Snippet #2192741

Cosette lifted the cup of tea to her lips. Tisane. A favorite of hers. It was steamy and soothing and helped her think. After a delicate sip, she set down the little teacup and took out her ever-present fan, folding it open with a quick snap of her wrist. As she idly fanned herself, her mind drifted towards the Kira case and the upcoming meeting with that young police officer—what was his name, again? Yoshida, wasn't it? She thought for a moment, then nodded to herself. That was right, Yoshida was all he gave. Probably his last name, or even just an alias. Though I suppose it hardly matters in the end, Cosette mused to herself. He wouldn't be the only one covering up his identity, after all, and it wasn't as if she had any room to talk.

It was unfortunate, all this suspicion and mistrust. Unfortunate and tiresome. But if Cosette's hunch was by any chance accurate at all, then names were very dangerous things indeed.

Ding. The soft peal of a mechanical bell sounded on the computer. An alert. Cosette checked her messages, and then closed her eyes, pleased. Speaking of names…

"Oh, Caron," she murmured. "You really do have the best timing."

James Caron, National Police Chief from back home, had sent her the materials she'd requested. She scanned the file, checking the background information, and then nodded. Three people. Two names. It was absolutely perfect for her needs.

The first files displayed the Harman twins, Charles and Brian, recently convicted of the kidnapping and murder of two five-year-old children.

The third file depicted a large man with a face riddled in knotted scars. There was no name; all the scars on the man's face made it hard to identify who he was. They did, however, get a clear snapshot of him, courtesy of a security camera—hence the photograph. He was a brutal man—nicknamed Le Vautrin—and was wanted for a litany of crimes including drug possession, rape, and robbery.

Overall, it was ideal. High profile criminals, yet to be broadcasted to the world. Not only that, but these criminals had committed heinous crimes—the kinds that Kira never ignored. Now, Cosette normally liked to retain judgement on matters she had limited knowledge of, but some of the things these people had done were truly atrocious.

It had crossed her mind, of course, that notifying Kira of their existence could potentially be condemning them to death. She didn't exactly like it, but sometimes these things had to be done. As the old saying went, one couldn't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and she'd definitely choose these particular people over an innocent any day. It wasn't her style, all this gambling upon lives, but then again Kira was a special case. Another day he or she continued to operate uncaught was another day fraught with death and fear and unrest.

"C, the liaison has arrived," came Pierre's steady voice through the speaker. "Shall I greet him?"

"Please do," she said. Unlike yesterday, the police officer had arrived exactly on time today. Better, she thought grudgingly. Taking another sip of her tisane, Cosette observed the young man enter Aragawa Cafe through the camera on Pierre's glasses. They—namely, she and Pierre—had decided to continue this particular approach, despite Officer Yoshida's admonishments. It was best to err on the side of caution for now, at least until they were sure the police would cooperate. Of course, Cosette was largely unconcerned on this front. There was, after all, very little reason for the police not to cooperate with them. The Kira case was going to be a tricky one, and warranted all the help the police could get.

Cosette was mildly surprised that she was looking forward to this impromptu little partnership. Normally, she preferred working alone, perfectionist that she was. But this Yoshida fellow was very sharp. He was observant, meticulous, professional. It spoke well of the Tokyo police department. Implied good things about the future.

On the screen, she watched as her faithful butler rose to greet the officer and usher him toward a secluded table. She glanced to the screen on her left, letting Pierre handle the social niceties while she gave the files another once-over.

For now, this will be enough. Now to see the officer's response.