CHAPTER 1
Teruo
A thin trail of smoke rose from Teruo’s cigarette. He took a last drag, then stubbed it out in the ashtray, and pulled another one from the pack of Mevius.
The TV in his private office was on with the news anchor explaining the freshly closed double domestic homicide case. Nasty business, which had put Teruo in the hospital with a stab wound in his left shoulder. It still throbbed and Teruo rubbed at it absentmindedly. For him it wasn’t over yet as he had a lot of reports to finish up and the court trial to attend in a few weeks.
The footage switched from the news anchor to the assembly room of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, where he had given a speech during the press conference this morning. Teruo winced when he saw himself on the screen. He loved his job, but sometimes he missed the anonymity of his rookie days when his face wasn’t plastered on TV.
He leaned forward in the chair, scrutinizing himself in the footage. Tie and suit jacket on point. Shirt white and crisp. A two-day beard nestled on his cheeks and jaw, but he didn’t feel like shaving it off yet. He had a scowl on his face during the speech—as he usually did—and this would probably lead to another reprimand from the superintendent later. Teruo clicked his tongue, not wanting to hear the chatter of journalists or his voice again and turned off the TV.
After finishing the cigarette, he sank back into his chair. A packet of pain meds stood atop the desk and Teruo tapped it with the tip of his finger debating whether to take a pill or not. The meds made him drowsy which affected his focus. But his shoulder hurt and his head pounded with the beginning of a headache.
Stubborn as he was, Teruo picked up the meds and threw them in a drawer, then closed it. He grabbed a book and covered his face with it. Five minutes of peace and quiet would help. Perhaps it was time he asked for a vacation. He hadn’t taken one in so long. He could go somewhere far from the capital and relax. Maybe a few days at a hot spring high on a mountain would do him good.
As he pondered, the door of his office opened, then closed. The slow rhythm of heels told him it was his friend and colleague, Koga Megumi. A Chief Inspector with the Robberies section of their division, her office was a few steps away on the same floor. They’d known each other for thirteen years and would often spend lunch break together.
“Wake up, Teruo.” Megumi’s sharp nails drummed on the desk.
“I’m awake,” he said without taking the book off his face. “Can’t you see I’m reading?”
“We both know you don’t read.”
“’Course I do. I’m well-known for being smart.”
“Uh huh. More like smartass.”
The drumming stopped. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Megumi was rarely silent as she enjoyed picking on him to no end. Teruo grabbed the book and set it on the table before meeting her gaze.
“How’s your shoulder?” she asked.
“Healing. Slowly, but surely.”
“You didn’t take your meds, did you?”
Teruo grinned. “Great deduction skills.”
She raised a brow and smirked. “Guess I’m earning my pay grade.” Her face turned serious again. “Tell me Teruo, where’s your partner?”
“Huh?”
Resting her palms on the desk, she repeated, “Whereis Ishida?” Emphasizing the whereabouts as if it were some sort of test.
Teruo straightened up, and glanced at the empty desk to the far right of his own. Having been preoccupied with the press conference it only now dawned on him that Ishida hadn’t come in yet. The clock showed twelve forty-two. He should’ve arrived hours ago. Teruo grabbed his phone and tapped on recent calls.
“Don’t bother,” Megumi said with an all-knowing air.
Teruo frowned. “What are you playing at? He needs to get his ass to work. It’s nearly lunch break.”
“Oh, he is at work, just not here. Ishida handed in his request to be transferred to Traffic Division this morning during your press conference.”
The chair’s wheels rattled on the floor as Teruo jumped to his feet. “What? Why?”
“Apparently, he couldn’t stand working with you anymore. He cried and begged to be transferred straight away.”
“Cried?” Teruo arched a brow. “The hell did he cry for?”
Megumi shrugged. “I get it. Sometimes I feel like crying too when I see your face,” she said, pretending to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.