Chief Inspector Ushikoshi was deep in conversation with Kozaburo Hamamoto, but that didn’t stop him from throwing glances in the direction of the billiard table, where he saw the junior officer start up a game with a young woman.
Eventually Togai and Yoshihiko got up and looked ready to head off to bed. They went over to Kozaburo as if to say goodnight, but for some reason he signalled to them to stay. Then Kozaburo and Ushikoshi both got up, Kozaburo called Eiko over and the five of them headed to the billiard table.
Anan, who by now was enthusiastically potting balls, noticed his boss coming in his direction and quickly stood to attention. Kozaburo smiled and urged him to continue.
Back at the dining table, Sergeant Ozaki was getting bored. He got up, threw a scornful glance towards Constable Anan at the billiard table and whispered in Chief Inspector Ushikoshi’s ear that he was going to retire for the night.
Eiko spotted the interaction and sent Chikako Hayakawa to show the Sergeant to his room. When Chikako returned, she went straight back to her seat next to her husband and the chef.
Kozaburo Hamamoto was in a cheerful mood, enthusiastically demonstrating different shots to the beginner, Anan. Chief Inspector Ushikoshi found himself surprised and impressed by the older man’s skills, but when asked if he’d like to play, he quickly demurred. Like Anan, he had never played before either.
Kozaburo turned next to Eiko and Yoshihiko.
“Constable Anan here seems to have some talent. I’m counting on you two to give him some proper coaching. “Mr Anan, I don’t mind if you’d like to keep playing all night. There are no other houses nearby, and knowing you are here all night staying awake makes me feel safer. I’ll look forward tomorrow to seeing how much improvement you’ve made. And if you’re up to it, I’ll challenge you to a game. But if you come face to face with the killer, please take a break from practising.
“Yoshihiko, Eiko, teach him well. I have a feeling this man has it in him to become quite a player after only one night of practice. And it might be a good idea for you to stay close to a policeman on a night like this one.”
For his part, Ushikoshi hadn’t seen anything in Anan that suggested he might be a billiard genius, so he found Kozaburo’s suggestion rather surprising.
“Now then, Chief Inspector, would you care to visit my room? I think it would be a great chance to get to know each other. I have a rather good bottle of cognac in there. I’m not keeping it to share with some celebrity visitor; I’d much prefer to drink it with someone I can get along with. But more than anything I’m feeling a bit vulnerable tonight, one night after someone was murdered in my house. I think that cognac will taste even better tonight if I’m drinking it with a police officer.”
“I don’t mind if I do.”
Togai, left alone at his side of the table, moved over to sit next to Sasaki. Perhaps he didn’t feel like heading back to his room alone, or maybe he just wanted the companionship.
Kozaburo was about to climb the stairs from the salon, when he suddenly stopped at the first step. He seemed to have changed his mind.
“Chief Inspector, I’d forgotten. There’s something I need to say to Mr Kikuoka. I wonder if he’s already asleep. I’m sorry to bother you, but would you mind coming with me for a moment?”
“No problem.”
The two men crossed back through the salon, and this time headed down the stairs to the basement. They stopped at the door of Room 14.
“If he’s already sleeping I feel bad about waking him…” murmured Kozaburo, knocking gently on Room 14’s door. There was no reply.
“Mr Kikuoka? It’s me, Hamamoto. Are you asleep?” he called softly. The noise of the blizzard echoed faintly in the basement corridor.
“No answer. He must already be asleep.”
Kozaburo tried turning the doorknob, but the door was locked from the inside.
“Let’s go. He’s asleep.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?” asked Ushikoshi.
“It doesn’t matter. It can wait till tomorrow.”
The two men went back upstairs. Kozaburo went to speak to the Hayakawas.
“It’s going to get very cold tonight. Please turn the heat up.”
Then Kozaburo and Ushikoshi climbed the east wing staircase. After a while, the sound of feet crossing the drawbridge mingled with the noise of the blizzard.
Kumi Aikura was not at all happy that Eiko had joined the game of billiards. As soon as Kozaburo left the game, she decided it was time to head up to her own room.
Now the occupants of the salon were down to eight: at the dinner table were Togai, looking at the sketch he had made of the flower bed, and Sasaki, reading a medical textbook. At the billiard table were Eiko, Yoshihiko and Constable Anan; and near the door to the kitchen, Mr and Mrs Hayakawa and Haruo Kajiwara.
SCENE 5
Kozaburo’s Room in the Tower
“This house is so strange and magnificent at the same time. This is another great room.” (See Fig. 6.)
“It’s just right for an old man like me to kill time. I can dabble in my sinful pleasures. I sit here asking myself why I built such a whimsical thing, and suddenly a whole day goes by… But you’re fed up with this place, aren’t you?”
“It’s one surprise after another. They’re never-ending. Hold on, is the floor of this circular room crooked too?”
“Yes, this tower is built to resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa. My plan started out to build this tower on a slant. The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans at an angle of about 5.5 degrees. This tower was built to lean at the exact same angle.”
“Wow.”
“I’m going to prepare some snacks for us. Could you excuse me a minute?”
“Sure, sure. No problem. Is there a kitchen or something through there?”
“Well, it’s not quite what you’d call a kitchen. There’s a sink and a refrigerator and a stove. Take a look if you’d like.”
“Yes, I would. This is the first time I’ve visited such an unusual building. I’m sure it’ll be useful for reference purposes…”
Kozaburo opened the door to the kitchen area and turned on the light. Ushikoshi peered in.
“Wow. There are so many windows in here too! Do they go all the way around?”
“Yes, this room has nine windows and one door, covering its whole circumference. Four of them are in the kitchen.”
“I see. The view must be excellent.”
“It is a very good view. It’s dark so you can’t see anything right now, but in the morning you can see the sea on one side. You know, you’d be welcome to stay the night here. The early morning view is the best. You won’t miss it if you spend the night. How about it? I was going to admit it to you eventually after a few glasses of brandy but I’m a little scared. I’ve come all the way up here to Hokkaido but I’ve still managed to make an enemy. If there’s a killer hiding away here somewhere, it’d be safe to say he’s likely to have me in his sights next. It’d be reassuring to think that there was a police officer in the same room all night.”
“Fine with me. But is there anywhere for me to sleep? I can only see one bed.”
“Yes, right here, under this…”
Kozaburo reached down under his own bed and pulled something out.
“See, it’s a mini version of my bed. You pull it out like a drawer.”
He took the cushions off one of the sofas and arranged them on the bed.
“Because it needs to slide under the other bed, this one doesn’t have a mattress on it.”
“Ha, another surprise. It’s all very well thought out.”
The two men sat on the sofa and drank Louis XIII cognac. The wind seemed to grow louder, drowning out the sound of the ice clinking in their glasses.