Batman/Detective Conan crossover 63-62

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The Detective Prince

Chapter 63

Search Begins

He decided to stay put, watching as those who stood around him took off into the direction of where the scream had come. As he waited he looked over his shoulder to see the young man he had tried using his stun gun on was now gone.

"I wonder where he ran off to," Conan thought. "I didn't see him follow any of the others."

He carefully made his way through the crowd, not wanting to bump into anyone like he had just a few minutes ago. While walking he glimpsed up toward the rooftop to see the sniper had taken off from where he had been.

"Figures," Conan remarked before facing forward. "Now to find out what all this commotion is all about."

It didn't take long for him to slide his way past those in his way, coming to the center of it all a short time later. He looked down to the ground to see him laying there with his left hand clutched to his chest.

"That's the man with the eye patch." Conan said racing forward.

He came to a stop once reaching the body, immediately checking for a pulse with the feel of his wrist.

"No good," Conan said with the shake of his head. "I didn't hear any shots fired, so that must mean the sniper didn't make a move."

He then checked for any kind wounds, which was quickly ruled out after a fast examination of the body. He then focused his attention to his eyes, noticing a darkening tint in his right eye in comparison to the left.

"I wonder what that's supposed to mean," Conan thought moving in for a closer look. "Could he have been poisoned?"

Someone whistled out from behind which caused him to turn around, watching as a security guard made his way toward him.

"What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure to tell you the truth." Conan replied.

"Did anyone see what happened to this man?"

Everyone shook their head in response to his question. He then looked back down at Conan who did the same in return.

"Alright kid, I'll take over from here."

"Of course." Conan said before stepping aside.

He looked toward the roof for a final time as he made his way back toward the light pole where he had been minutes prior.

"The gunman is probably long gone by now, but what was he doing up there," Conan said before finding a spot to lean. "And what about that woman who used me to get in here, I wonder if she had anything to do with."

He took a couple moments to scour the area from where he stood. There was no sign of her. He then looked toward the small stage, catching sight of someone heading his way. He couldn't tell who it was at first, pushing away from the pole as they neared.

"That's the guy with the glasses I encountered," Conan thought. "But why is he heading toward me?"

The sun reflected bright from the sides of his glasses as he approached. Conan kept a straight face as he closed in with each step, looking up at him after he came to a stop.

"Hey there little guy, you dropped something."

"I did?" Conan questioned.

"Here you go."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the glasses he had lost earlier.

"Thanks," Conan said taking them into his hand. "How did you find them, let alone know they were mine?"

"I try keep a watchful eye out," He replied. "I know how important glasses can be, in more ways than many may think."

"I defiantly know what you mean." Conan said sliding them back into place.

"So what's your name kid?"

"Conan."

"Conan huh, that's not one you hear very often," He said with a smile. "So what are you doing here all alone, I haven't seen you with anyone since you arrived."

"That's because my mom dropped me off," Conan came up with. "I'm here to meet a family friend."

"Funny that you say, I'm here to meet with a friend as well."

The steps were calm and set, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. They quickly turned at the sound of someone coming to a stop to the side of them.

"Hopefully this whole incident hasn't ruined the day for either of you."

"Tim." Conan said looking up.

"Long time no see, Shinichi," Tim said removing his hands from his jacket. "I see you've met one of my friends, my best one at that."

"Your best friend?" Conan said turning back to the man next to him.

"That's right." He said with the tip of his glasses.

"So what's your name?"

"Conner," He replied. "Conner Kent."

The next moment they were joined by the security guard who had previously been monitoring the front gate.

"Did any of you happen to see what that man was doing before he collapsed," The officer asked. "We're trying to clear things up as much as we can."

"I might be able to help," Conan said with the raise of his hand. "I saw him a little before he fell over."

"Right this way," The officer instructed. "I'm going to need you to write down everything you saw."

He nodded in compliance.

"Be right back guys."

With that he and the security guard made their way over to a small table a few feet away from the stage.

"He told me his name was Conan," Conner said. "But I heard you call him Shinichi, isn't that the name of that detective you met in Japan?"

"Yep."

"So, is this him?"

"Yep."

"But I thought you said you were cutting rope between you."

"I had no idea he would be here, let alone he was in Gotham," Tim said cutting him off. "I've been watching him ever since he walked in past that gate."

"Well if it wasn't you who brought him here, then who?"

"Only one way to find out, and that's to ask him."

"Before I forget," Conner said reaching into his pocket. "I brought the disk, all the files you requested were imported just as promised."

"Thanks," Tim said placing the disk into his pocket. "I'll get started on it tonight."

"I have somewhere I need to be in the next three hours," Conner said turning to walk. "But I'll try and stop by tomorrow some time."

"Leaving so soon?"

"I would stay awhile longer, but I'm sure the two of you have a lot of catching up to do."

"Fair point."

He took a few steps forward before coming to a stop, turning back to face him for a second time.

"One last thing," Conner said. "Did you ever tell him about me?"

"Come again?"

"You know what I mean," Conner said slightly lowering his glasses. "Does he know?"

"Of course not," Tim replied. "You know I'd never tell anyone without coming to you first."

"I see."

"Did you want me to tell him?"

"I'd rather you didn't." Conner replied with a smirk coming upon his face.

"Why not."

"Let's see just how good he is," Conner remarked. "I don't see any harm in putting him to the test."

"Your call." Tim said smiling in response.

"Lets keep this between you and I," Conner said before turning to walk once again. "See you soon."

He left from there, heading back toward the gate. Over a minute past as he stood there, waiting for him to return. It wasn't for another two minutes that he finally made his way back over.

"Where'd your friend go?"

"He had somewhere to be, but you'll see him around," Tim replied. "So how'd things go over there?"

"The usual 'a' to 'b' type thing," Conan answered after coming to a stop. "But other than that, everything went smooth."

"I saw you watching someone from this spot earlier, care to tell me who it was?"

"There was a man on that roof there," Conan pointed. "He was watching over everyone with a rifle in hand, not sure what his intent was since he never opened fire."

"Did you write that in your report as well?"

"No, it would have complicated things even further," Conan replied. "And since I knew you would be here, I thought we could go check it out ourselves."

"So tell me, what exactly did you see?"

"The last time I saw him alive he was talking with the woman who posed as my mother to get in here." Conan informed.

"Someone posed as your mother," Tim questioned. "How'd you let that happen?"

"What can I say, she caught me off guard," Conan replied. "I couldn't hear what either of them were saying, but I did see him pull out a small remote."

"What kind of remote?"

"Can't really tell you," Conan replied. "I didn't get a very good look at it."

"Did he happen to still have it on him when you searched the body?"

"Not that I could tell," Conan replied. "I was to busy looking for a cause of death to really notice."

"Now the question becomes if that man on the roof had anything to do with it."

"Or woman," Conan stated. "I couldn't really tell with the full body suit they were wearing."

"I stand corrected," Tim said. "What do you say we go give that roof a look?"

"Don't you have a speech to conduct?"

"It's been pushed up until tomorrow, for obvious reasons," Tim said turning for the gate. "With any luck we'll gain some headway on what that person was doing there."

"And if we don't, there's also the police report," Conan added. "Once the cause of death is diagnosed we'll have more to go off of."

The two of them left from there, making their way past those who stood by. He searched the crowd as they walked, checking to see if he could catch sight of the hooded woman who seemed to have vanished after the whole thing erupted. They made their way past the gate, heading down the street toward the small building nearby. He looked up at him as they continued, taking a deep breath before speaking out.

"You're obviously trying to ignore it," Conan said. "I just want to know, how come you didn't let me know you would be leaving when you did?"

He took a few more steps before responding.

"Something came up, I didn't have time to explain."

"Not even enough time to say goodbye?"

"Look I'm sorry," Tim apologized. "I just thought things would be better this way."

"What do you mean by that?"

He didn't answer back for the first couple seconds, looking forward as they continued to walk.

"How about we discuss this later, I'd rather we focus on the task at hand."

Neither said a word as they came to the end of the street, crossing over to the other side after all was cleared. He lead them to the left side of the building instead of walking in through the front door which caused for question.

"Where are we going," Conan asked. "We already passed the entrance."

"We're taking the side door," Tim replied. "The elevator won't take us all the way up to the roof, but the stairs will."

"How do you know that," Conan asked. "Have you been here before?"

"Twice to be exact," Tim confirmed. "I was actually here when they finished construction."

"How long ago was that?"

"About three weeks now."

They made their way around the building a short time after, coming to find a door which lead to a set of stairs just like he had said. The lights along the walls lit their path as they made their way up the stairwell. He felt a slight burnes in his left leg after passing the first three floors, looking up to see they didn't have much further to go.

"Don't see why we couldn't have used the elevator for part of the way up."

They arrived to the top a short time later, pushing the door to the side to be greeted by a flash of light from the sun above. They walked out onto the roof, closing the door behind them.

"Now that we're here, do you think you can pin point where the snipers position was?"

"Somewhere in that general area." Conan pointed.

He lead him over to the right side, coming to a stop after reaching the railing which surrounded the whole roof. Tim looked down at the site from where he stood, getting a good view of most everything across the way.

"Not a bad spot," Tim commented. "Ideal for targeting anyone who was there for the pre opening of the gym."

"What about the tree," Conan questioned. "Can you see past the tree limbs."

He took a look himself, coming to find there was no clear view of the grounds beyond the leafs upon the tree.

"You can't see anyone who may be standing under that tree from here."

"I see where you're going with this," Tim said looking down at him. "You think the shooter was aiming for the guy who collapsed."

"The shooter went missing as soon as he was found dead," Conan stated. "I think that calls for more than coincidence."

"No shots were heard, nor did we find any bullets at the scene," Tim said. "That leaves us with just that mystery woman you ran into."

"And I don't think we're going to gain any extra ground unless we find her, or until we find out the cause of death of our eye patched friend."

They stood there for awhile longer, continuing to look over the site across the roadway. Just as he lowered his hands from the railing he caught sight of something, causing him to move in closer.

"You said they finished construction three weeks ago right?"

"That's right."

"What about this railing," Conan asked. "How long ago was this painted?"

"That was one of the last things they completed," Tim said. "I'd say the paint was added to the railing roughly a week ago, why do you ask?"

"Look here," Conan pointed out. "I came across a small print here, it almost looks as if something was resting here for a period of time."

"Like a rifle perhaps?"

"That's what I had in mind," Conan said giving the mark a harder look. "There's not much to make out, but I think there's a small sequence of numbers here."

"Don't stop there," Tim said coming to his side. "What order are they in?"

"Let's see here," Conan said focusing in on the faint lettering. "We have a 3 followed by a 4 and a 5, finished with a hyphen and a 6."

"Great find." Tim complimented.

"Thanks," Conan said rubbing the back of his head. "But what exactly did I find?"

"If it's what I think it is, we might have just gained the serial number to the rifle used," Tim replied. "Or part of it for that matter."

"That means we can track the shooter down," Conan said. "But what if it is only part of the serial number, how do you plan on finding out the rest of it?"

"Process of elimination my friend," Tim said in response. "I have several ways of narrowing down the field."

"Then I'll leave that to you."

"What do you say we get going," Tim asked. "We're not goanna find out anything standing around here."

"Couldn't agree more."

With that the two of them made their way toward the door, heading down the stairwell they had come. They stood along the sidewalk after making it back to the streets, watching as several cars sped past from where they stood.

"So how long have you been here in Gotham?" Tim asked looking down at him.

"This is my second day here believe it or not," Conan replied. "And before you ask, I'm staying at Wayne Manor."

"How's that been?"

"Pretty good for the most part," Conan replied. "Though it would have been nice to have known about Damian ahead of time."

"What happened," Tim smilingly asked. "You two not getting along?"

"I don't think he likes me very much."

"Give it some time, he'll come around."

"The kid even put a sword to my neck," Conan exclaimed. "How am I supposed to react to that?"

"How did you greet him," Tim asked. "If there's one thing you should know, Damian hates being treated like a child."

"I was kind enough," Conan said. "But I think I pushed a nerve when I called him your little brother."

Tim laughed at this while reaching for his phone.

"Yep, that was your mistake."

"Do you two not get along or something?"

"That's an understatement."

"Has he ever tried coming at you with a weapon of any kind?" Conan asked removing his hands from his pocket.

"If only you knew." Tim said bringing the phone to his ear.

"Who are you calling?" Conan asked out of curiosity.

"You said you're staying at the manor, so I thought I'd call Alfred to come and give you a lift."

"Gotcha."

He stood in wait from there, listening to him talk on the phone which lasted for under a minute. He dropped his phone back into his pocket once finished.

"We won't have long to wait, he's on his way," Tim said turning to face him. "In the meantime why don't you tell me about that woman you met."

"That's the thing," Conan said. "I really don't know anything, all she did was thank me before kissing me on the cheek."

"What about her face," Tim asked. "Did you get a good look at her?"

He took a few moments to rehash all the events leading up until now, looking up at him after doing so.

"She had red hair," Conan began. "And green eyes if I'm not mistaken, but she had a hood over her head so it made it hard to really tell."

"How tall would you say she was?"

He stood there for the next few seconds, giving it some thought before responding.

"5' 7", 5' 9" at most," Conan replied. "Not sure if that helps much."

"It's a start," Tim said. "And that's all we need."

The two of became quiet from there, remaining that way for the next five minutes. He knew it was his move to make, watching as a few more cars glided by before looking down to face him.

"So, how's everyone been back home?"

"Not bad I guess," Conan replied. "Everything's been pretty normal if you want to call it that."

"That's good to know," Tim said. "On another note... how'd everyone else take my departure?"

"Do you really want to know?" Conan asked giving him a look.

"Probably not."

"Let's just say I took it fairly well in comparison to most of the others."

"I guess I do owe you an explanation."

"That's all I've been waiting to hear," Conan said. "So tell me, what happened when you confronted Deadshot that night?"

He looked to the sky after taking a deep breath, releasing just as smoothly before looking down to face him once more.

"There's a reason why Katina didn't show up at Space Inc," Tim informed. "That's because she had already fled Japan."

"Why's that," Conan asked. "Did Katina know she was being targeted?"

"That's right," Tim nodded. "Still don't know how she found out."

"Do you know where she is now?"

"That's the million dollar question," Tim replied. "We're still working on that."

"So what happened when you confronted Deadshot, did he know she had already left?"

"I don't know for sue, by the time I reached him he used a pair of smoke bombs to escape," Tim said. "Unknown to him he unintentionally dropped a slip of paper."

"What was on this paper?"

"A list of names, the names of his next targets," Tim informed. "Turns out I was on the higher end of that list."

"So that's why you left?"

"I couldn't put you or anyone else at risk."

"I don't understand," Conan said. "If that's the reason, then why didn't you just tell me?"

He looked into his eyes after not receiving an answer, crossing his arms as he took a step forward.

"You're hiding something, I can already see it," Conan said. "It's like you gave me half of the truth and twisted up the rest of the story to fit your platform."

"That's not true."

"Then how come you never called," Conan asked. "You must have had a reason."

"I.."

The sound of a car coming to a stop along the street from where they stood could be heard, causing them both to turn around. The door swung open a couple seconds later, the two of them surprised to see who it was.

"Bruce," Tim questioned. "I thought Alfred was the one who would be on his way here."

"I received a call from him after the meeting at Wayne Enterprises," Bruce informed. "And since I was driving down this way I decided I'd make the pickup myself."

He opened the passenger door, allowing for Conan to step in.

"Are you coming with us?" Conan asked strapping the seat belt into place.

"I would, but I have some things I need to attend to in the next hour or so," Tim replied. "But I'll try and be over as soon as I can."

"Sit tight, we'll be leaving momentarily." Bruce said.

He closed the door to the car from there, turning back to Tim who still stood there.

"You and I need to have a talk."

"About what?" Tim asked.

"I've got the name of the man who's been handling the shipments of the weapons that have been being imported in," Bruce informed. "Turns out this guy has some outside help."

"How big are we talking?"

"Internationally."

"No surprise there, that would explain the rate their group is operating at," Tim said. "So what's this guy's name."

"They're calling him Alfrez Tulak," Bruce replied. "The good news is he's currently here in Gotham."

"Which means we need to find him," Tim said. "Any current leads."

"Not much, but I'll give you the full scoop when me meet tonight."

"Sounds good," Tim said before glimpsing over at the car door. "So, what do you think of him?"

"Nothing short of expected," Bruce said turning for the driver side. "But we'll see."

He made his way around the car from there.

"We'll see," Tim thought. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He sat in silence, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He sat back after turning it on, checking the time in the process.

"It's ten after five here," Conan thought. "Still much too early to call Haibara about those names I had her run a search on."

He looked up at the sound of the driver side door opening, watching as Bruce took a seat aside him.

"How's your day been thus far?"

"Not as expected," Conan admitted. "But entertaining none the less."

"That's good," Bruce said turning the key into the ignition. "There's something important I'd like to discuss with you."

He sat up straight, giving him his full attention.

"Ok, I'm listening."

To Be Continued

This is an interesting read and kinda funny to picture it. Will definitely have to start at the beginning.

The Detective Prince

Chapter 64

Two Sided

They drove along side the walkway, coming to a stop after reaching a street light at the end of the block.

"I've been keeping tabs on that episode that occurred in Japan a couple months ago, the one that involved those murdered officers," Bruce began. "I haven't seen anything related to the matter in the recent police reports."

"And you're wondering if I've heard anything since then, right?"

"Have you?"

"Sorry, but no," Conan replied with the shake of his head. "After that last incident that occurred at the warehouse, there have been no more deaths in relation to that note leaving killer."

"Which raises the question why," Bruce said. "Why did they choose to end their spree when they did?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem rather strange," Conan said. "What prompted them to stop, it's not like the police were closing in on them."

"What about the blade that was used to cut the bodies," Bruce asked. "Do you know exactly what was used?"

"It's been documented as a sword."

"What kind of sword?"

"Don't know to tell you the truth," Conan replied. "Does it really matter?"

"In a case like this, everything matters," Bruce stated. "Finding out the type of the sword used might point to a deeper meaning."

"You mean like a hidden clue?"

"Potentially," Bruce said as the light turned green. "I'll try and have the answer by tomorrow morning."

They moved on from there, taking a right at the intersection. He looked out the window as they drove by, not recognizing anything in the surrounding area.

"Where are we going?" Conan asked while turning in his seat.

"Short cut."

They drove through a dark tunnel, which took under a minute for them to make it out to the other side. Minutes passed as they continued on, making their way to the road leading up the hill side. They arrived at Wayne Manor after several minutes, bringing the car to a halt after passing by the gate. The two of them stepped, heading up the fleet of stairs toward the front door.

"So tell me," Bruce said as they walked. "Would you be interested in a tour of the city tonight?"

"How can I say no to that," Conan replied. "What time are we talking?"

"Anytime after six I suppose," Bruce said giving it some thought. "I'll give Dick a call, he shouldn't be too busy tonight."

"What about you," Conan asked. "Aren't you going to come along?"

"I would, but I have enough on my agenda as it is."

They walked past the front door, closing it once in.

"It's quiet in here," Conan said looking around. "Where is everyone?"

"They're around somewhere," Bruce said walking forward. "Things are usually like this around mid day from time to time."

"Where are you going?"

"To the study," Bruce replied. "If you need me, I'll be in there."

"Thanks for the heads up."

He watched him walk through the door to the study, looking down at his watch to check the time.

"Have awhile until six, and it's still too early to call her," Conan thought. "That just leaves some extra time in between."

He headed to the left as well, making his way into the large book room. Where to begin became the question. He made his way down the first row, not finding something of interest until reaching the far side.

"A book on the cities architectural features," Conan said bringing it into hand. "Maybe I could learn a thing or two."

He made his way toward the large desk to the right side of the room. Once there he stepped around the desk, taking a seat into the soft cushioned chair before opening the book. He sat there for a time to come, flipping through one page to the next. This lasted for a time to come. It wasn't until the sound of someone entering the room that he finally looked up from the book.

"He said I might find you in here," Damian said from the side of the door. "So is this what you do during your spare time?"

"Sometimes," Conan answered. "I try to get in a good read every so often."

"Why am I not surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He brushed off his remark, sitting up from where he leaned.

"Why are you here anyway?"

"My father wishes to speak with you."

"About what?" Conan asked setting the book aside.

"To let you know Grayson will be here soon," Damian replied. "Supposedly he's taking you out on a tour of the city."

"That's right," Conan said dropping down from the chair. "Is he already on his way?"

"Don't know, but I'd get ready," Damian replied before reopening the door. "He should be here any minute now."

"Where's Bruce?" Conan asked stepping forward.

"In the study."

With that he made his way out, letting the door slide shut from behind. He checked the time on his watch to find that it was nearly six thirty, feeling a little surprised that he had been in the book room for that long. He left the room as well, heading straight for the study once out. He gave the door a few knocks, not receiving a response in return.

"I thought Damian said he was in here."

He knocked two additional times only to receive the same results. He quietly pushed the door aside from there, walking in in to find no one in sight.

"Looks like I may have just missed him," Conan said turning back for the door. "Maybe he's up stairs."

He made his way out, coming to a stop after reaching the bottom of the stairs. The sound of a car parking from outside could be heard, immediately grabbing his attention. He walked up to the front door, pulling it to the side to see him step out of the car.

"I see they notified you I'd be coming," Dick said heading his way. "You about ready to go?"

"Of course," Conan said in response. "Since that ride earlier I've been easing it back here for most of the day."

"Then I guess this makes for perfect timing," Dick said. "But before we go I'd like to talk to you about something."

"It's about earlier isn't it, Tim told you what happened didn't he?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dick said. "Is it something I should know, if so fill free to share."

"You first."

"Have it your way," Dick said stepping past him. "Why don't we head inside, this will only take a minute."

He followed him back into the house, the two of them walking past the door to the right of the kitchen which lead into the dinning room. Conan was the first to take a seat around the large table, watching as Dick placed a folder in front of him.

"What's this?"

"Some much needed headway," Dick informed. "Why don't you take a look inside."

He did as suggested, pushing the top of the folder to the side to lay his eyes upon several different test results.

"What's all this?"

"That's what was gained after running tests on several of the victims who died from those heart attacks," Dick informed. "High amounts of zinc, copper, ore, and galena were found in each of their bodies."

"All components consistent within metallic lead," Conan said. "Is that what you were getting at?"

"You catch on fast," Dick commented having a seat in the chair next to him. "I'm impressed."

"That's one step taken, but we still need to find out what caused their conditions."

"Don't have a straight answer as of now," Dick said. "But what I can say is that it didn't have anything to do with inhaling."

"Their lungs were checked?"

"That's right," Dick replied with a nod. "All their lungs checked out clean for the most part, except for those few smokers of course."

"That just makes things that much more complex," Conan said stacking the sheets of paper back into place. "Besides inhaling, there's not too many other ways you can get lead poisoning of this magnitude into your body."

"True, but we still don't know if that's the main cause of death," Dick stated. "We have yet to discover what ultimately triggered those heart attacks."

"True."

"So what is it that happened earlier," Dick asked. "I'm curious to know."

"Where to begin," Conan said sorting everything through his mind. "It started after you drove off after dropping me at the corner."

"Did someone try attacking you?"

"Not exactly," Conan replied. "Some woman actually used me to get past security, with the use of that card you gave me of course."

"How did she know you had one?"

"Your guess is as good as the next, I still don't know the answer to that."

"So why did she follow you in?"

"Turns out she was there to meet someone," Conan informed. "Some weird guy who was wearing an eye patch over the side of his eye."

"Do you have any idea what they were meeting about?"

He shook his head in response.

"Couldn't get in close enough without looking suspicious," Conan replied. "But that's not even the top of the story."

"Can't wait to hear this." Dick said sitting up.

"That same man she was talking with ended up dead just minutes later after encountering her," Conan informed. "And to twist things up even further, there was a sniper on a building nearby."

"Was the sniper the one who killed him?"

"No, but the gunman could no longer be seen after our eye patched friend fell over," Conan replied. "The cause of death is still unknown at this point."

"What about the woman who was with him?"

"She took off sometime after I went to go alert others about the gunman," Conan replied. "Whether she had anything to do with his death is still a mystery at this point."

"Does Bruce know about this?" Dick asked.

"No, but Tim's already looking into a potential lead."

"That's a start." Dick said as his phone rang from inside his pocket.

He stood up from the chair as he pulled out the phone to see who it was, turning for the door.

"I'll be just a minute," Dick said walking forward. "Gotta take this call."

He left from there, letting the door slide shut from behind. Conan sat there for the next few minutes, tapping his finger to the top of the table. A dragging five minutes soon turned into ten. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not, dropping down from the chair in the seconds that passed.

"I wonder what the hold up is."

He made his way toward the door, the sound of his voice echoing through the wall, becoming more and more clear with each step. He pulled the door aside once reaching it, walking out to hear the last words of his conversation.

"I'm glad I was able to get ahold of you, if there are any problems remember to have have your mother call me," Dick said. "I'll make sure everything is cleared by tonight, hope to see you soon."

He hung up from there, looking down at Conan who stood at his side.

"Who was that?" Conan asked

"A good friend," Dick smilingly replied before dropping the phone into his pocket. "How about holding off on that tour until tomorrow some time, I have to go check on a couple flight times."

"I'm ok with that."

"That's good to hear," Dick said pushing away from the wall. "Then I'll see you then."

He followed him all the way to the front door, watching as he made his way out to the car.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Dick said turning back to face him after taking a few steps down the stairs.

"What made you make up your mind," Conan asked. "About bringing me here?"

"That was something I had already intended to do, it was only a matter of time," Dick replied. "It was actually a couple pictures that were taken of you and Tim that were laying across the table the other day that promoted me to do it now."

"Pictures," Conan thought. "I don't recall taking any pictures."

"Well I better get going," Dick said heading down the stairs once again. "See you tomorrow."

He waited for him to get into the car, watching as he drove off before walking back into the house. He headed to the book room from there, taking a seat behind the desk like he previously had. He stayed there for the next few hours, looking down at his watch as it ticked just past ten thirty.

"Not too much longer until eleven, which would make it around noon in Tokyo," Conan said pulling out his phone. "No better time than now."

He hit the speed dial button before laying back, listening to the sound of the ring as he waited.

"I was expecting you'd call sooner."

"Glad to hear you're in a better mood this time around Haibara," Conan teasingly said. "How has everyone else been doing?"

"I haven't seen any of them since the last time you were over," Ai replied. "But they're supposed to be over here in the next hour or so, would you like me to call back when they arrive?"

"I'll probably be asleep by then, but be sure to tell them I said hi," Conan said in response. "So what about the names, did anything out of the ordinary show up after running the search?"

"All were clean but one," Ai informed. "That one person being Frank Bennet, he was charged with robbery with the possession of a gun a few years back."

"Is he the man we saw at Space Inc?"

"They look nothing alike," Ai replied. "Whoever that guy was must have some how gotten in without having his name on the guest list."

"That puts us back at square one."

"What do you want me to do now?"

"There's not much we can do at this point, but if you happen to learn anything new be sure to let me know."

"When should I expect to hear from you again?"

"It really depends, but if you need to talk to me you're free to call me," Conan said. "Even if you don't think I'm awake."

"I see you've become flexible with your hours."

"You could say that, but only for this special occasion," Conan said. "I'm goanna let you go, but I'll talk to you later."

"I'll be here."

With that he hung up, lowering the phone from his ear before shutting it off.

"Now to get some rest."

He headed toward the door, switching off the light on his way out. The rest of the house was nearly pitch dark by this time, only the moon from outside the left window providing a clear path to the stairs.

"Has everyone already gone to bed," Conan thought. "It almost feels like I'm the only one here."

He made his way up the stairs after reaching them, heading straight to his after making it to the top.

Things remained relatively quiet throughout the night. The next morning was an early start for him, heading out of the room after getting dressed. He came across Alfred who just happened to be passing by.

"I didn't get the chance to see you before you went to bed last night," Alfred said stopping in his path. "Where were you for most of the night?"

"In the book room," Conan replied. "I guess I got caught up in what I was doing."

"That's fine, I'll just be sure to check there the next time I'm looking for you."

"Do you know where Bruce is by any chance," Conan asked. "There's something I wanted to talk to him about."

"Down in the study," Alfred informed. "He and Damian were looking over something last I checked."

"Thanks for letting me know," Conan said before walking that way. "If you need me that's where I'll be."

He checked the time on his watch after making his way past the first door.

"Ten forty eight," Conan thought. "Looks like I'm finally adjusting to the time change."

He made his way to the bottom of the stairs a short time later, heading straight into the study to find the two of them looking over something on the computer that sat upon the desk.

"Well look who it is." Damian said being the first to see him enter. "Did you have a nice sleep?"

"Not a single twitch," Conan replied before looking elsewhere. "Bruce, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

"If it's about what happened yesterday then there's no need," Bruce said. "Tim told me all about it last night."

"Guess he beat me to the punch," Conan said moving in. "So what is it the two of you of are looking over?"

"Something you wouldn't begin to be able to apprehend."

"That will be enough Damian," Bruce said shooting in. "That's no way to talk to our guests."

He muttered something before stepping off to the side.

"You can have a look if you'd like," Bruce said. "We were just going over some photos that were taken by a surveillance camera I had set up."

"What were you taking pictures of?" Conan asked stepping around the desk.

"Like I told you before," Bruce began. "I've been trying to track down the person whose been hosting the upbringing of this current weapons transport."

"Let me guess," Conan said. "You have a lead."

"Not just that, but a face to go with it."

"So who's the lucky guy?"

"It's actually a woman," Bruce said turning the screen his way. "Why don't you have a look."

He pushed up from where he stood, leaning up against the side of the desk to get a better view of the three pictures across the screen. It didn't take long for him to notice after giving the night club photos a look, almost immediately recognizing who it was.

"You can't really see her face with that hood over her head, but that's defiantly her," Conan said. "That's the same woman who I encountered yesterday."

"Are you positive?" Bruce asked.

"Certain."

"Looks like we'll get some answers from both ends."

"What do you mean?" Conan asked.

"She's helping with the weapons import and she was also there when that man dropped dead yesterday," Bruce said. "If all goes right, we'll have some answers from both sides."

"But how," Conan questioned. "We don't even know where she is."

"Don't get so far ahead of yourself Shinichi," Bruce said standing up from the chair. "There's always that chance that I know where she'll be tonight."

To Be Continued