Malice Read Online Free PDF

next to it, a publicity shot of him that was probably taken for some magazine.
    The article laid out the facts more or less accurately with one notable exception. Concerning the discovery of the body, it read, “Hearing from an acquaintance that the lights in the house were out, his wife, Rie, returned home to find Hidaka dead in the first-floor office,” which might make people think that Rie was the only one there. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere.
    According to the article, the investigators were looking into two possibilities. One was that Hidaka’s death was premeditated murder, and the other that it was incidental manslaughter. The front door had been locked, so the journalist assumed the criminal got in through the office window.
    I closed the paper and was about to start making breakfast when the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock and it was just after eight. It was unusually early for callers. I almost never use my door intercom, I simply go and open the door, but today, I picked it up.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œMr. Nonoguchi?” The voice was of a woman, breathing hard, as if she had been running.
    â€œYes, who is this?”
    â€œSorry to drop by so early. I’m from Channel Eight News and I was hoping we could talk to you about what happened last night.”
    That was a surprise. My name wasn’t in the papers, but the TV newspeople had clearly caught wind that someone else was present when the body was discovered.
    â€œErm…” I considered my response. I didn’t want to say anything lightly that might come back to haunt me. “What exactly is this about?”
    â€œThe author Kunihiko Hidaka was murdered in his home last night. We heard that you were there with his wife when the body was found. Is this true? Mr. Nonoguchi?”
    Channel 8 News was one of those variety news shows. Her tone was overly deferential, almost sycophantic. I rolled my eyes. Still, it wouldn’t do to lie.
    â€œYes, that’s true.”
    Even over the intercom, I could feel the excitement on the other side.
    â€œAnd why were you visiting Mr. Hidaka’s house that night?”
    â€œSorry, I can’t discuss this with you. I’ve told everything to the police.”
    â€œWe heard that you contacted the wife, Rie, after seeing something strange about the house. Can you comment on what you thought was strange?”
    â€œPlease, talk to the police.” I hung up the intercom.
    I had heard that TV news crews could be extremely rude, but this was my first time experiencing it for myself. Why couldn’t they understand that I didn’t want to talk to anyone so soon after finding my friend dead?
    I decided I wouldn’t go outside and risk running into another TV crew. I felt that I should pay Rie a visit or maybe just check on the house, but it would be impossible to get near the place today.
    I was warming up a mug of milk in the microwave when the doorbell rang again. Again I picked up the intercom.
    â€œHi, this is Channel Four News. I was hoping I could talk to you?” This time it was a man’s voice. “Mr. Nonoguchi, every person in the country is waiting to hear more details about what happened.”
    This kind of bombastic statement would, under other circumstances, have made me chuckle.
    â€œLook, all I did was find him. I don’t know anything else.”
    â€œBut you were friends with Mr. Hidaka, correct?”
    â€œThat’s true, but I can’t talk to you about anything that happened last night.”
    â€œIf you could come out and tell us anything about Mr. Hidaka, that would be fine.” The man was persistent.
    I sighed. I was worried less about the imposition and more about the trouble it would cause my neighbors if news crews were camped outside my door all day.
    I hung up the receiver, went to my door, and opened it. A forest of microphones were thrust into my face.
    *   *   *
    In the end, my