"What?! You're saying a suit of armor moved on its own?" Jimmy asked incredulously.

I raised an eyebrow as I chowed on some instant ramen, plopped on the couch in Richard's office next to the Dweeb who was reading a book.

Richard sat at his desk, looking over the newspaper and we all stared at Rachel who just came back from running an errand.

She smiled brightly, excitement in her blue eyes. "Yeah, two of the security guards saw it! Everyone in the neighborhood's talking about it now.It sounds like a lot of fun so why don't we all take a look down at the museum?" She asked excitedly.

Richard and Jimmy burst out in fits of laughter at her story. I frowned briefly, smacking Jimmy upside the head and throwing my chopsticks, nailing Richard in the head effectively shutting them up.

"The museum probably isn't doing well so it started that rumor to attract attention. It's a hoax, Rach." I waved her idea away, chugging the broth from the emptying container.

Jimmy and Richard shot me their glares of contempt but it didn't affect me.

Richard rubbed the growing red spot on his forehead where I hit. "The Delinquents right. That museum is hurting so they need something to bring in more business." He reluctantly agreed.

Jimmy nodded, moving his hand from the knot I created on his head. "I agree. It's a promotion for kids." He added, which by the look of her face, Rachel did not appreciate.

The two put down their reading material and stood. "Well time to do some work." Richard said.

Jimmy threw his hands behind his head as he and Richard headed towards the door. "And I'll do some of my homework."

So they're bailing.

It's rare to see the two agree on something. I glanced at Rachel curiously whose temple began to throb.

'The Vein' making its appearance.

"Hold it right there!" She shouted. The two stopped and looked back to see her walk over to Richard's desk and slammed her fist down, denting it greatly.

My eye twitched. She looked over to the two, who had gone pale and tense with fear. She smiled but the vein was still prominent and it wasn't warm at all.

"You are going right?" She asked again.

So it's okay when you use violence to enforce something but not when I do it?

The hypocrisy.

The two stood at attention, their fear prominent. "That's right."

I snorted, putting my cup on the table and leaning back. "You guys can go. I'm just gonna hang back." Rachel glared murderously and I raised my eyebrow.

While Rachel is an insane fighter and black belt in karate, I'm also skilled in it. Not to mention my skills in different martial arts all across the world.

It started as an interest when I went on vacation as a kid with my family but soon I realized how much pull I had when I could fight.

She huffed, before reaching for the landline. "Should I call your parents and tell them about what happened at school the other day?"

My jaw dropped as I stared at her in disbelief. "The fuck Rach?!" I shouted in outrage.

"This is something we should do as a family. And right now, you're a part of it. So are you coming or not?"

I scowled at her before letting out a loud groan of contempt and stood. "Fucking snitch." I grumbled, pushing my way past the two dimwits and towards the stairs.

"Stella! Aren't you gonna hold your ground?!" Richard demanded, me being his only hope.

I scoffed. "I'd rather not get nagged by my dad. C'mon, let's just do this thing already."

Jimmy and Richard followed close behind me, Rachel behind them. "Whoa. Someone's been spending a lot of time at the dojo." Jimmy muttered.

Richard blew out a breath. "I never should have let her take those darn karate lessons." Richard also muttered. Rachel probably could here but chose to ignore it, content with how things turned out.

The three of us took a cab to the museum, not having to go too terribly far. There weren't many people around despite the rumors, but Rachel didn't mind. She was enticed with all the art.

Jimmy and Richard looked bored out of their minds, but I don't particularly mind. In Junior High I was in the Art Club for some time. It was the only subject in school that I wasn't failing. So I took a liking to it.

I drew, painted, I even did pottery. Of course I like things to be a little more exciting and resorted to fighting for sport to get that fix.

But the art here isn't too bad.

Rachel let out a dreamy sigh. "They're so beautiful! This is just great! Look at these colors, they are magnificent." She gawked, especially at one painting in particular.

They are pretty nice. It's not a bad outing. I guess I shouldn't have been too upset.

Especially since it's a good chance to see Jimmy and Richard miserable. I swear the two have no taste whatsoever.

An old man walked over towards us, more specifically Rachel. "Excuse me miss. You like this piece? This happens to be one of my favorites. Actually what I should be saying is that I love every piece the same. As if they were my kids." He looks over the pieces fondly.

An art buff maybe? No, he must be in charge here. Rachel smiled at him, liking his attitude. "Pardon me, but who are you?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. My name's O'Donnell. I'm the director of this museum."

Rachel beamed at the news. "Oh! The director? How nice!" He seems nice enough.

Although he looks like he should maybe think about retirement. "Well, enjoy your visit. And remember to stop by the giftshop." There was a strange sound turning our attention to see a man grabbing a painting a few feet from us.

The old man's eyes went wide with horror at the sight. "Kiboto! What are you some kind of idiot?!" He shouted, taking us by surprise.

We were shocked by the sudden change in his demeanor.

Kiboto jumped, panic written across his face. "How many times do I have to tell you to use gloves when handling an original piece of artwork?!" He demanded.

Kiboto looked at his hands, caught off guard and sweating nervously. "Uh, I'm sorry, sir." He apologized. The old man walked over to him.

"Go take your break or something. Isaac, come take care of this." He looked across the room to see another man removing a painting, but he was very careful and wore the appropriate gloves for it. "Yes sir." Isaac strode across the room to do the task his boss entrusted him with.

Kiboto walked away, his face twisted into a scowl and he clucked his tongue in annoyance.

The old man wasn't in view, but I'm going to guess that he's not ignorant to it.

Two men, one tall and one short and a little chubbier walked over, coming from the entrance. "Huh. As usual this place is empty." The shorter man mocked.

The director turned to look over at the two new men. "Oh, Mr. Manaka." He greeted.

The short man looked rather annoyed. "You've got ten days until this place is closed for good. I hope you enjoy it while it lasts." He looked over at him and smiled maliciously.

"And don't give away all this artwork before I get a chance to sell it alright." I frowned.

Money grubbing bastard. He's a dick. And by Isaac's look I'm not the only one who thinks so. "Okay, let's go take a look at those blueprints." He motioned for his companion. He followed with a simple okay, trailing after him.

Rachel watched the two go before looking at the old man sadly. "Is it true what he said about the museum closing?" She questioned.

The old man looked down, his sadness evident. "Yes. The previous owner went bankrupt as of late and it was sold to that man you just saw, Bruce Manaka."

Isaac frowned, displeased by the man. "The previous owner sold it to him on the promise the museum would stay open. But the minute he got his hands on it He announced he'd turn it into a casino." He shot a disapproving look in the direction of Manaka.

A loud sound of metal crashing startled us. It's Kiboto. He dropped a helmet from a suit of armor.

He's really clumsy. Or nervous. Could be both.

Manaka snickered. "Hey, you. Looks like you're good at dropping things. Maybe I can get you working on one of my card tables." He walked away laughing, making Kiboto glare at his retreating back.

In his anger he threw the helmet at the cart holding the rest of the armor and I gaped.

He did not just throw a relic. Oh he is so toast.

I looked over at the director waiting for his outburst of anger, but it never came. "Bye everyone, and have a wonderful day." The director walked off, comforting Isaac along the way.

The hell? Talk about Jackell and Hyde, that was weird.

The four of us continued our toud, looking at paintings and statues. They have some pretty good stuff in here honestly. It's a shame that it's going to be closed down and turned into another tackey ass casino.

As we made out way into the next section, we stopped. There's a sign just outside the exhibit.

"What? Off Limits? That's weird. This is a brand new exhibit, it opened two months ago." Rachel looked over the brochure again.

I shrugged. "Maybe they're taking it down. You heard them. Ten days and all this will be gone." I reasoned. "New exhibit, same old crap. Let's get out of here." Richard turned and we followed him to the rest of the museum.

However I stopped at a strange noise. It sounded like . . . metal.

I glanced at the hallway leading to the exhibit and frowned. "C'mon Stella." Jimmy called.

I shook my head and hurried after them. They're probably just taking it down. We walked around for a while longer.

After more walking, Richard and Jimmy collapsed onto a small sitting circle, leaning their backs against each other with distressed groans.

"Oh I'm exhausted. Rachel can we please go home?!" Jimmy begged pathetically. "I'm starving!" Richard chimed in.

Rachel and I looked at the two strangely. The hell?

"You guys are pathetic." I stated. Rachel, for once, agreed. "How can you get tired from looking at paintings?" She demanded.

I know Richard has no stamina, but you have no excuse Jimmy. Lazy ass.

She shook her head at their dramatics but paused, looking off to the side. "Huh? What the? Hey, the off limits sign is gone now."

Oh. We made it all around the museum. I didn't notice, it did take us a while but I didn't think we'd make it back around so soon.

She gasped excitedly, turning to us. "Since we're here, why don't we take a look around the last exhibit?" She asked.

The two snapped their heads to her. "What?!" They cried out.

Rachel smirked. "Or you three can go home if you want. You'll just have to make your own dinner." She turned towards the exhibit, chuckling.

The two of them glanced at me. I shrugged and followed after. I'm no cook, and I'm not eating whatever monstrosity Jimmy or Richard attempt to make.

"Fine, we'll stay." The two grounded out, following after us.

We walked down the hall and turned into the enclosed exhibit.

I whistled lowly. "Looks like we're in Hades wet dream." I said. Jimmy nodded as Rachel tried to see the beauty of it.

It's armor and weapons. Like an abandoned war room. In the room is a large painting that stood out compared to the others. It had a knight staring at a demon staked with a sword under a blood red sky.

It's actually kind of cool in a way. "This painting is huge!" Rachel commented. Richard snorted. "And it reminds me of your mother." Richard couldn't help the jab at the scary Eva.

Man that woman was something else.

She really knew how to instill fear in someone. I almost respect it.

"Whoa. The title's 'Heaven's Punishment'. It depicts a righteous knight who has battled a devil and imprisoned him."

I threw my hands behind my head. "Well I like it." I said. Jimmy shot me a look. "Of course you would." I narrowed my blue eyes on him and opened my mouth to shoot of some remark but stopped at a noise.

It sounds like water dripping. I turned around and froze, eyes widening, my mouth opening.

"Hm? What's wrong?" Jimmy asked. I just stared at the horrific scene, shocked.

The three turned to follow my gaze and Rachel let out a shrill scream.

"It's a dead body!" Jimmy shouted.

I blinked, snapping out of my shock. "It's Manaka." I clarified, slowly walking over.

Oh man that's a little fucked up. He's pinned to the wall by a sword through his throat, his face twisted in pain and shock. And there's blood everywhere.

Rachel screamed again. This time even louder.

I quickly took out my phone, dialing Megure. "Calm down. Go get a worker."

The line clicked. "Megure here." His gruff voice answered. I glanced at the body in front of me, my lips pursed.

"Yeah it's me. You're gonna want to come to the museum by Richards."

~

"So it's you again?" Megure asked Richard, who just grinned and saluted. "Yes! Private Richard Moore reporting for active duty, Inspector!"

Megure didn't take much of his antics this time and moved over to the workers who waited. "Are there any eyewitnesses to this murder?" He asked them.

The director shook his head. "No Sir, I've asked everyone here but so far no witnesses have come to light."

Isaac pointed up in the corner. "Uh, we do have some security cameras in the room which are always recording." He informed him. I followed his finger to see a standard camera.

Well that could work.

We all headed to the security room to review the tapes. Of course while Rachel, Jimmy, and I aren't investigators, the authorities, or workers, we could tag along thanks to Richard.

"Okay, here we go, we got an image." Meguire said as they pulled up the room's footage.

Richard plopped down in a chair. "This murderer is an idiot. Doesn't the guy realize he's being filmed?"

That's true. But I got a bad feeling about this. "Okay, there's our victim. Now we wait for the killer to show himself."

Sure enough. Manaka is on film, looking over a suit of armor.

Wait, a suit of armor?

Rachel said there were rumors of a suit of armor walking the museum at night. Is it a rumor after all? Or is it something else?

Manaka looked at his watch, glancing around as well. Was he supposed to meet someone? "This should give us a nice look at the murderers face." Richard commented as we all came in for a closer look.

Just as Richard said it though, the suit of armor moved, brandishing its sword and bringing it down on Manaka's back.

I blinked in surprise. "No freaking way." I muttered.

The armor moved again, striking his front this time. Then it grabbed Manaka from under his chin and drove his sword straight through him, pinning him to the wall.

The others couldn't bare to watch it all the way through, having to look away at the end. Jimmy and I just continued to watch though, unfazed. Megure hit pause and I jumped.

"Does that look like-" I pointed at the screen.

Richard and Jimmy got closer, recognition in their eyes. "It is." Richard muttered.

Jimmy nodded. "We've seen that composition before! It looks exactly like that painting!"

Megure looked at the three of us in confusion. "What painting?" He questioned.

Richard explained. "Some artwork near the location of the body. I think it was called 'Heaven's Punishment'." He informed him.

Yeah, that's the one. Doesn't look nearly as cool in real life though. Richard grabbed his chin as he stared at the screen thoughtfully. "I believe the murder was a deliberate ritual done to emulate that painting."

But why? Manaka was a money grubber from the looks of it, a total dick.

But not a devil.

"Whoever this guy is, he's got guts. He'd cause a panic if he was seen walking around the museum dressed in armor."

He would. But he wouldn't because of that sign.

"Come to think of it, there was a sign that said 'Off Limits' blocking the entrance to the chamber earlier today." Rachel spoke up. Megure and Richard turned to her.

"She's right. I remember that. At the time we just assumed it was because the place was closing down, but there was some noise." I backed her up on it.

"Wait, really? I didn't hear anything." She wondered.

I shook my head lightly. "It wasn't a scream or anything, and it was so soft I thought I was hearing things. But I could have sworn I heard metal clanking." I admitted.

Was that before he died? Could I have prevented it if I had just checked it out? "What time was that, girls?" Megure asked.

Rachel and I glanced at each other. "Around 4 o'clock?" I asked. I wasn't sure myself, I wasn't really paying much attention to the time.

"Yeah. We saw it at four but when we came back at 5 it was gone." She informed them, always the one to check the time.

I glanced at the video to check the timestamp. Checks out.

"Oh. And we know that the murder was around 4:30. So it seems very plausible that the murderer put that sign at the entrance." Richard agreed with Megure. "He kept people out of the room with the sign, then put on the armor and waited patiently in the dark." He added.

Megure played off of this. "He may have even called out the guys name and then attacked him."

That sounds pretty realistic. But that just adds more to this whole ordeal. "Which means the murderer is someone who is very knowledgable about this museum."

My eyes drifted to the workers. So it has to be one of them.

Megure seemed to think so as his gaze went to them as well. His eyes hardened. "In other words; the murderer may be right here in this room."

It was always most likely for one of them to be it. But they'd all have a reason to do it. The guy was a total dick, it's no wonder someone killed him.

Hm? Jimmy is fiddling with the tape. No one noticed the child messing with evidence. Some policemen.

I walked over, peering at the gruesome footage again. Jimmy seemed to have seen something because he rewinded it again after the first hit.

"Look at this. Manaka seems to be up to something." He spoke loud enough to draw the others' attention. "Ah! Conan, Stella! Who told you that you could rewind that video?" Richard demanded.

I merely just flipped him the bird without looking over at him, seeing what Jimmy had. Pretty sneaky.

"Shut up and look." I nodded to the screen.

"He gets attacked once, then as the killer moves away, Manaka tries to write something down." He reminded again.

The others came in closer to take a look. In the video, Manaka seems to panic and grabs the card from the wall. He sees a pen and is scribbling on it before throwing the pen and crumpling the note in his hand. Then with it still in his hand, the killer finishes him off.

Richard and Megure hurried out back to the crime scene for the note, the rest of us following.

Sure enough when we got there it was still in hand. Megure straightened it out and peered at the writing, Richard hovering over them.

The two of them were shocked and turned quickly. "Kiboto!" Richard shouted.

Huh? Kiboto? The scrawny guy who is always being clumsy.

He's as shocked as everyone else and sweating profusely. "What?! What is my name doing on there?" He asked, a frightened look on his face.

Richard narrowed his dark eyes on him. "You thought you were so savvy putting on the armor to hide your identity from the camera. But it looks like the victim recognized you before he died." He accused.

Kiboto began to freak. "No! It's not me, I swear to you!" He pleaded desperately. Megure stepped up. "Then I'd like to hear your alibi. Where exactly were you today at 4:30 PM?" He questioned, though he seemed set on him. "I was in the office. Director O'Donnell had given me some work so I was in the office!"

The director glanced at him briefly before going back to Megure. "Yes. I'd given him some busywork to do." He verified. Kiboto sighed a bit in relief but still looked antsy.

"Then would it be safe to say no one actually saw you doing any of this work?" Megure questioned, making the already sweating man sweat even more.

"Wait, just hear me out! I have no reason to kill the owner of this place, I mean-"

He was cut off by Isaac. "There's no point in trying to hide things Kiboto. We all know you were secretly selling the museum's artwork. And a few of us, we knew that Manaka was pressuring you into giving him a huge cut of your profits."

Oh ho?

He was stealing and selling artwork? Now that's low. Not only is he a shitty employee but a thief. "Is what he just said true?" Megure demanded harshly.

Kiboto jumped in surprise. "Yes. But you see, me selling the artwork and the murder have nothing to do with each other!" He continued to plead his innocence.

Well I'm not getting much here. Where's the dweeb? Ah.

He's crawling around on the floor. I headed over and crouched next to him. "What're you looking for?" I asked. He didn't even spare me a glance. "The pen." He stated.

The pen? The one Manaka used? I guess it was thrown around this area in the video. I glanced around, squinting in the darkness. Even with the lights on this is a pretty dreary room. "Oh wait. Is that it?" I pointed behind one of the suit of armors nearby.

Jimmy's face lit up. "Nice eye Stells. Inspector Megure! There's a ballpoint pen on the floor over here!" He called, his voice echoing in the room.

"Oh really?" He hurried over, smiling as he spotted it. "You've got some good eyes Conan."

What? I found it! I glared at my little brother who pointedly ignored it. Little Dweeb.

Megure picked up the pen and examined it. He always wears white gloves, I guess for work. It comes in handy. "Quite a fancy one." He noted.

The director made his way over to peer at it as well. "That pen you have is our art museums fifty year commemorative pen that was made very recently. Everyone who is associated with the museum has one."

A fancy pen for an anniversary thing? I guess every jobs got their own thing. This one is kind of boring. "So that means pens were never made available to the public." Megure mused, twisting the pen to write.

Something nagged at the back of mind. Something didn't seem quite right but I couldn't see what so I just pushed it aside.

Megure scribbled in his notebook with the pen and compared it to the note. "Color and size of the ink match. This is most likely the pen that we saw in the video."

Makes sense. But Kiboto? A thief yeah, but he doesn't strike me as a killer. He's not that bright. And he also has no appreciation of art. He couldn't even handle the artwork correctly.

So him matching the painting doesn't really make sense either. Huh?

What?! Where'd the Dweeb go?! God damn it all! He's probably following up a lead. While Richard and Megure are here questioning Kiboto. This is clearly going nowhere. Only Jimmy could solve this.

Screw it. I'm going back to the surveillance room and checking the tape again.

There was something that nagged me in it. I can't remember what though.

I quickly made my way back and there he was. I scowled at the back of his head before storming over and striking him across it. "OW! What was that for?!" He turned quickly and demanded.

I continued to glare at him. "Next time, include the person who knows your identity. Idiot. What do we got?" I asked, bending over to stare at the screen.

"That hurt. And what do you mean we?" He asked, grumbling under his breath. "Quit bitching."

He mumbled a bit but replayed what he was looking at. After the first strike and when the victim began to write. "It starts here. Huh. His face. What does that look mean?" Jimmy asked, replaying the scene, pausing on it.

Manaka picked the card off the wall, looked at the back, and he just . . . "He's shocked. Shocked and terrified maybe?" I offered.

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah. It's like something surprised him." Jimmy agreed.

"Like something was already written on it." We spoke at the same time.

My eyes widened and I hit play as he began to scribble on it. But not like he was writing. Like he was crossing over it!

I turned to Jimmy, goosebumps forming on my skin. "Jimmy, this is freakishly elaborate. He was trying to cross it off." He had a grim look on his face as he played it again. "Yeah. Think about it. When I found the pen at the scene the ballpoint was retracted. Did you notice that?" He asked.

I swallowed. Actually I didn't, but it did seem strange. That must have been why.

His focus never left me. "Isn't it strange? It seems unnatural that someone who is about to be murdered to spend the time closing the pen. You'd think they'd have other things on their mind. Wait! That's it! Stella! We need to hurry back to Richard quickly!" He took off, leaving me behind again.

"Wait! Who did it?! Jimmy don't you dare leave me in the dark again you dickhead!" I shouted, running after. Thanks to our age difference now I caught up in no time, plucking him from the ground and going faster.

I know how they did it for the most part. But I don't know who did it.

Well if anyone is gonna know, it's the genius I'm carrying.

We made it back to the scene of the crime to see them finishing things up. Megure had handed two officers the evidence bag with the note. "I need to see that first." Jimmy told me.

I dropped him and stormed over. "Easy. Hey!" I called the two officers. They turned to me in confusion but I snatched the note from their hand.

"Hey!" One shouted but I held my hand out to stop him from taking it out. I stared at it and moved it to the light. Pen marks. He really was trying to cross it off.

I turned to Jimmy and nodded in confirmation, throwing it back. The two officers scrambled to catch it and I walked off as if nothing happened. Not like they're gonna do anything.

Jimmy, who had gotten my confirmation, was in thought once again. Seems the pieces are falling into place.

"Inspector, we found it. The armor was in Mr. Kiboto's locker." Two officers hurried in, carrying something bundled in cloth. Once they set it down the cloth fell aside to reveal the bloodied armor.

Kiboto began to freak out as the evidence against him became very clear. "NO! That's impossible! I'm innocent!" He shrieked.

I raised an eyebrow. "He looks like he's about to cry." I stated.

Jimmy shot me a look. "He's about to be put in jail for murder." He defended.

Whatever, was just making an observation. "I'll be honest, it's not looking good for you Kiboto. We now got two solid pieces of evidence that points to you as the murderer."

Wrong. It's not him. But only Jimmy has an idea of who. Okay, what do we know? Other then Kiboto is being framed.

"What a shame, this armors covered in blood. Bet this thing cost a pretty penny huh?" Richard mused, observing the bloodied thing.

Isaac moved closer to him. "Oh no sir, that's just a replica for display. But I'm pretty sure it's the same one Kibot was handling earlier this afternoon."

Yeah. When he threw it. I was shocked and thought he was ruining it, but I guess not. That's why the director didn't freak.

Not sure if Kiboto knew that though with how dumb he is when it comes to art and artifacts. "On a brighter note, it's a good thing only the replica was used in the murder and not the real armor. We're pretty lucky none of the other paintings or sculptures were damaged." Isaac continued.

A chill went up my spine and I turned quickly at the bloody scene. He's right. For how gruesome this was, not a single thing was ruined. The tags for the paintings are still there, but the paintings are gone. Not a single thing was ruined.

Almost like it was taken great care of ahead of time to protect them. And the murderer replicated the painting so perfectly as well. So they have to care immensely for the art.

Sure. Isaac loves this place, and the employees seem to as well. But only one person would take that much precaution with art. I glanced at the old man.

The director. He's got to be the killer.

Jimmy? I turned to my brother to ask to see him already staring at the director with conviction. Holy shit.

Holy shit did I just get that right? I never get things right!

"Mr. Kiboto. I have no other choice but to place you under arrest." Oh shit! No, no, no! Two of the officers grabbed the panicking Kiboto and I grit my teeth. How do we stop them?!

Jimmy turned and snatched the museum pamphlet from Rachel and clutched it to him as he made a pained expression and began to make the most god awful noises. "Ooo! Ahh! I got to go!" He shouted, running back and forth ridiculously while moving on his feet to show how much he had to.

"Oh my god you're embarrassing." Rachel gave me a disapproving look. "Ease up, he just needs to go."

"Doesn't make it any less embarrassing."

Jimmy continued his terrible charade. "Toilet, Toilet!" He scurried to the director. "Mister! Where's the toilet?!" Jimmy shouted in urgency as he hopped on his feet.

"Oh you mean the washroom. You go down this hall, turn right, and go down the steps and its on the left." He explained rather calmly.

Jimmy frowned up at him. "Come on mister I can't remember all that! Here! Draw a map for me!" He held the pamphlet to him.

Oh I see now. Clever.

The old man seemed a little miffed but took it from him and grabbed a pen from his pocket. "Oh alright." He agreed as Jimmy continued to urge him to hurry. "As I was saying, you go down the hall and-ah!"

His eyes finally opened all the way and his jaw even dropped as he froze, hand with the pen shaking just above the paper.

Got you. "What's the matter mister? How come you're not writing? Ah-ha! I see. You knew that pen couldn't write before you even tried to use it. You're funny mister. Why would you even carry a pen that you know doesn't even work?"

Ugh. You may take after dad, but you're a shitty actor. Almost as bad as me. If you're gonna keep doing these things you're gonna need acting classes.

"A pen that doesn't work?" Megure and Richard looked at him weirdly. "Wait a minute. If the pen Manaka was using couldn't write, then this piece of paper shouldn't have anything written on it." Richard began, snatching the paper from the officer.

Oh? Did he get it? "It should be blank, right?" My eye twitched. C'mon Richard. That's just sad.

I walked over and looked at the paper with him. "Hey, why are there strange marking on the paper?" I asked, deciding to help the Dweeb.

Richard peered at it. I moved his arm so the light would hit it to see the scribbling. "Look. Marks from a ballpoint pen that doesn't write." I pointed out.

He gasped and Megure crowded to see. "What may have happened was that Manaka tried to cross off the words already on the paper but couldn't since the pen was out of ink." Jimmy continued once I had got them on the path.

The director looked at Jimmy, really looked at him realizing that he's not an ordinary kid.

Hell, he wasn't an ordinary kid when he really was one. "Now I see! Manaka couldn't have written this message since the pen didn't work! The killer must have written this as part of his preparations to murder him!" Richard deduced.

Megure seemed shocked by the revelation. "Huh?! Yeah, but why did Manaka take the tag that was on the wall?" He inquired, too confused with the information they have.

Richard just chuckled. "That's quite simple. Before he hacked him up, the killer must have said to Manaka; 'Look at that tag behind you. The name of your murderer is written on it.'. Manaka takes the tag off the wall. He's shocked. The tag says Kiboto. So Manak picks up the pen nearby and tries to scratch out Kiboto's name so he can write the identity of the real killer. But the pen doesn't work. Completely frustrated by now, Manaka panics, throws the pen away and crumples the tag in his hand, not knowing what else he can do."

There you go. Guess you're not as dumb.

Sometimes.

"So let me get this straight. You're saying the murderer put a broken pen on that table deliberately?" Megure questioned skeptically.

Despite his hesitance, Richard remained unfazed. "Yeah, it was deliberate. The killer knew there was a video feed without any sound. So to us viewing the tape it appears Manaka is writing the name of his murderer when in fact he was trying to change it." He then began to laugh haughtily at his deduction, making me want to smack hima gain.

Why does he gotta ruin it? He was actually normal for once.

Megure used the pen he found in his notebook. "Looks like the pen found at the crime scene works fine." He said, stopping Richard's laughter.

Aren't you two supposed to be detectives? Morons. "One more thing. That pen there, wasn't the point retracted earlier?" Jimmy said, going to their aide once again. The two thought back. "Yeah, now that you mention it." Megure agreed.

Richard moved his hand to his face as he thought. Which is reassuring because that means there must be a brain in there to think with.

Could have fooled me but whatever.

"That's crazy. What kind of person would think of retracting a pen when they're seconds away from being brutally murdered?" Richard mulled.

Megure inspected the pen they found. "Then did the murderer switch out the pens after he killed Manaka? Perhaps he was short on time and simply forgot to leave the ball point out."

There you go. A little bit more. Jimmy and I watched them place everything together. They're almost there.

A dark look crossed Richard's face and he glanced at the director. Ha! You got it old man!

"Which can only mean whoever's in this room with an identical pen that doesn't write is our suspect. I'm sorry to say it. But Director O'Donnell, you're the only other person we've seen with that pen. So then why don't you tell us all about it. What is your alibi for four-thirty this afternoon?"

You got him. So Director. What will you say to that? How will you deny it? It was quiet for a bit as Isaac and his employees looked at him in disbelief. Even Rachel seemed baffled by it.

She has always had that trusting personality.

She's probably the one most surprised by this turn out. I can't imagine it's easy since she had a pleasant conversation with him just a couple hours ago.

I expected the director to be sweating or at least panicking, but he was as cool as a cucumber.

No. Not that. He seemed like he's . . . given up.

"At four-thrirty this afternoon I was scheduled to have a meeting with my boss Manaka. A beast of a man who I can honestly say was rotten to his very core. I waited for him in the armor."

Isaac and Kiboto stared at the boss with disbelief. But he remained true. "The rest, Detective Moore, happened exactly the way you described it."

With the help of me and Jimmy. You're welcome. "Uh-huh. Too bad for you all of this was accidentally captured on the security video."

I almost fell. Are you that stupid Richard? He used the damn video recorder for his plot, you drunkard! The director shook his head. "None of this was accidental.The timing of my movement as I jumped in and out of frame. The placement of the tag. The location of the pen on the table. Every minute detail was calculated. I practiced it for many weeks before actually doing it."

Thought so. "So the rumors about the haunted armor were you practicing?" I asked.

He nodded before looking up, a rather peaceful look on his wrinkled face. "You must think this was all very foolish, don't you? But it was necessary for the museum to remove Manaka permanently. That tyrant tried to take away the works of art I maintained and truly cherished. He was also implementing plans to turn this historic museum into a casino all for his own greed. And Kiboto." He looked to the employee he tried so hard to frame.

Kiboto jumped at his boss's stare. "You took it upon yourself to start selling the artwork. And for that I tried to punish you as well."

Kiboto seemed to be truly hurt by his actions. Hurt and terrified. What a spineless coward.

"Unlike that painting there Director O'Donnell, it appears that Heaven has chosen to punish you." Richard said, trying to be clever.

It really wasn't. "Not quite. It's actually quite the opposite of that. In this painting the Devil has been killed by a Knight of justice. But as you can see the Knight is covered in the blood of his victim. Stained with the evil he was trying so hard to extinguish. No matter what reasons I had when killing Manaka, I am now forever a murderer and a Devil at heart. I knew for certain when I saw myself with pure eyes of a young detective."

Ah. He knows that Jimmy solved it.

"Actually I'm forty-three but thanks." Richard mumbled.

The director ignored him and leaned down towards Jimmy, a light smile on his face. "Little boy, don't you need to use the toilet anymore?" Jimmy seemed confused before a blush crossed his cheeks and he began to fumble for an excuse.

However the director just smiled rather fondly at my younger brother before laughing heartily.

I don't think he's a bad person. He's just someone who only wanted to do the right thing but ended up crossing a line.

The case is solved. But for some reason I'm deeply saddened that he was caught.