Chapter Text
~~(Present time)~~or~~ A week since he went missing~~(Friday)~~
Megure felt sick. Exhausted, numb, mad, just whatever this state was called. A mix of feelings he couldn't really name. First of all it was tiredness, he hadn't slept at all for three days in a row. Dirty, empty cups of coffee were scattered all around his worktable. He'd drunk already 4 cups of black, strong coffee, but it wasn't helping anymore. It was a feeling of drifting somewhere in the void, filled with guilt. Anyway, it was his fault, that one exact idiot teen had gone missing. That so much time had already passed and only by now he had started to really do something.
Kudo Shinichi had gone missing a week ago. Since that evening in Tropical Land there was no sign, that he was still alive.
An ominous forensic report lay on his table along with evidence bags, their contents stained with blood. He had stared at it for hours in aspiraition that something would pop up in his mind and explain everything what happened. He still dared to hope to discover that somehow miraculously the teen wasn't dead or bleeding somewhere, his face pressed into the dirt of a ditch.
Inspector's investigation didn't bring any positive news and none of the clues seemed to fit together. It would be so damn good to just wake up from that nightmare. No theory... No progress... The enigma remained unsolved.
Megure sighed. He still had the work to do. Even if it felt like a nonsense, even if didn't matter anymore. Command brought him more and more new cases, just as always, oblivious to his true task.
~~The day he was last seen~~(Friday)~~
It was just another trivial day in division one. Everyone busy with their paperwork, which was endless and very unpleasant thing, that officers have to deal with. Then they got a call. Some man was decapitated on the roller coaster ride. Inspector Megure and some other officers quickly got to the place and started their usual procedure. That was when he spotted the familiar cowlick.
"Ah, inspector good that you're already here. I noticed something. C'mon!"
The high school detective was there. Of course he was. How could he not? Whenever something happened he'd be there, already being two steps ahead the police.
Despite his outward annoyance of teen being always there, inspector really appreciated his help and loved that smug, self-confident detective. He was often guest at the police office. He came there either to give his statements or help with the solving cold cases, that police hadn't managed to do. Also it wasn't rare to accidentally meet him on a crime scene, where he came even before the crime was fulfilled "just a coincidence, I swear inspector. Please stop looking at me like that". After all that time the two of them became close to each other. They spent evenings together, having meals together. Young detective even asked him for advice about how to confess his feelings to childhood friend. While Shinichi's parents were away in America inspector kind of took care of him, was a father figure for him. At least it was what Megure thought until that crucial day.
Shinichi explained how the man was killed, pointed the culprit and was pleaded. Then some media stuff, as giving an interview to correspondents. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was used to this and hadn't paid much attention to it but now when he was recalling it was so heartwarming sight. He missed the way he carelessly poked at corpses.
After solving the case he just returned to the office. That's when everything started.
At first it was just an innocent phone call.
"Police office, division one, listening."
"Uhm, excuse me, can I talk to Megure-keibu?" a girlish voice asked.
Inspector headed to the telephone.
"Moshi moshi", "Ah, Ran-kun, what happened?"
"Is Shinichi with you?"
"Kudo-kun?" he asked, confused.
"No, I've seen him last in the theme park. I thought he would be with you since you two were on a date."
"No, no it wasn't a date. But I got worried. We were walking together after the case and he saw something or someone and just ran off. He hasn't come back yet. His neighbour said that he didn't see him either so I thought maybe he's with you. I'm not sure what to do. Shinichi's phone died, I think" he heard the anxiety through her words.
"Ran-kun, I don't think you should worry so much. He's quite capable of taking care of himself. You know. I'll call you if he shows up. Okay?"
"Thank you Megure-keibu. Good evening." She hung up.
It was the time when he should have started worrying, at least a bit. But he just ignored it. And that was his main mistake.
*****
Then he got distracted by a case of kidnapped girl. There he met Mori family. Kogoro was irritating as always. Ran looked lost. And there was someone else. He noticed the very same cowlick nearby the police officers.
"Kudo-kun!..."
`What the heck?` When the boy he called for turned his head it appeared to be little, glasses-wearing six-year-old. He looked really confused.
"Ran-kun, who's that kid?"
"Ah, it's Conan-kun. He's a distant relative of Agasa-hakase and he asked me to look for him for a while."
Inspector was very puzzled but decided to drop it because he had more important things to think of.
~~First day since he went missing~~(Saturday)~~
Police never had weekends but that day felt like one. Nothing happened during that day. Nothing at all. And it was scary at some point. There weren't any phone calls, not even some silly ones about lost kitten or accidently locked front doors. That feeling of nothing happening was overwhelming. Silence was too loud. All that day felt like the calm before the storm.
~~Second day since he went missing~~(Sunday)~~
The only call that day was from Ran. She asked the very same things. No one bothered to worry.
~~Third day since he went missing~~(Monday)~~
Oh, how naive of him it was to ignore his feeling in gut that insisted that something was off. He suggested that that was because of sudden weather change but after a few days he was proved wrong.
By 3:30 p.m Ran paid a visit to the division one. She looked tired and concerned, dark circles under her eyes.
Megure watched as she walked past the reception heading straight to his desk.
"Good afternoon, inspector, is Shinichi here?"
"No. Sorry Ran-kun I don't think he'll appear here."
"I see... Uhm... he hadn't shown up at school today..." her voice cracked despite her effort not to show it.
"Maybe he just stuck with a difficult case somewhere around."
"But wouldn't you know about it then?"
"Yeah, I think so, but he can also be in another prefecture, or maybe his parents returned and took him somewhere."
"He'd tell me then..."
*****
At 7:15 p.m she came again.
"SHINICHI!!!! I swear if you're hiding here and just avoiding me I'll break your ribs without any hesitation!" That shout was heard throughout the office. After that ringing silence settled over the room. It appeared to be a wake-up call for Megure. For the first time, he started to feel anxious.
He had to repeat his own words to calm down. "He's quite capable of taking care of himself" but this time it didn't sound so convincing.