As he thought, Conan slowly turned his gaze toward Haibara Ai.
—The police said she had been at that pier too.
Haibara Ai had been eavesdropping on Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko when she suddenly felt a burning gaze on her. "...?"
She lowered her head warily and met Conan's eyes.
It was as though that confirmed some sort of signal. Conan darted over and, while the adults were talking, tugged her aside and asked in a low voice, "Why were you at the pier? Didn't you go to the Tennis Court to take part in the tennis match with the kids?"
Haibara Ai glanced at Jiang Xia from the corner of her eye and chose her words carefully. "Something happened at the Tennis Court. Miss Mouri was kidnapped, and I... I noticed a suspicious person heading toward the pier. I was worried he might be connected to the kidnapping, so I took a taxi and followed him there to take a look."
Most of that was true. The only difference was that she had switched herself with Akai Shuichi, who had arrived afterward—this way, even if Conan somehow found the taxi driver who had taken her to the pier, there would not be too many holes in her story.
After briefly sorting through her thoughts, Haibara Ai continued, "Then I saw you passed out beside a car. 'Teacher Jodie' and 'Dr. Araide' were nearby."
At that, Haibara Ai paused and asked, "Why were you wearing my face in a place like that?"
Conan: "..."
He cleared his throat guiltily. "Vermouth was after you. She wouldn't attack me, so I went in your place. That way, I could stop her from achieving her goal and also lower her guard, making a sneak attack easier."
"That was far too reckless." Haibara