Mimicry Offender (Volume 1/Part 1 and Part 2)

Author: Miyuki Miyabe
Publisher:
Publish Date: July 1, 2004
Features: A girl disappears, and soon after, a severed right hand is found, kicking off the story. Kikko, the granddaughter of Yonemoto Yoshio, who has been running a tofu shop in the suburbs of Tokyo, suddenly goes missing. Ten months later, a woman's handbag and a severed right hand are discovered along the banks of the Sumida River in Odaiba Park. Japanese TV stations and newspapers covered the event extensively, with all Japanese people following the case's developments.
"I am the man who threw the right hand into Odaiba Park. Do you no longer want to report on this case?" Suddenly, a phone call came into the live broadcast program of a TV station.
"The handbag and the right hand belong to two different people. The handbag belongs to a woman named Kikko." As the unexpected case progressed, people became increasingly astonished. The criminal called the program multiple times, excitedly discussing details of the case, mocking both the media covering it and the audience thrilled by the story. Soon after, a body belonging to Kikko was found where the criminal had led the media.
"Live my crime." The criminal who called the program again announced another terrifying event, a "murder plan" unprecedented in Japan. The entire country was captivated by the case.
The day of the finally arrived, and everyone struggled against reason, standing motionless in front of their TVs. Then, the report began: two suspects had died in a car accident! Would the case end so simply? Former journalist and literary writer Masako Maehashi was shocked.
While the "murder plan" had stirred Japan, the bodies of Masako's husband, Akira Maehashi, were found in the trunk of a car that had crashed and caught fire. Previously, Masako had planned to interview the family of another crime victim herself, but in the blink of an eye, she too had become a victim's family, and she no longer had the heart to continue.
The police confirmed that the man who died in the car crash was Hiroshi Kurihara and Kazuaki Takahashi. In Kurihara's room, a large amount of evidence related to a serial kidnapping and murder case was found. The police announced that they were highly likely the culprits, and the media positively reported on their crimes, causing another uproar.
A man claiming to be a friend of the suspects began appearing on TV, speaking about the case: "The real criminal is still alive." People started waiting for the terrifying conclusion.
"Yes, I believe there is another criminal." As most people believed that the victims of the car crash, Kurihara and Takahashi, were the culprits, a man suddenly emerged in the media—Kohichi Nagakawa, a criminal psychologist who graduated from Yale University. He was a classmate of Kurihara and Takahashi in high school and was nicknamed "Pea" because his laugh resembled that of a pea.
"Pea" believed that Takahashi was innocent and that there was another real criminal. "Pea" appeared on many TV programs, advocating his "theory of a real criminal." Soon, his persuasive arguments, stylish appearance, and rational demeanor captivated the entire country.
Who was the real criminal that "Pea" believed in? Would Masako and Maehashi relentlessly pursue this real culprit? The perpetrator, the victim, the families of the victims, the police, and the media—all those who could see it were drawn in. The story entered a shocking final conclusion.