She led Matsumiya into the living room, which overlooked the garden. They sat down at a glass table on rattan chairs. Cups and saucers were set out on the table.
She and her husband had a house of their own, Kayoko explained, but they had given it to their son when he got married and moved in here instead.
“Is there anything belonging to Seizo Naemura among your late sister’s effects?”
A wrinkle appeared briefly on Kayoko Imai’s forehead.
“We’ve got nothing like that here. The local police already asked. My sister must have thrown out all his things. I’ve been through her stuff, so I know what I’m talking about.”
“Any photographs?”
“Not even one. She told me she burned their wedding photos. Can’t say I blame her. The way he treated her.”
“What do you mean?”
Kayoko Imai blinked rapidly, then took a deep breath as if to steady herself.
“This isn’t something I normally talk about, but seeing as this is a police investigation... Still, I’d be grateful if you don’t go shouting any of this from the rooftops.”
“Of course not.” Matsumiya looked suitably solemn.
Kayoko Imai sipped at her coffee.
“It’s a simple enough story. He had another woman. Outside the marriage.”
“So he was having an affair?”
“An affair would have been all right. But that’s not what it was. He was serious. And the upshot was that he left my sister in the lurch.”
“Who was the other woman?”
Kayoko Imai gave a small shake of the head.
“I don’t know. He refused to reveal her identity no matter how much my sister pressed him. He just kept repeating the same potted speech. ‘I’m sorry, but we’ve got to separate.’ That’s all he would ever say. My sister was an absolute saint to put up with it. The two of them, it was like they existed inside an emotional deep freeze. None of us had any idea. Seizo... he refused to eat any of the food my sister made for him. Every night, he’d eat out, come back late, sleep in a separate bedroom, and leave in the early morning. That’s how they lived.”
Matsumiya thought back to the photographs of Naemura in the yearbook. Was it living that way that made him so worn and haggard by the end of his tenure at the school?
“Didn’t your sister talk to you about her problems?”
“No, she didn’t. I only found out what had been going on after the divorce went through. As long as she believed there was even the slightest chance of them patching things up, she didn’t want to share her problems with anybody.”
Although he wasn’t himself married, Matsumiya felt he could understand.
“But she did agree to a divorce in the end?”
“She felt she had no choice. Her husband went and quit his job at the school without bothering to tell her. Then he moved out of their apartment, leaving behind a short note and a notification of the divorce. That’s when my sister finally threw in the towel. She filed her own divorce papers and moved out too.”
“They had an apartment then...?” Matsumiya leaned forward slightly. “The truth is we have no idea of Naemura’s whereabouts. Have you got any ideas?”
“The other officer asked me the same question. My husband and I know nothing about Seizo. It’s not as if we had much to do with him in the first place.”
“Do you think your sister saw her husband after the divorce?”
“No, she didn’t. She would never have done that. Please, don’t insult her memory.”
Kayoko Imai sighed heavily.
“My sister had a terrible time. She put herself through so much... for more than a year after finding out about the relationship... and it was all for nothing.”
This murmured comment caught Matsumiya’s attention.
“‘Finding out,’ you said? Did she find out for herself or did her husband come clean to her?”
“In the end, he told her. But it was because my sister wouldn’t stop needling him. She had a vague sense that there was something going on.”
“What was she needling him about?”
“His credit card bill. His itemized credit card bill. Something in it looked off to her and she checked what he’d been buying. It turned out to be something he had no business getting.”
“What was it?”
Kayoko Imai pulled a face as if it pained her to be so indiscreet.
“I don’t want to think about it, but I’m hardly likely to forget! It was a pendant. A ruby pendant. I can still picture the sickly smile on her face as she told me.”
16
Mogi looked at his watch. Four o’clock had come and gone. Realizing that his legs were jiggling up and down, he put his hands on his knees to still them. Beside him, Kaga sniggered softly.
“Why so antsy? She told us she’d be ten minutes late.”
“Yeah, I know, I know. I just feel a bit on edge.”
“What is there to be on edge about? It’s not like you even need to be here in the first place.”
“You’re going to throw that in my face? When I’ve been with you all day yesterday and today.”
“Who asked you to come along? I’m pretty sure I told you not to bother.”
“This is my first time taking part in anything resembling an investigation since I joined the department. I think I’ve got the right to be nervous. Besides, I think you’re pleased I’m here.” Mogi looked Kaga in the eye.
“Well... Of course, I do appreciate it.”
“I hope you do,” Mogi said emphatically. He finished his coffee, got to his feet, and headed for the drinks bar. How many years was it since he had been in a chain diner like this one? Back when his kids were in elementary school, he’d gone almost on a weekly basis.
Today, at this diner, they’d arranged to meet a woman with a long career as a film and theater journalist.
Mogi and Kaga were interviewing all the people on the list that Health Publishing Research had given them. Luckily for them, most of the companies on the list were located in central Tokyo. Even so, the day before they were at it until after nine p.m.
Today, they had been on their feet since first thing in the morning. Mogi delivered the same little speech so many times that he’d given up counting. He was not fed up, though. You had to be ready to go down countless dead ends to get even the smallest toehold on the truth. The pleasure that gave you more than made up for all the frustration that preceded it. Mogi had discovered that for himself just one hour ago.
They’d traveled to Yokohama to interview a journalist who covered the city’s professional baseball team and they finally got the information they were looking for.
The man admitted that he had asked Health Publishing Research to give him Kaga’s contact information. The information was not actually for him, he explained. He had done it as a favor for a female friend, an arts and entertainment journalist. He couldn’t recall why she wanted the information; perhaps he hadn’t even asked.
The detectives lost no time in reaching out to the woman and setting up an appointment. It was her they were waiting for now. It had only taken a couple of days, but Mogi felt as if he was about to emerge from a long maze.
Mogi arrived back at the table, a fresh cup of coffee in hand. He found Kaga deep in thought with his notebook open on the table in front of him. Even though they were probably about to get the answer they’d been looking for, his face showed no visible trace of excitement.
Mogi recalled their time at the police academy. Having already spent two years working as a junior high school teacher, Kaga was something of an anomaly there, but his grades were the best in the whole class. His mastery of kendo further made him stand out from the crowd. Although there were plenty of good fighters at the academy, no one was close to his level.