Puppet 2 - Missing

Puppet Chapter Two

- Watari-san… where’s my cake? – mumbled L, burring his nose into keyboard.
- Matsuda isn’t back yet, - replied Watari with silent sound of guilt in his voice, stroking his ward’s shaggy hair.
- That was very unwise of you to send him for such important duty. He certainly forgot all the addresses you told him, – detective twisted down to get some hidden box from under his armchair, where he had some sweet stuff for extracases like that one, - that’s a pity I’ll have to take some from here now… - he took a box with some frozen strawberries and began to lick them one after another. – It seems so certain to me that new deaths occurred when we let Amane Misa leave our supervised area…
- Calm down, my child… - Watari suddenly interrupted Ryuzaki and rised him up from the chair, as if he was a five-year-old boy – Kira left to his apartments for sleep, and I want you to sleep at last – you were so tired you didn’t even notice he’d left – added he, noticing L’s amazed expression.
- But Watari-san, coffee…
- Enough, I see, that’s all enough for you. Don’t worry, noone’s gonna notice your absence – they won’t wake up before you, - he carried his boy with him and landed on a sofa, where, as if some command was given, L fell asleep, touchingly sucking his thumb, right on his tutor’s knees.
When after about six hours everyone from the NPA was awake, the greatest detective was sitting on his chair and staring at the dozens of monitors and analyzing the surroundings attentively, as if nothing changed while they were sleeping. Nobody mentioned, that these usual shadows under his eyes were not as bright as always, and his lips were distorted with some strange half-smile. But there was one fact that made them worried – noone could find Matsuda anywhere. He was just gone, noone could say where and how, exept perhaps that silent pale boy and an oldman behind him, that explained, that he’d just sent him to find a cake. Though Soichiro Yagami reviewed the records of all the building to find his missing favorite employee. Certained of the fact Ryuzaki told the truth, he calmed down, but in the evening his worries stroke again – Touta was still away.
- Ryuzaki. I understand it’s not in your plans to rescue that incoherent guy from any trouble or any circumstances which made him stay anywhere for so long, but could you please check the cameras, which could detect his trajectory?
- I’m sure, if something happened, he’d use his belt to let us know… - replied L droningly, spitting a cherry stone on a plate with piece of cake. Mogi was more fortunate in Matsuda’s mission of getting something sweet. – If only that idiot didn’t fall asleep somewhere…
- Asleep?! Ryzaki, that’s ridiculous! I insist you to help me finding him! – chief was getting really nervous, not expecting any positive result from this conversation.
- Your luck, Yagami-san, I have good mood today… - he hit some commands on his labtop and many records appeared on the unnumbered screens, displaying everything that had happened around the headquarters’ this morning. Soichiro could see Touta leaving the building, weakly walking in the direction he didn’t know himself, dodging from one house to another. His shaky silhouette appeared here and there on the screens, and everyone could see on his face the careless expression of annoyed man, who’s only desire was to sleep. Anyone on Ryuzaki’s place would feel Soichiro’s boiling anger.
- Sending sleepy Matsuda at four in the morning god-knows-where not giving him coffee?! THAT’S TRUE VIOLENCE!!! Where’s he now!? – as an answer he’d got L’s silence and stopped figure of the sleepy cop, watching something shiny. Or maybe his own face was shining with some dreamy happiness, like the one he’d seen at his face, when in the middle of the investigation Touta’d seen some beautifully shaped cloud, blossoming sakura or bright star, that made him completely forget what he was after and he began to improvise hokku. As he could see now, Matsuda had the same facial expression as he did at such moments – his lips shaped into a childish smile and he entered somewhere. L’s finger hit the space-key.
- That’s not so far from here. It’s 70% chance that he’s still inside that building. You can chek it now, Yagami-san, it’s a 24hour shop. Judging by the image from there screens I can’t say it’s profile, but there is 40% probability, that in Matsuda’s case there were toys. – L gave Yagami a commanding eyesight, that’d thrown away any objections.