Chapter 7: Intercepting a Human Trafficking Scheme

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“That?”

Conan wanted to offer an explanation on Shoichi’s behalf, but he had no idea what he could possibly say.

As the child who had supposedly been abducted, Conan himself did not even know whether Shoichi had actually trafficked him.

“Come with me to the station first,” Yumi Miyamoto said.

Shoichi sighed. “There’s nothing you can do to me anyway. Why bother?”

Unable to tolerate Shoichi’s provocation any longer, Yumi adopted a firm attitude and insisted on taking him in.

Conan, the little boy who had supposedly been abducted, was invited to the police station along with him.

…

“Darling, we’ve been beaten to it.”

After Fumiyo Edogawa’s car had been stolen, she and the Mouri family began chasing after the vehicle in search of its occupants. At a corner, she parted from the Mouri father and daughter and called her husband alone.

“What are you talking about?” The man clearly did not understand what Fumiyo meant.

“Shinichi was snatched away!”

“By whom? Was it the organization that turned Shinichi into a child?”

“I don’t know,” Fumiyo said, racking her brains.

Who could possibly know who they were dealing with?

They had stolen both the car and its occupant in broad daylight, so the culprit was clearly someone who cared nothing for the law. Now that Shinichi had fallen into that person’s hands, his chances of survival were not looking good.

Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri and Ran were bent over, gasping for breath.

The car had been going far too fast. They could no longer even see its taillights.

“We should call the police first,” Kogoro said.

There was nothing else they could do. They would have to let the police handle it.

People traffickers and thieves were becoming far too brazen. They dared to steal cars and people in broad daylight, right outside his own home.

What was most infuriating was that the thief had actually gotten away with it.

Bent over, Ran said, “That’s all we can do. By the way, where’s Aunt Edogawa?”

“She probably couldn’t keep running and stopped somewhere to rest.” Kogoro looked around as he spoke.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

“Hello?”

“Good afternoon. This is the Tokyo Police Department.”

Ran blinked in astonishment. She had not even called the police yet, so why were they calling her?

“May I ask what this is regarding?” Ran asked.

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“There’s a child named Conan who says he is your younger brother. He is currently at the police station. Could you come and take him home?”

“No problem. I’ll be there right away.”

Ran hung up, her mind filled with questions.

How had Conan ended up at the police station?

…

At the station, Conan had also figured out what had happened to him.

He had not lost his memory.

He had been sitting in that woman’s car when a man named Shoichi came along and stole it. Since Conan had been inside the vehicle, he had become Shoichi’s complimentary purchase.

Shoichi was a habitual offender. He simply enjoyed stealing cars and had nothing to do with either that woman or the organization that had drugged him.

Although stealing was certainly wrong, Shoichi had inadvertently rescued him from that woman. In a strange way, a bad deed had resulted in something good.

Shoichi set down his cup and complained, “Don’t police stations serve their guests tea or coffee?”

Yumi Miyamoto gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“The station doesn’t have anything like that. Besides, you’re a criminal, not a guest.”

Shoichi sighed, pulled a check from his pocket, wrote down a string of numbers, and handed it to Yumi.

“This is a donation to the station. Hopefully I’ll be able to have some coffee next time.”

“The station does not accept money from you!” Yumi flung the check back at him.

Did this man think that having money meant he could do whatever he pleased?

“Ahem. Yumi, come here for a moment.”

An older officer called Yumi away. Shoichi glanced in their direction, then sat down, crossed his legs, and began reading the newspaper.

Conan thought the man was unbelievably cocky.

How could a car thief be so relaxed inside a police station?

And after the older officer summoned the female traffic cop, he must have said something to her, because she wore an unpleasant expression and left without a word.

When the older officer returned and spoke to Shoichi, he was exceptionally gentle, as though afraid that raising his voice might disturb him.

Conan fell into thought.

It seemed this man was not only wealthy but powerful as well. Was he the heir of some business dynasty?

The flame of justice in Conan’s heart began to burn.

Even money and influence could not place anyone above the law!

“Master Shoichi, are you feeling all right? I hope Yumi Miyamoto didn’t frighten you.”

“I’ve been taking medication lately, so I’m feeling much better. I’m not going to have an episode just because someone startled me.”

Conan’s fighting spirit immediately vanished.

If the man was mentally ill, this was going to be troublesome.

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“Conan!”

“Ran!”

Conan threw himself straight into Ran’s arms. She stroked his head and picked him up.

A Professor Agasa was apparently following behind them as well.

Ran asked Conan, “How did you end up at the police station?”

Conan explained how he had become a complimentary gift and been taken away by Shoichi.

Kogoro cast an unfriendly look at Shoichi.

The older officer anxiously stepped in front of Shoichi and addressed Kogoro, who looked ready to throw a punch.

“You need to calm down! This is a police station! It’s not a place where you can simply start hitting people!”

Shoichi folded the newspaper and placed it on the table. A faint smile appeared on his face as he handed Kogoro the check Yumi had rejected.

“I sincerely apologize for what happened. Please accept this as compensation.”

“Do you think an apology and compensation are enough to settle something like this?”

Kogoro accepted the check with a scowl. He wanted Shoichi to understand that not everything could be resolved with an apology.

“F-Five… five million?”

When he saw the figure written on the check, Kogoro stammered, nearly dropping his jaw. Then his expression changed completely.

“Really, you’re far too kind. I should be thanking you for finding this little rascal Conan for me.”

Kogoro almost wished Conan would be picked up by Shoichi a few more times.

Shoichi’s sincerity was simply overwhelming. It was Conan’s own fault for failing to avoid being picked up.

“No thanks are necessary. I was only doing what anyone should,” Shoichi said with a smile.

Ran slapped a hand to her forehead, embarrassed.

“Dad, how can you act like that? Give the money back!”

…

After leaving the police station, Shoichi rolled his wrists.

After that little exchange, Yumi Miyamoto would probably ignore him for quite some time.

Honestly.

He was a wealthy young master. He neither bullied men nor preyed on women, and all he did was occasionally pick up cars that nobody wanted. Why was she watching him so closely?

Well, he did occasionally pick up little girls nobody wanted, too.

“Hello? This is Shoichi.”

His driver had not arrived yet when the phone rang.

“Manager Shoichi, this is Jiro Kotani. The company’s public listing was only possible because of your guidance. I was wondering whether you might be free tomorrow. I’d like to express my gratitude at the Beika Grand Hotel.”

“Of course I’m free. I’ll be there at noon tomorrow.”

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