XLVI –Freezing


The sky was the color of mercury as a few tiny, shy snowflakes were floating down over the gray capital. From behind the shelves stuffed with magazines, a few cheap books and paper towels, the two could see the same white car that first delivered Light's food order, along with the letter from Ross. Kira recognized the plate number. He called Frost immediately. "What is the plate number of the car in which I am supposed to go?" he asked, sounding as innocent as possible.

As Frost was dictating the number, Light compared it with that of the car parked on the other side of the road. 'Now leave the universal store and stop joking around,' the Russian finished.

Ryuk was more surprised than Light. "In a moment. Thank you."

'How could he know? Surveillance cameras?' Ryuk was already looking around for cameras.

Light shook his head. "Plain logic, I'm afraid. It was obvious I was here from the moment I asked for the plate number confirmation." He walked out, crossing the street and getting into the car. There were two others there, plus the driver. "Hello." Of course, his smile was ignored.

Frost was waiting for Yagami at the entrance into a forest, right by a secondary road that was rarely frequented. On the other side of the road, the fields were frozen under a thick layer of ice and snow. He was a tall man with pale skin and his lips turning a bit purple from the cold. One of his eyebrows and part of his cheek had been scarred by a burning, Light assumed this because the skin regenerated badly. He wore dark sunglasses, making Light wonder if he was blind in one eye or if it was just a fashion accessory. He wore a fur hat that Light found to be quite disgusting. It was like wearing a corpse on his head, but on a second thought, it did fit the Russian's image…

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he began, as Ryuk was already floating around Frost and his men, analyzing them.

"Hurry up and speak," came the order, to which Light nodded.

"Of course. Well, I believe you already know about the Kira case – the investigation brought detective L to Japan. Turns out, there had been some information leaked from someone working with L, information related to the case, and that some FBI agents were killed immediately after. Long story short, L keeps my family and another one under surveillance right now, both video and audio. I would know, because my dad told me – he shouldn't have, but he let me know because he's not usually home, so it's fallen on me to take care of my family."

The Russian didn't look impressed. Even so, he took the paper from Light's hand and skimmed it. He passed it to one of his men. "Consider the problem solved. Anything else keeping you from doing your job?"

"Yes, two tiny details… Or just one, on second thought. I've tried to contact Reiji's driver. He hates both Reiji and Caterina, so I figured I could ruin his family life through him – if you can call a man in his 30's sleeping around with underage girls a family, that is." With that, Light hoped to win the other one's sympathy. Like the Dragon, Frost was known to have some very strict ethical rules, most of them revolving around family. "The problem is that he is not picking up. It's been over 24 hours already, but I didn't go to the police yet. I'm thinking that Reiji could be framed for murder."

"What do you need for that?" Frost immediately realized how such a stain was going to ruin Reiji's career as well. It was a long shot, but they could ruin him with one blow.

"I've been assisting crime scene investigations, so I think I can manage… I want to know if we can find out his location through the GPS in the past few hours. It could lead us to a body. After that, someone will just 'accidentally' stumble across it, call the emergency number, and the police will do the rest. We can speed up the investigation by sending in anonymous clues – even if they say they don't bother with those, the police are obligated to check any clue that could possibly lead to a killer." Light began rubbing his hands together. Even in his pockets, his hands were freezing.

The original plan was a little bit more complicated. Light wanted to use two people at once – the driver and the secretary. While the first was going to wreck Reiji's home and disturb his balance as a human being, the latter was going to fall for his charms and leak compromising information that would have found its way to the rivals of Yotsuba in no time. However, Frost liked this new plan way better. "…He could even get killed by Kira," he smirked.

"It's a possibility, yes," Light agreed just to pass the moment. He wasn't going to end Reiji's life – he'd much rather have him beaten to a pulp and raped every day, rotting in some filthy jail.

Frost nodded in agreement. "Tell me at which hour you want to know Reiji's location."

"It would be better if I had a continuous report of his activity in the past 24 hours. I went out to buy some rice for my mom about a quarter after eight, so being out of the controlled environment of my house, I tried to contact the driver, Vittorio. He didn't pick up. If it's some unusual location, we might need to know Reiji's location a few hours earlier."

"So, given the fact that L is supervising your house, you need to return as you would normally do if you had been at school…" There was amusement and a hint of irony in that remark, but Light had no right to point it out. "Does he track your email as well?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Kira could no longer feel his feet. His shoes were not meant to be worn for half an hour, submerged into snow to his ankles and without any movement capable of producing more body heat.

Suddenly, they were both surprised to hear Light's phone ringing. The teenager looked at Frost and his men surrounding them, waiting for instructions. "It's dad." At that time, he should be on break at school. "I have to answer." He took a few steps away. "Did anything happen, father?"

There was a faint buzzing noise in the background, something Light couldn't explain. 'Nothing. I'm on a break and I thought we could talk. How are you?'

"Thanks goodness. I've been worried, dad. You don't answer your phone, you rarely come home anymore… What's the deal with that L? You have the right to taking time off. You know that better than me."

Light found it even stranger that his father's response was delayed. 'I know, son, but it's for our own safety. Are you at school?'

One of the people working for the Russian went to inform him something. Frost frowned. "I'm… with a friend. Why do you ask? I hope nothing happened at school."

'There was a fire alarm. I don't know the details yet. Listen, Light, go home as soon as possible. Your mother is worried about you. I'll try to make it to dinner tonight.'

Light nodded. "Alright. Take care, dad." When he hung up, Frost was glaring at him.

"Someone tried to track your phone signal," he clarified.

"Do you know who?"

Ryuk was amused by the sudden tension in the air. 'This is getting good…!'

The one who informed Frost earlier stepped forward. "The signal we tracked back comes from somewhere in the business center, possibly a private network set up in a hotel."

"That's L," Light immediately said. "I need to return home. I don't need him suspecting me of anything. So, then, do you think you can manage? It's very simple. Once you follow Reiji's car or his phone in the past 24 hours, you can then have someone stumbling over the body and then the police will take care of the rest. Reiji will be accused of murder because it's his driver that will be found dead, and from my knowledge, he might have even worked without a contract. That kind of work is illegal, and will stain his reputation further."

Frost stared at him coldly. "If this second plan of yours is successful, you will receive the pay in your bank account. If not…"

"It has to be. I'm not worried. I know the system from the inside, remember." Light smiled and went towards the white car. "I would appreciate it if someone could drive me back into the city."

At the same time, Caterina and Namikawa were stepping out of the car. They had driven to a bridge that has been closed for several years. It was in a state of ruin, barely spreading over the river underneath. The water was full of trash and the bodies of those who committed suicide there, so nobody should find their car.

Caterina stared for a few seconds longer after the car with a missing back window. "Are you sure he's dead?" She could see air escaping from the car.

"Certain," Namikawa stated. "I suffocated him, I told you. I tied a plastic bag over his head. He must have died in a few minutes, at most."

The girl nodded, following him. They had a really long walk to the closest train station. "I know… I just hope you're right. Anyway, if he hasn't died by now, he's going to drown." She sighed. "The first kill is always difficult. I still have nightmares from time to time… I doubt I will ever forget Bianca's face when she realized I was faking when she felt the cable wrapping around her neck. You know, sometimes I wonder if she would have changed her ways if she had come alive out of that house…"

Her partner remained silent for a long time. "…Didn't you say she was a murderer?"

"Yes. She killed Diego, and there's a chance she would have killed me. But… That doesn't change the guilt, you know? Vitto killed many more - innocent people, too - but you're still ravished," she said with a small, bitter smile. "What I'm saying is that… guilt is normal. It's part of the kill, it's the only thing left, the only thing you can't throw away or wash off. It just proves that you're a good man."

Reiji stopped, shocked. "Me?! A good man? …Caterina, I've killed someone with my own two hands. I'm a murderer! There's nothing left in me that's good."

Turning to look back at him, she shook her head. "You're still a good man. People like Vittorio or Ross don't feel guilty for the lives they take. On the contrary – they're proud of it, they're happy and they brag about it." Walking towards him, she set her warm hands over his cold cheeks. "Do I look like a murderer to you?"

The man wrapped his hands around her. "You don't, but that doesn't change what we've done."

"I know," she sighed. "We're both damned now. Sometimes I think Padre did all the charity to try and persuade God and the Devil that he's not such a monster as his enemies saw him. Maybe we should, too… You know, raise funds for the orphans, offer them an education, well-paid jobs, low rent apartments… Pay the treatment of the ill. In any religion, they encourage you to regret your wrongs and to do more right, because everyone is capable of evil. It's easier than to do something good."

The man wanted to cry, but he was too angry with himself to let a tear fall. He felt the weight of his deeds burying him alive into a coffin of guilt. "Perhaps we should," he mumbled. "If only to ease our own consciousness."

"Right. Let's go home, you'll learn how to deal with it. The feeling kills you now, but tomorrow it will be a little better." Caterina took his hand out of her own initiative for the first time in a while.

For the rest of the day, they kept comforting each other, just like the Kitamura brothers. One of them was a widower, while the other was in the middle of a divorce. The latter had brought his daughter with him.

"How is Amai doing?" her uncle asked.

The father sighed. "I'm afraid all this surveillance and the divorce from her mother is stressing her out. Her diabetes is harder to keep under control… Her thighs are full of needle stings and her arms too. If she's not very careful, the bruises take weeks to heal. It's… I try not to let it show, but it's breaking my heart to see my only daughter like this."

Itachi looked towards the other room, where Kana was keeping Amai company. "I love her as my own, you already know… I've made pressures so that this L detective will stop stressing out your daughter. It's the last thing she needs now."

"Thank you. I thought I could arrange for an interview with him or a representative, but he doesn't even reply to my requests. At the same time, I didn't receive any reports on their progress with the investigation. I don't know why my family is being supervised or if they have any suspects. Clearly, I know I'm not Kira and Amai would never think of that."

"Koreyoshi, the Yagami family is in the same situation. L is looking for two things, I believe – some way through which Kira could have found out about the twelve FBI agents and a suspect." The man stood up. "Do you want to go out? I could use a smoke," he asked, nodding towards the door to the balcony. Amai was the reason the man forbid smoking inside the apartment.

The father nodded and followed his elder brother. There was only a one year difference between them, so they've always been close. "Do you think Kira could be related to Soichiro?"

"It's only an assumption, but L surely has a reason for keeping the Yagamis under observation, right? I'm thinking the son is most likely L's bet. If you do a little research, you'll see that the boy is brilliant. He scores perfectly on every exam and the only thing the teachers could complain about is how he gets bored in class all the time."

Koreyoshi leaned against the railway, taking a moment to think. "Yes… Soichiro used to talk about him all the time. He wants to enroll his son into the police academy, so he probably raised him in a very strict environment."

"Strict, indeed, and cultivating his sense for justice," Itachi added. "Also, if his father is so proud of him and his teachers spoil him, there's a good chance the kid is prideful and stubborn, overconfident. Wouldn't you agree?"

His brother nodded. "Yes… Sounds right. But for him to be Kira? I think it's a bit too much." Sighing, he crossed his hands over his chest. He wasn't a smoker, even if his brother was. "Regardless, it's already January 12th and I want L to end the surveillance of my house. I don't care if he keeps Yagami under observation, but my daughter is very stressed because of it. She found two cameras yesterday and has been searching for them constantly for three days now. The day before, she found one in the bathroom – can you imagine?"

"I tried everything, from my lawyer threatening to sue L to a threatening message addressed to the Yagami family. This L… he either didn't receive anything or ignored both of us." Itachi didn't even notice when his cigarette had burned. He felt a hot pain on his finger and quickly put it out into an ash tray then lit himself another. "He will stop, eventually. Though if you've changed your mind and want to sue him, my lawyer won't ask for money this time. It's his personal ambition to defeat L in court."

"…I think I might, actually. What did you say was his name?"

"Satori Yukimura. I'll write down his phone number. He already knows about your situation and said he's going to use a medical exam of your daughter to prove that L's means had endangered her life. He won't just sue him for breaking the law and invading your privacy, but also for damaging her health. He says your chances of a win are over 80%. If you say she's found some cameras, then it should be even better." Itachi left his cigarette on the ash tray and went inside for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote the lawyer's name and phone number then handed it to Koreyoshi.

He took it and smiled. "Thank you, brother. I appreciate it."

When he got home, his mother welcomed him with open arms. "Light! Oh, thanks goodness you're alright! There was a fire at your school!"

He hugged her for a moment then gently pushed his mother away. "Yes, mom, I know. Father called and told me. I found out this morning a few classes were canceled, so I went with a classmate for a walk and sat down for a drink. I should have told you. I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter now. All I care about is you! You're fine, that's all that counts!" She hugged him again before letting him enter the house.

Light was glad to be home. He left his shoes by the door and felt his cheeks and his fingers burning and tingling. The strangest thought ran through his mind and for a moment, Kira wondered if the victims dying of frostbite felt the same way… Those saved at the last moment usually said something about feeling warm towards the end. He remembered Caterina when she presented her father's most dangerous rivals – Vitto who left his victims drained of blood, Ross who preferred the unimaginative bullet to the head, and Frost who let tortured victims freeze to death.

He rubbed his feet, trying to make the blood flow normally. Was it a warning that Frost chose that particular setting for a meeting? It looked like a place to hide a body… The late realization sent a cold chill down his spine.

"Light? Are you alright?" His mother set a hot hand over his forehead. "Go upstairs and change. I'll make you some tea, alright? Where have you been?"

"I've walked a lot, mom. I guess I didn't really feel the cold." He smiled a little before climbing up the stairs. His body felt heavy and a little numb, his head began to ache. When he took his pants off, he realized the fabric was wet up to his knees and frozen for the most part. There was snow still refusing to melt around the bottom edge of the fabric.

'Are you alright?' Ryuk asked.

"…No. I hope I'm not catching a cold. I've still got to study," he mumbled, before reminding himself L was still watching – probably. He sighed and hung his pants to dry on the chair at his desk then changed into a pair of warmer training pants. His socks were frozen as well and he was aware he had every chance in the world to go down with an ugly cold tonight. But that wasn't part of the plan…

Light took some books and his notes, stacked them on the unused side of his bed, then placed the pillows so he could sit comfortably and keep warm. The entrance exams were close and it was about time he'd stop neglecting those.

His mother knocked before coming in with the tea and leaving it on the nightstand. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough to study?"

"I've got to. I haven't finished and I don't know if I will feel better tomorrow."

The woman looked towards the stack of books. "Don't stay up too late. I'll bring you dinner soon."

"Wait, mom," he stopped her, "If dad makes it to dinner, please tell me. I want to eat at the table if he does."

She smiled and nodded. "Alright. I'll call you." The woman walked out of his room.

Left alone, Light couldn't help but think back to his talk with Frost. There was a possibility he had tried to give him a warning, one that Light failed to understand at the right time. Caterina would have noticed it right away. At the same time, he was dying to turn on the TV and watch the news. There had to be something on the disappearance of Vittorio… But perhaps it was too early.

He also needed to do some research on Ivan Frost, and there was that woman watching him in the park earlier that left as soon as he noticed her presence. Well, rather Ryuk drew his attention on her, but she had no way of knowing about Ryuk. There was a good chance that someone else was watching him, someone other than Frost or L.

The next day, Light called his colleague and asked for the favor to be returned. Midori's new boyfriend wasn't even awake at 6 am, but he somehow found his phone and answered.

"I know it's early," Light began, "but I need to ask you a favor. It's a huge one."

'Well… now? I mean, it's… like, still night and all…'

"If you wake up now, you'll have enough time. I'll send you a message with what I need. I don't want my dad to hear," he continued. "Don't fall back asleep, alright? I'll call you back in five."

'Oh, man… What's so important? It's six in the morning…'

Unsure if L was still watching or not, Light sighed and decided to keep the details private. "It is, alright? I'm not feeling well enough to solve my own problems."

Even Ryuk was surprised to see him awake so early, but he knew Light wouldn't answer him as long as the cameras were still there. When Kira threw him a look, he understood the question. 'They're still here, the cameras and the microphones. Hey, do you think he's watching at this hour?'

Naturally, Light didn't answer. Instead, he went to the bathroom and did his usual morning routine, then brew some coffee for his father and himself in the kitchen. Light kept going over the passages that he highlighted in one of the textbooks, constantly reviewing the information, one page after another. He stopped to text his colleague the instructions, then went back to studying.

A phone call woke up his father, who followed his son downstairs. "Light? What are you doing up at this hour? You didn't study all night, did you?"

He looked up and smiled. "Ah, no, I fell asleep around… eleven, I think? Right after dinner."

The man nodded. "Son, your mother told me. Law school is going to be very difficult, but I have no doubts that you're going to be the first there."

"Thank you. Ah, do you want some coffee?"

"Thanks, but no, not yet. What I want is that you take it easier with your studies. You're going to pass perfectly, like always."

Light looked down. "Dad, I'm not going to score a perfect 100% if I take it easy. The entrance exams are tough, the competition as well. I'm taking my breaks, don't worry – but I need to know everything and more in order to succeed. I'm not going to be just any judge. I want to be the best judge in the country, and later, in the whole world. I want to rival L, to put it this way… But of course, he's going to be the one who sends me the criminals," he joked.

The thought amused his father as well. "Well, then… It's not impossible for you."

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "Have you seen L? Is he old or young?"

"I have, and he's… very unusual. He's a strange individual. He may be a few years older than you, so there's a chance you will work together one day."

"That would be so great… I can't even imagine what it's like to work with a legend," Light went on. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table in front of his book.

"Challenging, but also rewarding. Every single one of us has so much to learn, you know? Even if we've been doing our jobs for a lifetime." He remembered Matsuda all of a sudden. "Well, not all, but most of us."

Light smiled with the joy of receiving some information, which his father and L were probably going to mistake for admiration. "It doesn't surprise me. I mean, he's known as a genius, right?"

The man nodded. "Light, were you talking to someone earlier?"

It was the confirmation that L was still watching. When Light made the call, the house was still submerged into a deadly silence. There was no chance his father could have heard him. "Yeah…" Light lowered his gaze and frowned slightly, pretending to be ashamed.

"Go on," his father asked him.

"I… Dad, please don't get mad at me. And don't tell mom. Please! It's the first time I do this, and definitely the last, but I've got so many things on my plate right now, it's just too difficult." Once he saw his father scared something bad might have happened, he finally let it out. "I asked a friend to help me finish a group project for me. It was my part, but I have to focus on studying. He's sure he will get into a university, he's not stressed by this matter, and besides, he owed me."

"Light… what exactly did he owe you?" The man was watching him severely.

"I asked a girl to give him a chance and go out with him. He owed me a favor. But it's the only time I've done this, the first and last time – I swear. That's why I called at that hour. I thought… that everyone would be asleep," he mumbled.

"That's not how I've raised you! This is a lie that you're going to present to your teachers and you will be graded for someone else's work. If you did this at your workplace, you could go to prison."

Light nodded. "I know, father. I'm sorry. But I'm making good use of the time I won this way. It's the last time, I promise."

Although not entirely satisfied, the father decided to let it slip this one time. His son seemed truly remorseful, and that aspect was more important now. "I want you to understand the gravity of your mistake, Light. Never do it again, do you hear me? Not even I could help you if you got caught with something similar."

"I understand, father. I'm going to present the project tomorrow, it's the last for our graduation. I've done the research and summed some of it up. I've read everything, so I can present it just fine. But it's this last step that takes so much time – it means going over the materials, making summaries, plotting everything in order, setting it in the main document, writing the references and the sources… I've done something, you see, and I thought I'd have time to finish. It's just that somehow, I've taken longer than I imagined to study."

The chief took his packed lunch from the fridge and poured himself some coffee. "Very well… I won't tell your mother, but be careful that nobody finds out. That teammate of yours could blackmail you with this, if he knows the law."

"I doubt it. He really loves that girl. I've left her and made her run straight into his arms, so if he says anything, I'm going to take her back and he knows we don't compare."

The man was impressed, and so was Ryuk. '…How much is a lie and how much is the truth? I'm confused.'

"Light… you surprise me," was all that his father could say.

"I had to take my safety measures. Believe me when I say – it's perfectly safe. No one will ever find out. And even if they do – it's going to be his word against mine. I know both my part and his part of the project." He couldn't help but smirk. His father could finally see his genius at work.

Shaking his head, the man got ready to leave for work. "For this, I'm expecting you to score perfectly on every exam, son. Ninety-nine percent will be the equivalent of failure in my eyes."

In the mean time, someone was already surfing the internet. Rin had gotten a hint from one of her online friends about a hacker writing an article accusing Namikawa Reiji of murder. Even if she didn't see the article yet, the girl began to immediately search the dark side of the web for evidence. The connections led her to…

"The Russian Mafia?" Namikawa asked. He was still in bed, barely keeping his eyes open. "Are you sure?" he mumbled. It was a strange wake up, indeed. Rin was standing by the foot of his bed, watching him with wide, black eyes and a round, pale face. The sun was just rising and it was a little past 6:30.

"Affirmative. The Russian Mafia. You didn't tell me you were involved."

"Involved in what? …Rin, why don't you wait for me downstairs and we can talk over some coffee?"

"Just don't fall back asleep. You've got five minutes."

Surprised, he frowned. "What's the rush?"

"A friend is making a video game public in five minutes and I have to be there and take it before he takes it down. It's a file too large to be sent any other way." The girl turned around and left.

Reiji sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. What was all that talk about the Russian Mafia? He was confused… Forcing himself to stand up, he went to the bathroom then changed from his pajamas. When he saw Rin, the girl was already on her laptop in the living room.

"Should I make you some tea?" It was difficult to keep in mind she was still in middle school.

"No, thanks. Coffee is fine," she replied. "I figured you would need more than five minutes, so I took my laptop with me."

Namikawa nodded and went to brew some coffee. "What was it that you wanted to discuss?"

"The Russian Mafia will frame you for murder and work without a contract, torture, and possibly more. They're going to claim you use slaves that you torture for your own amusement and then kill once you're bored."

Fully awake, the man felt his heart beating faster. "What?! How can you be sure of this?!"

"Someone told me they're already writing an article for the light web. It's already on the dark web."

"What's that?" He was clueless, which only made him feel more agitated and nervous than before. His throat was dry and swallowing his own saliva was like swallowing a fistful of nails. Someone knew about Vittorio, and that someone was in the Russian Mafia. This whole thing was escalating out of control faster than he thought possible.

"Google it," she answered him. "Anyway, they're making this whole thing public in a few hours, or maybe a day, if we're lucky. I can trace the article and take it down, but there's always a possibility up to ten people will see it every time it's being posted, which means people could save it into their personal computers, take it off the net, where I can't reach."

"Is there any way I can get out of this?"

Rin began chewing her cheeks and her lips. "…I don't know. I'd have to see the article first."

"It means that everyone could see it! The police? My superiors? My father! I'm going to be ruined!"

"Maybe that's the whole idea. Someone wants to ruin you. Did you bother anyone lately?" the girl asked.

Reiji poured two cups of coffee, took his, then sat on the couch in front of the hacker girl. "…I don't know. What about the enterprises we wrecked? Did you check those? Are they involved with the Mafia?"

Rin went back to her seat, taking her coffee with her. "Nope. I double-checked. They were clean, from this point of view."

"Are you sure? Did you check their clients? Their providers? Their associates? Their families?"

"All. Nothing. Nada. Moving on." Rin leaned in her seat. "Your Wi-Fi is so slow! It takes forever to download something!"

Namikawa began thinking of everyone he knew, but couldn't think of anyone associated with the Russians. "That's about it. I didn't disrespect anyone, didn't get involved in anything…"

"There must be something, though. They don't just come all the way to Japan to ruin you randomly."

That's when it hit him. "That's right… They wouldn't come all the way to the Asian headquarters when they are at war with the European headquarters. That must be it! The European branch has been investing in the East side of the continent, which is predominantly their market, so they're trying to target the Asian branch."

"Why would they do that?" Rin was lost. To her, it was a waste of resources.

"They try to disturb the inner balance of the global corporation. This way, the European branch will lose financial support because the corporation will have to invest in rehabilitating the image of the Asian branch. At the same time, by targeting me, they also target my father, who is in charge of the American branch."

Rin nodded. "Now I get it… So it's not a waste of resources, it's a war strategy. That makes more sense."

Caterina woke up as well. She was a light sleeper, so she heard Namikawa and Rin talking downstairs. "What's the matter? Did anything happen?"

"The Russians are trying to frame me for murder as part of an economic war they're not going to declare openly, so the Yotsuba corporation doesn't know how to react."

"Wait…" she immediately said, "It's not just that. It's Light – he helped them."

"Who?" The man was confused. He had entirely forgotten about that teenager's existence.

"Yagami Light. My ex. He knew Vitto, he also knows us. He's the one who told them where to look. Also… he took advantage of a mistake we made. I taught him this back when I was hiding in China with Padre."

He watched her walking down the stairs with her bed head mane. She was in a pair of shorts and a tank top and he couldn't take his eyes off her legs. "What are you talking about? We did everything the way you said."

"Except I forgot to tell you to throw away your phone. Padre was very careful about this – we threw away the SIM card every time we moved and replaced the phone every month or sooner. That way, nobody could track us down. It's what Light told them – to track down your phone." Sighing, she covered her eyes with her hand and shook her head. "Such a stupid mistake! It was the first thing we should have done!"

Namikawa was staring blankly ahead. There had to be a way out of this mess… "What if we move the body?"

"…It's one idea. But they probably secured the area already. The Russians are resourceful, just like the Americans. Maybe… we might have a chance if we destroy the evidence from afar. Maybe a bomb, or something…"

"How about vandals?" Rin interrupted her. "If it's the Bridge of the Damned, then it could be an idea to pay vandals. Many go there to sell and buy s.h.d."

"What's that?" Namikawa asked.

"Second hand drugs. Low quality. Affordable."

Caterina nodded. "I won't ask how you know about this. But it's a good idea. And cheap, too."

Namikawa followed her with his eyes until she entered the kitchen. "Then, I'll let you two handle this. I have to call Yukimura."

"Who's that?" Rin asked.

"My lawyer. He has to be prepared for this."


Author's Notes:

Chapter proofread by AbandonedSock.

I'm really glad to hear from you, either through reviews or PM. Light's plan is revealed! Both the A and the B plan, if you can call it that way. At the same time, Caterina and Light will eventually get back together, but for now, they're still at war with each other - and neither of them knows how to lose. They're in a 'complicated relationship'.

At this point, it's very interesting for me as well. The original plot I've sketched for Gospel was entirely different, which means that now, I can only make short term planning. I will most likely post another story with character sheets, plot ideas that didn't make it into the story and other insights, if there are a few readers of Gospel who want to read something like that.