So this story was a bit left neglected since I'm focusing more on my One Piece story. Still, I realized I already have some chapter done and finished and didn't even post them, so I can at least do that before taking this story up again. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 3

It was already 7pm at July, 24th when Celity and chief inspector Clove came to the murder scene of the second victim. The last murder scene there was to inspect; the home of Roy Mungler. The house was currently empty since the wife took her daughter and moved to her mother's.

The couple ignored the 'Keep out' tape that was everywhere and walked right into the living room, the room where Mungler's body was found. The man was killed in the same way as Loren Bleak; died by a cut throat, then stabbed in his chest and stomach area five times. Even though the body was long gone and all the evidence taken, in Celity's head everything was the same as on the photos. She could clearly see the unmoving body on the floor lying in its pool of blood that spread around it.

"Roy Mungler, killed on July, 18th somewhere between 9pm and the next morning when the housekeeper found him, she arrived at 8am." Celity muttered looking down at where the body used to be. The file of the victim went through her head and she soon remembered all the necessary facts she read in it. First she wanted to check something; the off chance of his wife using the same perfume as Jessy Stue and Loren Bleak, though Celity doubted it. There was no scent of it through the house and no bottle in either the bathroom or the bedroom. Celity sighed. *Well I knew it was a long shot but I just wanted to make sure. Guess I'm just not that lucky though.* If there really was a perfume of the same kind, that would be a clue, a connection Celity still needed to find between the victims. If the killer killed people because of that scent and Roy's wife wore it, the scent could've passed on to Roy as well and it might've attracted the killer. Unfortunately for Celity, that wasn't the case because there was no sign of that certain perfume brand.

"I really don't see who could've wanted to kill him. This guy seems like a typical good citizen. Not even a parking ticket on his record either." Clove sighed as he looked through some of his notes. "I mean, I understand about Tony Rolling and Jessy Stue but him…"

Celity looked up at Clove from her crouched position on the floor as she looked around the floor, under the bed, cabinets, anything to see if the police missed something in their search; unfortunately not. "You understand?" She gave Clove a rather bored look but there was something in those cold blue eyes that made him uncomfortable. "I don't think any murder should be understandable no matter who the victim was. Wouldn't you agree inspector Clove?"

The said inspector shifted uncomfortably under Celity's gaze and a drop of sweat appeared on his forehead. "O-Of course! That's not what I meant. Celity, you misunderstood me. I just said that there are more suspects when it comes to Jessy and her boyfriend, while we have no clue what so ever to who would kill Mungler." The inspector tried to defend himself and explain it to Celity, but somehow he felt like he was just trying to justify himself and that made him feel even worse. Inspector Clove wasn't a man who thought there were some lives more important than others. He would hunt down a killer who killed a plain salary man just as much as he would if the victim was a criminal. But it irked him that Celity would even think of him as a man who would be capable of segregating people to scum and decent ones. They knew each other for three years and worked on several difficult cases together, she should already know how he thinks. After all, she was able to make profiles of criminals just from looking at the crime scenes so surly it wasn't difficult to profile a 45 year-old detective of Scotland Yard.

On Clove's total surprise Celity's serious look suddenly became a smirking one. She was looking back at him and smirking with amused eyes. "I know what you meant, don't worry." She stood up and closed her eyes for a second, making a face that showed mocked seriousness. "Luckily for you I know you well enough to know what you're trying to say even when you can't form a decent sentence."

Clove relaxed a little, glad that he didn't come across in a wrong way after all. "Yeah.." But then his words hit him. "Ah… Hey!" He tensed up again as he realized he had just been insulted in a sneaky way.

Celity ignored Clove's protests as she turned back to the crime scene, looking around the nicely decorated room. Not too boring but not tacky either. *At least Mister Mungler's wife had a good taste.* Celity continued to examine the crime scene, ignoring the faint smell of blood that still lingered around and the slight scent of chemical used by the forensics team to dust for fingerprints and such.

Suddenly, Clove's mobile phone rang and the inspector almost jumped in surprise. Celity noticed the slight surprise; it seems he wasn't used to even carrying a cellphone so he forgot he even had one. Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw him pull out the cellphone and stare at it for a second trying to answer but he didn't know which button to press. The inspector muttered something about "those damn cellphones" and finally found the right button, answering with a "Clove speaking!" in an annoyed tone.

Celity sighed. *You're going to give yourself a heart attack one day, inspector, if you continue to stress so much.* She kept quiet though and observed Clove's reactions as his face became more serious and then surprised. He said a few more things to the person on the other line, then hung up.

"Something wrong inspector?"

"Not really wrong, but we have news. New information on the victims Loren Bleak and Roy Mungler."

Celity became all ears though she was still turned away from Clove. "Oh?"

"Yes, it seems these two victims do have something in common. They were both patients at St. Marry's hospital in the Oncology ward."

Celity blinked with surprise and turned towards Clove. "They both had cancer?"

"Yes. Loren Bleak was diagnosed with cancer 6 months ago and the doctors estimated she had 6 more months to live. Roy Mungler was diagnosed a year ago and the doctors gave him about 2 more years maximum. However, Tony Rolling wasn't suffering from any terminal illness it seems, though I could hardly call him healthy with all the smoking and drinking he did."

Celity didn't seem surprised by that last fact. Everything about that first case was different except the way Tony was killed. That's the only thing that connected the three victims. However even that was slightly off since he didn't have a slit throat. A lot of people from the police doubted that it was even connected with Mungler and Bleak cases, even inspector Clove wasn't quite sure, but Celity believed it was. Even if it was mostly her gut telling her this but she already learned that following your instincts can sometimes help you a lot in a case.

The woman thought for a while about this new information that Clove just shared with her and then her thoughtful look turned into a smile. "Excellent."

Clove stared at the said woman as if she just proclaimed to be the murderer in this case. What the hell was excellent about two people suffering from cancer but dying even sooner than they thought they would. To Cove that just seemed cruel. They didn't get to enjoy even that little of the remaining time they were given.

However it seemed Celity only saw this information from a detective's perspective, not human one. She was merely looking at the new-found info and already thinking of a way to use it. She didn't need to think much about it though, the next step was obvious. "Inspector, you should go for a walk to St. Marry Hospital, they might be missing a few files in the Oncology department." Her smile turned into a smirk.

Clove didn't have to ask to know what the girl was thinking. He already knew what he had to do; perhaps the killer got the victims' names and addresses from the hospital and if that's the case, there was a big chance one of the patients in that department could be next. If they're really lucky, they'll find out there were more than just those two files missing and therefore find out who the next victim would be. *Maybe someone who had the access to those files is the killer; a doctor or a nurse?* Clove couldn't help but feel excited as he felt like he was finally nearing the truth and the killer. Ever since this case started he was worried about not being able to solve it and it didn't help that his superiors were practically on his back about this case. They weren't too happy since he couldn't show him any good results of the investigation. But there was nothing to show. How was he supposed to catch a guy who left absolutely no trace of himself except for a dead body. He was never caught on any cameras, never seen by any witnesses, never left any clues or messages…The police had absolutely nothing. The culprit was truly an invisible man. Clove remembered the conversation with Celity where he said it was like the killer was a ghost and the thought popped into his head once again. After the third murder it really didn't sound so outrageous anymore. *Yeah right. That's the last thing I need right now! Like people killing people isn't enough anymore, now we'll have to start catching ghosts too!* Of course, the thought was absurd even to Clove or at least he didn't want to believe it. However, with this new piece of information Clove felt a little bit closer in solving this case and even his superiors and the Public should be a little more content now.

Suddenly his cellphone rang again and the sound pulled him out of his thoughts. With a slight surprise, Clove picked up. "Yes? I see...Alright. I'll be there. I understand" With a sigh Clove hung up and put the phone back into his pocket of the suit he was wearing.

"More good news?" Celity asked with an arched eyebrow though sarcasm was obvious in her tone. She could see from that long sigh and the man's slightly worried expression that the news he received were far from good.

"That was the chief of Scotland Yard. I need to hold a Press conference first thing in the morning about this case. They won't be happy with what I have to say though."

"Well of course, I'd be pissed too if the police found no clues what so ever after all this time." Celity answered in that mocking seriousness of hers once again obviously teasing the inspector.

The man didn't enjoy it much, though. Clove gave her a warning glare that she completely ignored, pretending not to notice anything. But that was impossible. Celity always noticed everything. "Even after three years, I still don't enjoy your sense of humor, Okamura."

"Yes, well, it's an acquired taste." Celity smirked, unfazed by Clove's comment.

Clove sighed. He could never beat that woman, she always had the last word and she always had an answer to everything he said. It was annoying but Clove already got used to all of Celity's quirks, even the annoying ones. At least that's what he would like to believe but in the end she always managed to surprise him again and again. *I think she knows she doesn't have a likable personality and actually enjoys it.* He moved those thoughts to the side for now and focused on the woman in front of him. "In any case, it's already this late so we should go to St. Marry's tomorrow. For now I need to go and prepare for the Press conference. What will you do?"

Celity thought for a second. There was a slight disappointed look on her features as if she was pouting though Clove wasn't sure if that was really the case or was he imagining things. "I'll stay here and examine the crime scene for a while longer." She finally said. She was a bit impatient and wanted to follow the lead to St. Marry's Hospital but knew that was impossible right now. She could go alone and talk to the night shift but they probably wouldn't show her the Oncology patients' files or give her any confidential information. She needed someone from Scotland Yard for that and she was hoping they won't have to get a warrant first since that would take even more time. She didn't want to waste hers on such trivial and administrative matters.

Clove shrugged and scratched the unshaved patch on his face, feeling the roughness against his fingers. "As you wish. Then, we'll meet tomorrow, Okamura. And try working on your sense of humor till then." The inspector didn't wait to hear Celity's reply, just once wanting to have the last word against this woman, so he started walking away towards the exit of the house.

Celity made a pouty face as if she was insulted by Clove's remark and stuck out her tongue at his back. The inspector didn't notice of course but she still felt a little bit better by doing so. Childish? Perhaps. Did she care? Definitively not.

Celity was actually glad she had some time alone to think about the whole case. Even while focusing on the crime scene and looking around some more, her train of thought was still set on the killer as she went over everything she found out today. She visited all three crime scenes in one day, though it was already 10:34pm on her watch. Most detectives didn't do it all in one day but once she was on the case she didn't want to waste time. She wanted to have all the facts and clues she could gather and then start thinking ahead. Hopefully she'll catch this guy before he strike again but unfortunately with so little clues, the odds of that happening were very slim. She walked back to the living room and plopped herself down on the sofa as if she was in her own home instead of the murder scene. Celity crossed her arms on her chest, tapping the fingernail of her index finger on her forearm as if she was impatiently waiting for something. Her stare was fixated on the floor where the body was found. However, she wasn't waiting, instead she was thinking about their newest piece of information.

*St. Marry Hospital in London…Was the killer a doctor there? Or did he have an accomplice there who gave him the patients' files? No. That wouldn't fit his profile. This guy is working alone.* Even though Celity didn't mention anything to Clove, she already started building the killer's profile in her head. She didn't say anything before she was completely sure and she still needed more facts but slowly she was learning more and more about this "Invisible Man" even though he wasn't leaving them any clues. No, that wasn't completely accurate though. Even not leaving any clues was giving Celity info about himself. *When he kills his victims, he does so with a simple cut on their throat, probably attacking them from behind. It's a quick death, which goes completely in contrast with the harsh stabs he does to the dead bodies afterwards. And now the Oncology ward…is he targeting people with cancer…with terminal diseases? Why? Because they'll die anyway? Killing only people who will die anyway and killing them quickly without any unnecessary suffering…So the victims don't really matter. He's not doing this for some thrill that comes from killing, so the victims are just means. Means to do what…What is his goal? Is he just trying to get some message across? But he's doing it way to subtly then. And what about Tony Rolling? That guy just doesn't fit…yet I know he was killed by the same guy. Tony wasn't suffering from cancer though, so was he the only one who the killer really wanted dead? Is he trying to conceal his connection to Tony by killing others and confusing the police? No, somehow that doesn't fit right. Why go to all the trouble with five post mortem stabs afterwards then…unless that's also to confuse the police? To make focus on the number five and throw them off from the important things. But it's not like they have anything else to focus on anyway? Maybe he didn't want us to know about the St. Marry Hospital since that would lead us closer to him.* Celity sighed and bit her lip in thought. She was impatient to go to St. Marry's but she couldn't do that until tomorrow morning.

With another sigh Celity stood up, grabbed her long coat that was lying on the sofa discarded after she entered Roy Mungler's house, and walked out the front doors without another word.

~…~

Celity walked out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped securely around her as she tried to dry off her long hair with another. She tossed the towel over a chair and sat on her bed, not bothering to dress, as she put her laptop in front of her. Around her were papers, files and photographs…everything related to the case she was currently working on. Just as she was about to turn on her computer, her cellphone buzzed on her nightstand and the sudden sound surprised her a little. She reached over to take it and saw there was one new message blinking on the phone's screen.

Celity's eyebrows furrowed as she examined the message. The number wasn't stated and it only said 'Unavailable' in the senders box. The message itself consisted of only one simple sentence; "Turn on your computer, please." The girl narrowed her eyes in suspicion and looked around the room as if she wasn't alone, but she was. And she knew nobody has entered her apartment either because she always used a little trick just in case. She would always tape a small piece of clear tape on the doors and the doorframe on the lower part of the doors. If the tape was broken or had a line in the middle from when the doors opened, she knew somebody was opening them. Paranoid? Maybe. But with Celity's line of work, such tricks were always good to use just in case.

Celity stood up and opened the curtains a little to see if there was someone out there, maybe someone suspicious, watching her apartment, but there was nobody there. She closed the curtains again and looked at her phone then her laptop. With a shrug she sat back on the bed, sitting indian style with her legs crossed and switched on her computer. *I don't know what's going on but it might be interesting, so why not?*

She had to wait a few seconds for her computer to start up and as soon as it did, another message came to her cellphone. This time it simply said "Thank you. Now please go to this address." There was a web address attached to the message. Celity looked around again. *How did they know I turned it on?!* Celity had a bad feeling about this and for a while she debated with herself should she really follow this person's instructions. *But if I don't, I won't be able to figure out what's going on.* Celity's curiosity won after all and she quickly typed the web-address she was given. The phrase 'Curiosity killed the cat' warningly came to her mind but she ignored it. However, when her whole screen turned white she couldn't help but wonder if she should've listened to the warning. Then, a big black letter L appeared on the screen just as she was about to try and restart her laptop.

"Good evening, Okamura Celity. I am L."

~…..~

An eerie silence filled the room. Only a quiet sound of the computer working buzzed on and the white screen with an L shone in the dark room. It shone on Celity's face, clearing showing her surprised expression. Her blue eyes were wide open. Celity blinked a few times and that seemed to bring her out of her daze as she was able to collect herself. Luckily, she had the microphone installed in her laptop so it made it easier for her to communicate to whoever was on the other side.

"L as in the world's greatest detective L?" Celity was glad that her voice didn't break or quiver. She was able to keep a calm tone even though her whole body was still tense. Thousands of ideas and thoughts were flying through her head right now but she pushed them back and focused on what was in front of her; the big letter L in Old English MT.

"Yes, one and only." The voice was completely synthetic so it was impossible to tell if he was being sarcastic or was it just Celity's imagination. The person on the other side didn't wait for any more questions but instead quickly got down to business. "I contacted you because I want your assistance in the case I am working on. Or rather on which we are both working on."

Celity didn't take long to understand what he meant. *L is working on the serial killings currently happening in London? The Invisible Man case?* But then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Isn't it that L only takes cases where there are 10 or more victims or at least million dollars involved?"

"True, those are the conditions for me to take on the case if I'm needed. But I also take cases that interest me and this one does." The synthetic voice explained.

Celity could understand that reasoning. She only took cases that seemed interesting too and this case has proven to be very interesting so far. It was only getting better and better it seems since now even L is getting involved in it. Still, Celity didn't want to jump to conclusions. After all she didn't even know if that was truly L or some kind of prank or something third. For now she decided to listen what this person had to say for a while longer. "You said you wanted my assistance with the case but I'm already working on it, my way. Why would the great L need my help in the first place?"

"It seems you misunderstood. I am not suggesting that I want you work for me. I want us to work together to catch the criminal." L explained but somehow Celity felt like he was simply saying it to manipulate her and get her to join him. Of course there was no way to tell since the synthetic voice didn't leave room for any emotions in the tone.

*Perhaps I'm just being paranoid.* She thought.

L continued on after a short break. "Perhaps you aren't familiar with this fact but this is the way I usually work. I have outside assistance, a man directly on the crime scene…or rather , a woman, this time."

Celity could believe that much. After all, nobody knew L's identity and they usually called him an 'armchair detective' but he had to have a few outside links to investigate the case. There so much one could do in his home in front of his computer and only written information on the case. Many criticized him for it but Celity had a different perspective on that fact. Investing crime scenes and talking to witnesses or suspects, observing their reactions, it was all a very important part of the investigation and also what helped a detective solve a case. Without it, most detectives wouldn't be able to solve the case at all. She wasn't even sure if she could. Yet L could do it easily. She had to admit, being able to quickly solve so many cases without even those important aspects of investigation was rather impressive. But even L needed eyes sometimes so apparently he used others as his eyes and ears on the crime scenes.

"I can't stay on this line much longer, I need to cut the connection in two minutes. Will you help me solve this case, Okamura Celity?" Even though it was a question, the way he said it sounded like it was already decided. Like the answer was already a given.

However…

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline." Celity said simply. She didn't know what the consequences were for declining the offer of the most known and respected detective in the world. Maybe she won't get another case in her life. But she didn't have much choice from her point of view. There was no way of knowing if this was really L, so it was too risky to work and share information with him. For all Celity knew, this could be the killer himself, trying to find out what the police knows about him so far.

There was a silence on the other side of the computer and for a while Celity wondered if he was still there but the big letter L was still on her screen. After a while, the detective spoke. "May I ask why? It would be in our best interests to work together and solve this case quickly, before the killer strikes again."

*So he believes there will be another murder too.* Celity wasn't surprised he'd come to that conclusion too, especially if this person really was L.

"I agree, but I have no way of knowing if you really are L and not a fake. You could even be the killer trying to get information out of me. And even if you are L I don't know how much I can trust a person who I know absolutely nothing about. Sorry, but I don't like being used. If you can at least prove to me that you really are L, I'll think about it." Celity explained, looking at the time. There was less than a minute left.

"I see…Proving it would indeed be difficult. Too bad…Well then, goodbye Okamura Celity." The synthetic voice said and suddenly Celity's computer screen turned black.

The girl was left blinking in surprised and puzzlement, staring at her computer screen that now showed her usual desktop. *That's it…? Gone. Just like that?* Would L really give up so easily and give up the whole idea. Well he probably had numerous others candidates on his list so it would be easy to just find someone else. *Maybe it really was just a fake?* But then the question of who it was that contacted her still remained. Someone who knew she was working on this case, but only Scotland Yard knew that. They wouldn't disclose that kind of information to the Press. She retyped the web-address she received again but now it only said 'Page 404. Not found.'

Celity bit her lip in though. She tried to use her computer skills to retrace the web-address or get any clues from where the call could've came but she wasn't able to find anything. This guy was good whoever it was. The thought crossed her mind; what if that really was L? That means he is working on the same case as she is. Her lips moved into a small smile as Celity stared at her computer screen with amused eyes and muttered to herself. "Now that would be interesting…That would be very interesting."

~…~

Watari walked inside a big dark room. The only light came from numerous computer screens from L's computer system he set up. L was staring at the screen, looking at a profile of the private investigator, Okamura Celity. The old man walked with a tray in his hands, carrying freshly made tea. He set the tray on the nearby table. L's big, sleep-deprived eyes glanced sideways at Watari for a second before returning to the computer screen. L was in his usual pose, crouching on a big chair with his legs up, his thumb pressed to his lips that were only slightly parted.

Watari had spent enough time with this young man to know when L was bothered with something. It seems he was deep in thought. "Is something wrong, L?"

The said young man didn't answer right away, but when he finally did his voice sounded a bit thoughtful. Still, there was no way of telling what was going through L's head or how he was feeling right now. Even Watari had a hard time understanding his young protégée sometimes. "It seems I have been rejected."

Watari poured hot tea in a white cup. There was a short silence in the dark room. Watari took the now full cup of tea and walked over to L, handing it to him carefully. "Miss Okamura wants to solve the case on her own?"

L took the cup and stared at it as if impatiently waiting for the fuming tea to cool down a little. "No." L didn't think she refused because she wanted to solve it herself and take all the credit. After all, in all the cases where she worked with the police, Celity wasn't given any credit for solving them and catching the criminals. The public never knew she was helping the police, so only Scotland Yard knew of her involvement. The higher ups in Scotland Yard probably didn't want the Public to know they needed help from an outside private investigator. Those prideful people never really liked working with L either. "She said she can't work with someone she doesn't trust. She want me to prove to her I am L. But even if I do prove it, she won't trust me and will just think I'm using her to solve this case. That's the type of person she is."

"A cautious type?" Watari said as he looked at L's back.

"Hmm…yes."

Watari could see L was already planning something. He had a pretty good idea what will come next but he still encouraged L to tell him by asking. "What will you do now? Find someone else?"

There was another silence and then the man known as L hopped from his chair, balancing the full cup of tea. He put the other hand in the pocket of his old jeans while holding the cup with his thumb and index finger like some English gentleman. He walked over to the wall of big windows showing the view of the whole city of New York in the nighttime. L took a sip from his cup, careful not to burn his tongue as he enjoyed the view. Even though it was so late, the city was full of lights. 'The city that never sleeps', that's how they call it, right? That reminded L of himself a little. The dark circles around his eyes were a constant reminder of that.

"Watari." The young man suddenly said, still looking through the window.

"Yes, L?" Watari was also still looking at L's back, waiting for his instructions.

"Prepare two tickets to London, please." L answered after a while.

"Yes, L." Watari smiled slightly as he nodded and turned to leave. He already knew what L would say so it didn't come as a surprise to him.

Feel free to comment, review or message me with any questions. Also, constructive criticism is always welcome! See you soon I hope! :)