"Police are focusing their investigation into the disappearance of musician Tohma Seguchi on his wife after receiving tips from various music publications suggesting Seguchi was having an affair with pop star Shuichi Shindo. According to executives at PopBeat Magazine, it's possible Seguchi's wife Mika discovered the affair and killed her husband in a fit of jealous rage. The disposition of Seguchi's year-old baby now hangs in the balance as police consider the likelihood of taking Mika Seguchi into custody."
The police were complete idiots. They were barking up the wrong tree big time with this one, and the sad thing was that he and every other taxpayer in the country had to pay for it. Eiri lit a cigarette and lowered the volume on the TV set.
How much longer before the police decided that he murdered his brother-in-law for taking the brat away from him? Idiots. One more reason they needed to require IQ tests for people in positions of life and death. There was no excuse for allowing morons to work for the police force.
He ought to be glad his brother-in-law was finally out of his hair. If Tohma turned up dead, Shuichi would go into major mourning and probably return to him for good. Eiri would be different this time, tell him he loved him more, yell at him less. Would it kill him to say a kind word now and then? His therapist kept telling him he needed to work on these areas, but he just didn't do tenderness. Not anymore.
He ought to be thankful there'd be no more calls at all hours just to check whether he'd eaten today and how his books were coming along and how he was feeling. What did he owe the bastard? Nothing.
Not a thing.
Not a damn fucking thing.
Crap.
Eiri lit a cigarette and tossed the lighter near the ashtray—an ashtray Tohma had bought at Wako years ago. Bastard. Probably half the things in this apartment came from Tohma. The prick maintained a continual presence, surrounding Eiri with trinkets and gadgets. Yet he'd never throw them out; it was somehow a comfort to have the bastard's familiars in close proximity.
Tohma had watched over Eiri until his scars had healed, and gotten him through the very worst years of his life—of any life. It was time for Eiri to return the favor. Did Seguchi love Shuichi? Eiri didn't know, but at this minute he hoped that Shuichi loved Tohma. Crushing out his cigarette, he grabbed his keys and headed for his car.