Chapter 20 - Straying 7 (61–70: The Three Mysterious Bodies)
From August 9th, the younger members began taking their breaks in order, so the air in the Violent Crimes Unit was slightly less lively than usual, but just like on the 6th, Nishida was watching the broadcast of the 50th-anniversary memorial ceremony for the Nagasaki atomic bombing. Takeshita spoke to him.
"It's hard to believe it's an event from only fifty years ago, isn't it?"
"That's true. 'Time flies like an arrow.' In other words, it means we can't waste a single second for the investigation..."
Nishida didn't hide his dissatisfaction that while the base of the case was becoming visible, the summit of the mountain was not yet in sight. Since the suspect was dead, it was a quite large barrier, and at the same time, the enthusiasm of the police as a whole that could be put into the investigation was also dropping, so it couldn't be helped, but...
"If you think about it, today is exactly two months since Yoshimi's case... no, accident. Time flies like an arrow here too, I guess. Even so, regarding that matter, now that Kitagawa has turned out like that, I think we should reach a proper conclusion at this point."
At Takeshita's unexpected remark, Nishida was startled. He realized they had already been investigating for two months. It was true that progress had been made, but while the "summit" was visible to some extent for this case, the route to get there was not clear. In other words, it was frustrating that the process leading to Yoshimi's death was not clear.
"Exactly. The conclusion for Yoshimi's case should be accidental death, or rather, that's all there is. Kitagawa turned out like that, but he probably wasn't lying about that point. As for the matter of the young Yoneda, since he has an alibi, it's clearly impossible to make it his crime. Even so, Yoshimi and Kitagawa must have been unlucky. They would both still be happy now if they hadn't met each other..."
Certainly, if Yoshimi hadn't seen Kitagawa at the site, he wouldn't have panicked and fallen, whether he thought he was a ghost or a suspicious person. And if Yoshimi hadn't been there, even if Kitagawa hadn't been able to excavate and find Yoneda's body, the case might not have been discovered. It seems the probability that it would have been found during the bone collection survey by the Research Group was actually much lower than the probability Kitagawa had feared in advance.
Here, Nishida looked around the entire Detective Division room once. Because the detectives other than those in the Violent Crimes Unit were taking vacations separately from the usual off-duty system, he even felt an illusion as if it were wrapped in silence. He thought that the air of the entire Detective Division would likely be worlds apart from the Kitami Station and Kitami Regional HQ, which would likely be in a state of chaos. They should be carrying the same murder case, but tension was inevitably lacking. The daytime temperature was also fresher and more comfortable than it had been for a while, which might have been a sign that the arrival of autumn was quietly approaching. Only the busy sound of cicadas chirping outside made Nishida feel the height of summer.
After the conversation with Takeshita, the Section Chief ordered the detectives, who were bored without finding anything particular to do, to review the investigation so far, including Sada's disappearance, but it couldn't be denied that it was synonymous with just killing time. In the early afternoon when the heat was also taking a break, the sound of paper flipping—pasa—echoed as Nishida and the others read through the investigation materials.
While spending such a somewhat lazy time, a contact came from the Station Chief. Apparently, he received a call from the landowner, Mr. Terakawa, that the date for his visit to Ikutahara had been decided. He would come to Ikutahara on the 13th and return to Asahikawa on the 17th. Since the 15th would be taken up by visiting the grave, any day other than the 15th and 17th would be fine. The 13th overlapped with the break for the Section Chief and Komura, but since searching the site on the day he arrived would be a burden for Terakawa, they settled on the 16th through talks between Engaru Station and Mr. Terakawa, and the schedule for the members of the Forensics Unit who would participate was also arranged. With this, the foundation for the best investigation Engaru Station could do now was set. However, it might have been only the noisy cicadas outside that could have predicted that after the investigation, it would turn into days of turmoil, quite different from these quiet few days.
On the afternoon of August 10th, Nishida was beginning to think about going to Sapporo by night train on the 11th, doing family service during his holiday on the 12th, and returning to Engaru by night train that night to go straight to work. At first, he had been thinking of spending his break in Engaru, disliking a busy schedule, but he was having a change of heart after hearing from his wife on the phone that his daughter seemed somewhat dissatisfied with him being away all this time. Like the talk with the Section Chief, he also had the idea that he could fulfill his duty as a father by communicating with his daughter while she still wanted him. However, sleeping on a night train for consecutive days was physically tough for Nishida, who was 39 and had taken a step into middle age, and he was lost in thought while looking at the timetable.
"Team Leader, a contact came from the reception downstairs, and it seems that 'Okuda Mitsuru' requested an interview with the Team Leader and has come here directly?"
Kurosu, who had received the internal call, suddenly spoke to Nishida.
"Okuda? Ah... yes, yes. Old man Okuda... Even so, I wonder what it is so suddenly? To come all the way to the station."
Nishida tilted his head. The Section Chief also stared at him and confirmed,
"Did Okuda come here?" so he said,
"Yes. I don't know the reason, but he's at the reception. Anyway, I'll go meet him downstairs for a bit."
He went to call Kitamura, who had gone to the restroom, and hurried straight to the reception on the first floor. And it didn't take that long for the two to find Okuda sitting on a long bench near the reception. Nishida spoke first as he approached.
"Mr. Okuda, thank you very much for the other day. Even so, did something happen today? To come all the way here from Kunneppu?"
"No, no, weren't you busy yourself?"
Okuda, with legs and a back that were firm for his age, said that as soon as he noticed Nishida and the others and stood up abruptly from his chair.
"We've happened to be quite free for the last few days, so that's fine, but..."
Nishida lightly probed Okuda's state while wearing a friendly smile.
"I see. That's good then. Actually, I hadn't intended to come."
It had only been about ten days since he visited him on July 29th, but the reason he felt a bit of nostalgia might be because he had been busy lately since Shinoda's existence became clear.
"You see, I happened to visit a relative in Shirataki (T/N: In 1995, the former Shirataki Village. Currently the Shirataki area of Engaru Town) with my wife by car from the morning, and I stopped by on the way back. There was something that bothered me about that matter, and although I thought it might be a bother, I stopped by directly since I'd be passing through Engaru on the way back anyway."
Okuda spoke as briskly as ever.
"Was there something that bothered you about the case?"
Nishida wouldn't have expected much from anyone else, but because Okuda had been of great help twice in this case, he suddenly became serious.
"Yeah, that's right. When you came to my house last time, was it Mr. Kitamura? You guys asked me something like 'Was there anything that bothered you during the bone collection back then?' right?"
Kitamura, who was suddenly thrown the talk, had a blank expression for a moment, but immediately replied,
"Now that you mention it, I did ask you to confirm that."
"And, I couldn't remember anything at all then, but on the way back from that relative's today, a guy who was a colleague and subordinate during the JNR days is living in Maruseppu (T/N: In 1995, the former Maruseppu Town. Currently the Maruseppu area of Engaru Town) now, and since there was something that bothered me, I stopped by there on the way."
Nishida thought Okuda's story was going to be long, so he said,
"Since this isn't the place, we have a sofa in the Detective Division, so let's talk while sitting there. I'll at least get you some tea. By the way, what about your wife who was with you?"
Then he said,
"As for my wife, I left her at a coffee shop in front of the station. If I make her sit through a story that has nothing to do with her, she'll grumble about it later. I'll go pick her up after this talk is over. Right, I parked my car in the parking lot here, but I won't get a 'ticket,' will I?" he confirmed a bit anxiously.
"The Detective Division is one thing, but the Traffic Division are money-grubbers, so I can't guarantee anything," Kitamura joked with a serious face.
"That's bad. Do even the patrol cars get fined here?"
Okuda also understood the intention and went along with Kitamura's joke. However, Nishida cut off the flow of the playful conversation and said,
"Come, I'll guide you upstairs," and took the lead toward the Detective Division room.
As soon as Okuda settled onto the sofa and Kurosu brought out tea and simple tea cakes, he resumed the story after just one sip of tea.
"Continuing the story, I told you I went to see that colleague in Maruseppu, right? And, since my memory wasn't clear either, I heard from him just in case. To be honest, I should have heard from (Tanaka) Kiyoshi too, but because of the promise with the detectives, I decided to keep quiet about the Kitagawa matter, and I avoided him because it would be bad if I let something slip, so I haven't heard from him..."
Apparently, Okuda still doesn't know that Kitagawa was caught and became unconscious. Tanaka might not have told him, or they might not have had a chance to talk. At the same time, Nishida was inwardly grateful to Okuda for being so loyal to them.
"That guy in Maruseppu is named Asada, ah, he's listed on the thing you have a copy of, and I told you his recent situation last time, but I was talking with that Asada about 'what happened back then' as we reminisced."
"Wait a minute. I'll bring that copy."
Nishida said that and took the copy out of his desk drawer and spread it on the table between the sofas.
"This guy, this guy."
Okuda said that and pointed to the part with Asada's name on the list. He certainly seemed to have belonged to the same work crew as Tanaka, Okuda, Kitagawa, and Shinoda.
"That Asada also remembered, but around July of (Showa) 52, about a month after the bone collection started, there was a bit of an incident."
"An incident?"
"Mr. Nishida, yes, an incident. They must have had someone come to the Engaru Station too. To be precise, apparently they had someone come. Exactly at that time, I had dropped a hammer during track maintenance and had a light injury to my foot. I hadn't taken time off work, but since participation in the bone collection was voluntary, it was a time when I hadn't joined the collection. So I only heard that story later back then. That must be why it didn't leave a strong impression. That's why my memory was vague. Well, whether I could have answered suddenly when asked by Mr. Kitamura is another matter..."
"Quickly, tell us the content of that incident."
Kitamura, who had lost his patience, made a remark that, while laughing, couldn't hide his irritation.
"Now, now, Mr. Kitamura, don't rush an old man like that."
Okuda said that, ate a tea cake, washed it down with tea, and began to speak haltingly again. Nishida and Kitamura, who were watching him, felt an illusion as if they were talking to just an old man they knew rather than a key witness.
"According to Asada, about a month after they started the collection, so around mid-July of Showa 52, Shinoda, Kitagawa, and one other guy, a guy of the same generation named Tanemura who's on that paper too—yes, as I said when asked about the attendees last time, he's still at JR—while they were looking for bones around there, they found two large stones sticking out of the ground in an unnatural way next to each other. Apparently, it felt exactly like gravestones. So, thinking that maybe tako-beya laborers were buried there, they dug and found two old-looking full skeletons as expected. Their appearance was also in a state with things like gaiters wrapped around them, and he said they didn't look like clothes from at least that recent era. However, if you think about it, you'll understand, but in the case of tako-beya laborers, even when they're buried, they're really just buried appropriately, or rather, they're just thrown into a hole that was dug. The track maintenance chief who was at the site felt it was unnatural that they were buried so properly. So he reported it to the police just in case. The jurisdiction also happened to be this same Engaru Station."
"Wait a minute! From what I've heard from various people including you, Mr. Okuda, I don't have the impression that Shinoda was a very good person, but did such a guy seriously participate in the bone collection too?"
Nishida voiced a simple doubt.
"He certainly wasn't a 'good guy,' but he wasn't such a bad guy that you couldn't associate with him, in my mind. And no matter how much it was said to be voluntary participation, I remember the atmosphere was such that the young ones couldn't slack off. You know, the kind of thing where it's supposed to be voluntary but is actually compulsory... Either way, they were collecting with a number of people that was about half to a third of the total off-duty members of each track maintenance crew, so the overall attendance rate must have been quite high. Including the middle-aged and older guys like us back then."
"I see, I understand. So, do you know what happened after the Engaru Station rushed there?"
Nishida tried to move the story forward after being satisfied for now.
"While the police were there investigating various things, apparently another old skeletonized body was found nearby. That one didn't have anything like a gravestone, and the detective who came to the site apparently said the situation when it was discovered was also a feeling of being buried quite haphazardly. After that, they must have judged there was no criminal nature. Your 'senior' did."
"In other words, to confirm, there were a total of three skeletonized bodies, and two of them had signs of depressed fractures on the skulls. Furthermore, one of them was buried haphazardly, is that it?"
"I think that's fine to say."
Okuda didn't sound very confident in response to Nishida's question, as he hadn't seen it himself.
"So, what happened in the end?"
Kitamura was more impatient than usual this time.
"In the end, since it wasn't clear if it was a crime or an accident, and even if it were a crime, it was clearly past the statute of limitations, so wasn't it just left as it was? Asada also said he didn't know what happened after the word was passed to the track maintenance crew from the police that the investigation was closed for those two reasons. If it had been a crime, there would have been more of a fuss, right? Well, it's just this kind of thing, so I don't think it'll be of use to you two, but I thought I'd better tell you just in case."
To be honest, Nishida didn't know how much meaning this story of Okuda's had at this time, but he couldn't help but be frankly grateful for Okuda's kindness in caring about such things as always.
"Not at all. Really, thank you as always. Even today, you went to the trouble of talking to an acquaintance to confirm, and stopped by here, even telling us a precious story from back then."
Nishida lined up words of appreciation politely.
"No, no, Mr. Nishida. I'm just a bored old man. If I can be of use to people, that's also good. Whether it's actually useful or not."
"At this point, I don't really know if it'll be related to anything, but please tell me if anything else comes up. Your testimony is playing a quite big role in this case too!"
"Mr. Nishida, do you really think so? That's nice to hear. To be praised by a professional detective."
Okuda smiled, wrinkling the corners of his eyes, but said,
"Oops, is it this time... I can't keep my wife waiting forever. She'll nag at me again. I've finished saying what I wanted to convey, so I'll call you again if I find out anything else."
He stood up from his seat as he said this.
"I'm sorry we couldn't offer you much hospitality."
Nishida also said that as he followed Okuda with Kitamura and went out to the entrance to see him off.
"He came in a flash and left in a flash. Well, we'll probably meet again..."
Kitamura was watching Okuda's car drive away while waving. However, without even a moment to soak in that lingering feeling,
"By the way, I wonder if investigation materials from around Showa 52 are still around?"
Nishida suddenly spoke.
"Eh? About that matter? It wasn't a crime by the judgment back then, right? For that kind of material, if it's that old, they'd normally have disposed of it."
"I guess so..."
Nishida had a grim expression at his subordinate's natural words.
"Are you bothered by it?"
Kitamura peered in from the side as if to show concern for his superior.
"Of course, I think it's probably unrelated, but if Shinoda and Kitagawa were involved and it's close to the site of Yoneda's murder, I want to check it just in case. And even if it wasn't indicted, apparently there were unnatural points in the condition of the bodies, and something is bothering me..."
"I see. Check what can be checked. That's the ironclad rule of investigation, isn't it? Especially since there's little information."
Kitamura said as if regaining his spirit and turned on his heel toward the station building. Nishida followed, walking slowly back into the station.
"What was the talk about?"
When Nishida and Kitamura returned, the Section Chief looked up from the evening paper he was reading and asked first thing.
"When we interviewed him the other day, Kitamura asked Okuda, 'Was there anything during the bone collection or the memorial ceremony?' It seems nothing came to mind then, but something he was curious about occurred to him later, and he remembered a story about an incident involving Kitagawa and Shinoda when he confirmed it with a colleague from the JNR days today."
The Section Chief, hearing Nishida's roundabout explanation, confirmed somewhat formally,
"What kind of incident?"
"Apparently, they found two unidentified skeletonized bodies during the bone collection, and it became a police matter. Moreover, in the investigation immediately after that, another one came out from near the site and caused a stir. However, in the end, it wasn't clear if it was a crime, and because it was clearly past the statute of limitations based on the condition of the bodies, it wasn't indicted."
"Ho, such a thing happened."
Sawai seemed to have become more interested than a moment ago.
"Section Chief, how long do you keep old investigation materials? There are things from about ten years ago in the Detective Division, but it's Showa 52, so it's from before that."
"If it's not here, it's not anywhere, is it? I don't know the whereabouts of things that aren't here. Do you want to investigate that story?"
"Yes, it's bothering me after all. If it's not there, it can't be helped... But since it's a case that wasn't indicted, I guess it's been disposed of after all."
Nishida's face was slightly distorted.
"It's likely a slim hope. It's a shame."
The Section Chief delivered the final blow and began reading the evening paper again.
Meanwhile, Komura, who had been listening to the talk from the side, said,
"Team Leader. About a year ago, I went into the underground warehouse managed by the General Affairs Division (T/N: Equivalent to the so-called general affairs section in the station), and I have a memory that there were reports regarding cases from the Showa 40s. Along with some evidence. Since it wasn't indicted, it might be a slim hope as the Section Chief says, but it might be worth looking for."
He provided information that was a ray of light.
"I see! The General Affairs Division warehouse. Thank you. It seems worth asking..."
Nishida said that and headed downstairs again to the General Affairs Division. Kitamura followed.
"Excuse me!"
When Nishida raised his voice, a female staff member of the General Affairs Division responded.
"I want to check if there are old investigation materials in the warehouse?"
"Understood. Section Chief! Team Leader Nishida from the Detective Division wants to know if there are old investigation materials in the warehouse."
Section Chief Tasaka, who had been glancing over since Nishida asked, stood up as if he had been waiting and came over to the two.
"Nishida, about how many years ago are the old investigation materials?"
"Showa 52 (1977)."
"52!? As expected... For that era, there are some that are there and some that aren't."
"And apparently it wasn't indicted."
"Not indicted? Then the hope is extremely slim... Even so, for a case that wasn't indicted, and since even murder has passed the statute of limitations, is there a need to investigate it now? What kind of case is it?"
"If I had to say, there was a possibility of murder or body abandonment, but apparently the statute of limitations was definitely involved at that point, and it wasn't clear if it was murder, so they couldn't indict."
"Hmm, I don't really get it, but it was a fairly big case from what I heard... If so, it might be there... Hey, someone bring the key to the warehouse!"
Tasaka called out to a subordinate, received the key, and said,
"Since there's nothing to do, shall we look for it now? According to Sawai, it's been unusually free lately, so you guys should be fine for time, right?"
"It's a godsend since we happened to have time."
Nishida said with a smile and followed Tasaka with Kitamura.
The warehouse Tasaka guided them to was in the basement as Komura said, but there wasn't as much space as he had expected, and equipment and such took up most of it. It was a space where, at first glance, one wouldn't think there were investigation materials. However, it was quite neatly organized, and it wasn't the cluttered space he had imagined. He even felt an atmosphere as if he could find the target materials easily if they were there.
"I think there were old investigation-related materials around here."
While watching Tasaka rummaging through the cardboard boxes on the metal rack at the very back, Nishida and Kitamura also began to help to the extent that they didn't mess up the organized items. Then, before much time had passed, Tasaka raised his voice.
"Oh, I found something... The materials on top are from Showa 47, so if they're here, this should be the right area."
Tasaka placed the cardboard box on the floor and pointed while taking out the contents.
"Is this what Komura was talking about?"
Nishida also crouched down and picked up the materials. There were indeed materials regarding a robbery-murder case from Showa 47, and several items like a kitchen knife that seemed to be the murder weapon, which were likely part of the physical evidence, were stored in the cardboard box in plastic bags. Likely, from among the things that didn't need to be returned to the victim, a further portion had been kept. Looking briefly at the reports of the investigation process, it seems to be a case that was finally settled with fifteen years of imprisonment.
"It seems they might have kept materials for fairly large cases."
"I think Kitamura is right. There aren't many heinous crimes here, so they might have kept things regarding those big cases. But the one we're looking for wasn't indicted..."
Nishida sighed.
"Anyway, if it's not here after turning over all the cardboard boxes here, you can just give up then, right? I'm looking because you guys said you wanted to look anyway, so it's a bother to have you say that now."
Tasaka sounded a bit displeased.
"That's true..."
Nishida offered a brief apology and began moving his hands again. For cases with a lot of evidence, it was one or two cardboard boxes per case, but for cases where evidence was not kept or was few or small, multiple cases were grouped into one cardboard box. He sorted them carefully with Kitamura's help. Tasaka concentrated on the role of taking the cardboard boxes down from the rack.
It must have been about twenty minutes after they started the work, when Kitamura, who was checking the reports, said,
"Isn't it this!" and suddenly stood up from his crouched position on the floor. Nishida saw that and stood up himself, taking the report from Kitamura as if snatching it, and confirmed the contents.
"This is it! This is it for sure. It says 'Investigation began on Thursday, July 14, Showa 52, after contact from JNR staff, three bodies (skeletons) confirmed.' Even so, I'm surprised it remained!"
He couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Tasaka also peeked over Nishida's shoulder.
"You guys are lucky. Normally there's no such thing as something from when the statute of limitations had already passed at the time of discovery. Conversely, it's a feat that could only be done because there are few cases."
It was a somewhat self-deprecating remark, but the two also thought what Tasaka said was actually correct.
"Evidence like clothes and items the bodies were wearing are also in here."
Kitamura lifted the cardboard box that was next to him and showed Nishida the contents. They were indeed dirty with soil, but what seemed to be clothes were in several plastic bags, and on those plastic bags, "July 14, Showa 52, Unidentified Body Clothing Items" was written in marker.
"Not only the investigation report, but the evidence also remained."
Nishida picked up one of the plastic bags containing clothes and brushed off the dust that had thinly accumulated on the plastic. Since the lid of the cardboard box had been closed, the inside was relatively clean. However, the cardboard box itself had some dirt from dust and spider webs, and the accumulation of years could not be hidden.
"It's no use looking at it here, is it? Why don't you confirm it properly back in the Detective Division? I can't stay with you forever either."
The two nodded at Tasaka's suggestion. Kitamura took two cardboard boxes and Nishida took one, a total of three, and they left the warehouse, parted with Tasaka in front of the General Affairs Division, and returned straight to the Detective Division.
When Nishida, who was carrying only one box, opened the door to the Detective Division room, Takeshita spoke first.
"Oh? Was it there, the thing you were looking for!?"
It was a reaction that suggested he hadn't thought for a moment it would remain.
"Yeah, we were lucky and various things remained."
Nishida replied proudly. Sawai, who was still reading the evening paper, also caught that conversation, stood up from his seat, and came over to Nishida.
"Was it there! Here, let me see."
"It's this."
Nishida and Kitamura placed the cardboard boxes on the desk and took out the materials to show him. Sawai, who picked up and flipped through the reports and peeked into the evidence, said,
"I wonder if I should thank the senior detectives for keeping it so properly even though they didn't even indict, or if it was just left there by chance..."
"Section Chief Tasaka also said it's because Engaru Station doesn't have many cases," Nishida said jokingly, and Sawai gave a wry smile, saying,
"I know that without being told."
Takeshita, Komura, Sawada, Kurosu, and Mitsushima also picked up and looked at various things, but they showed more interest in the reports than the contents. It seems the old format of the reports bothered them more than the content. In actual fact, there was almost no change in the way of writing, and it seemed to Nishida that they were also disappointed. However, Nishida was not patient enough to stay with his juniors' sightseeing forever.
"Hey, are you done? I want to check the details quickly."
Nishida said somewhat intimidatingly, and although they weren't afraid, each returned to their own desk. And Nishida placed the investigation report on his desk and began to check the details. Kitamura also picked up another report and sat down.
Shortly after 1:00 PM on July 14, Showa 52, near 300m toward Ikutahara from the Jomon Tunnel on the JNR Sekihoku Main Line in Ikutahara Town, three off-duty JNR staff (Kitagawa Tomoyuki, Shinoda Michiyoshi, Tanemura Masatoshi) accidentally discovered two skeletonized bodies during the collection of remains of tako-beya laborers for memorial purposes. They contacted the JNR track maintenance crew by radio. Receiving the report from the track maintenance crew, the Engaru Station Detective Division and Forensics rushed to the site. During the confirmation of the bodies (judged to be both male at this point) and the search of the surroundings, around 4:30 PM, another male skeletonized body was excavated from right next to the location where the bodies were found. From the proximity of the location and the condition of the bodies, it was inferred that they were buried at almost the same time as the previous two. The possibility of a murder case was considered, and setting up an investigation headquarters was also thought of, but it was certain that the burial was from quite a long time ago, and since the statute of limitations was involved and further verification was needed as to whether the cause of death was due to a harmful act, the investigation was temporarily continued in that form.
According to the testimony of the three who discovered the first two bodies, "Two large stones were standing side by side near the stream, and they didn't seem to be in a natural state, so we inferred that they might be the burial site of tako-beya labor victims. When we dug, we found one skeletonized body from each."
According to the subsequent appraisal by Forensics and the Kitami Regional HQ SIL, one was a male in his 40s to 60s, about 160cm tall, cause of death unknown. The other was a male in his 20s to 40s, about 165cm tall, and since there was a depressed fracture mark on the head of the body, it is highly likely that that was the cause of death. However, it is unknown whether the depression was due to an accident or was man-made. It was obvious at a glance that both bodies had passed a considerable amount of time, and looking at the clothes, at the beginning of the investigation, they saw a high possibility that they were from before the war to around the Showa 30s.
The above was recorded first.
There were also photos of each body (skeleton), and particularly looking at the photo of the body named "A," inferred to be middle-aged to elderly, there was also an enlarged part of the lower jaw, where a gold tooth in the front tooth part was shown. Nishida was not detailed about dentistry, but he read from it that he was likely a person of some wealth because it was a gold tooth from a quite old era. In the report, it also said, "As a result of reference interviews with dental medical professionals, it is thought that a quite high amount of money was incurred for that time, and it is inferred that the person had a certain amount of economic leeway at the time, or had economic leeway before then."
Nishida thought that if he were a victim of tako-beya labor, such a thing would not have happened, but looking at the continuation of the report, it said, "Apparently there were occasionally wealthy people among tako-beya laborers who had fallen on hard times," and it seems that alone did not become a material to deny that he was a victim of tako-beya labor even back then. It also said, "The fact that they were buried properly stood out in contrast to many victims of tako-beya labor who were treated haphazardly, but as will be reported in detail later, another skeletonized body discovered by the police investigation was buried quite haphazardly, so on the premise that the three cases are related, it does not go as far as to deny it." The report for that one was currently being read thoroughly by Kitamura, so Nishida decided to leave the details for later.
The other skeletonized body, inferred to be a younger person, was named "B," but regarding the head depression of B, it was expressed as "thought to be due to a blunt instrument or the fall of a heavy object." It seems the final conclusion was that "it was a damage well worth a fatal wound, but it is impossible to clearly determine whether it was an accident or a crime, and the object cannot be specified either." Looking at the photo, it was a considerable depression mark, and Nishida inferred that it might be a large stone-like object, whether it was a blow with a blunt instrument or the fall of something.
Looking at the photo of the overall figure of A, he seemed to be wearing a hanten and patchi, and inside he wore a loincloth and a cotton shirt. The photo of B was almost the same clothing, but he was wearing a patterned cloth from the lower arm to the back of the hand. In the investigation at that time, that cloth was "an Ainu traditional craft, something called tekunpe," and it seems to be a kind of "hand guard" used for protecting the hands during rituals or mountain walking. From this, the idea that B might be an "Ainu" also came up, but there was nothing else among the worn items that recalled the Ainu, and the small knife B had was a normal design, whereas if he were an Ainu, the handle should have had unique decorations (a small knife or mountain knife called a makiri or tashiro), so they couldn't determine whether he was a Wajin or an Ainu either.
Nishida looked away from the report once, opened the cardboard box of evidence, and confirmed the clothes and worn items of A and B in the plastic bags. Because they had been buried in the soil for a long time, there was considerable dirt, but they seemed to have been preserved to some extent. For the cloth called "tekunpe," he could tell even with the dirt that it had unique Ainu patterns.
Reading the report again, a sentence that was a bit bothersome caught Nishida's eye. It said that a pipe and a box of fukien (T/N: shredded tobacco) were buried as offerings with A and B in cans. It was seen as an "offering." Some of the contents had been taken, but both seemed to have nearly half remaining. Because they were in cans, they seemed to have been in a fairly good state. If they had been buried directly in the soil, they would have rotted. The brand of shredded tobacco was "Fukien" for both, and it seems the identification of the era had too much range as that brand existed from Meiji 41 to Showa 19 just before the end of the war.
In such a situation, considering the existence period of the shredded tobacco brand, it seems they were able to confirm at least that the burial was before the war. However, it was the idea of the investigators at that time that it was impossible to pinpoint the burial time or survival period of A and B beyond that. And they couldn't specify whether A died naturally or B died by accident or by a harmful act by another person, and since the statute of limitations was also involved, they didn't or couldn't indict.
Also, regarding the identification of the victims, they tried matching with the missing person registrants within the Kitami Regional HQ that could be traced back, but as expected, there was a limit to the passage of years and they couldn't do it. The land in question was private land, but the landowner also seemed to have testified that he had no idea. The name of the landowner interviewed was Terakawa Matsunosuke, and Nishida guessed that he was likely a relative like the father of Terakawa Daisuke, whom the Station Chief had asked for search permission.
By the time Nishida finished reading, Kitamura had already finished reading and was waiting for Nishida. Without daring to ask each other anything, they exchanged reports, and this time he began to look at the report mainly about "C," the skeletonized body discovered from near the two bodies.
"C," discovered after the investigation at the site began, was found about 2m away from the location where the two were buried almost side by side, and unlike the two, there was nothing corresponding to a gravestone, no clothes, and it was recorded as being buried in a quite messy form. In fact, in the photo of the whole thing at the site, it could be seen that the limbs of the body were buried in a disorganized form, and Nishida also got the impression that it was likely "thrown away" into a hole that was dug. Also, nothing seemed to have been buried with it. This point had become a certain basis for the theory that he was a "victim of tako-beya labor." However, that was also not enough to be definitive, and the investigators at that time also seemed to have been troubled as to whether the proximity of the burial place was just a coincidence or because there was some relationship with the two bodies.
And, the estimated age of C was in the 20s to 40s like B, and the height was around 170cm, which Nishida thought was in a quite high category for before the war. The cause of death was again a depressed fracture of the head like B, but looking at the photo, it was clearly more severe than A. Specifically, multiple depression marks were seen in the enlarged photo of the affected area. From this and the fact that the way of burial was clearly different from B, it was natural that the investigators at that time also held the conviction at an early stage that it was likely murder or injury resulting in death. However, this one was also passed over for indictment purely because of the statute of limitations. Also, like A and B, the victim could not be identified. Ultimately, the three bodies had become skeletonized, but they were properly cremated and apparently entrusted as unidentified deceased to "Koan-ji" in Ikutahara Town, the place of discovery.
Koan-ji is located about five minutes' walk from Ikutahara Station and is the oldest temple in Ikutahara. Nishida also had an acquaintance with the chief priest on his side, as he served as a member of the Police Station Council (to explain briefly, a member of the council of the police station and local resident representatives), regardless of how much the other side recognized Nishida. Among the monks who are often ridiculed as funeral Buddhists or worldly monks in modern times, he seemed to be rumored in the streets as a person of character who is highly evaluated by those around him.
However, Nishida finally noticed something at this point. It was that the chief priest who was attending to perform the memorial service at that memorial ceremony was likely different from the current chief priest, "Matsuno Shin'an." Until he was looking at the booklet of the memorial ceremony, he hadn't noticed that, or at least he hadn't consciously confirmed the attendees from Koan-ji.
When he took the booklet out of the drawer and confirmed, as expected, the attendees from Koan-ji at that time were Chief Priest "Okada Soshin" and Monk "Okada Koryu," and he thought Koryu was likely the same person as the current chief priest of "Ko-on-ji" in Engaru, "Okada Koryu." Okada Koryu is also a member of the Police Station Council. Either way, Nishida thought these two were father and son. And he thought the current Chief Priest Matsuno was a monk who likely had no direct blood relationship with the two, who came to succeed them for some reason. Either way, he should confirm this point with Chief Priest Okada of Ko-on-ji in Engaru eventually.
Nishida closed the materials after thinking that far, but since the amount of content was less for Nishida this time, he had finished reading before Kitamura. What Nishida could say at this point was that the senior detectives of the Engaru Station at that time had investigated "properly" for a "matter" where the statute of limitations was already likely at the start of the investigation. It might be because they were "free" just like "now," but since Nishida knew from experience that quite sloppy investigations were done by staff of rural police, he even wanted to express respect for the polite investigation and survey. It even seemed to Nishida that they might have wanted to leave the regret of not being able to clarify the truth despite the involvement of three deaths to posterity, rather than "by chance" leaving the materials of the case that wasn't indicted.
After a while, Kitamura also finished reading, so Nishida asked for his impressions.
"It's a mysterious case. If it weren't for the statute of limitations, I'd want to investigate it thoroughly just to solve it, rather than for the purpose of arresting the culprit."
"Certainly. But if you think about it, if the culprit of the Yoneda murder we're pursuing is also Shinoda, he's already dead, so in the sense that we can't arrest him, what we're doing might be the same as what Kitamura said..."
"Now that you mention it, that might be so," Kitamura said as if savoring the thought.
"Hey! You two, don't be soaked in such sentimentality, and if you're done reading, report how it was!"
Nishida, brought back to reality by Sawai's low, echoing voice, reported,
"Section Chief, first of all, I think it's fine to say it's unrelated to the current case, unfortunately... It's just that there was a case that Kitagawa and Shinoda were involved in in the past. And only as pure 'discoverers' of the bodies."
"I see... That's a shame, although it was within expectations... But since it seems like an interesting case, I think I'll take a look at it too."
Sawai, perhaps free after finishing the evening paper, took the two investigation reports as if snatching them from Nishida and Kitamura, brought them to his seat, and began reading silently.
Sawai, who read intently for about thirty minutes, returned the two books to the cardboard box and said,
"Near that site, there were originally two nameless 'grave markers' standing, that's how it is, two of them."
He repeated "two." Hearing that, the expression "Remote Grave Marker," which Sawai had uttered using the word "remote" that Nishida had said in front of the monument before, suddenly revived in Nishida's mind.
August 11th, 7:30 AM. While the rain was drizzling since morning, Nishida shook off the rain on his umbrella and closed it in front of the station entrance, then hurried into the station. However, immediately after, he was stopped by Officer Takada of the Traffic Division.
"Team Leader Nishida, something terrible has happened, hasn't it?"
"!?"
Nishida had a puzzled expression, unable to understand Takada's statement.
"Did you see the newspaper? This morning's Doho."
"I'm on a solo assignment, so I don't take the newspaper at home here. I wonder if I should take it after all?"
There was no point in asking such a thing to someone else, but since it would be dull to ask what was in it right away, he had unintentionally made a meaningless remark.
"Oh... You should take it, really... No, no, that kind of talk doesn't matter! You'd better look quickly! Because something terrible is happening."
Takada almost went along with Nishida's talk for a moment, but immediately brought the talk back and, as he was told, Nishida hurried to the Detective Division room.
When he opened the door, Section Chief Sawai, who usually came later than Nishida, was already there. Had his subordinates, other than Takeshita and Mitsushima who were off today and Kitamura who hadn't arrived from Kitami yet, including the night shift team, already gathered, having seen something in the newspaper and rushed here like Takada? And before Nishida could speak,
"Hey Nishida, look at this! You don't take the newspaper, so you haven't seen it, right?" Section Chief Sawai thrust out a rolled-up morning paper. Nishida received it without hesitation and opened the rolled-up newspaper. Then, a group of intense characters appeared before his eyes on the front page.
'Hokkaido Police Arrests Innocent Person on Separate Case. Unconscious During Interrogation'
Nishida couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"What is this!"
"They've gone and scooped it on the front page. They got us... I didn't completely not have it in mind, but it really hurts when they actually do it..."
The Section Chief lightly tapped the desk with his fist. Nishida, while watching that, tried to properly grasp the content of the paper this time.
It started with the opening, "It has been found that at the Kitami Police Station, after a suspect in a murder case was arrested on a separate case for a traffic accident, the detention was continued even after his innocence regarding the murder was confirmed, and subsequently the suspect fell into unconsciousness during interrogation," and the flow of the article was that Kitagawa was arrested on July 25th, his alibi was claimed and established on July 29th, he became unconscious on August 1st, and remains unconscious and hospitalized now.
However, the content of the suspicion when Kitagawa was arrested on the separate case was only "traffic accident," making it seem as if it were a separate-case arrest for a minor case. Even if it was a separate-case arrest, it was a fact that it was a drunk driving accident well worth an arrest in general. And, even if the alibi was established, things that were advantageous to the police and disadvantageous to Kitagawa, such as the fact that Kitagawa had stolen a camera from the body and that his involvement in a series of cases was suspected, were not clearly written, and the article content was as if the police were unilaterally the "villains."
Nishida let out a big sigh after reading to the end.
"Even if Kitagawa was innocent regarding the murder, are they ignoring the fact that it was necessary to hear the circumstances after that! In the first place, the separate case was also at an arrest-case level!"
Helpless anger burst from his mouth.
Yoshimura replied dismissively,
"Well, the idea that the police are bad is something that's easy for the press to do."
"To be honest, I had thought that this kind of report might come out someday, but the feeling of being 'gotten' is strong now that it's actually out."
The Section Chief received the newspaper as if snatching it from Nishida and lightly slapped it onto his desk.
"This will be a big fuss in Kitami."
At Oba's words,
"It's more than a big fuss. They're in a terrible state with the investigation of the serial murders, and on top of that, they have to handle this. Including the Main Office, I don't think they'll be able to settle it for a while, will they?"
As he said this, the Section Chief rotated his chair restlessly left and right, not hiding his lack of composure.
"The case of the serial rape-murders hasn't been solved, and with this, the wind from the media and citizens might become even stronger."
Nishida was concerned about the influence on the investigation after this.
"However, it was a help for us. If he had become unconscious at the Engaru Station instead of the Kitami Station at that time, we would have been the ones in the line of fire too. Although the investigation headquarters is originally at the Engaru Station..."
What Oba was saying was correct. Certainly, it's the same that the Kitami Regional HQ is leading the investigation, but the difference between whether Kitagawa's unconsciousness happened in the interrogation room of the Kitami Station or the Engaru Station was a quite big difference at least for the Engaru Station. If it had happened at the Engaru Station where the investigation headquarters is, Station Chief Makita would have had to be present if they were to hold an explanation press conference. There's no doubt the media would have rushed here too.
"Also, the fact that the separate-case arrest itself was a drunk driving personal injury accident was a blessing in disguise. Normally, if it were a case where they wouldn't arrest, the problem would have become even bigger," Kurosu added, which was also an undeniable fact.
"But was it at the instigation of Lawyer Matsuda?"
Kurosu voiced a doubt about the source of the article.
"Kitagawa became unconscious on August 1st, and today is August 11th. I guess Matsuda leaked the information to the Doho for the purpose of accusation, and the Doho confirmed it and put it out today."
The Section Chief stated his idea, agreeing with Kurosu.
"But does it take ten days for that? We've become insensitive because we're the parties involved, but if you think about it, I feel like it's an article with quite a bit of news value."
Komura's point was also certainly a point. Stories of false accusations or this kind of thing are worth jumping on for the media. Even if the investigators packed into the investigation headquarters were tight-lipped, a reporter with certain "connections" should have had a way to confirm even with investigators of the Kitami Regional HQ outside the investigation headquarters. No matter how tight-lipped the investigators were, it was quite impossible to completely prevent information from leaking to the outside, even in the experience of the detectives. He didn't think it would take that much time to confirm the information.
"Matsuda must have had various things to do and couldn't tip off the Doho immediately. Anyway, we just have to do what we should do."
The Section Chief, while irritated, concluded that and spurred the investigators. Each returned to their desk upon receiving that, but the fact that the restless air remained filled in the Detective Division did not change.
Before 9:00 AM,
"I'm sorry I'm late," Kitamura, who commutes from Kitami, rushed in out of breath.
"Did you see the Doho?" the Section Chief called out.
"Yes. Of course. I was curious, so I stopped by the Regional HQ too, but rather than being bloodthirsty, everyone's just quite fed up. The Regional HQ Director, the Section Chief, and the Criminal Investigation Director all had faces like they'd chewed on a bitter bug. Only the Manager was nonchalant."
"They have things to do like press conferences from now on. Of course they would. They must have been scolded by the Main Office too."
Sawai seemed to be sympathizing from the bottom of his heart.
"No, they were rather angry at the Main Office, though. Saying it's because they sent someone like Michishita-san. Anyway, it won't settle down for a while..."
"What's happening with the serial murders?"
"No clues. The decomposed one is still unidentified."
Kitamura's tone in answering Nishida was heavy.
"A tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the back gate. If we can't handle both properly, we'll become the perfect target for the media."
The Section Chief said seriously.
"I'm envious of the Engaru Station, honestly. Isn't the timing of avoiding it this time too good?"
Kitamura probably had no ill will, but for the Engaru team who heard that remark, it became an even more complicated feeling as they couldn't directly deny it.
It was then. As if to tear through the heavy air, the phone suddenly rang. When Oba received the call,
"Team Leader, Tanaka—I think it's likely Tanaka Kiyoshi—called for the Team Leader, so they said they've connected it here..." he told Nishida.
"Tanaka Kiyoshi?"
For a moment, he was bewildered that a call had come from Tanaka, but Nishida immediately realized, "Did he see the article about Kitagawa?" To be honest, if he could have avoided receiving the receiver from Oba, he would have, but he couldn't do that.