Chapter 13 - Rumblings 8
As the house search team returned to the room of the Kitami Regional Headquarters, where a temporary investigation headquarters "branch" had been set up, the search warrant for the Isaka Group had just been issued. Since the opponent this time was a corporation with a corporate lawyer, there was a higher probability of things becoming more troublesome than a raid on an amateur. It seems Senior Staff Kurano himself was to take command of the raid. Since Kosaka, who had been following the disappearance case related to the Isaka Group, was there, his partner Takeshita, as well as the teams of Yoshimura, Sawada, and Oba, were to participate in this raid.
On the other hand, Nishida and his team, who had handled the house search, were to deliver the items seized from the Kitagawa residence to forensics and then investigate the car, which had been seized as-is at the time of the flagrante delicto arrest and was being held at the Kitami Station, together with forensics. However, since Yoshimura and his team had roughly investigated the car at the time of the arrest, the work would be a detailed investigation. After watching the "departure" of Kurano's army after 3:00 PM, Nishida and his team headed to the parking lot to start their work. Since the Kitami Station and the Kitami Regional Headquarters are adjacent, it took almost no time.
The car of Kitagawa parked in the Kitami Station parking lot was a sedan-type luxury car. Since the contents of the trunk and dashboard had already been seized, the main work would be to collect evidence that couldn't be easily found remaining in the car, specifically hair and soil. Especially the collection of soil was important evidence that Kitagawa had gone to the Ikutahara site, so like that on the shoes, it was necessary to investigate thoroughly. Since many people couldn't enter the car, it was a tedious task where four people would stick their upper bodies through each of the four doors while wearing shower caps on their heads to avoid dropping hair, and collect evidence painstakingly. Nishida was checking for fine evidence in the trunk. Section Chief Sawai directed and supervised from the outside.
"How is it, does it look like there's a lot of soil?" Sawai asked while looking into the car in front of the strange sight of eight legs sticking out from the car doors.
"There's quite a bit on the floor mat of the driver's seat. But if it's mixed with soil from various places, can it be analyzed?" Kurosu answered with a strained voice because his chest was pressed against the seat.
"You can leave that to forensics or the SIL. How about Nishida's side?"
"There's quite a bit of soil left here that likely was on the shovel." Nishida answered, raising his face from the trunk.
"I see. Well, since it seems quite a bit of soil was also attached to the shovel itself, that alone should be enough." Sawai nodded with satisfaction.
"Should we do the evidence on the seats thoroughly?" Detective Machida from the Kitami Regional Headquarters, who was paired with Kurosu, asked Sawai.
"Since there's no premise that he transported people or bodies related to the case for now, there's no need to be overly sensitive, including Nishida's trunk. However, just in case, everyone, please don't cut corners."
"Yes!" Everyone, including the forensics staff, raised their voices.
In the end, they spent over an hour collecting evidence and fingerprints from inside the car and the trunk, and left the rest to forensics. After that, they just had to wait for the search results from Kurano and his team.
Kurano's group arrived in front of the Isaka Group before 4:00 PM. A woman who appeared to be an employee was seen from the detective side, looking suspiciously at the group of burly men parking their cars in their company's parking lot and gathering. Kurano checked his watch and said,
"Alright, let's go!" and let out a spirited voice, then rushed to the office door.
"Police! We're searching in connection with Executive Director Kitagawa's personal injury accident due to driving under the influence this morning!" Kurano announced while holding up the warrant. The inside of the office became stirred up all at once.
"Excuse me, I'll go call the person in charge..." a male employee in his 40s voiced, unable to hide his timidness.
"That's fine, but we'll accompany you. Also, everyone else, don't move from your spots!" Kurano signaled and instructed his subordinate to follow the man. He made the first move to prevent evidence from being disposed of just in case. After a while, an elderly man came down to the room, out of breath. He seemed to have come down from the upper floor.
"I'm Vice President Mita. Police searching? We've received word that Executive Director Kitagawa was arrested before work, but are you searching the company too?" he asked with dissatisfaction.
Since he seemed to be trying to gauge who the person in charge was, Kurano showed his police badge and said,
"I'm Kurano, Section 1 Head of the Kitami Regional Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division (Author's note: 'Senior Staff' is merely a role within the investigation headquarters), the person responsible for this search."
Then Mita hurriedly and roughly took out a business card and handed it over, asking,
"So, specifically what are you investigating?"
Kurano showed the warrant again and replied,
"Since there is a possibility that the Executive Director was habitually driving under the influence, we would like to check his private property, work status, and health condition, and we will seize items and documents."
"No, I can't believe Executive Director Kitagawa was habitually driving under the influence. He once told me that since he was fined for driving under the influence, he had been very careful..." Mita said in a dissatisfied tone.
"Well, that's for the police to investigate. Anyway, we'll be searching. By the way, is it okay for you to be the witness, Vice President? Is the President not here?"
"The President is out now, so if that's the case, I will witness."
Kurano wanted to see the face and attitude of the current President to have some information about the Isaka Group, but if that was the case, it couldn't be helped.
"I see. Then please witness. By the way, Mita-san, have you heard of anything unusual about the Executive Director recently?"
"Anything unusual? Well, there was talk that he was going to the hospital for high blood pressure recently, and he was late for work... That's about it, I guess."
"I see."
Kurano tried to probe how much Mita grasped about Kitagawa's recent movements. This was because he suddenly thought, in connection with the disappearance case eight years ago, that if a company executive repeatedly arrived late, perhaps the company also knew what Kitagawa was doing. Immediately after,
"Ah, also, it's okay if I call our corporate lawyer, right?"
As expected, Mita requested the presence of the corporate lawyer as a representative, but this was an expected matter. In fact, the investigation headquarters already grasped as of the morning that Lawyer Matsuda was on a business trip to Abashiri and would take over an hour even if he returned urgently. That was also a hidden reason why they decided to carry out the raid today after hesitating. This was because if a lawyer is present, there is a high probability that the search and seizure will be strictly interpreted and moved in a direction of being restricted.
"Of course, do as you like."
Kurano said this with complete composure and continued,
"Then, please guide us."
"Then, this way... Fujimoto-kun, guide them to the executive office."
Mita designated a female employee, and the investigators carrying cardboard boxes, Mita, and Kurano followed behind her.
Watching that, Takeshita and Kosaka, Yoshimura and Takagi, Sawada and his partner Shoji, and Oba and his partner Shigeta began their "separate" search activities. Since these were search activities for items not directly listed on the search warrant, they were naturally gray—no, almost black—investigation activities, so they wanted to finish various things before the lawyer arrived.
The first objective was to investigate the whereabouts of the camera that didn't come out in the house search of the Kitagawa residence, and to seize it if possible. There was a possibility that Kitagawa still possessed it, but since information had already come in that he had tried to give the camera to a subordinate, it was necessary to search along that line as well. Of course, if they could seize it from Kitagawa's private property, the search they were in charge of would be in vain, but considering the time until the lawyer arrived for witnessing, it was important to divide the work.
Also, since the shovel in Kitagawa's car was from the Isaka Group, it was also necessary to check if other tools had been used when trying to dig up the body and if they had been returned to the Isaka Group. However, since there were many parts that wouldn't be known unless investigated in great detail, it was clear that it would be extremely difficult to judge in a short time...
The veteran detective Kosaka first asked an employee nearby in a loud voice.
"Sorry to bother you during work, but which department's employees are Executive Director Kitagawa's subordinates?"
"Eh? Even if you say subordinates, since he's an executive, the direct subordinates would be the executive secretaries, but if not, since the Executive Director is the top person in charge of materials, would it be the employees of the Material Procurement and Management Department..."
"I see. Is that on this floor?"
"No, it's the third floor..."
"Will I know if I go there?"
"Yes."
After finding that out, he hurriedly took Takeshita to the third floor. From the information from the wife of the police officer working at the police box who worked at the Isaka Group, the investigation headquarters already grasped who Kitagawa had tried to give the camera to. However, if they rushed in suddenly, it would be found out that internal information had leaked to the police, and there was a possibility that the wife's position would worsen. Therefore, the plan was to pretend they found out about the camera by chance and secure it from the recipient if it had been given.
Takagi, leading the remaining four from the Kitami Regional Headquarters team, similarly asked for the location of the tool storage and told an employee to guide them, then headed to the warehouse in the back.
"Excuse me, we're the police, is it alright?"
When Kosaka entered the room of the Material Procurement and Management Department, he raised his voice while showing his badge, attracting the attention of the employees in the room. It seems word has already spread that the police have raided for the drunk driving case, as they don't look particularly surprised.
"I'm Matsuoka, the Department Head, what is it?" a man sitting at a fine desk by the window responded immediately.
"Department Head Matsuoka? I'm Kosaka, and this is Takeshita. Sorry to bother you while you're busy. We have something we'd like to ask the employees about the Executive Director..."
While saying so, the two approached the Department Head wearing glasses.
"Wait, I heard you went to the Personnel Department, do you have business here too?"
"Yes, we want to ask about Kitagawa-san's recent status."
"I see, I'll cooperate as far as I know," Matsuoka announced calmly.
"By the way, we'll also ask the employees here, is that alright?"
"I don't mind, but... is it mandatory?"
He struck a rather painful point, so Kosaka didn't show it on his face, but inwardly felt it was hard to do.
"Well, you can refuse, but various things might become complicated later."
Kosaka's statement was a police cliché. For ordinary citizens who are weak against the authorities called the police and lack legal knowledge, this is enough to work in Japanese society. It's best to proceed with this kind of talk while the lawyer isn't here.
"I understand. Everyone, that's how it is, so answer properly." Matsuoka called out to his subordinates.
"Then everyone, sorry to bother you while you're busy, but we look forward to your cooperation!" Takeshita, who turned around, raised his voice while observing the faces of the employees.
"Then first, did anyone think there was a problem with the Executive Director's recent health condition?"
At Kosaka's question, the employees looked at each other and seemed to find it hard to answer. Seeing that, the Department Head spoke for them.
"He was talking about going to the doctor for high blood pressure and such."
"Did he look pale?"
"No, not particularly..."
"I see."
For Kosaka, he already knew that the recent hospital visits were a camouflage, but it was a procedure.
"Also, did he ever drink alcohol at the company?" Takeshita asked this time. As expected, many employees replied in low voices to the same effect,
"That's certainly not the case." Matsuoka also denied it, saying,
"That really wasn't the case. I don't think he liked alcohol that much either. I didn't have much personal interaction with him, so I don't really know the actual situation."
"I see... However, we're investigating various things. If he brought alcohol into the company, he might have been habitually driving under the influence, so we have to investigate properly. Has anyone ever received alcohol from the Executive Director?" Kosaka finally began to make his move. Of course, it didn't matter if such a person actually existed or not. There was no particular reaction from the employees.
"Then, has anyone received anything else from the Executive Director recently?"
"Anything else?" Matsuoka asked Kosaka.
"Yes. In reality, the Executive Director is currently arrested for committing a crime, so if someone has received something from such a person and is hiding it, in some cases, various things might become troublesome later. It would help us if you could tell us early on."
Kosaka's argument was clearly a leap in logic, but if he talked specifically about the camera theft here, there was a possibility it would be taken as a seizure for a matter outside the scope of the permitted raid. Therefore, to avoid being attacked by the lawyer, he wanted to make it in the form of a voluntary submission from the other party.
Then a male employee in his 30s near the wall timidly raised his hand. As soon as Kosaka and Takeshita saw that, they went to the employee quietly and quickly, and prompted him in a low voice,
"Shall we talk outside the room for a bit?"
When they went out to the hallway outside the room, the employee identified himself as Hirao. He matched the person in the information Kosaka and his team had.
"Excuse me... I received a camera from the Executive Director about a month ago. My hobby is bird watching, so when I was chatting with a colleague after work about wanting to take photos with a camera, the Executive Director said from the side, 'I have just the right camera'."
"Ho. Well, it's a shame it seems unrelated to driving under the influence at first glance..." Kosaka said blandly.
"That's right, it has nothing to do with this case, right?" Hirao confirmed, which was a clear sound argument.
"Well, that's true... but if you think about it carefully, that's not necessarily the case." Kosaka began to speak as if he had just thought of it.
"I think that camera wasn't originally the Executive Director's."
To that somewhat disconnected statement, Hirao replied without being particularly surprised,
"Yes, he was saying something like 'I got it from a relative, but I don't need it, so I'll give it to you,' so I also accepted it with that understanding..."
"When did you get that?"
"I don't remember the exact date, but I think it was around mid-June."
"Ah, then there's no doubt." Takeshita was half-amazed while wondering how Kosaka would pull off the rather forced development of the talk. He himself wouldn't want to adopt such a deceptive method, and at the same time, he didn't have the talent or nerve to push through a story that didn't quite make sense.
"After the arrest, we just heard the circumstances from the Executive Director's family... Around early June, he apparently went out by car at night. And he came home in the middle of the night, and when he woke up in the morning, he had brought home an expensive-looking camera. Even when his wife questioned him, he was apparently drunk and incoherent. It seems he became friendly with the person he drank with and either received the camera that person had or brought it back in the heat of the moment. His wife told him to return it, but the Executive Director didn't quite know who to return it to, so he probably tried to hush it up by giving it to you."
"Eh?" Hirao had a clearly bewildered expression. Meanwhile, Takeshita was smiling wryly beside him, thinking,
"So that's how he's taking the talk."
"So, if he received the camera from a drunk person or brought it back without permission, the other person might recognize it as stolen and have reported it to the police. We haven't checked yet... Naturally, the Executive Director had no intention to steal... that is, intent, but if he was drunk, that probably wouldn't apply, so theft probably—and I mean probably—won't be applied, but if we ask that person various things, we might get new testimony about driving under the influence. So we want to check the camera that might have been reported stolen and the one you received to see if they match, and we want to hear the circumstances from that person. Can you cooperate?"
Kosaka was trying to persuade Hirao by forcefully constructing a reason that it was necessary for further detection of driving under the influence.
"If that's the case, I'll naturally cooperate, but I won't be charged with any crime for receiving the camera, right?" Hirao, who spoke bewilderedly, was already caught in Kosaka's trap.
"Yes, you didn't know where it came from, so there's no problem."
"I see, that's a relief. So, should I hand it over to you?"
"We'd be grateful if you could do that. By the way, is your home nearby?"
"Yes, about ten minutes by car from here..."
"Ah, then that's just right. We'll get permission from the Department Head, so please go get the camera immediately. It's at your house, right?"
"Yes."
"Then please do it immediately. Also, this matter contains investigation information, so don't mention it to anyone." Kosaka emphasized this last part greatly.
"Understood." Hirao said this and ran down the stairs. Kosaka watched his back and muttered,
"Alright," then returned to the room and told Department Head Matsuoka, who was observing the situation,
"I heard the talk from Hirao-san, but it wasn't a big deal. However, there's something we want to confirm, so we had him go home to bring the target item, so please permit him to leave the workplace for about 30 minutes to an hour."
"I see. I understand about Hirao. So, anything else?"
"No, we've heard what we needed to hear for now. Sorry to take your time."
Saying so, he pushed Takeshita's waist with his hand and left the room while giving light bows to the other employees.
"So he did give the camera to a subordinate. Anyway, it's a help that it's there."
As soon as they went out to the hallway, Takeshita spoke to Kosaka.
"Yeah, it seems he hadn't disposed of it. It's a real help. I haven't seen the actual thing so I don't know well, but if it's a camera used by enthusiasts for photography, it's expensive, so he might have chosen to give it to an acquaintance rather than throwing it away. Even an amateur would know that selling it would leave a trail."
"Even so, you skillfully linked it to driving under the influence and brought it to a voluntary submission."
"Well, yeah. It's quite forced, though."
Kosaka had a triumphant look while saying so. From Takeshita's perspective, he wasn't just praising him but also included some irony, but Kosaka didn't seem to notice.
"Then I'll go explain the situation to Senior Staff Kurano. He's probably investigating desperately about the camera too."
Takeshita said this and headed to the executive office.
The six people led by Takagi, who were guided to the tool storage, were overwhelmed by the number and variety.
"Even if there's something Kitagawa was using, identifying it is impossible." Yoshimura whispered to Takagi.
"Hmm," Takagi could only groan.
Sawada went to the place with the pickaxes and looked at them. Speaking of pickaxes, they weren't just something Kitagawa might have used to dig a hole this time, but they might also have been used as a murder weapon in the killing of Yoneda three years ago. If one had remained among these, even if collecting bloodstains was already impossible, there was a possibility that the tip would match the wound left on the skull. In that sense, they wanted to take it back as a sample if possible, but they all looked the same and also looked slightly different, so selection was basically impossible. That said, taking them all back was impossible with a search warrant for driving under the influence.
"It's no good. If it were a search for this case, we could take them all back and investigate from the soil." Sawada reported this to Takagi.
"Understood. It can't be helped. We have no results for today."
It was something he had expected to some extent, so there was no disappointment, but there was a possibility they would be disposed of before the search warrant for this case was granted. Thinking about that, there was also impatience.
Meanwhile, Takeshita entered the executive office where Kurano and his team were searching. Investigators were hurriedly opening desks and cabinets, flipping through things to investigate, or seizing them in cardboard boxes. A young woman who looked like a secretary was watching it anxiously. To Kurano, who was silently watching the search with his arms crossed, he casually whispered,
"Senior Staff, a subordinate had the camera. We'll recover it now."
"Good, good," Kurano moved only his mouth without changing his expression.
"How is it here?" Takeshita asked, and he replied,
"It seems there's information for about the last year, but information from before that doesn't seem to remain. Unfortunately."
"Then it's only about this case."
"That's how it'll be. Also, regarding his health condition, it seems he actually has some high blood pressure. It seems it was pointed out in a health checkup too."
"And he's not going to the hospital?"
"No, it seems he properly went last year. He seems to have stopped because it became better than at one point. For this year, we already have the data from the health insurance association, so it's clear he hasn't been going."
Kurano said this, gave one or two instructions, and confirmed,
"By the way, how are Takagi and his team doing?"
"No, I don't know about that."
Before Takeshita could finish, Takagi rushed in.
"It's no good. There are too many of them, we can't do anything. Both shovels and pickaxes."
His breath was slightly rough, but he said it as if squeezing it out.
"Understood. ...It can't be helped. Anyway, secure the camera before the lawyer comes. That's the main event for today. I'm counting on you."
Kurano announced this without changing his expression or meeting his gaze.
Takeshita finished the report to Kurano and returned to Kosaka, explaining the situation,
"That side also seemed to be going smoothly. The tools are no good."
"I see. Anyway, for us, it's the camera. It's only been about 35 minutes, so I think we can secure it before the lawyer comes..." He looked at his watch.
"Shall we wait at the parking lot?" At Takeshita's proposal, Kosaka nodded. The two went down the stairs, passed through the office on the first floor, and went out to the parking lot. Takagi and his team were also outside.
"Is it about the camera? How long will we wait?" Takagi asked Kosaka.
"It seems it's quite close from here, so I don't think it'll take that long," he answered. Everyone, regardless of who, looked restless and took out cigarettes to light them. Oba, who doesn't smoke, was fidgeting. The sky, which had been clear until a while ago, was becoming somewhat cloudy before they knew it. He also felt some humidity. It might rain at night. Takeshita thought so.
Hirao's arrival was later than Takeshita had thought. The person waiting basically feels that way even more, but the expected time had already passed.
"Is it almost 5:00?" Kosaka muttered as he looked at his watch.
"He's late..." Takagi also clicked his tongue.
"We entered at 4:00. It's still okay." Takeshita said as if to calm himself while staring across the street. Then, just as Kosaka looked at his watch again and raised his face, a car entered the parking lot. Hirao's face could certainly be confirmed through the windshield.
"He made it in time."
As if taking Kosaka's word as a signal, the eight detectives gathered toward the car that was backing up to park, like fish swarming to bait. As soon as Hirao opened the door and came out, he was surrounded by eight detectives and clearly looked frightened.
"Thanks. Which one is the camera?" Kosaka asked directly without adding unnecessary things, and he said,
"Sorry for being late. This is it," while taking the camera out of the case from a shoulder bag.
"Ah, wait a moment." Kosaka said so, put on white gloves, and took the camera out of the case. Then he immediately checked the model number.
"C-321H. Does it match?"
Takeshita, who was asked to confirm, said shortly,
"It matches."
Hearing that, he continued,
"Hirao-san, I'm sorry, but can we take your fingerprints? We want to confirm if the original owner's fingerprints are attached, but since your fingerprints are definitely attached, we want to exclude them during the check."
"That's fine... Is it really okay?" Hirao said worriedly.
"It's okay. ...Oh right, was there no film in this camera?" Kosaka asked Hirao as if he just remembered.
"No, there was no film in it when I got it from the Executive Director." Hirao replied immediately. Hearing that, they thoroughly collected the fingerprints of Hirao's ten fingers and palm prints on a sheet on the hood of the car.
"You've been a help. For now, we have nothing more to ask Hirao-san. Also, we will be taking full custody of the camera. Probably, I don't think it will return to Hirao-san's hands, but can you sign here?" Kosaka said this and had Hirao sign the document for voluntary submission of evidence. And when that was over, he pushed Hirao's waist with his hand, hurrying him to leave the place immediately in a sense. And after seeing Hirao enter the Isaka Group building, he checked the camera once more.
"If Yoshimi's fingerprints are on this, it's almost certain." Takagi said happily while looking at it.
"No, it's not perfect yet. He can make the excuse that he picked it up where it was dropped somewhere. However, if soil from the site comes out from Kitagawa's shoes, he won't be able to make excuses. Even so, it seems the film was taken out of the camera at the point it was handed to Hirao. Kitagawa must have removed it. Oh well. If we have this camera, at the very least, we can pull him in for embezzlement of lost property, having taken the camera from Yoshimi who died in an accident. We can go anywhere from there."
Kosaka pointed the camera toward the Isaka Group building and pretended to take a shot while looking through the viewfinder. In that act, Takeshita felt the strong will of Kosaka, who wanted to aim not just at Kitagawa but also at the involvement of the Isaka Group in the case eight years ago at the end of his gaze.
And before 5:00 PM, the search and seizure of the executive office was also completed, and they were able to finish everything successfully before Matsuda arrived. Since they were also able to seize the camera, they could be said to have achieved almost perfect results for a house search. What was unfortunate was that they couldn't identify or seize the tools, but this was something they had expected to some extent, and it was easy to give up. More than that, it was big that they could secure the camera. Regarding this, not to mention its importance, they hadn't necessarily thought the probability of being able to seize it was high beforehand. When Kurano was leaving the Isaka Group, he left words that could be taken as a declaration of victory to the Vice President who came to see them off,
"We didn't meet this time, but please give my regards to the lawyer."
The Vice President's face was twitching, but Kurano's unvarnished feelings made him say so.
When they returned to the Kitami Regional Headquarters, Kosaka and Takeshita hurriedly took the camera to forensics. Since they had told forensics to have the fingerprints collected from Yoshimi's body and the fingerprints taken from Kitagawa after his arrest this morning ready at the point they departed from the Isaka Group, they just had to submit Hirao's fingerprints and compare them with the fingerprints remaining on the camera. Of course, whether they could be identified immediately from there was another story.
Kosaka and Takeshita watched the work of Shibata, the Senior Staff of the Kitami Regional Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division Forensics Division, who was carefully investigating the fingerprints. However, the first words that came out of Shibata's mouth after finishing the work for the time being were unexpected.
"This is a problem. I can't say for sure, but at least I don't see the fingerprints of the victim named Yoshimi."
"What?! Aren't they left anywhere?" Kosaka pressed Shibata with an intensity as if he were about to jump on him.
"Hmm, I also checked the place where the film is put in, which is often touched, but Yoshimi's fingerprints are definitely not there. What remains are only whorl patterns, not Yoshimi's loop patterns. Since Kitagawa and Hirao have whorl patterns, they're probably from both of them or Hirao alone. At least, considering the situation, it's impossible that Hirao's fingerprints aren't attached... Even so, if this is Yoshimi's stolen camera, probably either Kitagawa or Hirao wiped the camera clean once, didn't they? Anyway, I'll investigate whose fingerprints they are from now."
It is well known that fingerprints are powerful evidence for individual identification, but they are roughly divided into three types. "Whorl patterns" consisting of circular or spiral lines. "Loop patterns" that flow in the shape of a hoof in either the right or left direction. "Arch patterns" consisting only of bow-shaped lines. It is said that many Japanese people have whorl patterns and loop patterns, and arch patterns are less than 10%.
*
"That won't do. We need Yoshimi's fingerprints to come out. Just the model number of the camera matching is weak!" Kosaka's tone could be taken as anger.
"Kosaka-san, at least we've seized shoes with matching footprints, and if the soil components attached to the soles are from the same components as the site, Hirao can testify that Kitagawa had the camera. From the model number of Yoshimi's camera, the N-System records, and those circumstantial evidences, I think we can prove that Kitagawa took the camera from Yoshimi."
Takeshita spoke to calm the excited Kosaka.
"That's probably true, but at least if we can determine from fingerprints that this camera is Yoshimi's own, it will be considerably advantageous for cornering Kitagawa... If only the model number matches, the materials for excuses will increase."
What Kosaka was saying made sense, but Takeshita grasped that Kitagawa would likely stick to the excuse that he picked it up somewhere it was dropped, and of course such an excuse wouldn't work for them, so there would be no problem at all with the re-arrest.
However, as if he hadn't heard such an exchange, Shibata, who was further investigating the camera from various angles without concern, muttered,
"I see, I see... I overlooked it, but the lens separates from the camera. That might be an unexpected blind spot."
He then pressed a button on the front of the camera body while rotating the lens, and removed it from the camera body. Before they knew it, the two were also silently watching Shibata's actions. Shibata's movement stopped after he shook aluminum powder with a brush to investigate fingerprints for a while. Then,
"Oho, it came out, it came out! Loop pattern. Look at this! As expected, he hadn't wiped this far. I don't know if he wiped it to make it clean or to intentionally erase fingerprints, but if it was intentional, he probably didn't think this far."
Shibata said this with a satisfied look, pointing to the metal rim of the part of the removed lens that connects with the camera body. However, for the two, it was only a partial fingerprint that they couldn't judge as being a loop pattern. Police officers and detectives also have knowledge about fingerprints, but they naturally don't have appraisal ability at the forensics level. Especially the judgment of partial fingerprints is a technique that requires years of experience. Watching the two staring at the pointed spot,
"Anyway, since the next part must be appraised carefully, it's impossible to give a proper result today. As far as hearing the case summary, I think it's the victim's, but it's still impossible to conclude. I'll contact you later, so you can go back now. I think I can manage to give results tomorrow together with the shovel, though. Regarding the fingerprints caught from the suspect's car, I put them into the automated fingerprint identification system earlier to see if anything related to a prior record or some case comes out, but nothing particularly hit. I'll write a proper report on this later. For the shoes, after confirming the match of the footprints, I've already sent them to the SIL to investigate the soil components. Oh right, together with the soil that was attached to the shovel. This will take a few days. The same goes for evidence other than fingerprints from the car."
Shibata conveyed all kinds of information to the two in rapid succession.
"Alright, understood. In that case, we'll withdraw. We're waiting for good news!"
Kosaka showed a sign of relief because a fingerprint that was likely Yoshimi's was found, and after leaving those words, he left the forensics room with Takeshita.
When Kosaka and Takeshita returned to the third meeting room of the Kitami Regional Headquarters, where the investigators were gathered as a temporary investigation headquarters "annex," Nishida, who had already finished his investigation and was taking a break, spoke to them immediately.
"Did Yoshimi's fingerprints come out from the camera?"
"Something that looks like it was found, but they said they can't conclude yet." Kosaka said disappointedly, but since he presumed the probability was high, his expression was bright. Sensing that, Nishida also said,
"Well, it should be fine."
"By the way, Team Leader Nishida, it seems the match of the footprints was also confirmed by forensics," Takeshita joined the conversation of the two.
"Yeah, I heard earlier. It seems the soil still needs to be investigated at the SIL. Well, it can't be helped. Now I'm in a state of 'everything comes to him who waits'." Nishida said with a laugh. However, he immediately became serious and expressed his feelings.
"Anyway, I'm really glad the camera was found. I thought it still existed almost a month ago, but I was worried that it might have been disposed of after that. It seems the film was disposed of, but I had expected that to some extent."
"For the members from Engaru who have been following this case from the start, the meaning of the camera's whereabouts is something more than what we who came as support feel," Kosaka spoke solemnly. And he continued,
"In that sense, I'm really glad my unnecessary word didn't provoke Kitagawa. I was slightly worried."
"What do you mean? I know you and Takeshita confronted Kitagawa at the point of inquiry, but is it related to that?" Nishida asked.
"Ah, are you talking about the talk where you directly said something like 'Why did the executive director respond?' when we went for the inquiry?" Takeshita followed up without a pause.
"That... I didn't think at that time that Kitagawa would become the suspect in this case... For me, in connection with the disappearance case eight years ago, I thought he just came to probe as a lackey, not that Kitagawa himself was involved, and now this. On top of that, the possibility has come out that he's even related to the case eight years ago, so in some cases, it could have been an even bigger blunder."
To Nishida, who still didn't seem convinced after hearing Kosaka's talk, Takeshita explained,
"Team Leader. When we questioned Kitagawa, Kosaka-san, with the disappearance case of the Isaka Group in mind, said something with the nuance of 'Since the executive director went out of his way to respond to the inquiry, the suspicion that the previous President Isaka or the Isaka Group is involved cannot be wiped away'. Well, I don't know if Kitagawa took it that way. However, if he understood it in that sense, it wouldn't have been strange if the guy, thinking the police were closing in regarding the murder of Yoshimi or Yoneda, did various concealment acts. At least from his composed attitude before that statement, there was no sign that he felt the police were closing in, but he might have had a different impression because of those words. To be honest, when I heard that Kitagawa became the suspect, I didn't say it to Kosaka-san, but I had a slightly bad feeling, and I'm glad it ended up being a groundless fear."
Hearing that, Nishida said,
"I see... So that happened. I'm sorry, but if the camera or shoes had been disposed of for that reason, I wouldn't have forgiven Kosaka-san," and laughed while pretending to punch him. However, the reason he could laugh like that was precisely because Kitagawa ended up not destroying the evidence.
"However, regarding the camera, since there's a high probability it was given away not long after Yoshimi's death, in a sense it was good," continued Nishida.
"It was good that Hirao got it? Why again?" Kosaka questioned.
"I don't know the reality, but rather than in the sense of destroying evidence, I think Kitagawa was troubled by the handling of the camera in the sense of it being a nuisance. At least he seemed to have no interest in the camera at all. That said, he probably thought that selling it would leave a trail. In that case, either throw it away or, since it looks expensive, give it to someone who wants it. If that person Hirao hadn't received it, it might have been thrown away. In that case, we might have ended up scavenging through trash."
"I see. In that sense, it might be that we were helped by Hirao receiving it." Kosaka was convinced, took a cigarette out of his chest pocket, lit it, and took a delicious puff. It went without saying that Nishida and Takeshita also unconsciously took out cigarettes upon seeing that.
After that, since the first raid was successfully completed, an investigation meeting was held from 8:00 PM to confirm the overall results, and progress reports were made on the contents of the seized items and the appraisal status. Since information on the seized evidence for each search team was already shared among the investigators before the meeting, there was no novel information for each other, but the methods until the voluntary submission of the shoes and the camera were praised by other investigators. Of course, if the principles of criminal case procedures were followed, they were by no means legitimate methods and were merely in the gray zone, but it goes without saying that the "common sense" that what is required of a detective is not a smart method but the apprehension of the criminal made it so.
The setting of the investigation policy for the full-scale interrogation of Kitagawa was decided to be held from before noon the next day, also considering the fatigue of the detectives from today. Probably by tomorrow morning, the Kitami Station Traffic Division will send Kitagawa to the Kitami Branch of the Kushiro District Public Prosecutors Office for driving under the influence and professional negligence resulting in injury. In terms of the case, there are no points for Kitagawa to dispute, and the interrogation seems to be going smoothly, so it is expected to go smoothly up to this point. There is a high probability that the lawyer also advised that it is better to admit it honestly rather than dispute it. Since both the personal injury accident and the degree of drinking are minor, if he reflects, it's content that naturally comes with a suspended sentence.
And after the case is sent, within 24 hours—not to say quite early—a detention request for Kitagawa will be made by the prosecutor to the Kitami Branch of the Kushiro District Court, and that should also be easily granted. And from there, the interrogation by the investigation headquarters as a "main case" matter will begin.
However, even if the interrogation were to be difficult, with the evidence received through voluntary submission in the house search by this separate-charge arrest, it was thought that the objective facts were sufficient for the court to grant at least the minimum arrest charge of camera theft (if Yoshimi was alive at that point) or embezzlement (if Yoshimi was dead), which could be said to be one of the series of main case matters. However, for a while, it should be an interrogation as a guest at the local Kitami Station, which is in charge of the separate charge, and Nishida's true intention was that he wanted to arrest him for the main case matter at the earliest possible stage and move the interrogation to the Engaru Station. Also, in the case of a trial later, there was a risk that a long interrogation for a separate charge might lead to the denial of the admissibility of the evidence, and it was also necessary to avoid that.