The sun was barely cresting over the horizon. There morning commute was beginning and the sidewalks were still nearly empty. The five detectives looked at one another. Ran sat down beside Shinichi, her presence preserving the truce between them. With their anger abated, they all felt a mutual drive of determination. The room buzzed with the fires of resolve. They would not let the slander stand, they would not allow the Vampire go free and they definitely would not stop now.

"What time is your appointment with the witness?" Kogoro asked, fishing a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket.

"Not until six," Mitsuhiko said "She said she would come by before she reported to her job. That's not for another hour."

"What evidence do you have?" Shinichi asked, leaning forward.

"Very little," Ayumi admitted. The three related the facts of the case to Kogoro and Shinichi, who listened intently. As Genta told of his visit to the slain woman's apartment, Kogoro interrupted.

"Breaking and Entering?" He asked "That doesn't fit the pattern at all. Why would she be the only one who was murdered at home?"

"We think it's escalation." Ayumi replied.

"No, no…It doesn't match. If it was part of his pattern, the next victim would also be in their home but the next two were abducted from a public place." Kogoro said.

"But the murder weapon was found in her apartment," Shinichi told him "He may not be following a textbook escalation pattern but the weapon is consistent."

"Murder weapon?" Genta repeated "I didn't find a murder weapon." Shinchi restrained a grin and shook his head. He wagged his finger good-naturedly at the three young detectives.

"You look but you do not observe, Watson." He said, quoting his favorite detective "Genta-kun, your gut told you to bag those plant shears for one reason. You knew the shape because you'd seen it a dozen times on each of the victims. Look-" Shinichi pulled his pocket notebook and quickly sketched the blades of the plant shears as Genta had described them. "If you took this set of blades and plunged them into someone while closed, the resulting wound would be a tell-tale wide U-shape due to the curvature of the individual halves."

"Oh! You're right!" Mitsuhiko said, impressed. "And if the man is a grounds keeper, it wouldn't be at all suspicious for him to be carrying garden shears with him." Shinichi nodded and tucked the notebook away. As they finished catching up Kogoro and Shinichi they heard a timid knock at the door. They looked at each other and Mitsuhiko rose to answer it.

A small-framed nervous woman of about twenty stood at the doorway. She was gripping her purse and looked between the expectant faces of the detectives.

"Sasaki-san," Mitsuhiko said kindly "Thank you for meeting us on such short notice."

"You're welcome, Tsuburaya-tantei." She said and stepped into the room. The men stood and let her sit on the couch opposite Ayumi. She shifted nervously and glanced at all the expectant faces around her. Kogoro stepped forward, charm dripping from his movements.

"Alright little lady, you just tell us everything you know about this madman and we'll have his thrown in jail before breakfast." He said smoothly "Have no fear. The Great Sleeping Kogoro is on your case and will not rest until you're safe again."

"The sleeping who?" Sasaki asked innocently. Kogoro's charm evaporated as he stumbled for words.

"The Great…I'm…Mouri Kogoro?" He sputtered.

"Does he work for you, Tsuburaya-tantei?" She asked, turning to Mitsuhiko. Shinichi patted Kogoro on the back consolingly.

"Hard luck, old timer." He joked. Mitsuhiko sat down with Sasaki and shot them a silencing glance. The other three men resigned themselves to milling around the desk.

"Sasaki, we asked you here because we want to show you a video." Mitsuhiko said gently "And you can tell us if you recognize your attacker. He may be wanted for other crimes."

"I did seem him." She said, before the disc began to play.

"Where?" Mitsuhiko asked eagerly.

"At the zoo, that day." She said "He was inside the zoo, clearing bushes along the back wall. He was loading branches into a big work van. He startled me so badly that I went straight home."

"Sasaki-san, do you think you'd be able to describe him to a police artist?" Mitsuhiko asked but Sasaki shook her head.

"I'm no good at that." She said "I'm afraid I'd mess it all up. Why don't you meet him yourself. He's still slated to be working at our office building for two more days."

"You mean he's going to be there today?" Mitsuhiko asked. Sasaki nodded and looked at her watch.

"He's probably there already. They usually show up around five a.m." She said.

"Hot damn!" Kogoro whooped, startling everyone "You take us there. We've got ourselves a criminal to arrest."

"Calm down, ojisaan, we need to notify the police." Genta said. "They'll be the ones to take him in for questioning."

"Why don't I escort you to work, Sasaki-san?" Mitsuhiko offered "I'll make sure you get there safely and keep an eye on this man until the authorities arrive." She nodded and Mitsuhiko lead her to the door. As he was leaving, he added "Kojima-keiji, please call Miawako-keibu right away."

Mitsuhiko ushered the shy woman into a cab and sat beside her. They only had circumstantial evidence. There were a few clues he hoped to find when they arrived. Mitsuhiko paid the driver and escorted Sasaki into her building. They passed a few dozen men in coveralls, all luging tools and bags, ready to work. Mitsuhiko carefully observed them as they passed. Once they were inside, Mitsuhiko turned to Sasaki.

"Is he here?" He asked. Sasaki nodded and indicated a man already hard at work uprooting a small bush. He wore black coveralls and had a bag on the ground nearby overflowing with hand tools.

"Thank you, Sasaki," Mitsuhiko said "We'll take it from here." He quickly phoned Genta and asked when Sato would arrive.

"Sato-san is out of the building, according to Kubota. Won't be back all day." Was the answer. "I think we ought to take him in ourselves. We can hand deliver him to the precinct."

"Legally speaking, we have no rights to detain him." Mitsuhiko said "He's not a suspect and therefore we can't arrest him as citizens."

"Don't start with me, bengoshi," Genta growled.

"I'll stay here and watch him." Mitsuhiko said, "He's not getting away."

"You can't stay there all day, he'll know something is up. We'll go in shifts." Genta said. Mitsuhiko agreed and hung up.

The weather had brought cold and clouds. The forecast didn't predict rain but the air was heavy and damp. It seemed as if the whole world would be caught in a downpour any minute. Genta took the next shift, then Ayumi, then Shinichi, then Kogoro. By the afternoon, Mitsuhiko was gone again. They'd called Sato's office and cell phone several times to no avail. The four left at the office decided to have their lunch in the café downstairs. Just as they all settled into the table, Ayumi's phone rang.

"Guys! He's leaving. He must be done for the day." Mitsuhiko said in a frantic hush "Where the hell is Sato? We're going to lose him!"