The Tokyo Zodiac Murders Read Online Free Page A

Their bodies were rotting, and the stench was terrible. The corpses were fake, of course, but I didn’t realize that for a whole year. Their faces were distorted by fear, and their muscles were wrenched with the agony of death. The most shocking exhibit was a man dying in water. His hands were handcuffed behind him as another man shoved his head underwater. There were tiny bubbles coming out of the drowning man’s mouth. This was taking place in a glass case, lit from the inside.
    I could think of nothing to measure up to Milhaud’s work, let alone surpass it. After spending a whole year producing nothing, I decided to create Azoth. I decided that nothing but Azoth could supersede his work!
    Nobody will know where I create Azoth, but I must be careful of dogs. They can hear the screams of the dying. Humans cannot pick up a sound when its frequency exceeds 20,000 cycles per second, but dogs can. In the aquarium of Milhaud’s exhibition, I saw a lady with a Yorkshire terrier in her arms. Its ears trembled as it listened to the sounds of death.
    The place for the creation and assembly of Azoth will be determined by mathematical calculations. I could do this work in my studio, of course, but it would be very suspicious if six young women disappeared suddenly. The studio would obviously come under investigation. And even if the police didn’t suspect me, Masako could come to the studio. Therefore, I must have another venue for this work, somewhere I can store my creation. So I have bought a house in the countryside at a very good price. However, because this document may be found before my death, I dare not mention the exact location. I will only say that it is somewhere in Niigata Prefecture.
    I will leave this note next to Azoth. After her creation, the parts of the girls’ bodies that have not been used should be delivered to various locations that relate to their respective zodiacal sign. The ideal correlation will be a place where a specific metal is mined. For example, gold relates to Leo, iron to Aries and Scorpio, silver to Cancer, and tin to Sagittarius and Pisces. Thus, the remains of the bodies will be disposed of as follows:
Tokiko (Aries), in a place that produces iron
Yukiko (Cancer), in a place that produces silver
Reiko (Virgo), in a place that produces mercury
Akiko (Scorpio), in a place that produces iron
Nobuyo (Sagittarius), in a place that produces tin
Tomoko (Aquarius), in a place that produces lead.
    Once the bodies have been returned to where they belong, Azoth will emerge with supreme power. Then the magnum opus shall be completed!
    I am creating Azoth not only for myself, but for the sake of the Empire of Japan. The country has followed a misguided path, and our history is marred with unfortunate incidents. Lest Japan be destroyed, we must assume the responsibility of our ancestors. The day approaches. Azoth shall guide us. Azoth shall save our nation.
    In ancient times, the Goddess Himiko reigned over our country. Her realm of Yamatai was glorious. Astrologically, the islands of Japan belong to Libra, where people tend to favour social gatherings. The Japanese people believed in God and loved feasts and festivals. However, when Korean forces overpowered Japan and Confucianism was imported from China, our people changed. Their souls lost their freedom and they became self-suppressive. Then they imported Buddhism from China, but that didn’t take root, either. What the Japanese learnt was not real Buddhism, but Buddhism as misinterpreted by the Chinese. We should revert to what this country was originally—an empire ruled by a goddess.
    For that reason, Azoth should be placed in the very centre of Japan, so that she can play the part of the GoddessHimiko. Today, our standard time is determined by the Akashi Observatory at longitude 135° E, but I think this is wrong. The real centre of the Japanese Empire is longitude 138° 48’ E. The Japanese archipelago has a striking bow-like shape, but it is