Chapter 138 - Name and Reality 61 {89 Solo} (211–213 Nishida's considerations on the key to deciphering Motohashi's cryptogram)
Nishida felt a surge of emotion different from before the moment he finished looking at the text. There was no doubt in Nishida's eyes that Motohashi was a man deserving of the death penalty, but whether such an end was appropriate was a separate matter.
Of course, informing someone of their execution only a few days in advance might be cruel, but he felt something unsettled about this method. Especially since, according to the man himself, the meaning of his death poem was: "I was told of my execution today and became desperate in various ways. However, in the end, I accepted the hanging and resolved to step through the falling floor, but when the other world flickers before my eyes, that resolve wavers, and my state of mind is restless." A sense of something unacceptable was indeed visible.
Still, a saving grace of sorts was seeing the name Shochi—likely Motohashi's pen name—along with the words "Oriori no Uta," which also seemed to be a parody of the poet Ooka Makoto's (Author's Note: Born in Shizuoka in 1931 as the son of poet Ooka Hiroshi, he demonstrated talent as a poet while at the University of Tokyo. Known worldwide as one of Japan's representative poets until his passing in April 2017. He also served as president of the Japan P.E.N. Club. His most famous work is the column "Oriori no Uta," which introduced and explained one poem daily from various genres including tanka, haiku, modern poetry, Chinese poetry, and senryuu) "Oriori no Uta." Motohashi's characteristic mocking attitude was fully visible from those words alone, and despite his complex feelings, Nishida couldn't help but smile at that part and the very last line.
Even so, the fact that he went to the trouble of providing a translation suggested a strange abundance of service-mindedness, or perhaps he felt he was dealing with amateurs regarding this kind of cultural matter. That said, Takeshita should have understood it to some extent...
However, the problem was the first letter. In the second letter, the grid squares didn't seem to be considered, so it was thought that nothing was hidden in it for now. On the other hand, it should be assumed that the first letter employed the same type of method Takeshita had deciphered previously.
Furthermore, Motohashi must have recognized that Nishida and the others knew about it, as he had been questioned about it during his interrogation in Engaru. If that were the case, it was almost certain that there was some meaning behind the letter, and there must also be a proactive will or intent to convey it to Nishida and Takeshita. Needless to say, even if there was a possibility it was merely a challenge to Nishida and Takeshita in the sense of a quiz.
To be honest, he didn't know what it was at this point. Naturally, there was no guarantee that even if successfully deciphered, the hidden meaning wouldn't be something trivial or, at worst, something mocking Nishida and the others again; if that were the outcome, it might only lead to further irritation.
However, that didn't mean there was any choice but to ignore Motohashi's scheme. In the first place, Nishida couldn't believe that a letter specifically timed to arrive after the execution would have such a light meaning.
The problem was how to decipher it. In Nishida's estimation, the hint for deciphering this first letter lay in the second letter. When Takeshita deciphered it in '95, the hint for the reading method was the content suggesting the choice of "JAYWALK" in a letter previously exchanged with Shiino, but this time, the only thing that seemed to correspond to that letter was the suicide note from the day of the execution. Perhaps there was no unique hint this time, and a "diagonal crossing read" was the premise as before, but at a glance, it didn't seem decipherable that way.
"If the second letter is the hint, there's only this tanka..."
As Nishida muttered, Motohashi's death poem in the suicide note certainly felt suspicious. However, as a death poem, it seemed well-established to an amateur's eye, so he couldn't yet be certain it was a poem for the sake of a hint (though there was a possibility it also served as an actual self-reflection poem).
Yake no sue / fuminukamedomo / yomi no kata / mireba hon'i e / namidatsu kokochi
(T/N: In desperation's end / though I would step through / toward the underworld / seeing it, my resolve / feels like rising waves)
"If this poem suggests the reading method for the first letter, 'feels like rising waves' is suspicious..."
Nishida specifically focused on the last part of the tanka.
"Like the up-and-down movement of waves, looking at the stationery, perhaps I should read it in a zigzag flow waving horizontally..."
Thinking so, he tried reading from every character in the lead line as a starting point, following the horizontal flow of "∧∧∧∧" and "∧∨∧∨" or "∨∧∨∧," but none of them made any sense.
"In the first place, I don't even know if that reading method is correct, and even if it were, I don't know where to start reading, so this is going nowhere... It would clearly be faster to leave this to Takeshita immediately. If I can ask him now, I should..."
He wore a grimace alone.
However, there were things even Nishida could do right away. He reconsidered that first, he should confirm the existence of Kuboyama mentioned in the first letter and verify with the Prison Chaplain of that time if this letter was truly entrusted to him. Then, to seek cooperation from the Osaka Prefectural Police, he decided to rely on the Investigation Cooperation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department at HQ and reported to Criminal Investigation Director Gojo to ask for a bridge.
Even after Nishida's explanation, Gojo didn't fully grasp the situation, but he reluctantly ordered the Investigation Cooperation Division to fax the Prefectural Police and the Osaka Detention House using the paper Nishida had scribbled on. Also, since a handwriting analysis of the envelope and letter could be done immediately using Motohashi's handwriting data from the '95 interrogation in Sapporo, which should remain at HQ, he requested the Forensics Division to check for fingerprints as well. Since the letters wouldn't be returned for a while, he immediately made copies.
After finishing what needed to be done for the time being, Nishida tried to contact Takeshita, but at that time the mobile phone was either turned off or out of range, so he didn't answer.
"Is he out reporting, or driving..."
For Nishida, who wanted to talk to Takeshita about this letter as soon as possible, it was a quite disappointing result, but the other party had their own circumstances. Having no choice, Nishida decided to face the copies of the two letters once more.
However, whether reading from the last line of the letter or trying a zigzag read vertically from the beginning or end of the lines instead of crossing horizontally, none of it resulted in anything that made sense, and he soon hit a dead end. The interrogation at the Sapporo Detention Branch should have already ended, and Yoshimura and the others would be returning to HQ soon, so even if he had nothing to do, it would be pointless to head back there now.
In the end, he remained at HQ, and before long, Yoshimura and the others returned. After finishing the report on today's interrogation and confirming things for tomorrow onwards, Yoshimura finally asked secretly,
"Did that letter come today?"
Normally, he could have asked Nishida immediately, but he apparently refrained because other detectives were present. Nishida also hadn't told Yoshimura first for the same reason, so he knew well that the judgment was desirable.
"It came alright. I've already sent it for handwriting and fingerprint analysis, so the original letter isn't here anymore, but I took proper copies of the text."
When he told him that,
"From your perspective, Section Chief Assistant, was it really written by Motohashi?"
He asked suspiciously.
"I think it'll be faster if you actually see it for the details, but it seems he wrote it before his execution, entrusted it to a Prison Chaplain to give to an acquaintance, and that person sent it now, five years later. To an amateur's eye, it looks like Motohashi's own handwriting. Anyway, take a look!"
Saying so, he handed the copy to Yoshimura.
For a while, Yoshimura looked at the copy, and when he finished reading,
"It's irritating content that really shows Motohashi's true nature! But this, I can't help but think it uses the same method as the previous exchange with Shiino. Was it Takeshita-san who first realized it with Oba's advice..."
He said. Apparently, the strangely beautiful horizontal alignment of the characters caught his eye.
"Yeah, I'm certain it's that. The problem is how to read it and what's written."
"In terms of timing, there's no doubt he's conscious of the statute of limitations, but if there's a hidden intent, would it be in a different direction from the way he mocks us in the text? But Motohashi has been handling us—the police—well all along, so could such a thing be possible? Given it's him, after all is said and done, I can't really trust him."
Yoshimura seemed to have a strong sense of distrust toward Motohashi, but,
"However, even though I was somewhat involved in the Osaka interrogation, he's completely ignoring my existence. Compared to the 'two of you,' I suppose it's a fact I wasn't worth dealing with, but honestly, it feels bad."
He half-grumbled and half-lamented. It was clearly undeniable that such parts strengthened his ill feelings toward Motohashi.
"No, no, I'm being dealt with only as a token gesture, but if the straightforward text of that letter isn't a lie, Takeshita is the main focus after all... You're not the only one being slighted in that sense."
Nishida didn't fail to understand Yoshimura's feelings, so he tried to soothe him with half-consolation and half-truth.
"Now that you mention it, most of the mentions in the letter were about Takeshita-san. I see, so that kind of treatment wasn't just for me."
This time he looked refreshed and gave a knowing smile toward Nishida. Nishida instinctively wanted to poke him as usual, saying "You rascal!" but before he could,
"But even after being executed, are letters censored? If it's brought out by a Prison Chaplain, I feel like they wouldn't be? Is it merely meant as a challenge to us?"
Yoshimura continued.
"I can't say for sure about that, but even if it's the Prison Chaplain's property, they wouldn't just let it pass without checking anything. Even if there was no censorship on the detention house side, he probably couldn't write anything directly in the letter that would be bad if seen by the Prison Chaplain. Unless, of course, he had brought the Prison Chaplain over to his side... If that's the case, I don't think he used this format just because he wanted to make it like a quiz."
Nishida offered his speculation on Motohashi's aim, but immediately after, his mobile phone rang. When he took it out of his pocket, it was from Takeshita.
"Speak of the devil,"
Nishida said as he answered.
"It's Takeshita. Did something happen?"
He started, but then as if suddenly remembering,
"Ah, I was careless. Thank you for the matter with Igarashi-san! I thought you were busy, so I refrained from contacting you to say thanks..."
He apologized for forgetting the important matter and expressed his gratitude.
"No, no, not only did I return a favor to Igarashi-san, but I also used it as a way to vent my spite against 'Nagatacho' and 'Kasumigaseki' (the location of the National Police Agency)."
Nishida tried to tell Takeshita there was no need for thanks, but,
"Even so, regarding the crucial abduction issue, no newspaper company made it in time for the evening edition with the details. The fact that we could put out that first report in the evening edition meant a lot, not just because we scooped the Oshima matter, but also in comparison with other companies that day. Igarashi-san is quite proud, but it was significant for our company as a whole. Even at the Monbetsu bureau, the atmosphere was like, 'You really did it!'"
He was cut off.
"If you say so, then I'm glad."
Nishida hadn't expected such gratitude from Takeshita and felt a slightly ticklish sensation.
"By the way, returning to the subject, what is it today?"
"Right, I have to talk about that... Don't be surprised! A letter arrived at Engaru Station the other day from that Motohashi, addressed to you and me."
"Um... Excuse me? Could you say that one more time?"
Takeshita probably heard it correctly, but he likely asked again because he couldn't believe the content.
"I said, a letter arrived at Engaru Station the other day from that Motohashi who was executed, addressed to you and me!"
Nishida repeated clearly, adding the words "who was executed."
"Wait a minute... What on earth does that mean!?"
Even for Takeshita, it seemed he couldn't immediately understand the situation even after being told that much. Nishida explained why the letter was delivered to him and Takeshita at Engaru Station several years after Motohashi's execution, conveying what was written in Motohashi's "outward" letter.
"I see... So it was sent to Engaru Station where we were at the time... But what is the purpose?"
"As far as I can tell from a quick read, the content is like a provocation toward you and me, but I think there's something else hidden behind this text, even though the content itself is likely true. Remember how you saw through that there was another meaning in the exchange between Shiino of the Tozai Shinbun and Motohashi? Just like then, the stationery only has vertical lines, but as a whole, the character placement clearly seems conscious of a grid. In other words, the horizontal positions are also properly aligned. I think there's no mistake that 'that' is being considered. It seems like a challenge specifically toward you, judging from the text."
"That's interesting."
Nishida felt through the phone that Takeshita was becoming quite enthusiastic.
"Anyway, I want you to see the actual thing, so I'll send it either by fax or by imaging it and attaching it to an email."
To Nishida's proposal,
"The Desk is out right now, so there's no problem if you fax it directly to the (Monbetsu) bureau."
He said, and immediately gave the fax number.
Nishida set the copies in the fax machine and continued sending the copies of the letter.
"That's the end of it. I think you'll understand if you look closely, but the first three pages were prepared before the day of the execution. The last page seems to have been written as a suicide note on the day of the execution. From what I've seen, I believe the hint for deciphering it should be in what corresponds to the final suicide note. Especially that 'death poem' thing is fishy... I'm thinking the part about 'rising waves' might be the key... However, following that, I tried reading it in a zigzag, and I even tried looking at it from the last line and daringly from the vertical up-and-down direction as is, but none of it becomes a sentence at all. Maybe the starting point is wrong, but if so, I have no clue. No, in the first place, I can't even be certain if that 'rising waves' or the death poem itself is the hint for deciphering. That's why I thought it wouldn't be a waste of time to leave it to you from the start."
He conveyed.
"I see... The tanka part... Anyway, I'll call you again after I've read the whole thing once. I want to read it properly, so please wait about twenty to thirty minutes."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
Nishida said, and ended the conversation for now.
"We have no choice but to leave the rest to Takeshita-san."
"I guess so. I'm no match for his brains."
Nishida spoke to Yoshimura, then nodded to himself with his chin in his hand.