Deciding to play the part of the innocent seven-year-old, Conan grinned childishly. "Hattori-sempai wouldn't lie! You're silly!"
The girl's mouth dropped open in shock, and she leapt from her perch and crouched in front of Conan, who stiffened and prepared to run or fend off an attack. "Don't play dumb, Edogawa. I heard everything that you three were talking about."
Almost immediately, Conan's eyes hardened. "Who are you?"
Saint Tail stifled a laugh and grinned. "Gee, I'd think an experienced detective like you would have recognized me by down."
Something teasing in her voice made Conan relax a bit. The girl was clever, but she wasn't dangerous. She's dressed so oddly, but she snuck up on me without making a sound. And why would I recognize her? She couldn't be a cat burglar of some sort, could she? She wore a black jumpsuit with red velvet trim, a pink skirt with coattails on the back, and had long red hair tied with a velvet bow. Wait...coattails...ponytails... "Saint Tail?"
"That's right." She gave him a roguish grin. "Now, Detective Edogawa, why not fill me in on what's going on with your friend Kudo?"
Conan stiffened. "Kudo Shinichi is dead."
"Oh, no, no...you see, there are reasons why I've eluded Asuka Junior for so long. Sometimes he's a little," she tapped the side of her head for emphasis, "slow. But I'm the only one who can say so."
She's smart too. Damn. How am I going to get to Kaitou with her tailing me? "Are you saying I'm lying?"
"That's just what I'm saying." Saint Tail gave him a curious look. "Mind filling me in? If you're so concerned that Kudo's being framed by the Kaitou Kid, you should be happy to tell me everything I need to know. Unless it'd be easier for me to just go to Kudo's house and steal it back."
I can't possibly trust a thief--especially one with such a track record! What should I say? "I can't tell you more than is necessary. All I can say is that it wasn't Kudo, and the prime suspect is Kid. Now if you'll leave this up to the detectives--why are you getting involved anyway?"
Saint Tail looked surprised. "To get the jewel back, of course."
"You're a theif," Conan accused coldly.
"So good of you to notice," Saint Tail said dryly. Should I tell him? I've never really dealt with any detectives other than Asuka and his father. But what harm could there be? "I never steal anything from the innocent. I want to return the Eye to Tezuka-san."
"What?" Was the girl serious? Hattori hadn't mentioned this! But what had Asuka said...'It's not her style.'
"Definitely." Saint Tail smiled. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Edogawa Conan--right now I've got a jewel to chase. See you at Kaitou's."
"Wait just a minute!" Conan cried, but the girl had disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. How'd she do that?
How does she even know where Kaitou lives?!
I've got to get there first! He mounted his skateboard and sped off at top speed, hoping he'd at least get there before the jewel was gone forever.
In a nearby tree Saint Tail grinned. That was easy enough...just lead the way, Edogawa!
The Kaitou residence was huge: it awed Conan every time he saw it. He surveyed the grounds carefully, and finding nothing amiss, concluded that he had arrived before Saint Tail. That was good; it would give him a chance to talk to Kaitou Kuroba before the female theif had a chance to make off with the Indigo Eye. And if need be...Conan still had the replica in his pocket. His main goal was to find out whether or not it had been Kid behind the heist.
Conan hadn't even raised his fist to knock before a hand shot out and grapped him by his jacket, yanking him through the opening and slamming the door shut. "K-Kaitou!"
"I didn't think it'd take you this long," Kaitou Kuroba grinned.
Conan's face hardened. "So it was you! What gives, Kid? I thought we agreed not to blow each other's cover!"
"I'm not blowing your cover," Kaitou said mildly. "No one knows you're Kudo, right?"
"That's not what I mean!" Conan fumed. Why was Kaitou being so calm about this? "Do you know what this means if the Black Organization finds out I'm still alive? I'm as good as dead!"
Outside the bay window, Saint Tail's jaw dropped. The kid was Kudo Shinichi? That just couldn't be! This was incredible! And not only that, the dark-haired teenager that had pulled Conan into the house was Kaitou Kid? Since Kid had all but confessed to stealing the jewel, the heist was infinitely easier on her. All that remained was sending a calling card to Asuka--luckily, she had a plan for that. Scribbling some hiragana messily on a pink card, she entrusted the message to one her father's pigeons and sat back to wait for Asuka Jr's appearance.
Inside the house, the argument between Kaitou and Kudo continued. "You're not dead if they can't find you," Kid said airily.
"That's not the point!" Conan retorted. "it's bad enough I'm in hiding as it is! Why did you do it? There's always a motive with you, and you and I both know it!"
Kaitou shrugged. "It's the usual, Kudo. I'm looking for the jerks who killed my father--and I suspect that they're connected with your Black Organization."
"Since when is it my Black Organization?" Conan seethed.
"Figure of speech. Now if you're done ranting, I suggest you go on home and make sure there isn't anything in your house that would connect Kudo Shinichi to Edogawa Conan."
"You're not getting off that easily," Conan declared. "There's more you need to know, and more that you need to tell me. How do you figure that framing me will result in the Black Organization showing up at your door?"
Kaitou smirked. "I've got motion detectors and security cameras installed all over your house. If they so much as step inside--I'm there, and I'll take them all down." His face hardened. "I'm tired of chasing. I will find them, and they'll pay for what they did to my father."
"And what of the Indigo Eye?"
"Oh, that?" Kid smiled again. "I'll use it to finance this little operation. Since I went through all the trouble to steal it."
Conan debated whether or not to inform his associate of the threat posed by Saint Tail, and decided that Kaitou had it coming to him. "And if I turn you in?"
"Now, Kudo," Kaitou chuckled. "I thought we knew each other better then that. If you squeal, I squeal--and you're in no position to argue. I'm sorry." A look that could almost be regret crossed his face. "But once I've taken care of the Black Organization, I'll confess that this was my work, you can go back to being Kudo again, and then it'll be just you and me, friend. Then we'll see if you can catch me."
Conan shook his head and shrugged into his jacket. "I don't like this, Kaitou."
"I knew you wouldn't But it's too late now. Take care...Shinichi."
"You too." Conan stepped out with a sigh. Kid had effectively blackmailed him from clearing his name just yet--maybe this case was better left in the hands of Hattori, who had no Black Organization to worried about.
"I'll just steal it back." Conan started at the sound of a female voice directly behind him.
He turned. "Saint Tail."
She smiled softly. "I can't say I understand everything that happened in there--but I'm glad you didn't tell him I was coming. It'll be easier on me that way."
Conan froze. She heard all that? "Oh no..."
"It didn't even cross my mind that you were Kudo until you confirmed it yourself. But don't worry, if it's saving your life, I'll keep your secret. You do what you do because you want to help people, and so do I." She smiled. "It's an honor to meet you, Shinichi-san...now if you'll excuse me, I have a jewel to retrieve."
Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.
For any readers interested in Saint Tail, I wrote a story recently that can be found here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=674653
I'm trying my hardest to be timely with my stories. ^_^ Expect some catch-ups on Both Sides, Memory Loss, and Tomodachi over the Easter holidays. Jya matta!