They walked past the small hallway and stopped in the living room’s doorway.
Ishida Hideaki lay in a pool of blood between the coffee table and the sofa, a wire wrapped around his neck and a pet tag tied to it.
CHAPTER 14
Teruo
Teruo’s head spun and he felt the color draining from his face as he looked at Ishida’s inert body. Rubbing his fingers over his eyes, he stepped back toward the wall, leaning against it. He needed a moment to pull himself together, to stop thinking about all the ways this was his fault because he knew it wasn’t. This was bigger than their failed partnership. Ishida had been involved in something Teruo hadn’t known about and now he was lying here, dead. But maybe if he hadn’t been such an asshole, Ishida would’ve mentioned the murderer and all of it could’ve been avoided.
He heard Shinji’s voice, though he was only half paying attention. Shinji had probably called the forensic team, so Suzuki would be here soon. Ishida would become just another name in a file for what were now clearly serial killings.
A squeeze of his shoulder brought Teruo back. Shinji stood next to him, looking worried.
“Are you all right?” Shinji asked.
Teruo let out a long sigh. “He was so young and his last experience was working with… me.”
“Don’t blame yourself for something that was out of your control.”
Teruo drew a hand through his hair. “But what if it was within my control? I’m trying to think if Ishida ever told me details about his personal life. Anything at all that would make sense of this mess, but we were never that close.”
“I’m very sorry. If you need to take some—”
“Absolutely not.” Teruo straightened up. “I’m the lead detective on the case. It’s my duty to find the piece of shit who did this and put them behind bars.” He took a long breath, pushing any other thoughts to the back of his mind. “Did you call the forensics?” he asked Shinji.
“Yes. I already requested Suzuki, if she’s available.”
“Good. Go to the car and get the gloves and shoe covers. They’re on the back seat in a black bag. I want to take a closer look.”
“Yes, sir.” Shinji hurried out of the apartment.
While waiting for Shinji, Teruo walked toward the hallway where the landlord still stood, face pale.
“Is he dead?” the landlord whispered.
“I’m afraid yes. Could you please tell me when was the last time you spoke with Ishida Hideaki?”
“Last week, when he paid the rent. He was a nice young man. Cheerful. We got along well.”
Teruo felt a new wave of guilt washing over him. “Has he had any visitors recently?”
“He might have. I don’t keep track of everyone who enters the building. A lot of people live here.”
“Has he mentioned anything strange or out of the ordinary?”
The landlord thought for a second, then spoke, “Well, not lately, but he did say he owed something to a friend a while ago. I think a month or so, maybe longer. Said he needed to make amends, to become a better person. I told him he was already a good person.”
Make amends, Teruo repeated. Wasn’t that what Ozawa had told her friends too?
“Do you know who this friend might be?” Teruo asked.
The landlord shrugged. “No idea.”
Shinji rounded the corner returning with the gloves and covers. Teruo thanked the landlord and walked back inside the apartment, Shinji following close behind, and relayed what the landlord had said about Ishida’s friend.
“This friend could very well be our killer,” Shinji said.
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Teruo nodded. “Ishida, Ozawa and the jogger wronged this person in some way, so the killer decided to exact revenge. I’ll dig up Ishida’s high school too, but I have a feeling it’s the same one.”