CHAPTER 44:
"The Imposter"
After the members of The New Kira Task Force were attended to and their injuries properly assessed, bandaged and the like—Castra had only done a quick job when she original helped them—they all stood back at a safe distance, as Clavis readied himself to perform what would later be described by L as one of the greatest demonstrations of a Strongman Feat he had ever seen.
Clavis used a hidden power and righted the RV ACT using nothing but muscle. When he was done, Clavis received a big kiss from Castra for his efforts. That was all the reward he needed.
Once inside, unfortunately, their new mobile headquarters was a complete and utter shambles, and pretty much a right-off. Near said it had cost an untold amount of money to retro-fit the RV for the SPK when they were pitted against Kira before, and it was never used. Now, used, however briefly, ACT was destroyed. But it had done its job.
"Sorry for that hole in the roof," Clavis said, walking inside with L.
L looked through at it, and said, "Might make a nice sun roof," he said, and smiled. "The average person needs a good dose of natural light to stay healthy."
Near and Penber began to catalog the damage, while L left ACT to deal with other matters, and walked out into the warehouse to Light Yagami, who was now tied up to a steel support beam. Light Yagami had quickly recovered from his injuries after being shot by his father with the rifle.
Matt, now fully dressed, was guarding Light, holding a handgun to him at a safe distance.
Matt was saying something and pointing to his head. "You don't play in here, or you'll get lost. Got it?" Light Yagami eyeballed him. "Oh yeah, just try missing with me again and I'll shove this up where the light don't shine, mother f—"
"Matt!" L said, shaking his head. "Watch the language. You had your mouth watched out a number of times back at the orphanage for less. I can find some soap, if you'd like?"
Matt cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm an adult now. I can say what I want."
"Not in my presence," L chided.
"Okay, okay, sorry."
L stood next to Matt, and looked at Light Yagami. Yagami looked defeated and quite pathetic.
"I wish I had your unique supernatural recovery ability, Light," L said. "I once put my back out and was bedridden for nearly a week. While some believe the practice is not medically sound, I sincerely believe in chiropractors, they are miracle workers. If I had your new ability, I could have recovered in a snap."
Light Yagami was gagged, so he couldn't say anything secretly to Ryuk. After what Ryuk said about a code phrase when Light was imprisoned for fifty or so days after being suspected of Kira the very first time, telling Ryuk to depart, so Light could lose the ability to use the Death Note, and his memories of it, L didn't want a repeat of sorts. He wanted Light Yagami to have complete recollection of all his wrongs, so he could live with them in prison.
"Is he secure, Matt?"
"Yup," Matt said, checking the handcuffs behind. Light's arms were behind his back around the thin steel support. His body was also secure with chains Matt had found somewhere within the warehouse. "Like a rabid dog."
Ryuk chuckled. "Whose the dog now, eh, Light?"
Light protested with a nasty groan from beneath the gag.
L said, "It must feel humiliating to be chained up like this, huh, Light? But it needs to be done. I can't have you escaping, or doing anything that may cause anyone anymore harm."
"Oh, by the way…" Matt began. Then punched Light in the stomach, which made Light heave, and gasp for breath, coughing behind the gag, almost inhaling it. "That was for killing Chastity, you murderous son-of-a-bitch."
"Can I have a go with him?" Aizawa asked, cracking his knuckles, as he came from seemingly nowhere, with Matsuda in tow. With ACT out of commission, and no washrooms to use, they needed to look elsewhere; finding someplace near-by outside. The rear door of the warehouse was the closest to them, they came from there. "I need to relieve some pent-up stress and there's no punching bag within sight."
"I would normally suggest healthy methods of stress release, like jogging, or good old fashion exercise," L said, "but since none of those are an option, I'll make an exemption in this case, since Light Yagami is such a fast healer."
Light's eyes widened and he shook his head.
L turned his back, as the three men began to plummet Light Yagami. L knew he should not allow it, but—
He momentarily pictured the symbolic three monkeys with their hands over their eyes, ears, and mouth. See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Speak No Evil.
L looked around, and then saw Castra and Clavis engaging in their own intimate conversion near the rear of the RV.
Then he turned elsewhere and saw Soichiro Yagami, Jasper Yuta, Raye Penber, and Nate, talking in a circle, apart from ACT. Nate and Raye must have taken a break from damage assessment cataloging.
He approached them, curious. The contrasting height of Nate and the other three made it appear Nate was in the land of the giants. Soichiro, Jasper and Raye, had a good two feet on him. Their body language gave L an indication of just how serious their conversion had become, or was evolving into.
"Gentlemen, reviewing the deeds of the day?" They all looked at him. "Forgive the intrusion in inserting myself into the conversion, but you all look so serious. I wish to thank you all again for your help in not only breaking this case, but in catching Light Yagami, finally. I find it remarkable that we all survived this, despite the overwhelming odds, and the supernatural happenings involved. We must have had a god of luck on our side."
No one smiled at his joke. Normally, he was a little more reserved, but after his own re-birth, he found some levity made things a little more bright. Always living in a world where crime was his forte, he didn't have a lot of time for fun and games. But he decided that was going to change.
Jasper Yuta suddenly crossed his arms. He looked the most serious of them all.
L blinked, cleared his throat, and said, "Care to fill me in on this roundtable discussion? Your faces look grim. Light Yagami has finally been captured alive. Ah, let me guess. You're all worried about the other, outstanding, elements in this case. But all those will be dealt with in time, I assure you. They are minimal."
"I wouldn't be so confident, L," Jasper then said. "Demetre Draycott is still out there, and he has his own Death Note and Shinigami; he's a threat. Then there's Light Yagami's own Death Note, somewhere, and the rest of his troupe, like that sicko kid, Hiro whats-his-name. And who knows how many other people Yagami has under his thumb that are willing to do anything necessary for his Grand Agenda to come to fruition?"
"Not to mention Morph?" Raye added. "He can pop up anywhere. Can we really trust Menace to keep him out of our hair? Morph put Menace in the Void in Quindecim once before through his trickery."
"Then there's the mysterious disappearance of Shinto Izanagi and his aid Tréy Cottré," Nate also added. "Once the corporate world and the media get a hole of this bit of news, things will erupt quickly. I have asked my people to watch the stock markets for any downturns and to sell everything in The Tsuku-Yoki Corporation before it plummets."
"Frankly, Nate," L began, "I don't think that will be necessary. The Tsuku-Yoki Corporation is its own monster now. Even without Light Yagami or Demetre Draycott, someone else will take over. It does have a Board of Directors. But you all have interesting points to ponder. Mr. Yagami, you're the only one outstanding…"
L looked at Soichiro Yagami. His attention was elsewhere. Soichiro was staring at his son, who was at the moment being "attended to" by the others. They had stopped the physical abuse and were now on to the verbal.
Despite what Soichiro had said earlier that he wished Light had never been born, L knew a father always loved his son deep down. He never truly knew his own parents, being an orphan, but he knew love with his adopted father Qullish/Watari. No words needed to be spoken about it. L left Soichiro alone with his own thoughts.
As it was with the others', L already had a plan.
x x x
The police raid on Tsuku-Yoki Tower happened quickly and within day's of Light Yagami's capture. His arrest was kept quiet and everyone associated with The New Kira Task Force vowed secrecy.
Evidence linking the death of a former employee, Leopold Nétè, who had committed suicide with no prior medical condition, lead the NPA to believe with "faked Intel" provided by Near, that the death was actually a murder and it was linked to a drug cartel with highly suspicious interactions between the company and the Yukaza.
Since Near had taken down Kira and had been involved in several other high-profile cases since the Kira Case, his word was taken as gold, and with Matsuda and Aizawa confirming the information, once members of the Kira Task Force, a warrant was issued.
Shinto Izanagi was present and stood quietly aside as the NPA searched strategic places, his penthouse office, and adjacent apartment. He told the NPA that they would hear from his lawyers before the day was done. But Aizawa showed him the warrant and he was welcome to call them.
Shinto's eyes glared at Aizawa from behind his red mask when he challenged him to do so.
After three hours, the heads of each of the teams assigned searching vital areas returned, meeting in the outer office.
An officer in uniform went over to Aizawa, and said, "Nothing, sir. No evidence of any said items, or anything outstanding in the warrant, and all teams are reporting in with the same. We may have been fed false Intel."
Aizawa eyed the officer and chided him for saying such a thing. He knew it was false Intel, but to state such a conjecture openly warranted a citation. But he let it slide. He dismissed the officer.
And yet, Aizawa knew they wouldn't find any drugs or anything of the like.
It was only a distraction to search for anything related to the Death Note.
Jasper and Raye had donned uniforms and mixed in with other officers to search in hidden places. But after a few days from the incident at the warehouse, Draycott's escape, and his Shinigami Geist nowhere to be seen, it was more than enough time to hide any evidence. Private encoded text messages told Aizawa neither one of them had found anything either, although Aizawa did question why the Board Room was in such disarray.
Aizawa looked disheartened. Matsuda came to stand next to him. They had lead the raid.
Shinto Izanagi folded his arms across his chest. "Nothing," the CEO said. "Are you done, Detectives? After you leave, I'll be on the phone to my attorney, the NPA, and my friends in DIET. You two will be finished."
"Be my guest, Mr. Izanagi," Aizawa retorted smugly. "But the warrant is valid, signed by a sitting judge. It will hold up in court, even though nothing was found here. There was strong evidence of interaction between some people in your company and the Yukaza, with a high probably of drug smuggling by a former employee. You can request all the evidence for your attorney, if you wish. And please, make a grievance to the NPA, we appreciate the feedback. I'm sure our Chief will be happy to address any of your concerns. You're a prominent person in the community, and The Tsuku-Yoki Corporation is known world wide as reputable and honest, but sometimes people can take advantage of others. So, with all due respect, sir, please don't take this invasion into your private domain as anything personal."
"An apology, how pathetic," Izanagi rebuked.
"You're mysterious, sir," Matsuda said. "People still don't know who you are really, other than what they read about you on the internet. You're known to many as The Man in the Red Mask, but your history is somewhat obscure."
"Am I being interrogated, Detective? Is that part and parcel of the warrant?"
"No, Mr. Izanagi, just an inquiry, I am curious. Where is your assistant Tréy Cottré, if you don't mind me asking?"
Izanagai paused for a moment, dropped his arms as if to appear less intimidating, then said, "Mr. Cottré is taking a well deserved, extended vacation. He's very good at what he does as my financial and client manager, but sometimes a person experiences 'burn out' and needs a break."
"That's understandable," Aizawa replied. "Finally, there is one last thing that needs to be done. We are aware of your accident, how a rival threw acid into your face years ago, or so we are told—you never told anyone who it was. However, for verification purposes, please remove your mask. If you read the warrant, it says we have the authority to search anywhere on the property for items pretending to our parameters. This means you, as well, sir."
"That's amusing, Detective," Izanagi said. "You wish to see my face? And what if I refuse?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to take you into custody for obstruction of justice."
Izanagi laughed, his voice reverberating from the mouth area of his mask. His mask enhanced his voice, because due to the accident, the attack also affected his vocal cords. "Oh, you're just inching to be fired, Detectives. But to prove I have nothing to hide, per se, I will acquiesce to your request. Be warned, however. It may be shocking."
There were a total of six officers plus Matsuda and Aizawa in the penthouse office. Izanagi reached behind his head, using both his hands to glade the mask off to avoid ruffling his white hair too much. When it was fully off, Matsuda gasped at the grotesqueness of Shinto Izanagi's face. One officer in the room actually heaved over and vomited.
Aizawa remained calm.
Indeed, Shinto Izanagi's face was scarred by an acid attack and quite badly. The result of which, no doubt, caused his hair to turn white from neuropathic shock. It was a rare, but not an uncommon result from severe trauma. His face looked like it was melting, and was patched together with skin grates and hideous scarring. He looked like a monster. It was no wonder he wore the mask.
"Satisfied, Detectives?" Izanagi said, his voice low and slurred.
Aizawa nodded. "Thank you, sir. You can put your mask back on. Forgive the exposure."
Izanagi fit it back on his head, straightening the straps, then said, "The mask hides my face and the synthesizer inside the mouth piece helps regular and elevate my speech to a somewhat normal tone. Otherwise, I would be difficult to understand. My secret's out now, I'm a freak. And now you can go back to your Chief and tell him or her that Shinto Izanagi is a patchwork Frankenstein Monster. Take a picture if you'd like and pin in your office."
Aizawa signed softly. He actually felt remorse for making the CEO show his face. "No, sir, I would never do that."
"You look disappointed, Detective," Izanagi then said. "Were you hoping to find something untoward?" He chuckled. "Did you really think I was faking having acid thrown in my face? I'm glad I could clear up any misconceptions."
Aizawa nodded. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Izanagi," he said, and then recalled everyone. Including the officer who vomited after seeing Shinto Izanagi's face, he was still cleaning it up.
When everything was finished, Matsuda and Aizawa left the office. They were the last to leave.
Aizawa shut Izanagi's door and it locked behind him.
The NPA officers began to depart, but Aizawa and Matsuda stayed behind, and spoke to themselves in the outer office; the secretary was not here, asked to wait down in the main lobby with others as the search commenced. She would be told to return soon.
Matsuda spoke softly, "I don't get it, Aizawa, that isn't Shinto Izanagi, and we both know it. And that can't be Demetre Draycott because he had his right hand. 'S' blew it off with a rifle along with what used to be a golden luger. The serial number was shaved off, so it can't be traced. But since Draycott had it, it must have belonged to him or Light."
Aizawa didn't answer him, standing, and thinking to himself. The warrant had been served, and nothing was found, no evidence of their initial or hidden search, either. And he had noticed Izanagi's right hand, too. L had said anyone could be under the mask, but how could both his face and hand be faked in such a short amount of time? And there was no way Draycott could have recovered from his injury that quickly—unless he had the same recovery power as Light, and his hand grew back? Ridiculous, he told himself. And those acid burns are too real to fake.
It was originally thought the acid story was a complete fake so Light could hide behind the mask.
Then who was this Shinto Izanagi?
Light's family even visited him in the building confirming he was Izanagi. They were told Light was now in being questioned for information pertaining to another case. A lie to protect them since the secret was out that he was alive. L reconsidered the doppleganger decision, and Light would be in contact them soon, but it was best not to visit him at Tsuku-Yoki Tower anymore, or the Yukaza would get suspicious. Light's family agreed to that and that they could correspond with him by other methods. L wanted to make distance between them. It was a mistake L had made, talking with the Yagami family and telling them Light was alive. Now he had to fix the mess as best as possible by telling them continuous lies.
Aizawa asked himself again, who was this imposter?
And yet, he couldn't prove anything openly. Shinto Izanagi was Shinto Izanagi, this is what the public believed.
Light Yagami was imprisoned, Demetre Draycott had disappeared, and anyone associated within their inner circle were questioned, but were ultimately allowed to go. So, could someone not known be under the mask? No, he didn't think so, and yet, how could he tell with a face so badly damaged by an acid attack?
There was no way someone would purposely splash acid into their own face to play the part of the CEO and to wait for Light's return? Or could the imposter be under the influence of one of the mouthguard's L had discovered?
In truth, they had nothing on Light Yagami, other than what The New Kira Task Force concretely knew. Light would forever he locked away, as L had originally intended when he took on the Kira Case all those years ago.
Matsuda said, "Did you hear me, Aizawa? We have to search again and get another warrant, we missed something. Jasper and Raye didn't find anything either, but that doesn't mean there isn't something to find. And where is Demetre Draycott, his assistant Honda/Geist, and that Hiro Yamamoto kid? We managed to question Ritchie Hayward, Shinto's personal driver and bodyguard, but he said he knew nothing. That he was just Shinto's driver, nothing more."
"No, Matsuda," Aizawa rebuked, "we're done here. And if we invade Izanagi's office again, we'd be causing embarrassment for the NPA. As is stands now, the media may have a field day with us because we found nothing. I know that isn't the real Shinto Izanagi, but he just showed us his face in front of other witnesses. No one will question his validity now, and if we call him a lair, and claim he's wearing a disguise under his mask, it will throw the courts into a tailspin with a major lawsuit against the NPA, and us, personally. The warrant protects us, Matsuda, defamation won't. We have no more cause here. I don't like it either. We'll go tell the others to keep a close eye on Mr. Shinto Izanagi, but we have no more cause to be here. Let's met up with Jasper and Raye and compare notes."
Matsuda didn't like it, but Aizawa was right.
They then left, using one of the elevators.
To be continued...