The figure in the bright yellow dress disappeared around the corner like a shaft of glaring sunlight, briefly scattering the gloom over Vienna's streets, only to leave deeper questions behind. Was she friend or foe? Another L's agent? Or a more dangerous temptation sent by the Deep Nest?
There was no time to dwell on it. The stalker named Hans had been drawn away for now, but the danger was far from over. The notebook's uncontrollable agitation moments earlier had sounded the shrillest alarm of all. It was growing harder to suppress, like a bomb strapped to my body that could detonate at any moment.
The Cemetery of the Nameless. I had to act immediately. I couldn't wait any longer.
I hurried out of the little square and turned into a more tangled network of alleys, using the city map and my instincts to shake off any other possible watchers. At the same time, my mind raced through every clue about the "key."
The old shopkeeper had said, "Without the key, no one can enter the true 'door.'" It couldn't be a physical key, or countless explorers would have cracked the mystery long ago. It was more likely a symbol, a password, or... a particular "qualification."
The cemetery supposedly held "nameless corpses and forbidden knowledge." Could the key have something to do with the "nameless" or the "forbidden"? Did it require a special "offering"? Or did some paradoxical condition have to be met?
Another thought surfaced: the Death Note itself was the ultimate "forbidden object." Could it serve as the "key"?
The thought sent a chill through me. Bringing the notebook near a place like that would be like tossing a torch into an ammunition depot. But right now, there seemed to be no better option. The notebook was on