another detective. His paranoia spiked upward.
“First I want to thank you sincerely for taking your time to help us identify one of our cases,” Laurie said. “I cannot tell you how important that is for us.”
“I’m pleased to be of assistance,” Ben said, hoping that his tenseness was not apparent. He noticed the detective pick up the identification form that contained his information and study it. “But I do have an important meeting in New Jersey that I’m already late for.”
“We’ll make it quick,” Laurie said. “We have a second body, another Asian man, who came in last night. We would be very appreciative if you would take a look and see if you recognize him as well. We know there is some connection with him and the person you already identified. Would you mind?”
“I suppose not,” Ben said without a lot of enthusiasm.
“It’s the case I did this morning,” Laurie said to Rebecca. “The case with the wild tattoos.”
“Got it,” Rebecca said, and slipped out of the room.
“Would you like to sit down?” Laurie said, gesturing at the table from which Ben had just arisen.
Laurie took the identification form from Lou and quickly glanced at it.
“How did Satoshi die?” Ben asked, trying to make the question sound like an unimportant afterthought.
“I’m sorry,” Laurie said, placing the completed identification form on the table. “The case is still open, and we cannot reveal anything to the general public until it is signed out, and then only through our public-relations department. If you were family it would be different. I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Ben responded. “Just curious.” He was more than curious, but did not want it to show.
“So you were Mr. Machita’s employer,” Laurie said. “Can you tell us about that?”
Ben repeated what he’d told Rebecca, emphasizing that Satoshi was a very recent employee whom he did not know particularly well. Ben also described his company as being in the biotech field and that Satoshi had been a little-recognized but talented researcher.
“I understand you called the Missing Persons Squad this afternoon.”
“I personally did not call,” Ben said. “But I was concerned. Mr. Machita did not come into the office over the last two days, and he did not answer his cell phone.”
“When Mr. Machita collapsed on the subway platform, we have reason to believe a small piece of luggage was taken from him,” Laurie said, careful not to mention the fact that he’d been murdered. “Would you have any idea what could have been in the luggage? Could it have been anything specific or particularly valuable?”
“I have no idea,” Ben said, deliberately lying. If someone had pursued Satoshi to rob him, Ben would have guessed they had been looking for the man’s lab books, which were securely locked in the office safe.
Given the nature of Laurie’s questions, Ben knew that Satoshi’s death was surely not a natural one and that he had to have been murdered. Ben wanted to leave. He didn’t mind lying about something that could never be proved, but he wasn’t going to lie about something that could. He didn’t want to talk about what he’d been up to in New Jersey that very afternoon, and he was terrified the next question might be about something concerning Satoshi’s family that would naturally lead up to it.
A tentative sense of relief spread over Ben when Rebecca returned with the case file of the unidentified Yakuza hit man. She handed the file to Laurie, who proceeded to take out the photos of the corpse. These were not identification photos doctored to ease the sensibilities of lay visitors. They were the stark-naked full-body photos taken in the unremitting glare of sharp fluorescent light specifically designed to emphasize every defect and disfigurement. Although the tattoos reduced the ghastliness to a degree, the stark alabaster color of the exposed limbs and face from having been floating around in the brackish river water couldn’t be ignored.
Ben recoiled from the images, his response heightened by his general unease with a detective sitting right in front of him. Once again his medical training and experience came to his aid, and merely by sitting up straighter he was able to recover his poise. “I’ve never seen him,” he said with a squeaky voice that even surprised him. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, but I have no idea who he is.”
“Are you certain?” Laurie asked. “I know the tattoos are a major distraction. Can you just look at the face and imagine it in the full color of life?”
“I’ve never seen him,” Ben repeated, “and I remember a face.” Ben pushed back his chair and made a performance about checking the time. “I’m sorry I can’t help you with this case, but I hope I have with the first.” He stood, and the others did as well.
“You have helped very much,” Laurie said. “I want to thank you again.”
Ben then reached out across the table to shake first Laurie’s hand, then Jack’s, who was sitting next to Laurie, and finally Lou’s. Ben noticed that Lou deliberately held on to his hand longer than expected while drilling Ben with his dark eyes. “Interesting to meet you, Dr. Corey,” Lou said, still clutching Ben’s hand. When he let go he did so with a slight, final tightening before the release. Ben worried that it was like a message that they would be seeing each other again.
Lou’s handshake had increased Ben’s unease, a feeling he carried out to his SUV.
34
MARCH 26, 2010
FRIDAY, 5:38 p.m.
In the family ID room Laurie, Jack, and Lou had sat back down in their seats. Lou had been the only one who’d spoken. He had said he wanted a copy of Ben’s full address and phone numbers. Laurie hadn’t answered, but rather had tapped Satoshi’s completed identification form with her middle finger, indicating that the contact information was there.
For several long minutes no one spoke. They looked at one another as if dazed. From outside in the foyer there was a sudden burst of voices that penetrated the closed door. No one moved, despite the apparent commotion. Laurie was the first to break the silence in the ID room. “What did you guys think?”
“An oddball,” Jack suggested. “A very uncomfortable oddball. On the one hand, he seemed overly confident, on the other the proverbial banjo wire, ready to snap. He was actually shaking at one point.”
“Could it have been because of identifying Satoshi Machita? Was it a kind of grief reaction, do you imagine? I saw the shake, too. I also got the message that being here, talking to us, was the absolute last place on earth he wanted to be.”
“I should probably recuse myself from this discussion,” Lou said. “I’ve seen him before.”
“Really!” Laurie said, surprised. “Where have you seen him?”
“I don’t mean I’ve seen him specifically. I mean I’ve seen his type. He’s one of those snooty Ivy League guys. They act so entitled, like rules don’t apply to them.”
“Careful,” Jack said. “You’re hitting too close to home.”
“I don’t mean like you,” Lou explained. “You question some rules from the angle of an enlightened philosophy, whether they make sense and serve everybody equally. This type of guy questions rules selfishly. It’s about whether they make sense for him. As long as they make money, it’s okay. He’s a me, me, me kind of guy.”
“I think he knows more than he’s telling,” Laurie said.
“For sure,” Lou said. “I would have asked him a lot more pointed questions.”
“I wanted to,” Laurie said. “But I didn’t think I could get away with it. He was here on his own accord and could have walked out whenever he wanted. Maybe you’ll have a go at him someday when you’re in charge.”
“I suppose you are right,” Lou said. “I can tell you this: During the investigation of these two homicides, I’m going to have Dr. Corey’s company looked into with a fine-tooth comb. There has to be an interesting explanation
