Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Detective Prince ❯ Hunt For The Box ( Chapter 24 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: SSJBowser 
Caught in act
Anime/Manga: Case Closed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.28.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 327 | Status: Completed
Caught in act
Anime/Manga: Case Closed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.28.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 327 | Status: Completed
The Detective Prince
Chapter 24
Hunt For The Box
Conan watched in wait as Tim pulled the laptop from one of the drawers, laying it upon the desk. He turned it on, taking a seat at the chair. Conan stood at the side of the chair, both waiting for the screen to load.
"So what is it you had in mind which could narrow down where they are hiding?"
"I'm going to check the records for any recent activity in that circled area." Tim replied.
"I believe I'm starting to follow," Conan said. "You're thinking whoever has the loot did a little moving within the past few days."
"That's right," Tim confirmed. "Not just in the past few days, but weeks."
"Hmmm," Conan gestured with the snap of his finger. "You're right, some people tend to move periodically if they feel they are being watched, or.....knowing they have something important they need to keep hidden."
"Impressive Shinichi," Tim commented. "Didn't expect you to catch on to what I was thinking so quickly."
"So how long until you can pull up the records?" Conan asked.
"I'll have to hack the system." Tim replied.
"Given your skill set I take it that wont be a problem?"
"Not at all," He said assuringly. "The complexity of their firewalls will determine how long it takes before I have full access to their systems."
Tim looked back to the computer, opening a file which launched a scan. Conan began strolling back and forth for the next few minutes as he waited.
"What's that scan for you're running?"
"Virus check up," Tim answered leaning back in the chair. "I run one every two days."
“Good thinking, you can never be to sure with all the things going around these days.”
Conan jumped up to the edge of the bed resting his head atop his hands, while drifting back. He laid in thought, his legs hanging from the end of the bed.
“Hey Conan, did you happen to eat anything before coming?”
He shook his head from side to side in response.
“Well if you’re hungry I have a jug of milk, with the cereal being on top of the fridge.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll be ok for a few.”
“Fine by me, I’ve been skipping morning meals myself for the past few days.”
“Wrong meal to skip Tim, breakfast is by far the most important.” Conan said sitting up. “I’d hate for you to faint out on school day because of the lack of energy.”
“Thanks for being so informative Einstein.” Tim sarcasticly stated slouching further into his seat.
His phone rang from the desk side. He reached over pulling it in.
“Who is it?” Conan asked.
“It’s a girl I know from class,” Tim replied while answering the call. “What’s up Airi?”
“I heard about you on the news,” She said with excitement in her voice. “The way you and that kid Conan you told me about solved some murder case, that’s so cool!”
“Oh....yea.”
“Most everyone from schools talking about it, did you get scared while on the ship?” Airi asked.
“Well maybe just a little.” Tim replied.
“Anyway, I was calling to see if you finished your part of the assignment.”
Tim gulped, looking over to the desk where his untouched assignment lay.
“Ofcourse, I finished that a couple days ago,” He lied sitting up. “I even added the elements formed based from the equations we used.”
“Good, I guess I’ll see in class.. oh and Tim,” She said with a slight pause. “Say hi to the little detective for me, I’m sure you two see eachother around sometimes.”
“Will do Airi.”
With that the two hung up.
“I’ve got bad news, bad news, and some good news.”
“What’s the good news?” Conan asked.
“Airi says hi, to you.”
“Me,” Conan questioned. “But I don’t even know her.”
“She knew you as Shinichi, that’s where it kinda leads into the first set of bad news,” Tim explained. “She heard about the murders on TV, they must have mentioned you and I as the two who cracked the case.”
“And you’re thinking that it may some how lead back to Ran?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Tim said. “You know her better than I, how long do you think we have until Sonoko tells her?”
“You think she will?”
“They’re best friends, ofcourse she will.”
Conan brought a hand to his chin, giving it some thought.
“I’d say about three days, four tops.”
“Guess that means I better get my pigeons lined up and tell her first.” Tim said.
“So, what’s the other bad news?” Conan asked.
“Oh.....I forgot to do my homework.”
Conan looked to him, putting a hand to his head before shaking it back and forth.
“I thought we were being serious here.” Conan said dropping his hand back to his side.
“I am,” Tim claimed. “Who knows what Mrs. V will come up with if I don’t arrive with it finished.”
“You really are something else, you know,” Conan commented jumping down from the bed. “Call me if you have anything else to tell me.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the house,” Conan replied continuing to walk toward the door. “Good luck on your paper.”
“Thanks."
The door softly closing before him. He made his way down the street, stepping over each crack, a way of keeping himself entertained on the way home. It became warmer by the minute, the heat weighing down from all sides. He reached to his forehead, wiping the sweat away before tossing his jacket over his shoulder. Conan arrived shortly after, entering to find no one in sight.
“Guess I have the whole house to myself.”
He removed his shoes, walking over and staring out the window. Only a few cluttered clouds could be seen in the sky, traffic not as hectic as the previous days had been. He stood there for awhile longer. One of the doors slowly opened from behind. Conan turned to see Ran step from her room.
“Hi Conan, I didn’t even hear you walk in.”
“I didn’t know you were here either,” Conan said walking toward her. “How’d the pancake breakfast turn out?”
“Better than I’d hoped, next time we go you should tag along,” Ran said as Conan came to a stop infront of her. “How was the experiment Dr. Agasa showed you?”
“He never disappoints.” Conan replied.
“I’m sure he dosen’t.”
The front door swung open, the two turning to see Kogoro enter with with business on his face.
“There’s been a murder at a skating facility just a few miles from here, I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Can I come?” Conan asked.
“No,” Kogoro quickly replied. “I’d rather take this one solo.”
“Please,” Conan plead. “I promise I won’t get in the way.”
“Yea Dad,” Ran said in agreement. “There’s really nothing to do around the house.”
He thought about it for a second, coming to a quick decision.
“Let’s go,” Kogoro accepted. “But make sure you keep a good eye on Conan.”
“Yes dad.”
They caught a taxi shortly after, driving down to the skating park.
Mid day melted away through the hours that past, the sun shinning bright in the center of the sky. Night finally arrived, the tempatures dropping down to more manageable levels. He flipped the pencil from his hand, standing from the chair in relief.
“Didn’t think it would take that long to complete that thing,” Tim said placing the packet into his bag. “Then again, I did get a little side tracked from time to time.”
He tossed his bag to the side of the bed, walking to the closet to grab his school clothes. He hung them over the chair, stepping out to the balcony to observe the night sky.
“Looks like a good night for a little patrol,” Tim thought as he placed his hands upon the railing. “I’ll just be sure to be in bed before four, heading back to school after a tough weekend is already draining enough.”
It struck past eight. Kogoro was the first to enter while switching on the light, Ran and Conan trailing close behind.
“Yet another case solved to go into the books,” Kogoro said powering on the TV. “Now let’s see what tonight’s news has to share.”
“With my help ofcourse.” Conan thought to himself.
“I’ll get started on dinner.” Ran said heading to the kitchen.
Both Conan and Kogoro sat around the table, watching the channel eight news. Conan pulled out his phone turning it on.
“Didn’t realize my phone was off all day.”
He looked to find it flooded with missed calls, most being from his friends.
“There’s a couple unknowns, I wonder how they got my number,” Conan questioned. “I’m betting they heard about me on TV, would have probably been smart if I had let Tim unravel the whole thing.”
“What are you mumbling about over there?” Kogoro asked.
“Oh nothing,” Conan replied. “I was just remembering my lines for a little something we’re going to do in class.”
They sat for the next thirty minutes or so, getting information on the weather and local sporting events. Ran placed their plates upon the table, joining the two.
“Anything interesting on the news tonight?”
“Nothing much, just a bunch of the usual stuff.” Kogoro replied.
Ran then looked to Conan who smiled back.
“What about you Conan,” Ran asked. “See anything on the news that sparked your interest?”
“Not really,” He replied. “Just a bunch of the same.”
They began eating. Conan’s eyes glued to the TV like a hawk, Ran clearly seeing this.
“Next up, we will recap the events which took place aboard the ship known as the Seawolf,” The newsman informed. “With an in depth interview with the captain himself.”
Conan’s eyes flashed wide, slowly reaching over for the remote. Just as he was to grab it, Ran slipped her hand up past his bringing it into her possession. Conan gulped, staring down at his dish of food.
“We’re screwed.”
She switched the channel causing her father to look over.
“I was watching that,” Kogoro said. “Turn it back.”
“No,” Ran rejected with the shift of her head. “I want to watch something with action.”
“Oh come on,” Kogoro complained. “If this is about last night, I’m sorry.”
“It has nothing to do with that, Conan and I would rather watch something else,” Ran said glimpsing down to him. “Right Conan?”
“Right.” Conan agreed with a nod.
“Looks like the tables have turned.” Kogoro mumbled before directing his attention back to his plate.
“That was close, maybe even a little lucky.....” Conan thought to himself. “Does she already know?”
Conan looked up to her once more, then back to the TV.
“I don’t think so, she’d have confronted me by now if she did,” Conan thought with the tap of his finger. “Must be her way at a little redemption from yesterday night.”
Not many words were exchanged between the three as they ate. Kogoro was the first to head off to bed about an hour later. Conan sat alone, watching the night showing of ‘Cops’. Ran stood over the sink, washing down and drying up the dishes before taking to her room as well.
“Goodnight Conan, try and get some sleep ok,” Ran said pulling the door to her room open. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The door closing behind her in the seconds to come. Conan flipped off the TV straggling off to bed as well.
Trucks tracked along the streets, awaking him that next morning. Conan lifted his head, reaching over and shutting off the alarm clock before getting out of bed.
“Now back to school, been waiting all week for this.” Conan said with sarcasm.
He slowly got dressed, feeling less than enthusiastic about beginning the day. He pulled his bag from the floor opening the door.
“Something smells good.” Conan said reaching the table to see a sitting plate of pancakes.
“They’re for you.” Ran said causing Conan to slightly jump.
“Oh hey Ran, didn’t know you were up.” He said with a laugh.
“Well eat up,” Ran said pushing up from the wall. “I wouldn’t want you to go take off on an empty stomach.”
He walked over dropping his bag to the side before sitting down infront of the table. He felt her smooth hands rest upon his shoulders, causing him to freeze. She brought her mouth to his right ear.
“Just remember if you need or want to talk about something, I’m here,” She whispered before leaning up straight. “I’ll see you after school.”
Conan watched as Ran walked toward the entrance, catching the smirk resting across her lips before the door closed.
“What was that all about,” Conan thought to himself. “Ran sure has been acting strange since coming back from that art show.”
He finished eating soon after, washing his plate before taking off for school as well.
It was yet another clear day. He glimpsed down at his notes as he stepped through the front doors, careful as not to bump into any of the many students roaming the halls.
“It looks good, should get a pretty decent grade on this,” Tim said rolling up the packet and placing it into his jacket. “Considering how badly I procrastinated it.”
As he continued to walk he caught sight of Sonoko looking for something in her locker. She glimpsed over as he approached.
“I hope he’s not to mad.” Sonoko thought to herself.
He came to a stop, leaning up against the locker next to hers. He looked to make sure Ran wasn’t around, not wanting to cause a scene.
“How’s it going?”
“Fine.” Sonoko replied continuing to search throughout the locker.
“Thanks for not telling Ran, I really appreciate that.”
This caused Sonoko to put her search on hold, frozen in the moment.
“Wait.....Ran hasn’t talked with him yet?” Sonoko thought to herself.
“I know you’re busy, but I wanted to let you know I’m going to tell her everything,” Tim said with a pause. “I was wondering if you could come along with me, and Conan ofcourse.”
“Sure, why not,” Sonoko said finally stepping away from her search. “When do you plan on telling her?”
“Right after school tommarrow..... by the way,” Tim said looking into her locker. “What are you looking for?”
“Just my chemistry book,” Sonoko replied. “I seem to have misplaced it.”
“Here,” Tim said removing his bag from his shoulders. “You can borrow mine.”
He pulled it out handing it to her.
“Are you sure?” Sonoko asked.
“I know this stuff from left to right, I don’t think one day without it is going to hurt me as much as it might you,” He said zipping his bag shut. “We better get to class before we’re late.”
“Thanks."
Sonoko closed her locker, trailing just a few feet behind. They made it to class within the minute, immediately surrounded by their classmates.
“We heard what happened on TV.” One said.
“Never knew you were a detective.”
“Sonoko, are you and Tim going out?” Another asked.
At that second a loud whistle can be heard, everyone turning to the front of the room where Mrs. V stood.
“Take to your seats class, we have a lot to get through today.” She instructed.
As they walked Mrs. V stepped infront of Tim and Sonoko, a smile coming to her face.
“Make it quick you two,” She said looking to the clock. “Try and keep it under twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think I understand.” Tim said.
“Isn’t it obvious, your classmates are dying to know what happened,” Mrs. V replied. “I’d rather you tell them now, that way they can focus on the assignment.”
“Will do Mrs. V.” Sonoko said ready for the spot light.
“Great, this is not something I had planned on doing.”
He made it to class just as the last bell rung. Conan walked to his seat, noticing his friends staring over as he did.
“Hey Conan how come you didn’t answer your phone?” Ayumi whispered from behind.
“It was dead.” Conan replied.
“We heard about what happened,” Ayumi said leaning forward in her seat. “So is Tim a pretty good detective?
“Yea, he’s not to bad.”
“Cool, I wish I could have been there.”
Conan reached into his bag, laying his note book on the desk while feeling around for a pencil. Boredom followed soon after as they watched a video on numbers. He sat back, drawing in his book to keep from falling asleep.
“Can’t believe I have to watch this, one of the more bogus videos on how to explain numbers.”
He felt a tug at his left side as class neared it’s end.
“Wake up, class is out in the next few.” Mitsuhiko said shaking him once more.
Conan pushed his head up, looking to his friend.
“Oops, guess I didn’t get enough sleep.” Conan said with a laugh.
“You planning on telling us what happened on that ship?” Mitsuhiko asked.
“I’ll tell you guys as soon as class is out.”
“Ok.”
The two then turned back to the front, watching what remained of the video. The final bell rang shortly there after. Conan sighed out in relief, jumping down from his chair and heading for the door.
“Conan wait up.” Genta said chasing after him.
He exited the front doors with Genta coming to his side.
“Hey Conan I heard you get mentioned on TV.” Genta said keeping pace with him. “Tried calling you but got no response.”
“Sorry about that,” Conan apologized. “My phone was dead for most of the weekend.”
“I’m sure it was.” Ai said joining the two.
“Oh hey Haibara.” Conan said turning to face her.
“Tell us what happened,” Mitsuhiko said as he and Ayumi joined the group as well. “We want details.”
“Alright then, now where to begin.”
They made their way down the walk way as he gave them the details on what occurred, leaving out certain aspects of what happened ofcourse.
“And that’s when he confessed to being the killer.” Conan finished.
“Wow, so he had the axe with him the whole time?” Genta questioned.
Conan nodded.
“That’s right, we were fortunate that he didn’t try and attack again after being discovered.”
“I’d say.” Mitsuhiko commented.
“On another topic you guys,” Genta said changing the subject. “Have you decided on what you’re going to bring for show and tell?”
“I do.” Mitsuhiko replied.
“Oh yea, what?”
“You’ll know when I show and tell you about it.” Mitsuhiko answered.
“Fine,” Genta fired back. “I’m not telling you what I’m bringing either.”
“Who cares, I bet mines going to be more interesting anyway.”
Conan stepped in between the two, keeping them at arms length.
“That’s enough,” Conan said breaking it up. “Where’s the point in arguing over something as silly as that?”
Both Genta and Mitsuhiko thought about it for a few seconds, realizing Conan was right. He stepped from in between them after looking to find they had come back to their senses.
“Sorry about that.” Genta said.
“Me to, I think it’s better we don’t know what we’re all bringing,” Mitsuhiko began. “It intensifies the wait just that much more.”
“Atleast you guys know what you’re bringing.” Ayumi said. “I’ve yet to figure that one out for myself.”
“It’s ok, I’m sure whatever you decide to bring we’ll all like.” Conan encouragingly stated.
“Thanks Conan.”
Conan felt his phone vibrate from within his jacket. He pulled it out reading over the message before sliding it back in.
“Looks like he wants to meet, it’ll have to wait.”
Ai stepped up next to Conan as they continued to walk, leaning ever so closely.
“I’m just a little curious, did that guy really help you solve that case.” Ai whispered.
“I think you already know the answer to that.” Conan whispered back.
“Hmm, that’s what I thought.” Ai thought to herself.
One by one they began going their separate ways to head home. Conan made sport of counting how many cars drove past him after leaving the group. He strolled along, making it to the house in the next minute. He cracked the door open, kneeling down to untie his shoes.
“Looks like I’m the only one here,” Conan said heading for the kitchen. “I wonder where Kogoro is, he’s usually around napping at about this time.”
He poured himself a glass of water, glimpsing down to admire the clear liquid in between sips. After finishing his drink he took to his room. He opened the door, looking on in surprise to see Ran sitting upon his bed.
“Uh oh, what did I do now?”
“Hi Conan, how was your day at school?” Ran asked.
“It was ok,” Conan replied dropping his bag from his shoulders. “So what are you doing in here?”
“Just thought I sit around and wait for you to come home,” Ran answered crossing her right leg over her left. “There’s something you and I need to talk about.”
“We do?” Conan asked with a gulp.
“Oh yes,” Ran said pushing up from the bed. “And I think you know exactly what we need to discuss.”
She kept her eyes in sync with his, neither saying a word for the first moments that followed.
“So Conan....how long have you been hanging with him,” Ran questioned taking a step forward. “How long have you been hanging with Tim?”
Conan quickly put on a smile.
“Tim,” Conan asked. “I don’t have any friends named Tim.”
“Drop the crap Conan, Sonoko already told me everything,” Ran informed. “Now if you would be so kind as to answer the question.”
He felt the energy within dragged away in that one second, looking to the ground in total silence.
“Great, just when things were going our way.”
He stood in silence for moments to come. Becoming impatient, Ran took another step towards him.
“Better start talking or I’m not making dinner tonight,” Ran said with the shift of her head to the left. “Then Dad will become frustrated, and you know how he is when that happens.”
“Ok,” Conan finally blurted while looking up to her. “I’ll never hang with him again.”
“Right....like we know that’s true,” Ran said rolling her eyes. “You’ve been sneaking out to go see him, why should I believe your little claim?”
Conan didn’t reply, lost on what to say next. Not wanting to further anger her.
“I just can’t put my finger around why you would lie to me, numerous times for that matter,” Ran said beginning to heat up. “Is there something he does for you that I can’t?”
Neither said a word for the next few seconds.
“I’m sorry.” Conan silently stated.
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it.” Ran snapped.
“Then what do you want me to do,” Conan asked. “What can I do to get you to understand that I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You’re going to tell me everything,” Ran said glaring down at him. “And then you’re going to take me to your little buddy Tim, I’d like to have a few words with him as well.”
“I guess that massage was all for nothing.” Conan thought to himself with the drop of his shoulders.
To Be Continued
Converting /tmp/phpWo8lEn to /dev/stdout
Chapter 24
Hunt For The Box
Conan watched in wait as Tim pulled the laptop from one of the drawers, laying it upon the desk. He turned it on, taking a seat at the chair. Conan stood at the side of the chair, both waiting for the screen to load.
"So what is it you had in mind which could narrow down where they are hiding?"
"I'm going to check the records for any recent activity in that circled area." Tim replied.
"I believe I'm starting to follow," Conan said. "You're thinking whoever has the loot did a little moving within the past few days."
"That's right," Tim confirmed. "Not just in the past few days, but weeks."
"Hmmm," Conan gestured with the snap of his finger. "You're right, some people tend to move periodically if they feel they are being watched, or.....knowing they have something important they need to keep hidden."
"Impressive Shinichi," Tim commented. "Didn't expect you to catch on to what I was thinking so quickly."
"So how long until you can pull up the records?" Conan asked.
"I'll have to hack the system." Tim replied.
"Given your skill set I take it that wont be a problem?"
"Not at all," He said assuringly. "The complexity of their firewalls will determine how long it takes before I have full access to their systems."
Tim looked back to the computer, opening a file which launched a scan. Conan began strolling back and forth for the next few minutes as he waited.
"What's that scan for you're running?"
"Virus check up," Tim answered leaning back in the chair. "I run one every two days."
“Good thinking, you can never be to sure with all the things going around these days.”
Conan jumped up to the edge of the bed resting his head atop his hands, while drifting back. He laid in thought, his legs hanging from the end of the bed.
“Hey Conan, did you happen to eat anything before coming?”
He shook his head from side to side in response.
“Well if you’re hungry I have a jug of milk, with the cereal being on top of the fridge.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll be ok for a few.”
“Fine by me, I’ve been skipping morning meals myself for the past few days.”
“Wrong meal to skip Tim, breakfast is by far the most important.” Conan said sitting up. “I’d hate for you to faint out on school day because of the lack of energy.”
“Thanks for being so informative Einstein.” Tim sarcasticly stated slouching further into his seat.
His phone rang from the desk side. He reached over pulling it in.
“Who is it?” Conan asked.
“It’s a girl I know from class,” Tim replied while answering the call. “What’s up Airi?”
“I heard about you on the news,” She said with excitement in her voice. “The way you and that kid Conan you told me about solved some murder case, that’s so cool!”
“Oh....yea.”
“Most everyone from schools talking about it, did you get scared while on the ship?” Airi asked.
“Well maybe just a little.” Tim replied.
“Anyway, I was calling to see if you finished your part of the assignment.”
Tim gulped, looking over to the desk where his untouched assignment lay.
“Ofcourse, I finished that a couple days ago,” He lied sitting up. “I even added the elements formed based from the equations we used.”
“Good, I guess I’ll see in class.. oh and Tim,” She said with a slight pause. “Say hi to the little detective for me, I’m sure you two see eachother around sometimes.”
“Will do Airi.”
With that the two hung up.
“I’ve got bad news, bad news, and some good news.”
“What’s the good news?” Conan asked.
“Airi says hi, to you.”
“Me,” Conan questioned. “But I don’t even know her.”
“She knew you as Shinichi, that’s where it kinda leads into the first set of bad news,” Tim explained. “She heard about the murders on TV, they must have mentioned you and I as the two who cracked the case.”
“And you’re thinking that it may some how lead back to Ran?”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Tim said. “You know her better than I, how long do you think we have until Sonoko tells her?”
“You think she will?”
“They’re best friends, ofcourse she will.”
Conan brought a hand to his chin, giving it some thought.
“I’d say about three days, four tops.”
“Guess that means I better get my pigeons lined up and tell her first.” Tim said.
“So, what’s the other bad news?” Conan asked.
“Oh.....I forgot to do my homework.”
Conan looked to him, putting a hand to his head before shaking it back and forth.
“I thought we were being serious here.” Conan said dropping his hand back to his side.
“I am,” Tim claimed. “Who knows what Mrs. V will come up with if I don’t arrive with it finished.”
“You really are something else, you know,” Conan commented jumping down from the bed. “Call me if you have anything else to tell me.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the house,” Conan replied continuing to walk toward the door. “Good luck on your paper.”
“Thanks."
The door softly closing before him. He made his way down the street, stepping over each crack, a way of keeping himself entertained on the way home. It became warmer by the minute, the heat weighing down from all sides. He reached to his forehead, wiping the sweat away before tossing his jacket over his shoulder. Conan arrived shortly after, entering to find no one in sight.
“Guess I have the whole house to myself.”
He removed his shoes, walking over and staring out the window. Only a few cluttered clouds could be seen in the sky, traffic not as hectic as the previous days had been. He stood there for awhile longer. One of the doors slowly opened from behind. Conan turned to see Ran step from her room.
“Hi Conan, I didn’t even hear you walk in.”
“I didn’t know you were here either,” Conan said walking toward her. “How’d the pancake breakfast turn out?”
“Better than I’d hoped, next time we go you should tag along,” Ran said as Conan came to a stop infront of her. “How was the experiment Dr. Agasa showed you?”
“He never disappoints.” Conan replied.
“I’m sure he dosen’t.”
The front door swung open, the two turning to see Kogoro enter with with business on his face.
“There’s been a murder at a skating facility just a few miles from here, I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Can I come?” Conan asked.
“No,” Kogoro quickly replied. “I’d rather take this one solo.”
“Please,” Conan plead. “I promise I won’t get in the way.”
“Yea Dad,” Ran said in agreement. “There’s really nothing to do around the house.”
He thought about it for a second, coming to a quick decision.
“Let’s go,” Kogoro accepted. “But make sure you keep a good eye on Conan.”
“Yes dad.”
They caught a taxi shortly after, driving down to the skating park.
Mid day melted away through the hours that past, the sun shinning bright in the center of the sky. Night finally arrived, the tempatures dropping down to more manageable levels. He flipped the pencil from his hand, standing from the chair in relief.
“Didn’t think it would take that long to complete that thing,” Tim said placing the packet into his bag. “Then again, I did get a little side tracked from time to time.”
He tossed his bag to the side of the bed, walking to the closet to grab his school clothes. He hung them over the chair, stepping out to the balcony to observe the night sky.
“Looks like a good night for a little patrol,” Tim thought as he placed his hands upon the railing. “I’ll just be sure to be in bed before four, heading back to school after a tough weekend is already draining enough.”
It struck past eight. Kogoro was the first to enter while switching on the light, Ran and Conan trailing close behind.
“Yet another case solved to go into the books,” Kogoro said powering on the TV. “Now let’s see what tonight’s news has to share.”
“With my help ofcourse.” Conan thought to himself.
“I’ll get started on dinner.” Ran said heading to the kitchen.
Both Conan and Kogoro sat around the table, watching the channel eight news. Conan pulled out his phone turning it on.
“Didn’t realize my phone was off all day.”
He looked to find it flooded with missed calls, most being from his friends.
“There’s a couple unknowns, I wonder how they got my number,” Conan questioned. “I’m betting they heard about me on TV, would have probably been smart if I had let Tim unravel the whole thing.”
“What are you mumbling about over there?” Kogoro asked.
“Oh nothing,” Conan replied. “I was just remembering my lines for a little something we’re going to do in class.”
They sat for the next thirty minutes or so, getting information on the weather and local sporting events. Ran placed their plates upon the table, joining the two.
“Anything interesting on the news tonight?”
“Nothing much, just a bunch of the usual stuff.” Kogoro replied.
Ran then looked to Conan who smiled back.
“What about you Conan,” Ran asked. “See anything on the news that sparked your interest?”
“Not really,” He replied. “Just a bunch of the same.”
They began eating. Conan’s eyes glued to the TV like a hawk, Ran clearly seeing this.
“Next up, we will recap the events which took place aboard the ship known as the Seawolf,” The newsman informed. “With an in depth interview with the captain himself.”
Conan’s eyes flashed wide, slowly reaching over for the remote. Just as he was to grab it, Ran slipped her hand up past his bringing it into her possession. Conan gulped, staring down at his dish of food.
“We’re screwed.”
She switched the channel causing her father to look over.
“I was watching that,” Kogoro said. “Turn it back.”
“No,” Ran rejected with the shift of her head. “I want to watch something with action.”
“Oh come on,” Kogoro complained. “If this is about last night, I’m sorry.”
“It has nothing to do with that, Conan and I would rather watch something else,” Ran said glimpsing down to him. “Right Conan?”
“Right.” Conan agreed with a nod.
“Looks like the tables have turned.” Kogoro mumbled before directing his attention back to his plate.
“That was close, maybe even a little lucky.....” Conan thought to himself. “Does she already know?”
Conan looked up to her once more, then back to the TV.
“I don’t think so, she’d have confronted me by now if she did,” Conan thought with the tap of his finger. “Must be her way at a little redemption from yesterday night.”
Not many words were exchanged between the three as they ate. Kogoro was the first to head off to bed about an hour later. Conan sat alone, watching the night showing of ‘Cops’. Ran stood over the sink, washing down and drying up the dishes before taking to her room as well.
“Goodnight Conan, try and get some sleep ok,” Ran said pulling the door to her room open. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
The door closing behind her in the seconds to come. Conan flipped off the TV straggling off to bed as well.
Trucks tracked along the streets, awaking him that next morning. Conan lifted his head, reaching over and shutting off the alarm clock before getting out of bed.
“Now back to school, been waiting all week for this.” Conan said with sarcasm.
He slowly got dressed, feeling less than enthusiastic about beginning the day. He pulled his bag from the floor opening the door.
“Something smells good.” Conan said reaching the table to see a sitting plate of pancakes.
“They’re for you.” Ran said causing Conan to slightly jump.
“Oh hey Ran, didn’t know you were up.” He said with a laugh.
“Well eat up,” Ran said pushing up from the wall. “I wouldn’t want you to go take off on an empty stomach.”
He walked over dropping his bag to the side before sitting down infront of the table. He felt her smooth hands rest upon his shoulders, causing him to freeze. She brought her mouth to his right ear.
“Just remember if you need or want to talk about something, I’m here,” She whispered before leaning up straight. “I’ll see you after school.”
Conan watched as Ran walked toward the entrance, catching the smirk resting across her lips before the door closed.
“What was that all about,” Conan thought to himself. “Ran sure has been acting strange since coming back from that art show.”
He finished eating soon after, washing his plate before taking off for school as well.
It was yet another clear day. He glimpsed down at his notes as he stepped through the front doors, careful as not to bump into any of the many students roaming the halls.
“It looks good, should get a pretty decent grade on this,” Tim said rolling up the packet and placing it into his jacket. “Considering how badly I procrastinated it.”
As he continued to walk he caught sight of Sonoko looking for something in her locker. She glimpsed over as he approached.
“I hope he’s not to mad.” Sonoko thought to herself.
He came to a stop, leaning up against the locker next to hers. He looked to make sure Ran wasn’t around, not wanting to cause a scene.
“How’s it going?”
“Fine.” Sonoko replied continuing to search throughout the locker.
“Thanks for not telling Ran, I really appreciate that.”
This caused Sonoko to put her search on hold, frozen in the moment.
“Wait.....Ran hasn’t talked with him yet?” Sonoko thought to herself.
“I know you’re busy, but I wanted to let you know I’m going to tell her everything,” Tim said with a pause. “I was wondering if you could come along with me, and Conan ofcourse.”
“Sure, why not,” Sonoko said finally stepping away from her search. “When do you plan on telling her?”
“Right after school tommarrow..... by the way,” Tim said looking into her locker. “What are you looking for?”
“Just my chemistry book,” Sonoko replied. “I seem to have misplaced it.”
“Here,” Tim said removing his bag from his shoulders. “You can borrow mine.”
He pulled it out handing it to her.
“Are you sure?” Sonoko asked.
“I know this stuff from left to right, I don’t think one day without it is going to hurt me as much as it might you,” He said zipping his bag shut. “We better get to class before we’re late.”
“Thanks."
Sonoko closed her locker, trailing just a few feet behind. They made it to class within the minute, immediately surrounded by their classmates.
“We heard what happened on TV.” One said.
“Never knew you were a detective.”
“Sonoko, are you and Tim going out?” Another asked.
At that second a loud whistle can be heard, everyone turning to the front of the room where Mrs. V stood.
“Take to your seats class, we have a lot to get through today.” She instructed.
As they walked Mrs. V stepped infront of Tim and Sonoko, a smile coming to her face.
“Make it quick you two,” She said looking to the clock. “Try and keep it under twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think I understand.” Tim said.
“Isn’t it obvious, your classmates are dying to know what happened,” Mrs. V replied. “I’d rather you tell them now, that way they can focus on the assignment.”
“Will do Mrs. V.” Sonoko said ready for the spot light.
“Great, this is not something I had planned on doing.”
He made it to class just as the last bell rung. Conan walked to his seat, noticing his friends staring over as he did.
“Hey Conan how come you didn’t answer your phone?” Ayumi whispered from behind.
“It was dead.” Conan replied.
“We heard about what happened,” Ayumi said leaning forward in her seat. “So is Tim a pretty good detective?
“Yea, he’s not to bad.”
“Cool, I wish I could have been there.”
Conan reached into his bag, laying his note book on the desk while feeling around for a pencil. Boredom followed soon after as they watched a video on numbers. He sat back, drawing in his book to keep from falling asleep.
“Can’t believe I have to watch this, one of the more bogus videos on how to explain numbers.”
He felt a tug at his left side as class neared it’s end.
“Wake up, class is out in the next few.” Mitsuhiko said shaking him once more.
Conan pushed his head up, looking to his friend.
“Oops, guess I didn’t get enough sleep.” Conan said with a laugh.
“You planning on telling us what happened on that ship?” Mitsuhiko asked.
“I’ll tell you guys as soon as class is out.”
“Ok.”
The two then turned back to the front, watching what remained of the video. The final bell rang shortly there after. Conan sighed out in relief, jumping down from his chair and heading for the door.
“Conan wait up.” Genta said chasing after him.
He exited the front doors with Genta coming to his side.
“Hey Conan I heard you get mentioned on TV.” Genta said keeping pace with him. “Tried calling you but got no response.”
“Sorry about that,” Conan apologized. “My phone was dead for most of the weekend.”
“I’m sure it was.” Ai said joining the two.
“Oh hey Haibara.” Conan said turning to face her.
“Tell us what happened,” Mitsuhiko said as he and Ayumi joined the group as well. “We want details.”
“Alright then, now where to begin.”
They made their way down the walk way as he gave them the details on what occurred, leaving out certain aspects of what happened ofcourse.
“And that’s when he confessed to being the killer.” Conan finished.
“Wow, so he had the axe with him the whole time?” Genta questioned.
Conan nodded.
“That’s right, we were fortunate that he didn’t try and attack again after being discovered.”
“I’d say.” Mitsuhiko commented.
“On another topic you guys,” Genta said changing the subject. “Have you decided on what you’re going to bring for show and tell?”
“I do.” Mitsuhiko replied.
“Oh yea, what?”
“You’ll know when I show and tell you about it.” Mitsuhiko answered.
“Fine,” Genta fired back. “I’m not telling you what I’m bringing either.”
“Who cares, I bet mines going to be more interesting anyway.”
Conan stepped in between the two, keeping them at arms length.
“That’s enough,” Conan said breaking it up. “Where’s the point in arguing over something as silly as that?”
Both Genta and Mitsuhiko thought about it for a few seconds, realizing Conan was right. He stepped from in between them after looking to find they had come back to their senses.
“Sorry about that.” Genta said.
“Me to, I think it’s better we don’t know what we’re all bringing,” Mitsuhiko began. “It intensifies the wait just that much more.”
“Atleast you guys know what you’re bringing.” Ayumi said. “I’ve yet to figure that one out for myself.”
“It’s ok, I’m sure whatever you decide to bring we’ll all like.” Conan encouragingly stated.
“Thanks Conan.”
Conan felt his phone vibrate from within his jacket. He pulled it out reading over the message before sliding it back in.
“Looks like he wants to meet, it’ll have to wait.”
Ai stepped up next to Conan as they continued to walk, leaning ever so closely.
“I’m just a little curious, did that guy really help you solve that case.” Ai whispered.
“I think you already know the answer to that.” Conan whispered back.
“Hmm, that’s what I thought.” Ai thought to herself.
One by one they began going their separate ways to head home. Conan made sport of counting how many cars drove past him after leaving the group. He strolled along, making it to the house in the next minute. He cracked the door open, kneeling down to untie his shoes.
“Looks like I’m the only one here,” Conan said heading for the kitchen. “I wonder where Kogoro is, he’s usually around napping at about this time.”
He poured himself a glass of water, glimpsing down to admire the clear liquid in between sips. After finishing his drink he took to his room. He opened the door, looking on in surprise to see Ran sitting upon his bed.
“Uh oh, what did I do now?”
“Hi Conan, how was your day at school?” Ran asked.
“It was ok,” Conan replied dropping his bag from his shoulders. “So what are you doing in here?”
“Just thought I sit around and wait for you to come home,” Ran answered crossing her right leg over her left. “There’s something you and I need to talk about.”
“We do?” Conan asked with a gulp.
“Oh yes,” Ran said pushing up from the bed. “And I think you know exactly what we need to discuss.”
She kept her eyes in sync with his, neither saying a word for the first moments that followed.
“So Conan....how long have you been hanging with him,” Ran questioned taking a step forward. “How long have you been hanging with Tim?”
Conan quickly put on a smile.
“Tim,” Conan asked. “I don’t have any friends named Tim.”
“Drop the crap Conan, Sonoko already told me everything,” Ran informed. “Now if you would be so kind as to answer the question.”
He felt the energy within dragged away in that one second, looking to the ground in total silence.
“Great, just when things were going our way.”
He stood in silence for moments to come. Becoming impatient, Ran took another step towards him.
“Better start talking or I’m not making dinner tonight,” Ran said with the shift of her head to the left. “Then Dad will become frustrated, and you know how he is when that happens.”
“Ok,” Conan finally blurted while looking up to her. “I’ll never hang with him again.”
“Right....like we know that’s true,” Ran said rolling her eyes. “You’ve been sneaking out to go see him, why should I believe your little claim?”
Conan didn’t reply, lost on what to say next. Not wanting to further anger her.
“I just can’t put my finger around why you would lie to me, numerous times for that matter,” Ran said beginning to heat up. “Is there something he does for you that I can’t?”
Neither said a word for the next few seconds.
“I’m sorry.” Conan silently stated.
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it.” Ran snapped.
“Then what do you want me to do,” Conan asked. “What can I do to get you to understand that I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“You’re going to tell me everything,” Ran said glaring down at him. “And then you’re going to take me to your little buddy Tim, I’d like to have a few words with him as well.”
“I guess that massage was all for nothing.” Conan thought to himself with the drop of his shoulders.
To Be Continued
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