by Yasuo Uchida
The site being practically at the entrance to town, it would not do to leave the body on display for long. Throwing a sheet over it, they waited for the doctor and the morgue squad, who were far from speedy in arriving. When the doctor did finally get there, he judged that the man had been dead for twenty-four hours or more, and moreover that there were indications of death by poisoning.
That meant trouble. The body could not have lain there unnoticed for twenty-four hours. It must have been left there. But until they could identify it, they were forced to assume it must be that of a guest at Bessho Hot Springs.
With the first report from the local police to the prefectural police, however, Bessho Hot Springs became the scene of more excitement than had probably been witnessed there since the time of the god Yamato-Takeru. The local assistant inspector found himself talking to the head of Investigative Section One, Miyazaki himself.
"Then you haven't identified the body yet?" Miyazaki confirmed.
"That's right. Not yet."
"And he was about sixty years old?"
"Yes, about that."
"And I'll bet he was wearing a bathrobe, wasn't he?"
"Yes, but how did you know?"
"Never mind. Just get the area roped off right now. Then don't touch a thing until we get there."
"But it's right beside the road."
"I don't care. Set up a detour."
The assistant inspector didn't know what was up, but he had the area blockaded with the greatest precautions his little force was capable of. Since it was right beside a well-traveled public road, they had their hands full just controlling curious passersby. They could not have begun any kind of investigation even had they not been warned not to.
The emergency vehicles following one after another nearly stopped ordinary traffic along the highway from Nagano City to Ueda. From Chief Detective Tsukamoto on down, most of the people in Investigative Section One and in the investigative task force were mobilized. Several tens of cars, both police and private, all rushed to the scene at almost the same time, followed quickly by cars of the mass media, which had been all ready to go ever since the news of Representative Shishido's disappearance.
The focus of all the confusion and excitement, like the eye of a typhoon, was strangely quiet. The General's Mound itself, though slightly more melancholy than usual, was as calm as ever.
Shortly after nine, several men approached the eye of the typhoon. They stopped at the edge of the road while the local police chief left the group, went up to the body, and lifted the corner of the white vinyl sheet from the dead man's face.
"That's him, isn't it?" said Tsukamoto softly.
"Yes, it's him all right," confirmed Takemura. The man from whom he had parted at odds just the other day was lying there, a lifeless mass. The miserable corpse of Hirofumi Shishido, former military-police lieutenant and member of the lower house of the Diet, was on display at the General's Mound.
About twenty minutes later, Chief Nagakura arrived, together with all the heads of the various relevant departments. Before long, Shishido's family, secretaries, close associates, and others with various and sundry connections began to gather. The tiny hot-springs resort was buried under half the people of the Nagano Basin.
The site was inspected with particularly scrupulous care by police well aware that the eyes of the media were upon them. The assumption was that the murderer had come by car, stopped beside the road, and concealed by the car itself, pulled the body out and sent it sprawling onto the General's Mound. Whoever did it had apparently not set foot on the mound at all, and so had left no footprints or any other traces.
Hirofumi Shishido's body was rushed to the University Hospital in Nagano City for autopsy. Family members and associates departed the scene almost at the same time as the body, leaving behind police, reporters, and countless spectators.
Chief Nagakura held a press conference, assuring the media that the prefectural police would make every effort to solve the heinous crime. Although he was showered with questions concerning the connection between this murder and the murders of Kisuke Takeda and the Ishiharas, he avoided giving definite answers.
The death of Hirofumi Shishido made waves incomparably greater than those made by any of the previous deaths. Although Kisuke Takeda had been an important man, he had nevertheless been no more than a local power in Nagano. Shishido, on the other hand, had been not only a respected member of the National Diet but also the leader of an important faction, with a good chance of eventually becoming the head of his party. There had only been one murder ever of an active member of the Diet, long long ago. Conjectures and surmises were flying everywhere, as the mass media tried to find something to use as background.
The first thing most reporters thought of was the recent suicide of an important Diet Representative in Hokkaido, and that made them suspect that something was being concealed for political purposes. To make matters worse, it was clear that Shishido had been murdered, which gave considerable support to the surmise that someone must have wanted him removed for political reasons.
The police, of course, could not afford to ignore that possibility. Using extra staff to make sure they did not miss anything, they made a list of all of Shishido's political opponents, both in his own party and others, and began to check out everyone on the list. They started an investigation as well of Shishido's secretaries, support organizations, business enterprises associated with him in any way, and so on—every person or group which offered the remotest possibility of providing something to go on. Even if they were doing it merely for show, they at least made an excellent start.
The real investigation, however, was taking place in Miyazaki's Section One, because it was believed that the key to the case would be the explanation of how the murder and disposal of the body were actually carried out. Chief Detective Tsukamoto himself was put in charge of a special team and given everything he needed to deal with the case.
Still, it looked unsolvable. Hirofumi Shishido was supposed to have gone to bed in his suite on the third floor of the Koshimizu Plateau Hotel in Togakushi at about 11 P.M. on the night of August 30. This was confirmed by two of Shishido's secretaries and the present de facto head of the Takeda Firm, Izawa. Yet, two days later, on September 1st, Shishido had been found dead at Bessho Hot Springs outside Ueda City, about fifty kilometers away. How to explain the thirty hours and fifty kilometers between when he was last seen alive and when he was found dead?
A little after three, most of the police finally left Bessho Hot Springs and headed for Togakushi. Tsukamoto had Miyazaki and Takemura ride with him in his own car, having quite forgotten shouting at Miyazaki about whether the Nagano prefectural police didn't have any other capable investigating officer besides Takemura.
Driving along, they kept receiving one report after another on the radio from headquarters. Cause of death was cyanide poisoning. Estimated time of death was within two or three hours either way of 2 A.M. the morning of August 31, in other words, within three or four hours of the time Shishido's secretaries and Izawa left him after drinks in Shishido's room following the party. The more details they got, the more they were reminded of Kisuke Takeda's disappearance.
"Even so," said Tsukamoto with a heavy sigh, turning to Miyazaki in the seat next to him, "where in blazes could Shishido have gone? It defies common sense to think he would have left the hotel alone in his bathrobe in the middle of the night."
"It certainly does," acknowledged Miyazaki promptly. "From what we learned yesterday, Shishido was left with his room locked. And then, poof, this man who was supposed to have been asleep in a locked room is gone the next morning. The morning after that, his body is found far away at Bessho—and in a bathrobe, besides. It sure is a mystery."
"I know it's a mystery!" snapped Tsukamoto. "Haven't you gotten any farther than that?"
"Well, I've sure been thinking about it, but it's a pretty difficult problem," said Miyazaki, rubbing his chin. A man who somehow gave the im
pression of calmness in tense situations, he was always more nervous than he looked. Actually, he was a typical middle-level administrator. If such a man got his job done without any serious errors, it was because he was blessed with men of ability as his subordinates. And Miyazaki was blessed with Takemura. All he needed now was the endurance to hold out against the nagging of superiors and the clamoring of the media until Takemura came up with the brilliant solution to the case.
"How about it, Takemura?" asked Tsukamoto, redirecting his question. "How would you explain Shishido's being found in a bathrobe? Where the devil could he have been going dressed like that?"
"I don't believe he was going anywhere," snapped Takemura, a little annoyed at having his train of thought broken.
Ignoring the tone of the answer, Tsukamoto jumped on the content. "What do you mean you don't believe he was going anywhere?"
"Well, it stands to reason that a Diet representative wouldn't go out in his nightclothes."
"That's true, isn't it?" agreed Miyazaki immediately, earning himself a look of displeasure from Tsukamoto.
"But that's just the problem," said Tsukamoto. "That he did go out. Right?"
"No, not necessarily," said Takemura. "All we know for sure is that his body was found at Bessho. That's no proof at all that he went out of his own accord."
"I see. In other words, you're suggesting that he was taken forcibly from the hotel?"
"Well, I really can't say. I'll have to see the hotel again before I can be sure, but from the way that place is built, I wouldn't think it would be too easy to get somebody out like that. At least the hotel that Kim Dae-jung was kidnapped from had an elevator."
"I don't follow you. If he didn't go out of his own accord and he wasn't kidnapped, then how in the hell did he get out of the hotel?"
"I mean he was taken out already dead, of course."
To Takemura that might be a matter of course, but not to Tsukamoto. "What?" he exclaimed. "Are you trying to tell me that the murderer killed Shishido in the hotel room and then went to all the trouble of taking out the body?"
"That's what I think."
"Why would anybody have done a ridiculous thing like that?"
"Why not? Some pretty ridiculous things were done in the Takeda and Ishihara murders."
"Yeah, I suppose so. But look, what if that really was what the killer wanted to do? How could he have done it? Physically, I mean. Didn't you just say it would be hard to get even a living person out of there?"
"A living person, yes, but dead ones don't resist. Actually, the possibility first occurred to me when Takeda was murdered, but I suspect it even more strongly now."
"Stop right there!" yelled Tsukamoto.
The driver hit the brake.
"No, no, not you! I was talking to them," said Tsukamoto quickly, with a sigh of disgust. "Now you've lost me completely. You mean you suspect that Takeda, too, was killed in his room and then his body was taken out?"
"Yes, but this is still nothing but hypothesis. I can't say any more until we get to the hotel."
"Oh, I don't see why we need to wait that long! It's all pretty clear to me. The desk clerk stated that Takeda never returned to the hotel that night, and if he didn't return to the hotel, how could his body have been taken out of it?"
"I should be able to answer that after we get to the hotel," replied Takemura, a bit annoyed. Something else was bothering him now. Looking back, he saw Kinoshita and Yoshii following in their car a little way behind. "Could you stop the car a minute, please?"
The driver did so. Takemura got out, flagged down Kinoshita, whispered something in his ear, and quickly got in again. As they entered Nagano City, Kinoshita turned off.
"Where's he going?" asked Tsukamoto, still meddling.
"Tokyo," said Takemura.
Tsukamoto wanted to ask why, of course, but finally managed to suppress his curiosity.
They passed prefectural police headquarters without stopping and went straight on toward Togakushi, because Takemura was anxious to have a look at the hotel as soon as possible. About the time they got onto the Birdline, the sky began to look threatening. Thick clouds were spreading out from the Togakushi Mountains, and the wind was picking up. The first drops of rain hit the windshield as they passed through the Hoko Shrine village. Then, before they knew it, they were in the midst of a torrential thunderstorm.
Takano, the hotel manager, looked ready to cry at the sight of more police. This had to be the worst summer of his life. Suzuki, Shishido's secretary, who had been awaiting the police at the hotel, greeted Takemura with an inscrutable look. The death had occurred just after his boss had asked that Takemura be removed from the case, and he could not help thinking that it might have been different otherwise.
Takano led the group to the room in question, telling them it had been left just as it was found the morning Shishido disappeared. Takemura headed for the bedroom, checking the floor carefully as he went. The rest of the group stood in the doorway, watching him at work. Before long, he stuck his head out of the bedroom and called for Inspector Kojima of CID.
"Have a look at this, will you?" requested Takemura, pointing to the pillow in a white pillowcase on the bed. "This little stain. What do you suppose it is?"
There was, sure enough, a circular stain about three centimeters in diameter, though so pale that anyone not looking very carefully would certainly have missed it.
"What stain?" said Kojima. "It's probably just saliva."
"Could you have it analyzed for me?"
"Sure." Kojima sent one of his men off to the laboratory with the pillow.
Next Takemura called the manager over. "I suppose this shirt had been sent out for cleaning?" he asked, pointing to a white shirt on the bed.
"That's right. Representative Shishido had asked us to have it cleaned the night before, and it was delivered here the next morning."
"But he was already gone then, right?"
"Yes. The boy brought the shirt to his room at 7:30, but when he knocked on the door there was no answer, so he had to bring it back to the office. He was going to wait for the representative to call and ask for it, but then we had all the excitement. After it was over, he brought the shirt back here and left it."
"I see. So that's it!" said Takemura, pleased.
"Did you figure something out?" asked Tsukamoto.
"Yes. Now I know why he was wearing a bathrobe."
"Oh? Why?"
"Because he had sent his white dress shirt to the laundry, and how can you be dressed in a suit with no shirt?"
"So what?" said Tsukamoto, wondering if Takemura was in his right mind. "That's only common sense."
"Yes, it certainly is—if you know about it. Well, well, well, so he didn't have a white shirt!"
Tsukamoto looked at Miyazaki. Was this the great detective, the pride of Section One? Miyazaki shook his head. He didn't know.
Leaving the room, they went to the ladder leading to the roof, beneath which the key had been found on the morning of Shishido's disappearance. Takano and Suzuki took turns describing the circumstances.
"It was a desk clerk who discovered the key?" asked Takemura.
"That's right," answered Takano.
"The same one who was on when Mr. Takeda disappeared? Aihara, I believe his name was?"
"No. It was a man named Mizuno."
"I imagine you were all surprised by the discovery?"
"Oh yes, very. I was down on the first floor myself, and I forgot my age so far as to run up the steps three at a time."
"Then I guess it's safe to say that nearly everyone in the hotel gathered right here?"
"I think so. All of us were looking for Representative Shishido. Besides, most of the guests had left."
"I see," said Takemura. He pointed to the hatch above the ladder. "If you go out onto the roof that way, can you get down to the ground?"
"With a rope, I suppose, but it's quite some distance, so I hardly think it would be easy."
"Difficult, then, but possible?"
"Yes, I'd say so, but..."
"Inspector Kojima, I hate to trouble you, but could you please check the roof and the windows of all the rooms for traces of a rope or something?"
Kojima directed his men to do so.
Takemura went back and examined the third floor all the way from Shishido's suite to the stairs, creeping along with nose to the ground. The rest of the group looked on quietly enough, but even so, he was disgusted with the crowd, which he could see out of the corner of his eye. It was all very well for Tsukamoto to be so enthusiastic about his work, but he moved with such an entourage that he looked like the head of a hospital making his rounds.
Takemura went down the stairs to the first floor and along the corridor beside the office, which led past rooms for live-in help, a laundry room, and a storage area, to a door which led outside.
"I presume this door is locked at night?" he said.
"Yes, of course," said Takano.
"Where is the key kept?"
"In a bunch with other keys, usually in the office, but sometimes at the front desk or in the night-watch room."
Takemura asked to see the bunch. It contained keys to all the hotel entrances and exits as well as all the guest rooms. There were extras for everything in the safe at the front desk and in the manager's home.
"Would you mind if I borrow the keys to all doors that lead outside, and the key to the suite for a little while?" he requested.
"I guess not," said Takano, easily selecting four keys from the bunch and handing them to him.
Placing the keys on his handkerchief, Takemura examined them carefully, then handed them to Inspector Kojima, asking that they be checked to see if a wax impression had been taken of any of them.
"I think that's about it for now," he said finally, seeing by his watch that it was after 6 P.M. "Why don't we have some supper while we wait?"
At Takemura's suggestion, they all went into the restaurant. Guessing that most of them had probably gone without much lunch, the hotel staff was kind enough to prepare them a good supper.