“Be careful,” Teruo continued gesturing at the open window. “This is the fourth floor.”
“Yeah...” Shinji rushed back to his desk and picked up the photographs to busy himself while he concocted a plan to check on Ishida’s house. Right then his gaze fell on one of the pictures sent by Ozawa’s friends and he recognized Ishida.
Shinji swallowed, dreading telling Teruo. “I found something.” He handed Teruo the picture and pointed at Ishida who was sitting at a table, drink in one hand and laughing.
Teruo studied the picture, probably analyzing everything, making sure he wasn’t seeing things. “That’s Ishida Hideaki. He’s the officer who asked to be transferred to Traffic Division. I had no idea he…” Teruo stopped and ran a hand over his face. Then he grabbed his phone, most likely calling Ishida’s personal number.
Silence fell as the phone rang with no answer. Shinji picked up the landline and dialed Traffic Division. He introduced himself, gave his registration number and inquired after Ishida.
“He was due to arrive on Wednesday,” a woman at the other end of the line said, “but he called in the afternoon and added a few more days citing some personal matters.”
“Have you checked in with him since?”
“No, we haven't. His free days were approved.”
“Thank you." Shinji turned to Teruo. “He—”
“I heard,” Teruo said, grabbing the car keys. “Let’s go to his house.”
Taking the passenger seat this time, Shinji tapped his foot as Teruo sped on the crowded afternoon streets toward Ishida’s apartment. Would they find Ishida dead there? Or maybe the killer moved his body? He wanted to say something to Teruo, but didn’t want to make the mood in the car worse.
“How did you know that was Ishida?” Teruo asked.
“I wasn’t sure,” Shinji lied. “I saw him in the police database when I got hired here and I thought the man in the photograph looked familiar.”
“I see.”
It was a plausible excuse, but from Teruo’s tone it didn’t sound like he believed Shinji. He chanced a glance. Teruo’s face had turned from impassive to agitated and now he glowered. If looks could kill, the entire neighborhood would drop dead in a second.
With an abrupt swerve, Teruo moved lanes, then accelerated. “What were you doing at the window?”
“Just taking some fresh air.”
“Fresh air.” Teruo nodded. “Does that air happen to be white?”
Brows furrowing, Shinji’s mind reeled. “White?”
“You know, it’s a color.”
“Yes, it is, but I’m not sure what you’re asking me… sir,” Shinji said.
A few moments passed, with Shinji’s heart drumming faster in his chest, while Teruo seemed to ponder his next words. Was he talking about thereiryoku? It couldn’t be. The Onmyoryo secretly tested all the officers to see if they had supernatural powers and Shinji knew for a fact Teruo was a non-supernatural. The superintendent himself had run the test and Superintendent Yoshida was never wrong.
“Hm. I guess it was the wind,” Teruo finally said. “Ah, it’s all the stress.” He waved a hand. “Never mind.”
Damn it.
This was the second time Teruo brought it up. Shinji was now sure he could see thereiryokuand was taunting Shinji knowing very well he’d lied. Had the superintendent messed up the test and Teruo was actually a supernatural? But if he had been, he’d have known the ‘wind’—as he called it—was spiritual energy. Or maybe not? Shinji wasn’t sure anymore.
A fellow supernatural wouldn’t ask such strange questions and the concept of latent supernaturals didn’t exist. People either had the energy, but it was untrained and weak—mostly colorless—or they didn’t have it altogether. Teruo didn’t exhibit any sort of energy, not even an untrained one.
Perhaps Shinji was forcing himself so much to use his sealedreiryokuthat he inadvertently caused a non-supernatural to see it. He needed to be more careful until next week when his seal would be undone.
They arrived at Ishida’s place and Teruo led the way to the apartment block. He tried Ishida’s intercom number, but when he got no answer he called another apartment, explaining they were police officers. Once inside the block Teruo walked up the staircase, two steps at a time, Shinji close behind.
Upon reaching the apartment, Teruo rang the bell twice. No answer. He rammed on the door loudly. “Ishida, open up! It’s Hayashi.” Still no answer. He turned to Shinji. “Go get the building’s administrator. He’ll have a spare key. His office should be on the first floor. I’ll try calling Ishida again.”
Though Shinji knew Ishida was already dead, he said nothing and hurried to the administrator’s office and brought him back. After unlocking the door, the man stepped away to let them inside.