L
The officers arrived after the sun had set, tapes in hand. As L had promised Jack, there were lots.
"Oh, this looks delightful," she had said when Matsuda set the first stack on the couch. Then Aizawa came in with the next stack. And Yagami with the third. Jack had then groaned and went to the kitchen to make royal milk tea.
L had to ponder which of the other two statements Jack had given him for their game was the truth. He knew she wouldn't cheat. One of those was a truth, for certain. But which one? Logically, he would think it was more likely that her seeing the ocean for the first time was the other lie. If she'd gone to another country, there was a chance it was overseas. But she might have done that on purpose to throw him off. She was from North America, he was certain. It was possible to go into other countries without seeing an ocean there.
If it was the breaking a bone, he found himself curious how she did it. Perhaps doing something irresponsible? Jack was both careful and reckless, he'd noticed. It was a very awkward balance she had found between the two. He wondered if he could get her to slip up and tell him about it. That was assuming, of course, if her breaking a bone for the first time when she was fifteen was the truth.
L focused on the tapes. He had other things to worry about rather than Jack's past right now.
"There is something else I wanted to discuss with all of you," he said as the officers fired up all the TVs. "Raye Penber's fiance seems to have gone missing. The day after he was killed to be exact."
Yagami looked over at him, perking a brow. "Is that so? You think it was Kira?"
"I don't know," Aizawa said. "It's possible she... well, you know. Committed suicide."
"I doubt it," L said. "And I think Nina will agree with me."
"Hm?" Jack returned with her tea. "Why is that?"
"Raye's fiance was Naomi Misora," L replied.
Jack's face fell. "She's missing?" she breathed.
L nodded. The officers all looked confused.
"You both knew her?" Matsuda guessed.
"She was a part of the case we worked together before," Jack said. "She was an FBI agent."
"It could be that Penber spoke with her about something related to his case," L said. "That she knew something vital. So vital Kira was forced to intervene."
"How do we know she didn't kill herself?" Matsuda suggested meekly.
Jack spun to face him. "No way! Naomi would never. She's too full of fire. She wouldn't roll over—she'd..."
"She'd try to help us," L finished.
"Shit," Jack muttered, glaring at her feet. "I really liked Naomi..."
L was aware of that. She and Naomi had grown close on their last case, especially considering Jack helped save her life. They never met face to face, of course. But all the same, a connection had been made.
"I'm sure a lot of people liked some of the people Kira's killed," Aizawa pointed out hotly.
"Hey, I was just as invested in this before as I am now, jerkwad." Jack said the last word in English, leaving Aizawa blinking in confusion.
"What did you call me? Because I'm fairly certain it wasn't respectful!" he spat.
"Enough!" Yagami barked. "We need to review these tapes, can we please do it in peace?"
Aizawa glared at Jack for a moment longer before turning his attention to a TV.
L shot Jack a warning look which she responded with a roll of her eyes and a nod, silently agreeing to back off of Aizawa, at least for now.
An hour later, L shoved a tape into one of the TV's VCRs and watched it flicker to life. The work of watching through each tape was certainly getting monotonous. They had to find the moment when Penber got on the train to start. Jack had been kind enough to make enough royal milk tea for everyone, even Aizawa, who took his cup with a slight scowl.
"Oh!" Matsuda's voice suddenly chimed in. "I got him! I got him boarding the train!"
Everyone turned their attention to the TV Matsuda was at. Sure enough, there was their FBI agent, Raye Penber, approaching the dock, waiting for the next train to arrive.
"He looks a bit... strained." Jack swapped out her large headphones for just ear buds, and only had one in her right ear. She sipped her cup and squinted at the screen. "Let's see... he's holding a briefcase and a folder under his arm."
That he was. And L noted that Penber indeed had a look of wariness on his face. The train arrived and he boarded.
"15:13..." L murmured, noting the time stamp in the corner of the screen. "Well, we know when we got the call about his death, yes?"
"Roughly 16:45," Yagami said.
"Let's check the tapes around then," L said.
The officers set to work finding the correct tape. Jack was frowning.
"That's a long time to be on a train," she said.
"I was thinking the same thing," L replied. He drank from his cup. Jack had already added honey to it when she gave it to him. He'd still added more, but all the same, he found the gesture on a level of kind consideration that he hadn't thought Jack to be capable of.
They finally found the right tape.
"There!" Aizawa cried, pointing.
Raye Penber stepped off of the train onto the dock. The moment both feet were out of the car, he staggered, clutching his chest. His briefcase fell to the ground, and so did Penber. He landed on his side, facing the train. Then, he did something odd. His body strained, his hand reaching up and toward the car he'd just exited. It was impossible to see inside the train from the angle of the camera.
"He's... reaching..." Jack breathed.
"And the folder he had when he boarded is gone," L murmured.
They played it back a few times. L was perched in a chair so close to the screen he could feet the static pulling his hair gently. His heart was thrumming in his neck. The folder... and Penber reaching...
"What is it, Ryuzaki?" Yagami asked. "You must have an idea."
L nodded. "I think Kira is on that train."
Aizawa let out a small grunt of surprise. "You think so?"
"Raye Penber enters through the turnstile at Shinjuku station at 15:11- that's what his ticket stub confirmed. He boarded the train on the Yamanote line at 15:13. Even if he was being shadowed, the image isn't clear enough to tell... " L took a thoughtful sip from his cup. "He dies the moment he gets off the train at 16:45. One full circuit loop on the Yamanote line takes an hour and he was on that train for an hour and a half. But no other ticket was found on him and there was nothing on his prepaid card to indicate he got off and reentered."
"He got the names from him," Jack said. L looked over his shoulder to see her shaking her head. Her eyes were alight with something L couldn't place. "He had him put them in that folder."
"What makes you say that?" Aizawa demanded.
Jack rolled her eyes. "Right before he died, Penber received an email with with a file containing the names and faces of all the FBI agents that were in Japan."
L nodded. "He received this email at 15:21. That's just eight minutes after he boarded. He sat on that train for an hour and a half with that file... And then, as he's dying... he appears to be desperately trying to look into the train. To reach for the doors. Wouldn't it be interesting if Kira was on that train? Holding him hostage?"
"It would have to be someone who knew he was with the FBI," Jack said, gripping her chin. "Who knew he could be targeted to get information on the other agents."
"Well this is good, isn't it?" Matsuda asked. "We can narrow it down now to who Penber was investigating."
"Specifically who he was investigating that has connections to the police," Jack said.
Aizawa shot her an infuriated glare. "What are you implying?"
"Hey, Ryu is the one who told you first," Jack said. "Kira has access to police records. And I promise you, he isn't getting them by hacking the hard way. If he had those kind of skills, he'd be using them for more than just getting your guys' info. He's able to get in there with relative ease. Which means he's an officer, or he's related to one somehow."
"How can you be so certain?" Aizawa demanded.
"Because hacking is what I do," Jack retorted. "Now, instead of biting my head off whenever you get the chance, how about we work together to figure this out?"
"What Nina stated is the most probable case," L said, glancing toward Aizawa. "Logically speaking, if Kira had impressive hacking capabilities, he would be using them to his advantage."
"He wouldn't have needed Penber to get the FBI names, I can tell you that," Jack said.
"Are you saying you can hack into the FBI database?" Aizawa scoffed.
Jack shrugged. "If I wanted to, sure. It would take some time, but I could find a way."
Aizawa snorted. "Fine, let's say you're right. What does that bring us to?"
"It brings us to two families that Raye Penber was investigating between the 14th and the 19th of December," L said. "Families that are affiliated with the police, anyway."
"Which ones?" Matsuda asked eagerly.
L hesitated for a moment. He picked up his cup again, sipping. "The family of the deputy director... and the family of the Chief of police."
All eyes went to Yagami. The Chief stiffened visibly. He took a deep breath.
"I see," he said. "So then... what is our next step, Ryuzaki?"
L drained his cup. He set it down and gripped his knees. "I would like to set up cameras and wire taps in each family's household for surveillance for the next week."
"What?!" Aizawa cried. "You can't be serious! What about their privacy?"
"We're trying to catch the serial killer with the largest kill count in all of known history," Jack pointed out. "I think a little breach of privacy is worth it if we can catch him."
"You're accusing the Chief's family!" Aizawa shouted.
"It's all right," Yagami said. "If this will prove my family's innocence, then... then I will do it."
Smart man. L knew for certain Yagami himself was not Kira. But his family was not out of the question. He had a son that was just about to graduate high school. He was at the top of his class. Someone with that level of intelligence and with the access he no doubt had to his father's personal computer...
"We will have everything installed tomorrow while the families are out of the homes for the day," L said. "Watari?"
"I will see to it, sir," Watari replied. He was standing behind the seats, having been watching everything with polite silence.
"We'll need more TVs," Jack murmured, tapping her lower lip with a finger.
"Nina, I would actually like you to go with Watari tomorrow," L said.
Jack blinked. "Pardon?"
"You can look at the computers in the households," Jack said. "See if you can find anything."
"Are you kidding?" Aizawa snapped. "She's not an officer- she's not even- I've never heard of her before now, and we're going to let her just snoop through their private files?"
"If we can find evidence to find and condemn Kira, then I think it is worth it, don't you?" L said.
Aizawa was growing red in the face.
"Listen." Jack gently set her cup on the TV stand the flat-screen was on. She focused her green gaze on Aizawa. "I get that you don't like me. That you don't trust me. I know that you don't want to believe that Kira is indeed among one of these families. But if he is among them, won't you feel like the biggest piece of ass for not allowing us to do everything we can to track him down? If Kira is one of them, does his true identity forgive what's he done?"
Aizawa cast his glare to the ground. He clenched and unclenched his fists.
"I know it sucks," Jack said. "I would be delighted if I didn't find anything. But let me go in and prove it, prove that these families aren't involved."
L saw a slight twinge in her mouth when she said that. Of course she was lying. She'd love to find condemning evidence in those computers. It would mean they would find Kira all the faster and solve this case. But she had to calm Aizawa down. She would say what was needed to do that. She understood harmony with everyone on the task force would be the best thing to achieve in order to make everything go smoother.
"Fine," Aizawa muttered. "If the Chief has no objections then who am I to argue?"
"It will be all right, Aizawa," Yagami assured. "I'm sure that between the surveillance and Nina sweeping the computers, we can clear out my family and the deputy director's as suspects and move on."
"Won't we need a warrant?" Jack asked. "If we do find evidence... we would need one in order to present it in court, yes?"
"Not necessarily," L replied. "Considering the degree of murder Kira is causing, this investigation can be handled with a bit less... paperwork."
"Makes sense, I suppose," Jack said. "I've just run into that issue before. Of course, that guy wasn't a mass serial killer." She picked up her cup again and started heading back to the kitchen. "Anyone want some snacks?" she called over her shoulder.
"Oh, are there some more chocolates?" Matsuda asked hopefully.
"No, Ryu sneaked the rest," Jack said.
"You make it sound like I'm a thief," L muttered, rewinding the tape and watching Raye Penber die again. "I'm the one who bought them."
"Sharing is caring, Ryu!" Jack sang. "Matsuda, we have some sweet Kitkats. They're Sake flavor. Totally the bomb."
As Matsuda went over to take Jack up on her offer, L watched Raye Penber die for a third time. He bit his thumbnail. Raye fell to the ground, shuddering, reaching, then going still.
Gone. Just like that. Like a fleeting breath leaving the lungs. L was the one who brought him and the other eleven FBI agents to Japan. Now all of them were dead. L's eyes flicked up and over each person in the room. All of them were here for the same cause. He had beckoned them to help him fight Kira. Each of them could lose their lives just like Raye Penber.
L rewound and watched again. He pictured Yagami collapsing to the ground. Aizawa. Matsuda.
Jack.
He could see it clearly- her blue hair reflecting the light in the subway station. The people all yelling and running toward her. Her clutching her chest and her face twisting up in agony. Her body shuddering one final time before it went still, never to move again. Her lips never to smile. Her headphones falling from her head and lying on the concrete, music playing from their speakers for no one.
She was the only one L didn't ask for. She had come to him, insisting on helping him. Yet somehow, he lingered on the thought of her dying longer than the others. He felt it twist up his gut just a fraction more. Perhaps because she was going to be so valuable to this investigation. Losing her would be a heavy set back.
He watched Raye Penber die for the sixth time, biting his nail.
"Hey."
Someone flicked his ear and L blinked, turning his head. Jack was glaring at him, arms folding.
"I told you to stop chewing your nails," she said.
"I am an adult capable of making my own decisions," L told her.
Jack continued to stare at him. "You can just think of me as your impulse control." A wicked grin caught her lips.
A grin L wouldn't see ever again if he did this wrong.
All of them were counting on him. Despite how he let the FBI agents die, they still looked to him and did as he asked. Believed in him.
"I'd like you to wear some sort of disguise when you go out tomorrow, Nina," Jack said. "If someone happens to spot you near one of the homes, it would be better for them not to see your true appearance."
"Sounds fun," Jack said. "I have some wigs in my bag. I'll use the dark brown one, it won't stand out as much here."
She wasn't wrong. The majority of Japanese people had black or brown hair. Anything lighter would catch the eye. Jack was already pale as snow, she didn't need anything else making her a beacon in a crowd.
"And I guess I can put on makeup." Jack made a face at that.
Matsuda laughed. "What's wrong, Nina? You don't like makeup?"
"It's hardly worth the effort," Jack said. "But I suppose I can suffer for the case."
"How noble of you to make such a sacrifice." L got to his feet. "I believe that will be everything for this evening. Gentlemen, thank you for joining us. If one of you could come pick up Nina at 8:00 AM sharp, I would appreciate it."
"8?!" Jack exclaimed. "Why that early?"
"Do you think it is simple work setting up bugs and cameras?" L asked her, raising a brow.
"Ugh, fine," Jack groaned. She turned and began heading for her room.
"Where are you going?" L called.
Jack glanced back. "To bed. If you want me up that early, I need to get some sleep."
"It's 7," L said. "How much sleep do you need?"
"Enough," Jack retorted. "I'll set my alarm for 6:30. That'll give me enough time to make a new me and I'll be ready to be picked up."
She then went to her room and closed the door behind her. L stared for a moment. If she fell asleep within a half hour, she would be getting eleven hours of sleep. He remembered how hard it was to wake her this morning. L chewed on his tongue. He would have to do some more investigating. Jack was certainly a mystery in herself. One he couldn't ignore, despite how he tried.
Jack
I laid in bed, fiddling with the cord to my ear buds. Music pumped in through my right ear, my sleeping playlist. But I wasn't ready to sleep just yet, despite the vigorous workout I'd put my body through; crunches, sit-ups, jogging in place, the works. My mind still would not calm down.
I knew how he did it. I knew how Kira killed the FBI agents. It all fell into place so perfectly. I just needed to confirm it.
"Nox," I whispered.
"Mm?"
Nox's silhouette loomed by the window. His tall, lanky frame outlined by the light from outside. There was snow on the ground and overcast. The light from the city reflected off both the snow and the clouds, creating a gray glow.
"The Death Note," I murmured. "I'm technically the owner of mine. And Kira the owner of his, right?"
"Yes," Nox replied. "What of it?"
"If I let someone else use my Death Note, would it work for them?" I fixated my gaze on the outline of Nox's head.
Nox let out a long breath. "Yes. Anyone can use a Death Note so long as they are over the age of six."
"And it wouldn't change owners?"
"No."
"And the pages—if I rip out a page, and write a name on it, would it still work? Would the person still die?"
"Yes."
My heart was thrumming in my ears. "That's how he did it, Nox. Kira put pages of the Death Note in that folder for Raye Penber. He had him think of the people's faces and names and write them down. He made Penber kill them, then he killed Penber."
Heat rose in my face. My hands trembled and clutched the sheets.
"That asshole doomed Penber to purgatory." I hissed the words through my clenched teeth.
It was the only thing that made sense, the only way that Kira could have killed all the agents in one fell swoop. But it was a mistake. L was correct about Kira being childish. He killed the agents to show that he could. To try and scare those that would oppose him. But now he left a trail. Something for L to investigate further; more bread crumbs leading to his witch's house. If he had let the agents be, it was more than possible that they didn't find anything damning.
And not to mention, he wouldn't have ignited such wrath.
I didn't peg L as an angry person. I didn't see him as someone who would throw a tantrum. But I knew that Kira killing the agents had made L mad. The thing was, L's fury was cold and calculated. It didn't hinder his skills or thinking. If anything, it honed them. Kira had drawn blood of innocents now. That brought this into a whole different perspective for L. It damned Kira even further. Drove L to fight even harder, even faster to catch him.
Perhaps Kira was thinking planting such rage would cause L to slip up. To make L clumsy and reckless in his anger. But Kira didn't know the first thing about L, not truly. I had berated myself earlier for not knowing enough about the detective, but now I realized I did know some things. Enough to know Kira might as well have shot himself in the foot.
"I'm going to find him, Nox," I breathed. "I'm going to find him and I'm going to tear down the tower he's so desperately trying to build. I'm going to rip apart that fragile ego of his until it's nothing but a bleeding pulp. He'll wish he never touched his Death Note."
"You certainly sound quite violent for someone who won't kill," Nox noted.
"Viruses go into a computer or device and take things apart from the inside out," I said. "A computer that has a virus doesn't burst into flame or blow up. You can't see any physical damage to the monitor or tower or any of the pieces inside. But if a virus is good enough, if it's able to dig deep enough... that computer may look fine, but the moment you try to turn it on, it's completely and utterly useless. A bit of metal no better than a paperweight."
I grinned as sleep began to kiss the edges of my mind. I knew the pull would be too great to resist soon.
"Don't you think that killed the computer?" Nox asked.
"The computer can still turn on," I told him. "All the parts are intact. No, Nox, the computer isn't dead." I rolled onto my side as I pushed in my other ear bud. "It's worse."
I slept deeply. Within my dreams, I found myself standing in front of a mirror in a familiar bathroom. I'd long since learned to lucid dream, and the moment I saw my face, so much younger than I knew myself to be, I knew it wasn't real.
"This again?" I murmured.
I reached forward and touched the mirror with my child hand. I was eight. I knew that because of several things. This was the home that we moved into when I was six and left when I was nine. The shirt I wore was one that I'd gotten for my eighth birthday and it still had a tag hanging from the sleeve. I was far too excited about having a Pikachu shirt that I hadn't bothered waiting for anyone to take it off.
This was the night after my birthday. This was a night I tried so hard to forget.
The thing with lucid dreaming- at least with how I lucid dreamed- was that I was fully aware it was a dream, I could control my actions and thoughts. But the setting... everything around me... that was different. That was a piece that was beyond me. Sometimes, when a dream was stressful enough, I could force it away, but it also resulted in me waking up.
Slowly, I turned and began to pad out of the bathroom. Everything around me was comically large. I wasn't used to being the height of an eight year old. My feet were in white socks, the same brand that I wore to this day. I was picky about my socks. I only trusted one type and always crew. I preferred my ankle bones to be covered.
Somewhere in the home, I could hear voices. The thing was, I remember over hearing them when I was actually here, when I was eight and in this house. But then I never went into the room, not during their conversation. Of course, since I was here again, why not? Perhaps something would have changed.
"...know what I said, but I'm just saying, it's wrong to keep it from her."
"She's eight, Liz. Eight. Don't you think that's too early to tell her?"
"...Shaun, she's already completely blowing other kids out of the water at school. And her obsession with Sherlock Holmes..."
I came around the corner then, into the kitchen. I looked up at the two figures that towered over me. They both seemed shocked I'd appeared.
"Sweetie..." A woman knelt before me. "You should be in bed, silly girl. What are you doing?"
I stared at her face. She was beautiful, this woman. Her eyes were almond shaped, and a deep sea blue. Her hair was black as night, and fell in silken waves around her shoulders. Her stature was thin and delicate, like a fairy. I used to think this woman was magical- that she was the very essence of purity and beauty.
"It's okay," I told her. My voice was small and soft; the voice of a child. "I already know. You don't have to worry, though."
"Honey, what are you talking about?"
The man stepped forward now. I looked up at him and smiled. He was handsome, in a gruff sort of way. His stubble was almost transitioning over into a beard. Oddly, it carried a reddish tint while his hair was blond. It stuck up in the front, too short to have weight to force it to lie flat. His eyes were a deep brown, so dark they almost appeared black. I yearned for him to kneel down and hug me. I remembered how safe I felt in his arms. Like nothing in this world could ever even think to harm me.
"I will always see you as my mom and dad," I said, my voice cracking. "I will always love both of you."
I woke.
My pillow was damp and I could hear the vibration of my cell phone in my hand. My alarm.
The dream was so short... had I really been asleep so long? It wasn't enough time. There was never enough time.
I buried my face in my pillow. It was both an effort to wake myself up more and to wipe my eyes dry. No need for Nox to tease me. Or for L to see. I sat up and popped one ear bud out and yawned.
"Good morning," I murmured to the Shinigami.
Nox was sitting on my window sill, staring out into the city. It was still dark.
"Pleasantries?" he said, glancing toward me. "You must be in a good mood."
"I get to work today," I said, still keeping my voice down.
It was definitely something to be in a good mood about. Being up early sucked ass, but I got to do what I did best today. And there was a chance I would find evidence about Kira's true identity. If I could just find out who he was... surely with L's help we could end him. Then I could get his Death Note and destroy it.
I slid out of bed and got ready for the day. Since I was going to be leaving the hotel, and needed to be in disguise, I dressed appropriately. I had some black slacks and a plain black long sleeve shirt. I pulled on a nice gray jacket I'd actually bought here in Japan when I arrived. It was pleat. More Fancy than I was used to. Then I set to my face.
Makeup was an annoyance, but I had a knack for it. I pulled a kit from my bathroom bag and set to work. Contouring coloring just right was an excellent way to make one's face look different from what it typically is. I made my lips look thinner than they actually were, my cheeks a touch more hollow, my nose sharper. I also popped in my brown colored contact lenses for effect. After that I pulled on my wig. It was longer than my actual hair but still only reached my shoulders. It was a chocolate-brown shade with sweeping bangs.
I grabbed my shoes, some ankle-high boots with half-inch heels, black in color, and snatched my scarf. It was my deep red one. I couldn't resist having some splash of color. After switching iPods, I realized I'd be stuck with the ear buds today. My yellow headphones were a bit too conspicuous.
Finally, I gathered my supplies for the actual work I'd be doing. A case of thumb drives, varying in memory sizes. My mini laptop. It was pink and had a 13 inch screen and was razor thin. Easy enough to keep in a handbag. I also made sure to put on the watch Watari gave me. I had no intention of running off on L, and wanted to make sure he knew he could trust me.
I left my room for the first time and saw L at the coffee table. His laptop was open and he was going over some files. There was a cup of coffee near him and a bowl of small sweets next to it. They looked to be some kind of hard candy.
"A bit early for dessert, isn't it?" I teased.
L looked my way. He blinked.
"That's... surprisingly impressive," he said.
"Oh, gee, thanks." I walked over to him, shouldering my satchel.
"You truly don't look like yourself," L said. "Does your passport look anything like this?"
"Indeed it does," I replied. "I devised Nina Forner specifically for this case and for traveling here."
I reached into my satchel and produced my passport to L. He gripped it and looked it over. It was Canadian, and I was wearing this wig for the picture. It was an expensive wig, too. The kind with real hair cancer patients got.
"This is an impressive fake," L noted, looking over the passport.
"I know a guy." I shrugged.
L handed it back. "Be careful so that you don't have to give out even your fake name to someone today."
"I am the picture of caution." I bowed deeply. "No need to worry about me."
Watari stepped into the room. He had a travel mug in his hand and handed it to me. "Some royal milk tea, Miss Forner. For the road."
"You sir, are a saint," I gushed as I took the mug and sipped. It was just the right temperature and had the perfect amount of honey. "Let's go get this over with. Here's to hoping we can end this investigation today."
"I trust you know what to look for when in these computers," L said.
"Naturally," I said. "Leave it to me, Ryu. Watson is on the case." I saluted him and winked before turning and following Watari out the door.