Newcomer

1

Despite the air-conditioning, his armpits were damp. He always sweated heavily when all his concentration was focused in his fingertips. That was why Akifumi Yoneoka liked to keep a spare T-shirt on the premises. I think I’ll change into a new one when I’m done with this, he thought, as he delicately moved the tweezers.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he succeeded in fitting the screw, which was little more than a millimeter long, into its destined hole. The door to the shop swung open. Thank goodness that at least some of our customers are blessed with a sense of timing, he thought to himself. Customers who barged in when he was in the middle of a delicate job didn’t just disrupt his concentration, sometimes they even made him drop components on the floor.

The customer was a man in a short-sleeved shirt worn loosely over a T-shirt. He was carrying a small briefcase. Akifumi put him in his late thirties, a little older than himself. He was fit and muscular, with no trace of fat around the face. He was smiling. That was a relief. There was something about his eyes that suggested he’d be frightening if he got angry.

“Good afternoon,” said Akifumi.

The man grinned amiably, waved, then handed him his business card.

“I’m not actually here to buy a watch, I’m afraid.”

Akifumi tensed as he examined the business card. It said he was a Detective Kaga from the Nihonbashi precinct.

“Has something happened?” Akifumi asked.

“Sort of,” replied the detective, obviously not keen to go into detail. “Is there a Mr. Genichi Terada here?”

“Yes. He’s the owner.”

The store was called Terada’s Clock Shop.

“So I gathered. Is he in?”

“He’s in the back. Shall I get him?”

“If you don’t mind.” Kaga flashed a smile.

In the back of the store was a small workshop, and behind that was the Terada family’s living room. Genichi was standing in the workshop, his arms crossed, contemplating a half-disassembled wall clock. His mouth was turned down at the corners.

“Boss?” Akifumi ventured.

“It’s one of the gears.”

“What?”

“Missing teeth. Two of the darn things.” Genichi pointed to the little gear wheel.

Akifumi looked and nodded. Sure enough, one of the gear wheels in the complex interlocking mass of machinery was broken.

“Shouldn’t be much of a problem for you.”

Genichi looked up at Akifumi, rolling his eyes. “Oh, why not?”

“Why not? It’s not an especially small gear wheel; all you need to do is solder on a couple of new teeth. I can do it, if you want.”

“Are you a complete fool?” Genichi hissed. “Attaching the missing teeth isn’t the problem; the problem is why the teeth fell off in the first place.”

“Wasn’t it just wear and tear?”

“And you think that’s not serious? These two teeth broke off. I can replace them, sure, but that doesn’t guarantee that more teeth won’t snap off later. Then what do you propose? That I just solder on more new ones, and everything will be hunky-dory? Seriously?”

“So are you going to put in a whole new gear wheel?”

“That’s the least I can do.” Genichi focused his attention back on the clock.

Akifumi knew why his boss was looking so stern. The clock was an antique, so it was impossible to find replacement parts. Genichi would have to craft the new gear wheel himself.

The customer who’d brought it in for repair said something about not wanting to spend too much money. Making a new gear wheel would make it more expensive, and from what Genichi was saying, it sounded like he was concerned about the other gear wheels, too. It was probably the thought of a run-in with yet another customer that was weighing on Genichi’s mind.

“Oh, boss, I forgot. There’s a guy from the police outside. Says he wants to speak to you.” Akifumi showed him Kaga’s card.

“The police. What the hell for?”

“Search me.” Akifumi tilted his head to one side.

“Bet it’s that punk kid. Probably went and got in trouble with the law.” Genichi pulled himself slowly and awkwardly to his feet.

Akifumi followed Genichi back out into the store. Kaga was inspecting a table clock that was sitting on the work surface. It was the piece that Akifumi had been working on when Kaga came in.

“I’m Genichi Terada,” said Genichi.

“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Terada. I know you’re busy, but there’s something I need to ask you.”

“What?”

“Do you know a woman by the name of Mineko Mitsui?”

“Mitsui, you said? Could be a customer, I s’pose.” Genichi scratched the corner of one of his eyebrows.

Akifumi couldn’t recall any customer of that name.

Kaga shook his head. “I think you know her. This is what she looks like.” Kaga pulled a photograph out of his briefcase.

Genichi put on his reading glasses and looked at the picture.

“I’ve certainly seen her. Can’t put my finger on where, though,” he muttered.

“Where were you at six o’clock in the evening on June the tenth?” inquired Kaga.

“June the tenth?” Genichi glanced at a calendar on the wall. “The day before yesterday?”

“Hey, boss,” Akifumi volunteered. “At six, you were probably walking Donkichi.”

“What? Yeah, you’re right. I was out walking the dog. We always head out at about half past five.”

Kaga’s eyes were warm and smiling.

“Maybe you bumped into someone in the course of your walk?”

“Bumped into someone...?” said Genichi. His jaw dropped and he looked down at the photograph.

“I bumped into her.”

“You remember?”

“Yes. I saw her from time to time when I was out walking the dog. Come to think of it, she may even have told me her name.”

“Her full name’s Mineko Mitsui. You’re quite sure that you’ve met her?”

“Yes, we’ve met. Or, rather, we’ve said hello to each other quite a few times.” Genichi handed the photograph back to Kaga.

“Where did you meet her?”

“That would be—”

Genichi cut himself short and directed a penetrating look at the detective. “First of all, though, I need to know what sort of investigation this is for. Is my having met this woman a problem of some kind?”

“Not at all. I’m just checking something. Could you tell me where you encountered Ms. Mitsui?”

“Happy to. I’ve got nothing to hide. It was in the park.”

“The park? Which park?”

“Hamacho Park. It has a special area for people with dogs. The park’s a little way past the theater—”

A wry smile on his face, Kaga stopped Genichi mid-sentence.

“That’s fine. I know the place. Was Ms. Mitsui on her own that evening?”

“She was. She generally was.”

“What did you talk about?” Kaga pulled a notebook out of his pocket.

“Talk about? Like I said, we just said hello. We didn’t stop for a chat or anything.”

“Do you know if Ms. Mitsui was going somewhere? Did she mention anything like that?”

Genichi gave a thoughtful grunt, folded his arms, and tilted his head to one side. “I didn’t ask her. Looked to me like she was just out for a walk.”

“What was she wearing? Was she carrying any bags?”

“I don’t remember how she was dressed.” Genichi frowned. “I don’t think she was carrying any bags — though I’m not a hundred percent certain.”

Akifumi had trouble suppressing a laugh. Genichi was the last person in the world to notice how a woman was dressed. Even when his wife went out decked out in her smartest outfit, he’d assume that she just popped out to pick up something at the local supermarket.

“How did Ms. Mitsui look?”

“Look?”

“Did you notice anything about her? Could be anything.”

“Nothing special, no. She seemed to be in quite high spirits.”

“In high spirits?” For the first time, a look of suspicion crossed Kaga’s face.

“Maybe ‘high spirits’ isn’t the right word. Let’s say she looked like she was having fun, like she was enjoying her walk. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

“Good,” said Kaga encouragingly, returning his notebook to his pocket. “Sorry to have interrupted your work.”

“Are we done?”

“Yes, we’re done. However—” Kaga glanced at the clock on the workbench. “That’s an unusual clock. With those three faces like that.”

“That one? Yes, it’s rather extraordinary.”

The clock was a columnar prism with a face on each of its three sides.

“Do all three dials display the same time?”

“Yes. The hands of all three dials move together.”

“Together?”

“So when one face starts going wrong, all three dials go wrong together. The same when it stops.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Taking a last look at the clock, Kaga bowed first to Genichi and then to Akifumi. “Thank you for your help,” he said and left the store.

“What the heck was that about? Seems a funny sort of detective to me.” Genichi was bursting with curiosity.

2

Shimako came back a minute or two after the detective had left the shop. She had a cloth bag in one hand and a white plastic one in the other. Tall and broad at the best of times, she looked even more strapping than usual. Akifumi’s secret nickname for his employers was “the gigantic duo.”

“I bought some daifuku rice cakes. Let’s all have a nice cup of tea,” she said, as she disappeared into the back.

A few minutes later, she called Akifumi into the workshop behind the shop. On a small table next to the workbench sat the soft, sweet-filled rice cakes and three glasses of barley tea. Three in the afternoon was official teatime at Terada’s Clock Shop.

“Come to think of it, I heard that there was something in the papers about a nasty incident in Kodenmacho. I wonder if the detective has anything to do with that,” commented Shimako when the men told her about the detective’s visit.

“Heard about something in the papers? You didn’t read it yourself?” Genichi.

“No, I overheard some ladies at the supermarket talking about it.”

“Huh. That figures.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m quite capable of reading a newspaper for myself, you know.”

Akifumi, ignoring the sour looks the couple were exchanging, began leafing through the newspapers of the last couple of days until he found the article. There had been a murder in Kodenmacho. The victim was a forty-five-year-old woman who lived alone. When he saw her name, Akifumi gasped: Mineko Mitsui.

He showed the article to Genichi. The older man scowled savagely and stuck his lower lip out.

“Can’t believe it. Her, of all people. Too awful.”

“What was she like?” Shimako asked.

“Don’t know much about her. We just fell into the habit of saying hello because we were always bumping into each other.”

“Forty-five and living alone. It’s a little unusual not to be married at that age.”

“I remember her saying something about having a kid.”

“Had her husband passed on, then?”

“Search me. She didn’t say anything, and I didn’t ask.”

“I wonder if she had a job?”

“Put a lid on it, woman. I don’t know. How many times do I have to say that?”

“I wasn’t asking you. I was just thinking aloud, asking myself ‘Did she have a job?’ The poor thing. She was forty-five; more or less the same age as me.” Shimako shook her head from side to side as she read the article.

“You’re well north of fifty, woman. The same age? I don’t think so!”

“Fifty-five, forty-five, it’s all the same. I wonder how old this child of hers is? Probably a bit younger than our Kanae.”

When he heard the name Kanae, Akifumi began wolfing down his daifuku.

“What’s she got to do with anything?” Sure enough, Genichi sounded even more cantankerous than before.

“Nothing in particular. I was just wondering about the age of this woman’s child.”

“Well, it’s got damn all to do with our own daughter. She ran off. I don’t want you talking about her.”

“I can say her name if I want to.”

“Shut it, woman. I said don’t want to hear it.”

As Akifumi had anticipated, the atmosphere in the room was now heavy and threatening. He hastily crammed the last of the cake into his mouth and gulped down his tea, before he got sucked into the maelstrom.

Kaga paid them a second visit a little after seven in the evening the next day. Genichi had just got back from walking Donkichi, the store was closed, and Akifumi was getting ready to head home.

“You told me that you bumped into Mineko Mitsui in Hamacho Park. Are you quite sure of that?” The detective’s expression was somewhat sterner than on the day before.

“Quite sure,” insisted Genichi.

“I need you to think hard. Memory plays tricks on all of us. Cast your mind back to the last time you saw her: you’re quite sure that it was in Hamacho Park.”

“You’re as bad as my wife, Detective. I know what I know.”

“Indeed?” Kaga looked skeptical.

“I want to know how you know that I ran into Ms. Mitsui on that day. That’s what’s bugging me.”

“Didn’t I tell you? We found a half-written email in the drafts file on her computer. In it she said she’d bumped into the clock shop man from Kobunacho.”

“Email!” Genichi snorted contemptuously.

“Last time we spoke, you said that Ms. Mitsui was alone. Are you quite certain about that? Think very carefully.”

“She was alone. If there was anyone with her, then I didn’t see them.”

“And the place was Hamacho Park?” Kaga directed a piercing look at Genichi.

“Hamacho Park. Correct.” Genichi glared at the detective.

“Around what time did you get back from your walk that day?”

“Seven-ish, probably.”

Kaga thanked him and went on his way.

“That cop’s an odd one,” muttered Genichi under his breath, as he headed into the back of the store.

3

When the glass door opened, Akifumi looked up and was startled. It was Kaga — yet again. That made three days in a row. This time, however, he was dressed smartly in a dark gray jacket.

“You again?”

“I know. I’m sorry. There’s something I just can’t get my head around.”

“If it’s the boss you’re looking for, he’s out and won’t be back until later,” Akifumi said. Genichi had gone to a memorial service for a friend.

“Oh, really? That’s a pity.” The detective didn’t seem particularly disappointed. He looked at Akifumi. “It’s almost five thirty. Doesn’t that mean it’s time for the dog’s walk? Or will Mrs. Terada be walking Donkichi today?”

“Mrs. Terada is doing the shopping, so I’m going.”

“What about the store, then?”

“I’ll shut up shop before I go. We don’t get many customers in the late afternoon. Besides, we usually close around six — the Teradas told me we could close at five thirty today.”

“Interesting. I have a little favor to ask: could I accompany you on your walk?”

“With the dog, you mean? No problem. Though I’m just going to take the same old route we always take.”

“It’s your everyday route that I’m interested in. So, if you don’t mind...”

Kaga politely inclined his head. Akifumi responded with an ambiguous half sigh, half grunt.

At five thirty on the dot, after lowering the rolling security gate, Akifumi left through a side door and walked around to the front where Kaga was waiting. The detective smiled when he saw the dog.

“I didn’t realize your dog was a Shiba Inu. How old is he?”

“Eight, I think.”

Donkichi glanced up at Kaga, then looked off to one side as though he’d lost all interest. Genichi was always bellyaching about the dog’s utter lack of charm, despite doting on him more than anyone else in the family.

Donkichi set off and Akifumi followed, hanging on to the lead. The dog seemed to know which way to go.

“It’s an interesting name for a dog, Donkichi. Did your boss come up with it?” asked Kaga, walking side by side with Akifumi.

“No, it was the Teradas’ daughter. She was the one who insisted on getting a dog in the first place.”

“They’ve got a daughter?”

Me and my big mouth, thought Akifumi. Still, he was dealing with a detective. The man could find out anything he wanted, so trying to conceal things was a waste of time.

“She got married and moved out recently. Lives in Ryogoku now.”

“She did, huh? And she’s the one who named ‘baby’?”

“She actually christened him Donkey, but her mother and father said that an English name wasn’t their family style. The two of them started calling him Donkichi, and that’s the name that stuck. For my part, I think he looks like more of a Donkichi than a Donkey.”

Donkichi himself was straining at the leash and sniffing at all the street smells. His tongue was dangling from his open mouth. He was clearly hot.

They took a left after the elementary school and passed a well-known chicken restaurant. The route would take them over Ningyocho Boulevard and into Amazake Alley, which led right to Hamacho Park.

Donkichi, however, came to an abrupt halt after they crossed Ningyocho Boulevard. Turning his head this way and that, he appeared a little lost.

“What’s got into him today?” Akifumi muttered.

“Maybe we’re going the wrong way?”

“No, this is the right way.”

Akifumi gave the lead a tug and headed down Amazake Alley. Donkichi followed obediently, then raced ahead, just as before.

After a short distance, they reached a narrow patch of greenery that doubled as a traffic median. At the entrance stood a statue of Benkei, the warrior monk from a kabuki play. Donkichi tried to cock his leg on the statue’s base, but Akifumi pulled him away.

“That triangular clock was very interesting,” said Kaga, a propos of nothing in particular. “Especially the way the three dials malfunction together and stop together. You’d expect for each clock face to have its own movement. How come all three move together like that?”

Akifumi laughed. “Isn’t it amazing? When I disassembled it, the thing just blew my mind. The guys in the old days had so much imagination.”

“Any chance of you explaining the mechanism to me?”

“Well...” Akifumi grunted noncommittally.

They could see the theater just up ahead. From there, it wasn’t far to Hamacho Park.

“How long has Terada’s Clock Shop been going?” asked Kaga, changing the subject.

“It was founded by the father of the present boss. The original store was a bit closer to Kayabacho, but they moved to where they are now after the original shop burned down.”

“So it’s a long-established business?”

Akifumi gave a sardonic smile.

“The boss isn’t keen on stressing our heritage. Nihonbashi is awash with specialty stores that have been around for centuries. Unlike them, we’re not famous for making our own products. All we do is sell things we get from various manufacturers. Also, most of the store’s income is actually from repairs.”

“I’ve heard that Terada’s is famous for its know-how. People say you’re in a league of your own when it comes to mending old clocks.”

“The boss has an incredible level of skill. He can mend anything. Despite being such a hulk of a man, his fingers can perform the most delicate and intricate tasks. I’ll never get to be as good as him.”

“Why did you choose to work there?”

“It’s not an extraordinary story. As a boy, I liked watches. I’m not talking the ordinary quartz and battery watches — I mean proper mechanical timepieces driven by coil springs and pendulums. I still remember the first time someone showed me the insides of an old watch; the intricacy of it had a powerful effect on me. I was like, This is what I want to do with my life.”

“That’s wonderful.” Kaga nodded. “The Teradas must be very happy to have someone who can carry on the business for them.”

“I’m not ready for that yet. I want to get better, especially as these days there are fewer and fewer people capable of mending mechanical watches. Then again, with people buying fewer mechanical watches, who knows what the future holds?”

“Quality never goes out of style,” declared Kaga forcefully.

They walked into Hamacho Park. After crossing a little plaza of patterned mosaic, they headed toward a patch of grass where groups of people, all with dogs, were standing around chatting.

“This is where the dog owners get together every evening,” Akifumi explained, lowering his voice.

“It certainly looks that way. I heard it was a kind of forum where dog lovers exchange tips,” Kaga replied. He’d obviously made some preliminary inquiries.

A gray-haired old lady with a poodle wished them a good evening. “Good evening,” responded Akifumi. It was all very civilized.

The old lady then turned her attention to Kaga. She looked him up and down. “Oh, it’s you!” Her eyes widened behind her glasses.

“Thanks for your help yesterday.” Kaga slightly inclined his head.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Unfortunately not. I’m having a hard time.”

“Poor old you. Not an easy life being a detective.”

The old lady walked off.

“What didn’t you find yesterday?”

“Her.” Kaga whipped out a photograph. It was the same picture of Mineko Mitsui that he had shown them in the store the other day. “Or, rather, anyone who saw her.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I spoke to Mr. Terada the day before yesterday, he claimed to have seen Mineko Mitsui here in this park at six o’clock on the evening of June tenth.”

“Right...”

“Yesterday evening I came here to speak to the dog-walking brigade. Had any of them seen her? Not one of them had. They all remembered Mr. Terada being here with Donkichi, though. Donkichi’s quite a celebrity around here.

“While I was talking to them, Mr. Terada showed up with Donkichi in tow. I didn’t want him to see me, so I had to leave. That’s when I came around the store.”

“Oh, so that’s why you showed up last night.”

“The thing that puzzles me is why no one except your boss should recall having seen Ms. Mitsui.”

Akifumi now understood why Kaga had been so persistent in asking Genichi if he remembered things correctly.

“Did Ms. Mitsui have a dog herself?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Perhaps that explains why the boss was the only person to see her. Maybe she wasn’t near the area where all the dog people congregate.”

“That just raises another question.”

Kaga pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket. He opened it up and showed to Akifumi.

It looked like a computer printout.

I just got back. I went to the same old plaza as always. I stroked the puppy on the head and bumped into the clock shop man from Kobunacho. We had a good laugh about the way we always seem to go for our walks at the same time.

“You see that bit about stroking a puppy? I don’t think she’s referring to a stray dog or anything. She must have run into someone with a puppy before she bumped into your boss.”

“I see what you mean.” Akifumi looked over at the clusters of dog owners. “Perhaps the person with the puppy was here on the tenth, but didn’t come yesterday or today.”

“I thought the same thing, but so far I haven’t found anyone who fits the bill. The other dog owners can’t think of anyone with a puppy. According to the old lady we just spoke to, they know all the dogs who are walked in this park, even if they’re not friends with the owners.”

I can believe that, thought Akifumi. He didn’t walk Donkichi all that often, but when he did, he always felt that he was being watched.

“That’s a tough job, Detective. Having to check out fiddly stuff like that.”

“There’s no such a thing as an easy job. Investigative work can be fun sometimes.”

“It can?”

“For example.” Kaga paused rather self-importantly. “Questions like, Why was there wasabi in the ningyo-yaki?”

“Wasabi?”

“I’m off to a very fancy Japanese restaurant to get to the bottom of that mystery tonight. Hence the nice jacket I’m wearing.”

“Oh, I see,” Akifumi said. However, in reality, he had no idea what Kaga was going on about.

After a single circuit of the park, they headed back to the shop.

“Who’s the ‘punk kid’?” asked Kaga, out of the blue.

“Huh?”

“It was something Mr. Terada said in his workroom when I was there the day before yesterday. Remember? ‘Bet it’s that punk kid. Probably went and got in trouble with the law.’”

“Oh yeah,” grunted Akifumi. He remembered now. Genichi had said it when Akifumi told him that a policeman wanted to see him. “So you could hear us?”

“Just that bit. Mr. Terada raised his voice. Anyway, who is it?”

Akifumi thought better of trying to mislead Kaga. He’d probably just end up digging himself into a hole.

“He was talking about their daughter’s partner.”

“Their son-in-law?”

“The boss would go ballistic if he heard you say that.” Akifumi gave a twisted smile. “They ran off and got married without permission.”

“They eloped?”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Kaga’s eyes were shining with curiosity.

4

Kanae, the Teradas’ only daughter, had graduated from high school that spring. But she didn’t return home after the graduation ceremony. Instead, she sent a text to her mother’s cell phone. “I’m sorry. I’m going to go and live with the man I love,” it said.

Genichi Terada got into a towering rage and went charging over to the Sawamuras’ house. Hideyuki, the Sawamuras’ eldest son was Kanae’s boyfriend.

Hideyuki was two years older than Kanae. They’d attended the same elementary and junior high schools and had continued to see a lot of each other after Kanae went to high school, eventually falling in love.

Genichi, however, had no time for Hideyuki. That was mainly because the young man had dropped out of college without any kind of full-time job to fall back on. Worse still, while he was going through a motorbike phase back in his high school days, he’d hit someone. Genichi insisted on referring to him as “that Hells Angels fellow.”

“I don’t care who you date — just so long as it’s not him,” Genichi had told his daughter.

Of course, these days a girl doesn’t pay much attention to a demand like that. Kanae continued meeting Hideyuki in secret until they decided to move in together after she graduated.

Seizo, the head of the Sawamura family, was unfazed by Genichi’s ranting and raving. “What’s wrong with two people who love each other getting together?” he responded coolly. Quite beside himself with anger, Genichi threw a punch. Things, however, didn’t go as planned. A tough customer with a black belt in judo, Seizo deployed a sweeping leg throw that sent Genichi sprawling.

Genichi was back home getting patched up when another text arrived from Kanae. Short and to the point, it urged him to “try not to behave disgracefully.” Infuriated, Genichi smashed his cell phone to smithereens.

“I disown her,” he bellowed at Shimako and Akifumi. “That girl is no longer my daughter. I don’t want to hear her name in this house again. Never. Got it?”

Kaga seemed to be enjoying Akifumi’s storytelling. At the part about Genichi being knocked down, he laughed out loud.

“The upshot is that we’re not allowed to talk about Kanae anymore. Her name is taboo.”

“But you know that she lives in Ryogoku?”

“Mrs. Terada heard that via the Sawamuras.”

“Your boss could always go and try to bring her home by force.”

“Except that he’s always ranting about how he won’t be the one to go to her. ‘If she wants me to accept her, then she needs to come here and beg my forgiveness. And she’ll have to leave that man.’”

“He’s pretty stubborn, then.”

“Stubborn doesn’t do him justice. He’s the most pigheaded dad in the world. He’s incapable of compromise. That probably explains why he’s so good at his job.”

Akifumi and Kaga went back by the same route they’d come. They walked side by side, with Akifumi holding Donkichi’s lead. They were about halfway home, waiting for the lights to change on Ningyocho Boulevard, when Kaga began staring at something off to the left. He had a grave expression on his face.

They continued on when the light turned green and were almost back at the shop, when they happened to stroll past a taxi waiting at an intersection. A single female passenger was seated in the backseat on the right. “Oh!” exclaimed Akifumi, when he saw her profile. “It’s Mrs. Terada.”

“What?” Kaga turned to look.

The taxi sped off, before coming to a halt forty or fifty meters down the road.

Shimako had only just stepped out of the taxi by the time Akifumi and Kaga reached the shop.

“Hi, Mrs. Terada,” said Akifumi.

“Oh hi, Aki,” she said. “You’ve been walking Donkichi?” She cast a suspicious look at Kaga and made a small bow.

“This is the detective I told you about,” Akifumi said. “He wanted to see where we walk the dog, so I took him along with me.”

“Oh, did you now?”

From the expression on Shimako’s face, it was clear that she was wondering what possible purpose that could serve.

“You went shopping in Ginza?” Kaga was looking at the bag Shimako was holding. It was decorated with the logo of one of the major department stores.

“Yes. I went to order a batch of midyear gifts.”

“By yourself?”

“Yes, by myself. Why?”

“Nothing. Do you normally take a cab back from Ginza?”

“Not always. I normally take the subway, but today I was feeling a bit worn out.” Shimako shot Akifumi a glance. “Don’t tell the old man. He’ll just grouse about me wasting money.”

“Tell me about it,” murmured Akifumi.

“I’d better be off.” Kaga consulted his watch. “It’s already six thirty. Apologies for taking up so much of your time. It was highly informative. Thank you very much.” Kaga bowed to Akifumi.

“What did you tell him that he found so informative?” Shimako asked Akifumi, as soon as Kaga was out of sight.

“Goodness knows. I don’t think I told him anything very significant.” Akifumi cocked his head thoughtfully.

He went around to the back of the store and put Donkichi back in his kennel. When he went into the house, Shimako was on the phone.

“Oh no, did he? Oh, the man’s always putting his foot in it... You’re sure? No one’s angry at him? Well, I’m relieved to hear it, if it’s true... I’m truly sorry... Thanks for letting me know... Yes, goodbye.”

She replaced the receiver with a thoroughly miserable expression on her face. “He went and lost it again.”

“Lost it? You mean the boss? At the memorial service?”

Shimako pulled a face.

“Somebody said something that rubbed him the wrong way. ‘They’re in love, let them do as they please’ or ‘Only a bully would oppose a marriage out of spite,’ something like that.”

“That would set him off, all right.”

“He threw beer on the guy, and next thing anyone knew, they were wrestling on the ground. At his age, for goodness’ sake!”

Plastering a rueful “such is life” smile on his lips, Akifumi hastily started packing up to go home. Genichi would be back soon, and Akifumi wanted to be long gone when he got there.

5

Sure enough, when Akifumi got to the store the next morning, Genichi was in a foul mood.

“How’s the repair of this watch coming along? Didn’t you promise the customer to get it back to them today?” Genichi asked in a threateningly loud voice, picking a watch out of the “Awaiting Repair” box.

“I’m waiting on a component. I called the customer to let them know it wouldn’t be ready till next week.”

“You did? As usual, nobody bothered to tell me.”

Actually, Akifumi had informed Genichi, but there was no point in contradicting him when he was like this. “Sorry,” Akifumi mumbled, with an apologetic tilt of the head.

“Honestly, is there no one I can rely on around here?” Genichi stalked off toward the back of the shop. A moment later, there was a mighty thump. “Ouch! Goddamn it! Why must people always put stuff in such stupid places! I hit my damn knee.”

Akifumi was tempted to go back and point out that it was Genichi himself who had put the “thing” there, but thought better of it in time.

By the time closing time came around, Genichi’s mood seemed to have improved considerably.

“Righty-ho, think I’ll take Donkichi for his walk,” said Genichi, stretching luxuriantly as he came out of the workroom. “Will you take care of things here?”

“No problem, boss. Have a nice walk.”

About ten minutes after Genichi had left, someone pushed open the front door. Akifumi frowned when he saw who it was: it was Kaga — yet again — wearing the same charcoal gray jacket as yesterday.

“Are you here to ask even more questions?”

Kaga waved his hand in front of his face.

“Not tonight. I’ve actually got something to tell you.”

“Really? I’m afraid the boss is out walking the dog.”

“I know. I waited until he’d left. Now, where’s Mrs. Terada?”

“She’s here. Shall I get her for you?”

“Could you?” Kaga smiled.

Shimako was busy making dinner. When Akifumi called her, she came into the shop, an expression of incredulity on her face.

“I’m sorry to be such a pest.” Kaga grinned. “Don’t worry, though. This really is the last time.”

“What on earth is it now?” Shimako asked him.

Kaga turned to Akifumi. “Did you tell Mr. and Mrs. Terada what we discussed in the park yesterday?”

“No, I didn’t. The boss has been in a foul mood all day.”

“You didn’t? That’s good. It’s probably best not to mention it to him.”

“What did you two discuss yesterday?” Shimako looked from one man to the other.

Kaga then repeated to Shimako what he had told Akifumi about no one else seeing Mineko Mitsui in Hamacho Park.

She looked puzzled. “That’s strange. Do you think the old man is lying?”

“It certainly looks that way.” Kaga turned toward Akifumi and went on: “According to Mr. Terada, he left here at about five thirty and got back at around seven on that day. In other words, his walk lasted roughly an hour and a half.”

“Oh!” Akifumi’s jaw dropped in astonishment. He had been there when the boss told Kaga about his walk and hadn’t thought twice about it. When you did the math, though, Genichi’s account made no sense.

“Yesterday, I did the identical walk with you. Even the slowest walker could do it in less than an hour. Obviously everyone has their own pace, but an extra thirty minutes? That’s too much to overlook.”

“You think the boss took a different route from the one we took?”

“That’s the logical interpretation. I think he may be making a detour somewhere along the way — and that he bumped into Ms. Mitsui there. He’s claiming that they met in Hamacho Park to keep that other place secret. That’s my guess.”

“Where can he be going?” Shimako looked questioningly at Akifumi.

“No idea.” Akifumi cocked his head.

“I’ve actually found out where your husband has been going. I can also hazard a guess as to why he doesn’t want anyone else to know. One thing I want to be crystal clear about: this has absolutely no connection to the murder. If I’m right, the best thing will be to let sleeping dogs lie. For my part, I have to confirm the facts so that I can report them to my superiors. That’s the reason I’ve been dropping in here so often. I thought about confronting your husband directly, but given the sort of person he is, I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t tell the truth. Pressuring him by ambushing him during one of his walks would be taking things too far. Secret hopes can be a source of great happiness. I don’t want to do anything to wreck that.”

Akifumi and Shimako exchanged looks. What was this verbose speech supposed to mean?

“Stop beating around the bush and just tell us where my husband’s been going!”

“Let me ask you a question first. It’s about your daughter. She’s married and living in Ryogoku?”

“Has something happened to her?” Shimako’s face clouded with anxiety.

Akifumi stared at Kaga in bewilderment. Why had the detective brought up Kanae?

“In a way, yes. Your daughter’s pregnant.”

Akifumi gasped — and his surprise was only deepened by Shimako’s reaction.

“How do you know?”

Kaga grinned merrily. “So I’m right.”

“Is it true?” Akifumi asked Shimako.

“Yes, but don’t tell the old man.”

“Are you still in touch with Kanae?” asked Akifumi.

“I see her from time to time. I was never against those two getting married in the first place. Hideyuki has a job — for now he’s only a contract worker, but it’s with a good company. Everything’s on track for him, except that pigheaded father of hers—” Shimako clapped a hand to her mouth, suddenly remembering that Kaga was there. “I’m sorry, Detective. I shouldn’t be washing the family’s dirty laundry in front of you.”

Kaga waved a deprecating hand. “Not to worry. You saw your daughter yesterday. The two of you went shopping together. Am I right?”

Shimako’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“After bumping into you here, I went and made a few inquiries in the baby goods section of the department store you’d been to. A store clerk confirmed that two women who matched the description of you and your daughter had been in earlier. That’s how I know Kanae’s pregnant.”

“Did I tell you I’d been with my daughter?”

“You didn’t, no. It was just something that came to me when I saw you in the taxi.”

“The taxi—?”

“Yes, you were in the right-hand passenger seat in the back. Normally when people take taxis by themselves, they sit on the left, because that’s the side you get in. It’s the side with the automatic door. The fact that you were sitting on the right suggested that someone else had been sitting on the left. Someone you dropped off, before returning home. I’d already heard from Akifumi about the family’s problem, so it was easy enough to guess who that secret someone was.”

Akifumi looked at Kaga admiringly. That’s one smart detective.

“Okay, so you figured out that I’d been shopping with my daughter. How did get from there to the baby goods department?”

“That was simple. I already had reason to suspect that your daughter was pregnant.”

“What!” Akifumi hollered. “I’d only told you about Kanae a few minutes before. How could you possibly figure out she was pregnant from what I told you?”

“Well, I wasn’t a hundred percent certain. It was more of a hunch.”

Akifumi folded his arms on his chest and groaned.

“I just don’t get this. I mean, I work here, and I had no idea whatsoever that Kanae was pregnant. How did you get this hunch, Detective? Are you clairvoyant?”

“No such luck. Unlikely as it sounds, it was Donkichi who gave me the idea.”

“The dog?”

“About halfway through our walk yesterday evening, Donkichi got confused about which way to go. Do you remember?”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

“It was at the intersection on Ningyocho Boulevard. When you pulled on the lead, he followed you obediently into Amazake Alley and toward the park. Why did he seem lost and confused for a moment or two before that?”

“You tell me.”

“That set me thinking. What if your husband was in the habit of turning off at that point rather than going straight ahead? Going left would bring you back here. What about if you take a right? Where does that take you?

“Hah!” Shimako cried. “To the Suitengu Shrine!”

“Precisely.” Kaga nodded. “There was an email on the murdered woman’s computer. She said that she’d ‘stroked the puppy on the head’ at the same old plaza and ‘bumped into the clock shop man from Kobunacho.’ When I saw the word ‘plaza,’ I thought she was talking about the park. Then I thought, hang on a minute, what if she’s talking about a shrine or temple? And there is a puppy at the Suitengu Shrine, you know.”

Kaga pulled out his cell phone, rapidly pressed a few buttons, then turned the phone so Shimako and Akifumi could see the screen. Akifumi’s jaw dropped when he saw the picture.

It was a bronze statue of a seated dog with a playful puppy off to one side.

“The statue’s called the Dog of the Beloved Children. You see these symbols around the base? They’re from the Chinese zodiac. Touching your star sign is supposed to bring you luck. Plenty of people pat the puppy’s head for the same reason. So many people touch it, that it’s gone all shiny.”

“I know. I’ve stroked it myself.” Shimako smiled.

“I thought, what if Mineko Mitsui had been stroking the head of a bronze puppy, rather than a real one? Assuming she had, that invites the question: what was your husband doing at the shrine? Since Suitengu is the shrine of conception and safe childbirth, there was only one possible answer.”

“I see. That’s most impressive,” declared Shimako.

She did a sudden double take. “But doesn’t that mean that my husband knows Kanae’s pregnant?”

“Yes, he must. My guess is that he was worried about her — she is his daughter, after all — and that he made some inquiries of his own. He probably discovered she was pregnant that way.”

“He must have made up his mind to forgive them for running off together. Why doesn’t he just say so instead of slipping off to shrines on the q.t.?”

“That’s never going to happen,” Akifumi said.

A rueful smile replaced the frown on Shimako’s face.

“I guess you’re right. That’s not how the man operates.”

“He knows the young couple will come here to show you their newborn. My guess is that he will use that opportunity to end the standoff and ‘accept the marriage out of compassion for the little one.’”

“But Akifumi’s right. My husband hates to admit that he’s wrong.”

“It’s not my place to stick my nose into your family affairs, but I’d be grateful if we could all pretend that this little conversation never took place,” Kaga said. “Like I said earlier, I don’t want to take your husband’s precious secret away from him.”

Shimako looked hard at the detective.

“You’re a man of compassion, Detective.”

“Me? Oh, hardly.” Kaga laughed shyly.

“I see where you’re coming from. You didn’t tell us anything. Akifumi, are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely,” replied Akifumi.

Kaga consulted his watch.

“I’ve said everything I came to say. Your husband may be back any minute, so I’d best be going. Thanks for your help.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Good-bye.”

Shimako and Akifumi bowed.

After Kaga had left, Shimako sighed long and loud.

“I guess there are all sorts in the police.”

“You’re right about that,” said Akifumi.

“Anyway, time to get dinner ready, I suppose.”

Shimako passed Akifumi as she made her way toward the door at the back of the shop. Noticing the moistness in her eyes, he felt a warm surge roil through his chest.

A few minutes later, he heard raised voices from the back of the house.

“What the hell’s going on here? What are you doing, woman? Where’s my damn dinner?”

Genichi was back. Judging from his tone, he hadn’t noticed the tear tracks on Shimako’s cheeks.

“Grab yourself a slice of bread if you’re starving to death. Believe it or not, I’m sometimes busy, too.” Shimako’s voice was loud and angry.

“Busy? You? Busy gabbing away on your idiot cell phone, you mean? I’m dying of hunger here. Get a move on.”

“Okay, okay. Will you please shut up?”

Smiling to himself, Akifumi returned to the workbench and pulled the prism-shaped clock toward him. The repairs were almost done.

He remembered how curious Detective Kaga had been about how the thing worked. The mechanism that moved the hands on all three dials in synchrony was actually quite simple. In most clocks, the mechanism sits immediately behind the dial; in this one, however, it lay flat upon the prism’s base, with the spring-driven axis rising vertically from the middle. Gears were then used to transmit the motion of the axis to all the three dials.

I’ll make a point of explaining it to Kaga next time I see him, Akifumi thought. It occurred to him that the three-sided clock had a lot in common with the Terada family: three people, all seemingly facing in different directions, all of whom in fact were joined by a single axis.