Inspector Imanishi Investigates

“Was there anything unusual going on in the house when this happened?”

“No, that’s just it, there was nothing. It was really quiet.”

“Hmm. It is a strange story,” Imanishi said, putting down his glass.

“It sure is, boss. It was the first time I came across anything like that.”

Three days later, a policeman came to see Imanishi at headquarters.

“Hello.” Imanishi asked him to sit down. “Sorry to have made such a bothersome request the other day,” he said, bowing his head.

“That’s no problem.” The policeman was stationed at a police box under the jurisdiction of the Higashi Chofu police station. He was a stocky man, just over thirty. “I’ve come about that inquiry you made.”

“Yes, yes.” Imanishi leaned forward in his chair.

“I went to that house. I met with the master of the house under the pretext of asking whether he had been victimized by peddlers.”

“Thanks so much for taking the time.”

“I said that we had arrested a peddler and had heard that he had come to the house so I was investigating. The master said he hadn’t bought anything from peddlers, so he had no damage claims.”

“Yes.”

“In making this inquiry, I stayed as long as I could in the entry way.”

“How long were you there?”

“I must have stayed at least fifteen minutes. I started off with just general chitchat and then slowly went through the case.”

“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

“I was watching out, but I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

“How was it inside the house?”

“I didn’t hear any voices or any other sounds. Oh, yes, the maid or someone was washing dishes in the kitchen.”

“Did you start to feel sick?”

“No, nothing like that. Since you’d mentioned it, I was trying to notice everything, but I didn’t feel strange at all.”

“I see.” Imanishi tapped his fingers on his desk. His gaze turned contemplative. “Let me ask you once more, there was nothing unusual that you could see inside the house?”

“No, there wasn’t. It’s a normal house and I didn’t feel sick at all.”

“Thank you so much,” Imanishi bowed his head.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, thank you… I may ask you to do something again.”

“Certainly. My duty at the police box is quite light unless there’s an accident, so ask me any time.”

Imanishi saw the policeman out to the main entrance of the headquarters building. The policeman went out to the street, where a cold wind was blowing. Imanishi returned to his room.

“Imanishi-san, you have a telephone call,” a young detective called out.

“Is this detective Imanishi?” The voice was that of a young man. “I’m calling from Nan’ei Film Company.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve been causing you a lot of trouble.”

“That’s quite all right. We’ve found just one copy of the preannouncement of The Road of the Century.”

“What, you’ve found it?” Imanishi asked excitedly. “I would really like to see it.”

“We were finally able to call in the one that was sent out to theaters in the Tohoku region. The screening room is available today. I could show it anytime.”

“Thank you so much. I’ll be over right away.”

“I’ll make sure we’re ready for you.”

Imanishi rushed out of headquarters. The swans swimming in the moat around the Imperial Palace looked cold. The branches of the trees lining the streets were shivering in the wind, scattering yellow leaves.

“Welcome.” The staff member who had been helping Imanishi smiled at him when he entered the building housing the Nan’ei Film Company. “Please come right into the screening room. It’s all ready for you.”

Once again, Imanishi sat alone in the screening room. As the room became dark, his heartbeat quickened. What had Miki discovered in the film? Trying to identify with Miki, Imanishi watched the screen.

The Road of the Century was a major American spectacle film set in the ancient Orient. The preannouncement film began with an explanation of the production. Next, there was a newsreel-like section showing scenes of the premiere held in Tokyo. An Imperial prince and princess entered the hall and bowed as they passed by the receiving line made up of those connected with the film. The faces of the film company officials flashed by in a second, but Imanishi saw none that might have drawn Miki’s attention.

The next scenes were informal shots of prominent guests who had attended the premiere. Faces of people who were familiar from newspapers and magazines smiled and chatted in the theater. There were some business leaders, but most were from cultural and entertainment fields. Imanishi watched, holding his breath. A narration accompanied the film. Each time a different face appeared on the screen, the voice gave the person’s name. There were no faces that Imanishi recognized.

The prince’s face came on again. Beside him sat a man explaining the film. For three or four seconds the screen switched to the famous people in the audience. The screen changed color and showed scenes from The Road of the Century.

The lights came on in the screening room. Imanishi sat there vacantly.

“How was it?” the staff member asked, standing beside Imanishi.

Imanishi rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry, but could you run through that once again?”

The film was only four or five minutes long. If he had been slightly inattentive, he might have missed something. Imanishi wanted to reconfirm what he had seen, just as Miki had gone to see the same film twice in Ise. The projectionist started the film once again.

Imanishi concentrated once again. He could feel the perspiration in his clenched fists. He was once again unable to discover anything new. He had thought this would be a sure winner. But his hopes were completely dashed.

Imanishi left the screening room and walked outside. What was it that Miki had seen in the movie theater in Ise? It had not been the preannouncement film for The Road of the Century. Imanishi was sure of that now.

Miki had arrived in Tokyo from Ise City and had met the murderer at the cheap bar in Kamata. There had not been much time between those two events. He had arrived in Tokyo on the morning of the eleventh and had been killed that very night. His movements during those nineteen hours were still completely unknown.

Why had Miki gone twice to the movie theater in Ise? Three possible reasons for this had to be considered. First, there might have been a scene that only Miki could comprehend. Second, Imanishi had missed seeing the critical scene. Third, there was some item of interest other than the movies.

Of these, Imanishi was confident that it was not the second reason. He believed that he had not missed the slightest detail in the films.

Imanishi was not as confident about the first reason. However, he could not conceive of a scene that could only have been understood by Miki and not by anyone else.

Finally, was there something other than the films? He had deduced that Miki had seen the films because he had gone to the movie theater. He wondered if that conclusion had been too hastily arrived at. Miki might have gone twice to the movie theater to confirm something else. Could it have been a person? Someone in the audience? Did someone Miki knew work at the theater?

Imanishi returned to headquarters.

The vital link remained Ise City. Imanishi decided to inquire whether any employee at the theater knew Miki. He would also ask if any of the employees had quit after Miki visited the theater, and he would request information about the background of the manager himself. Perhaps Miki had gone to see him. He wrote a request to the investigation section at the Ise police station.

Imanishi waited impatiently for the reply, which came four days later.

This is in response to your inquiry.