Case 8: Call the Police (Part II)

“So, uh… how do you guys know each other, anyway?” I asked while we were walking.

The police station was apparently close enough to get there by foot. It was now almost fully dark outside and rather cold, so while I was intrigued by this whole business, I hoped we could solve it quickly.

“Ah, you see, one day the young lady came to our station—with her father, that is.”

“Oh, your dad’s also a police detective?” I asked her. That would definitely explain her abilities—the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and all that.

“Oh, not at all,” said Yua, to my complete surprise. “He does work for the police, but in accounting.”

Maybe it came from her mother, then? Well, that was a story for another time.

“Anyway, dad took me to work that day and I just so happened to hear some inspectors arguing about some case, but I realized pretty quickly that they got some details wrong.”

Mochizuki smiled. “I think you’re already aware if you’re her so-called assistant, but she’s amazing, ain’t she? She lacked most of the details but still had the guts to come over to us and say everything to our face. Her dad looked like he wanted to bury himself! I obviously doubted her at first, but what she told us before her flustered dad dragged her away ended up being right, and we caught the bastard that did it. You should ask her for the story sometime, it’s quite amusing.”

I whistled in appreciation. “Quite the bigshot, huh? So they’ve been consulting you since then?”

She shook her head. “It’s just this guy here… I think he mentioned something about his boss being appalled by a ‘little girl’ butting into their business. Well, I’ve offered him my services a couple of times since then.”

“Her old man isn’t happy about this, either,” admitted the Inspector.

Well, as long as she wasn’t dealing in bloody murders or anything, that was probably fine.

“Enough reminiscing. Spill it out!” Yua asked. “What happened this time?”

Oh, right. Come to think about it, Mochizuki mentioned something about this being a “closed room crime”. A classic for sure.

“Alright, so here’s the deal,” said Mochizuki, immediately adopting a more businesslike expression. “Our section chief, Kakizaki, found himself in a bit of a pickle. Earlier today, his wife came in for a visit and what do you know… she found an item belonging to another woman in his office. It’s a nasty situation.”

“He was cheating on her?” I asked.

“That’s the obvious conclusion, eh? But lemme tell you, that guy worships the very ground his wife walks on, it’s not even funny. You should’ve seen how he prostrated in front of her after that.”

“Who’s the woman, then?” Yua asked, also fully in business mode. “And the item, for that matter. …It’s not something indecent, is it?”

“Hmm, well, it’s her stockings,” Mochizuki answered. “Sakuragawa not only denies any involvement in this, but in fact claims that they were stolen from her sometime this morning.”

Was it just a pervert on the loose or what?

“Hmm.” Yua put a hand on her chin, clearly deep in thought. “What makes this a closed room crime, by the way?”

“From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Kakizaki’s office remained locked, and he’s the one with the only key. He confirmed the aforementioned clothing article wasn’t there when he left the room—but his wife discovered them when we entered his office that afternoon.”

“What was she doing there, anyway?”

“Oh, it’s his birthday. She brought him a cake and everything.”

Quite the nasty birthday surprise, though…

“Are you sure someone hasn’t just put those stockings inside the room before it was locked?” I suggested.

However, the shabby Inspector shook his head. “Nah, that can’t be—Sakuragawa knows she still had ‘em up to at least 11:00 AM.”

“…Just so we’re clear, what happened with those stockings anyway?” asked Yua.

Mochizuki laughed. “Apparently she accidentally tore them this morning, so she just took them off and left them on her chair.”

Was that something that happened in a police station, of all places?

“Uh… maybe she’s the one who planted them there, then?” I suggested. “We only have her word, right?”

“I dunno, her surprise at this really looked genuine. And I don’t think she had the opportunity.”

“Hmm.”

So it all boiled down to this—some stockings ended up in a closed room when they couldn’t have possibly been there. It was a somewhat stupid mystery, considering the circumstances, but a mystery nonetheless.

At least Yua looked like she was having fun. While her expression was serious, this was clear from the way her eyes sparkled.

“Can we go into that office?” she asked next. “I might need to see it with my own eyes to understand the solution.”

“Yeah, that’s my intention,” said Mochizuki with a slight nod, then added a bit in more of a low voice, “hopefully I can get you in, though…”

“For now, please describe the scene to me,” Yua asked. “I mean the moment of the discovery, in as much detail as you can muster—am I right in thinking you were present for the incident?”

“Yeah, I was. Very well, let’s see… Kakizaki came back to our department with his wife and the cake, so we decided to eat it in his office. Sakuragawa, Maruyama, Nanjo and I were there at the time. Anyhow, we entered and started eating but then, bam! The wifey gives a shriek, we see the stockings, and the surprised Sakuragawa claims they’re hers. Hilarity ensues.”

Despite this explanation, Yua looked displeased. “That’s not even nearly enough, and you know it. Let’s start with the order you entered.”

Mochizuki scratched at his chin, ostensibly trying to remember. “That’s a tough one. Obviously Kakizaki’s in the front, he’s the one who unlocked the door. His wife right after, carrying the cake. Then Sakuragawa… and I guess me and Maruyama.”

“Wasn’t there someone else?” asked Yua. “A… Nanjo, was it?”

“Oh, him? He was busy with something so he stayed outside, said he’ll grab a bite later.”

Did that mean he was out of the picture, then? Or was he more suspicious?

“I’m trying to think if it’s some sleight of hand,” Yua explained. “What kind of stockings were they?”

“…Is that relevant?”

“It might, who knows.”

“Nylon ones. Half-transparent.”

“And where were the stockings found, exactly?”

“On the floor near one of the cabinets. Pretty deep inside the room, mind.”

“Hmm… Yeah, that’s not enough. I really need to see the scene,” the girl said.

And just on time, because the police station now revealed itself to us.

“Let’s do this, young lady,” said Mochizuki. Added to the dark circles under his eyes, his wide smile looked somewhat creepy as he gestured to the entrance.