But Ishida was dead.
Teruo’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, struggling to focus on the road ahead and the taxi which was a few cars in front of him.
Breathe. I need to do this. I have to know.
He tried telling himself this was just like one of the many times he had to follow suspects around. Except this wasn’t a suspect. This was Shinji, his newly assigned subordinate officer with whom Teruo slept. Shinji who had made him feel wanted again like he hadn’t felt in so many years. He even dared hope that perhaps in time their casual relationship could evolve into more.
The worst part was that a little corner of his mind still held onto this hope and the way he’d rejected Shinji in the morning pained him tremendously. Nothing lasted for him. Not his work relationships or his personal relationships.
Damn it…
The address was in a quiet neighborhood in Higashikurume. Too quiet for Teruo’s liking, so he parked at a distance, grabbed his binoculars and observed Shinji from afar. He stopped at a storage building and showed the bodyguard something. His police ID maybe?
The bodyguard stood, pressed his hands together and when Teruo blinked they both… disappeared.
Just like that. Into thin air.
Another blink and the bodyguard was back on his chair, leisurely reading a book.
“What the actual fuck is going on?” Teruo muttered to himself.
He remained in his car, mouth ajar, not knowing what to make of it all. How the hell could two people get inside a locked building in less than a second and then return just as fast? The door still had the lock on—quite a massive one from what he could see through the binoculars.
The only thing he could do was patiently wait and see if Shinji would come out, perhaps joined by the guy who had sent the message. Teruo was half tempted to go there, shove his badge in the bodyguard’s face and ask some questions. But that would’ve attracted unnecessary attention.
Teruo checked his watch. It had been half an hour since Shinji disappeared. Perhaps he got out another way. A back door? He debated whether to drive around and check for another entrance, but decided to remain in his spot for now.
To his continuous confusion and astonishment, two more people arrived at the storage building: a woman and a man dressed in smart suits. They showed some sort of ID as well and this time Teruo made sure not to blink.
The bodyguard pressed his palms together. A little breeze fluttered their clothes and then…
“Fucking hell,” Teruo whispered and rubbed his fingers over his eyes.
All three had disappeared right in front of him. One second they were there and then they weren’t. Teruo couldn’t even tell what happened. Did they fall? Jump? Was there some sort of glass creating an illusion? All scenarios sounded implausible or just plain stupid.
Teruo swallowed hard as shivers ran down his spine. The wind. The damn wind. There was no wind outside. Tilting his head, Teruo looked up at the trees and around at any light objects from the streets that would flutter even in the smallest of breezes.
Nothing.
No wind.
It was a sunny albeit cold Saturday afternoon in November.
He leaned back in his chair and a sense of fear overtook him. That strange flutter of wind had surrounded Shinji the day they first met and Teruo had seen it around him ever since. He could barely believe it had only been six days. In this mere span of time Shinji had managed to confuse him, charm him, kiss him, get in bed with him and now drive him all the way to Higashikurume to stare at a storage building where people disappeared.
Teruo had thought his eyes played tricks on him when he’d seen that strange white wind. It made his skin crawl. The last case which got him injured and pushed Ishida’s transfer had tired him. The superintendent’s threat of demoting him coupled with a new case and three victims dropping one after another placed Teruo in a horrible mood. Worse than usual. He’d been sure it was this mood that caused him to see things.
Now he was certain it hadn’t been stress. He hadn’t imagined anything. He wasn’t crazy. But... if this wasn’t all in his head, then what was happening?
Another fifteen minutes and a blink later, Shinji stood outside the storage building. Teruo had been so wrapped up in his thoughts he missed the moment Shinji exited. The lock was still in place and the bodyguard was leisurely reading, so the door probably hadn’t even been opened.
“Freakin’ magician tricks.” Teruo shook his head and kept watching Shinji, who was calling someone.
A taxi arrived soon after and Shinji entered the car. Teruo quickly turned on the engine and followed, hoping Shinji wasn’t going back to his house yet. At the first traffic lights, Teruo decided to text Shinji to check when he’d return.
Teruo sent the message, then continued his pursuit of the taxi.
Shinji’s answer came after a few minutes.