I Know, You Know -CHAP.13--DN-

  Jin Tanaka told us everything. Well... almost everything.

  He confirmed that Carter Burnham had been involved in an affair and that Shou had killed both him and Elizabeth out of jealousy. When Jin had learnt what his younger brother had done, he’d been sure that he would get caught and sent to prison. So he’d helped Shou to gut his home of any evidence and then staged random murders of his own, in an attempt to make it look like a mass murder case, rather than personal targeting.

  Caught up in his sick thrills from killing innocent victims, and going insane from the fear of being caught, he’d then murdered his own brother – believing him to be a liability and afraid of the possibility of him spilling his knowledge on the whole case to an outsider.

  It was amazing how many of our theories had actually been correct. Affairs, jealous lovers, multiple killers... But there were still a couple of things that Jin was being irritatingly vague about.

  For starters, he claimed to have no knowledge of the missing identification from the two most recent female victims. He also wouldn’t give away any details of why he’d decided to come clean and confess to the whole thing. He was afraid – that much was easy to tell. But of what, or who, we had no idea.

  The worst part was that Gibson accepted this. As far as he was concerned, we had our Kasagi killer. He didn’t find the missing puzzle pieces to be that pressing as long as the danger was behind bars. That was the difference between being a cop and being a detective. Cops had to think about the safety of civilians and the rest of their force. Detectives just had to solve everything.

  Either way, there wasn’t a case left. No matter how many times I’d tried to change Gibson’s mind on it.

  “But there’s still something not right – I can feel it,” I’d said.

  “I’m sorry, Gee, but we can’t afford to waste the man power on this now that we’ve caught the killer. The case is closed.”

  “Well, I’m happy to carry on investigating myself. I am a private detective; I could try and chase up anything extra...”

  “No, Gee,” Gibson had interrupted me firmly. “I still don’t like the way this case sits myself, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I don’t want you trying to follow up anything else to do with this. It’s been dangerous enough.”

  “I can do what I like!” I’d protested. “My work is completely independent from the police force!”

  “But this case is still under my jurisdiction. And I say it’s closed. You’re forbidden to continue with it – for your own safety. If you do, you’ll be breaching my decision and I won’t hold you above the law for it.”

  And that had been it. I couldn’t get him to change his mind, no matter how much I tried. Kenichi and Chad backed him on it too. So I was left to accept that the case was closed for good.

  Except I couldn’t. It was true that I couldn’t continue with it now – Gibson had made that perfectly clear. But it didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.

  Worse still, I realised that the end of the case meant saying goodbye to L. With the case over, he wouldn’t have a reason to stick around any longer. He didn’t live at the hotel after all. He’d be going back to his home, wherever that was. Maybe his home was in England? He’d mentioned living there before. Oh, man, England was so far away...

  Goodbyes generally don’t bother me that much. I’ve always stuck by the belief that if somebody’s worth being in my life, then I’ll end up seeing them again some day. But I knew that with L, it wouldn’t be the same case. He preferred being off the radar. I had a feeling that if I let him go now, then I wasn’t ever going to see him again.

  That wasn’t a goodbye I was looking forward to.

  By the late afternoon, the others had already left. Even Watari had disappeared somewhere. But I knew that L would still be here and I was going to use the opportunity to talk to him. No matter how much I was dreading it.

  He wasn’t in the main room that we’d all been working in, but thanks to the aftermath of the whole Kyo ordeal, I knew which room was his. I went through to the kitchen area, but he wasn’t there either. Where else could he be? I really couldn’t see him being asleep. I guessed I could just knock on the bedroom door to be sure.

  “Can I help you?”

  I jumped. The voice seemed to have come from nowhere. But then L appeared from behind the door and I sighed. “Dammit, you’ve gotta stop doing that.”

  “I actually thought you had already left with the others,” said L.

  I bristled. Did he really think I’d just leave without saying goodbye first? “Of course not,” I replied indignantly. “I haven’t spoken to you yet.”

  L looked thoughtful. “So you’re saying it’s because of me that you’re still here?”

  Oops. I hadn’t meant for it to sound quite like that. I knew it was already obvious what my feelings were after the night where I’d thrown myself at him, but it didn’t make the situation any less embarrassing.

  The more I thought about it, the more the colour rushed to my cheeks. “Erm... Well. I didn’t mean...”

  Of course, L was oblivious to my embarrassment and didn’t seem to think my stammering was anything out of the ordinary. He still just had the same blank expression that he always did. Only then did I realise that there really was nothing to pursue here. I’d been fearing a tearful goodbye – on my part, obviously, not his – and was on the brink of pouring my heart out... But L just didn’t have a clue. I doubted he’d even understand the extent of what I was thinking.

  I’d known from the start that he wasn’t your typical guy, but I’d never quite realised before just how difficult it would be trying to establish something real with him. And I was pretty sure it would only make him uncomfortable if I tried. I didn’t really want to do that.

  Maybe walking away now really was the best option. I was never going to get what I wanted out of this.

  So, biting my lip and making a decision that hurt to my very core, I held out my hand. “I just wanted to say that it’s been a pleasure working with you.”

  He stared at my outstretched hand – well, I assumed he was staring; he’d purposely angled his face so that his eyes were hidden by his untidy hair. He didn’t move or even respond. Was he really not going to allow me just a handshake?

  I bit my lip harder and slowly lowered my hand. I guess that showed where I stood. Answer: nowhere significant.

  But then, at the last moment, L grabbed my hand before it returned to my side, causing my heart to skip. “I agree,” he said stiffly.

  I frowned. Even though I was acutely aware that he was holding my hand, I noticed that his voice sounded strange. Almost not quite as monotonous as it usually was. I stepped forward carefully, attempting to peek under his bangs. “Hey, are you okay?”

  He lifted his head very slightly, enough for me to really see his face, and I gasped. His eyes weren’t the empty, onyx mirrors I was used to. They were... burning. There was no other word for it. I’d never seen such raw emotion in his face before and I didn’t know how to react.

  “L...” I started nervously.

  But I didn’t get any further than that. He suddenly dragged me towards him and grabbed my face with both hands, crashing his lips onto mine.

  It felt like an explosion. I’d been dreaming of this for weeks. And now that it was happening, I didn’t ever want it to stop. I kissed him back fiercely, winding my fingers into his hair. It was softer than I’d imagined it would be. And his lips weren’t cold stone like before – they were warm and smooth and moved thrillingly with my own.

  My heart felt like it was about to burst. Surely this couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t like him... Wasn’t like him at all. But I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop.

  I felt resistance as something solid met my back. I wasn’t even aware that we’d been moving. L’s hands blurred down my body and, without warning, he hoisted me up onto the breakfast bar. The added height was fine with me. I wound my arms around his neck, pulling him even closer, and felt an uncontrollable urge to wrap my legs around his waist... Though I couldn’t. Not yet. It was too soon; I didn’t want to freak him out. The thought was enough to freak me out.

  But then I felt his cool hands graze my thighs as they slid up underneath my skirt. He curled his fingers round the waistband of my boxers and I felt my heart splutter when I realised what he was doing. This really couldn’t be happening...

  “Are you... Are you sure you want...” I stammered breathlessly, pulling back a little. I was still trying to get my head around this whole thing.

  L pressed his body up against me, making me feel hot all over. My stomach was doing somersaults. He brushed his lips against mine. “They say that men taste bitter and women taste sweet... Shall we find out?”

  I felt my breathing speed up and made some incoherent noise in response.

  “Was that a no?” I’d never imagined his voice could sound so sexy.

  “No. I mean yes... I mean...” I began to feel flustered, unsure how to communicate that I was willing to do whatever he wanted right now.

  Thankfully, he understood. “I’m glad to hear it.” With that, he ripped my underwear down my legs.

  And then I woke up.

  I lay in bed, breathing hard, my eyes still closed. I was sweating and still trembling. You had got to be kidding me...

  I sat up abruptly, my head reeling. It was still dark. Of course it was still dark. This was our last night in the hotel. I was leaving tomorrow along with the other police officers.

  I ran my hands through my hair, trying to calm myself. A sex dream? Really? I never had sex dreams. Hell, I’d never even had sex before. That was probably why the dream had ended so abruptly – my mind didn’t know enough to fill in the blanks any further than that.

  I let out a loud groan of frustration and fell back onto the bed. Well, whatever kind of goodbye I got tomorrow, it was definitely going to be a letdown after that.

                                                      *

  I was woken up the following day by somebody knocking on my door. It took them several attempts for me to realise what the noise was. I glared at the door before reminding myself that nobody would be able to see me.

  “Hang on a sec,” I called, reluctantly dragging myself out of bed.

  I really need some proper pyjamas, I told myself, as I looked round the room for something decent I could throw on. Or a robe. That would be much better. As it was, I had to settle for using my trench coat to cover up.

  It was Gibson at the door. “Morning, Gee,” he greeted brightly. “We didn’t really want to wake you, but I thought I’d best let you know that the rest of us are heading back to the police station. Ryuzaki and Watari are still here, so you won’t be on your own.”

  Of course they were still here. Urgh. I had a feeling that the goodbye scene today wasn’t going to be anywhere near as fun as the one last night... Oh, shut up, Gee; it wasn’t even real!

  I rubbed my eyes blearily, trying more to clear my mind of sleep rather than my actual eyes. “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost twelve o’clock. So you can’t knock me for disturbing you at an indecent hour,” Gibson teased.

  I’d nearly slept till midday? I never slept that late! That damn dream had thrown me all out of whack. I realised then that Gibson was still talking, so I made a conscious effort to pay attention and listen.

  “So I just thought I’d let you know, but I’ll speak to you tomorrow anyway.”

  “Tomorrow?” I repeated confusedly. But the case was closed – I probably wouldn’t see him again for a while. Until I needed him to throw me another bone (i.e. spare case).

  “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own birthday,” Gibson tutted.

  “Hey, I’m still half asleep; leave me alone,” I protested.

  I hadn’t technically forgotten; I’d just lost track of the days a bit. Most people would probably find it a fantastic coincidence to finish work just before their birthday. Personally, I’d rather be working. It wasn’t like I’d be doing anything for it – it fell on a Monday, so all of my friends would be working anyway.

  Gibson just laughed. Sometimes he knew exactly how my mind worked and he clearly knew what I was thinking right now. “At least try to enjoy it, okay? I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

  After Gibson left, I wasn’t really sure what to do. I wanted to prolong having to say goodbye to L, but there wasn’t really much for me to do in here. I ended up beginning to collect my stuff together, deliberately being slow about it.

  My cell phone rang whilst I was sorting through clothes. It was Johnny. “Hey, are you gonna be home any time soon? I thought you said your case was finished.”

  “Why; are you at my place?” I asked, surprised.

  “Duh,” was Johnny’s response.

  “Stalker,” I replied.

  I’d actually given him my spare set of keys ages ago as a kind of emergency preparation, just in case I ever needed something from home but couldn’t get there myself. Of course, Johnny had always taken advantage of it. I hadn’t expected him to be waiting for me though when I’d only just been given the okay to go back there. It had been a crime scene just the other week.

  “You need to come home. You have, like, next to no food in,” Johnny informed me, sounding disappointed.

  “Yeah, numbskull, that’s because I haven’t been there for the last few weeks,” I reminded him.

  “You’re grumpy today,” Johnny observed. “Are you PMSing?”

  I rolled my eyes to myself. “Do you ask that every time somebody’s in a bad mood?”

  “Only to the girls, obviously,” replied Johnny.

  “Guys have man periods too,” I insisted.

  “Now that’s just ridiculous...” We bantered for a little while longer before Johnny came back to his original point. “So when are you gonna be home?”

  “Wow, you clearly have nothing better to do on a Sunday,” I muttered. “I’ve gotta finish packing my stuff and I have something else I need to take care of... but then I should be good to leave.”

  I didn’t really want to be rushed into this, but maybe a good kick up the butt was what I needed. Otherwise I was probably going to spend all day avoiding talking to L. Plus actually coming home to someone for once sounded kinda nice.

  “Well, you’d best hurry or else I’m going to eat the present I made for you,” Johnny warned.

  “Hey, no fair!” I protested.

  Johnny laughed. “Then hurry up and you won’t have to worry.” He hung up.

  “Moron,” I muttered at the phone, though I was quite excited. Surprisingly, Johnny was actually a really good cook. He was just usually too lazy to do the actual cooking part. Whatever he’d made for me was going to be good.

  But it meant that I now had no choice but to go and talk to L. I’d exaggerated to Johnny – the packing was only going to take me all of a few minutes. I sighed. Might as well get it over and done with. Then maybe I could try and start thinking about looking ahead.

  My dream was clearly still weighing on my mind, because I’d expected L to be in the kitchen attached to his room. But nope, I found both him and Watari in the main room we’d all been working in, as I lugged my suitcase out of my room. L was working at his laptop and Watari was stood opposite him, simply surveying the room. I wondered how much of his time he spent standing.

  “Last one to leave?” Watari asked good-naturedly.

  I nodded, dumping my suitcase by the door. “It’s gotta be a first.” I glanced over at L, feeling awkward and trying as hard as I could not to think about my dream. “But I guess I’m all ready to go now,” I said a little more loudly.

  My words had their desired effect and L finally looked up from his laptop. “Ah, yes, I see...” He pushed his laptop away as he climbed down from his seat and paced over to me. I braced myself, not sure what was going to happen... Then he held out his hand. “Thank you for your help – you’ve been of great assistance in solving this case.”

  I’d been holding my breath and realised that I’d actually been waiting for him to carry on speaking. But that was it. I don’t know what I’d been expecting. Something more emotional? Or something similar to the passionate scene I’d dreamt last night?

  Who was I kidding? L’s expression was completely neutral, as always. He had nothing else to add and he certainly didn’t have a clue as to the feelings raging inside my mind. This was just business to him – another case over and done with. I wasn’t even a friend worth keeping in contact with.

  Just like that, everything fizzled inside me. I didn’t feel upset or angry... I didn’t really feel anything. I felt just as blank as L always looked. I was never going to get anything more from him, so what was the point of even trying?

  I dutifully shook his hand. “Thank you also for the opportunity. It’s been a pleasure working with you.” The words left a bitter taste in my mouth – too similar to the ones I’d spoken in my dream... The rest of which certainly wasn’t going to be re-enacted. “Good luck on your future cases.”

  I gave Watari a polite bow, which he respectfully returned, and picked up my suitcase once more. L didn’t say anymore; let alone try to stop me. I walked out of the door, knowing I wasn’t going to see him again.

  I was so glad I had Johnny waiting for me at home. If I’d had to go back with all my stuff to an empty apartment, I strongly believed I would have burst into tears. As it was, I put on a brave face. I was definitely happy to see my best friend – I hadn’t actually seen him since our night out with the whole pancakes fiasco.

  “Hey, sweetie,” Johnny greeted me when I got upstairs, pulling me into a hug and causing me to drop my suitcase. “Bet you’re glad you finished in time for your birthday!”

  “Something like that,” I said casually, not really wanting to linger anymore on the fact that the best case of my life had ended. “It’s not like I’ll really be doing much for it.”

  Johnny looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Gee. I actually tried to get off work, but they want me to do the open tomorrow and...”

  “Don’t be silly,” I interrupted, waving his comment away. “I already knew you guys would be working anyway. And I don’t mind – I can just chill out here.”

  Johnny’s expression still looked odd. “Do you want me to help you unpack?” He gestured towards my suitcase on the floor.

  I frowned. “Sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly...” It was very unlike Johnny to offer to do manual labour. And it wasn’t even my birthday yet. “How come you’re being so nice?”

  “You make it sound like such a bad thing!” Johnny smiled, but then he hesitated. “Seriously, Gee, have you not seen the look on your face? You look like your whole world’s just fell apart.”

  “I...” For once, I was stumped into silence. So much for my brave face. That or my best friend just knew me too well. Both options were quite likely.

  His sympathetic look returned. “I’m guessing things didn’t work out so well with that other detective?”

  I hung my head, gazing down at the floor. “I guess you could say that.”

  There was an awkward silence before Johnny announced in a faux cheery voice, “Well, luckily, I have stuff to cheer you up!” I knew he felt uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to deal with love troubles – the guy had always had the upper hand in all of his past relationships. Lucky bastard.

  His attempt still made me feel better though. And I was definitely curious about this so-called edible present he’d apparently made for me. I smiled. “Colour me intrigued.”

  Johnny grinned. “Then right this way, ma’am!” He made me follow him through to the kitchen area and made a show of opening the fridge like it was the door to Narnia. “Ta-daa!”

  I stared. “Please tell me that’s what I think it is.”

  “Yep. One pineapple upside down cake – just for you,” said Johnny proudly.

  “You are without a doubt the greatest man that ever lived,” I said solemnly.

  “Say what you like; I’m still not turning straight for you.”

  “Very funny.” I playfully punched his shoulder. “So are you trying to fatten me up or something? I know you won’t want any of this yourself.” As hard as it was to believe, Johnny actually hated pineapple. That was blasphemy in my books.

  “Of course not! It’s your birthday; you’re allowed to be naughty,” Johnny grinned again and winked at me. “Besides, that’s not all you’re getting. You also have a substantially large pile of presents waiting for you in your room.”

  “Presents?” I repeated. A substantially large pile? Just how much had he gotten me?

  Thankfully, Johnny explained. “Everyone knew you’d probably be working on your birthday so they sent everything to me to look after, since I’m the one who sees you most,” said Johnny smugly. “So now I’m just playing Birthday Claus.”

  I felt my face break into a smile. Everyone knew me so well. It was just a shame that the tables had turned and I was the only one not working tomorrow. “Thanks, Johnny. You’re the best.”

  Johnny gave me a mock bow. “I’m here to serve... But only until your birthday’s over; then I’m allowed to pick on you again.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll take what I can get! So do you fancy sticking around for a while today, since I won’t get to see you tomorrow?”

  “Honey, why do you think I’m still here?” he said pointedly. “I even brought my nail polish!”

  I groaned. I guessed I wasn’t going to get a choice in the matter this time. To be honest, my ability to choose anything had kinda disappeared from the moment I’d seen the pineapple upside cake.

  “Fine,” I sighed. “But can I moan about guys while you work?”

  “Well, what else would we talk about?”

                                                         *

  It was quite miserable after Johnny left that evening. And it wasn’t just because I now had violently pink nails. Why had he only brought pink with him? I didn’t even own anything pink.

  Ranting to Johnny about how oh so unfair my love life was had actually made me feel a lot better. But now that he’d gone, I was left to myself with just those lingering thoughts about L for company.

  I couldn’t seem to get past the idea that I wasn’t going to see him again. I knew the connection I’d felt had clearly only been one-sided, but that didn’t change the fact that I was still going to miss him like hell. That part didn’t matter whether he’d been interested or not.

  I wasn’t in the mood for reading or watching anything... Or even writing, which was usually my last resort to battle boredom. I didn’t actually feel like doing anything. These thoughts weren’t going to go away any time soon, so what was the use in trying to fight them?

  I ended up settling down on the couch with my iPod and a hefty slab of pineapple upside down cake. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d just chilled out and listened to music. The idea was suddenly very appealing.

  I slowly worked my way through the cake, only half listening to the music playing in my ears. But then when I’d finished it, I had nothing else to concentrate on and I ended up giving every lyric my full attention.

  “I know, you know that I’m not telling the truth. I know, you know they just don’t have any proof. Embrace the deception, learn how to bend. Your worst inhibition’s gonna psych you out in the end.”

  I frowned. Normally, the Psych theme tune would put me in a good mood – even though I’d seriously overplayed it in the past – but right now, the lyrics just reminded me too much of L. The whole concept sounded very much like how my relationship with him had been. I quickly hit the next button before I could hear anymore.

  “Dear, my love, haven’t you wanted to be with me? And dear, my love, haven’t you wanted to be free? I can’t keep pretending that I don’t even know you. And at sweet night you are my own...”

  My frown deepened. This just reminded me of him too. I skipped onto the next song... But that seemed all too relevant as well. And it was the same thing with the next song... And the next...

  I scowled. Was my iPod doing this on purpose? I jabbed my thumb onto the forward button even harder and “Dancing Queen” by crazy Swedish band Abba started playing (don’t ask; my auntie Maggie got me onto them). I suddenly snorted with laughter – I sure hoped that wasn’t relevant to L.

  I realised then that I was being an idiot. There was no use in moping around like this. I could find a way to relate every tiny little thing back to L if I wanted to. Subconsciously, I clearly did want to. So I was thinking about him... So what? That was only natural. I’d get past it eventually – I just had to stay strong.

  I felt a little more positive after my mini epiphany, but nevertheless, I still put my iPod away. I left my empty plate in the kitchen sink and went to sort through my DVDs. I felt I deserved a good old horror movie marathon. I was going to snuggle up in bed with my wolves and some hazelnut hot chocolate.

  I’d even eat the entire pineapple upside down cake if I felt like it.

                                                           *

  Considering everything that had happened, I slept surprisingly soundly. When I woke up, I couldn’t even remember what I’d dreamt – sexual or otherwise. Maybe cake and hot chocolate before bed was a good solution for inducing sleep. I quickly dismissed the idea as soon as I thought of it. If that was the case, then I was pretty sure that L wouldn’t be an insomniac.

  L... There I went again. I’d been awake for all of two minutes and I was already thinking about him. I sighed, trying to remind myself what I’d concluded last night. There was nothing wrong with thinking about him – I just couldn’t let it get to me.

  Easier said than done.

  I didn’t really want to lie in bed just thinking, so I soon got up and hit the shower. I felt at a bit of a loss once I was dried and dressed – once again I wasn’t used to not working and not having anything to do – so I went to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

  I eyed the pineapple upside down cake for a little while, but figured I should at least try to start the day with something a bit more healthy. So I settled for toast instead. Thankfully, I did have one thing I could do today. I’d remembered the pile of presents sat in the corner of my room, protected by my giant white wolf Moro – the only one who was too big to fit on my bed; poor thing.

  So once I’d eaten, I moved all of the presents to my lounge to start opening them. I could have just opened them in my room, but I knew that if I got lazy with clearing up afterwards, I’d be annoyed if I wanted to go to bed and it was still covered in wrapping paper. I’d learnt that from last year.

  Present opening definitely made me feel a lot happier. I’d had a pretty good haul. More books and horror movies from the twins, clothes and sweets and a replacement of my NYC perfume (the one that I’d killed after the whole fire trauma) from my mom and auntie Maggie, a brand new perfume from Johnny that was very aptly called Super G... It smelled super sweet too.

  I hate to admit it, but I actually squealed when I got to Masami’s present – Psych style pineapple slippers and the green robe to go with it. Which was actually kinda spooky, since I’d just been thinking yesterday about how I could have done with a robe. Pineapples were clearly a recurring theme for this birthday – not that I was complaining – because my old university friend Emiiya had gotten me a pineapple print dress. It was totally cute and it was a nice pastel shade of green. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but green is my favourite colour.

  Even the police officers had clearly been conferring with Johnny without my knowledge. I had a big bottle of vodka from Chad and Kenichi – we’d see how long that lasted now that I was out of work again – and Gibson had bought me a new cuddly white wolf to add to my collection, which I immediately dubbed Kiba (I’d been waiting for ages to use that one).

  When I was down to the last two presents, I heard the doorbell ring from downstairs. It wasn’t very loud up here, but I’d always attuned my hearing for it in case I missed out on a potential client. My heart skipped. Did I have a new case already? Best birthday present ever!

  I leapt up from the couch, grabbed my keys and dashed downstairs. I fumbled to unlock the door from the stairs to my office and then the front door that led outside. It was still boarded up from the break-in, but I could see a silhouette through the blinds cloaking the windows. My slowness hadn’t deterred my visitor, thankfully.

  I was a little disappointed to find that it was only the mailman. But of course, that feeling soon disappeared when I saw the package he was carrying. Another present, yay.

  “Morning,” he greeted. “Sorry if I disturbed you – this one was a little too big to fit through the letter box.”

  “No problem,” I reassured, taking the package from him. “Thanks a lot!”

  I shut the door after him, curiously looking the package over. There was a label stuck to the side saying that it was fragile, so I made sure I handled it carefully. I was too intrigued to wait until I was upstairs to open it, so I sank into my desk chair in the office instead.

  Inside the package was an ornate perfume bottle made of silver and midnight blue glass. The bottle was empty, but it looked like the glass had been hand-blown. It was stoppered with a rubber cork, topped with a very intricate glass model of a wolf in mid-howl. I stared at it in amazement. It was beautiful – the most delicate thing I’d ever seen.

  I checked the card that was tied to the neck of the bottle. It was signed with three swooping letters in familiar scrawl. I felt my heart lurch. What was he doing sending me something like this? What was he doing sending me anything at all?

  I jumped to my feet and tore the card off, throwing it into the wastepaper bin in the corner. As much as I wanted to throw the perfume bottle in there with it, I just couldn’t condone damaging something so beautiful.

  I reluctantly took the bottle back upstairs and left it on the sideboard in the lounge. I’d deal with the thoughts that came with that one later. I grabbed my two unopened presents, as well as my iPhone, and went back downstairs. Now that I’d unlocked, I figured I may as well stay in the office for a bit. I didn’t want to miss out on any potential clients just because it was my birthday.

  I sat back down at my desk with my remaining presents. The one was quite heavy, considering the small size of the box, and it didn’t have a card with it. I recognised my grandpa’s handwriting on the other and smiled. My grandpa’s presents were always a challenge.

  I went for that one first and pulled all the wrapping paper off. It was a broken clock – the face had been smashed in what looked like a very untidy ‘X’ shape. I guessed it was intentional, but it still looked like some kind of omen out of a bad horror movie.

  “Very morbid, old man,” I muttered to myself. I had to admit I had no clue what this one was about.

  I pushed it aside for now and had just picked up the final present when the doorbell rang again. Wow, I felt popular today. I got up once more, setting the present back down on the desk, and went to answer the door. It was L who was stood outside.

  I don’t know what I was more surprised about – the fact that L was on my doorstep or that he’d actually used the doorbell. Of course, the latter won out.

  “You used the doorbell,” I said, dumbfounded.

  “Well, you did keep telling me to,” he replied in his usual toneless voice. “Are you saying you’ve changed your mind?”

  I felt the same stab of frustration that I always seemed to get when I was talking to him, despite how dazed I was to see him. “No, I just mean... What are you doing here?”

  “I’ve been led to believe that it’s your birthday, so... happy birthday.” He handed me a video tape.

  I stared at it. I could only think of one possible reason why a guy would give a girl a video tape. “What is it?” I asked nervously.

  “All of the interviews collected from the Kasagi killer case,” explained L. Oh. Goddamn, I really had developed a one-track mind since last night. “Which brings me to my next point of why I’m here... I know you believe that this case isn’t over yet. And I agree.”

  My heart did a happy leap. It wasn’t over. L wasn’t going anywhere just yet. “So why didn’t you just say so yesterday?” It could have saved me a whole lot of grief, though obviously, I wasn’t going to tell him that.

  “Just a precaution,” said L. “I’m assuming now that Mr. Gibson has officially closed the case, you won’t be seeing him quite as much. I wasn’t sure if you’d be returning to the police station with him yesterday and I didn’t want to risk him figuring out that you were up to something.

  As much as I hated to admit it, it did make sense. Keeping me in the dark was the easiest option. “So we’re going to continue investigating in secret?”

  I felt a tiny thrill at that, despite how going off on vigilante missions had already gotten me into a lot of trouble. The only reason I’d been let off the hook for the last stunt of returning to a banned crime scene was because I’d actually caught the killer in the process. Well... Supposed killer. I still refused to believe that Jin Tanaka was the only enemy here.

  “Yes, we will,” replied L.

  It seemed to take my brain a little while to catch up and realise that it was now going to be just me and L working on our own. Together.

  I’d been wrong. This was the best birthday present ever.