early everything in the apartment had been removed by the time

Matsumiya and Kaga arrived. When they climbed up the stairs, they found

Kaori Nakahara standing by the door with a large bag at her feet. She

waved hello.

“We were hoping to give you a hand, but it looks like you’ve finished

already,” Matsumiya said.

Kaori shrugged.

“There wasn’t a lot left by the time I’d gotten rid of all the stuff I don’t

need. I’m kind of amazed we managed to live off so little.”

“What have you done with your boyfriend’s things?”

At Matsumiya’s question, Kaori looked sadly at the floor for a

moment before lifting her head.

“There were plenty of things I couldn’t bring myself to throw away.

Too many, in fact. Still, I got rid of quite a lot. Socks with holes in them,

things like that.” She forced a smile despite being on the verge of tears.

Kaga held out a paper carrier bag. “I’d like to return these things to

you. Could you sign this receipt?”

The bag contained Fuyuki Yashima’s cell phone, wallet, driver’s

license, and other personal effects. Tenderly cupping the cell phone, Kaori

pressed it to her belly. “Here’s something to remember Daddy by.”

Kaga handed her the receipt and a pen.

“He was such an idiot, wasn’t he?” Kaori said as she gave him back

the receipt, which she had signed neatly. “Why did he do what he did? He

could easily have earned the money some other way.”

“He must have felt under pressure to do something,” Kaga said. “That

he was a father with a duty to support his family.”

Kaori pressed her lips together to keep her emotions in check. “What

an idiot,” she murmured.

There was no way of knowing exactly what Fuyuki Yashima had done,

but Tatsuya Sugino’s testimony at least made it possible to speculate.

Yashima had spotted Takeaki Aoyagi when he was on his way to

Nihonbashi Station after leaving the bookstore. It was unclear whether

Aoyagi was still inside the café or out in the street at that point. Either way,

Yashima had followed Aoyagi and Sugino. He was probably hoping to ask

Takeaki Aoyagi for his old job back, but didn’t accost him immediately

because he wasn’t alone.

Fuyuki Yashima was up the street when Tatsuya Sugino stabbed

Takeaki Aoyagi in the underpass next to Edobashi Bridge. He swiftly

ducked into a nearby building when he saw Sugino emerge. He waited for

Sugino to run off before going into the underpass, where he found Takeaki

Aoyagi lying on the ground.

In her testimony, Kaori Nakahara had described Fuyuki Yashima as a

thoroughly good person; on this one occasion, however, he had given in to

temptation. He helped himself to Takeaki Aoyagi’s briefcase and wallet and

fled the scene.

His subsequent actions were known to them. He had hidden in the

Hamacho Green Road park, made a call to Kaori, and been hit by a truck

immediately afterward.

What an idiot!—Kaori was right there. As Kaga said, the knowledge

that he was about to become a father must have put him under pressure.

Kaori Nakahara was heading back to Fukushima, her birthplace. She

was going to help out at a restaurant run by a friend of hers from the

orphanage.

The two detectives offered to take Kaori to the train station by taxi.

The Tohoku bullet train leaves from Ueno Station, but Kaori said there was

a place near Tokyo Station that she wanted to see before leaving the city for

good.

“How come you two are looking so sharp today?” Kaori asked as they

rode in the taxi. She was referring to their clothes, apparently.

“We’re going to a memorial service,” Matsumiya said. “A relative of

ours.”

“Oh,” she said, looking from one to the other in astonishment. Kaga

just sat in silence on the front passenger seat.

The taxi turned onto Chuo Boulevard. The Mitsukoshi department

store slid past on their right. It wasn’t long before the place Kaori wanted to

see came into view.

Nihonbashi Bridge was looking as magnificent as ever beneath the

brutish expressway above it. The kirin statues gazed resolutely into the

future.

“I don’t regret coming to Tokyo,” Kaori said. She was speaking to

both men. “Fuyuki and I made all sorts of happy memories here, memories

that can never be lost or broken.”

Matsumiya nodded in silence. There was no need to say anything.

They accompanied Kaori as far as the central ticket barrier of Tokyo

Station. She took her bag from Matsumiya and bowed at them both.

“Thank you very much for your help today. I’ll never forget how you

cleared Fuyuki’s name.”

“You’re welcome to forget that,” Kaga said. “What we don’t want you

forgetting is your promise to do your best for the baby.”

Kaori looked grave. “I know,” she replied.

“Good luck, then,” Matsumiya said.

“Thanks,” she said, breaking back into a smile.

Kaori went through the ticket barrier and waved at them as she walked

along the passageway farther into the station. Once she was out of sight,

Matsumiya consulted his watch.

“We’re in trouble. We’ve only got thirty minutes.”

“Seriously? Kanamori will give us hell if we’re late. Better get going.”

Kaga suddenly dashed off.