Кэйго Хигасино - A Midsummer’s Equation

Yukawa held a finger up to his lips. Then he lowered his hand until he was pointing at Kyohei. “This is about the night you set off the fireworks with your uncle, yes?”

Kyohei nodded, relieved beyond words. He knew that somehow Yukawa would understand.

“Then let’s talk about that tomorrow. You should get your rest tonight,” Yukawa said, turning slowly and walking off without waiting for Kyohei’s reply.

Narumi scanned all the sites she could find for any follow-up on the incident but found nothing. The only headline about the case read, “Falling Death in Hari Cove Actually a Poisoning — Local Innkeepers Involved in Cover-Up,” followed by a short article that told her nothing she didn’t already know. It didn’t look like the case was getting much attention beyond the borders of their town.

That didn’t make it any less of a big deal for her, though. Narumi wondered almost constantly how her parents were doing, with no means of finding out. She tried calling Nishiguchi, but he only apologized. “Sorry, I don’t know exactly what’s going on either,” he said. “I’m sure they’re fine, though.”

He said they should get together for a drink once things calmed down, and she told him she’d think about it. Going for a drink was the last thing on her mind.

She was listlessly looking through some help wanted ads when she heard footsteps on the stairs outside, and the door opened. It was Wakana.

“Narumi? There’s someone here to see you downstairs.”

“Me?” Narumi said, putting a hand to her chest. “Is it the police?”

“No, someone who says he wanted to go for a dive. He requested you specifically and said you’d talked about it before?”

“Tall guy? Glasses?”

“That’s the one.”

“Right,” she said, standing up.

She went downstairs to find Yukawa waiting for her. He was looking at one of the stickers they had for sale.

“Hello,” she said.

He looked up and smiled. “Thanks for the other day.”

“My pleasure,” she said. “How did you know I was here?”

Yukawa put the sticker back on the shelf. “I paid a visit to the police department and told them I had a question about my bill from the other night and wanted to talk to the person in charge at the Green Rock Inn. They told me where you’d be.”

“That worked?” Narumi shook her head. She half wanted to ask him if he had heard anything about her parents, while he was at it.

“As a matter of fact, I’ll be leaving town today,” Yukawa said.

“Really? All finished with your research?”

“I think DESMEC can handle the rest. School’s starting up soon. Anyway, I figured this is my last chance to see this ocean you’re so proud of. I believe you promised to take me diving?”

“I did, but—”

She heard a sound behind her and turned to see Wakana step up. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take you out,” she offered. “Narumi’s had a lot going on lately, and she’s probably pretty tired. It’s not a good idea to dive when you’re not at your best.”

Yukawa nodded thoughtfully and turned his eyes to Narumi. “I certainly won’t force you. Though there were some things I wanted to talk to you about.”

Narumi stared at Yukawa’s face. There was a serious look to his eyes, more so than usual. And yet, there was a kindness there too. She got the sense that he had something he needed to tell her.

“I’d rather not do all the prep we’d need to go scuba diving, but I could handle some snorkeling,” she said. “And that should be more than enough for you to see the real treasure of Hari Cove.”

“Perfect,” Yukawa said, picking a pair of goggles off the shelf. “I might have lied when I said I had my diver’s license, anyway.”

An hour later they were in the ocean, at the very spot that made Narumi a snorkeling fanatic years before. It was a bit of a secret, being a ways away from the main swimming area and most of the popular diving spots. Here, only a short distance off shore, it got very deep very quickly, and the scenery changed dramatically. The seafloor was a beautiful carpet of light, with a hundred gradations of color, and there were fish everywhere.

This is what I’ve been protecting , she thought. Just like it’s been protecting me. She wondered what would have become of her if she hadn’t found the ocean, and the thought frightened her.

Sixteen years ago, when she moved here, she had no guidepost to live by. She’d begun to seriously entertain doubts about whether she deserved to be alive at all. How could she possibly have a right to a happy life after killing one person and sending another to jail for her crime?

Her hands still remembered what it felt like to stick a knife into that woman’s body. She doubted she’d ever forget. And still, she didn’t know why she’d done it. It was like her body had been moving by itself. But she did remember how she’d felt just before it happened. She felt like everything would fall apart, their lives dashed on the rocks.

Nobuko Miyake rose in her mind. She could see her frown when she heard Narumi’s mother was out, then how she stared at Narumi, a faint smile coming to her lipstick-red lips. “You do look like him, don’t you,” she said.

“Like who?” Narumi asked. Thinking about it later, she wished she hadn’t.

Nobuko had scoffed, her smile turning mean. “Narumi, was it? I bet people tell you all the time that you don’t look like your father.”

Her eyes opened wider. Nobuko chuckled. “Bull’s-eye, hmm? It’s okay. I’m the only one who knows the truth.”

Narumi felt the blood rush to her head. “What do you mean, the truth? You’re crazy,” she said sharply.

“There’s nothing crazy about it, dear. But my, you do look so much like him. Especially the mouth.” Narumi could feel the woman’s eyes invading her space, an unwelcome presence lingering over her features.

“Stop. I’m going to tell my father.”

The woman made a mock show of alarm. “Please do,” she said. “In fact, I’d be happy to tell him the truth myself. I wonder what would happen then? You and your mom would probably get kicked out onto the street, at the very least. Anyway, tell your mother I’ll be back. And don’t make that face at me, young girl. You’ll regret making an enemy of me when the tables are turned — and they will be, very soon.”

Narumi was still watching those ruby-red lips when she realized Nobuko had already left. Her head was a whirlwind. She couldn’t think straight, and yet, her body knew what to do. She grabbed a knife from the kitchen, then went after her.

She ran mindlessly, and yet, there was one shred of clarity at the bottom of her murky consciousness. It was the realization that the woman was telling the truth. She wasn’t her father’s daughter. It confirmed a doubt she’d been holding inside for years.

It started one night when her father came home from a school reunion, unusually drunk. He couldn’t even walk straight, slumping onto the kitchen table when he sat down and tried to drink some water. Setsuko tried to rouse him but he didn’t look like he was listening, until he suddenly turned and slapped her mother full across the face. Narumi was shocked. She’d never seen her father lift a hand against anyone before. Setsuko froze.

“Don’t you say anything,” he growled in the most terrifying voice she’d ever heard him use. “You don’t have the right.” Then he opened his wallet and pulled out a photograph, tossing it on the floor. Narumi recognized it: a family picture of the three of them, taken at a studio. “They all laughed. Said she didn’t look like me. Of course she doesn’t look like me.” And then, drunk, her father fell asleep on the spot with her mother standing over him.