Masquerade and the Nameless Women

by Eiji Mikage

  Otoha began to cry, so I rubbed her back. Unlike me, she’d been close to Reina all through high school. She must have been suffering much more than I was.

  “I’m not going to let the killer get away,” I said. “That’s the least I can do.”

  “Thank you,” she said faintly.

  My determination redoubled, I turned to look at Dr. Higano. “Doctor, should we look into this guy? What do you think? He’ll have a previous case file, and we’ll be able to investigate as soon as we know his name.”

  “Interesting. I think it would likely be in the best interest to look into him…”

  However, his response was a little passive. He let his gaze fall to the puzzle in his hands.

  I was a little put off, but he hadn’t outright rejected my suggestion.

  “Otoha.” I turned to her. “Could you tell us what you know about this man? Even just his name?”

  She thought for a moment. “His name was…Shota Akiyama. Yeah, that’s it.”

  I was floored.

  What the hell was going on?

  Reina hadn’t ever ended things with Shota, even now. So had she really cheated with him just to help Otoha? Or did she just like him enough to take him from her?

  No, Otoha said that Reina dated men because she “had to.” It didn’t make sense that Reina would feel the need to date someone who was committing fraud.

  Or perhaps it was the other way around?

  What if Reina kept dating him precisely because she found the fact that he was a criminal appealing?

  And the results were clearly visible: both Reina and Shota had amassed more than 100 million yen.

  “Dr. Higano,” I huffed. “What the hell…”

  I could sense we’d be closer to the truth if we got to the heart of this!

  “Just a moment, Yuri,” Dr. Higano said. “I don’t have my thoughts together. There’s still something I have to ask Tamachi-san here.”

  He had taken his eyes off the puzzle and turned his gaze to Otoha, who was sitting on the couch.

  “Ask me? And what would that be?” She tilted her head endearingly.

  “Just something rather…fundamental,” Dr. Higano said. “Are you actually Otoha Tamachi?”

  I had no idea what he was asking.

  My heart was pounding and I felt hot. My thinking was completely short-circuited.

  I opened my eyes widely and looked at Otoha—no, I looked at the woman who called herself Otoha Tamachi.

  “You don’t think I’m…me?” she asked incredulously.

  Just like mine, her eyes were round as saucers. She seemed completely taken aback by the question. I thought her reaction was totally justified.

  However, Dr. Higano nodded twice, three times, like her response somehow proved his theory exactly, and then looked at me. “Yuri. Otoha Tamachi was your former classmate. Is the woman before you really her?”

  “Well, of course…” I started. Then I stopped myself.

  Maybe she wasn’t.

  I had had an incredibly strange feeling when she walked in—that uncertainty whether she’d actually been this pretty.

  “Is this really Otoha Tamachi?” Dr. Higano repeated.

  The blood rushed from my head. “I did feel…a little uncertain, but…” After careful consideration, I shook my head. “But there’s no way! How could someone stand in front of a former classmate and blatantly lie about their identity?! It’s so risky.”

  “Absolutely,” Dr. Higano said encouragingly. But then he added, “That would be the case if we were talking about an ordinary person. However, this person isn’t ordinary. You can’t call someone so skilled at lying ordinary.”

  Otoha raised an eyebrow in a very natural look of consternation. “What the hell are you saying? I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re getting at.”

  “Well, let’s look at some of the signs of a liar: They avoid eye contact. They frequently cover their face with gestures. They get an awkward look in their eyes because the timing of their facial expressions is off and they focus on compensating around the mouth. They look up and to the right. They blink more often. Their voice lowers. They respond more slowly. When asked a question, they repeat it to buy time. They force unnatural changes in the subject of conversation. The list goes on.”

  “You’re saying these apply to me?” She shook her head and looked a little frightened. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember doing any of those.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Dr. Higano admonished gently. “Conversely. You didn’t do any of those things.” He began to spin his puzzle again. “You looked us squarely in the eye. When you were thinking, you looked up and to the left, not to the right. You never repeated anything we said, nor did you divert the conversation. You didn’t show a single sign of someone who was lying.” Dr. Higano paused for a moment and continued, “However, that in and of itself was strange.”

  He had completed his glass cube puzzle and held the finished product in his hands.

  “People are usually cautious or nervous when they meet someone for the first time, not least a police officer in a murder investigation. Sometimes their memory is uncertain and they’re not confident. If that’s the case, like liars, they tend to blink a lot, their voice lowers, and there’s an unnatural lag to their responses. But in your case, there weren’t signs of any of that. Zero. That’s not natural. Now why would that be the case?” Dr. Higano stared into the eyes of this woman who called herself Otoha Tamachi. “It was because you have a complete understanding of what distinguishes a liar and made a conscious effort not to let those things show.”

  I was listening to him, dazed, but now I shook my head emphatically. No matter how logical his reasoning, I wasn’t going to give in easily. “That’s impossible. People aren’t that good at lying. An ordinary person isn’t capable of what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, I already told you she’s not ordinary. Now, how is that possible? Perhaps she regularly painted over her life with a set of lies. Maybe her circumstances were so extreme that if she hadn’t done so, her life would have collapsed. Her environment trained this unique skill.” The woman shook her head quickly, as though scared. I still couldn’t detect any deception in her manner.

  “However, there’s some truth to what you’re suggesting,” Dr. Higano said. “There’s a remote chance that she just happens not to have the tells of a liar. But putting that possibility aside for now, let’s see if we can deduce whether my premise is correct.”

  Dr. Higano brushed his collar, arranged his white coat, and then completely scrambled the cube puzzle he had finally finished.

  “This woman actively sought out information about this case not because she was interested in the details but because she wanted to connect with the investigators. Her goal was to shift the investigation in a favorable direction. To take such an action means, first of all, that she was lying about having cut off contact with Reina. Indeed, it seems likely they’re still quite close.”

  I looked at the woman, but her expression still revealed nothing beyond confusion.

  “But then,” Dr. Higano continued. “No matter how skillfully she spun her lies and fooled people, there had to be certain things in the case she wouldn’t be able to twist the way she wanted.”

  “Like what, exactly?” I asked.

  “There are things the police would be able to investigate and confirm even if she fooled us about them here. And if she’d kept insisting on her account, she would’ve lost credibility and cast suspicion on herself. So she avoided lying about those things.”

  What he said was making sense.

  “They way she mentioned Shota without seeming to know anything about him is also suspicious,” Dr. Higano continued. “Assuming she’s still in touch with him even now, it seems highly likely she also would’ve known Shota was still dating Reina. If
she knew about their relationship, then she also could’ve surmised that the investigation would eventually get to him.”

  “And if that happened,” I extrapolated, “Shota would talk to the police and he wouldn’t be able to lie. So she was telling the truth about him?”

  “Yes, that seems highly likely. Thus, Shota and Reina were dating—this is a fact. They probably did cheat, or something like that—also a fact. And in the past he was arrested for fraud—this is definite.”

  That’s when it occurred to me again that maybe Reina had kept seeing him precisely because she found the fact that he was a criminal appealing.

  “In addition, there’s a chance that she found out from Reina herself that Reina and Shota had over 100 million saved up,” Dr. Higano said. “The investigation would track down the flow of the money at some point. She knew she couldn’t cover up any lies about that. And once the police realized the alarming amount of money, they’d obviously focus on whether and how the source of the money was related to the murder. Furthermore, this woman tried to lure us in that direction by talking about Shota as though he were someone important.”

  She sure had convinced me.

  “So you’re suggesting…?” I asked.

  “That the truth is the exact opposite,” Dr. Higano said. “Shota actually has nothing to do with this murder.”

  The woman remained silent.

  “She also insisted that Reina was seeing multiple men. The fact that she wanted us to think that means something. At the very least, she used her story to make us think it was possible for Reina to be seeing Ken and Shota at the same time. It’s possible Reina was seeing a man who hasn’t been uncovered by the investigation yet. Maybe it would’ve been convenient for this ‘Otoha’ if she could make us think it was natural for Reina to be dating multiple men. Here’s the takeaway: I think there’s an important secret wrapped up in Reina’s romantic life.”

  I gulped. I didn’t know whether any of his conjectures were right or not. But without a doubt, Dr. Higano had led me into mental territory I wouldn’t have been able to enter on my own.

  Dr. Higano is incredible, I thought.

  “By the way,” he added. “You mentioned that the girls in school close with Reina were called the ‘Bumblebees’?”

  “Yes.”

  Dr. Higano worked at his cube puzzle and looked at the woman. “She was trying to lead us down the wrong path. She lied a number of times. But what she was most trying to hide from us with her deception was this.” Dr. Higano brandished his once-again completed puzzle dramatically. “The Bumblebees are deeply involved with this murder.”

  The woman calling herself Otoha Tamachi burst into laughter.

  It started out as a simple snort: “Haha.” Then she became full-on hysterical: “Haaahahahaha!” She slapped her knee and laughed coarsely with her mouth wide open. It was a complete turnaround from the genteel, kind image she’d had up until that point.

  “Who the hell is this guy?!” she cried. “He’s ridiculous. He’s spouting all sorts of crap. Hilarious. Really funny. Hahahaha! His mind moves pretty quickly, I’ll give him that much. But it’s all BS! Pure fiction!”

  “I’m fine with fiction,” Dr. Higano said neutrally and placed the cube puzzle on a desk. The woman frowned skeptically, and he added, “The truth has very little value.”

  The woman turned serious. Even I thought his remarks seemed a little reckless.

  “So you don’t care if you’re wrong?” she asked. “You can’t be for real.”

  “No, I actually don’t mind,” Dr. Higano agreed, shaking his head. “What matters isn’t whether my deductions are factually accurate or not. I’m actually fairly certain that some of these conclusions are off the mark.”

  The woman narrowed her eyes.

  “In this case,” he continued, “what my conclusions elicited were meaningful. Don’t you think? When faced with my conclusions, your attitude changed. Regardless of what my conclusions were, you admitted that you couldn’t maintain the same ruse. I’m sure you’re aware of this, but part of the reason your attitude changed was because you gave in to me.”

  If he hadn’t landed a blow, she would’ve been able to maintain her good-natured, composed manner. That was definitely the case.

  The woman seemed to come to an understanding: It was impossible to beat Seiren Higano by playing dumb.

  “I’ll admit this…” the woman said and paused for a moment. “I can’t lie for shit.”

  She’d admitted it.

  But why? It wasn’t like she had her back against the wall.

  A bold and frightening smile played on the edges of her mouth. Otherwise her face was empty of emotion. It was like the grin on a praying mantis going after a kill.

  Was this the real her?

  Or was she just playing another role?

  I had no clue. I didn’t know anything. I knew so little and I was so powerless. I wanted to pound the pavement and find the answers myself. Who killed Reina Myoko? Who exactly was Reina Myoko? Where was Masquerade right now? I didn’t know, I didn’t know, I didn’t know. I hated my powerlessness and incompetence.

  Dr. Higano said that the truth didn’t have any value, but I disagreed.

  I wanted to know the truth.

  I wanted to find the truth.

  “Let me ask you again.” Dr. Higano looked directly at the woman. “Who are you?”

  She answered immediately: “I’m Otoha Tamachi…I’m Miyuki Yata…I’m Sena Hagawa…I’m Asami Ino…I’m Ryoko Omura.”

  Dr. Higano shook his head, and the woman announced, finally, “I’m Reina Myoko.”

  “You’re lying, pure and simple.” Dr. Higano put his hands on his head in frustration and went for a different question. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

  “We are just taking revenge for Reina,” the woman replied. Suddenly a look of animosity covered her entire face. “And we’ve already accomplished almost everything.”

  Just as I was going to ask her what exactly she meant, my phone rang. Yamaji’s name was on the screen. I took the call but kept my eyes on the woman.

  “Yamaji, things are crazy right now—”

  “Get over here, now!” he yelled, preventing me from getting another word in. “Immediately. Wake up Koichiro Myoko and Ken Nakahigashi and bring them to the station with the Doc. ASAP!”

  “What? Just a second…”

  Yamaji hung up the phone without waiting for my response. “What’s up with that? He didn’t even listen to a word I said…”

  But Yamaji wouldn’t lose his head over something trivial. I wondered if something had happened at the station.

  “Seems like we have to go,” Dr. Higano said. He looked at the woman. “Would you mind joining us?”

  “Don’t worry,” she assured me. “I’m not going to run away.”

  She smiled calmly, reverting to her composed, good-natured manner.

  Chills ran down my back. Was this really the same woman who, moments earlier, had been laughing hysterically?

  I swallowed my fear and feigned calm. “Do you have the contact information for the Bumblebees?” I asked. Then shook my head and looked at her. “Actually…it would be a huge help if you could tell us the whole truth.”

  Her expression softened a little, only around her mouth. “I don’t know anything. The only thing I know is a single truth. Would you like to hear it?”

  That was when the woman who called herself Otoha Tamachi told her most blatant lie yet.

  “Reina Myoko,” she said, “is immortal.”

  * * *

  —

  12:10 A.M: An hour and ten minutes before Yuri and Dr. Higano confronted the woman calling herself Otoha Tamachi. Shota Akiyama ended a phone call and placed his smartphone on the hotel bed.

  He wiped cold sweat from his forehead. His hear
t throbbed heavily, almost jumping out of his chest. He nearly forgot to breathe and broke out into a cough. He felt hot and took a sip of mineral water, but it seemed to slide down his throat without any effect. He tried over and over to make himself think.

  He collapsed on the bed, shivering.

  It can’t be, he thought. It just can’t be!

  Before he had time to figure anything out, let alone prepare himself, the doorbell rang. It was time.

  He carefully got up and stood in front of the door. He took a deep breath and then gripped the doorknob.

  He steeled himself and opened the door.

  “Ahh,” he said.

  He barely managed to keep from collapsing to his knees. At this moment, there was so much he could have thought, but the only thing that drifted into his mind was that, ahh, she was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen.

  He spoke the name of the woman he loved:

  “Reina Myoko.”

  “It’s been a while, Shota.”

  It was impossible for him to mistake her for anyone else. This was, without a doubt, the woman he loved.

  If there was a God, He’d evidently taken more time than usual crafting her perfect face. The veins in her neck each seemed calculated to draw out her allure. Her eyes were like the ocean—they had the power to draw anything into their depths. Her lips remained unchanged: rose-like, coated with red lipstick that contrasted with her almost transparently white skin.

  Those full and shapely lips drove Shota mad.

  He didn’t know why she was alive. But before he could even begin to ask this question, he began crying from joy.

  He quickly lost the strength to stand. His crying turned to intense weeping. He fell to the ground and clung to her long, thin legs.