enlarged photograph for a second time, Miki became convinced that this was the missing Hideo. Miki was overcome. He changed his plans for returning home and came to Tokyo.
“I think that Miki may have not quite believed it until he saw the person in the photograph with his own eyes, but there was no mistake. I do not know how their meeting was arranged. We have nothing to go on. It is certain, though, that the two of them did meet. They went to the Torys bar near Kamata Station on May 11 after eleven p.m…
“Motoura Hideo, now Waga Eiryo, had achieved much and was on the brink of attaining even more. Just at that moment, there appeared this figure from the past. Of course, Miki had no ulterior motive. He had come to Tokyo to see the boy whom he had taken under his wing, for whom he felt responsible, the boy whom he’d lost. For Hideo, however, this was a moment of great panic. If he was discovered to have had a father who had suffered from an odious disease and to have falsified his personal history, his engagement would be broken off. No family -especially one like the Tadokoros-would permit a wedding between their daughter and the son of a leper. The alarm and anguish that he must have felt are no doubt inexpressible in words.
“I said that Hideo forged his personal history. When I looked into Waga Eiryo’s personal history, it stated that he was born the oldest son of Waga Eizo and Kimiko, registered domicile, Number 120, 2 Ebisu-cho, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City. The deaths of Waga Eizo and Kimiko are recorded as March 14,1945. This was the day of an extensive air raid that destroyed the entire area of Ebisu-cho, Naniwa Ward. The ward office where the original registers of domiciles were stored, as well as the Bureau of Justice, were reduced to ashes along with all official documents. In such cases, the law allows for the preparation of a family register upon the submission of a request by the person himself. This is what Hideo did. In other words, there was no Waga Eiryo. The family register that was submitted in 1949 was entirely the creation of Motoura Hideo. That an eighteen-year-old boy was able to do this shows that he was quite precocious and ingenious. When one thinks that his motivation was to extricate himself from his disease- ridden father’s family register in order to pave the way for his own future, this boy deserves sympathy.”
The group was solemnly silent as they listened to Imanishi’s words.
“What we know about Hideo’s later life is that he went to a Kyoto Prefectural High School. He left during his second year. After this, he came to Tokyo. His natural talent for music was recognized by Professor Karasumaru of the Arts University, leading to the achievement of the position he has today. He must be considered a very unusual success. From his origins as a mere waif, he has become the new hope of our country’s composing circles. He is a unique figure even among the so-called Nouveau group. Yet it seems clear that to protect his personal standing and to assure his own future, he decided to kill Miki.”
Imanishi continued his briefing.
“I think it more than likely that Waga already intended to kill Miki when he suggested that they go to the bar near Kamata Station. That was why he purposely dressed in casual, inconspicuous clothes. It was at this meeting that Miki was heard speaking with an accent. During his long years of service as a policeman in Nita County, Shimane Prefecture, he had picked up the local accent. This is what the witnesses mistook for a Tohoku accent from northeastern Japan. The investigation was led astray for a time because of this confusion, but we were finally able to discover the truth.
“Waga found out from the newspapers that our investigation was centering on the Tohoku dialect and the name ‘Kameda.’ Realizing that we would eventually investigate Kameda in the Tohoku region, he sent the actor Miyata Kunio there after instructing him to behave suspiciously. Miyata went and did as he was asked without knowing why. This is my conjecture, but I think that Naruse Rieko, a clerk in the Avant-Garde Theater whom Miyata was drawn to, asked him to take on this task.
“Next, Waga invited some of the Nouveau group members to observe a rocket research center in the town of Iwaki. In fact, Waga had urged his friends to go along with him. I think that he went to find out what the effect of Miyata’s actions had been.
“Rieko was Waga’s secret lover. After his crime, she delivered to him a raincoat that Miyata was using as a costume in a play. She also disposed of Waga’s bloodstained shirt.
In mid-June, Waga was hurt in a traffic accident near Sugamo Station. Even his friends wondered why he was riding in a taxi when he usually drove his own car and what he was doing in that section of Tokyo. My supposition is that this accident occurred on his way home from visiting his lover Naruse Rieko in Takigawa. That happened to be the day that Rieko moved there.
“However, after this, she despaired of her lover who was guilty of such a terrible crime, and who had made her an accessory to it. She committed suicide. After Rieko’s death, Miyata began to suspect what his role had been and he confronted Waga.
“Miyata was supposed to meet me in Ginza the evening he died. He went to Waga’s house after he left the theater. I assume that he was shut up in that oval shaped studio and subjected to weird electronic music, which caused psychological confusion. Then, when he started to feel sick, he was given intermittent barrages of ultrasonic waves. I think that Waga knew that Miyata had a weak heart. In order to seal Miyata’s lips, Waga killed him by utilizing electronic music and ultrasonic waves to cause a heart attack. I would like to stress that this is a method of murder that has not existed before.
“One of Waga’s friends is the critic Sekigawa Shigeo. When Sekigawa found out that his lover, a bar hostess named Miura Emiko, was pregnant but refused to have an abortion, he asked Waga’s help in dealing with the situation. From here on, we have Sekigawa’s testimony. He asked for Waga’s help because he had heard Waga say that it was possible to induce abnormal physical conditions through exposure to electronic music. Emiko was brought to Waga’s studio. She ended up like Miyata. I think that, in this case, there was no intent to kill on Waga’s part. He used this method hoping only to cause an abortion. Emiko fell because of a dizzy spell as she left the studio. When she fainted, she fell off the raised outdoor hallway onto the hard concrete underneath.
“It was not only Waga, but also Sekigawa, who was shocked at Emiko’s death. This had to be kept a secret. Sekigawa was placed in Waga’s power. And suddenly, this envious friend and formerly severe critic began to praise Waga’s work.
“This is a brief summary of the evidence gathered so far. The suspect is scheduled to leave Japan from Haneda Airport tomorrow night. I will answer your questions now. Depending on your conclusions, I would like to request a warrant for Waga Eiryo’s arrest.”
There was still almost an hour until the departure of the ten p.m. Pan American flight to San Francisco. The international lobby at Haneda Airport was always filled with cheerful people seeing others off. Tonight, long-haired youths and young girls dressed in colorful clothes stood out among the others. It was an elegant crowd of well- wishers. These people were seeing off the prominent young composer, Waga Eiryo.
The clock pointed to 9:20. Those who had been chatting in the lobby gathered around Waga. This evening, Waga was wearing a new outfit. He had a large rose in his lapel and carried several bouquets under his arm. Beside him stood his fiancee, Tadokoro Sachiko, in a cobalt blue suit. She smiled more than anyone else.
It almost seemed as though they were about to leave on their honeymoon. Tadokoro Shigeyoshi stood next to them, his ruddy face all smiles. Because he was a cabinet minister and a leading politician, other politicians with no connection to the music world were also in attendance. Members of the Nouveau group stood directly in front of Waga. Takebe, Katazawa, and Yodogawa were joined by some others. For some reason, Sekigawa had not come.
They were saying that he must have had some unexpected business to attend to.
Surrounded by many people, Waga gave a speech. His expression was bright. The large flower in his lapel seemed to symbolize his happiness.
The boarding announcement began. “The ten o’clock flight for San Francisco via Honolulu is ready for boarding. Passengers on this flight, please proceed to the departure area.”
A cheer went up. A multitude of arms were raised in waves. Those who were seeing off others stared at the crowd around Waga.
The enormous foreign airliner was already positioned on the apron. The crowd flowed from the lobby to the observation deck. They prepared to wave to Waga as he entered the airliner. The boarding ramp was moved slowly up to the body of the plane.
Waga walked down the hallway reserved for passengers only. On either side of the corridor were sections for customs, visa inspection, currency exchange, and other procedures. Beyond this area was a passenger departure lounge. Here the passengers waited until the stewardess made the boarding announcement.
“It’ll be soon now,” Imanishi said to Yoshimura as they waited outside.
