Sorry for the hiatus. If I'm lucky, I may be able to get the final chapters up in the next couple of weeks. For now, here's some filler!

xXx

"You think we're just gonna back off?" KID growled incredulously, his hands forming fists at his sides. "He tried to kill us! All of us! He's going to jail!"

Vermouth's eyes narrowed. "I was in complete control of the situation. If I wanted any of you dead, I would have ensured it. Now please move."

Conan raised a hand to pull on KID's wrist without looking at the thief. "Do what she says."

"What?" Conan didn't want to see KID's stunned face at Conan's order. "But she—he—"

"I wasn't expecting this," Conan explained resignedly. "We can't stop her. But if we let her go, she won't come after us again."

"Wise as ever, Cool Guy." Vermouth smirked.

KID still refused to yield. "Maybe she won't, but she's not the one who tried to kill us. Delon is. Actually, Delon's tried to kill me multiple times. What's to stop him from having another go at it?"

"Simple," Vermouth explained calmly before Conan had a chance to respond. "I take him from here, to someplace safe for him. Then you tell the police that he was the killer. If he values his freedom, he'll never set foot in Japan again. I'll probably try to hide him in America."

KID changed tack, but continued appealing to Conan. "You—you trust her?"

Conan could tell KID was drawing his own conclusions about the connections between this woman, Kudou Shinichi, and the Black Organization. Conan had mentioned Gin in front of him before, after all, and if KID was smart—which he most certainly was—he could surely make the connection between the alcohol codenames.

"It's…complicated," Conan admitted. No, he did not trust Vermouth—but he did trust his predictions regarding her behavior. She would not touch her Cool Guy or her Angel. Otherwise, she would have impeded their progress before that point—she would have prevented Conan from saving KID from Delon only moments ago. Although, she would likely make no promises about phantom thieves….

Delon had likely used Vermouth as a method to escape should his plan fail. But then…Conan sniffed the air. Was that…gas? From Vermouth's motorcycle? No, the wind was blowing to the west, so the motorcycle was downwind of them—not the other way around. Conan peeked over his shoulder, just long enough to spot a scarlet canister hidden behind some bushes. No, she wasn't here for an escape. She was here to finish her brother's work.

Even when it looked like Delon would win, Vermouth still hadn't lit the cabin ablaze. And there could only be one reason.

Ran.

She had sacrificed for Ran before. Calvados. But the sniper had meant nothing to Vermouth. Conan but his lip: could he count on her to sacrifice her own brother's freedom for Ran? In the span of three seconds, Conan automatically cycled through three plans, all quickly eliminated for their ruthlessness. Use Ran as bait—no. Wake up Delon and force Vermouth to choose—no. Get KID to threaten Ran—no.

Then the fourth plan: lie.

Vermouth was already striding toward the cabin; KID had reluctantly stood down and allowed her to pass.

"He'll kill Ran."

As expected, she turned in alarm, and Conan could sense KID's shock. He looked up, meeting Vermouth's eyes with an intense glare.

"Please," he pleaded as desperately as possible. "Ran really irritated him earlier when she picked up the phone at the Detective Agency, and…he will kill her. Even if he has to return to a country where he's a wanted man. I can't protect her forever—not from someone with his connections and abilities."

Vermouth glared at him. "Well, what do you want from me, Cool Guy? Allowing him to be arrested would be suicide. He would turn on me immediately. I botched a hit for Angel, but I'm not about to sacrifice my freedom for her." She smiled, and there was an odd softness about it. "And I know you: you would never want me to kill him. Though—we never did get along."

As Conan tried to think of a response, his eyes unconsciously darted to the road. Vermouth noticed immediately and arched an eyebrow, smirking.

"Oh, so that's the plan is it? Counting on reinforcements? Well, as my brother tells it, they're all either dead or hospitalized—he didn't stick around long enough to find out—and the police are forbidden from coming anywhere near this place. Although…you must know something I don't." Her expression suddenly darkened. "I'm getting him now. I can prevent him from harming Angel."

She entered the house, leaving Conan and KID helpless outside.

xXx

"H-Hattori-kun!"

"Hakuba! 'The hell? Weren' ya jus' in surgery? Ya have less of an excuse ta be out than I do!"

The detectives had literally just run into each other in the hospital hallway, Heiji finally successful at escaping, and Hakuba successful at the same task—only on his first try. They had also both managed to change into their clothes—however ripped and blood-stained they were—an especially impressive feat in Hakuba's case.

"I know who the culprit is!" Hakuba lowered his voice to a whisper. "Come on, we can speak freely once we get out of here."

Heiji nodded, deciding to present his own conclusion later—Hakuba was right about being unable to speak freely. He noticed as they managed their escape—which was relatively easy compared to his attempts to simply escape from his room—that Hakuba was heavily limping.

He decided to point it out once they were completely out of the hospital. "Ya know, ya probably shouldn' a' left. Yer limpin' pretty bad."

Hakuba waved a hand impatiently and he used his other hand to retrieve his phone. "It's unimportant. I need to call Nakamori-keibu and tell him my deductions."

"An' it's 'unimportant' that I'm in the loop, huh?" Heiji grumbled. "In any case, I've got my own deduction."

"Oh, really?" Hakuba raised an eyebrow and returned his phone to his jacket pocket. "We should probably compare results before calling anyone."

Heiji nodded in agreement. "I got Sasaki Ryu."

"I've heard of him," Hakuba admitted. "Isn't he a detective?"

"He was involved in a scam durin' that 'Miracle Land' incident that we keep referrin' ta. 'Cause a' me, Kudou, an' KID, he was sent ta jail fer it. He jus' got out," Heiji explained. "Clearly we didn' arrive at the same conclusion."

"Not even close." Hakuba rubbed his temples. "Jack Connery."

"Oi, is that even a person, or did ya make up an English name jus' so ya could say ya had a suspect?" Heiji deadpanned.

Hakuba bristled. "He was an Interpol agent moonlighting as the same consulting thief that he was charged with capturing. It's a rather long story, but the summary is that he died, and—while he doesn't have immediate family—to any grieving siblings, it could appear that KID was responsible for his death. Though KID clearly tried to save him from falling."

"Well, that settles it," Heiji said confidently. "We'll tell the police that it's Sasaki Ryu."

"Oh, really?" Hakuba frowned. "And why is that?"

"Well, clearly he would want revenge agains' three of us—well, four if he thinks ya were involved, even though it was KID—so it's more likely that he'd go ta such elaborate lengths by killin' all a' us."

"He's been in jail for what—three months? He was a detective—do you honestly think he could snap to that extent, as to attempt to murder so many people?"

"Hey, ya don' know what goes on in prison. I've heard stories, ya know, it can be a real hell—"

"Ahem."

Heiji and Hakuba turned to see, to their mutual surprise, a child approach them from the direction of the hospital.

"Um…hey. What're ya doin' here?" Heiji blinked at the familiar girl. One of the many perils of knowing someone's back-story before actually meeting her: you have no idea how to address her. After pondering it for a beat, Heiji settled on simply following Kudou's lead. "Ah…Haibara?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't seem to mind him calling her that.

"Kudou-kun called me." She raised her small Shounen Tantei communication badge. "He knows who the culprit is, and is going to confront him. Apparently KID's there too. He gave me directions."

Heiji and Hakuba exchanged a bemused, slightly embarrassed look.

"Well…" Hakuba coughed a bit awkwardly as he took the written directions from the girl. "Did Kudou-kun, um, happen to mention the identity of the culprit?"

Haibara shrugged. "A man named Delon, I think."

"I recognize that name." Hakuba handed the directions to Heiji. "I read it in a file when I joined the Kaitou KID Task Force. He was the head bodyguard when Princess Anne visited Japan. Suffice it to say, there was a heist, KID won, Delon lost. Now that I think of it, I think that same princess is in Japan now."

"He musta got demoted 'cause a' that heist!" Heiji shouted. "A' course! Ahou, how could ya not see it before?"

Hakuba glared at him, growling. But before he could respond, Haibara cut in: "Don't feel bad over it. Kudou-kun's in a class all his own."

Heiji wasn't sure whether to be offended by that.

Hakuba took a deep breath, calming himself. "In any case, let's just get some kind of transportation so we can get to this place." He turned to Haibara. "Are you coming?"

She nodded. "If it's a car or bus. But if you manage to find a motorbike, I'll stay here—wouldn't want you breaking the law on my account." She smirked. Heiji wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but he wasn't about to dwell on it.