[fic][dc/mk] Onions (4/?)
Onions (4/?)
by vikki
parts 1, 2, and 3
Summary: It's been five years since Shinichi was shrunk, and a lot has changed. But Kaitou Kid is still flying high ...
Part Summary: the heist.
It was definitely going to be one of those days.
Hakuba Saguru was out of town. This was nothing unusual, since the half-English detective had returned to London for college, but today was a day he would sorely regret his decision. After all, the Kaitou Kid didn't send out cryptic heist notes every time, and this puzzle was a difficult one.
The police station was abuzz with activity; everyone who wasn't actively working on a case was busy trying to figure out what the Kaitou Kid was trying to say with his notice. Inspector Nakamori was tearing his hair out in his office and screaming at everyone who bothered him with a trivial matter. On a normal, Kid-free day, he was a good Inspector, but when a note arrived he was always a little crazy. The phones were ringing off the hook as usual with all sorts of normal matters, but also from the press and even Kid fans who wanted to know where to show up for his heist.
In the midst of the chaos, one of the detectives was searching online for any jewels the thief might have taken interest in when his phone rang. He answered the phone distractedly. "Detective Hanashi."
"Ah, is this the office of Inspector Nakamori?" asked the voice on the other end. It was definitely a child. Hanashi sighed.
"Sorry, but on the matter of the Kaitou Kid's heist note, we don't have any comment at this time," he said boredly.
"So you did get the notice!" the kid replied, his voice brightening. "Please put Inspector Nakamori on the phone. I've solved the note."
Hanashi paused and blinked. The contents of the note were still a secret from the general public; even though it had been leaked that Kid intended to steal something, nothing else had been revealed to the press. "How do you know what's in the note? We haven't released--"
"'When a whole is halved, a white bird will fly. In a place thrice exceeded, a forgotten voice sings, surrounded by tears and good luck. Before the half is whole, a white bird will flee.' That's the contents of the note, yes? Kid is referring to the partial lunar eclipse tonight - that's when he'll steal the jewels!"
"J-jewels?" Hanashi stuttered, stunned not only by the fact that this child had the contents of the note but also seemed to understand it better than even an adult.
"Yes," the kid agreed. "It's a necklace! The jewels of Maria Calla, to be specific. Aren't they at the Mitsukoshi Mall right now?"
Hanashi sat upright. "How did you ...?"
"Well, it took a lot of thought since the note is pretty vague." The kid gave an embarrassed laugh. "But it was easy once I realized thrice exceeded could be re-written as mitsukoshi. As to the timing, well, 'when a whole is halved' is too vague for a clock, so it must be an event, right? And Kid almost always does his heists during the full moon ... so I was watching the news and I saw the lunar eclipse was happening and thought, wouldn't that make the most sense?"
Hanashi scribbled notes down about what the child said. It made more sense than any other theory presented so far. "Who are you?" he asked, amazed.
"Conan Edogawa," the boy answered. "Detective!"
&
The lunar eclipse was supposed to start at 10:32 PM and last until 10:58 PM. By nine o'clock the Mitsukoshi Mall was swarming with policemen and, following the massive police force, crowds of people eager to catch a glimpse of the famous thief. Whereas usually people's faces would be turned towards the sky, watching the earth cast a shadow on the familiar face of the moon, today everyone was looking for a phantom.
Shinichi gave a grim smile at the crowds. Did Kaitou Kid want to prove he was even more exciting than a rare natural event? Even knowing his real motive, he really does love the spotlight.
Of course, since yesterday when he had recieved the note, Shinichi had been struggling to solve the cryptic message. Upon his success, however, he had turned to a question that was possibly even more important: why had Kid invited him? It was the same as six months ago, when Kid had expressed his wish that 'Conan' be present for his work. At the time Shinichi had scoffed at the offer as a simple joke, but to actively invite him, and to entice him with a cryptic note ... how could Shinichi refuse? But it was really odd ...
Almost five years before, when Shinichi had only been shrunk for a few months, Kaitou Kid had called detectives like Shinichi 'critics', people who could only struggle with the mechanics of everything rather than just enjoying the show. Such a person was not the kind of audience a magician should want. But now he wanted Shinichi at the show. What did the Kaitou Kid really want?
There were three possible conclusions, Shinichi surmised, updating himself on Kid's heists over the years. The first and least probable one was that Shinichi presented a challenging audience that Kid wanted to impress, confuse, and foil. Since Shinichi had yet to fail to see through Kid's magic, he doubted that was the case. The second option was that this was Kid's version of a 'proper thank you'. The thought was amusing, but the probability was a little low. The third possibility was that Kid wanted Shinichi around for something else entirely: to help Kid complete his real objective, and drag the Black Organization into the light.
Shinichi presumed it was the third option that Kid favored. He fingered the binoculars around his neck with consideration.
He could do it: he could help point the police towards the men in black, if they appeared, but to do so he had to step back into the light himself. It irritated him a bit, but if he was perfectly honest with himself (and he did try to be), it was thrilling to once again be out solving mysteries. He had done so little of it over the last two years, trying to lay low, especially when compared with the time he'd spent living at the Mouri's.
"Oi, are you the kid that solved Kid's note?"
Conan blinked, shaken out of his thoughts, and looked up at Inspector Nakamori. "Yeah!" he nodded, smiling. "Thank you for letting me come!"
"Hmph." Nakamori was clearly not thrilled with having a child milling around with the police. "I remember you. Conan Edogawa, right? You got a little famous a few years back for almost catching Kid. Where'd you go?"
Conan felt himself flush a little, and he pulled his baseball cap down lower over his face. "I, I'm just visiting from America ... please don't tell anyone about me, I want to surprise my friends when I appear," he chirped.
"Oh yeah? And where are your parents?" Nakamori asked, bending over to look Conan in the face. "Do they usually just let a boy like you wander around late at night?"
Conan struggled for an explanation for his absentee parents, but luckily was saved from answering by a police officer running up. "The preparations are done," he announced, saluting.
Nakamori turned away from Conan. "Good!" Then, abruptly, he grabbed the officer's cheek and pulled hard.
"Ow, owowow! I'm not Kid!" the officer whined, wincing and rubbing his cheek when Nakamori let go.
"I'm satisfied now," Nakamori grumbled, and started to walk away with the officer. "Edogawa! Keep out from underfoot, okay?" he shouted back at Conan.
Conan smiled, perfectly pleasant, but when Nakamori turned away his smile fell away into a contemplative look. He followed Nakamori until he came to the center of the mall, where the beautiful necklace was on display.
Maria Calla's necklace was a beautiful affair with more than 50 diamonds and rubies set into a dramatic drape around the neck. Only one diamond was excessively large, however, the one in the bottom center of the setting. It was this necklace that was a 'forgotten voice, surrounded by tears and good luck'. After all, the diamonds were like glittering tears, the red rubies a representation of luck, and the operatic singer Maria Calla's fame had faded many years ago. Still, the necklace was an impressive one.
The display came to them via De Beers, a diamond seller that wished to promote the grand opening of their jewelery store in the Mitsukoshi Mall. It was in a display case roped off by velvet rope, encased in glass, and resting on a suede pedastal. The display case itself was located in the very center of the mall, on the top floor under its skylight dome. On a usual day there were two security guards stationed at the necklace; right now there were four policemen, all with red cheeks from being pinched. Twenty more policemen were stationed all around the large intersection, and of course more were outside it.
Doubtlessly Kaitou Kid was already here. Shinichi fancied he could feel his presence. The question was, who was Kaitou Kid?
The Inspector had drawn out the necklace for the moment, handling it carefully with gloves so as not to smudge the polished necklace. Next to him Hiro Matsuda fussed, wringing his hands and almost cringing. Matsuda was the the employee of De Beers charged with caring for the necklace. "Please, is this necessary?" he pleaded, and Shinichi watched as Nakamori applied a transmitter to the necklace's clasp.
"Kid never fails a heist!" the Inspector barked. "At this rate our best chance is to follow him. It's doubtful he won't notice the transmitter, but it's one more thing to distract him with."
"Can't we use a fake?" Matsuda asked, swallowing.
"Are you mad!? Kid always sees through that! He'll realize it and run away, slipping from my grasp once again!" Nakamori made a grasping gesture. "I won't let him escape again! That thief ..."
Shinichi watched as Matsuda practically lunged to catch the necklace as Nakamori waved it carelessly around in zealousness. "Please! Inspector! If you drop it and it shatters, what will I do!?"
Shinichi blinked. The Inspector blinked. And then he seemed to get a hold of himself as he realized what he was doing. "Oh, of course ... It's just that when it comes to Kid ..."
"I understand," The sweating caretaker smiled, laughing weakly, and then he helped Nakamori carefully replace the necklace in its display case.
Shinichi smiled, a wide smirk splitting across his face under his baseball cap, as he realized an important truth. "What will you do, Kaitou Kid?" he asked softly.
&
Hiro Matsuda stood behind the line of police at ten-fifteen, still wringing his hands nervously. It was almost time for the heist, so naturally everyone was on edge, especially the man charged with caring for the jewels in question.
"What are you so nervous about?" asked a voice near his waist, and Hiro looked down in surprise. A boy wearing a baseball cap and binoculars was at his side, looking up at him with an intense gaze that shouldn't have been possible for a middle-schooler. "It's true that Kaitou Kid steals jewels, but he always returns them. If anything, it will bring more attention to your store than ever," Conan continued.
Hiro blinked at this, then smiled thinly, his face pale. "Ah, but my boss won't be happy if I ..."
"Or," Conan interrupted, "perhaps you're worried about what will happen when it's discovered that the necklace is a fake ...?"
Hiro's eyes shot wide. "What're you talking about?" He started to sweat even more. "The inspector refused my request to use a replica!"
The kid smiled now, a wide, arrogant smile. "You made a really bad slip, though, mister! That necklace, it's made of rubies and diamonds ... and diamond is the hardest substance on earth! How could the necklace shatter? Unless, of course, the diamonds aren't diamonds, but glass ..."
Matsuda turned very pale. "Boy ..."
Conan shrugged. "At first I thought you just wanted to decieve Kaitou Kid. But who wants to replace a fake with a fake?" he asked, tapping his finger against his chin. "Only someone who doesn't want to be discovered! What did you do with the real jewels, I wonder ... did you sell them for money?"
Matsuda's fingers twitched, and he glared at the boy with a threatening face. "Why you little--!" He lunged at Conan, intending to cover his mouth so he would stop talking.
But Conan leapt out of the way and screamed, "Kaitou Kid! This guy is Kaitou Kid!"
Immediately there were police officers everywhere, grabbing Hiro's arms and legs, preventing him from moving. "No! He's lying! I'm not--Ow ow ow!" One of the police officers had visciously grabbed Hiro's face, attempting to pull off a mask that wasn't there.
Less than seven feet away, the little boy laughed. "Whoops, it seems like I made a mistake ... but it's true that this guy stole the necklace!"
The officers looked at Conan curiously. "What do you mean?"
"The necklace is a fake! This guy says he doesn't want it to shatter, but isn't it hard to shatter diamond?"
"Y-you're right," the officer said, blinking. He spoke into his radio. "False alarm, it wasn't Kid ..." But there was no answer on the radio. "Inspector?" the officer asked again. "... Hey, Oogami, check on the necklace! Tanaka, go get the Inspector! Why isn't he answering his radio ...?"
Conan was already gone.
&
Damn, he wasn't the caretaker! Shinichi swore to himself. There had been only two possibilities as to who Kid was at the time when the fake necklace was removed from the display case - either Matsuda, the caretaker, or Inspector Nakamori. From the moment he had begun to confront Matsuda, however, his reactions were all wrong for Kaitou Kid. Kid would grow more visibly confident as Shinichi exposed his tricks, but Matsuda had grown more worried. By the time he had revealed Matsuda's trick, it was obvious that Matsuda was a thief of a much simpler variety.
That left only the Inspector - the only other person whose face wasn't marked with a red cheek from a mask-pulling pinch. The fact that at the critical time, and with Conan screaming about Kaitou Kid, he was missing was simply proof. Nakamori was sleeping peacefully somewhere, and meanwhile Kaitou Kid was coming for a fake necklace ...
Or was he? Matsuda's slip had been obvious to anyone paying attention, and Shinichi had no doubt that Kid was very intelligent. What, then, would Kid do?
Shinichi ran up the fire escape. The Kid that flew to Mitsukoshi Mall would doubtlessly be a fake, either his accomplice or a dummy. However, Shinichi had little doubt that Kaitou Kid himself would fly back out. No matter what, he would make an appearance, if only to announce the jewels were fake. Inside the room with the display case there would be too much chaos for Shinichi to catch him.
He opened the door to the roof and the wind grabbed at Shinichi, lifting his baseball cap off his head. "Ah!" Shinichi made a desperate lunge for it, but it was gone, tumbling over the edge of the roof. The shrunken detective looked after it forlornly, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do, and he wouldn't lose this chance. He checked his watch - ten-thirty. The lunar eclipse would start soon, and Kid would appear. Shinichi lifted his binoculars and swept the horizon with them.
Sure enough, there was 'Kaitou Kid', flying stiffly along on his hanglider. Shinichi rolled his eyes; with his binoculars, it was obvious that the glider was a fake. He watched the glider until it was so close he could see it easily without his binoculars, and when it was almost directly overhead it exploded with a loud bang! Shinichi plugged his ears as pieces of thin rubber floated down around him; he caught one. A balloon?
Shinichi ran to the glass dome that stuck out of the ceiling. Directly below him was where the fake jewel was being guarded. He couldn't hear anything, but he could see Kaitou Kid crouching on the display case while the police force lunged for him. Shinichi half-lidded his eyes. Seriously, when would the police force learn? The only way to corner Kid was to identify him before he got into full regalia, and isolate him ... which, Shinichi remembered with a sigh, was what he had failed to do today. He just hadn't been able to resist pointing out Matsuda's slipup.
So it came to this - a confrontation on a rooftop, once again. Shinichi glanced behind himself, towards the half-eclipsed moon. Its white face was cast in red-yellow shadow, and partially obscured by blackness. Why, he wondered, does that feel a little bit like a prophecy?
Shinichi felt a chill up his back just before it happened. His spine stiffened of its own accord with the sense of malicious intent, and something bit his cheek.
The detective gasped and immediately dropped to the ground, flattening himself with his cheek pressed to the concrete. He touched his finger to his cheek. Blood ... It was doubtlessly a bullet. But who would shoot at a young boy on a roof? Furthermore, with a silencer - someone is aiming for murder!
Shinichi rolled onto his side and groped for his binoculars, twisting awkwardly from where he lay. Where was the gunman? He couldn't be on this well-lit roof, but a building three blocks away was about as tall. Shinichi kept low, lying on his stomach, and lifted his binoculars to his eyes.
Before he could get them focused on the rooftop, a police officer abruptly burst onto the roof. Shinichi jerked his head to the side, his eyes wide. The police officer was rather young, his face angular and long, and that smile - "Kid! Get down!" Shinichi barked. The gunman's likely real target had arrived.
But the officer made no reply. He ran across the roof, producing a white top hat from nowhere as he did so, and he never stopped smiling. The moment the hat hit his head, there was a powerful burst of pink smoke, obscuring most of the rooftop. Shinichi blinked rapidly in the powder, which smelled strangely of raspberries and left him blinded, before a hand suddenly wrapped around his waist and lifted.
Despite himself, Shinichi panicked, kicking out his legs straight in front of him. Before he could do or say anything, a gloved hand covered his mouth and he felt lips on the back of his ear as he was pulled back against someone's chest. "Today you're my assistant in this trick," Kid said, his tone mischievous. "Don't move, all right? Or you'll ruin it." And with that, he threw a black cloak over Shinichi's small body and put him down, fetched gently against the edge of the roof and out of sight of where the gunman had to be.
The smoke cleared, and Shinichi pulled the cloak away from his face so he could properly see Kid. Kid was facing the edge of the rooftop in full regalia, his card gun trained at something he could see but Shinichi could not, and a radio in his other hand. He drew a deep breath, then started to shout in a perfect imitation of Nakamori's voice, "You idiots! You've been wasting your time looking for me while I've been on the roof! Kid is here, here! He's on the roof!"
The wind whipped up, sending Kid's cloak flying, and Kid spoke again, this time in his normal voice. "Damn, I think he's gone already. Or by now there would have been a shot again ... what a shame. Tonight was a total bust."
Shinichi lay very still for the moment. "You know, it wasn't very funny, asking about my parents and all as Inspector Nakamori."
"Hm, so you guessed. I'm not surprised," Kid smirked. "Critic that you are, you couldn't even stay for the main event."
"This is the main event. You want me here to help catch them, right?" Shinichi asked, still unmoving.
Kid caught Shinichi's gaze and held it for a moment. "Nobody is supposed to get hurt, detective." He waved a finger in reprimand.
"Only you, right?" Shinichi shot back, narrowing his eyes.
The Kaitou Kid lowered his chin and ignored the question. "It's time for us to play our parts, detective," he said, opening his glider. "I hope you'll come back again."
Shinichi started to throw off the cloak, realizing that Kid meant to leave, but at that moment the door to the roof burst open once again and police officers poured through the door - the real Nakamori at the head of them, practically breathing fire. "Stop him!" he screamed, but of course it was too late - Kid laughed, running right over Shinichi's head and stepping off the roof, flying away just as the lunar eclipse came to an end.
&
In the general chaos that followed a Kid heist, Hiro Matsuda was arrested for theft. The real Maria Calla necklace was spread all over Japan, broken to pieces and sold individually by the greedy caretaker. Whether or not any pieces would surface was currently unknown.
Conan Edogawa struggled to keep a low profile. Like most facial cuts, the laceration from the bullet was excessively bloody, but it only needed a few stitches. Press members who had heard a boy solved the note wanted to talk to him, but he actively fled, claiming he needed his parents. Of course, Nakamori wanted to know what had happened to his cheek. "Did Kid do that?" he demanded, still so furious over being put to sleep that his mustache seemed to stand on end and his face was cherry-red.
Conan shook his head and told the story, explaining about the shot having to have come from this other rooftop. Nakamori scowled.
"Some guy's been at this a while, shooting at Kid," he growled. "First time they've hit anyone else though."
"The first time? Really?" Conan asked, his voice high and impressed as if the shot was now somehow a badge of honor, but inwardly he felt his stomach try to twist itself into a knot. If the culprit never made a mistake and shot a police officer or someone else, then what had made him shoot at little Conan Edogawa?
tbc
by vikki
parts 1, 2, and 3
Summary: It's been five years since Shinichi was shrunk, and a lot has changed. But Kaitou Kid is still flying high ...
Part Summary: the heist.
It was definitely going to be one of those days.
Hakuba Saguru was out of town. This was nothing unusual, since the half-English detective had returned to London for college, but today was a day he would sorely regret his decision. After all, the Kaitou Kid didn't send out cryptic heist notes every time, and this puzzle was a difficult one.
The police station was abuzz with activity; everyone who wasn't actively working on a case was busy trying to figure out what the Kaitou Kid was trying to say with his notice. Inspector Nakamori was tearing his hair out in his office and screaming at everyone who bothered him with a trivial matter. On a normal, Kid-free day, he was a good Inspector, but when a note arrived he was always a little crazy. The phones were ringing off the hook as usual with all sorts of normal matters, but also from the press and even Kid fans who wanted to know where to show up for his heist.
In the midst of the chaos, one of the detectives was searching online for any jewels the thief might have taken interest in when his phone rang. He answered the phone distractedly. "Detective Hanashi."
"Ah, is this the office of Inspector Nakamori?" asked the voice on the other end. It was definitely a child. Hanashi sighed.
"Sorry, but on the matter of the Kaitou Kid's heist note, we don't have any comment at this time," he said boredly.
"So you did get the notice!" the kid replied, his voice brightening. "Please put Inspector Nakamori on the phone. I've solved the note."
Hanashi paused and blinked. The contents of the note were still a secret from the general public; even though it had been leaked that Kid intended to steal something, nothing else had been revealed to the press. "How do you know what's in the note? We haven't released--"
"'When a whole is halved, a white bird will fly. In a place thrice exceeded, a forgotten voice sings, surrounded by tears and good luck. Before the half is whole, a white bird will flee.' That's the contents of the note, yes? Kid is referring to the partial lunar eclipse tonight - that's when he'll steal the jewels!"
"J-jewels?" Hanashi stuttered, stunned not only by the fact that this child had the contents of the note but also seemed to understand it better than even an adult.
"Yes," the kid agreed. "It's a necklace! The jewels of Maria Calla, to be specific. Aren't they at the Mitsukoshi Mall right now?"
Hanashi sat upright. "How did you ...?"
"Well, it took a lot of thought since the note is pretty vague." The kid gave an embarrassed laugh. "But it was easy once I realized thrice exceeded could be re-written as mitsukoshi. As to the timing, well, 'when a whole is halved' is too vague for a clock, so it must be an event, right? And Kid almost always does his heists during the full moon ... so I was watching the news and I saw the lunar eclipse was happening and thought, wouldn't that make the most sense?"
Hanashi scribbled notes down about what the child said. It made more sense than any other theory presented so far. "Who are you?" he asked, amazed.
"Conan Edogawa," the boy answered. "Detective!"
&
The lunar eclipse was supposed to start at 10:32 PM and last until 10:58 PM. By nine o'clock the Mitsukoshi Mall was swarming with policemen and, following the massive police force, crowds of people eager to catch a glimpse of the famous thief. Whereas usually people's faces would be turned towards the sky, watching the earth cast a shadow on the familiar face of the moon, today everyone was looking for a phantom.
Shinichi gave a grim smile at the crowds. Did Kaitou Kid want to prove he was even more exciting than a rare natural event? Even knowing his real motive, he really does love the spotlight.
Of course, since yesterday when he had recieved the note, Shinichi had been struggling to solve the cryptic message. Upon his success, however, he had turned to a question that was possibly even more important: why had Kid invited him? It was the same as six months ago, when Kid had expressed his wish that 'Conan' be present for his work. At the time Shinichi had scoffed at the offer as a simple joke, but to actively invite him, and to entice him with a cryptic note ... how could Shinichi refuse? But it was really odd ...
Almost five years before, when Shinichi had only been shrunk for a few months, Kaitou Kid had called detectives like Shinichi 'critics', people who could only struggle with the mechanics of everything rather than just enjoying the show. Such a person was not the kind of audience a magician should want. But now he wanted Shinichi at the show. What did the Kaitou Kid really want?
There were three possible conclusions, Shinichi surmised, updating himself on Kid's heists over the years. The first and least probable one was that Shinichi presented a challenging audience that Kid wanted to impress, confuse, and foil. Since Shinichi had yet to fail to see through Kid's magic, he doubted that was the case. The second option was that this was Kid's version of a 'proper thank you'. The thought was amusing, but the probability was a little low. The third possibility was that Kid wanted Shinichi around for something else entirely: to help Kid complete his real objective, and drag the Black Organization into the light.
Shinichi presumed it was the third option that Kid favored. He fingered the binoculars around his neck with consideration.
He could do it: he could help point the police towards the men in black, if they appeared, but to do so he had to step back into the light himself. It irritated him a bit, but if he was perfectly honest with himself (and he did try to be), it was thrilling to once again be out solving mysteries. He had done so little of it over the last two years, trying to lay low, especially when compared with the time he'd spent living at the Mouri's.
"Oi, are you the kid that solved Kid's note?"
Conan blinked, shaken out of his thoughts, and looked up at Inspector Nakamori. "Yeah!" he nodded, smiling. "Thank you for letting me come!"
"Hmph." Nakamori was clearly not thrilled with having a child milling around with the police. "I remember you. Conan Edogawa, right? You got a little famous a few years back for almost catching Kid. Where'd you go?"
Conan felt himself flush a little, and he pulled his baseball cap down lower over his face. "I, I'm just visiting from America ... please don't tell anyone about me, I want to surprise my friends when I appear," he chirped.
"Oh yeah? And where are your parents?" Nakamori asked, bending over to look Conan in the face. "Do they usually just let a boy like you wander around late at night?"
Conan struggled for an explanation for his absentee parents, but luckily was saved from answering by a police officer running up. "The preparations are done," he announced, saluting.
Nakamori turned away from Conan. "Good!" Then, abruptly, he grabbed the officer's cheek and pulled hard.
"Ow, owowow! I'm not Kid!" the officer whined, wincing and rubbing his cheek when Nakamori let go.
"I'm satisfied now," Nakamori grumbled, and started to walk away with the officer. "Edogawa! Keep out from underfoot, okay?" he shouted back at Conan.
Conan smiled, perfectly pleasant, but when Nakamori turned away his smile fell away into a contemplative look. He followed Nakamori until he came to the center of the mall, where the beautiful necklace was on display.
Maria Calla's necklace was a beautiful affair with more than 50 diamonds and rubies set into a dramatic drape around the neck. Only one diamond was excessively large, however, the one in the bottom center of the setting. It was this necklace that was a 'forgotten voice, surrounded by tears and good luck'. After all, the diamonds were like glittering tears, the red rubies a representation of luck, and the operatic singer Maria Calla's fame had faded many years ago. Still, the necklace was an impressive one.
The display came to them via De Beers, a diamond seller that wished to promote the grand opening of their jewelery store in the Mitsukoshi Mall. It was in a display case roped off by velvet rope, encased in glass, and resting on a suede pedastal. The display case itself was located in the very center of the mall, on the top floor under its skylight dome. On a usual day there were two security guards stationed at the necklace; right now there were four policemen, all with red cheeks from being pinched. Twenty more policemen were stationed all around the large intersection, and of course more were outside it.
Doubtlessly Kaitou Kid was already here. Shinichi fancied he could feel his presence. The question was, who was Kaitou Kid?
The Inspector had drawn out the necklace for the moment, handling it carefully with gloves so as not to smudge the polished necklace. Next to him Hiro Matsuda fussed, wringing his hands and almost cringing. Matsuda was the the employee of De Beers charged with caring for the necklace. "Please, is this necessary?" he pleaded, and Shinichi watched as Nakamori applied a transmitter to the necklace's clasp.
"Kid never fails a heist!" the Inspector barked. "At this rate our best chance is to follow him. It's doubtful he won't notice the transmitter, but it's one more thing to distract him with."
"Can't we use a fake?" Matsuda asked, swallowing.
"Are you mad!? Kid always sees through that! He'll realize it and run away, slipping from my grasp once again!" Nakamori made a grasping gesture. "I won't let him escape again! That thief ..."
Shinichi watched as Matsuda practically lunged to catch the necklace as Nakamori waved it carelessly around in zealousness. "Please! Inspector! If you drop it and it shatters, what will I do!?"
Shinichi blinked. The Inspector blinked. And then he seemed to get a hold of himself as he realized what he was doing. "Oh, of course ... It's just that when it comes to Kid ..."
"I understand," The sweating caretaker smiled, laughing weakly, and then he helped Nakamori carefully replace the necklace in its display case.
Shinichi smiled, a wide smirk splitting across his face under his baseball cap, as he realized an important truth. "What will you do, Kaitou Kid?" he asked softly.
&
Hiro Matsuda stood behind the line of police at ten-fifteen, still wringing his hands nervously. It was almost time for the heist, so naturally everyone was on edge, especially the man charged with caring for the jewels in question.
"What are you so nervous about?" asked a voice near his waist, and Hiro looked down in surprise. A boy wearing a baseball cap and binoculars was at his side, looking up at him with an intense gaze that shouldn't have been possible for a middle-schooler. "It's true that Kaitou Kid steals jewels, but he always returns them. If anything, it will bring more attention to your store than ever," Conan continued.
Hiro blinked at this, then smiled thinly, his face pale. "Ah, but my boss won't be happy if I ..."
"Or," Conan interrupted, "perhaps you're worried about what will happen when it's discovered that the necklace is a fake ...?"
Hiro's eyes shot wide. "What're you talking about?" He started to sweat even more. "The inspector refused my request to use a replica!"
The kid smiled now, a wide, arrogant smile. "You made a really bad slip, though, mister! That necklace, it's made of rubies and diamonds ... and diamond is the hardest substance on earth! How could the necklace shatter? Unless, of course, the diamonds aren't diamonds, but glass ..."
Matsuda turned very pale. "Boy ..."
Conan shrugged. "At first I thought you just wanted to decieve Kaitou Kid. But who wants to replace a fake with a fake?" he asked, tapping his finger against his chin. "Only someone who doesn't want to be discovered! What did you do with the real jewels, I wonder ... did you sell them for money?"
Matsuda's fingers twitched, and he glared at the boy with a threatening face. "Why you little--!" He lunged at Conan, intending to cover his mouth so he would stop talking.
But Conan leapt out of the way and screamed, "Kaitou Kid! This guy is Kaitou Kid!"
Immediately there were police officers everywhere, grabbing Hiro's arms and legs, preventing him from moving. "No! He's lying! I'm not--Ow ow ow!" One of the police officers had visciously grabbed Hiro's face, attempting to pull off a mask that wasn't there.
Less than seven feet away, the little boy laughed. "Whoops, it seems like I made a mistake ... but it's true that this guy stole the necklace!"
The officers looked at Conan curiously. "What do you mean?"
"The necklace is a fake! This guy says he doesn't want it to shatter, but isn't it hard to shatter diamond?"
"Y-you're right," the officer said, blinking. He spoke into his radio. "False alarm, it wasn't Kid ..." But there was no answer on the radio. "Inspector?" the officer asked again. "... Hey, Oogami, check on the necklace! Tanaka, go get the Inspector! Why isn't he answering his radio ...?"
Conan was already gone.
&
Damn, he wasn't the caretaker! Shinichi swore to himself. There had been only two possibilities as to who Kid was at the time when the fake necklace was removed from the display case - either Matsuda, the caretaker, or Inspector Nakamori. From the moment he had begun to confront Matsuda, however, his reactions were all wrong for Kaitou Kid. Kid would grow more visibly confident as Shinichi exposed his tricks, but Matsuda had grown more worried. By the time he had revealed Matsuda's trick, it was obvious that Matsuda was a thief of a much simpler variety.
That left only the Inspector - the only other person whose face wasn't marked with a red cheek from a mask-pulling pinch. The fact that at the critical time, and with Conan screaming about Kaitou Kid, he was missing was simply proof. Nakamori was sleeping peacefully somewhere, and meanwhile Kaitou Kid was coming for a fake necklace ...
Or was he? Matsuda's slip had been obvious to anyone paying attention, and Shinichi had no doubt that Kid was very intelligent. What, then, would Kid do?
Shinichi ran up the fire escape. The Kid that flew to Mitsukoshi Mall would doubtlessly be a fake, either his accomplice or a dummy. However, Shinichi had little doubt that Kaitou Kid himself would fly back out. No matter what, he would make an appearance, if only to announce the jewels were fake. Inside the room with the display case there would be too much chaos for Shinichi to catch him.
He opened the door to the roof and the wind grabbed at Shinichi, lifting his baseball cap off his head. "Ah!" Shinichi made a desperate lunge for it, but it was gone, tumbling over the edge of the roof. The shrunken detective looked after it forlornly, but unfortunately there was nothing he could do, and he wouldn't lose this chance. He checked his watch - ten-thirty. The lunar eclipse would start soon, and Kid would appear. Shinichi lifted his binoculars and swept the horizon with them.
Sure enough, there was 'Kaitou Kid', flying stiffly along on his hanglider. Shinichi rolled his eyes; with his binoculars, it was obvious that the glider was a fake. He watched the glider until it was so close he could see it easily without his binoculars, and when it was almost directly overhead it exploded with a loud bang! Shinichi plugged his ears as pieces of thin rubber floated down around him; he caught one. A balloon?
Shinichi ran to the glass dome that stuck out of the ceiling. Directly below him was where the fake jewel was being guarded. He couldn't hear anything, but he could see Kaitou Kid crouching on the display case while the police force lunged for him. Shinichi half-lidded his eyes. Seriously, when would the police force learn? The only way to corner Kid was to identify him before he got into full regalia, and isolate him ... which, Shinichi remembered with a sigh, was what he had failed to do today. He just hadn't been able to resist pointing out Matsuda's slipup.
So it came to this - a confrontation on a rooftop, once again. Shinichi glanced behind himself, towards the half-eclipsed moon. Its white face was cast in red-yellow shadow, and partially obscured by blackness. Why, he wondered, does that feel a little bit like a prophecy?
Shinichi felt a chill up his back just before it happened. His spine stiffened of its own accord with the sense of malicious intent, and something bit his cheek.
The detective gasped and immediately dropped to the ground, flattening himself with his cheek pressed to the concrete. He touched his finger to his cheek. Blood ... It was doubtlessly a bullet. But who would shoot at a young boy on a roof? Furthermore, with a silencer - someone is aiming for murder!
Shinichi rolled onto his side and groped for his binoculars, twisting awkwardly from where he lay. Where was the gunman? He couldn't be on this well-lit roof, but a building three blocks away was about as tall. Shinichi kept low, lying on his stomach, and lifted his binoculars to his eyes.
Before he could get them focused on the rooftop, a police officer abruptly burst onto the roof. Shinichi jerked his head to the side, his eyes wide. The police officer was rather young, his face angular and long, and that smile - "Kid! Get down!" Shinichi barked. The gunman's likely real target had arrived.
But the officer made no reply. He ran across the roof, producing a white top hat from nowhere as he did so, and he never stopped smiling. The moment the hat hit his head, there was a powerful burst of pink smoke, obscuring most of the rooftop. Shinichi blinked rapidly in the powder, which smelled strangely of raspberries and left him blinded, before a hand suddenly wrapped around his waist and lifted.
Despite himself, Shinichi panicked, kicking out his legs straight in front of him. Before he could do or say anything, a gloved hand covered his mouth and he felt lips on the back of his ear as he was pulled back against someone's chest. "Today you're my assistant in this trick," Kid said, his tone mischievous. "Don't move, all right? Or you'll ruin it." And with that, he threw a black cloak over Shinichi's small body and put him down, fetched gently against the edge of the roof and out of sight of where the gunman had to be.
The smoke cleared, and Shinichi pulled the cloak away from his face so he could properly see Kid. Kid was facing the edge of the rooftop in full regalia, his card gun trained at something he could see but Shinichi could not, and a radio in his other hand. He drew a deep breath, then started to shout in a perfect imitation of Nakamori's voice, "You idiots! You've been wasting your time looking for me while I've been on the roof! Kid is here, here! He's on the roof!"
The wind whipped up, sending Kid's cloak flying, and Kid spoke again, this time in his normal voice. "Damn, I think he's gone already. Or by now there would have been a shot again ... what a shame. Tonight was a total bust."
Shinichi lay very still for the moment. "You know, it wasn't very funny, asking about my parents and all as Inspector Nakamori."
"Hm, so you guessed. I'm not surprised," Kid smirked. "Critic that you are, you couldn't even stay for the main event."
"This is the main event. You want me here to help catch them, right?" Shinichi asked, still unmoving.
Kid caught Shinichi's gaze and held it for a moment. "Nobody is supposed to get hurt, detective." He waved a finger in reprimand.
"Only you, right?" Shinichi shot back, narrowing his eyes.
The Kaitou Kid lowered his chin and ignored the question. "It's time for us to play our parts, detective," he said, opening his glider. "I hope you'll come back again."
Shinichi started to throw off the cloak, realizing that Kid meant to leave, but at that moment the door to the roof burst open once again and police officers poured through the door - the real Nakamori at the head of them, practically breathing fire. "Stop him!" he screamed, but of course it was too late - Kid laughed, running right over Shinichi's head and stepping off the roof, flying away just as the lunar eclipse came to an end.
&
In the general chaos that followed a Kid heist, Hiro Matsuda was arrested for theft. The real Maria Calla necklace was spread all over Japan, broken to pieces and sold individually by the greedy caretaker. Whether or not any pieces would surface was currently unknown.
Conan Edogawa struggled to keep a low profile. Like most facial cuts, the laceration from the bullet was excessively bloody, but it only needed a few stitches. Press members who had heard a boy solved the note wanted to talk to him, but he actively fled, claiming he needed his parents. Of course, Nakamori wanted to know what had happened to his cheek. "Did Kid do that?" he demanded, still so furious over being put to sleep that his mustache seemed to stand on end and his face was cherry-red.
Conan shook his head and told the story, explaining about the shot having to have come from this other rooftop. Nakamori scowled.
"Some guy's been at this a while, shooting at Kid," he growled. "First time they've hit anyone else though."
"The first time? Really?" Conan asked, his voice high and impressed as if the shot was now somehow a badge of honor, but inwardly he felt his stomach try to twist itself into a knot. If the culprit never made a mistake and shot a police officer or someone else, then what had made him shoot at little Conan Edogawa?
tbc