Evil and the Mask by Fuminori Nakamura Read Free Book Online Page B

nodded.
    “The two of you have similar bone structures, very similar. For ID photos and things you’ll look the same, I think, but if you meet someone who knows him well they might think something’s not quite right. That’s how human faces work.It’s certainly a handsome one, though. Do you still think you have no future?”
    “Are you still going on about that?”
    The doctor smiled. A strong, thin beam of sunlight shone through the window.
    “What’s your story?” I asked. “The other day you were talking about your daughter, and you look like you’ve got a wife, too. Yet you’re doing this. You can’t get many patients, but your fees are enormous. Despite that, though, you don’t wear expensive clothes, and your watch and your car are average too. That’s been bugging me ever since we first met, for some reason, and now that I’ve had the chance to talk to you several times, it interests me even more. Nothing seems to hurt you, no matter what anyone says to you, no matter what happens. It’s like nothing touches you.”
    He sipped his tea again. Looking at his bland expression, I felt compelled to continue.
    “Are you just pretending? Pretending to have built a loving family? That’s how it seems to me. While you pretend to love your wife and your daughter, you’re simply going through the motions.”
    “You’re quite talkative today. But perhaps you’re right.”
    His lips twisted and he lit a menthol cigarette.
    “I like to watch people who are starting their lives over. A thorough villain—what sort of life will he lead afterwards, thanks to me breaking the rules? Because some lives aren’t governed by the normal rules, but by a separate set.”
    “Do you really believe that?”
    “Partly,” he said, and smiled again.
    Leaving the cunningly disguised clinic, I caught a cab, made a phone call and headed for the Imperial Hotel. Circular Route 7 was very crowded and the inside of the car was too warm. The taxi crawled forward at walking speed, a meter at a time. I gazed at my reflection in the window.
    I’ve disappeared, I thought. Other people recognized me by my face, and it was gone. My outward appearance had vanished from the world. All that remained was my inside, clinging to its memories, but no one could see that. My real self was invisible. That assumed, however, that my real self would continue to exist.
    When I entered the lounge, the man was already there. He was dressed in an unremarkable suit and unremarkable shoes, but his eyes were piercing. I approached him, smiling, and he bowed slightly. It felt strange, another person responding to this face that wasn’t mine.
    I ordered an iced coffee and he asked for the same. Until the drinks arrived I observed him silently, but the silence didn’t bother him. I waited until the waitress had gone and then spoke.
    “There’s something I’d like you to do for me. I believe you know an elderly gentleman called Shozo Kuki. He was the head of the Kuki family.”
    The man’s expression didn’t change. He looked to be in his forties but was probably older.
    “I don’t know him, I’m afraid.”
    “That’s not true,” I said, and lit a cigarette. “What did Shozo Kuki get you to investigate? That’s what I’d like to know. Sorry to speak so bluntly, but your business is going downhill.”
    Outside the window a fine rain had started to fall.
    “That’s because nobody knows where he is and you’ve lost your connection to the Kukis. His children don’t know you at all, so they aren’t giving you any work. Also, your rates are too high. You’re ignoring the competition. A private eye’s main work is spying on unfaithful spouses, right? The average housewife can’t afford your fees. That’s why you can’t keep your business going.”
    I brought out a silver briefcase.
    “There’s fifty million yen in here. I want to know what you were doing for Shozo Kuki and I want all your material.”
    “I don’t know him,” he replied