24: Chapter 24: Your Son is My Son Now

Fujino remembered this case – the Monthly Gift Case from the original Conan series...

If memory served, it all stemmed from a young boy who died of appendicitis under Dr. Ogawa's care two years prior.

The boy's grieving father had been sending the insurance money and the boy's old toys to Ogawa ever since.

Today, two years later, the father intended to claim Ogawa's son, Yuta, to make the doctor feel the same pain...

"My son?!" Ogawa shot up from the sofa, his face etched with confusion and fear.

"Are you sure?!"

"Twenty-five million yen is a significant amount..."

Fujino picked up one of the toys from the coffee table, pointing to its packaging.

"And haven't you noticed? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠packaging on these toys is quite old... Some of the toys themselves even have scuff marks."

"Detective Fujino, are you saying...?"

"The toys the sender sent you are likely used toys. The money, the toys... it's clearly all directed towards your son." Fujino selected a handheld game console from the pile, turned it on, and navigated to the character name screen.

"Ogino Tomoya... Does that name ring a bell?"

"Ogino Tomoya..." Ogawa frowned, searching his memory. Then, recognition dawned.

"I remember! That was a patient I treated three years ago, right when I started!"

"A little boy... He died because his appendicitis wasn't caught in time. After he passed... his father actually assaulted me. That's why I remember it so clearly!"

"That fits," Fujino nodded.

"Twenty-five million yen... I believe that's the standard insurance payout for the accidental death of an elementary school student."

"Ogino Tomoya died tragically during treatment. His grieving family, unable to cope, started sending you gifts and money. And today, the total amount reaches exactly twenty-five million yen..."

"As for the toys... I suspect those were the boy's belongings." Fujino stood up slowly, adopting a thoughtful, deductive pose.

"Considering the message in the letter, if I'm not mistaken, the sender intends to take your son's life today, to make you experience the same pain of losing a child!"

"I need to call my wife right now! Tell her to pick up Yuta immediately!" Ogawa scrambled for the phone, but Fujino stopped him.

"Hold on! Don't panic just yet!"

"Then what should I do?!" Ogawa pleaded desperately, looking utterly lost.

"Ahem..." Fujino cleared his throat.

"First, use my phone here to call the daycare. Confirm if he's been picked up yet."

Ogawa quickly made the call. After confirming Yuta was still safely at the daycare, he sagged back onto the sofa, breathing a sigh of relief.

"So, Detective Fujino, what now? Should we call the police?"

"Since your son is currently safe, we have time to prepare. No need to rush." Fujino poured Ogawa a cup of steaming tea.

"As for the police... we don't have concrete proof yet that someone intends to kidnap your son. Calling them now might not achieve much..."

"How can this be happening?" Ogawa buried his face in his hands, despair washing over him.

"However... this situation isn't entirely hopeless," Fujino added calmly.

"Detective Fujino, please, tell me anything!" Ogawa looked up, clinging to Fujino as his last hope. This detective is clearly brilliant.

He'd figured out the sender's identity and motive from just a few scattered clues.

If he couldn't solve this, no one could.

"Solving it is possible," Fujino took a sip of his own tea.

"However, the original sixty thousand yen investigation fee will need to be upgraded to the six hundred thousand yen client protection fee."

"What?"

Fujino, accustomed to this reaction, explained patiently.

"Technically, you initially hired me just to identify the sender. That commission is separate. Now, you're asking me to protect your son, which is a different, higher-risk service. A standard investigation is sixty thousand. Personal protection is six hundred thousand."

"If this person is truly after your son's life, we can't guarantee they won't be armed... Sixty thousand yen isn't worth me risking my life."

"I'll pay the six hundred thousand!" Ogawa gripped Fujino's hand tightly.

"Please, Detective Fujino, protect my son!"

"Consider it done. Your son is my son now. I won't let any harm come to Yuta," Fujino declared solemnly.

He then added, "By the way, the initial sixty thousand will serve as the deposit. Please transfer the remaining five hundred forty thousand to my account upon successful completion of the commission."

"Absolutely!" Ogawa nodded vigorously.

Over an hour later, outside the daycare center.

"Detective Fujino, are you certain that man will come to pick up Yuta?" Ogawa asked nervously from the passenger seat of Fujino's parked car, fidgeting as they waited.

"My deductions are rarely wrong," Fujino replied, glancing sideways at Ogawa.

"Besides, even if Yuta isn't in danger, the initial sixty-thousand-yen investigation is complete. You wouldn't have lost anything, right?"

"Right..." Ogawa nodded, conceding the point.

A moment later, his head snapped up. He spotted a furtive figure lurking near the daycare entrance.

"That's him!" Ogawa pointed excitedly, his eyes wide.

"I'd never forget that face! That's the man who attacked me three years ago!"

He reached for the door handle, ready to jump out and confront the man, but Fujino firmly held him back.

"Are you just going to sit here and watch him take my son?!" Ogawa yelled, anger overriding his fear.

"Get a grip!" Fujino gripped Ogawa's shoulder tightly, his voice sharp.

"He recognizes your face! If you spook him now, it won't just be your son in danger! He could panic and hurt other children inside the daycare!"

"How could this happen..." Ogawa slammed his fist against the glove compartment in frustration. "Why is this happening to me?"

"I understand your feelings," Fujino said, his voice softening slightly.

"But I accepted your commission. I promised I wouldn't let any harm come to Yuta, and I meant it."

Fujino glanced at the newly dented glove compartment, his heart aching slightly for his car.

He added dryly,

"However, you owe me fifty thousand yen for the glove compartment repair."

"Of course, no problem," Ogawa nodded quickly, feeling a pang of guilt for his outburst.