So yes, this is the last chapter in this story. I enjoyed writing this one very much. Probably one of my favorites (not that I've written a lot of fan fictions to begin with but this definitely goes in the top two). Thank you for all of your reviews and ...enjoy!

Chapter 4: Motive

The young detective lay across his bed in his room. Carlisle was doing the same on the bed across from him. He must have been very bored since normally Carlisle tried to avoid L at all costs. Carlisle simply had nothing to do on account that it had started raining again along with some thunder and lightning. The two wondered when this rain would come to an end or if it would ever end.

"Hey L," Carlisle finally said. L turned his pitch black eyes towards his roommate with interest. "You're looking for Mary Jane's locket, right?" Carlisle asked. Little L nodded in the affirmative. "Well I just wanted to let you know, Brutus didn't take it."

L did not speak about this new information. He merely stared at Carlisle for a moment, attempting to see if he could find any hint of faltering in Carlisle's face. But the boy looked at him with honest eyes. Either Carlisle truly believed Brutus was innocent or Brutus was not the criminal in this case.

"How do you know?" L asked with interest.

"Because he went back to the art room to finish his painting last night. Ms. Doyle said he could and would save his dessert for him," Carlisle explained. L nodded as he soaked in the information. Well, it certainly made sense to why there was no motive. However, it did not make sense to the fact that L found the locket under his mattress last night. Unless some one had framed Brutus to clear their own name which was entirely possible. But how could he be sure?

"Even if Brutus did not take the locket, he still moved it," L finally said. There was no doubt about that. He had to move it in order to avoid punishment. Where was the question and who was the true criminal in this case? Perhaps L needed to go and speak with Ms. Doyle on the matter.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Walking down the corridors late at night in the middle of a thunderstorm made the entire orphanage seem like a completely different place. It even caused L to use his imagination a bit. Normally, he never used that part of the brain that allowed children to dream and imagine castles, kidnapped princesses, daring heroes, dragons, fairies, and other fairy tale creatures that existed in the small mind of children. However, L could not help but to imagine that he was in some sort of dungeon in a complex castle as lightning streaked across the windows followed by the roar of thunder. He had to be brave for he was the princess's knight in shining armor and he just had to find her missing heirloom. If he did not succeed, how was he ever going to win "fair lady's heart"?

L slowly opened the door to the dark dinning hall. Half expecting to see a fire breathing dragon, he slowly crept along the tables hoping to find Ms. Doyle. He kept thinking to himself that it was pointless to pretend about this sort of thing. It was not like dragons and fairies were real to begin with. What had he been thinking?

Maybe you should try being a kid for once in your life...

Those words seemed to echo in the back of L's mind. Perhaps he should take Mary Jane's advice and act like a child once in a while. Who knows maybe he would enjoy it. He enjoyed the idea of being a hero, a symbol of justice. That is right: he was justice and he could not wait until he received his next case however big or small it may be.

The sudden brightness in the dark room startled L for a moment. He quickly turned in all directions, panicked. To his relief, he saw Ms. Doyle standing by the kitchen door. Her crystal blue eyes looked down at him with affection.

"L? What are you doing out here so late?" Ms. Doyle asked.

"Ms. Doyle, I need to ask you a question," L said.

"Oh? Well what is it?"

"Did you allow Brutus to leave the dining hall early last night so he could finish a painting of some sort and promise him his dessert when he returned?" L asked.

"Yes," Ms. Doyle nodded, "Why?"

"He is a suspect in the crime against stealing Mary Jane's locket," L answered. Ms. Doyle laughed slightly at his comment.

"I don't think he took Mary Jane's locket L. Sometimes he acts a bit tough but that doesn't make him a bad kid."

"He placed me in a cupboard an entire night," L said flatly.

"Some children react differently when they lose their parents," Ms. Doyle answered. She smiled and patted his head lightly. L smiled back weakly. The boy was about to depart in order to possibly find more clues until Ms. Doyle took his hand and began to lead him towards the kitchen.

"I'm sure you'll want some brain food," she explained. The kitchen was much bigger than he anticipated it to be. It looked as though the kitchen belonged to a five star restaurant. The only part of the kitchen that seemed to give a homey feeling to it was a small table and chair that was placed near one of the many sinks. L took his seat at the small table resting his feet against the edge of the chair, crouching over the edge of the table. Ms. Doyle remained silent as she placed a small cupcake from that night's dessert in front of him. L immediately began to devour the tiny cupcake.

"I swear L, one of these days you are going to gain a lot of weight from eating sweets so much," Ms. Doyle said, shaking her head in disapproval at herself for providing the cupcake in the first place.

"Estelle claims it is due to my high metabolism," L replied as he began to lick the paper cupcake holder for any crumbs.

"Maybe it's because you think too much," Ms. Doyle offered. L shrugged at this comment though he enjoyed this theory much more than the other one.

"Ms. Doyle, do you know where Brutus would hide the locket if he had it?" L asked.

"In his room but that doesn't matter since he didn't do it," Ms. Doyle said as she now handed him a glass of milk. L placed his finger to the tip of his lips to think for a moment before he took a sip of the milk that had been provided for him. He was missing a very key part in this case but what he did not know.

After finishing his milk, L sighed from both the fact he had no leads and from the fullness the milk had provided for him. The tiny detective even managed to yawn drowsily. Even great minds have their limits and L had finally reached his for the day. Ms Doyle promptly took the cup of milk from the boy and placed it in a sink. She then picked him up, for he was surprisingly very light, and began to bring him to his room.

L's eyes immediately closed as soon as his head rested on Ms. Doyle's shoulder. He normally did not like it when he was treated like a child but he guessed he could make an exception. All children, at some point or another, need a parent's love in their lives. L could not remember the last time he had felt a mother's love before but he supposed this was close enough. He stirred slightly in Ms. Doyle's arms at the remembrance of his own mother and the painful memories it brought back. Could he even remember his parents anymore? L wondered if his mother ever sung him a lullaby or perhaps told him stories about the dragons, fairies, princesses, and knights in shining armor. Maybe he would find out some day and if not maybe he could experience those sorts of memories again with someone else. But who would ever want to adopt him? L clearly was not like any of the normal children. For all he knew, he could end up spending his childhood alone. Mr. Wammy and Ms. Doyle were the closest things he had to parents.

L was half asleep when he felt Ms. Doyle placing him gently in his bed. A brief kiss on the forehead was the last thing the young boy remembered before drifting off to a peaceful sleep, something he had not experienced for a very long time.

I didn't steal any locket.

Why would he take Mary Jane's locket?

The first day I came here he broke my favorite bow for my violin. And just yesterday, right before we came here to dinner, I had to go back to our room because he got mud all over my shirt!

Because he went back to the art room to finish his painting last night. Ms. Doyle said he could and would save his dessert for him.

He placed me in a cupboard an entire night.

"Mr. Wammy," L said as he knocked on the door to Mr. Wammy's office, "May I come in?"

"L? Yes of course," Mr. Wammy's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Little L poked his head from the other side of the door and walked in. Mr. Wammy motioned for L to take a seat in front of his desk just as he had done the previous day. "Is something wrong L?" Mr. Wammy asked.

"No, I wanted to do this properly. May I have a search warrant for Brutus' room?" the little detective asked. Mr. Wammy began to chuckle at the young boy's request.

"I'm afraid I don't have any search warrants on me at the moment," Mr. Wammy answered, "But I believe it will be alright if I accompany you to his room." Mr. Wammy stood up from his desk and the two left his office for Brutus' room. Along the way, L motioned for Mr. Wammy to halt for a moment.

"We need to get Mary Jane and Estelle too," L explained.

"Yes of course," Mr. Wammy said. It was only a moment before L had acquired his two friends that the four were soon in Brutus' room. L stood in the center of the room, ready to present his case. Just as he was about to start, Brutus' jeers could be heard from just down the hall.

"Why is everyone in my room?" Brutus nearly snapped but was wise enough to maintain some self control in the presence of Mr. Wammy. Charlie and Chester did not dare to say a word. L waited patiently for Mr. Wammy to keep Brutus quiet as he scratched his bare foot with his other foot.

"L, please begin," Mr. Wammy finally said. L nodded and motioned to the tiny cupboard in Brutus' room.

"Mary Jane's locket should be up there somewhere. I realized that he would have probably re-hid it someplace that I could not reach." Mr. Wammy walked towards the location that L was pointing to. Within moments he pulled out Mary Jane's gold locket. She smiled brightly at the little trinket as Mr. Wammy handed it to her.

"Mr. Mason you have quite a bit of explaining to do," Mr. Wammy said.

"Oh, Brutus didn't take it Mr. Wammy," L replied, "He only re-hid it so no one would find it and charge him of the crime. The real culprit is Estelle."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Estelle exclaimed.

"But it explains everything," L said, "You said yourself that you didn't like him for breaking your violin bow. You took Mary Jane's locket and slipped it under his mattress when you went to go back and change your shirt. It was easy for you to find it in the first place since you two share a room and that would explain why Brutus had no idea with what I was talking about last night. It was a setup from the beginning: to get Brutus in trouble. I do not have any proof of this of course but I think it is best that you confess."

"Estelle, is this true?" Mr. Wammy asked the little girl. She nodded in dismay. "I see," Mr. Wammy said. He then turned towards L and patted his head. "Well done Mr. Lawliet. Now, Estelle, I think you should come to my office." Estelle sighed and began to walk with Mr. Wammy towards his office. She knew that there was no point in denying it any longer.

Mary Jane placed the locket around her neck. She then wrapped her arms around the detective. L's body immediately tensed at this gesture.

"Thank you L," she said.

"Uhh...you're welcome," L replied awkwardly. Hinting at his discomfort, Mary Jane let go.

"Hey come on L, let's go ask Carlisle to play Cluedo with us," Mary Jane said.

"Cluedo?" L asked.

"Uh-huh. It'll help you practice on solving murder mysteries. You know so you can become a detective," Mary Jane said. L simply shrugged and followed his little playmate out of Brutus' room thus ending the detective's case.

The Memories that Pass us By

L checked the small clock in the corner of his computer screen. Two twenty five the clock read. He sighed. Another day with no leads to solve the Kira Case. How much longer was this going to last? He stabbed his fork into a piece of chocolate cake with little enthusiasm. As he shoved the piece into his mouth he glared at the handcuff that encircled his wrist. Something else he wished would come to an end soon. He knew however, that it was a precaution to ensure his own safety and the safety of others.

"Hey Ryuzaki may I ask you something?" Light said to break the silence. L turned to face his captive, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Ask away though I cannot make any promises that I will be able to answer it," L said. Light stared at him for a moment, as though this was another challenge. His expression soon changed, however, to one filled with curiosity.

"What was your first case?" Light asked the world famous detective. L did not answer for a moment and Light could tell that above the bags due to lack of sleep his eyes now showed intensity.

"My first case was for a little orphan girl. It was a very simple case. Her name was Mary Jane," L answered.

"Was? Did something happen to her?" Light asked. The detective paused for a moment unsure if he should answer that question.

"She was adopted about a year after I solved her case. At age fifteen, she was murdered. I don't think I need to explain the details of the case," L replied, his voice showing no hint of emotion even though it was a painful memory. One he did not like to remember.

"Is that why you became a detective?" Light asked.

"Now that is something I cannot answer," L said. He knew these sorts of questions were leading to even more personal questions, ones he did not wish to discuss. Light did not want to press the matter any further and the two continued their research in silence.