𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐒

file 024 | golden twilight

Kogoro opened the front doors and went down the stairs, his eyes glued to the line of cars engulfed in flames. In his haste, his foot slipped on the wet stairs, and he fell down them, letting out a yell of pain when he landed.

"The car that I rented!" he moaned.

"My Ferrari's done medium, too," Ikumi said.

"My Alfa as well as Ogami's Porsche are all gone," Mogi observed.

Ikumi glanced at Saguru as he descended the stairs as well. "Is that Benz yours, then?" she asked.

"No. I had my granny drive me over here," the teenager replied.

"Strange," Senma murmured. "I had Mouri-san give me a lift here. Whose Benz is that, then?"

"I think it's the master's car," Aki said. "When I got here early this morning, it was already here."

"Which means that there is someone else besides us here, after all?" Ran asked worriedly.

"Could it mean that my car that is on the other side has also been burned?" Aki wondered quietly, biting on her thumbnail.

Suzume raised an eyebrow as she and Hikaru stood in the doorway. "The other side?" she repeated. "You mean you didn't park your car here?"

The maid looked at her. "No, because I was instructed to park it at the back gate."

Everyone started to rush back into the house when she said that.

"Is there a shortcut to the back gate?" Suzume asked as Hikaru took off without an answer.

"Go through the enclosed garden," Aki stammered.

You got that?

Yeah!

~ — — — ~

Hikaru slammed the back door open to reveal Aki's car intact.

"Oh, your car's just fine!" Kogoro called out with a smile.

They all approached the car.

"Isn't there something fishy about this car?" Ikumi asked.

"The rat probably forgot to set the bomb," Kogoro dismissed, making Suzume frown.

Senma walked around the car to the driver's side door. "Then, maybe we should go check to see if the bridge is really gone." She opened the door.

"I'll go with you," Mogi said.

"I guess I will too," Saguru agreed.

"Me too," Kogoro said.

"Come now, too many captains will sink the ship," Senma said.

Saguru hummed. "True. We'll end up not the 'Phantom Thief,' but rather, a 'Phantom Ship.'"

"Then why not decide which detective goes by doing a coin toss?" Suzume suggested. "I've got exactly five coins in my pocket right now." She reached into her pocket and set the five coins on the hood of the car.

"My, you're pretty well prepared, young lady," Senma complimented.

Suzume had a small smile on her face. "I've been caught off guard too many times," she said vaguely with a shrug.

Hikaru forced an exhale through his nose, closed his eyes, and shook his head. Why are you like this?

"This is a very primitive way to decide, however," Saguru said as he picked up a coin after Senma.