A frown appeared on Colonel Ihanaga’s forehead. ‘I don’t understand, Inspector.’
‘Your son gave me the answer, but I should have worked it out a long time ago.’ Danilov moved closer to the desk. ‘He was an extremely brave boy, scratching the solution into the wall of the cell even as the man you call Da Sor was about to murder him.’
‘What scratches? My man told me nothing of this.’ Nakamoto jumped up out of his chair.
Danilov bit his bottom lip, ignoring the outburst. ‘Such bravery from one so young, Colonel. You should be proud of your son.’
‘What marks did Ryuchi make on the wall?’ Captain Tanaka spoke softly from his position beside the door.
‘I will tell you in a minute, if I may, Captain, but first let me take you through my reasoning.’
Colonel Ihanaga looked at his watch. ‘Please go ahead, Inspector, but be brief. You have just five minutes. I have a meeting with the admiral on his flagship.’
Danilov smiled. ‘It won’t take me that long, Colonel.’ He pulled at his top lip and began speaking, walking around the room as he did. ‘This case reminds me of an onion. You peel back one layer only to find another. There is a central core hidden beneath all the layers. Our central core was the man who masterminded it all. A man who is in this room with us now.’
Nakamoto flung his arms open wide. ‘Really, Danilov, you are accusing me of killing children?’ He pointed at his nose as he said ‘me’.
‘Please sit down, Inspector.’
Colonel Ihanaga gestured with his hands for Nakamoto to take his seat.
Danilov continued to walk around the room. ‘The kidnappings worried me. There were none of the usual attributes associated with the crime. No ransom notes. No contact with the parents. No bargaining over money. And even worse, the kidnapped child was then murdered, the body being exhibited in a place for everybody to see.’
‘You have four minutes left, Inspector,’ Colonel Ihanaga announced.
Danilov stopped for ten seconds, staring at some books in the bookcase before continuing. ‘Then I said to myself, perhaps the kidnappings and murders were a cover for something more complex, more devious. Was something else happening?’ He stepped around a coffee table near Inspector Nakamoto. ‘And why were symbols of a militant Buddhist organisation, the Nichiren sect, being left at the scenes of the deaths? Two slightly different symbols in fact, one found at the building site and the other in Quinsan Gardens.’
‘It sounds like you had more questions than anybody else, Inspector.’
‘I did, Captain Tanaka. Too many questions and too few answers.’
‘And was there any proof that the symbols were directly linked with the Nichiren Buddhists?’
Danilov shook his head. ‘Nothing direct, no, but there was something else… ’
Colonel Ihanaga looked at his watch and held up three fingers.
‘We discovered that a Japanese monk from the Nichiren sect had been involved in the kidnappings. A man who ran when Detective Sergeant Strachan tried to question him.’
‘Was that the monk found dead outside the San You factory?’ asked Nakamoto.
‘It was, Inspector.’
‘But he was murdered by a Chinese mob.’
‘Was he?’ Danilov stopped in front of the globe. He spun it, watching all the countries dissolve into one whirling mass. ‘Perhaps his murder was just another layer of confusion to muddy the waters.’
‘This is beginning to sound like a litany of confusion, Inspector.’
‘If you will bear with me for a little while longer, Colonel.’
‘Two and a half minutes longer.’
‘All the time I was wondering what connected the victims. Why had these particular children been murdered?’
‘I do hope you are eventually going to tell us,’ said Tanaka quietly.
Danilov glanced at him before continuing. ‘We discovered that the parents of the kidnapped children had been deeply involved in the anti-Japanese movement.’
‘You are wrong, Danilov. I was not involved in anything like that.’
‘No, you weren’t, Colonel. I must admit, the kidnap of your son threw me for a while. Until then, the finger had been pointing at a group who had been targeting Chinese adherents to the anti-Japanese cause.’
‘But according to the report sent to Chief Inspector Rock, the thugs who kidnapped the children spoke Mandarin.’
‘True, Inspector Nakamoto, but they were merely hired hands in the pay of somebody else.’
‘Even the man with the scar?’
‘Even him, Colonel. Though I believe he took a certain sadistic pleasure in his work.’
‘He took pleasure in killing my son?’
Danilov looked down at his feet and breathed in. ‘He did, Colonel. Under the orders of a man who is in this room.’
75
‘Inspector Nakamoto—’
The inspector stood up again. ‘How dare you suggest… I had nothing to do with this.’
Danilov gestured for him to sit down. ‘I was about to say that until the murder of the monk, you were my prime suspect. You were Japanese, you had access to police records and you had a vested interest in seeing the boycott end. But you had no reason to kill the monk. In fact, you stood to gain nothing from it except more work.’
‘Less than a minute left, Danilov.’
‘Colonel Ihanaga. You could certainly have ordered the kidnap and murder of the children. You wanted the boycott to end. What better way than to put pressure on the people organising it. But I refuse to believe that any father would organise the murder of his own son.’
‘That leaves just one person… me.’ Captain Tanaka lit a cigarette with his gold Dunhill lighter and blew the smoke across the room towards Danilov.
‘By a process of elimination, it had to be you, Captain Tanaka. At first, I believe you wanted to simply put pressure on the leaders of the anti-Japanese movement. But when you saw the public backlash against the murders, and the subsequent reaction from Tokyo, you seized the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. Create the conditions where Tokyo would be forced to invade the Chinese areas of Shanghai, and remove the boycott of Japanese goods at the same time.’
‘And why did I want to do that?’
‘Politics in Japan? To take the world’s eyes off Manchuria? To further your own career? Pick any one or all three of them.’
‘What about the monk?’
‘You had him killed because he panicked. He ran when we spotted him in the crowd. It was only a matter of time before we found him and he talked. Once again, as with the children, you used the murder to foment trouble between the Chinese and the Japanese.’
‘I suppose I also arranged for the colonel’s son to be kidnapped?’ Tanaka smiled towards Ihanaga.
‘I should tell you I have known Captain Tanaka for over fifteen years, Inspector. He has always been a loyal and faithful subordinate.’
Danilov spun the globe again. ‘I believe he wanted to step out from your shadow, Colonel. The kidnapping and murder of your son was the final move in his game. Blame the Chinese government for the murder of an officer’s son. What better pretext for war?’
‘You have no proof,’ sneered Tanaka.
‘And your time is up,’ said the colonel quietly.
‘Just thirty seconds more, Colonel. I beg you.’
The colonel thought for a moment before nodding.
‘You made two mistakes, Captain. Firstly, only three people knew the route taken by the colonel’s car that morning. You, Corporal Mamuchi and Colonel Ihanaga himself. I discounted the colonel, and when I heard that the corporal had been killed because he tried to fight back, that left only you with both the means and the motive.’
‘Rubbish, Danilov, you’re clutching at straws.’
Danilov put one hand in his pocket, crossing his fingers as he did so. ‘You were in the back of the car when the kidnap took place. A beggar saw you. And so did Ryuchi.’
; Danilov ignored the sharp stare he received from Strachan.
For the first time, there was no answer from Captain Tanaka.
‘Your son inscribed this man’s name on the wall of the cell, Colonel. It was the last thing he did before he died.’ He turned back to confront Tanaka. ‘You should never have been involved in the kidnap, Captain.’
A revolver appeared in Tanaka’s hand, pointing directly at Danilov. ‘I had to be there. The Chinese can never do anything without botching it up. The colonel’s son was the last move; it had to be done correctly.’
‘Why, Kanji?’ Colonel Ihanaga spoke softly, plaintively.
‘You would never understand, Jiro. You’re an old samurai, full of honour and tradition and all that bullshit. But the Bushido system is dead. It’s a modern world now. Where might is right and only the most powerful and ruthless survive. Did you think we invaded Manchuria by chance? I helped orchestrate the explosion beside the railway in Mukden. We now control all of Manchuria. The weak must be controlled by the strong.’
‘But my son… ’
‘We must all make sacrifices for the greater good of Japan and the emperor. We had to sow doubt and division in Shanghai. This was the best way.’
The colonel stepped towards Tanaka. ‘And the other children?’ he said softly, his arms outstretched.
‘Casualties of war, Jiro.’ The barrel of the revolver swung towards the colonel as he advanced across the room.
‘You will kill more children, Kanji?’
‘Don’t come any closer, Colonel.’
Ihanaga kept moving.
‘I said don’t come any closer.’
The colonel stood in front of Tanaka, the barrel of the gun inches from his chest. ‘What are you going to do, Kanji? You have been caught. It’s time to die with honour, by your own hand.’
‘Honour… ’ Tanaka threw back his head and laughed. ‘There is no such thing any more, The weak will rule the strong. Japan will rule China.’
He laughed once more. As he did so, the colonel jumped forward, grabbing the barrel of the revolver. For a moment, the two men stared at each other, before there was a loud bang, an explosion between their bodies, and the stench of gunpowder filled the room.
Captain Tanaka sank to his knees, eyes staring upwards, not understanding. Then he fell backwards, his head striking the floor. Blood soaked the chest of his uniform. For a second, his body stiffened as if fighting to stay alive. Then his eyes closed, his body relaxed and Captain Tanaka breathed no more.
Two marines rushed into the room, looked down at the still body and back up to the colonel.
‘The captain has committed suicide. Get the orderlies to remove his body and bury it,’ Ihanaga commanded.
The marines hesitated for a second.
‘You heard my order.’
The elder one saluted. ‘Yes, Colonel.’ They both ran off down the corridor, their heavy boots echoing on the wooden floor.
‘Leave me, all of you,’ he said.
‘But I—’ Nakamoto muttered, staring down at the body of Captain Tanaka.
‘LEAVE ME!’
Danilov took Strachan’s arm and led him to the door. He took one last glance at the colonel. The man was bent over the table, staring at the map, the body of Tanaka lying at his feet.
Epilogue
Danilov knocked on the door of Chief Inspector Rock’s office. The last time he had entered here was two months ago, the night before they raided the dojo and found Ryuchi’s body.
‘Come,’ was the muffled response from within.
The inspector entered to find Rock behind his desk as usual, poring over a batch of memos.
‘Come in, Danilov, and take a seat. I won’t be a minute.’ He signed the bottom of each memo with a flourish. ‘Leave applications for the next six months, and one resignation.’ He turned over a single typed page.
‘That’s from me, sir.’
‘Why, Danilov? You’re one of my best men. I know we don’t see eye to eye on everything – frankly, I find some of your methods puzzling – but—’
‘It’s nothing to do with our relationship, sir,’ Danilov interrupted.
‘Then why?’
Danilov scratched the back of his head. He knew he would have to explain one day. Why couldn’t they just accept his letter and have done with it? ‘It’s personal, sir.’
‘If it’s about Detective Sergeant Strachan marrying your daughter, you two don’t have to work together. I’ll transfer Strachan to another station.’
‘Please don’t do that, sir. Strachan has the makings of a very good officer. We are both far too professional to let our personal relationship affect our work.’
‘Well, what is it, then?’
‘It’s me.’ Danilov scratched his head again. He would love to roll a cigarette right now, but Rock didn’t allow smoking in his office. ‘I’ve noticed I’m not as good an investigator as I used to be. Maybe it’s age, or something to do with my health, but I missed clues in the kidnapping case. I should have been able to save those children.’
The chief inspector sat back in his chair. ‘You’re too hard on yourself, Danilov. Nobody could have done as much as you did to try and save them.’
‘But I failed, sir.’
‘We all fail, Danilov, it’s part of life.’
‘Not me, sir. Not until now.’
Chief Inspector Rock sighed. He held up the sheaf of memos. ‘I noticed you haven’t submitted a leave application. In fact, I’ve checked, and according to our records, you haven’t taken any leave for five years.’
‘Is it that long, sir?’
‘It is, Danilov. He turned over a report and checked the figure. ‘According to the latest records, we owe you seventy days leave. Seventy-four if one counts this year too.’
‘I’ve been busy, sir.’
‘Look here, I’ll keep hold of this resignation, and you take the leave we owe you. When you return, we will revisit the issue. Perhaps a holiday will help clear your mind, give things a fresh perspective.’
‘That’s what my wife says.’
‘She’s right.’ Rock leant forward. ‘Look, the fighting has finished now… ’
‘It wasn’t a fight; it was murder. Bombing and shelling innocent civilians in Chapei.’
Rock reached for another report, flicking it open and scanning the figures. ‘Twenty thousand people died, according to the political chaps. Even worse was the destruction of property. Most of the Chinese area destroyed, the Commercial Press a burnt-out shell, and the railway station will have to be rebuilt.’
‘Property means nothing compared to lives, sir.’
‘I’m afraid it means everything to the Shanghai Municipal Council, Danilov.’ Rock stared at him. ‘You know Colonel Ihanaga was killed?’
‘I heard through the grapevine.’
‘He charged one of the Chinese positions alone and was shot dead. Apparently all the Japanese newspapers are hailing him as a hero.’
‘“There are few die well that die in a battle,”’ Danilov whispered under his breath.
‘What was that?’
‘Nothing, sir. Just a line from Shakespeare that Colonel Ihanaga would have appreciated.’
‘You have to understand, the Japanese are our partners on the council; we have to support them. Particularly after the latest outrage.’
‘The bombing in Hong Kew Park?’
Rock closed the file in front of him.
Danilov continued speaking. ‘That was committed by a Korean, Yung Bong Gill, nothing to do with the Chinese. He was protesting the Japanese annexation of Korea.’
‘It will cause more problems for us, Danilov.’
‘Was Inspector Nakamoto involved?’
‘He was the lead investigator.’
‘And the Korean perpetrator?’
‘Tried and sentenced to death by a Japanese military court.’
‘A killing time… ’
‘What was that? You’ll have to speak up, Dan
ilov.’
‘Sir, I used to think that, as a policeman, I could prevent needless deaths, protect the innocent.’
‘It’s what we do, Danilov.’
‘But now… now I’m not so certain. It’s as if the people who are supposed to prevent death are actually causing it.’
‘That’s why you’re resigning?’
‘Partly, sir. I wonder if I can carry on any more. I couldn’t stop my son’s death and neither could I stop the deaths of the other children.’
Danilov stood up and held out his hand across the desk.
Chief Inspector Rock took it. ‘All we do is try our best, Danilov. That’s all anybody can ask.’
‘But is my best good enough any more?’
‘I think it is.’
‘Thank you for the vote of confidence, sir.’
‘Take that leave, Danilov. Relax and spend time with your family.’ His voice softened. ‘When is the big day?’
‘Next Friday, sir.’
‘I’m looking forward to the reception. A Russian wedding?’
‘With hints of Scotland.’
‘So there will be plenty of whisky?’
‘And a few gallons of vodka.’
The chief inspector looked down at his desk, picking up the resignation letter and putting it in a drawer. ‘Do think over what I have said, Danilov. We would hate to lose you. We’ll discuss the resignation when you return.’
‘I don’t think I’ll change my mind, sir.’
There was a gentle knock at the door. Miss Cavendish entered without waiting for an invitation.
‘Miss Cavendish, I told you I wasn’t to be disturbed.’
‘There’s been a murder, sir. A young child found in the park on the Bund. His face has been slashed.’
LOOK OUT FOR
The Murder Game
A woman appears on the streets of Shanghai. She has thousands of cuts – and is screaming for Inspector Danilov... Days later, the woman is dead. But another body is left waiting for the Inspector. Someone is playing with Danilov… someone prepared to kill, just to get their message across. At first, the victims seem unconnected. But with each body bringing a new message for Danilov, he knows this is a riddle especially designed for him. As more bodies start appearing, time is running out to solve the deadly puzzle… Haunted by the past and riven with tension, The Murder Game is hair-raising and unputdownable, perfect for fans of Philip Kerr and David Young.
The Killing Time Page 25