The Kill Switch

The cramped buildings, the tight alleyways, and the dirty streets showed the dark truth of the greatest city in the world; London. However, that was in the past. London has moved on from the dark beginnings of its dominance in the modern age. Now, at the turn of the century, there is no better place to live than the British Empire. 

Take my partner, for example. He is an aspiring engineer and loves to toy with the newest discoveries in the miraculous world of science: electricity. Even though electricity has been spread throughout the world since 1879, it has never been so accessible for the common person. I had just gotten back from working at my publishing house to find him tinkering with a new machine. From where I stood, it looked to be a cross between a locomotive engine and a boat. However, they were both very miniature in size. When I asked my friend what he was up to, he began right away to dispel any concerns.

“Ah, Samuel, come come! This one is sure to work!”

“This one?”

I stepped closer as the tall and lanky fellow hunched over the filled tub, I saw what he was talking about. A miniature boat with a tiny steam engine attached. My companion, Charles Nester, was beaming as bright as the sun as he watched the small boat’s engine hurl small stacks of steam and begin to move. I, too, stood astonished at this invention of his. It was by no means original, as steamboats have been around for decades. But this small machine, that one would hazard to call a toy, is certainly impressive. From my admittedly limited knowledge of machines, steam engines require much space to work. And yet, here was one that could fit in the palm of my hand. 

“Charles, just how long did this take you?” 

He only smiled and asked, “Sir, what is your favorite genre of book?”

“That, sir, does not seem to answer my question,” I responded curiously.

“Oh, but it will answer mine,” he said mischievously.

I didn’t have to think twice about a simple question. “Mystery is my favorite genre of book, sir. From old classics like The Murders in the Rue Morgue to my modern-day favorites such as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, sir, I would wholeheartedly say the mystery is my favorite genre.” I said, “Now, sir, will you tell me what your question is?”

“Well, sir, have you considered yourself a detective?” the man asked.

 I asked him, “What do you mean, my friend?”

 “You publish mystery stories, devour any new thriller, and have even tried writing a few. You went to college to learn the humanities and probably understand the human mind as much as I understand a machine. So, would you consider yourself a detective, Mr. Samuel Grayson?”

I thought about it for a while, and finally said, “Yes sir, I would consider myself a detective.”

Before I knew it,  Charles and I were on a boat destined for Japan. Apparently, Charles has engineer friends in Japan, where the country is rigorously modernizing and reforming their society. He has received a job to help affix new electrical lights in an Imperial Diet member’s home. The member apparently heard about the new form of lighting and wanted to show off his power and wealth. And I was taken along to investigate the threats the diet member has been receiving.

During the trip, I looked through the copies of the threatening letters the diet member has been receiving. They were translated into English, but even with the problems found in translation, the letters were written in a literary language. It was as if Shakespeare had come back to life and was living in Japan. Such sentences as, “May the devil let you into his home, for you have lost the same privilege with St. Peter,” were common. With this, I can tell the person sending these letters is a Catholic, educated, and also knows quite a bit of European literature. Another striking example comes in the form of this sentence, “Brutus and Macbeth may invite you into your family.” From the sound of the letter, this diet member, one Riku Genkei, seems to have committed treason against an ally of his. This one sentence also tells me something quite interesting.

After nights of looking over the letters, we finally arrived in Japan. We immediately went to the house of our host. We were greeted by the servant at the gate of the property and let inside. The house was, to my companion and my own astonishment, very akin to the style of European houses. It was made of stone and stucco, painted a white color, with many arches holding up the second floor. The house was certainly made for a wealthy man. However, despite the exterior being influenced by European design, there was an unmistakable Asian influence on its interior. We were brought into a room covered with traditional tatami mats. There, we were served Asian style tea as we waited for the diet member. While waiting, my companion began to ask about my efforts.

“So, Mr. Grayson, what do you think about our friend’s dilemma?”

“Well, sir,” I responded, “The perpetrator is an educated Catholic who is very foolish. He crafts these ornate sentences but does not think about what he is writing. I have already determined that he seems to think Mr. Genkei is a traitor of some kind.”

“Many people seem to think that.” Our attention turned to the door, where our host was standing with an American that acted as the translator. Mr. Genkei was the first one to speak. His translator spoke afterward.

“I am Riku Genkei, a member of the Imperial Diet. Who am I seeing before me?”

“My name is Charles Nester, and this is my friend, Samuel Grayson. I am the examiner of the machines you have called for. He is the examiner of minds you asked for.” My friend seemed to have gathered some inspiration from our mysterious author.

Mr. Genkei responded, “Well, Mr. Nester, my servant will take you to your friend’s work area. Mizuki!”

A young woman appeared in the doorway, behind the two men. She was a petite girl, who seemed very nervous around us. Her name was Mizuki, apparently, and she had wavy, shoulder-length hair. Behind her, one more companion came running upon his four legs. A short-haired, muscular dog came running into the room behind the servant, much to Mizuki’s embarrassment. She quickly rushed the dog out of the room and began to apologize anxiously. After that adventure, the servant Mizuki Kage took my companion to his own work, as I began mine.

Mr. Genkei began the conversation, “So, I assume you are the detective I have asked for? And I assume you have gotten Mr. Klau’s letters?” Mr. Roger Klau was the name of Mr. Genkei’s translator, to whom I was speaking.

“Yes sir, and I have spent many nights reading over them,” I responded, “Now, sir, did you receive any other letters of interest.”

Mr. Klau did not ask the question to Mr. Genkei, instead he took out a letter and began to read it in clear English. The letter’s contents were mostly the same flowery threats if such words could be used together. However, the letter ended with a string of numbers, “1920.” 

“Well, that can’t be, the year is only 1900!” I exclaimed in surprise. 

“Yes, it appears, sir, that we are fighting a creature that can transcend time,” Mr. Genkei responded. “Maybe, he plans to not do anything until 1920?”

“No, if he sent you the letters now, he plans to do something before the year’s end. Unless he plans to write letters for the next two decades,” I responded, my mind already racing with possibilities. “Sir, I will ask that you leave me for my work. I must have an empty room to think clearly.”

Mr. Genkei was given the message and told Mr. Klau something, it seems. Then, my gracious host got up from his seat, bowed, and left the room. I asked Mr. Klau where Mr. Genkei was going before he left. Mr. Klau responded that Mr. Genkei was going to take a nap to calm his own being. I thanked the translator and got to work. I read the letter over and over, trying to match up the words to 1920. Nothing, so I moved to match up letters to 1920. Nothing again, so I moved to the other letters. So on and so forth, I wasted an hour and a half of useless thinking.

Just when I was going to look for my partner, I looked at my watch. Then, a thought hit me. ‘A creature that transcends time? Impossible, no human can transcend time.’ I began to ponder the possibilities, and it came to me as fast as a steam locomotive. I called the servant into my room and ordered her to bring me a paper and a pen. Then, I realized she could not understand me. I made as many movements as I could, you could swear I was an actor instead of a detective. When my request was fulfilled, I asked her for the date with act II. She gave me the date, “8/12/1900.” I understood it now and sent her to go get the master.

She left at once and I began to think. If I did deduce this correctly, then the master’s life was in danger. I looked at my watch again. It was seven in the evening. I had worked for almost two and a half hours. I didn't even notice that my companion had finished his job of fixing electric lights. However, I did notice them as they unexpectedly went out. The room was filled with a sea of darkness, as I suspect the entire house was. I pulled out a matchbox and struck one. As I left the room, I ran into Mrs. Kage.

“Sir, what happened?” I asked the distraught girl.

“Mr. Grayson, I do not know. Your companion went to check his cabling again.” At that moment, we heard a scream come from the second floor. I implored Mrs. Kage to take me to the master immediately. We climbed the stairs at speeds only imaginable to automobiles. As we reached the top of the stairs, the lights came back on. We were greeted by the translator, who was on the floor in the hallway. It appears, by his expression, we were too late.

Mr. Genkei laid in his bed with a kitchen knife stuck through his chest. I looked through around the body and throughout the entire bedroom but found nothing of value. I told Mr. Klau and Mrs. Kage to go to the room with the tatami mats. I made one last check of the bedroom before locking Mr. Genkei in his premature tomb.

On my way to meet the master’s companions, I found my own. He was frantic, hearing the scream. I told him to calm down and follow me. As we arrived at the room with the suspects, I immediately got to work.

“Sir and madam, you two are my only suspects. Mr. Nester could not have done it, otherwise we would not be able to see each other. Since it is plausible the killer cut the power to the lights and performed the deed, only you two could have done it. So, tell me, when the lights went out, what were you two doing.”

Mrs. Kage spoke first and was translated by Mr. Klau. “Sir, I was letting the dog out in the backyard. I like to stay with him so he does not get lonely.”

“Mr. Nester, where is the breaker?” I asked my companion. 

“On the back of the servant’s quarters, in the backyard, my friend. However, I ran past her to get to it. She was sitting by the door. She only went inside as I ran outside.”

“I see, and Mr. Klau, where were you?” I asked the translator.

“Sir, I was taking down notes for Mr. Genkei’s newest duties in the Diet. When the lights went out, I was in his office, the room next to the master bedroom. I went to check on the master when I found the body.”

“I see, sir, I thank you two and ask you to stay here for some time. I must investigate with my companion.” 

I asked Mr. Nester to take me to the circuit breaker. On the way, I asked him what caused the lights to go out. He told me someone had deliberately flipped the switch. As we rounded the corner of the servant’s quarters, the dog came running up to meet us. As I pondered why he was back here, an idea came to mind. I went over to look at the breaker itself. There was only one switch that connected to all the lights in the house. I looked below the breaker and saw an imprint in the grass. ‘This was where the dog was laying,’ I thought to myself. However, there was one more object in the grass. A piece of piano wire, no more than thirty centimeters in length. With this new clue, I went back to the house.

I greeted the suspects again and asked if the house had a piano in it. Mr. Klau responded, “Yes, Mr. Genkei wanted to learn all about European music, so he bought one. It is in his study, where I was.”

“And, whose duty is it to maintain the piano?” I inquired.

“Sir, it is Mrs. Kage’s duty. But I don’t see how this is relevant,” Mr. Klau confessed. 

“Mrs. Kage, why not join the conversation? You made me look like an amateur actor, but you were a perfect actress.” Mrs. Kage seemed surprised at first but then smiled. In almost perfect English, she responded, “When did you figure out I knew English?” 

“When I asked you for a pen and paper when you made me perform for you. I am no actor, but you understood what I was asking for. My suspicions were confirmed when I asked you the date. Now, will you also confess your sin?”

“Sir, it is true I hid my ability to speak English, but I did not kill Mr. Genkei. You must believe.” The girl pleaded.

“Then, let me regale you with a tale, one that should be performed by players for generations. This begins with the cunning little puzzle you made for me. The number, “1920,” never meant the year, but the date you would strike. Add, for me Charles, eight, twelve and nineteen-hundred. I believe you would find the answer to her riddle.”

“Well, sir, you are correct. The answer is indeed 1920. But, I saw her in the backyard when the lights went out. She could not have turned them off.” Charles told me.

“Sir, she did not turn off the lights. But let me continue my story. After keeping me busy, you went up to the master's room and killed him with a knife from the kitchen. Then, you went to set up your little trick. You tied a piano wire to the breaker switch and at the other end, a small hook. You put a small piece of meat on the hook and waited. When the time was right, you let the dog into the backyard, who found the delectable treat and jumped to pull it off the hook. In doing so, however, the dog pulled the wire down as well, which in turn, flipped the breaker off. And with a confused and innocent expression, you completed your act.”

Mrs. Mizuki Kage responded, “Where is the evidence I did all this? Without evidence, this is all a well-thought-out performance.”

“You meant to use a piano wire, but it was too short for your trick. Instead, you had to use your shoestring. One that seems to be absent from your left shoe.”

Mizuki Kage looked down at her shoe with a hateful expression but then gave up. “Well, sir, congratulations. You discovered my plot to send the traitor to hell. If you are wondering why I call him a traitor, it is because of my father. My father was a samurai under Riku Genkei’s service. However, when the samurai were no longer needed in service, Mr. Genkei captured and personally executed all of the samurai under his command. Even as my father was killed by that traitor, my father still saw the good in his old friend. It is too bad I could not see the same good in Riku Genkei.”

While we returned to England, I learned that Mizuki Kage’s father intended to rebel against the new form of government, and that is why Mr. Genkei executed his samurai. It seemed that Mizuki Kage worshiped one traitor while she murdered the other.