Failure (A Death Note/L Love Story)

Chapter 7

For L, trust was really all he had when it came to working with the police. Blind faith. They didn't know anything about him. Not what he looked or sounded like. They had a taste of what his personality was, but that wasn't much. They were still only seeing a computer screen in all their meetings. Some of those times, I was the one they were speaking with!

This proved to be a problem, though. While L was dealing with the FBI, I was taking over the Task Force reports. Three cops resigned from the Kira case. I couldn't say I blamed them. Once they found out that Kira killed all the victims that were broadcasted with a name and face, they felt unsafe. They got nervous, and that turned into anxiety, which ended as terror. They didn't want to die. They didn't want to leave families, pets, houses, and whole other lives behind. Maybe they were the smart ones.

While they stated their reasons for leaving, they often referred back to L. How he was under the protection of anonymity, while the others walked around with name tags and badges. Even though they didn't accentuate the issue, they managed to plant a seed of doubt in everyone's mind, and if it was already there, they nourished it.

L and I already didn't trust the police much anymore, but if they were to turn against us, then there would be a bloodbath that had nothing to do with Kira. I was beginning to remember exactly why we always tried to work alone.

I sat next to L as we looked through the list of police officers and the people closest to them. "We brought the FBI agents to Japan four days ago. They are fully operational. As requested, they are now gathering intel of the police," Watari told us through the computer. He was still at headquarters.

"And this is the complete list?" L double-checked.

"Yes."

"There are one-hundred-forty-one people in the police force who have access to classified information regarding the investigation. I'm sure somewhere in this list of the police offers and the people closest to them we will find our suspect," L thought aloud, reading the report on Light Yagami, the Chief's son.

I smiled, "Thank you, Watari. You may go back to your business." He nodded, and the screen went blank. "You know, you must be pretty special to get the FBI to cooperate so easily."

He smirked, "I am."

I rolled my eyes, "But being arrogant isn't a necessity. Anyways, the police is going to be pissed if they find out." I knew if they found out, the seed in their heads would grow into plants, rooting the doubt deep inside their minds. I wasn't prepared for that to happen.

"Yes; but hopefully, it will be for the right reasons," he stated.

"Which means?" I prompted.

"That it will be because we found our suspect," he clarified.

I said, "And the wrong reasons are going to be terrible. I did tell you three have already resigned partly because they mistrust you, right?"

L shrugged indifferently, "Yes, but they weren't needed on this investigation. If they don't trust me or want to risk their lives for not only their country but the world, then they never had a place on the Task Force." I hated how he was right all the time.

"Fair point. I don't know. I guess it doesn't matter. We'll probably find a suspect from these," I agreed. We switched papers. I then had Light Yagami's.

L told me it wasn't crucial to read every detail on the reports yet, but something made me read Light's thoroughly. I mused, "Light Yagami could easily be our guy. He's at the top of his class, so he's smart. He's a student, which means our earlier theory of Kira being a student would fit him, and he's into sports, which means he's competitive. He always wants to win. Perhaps we should be looking more closely at him."

"While you're correct about the criteria, Chief Yagami's son isn't the only one. We shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket," he advised, grabbing a different person from the list.

I crossed my arms, "I bet he's Kira."

He frowned, "H, this is a murder case, not a game. Betting on individuals isn't very professional."

I bargained, "I'm willing to bet the brownie recipe on him being Kira. If he isn't, you finally get to have it. If I win, I only need the satisfaction of being right, really." He paused. I could tell he was thinking about it. He loved the brownies too much to simply throw the deal away. Even if it was a real murder case.

L hesitated, "Alright, it's a deal, but we will not let this interfere with our investigation. I hope you're ready to hand the recipe over."

It was my turn to smirk, "We'll see about that, L. Don't be surprised if Raye Penber has something interesting to say about this kid."