A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~ (Novel)

This article is about a Detective Conan novel. For the drama special of the same name, which was based on this novel, please see: A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~

Novel 3
Information
Title:	A Challenge Letter to Shinichi Kudo ~Prologue Until Goodbye~
Japanese Title:	工藤新一への挑戦状～さよならまでの序章～
Release date:	October 15, 2006
ISBN:	ISBN 4-0912-0689-1
Publisher:	Shogakukan
Creators
Original work:	Gosho Aoyama
Author:
Case
Cast:	Shinichi Kudo Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Eri Kisaki Sonoko Suzuki Inspector Megure Yoko Okino Professor Agasa Shiro Suzuki Tomoko Suzuki Genta Kojima Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Ayumi Yoshida Gin Vodka
Suspects:
Case solved by:	Shinichi Kudo
Chronology
Prev novel:	« Murder Symphony
Next novel:	Shinichi Kudo Returns ~Confrontation with the Black Organization~ (Novel) »
List of novels

Cast

Characters
Shinichi Kudo Ran Mouri Kogoro Mouri Eri Kisaki (background) Sonoko Suzuki Inspector Megure Yoko Okino Professor Agasa Shiro Suzuki Tomoko Suzuki Genta Kojima Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya Ayumi Yoshida Gin Vodka

Case

Situation

Shinichi and Ran's class decides to take a trip on a boat, but Shinichi decides against going. He quickly changes his mind when he finds a letter of challenge stating that one student will be kidnapped during the trip, more precisely, on a mean of transport. He is eager to accept the challenge. While they are on the plane, a student disappears.

Kidnapping
	Location: Plane Victim: Maiko Tachibana Suspects: Unknown

However, the teacher later receives a phone call saying that Tachibana has arrived at the hotel that they intend to stay at. On the other hand, Shinichi receives another letter from the kidnapper stating that Shinichi disappointed him and he will now abduct another student, on another mean of transport. Later, when they are returning from the dive spot on a ship, Sonoko is kidnapped.

Kidnapping
	Location: Ship Victim: Sonoko Suzuki Suspects: Shingo Kitajima, Mai Nishida, Kunio Azuma and Kyosuke Minamida

Shinichi soon receives a call from the kidnapper stating he will abduct yet another student at exactly twelve noon. The police announce that they will protect the students by having them gathering at the hotel's hall, with all the doors locked and guarded. However, at exactly 12 a.m., the lights suddenly go off. When they are turned back on, Ran has disappeared.

Kidnapping
	Location: Hall Victim: Ran Mouri Suspects: Shingo Kitajima, Mai Nishida, Kunio Azuma and Kyosuke Minamida

Shinichi receives a call from the kidnapper, who says that he has set up a bomb at where he keeps Ran and Sonoko. Kogoro, who arrived just before the incident, suspects Azuma, as he owns the ship on which Sonoko was kidnapped, and when Kogoro met him along with Nishida and Minamida at the hotel, Azuma suddenly left after receiving a phone call. Kogoro and Shinichi go to Azuma's house, only to find him dead.

Suicide?
	Location: Azuma's house Victim: Kunio Azuma Suspects: Shingo Kitajima, Mai Nishida and Kyosuke Minamida

Chief Tamagawa quickly arrives and informs Kogoro and Shinichi that Minamida is found dead at his house as well.

Suicide?
	Location: Minamida's house Victim: Kyosuke Minamida Suspects: Shingo Kitajima and Mai Nishida

Shinichi goes back to the ship to investigate. After looking at the closet in the room that Sonoko was sleeping at and Ran's camera, he realize who is the culprit, as well as the trick to all three kidnapping cases. He then goes to the old harbor.

People

Yutaka Gondo
	Tour guide

Shingo Kitajima
	Substitute teacher

Maiko Tachibana
	Teitan high school student

Iida
	Chaperone

Mai Nishida
	Chaperone

Shizuka Yamamoto
	Flight attendant

Tamaoki
	Teitan high school teacher

Kamata
	Teitan high school teacher

Kunio Azuma
	Victim (hanged) Professional diver

Kyosuke Minamida
	Victim (hanged) Azuma's assistant

Chief Tamagawa
	Policeman

Resolution

  Show spoilers »

The culprit is Mai Nishida. She was the girlfriend of a magician who Shinichi got arrested and that man died in prison. She tied a rope on the boat and a sack and put a combustion device to burn the rope to make it look like Sonoko jumped to the water. Then she kidnapped Sonoko for real at the closet inside the box, which she used a mirror to make it look empty. The second kidnapping isn't really a kidnapping, but Ran do this on her own. Nishida sneaked a threat and a spare key to her room. When the lights go out, she immediately open the lock, coming out, lock the door, and disguised as a staff member to go to the abandoned house. About the first case, the person on the plane was actually Nishida and not Tachibana, as they are sisters and have similar appearances. The real Tachibana had sneaked out before the plane took off and then took another flight to the island, while Nishida, after making Tachibana's friend sleep, returned to being Mai Nishida to make it look like Tachibana had disappeared. The two suicides are actually murders. The proof is the strands from the ropes used to killed Azuma and Minamida is found on Nishida's camera. She killed the two in order to frame them . Nishida then takes out a gun and forced Shinichi to enter the warehouse that Ran is locked in. She then locks the door, saying that she will die along with Shinichi and Ran. However Kogoro arrives just in time, and upon discovering the hole that Ran broke a while ago, he throw a soccer ball through that, which Shinichi uses to kick at Nishida. He then kicks the bomb through that same hole into the sea.

The epilogue than leads to the event at Tropical Land right before Shinichi is shrunken into Conan Edogawa.