Chapter 159 - Name and Reality 82 {110 Solo} (260-261 Takeshita's Psychological Speculation of Motohashi 2)
"Of course, at that time, it was merely 'insurance' for a rainy day... in this case, it goes without saying that it was insurance for the Takigawa and Oshima side; I believe it meant nothing more than that. After all, as long as the crucial body of Sada Minoru had not yet been discovered, there was no concrete basis for the police to conclude that Sada's disappearance was a homicide, at least at that point."
Takeshita emphasized those last words before continuing.
"However, the detective who is my superior, Nishida, whom I was contacting by phone earlier, deduced the location of Sada's remains based on an eccentric idea from one of his subordinates. And remarkably, eight years after the disappearance, they succeeded in discovering Sada's remains."
He said this somewhat grandiosely. That said, it was also true that the idea of Sada's remains being moved to the 'Remote Grave Marker' was not something that would easily come to mind. In fact, it was a hiding place that Takeshita himself could not have imagined at all.
"And because of that, the fact that Sada had been murdered became public knowledge at the beginning of September '95. When things reached that stage, it goes without saying that the sparks were likely to start flying toward Oshima himself, who had obstructed the investigation during the disappearance in '87. Furthermore, since he had intervened and interfered in the series of investigations in '95, it was all the more so. Therefore, I believe Oshima and likely Takigawa cooperated and finally began to move in earnest to have Motohashi-san—whose death sentence had been finalized and who had no choice but to die—execute what was supposed to have been mere insurance. In other words, the order was for Motohashi-san to give a full confession regarding the murders he had been involved in so far, including the Sada case where the killer was unknown, admitting his own involvement. However, it was to be an incomplete 'full confession' that kept the involvement of Oshima Kaiji and Takigawa hidden. Since the others directly involved in Sada's murder were already dead, if Motohashi-san confessed to the incident in a way that pushed the original instructions onto Isaka, it would be possible to pin everything on the deceased, including the dying Motohashi-san, and the case would be settled for the time being. After all, if nothing else happened, there would be no further investigation. Well, that 'if nothing else happened' part was brilliantly overturned by Motohashi-san's current strategy..."
After Takeshita continued in one breath,
"So that was the reason for that sudden confession?"
Kuroda asked for confirmation, and Takeshita nodded firmly. Then,
"At any rate, through this, all the cases would be 'solved' formally, or even if there were minor unresolved points, the direction was to conclude everything because Motohashi-san wouldn't say anything more than necessary and because he was going to be executed—in other words, 'dead men tell no tales.' Ultimately, while Oshima and Takigawa had kept Motohashi-san silent about the incidents until then, once the death penalty was decided, they tried to use that death to ensure their own involvement in Sada's murder was erased through Motohashi-san's incomplete confession. And presumably, in response to that method, Motohashi-san—who until then had followed instructions out of debt or gratitude to Takigawa—became truly enraged for the first time, and secretly so. After all, those instructions contained the incredibly self-centered meaning of: 'Since you're going to die anyway, speak about your own involvement but testify so that our involvement is non-existent and then die'... For Motohashi-san, who had remained silent about everything until then, this must have felt like a cruel betrayal at the eleventh hour. On the other hand, he made it look like he accepted the instructions on the spot and actually confessed exactly as ordered."
He explained.
"And because of that, Kuroda-han, who believed in his innocence, was angry because he felt betrayed."
When Kuboyama said that,
"Yeah, I was deeply shocked back then..."
Kuroda also looked back on those days.
"However, Motohashi-san was likely already thinking of revenge at that point. Initially, as written in the letter found in the grave, he probably intended to have Kuboyama-san help with the exposure and accusation as revenge. And he had decided that the plan would actually go into motion around the beginning of October 2002, taking into account the extension of the statute of limitations confirmed by the period from the indictment to the sentencing for Sada Minoru's murder... I believe he came up with a terrifying revenge drama that would trigger with a time lag of years, bringing the truth to light just a few months before the statute of limitations expired—just barely in time for investigation and indictment—to plunge those who were completely at ease into the depths of despair. Of course, he must have calculated the exact timing for the revenge to trigger after the sentence for the Sada murder was finalized, so he probably didn't fix the timing until 1996... In any case, that's why he put on the act of following instructions at that point."
When Takeshita stated this decisively, the two of them wore expressions that were hard to describe.
"However, I believe the situation changed somewhat when we came all the way from Hokkaido to Osaka for interrogation following the confession of the new murder case. And during the process of our interrogation of Motohashi-san in Osaka and later in Hokkaido, he likely realized that our perspective was somewhat different from the Osaka investigators and that we suspected there was great significance in the reason for the unnatural timing of the confession. So, I believe Motohashi-san shifted his previous policy... namely, the policy of leaving the exposure to Kuboyama-san, and tried to leave it to us, thinking, 'Maybe these guys can handle it.' And isn't the result what we are seeing and hearing now? Incidentally, while I was interrogating Motohashi-san in Hokkaido, he made a statement that was very difficult to understand, but seemed to imply that he had been prompted to give an unnecessary confession. Looking back now, I think that might have been intended to keep our interest in the investigation from waning. Or perhaps he was showing the beginning of the reason for his revenge..."
Needless to say, the "implication of being prompted to give an unnecessary confession" referred to the statement linked to the Great Detective Holmes's case, "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder."
After Takeshita's explanation reached this point, Kuboyama asked for confirmation,
"So what you're saying is, if Takigawa and the others hadn't done anything unnecessary, Aniki would have died in silence? Is that it?"
Takeshita replied,
"I suspect that is the case... While Motohashi-san couldn't even imagine what the reason for that revenge or accusation would be back in the spring of 1991, he thought it might 'also' be necessary to bring the incident to light in the unlikely event of an emergency in the future, and he thought of using the recorded phone conversations and diaries he had placed in Hinako-san's grave as evidence... No, it's more accurate to say he decided to use them anew."
However, the reason Takeshita placed emphasis on the word "also" was not yet understood by the two listening, but that couldn't be helped.
"I guess burying such things from the start means that while he hoped there would be no need to use them, he was considering the possibility of using them later..."
As Kuroda said this, he let out a sigh as if considering his old friend's state of mind.
In response, Takeshita replied,
"Of course, it's not that he had no intention of using them at all. However, it's also certain that they were merely... merely insurance for Motohashi-san in case something happened. I believe that is summarized in the words 'in the unlikely event' at the beginning of the letter addressed to Kuboyama-san found inside the grave. As for what that 'unlikely event' specifically was, to repeat myself, it's certain from the text that Motohashi-san could not imagine it at that point."
"I see. It turned into a development where Takigawa and Aniki played their respective 'insurance' trump cards against each other with a time lag. Takigawa played his first, and now, Aniki's trump card is being played like this."
Kuboyama said with a look of satisfaction.
"Yes. However, I believe he buried these tapes and notebooks for a completely different purpose originally, rather than as a final trump card for insurance, and that the role of insurance originally had only an incidental meaning, based on more than just the words 'in the unlikely event.' It just so happens that because that insurance was triggered, only that part is being highlighted now."
At Takeshita's roundabout phrasing, Kuroda requested a simpler explanation, half-complaining.
"I'd like you to explain that part more clearly, without such a troublesome way of speaking."
"Then, as you wish."
Takeshita responded with a smile and began to speak slowly.
*
"When we opened Hinako-san's grave, I was very surprised to find two urns there. While it was natural for Hinako-san's to be there, for a moment I honestly wondered if the other one contained remains or something... However, what was inside were recording tapes, notebooks, and a letter to Kuboyama-san... Needless to say, the letter contained explanations and requests that emphasized that 'those things' would only be useful in an unlikely event."
"Wait a minute! Just as written in the letter, aren't these things actually 'only useful if they function as insurance'?"
Kuboyama leaned forward as if to interrupt Takeshita's statement and asked while pointing at the tapes and notebooks.
"Certainly, it might look that way at first glance. However, two points bothered me. First, the fact that these were in an urn. Why an urn..."
"Wasn't it because he thought it would be hard to find since it's placed inside a grave?"
Kuroda offered a common and plausible explanation.
"If you think about it simply, that's certainly not a strange story. However, if the fact that there are two urns in the grave of a person who was completely alone causes a 'sense of wrongness' the moment the grave is opened, I feel it wouldn't be much of a concealment. In the first place, if the grave is opened to search for something hidden, that disguise ultimately doesn't mean much, does it? If it's only that level of concealment? Moreover, they are urns of clearly different sizes and designs. In a sense, one could even think they would draw attention. In fact, Motohashi-san shouldn't have made any obvious modifications to his own urn. He probably thought that if there were two urns, people would understand that the smaller one was suspicious."
When Takeshita explained this,
"Aren't you overthinking it a bit?"
Kuboyama voiced his doubt.
"Of course, I don't think it's strange to feel that way, but I am certain of it."
After saying that, Takeshita drained his slightly cooled kimosui (T/N: eel liver soup) to moisten his dry throat, even though some unajyuu (T/N: eel over rice) still remained.
"But there was one more thing that bothered me. It's what Kuroda-san was saying in front of the grave earlier. That when Motohashi-san had already started committing serial murders, he asked Kuroda-san, 'Can I enter Hinako-san's grave?' and at that time, Kuroda-san told him, 'It's fine now that you've become a katagi (T/N: honest person/non-yakuza).'"
"What about it?"
When Kuroda heard that, he asked as if he truly didn't understand the meaning.
"Don't you think those words became very heavy for Motohashi-san?"
Takeshita replied.
"...Well, if I think about it carefully, I suppose so... Since he had already killed people at that point..."
Kuroda leaned his elbows on his knees, closed his eyes while resting his chin on his hand, and wore an indescribable expression. That said, since Kuroda himself had reflected earlier at Boyo Boen that Motohashi might have "had thoughts" regarding his statement that he would permit burial if he were a katagi, he must have been aware for quite some time that his words had "become heavy."
However, Takeshita dared not mention that and continued.
"Yes, I believe they were undoubtedly heavy words. In other words, when Motohashi-san heard that, whether he felt romantic love for Hinako-san... or a sense of being old friends that transcended the relationship between a man and a woman... I'm not certain what kind of feelings he held, having only heard the story today, but I think he was painfully reminded once again that 'I have no right to enter the grave with her.'"
As he spoke, Takeshita glanced at Kuroda, using a phrasing that could be interpreted as rubbing salt in a wound. Conversely, because Takeshita judged that Kuroda's words to Motohashi at that time were logically sound, his statement also pointed out the negative elements. On top of that,
"I suspect that Motohashi-san's desire to donate his body after execution was also influenced by that."
He added. During these statements, Takeshita himself was convinced that the feelings Motohashi held for Hinako were either romantic love itself or at least close to it, and he thought Kuroda felt the same way, but at this moment, he intentionally kept it vague.
"If my casual remark made Yukio go that far, what a terrible thing I've done..."
Regarding the crimes of Motohashi's serial murders themselves, Kuroda had never shown an attitude of forgiveness even though they were old friends, but separately from that, his feelings for his old friend and best friend Motohashi seemed to be strong.
"No, I think that's different. As we've seen, although Motohashi-san had committed errors based on yakuza logic until then, he must have truly repented that those errors went against the path of humanity. What I just said was based on that. Of course, what Kuroda-san said was not a mistake or anything; it was the right thing. There is no need to worry about it in the slightest! Beyond that, if it made Motohashi-san think, then that's just how it is."
Takeshita looked straight at Kuroda and told him that clearly, but then continued,
"Thinking with that as a premise, along with the urn, I can't help but feel that these pieces of evidence were, in a sense, a substitute for his own remains for Motohashi-san. Since with body donation, the remains are not returned."
To this inference of Takeshita's,
"In other words, at the point he buried these in Hinako's grave, Yukio was already thinking of body donation? Is that it?"
Kuroda asked about the correctness of his thought.
"I suspect so... At the same time he was caught by the police, Motohashi-san was thinking of taking a rather troublesome path: not confessing to show his loyalty to Takigawa, claiming his innocence, and as a result being found guilty in court and taking responsibility for his crimes. Thinking common-sensically, the only way to take responsibility, including the sentence and the prosecution's demand, was ultimately the death penalty. Of course, we can see from his diary that he recognized this himself. Therefore, just before his arrest, although his own bones were not in Hinako-san's grave, he buried the tapes and notebooks together using an urn. Wasn't that urn an expression of his strong resolve—that is, his determination to die while carrying everything from this world? And that is exactly why, as I said earlier, the basis for my belief that the time he specifically decided on the revenge drama was around the time the death penalty was finalized, when the newspaper reporter made contact. Having made such a resolution just before being caught, I don't think it would waver simply due to the passage of time in the detention center. Especially given Motohashi-san's personality!"
Before he knew it, Takeshita was asserting this in a strong tone.
"I see... With Takeshita-han's thinking, it certainly makes sense."
Kuboyama also said this, sounding convinced.