The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino [63]
“To hide the fact that the victim couldn’t have gotten there by himself,” Kusanagi said. “Because he was already dead when the killer carried him there. That’s what the captain thinks.”
“And you disagree with that theory, yes? I assume because your lead suspect Yasuko Hanaoka doesn’t have a driver’s license.”
“Well, all bets on that are off if she had an accomplice.”
“Right, but let’s focus on the time that bicycle was stolen. I heard it was taken sometime between eleven in the morning and ten at night, and I wondered how you were able to pinpoint the time it was stolen so precisely.”
“Because that’s what the bicycle’s owner told us. It’s not rocket science.”
“Indeed,” Yukawa said, gesturing emphatically with his can of coffee. “And how were you able to find out that it was her bicycle so quickly?”
“That’s not rocket science either. She reported it stolen. All we had to do was compare the registration number on the bike to the one on the police report she filed.”
Yukawa groaned at his response. Kusanagi could see his hard stare, even behind his sunglasses. “What is it? What’s bothering you now?”
“Do you know where the bicycle was when it was stolen?”
“Of course I do. I was the one who questioned the owner.”
“Then, could you take me there? It’s around here, isn’t it?”
Kusanagi felt the intensity of Yukawa’s gaze. He was about to ask, “Why bother?” but decided against it. The physicist’s eyes had that gleam they got whenever he was close to formulating a hypothesis.
“It’s over this way,” Kusanagi said, and he headed for the site.
The place was only fifty meters or so from where they had been drinking their coffee. Kusanagi stood in front of a row of bicycles.
“She said that she had it chained to the railing along the sidewalk, here.”
“The thief cut the chain?”
“Seems likely.”
“So he had bolt cutters with him…” Yukawa muttered, glancing down the road. “There’s an awful lot of bicycles here without chains. Why would he steal one that was chained?”
“How should I know? Maybe he liked that bike.”
“Liked it?” Yukawa said to himself. “What did he like about it?”
“If you’re trying to say something, why not spit it out?” Kusanagi growled.
“As you know, I came here yesterday as well. And like today, I stood here, observing. Bicycles are left here all day long—lots of them. Some are locked, and some left so blatantly unlocked I think the owners half want them to get stolen. Out of all these bicycles, why did our murderer choose that one?”
“We don’t know it was the murderer who took the bike.”
“Very well. Let’s stick with the original theory. Say it was the victim himself who stole it. Either way, why choose that one?”
Kusanagi shook his head. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at. It was an average bike, nothing remarkable about it at all. He probably just picked one at random.”
“Random? I think not.” Yukawa waved a finger at the detective. “Let me guess: the bicycle was brand-new, or practically brand-new. Well? Am I right?”
Taken aback, Kusanagi reflected on his discussion with the bicycle’s owner. “Yeah, it was,” he replied after a moment. “Now that you mention it, she did say she’d only bought it a month ago.”
Yukawa nodded, a satisfied look on his face. “As I expected. The owner of a brand-new bicycle with an expensive chain on it is a good deal more likely to file a report with the police if it’s stolen. Our thief expected this, and that’s why he brought the bolt cutters.”
“You mean he went for a new bike on purpose?”
“Indeed.”
“Why?”
“There can be only one reason. The criminal wanted the bicycle owner to file a report. Somehow, having a police report on file claiming the bicycle was stolen worked in our criminal’s favor. Probably because it would lead the investigation down the wrong path.”
“So you mean to say that even though we think the bicycle was stolen between eleven in the morning and ten at night, we’re wrong? But how would the thief know what the bicycle’s owner was going to say?