Chapter 11 - Rumblings 6 (Kitamura's Karaoke Hobby, Obtaining Camera-Related Information)
On July 7th, the roller operation regarding the subscribers and businesses of the Kitami Tonden Times was finally completed. On this day, for the first time in a while, Otomo Yuhei, the Criminal Investigation Director of the Kitami Regional Headquarters (acting as the Headquarters Chief for the investigation), arrived from the Kitami Regional Headquarters. He gathered all investigators at the headquarters and had them give a comprehensive review report of the door-to-door inquiries conducted so far. Since investigation reports were already being made at the daily meetings, this was merely a formality in terms of reporting directly to the Headquarters Chief, but since there were no novel results, he likely intended to "review" just in case.
On the other hand, a status report regarding the investigation approach using the N-System, which had been requested of the Kitami Regional Headquarters, was provided by the Headquarters Chief's side. First, regarding June 9th, the day Yoshimi's body was discovered by the tracks, the estimated time of death was between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. Therefore, if a vehicle were to pass through the N-System installation point near the Rubeshibe-Kitami border from the Rubeshibe side toward Kitami, the earliest setting was 2:30 AM, thirty minutes later. Furthermore, since track maintenance workers usually enter the vicinity of the site around 3:30 AM, the person would need to have left the Ikutahara site at least before then. Thus, the initial assumption was that they would have passed the N-System installation point by 4:00 AM at the latest. However, since the possibility of stopping somewhere after leaving the site couldn't be ruled out, they decided to boldly expand the range to 6:00 AM. Another reason was that expanding it further would likely catch a significant number of people who purely commute between Kitami and Rubeshibe, making it impossible to manage.
Regarding the pattern of heading to the site from the Kitami area, based on previous behavior, it was considered common sense that they would arrive at the site after sunset at the earliest, and given the task of digging a hole at the site, the premise was that a certain amount of stay time was necessary. Therefore, they considered the time period for passing the installation point from the Kitami area toward Rubeshibe to be between 6:30 PM and 10:00 PM. The 10:00 PM limit was devised by placing importance on the fact that every time the "hitodama" was witnessed, it was seen by the driver of the Okhotsk No. 10, the up-bound night express from Abashiri to Sapporo. Since that train passes the vicinity of the site just after midnight, even if they left the site at the earliest, it would be after 12:30 AM. Working backward from the amount of labor, it was concluded that they must have stayed for at least two hours. Consequently, passing the installation point from the Rubeshibe side would be after 1:00 AM on days other than the 9th.
In other words, the explanation was that during the trial operation from June 4th to the 9th (the operation period lasted until the 10th), work was being done to pick up vehicles that passed from the Kitami direction toward Rubeshibe between 6:30 PM and 10:00 PM, and from the Rubeshibe direction toward Kitami between 1:00 AM and 6:00 AM (with the exception of the 9th starting from 2:30 AM). Needless to say, this was based on the premise that the "master of the hitodama" was coming from the Kitami area to the Ikutahara site; if they used a route that didn't pass the N-System or came from a different direction, this assumption would be entirely meaningless.
It was also explained that among the vehicles likely related to the subscriber residences, shops, and corporations identified by the roller operation, investigators were collecting tire tracks similar to those found at the site while also noting down license plate numbers. The work of checking if any of these matched the vehicles that surfaced through the N-System was proceeding simultaneously.
Using these conditions as the baseline, it was reported that among the vehicles caught in this "net" during the seven days of the N-System trial operation from June 4th to the 10th, there were currently seven vehicles that appeared on multiple days. Regardless of how many license plates ultimately matched the tire tracks, it was certain that there would be at most seven, so it could be said that the numbers had been narrowed down to some extent.
After this explanation, since there was time to spare, Headquarters Chief Otomo ordered Senior Staff Kurano to hold a Q&A session with the investigators. In response, several detectives who had come as support from the Kitami Regional Headquarters raised their hands to ask questions, which Kurano answered matter-of-factly.
"You set time limits for the pickup, but isn't there a possibility that someone slipped through?"
"I can't say there's zero possibility, but if we expand it too much, it becomes unmanageable, so I believe setting certain limits is unavoidable."
"What will we do about the investigation into owners of cars with matching tire tracks that weren't caught by the N-System?"
"Since the roller operation is over, we plan to proceed with that as needed from now on. Next!"
"If the N-System and tire track investigations are completed, what is the subsequent investigation policy?"
"At this point, it's a blank slate, but I'd like to think about that as early as tomorrow. In any case, we can't move until we have the investigation report from the Kitami Regional Headquarters. I think it's best to use the time until then effectively. Any other questions?"
Kurano confirmed that no one else was raising their hand, tapped the documents on the desk to align them, and while putting them into a file, said,
"Well then, let's end it here for today."
He stood up and was just about to start walking when it happened.
"Senior Staff! Excuse me."
A familiar voice echoed through the room, which had begun to buzz after the announcement of the meeting's end. When Nishida looked over, it was indeed Takeshita.
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
Kurano kept his body turned toward the exit and only turned his face toward Takeshita.
"Hypothetically... if a car picked up by the N-System matches a car with tire tracks collected in the roller operation, in what specific direction will the investigation go after that? Will we suddenly bring them in voluntarily, or will we carefully gather corroborating evidence? In the case of those not caught by the N-System, bringing them in voluntarily based only on subscription or viewing history and tire tracks is quite impossible, so corroboration is essential, but if they were caught by the N-System, that's a delicate point, isn't it?"
"Hmm, can't we decide that after it's confirmed? No, well, I suppose it's better to decide to some extent... It's actually a rather difficult matter."
Kurano muttered this and sat back down. Seeing this, the other investigators were forced to stop in their tracks and take their seats again.
"A match between a vehicle passing through at an unnatural time and the tire tracks found at the site... On the other hand, it's also a fact that the N-System is dozens of kilometers away from the site. We might need other corroboration. For now, we'll have to start with a background check on the owner, but that's a given..."
Watching Kurano's contemplative face, Headquarters Chief Otomo added,
"I mean, looking at the movements of the hitodama, if they held a job with normal working hours, it would be physically quite grueling, considering the time they were digging holes."
In fact, the investigation headquarters had raised doubts during the initial investigation stage about whether the "master of the hitodama" was a typical member of society. That was one of the hidden factors behind why, at the start of the roller operation, they had focused on cleaning up gang-related businesses and restaurants found in the Tonden Times subscriber list. Of course, the primary reason was the high probability that the young university student Yoneda had been killed because he happened to get caught up in some crime near the site. However, the reality was that no results had been produced at that time.
"The idea that multiple people were sharing the work day by day was dismissed, wasn't it?"
Takeshita's partner, Kosaka, also joined the conversation.
"That has basically been dismissed. Only one set of footprints was found around the site. Of course, it's possible that footprints of another person doing the work had already disappeared, but since they seemed to appear quite frequently, I don't think they would have completely vanished from the site in that amount of time."
Section Chief Sawai of the Engaru Station Detective Division, who handled the primary investigation, answered.
"In that case, it means a single ghost was searching for the body all along, so there's a high probability they were unemployed. If it were night work, the timing would clash, so that's fundamentally impossible."
Kosaka concluded simply.
"We've already talked about that several times, and there's no point in obsessing over it."
Kurano replied with a slightly irritated tone. It wasn't that the point was useless for identifying the "master of the hitodama," but it was treated as meaningless because it was too broad a condition for narrowing down targets.
"Anyway, if we grab something from the N-System, we'll corroborate it first, and if we think we can pull them in, we'll do it voluntarily! That's fine, as a matter of course. We'll leave the details for tomorrow. That's settled for now! Alright, dismissed, dismissed!"
Kurano said this firmly, as if to convince himself, and stood up vigorously. The other investigators, now certain that the meeting was truly over, began preparing to head home amidst the chatter. In that bustle, Nishida hurried over to Takeshita.
"Why were you so obsessed with the 'afterward'?"
"Well, Team Leader. In reality, just a match between the N-System and the tire tracks we took is quite tough for actually pulling someone in, isn't it? Even including the fact that they fall into the subscriber base of the Times we investigated. If we can bring them in voluntarily, we might be able to get corroboration that they were 'at the scene' through analysis of shoes or soil inside the car, but if it really is the hitodama guy, I don't think he'll comply with a voluntary request. I want one more punch."
"Isn't that where we show our skill? There are ways to do it."
Nishida said to Takeshita's question.
"Well, that's true. But if we overdo it... I felt that despite the expectations of the investigation headquarters, if we play it straight, we might not be able to break through in the end..."
Takeshita said hesitantly. That "way to do it" was likely the core of what Takeshita saw as a problem. Specifically, it probably involved a separate-charge arrest.
Kosaka, who had been observing the situation, sensed the slightly bad atmosphere between the two and stepped in.
"Now, now, you two. It's not like we've found anything out from the N-System yet, and we might not find out anything at all. Like Kurano-san said, there's no point in thinking too hard about it now."
As he said this, he lightly tapped Takeshita on the shoulder. It had only been a few months since Nishida started working at the Engaru Station, but he had frequently heard directly from Takeshita's mouth that he was critical of the aggressive investigation methods common in the police. Feeling that saying anything more would lead to an argument, Nishida decided to back down for the time being.
The next morning, the continuation of the investigation meeting was held. As Kurano had said yesterday, it was about the future investigation policy. So far, considering why the body needed to be dug up, they had investigated the possibility that it was triggered by the re-investigation by the Jomon Tunnel Research Group. With that temporarily finished, the key was what to do next if no results were ultimately produced. Kurano asked the investigators for opinions on whether there were other reasons to attempt recovery of the body, but no opinions that would serve as a clear reason were forthcoming. Indeed, no motive other than wanting to safely get through the large-scale collection of remains near the site easily came to mind. After all, there was no obvious reason to go to the trouble of "digging up" a case that had been perfectly concealed for three years. The reason the air in the investigation headquarters room became stagnant wasn't just because it was filled with cigarette smoke.
In that atmosphere, a fax suddenly made a mechanical whirring sound. Senior Staff Kurano, who received the paper from Station Chief Makita, looked at it with a grim expression for a moment, then muttered a single word.
"Alright!"
He then announced to the detectives,
"This is a flash report from Kitami (Regional Headquarters). It seems there was a license plate number that matches, including the time period, between the N-System and the tire tracks collected in the roller operation."
The investigators let out a collective light stir.
"Oh!"
Taking a breath as if to confirm the reaction, Kurano continued,
"Kosaka, Takeshita! It seems to be the tire tracks you two took."
He said this and checked the paper once more. Then he added,
"It says it was taken at the Isaka Group parking lot on July 1st?"
"Yes, I remember. We certainly collected samples from several cars at the Isaka Group," Kosaka answered.
"I see. Well done for now. And the target's name is... apparently a 52-year-old individual named Kitagawa Tomoyuki residing in Kitami."
As soon as they heard this, Kosaka and Takeshita looked at each other and cried out in surprise.
"What?!"
Kurano checked with a suspicious look.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Do you happen to know the target?"
"Yes. When we went to the Isaka Group for inquiries, the one who met us was that Kitagawa himself!" Takeshita answered.
"Really? To think you met the man himself right away... And? How was he?"
Kurano didn't hide his forward-leaning posture at the unexpected answer.
"No, I didn't get the impression that anything was particularly strange..." Takeshita started to say, but then asked Kosaka beside him,
"Kosaka-san, you seemed to have a slightly strange image of him, didn't you?"
In response, Kosaka said,
"Well, it's not a big deal, but I felt a bit of a sense of incongruity because Kitagawa, an executive director, went out of his way to respond at that stage."
"Incongruity? Specifically what?"
Kurano tried to draw out more, as if impatient.
"No, it's really not a big deal. It's just that at that point, we only went to ask how many people at companies subscribing to the Tonden Times had seen the article about the body discovery, yet an executive director suddenly came out... Normally, even if not a rank-and-file employee, it would be at the level of a manager or a department head, wouldn't it? It is a large company, after all."
"Kosaka, if Kitagawa himself was involved in this case, couldn't that be explained as him wanting to directly observe the police's situation?"
"As you say, Senior Staff, that might be the case, and it might make more sense as logic. However, what we thought when we questioned him was less about Kitagawa himself and more about the fact that the previous president of that company was once under suspicion..."
Kosaka began to explain the missing person case of Sada, who had visited the previous president of the Isaka Group, a story he had also told Takeshita.
After listening to the explanation for a while, Kurano confirmed with Kosaka,
"So you're saying that in connection with that case, regardless of the reason for your inquiry, you thought at the time that he might have had his trusted subordinate feel out the situation?"
"Yes. In fact, Kitagawa himself said—whether it was true or not—that the reason he ended up responding was because he decided it after consulting with the president."
"Well, I certainly can't say I'm not curious about that disappearance case, and it's an interesting story, but the cases we're actually facing now are Yoshimi's suspicious death and Yoneda's murder and body abandonment, so we have to attack from there first. Since this Kitagawa has now surfaced to the level of a person of interest through this, I want you to think only about that. Forget that other story for now!"
Kurano said this and stood in front of the whiteboard where the case summary was written.
Then, after writing the name Kitagawa Tomoyuki newly on the board, he asked,
"Now then, I'll ask again, Kosaka, Takeshita. Having met him, what was this person like?"
"Well, he was a perfectly ordinary man around his 50s. At that point, based only on the impression I got from him, I didn't feel anything suspicious. He was reasonably composed," Kosaka testified. Takeshita also nodded.
"Was there anything like him trying to find out details about this case or probing the police's movements?"
To Kurano's question, Takeshita answered,
"I didn't see such points in his words or actions, but I don't know what the reality was, including the disappearance case I mentioned earlier. One can naturally take the view that he had some intention of gauging the progress of the investigation from our movements. In any case, he was very composed when he responded. If Kitagawa was actually involved in this case, he probably prided himself that he wouldn't have to worry about being caught by that level of inquiry. In reality, it's only at this level after adding the N-System information to the matching tire tracks."
"I see. So at that time, no signs were seen that Kitagawa was related to the case..."
As Kurano said this, he looked at the fax paper again.
"On that day, June 8th. It seems Kitagawa's car passed the N-System from Kitami toward Rubeshibe at 7:00 PM and passed from Rubeshibe toward Kitami at 3:00 AM on the 9th. On other days, it's confirmed passing toward Rubeshibe at 6:40 PM on the 5th, then toward Kitami at 4:00 AM on the 6th... and passing toward Rubeshibe at 6:48 PM on the 7th, and toward Kitami at 3:48 AM on the 8th."
"If he's working normally, he's not sleeping, is he?" Yoshimura voiced his doubt. Indeed, it went without saying that the investigation headquarters also thought the series of movements of the "master of the hitodama" would be a grueling schedule if they were a typical office worker.
"That's a point of concern. Since he doesn't seem to have headed to the site on the 4th and 6th within the range we currently know, it's presumed it wasn't every single day, but considering the hitodama sightings happened relatively frequently, we should think he was working at the site with a certain frequency. In that case, there's a possibility he was quite sleep-deprived..."
"What about the possibility that someone other than Kitagawa was driving the car?" Sawai cut in at Kurano's statement.
"We naturally need to consider that as well. Anyway, it seems necessary to corroborate what kind of work he was doing. Also, it's better to investigate his family structure. Assuming someone other than himself was driving the car."
Kurano said this, sat in his seat once, and looked around at the investigators.
"Well, there are results for other tire tracks as well, and we can't move specifically until we receive the formal results from Kitami, but there's no doubt that investigating with Kitagawa at the center will be the main investigation from now on. Let's proceed with the talk centered there."
"If we do too much inquiry in the surroundings, isn't there a high probability he'll catch on?" This time Nishida questioned Kurano.
"That's the problem. While we need to solidify things to some extent, I'd like to pull him in at an early stage if possible..."
"Can we pull him in voluntarily?"
"Nishida, that's a bit tough, isn't it? Ah, this is a repetition of what I talked about with Takeshita at the end yesterday. But since we were supposed to talk about the details today, it's just right."
Kurano laughed as he remembered the events of yesterday.
"Even if we pull him in voluntarily, the N-System passing point is quite far from the site, so it's a fact that it's tough because it's easy to make excuses with just that. For tire tracks, there must be many cars in this region with the same tires..."
Nishida was speaking with a half-resigned air. In response,
"In that case, do we have to consider a separate charge after all?"
The words "separate-charge arrest" finally came out of Kurano's mouth.
"Can't we do something with the camera theft? If he's involved in the case, I think it's safe to assume he also stole Yoshimi's camera?"
Kurosu brought up the matter of the camera taken from Yoshimi.
"Camera? What was that again?" Kurano asked Sawai.
"It's the camera taken from Yoshimi, the deceased who was the trigger for the case," Sawai answered.
"Ah, sorry. It slipped my mind. That matter. What's the status of that? No information has come out, has it, Sawai?"
"None. It remains unknown."
"Then it's impossible to pull him in for that at this stage either."
Saying so, Kurano took on a contemplative look. Station Chief Makita, the Vice Headquarters Chief who was watching the situation, proposed,
"How about having Kitami mark him?"
"You mean having the Kitami Regional Headquarters tail Kitagawa, look for any criminal matters, and use that as a separate charge at that point?" Kurano asked back.
"Yes. Shouldn't we use whatever we can, whether it's the Kitami Station or the Kitami Regional Headquarters?"
"I guess that's the best way... By the way, in that case, the Mobile Unit is available, right?" Kurano confirmed with Manager Hiruma, who had come as support from the Kitami Regional Headquarters.
"I think it should be fine. I'll check for now," Hiruma answered.
"Please do. Tell them to mark Kitagawa at an early stage if possible," Kurano conveyed, then continued,
"We'd also like to move immediately, but it's probably better to move in earnest after the information, including tire tracks, is all out. We'll know everything by tomorrow afternoon. Also, basically, the background check on Kitagawa should ideally be centered on Kosaka and Takeshita, who did a great job this time, but it's a bit troublesome if they've already met... I think it's better if they don't stand out too much, but are you two dissatisfied?"
"No, I think that's only natural," Kosaka replied immediately.
The next day, the continuation of the investigation meeting was held from the morning. As Kurano had said yesterday, it was about the future investigation policy. So far, they had investigated the possibility that the re-investigation by the Jomon Tunnel Research Group was the trigger, considering why the body needed to be dug up. With that temporarily finished, the key was what to do next if no results were ultimately produced. Kurano asked the investigators for opinions on whether there were other reasons to attempt recovery of the body, but no opinions that would serve as a clear reason were forthcoming. Indeed, no motive other than wanting to safely get through the large-scale collection of remains near the site easily came to mind. After all, there was no obvious reason to go to the trouble of "digging up" a case that had been perfectly concealed for three years. The reason the air in the investigation headquarters room became stagnant wasn't just because it was filled with cigarette smoke.
In that atmosphere, a fax suddenly made a mechanical whirring sound. Senior Staff Kurano, who received the paper from Station Chief Makita, looked at it with a grim expression for a moment, then muttered a single word.
"Alright!"
He then announced to the detectives,
"This is a flash report from Kitami (Regional Headquarters). It seems there was a license plate number that matches, including the time period, between the N-System and the tire tracks collected in the roller operation."
The investigators let out a collective light stir.
"Oh!"
Taking a breath as if to confirm the reaction, Kurano continued,
"Kosaka, Takeshita! It seems to be the tire tracks you two took."
He said this and checked the paper once more. Then he added,
"It says it was taken at the Isaka Group parking lot on July 1st?"
"Yes, I remember. We certainly collected samples from several cars at the Isaka Group," Kosaka answered.
"I see. Well done for now. And the target's name is... apparently a 52-year-old individual named Kitagawa Tomoyuki residing in Kitami."
As soon as they heard this, Kosaka and Takeshita looked at each other and cried out in surprise.
"What?!"
Kurano checked with a suspicious look.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Do you happen to know the target?"
"Yes. When we went to the Isaka Group for inquiries, the one who met us was that Kitagawa himself!" Takeshita answered.
"Really? To think you met the man himself right away... And? How was he?"
Kurano didn't hide his forward-leaning posture at the unexpected answer.
"No, I didn't get the impression that anything was particularly strange..." Takeshita started to say, but then asked Kosaka beside him,
"Kosaka-san, you seemed to have a slightly strange image of him, didn't you?"
In response, Kosaka said,
"Well, it's not a big deal, but I felt a bit of a sense of incongruity because Kitagawa, an executive director, went out of his way to respond at that stage."
"Incongruity? Specifically what?"
Kurano tried to draw out more, as if impatient.
"No, it's really not a big deal. It's just that at that point, we only went to ask how many people at companies subscribing to the Tonden Times had seen the article about the body discovery, yet an executive director suddenly came out... Normally, even if not a rank-and-file employee, it would be at the level of a manager or a department head, wouldn't it? It is a large company, after all."
"Kosaka, if Kitagawa himself was involved in this case, couldn't that be explained as him wanting to directly observe the police's situation?"
"As you say, Senior Staff, that might be the case, and it might make more sense as logic. However, what we thought when we questioned him was less about Kitagawa himself and more about the fact that the previous president of that company was once under suspicion..."
Kosaka began to explain the missing person case of Sada, who had visited the previous president of the Isaka Group, a story he had also told Takeshita.
After listening to the explanation for a while, Kurano confirmed with Kosaka,
"So you're saying that in connection with that case, regardless of the reason for your inquiry, you thought at the time that he might have had his trusted subordinate feel out the situation?"
"Yes. In fact, Kitagawa himself said—whether it was true or not—that the reason he ended up responding was because he decided it after consulting with the president."
"Well, I certainly can't say I'm not curious about that disappearance case, and it's an interesting story, but the cases we're actually facing now are Yoshimi's suspicious death and Yoneda's murder and body abandonment, so we have to attack from there first. Since this Kitagawa has now surfaced to the level of a person of interest through this, I want you to think only about that. Forget that other story for now!"
Kurano said this and stood in front of the whiteboard where the case summary was written.
Then, after writing the name Kitagawa Tomoyuki newly on the board, he asked,
"Now then, I'll ask again, Kosaka, Takeshita. Having met him, what was this person like?"
"Well, he was a perfectly ordinary man around his 50s. At that point, based only on the impression I got from him, I didn't feel anything suspicious. He was reasonably composed," Kosaka testified. Takeshita also nodded.
"Was there anything like him trying to find out details about this case or probing the police's movements?"
To Kurano's question, Takeshita answered,
"I didn't see such points in his words or actions, but I don't know what the reality was, including the disappearance case I mentioned earlier. One can naturally take the view that he had some intention of gauging the progress of the investigation from our movements. In any case, he was very composed when he responded. If Kitagawa was actually involved in this case, he probably prided himself that he wouldn't have to worry about being caught by that level of inquiry. In reality, it's only at this level after adding the N-System information to the matching tire tracks."
"I see. So at that time, no signs were seen that Kitagawa was related to the case..."
As Kurano said this, he looked at the fax paper again.
"On that day, June 8th. It seems Kitagawa's car passed the N-System from Kitami toward Rubeshibe at 7:00 PM and passed from Rubeshibe toward Kitami at 3:00 AM on the 9th. On other days, it's confirmed passing toward Rubeshibe at 6:40 PM on the 5th, then toward Kitami at 4:00 AM on the 6th... and passing toward Rubeshibe at 6:48 PM on the 7th, and toward Kitami at 3:48 AM on the 8th."
"If he's working normally, he's not sleeping, is he?" Yoshimura voiced his doubt. Indeed, it went without saying that the investigation headquarters also thought the series of movements of the "master of the hitodama" would be a grueling schedule if they were a typical office worker.
"That's a point of concern. Since he doesn't seem to have headed to the site on the 4th and 6th within the range we currently know, it's presumed it wasn't every single day, but considering the hitodama sightings happened relatively frequently, we should think he was working at the site with a certain frequency. In that case, there's a possibility he was quite sleep-deprived..."
"What about the possibility that someone other than Kitagawa was driving the car?" Sawai cut in at Kurano's statement.
"We naturally need to consider that as well. Anyway, it seems necessary to corroborate what kind of work he was doing. Also, it's better to investigate his family structure. Assuming someone other than himself was driving the car."
Kurano said this, sat in his seat once, and looked around at the investigators.
"Well, there are results for other tire tracks as well, and we can't move specifically until we receive the formal results from Kitami, but there's no doubt that investigating with Kitagawa at the center will be the main investigation from now on. Let's proceed with the talk centered there."
"If we do too much inquiry in the surroundings, isn't there a high probability he'll catch on?" This time Nishida questioned Kurano.
"That's the problem. While we need to solidify things to some extent, I'd like to pull him in at an early stage if possible..."
"Can we pull him in voluntarily?"
"Nishida, that's a bit tough, isn't it? Ah, this is a repetition of what I talked about with Takeshita at the end yesterday. But since we were supposed to talk about the details today, it's just right."
Kurano laughed as he remembered the events of yesterday.
"Even if we pull him in voluntarily, the N-System passing point is quite far from the site, so it's a fact that it's tough because it's easy to make excuses with just that. For tire tracks, there must be many cars in this region with the same tires..."
Nishida was speaking with a half-resigned air. In response,
"In that case, do we have to consider a separate charge after all?"
The words "separate-charge arrest" finally came out of Kurano's mouth.
"Can't we do something with the camera theft? If he's involved in the case, I think it's safe to assume he also stole Yoshimi's camera?"
Kurosu brought up the matter of the camera taken from Yoshimi.
"Camera? What was that again?" Kurano asked Sawai.
"It's the camera taken from Yoshimi, the deceased who was the trigger for the case," Sawai answered.
"Ah, sorry. It slipped my mind. That matter. What's the status of that? No information has come out, has it, Sawai?"
"None. It remains unknown."
"Then it's impossible to pull him in for that at this stage either."
Saying so, Kurano took on a contemplative look. Station Chief Makita, the Vice Headquarters Chief who was watching the situation, proposed,
"How about having Kitami mark him?"
"You mean having the Kitami Regional Headquarters tail Kitagawa, look for any criminal matters, and use that as a separate charge at that point?" Kurano asked back.
"Idiot. Shouldn't we use whatever we can, whether it's the Kitami Station or the Kitami Regional Headquarters?"
"I guess that's the best way... By the way, in that case, the Mobile Unit is available, right?" Kurano confirmed with Manager Hiruma, who had come as support from the Kitami Regional Headquarters.
"Of course. I'll check for now," Hiruma answered.
"Please do. Tell them to mark Kitagawa at an early stage if possible," Kurano conveyed, then continued,
"We'd also like to move immediately, but it's probably better to move in earnest after the information, including tire tracks, is all out. We'll know everything by tomorrow afternoon. Also, basically, the background check on Kitagawa should ideally be centered on Kosaka and Takeshita, who did a great job this time, but it's a bit troublesome if they've already met... I think it's better if they don't stand out too much, but are you two dissatisfied?"
"No, I think that's only natural," Kosaka replied immediately.
On July 8th, Kosaka and Takeshita were inside the room of the Kitami Regional Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division Section 1. Originally, they were scheduled to move after all the tire track appraisals were out from the SIL, but Headquarters Chief Otomo gave direct instructions that it would be better to move early on the investigation into Kitagawa. Therefore, the day after the information came out, the background check on Kitagawa was started, centered on the support team from the Kitami Regional Headquarters. On the other hand, the Engaru Station investigators other than Takeshita were to investigate the owners of vehicles with matching tire tracks other than Kitagawa.
The reason Kosaka and Takeshita were visiting the Kitami Regional Headquarters this time was for a meeting regarding the request for investigation support from the Mobile Unit, commonly known as "Kisou," which had been mentioned in yesterday's meeting. Manager Hiruma was also sitting beside the two. Perhaps because of that, Yokoyama, the Team Leader of the Mobile Unit—the Mobile Unit Captain—welcomed the two warmly.
"Manager Hiruma, specifically what should we do? Should we just mark the 'target's' car?" Yokoyama asked Hiruma for instructions.
"At this point, that's basically it. However, if you encounter anything that allows you to pull the target in for a criminal case, pull them in immediately."
"So a separate charge is fine?"
"I don't mind. Do it that way," Hiruma replied impassively.
"However, if there's a separate crime before an action that seems related to this case, there might be cases where it's better not to move..."
"I don't quite understand what you mean."
"Excuse me. For example, when it looks like they're moving by car to dispose of important evidence, if there's an excessive speeding violation before that. It would be more advantageous for the investigation to catch them at the point of disposal."
"Ah, that also depends on the detective's intuition... There's no point in me saying this or that uniformly. I'll leave that to Yokoyama's discretion. However, in that example case, you can just check inside the car voluntarily, or with a warrant if refused. Those folks at the court are at our beck and call. A warrant will be issued immediately."
Hiruma answered dismissively, as if to say the example was inappropriate, and sat back deeply into the sofa.
"Another minor-offense arrest..."
On the other hand, Takeshita was inwardly fed up because he didn't quite agree with separate-charge minor-offense arrests for the main case, feeling it was too much of a foul play, but he tried not to show it on the surface.
"So, Kosaka and Takeshita! Convey your impression of meeting Kitagawa to Yokoyama. Not just paper information, but the impression from actually meeting him is important. That's why I called you here."
Hiruma leaned forward again and prompted the two to speak.
"Then I won't hold back. Let's see. As I said at the investigation headquarters yesterday, he's a perfectly ordinary office worker in his 50s—well, to be precise, a company executive—that's the impression. Since it's a construction company, there are sometimes yakuza-like people, but he didn't give that kind of feeling. The image of a good-natured middle-aged man. Just looking at him, he doesn't seem like someone involved in crime," Kosaka told Yokoyama.
"I see, is that so... Indeed, in our investigation as well, there was nothing that could be called a prior record. A few tickets for speeding, and it seems he was caught once for driving under the influence of alcohol."
Yokoyama re-read the investigation report on Kitagawa that was on the desk.
"Under the influence?" Hiruma leaned forward more than before and asked again.
"Yes, was it five years ago? He got points for driving under the influence."
"If it were drunk driving instead of just under the influence, it would be perfect for a separate-charge arrest... Either way, if it only happened once, unlike a habitual offender, we can't catch him so easily."
Saying so, he clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Manager, anyway, since it's a direct request from the Criminal Investigation Director, we'll mark him with spirit. Don't worry."
Yokoyama replied without changing his expression, but as soon as Takeshita said,
"Also, please keep a thorough record of the places he stops by,"
Yokoyama replied to the outsider in a tone even rougher than his words,
"Of course I know that. Please trust our excellent investigators."
After finishing the meeting with the Mobile Unit, the two then parted with Manager Hiruma, who remained at the Kitami Regional Headquarters, and headed straight to the Kitami Station. As decided in the investigation meeting, since the two had met Kitagawa directly before and their faces were known, it was necessary to avoid contact with the Isaka Group as much as possible. In the first place, it was important to avoid letting Kitagawa's surroundings know that detectives were moving persistently regarding the case. It was necessary to introduce an investigation method that placed a buffer, such as using local police officers rather than detectives, and having detectives and officers other than Takeshita and his team from the investigation headquarters act as behind-the-scenes players.
Since the two were put in charge of investigating the family members living with Kitagawa, they first went to the Community Safety Division at the local Kitami Station, which has information on local residents, to hear more. Perhaps because Kosaka was a detective belonging to the Kitami Station, they were able to obtain information in a friendly atmosphere.
Living with him were his wife, Kanako (46), his eldest daughter Miwako (22), who was an office worker in Kitami, and his eldest son Hiroyuki (17), a third-year high school student in Kitami. Kanako and Miwako have driver's licenses, but as women, the probability of them being the "hitodama itself" was thought to be low. Hiroyuki is not of an age to hold a license. While the possibility of unlicensed driving couldn't be completely denied, it was thought to be unlikely. However, they decided to investigate the recent living conditions of the three just in case and requested cooperation from the Community Safety Division again. This was because if detectives moved directly, there was a possibility it would be found out by the person himself.
The Community Safety Division seemed to intend to approach Kanako on the grounds that "suspicious person information has come out" to neighbors and Kanako herself. Meanwhile, for Miwako and Hiroyuki, they told the two that they planned to obtain attendance records for everyone at their workplace and school by skillfully deceiving them, linking it to an alibi request for a fictitious case.
It was also decided to simultaneously conduct an investigation into relatives and friends not living with Kitagawa, but since this information would only come out by delving quite deep into the surroundings, the Community Safety Division official said it might take about a week to investigate without being found out.
Kosaka and Takeshita were satisfied after hearing the countermeasures of the Mobile Unit and the Kitami Station Community Safety Division, and returned to the Engaru Station after joining up with other detectives from the investigation headquarters.
After three days of starting the investigation into Kitagawa's surroundings, a fair amount of information was beginning to gather. At the investigation meeting on July 11th, the following report was made by the investigators, and at the same time, information from the Mobile Unit and the Kitami Station was read out.
First, regarding Kitagawa himself. It was found that he was originally a JNR employee and started working at the Isaka Group in 1983 after changing jobs. The circumstances of the job change are unknown at this point, but he became a department head in the winter of 1987. After that, in April 1990, he was apparently promoted to executive director as a board member. Considering he was a rank-and-file employee immediately after changing jobs, it seems rumors had been circulating within the company since then about his extraordinary speed of promotion. As for his personality, he was basically gentle and had a reasonable amount of popularity. This point matched the assessment of Takeshita and his team. On the other hand, he liked gambling, and while not to the level of addiction, it was said he had a tendency to get absorbed in it.
Also, regarding his work status from late May to early June, it seems there were many literal "executive attendances," often arriving close to noon. The reason given was treatment for his chronic high blood pressure, but recent hospital visits could not be confirmed from his health insurance history. When combined with the movements of the ghost who performed physical labor until late at night, it perfectly matched the reason for Kitagawa's executive attendances. Also, regarding the family members living with him, the report from the Kitami Station Community Safety Division stated that no particularly suspicious points had been found so far.
By this point, especially regarding the executive attendances and the fact that he had lied about the reason, everyone at the investigation headquarters was convinced that Kitagawa was the very person behind the hitodama who appeared near the site and searched for the body. Senior Staff Kurano also seemed to have gained confidence, and he didn't stop smiling throughout the report.
On the other hand, the report from the Mobile Unit stated that during this time, Kitagawa had no particularly strange movements and was just commuting between home and work every day. Kurano had a disappointed look regarding this point, but it had only just begun. There was no point in rushing so much. After hearing all the reports, Kurano spoke.
"Well, as mentioned above, it seems almost certain that Kitagawa is involved. What about the cooperation from the Kitami Station? Can we just cut it off for now? Is there anyone who thinks there's a problem?"
Kurano likely judged that no more information about the man and his surroundings was needed. To Nishida, it sounded like his true intention to focus on how to pull Kitagawa in was peeking through. Then,
"Senior Staff, I don't mind that, but there's something I'm a bit curious about..." Kosaka said while raising his hand.
"Is there a problem, Kosaka?"
"It says Kitagawa became a department head in the winter eight years ago after changing jobs?"
"Eight years ago? Ah, 1987 would be eight years ago... What about it?"
"I believe I spoke to the Headquarters Chief the other day."
Before Kosaka could finish, Kurano seemed to realize and cut him off.
"Sorry, sorry. About that disappearance case... Indeed, the years do match in some parts. The extraordinary promotion of a rank-and-file employee who changed jobs, and the disappearance case involving the Isaka Group that happened before that... As Kosaka says, something smells fishy."
"No matter how you look at it, it can only be seen as suspicious," Kosaka continued. Kurano remained silent with a contemplative look for a while, then said,
"Regarding Kosaka's reading, there's no doubt it has taken on a certain amount of reality now, so I think there's certainly a need to pursue that after pulling him in. That being said, don't you think we don't need the Kitami Station's investigation anymore? What do you think, Kosaka?" Kurano said as if to persuade him.
"If you understand that, then I don't mind," Kosaka also seemed satisfied.
"Also, about the investigation into other tire tracks, I think we can cut that off and focus on this case. What do you think, Vice Headquarters Chief Makita?" Kurano turned the talk to Makita.
"Right. I suppose that's fine. Sawai, Nishida, what do you think?" Makita asked his two direct subordinates.
"I don't mind," Sawai answered, and hearing that, Nishida also agreed, saying, "Yes, I think there's no problem either."
Around noon on July 12th, Nishida and Kitamura parked their investigation vehicle on a street near the Isaka Group in Kitami and were on stakeout duty. The inside of the car received the strong early summer sunlight, and it was a grueling temperature that opening the windows wasn't enough; it was tough without turning on the air conditioner.
Since Kitagawa's involvement had become likely, from today, not only the Mobile Unit from the Kitami Regional Headquarters but the investigation headquarters itself began to move directly to mark Kitagawa. On the opposite lane across the street, the vehicle of Yoshimura and his team, who were paired with Takagi from the Regional Headquarters support team, was also visible. In the back streets, the Mobile Unit and the Kitami Regional team were well-prepared. They were in a position to immediately tail Kitagawa's car in either direction.
The two, who had finished eating their convenience store bento and were observing from inside the car, sometimes felt drowsiness attacking because the interior temperature had become comfortable thanks to the air conditioner. However, they deliberately avoided coffee or tea to stay awake because they needed to avoid opportunities to go to the toilet as much as possible. They have a diuretic effect.
"There's no particular movement," Kitamura said while suppressing a yawn.
"Patience, patience," Nishida said as if to convince himself.
"Either way, it doesn't seem like he'll do anything directly linked to the case now... I guess we just have to wait for something we can haul him in for."
"That's right..."
As Nishida said this, he leaned forward to turn on the radio for a change of pace and to wake himself up, when suddenly the voice of a cheerful DJ echoed through the room, and he hurriedly turned down the volume.
"Now, a request from Don-chan with the radio name from Asahikawa: DEEN's 'Kono Mama Kimi Dake wo Ubaisaitai'!"
Immediately after the announcement, the song began with the intro: jang-chachachachajang-jang. Kitamura beside him began to move his mouth along with it.
"What, is this a song you like?"
"No, well, not to the point of liking it... but I sing it quite a bit at karaoke."
"I see."
Nishida knew DEEN, but since he wasn't particularly interested, it was a vague reply. Sensing that, Kitamura deliberately asked a question to expand the conversation.
"Team Leader Nishida, do you go to karaoke?"
"I used to... I haven't gone since I started working at the Engaru Station. I went quite a bit when I was at the Sapporo Minami Station."
"Huh? Was there no karaoke in Engaru?"
"Hey now, of course there is!"
It had only been a little over three months since he came to Engaru, but for some reason he felt he was being made fun of and retorted with a slightly strong tone.
"Ah, I didn't mean anything weird by it, sorry..."
"No, don't worry about it."
Nishida corrected his tone with a laugh, while also thinking that maybe an attachment to Engaru was beginning to sprout in him even after just a few months.
"I wonder what kind of songs you sing, Team Leader?"
Kitamura continued this topic even after the delicate atmosphere. Probably, in the midst of boredom, he hated the conversation dying out much more.
"For me, T-BOLAN and the like are good."
"T-BOLAN, huh. That's good. Like 'Bye for now'."
"That's not bad either, but my specialty is 'Hanashitaku wa Nai'."
"I sing 'Hanashitaku wa Nai' sometimes too."
"What's your specialty?"
"The one I'm most confident in is Ono Masatoshi's 'You're the Only'. People say I'm quite good. I basically wooed my current girlfriend with that." Kitamura said excitedly.
"Eh, you can produce such a high-pitched voice? That's quite tough for a man, isn't it?"
"The key is quite high. I can even do Crystal King's 'Daitokai'."
"That's a surprise. You don't look like that from listening to your normal voice."
"I get told that often."
Watching Kitamura speak proudly, Nishida realized he had been drawn into the other's pace before he knew it, but he thought it wasn't something to worry about.
"Recently, I've been checking my own singing voice after karaoke with a small portable tape recorder my girlfriend bought me. Various challenges become visible."
"You go that far..."
Nishida was surprised by Kitamura's thorough karaoke mania. Nishida also liked karaoke, but he wasn't that absorbed in it. While enjoying such a conversation for a while, a voice that sounded like Section Chief Sawai calling out was heard from the radio.
"Nishida, Kitamura, do you hear me? Over."
"Yes, this is the Nishida-Kitamura team, we hear you. Over."
Kitamura responded while Nishida muted the radio.
"Uh, it seems there's a patrolman at the local box (police box) in Kitami whose wife works at the Isaka Group..."
While listening to the Section Chief's voice, Nishida voiced his doubt as he took the receiver from Kitamura, "Huh? We were supposed to have asked the Kitami Station not to cooperate, I wonder if some emergency information came in." But at the next words uttered by the Section Chief, Nishida's expression changed.
"The timing isn't exact, but about a month ago, the suspect (suspect/accused) apparently said to a male staff member who is a colleague of the wife, 'I have an expensive-looking camera, do you want it?' It's good news, so I thought I'd let you know quickly before you come back here..."
Kitamura also heard that, gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, and spoke from the side, "Is it Yoshimi's camera? The timing matches, and if so, does it mean he hadn't disposed of it at least at that point?"
"What the hell, if only this talk had come out sooner... He might have already disposed of it."
"No, it can't be helped. It's only recently that we properly asked the Kitami Station for support. And if it's not a direct investigator but further through their wife, it's even more so..."
Takeshita's argument was certainly more correct, but the impatience was greater. The Section Chief's talk continued.
"So, naturally, I want to do a raid at the earliest possible stage. If we can seize the camera, that alone will be evidence that he was at the scene at the time of Yoshimi's death, and we can arrest and detain him on other suspicions besides the separate charge. Anyway, don't neglect the stakeout so we can do a stop-and-question or a flagrante delicto arrest (arrest in the act) at any time. Over."
"Yes, understood."
Nishida confirmed that the Section Chief's speech had ended, pressed the radio button, and replied, then Kitamura asked Nishida,
"Can't we do a raid based on the camera theft itself?"
"I think it's not impossible, but to do it for a case of this magnitude, it would be on the premise that we can definitely secure the camera. There are risks afterward if we fail, so I think it's difficult."
To that reply, he asked persistently,
"Then if we pull Kitagawa in on a separate charge and the camera comes out there, can we go all at once?"
"For now, we can only pray it turns out that way. That's probably what the Section Chief meant too."
Nishida straightened his back while re-tightening his loosened tie.