by Unknown
The DNA of the hundred thousand vampires residing in Tokyo—including that of both the immigrant vampires that accounted for the majority and that of the small number of indigenous ones—was registered in a database. Yet there was no match for the DNA that had been collected from the crime scene. It belonged to a cadaver that had been resurrected by one of the registered vampires. The perpetrator was a rogue.
So, they had searched the database for prior incidents involving a knife to find that five unsolved fatal robberies, all of which involved what appeared to be the same weapon, had occurred between June and July.
These hadn’t taken place in Inokashira Park, but rather in the peripheries of Kichijōji and Mitaka. The victims’ wallets and some other effects had been taken, and because they had been stabbed the Criminal Affairs Division had treated the cases as regular rather than vampiric crimes. Accordingly, they had neither tested for the W Factor nor informed the Vampire Squad about the details of these incidents.
A second investigation of the five cadavers and tissue samples collected from them confirmed the presence of the W Factor, as well as characteristics indicating that they had undergone vampiric metamorphosis. Thus, the five incidents were handed over to the Vampire Squad. It appeared that the suspect, in an attempt to conceal the vampiric element of his attacks, had endeavored to make them look like a series of muggings. After presenting this overview, Chief Yamamoto asked Muraki to share the results of his own investigation.
“I’ve just returned and haven’t prepared any slides. I’ll just have to project the notes I took at the crime scene. The doctor gave me a rundown of the postmortem exam findings, and a party that we think was involved in the incidents in some way has surfaced. It looks like the penniless victims of the most recent three incidents experienced an improvement in their financial circumstances immediately prior to their deaths. Their wallets were stolen, but we thoroughly analyzed the effects they left behind to look for skin and hair samples deriving from people who may have had contact with the victims before their deaths.
“In the end, we couldn’t find any skin other than that of the victims, and the only hair we found was broken off at the root, so we couldn’t perform DNA testing. According to the forensic examination, though, it came from a baseline nonvampiric human, and we’re more than 90 percent certain that the same person was involved in all of the incidents. We estimated their age based on the amount of melanin present, and we think this person is between thirty and forty years old.”
Muraki’s conjecture sent the meeting room into a commotion. He was suggesting that there was a human being out there who was aiding and abetting vampiric crimes.
“Something of interest: We recovered a banknote from the bottom of the first victim’s bag. A hair sample we collected from it was also a match. Based on this, we think that the three victims accepted money from the person in question prior to the attacks.”
Muraki projected a photo from his smartphone onto the screen. It was a grainy, pixelated image, untouched, and taken from a video monitor screen. It showed someone that resembled the first victim found in Inokashira Park.
“This image was taken from a security camera at the home-improvement center near Inokashira Park. It’s an old machine and the resolution is poor, but he’s purchasing a stake identical to the one used in the crime. The date is here—August second, the day before the incident. As you can see, his wallet contains a substantial number of banknotes. It was a cash purchase. Fortunately, we were able to collect fingerprint and skin samples before the money was deposited into the bank. As expected, we found the victim’s DNA. Here’s the problem.”
The projection screen magnified to display someone who appeared to be accompanying the victim. Because of the camera angle, one could make out only that the person was wearing a suit. After finishing his purchase, the victim walked toward the second party, and the final shot showed them leaving the store together.
“We used image processing to perform an analysis of the spectrum of fibers that compose the suit, and it’s a match with the fibers we collected from the cadaver. It’s definitely an Armani, but unfortunately we were only able to identify the fabric and not the exact type of suit.”
“So you’re saying that each of the three victims received cash from the person in the suit, and then was attacked by a vampire? I see, thank you.”
After Muraki finished his explanation, he sat down with a sigh of relief. Hashimoto offered him a canned coffee, and Muraki accepted it. It seemed Muraki’s report was new information to more than half of those present at the meeting. The room was astir.
“Well then, doctor, if you please.”
At Chief Yamamoto’s urging Cadaver Investigator Yatsuyanagi stood up. Using his smartphone, Yatsuyanagi displayed images taken from the three crime scenes on the screen.
“As we learned earlier, prior to the Inokashira Park incidents the vampire in question had already committed five other crimes.”
Yatsuyanagi displayed a new image. This one showed three stakes. Each was wooden type commonly purchased at home-improvement centers in order to exterminate vampires.
“The greatest riddle surrounding the affair is the question of why stakes were driven through the victims’ hearts only in the three most recent incidents. We have yet to find any evidence linking the perpetrator to the stakes. Nevertheless, we think these weapons are the same stakes purchased at the Kichijōji home-improvement center mentioned in this report. They’re your typical cheap, Chinese-made goods, so there’s no way to explain it. Now, aside from the stakes, two other factors also differentiate the three recent incidents from the five that took place prior.
“Firstly, in the recent three incidents surgical tools were employed, and an enormous quantity of blood was extracted from the cadavers. One to two liters, give or take. As far as I know, vampires don’t tend to drink such massive quantities of blood. This is something other than hematophagia.”
“Doctor, isn’t exsanguination a preservation method?” Muraki inquired, the canned coffee still in his hand.
“The motive remains unclear. To preserve a body you need the anticoagulant heparin or something of the sort, but your average vampire has an aversion to the drug. The possibility that preservation was the goal seems unlikely. And therein lies the second issue. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but ever since the incident in Inokashira Park the victims have shared the same blood type: B. Vampires aren’t picky about blood type—they’re far more concerned with avoiding persons with a history of viral disease. Among Japanese people, only one in five is type B. Based on simple math, the probability that three people in succession would be type B is less than 1 percent.”
“If we’re dealing with a human the blood could have been used for a transfusion, but …” Whether Muraki was voicing a question or an opinion was unclear, but as he trailed off, Yatsuyanagi continued with his explanation.
“A little while ago Muraki reported that the three victims accepted money from the same person. This is consistent with my postmortem exam findings. When I checked out the contents of the three victims’ stomachs, I got the impression that each of them had consumed a recent and rare feast. The pathology data suggests that all of them suffered from some level of malnutrition. But the contents of their stomachs indicated otherwise.”
“Doctor, if that’s the case … are you saying that the person in question prepared the victims for the vampire?”
At Chief Yamamoto’s inquiry, Muraki stopped drinking his canned coffee. The chief’s question had serious implications. Although vampires were permitted to reside in Tokyo, their activities had been restricted in many respects. But if there were humans assisting with their crimes, the Vampire Squad’s work was liable to become difficult.
“Based on the autopsy results alone, we can’t know that much. But even assuming human cooperation is at play, the modi operandi of the first five incidents and the mos
t recent three differ. So, we can only confirm that the person in question was involved in the most recent three incidents.”
“Are you saying that the first five incidents and the most recent three might be unrelated?”
“It’s a bit of a pain, eh?”
A map appeared on the projection screen, and on it eight crime scenes had been plotted out. They were framed by color-coded areas shaped like doughnuts.
“I think you’ll get the picture when you see this, but I attempted to analyze the crime scenes using Rossmo’s formula.”
Rossmo’s formula is a method of geographical profiling. Where do serial murderers, sex offenders, and other serial criminals live? The formula seeks to answer this question based on the distribution of crime scenes.
The theory is pretty straightforward. When serial murderers and the like select a location in which to commit their crimes, they tend to choose a place that is relatively close to their own homes while avoiding locales that are too close, instead establishing a buffer zone around their domiciles. In their minds, the probability of being discovered if they select a location too close to home is high. On the other hand, if one strays too far from home it takes too long to return from the scene of the crime—and from the criminal’s standpoint, this is a dangerous thing.
Thus, in an attempt to establish what he believes to be a safe location for his serial crimes, the perpetrator unwittingly supplies information concerning where he lives. Rossmo’s formula works according to this principle, utilizing crime scene distribution data to determine the hot zone in which a criminal is hiding.
Yatsuyanagi had carried out an analysis utilizing this technique, and the room had grown agitated upon seeing the results.
“How did you arrive at this?”
Muraki grumbled. Hashimoto addressed him.
“Muraki, I’ve computed the hot zone using Rossmo’s formula—so why does everyone look so skeptical?”
“Rossmo’s formula doesn’t hold up for Vampire Squad investigations. Well, there are exceptions, but that’s true for nine cases out of ten.”
“Why? Because vampires think differently than humans?”
“That’s too simplistic. A sharp-witted vampire would at least be familiar with Rossmo’s formula. And a vampire living at the peripheries of society would need to become familiar with police procedure. That sort of vampire would choose a location precisely in order to circumvent Rossmo’s formula. Or perhaps he’d contrive a way for identical crimes to go undiscovered. It’s not often that things fall into place like you’re suggesting.”
“I had no idea. In the training course we learned that it was an effective investigative technique, and the formula itself isn’t readily apprehensible.”
“Vampiric crimes are discovered daily. The content of the training courses immediately grows outmoded. And vampires, too, surf the Web. This sort of information isn’t circulated. Disinformation, on the other hand …”
To supplement Muraki’s explanation, Yatsuyanagi split the screen and presented the data related to prior similar incidents.
“So that he can pull off serial crimes, this clever vampire selects locations in order to sidestep Rossmo’s formula. Most of them transpire outside of the turbulence of the hot zone, making his serial crimes appear to be one-time offenses. When a vampire indulges in serial bloodsucking, without question, he’ll be found out and put down. If it’s a one-time affair, he might avoid euthanasia. Even so, the vampire in this case is different. It’s as though he’s declaring that he’s a serial offender. Is there some connection between this and the fact that the prior five incidents and the most recent three differ?”
Muraki looked at the hot zone, and something came to mind.
“Doctor, you recently participated in an academic conference in Mitaka. That isn’t far from the hot zone, is it?”
“Muraki, what an unpleasant thought. That’s right, the conference took place in the hot zone. If I’d walked down the wrong street at the wrong time, I could have become the subject of an autopsy.”
Muraki raised his hand, and again asked for comment. He highlighted a spot on the map with the pointer.
“The home-improvement center where the party in question had the victim purchase a stake—it’s also near the hot zone. Supposing that the vampire’s behavior doesn’t contradict Rossmo’s formula, isn’t there a strong possibility that the person in question also lives in this hot zone? Maybe the human accomplice has established a pattern based on the behavior of the offending vampire. What do you think, Chief?”
“Muraki, are you saying we’re dealing with a human being who’s living with a rogue vampire?”
“Or a vampire who’s romantically involved with a human. For a rogue vampire there’s no better cover, right? In which case, might the stakes be signs that this person wants them to be found out? If so, it all adds up.”
5.
Chateau Shimo-renjaku, as its name suggested, was a small four-story apartment building facing Renjaku Street. All of the units were used as VLC employee housing, but it was not widely known that the surveillance state’s Asō Real Estate Company was a subsidiary of VLC.
With Hashimoto in tow, Muraki drove his electric car soundlessly into the visitor parking lot at Chateau Shimo-renjaku. The police department had embraced the electric car more fully than any other part of the public sector.
“Muraki, the informant you’re going to introduce me to—is it a VLC worker?”
“Come on, you’ll understand before long. More importantly, do you have your gun?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Good.”
Muraki was facing the corner room on the fourth floor. The doorplate read Technical Translator Jonathan. On the steel door hung a bulb of garlic. Reading Muraki’s ID tag, the door produced a sound indicating that the lock had been released.
“Enter two meters behind me. And remain at least two meters away from me. Near the exit, if possible,” Muraki said, then entered the room. The corridor from the entryway to the living area was a steel bookcase lined with nondigitized dictionaries and documents in German, Russian, and other languages.
Muraki had visited this place many times, but never without a sense of unease. Though in his head he knew that nothing would happen, his gut wouldn’t accept it.
“Thank you for coming.”
An androgynous voice arose from the living area. The parlor, which together with the kitchen formed a twelve-mat room, was lined on all four sides with steel bookcases that blocked off even the window. In the center of the room was a large wooden desk. The lights had been turned off, but a ray of sunlight that slipped through the window otherwise obscured by the bookcase mingled with the glow of a large computer monitor to illuminate Jonathan.
He welcomed Muraki and Hashimoto in a polite tone, but made no move to rise from his chair. This was not out of lack of courtesy; rather, it seemed, he was trying to avoid putting his company on edge by making a careless movement.
Perhaps in an attempt to demonstrate to his visitors that he was one of the virtuous vampires, the cup of blood that he had just finished drinking had been left out on the kitchen sink. It appeared that he had also eaten some pasta.
Jonathan looked to be a young man. He was a Japanese, not a foreigner. He was slender, and when he did stand he gave the impression of being quite tall. Perhaps owing to the light of the computer monitor, his pallid skin appeared sickly.
“Muraki, what the …”
Muraki heard Hashimoto’s voice from behind.
“Let me introduce you two: This is my informant, Jonathan. As you can see, he’s a vampire. And this is my partner, Hashimoto.”
Hashimoto bowed to Jonathan. Jonathan gestured toward a pair of seats. Muraki sat down, but Hashimoto remained standing, maintaining his distance from Muraki. Perhaps because Jonathan understood why, he said nothing more.
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“So, why did you ask me here?”
Jonathan produced a printout of an image taken with a digital camera. The picture depicted a group of roughly thirty young men. On the back something had been written in slender characters.
“The Kichijōji affair?”
“Yep.”
Muraki read the writing on the back of the picture. Current addresses and brief personal histories of the men pictured. And a name.
“Satoshi Kijima? Is he our rogue? Who created him?” Muraki asked.
“You wont hear a peep from me on that matter,” Jonathan replied.
“We could also put the screws on this stray and make him spit it out!”
“If you search VLC’s records, you’ll find a vampire who committed suicide. But the truth is that she was killed by a vampire, one I myself transformed.”
“She? You’re saying he meant to turn his lover into a vampire?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was an experiment. Why he’d do something so foolish is a mystery to us, too.”
“What kind of fellow is he, this Kijima?”
“A beast. He’s driven by instinct. Not a cultured bone in his body, but he is cunning. To the extent that he was able to convince even his fellow vampires that it was a suicide.”
“This guy isn’t living with a human, is he?”
“If he only had the self-restraint to do so without drinking their blood, he wouldn’t have been so stupid as to make enemies of us.”
Feeling that “us” included the Vampire Squad, Muraki got an unsettled feeling.
“The long and short of it is that if this rogue keeps committing crimes, this virtuous vampire before me is going to have trouble. Is this why you’re trying to make us get rid of him?”
“I don’t manipulate the police. Isn’t reporting information about criminals to the police the responsibility of virtuous citizens?”