Chapter 21 - Straying 8 (71–80: Leak Suspicions Toward Takeshita and Their Resolution)
"Don't give me 'This is Nishida'! Do you people even understand what you've done?!"
A roar echoed through the receiver, and Nishida instinctively pulled it away from his ear.
"Is this about the article in this morning's Doho?"
Nishida returned the receiver to his ear, feigning composure.
"Of course it is! I heard from my daughter that he was arrested for drunk driving and then collapsed at the station, but I had no idea you were investigating him for murder! And it says right there that he was overseas at the time! What were you police thinking, interrogating an innocent man until he fell into a coma?"
Lawyer Matsuda should have known the circumstances, but perhaps he hadn't told the family the details, or perhaps the family hadn't passed them on to Tanaka. Either way, Nishida realized that Tanaka certainly hadn't known the specifics until today.
"Tanaka-san. As reported, the suspicion of murder regarding your son-in-law may have been cleared, but the fact remains that he was and is a person of interest. It's true we were questioning him on the drunk driving charge, but we had evidence that justified the interrogation. Furthermore, in a separate incident involving a certain individual's fatal accident, he stole items that the deceased had on his person. I won't go so far as to say our investigative methods were flawless, but that is a separate issue from this."
Nishida intended to remain calm, but he found himself speaking with natural heat.
"Then why is the article written like this! It's strange, isn't it? You people suspected me too; I can't trust you for a second!"
"It's true we suspected you at one point, but you must realize that once we had proper evidence, we didn't pursue you further, right? This time, it was precisely because we had firm evidence that he knew something about the murder that we held him for questioning instead of releasing him."
Tanaka didn't seem convinced—or rather, there was no reason he would be—but he tried to press further.
"What do you mean, that he was involved?"
"He took actions that he couldn't have taken unless he had some knowledge of where the victim's body was buried. Even if he was overseas and didn't commit the murder himself, he had awareness that a murder had occurred. That's what it means."
Nishida regained some of his composure and explained in a restrained tone.
"Hmm, I don't get it..."
Tanaka groaned, still seemingly unable to suppress his anger.
"The police will likely hold a press conference to explain the situation. I expect it will be on the TV news as well. Please watch that. That's all I can tell you for now. The time may come when I can speak in more detail, but as this is an ongoing investigation, I can't say any more at this stage."
Nishida spoke decisively, but Tanaka wouldn't back down.
"Even so, interrogating someone until they're unconscious... there's no way that can be allowed!"
His tone was lower than before, but naturally, his anger had not yet subsided.
"I understand how you feel. However, that didn't happen while I was interrogating him, and I can swear by all that is holy that I, at least, did not conduct any improper questioning."
Nishida asserted his own legitimacy. Of course, he couldn't say there was no desire to excuse himself by claiming he wasn't at fault, but his statement came more from a sense of professional pride—that as a detective, he had done nothing wrong. Tanaka fell silent for a while, then said:
"No matter what you say, I honestly can't accept it right now. However, when I think back to when you questioned me, I know it wasn't that terrible... I don't intend to trust the police one bit, but if you're going to go that far, I'll wait and see how the police handle this..."
With that, he hung up with a click without another word. His anger likely remained, but perhaps he had calmed down somewhat? Nishida felt he had regained some composure at the end.
Though it had been a surprisingly short time, Nishida, released from the tension, took a deep breath and hung up, but he didn't let go of the receiver for a while.
"Hey, you okay? Did he give you a hard time?"
At the Section Chief's words, Nishida finally let go of the phone.
"He was certainly furious, but I think it was better than it could have been... He backed down surprisingly quickly... Not because he was convinced, but he just declared a 'suspension' of judgment, saying he'd decide his attitude after seeing the police's response."
Thinking back, he felt Tanaka's outburst hadn't been as bad as he'd imagined. Rather than the scolding itself, it was more accurate to say he was now feeling the weight of the realization—something obvious in a sense—that investigative methods could have unimaginable impacts on those around them.
"I see. Well, that's good then... Though I suppose he wouldn't be easily convinced, given the circumstances."
"I imagine so... Since it was reported in a way that made it look like his son-in-law was dragged into this. Even if they didn't get along that well. But now, it's all the more reason we have to solve this case, no matter what."
"Yes, of course."
The Section Chief replied briefly to Nishida's determined words. Then Nishida added:
"I feel sorry for Kurano-san and the others; they're going to be under many times more pressure than I am for a while."
Nishida was considering the state of mind of the Kitami Regional Headquarters executives as if it were someone else's problem.
Amidst that hectic atmosphere, phone calls from the Kitami Regional Headquarters and the Prefectural Police Headquarters continued, along with a barrage of media inquiries. The Detective Division remained busy responding to them. By the time they finally caught a break, it was already past 3:00 PM. The Section Chief instructed everyone to take lunch in shifts. Nishida, feeling mentally exhausted, found it too much trouble to go out and decided to make do with a cup of ramen he had in the Detective Division office. As Nishida entered the breakroom to get hot water, Kitamura, who was supposed to have gone out for a meal, followed him in.
"Oh, didn't you go out to eat?"
"I thought about it, but I stopped when I saw you staying behind, Nishida-san."
"Being considerate of me? No, that doesn't seem like it... Did something happen?"
Nishida sensed from Kitamura's expression that he had something to talk about.
"Actually, I've been waiting for the right timing since this morning, but given the situation, I couldn't bring it up..."
"Sorry about that."
"No, no, it's not like it's anyone's fault."
"So, what is it?"
"It's about that article from this morning."
"The Doho one?"
"Yes."
After the brief exchange, Nishida glanced at his watch to check the time for the cup noodles, but immediately returned his gaze to Kitamura. Kitamura began to speak as if confirming that attention.
"It was on August 5th, around 7:30 PM... Remember when we talked about karaoke during the Kitagawa stakeout?"
The conversation had suddenly become disconnected, leaving Nishida confused, but he answered to keep the flow going.
"I think we did talk about that."
"At that time, I was hanging out with the girlfriend I mentioned before at a cafe in front of Kitami Station, and Takeshita-san was sitting in a seat a little way off. I thought about saying hello, but he was talking intently with someone, so I held back..." Kitamura continued. "I see," Nishida understood that Kitamura wanted to talk about Takeshita.
"On August 5th, Takeshita should have been at Engaru Station, not Regional HQ. Did he go to Kitami after that? I had come back from questioning at the Nayoro Detention House... I remember now! When I got back, Takeshita had already taken a half-day off and wasn't at the station. I remember confirming it with the Station Chief."
"Is that so? Then he must have gone to Kitami after that. Anyway, getting back to the story, I felt like I'd seen the person Takeshita-san was talking to somewhere before, and I kept trying to remember even after I got home from the date. Then, the next day, I finally remembered."
"So, who was it?"
"Before I came to Kitami, I worked at Kushiro Higashi Station, and it was a journalist named Igarashi who used to frequent the Kushiro police press club."
Once it got this far, Nishida realized what Kitamura was trying to say, but since it was something he didn't want to believe, he couldn't help but confirm.
"Wait a minute! You're not saying this morning's article was a tip-off from Takeshita, are you?"
"Yes, I suspect so..."
It was true that Takeshita had defied the investigation policy several times since the task force was established. Furthermore, given that this was a critical article regarding the arrest on separate charges that Takeshita had been complaining about, one could certainly draw that conclusion.
"But Lawyer Matsuda also has a grasp of the general sequence of events this time, right? Wouldn't a leak from that side make more sense?"
"Of course, I think that's the most likely line. However, even if that's the case, there's a possibility that Takeshita-san cooperated in verifying the facts... Takeshita-san is off today, so I couldn't confirm it even if I wanted to. No, even if he were here, I doubt I'd have the courage to ask him directly..."
One could only guess what was in Kitamura's heart, but there was no doubt he had been harboring quite a lot of muddled emotions from the moment he saw the article this morning, left Kitami, came to Engaru, and finally confessed to Nishida.
"Have you told anyone else about this?"
"No, I haven't told anyone but you, Nishida-san, from the moment I realized it was a Doho reporter until today. I haven't told Section Chief Sawai, of course, and I haven't reported it to Kitami (Regional HQ) either."
"I see... That's a help. I don't think Takeshita is the kind of person to do things this way, but it's also true that it's premature to conclude there's absolutely no problem based on circumstantial evidence. Understood. I'll confirm it directly with Takeshita tomorrow. Keep this matter confidential until the results are known. I'm counting on you..."
Nishida requested of his younger partner as if he were praying.
"Wait? Aren't you and I off tomorrow, Nishida-san?"
However, in contrast to Nishida, Kitamura confirmed this quite simply, as if returning to his normal self.
"That's true, but in this situation, I can't be talking about taking the day off."
"Then I'd feel bad. I'll come in too."
If a senior colleague was giving up their day off, there weren't many juniors with the guts to say they'd take their day off as planned.
"Don't worry about it, you take your day off. I'm Takeshita's direct supervisor, after all."
"But you were planning to go back to Sapporo, weren't you?"
"I was planning to, but I hadn't promised I'd be back yet, so it's fine. You're the one who probably has a date or something planned, right?"
Nishida hadn't reached a firm conclusion on whether to go back or not, so he hadn't contacted his family about it. That made this decision easier.
"Well, yeah... Understood. I'm really sorry, but I'll leave it to you then. It's selfish of me to be the only one off, but I feel like a weight's been lifted, and honestly, I'm a bit hungry, so I'm going to go eat."
Kitamura repeated his apologies, but unable to resist his appetite, he bowed and scurried out of the breakroom.
Nishida, on the other hand, despite what he'd said, was suddenly starting to worry about Takeshita. He began to feel a sudden, vivid fear that Takeshita's sense of justice might turn into a resolve that wouldn't hesitate to betray the police organization. Kosaka-san's words—"Do you think he might quit the police?"—also took on a strange credibility. When you think of the worst, things tend to head in that direction; Nishida shook his head to try and dispel the thought, but it wouldn't leave his mind. Glancing at the clock, he realized about four minutes had passed since he'd added the water. Hurriedly grabbing disposable chopsticks from the shelf, he rushed back to the Detective Division office with his cup noodles.
After a dizzying day, Nishida returned to his apartment after 9:00 PM. He sank into the floor chair in his room, still wearing his suit. Even after Kitamura's "confession," he'd had to deal with a barrage of phone inquiries from national newspapers, so he hadn't had a moment to truly catch his breath. The accumulated fatigue hit him all at once.
A press conference by the Kitami Regional Headquarters had been held after 6:00 PM today, and it was treated as a major event, even broadcast live on local news. Nishida and the others had watched it on the station's TV. Combined with the serial female murders, it was a press conference where shouts frequently flew. Four people—Criminal Investigation Director Toyama from the Prefectural Police HQ, Regional Headquarters Chief Sonoyama from Kitami, Public Relations Officer Mitsuzawa from the Prefectural Police HQ, and Criminal Investigation Director Otomo from the Kitami Regional HQ, who was the head of this task force—were handling the Q&A. Even the Engaru members watching on TV could sense the tension in each of them, and Nishida thought the sweat trickling down their foreheads was likely due to mental pressure rather than the heat.
The executives argued that the cases treated as arrests on separate charges were normally arrestable offenses and asserted the necessity of the subsequent investigation. However, when it was pointed out that they had been interrogating him about a murder while he was held for a drunk driving accident, that they had failed to pay attention to the suspect Kitagawa's physical condition (even if it wasn't strictly illegal), and that there were words and actions that seemed to apply pressure during the questioning, it didn't look to Nishida, an insider, like they were handling it very well. If that was the case, it might not have made a very good impression on the general public in front of their TVs either. Or rather, it might be more accurate to say that those points were facts, and there was no room for excuses.
While blankly reflecting on this for a while, Nishida managed to recover enough energy to stand up, opened the refrigerator, and grabbed a can of beer. Originally, he had intended to return to Sapporo on the night express Okhotsk from Abashiri, but that had also fallen through. When he told the Section Chief during work that he would be coming in tomorrow, giving up his day off, the Chief's eyes widened in surprise, and like the subordinate-valuing Chief he was, he asked for a scolding-like reconfirmation of the "intent," but Nishida's conclusion naturally didn't change. Since he couldn't tell the Section Chief the detailed reason, he made an excuse about needing to receive the report on the pickaxe he'd left at the Kitami Regional HQ and needing to handle the mess from the newspaper reports, but the Section Chief didn't seem entirely convinced. Since he'd previously mentioned the option of returning to his home in Sapporo after a long absence, it probably didn't sound like a reason strong enough to stop him, and the Section Chief likely thought Nishida should prioritize his family relationships over such things. Nishida himself didn't think it was a very good excuse.
However, even if he did return in such an exhausted state, he probably wouldn't have the energy to properly spend time with his family. As a result, including the fact that he hadn't contacted his family beforehand, he decided to think of it as a blessing in disguise that he wouldn't have to betray their "expectations," and he opened the can of beer. Then, as Nishida sat in his suit, beer in hand, staring at a TV drama, the phone suddenly rang just as he stood in front of the fridge to get a third beer. To Nishida, who had been straining his ears to hear the drama's dialogue, it was a bolt from the blue and a most unpleasant sound.
"Yes, this is Nishida."
He answered the phone somewhat grumpily and bluntly.
"Hello, this is Takeshita."
He was slightly flustered that the call was indeed from Takeshita.
"Oh, do you need something?"
He tried his best to act as if he knew nothing.
"I just got back from Sapporo a moment ago, and I'm calling from home... I wanted to talk to the Section Chief or the Team Leader right away, so I called the station. Yoshimura, who's on night shift, told me 'The Section Chief and the Team Leader were here until a bit ago, but they've already gone home'... I thought the Section Chief could wait until working hours tomorrow, but you're off tomorrow, Team Leader."
It seemed Takeshita had used his day off today to go to Sapporo. Nishida thought that since he'd just returned, he must have arrived in Engaru just before 9:00 PM on the Okhotsk No. 7 express. Nishida had also used it twice when returning from Sapporo. Since Takeshita was still single, he rented a room in an apartment building near Engaru Station, so he should have been able to get home immediately after getting off. Nishida somehow didn't mention giving up his day off tomorrow.
"You were in Sapporo? Did you have some shopping to do?"
He threw in a somewhat meaningless question to feel out Takeshita's state.
"No, I was actually supposed to take it easy all day today, but I suddenly had the idea this morning."
"I see... So, what is it you want to talk about so urgently after getting back from Sapporo?"
"If it's alright, would it be okay if I came over to your place directly now?"
"I don't mind, but is it something that needs to be settled today?"
"Yes. I think it would be better if it was."
Since he said it so clearly, Nishida felt it wasn't a light topic. It was likely a fairly important matter. Given this morning's article, he felt there was a good chance it was about that. Nishida thought he needed to prepare himself for the meeting. Being able to confirm the Doho matter today, which he'd planned to do tomorrow, wasn't a bad thing, but if his "intuition" was right, he wasn't exactly in the mood to move it forward. However, he couldn't afford to be so leisurely, so he readily accepted Takeshita's visit.
"Understood. I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about too, so I'll be waiting."
"Is that so? Then I'll be right over. It's not so far that I need to take the car; I think I'll be there in about 15 minutes on foot. See you later."
After the conversation ended, Nishida finally decided to change. If Takeshita hadn't been visiting, he might have stayed in his suit until he took a bath. Changing in less than five minutes, he placed a can of beer and some peanuts for Takeshita on the table and waited for the "decisive battle."
Takeshita arrived about five minutes later than scheduled. He wasn't wearing a tie, but he was dressed in a jacket and slacks. He was likely still in the clothes he'd worn back from Sapporo, but he clearly didn't have the vibe of someone who'd gone out for "pleasure." Also, since he was carrying a bag in his right hand and a plastic convenience store bag with beer and snacks in his left, he was probably late because he'd stopped to shop.
"This is the beer you drink, right, Team Leader?"
"Yeah, that's the one. Sorry about that."
Takeshita was meticulous about such things. Nishida gestured for him to sit, and the two faced each other across the table.
"As expected of summer vacation, there was no way I could get a reserved seat today, and the non-reserved seats were crowded both ways. Especially on the way there, I had to stand all the way to Sapporo; I'm exhausted."
Takeshita voiced a light complaint as he opened his beer.
"Well, it can't be helped this time of year. And if you're going to Sapporo from the morning, the non-reserved seats are already full by the time it leaves Abashiri or Kitami."
Nishida played along with the conversation, but internally he was bracing himself for when the "confession" would come. However, Takeshita just munched on the "sake toba" (T/N: dried salmon jerky) he'd bought and gulped down his beer, repeatedly offering some to Nishida, and showed no sign of mentioning the important "thing he wanted to talk about." Losing patience, Nishida brought up the topic himself.
"So, what's this talk about?"
The arm holding the can lowered, and Takeshita quietly set it down. He suddenly took a business card from his breast pocket and this morning's Doho from his bag, placing each in front of Nishida.
"You saw this morning's article too, of course, Team Leader?"
Thinking "here it comes," Nishida put on a stern face and replied with a single word.
"Of course."
"Well, I thought so... Actually, the other day—I think it was the day you were on a business trip to Nayoro—a senior from my university days, or rather an alumnus... oh, I was in the Media Research Group back then, and an alumnus from there is now a reporter for the Doho's social affairs department, covering the police beat and special assignments. He contacted me saying, 'I'm in Kitami for an investigation, and there's something I absolutely have to confirm with you directly regarding the murder case that happened in your jurisdiction.'"
Saying this, Takeshita pushed the business card further toward Nishida. It read: "Hokkaido Shinpo, Social Affairs Reporter, Igarashi Mitsuru." It was undoubtedly the reporter Kitamura had seen with Takeshita in Kitami. Even so, it was the first Nishida had heard of Takeshita being in a Media Research Group. He'd known he was in the kendo club, though.
"So I had the afternoon off and met him in Kitami. Well, I thought it could be handled over the phone, but since he's a reporter, observing the other person's facial reactions is one of their methods. In that sense, I thought it might be better not to meet him, but I decided to 'enter the tiger's den' as a chance to find out what the media is chasing. When I met him, he asked, 'I've heard from a certain source that there was a major blunder in the investigation of a murder case that your Engaru Station is also involved in. What's the story?' I couldn't just admit to the Kitagawa matter, so I was being vague, saying 'I don't really know,' but my senior's behavior was a bit strange."
"Strange?"
Nishida was more focused on drawing out information than interrogating. As expected, he honestly didn't want to hear the conclusion, but since he intended to listen to the end before giving his opinion, he tried not to interrupt.
"Yes, strange. My senior is the type of person common among journalists who believes 'power must always be monitored,' so I was bracing myself for him to pursue various angles with a critical stance toward the police. But instead, he seemed worried..."
"What do you mean, he seemed worried?"
"That's the thing. The Doho's information was basically tipped off by Lawyer Matsuda... oh, of course, my senior couldn't and wouldn't say that part to protect his source, so it's just my guess, but he spoke with the nuance that 'pressure' was being applied to make him write the article."
"Pressure? You mean pressure from our side, the police?"
"No, not at all. It's the exact opposite. It sounded like he was being forced to write the article itself. My senior didn't say it clearly at the time, though."
Nishida was a bit taken aback. When it came to pressure, it was usually pressure to not write an article, but he realized it was possible for there to be pressure to write one.
"As a man of thorough rebellious spirit, my senior finds police scandals infuriating, but he apparently finds being 'forced to write' an article about them even more infuriating. He wanted to ask me directly if I knew anything about why such a thing was happening. Well, the whole structure is clear to me now, but at the time, I hadn't grasped it that clearly... Honestly, he didn't care about 'verifying' the Kitagawa matter; he seemed to be probing whether there was some power struggle within the police and if that pressure was an influence of it. As I said, it's a story that makes a lot of sense now that I look back..."
Having said that much, Takeshita moistened his mouth with beer again before continuing.
"Most likely, he was in Kitami to cover the matter of Kitagawa's unconsciousness, and that coverage—well, the coverage of Lawyer Matsuda—was probably mostly finished before he met me. But he had no idea why pressure was being applied to bash the police, so he came to me to ask the reason. That's what I think now. If the tip-off was from the lawyer in charge, Matsuda, then the 'reliability of the source' would already be quite high, and even 'peripheral' police personnel not directly investigating the case would have known about it since the Kitagawa matter had become quite a stir. In other words, he could have gotten information from them just for verification; there should have been no need to call me out and ask me."
"So, what happened in the end?"
Since the story had taken an unexpected turn, Nishida prompted him to continue out of pure curiosity.
"At the time, I didn't know the circumstances well, and my senior was probing, so we just moved on to small talk and called it a day. Then came today's front page. As for the content, while there were parts that were actually correct, there were also parts that were quite arbitrary in trying to lead to police criticism. So, I decided to use my day off to meet my senior directly and protest, and I headed for Sapporo first thing in the morning. At the same time, I wanted to find out what the pressure was that made him write the article, now that things had come this far."
Nishida was somewhat surprised that Takeshita, who had complained to the police policy to "investigate with a fair fight," was now on the side of the police, but Takeshita continued regardless.
"After arriving in Sapporo, I called my senior directly and managed to get an appointment. But when I thought about it, I'd acted first because I was angry, but there was no guarantee I could even meet him if he didn't want to... When I realized that, I felt disgusted with my own recklessness for the first time."
Takeshita gave a wry smile, but Nishida showed no interest in Takeshita's feelings and hurried him along.
"So, what did you talk about?"
"As soon as we met, I was surprised because my senior started getting angry, saying 'It's the tyranny of the political department.' It was probably because he was angry that he felt like meeting me when I came to protest. It seems the social affairs department wanted to investigate the people around Kitagawa and the police more before writing the article, even if they were going to do it under pressure, but due to re-applied pressure from the political department, it suddenly became an article in this form. In fact, the content was such that it even misidentified the facts, so it would be impossible for proper investigative journalism, wouldn't it?"
Takeshita sought Nishida's agreement with indignation.
"What do you mean, pressure from the political department? The article is the responsibility of the social affairs department, isn't it?"
Nishida didn't respond directly to that, prioritizing what he wanted to hear.
"The social affairs department had hesitations about putting it out as an article under pressure at that stage, but the political department applied pressure to the social affairs department again and made them reluctantly put it out. Moreover, the content must have been influenced by the political department's arbitrariness. There wasn't enough time or verification for careful investigative journalism, but even as a breaking news item, it's too late for it to become an article. I think that's the background of why such an article came out now."
Nishida wondered if it was possible for the political department to interfere in the social affairs department's articles. This was because he also considered the possibility that Takeshita was making up a story to hide his own involvement.
"Is there any evidence that pressure was applied from the political department?"
"Look at this article."
Takeshita pointed to the end of the front-page article.
"In the case of a front-page article, it's a Doho rule to put the department in charge or the reporter's name at the end. This article has no such signature."
Now that it was pointed out, there was indeed no signature at all, despite it being a scoop. It was likely a quiet protest from the social affairs department, which had been stripped of its publishing discretion.
"I see. It certainly is strange. However, I don't understand the reason why the political department intervened in the social affairs department..."
Nishida finally touched the sake toba, and while savoring each bite, he wasn't convinced at all.
"My senior didn't say that clearly either. It seems the social affairs desk didn't clearly explain why the political department forced the article. However, although it was strictly a 'rumor,' my senior mentioned the name of a certain politician."
Takeshita said this and continued drinking his beer.
"He said he heard from an acquaintance in the political department that it was a request from Oshima Kaiji."
Oshima Kaiji was said to be the very person who had applied pressure to the investigation task force at the time of Sada's disappearance eight years ago. That Oshima's name had come up again.
"Is that really true?"
"My senior didn't go so far as to be definitive, but if it's Oshima's level of influence, it's reasonably explanatory."
"If the story is true, then eight years ago it was the suspicion against the previous president of the Isaka Group, and this time it's the suspicion against an executive of the Isaka Group that he's applied pressure to the police for. If the story is true, that is..."
Takeshita nodded at Nishida's words and said:
"In both cases, it means he's trying to obstruct police matters involving the Isaka Group, a supporting company that's a 'cash cow' for Oshima, first by using the Prefectural Police HQ, and this time likely by using the newspaper in a way that involves Lawyer Matsuda..."
"Even so, Kitagawa is already unconscious with no prospect of recovery; was there any point in going this far for just one executive?"
"I thought about that too, but even if he's unconscious, we were still moving after that, so maybe it was meant as a finishing blow?"
Saying this, Takeshita tucked the business card into his pocket.
"In the first place, if our reasoning is correct that Kitagawa and Shinoda were involved in Sada's disappearance, then the finishing blow to obstruct the investigation becomes all the more important."
"That's true. In the end, it all connects back to that..."
Takeshita also agreed.
Nishida's "suspicion" toward Takeshita was resolved by Takeshita himself coming to explain, and while Nishida didn't show it on his face, he was quite relieved internally. Having finished his beer, he started on the next can when he remembered the earlier conversation.
"By the way, I heard you were in the kendo club in university, but a Media Research Group? Were you aiming for the media?"
"Embarrassingly enough. But I failed all of them... So, I ended up going in the completely opposite direction to the police, partly due to connections from the kendo club."
Of course, even with connections, it wouldn't matter unless he passed the exam, so there was no foul play, but it was rare to hear of a student aiming for the media getting a job with the police.
"So that's why you dislike the old ways of the police, isn't it?"
Nishida understood the reason for Takeshita's values.
"You caught me... There might be a subtle element of that. Well, I guess I'm just not cut out for it, at heart."
Takeshita played it off jokingly.
"You might not be cut out for it, but it's a good thing for the police to have smart guys as detectives. It's a fact that it's a workplace with a lot of 'muscle-brained' athletic types, after all."
As he said this, several instances that came to mind floated through his head.
"Actually, around last year, that senior Igarashi suggested I change jobs."
"What, change jobs?!"
Remembering Kosaka's words—"Do you think he might quit the police?"—he couldn't hide his agitation from his expression.
"That's right. The Doho was recruiting reporters from the workforce, and he told me, 'If you're interested, I'll recommend you too.' He gave me his seal of approval, saying someone with a detective background would definitely be valued even on the police beat."
"So, what did you think?"
Perhaps out of panic, he spoke a bit faster.
"Honestly, I was a bit swayed. No, I'm still swayed even now... I once had the grandiose idea of changing the police from the inside since I couldn't get into the media, but it's an impossible task... I was painfully reminded of that this time too. I wonder if I've reached my limit. When I think about finishing my whole life as a police officer, it makes me think."
Takeshita was exposing his truly conflicted state of mind. He'd only known him for a few months, but it was the first time he'd seen him like this.
"Hmm..."
In response, Nishida couldn't properly find a second word. Losing an excellent subordinate would be painful, but making a single life fulfilling depended on the person's own will.
"Oh, of course, it's not at the level of quitting right now or anything. Sorry for worrying you."
Takeshita placed a hand on his head and gave a light bow.
"Well, that's good then... At least don't quit while I'm in Engaru."
Saying this, Nishida offered Takeshita the peanuts he'd prepared. After Takeshita had munched on a few, he said as if remembering:
"By the way, you're off tomorrow, Team Leader, but aren't you going back to Sapporo? Well, from what I heard when I called earlier, Engaru Station was quite busy with the article matter, so you probably didn't make it. I think the night express Okhotsk was an option at the worst?"
"I intended to do that, but things got so hectic here and I'm exhausted... I couldn't imagine going back on the night train and then coming right back. It would be like going back just to sleep. So, I'm on duty tomorrow too."
"You're working instead of taking the day off? That's bad timing."
"I already told the Section Chief I'd be in before I left today... This kind of thing comes with the detective business."
"But this time it's just chores rather than detective business, isn't it? It's one thing if you can't go back because of an investigation, but if you can't go back for another reason even though the investigation has some leeway, that's just bad luck, isn't it?"
Perhaps the alcohol was starting to take effect; Takeshita's tone was different than usual.
"I suppose so."
Nishida gave a noncommittal response.
After talking for a while about everything from the investigation to general topics, Takeshita checked his watch.
"Oh, it's already 10:30... We both have work tomorrow, so I should probably head home."
He finished the rest of his beer and gathered the empty cans into the convenience store bag.
"You don't take the newspaper, do you? I'll leave this here then. Please eat the sake toba too."
"Sorry about that. I'll take it then."
Nishida tucked the plastic bag under the sink and followed Takeshita to the entrance as he hurriedly headed there with his bag.
As Takeshita was putting on his shoes, he turned back and spoke as if he'd just remembered.
"Oh, that's right. Didn't you say you had something to talk to me about too, Team Leader?"
Nishida thought for a moment that this was bad, but brushed it off.
"No, well, it's fine now."
"Eh, is it? If you say so, it's fine with me..."
Takeshita had a puzzled expression, but he placed his hand on the doorknob as he was. However, while still facing away, he muttered:
"Oh, I see. It was resolved by our talk just now..."
Nishida felt a chill down his spine at Takeshita's mutter.
"Did he realize?" he thought, but he felt awkward confirming it now. However, it wouldn't be strange if Takeshita had sensed what Nishida was thinking from his earlier response, and he braced himself for the fact that he'd probably been found out. But Takeshita didn't "pursue" it any further and turned back to Nishida to change the subject.
"About what we talked about, since you're working tomorrow, could you report it to the Section Chief for me?"
"Shouldn't you do it directly?"
"No, it was troublesome enough just explaining it to you, Team Leader, so I'll leave it to you to handle the Section Chief."
Takeshita said this and gave a light bow.
"Well, I don't mind..."
"Then it's settled. I'll leave it at that. Good work today. Good night."
"See you tomorrow."
Feigning that nothing was wrong, Nishida watched from the entrance as Takeshita went down the apartment stairs.
The next day, the 12th, when Nishida arrived at work, the Section Chief was already in, just like yesterday. He thought it was a rare occurrence, but before he could even say "good morning," Sawai spoke up.
"I've received word that Mitsushima and Kitamura are being called away to the Tanno murder case starting today. It seems 'Kitami' has finally had a fire lit under them."
"Eeeh? That's quite sudden. Did the message come this morning?"
Nishida was dumbfounded. It wasn't an impossible story, but he thought it was quite rude to do it without any prior notice.
"A fax seems to have come here, and I got a call on my mobile too. It was directly from Otomo-san, so I suppose after yesterday's article, they absolutely need an early resolution, don't they?"
Since the call had come directly from Criminal Investigation Director Otomo of the Kitami Regional HQ, he reconsidered that they had at least followed proper channels, but losing two people from an already understaffed team was a blow he couldn't say would have no impact.
"Losing two people so suddenly, will it really be okay?"
He spoke more as an appeal than a confirmation to the Section Chief.
"I can't say it won't be, but we can manage for now, can't we? We can have other teams from the Detective Division or other divisions help out. Do you think it's not enough?"
Questioned back by Sawai, Nishida could only say:
"No, well, if you say so, Section Chief..."
It was pointless to argue if his superior said so. Placing his bag on his desk and glancing around, he saw that all the members of the Violent Crimes Unit were already in. Given yesterday's events, Nishida approached Takeshita just in case and whispered:
"Are you sure it's okay coming from me?"
Takeshita gave a small nod. Receiving that, Nishida suggested to Sawai in a whisper:
"Excuse me, I have something to talk to you about, but since this isn't the place, let's go to the meeting room next door..."
The Section Chief didn't seem to understand the reason and had a look of disapproval, but he didn't refuse and headed to the meeting room with Nishida.
"What is it, so formally? Is it a rehash of the personnel matter from earlier?"
As soon as they entered the meeting room, the Section Chief questioned Nishida.
"No, that doesn't matter; it's about the Doho article from yesterday..."
At the sudden turn of events, the Section Chief bit back with more interest than expected.
"Did something happen with that article?"
Nishida was flustered, but he started:
"It seems Takeshita inquired with an acquaintance at the Doho about that article..."
"Takeshita?!"
The Section Chief reacted much more strongly than Nishida had anticipated.
"Yes, an alumnus from Takeshita's university days is at the Doho, and it seems he used his day off yesterday to confirm the circumstances of how the article came out."
"What do you mean? Explain it properly!"
Nishida, while flinching at the Section Chief's intensity, explained in quite a bit of detail the stories he'd heard from Kitamura and Takeshita yesterday. Once the Section Chief had heard that much, he seemed to have a firm grasp of the situation.
"Even so, why didn't you tell me when you got the information from Kitamura yesterday?"
If the superior's job was to fully grasp the situation, it was understandable that Sawai was angry.
"I'm sorry. I didn't have firm evidence yet, so I just..."
Nishida apologized profusely.
"Whether the information is correct or not isn't the problem! Whether I know it or not is the problem!"
Sawai said this, but immediately shook his head and muttered:
"No, I can only say that now..."
But he continued without a pause.
"There's no point in hiding it now, so I'll tell you: honestly, immediately after the article came out, I had a suspicion about Takeshita, even if it was just at a certain level... Considering Takeshita's recent words and actions and the task force's response. Of course, the task force leadership shouldn't have had any ill intent."
Nishida was taken aback by the sudden confession. Sawai continued regardless.
"That's why, if you'd talked to me, Nishida, I probably wouldn't have been able to help myself and would have called Takeshita directly to question him. If I'd done that, Takeshita's trust in me as a superior would have been considerably damaged. Thinking about it that way, it might have been better for me too that you kept quiet, Nishida..."
Now that it was mentioned, the Section Chief had seemed unusually restless and irritated after the article came out. The Section Chief wasn't the type to be so thick-skinned as to be completely unfazed, but he also wasn't the type to be so small-minded as to let his attitude show so blatantly over an article that mainly attacked the Kitami Regional HQ. That attitude must have been because of the "fear" that a direct subordinate was involved in the leak.
"I was also honestly worried that Takeshita might have leaked it after hearing the story from Kitamura, so I'm relieved it turned out to be a groundless fear."
"So that's why you gave up your day off, Nishida... What a misunderstanding. In that case, you could have taken today off too."
Unlike before, the Section Chief now had a somewhat cheerful smile.
"No, I already said I'd 'be in' yesterday, so it's fine. But it's quite awkward that Takeshita saw through me in the end."
Nishida grimaced slightly, and the Section Chief said:
"Don't worry about it too much. I was the same way. Besides, the reason Takeshita didn't report it to me directly might be because he thought I suspected him too."
"Takeshita wasn't here yesterday, so I don't think he was watching your behavior, Section Chief? When he first called me last night, he said he intended to report to either me or you, but since I was originally off today, he decided to report to me first. And if you were the one suspecting him, I don't see the point in having me report for him."
"Is that so? Of course, he might have been prepared for it to be awkward since he originally had no choice but to report to me directly, but if he could have you speak for him, wouldn't it be perfectly natural to think that's better? He's got sharp intuition. If he reports it himself, he'd have to answer questions from me, who'd be looking at him with suspicion, one by one, right? Maybe he thought it was a hassle? If he dumps it on you, he's free from that."
"Is that how it is...? But I was also looking at Takeshita with suspicion, so I don't think that's a reason... Either way, if that's the case, then I've been set up by Takeshita; I was pushed into doing something troublesome."
Nishida couldn't help but give a wry smile.
"Well, the hassle felt by the person being suspected and the hassle felt by a third party are different, so even if that's the case, forgive him."
"Yeah. I was suspecting him too, so I'll call it even as an atonement."
"That's fine then. Anyway, I'm glad it wasn't a leak from our side. And now that we know about Oshima's secret maneuvers in the background..."
At this moment, the Section Chief's eyes became sharp.
"If Oshima has come out this time too, I wonder if the second-generation Isaka president at least knew about the Yoneda matter..."
"It's hard to say. If by any chance he did know, he might have feared that the police poking around the Yoneda matter would ripple into the Sada matter, even if that was the previous president's problem. As Takeshita said, if the Yoneda case was somehow related to the Sada matter, then the previous President Isaka definitely knew, didn't he? Whether the second generation does or not is another story."
"We'll have to investigate that too. As it stands, it's still unclear."
"Let's just think about the search the day after tomorrow first. We're not in a situation where we can have a hand in everything."
Nishida was about to say something to Sawai, who had cautioned him, when his mobile suddenly rang.
"You can answer that; don't worry about our talk."
Having received permission from the Section Chief, Nishida answered immediately; it was from Kitamura.
"Nishida-san, I'm sorry. I got a 'summons' from this side late last night..."
"No, I don't mind, but it's tough for you too, since you were actually supposed to be off today."
Nishida was considerate.
"I don't mind that at all, but I'm really sorry to be leaving the investigation there half-finished. It seems like they have to do this to redeem themselves, especially after the article..."
Kitamura was apologizing profusely, making Nishida feel sorry for him.
"I don't mind at all, so you just do your best to solve the case over there quickly."
"Of course. Good luck on your end too."
"Yeah, I'll do what I can. I'll probably need your help again, Kitamura."
"If that happens, I'll be counting on you too. Oh, it seems the assembly order was given. So, excuse me, I have to go."
"I see, then..."
By the time he'd finished saying that, Kitamura had already hung up.
When Nishida finished the exchange and put the phone in his pocket, Sawai asked:
"It seems that was from Kitamura."
"Yes. It seems the Kitami Regional HQ is under pressure after all."
"Well, the Headquarters in Sapporo also has several murder cases on their hands right now, and it seems the whole Prefectural Police is in a bit of a panic."
As Sawai said, two separate murder cases had occurred in quick succession in Sapporo at the end of July. Including the unsolved murder in Wakkanai in May and the unsolved murder in Southern Hokkaido in July, the whole Prefectural Police had five ongoing murder cases, and if they added their Engaru case, it made six. Furthermore, with the scandal involving Kitagawa added to that, it was undeniable that they were starting to fall into a state of dysfunction. Even the Criminal Investigation Department of the large "Head Office," the Prefectural Police HQ in Sapporo, rarely had five murder cases at once, even if they hadn't dispatched anyone to Engaru, and there was a limit to the personnel they could dispatch. Especially for the serial rape-murders in Tanno, considering the impact on the citizens, they had already dispatched a considerable number of people, so it wasn't hard to imagine they were at their limit with this scandal as a further blow.
"It can't be helped. Which means that for a while, unless something major happens, we'll have to manage on our own..."
In response to Nishida's kind of resignation, Sawai also said:
"So, in a sense, we'll be enjoying that for a while," using words of resolve that were the exact opposite of their literal meaning.
On August 13th, when the Section Chief and Komura were off, the investigators of the Violent Crimes Unit spent the day preparing for the re-search of the site the following day. After finishing the meeting with Forensics, everything was ready by evening. Suggesting they build up their energy for the investigation, Yoshimura proposed having drinks at the small restaurant/izakaya "Yusen." Nishida, whose travel expenses for the round trip to Sapporo had unintentionally been saved, accepted the offer without worrying about his wallet. So, the six of them—Nishida, Takeshita, Yoshimura, Oba, Kurosu, and Sawada—headed out.
Just like last time, Yoshimura was the first to pass through the noren (T/N: shop curtain), and the Boss, who had well-defined features for his age, raised a vigorous voice with a face full of joy, just like last time.
"Oh, it's been quite a while, Yo-chan!"
"Oba and I were just here about two weeks ago!"
Yoshimura gently corrected him while ushering in the other members.
"If you don't come for two weeks, that's long enough, isn't it?"
He sounded a bit dissatisfied. However, he immediately regained his cheer and said:
"Come on, come on, everyone else, sit down, sit down!"
He spread his hospitality and guided the group to a table in the back.
"Is beer okay for now?"
"Is that okay, Team Leader?"
Asked by Yoshimura, Nishida checked with everyone and told the Boss:
"No one seems to have any objections, so please."
"Right you are. Then I'll throw in one large bottle for free."
Today, there was a middle-aged woman—he couldn't tell if she was the Boss's wife or a part-timer—who grabbed seven beers from the fridge. Nishida gestured slightly toward the woman and held up his pinky to confirm with Yoshimura, who shook his hand in denial and whispered to Nishida:
"That's a lady from nearby. Someone who helps out when it's busy. The Boss's wife is physically weak, so it seems she stopped helping out quite a while ago. I haven't seen her since I started coming here, but the long-time regulars said so. Oh, and of course, he doesn't have any other woman besides his wife."
After that, they thoroughly enjoyed the items that had been delicious when they came last time, the Boss's recommendations, and snow crab from Monbetsu. In Hokkaido, horsehair crab, hanasaki crab, and king crab were the mainstays, and snow crab brought to mind the Sea of Japan side of Honshu, but he learned from the Boss that there were locals who preferred Monbetsu snow crab, and it was delicious enough to fully convince him. However, he also heard that recently there were more imports from Russian ships than local ones. The Boss boasted that he strictly selected and brought in local ones. But after saying that, he joked, "Actually, even I can't really tell the difference in taste," which seemed to perfectly reflect the Boss's personality.
"It seems the search of the site tomorrow won't be too hot, which is a big help."
As the party reached its peak, Takeshita brought up the topic of work. Nishida, who had been in a bit of a festive mood, was brought back to reality in an instant by those words and felt like complaining internally, but well, that was also Takeshita's good point.
"That's true. But since it's in the forest, it's surprisingly chilly even if the temperature is high," he replied.
"It was starting after noon, right?"
Oba followed up to confirm the start time.
"That's what they requested."
When Nishida called Terakawa, who had arrived in Ikutahara today, to confirm, that was the request, so the plan had been changed from the original intention of starting in the morning.
"Then we can take it relatively easy tomorrow morning. It's better than being busy from the start. But if that's the case, unless we find something on the first day, the search won't be finished unless we do it for at least two days, right?"
Yoshimura asked Nishida with a face flushed from drinking.
"That's true. For now, we absolutely need the landowner to be present when we cut the trees. Once that's over, as long as we have permission, there'll be no hindrance to the subsequent investigation. In some cases, we might end up going to the site for a total of about five days. We can't put many people on it either. That aside, keep the drinking to that level. Having a hangover be an excuse for not being able to work isn't going to fly."
Nishida cautioned his subordinates, who tended to relax too much.
Watching this, the Boss said:
"It seems you have important work tomorrow. How about finishing up with a glass of this to cheer you on?"
In his hand, he held a 1.8-liter bottle of "Echigo Kobai."
"Echigo Kobai? This is a rare, famous sake!"
Nishida immediately became high-spirited.
"And it's a Special Selection Daiginjo. Only 500 bottles are produced a year, so it's not easy to get. It came into a wholesaler in Asahikawa, so I had them specially supply it to me. I don't want to say the price, but it's 30,000 yen, 30,000! You guys haven't drunk this before, have you? I'll give you each a glass for free as a special service!"
The Boss said this, placed the bottle on the table, carefully took two small boxes from a shelf, and took out several choko (T/N: small sake cups) from inside.
"What's that? It's different from the usual ones."
When Yoshimura asked, the Boss proudly held up one of the cups.
"Don't be surprised when you hear this. This is a cup made by that Kitaoji Rosanjin!"
"Kitaoji Rosanjin? Oh, was he the person who was like Kaibara Yuzan from 'Oishinbo'?"
Oba chimed in.
"That's the one. A great man said to be the pinnacle of gourmets. The head chef at the place where I trained as a cook was a devotee of his. I'm someone who was influenced by him through that connection. He's evaluated not just as a gourmet but also as a ceramicist; did you know that?"
"I'm not detailed on that side, but I've heard the name quite a bit."
Nishida received a cup from the Boss and looked at it while turning it in front of his eyes.
"I've also been collecting Rosanjin's ceramics little by little over the last few years. What do you think? If you drink Echigo Kobai with this, won't you feel power welling up for tomorrow?"
"Is it okay for us to drink from something you treasure so much?"
Yoshimura made a comment that sounded a bit hesitant, but the Boss laughed boisterously and said:
"Just don't you dare drop it and break it!"
"Then I'll take you up on that and have a drink!"
Nishida prompted his subordinates, and everyone, including the Boss, "quietly" clinked their cups. Then, they sipped the famous sake as if reluctant to see it go, savoring it to their heart's content. Drinking the finest sake from a cup made with conviction by a legendary gourmet specifically to go with sake was something that allowed one to become fully intoxicated by the atmosphere alone, even before considering the actual taste of the sake. And with that one glass as the final drink, the six of them, having finished off their meal with zosui (T/N: rice soup), returned home to prepare for tomorrow.
*
Monday, August 14th, finally the day of the re-search of the Ikutahara site. The weather was good, and as forecast, the temperature wasn't too high—perfect weather. The search was scheduled for the afternoon due to Terakawa's convenience, but around 10:00 AM, Section Chief Sawai had a final meeting with Terakawa over the phone. Terakawa had been staying at the house of his childhood friend, Yokoyama Ippei, who was going to help with the logging today, since August 13th. This was because his family home had been demolished after his parents died and no one lived there anymore.
"...Then we'll come to pick you up. I think we'll be there before 1:00 PM. We'll be counting on you."
Sawai said this and hung up.
"Nishida, you contacted Maruyama in Ikutahara yesterday, didn't you?"
"Of course. The plan is for you and me to go to the police box, and from there he'll lead us to Yokoyama-san's house. But he said to call him before we leave the station (here) for final confirmation."
"Understood... Also, it seems a monk is going to accompany Terakawa-san."
"A monk?"
"Abbot Matsuno of Koan-ji, you know, the one on our station's consultative committee. Apparently, the abbot of Koan-ji at the time was the one who performed the sutra chanting at the memorial ceremony for the victims of the tako-beya. Because of that connection, the current abbot also performs memorial services every September 23rd, the day the memorial ceremony was held, but while talking about the grave visit tomorrow, he heard Terakawa-san was going to the site today and decided to join him. He said he'd perform a service for Yoneda too."
The moment Nishida heard that, he remembered when he'd read the investigation files on the three unidentified remains the other day. He was impressed that the "Okada clan" had properly passed down the memorial services for the "Remote Grave Marker," which was both a memorial stone and located in such a place.
"It seems the current Abbot Matsuno has no direct relationship with the abbot of Koan-ji who attended the memorial ceremony back then. The name of the Koan-ji abbot on the list of attendees for the memorial ceremony is Okada," Nishida said to the Section Chief, holding up the booklet he'd quickly taken from a drawer.
"Oh, was it in there? But you won't know if there's a blood relation unless you ask properly, right? The different surname might be because a relative on the mother's side took over."
The Section Chief had a point.
"I suppose so... But since I have it, I'll take this booklet with me. Terakawa-san's father was likely there as a landowner, so he might have heard something. Oh, that's right, the incident or case from 1977 that I heard about from the old man Okuda the other day. The landowner who was questioned then also had the same surname, Terakawa, so it might be a good idea to ask Terakawa-san about it while we're at it."
"Aren't the Terakawa who attended the memorial ceremony and that Terakawa the same person?"
The Section Chief's point was also valid. Needless to say, the probability was high.
"Yes, the one who attended was Yosuke according to this list of attendees, and the one questioned was Matsunosuke? I believe."
"Since the one who came this time is Daisuke, judging from the names, it looks like the father is Yosuke and the grandfather is Matsunosuke."
"Well, it might not be a parent-child relationship; as we discussed earlier, they might be relatives, so it's hard to say for sure."
Nishida tilted his head uncertainly.
"Well, it'll be faster to just ask Terakawa-san today than to go back and forth here, now that I think about it. But that case is already past the statute of limitations, and it's not related to the case we're chasing, right? Don't get too deep into it. We don't have much time today since the search starts after noon."
The Section Chief prompted Nishida to end the conversation for now. Nishida also gratefully accepted that before he got stuck in a rut.
"Anyway, I'll take this booklet and the investigation files for that case with me today, just in case. If there's time to ask about such things, that is."
Nishida said this and tucked them into his bag.
"I'll leave that judgment to you, but please don't forget what I just said."
The Section Chief sounded half-exasperated. Then he stood up and shouted so everyone could hear:
"Right, let's do a final check of today's schedule!"
"We leave here at noon. Takeshita and the rest of the Violent Crimes Unit, along with Matsuzawa and Miura from Forensics, will go straight to the site. Nishida and I will go from the Ikutahara Police Box to Yokoyama's house, pick up Terakawa, Yokoyama, and the Abbot, and head to the site. Got it?"
The Section Chief told the members of the Violent Crimes Unit.