[ Old ] Crossroad 『Detective Conan』

Chapter 68 - Behind the door

   A simple day at school had just gone by. No important discussion to have with anyone, no Conan trying to talk to his classmate again, to find out if she was better than yesterday, if she'd told Jinpei the rejection in particular. No pressure, just a moment to breathe in peace and quiet.
   Yoko would have liked to try again to convince Conan, but she didn't know what argument to use and since her tutor was telling her to forget Conan, she might as well do it.

   The young girl sat down on the sofa when she got home, not knowing what to do to keep herself occupied. She hadn't wanted to hang out with her friends, she just didn't feel like it. A bit of peace would do her a world of good, especially in view of the last few complicated days for her.
   Having no other choice, she turned on the television, without really watching it. At least it gave her some background noise...

   After what seemed like thirty minutes or an hour, someone knocked on the door. The former schoolgirl was surprised. It couldn't have been Jinpei...
   She approached the corridor leading to the entrance to stare at the door, pressing herself against the wall. She wondered who it could be, but she knew very well that opening it would be the worst possible idea.

   At any moment it could be Vermouth.

   Yoko took a few steps away from the wall, starting to get scared. If it really was Vermouth or any of his colleagues...
   No, she mustn't think about it. The most important thing was that she didn't open the door, thereby encouraging people to think that no-one was there.

   She shook her head to compose herself, turned off the TV and quietly made her way to her bedroom. It wasn't the best possible refuge in case of danger, but at least it reassured her.
   Perhaps she had become a little paranoid... But it was better than taking risks...

   The person at the door didn't leave. She just stood there for a moment, before leaning against the wall. There was nothing left to do but wait for someone to arrive...

   Jinpei climbed the last few steps of the building's staircase before moving into the corridor. He quickly noticed someone standing by the door and raised his eyebrows, intrigued and wary. It wasn't often that there was someone there...
   He put his hands in his pockets and approached the stranger, looking them up and down through his glasses. They was a woman with short blonde hair and wearing glasses. He had seen her before and knew it.
   The woman peeled herself off the wall when she saw the policeman.

   -What are you doing here? asked the man.
   The woman took out a card from her pocket with a badge indicating her affiliation, which caught Jinpei's eye.
   -Jodie Starling, FBI. You live with a little girl called Tomura Yoko, don't you?

   The FBI, in Japan... Deep down, Jinpei wasn't surprised. After all, he knew that one of their agents had been killed according to Yoko, which testified to their presence in that country...
   But why come to his house? And above all, why did he want to see the young girl?

   -What do you want from her... ? asked the policeman, scratching the back of his head.
   Putting her card away, the woman stared at the man.
   -I'd just like to talk to her, if you don't mind.
   The man looked at the woman one last time, sighing.
   -It's up to her whether she wants to or not. But I wonder what the FBI is doing in Japan...

   He smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders before unlocking the door while the woman called Jodie remained silent. He entered, noticing Yoko's shoes, before removing his own and inviting the FBI member to enter.
   -Just wait here...
   He let the woman wait and went into the living room. There was no-one there. She must be in her room.

   He walked over and opened the door. Yoko gasped and turned around. She was sitting on her bed, seemingly busy with her homework.
   In fact, to calm herself down, the young girl had decided to take her mind off things. With no more photos to sort through, she had fallen back on her homework, taking her time. She realised that the person who had come had not knocked again.

   -Someone wants to see you. Jinpei announced.
   The girl blinked several times before putting down the pencil she was holding and standing up. The man indicated the entrance and the young girl made her way there, under his gaze.
   She was surprised to see a complete stranger. She approached shyly, glancing at Jinpei who said nothing, his gaze hidden by his glasses. As for Jodie, she crouched down to be at the same level as the little girl, so as to be able to reassure her as little as possible.

   -You're Tomura Yoko-chan, aren't you? asked the blonde.
   -Y... Yes... And you are...?
   -I'm Jodie Starling, FBI agent.
   -F... BI... ?
   She couldn't help repeating it out loud, her eyes wide.

   FBI... The FBI... She knew they were in Japan. She knew it, she'd seen one of them murdered. And yet, she was astonished. She was astonished to find herself face to face with a member of the FBI who certainly didn't know what she had seen, although the woman knew that one of her colleagues had died.
   One of them had been murdered... She saw the image of the body in a pool of blood, with Gin and Vodka. She shook her head to banish the memory. She mustn't think about it again...

   -Would you be willing to talk to me?
   This sentence brought Yoko back to reality and she looked at Jodie with a slightly confused expression before grasping the question.
   -Erm...
   She looked at Jinpei who simply shrugged, indicating that it wasn't his choice to make. The little girl sighed silently before lowering her gaze, thinking. Finally, she raised her head and looked at the woman.
   -All right, then.