Guildbreaker: “How did Mertice die?”
Sugiyama: “Car crash.”
Guildbreaker: “A car crash?”
Sugiyama: “Yes, the one over Mexico City, nine days ago. You must have read about it.”
Guildbreaker: “Yes.”
I do not jump to conclusions, neither do I ignore data when it appears before me. Yes, murder entered my mind as a rational possibility. No, I did not have any special intuition of something sinister beyond the facts. I did note to myself that Sugiyama could not know where the stolen list had been found, so they had no reason to share my suspicions.
Sugiyama: “It was Mertice’s own fault, the experts say. There’s this kit you can get, apparently, that makes the cars crash, scrambles the system. A Thrill-Ride Suicide Kit it’s called. It’s illegal in most Hives to sell something like that, but Humanists will insist on these things being art for art’s sake, whatever the buyer does with it.”
Guildbreaker: “Then you believe the crash was suicide?”
Sugiyama: “Like I said, Mertice was unstable, even attempted suicide once before. Mertice called Aki and talked to them over the tracker in the final minute when the car was flying out of control, horrible morbid stuff about death and eternity.”
Guildbreaker: “Did Mertice specifically say it was suicide?”
Sugiyama: “You can get the recording from the cops. I don’t want to listen to it. Aki tried to jump off a building themself after that, and made another attempt at home the day after, but they’ve finally calmed down. I’m past being pissed at poor Mertice, the kid obviously needed help, but almost losing Aki made me think about how little time I’d spent with them, or with my ba’kids and bash’mates, since I’ve always been a voker.”
Guildbreaker: “So you decided to retire?”
Sugiyama: “That’s right. Maybe I’ll write another book. But for now I’ve spent all week with Aki and my bash’mates, and some from Aki’s birth bash’, just relaxing. Feels pretty right. I’m still going to do editorials now and again, but no more vokering for me. You’re a voker too, aren’t you, youngster?”
Guildbreaker: “Yes.”
Sugiyama: “Ever calculate what portion of your time you spend with the people you care most about?”
Guildbreaker: “My bash’ are all vokers.”
Sugiyama: “Ha. No hope for you then.”
I considered the possibility that the tangent might be intentional evasion, and cut it off.
Guildbreaker: “What about the Seven-Ten list? You were supposed to write it.”
Sugiyama: “Yes, I was beginning the editorials when all this happened. My assistant offered to finish the editorials for me and publish the original list, but I don’t like to do things halfway.”
Guildbreaker: “Your assistant, that is Masami Mitsubishi?”
Sugiyama: “Yes. Brilliant kid, memory like an elephant and a razor sense of humor, I can see what Andō saw in them. But I told Masami-kun if they were going to write the list they should do it themself, their own list, start to finish. They’re young and it’s good to have young ideas out there sometimes. I told Hagiwara-san that Masami-kun’s status as a member of the Andō-Mitsubishi bash’ would be a draw in itself, but do editors listen?”
Guildbreaker: “Had Masami known who was on your list?”
Sugiyama: “Only the three outsider names. Masami-kun set up the interviews for me. Most of the staff at Black Sakura can usually guess who my bottom three will be since they know who I’ve been interviewing lately, but I never show anyone the order of the Big Seven.”
Guildbreaker: “Did you write it down?”
Sugiyama: “Of course. I had a paper copy in shorthand, and half-finished essays on most of the ten started on my computer. I know what you’re thinking: Masami could have accessed my computer, and it’s true, they could have. So could anyone around the office. Thing is, I’ve seen a copy of Masami’s list now, and there’s no way Masami would come up with that after seeing mine. You know how you can tell if an artist has studied another even if they don’t copy it directly?”
Guildbreaker: “Do you have the original list here?”
Sugiyama: “I knew you’d ask. I’ve written a translation for you.”
Guildbreaker: “Thank you, but I will also want to examine the original paper list for fingerprints and other signs of tampering.”
Sugiyama: “Of course, of course, just read my translation first.”
I read the list at this time. It was on the same type of paper as that recovered by Mycroft, but written in a very unsteady English hand. I was unable to keep my hands from shaking as I read. I do not have (nor do I believe in) powers that can sense import in things beyond what reason and the facts supply, but I do believe that some minds, appropriately specialized, may get a true sense of a thing at first glance, even before the conscious mind translates the details into thoughts. Surely President Ganymede, presented with a painting, knows its period, school, and quality before becoming conscious of the brushstrokes, pigment, and stylistic traits which are the grounds for their deduction. Princesse Danaë Mitsubishi, though not as fluent in art as the President, is experienced enough at least to recognize the school. As Princesse Mitsubishi is with art, so I am far from the foremost expert at solving crimes, but even on first reading of the list, I knew that I held motive in my hands.
#1: Cornel MASON
#2: Anonymous
#3: Sniper
#4: Ziven Racer
#5: Bryar Kosala
#6: Felix Faust
#7: Hotaka Andō Mitsubishi
#8: François Quesnay
#9: Julia Doria-Pamphili
#10: Lorelei “Cookie” Cook
Guildbreaker: “This … this is … Sniper instead of the President? And Racer instead of Perry?”
Sugiyama: “I wanted to stir things up a bit.”
Guildbreaker: “Masami Mitsubishi knew about this?”
Sugiyama: “Masami knew I’d been interviewing Racer, Julia, and Cookie, but I’m sure they assumed those three would be eight, nine, and ten. In fact, I went so far as to start a fake editorial about Ganymede, so anyone glancing through my files would think my list was normal. Leaks are rare but they do happen, and I didn’t want anything to spoil the surprise. Bookies don’t even take bets about outsiders making it into the top Seven.”
Guildbreaker: “Did Sniper know?”
Sugiyama: “No. Every paper interviews Sniper twice a week, what’s one more?”
Guildbreaker: “Racer I understand, but why, if I may ask…”
Sugiyama: “Everybody knows Ganymede only had the margin they did last election because Sniper endorsed them. If Sniper didn’t always publicly decline office, they’d be Vice President or even Co-Consul by now.”