Detective Conan/Batman crossover

[SSJBowser]

The Detective Prince
Chapter 96
The Closing Hours

It was just after ten upon his arrival. He wasted no time, heading straight for the station doors. The room wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been on his last visit after entering, only two officers who stood behind the front desk were present. He made his way up to the two, placing his hand to the desk after coming to a stop.

"The commissioner, where is he," Heiji asked. "It's urgent that I have a word with him."

"Who are you?" One of them asked.

"Don't mind him," The other answered. "He's been lending a helping hand as of late."

"I had no idea."

"Gordon came in earlier today, if I'm not mistaken he should still be up in his office," The officer replied looking back to him. "I haven't seen him come down since."

"Appreciate the help, I'll go take a look."

"Won't you be needing a key to access the stairwell?" A familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Rick," Heiji said turning to face him. "Just the person I was hoping I'd run into."

"What so important that requires you to meet with the commissioner?"

"Walk with me."

".. Ok." Rick said following with a look of confusion falling to his face.

They walked to the door located on the right side of the room. From there he removed the set of keys attached to his belt before unlocking the door, allowing for the two to progress into the stairwell.

"So," Rick said snapping the keys back into place. "What is it that has you so wired up?"

"What gave you that assumption?"

"Well, you do seem to be a little more anxious than usual."

"With good reason, Kelver Side Crafts isn't where the thief plans to be tonight."

"How can you be so sure?"

"The riddle would seem to point otherwise."

"Ok then," Rick said as the two began their ascension up the stairs. "If not Kelver Side Crafts, then where?"

"A structure known as the Futures Building."

"The Futures Building," Rick questioned. "You mean that place holding its grand opening?"

"That'd be the one."

"I've read over the riddles several times myself, I don't see why that'd be the place."

"You'll know soon enough," Heiji said. "All will be explained when we reach his office."

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Rick thought to himself. "Then again, he hasn't been wrong yet."

They continued onward, finally arriving to the third floor. The two advanced down the hall, turning to see his office sitting in the waits. They could clearly hear voices coming from the other side prompting them to stop.

"Sounds like he's already in the middle of something, think we should hold off until he's finished?"

"Nonsense," Rick said. "Especially not with something as important as what you have to share."

He stepped up to the door with a light knock, gaining the attention they were hoping to get.

"The doors unlocked, come on in."

They did just that, entering to find Gordon sitting at his desk accompanied by two other officials sitting across from him.

"Sorry to disturb you commissioner, but our good friend here believes to have some important information to share."

"Well of course," Jim said. "Why don't you pull up that chair from the corner there."

"No need, I don't plan on being long." Heiji declined.

"Alright then, tell me what's on your mind."

"The riddles and the thief ."

"Then you've come to the right place," Jim said. "I was just discussing that very disturbance with our guests here."

"Major Gaffeny," One of the men spoke turning in his seat. "From the Marple Philadelphia region."

"And this gentleman here is Lieutenant Herman," Jim said pointing to the man seated opposite of him. "A well respected man from West Virginia."

"It's a pleasure to be joined by you all." The Lieutenant spoke.

"We're all here for the matter you speak of," Major Gaffeny said. "So if you would, what information might you have regarding tonights event at Kelver Side Crafts?"

"That's just the thing, all signs point elsewhere," Heiji said. "I don't think that's where the thief plans to show."

"Say what?"

"The Futures Building," Heiji replied. "I'm sure you've been informed of its opening by now, which of course happens to be tonight as well."

"On what grounds lead you to believe that's where this heist is to be launched?"

"The riddles," Heiji replied. "The very same riddles we've all been going through for the past days."

"I can assure you Kelver Side is the place," Lieutenant Herman said. "I've gone over the riddles several times myself, as have many other trained experts."

"Every one who has read the riddle including myself agrees that Kelver Side Crafts is the place," Major Gaffeny added. "Not only does it fit the category, but also has cause for interruption."

"By that, he means the bidding to be held," Lieutenant Herman clarified. "That would be an idle scenario for a thief to want to make an attempt."

"If you let me explain you'll see that."

"We've already set up for tonights event, which we've intensely prepared for in the last twenty four hours," Major Gaffeny interrupted. "Pulling out now isn't an option, especially with all departments lined in to see this all come to an end."

"Unless you can present to us solid proof of your claims legitimacy I'm afraid we aren't looking to move elsewhere." Lieutenant Herman said. "There's too much riding on this."

"I understand your uncertainty, but if no one is there to scale the Futures Building the thief may get away again." Heiji declared.

"Which could also be the case at Kelver Side Crafts."

"I'm not suggesting an overhaul of all units transporting from Kelver Side Crafts to the Futures Building," Heiji clarified. "But if we could at least get a sum of men on both ends that would be of great help."

"Like I said, everyone is already in position for what is to come." Major Gaffeny restated.

"Lieutenant Herman and Major Gaffeny, do you think I could have a minute alone with these two?"

"Well of course," Lieutenant Herman said standing to his feet. "Take all the time you need."

Major Gaffeny nodded, following Lieutenant Herman who made his way out. He waited for the close of the door, looking to the two of them as he stood up from where he sat.

"You seem pretty certain about this." Jim said.

"I am."

He turned to the window side, placing his hand to the wall. He stood there for a time to come, neither aware of what was running through his mind.

"Four.. six men."

"What?"

"I'll have six men from this department join you at the Futures Building tonight," Jim said turning back to face him. "One which will include Mr. Gates here."

"Thank you," Heiji said. "You won't regret this."

"Will you be joining us?" Rick asked.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to join you, as you know my presence is expected at Kelver Side Crafts."

"I understand."

"If anything does happen to unfold from your end, don't hesitate to contact me," Jim said. "We'll get all units in your direction if you are indeed correct."

"Loud and clear."

"Good, now you're free to go," Jim said. "I'm sure you have some setting up to do before tonight."

"Yes, of course."

"Detective Gates would you send both Major Gaffeny and the Lieutenant back in on your way out?"

"I'll see to it."

The two turned for the door, stepping out into the hall to see the two of them standing against the wall across from the door.

"We're done here," Rick said. "The commissioner would like to resume talks with the two of you."

"We'll head right on in." Gaffeny said in response.

They did just that after the two passed. The two of them continued down the hall, heading back in the direction of the stairwell.

"I'm surprised."

"Surprised, surprised at what?" Rick questioned.

"Not once did he ask about the details surrounding my claim," Heiji said. "You would have at least thought he'd have wanted to know my thought process on the matter before giving the nod for this to take shape."

"That was rather unexpected, but your deductions up until this point have been stellar," Rick complimented. "That might have played a hand in his decision."

"Doesn't sound too far fetched."

"Besides there will only be six of us, if you're wrong we'll only suffer a small margin of miscue," Rick said. "But if you're right, you'll be the hero after all is said and done."

"I wouldn't put it that way."

"It doesn't matter how you choose to view it, that's what the headline will label," Rick said in response. "Now come, we have some arrangements to see through."

The sound of the bell could clearly be heard from his position in the kitchen. He hurried along, making his way to the front door with the check of his watch.

"I wonder who this could be, I'm expecting any visitors at this time."

He pulled the door aside within that instance.

"Tim," Bruce said a bit surprised. "Why ring the bell, you could have just walked in."

"The door was locked, and I just so happened to leave my spare back at the house."

"I see," Bruce said moving aside to make a path for entry. "So, have you acquired any new information?"

"It's just as we thought," Tim said stepping in. "The Starlest that was first victimized by the thief is completely aligned with the police headquarters."

"And were you able to determine what was located directly in between the two?" Bruce asked shutting the door.

"There was nothing but a road intersection, but catch this," Tim said. "If driving at a pace of thirty miles per hour further to the west from that spot you will reach a theme park known as Mount Zomoph in a time of exactly an hour and five minutes."

"30, and 1: 05 minutes could be referring to the 105 in the riddle," Bruce said. "The key numbers in the latest riddle."

"It doesn't end there, believe it or not Mount Zomoph is in the location where the first Starlest was planned to be built four years ago," Tim informed. "I happened to come across that bit of information upon my deeper searches."

"One hour and five minutes, what are the details surrounding that," Bruce asked. "Does that include traffic estimation as well?"

"Using a computer simulation I eliminated all turns and disturbances that were present and created a straight line from the road intersection all the way to point B."

"Long night I presume."

"I'd say," Tim admitted. "But I still don't know how Mount Zomoph relates to this all."

"Only one way to find out," Bruce said. "You'll have to make a trip down there, taking a closer look at the grounds might lead to something insightful."

"Maybe even a hint to what they plan to steal or do tonight."

"Tell me, how long has this theme park been in fruition?"

"This will be its second year in business."

"Doesn't sound like an important detail."

"You plan on coming along, right," Tim asked. "There's plenty of ground to cover."

"You'll have to collaborate with one of the others in that regard," Bruce replied. "I still have some final arrangements to make before tonights big event."

"The others are busy with a lot as well, looks like I'll be tackling this one solo."

"Trip, what trip?"

The two turned at the sound of his voice, looking to see he was already half way down the staircase.

"You've finally come from your room," Bruce said. "How do you feel?"

"Remotely better," Conan said stepping down to the main floor. "Did you get the results back on my blood."

"Not yet, but I'll get to it soon."

"So this trip," Conan said directing his attention to Tim. "Where exactly are you going?

"To a theme park located a little over an hour from here," Tim replied. "We think it might have something to do with the thief has on their agenda."

"I'd like to hear how your searches mounted up to that."

"It's nothing more than a hunch at this point, but we're looking at everything that comes our way."

"Mind if I come along, I could use a breath of fresh air," Conan said. "Especially after being stashed in here for the last day."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it," Tim questioned. "You don't plan on falling unresponsive on me do you?"

"I can assure you I'm fine, I'm feeling more than up to the task."

"Alright."

"An alright as in yes I can come?"

"Yea, just be sure to alert me if any of those unusual symptoms resurface," Tim said. "Or anything else strange for that matter."

"So, when are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible," Tim said checking his watch. "If we were to go now we'd get there at around three thirty."

"And the grand opening at the Futures Building is set to take shape at six this evening," Bruce added. "We don't have much time, only a matter of hours."

"Which means getting a move on," Tim said looking back to Conan. "Is there anything you need to do before we head out?"

"No, but I do have one last question," Conan replied. "What is considered this cities greatest structure?"

He had done his fair share of traveling that morning, finding himself standing in wait for the arrival of yet another bus. Without realizing he leaned back to the light pole, feeling the vibration of his phone around the same time. He looked down, taking all but a few moments for him to recognize the number before taking the call.

"Mr. Fournier," Heiji said. "I was wondering when I'd hear back from you again."

"I have more details concerning the matter we discussed."

"Have you gotten any closer to finding the employee in question?"

"Not quite, but I have a lot of information to share with you," Lonard replied. "With your expertise I'm sure you'll have this under wraps in no time."

"I'll do my best," Heiji said. "When would you like to meet to discuss these new emerged details?"

"As soon as tomorrow," Lonard replied. "Between the times of eleven and noon, sound good to you?"

"Works perfectly."

"Great, I'll get back to you later on with information in regards to a meeting place."

"Take your time, we've got a full day ahead of us."

"Of course," Lonard said. "Pleasure speaking with you again detective."

"With you as well," Heiji said. "Until tomorrow then."

Their conversation ended with those final word. He put his phone away just in time to see the bus heading his way from the end of the block.

"This couldn't have been timed any better."

The voices carried throughout, from those standing in line all the way from the other side of the wall. They had been waiting in line for a little over three minutes, quickly finding their way close to the front.

"Things are moving along much quicker than expected, just a minute ago we were near the back." Conan said.

"They must have good transitioning."

"What time do you have?"

"Thirty two after three," Tim replied. "Right on schedule, with time to spare even."

"How long do you envision this search lasting?"

"Any range from an hour and a half to an hour," Tim replied. "That leaves us with a tight window, but still enough time to get back and prepare for the journey to the Futures Building."

"Now the question becomes what to look for."

"I've been contemplating that the whole way here."

That very questioned loomed largely as the line continued to move forward. They arrived to the ticket booth shortly there after, purchasing their tickets before joining all others who had already inhabited the inside of the park.

"So this is Mount Zomoph," Tim said observing the surrounding area. "Now, where to start?"

"So what's the plan," Conan asked. "Do we look around together or split?"

"We'll get this done a lot sooner if we take our searches in separate corners of this place."

"My thoughts exact."

"We'll keep in contact by the minute, if you see or hear anything give me a ring," Tim said. "Even a gut feeling about something."

"I'll take everything to the right," Conan said. "I'll leave everything on the left for you."

"Either way, let's just try not to leave this place empty handed."

"That never crossed my mind."

"Then it's settled," Tim said turning for the left. "Keep your eyes peeled, I'll check back in with you soon."

"I'll be waiting." Conan said before turning for the right.

He casually headed in his chosen direction, passing by a set of slot machines where another line could be seen. He stopped not too much further ahead, looking from one side of the park to the other in hopes of finding something that might relate back to the riddle. He saw nothing of this sort, only that of much amusement on all fronts.

"Nothing yet," Conan thought. "I need to keep looking, there has to be something."

The premises had finally come into view after a time of driving. The cab came to a stop upon reaching the gate. He stepped out, giving him the wave to see the cab head back in the direction they had come.

"Time to report in."

He headed toward the gate only to have it open before reaching it.

"Looks like they've been expecting me."

The gate automatically closed behind him after stepping in. He made his way across the lawn to the fleet of stairs in the short distance away. He trotted up to the top before coming to a stop after reaching the door. He lifted his hand to give it a knock, only to have the door open before an attempt could be made.

"Come in," Bruce greeted. "I've been expecting you."

"You don't say," Heiji said accepting his invitation in. "I presume it was you who unlocked the gate."

"Using the remote," Bruce confirmed. "How did things go at the station?"

"A couple of the guys were skeptical as expected," Heiji replied. "But regardless of that Gordon made the decision to have six of his men attend the grand opening for the Futures Building tonight."

"I would expect no less," Bruce said. "I'm familiar with several of the employed officers in town, did he happen to mention who he'd be sending?"

"Detective Gates will be there, as for the others no idea," Heiji replied. "Does it really matter?"

"In these parts, yes."

"I could call to find out if you'd like."

"Don't bother, it's not as important as seeing the mission through," Bruce said. "As long as we keep our positions as discussed we should be in good condition, regardless of any other outside elements."

"Just so we're clear, where is it you wanted me to be?"

"You'll stand in the foyer along with the other guests," Bruce replied. "Your objective will be to scour the crowd for any suspicious people or out of the ordinary ongoing activity."

"Sounds easy enough," Heiji said. "And where will you be?"

"I haven't been given the full schedule for this evenings events, but I'd imagine I'll be dinning in more than one spot over the course of the night."

"Which means the rest of us need to be at the top of our game," Heiji said. "Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing else that concerns your task, I'll handle the rest."

"While we're on the subject, where's Drake," Heiji asked. "He said he'd be stopping by hear at some point today."

"He left to check on a lead that was brought to his attention."

"And Kudo?"

"He went with him," Bruce answered. "That was over an hour ago, I don't expect their return until at least five."

"That's a tight window, that must mean they plan on meeting us at the Futures Building," Heiji said. "Speaking of which I better head back to the house."

"For what?"

"My apparel," Heiji replied. "I need to dress in something more presentable than what I have on now."

"Don't bother, we've got a wide selection of clothing here," Bruce said turning for the stairs. "I'm certain we have something in your size."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course," Bruce replied. "Besides, it'll save us some time."

"Alright," Heiji said following his lead. "Right behind you."

Every activity had been looked into, from the many rides that filled the park to the additional side ploys that occurred off to the side. He had completed his search of things on his side of the theme park, coming to a stop after reaching a gift shop he had passed by just minutes prior. He stood there for a time to come, now focusing his sights to those moving about. This lasted for minutes to come, finding nothing out of the ordinary in anyones behavior.

"I'm starting to think there's nothing to find here," Conan thought. "He might have been off on his deduction all together, but could it be coincidence that this location is where Starlest was planned to be built?"

He tried keeping a flexible view on things as he leaned to the wall, finding his eyes staring to the large ferris wheel that occupied the center of the park. In the brink of the moment he saw it, standing high and vast as it had been his first time seeing it.

"Nano High," Conan said pushing away from the wall. "I had no idea we were on this side of town."

He found himself in that position for seconds to come, thinking of any other possible areas he might have neglected to check in the process.

"The bathrooms, I have yet to check any of them," Conan said with the snap of his finger. "Now.. where to find them."

It didn't take long for him to spot one, looking over to the left from where he stood to see them in the near distance. He casually made his way over, dropping his hands to his pockets as he did. About half way across he was stopped in his tracks, blocked off by a man in an orange jump suit and cap who stepped in front of him. He had no idea who it was, staring up to have a pair of dark blue eyes gazing down at him.

"You looking to use the bathroom kid?"

".. Yea."

"Sorry to say, but this one's currently out of order." The man informed.

He then took notice of something hanging from out of his pocket, an antenna of some kind.

"Who are you?"

"Janitor Garrett." He replied pointing to the badge upon his shirt. "If it's urgent there is another bathroom on the other side of the park."

"What's wrong with this one?" Conan asked.

"Trust me," Janitor Garrett said standing tall. "It would be an awful sight to see, a deadly experience even."

"That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't, but I should have this trash taken out in the coming minutes," Janitor Garrett said with a deepening tone. "But I think it would be best if you didn't wait around, I can't guarantee a quick finish."

"Alright," Conan childly responded. "I'll just let my dad know."

"See you around kid."

With that he turned back from where he had come, and that's when he saw it, a sinister smirk finding its way to his lips.

"What was that all about?"

He stopped after only a few steps taken, looking back to see the janitor smilingly waving to him. He smiled back before moving forward once again.

"It's probably nothing.. but I can't help it," Conan thought. "I feel like I've seen him somewhere, just can't seem to quite pin point the place."

This quickly dropped from his mind as a young man could be seen heading his way, moving at a rather fast pace with his hand clutched to his chest. He didn't know what to make of this at first glance, simply stepping off to the side to allow him a clear path by.

"His eyes," Conan said just barely getting a peak at them. "Were they blood shot?"

He decided to follow his every move, watching as he made it all the way to the bathroom without being confronted.

"That's strange, I wonder where Janitor Garrett disappeared off to in such a hurry." Conan said as the sound of his phone rang below.

He wasted no time in answering the call, not surprised to hear his voice from the other end.

"Anything?"

"Nothing to report on the matter," Conan replied. "Just a couple off task encounters, what about you?"

"I spoke with Alfred just before contacting you, I had him look into something," Tim replied. "Looks like we might have the answer to what we were looking for."

"Which is?"

"Meet me at the entrance, we no longer need to hang around here," Tim replied. "I'll tell you everything on the way out."

"Be right there."

"I'll be waiting."

He hung up from there, dropping the phone back into place.

"I guess that about wraps up business here."

With those words spoken a booming sound of high proportions ignited from behind, soaring in all directions. An anguish of many screams quickly followed in response, ringing loud for all to hear.

"That noise, an explosion?"

He spun around, looking to see the spewing flames flashing to his eyes. No longer could the bathrooms be seen that had been there moments ago.

"You've got to be kidding."

Almost all adjustments had made, the only thing remaining was to button the loose sleeves. He looked himself over in the large mirror once finished, nodding his head in acceptance after doing.

"What do you think?" Alfred asked from where he stood on the other side of the room.

"Perfect," Heiji replied slightly tightening the tie in place. "It fits perfectly."

"I figured it would."

"We've got roughly an hour and thirty until six," Heiji said checking the time. "How much longer do you propose we wait before heading out there?"

"I've already removed the car from the garage, I thought it might be in our best interest for one of you to arrive early," Alfred said. "After all you're supposed to meet with those folks from the police station, correct?"

"You make a good point, and could prove beneficial," Heiji said. "What about Bruce, is he coming as well?"

"He's in his room making final preparations for his speech," Alfred replied. "He'll soon join you at the Futures Building once he's finished."

"That's fine with me, I should be able to hold off on my own for the next hour or so."

"I'll go down and bring the car around front." Alfred said turning for the door.

"Hold on," Heiji said following after him. "I'm coming with you."

"Very well."

He exited the room at his side, feeling they were just hours away from closing this chapter that had plagued them for the last week.

"Futures Building, here I come."

The attention it had brought in the aftermath was to be expected. The flames continued to sway, steadily declining in strength from the water that fell down upon it from the water hoses that were being fired. Observing the efforts to put out the fire became the least of his concerns as he focused his attention to those standing amongst the crowd.

"Where is he?"

His searches came to a quick end after re-sighting him, standing across the way in between a large group of people.

"Janitor Garrett, there you are." Conan said pleased to relocate him.

He witnessed a devilish grin slip to his face in the coming seconds, one which he took full note of.

"I don't know what in the world just happened, but I'm certain this guy is the center of... wait."

The same feeling from before came back to him within the heart of the moment, a sense of familiarity he couldn't quite key in on. He stressed the matter deeply, tightly closing his eyes. That's when it opened up, rehashing where he believed to have seen him before.

"That's him," Conan thought springing his eyes wide. "The one from the other night, the man from the bus!"

He was most sure of this, wasting no time in raising his hand to take aim.

"Confronting him directly will only produce false claims from his behalf," Conan said. "But placing a tracker to him will assure me of his whereabouts, maybe even leading to whoever he's working with."

He extended his arm out in front of him, steadily holding it in place as he chose his point of attack.

"There."

He pressed down to the gizmo, watching as the tracer spiraled toward its intended target. It touched down with light force, connecting to where he envisioned it would. He lowered his arm in succes, finding it hard to hold back a smile of his own. It was at that moment that the man he came to know as janitor Garrett slowly faded into the depths of the crowd. He showed no sign in following after him, simply clicking the side of his glasses to activate the display screen to see what direction he was headed in.

"You can run, but you most certainly can't hide."

To Be Continued

[ZonieCatz]

Good... and some exciting action! ;D

[SSJBowser]

Spoiler

The Detective Prince
Chapter 97
Face of The Unknown Revealed

The gathering they came to see upon arriving in front of the large building far exceeded their expectations. Finding a place to park was no easy task. There were many vehicles swirling in all directions which made for a bit of a jam.

"Here we are," Heiji said looking out the window to the giant structure in the wait. "This wasn't hard to find."

"I had heard there would be a large number of guests in attendance, but I could have never imagined a showing quite like this."

"Nor did I," Heiji agreed. "It's nearly impossible to find a parking space in this vicinity with the conditions like this."

"Why don't I pull up to the sidewalk and let you out there," Alfred suggested. "That is if you don't mind walking a short distance to the entrance."

"That would be perfectly fine," Heiji said. "No need to drive around any longer."

"Very well."

He did just that, pulling up to the walkway before unlocking the door.

"I'll see you soon." Heiji said before exiting.

"Good luck." Alfred replied with the tip of his hat.

He brushed off the sides of the shirt as he headed for the entrance which was a couple yards away. He kept his eyes wide as he walked, not familiar with anyone who stood around the front of the building.

"No sign of Rick, maybe he's already inside," Heiji said. "That or he has yet to arrive."

He reached the entrance in no time, stopping for a brief moment before looking upward.

"So this is it huh.. the Futures Building."

Both doors were locked off to the side, making for an easy transition in. Where to go next was the question. There was a long straight ahead with two different directions to choose from. He listened to the voices that carried throughout, making for an easy decision. He followed the voices which lead him to the right, eventually finding his way to a large room filled with many people.

"This must be it," Heiji said. "The foyer Wayne was referring to."

He reached into his pocket to pull out the piece of paper, looking over the layout of the building in relation to his position.

"This is the place alright."

He put it away soon after, no longer feeling the need for it at that given moment. He then checked the time, coming to find there was a little over forty five minutes until six.

"They had better hurry, there's not much time left before the show begins."

He looked around the room once more, this time only to have someone step up to his side from behind.

"I see you made it in a timely fashion."

"Rick," Heiji said turning at the sound of his voice. "I didn't see you on my way in, did you just get here?"

"I've actually been here with the other guys setting up shop for the past hour, I was actually wondering when you'd show," Rick said. "Have trouble finding the place?"

"Not at all," Heiji replied. "It would be hard to miss, it's one of the larger structures around."

"You have a point," Rick said. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys."

"Where are they?" Heiji asked.

"Located throughout the place."

"You lead the way."

After minutes of shooting it down their efforts were finally awarded. The fire had finally been put out, all that remained was the ruble left behind from the explosion. Many still continued to gather around, wanting an explanation for what had happened.

"Alright everyone, get back," One of the security guards instructed. "We need this area cleared out."

They did a good job of moving everyone back, setting up crime scene tape around the area in the moments that followed. He stood in place, still monitoring the movements of the man who had taken off.

"Looks like he's in a real hurry, he's already left the premiss."

It was then that he felt a tap at his shoulder, looking up to come face to face with on of the officers.

"Hey there little boy, I'm going to need you to keep moving back," He instructed. "We need to close this area off as best we can."

"Yes sir."

Just as he was to make a move for the other side of the park they were joined by another security guard who showed distress in his face. Seeing this he pulled back with each step taken to try and hear what was to be said.

"Natt we have a problem."

"Yea I know, we're handling it now."

"I wasn't referring to the explosion."

"Do I even want to hear this?"

"If the bathroom incident wasn't enough, one of our employees was found stripped and tied down to a chair in one of the lower level closets."

"Someone tied up..?" Conan mumbled.

"You're not serious, who was it?"

"That janitor, the new guy."

"You mean Garrett?"

"That'd be him."

"What away to open up on your second week on the job."

"Yea, no kidding."

He had heard enough, finding it was now time to move on.

"Looks like we don't have a name after all," Conan thought as he walked. "The tracer planted is our only link to this guy now."

He grabbed hold of his phone as he walked, quickly dialing his number before bringing it to his ear.

"Hey it's me, we have a problem."

"Yea, I know."

He looked up at the sound of his voice, putting his phone away in the process.

"There you are," Conan said. "I was wondering when you'd come."

"I heard all of the commotion clear from the other side of the park," Tim said. "I came as soon as I could, what happened?"

"The bathrooms on this side of the park exploded."

"Something like that doesn't just happen by chance."

"They have things under wrap here, our focus is needed elsewhere."

"You running away from a potential case, never would have predicted that."

"I think catching the criminal is just as important as the analyzing process."

"Criminal," Tim questioned. "You saw who did this?"

"And I have a good idea of how they set it up."

"Did you get a look at their face?"

"Clear as day," Conan confirmed. "Believe it or not, I think it's the same man I encountered on the bus the other night."

"The shooter?"

"Yes."

"Small world."

"And a lucky break," Conan said. "Come on, he's still on the move."

"You managed to place a tracer on him?"

"He's currently moving across the parking lot," Conan confirmed. "We better hurry before he falls out of my range."

"How do you know he was the one to cause the bathrooms to explode?"

"A series of things," Conan replied as the two began to walk. "I'll give you all details on the way out, if not later."

The clock struck past twenty after, inching in closer to the widely anticipated opening for the Futures Building. He sat at the edge of the bed, all possible scenarios looming large to his mind. A gentle knock came from the other side of the room, ejecting him from his train of thought.

"Just a moment."

He stood up from where he sat, taking each step at a time as he made his way for the door. He opened it to see the two of them standing there.

"I got your message, I came as soon as I could."

"Come on in." Bruce invited.

"I'm surprised you haven't left yet," Dick said. "The opening is set to erupt in less than twenty minutes from now."

"And my appearance isn't scheduled until roughly seven," Bruce informed. "There's still plenty of time between now and then."

"I already visited both locations you'd like us to stand guard," Dick said. "Everything is a go."

"Good," Bruce said. "Have you gone over the details with him once more?"

"I know the plan," Damian declared. "I'll be watching out for any suspicious activity east of the facility."

"And in the case you see anyone making a run for it you redirect their escape route to the north," Bruce instructed. "Which will take them to where Kelver Side Crafts is located, also where a large sum of police officials will be."

"In the case that doesn't work out, force them to the west," Dick said. "You can be sure I'll lock them in."

"We've already gone over this," Damian said. "Besides, what are the chances someone would be foolish enough to try and escape on foot with a big crowd such as this?"

"Never doubt a method," Bruce stated. "Nearly anything is possible if planned to high excellence, and executed with just as much care."

"What time do you want us to get into position?" Dick asked.

"Anytime around six thirty, the main event doesn't begin until seven," Bruce said. "Whatever they plan to steal most likely won't be revealed until then."

"Sounds good to me."

"I need top focus tonight from you all, this is our moment," Bruce said. "The one we've been waiting for."

The signal remained strong, moving at the same pace as it had been before. They continued to follow it, exiting out from where they had entered. He explained all details as they walked, becoming clear on all events leading to what had happened. Only a couple more steps were taken before coming to a stop just before reaching the parking lot.

"What's wrong, why are we stopping?"

"Because he has," Conan replied. "He's about sixty two yards from where we stand, directly ahead."

He looked into that direction in response to this information.

"An apartment complex and a series of smaller city buildings."

"You think he's camping it out somewhere?"

"That's a possibility, which is why we need to move in with extreme caution," Tim said. "If this is the man you say you saw on that bus, then there's a chance that he could be armed."

"That's the thing that bothered me about this latest incident," Conan said. "All other kills were in the use of a firearms or blade, why the sudden change to an explosive?"

"Anything to get the job done is the way I see it."

"How long do you think we should give it before progressing on?"

"No longer than five minutes, unless they make a move before then," Tim said looking down at his watch. ".. Let the time begin."

They were joined by several others who exited the theme park as well.

"You think they're evacuating everyone from the park?" Conan asked.

"That or they all might have been rattled enough to want to leave," Tim replied. "At most I think they'd simply close off that small section in particular."

"So what happens when we apprehend this guy, are we going to hand him over to the police?"

"The jury's still out on that one, I'm not certain we're going to bring him in just yet."

"What, why not?"

"We need to learn as much about him and his operation as we can," Tim replied. "he's bound to have acquaintances, if we take him down on the spot I'm betting he won't be too forthcoming with any of that information."

"So what do you suggest, that we spy on him for a period?"

"That might be our best option."

"I can't disagree," Conan said. "Besides wiring his home and any potential software he may have, how else shall do you propose we proceed?"

"Once we know his game plan, we'll insert ourselves into the fray."

"Close and personal, that seems to be your ace card."

"Fastest way to get to the core of things."

He continued to monitor the time, closing in on two minutes before their move was to be made.

"Any movement from our run away?"

"Nope, he still in the same spot."

They stood there for a little longer, still watching as those from the park continued to move past. It was at that second that the heard their names called, turning to see two familiar faces heading in their direction.

"Bernadea Fournier and Nathan," Tim greeted. "What a surprise this is."

"We could say the same," Nathan replied. "We had no idea we'd run into the two of you here."

"Just another day in the park." Tim stated.

"How long have the two of you been here?"

"For over two hours," Tim replied. "We were actually just on our way out."

"Did you have fun?" Bernadea asked looking down at him.

"Tons," Conan replied. "Just as advertised."

"On the way through the parking lot we heard there was some kind of disturbance," Nathan said. "Either of you know what they were talking about?"

"Some kind of explosion," Tim replied. "Wasn't there when it erupted, only heard it from a distance."

"Is that why the two of you are leaving?" Bernadea asked.

"Oh no," Tim assured. "We just have somewhere else to be."

"Do you think it will be safe to go in?"

"The incident occurred off to the side, yards away from the entertainment areas," Conan informed. "Everything should be a go."

"That's good to know," Nathan said. "Any idea if anyone was hurt?"

".. No one knows yet." Tim quickly replied after slight hesitation.

"Let's hope not."

"What's in the bag." Conan asked taking notice of the long strap across his shoulder.

"Yea no kidding," Tim said. "Looks like you could fit a sword of staff in that thing."

"I asked him that very question on the way here," Bernadea said. "But he refuses to tell me."

"Like I said before," Nathan said. "It's a surprise, I'll reveal what's inside at the end of the evening."

"I hate surprises." Bernadea muttered.

"Well I guess it's about that time," Nathan said. "Maybe we'll catch the two of you around again some time."

"We'll be looking forward to it."

"As will we, later you two." Bernadea waved as the two of them took off for the entrance.

He reactivated the tracker at that given time, coming to find little to no movement had been made.

"He has yet to make another move," Conan said. "Are you ready to move in?"

"Let's go, we've held off long enough."

Everything had finally been set in motion, all that remained was the arrival of the others. In his mind the game had already begun. He searched the room for anything less than normal, quickly coming to find nothing alarming.

"You've been rather quiet for the last minutes," Rick said. "Is everything alright?"

"Nothing to worry about," Heiji assured. "Just looking around."

"You expecting someone?"

"Maybe a friend or two."

"Just remember to keep your focus on the task," Rick reminded. "If the thief is in fact here we're going to need all eyes and ears."

"Of course."

"We've already got two guys covering the front exit and two watching the back," Rick said. "That leaves you, detective Galldon, and I to observe everything that goes on in here."

"We still have time before the big reveal, if we could some how figure out what they're after we'd be a step closer to stopping them in their tracks."

"How do we figure," Rick questioned. "We have no leads to their true intent."

"Of course we do, it's all within the riddle."

"And what part might that be?"

"We've accounted for almost all sequences, all for except two lines," Heiji said. "a tune to Hear with a misdirection Red (1)' and 'for the Diamonds eye is for all to see'."

"Ok."

"Minus the 'misdirection' and 'red', which seems to be this guys theme, I believe lies our next hint," Heiji said. "A tune to hear (1)."

"I'm clueless as to what that could mean," Rick said. "Unless they're hosting an opera here tonight we've yet to be informed of."

"It's more subtle than that."

"Then there's the second part of the riddle you mentioned," Rick said. "'for the Diamonds eye is for all to see."

"What of it?"

"That's exactly why Kelver Side Crafts makes the most sense, they're hosting an auction tonight," Rick said. "Which of course will also include many rare brands of jewels."

"Did it ever occur to you that's what the thief wants you to belive," Heiji questioned. "Yes the riddle mentions a diamond, one that could be symbolic for something else."

"Like what?"

"The 1... which in affect could mean the ultimate prize."

"What now?"

His phone rang from below before he had the chance to respond.

"One moment," Heiji said after checking the incoming number. "I better take this."

"Who is it," Rick asked out of curiosity. "The commissioner?"

"Just an off to the side assignment." Heiji replied before turning for the opposite wall.

He immediately brought the phone to his ear before answering the call.

"It's Lonard, I have an update for you."

The signal became stronger the closer they got, still showing no sign of movement. This only kept him more alert for anything to come.

"Any change in his position?"

"No, he still seems to be sitting it out in the same location," Conan replied. "Makes you wonder what he's up to."

"I don't like it."

"You actually think he might know someone has caught onto his trail?"

"Why else would he be sitting still?"

"I guess we're about to find out, we're almost there."

"Wait, we better make a plan for an approachment," Tim said. "The last thing we want is a casualty."

"I don't think there will be cause for concern if I move in alone."

"We still don't know exactly where he is," Tim said. "For all we know he could be camping it out in one of the buildings here with a rifle in hand."

"You're thinking way to into this." Conan said as they continued to walk.

"How close are we now?"

"Less than fifteen yards away." Conan replied before slowing it up.

He stopped after reaching the front of an apartment building, seeing that they were now in the red zone of things.

"Wait here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to move in a little closer, there's a light pole right over there," Conan said pointing to the left. "I'll take cover there before moving in any closer."

"You sure about this?"

"As long as you watch my blind side."

"I'll see to it."

Without further ado he turned for the other side, heading straight for the light pole just as he said he would. He leaned to it once there, checking his location versus that of where the tracer was.

"According to the tracker he should be directly behind a little over ten yards from this spot."

He peaked around the pole to see an alley in the wait. He then took a deep breath, taking a step away from the light pole as he made his way in that direction.

"Shinichi, wait." Tim whispered from where he stood.

He had already made up his decision, paying no mind to what was said as he carried on. He kept a straight face, resting his hands into his pocket to look as casual as possible. The signal continued to heighten, leading him further into the unknown of the alley. It lead him all the way near the back, coming to find the signal was coming from a garbage bin.

"There's no way he'd be hiding it out here, he must have dumped the clothes."

There was only one way of finding out. He lifted the top open, coming to find the clothes that were worn by the man along with the tracer laying there.

"Just as I thought, he ditched the clothes," Conan said. "That puts us right back where we started."

He reached in, removing the tracer from the shirt before turning back from where he had come.

"The coast is clear," Conan loudly spoke. "He's not here, only the clothes and the tracer were left behind."

It took all but a few moments for him to appear from around the corner. He made his way toward him, stopping halfway through the alley. There was something wrong, he could see it in his eyes. He chose not to say anything, at least not for the first seconds that passed. He watched as he pulled out a small square shaped device from his jacket before pressing down to it.

"What is that?" Conan asked.

He didn't answer at first, letting a little extra time go by before looking up to him once again.

"It's a signal disrupter."

"Signal disrupter," Conan questioned. "Why?"

"We've been had."

"What do you mean?"

"The guy you planted a tracer on must have found out about it relatively quickly, he set up a video camera to the wall right behind." Tim pointed.

He looked into the direction pointed out, and there it was, clamped down to the side of a window.

"I can't believe it."

"This guy is much more organized than we originally thought." Tim said reaching up to grab the small camera.

"Are you sure it was him who set it up?"

"Now I do," Tim said bringing the camera into his possession. "There's a wire attached enabling for wireless viewing."

"How far from here are we talking?"

"Sixty, a little over a hundred yards maybe," Tim replied. "Less than a mile for sure."

"How did you know that it was there?"

"The shade," Tim said pointing to the shaded area of the alley. "Light from the sun projected off of the lenses which gave me the heads up."

"How did you know there was a wired feed before using that signal disrupter?"

"I didn't," Tim admitted. "I used it in case there was."

"Smart thinking," Conan said. "Are you saying they didn't get a clear shot of your face?"

"Correct, only one of my back side."

"I see."

"Whoever this guy is now has a clear shot of you, not that he's unfamiliar with you since the two of you have met on more than one occasion."

"But now he probably knows I was the one to plant that tracer," Conan said. "Fortunately that's all he got, thankfully he didn't get a good shot of you."

"We need to be really careful with this from here on out," Tim said. "The bad part about this is this guy now has more on us than we do on him."

"Not necessarily," Conan said. "Let's not forget I got a distinctive look at him as well, good enough to produce a sketch."

"Point taken."

"What about the camera?"

"I'll take it with me, though I doubt there will be anything to find," Tim said checking the time. "And it looks like we're going to be late for our appointment at the Futures Building, Bruce isn't going to be pleased?"

"For being late or for what occurred here?"

"Double jeopardy."

"You want me to explain?"

"No, I think it'd be better if I did the talking," Tim replied stashing the camera away. "Come on, we better get moving before the real rush hits."

"Right behind you." Conan said following from behind.

Six was now fast approaching, only twenty five minutes remaining before the scheduled time. He watched as the room continued to fill with those in attendance. The longer this went on the more impatient he became.

"I guess I'm the only one who remembers the importance of tonights proceedings."

Following up on his train of thought was the ring of his phone from in his pocket.

"Please let it be who I think it is."

He reached down to grab it, answering almost immediately after bringing it to his ear.

"Hello."

"It's Dick."

"Where are you?" Heiji asked.

"Just about ready to get into position," Dick replied. "How are things looking from your end?"

"Besides the absence of the others, relatively normal."

"Bruce should be there soon, I just spoke with him a minute ago," Dick informed. "Have you tried contacting the others?"

"Neither responded."

"I'll try giving them a ring myself, in the mean time sit tight and stay focused," Dick said. "There's no telling when this guy will make his move."

"You're telling me, it's been a hassle looking out for things on my own till this point," Heiji said. "Of course there's the hired guards and the officers sent in by Gordon, but it would be nice to get the other guys involved as soon as possible."

"I'll see to it, stay sharp," Dick said. "You'll hear back from me soon enough."

"Loud and clear."

He put an end to the transmission, bringing his complete focus back to the task at hand. He put the phone away before looking across the room to see Rick heading toward him.

"Where did you run off to?"

"Just checked in with the guys monitoring the front and back entrances, everything is clear thus far," Rick replied. "No sign anyone of suspicions nature entering."

"And I don't think there will be, whoever wrote the riddle is probably already registered to the guest list."

"Have you had a look at the list yourself?"

"Yes, but at this point they're all just names," Heiji said. "We don't exactly have enough time to run a background check on each and everyone attending."

"You don't say," Rick said checking his watch. "We have less than an hour until the presentation begins."

"There's still a margin of time before now and then, giving us a small time frame to try and figure what they're after."

"Sounds to me like you're working another case." Someone spoke from behind.

He turned at the sound of the voice, coming to find a familiar face.

"Hello Heiji Hattori."

"Matthew Thompson right, or is it that you preferred Matt?"

"So you do remember me, I'm pleased."

"You know each other?" Rick asked.

"Yea, we met at the City hall days ago." Heiji confirmed.

"I couldn't help but over hear the two of you talking," Matt admitted. "Is there something going on?"

"We believe so, and that is all I'm entitled to say." Heiji replied.

"I fully understand."

"What about you," Heiji asked. "Where is the rest of your crew, are you here alone?"

"Not quite, Aldon Boomer plans to come as well," Matt replied. "Last we spoke he was on his way."

"When was that?"

"About twenty minutes ago," Matt replied. "But with the traffic on this side of town I'd give it a couple more before he makes an appearance."

"Spoken for the truth." Rick commented.

"I'd hate to interrupt what you've got going, so I'll go find amusement elsewhere until the showing begins."

"I'll catch you later then."

Before he could make a move for the other side of the room a loud sound could be heard peering in through the walls, a sound similar to that of a helicopter finding its way down to ground levels. High pitches of joy soon followed, pitching through the halls all the way into the room where they stood.

"What's going on out there?" Heiji questioned.

"I think that one's pretty self explanatory," Matthew stated. "It can only be the arrival of Gotham's favorite son."

"And who might that be?"

"The Bruce Wayne himself," Matthew replied. "Don't tell me you've forgotten him already, he was attending the town hall meet along with us the other night."

"Bruce Wayne, yes of course," Heiji said. "How could I forget, he was one of the many interviewed in the questioning process."

The voices and and excitement only heightened with the seconds that followed. There prediction of his arrival was proven correct in the short time to come, all eyes looking to the left side of the room upon him entering.

"That's Wayne alright, his popularity always seems to stay intact," Matthew said taking a step forward. "If you don't mind I'd like to go over and give him a proper greeting."

"Be my guest," Rick said. "You can do it for the all of us."

"Will do," Matthew said. "See you gentlemen around."

With that he made his way forward, carefully making his way through the crowd to the other side of the room.

"Grayson and the kid are already in place, and Bruce has arrived," Heiji thought. "That only leaves the other two, where they are is anyones guess."

He was determined to answer that very question. Just as he reached for his phone it ringed once again, not hesitating to answer.

"It's me again."

"Any luck getting into contact with any of the others?"

"They're still unresponsive," Dick replied. "Whatever they're tangled in must require a set of distance, I'm sure they'll reach us when all is cleared."

"I'll try asking Bruce, he just arrived a few moments ago."

"Yea, I saw the Wayne helicopter pass by not too long ago," Dick said. "Keep me updated on anything going on in there, I'll move in if need be."

"That's the plan."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you and the others," Dick said. "Gotta go."

He hung up with those final words spoken, placing his phone back into the security of his pocket before making a move for the other side of the room.

"Where are you headed off to now?" Rick asked taking notice of this.

"I have to speak with someone, I won't be long."

"Remember to keep your eyes peeled for any ongoing activity."

"No worries," Heiji assured. "I haven't lost sight of the importance of our task, this will take all but a moment."

"Your claim is well trusted, I'll keep an eye on things on this side of the room."

"Thanks."

He carefully moved through the crowd, closing in with each step taken. He finally reached him, joining the several others who were crowded around.

"Well look who it is," Bruce said taking notice of him almost instantly. "I'm glad to see you were able to make it."

"That was always the plan remember?"

"Oh yes, that's right."

"Wayne, I wasn't expecting you so soon," A man dressed in a suit of white said joining the fray. "I was told you wouldn't arrive until close to seven."

"I had a change in plan Mr. Irvin."

"Works out for the better, there's actually a couple guys I'd like you to meet."

"In time, I have some preparations to see to first."

"Of course, I'll catch up with you at a more convent time."

"I'll keep an eye out for you." Bruce said watching as he turned for the other end of the room.

"Bruce," Heiji said redirecting his attention. "I haven't been able to get ahold of Drake, any luck with you?"

"Oh.. yes, he'll be here soon," Bruce replied. "There's just a little something he had to, to take care of."

"I figured that much," Heiji said. "I wonder why he didn't call and let me know."

"Why don't you ask him when he arrives detective, I'm sure he'll give you the answer to that," Bruce said. "Now if you would, I have some important matters to see through."

"Wait, what about our?"

There was no use in talking on any further. He watched as he wrapped his arm around a woman who followed him to the far side of the room, still accompanied by the few who had greeted him upon his arrival.

"Detective... when does he refer to me by that?"

He continued to watch him from afar, taking note of his every move from his departure to the other side of the room.

"What's he doing, he doesn't seem to be taking our task very seriously," Heiji said. "Unless of course this is an act of his to deeply blend in with the other guests, which does pose for advantage on our side."

He left it as that for the time being, focusing his attention to all other areas of the room. He began to walk along once more, moving at a pace matched with everyone else's. Rick could be seen standing under a vent across the room, clearly scaling the room for any suspicious activity as he was in the process of doing. He stopped after circling half the room, finding he was now in an ideal location to keep an eye on most of what could possibly take shape. He remained there for several minutes to come, watching as someone took to the stage straight ahead for the introduction speech.

"It's ten after six, where are they?"

This question lingered on as he continued to wait.

"Didn't recognize you without that cap of yours." Someone spoke from behind.

He turned at the sound of the familiar voice. There she was, standing in a black dress with a matching fitted flat hat atop her head.

"Selina," Heiji said. "Selina Kyle."

"Pleasure you remember me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Selina replied. "You've been up and down the room since you arrived."

"With good reason."

"I bet."

"How did you know my name?"

"Pardon?"

"The first we met at Starlest you knew my name without any mention of it," Heiji clarified. "You also disappeared around the time the diamonds were stolen from that glass case, the same ones you had been talking about before the incident occurred."

"I thought they caught the person responsible for that."

"No, they haven't."

"Tells you how much I follow the news." Selina said pushing away from the wall.

"Where did you disappear off to after we talked?"

"Are you suspecting me?"

"Should I be?"

"I had to leave on short notice, I received an emergency call from the fire station about a toxic leakage around my apartment complex," Selina informed. "You can check my phone records if you don't believe me."

He felt a tap at his shoulder, turning to face someone he had never encountered before.

"Excuse me sir, but someone has asked to speak with you."

"With me?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, he said it was important." The young woman replied.

"And who might that be?"

"That little boy," She replied. "He's the only one of that age that I believe is in attendance."

"Where did you see him?"

"He should still be next to the door leading into this room, that's where he pointed you out to me."

"Thanks, I'll go look into this right away." Heiji said before heading for that direction

"Does that mean we're done?"

He turned back to face her, that same astute look still present across her face.

"Yea, I'm sorry."

"Don't be, after all you have an investigation to run."

"How did you.."

"You questioning me about what happened the other day at Starlest and your obvious moping around tonight tells it all," Selina said cutting him off. "It doesn't take a detective to figure what you're doing here."

"Fair enough," Heiji said. "But that still doesn't answer how you knew my name."

"You're one for questions aren't you?"

"Only if necessary."

"I thought you might say that."

The sound of a ring interrupted, taking only a couple moments to find it was none other than her own phone from below.

"We'll have to continue this another time," Selina said. "This is an important call that I must take."

"Of course."

She stepped away while answering the phone. He turned for the other side of the room in that very moment, heading in the direction he was told he was needed. Most everyone had their eyes fixated to the stage, now listening to the second speaker to take the stage.

"She's too comfortable.. confident, I had better continue to keep an eye on her."

He slowly moved along, not wanting to disturb anyone in his path. It didn't take long for him to sight the two of them, joining the pair within the next steps taken.

"Where in the world have you two been, you didn't answer when I called."

"We got stuck up with a little something." Tim informed.

"How do we look," Conan asked. "We picked these suits up on the fly."

"Presentable," Heiji replied. "Now onto what happened."

"The same man I crossed paths with on the bus nights ago was at the theme park we were investigating," Conan informed. "Turns out he had an agenda of his own."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, he's increased his body count by one," Tim replied. "And now has a visual of the two of us."

"How did that happen?"

"Another story to tell."

"That must mean he knows we're onto him."

"Unfortunately, yes," Tim answered. "Assuming he was the one to plant the camera."

"Camera?"

"We'll explain later," Conan said. "How have things gone here thus far?"

"One person of interest," Heiji replied. "Other than that everything's been straight forward."

"Who should we be looking at?" Tim asked scouring the room.

"Ms. Kyle."

"Didn't expect her to be here."

"Nor did I."

"Am I to assume that was the woman you were speaking with just now?" Conan asked.

"That'd be the one."

"Good, then you keep an eye on her," Tim instructed. "Shinichi and I will focus our sights to everything else."

"Before you go I think you had better have a word with Bruce."

"Why?" Tim asked a bit surprised by this.

"I spoke with him when he arrived, something seemed odd," Heiji stated. "Like something was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Like when I asked about your whereabouts, he was a little hesitant in his response."

"Hmm, I'll speak with him when the chance presents itself," Tim said in response to this. "In the mean time we better get started."

"No argument there."

"Here, I already gave a pair to Shinichi in the case things do flip a one eighty on us."

He looked down to what was handed to him, raising it up to see what appeared to be some type of goggles.

"What's this for?"

"Night vision," Tim replied. "There's always the possibility of a staged black out, especially if the thief plans to get away with a prized item undetected."

"The goggles are a form of insurance so to speak." Conan added.

"Sounds simple enough."

"Alright, I'll take the east side of the room," Tim said. "Shinichi, the west is yours."

"And me?"

"You're keeping an eye on Selina remember, that's a whole task in itself."

"I'm curious as to what you means by that."

"Stay sharp, that's all that is required of you," Tim replied. "Of us all."

"I've already set my phone to vibrate, I think it'd be best if you two did the same," Conan said. "That way if we need to contact one another through phone it won't cause a scene."

"Agreed," Tim said. "Especially if someone is in the middle of a speech."

"So this is it huh, anything else we should know before we part ways?" Heiji asked.

"That's it, what happens next squarely falls on us," Tim replied. "Let's not disappoint."

"Not once did that cross my mind." Conan thought as he made his way further to the west side of the room.

Everything seemed normal on his initial look of things. This prompted him to dig deeper, looking to the expressions showcased across their faces to the posture everyone showed. Everything was clear in that regard as well.

"Whoever plans to rob this place isn't showing any signs, that must be a sign of comfortability," Conan said. "Or.. or could it be we're not looking out for the right person?"

In his mind this was something he felt needed the time of thought, taking all but a few moments for his mind to revert back to the riddle. It wasn't the individual messages that crossed his mind, but the constant theme that covered it as a whole.

"It's all about deception, from the beginning and most likely to the end," Conan thought as he looked to those towered around him. "What could the thief possibly have up their sleeve that fits the criteria?"

All that came to a halt as he looked to the stage ahead to see Bruce had taken to the center, which resulted in a positive response from most.

"Thank you, I thank you all for the warm hospitality I've received since arriving," Bruce began. "I'd first like to direct everyones attention to the man standing beside me, Armond Stanton, CEO of the Futures Building."

"I'm glad to be joined by you all," Armond commented. "This facility wasn't built for the intent of today or next week, but for the future which is always so forthcoming."

"Which is why I agreed to speak here on behalf of the cause," Bruce said. "I will also be the first to reveal one of the new devices this company has been working on for the past year."

He focused his attention to a box laid out to the side of the podium, reaching inside to pull out a triangular shaped device.

"I wonder what that is?" Heiji thought.

"This here is the beginning of what is to come," Bruce said setting it to the podium. "The very item that signifies what this company plans to achieve, the one device that symbolizes all other production."

He froze at this statement, something subtle clicking from within.

"misdirection Red (1).. could this be it, the 1," Heiji thought. "Could this in fact be the item referred to in the riddle?"

He looked back to the stage, only to hear the sound of a loud pop ring from all sides. Most everyone reacted by covering their ears. This was it, the moment had finally come, but in no way was he prepared for what happened next. Unaware of where it came a flash of light streaked across the room, blinding anyone who looked on. He brought a hand to his eye in the wake of it all, slowly removing it to find his vision to be jittered about. This lasted for seconds to come, rubbing his eyes as his vision slowly began to mellow back into place.

"What the hell just happened?!" One questioned from the near distance.

"I was just about to ask the same thing." Another spoke.

Many other complaints followed in the seconds that came. He paid no mind to this, looking straight ahead to the podium to see the device that had been set there was now gone, replaced by a red diamond of beauty.

"I don't believe it," Heiji said. "That device is gone."

It didn't take long for the others to notice this as well after regaining their stance on the matter. Bruce looked down at the diamond laid out before him in shock, turning to Armond who was just as surprised.

"What just happened?" Bruce asked.

"Our four million dollar hand held device is now gone," Armond replied. "We need to contact the police, seal all exits, no one is to leave."

Those who stood amongst the crowd were as confused as ever, some more verbal than the others.

"Hey, what's going on," A man standing near the front spat. "What was that bright flash of light all about?!"

"We're looking into that as we speak," Armond replied. "In no way was that planned."

"This diamond, where could it have come from." Bruce questioned.

"Whoever took the device must have switched it out," Armond said in response. "The question is, why?"

He still stood at the west side of the room, his vision finally settling in after a small period of time.

"So much for the night vision goggles." Conan thought with the roll of his eyes.

He looked to the stage, coming to realize the device that had been there was now gone, replaced by a diamond that seemingly captivated the sights of everyone in the room.

"Can't say I saw this coming."

He paused within that moment, feeling there was a connection.

"for the Diamonds eye is for all to see," Conan said thinking back to the riddle. "This must be the first part of their trick, I'm certain whoever took the diamond is still amongst us.. but who?"

He searched the room once more, most everyone he laid an eye to more rattled than anything from what had happened.

"Everything seems normal considering the circumstances," Conan said. "I've observed all guests, could it potentially be one of the employees who staged this?"

He looked to the stage once again, seeing a group of security guards had taken to the center stage of things.

"Looks like the investigation is underway," Conan said. "Speaking of which, where did Bruce run off to, he was there moment ago."

He checked the surrounding area, finding no sign of him there either.

"Wait, could it be?"

He stood in place, looking around the room to try and relocate her position.

"Great, I lost her." Heiji said.

"Lost who?" Tim asked stepping up to his side.

"What are you doing, aren't you watching things on the right side of the room?"

"No one has shown any signs to call for our attention, besides the first move has already been made," Tim said. "It's time we changed up in strategy."

"Yea no kidding."

"What they were after was obviously that device Bruce was showcasing," Heiji said. "I discovered that while in the middle of his speech."

"As did I," Tim said. "Which bothered me about it."

"What do you mean?"

"If I recall Bruce had no idea what they would be presenting tonight."

"Yea, so?"

"When he was up there speaking I got the impression he was very familiar with the material, like he had been briefed ahead of time."

"Maybe he did."

"Not to the level of familiarity he showcased in a matter of minutes."

"You make a good point."

"You said something seemed strange about him when he arrived, right?"

"What are you implying?"

He didn't reply, simply looking to the stage to find he was nowhere to be seen.

"Don't tell me," Heiji said. "You're thinking."

"We need to find him, and now."

Before either could make a move the sound of a phone rang from below.

"It's mine." Tim said reaching down for it.

He answered the phone on contact, his claims confirmed by the sound of his voice.

"I just arrived, I'm on my way down the hall now, anything I should know about concerning the situation thus far?"

"Bruce?"

"You sound surprised, is everything alright?"

"No it's not," Tim replied. "We have a serious situation."

"I'll be right there."

He hung up, looking to Heiji who did the same in return.

"Yea, you were right to worry," Tim said. "That man who took the stage wasn't Bruce."

"How do you know?"

"I just spoke with him, he's on his way now."

"If that wasn't him, then who?"

"Stay here," Tim instructed. "I'm going after our imposter."

He took off before anything further could be said, heading straight for the stage. He wasn't left alone for long, joined by Conan who came running to his side.

"We have a problem."

"Is this under the lines of Bruce not being what he seems?"

"So you figured it out too."

"It was actually Tim who made the claim," Heiji said. "He went to go and confront the look alike as we speak."

"I guess it's our job to make sure they don't try and re-route past us."

"How did you know that it wasn't Bruce?" Heiji questioned

"That blinding flash of light," Conan replied. "Given the circumstances and our knowledge of a potential thief don't you think he'd have tightly held onto the object in hand, to the point where no one could disarm it from him?"

"I see."

"He was the only one near the podium who could have set the diamond there and hid that device away within the security of his jacket in such a short amount of time," Conan continued. "And with everyone blinded for those very few moments it gave him the time he needed."

"What made you become suspicious?"

"Your earlier comments about him seeming off," Conan replied. "That coupled in with everything I just said along with the riddle."

"The riddle?"

"The thiefs motto has been deception, what better way to deceive us all then by taking the face of one of this cities finest."

"You really put some thought into that didn't you?"

"Let's just hope Tim gets to them in time."

He had made his way to the stage, no one clear as to where the imposer had gone off to. He finally approached Armond Stanton who was nervously pacing in one area of the stage.

"Mr. Stanton," Tim said stopping in front of him. "Would you happen to know where Bruce went to after his short lived speech."

"Back stage," Armond replied looking to him. "He said his eyes were still bothering him."

"Mind if I go back and check on him?"

"Fine by me, as long as you're escorted by one of the security guards."

"Well understood."

"Very well."

He looked to one of the guards, signaling for him to come to his side. It took all but a few seconds for him to walk over.

"Could you escort our good friend here back stage, he wishes to speak with Mr. Wayne."

"Yes of course," The guard said turning toward him. "Right this way."

He followed him past the curtain that concealed a small set of stairs which lead to the lower levels. He followed him down, stopping once reaching the door at the bottom of the stairs.

"This is it, the room I saw him enter."

"Thanks."

He opened the door, greeted by a cool chill that drifted by the two. What they saw laying on the ground left them in a state of shock. The suit that had been worn along with a latex mask could be seen in the center of the room.

"What in the world?!"

"Someone was posing is Bruce Wayne."

"I can clearly see that."

"Whoever it was is now gone, you had better go and inform Mr. Stanton."

"How can you be so sure of this?"

"The opened window," Tim said pointing to the right corner of the room. "There's not many who couldn't exit through there."

"I don't believe this." The guard said taking off.

Time was now slim and he knew it. He pressed down to the codec piece inserted in his ear, contacting him immediately.

"Please tell me you have something, things have been that of a bore these last thirty minutes."

"That all might change, someone might be headed out."

"From where?"

"The Futures Building, don't take your eyes off of it," Tim said. "And report back to me if you do indeed come across something."

"I'll leave that option open, Robin out."

The transmission ended with that.

"Better go and let the others know what's going on."

He took off in the heat of things, heading back into the direction he had come. He returned to the stage to see Armond was already being informed about the situation. He skimmed over the crowd, quickly finding where the two of them stood. He dropped down from the stage, wasting no time in rejoining the two.

"So what's the verdict?" Heiji asked.

"Too late," Tim replied. "Whoever orchestrated this escaped through a window, but no worriers I've already got Damian keeping an eye on the situation."

"I'm even more worried than I was before." Conan mumbled.

"What about Selina," Tim asked. "Have you relocated her yet?"

"Been looking," Heiji replied. "Can't seem to single her out."

The ear piece buzzed, informing him of an incoming message.

"What do you have?" Tim asked pressing down to the ear piece.

"Someone's defiantly on the roof, I can see them from here." Robin informed.

"We can't seem to pin point Selina's location, would you say this figure resembles her?"

"The cat lady Selina?"

"Yea."

"Don't think so." Robin replied.

"Are you sure?"

"When's the last time you saw her sporting a cape?"

"A cape," Tim questioned. "Stay put I don't want you making any further moves until."

His message was cut short by the disconnection of the transmission.

"I don't believe it."

"What happened?" Heiji asked.

"The darn kid just cut off our link," Tim replied. "I better call Dick and inform him about the situation."

"Before you do that, I'd like to know exactly what is going on."

They turned at the sound of his voice, coming to find Bruce had finally arrived. The look on his face said it all, nothing but business.

"Alright Tim," Conan said stepping aside. "You said you'd handle the talking."

He watched from afar, waiting for their next move to be made before springing in with one of his own. The figure held something into the air as if to examine it. What it was, was unclear to him. This left them in a state with their sights set to something else other than their surroundings, leaving it open for him to move in undetected. But that's not the approach he had in mind. He lunged from where he stood, free falling with an air diving glide toward the figure standing atop the Futures Building. He landed a few feet behind with a loud thump, springing to his feet almost immediately. He got a clearer view of the unknown.

"The game ends here, place the item down and hands in the air."

He received no response at his first attempt, stepping in closer to further his point.

"Let me guess, you have hearing disability?"

"I was not expecting any company tonight." A soft and comforting voice spoke in return.

"Funny that you should say, being that you're the one who sent out that invitation for many to have."

"Yet you're the only one to attend, or are there to be more?"

"I'm not here to carry conversation," Robin stated. "Who are you?"

"I was wondering the same," The dark figure replied turning to face him. "By the looks of your apparel I'd associate you with some kind of Robin Hood."

"Minus the hood and you've got a winner."

"Robin it is."

"Enough, you have one last chance to answer to me thief," Robin snapped. "If you don't I can't fully be held accountable for what happens to you next."

"My what a brash one you are, but if you're going to address me by name I'd advice to get it right," The figure said moving toward him. "For the new kid is in town."

He stepped out into the light generated from the moon, smiling down at him with a pleased look in his eye.

"Joy meeting you Robin," He said stopping a few feet across from him. "Call me Kaito Kid."

To Be Continued

[ZonieCatz]

Thanks for putting ch 97 in a spoiler... it's quite long!
*reads*

EDIT - finally, face to face w/ a bad guy! And impersonating you-know-who? who woulda thought it!

TFS!

[SSJBowser]

Spoiler

The Detective Prince
Chapter 98
Planned Escape

He stood his ground, keeping an eye out for anything in the surrounding area. He was surprised, disappointed even. He looked back to the boy standing before him to see he had changed the form in how he stood.

"So, you really are the only one to have accepted my invite."

"What were you expecting, the whole city as your audience," Robin questioned. "Sorry to disappoint, but they believe you to be elsewhere."

"Kelver Side Crafts."

"You knew?"

"A planned red herring, one which I was hoping most would bypass."

"It wasn't hard to figure, after we caught onto your motto it was only a matter of time before we closed in on you."

"We.. so I see you're not the only one after all," Kaitou Kid said. "I'm not surprised, after all I wouldn't expect someone such as yourself to be able to comprehend my riddles to their fullest."

"Why, the predictability you've showcased was most evident."

"If that were true then why are you the only standing here," Kaitou Kid questioned. "Where are these so called acquaintances of yours?"

"Patience."

"Then you'll have to give them my best wishes," Kaitou Kid said stashing the device away into his jacket. "For I don't plan on sticking around for much longer."

"And here I thought you wanted a major showing of guests."

"Perhaps, but I have somewhere I must be."

"Why so soon, the main event is just about to start."

"Finally something we can agree on, you're right," Kaitou Kid said. "The event is about to take flight, but not quite the main event like you've spoken."

"What's so important about that gizmo you put so much effort into obtaining?"

"That's my little secret."

"If you wanted it why not just take it, why the whole big set up orchestrated here tonight," Robin asked. "Why the invitations?"

"You were able to locate me, I'd figure you'd be able to find that out for yourself."

"Sorry to say, but the games over," Robin stated. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, your choice."

"I prefer an option of my own."

"Which involves running no doubt."

"You're one to rush to conclusions, none of it is that simple," Kaitou Kid commented. "None of what I do ever is."

"So you plan on sticking around for the authorities is that it?"

"Oh no, I do have a set schedule to keep."

"Sorry to put a clamp on your claim, but you're not going anywhere."

"Humerus, but it's not like there's anything stopping me from doing so."

He felt opposed by this statement, readying himself for the next move to be made.

"Try me."

He remained attentive as possible, listening to everything that was brought to his attention. The conclusion was the same, just like the others he had not been anticipating a move to be made quite like this.

"So let me get this straight, the person who impersonated me has already escaped?"

"Through a window in one of the rooms back stage." Tim confirmed.

"We need to catch whoever this person is."

"They shouldn't get far, Damian has already spotted them," Tim confirmed. "I tried to pressing him to stay put until I got ahold of Dick, but he cut me off before the chance could arrive."

"Call him now," Bruce instructed. "We need to keep this guy locked in."

"Already on it." Tim said stepping off to the side.

"Anything we can do to help?" Conan asked.

"Don't see how," Heiji said. "We're stuck in here, and I don't think Mr. Armond plans on releasing anyone until they've got this whole thing situated."

"Actually there is something you can do to help."

"There is?"

"You're here with that group from the police force right?"

"Yea, detective Gates came along with the five other chosen guys."

"Good, then go to Mr. Gates and have him call in all the other units to this location," Bruce said. "That way if this thief makes a run for the north side they'll be able to corner them."

"Of course, I almost forgot," Heiji said. "I'll go and tell him right away."

He left the group from there in search of detective Gates who was standing on the other side of the room.

"Guess that leaves the two of us," Conan said. "What happens now?"

"We wait," Bruce replied. "Let's see if our preparations hold up to form."

He had yet to make a move like he presumably hinted to, electing to stand his ground for seconds to come with nothing such as a blink.

"I don't get it, why hasn't he made a run for it.. is this another one of his riddles?"

In his mind it was now time to engage. Without warning he launched forward, racing toward him at him at top speed.

"That's it, come to me."

He swiftly leaped over his attempt, landing to the spot he had been standing just moments prior.

"Thanks for the opening boy," Kaitou Kid remarked. "I guess this is the part where I check out."

He let out a grin, this time following up on his claim as he turned to make a run for it.

"Lucky move."

He wasted no time in following after him, exploding with a surge of energy that had been waiting to be unleashed. He chased after him with extreme persuasion, looking ahead to see the edge of the roof was near. Even more obvious was the gap between the Futures Building and the closets structure across the way.

"No way he's making that jump."

With that he began to pull back on his strides, anticipating he'd do the same after reaching what was a seemingly dead end. That wasn't the case, he pushed on with a powering force which resulted in him diving off the side of the roof.

"Did he just?"

He ran to the edge, looking downward to see him soaring away on what appeared to be a hang glider of some kind.

"Where in the world did he get that, no way he had that stored away on his body," Robin said keying in on his grappler. "Dare I say some kind of magic."

He jumped down, launching the cable free as he homed in on him.

"Magic or not, no way he's getting away."

Closing in wasn't going to be an easy task, due to the winds working in his favor, carrying him in the direction he seeked. Unaware if he was being followed or not he took a peak back to observe that was in fact the case.

"What's this, some kind of hook line," Kaitou Kid said. "I thought for sure the path would have been cut, no matter, it shouldn't take very long to lose him."

With that thought in mind he slightly angled downward, picking up speed in the process. He immediately took note of this, knowing he'd have to speed up in his progressions.

"He knows I'm tailing him, which makes things just that more difficult," Robin said to himself. "Gotta close the distance some how."

The two of them had remained in the same spot, anxiously awaiting the return of the others. He checked the time, coming to find it was now forty five after six, fifteen minutes before he thought his speech was to be held. He looked ahead just in time to see him maneuvering his way back to the two of them.

"How did it go," Conan asked. "Were you able to get in contact with him?"

"I informed him of the situation, Dick's already in pursuit of them," Tim replied. "According to him, Damian is already on the move."

"In what direction?" Bruce asked.

"Exactly what we didn't want," Tim replied. "That being the east where he was supposed to stand guard, the one to take the device must have gotten past him some how."

"I wonder how that could have happened." Conan remarked.

"What about Heiji, has he spoken with that detective?"

"They're contacting the others stationed around Kelver Side as we speak." Bruce confirmed.

"By the time they get here it will be too late, the thief will most likely be out of sight by then," Conan said. "Are you sure there's nothing more we can do?"

"Maybe," Bruce said skimming the room. "But first, we'll need to find a way out of here."

"Which won't be easy, considering they have no plans on releasing anyone until they retrieve whatever it was that was taken."

"Then we'll have to plan up something to cause for a change in scenery." Tim said.

"How about an alarm," Conan questioned. "This place should have a fire alarm right?"

"That might have been idea if the security guard hadn't been standing right beneath it." Bruce pointed out.

"Glad to know you're both on the same page," Tim said. "But that's not what I had in mind."

"Can't wait to hear this." Conan said looking directly to him.

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of a man none of them had ever seen before.

"Mr. Wayne there's someone who'd like to have a quick word with you," He informed. "Are you in the middle of something?"

"Of course not, I'd be happy to speak with them," Bruce replied turning to face him. "Where might I find this person?"

"Look no further," He answered pointing to the left. "They're already on their way over."

".. They?"

He repositioned his stance, turning to see a young man and woman standing aside one another as they approached. The mans dark brown hair was slicked back, accompanied by a bright smile that could clearly be made out. He wore a casual brown suit with a purple tie. The woman had a strand of long black hair which was pulled back as well, knotted up in a pony tail. The color scheme of her clothing was the same as his, a dark brown dress with a purple shirt beneath. They arrived seconds there after, stopping after reaching him.

"After a long weeks tour it's a pleasure to finally meet you," The man spoke holding out his hand. "Bruce Wayne."

"And you are?" Bruce said shaking his hand in acceptance.

"Galen," He replied. "Galen Kefalas."

"You mentioned a a tour, I'm assuming you mean of the city."

"That is correct," Galen replied. "This is the fourth city we've visited in the last six months, we've spent an extended period in each before moving on to the next."

"Sounds like a promising journey," Bruce said. "Where is it you're from?"

"Thessaloniki Greece."

"That's a long way from home," Bruce commented. "What is it the two of seek or hope to gain on your travels across the world?"

"You're not the first to ask that, and most certainly won't be the last," Galen replied. "We're actually checking in on the other facilities, it's for a major project the company we work for plans to launch."

"What's the name of this company?"

"You're probably quite familiar with it," Galen stated. "After all there is one located here in Gotham."

"There are too many to count, even if you only look at the ones that have overseas business," Bruce said. "Which company would you happen to be referring to?"

"Nano High," Galen replied. "The largest growing company in the use of creating new resources in many different fields."

"Of course."

"We heard about your recent partnership with us, and wanted the chance to meet you in person after hearing so," Galen said. "Which I'm glad came into fruition."

"I'm honored," Bruce said before setting his sights elsewhere. "And who is this beautiful woman at your side?"

"Ademia Kefalas," She answered with a twinkling sparkle in her eye. "I appreciate your very amiable remark Wayne."

"That was my intent."

"And who is this young man beside you?" Galen asked taking notice of him.

"Timothy," Bruce replied. "But he usually goes by Tim."

"Nice to meet you." Tim said holding out his hand.

"Alright then Tim." Galen said with the shake of his hand.

"And this here is a guest of mine who's been staying at my place for about a week now," Bruce said dropping a hand down to his shoulder. "This is Conan."

"Hi." Conan said waving up to the two.

Galen became wide eyed, finding himself frozen within the moment. He was snapped out of it by a pinch at his side from Ademia, Tim being the only to take notice of this.

"What was that for?" Galen muttered turning to face her.

She simply glared at him, saying nothing in response to his complaint.

"Is everything alright?" Bruce asked.

"I was just surprised to see someone of this boy's age at an event such as this," Galen replied. "He seems to be the only minor here."

"I hadn't really paid any attention to that," Bruce said. "But he doesn't mind, Conan here loves the big crowds."

"I did as well when I was his age," Galen said tightening his tie. "Well it was nice to meet the three of you, I actually have a call to make so.."

"We understand," Bruce said. "Maybe we'll see you again before you head off to the next city on your radar."

"I'll see to it," Galen said reaching for his phone. "Until that time."

He left the group from there, turning for the left side of the room in the process.

"I'm sorry about the sudden departure, it's always business with him first." Ademia said.

"It's not a problem," Bruce said. "I for one know how consuming work on a level such as this can be."

"I knew you would," Ademia said turning to walk. "Keeping our lives balanced between work and family is of high importance to me."

"He's lucky to have you."

"As what I feel about him."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you two been together?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean, how long have you been married?"

"If that's the way you've viewed it then you're completely wrong Mr. Wayne," Ademia said flashing her eyes back at him once more. "Galen isn't my spouse, he's my brother."

"I guess I had it all wrong," Bruce said. "But please call me Bruce, most everyone does."

She managed a smile before pushing on once more. He couldn't help but look on, watching as she disappeared into the depths of the crowd.

"There's something about her." Tim said.

"Yes, there most certainly is." Bruce smilingly agreed.

"I don't think we're on the same page." Tim said looking up at him.

"I didn't sense anything wrong," Conan said. "Everything seemed normal about her to me, what exactly shot out to you?"

"It wasn't just her, but that Galen as well."

"Now that you mention it, they did share a brief moment," Conan said. "But I doubt it's anything to concern ourselves with."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Sounds like you're pushing it more than anything," Conan said. "They seemed relatively normal from my angle."

".. Maybe."

"Whatever the case it'll have to wait," Bruce said. "We have more important matters to concern ourselves with."

"Have you thought up a way out of here?"

"Not just yet, but I'm working on it," Bruce replied. "In the mean time I'd like for you to recontact Dick, get an update on his position."

"I'll see to it." Tim said.

"Do you think he's caught up to them yet?" Conan asked.

"It all depends on the pace they're moving at," Bruce replied. "Dick knows the layout of this city just as well as the next, he'll reach them eventually, it's only a matter of when."

"Hopefully before the guy somehow manages to escape."

"He won't," Bruce said. "I'm sure of it."

They were clearly watched from all sides, several spectators looking on as the two pressed on with high energy. He was unaware of where he was headed exactly, but had a small sense that it would soon all come to an end. He glimpsed back, confirming that he was still in the process of being pursued.

"I'm surprised to see he's keeping up, especially for someone his age," Kaitou Kid thought. "But that begs the question of why, he's obviously working for someone or some group."

Gaining the audience of an even larger group at this point was now something he wasn't looking to have.

"It's only a matter of time before the police catch on, pending that they've not already been briefed about my whereabouts."

He knew whatever it was he was to do needed to happen soon. The sound of sirens from many blocks away could faintly be heard, driving the dagger even further into the time limit.

"No matter the city, they never seem to disappoint."

He smilingly weighed his options as his descension toward the ground continued. A breath of strong wind blew past sailing him higher into the air, in affect buying him extra time. It was at that moment that he saw a large pick up truck driving along on the road below. An instant idea popped into his mind, resulting in him soaring down toward it. Robin seeing this followed after him.

"What is he up to?"

He landed to the top of the truck, letting the hang glider fall to his side. He turned to see Robin drop down a yard or two away from where he stood.

"Nowhere else to glide, you just sealed your fate but touching down here."

He showed little to no emotion in response to this, simply waving him his way.

"Things would seem to appear that way, now don't they," Kaitou Kid remarked. "If you're so confident, why don't you come over here and apprehend me?"

It was all too convincing, but deep down he knew there was some kind of catch to this, a hidden trick.

Discussions for many sustained as he continued to plot a means of finding a way out of their current situation. All of that was put on hold as he looked ahead to see him step through the crowd to rejoin them.

"You're back," Conan said. "Got an update for us?"

"I spoke with detective Gates on the matter, I told him of our suspicions," Heiji replied. "Half of the unit that was stationed at Kelver Side Crafts is already in pursuit of the situation."

"That's all good and said, but how will they know where to find him," Conan questioned. "He's obviously still on the move."

"It hasn't been hard since calls have been coming in about two guys flying across town," Heiji answered before turning back to Bruce. "Any word from Grayson on the matter, has he reached the two as of yet?"

"We're uncertain," Bruce replied. "As long as Robin keeps pace, that will give him the time to catch up and rotate the tables into our favor."

"So I guess that leaves us to sit around and wait for results huh?"

"Maybe not for too much longer," Bruce said. "I'm going to walk over and have a word with Armond Stanton."

"Anything you'd like us to do in the mean time?"

"Stay put," Bruce replied. "I won't be long."

"Sure thing."

They did as instructed, observing as he made his way back to stage side. He didn't let the latest command stop him from skimming the room once more. It wasn't long after that an idea popped into his mind, but he needed to look over the outer walls to confirm his claims.

"Be right back, I think I might have a way out."

"What do you mean," Heiji questioned. "Bruce said he'd handle it."

"In the case that it doesn't work I might have an alternate solution."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"No, I can handle this on my own," Conan replied. "I won't be long, when Bruce returns tell him I'll be back shortly."

"Care to let me in on this plan of yours?"

"I have no fill to if it will work or not, it all depends on if someone is standing guard throughout the main hall."

"The main hall?"

"The one leading to this room," Conan clarified. "I'm going to go and check it out, stay here."

"Ok," Heiji said as he watched him walk off. "Whatever you say."

He took off for the left wall as planned, stepping around those who anxiously waited for their questions to be answered. He reached the wall soon there after with little effort made, checking to make sure no one was looking out for his ongoing activity.

"All is clear, now to find a place to set the recorder."

He continued on his path along the wall, keeping his sights to the trimmings below. He stopped about halfway through, looking ahead to see a man leaned to the wall with a newspaper in hand which covered his face. This was only a minor set back, but knew he'd have to wait for him to move before pushing on.

"Great," Conan thought in displeasure. "Now I'm presented with the task of some how getting this guy to reposition to somewhere else."

He looked over his shoulder to see Bruce was still on stage, letting him know he still had time. Just when he was to take another step the man with the paper in hand lowered it to reveal his face. His eyes widened at what he saw, those same dark shades covering the very essence of what was behind the man. His heart raced at this, resulting in him reaching for his chest as he took to a knee. There was no mistaking it, he knew who the man was, standing not even ten yards away from where he was.

"It can't be," Conan gasped in disbelief. "Korn, but what's he doing here.. could it be?"

All else fell to complete darkness as his body fell forward, toppling to the ground below. Those who stood nearby gathered around in concern, alerting security of what had happened.

A move had yet to be made by either. He stared over at him, surprised he had yet to attempt a move. The deceleration of the truck became evident in the following seconds that past, alerting him of a nearby street intersection. His eyes wondered at the thought of this.

"What's the hold up, devising a master plan to assure my arrest?" Kaitou Kid remarked.

"He's given himself up for attack much too easily, my next move will be as important as any."

"You seem less verbal than before.. oh, now I get it," Kaitou Kid said with the snap of his finger. "I'm receiving the silent treatment."

He blocked out everything that was said, knowing it was only a form of distraction. He slightly crouched in his current position, lowering his right hand down to the utility belt as he did. The bell was just seconds away from ringing, execution was now the deciding factor to what would happened next. The street light flashed to his eye, turning red in the wake of it all.

"Now!"

He darted forward at the anticipated stop of the vehicle, slinging a birdrang into his direction in hopes of it posing as a distraction. He easily saw through this, moving off to the side as it flew by.

"Kind of predicatable don't you think?" Kaitou Kid deviously grinned.

There was no decline in his rush toward him, leaping at him with a left hook only to have his arm grabbed.

"Perfect." Kaitou Kid said springing out what appeared to be a whip from his sleeve.

"Lucky move." Robin said before following up with another punch.

He welcomed this, grabbing hold of his right arm as well before locking it down to his left with the use of the whip.

"I must say you've made for great entertainment," Kaitou Kid said kicking the hang glider up from the ground to his right hand. "But I'm afraid we're going to have to put a hold on our little session."

"That's what you think."

Before he could even attempt to release his arms from the grasp of the whip he felt the hang glider get attached to him.

"Toodle-oo kid."

The next thing he knew he was kicked from behind, sending him gliding toward a dark ally across the way. He landed directly into a dumpster, feeling the glider crush under him. He used his gauntlets to cut free of the whip, looking back to the street to see Kaitou Kid give him the salute just as the truck started up once again.

"I don't think so."

Just as he was to push up a banana peel caused him to slip, resulting in the garbage caving in on itself along with him. The top of the dumpster fell shut in the process. This only infuriated him further. He powered out with one single push, dropping to the ground to see the truck was no longer in sight.

"No, I can not let that no good show boater get away."

He raced forward only to have someone drop down in front, blocking his path. He raised his head to see him, the look in his eyes telling the whole story.

"Nightwing I."

"Where is he?"

To Be Continued

[EmperorX4]

its interesting... amazing SSJBowser!!!

[SSJBowser]

Spoiler

The Detective Prince
Chapter 99
Alteration in Ego

A strong scent of an ongoing shower came to him. He opened his eyes, feeling the smooth surface below him. The first moments were that of a blur, taking time for his vision to clear up. He looked down to see he was laid out on a couch. Knowing this he turned his head to the right to find himself in an unfamiliar environment.

"Where am I?"

He slowly sat up from where he laid, removing the light blanket that had been placed over him. He then browsed the rest of the room, looking to the wall opposite of himself to see a fish tank set up atop a dresser. He then focused his attention to the left, finding an opened window in the clear where small drops continued to drift in.

"What is this place?"

Not a moment later did it take for him to realize that something was off, reaching for his face to find that his glasses were not in place. This raised more questions than before. Not wanting to sit around any longer he dropped down from the couch, taking notice of a door on the right side.

"That could be my way out, pending that it's not locked from the other side."

Making little noise as possible he quietly made his way to the door, not wanting the possibility of someone to hear.

"Step one complete."

He reached for the knob once there, slowly turning it only to hear the sound of a voice from behind.

"No need for the stealth, it's just the two of us."

"Let me guess," Conan said turning around. "You were there the whole time."

"Only for the past five minutes." Tim replied stepping away from the wall.

"Guess this is what happens when you don't check the whole room," Conan said. "What is this place, and why did you bring me here?"

"We had a dispute with the time and all last night, so we came to the decision to bring you here," Tim answered. "My place."

"Ok, that explains," Conan said. "But what about my glasses, where did you put them?"

"I thought you would have been more concerned with what happened after that black out of yours."

"I blacked out?"

"You don't remember?"

He took the next seconds to try and rehash what had happened, trailing his way back to the sofa as he did. He took a seat once there, bringing a hand to his head with the shake of his head.

"You really don't remember, do you?"

"The last thing I recall is going on a search of the room."

"As I was told," Tim said. "Something about finding a way out of there right?"

"Yea, that's right," Conan said sliding down from the couch. "The thief, what happened with him?"

"One topic at a time, you first," Tim said. "What's the last thing you remember from last nights occasion, preferably what you remember seeing last?"

"Let's see here."

He brought a hand to his chin, stepping around the couch as he did.

"So you went in search of the room, then what happened?"

"If I'm not mistaken I followed the the outer wall on the left side in hopes of finding an unattended vent."

"For what?"

"I had the intent of planting a recorder onto it," Conan replied. "It was all part of the plan."

"So you're following the outline of the wall, at any point did you stop for any given reason?"

"I don't recall.."

He paused, giving it a couple seconds to think back.

"Now that you mention it there was something," Conan said looking up at him. "That man, he was there."

"What man," Tim asked. "Anybody I might know?"

"Korn, I'm sure of it."

"Wait, you don't mean the less than talkative Korn from the Organization do you?"

"I know it sounds far fetched but I'm positive it was him I saw."

"Ok, let's say this is true," Tim said. "What would he being doing here in Gotham?"

"I don't know," Conan replied. "It could be a variety of things, a planned hit would be my first guess."

"I was thinking the same."

"Was anyone hurt or maybe killed last night that you might know of?"

"Not at the convention," Tim replied. "If that was indeed him, there might be another reason for his attendance."

"And I doubt he was there for the big reveal."

"What exactly did you see him doing, was he with anyone?"

"No, he was alone," Conan replied. "I didn't notice him at first, he had a newspaper covering his face."

"Sounds to me like he might have been waiting for someone."

"That must have been around the time I lost conscious," Conan said. "That leaves us with no real way of finding out."

"Not necessarily," Tim stated. "We can still get ahold of the security tapes, that might reveal just what we're hoping to find."

"I didn't even think about that," Conan said. "How soon do you think we can get our hands on these tapes?"

"Not completely sure, we'll have to call in and set up a time," Tim replied. "Shouldn't take any longer than a day at max."

"Let's hope we can cut it shorter than that."

"And you're sure that's all you saw," Tim asked. "Are you certain you didn't see him make eye contact with anyone, perhaps a guest who might have approached him?"

"Sorry, but that's all I can remember," Conan said. "Whatever happened next is unknown to me."

"I see."

"Not that I really care to know, but how did everyone react when I fell over," Conan asked. "How did Bruce take it?"

"I didn't see his initial reaction, but that woman," Tim said. "Ademia Kefalas, she was one of the first to come to your side."

"She was?"

"She even called for an ambulance," Tim informed. "That's when I stepped in and said I'd take over."

"She sounds like a really decent woman, you're not still suspicious of her are you?"

"Don't know, but that's not what we should be focused in on."

"You're right, now it's your turn," Conan declared. "What happened with the thief?"

"Unfortunately he got away."

"I was afraid that'd be the outcome," Conan said with the shake of his head. "Are we any closer to finding out who this guy is?"

"I tried asking Damian about what happened last night, but he completely refused to answer," Tim replied. "I left it up to Bruce and Dick to handle the situation from there, that's when I brought you here."

"What about Hattori, is he around?"

"Out looking into something, and soon will I," Tim said. "Bruce plans to brief me in on what he learned about our run away thief."

"I want to come with."

"I don't think so," Tim declined. "I agreed to make sure you stayed put, at least until the blood results come back on the blood sample collected."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"Some time to day," Tim answered. "If something is wrong with you, which appears to be the case, we'll know what soon enough."

"Leaving me to sit here and wait while you guys get to handle the case," Conan remarked. "Sounds like a joy."

"I've always found reading to be a helpful way of passing time, there's actually quite a selection to choose from in the up stairs room," Tim notified. "I could take you there now if you'd like."

"No thanks," Conan declined. "I'd rather not."

"You feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, maybe just a little tired is all," Conan replied. "You never did answer my question to where you put my glasses."

"Hold on for a minute, I'll go and grab them," Tim said before heading for the door. "I left them sitting on the kitchen counter."

"Great, I'll come with you." Conan said following from close behind.

"Fine by me."

After over an hour of driving they had finally arrived. He tipped the cab driver before stepping out, waving him off before watching him drive into the clear.

"Finally, now maybe we'll get some answers."

He checked his watch, wanting to clarify the time they had discussed.

"Thirty five after ten, this might be pushing it," Heiji thought to himself. "Good thing I don't plan on staying long."

He made his way to the entrance from there, looking to see the parking lot was more than half full.

"Never expected business to begin on such a high note."

He continued toward the building, looking up to the print upon the sign which read 'Living Green'. He entered in as a group of people exited, wasting no time in trying to sight an employee.

"Excuse me." Heiji said approaching someone working in front of a set of flower pots.

They immediately turned to face him.

"What is it I can do for you?"

"It's actually quite simple," Heiji replied. "Would you happen to know where I might find Mr. Matthews, Steve Matthews to be precise?"

"Oh yes, he's working today."

"In which department?"

"If I'm not mistaken he should be out back watering the outside plants, that would be the best place to look."

"Thanks."

Knowing where to go next he left with no further questions needed. He checked the time once more, wanting to make sure he remained on schedule. After reaching the other side of the room he followed the wall all the way to the back, stopping after reaching the door. He pushed it aside with ease, looking into the near distance to see a lone man standing with a water hose in hand.

"That must be him."

He removed his hands from within his pockets as he approached, coming to a halt after reaching his side.

"Matthews?"

He turned to face him, lowering the hose as he did.

"That would be me," Steve confirmed. "You must be the one who wished to speak with me."

"That is correct." Heiji replied before pulling out his phone.

"What's this?"

"A picture," Heiji replied holding the phone out for him to see. "This woman, I was told you've seen her before."

"Let me see here."

He moved in for a closer look, shaking his head at what he saw.

"That's right," Steve confirmed. "She comes in every few days or so."

"I was told her name was Sam."

"Not Sam, Pam," Steve corrected. "Or at least that's what she told me."

"What else do you know about her," Heiji asked. "I heard you two spoke on a regular basis."

"Only about the merchandise," Steve said. "From the types of plants we have here to the ones we would be importing in."

"At any point did she discuss anything regarding her personal life?"

They were interrupted by the sound of his phone. He pulled it out to see the incoming number.

"It's from the station," Heiji said. "I have to take this."

"The station?"

He turned his back to him to take the call.

"This is Heiji."

Not much needed to be said on his part, only listening to what was told to him. The conversation didn't take long, shocked by the information that was given to him.

"I'm sorry," Heiji said turning back to face him. "But I must go."

"You mentioned something about a station, are you some kind of investigator or something?"

"Something like that," Heiji replied. "Appreciate the information, I'll leave you back to your work, we're done here."

"Nice talk." Steve said as he watched him walk off.

He followed him down the stairs, letting him take the lead as the two made their way toward the door. They entered to find him sitting at the desk. He looked up at the two, almost as if he had been expecting them.

"I checked for traces of DNA on that hang glider like you asked," Dick informed. "It came up negative."

"I'm not surprised," Bruce said. "Especially after pulling the file on the presumed thief."

"So is it true, is that guy really who he said he was?"

"From the description you gave I'd say we have a match," Bruce confirmed. "He goes by the name of Kaitou Kid, a well known and successful thief who operates predominantly in Japan."

"Never heard of the guy prior to last night," Damian commented. "His skills were slightly above mediocre, but did have the edge to catch me by surprise."

"Japan isn't his only known playing field," Bruce continued. "I had heard about some of his other activities that have taken shape over the past year or so, only now has he brought his travels here to Gotham."

"Any clue as to why that may be?" Dick asked.

"If I knew the answer to that I wouldn't be sitting here," Bruce replied. "Finding out what he's after is our main priority."

"What exactly was it that he stole?" Dick asked.

"It was known as a G3 Power Emitter," Bruce replied. "It was said to have had enough energy to power a half a city the size of Gotham."

"That can't be right," Damian spoke out. "There's no way the device I saw him stash away within his jacket could be capable of that length of power."

"You wouldn't think," Bruce agreed. "But you'd be surprised, I saw the prints for the device myself this morning."

"So we know the what, now only the why remains," Dick said. "Any ideas as to why this guy might have taken the gizmo?"

"Unfortunately not," Bruce replied. "There's nothing in his profile evading toward an item such as the one taken, commonly what sparks his interest is jewels."

"Any particular type?"

"A variety."

"Why does his routine even matter at this point," Damian said taking a spot to the wall. "I doubt we're even going to find him, if he's smart he's probably hiding it out somewhere."

"What are you implying, that we should just give up?" Dick said looking his way.

"Father said he went after something he normally wouldn't right, that means there's a high possibility he was hired for the job," Damian said. "Which means instead of looking for the clown in white, we should be looking for someone who'd have something to gain with a device like that."

"Taking a methodical approach I see," Dick commented. "I'm impressed."

"The question is, will we be receiving another riddle?"

"I was wondering that very question myself."

"Then let it be put to rest," Bruce said regaining their attention. "Before worrying about anything that has yet to occur, we need to figure out the other message presented in the riddle."

"Another message?" Dick said looking at him in confusion.

"the prosper of growth isn't fostered within the past or present, for the Diamonds eye is for all to see," Bruce reminded. "That phrase was clearly referring to the Futures Building."

"Right.."

"Then there's the second part of that riddle," Bruce continued. "the Shows beginning shall proceed with all λ0-(-30) 105 accounted in."

"Which was the link between important structures throughout the city."

"But had little to do with what unfolded last night," Bruce said. "Let's not blind ourselves from the importance of the (X) at the beginning of the riddle and the (Y) that closed it off."

"Which we've concluded as placement and distance," Dick said. "But besides the Futures Building, what else could we be looking into as a place of interest?"

"All locations that lead us to where we are now," Bruce replied. "Cennals Inc, Delmore Industries, Syclons, Salvon's Bridge, Silver Engineering, Kelver Side Crafts, and Wayne Enterprises."

"Are you sure about this?"

"He got ahold of one of the Wayne helicopters, I'd say he knows a thing or two about the company and how we work business," Bruce replied. "And probably a sufficient amount of information on the other companies as well."

"Makes sense when you put it that way."

"From this point forward this is now one of our top priorities."

"From the sounds of it I'd say you're taking this whole thing rather personal." Damian stated.

"The moment that Kaitou Kid impersonated me to see his mission through was the moment it became personal."

"Oh.. kay then," Dick said. "Where do we start?"

"While reading through the many reports involving Kid I happened to sight a certain someone who seemed to be at the middle of several of the encounters."

"Someone we know?"

"Correct," Bruce confirmed. "I want you to bring me the boy, if there's a quick counter to Kid he's our best option."

"You mean Conan?"

"He knows this guy better than any of us as it would appear."

"Wow, talk about desperate measures." Damian remarked.

"I'll give Tim a call in a bit to see if he's awake," Dick said. "Speaking of which, did you get the results back on that blood test you ran?"

"Still in the process." Bruce answered at the ring of his phone.

Not sure as to who was calling he removed the phone from in his pocket, surprised at who was was calling. He answered it, listening to the person on the other line who delivered some unfortunate and disturbing news. He understood what was needed of him, hanging up after nearly a minute of conversation.

"What is it," Dick asked after seeing the look on his face. "What happened?"

"It's Mr. Fournier," Bruce said resting his phone to the desk. "He's dead."

"Mr. Fournier, as in Lonard Fournier?"

"No, but his brother," Bruce replied. "Grahm Fournier."

"How?"

"They're saying he was shot," Bruce replied. "And that's the only information that was given to me."

"But why call you, I don't understand."

"They're gathering everyone who made contact with the company in the last twenty four hours," Bruce replied. "I told them I couldn't make it but would send a representative in my place regarding the business aspect of things."

"I'll go."

"No, I want you here working the Kaitou Kid case while I go check on that blood sample," Bruce said sitting up from the chair. "I'll call Tim and have him head down there."

"Either way works."

"I'll be back shortly," Bruce said. "If you unexpectedly need me for whatever reason, you know where to find me."

"Of course," Dick said. "Damian and I will see what we can come up with."

"Good, then I'll leave it to you."

With that he turned for the other side, exiting the room with the push of the door.

"Now what?"

"We do as asked of us," Dick replied. "Our best bet is to decode the remainder of the message, with any luck that will lead us right to him."

"And if it doesn't?"

"It will," Dick said in response. "After hearing what he had to say and revisiting the riddle, I'm certain of it."

"I sure hope you're right about this one."

"Don't over think it, you'll see in time," Dick said. "Now, what do you say we get this investigation underway?"

"The tables yours."

He followed him out of the room they had been in, leading into a larger one. He observed the place as they walked, taking in every little detail that came to view. There were a set of stairs leading to another floor, but most notable were the unique paintings of art that filled the wall. They stopped upon reaching a door on the far side, walking in past it which lead to yet another room.

"And here we are." Tim said walking over to the counter located on the left side.

He reached down, grabbing hold of the desired item before turning back to hand it to him.

"I take it this are what you wanted."

"Thanks." Conan said taking the glasses into hand before placing them on.

"I don't get it, why wear them when you're here," Tim questioned. "It's not like you have vision problems or need to disguise your appearance from anyone around here."

"It's more of a habit, and in case a situation arises where they're needed."

"Sticking with the simple approach I see, we'll go with that."

"Not a bad place by the way, not as big as the mansion," Conan commented. "But still spaced out none the less."

"Would you like anything," Tim asked. "Perhaps something to eat or drink?"

"No thanks, I think I'll be fine for awhile." Conan said bringing a hand to his forehead.

"You ok?"

"It's nothing," Conan assured. "Just a minor headache is all."

"I know just the thing," Tim said with the snap of his finger. "How about a bath, if anything it could at least help mellow down the headache you've got going."

He took a few moments to give it some thought, looking back up at him after coming to a decision.

"You know.. that might not be a bad idea."

"Great, the bath water has already been set," Tim informed. "It should still be relatively warm, I took care of that right before coming to check on you."

"You had this all planned out didn't you?"

"You seemed warm when I checked last, so I thought it might be a good idea," Tim replied. "You'll find the bathroom first door on the left upstairs."

"Back onto what happened last night," Conan said shifting the subject. "How did the general public take it, do the police know what went on?"

"Only parts here and there," Tim replied. "Not as much information as we have on the matter."

"I guess it's a wait and see approach."

"That's one way of putting it." Tim said to hear the sound of his phone.

"Who is it?" Conan asked out of curiosity.

"Bruce."

"Think it's about what happened last night?"

"Only one way of finding out." Tim said taking the call.

He kept his position from where he stood, watching as the look on his face gradually changed from what it had been. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not, waiting over a minute for his conversation to come to an end.

"What was it, what did he say?"

"There's a problem at the Nano High building," Tim replied. "Grahm Fournier was found dead in his brother's office."

"What happened?"

"He was murdered, one bullet to the head."

"I can't believe it."

"It's surprising news for us all," Tim said. "Anyway, Bruce wants me to head up there for certain proceedings."

"Can I come," Conan asked with a step taken. "There's bound to be a case."

"I thought that's what your response might be, but the answer is no," Tim said declining his request. "More important thing in your regard right now is getting some rest."

"Is Heiji going to be there?"

"I'm not certain, but there's a chance," Tim said. "I'll tell you what, why don't you hold onto this."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a familiar device which he handed to him.

"A codec piece," Conan questioned. "What for?"

"This way you can hear all that goes on while still here."

"Is this supposed to make me feel better on the matter?"

"No, but it does give you an option besides being completely left out."

"Alright," Conan said placing it into his ear. "Can't get any worse than this."

"Bruce also wishes to speak with you about something," Tim informed. "I said I'd swing you back once business is wrapped up at Nano High."

"Did he tell you what about?"

"No idea," Tim replied. "But it sounded important."

"Not much to take away from that."

"I guess I better be going, they want me down there as soon as possible."

"I understand."

"If there's anything you want or need while I'm away just give me a ring, I'll try and get back to you whenever I can."

"Of course."

"Good, then I better be getting on my way."

He turned for the other side, exiting out of the kitchen through the same door he had entered.

"Grahm Fournier..," Conan thought. "What could have possibly lead to his death?"

He sat in silence as the cab drove along, taking a peak out of the window side to see the building was finally coming into view. He took a deep breath, readying himself for what was to come next.

"So, this is Nano High."

The cab came to a stop shortly there after. The two of them looked on, coming to find a large group of people from newscasters to police officers occupying the area.

"Is this good enough?"

"Yes, this will do," Heiji replied. "I can walk the rest of the way from here."

"Big crowd I see, any idea to what's going on over there?"

"Still don't have the full story myself," Heiji replied. "The only thing to my knowledge is that an important man has died."

"Good luck getting through there."

"Thanks."

With that he stepped out, gently closing the door before stepping up to the sidewalk. He made his way toward the building, finding it difficult to do so with the many that stood in his path. It wasn't just the reporters that surrounded the area, but a fleet of spectators coming to see what had occurred.

"Didn't expect a showing quite like this."

He continued to push his way toward the exit, surprised to see a man in a dress suit waving over at him in the near distance.

"Hey Hattori, over here."

"He knows my name."

There was something familiar, but he couldn't quite pin point where he had seen him. None the less he made his way toward the man who stood a few yards away.

"You wanted to speak with me?"

"Yea, I'm your ticket in," The man replied. "They won't let anyone in unattended without a police officer."

"That's right," Heiji said having it all come back to him. "I saw you at the City Hall, officer Celek right?"

"So you do remember me."

"Didn't recognize you at first," Heiji admitted. "Being that you're out of uniform."

"Glad we're on the same page," Celek said. "Now come, they wish to see you as soon as possible."

"Me," Heiji questioned. "Why?"

"On behalf of Lonard's wishes," Celek replied. "You must have left a good impression."

"You don't say," Heiji said. "So what's the deal, he wants me to try and piece together what happened?"

"I'd assume."

"That would explain."

"On another note, have you spoken with Gordon?"

"No, why," Heiji asked. "Did he want to see me?"

"He wanted to have a conversation with you about what happened last night at the Futures Building," Celek replied. "Looks like you may have been correct in your deduction."

"Yet it wasn't enough to catch the guy before making his move."

"Not all is lost," Celek said in response. "The diamond, the one left behind in the devices place."

"What of it?"

"It was stolen from Kelver Side Crafts exactly a month from yesterday." Celek informed.

"Is that right?"

"They're already running it for prints at the lab, with any luck it might lead to something," Celek continued. "Maybe even to who took that device."

"You don't know how helpful you've been."

"I'm glad to hear," Celek said. "Has something come to mind?"

"Not yet, but it is certainly an angle to work."

"Come, it'd be in our best interest not to keep them waiting any longer."

"Sure, but I must ask," Heiji said as they began to walk. "Why are you in a regular suit and not in uniform?"

"For undercover purposes," Celek informed. "My goal is to look out for any suspicious activity amongst the many employees."

"Why is that?"

"It seems there's been a bit of a subtle problem within the company," Celek replied. "It appearers that."

"No need to go on," Heiji said cutting him off. "Lonard had already come to me with this exact problem, the plan was for me to meet with him on the matter today."

"Looks like you're caught up with the situation even more so than myself."

"Besides you, who else is here to see this case through?"

"Just a couple of the locals," Celek replied. "Many of the other are still piecing together where that thief might have run off to."

"On the subject of Kelver Side, how did things turn out last night," Heiji asked. "I didn't hear of any incident, am I to assume all went well?"

"About as good as you would expect," Celek replied. "Which in affect confirms the one to write the riddles was in fact a guest at the Futures Building."

"That nails it," Heiji said. "But there's still one thing that bothers me."

"What?"

"The last riddle given out," Heiji said. "How was the thief able to deliver it to all of the stations and have it so they were all discovered at the same time?"

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

"An answer which may not be easy to come by."

The two became quiet as they pressed on, slowly making their way around those who stood in their path toward the front entrance. It took much patience, finally reaching the door nearly a minute later. The flash of several lights past by, turning to see it was only camera's. The door was immediately closed upon the two stepping in, greeted by a man who stood in what appeared to be a lab suit.

"Welcome to Nano High, you must be the detective I was informed about."

"And you are?"

"Edward Canoe," He replied pointing to his name tag. "But you can call me Professor Canoe, I've been helping with a lot of the hands on stuff we've been working on in the lab right beneath us."

"Professor Canoe it is."

They were then joined by another man who made his way over from the large desk on the left side.

"This here is Anthony Hamilton, the front clerk who checks in all guests." Edward introduced.

"This must be detective Hattori," Anthony said. "That must mean we're all set to head up."

"To where?" Heiji asked looking to him.

"The top floor," Edward replied. "That is where the the crime occurred, and is also where they would like us all to gather."

"Is this all of us, or are more to show?" Celek asked.

"As far as I know this is it," Edward said turning for the right side. "Come, the elevators are just around the corner."

"Has the problem been fixed?" Anthony asked.

"It hasn't given anyone trouble for the past thirty minutes, so I think we're good to go." Edward replied.

"Problem," Heiji questioned. "What kind of problem?"

"We had a little malfunction with one of the elevators, but it is now all clear," Edward assured. "It is no longer anything to worry about."

"I still think we better have someone give it a look later just in case," Anthony said. "You just never know with these things."

"Agreed, but right now our focus is needed elsewhere," Edward said. "Now what do you say we all head on up?"

"No argument there." Celek agreed.

With that they made their way for the elevators just ahead.

Things had become completely silent from the time he had left, taking his time as he made his way up the stairs. The door on the left mentioned to him before could clearly be seen as he neared the top. Each taken step seemed more draining than the last, stopping for a brief moment after reaching the top. The headache from before had escalated, no matter how minor it may be. He brought a hand to his forehead at the same time his phone began to ring. Not wanting to delay the call he reached down and grabbed hold of it, answering it on the spot.

"Hello."

"Conan," A comforting voice softly spoke. "Conan is that you?"

"Ran?"

"It's good to hear your voice again, I'm sorry your phone burned out the last we spoke."

"Oh yea," Conan laughingly agreed. "It had been on for most of the day."

"So are you doing ok?"

"Couldn't be better, it's been a great run so far."

"Speaking of which, where are the two of you now?"

"What?"

"Heiji told me about your travels," Ran clarified. "I was just wondering where it is you two are now."

"Oh yes," Conan said with a sudden pause. "We're actually in Chicago now, but plan on taking our journeys further east in the next day or so."

"Sounds like fun."

"It has been, what about you," Conan asked. "How have things been since your return?"

"Still settling in, but it is good to be home," Ran replied. "Though of course it's not the same without you, when do you plan on coming back anyway?"

"Five days, a week maybe."

"Don't cut it too long, after all school's back in session a week and a half from now." Ran reminded.

"I haven't forgotten."

"Good, then I'm going to let you go," Ran said. "I think it's about time I got a little sleep, it's been a long day."

"You're right," Conan said having a peak down at his watch. "It's after eleven PM there."

"If I don't hear from you soon, I'll be sure to call back in the next couple days."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Conan replied. "Good night Ran."

"Hope to see you soon."

He lowered the phone from his ear after ending the transmission, placing it back into his pocket before heading for the door once again.

"It sure was nice to hear her voice," Conan thought. "Hopefully she's doing better than me."

The elevator finally came to a stop upon reaching the twenty fifth floor. They all exited one by one, following Edward Canoe who lead them down the left side. He could hear voices in the clear, only getting louder the closer they got. He signaled for everyone to stop after reaching a door halfway down the hall.

"And here we are," Edward said turning the knob. "Once in they should update you with the details you need to know."

Without further ado he opened the door, being the first out of the four to step in. It was just as expected, everything set up just like any other crime scene. The first thing that came to view was the small area blocked off by crime scene tape on the other side of the room.

"That must be where the body was found."

He moved in, coming to a stop only after reaching the tape. Large amounts of blood could be seen embedded in the carpet below, there was no mistaking it, this had been where Grahm Fournier had been shot.

"This is defiantly where it happened." Heiji thought as someone joined up at his side.

"Hello there," An unknown officer greeted. "You must be that other detective who Lonard requested for."

"That'd be me," Heiji confirmed. "Was this where the body was found?"

"That is correct."

"At approximately what time was that?"

"Eight twenty four this morning."

"Who was the one to find the body?"

"Ms. Fournier," The officer replied. "The niece of the late Mr. Grahm Fournier."

"That's never a good way to start the day," Heiji stated. "Do we have an estimated time for when he was shot and killed?"

"They're working on that at the lab as we speak, we should have an answer to that soon enough."

"Good."

"In the mean time why don't you go and let Lonard know you're here," The officer suggested. "I'm sure he'd like to have a word with you."

"I'd assume so," Heiji said. "Where is he now?"

"Right over there accompanying his daughter," The officer said pointing to the left side. "As you can see she's very distraught over this whole ordeal."

"Which is understandable, its not every day you walk in to find a dead family member," Heiji said turning to where he had pointed. "Thanks for the information."

"Anytime kid."

He made his way into that direction from there, looking ahead to see Lonard who was still comforting his daughter through the current procedures. It took all but a few seconds for him to look up to see he had finally arrived.

"Detective Hattori, " Lonard greeted. "I'm so glad you were able to make it on such short notice."

"I wouldn't exactly call it short notice, after all we were scheduled to meet about an hour from now."

"You're very right," Lonard said. "That completely fell to the back of my mind with all that has happened."

"Which is understandable."

"I'm sure by now you know why you've been summoned here."

"To investigate the circumstances surrounding your brothers death."

"Exactly," Lonard confirmed. "The more people we have working on this the better, I want the one responsible for this held accountable for their actions."

"As do we all, but first I'd like to start off by asking a couple questions."

"Of course."

"Starting with your daughter if that's alright with you."

"Well my dear," Lonard said looking down at her. "Are you feeling up to it?"

She didn't respond for the first moments, taking her a time to finally give him the nod.

"Are you sure Bernadea?" Lonard asked.

"I want to help in anyway that I can." Bernadea replied.

"Very well," Lonard said. "In the mean time I'll be over there speaking with the Lieutenant, I'll return as soon as I can."

"I'll be right here." Bernadea said.

He nodded, turning for the opposite side of the room with nothing further said. That left just the two of them. He wasted no time, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Tell me," Heiji said stepping up to her. "What was it like when you entered the room at the time, was it dark?"

"To a degree, yes," Bernadea replied wiping the visible tears from her eyes. "There were no lights on, only the sun which was in the mist of rising provided a visual."

"I'd ask you about the position of the body, but I'm sure they have photos that could cover that field for me," Heiji said. "Could you clarify the time when you came across the body."

"Twenty something after."

"At what hour?"

"Eight this morning."

"Alright I'll check it down as eight twenty for now," Heiji said. "Besides the time, is there anything else of importance you might be able to tell me?"

"The room, it was cool," Bernadea said. "Almost as if someone had left the window open."

"Was it?"

"Not when I walked in."

"Air conditioning maybe?"

"It's currently a no go," Bernadea informed. "When I reported that bit of information they checked for that very possibility only to find that the air conditioning was non functional."

"How long do you believe it was out?"

"It was working just fine yesterday afternoon before I left."

"That's strange."

"Do you think there's some meaning to it?"

"Can't say for sure," Heiji replied. "While we're still on the subject, is there anything else out of the ordinary that you noticed or can tell me?"

"That was virtually it, once I saw the body seconds after I freaked," Bernadea said. "I left to go and find help immediately."

"What you've given me is good enough, and could prove useful."

"So are we done?"

"For now, yes," Heiji replied. "Of course I'll come back if there is anything else that needs to be asked."

"I'm glad I was able to help."

"Keep your spirits high, we'll eventually get this thing solved."

With that he turned for the other side, thinking about all he had just learned from his conversation with her.

"The estimated time of death will prove key," Heiji thought. "Then there's the temperature deal.. could someone have tried to change the apparent time of death?"

He finally reached the bathroom, closing the door on his way in. It was then that the thoughts of what could be going on at Nano High came back to him.

"I wonder if he has arrived at the facility yet," Conan thought. "I'm sure he'll inform me when he does."

Wanting to keep a close link as possible he activated the ear piece given to him, only hearing the sound of static in the first moments.

"Doesn't sound like anything is going on," Conan said. "Either he hasn't arrived or this thing is out of commission."

He looked ahead to the tub a few feet away, coming to find it had been filled with water like he had been told.

"This might actually be a good idea," Conan said. "Besides I could use the relaxation."

His shirt was the first of his clothing to be removed. Only then did he stop at a sharp pain in his chest. He anticipated it would only last seconds but quickly found that not to be case. It started with his chest but escalated to his head. He tried to reach for his chest to grab hold but found the pain to be too damaging.

"My body, I feel so... so cold inside."

Feeling this was urgent he dropped a hand into his pocket for his phone, finding it hard to get a good handle on it.

"Must call .. must let them know."

He finally brought the phone to his sight after a minor struggle, quickly dialing the last number that had been called. He raised the phone to his ear only to hear it ring twice before having it fall out of his hand. The pain from within pushed onward, causing him to fall forward into the tub with the clutch of his chest. What happened next was unknown, falling into an unconscious state.

The next minutes that came were spent in search of the room, spanning from one wall to the other. All was clear, finding nothing out of the ordinary. He then decided to rejoin the others who stood around the tape where body had been found, tapping officer Celek on the shoulder who turned to face him.

"Find anything worth mentioning?"

"Not upon my first look," Heiji replied. "This here seems to be the vocal point to where it all happened."

"Everything seems to point that way."

"When was the body removed from this room?"

"Roughly ten O'clock," Officer Celek replied. "Of course after all the necessary precautions were taken."

"How about pictures of the body," Heiji asked. "Would you happen to have a shot of the scene before the body was removed?"

"Most certainly." Officer Celek replied before reaching into his jacket.

He pulled out a lot of three photos, handing all three to him within that very moment. The first of the photo taken was the most graphic of them all, a clear picture of where the bullet had entered just below his forehead. He then flipped through the other two, giving him a better understanding of where the body had landed after being shot.

"Positioning is just as key as any other factor," Heiji said dissecting the third photo even further. "From the looks of it the body landed around two yards and a half away from the center window."

He then looked to the door leading to the room for further reference.

"I didn't notice that."

"Notice what?" Officer Celek asked overhearing his side comment.

"The center window, where the body was found, and the door leading to this room are all aligned." Heiji replied looking back to him.

"Could there be a deeper meaning to it?"

"Possibly," Heiji replied. "Defiantly something to take note of."

"Now what?"

"We find out the times every employee left last night," Heiji replied. "We also need to know who's responsible for working the air conditioning system in this room."

"I'm inclined to agree," Officer Celek said. "Wait here, I'll see what I can find out."

"Good luck." Heiji said as he watched him make a move for the other side of the room.

He looked to the stained carpet of blood once more, wanting to give the near area a more in depth skim. Before getting the chance to do so he heard someone step up to his right side.

"So, how's the investigation coming along?"

"Tim," Heiji said twirling around. "How did you get in here?"

"Same way as you," Tim replied. "Security escort."

"I see."

"You didn't answer my question about your status concerning this case."

"Still feeling my way around," Heiji replied. "If you'd like I could fill you in."

"Sure thing, but first I need to speak with Lonard," Tim replied. "After all he was the one who wished for Bruce to come, I'm only here on his behalf."

"What about Kudo, was he awake when you left?"

"He sure was."

"How was he feeling?"

"Besides what he explained as a minor headache, I'd say he was alright," Tim replied. "He actually called about three minutes ago."

"What did he want?"

"Don't know, unfortunately I missed the call," Tim replied. "And he didn't even leave a message."

"Did you try calling back?"

"He didn't pick up," Tim answered. "I'll try again as soon as everything is situated here."

"I'll try giving him a ring myself."

Before an attempt could be made he looked to the other side to see Lonard was in approach of the two of them.

"Hello again," Lonard said rejoining the fray. "How did your talk with my daughter go?"

"As expected," Heiji replied. "She gave everything I was hoping to hear with a little extra."

"How did she react afterward?"

"Seemed fine, but you can go check on her for yourself if you'd like."

"I see Wayne has sent one of his young accomplices in his place," Lonard said focusing his attention to him. "Good to see you my boy."

"I'm sorry he wasn't able to make it himself, he deeply apologizes for his non attendance," Tim informed. "He has another line of work he had to take care of."

"Which is quite understandable."

"What is it you wished to speak with him about?"

"There's actually a set of files I wanted him to take a look at," Lonard replied. "Since you're here I'll hand it over to you to forward to him."

"That works for me."

"Good, then I'll go and grab the folder."

"Wait," Heiji said stepping in his path. "Before you go there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is?"

"Would you happen to know who was responsible for working the air conditioning in here?"

"That was one of Grahm's many jobs." Lonard replied.

"One of his many jobs.. what else did he work on?" Heiji asked.

"Well, he was head of security," Lonard added. "So anything running from surveillance to those hired in that field was his job to handle."

"Thank you," Heiji said with a nod. "That's all I needed to know."

"Stay put," Lonard instructed. "I'll be right back with that case file."

"I'll be right here." Tim assured.

He smilingly made his way to the other side toward his large desk in the corner. With a little time to spare he pulled out his phone, dialing his number once more in hopes of reaching him.

"Anything?"

"He's still not answering." Tim said in response.

"You're not worried are you?"

"With the spontaneous black outs he's showcased within this last week I'd say that raises a level of concern."

"Point taken," Heiji said. "After he retrieves that file I think you had better go check on him before visiting Bruce."

"That's the plan," Tim said. "Think you can handle things here?"

"Don't see why not, I've made strides of progress from the moment I walked in up until now."

"Good."

"While we're still on the subject, have you heard from any of the others regarding what happened last night," Heiji asked. "We never were informed on what Damian encountered out there."

"I'd rather talk with Bruce about that in person, which I will do after the check up."

"Keep me informed."

"Of course."

It wasn't long after that they were rejoined by Lonard who brought a folder along just as said.

"Here you are my boy, be sure that Wayne gets ahold of this," Lonard stated. "Every sheet inside is just as important as the next."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Tim said. "What is this for, in the case that he asks?"

"He'll know."

"Alrighty then," Tim said holding it close. "I think it's about that time."

"Leaving so soon?" Lonard asked.

"There's an important matter that calls for my immediate attention."

"I'll have security see you out," Lonard said in response. "Right this way."

He followed him from there, leaving Heiji to stand alone once again. He scoured the room once again from where he stood, noticing Bernadea was still standing in the same corner, looking even more worried than before.

"I wonder what's got her so tangled."

Concerned by her position he decided to walk over. As he closed in he caught sight of something held tightly to her chest, unsure of what it was.

"Fournier, what is it you've got there?" Heiji asked upon reaching her.

"He's not answering."

"What now?"

"Nathan," Bernadea clarified. "My fiance, I've been trying to contact him all morning."

"When is the last time you saw him?"

"When he dropped me off this morning."

"At about time was that?"

"Some time after one."

"Your sure he's not just at home still asleep?"

"I've called several times, it's not like him not to pick up," Bernadea exclaimed. "Especially if he knew it was me."

"I'll talk with your father and see what we can do," Heiji said. "In the mean time try not to worry, I'm sure he's fine."

"Ok."

He smiled on his departure, giving her a small level of comfort. He returned to the center of things, beginning yet another search of the room. Several minutes carried along in the process, a quick five turning into thirty without even realizing. He tried dialing both numbers to check up on the situation after completing his analysis, only to receive a ring in return.

"Neither are answering, I hope everything is ok."

He became more and more concerned by the minute, finding himself distracted by it. He turned to the other side of the room at the sound of someone entering in past the door, coming to find officer Celek had returned.

"Sorry about the wait, but you'll be glad to hear I was able to gain some very valuable information."

"I'm listening."

"Grahm Fournier was shot at the estimated time of twelve midnight," Officer Celek informed. "We have a list of all of those who were still here at that given time."

"Alright, who are we talking?"

"Most of the employees who are in here now," Officer Celek replied. "Canoe Edward, Hamilton Anthony, and Fournier Lonard himself."

"That would make those three our prime suspects."

"There were two others, a Carol Flowers and another young gentleman who was here," Celek added. "We've already called each of them, they should be in soon."

"That extends the list of suspects, but not by much," Heiji said. "How did you know they were all here at that given time?"

"They have clearance cards that they use to swap in and out."

"Makes sense."

"I was just about to head to the security back room to check the cameras, I thought you might want to come along."

"You thought right," Heiji said. "Where is this room?"

"Just down the hall from here," Officer Celek replied. "I'll show you the way."

"Right behind you."

He remained in deep thought, scrambling everything they had learned throughout his mind in hopes of finding the true message to it all. He unintentionally found his finger tapping down to the table, looking across from where he sat to see him writing something down on a sheet of paper.

"Wow, it's not often you see him putting in work dealing with the investigation stages."

He continued to watch him for awhile longer, finally speaking out a short time later.

"What is it you're jotting down there?"

"I listed out all of the locations that were referenced in alphabetical order," Damian replied. "I'm just now adding the distances between each, that may give us a hint to his next move."

"Points for the reflexive thinking." Dick complimented.

The door flew open in the next moment, causing the two to look over to see he had entered to room.

"What was that about," Dick asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I finally got the results back on the blood test I ran on his blood," Bruce informed. "I now know what's been aggravating him."

"What?"

"Shinichi is in serious trouble," Bruce stated. "We need to get to him as soon as possible."

He had quietly followed from behind, which lead to a large door at the end of the hall. Celek gave it a knock, taking all but a couple seconds for someone to open it which allowed for the both of them to walk in. They entered a dark room filled with many TV screens, accompanied by a set of computers.

"This is it fellas, our very own security lounge."

"And you are?" Heiji asked.

"You can call me Cyless," He replied having a seat in front of one of the computers. "Most everyone does."

"Alright then, Cyless it is."

"What is it you wanted to see?"

"We need to see the footage recorded from eleven last night all the way until two this morning." Officer Celek replied.

"At what speed would you like it set?"

"4x should be sufficient enough."

"That might take some time to get through all the footage."

"Which is fine," Officer Celek said. "We'll take all the time we need."

"Your wish is my command."

With that he played back the tapes to the specified time which took a couple minutes to do. The three watched on from there, taking note of all activity that occurred between those given hours. They all focused their sights to separate screens, making sure to have an eye on every exit and entrance there was. Nearly thirty minutes passed from the time they had began watching when someone finally appeared to the screen he was keeping tabs on.

"Wait, pause it there," Heiji pointed. "Which entrance is that?"

He paused all footage in compliance with his wishes, given them the chance to have a look at what had caught his attention.

"That's the west side entryway, only employees can gain access to the building from that side." Cyless informed.

"What about the person approaching the door," Heiji asked. "Do you recognize them?"

"Let's see here."

He zoomed in on the imagery in question, giving him a closer look at the blurred figure.

"If I'm not mistaken I'd say that's Bennet."

"Bennet?"

"That's right, Nathan Bennet," Cyless said. "The guy always closely collaborated with Grahm on anything he worked on."

"And you're sure this is Bennet?" Officer Celek asked.

"I'm almost certain of it," Cyless replied. "There is one way to find out, we can check to see who entered the building at that given time."

"Which would have made it at the time of thirteen after two." Heiji said noting the time at the bottom of the screen.

"One second, this won't take long." Cyless said.

The two looked on from over his shoulders, watching as he brought a log with a list of names to the screen.

"Let's see here." Cyless said navigating down the list.

It took under a minute for him to locate the sought out time, leaving them all in shock at the name that was displayed by the time of thirteen after two.

"Grahm Fournier, it can't be," Heiji said. "He was already dead."

"Which means this Nathan guy must have got ahold of his card some how," Officer Celek said. "Do you think he was the one to do Grahm Fournier in?"

"Not sure how that's possible since he wasn't present in the building at the time of Grahm's death," Heiji said. "But that doesn't mean we can't follow his activities further, would you happen to have a camera set up on the other side of the west side door?"

"Of course, that is the case with all entrances and exits."

"Good, then let's see where he went on from that point."

He did as instructed, switching to the camera inside the west hall to that given time. To their surprise they saw nothing but an empty hall. This left them speechless for a time to come. He checked all other cameras, generating the same results.

"I don't get it," Officer Celek said with the shake of his head. "Where could he have gone to?"

"Try fast forwarding the tapes," Heiji said. "Maybe we'll see when he exited."

"Roger that."

They watched on for minutes to come, coming to find he had never exited after apparently entering thirty minutes earlier into the tape.

"I don't get it," Heiji said. "It's like.. it's like he disappeared."

"This is some crazy stuff." Cyless added.

"I think we better head back and rejoin the others in Mr. Fournier's office, we've been gone for nearly an hour now," Officer Celek said. "Cyless if you happen to come across anything, let us know."

"I'll see what I can find."

"Good luck."

With that officer Celek took charge like he had done before, being the first of the two to exit out. He followed at his side. Nothing was said between the two, both thinking about how he seemingly vanished without a trace.

"We never saw him leave, nor a clear shot that he ever entered," Heiji thought. "Could this Nathan guy still be in the building somewhere?"

It didn't take long for the two to return to the crime scene. They were greeted at the door by another officer who was exiting out as they entered.

"Where are you going?" Celek asked out of curiosity.

"It seems there's a situation down stairs."

"What kind of situation?"

"Some foreign kid is trying to come up," The officer replied. "He claims to have some important business to see to in this room."

"Is he from an outside unit?"

"No idea, only saw him from the camera," The officer replied. "I'm heading down now."

"Would this foreign kid happen to be a young boy wearing glasses?" Heiji asked.

"He had on no glasses, nor is he as young as you seem to implying."

"Never mind," Heiji said. "It's not who I thought it might be."

"If anything I'd say he's your age, not too far from it in any case."

"Mind if I come with you," Officer Celek asked. "I'd like to check out this guy for myself."

"Be my guest."

The two left from there, exiting the room in a hurry. He walked further into the room, stopping after reaching the crime scene tape once again.

"This case is about as complex as they come, we need to gain more ground some how."

He studied the area for a long period of time, losing track of how long he stood to that very spot. He caught a glimpse of her approaching from the left, not surprised when she stopped after reaching him.

"How did things go in the security room, did you find out who shot uncle Grahm?"

"Not yet, but we're still working on it," Heiji replied. "You seem like you're in higher strengths, did you ever hear back from your fiance?"

"Oh yes, he called about twenty minutes ago."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, he said he was busy but would call back in the next hour or so."

"You see, I told you not to worry," Heiji said. "If you don't mind me asking, what was the name of your fiance again?"

"Nathan," Bernadea replied. "Nathan Bennet."

He froze at the sound of this.

"You said you parted ways with him around one, correct?"

"That's right," Bernadea replied. "We had spent most of the evening and night together."

"Where at?"

"At an amusement park called Mount Zomoph," Bernadea replied. "It's actually not very far from here."

"I'm sure you had plenty of fun."

"As always." Bernadea said flashing a smile.

"Great, that leaves him with an alibi," Heiji thought. "The estimated time of death has been set at twelve midnight, no way he could have done it if he was with her at a theme park."

"Are you alright?" Bernadea asked taking notice of his sudden change in tone.

"I'm fine, just thinking is all."

"You should really stop by there some time," Bernadea suggested. "It's one of the better amusement parks in town."

"I'd listen to her, Mount Zomoph is an experience of wonders." Someone spoke from behind.

"That voice.. could it be."

He spun around to see Tim had returned with detective Celek as well. But it was the person in between the two who had spoken.

"Kudo?!"

"You seem excited, why don't we save the claps and cheers until after we've caught the culprit ok." Shinichi remarked with the subtlest of grins.

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser]

Spoiler

The Detective Prince
Chapter 100
Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder

"Hold on," Officer Celek said stepping in between the two. "You know this kid?"

"Yea, he's a close friend of mine," Heiji said in response. "Though I must say, I never expected to see him here."

"Is that right," Officer Celek said turning to face him. "So, what's your name?"

"It's.. Nogort, call me Nogort."

"Nogort?" Officer Celek said with a pause.

"That's a very unusual name," Bernadea said. "Can't say I've heard that one before."

"You're not the only one, I've never met anyone else with the same name as my own," Shinichi said. "It's rather unique, one which my parents decided on after much discussion."

"How very creative of them."

"I'd say so myself."

"You look familiar in some way," Bernadea said looking him over. "Have we met somewhere before?"

"I don't believe so," Shinichi replied. "I'm usually good with faces, I'm sure I would remember if I had seen you before."

"You're probably right, it must have been someone else who shared a similar resemblance."

"Could be."

"I'm sorry about the delay before," Officer Celek said rejoining the fray. "I had no idea you were here on business with the Wayne representative here."

"Don't mention it," Shinichi replied. "All is forgiven."

"Officer do you think I could talk to.. Nogort alone," Heiji asked. "You know, to catch up and all."

"Of course you can," Officer Celek replied. "I was actually getting ready to go over and let Lonard in on what we discovered on the surveillance tapes."

"I assure you this won't take long."

"I'll come with you," Bernadea said. "My father asked for me to join him after he finished with his phone conversation, that was three minutes ago."

"I'll regroup with you as soon as I'm finished here."

"No hurry," Officer Celek nodded. "We still have much time before this all going to be sorted out anyway."

With that he turned for the other side of the room, going in search of Lonard Fournier along with Bernadea at his side. This left just the three of them.

"Ok," Heiji said looking from one to the other. "So who's going to tell me what in the world is going on?"

"The jury is still out on that one." Shinichi replied.

"What do you mean the jury's still out on that one?!"

"In short, we don't really know," Tim said stepping in. "Well, at least not yet."

"Was he like this when you returned back to the house?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Heiji said facing him. "What do you remember happening prior to your transformation?"

"It was like any other time, but slightly different," Shinichi replied. "There was no real pain, it was like I was intoxicated with something.. something that kept me from feeling any physical stress during the process."

"How did it start," Heiji asked. "Any noticeable symptoms?"

"My heart, it was a staggering feeling that provoked enduring pain," Shinichi replied. "But that was only at first, my entire body collapsed in a way I had never felt soon after."

"Then what happened?"

"I fell into the tub against my own power," Shinichi answered. "With the little strength that I had I was luckily able to maneuver myself to where my head didn't go under, drowning could have been a high possibility if that had been the case."

"So you fell into the tub, at what point did the affects of your growth begin to kick in?"

"Almost instantly, no more than twenty seconds," Shinichi replied. "My body was completely unresponsive to any move attempted by myself."

"Ok, and at what point did you show up in all of this?" Heiji asked directing his attention to him.

"And I think that's about where the story ends," Tim replied. "I don't believe the fine details are necessary for us to dive into, we should really be focused on the case, we can always discuss this later."

"He's right," Shinichi agreed. "Why don't you get us up to speed on what's been going on during our absence?"

"Ok, but first," Heiji said lowering his hands into his pocket. "How much do you know?"

"Everything that was learned from you before my departure," Tim replied. "I already briefed him in on the way here."

"Great, that saves time."

"Anything new we should know," Tim asked. "Did you finally build a case for a list of suspects?"

"You'll be happy to know that we have."

"Alright then, who are the chain of suspects?"

"All of the employees of Nano High currently in this room," Heiji replied. "Anthony Hamilton of of the front desk, Edward Canoe who works in the lower labs, and Lonard himself."

"Anthony Hamilton, I saw him on my last visit here," Shinichi said. "What lead to your line up of suspects?"

"Not anything through suspicion, I'm strictly going off of who was working at the time of Grahm's estimated death."

"And what time was that?"

"Twelve midnight."

"And those are the only three employees who were working at that given hour?" Tim asked.

"Them and two others who have been called in for that very reason, they should be here shortly," Heiji replied. "This case may not be what it seems on the surface, which is why we need to examine every possible approach."

"Not what it may seem," Shinichi questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Officer Celek and I were invited into the security back room where we were allowed to go over video footage that was recorded around the time of his death."

"And what did you see?"

"It confirmed all who were signed in were indeed here," Heiji replied. "It wasn't until later in the tape that things got interesting."

"In what way?" Tim asked.

"After two this morning a man by the name of Nathan Bennet checked in," Heiji informed. "Thing is he used a security clearance card that registered as Grahm Fournier, who of course was already dead."

They looked to one another at the sound of this, surprised yet intrigued to learn more.

"What's wrong?" Heiji asked at their sudden silence.

"Nathan Bennet, we know him," Tim replied. "He's Bernadea Fournier's fiance."

"As I was informed not long ago."

"Do you believe he had something to do with this?"

"I'm not quite sure," Heiji replied. "But there's certainly something not adding up."

"What do you mean?"

"There's footage of Bennet entering the building, but after checking the camera located in the west wing at that exact time there was no sign of him in that vicinity," Heiji informed. "There was no sign of him anywhere, it's almost as if he vanished with out a trace."

"Any sign of him exiting?" Shinichi asked.

"No, he went in and was never seen again," Heiji replied. "You'd think he was some kind of ghost or something."

"There has to be a logical explanation for this," Shinichi said. "If there is footage of him entering yet none of him leaving, there's a chance he could still be here."

"I thought that at first myself until speaking with Bernadea," Heiji said. "According to her he's currently out doing something, something which requires his full attention."

"I'd hate to believe he'd be involved with this some how, but we have to take everything into consideration with the uprise of this news," Shinichi said. "What about the body, who was the one to discover it?"

"Ms. Fournier," Heiji replied. "I heard it from her myself."

"Did she say anything that might be key to what conspired?" Tim asked.

"There were no lights on upon her entering, and the room was cold," Heiji replied. "Yet no window was open."

"Air conditioning perhaps?"

"According to here it's currently non functional."

"That puts a dent in that," Tim said. "But that doesn't mean there wasn't a window open at some point in time."

"We'll need more than a gut feeling to prove that."

"Was there anything else she mentioned," Shinichi asked. "Maybe something along the lines of the surrounding area of where the body laid?"

"That's just the thing, once she laid her eyes to the body she took off in shock," Heiji informed. "The next ones to enter that room as we were told was the security official who was working at that time."

"Are they looking at him as a suspect as well?" Tim asked.

"Not at this time," Heiji replied. "They have surveillance sighting him in the main lobby, which showed him there for hours."

"In affect giving him an alibi," Shinichi said. "Anything else we should know?"

"Small details here and there, but it's mostly from the ground up from here," Heiji replied. "Though I must say, don't you think it would be in your best interest to sit this one out?"

"Why would I do that?"

"To avoid the publicity of course," Heiji answered. "After all you don't want a certain organization tailing in at the mention of you."

"He's right," Tim agreed. "And if you in fact saw Korn last night like you said it makes even more sense for you to leave this to Heiji and I."

"A member of the Black Organization attended the Futures Building grand opening?"

"According to Shinichi, yes."

"Were you seen?" Heiji asked looking his way.

"I don't believe so, but I can't be sure since I lost consciousness."

"Doubtful," Tim said on the matter. "You were surrounded rather quickly after your unexpected fall, there wouldn't have been much of a chance for him to get a look."

"Regardless, I think you had better sit this one out." Heiji said.

"Are you saying you don't want my help?"

"That's a strong way of putting it," Heiji replied. "As much as we could use you, I think I can handle this one on my own."

"He's right, I think it'd be best if you remained on the side line for this," Tim said in agreement. "I'll call Alfred and have him come and pick you up, I'm sure the blood samples taken from you will reveal what caused your sudden change."

"I appreciate the concern, I really do," Shinichi said. "But this is a case I need to work, there might be more to this than appears."

"If you're thinking conspiracy within the company, than I've already got that accounted for," Heiji said. "I was just getting ready to discuss those very details with Fournier."

"It's deeper than that."

"Deeper than what?"

"We'll have to hold off on that, we've got company." Shinichi pointed out.

They turned at his signal, looking to see a smiling Lonard heading their way.

"Hello gentlemen, I hope you don't mind if I join you."

"Of course not, this is your office after all." Tim said.

"Non sense, you're free to discuss anything amongst yourselves," Lonard said in response. "Speaking of which, who is this with you?"

"The name's Nogort." Shinichi replied.

"What a unique name that is," Lonard said holding out his left hand. "It's a pleasure."

He looked down at his hand with a brief pause, taking seconds before finally shaking it.

"As is it for me."

"Detective Hattori," Lonard said focusing in on him. "When you're finished here would you mind joining me over at my desk?"

"Of course not, I'll be there as soon as we're finished here."

"Good, I'll be waiting."

He turned back for the left side of the room, heading back to where he had come.

"Alright, I'm going to go and see what he wants," Heiji said. "I think it'd be best if the two of you left now."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Nor am I," Shinichi stated. "Not until this thing is solved."

"I said I have it under control, what part of that do you not understand?"

"Now I see what this is all about," Shinichi grinned in realization. "You just want the glory of solving it yourself."

"What difference would it make," Heiji questioned. "You're ill, we need to make sure nothing further will erupt in the wake of this all."

"Not goanna happen, I'm going to see this thing through."

"Come on Drake, let him know the importance of getting a further check up." Heiji said facing him.

"I feel fine, never better," Shinichi protested. "No need to worry, I'll have this thing unraveled in no time."

"You solving it, you haven't even looked over any of the evidence for yourself."

"I think you both are being ridiculous," Tim said. "I see no need for this to become an argument."

"The only one who's ridiculous is Kudo," Heiji stated. "He's obviously just interested in his track record."

"Now who's being ridiculous?" Shinichi backfired.

Tim couldn't help but shake his head, bringing a palm to his face in response to their back and forth bickering.

"At this rate nothing is going to get solved."

"Fine, since you're obviously not backing out you can try solving it yourself," Heiji said. "The last thing we want is for the police to think I'm collaborating with you two on the matter."

"We'll stay subtle," Shinichi said. "Which will mean checking in with you at the most convenient times."

"Guess you better look to Drake for assistance," Heiji remarked with a grin. "You'll need the handicap if you're going to solve this sooner than me."

"Is that right?"

"Let's put it to the test."

He turned for the other side of the room with nothing further said, leaving the two as he went in search of Lonard. Tim immediately looked to Shinichi, surprised to see a smirk across his face.

"One moment you're arguing, the next you're both smiling," Tim said. "I don't get it."

"Don't look too far into it," Shinichi said in response. "It's in our competitive nature."

"So that whole thing just now was."

"A friendly challenge if you will." Shinichi replied in mid sentence.

"I understand your determination, but aren't you concerned about your current state in the slightest," Tim asked. "For all we know there could be something brewing inside you."

"There's that chance, but as important as that may be," Shinichi said. "I think I'll be needed for this one."

"You're too much."

"Trust me, this won't take long."

"You have an idea of who might of done this?"

"As a matter a fact I do, but nothing solid to back my claim," Shinichi replied. "I'm going to need proof to shed light on any of this."

"So where do you stand on this," Tim asked. "Think Heiji will solve this thing before the two of us, let's not forget about the police force in his corner."

"Are you in doubt?"

"Not even for a second."

"Where do you suggest we kick off from?"

"By now we're both aware there might be an internal problem within this organization."

"Yes."

"If that is the case then this whole event might have chained off from that, we need to find out who was at the center of this disturbance."

"You're right, and I doubt Fournier will talk to either of us regarding the situation."

"Right, he'll only discus that with Heiji or the police officers brought in for that very task," Tim said. "Which means we'll have to do a little digging of our own."

"On what front?"

"Finances, business deals, you name it," Tim answered. "If this company was experiencing any problems we can find out, all it will take is a call to check all records."

"And you're sure they'll give you this information?"

"They're now linked with Wayne Enterprises, and as a representative it shouldn't be a problem."

"So what's the plan?"

"You try and sniff out and expose the culprit, they're bound to have a miss step," Tim replied. "Me on the other hand, I'll see if I can dig up motive for cross reference."

"Like the plan." Shinichi said.

"I thought you might."

"Alright, we'll give it a go," Shinichi said. "But first there's one lingering detail I'd like to go over first."

"Which is?"

"The temperature the room was at when Bernadea found the body," Shinichi said. "According to Hattori she said it was rather cool, yet the air conditioning is currently down."

"This morning presented degrees lowest as forty eight, so it is possible a window could have been open."

"If so who closed it, and why?"

"What advantage could the shooter have had with an open window," Tim questioned. "The only thing that would come of that is the chance for someone to hear from outside of the building, I'd hardly see that as a logical thing to do."

"Do we know the type of gun used in the attack?"

"The lab results haven't come back," Tim replied. "But we should know soon enough, they've been examining the body for over an hour now."

"What about surveillance, are you telling me the shooting wasn't caught on camera?"

"Apparently not."

"Guess it's wait and see from here in that regard," Shinichi said. "In the mean time I think we had better gather as much information as we can, paticularly on the victim."

"Gaining information on Grahm Fournier won't be hard."

"On what field do you mean," Shinichi asked. "Do you plan on checking in on his community records?"

"That's something to think about, but not what I had in mind," Tim replied. "What better way to learn about a man than going to those closest to him?"

"You plan on gaining this information from his brother?"

"Lonard is busy as of now, I think it would be best if we spoke with his daughter instead," Tim replied. "I'm sure she'd be willing to share with us what her uncle was like from her experiences."

"Not that I wouldn't mind joining you and all, but don't you think you should talk with her alone," Shinichi said. "She doesn't exactly know me, well not the real me if you know what I mean."

"You're concerned about her comfortability level, I understand where your coming from," Tim said. "Especially with what has occurred here today."

"Think she'll have it in her to speak to you about him?"

"Hopefully," Tim replied. "Only one way of finding out."

"While you do that I'm going to run a quick search of the room," Shinichi said. "I'd like to further familiarize myself with the crime scene."

"Let me know if anything crucial turns up," Tim said before scouring the room in search of her. "This won't take long, I'll meet back up with you as soon as I've finished."

"I'll keep a look out for you," Shinichi said before heading his way. "Good luck with her."

He nodded, finally sighting her on the far left side of the room. He took no time in walking toward her.

"Let's hope she's up for it."

He had found himself a seat at his chair, sorting through the many papers that were laid out before him. Not a moment past that he looked across to see him standing at the edge of the desk.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Of course," Lonard replied. "I take it you have questions of your own, would you like to have a seat?"

"No thanks," Heiji declined. "I'd rather stand."

"Very well, I'll leave you to your decision," Lonard said. "So what is it that you'd like to ask of me?"

"You were here at the estimated time of your brothers death," Heiji began. "Do you remember what you were doing at the time of twelve last night?"

"I was down in the projection room, watching a mandatory tape which all employees will soon have to see as well," Lonard replied. "You can check the camera's, it will confirm what I've said."

"And your brother, when do you recall seeing him last?"

"Some time after ten, can't remember exactly," Lonard replied. "He claimed he had something to attend to in the office, that's the last I saw of him."

"Where was this?"

"When we crossed paths in the lobby."

"Was anyone with him," Heiji asked. "Did he say he was to meet with someone?"

He shook his head in response.

"He said nothing of that nature, or anything that would remotely imply that," Lonard answered. "Sounded more like it had to do with desk work."

"I see."

"Will that be all?"

"Actually there's one last topic I'd like to cover with you," Heiji replied. "You called and said you wanted to discuss with me the inner problems of the company, do you think that might have had something to do with this?"

"It's a possibility, but can't be certain."

"When you called yesterday night it sounded like you were on the brink of discovering something," Heiji said. "Do you know who might be at the heart of the internal problem?"

"It's nothing of concern as I had originally thought, I looked into the situation myself this morning before coming in," Lonard informed. "It was nothing but a false alarm."

"Completely understood, it's a regular occurrence when it comes to these things."

"Do you have anything further you'd like to go over with me?"

"Not at this very moment, but rest assured I will most likely return to speak with you at some point," Heiji replied. "I'll leave you to your work until then."

"I appreciate that, let me know if you come across something of importance."

"That's a definite." Heiji replied before turning back for the crime scene.

He made his way around two police officials who were examining the blood stains on the ground, slowing down on his approach as he closed in. It didn't take long for her to take notice of his presence, letting out a half smile at the sight of him.

"You're still here, I thought you would haven taken off by now," Bernadea said. "What are you still doing here, I'm sure a guy of your status must have something better to do."

"Perhaps, but there's nothing I'd rather being doing right now than helping out here," Tim said in response. "Mind if I ask you a question or two?"

"What kind of questions?"

"About your late uncle," Tim replied. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know a little more about him."

"I already went through this with the other detectives," Bernadea stated. "Did someone put you up to this?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Tim explained. "Was just hoping for a little information on him is all."

"Regarding his position here at Nano High?"

"That would be a good place to start."

"He was head man of security," Bernadea began. "He even helped put together all of the surveillance throughout the building."

"Sounds like a man of his work."

"He was."

"Anything else he worked on outside of security?"

"He helped with a lot of the electronic stuff," Bernadea replied. "Such as the computers and power lines that were set into place."

"You said the air conditioning system is currently down, in the case of that would your uncle have been the one to fix it?"

"Most certainly," Bernadea replied. "He's always been the family hands on guy, an admirable quality."

"If I were a stranger to him outside of this company, is there something you could tell me about him that I wouldn't know," Tim asked. "Maybe something you as family would only know?"

She didn't respond at first, taking seconds for her to process the question presented.

"Acting," Bernadea said looking up at him. "He took years of acting class."

"Acting class?"

"He did great work in the field, and his impersonations of many you may know were pretty spot on," Bernadea said. "You'd have been amazed to have seen an example."

"I bet I would have," Tim said. "Is there anything else you might be able to tell me?"

"Not that I can think of at the top of my head."

"That's alright, you've helped greatly."

"I have," Bernadea said a little surprised by his claim. "I'm glad I was able to be of service."

"If you remember anything that just happens to surface to your mind come and find me, I'll be around."

"Most certainly."

"Good talk." Tim smiled before turning for the opposite direction.

He left as casually as he had come, looking directly ahead to those throughout the room.

"Now to go and touch base."

He skimmed the room from end to the other, taking all but a few moments to sight him following the outline of the wall.

"Is he onto something?"

Curious as to what he was doing he steadily made his way toward him. He could see the strong focus on his face as he neared, doing his best not to distract him from whatever it was he was looking into. He stopped once reaching the right wall, looking over his shoulder to see he had returned.

"You're back, that didn't take long," Shinichi said. "What did you learn from the delightful Bernadea?"

"Grahm Fournier was head of security, he controlled virtually everything weighing under that department," Tim informed. "I was also given information about one of his lesser known qualities."

"Which is?"

"Acting," Tim replied. "Something she said he had worked on for years."

"Did he ever star in anything?"

"Not anything I've seen if so, but interesting to know none the least," Tim answered. "What about you, has your search mounted up to anything?"

"Unfortunately not," Shinichi replied. "I checked the air conditioner first, it's just as she said."

"Any idea what caused it to break down?"

"We'd have to open it up to find out the answer to that, I then looked for any traces of blood where the body wasn't," Shinichi continued. "If someone shot him at close range there might of been a chance they took a step in the large puddle left behind."

"I see, you were hoping to find a print of some kind."

"Which was ultimately shot down," Shinichi said. "I didn't find any evidence of someone walking out of here after the attack."

"What were you doing just now with the walls?"

"Looking for any potential evidence, if there was some kind of trick involved the culprit is bound to have left something behind," Shinichi replied. "And if that is the case, I will find it."

"Glad to see you're at the top of your game," Tim said. "But what do you say we check out our line of suspects first, we've already spoken with Lonard."

"Agreed, it's important that we find out what everyone else was doing at the time of the murder last night," Shinichi said. "If there is any faulty in any of their statements we'll catch it."

"I'll take Edward Canoe, he's a pretty stand up guy."

"That leaves Anthony Hamilton to me," Shinichi said. "Not to mention the two other suspects who have yet to arrive."

"We'll deal with them when they do," Tim said. "Meet you back here in six."

"I'll be here."

He nodded, heading into the opposite direction of him in search of Mr. Canoe.

He had finished his last task, contemplating on what he was to do next. The two crossed paths as they walked, stopping at the sight of the other.

"I see you've finished chatting with your friend," Officer Celek said. "How did it go?"

"Rather well, nothing unexpected." Heiji replied.

"Has he left the building?"

"He's actually still here, he plans to stick around for awhile," Heiji answered. "That's Kudo for you."

"Kudo..," Officer Celek questioned. "But I thought his name to be Nogort?"

"Oh yea, his last name," Heiji smilingly clarified. "Nogort Kudo."

"Ok, that makes sense."

"Have you checked back in with Cyless of security," Heiji asked. "He might have an update regarding the tapes we went over."

"That crossed my mind, I'll go in and check with him as soon as I've spoken with Carol Flowers."

"Carol Flowers?"

"One of the other employees who was still working past mid night when Grahm was estimated to have been shot."

"That's right, you told me that before," Heiji said. "What about the other guy who was here, is he also on his way?"

"It's been reported he fell ill this morning and is unable to come in at this time," Officer Celek informed. "But not to worry, two officers have already been sent to his home to question him there."

"That keeps us right on schedule," Heiji said. "I'll tell you what, why don't you go and check in with Cyless while I wait here for Carol Flowers."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Heiji replied. "I'd like to speak with her myself if you don't mind."

"Of course not, I'll leave it to you."

"Where might I find her when she arrives?"

"I'd stay right here, she's bound to pass through here," Officer Celek replied. "No way you can miss her, being that all who work here are required to wear their name tags when asked to come in."

"I'll keep an eye out for her."

"If anyone asks, you know where to find me," Officer Celek said turning for the right. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He left with nothing further needed to be said, heading down the hall toward where the security back room was located.

He had searched more than half of the room, finally sighting him in the the upper corner of the left wall with his arms crossed. There was no one within five feet of him, signaling he was alone for at least the moment. Taking advantage of this opportunity he headed straight for him.

"Hello there," Tim said stopping upon reaching him. "Edward Canoe right?"

"Who are you, another detective looking to humor me with more questions?"

"Well kind of, if you want to put it that way."

"Like I told the others before you, I didn't hear or see anything," Edward explained. "I was in the basement labs the entire night."

"And at what time did you leave the building?"

"Three thirty sharp, are we done?"

"Did you notice anything unusual at that time?"

"Not until this morning when I returned to find you and your group of investigators ransacking the building."

He shook his head at this remark.

"What a joy this is turning out to be," Tim thought. "Hopefully Shinichi is having better luck."

He stood in place as the downward ascension continued, setting his eyes to the number pallete which shifted to '1' soon after. The elevator door opened moments afterward. He stepped out, heading left to where the main lobby was located. It took little time for him to make his way around the corner, looking across the room to see Mr. Hamilton back in his place behind the front desk. He wasted no time in walking toward him.

"Mr. Hamilton, mind if I have a word?"

"Of course not, customer service is number one on my resume," Anthony replied. "How is it that I may help you?"

"I'm actually here on behalf of a friend, a detective helping with the investigation of the death of your college."

"I already gave my statement."

"I was sent down for another," Shinichi informed. "We're trying to get every detail down to the last thread."

"Alright, what is it you'd like to know?"

"Let's start with the time of the murder," Shinichi said. "Do you recall hearing or seeing anything around that particular time?"

"Which would have been at about mid night correct?"

"That's right."

"I was down here at the lobby at that time, but I did hear something about two hours later," Anthony informed. "While walking I heard a loud thump from above, like the sound of a brick hitting dirt ground."

"Where exactly did you hear this?"

"While on the eighteenth floor," Anthony replied. "I had gone up there in storage to grab a couple supplies before clocking out to head home."

"Storage," Shinichi asked. "You were in a storage room when you heard this noise?"

"On my way to it," Anthony replied. "I heard that noise while still in the hall, don't know how relevant that could be."

"True, being that the murder occurred two hours prior," Shinichi said. "I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."

"I was thinking the same."

"Have you shared any of this information with anyone else?"

"Yea, that young looking detective," Anthony replied. "The one with the cap."

"Appreciate your cooperation, I'll be sure to stop back by if I have any more questions."

"Works for me, won't be going anywhere for awhile."

He turned back to the other side of the room, taking only a few steps before hearing the automatic entry doors slide open. He immediately looked to the right to see a woman being escorted in by six police officers who covered both sides of her.

"Must be one of the others who was working past twelve last night," Shinichi thought as he watched them walk across the room. "Looks like they're heading for the elevators, might as well follow them."

He did just that, following the small group around the corner to where the elevators could be found. He stood a few feet away from the seven, glimpsing over at her to see she had on a lab jacket similar to the one he had seen Mr. Canoe wearing.

"Looks like I was right, her attire all but confirms it."

Just as he was to make a move toward her the arrival of the elevator left of him opened wide for all to enter. He watched as the seven stepped in, deciding he'd wait for the next one.

"That one's crowded enough, there's no harm in waiting for the next."

He pressed down to the pad, signaling for an elevator of his own which didn't take long for it to come.

"Now to see what kind of progress the other two have made in my absence." Shinichi said before walking in with the doors sliding shut from behind.

He took to the center as the ascension back to the top floor began. It didn't take long for it to reach the twenty fifth floor. He walked out, surprised not to see the woman and the six officers that had been at her side.

"Where did they go, no way they could have reached the room in such a short amount of time," Shinichi said. "I wasn't that far behind."

He stood there for only a few seconds more, finally making his way back to Mr. Fournier's office where most everyone else was. He arrived back to the room only to move off to the right side at the sound of something being sprayed from the left. He turned after doing so to see a security official with an air spray in hand.

"That will about do it, no need to spray anymore," Lonard instructed. "That should be enough to close out that foul odor."

"Yes of course." The officer replied.

He paused at this, standing there for moments to come before having someone step up to his side.

"How did your meet go?"

"He was very forth coming," Shinichi replied facing him. "Hamilton told me everything he had been doing at the estimated time of death and beyond."

"Great, wish I could say the same," Tim said. "Mr. Canoe seemed more interested in asking questions of his own rather than answering any that were posed."

"Think he's got something to hide?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Tim said. "But if he is, he most certainly didn't show any signs of it in his speech pattern."

"Want me to try and give it a go?"

"No need for now," Tim replied. "Besides, I'm sure you would receive similar results."

"Did he say anything at all?"

"He claims he was in the low levels labs at the time mid night rolled around," Tim answered. "According to him he didn't hear or see anything."

"Typical for most to say."

"What about the clerk man," Tim asked. "What exactly did he tell you?"

"At the time of twelve he claimed to have been down in the lobby," Shinichi replied. "He said we could check the security camera's to back his story."

"Anything else?"

"Roughly two hours later he said he heard a noise while on the eighteenth floor."

"What was he doing on the eighteenth floor?"

"On his way to the storage room to collect something before heading home."

"What kind of noise was described?"

"The sound of something dropping with heavy force," Shinichi replied. "He said it came from one of the floors above."

"That's a new twist."

"It's something to think about, but probably has no barring to what we're dealing with now."

"You're probably right."

"Right about what?"

The two looked over at the sound of his voice to see he had rejoined them.

"How's the case coming along?" Heiji asked.

"Progress." Shinichi replied.

"Same here," Heiji said. "Nothing clear on who committed the crime as of yet from my end, how about either of you?"

"Let's just say I'm weighing in on a possibility, a very subtle one," Tim replied. "I have found no truth to it as of yet, just a hunch."

"Something of that nature has come to me as well." Shinichi said.

"Like what," Heiji said stepping forward. "Don't leave me hanging."

"What happened with your talk with Lonard," Tim asked. "What did he say concerning the problem within the company?"

"He claims he was onto something, but when investigated turned out to be a red herring."

"Could it be," Tim said. ".. A mirror sided performance?"

"What now?"

He wasn't given the chance to answer, interrupted by Officer Celek who joined the them.

"Hattori, there's a problem that requires our immediate attention," Officer Celek said. "I was informed on my way back from the security room."

"What kind of problem?" Heiji asked.

"Apparently it has something to do with one of the elevators." Officer Celek replied.

"Don't they have hired mechanics for that, we should be focused in on the death of Grahm Fournier."

"I feel the same way, but they have asked for our attendance," Officer Celek stated. "I'll meet you out there."

With that he turned for where he had come, heading straight for the door.

"I guess I better go ahead and follow him," Heiji said. "Either of you planning on coming?"

"Might as well," Tim replied. "Who knows what this might mount up to."

"You two go, I'll catch up with you soon."

"Your call," Tim said. "Come on, let's go see what this is all about."

"Right with you."

With Heiji leading the way the two headed for the door. He simply stood there, feeling the edge was near, one flipped by complete deception. He stood straight in his stance, turning back to where the blood stain could clearly be seen.

"The entrance, the known inconsistency.. could he have been the one to commit the crime," Shinichi thought to himself. "And what of the tapes, key sequences are missing from the recordings... what could it possibly mean?"

To Be Continued

[SSJBowser]

The Detective Prince
Chapter 101
Challenge of the Doubled Edged Murder (Part 2)

He kept up with him from a few feet behind as they walked. Voices could clearly be heard coming from around the corner as they neared the location where the elevators stood. They arrived to find several police officers standing in the middle of the hall in conversation, which included Celek who had arrived there before the two of them.

"Looks like they're having a meet of some kind," Heiji said. "Must have something to do with the elevator Celek spoke of."

"Only one way of finding out," Tim said. "And that's to ask directly."

"Let's hope it's not too serious of a problem."

"This is the part where we need to keep a notable distance between us," Tim said. "Like we agreed, we don't want them to suspect you of working with anyone outside of their unit."

"No need to remind me, I haven't forgotten."

"Good, then we're clear."

With nothing further said the two separated with their next steps taken, steadily moving apart as they did so. He moved further to the right, closing in on officer Celek who was in the middle of a conversation with a woman who stood across from him. He chose not to interrupt the two, simply standing off to the side in wait. It didn't take long for Celek to notice him, more than glad to see he had come.

"There you are, that wasn't a long wait at all."

"What happened," Heiji asked. "Did they figure out what was wrong with the elevators?"

"Not elevators, only the individual," Officer Celek corrected. "One elevator in particular has been causing troubles all morning."

"What kind of problem?"

"A delay is what they're saying," Officer Celek replied. "Some kind of discrepancy with the weight limit."

"As in too many people being on the elevator at once?"

"That is correct."

"What is the weight limit on these elevators?"

"1145 ibs is what I've been told."

"It would take at least eight people to go over that limit," Heiji said. "Is the elevator in question currently unresponsive?"

"It was, but finally began functioning once after a minute of waiting." The woman from across spoke.

"And you are?"

"Carol, Carol Flowers," She replied. "CCO, Chief content officer of the company."

"They said you would be coming in."

"That must make you detective Hattori, correct?"

"You know me?"

"Lonard mentioned you in a discussion we had yesterday evening."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, just that you would be helping with a personal dilemma."

"What about the elevator," Heiji asked looking back his way. "Do they plan on giving it a look?"

"There's mechanics on the way as we speak," Officer Celek replied. "They should be here soon enough."

"Since we're past all introductions, mind if I ask you a couple questions regarding your hours put in last night Ms. Flowers?"

"Well of course," Carol replied. "After all, that's why I'm here."

"Alright, we'll start with the basics," Heiji began. "Did you see anything unusual last night, or hear anything you normally wouldn't?"

"Not from my office, no."

"Your office, where is that?"

"Below us," Carol replied. "On the eighteenth floor."

"Do you recall what time you left the building?"

"After two, I don't remember the exact time."

"Did you happen to come across anyone at that given time?" Officer Celek asked.

"What do you mean?"

"On your way out, did you see any of the other employees who were working late such as yourself?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," Carol replied. "I did see someone on my way out."

"Who was it that you saw?"

"Mr. Hamilton," Carol answered. "The man who works the front desk in the lobby."

"Is that so," Heiji remarked. "Is there a storage room on that floor?"

"Yes," Carol confirmed. "How did you know that?"

"I heard it from Hamilton himself, he told me he had gone to the storage room before he was to take off," Heiji said. "Can you confirm this?"

"I didn't actually see him go in, but he was heading in that direction," Carol replied. "Sorry, but that is all I can give."

"Which is good enough for now," Heiji said. "Though it's odd."

"What?"

"When asked not once did Anthony Hamilton mention seeing you on his way to the storage room."

"Think there's some meaning to it?" Officer Celek asked.

"I'll go and revisit Hamilton soon, but first I'd like to have another word with Fournier about a little something."

"Does that mean we're done here?" Carol asked.

"For now yes," Heiji replied. "But stick around, we may need another statement from you in the coming minutes."

"Understood, I have no intent on leaving," Carol said. "I'd like to find out exactly what went down last night."

"Go on ahead, I'm going to wait here until the mechanics arrive," Officer Celek said. "I'll keep you updated on the situation."

"Sounds good to me," Heiji said. "I'll return as soon as I'm finished."

"And I'll be here."

With that he turned for the left, heading back to the office with his head leaned over in thought.

"Looks like the elevator situation was nothing but a side ploy, probably nothing to worry about."

It wasn't long after that the presence of someone could be felt from his side. He turned to see him keeping pace with him from the right.

"You catch all of that?"

"No, I actually asked one of the other security guards," Tim replied. "He told me the circumstances surrounding the elevator, I only followed you after seeing that you were headed back to the office."

"I'm surprised Kudo didn't join us, he's usually the one to look into every possible lead," Heiji said. "Though this one turned out to be unrelated."

"I don't blame him," Tim said. "That room is the center piece to everything."

"That I can agree on, but we still need to gather as much information surrounding the situation as a whole."

"Now that we got that all cleared up, what do you plan on doing next?"

"I want to go and search Grahm Fournier's office, I have a feeling there might be something to find," Heiji replied. "That is after I've spoken with his brother first."

"Bout time," Tim said. "I was wondering when Grahm's office would register to your radar."

"In any case, why don't you go and find Kudo," Heiji suggested. "Let him know about the whole elevator situation, I'm sure he's wondering how that all turned out."

"Sure thing," Tim agreed. "We'll regroup with you soon."

"Sounds good to me."

They parted ways from there, only taking a couple more steps before reaching the door to the office. He took to the left side of the room once in, looking ahead to still see Lonard at the comfort of his chair. He reached him soon after, laying a hand to the desk to gain his attention.

"You're back, good," Lonard said. "What happened out there?"

"No one is entirely sure yet, the only thing we do know is one of the elevators has been experiencing minor problems," Heiji informed. "The mechanics are on their way now, so I'm sure they'll have that cleared up in no time."

"I see," Lonard said with the grip of his tie. "Anything else you have to report to me?"

"No, but I do have another question," Heiji replied. "With all the surveillance that is staged throughout the facility, are there any surveillance camera's in this room as well?"

"Unfortunately not, we hadn't gotten around to doing so."

"How long has this room been your office?"

"Roughly two weeks now," Lonard replied. "The old one was two floors below, decided to move up here for the additional space."

"So when is it you planned on having camera's set up in this room?"

"Tomorrow was the planned date."

"And was Grahm to be the one to have that all taken care of?"

The office phone set out on the desk began to ring before a response could be given.

"Would you hold on for a moment, this could be important."

"Take all the time you need." Heiji replied.

He reached for the phone, leaning back in the chair while answering it. What the discussion was about was unknown to him. He waited for over a minute for him to finally lay the phone back onto the hook.

"Alright, now what was it you were fixing to ask?"

"The camera's that were scheduled to be installed in this room, was your brother going to be the one to have wired it all up?"

"Him and his unit, yes."

"That leads into my second question, his office," Heiji said. "Where might I find it?"

"It depends on what you mean," Lonard said. "There's the security back room where he spent most of his time, but he also had an individual office of his own where he filed most of his paper work."

"Where might that office be?"

"Look no further." Lonard pointed.

He turned to where he had pointed, looking across the room to see a door located on the far right wall.

"That door there is a direct link to his office from mine."

"Mind if I take a look inside?"

"Not at all, there's already a small group looking through the room as we speak," Lonard informed. "I'm sure they'll give you an update on what they've gone through thus far."

"Before I go there's one last thing I'd like to clarify."

"Which is?"

"You spent a majority of last night on the lower levels, at any time did you visit any of the higher floors?"

"I did, the twenty first floor," Lonard confirmed. "I went to retrieve a diagram for something I was working on."

"At what time was that?"

"Anywhere frome ten to twenty after one," Lonard replied. "You can check the security cameras to get an exact time."

"Appreciate the talk," Heiji said before turning away. "It's about time I paid that office a visit."

He trailed off to the other side from there, pleasantly surprised to find a clear path to the door. He opened it after reaching it, taking a look inside to see a few others in the room like he had been told. He looked to the right wall to see a large board clamped to the wall with several small notes clipped in place. He then looked to the left to see the two of them standing behind a small desk at the corner.

"Looks like they beat me here."

He moved further into the room, taking a step around the desk to join the two of them.

"Had no idea I'd find the two of you in here," Heiji said. "Anyone try to question why the two of you are in here?"

"We've pretty much blended in up til this point," Tim replied. "Besides they're more focused on those notes on the board than anything else."

"Come across anything worth the mention from this end?"

"There might be something," Shinichi replied before sliding on a latex glove. "I found this while checking the outlet where all the cords are running through in this room."

Using the protective glove he reached into his pocket to pull out a plastic bag, what was inside was a bit hard for him to make out at first glance.

"What is that?" Heiji asked.

"Tape," Shinichi replied. "I found it attached to the phone line."

"What do you make of it?"

"We believe someone might have been listening in on his phone conversations while in this room," Tim replied. "It was found in a secure location where a recorder could have been placed."

"If so, the who and why is our next question to figure." Shinichi added before placing the plastic bag back into his pocket.

"Did you already tell him about the situation surrounding the elevator?"

"Was the first thing." Tim replied.

"What about you and Fournier," Shinichi asked. "What did you two discuss just now?"

"Not much, just a couple questions here and there regarding the security angle."

"I'm going to need you to go and see him once more," Shinichi said. "We need to find out what calls were made and received from this phone, I'm sure if you ask he'll have the records dug up for you."

"Sure thing."

"When you do happen to do go, make sure you ask for all phone records," Tim added. "Not just for this room, but for all phones throughout this entire building."

"Why," Heiji asked. "I thought our only concern was with the one here."

"It's for a good reason," Tim replied. "I'll let you in on it later."

Shinichi looked at him after hearing this.

".. Does he know?"

"I'll go and see him now, the sooner we get this done the better."

"We'll follow you," Tim said. "We're done here."

"Agreed," Shinichi said. "With this latest development there's something else I'd like to look into."

"What is that exactly?" Heiji asked as they began to walk.

"All other phones on this floor," Shinichi replied. "If the phone here was in fact tampered with in any kind of way there's a chance others could have received the same treatment."

They walked out soon after, closing the door in the process.

"Smart thinking, that might actually lead to something," Heiji said. "What about the notes clipped onto that board, either of you check that out?"

"Was the first thing looked at when I entered the room," Tim replied. "It was nothing but annotations for his daily routine."

"See anything that might shed light on the situation?"

"Everything seemed pretty normal from a business stand point."

"Did you check the drawers of the desk?"

"Only his working supplies remained," Shinichi informed. "All documents that could be found had already been removed by the time I had arrived."

"Which puts that out of the equation for the time being." Heiji said coming to an unexpected stop after another step taken.

"What is it?"

"Fournier is no longer at his desk," Heiji replied beginning a quick skim of the room. "I wonder where he could have went."

"I'm sure he didn't go far," Tim said. "If you wait here he'll probably reappear soon."

"This leaves the perfect opportunity," Shinichi said. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Heiji asked.

"To check the phone line at his desk," Shinichi replied. "Would you like to come along?"

"You go on ahead, we'll be right here."

"Suit yourself." Shinichi said before taking off for that very task.

He stood there for seconds, monitoring the door for his return. This lasted for a bit to come, lowering his head as he went through all details learned up to this point. In the mist of it all something snapped, almost as if a missing link to the puzzle had been attached.

"Could it be..?"

"What is it?"

"The elevator," Heiji replied. "We need to get back to the elevator."

He headed for the door with nothing further said, looking to find he followed at his side.

"Mind telling me what this is about?" Tim asked.

"I think I know what caused the malfunctions with that elevator." Heiji replied.

"Is that so?"

"At first I thought it had nothing to do with this, but if what I believe is true that might not be the case."

"What's the connection between Grahm Fournier's death and this elevator?"

"That is yet to be revealed," Heiji said as they exited the room. "Let's hurry, we have to be sure no one attempts to move that elevator."

Unsure on what he meant by this he followed none the less. They strolled down the hall, not stopping until after reaching those who still stood around the elevators.

"Back so soon?" Officer Celek said being the first to greet them.

"The elevator, has anyone tried operating it since the last I was here?" Heiji asked.

"Of course not," Officer Celek replied. "We're still awaiting the arrival of the mechanics."

"We don't have time," Heiji said. "There's something that could prove crucial."

"You mean something involving the elevator," Officer Celek questioned. "Like what?"

"According to the statements collected the weight limit went off when using the first elevator there on the left," Heiji pointed. "As we know it would take at least eight people to exceed the weight limit of each."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I had a little chat with Mr. Hamilton on my visit to the lobby earlier," Heiji informed. "Last night before clocking out from his shift he claims to have heard a noise."

"What kind of noise?"

"The sound of what appeared to be something that dropped down from a distance, which he said was on a floor above from where he had been."

"Which floor was he on at the time?" Officer Celek asked.

"The eighteenth," Heiji replied. "He wasn't the only to hear it, but Ms. Flowers as well."

"Is that true?" Officer Celek asked turning to her.

"That is correct," Carol confirmed. "It happened some time after two."

"So the two of them heard a sound," Officer Celek said turning back to face him. "I hardly see how that relates to the elevator problem."

"Think about it," Heiji said with a pause. "They could hear whatever dropped from where they were, and being that it was on another floor at a large facility such as this that could mean something."

"What are you suggesting," Officer Celek asked. "That something large fell over?"

"Not only that," Heiji said. "I'm thinking whatever they heard might have been the sound of something falling on top of the elevator."

"That's a wild prediction, but makes sense when you add in all the known facts," Officer Celek said. "That now begs the question, if something fell on top of the elevator.. how did it get there?"

"I was thinking whatever generated that noise was evidence linked to the crime," Heiji said. "Maybe even the weapon used in the act."

"You've got me thinking," Officer Celek said. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a look into your deduction before the mechanics arrive."

"How do you propose we do that?" Carol questioned.

"We have someone send that elevator to the twenty fourth floor," Heiji replied. "Then we can open the doors from here, thus allowing for us to look down to see if anything is in fact weighing down on the elevator."

"Brilliant idea," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll have someone set it up right away, you wait here."

"Had no intent on moving." Heiji said in response.

He stepped off to the side, approaching a security official who stood at the right side of the wall. He watched as the two dove into conversation, looking on as progressions were made. With that underway, he then looked to the opposite wall to see Tim who still stood in the same spot as before.

"You sure did put a lot of thought into this," Carol said regaining his attention. "I must say, I'm impressed."

"Can you elaborate on something for me?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"When you heard that sound," Heiji said. "Do you think you could give an estimation for how many floors up it came from?"

"I couldn't really tell you," Carol replied. "It all happened so fast, I would guess at least two floors up but that's just a guess."

"Don't worry," Heiji said. "We'll eventually get around to finding out the answer to that."

They were then rejoined by Celek who returned from his quick discussion he had with the security guard.

"Good news, everything is a go," Officer Celek informed. "They're sending someone down to the floor below to call for that elevator, which will allow for a clear view of the top of the elevator from our position."

"I'm almost certain it will be rather dark," Heiji said. "Do you happen to have some source of lighting we could use?"

"Of course," Officer Celek replied holding up a flash light held down at his side. "I borrowed this from him before he and two others left for the twenty fourth floor."

"Smart thinking," Heiji commented. "Any idea how we're going to open these elevators doors to have a look down when the time comes?"

"Already accounted for," Officer Celek replied. "Once they're set they're going to alert Cyless of security to manually open the elevator door from the back room, leaving us with the task of checking out the top of the elevator from up here."

"Sounds easy enough."

"I'd say so myself," Officer Celek said. "What about Fournier, did you let him in on your sudden analogy?"

"Would have, but couldn't find him," Heiji replied. "When I returned to his office after checking out Grahm's office he was nowhere to be found."

"I wonder where he could have gone."

"No idea," Heiji said. "But I'm sure he'll turn up soon."

"I'd assume so, it's probably something business related that has opted for his brief absence."

It was only a second later that the vibration of his phone could be felt from his belt. He reached down to answer it, taking all but a few moments for the conversation to end.

"That didn't take long, who was that?" Heiji asked.

"They just lowered the elevator to their level," Officer Celek replied. "We should be expecting the doors to open any time now."

"Let's do this."

"Right after you." Officer Celek said as the two turned for the first elevator located on the left wall.

They stopped immediately after reaching it, knowing they didn't have much longer to wait until the next stage in the process was to begin. He looked off to the side to see Ms. Flowers who patiently awaited the open of the doors as well. The longer this went on the more anxious he became. Before any of them knew it the elevator doors opened just like any other time when normally summoned.

"This is it." Officer Celek said being the first of the two to make a move.

The two stepped up, making sure to keep a safe distance between them and the edge. He flashed the light, allowing for the two of them to peer downward to see if something indeed had landed atop the elevator. What came to their sight left them in a frozen state of shock, neither expecting to find what was laid out below. Curious as to what silenced the two, Ms. Flowers stepped up to the both from behind.

"What is it," Carol asked. "What can you see?"

The two looked to one another before then looking back to her.

"It's not a weapon like we had originally considered, but rather." Officer Celek began.

"A body." Heiji completed.

"A body," Carol questioned. "Are they..?"

"Dead, yes," Heiji replied. "There's high amounts of blood that can be seen, and there appears to be an object that was struck into the right side of their skull."

"If you ask me I'd say it's an axe." Office Celek said having another peak with the flash of the light.

"Call it in," Heiji instructed. "We need another unit working this immediately."

"Do you think this has anything to do with what happened to the late Grahm Fournier?" Carol asked.

"Two deaths in the same building in less than a twenty four hour span, I'm certain there's some kind of connection between the two."

"That must be the guys from below," Officer Celek said at another incoming call. "Better let them know the situation."

"While you do that I'm going to go and find Fournier," Heiji said. "Chances are the body belongs to someone who works here, who better than Lonard to identify the body."

"Go on ahead," Officer Celek said in agreement. "I'll take care of the procedures here."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that he turned back into the direction leading to the office where it all had began. It didn't take long for him to notice he had rejoined his side as he walked.

"You hear all of that?"

"Every word," Tim confirmed. "Could you distinguish if the body was male or female?"

"Defiantly male," Heiji replied. "We'll only be able to ID who it is by getting a closer look."

"You mentioned a blow to the right side of his head," Tim said. "Were there any other notable wounds you could see from your position?"

"There was too much blood, we'll only know by getting in closer."

"Nice work with your deduction by the way," Tim complimented. "Had no idea that elevator would lead to such a big reveal."

"Now comes the fun part, piecing its relation to the death of Grahm Fournier."

"I'll go and inform Shinichi of your findings, I'm sure he's almost completed his task of checking all the phone lines on this floor."

"How many rooms are on this floor anyway?"

"No more than ten," Tim replied. "I took note of that the second time I walked through here."

They arrived back to the office soon after, taking a look inside to find Shinichi was nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like he has yet to return," Heiji said before locating Fournier who had returned to his desk.

"No matter, I'll go in search of him," Tim said. "I'll be back as soon as I do, that leaves you to break the news to Lonard."

"I'm already looking forward to it." Heiji said heading toward the desk.

He went through his choice of words as he approached, thinking of the best way of breaking the unexpected news to him. He stopped once reaching the desk, silently waiting for him to take notice.

"There you are," Lonard said raising his head. "I was told you were looking for me, what is it you wanted?"

"That can wait, I have some disturbing news to bring," Heiji replied. "Another body was just found."

His eyes shot wide at this news, sitting there in shock for seconds to come.

"Another body," Lonard questioned with the wipe of sweat from his forehead. "Where, how long have they been dead?"

"We don't know, the body was just discovered laying on top of the elevator that had demonstrated problems earlier in the day," Heiji informed. "If you don't mind I'd like for you to come with me, we need someone to identify the body."

"You think it's an employee of Nano High?"

"That would be my first pick," Heiji replied. "Only one way to find out."

"Come," Lonard said pushing up from the chair. "Let us go."

"Yes of course." Heiji said turning back for the door.

He followed at his side as they walked out of the room. Yet again he returned to the scene that had unfolded by the elevators, quickly sighting Celek who seemed to be handing out instructions to those who surrounded him.

"Who was the one to make the discovery?" Lonard asked.

"Officer Celek and myself," Heiji replied. "Though I was the one to suggest that we take a look, turns out it was for the best."

He turned at the sound of their voices, delighted to have his return.

"Good to see you were able to find him," Officer Celek said. "Have you been brought up to speed on the situation?"

"He told me everything while in the office," Lonard confirmed. "Which elevator was this body found on?"

"The first one on the left," Officer Celek pointed. "Follow me."

He did just that, following him close to the edge before stopping. He pulled out the flash light from before, pointing it downward to give him a clear view of the body.

"And there it is," Officer Celek said. "Do you recognize who that is?"

He brought an arm to his face as he looked away in disgust, shaking his head in response.

"I have no idea who that person is," Lonard replied. "I'd need a closer look to make a determination."

"And we will soon," Officer Celek said. "The mechanics will be here shortly."

"Fournier, do you think I could have a word with you?" Heiji asked.

"Yes, of course."

The two stepped off to the side, giving them privacy away from the others who stood in the general area.

"Alright then, what is it?"

"Before any of this had been discovered I had tried looking for you," Heiji said. "Where were you exactly?"

"Taking a call in another room, I was given further details on my brothers death," Lonard informed. "They're now saying he was shot from afar, and not at close range like we had originally thought."

"I see," Heiji said with a pause. "Well that sure changes up the elements to the scenario."

"You're telling me."

"Did they have an estimation for how far away the culprit was when he took the shot?"

"No," Lonard replied. "Only that they're certain it was more than ten yards."

"That's not much to go off of, but does alter the dynamics no matter how you look at it," Heiji said. "Do you mind waiting here until the mechanics arrive?"

"I had not planned on leaving, at least not until an identification is made on this body."

"Good."

"What about you," Lonard asked. "You plan on sticking around for the duration of this?"

"You'll see me here and there, but right now there's someone I need to see," Heiji said in response. "I'll be back in time."

"Then go," Lonard said. "You have a job to do."

He nodded, turning for the other side of the hall before taking off once more. He trailed all the way back to the office, walking in to see the room still being examined for additional evidence that had yet to be obtained. To his delight it didn't take long for him to see the two of them standing in front of the office desk. It was only a matter of seconds for them notice him walking their way.

"How did your scavenger hunt go?"

"Result filled," Shinichi replied. "There was one other phone line that I discovered small amounts of tape connected to it."

"Which was?"

"The phone at this desk," Shinichi pointed. "Which means both Fournier brothers were intertwined in some kind of agenda."

"One which could be at the center of this whole ordeal," Tim added. "On the flip side how did things go out there, was Lonard able to identify the body?"

"Not on his first look, the body was too far down for him to see," Heiji replied. "He'll have another look when the mechanics arrive, once they reel the body into position we should have a clearer view on things."

"Guess it's wait and see from here."

"Not entirely," Heiji said. "We now know that Grahm Fournier was not shot from close range like we had originally thought, that gives us a whole nother angle to work."

"Are you certain of this?"

"I heard directly from Lonard."

"That more than changes the outlook on things," Shinichi said. "It even gives more depth to the glass window being opened at some point."

"Which means we could be dealing with a sniper," Tim said. "Did he clarify an exact distance?"

"Nothing set in stone, only that the shooter was at least ten yards away from where he stood when the trigger was pulled."

"Not much to take away from that," Tim said. "But it does beg the question of where the shooter was when the shots were fired."

"Nows there's the body that was just discovered on the elevator which only further complicates things."

"You're right," Shinichi agreed. "The chance of the two murders being connected is high, but before making anymore analogies I'd like to have a look at the body myself."

"That might take some time for it to be accessible," Heiji said. "But I could give you a brief run down of what I saw."

"That'll have to do for now," Shinichi said in response. "I'm listening."

"First and foremost, the cause of death appeared to be a blow to the right side of his head," Heiji began. "From what I could tell it appeared that an axe was embedded into the contents of his skull."

"The right side huh, interesting," Shinichi remarked. "Any other notable cuts or bruises for that matter?"

"Couldn't tell, I wasn't close enough," Heiji replied. "But I'd say it's more than likely, the amount of blood surrounding the body would seem to imply multiple wounds."

"We'll have to wait for further observation to gain anything significant." Tim said.

"It would seem that way."

The next moment brought a subtle sound, to where it was coming from was uncertain.

"That noise.. do you hear it?"

"It's me," Tim answered before diving a hand into his side pocket. "My phone to be precise."

He pulled it from within his jacket before holding it out to see the incoming call.

"Who is it?" Shinichi asked.

"Bruce," Tim replied. "I wasn't expecting to hear from him so soon, it must be important."

Just as he was to answer the call he heard a loud whistle from behind, all three turning to see officer Celek enter the room.

"I didn't realize you two were still here," Officer Celek said. "I was recently informed we are not to let anyone use their phones while in the building at this given time."

"Under what circumstances?" Tim asked.

"No detailed answer was given, I'm only going by what was told to me."

Going in compliance with his wishes he lowered the phone back into the security of his pocket.

"I apologize for the inconvenience."

"No need to say," Tim said in response. "Orders are orders."

"What brought you back here anyway," Heiji asked. "I thought you were going to wait out there until the mechanics arrived."

"That was the plan," Officer Celek said. "But to speed up the process the ever so handy man Cyless was able to get the elevator into position to where the investigation could begin."

"And the body, was Lonard able to identify who it was?"

"It seems our supposed ghost has been found," Officer Celek replied. "The body belongs to none other than Nathan Bennet."

"Nathan Bennet?!"

To Be Continued

[ZonieCatz]

Have read thru Ch. 100 - lots of developments!
Do you think this will conclude before Ch. 200? o.O

Will try to catch up a little later...

EDIT - Finished Ch 101. At least 1 mystery solved, only to bring up more questions.
On to Ch. 102...