Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Detective Prince ❯ Going West ( Chapter 39 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Detective Prince
Chapter 39
Going West

They had agreed on going to see a movie that morning, Conan being the only of his friends to stay behind. The TV continued to roll, though he paid little mind to it. A knock came to the door within the next minute, Conan pushing up from where he sat to open it.

"Heiji," Conan said. "Come on in."

"Where are the others," Heiji asked not seeing anyone else to the room. "I spoke with Kogoro in his office just a second ago, but where are Ran and Kazuha?"

"They left about an hour ago."

"Did they say where they were going?"

"No, but they did say it wouldn't take them long."

Heiji walked in with the door closing behind him. He immediately looked too the TV, a little curious as to what was playing.

"Kudo, what are you watching?"

"That's something Ran had on before she left," Conan replied. "Only my third time seeing it to tell you the truth."

He then headed for the table, grabbing the remote with the push of the power.

"So what's the plan," Heiji asked. "Stay here and wait for them to return?"

"I'd rather go and check to see what Tim has been able to find through that video footage," Conan said. "And knowing him, I'm sure he has something."

"Can't disagree," Heiji said. "Drake's the kind of guy who'll be up all night to complete something."

Conan made his way back too the door, bending down to tie the laces too his shoes.

"Keep your phone on," Conan said opening the door. "I'm positive Ran or Kazuha will call anytime now."

"Already ahead of you."

He locked the door before they exited, the two walking side to side the whole way down. It wasn't as hot as the previous day had been, but still maintained a high temperature. The walk there seemed to be shorter than most other days, maybe due to the fact of them walking from the mall just the day before, which happened to be further. They'd arrived to find him sitting in front of the computer, not surprised by this one bit.

"Usually one of you calls before coming." Tim said looking their way.

"Where's Grayson?" Heiji asked.

"Setting up shop at his apartment." Tim replied.

"So the two of you aren't sharing a place?" Conan asked.

"It's better this way," Tim said. "Not only does it give us our space, but from any outside suspicions as well."

"Valid points," Conan said. "So how far are we talking?"

"Just a couple of blocks from my complex," Tim answered. "He'll be here in a bit, just finished speaking with him a few minutes ago."

"Were you able to find out what was written to the sheet?" Conan asked coming to his side.

"It was written in code, so I'm still in the process of dissecting it all." Tim replied.

"That figures," Conan said. "So what have you been able to make out of it thus far?"

"Not much, all I know is something is to happen in Fukuoka in this coming week."

"Fukuoka," Conan questioned. "Weren't you already planning on heading down there this next week?"

"What do you mean?"

"The person you were talking with on the phone two days ago," Conan reminded. "You're supposed to meet with them."

"Oh yea," Tim said sitting up. "I almost forgot about that."

"Can't blame you, with all that's been going on." Heiji said.

"There's something I forgot to mention too you yesterday," Conan said. "It's about the merger Haibara overheard those men discussing."

"I'm all ears."

"The only company that we found with any kind of connection was a place called LexCorp."

"LexCorp," Tim questioned. "You mean the one of Metropolis?"

Conan nodded in response.

"Wait a minute, I've heard of that company before," Heiji said. "Founded by Lex Luthor if I'm not mistaken, the guys a genius."

"To bad he can't use that mind of his for the side of good." Tim said.

"Very true statement, his in and out of prison trips are most notable," Heiji said. "But what would he want with this other company?"

"I think it's time we did a little digging," Tim said. "From what I can see they're completely different."

"Anyone care to fill me in?"

"You really need to keep up with your game Kudo," Heiji remarked. "Luthor's one of those guys you should know about."

"Maybe I have and forgot."

"Could be the case, but he's not someone you usually forget," Heiji said. "What's the name of this other company anyway?"

"Researches of Tomorrow Incorporated," Tim replied. "ROTI for short."

He spared no time, beginning the search of this company they knew very little of. They checked the main site broadcasting the company, which only gave them a brief description of what they were about.

"We're going to need more than that." Tim thought to himself. "This doesn't give us any insight on what Luthor may be envisioning, what he plans to do after merging."   

"Tim, how well do you know Mr. Luthor?" Conan asked.

"Enough to know he's up to something, which we need to find out," Tim said. "I'll give you a full rundown later, if not Dick or Heiji should be able to get you caught up."

"Grayson might be a better choice," Heiji said. "I don't know him on a personal level like the two of you."

The search continued, receiving similar results from the several other web sites they'd come across.

"Now what," Heiji questioned. "There's absolutely nothing here giving us what we need."

"Maybe you could try talking to Bondo again," Conan suggested. "Do you think he'd be willing to give you some in depth details about ROTI?"

"It's worth a go, but we still have other ways of gaining the information we may need," Tim said. "Let's wait for Dick to arrive before making any decisions, we have a lot on our plate as it is."

The meeting was to take place just as planned, many standing to the open space awaiting his arrival. As usual he walked through on time, taking to his seat. The room fell silent in the following seconds, everyone ready to hear what he had to say.

"At this point I'm sure you all know what we're here to discuss."

Most everyone to the room nodded.

"Red Robin, as he's called, is armed and dangerous," Kiyonaga continued. "If you happen to come across him call for back up, do not trying apprehending him alone."

"If necessary, should we open fire?" One asked.

"That entirely depends on the circumstances," Kiyonaga answered. "I'll go a little more into that in a bit here."

"So what's our plan on catching him," Ninzaburo asked. "This isn't something we come across everyday."

Kiyonaga reached for his phone in his pocket, dialing a number before speaking.

"Megure, are the two of you almost here?" Matsumoto asked.

"We're just now pulling up, we'll be there shortly."

He slid his phone back into place after hearing this. The door to the room opened within the minute, Inspector Megure walking in with him trailing close behind.

"Glad you could make it Nakamori," Kiyonaga said. "I know how busy you can be, tracking the Kid Thief is no easy task."

"He's been rather quiet for this past month," Ginzo said. "That must mean he's planning something big."

"I take it you know who your new target is," Kiyonaga said. "There's also the possibility he and Kid are working together."

"I understand," Ginzo said. "That only means we'll have to be more precise in our preparation."

The three turned at the sound of someone coming to a stop before them.

"What is it Sato?" Megure asked.

"Now that we know what to expect, how do we go about luring him out," Miwako asked. "We don't exactly know what he hopes to accomplish."

"That's a very good question you pose Sato," Kiyonaga said. "One we need to find out the answer to."

"If it's true he and Kaitou Kid are working together, we get one, we'll have the other." Ginzo said.

"What are you implying?" Miwako asked.

"We know what motivates Kaitou Kid," Ginzo began. "We'll simply set up a trap Kid can't resist, thus dragging out Red Robin as well."

"That might actually work," Kiyonaga said. "Good thinking Nakamori, we'll get started with the planning right away."

"Is there anything I can do?" Ninzaburo asked joining the four.

"We'll let you know as soon as we have everything set in place." Kiyonaga said.

"Understood sir."

"So what do we plan to use as bait?" Miwako asked.

Ginzo stepped back with a smile forming to his face.

"I know just the thing."

Twenty minutes had passed, the continuous search feeding back much of the same results. There was no finding what they'd hoped to. Tim tapped his finger to the desk, his mind set out in three different places. It became more difficult to focus with each closing minute, everything weighing down at its peak. The door to the room slid open a second later, Dick walking in with a small bag strapped to his shoulder.

"Wow, you guys are quiet today," Dick said with the door closing behind. "Don't tell me I've walked in on a session of the silent game."

"There's no game being played here," Heiji said. "It's just that finding out more about ROTI has become some what of a pain."

"What's wrong," Dick asked. "Not finding sufficient information about the company?"

"That's been the story." Conan confirmed.

"Guess that means we'll have to look elsewhere," Dick said.

"What's in the bag?" Heiji asked.

"Some video hardware I plan to set up once I get to Fukuoka," Dick replied. "That way we can track these guys much easier."

"Now that's some fast planning," Conan said. "How soon did you learn about the note?"

"Tim let me know as soon as he did," Dick replied. "We always try to stay on top of things."

"Do we even know what they plan on doing?" Heiji asked.

"That's something we've yet to find out," Tim answered. "The only thing we do know is that Freil will be there on some business."

"What about the Organization?" Conan asked.

"No confirmation they'll be there, but we'll stay on the look out."

"So what's the plan exactly," Heiji questioned with the reposition of his hat. "We don't even know what Freil plans to do in Fukuoka, let alone when."

"Figuring out what will be the fun part, I think you'll find my tracking skills to be up to the task," Dick said. "I plan on heading down too Fukuoka tomorrow morning to get us a jump start."

"Tim aren't you going to join him?" Conan asked

"I have school remember," Tim reminded. "I'll join him after Tuesday, since schools out Wednesday through Friday."

"Wish I had those three days off instead, looks like I'll be stuck to the sidelines for this next little mission."

"Don't sweat it Heiji," Dick said placing the bag to the counter. "We'll get you a full recorded documentary of all that happens."

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate that." Heiji said giving into his humor.

He then pulled his phone from his side, checking to see if he had received any messages he wasn't aware of.

"I'm surprised they haven't called by now," Heiji said. "Where do you think they could have gone to?"

"And who now are we talking about?" Tim asked a little thrown off by this.

"Kazuha and Ran," Heiji replied. "They took off somewhere about two hours ago."

"So what's the problem," Tim questioned. "They're probably just out hanging around somewhere."

"I figured that much, but it was Kudo who said they didn't plan on being gone long."

"Don't worry so much, I'm sure they probably just got caught up in whatever it is they're doing."

"I guess you're right," Heiji said setting his phone aside. "I'll give them a little longer before giving them a call."

"Before I forget," Tim said looking to Dick. "One of us needs to call Bruce and have him work from the other end."

Dick looked up from where he had been sorting the hardware, a little confused by what he meant.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," Dick said. "Which subject are you referring to?"

"The only company associated with ROTI is none other than LexCorp," Tim informed. "If Lex is up to something Bruce would want to know."

"As would Big Blue himself," Dick added. "I'll give them both a call right away."

He looked to the other two as he exited.

"Don't budge, I'll only be a minute."

The doors closed behind him, everything falling silent to the room. Tim continued his hunt for information on ROTI with both Heiji and Conan to his side. Not surprising they gained similar results they'd already received.

"It's looking more and more likely I'll be paying Bondo yet another visit."

Conan's phone rang seconds later, taking a step away from the computer to answer it. The conversation only lasted for a few moments, dropping his phone back into place once finished.

"Who was that?" Heiji asked.

"It was Ran," Conan replied. "She said they're running late, but seemed sure they'd be back to the house in the next twenty."

"If we start walking now we should arrive around the same time as them," Heiji said looking to his watch. "What do you say Kudo?"  

"Are you going to come along Tim," Conan asked. "We're at somewhat of a dead end as it is."

"Give me a little longer, there's still a couple things I need to check up on."

The door reopened in the following seconds with Dick rejoining the three.

"Did you get ahold of them?" Tim asked.

"Neither answered," Dick said. "They're probably just busy, but I did leave the both of them a message."

"That'll be good enough for now."

"We're going to head out now," Heiji said. "We'll try to catch the two of you later."

"Heiji when do you plan on going back to Osaka?"

"Tomorrow evening some time." Heiji replied. "Why do you ask?"

"There's something I want you to look into," Tim said. "I'll let you know once you're back home."

"Sure thing, anything to help."

"Let's go, we better hurry before they get there before we do." Conan said.

"We'll be in touch." Dick said.

Conan and Heiji nodded before walking through the doors. Another minute passed, Tim finally deciding to give the search a break. He pushed up from the chair, pulling his phone from within his pocket while navigating to his contacts. He stared to the number, hesitant on whether he should call or not.

"You ok Tim?" Dick asked putting everything back to the bag.

"Just contemplating on whether or not to call Salvonte."

"Tough choice, especially if he has something to hide," Dick said. "But if it were me, I'd just go down and visit the place."

"Easier said than done, it's not like they'll just let me in."

"Sure they will," Dick said zipping the bag shut. "You're already friends with Mr. Salvonte, not to mention having the Wayne name pinned to your corner."

"Good point Dick, I might just do that."

"Always glad to help," Dick said tossing the bag to his shoulder. "I have a few things I need to take care of before I leave tomorrow morning, but I'll be back tonight once I'm done."

"See you then."

They had moved at a quick pace, arriving to the house after about twenty minutes. Conan opened the front door, the two walking in to see Kogoro darting out of his office in the opposite direction. The two looked to one another, both turning around to follow after him.

"Kogoro where are you going?" Conan called as they advanced to the side of him.

"I just finished speaking with Megure over the phone, it seems there's been another incident."

"Let me guess, the blade killer strikes again." Heiji said.

"That's what I was told."

"Hope you don't mind us tagging along," Heiji said tapping Conan on the shoulder. "I'd like to have a look myself."

"Fine with me," Kogoro said in acceptance. "Who knows what we'll see this time."

"I don't think I even want to know." Conan thought to himself.

They waited for a cab to arrive which didn't take very long. Tension was high the whole way there, and with good reason. The last time they had been called to a scene regarding this blade killer, they had been left breathless, stunned even. The cab arrived to the station, parking a couple yards from the entrance.

"Think we're dealing with more multiple homicides?" Heiji asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me, but let's hope not."

Conan trailed closely behind with his phone in hand, keeping a lookout for any potential calls from Ran or any of his friends. The three entered the room to find Juzo standing to the window, gazing up to the clouds.

"Surprised not to see a body laying around." Kogoro said. "Where'd the crime take place this time?"

"Check the desk."

He was a little confused by this, but did as told. Kogoro looked down to find a set of pictures, taking the stash into his hand.

"It happened right outside of a gas station." Juzo informed looking away from the window.

"Mouri let me have a look." Heiji said holding his hand out.

He took a few seconds to look it over as well, feeling a tug at his leg.

"Hey Heiji," Conan whispered. "Let me take a look after you're done."

He flipped to the last picture, taking a moment to digest it all before handing it down to Conan who gave them all a look as well. What he saw was not what he was expecting, not in the least.

"One clean cut to the neck, that's it," Conan thought. "Every other victim had several wounds to the body, why the sudden change?"

That was the most obvious difference he had seen.

"Inspector Megure, did the culprit leave behind a message like he did with the other killings?" Conan asked.

"As a matter a fact he did," Juzo confirmed. "But not as direct as any of the others."

"Not as direct," Kogoro questioned with a step forward. "What did he write this time?"

"10," Juzo replied. "That's the only thing that was left to the paper."

"Hmm, that's not very much to go off of," Kogoro said. "You think it's some kind of code."

"Could be, but that would mean they're not done yet." Heiji said.

Kogoro immediately looked his way.

"What do you mean by that?"

"If it truly is some kind of code, they'll probably kill again," Heiji replied. "This time adding another piece to the puzzle, another number perhaps."

"Now I get it." Juzo said.

"So who's the next target," Kogoro questioned. "Another officer?"

"That's a variable that has remained consistent throughout," Heiji said with a nod. "I wouldn't bet against it."

"First that Red Cardinal, now this," Kogoro said tossing his hands up. "I can only imagine what's next."  

Conan cleared his throat, stepping up to Kogoro's side.

"It's Red Robin," Conan corrected. "Not Red Cardinal."

"Does it really matter?" Kogoro muttered.

He looked back down to the pictures, checking to see if there was anything additional that could lead to something. From what he could tell everything else was left untouched.
"Megure where is the body now?" Heiji asked.

"Already taken in for an autopsy," Juzo replied. "They'll give us all the details once they have them."

"That can't happen fast enough," Kogoro said. "If what Hattori says is true than we don't have a lot of time before the killer strikes again."

"True, but we can't exactly pin point a target," Juzo said. "We don't have enough to go off of."

"And the killer knows this, almost feels like this is a game to him," Conan thought. "What I want to know is if this guy still has it out for RR, after all he was the one to leave that message behind at the bowling center."

Heiji looked to Conan who returned the favor, it was clear they had the same thing to mind.

"We'll try the best we can Megure," Kogoro stated. "Even though we have such little to work with."

"That's all I ask." Juzo said.

"Come on," Kogoro said walking for the door. "There's not much we can do by just standing here."

Heiji and Conan followed after him, leaving the door open on their way out. Kogoro brought a hand to his chin, trying to think of all the possibilities the 'ten' could be referring to.

"Looks like we have more than our work cut out for us." Heiji thought to himself.

The ride back was just as quiet. They knew the clock was ticking, if they didn't find out what the '10' meant someone else was to die. Once they arrived Kogoro took too his office, Heiji and Conan continuing up the stairs. They could hear the TV running as they opened the door, finding the three of them sitting in front of the TV.

"What were you two doing up at the station?" Kazuha asked being the first to sight them.

"I'm glad to see you got my message," Heiji said. "Another man was killed, we believe it to be the same guy who killed those officers."

"I wonder why it's taking them so long to find this guy." Ran said sitting up.

"You two arrived back at the perfect time," Sonoko said. "We were just about to head down to a party."

"Tim's coming as well." Kazuha said.

"How do you know that?" Heiji asked.

"I just finished speaking with him over the phone," Kazuha replied. "He said he'd meet us there in about an hour."

A smirk formed too Conan's face in the seconds following.

"I hope none of them plan on holding their breaths on that one."

The day had come and gone. Most of the stars were covered by the many clouds that roamed to the night sky. He found himself with a different routine on this particular night, laying to his back with the extention of the weights in his grasp. Each muscle cringed with each push, not allowing himself to give in. The automatic doors to the room slid open, Tim glimpsing over to see Dick step in.

"Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything." Dick said coming to a stop a few feet away.

"Nah, you're good," Tim said setting the bar back into place. "Just keeping my body on schedule."

"As I can see," Dick said. "Thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing before I head out in the morning."

Tim sat up from where his back lay, stretching his arms in the process.

"A little exhausted, but I'll live," Tim said noticing a slip of paper to his hand. "What's that there?"

"The address to my apartment," Dick replied laying it next to the computer mouse. "That way you know where to find me, though it will be empty for a few days until I get back."

"You hear back from Clark or Bruce?"

Dick's eyes widened, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"Oops, forgot to turn it back on," Dick said doing just that. "Was concentrating on a lot of things going on, had my phone off for most of the day."

"You don't have to tell me," Tim said. "I know all about that."

"I figured you would," Dick said turning for the exit. "I have a few last things to do, but don't be afraid to call me if you need anything."

"Of course."

"And try not to pull anymore TV tricks," Dick warned. "We both know who'll being paying you a visit if you do."

"Don't plan on it." Tim said assuringly.

Dick smiled in return, leaving him to finish up what he'd been doing.

"What a week it's been."

The clouds continued to dominate the sky for the remainder of the night, slowly drifting away at the crack of dawn. The sun shined down as he walked, keeping him awake from his lack of energy to go to school. On the bright side, after two days he'd be out Wednesday through Friday. He came upon the school yard, feeling someone bump to the side of him.

"Hey Conan," Mitsuhiko said. "Tried calling you yesterday, where were you?"

"Down at some party." Conan replied.

"Did you have fun?"

"It wasn't to bad," Conan said. "But I did get a little bored after awhile."

"Happens to me all the time."

"What movie did you guys go to see," Conan asked. "Sorry I wasn't able to come, had a lot to do at the time."

"We decided not to go," Mitsuhiko informed. "We plan on going next week instead, maybe you can join us when we do."

"Fine by me," Conan said. "Any idea where the others are, it's not like them to go straight to class."

"Your guess is good as mine."

The two looked around for a couple seconds, having no luck in finding them.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Mitsuhiko said. "In the mean time I want to tell you about this creepy man I saw walking outside my window last night."

"Oh boy, this should be good."

Much went through his mind as he walked the halls that morning. He could see her from the side of his eye, not sure if he should stop and explain or try avoiding her for the day. Option two was quickly tossed away, being the fact he had two classes with her.

"And here we go."

She looked away from her locker at the sound of someone coming to a stop at the side of her. She glared instantly to challenge the grin to his face.

"Where were you yesterday," Sonoko snapped. "We waited hours for you to show."

"Sonoko I.."

"You could have at least had the curtesy to call and let us know you weren't coming."

"I was."

"You didn't even bother to answer when I tried to call," Sonoko said cutting him off once more. "You had us worried, is that how it is for all your friends?"

Tim reached to the side of Sonoko, slamming her locker shut, causing her to slightly jump.

"What was that for, I wasn't done getting my stuff for class!"

"I was actually hoping I could get your attention," Tim replied. "Which I seem to have finally gotten."

"What now," Sonoko questioned while crossing her arms. "You plan on giving me one of your excuses."

"No, all I can say is that I was busy."

"So that's all you came to tell me?"

He dropped his hands to the sides of his pocket, taking a few seconds to gather in what he was to say.

"Tell me Sonoko," Tim said looking directly to her. "Do you have any plans past Tuesday?"

"I don't think so," Sonoko said giving it a seconds thought. "...Why do you ask?"

"I plan on going west for a few days," Tim replied. "Shoji has a show Friday night, said he'd love it if you could make it."

"You talked with him?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Tim stated. "So what do you say Sonoko, you wanna come along?"

She paused, turning back to her locker. He waited for a response, watching as she reopened it while grabbing the things she needed for class.

"Is that a yes, or a no?"

"I'll think about it." Sonoko finally answered.

She took off to class, not saying another word the whole way there.

"At least she didn't say no." Tim thought with the grin coming back to his face.

He spent most of the day with his head leveled to the desk, relieved to hear the sound of the final bell of the day spring wide.

"Finally, don't know how much more I could have taken."

Conan slid all his supplies into his bag before jumping down from his seat. He was one of the first out of class, looking to the ground as he walked.

"You sure were in a hurry to leave class, and by your posture I'd say something's on your mind."

Conan turned to find Ai just a few feet behind. He allowed for her to catch up before continuing to walk.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing really," Conan said. "Just a lot of the same that's been building up in the past few days."

"I did a little cross referencing between the two companies."

"What were you able to find?" Conan asked.

"More questions than answers," Ai said in response. "Both spend a lot of time in research, just for completely different things."

"Thus making a merger or partnership seem a little out of place," Conan said. "Looks like we've reached another road block."

"Unless," Ai said giving it some thought. "Maybe they plan on using this merger as an extention, both sides would gain new resources in the process."

"You could be right," Conan said. "Great thinking Haibara."

"If that truly is the case, then why," Ai questioned. "What could each party be hoping to gain."

"After being held captive at ROTI, I think it's something we should find out."

"Completely agreed," Ai commented. "Though information has been hard to come by linking the two."

"Which just means we'll have to keep looking harder."

"I'll see what I can do."

The two pushed through the front doors, amazed to see the other three standing to the corner already waiting.

"Wow," Conan remarked. "They were fast today, didn't even see them go by."

"That's probably because you were walking with your head fixated to the ground." Ai reminded.

"Even then, they're still usually not out this quick." Conan said. "What about Agasa, has he found anything."

"He knows just about as much as we do."

"With any luck, maybe he found something while we were in school." Conan said.

"That mean you're coming with me?"

"You know it."

They reached the rest of the group soon after.

He sat to the desk with a pencil in hand, not able to escape what most other teens couldn't.

"With all that's happening, homework is the least of my interests."

He continued working through the packet, hearing a knock to the door fifteen minutes in. Tim stood to his feet, walking over and pulling the door open.

"Heiji, what are you doing here?"

"Thought I'd stop by one last time before I head back to Osaka later tonight."

"Glad you did," Tim said stepping to the side. "Come on in."

Heiji accepted his invite, the door closing behind him once.

"I'm actually a little surprised you're here," Heiji admitted. "Expected you to be down in your little base."

"Did you now?"

"Have you heard from Dick yet?"

"He hasn't called as of yet," Tim replied. "I'd imagine he's still getting situated."

"Makes sense," Heiji said. "So what are you doing in here anyway, thought you'd be trying to crack the code written to the paper."

"Homework has a way of swaying plans," Tim said. "As soon as I'm done, I plan on heading up to ROTI labs."

"Nice going," Heiji said. "How'd you get the privilege for something like that?"

"Nothing a few phone calls couldn't do," Tim answered. "So are you coming with?"

"You can count me in," Heiji accepted. "I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Good," Tim said sitting back to the desk. "I'll only be a few more minutes, sit tight."

It had been quiet throughout the house for most of the day, only the sound of the occasional car driving by could be heard. The front door opening alarmed him, looking away from the computer to see the two of them approaching.

"Shinichi, I'm glad to see that you came," Hiroshi said. "Where are the rest of your friends?"

"They went home," Conan replied. "We all have to gather information for our presentations tomorrow."

"Oh, I see."

"Did you happen to come by any new information?" Conan asked.

"You'll be pleased to know that I have." Hiroshi said.

"We're all ears Doc."

Dr. Agasa reached across his body, grabbing a printed sheet which lay to the desk. With the turn of the chair he handed the paper down to the two, to look over.

"What is this?" Ai asked looking at the numbers listed.

"They're funds to an account," Hiroshi answered. "An account shared by both LexCorp and ROTI."

"Over two million was just added," Ai said looking to the paper once more. "What could they be planning to do with all that money?"

"That's a really good question." Conan said

A long silence came between the three. What was this account being used for. Anything involving money was big, especially being the high amounts in this case. Hiroshi did some additional searching in the hours following. Unfortunately he came up empty handed, each try more frustrating than the last. The sun set in the distance, Conan looking down to his wrist to find he had completely lost track of time.

"What now?" Ai questioned.

"We come back and try again tomorrow," Conan replied. "It's the only thing we can really do at this point."

He grabbed his bag from where it sat, strapping it back to his shoulders.

"Keep working that account angle Agasa," Conan said. "I'll take my search elsewhere."

Ai walked him all the way across the room, holding the door open once there.

"Are you going to be ok," Ai asked. "You seem a little uptight with this whole thing."

"Don't worry about me Haibara," Conan said with a smile. "Nothing a little sleep can't fix."

He turned to walk, only managing a couple steps before stopped by the sound of her voice.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about your part of the research."

Conan smiled once more, taking back too his path home.

"What would I do without her?"

Conan kept a clear mind the whole way there, something he'd struggled to do for the past few days. Once in he skipped up the stairs, opening the door to see Ran and Sonoko discussing something at the table.

"Conan," Ran said surprised to see him. "I didn't even know you were out."

"Did you just get in?" Conan asked.

"That's right," Ran said with the nod of her head. "Just got back from seeing both Kazuha and Heiji off."

"We thought you might have wanted to come," Sonoko said. "But you weren't around when we left."

"Sonoko," Ran said giving her friend a tug. "Why don't you tell Conan about your little planned trip."

"I haven't even decided if I'm going to go." Sonoko said looking away.

"What trip?"

"Tim invited her to go and see one of Shoji's shows," Ran replied. "Down west somewhere."

"Tim wanting to go somewhere with Sonoko, now that was unexpected."

"Can we drop the subject," Sonoko asked. "I'd rather talk about something else."

Conan felt a vibration to his pocket, looking down to see an incoming call from Tim. He placed it back into his pocket, quickly thinking up a plan.

"I just forgot," Conan said with a laugh. "I left a few of my school supplies in Kogoro's office."

"He should still be down there," Ran said. "Try not to disturb him when you go, he's not really in a good mood."

"I won't," Conan said turning for the door. "I'll only be but a few moments."

He exited the room once more, slowly pouncing down the stairs as not to make any noise. Conan glimpsed into the room to see Kogoro with his head rested to the desk.

"Mission success."  

With that Conan walked through the front door, heading into the darkness of the night. He didn't get very far, hearing a voice whisper out to him. He turned to his side, watching as he stepped from behind one of the trees.

"Didn't want you to have to go all the way to the apartment." Tim said approaching.

"So, you and Sonoko huh," Conan said with a smirk. "Thought you weren't interested in her."

"Get your head out of the dog house Kudo," Tim stated. "It's nothing like that."

"What was so important that promoted you to call?" Conan asked.

"Heiji and I headed back up to ROTI," Tim informed. "We were given a tour by one of the many doctors working there."

"Finally, some more good news," Conan said delighted to hear. "What were you able to find?"

"Everything seemed pretty normal for a facility of that kind," Tim replied. "That's not to say they didn't clean up shop after that little incident."

"Wouldn't put it past them."

"Regardless, I managed to get ahold of two empty containers," Tim informed. "They hadn't been washed out, I plan on analyzing them both tomorrow."

"Good work." Conan commented.

"What about you," Tim asked. "Were you able to learn anything on the matter?"

"Dr. Agasa was able to find an account which is shared by both companies," Conan stated. "Over two million dollars was recently added."

"A rather light amount when it comes to Luthor," Tim said. "But that doesn't mean they won't add more, any idea what they're using the account for?"

Conan shook his head from side to side.

"That's yet to be discovered."

"Keep me posted," Tim said turning away. "Better let you go, don't want Ran to become suspicious of your whereabouts."

Conan nodded in agreement.

"Of course."

It had been piercing to the mind, he felt he had to say something, hiding it away was becoming to much for him to contain.

"Tim... can I tell you something?"

He looked back, giving him his full attention.

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"It's about when we were held captive," Conan began. "It's just that, I..."

He pulled back, knowing he wasn't quite ready to talk about it.

"It's ok," Tim said turning for the street once more. "You can tell me as soon as you feel you're ready, and I'll be there to listen."

He watched him as he walked, turning back for the door after losing sight of him to the shadows.

"Hopefully I haven't taken too long, the last thing I need is to rise suspicion."

Conan stepped through the front door, looking in to see Kogoro to the same position he had been when he'd gone out. With that obstacle out of the way Conan headed back up the stairs, not planning on any more activities for the rest of the night.

To Be Continued














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