1

One day, Isezaki Kudayu received a strange request from two attractive women. They wanted him to observe a spiritualism performance and uncover its trick. Kudayu was the proprietor of an inn but originally gained fame as a magician. With a magician’s eye, a spiritualism technique is a mere childish trick, nothing more than a seed to fool amateurs in the dark and a deceitful ruse filled with artifice. Inns throughout Atami invited this spiritualist to give performances. He was popular for a time. With this challenge, Kudayu named his act "A Spiritual Performance: The Seed and the Tricks." He used the techniques of a magician to deftly bring about several psychological phenomena. From the perspective of a magician, a technique performed before a crowd in the daylight becomes a treat served with tea when seen as a mysterious phenomenon in the dark. Given his history, it’s no mystery a request came to expose the scam of spiritualism techniques. The puzzle, however, was what drove them to make this request.

"Is the family having trouble with questionable people involved with spiritualism?"

"Yes, that's right. Our eldest brother was killed in the war. Now, our father wants to meet his spirit and may travel to Burma depending on the outcome of a spiritualist session."

"Your brother was killed in Burma during the war."

"No, Father believes he did not die in the war because a month ago, that brother’s spirit appeared and told our father he married a local woman and had two children and asked our father to look after them. The spirit said malaria caused his weight loss and was probably dead when his spirit appeared. Father wants to go to Burma and get his grandchildren and to call our brother’s spirit to get the woman's name and where they live."

"Really? However, spiritualism often produces examples of souls acting at the brink of death. Therefore, our brother may have been alive until a month ago and landed in Burma."

"Perhaps the communication may have come at the brink of death, but we received one letter over nine years. I think this may be Father’s dream."

"Of course. Or it may be his imagination. But if this is the reason, isn’t the will to meet his son’s soul, find the names of the region and the woman, and bring back his grandchildren heartbreaking? You are doing this discreetly to reassure your father."

The one who looked like the older sister giggled and said, “That may be how others in the world feel, but our family sees that as stupid. Our father never showed interest in caring for his children who were born and ignored. His desire arose to fetch the Burmese love children is amusing and rather distressing. If these are his true feelings, it’s a sign of madness. If the Burmese love children are raised like lions or wildcats, which costs nothing, he may think he can throw them away, which is his inclination. This would be an unpleasant event to us.”

“Excuse me, but who is your father?”

“He’s the loan shark Gokan Senshichi. Our famous father has neither blood nor tears. His behavior towards his children reflects that.”

“The dwarf Tatsuo-san, the clerk of the Sengoku Inn, is your younger brother?”

“No, he’s our older brother. He’s the second son. The eldest son died in the war. Neither of us has to work because we’re married. Our dwarf older brother is the hawker to attract guests to the inn. Our youngest sister is a fashion model,” said the elder sister with a wry smile. The younger sister's smile showed amusement.

Kyudayu understood the story after hearing the name Gokan Senshichi, but inside, he was surprised by these strange siblings. The oddest thing was the four siblings looked entirely different. The stunning older sister Katsumi had an oval face. Her younger sister Midori was a beauty with a round face. They didn’t share eyes or noses. Katsumi’s lips were puckered. From time to time, a loud laugh came from Midori’s big mouth. Itoko, the fashion model and youngest sister, was chosen Miss So-and-So last year in Atami. Kyudayu was sightseeing at the time and knew of her. Her face was scrunched like a Pekingese dog, but she was a mysteriously alluring and adorable young woman. She came in third place as Miss So-and-So. The dwarf Tatsuo's huge face resembled a frowning General Saigo Tsugumichi. His face filled about half the space from his neck to his legs. He’d carry a guest’s trunk and drag it along the ground when he walked but could carry several trunks in both brawny arms and walk without looking the least bit tired.

He's a typical example of a man with no blood or tears for others and limited in his feelings as a father for his children. His blood ties may only be to his castle and safe haven. However, the one exception for Gokan Senshichi was making his son, the dwarf, a hawker to recruit guests for the inn while holding tight to his vast fortune.

The second daughter Midori married the son of the innkeeper of the Kishii Inn that burned down last year during the big fire in Atsumi. Midori’s father-in-law cried as he borrowed the money to rebuild. Because moneylending is a business, their fight was over high interest on a new building as collateral lending not being the same as demanding high interest as is done in business. Katsumi’s and Midori’s unparalleled pretty faces guaranteed married lives. Otherwise, they couldn't hold their heads high and married life would have been difficult. By nature, Senshichi did not understand how to interact with relatives. Everyone recognized Senshichi's cold-blooded behavior until now as his character.

Senshichi confirmed this assessment to others and called a technician of this craft named Yoshida Yasomatsu of Yamato Province, famous for being Japan’s best spiritualist. Spiritualism requires a grand setting. For Yoshida to travel from Yamato cost around twenty thousand yen for expenses and an honorarium. If the money is not returned in profits, Senshichi who doesn’t hand out small sums of money would waste twenty thousand or so yen to summon his son’s spirit in order to call the love grandchildren from Burma. Depending on the situation, he will go to Burma and pull out his grandchildren. It will be one hundred, no, one thousand times more wasteful to have his grandchildren born in a maternity hospital. What constitutes this hidden motive that can’t be abandoned? Reasonably, his dwarf son and three daughters had more doubts than others. Naturally, the children suspected this hidden motive couldn't be carried out for a small sum of money.

“Although we don't rely on small sums of money from Father, the hidden motive was a shock. We want to expose the mechanisms of the troubling spiritualist techniques. Of course, on the day Father will meet our brother’s spirit, we won’t be able to see him alone, but we four siblings can’t convince him. Also, we received permission to sponsor the performance on the first, and our father will attend. The condition for a large profit is we pay for half of the spiritualist's costs and most of his lodging expenses, and will be responsible for half of the traveling expenses and the transportation fee for his large props. Beyond being prepared for our business negotiations with Father, if we expose him, my younger sister and I together with our husbands will enthusiastically give you the money. We will be deeply grateful to you, Sensei. We hope you will attend and expose the mechanisms of spiritualism.”

“Is that so? Well, I understand. I will also come out and banter during the spiritualism performance. If that mysterious spiritualist comes, today’s experiment will be canceled. Fortunately, Yoshida Yasomatsu of Yamato may no longer recognize me. I don’t know how he’s Japan’s best, but he is a highly regarded technician. Very well. As you’ve said, I will attend to expose the machinations and immediately after perform the same tricks. If he catches on, Yoshida Yasomatsu will not perform, but don't worry because the magician Isezaki Kyudayu is coming. Anyone suspicious of his spiritualist techniques, please tell him it's nonsense.”

Kyudayu also decided to attend that day but already lost interest having seen through to the machinations of spiritualist techniques. However, this stage mixed in the blood and money of the family of the singular Gokan Senshichi. The sisters he saw possessed natural beauty and an elegant air that forbade the killing of insects. What was the source of their dispositions? Katsumi’s words were serene and quiet. Wasn't their objective unusually inhumane? If their spirits took human form, perhaps they would take the form of the dwarf hawker for guests.

“Excuse me for asking but are you full brothers and sisters?”

“We don’t look it, do we?”

“You are four people who look nothing alike.”

“No, we don't. Everyone says so. We share the same parents. Not only our faces bear no resemblance, but our spirits and personalities are completely different. Also, we don’t get along well. What the four of us share is hatred of our father.”

While the older sister was speaking, the younger sister chuckled with pleasure. Since childhood, Kyudayu was in the magic business and has been all over Japan, not to mention, overseas and was never afraid. However, he was taken aback a little by these sisters. Similar to the machinations of spiritualism, the machinations of the human heart are obvious for the most part. He felt the hearts in Gokan Senshichi’s family could not be measured by the standard used for ordinary people. The spiritualism performance may provide a unique spectacle of the complexity of the spirits of the Gokan family. He believed he would observe them through the eyes of an experienced magician.

2

No matter what you think about Gokan Senshichi calling his son’s spirit and bringing his grandchildren from Burma, it cannot be accepted at face value. First of all, Senshichi did not give special treatment to his eldest son. He treated him like he treated the dwarf and his daughters, as nuisances. Nevertheless, he went to college. Now that he had been called, his father gave emotional encouragement to work on behalf of the country, receive honors, and be the pride of our family. People assumed he would express deep gratitude to the nation for its great help given to him by reducing his nuisances by one. No other examples of any special love emerged.

Under these circumstances, Senshichi's first meeting of his son's spirit was an unlikely story. If he survived and landed in Burma, he probably could not bear to return to Japan and look at Senshichi's face. Senshichi's wife died two years earlier. It was not a time for funerals, and none was held. More than that, the three sisters, Katsumi, Midori, and Itoko, fully agreed not to hold a funeral without love. They explained that it seemed unclean to chant "Hail to Amitabha Buddha" to keep up appearances. Only the dwarf, Tatsuo, hinted at dissatisfaction because of his strong love for their mother. She was the sole family member troubled by the dwarf being forced to be a hawker for guests and nearly toppling over when he hauled bulky baggage.

The fact is Senshichi had them summon the spiritualist Yoshida Yasomatsu from faraway Yamato. The pretext was to retrieve his grandchildren in Burma and call his oldest son's spirit to learn where they are. But the siblings wondered, What is his true hidden motive?

About six months ago, Senshichi changed slightly. Sometimes his gloomy face looked at ease. His gloominess was not new to his personality, but when he showed his ease to others, that was not Senshichi. At other times, he was angry and restless. In this case, too, others didn't see Senshichi.

There was no question something changed in Senshichi's heart. No one could believe it was out of love for his eldest son killed during the war. He said he saw his eldest son's spirit and wanted to retrieve his grandchildren from Burma. His plan appeared to be a pretext conceived as the result of a change of heart.

However, the four siblings had no reason to oppose the spiritualism performance. They opposed the grandchildren and hoped for a message from the spirit.

"Isn't this interesting? Although I can't determine your father's true hidden motive, it would be interesting if that cold-blooded, merciless miser spends millions to fetch his grandchildren from Burma. At that time, I'd like to see the miser's face. I think he may have been provoked into wanting to go to Burma."

The fashion model shared this thought but may have trained her eyes on her father's money or at least a big payday. Her youth made her carefree.

Tatsuo strongly opposed this. As the oldest and the only male, he was the heir. While working as a clerk in the inn, he studied and paid attention to economics. If a customer was a stockbroker or a bank employee, he interrogated them about everything down to the smallest detail and worked hard to understand the situation in the economic world. He would not be caught off guard and be ready if Senshichi died and he was immediately named the president of his father's company. Now, he hawked to entice customers to the inn, but his mind fixated on his future life as president of the loan-shark company. As this type of man, Tatsuo would be shocked, even for a short time, if his father brought out the grandchildren.

"Although my brother's children may not be in Burma, the old man says they are, and my brother's wife and children are important. With the pretext of bringing his wife and children from Burma, I think he'll bring back a woman and her children from the countryside in Burma. What is his hidden motive? The laws of my old man's business are not a part of general commercial laws, but I'm sure the names of the woman and the children from the uncivilized foreign country must be changed officially for the assets. So if spirit's message is accepted, we'll go bankrupt. This is especially serious for a dwarf like me. By all means, you must expose the fakery of spiritualism."

His determination appeared in the constant foaming at the mouth during his impassioned speech.

Katsumi and Midori did not understand their father's hidden motive and were annoyed at being deceived by someone in Burma using their brother's widow and children. Even if the foreigner is no more than their father's tool and their brother actually has a widow and children, the sisters would not gain any advantage. Somehow, they will see through and invalidate a fake spiritualism message.

The request from Tatsuo and his sisters overwhelmed Kyudayu. In particular, Tatsuo visited Kyudayu's inn to confirm the date.

"Thank you so much for helping us. An unexpected change has come up. The spiritualism sensei arrived under the Milky Way early this morning. After a discussion, we decided to postpone calling my brother's spirit, so the demonstration will begin tonight at eight-thirty.

"Is that so? I understand. Where will it be held?"

"At my father's estate."

"That's amazing. It will be interesting to be inside the estate of an enthusiast. The reaction of an unknown client to a performance usually occurs in an inn. However, carrying in large props will be a challenge."

"The baggage is bulky. One is a fitting size for home delivery by Marutsu Transport. Larger baggage went to the station. And the spiritualist came with two large trunks. A little while ago, he shooed people away and opened them and prepared the venue alone. The home delivery was a little late, arrived a little after noon, and caused some trouble with the old man. It looks like this bundle won't be used. It may be the so-called Seventh Tool of Necromancy."

"Is that why the meeting with the spirit was postponed?"

"I don't know about his arrival, but Father seemed to have consulted frequently with him. Father is enthusiastic. His custom was to go to Atsumi every Sunday evening, return to Tokyo on Monday morning, and stay the rest of the week in Tokyo. But this time, he came to Atsumi on Thursday night and skipped work on Friday and Saturday. He's a busy man and doesn't disappear often. He left for Tokyo the day after Mother died. He looking forward to this. No, there's some extraordinary hidden motive in the works. If not, this exceptional action is unreasonable. If he marches in with some guy from Burma, the future will be bleak. You are our last hope. I deeply appreciate your help."

Tatsuo bowed over and over thanking him for his help.

At eight o'clock that evening, Katsumi and Midori's car brought Kyudayu to Gokan Senshichi's estate. The first guests, two men, were in the drawing room. One was Katsumi's husband, Motegi Bunji; the other was Midori's husband, Kishii Tomonobu. Kishii also worked in the inn business and was an acquaintance from association meetings. This was his first time meeting Motegi, who lived and worked in Tokyo. Surprisingly, Kyudayu looked like he recognized him at first glance.

Kyudayu was a businessman with exceptional powers of attention, observation, and memory. He will never forget a face that left the slightest impression, be it a face seen onboard a train or a face met at seasonal locations. He glimpsed at Motegi and thought he had seen that face in the army. This tall man at five feet, nine inches had a solid build, a square jaw, and sharp eyes.

Eventually, Kyudayu was struck by a vivid memory. He had seen this lieutenant in China. A demon lieutenant fresh out of college. A man-killing lieutenant. The demon lieutenant was suspected of being a plainclothes soldier. Without saying a word, he snatched the residents in a private home and with a special weapon worn at his hip wrung their necks. This brave warrior raped and pillaged. He was popular among his subordinates because he gave them a good reputation.

Kyudayu was a magician during the war and toured everywhere. Amid the sounds of gunfire day and night deep inside central China, he entertained the lieutenant's unit. Kyudayu saw him lead troops to put down the enemy. He heard men talk with admiration of the many acts that should have terrified him.

Naturally, Kyudayu thought, This man should be arrested as a war criminal. Men like this act swiftly in a crisis. A cloud is mist seven thousand miles up. Yesterday's enemy is today's friend. These statements are rarely seen as stupid.

"I'm sure I saw you deep in central China. I was a touring magician. I went out to the subjugated area before the tour began. You were famous as the Demon Lieutenant."

"No, that's ridiculous. I traveled all over in an inland force."

Motegi turned away to make small talk and blow cigarette smoke.

3

The magic performance was held on the second floor in a 15-tatami-mat parlor. Kyudayu took a seat and was impressed by the scene.

Naturally, the black curtain reaching the ceiling covered everything but the alcove. Two layers of carpet were laid out on the floor.

What kind of trick could be performed? From above the dark curtain at the ceiling to the carpet below, a handiwork of cords and strings was constructed. A pillbox enclosure was formed from the dark curtains and the carpet. Usually, this set-up is constructed on a foundation or inside a similar premises and not built in an unfamiliar venue. In other words, this is not done. Because it differs from a foundation or a house with the same layout, the concern would be various mechanisms would have to be changed in the home of an unknown client.

If this pillbox enclosure was made from dark curtains, suitable dynamic tricks can be performed. For example, a spirit can emerge, or a table or a piano can be lifted into space. However, these were the only mechanisms, so if anything was changed, they were exposed.

A round table stood in the center of the room, but the magician was not seated at the table. However, a box was next to the alcove. Planks were pasted to the back, left, right, bottom, and top sides. Only the front side facing the guests was covered by a dark curtain. A chair was inside the box. The magician will probably sit there. Usually, when a magician is sitting in a chair, his arms and legs are bound. Escaping the rope is easy. Kyudayu could do that in about ten seconds. A megaphone, a harmonica, a doll, a trumpet, an earthenware teapot, and a teacup were set on the table.

Thinking it strange, Kyudayu asked Tatsuo, "Did Yoshida Yasomatsu bring this carpet?"

"No, this carpet belongs to this house. The curtains, box, chair, and objects on the table are the magician's."

"And the table?"

"That also belongs to this house."

A portable record player was placed beside the table. That was the magician's, too. Music will be played before and after entering the spell. Only the table in the center had no mechanism. Before the magician appeared, Kyudayu tried to estimate the table's weight. Kyudayu and his superhuman strength could barely lift the table with both hands. The best he could manage were slight rattling movements.

Senshichi and Yoshida Yasomatsu appeared and took their places. Itoko hurried in behind them.

"Whaa, I made it. Saturdays have been busy lately. Invites from fellows are coming from all directions. My goodness."

She plopped into her seat. When she looked up, Yoshida Yasomatsu was seated on the chair in the box. Senshichi tied his wrists and lashed them to the chair but not his legs.

"As a precaution, please examine them."

Senshichi's words prompted Tatsuo and Itoko to stand and check the ropes. Tatsuo wound the excess rope one more time around the chair. Then he lowered the curtain.

"The rope's not that tight, but it's all right," he said, looking impressed, and returned to his seat. Senshichi was already seated properly in front of the portable record player.

"Music will play before and after the spell. The magician gradually enters the spell and will gradually wake from the spell as the music plays. Only I understand the conditions for playing the music; therefore, I will play the record. The selection is a humoresque piece. Would someone please turn off the lights? Please refrain from smoking."

Ashtrays were not provided. The smokers hurried to put out their cigarettes in their cigarette cases. Itoko stood and turned off the light switch. Senshichi turned off the other lights in the parlor and the hallway. For an instant the room was pitch black. Only the objects painted to glow in the dark on the table could be seen.

"Ooooo."

A voice sounding like an owl in a faraway mountain could be heard. The first to make the noise was Yoshida Yasomatsu. The portable record player started to turn. The music was a little too loud for the room.

The moment the music was about to end, something unexpected happened to Kyudayu. Something heavy fell with a thud on the far side of the table. It wasn't an object on the table because none of them moved. The thud sounded like a heavy iron ball fell and rolled.

"Kee-kee-kee-kee-kee. Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga. Gan-gan-gan."

A very unpleasant loud sound was created by something on the far side of the table moving around. This was not an article on the table. It couldn't be seen. Was it some sort of children's toy? The loud metallic sound was many times more piercing than a toy. It sounded like the hideous echoes of a crying voice, a laughing voice, and an angry voice of a monster. The room filled with unbearable echoes brimming with madness.

"Oh."

"Oooh."

Groans burst from all around the room. It didn't stop with two or three people. One person's groan was prolonged and sounded like it couldn't stop.

The strange sound continued for thirty or forty seconds then ended. The music was already over. Suddenly, the harmonica resonated through space, but no one was playing it. The harmonica was dancing around high above their heads. The megaphone and the flute began dancing. Then the trumpet soared into the air. The three instruments rapidly danced around wildly for a time then together dropped to the table.

This time, the flute soared up. Faint mournful strains came from it. Again, no person was playing the flute. It kept moving vigorously back and forth from the left to the right like a flying squirrel jumping from tree to tree. The doll danced into the air. Soft melancholy sounds came intermittently from the flute. Then both soared higher and dropped down. The earthenware bottle and teacup already flew up. The two clinked against each other. They separated and came back together. The earthenware bottle tilted and poured water into the teacup. The distance between the bottle and the teacup opened and closed. The bottle and the teacup revolved around once and dropped forward.

Everyone held their breath in suspense and watched in anticipation. Then the spiritual phenomenon ended. Everyone wondered whether the table would start moving. The luminous paint was not painted on the table, but if it moved, banging sounds would be heard. They watched Kyudayu examine the table with great hopes.

Nothing happened for some time. The music ended. Finally, they grew impatient. Some people started fidgeting and clearing their throats. Sound came from the box.

"Oooo."

The call sounding like an owl in a distant mountain was heard but nothing happened. The same voice was heard again.

"Oooo."

The music seemed to be playing faster.

"Something's happened. Someone, please turn on the light," called Kyudayu in a jittery voice.

Someone stood and turned on the light. It was Itoko. Nothing changed in the audience seats. Only one person was separated from the group. At the portable record player beside the table, only Senshichi lay prone. An object stuck straight up from his back. It was the handle of a dagger. The blade pierced his chest from the base of the dagger. Senshichi wasn't moving. When the group lifted him, he had already taken his last breath.

4

Before the main points of each person's testimony is recorded, a diagram will show the position of each person that night.

Itoko's Statement

"Have you ever seen this dagger?"

"Yes. I'm sure I saw it in the display cabinet in the drawing room lined up next to junk like dolls and model ships. The Western-style dagger doesn't look expensive."

"It was lined up with junk in the drawing room?"

"Because this business is high-interest loans, property seizures can't help but add to the junk. Different shelves and display cabinets in any room and alcove in this house are filled with junk."

"When did you realize it was missing?"

"I didn't."

"Everyone was sitting in here."

"I thought so."

"Did anyone see any signs of someone walking toward your father?"

"No one at all."

"Was there any sign your father had been stabbed?"

"None at all."

"Only you and your older brother sat in the back."

"My brother stood. If he sat, he wouldn't have been able to see. Standing in the back was better."

Kyudayu's Testimony

Yoshida Yasomatsu is famous but was warned his craft may not amaze people at every destination. Nevertheless, he creates a small amount of material and may have felt the pain of being caught off guard.

For example, the table was placed in the center on a carpet. The dark curtains defined the sides and the ceiling. Someone said to raise and look under the table. The mechanism of cords and strings on all sides from the carpet to the top of the dark curtains looked undisturbed. The contraption did absolutely nothing.

I believe the spectators may have expected an improvement and been outsmarted. Even from the victim, he may have been notified in advance of my coming and prepared for the unexpected. Thus, he didn't use the method of the trick inside the box. He took precautions so that the mechanism passed from the outside to inside the box and did absolutely nothing.

Therefore, whoever went to him removed the rope and juggled as he left in front. At first, the juggling surprised me a bit. The method was ingenious. Excluding the luminous painted objects, the iron ball weighing about four pounds and the sound effects tool were thrown up. The sound of the iron ball dropping down made sense but interfered with the strange rattling sound of the tool for sound effects.

Of course, strings were tied to the objects, pulled into the pocket, and hidden inside the box. During the banging, each luminous object became a puppet. Huh? Did everyone say the harmonica and the flute should not have been played? The playing harmonica and flute made no sense.

Another harmonica and flute were being played. They were in his mouth. The other objects not painted with luminous paint were in his pocket. As a result, I couldn't make out the sound when Gokan-san's death. Perhaps a rattle was in the middle. Sighs and groans rose as everyone complained about the sounds.

Maybe one was not a groan of the suffering victim? Was it skillfully overlayed or accidental? Perhaps the murderer started to move when the music began, went around behind the victim, and intended to trace positions created by the music. But he could use the opportunity of the rattling to reach his destination safely.

The rattling disappeared when he reached the objective, but he was taking a risk. The agonizing voice or whatever was quickly understood. The period until the light turned on may not have been long enough to return to his original position. However, the reason is the hardship must have been hidden by chaotic breathing.

Is that a clue to the murderer? That's not clear at all. Attention was absorbed in the spiritualism spell. Yoshida Yasomatsu walked over but the carpet muffled his steps. Signs of the stealthy murderer were not seen. If that much is understood, it's reasonable to immediately understand the trick of removing the rope during spiritualism?

The spectators saw Yoshida Yasomatsu-san remove the rope and walk forward and didn't notice numerous tricks being performed. What about the behavior of each person after the murder was discovered? No one in particular was suspicious other than the uniform vacuousness of everyone. Itoko-san went outside to call the police. The rest of the group scolded each other.

No one went outside until the police arrived. Not wanting to look suspicious, no one mentioned wanting to go outside. Yoshida Yasomatsu-san had no choice, took off the rope, and went out to them.

Although he didn't want the others to know he could remove the rope himself, he assessed the situation and couldn't sit in the box any longer. He rubbed his wrists like he was unconcerned about the murder and said nothing.

He was a bit strange. As a spiritualist, he's certainly skilled in magic. From what I saw, I would say he was unrivaled. His manipulation of the various objects painted to glow in the dark was vivid. While he played the harmonica, he properly played the other harmonica, the megaphone, and the trumpet in the air fairly well.

I'm sure my version of the trick would be much better. Excuse this talk of magic, but it's unavoidable because that's all I see.

Motegi's Testimony

As I said, I was the closest person to the victim. The sound was horrible. Because my spirit was taken in by the magic, I didn't notice signs of any person or the stabbed victim.

What? Is there a clue to the murderer? In that case, who could have killed Gokan-san? There was no suitable opportunity in this murder. All the suspects happened to already be here.

All of us may be the murderer. Of course, being the closest to the victim, I can't help being a suspect. Do I have a reason to kill that man? The problem is why was he killed? The reason and the motive are the problems, aren't they?

What? Won't a quarter of the inheritance go to Katsumi? No, I knew nothing. The inheritance is not equally divided to a woman connected to another family.

I don't think about the inheritance. I know nothing about the new laws. Huh? My job? A regular employee at an engineering company. I'm the secretary to the company president, but some may call me his bodyguard. I have no connection to the law.

Yoshida Yasomatsu's Testimony

Is that man the magician Isezaki Kyudayu? Well, he hasn't started lying much. That man's fame is judged from his colleagues in spiritualism. He appears to be a problem. It is as he said.

I removed the rope and juggled as I moved forward. The poor juggling of a small iron ball was done in the dark. Only that wasn't spiritualism. For example, bringing out the ghost on the next day, listening to objects, and making objects speak are the focus of spiritualism.

What? Can I reveal that? Please excuse me for that alone. If you knew that, it would defeat the purpose. I discovered the method on my own. But it wouldn't be too much of a problem if others in my business knew about it. Huh? What was the rattling heard that night?

That's also a new creation of mine. I invented it recently to astound spectators no longer impressed by the usual techniques. I prepared a few new items for this first-time client and knew I was marching into hostile territory. I never thought a murderer could use it. The weight of the iron ball is three and a half pounds.

What? Isezaki-san said the iron ball weighed about four pounds? That was a surprise. Do I have any insight? None at all. No, I'm not worried the murderer went around me. Yes, I believe the murderer didn't know where I was. Wouldn't slipping past me be impossible?

Now, Isezaki Kyudayu could do that. To him my whereabouts are obvious. He'd even know my location exactly, where I'd be the next, and where after that in the dark.

That would have been impossible for the others. Yes, I might have spoken the most with Gokan-san today, but they were all related to spiritualism. I had no reason to say a word about danger closing in on him. It was our first meeting.

Tatsuo's Statement

"Your age?"

"Thirty-one years and five months."

"It seems you hate your father."

"Generally speaking, I don't like him. Is it an exaggeration to call it hate?"

"You're probably delighted by the windfall of an inheritance worth several hundreds of millions, aren't you?"

"I don't feel bad."

"You admit to that. Everyone knows."

"Knows what? Are you saying I killed him? Show me your proof, if you have any."

"I'll show you now. How did you move around at that time? Behind Itoko?"

"I never moved."

"Midori said she was worried you left."

"You're kidding."

"Itoko said the same thing. She said what felt like a child slipped past along the side."

"You do understand it was dark?"

"Because it was dark, you thought you wouldn't be found out."

"Please think. I said I didn't kill Father. When he died, the inheritance would be mine, right? Why should I deliberately kill him?"

"If the Burmese grandchildren came, the inheritance would no longer be yours."

"Wasn't that the reason for the spiritualism performance? Please put your effort into worrying about Isezaki-san, who's a fake. I believed the result of this performance would be to make Father's Burmese visit impossible. Therefore, I have no need to kill him.

"I'm a mere customer hawker but earn enough to live and have some savings. I don't need my father's fortune.

"My plan was to only live peacefully in my golden years. My life was worth living with that hope and loafing around as the head customer hawker every day. Immediately succeeding my father was not my grand hope."

"Isezaki Kyudayu praises the spiritualism practice of Yoshida Yasomatsu. He says he's the best in Japan. He was sure it was not impossible for Yoshida-san to correctly guess the location and names of the Burmese grandchildren."

"This is the first time I heard that. I'm convinced Isezaki-san would expose the fraud of spiritualism."

"There's blood on your clothes."

"That happened when I lifted up Father. I couldn't help getting blood on me. Of the people who happened to be there, the role of lifting Father up naturally fell to me, wouldn't it?"

"You have great physical strength."

"Because I hawk for customers, I carry baggage all year long."

"You can stab someone with full force while standing."

"I probably can, if I thought I could. However, I can't. Even if I didn't crossed that dangerous bridge, if I waited, that fortune would naturally come to me."

"Is that your excuse?"

"The truth is most words are useless. Because I was in not in a hurry and had no need to kill my father, I've run out of words."

"You're a stubborn fellow. When you go home today, my advice is to think this over this evening."

Supplemental Report by Officer Tanimura

The murder weapon was a knife from the drawing room of the Gokan residence. A dagger was found beside the corpse. This is the only physical evidence. Forensics did not detect fingerprints.

Under the current circumstances, other than everyone sitting together at the scene being a suspect, no compelling testimony was obtained. Based on the relationships of their locations, Tatsuo, Motegi, and Itoko are judged most likely to be the murderer. It would be impossible for the other four to be the murderer.

5

Everyone was confined to the residence the next day, Sunday, and nothing happened. They were ordered to gather at the Gokan residence on Monday. After sunset at six-thirty, they repeated the performance from two days earlier for an hour and a half.

The sequence of events was followed from the arrival at the Gokan residence of each person to taking their seats in the performance room.

"Around now, I went to the bathroom."

"Tea was brought in."

"Is that what happened?"

This set-up went nowhere. Eventually, the plucky Motegi exploded in anger.

"I'm a working man. It was idiotic to force us to stay in Atami. The police are mostly doing nothing. The latest science is used to effectively understand the physical evidence. Why was the performance held in a room looking like something from the era of Zenigata Heiji?"

"Please, put up with this just for this evening. You'll be free tomorrow."

First, the spectators took their seats. Except for the missing dead body, the scene looked exactly as it did before. Yoshida Yasomatsu was miserable again. Where was Senshichi? Why? What did he say? Where did he go? What did he have his absent companion do? Finally, Yasomatsu got to the performance room. Itoko hurried in after him.

"Just in time! This is stupid!"

She was desperate and thrashed about. Everyone wore the same or similar clothes from the other day. Motegi and Kishii wore Western shoes. Yoshida Yasomatsu wore Western shoes and clothes. Kyudayu and Tatsuo wore tabi socks. Of course, the women wore tabi or Western socks. No one was barefoot.

Instead of a police officer, Yoshida Yasomatsu was tied to the chair. Finally, the demonstration was ready. This time, however, Yasomatsu was livid. The police closely watched everyone.

"Why are you standing there? We can't do the performance with you there. I want to get out of here soon."

"If the police aren't present, the re-enactment makes no sense."

"I'm sorry but so many people here and there get in the way."

"It can't be help because in our place, the police are playing the roles of walking toward the victim and listening for signs."

"With you beside me, I can't replicate the actual performance, such as throwing the iron ball, throwing the rattle, tossing up and moving around various objects."

"That's the best we can do. The officers on that side are not needed. Stay out of the way. Go over to a corner. You can gather near the alcove."

Finally, they were ready. The stand-ins for Tatsuo, Motegi, and Itoko snuck towards the victim. Police were positioned behind each of the three. Police officers acting as listeners sat in the unoccupied positions behind Kishii, Kyudayu, and Katsumi.

Itoko turned off the light.

"Oooo," howled Yasomatsu. Acting as a stand-in, the police captain started the record player as was done a few nights ago. Yasomatsu's performance was surprisingly good. For the allotted time, the dancing objects seemed to exhibit the same motions in the exact same places.

This exercise turned out to be useless. Was there a large difference in focus of attention on the spiritualism performance and focus of attention on other noises? The difference could be said to be substantial. Therefore, the noise was not heard for the most part. The result of this performance was to deepen everyone's suspicions. However, it completely failed to deepen the suspicions of a specific person.

This particular person, the stand-in for Motegi, started to move after the rattling began. The motion ended before the rattling ended and was calm and composed. This rattling should not have been anticipated (Kyudayu didn't expect that), and the length of time of the sound shouldn't have been predictable. Therefore, that was unreasonable as grounds for suspicion.

When the re-enactment ended, Tatsuo stopped the suspects.

"Why don't we all have a bite to eat? Although the contents of my coin purse is a little rude, it won't prevent you from being satisfied. Tonight, this house will hold an unprecedented banquet."

However, most declined the invitation. He ordered food from a local restaurant and held the banquet. The police stuffed themselves, and nobody said a word. Naturally, anyone who came under suspicion would fly into a rage. Suspicious and scared, everyone feigned ignorance instead of employing half-hearted flattery.

For a short time, the police busied themselves at the scene; eventually, the police chief appeared.

"Thank you all for your hard work. This has probably been stressful, but you will not be confined here tonight. Those from Tokyo, please feel free to return to Tokyo. Yoshida-san go home to Yamato. Because the curtain and tools at the scene will no longer be used, they can be packed away. Only the carpet is bloodstained and is temporarily being held by the police as evidence."

"Only the carpet and the table belong to this house."

"Is that so? Then that's fortunate. Two pieces of baggage are stored inside. They weren't used by Yoshida-san, were they?"

"That's the equipment for calling a particular spirit. In fact, they were going to be used the following night, but that was not to be."

"If the equipment is gone, the ghost probably won't appear. The ghost in spiritualism resembles a ghost in a play more than a real one."

"So that's the reason."

"We'll be going now. Excuse us."

The police left, still skeptical about spiritualism. The police were probably irritated by spiritualism. If it wasn't for that, this troublesome incident would not have happened.

Kyudayu, an enthusiastic businessman, had a realization and turned to Yasomatsu.

"Yoshida-san, I have a favor to ask. You are highly evaluated as Japan's best spiritualist. I have no experience with calling a particular spirit. In this one chance, fate is strange, but in connections that accumulate friendships in a strange way, would you be kind enough to show me the spiritualism technique to call a specific spirit tonight?"

Then Itoko leaped up dancing and happily clapped her hands.

"That's amazing. Please bring forth Father's ghost. We'll ask him who killed him?"

Yasomatsu scratched his head.

"If it was that dark, your father was unaware of the murderer, too. I must confess, as long as I didn't know the murderer, as a rule, I didn't know the ghost and the murderer. As the police chief said earlier, the ghost resembled a spirit in a play more than a real one. Also, this was not the trick to show to Isezaki-san. Excuse me for saying, but the only certainty is the true murderer is one of these eight people. No one knows which one. However, I'm not in the mood to show the ghost trick."

"Naturally. It would be appalling behavior to call a spirit, particularly tonight," Motegi screamed in anger and hoisted up his huge frame.

Also angry, Itoko said, "Tonight. What kind of night is it? Just like the night Father was killed. Isn't this a good night to get relief?"

"Perhaps, but I don't feel uneasy," said Midori to her then added, "When I heard that spiritualism music in the pitch blackness, I thought if I had a pistol or a knife I'd like to kill Father. Meanwhile, the rattling started. Dammit. Too bad, I had neither and groaned without thinking."

Kyudayu, looking unconcerned but weary, said, "That earnest groan was you?"

"That's right. The effect of spiritualism on me is possession of the murderer. In other words, I'm an accomplice."

"Stop it!"

The dwarf stood and stamped his feet in anger. The sake coursed through him, and his face resembled a bright red lantern plant. His rage looked like it would never stop. He ran around stomping all the way.

This may have been his way of controlling his anger and used daily. Itoko watched him amused.

"He's an older brother who has no equal. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Don't you recognize the younger sister of the dwarf who hawks for guests at Atami Station? Sometimes I scream in defiance. He's my guy and friend."

"Hey, go home! Everybody, leave!"

"You, get out!"

"Hey, Itoko!"

"What's wrong with you, stomping around here? Well, you're only three-feet tall. The top of the door frame is too high to hang yourself. How fortunate."

"Humph!"

The dwarf turned redder and fought to keep his composure.

"I'll be on my way," said Kyudayu, stood, and quickly left.

Kyudayu was not leaving because he was unhappy. He could not hate this family. Their kindness was strong. Their naivete was in full bloom, although they reached the bottom of not giving a damn.

6

Unable to zero in on the murderer, Kyudayu wondered who could it be.

In that darkness, everyone could move and kill. And somebody did. But thinking about it as a magician, the challenge becomes who could kill and return to his original position without being detected or bumping into or touching others. Someone sandwiched between others would have a particularly hard time. This would be difficult even for a magician. However, when the lights were turned back on, everyone was in his original position. Therefore, someone sandwiched between two others, particularly, if I were beside them, could be removed as a suspect. The real problem can be considered impossible. Kishii and Katsumi were beside me.

Motegi (C) and Midori (G) on each side of me, and Itoko (H) and Tatsuo (I) positioned at the ends would have a relatively easy time getting back to their original positions. But Midori was too far away. And Tatsuo had to return by passing in front. Returning to the front and to the back differed. He could be seen if he returned in time to the back without causing a disturbance. The people in front don't have eyes on the back of their heads. From her position, Midori wore a kimono but would have no problem going around a front corner. What about the spiritualism? She should not have been able to go around front without her identity being detected during the performance. She can be eliminated as a suspect.

That leaves Motegi, Itoko, and Tatsuo. Itoko went in and out a little. She turned the lights off and on, and was the only person to leave the room to make a phone call after the murder was discovered. Itoko was a statuesque, well-proportioned, beautiful woman and seemed to have considerable strength. Her stabbing with a dagger to the hilt couldn't be ruled out. When she turned off the light and returned, she could have carried in the dagger. When she turned the lights back on and left to make the call, she alone had the opportunity to hide the evidence. Itoko was in the best position to kill and return to her seat. Because no one would be in the way if she went behind the group to return, she was in no danger of stumbling on the way back. She's a leading suspect and had a weak motive.

Motegi was closest to the victim and had the fewest obstacles to going back and forth. Only he and Kishii had the chance to steal the dagger while in the drawing room. As a monster accustomed to killing on the battlefield, he was given a gift. Perhaps he thrust the dagger into Senshichi and felt pleasure denied him for a long time. But his motive was weak, too. However, his murderous personality makes him a leading suspect.

From the perspective of motive, Tatsuo was the prime suspect. It makes sense because the murder gives him a fortune. The opposite argument has equal value and is behind the true reason. If he didn't commit the murder and feared losing the fortune, there may not be one or two reasons but possibly a countless number. This can be said to be reasonable speculation and not an excuse.

The problem is what created that fear? Tatsuo and Itoko were in the back row, so Itoko was in little danger when going and returning. The back row had an advantage over the front row. Only the two people in the back row had no one beside them. Better than the Motegi's shortest distance, Tatsuo's roundtrip seems better. In Tatsuo's case, the long distance is not a hardship. He could walk along the dark curtain.

From this perspective, the motive and his position made Tatsuo the prime suspect. When she laughed, he stomped around trying to control himself. How can that be explained? Was he suppressing the urge to kill again?

Does the stomping around reveal a weak timid character incapable of murder? Kyudayu looked favorably on the stomping around. Why didn't he come to this conclusion?

The next morning, "Good morning," the magician greeted Itoko.

"Last night, you were disgusted and fled?" "Not at all, that's ridiculous. At first, I thought well of your family. All four brothers and sisters."

Itoko gently nodded.

"I liked you, too. It's a meeting of minds. I also like, really like bugs eating smartweed. Now, my big sister Katsumi-san likes murders. On the other hand, I came with important news today. Yoshida Yasomatsu is horrible. Last night, he snuck into my bedroom. When I spurned him, he went to the maid's room. The commotion woke up the three-foot sensei. His rage stirred up his fearsome strength. His thick arms resembled a wrestler's. It was wonderful when he knocked out Yasomatsu. His straight punches hit the mark from the belly and below. The spiritualist could not withstand them."

"His life wasn't in danger."

"He is skilled. The inn's head clerk knowledge of how much to drink and fight is an important vocational ability. Oh, that's not the important news. The maid Mine-chan remembered something. There was something strange about the unopened baggage, the only baggage sent directly to the house.

"When Mine-chan told Yasomatsu-kun to get his baggage, he said something was strange about the baggage. He was mystified and had no idea what it was for. He ordered her to open it. She got a kitchen knife and was about to open it when a pale-looking Father appeared.

"'Wait! That's mine!' came a scary shout. He wasn't the gentle father who turned an angry, scary face to the people. He was a more sinister father. But at that moment, he looked enraged, snatched the knife, and threw it away.

"Yasomatsu-kun was shocked by his face but managed to say the baggage was addressed to him. Father decided the baggage was his no matter who it was addressed to. He called to the others and had them take the baggage into the inner room."

"That is strange."

"It's strange, but there are stranger things. This morning around eight, Yasaomatsu-kun called a car, transferred only that baggage to the station, and sent it away. He was in a hurry after waking up and skipped breakfast. The performance site was still unchanged. After we finished eating, we straightened up a little. I wondered why they weren't taken away after everything was finished. I came here to tell you and see if you knew why."

"That may be amazing news. Extraordinary. Hmmm. Something was forgotten. Why did Gokan Senshichi think about getting his grandchildren in Burma? That's the riddle. Wait a minute."

Kyudayu broke into a big smile.

"Itoko-san, please, wait a little longer. I have to think, but I'll think fast. If I'm not quick, I won't be able to catch up. Meanwhile, could you go to the police station for me? It's urgent. Have them stop the baggage from being sent. After I gather my thoughts, we'll talk. I may be wrong but … no, no, I will know. Itoko-san, please, hurry."

"Yes, yes"

Itoko rushed out. The police did not see a problem in stopping the baggage from being sent for a short time. Because the property was related to a serious case, the baggage was intercepted as Kyudayu wished.

Kyudayu visited the police.

"I believe I solved this case, if we, at least, examine its contents. Please, may I have a cup of tea?"

7

Five hours later, Yoshida Yasomatsu was arrested for killing Senshichi and jailed.

As he sipped coffee in front of Itoko and Tatsuo in the lobby of his lodging house, Kyudayu felt good and spoke with satisfaction.

"You four wondered why your father called to the grandchildren in Burma and said you wanted to know his hidden motive. At least until the performance began, that should have been your greatest concern. But when the murder occurred, this was completely forgotten. That was reasonable.

"If he was killed, naturally, that hidden motive died, too, and the problem disappeared. It was the same for me. I didn't remember anything until Itoko-san told me about the baggage this morning. A thought flashed into my head when I heard Itoko-san's news. Could the secret of the Burmese grandchildren be connected?

"Then I thought about it and made clean connections between all of the many elements. First of all, Gokan-san always came on Saturday evening and returned to Tokyo on Monday morning. Only this time, he came on Thursday evening and didn't go out on Friday and Saturday. The spiritualism performances were set for Saturday and Sunday and there was no need to come on Thursday. Despite being excited, too, the children didn't do that.

"He came to wait for the baggage. Because the baggage was addressed to Yoshida Yasomatsu, he wanted to tamper with it without Yasomatsu's knowledge. So he waited. Secondly, Yasomatsu's baggage was at the station depot. However, the other one was delivered to the home of Gokan Senshichi for Yoshida Yasomatsu. The sender was also Yasomatsu.

"One of the items sent by the same person was delivered to his home and the other, to the station. This is odd. The elegant solution to this puzzle came with Itoko-san's story. Gokan-san shouted that was his baggage and came running with a wild look on his face. When Yasomatsu came for the baggage, the mystery became what's inside. This was the mystery. It wasn't his baggage."

"So it was Father's baggage."

"Of course, then sending this baggage from Yamato to Atsumi was the secret of the Burmese grandchildren. What was the best way to get the bulky baggage to Atsumi without being noticed. So I thought about the way to move bulky baggage without being noticed. This was the secret of the Burmese grandchildren.

"A spiritualist usually transports bulky baggage for each business trip. The highly valued spiritualist Yoshida Yasomatsu is in Yamato. Gokan-san came to know this and was delighted. I thought about various reasons for quickly engaging the spiritualist. First, the oldest son who should have died in the war became a ghost and appeared. He spoke with the spirit about various things and was leaked only the grandchild's name, a woman's name, and an address.

"Then he needed to ask a spiritualist to bring forth the ghost's message and succeeded in hiring the spiritualist. The dates were set through an exchange of letters with Yoshida Yasomatsu in Yamato. Therefore, Gokan-san hurried to Yamato and created the bulky baggage and sent it addressed to Yoshida Yasomatsu in Atsumi from Yoshida Yasomatsu in Yamato.

"Bulky baggage for Yoshida Yasomatsu would not raise suspicions. This home delivery was slower than the station delivery. The baggage sent out much sooner on Saturday afternoon arrived after Yoshida Yasomatsu came to Atsumi. This was a failure.

"However, the baggage arrived. With a ferocious look, Yasomatsu lifted the baggage and carried it to an inner room. The usefulness of the case of the Burmese grandchildren ended.

"Therefore, the case of the Burmese grandchildren was postponed. He relaxed before the performance. If the Burma case were significant, no matter what, shouldn't the Burma revelation be first?

"The postponement of that revelation meant the case had played its part. Gokan-san was extremely relaxed and prioritized enjoying the performance. But he was unaware a serious, major enemy had been born there."

"Why did Yasomatsu kill Father?" eagerly asked Tatsuo.

"Well, Yoshida Yasomatsu is a man of low character. He was furious at Gokan-san and had various thoughts after getting the baggage. He was certain he did not send the baggage. Despite looking like a home delivery, he couldn't believe the baggage was sent from his home. Also, there was no reason for a person at his home to send it. He was sure that baggage came from Gokan-san.

"Moreover, Gokan-san did not send the baggage using his own name but sent it from Yoshida Yasomatsu and addressed it to Yoshida Yasomatsu. There should be deep details there. He had a vague sense he was a conniving man. Why couldn't he send the baggage in his name? Because a spiritualist can send bulky equipment without raising suspicions, he used this ploy.

"I'm sure the contents were valuable items of unknown identity because the secret baggage was owned by a world famous loan shark. He probably concluded more than the effort involved in sending and delivering, something important was packed inside. Because he made sure the baggage carried inside still had not been open, he thought about stealing it.

"The method was simple. Killing Gokan-san would be fine. Because the items were so secret, not many people knew about the baggage. The baggage ostensibly was sent from Yoshida Yasomatsu to Yoshida Yasomatsu, so if Gokan-san were killed, the rest would be simple.

"The props to be used in tomorrow's performance were inside and when no longer needed, carried out and sent out from the station.

"Therefore, the props for today's performance were set up only to kill Gokan-san. Two carpets were laid down to dampen the footsteps. He selected the humoresque piece, the loudest one on the record he brought, manipulated the iron ball and the rattle, and asked Gokan-san to play the record.

"Preparations for the murder were complete. He was able to freely walk around. When he got close to Gokan-san, the iron ball and the rattle dropped to the center, and deceived the others about his position. Gokan-san couldn't be saved. The rattling never stopped.

"He aimed for the sound of the record and went behind Gokan-san. From the signs, he took adequate aim, thrust, and stabbed Gokan-san to death. Only Yasomatsu knew the rattle would play for a long time. He was calm because all he had to do was take aim.

"He dropped the sheath beside the corpse then easily performed the familiar trick in the dark. Yasomatsu succeeded. He assaulted and slapped Itoko-san and the maid and sent off the baggage too quickly. That mistake attracted suspicions.

"If he hadn't blundered, he would have escaped arrest. Tatsuo-kun was in danger of being arrested in his place. I had no murderer other than Tatsuo-kun."

"Well, what was in the baggage?"

"It appears Gokan-san was in Yamato around the time the war ended."

"Yes, he had business there because Kyoto and Nara were never burned."

"An ancient Buddha from China was stolen in Yamato. Someone spirited this rare gem back to China. This exquisite work should be called a national treasure among national treasures in China. Numerous old and new jewels were inlaid in the head, collar, bracelets, eyes, breasts, and ankle bracelets. I can't imaging its current value of several billion yen. This life-size Buddha statue was about six-feet high."

Kyudayu sighed. Itoko-san chuckled and said, "He stole a Buddha statue. Father could overdo it. A scandalous fraud of a poet!" and clicked her tongue.

The End

• The Spiritualist Murder Incident (in Japanese)
• Author: Sakaguchi Ango
• Input by: tatsuki
• Revised by：noriko saito
• Translated by: Shelley Marshall