Pathway to Japanese Literature

This too is a tale of Inspector Kirihara’s “Special-Class Interrogation.”

The report reached the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters on a bitterly cold February morning - Denzo Ohara, who operated a precious metals and jewelry business in Ginza 4-chome, had been killed by an unknown assailant the previous night in the living room of his home in Hirakawacho, Kojimachi Ward.

Inspector Kirihara, accompanied by his subordinates Detectives Asai and Mizuno and a police doctor, immediately headed to the crime scene by automobile. Ohara's residence had been constructed in barracks-style immediately after the Great Earthquake fires. Passing through the stone gateposts, one encountered a circular garden approximately eighteen meters in diameter separating two wings: a Western-style single-story house to the right and a Japanese-style single-story house to the left, connected by a central corridor. The main entrance was located on the Japanese-style side.

When Inspector Kirihara’s party arrived, the patrol officer who had been keeping watch and the student lodger of the house came out to greet them. Inspector Kirihara removed his shoes and stepped up, then and there listened to the circumstances of the body’s discovery. Ohara had lost his wife some years prior, and though not yet fifty at the time, had maintained a solitary existence ever since. Since there were no children, his household consisted of three members: himself, a middle-aged maid, and a twenty-year-old student lodger. Perhaps because Mr. Ohara had spent many years in America during his youth, he preferred a simple lifestyle and always slept in the Western-style wing. The Western-style wing consisted of a study-living room, a bedroom, and a storage room, but Mr. Ohara would often come and go through the back door of the storage room, ringing the bell when he needed something, so there were even days when the maid and student lodger did not see their master’s face.

When leaving for the shop yesterday, he had mentioned he would return late today, so the student lodger and maid went to bed at ten o'clock. The student lodger was supposed to bring coffee to Ohara's bedroom every morning at seven o'clock, so when he went to the bedroom at the same time today, there were no signs that anyone had slept in the bed. Since this was not particularly unusual, he was about to leave when he happened to glance toward the study - there lay Ohara before the fireplace, still wearing his Western suit. Startled, he rushed over to find the body already cold, so without a moment's delay he notified the police by telephone.

“Was the key to the door behind the storage room kept solely by the master?” Inspector Kirihara inquired after listening to the student lodger’s testimony. “I’m not entirely certain, but we didn’t possess it,” replied the student lodger.

Then the group passed through the corridor and arrived at the scene. Inspector Kirihara first stood at the entrance and surveyed the room. By Japanese measurement standards, the approximately ten-tatami-mat room had an extremely sparse arrangement containing a safe, desk, fireplace, occasional table, and tripod chair, but showed no signs of any violent struggle having occurred. The corpse clad in black serge Western clothes lay supine on the linoleum-covered floor with its head positioned before the fireplace and legs extended toward the desk. On a nail driven into the door leading to the storage room hung a hat, an overcoat, and a walking stick.

Inspector Kirihara began carefully searching the floor. Near the corpse’s feet by the desk lay a small bottle with its stopper removed. Inspector Kirihara retrieved it using tweezers from his pocket and examined it, finding the label clearly marked "Chloroform." He gave Detective Asai a meaningful glance, then carefully preserved it in the container he had brought. The bottle’s stopper was not found in the vicinity.

There were no footprints on the linoleum, but when Inspector Kirihara carefully searched the area, he found two strands of hair just under a foot in length near the corpse's waist. Upon inspection, both strands were from the same person's hair. Judging from the condition of the roots, they had indeed fallen out naturally, but the free ends bore clear marks of having been cut with scissors.

Then Inspector Kirihara began examining the corpse. The victim Ohara was a ruddy-faced gentleman of medium build and corpulent stature, his hairline at the forehead having receded significantly. His face showed no particular signs of agony, but the sight of his slightly protruding tongue between purple lips suggested death by suffocation. Inspector Kirihara placed his hand on the chin to examine the front of the neck, but at that very moment, he exclaimed, "What’s this?!"

For there, between the folded front collar at his throat, were clear teeth marks from some creature’s bite. Blood had only slightly oozed around the bite marks and hadn’t splattered on either the floor or his Western suit. However, the inner surface of the collar had been stained red from contact with the wound.

Both hands lay stretched straight out at his sides, but in his right hand was clenched a silk handkerchief crumpled into a messy wad. Inspector Kirihara picked it up and sniffed it, detecting a faint odor of chloroform. The handkerchief was a white one intended for women's use, with "Tanimura" embroidered in crimson silk thread at one corner. Then Inspector Kirihara had the police doctor examine the corpse. According to the physician’s analysis, the wound on the front of the neck had indeed been inflicted by human teeth. Given that the laryngeal cartilage was crushed, it appeared suffocation had occurred when strong pressure was applied through biting during the attack. There was no doubt this constituted homicide. Since approximately nine hours had passed since death, they concluded the violent act had likely occurred around eleven o'clock or midnight the previous night.

“Was the biter female or male?” Inspector Kirihara inquired. “It seems female-like, but I can’t be certain,” replied the police doctor. “Shall we conduct an autopsy then?”

“That would be best.” Inspector Kirihara ordered Detective Mizuno by telephone to handle procedures with the prosecutor’s office and steps for transporting the body. Together with the doctor, he examined the contents of the corpse’s pockets, undid buttons to inspect the body’s surface, but found nothing of particular note. Before long, Inspector Kirihara removed the bundle of keys from the corpse’s trouser pocket and, handing them over to Detective Asai, said: “With these, conduct a preliminary check of the desk and safe.”

"Are we checking for signs of theft?" "I don’t believe this was theft, but if you find anything unusual, report it immediately."

II

At that moment, Detective Mizuno entered accompanied by a man in Western clothes around forty. The detective introduced him as a man named Suzuki who served as manager of the Ginza store.

“No, when the student lodger called, I was so startled I thought I must be dreaming,” said the manager. “Around what time did Mr. Ohara leave the shop last night?” “I believe it was around ten o’clock.”

“Does he usually leave this late?” “No, yesterday there was an unusually large amount of work.” “Did Mr. Ohara leave the shop alone?”

“He was with the female shop clerk.” “What is her name?” “Her name is Ms. Seiko Nakajima.”

Inspector Kirihara wrote in his notebook.

“Ms. Nakajima has bobbed hair, doesn’t she?” asked Inspector Kirihara.

Suzuki was startled.

“How do you know that?”

Inspector Kirihara did not answer and continued his questioning. “Other than her, is there another woman with bobbed hair at the shop?”

“There is only Ms. Nakajima.” “When was Ms. Nakajima hired?” “It hasn’t even been ten days yet, but the owner was quite taken with her.” “Where are her lodgings?” “It’s in Nihonbashi, but I don’t know the exact address.” “If you go to the shop, you’ll find out.” “She should have already left for work by now.”

Inspector Kirihara gazed at his notebook, thought for a moment, and said: "Are you acquainted with someone named Tanimura among those associated with the shop?" "If you mean Mr. Tanimura, he's the craftsman who makes items for the shop." "Does he do the crafting at the shop?" "No, he employs craftsmen to do it at his home." "Where does he live?" "Kyobashi, but I've forgotten the address." "Does he have a wife?" "He did have one, but she passed away suddenly from illness about two weeks ago. After that, Mr. Tanimura hasn't come to the shop at all."

“Wasn’t his wife connected to the shop?” "She was formerly a shop employee as well, but through circumstance married Mr. Tanimura, who frequented the shop." “When did that happen?” "I believe it was last October." "Thank you very much. Please have a rest over there." As Suzuki was about to leave, Inspector Kirihara called out, "Ah, wait!" stopping him, then pointed to the photograph of a woman in the front frame and inquired. "Who is this person in the photograph?" "The late Mrs. Ohara who passed away some years ago."

“She is Mrs. Ohara, who passed away some years ago.”

When the manager left, Detective Asai—who had been inspecting the items in the safe until then—took out a gold-lacquered box and opened its lid before Inspector Kirihara. Looking inside, they found a hair switch about eight inches long tied into a bundle the thickness of a little finger, a single soiled women’s leather glove, and a celluloid comb.

“A curious collection,” said Inspector Kirihara, staring intently. “This is certainly worth studying—I’ll take it along for examination. Was there anything else unusual besides this?” “There was nothing of note in either the desk or the safe.” “Then collect fingerprints from the corpse before the mortuary team arrives.” Inspector Kirihara then ordered Detective Mizuno to bring Seiko Nakajima and the craftsman Tanimura to the Metropolitan Police Department, while he himself conducted a meticulous inspection of items including the bed, storage room contents, and back entrance door—but found nothing of particular significance.

Three

After completing a routine inspection and entrusting the police doctor with handling the corpse, Inspector Kirihara returned to the Metropolitan Police Department with Detective Asai. Immediately sending the chloroform bottle found at the scene to the Forensics Division to have them collect the fingerprints on it and check whether they matched the victim’s, then after spending about thirty minutes completing various tasks, the two sat facing each other across a table in the inspector’s waiting room.

Inspector Kirihara arranged the handbox, two strands of hair, and a women’s silk handkerchief embroidered with "Tanimura" on the table, looked at the detective’s face, and spoke.

“Now then, Detective Asai, what do you make of these three items in the handbox?” “It must be Mrs. Ohara’s memento,” the detective answered casually. “For a memento, having just one soiled glove is strange. There must be a more fitting interpretation.” “Then was Ohara a sexual pervert?” “That would be the most reasonable assumption. Those who compulsively collect belongings or hair from the opposite sex are called collector fetishists—it seems he had such a sexual perversion. But wait a moment.”

With these words, Inspector Kirihara took out the hair switch. “When collector fetishists cut a woman’s hair, they typically make a single decisive snip. However, examining this hair switch reveals it was assembled by cutting two or three strands at a time and gathering them into a bundle. As proof, within this bundle are hairs where the cut ends face toward the free ends—meaning they’ve been bound together in reverse. To cut strands two or three at a time like this and form a bundle of this thickness would require considerable time.”

“Couldn’t he have gathered these by cutting hair from numerous women?”

“No, they’re all from the same person’s hair.”

Detective Asai, looking intrigued, picked up the hair switch and compared it with the two strands of hair found at the scene. “Are these hairs different from the ones in this bundle?” “They’re completely different.” “Somehow, this crime seems to be centered around sexual perversion.” “Couldn’t that bite wound also have been inflicted by a sadistic pervert?” “That might be the case.” “So was Ohara bitten by the bobbed-hair clerk?”

“That’s something we won’t know unless we meet and interrogate that woman.” “But you—how do you account for that chloroform bottle!” “Since Ohara was holding this handkerchief, Ohara must have tried to use it to anesthetize the woman.” “It’s strange—drugging a woman only to end up being bitten to death by her.” “Then could it be that the woman administered the anesthetic?”

“But Ohara was holding the handkerchief.” “They probably chloroformed him, bit him to death, and then made Ohara hold the handkerchief to throw off the police.”

At that moment, the door opened and a forensics officer entered, reporting that the fingerprints on the chloroform bottle did not belong to Ohara. Detective Asai said smugly, “Just as I thought—the woman administered the chloroform to Ohara.” Inspector Kirihara stared fixedly in thought before speaking. “But you—isn’t it hard to imagine a robust man like Ohara being subdued by some frail woman?” “Then should we consider a third party?”

“That does seem to be the most reasonable assumption.” “So, is the third party an accomplice working with the woman?”

“Now then—ordinarily in crimes centered on sexual perversion, accomplices are exceedingly rare. Moreover, if two people were collaborating, there would hardly be any need to go through the trouble of killing by biting.”

Detective Asai made a perplexed face and crossed his arms.

“How do you explain the handkerchief Ohara had? Even if we assume the bobbed-hair woman chloroformed him, wouldn’t that handkerchief belong to another woman?” “The handkerchief must have been in Ohara’s possession all along. Since he was a collector fetishist, he likely took it when that woman was still working as a clerk.” “But with ‘Tanimura’ embroidered on it, that means he acquired it after her marriage... No—this case proves more intricate than we imagined.”

At this moment, Detective Mizuno returned and reported that he had brought Seiko Nakajima, the female clerk, and Sanzo Tanimura, the metal craftsman. Detective Mizuno stated that the two had been brought separately and were being kept waiting in different rooms. It was reported that Seiko Nakajima had stated she intended to take the day off from the shop due to feeling unwell, while Tanimura had also reluctantly presented himself while enduring a headache. Inspector Kirihara first had Seiko Nakajima brought in.

IV

The woman who had been brought in was a fair-skinned twenty-one- or twenty-two-year-old with what might be described as a bewitching bobbed hairstyle. Inspector Kirihara and Detective Asai instinctively exchanged glances. This was likely because she differed from the woman they had imagined. Though she answered Inspector Kirihara's questions clearly, there remained an undercurrent of nervous restlessness in her demeanor.

“Last night, you left the store together with Mr. Ohara, I understand?” “Yes.” “Then you went to Mr. Ohara’s residence together, did you not?”

"No, we parted ways along the way."

“Where did you part ways?” “Mr. Ohara stopped by Hoshimura Pharmacy in Ginza, so I parted ways with him there. Then I went to see a moving picture at F Theater and returned home.” Inspector Kirihara stared fixedly at her face and said. “Why are you concealing it?” “I’m not hiding anything.”

“But we have evidence that you went to Mr. Ohara’s residence.” “What?” “This is it,” said the inspector as he took out two strands of hair from the table drawer. “Your hair was found near the body.” “Oh, how could that be?” she exclaimed in surprise. “But I did not go to Mr. Ohara’s residence.”

Inspector Kirihara’s eyes gleamed sharply in that instant.

“Where were you before coming to Mr. Ohara’s store?”

“I was in Osaka.” “What about your parents?”

"My mother had been alive until recently, but I came up to Tokyo right after she died." "Through whose introduction did you enter Mr. Ohara's store?"

"I saw a newspaper advertisement, went to meet him directly, and was hired." "Last night was the first time you went to Mr. Ohara’s residence, correct?" "Yes—no, I’ve never been there even once." "Very well. There are still a few more things I wish to ask you later, so please wait over there."

Seiko seemed relieved and left, wiping her face with a handkerchief. Inspector Kirihara immediately summoned Detective Mizuno and ordered him to go to Hoshimura Pharmacy in Ginza to investigate what medicine Ohara had gone to purchase last night.

Soon, the metal craftsman Tanimura was brought in. He was a slender man in his early thirties wearing a Western suit, but his face was deathly pale. “Perhaps it’s the cold, but your complexion doesn’t look well,” Inspector Kirihara said gently. Tanimura glanced briefly at the inspector’s face, fixed his eyes on the table, and spoke. “Yes, I’ve had some respiratory issues since the start of this year.” “I see. I’ve heard that people engaged in gold and silver craftsmanship are often afflicted. Moreover, I hear your wife recently passed away. That must be even more exhausting for you?”

“That’s correct.” “What day did your wife pass away?” “Yesterday marked two weeks since.” Inspector Kirihara remained silent and thought for a moment. “The truth is, Mr. Ohara was murdered last night. There were matters we would have preferred to ask your wife directly, but since that’s no longer possible, we’ve asked you here in her stead.” “I understand your wife previously worked at Mr. Ohara’s store?” “She did.” “I hear Mr. Ohara had rather an unsavory reputation regarding women?”

Tanimura suddenly made a bitter face. "It seems that was the case." "I’ve heard there were all sorts of rumors about him even with store clerks—though I apologize for asking something so impertinent—did Mr. Ohara ever make any suggestive remarks to your wife?" Tanimura bristled and bit his lip.

“Regarding that matter, out of respect for my deceased wife, I would prefer not to answer.”

“That’s quite reasonable. “No, I merely asked because I must thoroughly understand the character of this man Ohara.” With these words, Inspector Kirihara took out a celluloid comb that had been in the case from the drawer, “Would you happen to recognize this comb?” he asked, handing it to Tanimura. Tanimura took it in hand and gazed at it for some time, “I don’t recognize it,” he answered, placing it back on the table.

“I must apologize for troubling you while you’re unwell.” “However—since we’ve already troubled you—there remain several questions I need to ask later. Please wait here.”

After Tanimura left, Inspector Kirihara turned to Detective Asai and instructed him to take the comb—which he had deliberately made Tanimura handle—to the forensics team to collect Tanimura’s fingerprints and compare them with those on the bottle. Detective Asai went to the forensics team and returned, then immediately turned to Inspector Kirihara and asked. "Why didn’t you collect Seiko Nakajima’s fingerprints in the same manner?"

“I don’t believe Nakajima used the chloroform.” “But if the fingerprints on the bottle aren’t Ohara’s, they might be Nakajima’s.” “There you go, Detective—the difficulty with this case is that we must wait for the forensics team’s analysis.” “Why didn’t you show Tanimura the handkerchief Ohara was holding?”

“There’s no need for that—the handkerchief is undoubtedly Mrs. Tanimura’s. But when the time comes, I intend to show it.”

After about thirty minutes had passed, a member of the forensics team entered and reported that the fingerprints on the chloroform bottle matched those from Tanimura's left hand.

Inspector Kirihara and Detective Asai wordlessly exchanged glances at this unexpected report for some time. The excited Detective Asai was first to break the silence.

“Then, Tanimura was also at Ohara’s last night…”

“That’s right—this confirms a third party’s involvement,” said Inspector Kirihara. “Yet paradoxically, it complicates matters further.” “But,” Detective Asai objected, “if Tanimura was present, wouldn’t that simplify everything? He could have used his wife’s handkerchief to administer chloroform, then Nakajima went for the throat…”

Pfft—Inspector Kirihara let out a soft snort. “No, it would be rude to laugh, but while you can propose such a scenario in words, do you truly believe it could be carried out in reality? If what you say is true, then Tanimura and Nakajima would be accomplices—but there’s no connection between them. Unless Seiko meets him at the Metropolitan Police Department today, she probably doesn’t even know what Tanimura looks like. Therefore, I believe that handkerchief was indeed in Ohara’s possession. No, no—this case isn’t nearly that simple.” With these words, Inspector Kirihara fell silent and thought for a while. “Still,” he muttered to himself, “I cannot fathom the motive for the crime.”

At that moment, Detective Mizuno, who had been dispatched to Hoshimura Pharmacy, returned. Detective Asai abruptly turned toward Detective Mizuno, “Ohara probably bought the chloroform, right?” he asked.

"No, that's incorrect," said Detective Mizuno. "The one Ohara went to purchase was apparently a drug called insulin." "But unfortunately, it was out of stock, so he apparently returned without buying it." Inspector Kirihara's face suddenly lit up the moment he heard this conversation. "Detective Mizuno, do you know what insulin is used for?" "At the pharmacy—I inquired." "It’s apparently a new injectable drug for diabetes." "It seems Ohara had been suffering from diabetes for two or three years, and when this new drug was discovered in America, he immediately had it imported and occasionally administered injections himself." "It seems this drug was quite difficult to use, but Ohara—having studied chemistry during his time in America—read the usage instructions and performed self-treatment."

Inspector Kirihara suddenly stood up. “Detective Asai, I must now go meet Professor Murayama while attending the autopsy. Since the secret to this case may lie in diabetes, I want you to go to Tanimura’s house and inquire with the caretaker about the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Tanimura’s death.”

Five

When Detective Asai returned, Inspector Kirihara also came back shortly after.

“Detective Asai, what about Tanimura?” asked the inspector. According to Detective Asai’s investigation, Tanimura had previously employed two assistants for crafting gold and silver items, but after his wife’s death, he dismissed both assistants and now lived alone with an elderly hired caretaker. Tanimura, having lost his wife, had been utterly dejected and lived in a daze until the conclusion of the first seven-day mourning period. After that, for reasons unknown, he shut himself in his workshop every day and worked diligently on his crafts. Though the old woman urged him to go out for a walk—worried he might fall ill from staying cooped up—he merely smirked wryly and never stepped outside. However, after yesterday’s fourteenth-day memorial service concluded, he reportedly went out in the evening saying he would go see a moving picture show, and returned home around twelve o’clock.

It seems that four days before her death, Mrs. Tanimura returned home late at night and was scolded by Tanimura. From that evening onward, she developed a high fever, gradually worsened, and passed away.

Detective Asai conducted a preliminary investigation of the workshop interior but, finding nothing particularly noteworthy, decided to conclude his inquiries for the time being and returned.

Inspector Kirihara listened to this account and pondered deeply before saying, “No, thank you—things are gradually coming into focus.” “By the way, how did things go at the university?” asked the detective. “Modern forensic medicine remains as vexing as ever. While we can determine cause of death, uncovering a corpse’s living secrets proves far more elusive.” “The police doctor’s analysis confirms what we suspected—the bite wounds were indeed inflicted by a woman’s teeth.” “However, I’ve largely reconstructed Ohara’s private affairs from his lifetime.” “In any case, this gives me what I need to make Seiko Nakajima talk.”

“What is that?”

“You’ll find out soon. Bring Nakajima here.”

Eventually, Seiko once again faced the inspector.

“Ms. Nakajima, I’ve kept you waiting quite a while. The time has come for you to make a full confession.” “About what?” “You certainly went to Mr. Ohara’s house with him last night.” “That’s not true.” “If you absolutely refuse to speak, we will have to detain you as a criminal suspect.”

“Oh!” Her face paled, but then, appearing to have resolved herself, she said sharply. “In that case, I am prepared.” “Are you suggesting...?” “I will maintain until the end that I know nothing.” “Then you do know something?” “Know what?” “The circumstances of Mr. Ohara’s murder!”

"How would I know something like that?" "Last night, you were anesthetized by Mr. Ohara, weren't you?"

Her face—which seemed to gasp “What?”—had indeed taken on a hue of anxiety. “You believe you were then assaulted by Mr. Ohara, don’t you?” “…………It’s a lie, it’s a lie!”

“Then I shall state this clearly: Mr. Ohara had been physically incapable of such acts for these past two or three years due to illness. The one who administered anesthesia to you intended to cut your hair.” “Is that true?” Her face suddenly brightened as she looked up at Inspector Kirihara.

“Is that truly the case?” “It certainly is true! It has been conclusively proven medically!” “Then I shall disclose everything.” “Will you tell me?” “Ohara is my father!”

VI

Even Inspector Kirihara seemed taken aback by this unexpected statement. “It’s only natural to be shocked,” she said. “My mother was abandoned by Ohara when I was still in her womb. He cast my mother aside and took in his regular geisha. That geisha became none other than Mrs. Ohara, who had been alive until recent years. After giving birth to me, my mother endured an extremely difficult life, but no matter what hardships she faced, she raised me properly and vowed she would not rest until she had taken revenge on the Ohara couple. She continued cursing Ohara in her heart. Then, as if that wish had been granted, Mrs. Ohara passed away a few years ago. However, since Ohara still lived, my mother persisted in her obsessive cursing. But of course, she lacked the strength to take any concrete measures. When my mother died of a sudden illness just recently, even in her final moments she kept saying ‘How regrettable! Take revenge for me’ as she passed away. That is why I inherited my mother’s resolve and decided to take revenge on Ohara. The reason I cut my hair short was to place those severed locks into her coffin as part of that vow. After settling my mother’s affairs, I came to Tokyo where I fortunately noticed a newspaper advertisement recruiting female clerks at Ohara’s store. When I applied immediately, they hired me at once. Ohara showed me various kindnesses, and when he invited me last night to his home, I thought it the perfect opportunity to get close to him and accompanied him. He stopped at a pharmacy along the way, then we rode by automobile to Hirakawa-cho Fifth District and walked about one block. When we entered through the back of the Western-style house, Ohara—unaware I was his own child—began shamelessly making vulgar jokes. I had been fully on guard, but when I suddenly looked up at the photograph in the frame and thought ‘Was this the woman who tormented my mother?’ countless memories flooded my heart. Overcome with sorrow, I found myself staring vacantly at the photograph for some time. At that moment, Ohara suddenly stood up and forced me to smell something foul.”

I do not know what happened after that, but when I suddenly felt cold and came to my senses, Ohara was lying beside me. But sensing something amiss, upon closer inspection I found Ohara lying there mercilessly dead. "I was utterly shocked and fled in a panic."

I was defiled by my own father! Thinking this, I became so humiliated I felt like losing my mind. No matter what happened, I resolved never to speak of this. Even if seen as the culprit, I thought it would pale compared to this shame. Yet your words just now made me feel relieved. Truly, my heart grew lighter.

“That is all I wish to tell you. What I have told you is absolutely not a lie. After all, Ohara was my father—I can’t help feeling sorry for him now that he’s been killed.”

With these words, she pressed the handkerchief to her eyes.

“Thank you for speaking so thoroughly.” “I believe your words.” “Now, I have just one question: when you entered or left the Western-style house, did you not happen to notice any suspicious figures?”

"I did not see anyone," she answered after a moment's thought. “Thank you very much.

“You may leave now, but if you wish to know who killed your father, please stay until evening.” “I will stay.”

As soon as Seiko left, Inspector Kirihara said. “This clarified both the criminal motive and revealed the existence of a fourth party.”

“Huh? A fourth party?” Detective Asai exclaimed in surprise.

“That’s right—consider the bite wound.” “The bite wound was made by a woman’s teeth.” “Now then, Detective Asai—does Tanimura’s house have a Buddhist altar?”

“There was a small Buddhist altar.” “I suppose the altar’s ritual implements are kept clean under your care?” “They were immaculately maintained. Since it’s a newly established altar, incense had been burning abundantly.” “Then I shall now pay my respects at this Buddhist altar to meet our fourth party—and if possible, return with the culprit constituting that fourth party.”

Detective Asai stood dumbfounded, watching the inspector’s retreating figure.

Seven

When Inspector Kirihara returned, the short winter day was beginning to set.

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring in the fourth party I promised—even after paying respects at the Buddhist altar, their whereabouts remained unknown. But let’s have that wine brought out.” Detective Asai jolted. The drinking of French wine was proof that a special interrogation would be conducted. How many people would be interrogated? What words would be uttered? Even though the culprit was a woman, hadn’t they brought in multiple people besides Seiko Nakajima?

As soon as he finished drinking the wine, Inspector Kirihara said.

“Have Tanimura brought here.”

Detective Asai exited the room like an automaton. He was too overwhelmed to speak.

When Tanimura was brought in, Inspector Kirihara abruptly questioned him. "Mr. Tanimura, you visited Mr. Ohara last night, didn’t you?" "That’s no joke. I went to see the movies." "You were there to witness Mr. Ohara’s death, weren’t you?" "How could such a thing be possible?" "Do you truly claim to know nothing?" "But I have no reason to visit Mr. Ohara."

“Even if you don’t have a reason, your wife would.” “Huh?” “There is evidence.” “What evidence?” “This,” said Inspector Kirihara as he took out the handkerchief that had been in the corpse’s hand from the drawer. “This is your wife’s handkerchief.” Tanimura’s face paled when he saw it. “Mr. Ohara died gripping this.”

Tanimura looked down and bit his lip.

“There’s no need for concern.” “Your wife is innocent.” “Ah,” Tanimura let out a deep sigh.

“You saw the young woman with bobbed hair being administered anesthesia by Mr. Ohara last night, didn’t you?” “I don’t know, I don’t know,” Tanimura’s voice trembled slightly. “You made a grave mistake last night. You mistakenly took and returned Mr. Ohara’s chloroform bottle that had been used and your own bottle.”

Tanimura tried to say something, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. “Please calm down.” “There’s one more thing I need you to hear.”

Tanimura’s entire body began to tremble. He tried to close his eyes but, finding himself unable even to do that, could only stare at the inspector’s mouth. “Did you make your wife’s teeth bite into Ohara’s throat?”

“What?!” Tanimura clutched his head with both hands. “You knew everything? I’ll confess it all!” “I want to bite into Ohara’s throat and kill him!” This had been Mrs. Tanimura’s dying utterance. Denzo Ohara had encountered Mrs. Tanimura by chance on the road several nights prior and told her—claiming he wanted her husband to perform some intricate metalwork—to accompany him to his residence momentarily. Unaware this would become the terrifying source of her ruin, Mrs. Tanimura followed without suspicion; Ohara led her through the back entrance of his Western-style house and administered anesthesia when her guard dropped. When Mrs. Tanimura regained consciousness, Ohara had vanished. Startled, she touched her head to find her hair violently disheveled—realizing through this cruel method, Ohara had violated her chastity.

In her distraught state, Mrs. Tanimura ran home; reproached by her husband, she ended up confessing everything. Whether from lying too long in the cold room, or perhaps due to the anesthetic, or maybe the severe nervous shock she had suffered—from that night onward, she developed a high fever, contracted pneumonia, and died three days later. Right up until her death, she continued entreating her husband: “Please take revenge for me. Ah, I want to bite into Ohara’s throat and kill him!” she persisted.

Tanimura, devoted to his wife, swore at her deathbed that he would surely avenge her. And he resolved to carry out his wife’s dying words exactly as she had spoken them. He cremated his wife, extracted twelve teeth—incisors and canines from both upper and lower jaws—from the collected dental remains after bone retrieval, arranged them on metal fittings matching jaw dimensions, then fixed these to pliers-like tools used in casting, planning to clamp and sever Ohara’s throat to kill him.

“They say teeth burned by fire become brittle, but these—steeled by single-minded resolve—were as strong as tempered steel,” said Tanimura.

Having resolved to commit the murder on the fourteenth-day memorial service, he began manufacturing those special tooth-mounted pliers immediately after completing the seventh-day rites. Since he believed his own life would soon end regardless, after his wife’s death he let go of his two assistants; thus he completed the fabrication as planned without arousing suspicion. The previous night, when his wife had fled home still clutching the key left in the back door of Ohara’s Western-style house in her panic, he used that key to sneak in around nine o’clock last night. Hiding in the storage room, he waited until Ohara returned around eleven with a woman. He peered through the slightly opened door when, moments later, Ohara dampened a handkerchief with anesthetic and pressed it over the woman’s mouth. Though he had intended to kill him after the woman left, the thought of his own wife being assaulted in that very manner made him snap—he doused his prepared handkerchief with chloroform and covered Ohara’s mouth from behind. At that instant, the bobbed-haired woman collapsed onto the floor with a thud, followed by Ohara falling backward. He then took out the prepared pliers and tried clamping them onto the throat, but the collar hindered him from securing a proper grip. The moment he finally managed to clamp down, the woman beside him began moaning—he pressed the pliers with all his might, suffocating him. Fearing discovery by the woman would complicate matters, he fled in haste; in his panic, he mistakenly took the wrong chloroform bottle home.

VIII

Having had Tanimura withdraw to another room, summoned Nakajima Seiko to state the criminal's name and sent her back, Inspector Kirihara sat facing Detective Asai. "If Ms. Seiko were to see things as they've turned out, she must certainly feel sorrowful," the inspector said reflectively. "But through this, perhaps the late Mrs. Ohara's resentment has finally been appeased."

"How did you know Ohara was impotent?" asked Detective Asai. "Diabetes often accompanies impotence," replied Inspector Kirihara. "Moreover, when impotence occurs, it frequently manifests as a hair-collecting fetish. That's why I consulted Professor Murayama—to see if we could confirm Ohara's condition through his corpse." "However," he continued, "current forensic science regrettably cannot provide definitive proof." "But based on our investigation," Kirihara asserted, "I felt justified in drawing that conclusion—no, compelled to establish it definitively." "Ohara used anesthesia on women to secretly cut their hair. Cutting large amounts at once would have drawn attention, so he took two or three strands each time." "This method absolutely required anesthetics." "As a hair fetishist, Ohara was still inexperienced." "His sexual deviance likely developed alongside the diabetes." "Mrs. Tanimura believed she'd been violated because her hair was disheveled—but with Ohara's clumsy hands, properly retying an undone hairstyle would have been impossible." "The hair in the vanity case was undoubtedly Mrs. Tanimura's." "He must have taken the handkerchief during that incident too." "If Ohara used anesthesia," Kirihara concluded, "he knew the women would assume assault. You'd think simply grabbing and cutting would be easier—but that's where a sexual deviant's psychology becomes unfathomable."

“How about we also tell Tanimura about Ohara’s impotence to put his mind at ease?”

“Since we don’t have conclusive evidence, let’s leave it at that. Mrs. Tanimura is no longer alive, and we shouldn’t disturb the peace Tanimura has now that he’s achieved his revenge. The reason I told Ms. Seiko it was definitive proof was because I believed she would want it to be conclusive for herself. I assumed Ms. Seiko remained silent out of shame for having been violated—but I never once imagined Ohara was her father.”

“You went to visit the Buddhist altar to search for the dental remains, I presume?” “Exactly—that’s what I meant by the fourth party. Given that it’s supposedly a woman’s bite wound, wouldn’t it be only natural to consider Mrs. Tanimura’s teeth? When we examined the bone pouch from the Buddhist altar and found only molars remaining, our estimation was proven correct. Even Tanimura must have been reluctant to return the bloodstained dental remains to their original resting place. That’s why we couldn’t retrieve the teeth that created the bite wound—the fourth party’s doing.”

“When you first said those final words, I must admit I was rather taken aback.” “But they must have struck home with Tanimura.” “An important secret, you see.” “A woman’s resolve is fearsome indeed—but a man with tuberculosis? His determination proves equally terrifying…”