When they were discovered where were their hands? Asakawa suddenly asked.
On their heads. Or, well, it was more like they were covering their faces with their hands.
Were they by any chance pulling at their hair, like this? Asakawa tugged at his own hair to demonstrate.
Eh?
In other words, were they tearing at their heads, or pulling out their hair, or anything like that?
No. I dont think so.
I see. Could I get their names and addresses, Yoshino?
Sure. But dont forget your promise.
Asakawa smiled and nodded, and Yoshino got up. As he stood the table swayed and their coffee spilled into their saucers. Yoshino hadnt even touched his.
5
Asakawa kept investigating the four victims backgrounds whenever he had a free minute, but had so much work to do that he wasnt getting as far as hed hoped. Before he knew it a week had passed, it was a new month, and both Augusts rain-soaked humidity and Septembers summery heat became distant memories pushed aside by the signs of deepening autumn. Nothing happened for a while. Hed been making a point of reading every inch of the local-news pages, but without coming across anything remotely similar. Or was it just that something horrible was advancing, slowly but surely, where Asakawa couldnt see? But the more time elapsed, the more inclined he was to think that the four deaths were just coincidences, unconnected in any way. He hadnt seen Yoshino since then, either. He had probably forgotten the whole thing, too. If he hadnt, he would have contacted Asakawa by now.
Whenever his passion for the case showed signs of waning, Asakawa would take four cards out from his pocket and be reminded once again that it couldnt have been a coincidence. On the cards hed written the deceaseds names, addresses, and other pertinent information, and on the remaining space he planned to record their activities during the months of August and September, their upbringing, and anything else his research turned up.
CARD 1:
TOMOKO OISHI
Date of birth: 10/21/72
Keisei School for Girls, senior, age 17
Address: 1-7 Motomachi, Honmoku, Naka Ward, Yokohama
Approx. 11 pm, Sept. 5: dies in kitchen on first floor of home, parents away. Cause of death sudden heart failure.
CARD 2:
SHUICHI IWATA
Date of birth: 5/26/71
Eishin Preparatory Academy, first year, age 19
Address: 1-5-23 Nishi Nakanobu, Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo
10:54 pm, Sept. 5: falls over and dies at intersection in front of Shinagawa Sta. Cause of death cardiac infarction.
CARD 3:
HARUKO TSUJI
Date of birth: 1/12/73
Keisei School for Girls, senior, age 17
Address: 5-19 Mori, Isogo Ward, Yokohama
Late night, Sept. 5 (or early next morning): dies in car off pref. road at foot of Mt Okusu. Cause of death sudden heart failure.
CARD 4:
TAKEHIKO NOMI
Date of birth: 12/4/70
Eishin Preparatory Academy, second year, age 19 Address: 1-10-4 Uehara, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo
Late night, Sept. 5 (or early next morning): dies w/Haruko Tsuji in car at foot of Mt Okusu. Cause of death sudden heart failure.
Tomoko Oishi and Haruko Tsuji went to the same high school and were friends; Shuichi Iwata and Takehiko Nomi studied at the same prep school and were friends: this much had been clear prior to legwork, which indeed confirmed it. And from the simple fact that Tsuji and Nomi had gone for a drive together on Mt Okusu in Yokosuka on the night of September 5th, it was obvious that they were, if not quite lovers, at least fooling around. When hed asked her friends, hed heard the rumor that Tsuji had been dating a prep school guy from Tokyo. However, Asakawa still didnt know when or how theyd met. Naturally, he suspected that Oishi and Iwata were going out, too, but he couldnt find anything to back this up. It was equally possible that Oishi and Iwata had never even seen each other. In which case, what was there to link these four? They seemed far too closely related for this unknown being to have picked them totally at random. Maybe there was some secret that only the four of them knew, and theyd been killed for it Asakawa tried out a more scientific explanation with himself: perhaps the four of them had been in the same place at the same time, and all four had been infected with a virus that attacks the heart.
Hey, now. Asakawa shook his head as he walked. A virus that causes sudden heart failure? Come on.
He climbed the stairs, muttering to himself, a virus, a virus. Indeed, he should start out with attempts at scientific explanation. Well, suppose there was a virus that caused heart attacks. At least it was a little more realistic than imagining that something supernatural was behind it all; it seemed less likely to get him laughed at. Even if such a virus hadnt yet been discovered on earth, maybe it had just recently fallen to earth inside a meteor. Or maybe it had been developed as a biological weapon and had somehow escaped. You couldnt rule out the possibility. Sure. Hed try thinking of it as a kind of virus for a while. Not that this would satisfy all his doubts. Why had they all died with looks of astonishment on their faces? Why had Tsuji and Nomi died on opposite sides of that small car, as if they were trying to get away from each other? Why hadnt the autopsies revealed anything? The possibility of an escaped germ weapon could at least answer the third question. There would have been a gag order.
If he were to pursue this hypothesis further, he could deduce that the fact that there hadnt been any other victims yet meant that the virus was not airborne. It was either blood-borne, like AIDS, or was fairly noncontagious. But more importantly, where had these four picked it up? Hed have to go back and sift through their activities in August and September again and look for places and times they had in common. Since the participants mouths had been shut permanently, it wouldnt be easy. If their meeting had been a secret among the four of them, something neither parents nor friends knew about, then how was he to ferret it out? But he was sure that these four kids had some time, some place, some thing in common.
Sitting down at his word processor Asakawa chased the unknown virus from his thoughts. He needed to get out the notes hed just taken, to sum up the contents of the cassette hed made. He had to get this article finished today. Tomorrow, Sunday, he and his wife Shizu were going to visit her sister, Yoshimi Oishi. He wanted to see with his own eyes the spot where Tomoko had died, to feel on his own flesh whatever air still lingered. His wife had agreed to go to Honmoku to console her bereaved older sister; she had no inkling of her husbands true motives.
Asakawa started pounding the keys of the word processor before hed come up with a decent outline.
6
Shizu was seeing her parents for the first time in a month. Ever since their granddaughter Tomoko had died, they came to Tokyo from their home in Ashikaga whenever they could, not only to console their daughter but to be consoled in turn. Shizu only understood this today. Her heart ached when she saw her aged parents thin, grief-stricken faces. They had once had three grandchildren: their oldest daughter Yoshimis daughter Tomoko, their second daughter Kazukos son Kenichi, and Shizus daughter Yoko. One grandchild from each of their three daughtersnot all that common. Tomoko had been their first grandchild, and their faces had crinkled up every time they had seen her; they had enjoyed spoiling her. Now they were so depressed that it was impossible to say whose grief was deeper, the parents or the grandparents.
Shizu was seeing her parents for the first time in a month. Ever since their granddaughter Tomoko had died, they came to Tokyo from their home in Ashikaga whenever they could, not only to console their daughter but to be consoled in turn. Shizu only understood this today. Her heart ached when she saw her aged parents thin, grief-stricken faces. They had once had three grandchildren: their oldest daughter Yoshimis daughter Tomoko, their second daughter Kazukos son Kenichi, and Shizus daughter Yoko. One grandchild from each of their three daughtersnot all that common. Tomoko had been their first grandchild, and their faces had crinkled up every time they had seen her; they had enjoyed spoiling her. Now they were so depressed that it was impossible to say whose grief was deeper, the parents or the grandparents.
I guess grandchildren really mean a lot.
Shizu had just turned thirty this year. It was all she could do to imagine what her sister must be feeling, putting herself in her sisters place, contemplating how shed feel if she lost her own child. But really, there was no comparison to be made between her daughter Yoko, only a year and a half old, and Tomoko, who had died at seventeen. She couldnt fathom how every passing year would deepen her love for her child.
Sometime after three in the afternoon, her parents began to get ready to go home to Ashikaga.
Shizu could hardly contain her surprise. Why had her husband, who always protested that he was too busy, suggested this visit to her sisters house? This was the same husband whod skipped the poor girls funeral, pleading that he had a deadline to meet. And now here it was almost dinnertime, and he wasnt showing the slightest inclination of leaving. Hed only met Tomoko a few times, and had probably never talked with her for very long. Surely he wasnt feeling detained by memories of the deceased.
Shizu tapped Asakawa lightly on the knee and whispered in his ear, Dear, its probably about time
Look at Yoko. Shes sleepy. Maybe we ought to see if we could let her take a nap here.
They had brought their daughter. Normally, this was nap time. Sure enough, Yoko had started blinking like she did when she was sleepy. But if they let her sleep here, theyd have to stay in this house for at least two more hours. What would they find to talk about with her grieving sister and her husband for two more hours?
She can sleep on the train, dont you think? said Shizu, dropping her voice.
Last time we tried that she got fussy, and it was awful all the way home. No, thanks.
Whenever Yoko got sleepy in a crowd, she got unbelievably fidgety. Shed flail her little arms and legs, wail at the top of her lungs, and just generally make life difficult for her parents. Scolding her only made it worsethere was no way to calm her down except to try to get her to sleep. At times like that Asakawa became intensely conscious of the looks of people around him, and hed start sulking himself, as though he were the prime victim of his daughters shrieking. The accusing stares of the other passengers always made him feel like he was choking.
Shizu preferred not to see her husband in that state, with his cheeks twitching nervously and all. All right, then, if you say so.
Great. Lets see if shell take a nap upstairs.
Yoko lay in her mothers lap, eyes half closed.
Ill go put her down, he said, caressing his daughters cheek with the back of his hand. The words sounded strange coming from Asakawa, who hardly ever helped with the baby. Maybe hed had a change of heart, now that hed witnessed the sorrow of parents whod lost a child.
Whats come over you today? Its spooky.
Dont worry. She looks like shell go right down. Leave it to me.
Shizu handed the child over. Thanks. I just wish you were like this all the time.
As she was transferred from her mothers bosom to her fathers, Yoko began to scrunch up her face, but before she had time to follow through she had fallen asleep. Asakawa climbed the stairs, cradling his daughter. The second floor consisted of two Japanese-style rooms and the Western-style room which had been Tomokos. He laid Yoko on the futon in the Japanese-style room that faced south. He didnt even need to stay with her as she fell asleep. She was already out, her breathing regular.
Asakawa slipped out of the room and listened to see what was going on downstairs, and then entered Tomokos bedroom. He felt a little guilty about invading a dead girls privacy. Wasnt this the kind of thing he abhorred? But it was for a good causedefeating evil. There was nothing but to do it. Even as he thought this, he hated the way he was always willing to seize on any reason, no matter how specious, in order to rationalize his actions. But, he protested, it wasnt like he was writing an article about it: he was just trying to figure out when and where the four had been together. Sorry.
He opened her desk drawers. Just the normal assortment of stationery supplies, like any high school girl would have, rather neatly arranged. Three snapshots, a junk box, letters, a notepad, a sewing kit. Had her parents gone through here after she died? It didnt look like it. Probably she was just naturally neat. He was hoping to find a diaryit would save him a lot of time. Today I got together with Haruko Tsuji, Takehiko Nomi, and Shuichi Iwata, and we If he could just find an entry like that. He took a notebook from her bookshelf and flipped through it. He actually came across a very girlish diary in the back of a drawer, but there were only a few desultory entries on the first few pages, all of them dated long ago.
On the shelf beside the desk there were no books, only a red flowered makeup stand. He opened the drawer. A bunch of cheap accessories. A lot of mismatched earringsit seemed she had a habit of losing one of every pair she owned. A pocket comb with several slender black strands of hair still wrapped around it.
Opening the built-in wardrobe, his nose was assailed by the scent of high school girls. It was packed tight with colorful dresses and skirts on hangers. His sister-in-law and her husband had obviously not figured out what to do with these clothes, which still carried their daughters fragrance. Asakawa pricked up his ears at what was going on downstairs. He wasnt sure what theyd think if they caught him in here. There was no sound. His wife and her sister must still be talking about something. Asakawa searched the pockets of the clothes in the wardrobe one by one. Handkerchiefs, movie ticket stubs, gum wrappers, napkins, commuter pass case. He examined it: a pass for the stretch between Yamate and Tsurumi, a student ID card, and a membership card. There was a name written on the membership card: Something-or-other Nonoyama. He wasnt sure how to pronounce the characters for the first nameYuki, maybe? From the characters alone he couldnt tell if it was a man or a woman. Why did she have someone elses card in her pass case? He heard footsteps coming up the stairs. He slipped the card into his pocket, put the case back where hed found it, and shut the wardrobe. He stepped into the hall just as his sister-in-law reached the top of the stairs.
Sorry, is there a bathroom up here? He made a show of acting antsy.
Its there at the end of the hall. She didnt seem to suspect anything. Is Yoko sleeping like a good girl?
Yes, thanks. Sorry to put you to such trouble.