Kusanagi nodded, looking back at the wall hanging. Though at a glance it looked like the colours that made up the patchwork had been chosen on a whim, he imagined he could see the mind of the quilter at play in the curves and arrangement of the pieces, and it brought a smile to his face.
The balcony ran the length of one side of the room and was fairly wide, though the tightly packed planters made it difficult for even one person to navigate.
Ayane picked up an empty aluminium can from the corner. ‘Isn’t this neat?’ she said, holding it out to Kusanagi where he waited by the sliding glass door.
Several small holes had been opened in the bottom of the can. She used it to scoop water out of the bucket, then held the can over the planters, letting the water trickle from the holes like a shower.
‘Ha! A homemade watering can.’
‘Exactly. It would be hard to get water out of the bucket into a real watering can, so I used an awl to punch holes in this soft drink can.’
‘Good idea.’
‘Isn’t it? Of course, he never could understand why I’d even bother having flowers up here in the first place …’ Ayane’s face tensed and she squatted down on the balcony. The water from the little can was drizzling on her slipper.
‘Mrs Mashiba?’ Kusanagi called out.
‘I’m sorry. I … I just can’t believe he’s gone.’
‘No one expects you to.’
‘We were only married a year. One year. I’d just got used to my new life … started to figure out those things couples know. What he likes to eat, what he drinks … We had so many things planned.’
Kusanagi watched her, one hand over her face, her head hanging. He couldn’t think of anything to say. The bright flowers around her suddenly looked garishly out of place.
‘Sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I know I’m not much help to you like this. I should be … I need to be stronger.’
‘We can come back to ask our questions another day,’ Kusanagi said without thinking. Immediately he saw Mamiya in his mind’s eye, grimacing.
‘No, that’s all right. I need to know what happened myself. I just can’t understand it. Why would he have drunk poison—?’
She was interrupted by the chiming of the doorbell. She stood, startled, and looked over the balcony railing.
‘Hiromi!’ she called out, giving a little wave of her hand.
‘Ms Wakayama’s here?’ Kusanagi asked.
Ayane nodded and moved back inside.
Kusanagi followed her down the stairs. Utsumi was in the hallway, going to answer the door. Kusanagi caught up to her by the entrance and whispered, ‘It’s Hiromi Wakayama.’
Ayane walked past them and opened the door. Hiromi Wakayama was standing outside.
‘Hiromi, come in,’ Ayane said, her voice choking.
‘Are you okay, Mrs Mashiba?’
‘I’m all right. Thanks …’
Ayane stepped out through the door to embrace her visitor. Then she began to cry out loud, sobbing like a child.
FIVE
Ayane stepped away from Hiromi. ‘Sorry,’ she murmured, wiping at her eyes. ‘I thought I could hold it back, but when I saw you … I’m fine now. Sorry.’
Kusanagi felt his stomach knotting as he watched the widow attempt a smile. She needs to be alone.
‘Is there anything I can do?’ Hiromi asked.
Ayane shook her head. ‘Just being here is enough. And honestly, I’m having trouble thinking of anything at all right now. Please, come in. I’d like to hear about what happened.’
‘Actually, Mrs Mashiba,’ Kusanagi broke in, flustered. ‘We’d also like to speak with Ms Wakayama. Things were a little rushed last night, and there are some gaps that need filling.’
Hiromi looked confused.
‘You’d be welcome to join us,’ Ayane said.
The detective cursed inwardly. She’s missed the point entirely. ‘Actually, we’ll need to speak with her first, if you don’t mind.’
Ayane blinked. ‘But I want to hear what happened, too. That’s why I asked her here.’
‘Mrs Mashiba?’ Mamiya joined in. Kusanagi wasn’t sure how long the chief had been standing behind him. ‘I’m sorry, but there are certain police procedures that need to be followed. If you could let Detective Kusanagi speak with her first …? This is really all just about filling in the blanks, taking care of paperwork, but if we don’t do things in the proper manner, we might run into trouble later on.’
Classic passive-aggressive cop, Kusanagi thought amusedly.
Ayane frowned. ‘All right. So, where should I be?’
‘You can stay here, Mrs Mashiba. We’d also like to speak with you.’ Mamiya turned to Kusanagi and Utsumi. ‘Maybe you can find somewhere quiet to talk with Ms Wakayama?’
‘I’ll get the car.’ Utsumi strode purposefully out of the door.
Twenty minutes later, Kusanagi was sitting beside Utsumi in a quiet corner of a twenty-four-hour restaurant. Across the table from them, Hiromi Wakayama looked tense.
‘Did you get some sleep last night?’ the senior detective asked after a sip of coffee.
‘Not much.’
‘I understand. You must have been in shock.’ And in tears, if Utsumi called it right. ‘It’s not every day you see a dead body.’ Especially your lover’s.
Hiromi was looking down at the table, chewing her lip.
‘I was hoping we could ask a few questions we didn’t get around to yesterday, if you don’t mind?’
Hiromi took a deep breath. ‘I really don’t know anything more than what I’ve already said. I can’t imagine how I’d be able to answer any more questions.’
‘You might be surprised. The questions aren’t that difficult. That is, as long as you’re willing to answer them honestly.’
Hiromi looked up, her gaze almost a glare. ‘I haven’t lied.’
‘Then we’ll be just fine. So, I was wondering: you’ve told us that you discovered Yoshitaka Mashiba’s body at eight o’clock last night, and the last time you were in the Mashibas’ house before that was the party on Friday. Is this correct?’
‘It is.’
‘Are you sure? Ms Wakayama, the shock of seeing someone dead can play with our memories in strange ways. Try relaxing and thinking about it a little harder. Are you sure you didn’t visit the Mashiba household from the moment you left on Friday night until yesterday evening?’ Kusanagi watched Hiromi’s face.
Her long eyelashes fluttered. After a few moments of silence, her lips parted. ‘Why are you asking me this? Why do you keep asking me when I’ve told you the truth?’
Kusanagi smiled slightly. ‘Let’s keep it to just me asking questions, if we could. Do you have an answer?’
‘But—’
‘Think of it as a simple confirmation. I’m asking you again because I want you to very carefully consider your answer. If it turned out later that there was an inaccuracy or omission in what you’ve told us, well, then it would be a bit of a difficult situation for both of us.’
Hiromi’s mouth snapped shut. Kusanagi could almost hear the cogs whirling in her head, as she ran the calculations. She’s considering the possibility that her lie will be uncovered, wondering whether it might be better to admit everything here and now.
She maintained her silence, the scales in her head refusing to settle to one side or the other. Kusanagi was growing impatient.
‘When we arrived at the scene yesterday, in the sink there was a single coffee cup and two saucers. When we asked you if you knew why, you said you didn’t know. Yet, your fingerprints were found on the coffee cup. So naturally I wondered, when did you touch the cup?’
Hiromi’s shoulders slowly rose and fell with her breathing.