The Final Curtain by Keigo Higashino

Author:Keigo Higashino
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

14

Kazushige Mogi sighed heavily as he looked up at the gray office building in front of him. It was bitterly cold for April and had been that way all day. Despite that, his armpits were clammy with sweat.

“There’s no need to be nervous.” Kaga patted him on the shoulder. “You’re not going to be arresting a master criminal or anything.”

“I’m just not used to this kind of thing.”

“How can you say that? You have to wrangle big crowds of journalists whenever there’s been a major crime or accident. You have to deal with people making official complaints over the phone. Compared to that, this is nothing.”

“You really don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“My job is about giving out information, not gathering information. Questioning someone is the purest form of information gathering. And as I’ve told you a thousand times, I have no investigation experience.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. Just follow the script I gave you. You’ve come too far to back out now. Come on, let’s go.”

Kaga marched toward the building’s entrance. Mogi reluctantly followed.

A directory in the lobby listed the building’s tenants. Health Publishing Research, their destination, was on the fourth floor. The company published a wide slate of sports magazines, but Mogi wasn’t familiar with the name.

They rode the elevator to the fourth floor. When they got out, the entrance was right in front of them and the door was wide open.

“You handle the introductions,” Kaga said.

“I know, I know. What was the fellow’s name…?”

“Mr. Sakakibara. Mr. Sakakibara, director of publications.”

Mogi made a mental note and stepped into the office.

There must have been around twenty people in the room. On the phone, on the computer, reading through documents; a few of them were just staring off into space not doing very much of anything. Magazines, books, and cardboard boxes were heaped in messy piles on every table and cabinet.

A young woman seated at a desk looked up and asked what they wanted. Apparently, she was doing double duty as both office clerk and receptionist.

Mogi pulled out his business card. “We have an appointment with Mr. Sakakibara.”

“If you’d kindly wait here.”

She took his card, went over to a man whose desk was right beside the window, and said a few words to him. The man nodded, glanced at them, nodded hello, then said something to the woman.

She came back. “Could you follow me?”

She led them to a space at the far end of the room that was partitioned off with dividing walls. Sofas were arranged around a low coffee table.

“Mr. Sakakibara has a quick phone call to make. It shouldn’t take long, so if you could wait here.”

Mogi and Kaga sat down on one of the sofas.

The woman brought in some tea and they thanked her.

“Your first time here?” Mogi asked Kaga as he picked up his cup.

“Of course.”

“But they have interviewed you.”

“They did that at the dojo. They wanted to photograph me in my full kendo outfit.”

“Right. Surprised you agreed. Not really your style.”

Kaga frowned and glared at Mogi.

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