587Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
Pairing: KaitoxShinichi
Lure
Chapter 54 - The Lab Crew
Shinichi spent the next twenty minutes after ending his call with Kaito oscillating between happy anticipation and the desire to tug his hair out in exasperated frustration.
On the one hand, yes, having Kaito and Haibara around would be a great help. The former was undeniably an expert at finding ways to get in and out of all sorts of places. He was also a master of the art of illusions and misdirection. Shinichi would bet his Holmes collection that Kaito would have no trouble figuring out at least a dozen ways to make someone believe they'd seen a monster in the house without even trying. And don't even get him started on locating the best routes for sneaking around the Iwajima-turned-Ichimiyas' half reconstructed villa.
As for Haibara, well, if anyone could help Shinichi determine the validity of his latest hypothesis, it would be her. The detective had absolutely no problems admitting that the girl knew more about the biological, medical chemical and even computer sciences than he did—possibly than he ever would. Equipped with the right tools, Ai was a force to be reckoned with and definitely the kind of forensic backup a detective would be lucky to have.
So yes, their imminent arrival would be a great boon to this investigation.
The problem was that Shinichi had no idea how to explain their sudden appearance. In terms of the Ichimiya couple, he could probably get away with saying that he'd called and asked these friends for help, but Hattori was a different story. He'd know that it was unlike Shinichi to call in the old inventor and Ai without asking their hosts for permission first—and that wasn't even considering how odd it would be for Shinichi to call them all the way over at all—especially right after they had been attacked. Heiji was all too well acquainted with Shinichi's reluctance to get other people involved in dangerous situations if he had any choice in the matter. And that was just the tip of the ice berg of problems Shinichi could foresee without even trying.
There was nothing he could do about it right now though, so Shinichi could only cross his fingers and hope that everything worked out.
By the time he'd come to this conclusion, Shinichi realized that fretting over Kaito and Ai's imminent arrival had done at least one good thing. It had distracted him just long enough to give the painkillers time to kick in. His head still hurt, but the pain had been reduced to a more manageable throbbing as opposed to the incapacitating lances of agony that had threatened him every time he moved when he'd first woken up.
That being said, he needed to find a way to let their hosts know that they would be having two more guests.
He really should have asked Yuu and Asami for their cell phone numbers. This house was more than large enough to warrant the precaution. It was, however, too late for that. Or at least it was too late in regards to this particular issue. He made a mental note to get those numbers for later just in case.
Letting his breath out in something that he refused to let turn into a sigh, he levered himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. Once there, he had to just sit for a minute and breathe. It was only after he'd gathered and braced himself that he ventured to stand.
His legs wobbled dangerously but held. Relieved, he made his way to where his backpack sat and rummaged for a fresh set of clothes. Then he moved just as carefully to the bathroom and set about going through his morning ablutions.
Feeling if not well than at least somewhat refreshed after showering, brushing and donning fresh clothes, Shinichi headed for the door. He'd just reached it when someone knocked then opened it.
"Oh hey, I was just about to come get you," Hattori said by way of greeting. "How're ya feeling?"
"Fine," Shinichi said automatically.
The Osakan detective raised a skeptical eyebrow at the response. "Really? 'Cause ya don't look fine."
Shinichi huffed but couldn't deny the observation. Instead, he grumbled, "Why aren't you in the same boat?"
"If I had ta guess, it's probably because I wasn't in that smoke nearly as long as you were," his friend said bluntly. "You're also built smaller. Less mass plus more chemicals equals a more serious reaction."
Shinichi grimaced then sighed. "Speaking of chemicals, I messaged Haibara about what happened last night."
Heiji looked surprised. "You did?"
Shinichi nodded. He'd thought this story through while showering, and he felt it should hold up to scrutiny.
"She knows more about chemicals and how they affect human beings than anyone else I know. So I thought I'd ask her opinion on what it was we might have been exposed to."
Hattori nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "That's a good point. She certainly knows her stuff. And it'd help if she could identify or at least give us a good guess as to what we might be dealing with so we'll know what kinds of side effects to look out for." He cast a worried look over Shinichi's clearly unsteady form. "May want ta ask her ta check if any of the possibilities might, uh, have any potential of adversely affecting someone in your situation, and, if so, what those adverse effects might be."
"She mentioned she had some concerns about that, but she also said it was difficult to give us any concrete information when she only has our testimonies to work with. She needs samples."
"Samples?" Heiji repeated. "So, like, from the walls and floor of that room we were knocked out in?"
"She also wants blood and urine samples," Shinichi said, deciding that treating the arrival of Ai's lab crew as a natural thing was probably the best way to keep Heiji moving with them on the same page. "Dr. Agasa is helping her bring some of her equipment up so she can analyze them once she gets here."
And there. He'd dropped the bomb shell.
Hattori, who had been nodding along as they talked about the chemicals and the need to identify them, suddenly stopped and rounded on Shinichi, eyes wide.
"That old professor and the little lady are coming here?"
"That's what they told me," Shinichi said. "They'll be here in time to have breakfast with us. She sent instructions on how to collect a urine sample before you start eating and drinking too much other stuff. I'll text those instructions to you now so you can get it done. Then we can head down for breakfast."
Heiji opened the message from Shinichi then grimaced. "Doing this stuff in a hospital's weird enough. Doing it here is just creepy. But I guess beggars can't be choosers. I assume you finished your, ah, sample collection?"
Shinichi tried not to blush. "I did."
"Well, you can go on ahead then and let the Ichimiyas know ta expect more for breakfast. You remember the way?"
"Of course I do."
"You sure you can make it on your own? If you're still feeling weak, you could give me a few minutes to finish this, er, business. Then I can help ya down the stairs. We don't want you falling."
"No, really, I'm fine, but thank you. I'm just going to move slowly and take it one step at a time."
Heiji still looked worried, but he nodded and headed back into his own guest bathroom.
Shinichi made his way downstairs. The journey took longer than it should have because his head was still aching and his limbs felt shakier than he cared to admit. As it was, he was very relieved when he finally reached the dining room.
He found both Yuu and Asami already there. The former had bandages wrapped around his head but otherwise appeared none the worse for wear. He was seated before a laptop at one end of the dining table with his wife leaning over his shoulder to go over whatever was on the screen with him.
"Oh hey, good morning," Yuu said, glancing up from the computer screen to give Shinichi a quick smile.
Shinichi returned the smile and greeting as he sank gratefully into a chair. The trek through the house had worn him out more than he wanted to admit.
"How's your head injury?"
"It's fine," Yuu assured him. "Just a lump. Anyway, since you're here, how about a few tips on how to pick cameras?"
"We've been looking at them all morning," Asami added, giving her husband a fondly exasperated look. "Yuu keeps changing his mind on which models he likes. They all seem pretty much the same to me once you go past whether you want them to be wireless and linked to our phones or all connected into a master system or something. And of course that second sort doesn't really work for a place that's still under construction even though I'd consider it more practical in the long run since you wouldn't have batteries to worry about."
"Actually, speaking of security systems sort of reminded me," Shinichi began, paused, then barreled on. "I called some friends of mine with skills I think we may find helpful, and they said they'd love to help. So would it be all right if they join us for breakfast?"
"For breakfast?" Asami asked. "Like, today?"
"Er, yeah. They told me when they called just now that they'd be here by seven. Half past at the latest."
"That was quick," Yuu muttered. "But hey, why not. We could use more help after what happened the other day. And you said they know something about security systems?"
"Well, one of them is an inventor. He's more of a gadgets person, but he has studied a lot of security systems before, including their weak points and strengths and things like that," Shinichi said, mixing and matching the truth a little. "He should be able to give you really good advice on how to rearrange your new home to be as secure as you want it to be."
"If he can really do all that, he's more than welcome."
"He'll also be bringing his niece. She's young, but she grew up around doctors. I think she may be able to help us shed some light on our monster encounters."
"These sound like some super star guests," Asami observed with a light laugh. "Well Yuu, let the experts help. We've already made too many mistakes blundering around doing things our way."
Yuu winced, one hand rising to cover Asami's where it rested on his shoulder. "I know. Could you let Ken know we're having two more for breakfast?"
Asami agreed and left for the kitchen.
"I'll see about getting another guest room ready too," she said, half to them and half to herself as she left. "It's a good thing we furnished extra rooms."
"I'm sorry about the inconvenience," Shinichi said ruefully, scratching at his cheek.
Yuu waved away his apology with a shrug. "Don't worry about it. Like Asami said, we already furnished extra rooms. We were planning to invite some of our friends and relatives over for a housewarming party as soon as we were done renovating. So really, we're not going out of our way at all."
It was about then that Heiji came wandering into the room. He pulled out a chair beside Shinichi and dropped into it.
"Morning," he said to the table at large. "Don't suppose the food's ready yet?"
Yuu chuckled. "Not quite yet. But the coffee should be about ready." He stood, moving with care due to his head injury, and stretched. "Would you two like some?"
Shinichi brightened instantly. "I would, thank you."
"Me too," said Heiji.
The chef, Ken, had just stepped out of the kitchen to announce that breakfast would be served when the a bell rang. Yuu went to the intercom, and Professor Agasa's familiar voice came across the speaker, asking for permission to enter. The man buzzed them through. Then he and Shinichi went to greet the new arrivals.
Standing out on the house's front steps, Shinichi watched as the familiar yellow buggy came rolling slowly up the driveway. He felt his spirits rising with its approach despite the circumstances. It was a bit silly, especially since he'd said goodbye to Kaito only yesterday, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to see Kaito again.
The bright yellow car slowed to a stop, and the familiar figures of Agasa and Ai climbed out. Shinichi's feet were moving before he'd told them to, carrying him down the steps to meet the two. Yuu followed close behind him.
"It's good to see you," Shinichi said, smiling. "And thank you for coming."
"No need for thanks. We were happy to come," the inventor greeted them with a twinkle in his eyes that was all Kaito. "This is quite the house you have here. It's got character."
Yuu laughed and offered the old man his hand. "Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is," Agasa assured him. "The road up could use some work though."
Yuu winced. "Ah right, that. There was actually a small landslide just the other day."
"We saw. It's cleared just enough to allow passage now so long as you're careful and not driving something overly large."
"That's definitely one of the downsides of this location," Yuu agreed, looking rueful. "There's an alternate route, but it's really more for bikes and motorcycles."
Asami arrived then, and Shinichi took it upon himself to introduce both newcomers to the two Ichimiyas.
"If you'll follow me, I can show you to your rooms," the lady of the house said with a welcoming smile for her guests. "Then we can have breakfast."
The disguised thief beamed. "Sounds good."
He moved back to the car and pulled two hefty suitcases from it with a great deal more ease than the real Agasa could have managed. The Ichimiyas appeared a little startled by the amount of luggage, but they were too polite to comment on it. Shinichi, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows.
"We brought some lab equipment we thought might be helpful," Ai explained.
Asami blinked. "Lab equipment?"
"So we'll be able to analyze any relevant samples."
Yuu shook his head in amazement. "Well, you certainly are prepared. Here, let me help you with that," he added, taking one suitcase from the supposedly elderly man.
Together, the five of them made their way back inside.
-To Be Continued-