Haruo Terada lived in a high-rise building in the Tenjinbashi neighborhood, not too far from the Umeda headquarters of Star Rise Entertainment. Even a one-room apartment in this neighborhood would run a person around sixty or seventy thousand yen.
He must have a good salary to afford a place in this area, and as Kyoko kept watch on the building’s front door from a nearby bus stop, she wondered why he would risk that. Put it all on the line, just to go after the girl that got away?
Something still didn’t feel quite right to her. The evidence was there, sure. But Kyoko’s instincts told her that though she was on the right track, there was one piece missing. She was certain Terada was responsible for exposing Akane’s relationship and staging her suicide, for implicating Yuki and attempting to have the drugs planted at his apartment.
But motive still eluded her.
The theory that he was obsessed with Akane made the most sense, but they had nothing to back that up.
Smart thing to do was to just let Hashimoto and the police handle it from here. But Saori already told her she dropped off the report that morning. Since then, total silence, and dusk was near. Hashimoto was no doubt trying to convince his superiors to let Yuki go and bring in Terada. And Arima was probably giving him shit about it.
There was still a chance the police wouldn’t act on her information. After all, she was a disgraced cop who fell from grace, now working as a private detective. And that profession had an image of being populated by morons, creeps, con artists—even yakuza.
She had Hashimoto on her side, but Arima clearly had a lot of pull within the department and he always despised Kyoko. So in the event the police chose to sit on what Saori had brought them, Kyoko wanted to make sure she had eyes on Terada.
And if they don’t lift a finger, then what will you do, genius?
It was a question she’d asked herself repeatedly throughout the day. Nobu had posed it a few times, too. At the moment, he was watching the building’s rear entrance. They both had Bluetooth devices clipped to their ears and remained on the phone with each other to stay in touch.
To be honest, she had no idea what she would do once she saw Terada. If she killed him herself, then she’d be guilty of a crime, too. If she did nothing, she’d let him get away with murder.
Neither option sat well with her.
“Detective Nakamura.”
Kyoko cursed herself. She’d gotten so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even realize Terada had snuck up behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she confirmed it was him. Sunglasses, suit beneath an open trench coat, bald head with a goatee.
“Haruo Terada,” she said.
“You’ve been looking for me.”
“Nope.” Kyoko pointed to the bus schedule. “Just waiting for the bus.”
Terada smirked. The first crack in his face Kyoko had seen. “Of course.”
He stepped closer to her, hands stuffed into his coat pockets. Then, Kyoko felt something press up against her body. Looking down, she saw a bulge in his pocket. And she was pretty sure it didn’t mean he was happy to see her.
Kyoko looked up and he tapped his ear, indicating the Bluetooth. She could hear Nobu’s voice asking what she just said about Terada but without answering, Kyoko took off the device and turned it off. Terada held out his hand and she passed it to him. He dropped it on the ground and stepped on it.
“Now, we’re going to go around the corner to my car,” he said. “Quietly.”
“Are you going to shoot me right in the middle of the street?”
“Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
He had a point. If he was getting desperate enough to approach her like this, he could easily go further. She’d follow along with him for now.
“Loop your arm through mine, as if we’re walking down the aisle.” He poked her with the gun to make sure she got the message.
Kyoko wrapped her arm around his bent elbow. Terada led the way and Kyoko moved up to keep pace with him. They went down another block before turning the corner and coming to a coin parking lot. He removed a pay card for the machine and handed it to her.
“Number one,” he said. “Pay it.”
Kyoko took the card and approached the machine. She hit the appropriate button and used the card to pay the parking fair. The small gate in front of a black Nissan dropped down and Terada held out his arm again. She took it and they approached the car. Terada gestured to the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car.
“You’re driving.”
He circled around to the passenger side and opened the door, climbing into the seat and removing the gun as he did. But he kept it low so no one could see it through the windshield.
Kyoko stared at the handgun. Smith & Wesson M37. A common service weapon for Japanese police officers. It was definitely real, she knew that. No choice but to follow his orders, so she got behind the wheel.
“Your mobile.”
She removed the phone and handed it to him and he tossed it out the open door. Kyoko stepped on the brake and hit the car’s starter button. The engine roared to life and she pulled out of the spot, turning towards the small lot’s exit.
“Turn left, then at the main road, take another left.”
She followed his directions. The only thing to do now was to get some more information. Hopefully make him sweat.
“You know, the police have my report.”
He didn’t say anything. His hand holding the M37 remained remarkably steady. Kyoko took a left onto the main road. Terada continued providing directions. Reading the signs, Kyoko realized in short order where he was directing her.
“We’re going to the expressway, aren’t we?”
No answer, just further directions.
“Why are you doing this? Were you really that obsessed with Akane?” she asked.
“I couldn’t give less of a shit about Akane Suzuki if I tried.”
“Seems like you went to an awful lot of trouble for someone you don’t care about.”
“Just do as I tell you.”
“Or what?” asked Kyoko. “You’re going to kill me?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re having me drive you somewhere you can kill me, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So where’s my carrot? Why shouldn’t I just crash this car right now?”
“Because best-case scenario, you get away from the wreck and I come find you. Then I make your death as slow as possible.”
“And if I do everything you say?”
“Then it’s quick. Painless. I promise.”
More silence followed. Kyoko merged onto the highway. The minutes ticked by. Fifteen then twenty then thirty. Crossing the border into Nara Prefecture—not even in Osaka anymore. Eventually, Terada had her merge onto the Skyline. Seeing Mount Ikoma looming on the horizon, Kyoko realized the final destination.
That was smart. Terada takes her out to Ikoma, kills her there and drops her body off one of the mountain roads. By the time she was found, he’d have gotten away completely, maybe gone off somewhere else.
“Killing me won’t do any good,” she said. “The police, my associates, they’ve got everything they need to come after you. Think about how it looks if I turn up dead after disappearing from right outside your apartment building.”
“By the time they find you, it’ll be too late.”
The Skyline took them into Mount Ikoma. The buildings, lights, and cars that surrounded them before were now replaced by trees. Barely any lights on and with night now having fallen, that made it even darker out here.
Terada commanded her to pull off the Skyline onto a narrow road cutting through the forest. As they moved around the bend, Terada finally told her to stop and park. Kyoko stepped on the brake, easing the car to a stop, and shifted into park.
“So that’s it?” she asked. “Now you kill me?”
“I have to hand it to you, you were pretty clever,” said Terada. “When I heard a private investigator was sniffing around Suzuki’s death, I didn’t expect you to get very far. But you went down the rabbit hole. Unfortunately, it was all for nothing. You never should’ve wasted your time.”
“Maybe you’re right. But there’s something you’ve forgotten.”
“Oh yeah?” Terada raised the gun, moving his finger into the trigger guard. “And what exactly would that be?”
“I don’t go down without a fight.”
In the narrow confines of the car, Kyoko was able to grab his arm and push. The gun went off, punching a hole into the roof. She slammed his head against the window and then quickly scrambled away, opening the driver-side door and falling out the car, landing on the asphalt.
Terada pointed the gun through the open door. Kyoko kicked it closed just as he fired a second shot.
She stayed low, crawling along the side of the car. Kyoko moved around to the back, still pressed up against it, listening closely. The sound of the passenger door opening. Feet stepping onto asphalt. The door closing again.
Kyoko reached into her jacket and pulled out the Titan. She got down onto her belly and—slowly, gingerly—crawled under the car. Though she was careful, to her frightened nerves, every move she made sounded like it was far too loud not to be noticed.
Her heart beat heavy inside her chest. She felt flushed. Adrenaline was kicking in. The smart thing to do would be to use this opportunity to run.
But if she did that, if she managed to escape, Terada would get back into that Nissan and he’d drive until he put Osaka far in his rear-view mirror. Then he’d drive some more.
No.
He wasn’t getting away with this. He didn’t get to ruin an innocent girl’s life, kill her, and then go on to live his life.
Kyoko made a decision, right then and there. Either Haruo Terada would die this night, or she would.
His legs were visible in front of the car, two dark stalks against the light cast by the headlamps. Terada moved around from the front of the car to the driver’s side. Kyoko held the stun gun tightly in her hand.
She could hear him mutter the words, “Fucking bitch…” Then he spoke louder: “Come out now, Nakamura. If I have to find you, it won’t be pleasant. That I can promise.”
Kyoko slid closer to him, readying the Titan. But just as she was about to thrust it forward, he moved away. She almost audibly cursed, but stopped herself.
Now he walked to the back of the car. Kyoko rolled from under, moving to the driver’s side. Crouching low, she circled around to the back.
Terada stood there, peering around the edge. He bent down, about to look under the car. When he did, she moved from her position, jamming the stun gun into his back and holding the button down so it was flush with the rest of the device.
Volts coursed through Terada’s body. He spasmed and dropped the M37. Kyoko kept the stun gun on him for another few moments and when she pulled away, he braced himself against the side of the car.
Kyoko grabbed the gun and held it up, pointing it at him. Terada grunted and limped towards her, but Kyoko took a step back to maintain the distance.
“What are you gonna do?” he muttered. “Shoot me? You stupid bitch, you don’t have it in you—”
Kyoko pulled the trigger. Four shots rang out in the night, four rounds punching into his chest. She continued to pull, even after the gun clicked on empty chambers.
Her hand dropped to the side and the gun slipped from her fingers, clattering on the road.
She took a few steps closer to him, staring down at his body. Terada still moved, a little bit of life remaining in his body. He coughed blood on the dark asphalt and looked at her.
“You’re about to die. So you might as well tell me. Why Akane? Why go to all this trouble?”
Terada chuckled and that pushed him into another coughing fit. More blood splattered on the pavement.
“You…you really think this was my idea?”
Kyoko knelt down by his side. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“J-just…the hired gun…”
“Who was it?” asked Kyoko, grabbing his tie. “Miyashita?”
Terada coughed a few more times. Then, his head fell back. Kyoko released his tie and let his limp, lifeless body fall on the ground.