“There’s something quite visibly different about it, though. Can you tell?”
I looked over the computer and shrugged.
“It’s not plugged in,” Hugh said triumphantly. “That’s how I kept working last night when the power was gone.”
“Well, they all can run on batteries, right?”
“Not for more than a few hours. You can safely work on this for up to sixty hours, and the battery holds a charge for two years.”
“Wow!” I wouldn’t mind something like that for myself.
“It’s an advanced lithium ion battery called the Eterna, and it is still in development.” He stopped, then laughed. “Look how I’m opening up, sharing trade secrets even. And you say I’m not frank with you!”
“Who designed it?”
“A brilliant young engineer from Bombay. He was glad for the cash, and now we’ve got exclusive rights. None of the market leaders can touch it.”
“That’s too bad,” I mused. “Your engineer would have done better if he were able to sell it to more companies. And in turn, society would have benefited. Everyone could share the technology.”
“What are you, a Communist? Come on, a fair price is one that makes both parties happy.” Hugh turned off the computer and snapped it closed. “I’m off.”
“I’m going back. I’m sure my room is well-aired by now.” I shifted from foot to foot, knowing I owed him something. “Thank you for taking me in last night.”
“I do have a minute to get your thoughts on what might have happened.” He paused, the joviality gone. “Last night, you were speaking hysterically of someone rigging the gas.”
“It really happened. Whoever did it jammed the door so I couldn’t get out.” I spoke in what I hoped was a reasonable manner, adding, “The whole episode makes me curious whether Mr. Nakamura really left town yesterday evening.”
“Of course he did. Yamamoto and I saw him off.” Hugh dug through his suitcase for a tie.
“He could have traveled to the next station and returned to set the gas. Or had somebody else do it,” I suggested, watching him loop the tie and straighten it.
“What’s the motivation for Nakamura to gas you?” Hugh looped and straightened his tie without so much as a glance in a mirror.
“He hates me.” Haltingly, I told the details of how Nakamura had confronted me outside the minshuku bathroom and practically accused me of murdering his wife.
“You’re overreacting. But what about your chums Mr. and Mrs. Crime? The husband’s an engineer, which he means he’s rather adept at mechanical things. If he could open your souvenir box, he could surely tamper with your heater and trip the right fuse.”
“Taro Ikeda is my friend,” I protested, thinking uneasily of his and Yuki’s unexplained absence during the afternoon.
“He’s mad for murder and mayhem! Mrs. Chapman told me how he got his thrills in the torture chamber. Sometimes, there’s a thin line between fantasy and action.”
“What’s your excuse? You vanished after dinner.”
“Like I told you, I was upstairs working. Ask Yamamoto, he’ll vouch for me.” Hugh paused. “Surely you don’t think I fixed the gas to drive you into my bedroom?”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Upset at his accurate guess, there was nothing for me to do but leave.
Even after a long, hot shower I had a headache, and the smell of gas hung heavy in my memory. I shut the window in my cold room and began searching for aspirin. A tiny enameled pillbox had spilled open in my backpack, and the business cards and receipts in another pocket were crumpled and out of order. My natural tendency toward disorder appeared to be spiraling.
I wasn’t that messy, I thought, going over to my duffel bag. Unzipping it, my fears were confirmed. Someone had tossed everything about and even rifled through the pages of the kanji dictionary. My passport and money were still intact, which made me relieved until I began wondering what the intruder had wanted. When had he or she been in the room? After the accident.
Not bothering to pour myself water, I swallowed the aspirin and went downstairs.
“Sleep well? You’re down late today,” Mrs. Chapman commented when I dragged myself to the table.
“Not really. There was a problem with my gas heater, and I was overcome by some fumes. I suppose it was a malfunction, so I’m going to see if I can get it replaced,” I said, watching people’s faces.
“Gas heaters are extremely safe—in fact, there’s an automatic shut-off bar in the case of earthquake. You must have made a mistake, Rei-san,” Taro said sternly.