Lady Joker, Volume 1 by Kaoru Takamura (lightest ebook reader .txt) 📕

to their feet, standing straight and still. This morning, as he strode into the room, Kanzaki had worn his usual detached expression, neither confirming nor denying that he was an absolute authority who inspired awe from every detective within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. His stature and facial features, all of them average, were indistinguishable from that of any middle-aged salaryman swaying on the commuter train, but as soon as his short greeting—“Thank you all for coming so early”—issued from his mouth, it was as if a stick ruler had been thrust into the back of each investigator in attendance. Their fingers extended tautly along the seams of their slacks, and a tremor rippled through the entire conference room.

Back when he was at MPD, Goda knew Kanzaki as chief inspector of the Crime Scene Division, but even back then he was known as “walking efficiency.” From his greeting and demeanor to his interpersonal relationships and the way he commanded investigations, everything he did seemed to run with accuracy, speed, and clarity. This spring, when he was promoted to first investigation chief inspector, he made the following remarks in Frontline, the internal newsletter for detectives: “When we consider the anxiety of citizens and the distress of victims exposed to increasingly heinous crimes, as well as the duty that detectives and police officers must fulfill, all logic, compromises, and excuses arising from the internal organization of criminal investigation become utterly superfluous.”

As Goda had read these remarks, he had pondered just what the resolve of the police force was, but when all was said and done, no doubt Kanzaki’s own resolve was buttressed by a byzantine, quake-proof resilience that was essential to ascending the ranks of a bureaucratic organization. Lost in such thoughts, Goda never managed to fully extend his fingers, pressed against the casual khaki pants he had been wearing since last night.

Kanzaki opened his notebook as soon as he took the seat directly before the blackboard, and fixed his immobile gaze on the investigators.

“Regarding the incident that occurred last night on the twenty-fourth at approximately 10:05 p.m., in which the president of Hinode Beer, Kyosuke Shiroyama, age fifty-eight, was taken from the front yard of his home in Sanno Ni-chome: irrespective of the perpetrators’ motive, I would like all of you to consider this an extremely serious crime that poses a definitive threat to the well-being of our country’s citizenry and economic activities.” Kanzaki’s briefing began with this introduction. He had a tendency to speak softly, and even with the microphone his voice was nothing more than a murmur—nonetheless, every word was trenchant and sharp.

“Other than a note stating, ‘We have your president,’ which was left behind at the scene of the abduction, at this point the perpetrators have not made any contact whatsoever. Therefore, as of now we have no choice but to treat this as a case of abduction and unlawful confinement, whereas in time we will either receive a specific demand from the criminals, or we will hear nothing at all. In addition to preparing to the best of our abilities for both outcomes, we must dedicate ourselves to the immediate task of narrowing down suspects and criminal objectives. Furthermore, judging from the meticulous and premeditated strategy of leaving behind a single note and then breaking off all communication, and the abduction’s close resemblance to the work of a professional crime group, this incident bears the hallmarks of both a violent crime and what could develop into a white collar crime, so we must avoid any assumptions or prejudgments during the course of our investigation. As for the direction of the investigation, for the time being, as we work toward a swift rescue of the victim, we will focus first on deducing the suspects. In addition to canvassing on foot, tracing their movements through legwork, identifying vehicles used in the crime, and establishing any connections to the perpetrators, the cross section of the victim’s personal network will commence with a request to provide all necessary materials regarding Hinode Beer, and inquiring of those involved about every detail of the situation, so that we can quickly gather precise information to conduct our analysis. Lastly, because this is a situation in which we have reason to fear for the safety and welfare of the victim, all information related to the incident will be kept strictly confidential. Therefore all communications and reports will be made via a communications specialist in charge. That will be all from me.”

Kanzaki seemed to be taking a particularly cautious stance concerning the incident. Looking at it another way, this could also mean that he did not have a specific trajectory for the investigation at this point in time, but as long as Second Investigation and Special Violence and Organized Crime had shown up at such an early stage, it was clear that the concerns of the top brass—guided by causes inscrutable to those on the fringes, like Goda—must veer toward Hinode’s conflicts with extortionists.

Then, using the sketch posted on the blackboard, the director of First SIT gave a detailed explanation starting with the onset of the incident. It did not cover anything more than what Goda, as the first detective to arrive upon the scene, had seen. The director continued reading from his notebook: “At this time, we have established two lines of communication: the victim assistance hotline, and another exclusively for any threats or demands coming in from the perpetrators. Two SIT members, including policewomen, are on duty at the victim’s home, working in three shifts, and there are another two officers at the relay point . . .”

As he listened, Goda stared at the communications equipment set up on the table near the blackboard. Once again, he remembered the police dispatch record tucked into his shirt pocket.

How did the perpetrators manage to carry out the abduction while evading the cops, who could have appeared at any time? The full shape of this idea—which had originally snagged his thought process at the crime scene and