The Cage by Kenzo Kitakata

Author:Kenzo Kitakata [Kitakata, Kenzo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kodansha USA
Published: 2022-10-25T00:00:00+00:00

6

Takino picked up the jet-black pipe and rubbed it down with fine sandpaper. The dye had seeped lightly into the hard parts of the briar, more deeply into the soft parts. But the difference was slight. Rub too hard and the grain you’d spent so much time bringing out would just disappear.

It was a plump, round pipe with a bend in its stem. He’d had to make it that way to bring out the straight grain of the wood.

He wiped it with a damp cloth after each rub with the sandpaper. He repeated the process over and over. Gradually, the grain of the wood started to emerge more clearly. And what a grain it was. There were hardly any flaws in it at all. If he could get the shape right, he’d have a pipe to compare with any of the best Danish freehands.

But rubbing it down with sandpaper wasn’t the end of the work. The surface of the pipe looked smooth at first glance, but small patches of roughness still remained. They were so small, you’d need a microscope to see them. That’s why you had to wipe it so carefully with the cloth. You had to keep rubbing at it until the briar got warm from the friction. Eventually, a kind of gloss would appear from deep down inside the wood.

Takino didn’t like painting his pipes. It seemed like cheating. He’d apply a thin layer of wax instead. The finished pipe gave off a gleam that reminded him of polished minerals. That gleam was what Takino was looking for. He didn’t know why; he just liked looking at it.

His lap was covered with a thin film of briar dust. What came next was a job that required the utmost care and attention.

The phone rang.

He let it ring. Yukie had gone to the hospital and wouldn’t be back until evening. It was probably only just past two now. He didn’t even bother to look at the clock. He’d had breakfast and lunch in one sitting so that he could devote the rest of the day to his pipes.

The phone started ringing again, and wouldn’t let up. Takino muttered under his breath and got up.

“I need to see you. Right away.” It was Takayasu.

“What’s wrong? Has something come up?”

“Some old guy called Hirakawa’s just been in to see me. You know him?”

Takayasu sounded pretty much the same as ever—perhaps a bit less upbeat than usual—but Takino could pick up on the tension in his voice.

It was the way Takayasu used to sound in the old days when he’d call Takino just before a big fight. Once things really exploded, they wouldn’t talk at all. Not a word. You just used your hands and feet.

“Apparently that cop—Takagi—paid a call on Hirakawa yesterday.”

“Shit, that guy doesn’t sit still.”

“Listen, this is no joke.”

“He came to see me, too. It’s best if we just sit tight and do nothing.”

“I know. But I need to see you. There’s something I need to talk to you about.

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