The Daydreamer Detective Returns a Favor

by S. J. Pajonas

  “And now you’re a witch reincarnated. That’s how you solved the mystery of Etsuko’s death and how you saved Yasa-kun from going to jail. How you charmed him into marrying you and giving you a child.”

  My mind was blank. Utterly and completely blank. I was convinced that my mouth hung open, but I was so detached from my body, I couldn’t say for sure.

  Mom lowered her head. “For the past few months, I’ve been having tea with the ladies from the kitchen at Midori Sankaku, the ones I worked with over the winter. It took a while for them to come out and tell me about this, but they eventually did. It only started spreading to my wider circles a few weeks ago.” She squeezed my hand again. “This is why it’s important for you to continue to work at the farm. What if this all blows up and you lose your business? Or Yasa-kun’s business?”

  My skin crawled with gooseflesh as I imagined people huddling in circles and talking about me behind my back. How did this happen? Why? How many people?

  “Mom, this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  She shrugged before letting my hand go. “I’ve said the same thing about a dozen times. But don’t you think you brought some of this on yourself? Always getting involved in things you shouldn’t?”

  I threw my arms out to the side. “All I’ve ever wanted to do was help people. Haven’t I helped people?” I stood up and looked down at her. “And I don’t believe this at all, that you’re worried about me losing my business which is why you want me to work here.”

  Mom’s face shifted from concerned to simmering anger.

  “You never wanted me to open the tea shop to begin with,” I said, my voice barely scratching the surface of my disbelief. Town rumors, a witch, and Mom had been lying about a heck of a lot more than this farm business takeover. “Have you just been waiting for me to fail?”

  She didn’t answer my question. “I’m going to go lie down. I have a headache.” She stood up, setting her ledger to the side.

  I was at a loss for words. The stronger version of me was so angry I saw red. The part of me that cherished my family now that I had grown close to it was shattered and ashamed.

  “I’ll see you here tomorrow,” she said as she walked off.

  Yes. Tomorrow.

  We would see about that.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Akiko doubled over in laughter, and Kirin-chan barked at her.

  “Why are you laughing at this? This is serious business!” I couldn’t hold in a laugh either. Giggles burst forth, and my head lightened so much I had to sit down at Akiko’s table. The air conditioning was on, fluttering Akiko’s paperwork and rolling her pencil back and forth. I’d caught her home early on her dinner break. She’d been filling out charts for her patients when I rang the doorbell.

  Akiko hooted with laughter, her eyes brimming with tears and her face turning red. “A witch!” She clutched at her stomach. “You? This is possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.” She turned and headed for the kitchen. “Should I get you a broom to go with your glass of water?” She gestured to Kirin-chan. “Go lie down in the bedroom.” She trotted off.

  “Stop,” I pleaded, laughing some more and rolling my eyes. “Maybe I should start wearing all black.”

  “Get a black cat!” She called from the kitchen. “Lots of black eyeshadow and mascara.”

  The house rumbled and vibrated, scaring me so badly I jumped up from the table, and Kirin-chan started barking again. Something fell over in the kitchen, and Akiko swore and muttered under her breath.

  “What was that?” I asked, leaning to the side to catch sight of her.

  “Midori Sankaku construction.” She sighed as she exited the kitchen and set my glass of water on the table. I gulped it down, still hot from being outside with Yuna. “They’re digging up the back fields for the next few days and laying down pipes and stuff for administrative buildings.”

  “Pipes and stuff?”

  She waved her hand. “You know, water, sewage, power. All that. But the ground has some big boulders about a meter down. That’s one reason why we never planted much in those fields.” She gathered up her paperwork and set it aside. “They have heavy machinery out there digging away.”

  “Hopefully not at night.”

  “No. I’m grateful for that. The foreman came by here a few days ago to let me know what was going on and warn me about the noise. He was very apologetic. Said it would be done soon.”

  The house rattled and shook again, and Akiko’s jaw tightened.

  “Well, at least you’re not a witch,” I said, winking at her.

  She sighed. “I’m not pleased about this business with your mom. What happened between you two?”

  “I didn’t think anything was wrong between us until Hirata showed up on the scene.” I shook my head, dragging my fingers through the condensation on the side of my water glass. “But it appears she’s been holding a grudge.”

  “I told you during your wedding that something was up with her.”

  “You did.” I tried not to show my irritation.

  My wedding day had been complete bliss for me. The weather had been hot and humid, but everyone who was invited showed up. I’d been so starry-eyed and in love that I’d ignored Akiko’s warnings that my mother was unhappy. I don’t know what I would’ve done differently, though. Akiko had pleaded with me not to leave for my honeymoon, and I went anyway. I would still go if I were to do it all over again, knowing what I know now.

  “My trip to France was probably the thing that broke us in two. Mom wanted me to stay home for the planting, and I told her no. She wasn’t happy about it.” She assumed we would wait until winter to go on our honeymoon, but we defied her and went in June when the weather was beautiful.

  “Yeah, well, it’s in the past,” she replied, and I was grateful she didn’t rub my nose in it. Nothing could beat those memories of decadent meals in small Paris restaurants, wine vineyards in the countryside, and lying next to Yasahiro in silk sheets in five-star hotels.

  My abdomen clenched, and I brought my focus back to the present.

  “I need advice. What should I do?”

  “You should discuss this with Yasa-kun,” she said, pertly.

  I pressed my lips together. “I will, but I want your opinion since you’ve known Mom almost as long as I have.”

  Akiko kept silent.

  “Do you think, if Hirata hadn’t gotten involved, she would’ve let me buy into the farm? Let me rebuild or renovate the house?”

  “No.” She deflated. “No, I don’t think she would have.”

  I dropped my eyes, once again concentrating on the glass in front of me.

  “She loves you, of course. But businesswise? Mei-chan, she never did have nice things to say about all your failed jobs before last year.”

  “Really? She talked about me?”

  She waved her hand. “Of course she did. All the ladies of her generation gossip like the wind is running out and they have to fill the void.” She shook her head, a grim frown forming. “People in town would ask after you, and she would say you were doing fine and loved living in Tokyo, but that you were having trouble keeping a job.”

  I tried not to cry, but my hormones wouldn’t let me keep it in. I’d cleaned up my reputation around town by helping with the murder investigations, and my tea shop was a hit, but hearing this news now, I wanted to crawl into a hole.

  “How did you hear about this?”

  “News travels. One person tells another and another. I heard it fourth or fifth hand, someone trying to pump me for more gossip since they knew we were friends.” She huffed. “Ridiculous.”

  “What did you say?” I asked, my voice low.

  Her eyes widened. “I told them to mind their own business.”

  I smiled. “Thanks.” The last of the water in my glass went down the hatch, and I sighed. I really missed beer on a hot day. “Well, I have a multitude of problems now. Supposedly, I’m a witch. Mom wants me to work for free
on the farm and hire someone to take over the tea shop, but I want to be at the tea shop. And now I need to look for a new house for Yasa-kun and me.”

  It was her turn to sigh. “I can’t believe you’re moving, and you won’t be right across the street again.”

  “Have to. Hirata, Yuna, and the boys are moving into the farmhouse.” I rubbed my forehead. “A lot has changed in the last day.”

  Akiko stiffened, and I knew her well enough to identify her angry posture. “What else?”

  “I’ve made progress in the Fukuda case.” My face relaxed in a smile. “We uncovered Ria-san’s old manga sketchbook.”

  “No!” She leaned forward, eager for more.

  “Yes. And it’s filled with a story called After School. I don’t know if it’ll really have any clues as to why she went missing, but I’m going to read it and find out. That and I have two new possible suspects in the case.”

  I explained what I found out at Takashi Kato’s house earlier in the day, the news about Ria’s father and ex-boyfriend.

  “I obviously can’t do much about the father, though I’ll look into it.” Chewing on my lip, I reached across the table to grab a package of crackers Akiko had left out. Dinner time was closing in, and I was starving. “But I need to check into this ex-boyfriend.”

  We both munched on crackers. “I thought Ria-san had been dating one of Tama’s friends,” Akiko said, covering her cracker-filled mouth with her hand. “I saw her with this boy — skinny, with long, bleached-blond hair — once, maybe twice. He didn’t live around here, so I never saw him otherwise.”

  My skin always crawled when I heard Tama’s name in casual conversation. He’d tried to kill Akiko and me last year, and the incident still haunted my dreams. I was also certain he was the one who pushed me into the campfire as a kid, leaving me with burn scars on my back that hampered my self-confidence and love life for years until I met Yasahiro. Tama was in jail, and I only had to think of him now and then when prosecutors would call to follow up on details of his case.

  Something tickled at the back of my brain.

  “Hey, I know we don’t talk about this, but…” I let my voice trail off, hoping Akiko would stop me.

  “What?” she asked, touching my arm.

  “Do you ever visit Tama in jail?” She stiffened. “Or write to him?”

  “No.” Her face had hardened and lost its good cheer. “Never.”

  “Never?”

  “Mei-chan, I never want to see him again. Never. He tried to kill us both.” Her eyes widened, shocked I would even ask. “I don’t care that he’s family. He can rot in jail forever as far as I’m concerned.”

  I looked away from her, upset I’d brought up this sensitive subject, but her warm hand squeezed mine.

  “Nothing is more important than you, our friends, and my career. Everything else can come second.”

  I smiled at her, and she smiled back.

  “Now, how are you going to solve this mystery, huh? What’s next on the list?”

  Akiko was always good at changing the subject when it needed to shift.

  “Do you remember the boy’s name? The blond-haired one you saw Ria-chan with?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. But then again, I don’t remember the names of most of our classmates, people I saw day in and day out. Their names have all been replaced with nursing terms.” She waved to her pile of papers on the table. “Which reminds me! I heard from Kumi-chan we have a girls’ night out to plan.” She rubbed her hands together with a large smile. “I haven’t been out in months. Not since your wedding, I think. It’s just been my elderly patients or you when you’re able to stop by.”

  She pouted, and I laughed.

  “Aw, poor Akiko-chan. Can you do tomorrow night? I know it’s soon, but Kayo-san has the night off, and Chiyo-san can watch the baby for Kumi-chan.”

  “Perfect! We’ll go out, have some great food, and everyone else will drink the drinks you cannot drink.”

  I would’ve complained, but I was happy the pregnancy was going well. I wouldn’t jeopardize it for anything.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nothing could beat a Friday night in bed before 22:00. The bedroom was cool, and I sat in bed, the covers pulled up over my pajamas and the fan whirring in the corner. Yasahiro had closed up the tea shop, cooked dinner for me, and gone to Sawayaka to make an appearance for the Friday night crowd.

  This left me at home to read Ria’s manga until I was ready to pass out, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon. One thing was for sure, Ria knew a good, engaging story.

  On the page, the character of Shizuka stood alone in a crowded school courtyard. Her quiet and reserved nature kept her separate from almost everyone but a few close friends. Much like the Ria Fukuda I’d known in real life. This character, Shizuka, though, had a secret. She was in love with her boyfriend’s best friend, not her boyfriend.

  I flipped the pages and followed her on a group date with her friends to a summer festival complete with fireworks. She ditched her boyfriend, Hiromi, and rendezvoused with the boyfriend’s best friend, Kuro, kissing each other in an alleyway.

  The story was very dramatic and quite catchy. I was drawn in right away, by both the stories and Ria’s art. I loved her style, the quick dash of the pencil, the peachy cheeks of Shizuka, the dashing young love interest who hovered over her. I considered the possible implications of Ria publishing this manga. It wasn’t too risqué. Cheating, unfortunately, was commonplace in Japan, and secret lovers was a tried-and-true plot device through most of Japanese literature.

  I closed the red sketchbook and picked up my phone to text Akai.

  “I’ve been reading Ria-chan’s manga. It’s enjoyable, but I haven’t run across any clues yet, and I’m not sure I will. Have you uncovered anything?”

  I set down my phone and waited, rubbing my thumb over the binding of the sketchbook.

  “Really? Are you sure? There has to be a reason why she buried it.”

  “I’m not totally positive. It’s only a hunch. I’ll read the whole thing and let you know,” I texted back.

  “I spent all day in the office hunting through my SD cards. I’m looking for old photos from back when Ria was still with us. I’ve found three, and I’ll go over them tonight.”

  “Do you ever sleep?”

  “No. I should go make more coffee.”

  I laughed as I tossed the phone aside and snuggled down further into the bed to read.

  From the summer festival, Shizuka continued to ignore her secret boyfriend at school and while she was with her real boyfriend. The real boyfriend, Hiromi, was of the brooding, confident variety. Charming but indifferent — an alpha type. He had a big group of friends and led the pack everywhere. The secret boyfriend, Kuro, on the other hand, was understanding and calm, more of a beta hero. He tagged along at the back of the pack, and he always had great things to say about art or Shizuka’s favorite subject, fashion. It would’ve been a hard choice for any young woman to make, but I was rooting for Kuro. They seemed to be a better match.

  An hour later, the front door slammed, and I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Yasahiro was home.

  From my spot in the bed, I saw him open the door to the apartment silently and poke his head in.

  “I’m still up!” I called out. He sighed, slipped off his shoes, and dropped his keys on the table next to the door.

  “I thought you’d be asleep.”

  I yawned. “I should be, but I was up reading instead.”

  I yawned again. Now that I’d started yawning, I wouldn’t stop until I fell asleep. “Besides, it’s nice to have energy back after that disastrous first trimester.” When I did nothing but puke and sleep. I was glad that was over.

  Yasahiro took off his watch and left it on the dresser, crossing the room to sit next to me on the bed. He leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

  “I’m a bit of a sweaty mess,” he said, apologizing.
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  I grabbed his shirt. “I don’t care.”

  I pulled him toward me and angled my face up to meet his lips. He smiled before connecting with me, and his kiss was hungry but sweet. When we parted, he looked into my eyes, and I felt the love that had been there ever since the night of the barn fire.

  “Good,” I gasped, short of breath. “I don’t think I’ve bewitched you.”

  He blinked twice. “What?”

  I settled into the bed, taking his hand in mine. “You won’t believe what my mom told me. She said there’s some rumor going around town that I’m a witch. I’ve put a spell on you, and that’s the only reason why we’re together.”

  His face remained blank. “Mei-chan, I am under your spell.”

  We both burst into laughter at the same time.

  He continued to laugh as he stood up and peeled off his shirt. The best part of my day. “I can’t believe how gullible your mom is. I mean, I love her. You know I do. But…” He rolled his eyes. “You and me. We’re a good pair. We have a lot of the same ethics and desires for the future, but we’re different enough not to be boring.” He slipped his pants to the floor too, and I watched, happy to be awake for this. “I don’t understand why anyone would even question our relationship.” He ran both his hands through his hair. “And, quite frankly, I’m tired of it. Screw them.”

  I was surprised at his vehemence. “I’m tired of it too, but we have to live here.”

  “Then we’ll live here the way we want to live here. Speaking of which, I have some properties for you to look at.”

  His eyes sparkled with that desire to find a good deal on land. This compulsion of his was something he was born with. I didn’t really understand it, but I’d never owned property of my own before. This was new territory for me. When we married, I’d gained this apartment and all of Yasahiro’s land and businesses as well, but it wasn’t the same. They weren’t my homes. My heart curled up into a ball like a dog does, burying its nose under its paws. My home was Mom’s home, and it wasn’t mine anymore.