Miss Sherlock Episode 6: Stella Maris
"Let me rummage in your pockets to retrieve my property, instead of asking you to give it back like a normal person would do."
Spoiler free summary: the son of a rich politician is receiving packages with mutilated body parts. Sherlock is called to investigate, while employees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police die left and right. In the middle of this mess Mrs Hatano throws a party at 221b, and what should be an innocent little game reveals an unsettling detail about one of the guests. Kento brings news about the recent development of the Shina sisters case, and Sherlock makes a connection that unveils a disturbing truth.
Triggers: bl00d, g0r3, su1c1d3
SPOILER:
A package just arrived in the hands of a maid in a big, elegant house.
For a Yuichi, apparently. But when the lady of the house opens it, she finds a nasty surprise: there's an ear inside...
The next scene we can see Wato coming home, where she finds Sherlock playing with a knife. Why? Well...
But when Sherlock starts to pass the blade over the inside of her wrists (like, Jesus Christ, Sherlock!), Wato takes the situation in her hands and confiscates the knife. And since Sherlock doesn't give a shit about personal space, as we learned during all the episodes, she wrestles Wato while she tries to take the knife back.
Yes, Sherlock, but that's not the point. Only the phone ringing distracts her, and it's Reimon who wants to submit her a bizarre case.
Half an hour later, both Wato and Sherlock are at this bizarre forensic lab (where all the technicians seem to be very squeamish and silence-loving) and they can finally see what this case is about: Yuichi Takayama, son of the famous politician Koichi Katayama, received a package with a cut ear. And apparently there's something inside the hearing canal.
That something is a small hearing aid. Shibata wonders if the victim is a woman who suffers from hearing loss, but Sherlock points out that the hearing aid is just too small and doesn't match the hearing canal. The aid was made for a woman, and that's a man's ear. That means that there's a man with a missing ear out there...
Tell them, Sherlock. Keep the hope alive.
The next day Wato and Sherlock go to the Katayama family's house to question the various witnesses, especially Yuichi who was the addressee. There they find Kento, who is there for the same reason: since Yuichi is the son of the ex police chief and current member of the parliament, this case is also investigated by the security office. Koichi Katayama has good chances to become the next First Minister, so the case must be closed quickly and discretely.
The son in question isn't very worried about the macabre package he received and his answers are not useful at all: he's just lounging around on the sofa playing with his cellphone while his mother, far more upset than him, caresses his legs and that's... a very weird scene. Sherlock is not impressed: she understands in a blink what kind of person he is, and tells him that, even though he is an university student, he clearly likes Porsche cars more than studying. And here we have Kento and Wato joining forces to rein Sherlock in.
Lol.
The trio leaves the house without useful informations, the whole situation with that kid was so annoying that even the ever compassionate Wato can't help to express her vexation.
Also, look at Sherlock's intense fascination with that huge bronze vase. We also learn that Yuichi should probaly die a very painful death hopefully in the near future, because he has a history of animal cruelty and bullying, all covered up by his daddy. Kento also updates them about the Shina sisters: Yuma committed suicide, and maybe now Arisa will be more collaborative. Or at least he hopes, Arisa is his only clue.
At home Wato is musing about Koichi Katayama: a father that covers up his son's misdeeds, what kind of First Minister will he be? Sherlock doesn't care, because:
So a First Minister wouldn't change things. Wato is having nothing of that: like, Sherlock, were you like this even when you were a child? Didn't you friends find it strange? Of course not, because
The bonus screencap of this episode is Wato being exasperated by Sherlock's monotonous taste in button-ups:
Well, because she likes them, of course. In that moment Mrs Hatano enters the room with, like, 20 Kg of sweet potatoes: a gift from a friend, but she can't eat all of them by herself. Wato says that maybe they should organize a sweet potato party, that should fix the issue. Mrs Hatano likes the idea, they could invite all their friends. Seriously, Sherlock, is Wato your only friend?
And Sherlock tells Mrs Hatano, for the nth time, that Wato is not her friend. And this time Wato looks genuinely annoyed.
(Please protect her)
But they can't discuss the party further, because Reimon calls with news about the case:
Oh, joy.
The thing is, that the poor victim is a cop. Yuzo Kawasaki, same department of Reimon and Shibata, a good detective with an immaculate service record, who cared a lot about the victims of the crimes he investigated. He also taught the ropes to a lot of newbie cops...Shibata included. He is so upset by Kawasaki's death that Sherlock suggest Reimon, only half-joking, that he should be removed from the case.
Kawasaki died two days earlier. He has been stabbed, bound, gagged then he had his hear removed. Sherlock notices that the cut is very clean, the murderer evidently knew what he was doing.
The next day doctor Mukayama, head of the forensic lab, confirms that the ear belongs to detective Kawasaki. Moreover, the hearing aid has been made five years ago and the detective wasn't hard of hearing. But apparently there aren't links between Kawasaki and Yuichi Katayama.
That evening Mukayama goes home only to find a hooded thug who stabs her. Farewell, competent and eccentric lady.
The next day Mrs Hatano and Wato greet Toru and doctor Irikawa for the party. But Wato doesn't want Sherlock to know Irikawa is her therapist. She'll tell Sherlock that she's a photographer like Toru, usually Sherlock guesses people's jobs right away, so she'll try to trick her. But expectations lose against reality:
Then Sherlock proceeds to list all the clues that told her Irikawa is a psychologist. The doctor is amazed. So the lunch begins, and all of them except Sherlock are interested in Irikawa's job and ask her questions about it. I'm wondering if the characters (or the writers?) forgot that Sherlock graduated in psychology too, with a specialization in Criminal Psychology, like Reimon has been so kind to tell us in the first episode.
A round of those pop-psychology tests follows, were all of them participate save for Sherlock, who took the question at face value. At that point Sherlock has a question too: Santa brings a soccer ball to a boy, but the boy isn't happy, why? Well, maybe because he doesn't like soccer, or he already has a ball? Everybody gives more or less the same answer, except Toru:
That is enough to spoil the mood of the party. But what does this test tell us?
It's clear that Sherlock is suspicious of Toru. It isn't said why, and I would be interested in knowing on what clues Sherlock based her decision to test him (well, test... this is pop psychology too, I bet she could have found a better way to learn if Toru was dangerous or not), and I don't understand if she did it to ruin the party or because she's worried for Wato and the time she spends with somebody who doesn't know very well and is quickly and steadily insinuating himself in her life. Remember that in the timeline of the tv series they met more or less a week ago (maybe ten days ago?).
But the party is interrupted by inspector Reimon: another package arrived, and this time it's a finger. Sherlock gives her goodbyes and runs away. Wato is so distressed seeing her going alone, that Mrs Hatano and even Toru encourage her to follow Sherlock. After they left, Mrs Hatano points out that Wato is becoming a good partner for Sherlock (we know, Mrs H., we know). Then she asks a poignant question:
Oh, my sweet Summer child...
At the forensic lab, Sherlock examines the finger: it sports a fake nail that doesn't match the size of the real nail, also the finger has a familiar freckle... where's the head of the lab? It seems she didn't come to work today. A visit to Mukayama's apartment confirms that the woman has been killed with the same modus operandi used for Kawasaki: stabbed, bound, gagged and mutilated. But this time the murderer took a finger.
The fake nail has a style that was popular five years ago, like the hearing aid has been made five years ago. These are messages. For who, exactly, and why? Luckily, Shibata found the owner of the hearing aid, maybe some light can be shed on this mistery.
The owner is a girl called Yuri Takai, 23 yo, nail artist, deaf, who died in a hit-and-run five years ago. The driver took her body and abandoned it in a forest. It was found two days later. Detective Kawasaki investigated the case, while Mukayama handled the evidences. But even though it was possible to trace the culprit, nobody has been accused or trialed. Sherlock has a theory, as usual.
It's time to know Yuri's family and question them, because this whole affair looks like a revenge.
Sherlock, Wato, Shibata and Reimon arrive at Yuri's home, an apartment above the small restaurant the family owned. It's closed, but Sherlock knows how to enter. Wato, Reimon and Shibata have to cover for her, especially because a neighbour came to see who they are. Even though she's curious, the woman manage to give them a few informations: she hasn't seen Mr Takai, Yuri's father, for six months. She doesn't know where he went, but he voluntereed for a while in a charity that helped the families that lost a loved one in a car accident, maybe they know something.
Sherlock manages to pick the restaurant lock. Reimon decides that he and Shibata are off duty now, so they won't have to report Sherlock for the crime she just committed. The place is empty, but somebody lived there recently: in one of the apartment rooms they find a disturbing sight:
A hundred of photographs that show that Kawasaki and Mukayama were stalked by Mr. Takai. They also find a knife. Takai was a chef, of course he knew how to use a knife. But why did he kill them? Sherlock is convinced that they both helped to cover the real culprit. Yuri's father learned that and now he's going on a killing spree. This enrages Shibata: Kawasaki was too honest to do something like that! But nobody is 100% free of sin. And they have another problem:
The real culprit, of course.
Wato and Sherlock go to question the president of the charity Takai volunteered at. He tells them that Takai was slowly healing after his daughter's death, and tried to overcome his pain helping others. Then, six months ago, he abruptly stopped volunteering. Then he saw him again two weeks ago, but he was a completely different person. Takai told him that only right thing for the families to do was finding the killers and take revenge.
Meanwhile Shibata and Reimon are talking to Takai's neighbour: she saw inspector Kawasaki more or less six months ago, kneeling in front of Takai and imploring his forgiveness. Takai was furious with him and refused his apology.
At home, Wato and Sherlock discuss the case: why did Takai send those body parts to Yuichi? He can't be him the one who killed Yuri, he was 17 years old five years ago, so he didn't drive yet. Wato offhandedly comments that it must be a lot of pressure to have such a famous and powerful father, even their names are similar. Then Sherlock realizes something, and rewards Wato for her input with the best prize she can think of: chocolate.
Later Koichi Katayama, similarly to his wife at the beginning of the episode, finds a nasty surprise in his car:
a nosy supersmart detective and her shy but ballsy sidekick. Basically the stuff of the nightmares.
So this is the situation: Koichi Katayama killed Yuri in that accident, Kawasaki destroyed the evidences and Mukayama helped too, because Katayama was the National Chief of Police and could do whatever he wanted. Takai learned it from Kawasaki, because the detective was devoured by guilt. Takai decided to kill all of them and started with the detective and the forensic doctor, then mailed their body parts to Koichi to threaten him.
Buuut... the characters for "Ko" and "Yu" are similar, the maid read the name wrong because Takai made a small mistake writing it (he wrote the characters using a ruler to hide his real handwriting) so the first package was given to Yuichi. The second one had the correct name, but nobody bothered to check. It's time to go to the police and confess. Takayama admits his crime, and tells Sherlock and Wato that the car he drew during the accident is hidden in the garage. The two enter the garage and Katayama's assistant locks them in after tying them.
Oooops. Katayama of course doesn't want to confess, and asks his assistant to kill them. The guy is a real psycho, he wants to do the job using a knife, and he wants to torture them a bit first. He decides to start from Sherlock, because she's the insolent one. But Sherlock doesn't want to die at the hands of someone so uncreative, she already freed herself and the two start wrestling. But it's Wato who saves Sherlock, knocking the thug out with a crowbar.
And in that moment Sherlock is furious enough that she almost stabs the guy, and only Wato screaming her to not do that stops her. Anyway, how did she free herself?
With Sherlock's knife, of course.
Sherlock opens her mouth to say something, but Wato prevents her:
Lol. Wato apologizes then she says they have to go and get Takayama. I can't post Sherlock's reaction to Wato's little speech because I'd need a gif, it's a series of expressions that must be seen.
When Katayama sees them emerging, unscathed, from the garage, he immediately understands that it's time to flee, so he gets in his car and drives away. While exiting his driveway he runs over something: horrified, he realizes it's his son Yuichi who has been put, already stabbed and bleeding to death, behind a curve so he couldn't see him.
While he tries to call for help, Takai shows himself, apparently ready to take his revenge over the Takayama family.
Sherlock and Wato arrive and while the latter tries to help Yuichi, the former is more interested in knowing what happened to Takai. He helped the families of the victims, but also helped the drivers who caused deathly accidents, what made him change so much? He doesn't give her a real answer:
The police is arriving, probably called by Sherlock and Wato, and at that point Takai smiles, and just like that... he cuts his own throat. Even the ever composed Sherlock is shocked by this outcome.
Later, at home, the Sherlock and Wato discuss the case again. Takayama confessed the hit and run. But Takai... maybe they could have saved him? Sherlock is convinced that Takai is better off dead. He had lost his purpose in life, and there's no point in living like that. Wato points out that as long as you're alive you can find a new purpose, like she did not so long ago.
Wato surprised Sherlock thrice this episode: the first one with her observation skills, the second one with her resourcefulness, the third one with her strength. Are you starting to admire her, Sherlock?
In that moment Kento enters the apartment bringing news about the Shina sisters. Arisa told him that her sister kept saying "Stella Maris" would show them the way. Sherlock theorizes that maybe it's a person, not an organization. Like the North Star, that guided the sailors...guiding, hhmmm...
Sherlock sits at the computer and contacts one of her professors at Cambridge. Doctor James is surprised to see her.
Firstly, he calls her Sherlock. So that means that she used that nickname for years, even during college, maybe?
Secondly, he seems genuinely happy to hear from her. For a woman who keeps insisting she never had friends, there are several people who respect her and like her a lot, like Reimon, Mrs Hatano and that flamboyant guy in episode 2. And now this Cambridge professor, that when he hears that Sherlocks needs a favor, is immediately willing to help her no questions asked.
So Sherlock asks him if he has access to the thesis on leading crime, a paper written by one of the students at Cambridge, because she needs it right now. Doctor James, after a quick search, tells her that the thesis is blocked, but he'll try to recover it for her. On another note, all the dialogue between the two happens in English, not in Japanese. Wato asks what that thesis was about.
Sherlock tells her that a Psychology student at Cambridge theorized that you could manipulate law-abiding citizens into becoming criminals.
They were convinced that the state of the orbitofrontal cortex could also be changed using dialogue, not just with physical traumas or surgery. It caused quite a stir. Maybe the author is Stella Maris? And then Sherlock realizes something again. She runs away so quickly that Wato has to chase her because she forgot her shoes.
They arrive at Takai's apartment, where Shibata and Reimon are still collecting evidences, and Sherlock tells them that there's a connection to Stella Maris in there. She notices that a few photos, that were pinned with thumbtacks of the same color, have been rearranged.
Well, the Little Dipper form is different, but I suppose that that will do. Anyway, Stella Maris planted their clutches into Takai and changed his personality. At the same moment, Sherlock receives an email by doctor James: he sent her the infamous thesis. It was written by Akira Moriwaki, this person is Stella Maris. Shibata notices that the pictures that form the Little Dipper have letters written on the back.
Sherlock rearranges the letters, and...
It seems that Akira Moriwaki left her a message.
In the next episode... prepare for pain.