The Moai Island Puzzle

by Alice Arisugawa

  The three were silent, contemplating what this meant. Finally, Kazuto said: ‘Aha, if that’s correct, than this really might have been left by the murderer. But are you sure it wasn’t lying here yesterday afternoon? You might not have noticed while you were chatting.’

  ‘No,’ I said confidently. ‘It wasn’t there. If you don’t believe me, just ask Mr. Egami or Maria.’

  Kazuto made a face saying ‘Fine, I believe you.’

  ‘If Alice is right and this piece of paper wasn’t lying here yesterday afternoon, then I guess it’s really something the murderer dropped last night,’ said Toshiyuki with a grave expression. ‘That makes it a very important piece of evidence.’

  ‘Let me see it.’ Junji’s interest, too, was piqued. He took the piece of paper from Toshiyuki and stared at it, but all he could do was frown and grumble at it.

  ‘No idea what this is. Looks like some sort of code. Perhaps the murderer and Mr. Hirakawa had been communicating in secret?’

  ‘It’s no use discussing it here.’ Toshiyuki put an end to the talk. ‘Let’s take it back to Panorama Villa. Somebody there might recognise it. Alice, you take it with you.’

  I took the piece of paper, folded it in four following the existing fold lines and put it in the breast pocket of my polo-shirt.

  ‘It’s already twelve-thirty,’ said Kazuto as he climbed back on his bicycle.

  9

  Ten people were gathered in the hall. It was the same scene as that stormy night when we discovered the murders of father and daughter Makihara, but without Hirakawa. There was a heavy atmosphere permeating the air, reminiscent of a wake for the dead. A cool breeze blew through the open French windows, and I stared absentmindedly at the graceful dance of the curtains in the wind.

  ‘It must have been a shock to you when you discovered the body,’ said Ryūichi in a gentle voice. ‘Especially to Maria. Poor girl.’

  At her uncle’s words Maria, who was still not feeling well and appeared pale, looked up and answered weakly that she was alright.

  ‘So all of us have gathered here in the hall again just as two nights ago—no, yesterday morning to be precise,’ said Sonobe to Egami as he carefully wiped his briar pipe. ‘What about it? Will you act as our master of ceremonies this time as well? You were one of the people who first discovered the body, and you can comment on what you yourself noticed or felt.’

  Egami accepted the task once again. Everybody seemed to agree he was the one most suitable for the job.

  ‘I’ve already explained what happened between the time we went out to sea to look for the oar until the time we discovered the body. Doctor Sonobe and Mr. Inukai explained the current situation in detail just now. I assume we all know what happened last night. A second incident occurred, and there was a third murder victim.’

  The club president paused for a moment, considering how to begin. During that pause, nobody made any sound, not even a cough.

  ‘Let’s go over the basic facts first. The victim, Mr. Hirakawa, was murdered in the period between eleven o’clock at night and three in the morning. The cause of death was blood loss after being shot in the chest with a rifle. The murder weapon was not left at the crime scene, but we assume it’s the same rifle that was used in the previous murders. Mr. Hirakawa died sitting in a chair at the table. It appears the murderer suddenly shot him across the table from at least one metre away. There were no signs of either a struggle or the body being moved after death.

  ‘We all want to know why it happened, why Mr. Hirakawa was murdered, but there’s one thing we need to find out first: who killed him? We’ll examine the problem thoroughly now. I realise it’s unusual for a youngster like me to be the one asking the questions, so please forgive me if I sound rude. I’ll ask each of you in turn to make a statement about your activities last night. Please tell me everything exactly as it happened. I’d even prefer you to remain silent, rather than give me an incorrect statement or even tell me a lie. If you’ve any problems with how I ask my questions or how I lead the discussion, please state your objections at that time.’

  Everybody seemed intrigued by Egami’s eloquence. Even I thought he sounded like a real detective, with his “Examine the problem thoroughly” approach. He was announcing that, if he was going to do it, he’d do it thoroughly.

  ‘I’ll proceed in the order of how we’re seated. Mr. Arima, could you tell us about your activities last night? From after eight, after we finished dinner, if you please.’

  Ryūichi re-seated himself deeply in the rattan chair, put his hands together on top of his stomach and slowly started his testimony.

  ‘Yesterday was absolutely the worst. Because of what had happened the day before, I’d hardly slept. I wanted to take an afternoon nap, but I just couldn’t fall asleep, so I spent all day in my room. Oh, you said the night, didn’t you? Excuse me. I remained in the dining room for a while after dinner. Satomi was helping Reiko with cleaning the table, and I sat there and had them listen to my boring stories. They finished washing the dishes at around nine-thirty. Then I had a cup of tea with Reiko. We weren’t talking about anything in particular, just chatting. We were laughing at how Sonobe and Egami were still busy with the puzzle and how they seemed so absorbed in it. At eleven, Reiko yawned and I said we should go to bed. In my room, I had a bit of brandy by myself. I intended it to be a nightcap, but one glass followed another and I finally passed out. I think I fell asleep before midnight. I’d had quite a few drinks by then and I can only remember until just before that time. That’s all I can tell you.’

  ‘Thank you. Now to the person next to you. Reiko, please.’

  Reiko nodded and breathed in deeply. It was as if she were about to open her mouth to sing.

  ‘I’m afraid I’ll be repeating father, but until nine-thirty, I was cleaning up after dinner with Mrs. Inukai while talking with father. Then, from nine-thirty until eleven I talked some more with my father over a cup of tea. After eleven I suddenly felt tired and started to yawn and my father was kind enough to say I should go to bed. I went to my room immediately and was asleep by half past eleven. In the early morning, while it was still dark, I woke up and went to the bathroom once, but I noticed nothing out of the ordinary then. My head was a bit hazy, so I don’t remember exactly what time it was. But I remember that when I went to the kitchen for a cup of cold water, Mrs. Inukai was also there.’

  ‘It was five o’clock,’ said Satomi. ‘Don’t you remember? I said: “Sunrise in the south is really late.”’

  ‘Oh, that’s right,’ replied Reiko. ‘Yes, five o’clock. After my glass of water I went to my room to sleep again, and woke up before six. That’s when I got up and started to prepare breakfast. Dr. Sonobe came down at five minutes to six for a bath, I remember.’

  ‘And that’s all?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Egami turned to the person next to Reiko: Kazuto.

  ‘If you please.’

  Kazuto stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, re-seated himself and started talking.

  ‘Unlike dad and Reiko, I just couldn’t fall asleep. After dinner, I just hung about in that rattan chair. I tried to think about what had happened to my uncle and Sumako, but my mind wasn’t working, and I just sat there staring in front of me. At half past nine I went back to my own room. I think I saw Maria and Alice going out through the entrance then. Back in my room, I tried fiddling around with the wireless transceiver to see if I could fix it somehow, and listened to some music on the radio. Ah, I also played a little card game by myself. Pathetic, isn’t it? But what could I do, with nobody to keep me company? Then I got bored and decided to get into bed and go to sleep. I slept for a bit, but I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep any more. So I got up to get some alcohol in the system and that was…what time was it, Mr. Egami?’

  Kazuto threw a question back at Egami. He caught it.

  ‘Just before two o’clock. Remember when we had finished our fi
rst whisky-and-water and I looked at my watch and said: “It’s already a quarter past two.”?’

  Kazuto slapped his forehead with his palm.

  ‘Yes, of course. I poured a second glass for you and said: “But it’s only a quarter past two.” I’d finally found somebody to talk to, so I didn’t want to let you go. Our little midnight drinking party for two lasted until four. Right, Mr. Egami?’

  ‘Yes. About ten past four,’ confirmed Egami.

  ‘That’s all,’ said Kazuto, his hands spread in front of him.

  ‘Allow me to add two points,’ said Egami. ‘During the time Kazuto and I were drinking whisky in the hall, from before a bit before two o’clock until a bit after four o’clock, we didn’t hear any gunshots from the direction of Happy Fish Villa, nor did we see anyone suspicious entering or leaving Panorama Villa. Also, we could see the bicycles from the hall and both of us remember that all three bicycles of Panorama Villa were there. We saw two bicycles from the French windows next to this rattan table and one through the window next to the front door entrance. Correct, Kazuto?’

  Now Egami threw the question to Kazuto, who answered with a ‘Yeah.’

  ‘That’s a very important statement.’ Sonobe stopped wiping his pipe. ‘So you were in the hall from two until four and you didn’t see the murderer, but you did see all three bicycles? I’d previously estimated Mr. Hirakawa was murdered between eleven and three, with some leeway, but now it seems that the murderer must have committed the crime before one thirty and had returned to Panorama Villa before two.’

  I nodded as I listened, but I suddenly remembered something that made me cry out and I raised my hand.

  ‘We can limit the time of the murder down even further. Maria and I were sitting on those bicycles and talking until quarter past twelve, so the murderer couldn’t have used a bicycle until then. Suppose they took a bicycle at quarter past twelve and hurried over to Happy Fish Villa. They would’ve arrived at around a quarter to one. So that’s the earliest time the crime could’ve been committed. On the other hand, from Mr. Egami and Kazuto’s testimony, we know the crime must’ve been committed before half past one. So that means the crime was committed between quarter to one and twenty past.’

  ‘That’s right,’ agreed Maria, but Toshiyuki stopped us with a regretful expression.

  ‘Alice, there’s one gap in your theory. Aren’t you ignoring the possibility the crime was committed much earlier? I mean, the murderer could’ve killed Mr. Hirakawa sometime past eleven and been back at Panorama Villa already by quarter to twelve. Maybe one of the bicycles you and Maria were sitting on had just returned from Happy Fish Villa.’

  ‘No, that’s impossible. Actually, Maria and I had been there since half past eleven. We were sitting on those bicycles and, believe me, all three of them were there. Two near the French windows, one near the entrance.’

  ‘Then it’s settled,’ said Sonobe firmly. ‘Alice here is right. We can assume that the crime was committed between quarter to one and twenty past. That’s a lot more precise than the opinion of some quack doctor.’

  ‘Okay. And it’s your turn anyway, Alice, so talk about your movements last night from the beginning,’ said Egami as he lit a cigarette. Apart from the short period between nine and half past, when I was alone in my room, I’d been together with Maria all the time, so halfway through my story she joined me and we talked about our movements last night in sequence, from how we’d gone for a walk, gone out on the boat and finally overturned it. By the time we’d finished, Egami had turned two Cabin cigarettes into ash.

  ‘The movements of the two of you last night were certainly the most interesting of any of us,’ he observed. ‘What’s more, you didn’t see anyone before or after your great adventure, am I right? Not even when you went back to your rooms at quarter past twelve?’

  Maria and I said no, in unison.

  ‘Are we getting close to the core of the case?’ asked Toshiyuki, but Egami only said: ‘I wonder.’

  ‘Well then, let’s proceed to the second half.’

  10

  The Inukais were next. First was the husband, Toshiyuki.

  ‘There’s nothing to talk about. My wife helped with washing the dishes while I killed time by watching television. Just after nine, Reiko said she’d do the rest and sent my wife away. We watched a bit of television together and went up to our room at half past nine. Reiko was having some tea in the dining room, and asked us if we’d like a cup, but we declined. Dr. Sonobe and Mr. Egami were hard at work with the puzzle in the hall. It was still early when we reached our room, but my wife took her sleeping pills and went straight to sleep. It was before ten. I got into bed as well and read a book for about half an hour, but it was boring and I got extremely sleepy, so I switched off the light and went to sleep at half past ten. I didn’t wake up until this morning, so I didn’t notice anything of interest whatsoever.’

  His wife Satomi’s testimony matched her husband’s.

  ‘It’s my turn now,’ said Sonobe. ‘I haven’t much to say, either. At my age, you don’t become active at night any more, like young Alice and Miss Maria here. Their tale was quite entertaining. As for me, I’m happy to say I found a friend on the island, a young, good friend called Jirō Egami. He was nice enough to keep an old bush doctor like myself company when nobody else cared to do, and chatted to me while we were working on the puzzle. I was happy he wasn’t just listening and nodding, but also talked extensively about his own mischievous thoughts. He kept babbling on about his childish opposition to nuclear power, and yesterday I, too, started to have a change of heart… Oh, I did it again. Don’t look at me like that, Detective Egami. Anyway, after dinner the two of us had another chat as we worked on the jigsaw puzzle. We had some drinks at eleven and remained in the hall until shortly before midnight. We were just in the middle of another fascinating discussion when I asked him to release me: “I’m afraid my old body can’t take much of this anymore. Let’s continue tomorrow,” I said. What were we talking about again?’

  ‘The pros and cons of Kant’s Ding an Sich,’ replied Egami seriously. I really wasn’t able to keep up with their thinking. What was going on in their heads?

  ‘Oh yes, that was it. Well, we can talk about that together at some other time. To continue my story: I went back to my room right after that and went to sleep. I got up once before one o’clock to go the bathroom, but stayed in bed the rest of the time until the morning, except for that. When I came out of the bathroom, I bumped into Maria.’

  Maria nodded.

  ‘Yes. I was also on my way there.’

  ‘“I was just talking with Alice on the terrace,” she told me beamingly.’

  ‘Why would I be beaming just from chatting with Alice?’

  You don’t need to deny it so vehemently. But I’d wanted to ask the same question.

  ‘We looked out at the terrace downstairs then and saw the two bicycles there,’ Maria said, and the doctor nodded in agreement.

  ‘But from the first floor we couldn’t see the third bicycle at the front entrance. After that I fell sound asleep until I got up before six o’clock and took a morning bath.’

  ‘Alright,’ said Egami briskly and he moved on to the next testimony.

  Junji was the next in line. Despite all eyes being fixed on him, he still wouldn’t start talking and stared vacantly into space while rubbing his rough beard.

  ‘My turn, eh? What did I do last night? My head’s not really helping now.’

  He smiled a little at himself.

  ‘I went up to the attic, to that room with all the stuff in it. There were some rare books, so I stood there, reading some of them and also took a look at the shell specimens there. Then I went to the room where Sumako and her dad were lying and spent some time sitting there. Then I went to my room and crept into bed around half past ten.’

  The room he just mentioned used to be Kango’s room.

  ‘I think I woke up once in the night. It was past one o’cl
ock. I went to the bathroom, and then watched the sea for a bit through the hallway windows. I stood there for about five minutes, when Egami came out of his room. What time was that?’

  ‘A little after twenty past one,’ replied Egami. Sonobe stopped them there.

  ‘Mr. Egami, you’re quite the nighthawk. Or are you suffering from insomnia? You just told us you were drinking with Kazuto from a bit before two, but you were gallivanting about the house before that, it seems.’

  Egami broke into a wry smile.

  ‘I’m no nighthawk. Last night was just a bit different. I was on my way to the bathroom, sometime after one o’clock, when I came upon Mr. Makihara and had a little talk with him. I returned straight to my room. Mr. Makihara, please continue. You said you were looking out at sea from the hallway windows, which means you were looking in the direction of High Tide Cape. Was there anything you noticed? Perhaps you heard a strange sound, or saw something curious?’

  ‘Now let me think.’ Junji hadn’t appeared to be very willing to talk, but then his eyes opened wide.

  ‘I did! I did see something!’

  ‘You remembered?’ The detective asked, as if he had already expected Junji’s answer. For the first time, Junji looked straight into Egami’s eyes.

  ‘I was staring in the direction of Happy Fish Villa, when I caught a glimpse of a weak light. That might’ve been the light of the murderer’s bicycle.’

  ‘That has to be it,’ Toshiyuki declared. ‘Mr. Makihara, try to remember. What time was it?’

  ‘About twenty-five past one, I think.’

  ‘Twenty-five past one.’

  Junji and Egami replied almost simultaneously. Egami had something else to add, though.

  ‘However, Mr. Makihara was the only one to see the light. I didn’t. Mr. Makihara cried out, so I asked him what was wrong and also looked in the direction of High Tide Cape, but I didn’t see anything.’

  ‘Oh, that’s right, you didn’t see it,’ said Junji softly.