Fourteen
The hotel room was larger than they could possibly need, but Kat wasn't complaining. They had arrived a few hours before, hurried through the airport, driven straight to the hotel, then almost flown up to their room. Kat had been curled up in pain for most of the flight, but the last few hours hadn't been too bad. L had given her more than enough sweets to keep her happy, and had managed to work while doing it. They had been informed a woman called Naomi Misora would be leading the investigation, so L decided he would contact her and see if she would be willing to collaborate. Most were, but some didn't like sharing the glory of a case. Especially when the person they were partnered with was world famous and they weren't.
L set up his computers in the living area, lining them up on the floor, only one single laptop resting on the coffee table. Kat had taken the role of organising their belongings, unpacking their clothes and organising a shopping trip with Wammy. They would have to return to their usual aliases once again, L deciding the first name that popped into his head, Kat and Wammy sticking with their originals. Watari and K were known worldwide, L's notorious assistants. They were just as sought after, people begging for information on L. They never got a reply.
"Are you going out tonight, or tomorrow?" L asked from his crouched position beside one of the large monitors, his messy black hair falling into his face. Kat stretched on the small sofa she had made hers minutes before, her joints clicking as she did. She rose slowly, yawning.
"I'll go tonight, get it over with. Can you let Wammy know I'll be down in ten minutes." She requested, pulling her hair up into a bun and digging in her bag for a pair of contacts. She found the hauntingly dark lenses and slipped them into place with worrying ease. She blinked a few times, then headed into the bedroom to change. She swapped her shorts for a pair of bright pink jeans, then pulled on a white shirt and white ballet pumps. It was too late for sunglasses, so she put on a pair of wide-frame white glasses with plain glass lenses and a floaty butterfly print scarf. She wouldn't usually dress so brightly, but she wanted to make sure she couldn't be identified if she had to go out as herself later on.
After her hurried change, Kat waved goodbye to L and grabbed her purse as she left the room, walking calmly down to meet Wammy where he waited by the car. He smiled kindly when she excited the hotel, opening her door for her.
She always refused to sit in the back unless L was with her, otherwise she felt bad towards the man who had given her a home. He wasn't her assistant, and she had no right to treat him as such. They drove around for a while before Kat decided where she wanted to go.
"Just pull up over there by that fire hydrant, I'll be back in a moment." She told him, climbing out for the front seat and heading into the shop.
People were everywhere, children running around down every isle. Kat kept to herself, grabbing a basket and walking over to the sweets isle. After picking out enough food to feed a small army, she paid and turned to leave.
But something, no someone, caught her eye. Walking up to him and tapping him on the shoulder, she whispered.
"Baby, what are you doing here? I thought I was doing the shopping."
The man turned to face her, a brow raised. It wasn't L, but the resemblance was striking. He was pale, his eyes dark, his black hair a mess on his head. But he wasn't L. Kat held up her hands in apology, her cheeks turning pink.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else." She apologised, grinning sheepishly. The man smiled softly, nodding his head.
"It's fine, no problem. If he's lucky enough to have a girl as beautiful as you." He complemented her, but there was something weird about it. His tone never once changed, nor did his eyes. There was almost no humanity in them, and it was scary. Kat swallowed hard before taking a step back.
"Well, sorry again, I've got to get going. Bye." She waved awkwardly, hurrying to the car. Wammy gave her a curious look as she practically catapulted into the front seat, her bags clutched too tightly in her hands. He went to speak, but she shook her head.
"Can we just get back, please?" She mumbled, her head down and eyes closed. For some reason, the man who looked like L had shaken her. How could a living person have such dead eyes? It wasn't right.
Wammy wisely said nothing, just drove them back to the hotel and lead her up to the room. L was behind the sofa, doing something with the room phone, though she wasn't sure what. She dumped the bags on the side and collapsed on the small chair beside the coffee table, her head in her hands.
L saw the stress behind her motions and dropped the phone into its holder, standing awkwardly and coming to crouch beside her.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly, his hand gently pulling hers from her face. She bit her lip and stared at a certain spot on the floor, not wanting to look directly into his eyes. What if his were the same? Maybe she hadn't noticed until she was it in a stranger. L wasn't having it, taking her chin gently, but firmly, forcing her to meet his gaze.
Kat relaxed almost instantly. L was still L, no dead look in his slate eyes, just worry for her. She took his face into her hands and pulled him forward, connecting their lips, not in a heated way, but a simple, loving way. L leant into the kiss, his hands settling on her small waist. When she finally pulled away, she looked much better. The colour had returned to her pale face, and there wasn't so much worry in her eyes. Well, they weren't really her eyes, thanks to the contacts, but L could read her like a book, even if the pages where slightly hidden.
"Thanks, I needed that." She whispered into his ear as she pulled him into a hug. He returned it, kissing her cheek sweetly. He wouldn't push her to explain herself, he just accepted that when she arrived she was scared, and now she was not. After a moment of silence, Kat released L and smiled cheekily.
"Do you want to see what I bought?" She offered, earning an enthusiastic nod from her boyfriend. She stood and pulled him to his feet, leading him over to the bags. Most of it was some kind of sugared substance, but she had managed a few fruits and vegetables, a few canned products, tea, coffee, the usual things like bread and butter. L helped her pack it all away, pocketing a couple of sweets for later. He had been trying to contact detective Naomi Misora to get her input on the case, but she was a surprisingly difficult woman to reach. He had spoken to her mother, and she had given him her mobile number, but he had that already, along with most of her other information. It was practically impossible to hide from him.
"Let me try." Kat suggested, taking the phone from him and calling the woman's mobile. She waited a moment, then smiled softly.
"Hello, Naomi, I am K. L and myself have been trying to reach you for some time now, regarding the death of Believe Bridesmaid." She paused to listen to the woman on the other end of the line, then grinned.
"Yes, miss Misora, you are correct. We would very much like to collaborate with you, but it is up to you. L will not force you to work with him if you do not wish to. What do you say?" She clapped her hands together at the woman's reply, a mischievous glow in her eyes. L knew the detective had agreed, and held out his hand for the phone. Kat nodded, holding up a finger to signal for him to wait.
"Thank you very much, miss Misora. I will connect you with L now, and you can talk about your agreement." L took the phone and waited a moment, then held in to his ear. Kat watched him eagerly, her knees pulled to her chest. L could hear the level breaths of the woman on the other line, and spoke carefully. His voice would be automated either way, but you could detect emotion still.
"Hello, Naomi, this is L." There was a low sigh from the detective, then a shaky reply. Her voice was soft, feminine but not girlish. He would detest listening to her.
"R-right... You wanted to know about Believe Bridesmaid, correct?" She asked, quickly recovering from the shock of The L speaking directly to her.
"Yes, and I would appreciate any information you can share with me." He supplied, barely looking away from the laptop he had pulled onto his lap. Kat was trying away on one of the computers on the floor, her back to him, and Wammy was floating around somewhere. He was officially at work.
"Well, I was at the scene when we found him, and it wasn't pretty. He was drugged, suffocated, then had his body mutilated with these weird symbols. I don't know what they could mean." She swallowed audibly, then continued. "Would you like me to send you the crime scene photos? And I received the coroners report yesterday, so I could send that too."
L smiled softly, nodding though she couldn't see him.
"Thank you, Naomi, that would be most useful. I will have K send you a message of what I need you to send me." He said it loudly enough that Kat would hear, which she proved by giving him a thumbs up without turning. She typed so quickly her diners blurred, her eyes never straying from the screen. Matt was naturally talented, but he didn't learn everything he knew on instinct.
"Sent." Kat whispered, grinning. L silently thanked her with a blown kiss, which she returned, then went back to work. Naomi gasped on the other end of the phone.
"Geez, you work fast!" She mumbled, shock clear in her voice. L smirked at the woman's words, his thumb finding its way to his bottom lip.
"Yes, I do. Please send me the information as soon as you can. If anything happens, please be sure to let me know. Speak to you soon, miss Misora." He ended the call and dropped the phone the the sofa, his hands reaching out to pluck a cherry from the pack he had snuck out of the kitchen. He waited for a few minutes, then crossed the room to crouch beside Kat. He looked over her shoulder as she hacked into the FBI database, her hands skating across the keyboard, typing out code after code without breaking a sweat. She was used to this kind of thing, it was routine.
"Naomi sent through the info, but I'll have to wait until I've finished this to check it out... Can't go getting myself caught, can I?" She joked, smiling at him without looking at him. L chucked softly, remembering the day he had first tried to hack the FBI, hitting a huge firewall that basically destroyed his computer. Wammy had not been happy, but he'd calmed down eventually.
"I was fifteen, you're twenty one." He defended himself, his tone hardly changing. Most would view L as dull, empty, emotionless. He rarely showed much emotion, and his voice was naturally monotonous. He wasn't loud or brash, his actions calculated and organised. He was different. But Kat knew him. She could see the smiles that didn't show on his lips, and the anger that could settle in his shoulders. She knew when he became over tired, or when work was just too much. She could tell his mood by simply looking at him, not even needing to look him in the eyes.
She outright beamed when she finally broke through to the FBI, her still hidden eyes glued to the screen. She quickly did a selection of background checks on the few detectives involved in the case, including Misora. After around ten minutes, she closed the tab and returned to the email system she had contacted Naomi through. There were three folders. One contained the crime scene photos, the second the official reports from four different investors who were on the scene, and the last the coroners report. Kat printed each folder, then laid them out on the coffee table. Naomi was right, it wasn't pretty, but both L and Kat had seen worse. The each inspected the articles, then the photographs, working in dead silence.
Finally, L spoke.
"Why cut the body?" He wondered aloud, his thumb brushing his lip, the photo held between his thumb and pointer finger. His eyes were wide and his face much too close to the paper, as though it being closer would tell him more.
"Some killers just enjoy mutilation. It's a power play. It like saying 'there's nothing you can do to stop me now!'" Kat didn't think too much of the wounds, paying more attention to the weird neatness of the room around the corpse. Surely nobody could live in a place that impeccable.
"I don't think that's what this is. There aren't random cuts, their symbols. Numerals, actually. This means something." L stood and moved to the small table beside the front door, grabbing the guest book and ripping out a fresh page. Also grabbing the pen, he hurried back to his seat and started scribbling. Kat watched silently, brows raised. After a moment, L handed her the paper.
XIV (16), LIX (59), MCDXXIII (1423), CLIX (159), XIII (13), VII (7), DLXXXII (582), DCCXXIV (724), MI (1001), XL (40), LI (51), XXXI (31).
He had deciphered the numerals, but what did that matter if they didn't know what they represented? The seemingly random numbers could mean anything!
"Very impressive, L, but this doesn't held if we only have half of the clue." She concluded, putting the paper down beside the others. L frowned softly.
"I know, but it's something... What time is it?" He asked, stretching. Kat checked her phone, having changed it to American time when they first arrived.
"Almost eleven... We've been staring at this stuff for longer than I thought. I'm going to shower, you should probably hop in after me... Has Wammy sorted himself a room?" She stood, clicking her back as she stretched. They'd been sat still for too long, both lingering on the prang of discomfort. Kat started towards the bathroom, pausing only to plant a soft kiss on L's cheek. He watched her go, then returned to the papers before him.
It was a few days before they got a call from Naomi. The woman sounded breathless, her usually calm and collected aura bursting with energy. L held the phone awkwardly, staring at it in confusion.
"I think I figured it out!" The woman gasped, earning a raised brow from the detective. He kept his voice level as he replied.
"Figured what out, Naomi?" He inquired. Kat was asleep next to him, her cheeks flushed, hair fanned out around her. She had hardly slept since they arrived, between work and cramps... She was exhausted. L stroked her cheek, barely connecting with her velvety skin, his brow creased in slight worry. She was so delicate, so breakable. It scared him.
"The numerals, they represent words in a book! Rue noticed there was a book on the shelf that didn't belong there, and if we code it out... We got it!" She sounded so happy, and L almost didn't want to ask his next question.
"And what is the message?" He get the hesitation in her answer, but she replied none the less.
L took notes, copying her words down on the notepad he had found earlier, his scrawled writing spreading out across the page.
16 – page 16: quadratic
59 – page 59: ukulele
1423 (wraps around three times) – page 295: tenacious
159 – page 159: rabble
13 – page 13: table
7 – page 7: egg
582 (wraps around once) – page 206: arbiter
724 (wraps around once) – page 348: equable
1001 (wraps around twice) – page 249: thud
40 – page 40: effect
51 – page 51: elsewhere
31 – page 31: name
"Ok, so you came to the conclusion that the message is: quadratic ukulele, tenacious rabble, table egg, arbiter, equable, thud, effect elsewhere, and name?" He really couldn't be bothered to pretend this was useful. He groaned, covering the mouthpiece so Naomi wouldn't hear. He could tell she was nervously shuffling on the other end of the line, probably blushing if she was the sort for that kind of thing. L ran a hand through his shaggy hair, stressed, then readied himself to speak.
"Naomi, why did you call me with this? This information is basically useless. I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I really can't do anything with this." He really didn't want to upset or degrade the woman, but this lead was a dead end. He heard her huff on the other end, then relay his message to someone else. L rubbed his tired eyes with one large hand, then attempted to appease the detective.
"Naomi, you are a brilliant young woman, and I am sure you will come up with a solution sooner or later... This just wasn't it. Please call me if you find something coherent." Misora agreed, then hung up, apologising for wasting his time. L let the phone fall into his lap, his gaze falling on the pained young woman beside him. She was frowning slightly, her lip clasped tightly between her white teeth. She was in pain again, and even in her sleep she tried to hide it. A small whine escaped her lips.
"Oh, baby." He mumbled, lifting her onto his lap. The case could wait, nothing new had happened since he had arrived, and Naomi, and whoever "Rue" was, was stuck. He would deal with Kat first, then try to gain more ground.
The detective shifted so his girlfriend rested against his chest, her legs stretching out onto the sofa. Today would be the last day, then Kat could go back to normal. She wasn't overly hormonal or clingy, but in a constant state of either pain or lethargy. Another whine left her lips as her eyes opened, her pupils dilated. L let her pull at his fingers for comfort while he quickly messaged Wammy. Only calls of the utmost importance would be sent through to the pair, leaving them to themselves.
After a moment, Kat forced herself to rise, her body heavy, but her mind desperate to continue with the case. She felt responsible in some way for the cases slow progression, her current state distracting both herself and L. She pulled the piece of paper L had been using towards her, reading through the seemingly random words. She looked to her partner for an explanation.
"I'm not insane, but Misora might be. She called saying she had cracked the code of the numerals, said she found a book that didn't belong on Bridesmaid's bookshelf. I don't see anything connecting this to the case." L summarised, shrugging. Kat shot him a disapproving look, a finger finding its way up to his face to boop him on the nose. L frowned, confused.
"What? You think quadratic, ukulele, tenacious, rabble, table, egg, arbiter, equable, thud, effect elsewhere, and name are in any way related to the death of Believe Bridesmaid?" He demanded, being the more talkative of the pair for a change.
"No, but that's assuming Bridesmaid is the only murder. There may be others, if not already, then to come. The only way we can guarantee this is a one off is by catching the culprit." She reasoned, staring hard at the words. There had to be something behind it, Misora wouldn't have been totally wrong. She was a brilliant detective, she wouldn't have found nothing. Then it hit her.
"Q-U-T-R-T-E-A-E-T-E-E-N. It could mean something, a clue or a name. It might just be missing a few letters!" She suggested. L considered this, but didn't put too much serious thought into it. They could worry about the case later, right now, Kat was his priority.
L kissed her cheek, pulling her into a standing position and wrapping his arms around her in case her legs have out. Kat tended to put off pain until it reached a level that was way beyond her limit, then she would crash. L had seen it happen enough times since they met.
"You need to relax your muscles, so maybe you should have a bath? That usually helps, right?" He offered, giving her an encouraging smile. Kat frowned, her hands knitting together.
"But what about the case?" She wondered, her contrasting orbs searching the elder boys face for any misinformation. L gave none.
"It can wait until the morning, or at least until one of its lead investigators is capable of her full potential." He pulled her close and tilted her head up, connecting their lips. She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut.
"Ok, but tomorrow I'm going to the crime scene, I need to feel the air, see it all in person." L didn't like it, but he couldn't stop her. He gently pressed a kiss against her temple, his lips lingering just above her ear.
"Alright, but Wammy's going with you." He wasn't going to argue, and Kat could tell there was no way round it. Oh well, she liked her little field trips with Wammy, he was funny when he wasn't acting so serious.
"Deal."
The rest of the day was spent lazing around the hotel room, eating sweets and watching friends reruns. Kat felt much better by the time she pulled L to bed, her eyes heavy and her limbs almost weighed down.
"I miss the boys." She mumbled, curling around L's awkwardly laying form. He wasn't used to sleeping on nice big beds, he never had been. Even after they met, after they got together, it was borderline impossible to get him to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. He found beds uncomfortable, they left him feeling exposed. On more than one occasion Kat had found him perched on the chair in his bedroom, an elbow resting on his desk, fast asleep. He only ever got into bed with her, and that took a good amount of begging.
"I'm sure they miss you too. We'll call them in the morning, it's too late now." L cooed, running a hand through her hair. He loved how long it was, how soft. All of her was soft. She wasn't super model thin, and was adorably short. The top of her head only just reached his shoulder, and that was when he slouched. She was small and curvy in all the right places, her face heart shaped, her skin pale. Her strange eyes always had an air of wonder to them, no matter the task, holding him captive in their violet-coal like depths. She wasn't by any means perfect, oh no. She had a bucket load of nervous ticks thanks to her damaging upbringing, and scars that varied from almost invisible to red and raw-looking. Her front teeth were slightly too big, and she had a weird birthmark shaped like a taco shell on her left shoulder. Her right leg was weaker than her left, and there was really no working with her hairline. Her imperfections were all clear for the eye to see, and to L, that's what made her Kat. She wasn't like most people, their imperfections hidden below the surface, but rather she wore them like a badge of honour. She didn't care about being symmetrical or outwardly perfect. She just wanted to be happy.
L watched her as she nodded sleepily before yawning and closing her eyes, her head resting on his thin chest. One hand clasped his shirt while the other curled into her own hair, a childhood trait she just never shook. She said it was thanks to her mother. She had always said she had beautiful hair, and little Kat had clung to that, finding comfort in mimicking the act of her mothers ministrations.
"Love you." She grumbled, planting a tiny kiss on his chest, her voice nowhere near alert. L smiled fondly, his dark eyes crinkling slightly.
"I love you too, K." He assured her, needless as it was. She knew he loved her, no matter what.
The pair drifted off to sleep rather quickly, Kat first, then L. They hardly moved from their huddled position, other than L unconsciously hiding her from the view of the small window, totally oblivious to the figure perched outside.