But that’s not the way it turned out. Midori Sankaku ended up being the saviors of this town. They bought up land other people didn’t want, they were saving Akiko and Mom from ruin, and just by being here, they’d helped us unearth a serial killer right in our midst.
“I think, with this new evidence, the prosecutor will ask for the death penalty,” Goro said, and Akiko wailed again.
I dropped to the earth next to her. I didn’t know what to say, so I extended my arm over her back and held her while she cried.
There were no words for this moment.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I held the letter in my hand for a long time before I even contemplated opening it. I sat and stared at the envelope as my palms grew sweaty, and my heart rate increased. No, not today!
Today was a special day for me. I’d asked Mom, Yasahiro’s parents, Yuna and the boys, Kumi and Goro and Akiko and Kayo, everyone basically, to come over so we could announce the baby’s gender. I didn’t want to spread the news online or make phone calls. For once, I wanted something happy to celebrate, a way to put the last few weeks behind us.
Then I picked up the mail.
Bad idea, Mei.
Yasahiro entered the bedroom, took one look at me, and sighed.
“Are you going to read it? I don’t think you should,” he said, sitting next to me on the bed. I was dressed in one of my favorite pregnancy dresses, and my hair and makeup were perfect. I was ready for a party, not this.
“What should I do with it?” I flipped the envelope over, examining both sides. His handwriting had always been so neat and precise.
“Burn it. Honestly, what does it matter what he has to say?”
I bit my lip and looked at it again. It didn’t matter, but now that I had his words right here? No. I had to know.
I pushed the envelope at Yasahiro. “Here. You read it, and you tell me what it says.”
He hesitated for a moment before ripping open the envelope and skimming the contents.
“Wow,” he breathed out. He cleared his throat and began.
“Dear Mei, I’ll keep this letter short since all of my outgoing mail is read, anyway. I’m only allowed to write a letter every other week, so please tell Akiko that I did my part. It seems as though the police have found the bodies of the five girls I buried in the backfields. Originally, I denied it, but now I’m taking ownership of what I’ve done. They all deserved to die. Every last one of them.
“There’s something so horrible about women who don’t listen, and you were the first of them. I kept telling you to stop making fun of me, stop badgering me for being a skinny kid, and you and my sister just would not quit. I remember snapping and pushing you into the fire that day. I watched you burn, and I was happy about it. It gave me power I’d never had before, the power to get people to respect me, listen to me.”
Yasahiro paused, and his voice broke. I was proud of myself for not crying.
“But as time went on, more and more girls played with me. Ria, Ai, Yukie… other girls that I don’t even remember their names. Then you came back, and you hadn’t learned your lesson. It’s a shame you never learned. I tried to teach you again, but I failed. But you need to never forget that you hurt me. You helped put me here. And I will die knowing it’s your fault.
“I will go to death row now. I’m not appealing my case though I’ve been told by my attorneys that ninety percent of death row inmates appeal their cases. Death by hanging. I won’t know when until the day it happens, and Akiko will not be here. Your part in this death is clear, and you will have to live with that for the rest of your life. Tama Kano.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I’m sure Tama thought his letter would chill me to the bone, and I would throw myself on the court asking for mercy for him.
“Good riddance,” I said, and Yasahiro’s sad eyes met mine. “Really. He kills women for ‘not listening to him,’ and it’s my fault? No. Never. Not in a million years.” I stood up, took the letter from Yasahiro’s hand, and brought it out to the stove.
Lighting the paper on fire from one of the burners, I stared into the flames for a long moment before dropping it in the stainless steel sink. I remember when fire used to scare me to death. I couldn’t even cook for fear of setting something alight. The fear controlled me for too long, and I wouldn’t let that happen anymore. Tama Kano had no power over me anymore. He would go to his death with his own version of his life story in his head.
But we all knew the truth.
The door chimed. Our family and friends had arrived. Yasahiro took a deep breath and dried his eyes before he buzzed them in.
I raised my shoulders and greeted everyone at the door, a new woman ready to take on new challenges — a new house to build, children to raise, the tea shop to foster and grow, and so many more things beyond those. Everyone’s smiles lifted my spirits and made me feel like I finally had my life under control. We talked and laughed and ate, and nothing was wrong or out of place.
Once all the guests but the kids had a glass of champagne in hand, Yasahiro cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Thank you all for coming today. It’s great to see everyone again, especially since it’s been a few weeks since the typhoon, and we haven’t had anything to celebrate recently.”
“Baseball season opened!” Korota called out, and everyone laughed.
“Yes, baseball season is super important,” Yasahiro conceded. “And worthy of celebrating.”
I reached over and pinched him before he could start musing about his favorite team and send us into a fit of boredom. He laughed and pulled away just in time.
“Anyway, so, we went to the doctor this past week for the big anatomy scan, and we have great news. All the tests have come back negative for any genetic abnormalities, and the baby is right on track weight wise. We also know the gender.”
“It’s a boy!” Goro called out, followed by, “It’s a girl!” from Kumi.
“Hush,” I said to them both, laughing. “It’s a girl.”
A round of cheers and applause rippled through the room. Mom and Yasahiro’s parents came forward to give hugs and kisses. Kayo and Kumi both rubbed their fingers at Goro indicating he should pay up now because, of course, they all made bets on who would be right about the gender. I tried to make eye contact with Akiko, but she was politely listening to Yuna talk. I knew she was aching inside about her brother and the man he had become, but she needed time to figure it out for herself.
While everyone ate sandwiches and talked, Yasahiro and I slipped into the walk-in pantry to grab the cake we ordered. He closed the door behind us, and we stood over the cake with its pink sugar flowers and beautiful white icing and held hands.
“I’m so proud of you, Mei-chan, and I don’t think I’ve said recently how overjoyed I am that we’re having a baby together. Boy or girl, I would’ve been happy either way. And I think we’re going to have a wonderful life together, as a family.”
“Me too.”
He kissed me on my temple, and I wrapped my arms around him for a brief moment but long enough for the baby to squirm around inside of me. I imagined her giving us both a hug in return.
She approved, and so did I.
End Book Four
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Thank You!
Thank you so much for reading The Daydreamer Returns A Favor. I was really excited to bring some of the story points from Book One to rest in this book. I hope you enjoyed that as well!
* * *
If you want the next book in the series… You can check for availability here. >> Check on the next Miso Cozy Mysteries book
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Now I need to ask a big, huge favor. Please leave a review of The Daydreamer Detective Returns A Favor. I welcome all reviews positive or negative. Reviews are so important to both authors and readers. For readers, they help other
s find books they’re interested in. For authors, they help us remain visible so other readers may find us.
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If you want more books like this one, sign up for email alerts, and I’ll let you know when they’re available. Sign up at http://www.spajonas.com/newsletter/ or you can check for more books on my website at http://www.spajonas.com/books/
* * *
Thank you again for reading and being awesome! I look forward to writing many more books for you to enjoy.
* * *
xo, S. J.
Thank You!
Thank you so much for reading The Daydreamer Returns A Favor. I was really excited to bring some of the story points from Book One to rest in this book. I hope you enjoyed that as well!
* * *
If you want the next book in the series… Check out my website to see if it’s available. http://www.spajonas.com/books/
* * *
Now I need to ask a big, huge favor. Please leave a review of The Daydreamer Detective Returns A Favor. I welcome all reviews positive or negative. Reviews are so important to both authors and readers. For readers, they help others find books they’re interested in. For authors, they help us remain visible so other readers may find us.
* * *
If you want more books like this one, sign up for email alerts, and I’ll let you know when they’re available. Sign up at http://www.spajonas.com/newsletter/ or you can check for more books on my website at http://www.spajonas.com/books/
* * *
Thank you again for reading and being awesome! I look forward to writing many more books for you to enjoy.
* * *
xo, S. J.
From S. J.
Hello, readers!
Well, I finally did it. The pieces of the story that I set up in the very first book have come to fruition in this fourth book of the series. It was always my intention to shed more light on Tama Kano and his murderous personality and answer the question of how Mei got her burn scars in the first place. So many readers asked me over and over for this! And I’m happy to finally give it to them. Did you suspect Tama was the killer? I stumped my two alpha readers! So I wonder how many readers caught on.
As for the typhoon sub-plot of the book, that one came to me while I was braving a typhoon in Japan in August of 2016. I watched the rain coming down sideways from my hotel room in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and I knit and drank Japanese beer while watching NHK report from Saitama prefecture. The typhoon (Typhoon Number 9, also known as Typhoon Lionrock) hit Saitama pretty near head-on and did some significant damage. It had been my intention to go to Saitama and sightsee the next day in Kawagoe, but the trains were out, and I couldn’t visit. Everything that I described in the book was drawn from news footage I witnessed while waiting for the typhoon to pass. I just increased the drama a bit. Funnily enough, I did not anticipate Mei’s mom selling her land, though, until it actually happened. This is the problem/wonderment of being a discovery writer. But I’m pleased with the outcome of this story because it sets up a few good plots for future books in the series!
Anyway, I’m happy that I was able to bring this main storyline to a close, and Mei is stronger than ever. She has quite a future in front of her now with plenty of room to learn and grow. I hope you’ll continue on her journey with her. Thanks again for reading and giving this series a chance.
xo, S. J.
Acknowledgments
Big thanks goes out to all the people who helped or inspired me with this book including…
Tracy Krimmer.
Charity Vandehey.
Germaine Fletcher.
Cori Wilbur.
Lola Verroen.
Anne R. Tan.
All those in my favorite FB author groups.
My brother, Brendan.
My mom, Claire.
My husband, Keith.
And my two girls, C and D.
Also in the Miso Cozy Mysteries Series
The Daydreamer Detective
* * *
The Daydreamer Detective Braves The Winter
* * *
Ozoni and Onsens: A Daydreamer Detective Novella
* * *
The Daydreamer Detective Opens A Tea Shop
* * *
The Daydreamer Detective Returns A Favor
Also by S. J. Pajonas
The Nogiku Series
Sanaa finds out her life is far from ordinary when she’s pulled from her job to spy on the main Japanese clans of her city. She’s plunged into a world of secrets and lies, she falls in love, she learns to sword fight, and she’s confronted with the biggest secret of all, her family legacy.
Learn more about the Nogiku Series
The Kami No Sekai Short Story Series
Shhh… Listen To The Gods. The Japanese believe the gods live in all things. Trees, appliances, animals, buildings — they all have a spirit living within them. Maybe, if you listen carefully, you can hear them too.
Learn more about the Kami No Sekai Series
The Happily Ever Asia Novels
All of these standalone contemporary romances highlight dating in the modern world and focus on Japanese or other Asian cultures. They are fun, sweet, and heart-warming, and full of unexpected twists and engaging characters.
Learn more about the Happily Ever Asia Novels
About the Author
Stephanie (S. J.) is a writer, knitter, amateur astrologer, Capricorn, and Japanophile. She loves foxes, owls, sushi, yoga pants, Evernote, and black tea. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing or spending time outside, unless it’s winter. She hates winter. Someday she’ll own a house in both hemispheres so she can avoid the season entirely. She’s a mom to two great kids and lives with her husband and family outside NYC. They have no pets. Yet. When it comes to her work, expect the unexpected. She doesn’t write anything typical.
Find her online at…
www.spajonas.com
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