"That child's question was too direct, too abrupt." James thought it over rationally and corrected his earlier decision. "He was very likely just bait. We must be extra careful."
"So that was it." Jodie was not surprised by this conclusion. "I don't know whether to lament that scoundrel was so utterly evil that he did not even spare children, or sigh over how, at such a young age, that child was already so... Ah."
Thinking of Conan's strange expression and actions, an FBI agent shook his head with mixed feelings.
Meanwhile, downstairs from the hospital.
After leaving the inpatient building, which housed a complicated mix of people, Mouri Ran turned back and glanced at the room where the FBI agents were staying.
"Looks like I misunderstood Teacher Jodie." Mouri Ran sighed, feeling slightly guilty.
"I really should not have put a Tracking Device in her bag. Thinking about it now, it was terrifying—what if I had stumbled onto some important intelligence, then accidentally leaked it to that murderer? Things would have gotten troublesome."
"A Tracking Device?" Suzuki Sonoko froze, suddenly understanding. "No wonder you were so distracted during the days before the tennis match, Ran, and kept sneaking looks at the little red dot on your phone—the dot was Teacher Jodie's location!"
Mouri Ran nodded embarrassedly.
Suzuki Sonoko slapped her on the shoulder and comforted her carelessly. "What's there to feel guilty about? If a high school girl could plant a Locator in her bag, that was clearly the FBI's own problem—and if you had not noticed Teacher Jodie's unusual route, she might still be locked in a Basement somewhere, being interrogated by the criminals.
"Anyway, Teacher Jodie collected photos of us first. You only acted against her because you thought she had secretly photographed us—the motive was good,