The Locked Man

***The Locked Man*** (鍵の掛かった男, *Kagi no Kakatta Otoko*) is a Japanese detective mystery novel by Alice Arisugawa in his Himura Hideo series.

## Synopsis

A man died at Silver Star Hotel in Nakanoshima, Osaka. He was found with a curtain tassel tied to the handrail of the bed and hung his neck. Police conclude that he had committed suicide, but Namiko Kageura, a writer who had interacted with the man at the hotel, is not convinced and has asked Alice and Himura to conduct a personal investigation.

The man's name is Minoru Nashida. Five years ago, at the age of 65, he has been living in suites at Silver Star Hotel, where he has lived quietly every day volunteering and reading books. At the time of his death, he had more than ¥200 million left in his passbook, but most of the hotel employees and regulars who were close to his predecessor knew little of the man's past except that he had succeeded as a liquor retailer before.

Alice begins an independent investigation without Himura, who cannot leave Kyoto due to the university entrance examinations.

### Investigation Begins

Under the circumstances of investigating the incident despite the police concluding that he had committed suicide, Alice, with the full cooperation of the owner of Silver Star Hotel and his wife, begins an investigation by listening to testimonies by people involved in the incident in order to know Nashida. In the process, he finds that there was little to know about Minoru Nashida.

According to the detective in charge of the case before Alice's investigation, no suspicious objects have been found that might be connected to homicide. No one doubts the rational interpretation that a man in his seventies might have chosen self-death as a result of loneliness. However, there were neither packages nor containers of sleeping pills at the scene of the incident, and he was even described to have been in a good mood, singing songs prior to his death. In this regard, Alice begins to investigate assuming it was homicide.

While exploring Nashida's past, Alice finds that he had a rather ridiculous past:

* Every Thursday, he volunteered to give a telephone consultation, but he rested on the 16th.
* Thirty years ago, an old man in his seventies was hit and ran over by him, driving under the influence of alcohol. Immediately after that, he robbed a car and some money from an acquaintance, injured him, and fled.
* He appeared several days later, and was imprisoned in Okayama for six and a half years as a result of the
* When he ran away, he had a lover known as "Kako-chan".
* Kako-chan seemed to have had a child with another man while Nashida was in prison.

Alice speculates that the 16th was when Nashida probably went to visit the grave of the hit-and-run victim. Later, an employee of Silver Star Hotel gives a testimony that Nashida had visited the grave on the 16th. It is confirmed, however, that the tomb that Nashida had visited was not of the hit-and-run victim's but the tomb of the mother of the hotel manager, Takashi Katsuragi. To be precise, Kako-chan was the mother of Takashi, but he does not know anything about his father. He does not have a single photograph of his father, and he seems to be upset whenever he is asked about the matter.

It seems that Nashida had wanted to live forgetting his ex-girlfriend. Moreover, Nashida and Takashi have similar physical features, which may have also contributed to Nashida's nostalgia and sympathy. Little by little, Nashida's past is uncovered. However, it is still unclear whether his death was caused by suicide or another method.

### Himura Arrives

After supervising the university examination, Himura arrives at Silver Star Hotel. He immediately proceeds to Room 401 and focuses on the dirt on the slacks that Nashida had worn at the time of the incident. It was a small chocolate stain like a dragged mark around the left shin. He also remembers that there are no fingerprints left on the watch that the victim had worn. Suspecting a relationship of kinship between the two, Himura secretly asks for a DNA test on Nashida and Takashi.

For the first time, Himura asserts that it is likely to be a suicide case in moments when it is unclear whether a death was caused by suicide or murder. The Osaka Prefectural Police and the detective-in-charge agreed to move in that line of thinking after hearing the inferences of Himura and Alice.

Despite the killing, no clues can be found that could lead to the criminal. On the day of the hit-and-run incident, a friend's testament states that she was traveling with Kako-chan, and regular guests at that time gathered at Silver Star Hotel in a timely manner to hear some news. The incident occurred sometime when the owner and his wife came out with news of having a child. Just then, Nashida's will is mailed to Silver Star Hotel. It seems to be mailed by the criminal who had handled Nashida.

The contents of the will only prove that Alice's and Himura's inferences were correct, with a special instruction to donate half of his inheritance to Takashi and the rest to the Traffic Orphans Education Association.

The act of murder is later found to be conclusive, with the will being sent by someone else; next to Alice, Himura claims to have discovered who the culprit is. According to him, the delivered will is an enormous piece of information in itself.

## Characters

* Hideo Himura (火村 (ひむら)  英生 (ひでお) ): A 32-year-old clinical criminologist and associate professor at his alma mater, Eito University School of Sociology. With a course on criminal sociology, his desire to kill someone made him interested in the field. Born in Hokkaido, he eventually moved from place to place due to his father's transfer. He has lived alone in a boarding house in Kita-Shirakawa, Kyoto, where he has lived since he was a student. His parents passed away and has a good relationship with his elderly landlady, a relationship similar to a parent and child.
* Alice Arisugawa (有栖川 (ありすがわ)  有栖 (ありす) ): A 32-year-old mystery writer and Himura's friend since they were students at Eito University. Born and raised in Osaka, he currently lives in a 2LDK apartment in Yuhigaokacho, Osaka. He worked as a salesman for a printing company until he was 27 years old and made his debut after winning the Golden Arrow Award. He has been writing mystery novels since he was a student.
* Takashi Katsuragi (桂木 鷹史): The young manager of Silver Star Hotel and a foster child.
* Minae Katsuragi (桂木 美菜絵): The owner of Silver Star Hotel, who succeeded her parents, and Takashi's wife.
* Yasuaki Niwa (丹羽 靖章): The competent deputy, restaurant, and sales manager of Silver Star Hotel.
* Kazuki Takahira (高比良 和機): An employee at Silver Star Hotel.
* Yuki Mizuno (水野 由岐): An employee at Silver Star Hotel.
* Namiko Kageura (影浦 浪子): A guest at Silver Star Hotel. He usually stays at Room 402, and Nashida is his friend during tea.
* Aisuke Hinenoya (日根野谷 愛助): A guest at Silver Star Hotel and a *kimono* merchant. He had dinner with Nashida on the night of the incident.
* Marika Shikauchi (鹿内 茉莉香): A guest at Silver Star Hotel. A musical saw player, she refused Nishida's request to play in the room.
* Yoshiho Tsuyuguchi (露口 芳穂): A guest at Silver Star Hotel. He lives in Tokyo as a friend of Minae and has returned to Osaka to discuss his inheritance. He was also Nashida's favourite.
* Masanao Yorozu (萬 昌直): A guest at Silver Star Hotel as a temporary resident during a home renovation.
* Kiwako Yorozu (萬 貴和子): Masanao's wife who stays at Silver Star Hotel temporarily during abovementioned home renovation.
* Minoru Nashida (梨田 稔): A long-term guest at Silver Star Hotel. The following morning, he was found hanging in his suite, Room 401, sometime between 11:00 and 2:00 a.m.

## Notes

1. ↑ A 2LDK apartment consists of two rooms in addition to a living, dining, and kitchen area. "L" stands for *living*, "D" stands for *dining*, and "K" stands for *kitchen*. The number "2" indicates that there is one room in addition to the main living area.

## References

1. ↑ 作家アリスシリーズ — Wikipedia (Japanese)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 有栖川有栖「火村英生（作家アリス）シリーズ」『鍵のかかった男』あらすじとほんのりネタバレ感想 — I Want to Solve All Mysteries (Japanese)
3. ↑ 46番目の密室 — Wikipedia (Japanese)