Detective Conan FF: ♧ The wrecked Trio ♧ (English) [Book 3]

Chapter 16 - Secrets

"I thought I had suspended you from police duty, Keiichiro?" the inspector's voice sounded slightly irritated as Kei and his cousin Wataru climbed the stairs. Gray clouds covered the sky, an icy wind and drizzle raged through the city, causing residents to pull out their umbrellas and hide from the weather in thick jackets. Kei's disheveled hair stuck to his forehead while Wataru carefully took off his rain jacket and hung it on the hook. "You didn't say I wasn't allowed to show up at the police headquarters anymore," the broad-shouldered man replied, ignoring the worried or astonished faces of his other colleagues. Chiba looked at Megure tensely while Shiratori pretended to be engrossed in documents. 

"Come on, Inspector, don't be so harsh!" Sato spoke up and walked past Megure to greet Wataru. "Did you find what you were looking for?" she wanted to know and gave Takagi a quick kiss on the cheek, which made everyone present smile. "Eh, yes... thank you Sato. But it's not good news," he mumbled, overwhelmed. "Whatever it is, can't it wait? I've got too much on my plate at the moment and I don't feel like arguing with Keiichiro," the inspector waved him off. But Kei held the man by the arm. "Please listen to us, just for a moment," he said in a serious voice. The man with the beige hat hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Then tell us, what did you find out?" the inspector plopped down in the chair and inhaled his coffee.

"We found clues about my father in the burned shop where Takahiro disappeared and where the other man named Minoru was," Wataru explained. "Wait, are you saying that Takahiro and this Minoru are connected to your... deceased father? And... the terrorist organization?" The inspector sat up in disbelief. "Not quite. Minoru's last name is Takagi - and no, that's not a coincidence, he's my deceased father," Wataru revealed and sighed. Everyone stared at him in horror. "What? What do you mean? Your father is-"

"My father apparently faked his death. He lives a happy life with Takahiro and now seems to have been kidnapped by the organization," Wataru threw the photo on the table. All of his colleagues examined the find and exchanged glances. "That... that can't be," Megure frowned, shocked. "We need all the data we can find. We have to search for the name through all the databases and computers, we have to find something," Takagi hoped and sat down at the table. Kei nodded in agreement. "If we find out more about Minoru, we will also find out more about the organization. This may be our chance to defeat this terrorist group once and for all," said Kei, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"I've tried many times, but to this day I still don't know who this man is. But now it looks like we have a new lead," another voice joined the conversation. Surprisingly, it was Chief Inspector Hyoe Kuroda. Everyone turned to the huge man in astonishment. "Excuse me, I overheard the conversation by chance," Kuroda replied, standing next to the other colleagues. "What do you mean, Chief Inspector?" Sato wondered. "This man died in a bomb attack many years ago, but all traces were erased. The only thing I have left of him is a burned badge and a photo," Kuroda explained. "Wait, Mr. Kuroda, you knew my father?" Takagi jumped up. "I... have had memory loss... unfortunately I can hardly remember him. I too would like to find out what happened to him. Now we have seen him at the scene of the attack in the helicopter and there are also further clues in his apartment..." thought the tall man with scars on his face.

"Then we should start this case from the beginning. We will examine everything we have again. We will find something," suggested Kei, ready to help his cousin (and indirectly hoping that this would stop Megure from being angry). "Very well, then we will open a new file: Minoru Takagi," explained the chief inspector and started a meeting."Let's finally bring the truth behind this man to light"

***

Chardonnay woke up with a throbbing headache, sweat stuck to his forehead, he noticed how his mind was trying to orient itself, but his eyes were not yet used to the light of the surroundings. Only after a few seconds did his vision sharpen and Minoru recognized a small room in front of him. A large, rectangular mirror ran along the wall in which the older Frenchman could see himself. His tired eyes looked at his tired reflection. Where was he here? Why was he here? Damn, he couldn't remember what had happened after the successful Shinkansen mission. Had vodka got the better of him after all?