Lisa Atkinson - Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Vol. 131, No. 5. Whole No. 801, May 2008

As Kaise hesitated, — Owada hoisted his black shoulder bag onto his shoulder.

Making up his mind, Kaise stepped toward him.

“Mr. — Owada, is the questioning...”

— Owada raised his voice to intercept him. “Yesterday, at five-twenty p.m., I placed thirty ID documents into the storage safe and locked it up! This morning at seven forty-five a.m., I unlocked and inspected the inside of the safe to confirm that all thirty IDs were gone. Immediately I made telephone contact with the related departments — that is all!”

Kaise was daunted by this display. He understood why — Owada was the first to be released from the investigators’ questioning. There was no one in the entire organization who could grill as a suspect this man who seemed made of steel and who had regulated himself for forty years.

“I will take my leave now!” Once again — Owada bowed precisely and left Kaise’s side.

Wavering... season of the devil... All his misgivings evaporated. To an astonishing degree, — Owada still remained the “Army Sergeant.”

His eyes followed — Owada as he exited the building. It would be easy to carry thirty ID documents in that shoulder bag, Kaise thought grudgingly.

He continued to wait for Masukawa Takashi.

It was past six o’clock. Yamazaki Tomoyo and police officer Kamiya had gone home, leaving Kaise alone in the Police Affairs Section. He asked the night-duty staff to order a delivery of a bowl of Chinese noodles. He thought of gathering information if there was anyone he knew, but unfortunately there was no one he recognized that night. The night-duty staff in the Traffic Section occasionally looked over suspiciously and whispered to each other, foreheads together.

As he slurped his noodles, Kaise kept watch on the stairway.

His impatience at the internal investigators increased. It would be helpful if they found the culprit, but his expectations were low. Those being questioned were the seventeen night-duty staff and Police Affairs Section officers from last night. Six of them, including — Owada, had gone home, but there were eleven still left. How thoroughly could only three investigators conduct the questioning?

Crap, they’re still not done.

Kaise sank into the couch.

The atmosphere of the “Army Sergeant” still lingered. Not a speck of dust littered the floor. The desk was tidied. Its surface brightly reflected the light from the fluorescent bulbs. He recalled Officer Kamiya working hard to dust it with the dustcloth. And shouting at him from behind...

Just then an unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

There must be many who detested — Owada. Hatred aimed at — Owada, not at the Police Affairs Section. Could that turn into a motive?

Perhaps so. By stealing the IDs, the culprit could have put — Owada, the one responsible for storage, into a tight corner. It could have been done to embarrass him, by aiming at this time just before he was to retire.

His line of thought was interrupted.

He heard footsteps on the stairs. The first person... the second person... the third person was Masukawa. His cheekbones jutted out. His eyes pierced like those of a bird of prey. Kaise knew this much from the file photograph, but what he observed now was the heavy build of a rugby player.

Kaise ran after him. He caught up with him at the back entrance.

“Section Chief Masukawa.”

The thick neck turned the head around.

“I’m Kaise, from Headquarters, Police Affairs Section.”

“Eh? Oh, yes. I know. I know.” Masukawa shook his head with obvious feigned innocence.

“Sorry to bother you when you’re tired, but I’d like to ask you some questions.” Kaise spoke humbly. He was two grades higher, but Masukawa had entered the agency a year earlier. Moreover, it was practically the first time they had met.

“I spoke to the investigator. Plenty.”

“I realize that. But...”

“Oh, yes. Superintendent, it was your idea, the collective storage or whatever, wasn’t it?” Masukawa snickered, yet his eyes were not smiling as he searched for Kaise’s reaction.

Kaise clenched his fists in anger. “I won’t take up much of your time. Let me ask you—”

Masukawa rolled his neck in a circle, looking fatigued.

“Too bad. The investigators have forbidden it. I’m not supposed to say anything to anyone.”

“Hasn’t your questioning ended?”

“They’re going to continue tomorrow. So, I’ll be leaving now. Excuse me.”

Pushing the back door open, Masukawa headed for the parking area in the cold wind.

Crap! Kaise kicked the floor with the heel of his shoe.

Masukawa turned toward Kaise and, without bowing his head, got into his car. A navy-blue four-door sedan. Suddenly Kaise was overtaken with misgiving.

Had the investigating officer checked the car?

Masukawa had been in the station all night as officer in charge. And, it was this morning at 7:45 that — Owada had opened the storage safe. That meant that the station was still in night-duty mode when the theft of the IDs was disclosed. The night-duty staff had not been allowed to go home and had been confined in the exercise room. If Masukawa was the culprit, he would have had no chance to take the stolen documents out of the station.

His body advanced of its own accord. He jumped in front of Masukawa’s moving car. The brakes squealed.

“That’s damn dangerous!”

“Sorry — could you let me look inside the trunk?”

Anger drained from Masukawa’s face. “Why is that?”

“To confirm, just to make sure.”

“Is that an order?”

Just open it up! Kaise’s eyes burned with what he felt in his gut.

Masukawa nodded slightly and flipped the switch. The trunk slowly opened up. Kaise scurried to the back of the car. He peered inside. Some tools. Chains. Rags. A brush...

“The investigating officer checked it first thing this morning.”

Kaise raised his face as if he had been hit. Masukawa was looking at him out the driver’s-side window. A triumphant smile played on his boastful face.

— Bastard!

“They also searched my belongings. They’re treating me like a suspect.”

“...”

“Are you finished?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” Masukawa echoed softly.

Glaring at him, Kaise pulled in his chin slightly. “Sorry for stopping you.”

Suddenly the engine roared. Its sound could have been Masukawa’s shouts or his laughter.

When he returned to the living room from looking in on K — oichi’s and Yumiko’s sleeping faces, Aiko was pouring tea.

“Were they asleep?”

“Yeah, fast asleep.”

Aiko handed him a teacup and continued what she had been telling him.

“What do you think he did — the kid who spilled the paint on the floor?”

“What did he do?” So asking, Kaise sat down and tucked his legs into the covers under the table, warming them in the brazier.

“He overturned the bucket of water kept in the classroom in case of fire, so the paint would wash off. The floor was all wet, and K — o-chan’s socks got soaked.”

“That’s extreme.”

“He’s only in fourth grade. It’s a bit scary. There’s all this talk about disruptions in classrooms these days.”

On days when he came home late, he heard about the children’s school from Aiko. This was a daily routine that Kaise had asked for, but tonight he was so tired it was hard to give attentive responses.

“Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you. We received a box of apples from Mr. Fuwatari.”

Kaise turned his eyes to the wall clock. It was after ten o’clock.

“I’ll call to thank him tomorrow,” he said.

“Please do. He sends them each year...” So saying, Aiko turned her head toward the kitchen. Her eyes widened.