Detective Conan: The Road To Hell

A Question of Time

It's not a question of will they solve it. It's a question of will Shinichi have enough time to ~kisss the girl~
(つ･･)つ¤=[]::::::>

Heiji would've felt fine were it not for two small problems: Kudou's lack of an escape plan and the idiot not wanting to talk about it. The look in Kudou's eyes said bad time, not now. Heiji knew he could get his friend out of here no problem if only the idiot would let him help. But, being the stubborn detective that he is, Kudou ran off with Takagi before Heiji could really scold him.

Kudou's darting, frantic gaze, the way he kept lowering the brim of his hat whenever he talked to anyone he didn't know, not to mention the fact that he lost his footing and tripped as he followed Takagi-keiji up the hill- none of it made Heiji any less nervous about his friend's situation.

If only Kudou would listen, Heiji thought angrily. He's gotta get the heck outta here before anyone can recognize who he is, but he's probably already told nee-chan he's coming back after this case. The best we can do now is solve this case as fast as possible. Sighing to himself, Heiji shifted his aching foot. No pressure.

Heiji followed Shiratori up to the house. The officer left him at the front, casting a look of distaste to Heiji before literally shooing the younger detective away- hand motion and everything- to join Sato. Shiratori didn't like young detectives. Sato said Heiji and Kudou's help would be invaluable. Shiratori said she'll take the fault for (or the credit of) their actions.

Once inside, Heiji heard voices coming from the living room. As he drew closer, he realized that the questioning had barely started.

"-anyone who hated Akagi-san?" Sato was asking. Poking his head into the open doorway, Heiji found the house residents sitting on various couches and chairs. Mina and Kenshin shared the love seat while Nakano took the armchair, and Ishiwatari sat at the coffee table opposite Kakei. They all exchanged glances, accusing and threatening at the same time. The looks between the three house guests were understandable, but a look flashed between Kakei and Mina caught Heiji's attention. She wasn't hiding something too, was she?

He walked into the room, attracting all attention to himself with his loud-as-heck crutch. Sato brightened. "Hattori-kun, hello."

"Hey, Sato-keiji. Mind if I join ya with the questionin'?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She shook her head. "Not at all. Do you want to take a seat? That leg must be bothering you."

"I'll stand," he said politely. It would take too long to find a chair, and Kudou needed could get. Heiji knew he couldn't waste time with trivial matters. "Thanks, though."

With a nod, Sato turned back to the suspects. "I'll only ask one more time. Can you think of anyone at all who might hate Akagi-san?"

Mina looked at Kakei, her eyes flashing a challenge before looking away. Her face fell, and she bit her lip. The change was so drastic it had to have been practiced. "I- I know of some people."

Kakei's eyes widened. "You wouldn't-"

Ishiwatari, glaring, shot up from his chair. "Don't you dare-"

Mina closed her eyes and spoke slowly, her voice calm but louder than the others. "Taichi-kun is- was- hated by everyone here. Ishiwatari-san fell into heavy debt after Taichi-kun urged him to invest in stocks, and Taichi-kun stole Kakei-san's articles and had them published as his own in the newspaper. Nakano-"

"I'll tell them myself, Mina-chan," Nakano interrupted, and she nodded, sitting back in her chair, a flicker of disappointment quickly hidden behind a grieving wife's sorrow. "I was forced to give up my chance to compete for a spot on the international swim team when an unknown source- I later found out it was Akagi- brought up evidence of a drug abuse problem I supposedly had. It was later proved to be false, but by then, over a year had passed, and it was too late."