The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 12.3

[touchturnfly]

3

After saying he would eat outdoors for some unknown reason, Hirota returned about four hours later in the evening.

Mai was secretly disappointed to see Hirota return to the base straight away. She couldn't help but feel uneasy when Hirota was around and start to get irritated because Hirota childishly flared up at people as well. Besides, the base would get cramped. Simply said, he wasn't very welcome.

Almost everyone probably thought the same -- Only John could be excluded --, the moment Hirota entered the base, the atmosphere gradually changed.

Right after Hirota entered the room, he went to sit near the entrance and closed the sliding screen. Then he said the following with a very serious face.

"-- I brought the record."

Shocked glances went back and forth, the one to open his mouth was Takigawa.

"By record, you mean --"

"I had Nakai look it up for me. She tracked the record down from the Public Prosecutor's Office."

"Is that fine? Bringing out something like that."

Hirota wryly smiled.

"Not at all. That's why I can't show it to you. I went through all of this once, so I'll summarize and explain it to you. Well then, please bear with me."

Takigawa blinked with surprise.

"Well, that's praiseworthy. -- But what made you change your mind? Didn't you say that there were no things like psychic abilities?"

Hirota didn't answer to that.

He continuously denied it. 'Did you have a change of mind?' Saki had said as she waved the record. To this he had answered, 'I'm not denying, but I won't confirm it either'. He didn't know whether it was universally present or not. To give an answer to this would probably take a long time.

However, he was able to understand that something was happening here. Looking over the record, intensified that feeling all the more. At least Midori probably had no idea of the particulars of this case. However, Midori spoke of things she could not have known about in advance. That became clear by means of the record.

'If the facts pile up, they'll be called a medium,' Naru had said. In that case, I myself will take up that kind of stance, he thought. He proceeded to judge the phenomena that appeared to be strange at a glimpse and checked them individually if they were right on target. As a result of those accumulations, Hirota may have been a denier -- this time a staunch denier, may on the other hand have become part of the acknowledging faction. Isn’t this okay? He thought.

At first, Hirota was not interested in talking to other people about the results of Saki's investigation. However, he decided to stop hiding like he did so far. Speaking of compromises, this might be a compromise.

Hirota opened the record.

"-- The incident in the year 49 is thought to have happened at approximately two o’clock in the morning of October 11th. As expected, the motive is caused by the trouble over the plot of land."

Everyone silently paid attention to Hirota.

"The Kawanabe family bought this plot of land and built a new house in the year preceding the incident, that is the year 48. Sekiguchi was the one who bought the neighboring house -- presently the Sasakura house -- and moved in during the summer of 49. However, this house was constructed beyond the plot’s boundary line. The building just barely fit on the plot and the eaves completely crossed over to the Kawanabe house. Due to this, the lighting on the east side didn’t get through. The Kawanabe family complained about it to the Sekiguchi family."

Takigawa rested his chin in his hands.

"... ... Hmm. I see."

"Even so, this was bothersome to Sekiguchi as well. Sekiguchi only purchase the newly built house and wasn't involved in the architecture itself. Apparently they were still bothered even after he told them that."

"Well, that's right."

"The Kawanabe family noticed, during the foundation works of the neighboring house, how extremely near it was to their own house. They asked the construction contractor and understood after they were told that a block fence would be built on the foundation work in order to conceal the boundary. However, the pillars were erected and the roof was placed, it turned out that the block fence was an absurd lie and that a wall was being built on the plot at the very last moment."

"... ... Hmm."

"The Kawanabe family hurriedly asked the contractor to stop the construction work, but they didn't pay attention to this. On the contrary, they got aggressive and told them that they should buy the house if they wanted to put an end to it or compensate the part that would be reconstructed. To frighten them, he intimated a relationship with the yakuza. Thereupon, the Kawanabe family could only watch quietly as the house was being built."

"How awful."

"Then Sekiguchi moved in. Sekiguchi was said to be a gentle office worker and a little timid. The Kawanabe family took their complaints to Sekiguchi. The Kawanabe family said that they wanted him to demolish the west side of the house and redo the construction work. Naturally, Sekiguchi refused it. He just bought the house and there was no surplus of money for that at all."

"And there was no way to make the contractor take responsibility."

"Of course, Sekiguchi took that story into that direction. The one in charge persisted not to know anything to the very end. He brought an intimidating young men with him and threatened him. The Kawanabe family was afraid of them and urged Sekiguchi to do something about it. Sekiguchi was caught and cornered between those two parties."

"... ... Hmm."

"The last discussion between these two families occurred on the day before the incident, on October 10, which was a day off. The Kawanabe family cut off the deadline on the last day of October. If the construction work would not start before then, they were claiming they would sue Sekiguchi."

"Even if it would have been better if they didn't... ..."

"I suppose that Kawanabe's grudge against the contractor who threatened them had turned to Sekiguchi. The Kawanabe family set their ultimatum on September 30, and at that time Sekiguchi answered whether he would raise money and answer around mid-October. Regarding this, the one who wanted it to be on the 10th was the Kawanabe family. They didn't want to be seen arguing by their children. On the 10th, the younger brother Minoru was having a sports day and the older sister Hitomi went on a school trip. Both weren’t at home. The older sister went to a private school, so their schools were different."

"So because of that, they chose the holiday on the 10th to hold their discussion."

"Indeed. Although Sekiguchi said that the 10th was inconvenient for them at first, they were swayed by this opinion and answered that they would cancel their business."

"So he’s not just cold-blooded?"

Hirota made a thin smile. That smile grew bitter.

"-- Sekiguchi called his relative's house the next day on October 1. He proposed to them to look after his children from October 9th until the 12th. The reason was said to be that he didn't want the children to see the dispute between the adults, but if that's the case then only the 10th would have sufficed. Why would he even let them take off from school and have them leave the house for three days? - It seems that Sekiguchi had already decided to commit a crime at this point."

"-- Ugh... ..."

It was possible for people to make a compassionate face while making an angered face at the same time. This was such an example.

Hirota sighed miserably and turned a page in the record.

"On October 10th, the Kawanabe family called Toshiko's older brother, who was their advisor the whole time up until then, and was also present at the discussion. After the Kawanabe family went to the sports day, had lunch together and returned home, the discussion took place from half past two in the afternoon until close to five o'clock. The discussion eventually concluded with the Kawanabe family opposing Sekiguchi. If the construction work didn't start by the end of October, it would be settled in court. Sekiguchi agreed to this and went home."

However, Sekiguchi had already made his decision by that time. Perhaps, if they found common ground in this discussion, they would probably still live here.

"Sekiguchi and Mitsue trespassed through the backdoor of the Kawanabe house while carrying deadly weapons. The door that faced the backyard surrounding the house on three sides had a lock, but the Sekiguchis knew that it was hardly ever used."

What happened after that was practically unknown. They could only rely on reasoning that the investigators made from the outcome of the on-site inspection.

"The Sekiguchis started by entering the backdoor and immediately arrived in the room -- in other words right here, and attacked the sleeping grandfather Yasuhisa with a hammer. That didn’t kill him, so they repeatedly stabbed him around the chest with a kitchen knife they brought, killing him. There was practically no evidence that Yasuhisa resisted. Then they ascended to the second floor, went to the Kawanabe couple and killed the husband, Yasuhiko, with a hatchet first. His wife Toshiko got away and escaped. They chased her up until the front of the four-and-a-half tatami mat -- Minoru's bedroom, struck her with the hatchet and stabbed her with the kitchen knife. The cause of death was blood loss, therefore Toshiko didn't die instantly but collapsed. It's unknown whether Toshiko was conscious, but the Sekiguchis entered Minoru's bedroom in front of the fallen Toshiko's eyes."

Mai averted her eyes from Hirota's face and hung her head deeply.

-- Please, her voice said.

-- Spare that child at least.

Of course, she was still conscious.

"After killing four people, the Sekiguchis returned to their home and washed their hands. Their next work was probably -- to prepare for the disposal of the corpses. However, Kazuo and Mitsue began to quarrel. Having killed four people and bloodthirsty, Sekiguchi lost his cool and killed Mitsue with the kitchen knife he possessed."

Mai cast her eyes down.

Isn't he just a kid? Mitsue had tried to stop her husband. That might have been the cause of the quarrel.

"I think that Sekiguchi had already deviated from the proper course by this time. Sekiguchi left his wife's body in the living room and headed to the Kawanabe house. First he wrapped Minoru's body in a vinyl sheet that he prepared beforehand and took him out to the backyard. Secondly, he wrapped Yasuhisa's body in bed sheets in his bedroom and also took him out to the backyard and placed it on top of Minoru's body. After that he went to the second floor, but there was a problem with the bodies of the Kawanabe couple. Carrying those two, was too heavy for Sekiguchi alone."

Minoru was a young boy and Yasuhisa was an old man who was like a withered branch. It was no discussion that he could not carry two people, but it was too heavy to carry the remaining two to the backyard, lifting them through the window of the dressing room and transporting them into the car in the garage. It seems he didn’t think of placing the car in front of the Kawanabe house.

"Sekiguchi discerned that while wrapping them in sheets and thought of cutting the bodies apart. He brought the two bodies to the bathroom and cleaned inside the house first. Anyway, cleaning the boards of the corridor was easily done. He cleaned the stairway, but it was dark and there was no way he was going to turn off the lights, so I think he gave up on it halfway through. Then he abandoned it halfway for the time being and headed to the bathroom."

The corridor on the first floor was cleanly wiped, but the stairway and the corridor on the second floor were sloppily done.

"Sekiguchi began to dismember Kawanabe Yasuhiko. First he struggled to severe his head, he threw this in the bathtub and proceeded to cut off his four limbs. Incidentally, the moment he lopped off the right leg and started on the left leg, Hitomi came home."

Mai closed her eyes and cowered. She didn't want -- to listen anymore.

Hirota lowered his voice after looking at Mai.

"Hitomi arrived home by night train and returned before 10 o'clock in the morning. She went to the washroom at once. Or she thought it was strange that no one welcomed her and searched around on the first floor, and perhaps it occurred to her to wash her hands in the washroom. -- In any case, the moment she leaned over the washbasin, Sekiguchi struck her in the back. The weapon used was the hatchet. The blade was already broken from when he was dismembering her father, so it had become mostly crumbled."

They were fortunate that they only had to listen to the story. Hirota looked over photographs of her corpse from the post-mortem certificate. Half of the girl's face had completely collapsed and there was no trace of her original form.

"-- It's unknown what Sekiguchi was thinking in the house where the five people had died. He was about to clean up, but the way he did it was unusual. it seemed that he wiped the sliding screens with a blood-stained dust cloth, not to mention he repeatedly quit while doing that. Eventually he must have felt exhausted, left everything unfinished and returned to his home. After using the bath, changing his clothes, washing the soiled clothes and throwing them in a garbage can, he hung himself from the lintel using a belt. That was the night of October 11th."

Those who knew him testified that Sekiguchi was a timid man. That timid man spent a single night like a nightmare and then chose death for himself.

Perhaps Sekiguchi had planned to kill the household and bury them somewhere, and then set up to disappear or vanish by night. Two brand-new shovels were placed in Sekiguchi's car. The Kawanabe family's valuables were gathered and put into a paper bag, then he carelessly threw it on top of the pile of bodies in the backyard.

As it didn't go according to his plan, Sekiguchi might have come to his senses. Or he may have come back to his senses after getting exhausted from killing his partner whom he struck in a rage. Or perhaps he sobered up from his bloodthirst and returned to the timid man he used to be.

It was entirely unknown what he thought. Sekiguchi didn't leave a note behind.

---

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