EDGE by Kôji Suzuki Read Free Book Online Page B

at a television station, on the strength of an article she had written about a missing persons case? Her father had always counseled her to take flashes of inspiration seriously.
    It hadn’t occurred to Saeko at the time, but perhaps there was some connection between her father’s disappearance and whatever he had been trying to tell her with this postcard.
    Saeko decided to stop in at the library after her meeting that afternoon. The library was on the way home from the TV station, and she had spent a great deal of time studying there as a child. She wanted to have another crack at decoding the hints in her father’s cryptic message. Even if she got nowhere, for a time it would distract her from the pain of being alive.
    3 It was Saeko’s first planning meeting at a television station. The only person she knew would be Hashiba, the director of the program. She’d be meeting the rest of the team for the first time.
    Saeko got out of her cab at the building’s entrance and had the receptionist at the front desk call Hashiba. The receptionist spoke a few words into the intercom then stated, “Please have a seat on the sofa.” Obligingly, Saeko took a seat on the empty sofa on the other side of the lobby.
    Glancing around the room, she noticed a female celebrity that she recognized from TV also waiting. Saeko couldn’t remember the actress’ name off the top of her head, but she was the sidekick on a Friday night variety show. Trying not to stare, Saeko averted her gaze, only to spot a world-famous director chatting with a staff member as he walked by.
    Saeko experienced a slight wave of nervousness, accompanied by the vague realization that she was out of place in this environment.
    Honestly, she couldn’t understand why the station wanted to make a new program about the missing family in Takato at this late date. As far as she knew, there had been no new developments connected to the case.
    The director from the TV station, a man by the name of Hashiba, had contacted her in roughly the middle of the last month. He’d read Saeko’s article about the missing family in Takato and wanted to speak with her.
    “What is this in reference to?” Saeko asked cautiously.
    “Well, it’s like this …” Hashiba explained that the TV station wanted to do a show on the missing family and were hoping that Saeko could help.
    Saeko had put her heart and soul into investigating the Takato incident, but she’d been unable to unearth any new leads. The reaction to her article had been mostly benign. But Saeko’s editor had informed her that her detailed reporting had garnered high regard in media circles. Hashiba’s phone call was direct evidence of that fact.
    “Why me?” Saeko was still fairly inexperienced as a reporter and wasn’t sure what to make of the offer. It could be an opportunity to open new doors professionally, or it could just be a big headache.
    “The writing and the content was excellent, but most of all, we were deeply impressed with the research,” Hashiba gushed. Then he laid his cards on the table. “Honestly, we came to the conclusion that it would be quicker and easier to use what you know than for us to go to Takato and conduct our own investigation. If you don’t mind my asking, was this the first time you’ve reported on a missing persons case?”
    “Well, yes,” Saeko responded.
    It was true. It was the first time she’d done an article about a missing persons case. She refrained from mentioning that she’d performed a similar investigation in the past and was well equipped with the relevant skills and contacts.
    The thorough investigation of the Fujimuras and their two children that Saeko had conducted during two week-long visits to Takato had been more or less textbook. She had gone to see a local judicial scrivener and acquired the Fujimuras’ residency card, family registry, and appendices—the three fundamentals of a missing persons case. She’d familiarized herself with three