Chapter 136 - Name and Reality 59 {87 Solo} (206-208 Oshima's Agitation During Interrogation and a Premonition of New Developments)
"I don't know what you heard from him, but anyone can say anything. In fact, it's even possible to pin things on me that have nothing to do with me. Anyone can say anything."
Oshima repeated "Anyone can say anything," but Nishida pressed on.
"But you're not Tadokoro Yasuo; you're actually Kuwano Kinya, right?"
Oshima didn't seem to react to this statement by Nishida. He probably had already prepared himself for the fact that it would be easily discovered just by tracing the family register. Here, Nishida thought about stepping further into the name of his true real name, "Onodera Michitoshi," but he reconsidered and decided to hold off on that topic for now, continuing his story.
"Before the war, you and Isaka Daikichi met while panning for gold in the mountains of Ikutahara, and after the war, you shared the gold left behind by your employer... or rather, you stole the portions belonging to others. Then, you went to Tokyo, and Daikichi formed the Isaka Group in Kitami. Later, the two of you met again under unintended circumstances. I believe it was likely during the election campaign for your first run for office... It was exactly when you took over for Diet Member Kaito Takumi and aimed to enter the political world. Your relationship from then on must have been aimed at mutual interests. Specifically, while you conspired to sneak the Isaka Group into public works projects so you could gain votes and kickbacks for political funds, wasn't the initial reality based on Daikichi's blackmail of you?"
This story remained within the premise of Oshima being Kuwano Kinya, and it was also intended to make him lower his guard.
"Listen. Most of what is criticized as collusion between the construction industry and politics doesn't apply to places where local infrastructure is underdeveloped, yet because the media makes a fuss, the regions decline. However, it seems you people can't understand that reality."
It was obvious even to Nishida and Yoshimura, who had no particular interest in politics, that Oshima was dodging the essence of what Nishida said with an irrelevant topic.
Here, Nishida agonized over whether to reveal that the root cause of Isaka Daikichi's blackmail of Oshima was "Daikichi's jealousy toward Oshima for being able to avoid wartime conscription," but he judged it would be logically better to bring that out after properly mentioning the name Onodera Michitoshi.
"Setting aside the difference in views on that point, Masamitsu testified that he heard from Daikichi that the trigger for the breakdown of the 'balanced relationship' between you two was none other than the appearance of Sada Minoru. Sada learned that Isaka Daikichi had committed a murder at a gold panning camp before the war. In addition to being the reason he knew, he confronted Daikichi with the existence of a letter from Sada's older brother detailing the facts supporting that story, along with a blood-sealed deed to back it up, and blackmailed him. A troubled Isaka Daikichi was driven by the necessity to get rid of Sada. And, though this part is still not entirely clear, I suspect Daikichi bluffed to you that Sada Minoru knew you were actually a person named 'Onodera Michitoshi'."
At this moment, Oshima was unable to hide his agitation as never before. His eyes widened, and he almost said something to the speaking Nishida, stopping himself at the very last second. Yoshimura, having witnessed this, added,
"Mr. Tadokoro! We already know that you are actually 'Onodera Michitoshi', the cousin three years younger than Kuwano Kinya. And we speculate that, again, Isaka Daikichi gave you false information that Sada had seen through your identity, and you also recognized the need to eliminate Sada Minoru. As a result, Motohashi, who was dispatched from the Aoi-ikka close to the Hakozaki Faction at your request, came to Kitami and murdered Sada. At that time, we have judged that Isaka Daikichi specifically cooperated for Motohashi's crime in Kitami. Haven't you been completely deceived by Daikichi all this time? Originally, you had no reason at all to murder Sada. Even if someone appeared who threatened Isaka Daikichi, with whom you shared interests, you weren't just a mere errand boy for Isaka; you were a partner who brought him profit, and your relationship shouldn't have been one of unilateral exploitation to the point of being made an accomplice to murder, right?"
He followed up with this blow.
In response to this continuous pursuit, Oshima's lips trembled slightly, and he seemed to be suppressing his anger. Clearly, in addition to having his real name pointed out as Onodera Michitoshi, he had just been made aware that he had been deceived by Daikichi all this time, and his state of mind was in turmoil. At the first opening shown by the veteran big-shot politician, both Nishida and Yoshimura felt a genuine sense of progress for the first time in this interrogation.
"Mr. Onodera. You were completely fooled by Isaka, even though you originally didn't need to kill Sada Minoru, weren't you?"
Nishida began questioning him as Onodera, skipping even the name "Tadokoro" on the family register. Oshima seemed to be enduring it with his lips tightly sealed. However, it could be said that his previous tactic of "continuing to respond skillfully" had already vanished. In this state, it was only natural that remaining silent was his only remaining means.
The interrogating side continued to struggle with this part for about twenty minutes after that, but since they weren't getting anywhere, Nishida switched to the story of Nakagawa meeting Motohashi at Kitami Station after the murder.
"By the way, we've received information that your loyal servant, Secretary Nakagawa, met with Motohashi, the perpetrator of the Sada Minoru murder, on the platform of Kitami Station fifteen years ago—on the day Sada Minoru is believed to have been killed. To be honest, since it was quite a long time ago, we initially doubted the credibility, but various pieces of evidence that can specifically back it up have come out, and we're very surprised."
Even hearing this question, Oshima showed no new reaction. Since Isaka Masamitsu was changing to a new lawyer, he might have had a change of heart, and he probably didn't tell his former local Kitami lawyer, Matsuda, that he had "leaked the Onodera matter," but if Nakagawa had told Lawyer Matsuda this story, it wouldn't be strange at all if it had reached Oshima. There was a good chance he wasn't particularly surprised because he already knew.
"The reason Nakagawa and Motohashi met was to report the execution of the murder to you, the true client, right? Because Secretary Nakagawa and you are one and the same."
Even when Yoshimura asked that, Oshima didn't move a muscle.
"At that time, wasn't a success fee, separate from the down payment, handed directly from Secretary Nakagawa to Motohashi?"
Yoshimura continued to press, but from then on, Oshima made frequent use of his right to remain silent and parried the interrogators' pursuit relatively calmly. In the end, although there were some results, the short interrogation time ran out without them being able to fully corner him.
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"Did we get a little closer...? I'd like to believe so," Yoshimura muttered as they walked down the long corridor of the Sapporo Detention Branch after the interrogation ended.
"Well, he certainly seemed surprised about the Onodera Michitoshi part. There's no doubt our thinking is correct regarding that. However, it's no use unless we get him to admit to the act of murdering Sada Minoru itself. On the other hand, judging from Oshima's demeanor today, there's no doubt he wasn't under the misconception that September 26th was the 'statute of limitations' for the Sada Minoru murder. The opponent isn't a simple fool, after all."
"Is he conscious of the suspension and extension of the statute for the time spent traveling abroad?"
"Was it a total of eight days? We might need to check if he's aware of the extension for Motohashi's trial period as well, but from today's response, it seems safe to assume he understands that properly too."
"Well, it's only natural that there's a high possibility he's aware of that..."
"Anyway, next it'll be a battle against an opponent who has stopped talking. It's gratifying to have taken a step forward, but that in itself will be difficult..."
As Nishida said this, a sigh escaped him naturally.
And on this day, since the initial detention period for Oshima until September 27th was expiring, a request for a detention extension starting from September 28th was made and immediately granted.
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Friday, September 27th. Before the expiration of the detention extension period for the four individuals held in Kitami on September 30th, the policy to indict them on the detention charges and arrest them on new charges was decided. Since arrest warrant requests are possible even on Saturdays and Sundays, there was no need to do it during Friday, and the Kitami District Headquarters maintained its usual interrogation setup.
Meanwhile, in Sapporo, the final day of the first detention was reached, and a "gentle" final push was being made against Oshima as a milestone. However, Oshima did not react particularly, and it ended just like that; he then underwent a re-examination at the medical center attached to Sapporo Prison, which is next to the Sapporo Detention Branch. Although there were no major problems with his health, the doctor's diagnosis suggested there might be circumstances where re-hospitalization should be considered, casting a dark cloud over the future. If he were to be re-hospitalized, it seemed likely to cause problems for the interrogation.
The month changed to Tuesday, October 1st. The trial of Yamazato of the Soryu-kai, who had taught Sakamoto and Itagaki how to use handguns, began. In the evening, Nishida received a call on his mobile from Onga-teameader.
"I wonder what it is? Did something happen with the detention requests for Sakamoto and Itagaki regarding the corporate shootings?"
Muttering to himself, he answered the phone, and Onga began speaking hesitantly.
"Sorry to bother you while you're busy. Assistant Section Chief, I just received a call from Section Chief Masui of the Engaru Station... Since you're busy in Sapporo, I hesitated to bring it to your attention, but..."
While being careful twice about him being busy, Nishida, conscious that the other man was older but still finding Onga's words indecisive, offered a mild rebuke.
"Team Leader, I'm sorry, but precisely because I'm busy, I'd like you to tell me the business directly..."
"That's true, my apologies... Then I'll tell you straight."
Onga prefaced it that way, and seemingly relieved, he began speaking immediately.
"The story is that an envelope arrived at Engaru Station yesterday. The recipient was addressed to Engaru Station, with the names of Mr. Nishida and Mr. Takeshita listed together."
The moment he heard those words, Nishida couldn't help but say,
"It arrived at Engaru Station addressed to me and Takeshita!? No matter how you look at it, they're sending it based on information from over six years ago... What on earth is that..."
He was perplexed, unable to grasp the situation, but Onga's next words confused Nishida even more.
"And then... the problem, or rather... the sender of that envelope was apparently written as 'Motohashi Yukio'."
After a momentary gulp, he reacted to the name Motohashi Yukio and confirmed it as if in a panic.
"Wait a minute! Uh, Motohashi—surely it's not that Motohashi who was executed!?"
"Well, as for the name, it seems to be exactly the same, including the kanji. Just in case, they checked the 'prior records' of the fingerprints found on the envelope. They found several unidentified fingerprints and one hit, but it wasn't a 'prior record' as such. It seems it was from someone who had been caught for a speeding violation and had pressed a thumbprint on the ticket instead of a seal, and it only turned out to be likely a postal worker's. Given that, they were asking whether to forward it to Kitami where you are, so I called to check with you since you're currently on a business trip to Sapporo."
Onga explained it that way.
"I see... But well, no matter how you look at it, it must be a prank, so have them dispose of it over there..."
As he was saying that, a different judgment suddenly arose within Nishida. The reason was that for a prank, the names of the two people who had directly interrogated Motohashi were specifically mentioned. And despite being that specific, the fact that it was sent to Engaru Station, the former affiliation of the two from a long time ago, under their joint names, created even more of a sense of incongruity.
If the sender was someone who knew that kind of information—for example, someone related to the police—those two facts seemed like an impossible combination. They had information that wouldn't be known unless they were related to the police, but they weren't a police affiliate. In that case, to take it to the extreme, one could even say that information was only known to someone like Motohashi himself. Of course, Motohashi was no longer a person of this world, and that greatest difficulty was impossible to explain, but in the end, Nishida felt it would be better to check it properly himself rather than just disposing of it.
At the same time, since Motohashi himself was already dead, even if the contents were written by Motohashi himself, it could be inferred that the person who actually sent it to Engaru Station was certainly not Motohashi himself, but someone who had received a request from Motohashi while he was incarcerated. In any case, it was certain that nothing could be determined until he saw the actual item.
"Ah, forget what I just said about disposing of it. I know you're busy too, and I'm sorry for the trouble, but could you tell Engaru Station to send it by express mail to Nishida at the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Bureau at the Prefectural Police Headquarters? Also, tell them to put the envelope that was sent to them entirely inside another large envelope before sending it."
When he restated his instructions, Onga replied,
"I see... Well, if you say so, Assistant Section Chief, I'll tell Engaru that."
His tone suggested he wasn't entirely convinced, but he accepted the instructions.
After finishing the conversation, Nishida had a slight regret, thinking, "Maybe I shouldn't have gone to the trouble of having it sent," but at this time, he himself had not yet realized at all that this decision of his would play a major role in uncovering the full story of the Sada Minoru murder.