Chapter 17:
"Second Command Performance"
With a large police presence, they began to investigate the motorcycle incident. Light and Soichiro's statements were taken, the scene was processed and photographed, and Cannon's body was removed. Dr. Lawrence Goodman was declared deceased soon after.
Soichiro voiced his opinion about the events away from the scene, he didn't midst words.
"This was revenge, plain and simple," he said.
Light/BB agreed, but he kept his feelings about the incident deep down.
"Beyond Birthday tried to kill you three times, Light, and now even after his death, one of his gang attempted a fourth with this attack, even murdering an innocent doctor! It was a targeted assassination with Dr. Goodman as collateral damage."
Light/BB had a different opinion. You're wrong about how many times I tried to kill Light. By my count, it makes three for me, twice for "A".
Soichiro slammed a hand in frustration on the hood of a car in the parking lot, not caring he just put a dent into someone else's car, and said, "I'm going to call in some favours at the NPA. You are to be protected 24/7, Light. And you don't go anywhere without an armed police officer with you, or one of the other task force members as protection."
Light/BB thought Soichiro was overacting to the situation.
Light/BB let Soichiro vent. He understood Soichiro Yagami's urge to protect his son, but even he didn't know the real reason behind the attack. It was 'A', but was Light Yagami the actual target or was it the Good Doctor? Did 'A' use Cannon as a distraction to kill the doctor? 'A' had equal hate of the doctor after what happened at Wammy House.
Light/BB said, "That will only draw attention, Dad. And you shouldn't have that gun. I noticed you didn't mention it to the investigating officer."
"I started bringing it with me after Beyond Birthday blew up your apartment, son, and between you and me, I don't care about the rules that a civilian can't carry a weapon—especially when it comes to my family," Soichiro said. "And you should get a better gun with a magazine that holds more rounds. But nice going, son," Soichiro said with a proud smile. "It takes tremendous skill to shoot a moving target like a motorized vehicle."
BB produced a thin smile. "But I didn't stop the mystery assassin," he said.
"You thought on your feet using another method," Soichiro said. "I'm very impressed. Your mother doesn't have to know about this, however. She'll just worry."
"I understand," Light/BB said.
"How's your injury?" Soichiro asked.
Light/BB felt his right cheek. A shard of glass had cut it after the windshield exploded during he volley of bullets crashing through it. He had quickly taken care of it himself, placing a bandage over it to avoid anyone learning that he was wearing a very craftily moulded disguise.
"No issues, it'll heal," Light/BB said. He'd had much worse.
Just then, Matsuda pulled up in his car. Since Soichiro's car was damaged, scheduled to be towed to a bodyshop, they had to call for a ride back to the apartment. When Matsuda got out, he asked for details. Soichiro said he would explain later.
Light/BB put his fingers to his mouth and chomped at his nails. He found himself instinctively doing so recently during periods of stress, just like the Good Doctor had explained he was "programmed" to do. His mind was awash with everything that had occurred in recent weeks.
"Light," Matsuda said, "I've never known you to bite your nails."
Soichiro looked. "You've never been one to get stressed easily, son," he said.
Light/BB dropped his hand. "I little, after everything that's happened recently," he said.
"Don't bite your nails, son. It's a nasty habit."
"Maybe I'll take up smoking?" Light/BB replied light-heartedly.
"I'm glad Misa Misa is away on a movie shoot for a week in the Caribbean or she'd be badgering me for details about what happened here," Matsuda said. "We should go."
They got into Matsuda's car, Light/BB in the back seat, and it drove off.
BB was feeling an overwhelming urge to bite his nails, a habit he thought he had overcome when he changed both his mindset and appearance sometime ago, but it seemed old habits die hard. And after he heard that it was a triggered response to stress and anxiety, it gave it insignificance. Instead, he dug his nails into his palm, producing a distractive, stinging pain.
'A' was now becoming more aggressive. And now the Good Doctor was dead. Revenge? BB didn't have to wonder. Every kid at Wammy House had been experimented on by the doctor at some point, except for L.
BB gave it some thought. He had some sympathy towards 'A'. He was told to kill 'A' and stage it as a suicide by the doctor. He now wished he had fully gone through with it.
'A' had now taken away the thrill of killing the Good Doctor. BB dug his nails in deeper.
BB saw Soichiro looking at him in the rear view mirror. "Light?" BB exchanged looks, eye-to-eye in the mirror. "We need to talk when we get back to the apartment," he said seriously.
Light/BB nodded. "Sure," he said. Soichiro Yagami most likely wanted to talk about the day's events and decompress. BB needed a drink.
After Matsuda parked the car on the street, the three entered the apartment and made their way up to Light's apartment. Since the apartment contained a lot of sensitive and expensive equipment, a special lock was installed on the door. Since Light was elsewhere, BB managed to hack the system and install his own biometric data. It would look suspicious if his fingerprint failed to give him access to his own apartment.
BB entered first and walked a few feet before Soichiro Yagami pushed him forward. BB stumbled. Matsuda gasped with confusion.
"Matsuda, shut the door!" Soichiro ordered. Matsuda did so, as Soichiro took out his gun from his suit jacket pocket. He pointed it at Light. "Now, you're going to explain to me who you are."
BB turned, stunned, his hands went up slowly, and asked, "Dad? What's going on?"
"Shut up! You're not my son," Soichiro said.
"Sir, what's going on?" Matsuda asked.
"Quiet, Matsuda! Now—you!" Soichiro directed his attention back to Light/BB. "You're going to tell me what the hell is going on and why you're impersonating my son!"
"Dad? You're acting bizarre. Maybe the stress of the day is affecting you?"
"If you don't start talking, I will shoot you. A father knows his son. He knows his habits, his mannerisms, the way he speaks, his walk, and how he conducts himself. You may look like him, talk like him, but my police instincts knows better. Who the hell are you?"
"You're sounding ridiculous, Dad. Put that gun down."
Suddenly, the bandage on Light/BB's face fell off, and the shredding of his face mask by the glass shard was revealed. There was blood under the mask, but there was also something else; part of the mask he wore fell off with it.
BB sighed. "Clever, Detective Soichiro Yagami," he said. "So, what gave me away?"
Matsuda was shocked, and speechless.
"Let me tell you," Soichiro said. "The way you took out that motorcyclist was extraordinary and with far more skill than my son could ever possess, sad to say. Only someone who has had expertise with such things would even attempt such a feat. But it wasn't just that. It was the way you held your gun. At times, my son exhibits the ability to be ambidextrous, but never with a firearm. He is left-handed. You used your right hand. You managed to convince me that you were my son all this week, but like every criminal, it only takes one slip up to spoil a scheme. And, my son doesn't bite his nails. In fact, his nails are well manicured."
Beyond Birthday laughed. "This was my command performance," he said. "Now that the jig is up, may I remove the mask? I bet you're dying to know who I am?"
"Carefully," Soichiro said, with a firm grip on his gun.
BB took a good grip of his mask and fake wig and pulled them off for the great reveal. The shock of Soichiro Yagami and Matsuda's face was priceless as they learned the man they thought had died stood before them. The right side of BB's face severely scarred by fire. BB brushed back his real hair. "Satisfied, detective?"
Soichiro swore, shocked.
"B-but…" Matsuda stammered. "You're dead!"
"A doppelgänger, as the Swedes say," BB said. "The man in the morgue was my body double in every way, cleverly crafted and trained, honed with my own particularities, and he was the one imprisoned the whole time, as I stood back and laughed as your son's lawyer. I enjoy the art of subterfuge and the shock on a person's face after the truth comes out. I observed the task force flounder about, looking for clues to Kira, while the truth stared you in the face, mocking you."
Matsuda arched a brow. "What do you mean?"
"Where is my son?" Soichiro demanded, ignoring the latter. "And when did you make the switch?"
BB smirked. "It was after Light visited my other self at the prison, at a motel," he revealed. "I'd been planning to take over as your son for quite awhile. I just needed the good opportunity. And your son gave it to me on a silver platter."
"Why?" Soichiro demanded.
"I have nothing to hide…I want the Death Note," BB said honestly. "Thinking of the things I could do with it. The power I can obtain. I'd have the world in the palm of my hand, and remake it as I see fit. I guess, I'd be Kira. Of course, I'd have to get rid of the old monarch first."
Matsuda gasped. "Are you accusing Light of being Kira? L already cleared him."
"How do you know about the Death Note?" Soichiro asked.
BB's waxy smile broadened. "You know I'm a child of Wammy House, so I'm correct to assume you have my basic records whilst I resided there. And I know L is dead, so let's get that out in the open. I've been keeping tabs on L's investigation with Kira for a while, even when I was in prison. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the particulars of the Kira Case. I know a lot more that you think I do about your operations."
"Is that why you tried to kill Light? To prevent the task force from finding Kira first?"
BB laughed boisterously. A tear formed in his right eye. He cautiously wiped it. "You can't be this stupid?" He chuckled. "Nevertheless, I'll let you keep the faith."
"What do you mean by that?" Soichiro asked.
"Never mind," BB replied. "I wouldn't want to contribute to any spoilers."
Soichiro stormed forward and jabbed the gun into Beyond Birthday's face, the barrel pressed against his right cheek. "Goddamn you, Beyond Birthday! Tell me where my son is, right now!"
BB chuckled. Then Soichiro pistol-whipped BB. BB laughed still. He laughed insanely.
"It sounds like the laugh of a Shinigami," Matsuda remarked. "So creepy!"
"You're going back to jail, you sadistic son-of-a-bitch!" Soichiro said.
BB's laugh softened to a throaty chuckle. "Oh, I don't think so. I'm safer with you guys."
Soichiro pushed BB back and BB landed on his rear on the couch. Soichiro continued to hold BB at bay. "What do you mean?" Soichiro demanded. "Do you think Kira will target you?"
"Kira hates us," Matsuda added. "We're his Number One enemies."
"Then why are you still alive? Has that question ever pondered your simple mind, detective?" BB said to Matsuda. "Kira thinks of your efforts as amusing and he enjoys the comedy relief. The members of this task force are nothing more than a nuance, however, and you're his pawns to sacrifice at will, and at a time of his choosing. Now, after the little cat-and-mouse game with L he relished, Kira is now involved in a new one with the very world at stake, his world."
"Do you think Kira will target you?" Soichiro said. "And how come you know so much?"
"If Kira has any sense of justice at all, then I'm Numero Uno on his Most Wanted list. I won't beat around the bush. I'll tell you a secret. Kira is another Wammy prodigy, like myself, and the Good Doctor knew it, but someone made short work of him before Kira could be exposed."
Soichiro retorted with a growl. "You mean silenced him," he said.
"Honestly, when you are being targeted for assassination, you don't stop to chat with your would-be killer and try to negotiate. It's either kill or be killed."
"Murder is one of your specialities, isn't it?" Soichiro said. "The killings in Los Angeles, the BB Murders L once mentioned to us. L caught you with help from the FBI. And from records we've obtained, you didn't want to go quietly." Soichiro indicated the burns on BB's face. "But in the end, it was you who got burned."
"So full of wit, Detective Yagami," BB said with a hint of cynicism.
"Shut up!" Soichiro said.
Just then, there was a rapping on the apartment door, and all talk ceased. Then a male voice spoke on the other side of the door, and said, "Florist, here with your arrangement of flowers."
Siochiro looked at BB.
BB shrugged. "I didn't order any flowers," he said.
Siochiro gave Matsuda a nod and Matsuda looked through the peephole. He looked back, and said, "It's a guy with flowers, a large bouquet of them." Then: "We didn't order any flowers," he said to the courier through the door.
The courier said, "Oh? But I was given this address and allowed into the apartment building by the landlord himself, they're for—just one-second." He balanced the flowers with one hand and then reached into his pocket for an invoice. "They are for—a: Misa Amane. Wait! Is this—the famous actress? Does she live here? Can I meet her? This is great! I love all her films!"
Matsuda smiled, then opened the door. "I like Misa Misa's films, too!" Then he saw the other man in the hallway with a handgun, and gasped.
"Easy now, nice and slow," said the other wearing a thin mask over his face. The fake florist and the gun-toting individual entered the apartment. "Remain quiet and no one will get hurt." The florist also carried, pulling a handgun from the bouquet, throwing it to the floor.
The door was shut.
"W-who…" Soichiro Yagami mouthed.
BB smiled, arms extended like wings. "Ah, my saviours," he said. He took the gun from Soichiro. "Thank you, detective. It's been fun. But all good things come to an end." BB hit Soichiro across the back of the neck with the butt of the gun and knocked him out cold to the floor.
Matsuda followed, dropping next to Siochiro, after the florist gave him a right cross the face. The florist flicked his hand in the air, and winced. "Ow! That hurt!" He rubbed his hand. "If my hand swells up and I can't play my video games, you're gonna pay, you hard-jawed jerk."
"I hear some of the best game-players can use their toes," BB said satirically. "Nice to see you again, Matt. And I like the flowers. A bit cliche, but it never gets old." BB walked over Soichiro Yagami and came to face the other gun-totting individual.
He took off his mask.
"I thought you two went back to America?" BB asked.
"We did, but we have some business in Japan," Mello said. "We decided to bug the apartment when it was empty one afternoon while you were playing dress-up to listen in for an information pretending to Kir, and then we heard you in trouble. Hence, here we are."
"Here you are, indeed," BB said.
"It was Mello's idea to pretend to be a florist," Matt said. "I wanted to rent some freakiest Halloween costume and pretend to be Death."
BB laughed. "How would you like it if Death came knocking at your door? Would you answer it?"
Matt laughed. "Mello said the same thing, so the Florist seemed the better option," he said.
"I'm touched, guys, really," BB said with toothy grin. "You can't buy loyalty like Wammy loyalty."
Mello grumbled under his breath. "Let's go," he growled.
"Before we depart, there's something I need to grab…"
BB entered the Master Bedroom, with boudoir, a bed fit for a king, and with a few personal photos scattered around. BB entered a walk-in closest and ruffled through some clothes.
"What are you looking for?" Mello asked, picked up a picture, examining it, then putting it down.
"Something very special and unique," BB said. He lifted a floor panel, and took out a black lock box with a broken lock.
"I found this a couple of days ago," he said. "Misa Amane has been away on a commercial shoot for a week, so I've had plenty of time to nose around. Light Yagami has an interesting collection of designer watches and other interesting items he doesn't want anyone to see, and keeps them hidden. He also has a labelled bag with a lock of L's hair."
"He—what?" Mello said.
"Just kidding," BB said with a chuckle. "But when we leave, it'll be a shame to just leave these designer watchers behind. We'll take with us, and hock them."
"Are you resorting to petty thievery now, Rue?"
BB said nothing.
BB stood up and left the closet, then handed the lock box to Mello, opening the lid as the other held it. BB took out gently, as if it were the archaeological find of the century, a black book labelled in fancy, unknown, alien-esque lettering. But with his Shinigami Eyes, BB could read it as "Death Note". He opened the sinister book and flipped through its pages, reading the victims Light/Kira had killed over a span of time, locating two names.
"What is that?" Mello said. "A notebook? What was it doing hidden there?"
BB showed a white page with two names written on the page.
Mello's eyes widened to the point of almost budging. "Jesus Christ! Is this—is this what Kira uses on kill his victims? L and Watari's names are in here!"
"It's a notebook of death from a supernatural realm," BB explained. "You may not believe it, but there are forces beyond this world many cannot comprehensive or that they do not wish to believe in. I've been blessed with the knowledge of something greater than ourselves, the eyes to see beyond this world."
Mello looked at him, then shook his head. "You're crazy, Rue," he said. He shoved the notebook back at him. "You planted this, I know how you enjoy playing games with everyone. There is no such thing as a notebook that can kill. You want someone to blame for L's death, so you've decided on Light Yagami because L was investigating him. Cry wolf too many times and the villagers start to doubt your claims. Now let's get out of here."
Mello took the lockbox with him, as he left.
BB watched Mello leave not surprised. BB's lips pursed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me," he said after his friend, "but you'll come to see the truth of what I'm saying soon. I'm sure Near would believe me, despite his clockwork, analytical, close-mindedness."
BB took the Death Note with him and departed the apartment with Mello and Matt, leaving the two detectives still unconscious on the floor. BB shut the door behind him.
Outside on the street, the trio got into a black Corvette, and they sped off.
BB sat in the back. "Time to check in," he said, and took out his cell. He called Raven. She didn't answer. He thought it was strange, she always answered. He text her, but after a little while, he didn't receive an answer. Something was wrong.
Accessing a special program on his phone, he opened the CCTV cameras in his lair.
He had taken Yagami to a special place at first. His favourite place to visit was France, and he enjoyed the Paris Catacombs, a religious celt of 180 miles of quarry tunnels that snaked through the foundations of Paris, where hundreds of thousands of bodies were buried, because cemeteries had begun to get full in centuries past. Once a tourists attraction, now off-limits, it was a supernatural place, a place he had learned to hone his skills with the Shinigami Eyes.
Beyond Birthday could not only see the life a person had once lived, but they actually spoke to him from the great beyond. Some would probably consider him crazy, but death was not what people thought it was, he had learned. It was just the beginning of something greater.
But BB had to make a change when a guard stumbled upon his makeshift lair. The guard killed.
Yagami was now housed and guarded—hopefully—by Raven in an abandoned warehouse in Kanto, Japan. But he didn't like Raven not answering him. He was concerned.
"Matt, faster," BB said, with urgency. "I have a bad feeling…"
To be continued...
