Chapter 10 - Rumbling 5
To be honest, it was something that likely had nothing to do with the case, but it was simply a matter of following the theory that had been drilled into him by his senior detectives when he first became a detective: "Always pin down things the other party is concerned about or things you are concerned about, even if they don't seem like a big deal."
"Which one?"
Okuda took the booklet from Nishida and extended his arm to confirm the list part as if looking from a distance.
"Yeah, they're certainly there. Among them are people I know and people I don't know."
"Who are the people you know?"
"I know the president of a place called Isaka-gumi."
"Isaka-gumi, is that 'the' Isaka-gumi?"
When Kitamura confirmed,
"That's right. You detectives know them too, right?" he replied. Nishida, even though he wasn't a local, knew that Isaka-gumi was a powerful construction company in the Kitami area of Okhotsk.
"I know them because they're a powerful company here in Kitami. But even so, why was someone from the construction company Isaka-gumi participating? Could it be that they were involved in the old tunnel construction?"
"No, as expected, it's not that they were doing the tunnel construction. As far as I know, it's not such an old company. It should be a company started by the previous president listed here, and originally they were doing sub-contracting for JNR maintenance and railway facility repairs. No, rather, that should have been their main business. I've worked with the Isaka-gumi guys too. It's certain they were also in charge of maintenance around Jomon. I heard they don't do maintenance-related work now. Since they became what you'd call a 'zenekon' (T/N: general contractor), I guess?" Okuda said with a wry smile to Kitamura's question.
"Who are the people whose company, affiliation, or title isn't written?" Nishida asked again because Okuda hadn't answered that part.
"Hmm, I'm sorry to Nishida-san, but I don't quite know those people... No, rather than not knowing, is it more accurate to say I forgot?" Okuda said and placed the booklet back in front of Nishida.
"It's been over twenty years, so it can't be helped," Nishida muttered quietly.
"Twenty years? Ah, it's already been twenty years... They say ten years is an era, so it's been two eras. But the reason I don't remember well is probably more a matter of age than the number of years. I've been quite forgetful about various things lately. I really don't want to get old. You two are still young after all, so you don't understand what I'm saying, do you?"
Nishida hadn't intended to say it loud enough to be heard, but ironically, his hearing didn't seem to have declined at all, and Okuda seemed to have heard him clearly. He was instinctively embarrassed and neither affirmed nor denied, but just said,
"Well," to dodge the question.
After that, since no other things to ask on the spot came to mind, Nishida and Kitamura ended up accompanying him for nearly an hour, somehow managing to deal with Okuda's small talk and stories from his JNR days. However, they finally grasped the chance to return to the station thanks to the "wife's" helping hand again.
As they were leaving,
"I'll take a copy of this material at the station and mail it back to you later, so could you tell me your address?" Nishida said, but
"I don't particularly need it, so I'll give it to you," Okuda said, but
"No, I can't do that," Nishida politely declined.
"Then since it's a good opportunity, don't use the mail and just bring it back again," he said with a hearty laugh, but as expected, he heard the address and left Okuda's house.
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It was past 1:00 PM when they returned to the station. Originally, he didn't want to return to the station too early, but there were few cars on the rural roads during this time of day, and they returned to Engaru in a heartbeat without intending to. The investigation headquarters was deserted, but that was more because the other investigation teams were still moving around at that time of day rather than because it was lunchtime.
After hanging his suit jacket on his seat in the deserted room, Nishida sat down for the time being and was thinking about how to report the outline of the investigation to Case Chief Officer Kurano. Kurano hadn't returned from lunch yet, so he was saved by having time to think. However, no matter how he tried to dress it up, it was impossible to avoid conveying the reality that his expectations were wrong, and he had no choice but to make up his mind.
When Kurano returned, Nishida immediately rushed over and gave the investigation report for the morning. Kurano listened in silence at first, but when the conclusion became clear,
"No good, huh," he groaned in a voice like a shout.
"I thought it would work, but it's a pity it turned out like this," Nishida could only say.
"The roller operation is also likely to end with harsh results at this rate, so what should I do..." Kurano turned to Division Chief Sawai, who was listening beside him.
"It's almost certainly triggered by the investigation committee's activity story, but since it's impossible to identify everyone who saw the article, it can't be helped that that becomes a weak point," Sawai also sounded like he was speaking somewhat dismissively.
Just as the three began to feel a subtle atmosphere flowing between them, Kurano broke the silence.
"Sawai, about that N system story earlier, is it worth investigating?"
Nishida was bewildered by the sudden mention of the "N system (automatic license plate recognition system)" from Kurano's mouth.
"The N system shouldn't be around the scene, right?"
"It's just as Nishida says, but although it's by no means near the scene, apparently an N system was recently installed between the national roads of Kitami and Rubeshibe. It's been in operation since June 15," Division Chief Sawai began to explain to Nishida.
"That's a story from after the incident," Nishida said while being careful not to show the feeling of wanting to say "how does that relate?" in his attitude.
"However, actually, before it began full operation, immediately after installation, they were doing what you'd call a test run for several days, and just a moment ago, around 11:00, I received word from the Kitami Area HQ. Coincidentally, the period they were doing that test run was between June 4 and 10. Since the Yoshimi incident occurred on June 9, maybe the car of the 'true identity of the fireball' is listed during that period. Of course, we don't know if they passed through there, and even if they did, just passing through there wouldn't be any evidence, but..."
"But isn't it better information than nothing? Isn't it worth checking?" Nishida, after hearing Division Chief Sawai's story, had lost his earlier skeptical feelings and had become somewhat enthusiastic.
"By the way, the fireball was going to the scene at night almost every day, right?" Kurano confirmed with the two.
"Whether it was every day or not, I've heard from the JR guys who witnessed it that it happened frequently. Of course, the possibility that they were there even on days when the JR employees didn't witness it is likely quite high, considering what they were doing," Sawai answered proactively instead of Nishida.
"Then, if they were passing through, wouldn't it be interesting to specifically list cars that were passing through there several times during odd hours? Such a thing wouldn't happen unless it's for logistics or some special job. It's not the city, so most people are sleeping during those hours."
The expression "odd hours" was abstract, but it was clear that it specifically meant from night to early morning. It sounded like a quite pointed observation to Nishida.
"You're right. Something might be successfully caught. After that, if the tire marks of that car match, the probability should be quite high."
"If they've changed the tires, it's no good, but it's doubtful if they've thought that far ahead. If things go well, we might be able to reach the end," Kurano said while looking at the two alternately. And he continued.
"The question is whether it has anything to do with seeing the article."
"How about that? I think there's a normal possibility that the person who might have seen the article and the car match. In the roller operation, we haven't picked up anyone in particular so far, but if it overlaps with the N system, the circumstantial evidence becomes quite solid. Since we've been collecting tire marks from many targets as part of the operation, there's a possibility we've already checked them before investigating after narrowing them down with the N system. Either way, wouldn't it be fine to add the motive of 'why they tried to recover the body' later? The possibility is highest that the article was the catalyst, but at the same time, it's also 'just' the most convincing motive at the moment," Division Chief Sawai said, emphasizing the "just."
"Umu, anyway, it's fine if the person who likely read the article and the tire marks of the car they use match. On top of that, in some cases, they might have been caught in the N system."
After finishing a round of conversation about the investigation policy from here on, Kurano told Nishida that for today, he could stay at the headquarters while killing time until the investigation meeting.
Nishida returned to his seat, and after flipping through the booklet he borrowed from Okuda to confirm, he put it through the copier. Then, he went to the Police Administration Division downstairs, asked for an envelope, and filled in Okuda's address while looking at his notes. He put the original inside and asked them to mail it, then went out for a late lunch with Kitamura, who had been waiting.
After returning from lunch, Nishida began to look at the copy of the booklet intently this time. Kitamura, who was watching that, asked,
"Kakarichou, when will you do the background check?"
"Hmm, since they held a memorial service with such a proper booklet, there's no lie in the fact that they did a remains collection on a large scale. I heard it from Okuda too, and I don't think there's a need to do further background checks."
"That's true too. Is it a waste of time?" Kitamura said.
"To be honest, it's Showa 52 (1977), right... The people listed here are the then-mayor and chair, so I'm considering the possibility that they're already dead given their age. If so, it's just as Kitamura says, a waste of time. For the other JNR employees, it seems like it would take time to investigate each contact information."
Nishida said that and was about to flip the copy, but he suddenly stopped his finger and muttered,
"Showa 52..."
"Did something happen with Showa 52? It's the year of the remains collection and memorial service that Mr. Okuda mentioned, right?" Kitamura asked, watching his situation.
"Ah, that's it, that's it! The grave marker, the grave marker, the grave marker in Ikutahara! I see, that was this!" Nishida raised his voice suddenly, without even answering Kitamura's question.
"W-What is this 'grave marker'?" Kitamura asked suspiciously.
"It'll be a pain to explain," Nishida said jokingly, as if glaring at him. But he immediately told the story of the memorial monument and grave marker they happened to find during the Engaru Station's own tracking search for the "fireball," and Kitamura seemed convinced when he heard that it was likely created for this memorial service.
"It means the Kakarichou himself had actually found evidence before knowing this story."
"Yeah, yeah. It was like a déjà vu."
Even though it wasn't directly related to the case, Nishida felt a sense of clarity, or rather, he felt refreshed because the stories he had obtained in his investigation so far had connected. After finishing the story about the "grave marker" and the anecdotes from the Engaru Station's independent search, Nishida looked back at the copy intently again. At this point, it was a material that should have "no longer mattered," but the reason he was looking at it so intently was likely just to kill time until the other investigators returned, or was it not...
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Eventually, past 5:00 PM, the investigators returned to the headquarters one after another. Fatigue and impatience were visible on every investigator's face. It was clearly conveyed to Nishida and Kitamura that no one was doing well, even without hearing detailed information. The investigation meeting began after 6:00 PM, and each pair gave their investigation report for the day, but not a single investigation pair had achieved any fruitful results. Receiving that, Case Chief Officer Kurano instructed them to put all their effort into the remaining few days of the roller operation, and in addition, explained the new investigation information that there was data on passing vehicles from the N system's test run, including the date and time Yoshimi's body was discovered. This made the other investigators a bit excited. On the other hand,
"The location is the border between Rubeshibe and Kitami, but the scene is Ikutahara beyond Rubeshibe, so isn't identification difficult because the location is far?" a natural question arose from the other investigators.
"That's right. There's no certainty that they passed through there to get to the scene. However, it's also a fact that if they were heading to the scene from Kitami city or the Abashiri direction, there's a high probability they passed through. The time of day they would have passed through can also be narrowed down to some extent. In the current situation, it's difficult to list suspects with just the roller operation. It might be the last gamble, but I think it's worth a try."
Kurano clearly answered the conclusion of the discussion with Nishida and the others earlier. Deputy Head Makita, the Engaru Station Chief, who was listening beside him, also seemed convinced.
"And so, the tire marks you've been collecting along with the plate checks for vehicles that seem related during the roller operation—what's the status of those?"
"Chief Officer, those are being sent to the Kitami Area HQ forensics as they come. The originals are also being kept over there for now," Engaru Station Forensics Chief Yamashita replied.
"I see, they're being investigated over there. Understood. Then, if there's anything that matches between the vehicles that can be listed and the information we brought, we can immediately check the tire marks within the Kitami Area HQ," Kurano said with satisfaction. Since some hope had emerged, Nishida felt the investigators' expressions were brighter than before the meeting began, but his direct subordinates—Komura, Yoshimura, Sawada, Kurosu, and Ooba—looked somewhat downcast, and he became worried that they might be fatigued. Most of them are young people with not much experience. Now they are not under Nishida's command but under the investigation headquarters, and their partners are senior detectives from outside, such as the Kitami Area HQ. They likely have not only physical fatigue but also mental strain. However, this experience should become nourishment for their future detective lives.
"Just bear with it for a little longer," Nishida muttered in his heart.
While they were doing that, the investigation meeting ended with Deputy Head Makita's instructions, and the detectives left the meeting room noisily. Nishida called out to Shunin Takeshita, the other five, and Kitamura who was paired with him, and decided to invite them for dinner and drinks. Normally, when Nishida treats them, he takes them to his usual yakitori place, but on this day, at Yoshimura's strong request, they ended up going to the small restaurant-izakaya run by the "Taisho" from whom he had obtained two hints about the case. However, since Kitamura has to commute from Kitami by car, it was a pity that he alone couldn't drink.
With Yoshimura leading the way, the group headed to the shop on foot, and it was located a bit outside the town's small entertainment district rather than inside it. It couldn't be helped that it was an unfamiliar place for Nishida, who had been in Engaru for about three months. Ooba and Kurosu seem to have come here several times together.
"Welcome! Oh! If it isn't Yo-chan, Oobaka, and Kuro-be. You haven't been here lately, but it seems you've been busy with the investigation, huh. Ahahaha!"
When they passed through the noren (T/N: shop curtain) that read "Small Restaurant-Izakaya Yusen," the energetic voice and laughter of a man who looked to be in his mid-50s with a cropped head and a twisted hachimaki (T/N: headband) echoed. Takeshita held back a laugh upon learning that the three—Yoshimura, Ooba, and Kurosu—were called "Yo-chan," "Oobaka," and "Kuro-be" respectively in this shop.
"Taisho, it's been a while. No joke, we've been really busy! Today, Kakarichou Nishida, the one everyone's talking about, is treating us, so I brought everyone to relieve some stress, so please let us eat something delicious like always."
Yoshimura replied to the Taisho with a smile.
"The new boss everyone's talking about is treating? That's good for you, Yo-chan. Leave the delicious food to me! Now, now, take a seat over there!"
As told, they took seats at two tables in the corner, and Nishida looked around the shop. It seemed to be a quite old shop, and although the walls and the like had become light brown with oil stains, he could see that it was kept neat otherwise, and it didn't feel bad. Looking at the elegant hand-written menu hanging on the wall, it seemed to be a quite reasonably priced shop, and he didn't have to worry about the contents of his wallet for the meal for the eight of them, including himself.
"Taisho, what's today's recommendation?"
Yoshimura said while sipping the beer that was served "for the time being."
"Let's see... How about some Hokkai Shima-ebi sashimi that my cousin in Saroma sent just now?"
"When you say Hokkai Shima-ebi, isn't that from the Notsuke Peninsula toward Nemuro?"
Takeshita gently raised a question, and Nishida had the same question.
"It's not very famous, but they fish in Lake Saroma from July to August too! It's as delicious as the ones from Notsuke! On top of that, my cousin is a fisherman and an executive at the fishery cooperative, so he brings them to me fresh while they're normally boiled at the beach, so they're especially delicious!"
The fact that Hokkai Shima-ebi could be caught in Lake Saroma was something Nishida also learned for the first time. The sashimi that was actually served was a taste that didn't lose to the ones he had eaten at the Notsuke Peninsula (Author's Note: located in Eastern Hokkaido). After that, the Taisho's proud seafood and mountain food dishes were served one after another, and the eight of them smacked their lips over the food more than the alcohol. Kitamura, who couldn't drink, also seemed sufficiently satisfied, which was a help to Nishida.
However, as time passed and they had a certain amount of alcohol, complaints about the stress of the investigation gradually began to come out. Since the pairs other than Nishida and Kitamura, and Takeshita, were paired with "higher" detectives from the Area HQ, it was inevitable that the relationship would be more strained than between detectives from the Engaru Station, which has some homey elements, even in a typically top-down organization like the police. Moreover, since it was a murder investigation, the Area HQ group naturally had a higher sense of tension than usual. Also, there were many parts where the investigation was not proceeding as desired, so there was also a sense of impatience in that sense. Such parts were likely a pressure for the young detectives of the Engaru group. Nishida also had to say,
"I understand how you feel, but please bear with it."
Kitamura, who was in the position of being "below" despite being from the Area HQ support group and paired with Nishida, likely had complaints, but since his partner Nishida was right in front of him, he wasn't in an environment where he could complain, and Nishida felt a bit sorry for him on that point too. Takeshita was the only one paired with Kosaka, who was support from another station, but he said he had no complaints. It seems he's learning more from Kosaka's experience.
As they continued to grumble together, it became past 9:00 PM, and Kitamura, who needed to return to Kitami, thanked Nishida for the treat and left the shop. Ooba, who is weak to alcohol, was already starting to pass out, and considering tomorrow's investigation, Nishida began to think they had to break up by 10:00.
Meanwhile, the number of regulars in the shop also decreased, and there were no customers other than the seven. Perhaps because the frequency of cooking had decreased and he had become free, the Taisho, after the grumbling was over and the conversation moved to trivial talk among the subordinates, spoke to Nishida, who was giving appropriate nods.
"Kakarichou Nishida, was it? Have you gotten used to Engaru?"
"Thanks to you, I've gotten quite used to it. I'm enjoying the feeling of being a bachelor for the first time in a while since I got married."
"Are you living alone? That must be tough in various ways. Especially meals. We have quite a few vegetable dishes too, so if you come here to eat, your nutritional balance will be good too."
At the Taisho's skill in sales talk,
"I had something delicious today, so I'll come when I can from now on. Well, I think I'll be busy with the investigation for a while, though..." Nishida replied. And,
"Ah, also, we've been quite helped by the information from your place in this case. If it weren't for that, the investigation shouldn't have come this far." he added.
"Is that so? Then that's good. From what I've overheard, it seems the investigation is tough this time because it's a murder case." the Taisho said.
"Well, I've only had four, and this is my fifth experience with a murder investigation in my detective life, so I don't want to say things as if I understand it."
After that preamble,
"The ones that are solved are solved quickly, but once you get stuck in a rut, it's hard to get out. And this time might be that rut..." he replied.
"Hmm. I can only cook, so I don't understand the hardships of you detectives, so I can't say anything clever."
The Taisho said that, took off his twisted hachimaki and placed it on the counter, then pulled out a chair from the counter and sat beside the table.
"By the way, has the Taisho been running this shop for a long time?"
Takeshita, who had been listening to the conversation in silence in front of Nishida, cut into the conversation as if he had timed it.
"Shunin Takeshita, was it? Let's see, I opened this shop in Showa 41, so er..."
"Showa 41 was 1966, so it's been 28 years this year."
Takeshita, who is quick-witted, offered a helping hand.
"Oh, is that so! It'll be 30 years the year after next. It felt like it was in the blink of an eye, yet it felt long."
The Taisho said with a look of deep emotion. And,
"After finishing middle school, I was training at a small restaurant in Abashiri for 10 years and started saving money. Furthermore, I worked in the kitchen of a ryokan in Saroma for a while, and after that, I finally became the master of my own castle. It's a small shop, but for me, it's my life itself. You understand, right? My feelings, detective."
Saying that, the Taisho took the sake bottle that was on the counter and said,
"Of course it's my treat, so drink up," and poured it 'toku-toku' into Nishida and Takeshita's choko (T/N: small sake cups) on the table. Nishida and Takeshita each gave a light bow to the Taisho and drained them in one go. This time, Nishida shook his choko and offered it to the Taisho, and while pouring sake back for him,
"Is the Taisho originally from Engaru?" Nishida asked.
"No, I was born in Engaru, but I grew up in Yubetsu until I was small. So the name of this shop, 'Yusen,' is a combination of the 'Yubetsu' where I grew up and my name 'Izumi,' and I named it with the wish that 'business will flourish like a spring (izumi) welling up (waku).' Ah, you're thinking it's not flourishing that much, right? Well, that's right. Hahaha!" he said and laughed heartily, but immediately returned to a serious face and continued his life story. Even so, it was unexpected that the Taisho's name was "Izumi," which is a somewhat feminine name for this generation.
"My father died in an accident during the war, and I moved back to Engaru where my mother's family is from in the middle of national school... My father and mother met when my father was working in Engaru, but most of their life until they were separated by death after that was in Yubetsu... My father's brothers, well, my uncles, apparently told us 'if you stay here,' but... My mother worked hard to raise me during and after the war. Well, those uncles and relatives were fishermen, or the family was farming, so we didn't have much trouble with food, but the family didn't have money, so life was tough in various ways in terms of money when I was a kid... Well, there's no doubt my mother was the one who had it toughest, though..." he said, speaking with deep feeling.
Even if it was her family's home, if she returned in the form of a "divorcee" to a poor place, he likely had unnecessary mental strain as a child at the time, Nishida thought sympathetically.
"An accident, huh, that's tough. There are those tough parts when you're a fisherman." Takeshita said.
"No, my father's family is a family of fishermen, but my father wasn't a fisherman. So it wasn't a sea disaster."
The Taisho denied it immediately. Now that he mentioned it, there is no sea in Engaru, so if he were a fisherman, he wouldn't have been in Engaru.
"It was during the war, but a traffic accident?" Nishida also asked again since his expectation was wrong.
"It was that era. There weren't enough cars driving in Yubetsu for a traffic accident to happen, right? It was an explosion, an explosion accident!"
The words that came out of the Taisho's mouth were unexpected.
"An explosion accident? Then, since it was during the war, maybe something related to bombs?" Takeshita answered without much confidence.
"You're not far off. It was a sea mine... Of course, I was a kid at the time, so I didn't distinguish between a sea mine and a bomb..."
The Taisho said this and poured sake into his choko with his own hand.
"A sea mine, huh... That really sounds like a story from during the war." Takeshita said while keeping his gaze on his choko.
"Nishida-san, Takeshita-san, haven't you heard of the Yubetsu Sea Mine Accident?"
"No, I'm ashamed to say it's my first time hearing of it." Nishida replied, tilting his head.
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The Yubetsu Sea Mine Accident was a disaster caused by an explosion during the disposal of a drifting sea mine that occurred in 1942 (Showa 17) in the current Yubetsu Town, then Shimoyubetsu Village. 106 people died instantly. If you include those who died later due to injuries, a total of 112 people died. Also, it was a major explosion accident that caused 112 injuries, the same number as the deaths, although few people in the local area know about it now.
The circumstances began in May of that year when two drifting sea mines arrived one after another on the coast within the village. There are various theories as to which country the sea mines belonged to, and they have not been identified yet. Naturally, the village was in an uproar, and word was sent from the village's residential police box to the then-Engaru Police Station, which had jurisdiction. Upon receiving this word, the Engaru Station first considered disposal in a safe place, but in conclusion, they decided to conduct a detonation disposal in front of many residents, also for the purpose of boosting morale.
And the fateful May 26 arrived. The two sea mines had been lined up on the beach by the day before. The fact that the detonation disposal would be conducted had been conveyed to surrounding municipalities, and it became a commotion with over a thousand spectators rushing in. And before noon, considering the danger of sympathetic detonation, it was decided to move one sea mine away from the other. But ironically, during that work, the sea mine suddenly exploded. The beach turned into a hellscape with scattered bodies and fresh blood.
Due to this accident, many general spectators, members of the Keiboudan (T/N: civil defense corps; equivalent to the current fire department) who were involved in or monitoring the work, and Engaru Police Station officers died. The then-Engaru Police Station Chief, Mr. Chiba, who was directing the operation, also died in the line of duty. It became a major disaster in terms of administration as well.
Reference Material Links
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B9%A7%E5%88%A5%E6%A9%9F%E9%9B%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%85
(Yubetsu Sea Mine Accident)
http://www.phoenix-c.or.jp/~ryousi/sub124.htm#2
(Refer to bottom of page: Tragic! Sea Mine Explosion Accident)
http://www.phoenix-c.or.jp/~ryousi/sub167.htm#6
(Refer to bottom of page: Major Disaster of Floating Sea Mine Explosion)
A novel almost certainly based on historical facts with the sea mine accident as its theme: "Thou Shalt Die at Lake Saroma"
http://archive.fo/rMuG9
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"It can't be helped if you don't know if you're not a local... At that time, I was also taken by my national school teacher to watch, but I almost got caught up in it. And so, I went home thinking 'I was saved,' but I didn't think my father would be the one caught up in it. It was an explosion, so the body wasn't in a proper state, and I heard that for people who were blown to bits, only pieces of their Keiboudan happi (T/N: traditional straight-sleeved coat) remained... My mother was also dazed for a while even after the funeral was over... In the end, about 100 people died, so many of my friends' parents and siblings were victims, and they say laughter disappeared from the town for a while. Come to think of it, the station chief of your Engaru Station at the time also died..."
The Taisho added sake to his drained choko again.
"Was our station chief at the time also caught up in it?" Takeshita was also surprised. Ooba, who was passed out, was one thing, but before they knew it, Komura, Yoshimura, Sawada, Kurosu, and Ooba had also stopped their own conversations and were listening to the talk here. Everyone had started to have somewhat glazed eyes from being drunk, but they seemed to have sensed that it had become a serious talk, and they had strangely solemn expressions. The Taisho noticed that and said,
"Sorry for the gloomy talk. I'll add a snack and a bottle of beer as an apology. Is squid poppo-yaki (T/N: grilled squid) okay?" and as he tried to smooth things over, he stood up to return to the kitchen. But before that,
"Oops, I almost forgot..." he muttered and lowered the noren at the entrance. And after that, he had a drink with Nishida and the others with the snacks while having small talk. When it became past 10:00 PM, he left Ooba, who was unsteady on his feet, to Yoshimura and they broke up, and Nishida also hurried back to his apartment to prepare for tomorrow. However, Nishida, who was drunk, had not noticed at all that he had ultimately missed hearing the occupation of the Taisho's father who died in the sea mine accident.
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The roller operation from the next day was in the final sprint of washing out the rest of the Kitami area and the subscriber list north of Ikutahara, which is the jurisdiction of the Engaru Station. As expected of a small newspaper company in Kitami, the number of subscribers within the jurisdiction was less than ten for each of Ikutahara (now Engaru Town), Saroma, Yubetsu, Kamiyubetsu (now Yubetsu Town due to merger), and Maruseppu (now Engaru Town due to merger), except for Engaru, which had quite a few. "Yusen" from yesterday was also on the list, of course. The inquiries within the jurisdiction would be enough to be finished in one full day.
All the pairs with members of the Engaru Station participating went around for inquiries within the jurisdiction because they had "local knowledge (kan)." Nishida and Kitamura ended up going around Yubetsu, Kamiyubetsu, and Saroma. They were in charge of three towns, but the number of inquiries was ten individual houses and seven companies/stores in total, which was sufficient for the two of them.
First, they went around three individual houses in Kamiyubetsu, then one house and one company/store in Yubetsu Town. And since it was past 12:00 PM, they for the time being found a convenience store and bought bento (T/N: boxed lunch) for lunch. In the early summer sunlight, they decided to park the car at the coast and eat outside, as it would be hot and stuffy to eat inside the car. That beach seemed to be called "Ponto Beach." The two sat on the seawall and ate their bento. A pleasant sea breeze blew as if lightly stroking their cheeks.
"Man, this feels good. I feel a sense of refreshment." Kitamura said while raising both hands and stretching his upper body.
"It's already July. It's going to get more and more like summer from now until Obon." Nishida replied while drinking canned tea. Kitamura watched the sea for a while, then suddenly,
"I've been wondering for a while, what is that?" he asked Nishida. Nishida had also been curious about it since he came here, and a structure like a low tower was visible about 100 meters away from the two.
"I wonder what it is, shall we go for a bit?" After gathering the finished bento into the convenience store plastic bag, the two walked toward the structure.
"I thought it was some kind of objet d'art or an artistic work, but it seems different." Kitamura, who had run ahead and arrived first, was about to speak to Nishida but fell silent while staring at the stone monument.
"What's wrong?"
"Kakarichou Nishida, it seems there was some kind of accident here a long time ago. Please read this." When Nishida read the stone monument Kitamura was pointing to as he was told, the words "Tower of the Sea Mine Martyrs" were engraved there along with the same outline that the Taisho had talked about yesterday.
(Reference Material
https://plus.google.com/photos/101418962731859284958/albums/5066189537522549617)
After finishing reading the inscription, Nishida muttered to himself, convinced.
"That story is definitely this! It exploded in a place like this. Even so, to encounter this right after hearing the story, what a well-timed coincidence." But immediately, he remembered when he saw Kitamura's incomprehensible face.
"Ah, that's right, you went home before I heard the Taisho's story..."
Indeed, it couldn't be helped that it didn't click for Kitamura since he hadn't heard the conversation between the Taisho and Nishida's group. Nishida explained that he heard from the Taisho that his father died in this accident, which he happened to hear after Kitamura went home. Kitamura heard that and said,
"The timing really matched up, didn't it?" while staring at the tower from top to bottom. Nishida, watching that, shifted his gaze and looked around. The wind was still blowing, but the sea was calm. He couldn't imagine from the current scene that this scenic and quiet beach was stained with blood. The color of the Okhotsk blue sea might have also contributed to not making him think of the contrasting color of blood.
"This tower and monument were built two years ago on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the explosion accident. Is it the 53rd year this year? It's exactly that 'Showa is becoming distant' thing..." Kitamura's last words were not the kind of words a person younger than Nishida would normally utter, and they were the kind of thing that would sometimes sound superficial, but at this moment, they entered his ears without any particular sense of incongruity, perhaps because Nishida was lost in deep emotion. The two stood there for a few minutes, but since they needed to do the rest of the inquiries, they bowed to the tower, left the place, and returned to the car.
After that, they smoothly finished the inquiries at the remaining three houses and two stores in Yubetsu, and three houses, two companies, and one store in Saroma, thanks to the cooperative attitude of the other parties. There was no information that should be particularly suspected, and for the tires, they only took impressions for one individual case because they were similar. Since he had expected it to some extent, there was no particular disappointment, but if this operation ended without any progress, he couldn't think of a new investigation method other than the N system-related one at this point, and if even that failed, the investigation would enter a dead end again, so Nishida was becoming full of thoughts about what to do for the next move. The only comfort was that he had many times to see the beautiful scenery of the Okhotsk coast all day today, which healed him somewhat.
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When the two returned to the investigation headquarters in the evening, the atmosphere at the investigation headquarters was also bloodthirsty, as all the operation processes would finally be completed tomorrow. It was well conveyed to Nishida and Kitamura that the other investigators had also failed to produce results today, even without hearing detailed information.