Chapter 186: Kaito Comes Knocking
Inside the office, the one-eyed director maintained his usual stern demeanor.
Actually, Jodie was quite envious of him. That face practically screamed "intimidating authority," enough to instill fear in criminals at first glance, while her own appearance often made suspects underestimate her.
"I suspect the informant was Tequila."
Jodie spoke bluntly, handing over Tequila's photograph. "This individual is the Black Organization member code-named Tequila. He already secured the one billion yen. Given the Black Organization's standard operating procedures, they shouldn't have let Miyano Akemi survive after obtaining the money, yet she's alive.
We found no trace of the Black Organization at the scene.
Tequila probably never even went to Tokyo Bay—he deliberately handed Miyano Akemi over to us."
"Is it possible he discovered your presence, which prompted the last-minute change?" James paused, then continued, "I heard you also encountered people from the Metropolitan Police. Your two groups were far too conspicuous. I heard the police didn't even bother hiding their presence, and actually took a taxi there.
I also heard the officer who responded even brought a child along. The Metropolitan Police Department's protocols are becoming increasingly questionable.
Do you think it's possible that your arrival with the Metropolitan Police officers alerted Tequila to the situation, causing him to abort?"
Jodie shook her head. "That's unlikely. You should know this organization—their ruthlessness defies imagination. There were four combatants on both sides, maybe three and a half."
Conan didn't count as a full unit—at most half.
"And with a child present, if the Black Organization had actually engaged, I'm afraid it would have been extremely difficult for us to safely extract Miyano Akemi."
Though it was speculation, Jodie had already confirmed her suspicion—there was no other logical explanation.
"So you suspect Tequila is an undercover operative planted in the Black Organization by some agency?"
James pondered for a long moment. With agents from other organizations potentially involved, the situation had become significantly more complex.
"How did he identify Kazami as law enforcement? Does this mean Akai's cover has been compromised?"
These two questions hit the nail on the head, and this was exactly what Jodie needed to report.
"I don't believe so. I suspect he's an undercover agent placed in the Organization by regional law enforcement—possibly from Osaka or Kyoto. He has a strong Kansai accent and Asian features, so he's most likely Japanese. Judging by the fact that he contacted us without exposing Akai, he's probably on our side."
If Tequila were an undercover agent from a foreign intelligence service, he wouldn't have passed this information to them. He could have simply reported back to his own agency and leveraged it for concessions.
Jodie's assessment received James's tacit approval.
"By the way, did you extract any information about the Black Organization's Tokyo base from Miyano Akemi? Her sister is a code-named member and one of their most critical research assets—she must know something."
This was what James cared about most. If they could obtain intelligence about the Black Organization from Miyano Akemi, that would be ideal.
Jodie shook her head and sighed. "Unfortunately not. Miyano Akemi is merely an outer member and didn't provide much actionable intelligence.
Her meetings with Sherry were always under the Organization's surveillance, so she actually knows less than we do.
However, one thing is certain: the Black Organization has a research facility located in either Beika or Haido district, and Sherry should be inside. Given that Sherry is the Organization's lead scientist, we can infer this research facility is quite substantial."
The room fell silent as James appeared to be contemplating something.
He glanced at Kazami Yuya standing beside them and said, "You're dismissed."
Jodie gave a soft acknowledgment but said nothing more.
Kazami Yuya listened for a moment, not understanding the dismissal, then was escorted out. He didn't feel embarrassed, but he began worrying about Akai Shuichi.
After Kazami Yuya left, James turned to look at Jodie.
Noticing James's grave expression, Jodie sat up straighter, awaiting instructions.
"The CIA contacted us again."
"Again?"
Jodie's expression froze. Her superior was informing her of this development now, so it was probably related to the Miyano Akemi investigation.
As expected, James's next words nearly made her jaw drop.
"The CIA has located another Black Organization facility in our operational area, this time a research laboratory. They've indicated this facility is located within the Tokyo metropolitan area, which corroborates the intelligence provided by Miyano Akemi.
The information from both sources validates each other, so this facility definitely exists. However, headquarters hasn't approved the CIA's terms this time, so..." James gave Jodie a knowing look.
"What do you mean?"
Jodie raised an eyebrow, perking up, sensing an opportunity for a major operation.
"The CIA always makes excessive demands. Since we've already narrowed our focus to Beika and Haido, let's conduct our own investigation first.
I'll stall the CIA for two days. If you can't locate the Black Organization's research facility within that timeframe, I'll agree to their cooperation proposal."
James closed his one good eye and rubbed his temples, his expression darkening further. The CIA's behavior was frustrating—an intelligence agency acting so mercenary.
This time, the CIA was demanding 50% of the research facility's assets upon verification.
The FBI definitely couldn't accept those terms.
This Tokyo research facility was different from the Kamogawa base.
The Black Organization was a global criminal syndicate, and its research facility contained vast amounts of specialized equipment and materials whose value was self-evident. Surrendering half to the CIA would be unacceptable to FBI leadership.
Currently, Jodie had narrowed the search parameters to Beika and Haido, which significantly reduced investigation difficulty. As long as they committed resources, they could find leads.
Regardless, James had to try. If they succeeded, it could secure research equipment worth billions for the FBI.
What? Why only billions?
Even the most principled agencies needed to maintain relationships.
They needed to provide incentives up the chain of command. With so many supervisors to satisfy, retaining billions would already be quite favorable.
"I'll check with contacts in Kyoto and Osaka about Tequila, but let's hold off on other actions until then."
"What about Akai?" Jodie hesitated, then sighed. "We're scheduled to meet in the next few days to exchange intelligence. Regarding Tequila..."
Before she could finish, James interrupted. "Don't inform Akai about this yet. First, determine what outcome the Black Organization reports for the Miyano Akemi case."
If Tequila were on their side, he would definitely report to the Black Organization that Miyano Akemi is dead.
Also, ensure the Metropolitan Police officers who know about Miyano Akemi sign non-disclosure agreements prohibiting them from revealing anything.
This is to protect Tequila from exposure.
Akai had been embedded in the Black Organization for years, and given his often aloof demeanor, even James was starting to have difficulty reading him.
For security purposes, he didn't plan to inform Akai about this development.
Besides, the situation remained unclear. He needed to verify Tequila's identity first—it wouldn't be too late to brief Akai once confirmation was obtained.
He actually had another consideration he hadn't shared with Jodie.
If Tequila proved to be their asset, he might prioritize him and even have him monitor Akai's activities.
Over recent years, not only had FBI leadership grown dissatisfied with Akai Shuichi, but even Jodie, his direct handler, had begun questioning Akai's reliability.
Though Akai continued providing intelligence about the Organization, this information was too peripheral and superficial, never touching the Organization's core operations.
Jodie didn't respond—she was actually quite dissatisfied with her superior's approach.
Akai was risking his life for this mission, yet headquarters didn't recognize his contributions and instead grew wary of him.
Previously, James had advocated for Akai, but starting this year, his attitude had shifted slightly.
The appearance of this potential new asset was the final factor undermining confidence in Akai Shuichi.
However, she was powerless to prevent it.
Jodie was completely convinced that once this new operative was confirmed as their asset, Akai Shuichi would receive minimal support from the FBI—they might even assign the new agent to monitor him.
Of course, all of this depended on confirming the new operative's allegiance.
Now she finally understood why James had dismissed Kazami Yuya—probably to prevent him from tipping off Akai.
The Next Day
In the city, spring was in full bloom, with warm sunlight streaming through scattered clouds onto the bustling metropolis.
The sky was azure, with a few white clouds drifting by like sheep floating lazily through the air. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of cherry blossoms.
The greenery lining the streets was sprouting fresh leaves, lush and vibrant, swaying gently in the spring breeze as if displaying spring's vitality to passersby.
People dressed casually wandered through the city, enjoying the spring warmth.
On the balcony, gazing at the white clouds, Natsukawa leisurely closed his eyes.
He'd been so busy with operations lately that he hadn't had time for this simple pleasure. This morning he'd finally managed to squeeze in some free time.
It was Monday, and Anya didn't need his company.
Speaking of Anya, when he'd taken her to school this morning, Natsukawa had encountered Conan being dropped off by Professor Agasa.
Conan must have been up all night—his dark circles were incredibly pronounced, and his deep-seated exhaustion was clearly from his unsuccessful search.
Incidentally, when Natsukawa had contacted Vodka this morning to coordinate tonight's details, he'd learned something else.
Sherry had been imprisoned by Gin.
Apparently last night, Sherry had directly confronted Gin, declaring that her sister was dead and she didn't want to live anymore, so naturally the research would cease.
Gin, not one to tolerate defiance, had slapped her unconscious and forcibly dragged her to a storage room for solitary confinement.
Vodka had seemed somewhat relieved when mentioning Sherry's imprisonment, suggesting she'd caused considerable trouble.
Seeing events developing as predicted, Natsukawa felt reassured.
Next, he just had to monitor the weather forecast.
Haibara appeared on a dark, stormy night with heavy rain, which was convenient—as long as he tracked the forecast, he wouldn't miss the day she shrank.
He also had the exchange with the Suzuki Group scheduled for that evening, so Natsukawa planned to rest all morning and meet up with Vodka in the afternoon.
If possible, he'd also visit Sherry.
However, just as he finished preparing lunch, an "uninvited guest" arrived.
The uninvited guest rang the doorbell but didn't wait for the host to answer, instead using a lockpick to let himself in.
"Pardon the intrusion~"
Kaito announced as if he owned the place.
He closed the door and walked into the living room with practiced ease.
Clearly, he'd already scouted Natsukawa's residence beforehand and knew he was home.
His purpose was self-evident.
"Have you eaten? I caught some grouper at Tokyo Bay last night—come try some." Natsukawa went to the kitchen to prepare another place setting.
"..."
Kaito had come to demand answers, but before he could utter a word, the Eastern Star Grouper completely derailed his momentum.
"How unfortunate. I hate fish."
"These are ocean fish, not the kind caught in rivers." Though these Eastern Star Grouper hadn't actually been caught by him, even if he didn't care about the fishing part, he should at least respect the chef's effort.
Kaito glanced at the Eastern Star Grouper, then at the other dishes on the table.
He thought to himself that Natsukawa was indeed wealthy—preparing so many dishes for one person, could he even finish them all?
Definitely not. What a waste.
Though, he was actually quite wealthy himself.
Kuroba Toichi had been an internationally renowned magician whose show tickets were incredibly difficult to obtain, leaving Kaito with considerable inheritance.
Plus, his mother was no ordinary person—she'd been successfully investing abroad for years, which was why he could live so comfortably in Japan.
Kaito's regular expenses might be modest, but Kaitou Kid's equipment and intelligence gathering were extremely expensive. Without his mother's financial support, Kaitou Kid wouldn't maintain such elegance.
"Fine, I'll force myself to eat a little."
The food was indeed delicious, though his aversion to fish remained. To avoid ruining his appetite, Kaito flourished his hand, and an ornate card appeared seemingly from nowhere, which he positioned between himself and the grouper like a barrier.
Natsukawa sighed, finding Kaito's phobia rather peculiar.
It was more like magic than sleight of hand.
Even watching so closely, he hadn't detected any of Kaito's subtle movements.
If it wasn't a problem with his observation skills, then the magic itself was simply unscientific.
Aside from the fish, Kaito showed considerable interest in the other dishes, finishing two bowls of rice. If Natsukawa hadn't cooked extra, planning to make fried rice for dinner, there definitely wouldn't have been enough.
But now it seemed the fried rice dinner was cancelled—Anya would probably have to eat out with Yor.
Letting Yor cook... no, better not.
Kaito, his stomach pleasantly full, elegantly produced a handkerchief to wipe his mouth before speaking. "What was that announcement about last night?"
Kaito's expression turned serious. He'd only learned today from Aoko that an organization called the Black Organization had actually sent someone to extort money from the Suzuki family.
The extortion itself had little to do with him, but the critical point was they'd impersonated him—Kaitou Kid.
That directly involved him.
He'd finally built up a reputation in Japan, with a substantial fanbase that was his own, not his father's, and now this had happened. If word spread, where would Kaitou Kid's reputation be?
An elegant phantom thief extorting eight billion yen—it was outrageous and completely beneath him.
No, he absolutely had to discover the truth.
If he hadn't known Natsukawa was connected to this organization, he would definitely have gone to tonight's exchange to investigate personally.
Out of courtesy, and out of curiosity about Natsukawa, he'd decided to ask Natsukawa first, then analyze the specific situation.
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