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the building and the applied to extra people as well. They couldn’t risk being noticed.

“Don’t worry There is no chance the killer will notice. One them is a professional infiltrator, and the other one is a professional trickster. I can’t tell you more, since you are an FBI agent, but specifically, a thief and a con-man. I had one posted near each room.”

“A thief… and a con-man?” What was he saying? Was this some sort of joke? “So, Naomi Misora,” L said, wrapping up.

But Misora hastily stammered, “Um, er, L...” but then she hesitated, not sure if she should ask this or not.

“You know the killer, right?” “Yes, as I said. He is B,”

“I don’t mean like that... I mean, he’s someone you know personally?”

On the 16th, L had said he had known all along that the killer B, and she had sort of known ever since, but two days before, he had said something that changed her guess to conviction. Whatever you do, please catch the killer. The century’s greatest detective, L, would never say that about some ordinary indiscriminate serial killer. And the way his name was just one letter long...

“Yes,” the synthetic voice agreed.

As if he didn’t mind being asked at all.

“But Naomi Misora, please keep that in the strictest confidence. The backup I have stationed near the condo, and the thief and con- man inside it have not been told what case they are working on. They are better off not knowing. Since you asked, I don’t mind telling you, but generally speaking it was also something you were better off not knowing.”

“I know. Either way, whoever B is, he is a dangerous criminal who has claimed the lives of three people for no good reason. But there is one thing I wanted to ask.”

“What?”

“You know the killer, but you have nothing to do with him?” This was...

To Naomi Misora, this was about the same as asking if you could pull the trigger on a child.

“I have nothing to do with him,” L said. “To be completely accurate, I do not even know B. He is simply someone I am aware of. But none of this affects my judgment. Certainly, I was interested in this case, and began to investigate it because I knew who the killer was. But that did not alter the way I investigated it, or the manner in which my investigation proceeded. Naomi Misora, I cannot overlook evil. I cannot forgive it. It does not matter if I know the person who commits evil or not. I am only interested injustice.”

“Only... in justice…” Misora gasped. “Then... nothing else matters?” “I wouldn’t say that, but it is not a priority.”

“You won’t forgive any evil, no matter what the evil is?” “I wouldn’t say that, but it is not a priority.”

“But...”

Like a thirteen-year-old victim. “There are people who justice cannot save.” Like a thirteen-year old criminal. “And there are people who evil can save.”

“There are. But even so,” L said, his tone not changing at all, as if gently admonishing Naomi Misora. “Justice has more power than anything else.”

“Power? By power... you mean strength?”

“No. I mean kindness.” He said it so easily. Misora almost dropped the phone

The century’s greatest detective, L. The detective of justice, L. Who solved every case, no matter how difficult... “I misunderstood you, L.”

“Did you? Well, I’m glad we cleared that up.” “I’ll go back to work now.”

“Very well.”

She folded her phone and closed her eyes. Whew. She did not find herself spinning.

She had just heard a word that sounded good to her. She’d been told something she needed to hear. Perhaps she’d just been manipulated.

None of her problems had been solved. Her confusion remained. She still lacked resolve. She felt like something had changed, but by tomorrow it would undoubtedly be back to normal. But even so, for the 

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