File 2: Kashaku
(translation: Blame)
There was a ghastly murder of a nightwatch police man -- the body was riddled with stab wounds with a particular attention to mutilation of the face. This prompted Kyouya to think (correctly, psychologically speaking) that the killer knew the victim; in fact, knew him well. The cop's gun was also stolen.
Back in the homicide office, the group discussed the prospective culprit and came up with one lead with a past connection to the dead man and a history with committing felonies with knives.
His name is Saitou; he was a recently released convict who had gone mad after the death of his daughter. The daughter had died in a dental chair when the dentist gave her an anaesthetic that she was allergic to and killed her. The trial declared the death an accident, and the dentist wasn't jailed. Saitou began to make death threats against the dentist, as well as drinking heavily and beating his pregnant wife. He was arrested 3 times for the abuse, and the third time, he was incarcerated for stabbing a policeman; the same policeman who was just murdered.
Kyouya went to the station where the dead cop was assigned to speak to his partner, Kimura. The former paired partrolmen's supervisor, Kirishima, appeared and showed a dislike for Kyouya.
Kirishima told Kyouya not to delve into the business of other police stations. Kyouya retorted that Kirishima shouldn't worry about giving up his woman chasing time (implying to the reader that Kyouya knew Kirishima to be a womanizer) to solve the murder, since Kyouya's there to make sure the job gets done. They exchanged nasty looks. ^_^
In the car, Yamaki told Kyouya the info on the dead cop -- he was always a dedicated man, with no debts, no skeletons in the closet, no nothing. Then Yamaki proceeded to tell Kyouya the story of what happened 6 years ago.
Flashback, at the dental clinic: a little girl cries while the dentist assures her that it'll only hurt a little. The dentist then tells the mother that in her pregnant state, she can't afford to let the child's abscessed tooth go untreated. The mother apologizes while the shot's administered. The next scene has the ambulance responding and the mother pulled away from the med techs trying to revive her daughter. At the funeral, the dentist attends and meets with the couple. He apologizes to them but no show of any forgiveness was returned.
Kyouya wondered why the doctor was not murdered at Saitou's first taste of freedom. Yamaki said it's for the gun. But it still didn't make sense to Kyouya, so he asked Yamaki if he felt there was anything peculiar about Kimura. Yamaki's reply was, "well, to have your partner murdered like that, he must feel a little nervous." Kyouya called him an idiot and asked to be let out; he wanted to ask Saitou's wife some questions.
(a liner note says Saitou and his wife had divorced and she had moved to a very upscale, expensive penthouse.) Kyouya went to her apartment and was alerted to pull his gun when he noticed the slightly opened door. Inside he found Kaori, Saitou's ex-wife, sitting on the floor in the midst of a mess, holding baby blankets in her arms. She was asking for her baby, "Taifuu", (who died in miscarriage not long after her other daughter died) and pleading for someone not to take the baby away, that she would endure anything. A voice startled Kyouya -- it was Kirishima, saying that Kyouya had illegally entered a residence. Kyouya questioned Kirishima's presence there and found out that Kirishima also lived there, part time, as a "gesture of his own good will". The woman had seen her first child die before her, suffered through the unsuccessful trial, had been beaten so badly by her drunken husband that she had lost her baby.. and now her ex was accused of murder. She was to the state where she didn't even know how to write her own name. Kirishima said that if no one stayed with her, she'd remain like that and eventually kill herself.
Kyouya noticed some nice and expensive stuff (like a rolex) around the apartment. "This woman's gone insane, but to you she's just a money tree, right?" he asked, and was not met with a reply. (Apparently the woman was from a wealthy family.)
At the clinic, the dentist was murdered by Saitou. The police knew it had to be him since the dead cop's gun was used. They had an all out national search for him declared. After the meeting, Kyouya told Kimura, "you know, Saitou is coming to kill you next." Kimura demanded to know what he meant. Kyouya told him about the info he had pieced together:
Kimura and the murdered cop were the arresting officers for Saitou's drunken rage (that ended up with him serving time) and they also heard the threats made to kill the dentist. The 2 cops and Kirishima then conspired to frame Saitou so he'd go to prison for a long time instead of getting out the next day to have to arrest him again. Kirishima convinced the 2 cops to do it for Kaori's welfare but Kyouya pointed out that Kirishima only did it to move in on Kaori's money; he never cared about her. Kyouya told Kimura that if he wanted to live, he'd turn state evidence and confess about how the 3 of them set Saitou up.
Kimura has a flashback: The murdered cop holds his stabbed side --telling Kimura not to worry about him and restrain Saitou. After cuffing Saitou, Kimura asked, "Are we doing the right thing?" The murdered cop replied, "Men like him are better off in prison as soon as possible..." The cop had stabbed himself and planted the knife nearby and accused Saitou of attempted murder of a policeman.
Kirishima is at Kaori's apartment, asking why didn't she go along with his instructions -- they must have the weapon (knife) to convict. But he tells her it doesn't matter, his underlings have already got Saitou in custody. And the husband is better off in prison, both for her and her unborn baby's good. (Flashback ends.)
Kimura called Kirishima, saying that he wanted to confess; he couldn't stand the pressure anymore. "We were wrong that night, weren't we?!"
Kyouya spoke to Narita about his findings. Narita told him that there has been complaints from Kirishima to lay off on his department. Kyouya replied that if he did back out, no one would be able to nail Kirishima and his part in the murders. Narita told Kyouya to concentrate on finding Saitou. "Do you want Saitou to go kill Kirishima?" "Maybe," Kyouya replied. At that time, Yamaki brought news of Kimura's death.
Kyouya looked at the scene and commented that Kirishima forced Kimura to jump off his balcony - presumbly Kimura really killed himself when he told Kirishima that he regretted his past doing.
At the funeral, Kyouya reminded Kirishima that Saitou was also a witness.
At the dead little girl's school, Saitou floated in the pool and masturbated, thinking, "From the water, I can hear my daughter's movements... that's when my heart finds peace... the pleasure she can only give me... this water is the blood of your wound.." (Susan says this is a strange segment.. implications of incest and Saitou being very obsessed with his daughter.)
Saitou called Kaori, only to find Kimishira answering the phone -- Kimishira challenged Saitou to come to that apartment for him. Kyouya was watching the apartment and finally saw Saitou show up with the gun. He ran to respond. Saitou entered, expecting to see Kimishira, but saw his wife instead and froze -- it was distraction enough for Kimishira to sneak up on him and shoot him. Kyouya, unable to open the door, went around and broke in through the balcony, only to find Kimishira raping Kaori in front of the seemingly dead Saitou. Kimishira admitted that all of this was his master plan. But when Kyouya raised his gun to shoot, Kirishima asked, "Do you want to live the rest of your life walking behind other prisoners? For what? Killing me for getting rid of trash? Face it, you're a vigilante just like me. You're better off doing the smart thing..." Kyouya replied, "Next life time," and was about to fire the gun when Saitou did the deed instead.
Saitou asked "You... a cop?" Kyouya said yes. Saitou crawled forward. "Get out of the way, bitch raised bastard...there's one other person I have to take care of..."
Kyouya didn't move.
"If she lives on, she'll only live on in agony..."
But Kyouya still didn't move, and instead shot Saitou when he tried to kill Kaori.
Kyouya went out to the balcony where she stood, and told her, "Taifuu won't be coming back.."
Kaori only smiled.