murder is to happen on August 22nd, that will be nine days again. Nine days, four days, nine days, nine days. But why was it nine four-nine-nine and not nine- four-nine-four? Even though nine plus four is thirteen.”
“Well...”
It was Misora who had first pointed out that nine and four were thirteen. But since nothing had happened on August 17th, she had assumed it was just a coincidence. She hadn’t been able to find a connection between seventeen and B, and it just hadn’t seemed like that big of a problem. Misora had no idea why Ryuzaki was bringing it up now.
“We have a four. But three nines… it’s so unbalanced.” “Yeah, but... alternating was…”
“Not alternating. Four and nine should be viewed as a set, and the numbers as a series of thirteens. But that hasn’t happened... this doesn’t strike you as odd?”
“But room number 404 gives us three fours and three nines.” “Oh...”
Was that what he meant?
“If it had been any room number other than 404, I would have agreed one hundred percent, no, two hundred percent that the fourth victim would be Blackberry Brown in room 1313, but since yet another B.B., Blues harp Babysplit, lives in a room with two fours in the number... I can’t ignore that.”
“Yeah... I agree.”
When he explained it like that, Misora was starting to think that room 404 was actually more likely. After all, she had been a little bothered by the gaps between the murders. Was it really okay to dismiss them as coincidence? Nothing had happened on the 17th, but that was after the fact. It had never really locked into place. But if the final murder were in room 404, it would take care of that a lot better than room 1313.
Misora clicked her tongue.
They hadn’t been able to decide if the dock was a.m. or p.m., and now that they’d found a good candidate for the final murder scene, there were two potential victims… all this work, and the final piece refused to fall into place. It bothered her. She was sure they’d read the message correctly, but still doubts remained. There was every chance this would lead to some decisive mistake...
“Oh, well,” Ryuzaki said. “We’ll just have to split up. Fortunately, Misora, we have each other.” They might be working together, but nothing further.
But this was not the time to point that out.
“One of us should wait at each of the scenes. You take room 1313, Misora, and I’ll take room 404. After all, Blackberry Brown is a woman, while Blues harp Babysplit is a man. Seems like a natural arrangement.”
“And do what, exactly?”
“Just as you said, Misora. Lie in wait. Today or tomorrow, we should speak to Blackberry Brown and Blues-harp Babysplit, and get them to cooperate with our investigation. Obviously, we can’t tell them they’re being targeted by a serial killer. If they know too much the media might find out about what’s happening and blow the whole thing.”
“But they have a right to know?”
“And a right to live, which is more important. We will pay an appropriate fee, and borrow the room for the day.
“Pay?”
“Yes. The simplest means. Fortunately, my patrons are providing me with expense funds deep enough to cover the charges. If we solve the crime, they will be only too happy to pay. If this were an ordinary murder, this would never work, but these victims were only being targeted because of their initials, and there is no real reason for them to die. Their murders only have meaning if they are killed in their own room—-whether that be 1313 or 404. So if we pretend to be them, and wait in their rooms, we should be able to meet the killer. Obviously just in case, we should have Blackberry Brown and Blues-harp Babysplit stay in a safe place all day on the 22nd... put them up in a luxury suite at a four-star hotel, for example.”
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