The Mystery Clock

The room was over 66.116 square meters[i] in size, featuring a large metal fireplace casting a blazing red flame. After Tokizane and Natsumi served them their preferred beverages at the bar, the guests sat down on the huge Minotti sofa.

As Junko took a sip of Belle Epoque champagne, an involuntary sigh of contentment escaped her lips. When she looked at Enomoto, his expression was reminiscent of a cat relaxing while licking a single malt whiskey. He appeared to be so cozy that he didn’t even mind Hikijii’s presence anymore.

Suddenly, the radio clock that had been mentioned earlier caught her attention. Hanging on the lower wall between the hall and the dining room, it had a circular dial with no ornamentation other than the manufacturer’s logo and concentric circles that signified the track of the hour hand. While the simple Arabic numerals and black needle may have been highly legible, they resembled something you would encounter in a government office or a bank, creating an unassuming impression that was out of place in this spacious room.

“Even so, this is a magnificent mountain villa,” Motojima said as he cast a glance around.

“My house in Shoto is a grand house, but I still envy you.”

“That house has quite a lot of floor space, but the site is only about 50 tsubo, isn’t it?”

Mori Reiko fiddled with the Shirley Temple glass in her hand.

“But when I put it up for sale, I got a buyer in no time at all. Even if I were to have this place built, the price would be enough to cover the cost.”

“That’s true,” Kumakura uttered in an obstinate tone while holding a glass of Mizuwari from Yamazaki in one hand.

“That site was a veritable first-class location. It was such a shame. On the contrary, how much money did this mountain villa cost you?”

“The site is about 3,000 tsubo, but the cost of the land is not that much. After all, the construction and equipment costs are the major expenses,” Tokizane answered while pouring a glass of oolong tea, which he made himself. It seemed that his body constitution did not display any alcoholic effects on his face.

“According to Reiko’s request, it has the appearance of a log house, but it is made of reinforced concrete to block electromagnetic waves and radiation. It was quite an arduous task to transport people and materials to the top of the mountain. To begin with, there are no electrical services up here.”

“But why did you choose such a remote place in the first place?” Kawai asked. Like a heavy drinker, he had already downed his second wild turkey.

“I guess so. I was hoping to be in a place where the air was cleaner, but more than that, I wanted to be free from the phone and isolated from the outside world.”

Mori Reiko’s tone developed into a somber one.

“Since you have been continuously performing since your debut, you must have been a bit exhausted.”

Motojima expressed his sympathy.

“I am not particularly remarkable in my field of work. Aren’t there many people out there who have written much more admirable works?” Mori Reiko stated humbly. “But I unexpectedly developed asthma and stumbled upon it. If I was still with you, Shogo, you would have been able to examine me.”

“There are a lot of adults suffering from asthma these days. However, you made a wise decision to move to a place with decent air quality. In that regard, I envy writers. For us, we have work to attend to, so we can’t relocate so easily.”

Kumakura’s tone was somewhat tender towards her too.

“Well, since coming here, my cough has stopped, and I feel more positive and motivated to write… But then Bastet unexpectedly passed away. At that time, things were really rough for me.”

Mori Reiko dropped her words abruptly. The room fell silent.

“Bastet was Reiko’s beloved cat. She[ii] was an Abyssinian,” Tokizane explained to the members who didn’t grasp the details. “She probably ate something bad outside. During the day, she suddenly started suffering and we lacked the time to bring her to the veterinarian.”

Mori Reiko shook her head as if to stop him from saying further.

“I’m sorry. Because of that, I experienced slight depression and was absent from work for a while, but thanks to Tokizane’s presence, I was able to recover somehow.”

“But you’ve already gotten back into a great shape, haven’t you? Even the short story that was featured in last month’s issue of ‘Yasei Jidai’ was as incisive as ever,” Motojima spoke in an upbeat tone.

“I am relieved to see you in good spirits today.”

Kawai also gave a smile while delivering the ale.

Junko recalled that Mori Reiko had not published a new book for some time. At this point, Enomoto raised his eyebrows faintly.

“I’ll take a closer look tomorrow morning, but the storage batteries and distribution board being outside is a problem from a security standpoint. An intruder can disable the surveillance cameras and infrared sensors by simply dropping a circuit breaker.”

“I was self-serving in so many ways.” Mori Reiko revealed a self-mocking smile. “After the Tohoku earthquake, I became very distrustful of electric power companies, and I wanted to be able to supply my own power in case of emergencies, but I didn’t want to keep large batteries and machines in the house if possible. I know in my head that I’m too afraid of electromagnetic waves.”

“No, it’s a very wise choice,” said Hikijii.

“At any rate, it will be impossible to bring the electric facilities indoors now. Enomoto, you should think about security measures that do not rely on electricity as much as possible.”

Even for Enomoto, this would be a rather challenging task.

“But what about the phones then?” Motojima asked.

“Without a phone line and no cell phone coverage, you’d face difficulties in case of an emergency, wouldn’t you? Besides, won’t it be inconvenient if you can’t access the Internet?”

“There’s a satellite Internet parabolic antenna on the roof, so doing some quick research or transmitting a manuscript won’t be a problem,” remarked Mori Reiko firmly.

“Moreover, just in case, there is this.”

Tokizane rose and retrieved something from the cabinets that looked like a walkie-talkie with a broad antenna on it.

“It’s a satellite phone. Since this is a mountaintop location and the sky is clear, there is no problem using it when you are out in the yard. In the event of a major disaster, it has been proven to be much more reliable than regular cellular or landline phones.”

She wondered if two satellite-based systems would be necessary even in such a remote area. Although Junko felt a slight sense of discomfort, she let it slip away with no deep pondering.

“…In Tokizane’s works, the most well-known and popular are his elaborate tricks such as ‘Clockwork Murder’ and ‘Time flies like an arrow’.”

The works that Motojima mentioned seemed to be Tokimizane’s best-known works.

“I thought it was interesting that, as a graduate in psychology, he had tended to stick to mechanical tricks[iii] in his early works, whereas in his later works he had employed a lot of psychological tricks.”

“When you say ‘mechanical tricks,’ do you mean that one? The one where you pull a string and lock the door from the outside? It seems like a child’s trick to me.”

Kumakura appeared to be done for half the day already. Although he seemed to be the type to vent his pent-up depression with alcohol, he appeared to have begun to direct it towards Tokizane, the current husband of Mori Reiko.

“As one would expect, no one writes such a simple story nowadays.”

Motojima gave a bitter laugh.

“But complexity is not necessarily a good thing, is it? The readers will only get entangled in their heads. In that regard, why can’t psychological tricks still be appreciated by adults? I think even Ranpo said that, didn’t he?”

Kumakura persistently refused to back down.

“Since mysteries have evolved nowadays, it is becoming senseless to distinguish between mechanical tricks and psychological tricks simply.”

Tokizane delivered his argument in a lucid tone as if he were conducting a lecture at a university.

“The purpose of tricks is also changing from inducing illusions to creating illusions. That is to say, while the objective is a psychological effect, the means to achieve it is a mechanical trick.”

“But are there really any new tricks? I have appeared in many two-hour dramas, but all of them were either laughably clichéd stories or rehashed versions of famous works.”

Kawai’s mouth was twisted. Perhaps he didn’t have many favorable memories of those works.

“Indeed, the single trick may have been exhausted. From now on, we’ll have to settle for a combination of multiple tricks.”

Tokizane suddenly switched his attention to Enomoto.

“I was actually looking forward to talking to you tonight, Enomoto. I heard that you have solved many actual locked room cases to date.”

“Are you referring to the many cases Aoto has solved? I’m merely assisting with the on-site investigation,” Enomoto replied brazenly. “In fact, most of the hypotheses are conceived by Aoto from her own unique point of view.”

Everybody’s gazes were locked on her. Junko simply said, “That’s right,” and covered her mouth with a glass of champagne. 

“In relation to what I said earlier, I consider that the authentic mystery trick is progressively developing into a miracle. I am the only one who is advocating this theory at the moment though,” Tokizane stated smoothly.

“There was a case that Enomoto solved― or rather, worked on, that was truly like close-up magic, wasn’t it? He secretly broke into the locked room in front of the witnesses and reconstructed it as it was.”

Junko recalled how difficult that case was. As someone who was never proficient in science-related subjects, Junko found it particularly challenging.

“Yes. The culprit was a junior high school science teacher. He excelled at showcasing scientific experiments to attract students’ interest, and his tricks were based on his knowledge.

Enomoto outlined the incident to everyone. Even though the case was extensively reported, not every detail was disclosed, leading to widespread astonishment at the perpetrator’s ingenuity.

“However, as Tokizane said, the true nature of the case was not a simple misuse of scientific knowledge, but rather a close-up magic trick performed in front of an audience.”

Tokizane smiled with conviction.

“That’s exactly what it means when a trick becomes a miracle. A mechanical trick is like a seed or a trick in magic, but it is incomplete by itself. How the trick is presented through words and actions is also crucial. Mechanical tricks, in combination with a psychological performance, can create illusions in the mind at the very beginning.”

“But that complicates the overall crime scheme even more, doesn’t it?”

Motojima frowned. Since too much fanaticism would restrict the readership, the publishers would probably prefer that the book reach a reasonable compromise.

“Yes. I’ve recently come to the conclusion that there are limits to what can be expressed only through words. Even including illustrations has its limits. Well, it would be clearer if it were visualized,” Tokizane said with a hint of self-deprecation.

“I wonder about that. If a writer were to say such a thing, it would be a denial of the novel itself, wouldn’t it?”

Kumakura’s tone became increasingly viscous as he got more intoxicated.

“Besides, you know. To say that the emphasis on tricks nowadays is outdated may be an overstatement, but I think it’s both good and bad. Is this combination or complication really the direction we should be taking? Reiko’s… Mori Reiko’s works are still supported because they do not require any tricks for mysteries, but rather readers are seeking to be able to depict human beings.”

“That’s not necessarily so. It seems that there are many readers who feel that tricks have become obsolete. After all, I think it’s essential to have a balance between the two,” Motojima interceded.

“Indeed, Kumakura may be right,” Tokizane said humbly. “Compared to Reiko’s works, my works are distinctly minor in popularity. Nevertheless, there are a handful of readers who are eagerly awaiting the publication of my work. It would be a lie… to say that I am writing for them. The truth is, I simply like writing for myself.”

“I have always been very intrigued by tricks, but the truth is, I’m not very adept at them,” sighed Mori Reiko.

“Ever since my debut, I’ve been writing whatever struck my mind without giving it much thought, and I was often criticized for lacking the ability to execute the ideas. All of that changed when I met Tokizane, who had a profound impact on me. While I was writing one of my works, I called him and inquired if the trick would work.”

“‘The End of the Honeymoon’. When the wife is having a party at home, the husband’s car crashes off a cliff. That part of the psychological portrayal or suspense was superb,” Motojima nodded nostalgically.

“Yes. But Tokizane immediately listed about 20 reasons why the trick would not work. Each and every one of them was fatal. I was depressed.”

“It was five at the most,” Tokizane said.

“Even so, I believed it would be inconceivable to apply a trick that would expose so many flaws as soon as I heard it. However, Tokizane asked me to wait just one hour. After exactly one hour, I received a fax, and at first glance, it blew me away. All the flaws had been so ingeniously corrected that it seemed feasible.”

“What a surprise. Even though the previous trick was so shabby,” Kawai made a strange interjection.

“That was just an arrangement of some existing tricks and nothing innovative,” Hikijii said, dumping cold water on the mood that had just begun to heat up.

“If you compare it to the tricks in my masterpieces ‘The Burma Mystery Person,’ and ‘The Olympus Murders,’ I think you can see what I mean.” 

Everyone apart from Hikiji was downcast.

“The ice has thoroughly melted. Shall I make some new ones?”

Tokizane stood behind Mori Reiko and was about to accept the glass.

“Sure… Oh, has it been that long already?”

“I am sorry. I was planning to finish my work before you all arrived, but I still have one more manuscript that I have to complete by tomorrow morning.”

It was 8:41 p.m. Although the time was halfway through the day, it was understandable that she wanted to get away from Hikijii.

“Well, thank you for your hard work,” Motojima said.

“I’m always working at this time of the day, so it’s not really a hardship for me. But it’s inexcusable for the hostess, me to leave the table after inviting you all here.”

Mori Reiko grinned at them.

“Excuse me. It is my fault. I received the request over the phone, but I failed to inform everyone of her deadline.”

Tokizane apologized to everyone.

“But everyone, the night is still long. I’ll be back in about an hour and a half… Tokizane, please take care of the rest.”

“I understand. I have a plan, and I won’t bore everybody here.”

Tokizane nodded, followed by a slightly dubious expression on Mori Reiko’s face, but she gave everyone a graceful bow and exited the room through the door.

T/N:

[i] Japanese use tatami mats as square meters so I change it to the western style but it might not be accurate

[ii] The gender of the cat is omitted but I do not want to use “it” for animals unless the relationship of the animal in the story is not personal

[iii] The word “trick” is referring to concealing criminal activities in the detective genre. There are a lot of it such as psychological trick, locked-room trick, etc