A beautiful mother and daughter who wish to donate their fortune to a man known as the real estate mogul of Hokkaido are said to be a woman with whom he had a deep relationship in the past and her child. The wife asks detective Takeshi Akechi to investigate the mother and daughter and accompany them to Sapporo... Please enjoy this short mystery set in the sky.
"Detective Akechi's first first class ride with a mysterious beautiful mother and daughter"
I've been to the North Wing of Haneda Airport's Terminal 1 a few times, and even used the lounges I could access with my credit card a few times. But this place is like another world.
Private detective Takeshi Akechi couldn't hide his nervousness when he first stepped into the Diamond Premier Lounge. He had to maintain his dignity so as not to look out of place. He had to hold back his desire to drink the free beer.
After this, I boarded JAL flight 503 bound for New Chitose Airport at 7:30. It was also my first time in life to experience first class. I had left a major company and set up a detective agency in Shinagawa, so I never expected to receive such a lucrative request.
"Please, don't take your eyes off them."
Akechi's chin was tucked in as Yamamoto Tomoe, the client's subordinate, muttered softly from the seat next to him.
Ahead of my eyes are a beautiful mother and daughter staring at the runway from a window seat. The mother, wearing an elegant beige dress, is Shirakawa Reiko, 36 years old. As you'd expect from an active model, she is tall and has beautiful fair skin, making her look much younger than her actual age. Meanwhile, the daughter, Reimi, is 7 years old and holding a stuffed rabbit. With a cute backpack on her back, she has her eyes glued to the plane.
Reiko's suitcase is not a hostage, but it is kept by Akechi. It's an Italian Roncato pink, which seems out of place in the hands of a 40-year-old man.
Suddenly, Reimi turned around, and Akechi hurriedly reached for his coffee cup. It seemed that she considered us enemies. But just because she was cute, we couldn't let up on her.
I will definitely deliver it to the client safely.
It's not a difficult mission. All I have to do is take the mother and daughter to a restaurant in Sapporo. Once I get there, all I have to do is get them on the plane. What's more, in a nice touch, they're in the most comfortable first class on the latest aircraft.
The client is Kimura Mayumi, the female president of Kimura Real Estate, which owns several hotels and buildings in Sapporo. Her husband, former president Kimura Yusuke, has been bedridden for a long time. He is 57 years old, but his body is being eaten away by lung cancer and he doesn't have much time left. However, Yusuke has said that he will donate part of his fortune to the Shirakawa family before he dies. He says that he used to be very close to Reiko, and that Reimi may be the child he had with Yusuke. Reiko made this request to Yusuke, and not having the energy to fight, Yusuke readily accepted.
Mayumi, who had heard this, asked Akechi to bring Shirakawa and his daughter to Sapporo in addition to conducting a background check.
A private room at a high-end French restaurant in Maruyama, Sapporo, has been booked under Kimura's name from 12:30. Mother and daughter are greeted by Kimura Mayumi and her legal adviser. As far as Akechi has investigated, there is no evidence that Reimi is Yusuke's child. The high-end apartment in Motoazabu, Minato Ward, is in Reiko's name, but it was purchased by another man. There are the shadows of several men behind Reiko. The DNA test report they presented is suspicious, and they can have it tested again in Sapporo, but that's not their problem.
If I can take him to Maruyama today, Akechi's mission will be complete. Shall we have a drink and some delicious sashimi in Susukino?
Akechi quickly finished off two types of rice balls, salmon and plum, along with miso soup. The quality of the ingredients was far superior to the rice balls he usually eats at convenience stores. He was also wondering whether he should go get some Maison Kayser bread.
"Yamamoto-san, aren't you going to eat breakfast? It's delicious."
Yamamoto, wearing a black suit that didn't match his light hair color, sighed and shook his head, holding the rim of his glasses with his right hand.
"I won't be able to relax until I deliver it to the president."
Akechi bit his lip and nodded. Mayumi had repeatedly warned him not to let his guard down. At first, Reiko was reluctant to go to Sapporo, but he persuaded her by saying that the other party just wanted a calm dialogue.
Yamamoto glanced at his Cartier watch. It was about time.
He walks up to the Shirakawa family. Reiko soon notices him and puts on a stylish coat and hat before moving on. She leaves the lounge. She puts some distance between them.
When we arrived at the boarding gate, the Shirakawas walked right up to the window, gazing at the plane. They were taking pictures with their smartphones. According to Yusuke, they like planes.
Mayumi arranged the tickets, and it was a state-of-the-art, high-spec plane. Akechi had seen a national idol advertising it on a TV commercial, but he had flown in Class J a few times and was amazed by its specifications. Every seat had a monitor and power outlet, and it was environmentally friendly.
As I waited at the boarding gate, priority boarding began. I followed the Shirakawa family into the plane.
Akechi was greeted by a smiling flight attendant as he arrived at seat G on the right side of the first row center seats. Shirakawa Reiko was in seat K by the window in the first row, and Reimi was in seat H next to Akechi across the aisle. We all loaded our luggage into the overhead storage space, and were surprised at how spacious it was.
The seats are covered in luxurious black full leather. They are shell-shaped, so you can recline them as much as you like without worrying about the back.
"Planes these days are amazing."
Yamamoto, who was in seat D on the left, gave me a smile of obvious politeness. I just couldn't like her. She seemed to look down on the detective. Does that mean she wasn't trusted?
The flight attendant was talking to Reimi at eye level. It seemed that she had been given a miniature airplane as a gift. Reimi, who had been silent until just now, was now smiling and talking like a completely different person...
The plane, with all passengers aboard, began to take off. Once again, the engine noise felt quiet. What's more, it was apparently designed to be energy-efficient.
Soon, breakfast arrived. It was the first in-flight meal I had seen on a domestic flight. It was a well-balanced Japanese meal, including grilled yellowtail. To my surprise, Yamamoto, who had acted like he had no appetite earlier, was eating heartily.
No, that's it. She didn't eat breakfast in the lounge because she had the in-flight meal. This woman was shrewd, Akechi thought, and changed his view.
Initially, Akechi had planned to take Shirakawa and his daughter to Sapporo by himself. However, he wanted to be extra careful, so he suddenly came to Tokyo last night. Akechi was shocked to see a strange woman at the meeting place with Shirakawa and his daughter.
It's not hard to understand the feeling of worrying that the other party might run away. It is clear that the client, Mayumi, is strict in her work. I wonder what kind of hell will unfold in front of the child after this. It's none of Akechi's business...
Akechi tried out the buttons on the seat and noticed that it had a massage function, which sent soothing vibrations that stimulated the pressure points on his lower back.
Shirakawa Reiko appears to be writing something like a letter at the table. Beside her, Reimi is enjoying entertainment on the monitor. Akechi follows Reiko's example and opens the table. He can adjust the position and it looks like he'll be able to get more work done. He opens his laptop and checks his e-mail. He finds an e-mail from Mayumi, asking if she's managed to board the plane safely. He thinks for sure it was Yamamoto who contacted her, but he replies that there's no problem as everything is on schedule.
The hour and a half flight went by in a flash, and we headed towards New Chitose Airport for landing.
The tires touched the runway and the plane shook a little. The speed gradually decreased. It seemed that we had arrived safely.
Akechi carries Reiko's suitcase again. He returns it because she wants to go to the restroom, but because he has taken Reimi hostage, he comes back, bows his head, and hands the suitcase over to Akechi again. Reimi is clutching a miniature airplane that was given to her by a flight attendant. He follows Shirakawa and his daughter out of the arrivals gate.
If I take a taxi, it will take a little over 80 minutes from New Chitose Airport to the restaurant in Maruyama. If I leave right away, I will arrive too early, so I have plenty of time. I'll kill time at a cafe.
"I have a favor to ask."
Reiko stopped walking and suddenly muttered, looking up.
"what?"
Akechi exchanged glances with Yamamoto, who had an anxious expression on his face, for a moment, then asked.
"We got up early and didn't have time to shower, so we wanted to take a bath at the airport."
When Akechi replied, "Are you going to take a bath at the airport?" Yamamoto frowned and crossed his arms. Tension spread. It turned out that there was a facility called "New Chitose Airport Hot Springs" on the third floor of the airport. After some discussion, they agreed to Akechi's request, on the condition that Akechi continue to look after their luggage and Yamamoto join them in the bath.
Reiko probably doesn't think that a pleasant meal awaits her. She must have had a vague feeling. She thinks that a hellish scene is about to begin... I can understand wanting to calm down, even if just a little.
Akechi goes into a cafe alone and orders a coffee. He immediately checks his email and finds a reply from Mayumi, "Oh my, it's Yamamoto! That's a relief (laughs)." He thought it was Mayumi's doing, but he didn't know Yamamoto was with him...
Leaning back on the sofa, I searched for "New Chitose Airport Hot Springs" on my smartphone. It said "Beauty Baths." It might be just the right place for the mother and daughter.
However, I felt something was off when I saw the unusual sign that read "Open 23 hours." Business hours were from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. the following morning.
From 10 a.m. Akechi felt something cold run down his back. The hands on his watch were currently pointing to 9:20.
I immediately rang Reiko's smartphone. No matter how long I waited, she didn't answer. Then I called Yamamoto. After a while of the call, she finally picked up.
"Yamamoto-san, where are you? Actually, the New Chitose Airport Onsen opens at 10 o'clock."
There was a long pause.
"Oh, you noticed it surprisingly quickly."
Yamamoto's tone was different than before.
"What on earth is this?"
"You still don't understand? You've been fooled."
Yamamoto was laughing out loud and exaggerated, and Akechi's heart was pounding loudly.
"to whom?"
"I'm not Mr. Yamamoto who works for the client's company. I'm Reiko's friend. I have nothing to talk about with Mrs. Kimura. You should enjoy your pleasant meal at Maruyama."
"What? So you're going to give up your assets?"
"I don't know anymore. Do as you like."
"Don't mess with me! You!" I yelled, but the call had already been cut off. I was the one who wanted to get angry, so there was no point in him getting angry at me.
Akechi, shaking with anger, thrust his smartphone into his pocket with his right hand and searched Reiko's suitcase. It was unlocked. He opened it slowly. He immediately found two envelopes. Turning it over, it said, "To Great Detective Akechi." The other one said, "To Kimura Mayumi." Was this what she had written on the plane earlier?... Hastily, he opened the one addressed to Akechi.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you. I was hoping to get your fortune, but my daughter is not your child. I'm sure you and your wife saw through it. That's why I don't need your fortune. I wanted to become an actress because the "fake Yamamoto-san" tempted me, but I changed my mind after getting on this plane. My daughter said, "I want to be like that kind, beautiful flight attendant!"... I can't keep lying to my daughter any longer. I can't keep acting in front of your wife, even after receiving such hospitality. I'll apologize to Yusuke-san, stay at the hotel he booked for me, and fly back to Tokyo tomorrow in first class. I'll pay the bill. I want to apologize to your wife, but I don't have the face to meet her. If anything happens, I can do it at the hotel. I'm sorry, but I'd like to ask the front desk to prepare my suitcase."
Akechi sat down on the sofa and sighed deeply. I see, the fake Yamamoto was not an ally but an enemy. Moreover, he was the one who instigated Reiko. Initially, Akechi shared the same interest of wanting to take the Shirakawas to the restaurant in Maruyama. But perhaps the overly comfortable plane had derailed his plans... That was why Yamamoto had been so angry and emotional on the phone.
No, the fact that she prepared this letter in advance and wrote it on the plane suggests that Reiko was unsure until the very last moment. She probably wasn't sure if she could fool him. However, thinking back on Mayumi's relaxed response, she may have guessed the situation to some extent. It's amazing to think that she knew how much Reimi loves planes, carefully prepared the hospitality by choosing a new model plane, and manipulated people's hearts at will. She probably knew that a special trip in the air could change people's hearts. I can't go too far with my imagination, but I'm horrified at the machinations of the wife of a real estate tycoon. Because I want to ride first class on that plane again, just like her.
Fin.
Illustration: Akane Ishii
Text: Keiichi Yagi
Originally from Tokachi, Hokkaido. After graduating from university, he worked as an editor for the travel magazine Jalan and as a copywriter for the food and beverage industry, before making his debut as an author in 2014 when his work One Quadrangle Yen Ransom won Takarajimasha's 12th This Mystery is Amazing! Grand Prize. The following year, the same work was made into a TV drama by Fuji TV. He is currently writing novels and essays while pursuing a parallel career in IT. His latest work is the second in his gourmet mystery series, The Clue is in a Plate: The Temptation of Local Gourmet Food (Shueisha).
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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
