Defective

Deneuve

Deneuve. I knew I was missing something. Deneuve was involved. He knew about L's death. He knew about me. He knew about the notebook and its powers. And he still fell third to Coil and L himself, Near thought.

Near and the SPK made it back to the Yellow Box, where he promptly crouched down. "He's a genius."

Halle's eyes narrowed. "Who is a genius?"

Near pulled out the cloth and handed it to Halle. Halle examined it and passed it to Restor, who did the same and gave it to Gevanni. "You mean Deneuve? The third greatest detective in the world?" Halle asked.

"Yes, but this is not regular. With these kind of detective skills, he should be the second... no. The greatest detective in the world. These three words told us how much he knows. He knows about what the death note can do. He knows my identity. He knows who my prime suspect was. And he knows something that I do not. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told us that something was defective." Near answered.

The SPK let that sink in. Gevanni spoke up. "Were there any other messages from Deneuve?"

"No. That is all Deneuve left us. But I intend to figure out who Deneuve is and find out the extent of his knowledge."

"But Near, he is the third greatest detective in the world. This isn't your isual criminal. This is a trained detective. One of the best," Halle argued.

"Second greatest," Near corrected. He glanced up at Halle and grinned. "Behind Eraldo Coil. I am excited to see how they compare to L. Both are beyond the skill of myself, I can say that with seventy-four percent certainty. Are you up for the challenge?"

Halle looked taken back. Anybody could see the wheels turning inside her head. Near could tell she was scared. The Kira case was a life-threatening investigation that could have resulted in death. Halle had no way of knowing what fate she might meet.

"I accept. I have faith that you are the greater detective, Near. You were the one who defeated Kira, not L. He..."

"No," Near interrupted. "I never surpassed L. I would not have captured Kira had it not been for Mello."

Halle closed her mouth immediately.

"Near," Gevanni said. "Headquarters has been fully restored. We can return to Manhattan."

"Just in time. Commander Restor, I assume you have the tickets for the plane." Near said.

Without saying anything, Restor crossed his arms and gave a curt nod.

*****

Near crouched in the center of the headquarters surrounded by miniature toy train track. He was building his track as the train went. "Commander Restor, I would like you to search our database for any information on Deneuve."

"Yes," he grumbled and walked over to one of many monitors on the wall. He typed the name in and pulled up a file. "Deneuve is the third greatest detective in the world, behind only Eraldo Coil and L. Despite this, he has a higher I.Q. score than both Coil and L, and knows more languages. He is known for his social skills in his detective work." Restor summarized.

"Birthday?" Near asked.

"November the second, year unknown," he answered.

"Appearance?"

"Unknown."

"Most famous case solved?"

"That too is unknown."

"Do we know anything else about him?" Near asked while rolling his eyes.

Restor began to quickly scan the file on the monitor. Clearly seeing nothing of interest, he scrolled faster. Then he stopped. "There is one more thing."

"Well?"

"He and Mello have met."

All the air in the room was sucked out of the room. Halle's jaw nearly hit the ground. Gevanni stood with a shocked expression. Restor merely looked mildly irritated. "Mello has met Deneuve?"

"Yes, though only once."

"So, can you tell me, has Deneuve met L?"

"I cannot say with absolute certainty, but it says here that Deneuve knows L's identity."

The train sped around Near making engine noises as it went. Near suddenly forced his arm and shoved the train away. "That is impossible. There is no way he knows L's identity."

"Well," Restor immediately cut off. Every monitor of the screen turned blank white, except for the center. In the center, typed in Display Gothic font, was the letter D.

"Gevanni, get the voice modifier! Answer the call." Near ordered.

Halle answered the call.

"I assume you have knowledge of my identity," a voice said. The voice seemed to be legitimate. It sounded as if it belonged to a young man in his twenties.

"And you know who I am?" Near responded, his voice obviously modified.

"Yes. I am Deneuve."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Deneuve. I am Near."

"I am calling about the message I sent you. I trust you have received it?"

"Assuming you are referring to the one we found on Kira's corpse, then yes, I have received it. Having said that, I would like to ask you a few questions. The first being: How did you know who L was?"

There was a moment of silence. "I cannot answer that question."

"Then how can I trust your information?"

"Lawliet. L Lawliet is his name. I know with absolute certainty. Does that prove my intellect?"

"It would only prove your intellect if I had such information at my disposal."

Another moment of silence. "You do understand that the message makes sense, correct?"

"It may or may not make sense. I haven't done any kind of investigation on the matter. You have no proof, Deneuve." Near smirked, almost laughed.

"I suppose you have beaten me today. Just remember to not underestimate me Near." Deneuve advised.

"I learned long ago never to underestimate anyone, no matter how poor of a job they do. You should remember that I too, am a skilled investigator. Were you one of the investigators that caught Kira?" Near asked.

"You mean, caught Light Yagami? Light Yagami and his death note?"

Near's grin morphed into a scowl. "That isn't a well kept secret," he lied.

"You may think what you like, Near." Deneuve paused. "Oh. I apologize. Your name is Nate River." The line went dead.