Beautiful Blood

Keiko on the Floor

My therapy started on May 20th. At least it was supposed to start that Friday. I had an appointment to see dr Fukazawa at 2 pm; because of my ‘condition’, as they called it, my school allowed me to skip some classes to go to the therapy.

I did not have the faintest idea what I was going to do or say there. I did not feel very talkative that week at all. For one, I did not have anything to say to that doctor. Moreover, the identification I had to do at the police station on Wednesday evening was too stressful for me.

I thought about it on my way to Nakano, in the subway.

At Wednesday morning, Kimura called and told my dad who picked up the phone that we needed to get to the police station so that I could try and identify the two people they caught and who are responsible for my kidnapping.

It turned out their names were Terachi Tatsuo and Yuriko; they were both 55 and were married for 25 years.

When we got to the police station, Andou immediately helped us get to the room where we were supposed to sit and wait until the culprits are taken into the room across us; we would see them through the glass but they would not be able to see us.

When the door opened and they entered the room, both cuffed with messed old clothes (I immediately thought they were homeless), my heart skipped a beat and I forgot how to breathe for a moment.

-Since you said you did not see them, they will both speak to the microphone so you can at least hear their voices. - Kimura said –It’s very unconventional but that is all we can do.-

My parents both nodded but I said –They would fit the height of those two people. I saw everything but their faces. - I swallowed –It’s them. But, let’s make sure.-

Kimura nodded and gave the signal to his fellow officer who leaned a small microphone to the couple; the man spoke first; he was reading random words from a piece of paper that was laid on the table. After him, his wife spoke, saying the same words.

The sound of their voices made me dizzy.

-It’s th-them. - I nodded, wrapping arms around myself as if to prevent the sickness in my stomach from building up.

Mom wrapped her arm around me –Are we done now? Can we go?-

-Yes. - Kimura nodded.

We left the police station right after and got into dad’s car; he immediately drove away, squeezing his hands around the wheel –I could go and kill those two with my own bare hands.-

-Darling...- Mom sighed –They are caught now, they will get what they deserve.-

-Will they? Junichi told me that they will probably end up in a sanatorium and be released from it in a matter of years. They are pretending to be crazy. They are crazy but this attitude will not lead them to jail. Damn it.-

-That’s not fair! They need to get a life sentence for what they did...- Mom looked through the window, squeezing her purse –to my little girl and all those other girls.-

-They didn’t kill anyone prior to 1994, they claim. - Dad snorted –I can accept they didn’t touch anyone prior to 1973, and that’s as far as I can go.-

-Maybe their parents and grandparents killed other women. - I blabbed out.

Silence. My parents were contemplating my thought as we stopped on a traffic light.

-D-do you really think that’s possible? - Mother was shocked.

-There are many sick people in the world. - Dad simply said, driving away.