[May 20] [Hikaru no Go] Stones in Narrow Spaces 20/?

[issen4.livejournal.com]

Title: Stones in Narrow Spaces 20/?
Day/Theme: May 20 - Waiting for the sandbox to blow
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: none
Rating: General

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"So it's true?" the chief tapped a thick finger against dull paper surface of the report. "This Tsutsui Kimihiro... he was a private investigator?"

Iijima winced inwardly. He knew his superior's opinion of private investigators. "He works full-time as a librarian, but he's a Go enthusiast who tracks down gobans and Go-related paraphernalia discreetly for private collectors."

There was a loud snort. "I hate amateurs," the chief said, before he asked, "How did you find out about his second job?"

"I managed to question one of his former clients, who said that Tsutsui had an affinity for gobans."

"Good work," the chief said. "But 'affinity for gobans', indeed. Never heard anything so illogical. I thought this case was going to be an open-and-shut burglary!"

Iijima privately thought that any crime involving Go was unlikely to be straightforward; it was the nature of the game. The twists that had turned up, the copycat crimes, and the number of conspirators scattered around the case was worthy of a pro-level game.

"What do you think about this so far?" the chief asked, turning to the final page of the interim report.

"From what I've learnt about Tsutsui Kimihiro, sir, I don't think it's likely that he stole the goban."

The chief looked up at that. "He was found with it."

"Yes, but now that we know of his other job, so as to speak, it is likely that he was hired to recover it."

"The owner of that goban--Shindou Hikaru, isn't it?--said nothing about that."

"We know that Tsutsui and Shindou are old friends. Tsutsui may have decided to look into it on his own. Besides, Shindou's goban is hardly considered valuable; there is no profit in taking it."

"But two of the gobans in this case are: the one belonging to Touya Kouyo-"

"The Shuusaku goban," Iijima murmured, earning an annoyed look from his superior.

"-and that Heian goban. Is Ito Kaoru still phoning the station everyday?"
Iijima nodded, trying not to look resigned. "Yes." The antique dealer's daily calls were getting irritating, particularly the way he insinuated that the police were slacking on the case.

"Still nothing out of Aikawa?"

"Nothing." It was disappointing and infuriating, how their suspects were denying their involvement. Aikawa insisted that he didn't know the goban he delivered was from Nase-san, and Ochi insisted that all he did was order a goban.
The chief closed the report. "Keep working at it," he encouraged.

"Yes, sir."

He left the office, trying to keep his spirits up. He had taken up the case for Nase's sake, but now it seemed as though he was not getting anywhere. He had discovered Tsutsui's second job, but that seemed irrelevant; it was not as though he could question the man, who was still under psychiatric care.

"Iijima-san!" His partner, a rookie that reminded him of Fuku, was waiting outside. "Tsutsui-san is lucid and available for questioning."

(TBC)