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Chapter 2 - Familiar Footing

Mello chuckled and whipped his head around toward the door. "You might as well come out. You can't get anything past her!"

Sure enough, an elongated shadow fell over the polished wooden floor, and a moment later L appeared, his hair in usual disarray as it hung in his broody eyes. The unkempt black mop appeared to have grown longer over the half year he'd been gone, not that I cared to notice. He padded slowly up to where Mello was lounging and set down a black briefcase on the opposite facing chair, still not speaking as he opened it. I remained by the window, wondering why he had hired Mello to find out why I was out of sorts with him. Last time I'd checked, he'd been rather gifted in solving mysteries himself.

He searched through the contents of his briefcase and emerged holding a large chocolate bar wrapped in gilded paper. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to find out anything, Mello, so it's no matter." Mello's eyes lit up as he handed him the chocolate bar. "From Bern, best chocolatier I've ever encountered, with my compliments."

Mello didn't waste two seconds before he tore off the wrapper with abandon and started to devour the chocolate. "I did try," He mumbled with his mouth full. "But Grace cut me off at the pass."

L hadn't acknowledged me, but apparently that made it all right for me to be his topic of discussion. "She is one of the best, M, and there are much better infiltrating tactics you could have used to open her up. Commenting on how nice she looks today, things like that."

I crossed my arms now, indignant. "I'm not some wilting flower that melts into a puddle of goo over a compliment. That wouldn't have worked either."

The devious fool actually smiled as our eyes met. "I'm not saying it would have worked. It just should have been said."

I felt a little off center after the unexpected compliment but refused to let it show. "I hope you haven't brought another sweets shop home with you this time. Roger's been very concerned about the kids' teeth. Cavity rates tend to spike when you're in the country."

He shrugged and rummaged back in his briefcase, at last producing another gold box tied with a red ribbon. "I suppose you won't want these truffles, then?"

Typical male, appeasing a woman with chocolate. Unfortunately, this woman loved it more than Mello. I cleared my throat and looked at him with surprise. "Well, er, thank you. You actually remembered I like truffles?"

L nodded and stuck out his arm to give me the box. "I find it of importance to remember what everyone likes."

I received the present and felt guilty. In the space of five minutes, L had given me several compliments and sweets, I couldn't exactly be angry at him right then.

I decided to make an effort to be cordial. "You look well. Er, are those new trainers?"

He blinked and then gave his footwear a cursory glance, a pair of beat up tennis shoes that were coming apart at the soles. "No... new shirt?"

New shirt? He wore the same thing every day, even my detecting skills wouldn't have noticed that.

"Oh." I floundered, feeling heat rise in my cheeks. "It's a nice color." White, it was always white, I needed to stop saying such strange things. He had been able to disarm me without even trying. It was infuriating.

The bells of the ancient church on the property tolled then, and Mello leapt up from the chair, his half-eaten candy bar in hand. "Crap, time for my psychology lesson. Gotta run. Glad to see you back, L. See you at supper, G!" he tore out of the room, slamming the library door behind him. I cringed, wishing I could run out of there with him.

With L watching me strangely, I reseated myself by the window and placed my hands in my lap, playing with the ribbon on my truffle box, thinking maybe he'd leave if I didn't engage him. Instead of making his exit, L broke his gaze, crossed to the other wall of books and began running his fingers along the shelves of leather bound spines like a schoolboy playing along a park fence.