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So here are my thoughts on 818. No spoilers for 819 were used for this. (As in I have not looked at them nor have any idea what they are.) Index - not a spoiler People to look for Assumptions about disguises: Rules 2 and 3 are based on the Vermouth arc. 1: The usual theories: Okiya is Akai, Scar Akai is Amuro. 2: Characters who have been disguising as someone will be using the same disguise as they were previously because it would be confusing to switch it up at the end. (I am a bit hesitant about all the theories where people are disguised as characters other than the usual ones they've been doing the whole time because it breaks the pattern Gosho has been setting up.) 3: Extra people disguising are OK as long as it is not the predetermined ones changing. It would be unusual and confusing for characters to be disguising as people they weren’t. Definitely on the train because the plot demands it Sera: seen in 8B with Sonoko, Ran, and Kogoro. Scar Akai: Seen leaving a D room in an upper level cabin. Amuro: Presumably as Scar Akai. He may show up as himself later. Guest is possible, but staff also works because of Amuro’s past in being staff. Also Amuro shows up on the poster. Okiya: Not seen yet. I have a feeling he might turn up in the next chapter or two because it wasn’t necessary to cram him in 818. If Okiya doesn't turn up in the next two chaps, then I will start wondering if he is in disguise. Also he shows up on the poster. Maybe on the train Okiya’s lady: the woman who was at Shinichi’s house who left a hair tie and some lipstick is possibly on the train. We don’t have enough clues who she is and Gosho would not have had her appear if she wasn’t relevant. Because we haven’t seen anything of her until now, this is the last chance she has to be relevant. Theories for her identity as far as I am concerned are Yukiko, Fusae Campbell Kinoshita (Agasa’s love – see Chek’s theories or her wiki page), Kir. Other theories worth mentioning that I have less confidence in are Akai/Sera’s mom, Jodie, or a third party. Possibly on the train Vermouth: If Vermouth does Scar Akai’s makeup, then she may be on train to help. She could have also been at the station. Other Black Organization agents: It would make sense for the Organization to consider sending other agents besides Bourbon and maybe Vermouth as contingency and/or in preparation for whatever plan they intends do to get Sherry later if Bourbon (and Vermouth) fail to capture her later. No evidence for being on the train, but may show up later FBI: As far as we know they don’t know about the video so wouldn’t know to board. On the other hand, there is the possibility Kir could have tipped them off somehow. Gin and Vodka: Based on what Gin said, it sounds like they will not be on the train, but they may show up later. Nagoya where the disembarking will take place is a good guess because they want to entrap Sherry. Recurring Character Observations and Evaluations Assumptions: 1: The usual theories: Okiya is Akai, Scar Akai is Amuro is Bourbon, Sera is a good guy and Akai’s sister. Characters Kogoro 8B – first class car Physical appearance: grey tie suit Personal effects: lighter, cigarettes, no visible luggage Ring: Ring on right hand ring finger. Kogoro is someone in disguise? No clear support for this theory so far. Handedness is okay it seems: pulls cigarette using left hand (happens offhand in prior instances), light with lighter in right. Not seen later on train in 818. Where is he? He probably wanted to smoke, and there may be a designated spot on the train for that. He may go off to smoke later if he isn’t doing it now. The other option is the bar car for booze and ladies. Ran 8B – first class car Physical appearance: Striped blouse and short skirt Personal effects: No visible luggage Ring: right hand ring finger Ran is someone in disguise? No clear support for this theory so far. In 8B room with Sera and Sonoko, having tea. Sonoko 8B – first class car Physical appearance: grey dress, headband, high socks Personal effects: No visible luggage Ring: right hand ring or index finger I think Sonoko is someone in disguise? No clear support for this theory so far. She wants to hide a letter for Kaito Kid in cabin 8. She is currently in 8B room with Ran and Sera, having tea. Agasa 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: Jacket, collared shirt, pants. Initially wearing hat on platform but removed later. Personal effects: duffel bag, snacks for the DB Ring: Not visible Agasa is someone in disguise? No clear support for this theory so far. Sera ?? - In 8B room with Ran and Sonoko, but from the way she talked about visiting on page 15, it sounds like she might be in another room… Physical appearance: fuzzy collar jacket, over shirt, pants. Initially wearing usual brim hat on platform but removed later in room. Personal effects: no luggage visible. Ring: Not visible, not able to make call on right hand On platform Ai does not give the patented BO reaction but does react to Sera by putting up hood. In Mouri’s room, she is looking at a card, presumably for the mystery? If so, then Kogoro’s room or Sera’s may have been given a fake card as well for some reason. Scar Akai ?? – seen leaving a D cabin in a carriage frontwards of 7 or 8 Physical appearance: Fedora, some sort of unusually buttoned high collar suit, slacks. No gloves it seems. The hat is noticeably different; a fedora. Probably changed from cap to fedora because of train’s semiformal dresscode – a cap wouldn’t cut it. Same goes for Scar Akai’s normal jacket. Personal effects: none visible, no known luggage Ring: Not visible Is heading in the direction of the front of the train. Regarding Scar Akai's scar looking different, Gosho is not very consistent in drawing it, even within a single case. Conan 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: The usual bowtie suit Personal effects: Assume full compliment of gadgets, no known luggage Ring: not visible on either hand while running on train Haibara 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: jacket with hood Personal effects: sick mask (is it the voice changing one?) Ring: Right hand ring finger, not visible on right hand while running later on train Ayumi 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: frilly dress, headband Personal effects: no known luggage Ring: not visible on right hand when running on train Genta 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: overalls? Personal effects: no known luggage Ring: not visible on left hand while running on train Mitsuhiko 6D – “normal” car Physical appearance: collared shirt and pants Personal effects: no known luggage Ring: not visible on train General comments It seems most people took the rings off when they got on the train… ------ Not sure if involved yet…. Kaitou Kid Not likely to show up this case; it would be too complicated. Also the target is a month out. The Mystery of the Blue Train / Death on the Nile anyone? Vermouth If Vermouth does makeup for Bourbon, then she may be on train or elsewhere. She probably will need to be in disguise in this case, and may share a room with Bourbon. Gin and Vodka Nothing out of ordinary here for them. I don’t think they are going to be on the train although they should show up in the end. More on them later in the Black org section… Suspect Observations and Evaluations General Notes and Literary References This case is an obvious homage to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and there are many parallels between the case and suspects and this novel. The name puns listed are courtesy of HADAA. In light of the novel and its conclusion, it would be wise to suspect that multiple suspects that seem unconnected could be culprits, especially because the unusually large number of them. Also, the staff should not be exempt from suspicions. Virtually all the suspects in the novel lied about their identities and roles, so this should be taken into consideration. All the suspects seem to do this every year and so know each other well enough. Most of the suspects reacted to Kogoro announcing himself. Usually cases with this are ones where all the suspects have something to hide, although they may not necessarily be the murderer. Suspects Murobashi Etsuto HADAA says: Monsieur Bouc (not a suspect)? + Rachett (victim) (rachietto→etto→etsuto→etsuto) 39 ♂– dead??? Cabin 7B (his usual cabin is 8B) Physical description: a grouchy and fat man, one of the taller of the suspects, light skin, with a high collared outfit. Appears to have removed his jacket when we was shot. Personal Effects: A light colored briefcase with pockets Ring: Can’t tell about ring, the picture unclear but doesn’t seem to be on right hand initially. In murder pictures, it doesn’t seem to be on right hand or the thumb-middle of left hand either. Reacts strongly to Kogoro announcing. Apparently dies in what Conan thinks is 7B. Noto Taisaku Colonel Arbuthnot (Colonel=taisa) 52 ♂ Cabin 8A - first class car Physical description: A big man, with broad face and cheekbones. He has a diagonal scar on his right cheek. Tallest of the suspects. Light skin. He has a beard and mustache. He had thin lines under his eyes. Suit. Personal Effects: Long, skinny bag over right shoulder with strap on right shoulder. Ring: not visible in 818 Reacts strongly to Kogoro announcing 8B is Kogoro Andou Satoru Count Andrenyi 41 ♂ Cabin 8C - first class car Physical description: A greasy, slim man with a thin face. Fairly short. Glasses and “Hitler mustache”. Light skin. Tie suit with high collar. Personal Effects: Very large black briefcase over left shoulder, smaller one over right. A person could almost fit in that big briefcase, although it could not be carried over his shoulder like that. He says it is very heavy and has a large “solid gold” frame inside. It seems like such a thing would be very difficult to carry over one’s shoulder. He seems to be related to art appraisers as he had a painting someone else determined to be a forgery that he was returning to his client. Ring: Don’t see ring on left hand. Reacts strongly to Kogoro announcing. Komino Natsue Natalia Dragomiroff. 75 ♀ Cabin 8D - first class car Physical description: A very skinny, old wheelchair bound woman with light wrinkled skin, a hat with feather, and veil. Looks like mourning clothes. Has a chain of pearls with ornate clasp? Personal Effects: A wheelchair that does not seem to have much space for hiding large things. I don’t see anything unusual about the wheelchair. No visible luggage. Ring: On right hand ring finger. Relations: Sumitomo Hiruka is her assistant or is she something else? They share the same room. Reacts strongly to Kogoro announcing Sumitomo Hiruka Hildegarde Schmidt 37 ♀ Cabin 8D - first class car Physical description: A severe looking woman who is medium tall? Broad shoulders? She has tweaked hair like Rena on sides and curls in back that fall to upper neck. Plain jacket suit. Personal Effects: No visible luggage. Ring: Don’t see ring on either hand, but hard to make out Relations: She is the wheelchair pusher for 75 year old lady from the same room. Is she more to Komino Natsue? Reacts to Kogoro announcing Idenami Mari Mary Debenham 33 ♀ Cabin 8E - first class car Physical description: A lady-type who seems to be the shortest of the suspects excluding the old lady. She has long curly hair. She is wearing a light colored wide hat, large hoop earrings, a necklace, and a suit. Personal Effects: No visible luggage. Ring: not visible in 818 Reacts strongly to Kogoro announcing Bushy brows conductor ♂ Physical description: Left hand watch, super thick eyebrows, hat and suit. Fairly tall seeming. Gestures with left hand Personal Effects: Ring: N/A Relations: Knows the suspects fairly well since they ride the train every year. He calls them mystery connoisseurs. If the conductor is the same one, he was seen nearby Scar Akai. Murderer Physical description: Black pants, grey hoodie over hat, sunglasses and sick mask, gloves, and shoots right handed. He doesn’t look very thin or fat. Does look like has dark skin, but could be from shade of hood. No reaction from Ai. His physical appearance might be said to mirror Christie character’s description of Ratchett’s attacker (who was incidentally a fabrication) as a small man, with dark skin and a womanish voice. Capable of running and losing the detective boys in the train so he must know the place or have a hiding spot set up. Personal Effects: Gun, silencer Ring: unsure Runs towards front of train. Case Evaluation What’s going on? Someone’s room is wrong For full analysis with pretty useful pictures please refer to this handy-dandy personal page on the wiki: http://www.detectiveconanworld.com/wiki/User:Chekhov_MacGuffin/Latest_case Somehow in the course of things, Agasa and Kogoro wound up in cars that were next to each other rather than with one in between them. This means that someone boarded the wrong cabin, or while the cabin was vacant, a culprit moved their stuff to an adjacent car. It is unclear whether Kogoro or Agasa is the one in wrong cabin. There are four general possibilities... Agasa's cabin was relocated from 6D to 7D After the kids were lured from the cabin by the letter, Agasa was lured out as well afterwards and everything was moved from cabin 6D to cabin 7D. Agasa returned, and thought 7D was really 6D. Conan misjudged the cabins and went to Kogoro's 8B by accident, and then saw Agasa coming out of 7D and became confused. Pros: Cons: This does not mesh with Conan's evaluation that he went back the right number of rooms to what he thought 7B was. The DB plunked down a bunch of snacks which would be hard to properly cleanup and move to exact spots. Agasa was tricked in boarding 7D instead of 6D Agasa and entourage were tricked into boarding 7D instead of 6D. Since the numbers are on the outside of the carriages, they would have to be distracted somehow or mixed up inside the train before getting to their room. No one visited each other's cabins and noticed the mixup. Kogoro and entourage were lured out. The victim went into 8B and met with the suspect. The detective boys were called. Because the detective boys were supposed to be in 6D, they thought carriage 7 was next to them, which was really carriage 8, and so went to 8B thinking it was 7B. The murder was thus in 8B, Kogoro's room, and not 7B like they thought. The body was then removed after the detective boys left, possibly to the real 7B or 6B (Agasa's intended cabin), and things were cleaned up before Kogoro and entourage returned. Pros: Conan’s room count would be correct. Cons: Conan would be unlikely to be taken in by the necessary distraction. A distraction or confusing move was not mentioned or implied either. Kogoro was tricked into boarding 7B instead of 8B Kogoro and entourage were tricked into boarding 7B instead of 8B. Since the numbers are on the outside of the carriages, they would have to be distracted somehow or mixed up inside the train before getting to their room. Kogoro, Sonoko, and Ran were lured out of the cabin, leaving it empty. The victim and a culprit came into the cabin before Conan and the detective boys arrived, and the shooting and chase ensued. Ran and Sonoko then returned to their cabin. Conan then barged in and was mistakenly told he was in 8B. Pros: Conan’s room count would be correct. Cons: A distraction or mixing up was not mentioned. Kogoro's taking over room 8B from the victim was unannounced to the potential culprit, so they would have insider info or be very fast on their feet to pull off a workable distraction ploy especially if the victim was not explicitly cooperating because the victim may attempt to go to 7B too. Also outsiders think Kogoro is intelligent which would make them more wary of failing. Kogoro's cabin was relocated from 8B to 7B This version is a bit more complex because there are several possibilities. I strongly recommend referring to the personal wiki page mentioned above (http://www.detectiveconanworld.com/wiki/User:Chekhov_MacGuffin/Latest_case). 1. The murder happened before the room switch. Kogoro and entourage could be lured out of their 8B cabin before or after the murder. The contents of Kogoro's cabin were then relocated to 7B. The victim's things and body(?) were relocated to another room, possibly the now empty 8B. 2a. The murder happened in the middle of the room switch. Kogoro and entourage were lured into leaving their 8B cabin. A suspect grabbed Kogoro's luggage and took it to 7B and met the victim. A suspect put the luggage in the victim's room. The detective boys arrived and the murder took place. After the detective boys left, a suspect finished the switch by relocating the victim's luggage and the body(?) to another room, possibly the now empty 8B. 2b. The murder happened in the middle of the room switch. Kogoro and entourage were lured into leaving their 8B cabin. The victim who desired 8B instead of 7B perpetrated or helped perpetrate the switching. The victim grabbed Kogoro's luggage and took it to 7B. A suspect helped and then tricked him or took advantage of the situation. The detective boys arrived and the murder took place. After the detective boys left, a suspect finished the switch by relocating the victim's luggage and the body(?) to another room, possibly the now empty 8B. 3a. The murder happened after the room switch. Kogoro and entourage were lured into leaving their 8B cabin. The victim was lured into leaving his 7B cabin. A suspect switched the contents of 7B and 8B. The victim was called back in time for the murder. The detective boys arrived and the murder took place. The victim's body(?) was relocated to another room, possibly the now empty 8B. 3b. The murder happened after the room switch. Kogoro and entourage were lured into leaving their 8B cabin. The victim who desired 8B instead of 7B perpetrated or helped perpetrate the switching of 7B to 8B. A suspect helped and then tricked him or took advantage of the situation. The detective boys arrived and the murder took place. The victim's body(?) was relocated to another room, possibly the now empty 8B. Pros: Conan’s room count would be correct. Explains the victim's reaction to the detective boys tromping in. Cons: The train is intentionally set up to make carriage confusion and cabin switching easy. The only way to tell which carriage you are in is to look from the outside, making the cars ambiguous. This is likely plot intentional to make the trick work. About the train See the personal wiki page for a diagram of the train: http://www.detectiveconanworld.com/wiki/User:Chekhov_MacGuffin/Latest_case They are modeled off of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/the_train.jsp The Bell Tree mystery train is a nonstop luxury express from Tokyo to an unknown destination, in this case Nagano, with a mystery feature for the passengers. It runs once a year and has been running for many years. It is owned by Suzuki conglomerate. There are an unknown number of carriages, but there are at least 8. Each carriage is marked with a number on the side, but not on the inside, so it is unclear which carriage one is in without asking. Each has 5 rooms lettered A to E with E being more towards the front of the train and A towards the back (right to left ordering). Cabin 8 is a luxury first class car, but 6 and 7 seem not to be although they are “comparable”. Doors to each cabin feature a key, and chain lock, and a letter plate. The plate could possibly be switched, but I see no evidence for it. The things above door in the hallway are possibly a light for room service? People’s movements 818 Conan and the DB go from 6D to 7B per the request of the letter Conan and the DB chase the suspect from 7B towards the front of a train to an unknown carriage. After talking to the conductor, Conan takes off towards 7B and winds up going to 8B by mistake. Somewhere between a front carriage and 7B, the DB pass scar Akai leaving a D room. Scar Akai heads towards the front of the train. Conan and the DB leave 8B and go back towards where 7B should be but are cut off by Agasa leaving 6D. The Agasa cabin letter The fake letter sent to room 6D suggests that someone wanted witnesses to see the murder in 7B. The murder waiting for them to enter adds to this hypothesis. It is unclear whether the DB were targeted randomly or specifically; Ran only mentioned they were in car 6 where the suspects could overhear. Kids are easy to dupe which may explain them being targeted. The time was carefully specified at 10 minutes from the drop so the arrival of the children could be controlled if other specifically parts of the trick were delicately timed. The murder in “Cabin 7B” Not too many details of 7B room are clear. The door wasn’t chained. The victim yells at the detective boys not to enter. This is strange because he has a pretty bad personality, so warning people seems unexpected when they have the chance to distract his would be murderer. It could be that the victim didn’t know he was going to be shot right then because he knew the covered murderer and didn’t realize he was in a plot. It could also be that the victim didn’t want the DB to see into the room. Finally, the murderer could have told him he will be killed when people come in, but why wouldn’t the victim attempt to fight back and save himself? I assume the victim actually died from the gunshots, but until we re-find the body I will reserve judgment because of other Christie novels like Death on the Nile where faked death tricks occurred. Fake gunshots could happen especially since we might see a reference back to Akai’s faked death in this case. The chase and aftermath The murderer made the DB run around towards the front of the train and presumably get thoroughly disoriented with their cars. Conan seemed to keep track of how many they had been down however, so he thought he returned to the right 7B room. I am going to guess Conan is likely right. It is likely that the murderer was not counting on Conan being that perceptive so the DB would not be able to identify the room later. The second letter Sera is looking at a card in the Mouri room, presumably for the mystery? If so, then Kogoro’s room or Sera’s may have been given a fake card as well for some reason as part of the plan. I am guessing it will be Mouri’s room. If their room was switched, luring them out is necessary and this letter could be the lure. My current thoughts More than one person may be involved in this plot, especially if one culprit was running around leading the DB while the other was cleaning up the body. The large number of suspects supports this idea as long as there isn’t a serial murder. At this stage, I think it is likely Mouri’s room is the one that is wrong, with later switching rather than wrong boarding topping the list. Conan feels he didn’t miscount cars, so it would seem he ran back to the room he originally thought was 7B which is the one with Ran, Sonoko, and Sera in it now. Other factors in support for Kogoro’s room being the messed up one are: 1) The suspects are also closer to Kogoro’s room and more familiar with it because they have been riding that carriage for years running. 2) The Mouris’ movements are less certain than the DB’s. 3) Kogoro is not in the room, so either he got distracted or left which may indicate some meddling. The second letter Sera has may also be important in this. Kogoro probably wanted to smoke, and there may be a designated spot on the train for that. He may go off to smoke later if he isn’t doing it now. The other option is the bar car for booze and ladies. If the victim wanted to reclaim his 8B room, he may have been helping his own will-be-murderer with the cabin switch, explaining why he yelled at the detective boys because he was in the middle of doing it and didn’t want them to notice. Ran and Sonoko had a teaset. Either they room serviced or left to get some. Sera came by later as well so there is also something to look into there. Kogoro taking over the 8B cabin was unexpected, so the murderer’s plan would have to be adapted on the fly unless the victim agreed to help somehow. Case Resolution Sonoko’s hidden letter for Kaitou Kid is likely to be vital to the case because of the room mixup. She wanted to hide it in the first class car 8 for Kid to find. If it isn’t where she expected it will be clear Kogoro’s room was moved. Black Organization What do Gin and Vermouth mean? Gin: Yeah... if we can just stop her getting off en route, it’s a jail of moving steel. Just like hunting down deer, if we get her to flee in fear, she will likely expose herself to the barrel of the gun. Vermouth: You know why I deliberately leaked this information to you, right? Gin: You don’t want me to interfere until that metal snake has returned to its burrowing hole, right? Vermouth is asking Gin to delay any attack made on Sherry. This means there is something or someone aboard the train that is important or should not be interfered with. Bourbon is likely, as it would be bad if Gin attempted something like bombs while Bourbon was on board doing his thing. Also because Vermouth made the request, Bourbon is even more likely as he seems to be in cahoots with her and not at all with Gin who needs informing. What is Scar Akai up to? He was heading towards the front of the train from an unknown D room. This is the direction away from the action so far, so his goal isn’t clear unless he is looking for someone or checking the place out. This doesn’t necessarily mean the D room was Scar Akai’s. For all we know, he not-so-accidentally barged into someone else’s room to investigate. Agasa is in a D room, although I would think Haibara would notice after the turnaround Scar Akai came out of the room Agasa was in even if she was confused about the rooms. Sera’s room is also unknown at this point, and a possibility. How is Bourbon going to be caught? Conan and Haibara are not aware of the Shiho video being sent or seen so everything that will happen is going to mostly be a surprise to them. It is possible Amuro will get hoisted on his own unique cap, which Conan does know about in connection to Scar Akai. Amuro would have to show up in person or this to work, either as a guest or staff. Also Okiya has yet to make a move. Ideas for the climax at the end. Bombs are classic BO technique although they have been done before with the Shinkansen case. If we look at what Gin said literally about hunting techniques, they might try to prevent Shiho from leaving the train and then look for her. This would work by loading the Nagano platform with disguised Black Org agents of any level, or setting up snipers, or something like that, whose aura will terrify Shiho into staying on the train. Then the Black Org will send people aboard to check every room until they find her, just like hunters flushing animals from the underbrush. This would make for some pretty sweet drama like the locker scene. Ai is sick so another antidote may be in the works….

The one with the most information is not necessarily Bourbon. They were starting from different points. Sera obviously had some reason in the beginning (I'm thinking Akai's picture) to think Conan and Haibara were important to who she is searching for (for me Akai). Conan and Haibara are the key people who connect the others, (Okiya, Shinichi, Sherry, FBI) together. Amuro on the other hand was starting from the FBI who know knowing, and then Kogoro, who also knows nothing. Sera's starting position was better, so its not surprising she turned up more info. If anything her knowledge level pegs her out to be a likely good guy: only good guys or characters who have sympathies and the right sort of personality (Vermouth) are allowed to know the secret identities of the main characters, otherwise they die (Pisco, sort-of-Akemi, sort-of-Calvados). Sera knows too much, so she will have to turn out to be a good guy, or a sympathetic villain (which would be a carbon copy of Vermouth, gender included), or she will die (which has never happened to a recurring character assuming Akai is alive as Okiya). This was mentioned in the showdown with Vermouth. If Vermouth found them once all by herself, she could probably do it again and better with a team. That means that FBI agent's movement gets investigated. Phone records stolen, credit card records stolen, that person gets tailed, computers get hacked, houses get bugged, movement history gets investigated, people who might have seen this person get questioned, etc... Gin once mentioned about how they could definitely go through the Haido/Beika ward to look for Sherry now that her location has been narrowed down. This shows the BO can certainly conduct wide range search operations. I made this point because I was countering your assertion that Bourbon must be cautious. This still doesn't explain why SeraBourbon would know what Scar Akai intended for the FBI so that she could call off Gin. So Scar Akai is laying a trap? Why not shoot him anyway? I don't see the disadvantage here. Getting rid of him would be one less problem to worry about later. In fact, Scar Akai has shown up on the train with Sera already. This means he has become a problem again and will probably make a nuisance of himself by poking around later. If he is related to the police like you propose later, it's worse because he might aim to protect Sherry. If Gin had killed Scar Akai then, there wouldn't be this problem now. SeraBourbon's judgment in calling off Gin was really bad then, perhaps uncharacteristically so for someone who is supposed to be a Sherlock Holmes according to Gin. Shooting Scar Akai would probably disrupt whatever "trap" he was trying to set, because not many groups would set a trap involving one of their own guys being a sacrificial kill. The modus operandi makes no sense for the police or anyone "good affiliated". For the police end, appearing in front of the FBI is questionable. If the police knew about the FBI and that they were conducting an illegal investigation in Japan with guns and all, it would get reported and the Japanese government would toss the FBI out. There is also the problem of the Japanese law enforcement apparently knowing nothing about the Org because they have made zero moves and given zero indication of knowing. How did the police know about the FBI and Org's showdown and that a murdered guy in a Chevy at Raiha pass whose face was mostly destroyed was especially important or even relevant to the Org and FBI? Making a convincing mask using a burnt body as a model is also a little hard to believe, so where did they get the current high def Akai pictures needed? On a more general note, the police or any good law enforcement types would not place someone a criminal organization was trying to kill in crowd of people, especially since there was a legitimate risk of civilian casualties because of the snipers. Also they would be using one of their own guys as sniper bait which makes no sense. One important thing to consider about Amuro is why he went out of contact with his close friend Date. If Amuro was still in law enforcement and the good guy side, even if he couldn't tell Date what he was doing exactly, there would be no need for the complete cutoff. If Amuro went into the Black Org which generally doesn't like police, cutting Date off for his own safety makes sense. Also Haibara getting what looks like a patented Black Organization reaction to Scar Akai in 818. I'm blaming love triangle involving Akemi right now for this; Akai stole Akemi from Amuro at the start of his infiltration and then got her in serious trouble when Akai was proven to be a traitor. It was worse because Akemi was still loyal to Akai anyway because she loved him. No evidence, but it could happen.

Did someone already note about Sonoko recalling that Okiya has been hiding his neck multiple times, even though she only sawhim once before? She remembered him in cases that she was never involved in...

and here i go again! ah, so last time shiho and shinichi were in shiho's classroom after school and shiho was making shinichi turn bright red, and the last thing she said was "Oh, don't tell me you're jealous Kudo-kun, jealous that I love Kyuu?" Shiho was completely serious about her love, she did love Kyuu. He was her best friend and such nice company. She was completely attached. Kudo-kun's spirit seemed to deflate and leave his body as soon as she said, "I love Kyuu." Outside the room door, Ran and Sonoko were staring with wide eyes and gaping mouths. They'd followed Shinichi wondering why he needed to go to the senior classrooms. While listening first they believed Shiho was coming onto Shinich and was going to kiss him, but they were utterly shocked when they heard her say she loved Kyuu. Now they wanted to know who Kyuu was, almost as much as Shinichi. They figured it had to be some sort of nickname, but they had no clue it was a cat. Shiho smiled and pulled away. "Well, if that's all you came for, I need to get back to cleaning," she stated. He stood there dumbfounded and continued to stare as she went back to work. It only took her a few more minutes to finish, but Shinichi was still frozen in place. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his arm saying, "Come on, let's go. If it's going to affect your functioning this much I'll let you meet him." He stumbled after her as she dragged him along.~Kiel95 Ran and Sonoko tried to keep up, but they lost them after a few turns. They didn't realized Shiho had caught onto them and shaken them off before she turned towards the apartment complex she currently resided in. As they walked up the steps, she pulled out a key and unlocked the door, stepping in and saying, "I'm home." Shinichi stumbled in mumbling, "Excuse me for intruding..." A small furry and black thing pounced on his face. He stumbled back against the door before Shiho could pull the little fuzzball off his face. Shiho smiled as she gently rubbed the kitten in her arms which was purring heavily. Shinichi blinked in surprise. "Kudo-kun, meet Kyuu. Isn't he adorable?" He gaped at the kitten which stared at him and hissed. "Kyuu," Shiho said sternly. Kyuu stopped hissing and looked at Shiho with big eyes. "Kyuu, this is my guest. Don't hurt him ok?" Shinichi asked as he put his back against the door, "What the hell is with that thing? And that's Kyuu?!" She grinned and said, "I found Kyuu in an alley. He was quite disheveled and suspicious. It took me a few days of bringing him milk and some fish before he trusted me. As soon as that relationship was established, he became attached to me like a dog." She chuckled as she thought back. "He's actually very useful and protects me quite well. There've been a few situations where he's saved me. Someone tired breaking into my house, he woke me up and attacked the intruder. I dealt with the thief accordingly. Also, I fell asleep while the bath was running and there would've been a fire but Kyuu woke me in time to stop it. He's such a smart little kitty." She smiled and rubbed her nose gently against Kyuu's who purred happily. Shinichi was at a loss for words. It took him a while before he managed, "Kyuu isn't a guy?!"~Kiel95 "Well technically he is a 'guy' since he's male. But if you meant human, than no, he's not. Did you think I'd fall in love so stupidly?" she asked with a dry laugh. He was somewhat taken aback and said in his own defense, "Who knows? Maye you met someone you just wouldn't tell me about. I mean, it wouldn't be the first time you withheld information! It's like when we first met! I just can't trust you!" Shiho's face immediately darkened and he regretted his words. She said in a dark tone, "I didn't ever ask yo uto trust me. You chose to do so on your own. It was your choice of what to do with me. You're the one who decided to let the professor keep me at his place. I may have had no where to go, but you could've easily kicked me out. Don't blame me for living my own life now that I'm free. I don't have to tell you every little detail of my life anymore. I can be me, and I can go to a life where the syndicate never existed. If anything, it seems you're the one more unwilling to let go to the past than I am. I've pushed it all behind me, while you on the other-hand seem to cling onto it like a life preserver. Don't assume you can reenter my life just to drag me back into yours. I left yours after unknowingly dragging you into it. If you hadn't snooped you would never have had to leave your comfortable life. Now you're free yet you come crawling back. What does that say about you?" He was baffled and speechless. He didn't know what to say. She was right. He was still clingong onto the past, believed they were still partners and friends like before. In reality, that part of his life was over and he needed to move on. But was he ready? ~Kiel95 ok... that ends the next sectioooon <3

I know it's been a long time since the last chapter... but here I am! You ready for this? Shinichi, Ran, and Sonoko were heading out to eat. It was Sonoko's treat, and also a trap. She'd wanted to try the food but didn't want to go alone, but as always she had calculated to bring Shinichi for Ran's benefit. To their surprise, upon arrival they bumped into someone unexpected, Shiho. They weren't entirely sure how to react. She wasn't there as a customer, or at least the uniform she wore didn't scream customer. Her clothes were waitress clothes, smooth, perfect, and not casual wear. Their mouths were agape as they stared at her, waiting for her to break the silence first. She just raised an eyebrow and asked, "How many?" The first to snap out of it was Sonoko, who quickly replied, "Three." "Right this way," Shiho smiled brilliantly. To everyone but Shinichi the smile looked genuine, but he'd seen the smile before. It was fake. Just a mask. She placed them in a booth and handed them the menus as she said with another smile, a bit less dazzling than before, "Your waiter should be here in a moment, please enjoy your meal." "What are you doing here?" Shinichi asked hurriedly, catching her before she was out of earshot. "I'm sorry, I've no time to converse. I'm currently working." She smiled politely and headed back to the front where she continued to seat customers and take calls. When they'd finished eating, Shiho was gone. Her shift had ended.~Kiel95 As they walked out the door, Sonoko ran straight into someone's back. "You wanted to talk to me?" the figure asked, slowly turning. Shiho's cool gaze fell upon the three of them with a raised eyebrow. "Wh-What are you doing working here?" Shinichi asked hesitantly. "Is it really so wrong for me to have a part time job Kudo-kun?" He opened his mouth to say something but shut it almost immediately afterwards. She took that as a sign to continue. "My friend Mika-chan couldn't make it to work today and needed a temporary replacement. her mother fell down the steps and is in the hospital. That's why I'm taking over for a while until she can come back. It'd be bad if it took to long and they had to let her go since she wasn't there when they needed her. In the meantime i get paid 3/4s and she receives the other 1/4. She would've preferred if I kept it all, but she needs money more than me." Sonoko couldn't help but ask, "What? Are you rich? Your parents much be rich right?" She was completely blunt, too confident in her deduction. Shiho smirked and replied coolly, "Well I am close to rich, and your story is close to the truth. My last position was quite well paying and my money was placed in a bank account and has been sitting around, accumulating interest. Also, when I inherited the money my parents and sister left me, it did surprise me a bit. I'd much more money than expected. I never knew how much they had." "What do you mean the money they left?" Ran asked hesitantly. "Ara? Kudo-kun, you didn't inform them when they asked about me?" Shinichi shifted uncomfortably and replied, "I didn't know how to say it. And besides, what gives me the right to give out your information?" The two girls looked at Shinichi and then Shiho and then back to Shinichi for answers. Shiho answered with a dry smile, "They're dead. I'm the only person living in my family." Their eyes widened. Shiho sighed and said, "Anyways, I must get going. I'm making Kyuu wait." "Who's Kyuu?" Shinichi asked suspiciously.~Kiel95 "Just a new man in my life," Shiho smirked, "but I don't believe that is any of your business, oh great detective. No need to pry into my life and know every little detail now." She then walked off with a slight wave of her hand. The three just stared after her for the second time that night. She was quite the mystery. As Shiho arrived at an apartment, she opened the door slowly and said, "I'm home." As soon as the door shut and she'd removed her shoes, she could hear the soft drumming of footsteps right before something leaped at her and landed in her arms. "Hello there Kyuu, and how was was your day?" she asked with a smile. In her arms the black bundle of fur looked up at her with shining bright eyes and meowed. Kyuu was a stray cat, one she'd found one day on her way home. She was lucky that cats were allowed in the apartment, as there was no way she would leave it out on the streets. The most surprising thought about Kyuu was that he acted so much like a dog. It was strange, but she loved him. She loved the looks and feel of cats and how solitary they were, but she also loved how attached he was to her. He didn't need all the pampering of a dog, but the loyalty to her was the same. Kyuu was definitely her best friend. She whispered gently to him, "You know Kyuu, sometimes I wonder if it would've been better for me to have fallen in love with you than with that idiot." Kyuu looked deep into her eyes as if understanding her every word and purred gently, licking her cheek in a surprise attack. "I really do love you," she whispered, but she wasn't talking to Kyuu, and a small tear rolled down her cheek. ~Kiel95

Two weeks passed and Ai suddenly disappeared. No one came for her. No one heard from her. She was just… gone. Nobody knew what’d happened. Shinichi began to wonder if she’d gotten tired of them and left, or maybe, maybe THEY were still out there. He was immediately on full alert and much more cautious than usual. The last conversation he’d had with her had him slightly on edge but prepared just in case some of them were still out there. A few days after her disappearance he received a letter in the mail. It didn’t have anything on it but his address and postage. No return address. ~Kiel95 He questioningly opened the letter and read it carefully, eyes growing wide as he did so. “Hey Kudo-kun. Sorry I had to disappear so suddenly on you guys. Something came up and I had to leave for a while. Don’t worry because I’m fine. I’ll get in touch soon. So calm down a bit. I know you’re most likely worried and becoming overcautious. Yes, it’s good to stay cautious, but don’t become like me, paranoid as I was. That’s plainly a bad idea as you’ll become an introvert like me. Anyways, I’ll contact you soon – Haibara Ai.” He let out a sigh of relief. She was safe. That took a huge amount of tension off his shoulders. He placed the letter down on his nightstand and was able to rest easy and drift off to sleep without worry. The next day he woke up with a smile and prepared for school. He met up with Ran as usual and the two smiled and talked on the way to school, their hands brushing up against each other but neither saying anything nor stopping it. As they entered the school grounds they were treated like a couple, but something was amiss that morning. People were whispering and gossiping about something new and weren’t paying as much attention to the high school detective and his childhood friend. Curious as to what it could be, he joined a group of friends and asked, “Hey guys, what’s up?” “You mean you didn’t hear?” someone asked in shock. “Of course he didn’t hear,” another guy interjected, “He has no reason to care since he has Mouri Ran!” A light blush painted his cheeks until someone else said, “Anyway… Dude… there’s this new third year who transferred in. She’s a real beauty and she’s smart to top it off! I hear it’s only her second day and ten guys have confessed and been rejected already! She’s already being called the ice queen since she does it so emotionlessly! I really want to see what she looks like, but I still haven’t gotten the chance!” The others agreed and Shinichi just shrugged it off. Didn’t mean anything to him. He didn’t care for rumors and gossip. He was more of a hard fact guy. What they were spreading had nothing to do with him. He slipped out of the group and told Ran the gist of things, who was just happy he didn’t’ have an interest in seeing their supposedly beautiful sempai. ~Kiel95 They headed off to class where they were greeted by Sonoko. Of course they were teased, but it ended sooner than normal since the topic was soon changed to the sempai they’d just heard about. Sonoko suddenly stopped the flow of the conversation going on in the classroom by suddenly saying loudly, “I forgot!” Her classmates looked at her quizzically. Sonoko pointed an accusing finger at Shinichi and said, “The new sempai also mentioned Shinichi-kun!” All eyes immediately turned to glare at him. He was just as shocked as them and he hurriedly said in his defense, “Oi, Oi! I’ve never even met this sempai you’re talking about! Much less do I even know what she looks like or why she mentioned me!” Suddenly a cutting voice said from the doorway in a seemingly suggestive tone, “Is that so Kudo-kun? And I thought we were closer, much closer, than that.” They spun around in surprise and Shinichi’s eyes widened. “H-H-,” he cut himself off right before saying Haibara and correcting himself saying, “M-Miyano-san?!” She smirked and said with an overly sarcastic tone, “Kudo-kun, I believe it’s Miyano-sempai to you.” He seemed flabbergasted and his mouth moved but no words came out. Shiho slowly walked into the room and stood before Shinichi with a cool gaze. Then she leaned towards him and said with a childishly mischievous smile, “Oh, you seem to be quite at a loss for words. I must say you never would’ve believed I was here unless I came to see you myself would you?” She giggled and said, “You needing to call me ‘Sempai’ after all we’ve been through must be quite a shock no?” Shinichi was finally able to shut his mouth and regain his composure, and once he’d done so he spoke as calmly as possible, “What are you even doing here, Miyano-SEMPAI?” he stressed ‘Sempai’ and had to grit his teeth through saying it. ~Kiel95 “Oh, nothing short of trying to learn a few new things,” she said with a teasing smirk. “You’ve graduated college in America, what could you possibly wish to learn here?!?” She shrugged and moved towards the window and stared up at the sky a bit before responding in a distant manner, “I figured I’d see if there was something I’d missed in school that I can learn here. Besides, I was never able to learn Japanese culture first hand in America. Also, I need to oversee my… Experiment, to make sure it’s permanent. What better way than to go to school?” Shinichi’s eye twitched. Without looking at him Shiho said with an annoyed sigh, as if playing with him had become a hassle, “Cool off Kudo-kun, it’s not like we’ll be in the same class. I just stopped by to say hello to let you know I’m doing fine.” Then she slowly turned and headed for the door saying just as she left, “See you around Kudo-kun, and don’t mind me. We don’t have to talk now that we’ve finished this conversation. It’s about time class starts and I really must get back.” She left before he could retaliate. Within moments he was crowded by his classmates, all asking him thousands of questions at once. He couldn’t answer a single one since they were speaking altogether and much too fast. When the bell rang and the teacher entered, the others calmed down and went back to their seats, still stealing glances and glares at Shinichi whenever they had the chance. When lunch came around, Shinichi stretched a bit before getting up, but before he stood, Sonoko and Ran stood above him with twitching expressions. They wore smiles, but it was quite obvious how angry they were. He pulled back slightly but had nowhere to go since he was seated against a window. “Explain,” Sonoko and Ran said in sync in a simple yet stern and angered tone. It was obvious that everyone else was waiting for an answer as well and weren’t leaving until they heard. Shinichi muttered, “Shit,” under his breath. He then inhaled deeply and calmed himself down before starting, “Remember when I was on that really long case where I had to leave school?” ~Kiel95

:| :shock: :grin: :roll: :x 8-) :-( :-P :-| :-x ;-) thank you sooo much these lessons helped me really much a big thankyou

Having the FBI react affirmatively would immediately provide leads on where Akai might be and who his contacts are, which is better than having no idea where to begin looking. Also, just because the FBI is alerted doesn't mean they will gain a winning advantage. FBI are weakened because they are off their home turf and don't have the official backing to simply investigate, order around civilians, or wiretap as they please. Also Vermouth found out who most of them are and where they live. With all the directions the BO can strike from and the home court advantage, The FBI might not be able to protect Akai, just like they were unable to protect Rena once the BO found out where she was. If Bourbon can convince other members of the Org the FBI are reacting to him suspiciously because they know the real Akai is alive, Bourbon has the support he needs to challenge Kir's loyalty or get more resources for his investigation. The biggest problem for Bourbon right now is lack of support according to the B=SA=AT theory. Only Vermouth is backing him because the others don't believe Akai is alive. Going solo slows down any investigation he is doing. Even if Bourbon wants to be the one to put away Akai, that doesn't preclude having a team helping too. Therefore, having the FBI be alert to what he has done is a small price to pay for confirming Akai's presence. In addition, Bourbon's goal is not to interrogate the FBI, it's to get them to reveal to him inadvertently they know Akai is alive. (Which hasn't worked because they don't know.) Regarding doing something dangerous, we know from Date's description of Amuro that he might be the type "to overestimate his abilities, do something stupid, and get himself killed". (807.11) That is, if you make the assumption Amuro is Scar Akai is Bourbon, Bourbon's plans involving risk to himself is not contradictory. Showing up in front of the FBI in disguise then fits with what we know, along with texting Kogoro the solution to the case revealing someone knows Kogoro's number, or shooting Conan's hostage taker through a crowd. As Amuro we have the car crash stop. (The careful line said by Vermouth applied to ano kata's behavior btw.) I never said Bourbon didn't try to investigate on the down low before taking action. After all, he did know Kogoro's cell number long before Amuro appeared at the agency. I am arguing that regardless of whatever he did before, it didn't work, so he has decided to take the more decisive step with the Akai disguise. The BO tends not to like people investigating them, so the point would be to get rid of a threat. They were already prepared to kill someone is a crowded place in front of the FBI to begin with. Your explanation implies that SeraBourbon and Scar Akai are not on the same side, yet SeraBourbon somehow has perfect knowledge of Scar Akai's true intentions and goals. How did that happen?Another major hole in your theory is that there isn't a clear reason why Scar Akai would be acting the way he is. So he wants the FBI to think Akai is alive. Why? Why is he doing it a certain way which is very public, rather than more privately? Who does he work for? What are the benefits? What does he know about the FBI and the Org? These are the kinds of things that Gosho typically drops lots of clues about during an arc. We had Kir's CIA and father legacy, Eisuke's sister, Jodie, James, and Akai's FBI, apples, and their pictures of Vermouth's pictures, Vermouth's dartboard and letters... Gosho provides these sorts of clues starting early on in the arc. This is it, so there should be a consistent and convincing explanation for all the above mentioned questions. Also Haibara sensing and then turning to look at Scar Akai with a terrified face.

Case solution stab one Also, apparently Shounen Sunday put out a video trailer for this manga case... And the website with the promo video embedded: http://websunday.net/news/#n_conan And another website with recap and pictures. http://www.shogakukan.co.jp/pr/kurozukume/ And more goods: From Tuntun and Beika-street.net: a bigger promotional image:

Its intresting but i'd like Akai to end up with Judie so i'd be sad for herif he was with Ai And i feel he's more of a brother/guardian like someone else said.. Too bad he's still hung up on Akemi