Chapter 4: First Case

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, L, or any associated characters.

Author's Notes: Hello again. So chapter 4 is up at last, and I have a few things to apologize for. First is the mistaken placement of Wammy's house in London rather than Winchester, and secondly is I want to apologize for getting so far into L's past. It will only be one or two chapters more.

It didn't take long for L to learn about Wammy's House, and what it really was. It was an orphanage, yes, but there was more to it. The children were…well they were all a bit different. His first hint came from Near, the whit haired child he'd met on his first day, but he was most certainly not the only example. While degrees differed greatly, every child there would be a prodigy at a public school. And the environment of Wammy's House seemed specifically geared to draw out prodigious intelligence from the children.

This drive for excellence permeated every aspect of life at Wammy's House. Even when at play, the challenging puzzles and strategy games that Wammy kept made sure that the children never stopped thinking. L and near had by this time grown fond of playing each other in chess, or challenging each other to see who could put a puzzle together faster. Prodigious as Near was, L had let to lose a match to him.

Outside of play, there were classes to attend, where Wammy and some other instructors he'd hired taught the children in small groups. Near, L, and five others were in the highest class, learning material at the level of college freshman. Some of the others had trouble at first, but L and Near caught on quickly. After a few classes, L had reached the top of the class without much trouble. He was adapting to his new home better than he could have hoped.

There was one more side of Wammy's house. One that even most of the children never saw. L had known about it before he was told. He had seen the policemen who would come and talk to Wammy, and had heard snatches of conversation from outside of the doors. They were talking about ongoing investigations. He had heard them mention the names of some older children from the orphanage.

From there it wasn't hard to figure out. The police were being assisted by the children from the orphanage. Wammy was training them as private detectives. L wanted to try his hand at investigation, and see if the criminals of the world could possibly challenge him. He didn't get his chance until 4 years later, when Wammy called him into the front office of the orphanage.

He by this time was well known among the children as the most talented prodigy in Wammy's House, despite his young age. After two years as top of the class, L was moved to private lessons with Wammy, where he had learned advanced computer skills, methods of espionage, and the finer points of Criminology. By now it was no secret that he was being trained as a detective. It hadn't affected the way he spent his time very much. He still played chess with Near, now second only to L in intelligence, and in his time alone, he sat in his room with Holmes, rereading the stories he knew so well.

It was this he was doing when the staff member came to fetch him. L asked what he was needed for, but the young woman said only that Wammy had sent for him. He followed the woman into Wammy's office, and took a seat in front of the older man. He say on his feet and took up the tea cup on Wammy's table in two fingers, taking a sip. "You called for me, Quilish?" By now he was beyond the formality of last names. Many children still called him Wammy after learning his name, mostly because they found it odd. L had no qualms with odd names himself, seeing as his was a letter.

"Yes, indeed. I wanted to congratulate you, L. You have come far in your leesons thus far, and I have test for you." Wammy's signature smile was noticeably absent as he passed forward a police file for L to look through. " The police are at a loss for how it was done, but they have linked the MO to several other killings. They asked me to see if we might be of some assistance. What do you think of it?"

"You want me to catch him then?" He asked, holding the case file in two fingers. He scanned the pictures in minute detail, going from the victim to her surroundings. He soon had them all memorized. "It shouldn't be all that difficult. Do you have the files on the other victims?"

"Yes if you believe you can. I will get them for you as soon as possible, but at the moment they are with the police. Is there anything else you need?" L held the file out for Wammy, and the older man took it. He put it back inside the desk.

"I will need a laptop, but other than that it should be easy enough to solve this little mystery. A little excursion to the crime scene may also be in order." L stood and turned to leave the office. Then he stopped and turned, as if he'd forgotten something. "Oh, and Quilish? Keep an eye on this case. He is going to kill again soon." Without looking back again, L left Wammy in the office. Following him out with his eyes, Wammy's face split into a wide smile.

"Extraordinary skill, you have there L. The world was fortunate the night I found you. I only hope you reach your potential." Wammy locked his desk and left the office, headed to the police station. The sooner he had the files, the sooner L could complete the puzzle he had set before the boy.