Chapter Two ||| Consuming Lies
The television was buzzing with news that over one thousand detectives had been called in to investigate the Kira case. A sense of relief had flooded through Ellie in that moment, she was glad that the authorities weren't giving up on finding Kira and that there was still some chance for her father's murderer to be brought to justice. Closure was what she needed - for there to be some sort of end to this horrific chapter in her life.
Ellie took comfort in the fact that L was heading up the investigation. Her mother had always spoke very highly of the detective having worked with him in the past and before she died she had told Ellie that if anyone could solve the case - it would have been him. Ellie wished she could help him in some way - but she knew she couldn't. She wasn't as smart as her mother had been nor as handy with a gun as her father. She would have been of no benefit to the investigation, in fact she would have been more of a hindrance than she would have been a help.
She stared absently around at her makeshift bedroom with a heavy heart. The walls were painted a pale pink and the carpet, although worn, was still very visibly purple. Her grandparents had tried to make it as nice as possible for her - they had even covered the walls in family pictures to remind Ellie of the parents she would never see again. It was a little cramped, but there was enough space for a little desk and a chair. Her single bed was cramped against the wall and sometimes Ellie would find herself just lying there, staring up at the ceiling dreaming of better days back in America when her parents had been alive.
She had loved California and it's long never-ending beaches. She had many friends back home and the feeling of loneliness was something she had never experienced before. Now that her parents were gone and she was cut off from her friends it was a feeling she was all too used to. The only solace she had found in Japan was Light Yagami. She had only known him for a few weeks but already she felt a friendship blossoming. He was kind, highly intelligent and handsome as well. He was perfect. He was almost too perfect. Her mother had always told her that when things were too good to be true they usually were. She wondered if this was the case with Light.
She shook the feelings aside - she was in no position to question the one friend she had made. She thought of his face and his perfectly chiselled cheekbones. All the girls swooned over him and Ellie didn't blame them. Sometimes she would go red in the face whenever he smiled at her and whenever they accidentally brushed against on one another her heart would skip a beat. He had that effect on her - though Ellie had no desire for anything other than friendship. From her limited experience she had found that unrequited crushes ruined friendships faster than a bulldozer through feathers.
Ellie forced herself to stop thinking of Light Yagami, instead she cast her eyes over the cardboard box on her desk. It was full to bursting with possessions and keepsakes, just tiny little things Ellie did not have the heart to throw out. They had been her mothers. She made her way over and carefully rummaged through the box. There were pictures and jewellery and some of Ellie's baby teeth. Just silly little things that Ellie would probably never look at again. It wasn't until she reached the bottom of the box did she find something interesting.
A voice recorder.
It was an old thing that looked like something from the eighties. It took cassettes and had just a few basic buttons. Ellie wondered what it was - and why her mother had needed to use such a thing. She clicked open the lid and she noticed that there was already a tape inside. With curiosity already stirring within her she clicked play. Her mother's voice came through the speaker. Ellie's heart broke upon hearing the sound.
"Hello sweetheart, it's your mama. If you're listening to this then I'm dead or you've been raking through my things in which case I'm angry at you. I love you Emilia and I would never leave you if I had no other choice." Ellie hit pause. Her mother had committed suicide - her mother had had a choice. Unless she didn't commit suicide after all... No, Kira could only kill via heart attacks. He couldn't make someone kill themselves, could he?
"I have information pertaining the Kira case. I started investigating after your dad passed away - I wanted to find the man who killed him. I know something that L doesn't know. I need this tape to get to him - everything I know is recorded on the rest of this tape. I don't want you to listen any further - knowing more about this will simply put you in danger and that is the last thing that I want. Get this to L's headquarters Ellie. That's all I need you to do. I love you. Be strong."
Ellie's hand was shaking as she paused the tape. Just earlier she had been considering how she wanted to help the investigation in some way and here she was now, standing with evidence in her hand. She couldn't make sense of anything now - her mother had committed suicide. Yet in the tape she had sounded determined and strong. She took a deep breath. Wondering how she would go about getting in contact with L.
Light came instantly to her mind. His father was working on the Kira case - Light hadn't told her much about him but from the way he had spoken his father seemed to be a high-ranking member of the police force. Without a second thought, Ellie withdrew her phone from her pocket and called Light. He picked up immediately. "Hey Light. It's Ellie. I need you to come over. I found something important."
Light stared hard at the voice recorder and a feeling of dread stirred in his gut. Ryuk chuckled from behind him and Light made a silent note to himself not to buy any apples on his way home. Ellie shifted closer to him, her hands folded over her moderately size chest. She picked up the tape recorder and was about to play it through. Light caught her hand.
"Your mother didn't want you to listen to it Ellie. Don't you want to respect her wishes?" Light asked. That tape most likely contained Naomi Misora's evidence on the Kira case. If Ellie listened to that tape she would find out what her mother had known. She would find out that Raye Penber had met Kira during the bus-jacking and she would find out that Kira could kill using more than just heart attacks. Light couldn't let that happen.
He couldn't even kill Ellie. Someone close to him dying would look far too suspicious - besides there was a tiny little part of him that still held onto humanity. Killing something something so innocent and pure as Ellie would be in effect killing that part of him. No, he would just have to get rid of the tape somehow. "You're right. I shouldn't listen to the rest." Ellie sighed, there were tears welling up in her eyes. "I am just curious - I'm confused and I need answers."
"You'll get your answers Ellie. I promise you that. Kira won't get away with it forever." Yes he will, Light laughed into himself. He put his arm around Ellie and drew her closer to him. The scent of her perfume overwhelmed his nostrils. She smelled so sweet and perfect - like strawberries mixed with vanilla. "I'll take this tape to my father and he will get it to L. Hopefully it will contain something to help us solve the case. You were smart to call me. You can always trust me you know that? I'm here for you no matter what."
"You are too kind to me...It's late...you should stay for dinner. I'll go run down and ask my gran to make a little extra." Before Light could protest, Ellie fluttered down the stairs. She was so nervous around him - Light wondered if she had a crush on him. He considered it for a few moments moment - having her as a girlfriend would lessen L's suspicions of him. He found the idea pleasant - having her in his arms would be a nice feeling. He stared at the voice recorder again, but his eyes now harsh and cold.
"You going to play it Light? She could be gone for a while..." Ryuk suggested, putting the idea in Light's mind. Kira did not wait for a further prompt by the shinigami. He clicked play and listened to the rest of the tape;
"L. I hope I am talking to you now. You are the only one I know I can trust with this evidence. My fiancé, Raye Penber was involved in a bus-jacking. I have reason to believe that Kira was on that bus with him and was in contact with him before he died. It seems far too much of a coincidence to me - and I know it will be to you as well. The bus jacker ended up dead - not from a heart attack - but from being hit by a car. This gives me reason to believe that Kira can kill in multiple ways not just heart attacks - this opens up a larger pool of potential victims. That's all I have to say. I hope that this helps you solve the case. I hope that this helps avenge my fiancé. Also I would ask that you keep my daughter out of this business - she is too young for such things and if I am dead then her life will be difficult enough."
Light shut off the tape. He definitely had to destroy this tape. If there was doubt before there was none now. He tried to look inconspicuous as Ellie came back up stares. "Grandma always makes too much there will be plenty for you." Ellie smiled meekly. She ran her finger over the cassette player. "Do you want to put it in your bag now before you forget? I feel like if I keep it around I'm just going to end up listening to it."
"Sure. I'll get it straight to my father when I go home." Light lied coolly. He slipped the tape and the voice recorder into his bag. He would get rid of the tape and make up some lie to tell Ellie. It wasn't ideal - but Ellie was gullible enough to believe every word that came from his mouth, She was too naive for her own good.
"Light what are you burning outside! I can smell it all the way up here!" Sayu shouted from her bedroom window. Light smirked to himself as he tended the fire. The red and orange flames consumed him with warmth as he turned to look up at his rather annoyed looking sister. The tape was held tightly in his grip. "You know I hate fire Light!"
"I'm just burning some school books now that I'm through my entrance exams. Shut your window and you won't smell anything." Light shouted back. Sayu slammed shut her window and Light focused his attention back on the flickering flame. He withdrew the voice recorder and the tape from his pocket - and hesitated a few seconds before dropping it into the fire. It crackled as the plastic melted and the reel turned to ash. Naomi Misora was gone and now her evidence was as well. There was nothing stopping Light now - he was winning.
"Goodbye Naomi Misora." Light spoke carefully, with a wide smile still on his face. He turned his back to fired - the orange glow illuminating his sinister smirk.