Keigo Higashino - Salvation of a Saint

‘So I won’t be able to see him.’ Ayane blinked. Her eyes were sunken, her skin rough; she was trying to hold back tears.

I doubt she’s slept a wink since the call came. ‘Once they’re done, we’ll return the remains as quickly as possible.’ Kusanagi’s words sounded strangely leaden to his own ears. He was never completely relaxed when talking to the families, but somehow, this time felt different. Everything was harder than usual.

‘Thank you,’ Ayane replied.

She had a deep voice for a woman — adjectives like sultry and bewitching came to his mind.

‘We’d like to talk to you a little at the Meguro City Police Station, if that’s all right?’

‘Yes. They told me that on the phone.’

‘That’s good. If you’re ready, we’ll take you to the car.’

Kusanagi helped her into the back seat of Utsumi’s SUV, then climbed into the passenger seat.

‘They were having trouble locating you last night. Where did they reach you?’ he asked, turning to look back at her.

‘I was at a hot springs near my hometown — I went there with an old friend. I’m afraid I had turned off my mobile phone, so I couldn’t hear it ring. I picked up my messages just before going to bed.’ She paused, letting out a long breath. ‘I thought it was some kind of prank call at first — I mean, who expects a call from the police?’

‘These things happen without warning,’ Kusanagi agreed.

‘That’s just it,’ she said. ‘ What sort of things happen? No one’s told me anything, except that he’s...’ Ayane’s voice faltered, and Kusanagi felt an ache in his gut. He knew that the question she most wanted to ask was also the question whose answer she most feared.

‘What did they tell you over the phone?’ he asked.

‘They told me that my husband was dead, and that there was some concern about the cause of death, so there would be a police investigation. That’s all.’

Which was all the officer calling her would have been able to say. Kusanagi felt a tightness in his chest as he imagined again the night she must’ve spent after hearing the news, and what it must’ve been like for her getting on the plane that morning. ‘Your husband died at home,’ he told her. ‘The cause is still unknown, but there were no visible injuries. Hiromi Wakayama discovered him collapsed in the living room.’

‘Hiromi...’ Kusanagi sensed Ayane’s gasp more than heard it.

Kusanagi glanced over at Utsumi in the driver’s seat. For just a moment, she glanced back and their eyes met.

We’re both thinking the same thing, Kusanagi realized. It was less than twelve hours since they’d discussed the possibility of a relationship between Hiromi Wakayama and Yoshitaka Mashiba. Ms Wakayama was, by all accounts, Ayane’s favourite student. If they were in the habit of inviting her to parties at their house, she was a friend of the family, too. If she’d been sleeping with Ayane’s husband, it would be a classic case of the dog biting the hand that feeds it.

The question was whether Ayane had been aware of what was going on. They couldn’t assume that, just because she was close to her apprentice, she would’ve known. In fact, Kusanagi had seen several cases where just the opposite was true, when people didn’t know because they were too close.

‘Was your husband suffering from any illnesses?’ he asked.

Ayane shook her head. ‘Not that I knew of. He got regular checkups and there were no problems. He didn’t even drink that much.’

‘And he’s never collapsed before now?’

‘No. Nothing of the sort. I just can’t imagine it happening.’ Ayane put a hand to her forehead, as though trying to stave off a headache.

Kusanagi decided it would be premature to bring up the idea of poison. In fact, until they had an autopsy report in hand, it was best not to mention the possibilities of suicide or murder at all.

‘Because of the unusual circumstances,’ he said,‘we have to record every aspect of the place where the body was found — whether it turns out to be a crime scene or not. We’ve already done a bit of this last night with Ms Wakayama’s help. We would have preferred it to be you, of course.’

‘Yes, they mentioned that on the phone as well.’

‘Do you go back to Sapporo often?’

Ayane shook her head. ‘It was my first time since getting married.’

‘Your parents live there, correct? Is everything all right?’

‘My father isn’t doing as well as he could be, so I thought it was about time to visit. Of course, when I arrived he seemed to be doing much better than I’d been led to believe, thus the trip to the hot springs.’

Kusanagi nodded. ‘And why did you leave your key with Ms Wakayama?’

‘I thought it would be prudent, in case something came up while I was away. She helps me a lot with my work, and I keep a lot of materials and finished pieces at home that she might need to use in class.’

‘Ms Wakayama tells us that she was concerned about your husband and, when he didn’t answer his phone, she went over to make sure everything was all right. I was wondering’ — the detective chose his words carefully — ‘had you at any point specifically asked her to check in on him?’

Ayane gave a little frown. ‘I don’t think so, but maybe I did give her that impression. She’s always so thoughtful, and it was my first time leaving him on his own since we got married... Did I —’ She paused a moment before saying: ‘Was it wrong of me to leave my key with her?’

‘No, not at all. I just wanted to confirm what Ms Wakayama told us yesterday.’

Ayane buried her face in her hands. ‘I just can’t believe it. He was fine, in perfect health. We just had some friends over on Friday night. He was... he was so happy.’ Her voice was trembling.

‘I know it’s hard,’ Kusanagi said as gently as possible. ‘And I’m sorry I have to ask these questions, but — this party on Friday... who were the friends?’

‘A college friend of my husband’s and his wife.’ She gave him the names of Tatsuhiko and Yukiko Ikai. Then, Ayane let her hands drop into her lap, a look of determination on her face. ‘I have a request.’

‘Sure,’ Kusanagi said. ‘Anything.’

‘Do we have to go straight to the Police Station?’

‘Is there something you need to do?’

‘I want to see the house first, if I can. I want to know where he was when... I want to know how he died. If that’s okay?’

Kusanagi glanced at Utsumi again. This time, their eyes didn’t meet. The junior detective seemed focused intently on the road ahead.

‘I’ll have to ask the lead detective on the case,’ Kusanagi said, fishing his mobile phone out of his pocket.

Mamiya answered, and Kusanagi relayed the request. He heard the chief groan for a moment, then: ‘Fine...

‘In fact, the situation’s changed a little bit. It might even be preferable to talk to her on site. We’ll see you at the house.’

‘How has the situation changed?’ Kusanagi asked.

A pause. ‘I’ll fill you in later.’

‘Right.’ Kusanagi ended the call and turned back to look at Ayane. ‘We’ll be taking you home.’

Under her breath, she said: ‘Thank you.’

Kusanagi returned his gaze to the road. A moment later he heard Ayane calling someone on her mobile.

‘Hello, Hiromi? It’s me.’

Kusanagi tensed. He hadn’t expected her to call anyone, much less Ms Wakayama — but he couldn’t just tell her to hang up.

‘... I know, I know,’ Ayane was saying. ‘I’m with the police now. We’re heading to the house. Oh, I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, Hiromi.’

Kusanagi’s mind was racing as fast as his heart. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine how Ms Wakayama was responding to the call. He envisioned her overcome with grief at losing her lover, perhaps even spilling the beans. If that were the case, he had a pretty good idea of how Ayane would react.