Chapter 27 - Light and Shadow 6 (39–40: Hearing from Kutsukake)
At 3:00 PM that same day, Nishida and Yoshimura were at the Detective Division of the Sapporo Nishi Station. After finishing their meeting at Headquarters, they had called Kutsukake, who suggested they speak at his workplace. They had just finished a late lunch at a cafeteria within the outer market of the Sapporo Wholesale Market. However, both of them thought that since the seafood in Engaru also featured fresh ingredients caught in the Okhotsk, there hadn't been much need to make the detour. Kutsukake, who appeared before them, was likely older than Nagumo, but he looked youthful.
"To dig up that case and find the body... you've done quite a job. As you probably know, eight years ago, it had effectively become a cold case."
"I've heard the general gist, but it's only natural that things would be difficult if restrictions were placed on the investigation..."
Nishida couldn't tell if Kutsukake's praise was a social nicety or his true feelings, but he used it as an opening to steer the conversation toward the "circumstances" of that time, partly out of modesty.
"Well, yes... Of course, if there had been decisive evidence, we could have overturned that, but we just couldn't catch his tail. When Sada went missing, Isaka's movements were relatively clear, so he had something close to an alibi. Naturally, we speculated that he had someone else do it, but we couldn't grasp anything on that either. Well, at the end of the day, I think our investigation was naive too... The fact that the Isaka Group itself held power in Kitami meant that information didn't easily come out from the surroundings. I can't deny our lack of ability in failing to draw it out."
He clearly looked as though he still regretted it.
"Even so, I think it's amazing you found it. I haven't heard the details, so I'd actually like to hear more about that part myself."
He asked with a smile, as if pulling himself together.
"The body from a different murder case was discovered nearby. From there, a colleague of mine reasoned that it might be related to Sada-san's disappearance. The suspect in that murder case was an employee of the Isaka Group who had been promoted after Sada-san went missing. In the process of investigating that other murder case in detail, Sada-san's body did indeed turn up. Since I had heard directly from those involved in the investigation at the time that the matter of Sada-san's disappearance was intertwined with the Isaka Group, it was the result of reasoning based on that premise. It's so complicated that there's no end to the details, so it's a pity I can't explain it well."
Nishida himself felt inadequate about his explanation, doubting whether it had really gotten through to the other man.
"Ah, so you had it through the Isaka Group connection. And who was this person involved in the investigation?"
Whether Kutsukake understood or simply wanted to move the conversation along despite the confusion was unclear, but he pressed for more.
"A detective named Kosaka. Do you know him?"
Then, without a moment's delay—
"Kosaka-san! How nostalgic. I was higher in rank, but he had more experience as a detective. He taught me many things. I see, so he was the one who told you... He certainly was quite frustrated back then. Far more than I was. I see..."
Speaking with a slightly raised tone, Kutsukake took out a cigarette and lit it.
"This is a bit sudden, but I heard that pressure was applied by Oshima Kaiji, a Member of Parliament?"
Yoshimura timed his entry into the main subject.
"Yes, that's right... Of course, I didn't receive the pressure directly myself, but various things happened through the Hokkaido Police Headquarters... Formally, it was an order from Headquarters, but it was clearly strange. Since we knew the Isaka Group was a powerful supporter of Oshima, I thought 'it's finally come' when that talk started."
"At the time, didn't you investigate the Isaka Group?"
"Since it's a construction company, naturally there were some connections with the 'yakuza.' The Isaka Group itself isn't a front company for the yakuza or anything, but through subcontracts and such, you inevitably end up associating with them. If anything, we were focusing on that side. Looking back now, I suppose it was an initial investigative error. But I never imagined at the time that an employee of Isaka's own place was involved... Knowing it now is a case of 'after the festival' (T/N: too little, too late), though."
Nishida thought that Kutsukake, who answered the questions sincerely, was a rare type—an elite-track detective who admitted his mistakes quite frankly.
"To put it another way, it might mean he used his own people rather than the typical yakuza."
"If we'd had time, our eyes might have turned that way, but honestly, there are difficult parts to that. So, I heard a rumor very recently that the hoshi (T/N: suspect) who killed Sada is dead. Is that true?"
Kutsukake brushed off Nishida's comment and shifted the conversation in another direction.
"Regarding whether that employee killed Sada-san, there are parts we can't state with certainty yet, but that is likely the case. However, it wasn't a lone crime; there are at least two people, so the other one is still alive."
"Ho. Is that so. Then is there still a possibility of building a case?"
"No, about that..."
Nishida hesitated.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The person believed to be the other accomplice is an executive of the Isaka Group named Kitagawa, who is also thought to be indirectly involved in the other murder case I mentioned—the one that triggered this discovery. That man fell unconscious during interrogation, and as of now, there's no prospect of recovery."
In response to Yoshimura, who answered in his stead—
"Ah, the story about the explanatory press conference held last month?"
Kutsukake suddenly took the cigarette from his mouth and placed it on the edge of the ashtray, as if deciding to focus on the conversation.
"That's the one. Therefore, unless there are more accomplices, building a case might be difficult. Currently, we're aiming for the clarification of the truth rather than an indictment. Partly because of that, despite it being a kind of serial murder, the chouba (T/N: investigation headquarters) is currently a solo operation by the Engaru Station."
"I see... Isaka is dead too, right? The wall of eight years is harsh... If we had been more solid, we wouldn't have had to trouble you guys. My apologies."
Kutsukake bowed his head slightly, though Nishida didn't know his true feelings.
"No, no, it's troubling for me to have someone like Kutsukake-san apologize that much."
Nishida was reflexively humbled.
"I suppose so. If I think about it, the one I should apologize to is Sada's family."
Kutsukake said with a sigh, then pressed the cigarette he had set down firmly into the ashtray to extinguish it. Whether he was thinking of the next topic on the spot or reflecting on the past investigation, silence dominated the room for about ten seconds.
"Was the main reason for coming to Sapporo to meet the bereaved family and hear their story?"
Since he resumed the conversation so suddenly, Nishida was caught off guard, but he replied:
"Yes. That's the primary objective. Along with the secondary goal of hearing from those involved in the investigation at the time, like yourself, Kutsukake-san..."
"Have you already made an appointment to meet?"
"Yes, just a while ago at Headquarters."
Kutsukake had been staring at the cigarette in the ashtray, but after glancing once at Nishida as he answered, he said quietly:
"Then, I'm sorry to ask, but please tell them that one of the investigators from back then said he was 'deeply sorry.'"
"Yes. I will convey that during the hearing... Well then, Kutsukake-san looks busy, and it would be a shame to take up any more of your time, so we'll take our leave here."
Nishida thought that since Kutsukake's topic had shifted to a request for a message to the bereaved, no more important information would come from him.
"Oh, really? I'm sorry I couldn't provide much hospitality or helpful information."
As Nishida and Yoshimura stood up, Kutsukake also rose and followed them to the door to see them off.
"Well then, thank you for today."
Just as the two of them bowed together—
"That's right! I just remembered because of that yakuza talk earlier... The Isaka Group had several subcontractors with ties to a Kitami-area yakuza group called the Souryuu-kai. And in '87, a guy from the Kitami District Headquarters' Maru-bou (T/N: Organized Crime Department) who helped me follow the yakuza leads told me a few years later... I don't remember exactly when, but I thought it was more recent than five years ago... He told me that a rumor was spreading within the Souryuu-kai that Isaka seemed to be in some kind of trouble, perhaps being threatened by someone. When I heard that, I remembered thinking that if rumors were flowing from the yakuza, and if that threat was caused by the matter of Sada's disappearance, then perhaps the yakuza themselves weren't involved in Sada's case. Though, I'd be hard-pressed if you asked me 'so what' about it."
He told them while scratching his head.
"Is the idea that Isaka being threatened might be linked to Sada-san's case your own thought, Kutsukake-san?"
"Yes. It's just something I thought might be the case. It's just a hunch, so there's no basis. It's just idle talk (zaregoto) at the level of 'there was a story like that, wasn't there.'"
Nishida felt a part of him wish he hadn't mentioned something so minor, but at the same time, he felt it was good to be informed of even the smallest details.
After thanking him again, the two left the Detective Division and exited the Nishi Station building.
"Now, what shall we do? We're free until Sunday."
Yoshimura asked Nishida as he drove out of the Nishi Station, entered the old National Route 5, and followed the road.
"Come to think of it, your parents' house was in Nishi-ku, wasn't it?"
"Yes. It's in Hachiken. Your house is in Chuo-ku, right, Team Leader?"
"Yeah. Fushimi in Chuo-ku."
"Fushimi? That's a nice place at the foot of Mount Moiwa! I'm jealous."
He acted envious, perhaps as a social nicety or with slight exaggeration.
"Even if you're jealous, it's just an apartment. Your place is a detached house, right?"
"Well, between Hachiken and Fushimi, even with that difference... Ours is thirty years old. You bought yours recently, right, Team Leader? That's why you said you ended up on a solo assignment. I'm definitely jealous."
Yoshimura acted even more envious, so he might have been somewhat serious.
"I wonder about that. It's not much once you live there."
Even so, inwardly, it was obvious he had purchased it with Yoshimura's points in mind, having searched for and chosen a location in an educational district rich in nature.
"Are your parents home now? If they are, shall I stop by to say hello?"
"No, no, Team Leader, please stop! Don't do something like a home visit!"
Yoshimura spoke in a quite panicked manner. Indeed, it probably wouldn't feel good to have one's boss come to the house to meet one's parents. Nishida hadn't said it seriously, but Yoshimura's fluster was amusing.
"Alright, I get it. I'm not so eccentric as to go out of my way to meet a subordinate's parents because I like it. It's a hassle, so just drop me off at my place. You'll have to come pick me up at my house when we go to meet Sada's family on Sunday, so this can be a rehearsal, right?"
"That's true. While I'm at it, I'd like to meet your wife and child too."
"Hey, is this payback for earlier! Just drop me in front of the apartment and go home."
This time it was Nishida's turn to be a little flustered as a reverse home visit was suggested without his consent.
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Yoshimura wore a look of triumph.