Remote Control

by Kotaro Isaka

  Yajima was quiet again for a moment, presumably trying to decide whether to agree to this proposal, but the outcome was pretty certain. There was little risk for the TV station—except the risk that Aoyagi would take the scoop of the century and peddle it elsewhere. "You're on," Kojima said.

  "Thanks."

  "So what time tomorrow is this going to happen? And where should 1 send the cameras?"

  "Early, before dawn most likely. I'll call you later tonight to let you know."

  "Okay. 1 guess you know there's no downside for us in this. But Td hate to be in your shoes."

  An honest man, thought Aoyagi.

  Kojima was still staring at him as he finished the call. "What are you going to do?" he asked.

  "You just heard. I'm going to give myself up tomorrow morning—hopefully without getting shot."

  "The police don't just go shooting people."

  "That hasn't been my experience," he said. "1 don't want to discredit anybody, you being a policeman and all, but you guys have been doing a whole

  THE INCIDENT

  lot of shooting, at least in this case. 1 should know. So Tm pretty sure 1 know what I'm talking about when 1 say they're planning to shut me up for good."

  "But whv would thev want to do that?"

  "Because I'm innocent, and they don't want me shooting off my mouth once they've arrested me. I'm much more useful to them as a dead assassin than as a live suspect."

  "Early tomorrow?" Kojima said. That left just a few hours.

  "Once I'm ready, there's no point sitting around and waiting. I'd just start second-guessing myself." As they talked, Aoyagi was thinking of all the things he still had to do before morning.

  Kojima watched him, a half scowl appearing on this face, as though Aoyagi were being uncooperative or even a bit dangerous. A moment ago he had been crying like a sentimental kid at the sight of Aoyagi's father on the T', but now his sense of duty as a police officer seemed to have returned. Aoyagi noted the look.

  "You won't have to put up with me much longer. I'll be leaving soon," he told him.

  Kojima ignored this, but then unexpectedly a few minutes later he gave a little cry, like a schoolboy realizing he'd forgotten his homework. "I'll have to be checking in soon," he said.

  "Checking in?"

  "Somebody'll notice if I don't report in at the proper time. I'hey'll phone here eventually, but to avoid anyone getting suspicious, 1 should probably call first. On the other hand, things are pretty crazy at headquarters, so maybe no one will remember Tm out here."

  "Still, better safe than sorry, 1 suppose."

  "1 suppose. Actually, someone should be coming to relieve me in the middle of the night. But if I call, 1 can say that I'll stay until morning. I hey're having trtjuble coping with all the j)ersonnel on this case, so they'll probably be glad to let me stay."

  Aoyagi agreed immediately. "Do you use your walkie-talkie?" he asketl, lorjking at the device on Kojima's belt. Kojima notkled. "Sorry if I don't take oh the handcuhs," he added.

  "just j)ull it oh and |)ut it here on the lloor." He held his culled hands in hont ot him. "I can manage. Anil 1 can talk lying down, just out ol curiosity,

  till

  REMOTE CONTROL

  though, what would you do if I told them you're here once I got on the phone? Not that I would, of course."

  "I thought about that, but I'll have to risk it. You know what they say: trust is one of our strengths."

  There was a look of amazement on Kojima's face, as though he couldn't decide whether he'd run into the world's biggest idiot or its last decent soul. "Well, if that's the case, you might want to take these off, too," he said, holding up his wrists.

  "I was afraid you'd say that. But I have to draw the line somewhere."

  "I suppose so."

  "But while you're reporting in. I'll go make another call," Aoyagi said, heading outside.

  "Don't you want to hear what Tm going to tell them?"

  "No, I trust you," he said over his shoulder. When he looked back, Kojima was squirming on the floor to get his face close to the walkie-talkie. He looked ridiculous, and Aoyagi felt sorry for all the trouble he was causing him.

  He went into the bathroom. The face in the mirror was grim and unfamiliar, with dark circles around the eyes and mouth. He tried forcing a smile, but the face just twisted into an ugly smirk. Nothing to smile about.

  He reached into his pack and pulled out a slip of paper he had wadded into a pocket; the wrapper for the grilled meat—with a telephone number written on the back. The fingers of his left hand hurriedly dialed. It rang several times but no one answered, so he was just heading down the passage to check on Kojima when a voice came on.

  "Hodogaya," it said.

  "It's Aoyagi. Can we talk sewers?"

  Haruko Higuchi

  "What kind of guy was Aoyagi?" Ami Tsuruta asked. She and Haruko were sitting in a waiting area next to the elevator, down the corridor from Kazu's

  THE INCIDENT

  room. It was pitch dark outside the window, as though a black curtain had been hung over it.

  'Tretty average," Haruko laughed. "The last person you'd imagine getting involved in something like this." She could picture Aoyagi and Morita facing each other across a table in the cafeteria. The two of them talking and enjoying themselves, and then other friends arriving and joining in, and then more, until there were a dozen people laughing and gesticulating around the long dining table they had made up. How often had she seen this happen?

  "Kazu always lit up when he talked about them, and it made him sad that he couldn't keep the group going after they graduated," Ami said.

  Six small tables with four chairs each had been lined up in the waiting area, almost like a miniature cafeteria. Against the back wall was a vending machine selling juice, and next to the window, a table with an electric kettle and a box of tea bags. A sign informed visitors that they should confine cell phone use to this area. Tatsumi and Nanami were on tiptoe in front of the vending machine fiddling with the buttons, at first gently and then more vigorously until at last they were pounding them with their fists and shouting with excitement.

  "That's enough," said Haruko.

  "But nobody's here," Nanami sulked, though as if on cue a man appeared. He was short with white hair, and he wore faded pajamas. But what made them take notice was the fact that he had casts on both legs—and he made his way toward them without the help of crutches. When he caught siglit of Ami, he smiled and waved, and waved again when he saw Tatsumi by the vending machine. Tatsumi waved back.

  "A friend of yours?" Haruko whisj)ered.

  "We just met him today. He's a j)atient here, a funny old man. He says he broke both legs, hut he seems to get around well enough." When the hos])ital called t(j say that Kazu had regained consciousness, she had come running over, hut they had kept her waiting outside his room. 1 he man hap-jKuied t(j pass in the corridor. He'd been eating something on a skewer tind had oltered Tatsumi a piece. In return, ap|)arently, Tatsumi had ollered him tlie ca|) hom a j)en he lound somewhere.

  At the iiKMiient, he was talking on his i)h()ne, hut he producc'd (he pcMi cap from his pocket and held it uj) lor Tatsumi to see. T hen he wi'iit o'er

  REMOTE CONTROL

  to the window and talked there quietly. Since he was obviously trying to avoid being overheard, Haruko signaled to Ami that they should go, and they called to the children as they stood up. The women left the waiting area and started down the passage toward Kazu's room, but then stopped, realizing that Nanami hadn't followed. Haruko turned and headed back, finding the girl in the corner behind the tables.

  "Mommy, that man was talking about you on the phone," she said. When she looked, the man was smiling and scratching his head. Ami and her boy came up behind them.

  "My name's Hodogaya," he said. "You're a friend of that guy they're looking for, aren't you?" Haruko felt as though someone had hit her in the chest.

  "He was talking about you. Mo
mmy," Nanami repeated. Hodogaya's eyes smiled. "At the end he said your name and Mr. Aoyagi's. I heard him."

  "It's not polite to eavesdrop," Haruko said sharply. On numerous occasions she had found herself laughing at the girl's tendency to spill the beans, but she wasn't laughing now.

  "Sorry, I forgot," Nanami said. "It's a secret." Then, pointing her finger at the man: "This is secret," she told him.

  "Don't worry, I know," he said, smiling more broadly now and looking at Haruko. She wasn't really sure whether the look was meant to reassure or intimidate her.

  "We went to school together," she said, feeling in spite of herself that she had to explain her connection with Aoyagi.

  "I see," he said, before lowering himself into a chair with his rigid legs splayed out in front of him. He motioned for Haruko to join him and she sat down on the other side of the table. "Well, he's a friend of mine, too. After a fashion." Hodogaya seemed to take some pride in this admission. "You're his oldest friend, maybe, and I'm his newest. In fact, I was just speaking to him." He held up his phone.

  Haruko was so startled she leaned forward, as if hoping to find some trace of Aoyagi in it.

  "What did he want?" Ami said, taking the seat next to Haruko.

  "Our friend is about to roll the dice," he told them.

  THE INCIDENT

  It

  Haruko Higuchi

  As Hodogaya finished his story, which had been delivered witli considerable enthusiasm, Haruko gave him a slightly reproachful look. "Do you really think you should be telling us all this? You'd be doing him a lot of harm if we weren't on his side."

  Hodogaya seemed utterly unconcerned. "Oh, are you the enemy? Then forget everything 1 just said."

  "We're not the enemy, are we. Mommy?" said Nanami, peeking around her.

  "No, we're not. But it's not safe to talk so much."

  "Relax!" said Hodogaya. It occurred to Haruko that he was the sort who made a habit of reassuring people without good cause.

  "Why did Mr. Aoyagi call him?" Nanami said.

  "1 was just wondering the same thing," said her mother.

  Hodogaya seemed unfazed. "Me, too," he said with a chuckle. "He must have been in a tight spot to come looking for somebody like me. 1 guess he ran out of options."

  "But is it really possible?" Ami asked, lowering her voice. "Using the sewers."

  "Actually, it would be the storm drains. And sure it's possible. But I'm going to have to run around a bit and lay the groundwork." And with that he popped off his casts, then ciapj^ed them hack on.

  I rom Hodogaya's excited account, they gathered that Aoyagi was planning to put in an appearance t(jmorrow at (!entral Bark across from the city hall. He w(juld let the police know ahead of time, and TV cameras would be there as well. He apparently thought it would be better to proclaim his innocence and turn himsell in than to keep on running.

  "He must have given uj)," Haruko said, but then realized how grim that S(junded. "1 mean, he must have decided he can't win but that he's got his innocence on his side."

  "On liis side?" Hodogaya interru|)ted, like soiiK'one who had seen ti lot more ol file than her. "Where do you think tluil wifi gel him? Nowhere,

  REMOTE CONTROL

  that's where. If lie lets himself get caught, it'll land him in jail or in a shallow grave, that's where."

  "He can't let them just catch him," Ami said, staring at her hands on the table in front of her.

  "He says he wants the TV station to broadcast him live, let him explain directly to people. The TV has been making him into the villain all along, so he wants to use them to do a little damage control at the end," Hodogaya said.

  "But why does he think anyone will believe him, no matter what he says on TV?" Haruko knew that nearly everyone ever arrested claimed he was innocent; and most people thought of these claims as more proof of guilt. C^nce an accusation was made, the impression of guilt clung to the suspect, and once someone appeared on TV as a suspect, all the denials in the world only made him seem guiltier. "If it weren't for the fact that I know Aoyagi, I'd think he was making too much fuss myself, that he didn't know when to quit. I doubt I'd believe him. Still, maybe there isn't anything else he can do."

  Aoyagi had made his choice. He now seemed intent on avoiding arrest until he could surrender in a very public way. But if it became known that he was heading somewhere—his point of surrender, in this case—then the police would redouble their efforts to catch him along the way and arrest him out of the spotlight. So he had asked for Hodogaya's help in getting him close to the park without being caught.

  "But isn't it next to impossible to open a manhole from underneath?" Ami asked, already spotting a flaw in the plan. "The covers look really heavy, and he can't take all day to push it off."

  "You're right, they weigh a ton. But that's where I come in," Hodogaya said. He explained that he had a supply of fake manhole covers from a previous line of work, and that he would spend the night switching them with the real ones.

  "But which ones?" Haruko asked, feeling for a moment as though she was back at work and in an important planning session. "There must be hundreds of them just in the center of town alone. Do you know where he's planning to go down and where he'll come up?"

  Hodogaya gave her the thumbs-up sign. "Storm drains come in all different sizes, and they're at all different depths under the city. But there happens

  THE INCIDENT

  to be one that's nearly two meters in diameter that runs from the big parking lot near the station to Central Park."

  ".And Aoyagi could get through it."

  "If he had some light—it's pitch dark down there. But fortunately I can supply that, too." Hodogaya was plainly rather pleased with himself. "I'll leave a flashlight at the bottom of the ladder, and a map to show him where to go. What more could he ask for?"

  The waiting area was quiet again for a moment. Haruko looked out the window. Their reflections were mirrored in the glass over the darkness beyond. Tatsumi and Nanami had started pounding on the vending machine again.

  "I can tell you've still got some questions," Hodogaya said. "Fire away."

  "If he can get into the storm drains and move along under the city, why would he want to come out at all? Why doesn't he just keep going and get awav?" Haruko asked.

  "Well, there are practical considerations plus there's the matter of his feelings," Hodogaya said. CTn the practical side, he explained, the structure of the drain system presented some obstacles. When the water volume was low, the drains could be used for moving around under the city, but even then some stretches of pipe were so narrow you could barely crawl through them—and there was always the chance you'd be stopped short. What's more, even if you could wander freely under the center of the city, you would need to surface somewhere to get out of town. Dej^ending on the route you took, there was also the possibility that you would end up being |)ulverized at a [)ump-ing station. "So we can arrange for him to move about a bit downtown, but getting him out of town altogether is a lot trickier. It's basically a free [)ass to Central Park."

  "And his feelings?" asked Haruko.

  "1 think he wants to give himsell up on his own terms and say his piece. He wants tcj be sure no one else gets hurt in the process."

  "Is this really the time to be worrying about anyone else?" Ami tisked.

  "He said somebody's lite was at stake," said Hodogaya.

  "Whose?" 1 laruko asked, thinking ol Kazu in his h()S|)ital bed—and Morita, who might already be dead.

  "He said it was his double."

  "He's got a double?"

  REMOTE CONTROL

  "He didn't say much, but it seems there is one, someone who was supposed to stand in for him." Haruko had no idea what this was about, but she realized she had seen enough to know that nothing could surprise her anymore. "Anyway, I'm going home to get the dummy manhole covers, and then I'm heading out to get them in place. Looks like a busy night!" Seeming years younger and more energetic already, h
e rose from his chair and stretched his arms overhead as if working himself into the mood for the job.

  "Wouldn't you attract attention?" Haruko asked.

  "1 doubt anyone's going to notice me prying open a few manholes in the middle of the night—and it only takes a second."

  "But the police aren't stupid," Haruko pointed out. "If Aoyagi tells them ahead of time that he's going to give himself up in Central Park, they're going to be watching the whole area and checking any unusual activity—like someone casually switching some manhole covers."

  "Aoyagi's not stupid, either. He's going to wait to call the TV station and the police until after I've had a chance to change the covers. That's just good planning. Besides, he'll probably tell them to meet him somewhere else, at least at first."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He'll arrange the meetiiig and then switch spots at the last second. He'll keep the park a secret. A little dodge, a little hocus-pocus. But that means 1 have to get the covers changed before it starts to get light, so he can get all this going while it's still hard to see, while they'll have trouble making out what's happening."

  "But 1 still don't see why you're telling us," Haruko said. "How do you know we won't give away the whole thing?"