Case Closed Fan Fiction ❯ The Detective Prince ❯ Relocated ( Chapter 23 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: SSJBowser 
Putting in plan.
Anime/Manga: Case Closed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.22.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 371 | Status: Completed
Putting in plan.
Anime/Manga: Case Closed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.22.2011 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.6K | Visits: 371 | Status: Completed
The Detective Prince
Chapter 23
Relocated
“I think I did a good job.....hopefully this works.”
It was relatively early, a little past nine thirty that morning. He continued down the block, the building of interest coming into view.
“They were closed when I stopped by last night, business should be in session now.”
He walked up, the main doors sliding to the side. Being the time of day it was, there was no line to keep him in wait. He smiled, walking over to the front desk.
“How may I help you today Mr.....?”
“Tsuneo.” He replied removing his hat.
“Oh yes, you stopped by a week ago,” The clerk said looking to the computer screen. “Have you come to check the fundings of your account.”
“Great, the disguise worked.”
“If you mean account CMX4, then yes.”
“Give me one second Mr. Tsuneo.”
He stood in wait for a few, his hands resting atop the counter.
“That’s strange, it says everything has been emptied out.”
“Emptied out....by whom?”
“By a Mr. Goodman Alfran, do you know him?”
He snapped his finger.
“That’s my business partner,” He said with a laugh. “I wish he would tell me when he makes decisions like these.”
“Sorry for misunderstanding Mr. Tsuneo.”
“Don’t worry about it,” He said with a turn. “Thanks for looking into that for me.”
“Ofcourse, it’s what we do at Skyline Bank.”
With that he headed for the exit, not sure what to feel on the matter.
“Everything that sat in the back room must have been moved just yesterday,” He thought to himself as the front doors pushed to the side once more. “The good news is I have a name, Alfran Goodman.”
He made it to the end of the street, looking to his watch.
“It’s a little early, but I’ll be sure to give Conan a call in a bit to inform him about this late development.”
He stood in the room, trotting from side to side in an endless cycle of back and forth.
“I’ve been at this for nearly an hour, I wonder when he’s going to call,” Conan thought to himself continuing to pace. “On a side note, where did he go off to last night?”
Conan finally came to a stop, taking a seat at the side of the bed. He looked to the ground, wondering what events the day’s would bring. The sound of foot steps approached. He looked to the door, a couple light knocks touching up against it.
“Conan are you awake?”
He hopped down from the bed, walking over and opening the door.
“Good morning Conan,” Ran said with a smile. “Would you like to go on a morning jog with me?”
“Sure, we haven’t done that in a few weeks.” Conan said agreeing.
“Good, just give me a few minutes,” Ran said heading for her room. “Let me get into something more appropriate for the occasion.”
“I’ll do the same.” Conan said walking over to his drawer.
It didn’t take long for him to find his jogging attire. He headed into the main room, stretching his arms and legs as he waited. Ran joined him soon after.
“You ready to go?”
Conan nodded. With that the two walked to the door heading down the fleet of stairs. They jogged down the streets, occasionally waving to those that lived in the neighborhood.
“So Conan, how did you enjoy the cruise?” Ran asked as they jogged.
“It wasn’t bad, actually had a lot of fun,” Conan replied keeping pace with her. “I got to meet Nou Shoji, so that was nice.”
Ran immediately stopped in her tracks, Conan doing the same.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shoji was on the cruise,” Ran asked looking down to him. “You mean the Nou Shoji?”
“Yea,” Conan confirmed. “I even got to shake his hand.”
“That’s weird, Sonoko didn’t even mention he was on the cruise,” Ran said as the two began walking. “What was he like?”
“He’s a pretty laid back kinda guy, very friendly at that,” Conan said as they continued walking. “I’m positive you would have found his company most enjoyable.”
At that second a car drove by, honking at the two as it did. They looked over to see Subaru waving before turning up the block.
“It looks like he’s having a good day,” Conan said before looking back to Ran. “How about the art show, did you meet anybody worth mentioning?”
She simply smiled, the light turning red allowing for them to cross the road.
“She’s hiding something...I wonder what it could be.”
Their morning jog lasted for another fifteen minutes before heading back to the house. Ran held the front door open, Conan walking in with Ran right behind.
“I’m pretty sure you’re hungry after that little work out,” Ran said closing the door behind them. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Anything will do.”
“Let me change into something else,” Ran said taking to her room. “I’ll make something as soon as I come out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Conan watched as she walked to her room, turning to do the same.
“Guess I better get into something more casual myself.”
He headed in, finding a clean set of clothes to wear for the day. After getting dressed he walked back to the main room. Conan switched on the TV, flipping through the channels looking to find anything of interest. He came to a stop once reaching the news.
“Let’s see what todays news has to share.”
Ran came from her room a few moments later, heading straight for the kitchen. Conan quickly turning the channel when the talk of the Seawolf was mentioned as the next topic.
“Gotta be careful, don’t want Ran to find out the in depth details of our cruise.”
He flipped it to the sports channel before resting the remote on top of the TV.
“Do you know when Kogoro is supposed to return?” Conan asked walking to the kitchen.
“I got a call from him yesterday afternoon, he should be home this evening some time.” Ran replied washing her hands at the sink.
Conan reached into his pocket, pulling out his vibrating phone. He looked down to see a received text from Tim. He walked back to the TV, opening the message as he did.
“Meet me at the base.”
Conan closed his phone, looking over to Ran who was laying out the supplies for breakfast.
“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to eat first.” Conan thought to himself.
He sat in wait for the next twenty minutes, watching the highlights of different sporting events to help pass time.
“Breakfast is ready,” Ran said stepping from the kitchen. “I hope you like it.”
“There’s nothing you’ve made I haven’t liked.”
“Thanks Conan.” Ran said placing his dish onto the table.
It didn’t take long for him to finish, looking across the table to find Ran looking down to her phone.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Conan asked.
“I’m not really hungry,” Ran said looking up. “I think I’ll just wait for lunch.”
She looked back to her phone causing Conan to lift a brow.
“I wonder what’s up, an important call maybe?”
He stood from the table, walking over and cleaning off his plate before letting it sit to dry.
“Hey Ran, do you think it would be ok if I went and hanged with my friends?”
“Sure...how long do you plan on being gone for?”
“Just a couple hours, no later than five.” Conan said assuringly.
“That’s fine with me, call me if you need anything ok.”
Conan nodded before walking over to the door, sliding on his shoes. He tightened his laces, giving her one last glimpse before heading out the front door.
“I wonder what this little meeting is going to be about, that account no doubt.”
Conan took each step at a time, knowing he had a rather flexible length of time for the day. He made it to the forest, welcoming it’s many tree’s which shielded him from the sun’s heat and brightness. He made it to the underground base, the device scanning his eyes.
“This never get’s old.”
The door slid open the next second, allowing for him to step in. Conan walked in immediately noticing a few added additions to the room. To the right of the locker rested another desk with a computer sitting on it, Conan then looked to see Tim at the end of the shed lifting weights.
“You came sooner than I expected.” Tim said pushing the bar and weights up to it’s resting spot.
“I see you’ve added a couple things.”
“Got the extra computer down here, just incase we have multiple leads on something,” Tim said walking over. “That way you or Heiji can work one angle while I do another.”
“Smart thinking, what did you get the weights for?” Conan asked looking to them once more.
“Need to keep my body in top physical shape, it helps avoid soreness and other side affects from my night activities.”
“Guess that makes sense,” Conan said directing his attention up to him. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t ask to meet me here just to show me the added utilities.”
“That’s correct, I actually wanted to show you something.”
Tim walked over taking a seat infront of the computer, Conan at his side. He turned on the screen, Conan stared up looking at the many different faces which filled the screen.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“No, this is just a criminal hit list,” Tim answered. “I keep tabs on some of the most dangerous threats not only in Gotham, but on a world scale.”
Conan looked up at the many criminals, a cold chill tickling down the side of his neck when he caught sight of him.
“Tim....who is that?” Conan asked with a point.
“Joker,” Tim replied. “One of Gotham’s most crazed minds you’ll ever see.”
“I’d hate to run into him,” Conan said with a shiver. “He looks creepy.”
“When dealing with the Joker, you always need to have a plan,” Tim said looking to him. “He’s one of the most unpredictable men I’ve ever come face to face with.”
Tim turned back to the screen, Conan doing the same. It didn’t take long for him to come across two very familiar faces.
“Wow, he’s even got Gin and Vodka on his hit list,” Conan thought to himself. “Heiji might be right about Tim being a little paranoid, this list along with all these complex plans on how to handle each situation sure screams not normal.”
A new window popped up a few seconds later, a survaliance video in play.
“What’s this video of?” Conan asked.
“A man by the name of Alfran Goodman, he’s the one who emptied out the account Freil spoke to us about,” Tim replied. “We have a clear shot of him right...there.”
He paused the video as the two got a good look at him.
“Not bad, we defiantly have a clear visual,” Conan commented. “Did you try pulling any records on Mr. Goodman?”
“Got absolutely nothing,” Tim replied with the tap of his finger. “Alfran must be good at covering his tracks, that mixed with good connections.”
“Guess that put’s us in a slight hole, huh?”
“Not exactly Conan, I’m still looking through all the records to find out who all accessed the account prior to it being drained of it’s goods.”
“Which could lead to a location of where the money and Yin/Yang box are.” Conan added.
“There were no funds of any kind transferred to another account,” Tim said stepping up from the chair. “This must mean Alfran is keeping everything close to the chest, which also means it’s probably located in a discreet location.”
“Are you thinking his or one of his buddies homes?” Conan asked.
“...Maybe, we don’t have much to go off of, but we’ll work with what we do.”
“Excatly how many people accessed the account?”
“Besides Freil and Alfran, four more people had used the account,” Tim replied sliding on a shirt. “I have all their addresses, what do you say we go give these sites a little visit.”
“Now you’re talking,” Conan said. “How far apart are the houses?”
“A good distance, that just means we need to get started early.”
They left from the base within the minute, catching a taxi after making it out of the forest. Their whole day was spent driving around Japan, visiting all four of the addresses. They got the same results each time, nothing. The two stood atop a hill staring down at the final house. Tim pulled out a pair of binoculars giving it a closer look. The sun flowed down to the edge, darkness beginning to loom around them. Conan looked to his watch with the shake of his head.
“We’ve been at this all day,” Conan complained. “Why didn’t any of them show up to their known locations?”
“Good question,” Tim said removing the binoculars from his eyes. “Maybe they were expecting someone to come looking.”
“No doubt,” Conan said looking to the sky. “Freil must have let them know their little account was exposed, thus forcing them to lay low.”
“Question now becomes.....where, where are they hiding out?”
“That’s going to be tough to answer, factoring in we don’t even know Mr. Goodman’s address.” Conan added.
The two sat in silence for a little longer, clinging onto the slightest hope someone would arrive at the house they watched from afar. Conan looked to his watch yet again, realizing what time it was.
“It’s already past seven,” Conan said with a slight huff. “I told Ran I’d be home by five.”
“Guess I’d better get you home then,” Tim said standing to his feet. “I’ll do some additional digging tonight.”
“Sounds good,” Conan said pushing to his feet as well. “Call me if you happen to come across anything worth mentioning.”
“Sure thing Shinichi....I mean Conan.” Tim corrected.
“It’s ok,” Conan said. “Just as long as you don’t trip up like that infront of anyone else.”
“I’ll be sure that dosen’t happen,” Tim assured while turning to walk. “Now lets go find us a cab.”
Conan followed next to him as they headed back to the roadway, waiting for a taxi to arrive which didn’t take long. Both sat in silence as they drove, thinking about the case at hand. The cab came to a stop after a twenty minute drive. Conan pushed the door open, looking back as he stepped out.
“Good luck in there.” Tim said.
“Depending on her mood, I might need it.” Conan said with a smile.
He closed the door with the taxi taking off up the block. Conan quickly rushed inside, pouncing up the stairs to the front door. He pushed it open to find Kogoro and Ran sitting infront of the TV.
“There you are,” Ran said looking over. “What did you and your friends do all day?”
“We played at the park for most of the day,” Conan replied pushing off his shoes. “Then we tossed the ball up in the fields.”
“Sounds like you had a lot of fun,” Ran said as Conan joined them infront of the TV. “When’s the last time you ate something?”
“A couple hours ago,” Conan replied. “I think I’ll be ok for the time being.”
Kogoro held the remote in his possession, casually flipping from channel to channel every few seconds. It didn’t take long for Ran to clearly take notice of this.
“Dad, is it possible we could stick to just one channel?” Ran asked becoming a little annoyed.
“It’s not my fault every thing is rerunning tonight.” Kogoro replied continuing to switch through the channels.
Ran bulged up her fists, snatching the remote from his hand while placing it in between her and Conan.
“This channel will do just fine.” Ran said with authority.
“The news,” Kogoro exclaimed in protest. “I’ve watched enough news to last me at least a month, lets put on something with action.”
Ran ignored him, keeping her focus on the TV. Kogoro’s shoulders dropped with the narrowing of his eyes.
“So much for the warm home welcoming.” Kogoro muttered under his breath.
All three eyes lay fixated to the TV, listening and watching for the latest news. Conan gulped at the mention of the Seawolf. He quickly reached for the remote, immediately changing the channel.
“Conan what are you doing,” Ran snapped. “I wanted to see what that was about!”
“I’m with Kogoro on this one,” Conan said with a laugh. “I want to see some action.”
“Hell must have frozen over, me and the boy actually agree on something.” Kogoro said.
Ran rolled her eyes while standing to her feet.
“Fine,” Ran said heading for her room. “You two can watch whatever it is you want.”
The slamming of her door could be heard the next second.
“Now look what you did.” Kogoro said.
Conan shook his head from side to side before standing up and heading to his room as well.
“It’s not like Ran to storm off like that over the TV.....I wonder what’s got her so heated.”
Once in he closed the door behind him, getting into his pajamas before switching off the light.
“I wonder if any of the others called, I’ll have to check my messages in the morning.”
Conan looked to the clock which read eight fifty two. He jumped into bed, resting his hands under his head.
“I hope Ran feels better tommarrow,” Conan thought rolling to his side. “I’m not sure how long we can withhold the truth....its only a matter of time before she finds out.”
His eyes slid shut, finding himself asleep shortly there after.
The night lurked from all sides, he sat upon the ledge staring into the open space of the night. His mind blank from the things around him. The questions posed, who was Alfran Goodman? And where was the Yin/Yang box? It frustrated him not to know. A slight breeze blew through, brushing his cape to the left. He closed his eyes, just for a brief second. A flash went off causing his eyes to spring open. He saw it....felt it.
“What was that?”
Red Robin jumped up, looking to all buildings that stood in the near distance. There was nothing, no sign of anyone.
“Could have sworn there was a camera flash.....is someone watching me?”
Red Robin sharply scoured the other roofs, switching his cowl to night vision to see if he could pick up anything not visible to the naked eye. He got the same results. The sound of the wind whispering past his ears.
“Something’s up, but what?”
He waited for another minute, only catching a glimpse of a few birds flapping in the distance.
“Maybe it was nothing,” He said stepping up to the edge. “I’ll just be sure to keep my eyes peeled from here on out.”
With that He jumped from the bell tower, free falling while reaching for his grappler. It sprung out as he swung through the night.
Laughter echoed through the walls awaking him that next morning. Conan pushed up, bringing his glasses to his eyes.
“Isn’t it a little early for all that?” Conan thought to himself getting out of bed.
He got dressed before making his way into the hall. Kogoro sat infront of the TV watching one of the many game shows. Conan walked past heading over and giving Ran’s door a knock.
“Oh, hey Conan.” Ran said cracking the door open.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Ran opened the door, inviting him in. She took a seat at the side of her bed with Conan standing infront of her.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Ran asked placing her hands on her knees.
“I just wanted to come and apologize for last night, I didn’t know changing the channel would cause you to react that way.”
“It’s ok, I just had a long day,” Ran said accepting his apology. “So what do you want to do today.”
“Hmmm, that’s a good question.”
Ran’s phone began to ring the next second. She stood from the bed walking over and grabbing the phone from the dresser. She answered it, engaging in a brief conversation before hanging up.
“That was Sonoko,” Ran said walking back over. “She invited us for breakfast up at that new pancake shop, would you like to come?”
“Well...actually I was planning on going to see Dr. Agasa for a bit,” Conan came up with. “There’s this new experiment he’s going to show me, sounds very exciting.”
“Ok then, I’ll just let her know you were busy.”
“That works, I’ll see you later.” Conan said before heading out of her room.
He made it to the front door where he slid on his shoes.
“Where are you heading off to so early?” Kogoro asked looking away from the TV.
“Going to go check out a cool experiment,” Conan answered while pushing the door open. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He trotted down the stairs with both hands resting in his pocket. He walked along the road with a smile coming to his face from the clear sky. He arrived at the apartment, joining a group of people in the elevator. Conan was the last to reach his destined floor. He made his way around the corner giving the door a few knocks. A few seconds went by as he stood in wait.
“Don’t tell me he already took off for the day.”
Within the next second the door slowly pushed to the side. He stood there in only his boxers, his hair in all directions, eyes looking as if they had not been rested for days. Conan immediately burst into laughter. Tim slowly looked down at him, confusion over his face.
“What’s so funny?” Tim asked wiping his eyes.
“You,” Conan exclaimed continuing to laugh. “You look so ridiculous!”
“I’m not sure I follow.” Tim said in a sleepy tone.
“Who answer’s the door in their under pants,” Conan questioned. “What if I was some school girl trying to sell cookies?”
“Why would a school girl come here?” Tim questioned.
“Just forget it.” Conan said pushing past him. “You’re one lost sheep when you don’t get your sleep, apparently.”
Tim closed the door behind them. Conan made his way through the dark opening the curtains to lighten up the room. Tim put a hand to his eyes for a few seconds, adjusting to the morning light.
“How late were you up,” Conan asked taking a seat at the chair located at the desk. “You look like you got hammered by a buffalo or something.”
Tim brushed off his comment, sliding into a pair of jeans before taking a seat at the end of the bed.
“What can I say, a couple guys kept me busy last night,” Tim said stretching his arms. “Didn’t get to sleep until after six some time.”
“If I had known I’d of waited till later to slip by.” Conan said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Tim said standing back to his feet. “You’re probably wanting to know if I got any new information.”
“That would be nice.”
“Give me a couple minutes to clean up,” Tim said walking toward the bathroom. “I think I may have an idea of where the box and money are.”
“Take your time,” Conan said with a grin. “I’ve got all day.”
The sound of construction can be heard up the block as the day progressed. She crossed the road approaching the place they were scheduled to meet. Two men whistled over at her as she made it to the entrance. She ignored them, pushing the door to the side.
“I wonder if Sonoko arrived before me.” Ran said looking around.
It didn’t take long for Ran to locate Sonoko waving over at her from one of the corner seats.
“Where’s Conan?” Sonoko asked as Ran took a seat across from her.
“He went to go check out some experiment Dr. Agasa is conducting.” Ran replied.
She looked to the table, noticing there were no menus present.
“Hope you don’t mind that I ordered something for you,” Sonoko said. “Didn’t want you to have to wait once here.”
“That’s fine,” Ran said resting her elbows on the table. “You tend to have good taste anyway.”
Silence fell between the two for the next seconds. Ran knew something was on her mind, she could see it in her eyes.
“Sonoko, what’s wrong?”
“I think it would have been better if Conan was here to tell you.” Sonoko said turning to the side. “I don’t think he went to see Dr. Agasa.”
“What do you mean,” Ran questioned sitting up straight. “Where do you think he went?”
Sonoko took a few shallow breaths before turning to face her.
“Ran....Conan’s been hanging around Tim,” Sonoko informed. “He’s the one who invited and took us on that cruise.”
Ran sat in shock, not saying a word.
“I wanted to tell you, but both Conan and Tim asked for me not to.” Sonoko continued. “Ran...please say something.”
Ran looked down to the table, thinking about what she had just heard.
“Why, why would you join him on a cruise after what he had done?” Ran asked.
“I felt a little sorry for him, if you can put it that way.”
“Sorry for him, I don’t understand.” Ran said lifting her head.
“His parents were......”
She stopped herself, choosing not to tell her.
“He had planned on apologizing to you, but backed out for some odd reason.”
“All those nights he was late home, the nights he claimed he was at Dr. Agasa’s...I now know the truth,” Ran said tearing up. “Why would Conan lie to me about that, we’re so close.”
She held back her tears as Sonoko’s hand rested atop her’s. Ran looked over to find a warming smile across her friends face.
“Just talk to him,” Sonoko suggested. “Tim’s not as bad as you may think, I can give you his number if you want.”
They sat for another minute or so without saying a word, the food being delivered to them.
“Come on Ran, what do you say?”
“I’d rather do it in person.” Ran finally answered.
“Can’t help you there,” Sonoko said. “I have no idea where he’s staying.”
“But I know who does.”
She stood from her chair only to have her wrist grabbed by Sonoko.
“Please do eat first,” Sonoko said. “Besides, I’d like to tell you what our cruise was really like.”
Ran took back to her chair, putting her hands to the table and giving Sonoko her full attention.
“I’m listening.”
He came from the bathroom, tossing on a shirt as he took a seat at the bed. Conan continued spinning the pencil through his fingers as he looked over at him.
“Hope you found your shower refreshing.”
“As a matter a fact it was.” Tim stated throwing him a rolled up piece of paper.
Conan caught hit with his right arm, removing his feet from the desk as he rolled it open. He looked down, viewing it’s contents.
“It’s a map of my neighborhood,” Conan said noticing a highlighted area. “I see you’ve circled around a fifteen mile radius by my school.”
“I think wherever the stash is being held is somewhere in that circle.” Tim said.
“What makes you think that?” Conan asked.
“Alfran didn’t transfer any of the goods to a new account, nor was anyone found at the locations we visited yesterday.” Tim began. “I’m almost certain they aren’t to far from home, the circled area marks the center of all four houses we visited.”
“Good catch,” Conan complemented. “But how do you know for sure, they could have taken off on a plane for all we know.”
“No, not yet.” Tim assured. “I know how these guy’s work, they wont make another move until they’re positive they have a legit holding place.”
“Guess that means we have to find this place before they do make their next move, and fast.” Conan said jumping down from the chair.
“Right you are,” Tim said pushing up from the bed. “I may have an idea that could get us one step closer to finding the location.”
“I’m all ears,” Conan said ready to begin. “What’s the plan?”
To Be Continued
Converting /tmp/phpIOA4tj to /dev/stdout
Chapter 23
Relocated
“I think I did a good job.....hopefully this works.”
It was relatively early, a little past nine thirty that morning. He continued down the block, the building of interest coming into view.
“They were closed when I stopped by last night, business should be in session now.”
He walked up, the main doors sliding to the side. Being the time of day it was, there was no line to keep him in wait. He smiled, walking over to the front desk.
“How may I help you today Mr.....?”
“Tsuneo.” He replied removing his hat.
“Oh yes, you stopped by a week ago,” The clerk said looking to the computer screen. “Have you come to check the fundings of your account.”
“Great, the disguise worked.”
“If you mean account CMX4, then yes.”
“Give me one second Mr. Tsuneo.”
He stood in wait for a few, his hands resting atop the counter.
“That’s strange, it says everything has been emptied out.”
“Emptied out....by whom?”
“By a Mr. Goodman Alfran, do you know him?”
He snapped his finger.
“That’s my business partner,” He said with a laugh. “I wish he would tell me when he makes decisions like these.”
“Sorry for misunderstanding Mr. Tsuneo.”
“Don’t worry about it,” He said with a turn. “Thanks for looking into that for me.”
“Ofcourse, it’s what we do at Skyline Bank.”
With that he headed for the exit, not sure what to feel on the matter.
“Everything that sat in the back room must have been moved just yesterday,” He thought to himself as the front doors pushed to the side once more. “The good news is I have a name, Alfran Goodman.”
He made it to the end of the street, looking to his watch.
“It’s a little early, but I’ll be sure to give Conan a call in a bit to inform him about this late development.”
He stood in the room, trotting from side to side in an endless cycle of back and forth.
“I’ve been at this for nearly an hour, I wonder when he’s going to call,” Conan thought to himself continuing to pace. “On a side note, where did he go off to last night?”
Conan finally came to a stop, taking a seat at the side of the bed. He looked to the ground, wondering what events the day’s would bring. The sound of foot steps approached. He looked to the door, a couple light knocks touching up against it.
“Conan are you awake?”
He hopped down from the bed, walking over and opening the door.
“Good morning Conan,” Ran said with a smile. “Would you like to go on a morning jog with me?”
“Sure, we haven’t done that in a few weeks.” Conan said agreeing.
“Good, just give me a few minutes,” Ran said heading for her room. “Let me get into something more appropriate for the occasion.”
“I’ll do the same.” Conan said walking over to his drawer.
It didn’t take long for him to find his jogging attire. He headed into the main room, stretching his arms and legs as he waited. Ran joined him soon after.
“You ready to go?”
Conan nodded. With that the two walked to the door heading down the fleet of stairs. They jogged down the streets, occasionally waving to those that lived in the neighborhood.
“So Conan, how did you enjoy the cruise?” Ran asked as they jogged.
“It wasn’t bad, actually had a lot of fun,” Conan replied keeping pace with her. “I got to meet Nou Shoji, so that was nice.”
Ran immediately stopped in her tracks, Conan doing the same.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shoji was on the cruise,” Ran asked looking down to him. “You mean the Nou Shoji?”
“Yea,” Conan confirmed. “I even got to shake his hand.”
“That’s weird, Sonoko didn’t even mention he was on the cruise,” Ran said as the two began walking. “What was he like?”
“He’s a pretty laid back kinda guy, very friendly at that,” Conan said as they continued walking. “I’m positive you would have found his company most enjoyable.”
At that second a car drove by, honking at the two as it did. They looked over to see Subaru waving before turning up the block.
“It looks like he’s having a good day,” Conan said before looking back to Ran. “How about the art show, did you meet anybody worth mentioning?”
She simply smiled, the light turning red allowing for them to cross the road.
“She’s hiding something...I wonder what it could be.”
Their morning jog lasted for another fifteen minutes before heading back to the house. Ran held the front door open, Conan walking in with Ran right behind.
“I’m pretty sure you’re hungry after that little work out,” Ran said closing the door behind them. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Anything will do.”
“Let me change into something else,” Ran said taking to her room. “I’ll make something as soon as I come out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Conan watched as she walked to her room, turning to do the same.
“Guess I better get into something more casual myself.”
He headed in, finding a clean set of clothes to wear for the day. After getting dressed he walked back to the main room. Conan switched on the TV, flipping through the channels looking to find anything of interest. He came to a stop once reaching the news.
“Let’s see what todays news has to share.”
Ran came from her room a few moments later, heading straight for the kitchen. Conan quickly turning the channel when the talk of the Seawolf was mentioned as the next topic.
“Gotta be careful, don’t want Ran to find out the in depth details of our cruise.”
He flipped it to the sports channel before resting the remote on top of the TV.
“Do you know when Kogoro is supposed to return?” Conan asked walking to the kitchen.
“I got a call from him yesterday afternoon, he should be home this evening some time.” Ran replied washing her hands at the sink.
Conan reached into his pocket, pulling out his vibrating phone. He looked down to see a received text from Tim. He walked back to the TV, opening the message as he did.
“Meet me at the base.”
Conan closed his phone, looking over to Ran who was laying out the supplies for breakfast.
“Guess it wouldn’t hurt to eat first.” Conan thought to himself.
He sat in wait for the next twenty minutes, watching the highlights of different sporting events to help pass time.
“Breakfast is ready,” Ran said stepping from the kitchen. “I hope you like it.”
“There’s nothing you’ve made I haven’t liked.”
“Thanks Conan.” Ran said placing his dish onto the table.
It didn’t take long for him to finish, looking across the table to find Ran looking down to her phone.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Conan asked.
“I’m not really hungry,” Ran said looking up. “I think I’ll just wait for lunch.”
She looked back to her phone causing Conan to lift a brow.
“I wonder what’s up, an important call maybe?”
He stood from the table, walking over and cleaning off his plate before letting it sit to dry.
“Hey Ran, do you think it would be ok if I went and hanged with my friends?”
“Sure...how long do you plan on being gone for?”
“Just a couple hours, no later than five.” Conan said assuringly.
“That’s fine with me, call me if you need anything ok.”
Conan nodded before walking over to the door, sliding on his shoes. He tightened his laces, giving her one last glimpse before heading out the front door.
“I wonder what this little meeting is going to be about, that account no doubt.”
Conan took each step at a time, knowing he had a rather flexible length of time for the day. He made it to the forest, welcoming it’s many tree’s which shielded him from the sun’s heat and brightness. He made it to the underground base, the device scanning his eyes.
“This never get’s old.”
The door slid open the next second, allowing for him to step in. Conan walked in immediately noticing a few added additions to the room. To the right of the locker rested another desk with a computer sitting on it, Conan then looked to see Tim at the end of the shed lifting weights.
“You came sooner than I expected.” Tim said pushing the bar and weights up to it’s resting spot.
“I see you’ve added a couple things.”
“Got the extra computer down here, just incase we have multiple leads on something,” Tim said walking over. “That way you or Heiji can work one angle while I do another.”
“Smart thinking, what did you get the weights for?” Conan asked looking to them once more.
“Need to keep my body in top physical shape, it helps avoid soreness and other side affects from my night activities.”
“Guess that makes sense,” Conan said directing his attention up to him. “I’m pretty sure you didn’t ask to meet me here just to show me the added utilities.”
“That’s correct, I actually wanted to show you something.”
Tim walked over taking a seat infront of the computer, Conan at his side. He turned on the screen, Conan stared up looking at the many different faces which filled the screen.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“No, this is just a criminal hit list,” Tim answered. “I keep tabs on some of the most dangerous threats not only in Gotham, but on a world scale.”
Conan looked up at the many criminals, a cold chill tickling down the side of his neck when he caught sight of him.
“Tim....who is that?” Conan asked with a point.
“Joker,” Tim replied. “One of Gotham’s most crazed minds you’ll ever see.”
“I’d hate to run into him,” Conan said with a shiver. “He looks creepy.”
“When dealing with the Joker, you always need to have a plan,” Tim said looking to him. “He’s one of the most unpredictable men I’ve ever come face to face with.”
Tim turned back to the screen, Conan doing the same. It didn’t take long for him to come across two very familiar faces.
“Wow, he’s even got Gin and Vodka on his hit list,” Conan thought to himself. “Heiji might be right about Tim being a little paranoid, this list along with all these complex plans on how to handle each situation sure screams not normal.”
A new window popped up a few seconds later, a survaliance video in play.
“What’s this video of?” Conan asked.
“A man by the name of Alfran Goodman, he’s the one who emptied out the account Freil spoke to us about,” Tim replied. “We have a clear shot of him right...there.”
He paused the video as the two got a good look at him.
“Not bad, we defiantly have a clear visual,” Conan commented. “Did you try pulling any records on Mr. Goodman?”
“Got absolutely nothing,” Tim replied with the tap of his finger. “Alfran must be good at covering his tracks, that mixed with good connections.”
“Guess that put’s us in a slight hole, huh?”
“Not exactly Conan, I’m still looking through all the records to find out who all accessed the account prior to it being drained of it’s goods.”
“Which could lead to a location of where the money and Yin/Yang box are.” Conan added.
“There were no funds of any kind transferred to another account,” Tim said stepping up from the chair. “This must mean Alfran is keeping everything close to the chest, which also means it’s probably located in a discreet location.”
“Are you thinking his or one of his buddies homes?” Conan asked.
“...Maybe, we don’t have much to go off of, but we’ll work with what we do.”
“Excatly how many people accessed the account?”
“Besides Freil and Alfran, four more people had used the account,” Tim replied sliding on a shirt. “I have all their addresses, what do you say we go give these sites a little visit.”
“Now you’re talking,” Conan said. “How far apart are the houses?”
“A good distance, that just means we need to get started early.”
They left from the base within the minute, catching a taxi after making it out of the forest. Their whole day was spent driving around Japan, visiting all four of the addresses. They got the same results each time, nothing. The two stood atop a hill staring down at the final house. Tim pulled out a pair of binoculars giving it a closer look. The sun flowed down to the edge, darkness beginning to loom around them. Conan looked to his watch with the shake of his head.
“We’ve been at this all day,” Conan complained. “Why didn’t any of them show up to their known locations?”
“Good question,” Tim said removing the binoculars from his eyes. “Maybe they were expecting someone to come looking.”
“No doubt,” Conan said looking to the sky. “Freil must have let them know their little account was exposed, thus forcing them to lay low.”
“Question now becomes.....where, where are they hiding out?”
“That’s going to be tough to answer, factoring in we don’t even know Mr. Goodman’s address.” Conan added.
The two sat in silence for a little longer, clinging onto the slightest hope someone would arrive at the house they watched from afar. Conan looked to his watch yet again, realizing what time it was.
“It’s already past seven,” Conan said with a slight huff. “I told Ran I’d be home by five.”
“Guess I’d better get you home then,” Tim said standing to his feet. “I’ll do some additional digging tonight.”
“Sounds good,” Conan said pushing to his feet as well. “Call me if you happen to come across anything worth mentioning.”
“Sure thing Shinichi....I mean Conan.” Tim corrected.
“It’s ok,” Conan said. “Just as long as you don’t trip up like that infront of anyone else.”
“I’ll be sure that dosen’t happen,” Tim assured while turning to walk. “Now lets go find us a cab.”
Conan followed next to him as they headed back to the roadway, waiting for a taxi to arrive which didn’t take long. Both sat in silence as they drove, thinking about the case at hand. The cab came to a stop after a twenty minute drive. Conan pushed the door open, looking back as he stepped out.
“Good luck in there.” Tim said.
“Depending on her mood, I might need it.” Conan said with a smile.
He closed the door with the taxi taking off up the block. Conan quickly rushed inside, pouncing up the stairs to the front door. He pushed it open to find Kogoro and Ran sitting infront of the TV.
“There you are,” Ran said looking over. “What did you and your friends do all day?”
“We played at the park for most of the day,” Conan replied pushing off his shoes. “Then we tossed the ball up in the fields.”
“Sounds like you had a lot of fun,” Ran said as Conan joined them infront of the TV. “When’s the last time you ate something?”
“A couple hours ago,” Conan replied. “I think I’ll be ok for the time being.”
Kogoro held the remote in his possession, casually flipping from channel to channel every few seconds. It didn’t take long for Ran to clearly take notice of this.
“Dad, is it possible we could stick to just one channel?” Ran asked becoming a little annoyed.
“It’s not my fault every thing is rerunning tonight.” Kogoro replied continuing to switch through the channels.
Ran bulged up her fists, snatching the remote from his hand while placing it in between her and Conan.
“This channel will do just fine.” Ran said with authority.
“The news,” Kogoro exclaimed in protest. “I’ve watched enough news to last me at least a month, lets put on something with action.”
Ran ignored him, keeping her focus on the TV. Kogoro’s shoulders dropped with the narrowing of his eyes.
“So much for the warm home welcoming.” Kogoro muttered under his breath.
All three eyes lay fixated to the TV, listening and watching for the latest news. Conan gulped at the mention of the Seawolf. He quickly reached for the remote, immediately changing the channel.
“Conan what are you doing,” Ran snapped. “I wanted to see what that was about!”
“I’m with Kogoro on this one,” Conan said with a laugh. “I want to see some action.”
“Hell must have frozen over, me and the boy actually agree on something.” Kogoro said.
Ran rolled her eyes while standing to her feet.
“Fine,” Ran said heading for her room. “You two can watch whatever it is you want.”
The slamming of her door could be heard the next second.
“Now look what you did.” Kogoro said.
Conan shook his head from side to side before standing up and heading to his room as well.
“It’s not like Ran to storm off like that over the TV.....I wonder what’s got her so heated.”
Once in he closed the door behind him, getting into his pajamas before switching off the light.
“I wonder if any of the others called, I’ll have to check my messages in the morning.”
Conan looked to the clock which read eight fifty two. He jumped into bed, resting his hands under his head.
“I hope Ran feels better tommarrow,” Conan thought rolling to his side. “I’m not sure how long we can withhold the truth....its only a matter of time before she finds out.”
His eyes slid shut, finding himself asleep shortly there after.
The night lurked from all sides, he sat upon the ledge staring into the open space of the night. His mind blank from the things around him. The questions posed, who was Alfran Goodman? And where was the Yin/Yang box? It frustrated him not to know. A slight breeze blew through, brushing his cape to the left. He closed his eyes, just for a brief second. A flash went off causing his eyes to spring open. He saw it....felt it.
“What was that?”
Red Robin jumped up, looking to all buildings that stood in the near distance. There was nothing, no sign of anyone.
“Could have sworn there was a camera flash.....is someone watching me?”
Red Robin sharply scoured the other roofs, switching his cowl to night vision to see if he could pick up anything not visible to the naked eye. He got the same results. The sound of the wind whispering past his ears.
“Something’s up, but what?”
He waited for another minute, only catching a glimpse of a few birds flapping in the distance.
“Maybe it was nothing,” He said stepping up to the edge. “I’ll just be sure to keep my eyes peeled from here on out.”
With that He jumped from the bell tower, free falling while reaching for his grappler. It sprung out as he swung through the night.
Laughter echoed through the walls awaking him that next morning. Conan pushed up, bringing his glasses to his eyes.
“Isn’t it a little early for all that?” Conan thought to himself getting out of bed.
He got dressed before making his way into the hall. Kogoro sat infront of the TV watching one of the many game shows. Conan walked past heading over and giving Ran’s door a knock.
“Oh, hey Conan.” Ran said cracking the door open.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Ran opened the door, inviting him in. She took a seat at the side of her bed with Conan standing infront of her.
“What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” Ran asked placing her hands on her knees.
“I just wanted to come and apologize for last night, I didn’t know changing the channel would cause you to react that way.”
“It’s ok, I just had a long day,” Ran said accepting his apology. “So what do you want to do today.”
“Hmmm, that’s a good question.”
Ran’s phone began to ring the next second. She stood from the bed walking over and grabbing the phone from the dresser. She answered it, engaging in a brief conversation before hanging up.
“That was Sonoko,” Ran said walking back over. “She invited us for breakfast up at that new pancake shop, would you like to come?”
“Well...actually I was planning on going to see Dr. Agasa for a bit,” Conan came up with. “There’s this new experiment he’s going to show me, sounds very exciting.”
“Ok then, I’ll just let her know you were busy.”
“That works, I’ll see you later.” Conan said before heading out of her room.
He made it to the front door where he slid on his shoes.
“Where are you heading off to so early?” Kogoro asked looking away from the TV.
“Going to go check out a cool experiment,” Conan answered while pushing the door open. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
He trotted down the stairs with both hands resting in his pocket. He walked along the road with a smile coming to his face from the clear sky. He arrived at the apartment, joining a group of people in the elevator. Conan was the last to reach his destined floor. He made his way around the corner giving the door a few knocks. A few seconds went by as he stood in wait.
“Don’t tell me he already took off for the day.”
Within the next second the door slowly pushed to the side. He stood there in only his boxers, his hair in all directions, eyes looking as if they had not been rested for days. Conan immediately burst into laughter. Tim slowly looked down at him, confusion over his face.
“What’s so funny?” Tim asked wiping his eyes.
“You,” Conan exclaimed continuing to laugh. “You look so ridiculous!”
“I’m not sure I follow.” Tim said in a sleepy tone.
“Who answer’s the door in their under pants,” Conan questioned. “What if I was some school girl trying to sell cookies?”
“Why would a school girl come here?” Tim questioned.
“Just forget it.” Conan said pushing past him. “You’re one lost sheep when you don’t get your sleep, apparently.”
Tim closed the door behind them. Conan made his way through the dark opening the curtains to lighten up the room. Tim put a hand to his eyes for a few seconds, adjusting to the morning light.
“How late were you up,” Conan asked taking a seat at the chair located at the desk. “You look like you got hammered by a buffalo or something.”
Tim brushed off his comment, sliding into a pair of jeans before taking a seat at the end of the bed.
“What can I say, a couple guys kept me busy last night,” Tim said stretching his arms. “Didn’t get to sleep until after six some time.”
“If I had known I’d of waited till later to slip by.” Conan said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Tim said standing back to his feet. “You’re probably wanting to know if I got any new information.”
“That would be nice.”
“Give me a couple minutes to clean up,” Tim said walking toward the bathroom. “I think I may have an idea of where the box and money are.”
“Take your time,” Conan said with a grin. “I’ve got all day.”
The sound of construction can be heard up the block as the day progressed. She crossed the road approaching the place they were scheduled to meet. Two men whistled over at her as she made it to the entrance. She ignored them, pushing the door to the side.
“I wonder if Sonoko arrived before me.” Ran said looking around.
It didn’t take long for Ran to locate Sonoko waving over at her from one of the corner seats.
“Where’s Conan?” Sonoko asked as Ran took a seat across from her.
“He went to go check out some experiment Dr. Agasa is conducting.” Ran replied.
She looked to the table, noticing there were no menus present.
“Hope you don’t mind that I ordered something for you,” Sonoko said. “Didn’t want you to have to wait once here.”
“That’s fine,” Ran said resting her elbows on the table. “You tend to have good taste anyway.”
Silence fell between the two for the next seconds. Ran knew something was on her mind, she could see it in her eyes.
“Sonoko, what’s wrong?”
“I think it would have been better if Conan was here to tell you.” Sonoko said turning to the side. “I don’t think he went to see Dr. Agasa.”
“What do you mean,” Ran questioned sitting up straight. “Where do you think he went?”
Sonoko took a few shallow breaths before turning to face her.
“Ran....Conan’s been hanging around Tim,” Sonoko informed. “He’s the one who invited and took us on that cruise.”
Ran sat in shock, not saying a word.
“I wanted to tell you, but both Conan and Tim asked for me not to.” Sonoko continued. “Ran...please say something.”
Ran looked down to the table, thinking about what she had just heard.
“Why, why would you join him on a cruise after what he had done?” Ran asked.
“I felt a little sorry for him, if you can put it that way.”
“Sorry for him, I don’t understand.” Ran said lifting her head.
“His parents were......”
She stopped herself, choosing not to tell her.
“He had planned on apologizing to you, but backed out for some odd reason.”
“All those nights he was late home, the nights he claimed he was at Dr. Agasa’s...I now know the truth,” Ran said tearing up. “Why would Conan lie to me about that, we’re so close.”
She held back her tears as Sonoko’s hand rested atop her’s. Ran looked over to find a warming smile across her friends face.
“Just talk to him,” Sonoko suggested. “Tim’s not as bad as you may think, I can give you his number if you want.”
They sat for another minute or so without saying a word, the food being delivered to them.
“Come on Ran, what do you say?”
“I’d rather do it in person.” Ran finally answered.
“Can’t help you there,” Sonoko said. “I have no idea where he’s staying.”
“But I know who does.”
She stood from her chair only to have her wrist grabbed by Sonoko.
“Please do eat first,” Sonoko said. “Besides, I’d like to tell you what our cruise was really like.”
Ran took back to her chair, putting her hands to the table and giving Sonoko her full attention.
“I’m listening.”
He came from the bathroom, tossing on a shirt as he took a seat at the bed. Conan continued spinning the pencil through his fingers as he looked over at him.
“Hope you found your shower refreshing.”
“As a matter a fact it was.” Tim stated throwing him a rolled up piece of paper.
Conan caught hit with his right arm, removing his feet from the desk as he rolled it open. He looked down, viewing it’s contents.
“It’s a map of my neighborhood,” Conan said noticing a highlighted area. “I see you’ve circled around a fifteen mile radius by my school.”
“I think wherever the stash is being held is somewhere in that circle.” Tim said.
“What makes you think that?” Conan asked.
“Alfran didn’t transfer any of the goods to a new account, nor was anyone found at the locations we visited yesterday.” Tim began. “I’m almost certain they aren’t to far from home, the circled area marks the center of all four houses we visited.”
“Good catch,” Conan complemented. “But how do you know for sure, they could have taken off on a plane for all we know.”
“No, not yet.” Tim assured. “I know how these guy’s work, they wont make another move until they’re positive they have a legit holding place.”
“Guess that means we have to find this place before they do make their next move, and fast.” Conan said jumping down from the chair.
“Right you are,” Tim said pushing up from the bed. “I may have an idea that could get us one step closer to finding the location.”
“I’m all ears,” Conan said ready to begin. “What’s the plan?”
To Be Continued
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