Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Detective Prince ❯ Assist from the Hatted Man ( Chapter 67 )

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

The Detective Prince
Chapter 67
Assist from the Hatted Man

That was the question that lingered on his mind as he watched him from a distance, taking note on every move he made.

"What exactly is he doing over there?"

"I better go have another word with him, he obviously didn't get the message the first time around." The security guard said.

Just as he began to walk forward the sound of the door from behind swinging open caused him to stop, turning to see a number of police officers enter the room along with the head man himself. Bruce stepped aside as they approached, not wanting to be in the midst of it all.

"Commissioner James Gordon," The security guard said as they stopped before him. "I wasn't expecting you'd be coming as well."

"It's not every night an incident like this occurs at the city hall," James said in response. "Something like this calls for my attention."

"Can't argue that."

"Has anyone been released?"

"Not at this point in time."

"Good, I want written statements from everyone on what they were doing leading up to the black out," James said. "Once that is taken care of then, and only then will anyone be allowed to leave, is that understood?"

"Loud and clear Commissioner," He said with the nod of his head. "If there's any place to start, I'd start with that man over there."

"Who is he?" James asked after spotting him examining the broken glass case.

"Don't know to tell you the truth," The security guard replied. "But ever since things started, he seems to be trying to run his own little investigation."

"I'll have a word with him, in the mean time I want you to go retrieve the surveillance camera from the roof," James instructed. "If the thief in fact used that as their escape route we should have a visual on them."

"I'll get on it right away."

Without further question he took off.

"You two with me," James said to to two officers at his side. "I want the rest of you to begin collecting written statements."

They nodded before heading off as well. Commissioner Gordon along with the two police officers made their way toward the glass case. Bruce followed from a few feet away, wanting to find out who this man was just as much as they wanted.

"This is it."

They didn't get far before being engaged by Aileen who was standing directly in front of the glass case.

"Are you here to help find out what happened?"

"That's the plan," James replied. "Are you the one who was hosting this bidding event?"

"Me and three others." Aileen confirmed.

"What about him," James asked pointing to the man looking over the broken glass case. "Was he helping to host this whole thing?"

"No, he's actually here to help find out what happened," Aileen said. "I thought he was with your unit, he claims he's a detective."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"I just don't understand how someone was able to break the glass case."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's made out of tempered glass," Aileen informed. "Much stronger than anything you normally come across."

"I'll see what I can find out."

She stepped to the side from there, allowing for the three of them to step around the table to the other side. He was kneeled down with his sights set to the broken glass upon the ground as they approached. James raised his hand which signaled for the two of them to come to a stop. It didn't take long for him to notice their presence, smiling as he continued his examination of the glass.

"Eight minutes and thirty two seconds," The hatted man stated. "You guys move quickly, I wasn't anticipating your arrival for at least another six minutes."

"Would you mind standing to your feet?"

"Not at all." He said with full cooperation.

"So tell me," James asked looking directly into his eyes. "Who are you?"

He continued to listen on from a few feet away, moving in closer to hear what was being said between the two.

"I'm a detective."

"So I've heard," James said not one bit sold. "Do you have a name, I'm going to need it if I'm going to clarify what you've just claimed."

"Now for the moment of truth." Bruce anxiously thought to himself.

He reached for the tip of his cap, slightly tilting it upward as a grin became visible across his face.

"Hattori," He replied. "Heiji Hattori."

"Hattori huh, I don't believe I've ever heard of you."

"No big surprise, I'm not exactly from around here," Heiji informed. "In fact, I just arrived a little over two hours ago."

"So you say," James said taking a step forward. "How about we drop the shenanigans and jump straight the point, who are you really?"  

"I've already told you."

"So I see you're sticking with the whole detective bit," James said becoming impatient. "You said you're not from around here, so tell me.. where are you from?"

"Osaka Japan." Someone said from behind.

It caused the four of them to spin around, watching as he came to a stop before them.

"Mr. Wayne," James said in surprise. "What are you doing here, I didn't see your name on the guest list."

"It was a last minute thing."

"You just said he was from Japan, is that true?"

"That is correct."

"He also claims to be a detective."

"That is also true," Bruce confirmed dropping a hand to Heiji's right shoulder. "I've read up on some of the cases he's handled, you'd be wise to let him help you solve this one as well."

"I'll have to get word from the Osaka police department first," James stated. "If they clear what you've said, I might just consider it."

"Would you like me to go retrieve the number for you?" The officer to the left of him asked.

"That will be just fine," James said before turning back to Heiji. "I won't be gone long, I want you to stay here until I return, got it?"

"I won't move an inch." Heiji assured.

"You two," James said looking to the officers next to him. "Come with me."

The three of them headed back to the other side of the room, leaving the two of them alone for the first time.

"So you're Bruce Wayne, it's good to finally meet you," Heiji said looking up at him. "Oh, and nice save by the way."

"Don't mention it," Bruce said in response. "So tell me, what brings you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"What are you doing here in Gotham?"

"Grayson didn't tell you?"

"Never mind that," Bruce said. "Where is he now?"

"He was supposed to go park the car, been waiting for him ever since."

"We might not see him for awhile, at least not until this whole thing is cleared."

"You're right, no one's allowed to leave and I doubt they'll let anyone else in unless they're here to help with the investigation," Heiji stated. "You said that you didn't know I'd be here, so how'd you know who I was?"

"I recognized your name when you were speaking with Gordon, not to mention your accent," Bruce replied. "It shouldn't take very long for them to come back, in the mean time you stay here."

"What about you," Heiji questioned. "Where are you going?"

"To find where the fuse box is located," Bruce answered. "There's always a chance something from inside that room triggered the lights to go off."

"My thoughts exactly."

"I won't be gone long." Bruce said as he turned to walk.

"Hold on," Heiji said. "Do you think they'll actually let you leave this room?"

"As long as I have a police escort with me, I don't see why not."

"Makes sense," Heiji said. "Tell me what you're able to find, I'll keep an eye on things here."

"I trust that you will."

He wondered off from there, heading over to the right side of the room where a police officer could be seen gaining information from of few bystanders who surrounded him.

"Excuse me," Bruce said walking up to his side while glimpsing down at his name tag. "Officer Celek, there's something the Commissioner asks of you."

He turned away from those jotting down their written statements, giving Bruce his full attention.

"What is it Gordon needs me to do?"

"He wanted me to tell you to go check out the room where the fuse box is," Bruce replied. "The lights went out before the glass shattered, he wants to know if it had anything to do with the fuse box."

"But I thought that was Earl's assignment," Officer Celek said looking down at his watch. "He should be here any minute now."

"That's just the thing," Bruce said stepping forward. "He's run into somewhat of a traffic jam, which resulted in Gordon appointing you to the task in his place."

"I see," Officer Celek said before tuning back to the others in front of him. "I want you all to continue with your statements, I'll be back to collect them shortly."

With that he turned for the right side of the room, heading straight for the door on the opposite side. Bruce followed him once again.

"Would you mind if I came along?"

"I don't think Commissioner Gordon would approve of that."

"I could help you," Bruce stated. "I'm relatively good when it comes to Electronic Mechanics."

"And it's not exactly my strong suite," Officer Celek said giving it some thought. "I'll tell you what, you can come along, but we keep this between you and me."

"Fair enough."

It didn't take long to make their way across the room, coming to a stop after reaching the side door. Officer Celek was the first to make his way past the door, entering a long hallway that spanned from one side to the other.

"Which way do we go from here?" Bruce asked after quietly closing the door from behind.

"To the right," Officer Celek said leading the way. "It's just at the end of this hall."

He took no time in following him, making sure he kept pace the whole way through. There were noticeable portraits along the wall as they walked, just like there had been in the main hall. The lights that filled the room were rather dim in comparison with the ones that occupied the foyer.

"We're here." Officer Celek said as they came upon a large door.

He reached for the knob, forcing the stiff door to the side with minimal effort. It was dark, making it hard to see anything in the room. He reached to the side, flipping up the light switch only to have nothing happen in the process.

"Looks like the light burned out on us." Officer Celek said reaching for the belt strapped around his waist.

"Just our luck."

"Not to worry," Officer Celek assured. "I've got my handy flash light here, never leave home with out it."

"I'm glad to see you've come prepared."

"I try to anyway," Officer Celek said before handing him the flash light. "You can hold onto while I look over the fuse box."

The two of them stepped into the room from there, listening to the door clamp shut from behind. He flashed the light from side to side as they searched the spaced out room. It didn't take long for them to catch sight of the fuse box on the wall directly in front of them.

"Here we are," Officer Celek said walking forward. "Make sure you keep a steady grip, I need that light shining nice and bright."

"That won't be a problem." Bruce said taking aim.

The sound of his phone buzzing from the side of his belt put everything on hold, taking the time to see an incoming call from the station.

"I have to take this," Officer Celek said walking back toward the door. "This won't take long."

He headed out from there, letting the door close on his way out.

"Nows my chance to find out what happened."

He moved forward, inching closer to the fuse box with each step taken. He dropped to a knee once reaching it, taking the time to give it an in depth examination.

"Doesn't look like anything has been tampered with."

He placed his hand onto the cold concrete wall, trailing his hand downward. About halfway down his hand came into contact with something, flashing the light into place.

"Looks like a piece of ripped tape, but what's it doing here?"

He then took his attention to the upper wall, paticularly right over the lever next to the fuse box. It didn't take long for him to discover yet another small ripped piece of tape hanging a few inches up.

"I'd say this is more than just a coincidence."  

He left both pieces of tape in position, pending further investigation. From there he rested the side of his hand atop the lever, feeling a sleek wetness.

"I wonder how that got there." Bruce said standing back to his feet.

He then took the time to search the rest of the room, finding a faint trail of foot prints leading out the door.

"I'd say someone was in here before Officer Celek and I arrived, and recently," Bruce thought to himself. "The lever is still wet, and now these visible foot prints, something must have been spilled in here."

Everything was slowly beginning to come together. He continued his search of the room, keeping his sights set to the ground as he came upon a small piece of glass. He stuck it into his jacket after taking a few moments to look it over. There was still one place he had not looked, focusing his attention to the ceiling.

"Looks like there wasn't a light bulb in place to begin with," Bruce said. "If someone did indeed come in here to shut off the lights, they would have needed some kind of light to create a clear path to the fuse box."  

It was then that he heard the ring of the codec piece in his ear, which prompted him to press down on it.

"What's going on in there, I've been trying to contact you for the past couple minutes."  

"Sorry, something has come up."

"I'd say so, I kinda figured that much when the lights went out for that brief period of time."

"The window that was shattered on the left side of the building, did you see anyone come out?"

"Not at all," Tim replied. "The window fell to pieces, and that was it."

"That's what I thought."

"What about the woman," Tim asked. "Were you able to ever find her?"

"That's been put on hold for the time being."

"What about the man with the cap you mentioned," Tim asked. "Have you been keeping tabs on him?"

"More than that," Bruce stated. "Turns out he's a detective all the way from Osaka Japan, I'm sure you know him well enough."

"What," Tim exclaimed in surprise. "What's Heiji doing here?!"

"I didn't have the time to discuss that with him," Bruce replied. "Maybe you can have a word with him when we're all finished here."

"Do I ever know anything?"

"This came as a surprise to me as much as it did to you," Bruce said. "I have some critical thinking to do, so I'm going to have to let you go."

"What's going on in there anyway?"

"Don't worry, we've got it covered," Bruce assuringly said. "You just keep on the look out, there's no telling what else might happen out there."

"All covered."

"Good, I'll talk to you soon."

He turned at the sound of someone approaching from the other side of the wall, watching as the door slowly slid open.

"Sorry, I didn't know it'd take that long," Officer Celek said rejoining him. "Did you find anything note worthy?"

"I think it would be better if you took a look yourself officer."

"And I will, but right now they've asked for my assistance back in the main room," Officer Celek said. "That means you'll have to come with me, I'd hate for anyone to becoming suspicious upon finding you alone in here."

"I don't think either of us would want that," Bruce said making his way out. "You lead the way."

They headed back into the direction they had come, coming to a stop after reaching the door near the other end of the hall.

"Before I forget," Bruce said holding out the flash light. "I better return this, I appreciate you letting me use it."

"Any time."

They made their way back in, coming to find most of the commotion that had been going on earlier had settled in for the most part. He took the time to skim the room, catching sight of Heiji who stood across the room with a notepad in hand. He maneuvered around a few people who stood around, walking up to Heiji who looked up just in time to see him come to a stop before him.

"How'd things go with the fuse box?"

"Something defiantly went on in there," Bruce replied. "To what extent is a mystery, there was a minimal of light in the room so it made it hard to really see what was set up, if anything."

"Enlighten me," Heiji said becoming interested. "Tell me exactly what you saw."

"You first," Bruce stated. "I'd like to know what you've been jotting down in that book of yours."  

Before another word could be spoken between the two, the sound of someone whistling out from the side of them instantly caused them to spin around.

"Why are you slacking off," Commissioner Gordon asked as he approached along with two other police officers at his side. "We've got a case to solve."

"So does that mean?"

"That's right kid, you've been cleared to help with this investigation," James confirmed. "We caught your father over the phone at a perfect time, he just awoke not too long ago."

"What did he say?" Heiji asked.

"We didn't talk very long, but he spoke very highly of you," James said. "And with that in mind, I've set a high standard for you in accordance with his wishes."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good, now what do you say we start with interviewing each of the promoters of tonights event."

"Already taken care of," Heiji said holding up the notepad in his hand. "I took the liberty of getting written statements from each of them during your brief absence."

"A quick worker I see, great trait to have," James commented. "So what were you able to find out?"

"We'll start with Mr. Boomer," Heiji began. "He claims to have moved here from San Francisco a couple months ago."

"That's a long way from the west coast." Officer Celek stated.

"According to him, he helps with a lot of promotions," Heiji informed. "Particularly with theater and magic shows."

"I see," James said. "What about the others?"

"Then you have Catheron Edelman, the CMO for the company she's currently working at."

"CMO?" Officer Celek questioned.

"Chief Marketing Officer," Heiji clarified. "Aileen simply works as her assistant in that department."

"And how long has that been for?" James asked.

"A little over two years now," Heiji said before looking down to the notepad for reference. "Last you have Matthew Thompson, the CCO, or chief creative officer of the company."

"What about their statements," James asked. "Do any of them recall seeing, or hearing anything before or after the lights went out?"

"Sorry, but no," Heiji replied. "They all said the same thing, once the window was shattered it caused the four of them to jump from their seats."

"Leaving the glass case open for the thief to make his move."

"About that," Heiji said dropping the notepad into his pocket. "There was no clear path for someone to get to and take the diamond, so how were they able to make their way through the dark room without bumping into anyone?"

"You're sure that's not the case?"

"Positive," Heiji nodded. "I already asked several of the guests if they came into contact with anyone rushing by in the dark."

"That's a good question you pose." James said giving it some thought.

He then turned to walk, letting them absorb in what they had just learned. No one knew where he was going, but decided to follow him none the less. They didn't come to a stop until reaching the glass case where the diamond had been taken from.

"What are we doing here," James asked. "We've already got down everything we need to know."

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you take a closer look Commissioner," Heiji said. "Particularly around the area where the glass was shattered."

He stepped back from there, allowing both Gordon and Celek the chance to get a closer look. At first he wasn't sure what he should be looking for, then he felt it. Around the edges of where a margin of glass used to be, he felt a certain stickiness. It took a few moments for him to realize what it was.

"Is that... glue?" James questioned.

"That's right Commissioner," Heiji confirmed. "I found traces of it on some of the shards of glass on the ground as well."

"But what does it mean?" Officer Celek questioned.

"It means someone glued a different type of glass into place, that would explain why they were able to shatter it in the first place."

"What do you mean?" Officer Celek asked.

"I overheard what Aileen said about the glass," Heiji stated. "Tempered glass, that's what type of glass the case is made of."

"Tempered glass?"

"Nearly five times stronger than normal glass," Heiji replied. "You'd probably know it better by its more common name, safety glass."

James's immediately looked to the ground, his eyes widening after laying his eyes on the glass across the ground.

"What's wrong?" Officer Celek asked coming to his side.

"It's the pieces of glass," Heiji answered. "If you have something strong enough to break tempered glass, it typically doesn't shatter into bits like you see here, maybe small pebbles but never shards."

"So what does this all mean?" Officer Celek questioned.

"I think it's self explanatory at this point," James said looking over at him. "The part of the case that was shattered is of a different kind of glass, that would explain the small amounts of Loctite we found around the edges."

"So you're saying someone intentionally glued in a weaker type of glass?"

"Exactly."

"Not only that," Heiji said jumping back into the fray. "They knew exactly where the diamond would be, right where they wanted it."

"So what are you saying?" Officer Celek asked.

"It's quite simple, this whole thing was set up before any of us even arrived tonight," Heiji stated. "Which means our thief is one of four people, it can only be one of the hosters of tonights bidding event."

"Are you sure," Officer Celek asked. "Do you really think they would steal from their own company?"

"It happens all the time with many other large companies," Heiji said. "It's defiantly one of them, all the evidence points in that direction."

"Do you have a good idea who it is?" James asked.

"As a matter a fact I do," Heiji replied. "I can't be one hundred percent sure, but if we check their belongings we should find the missing diamond."

"You think they would actually hide it in such an easy place where it could be discovered?" Another police officer asked.

"Let's remember they weren't expecting we would include them as suspects," Heiji said. "The one responsible was probably anticipating we would release them before we had a chance to suspect them."

"Well what are we waiting for," James stated. "Bring them all on over, I want to have a full search of their belongings."

"Right away sir." Officer Celek said before running off to go and retrieve the four of them.

He found himself taken in with all that he had heard, more than impressed with what was unfolding.

"He's showing flashes of excellence, it's rare to find someone this disciplined and precise with each and every one of their deductions," Bruce thought to himself. "... He might just be as good as the other one."

Everything had fallen into a complete darkness, yet part of his mind seemed to have remained conscious through it all. With little circulating through the mind his eyes peaked open, not aware of where he was. He sat up from where he laid, turning his head from one side of the room to the other. It was nearly pitch dark, making it nearly impossible to figure out where he was. It wasn't until the door to the left of him cracked open that he remembered where he was.

"I see you've finally awoken."

"Alfred," Conan said repositioning himself. "What happened."

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Alfred replied. "When I first arrived you were unconscious, with a body temperature roughly around 115."

"Really?"

"Strangely enough after I went to go and get a wet rag to place over your head, things shifted by the time I returned," Alfred informed. "Your temperature as well as your heart rate dropped back down to normal standards."

"It doesn't get any weider than that."

"Indeed," Alfred said. "I want you to stay in bed for the rest of the night, no use in taking the chance of any kind of relapse."

"What about Bruce," Conan asked. "Did he come back with you?"

"He's actually still at the city hall," Alfred replied. "I'm sure he's doing just fine."

"Better than being stuck here, I hate missing out on all the action."

"I think you've had enough to last you for the rest of the night," Alfred said. "Now, get some sleep."

"You won't hear a peep out of me." Conan said before laying back.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

He closed the door from there, leaving him to the darkness of the room yet again. He rested his hands to the back of his head as he laid there, rehashing what had happened leading up to this point.

"I feel fine now, great even," Conan thought. "But what happened, what caused me to become so drained earlier?"

To Be Continued

  


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