Chapter 19 - Straying 6 (51–60: Interview in Shiretoko, Planning Re-investigation of Logging in Ikutahara)
Kondo, who had been watching the two of them, also seemed influenced as he opened the cap again and began drinking tea. He seemed to be drinking a considerable amount this time, as the thin green line floating in the bottle was dropping rapidly. Nishida, who had already finished taking the "necessary amount" for the occasion, was now conversely watching Kondo's drinking, but Kondo noticed and suddenly pulled the bottle away from his mouth, hurriedly tightening the cap with a squeak and placing it on the table.
"About the pickaxe, while I was drinking tea just now, I remembered something that's been bothering me."
"Anything is fine, so please tell us," Nishida urged with a friendly smile.
"At that time, Mr. Masuda opened the back door of the jeep and was showing the Managing Director all the tools piled up inside for him to check. I'm not certain, but I have a memory that there were quite a few things, so I think there might have been a pickaxe among them. But, to repeat myself, I'm not certain."
Kondo emphasized his lack of confidence as if to caution Nishida, but the mere fact that such a possibility remained was enough to be promising.
"No, that can't be helped. It's a story from three years ago, and it's not like you were consciously looking at them one by one. Including that matter, I'll have to check with that Mr. Masuda... soon."
"Actually, Mr. Nishida, that Mr. Masuda is participating in this site right now. He always helps us with our bridge-related work. Unfortunately, he seems to have scrapped the car, so it's not the same one as back then."
"R-Really! Please say that first! I was thinking I had to hear from Mr. Masuda too, but to think he's right here! This is incredibly convenient! Of course, you'll let me talk to him after this, right?"
At Kondo's unexpected words, Nishida became excited. The crucial fact that the jeep had been scrapped flew off somewhere.
"I'm sorry about that. I thought about saying it when you asked about the owner of the jeep earlier, but you cut the conversation short with 'I see,' so I missed the chance... I'll try talking to Mr. Masuda after this. Well, I don't think Mr. Masuda will refuse."
"No, this is a huge help!"
A smile naturally spilled over Nishida's face, but Mitsushima, beside him, was not as pleased.
"Mr. Masuda's company is in Monbetsu, so if he weren't here, the detectives would have had to go all the way to Monbetsu, so you might indeed be lucky. We don't do pier construction that often, you see."
For Nishida, going to Monbetsu was physically closer to Engaru than coming to Shiretoko, so the reason he was happy was completely different. It was because it "saved him the trouble" and because having two witnesses at the same time allowed them to supplement each other's memories, which increased the certainty of the testimony. In other words, Kondo's remark was, to be honest, off the mark, but it was a stroke of luck at a level where such things didn't matter. Still, hearing about Shinoda was the priority for now. Nishida brought the conversation back.
"We'll hear the Masuda-related story later, so for now, could you tell us about Managing Director Shinoda after that?"
"So, he left with the borrowed car, and around the time the work finished and everyone returned from the site, the Managing Director also came back."
"How was he then? In as much detail as possible, please."
"He seemed quite exhausted. When I said 'Good work,' he only responded in a faint voice. That usually arrogant man..."
Kondo was wryly smiling as he answered Mitsushima's question. Here too, Shinoda's reputation was poor.
"How about the dirt on his work clothes? Was there any sign that he had been working with a shovel somewhere?"
"I don't have a strong memory of them being incredibly dirty, but they might have been somewhat dirty... That part didn't leave much of an impression, unfortunately. However, I remember very well that he looked exhausted anyway."
"I see, that's fine then."
Nishida backed off easily. Kondo was squinting his eyes and trying hard to trace his memory, but that part seemed unclear. However, Nishida actually preferred this over him giving a confident but haphazard testimony. It's self-evident that incorrect information leads to an incorrect investigation.
"By the way, about those work clothes, I think he changed back into his suit when he returned, but do you know what happened to them?"
"I think he did change back into his suit. As for the work clothes, I think the Managing Director took them back with him as they were. I didn't receive them. Well, it's a bit much to say 'Give back the work clothes I lent you' to a company executive... They're just extras we keep around. But, going back to the dirt story earlier, since he went to the trouble of changing, he must have at least been sweating. It was midsummer. Thinking about it that way, I guess they were dirty after all..."
Even if he had returned them, there was no way those work clothes would have been preserved in that state, and Nishida thought 'It's impossible' after he said it, but what was said was said. However, if something like bloodstains remained on the work clothes, it would certainly be powerful evidence, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Come to think of it, did the Managing Director make any kind of contact with the President after returning to the site office?"
Mitsushima asked what Nishida had completely forgotten.
"No, he shouldn't have done it from our office phone. That said, cell phones probably didn't have proper signal at the Yubetsu construction site back then, and I don't think he was carrying one. In the end, I think he reported whatever it was after returning to Kitami. Well, if he had a cell phone and it worked, the President would have called the Managing Director directly. If the Managing Director had called from a public phone or something on his way back here, we would have no way of knowing. The place he went itself seemed like somewhere in the mountains, based on speculation..."
Kondo even performed the reasoning they should have been doing.
"Then let's end the story of August 10th here, and next, please tell us about the following day and beyond. He came at an early hour the next day too, right?"
Nishida's two-page spread in his notebook was full, so he asked while turning to the next page.
"On the 11th, first, I got a call from the Managing Director first thing in the morning, and he said, 'Isn't there a watch with Managing Director Kitagawa's name on the back over there?' So, after a quick search, I didn't find it, and when I said 'I don't see it,' he asked, 'Did you really look properly?'... In the end, he said 'I can't trust you guys!' and ended up coming all the way to the site. I think he arrived a little after 10:00 AM. And then, he suddenly gathered the workers for a baggage inspection. We also asked him to stop because 'it would affect our relationship of trust'... After it didn't turn up, he and I searched the site and the office from top to bottom, but of course, we didn't find it. And then, he left in the afternoon."
"About that 11th, we've already obtained testimony that the car was a white Land Cruiser and he was already in work clothes when he arrived. Is that correct?"
"You've investigated well. Who did you hear that from?"
"About that..."
Mitsushima, who had asked the question, was asked in return and became vague. To be honest, Nishida thought it was fine to "bring up" Tomioka's existence, but he might have considered the circumstances of the discovery of the relationship between the imprisoned Tomioka and Shinoda.
"Is that what they call the secrecy of investigation information? No, you're right, my apologies. It's certain that it's correct. It was the company's Land Cruiser. There was a possibility of getting dirty from dust while turning things over to search, so I think he wore work clothes for that reason."
Kondo seemed to sense the situation from the two's behavior and stopped pursuing further, answering what he was asked.
"But with just that, the reason for it being a Land Cruiser isn't quite explained. It might be that he didn't mind riding in it with dirty clothes, but..."
Nishida voiced his doubt. Of course, it was a remark precisely because he had almost concluded that the reason for the Land Cruiser was to go to the site in Ikutahara.
"Now that you mention it, that's true... Even if the executive car wasn't available, the company should have ordinary sedan-type cars too... It might have been to stop at the same place as the previous day or the same place as the previous day. Well, that's not something a layman like me should be thinking about."
"That's certainly true. I got a bit carried away in the flow of things."
Nishida bowed his head frankly.
"Then let's leave the matter of the 11th at that and move the conversation to the 12th. Please tell us about that day."
"On the 12th, he came directly without even calling, and it was like he was thoroughly searching again the places he had searched on the 11th. I was busy that day, and I was appalled by the Managing Director's attitude the previous day, so I didn't help. He didn't really say anything either."
"It was a Land Cruiser and work clothes on the 12th too?"
"Yes, that's right. However, I have a memory that he returned earlier than on the 11th that day. Well, something that didn't turn up the day before wasn't going to come out of the same place."
This point also matched Tomioka's testimony. They couldn't have coordinated their stories, so the accuracy of both testimonies should be quite high.
"Was there any dirt on the work clothes?"
"No, there wasn't, for sure."
Nishida, who had been continuing to ask questions, was curious about where Kondo's conviction for the answer to this question came from, unlike the matter of the work clothes on the 10th.
"Is the reason you can say that so definitively, if you'll excuse me, simply from the strength of your memory?"
"Of course. The executives' work clothes are a bit different from the general ones, and there are two colors, gray and light blue. On the 11th it was gray, and on the 12th it was light blue. That's why it left an impression. By the way, I didn't say it earlier because the conversation didn't go that way, but the work clothes I lent the Managing Director on the 10th were the same ones our general workers wear."
"I see. That would leave an impression."
It was a convincing answer, but the reason Tomioka's memory of the work clothes wasn't clear, unlike Kondo's, might be because he didn't have such prior knowledge. In any case, if Kondo's testimony was true, even if he had gone to the murder site in Ikutahara after leaving the Yubetsu construction site on the 11th and got dirty from working, he wouldn't have carried that dirt over to the next day.
And, Nishida and Mitsushima both thought they had finished asking Kondo what they should ask at this point, and finally, they were to interview Masuda, who was said to have lent the car. Leaving the two in the office, Kondo went to talk to Masuda, but it didn't take much time at all before he returned with Masuda.
Masuda, who was at the end of the gaze of the two who stood up and introduced themselves, was quite elderly, with an appearance that suggested he might be in his mid-60s. His face was tanned, and while he was small and thin, his arms looked quite thick. Even if he was the president, since he still came out to the site at this age, it's certain that it's not a very large company. Nishida thought he was more of a so-called "boss" type than a president.
"I'm sorry for calling you out."
"No, no, I don't really understand the situation, but it seems like an important investigation... Mr. Kondo asked me too, so it can't be helped. I don't have my business card with me right now, my apologies."
Masuda made a "forgive me" gesture with his hand and sat down.
"From what I heard from Mr. Kondo, you want to hear about the time I lent my car to that 'big shot' from the Isaka Group back then?"
From the way he said "big shot," Nishida judged that there had been no prior acquaintance with Shinoda.
"That's exactly it."
"Well, it's one of those things where I did it reluctantly because Mr. Kondo asked me. I had seen him a few times at the site before, and he had an arrogant attitude, so I thought he was a big person from Mr. Isaka's place, but I don't like lending to people I don't know, because it was my beloved car."
After he finished speaking, Masuda was handed a can of coffee by Kondo, and he opened it without hesitation and drank it, so Nishida lost the timing for a question. Then Mitsushima, as if seizing the right to question,
"According to Mr. Kondo, you've already let go of the jeep, is that correct?" he said.
"Oh? You heard that from Mr. Kondo? Yes, yes, I'd been riding it for fifteen years, so I scrapped it last spring. A 'good work' kind of thing."
"I see... So it was scrapped after all."
Mitsushima couldn't help but click his tongue. He probably didn't mean it as a rude remark, but Nishida looked at the expressions of the two for a moment. Fortunately, they didn't seem particularly bothered.
However, completely lost in the confusion, Nishida had hardly noticed the weight of the matter, but the fact that the jeep had been scrapped was indeed a painful fact. Although the possibility wasn't high, even if it wasn't owned by Masuda, if the car itself remained under someone else's name, even though three years had passed, it might have been worth checking for residual substances like bloodstains. Also, there might have been a zero-percent possibility of obtaining physical evidence that he had gone to the site in Ikutahara. The reason Mitsushima wasn't very happy when he was informed earlier of the fact that Masuda was at this site was probably because he grasped the meaning of this more significantly than Nishida did at that time. Nishida felt a bit ashamed. However, what was lost was unfortunately unavoidable now. He had to switch gears.
"It seems you were told by Shinoda about the necessity of a shovel and showed him various tools piled in the back, but do you remember if there was a pickaxe among them?"
Nishida meant to regain his composure, but as if he couldn't wait, he went straight to the core.
"Of course there was. And that big shot named Shinoda naturally knew it."
Masuda used "of course" twice. He seemed to have a lot of conviction.
"What's the reason you can say Shinoda knew it? He didn't seem to be particularly requesting a pickaxe, though."
Nishida's question was precisely because he had expected a response at most like 'He must have seen it when he was looking at the tools.'
"The next day after I lent the car, when that person came again, he told me. 'Sell me the pickaxe that was in the car for 20,000 yen.' If someone offers 20,000 for a pickaxe, you'd be surprised!"
"Eh! Is that true!"
Nishida leaned forward as he said this. Mitsushima also stopped his hand from taking notes and concentrated on the story. Nishida didn't know exactly how much a pickaxe cost, but he didn't think it would be as much as 20,000. Thinking about it that way, it wouldn't be strange for Masuda to be surprised. And it made sense that it left a strong impression. And above all, offering as much as 20,000 for a pickaxe was evidence that he wanted that pickaxe that badly.
"So did you sell it?"
"Of course. I wondered why he'd offer that much, but for me, the reason doesn't matter. Don't you think?"
"That's true. If I were told that, I'd do the same."
Nishida answered that way, but inwardly, the fact that the actual object had already been recovered by Shinoda weighed heavily on him. It's likely already been disposed of. Like the jeep, two precious pieces of evidence were lost. With a feeling of clinging to hope, he immediately moved to the next question.
"On the previous day, the 10th, when he returned the car, there was no such talk?"
"No, there wasn't. He didn't even have words of thanks for lending the car. Well, he was exhausted, so he might have forgotten. Or maybe buying the pickaxe for 20,000 was intended as a reward, I thought later. Well, even so, it's expensive."
Masuda laughed it off.
"Excuse me, but I think there was probably an opportunity to see the pickaxe between when the car was returned and when you handed it to Shinoda, but was there any sign of a problem?"
"A problem? I don't think there were any chips or anything."
"I see. Was that pickaxe you handed over used for construction or something?"
"No, basically, our work stopped doing things that used pickaxes about ten years ago. It was piled in there more for my own wild vegetable picking than for work, just as a spare. It must have been in a condition like new, having hardly been used since I bought it."
"Do you know about how long it had been since you bought it then?"
"... That's difficult, but I noticed the handle of the one I had before was getting loose. So I bought a new one when I'd already been riding that jeep for quite a while, so maybe three years, at a long estimate. To be honest, I don't know for sure."
Synthesizing what Masuda had said so far, the pickaxe Shinoda bought was likely not very damaged even before he killed Yoneda, and at the same time, there was a high possibility that there were no particularly broken teeth or visibly remaining bloodstains even after the murder. Regarding the bloodstains in particular, Shinoda had likely wiped them off before putting it in the car, or had done something like stabbing it into the ground to wipe it. In any case, it was certain that it remained almost unchanged from when it was first bought. However, the reason he didn't buy it from Masuda or steal it on the 10th was likely because of Shinoda's forgetful personality, or because he was concerned about the eyes of others as the workers had returned from work when he came back, and he couldn't take it back then. Setting aside the murder site, the reason he didn't throw it away on a mountain path on the way back was likely because it was Masuda's, and he feared a commotion if it went missing, so he might have thought of obtaining it surely by "peaceful" means immediately after the murder. However, he was flustered in various ways and forgot on the day, Nishida thought.
In any case, the reason Nishida was so particular about the condition of the pickaxe was that since the "actual object" was already gone, he had no choice but to obtain the same kind of pickaxe and compare it with the wounds remaining on Yoneda's skull, so he wanted to at least confirm what the condition of that actual object was before and after lending it.
"About that pickaxe, I don't suppose you remember where you bought it or the product name?"
"No, I remember well. I bought the one I handed over and the one I bought to replace it at the Monbetsu home center 'Ester Homer.' I don't know the product name, but I have the same thing piled in my car now, so you can look at that. I should have bought the same thing to replace it back then after I sold it."
Nishida had been asking rapid-fire questions and Masuda had been answering them, and Nishida had been processing them mechanically, but Nishida leaned forward again.
"Then please show it to me right away!"
"Detective, why are you so obsessed with the pickaxe?"
Masuda had been responding without complaint, but he seemed to have felt a sense of incongruity at Nishida's behavior from a moment ago. And Nishida himself had been thinking hard since before then about how much he should reveal about the content of the investigation.
But the option of remaining completely silent would be impossible considering he wanted the other party's cooperation, Nishida was made to re-recognize from Masuda's remark. A difficult adjustment of how much to reveal was necessary. However, the other party must already know it's a significant case given that the police are investigating Shinoda now, and thoroughly at that. Moreover, the more they investigate, the more what they are investigating will be leaked. Either way, Nishida resolved that it was only a matter of time before the other party found out.
"We are investigating the relationship between Mr. Shinoda and a certain murder case."
"Murder!? Did Managing Director Shinoda commit a murder?"
The two showed considerable agitation at the word "murder" suddenly uttered from the detective's mouth. Kondo, in particular, was so surprised he choked on the tea he was drinking and even asked Nishida again.
"That's a huge deal. Detective, is that true?"
Masuda, for his part, widened his eyes and confirmed with Nishida, but Nishida also affirmed it with a serious face.
"This is bad... In other words, it's okay to think that someone died by the pickaxe I sold, right...?"
Masuda was stunned for a moment, but as if he had somehow regained his composure,
"Then, I have to show you the pickaxe I have now right away. Please confirm it..." he said, and then stood up abruptly and tried to lead Nishida and the others. The two detectives and Kondo followed after Masuda.
The car that was at the edge of the parking lot where Nishida and the others had parked was a Pajero. Whether he liked these off-road types of cars or they were necessary, it's a fact that it's the same type of car even after he replaced it. When he opened the back door, there were several tools piled there. They were likely piled in the jeep in the same way.
"This is it. It should be the same one."
Nishida and Mitsushima thoroughly confirmed the pickaxe Masuda handed them. This one was also in quite good condition, and it was clear it had hardly been used. If what Masuda had said so far was true, the "wounds" should almost match. Of course, if the manufacturing process or something were different, that couldn't be said for sure, but in that case, they would have no choice but to confirm directly with the manufacturer listed on the handle of the pickaxe.
"I'm sorry, but could you lend this to the police for a while?"
"No, no, of course you can take it. I don't particularly use it."
Masuda readily agreed to Nishida's request without a second thought, but the reality might have been that rather than a ready agreement, he felt he couldn't say NO because of a sense of guilt that he might have sold evidence to a criminal. However, of course, there could be no ill will in that past act, and Nishida had nothing but gratitude for Masuda's cooperation, including his testimony.
Regarding the 12th, Masuda had not had any contact with Shinoda at all, so they stopped the interview here, and carrying the substitute pickaxe they borrowed for appraisal, Nishida and the others headed for the Kitami Regional HQ. This was because the model of the wound part taken from Yoneda's skull was kept in the Forensics Division.
At the same time, since there had been a quite large "harvest," he contacted the station by radio with an overview before the appraisal, and Section Chief Sawai was quite surprised by the sudden progress, but he took a calmer attitude than Nishida had imagined. In fact, he thought it would have been fine for him to be a bit more happy.
Arriving in Kitami in a little over two hours, Nishida and Mitsushima entered the building of the Kitami Regional HQ. However, there was none of the usual liveliness, and it was wrapped in a quite quiet atmosphere. Nishida felt an illusion as if he had strayed into a different dimension because the air was different from a few days ago, but he realized it was because a considerable number of detectives had gone out to the Special Investigation Headquarters at the Kitami Station for the investigation of the serial female murders.
And he ran into a detective named Hiruma in the corridor, who he had been investigating with until the other day. He seemed to be staying behind to organize information sent from the investigation headquarters as he was attached to the Regional HQ. When he asked about the investigation status, the decomposed body also had traces of rape, but the victim had not been identified. It seems highly likely that no missing person report has been filed. He realized he should stop expecting cooperation from the Regional HQ for a while, as they were considering that it might take longer than expected.
Entering the room of the Forensics Division, he handed the pickaxe borrowed from Masuda to Shibata, the Forensics Lead and the forensics officer in charge of the Yoneda murder case. Shibata was staring at the faces of the two while listening to their story rather than the pickaxe, but as soon as he finished listening,
"Is this really the same pickaxe as the murder weapon?" he said, making his usual unconscious spiteful remark. That said, he immediately matched the wound part of the model he had brought with the pickaxe.
"Ho. This is a surprise. It matches perfectly! I can't say for sure right now, but there's no doubt about it. Good job. Congratulations."
It didn't sound like he was praising them from the bottom of his heart, but the true meaning should be different. Nishida and Mitsushima decided to take it literally.
"So, what's the next development? The probability that the dead man named Shinoda killed Yoneda must have shot up, but will it be the usual form of sending the case to the prosecutor?"
"Mr. Shibata, we've only been able to prove that the murder weapon is likely the same as this pickaxe, and it's not even clear if Shinoda actually went to the murder site. I think he went and killed him based on several pieces of circumstantial evidence, though... Objectively, that's still at the stage of 'he probably went' at most, so I think it'll be tough unless we can somehow prove that. To take it to the extreme, the logic that Shinoda sublet the pickaxe to someone and that person killed Yoneda, or that a completely unrelated person happened to use the same type of pickaxe, is not impossible. Although the circumstantial evidence certainly points to Shinoda's crime..."
He listed other possibilities in a roundabout way, but of course, he was convinced there were almost no such possibilities.
"I understand what Nishida is saying, but that's just a theoretical possibility, and normally it's the crime of Shinoda who borrowed it, in reality. Now that we've come this far, won't it work out somehow? It's obvious the end result will be non-prosecution, though."
"Even if the opponent is deceased, even if it's non-prosecution, we'll do it carefully."
"That's what you call a model detective. For now, I'll keep this. The report might take a few days, but as you know, we've got our hands full with the high school girl murder right now."
Shibata said that bluntly to Nishida and disappeared into the back with the pickaxe and the model.
Returning to Engaru Station, after a brief report by Nishida and Mitsushima, they discussed how to "close the case" for sending Shinoda, who was deceased, to the prosecutor. Needless to say, since he couldn't ultimately be prosecuted because the suspect was dead, sending the case to the prosecutor was nothing more than the investigators' self-satisfaction, but there was a desire to do it for a certain sense of closure. Section Chief Sawai also recognized, like Nishida, that it was difficult to prove "whether Shinoda actually went to the murder site" or "whether Shinoda actually killed him."
"The scrapping of the jeep is the only big disappointing result of this interview... We barely managed to hang on with Masuda's testimony because it was possible to obtain a substitute for the pickaxe, the murder weapon."
The Section Chief leaked that with a grim face. Precisely because they were cornering the culprit even though he was already dead, the death of Shinoda and the scrapping of the jeep were disappointing facts, but it was clear that they had seen considerable progress considering the situation up until a month ago. That's why it's frustrating that the final "checkmate" is not to be found. The meeting continued without any ideas coming to mind, when Takeshita slowly opened his mouth.
"About Isaka... the late previous president Isaka Daikichi, in this testimony, he apparently called Shinoda, who was at the Yubetsu construction site, on August 10th, right? Although the content of that is not clearly known..."
"That's right, but? Do you have something, Takeshita?"
"What does the Team Leader think about that?"
"I'm at a loss even if you ask me what I think. They said they were arguing, so it must have been something significant."
"The possibility that Shinoda and the unconscious Kitagawa are also involved in Sada Minoru's disappearance is high based on the investigation information so far, but what about the possibility that that call is related to that in some way?"
"Senior Staff! But the Sada case was eight years ago, and this story of Shinoda is from three years ago!"
Komura threw a natural doubt. But Takeshita didn't flinch.
"As far as I heard the testimony of the construction workers at the time, things like 'that can't be' or 'I'll check' were being unfolded in what could be called an argument between Isaka and Shinoda. This should be seen as having definitely happened. Of course, the possibility of it being purely work-related cannot be completely denied, but even looking at Shinoda's subsequent actions, they seem to stand out as incomprehensible for just work-related matters. On the other hand, from the fact that it turned into an argument, it's certain that there's a high possibility that a considerably large problem had suddenly arisen at that time. It's not work, but a big problem had arisen besides that... Moreover, it became necessary to head to a place that required quite outdoor-like preparation for 'confirmation.' Adding these up..."
Takeshita said that much and seemed to Nishida to have hesitated a bit after that. However, after making a movement like catching his breath,
"It's a quite leap-of-faith reasoning, but maybe 'confirming' was to confirm Sada's body. What do you think, Section Chief?"
He came out with something quite sudden. Nishida couldn't help but look twice at Takeshita's face at this overly bold reasoning. Section Chief Sawai, Komura, Sawada, Yoshimura, Yoneda, Oba—the other six Engaru station members—and Mitsushima and Kitamura—the two from the Kitami Regional HQ—a total of eight people also concentrated their gaze on Takeshita.
"That's a quite overly bold idea."
The Section Chief rotated his chair and turned sideways.
"First of all, the most likely hypothesis from the investigation so far is that Yoneda was killed because he happened to get caught up in something, right? Regarding what he got caught up in, the highest possibility was 'he encountered a crime scene,' right?"
Takeshita continued regardless of the lack of reaction from those around him.
"That 'encountering a crime scene' was when Shinoda... no, there's a possibility that Kitagawa and others were also accomplices in this, but it was exactly the moment when they were digging up the body of Sada, whom they had killed and discarded eight years ago, for 'confirmation' in the summer three years ago? That's it. After all, that place is a place where Shinoda and Kitagawa have had local knowledge since long ago, so it's possible as a place to abandon Sada's body, right? Section Chief."
"There seems to be a problem with that theory."
Mitsushima voiced his objection without delay.
"First, if Sada had been killed, it's not clear why there was a need to re-confirm that body. At least, it's certain that they had been able to conceal the murder for five years since Sada's disappearance. Even if it's quite possible that there was something significant from the exchange between Isaka and Shinoda, whether that leads to the confirmation of Sada's body... And in the unlikely event... if that were the case, what is the reason for that confirmation? The reasoning is interesting, but there seems to be quite a lot of strain in the process leading up to it."
"What Shinoda and Isaka have in common is that they seem to be involved in Sada's disappearance, which is true, but it feels still weak to directly link the facts revealed this time from there. I think it's fine to consider it as one possibility, but..."
Nishida also agreed with Mitsushima.
"Takeshita, can I have a moment?"
Sawai rotated his chair again and faced Takeshita directly.
"Assuming Takeshita's reasoning is correct... The problem would be where Sada's body is now. What do you think?"
"The assumption that Yoneda was killed immediately after witnessing Shinoda digging something up is self-evident as the most persuasive theory among the ones I've thought of. And it would be wise to see that Yoneda's body was also buried not so far from the murder site. Based on that, wouldn't it be possible to say that the place where Yoneda's body was and the place where Sada's body was are not that far apart?"
"Hmm..."
Sawai squeezed out a groan, and this time he leaned back against the backrest and looked up at the ceiling. The gaze of everyone, which had been concentrated on Takeshita until a moment ago, was now directed at the Section Chief's "slovenly" figure. Time just flowed without anyone uttering a word. However, the reason no one spoke was likely because they were waiting for what the Section Chief would say next rather than because they couldn't think of anything.
"Nishida! The investigation we've been doing since Yoneda's body was found was, naturally, first to catch Yoneda's murderer, right?"
Sawai suddenly threw the talk to Nishida without even correcting his posture.
"Huh? Ah, yes... that's right. That's only natural."
Nishida, caught off guard by both the sudden question and the natural content, was momentarily at a loss for words.
"And, hearing about Sada's disappearance eight years ago from Kosaka, and including the subsequent investigation, the investigation has proceeded on the premise that Kitagawa was involved in Yoneda's murder and Sada's disappearance. Is that right?"
"Yes."
Everyone nodded, but they couldn't figure out the Section Chief's intention. The other detectives also didn't grasp the reason for Sawai's "change in tone," although they didn't show it in their attitude, as he began to speak calmly about the progress of the case.
"But in the end, Kitagawa was staying in America for a long time at that time, so he wasn't directly involved in Yoneda's murder. Because of that, the plan to investigate the Sada case and Kitagawa's involvement without letting the 'top' (upper management) complain, by starting from the indictment of Kitagawa for Yoneda's murder, has completely collapsed. On the other hand, the existence of Shinoda has rapidly surfaced, and the possibility that Shinoda was also involved in the Sada case has emerged. So, another route of investigating the Sada case from the Shinoda matter has been found."
Sawai corrected his posture here and continued further.
"Including the investigation by Nishida and Mitsushima today, the conviction that the dead Shinoda is guilty regarding Yoneda's murder has become somewhat higher. And the reasoning that Shinoda's mistake in thinking he lost Kitagawa's watch at the time of Yoneda's murder led to Shinoda's subsequent actions and Kitagawa's actions at the site late at night this year has become possible. However, unfortunately, the last piece of the puzzle hasn't been found. I think this is the current situation. And, considering the number of years passed and the current situation, it can be considered that finding that piece is quite tough. If so, a reverse approach might be necessary."
"What's a reverse approach?"
Yoshimura voiced his doubt.
"The situation Engaru Station is placed in now is, to be honest, quite a special situation."
The Section Chief remained silent after that. As if he couldn't wait, Takeshita opened his mouth.
"I see! Is what the Section Chief wants to say that we should make the most of the special circumstances where Engaru Station is currently conducting the investigation almost alone...?"
"Exactly as Takeshita says!"
It seems Takeshita was able to represent the Section Chief's intention. The Section Chief took that as a cue and began to speak passionately.
"The current investigation headquarters, although Mitsushima and Kitamura are members from 'Kitami' (Regional HQ), is basically 'Engaru' investigating alone. Moreover, since Kitami and the 'Main Office' (Hokkaido Police Headquarters) are completely concentrated on the female murder in Tannoh, the 'Main Office' also has no 'surveillance' reaching here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance. We can also proceed with the investigation of the Sada case on our own first, without following the 'procedure' of obtaining permission for a new investigation policy from the 'top,' which we should have originally followed. What Kurano-san, Ootomo-san, and Kosaka wanted to do but couldn't, we might be able to do now as Engaru Station alone! And, as Takeshita said at first, if Sada's disappearance... it's natural to see that he's likely been killed, but if that and the Yoneda case are directly linked, solving the Sada case first might lead to proving Shinoda's murder of Yoneda. It's a completely opposite approach from the original one!"
When the Section Chief said that much, Nishida dared to cut in.
"Wait a minute! I agree that finding the last piece is difficult. However, in the search related to Shinoda, the pickaxe Shinoda bought from Masuda might be found. Also, there's the option of re-examining the investigation materials from when Yoneda went missing. Shouldn't we do that first?"
"Hmm, I don't deny that. However, regarding the materials from immediately after Yoneda went missing, we've already done the re-examination, so it's likely that no new materials will come out. Even for a search, for a search warrant for someone who is already dead, unless there's a basis that Shinoda went to the murder site on the day Yoneda went missing on August 10th, the warrant probably won't be granted, right? If that's the case, I think we should consider what I just said as a way to do it."
Indeed, what the Section Chief was saying also made quite a lot of sense. If there had been information linking Shinoda at the time of Yoneda's disappearance, it wouldn't have turned out like this in the first place. Even if it's quite possible as a matter of logic in reasoning, they are likely not in a situation where they can make a judge issue a search warrant for a dead person. That said, they didn't have enough information accumulated at Engaru Station to suddenly investigate the Sada case either. Even if they had the investigation materials they obtained at the investigation meetings, they couldn't be said to be a big help when Engaru Station acted independently. From this, Nishida felt a certain sympathy for the Section Chief's "gamble," but he couldn't reach a full agreement and was thinking hard.
Seeing Nishida like that, the Section Chief offered a helping hand.
"I think the quite tough wall of time of eight years is standing in the way of the Sada case too. In fact, even the investigation at that time, although there were constraints from the 'Main Office,' ultimately reached a dead end. Since the flow from the Yoneda case to the Sada case reached a dead end, saying we'll solve the Yoneda case by solving the Sada case this time might be armchair theory and easy-going."
The Section Chief had stood up, placing both hands on the desk before he knew it.
"However, we didn't know it then, but the fact that the JNR transfer group of Kitagawa and Shinoda unfolded a well-timed promotion drama at the Isaka Group, their new employer, for reasons that are not even clear, has become clear in the process of this investigation. That's different from back then."
"But Kitagawa is unconscious, and Shinoda is dead... Unless there's a possibility of recovery, prosecution is a quite difficult situation."
Kitamura's counterargument was also a reasonable point.
"So, it's Takeshita's story from earlier. First of all, isn't it worth investigating from there whether the bold hypothesis that Sada's disappearance and Yoneda's murder are directly linked is correct? It's a method of investigating using that as a starting point. Maybe the involvement of another person will come out from there."
"If that's the case, isn't it a re-investigation of the site in Ikutahara to find Sada's body, considering the possibility that Sada's body is near where Yoneda's body was buried, although it's not the Senior Staff's idea?"
"Kurosu, that's right. Sada's body might still be there."
"Wait a minute."
Nishida, who had kept a long silence, finally entered the conversation.
"The starting point of this series of cases, Yoshimi's accidental death... well, we haven't completely confirmed it as an accident, but in the end, it'll be settled in that direction, and the six locations found then that Kitagawa supposedly dug up... We've come this far with the idea that 'Kitagawa was digging in various places on the premise that the white birch was thick as a marker, unable to specify the location of Yoneda's body.' However, considering the ideas of the Section Chief and Takeshita, isn't there a possibility that Sada's body was buried in one of those places and had already been recovered by Kitagawa? The thick tree as a guide is of course a guide from when it was first buried, but as Matsuzawa from Forensics said during the recovery of Yoneda's body, it's also because it 'functions as fertilizer during the decomposition process of the body' that it becomes thick."
Nishida's opinion was about the possibility that "Kitagawa's recovery of Sada's body" had not been considered at all. If he hadn't been busy with the investigation, such an idea might have come up, but because he was preoccupied, even such a thought hadn't occurred to him.
"Ah, now that you mention it, that's possible too. If Kitagawa is involved in the Sada case, he should at least remember the burial place to some extent..."
Sawai grimaced. If Nishida's idea was correct and the recovery of Sada's body by Kitagawa had actually happened, Sada's body wouldn't come out even if they re-investigated the site now, and the "link" between Yoneda's murder and Sada's disappearance would end up being just a matter of reasoning.
"Wait a minute! Even so, we might at least be able to tell if Sada's body was buried there!"
Takeshita suddenly opened his mouth.
"What is it, Takeshita? Do you have an idea?"
"Yes. Considering the story the Forensics Lead told 'at that time,' it should be possible to say that after the body was buried and began to decompose, it began to provide nutrition to the tree. If so, it means the tree became thick for the first time from that period, so that sign should appear in the annual rings. If Sada was buried at the site in the fall eight years ago, as for the annual rings, the thin black part from the fall eight years ago to before the spring seven years ago should have become thicker than the part from the fall to winter before that, and similarly, the growth part from spring to fall should also become thicker. Such a change should be appearing. Therefore, even if the body had been recovered, we should at least be able to tell if it was buried there."
When Takeshita finished speaking, the other investigators also looked convinced, to the point where Kitamura even clapped his hands.
"Go call Matsuzawa from Forensics, Sawada! Theoretically it's so, but let's hear the opinion of a pro too! They should be free now anyway!"
At the Section Chief's instruction, Sawada went to the Forensics Unit room to call Forensics Lead Matsuzawa.
Sawada returned to the Detective Division immediately, bringing Matsuzawa, who apparently was indeed free. Matsuzawa didn't seem to completely grasp the situation as he was brought suddenly, but with the explanation from Takeshita, he understood immediately as it was his professional field.
"What Takeshita says is certainly possible, Section Chief. In body abandonment in forest areas, such things occasionally relate to the clarification of the case. Like investigating the match between the victim's disappearance time and the missing person report."
"Can you tell if you look?"
"Well, if we cut it and see if such an influence is appearing in the annual rings."
"Ah, so you have to cut it to tell after all... I guess that's only natural."
The Section Chief held his head slightly. It had been revealed after the body search that the site in Ikutahara was private land, but if they were to cut the white birch trees, they would need to obtain permission and at the same time, "compensation" would likely be required. Detectives are laymen, so they don't know what the "market price" is, but even if it's a white birch that they've never heard of as timber, it seems it would cost a certain amount to cut six of them.
When the investigation headquarters was set up at Engaru Station, it was customary for everything consumed within the station, including bento, to be paid for from the station's budget, so Engaru Station must have already spent a considerable amount this time. Since murder is a crime that almost never happens in Engaru, even if it's small-scale, the budget is quite consumed when that kind of investigation headquarters is set up, which is the reality. If they were to cut a private person's trees on top of that, it's certain that the budget would be exceeded. Considering the station chief's grimace imagined when requesting the budget, Nishida could also understand the Section Chief's "anguish."
"What should I do?"
The Section Chief seemed to have begun to rotate his chair left and right to think, but the matter of money is also something that the field detectives can't do anything about. There is the option of "paying out of pocket" in a pinch, but it would be tough even if shared if it's several hundred thousand.
"Anyway, let's consult with the Station Chief. Now that we've come this far, we have no choice but to go for it!"
Takeshita urged the Section Chief, who remained in thought.
"Takeshita is right. I'll go talk to the Station Chief directly... Nishida, come with me."
It seems Sawai's mind was finally made up. Nishida, who was caught up in it, had some parts he couldn't quite accept, but it was also unavoidable.
Sawai and Nishida immediately went to the Station Chief's office to ask Station Chief Makita about the re-investigation of the site and the accompanying "logging." As expected, the Station Chief barked,
"Hey, hey, what are you thinking now!" but the reason was less about the budget and more about the complaint regarding the change in investigation policy to focus on the Sada case. It seems the Station Chief was also concerned about the past history of interference from the Headquarters. When Sawai carefully explained the reason for the change in policy, he seemed to have accepted it for what it was.
"I generally understand what you want to do. But I doubt you have a chance of winning, you know? At most, even if the traces of a body being buried are found, it'll only strengthen the idea that Kitagawa was involved in Sada's murder. It's not like you can immediately indict Kitagawa for Sada's murder with just that..."
Makita also seemed to be quite troubled, but it was natural for him to hesitate as he was in a more responsible position.
"But we're stuck as it is, right?"
"Station Chief, I think it's quite tough at the moment. To move forward even a little, even traces are better than nothing. Of course, it would be best if the body could be found."
Sawai answered firmly.
"I understand... Then try doing as you like! Either way, to search, we have to get permission from the landowner again, so we'll just have to ask him to make the compensation as cheap as possible then... At the time of the previous search, I thought it was state-owned land at first and searched without permission, so I ended up apologizing, but I think the landowner was..."
The Station Chief said while rummaging through his desk drawer and trying to remember, and soon the paper with the landowner's information was found.
"Here it is, here it is. Right, right, it was Mr. Terakawa, a Professor Emeritus of English Literature at Asahikawa Bunka University. I'll try calling him now. With the position of Professor Emeritus, he's effectively retired, so he's probably at home."
The Station Chief said that and immediately made the call.
Even so, it was the first time Sawai and Nishida had heard that the landowner was a Professor Emeritus of English Literature. This was because they had only heard the story that the Station Chief had apologized to the landowner at that time. The link between the mountain forest in Ikutahara and a Professor Emeritus seemed a bit strange to the two.
After the call was connected, Makita continued to talk with the other side for a while, but the two could tell from the latter half of the conversation that he had a smiling face and was having a conversation in a harmonious atmosphere. In the meantime, the Station Chief hung up.
"I think you generally understood if you were listening, but not only did I get permission for the search, but regarding the logging, he said it's fine for it to be free if it's absolutely necessary for a murder investigation. Apparently, white birch itself has almost no value as timber. However, if we're going to log, it might be necessary to log surrounding trees too, and he said he wants to wait for the investigation until he returns for Obon because he wants to confirm it with his own eyes. He also wants to have his childhood friend who does local forestry in Ikutahara do the logging. Well, a cop is a layman at mountain work after all, so it's a godsend for us too. The re-investigation will be delayed a bit, but you two have no objection, right?"
Makita's statement was not a bad story for the Detective Division either. Since today was August 7th, if it's the Obon holidays, the investigation might be delayed for about a week, but either way, in that amount of time, the Tannoh female murder that the Kitami Regional HQ is currently pursuing won't be able to be brought to the end of the investigation even if the culprit is arrested, considering the post-processing. In other words, they won't be able to return to this investigation. The situation where Engaru Station can conduct its own investigation won't change much.
"So, specifically, will it be around the 15th?"
"He avoided being definitive at this point, but it's like the 14th at the earliest and the 16th at the latest. Apparently, he disposed of his family home in Ikutahara after his father died, and only the grave remains. He said it's customary for him to stay at that childhood friend's house when he comes to visit the grave. He'll call us when the schedule is decided, so we just have to wait until then," Makita answered Nishida's question while mixing in unnecessary information.
"Understood. We have no objection. Anyway, since unnecessary expenses were suppressed, it's strange to say this because it's thanks to the Station Chief, but we're glad we didn't have to trouble the Station Chief," Sawai expressed his gratitude.
"That's enough of that. By the way, what will you do if it's not determined from the annual rings?"
"That would also suggest that the body was not buried there, so we'd end up with a tactic of digging in various other places near where Yoneda was buried... Of course, we don't know if the body is buried there either. If we take the failure to determine it in a good way, maybe the body was not recovered by Kitagawa."
"If it becomes a human-wave tactic, there's a limit to Engaru Station alone. And even if it's determined from the annual rings and it's known that the body was likely buried in the past, as I said earlier, it's no use without the 'actual object.' Regarding Kitagawa-related things, we've already searched everything, and even if he hid it somewhere, we wouldn't know, and he's in that state..."
The Station Chief seemed to feel a slight disappointment at Nishida's indecisive words, but for now, it's an investigation they have no choice but to do regardless of the consequences to gain the conviction that Sada's disappearance is a murder case.
"Anyway, we've overcome the immediate barrier for the re-search. I've been complaining, but if you think about it, it would have been absolutely impossible without your steady investigation, ideas, and strong luck from the discovery of Yoshimi's strange body at the beginning to this point... Regarding the investigation so far this time, it's no exaggeration to say it's thanks to our investigators rather than the help of the Kitami (Regional HQ) team. Thinking about it that way, it's meaningless to say this or that in advance at this point... There might be no other way but to hit the thing in front of us with all our might. In the end, your hard work will be necessary again to overcome the high wall later. It's also certain that you'll have to work frantically. It can be said it's no use worrying about each thing. I understand. Try doing it for now! I'm counting on you two!"
The Station Chief said all that at once and lightly thrust his fist toward the two to encourage them.
While returning from the Station Chief's office to the Detective Division, Sawai spoke to Nishida.
"It's for a short while, but we've got some leeway in time. We've been investigating almost without a break, and it might be good to put in a break for a short while."
"I suppose so. If it's okay with you, Section Chief, why don't we?"
"Alright, let's do that... The young ones are having a hard time too, but you want to see your wife and daughter too, right? Has it been nearly two months?"
"I suppose so... It's been since I went back for two days at the end of May, so I guess it has... But if I go back for just a day's break, I'll just end up tired from the day trip, so if it's a break, I'll just relax here."
"A day is meaningless then... By the way, how old is your daughter?"
"She'll be eight this October, so she's seven now."
"What, isn't she exactly at the age just one step before she starts avoiding her father? They only feel cute until they're about twelve. Once they become middle schoolers, they'll start avoiding their fathers. If you can't be doted on by your daughter at this time, there's almost no point in having a daughter."
Is it because the Section Chief is a father of two daughters that it's strangely persuasive?
"But we contact each other frequently by phone."
"Phone? That's meaningless."
This was no time to be having such a trivial exchange of "differing opinions," but both knew it wasn't a story to be unfolded in front of their subordinates. They didn't develop the talk further and opened the door to the Detective Division room.
"The Section Chief's permission has been granted! The matter of the logging has also been settled somehow. But unfortunately, it's a flaw that it won't be immediately," Sawai reported to everyone right away.
"Heh. It was decided surprisingly easily," Takeshita rejoiced, and Sawai smiled, saying,
"Maybe it's a case of 'it's easier than expected'..."
"Also, there's one more piece of good news! Since there's a leeway of less than a week until the site investigation, we've decided to take turns taking breaks."
Yoshimura rejoiced exaggeratedly at this, so he was lightly poked by Nishida.
Then they decided the order of taking breaks, and the order became the Section Chief and Komura as the rearguard, and Nishida and Kitamura as the group before them. It was a pity that Komura, who was not paired with the Section Chief, was paired with him just to make up the numbers. It was because two of the three—Section Chief, Team Leader, and Senior Staff—couldn't be on break at the same time, and Mitsushima was given consideration because he was from the Kitami Regional HQ team, so the burden fell on Komura. And since it was impossible to go on break from tomorrow, the 8th, because of plans and such, they decided to take turns taking breaks over the five days from the 9th to the 13th.
On August 8th, at 10:00 AM, Nishida was calling Shibata, the Forensics Lead in Kitami. When he tried to call and confirm with the manufacturing and sales company in Sapporo, "Sanno Kanamono," whose name was printed on the sticker on the handle of the pickaxe, whether the manufacturing status of the pickaxe had changed year by year, he was asked for the part number. He had been naive to think there would be only one type of pickaxe as long as he knew the manufacturer.
According to the person in charge, it should be printed small under the company name, so he needed to confirm with Shibata, who he had left it with. Shibata seemed quite busy with the analysis of evidence seized from the site of the high school girl murder, and he didn't easily come to the phone. Just as he was thinking of hanging up and calling back, a grumpy voice echoed from the receiver.
"Yes, it's Shibata."
"I'm sorry to bother you while you're busy. About that pickaxe I left with you yesterday, there's something I want you to check?"
"That pickaxe? What about it?"
"I want you to tell me the characters written on the sticker on the handle."
"You should have made a proper note of that kind of thing yesterday!"
It was a typical Shibata way of speaking, but it was clear he was more irritated than usual. It seems he is indeed being busy since it's shortly after the discovery of the case. Not only did top-class coverage continue on local news day after day, but national newspapers were also treating it on the front page. And Nishida felt that the other forensics staff who had transferred him to Shibata were also somewhat prickly.
"Wait a minute! It'll take a few minutes!"
The sound of placing the receiver down while putting him on hold also sounded rough to his ears.
However, it seemed it didn't actually take even a minute before Shibata returned to the receiver. He might have said it exaggeratedly as a spiteful remark.
"I found it. I don't know if it's Yamaou or Sanno, but it says Sanno Kanamono with the characters for mountain, king, and hardware."
"Apparently there's some alphabet and numbers written under that..."
"Hmm, there certainly are. It says TH... 900."
"Ah, that's it. Thanks. Well, it seems you're having a hard time anyway..."
"Yeah, the investigation headquarters seems to be focusing on those with a history of rape, but there's nothing like that so far... If there's no history, it's going to be a quite troublesome matter, or rather, it's actually becoming one. The only things left behind were the semen left in the body and the pubic hair attached to the victim. We know it's type B, though. A car was used for the crime, but since the site is where grass grows immediately from the paved road and continues to the abandonment site, no footprints or tire tracks have come out. The condition of the grass that the car seems to have crushed is also about the thickness of a general passenger car tire, so that's also not a characteristic. No clothes have been found either."
"The identity of the decomposed body hasn't been found yet, right?"
"Yeah, because the condition is quite bad. Identification by fingerprints is impossible, and I think we'll identify by dental records and blood type. So far, there are no corresponding persons among the missing person reports within the Kitami Regional HQ jurisdiction. We're at the stage of matching with information from the entire Hokkaido Police. Before the next victim comes out, we have to have the detectives work hard. Apparently, they've requested investigation cooperation from Abashiri Station in addition to Bihoro Station. If Engaru hadn't been carrying this case, wouldn't you have been made to cooperate?"
"Abashiri too... I understand the situation is quite tough. It seems more severe than the reports. However, this case is also ongoing, so I don't want to interfere, but I think I might take up a bit of your time..."
"I get it, I get it. Well, it's not a game for you either, so it can't be helped. Also, the appraisal result report might take a bit of time, so forgive me since it's this kind of state. More than that, I want you to release me as soon as you're done with your business. Is that okay?"
"Understood. I'll hang up then."
Before Nishida finished speaking, the receiver was immediately hung up from the other side with a clatter. After quietly placing the receiver down while rubbing his ear, Nishida immediately called Sanno Kanamono back and obtained the statement that they had not performed any model changes since 1982. He also was able to confirm that they have had dealings with the home center Ester Homer since 1975 when Ester Homer was established, so they should have been delivering pickaxes all along. From this side too, the certainty of the match between Masuda's testimony, the pickaxe Shinoda took, and the wounds increased further.