Imanishi drank some tea.
“When I went to the location, I heard at great length many anecdotes about his good deeds. I imagine that Officer Miki intended to care for the young boy Hideo after he made arrangements for his disease-ridden father. Perhaps he would even have eventually adopted him, despite his background. Miki was an exceptionally saintly man.
“However, having become accustomed to a wandering way of life, Hideo ran away from Kamedake, despite Officer Miki’s kindnesses, and went off on his own. This is the start of the tragic case that we are investigating…”
Pausing at this point, Imanishi looked around him. All of the men were waiting for his next words with bated breath.
“The whereabouts of Motoura Hideo since that time have remained unknown,” Imanishi continued. “It is thought that he went to the Osaka area. I will go into that later. Officer Miki was promoted to assistant inspector and voluntarily resigned in December 1938. His conduct is something all police officers would do well to emulate.
“Thereafter, Miki-san opened up a general store in Emi-machi in Okayama Prefecture. He adopted his shop boy Shokichi, who married, and lived happily with them during his later years. Here, too, Miki was reputed to be as kind as Buddha.
“This past spring, Miki decided to take a trip to Ise Shrine, which he had long wanted to visit. He left Emi-machi on April 4, and started a leisurely trip, going to Okayama City on the tenth, to Kotohira-cho on the twelfth, and to Kyoto on the eighteenth. We know his itinerary from the postcards he sent to his family from inns at these locations.
“Miki spent the night of May 9 at Futami Inn in Ise City. He happened to go to a nearby movie theater to see some movies. At that theater he saw something. He left the theater that night, but returned the next day to the same theater to confirm what he had seen. What had he seen?
“It was not a movie. It was a commemorative photograph displayed inside the theater. That photograph was of the family of a certain current cabinet minister whom the theater owner respects highly. The group in the photo happened to include a young man who was often at the minister’s home. Reading the description attached to the photograph, Miki discovered that this young man was Waga Eiryo, a prominent young composer.
“This young man’s face reminded Miki of Motoura Hideo, the son of the man with leprosy, whom he had cared for. Hideo was seven years old at the time, and Miki’s recollection must have been hazy, but when he examined the enlarged photograph for a second time, Miki became convinced that this was the missing Hideo. Miki was overcome. He changed his plans for returning home and came to Tokyo.
“I think that Miki may have not quite believed it until he saw the person in the photograph with his own eyes, but there was no mistake. I do not know how their meeting was arranged. We have nothing to go on. It is certain, though, that the two of them did meet. They went to the Torys bar near Kamata Station on May 11 after eleven p.m…
“Motoura Hideo, now Waga Eiryo, had achieved much and was on the brink of attaining even more. Just at that moment, there appeared this figure from the past. Of course, Miki had no ulterior motive. He had come to Tokyo to see the boy whom he had taken under his wing, for whom he felt responsible, the boy whom he’d lost. For Hideo, however, this was a moment of great panic. If he was discovered to have had a father who had suffered from an odious disease and to have falsified his personal history, his engagement would be broken off. No family -especially one like the Tadokoros-would permit a wedding between their daughter and the son of a leper. The alarm and anguish that he must have felt are no doubt inexpressible in words.
“I said that Hideo forged his personal history. When I looked into Waga Eiryo’s personal history, it stated that he was born the oldest son of Waga Eizo and Kimiko, registered domicile, Number 120, 2 Ebisu-cho, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City. The deaths of Waga Eizo and Kimiko are recorded as March 14,1945. This was the day of an extensive air raid that destroyed the entire area of Ebisu-cho, Naniwa Ward. The ward office where the original registers of domiciles were stored, as well as the Bureau of Justice, were reduced to ashes along with all official documents. In such cases, the law allows for the preparation of a family register upon the submission of a request by the person himself. This is what Hideo did. In other words, there was no Waga Eiryo. The family register that was submitted in 1949 was entirely the creation of Motoura Hideo. That an eighteen-year-old boy was able to do this shows that he was quite precocious and ingenious. When one thinks that his motivation was to extricate himself from his disease-ridden father’s family register in order to pave the way for his own future, this boy deserves sympathy.”
The group was solemnly silent as they listened to Imanishi’s words.
“What we know about Hideo’s later life is that he went to a Kyoto Prefectural High School. He left during his second year. After this, he came to Tokyo. His natural talent for music was recognized by Professor Karasumaru of the Arts University, leading to the achievement of the position he has today. He must be considered a very unusual success. From his origins as a mere waif, he has become the new hope of our country’s composing circles. He is a unique figure even among the so-called Nouveau group. Yet it seems clear that to protect his personal standing and to assure his own future, he decided to kill Miki.”
Imanishi continued his briefing.
“I think it more than likely that Waga already intended to kill Miki when he suggested that they go to the bar near Kamata Station. That was why he purposely dressed in casual, inconspicuous clothes. It was at this meeting that Miki was heard speaking with an accent. During his long years of service as a policeman in Nita County, Shimane Prefecture, he had picked up the local accent. This is what the witnesses mistook for a Tohoku accent from northeastern Japan. The investigation was led astray for a time because of this confusion, but we were finally able to discover the truth.
“Waga found out from the newspapers that our investigation was centering on the Tohoku dialect and the name ‘Kameda.’ Realizing that we would eventually investigate Kameda in the Tohoku region, he sent the actor Miyata Kunio there after instructing him to behave suspiciously. Miyata went and did as he was asked without knowing why. This is my conjecture, but I think that Naruse Rieko, a clerk in the Avant-Garde Theater whom Miyata was drawn to, asked him to take on this task.
“Next, Waga invited some of the Nouveau group members to observe a rocket research center in the town of Iwaki. In fact, Waga had urged his friends to go along with him. I think that he went to find out what the effect of Miyata’s actions had been.
“Rieko was Waga’s secret lover. After his crime, she delivered to him a raincoat that Miyata was using as a costume in a play. She also disposed of Waga’s bloodstained shirt.
In mid-June, Waga was hurt in a traffic accident near Sugamo Station. Even his friends wondered why he was riding in a taxi when he usually drove his own car and what he was doing in that section of Tokyo. My supposition is that this accident occurred on his way home from visiting his lover Naruse Rieko in Takigawa. That happened to be the day that Rieko moved there.
“However, after this, she despaired of her lover who was guilty of such a terrible crime, and who had made her an accessory to it. She committed suicide. After Rieko’s death, Miyata began to suspect what his role had been and he confronted Waga.
“Miyata was supposed to meet me in Ginza the evening he died. He went to Waga’s house after he left the theater. I assume that he was shut up in that oval shaped studio and subjected to weird electronic music, which caused psychological confusion. Then, when he started to feel sick, he was given intermittent barrages of ultrasonic waves. I think that Waga knew that Miyata had a weak heart. In order to seal Miyata’s lips, Waga killed him by utilizing electronic music and ultrasonic waves to cause a heart attack. I would like to stress that this is a method of murder that has not existed before.
“One of Waga’s friends is the critic Sekigawa Shigeo. When Sekigawa found out that his lover, a bar hostess named Miu
ra Emiko, was pregnant but refused to have an abortion, he asked Waga’s help in dealing with the situation. From here on, we have Sekigawa’s testimony. He asked for Waga’s help because he had heard Waga say that it was possible to induce abnormal physical conditions through exposure to electronic music. Emiko was brought to Waga’s studio. She ended up like Miyata. I think that, in this case, there was no intent to kill on Waga’s part. He used this method hoping only to cause an abortion. Emiko fell because of a dizzy spell as she left the studio. When she fainted, she fell off the raised outdoor hallway onto the hard concrete underneath.
“It was not only Waga, but also Sekigawa, who was shocked at Emiko’s death. This had to be kept a secret. Sekigawa was placed in Waga’s power. And suddenly, this envious friend and formerly severe critic began to praise Waga’s work.
“This is a brief summary of the evidence gathered so far. The suspect is scheduled to leave Japan from Haneda Airport tomorrow night. I will answer your questions now. Depending on your conclusions, I would like to request a warrant for Waga Eiryo’s arrest.”
There was still almost an hour until the departure of the ten p.m. Pan American flight to San Francisco. The international lobby at Haneda Airport was always filled with cheerful people seeing others off. Tonight, long-haired youths and young girls dressed in colorful clothes stood out among the others. It was an elegant crowd of well-wishers. These people were seeing off the prominent young composer, Waga Eiryo.
The clock pointed to 9:20. Those who had been chatting in the lobby gathered around Waga. This evening, Waga was wearing a new outfit. He had a large rose in his lapel and carried several bouquets under his arm. Beside him stood his fiancée, Tadokoro Sachiko, in a cobalt blue suit. She smiled more than anyone else.
It almost seemed as though they were about to leave on their honeymoon. Tadokoro Shigeyoshi stood next to them, his ruddy face all smiles. Because he was a cabinet minister and a leading politician, other politicians with no connection to the music world were also in attendance. Members of the Nouveau group stood directly in front of Waga. Takebe, Katazawa, and Yodogawa were joined by some others. For some reason, Sekigawa had not come.
They were saying that he must have had some unexpected business to attend to.
Surrounded by many people, Waga gave a speech. His expression was bright. The large flower in his lapel seemed to symbolize his happiness.
The boarding announcement began. “The ten o’clock flight for San Francisco via Honolulu is ready for boarding. Passengers on this flight, please proceed to the departure area.”
A cheer went up. A multitude of arms were raised in waves. Those who were seeing off others stared at the crowd around Waga.
The enormous foreign airliner was already positioned on the apron. The crowd flowed from the lobby to the observation deck. They prepared to wave to Waga as he entered the airliner. The boarding ramp was moved slowly up to the body of the plane.
Waga walked down the hallway reserved for passengers only. On either side of the corridor were sections for customs, visa inspection, currency exchange, and other procedures. Beyond this area was a passenger departure lounge. Here the passengers waited until the stewardess made the boarding announcement.
“It’ll be soon now,” Imanishi said to Yoshimura as they waited outside.
Yoshimura stood shivering slightly, his hands in his pockets and his eyes watching the passageway.
“It’s been a long investigation.” Imanishi let out a sigh. “Hey,” he continued, “you show him the arrest warrant. Grab his arm forcefully.”
“Imanishi-san…” Yoshimura protested.
“Don’t mind me. From now on, it’s the era of you young people.”
The passengers came walking down the passageway in a line. First came a large American couple. People were going through exit procedures: baggage check, passport control, and currency exchange. Those who were finished entered the waiting room.
The lounge was not large. The first passengers entered and sat down.
Imanishi pointed with his chin at a young Japanese man standing in the middle of the line.
A tense Yoshimura approached Waga. “Waga-san.”
Turning to the man who had spoken to him, Waga gave a start when he saw his face. It was the detective in the raincoat who had been among those at his house the previous day.
“Excuse me.” Yoshimura called Waga aside. “I’m sorry to disturb you. Please pardon me.” He led Waga over to where Imanishi stood.
Taking an envelope from his pocket, Yoshimura pulled out the document inside and handed it to the composer. With trembling hands, Waga took the piece of paper and ran his eyes over its contents. It was a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of murder. The blood drained from Waga’s face. His eyes stared vacantly off into space.
“We won’t handcuff you. There’s a police car waiting out front. You are to come with us.” Yoshimura put his arm around Waga as though he were a close friend.
Imanishi stepped to Waga’s other side. He did not say a word. His expression did not change, but his eyes watered slightly.
The other passengers watched with puzzled looks as the three men retraced their steps along the passageway.
On the observation deck, those who had come to send Waga off stood looking down at the large airliner. Lights illuminated the walkway with the intensity of high noon.
The first passenger left the building. The well-wishers all turned toward that person. It was a tall American military officer. Next followed the large American couple, then a short Japanese, a foreign woman with a child, a young Japanese woman in a kimono with a young man, and another foreigner.
Waga was nowhere in sight. One of the first passengers reached the top of the steps and turned around to wave at his friends. The boarding continued. The last person left the building, a fat, elderly foreigner. Sachiko’s face clouded with puzzlement.
Everyone looked bewildered. The Tadokoro family’s expressions became anxious.
At this moment, an announcement was broadcast.
“This announcement is for those seeing off Waga Eiryo who was scheduled to depart on the ten p.m. Pan American flight to San Francisco. Waga-san has been detained by urgent business and will not be boarding this flight. Waga-san will not be boarding this flight…”
The voice was modulated, the cadence of the words was slow. It sounded as lovely as music.
Seichō Matsumoto
Seichō Matsumoto was born in 1909 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu. Now Japan's foremost master of mystery, Matsumoto was forty years old before he launched his literary career. His first work appeared in the influential Weekly Asahi in 1950. Two years later, he received the coveted Akutagawa Literary Prize for his Aru kokura nikki den. He also received the Japan Detective Story Writers' Prize for his short story Kao (The Face). Ten to sen, the Japanese version of Points and Lines, became a best seller and created a Matsumoto boom. Several of his short stories have been translated into English. A prolific writer, his work includes novels and essays, as well as detective stories.
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Inspector Imanishi Investigates Page 32
