I need hardly mention that the paperweight belonged to the late author and thus was in the office prior to the killing. This suggests that the killer didn’t come to the house with the intent of killing Kunihiko Hidaka. Had the murder been planned from the beginning, the murderer would have come prepared with a weapon. It’s possible that such preparations had been made, but then unforeseen circumstances necessitated a change in plans, making a blow to the back of the head with the paperweight the next-best option. However, that seems rather poorly premeditated. It makes most sense that the murder was an impulsive act, done in the heat of the moment, with whatever implement was at hand. This makes me wonder about the locked doors. According to the statements of the two who discovered the body, both the front door to the house and Kunihiko Hidaka’s home office door were locked. Rie Hidaka had this to say: “When I left the house just after five o’clock, I locked the front door. I was worried that, since he was in his office, my husband might not hear it if somebody walked in.
![悪意 [Akui] (2001) by Keigo Higashino](/i/cover.jpg)