Chapter Five - Leaps and Bounds
A stepping stone,
In a fast flowing river.
A plank,
On a wooden bridge.
A landmark,
To show the way.
A map,
To lead you to your destination.
Interesting. Very interesting.
I am sitting alone, and in the dark. My Aunt and Co. have gone for the evening. Pleading homework usually works in this situation, and I guess it is somewhat true. I do have work to do.
Reading over the information gathered by L and the Task Force is certainly taking a while. I am sitting before the fireplace; the warm glow from the flames shadows my face and much of the room I am sitting in; in front of me sits my laptop and a small stack of papers. I am reading off my laptop.
It is the night after we contacted L. A time was set in place for me to contact L tonight, but I don't want to rush into this. I'll have D set up my laptop to be untraceable. He will also disable the camera and microphone, and set up a special microphone with a synthetic voice modifier. K is making up a symbol for me, just like the one L possesses (just to be cool).
I may not be a hacker, but I do know how to use a computer. D promised he would show me how to contact the detective through the gate in the system (or so he described it) in a day or two, and then I would relatively be on my own.
What fun.
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. This information isn't exactly promising for the investigation. Sure, they have to gather as much as they can, any scrap will help, but this won't lead them to Kira. Yes, all the criminals have died of a heart attack. Yes, their names and faces were public. How else could Kira get that information? I doubt he would hack into top-secret databases just to get the identities of criminals – far too conspicuous … well, he might, but I won't bet on the chances.
And then, I notice something: the times of death. They are focused around certain areas of the day, there's a small file outlining this.
Well shit, they think a student could be doing this. It's probably possible that Kira did this on purpose to throw the investigation off track … but I doubt it. It seems he hadn't realized that you can specify the time of death until three days ago. L came to the same conclusion, and when Kira found out … criminals started being killed every hour, on the hour, and not only that, but these criminals were all within Japan, in places where they could be easily found. He's retaliating, the smug bastard.
This also means that there has been a leak of information. Damn, I look suspicious now, don't I? Well, I guess I need to work harder to earn their trust. L will probably try to get closer to me as well to see if I'm really Kira or not. Alright, I can deal with that … hopefully.
Back to the investigation!
Showing that he has links to the police is a risky move. It will focus the investigation's line of sight. (Of course, Kira thinks he's much better than all of us so he wouldn't care.) It would make people in the Task Force nervous, less likely to trust.
Ah, I see, he wants them to investigate each other: to have the police find out whom L is so that he can obliterate him. L probably has had this done to him thousands of times, so it's just going to harm Kira essentially. Fool.
Either way, L needs people who he can trust. The Task Force doesn't really like L from the vibe I'm getting. They despise him. Smirking, I look through the other files. They don't seem of much importance anymore. I got the information that I need. I shut down the computer and lay it to the side.
Now I'm alone with the small stack of paper, which only contains two pages: the letter from my Father, and the one page of the Death Note that I used. I feed those to the flames quickly, simply wanting them gone.
"Was that good enough for you?" Vile says behind me.
"Yes, this is excellent," I smile.
"Yeah, thanks Makoto," I smile, taking the laptop into my hands. He then hands me the microphone he rigged.
"It has a switch on the bottom; make sure it's on before you plug it in. It will change your voice," Makoto whispers to me.
"Got it, thanks again," I say, then close the door with a small wave. It's a few days later, December 14th. Yae is working again, and my Aunt and Uncle are sleeping. Time to contact the detective.
Setting up the small laptop in the darkness of the living room doesn't take much time. If I keep my voice down nobody will be the wiser as to what I'm up to. I boot up the laptop and plug in the microphone. D did a good job of explaining, so he didn't need to repeat himself. That's also good for me, because I only had two days to perfect the skill. K also did a good job for my representation. It has a black background, and in capital red letters it spells out RED. The letters themselves look formal (close to the font that L uses), but also seem like they are dripping blood (a little off-putting, but it looks cool enough).
I check to make sure the Microphone is in the ON position; I begin to get through to the Task Force system. I'm greeted by a window opening up with the capital L in the center.
"Red," he greets, in the same synthetic voice used to taunt Kira. This almost makes me laugh.
"L."
"You have looked over our gathered information I assume."
"Correct."
"Please, tell me your thoughts on the information we have gathered."
"Firstly, I was concerned by the pattern Kira was showing prior to the leak in information. It's likely that Kira did so to throw of our trail, but my gut tells me that isn't the case. He could have made a mistake, and wanted us to think it was intended, and then he switched his strategy. He's learning, growing. I wouldn't be surprised if he attempted to experiment in the future."
"I agree," L stated simply.
"Heh, I would expect that you would be roughly on the same page as me," I say in a moment of giddy satisfaction. I then mention the important bit, "There's been a leak in information?"
"I've already taken care of that."
"Oh, what did you do?"
"I have sent FBI agents into Japan to investigate the Task Force."
"Great! I suspect that Kira made it known he had links to the Police in order to create instability. He wanted the police to investigate you, so they could find your identity while he sat back and waited, but I am sure you have had precautions against something like this since the beginning of your career."
A pause, "Yes."
"So in turn it will just harm Kira. This is good. I will not ask who the agents are. I'd rather not know actually. All I need is for you to send me updates on that investigation too."
"I can do that."
"Thank you … I understand that it is hard to trust me, but I happen to not be Kira, so you can relax. I find it quite annoying really that I would be a suspect. You're also investigating me, are you not?"
Another, longer pause, "Yes."
"That's what I thought. Let me tell you something. I really did just come out of the blue. Sure, I have been alive all this time, but this is the first time that I have taken it upon myself to do some detective work. I have other matters to attend to, so this is a 'hobby' as you could call it."
Silence.
"Well, I think that shall suffice for one night. Good night." I reach to hit the button to disconnect, but the synthetic voice stops me.
"Is there some way I can contact you immediately, if something were to happen?"
"What, the great L can't cope by himself?" I tease.
"No, it's just I find your deductive skills remarkable and I am interested to hear your views on this subject."
"All right," I sigh. Figures. "I can probably have a way set up within a few days."
"Excellent. I will leave you to your own devices."
"Thank you. Goodbye." The screen goes dark and I shake my head with a smile, "Talk to you later, L."
Fascinating.
"Hey Kurai, what's up with you lately?" Yae asks from across the table. I nearly choke on my cereal. It's the morning after, and I'm eating breakfast. School starts in an hour and a half.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" I reply, putting the spoon in the bowl and looking over at my Cousin. She's frustrated and has her arms crossed over her chest.
"Well … it's just that the bags under your eyes aren't leaving. You haven't gotten much sleep, have you?"
I think for a moment, staring right at her. Yae shifts uncomfortably in my gaze, "No, I guess I haven't."
"It's not healthy."
"Well, I don't really care," I pout childishly and pick up the spoon again.
"Why not?"
"I have better things to do."
"Like going off to that boy's house until four in the morning?" She smiles mischievously, like she knows something I don't know.
"Maybe."
"You're not sleeping with him, are you?"
That question really catches me off guard. "That's not even funny!" I yelp, milk dribbling down my chin. I wipe the back of my sleeve across my mouth self-consciously as I feel a light warm feeling coming to my face.
"Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean it!" Yae says, laughing and giving a guilty grimace, making quick motions with her hands.
"Wow, I didn't know you could even make a reaction like that," Vile chuckles from behind me.
"You better be sorry," I mutter under my breath.
"Hey Kurai!" Kakushin rushes up to me and gives me a hug.
"Hi Kakushin," I chuckle lightly, and then whisper carefully in her ear. "I have information on the case … we'll talk about it later." She nods and resumes her normal self to drag me towards Makoto.
"Makoto~!" she calls out and tackle-hugs him.
"Hi Kakushin," he laughs, trying not to fall over. He seems awfully tired.
"What's wrong?" I ask the adolescent.
"I'm exhausted. I stayed up all night studying for those entrance exams for To-Oh," he groans.
"I completely forgot about those," I mumble in an 'ohshit' moment.
"Really?" Kakushin blinks questioningly at me.
"Yeah, mind caught on other things, you know?" I give a weak smile, and they nod, but inside, I cripple slightly. I want to get a good education, so that I can have a life after school. A small voice tells me that I'll ace them anyway. Another small voice in my head tells me that if I asked L after the case was over if I could work with him, or at least ask him to give me a recommendation for wherever I wanted to go.
That's a selfish desire of mine. Mother and Father would disapprove …
But they're dead, aren't they? They are long gone, and never coming back. They were killed, murdered, by Kira. And when I speak of Kira, I mean the notebooks and the Shinigami. To me, they are all Kira.
So does that mean I am Kira too? I've killed with the Death Note.
"Kurai~ Kurai!" a loud shout in my ear makes me jump at least three feet into the air. Kakushin breaks into hysterical laughing.
"You think that's funny?!" I growl at her.
"Relax, we didn't know if you had fallen asleep or were just off in your own world," Makoto assures me calmly.
"Excuse me," I say quietly and quickly make my way into the school bathrooms. Vile is the only one who follows me.
"What's got you all wound up?"The Shinigami asks. Clenching my fists, I whirl around at the creature behind me.
"Just leave me alone, Vile," I spit in a dangerously low voice. I'm struggling to keep my tone even. I swear if he could frown, he would. In place of such things, he simply glides backwards through the wall and leaves.
I sit with my back against the wall and bury my face in my hands. I'm having a breakdown.
"Here you go," D smiles slightly as he hands me a small cell-phone. It's untraceable, just like the laptop. They won't be able to bug it or listen in on conversations. He even has a tiny switch that can alter my voice, like what he had done for the microphone. There is no way that I'll get a refund for the phone.
"Thanks a ton," I say in a not-so-excited tone. I'm up to my neck in anger and wrath of my 'adopted' family. Then when they all go to sleep I will have to contact L to give him the phone number. Fun.
"My contact is in there to if you need to talk to me about the case."
"Alright," there is yelling coming from behind me.
"Family troubles?"
"Yeah," I sigh, wave slightly and then close the door.
A scream. Fire. Smoke. The scent of melted plastic and metal, burning hair and singed flesh. The hard cold earth beneath my shoulder.
Trying to get up, trying to drag myself to safety.
Before I burn alive.
And a bell, ringing in my ear.
Ring! Ring! I struggle to wake up. That was not in the dream. This is the first time in a few days that I have gotten a few good hours of sleep. Reaching over for my cell phone, I quickly flip it open.
"Hello?" I ask. There is no answer. I wake up completely this time and manage to sit up. This is not the phone that was ringing. What the hell?
Ring! Ring! Looking at the space under my bed, I quickly discover my 'work' phone lit up and ringing. Either D or L is trying to contact me. Grabbing it quickly from under the bed, I flip the voice altering switch just in case and answer it.
"Hello?"
"It's L."
"Oh hello! Do you even sleep or something? I'm kind of tired at the moment."
"There is something I need you to look at. Open up your computer, I'm sending you a few files."
With a large, audible groan, I haul myself off the bed and reach under it for the laptop. I place it on the edge of the bed so the light will not face Yae and set the brightness low. I receive a file from L within a few moments.
I open them up and my eyes go wide. There is a series of reports with a few pictures attached. I immediately open up the photos.
The first is a picture of a man lying on the ground. He is wearing an inmate's uniform, and a few urinals are attached to the wall beyond. He died in a bathroom … what a sad place to die in.
The second is a man died in his cell, but on the wall a large pentagram was drawn … in blood.
The third seems to be a suicide note, even though we all know the man died of a heart attack. It seems Kira made him write out the note and then killed him off like a cow in a slaughter house.
"Well, what do you think?"
"This … I was right, wasn't I? He's conducting an experiment."
"Yes, it would seem that way. It's almost like a message from the killer himself. Some form of communication."
"Did any others die at the same time?"
"Three."
"I'm assuming some of his experiment failed then," I growl lightly, eyes narrowing.
"Either way, there could be something about these …" I hear a small gasp.
"What is it?"
"Read the first letters of each line."
I do, and I see it immediately.
W
L, do you know-
"Know what?" I'm brought back from dreamland from the detective's voice.
"He might be sending more notes."
"Yes, you're probably right."
"But this also means another thing L. Kira can, to some extent, control the victim's actions before death."
"I believe that we have already established that point."
"Well, who knows how he will use that to his advantage. And … not to sound rude or anything, but it does back up my first point."
"…"
"Is that all you need?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Goodbye," I say, and hang up.
What will Kira try next? I wonder while running my hand through my hair.
Well, whatever it is, it can't be good.
I hope we're ready for whatever he's planned.
I hope.