Содзи Симада - Murder in the Crooked House

Ushikoshi sat there lost in thought. Privately he also believed that Mitarai was capable of doing something that crazy.

“Anan, what do you think about that man?” he asked.

“Hmm… I don’t really…”

“Have you given up billiards already?” said Ozaki.

“That other man he brought with him, what’s he up to right now?”

“Taking a shower in Room 12.”

“He seems like a normal bloke.”

“He’s some kind of chaperon for the lunatic, I reckon.”

“Anyway, don’t you think we should probably ask them to leave?” said Okuma.

“Yes. But let’s wait and see how it goes for now. If they start getting in the way of our work, I’ll ask them.”

“An old man with divining sticks would have been a whole lot better than this. With his bad back he’d just have been forced to sit there quietly. It’s hard to handle someone so young. That was like some kind of rain dance he was doing—taking that doll and performing his little psychic dance to proclaim it the killer. Next he’s going to try and get us to light the fire for him to dance around.”

The next morning was relatively clear and sunny. There was the sound of hammering coming from somewhere. The three detectives were back in their sofa cluster.

“What’s that hammering noise?”

“The two women guests asked to have the ventilation holes in their rooms blocked up. They said they made them too nervous, so Togai and Sasaki are playing the knights in shining armour with hammers. Sasaki said he was going to block up the one in his own room while he was at it.”

“Well, I agree it would make you feel safer. But that damned hammering is driving me crazy. Not exactly a New Year’s Eve atmosphere.”

“It’s frantic around here.”

But at that moment an even more frantic man came rushing in. Kiyoshi Mitarai was babbling something that sounded vaguely like a children’s comic-book character.

“Mr Banana!”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the salon, as nobody quite knew how to respond. Kiyoshi looked puzzled, but then the young police constable stood up, sensing that the man might be trying to say his name. I was impressed that he could work that out.

“The name’s Anan…”

“Sorry. Could you tell me the way to Wakkanai Police Station?”

“Yes, of course.”

Kiyoshi was the kind of man who always recalled someone’s date of birth, but never really made an effort to learn anyone’s name. He just used whatever name occurred to him at the time. And then, he would just keep using that made-up name forever.

Right now, he rushed out of the salon again and was immediately replaced by the arrival of Kozaburo Hamamoto, smoking his pipe. He took a seat next to Inspector Okuma.

“Where’s our famous investigator off to?” Ushikoshi asked him.

“He’s a bit strange, that one, isn’t he?”

“He’s extremely strange. A complete nut job.”

“He’s removed Golem’s head and said he wants to take it back to forensics for another look. He says there’s something suspicious about it.”

“Not again!”

“At this rate he’ll be removing all our heads,” said Okuma.

“We’d be better off with a department store security guard.”

“I’ve got no intention of going down along with that moron,” said Ozaki curtly.

“Looks like we’re about to get the psychic dance that you predicted. When he gets back it’s all going to get started.”

“I’ll get ready to light the fire.”

“This is not the time to be making jokes,” said Ozaki. He turned to Kozaburo Hamamoto, a serious expression on his face. “Did he give a reason for taking Golem’s head off?”

“Not really…”

“I don’t imagine there’s any reason at all for it.”

“It’ll get in the way when he’s dancing,” Okuma threw in.

“Personally,” said Kozaburo, “I’m not particularly thrilled that he’s taken the head off again. Well, I suppose he can if he wants. Maybe he’s looking for fingerprints?”

“Does he even have the wits to think of something like that?” said Okuma.

It felt a little like the pot calling the kettle black.

“We checked thoroughly for fingerprints already,” said Ushikoshi.

“And what did you find?” Kozaburo asked.

“Nowadays, no criminal with any kind of knowledge about police investigative techniques leaves anything like a fingerprint behind. People watch TV programmes. And if the criminal is one of the people in this house, it’ll be difficult to prove anything. It’d be perfectly normal for any of them to touch anything in the house.”

“I suppose so.”

It was well into the afternoon before Kiyoshi returned to the Ice Floe Mansion. His mood was buoyant as usual as he crossed the salon to sit by me.

“The forensic pathologist gave me a lift back. He said he was on his way here anyway.”

“Really?”

“So I asked him to drop in and have a cup of tea.”

Kiyoshi spoke as if he’d invited someone over to his own home. There was indeed a man in a white coat standing by the front door. Kiyoshi raised his voice.

“Mr Banana! Would you get Mr Kajiwara for me?”

For whatever reason, Kiyoshi had happened to remember Kajiwara’s name correctly. Constable Anan, who was leaning on the wall by the kitchen, made no protest and simply disappeared to fetch Kajiwara. He’d apparently decided to answer to his new name.

As they sipped their tea, the grandfather clock in the salon struck three. I can specify that the people in the room right then were Kiyoshi and myself, the three detectives with Constable Anan, Kozaburo Hamamoto, Mr and Mrs Kanai, Yoshihiko Hamamoto, Mr and Mrs Hayakawa. And I caught glimpses of Kajiwara too in the kitchen. In other words, the people who weren’t with us in the salon were Eiko, Kumi, Togai and Sasaki—those four. The forensic pathologist, Dr Sano, was also with us at that time.

Suddenly we heard a howl, a man’s voice, from somewhere far away. It was more than just a scream. I’d have described it as the cry someone would make when they came face to face with unimaginable horror.

Kiyoshi kicked his chair backwards, leapt to his feet and ran in the direction of Room 12. Reflexively, I glanced up at the grandfather clock. It wasn’t even five past three: 3.04 and 30 seconds.

The three policemen rushed out shouting. They hesitated, not really knowing where they were running to, and it was annoying having to chase after Kiyoshi, so only Ushikoshi and Anan actually followed him. Ozaki and Okuma went a different way.

Everyone assumed the howl had come from either Togai or Sasaki, as they were the only men missing—the other two not present being women. But it was impossible to know which one. However, Kiyoshi had no doubt. He headed straight for Room 13 and banged on the door.

“Sasaki! Sasaki!”

He pulled out a handkerchief and turned the doorknob. But it kept sticking.

“It’s locked! Mr Hamamoto, is there a spare key?”

“Kohei, quickly, go and get Eiko! She’s got the spare.”

Hayakawa rushed off.

“Okay, get out of the way!”

Ozaki had just arrived. He too began to bang on the door. But the result was the same.

“Should I break it down?”

“No, let’s wait for the spare key,” said Ushikoshi as Eiko came running. “Is this it? Let me have it.”

He put the key in the lock and turned it. There was the click of a lock releasing, but when Ozaki tried to turn the knob, the door still refused to open.

“Oh, the other lock is on,” said Kozaburo.

Besides the push-button lock in the centre of the doorknob, each room had a second oval-shaped lock underneath, which, if you turned it 180 degrees, would send a bar bolt across. This bolt could only be turned from inside the room.