Q
'L is dead.'
Not a phrase I expected to hear. But I heard it.
I hung up the phone, my mind spinning in confusion. It was nice that Mr Ruvie bothered to call me, but it would been even more pleasant if he tried to make a little small talk. 'Hi, how are you?' would not be out of line. Then again calling Brazil from Britain in itself means he was not in the mood for chit chat. Besides I have a distinct feeling I am not the only one whom he has called and whom will be called to share this turn of events.
L was always the best of us. But that boy, was not careful enough. He was smart, intelligent and most of all quick on his feet. But he was lazy. He rushed in when others would pause to reflect. He just looked ahead and ignored everything else.
He never asked questions.
I ask questions.
What? Who? Where? When? Why? How?
These questions must be answered but apparently I have been forbidden to seek the answers. The Kira Case, the case the broke the 'World's Greatest Detective' has been assigned to Near. Which meant Mello was never far behind.
Near and Mello, they don't care. They never did. All they care about is the game. They look at a Rubik's Cube and they just solve it. But they don't ask why the Rubik's Cube is there in the first place, or why it has be solved.
I suppose it is just how my mind works. Computers, technology, they are all based on foundations. All based on a why. Maybe that is why I never really got along with the other Wammy prodigies, I think about things that they don't.
Probably why I do so well as a forensic computer expert and systems engineer. All of the Wammy 'prodigies' have their own style and design, we have similarities, but our paths skewer in different directions. Mello and Near would never work together, not in a thousand years. I would never work with H or T.
I was less focused in solving the problem and more on preventing the problem all together. No problem, no need for a solution. No need for questions.
And L's death is a very, very big problem.
I doubt I am the first and I doubt I will be the last. But time is of the essence.
Think, think. Remember what you were taught….
What? Obvious L is dead. L may look like he was at death's door but he was anything but unhealthy. So barring accident (which in unlikely) or suicide (even more unlikely) the only conclusion is that L was murdered.
When? Judging by the call and the fail safe I placed in the computer, L's death was not 'recent'. 48 hours have like passed from date of death to finding out about it. This meant another day or so for Mr Ruvie to contact me. This means L was killed at least three days ago.
Where? If I recall, L was last seen in Japan. The case of the millennium was taking place there according to the papers. The Kira Case.
Who killed L? Japan meant Kira, of course it was Kira, what else could it be? L's security system was tight. I should know; I designed it. No random can just kill L.
If L was killed by Kira, that meant he knew his killer. Therefore Kira is someone he knew, and recently too. Does that narrow it down or make it worse? Most likely worse, L hardly knew anyone. Chances are he slipped up and revealed himself when he really shouldn't have. He was suspicious but never questioned, he always presumed that his intellect would solve the problem before anyone else. Apparently it proved to be his undoing in the end.
Why? A killer kills, it's the nature of the beast. But no, think deeper. Why? I don't know, I'm not Kira. Could L have figured it out? Was L sloppy? Could it be that Kira was something he was not expecting? Was L not thinking things through? Or was he thinking too much? A question to be answered later.
How? Ah, now that is the question; the ultimate question. How did Kira kill him? According to the papers Kira is considered divine. A god made of human flesh.
Fascinating but fanciful. A magician can make an elephant disappear from a room but that does not mean he is a sorcerer. Once you know the method, the magnificence fades. Hence you must keep the method secret. Besides if Kira is truly a God then L would have lasted all of 10 minutes against him.
L lasted a long time. Longer than even I expected, even with Kira in close proximity. This means that although L was foolish in his planning the basic principles of protection still safeguarded his survival.
What would he have done? What did L do?
Never shared his real name. No one knows his real name, only Mr Ruvie, Mr Wammy and L himself.
Maintain semi-professional relationships with those under his command? Most likely.
I should not be too concerned, Near is more intelligent than I am. What I can think of, he can too. If anyone can solve these questions I am sure it is him.
Though as I fiddle with computers and tinker with strings of code my mind wonders at the possibilities. Chances are I will receive a call from Near and soon. Computers are a messy business and security is paramount. He will need someone he can 'trust'. I use the term loosely, in Wammy's House; trust is a concept rarely developed.
All that matters are the answers. Not questions.