Lightest of Nights: A Deck of Minds

Chapter 34

One Clue Closer

The miniature elephant statue sat upon the table stone still, not even the slightest motion to be made.. its eyes aligned with his own. Without even realizing a grin slid into place across Kaito's lips. Konosuke noticed from his position near.

"Young Master..?"

Sliding back in the chair he was seated, Kaito stood to his feet. "It's time."

Konosuke looked to him in questioning fashion. "Really, so soon?"

"Yes, the sooner contact is made the better," Kaito who rubbed his hands together stated as he faced his comrade. "Time to send the old man the message; and in affect we'll catch ear of our true target."

….

It was nothing but silence. Jirokichi fully embraced this. Laid out upon his desk was a file containing the details of the last sighting of Katiou Kid. Even after reading through it a number of times he couldn't help but feel like something was missing.

"Of everything that happened, something doesn't add up." Jirokichi paused, all irregularities streaming through his mind. "For starters it is unlike Kid not to have a following message after a completed heist, even with that debacle involving that Riddler maniac. No written notice.. and the stolen item has yet to be returned, yes, that revenant statue. There is more going on than any of us realize."

Jirokichi leaned back where seated with a single though sitting at the center of mind. "What is it.. what is your next move going to be Kid? Just how deep does it go?" All thought would be withered away by the sound of the door swinging open across the room. "What is it?"

"Suzuki-sama, there is something you need to see! You've just received a letter, it's addressed from Kid."

"Kid.. Kaitou Kid?!" exclaimed Jirokichi.

The woman standing in the doorway nodded in confirmation. "There was also a note attached to the envelope. Here he requests that you broadcast the contents of the note inside not only locally.. but internationally."

This bit of information caught Jirokichi by surprise. "Internationality?! What purpose would that serve?"

"That is just as much of a question for you as it is for me."

Jirokichi stood up before stepping around his desk. "Ok Kid if you want to play a little game you can count me in."

"What will you do now?" asked the woman.

Coming in range after a couple more steps Jirokichi took hold of the envelope. "It's time to get everything set up. If Kaitou Kid was an international broadcast, we're going to give it to him."

"Giving into his request?" she was surprised.

"To beat him is to first play his game. He'll have a misstep," a smiling Jirokichi noted. He was confident in the possibility. "When he does I'll be there to capitalize."

…

Haibara faced him, surprised by the words to leave his mouth. "You're coming?"

"I am," confirmed Conan.

"See, I told you he would! None of you believed me!" shouted Genta who felt the need to point out.

"Wherever the case takes me," murmured Conan under his breath.

Haibara vaguely heard his words. "What's that?"

"Alright everyone, the smoothies are ready!" Hiroshi waved from kitchen side.

Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko wasted little time in answering the call while Haibara and Conan hung back.

"What happened at the station? I take it your visit there has some barring to your decision to tag along for the Kamen Yaiba show tonight?"

Conan nodded. "It does, just a small piece in the larger puzzle."

"How do you figure?"

"The house that Sato-san investigated regarding the fear toxin case, while it didn't turn up an actual person like she was expecting, there were materials left for her to find," Conan conveyed.

Haibara was growing suspicious. "Left for her to find? Were these items you speak of elaborately placed for her to find?"

"My intuition would say."

"But why?"

"That part I have yet to completely decipher."

"Fill me in, what was found at that house?"

"Two things of notoriety; a jug of milk and a receipt," relayed Conan.

"Not what I was expecting."

"The receipt in question was for a Kamen Yaiba live show, the one scheduled for tonight."

"You don't say."

"The milk in question had an expiration date that also falls on today, coincidence? I think not."

"You didn't consider the possibility?"

"Doubtful. The way Sato-san described the inside of the house was a scene of well-placed clues," Conan explained. "Someone wanted that place to be found, their message to be heard."

"And why do you suppose?"

"That's the question to behold. Whatever it may be we have until tonight to figure it out," Conan said. "Whatever this person has been planning is going to take full form tonight. I'm almost certain of that."

"What of Captain Aldor and the Sunshine? They must tie into all of this is some kind of way, yes?"

"That's what I've been thinking about ever since I left the station earlier." Conan took a deep breath. Tilting he placed his arms behind his head. "There has to be a connection between it all; the toxin, the Sunshine ship, that house officer Sato searched, and Fun Entertainment Inc."

Subconsciously Conan leaned his head slightly forward, trotting a hand to chin there was one idea that came to mind he had yet to consider until this point. "Could it be?"

Haibara could see the increase in focus. "Have you figured something out?"

"The theme of this case, the scattered clues that seem almost symbolic of something larger," Conan began. "It all feels reminiscent of the Riddler.. but."

"But?"

"None of this seems connected to what happened on that night."

"You've concluded that someone else is behind this?"

"Or several," Conan noted. "There's an obvious agenda. Whatever the end game, I suspect it is near."

"If we are to take your most recent findings into account today is when the line ends; we need to unravel the truth." Haibara turned for the other side of the room.

"You have something in mind?"

"I'm going to do a cross-reference between all elements of this case," replied Haibara. "With any luck perhaps we'll bridge the missing link to the puzzle."

Conan trailed in her steps towards the computer. "In the end one truth will prevail."

…..

Jirokichi stepped down from the podium after conveying the message Kaitou Kid had written to him. Cameras continued to roll, lights flashing as a number of reporters sought for questions after his press release. Smiling Jirokichi merrily waved and smiled upon his departure. It didn't take long for him to evade the larger crowd, after doing so he brought eyes to the note in hand once more, reading over its cryptic message once more.

'Ring in the bell. On noon brings your coming Year.. And Lit bring the FLame i find Under the years past greatS. Game is Now in play, may the Anointed one strike at midnight to !Grasp the tusks of the beast at the step of our first meet?'

Jirokichi balled up his free hand. "It's all gibberish.. it, it makes no sense. Just what is Kid trying to say?"

He would soon arrive back in his office where he would eye over the details once more. Like before he made little sense of the written. Jirokichi was growing more agitated by the minute. In the fluctuation of it all someone else stepped into the room.

"Your expected guest has finally arrived." It was the same woman from earlier.

"My expected guest.. oh yes, that's right." Jirokichi stood to his feet. "Send them on in Miare-san."

"He's already here."

Miare motioned off to the side to reveal the visitor. Jirokichi was surprised to find who walked through. It was a young man who wore a backwards baseball cap and who was in casual street clothes, a foreigner at that. Jirokich blinked, a puzzled look settling in across his face. "And you are?"

"The pleasure is mine Suzuki-sama," replied the man who held out his hand as he approached. "I was sent by Bruce Wayne to help in a collaboration to track down and bring in the famous Kaitou Kid."

Hesitant, Jirokichi shook his hand. "Well uh.. welcome aboard."

"Thanks. I look forward to giving my input on the matter. I heard you speaking over the radio on my way here about Kaitou Kid's latest message that was sent. Is that it in your hand there?"

"It is," confirmed Jirokichi.

"May I?"

"Well of course." He handed him the slip of paper.

Jirokichi watched in silence as he read over the note himself.

"A boy? Wayne sent a boy? He can't be any older than a high school attendee. Hmph, it would appear he isn't taking this matter as serious as I would have hoped," Jirokichi mumbled under breath.

"Heummm." The young man took a moment to look away from the slip of paper. "This message you received from the Kid Thief, was it any different in the way that you received it in comparison to previous messages you have received from him in the past?"

Jirokichi blinked. ".. nothing in particular comes to mind. Why do you ask, is there some relevance?"

"You're forgetting there was a note attached to the envelope sir," Miare reminded.

"A note?" the young man questioned.

"I had almost forgotten. Yes," confirmed Jirkochi confirmed. "It was a request; Kaitou Kid wanted his message to be broadcasted internationally."

He looked to the piece of paper in hand once more, a grin now residing. "That's it. It all makes sense now. The message.. it was never meant for you Suzuki-sama, no, this calling is for another; someone outside of Japan."

Jirokichi's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Are you sure of this?"

"Not the slightest doubt," he replied. "The reason Kaitou wanted you to broadcast his message internationality is because you have the resources to do so. The person he is trying to reach clearly doesn't reside here, and if I had to take a guess I'd say Kaitou has no real legitimate means of contacting them directly or else he wouldn't have included you in all of this."

"So that note, it wasn't for me?"

"It never was, not really anyway" the young man replied before looking down at the note once more. "But I do know who the sought is."

"Who?!" Jirokichi needed to know.

Miare was most impressed. "Just who are you anyway?"

"I'm the guy Bruce Wayne sent in to catch the Phantom Thief himself."

Jirokichi chuckled. "That's not what she meant. Your name," Jirokichi clarified. "What's your name kid?"

"Drake," he replied looking him in the eyes. "Tim Drake."

To Be Continued