Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, Harry Potter nor And Then There Were None

Pairing: HP/L

Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

The killer, it seemed, had picked up his or her pace. At the day following Ms. Bethany Fox's death, at dawn, Doctor Lucian Marvelin had yet to be found. He had disappeared right after leaving the crime scene, almost as if he had vanished on thin air.

The detectives working on the case, Hadrian Black and Deneuve, had combed the area where he was last seen up to the last hair using a crime scene (CS) searching pattern called grid search, which consisted of segmenting the CS into smaller areas, each of them being then individually searched for evidence. No fingerprints related to the case were found, but quite a few fibres and hair strands were collected. There were some blood stains on the floor and a nearby wall. The problem was that after a certain point, there weren't any traces left by the doctor.

"Oh, come on, it's not like he can appar… I mean, teleport. How come there isn't anything here? Damn." Hadrian muttered under his breath. He looked up when he saw a blue light glow. "Ryuuzaki? What are you doing?"

"Searching for footwear tracks." He said, not once lifting his gaze from the floor, where he seemed to be following invisible shoeprints. After a moment, he looked at Hadrian, who was calmingly waiting for a more elaborated answer. "Can you pick the adhesive lifter and the fingerprint powder in my bag? Do avoid walking on the middle of the hallway, go through the corner. These marks have already been compromised as it is."

The magician complied with the request, but sent out a question as he gave the device to the detective. "Why are you using those glasses?" He gestured to his face.

The crouched man adjusted the orange tinted glasses on his face and answered, as he began powdering the substance over the invisible marks on the floor. "It filters the blue light, thus making it easier to see the luminescence of the footprints. The powder and the lifter are used to recover them. This way, we can identify who has walked through this hallway, through the foot size and strides' length, and maybe identify the killer." He then gave the powder back to Hadrian. "Put this back in the bag, and get the BLUESTAR®. There are a few footsteps with faint traces of blood here; this chemical will enhance them so we can see their path. I'm 96, 4% sure they're Dr. Marvelin's, for the killer left through the window."

Shoeprints collected and properly stashed away, the detectives then began examining the chemically-enhanced footprints. They glowed blue against the dark floor, and told a strange story.

They left the room in which Beth had been murdered, and led towards the place where the doctor and Hadrian were questioned and had their identities and contact information retrieved. Then, afterwards, the shoeprints left the flat and walked through the corridor, the distance between the marks indicating that the man walked fast, maybe a reaction from panic or shock. At the garage, however, the prints showed a struggle of some kind, between Lucian and another person, and from there the shoeprints disappeared. There were, however, tire tracks on the floor, indicating that they left in a car.

The detectives couldn't identify who had started and neither who had won the fight, but Hadrian had identified the car as being Lucian's, for its tracks started where it had been parked. The security cameras of the place, which used internet to function, were easily disabled by interfering with the internet connection of the building.

There was no doubt there on who had done this: Dr. Marvelin had been kidnapped by the Soldier Killer. Or, the opposite happened: Dr. Marvelin is the Soldier Killer and kidnapped someone.

Phoenix, once again, wasn't too pleased on learning about Deneuve's suspicions.

Ring.

Ring.

Riiing.

"Dr. Rennins talking, who is it?" The psychologist said after picking up the phone, cigar number five precariously dangling from his lips.

"Hey, doc. It's Soph." A feminine voice came through the device.

The man frowned. The words were familiar, the girl always greeted him that way, but something was off. Her tone… It was strange. Those last few weeks, every time they talked, she sounded a bit disturbed. This time, however, her voice was decidedly different. He knew it very well. She had been crying. "Miss Marvelin, what happened? You do not sound like your usual self. What made you cry so?"

She blew her nose. "Doc, remember when you called me to check up on Beth, yesterday? I asked Luc and Hadr to do it, as I was too far away from her home." She sobbed. "Oh no, I can't believe it still!" The woman blew her nose again.

Oh, God. It was severe. "Is Beth okay?" He inquired, cautiously.

"No, she isn't." Now Sophia was outright crying. "Beth's dead! And Luc simply disappeared." By then he could barely understand her. "Hadrian won't answer his phone, and I'm going mad here. Oh, Renn, I don't know what to do."

"Take a deep breath. Done? Now exhale softly." She did as he said. "Do it again, calm yourself. Pay attention, okay? I will come back to England as soon as I can. Do not fret. I will help organize Miss Fox's funeral when I get there, but, before that, we will be having some time on the divan on my office and then you can tell me everything, capisce? Now that you have calmed down a bit, could you tell me who killed your friend and probably kidnapped you brother?"

"Nobody really confirmed, but I've heard it was the Soldier Killer."

"SK? Oh my, I will be there as soon as I can." He ended the call and swiftly stood up, leaving the finished cigar on the ashtray.

Detective Daniel Hardwick was so preoccupied with solving Dr. Fox's murder case, he never took notice on anything related to the Soldier's case after the confirmation of Chief Patrice's death. He was much more interested in capturing his suspects.

On the 17th of January, a day after Dr. Fox's daughter's death, his plane took off in the direction of Australia. There, he would be joining the local police, to help capture the suspects hiding in the country. There were similar groups located in South America and Russia, searching for the rest.

He would capture the bastards, no matter what it took.

That very same day, on a secret HQ assembled inside a hotel's room located somewhere in London, a historic event happened.

L apologized.

That was definitely dramatic. Wow. Let's elaborate a bit.

The impact of such a happening was felt differently by the three people involved.

For L it was somewhat complicated. He had no idea how to apologize properly. The words got caught in his throat; he gasped, blushed (!), shut his mouth and offered a slice of tiramisu, in likelihood to one extending a white flag.

Hadrian Black, who had until then felt slightly awkward and still a bit resentful for being considered a suspect, almost felt like pardoning his friend then and there. He knew how difficult it was for the man, whom he only knew by the names Deneuve and Ryuuzaki, to apologize. But no, he had to stay firm. As he graciously accepted the plate and avoided meeting the kicked puppy expression, the magician lifted an eyebrow. "Do you know what you're apologizing for?" He asked, as if talking to a little kid.

"I am aware." Seeing as the other's face didn't change expressions, he continued. "I apologize for considering you a suspect."

"Very well." Hadrian said. "You know I can't really be angry with you because of it. I'm aware it's part of being a detective to consider every single possibility." He leaned forward on his chair. "So, what made you change your suspicions?"

"While you had the opportunity to kill all the current victims, it would be impossible for you to kidnap Mr. Lucian Marvelin, as you were accompanied all the time, first by the police, then by Waller and myself."

"Good to know we can finally go back to work together. Now, is there anything you wish to say before we go back to searching Lucian?"

"Hadrian, I…"

"Yes?"

"I lov…"

"Humm? I can't hear you."

"…"

"Say it!"

"Hadrian, I love tiramisu. Since you have forgiven me, could you give me that slice back?" the detective said, hands extended and begging eyes.

"No." The street performer said, eating a large bite of it with a fork that appeared from nowhere.

On the room next to them, one Quillish Whammy was laughing outloud. Oh, that's rich!

Sophia was on her bed, hugging her knees close to her chest as she sobbed quietly. The lights were turned off.

Everything was going down the drain.

Sophia had plans, before. A beautiful view of the future, with unicorns shitting rainbows, his brother happily married with her friend, a successful carrier and a wonderful relationship with Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome; who, by the way, had yet to make an appearance in her life.

She snorted. Now it had all been destroyed. Her world could now be resumed to gutted unicorns, a probably dead brother and a friend who was absent more often than not, no employment to speak of and no white (or would it be black?) knight to save the day.

And it was all the fault of that fucking killer.

Sophia had, at first, thought that the killer would be someone she did not know, even if the first victims were people she and/or her acquaintances knew. But, as time wore off, she began to suspect her closer friends.

It wasn't Lucian, that she knew. He would have no reason to kill his girlfriend, Victoria Williams, even if the woman was a complete bitch. Besides, she was with him at the time of some of the deaths.

Beth… Well, it could have been Beth. She certainly had the opportunity, save for tiny detail: she was now dead, very much so. And, from what Sophia had heard from Hadrian when they talked on the phone a few hours before, the body's identity was confirmed through DNA testing.

Hadrian was a sure possibility. He could have staged all of these crimes, save for Beth's. Unless… Of course, if he had killed her before going on a date with Luc. It was plausible. Should she be wary of him? She did not know. Sophia didn't know much about that specific crime scene in the first place, save that Beth was murdered by the Soldier Killer, Hadrian and Lucian found the body, and that her brother was kidnapped afterwards.

The only other close acquaintance she had, that was somewhat connected to the case, was Dr. Rennins. He had been her psychologist when she was a kid, and she visited his office from time to time. That was, in fact, the reason the man had contacted her to inquire about Beth's whereabouts. He knew that they were friends. But, the doctor was in the Netherlands, or was he?

All their conversations over the phone were international, that was for sure. But, his being outside Britain was the perfect cover for a killer. He could return to the country every time he'd kill someone, and he wouldn't be a suspect for he was believed to be out of the country. Besides, in one of their conversations, he had commented that it was a stroke of luck to be out of England for the duration of these events. He said that he was safer there. She presumed he meant that he wouldn't be targeted by the killer, but could the real meaning be that he would be safe from being scrutinized too deeply by the police? It wasn't likely, but it was a possibility.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. So it was between Black and Rennins.

Who was the killer?

A few days later, Dr. Lucian Marvelin's body was found inside the watertank located on the roof of the library where victims number 4 and 6, Mrs. Tracy and Ms. Fox, used to work at.

Thankfully, the place was still closed, and nobody had come into contact with the contaminated water.

The corpse was found floating there by a member of the group that was responsible for analyzing that specific crime scene. He had been, by chance, scrutinizing the water supply of the building, when he noticed a strange, yet very familiar, phenomenon: there were signs of decomposing organic matter in the sample he was working at. Believing that it was some kind of animal who entered the reservoir and drowned, he went there to investigate.

He wasn't expecting to find a human corpse floating inside it. Further analysis identified it as being the missing doctor.

And this all led to the current situation at the HQ: Hadrian trying to hold back his mourning and Deneuve musing outloud, for his partner's benefit (read: to distract him), about this new occurrence.

"Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; / a red herring swallowed one and then there were three." The World's Three Greatest Detectives quoted. "I was actually expecting to find this particular corpse floating in the Thames, but the watertank certainly fits. Easier to hide a body too." He stuck a lollipop inside his mouth. "Hum, I wonder what surprise our tricky killer has prepared for us next."

"You could just ask them, you know, if you concentrated in finding him or her instead of complimenting their technique." The magician paused. "By the way, I'm sure you have seen hundreds of cases involving drowning. Why is this one so different?" he inquired.

Ryuuzaki pointed to Hadrian's laptop. "Search for a file named CS evidence's analysis' results." He commanded, and went back to pacing back and forth in the room.

He did so, however, as he read through it, he still hadn't understood. "Seems normal enough to me." He said, causing the detective to approach the screen.

"Here." He pointed to something in the screen. "See this? The kidnapper's stride's length suggests a tall person, more or less Dr. Marvelin's height. The marks on the floor points to a struggle between the two, and I suspect that the kidnapper had to use some sort of substance to knock out its victim. Probably chloroform."

"And...?"

"The DNA taken from the blood samples collected at the crime scene matched two individuals: the victim and Ms. Fox. This isn't actually surprising, since Dr. Marvelin had been dripping her blood ever since he touched her body to see if she was still alive."

"Deneuve, could you go straight to the point?" He interrupted.

"Naturally. Analyzing the data, I can match four individuals." He stated.

"Who are..?"

"They all match the height, and are involved with the case in one way or another." He ate a forkful of the Japanese fruit cake that seemed to have materialized on his table somewhere during their discussion. "First of all, Sophia Marvelin. She's the only person, besides us, that knows most of the victims some way or another. The chances aren't too high, but enough to place her name in this list. Second, Dr. Rennins. Have you ever met him?" the detective inquired.

"Yes, I did, around two or three years ago. Bit of a creepy doctor, but Soph liked him well enough. It was likely her influence what made Rennins be chosen as Beth's psychologist when her mother died."

"I see." He said, crouching on an office chair. "As such, we can confirm that he's had contact with more than half of the Killer's victims, namely Victoria Williams, Mrs. Isabel Fox, Bethany Renard and Lucian Marvelin. His alibi is good, but maybe too good. Most detectives would discard him as a suspect simply because he was out of the country. However, I.D.'s and passports are easy to fake, if you are willing to pay."

"Anyone else?"

"Two other possibilities, that are rather farfetched. Either Bethany, who would be the perfect match if not for her dead body lingering upstairs at the time of the kidnapping, or Lucian Marvelin himself, which is completely plausible. If he had a previously unknown twin or a clone grown at a lab, that is."

"So… either Sophia or Dr. Rennins?" Hadrian now could see why this case was different.

"I suppose so." Ryuuzaki agreed.

Dr. Rennins' airplane arrived in British soil later that day, the 19th of January. He met Ms. Marvelin at the airport with a hand wave and a cigar dangling from his lips.

"I wonder if the day when I'll meet you and not see a cigar or cigarette will ever arrive." She teased him.

"I do not really think this will ever happen, Ms. Marvelin." He said, greeting her. "How are you feeling?"

"Not very well, you know this. With so many deaths, I fear I haven't been the most composed person these days."

"Do not worry. Helpfully, this killer will stop after the tenth death, if he is not caught before that, that is. Who is the detective working on this case, anyway? I can't seem to remember his name." The psychologist said, as the pair left the airport on a taxi.

"Deneuve." She answered. "One of the World's Three Greatest Detectives. Not The best, though. I wonder why it isn't L who picked this case, I mean, he is the best." The woman added.

"That I can answer." Her companion said. "He's currently involved on that case in Texas. Remember it?"

"I think I do. That madman who stuffs his victims with C4 like turkeys on Christmas, isn't it?"

The man nodded. "That one." He paused. "Sophia, I don't know how to ask you this…"

"Not here." She said, pointedly fixing her gaze on the back of the motorist's head. "Tell me when we arrive at your hotel. You can ask me there."

"Good idea."

A/N: Alright, I have no excuses for the delay.

I'll just say that school has started, and I didn't have nearly as much freetime to write.

Anyway, here's the answer to your reviews:

Shadow Wolf 15846: Don't worry, they'll be a couple in the end. But that will only happen when they catch the killer.

twilightserius: Wow, calm down, not everybody is dead yet (though I make no promises for the following chapters). Lol, anyway, you confused things there: Sophia isn't Lucian's twin, but rather his sister. Either way, continue searching for the killer, he/she will be revealed in a few chapters...

EveJHoang: My lips are sealed. Can't answer that question without revealing the plot. All I can say is that the patient isn't actually psychopathic. If you go back to that scene, you'll see that I wrote that they have Psychopathic traits. This means that this person has developed a behavior that has some points in common with a psychopath's. This happens, for example, in people who came from violent backgrounds. this patient does not have that kind of background, but ended up developing such traits for other reasons.

Guest: No, Harry isn't the killer. He was (and will be) suspected by other characters because, other than the killer him- herself, nobody knows who is the culprit.

Lunezx: I'm sorry for the wait. But, hey, you just discovered which you got wrong. This part I actually, for once, matched with Agatha Christie's book. I do not know if you read the book, but the doctor was the seventh to die. Can you guess who is the next victim?

kat1316: Yes, it's the same Lind. I found your reviews amusing, because the answer to them was always in the following chapters. Thanks for reading!

Now, for the not so nice news:

I do not know when the next update will be. My tests start next week and will stretch until the end of April (I have tests every Friday). I'll write the chapter bit by bit, but do not expect it too soon. Maybe by middle of March it'll be ready.

On a lighter note (which has absolutely nothing to do with fanfiction), could you guys recommend me some songs in your mother tongues? I love to hear music in different languages, but sometimes it's kind of difficult to find the good ones. I have many in English, French and German saved on my ipod, but almost nothing on other languages. Pretty please?

Thank you guys for reading!