Chapter 13 (1/2)

After that, Kashi+wai continued to question Douno on every little detail about hiet on Douno’s nerves Last time he had been arrested, he had felt sick to the stoant attitude, not to ation, which had practically been a blacket involved with the police again, but noondered if the police were kind to him because he was the victim this time

His conversation with Kashi+wai finished past four in the afternoon The police had begun to sweep the river-botto Douno was quite frankly relieved

Douno and Mariko stayed at home and waited expectantly for any news Kashi+wai ca to tell them that intervieith the nearby residents had yielded a witness It was the first piece of concrete infor

Kashi+wai repeatedly wiped his forehead with his handkerchief even though it was not hot out

“The thing is, the witness is a child in second grade Children’s eye-witness statee every time you ask therain of salt Anyway, according to this child, Honoka was apparently seen walking eastward down the road in front of this building at around one-thirty yesterday, holding hands with a talla dark hat”

The first person Douno thought of when he heard “tall awa

“But to a second-grader, every adult is tall,” Kashi+wai continued “We don’t have an exactsuspicion of a kidnapping I’ve just finished discussing this with ood idea to take the leap and make this search public, if even just to put the kidnapper in the hot seat”

Mariko showed no signs of breaking down as she sat beside Douno on the sofa She only chewed her lip and listened to the detective speak

“There’s a risk that wethis search public, we eliminate the option for him to take Honoka out anywhere If the kidnapper has done this for some unsavoury motive, this is when he’s most likely to release the victihter this way, rather than just sitting and waiting However―” Kashi+ent on, “as I said, there’s a risk weimpulsive But since the victim is a four-year-old child, e do rescue her, it would be difficult to raphs froer of being traced even after returning the child to her parents, I’m sure he won’t choose to silence her forever”

Mariko, who had been silent until then, murmured quietly

“The kidnapper is a tall man?”

Kashi+itched his right eyebrow

“Ma’aht be?”

Mariko threw a glance Douno’s way He sensed what his as iawa A man who had been so affectionate towards Honoka would never kidnap her

“But he’s ood to Honoka” Mariko awa’s existence

“Mariko, stop it,” Douno said sharply Mariko flinched at his stern tone “Kitagawa is the last person ould do that,” Douno said

“I―It’s not like I think Mr Kitagawa kidnapped her,” Mariko said “I don’twant to think he has But I keep thinking about why he didn’t come over yesterday out of all days”

“Alright, alright,” Kashi+wai intervened He flipped through the pages of the notebook he had been writing in

“Mr Kitagawa is the friend who dropped by earlier today, aht, he certainly is tall But that’s not the only reason you think it ht be him, is it?” Kashi+wai leaned in towards Mariko

“Mr Kitagaays used to keep our daughter company on Sunday afternoons But he didn’t come that day”

“I see,” Kashi+wai nodded “Every week on Sunday, did you say?”

“Lately, every week, yes,” Mariko answered

“Hrown adult like hi child as yours? He must really love children”

There was an unpleasant ring to his last sentence

“Honey,” Mariko grasped Douno’s arm “Since we’ve cohly? If they find out it’s not him, it would be a relief to both of us Don’t you think so?”

Douno shook his head

“Investigating him means we’re suspicious of hiawa at all? He even took a whole day off of work to spend it looking for Honoka I don’t want to stab my own friend in the back”

“Then can you prove that Mr Kitagawa definitely didn’t do it?” Mariko argued “I understand you want to believe in hi that it et rid of those uncertainties early on”

In the end, Kashi+wai said he would talk to Kitagawa once about it Douno and Mariko’s arguawa interviewed or not left an aard air lingering between them even after Kashi+wai left In the end, Douno could not bring hi Kitagawa questioned

He adahen he was told that the kidnapper was a tall h to hold hands and walk Maybe it is hiht had indeed crossed his rity

At eleven at night, Honoka’s disappearance was broadcast on the neith their real naether in the living room

“Yesterday at around two in the afternoon, a little girl was reported hter of Mr Takafumi Douno, an office worker from ― City, ― Prefecture The police suspect this is a case of an abduction of a minor”

Honoka’s name came up in the subtitles, and the newscaster read it aloud Until now, Douno had watched countless similar newscasts of abducted children As a parent himself, they had made him feel afraid and conscious about his own child’s safety However, in the end they were always the “unlucky kids”―he had never quite been able to feel the reality in them

As soon as the news of Honoka began airing, their ho at once Relatives and friends were calling, concerned about Honoka’s safety Douno saw it co, since Kashi+wai had informed them beforehand that they would be bombarded with calls once the news aired on TV

“I’, both of you” Each person said the same typical words of consolation Each ti up the phone He was careful to be polite, since they were calling out of the goodwill of their hearts He was grateful for their concern, but he and Mariko had hardly slept these past few days Douno only wished they could be left alone

The phone rang incessantly for an hour, and finally past an to die off Mariko looked utterly exhausted fro phone calls Douno encouraged her to sleep in bed

Mariko insisted she was not tired, but Douno ed to push her between the sheets anyway He then put his cell phone and the cordless handset on the table so that he was prepared to receive any calls from the police or acquaintances, and lay down on the sofa in the living room

Douno’s lack of sleep these past few days caught up to him, and he lost consciousness once the clock struck three o’clock in theIn the early hours, at around five-thirty, he woke up to his cell phone ringing

Douno had been dreaht up until then It was a dreay why they had been unable to find her all this tione around to thank and apologize to every single neighbour he had caused trouble to, and to each person who had helped hihter

“Mr Takafumi Douno? This is Kashi+wai from the Seinan Division,” Kashi+wai said over the phone

“Good ,” Douno answered “Thank you for your hard work this early in the otten any news on Honoka?”

For some reason, there was a short pause on the other end before Kashi+wai answered

“I wish I didn’t have to break this to you, but” The detective’s voice dropped a level Douno had a foreboding feeling He sed hard

“What is it?”

“This irl was found near theher physical features with photos of her face, we think it may be Honoka Douno We would like both of you to confirm her identity”

Douno heard all the blood in his body rush to his feet

“Would you be able to coive you?”

“Oh, but―” His hand shook as he held his cell phone “It just happened to be a little girl, and you’re not definitely sure about whether she's Honoka, right?”

“Well, yes, but”

“I’ll head over right away The place?” Douno wrote it down, and hung up his cell phone Just then, Mariko’s voice spoke from behind him

“Hey”

Douno spun around in surprise

“Who was that from?”

Douno was unsure of whether he should tell his exhausted hat he had just heard But either way, he would have to explain why he was going out He could not hide it from her

“It was from the detective”

Mariko’s face lit up “Has Honoka been found?” She rushed over to hi to his arm “So, has she? Has she?” Douno shook his head

“They found a little girl’s body He asked me to come and confirm if it’s Honoka”

Mariko turned white as a sheet and cried shrilly as she fell to her knees

“We don’t know if it’s Honoka for sure yet,” Douno said “That’s e have to go and make sure”

Mariko clamped her hands over her ears and shook her head vehemently

“No! I won’t go I won’t go, no matter what”

“I don’t think it’s Honoka, either But I’ just in case You can stay here”

Douno left his wife and began to prepare to go out Right when he was about to leave, Mariko stopped him

“Wait,” she said “―I’ll go, too”

Without even bothering to put on makeup, Mariko draped a coat over her shoulders and clier seat While they drove to the hospital according to Kashi+wai’s directions, Mariko sat treether

When they arrived at the hospital’s after-hours reception desk, Kashi+wai and another young detective aiting A man who looked like a clerk then led the place

It was a barren rooe its cold atmosphere A small cot was placed in the centre of the room, and a white sheet was draped over it Ushered by Kashi+wai, Douno approached the small lump beneath the sheet

“If I could ask you to confirm her identity, please”

Before Douno could even brace himself, the cloth over the face was pulled away

Her pale cheeks and drained purple lips were not features of any living huirl’s eyes were closed and she al She looked a lot like Honoka

“Is she your daughter?” Douno was asked

“It looks like her But I can’t say for sure” Douno told the truth Kashi+wai scratched the back of his head

“Did your daughter have any distinguishi+ng traits? Like a mole, or a bruise anywhere on her body”

Mariko, who had been behind Douno this whole time, came quietly forward She slowly and cautiously stepped closer to the body She stared intently at her child’s ashen face, then suddenly flung her arms around the body and burst into tears

“Ma’ahter?”

Mariko did not answer In this lonely roo echoed painfully

“Honoka, Honoka”

Mariko stroked the wet hair on her small head over and over

“I’m sorry, Honoka I’m sorry we couldn’t find you sooner I’m sorry”

The detective turned to Douno “This is your daughter, then, aravely

Douno did not want to admit that the body before him was Honoka He wanted to think that it was just a very sier, and that his own Honoka was still alive Only two days ago, she had been scurrying about, bursting with energy She was a strong girl who had never suffered any serious illnesses

“―Once your wife calms doe’d like to send the body out for an autopsy,” Kashi+wai said quietly beside Douno

“Youto cut her up?”

Kashi+wai sighed apologetically

“It’s the rules to perform autopsies on bodies that have died unnaturally But by perfor an autopsy, we can find the cause and tiive us iht be”

Mariko was still clinging to the small body Douno put his arm around his wife’s thin shoulders and drew her away from the body

Mariko trembled violently as she shook her head

“N―No! I’ht away!” she sobbed “What do you need to investigate her for? She’s dead! What h?”

“But they need to investigate her, or else Honoka can’t come home”

“No! No!”

“Mariko!” Douno called his wife’s na at her hair, stopped and looked fearfully up at him

“Let’s wait outside We’ll be able to take Honoka home soon Come on”

Douno put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and led her out into the hallway They were taken by the clerk to a s room near the after-hours reception and told to wait there until it was “all over”

Mariko staggered on unsteady feet and collapsed onto the sofa

“Her cheeks they were cold,” she whispered shakily while she gazed at her fingers “Like ice So cold”

Douno put his arms around Mariko as she broke down into tears He closed his own eyes as tears welled up in theh this? Had it been painful when she died? Had she suffered? He wished he could have taken her place if he could

“Mr Douno”

Douno looked up as his na in fro room

“I ondering if you could spare soht?”

Douno rubbed his tearful eyes with a rough hand

“But I’ll be leaving my wife by herself”

“Ah, that’s right,” Kashi+waiofficer beside hi room and took Douno out to the hallway

“It’s about the killer,” Kashi+wai began as they stood in a corner of the dark hallway

“Have you caught him?” Douno sniffled as he spoke

“I wouldn’t say caught, but we have strong suspicions that it’s aas a material witness”

“What kind of person is he?”

“He’s someone you know, Mr Douno,” Kashi+wai answered No―Douno thought It can’t be―

“Are you saying Kitagawa’s under suspicion?”

The detective nodded

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? He could never be the killer, it’s just impossible He was very affectionate to Honoka―”

“Theto your wife, he used to come over to your house every Sunday without fail, but the one day Honoka got kidnapped, he failed to show up The , and was asleep since getting ho that day Yes, he has an alibi right up to when he parted ith his felloorkers in theto prove he was actually asleep afterwards except for his own testimony He doesn’t have an alibi”

“But logically, wouldn’t it be difficult to prove that you were sleeping?”

“Yes, but you see,” Kashi+wai continued “On the day of the disappearance, your wife called Kitagawa’s house once past five in the evening But he didn’t pick up He says he was sleeping so soundly he didn’t hear the phone, but isn’t it possible that he couldn’t pick up because he wasn’t there?”

Douno reawa had also not picked up when he called that day

“And additionally, we’ve also had the primary-school student co with a tall h a one-way awa looked ‘a lot like’ thewith Honoka”

“Yes, but―!” Douno clenched his fists “When Honoka disappeared, he was the first to volunteer to help look for her He even took time off work”

Kashi+wai shook his head slowly

“Have you considered that it uise the fact that he did it?”

Douno’s eyes widened in shock His clenched fists trembled

“But he has no reason to kidnap and kill Honoka”

“Froawa seems to be very nice to children”

“Yes Honoka also liked him very much”

“Sure, hewith children, but can you rule out the possibility that he may have had unsavoury impulses?”

“But Kitagawa of all people―”

Kashi+wai scratched his balding head

“This is incredibly difficult to say to you, as you are the father, but we think Kitagawa’s unsavoury objectives are at the root of his crime and this case”

Douno felt ill It wasto know that his own child had been seen in that way than to hear Kashi+wai suggest that Kitagaas responsible

“There’s also the possibility of lust murder He has a former criminal record for that, and―”

“His record doesn’t h to startle Kashi+wai “It has nothing to do with it Kitagawa’s served his sentence properly Besides, if he’d been investigated properly earlier on, right after he’d been arrested, it ht’ve turned out that he didn’t kill anyone at all That’s how it could have turned out” Douno was out of breath after his outburst

“No one knows hiht hand over his chest Kashi+wai looked curiously troubled at Douno’s earnest plea

“I can see how you don’t want to admit that he’s done it because you know hiawa is a suspect He has no alibi, he has an eye-witness stateainst his out of thin air here”

Douno chewed his lip

“You can say he didn’t do it because you know hih to suspect hiawa That’s the law”

Crushed by the detective’s words and by the truth, Douno returned to the waiting room He drew his wife close as she continued to cry Douno was also sad, but even ry

Why would Kitagawa kill a child who? How could he ever?

Why won’t they believe awa did not have an alibi? Because he had a criminal record? Did the police think they could conveniently draw up Kitagawa as the killer?

Kitagawa didn’t do it He definitely didn’t do it But in a corner of Douno’s heart there was still a tiny black stain―the black stain of “maybe”

Douno refused to think of anything anymore

They decided to take Honoka’s body ho by the tirieving family, was a clear, cloudless blue

They tucked Honoka into her child-size futon, just like they used to when she was alive Douno and Mariko knelt on either side of the futon without a word

“Who put Honoka through all of this?” Mariko murmured softly Her words stabbed Douno’s heart “She was only four Just four years old What did she ever do wrong? Why did it have to be her?”

Mariko dissolved into tears over the tiny body Douno was not sure whether he should tell her that Kitagaas a suspect

Mariko was suspicious of Kitagawa, but probably did not wish hi betrayed by a trusted person, he felt it better not to tell his wife, as already barely coping with her daughter’s death

He wondered what he could do instead, and realized he would have to tell his parents Then, he would have to plan the funeral―

His own daughter was dead, yet Douno felt like he was almost too cal for his wife because she was crying

“Let’s call our parents”

Mariko lifted her face

“And then we have to arrange the funeral”

“Don’t say that word!” Mariko covered her ears and put her head down “I don’t want to hear any of it!”

Douno could not bla to accept reality But neither could they sit here and do nothing

Douno called both of their parents, who had been worried ever since finding out Honoka had gonethem that she’d been found dead, neither Douno nor his and Mariko’s parents had any words to say