Three rounds of drinks in, the fan meetup shifted from group chaos to small clusters.
"Brother Mouri, I'm stepping out for a call. Wait for me!" Taku Maeda, over forty and tipsy, wobbled as he stood.
"Hurry back!" Kogoro, face red, tie and one sock missing, shouted before resuming his chat.
"Dad, really…" Ran found the tie and sock under the table, stuffing them into her bag without complaint.
Tsuneo polished off his plate. Expensive food tasted good but was too small.
The long table wasn't a total mess, but no scraps remained to scavenge. He'd grab something on the way home.
"Mr. Aso, you're a doctor?" a girl asked Narumi.
"You don't look like one—more like a student!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
Narumi, beside Conan, blushed under the girls' attention. His looks and doctor status outshone a certain repairman.
"Stealing the spotlight?" Conan, escaping via bathroom break, smirked at Tsuneo.
"Heh," Tsuneo rolled his eyes.
You don't know how much attention I get in Mihama Town.
A college-aged girl in a short skirt sat beside him. "You a Yoko Okino fan too?"
Tsuneo, ribbon screaming "Go Yoko," turned and lifted Conan. "This is my son."
"…" The girl bolted.
"…" Conan noticed eyes on him. This guy's using me as a shield?!
…
Ten minutes later, a piercing female scream interrupted the chatter.
Footsteps clattered on the wooden corridor; voices buzzed.
"Someone's dead! Call the police!"
Conan's radar pinged. Like a wolf scenting blood, he slipped on his shoes and bolted.
Tsuneo propped his chin, staring at the ceiling.
The Grim Reaper might be late, but never absent.
"Dad, something's happened! Conan's already out there!" Ran grabbed the tipsy Kogoro, rushing out.
"Mr. Tsuneo, aren't we going?" Narumi asked.
"Nope," Tsuneo said, shaking his head. He stood, ushering gawkers back inside.
…
"Why's it always you?" Officer Megure sighed, facing the boozy Kogoro.
A walking plague.
"The victim, Taku Maeda, president of Maeda Construction, organized this fan meetup," Officer Chiba, whom Tsuneo had met once, reported, flipping through his notebook. "Dead over thirty minutes, dagger through the left chest, instant death."
At the corridor's end, a half-open door led to an outdoor staircase platform where Maeda's body lay.
Megure eyed the dark alley behind the restaurant. "Check for witnesses or anyone seen fleeing."
Before Chiba could respond, a child's voice piped up.
"The killer likely returned to the restaurant. Look—Maeda's pants show drag marks. He and the killer were talking here, door closed. After the murder, the killer yanked the outward-opening door, shifting Maeda's body," Conan rambled, then froze as everyone stared. Scratching his head, he deflected. "Tsuneo-nii said that!"
"Exactly," Tsuneo said, stepping to the door, subtly pointing at Conan.
You owe me dinner.
"Tsuneo, my man!" Megure's tone softened. Tsuneo had helped crack two cases—reliable.
Chiba nodded, smiling in greeting. He'd caught a thief with Tsuneo's help.
"You found the body because the door was unlocked while delivering snacks upstairs?" Conan grilled the witness.
"Yes, the boss told me to bring appetizers," the waitress nodded.
"Anyone go downstairs before?"
"No. You were the only group upstairs, and we staff were chatting by the staircase…" She scratched her head, embarrassed.
The second floor had a bathroom—no one used the indoor stairs.
"Fleeing right after a murder would be dumb," Conan and Tsuneo said, turning to the dining room.
"What's your take?" Conan asked, hand on chin, thinking.
"Twenty-three people inside, minus us five and the victim, leaves seventeen. Who left thirty minutes ago…" Tsuneo, focused on eating, hadn't noticed.
Conan, swarmed by girls with Narumi, hadn't seen either.
"I found something interesting on the outdoor stairs," Conan said, lips curling, glasses glinting in the dim corridor.
Tsuneo mourned the killer for two seconds. Bad timing, crossing this guy.
"Let me see," Tsuneo said, knowing Conan's habit of hiding evidence.
Conan rubbed a lump on his head, pointing at Kogoro talking to Megure. "It's in an evidence bag."
"You're young—taking hits builds character," Tsuneo said, tapping the bruise.
"By the way, I heard you and Ran bathed together?"
"How'd you know?!" Conan's face turned beet red.
"Can't wait for her to pound you like a telephone pole."
"Hungry? Want more food?" Conan blinked, offering a bank card.
(End of Chapter)
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