by Nick Tanner
Despite these thoughts Kinjo was onto her before she could react. She felt the tight grip of material around her neck and the force of his strength pulling upon it. She did her best to execute the moves she had so successfully managed in the attack by Sakamoto. She thrust her elbows back hoping to expertly dig into his sides hoping that he would release his grip. She did what she could but Kinjo was equal to it. He maintained his grip on the ligature which in turn continued to tighten around her throat. Once more she did what she could to reach behind her to grab at him – anything, his hair, his arms… anything.
Sadly she failed.
She felt herself becoming faint. She felt herself losing the battle.
68 - In which the race is on and the case is wrapped
Thursday 6th January 5:30pm
Inspector Saito was nearly correct in all aspects of the case bar one – the correct identity of the murder!
A rather crucial error!
As he sat in the meeting room dealing with Sakamoto’s suspension the shock at what he was thinking eventually resulted in immediate and dynamic action. He’d raced out of the room, with little coherent explanation and had telephoned through to Imanishi who in turn had mobilised the local police to get to Kinjo’s house as quickly as they could.
Thankfully they had arrived just in time, had broken down the door, over-powered Kinjo and rushed Junsa Saito into the ambulance that had followed so soon behind them.
It was uncertain whether or not they could pull her round.
The story as it unfolded was as clear as Saito had previously outlined.
It was Kinjo who had embezzled funds from the faction, in order to support his increasingly expensive lifestyle including the ever-expanding expenses incurred at the Millennium Massage Salon, and who had utilised his position as Chief of Staff to manoeuvre money around various accounts owned by the Watanabe faction. The details were not so certain but it appeared that at some point Ito Harumi san had discovered this crime, a discovery that Kinjo had also stumbled upon.
On Thursday the 30th he had followed Ito Harumi home with a view to silencing her but somehow had made a crucial error. At some point, probably as early as the exit to faction head-quarters he had followed Eri Yamada instead. It was only on discovery of his mistake that he'd then had to hunt down Ito san at her home, murder her there and then taking advantage of the falling snow dump her in the canal in the hope that her body would not be discovered.
The Junko Iida murder had been unplanned in-so-much as anything that Kinjo did was unplanned. He was not the kind of man who, having murdered to save his reputation and position, would then allow some low-life slut to bring him down. Having murdered twice already there was no need to be coy at any further investment in this area. He had also calculated that there would, no doubt, be some pay-off money to claw back. He had not been wrong.
There had no need for further corroboration of Kinjo’s crimes but it had been Watanabe himself who had filled in some of the additional pieces. Kinjo had removed the security tape footage, evidence of which had been found on Kinjo’s PC at faction headquarters, he had obviously invented the story of Ito’s illness. As Inspector Saito had put into action procedures to secure and arrest Kinjo, Watanabe had simultaneously confirmed his own suspicions and had contacted police head-quarters himself.
All that remained for Inspector Saito to do was to sit by Junsa Saito’s hospital bedside and pray that she would pull through.