The Missing Bullet

[Vermouth]

Chris's eyes narrowed as she gazed at Yuusaku when she heard his realization: did he really expect her to be concerned for a large group of people? Chris's involvement indicated that there were others aside from Shinichi involved that she cared about enough for her to risk her own position due to the severity of the issue. The organization would have had a field day if they discovered that she was cooperating with cops.

But that was beside the point.

The executive expected those inquiries from the novelist and merely shrugged. "My hunch is that he has a vendetta against Mouri Kogoro," she began as she entered the home. "But he claimed I missed the mark when I gave him the ultimatum. He's hardly a threat and his techniques are mediocre."

She wouldn't provide him with an answer concerning those three. She really didn't know the level of their involvement as the house was empty when she arrived. For all she knew, maybe that was how her Silver Bullet's kidnapper managed to place bombs in the home—by getting rid of them. She wasn't about to provide Yuusaku with false hope.

"I take it you're alone? Where'd you like to begin?" She'd let him lead on this. Chris was already intrusive but for all the right reasons, but Chris wasn't sure if Yuusaku was prepared to let her investigate the upstairs bedrooms. She wouldn't blame him either.

[Kudo Yuusaku]

No, he did not at all, which was why he had said that in the first place; and whoops, sorry Vermouth, deepest apologies for him failing to become psychic and being unaware that cops were in the matter. For all he knew, the only ones involved could be Ran and the detective boys and it was entirely within the realm of possibility that Vermouth would have pulled herself in because she had to keep up a front.

“An ultimatum?” He inquired, stepping in and not bothering to put on slippers. Her not answering the question was enough to give him an idea of what the situation was-- as his mind also slipped into imagining the worst possible situation. Chris Vineyard didn’t know, or she would have given him an answer. How had the kidnapper installed bombs in the house in the first place, anyhow? How hadn’t Kaito or Yukiko noticed? Or even Okiya, for that matter… He couldn’t think of an excuse where all of them were out of the house, but he supposed it was possible.

“And no, I’m with Chikage, actually.” Yuusaku said, nodding at the door, then turned his gaze at the woman and gave her a cursory glance. “I’ll search the upstairs floors. Perhaps you can search the bottom?” He said hesitantly. If her words were true, then splitting up would be quick work, no matter how he didn’t want to do it.

Where was Chikage, speaking of? She could help. (The empty house also seemed too convenient.)

“But before we start, just a quick inquiry-- Just exactly why are you involved?”

[Vermouth]

"Yeah," Chris said coolly and then shrugged. "He thought I was one of your son's friends when I talked to him using their voice. I gave him a scare to see if he'd slip. He's got this whole thing planned it seems, but I'm not impressed…the only impressive thing he's done so far today was make this house one of his chosen locations."

She crossed her arms as she began to look around the mansion; the place was similar to how she remembered it when she knew the Kudos as Sharon Vineyard. Not even she bothered to put on slippers, for all they knew they'd be up and at another location depending on the number of bombs the home had.

The mention of Chikage actually caught the executive off-guard. Granted, she knew that the Little Dove was residing at the Kudo household, but Chris wasn't expecting the Mother Dove to visit with Yuusaku. His next question was inevitable and she knew she couldn't avoid it, what if he slipped and revealed who she was in front of someone?

"The Mouris think I'm a client," Chris responded vaguely. "Long story short, I was in the shower when your son was kidnapped. I heard a ruckus and went to check it out after I got out, and Ran-san insisted on getting involved in this. Neither of the teens knew how to defuse explosives. The police think I learned how to do this stuff from films and I had to teach them. I don't have to instruct you, do I?"

Chris turned to face him, only to notice figures walking up to the home. They'd wasted enough time and Chris wasn't in the slightest mood to give anyone else a briefing, gazing towards Yuusaku as if hinting for him to deal with them in order for her to go off and look for bombs herself.

"And while you're upstairs, you don't mind grabbing something of Yukiko's for me to use, do you? I can't be walking around like this and I've already borrowed that boy's hat. It's bad enough the police know that I'm part of this; I don't need any more bystanders knowing that I'm involved. She's got to have at least a woman's wig lying around." Chris figured that her own request was understandable given her situation, she was already going out of her way to help the Kudos locate their son.

[Mouri Ran]

Ran assured Takagi-keiji that she wasn’t moving anywhere before thanking him and ending the call. They were going to pick her up in a few minutes and she had very little information to share. Not good. But she doubt anyone knew where Chris went and she was probably the last person to see her around, hence she had the most information next to Chris herself about the kidnapper. When the two officers arrive at the scene, Ran had to tell them everything she knew, which wasn’t that much.

She gave off a sigh. So far her plan of helping wasn’t going well. Her mind didn’t want to wander around too much and think about all the things that Conan could have gone through by now, but she couldn’t stop it. It had been hours already.

Conan-kun’s a smart kid. He’ll manage until help gets there. He had to hold on.

Onegai… she prayed.

And just in time, she was sure that it was Sato-keiji’s car that she was seeing. They were here already and hopefully she’d be able to help them. Ran met them by the car as soon as it stopped, her mind thinking of the right words to say to the pair.

“Takagi-keiji, Sato-keiji, thank you for coming here. Chris-san left a few minutes ago without saying anything after that phone call with the kidnapper,” Ran started. “Have you heard any news from your end?”

[Takagi Wataru]

Takagi nearly stumbled out of the car, head still reeling from his close proximity to Sato-san. It wasn’t for a very long while, but it was still long enough to make him into a fool. But he had to get his thoughts back on track -- this was about Conan-kun, not his misadventures in the land of unrequited love.

Ran-san was waiting.

He looked up at the girl as she started to talk and briefly explain what had happened on her end. Chris Vineyard had already left? Really?

Takagi tried not to let the dejection on his face show too much.

“She already left, huh… that’s a shame,” he shook his head. “I was kinda, haha… you know... hoping to get an autogra--”

A burst of static came from behind him, from within Sato-san’s car, effectively cutting him off and catching his attention. It took only an instant for him to realize what exactly that static was and what it meant, and before anyone else could act, he instantly bolted towards the source.

Fumbling with the radio as soon as he could get his hands on it, he tried making contact.

“Hello?” Feminine voice on the other end -- he knew that voice. “Miyamoto-san?” Miyamoto Yumi, Sato-san’s best friend and confidant. She teased him a lot sometimes too, but it wasn’t as if they were also friends. And also a traffic cop, which seemed to be proving helpful right about now.

Takagi narrowed his eyes as he listened to the report on the other end. From what he was hearing, Miyamoto-san was going to have a field day with it. Though it could be worth reporting to the others, as well.

Quickly thanking the female officer before making his way out of the car, he turned back to Sato-san and Ran-san with an anxious look on his face. “Apparently there’s a car speeding down the highway clocked at ninety miles per hour… think it’s relevant to our interests?”

[Hakuba Saguru]

Unaware of the complete story behind all of the shenanigans is one Hakuba Saguru, teenage detective and foreigner, checking his watch as the late afternoon wears on. It was nearly tea-time again, but despite his personal feelings, there were some situations in which tea had to wait. It was one of those moments, presently, which always had a toll on his small and weary smile, but what else was there to do when you had a bomb in your hands and no clear picture as to why it was out and about in the first place?

Fortunately, the presence of a police car ahead gave the walking detective a heading, and he carried the diffused and now (mostly) harmless beastie in gloved hands and a series of evidence bags, all carefully labelled and stacked for efficiency. All that he had to do, likely, was report the hazardous weapon to the authorities, who would then get the word out through proper channels, and it would be taken care of by those with more experience -- though he’d been quite handy with the work, if he did say so himself. Honestly, he would have just called it in had he not seen the car in the first place and, oh, wouldn’t you know it?

“Ah, Sato-san, Takagi-san, how fortunate!” A pause. They were busy, of course, but he could wait, approaching with volatile cargo in hands. He gave a nod to Ran once he got closer, smile changing suddenly to a warm and affectionate one. “And Mouri-chan, as well. Pleasure to see you again…” The smile faded and gave way to a look of concern. “Though, something tells me from your expression that circumstances could be improved… Dare I ask?”

[Mouri Ran]

"A speeding car?" Ran wondered. "Could it be Chris-san?" But she wondered why the actress would be speeding at ninety miles per hour. True that she must be used to driving fast vehicles when filming stuff like that for movies and that they shouldn't be wasting time at this moment, but still, the speed bordered the limit. And why was she in such a hurry? Could it be related to what the kidnapper said over the phone? Was Conan-kun in trouble? Was that why she was simply left there alone, to be able to rescue him on time?

"Ne, Takagi-keiji, did they mention where the car was heading?" She inquired. They needed to help if that was really the car that the actress drove. There was no way Chris-san could manage this on her own. The Police could assist her in taking down the kidnapper when he was found. Not to mention she needed to make sure Conan-kun was safe. What was she thinking in the first place when she said nothing about the conversation on the phone?

Too deep in her thoughts, Ran almost failed to notice an approaching figure until he stood right in front of them. She stared at the familiar face but somehow her clouded mind took a few more seconds to register and place a name with it.

"Hakuba-kun," she greeted with a slight hint of unsureness. "What are you doing here?" Because what a coincidence that another high school detective would be around the area at a time like this.

[Okiya Subaru]

Okiya adjusted his glasses, watching the woman in front of him withdraw her single piece of luggage from the trunk of the car. As he did so, he began to think of other topics of conversation that could shed some light on the current situation. The event unfolding in front of the house piqued his curiosity like no other. Only information could sate his desire to learn more.

A question aimed at him was fired, in which Okiya turned back to face the lady standing next to him.

“Mhmm, I occupy one of the rooms here. Houses last longer when someone's living in them, so I provide all the necessary upkeep for it while its current occupants are out."

At this point, he figured he had discussed enough about his background for the time being. Right now, he needed information about the two figures at the doorway (especially the silver-blonde haired one).

“Sorry, I forgot to properly introduce myself,” he said as he gave her a slight bow. “Subaru Okiya, 27 years old and currently undergoing graduate studies. And you are…?”

[Kuroba Chikage]

So he was who she had originally suspected. He presented himself in a demeanor that was expected for someone who she presumed was an intellectual and likely within Yuusaku's circle.

"So then you're the one that Yuusaku mentioned." Chikage responded, pleased to know that it wasn't a random visitor at the Kudo household. She noted that it was bustling with activity lately now that Yukiko was home with Kaito and Aoko, but admittedly, Chikage wasn't entirely sure if she was willing to deal with that today. The plane ride was rather draining with the long conversation she held with Yuusaku and she hoped to get upstairs and take a nap.

"I'm Kuroba Chikage, Kaito's mother," she casually greeted. "He's been staying here since I've been traveling abroad. I'm here to visit. Hopefully he hasn't been too much trouble." She laughed, knowing how troublesome Kaito and Aoko could be under one roof.

She gestured lightly as an indication that she was about to start heading inside, closing the trunk and strolling her suitcase along the sidewalk and up to the gate. It was a little odd that Yuusaku spent most of his time at the doorway rather than heading upstairs what appeared to be a mutual agreement to walk inside. She arched a brow, wondering just what was up. Were they actually expecting company?

[Kudo Yuusaku]

There was so much more he could ask after-- What exactly were his terms? What exactly was this vendetta? Going after this man blindly wasn't the option, that was not what he did. Know the perpetrator, anticipate their movements. He was a writer in the end; what drove this scene? What drove this character? The metaphorical crystal ball was easily readable once you knew the answers.

Why had he kidnapped Conan Edogawa and not Mouri Kogoro himself? Make him feel the same pain as losing sombody? Conan was easily known as Mouri Kogoro's 'assistant' and the fact that they lived under one roof was hardly a confidential fact.

But then why was Mouri Kogoro not in this scene?

What was the point of this whole chapter if the main subject wasn't here? If he had his way, he would have edited this out of life; however, he was neither a god or a editor.

He'd derived from the other actress's words that the police and Ran was involved; he was not too sure on who exactly this other teen involved was. One of Shinichi's friends from school? Sonoko? Aoko?

Most likely...Hattori or Kaito. But Kaito should know how to defuse bombs if he was who he thought he was; and Hattori-kun...

He was not as sure.

"You don't," He said curtly in regards to her inquiry-- He'd helped out with the police before; defusing a bomb was indeed in his arsenal of things he knew how to do. He'd learned it partly out of intrigue and partly out to impress; would Sherock Holmes not know how to not defuse a bomb? He thought not.

The fact that Vermouth moved in with Shinichi was an anticipated surprise; after that heist, this was to be expected. He just didn't think that Vermouth would have stepped out herself to solve this problem in this manner.

He would have suggested that the actress go get the things herself but he wasn't quite going to allow her upstairs-- not with Okiya in the picture.

"Understood," Yuusaku sighed, in regards to her question about the wig. He hoped Yukiko indeed had some and it was in a place where it was easily visible; if not, he had to look through it anyway for bombs. Playing along for now would be wise. This wasn't a matter of pride when his son's life was in the literal crosshairs. He watched Chikage enter the gates in the distance also; why had she taken so long?

"I'll brief them, you search." He confirmed, then added dryly-- "I'd really not have my house blown up."