The number of cars on the road increased, and it became harder and harder to keep up the chase. Ishigami let himself get too far behind, and a truck got between him and Kudo. He couldn’t see the Mercedes at all, and while he was debating whether or not to switch lanes, the traffic light turned red ahead of him. It looked like the truck was at the front of the line—which meant that the Mercedes had driven on ahead.
I lost him already? Ishigami swore under his breath.
But when the light turned green and he started up again, he saw a Mercedes waiting up at the next light with its turn signal on. Without a doubt, it was Kudo. He was turning into a hotel.
Without hesitating, Ishigami followed. It might look suspicious, but he couldn’t turn back after having almost lost him once.
When the next light changed, Kudo made his turn with Ishigami right behind him. Passing through the hotel gates, the Mercedes headed down a sloping ramp into an underground parking area. Ishigami followed.
When he reached out to take a ticket for the parking lot, Kudo glanced behind him, and Ishigami had to hunch down in his seat. He couldn’t tell whether the businessman had seen anything or not.
The parking lot was mostly empty. The Mercedes pulled into a spot close to the hotel entrance. Ishigami stopped some distance away. He turned the key and lifted his camera.
Kudo got out of the Mercedes. Click. Kudo was looking in his direction. He suspects something! Ishigami shrunk down even farther.
But Kudo turned and went into the hotel. Once he was out of sight, Ishigami started up his car again and drove out.
I suppose two pictures will have to do for now.
He had been in the parking lot for such a short time that he didn’t owe anything when he left. He turned the wheel carefully as the car climbed back up the narrow ramp.
Ishigami contemplated the note he would include with the two pictures. In his head, it went something like:
As you can tell by the enclosed pictures, I have discovered the identity of a man you see frequently.I must ask, what is this man to you?If you are having a relationship, that would be a serious betrayal.Don’t you understand what I’ve done for you?I believe I have the right to tell you what to do in this matter. You must stop seeing this man immediately.If you do not, my anger will be directed at him.It would be a simple thing for me to lead this man toward the same fate Togashi suffered. I have both the resolve and the means to do this.Let me repeat, if you are engaged in a relationship with this man, that is a betrayal I cannot forgive, and I will have my revenge.
Ishigami repeated the words of his statement to himself, considering whether it was too threatening, or perhaps not threatening enough.
Then the light changed, and he was about to drive out through the hotel gate when he saw something that made his eyes go wide.
It was Yasuko Hanaoka stepping off the sidewalk, into the hotel.
TWELVE
Yasuko walked into the hotel tea lounge, and a man wearing a dark green jacket beckoned to her from the back. It was Kudo.
About a third of the tables in the place were filled. There were some couples, but most of the patrons were businessmen in expensive suits, leaning toward each other as they discussed their deals. Yasuko made her way across the room, her face slightly downcast.
“Sorry to call you out here so suddenly,” Kudo said. He was smiling. “Would you like something to drink?”
The waitress came over, and Yasuko ordered a milk tea.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No, nothing so serious,” he replied, lifting his coffee cup to his lips, but before drinking he said, “A detective came to my place yesterday.”
Yasuko’s eyes opened wide. “They found you…”
“Did you tell them about me?”
“I’m sorry. They came right after I had dinner with you the other day, and they kept asking me questions about where I’d been and with whom. I thought they’d be even more suspicious if I didn’t say anything—”
Kudo waved a hand dismissively. “No need to apologize. I don’t blame you at all. If we’re ever going to meet like normal people, the police should know about us. In fact, I think it’s a good thing you told them.”
“Really?” Yasuko looked up at him.
He nodded. “Just know that they’ll be keeping a close watch on us, so be ready for that. You know, I was followed on my way here.”
“Followed?”
“I didn’t notice it at first, but it became pretty obvious the more I drove. There was a car behind me the whole way from Hikari. They even followed me into the parking lot of this hotel. I don’t think I was imagining things.”
Kudo talked as if this was nothing special, but Yasuko’s eyes were frozen on him. “And? Where’d they go?”
“Who knows?” He shrugged. “They were too far away for me to see a face, and they were gone before I knew it. To tell the truth, I’ve been watching everyone in here since I arrived, but I haven’t noticed anyone particularly suspicious. Of course, they could be watching in a way that I wouldn’t notice. Still, I think they might have left.”
Yasuko looked around at the other people in the tea room. Everyone seemed perfectly normal.
“So you’re a suspect now?”
“I think they’ve come up with a scenario in which you were the leader in some plot to kill Togashi, with me your willing accomplice. The detective yesterday was very up front about wanting an alibi from me.”
The waitress arrived with the milk tea. While she was standing at the table, Yasuko cast her eyes around the room a second time.
“If they’re still watching us now, won’t they suspect something if they see you meeting with me like this?”
“What? No problem. Like I said, I want this—us—to be out in the open. Trying to hide it would make us look even more suspicious. We were never the kind to sneak around in any case.” Kudo leaned back on his sofa seat and spread his arms as if to demonstrate that he didn’t care who saw him. Then he took a long sip from his coffee cup.
Yasuko reached for her own teacup. “Well, I’m happy to hear you say that, but I don’t want to be the cause of any trouble for you, Kudo. It’s just not right. I think, maybe, we shouldn’t meet for a while. Just until things calm down.”
“I figured you’d say something like that,” Kudo said, setting down his cup and leaning forward. “That’s why I wanted you to come here today. I knew you’d hear about the detective coming to my place sooner or later, and I didn’t want you to worry about it. Frankly, I’m not worried about it at all. I told you they asked about my alibi. Luckily, I was with someone else at the time, and if they decide to pursue it, there are records to prove it. The detectives will lose their interest in me eventually.”
“Well, I hope so, for your sake.”
“Look,” Kudo said, “what I’m more worried about is you. They’ll figure out I wasn’t an accomplice sooner or later. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop treating you like a suspect. It makes me downright depressed to think about how pushy they’re going to get with you.”
“Well, there’s no helping that. After all, Togashi was looking for me at the time.”
“There is that, isn’t there? What the hell did he want with you? Even dead, that guy is still a pain in the ass.” Kudo grimaced. Then his eyes turned back to Yasuko. “You really didn’t have anything to do with it, right? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not doubting you. I’m just saying if you had any contact with Togashi at all, it’s safe to tell me about it, and it might help.”