The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino [47]
“Today? Well, I have a few more things to take care of here. I suppose if it was after five o’clock…” He had just finished his sixth-period class, and all the students were in homeroom. Ishigami didn’t have a homeroom class of his own, so he could leave the keys to the judo dojo with another teacher and get out early if he had to.
“Great. I’ll meet you at the front gate at five, then. Sound good?”
“That’s fine—where are you now?”
“In the neighborhood. See you soon!”
“Right, see you.”
After Yukawa hung up, Ishigami clutched his cell phone with tense fingers, staring down at it. What could possibly be so urgent that it would drive the physicist to come see him here at school? Ishigami puzzled over it as he walked back to his desk.
By the time he had finished grading his few remaining exams and had gotten ready to leave it was already five. Ishigami walked out of the teachers’ room and cut across the schoolyard toward the front gate.
Yukawa was standing near the gate next to the crosswalk. His black coat fluttered in the wind. When he saw Ishigami, he waved and smiled. “Sorry to drag you out like this,” he called out cheerfully.
“I was just wondering what was so urgent that you came all the way out here to see me about it,” Ishigami said, his expression softening.
“Let’s talk while we walk.” Yukawa set off down Kiyosubashi Road.
“No, this way is faster,” Ishigami said, indicating a side road. “If we go straight through here it will get us right to my apartment building.”
“Yeah, but I want to go to that lunch box shop,” Yukawa explained.
“The lunch box shop? Why go there?” Ishigami asked, feeling the muscles in his face tighten.
“Why? To get a lunch box. Why else? I don’t think I’ll have time to get a proper dinner anywhere tonight, so I thought I might get something easy ahead of time. The lunches are good there, aren’t they? I’d hope so, seeing as how you buy them every day.”
“Oh … right. Off we go, then.” Ishigami turned toward Benten-tei.
They headed off in the direction of Kiyosu Bridge. As the walked along, a large truck rattled past them on the road.
“So,” Yukawa was saying, “I met with Kusanagi the other day—you remember, the detective that dropped in on you?”
Ishigami tensed, his premonition growing steadily worse.
“What’d he have to say?”
“Nothing big. Whenever he runs into a dead end, you see, he always comes whining to me. And never with the easy problems, either. Once he even wanted me to solve a poltergeist haunting. See what I mean?”
Yukawa began to tell him the story of the poltergeist haunting. It sounded interesting enough to Ishigami. But he knew that Yukawa hadn’t come all the way here to relate a would-be ghost story.
The math teacher was on the verge of asking his old friend what he had really come for when the sign for Benten-tei came into view. Another wave of unease washed over him. How would Yasuko react when she saw them? It was unusual under any circumstances for Ishigami to show up at this time of day, and if he came with a friend, she would be sure to suspect the worst. He just hoped she had the sense to act naturally.
Yukawa stepped up to the sliding glass door to Benten-tei, opened it, and went inside. Ishigami followed, somewhat hesitantly. He saw Yasuko behind the counter, in the middle of helping another customer.
“Welcome!” she said brightly to Yukawa. Then she turned to look at Ishigami. A look of bewilderment came into her eyes, and her smile froze on her face.
“Did my friend do something?” Yukawa asked.
“No—nothing,” Yasuko shook her head, still smiling uncomfortably. “He’s my neighbor. He always buys his lunch here…”
“So I’m told. I’m here on his recommendation.”
“Thank you, then,” Yasuko said, nodding politely.
“We were classmates back in university,” Yukawa went on, turning to Ishigami. “I was just over at his place the other day.”
“Oh, right.” Yasuko smiled and nodded again.
“Oh, he told you?”
“Yes, in passing.”
Yukawa nodded, smiling. “So, what do you recommend? No, what does he usually buy?”
“Mr. Ishigami almost