The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino [113]
The note told her how to use the letters, and what she should tell the detectives when they came to talk to her, all in Ishigami’s customary detail. There were instructions not only for Yasuko, but for Misato as well. It covered everything, every situation they might find themselves in, ensuring that no matter what befell the Hanaokas, they would know what to do. It was because of his instructions that Yasuko and Misato had been able to handle the police. Yasuko knew that if she made a misstep and the detectives saw through the deception, all of Ishigami’s hard work would go up in smoke. Misato must have known that, too.
At the very end of his instructions he had added a final message:
“I believe Kuniaki Kudo to be a loyal and trustworthy man. Marrying him will certainly increase the probability that you and Misato will be happy. Please forget about me. Feel no guilt. If you are not happy, all I have done will be for nothing.”
She read the letter again and fresh tears began to flow.
She had never encountered such deep devotion. She hadn’t even thought it existed. Yet Ishigami had it, hidden away beneath that expressionless mask of a face—the kind of passion unfathomable to the average person.
When she heard that he had turned himself in, she had assumed that he was simply taking their place. But now that she’d heard the truth from Yukawa, the words Ishigami had left for her stabbed even deeper into her heart.
She thought about going to the police and telling them everything. But that wouldn’t save Ishigami. He was a murderer, too, after all.
Her eyes fell on the jewelry box Kudo had given her. She opened the lid and watched the ring sparkle.
Maybe she should do what Ishigami wanted her to do—seize her chance at happiness. Maybe it was like he said: if she gave up now, all of his work would be for nothing.
Still, it was so hard to hide the truth. Would she ever really be able to be happy, with something so dark hidden inside? She would have to live the rest of her life with this guilt, never knowing true peace. But maybe, Yasuko thought, enduring that guilt is a way of doing penance.
She tried the ring on. The diamond was beautiful. How happy she would be if she could just run to Kudo, without a cloud in her heart! Yet that was a hopeless dream. Her conscience would never be clear.
She was putting the box away when her cell phone rang. She peered at the LCD screen. The number was unfamiliar. She opened the phone.
“Yes?”
“Hello? Is this the mother of Misato Hanaoka?” It was a man’s voice that she didn’t recognize.
“Yes. Is something wrong?” She felt her stomach flutter.
“My name’s Sakano. I’m a teacher at Morishita Minami Middle School. Sorry for the sudden nature of my call.”
“Is something wrong? Is Misato okay?”
“Actually, she was just found behind the gymnasium. It appears that her wrists were cut with a knife or some other sharp object.”
“What…?” Yasuko’s heart leapt into her throat and she gasped for breath.
“She was bleeding badly, so they took her to the hospital immediately. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. However, there is a chance that this was an attempted suicide. I thought you should know so you could take the necessary steps—”
The man continued talking, but Yasuko didn’t hear a word he said.
* * *
A countless number of stains, scratches, and other small marks covered the wall in front of Ishigami. He chose several at random, and in his mind connected them all with straight lines. The resulting matrix was made up of triangles, squares, and hexagons. He began painting the shapes with four separate colors, not allowing any two adjacent shapes to share the same color. All of this he did in his head.
Ishigami finished the problem in less than a minute. Wiping the image, he chose different spots and repeated the process. It was the essence of simplicity, yet he could do it over and over without losing interest. If he grew weary of the four-color problem, he decided he would just use the