2
“The second victim has appeared.”
Tsukiyo stepped forward and looked down at Oita's remains.
“But this is much showier than the first scene. The words 'SPIRITED AWAY FROM CHOGATAKE' written on the tablecloth are a reference to a series of murders that happened in this region over a decade ago. I wonder what the culprit's intentions were, writing it in blood.”
“Hey, amateurs shouldn't be hanging around crime scenes.”
Kagami tried to grab her by the shoulder and push her out, but Tsukiyo brushed him off.
“Don't be so strict. I'm not going to touch anything. Not that there's anything left to preserve, after the sprinklers washed the entire crime scene clean.”
“I don't care what happened earlier, crime scenes are to be left untouched until the forensics team arrives.”
“But the forensics team won't arrive, not for two more days. After that much time, the evidence may have already vanished. I think we should record the scene ourselves.”
Kagami scowled at Tsukiyo, who looked completely unperturbed.
“You're awfully calm. Did you know this would become a serial murder case?”
But it wasn't a serial murder case. Yuma had only killed Kozushima. So why was Oita lying there dead? As Yuma stood frozen in shock, Tsukiyo shrugged.
“Do you suspect me of being the culprit? I'm a great detective, I'm not going to be unnerved by a crime scene. But...”
The corners of Tsukiyo's lips raised upwards and she narrowed her eyes. Seeing the look of ecstasy on her face, Yuma went tense.
“Even though I did consider the possibility this might become a serial murder case, I never expected I'd witness such an abnormal crime scene.”
“...You look like you're enjoying this. You've got a few screws loose to be laughing at a crime scene, lady.”
Kagami dismissively commented, and Tsukiyo gave a respectful bow.
“I am honored you believe so.”
“That wasn't a compliment. Get out. I don't care what you say, this room is off-limits.”
“Wait!”
Madoka, who had been frozen outside the room the whole time, suddenly shouted.
“Are you going to just leave Mr. Oita there?”
Kagami glanced at Madoka and said
“Of course.”
“But the police won't be coming until the day after tomorrow. All of the heating on the first floor is connected, so we can't only turn down the temperature in the dining room. So...”
Madoka trailed off. Tsukiyo took over in a soft voice.
“If we leave him like this, Mr. Oita's body will decompose.”
Madoka nodded, her eyes bloodshot.
“Mr. Oita was the one who taught me how to behave as a maid. We lived together in the Tower for four years, taking care of the master together...”
Madoka covered her face with her hands and began to cry.
“Mr. Kagami, preserving the scene is important, but wouldn't it be bad to let the body decay? We could lose information that could have been gleaned by an autopsy of a fresh corpse. And even if there's nothing to learn, letting the body decay on the first floor, where everyone absolutely has to go, probably poses a health risk.”
Kagami gave a bitter look at Tsukiyo's comments, but after a few seconds of thought, he turned to Madoka.
“Hey, maid. Where do you propose we keep the body, then? You got a freezer in this place?”
“Wait!”
Rather than Madoka, it was Sakaizumi who objected.
“Please don't use the freezer. I have to go in there to get food several times a day. You don't want to eat food that was stored in a room with a dead body, do you?”
Tsukiyo cocked her head to the side and said “I don't mind.” Sakaizumi furiously shook his head.
“Even if you don't, other people will. Please don't use the freezer.”
“Then where should we put it?”
Kagami ruffled his hair in frustration.
“Maybe the Tenth room...?” Madoka hesitantly offered. “Mr. Oita's room has its own heating, so we could turn that off to cool the room. And since it's the lowest floor, it might not be too difficult to carry Mr. Oita there.”
“Where's the key to the Tenth room?”
“Mr. Oita always kept it in his chest pocket.”
Kagami searched Oita's pocket and retrieved a key with “Tenth” engraved on the surface.
“That settles it. Help me carry him. I'll hold his torso, you hold his legs.”
Kagami's instructions made Madoka's face freeze. Seeing that, Yuma stepped forward.
“No matter how skinny Mr. Oita is, it's cruel to make a woman carry him. I'll do it-”
“Will you shut up!?”
Kagami screamed at him, and Yuma flinched.
“This maid's the one who insisted on moving the body, so she can take responsibility for her own actions. Get that, doc? Then fuck off.”
“But...”
Yuma stammered until Madoka walked past him with a strong expression.
“Ms. Tomoe, you shouldn't push yourself...”
“It's fine,” Madoka said, determined. “Mr. Kagami is right. Besides, I want to do something to show Mr. Oita my gratitude. So I can at least carry his body.”
“Good girl. Well, hurry up, then.”
Kagami put his hands under Oita's armpits. Madoka looked away and grabbed both his legs.
Apparently, Kagami was pretty strong, as he lifted Oita's body easily.
“Alright, let's go. Once we deliver the body, I'll lock the Tenth room so no one else can go in. Then I'll change out of these wet clothes. All of you wait here for me. Got it?”
After giving those instructions, Kagami and Madoka carried Oita's body out of the dining room, disappearing into the shadow of the glass pillar in the center of the hall. As Yuma watched them leave, Sakaizumi called out to him.
“Dr. Ichijou, we should also get changed. If we keep wearing these, well catch a cold.”
It wasn't until he pointed that out that Yuma realized he'd been soaked by the water.
“Yeah... You're right. Let's go.”
Yuma and Sakaizumi followed Kagami and Madoka to the door to the stairs. After about one and a quarter rotations, they saw the door to the Tenth room close. It looked like they'd managed to get Oita up safely.
Yuma went up further until he arrived at the landing to the Fourth room. Because he'd run out in a hurry, he hadn't locked it behind him, so Yuma opened it.
“Well, see you later, Dr. Ichijou. Seriously, what's going on here...?”
A gloomy Sakaizumi climbed up the stairs.
Indeed, what was going on? Yuma's brain had gone numb, and he staggered zombie-like into his room.
Tsukiyo and Kagami seemed to believe this was a case of serial murder. It was only natural. Two people had died in the same building in half a day.
There was no way anyone would believe Kozushima had committed suicide at the same time a murder had occurred in his home. The plan to disguise his death as anything other than a murder had completely fallen apart.
“But that isn't all that's happened...” Yuma whispered to himself.
Everyone would assume that Kozushima and Oita were killed by the same culprit. Maybe he could use that to his advantage.
The nerves of his brain, having been numbed by the shocking event, were slowly starting to recover.
The most likely explanation was that he wasn't the only one targeting Kozushima. As he'd explained to Tsukiyo earlier, there were countless people with motives to want him dead. Since he was a hermit who lived in a tower and rarely met with others, today represented a rare opportunity to kill him. It wouldn't be that surprising if someone else had been plotting to kill him that day.
Taking a change of clothes in hand, Yuma went to the bathroom and took off his wet shirt.
He just beat them to it. But there was a crucial difference between Yuma and the other killer.
“Kozushima wasn't his only target...”
Yuma dried himself with a bath towel.
Why had they also killed Oita? Why had they staged such a bizarre scene? The words “SPIRITED AWAY FROM CHOGATAKE” written in blood. They must have been a clue to solving the mystery.
No, that wasn't what he should be worried about right now.
“If things go well, I might be able to pin Kozushima's death on them.”
Yuma approached the toilet and removed the lid of the water tank. The brown pill case was still floating there.
It was good he hadn't thrown it away. If he was able to find the culprit who'd killed Oita and sneak the pill case into their belongings, they would surely be declared Kozushima's murderer. No matter how much they denied it, there was no way they'd be able to overturn such conclusive evidence.
Yuma had made up his mind. Closing the lid of the tank, he clenched both fists, filled with renewed determination.
Yuma changed into new clothes, left the Fourth room, locked the door, and went back down to the first floor. Thinking how fortunate it was that he'd packed a change of clothes just in case Kozushima fought back and ripped his, he returned to the dining room, where Kuruma and the rest of the group were looking into the room with frowns.
“What's wrong?”
Yuma called out to them, but when he saw inside the dining room, he was speechless. Tsukiyo was crawling on the floor near where Oita had lay, her face right in the murky red water that had accumulated beneath the corpse. She looked like an animal, licking the blood off the floor.
“What are you doing?”
When he called out and approached her, Tsukiyo looked at him like he was the weird one and said
“I'm investigating.”
“Investigating... Your clothes are going to get dirty.”
“As I told you before, this suit is my great detective's uniform. It's only natural that it would get dirty during an investigation. I don't mind.”
“I see. So, have you learned anything new?”
“Of course, quite a lot. I checked under the table and around the room, but there was no one in the room who could be the culprit.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
Unlike the game room, this room contained nothing but a dining table and chairs, potted poplars, and some heaters. There were almost no blind spots. If the culprit had been in the room, they would have noticed right away.
“Also, you can't see it now because I closed the curtains, but the window in this room is fixed, just like in the game room and the First room. It doesn't open like the windows in the Second through Tenth rooms. Finally, take a look at the latches.”
Tsukiyo went over to the door. The rotating latches were attached to the wall next to it. The topmost latch was bent inwards and nearly torn off the wall.
“It's made of brass. I'm sure this is what prevented the door from opening. And when Dr. Ichijou and the others broke the latch and entered the room, there was nothing in the room but Mr. Oita's body. No culprit to be found.”
“Then you mean this room is another...”
“Exactly,” Tsukiyo snapped her fingers. “A locked room.”
“But unlike the cylinder lock in the First room, these latches are simply turned and hooked. That means it would be easy to lock this one from the outside with a physical trick, right?”
“Not necessarily. There was no smoke or water leaking out of the room before the door was broken down, so there shouldn't be any gaps. That makes it impossible to use a trick with thread. And using physical tricks often leaves behind some trace, such as peeled off paint. But I wasn't able to find any at the scene of this murder. The only marks on the door are those left by the latch breaking. What do you think, locked room expert Mr. Kuruma?”
Tsukiyo suddenly called out to Kuruma, who was still standing outside the room.
“Even if you call me an expert, I just write fictional stories...”
“Please, there's no need to be modest. There's nobody in Japan who knows more about locked rooms than you, Mr. Kuruma. Besides, this incident already looks like something out of a fictional story. Please, lend us your wisdom.”
Kuruma hesitantly stepped into the dining room in accordance with Tsukiyo's passionate plea and looked at the lower latch, which was still intact.
“Assuming this latch here is identical to the broken one above, then it is true that it would be difficult to lock from the outside with a string. It's shaped like a rod with a rounded end, making it extremely difficult to hook the string onto. Furthermore, considering the absence of any gaps in the door, I must conclude there's simply no way to lock the door from the outside with any form of thread.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kuruma, that was very helpful,” Tsukiyo said with a polite bow. “So, regarding Mr. Oita's murder, the first mystery we have to solve is how the locked room was created.”
“First... You mean there are other mysteries?”
Sakyo asked from outside the room. Tsukiyo nodded and said
“Yes, of course. The fact that the crime scene was on fire suggests that the culprit wanted to destroy evidence. But the sprinklers went off, and the fire was extinguished after only giving the tablecloth a slight scorching. So, how did the culprit start the fire?”
“Huh? You mean they didn't just hold a lighter to the tablecloth?”
Tsukiyo shook her head at Sakyo.
“I don't believe they did. Considering how little of the tablecloth was burned, the sprinklers must have gone off as soon as the the fire started. At the same time, the alarm went off and we all ran to the first floor. I believe Dr. Ichijou and I were there within two minutes of the alarm going off. Ms. Tomoe and Mr. Sakaizumi were there even sooner. I think it would be difficult for the culprit to have performed a locked room trick and escaped in that little time.”
“So what did happen?” Sakyo asked, putting a hand to his temple.
“Most likely, by the time the fire started, the culprit had already locked the room and escaped.”
“The culprit didn't set the fire directly, but used some kind of timed ignition device,” said Kuruma.
“That's right,” replied Tsukiyo, pointing to the table.
“Although I don't know what the ignition device was yet. Ordinarily, a device that sets a fire on a time delay will leave some sort of trace behind at the scene: candle wax, a clock, a burnt matchstick... But no matter how hard I look, I can't find anything.”
“Maybe the device was made of flammable material and burned away. Or maybe it was something that could be washed away in water,” Yuma interjected.
“The fire was extinguished immediately, so it's difficult to imagine it completely incinerated its own source. And I already considered the possibility that it was washed away, so I crawled across the floor and searched every single inch for evidence, but I couldn't find a thing. Nothing except this.”
Tsukiyo picked up a small white feather-like object from the table.
“What's that?”
Yuma leaned closer.
“It's probably fluff from a poplar. There are several in this room. Look. Most of their fluff has been plucked off.”
“Why would they do that...?”
“I still don't know. But last night, Mr. Oita explained that Mr. Kozushima had decorated the room with poplar fluff to look like snow. And judging by how it was scattered, the fluff was probably placed over Mr. Oita's body.”
“Maybe this was an imitation murder. The culprit wanted to make it look like the body was buried in snow.”
Kuruma stroked his bald head.
“You might be right. Considering the bloody letters on the tablecloth, there's no doubt the culprit is trying to convey something. But there's something unusual about that. Why did they set a fire in the room if they had a message they needed to convey so badly they'd write it in blood? If the sprinklers hadn't gone off, the message would have been burned away, and nobody would have seen it.”
Yuma gasped. It was an obvious question, and he felt a bit dumb not to have noticed it sooner.
“This case has too many mysteries. We can't find the truth unless we confront them all. But to do that, we need information. Let's start with this.”
Tsukiyo pointed to the bloody letters on the tablecloth.
“I've heard of the Chogatake Spiriting Away incident, but it took place before I became a great detective, so I don't know about the details.”
Sakyo raised his hand.
“I know about it. We did a feature in it in our magazine last year.”
“Really? Please, tell me everything.”
Tsukiyo's face suddenly lit up. When Sakyo straightened up and said “Well-”, an angry voice rang out.
“What are you all doing!?”
Kagami was back. Behind him, Madoka and Sakaizumi were there too.
“As you can see, we're investigating the scene. You told us to wait.”
“Yes, I did. So why are you amateurs messing with my crime scene!?”
“We aren't messing with anything.”
“Get out of that room, now. I'm going to call the prefectural police and ask for instructions on what to do now.”
Tsukiyo reluctantly left the dining room with Yuma and the others in tow.
“Even if you call them, it's not like they'll come any sooner,” Sakaizumi said anxiously.
“Two people are dead. Depending on the circumstances, the prefectural police might send a helicopter. The weather looks nice today.”
“There's a helicopter!?”
Yumeyomi, who had been silent and pale until then, shouted in a high-pitched voice.
“Then please, have it sent right away and get us out of here. Two people were murdered. I've had this feeling ever since last night. Something evil, lurking within the Tower, targeting us. I'm sure now. The culprit sneaked into the Tower, killed Mr. Kozushima and Mr. Oita, then ran away!”
“No, that's probably not true.”
Tsukiyo rapidly shot her down.
“While Dr. Ichijou and the others were getting changed, I checked the windows of the dining room and the game room, and there were no footprints in the snow around the tower. It snowed a bit last night, but nowhere near enough to erase footprints. No one has entered or left the Tower since Mr. Kozushima lost his life.”
“Then...”
Yumeyomi's eyes darted to everyone around her, and she took a step back.
“Yes, it's highly probable that the murderer is still inside the Tower.”
The claim was shocking enough to shake the hall even coming from Tsukiyo's gentle voice. Everyone began to look tensely from one to another.
“Oh, don't worry. I'm not saying the culprit is definitely one of you. It's possible someone broke into the Tower yesterday evening and has been hiding inside ever since, as Ms. Yumeyomi said. Granted, it would be difficult to hide that long without being found, so it's true that it's much more likely the culprit is among us.”
Tsukiyo's words made the atmosphere in the room even heavier.
“I don't care who did it! The problem is that there's a murderer in this tower! Please, report it quickly and get us out of here!”
Yumeyomi shrieked hysterically. Kagami covered his ears with both hands.
“Don't yell at me. I was going to do that without needing to be told by you.”
Kagami took his smartphone out of his pants pocket and frowned.
“What? It's not connecting. What about you all?”
Yuma hurriedly took his smartphone out of his jacket pocket. The wi-fi, which had worked fine last night, was unable to connect.
“Mine isn't connecting, either.” “Neither is mine.” “Mine isn't, either...”
Everyone took out their phones and agreed.
“In that case, I'll call on the landline.”
Madoka picked up the receiver of the phone on the wall and put it to her ear. She was just about to dial the number when she stopped. The receiver fell from her hand.
“Hey, what's wrong?”
When Kagami asked, Madoka turned her head as though her vertebrae had rusted in place.
“The phone... It isn't working. There's no dial tone. I think... the phone lines might be down. That might also be why your smartphones aren't working.”
“What are you saying!? Why would the phone lines being cut stop our smartphones from working!?” Yumeyomi shrieked.
“This area is too far from the city to get cell phone signals. That's why we have an internet line along with the phone line, so cell phones can get connection via wi-fi signals. I think both lines have been severed.”
“Can't you fix them?”
Sakyo asked, but Madoka just shook her head.
“Mr. Oita was in charge of them. I don't even know where the lines are. I'm sorry.”
Madoka gave a deep bow, but Yumeyomi didn't calm down at all.
“You're sorry!?”
“Now, now, Yumeyomi, there's no point in blaming Tomoe,” Kuruma admonished her. “But if the phone lines have been cut off, things have gotten serious. Will the electricity and gas supply be okay?”
“Yes, for now, it appears the electricity is fine. Even if the power lines have been cut, there are underground emergency generators. We have plenty of gasoline stored to fuel them, so there is nothing to worry about. We also have gas cylinders.”
“That's a relief. At the very least, we don't have to worry about freezing to death. But does that mean we have no way to communicate with the outside world?”
“So we're in a closed circle! It's a classic mansion in the snow story!”
Everyone looked reproachfully at the excited Tsukiyo. Tsukiyo apparently realized she was being inappropriate and smiled sheepishly. Kuruma tried to get them all back on track.
“Well, we should try to come to a consensus regarding what to do next.”
“What are you saying!? It's obvious what we'll do!” Yumeyomi's face turned red. “We're going down the mountain!”
“But the road has been blocked by an avalanche...”
“We'll just drive up to that point and walk the rest of the way. At the very least there will be workers there clearing the path. We can ask them for help.”
“That might be the least dangerous option.”
Kuruma crossed his arms and thought until Tsukiyo raised her hand.
“But can we drive down in the first place?”
“...What do you mean?”
“It's safe to assume the phone lines were cut to stop us from communicating with the outside world. In that case, they wouldn't have left our cars alone.”
After a few moments of silence, Yumeyomi started running. “Wait!” Madoka said, chasing after her.
Soon, the others followed. They passed through the door from the hall to the front entrance and down an arching corridor made of indigo glass. At the end of the entryway was a set of metal double doors. Yumeyomi threw open the iron bolt and opened them, sending a gust of chill air inside. Yuma and the others all went outside, hunching over to protect themselves from the cold.
The road path from the entrance to the parking lot was covered in square pieces of glass laid out like cobblestones. The glass path had a roof, keeping it clear of snow, so the group could move quickly. After about thirty minutes of walking, they arrived at the spacious parking lot. This was also covered, keeping the cars clean and dry.
“What is this!?”
In front of a shocking pink Toyota Crown, Yumeyomi was tearing at her hair with both hands. Next to her, Madoka was standing frozen in shock.
“What on Earth happened here...?”
Yuma caught up with the two and instantly stopped, at a loss for words. All four of the Crown's tires were flat. Yuma turned around and ran to his beloved Mazda6.
“Are you serious...?”
Just like the Crown, all of the Mazda's tires were completely flat, having been torn to shreds.
“The bus we arrived on is no good, either. It won't run like this.”
Next to the small bus that had transported those guests without cars from town, Kuruma spoke with a heavy voice. Kagami kicked at one of the bus's flat tires and swore.
Suddenly, Yuma noticed that Tsukiyo was staring in total despair at a red compact coupe parked a few meters away. The great detective who had been so studiously ignorant of the atmosphere surrounding the gruesome murders that had taken place appeared to have finally realized how serious the situation was.
“Are you okay, Ms. Aoi?”
As Yuma approached, he heard Tsukiyo mumbling to herself.
“That's a brand new car I just bought last month... And I installed those snow tires specifically for today...”
As he stood stunned by Tsukiyo's selfish worries, Sakyo began to hug himself and spoke up.
“We should all go back to the Tower for now. We'll all freeze if we stay out here any longer.”
“Smart thinking. We can all discuss our next move once we've warmed up.”
No one opposed Kuruma's recommendation. As everyone else made their way shivering back to the Tower, Tsukiyo was left alone, wandering the parking lot.
“Ms. Aoi, what are you doing? Let's go back inside.”
When Yuma called out to her, Tsukiyo pointed to the field of snow surrounding the parking lot.
“Look, Dr. Ichijou. There aren't any footprints around the parking lot either. The culprit is definitely inside the Tower. Well, unless there's an underground secret passage leading away from the Tower.”
“Alright, sure. Let's go back inside. Aren't you cold, Ms. Aoi?”
“No, my blood is boiling with the excitement of being able to confront a fascinating mystery and the rage of having my new car ruined.”
Tsukiyo clenched her fists in front of her. Her teeth started chattering.
“No matter how hot your blood is, your body will still get cold. Let's go.”
Yuma took Tsukiyo by the hand and started dragging her back along the glass path. When he looked up, he saw that a thin layer of snow had accumulated on top of the glass display room at the top of the Glass Tower looming majestically above them. Without question, it had snowed a little last night.
“It's beautiful...”
Tsukiyo muttered to herself next to him. Realizing he was still holding her hand, Yuma quickly let go.
“What's beautiful?”
“The Glass Tower. It's like a dream, being allowed so solve a murder mystery in such a beautiful building. Maybe I am dreaming.”
Seeing the ecstatic expression reforming on Tsukiyo's face, Yuma felt a shiver unrelated to the cold.
This great detective was mentally broken beyond his wildest expectations. Yuma went on, keeping a wary side-eye on Tsukiyo all the way.
When they returned to the entryway and entered the hall, the others were still silently shivering from the cold. Two brutal murders had occurred, communication with the outside had been cut off, and their only way down the mountain had been removed. In only a few minutes, their situation had completely changed, and everyone looked morose.
“Let's go back to the game room. We can talk there.”
After a few minutes of silence, Kuruma spoke gloomily. “Okay,” Yuma nodded, and he and the others went to the game room. On the way, he noticed that Tsukiyo, who had been next to him only a moment ago, had disappeared. Looking around, he realized that she had wandered into the sub-kitchen.
Feeling beyond astonished and deeply exhausted, Yuma entered the sub-kitchen. The smell of grilled cheese tickled his nose. Normally, it would have been appetizing, but after being put through so much stress in such a short time, it just gave him heartburn. In the sub-kitchen, colorful plates of fried omelettes and salads were lined up for breakfast.
“What are you doing?”
“I got hungry. They smell so good, don't they?”
Tsukiyo broke up one of the omelettes with her bare hands, picked it up, and tossed it in her mouth.
“Wow, that's tasty. They've started to cool, but the cheese is still melted into the omelette. Exquisite.”
As Tsukiyo licked sauce from her fingers, Yuma coldly told her
“That's poor manners.”
“Ah, my apologies. Really, I'm very embarrassed. Oh, there's coffee, too. Do you want some, Dr. Ichijou?”
Tsukiyo picked up the silver pot and poured a cup. It was slightly steaming.
Unable to keep up with Tsukiyo's strange behavior, Yuma replied “No, thank you.” Madoka and Sakaizumi came in.
“Ms. Aoi, that coffee is probably cold by now, so I'll make a fresh batch.”
“I'll make some new omelettes, too. They lose flavor when they get cold.”
Tsukiyo took a sip of coffee, then put the cup back down.
“It's still warm, but since it was so cold outside I'd prefer it blazing hot. Ms. Tomoe, I'm sorry, but would you prepare a fresh pot? We'll drink it and warm ourselves up, then have a nice, long discussion about what to do next in the game room. Will that be okay, Mr. Kuruma?”
Kuruma and the others, who were peering into the sub-kitchen, hesitantly nodded.
“Um, so what do we want for breakfast? Want me to make more omelettes?”
“That will take some time. I'd like you to be involved in the discussion, so why not something simpler? Something light we can snack on.”
“I can make some quick sandwiches if that's okay with everyone.”
“Yes, that's fine. Thank you very much. Now, let's the rest of us go to the game room.”
The cheerful voice of Tsukiyo, who had taken charge before anyone realized, echoed off the walls of the sub-kitchen.