Hakuba opened the door at the top of the stairwell carefully, half expecting to set off another trap. Stepping through the doorway, he sighed in relief as no explosion of glitter, feathers, or dye occurred. Scanning his surroundings, Hakuba blinked in surprise as he saw the white figure leaning casually on a corner of the railing, looking out over the city.

"Enjoying the view, KID?" Hakuba bit out, the words sharper than he'd intended.

"It's rather limited, but lovely all the same," KID remarked as he turned to face the detective. "You look like you could use a break, Tantei-san."

"I'm fine, unlike Edogawa-kun," Hakuba said flatly, "who went missing after he was last seen at your heist." The Taskforce had exploded with rumors a few days after the last heist; Edogawa Conan had gone missing, with no clues or ransom demands from possible kidnappers. There was a still-ongoing debate amongst the officers whether the Kaitou KID had been responsible. Hakuba doubted the thief would harm Edogawa-kun, as all previous interaction seemed to indicate that the thief enjoyed his encounters with the elementary-school detective.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that, Tantei-san," KID responded, moving away from the railing, and Hakuba was careful to move with him, keeping the thief in sight. Division One had shared stories with the Taskforce of how many cases the child detective seemed to be involved in. Edogawa seemed to have numerous encounters with armed criminals, all of which had ended with the criminals arrested. Any situation that could keep the small detective from leaving any clues whatsoever had to be serious. And anything dangerous or shady enough to keep Edogawa from leaving hints would not be able to escape the thief's notice.

"You know something, KID." Hakuba frowned as he caught KID's hands make a strange motion. "You wouldn't be able to not notice something going on right at your own heist." As the motion repeated, he realized it was sign language. Watch.

"I already said I can't tell you, Tantei-san." KID's hand formed hurried signals as he spoke. Unfriendly eyes and ears, distraction, excuse needed.

"Can't or won't?" Hakuba asked, and glared at the thief's non-response. It shouldn't be possible for someone to be listening to their conversation…unless KID himself was bugged. His initial scan of the surroundings when he'd stepped out onto the roof hadn't revealed any presence except the thief, which meant either KID had seen something he hadn't, or…yes, now that he thought back, there had been a glint of something on the neighboring rooftop, just out at the edge of his vision. KID had maneuvered to be directly between Hakuba and that glint: their watcher(s?) would only see KID's back.

Tantei-kun alive not hurt.

'While that's good to know, it tells me nothing,' Hakuba thought, and snapped, "Explain yourself, KID." Hakuba was starting to think that KID was very much involved with Edogawa-kun's disappearance. If the boy's captors knew that KID knew about them…were they the ones behind KID on the rooftop? Why hadn't KID done something about them?

"You're the detective, Tantei-san," was KID's response, as he signed distraction emphatically.

Hakuba growled, and stepped forward, "You know where he is." When KID opened his mouth to respond, Hakuba began flinging accusations and theories at the thief without giving him a chance to reply, glaring furiously and thinking 'hurry up and tell me what I need to know'. He thought there was a flicker of relief in KID's eyes before the thief resumed his signed explanation.

Last heist, gunmen on the roof for ambush. Tantei-kun surprised, captured. Leverage against kid. Confirmed Tantei-kun alive. Unhurt rely on kid's behavior. Urgent- police watched, if gunmen discovered, threatened will kill Tantei-kun.

At this point Hakuba felt justified in reciting several of Nakamori-keibu's more creative curses. There was no possible way for him to take out a group of armed men and rescue Edogawa without police help while avoiding being seriously injured or killed. Even with KID and Edogawa potentially helping, he needed backup, preferably organized and more dangerous or more qualified (hopefully both) than the criminals, since it seemed likely KID would be kept away from Edogawa to keep the thief from pulling off a rescue.

KID had continued signing, and Hakuba mentally groaned at the apparently coded message. Tantei-kun's friend- small but scary. Message is 'badge and glasses' Hakuba frowned as KID stepped back towards the railing. Next heist soon- bring questions for Tantei-kun.

And then KID jumped over the railing, his white glider swiftly disappearing out of sight.

If you know sign language, forgive the abuse (I don't know more than finger-spelling). Pretend KID can modify the signs as necessary to convey the right meaning and keep any watchers from noticing anything.

This was kind of a prologue, the next chapter will jump back a bit to the previous heist.