The Daydreamer Detective Opens a Tea Shop

by S. J. Pajonas

  “Yes. No. Yes.”

  He groaned. “I was joking.”

  “No, you weren’t. I’m sure you knew as well as I did that he would try to break up with me. To ‘spare me the shame.’” I mocked the air quotes I put around Yasahiro’s excuse. “I told him to sit tight and not talk to anyone.”

  “Smart idea, though he’ll have to talk to us if we come calling.” He meant “us” as in the police.

  “Yeah, well, don’t go questioning him unless it’s absolutely necessary because there are too many reporters there right now.”

  “Got it. Amanda’s parents land soon, and I’ll have my hands full with them, anyway. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.”

  He wants to flee to Brazil! I swallowed down the statement. He wasn’t going anywhere for now.

  “Anyway, what else have you found?”

  “We brought in Robert about an hour ago. Thanks for the tip. He doesn’t know where Giselle is, so we’re on the verge of a manhunt for her. Said she went shopping yesterday and then called to say she’s leaving him.”

  “No,” I breathed out.

  “Yes, over-the-phone divorce declaration. He swears she would never hurt anyone, and they’ve been on the rocks for a while. We’ve also tracked down Amanda’s previous boyfriend, Shōta Kimura.”

  “Had they broken up?” I wasn’t sure they had except for Amanda’s determination to get back together with Yasahiro.

  “It’s unclear,” he said, his voice trailing off as he talked to someone else in the background. I entered Mom’s house and muted the phone for a moment as I called out to her, and she responded that she was in the bedroom reading.

  “Anyway, he swears up and down he’s been at a mountain retreat for the past three days anyway and couldn’t have killed Amanda.” Goro’s voice dripped with regret. “I hated having to tell him over the phone, but it was hard to reach him in the first place. I had to call some ryokan they used as a base camp, and they had to hike to get to him because he camped overnight. The people at the ryokan backed up his claim, though, so we’re sending a team out there tomorrow to talk to him because I obviously can’t take his word.”

  I sat at the kotatsu in the living room and stared at the clock next to the TV. It was already 17:30, and the sun would set soon. Where had the day gone? It felt like the longest shortest day in all of history. The clothes I had been folding earlier still sat on the table, now covered in cat fur (thanks Mimoji-chan), and my computer was closed and plugged in next to them.

  “In other news,” he said, sighing, and I imagined him sitting back at his desk, “we had no luck finding clear surveillance footage of the car that picked up Amanda from Yasa-kun’s place, so that evidence is out, except we know it’s a black town car of some kind.”

  “What about Hase-san’s footage? The cobbler?”

  “Just the front end of the car, from the side, so no license plate and we couldn’t see the driver, and then it sped away. I have the video archive so I can look at it again if I need to.”

  I tapped my fingers on the table and hummed. With Yasahiro holed up at home and me unable to do anything in or around his building, plus waiting on Akai, I had a lot of time on my hands. I got up and ambled towards the kitchen.

  “Give me Kimura’s information, and I’ll go out there tomorrow. I’m sure Mom will let me borrow the car.”

  “Mei-chan,” he said in warning. “You don’t want to get caught up in this any more than you already are. We questioned you first as a suspect. It won’t look good if you’re poking around. You should just stay put.”

  “Listen.” I hardened my voice. “Amanda’s reappearance and this investigation is literally ruining my life. If I sit here and do nothing, I’ll go crazy. Let me help. Haven’t I always been helpful before?”

  “Yes, but… He could be dangerous.”

  “Goro, please.” I stared out the back window, watching the light leak from the sky as it turned purple.

  He sat in silence on the other end of the phone.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll send Kayo over tomorrow morning at dawn to get you, and you both can go out there together. Deal?”

  “Deal,” I said and inhaled sharply as something big moved out by the shed. The light outside was too dim for me to make out what it was, but it creeped around near the rain barrel. I reached out and tapped on the window glass and up popped a young boy, maybe ten years old. His large, startled eyes made contact with mine, and he turned and bolted towards the front of the house.

  I swore loudly into the phone.

  “What’s wrong, Mei-chan? Are you all right?” Goro’s voice rose in panic, but I ignored him as I ran through the kitchen to the front door. Opening the door with a violent jerk, I rushed outside and looked left and right. The wind whipped along the porch, causing it to creak. Peeking around the side of the house, nothing was out of place.

  “Mei-chan!” Goro screamed at me from the phone.

  “Sorry! Sorry. I saw… a boy. I think?” That was definitely a young boy, but where did he go?

  The wind rustled the plantings off in the field, a long, shushing sway that chilled me. He could be out amongst the lettuces, but I’d have to go row by row to find him. I wasn’t doing that with the sun setting.

  “You saw a boy? At your house?”

  “Yeah, I think so. But I don’t see him anymore.”

  “Do you want me to come check it out?”

  Thinking about everything they had on their plate at the precinct, I brushed off my chills and entered the house through the front door.

  “No. Don’t worry about it. Maybe I was seeing things.”

  “I doubt it. I can be out there in ten minutes.”

  “No! Really. Even so, it was just a boy. We’ll lock the doors. Maybe he’s a town kid out exploring.” But I remembered the missing items from the shed, and I suspected this sighting was connected. “Really. I’ll call you if anything else happens, okay?”

  “Sure, Mei-chan. Secure the doors and windows. And Kayo will be out there around six to get you tomorrow.” Goro hung up, and I breathed deeply into my gut, trying to calm my racing heart.

  “Mei-chan, what is going on out here?” Mom emerged from her bedroom, her sweater cinched tight across her chest and her library paperback open in her hand.

  “Nothing. I… I thought I saw something outside, but it was nothing.” I waved her off, but she came closer, her eyes searching every last centimeter of me.

  “What’s going on? You look sick again.” She squeezed my shoulder and motioned for me to sit at the kotatsu. I flipped the heat on as I sank into one of the cushioned seats.

  “Yasa-kun tried to break up with me because he thinks he’ll be dragged into this murder investigation and ruin our lives.”

  Mom gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “No. That can’t happen.”

  “But it may, Mom.” I squeezed her hand, but she pulled away from me. “Amanda’s parents are here and they have awful things to say about him.”

  Mom stared off out the window, her jaw firmly set. Fear tingled along my hairline.

  “He feels certain he’s about to be ruined, and he doesn’t want to ruin me too.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “Always the gentleman. What did you say? I love Yasahiro-san, but I hope you took this opportunity he gave you.”

  “What?” Though my body was heated by the kotatsu, my skin grew clammy and cold. “No. Of course not. I told him I’d stand by him, that I’d help solve this murder and set things right.” My chest ached as Mom’s face dropped in a deep frown. “I don’t abandon people I love. I didn’t abandon you, Mom. Why would I leave him?”

  “Mei-chan!” She rose from the table so she was standing over me. “I am your mother. I’m family. Yasahiro is a great man. I know this. But you’re not married. You’re not even engaged. You can’t stake your reputation and mine on him. If he’s asking to break up, you break up.”

  “Mom —” I pleaded, but she cut
me off.

  “Don’t interrupt me.”

  I clamped my lips shut, horrified by this turn of events.

  “If things improve later, maybe you get back together. If not, he leaves and you move on, but at least the family stays intact.”

  For a long moment, all that came out of my mouth were puffs of air.

  “What kind of person does that, Mom? I don’t want to be like that. I love him and he loves me. We should stick together.”

  Mom pointed her finger at me, and I saw the years of work behind her eyes, the decades of toiling away at the soil, at educating my brother and me, at her teaching job, at her relationships with everyone in town. This meant the world to her, and I was threatening it all.

  But I couldn’t abandon Yasahiro, just like I couldn’t abandon her.

  “You don’t get to say how this family runs. When you see him next, you tell him it’s right to separate until this is over.”

  I dropped my head and stared down at my fists clenched on the table. “What if it’s never over?”

  Her voice softened. “It may never be, but we’ll keep this family, this farm running. And we’ll stay on everyone’s good side. Understood?”

  I nodded, not looking up. If she saw my eyes, she’d know I was lying. I would stick with them both whether they liked it or not.

  Yeah, I was stubborn. I was practically asking for more trouble at this point. But some things, like love and honor, were worth more than reputation. I just had to remember that in the days ahead.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Are you sure this isn’t a problem?” I asked Kayo as she merged onto the highway. She showed up at Mom’s house right on time with toast and coffee for both of us.

  “Oh yes, absolutely. If I have to spend another minute in the office listening to Amanda’s parents, I might quit my job.”

  “That bad?”

  “Awful. I know they just lost their daughter and everything, so I’m trying to be sympathetic. But even my own boss doesn’t order me around as much as Amanda’s mother does.”

  Yikes. I had a feeling Amanda’s mother was strict, and I certainly didn’t want to come across her. I would stay away from the police station if I could.

  I chewed on my toast, hoping it would keep my stomach in one spot. I had woken nauseous again after a night of terrifying dreams. I’d been so sweaty that I had to take a shower before Kayo showed up. My body was rebelling, and I was done with this constant sickness. Done. Too bad my mind couldn’t control it. I cracked my window in the car and let the cool, morning air rush over my face.

  Before bed last night, I spent a few hours digging more into Amanda’s past. I had two logical suspects for murder. Actually, three. It could have been either Giselle or Robert. Giselle resented Amanda for sleeping with Robert, even though they were “friends.” Robert resented Amanda for telling Giselle that they had an affair. And the fact that they sold off investments to Amanda meant they were distancing themselves from her and from Yasahiro. Maybe they were starting over fresh? They seemed to like Yasahiro, but I could understand it if they left for France and never saw him again. Even if he was dating someone new, like me, his presence would always remind them of the woman who came between them. It would also be just like Amanda to keep twisting the knife into them. She could’ve blackmailed them. Who could say? Except Giselle or Robert. If she had blackmailed them or given them any reason to think she would cause them harm (and I totally believed she would based on the way she treated me), one or both of them could have killed her.

  Then there was the ex-boyfriend. Amanda’s murder was a crime of passion, for sure. Perhaps he was the secretly violent type and her bad attitude sent him over the edge? I wouldn’t know until I talked to him.

  Kayo glanced over at me twice as I sipped my coffee and watched the countryside roll by out the window. “You’re awfully quiet this morning.”

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about the list of suspects. Obviously, I was suspect number one…”

  “And we cleared you.”

  “Yes, thank you. I’m glad I installed those security cameras. Suspect number two was Yasahiro.”

  Kayo stared at the road, her hands gripping the steering wheel.

  “Well, I guess he’s not as clear as I thought he was.”

  She sighed, her shoulders dropping. “Sorry. You know Amanda’s parents are in town, and they had an awful lot of damning information about him.”

  “Did you arrest him again?” I leaned forward, dug in my bag, and checked my phone. No messages.

  “Kind of. We put him under house arrest again.”

  “Thank goodness,” I said, closing my eyes. “House arrest is fine. I don’t want him going anywhere.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Her voice rose.

  “Nothing, nothing. I think he’s safer at home. I won’t have to worry about him if you all are watching him.”

  I went back to drinking my coffee, relieved Yasahiro was under the watchful eyes of the Chikata police force. At least this way, he wouldn’t be going anywhere or doing anything rash.

  “What I am worried about is someone thinking he’s the killer and not listening to reason.”

  “I heard the two of you broke up,” she said, sliding her eyes to the side at me.

  “Yes. Well, no. Anyway, it’s complicated. What kinds of things are Amanda’s parents saying about Yasahiro?”

  Kayo cleared her throat and took another sip of her coffee. “Stuff you already know, like they owned a bunch of businesses and real estate together.” The way she hesitated and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, I suspected there was more.

  “And that’s it? That doesn’t sound very damning.”

  Kayo didn’t look at me; she increased the speed of the car.

  “What are you not telling me?” I feared the worst. Amanda either had legitimate or faked information on Yasahiro, but it could’ve been anything. Maybe he had slept with prostitutes or falsified business records or was a recovering drug addict or was smuggling contraband goods. Staring out the window, I imagined him at the head of a secret porn syndicate. That one actually made me laugh, and I giggled before shaking my head.

  “What’s so funny?” Kayo asked, her face the picture of seriousness.

  I calmed myself. This was no time to be silly.

  “Nothing. Can you tell me anything more?”

  She sighed, wiggling her shoulders into a more relaxed posture. “Not really. We’re still looking for Giselle, and Robert has been quiet since yesterday. He insists he should see a lawyer.”

  My body cooled. “That’s not good.”

  “No. Goro-san is furious, combing all the surveillance databases he can think of and calling in help from Tokyo. They’re looking everywhere for her.”

  I imagined her dyeing her blonde hair brown, wrapping her head in a scarf, and trying to get through customs with a fake passport. I didn’t doubt she had the money and connections to achieve that. She could be halfway to Africa by this point.

  I blew air out between my lips and pushed back into the seat. I had a bad feeling about this, like we were wasting our time going to see this ex-boyfriend who had supposedly been in the mountains the last few days. We should be out looking for Giselle.

  Kayo drove in silence all the way to Nikko, winding through the streets up the side of the mountain and through the wooded forest before reaching the business district. It had been a long time since I visited Nikko, and the town looked just the same. Old businesses lined the streets between the train station and Toshogu shrine, famous for its carving of the hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil, see-no-evil monkeys. The ryokan Shōta Kimura worked out of was on the opposite end of town, far from the foot traffic of tourists.

  Kayo parked in the ryokan’s side lot, and we entered into the small front office of the hotel, bowing and asking for the manager.

  An older woman met us and directed us to a trail into the woods. Kimura had left an hour ago with his students to hike to
a clearing and meditate before morning meal.

  “Great,” Kayo grumbled. “Just what I want to be doing first thing in the morning.”

  “Not a hiker?” I asked, leading her up the trail.

  “Not really. No.”

  “I do so much farming with Mom that I’m used to being on my feet all day.” The woods were quiet with the sound of a brook bubbling in the distance.

  “Do you enjoy farming?”

  “Do I enjoy it?” I thought back to coming home last autumn and believing I’d failed because I’d become a farm girl again. It had been the thing I was most ashamed of during childhood, farming and being a part of a farming family. I would’ve rather been painting or working at a grocery store than harvesting potatoes.

  But, in the past few months, farming had grown on me. I saw how my mother worked hard and reaped the benefits from pulling in a good harvest. I also realized how risky it was when the barn burned down and we lost our entire store of vegetables. That incident made me risk-averse. It’s what led me to hide money in Yasahiro’s apartment, in an air tight container in the back fields, and in several bank accounts too. I didn’t have a huge savings, but at least I would always have cash.

  “Yeah, I do like farming now. I didn’t for a long time, but I’ve enjoyed it these past few months.” I breathed in through my nose, noting the peaty undertones to the woods. “It’s a great way to be outside.”

  “I’m outside a lot on patrol. I guess that’s enough.”

  “I like the quiet of the fields, just me and the dirt and a few employees.”

  “Sounds…” Kayo’s voice trailed off.

  “Boring?” I filled in and she laughed. “Yeah. I listen to a lot of music. It’s important to help my mom, though, so I don’t complain.”

  Mom from last night popped into my head, her pleading eyes and threats of having to run from the shame on our family. This was all my fault, and I knew it. I’d have to figure out some way to fix everything.

  “Look,” she whispered, pointing ahead. I stopped and let her lead the way in front of me.

  Our trail was winding down a hill, and the beaten dirt path opened on a grassy clearing. The sharp scent of a campfire caught our attention, and I pushed the rising terror into the back of my mind.