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there’s not a body in here. The only surprise is that he had the attention span to make a collage.” He picked with his fingernail at a smiling Kappa that hadn’t been glued down completely. “On top of everything else, Ogawa will lose his damage deposit.”
    Kuma seemed agitated. He stepped away from the wall and poked at a soiled futon in the corner. “That’s what smells,” Kuma said. “That black slime, that’s what was on his clothes when we caught him.”
    Mori prepared to photograph the bed.
    â€œHey, that’s a tiny little camera.” The sergeant stepped forward and blocked what little light Mori had. “That’s something. We use a first-­generation instant camera the size of a brick.”
    â€œIf this were a crime scene, we would call out a photographer,” Mori said. “Please step back.”
    â€œOh, sorry.”
    â€œOfficer, there’s no need for pictures,” Nakamura said. “He slept in his clothes, and he soiled his sheets. That’s all we need to know.”
    â€œOfficer, let’s take the chief’s advice,” Takuda said. “If the prefecture decides to press charges, we’ll search the apartment properly.”
    â€œI understand, Detective,” Mori said. He had already pocketed his camera. The chief grimaced at him.
    â€œOfficer Mori, I think we’re done here,” Takuda said. “Our main concern was that Ogawa had harmed someone else.”
    Nakamura rubbed his palms together. “Well, no bodies in the cabinets although we’ll probably find a drawer full of little girls’ underwear later on. Ogawa seems more like a glue-­sniffing panty thief than a serial kidnapper. It looks like our fine village police force caught him on his first outing.”
    Takuda walked toward the door, and Nakamura fell in step behind him. “Say, are you and your driver in a hurry? Are you going back to the city early? We should go sing some songs, have a drink, and talk about old times.”
    â€œIt’s not even noon yet.”
    â€œNo, I meant if you were staying till supper. You must be looking forward to the local cuisine after—­how many years?”
    â€œSeventeen.”
    â€œSeventeen years! We have some great little restaurants, and I’ll bet the clubs haven’t changed at all.”
    I’ll bet they haven’t. The seedy little pubs with their careworn matrons and antiquated karaoke rigs would sadden Takuda as much as anything else he had seen that day.
    â€œChief, it’s kind of you to offer. However, the sooner I get back to the city, the sooner my superiors will decide whether to recommend that Ogawa be charged.”
    â€œWell, I won’t stand in your way. We’re all waiting to hear when the prefecture will take the suspect off our hands. It will really help us allocate our meager resources.”
    â€œChief, if you’ll excuse me, I must make a call.”
    â€œOf course. I’ll wait for you at the office.”
    The chief sauntered toward the bridge. He sang an old country song in a thin, reedy voice.
    It was a day for singing, a beautiful spring day, but Takuda felt no joy in it. If it were simply a question of family honor and personal vengeance, he could easily drive away and never see the Naga River valley again. For Yumi’s sake, he could let it all go. Unfortunately, there was more at stake.
    The prefectural police force used a powerful little hybrid cell phone that performed well on either of Japan’s competing wireless telephone systems. Even so, Takuda had to walk right up to the edge of the canal to find a signal.
    She answered on the fifth ring.
    â€œI just wanted to hear your voice,” he said.
    â€œWell, here it is,” Yumi said. “What are you doing? Where are you?”
    â€œWorking. I’m out on the job now, but I should be home early.”
    â€œYou should go home now. Really, you