Once he had heard this, Akechi slammed down the receiver. Still standing, he looked as though he was about to run off somewhere again, but he seemed to change his mind. Instead, he rang the local police and asked for the officer in charge of investigations. On the first day that he had become a guest of the Iwase household, Akechi had made sure to establish himself on friendly terms with this officer. In the present situation, this stood him in good stead.
‘This is Akechi, the detective, at the Iwase house. It’s about the sofa that was damaged by that drunk. Someone pretending to be from the furniture shop has taken it from the mansion, stuck it on a truck and made off. I don’t know where they went, but could you put out an all-points-bulletin and have the criminal arrested? That’s right. Yes, the sofa… “The Human Chair,” see? “The Human Chair.” No, I’m not kidding. Huh? I think so. There’s no other possibility is there? Thank you officer. I am sure that my guess is accurate. I’ll telephone you later to give you the details.’
Just as he was about to end the call, he received some important information from the officer.
‘What’s that? Escaped? He was a vital link! They didn’t pay enough attention because they thought he was drunk? Mmh, well it wouldn’t hurt, but he’s extremely deceptive. I’m sure he’s in league with the Black Lizard. And we actually had him! Can’t you lay hands on him again? Please do all you can. Lives depend on it… two. Both the sofa and that drunken villain… All right, speak to you later.’
The receiver clattered down. Akechi remained stooped over with a disappointed expression. Everyone had been listening to the phone conversation very anxiously. With each phrase, they had come to understand why the detective had behaved so outlandishly.
‘Akechi-san, thanks to that phone conversation I more or less understand what happened. And I’m amazed at your insight. Still, I can’t get over the daring, unparalleled trickery of that criminal. So the man who passed himself off as a drunk hid inside a specially prepared sofa that had been switched at some point with the real sofa made by the furniture shop. Then the sofa containing a human being was placed in the drawing room. Next Sanae enters… the man sneaks out from the sofa and my daughter… Akechi-san, was my daughter… did the villain murder…’
Alarmed, Iwase broke off in mid sentence.
Seeking to set Iwase’s mind at rest, Akechi replied, ‘No, there’s been no killing. As you will remember from the Keiō Hotel, she wants your daughter alive.’
‘Well, I think so too but… So next, he put my unconscious daughter in the hollow inside of the sofa where he had previously hidden. Then he lay on top and began to feign that he was in a drunken stupor. Ah, that filthy villain.’
‘Excellent, Mr Iwase. You are as imaginative as the Black Lizard. I believe things happened as you say… The frightening thing about her is that alongside such an extraordinary way of thinking she has the audacity to calmly implement such silly tricks. This idea is exactly like something you would read in a fairy story. There is a certain novelist whose works include a story called “The Human Chair.”* The story is about a villain who hides inside a chair and gets up to mischief. The Black Lizard has artfully enacted this novelist’s nonsensical imaginings. The soiled man can be found in a story too. The liquid didn’t come from his mouth onto the sofa – it was prepared beforehand and then poured on top of the sofa from a bottle. That’s right, a bottle. I’m sure that if you checked the liquid remaining inside that large whisky bottle, you would find it is vomit. This actually comes from a story in a very old Western fairy tale. In that story, it isn’t vomit but something more disgusting.’
* The reader will find this story, by a certain Mr Edogawa Rampo, in the collection Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination (Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle, 1956).
‘So what about the drunk escaping from the lock-up?’
‘Yes, it seems he got away. Both the drunk and the sofa disappeared just like in a fairy tale.’
Without thinking, Akechi let out a bitter laugh, but he resumed his serious expression and added,
‘However, Mr Iwase, I haven’t forgotten the pledge I made in the Keiō Hotel. Please rest assured that I will guard your daughter with my life. I have no intention of doing anything foolish. Please have faith in me… Look at my face. Do I seem pale? Do I look worried? Not at all! I am calm! See how calm I am.’
Akechi laughed cheerfully. It did not appear to be bravado. He was grinning in all earnestness. They all looked at the master detective’s bright cheerful countenance.
The next day, the story of the abduction of the jeweller’s daughter was carried in the national dailies. The local police and the Osaka district constabulary applied all their might to the search for Sanae. Sofas in department store displays, the show windows of furniture stores, and railway station freight storehouses were all the subject of suspicious scrutiny. Some nervous citizens would not sit on their drawing room sofas without first checking the condition of the base.
A full day passed without any news as to the whereabouts of the sofa into which a person had been crammed. Was the beautiful Sanae still alive or had she died? It was as if she had completely vanished from the face of the earth.
Naturally, Mr and Mrs Iwase were very distressed. And given that it was entirely their fault that Sanae had been led into a perilous situation and that the kidnapper had been overlooked, they could not hate anyone. Still, overwhelming sadness and rage caused them to lose perspective and they felt like blaming Akechi for his imprudence in leaving the house.
Of course, Akechi was aware of this feeling. Moreover, in light of his reputation as a master detective, he felt a heavy sense of responsibility regarding the abduction as well as frustration that mistakes could not be undone. Nevertheless, he was not in the least disconcerted, like an ever-victorious army chief who always retains hope in his breast.
‘Iwase-san, please believe me when I tell you that your daughter is safe. I promise that I will get her back. Even though she is in the kidnappers’ hands, she will definitely come to no harm. They will treat her as carefully as a treasure. There are reasons why they must do so. You should not be concerned in the slightest.’
Rephrasing the same message several ways, Akechi sought to assuage Mr and Mrs Iwase.
‘You say you can get our daughter back Akechi-san, but where is she now? Are you suggesting that you know her whereabouts?’
Iwase’s question was full of sarcasm.
‘Yes, I do. Or as good as.’
Akechi was unmoved.
‘Hah! Then would you be so kind as to go and bring her back? Since yesterday, you seem to have just folded your arms and left everything up to the police. If you know as much as you say, please take the appropriate action quickly.’
‘Well, actually I’m waiting.’
‘What do you mean waiting?’
‘For a message from the Black Lizard.’
‘For a message? That’s silly. Do you mean to say that the criminal will send a message saying “Please come and collect your daughter”?’ Iwase’s question was laced with loathing, and he snorted derisively.
‘That’s right!’
The master detective answered like an innocent child.
‘I think the criminal might send a message asking us to come and collect your daughter.’
‘Hah?! Are you in your right mind? The criminal would never do such a thing… Akechi-san, I’m offended that you make jokes in this situation.’
The jeweller spoke bitterly.
‘It’s no joke. You’re certain to find out at any moment…Aha! Perhaps there’ll be a message among these.’
They were sitting facing one another in the drawing room where Sanae had been kidnapped and just then one of the servants brought in a bundle of letters that had arrived in the afternoon post.
‘Among these, you say? A message from the kidnappers?’
Iwas
e replied absently with a look suggesting this was nonsense. At the same time he took the letters from the servant and checked the sender’s name on each. All of a sudden, he let out a sound of surprise and then asked in a panic,
‘What’s this? What on earth can this be?’
The letter was enclosed in a high-quality Western-style envelope, whose reverse side contained no sender’s name. In the lower left corner, however, there was a skilfully-drawn image of a pitch-black lizard.
‘It’s the Black Lizard.’
Akechi was not in the least surprised. His expression seemed to say ‘I told you so!’
‘The Black Lizard! It’s an Osaka city postmark.’
Iwase’s attentive merchant’s eye had quickly discerned the seal.
‘Akechi-san, how did you know about this beforehand? It is indeed a message from the criminal. Well, I must say…’
He looked at the master detective in admiration. Cantankerous the old fellow might be, but he also regained his composure quickly.
‘Please open it. There will be some sort of demand from the Black Lizard.’
Following Akechi’s prompting, Iwase opened the envelope carefully and unfolded the letter contained within. Written on the sheet of white paper within, with a clumsiness that somehow looked studied, was the following:
Dear Mr Iwase,
Please excuse yesterday’s commotion. Your daughter is in our safekeeping. She is hidden in a place that the police can never find.
Would you like to buy your daughter back from me? If you would, you must meet the following conditions for the deal.
Payment: The ‘Star of Egypt’ (which is in your holding)
Time: 5:00 p.m. on the seventh (tomorrow)
Place: The observation deck at the top of Tsutenkaku Tower in Tennōji Park
Method: Iwase Shōbei will bring the item at the above time to the top of Tsutenkaku. He will come alone.
If any of the above conditions are not fully met, or this is reported to the police, or there is any capture attempt after the item has been handed over – your daughter will be killed.
The above conditions having been carefully adhered to, your daughter will be delivered to her home in the evening of that day. You must comply with the above. Do not reply to this letter. Unless you come to the designated place at the designated time tomorrow, the transaction will be considered incomplete and I will then immediately proceed to the prescribed action.
The Black Lizard
When Iwase had finished reading the letter, an expression of great perplexity came onto his face and he appeared to fall into deep thought.
‘Is it the Star of Egypt?’
Akechi had realized what was on the jeweller’s mind.
‘Yes, I don’t know what to do. It’s my personal property, but it would be more correct to classify it as a national treasure. And I don’t want to turn it over to a vile thief.’
‘I understand it is extremely valuable.’
‘The market value is a hundred and fifty million yen, but it is too valuable a treasure to exchange for that sum. Do you know the history of the piece?’
‘Yes, I have heard.’
The most precious diamond in Japan, The ‘Star of Egypt’ had originated in South Africa, and as the name suggests, this thirty-carat brilliant cut gem was once kept in the treasure vaults of Egyptian royalty. Later, the stone passed into the hands of various European nobles, before certain circumstances resulted in it being purchased by a jewellery merchant at the time of the Great War. Having changed hands several times thereafter, the diamond had been acquired by the Paris branch of Iwase Co. just a few years ago. Now it was in the keeping of the Osaka head office.
‘This stone’s got a long history, you know. For me, it’s just about as valuable as my own life. I’ve taken every precaution to make sure that it is not stolen. Apart from me, no-one else knows where the jewel is kept. That includes all the staff at the store and also my wife.’
‘So, for the thief, it was easier to steal a living person than a single jewel.’
Akechi was intently nodding to himself.
‘Yes. There have been several attempts to steal the Star of Egypt. Each time, I got a little wiser. Finally, I decided to make the hiding place a secret that only I knew. Even the smartest thief can’t steal the secret from inside my head… But that trouble is all to no avail now. It didn’t occur to me that someone might get their hands on the jewel by demanding it as ransom for my daughter… Akechi-san, it may be a priceless treasure, but it isn’t as important as a person’s life. I’m afraid I give up. Let’s hand over the jewel.’
Iwase’s pale face bespoke the firmness of his resolution.
‘There’s no need to hand over such a valuable piece. You can just ignore that blackmail letter. Nothing will happen to threaten your daughter’s life.’
Akechi sought to reassure Iwase, but the stubborn man was not convinced.
‘No, there’s no knowing what that fearful fiend might do. No matter how valuable the jewel is, it’s still just a stone. I couldn’t bear it if something should happen to my daughter just because I was reluctant to let go of a stone. I want to go along with the thief’s proposal.’
‘Well, if you have made up your mind, I can’t stop you. Indeed, one stratagem would be to let the enemy think we have fallen into her trap and hand over the jewel. And from my experience as a detective, I think that might even work to our advantage. But please do not worry at all. I make you a firm promise that I will get back both your daughter and the jewel. We will let the thief rejoice, but only for a short while.’
Akechi’s confidence and forceful tone suggested that he might have something up his sleeve.
The following day, just a little before the designated five o’clock in the afternoon, Iwase Shōbei followed the instructions of his enemy to the letter, arriving under the steel tower that scraped the sky, at the entrance to Tennōji Park, without telling anyone other than Akechi Kogorō.
Tennōji Park was the largest amusement district in the Osaka region, its enormous space thronged with pleasure-seekers every day. The interwoven streets were packed with theatres, movie houses, restaurants, and bars of all types, while a veritable symphony was created by street vendors hawking their wares, the sound of record players, crying children, and tens of thousands of shoes and wooden sandals, all shrouded in the dust of their passage. And there in the middle of it all was the Tsutenkaku steel tower, modelled after the Eiffel Tower of Paris, soaring into the clouds and looking down over the streets of Osaka.
How bold! How daring! The Black Lizard had designated the top of a popular sightseeing tower in a bustling amusement zone as the place to pay the ransom. No-one but she would have had the audacity to dare such a drama, such an adventure.
Iwase was a merchant, with fairly steady nerves, but when he realized he would soon be face-to-face with the kidnapper his heart would not stop pounding. A little tense, he boarded the elevator to the top of the tower.
As the elevator rose, the streets of Osaka sank below him. The winter sun was already close to the horizon, and the roofs he could see were half shadowed in black, creating a beautiful rectangular pattern like the go board.
When he finally arrived at the top and stepped out onto the observation platform, which offered a breathtaking three hundred and sixty degree view, the winter wind he had not noticed so much below whipped sharply past his cheeks. Tsutenkaku was not very popular in the winter, and perhaps because it was already dusk, he could not see any another visitors on the platform.
In the little shop selling snacks and fruit and postcards, a couple sat minding the store, protected from the cold by tarpaulins stretched as windbreaks. There was nobody else. It was desolate, as if he had left the human sphere entirely and ascended to some uninhabited marginal space in the sky.
When he leaned over the r
ailing and looked down, he could see thousands and thousands of people scurrying about like ants, contrasting with the solitude of his perch.
He stood, waiting, the cold wind whipping through, and at last the elevator returned, the steel door rattling open to reveal a kimono-clad woman with gold-rimmed spectacles whose appearance suggested she was someone’s wife. Grinning, she approached Iwase.
It struck him as strange that such a genteel women should come by herself to this deserted observation platform at such an hour.
‘I guess some women just like the view,’ he muttered to himself as he watched.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, she laughed and spoke to him directly.
‘Oh, Iwase-san! Have you forgotten me already? It’s me, Midorikawa! We shared some pleasant moments together in that Tokyo hotel, remember?’
So this woman was Mme Midorikawa – the Black Lizard! She was a monster, a shape-shifter. Donning a kimono and eyeglasses, and gathering her hair into a marumage bun, she presented a wholly different appearance. To think that this refined woman was actually that woman thief, the Black Lizard!
Iwase felt a strong sense of hatred at her oh-so-friendly attitude, and stood silently, just staring at her beautiful visage.
‘Please accept my sincere apologies for causing such a commotion,’ she said, making an elegant curtsy one would not find out of place among the nobility.
‘I have nothing to say to you. I’ve kept to every one of your conditions. You are going to return my daughter, aren’t you?’
He was abrupt, refusing to play her theatrical games and getting to the heart of the matter.
‘Yes. Of course… She’s doing well, please rest assured on that,’ advised Mme Midorikawa. ‘You did, naturally, bring the promised item, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, I have it with me. Here. Check it if you like.’
He extracted a small silver box from an inner pocket, and thrust it out in front of her.
‘Oh, my, thank you! I’ll just take a little peek inside…’ she said calmly, taking the box from his hand. She opened the cover, sneaking a peek in behind her hand, and stared hungrily at the huge gemstone in its white velvet setting.
The Black Lizard and Beast In the Shadows Page 9
