Detective Conan FF: ♤The Poisoned Trio♤ (English)

Chapter 19 Dubonnet the NOC III

Bourbon and Ash, after any attempts to find Conan, tried to go to his house again, but only Ran and the children were there. Worried, they searched for him. "So, what do we do now?" hissed Ash to Bourbon in the car. The blond-haired one considered. "Go back to Minoru. I'm sure he's got a plan. If not...try to reach Gin. I need to...sort something out," he grumbled. Ash eyed their colleague suspiciously. They hadn't really lost track of a kid, had they? Reluctantly, Ash got out and went back to Minoru.

(Change of view)

Amuro waited a moment, then dialed the number. The key tones sounded like a melody...or a song. After a few seconds, a hiss sounded as if several audio tracks were being laid on top of each other. "Bourbon...nice to hear from you again...", Amuro could decipher an unclear voice. He had to swallow hard, goosebumps spreading down his spine.

"Yes...I have...news," Rei confessed. As much as it didn't want to. "You have news? Well then, I'm curious," the mysterious voice laughed. The blond hesitated for a moment. "I have identified Dubonnet as Noc. He was immediately...eliminated," Bourbon whispered. There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Very good...very good work Bourbon...we'll talk," the caller ended the call with satisfaction. Amuro looked at the cell phone in his hand for a moment. "I hope you're out there somewhere, Nick".

♠♠♠

Ash flung her jacket into a corner and dropped onto the bed. A few seconds later, Minoru also rushed into the room. "Ash! Are you alright!", worriedly he looked at the girl. "Just a few scratches Grandpa," she mumbled, pressing her face into the pillow. Minoru sat down on the bed with her. "What happened?" he wanted to know. The girl remained silent. "Ash, what happened there? What about Nick!" he huffed. Ash slowly turned around. For a while, she stared at Minoru. "He's...a NOC" she replied.

But she didn't say it full of anger...no...more like disappointed. As if that fact had hurt her. Minoru wanted to put his hand on her but decided against it. "Is he really dead?" the man whispered. Ash seemed to be thinking.

"Yes" was all she said, then turned back to the wall. Chardonnay couldn't believe it. It had happened so quickly. Just like that. Nick...was dead. "I'm sorry," Minoru muttered, even though he knew that statement would do purely no good. He paused at the door for a moment, then left Ash alone in the room. The girl stroked her hand listlessly over the wall and sighed.

He really was a NOC. A rat. A liar.

Slowly she turned to the window and looked at the gray sky. Her thoughts circled around his last words. He didn't hate her. But she hated him. Was that true? With her hand she pulled at the ceiling, suddenly she felt cold. Her thoughts kept circling; she saw Nick fall into the water. He had died. Died even though he had never hated her.

She was a bad person...wasn't she? Images from her childhood flashed, moments with her parents. I wonder what Nick had felt...the last time he saw her? A tiny tear rolled down her cheek.

Maybe there was more to it than that. But now...now nothing mattered. It was over. She would never know.

♠♠♠

It was wet. Her clothes were soaked with it. But it wasn't water. No, it was dark red. Her hands were full of it too. It was blood. Blood?

There was blood everywhere. The girl with brown hair looked around in a blur. What had she done? Where were her parents? What had happened here? The girl recognized a marble staff in her hands. She began to tremble. Then the front door opened and a slender person emerged. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered in the hallway light. Her gaze lingered on the girl. The poor girl looked sad and shocked to the floor. Then a thin smile flitted across her lips.