Fuminori Nakamura - Evil and the Mask

“I don’t know him, I’m afraid.”

“That’s not true,” I said, and lit a cigarette. “What did Shozo Kuki get you to investigate? That’s what I’d like to know. Sorry to speak so bluntly, but your business is going downhill.”

Outside the window a fine rain had started to fall.

“That’s because nobody knows where he is and you’ve lost your connection to the Kukis. His children don’t know you at all, so they aren’t giving you any work. Also, your rates are too high. You’re ignoring the competition. A private eye’s main work is spying on unfaithful spouses, right? The average housewife can’t afford your fees. That’s why you can’t keep your business going.”

I brought out a silver briefcase.

“There’s fifty million yen in here. I want to know what you were doing for Shozo Kuki and I want all your material.”

“I don’t know him,” he replied flatly. “Really, I don’t. As far as I know I’ve never heard the name Kuki. If I knew, for that much money of course I’d tell you.”

He grinned.

“That’s perfect,” I said, taking the case off the table. “I was just testing you, because I can’t trust someone who will sell information for money. For various reasons, I know that you worked for Shozo Kuki and were heavily involved with him. I also know that you’re an excellent investigator. Now I’ve got a real commission for you. I’ll pay you three times your normal rate.”

He looked at me. Smiling, I reached into my pocket and took out a driver’s license.

“This man, Koichi Shintani, I want you to find out what sort of person he was. His background, what he was good at, his personality, everything.”

His face gave nothing away, even when he realized that the photo on the license was me.

“That’s right. I want you to investigate me. Depending on how this job goes, I plan to ask you to do some regular work for me. Looking for a woman, and once you find her, reporting on her life. The fee will be big enough so you won’t need to take on any other clients. Alongside that, I may also ask you to look into various other matters.”

“I understand.”

The man looked directly at me, but his face was still unreadable.

“I like you,” I said, as I rose from my seat.

Name:Koichi Shintani Date of Birth:2 August 1979 Blood Type:A Family:Father — Takashi Shintani (dec. 1992)

Mother — Kanami (dec. 2008)

Paternal grandfather — Kenjiro (dec. 1985)

Paternal grandmother — Sanae (dec. 1986)

Maternal grandfather — Yoji (dec. 1990)

Maternal grandmother — Chihiro (dec. 1978) Academic Background:Kakurabashi Nursery School

Minagawa South Elementary School

Minagawa South Junior High School

Kogurazaka Senior High School

Economics Department, Hosei University Employment History:2002 Joined Shintaka Shibaura Realty Co., Ltd.

2005 Resigned

2005 Established Earthnic Corporation

2008 Resigned Qualifications:Standard Driver’s License

Practical English Proficiency Test Level 1

Real Estate Appraiser’s License

Residential History:

Setagaya 8-61-17, Setagaya Ward, Tokyo (at high school graduation)

Menzell’s Mansion 201, Shimotakaido 9-1-23-20, Suginami Ward, Tokyo (at university graduation)

Taurus Condominium 703, Misono 6-15-31, Itabashi Ward, Tokyo (at resignation from Shintaka Shibaura Realty)

Klim Ciel 1102, Roppongi 12-13-40, Minato Ward, Tokyo (at time of disappearance)

Report(in progress)

[Koichi Shintani]

Real parents unknown. Adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Shintani from Sakurazaka Orphanage at approximately one year of age. For the same reason his actual date of birth is also unknown. Entered in the family register as August 2 for the sake of convenience. Class leader in 4 thgrade and 5 thgrade at elementary school. Belonged to basketball club in junior and senior high school.

Personality cheerful but somewhat suspicious, tends to have a limited circle of friends. Apparently cried at mother’s funeral but was composed at father’s. Hobbies include film (especially French and Italian movies; at university belonged to film society for approximately two years), bicycles, to a lesser extent collecting cigarette lighters. No particular favorite food, but likes Chinese noodles, often chews gum. Smoker.

In high school started dating classmate Mie Arakawa, broke up when entered university.

At university dated Sae Suzuki (died in a traffic accident after they split up), Sakiko Nitta, Ayano Togawa. Stayed with Togawa until one year before his resignation from Shintaka Shibaura Realty, but separated without getting married. The speculation (from his work colleagues) is that Shintani was afraid of commitment.

It appears that after establishing Earthnic Corporation Shintani had no lasting female relationships (needs further investigation).

People seem to die around him, but there has been nothing to indicate foul play.

As well as his university girlfriend mentioned above, he also lost a high school friend (Masao Yaeda), a university friend (Takayuki Isoi), both parents, and his direct supervisor at Shintaka Shibaura Realty (Mikio Suzuki).

The reason he left Shintaka Shibaura Realty was to set up Earthnic Corporation with some acquaintances. It was started as a venture company investing mainly in stocks and land. Two years after Shintani’s resignation it was acquired in a friendly takeover by the Clarunal Corporation and ceased to exist.

Shintani’s resignation from Earthnic is believed to have been due to exhaustion. Then he travelled abroad.

Went to Mexico via the USA, then further south. After that information about him stops.

He was probably abducted for ransom and killed by a crime syndicate based in Chile. Then his identity seems to have been sold on the black market. Since his relationship with his family was always weak, and most of them were dead, he was never listed as missing.

One year after Earthnic Corporation was founded, he was already having constant problems with other employees (for names, see separate sheet), and none of them kept in contact with him.

LOOKING AT THE report on Koichi Shintani, I found it mildly refreshing that a person’s whole life could be summed up on two A4 pages.

In our room at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, the investigator was sitting upright on the sofa, watching me read through the document. On the table were Shintani’s graduation albums from elementary, junior high and senior high school, the class registers for his university tutorials, the membership list for the film society and the employee register for Earthnic Corporation. I looked at the detective and forced a smile, then put the papers in my briefcase. Almost all the information I needed about the man I was becoming was in there.

“We’re still not certain about his relationships after he set up Earthnic Corporation, but my guess is that he didn’t have any lasting girlfriends.”

“This is enough.”

I drank my coffee. As before, the other man’s suit was plain, and I thought that he could easily get lost in a crowd.

“For such a short time, this is very impressive. At first I said I’d pay you three times your normal rate, but let’s make it five. I’d like to ask you to do something else for me. It’s a long-term job, a job with no end. Actually, maybe it would be a good thing for me if it did have an end.”