Chapter 022
THE RIDE WAS by no means pleasant, and she was in a terrible mood, but compared to being pasted with wet grass and being sucked down into the mud, the backseat of Takasugi’s old-fashioned electric car was infinitely more pleasant.
Takasugi’s rescue only reaffirmed the gravity of Kunugi’s fate.
When Takasugi had come across Kunugi and Shizue, the area patrol had been searching the public roads adjacent to the forest. Thinking he’d try to get ahead of the patrols, he chanced getting out of his electric car and walking onto the promenade.
There, Takasugi had noticed two children running off. With the mandatory curfew in place he’d wondered what they could be doing out and followed them. That was when he’d noticed the two adults.
Of course, Takasugi had heard the report—its validity notwithstanding— that Shizue had been kidnapped along with one of her kids.
“If I tried to protect the child right then, there’s no mistaking it— you would have been arrested, Boss. Anyway, you guys weren’t hard to find even in these woods, getting in each others’ faces like that,” Takasugi said.
He was right. Neither Shizue nor Kunugi realized where they were or how loudly they’d been speaking. Or rather, it was because they realized what was going on that they’d started yelling in the first place.
I wonder what happened to Ayumi? Shizue thought.
Everything about her was so composed. Where had she gone? Was it the right thing to do, letting her go off like that? Shizue thought, and thought it over some more. Being with them was probably not the best thing. But to leave a helpless young girl in the night city when there was a killer on the loose; that was even dumber.
And what about Hazuki Makino? And Mio Tsuzuki?
Those girls…
Shizue was unable to protect or save anybody after all was said and done.
She couldn’t forgive the world or forgive herself. She was an incompetent counselor, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
She got depressed. She just wanted to get into a hot bath. Her clean but astringent body soap was one of the only perfumed products she allowed herself.
They stopped at an electric parking station.
There were very few manual recharge electric cars out on the road anymore, so there wasn’t a soul in the lot.
There was a pay toilet and real shop in the parking structure. Neither Shizue nor Kunugi could use their cards, so both of them used Takasugi’s. Shizue would have rather died than ever use a men’s bathroom, but she really had no choice. The real shop required Takasugi to make purchases himself also, and despite Shizue’s serious but futile objections, she had to let him buy her stockings. If it were up to her she’d buy a complete new outfit.
She ate food she didn’t think humans could eat and drank a bottle of water that for some reason was chilled to just above freezing. Despite the strangeness of the meal, it was something in her stomach, and she finally felt like she was going back to normal. Shizue was convinced now that humans were mere animals.
“All right then,” Takasugi said over his shoulder from the driver’s seat. “So I’ve driven us up to here, but…what do you want to do now?”
“What do we…What can you do for us?”
“As you can see, I am on break.”
“You idiot! You were just taking a break in the middle of this huge case?”
“What are you talking about, Boss? You’re a public servant, not some has-been salaryman, you know. You can’t talk to me like that! You’ve got the times confused.”
“You know, I’ve been yelled at for being old-fashioned for thirty friggin’ years. But you know what? What you think is natural was all set up by us. From where I stand, you’re the old-fashioned one. From now on, you gotta work harder.”
“This is a problem.” Takasugi backed down and looked at Shizue. “Can’t you counsel this old man or something? Boss, if anyone’s not working, it’s you. I’m the one who ignored his break and decided to come rescue you. This is a clear violation of the uniform. If I get caught I get canned too! I don’t want to be demoted.”
“That’s why I’ve been saying not to worry about me!” Kunugi started to flare up. “There’s nothing easy about this.”
“I know that. You tell me not to worry about you but then you ask to see the data on Asumi Aikawa. You say those things. I mean your moves are my cues to understanding what’s happening in the case, but…the way you go about it.”
“That’s it.” Kunugi stepped up. “Weren’t you saying that Lieutenant Ishida was acting weird?”
“I did. That guy is…weird.”
“Weird how? I always thought he seemed suspicious, but it was just the way the evidence built up. I didn’t think he himself was a weird guy.”
“Really?” Takasugi said in a casual voice. “I see. I guess you haven’t really been in the know with the management team.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re just a policeman. I’m a patrol director. Is that not good enough?”
“It’s not that. But what I mean is that there are board meetings. There’s even data that only the uppermost levels of the police chain of command get to see. Anyway, besides responsibilities, his distaste for you was really obvious.”
“I knew that he hated me,” Kunugi said.
“He was hysterically damning you. Look, you published that memo about last year’s case, right? Ishida’s the one who censured it. He was at some other prefectural post before, right? He was the head of Investigative Unit R. The one who made claims on that lieutenant post? Him.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Look, the old lieutenant was getting up there in age. If Ishida played his cards right he’d get promoted there, but one missed step and he’d be sent down a level to Investigative Unit V. Everyone always ends up at the bottom of the chain, but you may as well move up the totem pole while you can. So under the guise of inheriting that position, he had you demoted.”
“All Ishida has to do is make beef and you’re demoted? It’s not like the successor to a post also gets to run staffing.”
“Boss,” Takasugi said in a strange voice. “You came from the 119, same as me, right? Then you know who Ishida is. He’s not just some elite cop.”
“I know that,” Kunugi said. “He’s the prince of the Yutaro Suzuki enterprise, his great-grandchild.”
“Yutaro Suzuki isn’t just the father figure of some big food production company.” Takasugi narrowed his brow. “He’s like a god to a certain population of people. He created a way for humans to create animal proteins without ever killing animals, so the animal rights activists love him. So do the life preservationists. He built food production facilities in underdeveloped countries and made cheap nutrients widely available. This has gotten him a substantial amount of clout.”
“I know this. I read somewhere how he’s the ultimate benefactor of the food industry. It was some foreign journalist’s bullshit article though.”
“No, his contribution to employment and nutrition problems has been highly regarded. Suzuki isn’t just lauded for his service to the betterment of living standards. There are all those people who don’t eat beef or pork as a religious matter. Now they can actually eat versions of those things.”
“They’re allowed to eat things that look like beef or pork?” Kunugi asked. “Even a replica of a cow is a cow.”
“No, it’s all completely synthetic. There’s not one naturally occurring molecule. It’s not like there’s any pork mixed into beef. I’m sure in the beginning even a clone would have been sacrilege to them, but hunger was king. If you stop thinking about it being so much like beef or pork, it’s just a scientific creation. Besides, because of this dummy meat, we’ve stopped killing cows and pigs the world over. It’s for the sanctity of those animals. That kind of connection can’t be made by just idiots,” Takasugi said.
“I’m sure that because this country was able to convert the whole world to a synthetic diet, through the power of SVC—well, second and third generation SVC leaders had political clout. SVC didn’t just gain influence in political and business worlds because of their work, but because of Yutaro Suzuki’s charisma.”
“He’s really that special?”
“I’m sure he is. He’s supposed to be awarded that world-famous something-or-other prize this year. It’s a tremendous honor, but it’s not going to the corporation or the president. It’s going to Yutaro Suzuki himself.”
“So they’re giving it to a dead man,” Kunugi said.
“He’s not dead,” Takasugi said. “Yutaro Suzuki is still alive.”
“In the hearts of the residents of Area 119, right? Yeah, I’ve heard that whole eulogy. People say that whenever something big happens in the neighborhood. Give me a break. He was old a hundred years ago!”
“Older than that. But Yutaro Suzuki isn’t just living in the hearts of the people. There are people in government who also hold him in the highest regard. Anyone now working for the environment got their start because of him. And Mr. Ishida is a direct descendant.”
“Neither of us is a resident of Area 119 anymore,” Kunugi said. Ishida was turning out to be a much bigger deal than even he had believed.
Conservationism was such a given these days you didn’t hear the word much anymore, but fourteen, fifteen years ago it was an important buzz word. Just when everyone had thought there was no going back, no fixing the environment problem, that we’d come to the precipice, the government finally recognized the problem.
The problem of conservationism went beyond just the issues of natural resources and food. It was a crisis. It had to be resolved by any means necessary. Any measure, no matter how trifling, was taken without question.
That was one kind of boom. At least that was how Shizue thought of it now.
The era’s dangers were like a kind of fever. If it passed, you forgot it. At the time, conservationism had been the fever everyone caught.
Environmental destruction was still a serious problem but seemed laughable nowadays. Shizue was still young when the boom swept the nation but felt unusually cold toward the subject.
Governments were always a little late in reacting to popular demand. It was the same back then. Transportation technology and manufacturing regulations were strategically developed, but by the time the final synthetic food conversion was completed it had been close to ten years. Still, for a country as slow in responding as Japan was, a decade was probably one of the more swift responses. The measures had been adopted with the intention of preempting international judgment. It seems this country, so bad at making decisions, executed one excellent one—the complete conversion of the human diet to synthetic food, and this new diet had become the world standard.
Behind this excellent decision was Yutaro Suzuki, they said.
“There are people inside police headquarters who are Yutaro Suzuki believers too,” Takasugi said. “Die-hard believers, as they say. Ishida’s a special kind of being to them. That’s why no one will go teeth to the wind against him.”
“You mean because if you contradict them you end up like me.”
“No, not that. If you really contradicted them…this wouldn’t begin to approach what would happen to you,” Takasugi said.
“Hmm.”
“I’m not kidding, Boss. What’s dangerous is dangerous.”
“That doesn’t mean they can just do as they please.”
“Of course,” Takasugi said and faced forward. “I didn’t say Ishida is weird just because of what’s going on with you, though, Boss. Even with this whole data transfer ordeal over the children’s files, he’s the only one who saw a need for it. There were quite a few members of the brass who saw a lot of problems with it. Look, I’ll get you out,” Takasugi concluded.
“What do you mean?”
“If we stay here you’ll be arrested by morning. If you’re going to move it’s gotta be during the night. We’re done with interrogations for the night at headquarters. No one thinks you have access to any transportation. We’ve wasted enough time as it is,” Takasugi said. Shizue noticed the time on the control panel of his car. It was 2:50 am.
“We have nowhere to go.”
“Let’s get you to another area for now. How about my parents’ home?”
“You mean in Area 119?”
“I can shelter you there for a bit. Then you can be off to your own homes.”
“I haven’t gone home since the divorce,” Kunugi said. “I can’t seem to face them. My mom keeps bugging me about seeing her grandkids.”
“This is no time for pettiness,” Takasugi said. He started driving. “Can’t you just pretend and introduce Miss Fuwa as your new spouse?”
“Of course not. If that gets processed my family gets in trouble.”
“Ahh, okay then. I guess it’s my house after all. I have one younger sister, but she’s a shut-in, so she won’t bother you.”
“A shut-in, huh?” Shizue asked.
“Yes. She’s twenty-three but she hasn’t been out since the age of eight. That’s fifteen years. But nowadays you can have all your needs met in-house without stepping foot outside, can’t you? Especially in that neighborhood, where everyone’s wealthy.”
“Is that all thanks to Suzuki too?” Kunugi asked.
“Yeah.”
“What a hero. And to think his great-grandson’s the way he is…”
“Yes, well. Yes.”
“What’s the matter?” Kunugi asked.
“No, it’s like you said, Boss. Ishida’s collusion with the area patrol has been whispered about.”
“Just as I suggested?”
“Didn’t I tell you? There are rumors he’s using them for personal business. He’s the grandson-in-law at SVC, but he’s a direct descendant of D&S. He’s extremely close to them. Seems he’s using that relationship to his advantage. Area patrol is supposed to be a public industry. They need a certain amount of secret interaction with the police, but collusion is unethical, and besides, it’s no good for one individual to be moving all the pieces.”
“No use, certainly. Hey, Takasugi.”
“What?”
“Why did you save me?” Kunugi asked, oddly.
“Because I trust you. Though you’ve said so yourself, I won’t ever get ahead if I keep trusting you.”
The car sped up.
“Don’t go over the limit.”
“It’s already past three. We’re almost there. Let’s get there before dawn.”
“Get where, exactly?”
Takasugi wouldn’t answer.
The car took a wide turn.
“How about you sleep a little. You both must be tired.”
“Sleep…right. And snore it up a little?”
“What are you saying? Ms. Fuwa, seriously, can’t you counsel this guy?” Takasugi said. “Who on earth does this because they want to? I’m doubting Lieutenant Ishida. He’s used his position at the police department to wield the area patrol for his own use, while letting the serial killer go unapprehended.”
“You believe that?”
“What are you saying?” Takasugi said, as it turned orange outside the window.
They’d entered the tunnel. A strange sound filled the transport. Shizue hated moving vehicles.
“You think so too, right? That’s why you left your house during your suspension, and why you’re on the run now? You plan on denouncing Lieutenant Ishida, right?” Takasugi asked.
“The reason I left my house isn’t because I doubt Lieutenant Ishida. I was suspicious, but I was just unsatisfied. You noticed?”
“Well,” Takasugi said.
Shizue couldn’t hear very well.
The tunnel’s structure was old, so the acoustics were off. The car window passed one warmly colored streetlamp after another.
She started to feel dazed, like she’d been drugged.
The silence continued.
It was an awful silence.
Shizue hated the soft-colored lights. Her breath became short. She wanted to open the window. The smell of the synthetic resin, the smell of mud on her shoes, the smell of sweat. It was hard for her to breathe. But if she opened the window now in this tunnel, she’d let in the dusty, dirty air.
Shizue dealt with it for approximately twenty minutes.
As soon as they’d exited the tunnel the car regained some quiet.
It was bright out.
Shizue looked at Kunugi’s profile.
He was haggard. There was mud on his face. His beard was growing in, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
His bloodshot eyes glared at the driver’s seat.
“Hey.”
“We’re in Area 119 now,” Takasugi said. “The sun’ll be up soon.”
“That’s good,” Kunugi said.
“What’s wrong, Boss?”
“What kind of work were you doing yesterday, Takasugi? Were you at the center?”
“Well, sure. There was a lot going on, what with Nakamura killed and then the discovery of Yuko Yabe’s body.”
“You got it backwards. Yabe was discovered first.”
“Oh, right. I heard the news from a little girl yesterday. While Ms. Fuwa was conducting her own interrogation I was in a different room with another girl.”
“Hinako Sakura?” Kunugi asked.
“Yeah, yeah. Her. She had that weird way of talking. It was hard to understand what she was saying. She had nothing for us in the end. Must be tough being a counselor.” Takasugi glanced behind him.
“Did you investigate the Kisugi girl’s case?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“What are you talking about? That’s right when you cleared out of the center and created that noise. I was confused. I made up something and asked to leave. It was time for me to take a break anyway.”
“Really,” Kunugi said in a low voice. “So when the call came in about the commotion at the Makino residence, you were with Ishida, interrogating Sakura?”
“Yes. I wonder what happened with that anyhow. I wonder if they found that undocumented minor.”
“What time did you clock out?” Kunugi’s tone was blatantly accusatory.
“Like I said, after the report about the Makino security breach we took Sakura home.”
“You’re not saying you got to us at that point?”
“Yes, I did,” Takasugi said. “I was worried about you. At that point I clocked out and went back to area headquarters to change, then I started my electric car and came out looking for you.”
“Is that right. That’s strange,” Kunugi said.
“Strange?”
“You said I told you I had suspicions about Ishida’s relationship with the area patrol.”
“Yes, I did. And?”
“I’ve never said anything of the sort to you, ever.”
“Really?” Takasugi said, his voice a squeak.
“Listen, Takasugi. I’m not like you. I’m an average cop. I’m not smart. I’m just realizing that you’re not telling me something about last night. To be honest, what you’re saying I said didn’t come from me.
You got it from your investigation of Hinako Sakura.”
“Is that right?”
“You…you were following her.”
“W-why would you say that? I—”
“How did you hear about us?”
“You’re talking crazy. What are you saying? I told you, I passed by and heard you two arguing, then found you. Boss, you were talking about Ishida’s relationship to the area patrol. I overheard that and probably thought you’d said it to me before.”
“I was talking in a low voice at that point. There’s no way you could have heard all that from the promenade.”
That was right…Shizue didn’t come out of the brush until after Kunugi had expressed his doubts about Ishida.
“Is that right?” Takasugi replied. “I must have just mixed up the details.”
“There’s no way you just arrived when you did. So how do you know that Representative Makino’s home was broken into by the undocumented minor?”
“I heard that in the briefing.”
“That information wasn’t yet available at the time of the briefing. The area patrol didn’t get that information until after Hinako Sakura was processed. It would take time for that information to get processed, so the investigative unit wouldn’t have heard anything until even after that. You were already out by then, right?”
Takasugi wouldn’t answer.
“How do you know what Ishida communicated via memo? Huh, Takasugi?” Kunugi yelled. He reached forward to grab the back of the driver’s seat.
“I know!”
“What?”
Kunugi poised to attack.
Shizue, suddenly.
Awakened. This man.
This man was…
“You tricked us, Takasugi!” Kunugi yelled and climbed toward the driver’s seat.
Snap. A blue light ignited.
Kunugi dodged Takasugi.
It was a stun gun.
“Hey, now. I’m driving!”
Kunugi jutted his arm out. The sound, again.
“Agh!” Kunugi howled. He curled back into the rear seat.
“You’re scaring me. Now be a good passenger and sit quietly like the counselor!”
Shizue wasn’t being well behaved; she was simply shocked. The black fear in her head boiled to a tumult.
“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up. You’re one of Ishida’s goons!”
“Why, you…”
Kunugi grabbed at the driver’s seat again and started shaking it.
“Whoa there. That’s dangerous, Boss,” Takasugi said.
“You fucker! Why are you doing this?”
“I told you—there are believers, even in the police department.”
“Stop the car. Stop it now!” Kunugi went for his door, practically yanking the handle off. Simultaneously the car swerved hard, sending Kunugi toppling over Shizue.
“Shit.” Kunugi kicked at the door.
“It’s no use, Boss. You can’t open it from inside. Besides, we’re almost there,” Takasugi said as he twisted his neck, sending an ominous look back at them.
The sunlight pierced through the windshield.
Before them was a large building. But in the glare of the sun they couldn’t see it.
Where were they?
The car slowed, then poured down a slope into an underground garage.
“I told you. No one gets away with contradicting us.” Takasugi laughed, joyfully.