waiting for someone."

"That must have been around the time I lost conscious," Conan said. "That leaves us with no real way of finding out."

"Not necessarily," Tim stated. "We can still get ahold of the security tapes, that might reveal just what we're hoping to find."

"I didn't even think about that," Conan said. "How soon do you think we can get our hands on these tapes?"

"Not completely sure, we'll have to call in and set up a time," Tim replied. "Shouldn't take any longer than a day at max."

"Let's hope we can cut it shorter than that."

"And you're sure that's all you saw," Tim asked. "Are you certain you didn't see him make eye contact with anyone, perhaps a guest who might have approached him?"

"Sorry, but that's all I can remember," Conan said. "Whatever happened next is unknown to me."

"I see."

"Not that I really care to know, but how did everyone react when I fell over," Conan asked. "How did Bruce take it?"

"I didn't see his initial reaction, but that woman," Tim said. "Ademia Kefalas, she was one of the first to come to your side."

"She was?"

"She even called for an ambulance," Tim informed. "That's when I stepped in and said I'd take over."

"She sounds like a really decent woman, you're not still suspicious of her are you?"

"Don't know, but that's not what we should be focused in on."

"You're right, now it's your turn," Conan declared. "What happened with the thief?"

"Unfortunately he got away."

"I was afraid that'd be the outcome," Conan said with the shake of his head. "Are we any closer to finding out who this guy is?"

"I tried asking Damian about what happened last night, but he completely refused to answer," Tim replied. "I left it up to Bruce and Dick to handle the situation from there, that's when I brought you here."

"What about Hattori, is he around?"

"Out looking into something, and soon will I," Tim said. "Bruce plans to brief me in on what he learned about our run away thief."

"I want to come with."

"I don't think so," Tim declined. "I agreed to make sure you stayed put, at least until the blood results come back on the blood sample collected."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"Some time to day," Tim answered. "If something is wrong with you, which appears to be the case, we'll know what soon enough."

"Leaving me to sit here and wait while you guys get to handle the case," Conan remarked. "Sounds like a joy."

"I've always found reading to be a helpful way of passing time, there's actually quite a selection to choose from in the up stairs room," Tim notified. "I could take you there now if you'd like."

"No thanks," Conan declined. "I'd rather not."

"You feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, maybe just a little tired is all," Conan replied. "You never did answer my question to where you put my glasses."

"Hold on for a minute, I'll go and grab them," Tim said before heading for the door. "I left them sitting on the kitchen counter."

"Great, I'll come with you." Conan said following from close behind.

"Fine by me."

After over an hour of driving they had finally arrived. He tipped the cab driver before stepping out, waving him off before watching him drive into the clear.

"Finally, now maybe we'll get some answers."

He checked his watch, wanting to clarify the time they had discussed.

"Thirty five after ten, this might be pushing it," Heiji thought to himself. "Good thing I don't plan on staying long."

He made his way to the entrance from there, looking to see the parking lot was more than half full.

"Never expected business to begin on such a high note."

He continued toward the building, looking up to the print upon the sign which read 'Living Green'. He entered in as a group of people exited, wasting no time in trying to sight an employee.

"Excuse me." Heiji said approaching someone working in front of a set of flower pots.

They immediately turned to face him.

"What is it I can do for you?"

"It's actually quite simple," Heiji replied. "Would you happen to know where I might find Mr. Matthews, Steve Matthews to be precise?"

"Oh yes, he's working today."

"In which department?"

"If I'm not mistaken he should be out back watering the outside plants, that would be the best place to look."

"Thanks."

Knowing where to go next he left with no further questions needed. He checked the time once more, wanting to make sure he remained on schedule. After reaching the other side of the room he followed the wall all the way to the back, stopping after reaching the door. He pushed it aside with ease, looking into the near distance to see a lone man standing with a water hose in hand.

"That must be him."

He removed his hands from within his pockets as he approached, coming to a halt after reaching his side.

"Matthews?"

He turned to face him, lowering the hose as he did.

"That would be me," Steve confirmed. "You must be the one who wished to speak with me."

"That is correct." Heiji replied before pulling out his phone.

"What's this?"

"A picture," Heiji replied holding the phone out for him to see. "This woman, I was told you've seen her before."

"Let me see here."

He moved in for a closer look, shaking his head at what he saw.

"That's right," Steve confirmed. "She comes in every few days or so."

"I was told her name was Sam."

"Not Sam, Pam," Steve corrected. "Or at least that's what she told me."

"What else do you know about her," Heiji asked. "I heard you two spoke on a regular basis."

"Only about the merchandise," Steve said. "From the types of plants we have here to the ones we would be importing in."

"At any point did she discuss anything regarding her personal life?"

They were interrupted by the sound of his phone. He pulled it out to see the incoming number.

"It's from the station," Heiji said. "I have to take this."

"The station?"

He turned his back to him to take the call.

"This is Heiji."

Not much needed to be said on his part, only listening to what was told to him. The conversation didn't take long, shocked by the information that was given to him.

"I'm sorry," Heiji said turning back to face him. "But I must go."

"You mentioned something about a station, are you some kind of investigator or something?"

"Something like that," Heiji replied. "Appreciate the information, I'll leave you back to your work, we're done here."

"Nice talk." Steve said as he watched him walk off.

He followed him down the stairs, letting him take the lead as the two made their way toward the door. They entered to find him sitting at the desk. He looked up at the two, almost as if he had been expecting them.

"I checked for traces of DNA on that hang glider like you asked," Dick informed. "It came up negative."

"I'm not surprised," Bruce said. "Especially after pulling the file on the presumed thief."

"So is it true, is that guy really who he said he was?"

"From the description you gave I'd say we have a match," Bruce confirmed. "He goes by the name of Kaitou Kid, a well known and successful thief who operates predominantly in Japan."

"Never heard of the guy prior to last night," Damian commented. "His skills were slightly above mediocre, but did have the edge to catch me by surprise."

"Japan isn't his only known playing field," Bruce continued. "I had heard about some of his other activities that have taken shape over the past year or so, only now has he brought his travels here to Gotham."

"Any clue as to why that may be?" Dick asked.

"If I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be sitting here," Bruce replied. "Finding out what he's after is our main priority."

"What exactly was it that he stole?" Dick asked.

"It was known as a G3 Power Emitter," Bruce replied. "It was said to have had enough energy to power a half a city the size of Gotham."

"That can't be right," Damian spoke out. "There's no way the device I saw him stash away within his jacket could be capable of that length of power."

"You wouldn't think," Bruce agreed. "But you'd be surprised, I saw the prints for the device myself this morning."

"So we know the what, now only the why remains," Dick said. "Any ideas as to why this guy might have taken the gizmo?"

"Unfortunately not," Bruce replied. "There's nothing in his profile evading toward an item such as the one taken, commonly what sparks his interest is jewels."

"Any particular type?"

"A variety."

"Why does his routine even matter at this point," Damian said taking a spot to the wall. "I doubt we're even going to find him, if he's smart he's probably hiding it out somewhere."

"What are you implying, that we should just give up?" Dick said looking his way.

"Father said he went after something he normally wouldn't right, that means there's a high possibility he was hired for the job," Damian said. "Which means instead of looking for the clown in white, we should be looking for someone who'd have something to gain with a device like that."

"Taking a methodical approach I see," Dick commented. "I'm impressed."

"The question is, will we be receiving another riddle?"

"I was wondering that very question myself."

"Then let it be put to rest," Bruce said regaining their attention. "Before worrying about anything that has yet to occur, we need to figure out the other message presented in the riddle."

"Another message?" Dick said looking at him in confusion.

"the prosper of growth isn't fostered within the past or present, for the Diamonds eye is for all to see," Bruce reminded. "That phrase was clearly referring to the Futures Building."

"Right.."

"Then there's the second part of that riddle," Bruce continued. "the Shows beginning shall proceed with all λ0-(-30) 105 accounted in."

"Which was the link between important structures throughout the city."

"But had little to do with what unfolded last night," Bruce said. "Let's not blind ourselves from the importance of the (X) at the beginning of the riddle and the (Y) that closed it off."

"Which we've concluded as placement and distance," Dick said. "But besides the Futures Building, what else could we be looking into as a place of interest?"

"All locations that lead us to where we are now," Bruce replied. "Cennals Inc, Delmore Industries, Syclons, Salvon's Bridge, Silver Engineering, Kelver Side Crafts, and Wayne Enterprises."

"Are you sure about this?"

"He got ahold of one of the Wayne helicopters, I'd say he knows a thing or two about the company and how we work business," Bruce replied. "And probably a sufficient amount of information on the other companies as well."

"Makes sense when you put it that way."

"From this point forward this is now one of our top priorities."

"From the sounds of it I'd say you're taking this whole thing rather personal." Damian stated.

"The moment that Kaitou Kid impersonated me to see his mission through was the moment it became personal."

"Oh.. kay then," Dick said. "Where do we start?"

"While reading through the many reports involving Kid I happened to sight a certain someone who seemed to be at the middle of several of the encounters."

"Someone we know?"

"Correct," Bruce confirmed. "I want you to bring me the boy, if there's a quick counter to Kid he's our best option."

"You mean Conan?"

"He knows this guy better than any of us as it would appear."

"Wow, talk about desperate measures." Damian remarked.

"I'll give Tim a call in a bit to see if he's awake," Dick said. "Speaking of which, did you get the results back on that blood test you ran?"

"Still in the process." Bruce answered at the ring of his phone.

Not sure as to who was calling he removed the phone from in his pocket, surprised at who was was calling. He answered it, listening to the person on the other line who delivered some unfortunate and disturbing news. He understood what was needed of him, hanging up after nearly a minute of conversation.

"What is it," Dick asked after seeing the look on his face. "What happened?"

"It's Mr. Fournier," Bruce said resting his phone to the desk. "He's dead."

"Mr. Fournier, as in Lonard Fournier?"

"No, but his brother," Bruce replied. "Grahm Fournier."

"How?"

"They're saying he was shot," Bruce replied. "And that's the only information that was given to me."

"But why call you, I don't understand."

"They're gathering everyone who made contact with the company in the last twenty four hours," Bruce replied. "I told them I couldn't make it but would send a representative in my place regarding the business aspect of things."

"I'll go."

"No, I want you here working the Kaitou Kid case while I go check on that blood sample," Bruce said sitting up from the chair. "I'll call Tim and have him head down there."

"Either way works."

"I'll be back shortly," Bruce said. "If you unexpectedly need me for whatever reason, you know where to find me."

"Of course," Dick said. "Damian and I will see what we can come up with."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you."

With that he turned for the other side, exiting the room with the push of the door.

"Now what?"

"We do as asked of us," Dick replied. "Our best bet is to decode the remainder of the message, with any luck that will lead us right to him."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It will," Dick said in response. "After hearing what he had to say and revisiting the riddle, I'm certain of it."

"I sure hope you're right about this one."

"Don't over think it, you'll see in time," Dick said. "Now, what do you say we get this investigation underway?"

"The tables yours."

He followed him out of the room they had been in, leading into a larger one. He observed the place as they walked, taking in every little detail that came to view. There were a set of stairs leading to another floor, but most notable were the unique paintings of art that filled the wall. They stopped upon reaching a door on the far side, walking in past it which lead to yet another room.

"And here we are." Tim said walking over to the counter located on the left side.

He reached down, grabbing hold of the desired item before turning back to hand it to him.

"I take it this are what you wanted."

"Thanks." Conan said taking the glasses into hand before placing them on.

"I don't get it, why wear them when you're here," Tim questioned. "It's not like you have vision problems or need to disguise your appearance from anyone around here."

"It's more of a habit, and in case a situation arises where they're needed."

"Sticking with the simple approach I see, we'll go with that."

"Not a bad place by the way, not as big as the mansion," Conan commented. "But still spaced out none the less."

"Would you like anything," Tim asked. "Perhaps something to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, I think I'll be fine for awhile." Conan said bringing a hand to his forehead.

"You ok?"

"It's nothing," Conan assured. "Just a minor headache is all."

"I know just the thing," Tim said with the snap of his finger. "How about a bath, if anything it could at least help mellow down the headache you've got going."

He took a few moments to give it some thought, looking back up at him after coming to a decision.

"You know.. that might not be a bad idea."

"Great, the bath water has already been set," Tim informed. "It should still be relatively warm, I took care of that right before coming to check on you."

"You had this all planned out didn't you?"

"You seemed warm when I checked last, so I thought it might be a good idea," Tim replied. "You'll find the bathroom first door on the left upstairs."

"Back onto what happened last night," Conan said shifting the subject. "How did the general public take it, do the police know what went on?"

"Only parts here and there," Tim replied. "Not as much information as we have on the matter."

"I guess it's a wait and see approach."

"That's one way of putting it." Tim said to hear the sound of his phone.

"Who is it?" Conan asked out of curiosity.

"Bruce."

"Think it's about what happened last night?"

"Only one way of finding out." Tim said taking the call.

He kept his position from where he stood, watching as the look on his face gradually changed from what it had been. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not, waiting over a minute for his conversation to come to an end.

"What was it, what did he say?"

"There's a problem at the Nano High building," Tim replied. "Grahm Fournier was found dead in his brother's office."

"What happened?"

"He was murdered, one bullet to the head."

"I can't believe it."

"It's surprising news for us all," Tim said. "Anyway, Bruce wants me to head up there for certain proceedings."

"Can I come," Conan asked with a step taken. "There's bound to be a case."

"I thought that's what your response might be, but the answer is no," Tim said declining his request. "More important thing in your regard right now is getting some rest."

"Is Heiji going to be there?"

"I'm not certain, but there's a chance," Tim said. "I'll tell you what, why don't you hold onto this."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar device which he handed to him.

"A codec piece," Conan questioned. "What for?"

"This way you can hear all that goes on while still here."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better on the matter?"

"No, but it does give you an option besides being completely left out."

"Alright," Conan said placing it into his ear. "Can't get any worse than this."

"Bruce also wishes to speak with you about something," Tim informed. "I said I'd swing you back once business is wrapped up at Nano High."

"Did he tell you what about?"

"No idea," Tim replied. "But it sounded important."

"Not much to take away from that."

"I guess I better be going, they want me down there as soon as possible."

"I understand."

"If there's anything you want or need while I'm away just give me a ring, I'll try and get back to you whenever I can."

"Of course."

"Good, then I better be getting on my way."

He turned for the other side, exiting out of the kitchen through the same door he had entered.

"Grahm Fournier..," Conan thought. "What could have possibly lead to his death?"

He sat in silence as the cab drove along, taking a peak out of the window side to see the building was finally coming into view. He took a deep breath, readying himself for what was to come next.

"So, this is Nano High."

The cab came to a stop shortly there after. The two of them looked on, coming to find a large group of people from newscasters to police officers occupying the area.

"Is this good enough?"

"Yes, this will do," Heiji replied. "I can walk the rest of the way from here."

"Big crowd I see, any idea to what's going on over there?"

"Still don't have the full story myself," Heiji replied. "The only thing to my knowledge is that an important man has died."

"Good luck getting through there."

"Thanks."

With that he stepped out, gently closing the door before stepping up to the sidewalk. He made his way toward the building, finding it difficult to do so with the many that stood in his path. It wasn't just the reporters that surrounded the area, but a fleet of spectators coming to see what had occurred.

"Didn't expect a showing quite like this."

He continued to push his way toward the exit, surprised to see a man in a dress suit waving over at him in the near distance.

"Hey Hattori, over here."

"He knows my name."

There was something familiar, but he couldn't quite pin point where he had seen him. None the less he made his way toward the man who stood a few yards away.

"You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yea, I'm your ticket in," The man replied. "They won't let anyone in unattended without a police officer."

"That's right," Heiji said having it all come back to him. "I saw you at the City Hall, officer Celek right?"

"So you do remember me."

"Didn't recognize you at first," Heiji admitted. "Being that you're out of uniform."

"Glad we're on the same page," Celek said. "Now come, they wish to see you as soon as possible."

"Me," Heiji questioned. "Why?"

"On behalf of Lonard's wishes," Celek replied. "You must have left a good impression."

"You don't say," Heiji said. "So what's the deal, he wants me to try and piece together what happened?"

"I'd assume."

"That would explain."

"On another note, have you spoken with Gordon?"

"No, why," Heiji asked. "Did he want to see me?"

"He wanted to have a conversation with you about what happened last night at the Futures Building," Celek replied. "Looks like you may have been correct in your deduction."

"Yet it wasn't enough to catch the guy before making his move."

"Not all is lost," Celek said in response. "The diamond, the one left behind in the devices place."

"What of it?"

"It was stolen from Kelver Side Crafts exactly a month from yesterday." Celek informed.

"Is that right?"

"They're already running it for prints at the lab, with any luck it might lead to something," Celek continued. "Maybe even to who took that device."

"You don't know how helpful you've been."

"I'm glad to hear," Celek said. "Has something come to mind?"

"Not yet, but it is certainly an angle to work."

"Come, it'd be in our best interest not to keep them waiting any longer."

"Sure, but I must ask," Heiji said as they began to walk. "Why are you in a regular suit and not in uniform?"

"For undercover purposes," Celek informed. "My goal is to look out for any suspicious activity amongst the many employees."

"Why is that?"

"It seems there's been a bit of a subtle problem within the company," Celek replied. "It appearers that."

"No need to go on," Heiji said cutting him off. "Lonard had already come to me with this exact problem, the plan was for me to meet with him on the matter today."

"Looks like you're caught up with the situation even more so than myself."

"Besides you, who else is here to see this case through?"

"Just a couple of the locals," Celek replied. "Many of the other are still piecing together where that thief might have run off to."

"On the subject of Kelver Side, how did things turn out last night," Heiji asked. "I didn't hear of any incident, am I to assume all went well?"

"About as good as you would expect," Celek replied. "Which in affect confirms the one to write the riddles was in fact a guest at the Futures Building."

"That nails it," Heiji said. "But there's still one thing that bothers me."

"What?"

"The last riddle given out," Heiji said. "How was the thief able to deliver it to all of the stations and have it so they were all discovered at the same time?"

".. That's a really good question."

"An answer which may not be easy to come by."

The two became quiet as they pressed on, slowly making their way around those who stood in their path toward the front entrance. It took much patience, finally reaching the door nearly a minute later. The flash of several lights past by, turning to see it was only camera's. The door was immediately closed upon the two stepping in, greeted by a man who stood in what appeared to be a lab suit.

"Welcome to Nano High, you must be the detective I was informed about."

"And you are?"

"Edward Canoe," He replied pointing to his name tag. "But you can call me Professor Canoe, I've been helping with a lot of the hands on stuff we've been working on in the lab right beneath us."

"Professor Canoe it is."

They were then joined by another man who made his way over from the large desk on the left side.

"This here is Anthony Hamilton, the front clerk who checks in all guests." Edward introduced.

"This must be detective Hattori," Anthony said. "That must mean we're all set to head up."

"To where?" Heiji asked looking to him.

"The top floor," Edward replied. "That is where the the crime occurred, and is also where they would like us all to gather."

"Is this all of us, or are more to show?" Celek asked.

"As far as I know this is it," Edward said turning for the right side. "Come, the elevators are just around the corner."

"Has the problem been fixed?" Anthony asked.

"It hasn't given anyone trouble for the past thirty minutes, so I think we're good to go." Edward replied.

"Problem," Heiji questioned. "What kind of problem?"

"We had a little malfunction with one of the elevators, but it is now all clear," Edward assured. "It is no longer anything to worry about."

"I still think we better have someone give it a look later just in case," Anthony said. "You just never know with these things."

"Agreed, but right now our focus is needed elsewhere," Edward said. "Now what do you say we all head on up?"

"No argument there." Celek agreed.

With that they made their way for the elevators just ahead.

Things had become completely silent from the time he had left, taking his time as he made his way up the stairs. The door on the left mentioned to him before could clearly be seen as he neared the top. Each taken step seemed more draining than the last, stopping for a brief moment after reaching the top. The headache from before had escalated, no matter how minor it may be. He brought a hand to his forehead at the same time his phone began to ring. Not wanting to delay the call he reached down and grabbed hold of it, answering it on the spot.

"Hello."

"Conan," A comforting voice softly spoke. "Conan is that you?"

"Ran?"

"It's good to hear your voice again, I'm sorry your phone burned out the last we spoke."

"Oh yea," Conan laughingly agreed. "It had been on for most of the day."

"So are you doing ok?"

"Couldn't be better, it's been a great run so far."

"Speaking of which, where are the two of you now?"

"What?"

"Heiji told me about your travels," Ran clarified. "I was just wondering where it is you two are now."

"Oh yes," Conan said with a sudden pause. "We're actually in Chicago now, but plan on taking our journeys further east in the next day or so."

"Sounds like fun."

"It has been, what about you," Conan asked. "How have things been since your return?"

"Still settling in, but it is good to be home," Ran replied. "Though of course it's not the same without you, when do you plan on coming back anyway?"

"Five days, a week maybe."

"Don't cut it too long, after all school's back in session a week and a half from now." Ran reminded.

"I haven't forgotten."

"Good, then I'm going to let you go," Ran said. "I think it's about time I got a little sleep, it's been a long day."

"You're right," Conan said having a peak down at his watch. "It's after eleven PM there."

"If I don't hear from you soon, I'll be sure to call back in the next couple days."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Conan replied. "Good night Ran."

"Hope to see you soon."

He lowered the phone from his ear after ending the transmission, placing it back into his pocket before heading for the door once again.

"It sure was nice to hear her voice," Conan thought. "Hopefully she's doing better than me."

The elevator finally came to a stop upon reaching the twenty fifth floor. They all exited one by one, following Edward Canoe who lead them down the left side. He could hear voices in the clear, only getting louder the closer they got. He signaled for everyone to stop after reaching a door halfway down the hall.

"And here we are," Edward said turning the knob. "Once in they should update you with the details you need to know."

Without further ado he opened the door, being the first out of the four to step in. It was just as expected, everything set up just like any other crime scene. The first thing that came to view was the small area blocked off by crime scene tape on the other side of the room.

"That must be where the body was found."

He moved in, coming to a stop only after reaching the tape. Large amounts of blood could be seen embedded in the carpet below, there was no mistaking it, this had been where Grahm Fournier had been shot.

"This is defiantly where it happened." Heiji thought as someone joined up at his side.

"Hello there," An unknown officer greeted. "You must be that other detective who Lonard requested for."

"That'd be me," Heiji confirmed. "Was this where the body was found?"

"That is correct."

"At approximately what time was that?"

"Eight twenty four this morning."

"Who was the one to find the body?"

"Ms. Fournier," The officer replied. "The niece of the late Mr. Grahm Fournier."

"That's never a good way to start the day," Heiji stated. "Do we have an estimated time for when he was shot and killed?"

"They're working on that at the lab as we speak, we should have an answer to that soon enough."

"Good."

"In the mean time why don't you go and let Lonard know you're here," The officer suggested. "I'm sure he'd like to have a word with you."

"I'd assume so," Heiji said. "Where is he now?"

"Right over there accompanying his daughter," The officer said pointing to the left side. "As you can see she's very distraught over this whole ordeal."

"Which is understandable, its not every day you walk in to find a dead family member," Heiji said turning to where he had pointed. "Thanks for the information."

"Anytime kid."

He made his way into that direction from there, looking ahead to see Lonard who was still comforting his daughter through the current procedures. It took all but a few seconds for him to look up to see he had finally arrived.

"Detective Hattori, " Lonard greeted. "I'm so glad you were able to make it on such short notice."

"I wouldn't exactly call it short notice, after all we were scheduled to meet about an hour from now."

"You're very right," Lonard said. "That completely fell to the back of my mind with all that has happened."

"Which is understandable."

"I'm sure by now you know why you've been summoned here."

"To investigate the circumstances surrounding your brothers death."

"Exactly," Lonard confirmed. "The more people we have working on this the better, I want the one responsible for this held accountable for their actions."

"As do we all, but first I'd like to start off by asking a couple questions."

"Of course."

"Starting with your daughter if that's alright with you."

"Well my dear," Lonard said looking down at her. "Are you feeling up to it?"

She didn't respond for the first moments, taking her a time to finally give him the nod.

"Are you sure Bernadea?" Lonard asked.

"I want to help in anyway that I can." Bernadea replied.

"Very well," Lonard said. "In the mean time I'll be over there speaking with the Lieutenant, I'll return as soon as I can."

"I'll be right here." Bernadea said.

He nodded, turning for the opposite side of the room with nothing further said. That left just the two of them. He wasted no time, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Tell me," Heiji said stepping up to her. "What was it like when you entered the room at the time, was it dark?"

"To a degree, yes," Bernadea replied wiping the visible tears from her eyes. "There were no lights on, only the sun which was in the mist of rising provided a visual."

"I'd ask you about the position of the body, but I'm sure they have photos that could cover that field for me," Heiji said. "Could you clarify the time when you came across the body."

"Twenty something after."

"At what hour?"

"Eight this morning."

"Alright I'll check it down as eight twenty for now," Heiji said. "Besides the time, is there anything else of importance you might be able to tell me?"

"The room, it was cool," Bernadea said. "Almost as if someone had left the window open."

"Was it?"

"Not when I walked in."

"Air conditioning maybe?"

"It's currently a no go," Bernadea informed. "When I reported that bit of information they checked for that very possibility only to find that the air conditioning was non functional."

"How long do you believe it was out?"

"It was working just fine yesterday afternoon before I left."

"That's strange."

"Do you think there's some meaning to it?"

"Can't say for sure," Heiji replied. "While we're still on the subject, is there anything else out of the ordinary that you noticed or can tell me?"

"That was virtually it, once I saw the body seconds after I freaked," Bernadea said. "I left to go and find help immediately."

"What you've given me is good enough, and could prove useful."

"So are we done?"

"For now, yes," Heiji replied. "Of course I'll come back if there is anything else that needs to be asked."

"I'm glad I was able to help."

"Keep your spirits high, we'll eventually get this thing solved."

With that he turned for the other side, thinking about all he had just learned from his conversation with her.

"The estimated time of death will prove key," Heiji thought. "Then there's the temperature deal.. could someone have tried to change the apparent time of death?"

He finally reached the bathroom, closing the door on his way in. It was then that the thoughts of what could be going on at Nano High came back to him.

"I wonder if he has arrived at the facility yet," Conan thought. "I'm sure he'll inform me when he does."

Wanting to keep a close link as possible he activated the ear piece given to him, only hearing the sound of static in the first moments.

"Doesn't sound like anything is going on," Conan said. "Either he hasn't arrived or this thing is out of commission."

He looked ahead to the tub a few feet away, coming to find it had been filled with water like he had been told.

"This might actually be a good idea," Conan said. "Besides I could use the relaxation."

His shirt was the first of his clothing to be removed. Only then did he stop at a sharp pain in his chest. He anticipated it would only last seconds but quickly found that not to be case. It started with his chest but escalated to his head. He tried to reach for his chest to grab hold but found the pain to be too damaging.

"My body, I feel so... so cold inside."

Feeling this was urgent he dropped a hand into his pocket for his phone, finding it hard to get a good handle on it.

"Must call .. must let them know."

He finally brought the phone to his sight after a minor struggle, quickly dialing the last number that had been called. He raised the phone to his ear only to hear it ring twice before having it fall out of his hand. The pain from within pushed onward, causing him to fall forward into the tub with the clutch of his chest. What happened next was unknown, falling into an unconscious state.

The next minutes that came were spent in search of the room, spanning from one wall to the other. All was clear, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He then decided to rejoin the others who stood around the tape where body had been found, tapping officer Celek on the shoulder who turned to face him.

"Find anything worth mentioning?"

"Not upon my first look," Heiji replied. "This here seems to be the vocal point to where it all happened."

"Everything seems to point that way."

"When was the body removed from this room?"

"Roughly ten O'clock," Officer Celek replied. "Of course after all the necessary precautions were taken."

"How about pictures of the body," Heiji asked. "Would you happen to have a shot of the scene before the body was removed?"

"Most certainly." Officer Celek replied before reaching into his jacket.

He pulled out a lot of three photos, handing all three to him within that very moment. The first of the photo taken was the most graphic of them all, a clear picture of where the bullet had entered just below his forehead. He then flipped through the other two, giving him a better understanding of where the body had landed after being shot.

"Positioning is just as key as any other factor," Heiji said dissecting the third photo even further. "From the looks of it the body landed around two yards and a half away from the center window."

He then looked to the door leading to the room for further reference.

"I didn't notice that."

"Notice what?" Officer Celek asked overhearing his side comment.

"The center window, where the body was found, and the door leading to this room are all aligned." Heiji replied looking back to him.

"Could there be a deeper meaning to it?"

"Possibly," Heiji replied. "Defiantly something to take note of."

"Now what?"

"We find out the times every employee left last night," Heiji replied. "We also need to know who's responsible for working the air conditioning system in this room."

"I'm inclined to agree," Officer Celek said. "Wait here, I'll see what I can find out."

"Good luck." Heiji said as he watched him make a move for the other side of the room.

He looked to the stained carpet of blood once more, wanting to give the near area a more in depth skim. Before getting the chance to do so he heard someone step up to his right side.

"So, how's the investigation coming along?"

"Tim," Heiji said twirling around. "How did you get in here?"

"Same way as you," Tim replied. "Security escort."

"I see."

"You didn't answer my question about your status concerning this case."

"Still feeling my way around," Heiji replied. "If you'd like I could fill you in."

"Sure thing, but first I need to speak with Lonard," Tim replied. "After all he was the one who wished for Bruce to come, I'm only here on his behalf."

"What about Kudo, was he awake when you left?"

"He sure was."

"How was he feeling?"

"Besides what he explained as a minor headache, I'd say he was alright," Tim replied. "He actually called about three minutes ago."

"What did he want?"

"Don't know, unfortunately I missed the call," Tim replied. "And he didn't even leave a message."

"Did you try calling back?"

"He didn't pick up," Tim answered. "I'll try again as soon as everything is situated here."

"I'll try giving him a ring myself."

Before an attempt could be made he looked to the other side to see Lonard was in approach of the two of them.

"Hello again," Lonard said rejoining the fray. "How did your talk with my daughter go?"

"As expected," Heiji replied. "She gave everything I was hoping to hear with a little extra."

"How did she react afterward?"

"Seemed fine, but you can go check on her for yourself if you'd like."

"I see Wayne has sent one of his young accomplices in his place," Lonard said focusing his attention to him. "Good to see you my boy."

"I'm sorry he wasn't able to make it himself, he deeply apologizes for his non attendance," Tim informed. "He has another line of work he had to take care of."

"Which is quite understandable."

"What is it you wished to speak with him about?"

"There's actually a set of files I wanted him to take a look at," Lonard replied. "Since you're here I'll hand it over to you to forward to him."

"That works for me."

"Good, then I'll go and grab the folder."

"Wait," Heiji said stepping in his path. "Before you go there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is?"

"Would you happen to know who was responsible for working the air conditioning in here?"

"That was one of Grahm's many jobs." Lonard replied.

"One of his many jobs.. what else did he work on?" Heiji asked.

"Well, he was head of security," Lonard added. "So anything running from surveillance to those hired in that field was his job to handle."

"Thank you," Heiji said with a nod. "That's all I needed to know."

"Stay put," Lonard instructed. "I'll be right back with that case file."

"I'll be right here." Tim assured.

He smilingly made his way to the other side toward his large desk in the corner. With a little time to spare he pulled out his phone, dialing his number once more in hopes of reaching him.

"Anything?"

"He's still not answering." Tim said in response.

"You're not worried are you?"

"With the spontaneous black outs he's showcased within this last week I'd say that raises a level of concern."

"Point taken," Heiji said. "After he retrieves that file I think you had better go check on him before visiting Bruce."

"That's the plan," Tim said. "Think you can handle things here?"

"Don't see why not, I've made strides of progress from the moment I walked in up until now."

"Good."

"While we're still on the subject, have you heard from any of the others regarding what happened last night," Heiji asked. "We never were informed on what Damian encountered out there."

"I'd rather talk with Bruce about that in person, which I will do after the check up."

"Keep me informed."

"Of course."

It wasn't long after that they were rejoined by Lonard who brought a folder along just as said.

"Here you are my boy, be sure that Wayne gets ahold of this," Lonard stated. "Every sheet inside is just as important as the next."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Tim said. "What is this for, in the case that he asks?"

"He'll know."

"Alrighty then," Tim said holding it close. "I think it's about that time."

"Leaving so soon?" Lonard asked.

"There's an important matter that calls for my immediate attention."

"I'll have security see you out," Lonard said in response. "Right this way."

He followed him from there, leaving Heiji to stand alone once again. He scoured the room once again from where he stood, noticing Bernadea was still standing in the same corner, looking even more worried than before.

"I wonder what's got her so tangled."

Concerned by her position he decided to walk over. As he closed in he caught sight of something held tightly to her chest, unsure of what it was.

"Fournier, what is it you've got there?" Heiji asked upon reaching her.

"He's not answering."

"What now?"

"Nathan," Bernadea clarified. "My fiance, I've been trying to contact him all morning."

"When is the last time you saw him?"

"When he dropped me off this morning."

"At about time was that?"

"Some time after one."

"Your sure he's not just at home still asleep?"

"I've called several times, it's not like him not to pick up," Bernadea exclaimed. "Especially if he knew it was me."

"I'll talk with your father and see what we can do," Heiji said. "In the mean time try not to worry, I'm sure he's fine."

"Ok."

He smiled on his departure, giving her a small level of comfort. He returned to the center of things, beginning yet another search of the room. Several minutes carried along in the process, a quick five turning into thirty without even realizing. He tried dialing both numbers to check up on the situation after completing his analysis, only to receive a ring in return.

"Neither are answering, I hope everything is ok."

He became more and more concerned by the minute, finding himself distracted by it. He turned to the other side of the room at the sound of someone entering in past the door, coming to find officer Celek had returned.

"Sorry about the wait, but you'll be glad to hear I was able to gain some very valuable information."

"I'm listening."

"Grahm Fournier was shot at the estimated time of twelve midnight," Officer Celek informed. "We have a list of all of those who were still here at that given time."

"Alright, who are we talking?"

"Most of the employees who are in here now," Officer Celek replied. "Canoe Edward, Hamilton Anthony, and Fournier Lonard himself."

"That would make those three our prime suspects."

"There were two others, a Carol Flowers and another young gentleman who was here," Celek added. "We've already called each of them, they should be in soon."

"That extends the list of suspects, but not by much," Heiji said. "How did you know they were all here at that given time?"

"They have clearance cards that they use to swap in and out."

"Makes sense."

"I was just about to head to the security back room to check the cameras, I thought you might want to come along."

"You thought right," Heiji said. "Where is this room?"

"Just down the hall from here," Officer Celek replied. "I'll show you the way."

"Right behind you."

He remained in deep thought, scrambling everything they had learned throughout his mind in hopes of finding the true message to it all. He unintentionally found his finger tapping down to the table, looking across from where he sat to see him writing something down on a sheet of paper.

"Wow, it's not often you see him putting in work dealing with the investigation stages."

He continued to watch him for awhile longer, finally speaking out a short time later.

"What is it you're jotting down there?"

"I listed out all of the locations that were referenced in alphabetical order," Damian replied. "I'm just now adding the distances between each, that may give us a hint to his next move."

"Points for the reflexive thinking." Dick complimented.

The door flew open in the next moment, causing the two to look over to see he had entered to room.

"What was that about," Dick asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I finally got the results back on the blood test I ran on his blood," Bruce informed. "I now know what's been aggravating him."

"What?"

"Shinichi is in serious trouble," Bruce stated. "We need to get to him as soon as possible."

He had quietly followed from behind, which lead to a large door at the end of the hall. Celek gave it a knock, taking all but a couple seconds for someone to open it which allowed for the both of them to walk in. They entered a dark room filled with many TV screens, accompanied by a set of computers.

"This is it fellas, our very own security lounge."

"And you are?" Heiji asked.

"You can call me Cyless," He replied having a seat in front of one of the computers. "Most everyone does."

"Alright then, Cyless it is."

"What is it you wanted to see?"

"We need to see the footage recorded from eleven last night all the way until two this morning." Officer Celek replied.

"At what speed would you like it set?"

"4x should be sufficient enough."

"That might take some time to get through all the footage."

"Which is fine," Officer Celek said. "We'll take all the time we need."

"Your wish is my command."

With that he played back the tapes to the specified time which took a couple minutes to do. The three watched on from there, taking note of all activity that occurred between those given hours. They all focused their sights to separate screens, making sure to have an eye on every exit and entrance there was. Nearly thirty minutes passed from the time they had began watching when someone finally appeared to the screen he was keeping tabs on.

"Wait, pause it there," Heiji pointed. "Which entrance is that?"

He paused all footage in compliance with his wishes, given them the chance to have a look at what had caught his attention.

"That's the west side entryway, only employees can gain access to the building from that side." Cyless informed.

"What about the person approaching the door," Heiji asked. "Do you recognize them?"

"Let's see here."

He zoomed in on the imagery in question, giving him a closer look at the blurred figure.

"If I'm not mistaken I'd say that's Bennet."

"Bennet?"

"That's right, Nathan Bennet," Cyless said. "The guy always closely collaborated with Grahm on anything he worked on."

"And you're sure this is Bennet?" Officer Celek asked.

"I'm almost certain of it," Cyless replied. "There is one way to find out, we can check to see who entered the building at that given time."

"Which would have made it at the time of thirteen after two." Heiji said noting the time at the bottom of the screen.

"One second, this won't take long." Cyless said.

The two looked on from over his shoulders, watching as he brought a log with a list of names to the screen.

"Let's see here." Cyless said navigating down the list.

It took under a minute for him to locate the sought out time, leaving them all in shock at the name that was displayed by the time of thirteen after two.

"Grahm Fournier, it can't be," Heiji said. "He was already dead."

"Which means this Nathan guy must have got ahold of his card some how," Officer Celek said. "Do you think he was the one to do Grahm Fournier in?"

"Not sure how that's possible since he wasn't present in the building at the time of Grahm's death," Heiji said. "But that doesn't mean we can't follow his activities further, would you happen to have a camera set up on the other side of the west side door?"

"Of course, that is the case with all entrances and exits."

"Good, then let's see where he went on from that point."

He did as instructed, switching to the camera inside the west hall to that given time. To their surprise they saw nothing but an empty hall. This left them speechless for a time to come. He checked all other cameras, generating the same results.

"I don't get it," Officer Celek said with the shake of his head. "Where could he have gone to?"

"Try fast forwarding the tapes," Heiji said. "Maybe we'll see when he exited."

"Roger that."

They watched on for minutes to come, coming to find he had never exited after apparently entering thirty minutes earlier into the tape.

"I don't get it," Heiji said. "It's like.. it's like he disappeared."

"This is some crazy stuff." Cyless added.

"I think we better head back and rejoin the others in Mr. Fournier's office, we've been gone for nearly an hour now," Officer Celek said. "Cyless if you happen to come across anything, let us know."

"I'll see what I can find."

"Good luck."

With that officer Celek took charge like he had done before, being the first of the two to exit out. He followed at his side. Nothing was said between the two, both thinking about how he seemingly vanished without a trace.

"We never saw him leave, nor a clear shot that he ever entered," Heiji thought. "Could this Nathan guy still be in the building somewhere?"

It didn't take long for the two to return to the crime scene. They were greeted at the door by another officer who was exiting out as they entered.

"Where are you going?" Celek asked out of curiosity.

"It seems there's a situation down stairs."

"What kind of situation?"

"Some foreign kid is trying to come up," The officer replied. "He claims to have some important business to see to in this room."

"Is he from an outside unit?"

"No idea, only saw him from the camera," The officer replied. "I'm heading down now."

"Would this foreign kid happen to be a young boy wearing glasses?" Heiji asked.

"He had on no glasses, nor is he as young as you seem to implying."

"Never mind," Heiji said. "It's not who I thought it might be."

"If anything I'd say he's your age, not too far from it in any case."

"Mind if I come with you," Officer Celek asked. "I'd like to check out this guy for myself."

"Be my guest."

The two left from there, exiting the room in a hurry. He walked further into the room, stopping after reaching the crime scene tape once again.

"This case is about as complex as they come, we need to gain more ground some how."

He studied the area for a long period of time, losing track of how long he stood to that very spot. He caught a glimpse of her approaching from the left, not surprised when she stopped after reaching him.

"How did things go in the security room, did you find out who shot uncle Grahm?"

"Not yet, but we're still working on it," Heiji replied. "You seem like you're in higher strengths, did you ever hear back from your fiance?"

"Oh yes, he called about twenty minutes ago."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, he said he was busy but would call back in the next hour or so."

"You see, I told you not to worry," Heiji said. "If you don't mind me asking, what was the name of your fiance again?"

"Nathan," Bernadea replied. "Nathan Bennet."

He froze at the sound of this.

"You said you parted ways with him around one, correct?"

"That's right," Bernadea replied. "We had spent most of the evening and night together."

"Where at?"

"At an amusement park called Mount Zomoph," Bernadea replied. "It's actually not very far from here."

"I'm sure you had plenty of fun."

"As always." Bernadea said flashing a smile.

"Great, that leaves him with an alibi," Heiji thought. "The estimated time of death has been set at twelve midnight, no way he could have done it if he was with her at a theme park."

"Are you alright?" Bernadea asked taking notice of his sudden change in tone.

"I'm fine, just thinking is all."

"You should really stop by there some time," Bernadea suggested. "It's one of the better amusement parks in town."

"I'd listen to her, Mount Zomoph is an experience of wonders." Someone spoke from behind.

"That voice.. could it be."

He spun around to see Tim had returned with detective Celek as well. But it was the person in between the two who had spoken.

"Kudo?!"

"You seem excited, why don't we save the claps and cheers until after we've caught the culprit ok." Shinichi remarked with the subtlest of grins.

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 100

Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder

"Hold on," Officer Celek said stepping in between the two. "You know this kid?"

"Yea, he's a close friend of mine," Heiji said in response. "Though I must say, I never expected to see him here."

"Is that right," Officer Celek said turning to face him. "So, what's your name?"

"It's.. Nogort, call me Nogort."

"Nogort?" Officer Celek said with a pause.

"That's a very unusual name," Bernadea said. "Can't say I've heard that one before."

"You're not the only one, I've never met anyone else with the same name as my own," Shinichi said. "It's rather unique, one which my parents decided on after much discussion."

"How very creative of them."

"I'd say so myself."

"You look familiar in some way," Bernadea said looking him over. "Have we met somewhere before?"

"I don't believe so," Shinichi replied. "I'm usually good with faces, I'm sure I would remember if I had seen you before."

"You're probably right, it must have been someone else who shared a similar resemblance."

"Could be."

"I'm sorry about the delay before," Officer Celek said rejoining the fray. "I had no idea you were here on business with the Wayne representative here."

"Don't mention it," Shinichi replied. "All is forgiven."

"Officer do you think I could talk to.. Nogort alone," Heiji asked. "You know, to catch up and all."

"Of course you can," Officer Celek replied. "I was actually getting ready to go over and let Lonard in on what we discovered on the surveillance tapes."

"I assure you this won't take long."

"I'll come with you," Bernadea said. "My father asked for me to join him after he finished with his phone conversation, that was three minutes ago."

"I'll regroup with you as soon as I'm finished here."

"No hurry," Officer Celek nodded. "We still have much time before this all going to be sorted out anyway."

With that he turned for the other side of the room, going in search of Lonard Fournier along with Bernadea at his side. This left just the three of them.

"Ok," Heiji said looking from one to the other. "So who's going to tell me what in the world is going on?"

"The jury is still out on that one." Shinichi replied.

"What do you mean the jury's still out on that one?!"

"In short, we don't really know," Tim said stepping in. "Well, at least not yet."

"Was he like this when you returned back to the house?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Heiji said facing him. "What do you remember happening prior to your transformation?"

"It was like any other time, but slightly different," Shinichi replied. "There was no real pain, it was like I was intoxicated with something.. something that kept me from feeling any physical stress during the process."

"How did it start," Heiji asked. "Any noticeable symptoms?"

"My heart, it was a staggering feeling that provoked enduring pain," Shinichi replied. "But that was only at first, my entire body collapsed in a way I had never felt soon after."

"Then what happened?"

"I fell into the tub against my own power," Shinichi answered. "With the little strength that I had I was luckily able to maneuver myself to where my head didn't go under, drowning could have been a high possibility if that had been the case."

"So you fell into the tub, at what point did the affects of your growth begin to kick in?"

"Almost instantly, no more than twenty seconds," Shinichi replied. "My body was completely unresponsive to any move attempted by myself."

"Ok, and at what point did you show up in all of this?" Heiji asked directing his attention to him.

"And I think that's about where the story ends," Tim replied. "I don't believe the fine details are necessary for us to dive into, we should really be focused on the case, we can always discuss this later."

"He's right," Shinichi agreed. "Why don't you get us up to speed on what's been going on during our absence?"

"Ok, but first," Heiji said lowering his hands into his pocket. "How much do you know?"

"Everything that was learned from you before my departure," Tim replied. "I already briefed him in on the way here."

"Great, that saves time."

"Anything new we should know," Tim asked. "Did you finally build a case for a list of suspects?"

"You'll be happy to know that we have."

"Alright then, who are the chain of suspects?"

"All of the employees of Nano High currently in this room," Heiji replied. "Anthony Hamilton of of the front desk, Edward Canoe who works in the lower labs, and Lonard himself."

"Anthony Hamilton, I saw him on my last visit here," Shinichi said. "What lead to your line up of suspects?"

"Not anything through suspicion, I'm strictly going off of who was working at the time of Grahm's estimated death."

"And what time was that?"

"Twelve midnight."

"And those are the only three employees who were working at that given hour?" Tim asked.

"Them and two others who have been called in for that very reason, they should be here shortly," Heiji replied. "This case may not be what it seems on the surface, which is why we need to examine every possible approach."

"Not what it may seem," Shinichi questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Officer Celek and I were invited into the security back room where we were allowed to go over video footage that was recorded around the time of his death."

"And what did you see?"

"It confirmed all who were signed in were indeed here," Heiji replied. "It wasn't until later in the tape that things got interesting."

"In what way?" Tim asked.

"After two this morning a man by the name of Nathan Bennet checked in," Heiji informed. "Thing is he used a security clearance card that registered as Grahm Fournier, who of course was already dead."

They looked to one another at the sound of this, surprised yet intrigued to learn more.

"What's wrong?" Heiji asked at their sudden silence.

"Nathan Bennet, we know him," Tim replied. "He's Bernadea Fournier's fiance."

"As I was informed not long ago."

"Do you believe he had something to do with this?"

"I'm not quite sure," Heiji replied. "But there's certainly something not adding up."

"What do you mean?"

"There's footage of Bennet entering the building, but after checking the camera located in the west wing at that exact time there was no sign of him in that vicinity," Heiji informed. "There was no sign of him anywhere, it's almost as if he vanished with out a trace."

"Any sign of him exiting?" Shinichi asked.

"No, he went in and was never seen again," Heiji replied. "You'd think he was some kind of ghost or something."

"There has to be a logical explanation for this," Shinichi said. "If there is footage of him entering yet none of him leaving, there's a chance he could still be here."

"I thought that at first myself until speaking with Bernadea," Heiji said. "According to her he's currently out doing something, something which requires his full attention."

"I'd hate to believe he'd be involved with this some how, but we have to take everything into consideration with the uprise of this news," Shinichi said. "What about the body, who was the one to discover it?"

"Ms. Fournier," Heiji replied. "I heard it from her myself."

"Did she say anything that might be key to what conspired?" Tim asked.

"There were no lights on upon her entering, and the room was cold," Heiji replied. "Yet no window was open."

"Air conditioning perhaps?"

"According to here it's currently non functional."

"That puts a dent in that," Tim said. "But that doesn't mean there wasn't a window open at some point in time."

"We'll need more than a gut feeling to prove that."

"Was there anything else she mentioned," Shinichi asked. "Maybe something along the lines of the surrounding area of where the body laid?"

"That's just the thing, once she laid her eyes to the body she took off in shock," Heiji informed. "The next ones to enter that room as we were told was the security official who was working at that time."

"Are they looking at him as a suspect as well?" Tim asked.

"Not at this time," Heiji replied. "They have surveillance sighting him in the main lobby, which showed him there for hours."

"In affect giving him an alibi," Shinichi said. "Anything else we should know?"

"Small details here and there, but it's mostly from the ground up from here," Heiji replied. "Though I must say, don't you think it would be in your best interest to sit this one out?"

"Why would I do that?"

"To avoid the publicity of course," Heiji answered. "After all you don't want a certain organization tailing in at the mention of you."

"He's right," Tim agreed. "And if you in fact saw Korn last night like you said it makes even more sense for you to leave this to Heiji and I."

"A member of the Black Organization attended the Futures Building grand opening?"

"According to Shinichi, yes."

"Were you seen?" Heiji asked looking his way.

"I don't believe so, but I can't be sure since I lost consciousness."

"Doubtful," Tim said on the matter. "You were surrounded rather quickly after your unexpected fall, there wouldn't have been much of a chance for him to get a look."

"Regardless, I think you had better sit this one out." Heiji said.

"Are you saying you don't want my help?"

"That's a strong way of putting it," Heiji replied. "As much as we could use you, I think I can handle this one on my own."

"He's right, I think it'd be best if you remained on the side line for this," Tim said in agreement. "I'll call Alfred and have him come and pick you up, I'm sure the blood samples taken from you will reveal what caused your sudden change."

"I appreciate the concern, I really do," Shinichi said. "But this is a case I need to work, there might be more to this than appears."

"If you're thinking conspiracy within the company, than I've already got that accounted for," Heiji said. "I was just getting ready to discuss those very details with Fournier."

"It's deeper than that."

"Deeper than what?"

"We'll have to hold off on that, we've got company." Shinichi pointed out.

They turned at his signal, looking to see a smiling Lonard heading their way.

"Hello gentlemen, I hope you don't mind if I join you."

"Of course not, this is your office after all." Tim said.

"Non sense, you're free to discuss anything amongst yourselves," Lonard said in response. "Speaking of which, who is this with you?"

"The name's Nogort." Shinichi replied.

"What a unique name that is," Lonard said holding out his left hand. "It's a pleasure."

He looked down at his hand with a brief pause, taking seconds before finally shaking it.

"As is it for me."

"Detective Hattori," Lonard said focusing in on him. "When you're finished here would you mind joining me over at my desk?"

"Of course not, I'll be there as soon as we're finished here."

"Good, I'll be waiting."

He turned back for the left side of the room, heading back to where he had come.

"Alright, I'm going to go and see what he wants," Heiji said. "I think it'd be best if the two of you left now."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Nor am I," Shinichi stated. "Not until this thing is solved."

"I said I have it under control, what part of that do you not understand?"

"Now I see what this is all about," Shinichi grinned in realization. "You just want the glory of solving it yourself."

"What difference would it make," Heiji questioned. "You're ill, we need to make sure nothing further will erupt in the wake of this all."

"Not goanna happen, I'm going to see this thing through."

"Come on Drake, let him know the importance of getting a further check up." Heiji said facing him.

"I feel fine, never better," Shinichi protested. "No need to worry, I'll have this thing unraveled in no time."

"You solving it, you haven't even looked over any of the evidence for yourself."

"I think you both are being ridiculous," Tim said. "I see no need for this to become an argument."

"The only one who's ridiculous is Kudo," Heiji stated. "He's obviously just interested in his track record."

"Now who's being ridiculous?" Shinichi backfired.

Tim couldn't help but shake his head, bringing a palm to his face in response to their back and forth bickering.

"At this rate nothing is going to get solved."

"Fine, since you're obviously not backing out you can try solving it yourself," Heiji said. "The last thing we want is for the police to think I'm collaborating with you two on the matter."

"We'll stay subtle," Shinichi said. "Which will mean checking in with you at the most convenient times."

"Guess you better look to Drake for assistance," Heiji remarked with a grin. "You'll need the handicap if you're going to solve this sooner than me."

"Is that right?"

"Let's put it to the test."

He turned for the other side of the room with nothing further said, leaving the two as he went in search of Lonard. Tim immediately looked to Shinichi, surprised to see a smirk across his face.

"One moment you're arguing, the next you're both smiling," Tim said. "I don't get it."

"Don't look too far into it," Shinichi said in response. "It's in our competitive nature."

"So that whole thing just now was."

"A friendly challenge if you will." Shinichi replied in mid sentence.

"I understand your determination, but aren't you concerned about your current state in the slightest," Tim asked. "For all we know there could be something brewing inside you."

"There's that chance, but as important as that may be," Shinichi said. "I think I'll be needed for this one."

"You're too much."

"Trust me, this won't take long."

"You have an idea of who might of done this?"

"As a matter a fact I do, but nothing solid to back my claim," Shinichi replied. "I'm going to need proof to shed light on any of this."

"So where do you stand on this," Tim asked. "Think Heiji will solve this thing before the two of us, let's not forget about the police force in his corner."

"Are you in doubt?"

"Not even for a second."

"Where do you suggest we kick off from?"

"By now we're both aware there might be an internal problem within this organization."

"Yes."

"If that is the case then this whole event might have chained off from that, we need to find out who was at the center of this disturbance."

"You're right, and I doubt Fournier will talk to either of us regarding the situation."

"Right, he'll only discus that with Heiji or the police officers brought in for that very task," Tim said. "Which means we'll have to do a little digging of our own."

"On what front?"

"Finances, business deals, you name it," Tim answered. "If this company was experiencing any problems we can find out, all it will take is a call to check all records."

"And you're sure they'll give you this information?"

"They're now linked with Wayne Enterprises, and as a representative it shouldn't be a problem."

"So what's the plan?"

"You try and sniff out and expose the culprit, they're bound to have a miss step," Tim replied. "Me on the other hand, I'll see if I can dig up motive for cross reference."

"Like the plan." Shinichi said.

"I thought you might."

"Alright, we'll give it a go," Shinichi said. "But first there's one lingering detail I'd like to go over first."

"Which is?"

"The temperature the room was at when Bernadea found the body," Shinichi said. "According to Hattori she said it was rather cool, yet the air conditioning is currently down."

"This morning presented degrees lowest as forty eight, so it is possible a window could have been open."

"If so who closed it, and why?"

"What advantage could the shooter have had with an open window," Tim questioned. "The only thing that would come of that is the chance for someone to hear from outside of the building, I'd hardly see that as a logical thing to do."

"Do we know the type of gun used in the attack?"

"The lab results haven't come back," Tim replied. "But we should know soon enough, they've been examining the body for over an hour now."

"What about surveillance, are you telling me the shooting wasn't caught on camera?"

"Apparently not."

"Guess it's wait and see from here in that regard," Shinichi said. "In the mean time I think we had better gather as much information as we can, paticularly on the victim."

"Gaining information on Grahm Fournier won't be hard."

"On what field do you mean," Shinichi asked. "Do you plan on checking in on his community records?"

"That's something to think about, but not what I had in mind," Tim replied. "What better way to learn about a man than going to those closest to him?"

"You plan on gaining this information from his brother?"

"Lonard is busy as of now, I think it would be best if we spoke with his daughter instead," Tim replied. "I'm sure she'd be willing to share with us what her uncle was like from her experiences."

"Not that I wouldn't mind joining you and all, but don't you think you should talk with her alone," Shinichi said. "She doesn't exactly know me, well not the real me if you know what I mean."

"You're concerned about her comfortability level, I understand where your coming from," Tim said. "Especially with what has occurred here today."

"Think she'll have it in her to speak to you about him?"

"Hopefully," Tim replied. "Only one way of finding out."

"While you do that I'm going to run a quick search of the room," Shinichi said. "I'd like to further familiarize myself with the crime scene."

"Let me know if anything crucial turns up," Tim said before scouring the room in search of her. "This won't take long, I'll meet back up with you as soon as I've finished."

"I'll keep a look out for you," Shinichi said before heading his way. "Good luck with her."

He nodded, finally sighting her on the far left side of the room. He took no time in walking toward her.

"Let's hope she's up for it."

He had found himself a seat at his chair, sorting through the many papers that were laid out before him. Not a moment past that he looked across to see him standing at the edge of the desk.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Of course," Lonard replied. "I take it you have questions of your own, would you like to have a seat?"

"No thanks," Heiji declined. "I'd rather stand."

"Very well, I'll leave you to your decision," Lonard said. "So what is it that you'd like to ask of me?"

"You were here at the estimated time of your brothers death," Heiji began. "Do you remember what you were doing at the time of twelve last night?"

"I was down in the projection room, watching a mandatory tape which all employees will soon have to see as well," Lonard replied. "You can check the camera's, it will confirm what I've said."

"And your brother, when do you recall seeing him last?"

"Some time after ten, can't remember exactly," Lonard replied. "He claimed he had something to attend to in the office, that's the last I saw of him."

"Where was this?"

"When we crossed paths in the lobby."

"Was anyone with him," Heiji asked. "Did he say he was to meet with someone?"

He shook his head in response.

"He said nothing of that nature, or anything that would remotely imply that," Lonard answered. "Sounded more like it had to do with desk work."

"I see."

"Will that be all?"

"Actually there's one last topic I'd like to cover with you," Heiji replied. "You called and said you wanted to discuss with me the inner problems of the company, do you think that might have had something to do with this?"

"It's a possibility, but can't be certain."

"When you called yesterday night it sounded like you were on the brink of discovering something," Heiji said. "Do you know who might be at the heart of the internal problem?"

"It's nothing of concern as I had originally thought, I looked into the situation myself this morning before coming in," Lonard informed. "It was nothing but a false alarm."

"Completely understood, it's a regular occurrence when it comes to these things."

"Do you have anything further you'd like to go over with me?"

"Not at this very moment, but rest assured I will most likely return to speak with you at some point," Heiji replied. "I'll leave you to your work until then."

"I appreciate that, let me know if you come across something of importance."

"That's a definite." Heiji replied before turning back for the crime scene.

He made his way around two police officials who were examining the blood stains on the ground, slowing down on his approach as he closed in. It didn't take long for her to take notice of his presence, letting out a half smile at the sight of him.

"You're still here, I thought you would haven taken off by now," Bernadea said. "What are you still doing here, I'm sure a guy of your status must have something better to do."

"Perhaps, but there's nothing I'd rather being doing right now than helping out here," Tim said in response. "Mind if I ask you a question or two?"

"What kind of questions?"

"About your late uncle," Tim replied. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know a little more about him."

"I already went through this with the other detectives," Bernadea stated. "Did someone put you up to this?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Tim explained. "Was just hoping for a little information on him is all."

"Regarding his position here at Nano High?"

"That would be a good place to start."

"He was head man of security," Bernadea began. "He even helped put together all of the surveillance throughout the building."

"Sounds like a man of his work."

"He was."

"Anything else he worked on outside of security?"

"He helped with a lot of the electronic stuff," Bernadea replied. "Such as the computers and power lines that were set into place."

"You said the air conditioning system is currently down, in the case of that would your uncle have been the one to fix it?"

"Most certainly," Bernadea replied. "He's always been the family hands on guy, an admirable quality."

"If I were a stranger to him outside of this company, is there something you could tell me about him that I wouldn't know," Tim asked. "Maybe something you as family would only know?"

She didn't respond at first, taking seconds for her to process the question presented.

"Acting," Bernadea said looking up at him. "He took years of acting class."

"Acting class?"

"He did great work in the field, and his impersonations of many you may know were pretty spot on," Bernadea said. "You'd have been amazed to have seen an example."

"I bet I would have," Tim said. "Is there anything else you might be able to tell me?"

"Not that I can think of at the top of my head."

"That's alright, you've helped greatly."

"I have," Bernadea said a little surprised by his claim. "I'm glad I was able to be of service."

"If you remember anything that just happens to surface to your mind come and find me, I'll be around."

"Most certainly."

"Good talk." Tim smiled before turning for the opposite direction.

He left as casually as he had come, looking directly ahead to those throughout the room.

"Now to go and touch base."

He skimmed the room from end to the other, taking all but a few moments to sight him following the outline of the wall.

"Is he onto something?"

Curious as to what he was doing he steadily made his way toward him. He could see the strong focus on his face as he neared, doing his best not to distract him from whatever it was he was looking into. He stopped once reaching the right wall, looking over his shoulder to see he had returned.

"You're back, that didn't take long," Shinichi said. "What did you learn from the delightful Bernadea?"

"Grahm Fournier was head of security, he controlled virtually everything weighing under that department," Tim informed. "I was also given information about one of his lesser known qualities."

"Which is?"

"Acting," Tim replied. "Something she said he had worked on for years."

"Did he ever star in anything?"

"Not anything I've seen if so, but interesting to know none the least," Tim answered. "What about you, has your search mounted up to anything?"

"Unfortunately not," Shinichi replied. "I checked the air conditioner first, it's just as she said."

"Any idea what caused it to break down?"

"We'd have to open it up to find out the answer to that, I then looked for any traces of blood where the body wasn't," Shinichi continued. "If someone shot him at close range there might of been a chance they took a step in the large puddle left behind."

"I see, you were hoping to find a print of some kind."

"Which was ultimately shot down," Shinichi said. "I didn't find any evidence of someone walking out of here after the attack."

"What were you doing just now with the walls?"

"Looking for any potential evidence, if there was some kind of trick involved the culprit is bound to have left something behind," Shinichi replied. "And if that is the case, I will find it."

"Glad to see you're at the top of your game," Tim said. "But what do you say we check out our line of suspects first, we've already spoken with Lonard."

"Agreed, it's important that we find out what everyone else was doing at the time of the murder last night," Shinichi said. "If there is any faulty in any of their statements we'll catch it."

"I'll take Edward Canoe, he's a pretty stand up guy."

"That leaves Anthony Hamilton to me," Shinichi said. "Not to mention the two other suspects who have yet to arrive."

"We'll deal with them when they do," Tim said. "Meet you back here in six."

"I'll be here."

He nodded, heading into the opposite direction of him in search of Mr. Canoe.

He had finished his last task, contemplating on what he was to do next. The two crossed paths as they walked, stopping at the sight of the other.

"I see you've finished chatting with your friend," Officer Celek said. "How did it go?"

"Rather well, nothing unexpected." Heiji replied.

"Has he left the building?"

"He's actually still here, he plans to stick around for awhile," Heiji answered. "That's Kudo for you."

"Kudo..," Officer Celek questioned. "But I thought his name to be Nogort?"

"Oh yea, his last name," Heiji smilingly clarified. "Nogort Kudo."

"Ok, that makes sense."

"Have you checked back in with Cyless of security," Heiji asked. "He might have an update regarding the tapes we went over."

"That crossed my mind, I'll go in and check with him as soon as I've spoken with Carol Flowers."

"Carol Flowers?"

"One of the other employees who was still working past mid night when Grahm was estimated to have been shot."

"That's right, you told me that before," Heiji said. "What about the other guy who was here, is he also on his way?"

"It's been reported he fell ill this morning and is unable to come in at this time," Officer Celek informed. "But not to worry, two officers have already been sent to his home to question him there."

"That keeps us right on schedule," Heiji said. "I'll tell you what, why don't you go and check in with Cyless while I wait here for Carol Flowers."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Heiji replied. "I'd like to speak with her myself if you don't mind."

"Of course not, I'll leave it to you."

"Where might I find her when she arrives?"

"I'd stay right here, she's bound to pass through here," Officer Celek replied. "No way you can miss her, being that all who work here are required to wear their name tags when asked to come in."

"I'll keep an eye out for her."

"If anyone asks, you know where to find me," Officer Celek said turning for the right. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He left with nothing further needed to be said, heading down the hall toward where the security back room was located.

He had searched more than half of the room, finally sighting him in the the upper corner of the left wall with his arms crossed. There was no one within five feet of him, signaling he was alone for at least the moment. Taking advantage of this opportunity he headed straight for him.

"Hello there," Tim said stopping upon reaching him. "Edward Canoe right?"

"Who are you, another detective looking to humor me with more questions?"

"Well kind of, if you want to put it that way."

"Like I told the others before you, I didn't hear or see anything," Edward explained. "I was in the basement labs the entire night."

"And at what time did you leave the building?"

"Three thirty sharp, are we done?"

"Did you notice anything unusual at that time?"

"Not until this morning when I returned to find you and your group of investigators ransacking the building."

He shook his head at this remark.

"What a joy this is turning out to be," Tim thought. "Hopefully Shinichi is having better luck."

He stood in place as the downward ascension continued, setting his eyes to the number pallete which shifted to '1' soon after. The elevator door opened moments afterward. He stepped out, heading left to where the main lobby was located. It took little time for him to make his way around the corner, looking across the room to see Mr. Hamilton back in his place behind the front desk. He wasted no time in walking toward him.

"Mr. Hamilton, mind if I have a word?"

"Of course not, customer service is number one on my resume," Anthony replied. "How is it that I may help you?"

"I'm actually here on behalf of a friend, a detective helping with the investigation of the death of your college."

"I already gave my statement."

"I was sent down for another," Shinichi informed. "We're trying to get every detail down to the last thread."

"Alright, what is it you'd like to know?"

"Let's start with the time of the murder," Shinichi said. "Do you recall hearing or seeing anything around that particular time?"

"Which would have been at about mid night correct?"

"That's right."

"I was down here at the lobby at that time, but I did hear something about two hours later," Anthony informed. "While walking I heard a loud thump from above, like the sound of a brick hitting dirt ground."

"Where exactly did you hear this?"

"While on the eighteenth floor," Anthony replied. "I had gone up there in storage to grab a couple supplies before clocking out to head home."

"Storage," Shinichi asked. "You were in a storage room when you heard this noise?"

"On my way to it," Anthony replied. "I heard that noise while still in the hall, don't know how relevant that could be."

"True, being that the murder occurred two hours prior," Shinichi said. "I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."

"I was thinking the same."

"Have you shared any of this information with anyone else?"

"Yea, that young looking detective," Anthony replied. "The one with the cap."

"Appreciate your cooperation, I'll be sure to stop back by if I have any more questions."

"Works for me, won't be going anywhere for awhile."

He turned back to the other side of the room, taking only a few steps before hearing the automatic entry doors slide open. He immediately looked to the right to see a woman being escorted in by six police officers who covered both sides of her.

"Must be one of the others who was working past twelve last night," Shinichi thought as he watched them walk across the room. "Looks like they're heading for the elevators, might as well follow them."

He did just that, following the small group around the corner to where the elevators could be found. He stood a few feet away from the seven, glimpsing over at her to see she had on a lab jacket similar to the one he had seen Mr. Canoe wearing.

"Looks like I was right, her attire all but confirms it."

Just as he was to make a move toward her the arrival of the elevator left of him opened wide for all to enter. He watched as the seven stepped in, deciding he'd wait for the next one.

"That one's crowded enough, there's no harm in waiting for the next."

He pressed down to the pad, signaling for an elevator of his own which didn't take long for it to come.

"Now to see what kind of progress the other two have made in my absence." Shinichi said before walking in with the doors sliding shut from behind.

He took to the center as the ascension back to the top floor began. It didn't take long for it to reach the twenty fifth floor. He walked out, surprised not to see the woman and the six officers that had been at her side.

"Where did they go, no way they could have reached the room in such a short amount of time," Shinichi said. "I wasn't that far behind."

He stood there for only a few seconds more, finally making his way back to Mr. Fournier's office where most everyone else was. He arrived back to the room only to move off to the right side at the sound of something being sprayed from the left. He turned after doing so to see a security official with an air spray in hand.

"That will about do it, no need to spray anymore," Lonard instructed. "That should be enough to close out that foul odor."

"Yes of course." The officer replied.

He paused at this, standing there for moments to come before having someone step up to his side.

"How did your meet go?"

"He was very forth coming," Shinichi replied facing him. "Hamilton told me everything he had been doing at the estimated time of death and beyond."

"Great, wish I could say the same," Tim said. "Mr. Canoe seemed more interested in asking questions of his own rather than answering any that were posed."

"Think he's got something to hide?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Tim said. "But if he is, he most certainly didn't show any signs of it in his speech pattern."

"Want me to try and give it a go?"

"No need for now," Tim replied. "Besides, I'm sure you would receive similar results."

"Did he say anything at all?"

"He claims he was in the low levels labs at the time mid night rolled around," Tim answered. "According to him he didn't hear or see anything."

"Typical for most to say."

"What about the clerk man," Tim asked. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"At the time of twelve he claimed to have been down in the lobby," Shinichi replied. "He said we could check the security camera's to back his story."

"Anything else?"

"Roughly two hours later he said he heard a noise while on the eighteenth floor."

"What was he doing on the eighteenth floor?"

"On his way to the storage room to collect something before heading home."

"What kind of noise was described?"

"The sound of something dropping with heavy force," Shinichi replied. "He said it came from one of the floors above."

"That's a new twist."

"It's something to think about, but probably has no barring to what we're dealing with now."

"You're probably right."

"Right about what?"

The two looked over at the sound of his voice to see he had rejoined them.

"How's the case coming along?" Heiji asked.

"Progress." Shinichi replied.

"Same here," Heiji said. "Nothing clear on who committed the crime as of yet from my end, how about either of you?"

"Let's just say I'm weighing in on a possibility, a very subtle one," Tim replied. "I have found no truth to it as of yet, just a hunch."

"Something of that nature has come to me as well." Shinichi said.

"Like what," Heiji said stepping forward. "Don't leave me hanging."

"What happened with your talk with Lonard," Tim asked. "What did he say concerning the problem within the company?"

"He claims he was onto something, but when investigated turned out to be a red herring."

"Could it be," Tim said. ".. A mirror sided performance?"

"What now?"

He wasn't given the chance to answer, interrupted by Officer Celek who joined the them.

"Hattori, there's a problem that requires our immediate attention," Officer Celek said. "I was informed on my way back from the security room."

"What kind of problem?" Heiji asked.

"Apparently it has something to do with one of the elevators." Officer Celek replied.

"Don't they have hired mechanics for that, we should be focused in on the death of Grahm Fournier."

"I feel the same way, but they have asked for our attendance," Officer Celek stated. "I'll meet you out there."

With that he turned for where he had come, heading straight for the door.

"I guess I better go ahead and follow him," Heiji said. "Either of you planning on coming?"

"Might as well," Tim replied. "Who knows what this might mount up to."

"You two go, I'll catch up with you soon."

"Your call," Tim said. "Come on, let's go see what this is all about."

"Right with you."

With Heiji leading the way the two headed for the door. He simply stood there, feeling the edge was near, one flipped by complete deception. He stood straight in his stance, turning back to where the blood stain could clearly be seen.

"The entrance, the known inconsistency.. could he have been the one to commit the crime," Shinichi thought to himself. "And what of the tapes, key sequences are missing from the recordings... what could it possibly mean?"

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser 13]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 101

Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder (Part 2)

He kept up with him from a few feet behind as they walked. Voices could clearly be heard coming from around the corner as they neared the location where the elevators stood. They arrived to find several police officers standing in the middle of the hall in conversation, which included Celek who had arrived there before the two of them.

"Looks like they're having a meet of some kind," Heiji said. "Must have something to do with the elevator Celek spoke of."

"Only one way of finding out," Tim said. "And that's to ask directly."

"Let's hope it's not too serious of a problem."

"This is the part where we need to keep a notable distance between us," Tim said. "Like we agreed, we don't want them to suspect you of working with anyone outside of their unit."

"No need to remind me, I haven't forgotten."

"Good, then we're clear."

With nothing further said the two separated with their next steps taken, steadily moving apart as they did so. He moved further to the right, closing in on officer Celek who was in the middle of a conversation with a woman who stood across from him. He chose not to interrupt the two, simply standing off to the side in wait. It didn't take long for Celek to notice him, more than glad to see he had come.

"There you are, that wasn't a long wait at all."

"What happened," Heiji asked. "Did they figure out what was wrong with the elevators?"

"Not elevators, only the individual," Officer Celek corrected. "One elevator in particular has been causing troubles all morning."

"What kind of problem?"

"A delay is what they're saying," Officer Celek replied. "Some kind of discrepancy with the weight limit."

"As in too many people being on the elevator at once?"

"That is correct."

"What is the weight limit on these elevators?"

"1145 ibs is what I've been told."

"It would take at least eight people to go over that limit," Heiji said. "Is the elevator in question currently unresponsive?"

"It was, but finally began functioning once after a minute of waiting." The woman from across spoke.

"And you are?"

"Carol, Carol Flowers," She replied. "CCO, Chief content officer of the company."

"They said you would be coming in."

"That must make you detective Hattori, correct?"

"You know me?"

"Lonard mentioned you in a discussion we had yesterday evening."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, just that you would be helping with a personal dilemma."

"What about the elevator," Heiji asked looking back his way. "Do they plan on giving it a look?"

"There's mechanics on the way as we speak," Officer Celek replied. "They should be here soon enough."

"Since we're past all introductions, mind if I ask you a couple questions regarding your hours put in last night Ms. Flowers?"

"Well of course," Carol replied. "After all, that's why I'm here."

"Alright, we'll start with the basics," Heiji began. "Did you see anything unusual last night, or hear anything you normally wouldn't?"

"Not from my office, no."

"Your office, where is that?"

"Below us," Carol replied. "On the eighteenth floor."

"Do you recall what time you left the building?"

"After two, I don't remember the exact time."

"Did you happen to come across anyone at that given time?" Officer Celek asked.

"What do you mean?"

"On your way out, did you see any of the other employees who were working late such as yourself?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," Carol replied. "I did see someone on my way out."

"Who was it that you saw?"

"Mr. Hamilton," Carol answered. "The man who works the front desk in the lobby."

"Is that so," Heiji remarked. "Is there a storage room on that floor?"

"Yes," Carol confirmed. "How did you know that?"

"I heard it from Hamilton himself, he told me he had gone to the storage room before he was to take off," Heiji said. "Can you confirm this?"

"I didn't actually see him go in, but he was heading in that direction," Carol replied. "Sorry, but that is all I can give."

"Which is good enough for now," Heiji said. "Though it's odd."

"What?"

"When asked not once did Anthony Hamilton mention seeing you on his way to the storage room."

"Think there's some meaning to it?" Officer Celek asked.

"I'll go and revisit Hamilton soon, but first I'd like to have another word with Fournier about a little something."

"Does that mean we're done here?" Carol asked.

"For now yes," Heiji replied. "But stick around, we may need another statement from you in the coming minutes."

"Understood, I have no intent on leaving," Carol said. "I'd like to find out exactly what went down last night."

"Go on ahead, I'm going to wait here until the mechanics arrive," Officer Celek said. "I'll keep you updated on the situation."

"Sounds good to me," Heiji said. "I'll return as soon as I'm finished."

"And I'll be here."

With that he turned for the left, heading back to the office with his head leaned over in thought.

"Looks like the elevator situation was nothing but a side ploy, probably nothing to worry about."

It wasn't long after that the presence of someone could be felt from his side. He turned to see him keeping pace with him from the right.

"You catch all of that?"

"No, I actually asked one of the other security guards," Tim replied. "He told me the circumstances surrounding the elevator, I only followed you after seeing that you were headed back to the office."

"I'm surprised Kudo didn't join us, he's usually the one to look into every possible lead," Heiji said. "Though this one turned out to be unrelated."

"I don't blame him," Tim said. "That room is the center piece to everything."

"That I can agree on, but we still need to gather as much information surrounding the situation as a whole."

"Now that we got that all cleared up, what do you plan on doing next?"

"I want to go and search Grahm Fournier's office, I have a feeling there might be something to find," Heiji replied. "That is after I've spoken with his brother first."

"Bout time," Tim said. "I was wondering when Grahm's office would register to your radar."

"In any case, why don't you go and find Kudo," Heiji suggested. "Let him know about the whole elevator situation, I'm sure he's wondering how that all turned out."

"Sure thing," Tim agreed. "We'll regroup with you soon."

"Sounds good to me."

They parted ways from there, only taking a couple more steps before reaching the door to the office. He took to the left side of the room once in, looking ahead to still see Lonard at the comfort of his chair. He reached him soon after, laying a hand to the desk to gain his attention.

"You're back, good," Lonard said. "What happened out there?"

"No one is entirely sure yet, the only thing we do know is one of the elevators has been experiencing minor problems," Heiji informed. "The mechanics are on their way now, so I'm sure they'll have that cleared up in no time."

"I see," Lonard said with the grip of his tie. "Anything else you have to report to me?"

"No, but I do have another question," Heiji replied. "With all the surveillance that is staged throughout the facility, are there any surveillance camera's in this room as well?"

"Unfortunately not, we hadn't gotten around to doing so."

"How long has this room been your office?"

"Roughly two weeks now," Lonard replied. "The old one was two floors below, decided to move up here for the additional space."

"So when is it you planned on having camera's set up in this room?"

"Tomorrow was the planned date."

"And was Grahm to be the one to have that all taken care of?"

The office phone set out on the desk began to ring before a response could be given.

"Would you hold on for a moment, this could be important."

"Take all the time you need." Heiji replied.

He reached for the phone, leaning back in the chair while answering it. What the discussion was about was unknown to him. He waited for over a minute for him to finally lay the phone back onto the hook.

"Alright, now what was it you were fixing to ask?"

"The camera's that were scheduled to be installed in this room, was your brother going to be the one to have wired it all up?"

"Him and his unit, yes."

"That leads into my second question, his office," Heiji said. "Where might I find it?"

"It depends on what you mean," Lonard said. "There's the security back room where he spent most of his time, but he also had an individual office of his own where he filed most of his paper work."

"Where might that office be?"

"Look no further." Lonard pointed.

He turned to where he had pointed, looking across the room to see a door located on the far right wall.

"That door there is a direct link to his office from mine."

"Mind if I take a look inside?"

"Not at all, there's already a small group looking through the room as we speak," Lonard informed. "I'm sure they'll give you an update on what they've gone through thus far."

"Before I go there's one last thing I'd like to clarify."

"Which is?"

"You spent a majority of last night on the lower levels, at any time did you visit any of the higher floors?"

"I did, the twenty first floor," Lonard confirmed. "I went to retrieve a diagram for something I was working on."

"At what time was that?"

"Anywhere frome ten to twenty after one," Lonard replied. "You can check the security cameras to get an exact time."

"Appreciate the talk," Heiji said before turning away. "It's about time I paid that office a visit."

He trailed off to the other side from there, pleasantly surprised to find a clear path to the door. He opened it after reaching it, taking a look inside to see a few others in the room like he had been told. He looked to the right wall to see a large board clamped to the wall with several small notes clipped in place. He then looked to the left to see the two of them standing behind a small desk at the corner.

"Looks like they beat me here."

He moved further into the room, taking a step around the desk to join the two of them.

"Had no idea I'd find the two of you in here," Heiji said. "Anyone try to question why the two of you are in here?"

"We've pretty much blended in up til this point," Tim replied. "Besides they're more focused on those notes on the board than anything else."

"Come across anything worth the mention from this end?"

"There might be something," Shinichi replied before sliding on a latex glove. "I found this while checking the outlet where all the cords are running through in this room."

Using the protective glove he reached into his pocket to pull out a plastic bag, what was inside was a bit hard for him to make out at first glance.

"What is that?" Heiji asked.

"Tape," Shinichi replied. "I found it attached to the phone line."

"What do you make of it?"

"We believe someone might have been listening in on his phone conversations while in this room," Tim replied. "It was found in a secure location where a recorder could have been placed."

"If so, the who and why is our next question to figure." Shinichi added before placing the plastic bag back into his pocket.

"Did you already tell him about the situation surrounding the elevator?"

"Was the first thing." Tim replied.

"What about you and Fournier," Shinichi asked. "What did you two discuss just now?"

"Not much, just a couple questions here and there regarding the security angle."

"I'm going to need you to go and see him once more," Shinichi said. "We need to find out what calls were made and received from this phone, I'm sure if you ask he'll have the records dug up for you."

"Sure thing."

"When you do happen to do go, make sure you ask for all phone records," Tim added. "Not just for this room, but for all phones throughout this entire building."

"Why," Heiji asked. "I thought our only concern was with the one here."

"It's for a good reason," Tim replied. "I'll let you in on it later."

Shinichi looked at him after hearing this.

".. Does he know?"

"I'll go and see him now, the sooner we get this done the better."

"We'll follow you," Tim said. "We're done here."

"Agreed," Shinichi said. "With this latest development there's something else I'd like to look into."

"What is that exactly?" Heiji asked as they began to walk.

"All other phones on this floor," Shinichi replied. "If the phone here was in fact tampered with in any kind of way there's a chance others could have received the same treatment."

They walked out soon after, closing the door in the process.

"Smart thinking, that might actually lead to something," Heiji said. "What about the notes clipped onto that board, either of you check that out?"

"Was the first thing looked at when I entered the room," Tim replied. "It was nothing but annotations for his daily routine."

"See anything that might shed light on the situation?"

"Everything seemed pretty normal from a business stand point."

"Did you check the drawers of the desk?"

"Only his working supplies remained," Shinichi informed. "All documents that could be found had already been removed by the time I had arrived."

"Which puts that out of the equation for the time being." Heiji said coming to an unexpected stop after another step taken.

"What is it?"

"Fournier is no longer at his desk," Heiji replied beginning a quick skim of the room. "I wonder where he could have went."

"I'm sure he didn't go far," Tim said. "If you wait here he'll probably reappear soon."

"This leaves the perfect opportunity," Shinichi said. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Heiji asked.

"To check the phone line at his desk," Shinichi replied. "Would you like to come along?"

"You go on ahead, we'll be right here."

"Suit yourself." Shinichi said before taking off for that very task.

He stood there for seconds, monitoring the door for his return. This lasted for a bit to come, lowering his head as he went through all details learned up to this point. In the mist of it all something snapped, almost as if a missing link to the puzzle had been attached.

"Could it be..?"

"What is it?"

"The elevator," Heiji replied. "We need to get back to the elevator."

He headed for the door with nothing further said, looking to find he followed at his side.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" Tim asked.

"I think I know what caused the malfunctions with that elevator." Heiji replied.

"Is that so?"

"At first I thought it had nothing to do with this, but if what I believe is true that might not be the case."

"What's the connection between Grahm Fournier's death and this elevator?"

"That is yet to be revealed," Heiji said as they exited the room. "Let's hurry, we have to be sure no one attempts to move that elevator."

Unsure on what he meant by this he followed none the less. They strolled down the hall, not stopping until after reaching those who still stood around the elevators.

"Back so soon?" Officer Celek said being the first to greet them.

"The elevator, has anyone tried operating it since the last I was here?" Heiji asked.

"Of course not," Officer Celek replied. "We're still awaiting the arrival of the mechanics."

"We don't have time," Heiji said. "There's something that could prove crucial."

"You mean something involving the elevator," Officer Celek questioned. "Like what?"

"According to the statements collected the weight limit went off when using the first elevator there on the left," Heiji pointed. "As we know it would take at least eight people to exceed the weight limit of each."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I had a little chat with Mr. Hamilton on my visit to the lobby earlier," Heiji informed. "Last night before clocking out from his shift he claims to have heard a noise."

"What kind of noise?"

"The sound of what appeared to be something that dropped down from a distance, which he said was on a floor above from where he had been."

"Which floor was he on at the time?" Officer Celek asked.

"The eighteenth," Heiji replied. "He wasn't the only to hear it, but Ms. Flowers as well."

"Is that true?" Officer Celek asked turning to her.

"That is correct," Carol confirmed. "It happened some time after two."

"So the two of them heard a sound," Officer Celek said turning back to face him. "I hardly see how that relates to the elevator problem."

"Think about it," Heiji said with a pause. "They could hear whatever dropped from where they were, and being that it was on another floor at a large facility such as this that could mean something."

"What are you suggesting," Officer Celek asked. "That something large fell over?"

"Not only that," Heiji said. "I'm thinking whatever they heard might have been the sound of something falling on top of the elevator."

"That's a wild prediction, but makes sense when you add in all the known facts," Officer Celek said. "That now begs the question, if something fell on top of the elevator.. how did it get there?"

"I was thinking whatever generated that noise was evidence linked to the crime," Heiji said. "Maybe even the weapon used in the act."

"You've got me thinking," Officer Celek said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a look into your deduction before the mechanics arrive."

"How do you propose we do that?" Carol questioned.

"We have someone send that elevator to the twenty fourth floor," Heiji replied. "Then we can open the doors from here, thus allowing for us to look down to see if anything is in fact weighing down on the elevator."

"Brilliant idea," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll have someone set it up right away, you wait here."

"Had no intent on moving." Heiji said in response.

He stepped off to the side, approaching a security official who stood at the right side of the wall. He watched as the two dove into conversation, looking on as progressions were made. With that underway, he then looked to the opposite wall to see Tim who still stood in the same spot as before.

"You sure did put a lot of thought into this," Carol said regaining his attention. "I must say, I'm impressed."

"Can you elaborate on something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When you heard that sound," Heiji said. "Do you think you could give an estimation for how many floors up it came from?"

"I couldn't really tell you," Carol replied. "It all happened so fast, I would guess at least two floors up but that's just a guess."

"Don't worry," Heiji said. "We'll eventually get around to finding out the answer to that."

They were then rejoined by Celek who returned from his quick discussion he had with the security guard.

"Good news, everything is a go," Officer Celek informed. "They're sending someone down to the floor below to call for that elevator, which will allow for a clear view of the top of the elevator from our position."

"I'm almost certain it will be rather dark," Heiji said. "Do you happen to have some source of lighting we could use?"

"Of course," Officer Celek replied holding up a flash light held down at his side. "I borrowed this from him before he and two others left for the twenty fourth floor."

"Smart thinking," Heiji commented. "Any idea how we're going to open these elevators doors to have a look down when the time comes?"

"Already accounted for," Officer Celek replied. "Once they're set they're going to alert Cyless of security to manually open the elevator door from the back room, leaving us with the task of checking out the top of the elevator from up here."

"Sounds easy enough."

"I'd say so myself," Officer Celek said. "What about Fournier, did you let him in on your sudden analogy?"

"Would have, but couldn't find him," Heiji replied. "When I returned to his office after checking out Grahm's office he was nowhere to be found."

"I wonder where he could have gone."

"No idea," Heiji said. "But I'm sure he'll turn up soon."

"I'd assume so, it's probably something business related that has opted for his brief absence."

It was only a second later that the vibration of his phone could be felt from his belt. He reached down to answer it, taking all but a few moments for the conversation to end.

"That didn't take long, who was that?" Heiji asked.

"They just lowered the elevator to their level," Officer Celek replied. "We should be expecting the doors to open any time now."

"Let's do this."

"Right after you." Officer Celek said as the two turned for the first elevator located on the left wall.

They stopped immediately after reaching it, knowing they didn't have much longer to wait until the next stage in the process was to begin. He looked off to the side to see Ms. Flowers who patiently awaited the open of the doors as well. The longer this went on the more anxious he became. Before any of them knew it the elevator doors opened just like any other time when normally summoned.

"This is it." Officer Celek said being the first of the two to make a move.

The two stepped up, making sure to keep a safe distance between them and the edge. He flashed the light, allowing for the two of them to peer downward to see if something indeed had landed atop the elevator. What came to their sight left them in a frozen state of shock, neither expecting to find what was laid out below. Curious as to what silenced the two, Ms. Flowers stepped up to the both from behind.

"What is it," Carol asked. "What can you see?"

The two looked to one another before then looking back to her.

"It's not a weapon like we had originally considered, but rather." Officer Celek began.

"A body." Heiji completed.

"A body," Carol questioned. "Are they..?"

"Dead, yes," Heiji replied. "There's high amounts of blood that can be seen, and there appears to be an object that was struck into the right side of their skull."

"If you ask me I'd say it's an axe." Office Celek said having another peak with the flash of the light.

"Call it in," Heiji instructed. "We need another unit working this immediately."

"Do you think this has anything to do with what happened to the late Grahm Fournier?" Carol asked.

"Two deaths in the same building in less than a twenty four hour span, I'm certain there's some kind of connection between the two."

"That must be the guys from below," Officer Celek said at another incoming call. "Better let them know the situation."

"While you do that I'm going to go and find Fournier," Heiji said. "Chances are the body belongs to someone who works here, who better than Lonard to identify the body."

"Go on ahead," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll take care of the procedures here."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that he turned back into the direction leading to the office where it all had began. It didn't take long for him to notice he had rejoined his side as he walked.

"You hear all of that?"

"Every word," Tim confirmed. "Could you distinguish if the body was male or female?"

"Defiantly male," Heiji replied. "We'll only be able to ID who it is by getting a closer look."

"You mentioned a blow to the right side of his head," Tim said. "Were there any other notable wounds you could see from your position?"

"There was too much blood, we'll only know by getting in closer."

"Nice work with your deduction by the way," Tim complimented. "Had no idea that elevator would lead to such a big reveal."

"Now comes the fun part, piecing its relation to the death of Grahm Fournier."

"I'll go and inform Shinichi of your findings, I'm sure he's almost completed his task of checking all the phone lines on this floor."

"How many rooms are on this floor anyway?"

"No more than ten," Tim replied. "I took note of that the second time I walked through here."

They arrived back to the office soon after, taking a look inside to find Shinichi was nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like he has yet to return," Heiji said before locating Fournier who had returned to his desk.

"No matter, I'll go in search of him," Tim said. "I'll be back as soon as I do, that leaves you to break the news to Lonard."

"I'm already looking forward to it." Heiji said heading toward the desk.

He went through his choice of words as he approached, thinking of the best way of breaking the unexpected news to him. He stopped once reaching the desk, silently waiting for him to take notice.

"There you are," Lonard said raising his head. "I was told you were looking for me, what is it you wanted?"

"That can wait, I have some disturbing news to bring," Heiji replied. "Another body was just found."

His eyes shot wide at this news, sitting there in shock for seconds to come.

"Another body," Lonard questioned with the wipe of sweat from his forehead. "Where, how long have they been dead?"

"We don't know, the body was just discovered laying on top of the elevator that had demonstrated problems earlier in the day," Heiji informed. "If you don't mind I'd like for you to come with me, we need someone to identify the body."

"You think it's an employee of Nano High?"

"That would be my first pick," Heiji replied. "Only one way to find out."

"Come," Lonard said pushing up from the chair. "Let us go."

"Yes of course." Heiji said turning back for the door.

He followed at his side as they walked out of the room. Yet again he returned to the scene that had unfolded by the elevators, quickly sighting Celek who seemed to be handing out instructions to those who surrounded him.

"Who was the one to make the discovery?" Lonard asked.

"Officer Celek and myself," Heiji replied. "Though I was the one to suggest that we take a look, turns out it was for the best."

He turned at the sound of their voices, delighted to have his return.

"Good to see you were able to find him," Officer Celek said. "Have you been brought up to speed on the situation?"

"He told me everything while in the office," Lonard confirmed. "Which elevator was this body found on?"

"The first one on the left," Officer Celek pointed. "Follow me."

He did just that, following him close to the edge before stopping. He pulled out the flash light from before, pointing it downward to give him a clear view of the body.

"And there it is," Officer Celek said. "Do you recognize who that is?"

He brought an arm to his face as he looked away in disgust, shaking his head in response.

"I have no idea who that person is," Lonard replied. "I'd need a closer look to make a determination."

"And we will soon," Officer Celek said. "The mechanics will be here shortly."

"Fournier, do you think I could have a word with you?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, of course."

The two stepped off to the side, giving them privacy away from the others who stood in the general area.

"Alright then, what is it?"

"Before any of this had been discovered I had tried looking for you," Heiji said. "Where were you exactly?"

"Taking a call in another room, I was given further details on my brothers death," Lonard informed. "They're now saying he was shot from afar, and not at close range like we had originally thought."

"I see," Heiji said with a pause. "Well that sure changes up the elements to the scenario."

"You're telling me."

"Did they have an estimation for how far away the culprit was when he took the shot?"

"No," Lonard replied. "Only that they're certain it was more than ten yards."

"That's not much to go off of, but does alter the dynamics no matter how you look at it," Heiji said. "Do you mind waiting here until the mechanics arrive?"

"I had not planned on leaving, at least not until an identification is made on this body."

"Good."

"What about you," Lonard asked. "You plan on sticking around for the duration of this?"

"You'll see me here and there, but right now there's someone I need to see," Heiji said in response. "I'll be back in time."

"Then go," Lonard said. "You have a job to do."

He nodded, turning for the other side of the hall before taking off once more. He trailed all the way back to the office, walking in to see the room still being examined for additional evidence that had yet to be obtained. To his delight it didn't take long for him to see the two of them standing in front of the office desk. It was only a matter of seconds for them notice him walking their way.

"How did your scavenger hunt go?"

"Result filled," Shinichi replied. "There was one other phone line that I discovered small amounts of tape connected to it."

"Which was?"

"The phone at this desk," Shinichi pointed. "Which means both Fournier brothers were intertwined in some kind of agenda."

"One which could be at the center of this whole ordeal," Tim added. "On the flip side how did things go out there, was Lonard able to identify the body?"

"Not on his first look, the body was too far down for him to see," Heiji replied. "He'll have another look when the mechanics arrive, once they reel the body into position we should have a clearer view on things."

"Guess it's wait and see from here."

"Not entirely," Heiji said. "We now know that Grahm Fournier was not shot from close range like we had originally thought, that gives us a whole nother angle to work."

"Are you certain of this?"

"I heard directly from Lonard."

"That more than changes the outlook on things," Shinichi said. "It even gives more depth to the glass window being opened at some point."

"Which means we could be dealing with a sniper," Tim said. "Did he clarify an exact distance?"

"Nothing set in stone, only that the shooter was at least ten yards away from where he stood when the trigger was pulled."

"Not much to take away from that," Tim said. "But it does beg the question of where the shooter was when the shots were fired."

"Nows there's the body that was just discovered on the elevator which only further complicates things."

"You're right," Shinichi agreed. "The chance of the two murders being connected is high, but before making anymore analogies I'd like to have a look at the body myself."

"That might take some time for it to be accessible," Heiji said. "But I could give you a brief run down of what I saw."

"That'll have to do for now," Shinichi said in response. "I'm listening."

"First and foremost, the cause of death appeared to be a blow to the right side of his head," Heiji began. "From what I could tell it appeared that an axe was embedded into the contents of his skull."

"The right side huh, interesting," Shinichi remarked. "Any other notable cuts or bruises for that matter?"

"Couldn't tell, I wasn't close enough," Heiji replied. "But I'd say it's more than likely, the amount of blood surrounding the body would seem to imply multiple wounds."

"We'll have to wait for further observation to gain anything significant." Tim said.

"It would seem that way."

The next moment brought a subtle sound, to where it was coming from was uncertain.

"That noise.. do you hear it?"

"It's me," Tim answered before diving a hand into his side pocket. "My phone to be precise."

He pulled it from within his jacket before holding it out to see the incoming call.

"Who is it?" Shinichi asked.

"Bruce," Tim replied. "I wasn't expecting to hear from him so soon, it must be important."

Just as he was to answer the call he heard a loud whistle from behind, all three turning to see officer Celek enter the room.

"I didn't realize you two were still here," Officer Celek said. "I was recently informed we are not to let anyone use their phones while in the building at this given time."

"Under what circumstances?" Tim asked.

"No detailed answer was given, I'm only going by what was told to me."

Going in compliance with his wishes he lowered the phone back into the security of his pocket.

"I apologize for the inconvenience."

"No need to say," Tim said in response. "Orders are orders."

"What brought you back here anyway," Heiji asked. "I thought you were going to wait out there until the mechanics arrived."

"That was the plan," Officer Celek said. "But to speed up the process the ever so handy man Cyless was able to get the elevator into position to where the investigation could begin."

"And the body, was Lonard able to identify who it was?"

"It seems our supposed ghost has been found," Officer Celek replied. "The body belongs to none other than Nathan Bennet."

"Nathan Bennet?!"

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 102

Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder (Part 2)

"Nathan Bennet, are you sure?"

"Mr. Fournier ID'd the body himself," Officer Celek replied. "He seemed more than sure of this."

"That's not what I was expecting to hear."

"I was notified to come and give you the news myself," Officer Celek said. "Lonard would like for you to return to the elevator at your earliest convenience."

"Alert him that I'll be on my way soon," Heiji replied. "I'm just about done here."

"I will go and let him know." Officer Celek said before heading back to where he had come.

They stood in silence for the first seconds of his departure. He reached into his pocket with that given moment, shutting off his phone which had still been on.

"What was that for?" Heiji asked out of curiosity.

"That officer said no calls can be taken at this given time," Tim reminded. "I was just powering off the phone to block out any calls that I may receive, I think you two had better do the same."

"Already did," Shinichi said. "Now onto the subject at hand, are we to assume we're dealing with the same culprit of the first murder?"

"I'd say that's a safe bet," Tim replied. "It's not often you come across two murdered victims in a highly featured building such as this in under a twenty four hour span."

"Agreed," Heiji said. "Whoever the gunman was to have shot Grahm Fournier is most likely the same person to have committed the second murder."

"The details of his death are next to none," Tim said. "You had better head down there to investigate, not to mention the fact Lonard wanting to speak with you."

"I'll gather as much information as I can."

"In the mean time I'm going to return to the lobby," Shinichi said. "Someone has to revisit Hamilton about what he heard or even saw last night."

"That's right," Heiji said. "Ms. Flowers claims to have seen him, yet not once did he mention seeing her."

"Bernadea should be down there as well, I'll gain further statements from both if possible."

"Good," Tim said. "Then we're all clear."

"What about you?" Heiji asked.

"I'll be here," Tim replied. "I'd like to further search this room for anything we might have missed."

"Like what?"

"Shinichi brought up the fact a trick of some kind might have been used in the assault," Tim replied. "If that is true, they might have left evidence behind that we might be able to exploit into our favor."

"Then we'll leave you to that." Shinichi said before turning for the door.

"How do you plan on getting down to the lobby," Heiji questioned. "You think the security officials will let you get by?"

"That's only a problem if I had planned on taking the elevator," Shinichi said in response. "Why have the confrontation when I can just take the stairs."

"And where is that exactly?"

"At the opposite end of the hall." Shinichi replied before moving on.

It didn't take long for him to find his way out of the room.

"Hope all goes well with that."

"As do I," Tim said. "When you approach Fournier remember to bring up the phone records, we need to know the numbers for all the calls that were received and made in the past weeks."

"So the two of you found tape strangled around the wires, but no recording device?"

"If there truly was one used we have yet to find it."

"If not seen around the cords why not check the outlet," Heiji suggested. "Devices such as those can be hidden in a secure area, some times even behind an outlet top."

"We considered that, but would have to go to someone to have them unloosen the nails holding the outlet in place," Tim said. "If we're to do that I think the best option would be to go to someone working security."

"Cyless would fit the bill perfectly."

"Then we'll go to him in time, but right now we need to deal with the important task of finding out how the killer pulled off both of these murders without being seen," Tim said. "It's one thing to evade the human eye, but with a full facility of top surveillance as well is another level."

"Makes it sound like we're dealing with someone with skills off the chart."

"Or just someone who happens to have resources on their side," Tim said. "You had better go, they're waiting on you."

"I'll be back with a report as soon as I can."

"See you then."

He nodded before turning for the door. He relaxed his hands into his pocket on his way out, heading for the left where the others could be found. Not far down he crossed paths with Carol Flowers who was walking in the opposite direction. Though he looked to her with a smile, she did nothing in return to acknowledge this.

"I wonder what that was all about?"

He shrugged this off as nothing of concern, continuing to where the elevators stood in wait. He completely made his way around the corner shortly there after, almost instantly sighting Lonard Fournier who stood against the opposite wall across from the elevator of where the body had been discovered. He slowed up in his approach, clearly seeing the turmoil he was enduring over the whole ordeal.

".. Mr. Fournier, you wished to see me?"

Seconds past before responding to the sound of his voice. He slowly removed the hand which had been rested over his face to reveal the redness that had taken form around his eyes.

"Sorry," Heiji apologized. "If this is a bad time, I can always come back."

"That won't be necessary," Lonard replied wiping a single tear away. "We can talk now."

"Alright," Heiji said. "What did you want to see me about?"

"We've already completed the first task in this second incident, which was to take pictures of the crime scene," Lonard said. "Two detectives just finished up with that about a minute before your arrival."

"Ok, that's good to know."

"Since that has been taken care of I'd like for you to be one out of the two detectives who takes the first initial look at the body."

"One out of two," Heiji questioned. "Why only two detectives to investigate the evidence?"

"Only because of the small surface of the elevator," Lonard replied. "We wouldn't want for any evidence to unintentionally to be tampered with."

"You make a good point."

"Once you and the lead detective have finished your diagnosis we'll send in another group to take a second look, just so we have more opinions surrounding the matter."

"Lead detective..?"

"Is that clear?" Lonard asked.

"Oh, yes," Heiji said looking back at him. "I understand."

"Good, then I'll leave you and the other bright detective to it."

He nodded in response before turning toward the elevator. Unsure of what he was to find, he braced himself for the max. He made his way clear to the other side, only stopping after reaching the wall. He took a peak inside past the doors which had been locked in place, coming to find the elevator had indeed been raised. It was now only a yard down from where he stood. The faint view from before was now blown into full perspective, taking in the scene as a whole. There was much blood to be found, smaller traces could be seen on the outer surface. He raised his head to see someone else was already at work with the examination of the body.

"That must be the detective I was told about."

He was unfamiliar with who they were, being that their back was turned to him. He stood there for a second longer, wondering if he should move in without approval.

"Do you plan to stand there all day, or have you come to help flush this all out?" The unnamed figure spoke.

This caught him by a bit of surprise.

"You must be the lead detective I was informed of."

"That I am," He confirmed. "Come young dt, we have much to go over."

Not wanting to waste anymore time he dropped down to the elevator, looking out for all blood trails that were very apparent.

"Watch your step."

"No kidding." Heiji said in response.

He took his time on his path forward, carefully stepping around or over anything that could be labeled as something of importance. He still wasn't able to make out his face as he neared. It was then that he discovered that the unnamed detective too wore a cap like himself, one which covered his eyes from sight.

"So.. do you have a name?" Heiji finally asked after reaching his right side.

"Galldon, detective Galldon." He replied looking up at him.

"That name, I've heard it somewhere before," Heiji recalled. "That's right, detective Gates mentioned you while we were at the Futures Building."

"Did he now?"

"Yea, he said you'd be there," Heiji continued. "Can't say I remember seeing you though."

"And you shouldn't have, not on a recognizable level anyway," Detective Galldon replied. "Any task given to me I take seriously to the full extent, we were given the task of sniffing out the supposed thief, picking him out of the crowd was only the first part of the task."

"What was the second?"

"To keep my presence hidden from most, while in a position that gave me a clear view of every single person.. including you," Detective Galldon replied. "There are several ways to play the game, but only one path guarantees absolute success."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Take a knee why don't ya, no way we're ever going to ever get anything done with you standing around all day."

He let his remark blow past before kneeling down to the right side of him. His first look was to the axe that could still be seen attached to the side of the victims head.

"Was the axe to the skull the ultimate cause of death?"

"That has yet to be determined," Detective Galldon replied. "Raise the head, tell me what you see."

He reached into the top pocket of his jacket upon his request, feeling around to find that it was empty.

"What is it?"

"It seems I've used the last of my latex gloves," Heiji replied before checking his lower pocket to grab hold of something. "Guess I spoke too soon."

He removed the pair of gloves from his pocket, sliding both tightly into place before repositioning himself to the top side of the body. He reached for the handle of the axe first with the use of his right hand, using his left for lifting up the head all in one motion. He was careful in all movement, having a peak underneath which confirmed all beliefs. He lowered the head back to the surface with as much care as he had when lifting it.

"What did you see?"

"If the blow to the head didn't do him in, then the fall most certainly did," Heiji replied. "I'd say he fell from a minimum of two floors."

"I figured that'd be the case."

"What about the rest of the body," Heiji asked. "Have you gotten around to checking anything else?"

"I checked his hands and wrists, both seem to be in relatively good shape," Detective Galldon replied. "But I did find something on his left shoulder, a bruise."

"Perhaps something obtained from the assault?"

"A possibility, but we can't be certain," Detective Galldon replied. "Go on and have a look, tell me what you think."

He did just that, moving the left sleeve off to the side to sight the bruise mentioned. It wasn't anything too serve, finding there to be multiple possibilities that could have caused it.

"And what of his right shoulder?"

"All clear," Detective Galldon answered. "There was nothing to find."

"I see." Heiji said before pushing the sleeve back into place.

It was then that Galldon reached into his back pocket, switching on a mini flash light which provided for a clearer view on things.

"Do me a favor and lift up his shirt," Detective Galldon asked. "I'd like to get a look at the full extent of his wounds."

"You bet."

He repositioned himself once more. Once all was a go he grabbed hold of both sides of the shirt before slowly lifting it up, both bracing themselves for what they were to see in the coming moments.

Arriving back to the first floor had taken some time, a little over three minutes by his estimation. He walked past the elevators, heading all the way around the corner which brought him back to the lobby. He looked ahead to the front desk, pleased to see Mr. Hamilton who was writing out something on a sheet laid down upon the desk.

"Now's my opportunity."

About halfway across the room he came to a stop, noticing someone who sat in the waiting area alone. He took a closer look, not taking long for him to realize who it was.

"That's Bernadea, I guess she came down to the lobby after all."

Now was the moment of choice, who to confront first. After little thought he came to the decision of visiting the waiting area first.

"Not too many opportunities that I'll come across her alone."

He tried looking as casual as possible on his approach, taking each step in pace with the last. As he neared he could see something held out on her lap, figuring it was a book. Not wanting to disturb her upon his arrival he took a seat in a soft cushioned chair opposite of the couch where she sat. It was only a matter of seconds before she realized someone had entered the waiting room.

"Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all," Bernadea replied. "You're the friend of that detective, Nogort right?"

"One of a rare bunch."

"What are you still doing here," Bernadea asked. "I had figured you'd have more important things to do."

"The way I see it there's nothing more important than finding out who murdered your uncle at this time," Shinichi replied. "That's what you want to know, as do I and everyone else."

"Are you some kind of investigator yourself?"

"In a sense," Shinichi admitted to a degree. "If you don't mind, could I ask you a question or two?"

"Like I told the others who asked before, I don't know anything," Bernadea said. "I don't even know who might have wanted to do something like this."

"It's not always the obvious questions that need to be asked."

"Did someone put you up to this, was it my father?"

"Not at all," Shinichi replied. "I assure you I'm here on my own accordance."

"What do you want to know?"

"To find out the whereabouts of every employee who worked within the past twenty four hours, or anyone else with close ties to this company," Shinichi replied. "Now tell me, where were you yesterday?"

"At home for a large portion of the day," Bernadea replied. "I had a lot of straightening up to do around the house."

"At any point during the day did you visit Nano High?"

"No, but I did make a call to my father's office."

"At about what time would you say that was?"

"Some time around noon."

"So you never did visit Nano High yesterday, at any time did you leave your home for anything else?" Shinichi asked.

"Not until after two," Bernadea replied. "Which is when I met with my fiance, something we had been planning on doing all day."

"How long were the two of you together?"

"Up until around one this morning."

"What a lengthy time you two spent together," Shinichi commented. "What were you two doing over the course of the day?"

"A lot," Bernadea answered. "You'll have to be more specific."

"Alright then," Shinichi said looking to narrow it down. "What were the two of you doing at around midnight?"

"I can remember that clearly, we were on the ferris wheel."

"Ferris wheel?"

"Yea, the one found at Mount Zomoph." Bernadea clarified.

"You were at that theme park at that time of night," Shinichi questioned. "I didn't even know that stuff remained open that late."

"Not normally, only because it was a special occasion," Bernadea stated. "We were informed earlier in the day that fireworks were scheduled to be fired off later that night."

"Did these fireworks ever come to pass?" Shinichi asked.

"They sure did."

"About what time was it when that occurred?"

"Now that you mention it," Bernadea said with the close of the book still in her lap. "I'm almost certain the show began at exactly around midnight."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I could call the president of operations who runs Mount Zomoph to find out," Bernadea replied. "Not only could we find out the time the fireworks were held, but the reason behind the whole show."

"You mean to tell me you don't know why there was fireworks to begin with?"

"That's right, we were only told by another group of people at the park that there would be fireworks," Bernadea replied. "When asked what it was being held for they did not know."

"And you have the number of the guy who helped to run things?"

"Yes, we were given a red card for spending over fifty dollars in purchases," Bernadea informed. "His number is in fine print on the backside of the card."

"Perfect."

She reached for her purse within that instance, feeling for something she had completely forgotten about. She pulled out the card she had spoken of along with something he did not expect to see.

"What are those, some kind of ear muffs?"

"Yes, they are," Bernadea confirmed before stashing them back into the purse. "This should only take a minute to get the information you're wishing to hear, that is if you don't mind waiting around."

"You go on ahead and make the call," Shinichi said standing up from the chair. "There's one last visit I need to make, I'll be back shortly to get an update from you."

"I'll try my best to get ahold of him."

"That's all I can ask, thank you."

With that he turned back for the left side of the room. It didn't take long for Anthony Hamilton to notice him heading his way from across the room.

"I didn't even see you walk past," Anthony admitted. "How long have you been down here?"

"No longer than two minutes," Shinichi replied upon reaching him. "Mind if I clear something up with you?"

"Sure, why not."

"I had the chance to speak with Carol Flowers, a working associate of yours," Shinichi said. "She too said she heard that noise you described hearing while on the eighteenth floor."

"Oh, yes."

"She also mentioned crossing path with you while walking by," Shinichi continued. "If she saw you, you must have seen her."

"I did."

"If so, why didn't you mention that before?"

"I didn't think that would be an important detail," Anthony admitted. "Besides I'm sure whatever it is I heard has no real relevance to what happened to Mr. Fournier."

"I might have agreed with you when I first gathered your statement, but another body has been found," Shinichi informed. "It was discovered laying on top of one of the elevators."

"Another body," Anthony exclaimed. "Who was it, are they ok?!"

"Sorry, but no," Shinichi replied with the unfortunate news. "They were already dead."

"Do you know who it was?"

"Yes, but it's not in my place to give you that information," Shinichi replied before turning back for the other side. "I'll leave that to someone else to let you know."

"Where are you going?"

"Our talk here is done, I'll come back if there is anything else I need to ask of you."

He moved on from there, looking across the room just in time to see Lonard Fournier had re-entered the lobby. It was obvious where he was headed, continuing his path all the way to the waiting area.

"Now comes the delivery of bad news," Shinichi thought. "It'd be best if I weren't around for this."

With that in mind he made his way back to where the stairs were located.

The attempts had increased over the past minutes, only to continue to receive the same results. He lowered the phone down to his side once again.

"So..?"

"Still no answer," Dick replied. "None of them are picking up for that matter."

"Then I'm going to go to them myself," Bruce declared. "We don't have much time, this could be a life threatening chain of events."

"Let me go in your place," Dick said. "It would best if you stayed here and set up the equipment for the examination that will be needed, I'll get back here with him as soon as I can."

"I can't stress the time enough, but keep it under control," Bruce warned. "I don't want you getting pulled over."

"Yea, that'd only add an unwanted delay."

"We've spent enough time waiting for a response, go," Bruce instructed. "I'll have everything set up by the time you return."

"You bet," Dick said opening the front door. "I'll inform you when I'm on the way back."

With that he stepped out with the close of the door.

"Let's hope we're not too late." Bruce thought.

He had lifted up the shirt as instructed, allowing for the two of them to gaze down to the marks that had been made in fine detail.

"Twelve cuts in all," Heiji said. "Five to the chest, with another three located in the abdomen area."

"Four wounds in all with both arms factored in rounds it up." Detective Galldon finished.

"Will that be enough?"

"Yes," Detective Galldon replied. "Go ahead and lower the shirt, I've seen enough."

He released the shirt just as planned, holding out his right hand after doing so.

"Your light, may I borrow it?" Heiji asked.

Without a response needed he handed the flash light over to him. He immediately pointed toward the outer wall, standing back to his feet after doing so. He slowly took the time to search the entire perimeter, checking to see if anything else might have fallen atop the elevator besides the body. The possibilities that ranged in his mind were from mini mobile devices to even jewelry. After coming up empty on his searches he returned the light to Galldon who tucked it away.

"I guess we're just about done here." Detective Galldon said returning to his feet as well.

"What about the rest of the body," Heiji questioned. "We haven't looked over everything yet."

"No worries," Detective Galldon stated. "I already took the liberty of searching everything else before your arrival dt, I can assure you there is nothing else of importance to keep note of."

"Dt.. what does that mean?"

With that Galldon turned back for the elevator doors, prompting him to do the same. The two were extremely careful on their way out as they had been on their way in. They were greeted soon after by officer Celek who wasted little time in greeting the two.

"I see the two of you have finished, I'll let them know to send in the next group," Officer Celek said. "How did it go in there, are we any closer to finding out what happened to Mr. Bennet?"

"To an extent, yes," Detective Galldon replied. "But I'm still uncertain why the unsub chose to kill him."

"Wait, are you saying you know who did this?" Officer Celek asked.

"I'm almost certain, but there's still a few lingering details," Detective Galldon said in response. "I'll need to gather a little more evidence before anything can be set in stone."

"If you know who it is, tell us."

"You'll know in time officer," Detective Galldon replied. "Now if you would, there is something of importance that I must look into."

He moved by him from there, walking past the others who stood around. It didn't take long for him to fade out of sight.

"He hasn't even been on the scene for over an hour, no way he knows who the killer is already," Heiji thought to himself. "This only forces my hand, I need to figure this out before he plays his hand into the face of deception set up by the culprit."

"Hey, are you alright?" Officer Celek asked after noticing his sudden silence.

"I'm fine, just thinking is all," Heiji replied before turning back to the opposite wall. "Where did Fournier go, I had something I needed to ask."

"He went down to see his daughter," Officer Celek informed. "Of course to break the damaging news to her."

"Any word back yet on the bullet that killed Grahm Fournier?"

"As a matter a fact there was," Officer Celek replied. "I just got off of the phone with one of the lab technicians a minute ago."

"And?"

"The bullet that penetrated the skull is confirmed to be that of an M855," Officer Celek informed. "Consistent with that of a rifle."

"Just as I thought," Heiji said. "Wait here, there's something I need to do."

"Tell me if you find anything."

"Will do." Heiji said before taking off once more.

He took his travels down the left hall, heading back to the room where it all had begun. He arrived back soon after, taking a peak inside to see Tim who was in conversation with none other than Carol Flowers. Unaware of what the two were discussing about he made his way toward them, arriving just in time to hear the last of what was said.

"There's one final thing I wanted to clear up," Tim said. "Earlier when you first arrived I saw you sending a message on your phone with the use of your left hand."

"So, what of it?" Carol questioned.

"I'm now confused by that, because when you entered this room I saw you jotting down something on a note pad with your right hand."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Ms. Flowers, which of your hands are you more dexterous with?"

"I see," Carol said. "You're asking if I'm either right or left handed."

"That's correct."

"I'm fairly good at using both, but have troubles with using my left at times," Carol said. "In the case of that, I guess that would label as me as right handed."

"Fair enough."

"Will that be all?"

"Yes, that will be it."

She moved past the two from there, heading over toward the left side of the room where she joined a couple police officers who were in the process of searching Lonard's desk.

"What was that all about?" Heiji asked.

"I was almost certain she was ambidexterity." Tim said half talking to himself.

"I guess we'll leave that one on hold," Heiji said. "Did you find anything while searching this room, something incriminating?"

"No such luck," Tim replied. "How did things go on the elevator?"

"Pretty graphic stuff to say the least," Heiji replied. "We also now know the type of bullet that fatally struck Grahm Fournier."

"Can't wait to hear this."

"An M855."

"Sniper rifle."

"Exactly."

"Knowing the brand of weapon used clears up a lot of things," Tim said. "We're going to need to get ahold of the pictures that were first taken at the scene, that's the only way to start mapping out a possible scenario."

"Here," Heiji said sliding a hand into his pocket. "I have a copy of the first photo's taken."

"Good, that saves time."

He waited for him to pull out the three photos, holding out his hand to accept them shortly after. He looked over the three shots, each giving a distinguishing view that separated it from any of the others.

"So what do you think?"

"Defiantly not a straight shot, the bullet entered from an angle slightly below 0 degrees," Tim replied. "A range from -3 to -8 degrees would seem to be the angle of where the bullet was fired from."

"Was thinking the same myself," Heiji said. "Of course that's only an estimation."

"And only phase one of our diagnosis," Tim added. "We still need to pin point the distance from where the rifle was fired."

"Not going to be easy to project, not only will we be dealing with distance but positioning as well," Heiji said. "There's several structures surrounding this place where the shooter could have taken aim."

"You're right," Tim said. "Then there's the process of determining if the shooter was standing, kneeling, or even flat on their chest when firing the weapon used in the murder."

"That only increases the possibility of the top half of the glass door being opened at some point in time," Heiji said. "No other way the bullet would have had a clear path in without shattering the glass, not to mention what Bernadea said of the temperature in the room when she first discovered the body."

"These photos, will you be needing them back?"

"You can go ahead and hang onto them, I've seen them enough," Heiji replied. "Just be careful as to who see's you with them."

"Note taken."

He stashed the photos away from there, glimpsing over at the doorway just in time to see him re-enter the room. It didn't take long for Heiji to notice him as well, anxious to hear what news he might have in store for them.

"Looks like I missed the deadline for our regroup, can't wait to hear what I've missed." Shinichi stated.

"Nothing we can't catch you up to speed on," Tim replied. "But first, how did things go in the lobby?"

"I was able to get further statements from both Fournier and Hamilton," Shinichi replied. "It's just as Bernadea said before, she claimed to have been with Nathan Bennet until a little after one this morning."

"Ok, so we'll go with that," Tim said. "What about midnight, did you ask her where the two were around that time?"

"On a ferris wheel," Shinichi replied. "The same ferris wheel we came across while at Mount Zomoph."

"Sounds casual enough," Tim said. "Spoke with her myself, doesn't sound like she has anything to hide."

"Wait, she did mention something else," Shinichi said. "Fireworks, there were fireworks."

"Where at?" Heiji asked.

"No clue where they were being ignited from, but apparently anyone who was at the theme park at that time was informed of this," Shinichi continued. "Which was the reason why Mount Zomoph was opened up past midnight."

"Regardless of our suspicions surrounding Bennet he does have a clean cut alibi."

"Yea, for not being in the building," Tim said. "Doesn't mean he couldn't have been the one to pull the trigger to the weapon that killed Grahm Fournier."

"Doubtful, I'm sure Bernadea would have seen if he was carrying a rifle around." Heiji stated.

"He's right," Shinichi said. "After all the two were together the whole time."

".. Maybe."

"What about the body," Shinichi asked. "What condition was it in?"

"Twelve wounds in all," Heiji replied. "I think it's safe to assume all were done by the axe that was found at the scene as well."

"The axe, it was embedded into the right side of his skull correct?" Tim asked.

"That's right."

"How deep would you say it was?"

"Enough which would declare strong force was used in the attack if that's what you're getting at."

"That answers that."

"So you told us about your discussion with Bernadea," Heiji said. "How did things go between you and Mr. Hamilton when you reproached him about last night, particularly the part about not seeing Ms. Flowers while on the eighteenth floor."

"I did happen to bring that up to him."

"And?"

"He claims to have overlooked that detail."

"A common response from someone who's got something to hide," Heiji said. "But I'll leave that determination for you to make, what did you think of him?"

"I believe he was telling the truth," Shinichi replied. "But as we all know the truth can sometimes be shadowed upon your first or even second look."

"Would you two excuse me for a moment, there's something I'd like to have a look at." Tim said before heading for the left side of the room.

They watched as he made his way back to where Lonard's desk could be found, joining Ms. Flowers who was in discussion with the two police officers who stood across from her.

"My com link was off at the time, so tell me," Shinichi said redirecting his attention. "What was he doing in here when you arrived back from checking the condition of the body?"

"He was talking with Ms. Flowers."

"Bout what?"

"I'm not quite sure, the only thing I caught was his question to her about being right or left handed."

"Is that so?"

"On a side note I think we'd better pick up on our progressions."

"What makes you say that?" Shinichi asked out of curiosity.

"Detective Galldon, the man who searched the evidence surrounding Bennet's body along with me," Heiji replied. "He claims to know who the killer is."

"Did he share with you the who and why?"

"No, and that's what I'm afraid of," Heiji said. "It seems this whole thing has been set up to where the culprit plans to flash all blame to someone else."

"Then you're right to worry."

"To an extent yes," Heiji said. "But I believe I know who set this all up, and who killed Nathan Bennet."

"You sure about that?"

"More circumstantial than anything, and of course what I've been able to gain from speaking with all of the employees."

"And this belief of yours doesn't include the circumstances circling Grahm Fournier's death."

"Correct," Heiji confirmed. "Though I'm uncertain of who the shooter is, I do have a good idea to who had it to where the job was seen through."

"So essentially you're saying there is more than one culprit we're dealing with?"

"Exactly."

"It's a stretch, but one I can't disagree with," Shinichi said. "With what we've uncovered thus far I'd say we're dealing with a conspiracy of inner interests."

"You mean something dealing with regards to the company itself?"

"You read my mind."

The two then looked back to the left side of the room to see he had vanished from where he had gone.

"He was just there a moment ago," Heiji said looking toward the doorway. "Where could he have run off to in such a hurry without telling us?"

"He's over there." Shinichi pointed.

He looked across the room to see him standing just past the crime scene tape, a few feet back from the glass wall. There was something held over his eyes, something he wasn't able to make out from where he stood.

"What is that he's got there?"

"Binoculars," Shinichi answered. "He probably borrowed them from one of the officers he approached."

"You think he's onto something?"

"Only one way to find out," Shinichi said in response. "Wait here."

He walked toward him, making his way around the crime scene tape that still branched around the blood that was still in the process of drying. He stopped once reaching the left side of him, wondering exactly what it was he was currently looking at. Not wanting to disturb his focus he did his best to make out where his sights were set to.

"Doesn't look like he's got his eyes on any of the larger structures to the east side, nor to the wide spread ones on the right," Shinichi thought. "If he's not looking at either of those two areas than what is he's fixated on?"

He once again tried signaling out where he might have his sights set, slightly raising his head to have a further look ahead. Then he saw it, the brief spin of it just before coming to a stop. His eyes widened with realization of the truth, one which hadn't been so clear prior to this very moment.

"That's it," Shinichi exclaimed from within. "The rifle, Grahm's death, why Bennet may have been killed, it's all starting to make sense."

He turned back for the other side of the room, hurrying for the door with much intent weighing on his mind.

"Where are you going?" Heiji asked as he watched him pass by.

"The surveillance room."

"What for," Heiji asked only to have him fall out of sight. "I wonder what that was all about."

He turned back to the opposite wall to see Tim finally lower the binoculars from his eyes. After doing so he walked around the crime scene tape on his path back to the center of the room.

"What were the two of you looking at over there," Heiji asked. "Did you find something?"

"What makes you believe that?"

"Don't tell me you didn't see the way Kudo took off just now."

Before he had the chance to respond they were interrupted by the sound of several others entering the room, one being none other than officer Celek who immediately approached the two.

"There you are, I was hoping we'd find you here."

"What's going on," Heiji asked looking toward the doorway to still see others entering. "Are we having some kind of meeting?"

"Something like that," Officer Celek replied. "Detective Galldon has asked for us all to return to this room."

"On what grounds?"

"Like he said before, he claims to knowing who committed the crime," Officer Celek replied. "He plans on revealing the who and why in just a few minutes here, saves us the trouble if you ask me."

"What if he's wrong?"

"I wouldn't bet against it," Officer Celek said in response. "He's got one hell of a track record, just you wait.. you witness first hand of his brilliance."

There was nothing to say in response. He looked to the door to still see others entering, then to Tim who stood as blocked off in his expression as ever. This left him at seemingly packed odds, something that would find its way along the path ever so often.

"It's too soon, I need more time," Heiji thought with an urgency laid hidden. "If he's wrong another life will be buried, I won't allow that... it's now or never, my pitch can wait no longer."

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 103

Trigger Man

The room continued to fill up, including that of two familiar faces. Professor Canoe and Anthony Hamilton had been called to the room as well, both following in the footsteps of Lonard who had returned back to the room upon being called.

"Looks like all guests to the list have arrived." Heiji said.

"Indeed they have," Officer Celek said. "I'm sure it won't be long before detective Galldon joins in to give us his word on things."

"I'm surprised they decided to bring Hamilton up here," Heiji said. "Makes you wonder who's covering things in the lobby."

"I'm sure they've got someone subbing in for him."

"I hadn't seen Mr. Canoe through the past hour," Heiji said. "Any idea to where he was during that time?"

"I was told he returned to the labs found in the lower levels of the facility," Officer Celek informed. "He's a rather self-centered guy."

"Doesn't surprise me," Heiji said. "The guy's really into his work, not much of a people’s person in that regard."

"But then he really doesn't have to, given the outlook of his position," Officer Celek added. "Not exactly under the field of customer service."

"That's a fair way of putting it."

It was only a matter of seconds after that the two looked across to see Anthony Hamilton heading their way. His intent in doing so was anyone’s guess.

"It seems most everyone is here," Anthony said after reaching them. "I was told the killer is to be revealed shortly from now, is that true?"

"That's what we've been lead to believe," Heiji said. "Who was the one to inform you of this information?"

"One of the security guards who had been standing watch near the entryway," Anthony replied. "After retrieving the professor from the basement they asked for me to come along as well."

"Why's that?"

"I was told anyone linked to what happened last night was to return to this office," Anthony answered. "Of course which referred to me being here at the estimated time Grahm Fournier was killed."

"That sheds some light."

"But I don't understand, I thought everyone was to come to this room," Anthony said. "Where is that kid?"

"Which kid?" Heiji questioned.

"The one who visited me just a few minutes ago."

"He's probably referring to that friend of yours," Officer Celek said. "Saw him asking around just a bit ago."

"Why are you concerned with his whereabouts is there something you needed from him?" Heiji asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, I was asked to deliver a message to him," Anthony replied. "It's not all that important, I'll let him know the next time I see him."

"Speaking of absence, where is Bernadea," Officer Celek questioned. "You'd have thought they'd have brought her up for these proceedings, being how close she is to this and all."

"I'm certain her father declined to that, which makes sense," Heiji said. "She's been through enough as it is."

"I think all parties involved have."

"If that friend of yours returns any time soon be sure to send him my way," Anthony said. "In the meantime I'm going to go and check in with Mr. Fournier to see if he has anything new concerning the situation."

"I'll let him know if that comes to pass."

"I appreciate that." Anthony said before heading back to the far left of the room where Lonard could be found.

"I guess I had better be on my way as well."

"Where to?" Heiji asked.

"They're getting ready to move Mr. Bennet's body from the elevator," Officer Celek replied. "From there it will be transported to the GCPD lab for further assessment."

"And you plan on going down to the station yourself?"

"No, I'm only going to help make sure the body is secured all the way to the truck that is scheduled to arrive in the next few minutes."

"Gotcha."

"Hold down the fort while I'm away," Officer Celek said making his way to the door. "I'll be back soon."

"I'll be sure to do that."

He watched him travel across the room all the way out the door. It wasn't longer that he turned at the sound of someone stepping up from his blind side.

"Drake," Heiji said. "Almost forgot you were there for a moment."

"You wait here, I won't be long."

"You too?"

"This is something of importance," Tim said making an exit from the room. "There's just something I need to make sure is seen through."

"Where are you going," Heiji asked. "To the surveillance room to find out what triggered Kudo's decision to leave?"

He received no answer to the question asked, feeling as if he was being blocked off to a certain degree once more.

"What's with those two," Heiji thought. "Neither has been very forthcoming with what's on their minds since the time they arrived at the scene."

He did his best to make sure none of this interfered with his thinking, knowing he would soon have to make a move when the time came. He looked to the door once more in wait.

"Looks like we're on the brink of this little show getting started, the only thing missing is detective Galldon himself."

He continued to keep an eye on the doorway. The wait paved on for minutes to come. During this time someone seeked him out, something that was unaware to him. The sound of a deep grunt sparked his attention. He turned to find an unpleasant look in his eyes, already having an idea of where this would be going.

"How may I help you, Professor Canoe?"

"What in the hell is the hold up, haven't we stood around for long enough" Edward spat. "If you haven't been informed, I have an important schedule to keep."

"What are you talking about?"

"Us waiting around for this big reveal of yours," Edward replied. "If you truly know who killed the employees of this facility than why not just say so, what's the purpose in having an audience?"

"Then you've mistaken, I'm not the one who called for everyone’s attendance to this room," Heiji said in response. "This is actually the doing of detective Galldon."

"Ok then, where is he?" Edward huffed becoming more impatient.

"He has yet to arrive to the room."

"Well that just makes perfect sense now doesn't it, have a gathering without actually showing up," Edward said as he turned in disgust. "Those analyses won't get done on their own."

"Wait, why did you think I was the one to set this all up?"

He received nothing from him in return, only hearing the sounds of the professor bickering under his breath as he made his way back to the other side of the room.

"And the trend continues."

He looked back to the door once more, just in time to see detective Galldon walk in past the door with an unfamiliar man at his side. His eyes were fully covered by a pair of shades. He found this to be out of place, being the fact that they were inside where the sun was little of a problem.

"Who is this guy?"

This ran through his mind as he watched the unnamed man and detective Galldon begin to exchange words on a matter unknown to him. There discreet conversation didn't last long. Galldon took to the center of the room soon after, looking to those who surrounded him on all sides.

"I appreciate everyone’s patience, I am now glad to inform you all that the wait is now over."

"Bout time." Edward muttered.

"As of by now I'm sure you all know why you've been summoned to this room," Detective Galldon began. "The case of a double murder."

He stopped in mid thought, looking to the left side of the room.

"The time has now come to reveal the trials that unfolded over the course of last night." Detective Galldon said then turning to the right. "Let us not jump to the conclusion, but bear with me as we begin from the start."

He didn't stop in his movement, now pacing from one side of the room to the next as he continued on.

"Why from the beginning of yesterday," Anthony questioned. "Is there some relevance to that?"

"Correction, the beginning of last night," Detective Galldon said looking directly to him. "Starting from the time of ten after seven... the time that you, Mr. Canoe clocked in for your shift."

"How did you know that?" Edward asked.

"I was given a copy of the login sheet," Detective Galldon replied. "I know the time of everyone's arrival as well as all departure."

He began walking once more, looking to another side of the room as he did.

"There were only a small handful of employees here in the building when the estimation of both deaths occurred," Detective Galldon said. "That doesn't include the security guards who were standing watch on the outside."

He stood in assessment, still holding out for a key point to be made on why he had orchestrated this meet.

"The first body discovered last night was that of Grahm Fournier," Detective Galldon continued. "The possibilities of who could have wanted him dead vary, then there's the mystery surrounding the second murder."

He peered into yet another direction in the room as he continued to move.

"That of course would be the death of Nathan Bennet, another well known and respected man of this company," Detective Galldon said with the shift of his head. "There's a margin of time between the estimated deaths, around two hours to be precise."

"Where are you going with this," Carol asked. "I don't see the use in nitpicking at what everyone already knows."

"She's right," Anthony agreed. "Do you know who committed these murders or not?"

"Patience," Detective Galldon responded. "Once I'm finished there will be no doubt in anyone’s mind who set this into play."

Ready to hear what he had to say they fell silent once more.

"Let us revisit the circumstances of the form the room was said to have been in when Ms. Fournier had first discovered Grahm's body," Detective Galldon said as he began walking once more. "Cold.. she described the room as being cold, there's one clear thing to be taken from this fine detail."

The next words that fell from his mouth seemed to drift right past. It had taken seconds for him to finally notice, not only was he giving a rundown of the already known facts, but also had a very distinct eye on everyone listening in on what he had to say. Having an idea on what was going on he then looked to the man in shades, coming to find he too was skimming through the crowd as Galldon continued to speak.

"Now I see what this is all about, he doesn't actually know who committed the murders," Heiji thought. "Not to the point of it being conclusive, this seems to only be a means of getting whoever he is suspecting to jump at something he plans to do or say."

His belief was only heightened as he continued to watch detective Galldon in the way he talked, coupled in with his ever so shifting posture from second to the next.

"Now with that said, I think we can all agree on one simple thing," Detective Galldon continued. "The fact that the glass wall aligned with the door leading into this room was open at some point last night, most likely opened shortly before the first murder was committed."

"Not just around when the deaths occurred, but over a period of the night," Heiji thought. "That's the only way Bernadea would have felt the affects of the elements from the outside after hours had already passed."

Finding out what they really hoped to accomplish was only the first step. He had yet to figure out who Galldon in fact believed to be the one to commit the crime. He followed his eyes with his own, occasionally scouring over the crowd himself. Minutes rolled on as he continued his speech.

"Let us zoom in on one key point, a fact that could have led to the second murder," Detective Galldon said. "I believe the shooter was on the outside of the facility when they fired their weapon."

"Are you saying someone not in this room could have done this?" Anthony asked.

"A possibility, but wouldn't quite add up with my next point to make," Detective Galldon said. "I believe Mr. Bennet witnessed who committed the crime while out on the premises, after seeing this he followed the culprit in."

"An interesting analogy," Edward commented. "But wouldn't the security cameras have shown Bennet following someone in, from what I heard the guy came in alone."

"I haven't gotten to that part, never you worry professor," Detective Galldon assured. "All will be explained soon enough."

He took this very moment to skim over everyone once more, finding that all were more attentive than ever before. There was no one who stood out from their perception from what was being said.

"If the person who truly committed the murders is amongst us they're doing a very good job at shielding their emotions from Galldon's breakdown he has resulted to." Heiji thought to himself.

He continued his path throughout the room, now setting his eyes to employees who hadn't even been working at the estimated time the deaths were set to have occurred.

"After entering the building we can only assume that Mr. Bennet took his progressions further by following in the steps of the shooter, this could have only amounted to one thing in the end," Detective Galldon said. "Confrontation, one which ultimately ended in more blood spill."

"I'm still waiting for the part where you explain to us all how none of this was caught on tape." Edward stated.

"That very reason ties into who the culprit is."

"It does?"

"The reason why none of what occurred over the course of the night wasn't caught on surveillance was because of one simple fact, it was erased," Detective Galldon revealed. "Erased by someone who works in the security department."

"Cyless," Anthony questioned. "Are you saying he was the one to delete all footage?"

"That is correct."

"Hold on, there's just one thing lingering with your claim there pal," Carol quickly pointed out. "The log in screen showed that Cyless didn't come in till this morning, he may work in security but not even he has the power to get rid of login records on his own."

"Maybe not Cyless, but most certainly the one to pull the strings," Detective Galldon said turning to face him. "Fournier Lonard, you of all people in this room have the power to alter anything that is set in the files."

"That's absurd," Lonard exclaimed in response to this. "Are you claiming I had something to do with this?!"

He could only grin at this, twirling his hat with much confidence.

"Glad to see you're following along sir."

"You're crazy!"

"Wouldn't be the first time I've been called that," Detective Galldon admitted. "But hey, I've received worse."

"All I've heard is well put together accusations," Lonard stated. "Where is the proof that any of what you say is true?"

"He doesn't have any," Heiji said stepping forward. "Do you, detective?"

"I didn't ask for your interference dt." Detective Galldon said.

"You made some relatively good points, but with each I found to be flaws," Heiji said. "Like the window per say, you never did go into detail why it might have been open."

"I think that's pretty self-explanatory, the air conditioning had gone out," Detective Galldon reminded. "Something I believe Lonard intentionally had done."

"Neither him nor Cyless have the record that states they could have made a subtle change to the conditioning system that left it nonfunctional," Heiji stated. "The only one with that in there resume would have been Grahm, and he's dead."

".. You're right."

"Then if you knew this, then why make the allegations?" Anthony asked.

He slowly turned to face him, lifting his head as he did.

"This is a conspiracy, just one big conspiracy."

"That's one statement I'd have to agree with."

Everyone turned at the sound of his voice, looking to see him standing in the doorway.

"Kudo.."

"Who are you," Detective Galldon said stepping forward. "Identify yourself."

"Don't worry," Shinichi said walking in past him. "This won't take long."

He was a bit taken back by this, surprised he had broken their agreement that he would stay to the side on this one. That wasn't the only thing that came to mind.

"What could he possibly be up to," Heiji thought. "Has he gathered additional information to what happened?"

He stopped after reaching the center of the room, removing his hands from his jacket after accomplishing this.

"I have failed to hear an answer to my question." Detective Galldon remarked.

"Enough time has been spent on analysis," Shinichi said. "What do you say we dive into the brink of things?"

"Who are you?"

"Nogort," Shinichi finally replied. "My names not important at this time, we have a matter to get situated."

"Nogort.. can't say I've heard of you before, which department are you from?"

"You're one for questions aren't you," Shinichi said in response. "But before we swing down that road, why don't we go over why your run down concerning this matter is completely off key."

"Have anything better?"

"Maybe."

"Alright then," Detective Galldon said having a step back. "Let's hear it, Nogort."

"Let's start with the glass door, which we're all pretty sure was open at some point," Shinichi began. "You claimed Lonard made it to where the machinery was nonfunctional, correct?"

"That's right."

"He nor Cyless have the proper skill set to have pulled that off without making a noticeable mistake, one which would have been easily noted."

"Are we at least in agreement the conditioning system was tampered with at some point?"

"No doubt in my mind."

"Ok, then who do you propose was the one to have put the machine out of commission?"

"We'll leave that one to the back burner for now," Shinichi said. "Let's focus squarely on what killed Mr. Fournier."

"We already know that," Detective Galldon said. "He was shot from long range, I was just informed before I came in that the bullet found in his skull was that of an M855."

"Which you would associate with a rifle."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Detective Galldon commented. "Would you happen to know where this rifle is too?"

"Perhaps."

"If that is true, wouldn't you also know who was the one to have shot Grahm Fournier?" Carol asked.

"I was just getting to that very point," Shinichi replied. "But before we get to that, why don't we examine the chain linking the two murders together."

"I already went over that." Detective Galldon reminded.

"But not all of what you said falls into place, think about it," Shinichi said with a pause. "If Bennet saw the sniper take the shot why not confront them right away, why wait until after entering the building?"

"He's right," Anthony said in agreement. "You didn't explain why he used the side entrance instead of the front either."

"Because the culprit was armed, he didn't want to take the chance." Detective Galldon explained.

"If that were the case he could have told someone inside the building about the situation, or informed the police for that matter," Shinichi continued. "It wouldn't have made sense for him to follow someone who was armed while alone, especially when there were safer options."

".."

"There's one important detail I believe you overlooked as well, time," Shinichi said. "There's about a two hour gap in between the times of deaths, if Bennet saw the shooter head back into the building why an additional two hours to confront the culprit?"

"To look into what they were to do next," Detective Galldon replied. "That seems logical enough."

"Two hours is pushing it," Shinichi said. "I'm sure if anyone had the intent on acting on the matter they'd have made a move before then."

"What are you implying?"

"There are a few things about Mr. Bennet that I'm sure you're unaware of."

"Pardon?"

"Go on Mr. Fournier," Shinichi said. "Why don't you let everyone in on one of Bennet's less known interests."

"Less known interest," Detective Galldon questioned. "What is this he speaks of?"

"I too am unsure of what he speaks of."

"Shooting." Shinichi said.

"That's right," Lonard remembered. "He spent a lot of time at a shooting range on his free time."

"Wait," Detective Galldon exclaimed. "You're not saying."

"That's right," Shinichi said. "The one to have killed Grahm was none other than Nathan Bennet."

"There's no way!" Lonard shouted in response to this.

"That's a serious accusation you've presented," Carol said. "What is your evidence to back this claim?"

Before he had the chance to respond all attention was reverted back to the door with the return of officer Celek.

"Hattori, I looked into those surveillance videos as you asked," Officer Celek said looking his way. "I also looked into your second request, the one to orchestrate last night’s fireworks was Grahm Fournier, which had been planned for over two weeks."

"Requests," Heiji thought in confusion. "I never asked for any of that."

"What surveillance footage," Detective Galldon asked. "What exactly did he have you looking into?"

"The security camera's that can be found at Mount Zomoph, a theme park a little over a mile from here," Officer Celek replied. "He had me follow every move Nathan Bennet made while there."

"Is it true he was with Bernadea?" Anthony asked.

"Yes," Officer Celek confirmed. "They were together all the way up until fifteen after twelve this morning before deciding to leave the park."

"So you checked in on all movements that he made," Detective Galldon said with a clear understanding. "Was there something in particular you were hoping to see?"

"Not do, but rather to see what he had on him."

"What do you mean by that?" Carol asked.

"There was something he carried that hung from his shoulder throughout the day," Officer Celek informed. "We couldn't quite figure out what it was, but we do have an idea."

"Would the item in question happen to be a rifle?"

"They're looking into that as we speak," Officer Celek replied. "We've already sent out a group to search his home and car."

"But if this item you speak of had been a rifle wouldn't you have known almost instantly?"

"Not necessarily," Officer Celek replied. "Whatever it was, was in a bag that was strapped around his shoulder."

"And this remained in place for the full day?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, that might explain the minor bruise found on his shoulder," Detective Galldon said. "But there is still one detail that concerns me, if Bennet has been dead this whole time how was it Bernadea spoke with him in the last hour?"

"That can be explained." Shinichi said stepping forward.

"I can't wait to hear this."

"Let's take a step back why don't we," Shinichi said. "Starting with that air conditioner."

"I hardly see how this relates to the phone call just referenced."

"You will in time," Shinichi assured. "Like we've gone over, someone intentionally rigged the air conditioner to where it was unusable."

"Who do you believe did this?"

"The same person to have killed and impersonate Nathan Bennet."

"Say what?" Anthony questioned.

"Nothing but a deceptive act the culprit put on to throw us off their trail."

"You really think we're being deceived?" Officer Celek questioned.

"Not a possibility, but a fact," Shinichi said glancing back at him. "And the culprit stands here among us."

"And who might that be?"

Before he was given the chance to speak the ring of a phone could be heard.

"One moment," Officer Celek said. "It's mine."

He took a few seconds to take the call, receiving information he had hoped to hear. He lowered the phone back to his side after hanging up.

"It's just as you said kid," Officer Celek said. "They found it where you said it'd be."

"Found what," Carol questioned. "The weapon?"

"We'll get to that soon enough," Shinichi said in response. "But first, I think now would be a good time for the culprit to come forward."

This struck the room to silence, all looking to those who stood around them to see if someone was to in fact step forward. Expectantly enough this did not come to pass.

"I'm sick of the twists and turns," Edward snapped. "Tell us who it is already."

"I'm with him," Anthony admitted. "The sooner we get this over with the better."

"Tell me, Fournier," Shinichi said facing him. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"..Not that I'm aware of," Lonard said giving it a seconds thought. "Why do you ask?"

"So you're not allergic to sprays of any kind?"

"No," Lonard replied. "What brought you to assume this?"

"Well that's strange, because that's not what I was told."

"Where are you going with this," Carol asked. "I see no true meaning to the question you have posed."

"It's very alright Ms. Flowers, I'd like to hear what he has to say," Lonard said before turning back to face him. "Please continue."

"I'm sure you recall your first meeting with Bruce of Wayne Enterprises."

"Yes of course, that was merely a week ago," Lonard replied. "He had that boy with him."

"Good to know you remember."

"What of my meeting with Wayne, is it something we discussed that concerns you?"

"Not exactly," Shinichi replied. "But I was told of your reaction to something, something your brother did."

"Which was?"

"He used air freshener while in his office, I was told when you walked in you were affected by this," Shinichi informed. "Even went as far to let him know you were allergic to it."

"Who told you that?"

"That boy, Conan," Shinichi replied. "He told me about that the last we spoke."

"You know him?"

"A family relative if you will."

"I can see the resemblance," Lonard said. "But you should know as well as I do, children can make wonders of stories."

"That is very true."

He stayed still in his stance, uncertain where he was going with his progressions.

"His whole approach has completely gone off track," Heiji thought. "Does he truly know who the killer is or not?"

"Mr. Hamilton, could you tell me a distinguishing feature about Grahm Fournier?" Shinichi asked facing him.

"Distinguishing feature?"

"Yes," Shinichi replied. "Preferably one you wouldn't associate with his brother."

"There's not much different about them besides the fields they work in," Anthony replied. "The only thing I can think of is that Grahm was left handed."

"Which means you must be right handed," Shinichi said looking his way. "Is that accurate?"

"Yes, that is true," Lonard confirmed. "Is there some relevance to these questions you have asked?"

"Is that so, because if I can recall you engaged me with your left hand when we first met."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was told of this difference between you and your brother."

"Let me guess, from that same boy?"

"We don't have to stop there," Shinichi said. "Officer, now would be the time to deliver that information."

"Yes of course."

"What information?" Lonard asked.

"We searched your car," Officer Celek replied. "What we found in your trunk was that same bag seen strapped around Bennet's shoulder in the security footage."

"Tell everyone what was inside when opened." Shinichi said.

"A sniper rifle with ammunition," Officer Celek informed. "Possibly the weapon used to kill Grahm."

"That's where you're wrong officer."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it," Shinichi said. "The supposed call Bernadea received from Bennet, the questionable surveillance footage, the air conditioner.. it all can all amount to only one thing."

"You can't possibly mean?"

"Undisputedly," Shinichi pointed. "The killer of Nathan Bennet is none other than Mr. Fournier."

"They already went over why it can't possibly be him." Edward stated.

"Yes, in the case of it being Lonard," Shinichi said. "We were all deceived, this man isn't Lonard, but rather.. his twin brother, isn't that right Mr. Grahm?"

"You're insane."

"Not only do they have you for conspiracy and murder, but now for criminal impersonation as well."

"Fournier is this true?" Anthony questioned.

He gained nothing from him in response.

"You clearly being left handed made it a done deal, I knew from the moment we shook hands," Shinichi said. "The axe embedded into Bennet's skull was on the right side."

"What of it?" Detective Galldon questioned.

"Simple, a right handed person would have taken a swing to the left side of his skull," Shinichi replied. "It's all about control and power."

"I get it," Detective Galldon said catching on. "It's almost like using a baseball bat, being right or left handed makes a clear difference on which way you will choose to swing."

"Clever deduction if I must say." Officer Celek added.

"That would also explain the air conditioner," Heiji said. "Grahm has the background that would imply his capability."

"Not to mention erasing any necessary security footage, but he got sloppy," Shinichi said. "He forgot to remove the footage showing Bennet's arrival after parting ways with Bernadea."

"In the light of all of this, if Nathan was to truly the one to have shot Lonard then when did he do it," Carol asked. "Like it's been reported, he was with Ms. Fournier."

"The ferris wheel, if you take a close look you can see it from here," Shinichi pointed. "It's completely aligned with where the bullet's trail would have gone if he had fired the rifle while at 90 degrees, which would have been at the highest point on their rotation."

"But wouldn't Ms. Fournier have seen if that were to have taken place?"

"Not if she were focused on the fireworks that were said to have been taking place at that time," Officer Celek said adding in his input. "Nathan wouldn't have needed to remove the bag completely, just enough to where the trigger could be pulled."

"We're here at Nano High, which is south of Mount Zomoph," Shinichi said. "We were told the fireworks were released from the north side, which would have easily kept Ms. Fournier interest while he took aim."

"That's all well and said," Anthony stated. "But wouldn't she have heard if a shot was fired, I doubt it would have blended in with the fireworks while next to him."

"Maybe not completely," Shinichi said. "But the ear muffs given to them might have distilled the noise just enough, the same ear muffs Grahm made sure everyone received who was at the park."

"Are you saying Bennet and Grahm conspired together?"

"Yes, though Grahm wasn't the one to have shot his brother I do believe he was the one to orchestrate it all," Shinichi said. "The master mind to ignite the planned attack, the trigger man in other words."

"Maybe so, but that still doesn't explain the call Ms. Fournier claimed she received from Bennet." Anthony said.

"I already checked into that when I visited the security room, I got a view of some revealing footage," Shinichi replied. "It would appear that after Grahm found out about Bernadea's concern regarding Bennet he left the room and called her, posing as Nathan from the other line."

"If that were true, wouldn't she have noticed," Anthony questioned. "It's not like they sound the same."

"You'd think, but Grahm is a specialist in acting," Shinichi informed before looking his way. "Aren't you?"

He still had nothing to say.

"If what you say is true, then we should find Mr. Bennet's phone in his possession." Detective Galldon said stepping toward him.

He did just that, reaching into his jacket only to pull out one phone. He then checked his pants, not surprised when he grabbed hold of another.

"Looks like we have a winner, I'm betting one of these phones belongs to Nathan Bennet," Detective Galldon said. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

He simply smiled, gazing into his eyes with his own.

"You want answers, talk to my lawyer." Grahm finally spoke.

"Through the lies, games, and disguises you hid yourself beneath one thing stood towered above all the deception you put on display, truth," Shinichi said. "And that prevailed today."

"Alright, I've heard enough," Officer Celek said. "Let's get him down to the station."

"Grahm.. why?" Anthony asked.

He remained mute on the matter. Two unnamed police officials approached him, pinning his hands together from behind.

"You've made a mistake boy, I will get out." Grahm said as the cold metal of the cuffs snapped into place.

"There's still one thing I don't quite understand," Shinichi said. "When Bennet entered this building using a card it registered with your name, why is that?"

"And here I thought you were psychic."

"Not psychic," Shinichi said with the shake of his head. "Just a kid who's always paying attention to detail."

"Alright, get moving." One of the officers instructed.

He stood in watch as they moved on, feeling a comforting hand touch down to his shoulder.

"Impressive," Officer Celek commented. "That's defiantly one for the books."

He then took off, following the others. They read him his rights on his way out, most everyone looking on in shock as this took place. Though the task had been completed, there was a taste of dissatisfaction. It wasn't long after that he turned at the sound of him joining his side.

"You were relatively quiet on the matter, I'm surprised."

"Thought I'd let you handle it this time around," Heiji said in response to this. "Good job by the way."

"You too, wouldn't have been as simple if you hadn't had that officer to look into that stuff," Shinichi commented. "Fortunately I ran into him on my way back in."

"Hold on, you weren't the one to have told him to look into those surveillance tapes?"

"Of course not," Shinichi said. "I was in the security room with Cyless for a margin of time, are you saying it wasn't you who went to him?"

"No, it wasn't," Heiji replied. "I was confused by his claim when announced."

"If not you, then who?"

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 104

A Strand of Reveals

That very question remained on their minds. It was at this time that those occupying the room gradually began to walk out of the room. They patiently waited as this process began, seeing no rush in following right away.

“The discrepancy has come to pass, think they’ll allow us to use our phones now?”

“Good question, but I’d wait until we’ve exited the building just to be safe,” Shinichi replied. “Why, did you need to call someone?”

“A couple things I need to check in on.”

“Before you do that do you mind answering something, I’m curious.”

“About what?” Heiji asked.

“You didn’t seem too sure of my analysis just a short time ago,” Shinichi began. “Did you believe the killer to be someone else?”

“All my findings lead me back to Lonard,” Heiji replied. “It wasn’t just the things I came across, but the way he spoke when we talked.”

“What do you mean?”

“For instance, when informing him of the body found on the elevator,” Heiji stated. “His initial response was how long the victim had been dead, when I had yet to release that was the case.”

“I had a similar run in with Hamilton when I returned to the lobby.”

“How did that go?”

“He took the news differently,” Shinichi replied. “His first question to me was if the person found was found was alright, that’s when I had a good idea he was no way involved.”

“The subtle points always prove key.”

“Something I think we can all agree on.”

“The room is nearly cleared out,” Heiji said taking a look to the other side. “It would appear our work here is done.”

“Right after you.”

The two made a move for the door from there, following behind a small number of people who had yet to leave. Once out the two turned for the left, coming to find him leaning to the wall in wait. He looked up at the both of them, giving them two congratulating claps before standing up straight in his stance.

“Excellent work.” Tim complimented.

“You were watching?” Heiji asked.

“Heard every last detail.”

“Now I see, it was you,” Heiji said coming to a realization. “You were the one to go to officer Celek about those favors, but why tell him it was me who asked for those details to be looked into?”

“Because I’m not a publicly qualified detective, I thought he would take the request more seriously if it had come from you.”

“I see.”

“In the end it all paid off, there’s nothing more I could have asked for.”

“Why didn’t you tell me first,” Heiji asked. “That would have at least erased my confusion from when he came to me about the request I had given.”

“I was still going through everything in my mind when I left the room,” Tim replied. “It wasn’t until after Nathan Bennet’s body was removed from the elevator that I got the chance to talk with him.”

“What made you want to look into those surveillance tapes anyway?” Heiji asked.

“That black bag that he wore,” Tim replied. “I wanted to know if he had removed what was inside over the course of the day.”

“Wait, are you telling me you knew about the bag beforehand?”

“Yes, we came across him and Bernadea at Mount Zomoph,” Tim confirmed. “That’s when we came across the mysterious bag being carried on his shoulder.”

“By we, you mean you and Kudo?”

“That’s right,” Shinichi spoke. “We crossed paths with the two while on our pursuit of that man who set explosion to that bathroom.”

“What made you become suspicious of that bag in the first place?”

“He seemed bent out on letting no one know of the contents inside,” Tim replied. “And when asked he claimed it was some kind of surprise.”

“He didn’t even tell his fiancé,” Shinichi added. “She was as clueless as we were on the matter.”

“And in the wake of all that happened I thought it’d be a good idea if someone looked into it.”

“Now I see,” Heiji said. “And am I assume that you both had prior knowledge of his shooting range habits?”

“Yes, that was something that Bernadea mentioned on my first encounter with them.” Shinichi confirmed.

“That would explain the comfort level you showcased when handling the case, though it would have helped if you had clued me in on this information,” Heiji said. “On the flipped side of things what happened to the part about staying low key, are you trying to gain an audience?”

“I didn’t exactly see any camera’s rolling, so I’d say there’s room for sliding.”

“Strange way of putting,” Heiji said. “I think now would be a good time for us to leave if you plan on having that idea become successful.”

“There’s got to be another way out, I have no interest in facing the media waiting outside of this place.”

“There’s a back door we can take,” Tim informed. “But first we’ll need to return to the lobby.”

“Think there might be a group sitting around back as well?” Heiji asked.

“Wouldn’t doubt it, but there really is only one way of finding out,” Tim replied. “Come on, we’ve spent enough time here as it is.”

“I can agree to that,” Heiji said. “Think the elevators will be clear for us to use?”

“I’d assume, as long as we don’t use the first one on the left.” Shinichi said in response.

With that in mind the three resulted to making their way down the hall. It was just as they had been anticipating, looking to the left wall to see the elevator blocked off by two police officers. They turned for the right just in time to see four people exit out of the elevator. They took this opportunity to walk in, pressing down to the button which would take them back to the lobby.

“Let’s just get one thing straight,” Heiji said falling back to the wall. “Regardless of the lack of information I had on their backgrounds, I too was close to figuring that Grahm was in fact sitting in as his brother.”

“Sure you were.” Shinichi smilingly said.

“What are you implying,” Heiji questioned. “That you were the only one closing in on Fournier’s little show he was putting on?”

“I never said I was the only one to know, I’m not even certain if I was the first to figure.” Shinichi admitted.

“What do you mean, who else knew besides you?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

He immediately spun around to face him.

“Drake is that true,” Heiji asked. “Did you truly know that was in fact Grahm?”

“Not initially, but I did have my doubts.” Tim replied.

“What do you mean?”

“When we were first approached by him after arriving, he gave me that folder to hand over to Bruce.”

“What of it?”

“I found that to be odd.”

“Why’s that?”

“If you’ve followed his track record Lonard is a man of direct business, if he has something to go over he’ll see to it in person,” Tim replied. “Not hand it over to a second source to deliver to the main handler, which in this case would be Bruce.”

“How many times have the two of them met?”

“On two separate occasions,” Tim replied. “One which included their first meet at Nano High.”

“At what point did you realize that he knew?” Heiji asked turning back to the other side.

“It was when he made that comment when we were all standing in his office,” Shinichi replied. “.. ‘A mirror sided performance’, I knew then that he was aware of the show Grahm was putting on.”

“I see,” Heiji said turning to him once more. “That would also explain the conversation you had with Ms. Flower’s, you were checking to see if she was in the running for being the one to have used that axe in the killing of Nathan Bennet.”

“Spot on,” Tim replied. “I would have told you about my suspicions earlier, but I wanted to be sure.”

“I guess the only question that remains is what opted for both Grahm and Bennet to orchestrate what conspired between last night and this morning.” Shinichi said as the elevator finally came to a stop.

The three walked out, stopping soon after.

“Where is that back door you mentioned to us?” Heiji asked.

“On the right.” Tim pointed.

Before they could make a move into that direction they were quickly joined by Celek and two other police officers who had found their way over from the main lobby.

“Glad to see you all made it down in one piece,” Officer Celek said. “Are you ready to leave the building?”

“You bet, but we plan on taking the back exit,” Heiji informed. “You know, to avoid all the press waiting on the other side of that door.”

“But what about your statements,” Officer Celek questioned. “They’re setting up the podium now, I’m sure everyone is anxious to hear what you and your friend have to say regarding the situation.”

“Concerning my part on the matter, I’d be grateful if you would keep my involvement a secret,” Shinichi said. “All credit and any possible questions can be forwarded to Hattori here, I’m positive he’ll have the answers to what the people want to know.”

“Why come to such a decision?”

“Reasons which I don’t have time to discuss now,” Shinichi replied. “But rest assured Hattori can handle all proceedings from here.”

“If that’s what you wish, we’ll see to it.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright,” Officer Celek said. “I’ll let the headman know of the situation.”

“I appreciate that.”

“So,” Officer Celek said turning his attention toward him. “Are you ready to give your statement?”

“I’m going to have to hold off on that, we’re kind of in a bit of a hurry,” Heiji replied. “There’s something I need to do first.”

“When do you propose you’ll get the chance to give your public statement on the matter?”

“Sometime today,” Heiji replied. “I’ll report to the station when a convenient time arises.”

“Roger that,” Officer Celek said. “I’ll go ahead and let them know.”

“Not that there’s any real meaning to it, but will you be at the station later?”

“I suppose so,” Officer Celek replied. “With a big case like this I’m sure there will be plenty of papers to file; I also have another open case I’ve been handling.”

“Then I’ll see you then.”

“I look forward to it.”

He turned back for the other side from where they had come, both officers following as they headed back to the lobby.

“That turned out well,” Shinichi said. “Think they’ll actually keep my name out of the discussion?”

“I think they will,” Tim replied. “But if they do by some chance don’t let’s remember they only know you as Nogort, not by your actual name.”

“That’s right.”

“Speaking of Nogort, I couldn’t quite figure out why you chose that name at first,” Tim said. “Now that I have, I kind of like the spin you put on it.”

“It was the first things to come to mind in the heat of the moment,” Shinichi said. “Not something I had thought through beforehand, something I probably should have.”

“We’ll worry about codes and names later,” Tim said beginning to walk once more. “We need to return to the Manor, it would seem something urgent has come up.”

“Are you referring to the call you missed while the investigation was underway?”

“Correction, calls,” Tim said in response. “I received multiple calls from both Bruce and Dick.”

“Why didn’t you answer before we were informed not to use phones?” Heiji asked.

“It was set on silent, so I was unaware at the time.”

“So what’s the plan, catch a taxi?”

“That’s the quickest option.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

They walked clear to the right end of the hall, coming to a stop upon reaching a door with an exit sign above it. The two braced themselves as they watched him turn the knob, unsure of what there would to come on the other side. The door was opened with one quick motion, revealing nothing but a roadway with cars passing by, coupled in with smaller structures across the way.

“Looks like we’re clear.” Tim said being the first to step out.

They followed right behind; making sure the door was securely shut in the process.

“Glad that one’s locked into the books.” Heiji commented.

“Not bad for your first official case here,” Tim said. “I’d count your first night while at the City Hall, but you weren’t exactly locked in as a part of the system if you know what I mean.”

“I can’t take all the credit, we all played a hand in this one,” Heiji said. “But I am curious about the name.”

“The name?”

“The name Kudo chose to use,” Heiji said facing him. “Nogort.”

“What about it?”

“There are several names you could have chosen,” Heiji said. “Why go with one so out of the left field?”

“You really haven’t figured it out have you?”

It was at that moment that a loud honk could be heard from across the way, causing all three to look to the street to see a car come to a stop in its path.

“That car,” Heiji said slightly recognizing it. “Isn’t that Grayson’s?”

“No doubt about it,” Tim said. “It appears we won’t need a taxi after all.”

“But how did he know we were here,” Heiji questioned. “Didn’t you miss his calls?”

“Bruce sent me here on his behalf to look into the situation,” Tim replied. “He must have been the one to inform Dick of our whereabouts.”

“I thought that much,” Shinichi said looking both ways before stepping out onto the road. “We’re good to go.”

With that the three made their way to the other side in a timely fashion, arriving a few yards away from where the car could be seen sitting in place. The door to the driver side slid open as they continued their approach, all three watching as he stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk. In the motion of making a move toward the three he stopped, unfamiliar with the person walking at the front of the group.

“You’re both here,” Dick said. “What happened in there?”

“A lot would be putting it lightly,” Heiji replied. “But we’ll keep it at that for now.”

“And what of Lonard Fournier,” Dick asked. “Were you able to determine who shot and killed him?”

“Long story.”

“We’ve got plenty of time, you can give me the details on the ride back,” Dick said before looking to the right. “Who’s this with you?”

“I guess this is the part that requires some explaining.” Heiji said.

“It’s me,” Shinichi said as informative as possible. “Conan.”

“You’re not serious, are you?”

He looked him straight in the eyes, standing there for several seconds to pass as flashes of a memorable resemblance fell into place. He took a small step back in a slight realization.

“There is something there, but how,” Dick questioned before turning to his side. “What happened to him?”

“We don’t know,” Tim replied. “When I returned back to the house he was like that, I have yet to determine what caused his sudden shift.”

“We might not, but it seems Bruce is onto something,” Dick informed. “That’s why he sent me in search of you.”

“Where is he now?”

“Back at the Manor setting up.”

“Setting up what?” Heiji asked.

“It has something to do with the blood extracted from Conan,” Dick replied. “I’d say he’s figured out what had been causing Conan’s untimely blackouts over the past week.”

“No doubt it’s linked to his transformation,” Tim said. “Between the two of you I received seven calls, I was under the impression you might have had something additional to tell me.”

“No, that’s pretty much it,” Dick said before shifting his head once more. “So tell me, how do you feel?”

“Fine, the best I’ve felt over the course of the week.” Shinichi replied.

“No increase in temperature, radical breathing, or headache even?”

“I’ve been fine since it happened,” Shinichi said in response. “I haven’t felt any of those symptoms mentioned or anything else for that matter.”

“That’s rather surprising given the circumstances,” Dick said. “We’ll save further questions for later.”

“Agreed,” Tim said. “If the urgency is high as you say, we better get back and have a look at these results that have been collected.”

“That’s something we can all agree on.” Heiji said.

“Alright, what do you say we get this show on the road?” Dick said turning back for the car.

“I’m right with you.” Heiji said being the first to follow.

After piling into the car and strapping in he turned the key in the ignition, starting up the car while resting back to the seat.

“Now, about what happened in Nano High,” Dick said. “Try not to leave out any details.”

“I have a question for you first.” Tim said from the passenger seat.

“What is it?”

“You knew we were here, but how did you know we’d leave from the back exit,” Tim asked. “Not to mention the almost coincidental timing.”

“With the large crowd occupying the front side, I was certain you wouldn’t come out through there,” Dick replied. “The timing just happened to work out in our favor.”

“How long were you waiting before driving around to meet us?”

“In under a minute,” Dick replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Never mind… it’s probably nothing.”

He set his sights back to the road before finding his way back into the lane.

“Ok, now let’s hear it.”

Several minutes passed as they found themselves driving through heavy traffic, something which was expected given the time of day. Things smoothened up the further north they went, losing sight of almost all traffic after crossing the bridge. An hour was fast approaching from the time they had begun their drive, looking ahead after passing the hill to see the mansion in the clear.

“That didn’t take long, not long at all,” Heiji said checking his watch. “We’re about twenty minutes ahead of schedule.”

“You’ve actually been keeping count?” Tim asked glimpsing back at him.

“With the amount of times I’ve driven from the city here and back you have to do something to keep your mind occupied.”

“And here I thought your cases were on your mind twenty four seven.”

“Hey, did Bruce tell you what these tests determined concerning my health,” Shinichi asked. “You know, the one he just finished with?”

“I wasn’t told exactly what was found, the only thing to gain was from his tone,” Dick replied. “He was pretty tense when delivering the news, there’s a lot you can take away from that.”

“Looks like you’ll have to receive the diagnosis directly from him.” Tim said.

“How are you feeling now as opposed to forty five minutes ago?” Dick asked in concern.

“No noticeable complications,” Shinichi replied. “I feel about the same as I did when you first arrived.”

“That’s a positive; let’s hope it stays that way.”

They continued down the clear path, arriving to the front of the gate which slid off to the side upon their arrival.

“Good, they know we’re here.”

He accepted the invite in, finding a parking spot off to the side before bringing the car to a stop. They got out of the car shortly after, closing the doors in the process.

“Now comes the moment of truth.” Shinichi spoke to himself as they marched forward.

They arrived to the bottom of the outside stairs soon after, pleased to see the front door swing open about halfway up.

“Glad to see you have all made it here in one piece,” Alfred greeted taking only moments to notice him. “Who is this with you?”

“That’s a long story in itself,” Dick replied. “But putting it in the shortest way possible, this is none other than our little friend Conan.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The drug circulating in his body must have reacted to something,” Tim informed. “Something which in the heart of the moment rapidly returned his body to normal standards.”

“Thus reconfiguring his appearance and figure,” Dick finished. “What caused this is still unknown.”

He became silent for seconds to come, simply widening the door for all four to step in.

“I think it’d be best if I left this for you and the master to make sense of.”

“Speaking of which,” Dick said coming to a stop. “Where is he?”

“Waiting in the study,” Alfred replied. “He’s been anticipating your return.”

“We’ll see to it that he waits no longer.”

With that he turned for the study, wondering just what it was he had discovered. He stopped upon reaching the door, giving it a light knock to alert him of his return.

“Come in, it’s unlocked.”

He forced the door off to the side, all four walking in to find him standing over the desk with his back to them.

“What are you doing?” Dick asked.

“Looking over the results gathered for a final time.”

“Speaking of which, we have a minor problem.”

“Yes, I know.”

“What?”

“Tell me, how do you feel Conan,” Bruce asked turning to face him. “Or is it Shinichi that you’re going by?”

“You knew,” Shinichi asked. “How?”

He reached back to the table, tossing him a test tube which had been lying in place. He immediately knew what was inside after taking a peak down at it.

“Blood?”

“Your blood,” Bruce informed. “I finished looking over the blood obtained from you about thirty minutes ago.”

“And?”

“It would appear from what was found in your blood that your body was unleashing an unnatural amount of GH.”

“Growth hormones?”

“I wasn’t surprised when I came across it, I’m almost certain your adenoma experienced some difficulties,” Bruce continued. “That would explain the serve headaches and weakened vision you mentioned, which also means you probably sustained a degree of pressure to your optic nerves.”

“All those symptoms are in line with gigantism.”

“There are obvious similarities, but your condition is much different.”

“How so?”

“There was something you wouldn’t normally see,” Bruce replied. “Something that was linked to several of your blood cells, a bacterium if you will.”

“What kind of bacteria,” Shinichi asked. “Something uncommon?”

“To most, yes,” Bruce replied. “But there’s no need for panic, I have an idea of how you may have been infected.”

“Finally some good news.”

“At least tell us one thing,” Heiji said stepping to the front. “Is he going to be alright?”

“That is yet to be determined; another sample of his blood will be needed so I can then examine the nature of any further progressions that may have taken place.”

“You said you may know what caused the infection, what exactly did you mean by that?”

“I have a question for you first,” Bruce said in response to this. “I was told you obtained further information on the woman we’ve been looking for, what did you learn?”

“The same woman we’ve been trying to pursue for almost a week now?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t exactly learn anything new,” Heiji stated. “But I did get something clarified which had been visited before.”

“Which was?”

“I was first under the impression that her name was Sam,” Heiji reminded. “But it turns out after talking with the guy who has spoken with her on numerous occasions that her name is actually Pam, of course that could be code for something.”

“It’s just as I thought.”

“Are you saying that hooded woman had something to do with this?” Heiji asked.

Not responding to his question he immediately turned to Shinichi who did the same in return.

“That woman, at any time did she make contact with you?”

“Physically, no,” Shinichi replied. “At least I don’t think... hold on.”

“What is it, have you remembered something?” Tim asked from his side.

“That’s right,” Shinichi recalled within that instance. “That kiss, the one given to me after thanking me.”

“She kissed you,” Heiji said turning at this. “Funny that you failed to mention that the first time around.”

“I hardly see how that’s an important detail.” Shinichi muttered.

“It’s just as I had expected, Pamela,” Bruce said turning back for the desk. “Pamela Isley.”

“Pamela who?” Heiji asked.

“Leave it to me,” Bruce replied. “I think it would be best if I handled this one alone going forward.”

“Smart call,” Tim said in agreement. “But if any assistance is needed, I’m open.”

He stood in front of the desk in silence for seconds to come, thinking of what he was to do next. He didn’t let this cloud his mind for long, knowing there was a task right in front of them that needed to be attended to.

“Roll up his sleeve and see to it that his arm is rinsed off.” Bruce instructed after turning back to face them.

“What for?” Dick asked.

“I’ll need another sample of his blood for further observation.” Bruce replied before heading for the door.

“Already ahead of you.” Dick said making his way for the door as well.

“The rest of you wait here.” Bruce instructed before making his exit.

They did just that, leaving a clear path for the two of them to walk.

Regardless of the bright wide spread sky; there was a limit to how much of its clarity traveled into the room. A time had passed since the latest move had been made. All windows were locked down tightly, covered by the curtains that hung over head. No light could be found peering into the room from outside, only the running TV a few feet away made for a marginable view of the room. He did not concern himself with the visuals, only interested in what was to be said in the coming hours. A faint sound from behind caused him to raise his head, figuring it was the opening of the door.

“You’re back.”

“I revisited the scene like we agreed.”

“Any sign that they believe there to be two of us?”

“Not at all, they seem to have cornered themselves into phase of uncertainty.”

“Good.”

“And the tracker installed within the device?”

“Disabled, we’re clear to look it over.”

He watched as he made a move for the light switch, raising his hand up in protest.

“I’d rather we kept the lights out, let’s remember the circumstances concerning our situation.”

“I understand the importance of staying hidden, but I for one find this to be rather unnecessary.”

Going against his wishes he flipped the switch upward to fill the room with light. He brought a hand to his eyes in response to this, only taking a couple seconds for his pupils to adjust to the sudden change.

“It’s either this or an open curtain, your choice master Kurorba.”

“I prefer hibernation,” Kaito said sitting up from the end of the bed. “At least until night fall.”

“We’ve switched from four locations in the past week; do really find that to be necessary?”

“Only proper precautions Jii, after what is set to be revealed later today we’re bound to have a target on our backs.”

“You mean the Kaitou Kid.” Konosuke corrected.

“Staying in one place over a two day period wouldn’t be the wisest of moves, especially since we have no real connections in this town.”

“And cheap motel’s is your answer?”

“For now yes,” Kaito replied. “At least until we’ve found some place secure enough to hang a glove and hat.”

“You’re still thinking of the night of the heist, aren’t you?”

“All went as planned... but that boy, the one to deduce my code,” Kaito said. “I’m still trying to figure out why he was there to confront me.”

“He’s obviously working within some kind of organization,” Konosuke said. “The thing I find bizarre is the age range you brought up to me, why send someone at such a young age to see the job through?”

“I doubt the GCPD, CIA, SAD, or even lesser known division would employ someone of that age,” Kaito said. “Let alone let them handle a task on their own.”

“It does beg the question.”

“But that wasn’t it,” Kaito continued. “The way he moved, his weaponry even.”

“Remind you of a dance you had with a certain masked man six months ago?”

“The code name would seem to hint at that,” Kaito acknowledged. “But you can never be too sure with these things.”

“While we’re on the subject, I think now would be a good time for us to go over the potential problem we have yet to discuss regarding this cities… night guard.”

“The one they call Batman, right?”

“Correct.”

“I see no reason for concern, anyone with a straight conscious would know it’s just a local myth.”

“I’d hardly call it a myth,” Konosuke said in disagreement. “Several sightings have been reported, some even caught on camera.”

“I’m not denying the concept as a whole,” Kaito clarified. “We all know the real truth behind the Batman is one of many, something the police in this city have utilized in their approach against crime, something that seems to be quite successful.”

“Is that what you believe?”

“From what I’ve heard he’s been in several places at once, how is that possible,” Kaito declared. “It’s not, which can only lead to the conclusion of there being multiple participants who don that persona at once.”

“Like a unit?”

“Exactly,” Kaito said in response. “From the sounds of it I’d say these guys are formidable, defiantly a group not to be taken lightly.”

“Do you believe this group to be connected to the GCPD?”

“Maybe not directly,” Kaito replied. “But I’m sure there’s a link to be found somewhere, one which we’ll need to exploit to maintain our secrecy while here.”

“We’re running low on supplies, at some point we’re going to need to make a trip into the public.”

“I’ve been contemplating on that very matter myself, on whether or not to go out in disguise.”

“I don’t see the reasoning in that,” Konosuke said. “No one has seen your face, out or while in suit.”

“Except for that boy.” Kaito reminded.

“I doubt he’d recognize you in the case you met in a civilized matter.”

“Probably not.”

“So what’s your decision?”

“Tomorrow,” Kaito replied. “We’ll go tomorrow.”

“And what of the latest message received,” Konosuke asked. “You have yet to tell me of the most recent proposition given.”

“My compliance is growing thin with the… contractor.”

“You don’t mean to tell me.”

“I’m on border edge on canceling all plans,” Kaito said. “One call is all it will take, and then we’ll have our mystery friend’s location.”

“And how exactly do you plan on gaining that,” Konosuke asked. “We have no idea to where we will be contacted by him this time around.”

“Mind you, the gender of the contractor is still unknown.”

“True enough.”

“And to answer your question,” Kaito said walking toward the window located on the right. “Time isn’t the variable of high focus, especially when all locations are in lock.”

“You seem self-assured of your preparation,” Konosuke stated. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nothing,” Kaito said in response. “From here, we wait.”

He kept that in mind, though all other details were unknown to him.

It had been over two minutes since the time they had both left the room. Dick was the first to return, walking in with a wet rag in hand as expected.

“Hope the wait wasn’t too long.”

“Not at all,” Shinichi said reaching down to pull up his sleeve. “Mind if I do it myself?”

“Not a problem.” Dick replied holding out the rag for him to take.

He wasted little time in grabbing hold of it, quickly rubbing down on his arm. The scent that came in the following moments alerted him that the rag had been soaked in something else other than water like he had originally thought.

“Where’s Bruce,” Shinichi asked upon returning the rag to him. “I thought he’d have been here by now.”

“He made a trip to the medicine cabinet located in his room,” Dick informed. “He should be down any minute.”

“The faster we get this over with the better.”

“Through the complexity of this whole situation there is one thing I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“The suit,” Dick asked. “Where did you get the time to pick one up?”

“I was wondering that very question myself.” Heiji said.

“It’s simple,” Shinichi replied. “I borrowed it from one of the closets, after receiving the consent to do so of course.”

“That was the quickest option,” Tim added. “I didn’t feel the need to stop somewhere to pick up clothes for him, borrowing a pair seemed sufficient enough.”

“But now that the situation has been handled at Nano High I think it would be a good idea to reconsider going out to buy some,” Heiji said. “Pending on how long his current state will last.”

“Speaking of which,” Dick said. “How long do these episodes of yours tend to last before causing you to revert back to your normal state?”

“The limit has shown to vary,” Shinichi replied. “But in all cases it hasn’t lasted for a significant amount of time.”

“I figured that much,” Dick said in response to this. “In any case, we’ll have this all sorted out in no time.”

They stood in wait for a while longer; monitoring the clock to see another minute pass by in the process.

“We’ve waited for nearly five minutes now,” Heiji stated. “What could possibly be the hold up?”

“You guys wait here, I’ll go and check up on him.” Dick said before heading for the door once more.

Just as he was to reach for the knob the door swung open to his surprise, stepping aside to see who stood before him.

“Alfred?”

“Come now,” Alfred instructed. “It seems there is a situation that requires your attendance.”

“What kind of situation?” Tim asked.

“They’re covering it on the news as we speak,” Alfred informed. “Master Bruce is already monitoring the situation himself.”

“What happened, was anyone hurt?” Heiji asked.

“I think it would be best if you had a look for yourself, let us go,” Alfred said turning back for the hall. “The story is on in the kitchen.”

They did just that without anything further done or said. The very question loomed high to him as they walked, wondering what this latest trial would bring for them. Regardless of the unknown, he welcomed it, ready to engage anything that was to come their way.

“A days beginning filled with a tower of deception, and it appears that was only the start,” Shinichi thought. “What an adventure this one is turning out to be.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 105

Stage Set

They arrived into the kitchen soon after, looking to the left wall to where the TV could be found. He turned after seeing them stop at his side.

“You’re all here, good.”

“What’s going on?” Dick asked.

“It seems the full extent of what happened at the Futures Building is just now coming into the light of things.”

“There’s more?” Heiji asked.

“Does this have something to do with the device that was taken,” Tim asked. “The G3 Power Emitter?”

“Yes, to a certain degree that is,” Bruce replied. “It has more to do with what was left behind.”

“That diamond?”

“That’s right, turns out it was one that had been stolen,” Bruce informed. “It had been taken from the Gotham museum over a month ago.”

“I remember that incident.” Dick said.

“What’s the punch line?” Tim asked.

“There were prints found on the diamond, prints that matched that of an individual already registered to the criminal database.”

“Can’t wait to hear this.”

“Marco Gaffney, a man known for breaking and entering homes in the south side of the city,” Bruce informed. “He’s also rumored to have links to one of the highest drug rings here in Gotham.”

“Doesn’t exactly sound like your typical diamond thief.” Heiji said.

“You’re right, he doesn’t,” Bruce said. “And I’m almost certain he’s being set up.”

“How’s that,” Heiji asked. “You said it yourself, his prints were found on that diamond.”

“That’s because they were probably put there.”

“What leads you to believe that?” Dick asked.

“That’s the same way the thief gained access to one of the Wayne helicopters,” Bruce informed. “I was told by an employee of Wayne Enterprises they ran a finger scan on the individual disguised as me which gave him the clear to authorize a lift off.”

“How on earth did he get ahold of your prints?”

“I’m still in the process of figuring that out,” Bruce replied. “But since he’s a master of disguise as documented in several reports I went through last night, there’s a number of possibilities when he could have accomplished this.”

“I don’t like it, who’s to say one of us is next?” Dick questioned

“Only if there is something to gain, the tactics he uses is never without reason,” Shinichi said. “That’s always been a part of his motto.”

“Alright then, why impersonate Bruce,” Dick asked turning to face him. “Why not just slide in as someone less known among the guests, he’d have had a better chance of not being noticed.”

“The diamond,” Shinichi replied. “He needed to get in close enough to switch out that diamond with the G3 Power Emitter he had his sights set on the whole time.”

“The finger prints found on the diamond was a means of circling out a culprit for all to see, one which we would all find believable,” Tim added. “The question is why Marco Gaffney, there’s dozens of others he could have chosen.”

“He could have chosen someone without a record even,” Heiji said. “But then again, that wouldn’t be his style.”

“It wouldn’t,” Shinichi agreed. “Regardless of the obvious tweaks in his actions as of late.”

“It seems you know quite a bit about Kaitou Kid,” Bruce said. “Just as I was lead to believe.”

“To a degree.”

“Which might be the deciding factor between catching him within a matter of days as opposed to weeks.”

“That’s all well and said, but we don’t even know what he plans to do next.” Heiji stated.

“Maybe not an exact move, but we do have an idea.” Bruce said in response to his claim.

“How so,” Heiji asked. “Did he indirectly leave behind another riddle?”

“No, what happened at the Futures Building was just the beginning,” Bruce said. “If you read through the riddle again you’ll come to find all elements within the message have yet to be covered.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It isn’t,” Bruce agreed. “But if we can find out why Marco’s prints were chosen to be displayed on that diamond we might have a better understanding of what his next move is to be.”

“Speaking of which, what is the case surrounding Marco?” Dick asked.

“The authorities have already ransacked his home and taken him in for questioning,” Bruce replied. “That was just shown a minute before you all arrived.”

“I bet that’s not going to sit well with a lot of guys,” Tim said. “Especially the ones in business with him, this little incident will only enrage them.”

“But only to the point of uncertainty,” Alfred said. “They don’t have the knowledge of who really was the one to have stolen that diamond from the museum, and then return it in last night’s heist in such a fashion.”

“You mean not yet.” Bruce corrected.

“How long are you expecting it will take for them to realize?” Alfred asked.

“The moment it is revealed to the world.”

“I don’t think I quite follow sir.”

“Heiji,” Bruce said looking his way. “I want you to report back to the station as soon as possible, you’re going to be the one to let them know what conspired yesterday night.”

“And what exactly am I supposed to say,” Heiji asked. “It’s not like I can go in declaring something on a blind eye, we don’t have any stellar proof that says Kaitou Kid was the one to take off with that device.”

He chose not to reply, simply reaching into the top pocket of his jacket to reveal a small gizmo that had been tucked away.

“What is that?” Heiji asked.

“Give this to Commissioner Gordon, and Gordon only,” Bruce instructed before handing it to him. “It’s live footage of what occurred last night.”

“Do you mean to say you recorded his escape through that window?”

“Not only that,” Bruce confirmed. “But the first minutes after before he took off completely.”

“How were you able to achieve this?”

“I set up dozens of surveillance cameras throughout the area, each fifty yards apart on all sides,” Bruce continued. “The only area that I chose not to set up security was to the east.”

“The direction he escaped to.”

“Exactly,” Bruce said. “The plan was to redirect him anywhere else, and we failed to keep containment.”

“More like Damian failed in doing so.” Tim remarked.

“I’m still unaware of what happened just before you blacked out,” Bruce said. “Do you remember what you saw last?”

“Korn, I saw him,” Shinichi replied. “I’m sure of it.”

“The same Korn of the Black Organization?”

“You know of him?”

“I gave him all information regarding the subject known to me.” Tim informed.

“Is your plan to go after them?” Shinichi asked.

“If they’re here in Gotham, then it’s no question,” Bruce replied. “They’re asking for war.”

“Then let me help,” Shinichi said stepping up to him. “I know Kid better than most, and I could key you in on some of the Organizations subtle habits.”

“I’ll agree on both counts, but only as a consultant.”

“Only as a consultant?”

“Here’s the thing, I don’t plan on waiting for any more moves to be made,” Bruce declared. “I plan on going after Kid starting tonight, and if these mercenaries are really dealing business in Gotham as you’ve hinted at I will track them down as well.”

“And why can’t I come with you?”

“Your safety is a top priority, and given your current state who knows what could happen at any time.”

“And what if I’m cleared after further tests are done?”

“My answer will remain the same.” Bruce answered before turning for the table.

“Why’s that, you don’t think I can manage it?”

“It’s not this Organization or Kid I don’t feel you can bear,” Bruce said. “But the things hidden beneath the crease on the outside is a limit I will not hold you to.”

“I appreciate the concern, I really do,” Shinichi said. “But my safety shouldn’t be your problem, especially when the danger is as high for you as it is for me.”

“The moment I have to scrape your remains from the side of some secluded alley and lay it into a tomb to ship back to Japan is when it becomes my problem,” Bruce stated. “I don’t plan on that happening.”

“So you’re not even going to think about it?”

“Hold out your arm.”

He stood there for seconds, finally complying with a look off to the side as the cold needle penetrated the skin. It took all but a few moments for him to drain the blood he needed.

“There, we’re done.”

He removed the needle from his arm just in time to hear the sound of the kitchen phone go off.

“Would you like me to answer that sir?” Alfred volunteered.

“Don’t mind it,” Bruce said placing the syringe to the top of the table. “I’ll answer it myself.”

He walked over next to the kitchen door where the phone was placed, taking the call immediately. The conversation lasted for nearly a minute, the expression on his face remaining the same throughout.

“Who was that?” Tim asked after watching him hang the phone back to the hook.

“Another business call.”

“From who?”

“Nano High,” Bruce replied. “It would appear that after Ms. Fournier received the news of her father’s death she suffered a heart attack.”

“I’m not an expert on her medical history, but a heart attack at that age,” Heiji questioned. “I’m full aware of the circumstances, but she couldn’t be any more than twenty five from what I could tell.”

“You’re thinking this might have something to do with our lead poisoning victims aren’t you?” Dick asked.

“What do you think?”

“Regardless of any opinions someone should go check on her,” Shinichi said. “I’d feel a lot better if we knew the extent of her current state.”

“Agreed,” Tim said. “A heart attack in this situation isn’t out of the question, but farfetched.”

“I’ll go,” Dick volunteered. “I’ve got a couple friends who work up at the hospital, I’ll see if I can get one of them to run a scan.”

“Then if you’re heading up that way take Heiji with you,” Bruce instructed. “You’ll pass by the police headquarters going through there.”

“Not a problem,” Dick said before checking the time on his watch. “It’s just after four, little chance we’ll beat rush hour even if we were to leave now.”

“Then you two had better get going,” Bruce said. “If there’s anything to report on the situation at the hospital get back to me at your earliest convenience.”

“I’ll see to it.”

“I have one final question before we leave,” Heiji said. “What do I tell the commissioner when he asks how I got a hold of these tapes; I don’t think it would sound all that believable if I told him I was the one to have set that all up.”

“I was hoping you’d ask,” Bruce said handing him a folded slip of paper. “This is the number to a side contact of mine, let Gordon know this man helped you with the set up.”

“What if he tries reaching this contact of yours?”

“Not to worry,” Bruce assured. “I’ve already notified him of this possibility if that does come to pass.”

“That clears things up.”

“Any more questions,” Dick asked. “Or are you ready to hit the road?”

“I’m ready,” Heiji replied. “We’ve covered everything that needed to be.”

“Good, then we’ll see the rest of you later.”

“Don’t worry about closing the gate on your way out,” Alfred said. “I’ll handle that as soon as you get past.”

“Loud and clear.”

With that the two made their way out past the kitchen door.

“I guess I’ll be on my way as well,” Tim said. “I have some further tests to run on the Red Eyed MB.”

“And how long do you think these tests of yours will last?”

“I’m guessing up to the next two hours, and that’s if everything goes completely solid.”

“And what about tonight?”

“Uncertain, there are about three things I’m juggling with right now.”

“I’m going to need you to put whatever it is you’re dealing with on hold.”

“What for?”

“I want you to join me on patrol tonight.” Bruce replied.

“Why, is something wrong with Damian?”

“He’s taking the night off at my request,” Bruce replied. “I want you to join me for a little task.”

“Alright, is there anything specific that you wanted me to bring?”

“All feed you have collected from the west side in the past week.”

“Will that be all?”

“Yes,” Bruce replied. “Be no later than ten past midnight.”

“And where might we be meeting?”

“I’ll get back to you on that sometime later.”

“I’ll keep my phone close.”

“If you don’t mind I’ll see you out,” Alfred said. “I have something to retrieve from the garage as it stands.”

“That’s fine by me,” Tim replied before turning to the other side. “Oh and before I forget, Shinichi do you mind if I hold onto your shoes for a while?”

“My shoes?”

“Yea, the ones you left at my place,” Tim clarified. “It’s not like they’ll fit you anyway.”

“You didn’t have to ask, I have no use for them anymore,” Shinichi said. “Well at least not now.”

“I figured that, but wanted to be sure,” Tim said. “If it does come to pass and you revert back I’ll be sure that they are returned to you.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Pending on what the results reveal, you may need some accessories,” Tim said. “If that is the case I know a couple places you could check out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I better be on my way.” Tim said looking to make an exit from the room.

“Right after you.” Alfred said.

They left the room from there, beginning a conversation of their own on the way out. This left just the two of them.

“I’m going to go and begin trials with the blood just collected from you, in the mean time I want you to go and rest up for a bit,” Bruce said. “I’ll be in to check on you in the next hour.”

“You seem to have a really good idea of what caused this to happen,” Shinichi said. “You also seem to believe there are more side effects to come.”

“That’s what we need to monitor for,” Bruce replied. “But your blood should give us the complete story of the situation.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll have to result to a deeper examination,” Bruce replied. “But we won’t concern ourselves with that unless the circumstances call for it.”

“Gotcha.”

He grabbed hold of the syringe that was still atop the table before making his way for the door. He stopped about halfway there, looking back at him once more.

“Are you hungry?”

“A little bit, I haven’t eaten much of anything today.”

“Mind holding off on that for another half hour or so,” Bruce asked. “I’d first like to take a look at your blood before adding anything else to your system.”

“Sure thing.”

“Good,” Bruce said pushing the door aside on his way out. “I’ll revisit you soon.”

He held up the sample of blood as he made his way through the front room, wondering exactly what he would find in the coming hours.

They had been driving for a little over an hour, looking into the clear to see the sun had made a move to the opposite side of where it had been earlier in the day. By this time the temperature had dropped down to cooler standards. He gazed out the window as they drove, semi fiddling with the device that had been given to him.

“You’re awfully quiet.” Dick said looking his way upon reaching a stop light.

“Haven’t we both?”

“True enough,” Dick smilingly said in response. “What do you plan on saying when you get in there?”

“I’m still in the process of sorting out my approach,” Heiji replied. “You know as well as I word choice is key.”

“Especially in a situation such as the one you’re in.”

“I don’t plan on letting this drag on any longer than it needs to be.”

“I wish you luck in that department.”

The street light switched back to green, giving them the ok to move on.

“I don’t recognize this road,” Heiji said taking notice of the surrounding area. “Where are we?”

“Not to worry,” Dick assured. “Short cut.”

“I’ll put my trust in that.”

“Your confidence in me is to be accepted.”

They drove for about another minute, finally coming into view of the police headquarters which was just ahead.

“Not bad, this really was a short cut.”

“I try never to disappoint.”

They continued into that direction, taking a right at the next intersection. He stopped after finding an empty spot right next to the sidewalk.

“And here we are.”

“Thanks for the ride.”

He pushed the door open after unlocking it but stopped on his attempt out, turning back to Dick who became confused by this.

“What’s wrong?”

He sat in silence for a few moments, finally unbuckling the seatbelt with the shake of his head.

“Never mind, I’ll bring it up to you another time.”

“You sure everything is alright?”

“I’ll be fine.”

He stepped out from the passenger side, calmly closing the door before stepping onto the sidewalk. He began to walk toward the building, listening to the sound of the car take off after his departure. The doors to the entrance slid open as he neared, stepping aside as two officers walked past.

“Hopefully he’s here.”

The path was left clear for him to move on after they passed. He walked in to see a small group of people, including a man who was being booked in at the front desk on the far left of the room. He continued to search the room in hopes of finding officer Celek.

“What are you doing here?”

He turned back to the entryway at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Detective Gates.”

“You seem rather surprised to see me.”

“Not entirely, the timing of your arrival couldn’t have been any better actually.”

“Is that so.”

“I need to see the commissioner again,” Heiji informed. “I have something for him.”

“Am I to assume this has something to do with what happened last night?” Rick asked.

“That’s right.”

“Please tell me you know who the thief is.”

“Perhaps,” Heiji said. “But I’ll leave that for the commissioner to share with everyone here when he so chooses.”

“Playing it to the book I see.”

“Would you happen to know if he is here?”

“He was at the time when I left twenty minutes ago,” Rick replied. “I could take you up to his office to go have a look if you would like.”

“That would be great,” Heiji said. “Do you have a key to enter the stairwell?”

“Always.” Rick said being the first to head for the door on the opposite side of the room.

“I do have something else I wanted to ask.” Heiji said following at his side.

“What is it?”

“Why not install an elevator in this place,” Heiji said. “Wouldn’t it make things a lot easier?”

“There is an elevator.”

“There is?”

He looked from one end of the room to the other, sighting no such thing.

“I don’t see it.”

“It’s located in the back room just pass the front desk.” Rick informed.

“If that is true then why take the stairs,” Heiji asked. “It would be a lot simpler if we used the elevator.”

“That would be an option if it were currently running,” Rick said. “It’s been out of commission for two weeks now.”

“Any plans on fixing it?”

“They’ve been at that for weeks now,” Rick replied. “From my understanding the final touches are to be laid down as earliest as tomorrow morning.”

“I bet you’re looking forward to that.”

“Aren’t we all?”

They reached the door that next second. He then grabbed the stash of keys hanging from his belt, quickly singling out the one used for the door.

“You first.” Rick said upon opening the door.

He accepted, taking a step in.

“I’d let you go up on your own, but it’s policy that any outsiders are escorted when visiting the grounds.”

“I understand.” Heiji said making a move for the stairs.

They found their way to the top in a timely fashion, pushing past the door which brought them to the upper floor. The two made their way down the hall, taking a left after reaching the end of it. It was there that his office door could be seen.

“Think you’ll be ok from here?”

“I’ll be fine, thanks,” Heiji replied. “Besides I’m sure you have business of your own to take care of.”

“It’s been one of those days,” Rick said turning back for where he had come. “Good luck in there.”

“I appreciate the help.”

With that he turned for the door. He walked up to it, giving it a knock only to have the door fall open.

“Come on in, I’ve been expecting you.”

He turned in the chair at his desk to face him.

“Commissioner.”

“Call me Gordon,” James said. “I’d prefer that.”

“Yes sir.” Heiji said walking in with the close of the door.

“I take it you received my message from officer Celek?”

“Yes,” Heiji confirmed. “Celek told me you wanted to speak with me, he didn’t however go into any specifics on why.”

“That’s for us to discuss,” James said. “Care to have a seat?”

“Not today,” Heiji declined. “I’d rather stand.”

“Same as last time I see,” James said standing up from the chair. “You were right, that thief made his move at the Futures Building.”

“I had a feeling he would.”

“I’ve gone over the details with several of the other units involved with this,” James said stepping around the desk. “We’re now planning a new approach.”

“On what grounds?”

“I think everyone feels that we’ve learned enough about the thief, at least interest wise,” James began. “We’re now in the process of profiling the thief at hand.”

“And you want my input on the matter, right?”

“Is that too much to ask?”

“Here’s the thing, the thief in particular we’re dealing with doesn’t wish to remain hidden,” Heiji stated. “It’s actually quite the opposite if I’m not mistaken.”

“From the sounds of it I’d say you know who orchestrated the heist.”

“The footage never lies.”

“Footage?”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the mini device given to him.

“Here, this is video feed collected from the premises of the building.” Heiji informed.

“Are you serious?”

“This is no joke, I can assure you.”

“Would this happen to include a visual of the thief?” James asked taking the gizmo into hand.

“It’s all there Gordon.”

“How in the world did you get a hold of something like this?”

“It was all set up from the beginning,” Heiji replied. “Thanks to the help of a friend.”

“Does this friend of yours have a name?” James asked.

“Better,” Heiji said pulling out the stashed away slip of paper. “Here’s his number.”

“This will defiantly do,” James said accepting the paper as well. “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Yes,” Heiji replied. “The name of the person we’re dealing with.”

“You know the name of the thief?”

“Kaitou Kid,” Heiji replied. “He’s a big timer from Japan, a jewel thief if you will.”

“I’ve heard that name,” James said. “It’s passed through here before.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Heiji said. “He’s taken his travels overseas on more than one occasion.”

“If he’s a jewel thief then why take the G3 Power Emitter that was presented at the Futures Building,” James questioned. “Let alone leave a diamond in its place?”

“That’s where I’m stumped,” Heiji admitted. “I have yet to even find out why he’s here in Gotham.”

“You seem to have the best understanding of this guy, which puts you at the center of this whole ordeal.”

“Do you have an idea for what you plan to do next?”

“Since you’ve given us the name of the thief the profiling project will no longer be necessary,” James said. “I’ll have to discuss another route to take with all other parties involved, that is after I view this footage you’ve provided us with.”

“Is there anything else I can do?”

“Since I’m not too familiar with this Kaitou Kid I could ask you to fill me in further, but it would probably be easier to refer to other resources such as the criminal database.”

“There are also people you can contact,” Heiji said. “There are plenty of professionals who have plenty of experience dealing with Kid if the extra help is needed.”

“I’m not too worried about seeking help,” James said. “If push does come to shove I’ve got a pro of my own in my back pocket.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“It seems we’ve covered everything I wished to discuss.” James said making his way around the desk back to the chair.

“I’m glad I was able to help,” Heiji said. “Will that be all?”

“Yes, for now,” James replied. “Be sure to close the door on your way out.”

“Will do.” Heiji said before turning for the door.

He took a few steps forward, coming to a stop at the sound of his voice after contacting the door knob.

“One last thing.”

“Yes?” Heiji said facing him once more.

“Good work at Nano High.”

“You found out about that?”

“Word travels fast around here,” James replied. “As does reputation.”

“Thanks.”

“Just be sure to keep a clear view on things.”

Understanding what he meant, he nodded. He did as asked of him, closing the door on his way out.

The sun had long since dove down to the other side, leaving only the light filled city to provide for a clear path down the street. He checked his watch as they walked, coming to find it was now thirty seven after eleven. He lowered his wrist before slightly pulling down on the cap sitting atop his head.

“You’ve really taken this security thing to another level Kuroba, are you that concerned someone will recognize you?”

“It’s not the general public I’m shielding my presence from,” Kaito said. “After all, no one has yet to determine it was Kaitou Kid to apprehend that device.”

“No one except that boy,” Konosuke said. “And since there have been no reports on you, I think it’s safe to assume that he wasn’t working with the authorities.”

“Something I can agree with,” Kaito said as they continued their stroll through the city. “The only direct road block as it stands as of right now is the contractor.”

“You truly believe he is watching our every move?”

“It’s possible what he said was a bluff before,” Kaito said. “But he was rather detailed in describing our actions over the past week.”

“You still have yet to tell me how you plan to corner the disturbance.”

“Why tell you when you’ll see for yourself.”

“I’ll take your word for it, but I must know,” Konosuke said looking ahead. “Where are we going?”

“There’s not much longer to go,” Kaito promised dropping his hands into the jacket he wore. “I saw an ad on the TV earlier for this place.”

“What’s wrong with the several stores we’ve already passed?”

“It’s all about deals, and staying low key.” Kaito replied.

“I’ll take your word for it sir.”

They continued to walk along, taking a right after reaching the end of the block. It wasn’t long after that they caught sight of two joggers heading their way from up ahead. He couldn’t help but smile as they neared, finding an interest to the dragon oriented outfits they wore. He removed his hands from his pockets with the raise of his head, completely coming to a stop.

“Hello ladies.”

With a surge of speed they darted past with nothing said, not even acknowledging his presence. His hands dropped down to his side in response to this.

“It would appear they are in a hurry.” Konosuke said coming back to his side.

“I think you might have scared them away.”

“Nonsense.”

“Did you see the way they sped past us?”

“That could be part of their routine,” Konosuke said. “Several runners have a set pace for their shifts in stamina.”

“Yea, I bet.” Kaito muttered.

They began to walk once again, passing by a phone booth and a newsstand over to the right side. It wasn’t until a couple seconds later that they heard one of the phones begin to ring. Kaito stopped at this, causing Konosuke to do the same.

“What is it?”

He took a look around the general area, coming to a quick realization.

“There’s no one here,” Kaito said. “No one but us.”

“You’re not thinking that?”

“It’s possible,” Kaito said. “Only one way of finding out.”

“Do you want me to.”

“Stay here.” Kaito said cutting him off once more.

He followed the sound of its tune, coming to find it was the second phone on the opposite side that was ringing. He walked around, grabbing hold the phone with no hesitation.

“Good to hear from you sunshine.”

“You managed my expectations.”

“I’m touched, would that happen to be a compliment?”

“I was hoping you would exceed them, you were seen.”

“That was always a possibility,” Kaito stated. “Besides it’s not like the city as a whole knows of my business here.”

“You sure about that?”

“Someone sounds moody, did you call for the company?”

“Your arrogance rivals that of even your greatest quality.”

“And I have yet to hear a reason for your call oh lonely one.”

“A location.”

“For what?”

“Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once.”

“I’m all ears, give me the details.”

The clock struck twelve, which followed with the sound of the bell. He looked toward the bell tower in the distance knowing the time was near.

“It’s now midnight, he should be here anytime now.”

A gust of air blew past from behind, followed by a shadow that appeared in the thick of the moment.

“You’re early, good.”

“I’ve been here for the past ten minutes,” Red Robin said. “I brought the tapes like you asked.”

“I figured you would,” Batman said taking a step down to his level. “Do you have a copy for yourself?”

“The original is on my desk.”

“Good.”

“I doubt that’s the soul reason why you called for me to meet you here, I could have given you that any time.”

“I was going to confront you about something earlier but decided against it.”

“Decided against what?”

“The surveillance camera you found, the one discovered after following that man who left Mount Zomoph,” Batman said. “You have yet to tell me what you found after further examination, that’s concerning, and so has your secrecy on the matter.”

“I didn’t expect you to pay it much mind, at least not this soon.”

“What did you find?”

“I was able to wire it to my network,” Red Robin began. “This gave me the chance to see what the runaway shooter got to see from his end.”

“And?”

“It’s worse than I thought,” Red Robin replied. “Unknown to me at the time that camera had been rotating from side to side, and happened to get a complete shot of the side of my face.”

“Clear enough for identification?”

He nodded in response.

“You should have told me about this sooner.”

“But there’s something that bugs me about,” Red Robin said. “Unlike Shinichi if they were to run a scan on the footage gained of me they should have easily been able to find out who I was, pending they didn’t recognize me to begin with.”

“I see, you’re wondering why an attempt hasn’t been made against your life.”

“Exactly.”

“There’s another way of looking at this.”

“Opportunity.”

“Exactly.”

“I’ve already tightened up security, if this guy plans to make a move I’ll be ready.”

“Don’t lay blind to the fact there could be others in collaboration with him,” Batman warned. “From what we’ve learned I’m almost certain there is at least one other gunman.”

“A probability to think about,” Tim said. “But besides that, there’s something I wanted to ask of you.”

“Is this about earlier?”

“I don’t find it to be fair to detail Shinichi’s position as consultant going forward,” Red Robin said in protest. “I’m fully aware of the outside dangers, but it’s clear he knows these guys on a level beyond even our own status.”

“The risk is great, and I still stand by my decision,” Batman said. “Though there may be room for raise depending on the results.”

“What kind of raise?”

He stopped himself before he was to speak again, turning to his blind side to see him standing in place atop a roof sitting above them.

“How long are you going to stay up there?”

“Didn’t want to interrupt.” Nightwing replied dropping down to join them.

“What are you doing here?”

“You wanted to know the results I received from the hospital right?”

“A call would have been sufficient.”

“Trust me, I think it would be better if you heard it from me in person,” Nightwing said. “Which is why I’m here.”

“Alright then, what did you learn?”

The nerves only increased the longer he waited, unsure of what was being said between the two. He checked the time on his watch, finding six minutes had passed since the conversation had begun. Just as he found himself moving from side to side he heard the sound of his return from behind which cause him to turn.

“Was that?”

“Yes,” Kaito confirmed. “That was the contractor.”

“What did they say?”

“Instructions to the next site.”

“And where might that be?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kaito said. “Because we’re not heading into that direction.”

“We’re not?”

“No, we’re going to head straight for them.”

“By them you mean the contractor?”

“Yes.”

“And how do you explain we do that?” Konosuke asked.

“With this,” Kaito said holding up a small device in hand. “It allows you to trace back any calls that are made no matter where you receive them.”

“But how?”

“I’ll let you in on that later.”

“Great job if I may say so myself,” Konosuke complimented. “And where might this device of yours point to?”

“I don’t have the answer yet, but once it completes its scan in the next minute,” Kaito grinningly replied. “We’ll have the true location we seek.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 106

Outside Cause

“A coma, she’s in a coma?”

“As bizarre as that may seem yes,” Nightwing confirmed. “That’s what I was told upon arriving at the hospital.”

“And what about the scans you said you would request for?” Red Robin asked.

“That won’t be seen through until tomorrow some time,” Nightwing replied. “I’ll receive the call when they have results.”

“First a heart attack and now this.”

“Can’t go any more left field than that.”

“Let’s hope not.”

That moment brought a bright flash of light, one which sailed from above in the far distance. It was clear what was to come next.

“The signal, Gordon must have something.”

“You want us to come along?” Nightwing asked.

“No, but since you’re here I’d like for you to help with something.” Batman replied.

“Name it.”

“I thought it would be a good idea for us to retrace our tracks, go through all trials that have led us to this point.”

“And where might we be looking?”

“The obvious answer would be the Furtures Building, but I’d also like for one of you to investigate the grounds of Mount Zomoph.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it was the original location for where the Furtures Building was planned to be built,” Red Robin informed. “I did the research.”

“Not something I was expecting.” Nightwing admitted.

“Whoever decides to investigate that park between the two of you, I want you to search the underground area below it,” Batman said. “There’s an abandoned tunnel that can be found, one which hasn’t been used for years now.”

“I’m guessing it was used for trains at some point right?” Nightwing questioned.

“Yes.”

“I wonder what conspired that stopped all transportation through that area.”

“Increased development and a new vision.”

“Leave Mount Zomoph to me,” Red Robin said. “I had already planned on returning to that site at some point anyway.”

“I guess that means the Futures Building is mine.”

“Now that we’ve gained accepting ground I think it would be best if we looked into this as soon as possible.”

“You two go on without me,” Batman said. “I have a call to answer.”

He turned to where the light was being emitted, readying himself for the jump to be made.

They stood there for minutes, waiting for the results to finally feed back to them. He tapped him on the shoulder during the process of this.

“What is it?” Kaito asked looking his way.

“We’ve been waiting for five minutes now,” Konosuke said. “Are you certain this thing will give us the location of where the call came from?”

“I’m positive,” Kaito assured. “I tested it on several occasions before tonight.”

A red light then shined bright from the device, along with a low pitched sound.

“Looks like the waits over.”

He lifted the device up for a better view of the small screen.

“What do you see,” Konosuke asked. “Where did the call originate?”

“Not far from here,” Kaito replied. “Not far at all.”

“Are you saying that the call was made from somewhere here in Gotham?”

“Not just here in Gotham, but no further than a block or two away.”

“You’re not serious are you?”

“I’m just as surprised as you,” Kaito said looking down at the device once again. “Now what do you say we go and give this guy a visit?”

“Are you sure that’s a safe thing to do,” Konosuke questioned. “There’s always the chance he’s anticipated you’d try something of this sorts.”

“That is a possibility, which is why we’ll move toward the location in a circular matter rather than directly.”

“I don’t think I fully understand that analogy.”

“You will once we get started,” Kaito assured. “Come on.”

“There is something else I must ask,” Konosuke said. “How did you trace the number from where he called, no way could you have done that without knowing that was the phone the call would come from.”

“You’re right, which is why I had wired that phone to the network ahead of time to fit in with the server of the device.”

“How did you know that was the phone he’d call?”

“I didn’t,” Kaito admitted. “Which is why several public phones throughout the city were factored in.”

“What other phones did you wire?”

“Ones in diners, subway stations, hotel lobbies, and even local stores,” Kaito replied. “And that’s just to name a few.”

“My word, when did you find the time to do all of that?”

“When you were asleep.”

“But you said it yourself, the contractor has been watching you closely,” Konosuke reminded. “And since it would appear he is in Gotham there’s a possibility he could have been watching when you rigged those phones.”

“Not a chance.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I didn’t link all of those phones to this device manually,” Kaito informed. “But rather through networking.”

“How long did that take?”

“Roughly six hours, but it seems all has paid off.”

“Amazing.”

He stopped once more to look over their position in comparison to where the call had come from.

“The phone used to contact us is west from here.”

“And the distance?”

“A little less than a mile.”

“What would you like to do from here?” Konosuke asked.

“We split,” Kaito replied. “You’re going to take the direct approach, once you’ve come within twenty five yards of the site I’ll give you the signal to stop.”

“That’s all good and said, but I have no idea where this place is.”

“I’ll keep you informed over the phone.”

“That may work, but what about you,” Konosuke asked. “Where will you be during all of this?”

“I’m going to head further down south and circle around to the west, putting me on the side opposite of you.”

“Leaving the location of where the call came from in between us,” Konosuke said. “I think I got it.”

“No simpler way of putting it.”

“I do have another question to ask,” Konosuke said. “How are you going to lead me to the site after we split, you have no way of knowing my position.”

“I guess I failed to mention that I registered yours as well as my phone to this devices tracking system as well,” Kaito said. “So not only can I track where calls were made from, but also keeping tabs on any phones that are wired into its system.”

“You have this all figured out,” Konosuke said. “But why didn’t you tell me about any of this sooner?”

“It’s not something that had been on my mind for long,” Kaito replied. “But even then I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish any of this if attempted any time before last night.”

“Why is that?”

“The G3 Power Emitter,” Kaito replied. “It was the key element that allowed for me to link all of the phones I did to this device in such a short amount of time.”

“But I thought the G3 Emitter was used strictly as a power device for energy use.”

“True, but it has other flexibilities as I’ve come to fine,” Kaito said. “Its marginable power core is what made it all possible.”

“I’d like to hear about that.”

“I thought you might, but due to time we’ll have to save that discussion for later,” Kaito said. “I’d first like to pay our contractor a surprise visit.”

“I understand the opportunity, but are you sure this is a good idea,” Konosuke said. “I’d feel a lot better if we put some more time and thought into this.”

“As would I,” Kaito admitted. “But there is no guarantee that this mystery person is one to stay in one place over a long period of time.”

“Point taken.”

“Does that mean you’re ready?”

“Yes, I’m ready.”

“Keep your phone on,” Kaito said turning for the roadside. “I’ll route you to where I want you to be.”

“Understood.”

“Stay here for now,” Kaito said. “I’ll call you in the next minute to give further instructions.”

He looked from side to side, making sure he had a safe path to the other side before making a run for it.

“Master Kuroba.”

He stopped at the sound of his voice, looking his way once more.

“Be careful.”

He nodded, turning back for the road before taking off to the other side. Once there he stopped to observe the area ahead, which was filled with many intersections on all sides.

“Now, where to go from here.”

The time the light had been turned on hadn’t been long, patiently waiting as he had any other time. A gust of wind past followed by the ever so light sound he made on his drop from behind.

“It’s been over a week since your last call.”

“That didn’t take long,” James said turning to face him. “Shallow night?”

“What do you have for me?”

“There’s an important story that’s scheduled to be aired tomorrow morning,” James informed. “It’s about that thief who made a move at the grand opening for the Futures Building the other night.”

“Kaitou Kid.”

“You knew,” James said holding back a smile. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m surprised, but I guess it’s to be expected at this point.”

“Marco Gaffney’s prints were found on the diamond that was left in place of the G3 Power Emitter.”

“That is correct.”

“I don’t believe he had anything to do with the disappearance or the return of that diamond,” Batman said. “His prints were found on the diamond yes, but that’s only because they were put there without his knowledge.”

“That’s a strong claim,” James said. “How can you be sure of this?”

“The same way Bruce Wayne was impersonated.”

“Wait, are you saying he got a hold of their prints somehow?”

“I’ve looked into the matter myself, it was only because of Wayne’s prints that Kaitou Kid was able to authorize the use of the helicopter he arrived in.”

“I see I’m not the only one who’s been hard at work,” James said. “I’ve been doing a little home work of my own concerning the matter.”

“And what were you able to find?”

“That what occurred at the Futures Building doesn’t fit in with his common routine.”

“Jewel thief.”

“Precisely.”

“You seem to have a good handle of what to expect, so why summon me?”

“I watched a tape that was given to me from a new bright detective in town,” James replied. “It wasn’t until then that I realized what we were up against.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s like you, the way he carried himself, the way he moved… precision,” James began. “His philosophy even.”

“Philosophy?”

“It’s not just the capes you two share in common,” James said. “His showings are said to be primarily at night, when the moon is at its brightest.”

“Is that so?”

“I heard it from more than one person I got in contact with earlier today.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“Probably nothing you don’t already have knowledge of,” James said as he walked over to the edge of the roof. “So what do you think sparked the sudden interest for technology over jewelry?”

“I guess we’ll have to ask him that after he’s apprehended.”

“Speaking of, how do you plan on catching,” James began only to turn to find that he was gone. “Never mind.”

He had finally past the position of where the device claimed the call had come from, continuing further south west before finally coming to a stop after crossing yet another street.

“This should be far enough.”

With that in mind he reached down for his phone, redialing the last number called.

“Where are you now, did you get to higher grounds like we agreed?”

“Yes, I found a stairwell to a public building,” Konosuke replied. “It led all the way to a rooftop where I am now.”

“Good.”

“How far am I from the location of where the call came from?”

“Close enough,” Kaito replied. “Can you see anyone suspicious from your location, maybe on a neighboring building?”

“No such thing,” Konosuke replied scouring the area with the use of a pair of binoculars. “The coast is clear.”

“Hold that position, I’ll contact you again in the next minute or so.”

“Loud and clear.”

The transmission between the two came to an end within that instant. He lowered the phone back into his pocket before turning his sights back to the tracking device.

“This should be enough,” Kaito said beginning to walk once again. “Time to move in.”

He kept his eyes to the device as he walked, periodically looking ahead in the process. He pushed on for minutes, the small dot on the screen growing larger with every step taken. The distance was narrowing, he could feel it. After reaching another intersection he looked up to see two people running his way at high speeds, immediately recognizing their outfits.

“That’s the same brand of parallel I saw those two women wearing not long ago.”

He continued to watch as they approached, finding it was two men this time around. He moved off to the side as they zoomed past.

“That’s two pairs now,” Kaito thought. “I wonder if some kind of event is being held.”

He quickly lost this from his mind, knowing he had a task to focus on. He looked back to the scanner, seeing that he was now aligned with the phone the call had been sent from and Konosuke’s position. With that he reached for his phone only to have it ring before any move could be made.

“Great timing, I was just about to call.”

“I can now see you from where you stand.”

“Anything out of the ordinary since the last we talked?”

“Besides the two joggers who just passed by, nothing.”

“Then we’re good to go.”

“You still have yet to tell me which building the call presumably came from.”

“Why tell you when you can watch,” Kaito said. “I’m heading there now.”

“I’ll keep a sharp look out, good luck.”

He focused his attention back to the device, monitoring both sides of the street before making a safe walk to the other side.

“Only twenty yards to go.”

He kept his head high as he walked, listening to the increasing beep of the device the closer he got. A group of people came his way which caused a slight delay. After allowing for them to pass he continued to where the signal was at its strongest.

“Twenty yards… fifteen.”

He looked up upon coming in within ten yards of where the call had come, surprised not to see a structure of any kind. He looked from one side to the other only to see two separate paths to choose from.

“There’s nothing here, where could the call have come from?”

He looked down at the device once more, confirming the location. It was then that his phone began to ring, taking no time in answering.

“You seem to have come to an end on your path, have you found the location of where the call was made.”

“It says it’s here,” Kaito said taking a few steps extra to come within five yards of the signal. “But I don’t see any phones around.”

“I see nothing of the sorts from here either.”

“When I was nearing I was almost under the impression the call might have been made from another phone booth, but there are none to be seen in this area.”

“Is there anything you’d like me to do?”

“No, stay put for now,” Kaito replied. “I’ll get back to you.”

“Of course.”

He lowered the phone from there. Just as he was to further investigate the situation he felt someone tap him from behind, turning to find a young woman standing before him wielding a phone in hand.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but is your name Kuroba?” She asked.

“How do you know my name?”

“While on my way down the street someone called my phone and asked to speak with you.”

“What?”

“He said it was important.” She said now holding out the phone for him to take.

He accepted it with much uncertainty, slowly raising the phone as he brought it to his ear.

“Hello.”

“You antics are most noteworthy magician, impressive even.”

“You.”

“The way you used the G3 Power Emitter to your services is something I’ll remember.”

“Where are you?” Kaito said with a change in tone.

“Right where I can see you,” The unidentifiable voice spoke. “Just remember, I’m always watching.”

“I will find you.”

“You have twenty four hours to make a switch at the drop point.”

The sound of static followed, letting him know they had hung up from the other end. He took this time to return the phone to the woman who had approached him.

“Who was that?”

“A friend,” Kaito replied. “Just a friend.”

“How in the world did this friend of yours get a hold of my number?”

“I don’t know,” Kaito honestly replied. “I truly don’t know.”

The night had come and gone, bringing a clear start to the next morning. The sound of something sprinkling from outside in the near distance was what awoke him. In the stretch of the moment the first thing he did was reach for his face, sitting up all in one motion to come realize he had yet to revert back.

“I lasted through the night, that’s a step.”

He then turned to the dresser, coming to find three folded pairs of pants, a small stack of shirts, and an unopened pack of socks sitting atop the dresser. Curious at this development he removed the blanket from over himself before stepping down to the ground. He walked over to the dresser, coming to discover a note sitting at the top of the pile. He reached down for the small piece of paper before holding it out in front to read.

‘I find these may come in handy… Alfred.’

“That means I won’t have to get back into the same clothes as yesterday,” Shinichi said. “Not a bad start.”

He reached for one of the pair of pants, finding it to be a perfect fit upon sliding them on. He spent another ten minutes in the room, not heading out until after finishing with his normal bathroom routine. He checked the time on his watch as he walked down the hall, finding it was just past ten twenty.

“It has yet to hit the twenty four hour mark since the time I transformed, which is usually when things get shifty,” Shinichi thought as he walked. “Only a couple hours to go until that time.”

He pushed past the first door, leading him out to the top of the staircase. He stretched his arms on the way down, hearing the same sound he had heard earlier. He took a look out of the window to see it was only the sprinklers out in the yard. His phone vibrated just after stepping down to the first floor, pulling it out to see he had missed two calls.

“I’ll see to that later,” Shinichi said sticking the phone back into his pocket. “First thing is first, time to get some answers.”

He immediately turned for the right; heading for the study where he assumed would be the best place for him to start. He stopped once reaching the door, finding it to be slightly cracked. With that in mind he wasted no time in knocking, simply walking in to see the chair at the desk turned to the opposite side of him.

“Hope you don’t mind me joining you,” Shinichi said. “Did you get anything back on that blood test?”

“It would appear the consultant has awoken.” Damian said turning in the chair to reveal himself.

“Oh… it’s just you.”

“And here I thought the time had come to invest in a child harness leash for you, especially after what happened at the grand opening,” Damian said easing out of the chair. “But given the circumstances that might not fair too well with any on looking spectators.”

“You obviously anticipated I’d come here, any specific reason why you’ve been waiting?”

“Those,” Damian replied pointing toward a new pair of shoes sitting on top of the desk. “I was told to make sure you receive these.”

“You could have brought them to the room.”

“I thought we agreed on knocking from here on out,” Damian reminded. “You were asleep and did not wish to disturb you.”

“I appreciate that.”

With that he made his way over to the table, past Damian who was now heading for the door. He grabbed hold of the shoes, satisfied at what he came to find. The door bell rung at that moment, its tune traveling clear into the room.

“You guys expecting company this early?” Shinichi said catching him before he walked out.

“Not to my knowledge.”

He followed him out of the room, curious as to who had come on an unexpected visit.

“Someone must have forgotten to lock the gate on their way out,” Damian muttered. “Hopefully it isn’t more riffraff from that Gazette stable.”

He reached for the knob with a huff, wasting no time in pulling the door aside to reveal who was standing on the other side.

“Conner.” Shinichi said surprised to find who it was.

“Hey Conan, long time no see.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

“I spoke with Tim last night,” Conner replied. “He told me everything.”

“What are you doing here?” Damian asked with the cross of his arms.

“I’ve come to speak with your father,” Conner replied. “Is he around?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Any idea when he’ll be back?”

“No clue.”

“Could you call him for me?”

“No, he’s in a meeting right now.” Damian informed.

“Great, what luck.” Conner said with the slouch of his arms.

“If it’s so important why don’t you try asking Drake,” Damian suggested. “I’m sure he’ll be able to help with whatever it is that seems to be bothering you.”

“That was originally the plan, but I haven’t been able to get a hold of him since last night.”

“Not my problem,” Damian said reaching back for the door. “Don’t know what to tell you.”

He forced out his hand, denying him the close of the door.

“Well since his assistance is unavailable, that means I’ll have to look to my third option.” Conner said turning to face him.

“You don’t mean me do you?” Shinichi questioned.

“Yes,” Conner confirmed. “I need your help.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 107

A Step From the Boarder

“My help,” Shinichi questioned once more. “What do you need me for?”

“There’s been an outbreak,” Conner replied. “One which I’m sure you’re fully aware of by now.”

“You don’t say.”

“How much do you know about the recent heart attacks?”

“Only an estimation of a victim amount, no idea of the potential cause for the unnatural increase,” Shinichi replied. “But what of it, do you have something to share that might shed some light on the situation?”

“I would hope so.”

“If that is true then why not get straight to the point,” Damian said uncrossing his arms. “You’ve already wasted enough of our time as it is.”

“To be quite honest it would be best if you two came and had a look for yourself,” Conner said in response. “It’d be too much for me to try and explain on these circumstances.”

“Sorry to say, but we’re on a bit of a tight schedule.” Damian quickly declined.

“As much as I’d like to assist you, I’ve been told not to leave the premises until the results are determined from the blood collected.”

“What blood?”

“Mine,” Shinichi replied. “We’re hoping it will reveal what caused my transformation.”

“Figures.”

“I’m sure if you wait here Bruce will return soon.” Shinichi said.

“Not for at least another two hours.” Damian stated.

“Two hours,” Conner said with the raise of his hands. “Geez, that’s a long time.”

“Don’t know what to tell you.”

“What kind of information have you collected exactly?” Shinichi asked getting back to the point.

“It wasn’t me who gathered and put all the files together,” Conner replied. “That was done by a friend.”

“Have you seen these any of these files for yourself?”

“Yes of course.”

“What should we be expecting to see?”

“Photos,” Conner replied. “Along with a full report on each situation recorded.”

“By report, do you mean on the condition of victims who sustained these unexpected heart attacks?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m interested,” Shinichi said giving it some thought. “Where might this friend of yours be at this given time?”

“That’s not something to worry about, all files are sitting at the desk back at my place,” Conner informed. “They were sent this morning.”

“If that is true, then why didn’t you bring this case file with you?” Damian questioned.

“I don’t have the exact file,” Conner clarified. “I was only forwarded scanned copies through a private line, which came to me through computer.”

“That’s still a wasted trip to a degree,” Damian said. “You could have just sent these files by email if it was that important.”

“Like I said before the information given to me was sent through a private line,” Conner reminded. “Most of the information given to me isn’t even known to the public as of yet.”

“And the problem?”

“The chance of any of what was sent to me being intersected somehow.”

“Who would want to do that?” Damian questioned.

“You’d be surprised.”

“I see,” Shinichi said catching on. “You’re hoping to keep this all self-contained, within this group that is.”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“Where is this computer of yours,” Shinichi asked. “I’d like to have a look at what was sent to you.”

“The computer is at my place, which is a ways away from here.”

“How far?”

“Didn’t you just get done saying you’re not supposed to leave here until the results come back on your blood.”

“Under normal circumstances, but this matter is of importance,” Shinichi said. “We’ve been trying to tackle this from the day I arrived.”

“I don’t wish to deny you,” Conner said. “But shouldn’t you let someone know where you’re going?”

“It’ll be fine, I don’t plan on being long,” Shinichi replied. “Damian here can let them know where I’ve run off to when they return.”

“Leave it to me.” Damian said.

“Your call,” Conner said. “But are you sure about the decision?”

“Lives could be at stake here,” Shinichi reminded. “The way I see it the sooner we get this handled the more turmoil we can prevent, deaths even.”

“I’ll argue no more.”

With that said he turned his attention back to the shoes still in his possession. He wasted little time in fitting them into place. He then looked at the time registered to his watch before taking the first step out past the door.

“Make sure to let Bruce know where I’ve gone off to when he returns.”

“I heard you quite clearly the first time.” Damian remarked.

It was a response that came as no surprise, almost expected. The two made their way down the outside stairs, hearing the low sound of the door closing from behind.

“So.. I see the two of you have been making progress.”

“Nice to see you’ve been attentive.”

“How do you feel,” Conner asked. “As opposed to yesterday?”

“Couldn’t really tell you,” Shinichi replied. “I feel about the same, on all fronts.”

“Good, then perhaps we won’t have any wild episodes on the trip there.”

“Speaking of which, what is the traveling arrangement from here to your place?”

“Partially by cab, the other by train.”

“Train?”

“Yea, the Gotham subway,” Conner replied. “One of the more popular methods of traveling around here.”

“That seems to be the case with most big cities.”

“That’s one thing I think we can all agree on,” Conner said facing forward. “Let’s hurry, I don’t want to keep the driver waiting.”

It was then that he laid his eyes to the cab sitting just past the gate.

A large portion of the sun was blocked off at the given time of day due to several clouds that occupied the skies. It had just past the time of thirty after ten by the time he had arrived, pleased to find the line to the entrance to be a relatively small. He took a couple steps more to catch sight of the sign pinned up to the wall which read ‘Mount Zomoph’, confirming the location.

“This is defiantly the place.”

He stood there for seconds to come, knowing he would soon be joined.

“You’re on time, great.”

He turned at his voice, glad the wait was over.

“Have trouble finding the place?”

“Not at all,” Dick replied. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Roughly thirty minutes,” Tim replied. “I’m glad you decided to come.”

“What about Heiji, did you invite him along as well?”

“I have him looking into something else as we speak.” Tim replied.

“Is there plans for him to join us once he finished his task.”

“Not what I had in mind,” Tim answered. “Besides he has something to do up at the station this evening.”

“Regardless, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

“Don’t worry,” Tim said. “I made good use of that time.”

“Is that so?”

“I purchased a ticket to the park when I first arrived,” Tim informed. “Once in I returned to the scene where that bathroom had exploded.”

“And?”

"I found out the weapon used in the explosion," Tim replied. "A C4 explosive."

“The news just keeps piling in,” Dick said. "Which probably means a detonator was used in the blind attack.”

"That’s a good assumption," Tim agreed. "My first thought was a landmine or automatic bomb was used."

"I must ask, how were you able to obtain that information," Dick questioned. "It’s not like the department officials to give out information like that on an empty hand, unless of course it was already public knowledge."

"You're right," Tim said. "Which is why I came prepared."

He reached down into his pocket, taking a short time for him to hold out a laminated card for him to see.

"Pleasure meeting you Officer Stewart," Dick said playing along. "When did you get the time to have that made?"

"I've had it for about a month now," Tim replied. "I had it manufactured with a few others, all for different circumstances that may come to pass.”

"No need to check the main park area since you’ve already gone in," Dick said. "Which leaves us only with the task of finding a way down to that abandoned train station Bruce told us about."

"That won't be a problem," Tim said. "There's an entrance on the other side of the park that leads to the area just above the sewer."

“You’re on top of things today.”

“It was actually Alfred who passed on the information,” Tim informed. “It would appear he did some research or knows a thing or two about the place.”

“From what you’ve said it should be no more than a five minute walk from here.”

“Very good estimation.” Tim said taking the first step.

“I’ve been thinking about it all the way here.” Dick said following at his side.

“About what?”

“Bruce brought us up to speed on this abandoned train station, but he never did tell us what we should be looking to find.”

“Funny that you mention,” Tim said. “I was just fixing to ask you about the same thing.”

“Looks like we’ll have to wait until we get there, maybe then we’ll understand the hidden message within that riddle.”

“I’m positive that we will.”

They carried on from there, casually making their way around the large amusement park perimeter to the opposite side.

After just over an hour of driving they had finally reached the drop point, exiting the cab to find their way onto the corner of the street.

“And here we are,” Conner said holding out a hand to the large green structure before them. “The Gotham train station.”

“So this is it huh,” Shinichi said giving it a look. “Not bad.”

“Wait until you see the inside.” Conner said marching on.

He followed from close behind, taking note of every small detail that came to sight. The structure of the station was long and towering. Not surprising there was already a large group in attendance.

“I assume you don’t already have the tickets.”

“Not yet.”

“Where is the ticket booth,” Shinichi asked. “Is it close to here?”

“Closer than you may think,” Conner replied. “It’s located on the left after we get past the doors here.”

It didn’t take long for them to reach the glass doors which automatically moved off to the side upon coming within feet of them. He followed what he had said, turning to the left where he immediately caught sight of it. The ticket booth was surrounded by many who anxiously waited in a line that had already been formed.

“Hey Conan, mind waiting here while I go and get the tickets?”

“Not at all.” Shinichi replied.

“This shouldn’t take long.”

With that he walked over, joining an already building line which was getting more and more cluttered by the minute. He found himself a place against the wall as the wait began, immediately checking the time on his watch as the wait began.

“And here we go.”

A strange feeling came over him within that moment, an unexpected one. He almost felt as if he was being watched, keeping an eye on all those who passed along, including the others standing throughout the right side of the hall.

“Am I thinking too much into this, or could someone really be watching,” Shinichi thought to himself. “… It’s probably nothing.”

He left it at that for the time being, still feeling the need to stay on alert.

After just over five minutes of walking they finally arrived to the back of the facility.

“So,” Dick said giving the area a look,” Where’s this entryway you mentioned?”

“You’re standing on it.” Tim informed.

He took the time to have a step back, discovering a manhole beneath him.

“Talk about coincidence.”

“Go on and give it a lift, it should already be loose.”

“Am I to assume that you’ve already been back here?”

“That’s a fair assumption,” Tim replied. “It was actually the first thing I did when I arrived, even before going in to check out that situation with the former bathroom.”

“Have you gone down yet?”

“That I haven’t done.”

“You sure this thing doesn’t lead straight to the sewer?”

“Only one way of finding out.”

“Right you are.”

He took another step back before dropping down to a knee, finding the manhole top to be loose just as stated. He removed it with absolute ease, finding a ladder attached to the wall which lead to complete darkness.

“You going first?”

“I’d prefer it.”

“Need a light?”

“No need,” Dick replied. “I’ve got one of my own.”

“I figured you would.”

“Stay here until I reach the bottom,” Dick instructed. “I’ll call you down once all is clear.”

“Your call.”

He reached into his pocket, taking just seconds for him to pull out a small flash light. He took little time in switching it on, flashing it down into the dark.

“Can you see the bottom?”

“Just barely,” Dick replied. “I think we’re looking at about a thirty five feet drop from here.”

“That’s a good ways down.” Tim said as he watched him get in position to head in.

“See you soon.”

With that he began his ascension down, moving carefully in his motion. Much rust could be seen, not only on the ladder that he moved upon but the surrounding walls. As faint as it may have been nearly halfway down he heard a sound from below, almost as if something had darted past in one quick drive.

“What was that?”

This alert made him even more aware than he had been before, moving slower in his progressions the rest of the way down. He finally reached the bottom, dropping down with a splash from below. He aimed the light downward to find only a puddle of water.

"Now let's see what we have here."

He raised the light, flashing ahead just in time to see a large rodent dart across from the left side all the way to the right.

"Only a rat."

It was at that moment that a light flashed down on him from above. He looked up to see him still at the top gazing down at him.

"How is it down there?"

"Come on," Dick replied. "We're having a party."

"We?"

"I'll tell you when you get down."

"What in the world is he talking about?" Tim muttered.

Not wanting to waste any time, he began to scour the area with the use of the flash light, finding he was in the tunnel they had been informed of. It was too dark to see what was ahead, limiting him to the surrounding area. He heard yet another sound, flashing the light to the ground once more.

"Just another tunnel critter," Dick said. "This place isn't as abandoned as you may think."

It was only moments after that he heard the soft drop from behind, knowing he had been joined.

"Did you close the top of the manhole on your way down?"

"Of course," Tim said replied coming to his side. "What was all that commotion about a couple seconds ago?"

"Just a couple of rats."

"Rats?"

"Yea, I prefer the bats myself," Dick said making a move deeper into the tunnel. "Come on, it would appear we have much ground to cover."

"You keep your sights on the right," Tim said. "Leave everything on the left to me."

"Why's that," Dick questioned. "You afraid someone else might be down here besides us?"

"Those rats for starters." Tim reminded.

"Point taken."

They began their journey down the wide dark tunnel from there. The focus level was now at a max. The sound of something tapping down to the ground could be heard a short distance up. Curious as to what it was he flashed his light into that direction to find it was only a portion of water sliding down from a pipe upon the wall. He then flashed the light to the right wall to see the same thing in play.

“You alright there,” Dick questioned. “You seem rather uneasy.”

“Just having a look around,” Tim replied. “That’s why we’re here after all.”

“Any idea where this tunnel ends?”

“It depends on which way we take,” Tim replied. “If I’m not mistaken we should arrive at an intersection relatively soon.”

“And which way leads to the out of service subway station?”

“The route to the left,” Tim replied. “Which is the one we’re going to take.”

“Not that it really matters, but what if we decided to go right,” Dick questioned. “Any idea what’s down that end?”

“Not a clue,” Tim replied. “Neither Alfred nor Bruce said anything on the matter.”

“I think we better go check it out,” Dick said. “If we’re going to spend a marginable time down here I don’t see why we can’t check out the whole place.”

“I see no harm in that.”

“Then it’s settled.”

It was just as he said, taking just a few more steps before they came into view of the intersection of mentioned. The decision on which way to go was spontaneous, both heading straight for the left without anything needing to be said.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the time they had left the checkpoint. Not much had been said over the duration of the time. He found himself watching everything they passed as the train continued to move on, one heavy question still weighing down on his mind. He turned in the seat looking across to where he sat opposite of him.

“You still have yet to tell me where this train’s destination is.”

He had been looking up at the ceiling, clearly juggling with something that was on his mind. He looked down to face him after hearing his voice.

“What was that?”

“How much longer until this train comes to a stop?”

“You might want to sit back and relax for a bit,” Conner advised. “Because we still have another couple good hours to go.”

“A couple hours to go,” Shinichi questioned before sitting up straight. “Where exactly do you live?”

“You make it sound like you have something important to attend,” Conner said. “Don’t you like a surprise from time to time, besides you can check your ticket.”

“I already have,” Shinichi said. “MET is all it says, is that a town here in Gotham or another city all together?”

He sat back in the seat with nothing further to say.

“You’ll know in time.”

From this he knew there was no further use in pushing for further information, finally deciding to sit back in his seat once again.

“A couple hours to go, great,” Shinichi thought. “Now… how to help pass some time?”

All had gone as hoped. He went through the paperwork on the ride back, making sure all files were lined up in the correct order. After setting the folder aside he looked to the front of the car. The front of the mansion had finally come into view, coming to find the gate to be open.

"I could have sworn the gate was closed when I departed."

"I'm sure it's nothing to concern ourselves with," Bruce said. "Damian would have contacted us if there was a problem."

"Perhaps you're right."

They drove in past the gate, bringing a stop to the car shortly thereafter.

"You can go ahead get out here," Alfred said. "I'm going to take the car around to the garage, I’ll see you inside in the next minute."

"I'll be waiting."

He stepped out past the door, locking it on his way out. The car could be heard heading for the garage as he made his way for the stairs. His phone began to ring halfway up, choosing to ignore it for the time being. He pulled out his key for the door upon reaching it, finding it to already be unlocked.

"First the gate, now the door."

This development put him on alert, slowly opening the door as he pushed his way in. He closed it as calmly as it had been opened. His first instinct was to scour the room, checking to see if anything had been tampered with in the least. This process took only moments to complete.

“Everything seems fine.”

It was then that the first door on the right at the top of the stair case fell open, looking up as Damian appeared with a towel sitting around his neck.

“You’re back,” Damian said walking down the stairs. “I thought I heard something.”

“What’s with the towel?”

“Just finished with my pre mid-day routine.”

“Why was the front gate open,” Bruce asked. “Did Dick happen to stop by?”

“I thought it was you who left it that way,” Damian replied arriving down from the stairs. “It has been that way all morning.”

“Perhaps it didn’t close correctly when the remote was used this morning,” Bruce said. “I’ll have to give it a look tonight.”

“Did you listen to the radio on the way back?”

“No, we drove with no audio,” Bruce replied. “Is there something I should know about?”

“That probably means you haven’t heard the breaking news that passed in the last hour,” Damian said. “That footage you collected and gave to Hattori to hand over to the police has been aired.”

“Something that was expected to come very soon.”

“But don’t you think that will aggravate the situation,” Damian questioned. “In the least it might cause Kid to make another move sooner than planned, maybe even as quickly as tonight.”

“Maybe.”

“Which means going after him,” Damian said. “I’d like another shot at him.”

“You may have to hold off on that opportunity for a while.”

“What are you saying,” Damian questioned. “That you plan on leaving me behind, for a second night in a row?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Bruce replied. “The fact of the matter is he’s not going to make an appearance tonight.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“If you were in his shoes and found that your presence had been compromised, would you?”

“But it’s also a known fact that he craves the attention.”

“Yet he has shown no signs of such behavior,” Bruce replied. “At least not for the past couple months, which has been reported.”

“So how are we supposed to find him?”

“We start from the bottom up,” Bruce replied. “Which means looking into the many possible uses the G3 Power Emitter may have.”

“By the time we’ve determined all of that who’s to say Kid doesn’t skip town by then?”

“Doubtful, but a possibility,” Bruce acknowledged. “Which is why we need to work quickly, where is Shinichi?”

“No idea,” Damian replied. “Haven’t seen him all day.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why don’t you try checking the upstairs room,” Damian suggested. “Maybe he’s yet to awake.”

“At this time of day, I wouldn’t suspect that to be his routine,” Bruce said heading for the stairs. “I’ll be back shortly.”

He watched as he made his way to the next floor, a devious grin coming to his face in the seconds that came.

“Sorry Kudo, but this is just the way the dice rolls.”

A time had passed from their start down the dark tunnel, sighting several scraps along the ground as they walked. This ranged from paper flakes to outdated newspapers. He began wondering how much longer they had to go, increasing with every move made.

“We’ve been walking for over six minutes now,” Dick said flashing his light down upon his wrist to confirm his claim. “How much longer until we reach this place?”

“It’s a little over a half mile from when we made the turn,” Tim replied. “And judging by the pace we’re moving at we should be there within the next minute, two at most.”

“Think there’s another exit we could take from this side?”

“No idea.”

“I’d hate to have to walk all the way back to the other side to return to the surface,” Dick said. “Then again we have to head back anyway, I almost forgot we have another whole section to check out.”

“That is true.”

He flashed his light ahead once again as they continued to walk. All discussion had been dropped by the two moving on. It came as no surprise in the next minute when the tunnel had finally come to an end.

“Finally,” Dick said holding the light out in front. “We’re here.”

“The lighting is next to nothing down here,” Tim said. “Any photos that we take won’t come out very well.”

“Not to worry,” Dick assured. “I came prepared.”

He stopped without warning, using his free hand to reach for something in his pocket.

“Here we are.” Dick said pulling out the desired objet.

“A pen,” Tim questioned. “I hardly see how that relates to our current situation.”

“Then you’re not paying attention,” Dick said. “Can’t you see the unnatural bulkiness of it.”

“Yea, I noticed,” Tim replied. “What of it?”

“This isn’t just your everyday write your warden a complaint kind of pen,” Dick remarked. “But rather a highly advanced SSC 4.0.”

“SSC?”

“Scenery Screen Capture 4.0,” Dick replied. “Stand back as I give you a demonstration of this little gizmo.”

“You seem rather excited about this thing.”

“As would you if you were familiar with its capabilities.”

“Alright,” Tim said taking a step back. “Blow me away.”

The first thing he did was hold the pen up for him to view, bringing his free hand around which he brought to the top of the pen.

“The first thing you’ll want to do his turn the top of the pen to the left three times,” Dick instructed. “A full three sixty.”

He then took the same hand used and lowered it to the opposite end of the pen, turning the bottom side two times to the left.

“And last comes the final touch,” Dick said handing him the apparent pen. “I’ll leave the honors to you.”

He accepted it, unsure of what to do next.

“Mind dropping me a hint or something,” Tim asked. “I’m not seeing how any imagery can be gathered with this thing.”

“The bottom,” Dick replied. “Give it a tug downward.”

He did as instructed, not surprised when it extended by an inch or so.

“Now,” Dick said coming to his side. “Push it back into place.”

He did just that, watching as a mini screen crept out from the side of the device. It was about three inches in length, with the height being at about five.

“Nice,” Tim commented. “Where did you get a hold of something like this?”

“I had Vic whip it up for me on his spare time,” Dick replied. “This is about the sixth attempt at it.”

"I'm all for the fancy tech," Tim said. "But why opt to make something like that when you can use a regular digital?"

"For under cover purposes," Dick replied. "There are several instances where phones or cameras aren't allowed, the SSC was created for that sole purpose."

"Not a bad idea," Tim said. "But it's next to pitch dark down here, does this thing have a flash or something?"

"Not only does it have a flash, but a light you can use as guidance."

"And how is that activated?"

"By pushing down to the cap twice."

He gave it a try, watching as a light emitted from the tip of the device.

"Anything else I should know about this thing?"

"Going for the full round house I see," Dick said. "The top, hidden beneath the cap."

"What is it?"

"A joint that gives off a signal," Dick replied. "One which is linked to my computer."

"In other words any photos taken will be automatically saved to your hard drive when taken."

"You bet."

"I've got to get me one of these."

"I'm sure that can be arranged, but right now we have a scene to break down."

He held the flash light up once more as he began to wall, turning it to the right as he did. He immediately took note of what appeared to be the edge of the floor they stood upon. With that in mind he headed further into that direction, aiming the light to the ground as he did.

“Looks like I’ve got something.”

“What is it?” Tim asked heading his way.

“Tracks, train tracks,” Dick replied. “This is defiantly the place.”

He came to his side, immediately looking down before taking a couple shots of what was laid out before them.

“This is actually rather ironic.”

“What do you mean?” Dick asked looking his way.

“Our position,” Tim replied. “We’re directly under the center of the Mount Zomoph.”

“Which would be under the Ferris wheel as well right?”

He nodded.

“The question now becomes,” Dick thought to himself. “Is there relevance to this?”

The time milked away with each cut made, looking over to the other sleeve to make sure all was in proportion. This round of trials had lasted for a time to come. The finished product was held up high for a visual before being laid down across from another completed piece. He stood up once finished, looking over his finished work.

“It’s done.”

He turned from where he sat in front of a computer at the sound of his voice. He stood up from the chair, walking over to his side to see what he had laid out across one of the motel beds.

“Master Kuroba, what is the meaning of this?”

“I have yet to finish the final touches,” Kaito replied. “I’ll need to head back to the black shop to pick up some yarn, though sewing has never been a strong suite of mine.”

“I don’t understand,” Konosuke said. “Why buy all of this clothing only to ruin it with the many clippings you have made?”

“Custom,” Kaito replied. “I wish for my apparel to be custom, not easily recognizable.”

“Why is that?”

“The whole city now knows of Kaitou Kid’s venture, and the next task won’t be as easy as the last,” Kaito replied. “For the easiest path possible, I’ve chosen to go dark.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Trust me,” Kaito assured looking to him. “It’s not as bad as you may think.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 108

Neighbor City

He had checked all rooms on the upper floor, finding no sign of him. This opted him to check both the book room and the study. In the end there was no sign of him, or where he had gone for that matter. He returned to the front room, pulling out his phone as he did.

“Did you find him?”

“Not a trace.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m going to try calling him,” Bruce replied. “Chances are wherever he’s gone off to he took his phone with him.”

He wasted no further time in attempting to call him. He stood there for seconds, hearing nothing but an empty ring from the other end. He lowered the phone after knowing there would be no one to answer.

“Now what?” Damian asked.

“I’ll wait for him to return my call,” Bruce replied. “It appears I need to have a word with him on a matter or two, in the meantime I’m going to see how that analysis is coming along.”

“The same analysis from the extracted blood?”

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “If anyone calls let it ring, I’ll return any important calls when I come back.”

With that he turned back for the other side of the room, heading directly for the study. He smiled at this late development before finally standing back to his feet.

“Excellent.”

There searches hadn’t mounted up to too much, but they continued to look around none the less. After scoping around the train tracks they made their way back to the left side. He kept the light out in front to help guide the way as they walked, pointing out something about halfway across the room.

“Look there,” Dick said. “That’s defiantly something we should check out.”

“It’s quite obviously a booth,” Tim said being able to make out what it was as they neared. “This must have been where the tickets were purchased when this place was up and running.”

“No doubt,” Dick agreed. “Make sure you get some good photos of this area.”

“Already ahead of you.”

He raised the SSC 4.0 once again, making sure to get clear shots of the apparent booth sitting before them. He rotated from left to right, making sure to get imagery of all angles.

“That should do.”

“How many pictures did you take?”

“Twelve in all?”

“Good, that should be enough,” Dick said. “Come across anything unusual?”

“Not on contact,” Tim replied. “But maybe something will register to our radar when we examine the photos later.”

“That tends to be the case in most scenarios.”

“What else is down here?”

“Why don’t we find out.” Dick said flashing the light to the side of the room they had yet to check.

What they found was a nothing but emptiness, the only thing to be seen was that of a lone poster that could be found pinned to the wall. His curiosity was enough to have him walk over to have a closer look. He stopped once reaching it.

“Find something?” Tim asked.

He didn’t reply initially, feeling around the wall for something that was apparently there.

“What is it?”

“Air,” Dick replied. “There’s a current of cool air blowing through here, I just can’t seem to pin point where it’s coming from.”

He continued to massage his hand across the wall, finally coming to a stop after reaching the side of the poster.

“Could it be?”

The possibility was there. With little thought he reached for the top of the poster, tearing it away with one quick move to reveal what was on the other side.

“You better head over here,” Dick said. “It looks like we’ve got something.”

He had taken back to examining the area around the booth, responding to the sound of his voice almost instantly.

“What is it?” Tim said walking his way.

“Check it out,” Dick pointed. “Looks like we have ourselves a little disturbance.”

He came all the way to his side, coming to find a marginable sized hole that had been hidden behind the poster.

"And just when I thought this was going to be another generic scavenger hunt."

"It would appear an explosion caused this," Dick said reaching down for a couple wall bits which still sat in place. "You can still see the explosive residue that was left behind, it's present on most of the ruble here."

"But why?"

"That's a really good question," Dick said. "But we have no real way of finding out without a deeper examination, besides we don't even have a time frame for when this could have occurred."

"Not necessarily." Tim said.

He moved in further, not coming to a stop until after reaching the wall. He lowered the SSC device down to his side before reaching out to grab hold of a piece of ruble.

"Mind holding out the light?"

"Sure," Dick replied. "What are you looking for?"

With the light provided he took those next few moments to look over the small bits in hand, running a finger over each in the process.

"A week," Tim finally answered. "Maybe two."

"You mean when this wall was blown open?"

"Yes."

"That would imply someone was down here before the two of us."

"But why put the poster here to hide the hole," Tim questioned. "Were they expecting others to come down here?”

"You're right, this place has been abandoned for a good couple years now."

"We need to figure out how deep this hole is.”

"Agreed.”

He aimed the light into the clear, looking ahead to see much distance between them and where the path of the hole ended.

"Didn't notice the depth," Dick admitted. "That's at least fifteen yards in."

"Makes you wonder what might have been going on down here."

"Mind holding onto the light for a minute?"

"Not at all," Tim replied. "You going in?"

"At this point one of us needs to," Dick confirmed. "I won’t be long.”

"Your call, I'll cover everything from out here."

"The holes about fifty two inches in height, forty six in length," Dick said making a brief examination. "That's wide enough for me to fit in without much problem."

"Be careful in there," Tim pointed out. "There are several sharp edges along the wall to look out for."

"Thanks, I noticed," Dick said readying himself to make an attempt in. "Here goes nothing."

He lowered his hands down to the bottom of the passage, leaping up with a careful jump in. Before making any move to head in deeper he turned back to face him.

"Make sure you keep that light steady."

"Loud and clear."

With that he turned back for the path ahead, wondering what he would find in the coming moments. He moved his arms in closer before beginning to crawl his way through. The flash from the light made for a relatively clear path on. About eighty feet in he stopped, finding a small metal of some kind sitting in the middle of the path.

"I wonder what this could be."

It was a little bit hard to see, but tucked it away into his back pocket none the less before pushing on once more. The rough pavement from all sides of the wall became very apparent, clawing at his sides every few seconds or so. He blocked this from his mind, not making a single stop until reaching the end of the path.

“Have you reached the end?” Tim called out.

It was a bit hard to see what was out in front of him, holding out his hand which came into contact with the wall soon after.

“It would appear so.”

“What can you see?”

“Hold on.” Dick replied.

The distance he had crawled left the light used to help him on his path rather dim. Wanting to get a clear view on things he reached into his pocket for his phone, turning it on after retrieving it. He held it out to provide for lighting in the direct area. He crawled a little further in, shifting the lighting of the phone from one side of the wall to the other.

“This is where it ends, but why,” Dick thought. “There’s nothing here that would suggest why this path was made.”

There had to be a reason, and he was determined to find out what. He eased in just a bit more, finding it in himself to roll to his back side. His eyes widened at what he saw.

“It can’t be.”

He raised the phone up, straightening its light to the ceiling to reveal the numbers, the declining numbers that counted down before him.

“Tim, we’ve got a problem.”

“What is it,” Tim asked still holding the light in position. “Did you find something?”

He fell stiff for the next moments, lowering the phone down to his chest.

“A bomb,” Dick finally replied. “There’s a bomb attached to the top of the wall.”

“A bomb,” Tim exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

“No doubt.”

“The time, how much time?”

“Less than eighteen hours,” Dick replied. “Seventeen and forty eight minutes to be exact.”

“That should be enough,” Tim said. “We need to disarm it.”

“Agreed.”

“How is it connected to the wall?”

“Looking into that now.”

He slightly pushed up from his position on his back, surprised to find what was connected to the back side of the confirmed bomb.

“Tape?”

He was hesitant on trying to remove the bomb from the wall, quickly deciding against it before easing down to his back once more.

“What’s the situation,” Tim asked. “Can you tell what has it clamped into place?”

“Tape.”

“That’s unexpected.”

“I think we had better try disarming it from here.”

“You don’t want to try removing it from the wall?”

“There’s no telling how this thing may react.”

“Obviously not motion censored,” Tim said. “If it had been there would have been some kind of response.”

“I’m coming out now.”

“You sure about this?”

He didn’t respond, focusing strictly on making his way out from the hole in the wall. This took under a minute, dusting himself off after dropping back down to the ground.

“If we’re not going to remove that bomb, how do you propose we do it within a timely fashion?”

“I’ve got a bomb kit in the back trunk of my car.”

“Wow, you really did come prepared.” Tim said.

“I’ve always kept it back there, just in case of an expected turn like we have here today.”

“None of this makes any sense,” Tim said. “If someone wanted to plant a bomb why not just set it up in this general area, why in the wall.”

“Not just that, but the way it was concealed by the poster that had been covering it.”

“It doesn’t make sense for anyone to go that extra length, especially since this place has been abandoned.”

“Unless of course they were expecting someone would come through here.”

“There’s no real way of finding out the answer to that without finding the person who set it there.”

“You’re right.”

“That may be in the dark for the near future, but I’m certain we’ll be able to figure out how long that bombs been here,” Tim said. “That is after we’ve disarmed and made sure there is no safety measures needed.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“So what’s the plan from here?”

“For you to wait here while I go and retrieve that kit,” Dick replied. “I’ll return as soon as I can, keep your guard up.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Tim said. “I’m fully aware the person to have set this all up may have plans to return at some point.”

“Glad to know we’re on the same page,” Dick said before turning back for the tunnel they had come. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait,” Tim said stopping him in his tracks. “You might need this.”

He turned back just in time to see the flash light tossed back to him, catching with relative ease.

“Thanks.” Dick said with a nod before finally taking off.

It didn’t take long for him to fall out of sight, with the fading of the light following in his place every second that past.

“What in the world is going on?”

It had past the two hour mark from the time they had departed. By this time he had fallen into a brief rest which was interrupted by excitement from a few of the other passengers a few rows back. He immediately looked down at his watch after this occurred.

“Twenty four hours have passed since the transformation,” Shinichi thought. “I don’t know if I should be pleased or concerned.”

His thoughts were quickly washed away with the sight of him returning back to his seat across from him.

“I see you’ve awoken, good.”

“Where were you just now?” Shinichi asked.

“On a stroll of the train,” Conner replied. “I needed the walk.”

“How long were you gone for?”

“No more than twenty minutes,” Conner replied. “You were out the entire time.”

“Which I needed,” Shinichi said. “It was an up and down night.”

“Didn’t get much sleep?”

“Not for the first couple hours.”

“That would imply you’ve got something on your mind.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I’d rather not.”

“Speaking of ongoing activities, I saw that story on the news about that heist,” Conner said. “The one that occurred at the building that just opened.”

“You mean the Futures Building?”

“That’s the place.”

“What about it?”

“They had an update on the morning news about the situation,” Conner continued. “Have you been following the story?”

“We’ve been on that case for days now,” Shinichi informed. “It wasn’t until two nights ago that we discovered that the person at the heart of these crimes was Kaitou Kid.”

“Somehow I knew you were involved,” Conner said. “Especially after learning Kaitou Kid’s known grounds, which tended to be in Japan.”

“A known fact by most,” Shinichi said. “I’ve had my share of run in’s with him over the past months.”

“Now that I didn’t know,” Conner admitted. “But why here, any idea why he’s traveled across the world to alter the field?”

“That I’m uncertain of,” Shinichi replied. “But rest assured we will find out.”

It was at that given time that a loud noise could be heard from outside the train, feeling the grinding of the tracks from below.

“Any idea what’s going on?”

“We’re here.” Conner replied.

That came very apparent within the moments that passed, sitting back as the train finally came to a complete stop all within the next minute. They decided to wait it out for the first moments, not wanting to get themselves caught up in the cluttered line leading to the exit. He pulled out his phone as they waited.

“Who do you plan on calling?”

“To try and get a hold of one of the others,” Shinichi replied. “I want to make sure they are aware of my whereabouts.”

“Don’t bother,” Conner said. “I already called Tim while you were out, though he didn’t answer I did leave a message.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Fifteen minutes ago I’d say,” Conner replied. “I’d give it some time, he’s probably just busy right now.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

It didn’t take long for most everyone to find their way out past the exits, making way for the two of them.

“I think we’re good to go.” Conner said being the first to stand to his feet.

The two followed those who continued to the left side, not taking long for them to reach the exit as well. He put a hand over his eyes upon stepping out, taking the time to adjust to the sun that still shined bright.

“And here we are.”

“Where to?”

“This way.” Conner pointed.

The two took to the right where most everyone else walked. It was very apparent where they were heading in the seconds that past, inching in closer to the large structure which he assumed to be the train station. It was then that he took note of a sign molded into the ground which read 'Welcome to Metropolis.’

"I guess that answers my question."

"What was that?" Conner asked glimpsing back at him.

"Nothing," Shinichi replied. "Nothing at all."

He had waited over for thirty minutes in quietness, turning at the sound of him re-entering the room.

"How's it been, anything change with the situation since the time I left?"

"Not at all." Tim replied.

"That's good to know."

"Did you bring the kit?"

"Right here." Dick said pointing to the strap around his shoulder.

"Great."

"What have you been doing for the past thirty minutes?”

"I'm glad that you asked," Tim said. "I actually took the time to finish my search of the room, using that SSC device of yours."

"And what were you able to find?"

"Nothing significant," Tim replied. "Well at least not at first glance, we can look over the photos after we're done here."

"Sounds like a plan."

"You ready to get this thing started?"

"I need to make a few adjustments first," Dick said. "Mind holding onto the light for me?"

"Not at all."

With that he tossed him the flash light before dropping down to a knee. He then resorted to removing the bag from his shoulder, placing it out to the ground out in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Tim asked flashing the light down at the bag.

"Nothing at all," Dick replied. "Just making sure everything is in place before moving in."

"You sure you don't want me to take over this time?"

"I'd rather do it myself."

"Your call."

It didn't take much longer for him to get situated, pulling out what he needed before zipping the bag shut.

"Wish me luck." Dick said standing back to his feet.

"Anything different you need me to do this time around?"

"Not at all,” Dick replied. “Just keep that light in place.”

“You got it.”

With that he turned back for where the hole could be found in the wall, wasting no time in heading back over.

“You sure you don’t want to take the light in with you this time?” Tim asked following from behind.

“No need, I grabbed an extra I had in the trunk.” Dick said coming to a stop upon reaching the wall.

“Then I guess we’re all set.”

“Here goes nothing.”

He raised himself back into the wall once again, feeling as if it were a tighter fit than it had been before. He slowly maneuvered his way in, careful of the sharp edges on the sides of the wall. He made it to the end of the path in no time, rolling to his back once again to still see the bomb still in place.

“Now comes the fun part.”

No time was wasted in him reaching for the spare flash light that was tucked away around his belt. He placed it to a flat section of the ground before turning it on, slowly removing his hand to see it balanced in place.

“Step one completed,” Dick said. “Now for the bomb.”

He reached for the tools obtained from the car, readying himself for the next stage to be met.

Everything seemed so different, the tone, visible structures, the atmosphere even. They had traveled so little in distance, yet it seemed like a great leap had been taken. He looked out the window of the cab as they drove, gradually becoming familiar with everything that surround them.

“So what do you think?”

“What’s that?” Shinichi asked looking his way.

“I mean compared to Gotham.” Conner clarified.

“Couldn’t really tell you,” Shinichi replied. “I haven’t really got the feel for this place yet.”

“Fair enough.”

“So where is this place of yours?” Shinichi asked.

“Further west,” Conner replied. “But that’s not where we’re going.”

“It’s not,” Shinichi questioned. “But I thought you said that’s where that file is, the one on your computer.”

“Why head down there when we can access the file elsewhere?”

“Now you’ve completely lost me.”

"You'll understand when we get there," Conner said. "Which isn’t far from here."

The cab continued to move down the road, not coming to a stop until after passing the next street light. Unsure of where they were he took a look out of the window to see a large building to the right size.

"This is it." Conner said

The two exited the cab, watching as it continued on down the road.

"What is this place?"

"The public library." Conner replied.

"What are we doing at a library?"

"This is where we can gain access to the files.”

"How do you plan on accessing those files from here?"

"This is a common place I tend to visit," Conner said. "And with that being the case I had a little something set up."

The two then made their way up a fleet of stone stairs, walking past a set of automatic doors which allowed them into the building. He couldn’t help but stop to take a quick look at all that filled the room, admiring the amount of books that could be seen.

“I like the choice.”

"We’ll save the tour for later, come on." Conner said leading him to the right.

It was clear where they were headed, not stopping until reaching the front desk where a man could be seen looking over something on the computer that was sat out upon the desk. It took all but a few seconds for him to notice the two of them standing, putting on a smile as he looked to attend their services.

“How might I help the two of you today?”

“Just the usual.” Conner replied before pulling out a card which he held out for him to see.

“You’re free to pass,” The clerk said in acceptance. “Just be sure to keep the noise level to a minimum.”

“As always.” Conner replied with a nod.

He kept the lead from there, heading toward a door which could be seen at the far wall.

“Where now are we going?”

“The backroom.”

“What’s in the backroom?” Shinichi asked.

“All the electronics,” Conner replied. “Computers, printers, they even added a scanner not too long ago.”

“And this is where you plan to access the file mentioned?”

“That’s correct.”

They reached the door in a matter of seconds. He opened it while stepping to the side, giving way for him to walk in. The room was wider than he was expecting, turning out to be the size of a small classroom. There were four computers on each side, with the printer and scanner being at the far wall opposite of them. There were only two others in the room besides themselves, both who sat on the right side of the room.

“So,” Conner said stepping in after him. “What do you think?”

“Not bad, it has plenty of space.”

“It wasn’t always like this, that is before they remolded about two months ago.”

“Does it matter which computer we use?”

“I’m glad that you asked,” Conner replied before walking forward. “The last one on the left.”

He followed him all the way to the left corner, watching as he took a seat in front of the computer.

“Why this one,” Shinichi asked. “You must have a reason for choosing it.”

“This computer is linked to the one located at the apartment.”

“How’s that?”

“It’s a bit of a story,” Conner replied. “One I’ll let you in on once we’re finished here.”

He then resulted to turning the computer on, holding down control ‘a’ while sliding in a device of some kind into the usb port. The screen was blue upon switching it on for the first moments, only for a desktop to appear shortly thereafter.

“Now we’re good to go.”

“Interesting trick.”

“Hold on, this won’t take long.”

With that said he dove into the first file, opening to reveal a second set. After bringing up a new page he clicked into yet another folder which read 'secret files'.

"Is this the file you spoke of?"

"This is them."

He selected two of the files, opening them both with a click of the mouse. He then used the print command to bring up the menu.

"That's eighty two pages in all," Shinichi said taking notice of the page count. "Do you think it would be ok for us to use that much ink?"

"First five pages are free," Conner informed. "From there on out it's twenty five cents each additional page."

"Do you have enough to cover the amount?"

"Of course, I made sure of that before we came."

He stood up from the chair once this was completed, heading straight toward the printer which was right of the scanner. The two stood in wait as the papers gradually slid out for them to take. This process lasted for over two minutes before he was able to grab hold of all sheets.

"Now we're good to go.”

"Where to now?" Shinichi asked.

"The reading area is as good as any other location," Conner replied. “We passed through there on our way here.”

“I still don’t understand,” Shinichi said as the two began walking. “Why bring me all the way here just to print all this stuff out, couldn’t you have done that and brought all of the files needed to Wayne’s place?”

“You’ll understand why I didn’t once you’ve looked over everything yourself.”

They reached the door to the room soon after, exiting as quietly as they had entered.

“There aren’t too many people here today besides us,” Shinichi said having a look around the room. “A little surprising for a big place like this.”

“Give it another hour, that’s about the time you’ll have the usual’s pull in.”

“Speaking of time,” Shinichi said checking his watch which read ten after four. “You would have thought someone would have tried reaching me by now.”

“Have you tried checking your phone?”

He took the time to do just that, pulling it out to find the battery had juiced out.

“I guess that would explain.” Shinichi muttered before laying it back into his pocket.

They made their way around a bookcase only to come into the path of another. After walking past the second they found their way to a lone table which sat in the middle of the room, surrounded by shelves and books on all sides.

“This will do.” Conner said being the first to have a seat.

He took a seat across from him, more than ready to hear what he had to share.

“Here’s one set,” Conner said pushing one pile of papers toward him. “And here is the other.”

He looked at the two stacks laid out before him, quickly determining the contents of each.

“On the right we have records for each of the patients who suffered these heart attacks, while also sustaining brain damage in the process.” Shinichi said quickly skimming through it.

“That’s correct.”

“And here on the left is all medical records prior to the heart attacks,” Shinichi said giving the second stash a look as well. “What is it exactly you wanted me to do?”

“There’s got to be a common denominator that links these attacks, which is why I came in search of Bruce,” Conner said. “But since he and Tim were unavailable, you’re the only viable option I could think of.”

He smiled, steadying each stack before looking across to him once more.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

The time had finally come, gazing down at the final product that was laid out before him. It started with the black pants and scruffy belt. Next came the silver under shirt, which was then covered by a top black shirt, one which had a visible skull with two swords crossing from behind. A black leather jacket was then slid into place, followed by a black fitted hat that had the same trademark skull that could be seen on the shirt. Last of all came the shoes. The insides were a dark violet, rolling a finger on the outside which was a solid black with silver laces.

“Perfect.”

There was only one thing that remained, having a full sized look from head to toe of the clothes he had put on. He was pleased at what he saw upon reaching the mirror.

“What do you think?” Kaito said turning to face him.

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“I’ll take that as a positive.”

He then reached for a wallet attached to a small chain which was set on top of the TV. Once in his possession he placed it into his pocket, letting the chain hang freely.

“You still have yet to tell me what you plan to do.”

“Tonight,” Kaito said with his sights set to the mirror. “Tonight all will be explained.”

To Be Continued

[Maltavite 61]

Good fanfic (Even longer than my fanfic)... And the idea is cool too!

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 109

A Plan Set

Nothing but silence filled the room. He sat there for minutes after being escorted to the room, waiting for the arrival of the man he had come to see. There was no trouble with the delay in his mind, even welcoming the silence that came with the wait. The moment he least expected it the door to the room cracked open from behind.

“I appreciate your patience.” James said entering the room.

“No worries, I haven’t been waiting all that long to tell you the truth,” Heiji said. “Besides I’m in no hurry.”

“I’m glad that’s the case,” James said. “I’m sure you know why I asked to see you.”

“I have a good idea.”

“I thought you might,” James said. “First I’d like to start off by thanking you for the footage obtained.”

“I’m glad I was able to provide that for the investigation.”

“I talked with your friend.”

“My friend?”

“Yes, the officer from Keystone City who helped set up those cameras for you.”

“Oh yes,” Heiji said sitting up in his seat. “That’s right.”

“Be sure to thank him for me the next time you see him.”

“Will do.”

“The main reason I asked for your attendance was to inform you about tomorrow’s meeting,” James said. “I’d like for you to be there.”

“What’s the meeting for?”

“We’ll be giving a full run down of information to the whole unit surrounding Kaitou Kid.”

“I see,” Heiji said quickly catching on. “You want my input.”

“Is that too much to ask for?”

“Not at all.”

"I figured you’d be up for the task," James said. "The time of the conference begins at ten thirty tomorrow morning."

"Already sealed away, I'll be there," Heiji assured. "But I must ask, what is it you'd like me to say?"

"I want you to take charge," James replied. "You obviously know this guy better than any of us, anything you may know will be useful."

"Are you saying you want me to take center stage in this investigation?"

"There's no clearer way of putting it," James confirmed. "Are you up for it?"

"If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I never turn down a case."

"Then it's stamped in stone," James said. "Which means I better get started on preparations for tomorrow."

"Anything else you need from me for the time being?"

"For now no, you're free to go."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

With that he stood up from the chair, drawing his hands from his side before making his way for the door.

"Oh, and one last thing."

He stopped just inches shy of the door, turning at the sound of his voice.

"What is it?"

"Tomorrow we make it official."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see when the time comes,” James replied. “Good day detective.”

He was unsure of what to take away from this. He then turned back for the door, shutting it as he stepped out.

After ten heart wrenching minutes the task had finally been seen through. He grabbed hold of it, raising a brow at what he felt. The small device was then lowered down into the bag that laid at his side, zipping all contents away before making his way out. It didn't take long for him to do so.

"Nothing but a cheap ploy." Dick said dropping down to the ground once more.

"What do you mean," Tim asked. "Where's the bomb?"

"In the bag," Dick replied. "It was nothing of concern."

"What are you saying?"

"If it had gone off at worst it would have blew maybe an extra five yards into the hole."

"Not exactly your ordinary big bang."

"I knew right away something was wrong when I retrieved it from the wall," Dick said. "Its weight, it wasn't what you would expect for a lethal explosion."

"Mind taking it out," Tim asked. "I'd like to have a look at it myself."

"As you wish."

He repositioned the bag on his shoulder, bringing forward before zipping it open.

"Here it is." Dick said reaching in to grab it.

"Thanks." Tim said taking it into hand.

The next seconds spent were taken examining the bomb uncovered. The light weight was apparent almost instantly. He then turned it to the back side where the wires could be seen that had been taken out of place during the process.

“Find what you were looking for?”

“No, but I did find what was to be expected.”

“What were you expecting to find?”

“That has yet to be determined,” Tim replied. “We won’t be able to answer that until further examination, which is why I’ll be taking it to Bruce to have a look at.”

“Why,” Dick asked. “There’s no more use for it.”

“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a deeper significance,” Tim said in response. “One which isn’t visible on the surface.”

“Can’t argue that,” Dick said. “Would you like a ride there?”

“Don’t bother, I’ll catch a taxi,” Tim replied. “Besides one of us needs to stay here and set up surveillance, do you have any equipment in the car?”

“Of course,” Dick replied. “Leave it to me, I’ll have this place wired down in no time.”

“With any luck the person who set this all up will return, and then we’ll have them on camera.”

“While I’m at it I might as well head down to the other end of this underground path,” Dick said. “No telling what might be lurking down the other side.”

“I can only imagine,” Tim said before reaching into his pocket. “Nearly forgot to return this to you.”

“What is it?”

“The SSC.” Tim said handing it back to him.

He took that time to place the device into the bag along with the rest of the bomb kit that he had brought along.

“Need your light back as well?”

“You can hang on to it,” Dick replied. “I brought down the spare remember.”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll call you and let you know if anything is uncovered once I’ve finished my search of this place,” Dick said. “Including the other end.”

“Then I’ll leave you to that.” Tim said before turning back for the tunnel.

“Good luck with that bomb.”

“Thanks.”

He took off with nothing further needing to be said, holding the light out in front as he headed down the dark path.

The tempo had drastically changed from the time he had begun the cross referencing process. Each sheet looked over took at least five minutes to dissect. No words had been spoken between the two since this had started. Interested in any progress that might have been made he laid a hand down to the table to try and gain his attention.

"So what do you think?"

Nothing was said in response, not even a gesture to show acknowledgement.

"He must really be into this whole research thing, I better leave this one alone for the time being."

He leaned into the chair for further comfort, figuring it would be a long wait before all was completed. It wasn't long after that he peered over once more to see him looking over at him.

"Did you say something?" Shinichi asked finally looking his way.

"Oh.. yes," Conner replied. "I was wondering how things were coming along."

"My view on things has widened significantly," Shinichi admitted. "But there still seems to be something missing."

"Mind elaborating?"

"It's all too erratic," Shinichi began. "The first element to consider is the several different backgrounds, there is no set age for who might receive one of these unexpected heart attacks."

"I see."

"The information you were able to gather does help to a degree, that I’m not denying."

"I thought it might," Conner said. "And were you able to conclude anything from this information?”

"As insightful as the files may be it didn't provide too much more than we already knew," Shinichi replied. "Four out of the sixteen entries I've gone through thus far show that the victims had prior heart complications before suffering the fatal one."

"That defiantly gives you the vibe something is causing this outbreak."

"That's been my belief since day three."

"Now what?"

"I'm going to go through the rest of these files," Shinichi replied. "Once that is completed I'll set up our next branch."

"That makes it sound like you might have a plan."

"Perhaps."

“So from what you’ve observed, what would you say tempted these heart attacks?”

“I can’t say for sure,” Shinichi replied. “At least not yet.”

“There has to be a cause… but what.”

“The sooner we find out, the better.”

“Something I think we can all agree on,” Conner said. “How long do you think it will take you to get through the rest of those files.”

“Not sure, but I’m moving as fast as I can.”

“Whatever pace works for you.”

“You don’t have to sit around here you know,” Shinichi said. “After all it might be awhile before I finish getting through the rest of this.”

“I have no problem waiting, there’s nothing more I’d like than see this thing through.”

“Let’s hope there’s a positive solution to come.”

“I have a feeling there will be.”

Dust had collected through the hours of the day, leaving him with something to do as the evening began to roll around. He had finished with the kitchen counter, lowering the dust cloth as he made a move for the door. The doorbell could be heard at that very moment.

“This is unexpected, I wonder who could have come for a visit at this time of hour.”

Not wanting to keep them waiting he exited the kitchen, heading straight for the front door. He jerked it open to see him standing on the other side.

“Hello Alfred,” Tim greeted. “I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

“Most certainly not,” Alfred said. “Come on in.”

“Where’s Bruce?” Tim asked upon entering.

“Right here.”

He turned at the sound of his voice, finding he had just come from the book room.

“Glad I was able to catch you on such short notice.”

“How did things turn out at Mount Zomoph?” Bruce asked.

“That’s exactly why I’m here.”

He then reached into his jacket, pulling out something he was unable to identify at first glance.

“What is that?” Bruce asked.

“A disarmed bomb,” Tim replied. “Dick and I discovered it while investigating the underground site you told us about.”

“Now that was unexpected, what were the circumstances?”

“It was set to explode in less than eighteen hours.”

“What would have been the span?”

“Not harmful,” Tim replied. “It was planted in a wall that had already had been opened with an explosion.”

“How deep was this hole in length?”

“A good couple yards in,” Tim answered. “It was almost as if someone was making a path of some kind.”

“But if that were true, why have a timer set?” Bruce stated.

“True.”

“Is there anything else of significance you have to report.”

“From what was uncovered on the surface, no,” Tim replied. “But we did take some photos which I’m assuming Dick will go through some time tonight.”

“Where is he now?”

“Before departing he had the intent on bugging the place in the case the one who left the bomb returned.”

“A move I think we can all agree is warranted.” Alfred said.

“It wasn’t just the bomb,” Tim said. “But the positioning of where it was.”

“Where was the location of where you found it?”

“Underground,” Tim replied. “Right beneath the center of the amusement park.”

“That’s very ironic.”

“It makes you wonder more than anything.”

“May I have a look at the bomb?” Bruce asked jumping back into the conversation.

“Of course,” Tim replied walking. “That’s what brought me here to begin with.”

He held out his hand to accept the deactivated bomb, taking those first seconds to examine it.

“Think you’ll be able to find out the time for when it was originally set?”

“No doubt,” Bruce replied. “But of course I’ll have reactivate it.”

“Great,” Tim said. “Though I’m not sure how much significance it will present to our investigation.”

“Every detail matters as it stands,” Bruce said. “On another subject have you heard from Shinichi, I haven’t been able to get in contact with him since arriving back.”

“He’s with Conner.”

“What’s he doing with him?”

“Working the case of the heart attacks,” Tim informed. “The original plan was for him to come to me.”

“Come to you for what?”

“It appears Conner has some additional information surrounding the case,” Tim replied. “When he wasn’t able to get a hold of me he had the intent of coming here to present the information to you.”

“I see,” Bruce said. “And where are they now?”

“In Metropolis.”

“You would have thought he’d have let one of us know where he was going before taking off.”

“I’m sure there was a reason for that.”

“When you spoke with him were you given details on the information collected?”

“I didn’t actually speak with him,” Tim clarified. “Everything given to me was through a message he sent to my phone.”

“Have you tried reaching him since you received the message?”

“Of course,” Tim replied. “Didn’t get a response though, that must just mean they’re busy.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

“So what now?”

“Contact Dick and ask him for an update on his searches.”

“Will do.”

“In the meantime I’m going to go and begin my examination of this bomb.” Bruce said before turning for the other side.

“Wait,” Tim said stopping him in his tracks. “What about the blood collected from Shinichi, have the results come back?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it,” Bruce replied. “And it’s not just that we need to stay on top of.”

“What else?”

“Finding and apprehending Pamela.”

The final file had finally been placed off to the side, relived he had finished with the examination. It didn't take long for him to take notice.

"You're finally done."

"Yet there’s still no defiant answer to what the cause is."

"I was afraid that'd be the case," Conner said. "What do you plan to do now?”

"There are a couple actions we’re going to need to take,” Shinichi replied. “The first is to widen our view on things.”

“There’s a lot that could mean.”

“What I meant is that we need to look into other areas,” Shinichi elaborated. “We’ve been so fixated on their medical histories and x-rays taken, I think now would be a good time to make a loop on what we should be focused on.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Similarities,” Shinichi replied. “Maybe something several of the victims shared in common.”

“Habits perhaps?”

“Yes,” Shinichi replied. “Anything ranging from work environment to daily routine.”

“That’s not going to be easy to figure,” Conner said. “Especially with the amount of victims there are to account for.”

“I realize how time consuming this will be, but it’s one of the few options we have yet to exploit.”

“It seems you’ve got it all figured,” Conner said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes, there’s an important call I need to make to a good friend of mine,” Shinichi replied. “If it’s not too much to ask do you think I could use your phone?”

“Of course.”

He reached into his pocket, tossing him the phone within that instance.

“Will I be able to reach someone long distance?”

“You’re good to go.” Conner said giving him the nod.

There was no waiting to come, instantly dialing the number to the person he sleeked.

“This might just be the opening we’re looking for.”

The time had come where all was finalized on what he was to wear come the nights beginning. He made the decision to turn off the TV, wanting to keep a clear vision on things to come. The sun could clearly be seen making its round to the other side by this time, making him more anxious than before.

“You’ve been pacing in that same dreadful path for the past hour,” Konosuke stated from where he sat on the bed closest to the door. “I don’t see the problem in you having a seat.”

“I’m thinking.”

“And that requires the unnecessary movement?”

“Maybe not,” Kaito said in partial agreement. “But it has helped with the process of me dissecting what must be done moving forward.”

“And what is it you plan on doing,” Konosuke asked pushing for further information. “Ever since last night you’ve gone dark on the matter.”

“With the G3 Power Emitter things weren’t quite as complex.”

“I don’t understand?”

“The newly given task,” Kaito continued. “The contractor once me to obtain some device known as a, ‘Networks Pivotal Equalizer’.”

“Yes I know,” Konosuke said. “You told me after receiving the information yourself, but you still haven’t told me where this item is located.”

“That’s the thing, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know where it is,” Konosuke questioned. “It’s obviously a high prized piece, shouldn’t the location of something of that caliber be documented?”

“True, but it was misplaced while being transported between two cities,” Kaito informed. “Between here and Chicago.”

“Misplaced?”

“Stolen would be the exact description,” Kaito clarified. “Though it did turn up once more after that incident.”

“And where was that?”

“At an auction,” Kaito informed. “One which was held not even a mile from here.”

“Are you saying the one to have taken the device sold it?”

“It wasn’t just one person, but a group,” Kaito informed. “The Networks Pivotal Equalizer wasn’t the only thing taken, but everything else that had been stocked.”

“Stocked,” Konosuke questioned. “Where was this stuff when it was taken?”

“In the truck all accessories were being transported in,” Kaito replied. “It was at night after the truck had been parked in a reserved area that their move was made.”

“You seem to know a lot about this.”

“I’ve been keeping tabs.”

“Does this group you mentioned have a name?”

“The Sonnue,” Kaito replied. “One of the lesser known gang groups from the south side of the city.”

“And they were the ones to auction off that device?”

“Yes.”

“But why steal all that stuff only to turn around to sell it within a blink?”

“There’s always money to make,” Kaito said in response to this. “I don’t think you need a better explanation than that.”

“You might be right,” Konosuke said. “In any case where is this device now, do you know who came out as the lead bidder?”

“I do not.”

“That puts a notable dent in the process.”

“It’s true that I may not know who purchased it, but the list is limited.”

“Say what?”

"All in attendance at the auction were street dealers," Kaito informed. "Which means there's a chance it's mixed in somewhere in the neighborhood."

"Let's say this is true, how do you plan on finding it?"

"Like I said before, I'm going to have to take another approach," Kaito said. "With the city aware of Kaitou Kid along with the current circumstances this is the best option."

"You said you plan on going dark," Konosuke said. "You still have yet to tell me what you plan to do, your only hint coming from your choice of clothing."

"Isn't it obvious," Kaito said. "It's a means of folding into the fold."

"You don't mean?"

"Yes, it's time to expand on our connections," Kaito said. “It’s time I became one of them.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 110

Stroll of the Neighborhood

The sound spawned throughout the room, traveling a ways to the upper floor. It wasn’t until the fifth ring that the sound of the phone drove him from his sleep. He held out his hand to grab hold of the light switch of the lamp beside him. He then looked to the phone sitting right next to it, adjusting his eyes to see an unfamiliar number.

“I wonder who that could have been.”

He checked the phone to find that whoever had called had done it three times prior to the last one which awoke him.

“Whoever called probably had the wrong number.”

He turned the light off before making a move back for the sheets. Just as his head dropped down to the pillow the ring of the phone could be heard once again. Thinking quickly he rolled back to his side before sitting up once more. He switched the light back on to see the same unknown number registered to the caller ID. He was unsure if he should answer or not, deciding to do so after a few seconds in.

“Hello?”

“It’s good to hear your voice again doc, I had meant to call you sooner.”

“Shin… Shinichi?”

"I guess I have some explaining to do."

"Your voice, what happened?"

"It's a long story."

"With plenty of time to spare, I'd like to hear about it."

"And I'd love to go into detail," Shinichi said. "But the truth is I'm not completely sure how it happened."

“I don’t even know what to take from that.”

“You’ll be the first to know when new information arises.”

"I didn't recognize the number when you first called," Hiroshi said. "Where are you at this given time?”

"At a local library, I borrowed a phone from a friend."

"I see."

"I hope I didn't call too early," Shinichi said. "I know it's only a little past seven in the morning there."

"Not at all, you can call whenever you feel the need," Hiroshi said. "You know that."

“Of course.”

“What is it that warranted the call,” Hiroshi asked. “Surely you didn’t just call to alert me of your current state.”

"I need your help with something."

"I’m all ears.”

“No, it has something to do with what has been going on,” Shinichi replied. “Not just here in Gotham, but on a global scale.”

“It sounds like you’ve got yourself tangled in another case.”

“You guessed right,” Shinichi said. “It’s a situation surrounding a gradual increase in untimely heart attacks in certain individuals, I’m sure you’ve heard about it by now.”

“Of course, it’s been all over the news,” Hiroshi confirmed. “Have you found a lead to the source of the problem?”

“That’s where you come in,” Shinichi replied. “I need you to gather some names for me, for information.”

“I’m listening.”

The last hour had passed with a flash. By this time he had found himself a seat at a chair located near the glass door, one which lead to the balcony. The sun was nearly out of sight, looking down at his watch to check the time.

“It’s almost eight O’clock,” Kaito said. “Not too much longer until the time comes.”

“How much?”

“Anywhere from eight thirty to nine,” Kaito replied. “That’s the time frame where everything should be in full circle for business.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“I guess there is no use in me trying to convince you otherwise.”

“Don’t worry,” Kaito assured. “I’ll be fine, besides if anything goes wrong I’ve got you to cover my back.”

“Will your phone be on?”

“Most likely not at all times,” Kaito replied. “But if warranted, you can rest assured that it will be.”

“In the case that I’m unable to get ahold of you, how would I be able to find you if something in fact went wrong?”

“This will assure that doesn’t happen.”

He held out his hand, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a small circular gizmo clamped into place.

“What is that?” Konosuke asked.

“A tracking device.”

“Not that I’m against the idea, but what if you’re apprehended,” Konosuke questioned. “Then they’d be able to trace the signal back to our base.”

“A possibility,” Kaito acknowledged. “But highly unlikely.”

“How so?”

“The signal that will be transmitted will only give off a boost every seven hours,” Kaito informed. “So in the case that I found myself in a situation unplanned for they wouldn’t be able to detect it, unless of course they analyzed it for an extended period.”

“I doubt anyone would put that much time into something that appears minor.”

“Exactly.”

“You’ve really thought this all out.”

“It’s the only way any of this is going to work.”

“Are you sure seven hours is a favorable time for an update on your whereabouts?”

“You’re thinking way too much into this, I'll be fine.”

“A lot could conspire within seven hours,” Konosuke said not looking to stop there. “What happens in the case you’re driven out of the signals range?”

“That wouldn’t be good.” Kaito said with a smile coming to his face.

“Do you even have measures that can be taken in the case that it does happen?” Konosuke said less than humored by his expression on the matter.

“Of course,” Kaito said in response to this. “If I find myself out of range I’ll just have to boost the signal to its max.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“I’ve got a method or two, but I don’t see it coming to that,” Kaito replied. “Being that I never plan on being caught, no matter what the situation may be.”

“Just keep your head up.”

“Don’t you worry, I intend to.”

He raised his wrist to check the time, watching as the minutes continued to milk away.

He had been patiently been waiting in his seat from the time the conversation had ensued. It wasn’t until the sound of something sliding across the table that it caused him to look across. He dropped his hand down just in time to grab hold of the phone.

“I see you’re all done,” Conner said placing the phone back into pocket. “Did things go as you had hoped for?”

“Yes,” Shinichi replied. “He’s going to look into the matter we discussed.”

“And what about you?”

“I’m going to do the same from this end.”

“And once that’s completed?”

“We cross reference,” Shinichi replied. “That should clear up some loose ends.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I don’t believe so,” Shinichi replied. “To be quite honest I’m not even sure there’s much I can do in this regard, we need a connection.”

“For more information on this heart academic?”

“Not just that, but for more details on each victims individually.”

“That might not be a bad idea.”

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about all day.”

“Well in that case you should try contacting Bruce,” Conner suggested. “He’s one of the few people who could widen the field in that regard.”

“Which I plan on doing when I return to Gotham, but I’m not done here.”

“You’re not,” Conner questioned. “What more could you possibly want to do?”

“Not do,” Shinichi stated. “There’s something I want to see.”

"What is it you wanted to see?"

"I'd like to visit one of the hospitals," Shinichi replied before standing to his feet. "Preferably one of the larger ones."

"That can be arranged." Conner said sitting up from the chair as well.

"I'd imagine visiting hours are nearly up, which means we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Whatever works for you," Conner said. "You haven't eaten since the time we began the trip here."

"I hadn't really been paying any attention to that."

"Come on, I know this place that you may like." Conner said heading toward the gap in between the bookcases.

"Sounds good to me." Shinichi said following after him.

After nearly two hours from the time the analysis had begun results had been finally received. He double checked to make sure all wiring was in place, wanting to make sure it was more than a red herring.

"Everything appears to be in place."

After this was accomplished he took a seat back in front of the computer. The door to the room fell open in the coming moments.

"You've been awfully quiet in here sir," Alfred said upon entering. "Have you made any progress with that bomb?"

"As a matter a fact I have."

"I was hoping to hear some good news," Alfred said. "What is it you were able to determine?"

"The length of the time given before the bomb was set to explode."

"Which was?"

"Fifty five hours, fifteen minutes, and thirteen seconds,” Bruce replied. “To be precise.”

“Very interesting.”

“There has to be more to it,” Bruce said. “Why set the bomb to go off after such a long period?”

“That would usually make sense in the case of someone sending out a demand or message to someone in particular.”

“But there wasn’t, and if it had exploded it wouldn’t have called for much concern,” Bruce said. “What was the person who set this all up hoping to achieve, what was the motive?”

“That’s a really good question.”

“If we’re not able to shed further light on this situation soon I will return to that abandoned train station to have a look myself.”

“I for one see no harm in that.”

“Alfred, have any calls come in from the hospital in the past couple hours?”

“Not from my knowledge, why do you ask?”

“I’m expecting one.”

“From whom?”

“For updates on Ms. Fournier’s condition,” Bruce replied. “If she awakens from the diagnosed coma there’s a chance she might be able to lead us into the right direction of what to look for with these heart attacks.”

“You’re right,” Alfred said. “She could give us information on any symptoms leading up to what happened.”

“It’s a possibility, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Why is that?”

“The trauma leading up to all that happened,” Bruce reminded. “Not only did she lose her fiancé but later found out her father was the one to have been killed, that’s a lot to take in.”

“Especially in one day,” Alfred agreed. “Where was her mother during all of this?”

“Divorced from Lonard,” Bruce informed. “But she did fly in from Florida when notified of the situation.”

“That’s good to know, at least she won’t be alone if she awakens.”

“Something I think most would agree on.” Bruce said getting up from the chair.

“Going somewhere?”

“No,” Bruce replied. “There’s just a call I need to make, I haven’t heard from Dick since this afternoon.”

“I’m sure he would have contacted you if there was something additional to report.”

“Maybe so, but even then I’d like to be sure.”

“Then I’ll leave you to that,” Alfred said turning back for the door. “If I’m needed you know where to find me.”

He left the room with nothing further.

The time had come, the wait was finally over. It was now twelve after nine. By this time the sun had completely fallen out of sight. He did his best to look as casual as possible. The hat worn covered the top half of his face, slightly tilting his head forward in attempt to look casual as possible in his steps taken. The chain connected to the wallet could be seen hanging from his right pocket, swaying back and forth as he pressed on. The sound of something roaring by from the left side caused him to look that way, only to see a pickup truck driving down the roadside.

“Just another vehicle.”

He quickly refocused himself to the task at hand. Tonight’s agenda wasn’t just to find the opening he seeked, but a means of familiarizing himself with all things of importance. He stopped shortly after reaching a billboard which was clamped down to the side of a public gas station.

“What do we have here?”

He repositioned the hat to the back, giving him a better view of what was showcased on the wall. It didn’t take long for him to find that it was a map of the city itself. He stood there for a time to come, taking much time in studying the many different routes that could be seen. It wasn’t until he heard the sound of footsteps that he dropped his sights from the billboard, turning to see a smiling man in a jogging suit skipping toward his direction.

“You need help finding some place?” The man asked upon reaching him.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Are you sure there isn’t anything I can help with?” The man asked resulting to jogging in place.

“Well since you’re here, would you happen to know a good place where I could get a hold of some fishing equipment?”

“About three blocks from here,” The man replied holding out a hand. “There’s a little place called Deco Scales, no way you can miss it.”

“I appreciate the help.”

“Anytime kid.”

With that he skipped off to where he was headed, smiling brightly as he had been when he arrived.

“That there is one happy fella.”

With the information given he looked back to the billboard once more, hoping he'd be able to pin point the place mentioned. It didn't take long for him to notice it wasn't marked.

"Looks like I'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

He continued his journey down the street from there, easing up in his posture as he walked. Unknown to him there was a dark figure from above, watching his every move in anticipation.

“My, my, what will he do next?”

Not surprising to him there were still several others occupying the streets. He arrived at the end of the block soon after. The light was red at that time, making him wait in his attempt at making a move for the other side. Once all was clear he was the first of the bunch to walk to the other side. Once there he reached out to a woman who had stopped.

"Excuse me," Kaito said laying a hand down to her shoulder. "But would you happen to know where a place called Deco Scales is?"

"Sorry, but I've never heard of it." She replied after facing him.

“I’ll try asking someone else.”

"I know where that joint is." Someone else said from behind.

He turned to see a man in overalls with a cap upon his head standing a couple feet away.

"You know where it is?"

"Of course," He replied. "It's not far from here, I'll take you there if you'd like."

"You sure that's ok with you?"

"Of course, I have nowhere to be,” He stated. “By the way, the names Philon.”

"Then your offer is accepted, Philon."

"Right this way."

They headed toward the left most like everyone else, taking a right after reaching the end of the block.

"So do you go fishing a lot?"

"Not very often," Kaito admitted. "I was just looking to get some supplies for a friend."

"Whatever you’re looking for you are bound to find.”

"That's good to know."

"This place has anything you may be hoping to find, I've been there several times myself when the season has come.”

“The more I hear the more intrigued I’m becoming,” Kaito said. “I almost forgot about the time of day, do you think this place would be open at this hour?”

“With Thomas running things I wouldn’t bet against it, the guy keeps shop open almost twenty four seven.”

“Sounds like an independent business.”

“You guessed right.”

“Does anyone else work at the store with him?”

“It’s pretty much a family business, so you’ll see some of the other guys subbing in here and there,” Philon replied. “Not to mention a couple close friends he’s got employed, why did you want to know?”

“Just curious.”

“I see, you hoping to get employed.”

“Not at all,” Kaito replied. “Besides, I’m already wrapped in a job of my own at the moment.”

He continued to follow him down the sidewalk, taking nearly a minute before the two finally came to a stop. They had finally arrived. He looked up at the sizeable structure, the first thing coming to sight being an emblem of a fish with the bold words ‘Deco Scales’ right below it. The electricity surrounding the sign sparked every few seconds in the time he stood there.

“Well, this is it.”

“Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.”

“Any time, hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Thanks Philon, I intend to.”

That was the final words spoken between the two. He shifted his head to the right, watching as the stranger he had met walked back into the direction they had come.

“Maybe I’ll see him again some time.”

He turned back for the building soon after. A lighted sign which read ‘Open’ could be seen through the window, letting him know Deco Scales was in fact open for business. He walked forward after confirming this, pushing the door aside to hear the sound of a bell overhead. It only took a few seconds for someone to appear from the back end of the store, walking out past a large shelf which was in the center of the room. There standing before him was a large man, wearing what appeared to be a blue jump suit of some kind.

“I wasn’t expecting to have any visitors at this time of night.”

“I was told this place would still be open at this given time,” Kaito said having a quick look around the room. “And judging by what I see this is defiantly the place.”

“That’s good to know.”

“You’re Thomas correct?”

“You know my name, how?”

“I heard it from the same guy who helped me find this place.”

“Hmm, must have been one of the usual’s.”

“Does the name Philon ring a bell?”

“I had a feeling it was that young lad, comes in every few weeks or so.”

“I got that vibe.”

“Very well, now onto the matter at hand,” Thomas said closing in further. “You must have something you seek, why else would you be here at a time like this.”

“I need some equipment.”

“Name it, there’s almost nothing here that we don’t sell.”

“Fishing wire.”

“One of the more popular purchases,” Thomas said. “Will that be all?”

“I’m also going to need a dozen Orca Lures, a vest, and a net or two.”

“Those items can be provided.”

“Would you also happen to have water proof bags in stock?”

“Like I said before, anything you may be looking to find we have.” Thomas smilingly replied.

"I'm liking this place already."

"Come on around back," Thomas said heading back to where he had come. "Why don't we start with the fishing wire of your choice?”

"That's a good place to start as any."

They made their way around a path of shelves on the way to the back end of the room, coming to find a glass case in the far right corner once reaching the back wall. It was pinned firmly in place, what was on the other side was very apparent. There were several brands of fishing wire, ranging from the thinness of statures to the more eye grabbing thicker types. This ranged from top to bottom, with the wider brands being toward the bottom.

"Love the set, though I never thought fishing wire would be locked down like seen here behind this glass case."

"That's only because this is for display," Thomas said. "Once you've made a decision on which type, I'll go into the storage room to retrieve the preferred type."

"That makes sense."

"Of course I'll also need the desired length of your choosing as well."

"The third one," Kaito said quickly making up his mind. "I'll go with the third one down."

"Not a bad choice," Thomas commented. "And the length?"

"1 828.8 centimeters."

"Give me a couple minutes to go and grab that for you."

"Take your time."

"If you'd like I could point you in the direction of the Orca Lures you were hoping to find."

"Where are they?"

"The right wall next to the register at the front," Thomas replied. "No way you can miss them."

"I'll meet you there."

He then took that time to make his way back to the front of the room, following the same path he had on the way back. He arrived to the wall soon after, looking at all contents hanging from the wall. There were several bait types to see, more than he had been expecting. They came in different forms, shapes, and sizes. He brought a hand to his chin as he began to skim his eyes over the selection, feeling it would be a difficult choice to make.

"Which one to choose."

He was looking for something small in size, nothing larger than four inches in width, length, or height. His searches continued all the way to the final row. He leaned down to have a closer look at the selection, finding them to be the smallest of the lot.

“Three of these should do,” Kaito thought to himself. “I shouldn’t need any more than that.”

He grabbed three baits of his liking, examining each before standing back to his feet.

“These will do.”

It wasn’t long after that the sound of one of the doors toward the back end of the store could be heard flying open, taking only seconds for Thomas to reappear to the front.

“I see you’ve decided on a set of baits.”

“They’ll work just perfectly for what I set out to do.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Thomas said placing a well strapped together line of fishing wire next to the register. “Any other fishing tackle you were hoping to find?”

“Would you happen to have fishing reels not yet attached to a rod?”

“Going custom I see.” Thomas said taking a step around the register.

He watched as this occurred, wondering exactly it was that he was doing. Once reaching the back he stopped upon reaching one of the drawers, reaching inside to pull out a large black bag.

“Here we are my boy.”

He placed the bag onto the register counter before reaching inside to pull out several individual fishing reels, all which he laid down out in front for him to see.

“There are twelve of them in all,” Thomas said. “All are available for purchase, which one interests you most?”

He said nothing in response, simply reaching for the first one on the far left. Surprisingly he brought it to his ear, turning the handle while listening to the click. He lowered it back to the counter after doing this several times over. He did this for the remaining eleven, listening to the wisp each gave off in their rotation. After finishing with the last he skimmed over the selection once more, holding out a finger as if he had made a decision.

“What is it?” Thomas questioned.

“That one,” Kaito replied. “The seventh one.”

“Going with the Underspin reel I see,” Thomas commented. “Mind me asking why you chose this one?”

“I like the way it handles,” Kaito replied. “Not to mention its low pitch in sound when maneuvered.”

“Will you be needing a rod as well?”

“Not this time around,” Kaito answered. “But would you happen to have a selection of sinkers I could have a look at?”

“Of course, that’s a given at a place like this.”

“I’ll be sure to get those the next stop here.”

“So you plan on coming back, good.”

“Though I’m going to put a hold on the sinkers I would like to purchase one of those water proof bags we discussed.’

“Wait right here, I’ll go and grab you one,” Thomas said stepping past the counter. “Would you like one with a strap?”

“That would be most appreciated.”

“Coming right on up.”

He left for the right side of the store this time, turning the corner just after reaching a shelf filled with fishing strategy books. His absence wasn’t for long, taking little time for him to return with a large brown bag in hand.

“Will this do?”

“Looks sturdy enough.” Kaito nodded in response.

He laid it down to the counter next to everything else he wished to purchase, taking little time in ringing it all up. He had more than enough to match the price, placing all products into the water proof bag on his way toward the exit.

“What about the requested vest?”

“I’ll look into that next time as well.”

“Looking forward to your next visit.”

“As am I.” Kaito said.

With that he pushed past the door to hear the same ring he had heard on his way in.

“That went fairly well.”

He continued his path down the street, no true intent on where he would land next. He simply studied anything passed, from the standing street signs to the many buildings that filled the area. The task was clear, to familiarize himself with the city.

“It’s now five minutes before ten, didn’t realize that much time had passed.”

Just up ahead a bus could be seen making a move to where a bus stop could be seen.

“What do we have here?”

He walked up to the side of the bus, catching sight of the number which read 127.

“I wonder where this leads,” Kaito said. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to know the bus routes as well.”

With that he made a move toward the front of the bus. The doors immediately opened upon reaching them. He stepped inside, tipping his hat to the driver before placing the required change into the slot.

“Nice night.”

“Indeed it is.”

He kept his head low as he made his way to the back of the bus, catching a glimpse of those already seated looking up at him. There were two men seated next to one another in the second row on the right. The one closest to the window had black spiked hair with a cloth tied around his forehead. The man next to him was a lot larger in stature. He had on a brown wool jacket with a matching hat. Sitting directly behind was a woman, barely catching a glimpse of her as he pressed on. He didn’t stop until reaching the seat one spot ahead from the back row on the left side.

“This will do.”

Once seated it didn’t take long for the bus to start up. He eased back into the seat, having a look ahead to those seated in front of him. It didn’t take long for him to figure that the three were together, as evident from a conversation that began between the three. He then looked to the opposite side to see a lone man seated three seats up.

“It appears this is just a typical night on the bus.”

He referred back to the purchased bag shortly thereafter, looking over the additional contents laying inside. He reached in to grab hold of the fishing reel, bringing it to his ear as he listened to its tune for a second time.

“Its low pitch is just what I need, this will prove useful in the long run.”

He placed it back into the bag before facing back to the front of the bus. Not much registered to his mind for the minutes to come; only the distinct sound of his name being mentioned brought his attention to the three who sat in the same row as him.

“Marco Gaffney… did they just mention Marco Gaffney?”

Now on alert he sat up in his seat, slightly leaning forward to try and hear what was being said on the matter. Unfortunately the bus came to a stop shortly thereafter. The three people sitting up ahead all stood to their feet, making way to the exit door towards the front.

“This might be the opening I was looking for,” Kaito thought. “I can’t allow for them to fall out of sight.”

With that he strapped the bag back into place, making his way off of the bus with the use of the back doors.

“Looks like my stroll of the neighborhood is just getting underway.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 111

Trail Ends

The first thing felt after stepping out was a wet drop which touched down upon his hand. He looked up in response, only to have a series of sprinkles fall down onto his face. He lowered his head down after the brief confrontation, finding a bit of comfort from the smoothening rain. Regaining focus took all but a few moments, looking directly ahead to find the last person of the small group he had set his focus to walk out from the bus to join the others.

“Got to stay put, it’s their move to make.”

The bus roared in its progression back to the road shortly thereafter, continuing down the path set to be driven. Not wanting for suspicion to arise he turned to face the roadside, pulling out his phone as if he were sending a message. He redirected his eyes back over to the three, seeing that it was only the two men engaging in conversation as they had before.

“No telling what they’re discussing from this distance,” Kaito thought. “There’s got to be a way of listening in their conversation without closing the distance, the last thing I’d want is for them to become weary of me.”

He brought most of his focus to the man wearing the wool jacket, being that he clearly had taken center stage. This was clear by the hand gestures he made while he began to speak.

“Looks like he’s giving instructions.”

Still keeping an apparent look to the street he noticed something out of place from the side of his eye, something crammed into place beneath his belt.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Getting a distinctive view wasn’t easy from where he stood, but after giving what came to his attention a harder look he knew then that there was no mistaken what was lined into place at the side of his belt.

“So he’s got a gun, this changes the dynamics completely.”

Much went through his mind at this given point in time. All thoughts were cut short unexpectingly, watching as the three began to walk his way. He clutched his free hand as he looked back to the phone, thinking of what measures to take in response to this new development.

“This isn’t exactly how I planned things to go, but most certainly a means of an opening.”

The sound of their footsteps increased with every second that past. He knew whatever it was he was to do needed to be done soon. Just as they were a step away from closing the gap, He turned as if wanting to head for the opposite direction, colliding with high intent with the man who wore the comforting wool jacket.

“Watch where you’re going.” The man angrily grunted.

“My apologies,” Kaito said in response. “I didn’t see you there.”

His shoulder clashed with his as the tall man violently pushed on past. The spiky haired man just behind did the same in flow with the first, glaring at him as he did. He turned to the left, looking just in time to see the woman walk past. She said nothing, simply tailing after the two who continued to walk.

“Doesn’t seem like they’re looking to make friends,” Kaito said. “But that won’t stop me none the less.”

He looked down at the key component which was now in his possession, more than pleased with the results thus far. He reopened the bag he had purchased, adding it to his already growing collection. Once this was taken care of he looked ahead to see the three getting ready to turn the corner at the end of the block.

“Can’t lose the edge on them,” Kaito said making sure the strap was tightly in place. “There the key to what I seek.”

He waited until they completely fell out of sight before making a move for where they had gone. He positioned his hat lower than it had been, picking up speed on his way to the end of the street. Once there he leaned to the corner of a building, having a peak around to see the three of them walking in proportion with one another.

"Good they’re moving at a manageable pace, no way I'm going to lose them."

Every move made from there on out needed to be made with care. There were several obstacles between him and them, giving him the advantage he needed. He slowly followed the three in pursuit, coming to a stop behind a public tree after gaining nearly fifteen yards on them. He peaked out moments later to see them heading for the roadside.

"Looks like they're making a move for the other side."

They did just that, stopping shortly after reaching the other side. He waited for the three to decide on a direction, not taking long for them to head further up west. Once there was enough distance between him and then he made a move to follow after once again. After crossing the road he found a place behind a light pole just as a car passed by from behind

"So far so good."

Where they were headed was anyone’s guess. He stayed in position for a short time more before taking a look out to see them readying to make a turn to the right. From where he stood several trees could be seen, unsure of what to expect up ahead.

“Is that a park?”

He picked up in speed as he continued to follow their trail, coming to a stop after reaching a sign which could be seen driven into the grass right next to the sidewalk.

“Robbinsville Park,” Kaito read. “I wonder what they could be looking to do going through here.”

The trees and bushes swaying throughout from the night breeze made for noticeable cover. The distance between him and them continued to decrease, the elements of the park allowing for this. The time seemed to drag for a time to come, minutes passing as it all began to sink in. It wasn’t just the task but all that surrounded, stemming from a bird flapping from above to the crickets that shadowed themselves throughout every hidden corner. Though it was minor the lack of discussion between any of the three kept him alert even more so than he had been earlier.

“This is one of the quietest night strolls I’ve ever been on, these guys must really be focused.”

Without a sign or warning the man sporting the wool jacket stopped in his tracks, causing the others to do the same. Nothing was said, just the sound of the forests inhabitants.

“What is it?” The man with the spiked hair asked.

“…”

“You ok?”

“Quiet Jackson.” The man finaly spoke

This was followed by another strand of silence. He stayed firm in his position, smiling at what had been learned.

“Jackson,” Kaito thought. “That’s one.”

He took the next moment to peak around the tree, coming to find no further moves had yet to be made.

“I’m betting the big guy is the leader of the pack,” Kaito thought. “They seem to only respond to anything that he says, I have yet to see the others talk to one another.”

He then repositioned himself back into place, not wanting to run the risk of being spotted. This sudden fall back brought a small margin of concern, had they caught onto his whereabouts? Through all possibilities that ran through his mind, that seemed to be the high mark. Further movement could be heard in the coming moments, though he couldn’t see he knew one of them had turned to peer into another direction. What was to come next weighed high on his mind.

“Forget it,” The man who had opted for the stop spoke. “We don’t have any more time to waste, we have a pickup to make.”

“Why did we stop in the first place?” The man referred to as Jackson asked.

“I thought I heard something,” The large man replied. “But it was probably nothing of concern.”

“You sure about that,” He said turning to have a look into the direction they had come. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Drop it, we’re already on the brink of being late.”

“Whatever you say cap.”

His head still remained rested against the tree, not planning to make a move until after hearing the three begin to walk once again. He took a step up after this occurred, flicking the tip of the hat upward just before having a look around the corner to see them making headway on their path to wherever it was they were going.

“The big guy mentioned time, sounds like they have a meeting to attend.”

Whatever the situation, he was determined to find out. It seemed to get darker the further he pressed on, catching sight of a noticeable increase in the amount of trees that towered around on all sides. Not wanting to fall behind he moved further to the right in his path, staying step for step with them from about twenty yards out. He was more discreet more so than before, knowing there was a higher probability of being spotted with this change in tactic.

“They’ve defiantly picked up in pace, I wonder how much further there is to go before the destination is reached.”

The length of time closed in on twenty minutes from when they had entered the park. No additional stops had been made along the way. He began wondering deeper about where they were headed, the possibilities were endless.

“None of them have said a word since that last stop,” Kaito thought. “If they were really running late for a potential meeting wouldn’t a call have been made to clarify their whereabouts?”

Things were starting to become clear within the next seconds. No longer could only the sound of the forest could be heard, but that of traffic humming in the clear just ahead.

“Now I see, we walked through this park to another side of town,” Kaito said to himself. “But that does raise the question of why they didn’t choose to take a cab, this trip would have been cut significantly shorter.”

He stuck to the plan, keeping a distance to the right of the three as the sight of the roadside came into view in the seconds that passed. He kneeled down next to a bush, looking further down to the left to see the three he continued to follow step out from the darkness of the park out onto the sidewalk.

“Looks like they’re heading my way,” Kaito said making it a point to stay hidden. “If I remain still I’m certain they won’t see me.”

His planned turned out as hoped, listening as the sound of the three walked by from behind. With yet another success he slightly raised himself in position, watching as they came to a stop after reaching a street light at the end of the street.

“Crossing yet another road, this seems to be part of their routine.”

The street light flashed red a short time later, signaling they were now open to cross over. He remained behind the bush for a while longer, not wanting to take the chance of them spotting him.

“Now, what are they to do next?”

He observed with heavy anticipation, ready to find out where this all would mount up to. Surprisingly the three didn’t continue on much further after crossing to the other side. The apparent lead man of the group was the first to stop, resulting in the other two doing the same. They walked a short distance to the left, stopping after reaching the side of a box full of newspapers. This brought about a sense of confusion. Had they reached their destination, was there still a suspicion of someone following in their path?

“There must be a point to this and I’ve got the feeling I’m going to find out what very soon.”

Suspense was all to be expected. Feeling the urge to find out he kneeled down before reaching into his jacket to grab hold of something.

“This will do.”

He rose up just enough to where he could see, bringing the binoculars that had been nested in his pocket to his eyes. He surveyed across the way, bringing his focus to the three subjects of the night.

“Now what do we have here?”

He took this time to examine the three, starting with the man who seemed to be in charge of whatever it is they had set out to do. He had become blatant in his expression, nothing much to be seen to what could possibly be on his mind.

“Not much to gain from the big guy.” Kaito said shifting his attention elsewhere.

Next came the shorter man of the two who wore white T-shirt. He was to the right of him, showing no real signs of intent himself. Though it wasn’t much, he did notice the amount of emphasis he was putting into the time on his watch. This all but confirmed one of his beliefs.

“Just as I thought,” Kaito said. “They’re waiting for something, but what?”

Last came the woman, the one which he had paid the least amount of attention to. He took the time to look her over. A dark Fedora hat covered the top of her head. Getting a fixation on her eyes was difficult, due to the bangs from her hair hanging just above her eyes. She had on a sports jacket and a pair of black correlating pants to top it off. He continued to search, unsure if she had a concealed weapon hidden away.

"She looks clear from this angle, but I wouldn't bet against a hidden weapon."

Before anything further was to be done the vibration from his phone sparked for his attention. Agitation ignited as he reached down to grab hold of it.

"Not a good time."

"I apologize for the interruption, but I wanted to check on your progress."

"Not what you would call smooth."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm unsure of that, give me a moment."

He lowered the phone down to his side. Using the binoculars he scoured the area for a street sign, not taking long for him to discover one.

"Niten Street." Kaito answered bringing the phone back to his ear.

"You've traveled quite the distance," Konosuke said. "That's a good ways from the motel."

"It's a long story," Kaito stated. "I promise to fill you in later."

"If you're in need of assistance be sure to contact me."

"Will do."

“Then I’ll leave you to it.”

Once the phone was securely tucked back into place he focused his attention back to the three across the way. They had all remained in the same positions from the last he had checked. Over a minute passed with the situation remaining the same throughout.

"What's with these guys, do they plan on standing here all night?"

No matter how long the wait he chose to remain patient. He skimmed his eyes past the three once again before dropping the binoculars back to his side.

"The guy in the middle seems to be getting anxious," Kaito thought. "Whatever is to happen is bound to take place soon."

With that in mind he began to search the streets up and down. By this time it was obvious they were waiting for something, or someone. Just as the clock was to hit thirty past ten someone could be seen heading into their direction. He took this time to lock in on the figure. It was an older man from what he could tell. His appearance was hard to make out being that he had on a pair of shades with a black black hat to top it off. The suit worn was black as well, including a tie he was able to see.

“Could this be it, who they’ve been waiting for?”

He continued to watch from afar, pleased to see his beliefs confirmed soon after. The mystery man walked past the first two, not coming to a stop until reaching the third.

“Looks like things are finally getting underway.”

From what he could tell the two began to engage in conversation. What was being said was unknown. The man in the suit of black seemed to be doing most of the talking. Trying to read his lips wasn’t an option, being that his back was turned to him.

“I have to get in closer somehow,” Kaito said dropping the binoculars down to his side. “But given the circumstances, now wouldn’t be the greatest time to do so.”

The two continued to talk for a bit longer. In light of this the big man raised a hand, pointing as if he wished for him to follow.

“What’s going on now?”

The four began to head further down the left side with the two continuing to chat as they walked. It was now or never, the time he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“Looks like they’re finally moving again,” Kaito said standing back to his feet. “I can’t allow to lose them.”

With that he placed the binoculars into his jacket before stepping out from the bush he had hidden behind. Luckily there were no vehicles to be seen in the distance, giving him a clear path to the other side. Once there he stepped behind the newsstand where they had been, peaking out to see them getting ready to make a right turn at the end of the block.

“What have I got myself into?”

They disappeared all together in the next seconds, allowing for him to come out of hiding once again. Knowing that they could turn another corner at any time he picked up in speed.

"Somehow I need to get one of my crafty devices connected to one of them," Kaito said. "That way I won't have to get in so close to hear what is being said."

He stopped once reaching the end of the block, taking cover behind yet another light pole. He looked ahead to find that the four had come to another untimely stop, looking to make a move across the road. This gave him the extra needed time to plan his next move. He raised the phone back to his chest, dialing his number with a press of a button.

"I was most certainly not expecting you to call back so soon."

"I have a favor to ask, there’s something I forgot to bring to you earlier."

"I'm here for you at all times master Kuroba," Konosuke said. "Don't tell me you're in some kind of danger."

"Not quite to that extreme, but there is a search I'd like for you to run for me."

"On what?"

"Marco Gaffeny."

"The man's prints you forged onto that diamond," Konosuke recalled. "But what do you want to know about him, I thought all business was closed in that department for the foreseeable future."

"Something has come up."

"Alright, what would you like for me to dig up on him?”

"Anything that you can find," Kaito replied. "Public records, financial, friends, family, anything that could prove useful."

"I'll see what I can do," Konosuke said. "Is there a time limit for when you'll be needing this information?"

"As soon as possible."

"Understood."

"Got to go, I hope to hear from you soon."

Time was now a factor, not knowing how long it would take before they finally reached their destination. He tucked the phone away after setting it to silent, looking around the pole just as the street light turned red.

"Looks like it's the time for them to cross over."

He watched as the four did just that. After there was a comforting distance between him and them he steadily followed in their path. He kept his head low at the sight of a lone man walking in the opposite direction of him. The four took another turn, this time being to the left. As he neared the end of the block several voices could be heard, echoing through the night streets.

"Voices... is something going on?"

He slowed up as he neared, uncertain of what he would come to find upon turning the corner. What he eventually came to find was unexpected. The lights shined bright, from the dazzling jewels to the fine line of cloth that could be seen hanging in place. Where he had found himself was most apparent.

"A flea market at this time of night,” Kaito said. “That’s new for this time of night.”

He quickly regained his sight of the four. It was clear they had slowed up in pace. They could be seen glancing at some of the stuff they passed, predominantly the man with the spiked hair who wore the white T-shirt.

“Great, this gives Jii some time to get back to me with that information.”

He casually made his way into the mix of things, taking little time for him to blend in amongst the crowd. Unintentionally he found his eyes wondering, taking a liking to several items that came to his eyes. After falling further in he came upon a glass case of diamonds on the right side. He stuttered with hesitation, admiring the alluring beauty each showcased from behind the glass case. He immediately faced forward after realizing his attention had drifted elsewhere.

“Need to stay focused.”

He took a shallow breath, refocusing to the task at hand. It didn’t take long for him to see the spiky haired man had come to a stop, speaking with a woman who appeared to be selling a brand of clothing.

“There’s one,” Kaito said. “Where’d the other three go?”

Just as he turned to the other side he caught sight of him standing above all.

“There’s the big guy,” Kaito said then noticing the older man still at his side. “Now, where’s the girl?”

With that he took the time to try and relocate her, knowing the importance of keeping everything in front of him. There was no sign of her on his first initial look, narrowing his eyes in hopes of closing in on here appearance.

“Where is she,” Kaito said pressing down on his hat in attempt to keep his presence hidden. “She couldn’t have gotten too far.”

In the heat of it all he looked to make a move further. Just as he was to take another step he caught a glimpse of her directly to the right side. He gulped, finding that her back was luckily turned to him.

“That was close.” Kaito thought as he turned for the left.

He wasted little time in setting up to turn things into his favor. In the top pocket of his jacket he reached inside to pull out his eye glass, placing it upon the railing sitting in front of him.

“Here we are.”

Once in position he adjusted it, making sure he could see what was going on from behind thanks to what was being reflected. He made sure it was fixated on her, assuring he watched her every move made. With his head still lowered he took a look ahead to see the others were still in place. This was a much needed positive, giving him the additional time.

“I don’t get it, was this where they planned to meet all along?”

There was no real way of telling. Regardless he chose not to make any further moves until all was in his comfort zone. After a moment’s thought his eyes fluttered back to the glass piece, still reflecting her every move. She finished observing a brand of cloth soon after, looking to rejoin the others who were further up. He tried getting a clear look at her face as she turned, only to get the flash of her hair which waved past as she walked.

“Looks like she’s done there,” Kaito said reaching out for his possession. “Didn’t get a look at her face, but it might not matter.”

He continued to trail her movements with his eyes, watching as she passed the spiky haired man who appeared to be in the process of purchasing something. After confirming his location he looked further ahead to see the other two still standing in place where they had been.

“I see, they’ve been waiting for the others.”

His belief were confirmed soon after when they were rejoined by the other two, which resulted in them continuing on.

“Just as I thought,” Kaito said. “Question is, where to next.”

He was determined to find out the answer to that. He followed just as discreetly as before, knowing he could be spotted at any given time.

Between what was being reported on the news and the bomb he continued to examine he still found the time to monitor the clock. Unsuspectingly the door to the room was pushed open, grabbing his attention in the process.

“I didn’t think you’d still be in here,” Alfred said. “I thought for sure you would be down stairs prepping for your nightly routine.”

“It’s only twenty after ten,” Bruce pointed out. “I don’t plan on heading out until after eleven some time.”

“Will you be taking Damian along with you?”

“For what I plan on setting out to do, no.”

“And where do you plan on going?”

“Mount Zomoph.” Bruce replied.

“On what grounds?”

“To revisit the site where the bomb was found.”

“But didn’t Grayson finish his scoop of the place?”

“Yes, but I’m not just going in with the intent of shadowing everything he set in place,” Bruce clarified. “Tim said where the bomb was placed was directly in proportion with the center of Mount Zomoph.”

“Yes.”

“Besides the location of where the bomb was discovered there is another area underground that was labeled on the map that he followed.”

“I’m fully aware of that,” Alfred said. “That was something I pointed out before handing over the blueprints to him this morning, but what of it?”

“It’s all about proportion and meaning.”

“Pardon?”

“Where the bomb was found was at the center of the park, directly under ground,” Bruce began. “The second location examined by Dick was exactly a half mile from where the bomb was found.”

“Did he find anything at that particular area?”

“No, he didn’t,” Bruce replied. “But it’s not what was underground that has sparked an interest, but rather what is located on the surface.”

“The surface?”

“Cennals Inc.”

“Wait... isn’t that one of the companies that was linked with the case you just worked?”

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “The Futures Building.”

“Come to think of it the location where Mount Zomoph was built was the original plan to where the Futures Building was to be constructed.”

“Exactly,” Bruce said. “Everything up to this point has begun and ended with the Futures Building right in the clear.”

“But what do you plan to learn?”

“There has to be a link to why that location was chosen for where the bomb was placed,” Bruce replied. “Everything we’ve learned would seem to suggest this.”

“I’ll go and do further research on Cennals Inc,” Alfred said. “With any luck there might be something to find.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Bruce said. “It will save me the time of doing it myself.”

“Any word from Shinichi since his departure?”

“Nothing yet,” Bruce replied. “I’ll try reaching him again tomorrow sometime after all is handled with this.”

“I’ll let you know if he calls anytime sooner,” Alfred said turning for the door. “Until then I’ll go and begin that search.”

“I’ll check in with you later.”

“Of course.”

A marginable distance had been made in the last couple minutes. He looked over his shoulder as he walked, finding that the market passed was now far out of sight. Where they were now in location was a mystery to him. Every other street light passed by seemed to be burned out, making it hard to sight street signs from a distance. This was to be welcomed, the cover the darkness provided.

"We've been moving for nearly forty minutes now, why on earth would they choose to walk this far when they could have simply fetched a cab?"

Just as they were in the mist of reaching the end of the block they stopped upon reaching an entryway to something. He was not sure what had caused the stop. Though it was faint he could hear the big man speaking once again.

“What now?”

After a brief back and forth the four made a move for the entryway that was hard for him to make out from his position.

"Could this be it," Kaito thought. "Could this be the place?"

Though the end seemed to be near he still moved with high alert, knowing there was no telling what was to come. As staggering as the unknown may be he pressed on with the same drive. As he closed in on where they entered a sudden sound from the left him frozen. He turned only to find a pair of birds standing atop a mailbox. A grin came to his face upon realizing.

“Hmm, you little guys could prove useful,” Kaito said with a long pause. “Now, what to do.”

After further preparation had been reached he made his way into the direction they had gone. He came to find a fleet of stairs that lead down into the ground.

"This must be a subway station," Kaito said. "No doubt about it."

He contemplated on how to approach his next move, knowing he'd need a means of an advantage if he was to head in directly. They were completely out of sight by this time, whether they had come to a stop or continued to move was unknown to him. It was at that moment that he took notice of the pipes along the wall, but it wasn't their presence that had caught his attention, but rather the sound coming from them.

"What is that?"

He leaned in, bringing an ear to the side of it to hear its tingling sound, almost as if it were whispering to him.

"That's it," Kaito said with a grin falling into place. “Just the advantage I was looking for, no matter how lacking in potential success it may be.”

It came at no better time, feeling the vibration of the phone within his pocket. He immediately reached down for it, bringing it to his ear as he took a step back from the pipes.

“Please tell me you’ve got something for me.”

“I looked into your request,” Konosuke said. “Luckily there was much information to find.”

“Great, so what were you able to find?”

“Names of relatives, financial records, date and place of birth, business partners,” Konosuke began. “You name it.”

“What about his friends,” Kaito asked. “Were you able to gain any of their names?”

“Not quite, but that doesn’t mean I can’t cross reference to find out.”

“I’m not quite sure what you mean by that but I’ll leave that to you.”

“Where are you now?”

“By some subway,” Kaito informed. “The guys I’ve been trailing have gone in already, I’m just making sure all is accounted for before I head in after them.”

“Smart move.”

“Now tell me,” Kaito said. “What do you know?”

“It will take time to get through it all.”

“Then give me the information that matters.”

“The information that matters,” Konosuke questioned. “You’ll have to be more specific than that, what do you plan to do?”

“Deception is my ace card,” Kaito smilingly replied. “I have an idea, but haven’t quite worked out all the details.”

“Alright, tell me what you want to know.”

“This won’t take long.”

With that he pinned down his focus, ready to hear what he wanted to know. He kept it short as possible, knowing that time was a factor. It took all but a minute for all necessary information to be delivered.

“Great,” Kaito said. “That will be enough.”

“What now?”

“I’ve remained dormant for long enough,” Kaito replied with a lighting tone. “The time has come for the show to begin.”

“The show?”

“You’ll know in time,” Kaito promised. “But right now I better get a move on.”

“Master Kuroba… be careful.”

“No need to worry,” Kaito assured. “I’ve got this all figured.”

“Well in that case, good luck.”

“Roger that.”

The empty tune of a broken line played in the moments that past, letting him know the transmission had been cut. He placed the phone into his pocket, ready to carry on with a clear motive in sight.

“It’s been a couple minutes since the last I saw them,” Kaito said as he made his way back for the subway stairs. “I didn’t hear a train pass by so if they’re still on the move it must be by foot, which means they couldn’t have gotten too far.”

Though valuable time had been spent, he was almost certain he’d catch up to the group in no time. A sound bounced through the walls with no warning, echoing his way in small portions.

“That sound, voices?”

He became noticeably subtle in each step taken from that point on, unsure of what awaited around the corner. Then about five feet from reaching the bottom of the stairs a tone of familiarity struck, stopping at the gruffness of the voice.

“It’s him.”

He was almost sure of it. He pressed his back to the wall, inching his way down to the last step. He poked his head around the corner, confirming the voice he had heard was that of the man who wore the jacket.

“It’s them, so they haven’t made a move at all since arriving down here,” Kaito thought. “Now that the stage is set and the audience in the wait, it’s time to begin.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 112

A Membership of Uncertainty

Their voices could clearly be heard now. He eased himself against the wall before sliding down, getting himself into position for what was to come. The voice that could be heard next was softer in pitch, one which he didn’t recognize.

“Now that we’ve come to a decision, why don’t you have a look at the contents?”

He took another peak out, coming to find the older man who had joined the three was the one who had now taken the floor.

“He mentioned a decision being made, I wonder what he could be talking about.”

It was then that of the large man standing across brought a hand to his chin, clearly in thought with what to say in response. Kaito then looked further to the right, laying his eyes onto the man who had been referred to as Jackson before.

“That makes three of them, but where’s the last?”

That thought was put to a rest in the moments that followed, barely catching sight of her aside the right wall in the darkened area of the room. Once all were accounted for he directed his attention back to the center of the room, waiting for something further to be said.

“Well?”

“The bag, open it.”

“Why’s that,” The older man asked. “You don’t trust what I have to serve?”

“You know that’s for proper cautionary, especially with what happened with the right eye.”

“I understand your point,” He said lowering the bag down to the ground while dropping to a knee. “I’ll let you see the sublimates, but only that of the top gear.”

“Alright then, let’s see it.”

“Very well.”

He did what was asked of him, reaching across his body to zip the bag open. The top pocket was then held up, revealing what was inside. Though he couldn’t see what was inside the bag from his position the smirk that could be seen across the big man’s face told a story in itself.

“That can’t be good.”

After this came to pass the bag was zipped shut. The smirk that came across his face could clearly be seen as he stood back to his feet.

"So Beesto, what do you think?" The old man asked.

"Beesto, that makes two."

"My expectations were reached," The man now known as Beesto said in response. "In fact you may have exceeded them, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what I think."

"True."

"Jackson." Beesto said turning toward the spiky hared man.

"What is it?"

"Call Hue to let him know we have a full hands on."

"You think he'll respond at this time?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"He's been out of town on important business for the past two days."

"I know, he's out there on behalf of Mr. Edmund's wishes."

"Never heard of the guy," Jackson admitted. "What does he specialize in?"

"The boss man never told me, nor did I ask," Beesto replied. "Some things are left in the dark when it comes to these things."

"So when should I expect to hear back from Mr. Hue?" The old man asked redirecting his attention back his way.

"That is yet to be determined, but I'll be sure to have him phone you the next time I speak with him."

“That would be most appreciated."

“And I appreciate you coming here on such short notice Mr. Samlong.”

“I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” He replied. “This suited an already busy schedule just perfectly.”

"Now that we've got that all sorted, what's the plan for Gaffney?" Jackson asked.

"They've already got the money needed for his set bail," Beesto informed. "The next task is to determine how his finger prints got onto that diamond which was left for the police to find at that opening.”

"How do we know he didn't steal it in the first place?"

"He seemed pretty adamant that he didn't."

"And you believe him?"

"Of course, he's a well trusted friend,” Beesto replied. “There is no reason for me to doubt his claim.”

“That’s a lot of confidence for an individual who’s prints were found on the stolen diamond wouldn’t you say?”

All turned at the sound of an unknown voice except for the woman who continued to stare at the ground. It had clearly come from around the corner.

“Who’s there,” Jackson snapped. “Show yourself!”

They received nothing, not even a sound to be heard. Just as Beesto was to make a move back for the stairs someone stepped out from the staircase, his eyes widening after seeing who now stood before him.

“It’s that guy,” Jackson said with the clutch of his fist. “He followed us here.”

Lightening the tempo he raised his head with a smile for all to see.

“It doesn’t take a detective to figure that… Jackson is it?”

“Why you!”

Before he had a chance to storm forward Beesto held up a hand which negated anything that he may have had on his mind.

“Hold your position Jackson,” Beesto instructed. “We don’t want to cause a scene, that will only call for an unnecessary audience.”

“So you’re the guy calling the shots after all,” Kaito said. “I figured that much from what I observed.”

“You’ve made one bad decision in coming here.”

“That is yet to be seen.”

“You have officially ten seconds to tell me why you’ve followed us.”

“Isn’t that rather self-explanatory,” Kaito said in response. “There’s a series of things that have brought me here, but nothing bigger than a common goal.”

“Who are you?”

“We’ll get to that soon enough.”

“I’m not one for patience,” Beesto said showing a change in tone. “Why have you followed us here?”

“Who cares,” Jackson said. “He obviously has no intent on telling us, I say we do him in now.”

“Quiet Jackson.”

"I'd listen to your boss,” Kaito said looking his way. “You wouldn't want to make him anymore up tight than he already is."

"You have a smart mouth," Beesto stated. "Maybe even borderline cocky."

"I wouldn't exactly label myself cocky.”

"Let's drop the short talk and get straight to the point," Beesto said. "Who sent you and why?"

"Who says I’m here on behalf of someone’s agenda?"

"I'm certain you didn't follow us on your own accordance," Beesto said in response. "Now I'm going to ask you again, who sent you?"

The grin from before returned. He removed the bag from his shoulder which hung in place from the strap, letting it fall to the ground. He then turned his cap to the back side before giving him his full attention.

"I’m sensing a heat of frustration?"

"You're pushing it kid."

"I apologize for circling around the point of why I'm here,” Kaito said. “But if anyone is going to be asking any questions, it's me."

"What was that?”

"Must I repeat myself?"

"I've heard enough nonsense from you."

He reached down to his side, feeling his prized possession was nowhere to be found.

"You appear to be missing something." Kaito took no time in pointing out.

"I've heard enough!" Jackson spat.

He immediately reached for something that had been tucked away in his back pocket, waving it out in front to reveal a mini mirror.

"What is this about?”

He flicked both of his wrists, all three watching as a pair of birds took flight from the sleeves they had been hidden away in. This gave him the distraction he needed, listening as two shots were fired in the direction of the birds. Taking advantage of this he dropped down to a knee with the release of the mirror, reaching into the bag to grab hold of the taken weapon before standing back to his feet.

"Nobody move,” Kaito said holding the weapon out in front. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"My gun," Beesto muttered. “He must have taken it when we collided earlier.”

"Big mistake pal." Jackson said aiming his gun directly at him.

"Not a smart move," The man addressed as Samlong said before drawing out a gun as well. "You're out numbered.”

"You're right,” Kaito admitted “The numbers aren’t in my favor."

"Why does he seem so calm?" Jackson thought.

"I'd drop the gun if I were you," Samlong said. "Only chance this ends even half well for you."

"I beg to differ."

“I don’t think you quite understand the situation,” Jackson said taking a step forward. “The both of us are armed.”

“As am I.”

“Yes, but there are two of us,” Samlong reminded. “If you shoot one of us the other will only do the same to you.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Kaito agreed. “That wouldn’t be the smartest move on my part.”

“Everything you’ve done up until this point has been absurd,” Samlong stated with the gun still tight in hand. “Now why don’t you try and make it right for yourself and tell us why you’re here.”

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me before,” Kaito said aiming the gun to the right wall. “I’ll be the one asking the questions from here on out.”

“That’s a bold statement for someone who’s now left himself completely vulnerable for attack.” Jackson said.

“Is that what you think?”

“It doesn’t matter what either of us thinks,” Samlong replied. “Now drop the gun, you have five seconds to comply.”

“I’d do as he says.” Jackson said with a grin of his own falling into place.

“Shhhh… do you hear that?” Kaito asked with no shortage of confidence to display

“You’re only delaying the inevitable with this directionless chatter of yours,” Beesto stated. “At this point I no longer have any interest in hearing what you have to say.”

“Give me the word and I’ll pull the trigger.” Jackson said with much delight in his voice.

“Go ahead,” Kaito said. “But I can’t assure you that the pain you inflict won’t cause me to pull the trigger.”

He looked into the direction of where his gun was pointed, seeing nothing but a wall shadowed off by darkness.

“What on earth are you blabbing about now?”

“Listen, can’t you hear it.” Kaito said with a long pause.

“I’ve heard enough of this madness.”

“The wall,” Kaito said finally breaking the plane on what he had been hinting at. “Can’t you hear the current, the one flowing through the pipes?”

“Is this your attempt at buying some kind of time,” Beesto questioned. “I hardly see what that has to do with anything.”

“Then let me enlighten you, there is propane gas sealed away within those pipes.”

“And?”

“Tell me,” Kaito said bringing a finger to the trigger. “What do you think would happen if I pulled the trigger?”

He instantly understood what he was getting at, his eyes widening at the thought.

“That’s right,” Kaito said. “Bang.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Care to test that?”

Threateningly he put a little more weight onto the trigger. He skimmed his eyes across the room, finding that the other two had caught onto the situation as well. The control he had set out to gain had finally been met. The only thing of concern was the woman who still acted as if she had yet to see him.

“What’s with this girl?”

“So what is it,” Beesto said regaining his attention. “What do you want to know?”

He rolled his eyes toward him, pleased to hear he was finally falling in line with his wishes.

“Marco Gaffney, I heard you mention his name while on the bus.”

“What about it?”

“His younger brother Elsun was a good friend of mine, he passed away over a year ago,” Kaito replied. “And when I heard about the news of Marco’s arrest I returned to town.”

“Who are you?”

“We’ll get to that, as soon as you’ve finished answering my questions.”

“I don’t like that tone.” Jackson stated.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Jack.” Kaito remarked.

This only angered him further, tightening his grip around the gun in disgust.

“What did you call me?”

“I’m not going to ask you to keep your mouth shut again Jackson,” Beesto said turning to face him. “Consider that your last warning.”

He then faced Kaito to see that same look on his face he had since entering.

“Please carry on,” Beesto said. “I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”

“I noticed something about your group,” Kaito said. “Even before you were joined by Mr. Samlong here.”

“Is there relevance to this?”

“It depends,” Kaito replied. “Who do you work for?”

“What was that?”

“Perhaps I should clarify,” Kaito said. “Who is it you work with?”

“What has lead you to believe we’re working with someone?”

“A number of things,” Kaito replied. “But nothing more noteworthy than what I saw in your routine.”

“Our routine,” Beesto questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“The way the three of you moved was one small detail,” Kaito began. “But the awareness you all put on display was most notable.”

“What of it?”

“Am I wrong to assume that you’re operating under one of Gaffney’s unit?”

“…?”

“You’re all part of the Blackgater’s gang aren’t you,” Kaito asked. “I know Marco is largely linked with that group.”

“You figured all of that from just those two details?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Let’s say it’s true,” Beesto replied. “Why would you care to know?”

“Maybe I wish to help,” Kaito answered. “If there’s someone who can clear Marco’s name it’s me.”

“And why should I believe you?”

“We shouldn’t,” Jackson said stepping in. “He’s been playing us from the moment we got off of that bus.”

“Jackson makes a point,” Beesto said. “If you truly wanted to help us why did you go through this whole show you’ve put on?”

“One, I wasn’t certain who you people were upon first encountering you,” Kaito replied. “It wasn’t until a little after, besides would you have believed my claim if I had come to you directly?”

“Probably not.”

“My point.”

“And how is it you think you could be of service to us?”

“To tell you would be selling it short,” Kaito replied. “I’ve always lived by example.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“You help me with something, I’ll do the same in return.”

“Not a chance,” Jackson interrupted. “There’s no way this guy can be trusted.”

“Sadly your concerns have no weight to bear,” Kaito said. “Being that I wasn’t talking to you.”

It took all he had in him not to react to what was said.

“So what do you say?”

“Let’s just say I’m thinking about it,” Beesto replied. “But I must ask, why have you suddenly brought up this proposition?”

“I’d be lying if I said the only thing that brought me here was Marco Gaffney,” Kaito replied. “The truth is there’s something I’m looking to get my hands on.”

“And what might that be?”

“A little something called the Networks Pivotal Equalizer.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Kaito said not surprised in the least. “It’s a rare type in its field.”

“And you want me to help you get whatever this thing is?”

“Not necessarily,” Kaito replied. “I’ll be able to do that myself, what I’d like from you is something much simpler.”

“Which is?”

“By helping me locate it.”

“How am I supposed to help you find something that I’ve never heard of, let alone what it is used for?”

“You might not be aware of its faculties Beesto, but that doesn’t mean I’m not,” Samlong said inserting himself into the fray. “You want the Networks Pivotal Equalizer, I think I might be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Is that so?” Kaito said looking his way.

“Unfortunately it won’t be an easy task,” Samlong warned. “Trying to retrieve the device you’ve found an interest for could even mean death.”

“Nothing is impossible.”

“You seem persistent enough, very well,” Samlong said. “The last known location of the Equalizer to my knowledge was at a warehouse a couple miles from here.”

“Let me guess, it got auctioned off.”

“That is true, but how did you know that?”

“I’ve been keeping tabs.”

“Then I guess you haven’t been lying about your intent like I previously believed.”

“You obviously knew about this auction yourself,” Kaito said. “Is there a chance you might know who was the winning bidder of the Networks Equalizer?”

“Perhaps,” Samlong replied. “But first I’d like to know how you plan on clearing Gaffney’s name.”

“What if I told you his finger prints were forged to that diamond, and that I know who truly was the one to have brought that diamond to the opening of the Futures Building?”

“… I’m intrigued,” Beesto said. “But if you were truly a friend of Marco’s wouldn’t you have gone to the police by now with this information?”

“Have you already forgotten, I just flew into town tonight,” Kaito reminded. “I was on my way to a friend’s house while on the bus when I overheard you when Marco was mentioned.”

“And that’s what caused you to follow us?”

“In short, yes.”

“I have one final question.”

“What is it?”

“Did you ever plan on going to the police with this information that you claim to have?”

“Why would I do that,” Kaito replied. “They’d only be looking to put this guy in jail, not something I had in mind.”

“I like the way you think.”

“Besides this guy is way out of their league,” Kaito added. “I don’t see them catching him anytime soon.”

“Deal.”

“Come again?”

“You bring me this evidence you claim to have of who framed Marco Gaffney then, and only then will Mr. Samlong here give you the information you seek,” Beesto replied. “Sound like a plan to you?”

“Deal.”

With that he held the gun out in front of him, tossing it to Beesto who caught it with ease. It was then that he had realized. He knew there was something wrong, flipping the gun in his palm to feel its unnatural light weight.

“The gun… it’s unloaded.”

“Correct.” Kaito said walking toward him.

He stopped after reaching him, holding out his left hand to reveal the ammunition that had been removed from the gun.

“A very risky bluff on your part.”

“I never planned on pulling the trigger, but in the case of an accident no bullets would have been fired.”

“Now I see,” Beesto said. “You intended on bumping into me before.”

“That’s right,” Kaito confirmed. “It was nothing but a means to take hold of your gun.”

“How conservative of you.”

“With the way things are now, you have to be.” Kaito said turning for the other side.

“I can’t disagree.”

He walked all the way back to where his bag laid, strapping it back onto his shoulder before standing back to his feet.

“When do you think you can have this information you speak of delivered to us?” Samlong asked.

He stood for a short time, giving some thought to what had been presented.

“Tomorrow night.” Kaito said turning his back to the four.

“Where?”

“We’ll return to this site, sound good?”

“That’ll work.”

"By tomorrow night, at about what time are you thinking?"

"Anywhere from ten to eleven," Kaito replied. "Things should be mellowed down by then."

"Agreed, then it shall be so."

"Don't be late."

He turned back for the stairs from there, looking to head back for the surface. Upon taking only two steps he heard his voice call out once more.

"Wait."

He stopped at his command, glimpsing back at him for a final time.

"What is it?"

"You never did say who you are," Beesto replied. "What's your name kid?"

The look in his eyes changed, a brash but trustworthy smile coming to his lips before speaking.

"Duzz," Kaito replied. "Duzzkill."

With that he turned back for the stairs, wasting no further time in making his way out. A long period of silence ensued before another word was said.

"So, what do you think?" Beesto questioned.

"Let's wait to see if he meets his end of the deal, then ask me again," Samlong replied. "Only then will I have an answer.”

"What a night this has been."

Through the uncertain trials of the night brought about a bright morning. Rays of light found its way through the curtain which had been on guard over the window. The increase in light took its toll, ultimately awaking him from his sleep. He rolled over onto his side, finding it was already thirty past eleven.

"I overslept, good thing I don't have to be anywhere until after three."

Just as he was looking to get out of bed a knock could be heard from the other side of the door.

"One moment."

He advanced toward the door, opening it to see him standing a few feet back.

"What is it?"

"Grayson's here," Damian informed. "He wishes to know how things went with your search you had last night.”

"Let him know I'll be down in a couple minutes."

"Already on it."

He closed the door following their confrontation. He headed toward the dresser located at the left side of the room. The next minute was spent getting into something casual for the day to come. After sliding on a pair of shoes he made his way out of the room. He arrived to the top of the staircase shortly thereafter to find him waiting at the bottom.

“I hope this isn’t a bad time.”

“Not at all, it’s actually quite the opposite.”

“I guess I couldn’t have timed my visit any better.”

“You wanted to discuss what I came across at Mount Zomoph?”

“That’s right.”

“Since we’re on the subject, what about the surveillance you set up,” Bruce asked. “Did anyone appear back to that room?”

“Nope, nor has anyone yet to trip the perimeter wire I also put into place,” Dick replied. “No one but you that is.”

“I figured that’d be the case.”

“What exactly were you looking for when you returned to the site?”

“I looked into the more inner details of the situation.” Bruce replied stepping down from the last step.

“Inner details?”

“Not what was found underground like you may be thinking, but rather what was on the surface.”

“What do you mean?”

“I compared all known landmarks sitting on top of the sites investigated underground.” Bruce clarified.

“So that’s what you were doing,” Dick said. “And here I thought your intent was to critique my work.”

“You didn’t truly believe that?”

“That might be pushing it a bit,” Dick admitted. “So did you find what you were looking for?”

“The investigation is still under review,” Bruce replied. “But thus far things seems to be heading in the right direction.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Cennals Inc was located within a mile of Mount Zomoph.”

“Cennals Inc, isn’t that one of the companies linked with the Futures Building?”

“Yes, and it was located directly above the second site you searched.”

“That’s defiantly something to think about.”

“Everything seems to be revolved around that one building.”

“But why?”

“That’s for us to find out,” Bruce said in response. “But I’m sure that’s not the only reason why you’ve come.”

“You’re right, I have some information you might want to know.”

“Is this about the heart attacks?”

“No, it has to do with the explosion of that house you escaped nights ago,” Dick replied. “The one that belonged to Salomon Green.”

“Tell me everything.”

It had been a slow start to the morning, but with noon fast approaching things were looking to pick up. After catching the bus he returned to the same library as the day before, this time coming alone. He found this to be the best place to continue the investigation for the time being. The first thing on his mind was to head back to the table they had occupied yesterday. Luckily there was no one to be found. Not wasting any more time he took a seat.

“Now to get straight to business.”

He reached into the top pocket of the jacket, pulling out the case files from the previous day that had been given to him. He set it down onto the table before pulling out his phone which had been in his left pocket. He turned it on, pleased to find that it was completely charged. There were several registered calls that he had missed, knowing he’d have to put all on hold, except for one call that needed to be made.

“Let’s hope someone is there.”

Leaving no further time to waste he dialed the number, sitting back as he listened to the ring of the phone.

“I was hoping we’d hear back from you at some point.”

“How goes the day Mr. Pennyworth?” Shinichi said in response upon recognizing his voice.

“There’s room for improvement,” Alfred replied. “But regardless, how is your trip in metropolis coming along thus far.”

“A couple road blocks here and there,” Shinichi replied. “Would Bruce happen to be around?”

“He just stepped out under ten minutes ago,” Alfred informed. “Can I take a message for him?”

“That will have to do for now,” Shinichi replied. “There’s something I need him to look into for me.”

“What is it?”

“Records on several names,” Shinichi replied. “Names of the victims who surecomed to those unexpected heart attacks.”

“The request you’ve presented is under my field,” Alfred said. “I don’t see the need to wait for the return of Master Wayne, when I can look into the subject myself.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course I’d need a little time to get set up.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Give me five minutes,” Alfred said. “I’ll get back to you within that time frame.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

He cut the line from there, looking down at the pack of files as a smile came to his face.

“Maybe now we’ll get some answers.”

They all had been waiting patiently for over thirty minutes, including himself. He had taken to a far corner located near the entrance, periodically checking the time in the process.

"It's now five after twelve, he should have been here by now."

This is what was what was on his mind, along with everyone else who stood throughout the room in wait. Unexpectingly a hand came to the side of his left shoulder. He immediately turned to see who had come to his side.

"Detective Gates?"

"Never expected to see you here Hattori," Rick said. "What brings you to the fold?"

"I was asked by the commissioner to attend the meeting that is scheduled to take place sometime today."

"Then I guess we're here for the same reason," Rick said. "How long have you been waiting for?"

"Roughly an hour," Heiji replied. "Though I was told things were to begin no later than eleven."

"I was told twelve fifteen."

"Who knows at this point."

"Wherever Gordon is I'm sure he'll make his way here whenever he can."

"Any idea when that might be?"

"Depends," Rick replied. "There was a big hold up at the mall about two hours ago, a lot of us got called in to look into the situation."

"Including the commissioner?"

"That's what I heard," Rick replied. "Can't say for sure since I wasn't exactly there myself."

"Never mind it, I'm in no real hurry to get out of here anyway."

"That's always good," Rick said. "Back onto the subject of this meeting, why were you asked to come?"

"To give my input."

"For what?"

"To get things headed in the right direction, regarding Gotham's visiting thief,” Heiji replied. “Kaitou Kid."

“Oh I see, can’t say I’m surprised you were given the nod,” Rick said. “After all you’ve been on this thing since the beginning, starting with what occurred at Starlest.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Heiji said. “I had almost forgotten how much of a roller coaster ride this has been.”

“A very interesting one if I must say.” Rick said as the sound of his phone rang.

He took a second to pay it some mind, bringing it up to his eye to see who was calling.

“I better take this,” Rick said stepping away. “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”

He had no intent on moving, leaning his back to the wall as the time continued to tick away.

“It has been a ride of high proportions, one which is hopefully a few tunnels away from coming to an end.”

From the time his comrade had set out the previous night, he had yet to see or even hear from him. By this time the nerves had reached their height, nervously tapping his finger to the desk before taking a sip of the tea he had made just a short time ago.

“Wherever could he be?”

This was the question of the hour, one which was soon to be answered. He stood up from where he sat, feeling the need to stretch his legs. In the attempt of making his way in the direction of the balcony all fell short from the sound from behind. It was the door, someone had knocked from the other side.

“Could it be?”

He wasted no time in heading over, opening the door to find him standing there with that same grin on his face.

“Kaito,” Konosuke said delighted to see him. “You’re ok.”

“Good news,” Kaito replied. “We’re in.”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 113

Deceived

Standing back was the first move made, allowing for him to enter the room. There was much he wanted to ask. He closed the door before looking to attend to just that.

“Wherever have you been Master Kuroba?”

“I spent the night at another motel two miles from here.”

“Why,” Konosuke asked. “I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t want to run the risk of them trailing me back here.”

“What do you mean by they,” Konosuke questioned. “You wouldn’t happen to be referring to the people you followed last night would you?”

“Yes.”

“Why am I not surprised.”

“If it makes you feel any better things went fairly well,” Kaito said. “Even better than I had hoped on my first night out.”

“I figured that much when I saw your expression upon your return.”

“I apologize if I had you worried.”

“Don’t mention it, I now understand the circumstances,” Konosuke said. “You mentioned something when I first opened the door.”

“Huh?”

“We’re in,” Konosuke recalled. “Those were your first words to me.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Kaito said. “Believe it or not we might have a chance of getting our hands on the Networks Pivotal Equalizer sooner rather than later.”

“What an unexpected development,” Konosuke said. “Please do explain.”

“To make a long story short the guys I was following are friends of Marco Gaffney.”

“That’s the man you chose to frame with that scheme at the Futures Building right?”

“Correct,” Kaito confirmed. “The good thing is they know nothing about that my involvement.”

“And how do you plan to get a hold of the Networks Pivotal Equalizer?”

“This is where it gets interesting,”Kaito said. “The three that I was following after were joined by a fourth individual.”

“And?”

“If I’m not mistaken I’d say he’s an outside guy,” Kaito replied. “Someone who does business with them on several fronts.”

“What do you mean by them?”

“The Blackgaters,” Kaito clarified. “One of the more well known gangs in this town.”

“You don’t mean?”

“That’s right, the three I encountered were all members of the Blackgate gang,” Kaito confirmed. “Beesto and Jackson, those were the names of two of the members I encountered.”

“And the third?”

“Oh yes, the woman,” Kaito said. “Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get her name… there was something different about her.”

“Something different?”

“After I allowed myself to be discovered she was the only one who showed no emotion to the situation, even when I pulled the gun on them.”

“You had a gun?”

“I’ll explain later,” Kaito promised. “But back to the subject, it was almost as if she knew I had been following them.”

“Did you exchange words with this woman?”

“No,” Kaito replied. “Nor did she say anything to her comrades the whole time I watched them.”

“Perhaps a disability with either hearing or speaking?”

“Highly doubtful, but not something I’d completely write off,” Kaito replied. “It doesn’t help when no one within the group addressed her directly.”

“I wonder why that is.”

“That’s the least of our concerns,” Kaito said. “Right now we should be preparing for tonight’s meeting.”

“What meeting?”

“The one I’m set to have with Beesto and Mr. Samlong.”

“Who’s Mr. Samlong?”

“The man I spoke of,” Kaito replied. “The one to have joined the three shortly after I began to follow them.”

“You say they have information to give about the Networks Pivotal Equalizer,” Konosuke said. “But what’s the catch, I doubt they’d be willing to give this information for free.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Kaito said. “They want me to give them the one responsible for framing Marco Gaffney.”

“But that would mean bringing.”

“Yes,” Kaito said before he could finish. “That would mean bringing Kaitou Kid into the center of things.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea,” Konosuke questioned. “There are other options that can be taken.”

“None that will get us the Networks Equalizer any quicker than this,” Kaito said in response. “You know that as well as I do.”

“…”

“In any case have you heard from our... friend since my departure?”

“No,” Konosuke replied. “There has been no word from the contractor since the last time the two of you spoke.”

“Good.”

“What about this evidence you spoke of?”

“What’s that?”

“The evidence you plan to give them in exchange for the information we seek.” Konosuke reminded.

“Video footage.”

“Video footage of what?”

“From when that diamond I left in place of the G3 Power Emitter was originally taken from the museum.”

“I didn’t know you had your hands on that.”

“Well of course,” Kaito said. “After stealing the diamond I made sure to remove all video feedback from the cameras that were rolling at the time.”

“I take it you still have this footage.”

“All neatly tucked away in the bottom drawer there.” Kaito confirmed pointing to the right side.

“I would have expected nothing less,” Konosuke said. “But aren’t you concerned in the least?”

“In a sense,” Kaito admitted. “There’s always the chance they could back off on the deal.”

“Have you put any thought into the case of that?”

"Let's just say I'm still contemplating on the matter."

"If you should know I'd be more than willing to help you with this."

"That might not be a bad idea."

"Where do you plan on meeting with this bunch?"

"At the same spot as last night," Kaito replied. "A train station where I originally confronted them."

"I think it'd be a good idea if you headed down there before tonight’s occasion."

"That's something to think about."

"So, would you like me to come along?"

"I'd hate to make them uncomfortable."

"I meant only in a distant role."

"You know, that might actually prove to be beneficial," Kaito said. "

"Does that mean you agree?"

"Yes, as long as you stay out of sight."

"That was always going to be the plan."

"We have several hours between now and then," Kaito said. "We had better get started with our preparation."

He nodded his head in agreement, knowing this was a crucial stage in the process.

An hour and ten minutes had now passed from the time he had found his way to the station. When he was to arrive was the question of the day. He stood with his back rested to the wall, looking up in time to see detective Gates rejoin him.

"That didn't take long at all."

"I told you it wouldn't be," Rick said. "You sure you want to stand around here, we've got chairs in the waiting area if you would prefer."

"No thanks, I’m fine."

"Your call."

"You asked me about my involvement before."

"What's that?"

"Do you plan on taking the floor when all is set up as well?"

"There would be no real reason," Rick replied. "As far as I know I'm only a spectator for the day."

“And here I thought you might have wanted to put in a word on the situation,” Heiji said. “After all you’ve been working this case from the beginning yourself, even before I arrived in town.”

“I’ve never been good with words,” Rick admitted. “I’ll leave the public speaking for you to handle.”

“Your loss.”

“Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“You know, I haven’t really given much thought to that,” Heiji replied. “Then again I’m not sure which grounds they wanted me to cover on the matter.”

“It’s no big deal,” Rick said. “I’m sure Commissioner Gordon will let you know ahead of time.”

“That’s what I was thinking.”

“Anyhow I fished up with another case I had been working for the past week.”

“Is that right?”

“With the extra time on my hands I should be able to help more with the ongoing case involving this thief.”

“That’s good to know,” Heiji said. “The more people involved with this the better.”

He looked down at his watch once more to check the time, hearing the sound of the entrance doors slide open. He looked across the way to see several officers walk in, the last being the commissioner himself.

“Here we go,” Rick said. “Maybe now things will get started.”

The two of them watched as the group headed all the way to the far side of the room before finally coming to a stop. Conversation ensued amongst the group almost immediately after.

“What do you think’s going on over there?”

“Can’t really say,” Rick replied. “My guess would be that they’re collaborating on any last minute adjustments to be made before we’re to begin.”

“That might be the case.”

“Regardless they’re here,” Rick said. “Which means we won’t have much longer to wait.”

“You’re most certainty right.”

“In the mean time I’d like to hear about your most recent episode.”

“What’s that?” Heiji questioned with the lift of a brow.

“Nano High,” Rick replied. “I want to know what happened, from your perspective.”

Ten minutes had now passed from the time they had spoken. He patiently awaited the call that was soon to come, spending those passing minutes to continue his analysis of everything laid out in front of him. The information being processed sealed further into his mind the more he went through, diagnosing it to the core.

“It’s all here, the symptoms all the way to the after affect,” Shinichi thought. “The only thing that now remains is to pin point a cause.”

Through the thick of it all he eased back in the seat, looking to the ceiling as if to find an answer, one which would seemingly never come. The vibration of his phone caught him by surprise, reaching out to the table to grab hold of it.

“I’m still here.” Shinichi said glad to hear back from him.

“All is ready to go with the system,” Alfred informed. “The only thing that remains is for you to give me the names that you wish for me to run through the search engine.”

“Loud and clear,” Shinichi said reaching down for the file case. “I have an idea that would speed up this process.”

“I’m open to any ideas you may have in mind.”

“Do you have an email?”

“Well of course.”

“Good, then we’re good to go.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Give me the name,” Shinichi replied “You’ll understand the rest soon enough.”

He listened to what was told for those next minutes, becoming more interested by the second.

"I had heard detective Galldon was there, I guess it was true."

"He was on top of the situation the whole time," Heiji said. "You couldn't ask for more out of someone."

"I'm shocked to hear that Grahm was the one to set that all up, then go as far to kill his own brother," Rick stated. "That there is some twisted stuff."

"That's how most felt."

"What do you think will happen to the girl?"

"That is yet to be seen," Heiji replied. "Only time will tell."

"How did everyone else take it?"

"It's going to be a long road for recovery, longer for some," Heiji replied. "Positioning at the company is another thing to look out for going forward."

"Which is to be expected."

It was at that given moment that they looked across the room in time to see Commissioner Gordon heading into their direction. They didn't say anything further, simply waiting for his arrival.

"Good afternoon gentlemen."

"To you as well." Rick said in response.

"I'm glad to see you were able to make it here Hattori."

"No way I was going to miss this."

"How long have the two of you been waiting?"

"A good enough time," Heiji replied. "But I'm ready whenever all is set to go."

"We're still a couple minutes from getting everything in line before we can begin."

"We thought that much."

"There's a couple things the lieutenant would like to address first before you take the floor."

"Since we're on the topic I wanted to know what you wanted me to say exactly," Heiji said. "There's a number of ways I could go with this."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Going through all details once again in this case is what I had in mind," Heiji began. "You can never nitpick at something too much when it comes to certain situations, Kaitou Kid being one of them."

"And the other?"

"Another route to take would be to focus strictly on the thief, from known interests to common tendencies."

"I don't see why you can't cover both topics." Rick said.

"He's right," James agreed. "The more familiar people are with this Kid thief and the situation the better."

"What about time?"

"Not at all," James replied. "You can take whatever time you need."

"Then it's settled," Heiji decided. "I'll do a full round house."

"Good," James said. "I have a few things to get cleared up, but I'll be back to let you know when you're up."

"And I'll be here."

"As will I." Rick said.

With that he made his way back to the other side of the room, rejoining the others he had entered the headquarters with.

"Not much longer to go, pity Kudo isn’t here," Heiji thought. "This is right down his alley."

The sky was just as he heard it’d be from watching the morning news. The sun was partially blocked by a group of clouds to his delight, making for a cooler journey up the roadside. The destination came into sight soon after, picking up speed after passing a bump in the road. He arrived at the front gate soon after, surprised to find it open.

“It’s open, that must mean someone’s here.”

He drove in past the gate, parking off to the left side before stepping off of the bike with the removal of the helmet. He immediately made his way toward the house, taking his time up the long fleet of stairs. Once at the top he gave the doorbell a ring. After waiting for nearly a half minute he gave it a second ring. Still there was no response.

“Maybe I should have called first, but with the gate open you’d think at least one person would be here.”

Wondering if something could be wrong he reached out for the door knob. Before his hand could make contact the door slid open.

“Well look who it is.”

“Damian.” Tim said less than enthusiastic to see him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I have some information I’d like to juggle with the others,” Tim answered. “Is anyone else here besides you?”

“Pennyworth is in the book room.”

“And Bruce?”

“You missed him about twenty minutes ago,” Damian informed. “Him and Grayson went out to look into something.”

“Any idea when they’ll be back?” Tim asked walking in past him.

“Didn’t ask, don’t care.”

“Never mind,” Tim said heading for the bookroom. “I’ll worry about that later.”

Curious as to what brought him to the house he decided to follow him. They arrived to the door soon after, walking in to find him sitting in front of a computer that had been set up at the desk.

“Hope you don’t mind me joining you.”

“I thought I heard voices,” Alfred said looking up to see the two. “What brings you here?”

“There’s something I wanted to go over with Bruce,” Tim replied. “But since he’s not currently here I thought I’d go over this with you.”

“I’d love to,” Alfred said. “That is after I’m done here.”

“What are you working on?” Tim asked moving further into the room.

“Something that detective friend of yours has him looking into.” Damian replied finding a spot to stand near the wall.

“What does he have you searching up?” Tim asked finding his way to his side.

“A list of names,” Alfred replied before looking back to the computer. “Names which were gathered from the case file he currently has possession of.”

“I see,” Tim said. “And what is the content of your searches on each?”

“I’m still in the process of figuring that out,” Alfred replied. “The key is to find common ground between all victims.”

“I see, you’re trying to pin point a cause.”

“In short, yes,” Alfred confirmed. “Though the possibilities are wide as of now, there’s no telling if the cause is by an activity these people have participated in or even a location they might have visited.”

“When’s the last you talked with Shinichi?”

“No longer than ten minutes ago.”

“And did he tell you what he came by after looking over those files given to him?”

“No,” Alfred replied. “He only sent me a list of all the names through email and asked for me to run a background check on all.”

“Guess I’ll have to contact him to find out.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“Damian said Bruce left with Dick a short time ago,” Tim said looking to change the subject. “Would you happen to know where they took off to?”

“I don’t know where they went, but I do know why,” Alfred replied. “It would appear something has come up in the case of Salomon Green.”

“Hold on, isn’t that the guy who was found dead in his home last week?”

“That is correct.”

“I wonder what they could have possibly come by.”

“Whatever it is I’m sure it was something of importance.”

“What makes you say that?” Tim asked looking back his way.

“Upon his arrival it took only a minute for the two to head out for the road,” Alfred informed. “Master Bruce said he’d call once all was taken care of.”

“I wonder what that could mean.”

That given moment brought the ring of his phone from below. He reached down to grab it, answering to hear a familiar voice from the other side.

“I saw that you called, sorry it took so long to get back to you.”

“What do you mean?” Tim questioned.

“You tried reaching me yesterday right?”

“And I did,” Tim said. “We already spoke sometime after three, don’t you remember?”

“That would have been impossible, being that my phone was out of power at that time.”

“… Where are you?”

“I just returned home, I was out in New York for the past two days.”

“What?”

“I told you that’d I’d be out there for a day or so the last we talked, don’t you remember?”

“That must mean…”

“The sound in your tone, is everything alright?”

“Keep your phone on, I’ll be contacting you soon,” Tim stated. “Something isn’t right.”

“Mind telling me what?”

“You’ll know as soon as I do.”

“Get back to me as soon as possible.”

“Will do.”

With that he hung up, frozen with one question on his mind.

“What is going on?”

“Master Timothy,” Alfred said regaining his attention. “Is everything alright?”

“It would appear not to be.”

“Who was that you spoke with?” Damian asked.

“It was Conner.” Tim replied turning to face him.

“So what’s the problem?”

“He claims he had been in New York for the past two days,” Tim informed. “If that is true, who was the man who accompanied Shinichi to Metropolis?”

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

Detective Prince

Chapter 114

An Offer

A time had passed from when he had come to the station. The wait was soon to be over. He looked to the right side of the room in time to see someone walking to the front of the room.

“It’s about time.”

“Any idea what the opening statements will be?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Rick replied. “But if I were to say I’d assume it will have something to do with the rates.”

“Crime rates?”

“Not just that, but all of our readings for the past month,” Rick confirmed. “From our response times to casualties while on the field.”

“So what’s the point, to go over how to improve?”

“Well stated.”

“Not a bad thing to look into on a monthly basis.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Rick said. “We’re now in our second year under this format.”

A low tune interrupted their conversation seconds after.

“What is that?”

“It’s my phone.” Heiji replied removing it from within the top pocket of his jacket.

“An important call?”

“Not sure.”

He laid his eyes down to the incoming call, looking back up at him with the nod of his head.

“I had better take this.”

“Then go ahead, there’s still plenty of time before it is your turn to speak,” Rick said. “Feel free to step outside if you’d like.”

“Thanks,” Heiji said. “I won’t be long.”

With that he turned for the automatic doors, finding his way off to the side before answering the call.

"Didn't expect to hear from you."

"Where are you?"

"At the police headquarters," Heiji replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Something has come up," Dick replied. "There's something I need you to do."

"Sorry to say but I'm kind of locked in at the moment."

"Alright, when do you think you'll be done with whatever it is you're doing?"

"Can't say," Heiji replied. "There's a little session going on today, how long this meeting is to last is uncertain."

"I see."

"Tell me, what's going on?"

"We've uncovered some new evidence," Dick replied. "There's a certain body we wanted you to examine, a body which is being held at the GCPD examination lab."

"I'll put in a word after we're through here," Heiji said. "What's the name of this victim?"

"Green," Dick replied. "Salomon Green."

"Isn't that the guy who was left with the explosion of his home," Heiji asked. "What do you want me to investigate, there's not much of his remains left as it is."

"Never mind it, I'll give you the details later," Dick replied. "Stay there once you're done with the task you're in, I'll be there in forty five."

"Ok."

"Got to go, I'll see you then."

Further discussion was put on hold for the time being, placing the phone into his jacket before turning back for the doors.

"What could he want me to find?”

This lingered on his mind all the way back into the station. There he rejoined detective Gates who still stood in the same spot, coming to find the meeting had gone underway.

"You're back, good," Rick said still looking ahead. "Because you're next."

“Is that right?”

"The commissioner came over and told me to let you know when you stepped back in."

"What's this guy addressing now?" Heiji asked turning his focus to the front of the room.

"It's as you predicted," Rick replied. "We're now be given the demographics of last month’s results."

"Not a bad way to kick things off."

"Not at all.”

As blank as things may have been, the investigation would have to wait. The first thing that needed to be done was to get a hold of him as soon as possible. He held the phone to his ear, listening as it rang.

"Come on, answer."

To his fortune the ringing finally came to a close, replaced by his voice from the other end.

"I was expecting you'd call, what took you?"

"Shinichi, where are you?"

"At library," Shinichi replied. "Does it matter?"

"What about Conner," Tim asked. "Is he with you?"

"Not currently," Shinichi said noticing a change in tone. "Is everything alright?"

"I know this may sound crazy, but listen to me," Tim said. "That person you're with, it's not him."

"What do you mean?"

"I just spoke with Conner," Tim informed. "He just returned from a trip which had him in New York for the past two days."

"What?"

"This is no joke."

"If that is true, then who is the person I was with for the past day?"

"We're in the process of figuring that out," Tim replied. "If that imposter reappears just stay casual."

"That won't be hard to do."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Last night while at the hotel."

"What were you doing at a hotel?"

"He said it'd be closer than heading out to his place."

"Figures, since he wasn't really who he said he was."

"I don't get," Shinichi said. "The person who came to the manor obviously knew who I was, even Damian for that matter.”

“That also must mean they have knowledge of our association.”

“That can’t be good.”

“It’s not.”

“Is there anyone you have in mind who this guy could be?”

“That’s a long list,” Tim replied. “But given the circumstances it would appear someone has been watching us.”

“That was my initial thought after you brought this information to me.”

“Sit tight, you’ll be hearing back from me soon.”

“Are you certain about all of this,” Shinichi questioned. “You don’t think he might have been kidding around?”

“Not his style.”

“I didn’t think so,” Shinichi said. “Now that I think about it, there was something off about him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say his decision to go to a hotel won’t be the only thing that sticks out.”

“Contact me if this mystery guy rejoins you,” Tim said. “Right now I’m going to go and look into the matter.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Shinichi said. “Give me an update when you can.”

“Of course.”

He ended the transmission with the click of a button, lowering the phone down into his pocket.

“How did he take it?” Alfred asked.

“Relatively well considering,” Tim replied. “But with all facts known that does raise questions.”

“Indeed it does.”

“What about the names given to you by Shinichi,” Tim asked. “Have you run a search on any of them as of yet?”

“Yes.”

“And the results?”

“They’re heart attack victims just as he said they would be.”

“So the documents given to him must hold some truth,” Tim said. “But there must be a catch.”

“What do you mean,” Damian questioned. “You heard Pennyworth yourself; the information given to Kudo came up to be true.”

“But the person who gave him the information clearly wishes for their identity to be left a secret,” Tim said. “But who are they, and how did they know we’d be able to help with the situation?”

“It’s just like I heard you mention,” Damian said. “Someone’s probably been keeping an eye on us.”

“Maybe, but I highly doubt it,” Tim said. “One of us would have noticed by now if that were truly the case.”

“Then what do you think?”

“I don’t know for sure, but if I had to put my money on something I’d say we’re dealing with someone who’s had prior knowledge on us.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Alfred said. “I think now would be a good time to let Master Bruce in on the situation.”

“Yes, he’s needs to know,” Tim agreed. “Dick does as well.”

"Would you like me to make the call?"

"Yes," Tim replied. "There's something I need to attend to."

"What might that be?" Damian asked out of curiosity.

"The number that registered to my phone was Conner's," Tim said. "You wouldn’t have even believed it wasn’t him after hearing the message."

"So what's your point?"

"I'm going to trace and find where the signal came from," Tim replied. "With any luck that will lead us to the one that we seek."

"And how long do you think it will take before results are reached?"

"If all goes smooth, no more than a day," Tim said in response. "You can bet on it."

He turned for the door, hearing his voice once more after making a move toward the door.

"What about Shinichi?" Alfred questioned

"What about him?"

"In the light of this all shouldn't we be looking to bring him back?"

"No, not yet," Tim replied. "I say we hold off on any actions taken until we know more."

"I can't say I agree with that decision."

"Unless Bruce sees otherwise we'll hold off on that for now."

Knowing there wasn't much more time to spare he reached down for his phone on his way out of the room.

After a short period of waiting his turn had finally come. The speaker from before stepped away from the front of the room. He followed them as they walked, unsure of who it was.

"Is that the lieutenant I was told who would speak first?"

"He actually wasn't able to make it in at this time," Detective Gates answered. "He's currently still monitoring the situation at the mall."

“Must have been a larger stand off than I thought.”

“It’s bound to be covered on the night news, if you’re interested you should be able to get details about the story then.”

“Hopefully no one got hurt.”

“Not to my knowledge.”

It was at that given moment that he saw him heading to the front of the room at the corner of his eyes. He regained his focus for what was to come next.

“Alright everyone,” James said upon taking to the left side of the room. “Now that we’ve got the monthly routine in the books it’s time we pressed on to more important matters.”

“Will we be discussing the details about today’s hold up at the mall?” An unnamed officer asked.

“What about the increasing action towards the east side?” Another questioned.

“We’ll get to all of that,” James assured. “But first I’d like to touch base with a problem, one which has affected the entire city from since it began.”

“Would you happen to be referring to that incident that occurred at the Futures Building sir?” The officer standing directly across asked.

He nodded in confirmation.

“As you all know there’s been uproar over the activities of a certain individual,” James began. “The person we now have come to know as Kaitou Kid, a highly skilled and deceitful thief.”

He paused for a moment, looking through the crowd until he caught sight of Heiji. Once this was accomplished he continued on.

“It is a known fact that Kaitou Kid has no plans on stopping, this is all evident from what we’ve uncovered in the latest riddle,” James said. “It’s also a fact we aren’t very familiar with him, something that needed to be admitted, which is why we’ve now looked to a means of support.”

“Means of support?” One questioned.

The commissioner simply smiled, looking toward him with a wave of the hand.

“Hattori,” James said. “Why don’t you come up here and introduce yourself?”

Just as he was to take a step forward he felt a nudge from his left side, glimpsing back to see detective Gates give him the thumbs up.

“Good luck up there.”

With that he moved on, finding himself an open lane leading to the front of the room.

“Who is this guy?” One whispered.

“No idea.” Another replied.

“Probably someone from the south side division.” A third to the right spoke.

All would soon be answered. He arrived to the front of the room soon after, turning to face all those who looked on.

“This is it, can’t mess this up.”

He removed his hands from his pocket before releasing a friendly smile for all to see.

“It’s a pleasure to be with you all here today,” Heiji finally spoke. “As difficult as this situation has been I’m here to shed some much needed light.”

“What’s your name?” A woman asked from across.

“Hattori,” Heiji replied with the turn of his cap to the back side. “Heiji Hattori.”

“He’s a young gifted detective from Japan,” James added. “He’s been on this case from the start, even before it was revealed who was behind it all.”

“I’m sorry for not keeping up with the situation sir,” Someone located at the back of the room spoke. “I’m aware this guy is a thief, but where did these heists of his originate?”

“Yea,” Another said in agreement. “I hadn’t even heard of this guy up until two nights ago.”

“Tokyo Japan,” Heiji answered. “That’s where it all kick started.”

“And that’s exactly why he has been brought in to assist us in the case.” James said.

“I dug up information on this Kaitou Kid this morning,” The same woman from before spoke. “It was said that his interests were towards valuable jewels and high priced objects to the eye, so why the change to the tech which was witnessed at the Futures Building?”

“That is something that has yet to be determined,” Heiji replied. “But rest assured that very question will soon be answered.”

“Got it.” She said taking note of this.

“Will there be any more questions?” James asked.

He took the next second to scour the room, finding everyone was intent on moving on to hear what was to be said next.

“Alright then,” James said turning back to face him. “The floor’s yours.”

“Where would you like me to begin?”

“The details of the case,” James replied. “Go over everything you’ve collected up until this point.”

“Followed by everything there is to know about Kid,” Heiji said turning back to face those standing before him. “Works for me.”

Over an hour had passed from the time he had set out. He patiently sat at the end of the bed in wait for his return. Not wishing to sit in complete silence any more he reached for the TV remote. Upon tossing it off to the side after turning it off a knock could be heard at the door.

“It’s about time.”

He wasted no time in making his way over, opening the door on contact.

“How unusual of you.” Kaito said stepping in past him.

“What was that?” Konosuke said closing the door behind him.

“You didn’t bother to peep out to see who was outside of the door before opening,” Kaito replied. “With our current situation I think that would be a good idea in the future.”

“You seem rather up tight.”

“Not at all,” Kaito assured heading further into the room. “Let’s just remember we’re being monitored, who knows when that guy may choose to reveal himself.”

“If ever.”

He stopped once reaching the TV, finding it hard to ignore what was being showcased.

“What in the world are you watching?”

“What do you mean?” Konosuke questioned after coming to his side.

He laid his eyes to the TV as well, finding what appeared to be an angry mountain talking with a smiling bright sun.

“I’ve heard of trying to help pass the time, but this one’s out past the stars,” Kaito remarked. “Even for you Jii.”

“That must have been on when I turned the television on just now.”

“Just as I arrived, what a coincidence.” Kaito said with noticeable sarcasm.

“How did things go with your return to the train station?”

“Everything is a go,” Kaito replied. “I’ll be sure to show you where I want you to be come tonight.”

“How early do you plan on heading back?”

“We’ll wait until nine,” Kaito replied. “Not too early, but still gives us enough time to get everything set.”

He took a seat at the end of the bed closest to the balcony door, slouching over with much on his mind.

“You forgot to take your phone with you when you left.”

He waited, expecting to receive a response. Feeling a bit concerned he took a step toward him.

“Master Kuroba?”

“So I left my phone, what of it?”

“She called again,” Konosuke informed. “Your mother.”

“…”

“When do you plan on returning her calls,” Konosuke asked. “You haven’t spoken with her in almost ten days.”

“What exactly am I supposed to tell her,” Kaito questioned. “That I’m on some wild safari for an upcoming class project?”

“That could work.” Konosuke smilingly replied.

“I highly doubt she’d find that all too convincing,” Kaito said. “But if it makes you feel any better I plan on getting back to her at some point here in the next day or so.”

“I figured you would,” Konosuke said. “Now, why don’t you get some rest before tonight’s occasion?”

“No thanks,” Kaito replied. “Not when there’s still work to be done, we still have yet to crack the riddle.”

“The riddle?”

It took no more than ten minutes for the speech to come to a close. He stood at his side through the whole process, pleased at what was said in his closing statement.

“Will that be all?”

“Yes,” Heiji replied. “I have nothing further to add.”

“At ease,” James said laying a hand to his shoulder. “You did good, very well at that.”

“You said something before.”

“What’s that?”

“Yesterday,” Heiji reminded. “You said this would be the day when we made it official.”

“Oh yes,” James recalled. “That’s right.”

“What did you mean by that?”

“You’ll know soon enough,” James replied. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you meet me outside after I’m through here.”

“Works for me,” Heiji said. “How long are we talking?”

“How does thirty minutes sound?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Then I’ll see you out there.”

It was at that given time that they were interrupted by two other officers, both who seemed intent on speaking with the commissioner himself. Seeing this he took this time to make his way to the right from where he stood, heading back into the direction of the door. Halfway through the crowd he felt a tug at his side, turning in time to see him hold out a hand to pat him on the shoulder.

“Good job,” Rick congratulated. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”

“Thanks.”

“I saw you speaking with Gordon just now before leaving the front,” Rick said. “What was that about, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Just something he plans to tell me,” Heiji replied. “He hasn’t exactly told me what as of yet.”

“So it’s one of those things huh,” Rick said. “Happens on occasion.”

Without warning he turned for the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Heiji asked watching as he walked.

“Out for a quick break,” Rick replied. “There’s this little place about a mile from here I like to visit, I’d have asked if you wanted to come along but it would appear business isn’t quite done here for you.”

“Even if I didn’t I still have more to do,” Heiji said. “A lot more at that.”

“I’m not surprised,” Rick said continuing back for the door. “See you around kid.”

He walked out past the doors, falling out of sight soon after. In the wake of this Heiji returned to the same wall he had found comfort in upon first arriving, waiting there for the commissioner to wrap up his current discussion.

Over forty minutes had passed from the time the latest information had been gathered. Regardless of what was learned he continued the search of the names given to him.

“How many have you gotten through?”

“Twelve in all,” Alfred replied. “And several more to go.”

“Any common link between any of them?”

“Once all information is finalized I’ll sort them,” Alfred replied. “Then we can go down the list to check for similarities.”

“How much longer?”

“These things take time,” Alfred answered. “I don’t have an exact estimation for you.”

“Would this go by quicker if someone else were to help?”

“Yes,” Alfred replied. “I’ll have your father pitch in when he returns, I’m sure this is a matter he’d want to look into himself.”

“No doubt.”

The sound of the front door opening in the opposite room alerted the two, letting them know someone had entered.

"He's back sooner than expected."

"I'll go out and greet him." Damian volunteered.

Eager to give him the news he wasted no time in making his way out of the room. He crossed paths with him upon reaching the bottom of the staircase.

"You're home earlier than expected."

"Where is everyone else," Bruce asked. "Are you the only one here?"

"Pennyworth is in the bookroom waiting for you."

"Go and let him know I'll be there shortly." Bruce said before pushing past for the stairs.

"I think you had better come now," Damian said. "Something drastic has come up."

He stopped after taking a second step up the stairs, turning back to head for the bookroom.

"Walk with me." Bruce instructed.

He followed him with nothing needing to be said. They arrived into the room soon there after to see him sitting in front of the computer.

"Damian said you had something important to bring to me."

"That is correct," Alfred confirmed. "It seems we have an unexpected problem on our hands."

"What kind of problem?"

"It has to do with yesterday’s visitor." Alfred informed.

"Yesterday’s visitor?"

"Yes," Alfred confirmed. "The one who Shinichi left with."

"Didn’t he leave with Kon?”

"It would appear that wasn't the case."

"Are you saying he left with someone we don't know?"

"In short, yes."

"How can you be sure of this?"

"Drake was the one to bring it into the light for the rest of us." Damian informed.

"Where is he now?"

"He left to investigate the situation further."

"And what of Shinichi?"

“Still in Metropolis sir.” Alfred answered.

“Does he know about the situation?”

“Yes,” Alfred replied. “He was one of the first to be alerted after we found out.”

“Good.”

“Don’t you think we had better call for his return to Gotham?”

“No.”

He was caught by surprise, looking up from the computer screen to face him.

“Why not?”

“Isn’t it obvious,” Bruce said. “We need to find out who this guy is.”

“I understand,” Alfred said. “So does this mean you’ll be making a trip to Metropolis yourself?”

“No, there’s too much going on here as it is,” Bruce replied. “I’ll send one of the others to look into the situation, we need to handle this quickly while we still have leverage.”

“That would probably be a good idea.”

“How was this all figured?”

“It would appear Tim received a call from Conner himself,” Alfred replied. “How things ensued from there is unknown to me.”

“I’ll have to speak to him about that myself,” Bruce said before looking to change the subject. “I was surprised to find you at work in here, what’s this you have in front of you?”

“Names of the victims given to me from Shinichi,” Alfred replied. “Those who suffered heart attacks.”

“How can we be sure any of that information at this point is legit,” Damian stated. “After all the source from which it came is now in question.”

“Which is why I’ve taken the liberty of running a background check on all,” Alfred informed. “All have come up clear thus far.”

“How many more profiles do you have to go through?” Bruce asked.

“Quite a few,” Alfred replied. “If all goes accordingly I should be done by evenings end.”

“Don’t bother,” Bruce said. “I’ll take over.”

“Nonsense, you have enough to worry about as it is,” Alfred said. “Like finding out what this mystery man’s intentions are.”

“I’ve already figured that much.” Bruce said turning back for the door.

“You have?” Damian asked.

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “The only thing left to determine is the who and why.”

“What do you mean?”

He said nothing in response, only one thing on his mind on his way out past the door.

“No time for an explanation?”

“You know how he can be at times like this.”

"You think he really knows what this guy has planned?"

"There was no hesitation in his voice," Alfred replied. "I wouldn't bet against it."

Several minutes had passed from the time he had given his speech. He had found himself out in front of the headquarters, waiting in the place the both of them had agreed they would meet. During the duration of this his phone vibrated from the top pocket in his jacket. Not looking to begin another conversation. The sound of the station doors yards back could clearly be heard after opening. He didn't choose to look back, only taking moments for him to sight two officers walk past. It had only been roughly ten minutes from the time he had found a spot outside, surprised at the sudden sound of someone stepping up to his left side.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't be hard to find."

"You're earlier than I thought you'd be," Heiji said facing him. "I thought for sure you'd be in there for at least another ten minutes."

"We finished early," James replied. ""Which was good since we all have work to attend to."

"That can't be stressed enough."

"You've done very well til now, well enough to gain my praise along with those who have gotten the chance to work with you during this short time."

"I try to do my best."

"I've noticed," James said. "Which is why I’ve asked you here."

“I’m listening.”

“I’d like to make you an offer.”

"An offer?"

To Be Continued

[SSJB0wser 1]

The Detective Prince

Chapter 115

Run In

The room had become silent from the last couple minutes. He stood in wait for results to be determined. The door opened soon after, grabbing his attention from where he stared at the ceiling.

“That took longer than expected.” Damian said.

“I had a call to make,” Bruce said. “Dick is on his way now.”

“What for?”

“To discuss matters,” Bruce replied before looking ahead to the desk. “Alfred, how much progress has been made?”

“I’ve gotten through six additional profiles.”

“Then we’re on track.”

“I don’t see the need to continue the investigation of these files,” Damian said. “The purpose was lost with the reveal of the unreliable source, we have no idea who this guy is.”

“Not yet,” Bruce said. “But anything that comes our way must be accounted for, this is no exception.”

“This whole thing could be a diversion for all we know.”

“I can assure you it’s not.”

“Bold statement,” Damian said uncrossing his arms. “But how can you be sure?”

“That’s pretty clear cut, the only thing left unanswered is the why.”

“What do you mean,” Damian questioned. “Isn’t the point for us to determine what has been causing the heart attacks?”

“I’m not completely sold on that being the reasoning behind their move.”

“If not that then what?”

“That is for us to find out,” Bruce replied. “On another note there is something I have for you to do come tonight.”

“I forgot to mention something.” Alfred said rentering the fray.

“What is it?”

“You received a call from Ms. Thompson.”

“At what time?”

“Earlier this morning.”

“It’s no surprise,” Bruce said. “I haven’t given her an update for the past two days.”

“An update for what?” Damian asked.

“For her missing patient.”

“Oh yes,” Damian recalled. “Wasn’t that the reasoning for us searching that apartment the other night.”

“Yes,” Bruce replied. “Which is something we need to put more focus on, this could be a life or death matter.”

“Did you find any leads from the search you two conducted the other night?” Alfred asked.

“Unfortunately not, which is why we need to broaden the field.”

“That might be a good idea.”

“In any case I’m going to go and give her a call,” Bruce said. “I’m sure she’s highly anticipating a response from me.”

“I’ll be here.”

“If Shinichi calls before my return, let him know we will be sending reinforcements.”

With that he made his way for the door.

“Of course.”

Feeling there was no need for him to stick around, he too made a move for the exit. He left the door open on his way out, following his father who proceeded toward the stairs.

"You said you had something scheduled for me tonight," Damian said stopping him in his tracks. "Why can't I begin with whatever you have scheduled for me now?"

"For several reasons," Bruce replied. "For one you have yet to get your mid-day session in for your cardiac."

"I'm in the best condition I've been in for months," Damian stated. "I hardly see how one missed trial will change anything."

"Because one skip turns into two," Bruce said. "And before you know it, it becomes a habit."

"I don't plan on that happening."

"No one ever does," Bruce said. "But on another note, what do you remember about him?"

"What?"

"The man who Shinichi left with," Bruce clarified. "And don't try denying you didn't see him when the two left, because we both know that isn't true."

"How'd you figure that?"

"Do I really have to explain?"

"There will be no need." Damian said taking the next seconds to rehash what had happened the day before.

He lowered his head in the process, looking back up at him after all details fell back into place.

"Nothing."

"Hmm.."

"What I mean to say is there wasn't anything strange about him," Damian said. "Nothing you would notice at first glance at least.”

"I figured that much, there’s one other question I’d like to ask," Bruce said. “Where did this individual say he got those files from?"

"Some friend he claimed works in the medical field."

"Another lie no doubt."

"What's the plan from here?"

"That's already being set in motion."

"I'd like to help," Damian said. "From the way things appear to be I'd say someone has it out for us."

"A vendetta which we don't fully understand," Bruce said. "Which is why I want you to focus on your daily routine for the time being."

"Yes, father."

He turned back for the stairs, heading for his room as planned.

"The details Damian had to share was quite insightful, but still leaves the question to be answered," Bruce thought. "Who set this all up?"

By this point it was now a wait and see approach. He had already sent all information that needed to be sent. He looked across the table, finding himself looking to all sides in the thought that he may show up.

"Still no sign of him."

The longer he waited the more tense things seemed to become.

"I haven't heard back from any of the others recently," Shinichi thought. "I wonder how things are going from their end."

Without realizing he found himself going through the files again, there seemed to be something, something he hadn't come to see before. He couldn't quite pin point what. Just as he was to cross examine between the separate files he heard someone step from behind. His head slightly rose at this, now on full alert. Not wanting to cause any kind of stir he turned around with subtle movement coming to find someone he had never seen before. It was a tall man who had long brown hair which was tied back in a ponytail. From his perspective he could be no older than his early to mid-thirties. He wore a black jacket and a pair of jeans, with a noticeable vest beneath. There was also something hanging from his side, something that was clearly attached to his belt. All quickly came to a conclusion as he neared, finding it was only a bag.

"Hi there," The man spoke. "Mind if I join you?"

With tension dropping he smiled with a nod.

"Sure," Shinichi replied. "I have no problem with that."

He then turned back for the table, sorting all the files that were laid out across the table. It was only a matter of seconds before the man from behind walked around to have a seat across from him. Not noticed by him from before was the small bag which had been tied to the side of his belt. In the mist of this he looked down at his watch in the process of refocusing.

“It’s been fifty minutes since I’ve heard from anyone,” Shinichi thought. “I wonder what’s going on from their end.”

They had driven for over thirty minutes, listening to the radio for a majority of the time. Several reports came in during the process, nothing that would call for concern. After minutes of trees and empty field the manor finally came into view. He rose up in his seat after seeing this.

“Do you know who’s all there?” Heiji asked.

“Besides Bruce, no idea,” Dick replied “But I think it’s safe to assume Alfred and Damian will be there as well.”

“You think they’ll have more information on Kudo’s little trip he went on?”

“No doubt,” Dick replied. “That’s one of the things Bruce said he wished to discuss.”

They arrived at the front gate shortly thereafter, driving in past it before finding a place to park off to the right side.

“And here we are.” Dick said unbuckling the belt.

After stepping out from the car the two immediately headed for the stairs leading toward the front door, anxious to get things underway. Upon reaching the step before last the front door slid open to their surprise.

“You’re early,” Bruce said greeting the two. “Come on in, we have much to go over.”

“We’re ready to kick start things.” Dick said accepting the invitation in.

They closed the door on their way in, following Bruce who led them to the bookroom.

“Where’s Damian?” Dick asked.

“He went up to his room a while ago to do something,” Bruce replied. “I haven’t seen him since.”

“He’ll probably come down when he’s done.”

“No doubt.” Heiji said.

They stopped after reaching the door, all heading in after the other.

“Alfred,” Bruce said gaining his attention. “They’ve arrived.”

“That was much sooner than expected,” Alfred said looking up to face them. “How’s the day been coming along?”

“All over the place,” Dick replied. “After separating with Bruce earlier I headed over to the station to pick up Heiji.”

“On the subject of that,” Alfred said. “How did things work out for you up there today?”

“Not bad,” Heiji replied. “We covered the topic of Kaitou Kid for a majority of the time, which was to be expected.”

“I’m glad to hear all went well.”

“What’s this situation I heard about regarding Kudo,” Heiji asked. “I heard he took a train to a neighboring city.”

“Yes,” Bruce confirmed. “He’s currently in Metropolis.”

“What’s he doing there?”

“He was asked to go,” Bruce replied. “By someone we’ve yet to identify.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It would appear someone was disguised as a close ally of ours,” Bruce continued. “Shinichi was told they had information that would help us in the case of the radical heat attacks we’ve seen taken shape.”

“What about Kudo,” Heiji asked. “Is he alright?”

“Yes,” Bruce assured. “We’ve already gotten in contact with him, he’s currently waiting to see if the person who invited him there in the first place will return.”

“And what happens if that guy does in fact show?” Dick asked.

“He was told to contact us if that does come to pass,” Bruce replied. “But in the mean time we need to send someone down to join him, there’s no telling how erratic things may become.”

“If that is so, then I’ll go.” Heiji said stepping forward.

“Nonsense,” Alfred said in response. “We still don’t know the full complexity of what is going on.”

“He’s right,” Dick said quickly agreeing. “It’s clear whoever this guy is knows us to a certain degree, which could mean danger.”

“Which is why I’ve decided you’ll be the one I’ll be sending,” Bruce said. “Is that alright with you?”

“It doesn’t matter either way,” Dick replied. “One of us has to see to this matter.”

“Good.”

“Given the circumstances I better head to the train station as soon as possible.”

“Will you be taking anything with you?” Alfred asked.

“I’ll pass by my place while heading in that direction,” Dick said. “So I’ll most likely stop to go in and grab a couple things.”

“Then we better let you go, there’s no time to waste.” Bruce said.

“I’ll keep in contact.” Dick said before turning for the door.

With that he made his way out, leaving the door wide open.

“Now what?” Heiji questioned.

“For now we wait for a report back from Tim.” Bruce replied.

“He’s looking into the situation as well?”

“Yes, only from another angle,” Bruce confirmed. “The man who came here in disguise also left Tim a message through a call.”

“So what’s the plan,” Heiji asked. “To try and trace the call back to where it came from?”

“Yes, but it’s not as simple as that,” Bruce confirmed. “The number which registered to the phone was Kon’s, the person that man disguised himself as.”

“That just adds a whole nother dynamic.”

“Indeed, but nothing we can’t handle.”

“What about me,” Heiji asked. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Not at this time,” Bruce replied. “Wait here for now.”

“Where are you going?” Heiji asked as he watched him head for the door.

“There’s something I need to check on,” Bruce replied. “I’ll be back shortly.”

The sound of something dropping down to the table caused him to look up once again, coming to find the bag that had been tied around the man’s belt from across was now set out atop the table. Not wanting to be side tracked by further distractions he looked back down to the files stashed together below. He continued to sit there for a time to come, hearing the sound of the man from across removing something from the bag which was then placed onto the table. It was that of three folders, all neatly organized from what he could tell. Another sound from behind came to his attention soon after.

“What now?”

He turned around only to see an unknown person stroll off from one end of the room to the other.

“You’re not here to read are you?” The man from across spoke.

He turned back to face him upon hearing this.

“I see it wasn’t that hard to realize.”

“So what’s the deal,” He asked. “Are you waiting for friend?”

“He knew.”

“Am I right?”

“Not a bad guess.”

“Why not pick up a book while you’re waiting,” The man suggested. “There’s a lot of interesting stories you might find to your liking.”

“As much as I’d love to the current time won’t allow for it.”

“I guess that makes the two of us,” He said. “By the way the names Tasol.”

“What a unique name.”

“Yes, but most who know me refer to me as Polo.”

“Polo,” Shinichi questioned. “Like the clothing line Polo?”

“That’s right,” Tasol confirmed. “It’s something that began with the family.”

“Do you prefer it?”

“Either or,” Tasol replied. “And what of you, what’s your name?”

“Shi.. Nogort.” Shinichi quickly corrected.

“Say again?”

“Nogort.”

“Nogort huh,” Tasol said with a pause. “That’s not one you hear too often, can’t say I’ve ever heard it to be honest.”

“That’s what most say,” Shinichi said. “You’re not the only one to feel that way.”

“You’re not from around here are you?”

“Not a bad assumption.”

"Would you happen to know where your name originates?"

"Was never told,” Shinichi replied. “No telling if there is any true meaning to it."

"It's no matter, just curious."

It was at that second that he took notice of three sheets of paper laid out on the table Tasol had placed there. Three were three sheets in all, each with a large image with small print beneath. He was unable to make out the words from where he sat.

"I see," Tasol said. "You're interested in with why I'm here, particularly with what I have sitting here before me."

"Maybe just a little.” Shinichi admitted before looking directly at him once again.

"I thought that much."

Shedding some light on the situation he held up one of the sheets to reveal the face of a man, the print below now clear to the eye.

"A missing person's case." Shinichi said after reading the top headline.

“You seem less than surprised from your tone.”

“Should I be?”

"Usually people are taken back when they find out about my line of work," Tasol said. "But for you, it's as if you already knew."

"I was getting that vibe."

"How so?"

"It's how you've presented yourself up until this point."

"Please do elaborate, I’d love to hear."

"There's not much to add," Shinichi said. "The way you were able to read my thoughts through my gestures was enough of a hint.”

“You mean the fact I was able to determine you were waiting for someone,” Tasol questioned. “Anyone could have guessed that.”

“That wasn’t the only thing,” Shinichi continued. “The tidiness of your folders was noteworthy to say the least, which gave me a strong idea of your character."

"Not bad, how deductive of you."

“I’m one for detail myself.”

"As I can see,” Tasol said. “It’s not often you find someone as young as yourself as aware as what you just showed."

"What exactly do you do," Shinichi asked. "If you don't mind sharing.”

"A low key detective who lives here in town," Tasol replied. "I used to work for the department as an officer three years ago in another city, but have now branched off into my own."

"Do you prefer it this way?"

"It has its benefits," Tasol replied. "There's always work to be done."

"Sounds like your dream job."

"It has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."

“It’s always good to see someone sticking to their plan.”

“We spoke of my work,” Tasol said. “What of yours?”

He paused for a moment, unsure of how he should respond to the question presented.

“Landscaping,” Shinichi finally replied. “I’ve been studying in that field for quite some time now.”

“Landscaping huh,” Tasol said leaning back. “Never would have predicted that.”

“Not many would.”

Not even a moment later his phone vibrated from within his left pocket.

"I better take this." Shinichi said standing up from where he sat.

"Duty calls?"

"Something like that."

In the process of reaching for the phone he took a look around the library for any suspicious activity. After finding this all to be clear he took the awaiting call.

"Hello."

"Great, glad you answered." Dick spoke from the other end.

"I assume you've been informed of the situation."

"Of course," Dick said. "Which is why I'm on my way now."

"On your way to Metropolis?"

"Yes," Dick replied. "I'm about twenty minute away from the train station now."

"Is there a specific place you wanted to meet?"

"Stay where you are now," Dick replied. "We'll get into all of that when I arrive."

"Sounds good."

"Sit tight, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Understood."

He placed the phone back into his pocket before returning to the table once finished. He took a seat back to the same spot he had been before, looking across to see Tasol had now pulled out another set of information.

"Is that information on each of the missing victims?"

"Stellar guess." Tasol confirmed.

"You said you were a detective right?"

"Yes."

"I must ask, how many cases do you usually take on at once," Shinichi asked. “That’s already three that you’ve got there.”

"It depends," Tasol replied. "Though the key is not to overload on too much at once."

"Right, that will only take away from the focus."

"You hit it right on the nail."

"Is missing reports your main area of interest?"

"Not necessarily, this just so happens to be what was brought to me in the past few days."

“Were all missing reports made in the same city?”

“All but one,” Tasol replied. “Two for here in Metropolis and the other being for a missing report on a man from Gotham.”

“Gotham huh, that’s where I’ve been staying for the past week or so.”

“From the sounds of that I’d say you’re a consistent traveler.”

“You could kind of say that.”

“You seem rather interested in this stuff,” Tasol said. “You sure landscaping is your thing?”

“Been working at it for a time now,” Shinichi said. “It’s something I excel in.”

“Whatever keeps the wheels churning.” Tasol said before finally bringing his full attention to the three reports out in front of him.

Shinichi did the same, only looking to the many files of his own that had been given to him. It wasn’t until that given moment that it all fully sunk in.

“I don’t understand, does this person really want us to investigate this information,” Shinichi thought. “If so why the disguise… I can’t figure out a reason for a move like this to be made, they could have simply left the files with a note attached.”

He played through his thoughts for the next minute to come, only side tracking at the sound of a soft chirp.

“Was that a bird?”

It didn’t take long for that question to be answered, looking across to see Tasol hold a phone to his ear.

“That would explain.”

The conversation with whoever called lasted all but a couple moments before sliding the phone back into his back pocket.

“Interesting choice for a ringtone,” Shinichi commented. “A realistic take if I must say, I like it.”

“Most everyone does after hearing it.” Tasol said before reaching for the paperwork.

He took little time in stashing all files back into the bag.

“Duty calls?”

“Something like that.”

Once all was in place he zipped the bag shut before standing to his feet.

“It was nice meeting you...”

“Nogort.” Shinichi reminded.

“Yes, Nogort,” Tasol said. “Maybe I’ll see you around some time.”

“You never know.”

“And with the amount of traveling you do that might just be a possibility.”

He looked down at his watch once more.

“Don’t want to be late,” Tasol said stepping around the table. “I guess I better get going before I receive another call.”

“Have a good one.” Shinichi said.

He watched as he made his way toward the bookcase, only to have him fall out of sight soon after. There was something about this man, something he had felt when they first spoke. Was this encounter truly a coincidence?

“That man, I have the oddest feeling that I’ve seen him somewhere before,” Shinichi thought. “.. But where?”

To Be Continued