“You really think so?”
“Yes. Maybe it’s not significant after all,” declared Misaki breezily, bringing the discussion to an end.
Kaga appeared just after lunch. Masayo listened in on the exchange between Misaki and the detective from the accounts desk at the back.
“Around what time on the twelfth was the top purchased?”
“Just after six, I’d guess. It was just starting to get dark.”
“Do you remember anything about the person who bought it?”
“It was a middle-aged man, not especially tall, and he was wearing a suit. Looked to me like he was on his way home from the office.” Misaki reeled off her answer smoothly thanks to the heads-up she’d got from Masayo.
“If you saw a photo, do you think you could identify him?”
“Oh, I doubt it. I hardly look at the customers’ faces at all. I tend to see more of their backs and their hands.”
I need to have a word with the girl, thought Masayo, when she overheard Misaki’s answer. How can she figure out what the customers are looking for without at least a discreet peek at their faces?
“Did anything about him stick in your mind? Anything. It doesn’t matter how trivial.”
Misaki tilted her head quizzically. “I can’t really think of anything...”
“The top comes in three sizes: small, medium, and large. Did he go right for the small size?”
“Hmmm. I was busy serving another customer, so I can’t really be sure. I think he spent a while standing looking at the tops.” Once again, Misaki’s response was less than scintillating.
“Interesting.” Kaga nodded, then turned to Masayo. “And you’ve not sold any other tops since the twelfth, right?”
“Except the one you bought yesterday, Detective.”
“Right. Okay then, give me all the tops you have on display outside. I’ll pay for them, of course.”
“All of them?”
“Yes, the whole lot. There’s no need to wrap them up. How much is it?” Kaga pulled out his wallet.
“Excuse me, Detective?” said Masayo, seizing the moment. “Is there any link between our tops and the Kodenmacho murder? Are they going to end up being used as evidence of something?”
Kaga’s hands froze on his wallet and his eyes widened. The question had obviously caught him off guard. He blinked as he looked first at Masayo, then at Misaki, then gave a small, self-deprecating smile.
“In this neighborhood, everyone knows everyone else. Rumors travel fast.”
“Is that a yes?”
Kaga paused a moment, before shaking his head slowly and seriously.
“Your tops have no link to the case. And the fact that they have no link is what makes them important.”
Masayo frowned. “What that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll be able to explain one of these days. You’ll just have to be patient for now, though. Could I get a receipt, please?” he said, as he extracted a ten-thousand-yen note from his wallet.
2
Reiko Kishida was looking over the pizza menu when her cell phone started vibrating on the table. Reiko’s mouth turned down at the corners when she saw the name on the screen. Her father-in-law was calling, but she didn’t want to pick up. She knew what he wanted. She stared at her phone a moment more, then picked it up.
“Hi, this is Reiko.”
“Hello, it’s me. Katsuya told me the police were at your place?”
“That’s right. They came by the day before yesterday.”
“Yeah? I’m actually in the neighborhood. Do you mind if I swing by your place?”
“Right now? You can if you want, but Katsuya isn’t back yet. He’s going to be out late tonight.” Reiko tried to sound as unenthusiastic as possible. She didn’t want her father-in-law coming around, and she didn’t care if he knew it. In fact, all the better if he did know.
His reaction was not what she’d hoped for.
“Is he? Well, no matter. You’re the one I want to talk to. You were the one who talked to the police.”
“Yes, but—”
“I just want you to tell me what happened. I’ll be there in ten minutes or so. Sorry to barge in on you.”
The phone went dead.
If you’re really so darn sorry, then maybe try not coming? Reiko glared at her cell phone. She was kicking herself for picking up. Her father-in-law, who lived alone, was a master at cooking up reasons for dropping in on them. How many times had he done so this month already?
Reiko looked around the living room. Not even the most charitable person could describe it as tidy. Shota’s toys and women’s magazines littered the floor, and the sofa was buried under clothes that people had flung onto it.
What a pain in the ass, she thought, getting to her feet. She decided to hide the pizza delivery menu as well as tidy up. She didn’t want to be criticized for failing to cook a proper meal again tonight.
She was busy tidying when Shota, who was supposed to be asleep in the next room, ambled in.
“What are you doing, Mom?”
“Cleaning up a bit. Grandpa will be here any minute.”
“Grandpa’s coming?” The eyes of her five-year-old son lit up.
“I don’t think he’ll stay long. You know Grandpa: always busy.”
Reiko hoped that would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
A few minutes later, the front door intercom buzzed.
It was Yosaku Kishida, her father-in-law. He had brought along some cream puffs. Shota was crazy about the things.
“Sorry to barge in at dinnertime. Are you busy cooking?”
Yosaku looked toward the kitchen as he settled himself in an armchair.
“Actually, I only got back a few minutes ago. I was about to get started on the dinner,” Reiko said, handing her father-in-law a glass of barley tea. She glanced down at Shota, who was trying to pry open his grandfather’s briefcase. “Shota, stop it.”
“I’m sorry. Bad timing.” Yosaku pulled his briefcase toward him and took a swig of barley tea. “I’ll be as quick as I can. What did the police want to know?”
“It was no big deal. They just wanted to know what time you dropped by the evening of the tenth, stuff like that.”
“Tell me more.”
“More?” Reiko looked down at the table.
There had been two of them, a Detective Uesugi of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and a Detective Kaga from the Nihonbashi precinct. Reiko had never met real-life detectives before.
Uesugi had done most of the talking. They were crosschecking statements from different people connected to an ongoing investigation, he explained. He started out by asking whether Yosaku had visited on the evening of June 10. When Reiko confirmed that he had, Uesugi requested specifics. She told him exactly what had happened in detail; namely, that her father-in-law arrived at around eight o’clock and stayed for roughly one hour.
“Then he wanted to know what we’d talked about. I said that we discussed the preparations for Granny’s death anniversary.”
That was the truth. Reiko had gotten a call from Yosaku at lunchtime that day to say that he was going to come to discuss the arrangements. Reiko remembered how relieved she’d been when he said he’d be there after dinner.
“Did they ask you anything else?” Yosaku was staring at her with a searching look in his eyes. It made Reiko uncomfortable.
“Anything else...”
While Reiko was trying to remember, Shota, who had been playing happily by himself, came up to them.
“Grandpa, will you spin this for me?” he said, holding out a spinning top and a length of string.
“Oh, yeah. Later, okay?” Yosaku patted his grandson’s head.
“That reminds me. They did ask about the top.”