Chapter Sixteen
Letters of Love
The knives were found that same afternoon. They were found in the middle of the police department, wrapped up in a box with wrapping paper and a bow.
There had been a major security breach. It was suspected it was left there during lunch, when most people had been out.
The security cameras had been overridden, but they were able to find a short clip of an unknown person in the entrance area walking out. A search of the police department after finding the box revealed that the evidence room had been ransacked and even now police officers were sorting through all the mess. It was unclear if anything was missing yet, but it was too much of a coincidence, and what ever was missing was the key to the case at hand.
The box contained exactly eleven kitchen knives, one for every victim so far. Each was a cheap chef knife, varying in length and manufacturer. The handles were wiped clean but the blades still had dried blood. Every knife was individually stored in its own Ziploc bag, which it had been suspected that they had been placed there on the night of the murders they had been used. At the bottom there was a typed message, a list of all the names of the victims.
They were already matching up each knife with each victim, but that was more for the paper work then anything else.
The person who dropped off the box had to be the killer, and L couldn't help but think of Light, who he had cut loose.
It was almost too convenient that as soon as he releases Light, who promised he wasn't the killer, on the same day the Kitchen Killer made his big move. L tried to make his peace with what he did, but he couldn't keep Light off his mind.
This time he couldn't throw himself into the case and forget his personal problems because his personal problems were all over the case.
Light was his number one suspect, but part of him believed Light when he said he was innocent. Or wanted to believe…
This new drive to prove Light innocent made him review over all the old facts.
The killer had a fixation on high school students, but at the same time killed victims from all different demographics. The way he did this was as if to prove he could kill anyone, or that he had power over anyone, or he was killing for a reason or purpose.
The killer used kitchen knives, a different one for every killing. He had held onto each knife in an almost sentimental way.
The way the knives were dropped off meant that a big finale was coming up. This killer wanted people to follow his work and wouldn't just give up his knives and bow out. The killer was trying to give a message.
Was each victim random, decided on nothing other then variety, or were they all planned. The variance in their age and professions was almost too random. But that wasn't the main focus right now.
He was probably going to kill one last victim, someone of significance. Whether it was to the killer or to the community (or both) was unsure. But it was going to be soon. And L knew he had to figure it out in time. He just needed to solve the final clue.
It was something to do with the evidence locker. And something to do with Light… He couldn't let that go.
He was right now in the middle of a conference with the lead detectives on the case, and they were waiting for Chief Matsuda to arrive.
Right now they were arguing theories and L half listened as he pondered it himself.
Sighing, L pulled out a copy of the list of names that the killer had left.
The names were listed in descending chronological order.
Luke Adams. Izaya Monoke. Gouki Anahara. Hana Wagu. Toshi Souji. Yoko Hari. Ari Inoue. Gill Deux. Akiko Tanaka. Migumi Nakamura. Ichiro Tamashita.
"Chief Matsuda! Where have you been?"
"What do you have there?"
The sounds of greeting brought L's attention back to the meeting. Through the camera he saw Matsuda looking very grim.
"Big news. Sakura TV just announced they were going to read a letter from the Kitchen Killer at ten this evening."
"What?" Ayizawa exclaimed.
"I have already called the head producer and he claims they don't have the letter yet, but they received a letter from the Kitchen Killer telling them that at exactly nine-fifty-nine they will receive an email from him containing the letter.
I have already sent a team over to retrieve the message and inspect it."
"Thank you, Chief Matsuda. Have them collect the message and bring it here at once."
"Yes sir." Matsuda made a small half bow in the computer's direction and then sat down at the head of the other side of the table.
"Sir, what should we do about Sakura TV? Do you want us to shut down the station and wait for the email to arrive?"
"No. I think in this case if we shut them down the Kitchen Killer would have time to know and send it to another broadcasting station. He obviously wants people to know he has a message to share, else why give Sakura TV a heads up ahead of time, if not to get the hype up and get more viewers?" L reasoned.
"I suggest we set up people at the station to watch, but allow the broadcast to go as planned. We can have twice the amount of police patrolling the streets and be ready to act on anything the letter might hint at." Matsuda suggested.
L was impressed. Matsuda seemed like a bit of a goof, but he had his moments that showed how he got the position of chief. There was seriousness to his actions that he found respectable.
"I agree. Please proceed to do that, and in the meantime try to trace the origins of the current letter. You are dismissed. Please work on the previously assigned tasks as well as this, and contact me if anything comes up."
Everyone nodded and broke, leaving through the door and going to their various positions. Matsuda remained behind, waiting for everyone to leave and then closed the door and turned to the lone computer.
"Sir, if you may, I am worried about something."
"What is it?"
"I'm afraid that the Killer has something big planned. Since it's only one man and he kills only with knives I don't think we have a mass murder in the makes but…" He trailed off, staring into the distance.
"You are afraid he has a single specific target in mind?"
"Yes. I'm afraid it may be you, since too many people know you are working on the case." He seemed genuinely worried.
"Why do you suspect it to be me?" L prodded.
"Well all the killings, they seemed so random, but what if their randomness is intentional? As if anyone can be his victim and he wants to prove it. It might be a challenge to the justice that you stand for." This man was smarter then he looked, having come to a similar conclusion then L, yet stating it in such a clear way.
"I see your concern, but I assure you that I am in a safe location. His letter may just be a challenge to get me out, but that will be his downfall." L replied.
"Are you really sure you're safe? Sometimes the safest locations and the people you trust the most are the most dangerous for you." Matsuda had a distant look again.
"Do you suspect someone in the NPA?" L questioned, not sure where he was going with this.
"No. It's just we lost the Chief… or the old chief of police… years ago to a murder suicide committed by his wife. He was my mentor… Sachiko was such a sweet woman, no one ever suspected…"
"I'm sorry for your loss." L responded, glad the computerized voice hid his own awkwardness about trying to say the right thing. "I am safe. Are you done?"
"Yes. Sorry. Goodbye, Sir." He bowed and left, locking the behind him, leaving the laptop safely confine din the conference room.
L switched off his end and thought over what Matsuda said.
Could he be the target of the Kitchen Killer?
His big finale?
He was in a safe location, having switched hotels as soon as Light left in the middle of all the craziness of the new body and the box of knives.
But Light knew of the old hotel, and could still believe he was located there. And if Light was the Kitchen Killer and was under the impression of where L was then this could be the big move he decided to make.
Light is innocent, said that small voice in his head. L did not know where the voice came from.
But Light added up to be so guilty.
On the day L captures him and lets him go the Kitchen Killer drops off all the knives and gets into contact with the media, a big step. Light had promised he would leave, but maybe he wants to leave with a bang? Take out L, the man who wronged him.
What if what Light had said had been the truth, but twisted? Maybe Light had known he was L, and was acting the whole time. Everything he had ever said had all been an act, and Light played L like a fiddle? Maybe the killings were a way to challenge him and battle their wits, like when they played chess, but this time a game of cat and mouse. But who was the real mouse?
And now since L had openly challenged him by announcing his suspicions, Light was ready to try to end him? In that case Light was very intelligent, and would probably assume L switched locations after he left, and therefore may know something L doesn't.
No. He was safe. Watari and him had secured the location twice over.
But the letter to come was ominous, and L could do nothing but wait.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX x
"To those just tuning in, in a matter of five minutes, we will be receiving a message from the infamous Kitchen Killer. Will it be a warning, a confession, or something more dastardly? Stay with us to find out. I advise parents to use their digression with your kids, as we have no idea what the letter will contain." Takada reported.
She was recruited just for this broadcast, since she was a popular reporter with the case, and brought with her even more credibility and viewers. It had been a decision made by Sakura TV, but L couldn't care less.
From his cameras he could see the officers spread out at all the entrances and dispersed within the production crew.
The indicated computer for receiving the letter (which would be coming in electronic form) was placed in a place of honor next to the short haired reporter.
The clock ticked and L waited.
The ding of an email sounded, and the email was pulled up on the Sakura TV computer at the same time L pulled it up on his own.
It was only a short message, and Takada started reading it immediately.
"Kira walks into the light.
An unsung god must claim his right.
A dark haired girl who should be dead,
Waits where she last saw fire before she bled red."
Takada finished the poem and fell into a silence as everyone drank in the words.
A riddle.
And not meant for L, but for someone else.
Kira.
"Matsuda, you mentioned Kira before?" L spoke into an ear piece in Matsuda's ear. The channel was open so all the main detectives on the case could hear and work on it together.
"Yes. Kira is a person who had been solving cases and leaving the evidence for the police to find, along with other vigilante acts of justice. He has become an urban legend as the guardian of the people of Tokyo. He is more well known and respected then… well, you."
So L was not the target, but instead this Kira.
Some believe him to be justice. But I am justice.
"Does anyone know who Kira is?" He asked. Maybe someone on the force had a relationship with him, one similar to Commissioner Gordon and Batman (how ever ridiculous it sounded to think that).
"No one. Kira only communicated to use through mail, and we never found any trace or DNA of who it could be. I'm pretty sure that Kira is just one person with a strong sense of justice and access somehow to the means to do so." Matsuda explained.
L immediately brought up a search of all Kira's contributions to the NPA, along with fan sites and so on. He read over all the information at a rapid pace, easy from years of training. Meanwhile Takada, after a bit of fear mongering about what the riddle had meant, talked about Kira, too.
L was impressed with what he learned. Kira must be a smart man.
And wildly popular, and to some even revered.
Kira walks into the light…
Light…
Maybe you are not the only one who believes the kitchen killer should be caught. Light's words rang in his head.
Kira walks into the light.
Kira walks into the Light.
Was Light Kira? He was very intelligent, and sure had the time to do something of this degree. That would explain what he did in his time off, and why he was a secretive as L.
So was Light the target? The message had been a riddle… or a code… one the killer knew Kira could solve.
Or maybe they wanted L to think that?
Or was Light both Kira and the Kitchen Killer and he did this only to trick L.
Maybe Light really had been against him from the beginning and this was a trap to get L to act.
But Kira seemed honestly good, and Light was very possibly Kira. In fact L was sure of it now.
Kira walks into the light…
An unsung god must claim his right.
Unsung? Maybe this had to do with the fact that Kira hid his identity like L, and the Kitchen Killer wanted to unmask him. God… meaning how Kira is said to walk the streets at night to save the weak? And the part about having to claim his right, what kind of right? The right of recognition? Or the right of revenge from the people he put behind bars?
Not, the Kitchen Killer was not associated with those likes, he worked independently. A night god… maybe he was one of the ones who worshiped Kira?
A dark haired girl who should be dead…
It sounded like a code, a secret, or a memory from the past. What ever it meant, it meant something to Kira. The Killer must know who Kira is, or have some idea. Kira walks into the Light. The Killer knows Light is the Kira. Light is in danger.
Waits where she last saw fire before she bled red.
It was an location and an invitation. A pull. A trap. Somewhere the Killer was certain only he and Kira would be able to figure out. The Killer wanted to meet Kira face to face. A meeting Kira will likely not leave unscathed or with his life.
This was a clear message. The Killer meant to challenge Kira.
The Killer meant to kill Light.
And Light is the kind of person who would go to him. Especially in the state L had left him in.
He had to stop Light from going. He had to save him.
xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
He had provided everyone one with a picture of Light and had all the officers deployed on the streets looking for him. At this point he was certain that Light was Kira.
All the evidence that had pointed him to being the Kitchen Killer almost also made sense to him being Kira. His intelligence, all the extra time he had that was a mystery what he did it with, the way he was secretive…
But some things were left unanswered like why he was on the bridge that night and how he and L came to meet. Was it truly all a coincidence or had Kira meant to size up his competitor to solve crimes?
Was Kira working on solving this case, provoking the wrath of the Killer? Had he gotten closer to solving it than L? Many questions surfaced and L had to sort them in his mind, theorizing where no answers could be found
Matsuda had come to him half an hour after he had released Light's photo and started the man hunt.
At the time L had been doing a million things at the same time. He was managing the police search while conducting one of him own via satellite and video cameras, and binge eating sugar cubes by the pack, amongst other things.
Through a security camera L could see Matsuda entering the small conference room where L's laptop was set up, and closed the door behind him.
"Light Yagami." Matsuda said.
L's full attention immediately turned to Matsuda at the sound of Light's name, dropping a sugar cube onto the keyboard.
Matsuda was staring intensely at the ornate L on the screen and spoke again, not waiting to see if L was listening. "You're looking for Light Yagami. That's who is in the picture you sent around."
"Light… Yagami?" L repeated. The first name came easily, but the second seemed weird to pair it up with.
"He was the son of Soichiro Yagami. The old police chief. He's… supposed to be dead."
Dead? "What do you mean dead?"
"By all accounts he… committed suicide years ago. Five and a half…"
Impossible. L brought up a search of Light Yagami, and felt a shock go through him as he saw a younger Light staring back at him. He wore a bored and slightly annoyed face in the picture. It was his high school student ID picture, and following it on L's search was his death certificate. Seeing Light's name on it made a chill go up his spine. "How can this be?"
"Many years ago Light's father was killed by his mother and Light was sent into foster care at the age of seven. He was never adopted and was living with one of his many host families since. I guess he had managed to make friends, but one day they went to the amusement park and his friend, Shiori, was shot by a bus hijacker. She died on scene and that was where Light was last seen alive. They found his wallet a few days later in a river. They pronounced his death a suicide." Matsuda explained.
L wasn't sure what to think. He though back to the night he found Light on the bridge, insisting he wasn't committing suicide.
"And Light was dead… until now. When I saw that picture, it looked too much like him, so I went into some old files and found a DNA sample of Light. You see, he had come to the station a lot with his dad, so we'd entertain him and try to educate him. I took his DNA one day and told him if he ever got in trouble we'd catch him. He found it very amusing. I compared it to the unknown DNA from the most recent murder… You said he was not the killer, but the key to finding the killer? So does this mean Light is alive and innocent?" Matsuda presented the test and L went over the results, cross matching them to his own DNA samples of Light.
"Yes. The DNA test does not lie. And I know Light is not the killer. I believe he is more than just the key. Matsuda, I believe Light is Kira."
"Kira… That makes so much sense! Light always had a strong sense of justice thanks to his father. Light used to joke he'd become the next chief before I got my next promotion…"
"Matsuda." L interrupted his ramblings. "This is not the time. Remember about Kira?"
"What about Kir… oh. Oh no. Light's in trouble! We have to do something!" Matsuda exclaimed.
L inwardly sighed. "I already have all the police man power in Tokyo and in the greater Tokyo area looking for him. But I fear if we don't catch him…"
"He'll walk right into the trap. But it's not really a trap, is it? Light will know exactly what he's walking into." Matsuda reasoned, but L knew better.
"It's a challenge. And he'll do it. Of what I know of Light, he'll do it. And we have to stop him."
Yagami. Night god. An unsung god…
Light was not the killer. He was about to be the victim. L trusted him. L had to save him.
Bum bum Baaaaaaaaaa!
The big reveal has happened! L knows who Light really is, and vice versa! But will L stop Light in time from walking into the killer's clutches? Will all the truths come out? And will we finally know who the Kitchen Killer truly is?
Tune in next chapter to find out!
Review and follow!
Side note: I know DNA tests can take awhile, not really sure how long, but let's say the DNA is already processed and just has to be matched, and blah blah science blah makes sense. I don't know much about DNA tests, but I try my best, and this way it's more dramatic and conclusive.
Quick clarification: L assumed Light was going to be killed because the Killer seems to be challenging Kira for justice or seeking his approval (which he won't get), and with his killing record he assumes things are going to end not well. And now that he knows Light is Kira…
I feel the riddle poem is a little much, but it works for me, so I hope it works for you.
Did you hear about all those hipsters that died? It was horrible.
They got into lava before it was cool.