“What about his work and home address?” Teruo asked.
“Yamato worked as a football player,” Suzuki replied. “Just some small local teams, never reached the news. He then moved on to becoming a coach because to a knee injury.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m texting you his address.”
Teruo read through the message after Suzuki sent it. Yamato’s home address wasn’t far from Yoyogi Park.
“We can finally check his house.” Teruo glanced at Shinji waiting for a reply, but he seemed preoccupied with what Suzuki was writing in her message, craning his neck to see better and frowning in concentration.
“Yamato was killed at five thirty in the morning,” Suzuki continued after Teruo received her text. “Ozawa at four in the afternoon. Her body had a slightly higher dose of sedative. It’s possible the killer wanted to knock her out completely because of the location.”
“Yeah,” Teruo said. “I’m astonished no one caught them.”
“What you’re saying, ma’am, is that Yamato was awake when it happened?” Shinji asked.
Suzuki nodded. “Though he didn’t stay awake long. The larynx was crushed. The wire dug deep. Frankly, I have no idea how the killer did it. My colleagues tested out the technique and the killer would need tremendous power to wrap it that tight and precise.”
Teruo pondered over that for a bit. The perpetrator had to be strong and dexterous enough to handle the wire.
“Any prints?” Shinji asked.
Suzuki shook her head. “Nothing. Not on the pet tags, not on the victims’ clothes or skin. Whoever did it was very careful.”
“Thank you,” Teruo said. “I owe you one.”
She tapped a finger to his chest. “You owe me more than one.”
“I’ll get you something nice for Christmas.” Teruo smiled, seeing Shinji staring suspiciously at the two of them.
“Good. My husband looks forward to it. I’ll get back inside.”
After Suzuki left, Shinji narrowed his eyes. “Sounds like bribery.”
“It’s not bribery if it’s a gift.” Teruo shrugged.
“Hm, true. What could it possibly be that her husband is enjoying it?” Shinji raised a brow.
Teruo debated whether to share this info. He was quite private about his family’s affairs and only Megumi, Suzuki and the superintendent knew. But if he wanted Shinji to open up to him, he needed to lead by example and open up too.
“My older sister owns a few luxury holiday inns in the mountains,” Teruo said. “She offers discounts for family and friends. Suzuki, her husband, and her daughter love traveling so I gift them vouchers with big discounts. It’s the least I can do for pestering her all the time.”
Shinji’s jaw dropped. “Your sister owns luxury inns? Also, you have a sister? I thought you were an only child.”
“I get that a lot.” Teruo chuckled.
“How did you and Suzuki get into this arrangement?”
Teruo bit the inside of his cheek. “That’s more complicated. Let’s just say I saved her husband from being wrongfully thrown in jail.”
“Oh.” Shinji folded his arms. “You like to play this role of the unfriendly grump, but you’re actually a kind and thoughtful person.”
“No, I’m not,” Teruo corrected then walked back toward the apartment. “Come on. We’re wasting time.”
He felt strange sharing this part of his life with Shinji since he almost never spoke about his family, not that he had any reasons to. They disliked him and he disliked them. Not even his sister was overly-fond of him and their relationship was just a business transaction. He’d given her what she had aspired to have in the past and she would do him small favors once in a while. It worked for them.
Teruo approached Suzuki who was kneeling on the floor. “Found any needle marks?”
“Not yet,” Kojima replied instead.
Teruo nodded. There was a possibility no sedative would be found even after the autopsy since Ishida was tied down. On the other hand, if he were conscious during the entire thing, would the criminal be able to wrap the wire properly? This was the third victim and he still had no idea how the perpetrator managed such precise work with the wire.