Read Online Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Keigo Higashino
Ads: Link
ready for the next class.’
‘Do you bring a lunch?’
‘Not usually. Yesterday I went out and ate at a noodle place in a department store that’s nearby …’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘I think I was away from the school building for about an hour. I wouldn’t have been able to go to the Mashibas’ and back in that amount of time.’
Kusanagi chuckled, waving a hand. ‘Don’t worry, we’re not checking your alibi. According to what you told us yesterday, you gave Mr Mashiba a call as soon as your class was finished. Would you care to amend that statement in any way?’
Hiromi frowned and looked away. ‘I did call him. That’s true enough. But my reason was a little different from what I said.’
‘I believe you told us that you were worried about how he was getting along without his wife there?’
‘Actually, when I left that morning, he asked me to call him when I was through with class.’
Kusanagi stared at her. ‘He invited you out to dinner, didn’t he?’
‘I think that was the plan, yes.’
‘Well, honestly, that makes a lot more sense. It would take an extremely devoted student to worry that much about her teacher’s husband, and a champion worrier to go to someone’s house just because they didn’t answer the phone.’
Hiromi’s shoulders sagged. ‘I was afraid it sounded suspicious. But I couldn’t think of what else to say.’
‘Mr Mashiba didn’t answer the phone, so you went to his house – any adjustments that need making there?’
‘No. Everything else happened just like I said it did. I’m sorry I lied.’
Next to Kusanagi, Utsumi was furiously taking notes. He glanced over at her before returning to Hiromi. Everything in her story thus far made sense. All of the doubts they’d had the night before had been largely defused. Not that this was reason enough to trust her completely.
‘Like I said, we’re fairly certain that this is a homicide. I believe I asked you last night if you had any suspicions as to who might have been responsible. You told me you didn’t – that you knew nothing about the deceased other than that he was your teacher’s husband. I wonder if you might beable to elaborate now that we know about your connection with him?’
Hiromi raised her eyebrows. ‘I really don’t know who it could have been. I can’t believe anyone would want to kill Yoshitaka.’
Kusanagi mentally noted her shift from ‘Mr Mashiba’ to ‘Yoshitaka.’
‘Try to recall any recent conversations. If this was a homicide, then it was clearly premeditated. That means that there will be a definite motive, and in most cases, the victim is well aware of it. Even if he was trying to keep it from you, he may have said something inadvertently.’
Hiromi rubbed her temples with her fingers and shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Work seemed to be going fine, he didn’t have any big worries, and he never spoke ill of anyone.’
‘Please, take a moment now to think it over again.’
She looked at Kusanagi with sad, defiant eyes. ‘I did think about it. I cried all night thinking about it, wondering how this could’ve happened. I thought about everything we said to each other, everything we did, over and over again. I still have no idea. Detective, I want to know why he was killed, too. More than anything else, I want to know.’
Kusanagi noticed a redness in her eyes, a pink blush in the skin around them.
She really loved him,
Kusanagi thought.
Or if this is just an act, she’s really good.
‘When did your relationship with Mr Mashiba begin?’
Hiromi opened her reddening eyes wide. ‘Does this have something to do with the case?’
‘It’s not for you to decide whether it does or whether it doesn’t. It’s for us to decide. Again, we won’t mention it to anyone; and, once we’re satisfied it has nothing to do with the case, we won’t pry any further.’
Her lips formed a tight line and she took a deep breath. She reached out and took a sip of her
‘Do you bring a lunch?’
‘Not usually. Yesterday I went out and ate at a noodle place in a department store that’s nearby …’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘I think I was away from the school building for about an hour. I wouldn’t have been able to go to the Mashibas’ and back in that amount of time.’
Kusanagi chuckled, waving a hand. ‘Don’t worry, we’re not checking your alibi. According to what you told us yesterday, you gave Mr Mashiba a call as soon as your class was finished. Would you care to amend that statement in any way?’
Hiromi frowned and looked away. ‘I did call him. That’s true enough. But my reason was a little different from what I said.’
‘I believe you told us that you were worried about how he was getting along without his wife there?’
‘Actually, when I left that morning, he asked me to call him when I was through with class.’
Kusanagi stared at her. ‘He invited you out to dinner, didn’t he?’
‘I think that was the plan, yes.’
‘Well, honestly, that makes a lot more sense. It would take an extremely devoted student to worry that much about her teacher’s husband, and a champion worrier to go to someone’s house just because they didn’t answer the phone.’
Hiromi’s shoulders sagged. ‘I was afraid it sounded suspicious. But I couldn’t think of what else to say.’
‘Mr Mashiba didn’t answer the phone, so you went to his house – any adjustments that need making there?’
‘No. Everything else happened just like I said it did. I’m sorry I lied.’
Next to Kusanagi, Utsumi was furiously taking notes. He glanced over at her before returning to Hiromi. Everything in her story thus far made sense. All of the doubts they’d had the night before had been largely defused. Not that this was reason enough to trust her completely.
‘Like I said, we’re fairly certain that this is a homicide. I believe I asked you last night if you had any suspicions as to who might have been responsible. You told me you didn’t – that you knew nothing about the deceased other than that he was your teacher’s husband. I wonder if you might beable to elaborate now that we know about your connection with him?’
Hiromi raised her eyebrows. ‘I really don’t know who it could have been. I can’t believe anyone would want to kill Yoshitaka.’
Kusanagi mentally noted her shift from ‘Mr Mashiba’ to ‘Yoshitaka.’
‘Try to recall any recent conversations. If this was a homicide, then it was clearly premeditated. That means that there will be a definite motive, and in most cases, the victim is well aware of it. Even if he was trying to keep it from you, he may have said something inadvertently.’
Hiromi rubbed her temples with her fingers and shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Work seemed to be going fine, he didn’t have any big worries, and he never spoke ill of anyone.’
‘Please, take a moment now to think it over again.’
She looked at Kusanagi with sad, defiant eyes. ‘I did think about it. I cried all night thinking about it, wondering how this could’ve happened. I thought about everything we said to each other, everything we did, over and over again. I still have no idea. Detective, I want to know why he was killed, too. More than anything else, I want to know.’
Kusanagi noticed a redness in her eyes, a pink blush in the skin around them.
She really loved him,
Kusanagi thought.
Or if this is just an act, she’s really good.
‘When did your relationship with Mr Mashiba begin?’
Hiromi opened her reddening eyes wide. ‘Does this have something to do with the case?’
‘It’s not for you to decide whether it does or whether it doesn’t. It’s for us to decide. Again, we won’t mention it to anyone; and, once we’re satisfied it has nothing to do with the case, we won’t pry any further.’
Her lips formed a tight line and she took a deep breath. She reached out and took a sip of her
Similar Books
