On the day of the blackout

5:15pm: The three researchers as well as L and Light are all in the containment room. Krupin had just administered the serum via an injection. She could be seen to observe Light after that, checked his vital signs and asked him questions. L observed the procedure with interest, he mostly stared at Light who hid his discomfort at that.

Behind them, Mikhailov and Kaufer discussed something with each other in hushed tones. Mikhailov showed him a document and gestured to it agitatedly. He left soon after.

At the time, everyone else are still preoccupied with what they were doing. In the meantime, the Russian researcher went to his room and seemed like he was searching for something.

Kaufer looked at the clock and turned to peer at Mikhailov's computer that he'd left running.

He makes his way towards it and looked over at the three nervously. He seemed satisfied when they appear to still take a while more and opened up a few obscure windows on the device. He typed furiously and silently after that, glanced over occasionally at the others and at the door that Mikhailov left through.

At one point, Krupin turned towards him and Kaufer jerked in surprise.

Krupin paused and quickly turned back to Light and L, she began to speak to them at length.

Kaufer continued to work on the computer, checked the time and closed everything that he had opened on it. He returned to his chair and appeared to study his notes at 5:21pm.

Mikhailov returned at 5:23pm with a new file that he said was missing.

Nothing notable happened for the most part of the hour after that.

6:14pm: Mikhailov left the room. He made his way towards the bathroom near the room. He came out at 6:15pm and went towards the elevator, took it up a floor and went to the bathroom there.

6:16pm: Soichiro sat at his desk, he appeared to be in deep thought all day. Here, he seemed to have made up his mind after appearing conflicted for a length of time. Soichiro left the workroom and made his way towards the elevator.

6:17pm: Krupin left the room. She made her way towards the elevator took it as high as it could go and took the stairs to the roof.

6:18pm: Soichiro waited for the elevator impatiently. He entered the empty elevator and took it down.

6:19pm: Mikhailov waited to take the elevator, he appeared to be agitated. He made his way towards the emergency elevator and entered. A few seconds later, the power in the building died.

The footage was blank until the power comes back on at 7:30pm.

7:30pm: The containment room now showed chaos with a werewolf in the middle of it. He appeared to have been turned for a while now, judging from the mess in the room. Krupin was still on the roof, huddled in a corner next to the stairwell. The main elevator opened and Soichiro emerged from it. The emergency elevator opened and Mikhailov emerged from it.

Kaufer was alone in an empty workroom, with a laptop plugged into the system. He appeared to be anxious, he quickly typed something into the laptop and the footage bugged out.

The recording ended at 7:31pm, that was everything on that day that had been erased. The cameras failed to record anything else until L realized and restored them at around half past eight, after he had discovered Soichiro wounded and bleeding and arranged for emergency care.

L rewind the footage and watched it all over again.

But, there was no doubt about it. Rafael Kaufer is now the main suspect behind it, and Krupin did appear to be his accomplice. However, a lot of information was still missing between 6:19pm and 7:30pm. The detective nibbled on his thumb in frustration.

He turned the recording off.

Kaufer was becoming more and more suspicious by the second. Apparently, it turned out that Krupin was not the only one who had something to hide.

When Matt sent him the recovered footage, he had sent L additional information regarding Kaufer that he had found while looking them up. Kaufer hadn't changed his name or anything, unlike Krupin who used to be Milena Pavlovsky. However, there were some missing details from his information, including the one where he was involved in a murder as one of the prime suspects and the one where he was involved in the hacking of the German government's database.

In both, no evidence could be traced to him and he was allowed to go free.

There was no evidence because they were missing, as computer data and as camera recordings.

Matt had done research into the cases and have confirmed that in the one with the murder, it had been in a hotel in England where Kaufer had stayed with two fellow wildlife biologists. It appeared that he had a strong motive to kill one of them, a man named Felix Larsson. Larsson had been suspected to have taken credit for Kaufer's research, which had been a sort of breakthrough in scientific discovery. It wasn't major enough to keep the public's eye on Larsson or elevate his fame to a great extent. It was, however, significant enough for him to reap substantial benefits in his career.

Larsson was found dead in a hotel hallway, with numerous stab wounds in his body made from an unknown weapon that was never found. Before his death, the entirety of the hotel's camera systems had been shutdown and footage was deleted. No further evidence had been found despite the suspicion.

The other biologist had been suspected but there was no evidence linked to him as well. His name was Valerian Pavlovsky, Milena Pavlovsky's father. Valerian Pavlovsky was found dead two weeks later, dead in a lake in the winter. It had nothing to do with Kaufer, however, as he had since returned to Germany while Pavlovsky died in Western Russia.

Kaufer was infamous after that, because of the suspicion attached to him regarding the murder. He lost his previous position and laid low for a while. In that time and between the time where Mikhailov hired him, there was a security breach in the German government's civilian data, where data had went missing overnight, one of them were Kaufer's which had to do with the murder case.

He was suspected and once again, nothing could be traced to him.

With his name cleared and the rumors around him died down, Kaufer was able to find work freely to pay his dues, until he went into the research team set up by Mikhailov.

And it was clear that Kaufer was the one who had attacked L's building as he had the expertise in programming and hacking. He doesn't appear to have a motive so it had to be Krupin's, who may have lost a family member to werewolves and held a grudge against them, as Mikhailov had said. Kaufer and Krupin's father had known each other through their careers, it was highly probable that they have met through him, which once again, ties in with Mikhailov's claim that they have known each other before they joined him.

Krupin also have the potential to regain the power and status she used to have, which puts her as the authority above Mikhailov and Kaufer if she wanted to.

However, there's one thing that is stopping L from immediately convicting.

Something doesn't feel right.

One was the instance where shock and fear made Kaufer blurt that he had seen Mikhailov outside the elevator during the blackout, who had threatened him into silence before disappearing. If Krupin truly hates werewolves, her demeanor around Light doesn't seem right, if L's gut had anything to say about it. Also, the emergency elevator was supposed to have worked while there is an electrical failure.

There's something more to this and L hadn't even begun to grasp at it yet.

"L."

The detective turned and found Watari standing behind him, looking solemn.

"What is it, Watari?"

"I have been thinking about this," the elderly man sighed, "I think I might be too old to continue in this line of work."

L peered at him, "What are you talking about?"

"I have been underperforming lately," Watari stated, "If you haven't noticed or refuse to. If I had been younger and stronger and sharper, all of these incidences could have been prevented or at the very least, be resolved by now."

"Your safety could be at risk if this continues," the older man said seriously.

"You have taken care of me for a long time, Watari," L said, "I can't imagine myself safer anywhere else but under your protection."

"I'm afraid I am no longer capable of that," Watari said sadly, "I'm sorry, L."

The detective stared at the screen for a long while, "What do you suggest I should do?"

"You need to employ someone else who is at least capable of protecting you and managing important tasks," Watari said, "I will remain for now, until you manage to find someone suitable. I ask that you prioritize this because I can't go on forever. I'm old, you know."

"I can see that," L muttered. "Perhaps I should find someone who could bake as well as you."

"L…"

"They should also make good tea."

"Please be practical."

He chuckled, "Thank you, Watari, for everything so far. I promise I will do as you say."

Watari smiled.

L glanced at another screen that showed the werewolf lying in a cage, "I should go check on him."

The detective paused at the door, "You know, if, by any chance we manage to find a cure for Light, I might consider hiring him."

Watari's eyes widened, "What?"

"Also, if we find that he is indeed Kira in the end, I'll have to see whether he still wants to kill me," L declared, "If he does not, I will offer him this position as a means of redemption."

"I would advise against that."

"Watari," L looked at him straight in the eye, "I think, I might have fallen for him."

The elderly man stared at him.

"I'm sorry," L muttered, "You have warned me many times and yet I let myself get emotionally involved. I assure you, this case will be the last and only time."

The detective left the room and made his way towards the room where they kept Light in.

Watari sighed to himself and set about watching the screens.