Chapter 31 - Light and Shadow 10 (58–64: Resuming Investigation in Engaru, Inquiry at Shinoyama Ryokan, and More)
On Thursday, September 14th, at 7:30 AM, Section Chief Sawai, Senior Staff Takeshita, Komura, Sawada, Kurosu, and Oba—six in total—were waiting in their cars at the edge of the Isaka Group's parking lot. They carried the search warrant they had requested the previous day to investigate information regarding Kitagawa and Shinoda's work status eight years ago, particularly on September 26th, the day believed to be the date of Sada Minoru's murder.
"A few people are starting to arrive for work. It's a good time..." Sawai was watching the situation outside, gauging the timing. "Let's go!" he contacted the other vehicles by radio, and all six opened their car doors at once and headed toward the building. It wasn't exactly a raid, but Sawai opened the door and presented the warrant.
The staff had expressions that said "again?" rather than surprise, but Sawai notified them without concern, "We're here to check the necessary documents regarding the work status in September eight years ago, when both Managing Directors Kitagawa and Shinoda were general employees."
"Neither the person in charge nor the manager has arrived for work yet..." a female staff member said, to which Takeshita calmly called out, "Then we'll wait until they come. In exchange, please don't leave your desks without permission."
Section Chief Sawai, Komura, and Kurosu had participated in the raid on Kitagawa's house during the previous raid for Kitagawa's arrest, but they hadn't been involved in the raid on the Isaka Group, so they felt a slightly restless sensation inside the office. The six stood by the office walls and began their surveillance, but before long, a male staff member named Kamada, who was in charge of labor in the General Affairs Department, arrived for work. After explaining the situation, they were to check if the work data remained.
"Eight years ago... I doubt it'll be there, as you'd expect. We keep things like construction logs, though..." Kamada told the investigators, but Komura and Kurosu checked the cabinets regardless. Indeed, they only found things from up to three years ago.
"Is this really all?" Komura turned to confirm, to which Kamada said coldly, "There's no reason to preserve work-related stuff from eight years ago. Legally, things like wage ledgers are only mandatory for three years."
"I wonder if there's any record of the status of the people who were working in the construction logs or something?" Sawai asked Kamada again, to which he was lightly brushed off: "I don't know if they remain. I doubt they're recorded, though. However, that's the responsibility of the construction-related department, the Construction Department they belonged to back then, and they're the ones who handle the preservation, so ask them. I'm an outsider to that, not in charge of preservation!" Sawai and the others headed to the Construction Department's room upon hearing that.
In the Construction Department, a manager named Shiga had already arrived, so they presented the warrant and asked for cooperation. "Around September eight years ago... I think they were doing construction in Abashiri for the Fisherman's Square joint venture (Author's Note: A joint venture for specific construction work. Multiple construction companies undertaking a single construction project together)..." As Shiga was saying this to himself while looking for materials, Vice President Mita entered the room, perhaps having just arrived.
"What, another search?" He said it in a clearly dissatisfied way, unlike before, but Sawai showed him the warrant and checked him, saying, "Well, that's how it is." Then, behind Mita, a middle-aged man could be seen peering inside.
"That's Isaka Masamitsu, the second-generation president of the Isaka Group," Takeshita whispered to Sawai. It was the first time both Sawai and Takeshita had seen him in person, but they had seen him in the investigation files. Masamitsu watched the situation for a short while, then left the room immediately with a defiant, thin smile.
"What an unpleasant guy," Sawai didn't hide his disgust, but immediately after, Shiga made an apologetic face. "As I thought, there's no proper information regarding individual work status here."
"Ugh." Hearing that, Sawai let out another deep sigh. "Is the wall of time that high after all?" Komura also clicked his tongue.
"We'll be back at the station well before the Team Leader and Yoshimura return from Sapporo. Since those two achieved results, shall we give them a grand welcome?" Takeshita also said self-deprecatingly.
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Later than when Sawai and the others were struggling, Nishida and Yoshimura were at the Sapporo Station concourse to board the 9:40 AM Limited Express Okhotsk No. 3 for Abashiri. They had considered No. 5 after 3:00 PM, but thought that was a bit too late, so it was a slightly early return to Engaru. They had just given their farewell greetings to Director Toyama at the Prefectural Police Headquarters.
"Team Leader, what should we do about souvenirs for everyone?" Yoshimura asked Nishida as he spotted a station shop.
"It's all within Hokkaido; the stuff they sell is the same everywhere..." Nishida was slightly irritated, but reconsidered that it wouldn't be bad to buy something as a tea snack. "Just choose whatever you like with your own sense." Having received Nishida's "permission," Yoshimura spent about five minutes appraising the goods, then returned to Nishida having purchased one box each of Marusei Butter Sand and a confection called Sapporo Times Square (Author's Note: Butter Sand is a famous Hokkaido souvenir from Rokkatei, but Sapporo Times Square has also become quite famous in the last 20-odd years. Think of it as a confection like Hagi no Tsuki). Seeing them, Nishida grumbled lightly while staring at the boxes, "I've had the Butter Sand before, but Sapporo Times Square? Never heard of it. Is this any good?"
"It seems it's a confection that's recently started being sold and has become quite popular. I've had it once, and it's fairly tasty," Yoshimura replied.
"Hmm. If you say so. Well, whatever. We'll be late, so let's get through the ticket gate quickly!" Nishida quickened his pace, and Yoshimura followed.
The two arrived at Engaru Station a little after 1:00 PM. Oba was waiting at the station front to drive them to the station. "Sorry about that. You must have been busy with the raid on the Isaka Group, right? It's close, so you didn't have to come pick us up." Nishida sat in the back seat of the car with a thud.
"No, no, I was able to finish lunch at the station front, so it was a perfect opportunity. The raid was a complete failure... A total 'skunking.' As expected, they hadn't preserved anything. It wasn't intentional destruction or anything." Oba explained apologetically.
"I suppose that's how it would be..." Nishida showed an attitude of resignation as he gazed at the scenery of Engaru for the first time in several days.
"It seems there was quite a bit of progress in Sapporo. The Section Chief was happy too."
"Oh, yeah. We found out all sorts of things, it was surprising!" Yoshimura leaned toward Oba in the driver's seat as if to say 'I'm glad you asked.'
"It's not just Yoshimura; well, there were certainly results beyond the merit of going," Nishida also showed a result he could be proud of.
When they returned to the station, the Section Chief welcomed them with a smile, saying, "Good work, good work. You did well this time!"
"No, no. For us, it was like a trip in a way." Nishida placed his bag on his desk and presented the originals of the letter and deed he had borrowed from the Sada family, and the July '87 issue of Zaikai Hokkaido to the Section Chief.
"Is this it..." The Section Chief took each one and gazed at them intently.
"This is a souvenir." Yoshimura handed the souvenirs he had bought to Takeshita while watching that. "Rokkatei's Marusei Butter Sand, huh. This needs to be chilled in the fridge." Takeshita showed a slightly upbeat feeling, unlike his usual self, but when Kurosu said, "You liked those, didn't you, Senior Staff?" he blushed and said, "Yeah. I have relatives in Obihiro, and they send them to me occasionally. They don't sell them in Engaru." It seemed they were Takeshita's favorite. Yoshimura immediately said, "I chose them because I remembered you saying you liked them before," to which he gave a jokingly polite thanks, saying, "That's a kind consideration." On the other hand, he looked puzzled at the box of Sapporo Times Square, asking, "What's this?"
"It seems to be a souvenir that's recently started selling well. I had it once before and it was good."
"Hmm, Times Square means New York, right? I don't really get the naming." Saying that, he put it in the fridge along with the Butter Sand. "Wait, I don't think you should chill those." "Oh, really?" Hearing Yoshimura's advice, Takeshita was about to take the Times Square out of the fridge, but his movement stopped for a moment with the door open. Then, suddenly closing the door roughly, Takeshita took out his mobile phone and went out into the hallway from the room.
"Hello, is this Igarashi-san?" He called the person who was his senior at the Doho from his university days. "Takeshita? Do you have another complaint?" He spoke in a wary tone, but Takeshita continued regardless.
"There's something I'd like you to look into. I could ask the jurisdiction in charge directly through my own channels, but to be honest, the person in charge probably isn't there anymore... I understand because we're in the same line of work, but there are many people who dislike looking things up unless it's a clearly confirmed story. So I thought the newspaper would have more information and it would come out faster."
"You're being roundabout. Get to the point!"
"Then I won't hold back. Do you remember the story from around October 1987, during the construction of the Fisherman's Square in Abashiri, where ammonia for cooling leaked for several days from the refrigeration equipment that had just been installed? I have a memory of it being quite a big news story."
"Hmm... now that you mention it, I feel like something like that happened."
"I think that was... the equipment was installed at the end of September, and the story was that it kept leaking little by little for about a week."
"Was it?" Igarashi also had a half-doubting atmosphere.
"I want you to check if my memory is correct. Also, if there was such an incident, I want to know if any workers from the Isaka Group were involved, and if anyone was prosecuted."
"Is that all? I'm busy... is what I'd like to say, but I owe you for the other day... Fine. I'll have an acquaintance look into it. It'll take a few hours, so bear with me on that."
"That's no problem at all. Today, if possible."
"I don't think it'll cross into the next day, but I've certainly heard the request. Well, I'm a bit busy, so later." Takeshita hung up the phone and returned to the room as if nothing had happened.
"What was that about?" Yoshimura looked at Takeshita with a puzzled face, but he gave a blunt reply: "Don't worry about it. It's nothing major." "No, I was just saying I don't think you should chill the Times Square." "Oh, right. I completely forgot." He hurriedly took the box of confections out of the fridge. "So, is it okay to eat it right away?" "Go ahead, go ahead. I haven't had lunch, and I'm a bit hungry, so I want to eat." Takeshita began to open and eat it as if to cover up his misunderstanding, despite having just had lunch.
Nishida and Yoshimura went out for lunch after that, but after they returned, a report meeting was held for the Engaru residents regarding the investigation results in Sapporo from the two. Most of the content had already been reported from Sapporo, but through detailed points and Q&A, they let the "Engaru residents" observe the originals of the letter and deed closely. They had already seen the faxed copies, but when it came to the real thing, they must have felt a mysterious atmosphere that was different, something that could be called the "air" of that time.
While they were doing that, the mobile rang, so Takeshita got permission from Sawai and went out into the hallway. As expected, it was from Igarashi. "That was fast. It hasn't even been two hours."
"Don't thank me; thank the people who looked it up. Well, whatever. About that matter, I had the Abashiri bureau look into it, and it definitely happened. It was discovered on September 30th and reported on October 2nd—at least at our place. And as you said, it seems the leak had been going on since around the 24th of September. So it really was leaking the whole time. It seems about 30 workers from multiple companies, including the Isaka Group who were in construction at the time, were complaining of poor health for several days. In the end, several people in charge at Takanashi Setsubi, the company that installed the refrigeration equipment, were sent to the prosecutor's office. Well, the number of victims aside, the severity of the damage wasn't that great, which is probably why they were just sent to the prosecutor's office."
"So my memory wasn't wrong after all. You've been a huge help. Now I can ask the Abashiri Station, which should have handled it, specifically. You've certainly repaid the favor. Thank you." When Takeshita thanked him, Igarashi put a check on him, saying, "Right, you should seriously think about that career change. 35 is the limit. You've got a little over two years left. It'll go by in a flash."
"Yeah, I know. I'll think about it. Well then, later." Since the content of the conversation wasn't being heard by those around him, there was no need to lower his voice, but he was doing so unconsciously.
"Is your business finished?" Sawai called out to him when he returned to the room, but he asked for permission, saying, "Sorry, let me call the Abashiri Station." "Abashiri? What's that about?" He was asked for an explanation. It was natural since he had said it out of the blue to the Section Chief. "It's part of the investigation, the investigation. Yoshimura's souvenir gave me a hint," he said with a smile, and Sawai looked even more puzzled.
When he confirmed with the Abashiri Station, Shibasaki, who said he was in charge of this kind of case in the Community Safety Division, said first thing, "Right now, not just the Detective Division but also the Community Safety Division is having a hard time with the support for that serial female murder case... Could you wait until the case is solved? It's from eight years ago, right? The person in charge back then isn't here, and put yourself in my shoes, having to flip through stacks of documents." He complained blatantly, but he couldn't just back down easily. "No, I know it's hard, but it's something very important," Takeshita persisted.
"Can't be helped, I guess... Engaru is lucky to be exempt from investigation support for another case. So, you want to check if there are statements from Shinoda and Kitagawa, the Isaka Group workers, among the victims' statements?" Shibasaki, who sounded like a veteran, seemed like he would accept Takeshita's request despite the sarcasm. "Yes, that's right. Kitagawa Tomoyuki and Shinoda Michiyoshi, the kanji are as I told you earlier."
"Yes, yes... But does this have anything to do with the case you're investigating? I don't see it immediately."
"It's a bit of an alibi investigation."
"Aha, when you put it that way, I kind of understand. Fine. I'm busy, so it'll probably be tomorrow, but I'll contact you. You're working tomorrow even though it's a holiday, right? If you are, I'll contact you by fax." He turned out to be a good person in the end, but things must be difficult in various ways at the Kitami Regional Headquarters and the Kitami Station. Takeshita could understand that he was on edge.
When Takeshita's phone business was finished, Sawai called out to him. "Is there a possibility that Shinoda and Kitagawa, who would have been working for the Isaka Group in charge of construction, were involved in the Fisherman's Square accident?"
"Yes, if they were involved, we might find out something about the whereabouts of those two on September 26th, the day Sada went missing, and the following day. If they were victims on that date and statements remain, the date they were affected should also be recorded. If the dates match, unfortunately, there's a high possibility those two were in Abashiri on that day, which would create an alibi, and we'd have to conclude they weren't involved in Sada's murder itself..."
"I see. There was that kind of approach too... Now we just have to pray those two weren't affected around September 26th." The Section Chief was impressed, but Nishida, who was listening, requested that he also praise Yoshimura's words and actions, which had resulted in another hint. "Takeshita remembered the Fisherman's Square accident because of the confection Yoshimura bought and the matter with the fridge, right? Then Section Chief, while you're at it, please give a word to Yoshimura, who's as lucky as ever."
"It's frustrating, but it really is thanks to Yoshimura again." Takeshita gave a wry smile, but Yoshimura, who was being sent smirking gazes by the three superiors, pouted, saying, "What's with those creepy smiles from all three of you? Since it's a fact that I contributed, if you're going to praise me, just do it normally!"
Then Nishida said as if he'd just thought of it, "Right, Yoshimura! While we're at it, since we have time now, shall we go ask around at that Shinoyama Ryokan? It's close anyway, so let's just get it over with! Let's try walking there for some exercise."
"I see, that's a good idea. I feel like I'm going to go crazy being surrounded by creepy smiles, so let's go quickly!" Whether he really felt uncomfortable was uncertain, but Yoshimura readily agreed. The two got permission from the Section Chief and bravely set out from the station. The sun hadn't set yet, but the temperature was already becoming chilly for a thin suit.
On the way, Yoshimura asked, "But why did Sada come to stay in Engaru of all places? Did it have something to do with the Isaka matter?" Nishida only replied, "To be honest, I don't know. Let's ask exactly that at the inn."
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The Shinoyama Ryokan, which was close to the small restaurant/izakaya "Yusen," was a small two-story inn, but the exterior was relatively neat. Nishida hadn't been conscious of it normally, but memories of having passed in front of it several times not just when going to Yusen but also in his private life came back to him. When he presented his police badge to talk to the owner, his eyes swam a bit as expected, but once the situation was explained, he immediately settled down. Even if one hasn't done anything wrong, being questioned by the police isn't something that can be accepted calmly. The owner's name was Shinoyama Takao. It seemed the inn's name was taken from his surname. He looked to be in his mid-60s.
"So, you saw Sada Minoru's face on the flyer at Engaru Station and it clicked?" Nishida started with small talk but immediately got to the main point.
"Right. Because he stayed here for two nights and left a bit of an impression."
"Left an impression?" When asked by Nishida, he replied, "Right after he arrived past noon on the day, he said he 'wanted to go to Ikutahara,' so when I told him there were several places to stay in Ikutahara too, he seemed to regret it. Well, I thought he seemed like someone from Sapporo. He probably thought he couldn't stay around Ikutahara." Hearing that, Nishida and Yoshimura understood. He likely went to the actual site in Ikutahara written in the letter to see if there was any credibility to the letter's contents.
"There's no mistake that he stayed in August eight years ago, right?"
"Right. It was around December four years ago when I happened to see the flyer at Engaru Station, and at that time, I contacted the family saying, 'He stayed here four years ago,' so eight years ago should be right. It was at the end of summer. Wait a moment..." Before he finished answering the question, he opened and flipped through what looked like a ledger. "I just reconfirmed with the guest ledger from back then, and it seems it was Saturday and Sunday, August 15th and 16th. Oh, now that I think about it, if I look at the date in the guest ledger, I can tell the year as well as the month and day. It really was Showa 62, eight years ago." Shinoyama said this looking only at Nishida, without turning toward Yoshimura who had asked the question at all. Yoshimura seemed to feel slighted and became slightly displeased in an instant, so Nishida decided to continue the questions. Even so, the fact that a guest ledger record from eight years ago, past the legal preservation obligation, remained was either because the customer management was very solid or because there weren't many guests, and in the case of this inn, it was likely the latter. There was no doubt it was also very lucky.
"Did you hear what he came for?" He had guessed the purpose to some extent, but he asked just in case the man himself had said something. "No, I didn't hear that directly from him... It's bad to pry into every guest, after all. However, it's certain he had business in Ikutahara. He contacted all the taxi companies and individual taxis in Engaru from our phone and talked about going to Ikutahara. But he was turned down everywhere. From what I heard of him talking on the phone, he was saying something like 'I want to go near the Jomon Tunnel.' Of course he'd be turned down. There probably aren't even proper roads, and if you're a local, you'd especially not want to go to the Jomon Tunnel, right?" Nishida, who was listening to that, became excited.
"Did he clearly say the destination was the Jomon Tunnel?"
"In the flow of the conversation, I don't know the purpose, but he was talking about wanting the taxi to take him to the Jomon Tunnel."
Nishida was convinced of Sada's "purpose" at this point, so he continued the questions further. "So what did Sada do?"
"For the time being, it seems he went out to Ikutahara by train (Author's Note: An overwhelming number of older people in Hokkaido still call railroads and trains 'kisha' [steam trains]) for several days in a row. I don't know if he was able to get to his destination from there. He didn't talk about anything. However, it's just my hunch, but I feel like he eventually made it. Because when he left the inn on the final day, he said something like 'I'm glad I came.'"
"In other words, he achieved the purpose he came here for? Is that it?"
"Detective, yeah, that's it."
"I see. Understood. Was there anything else that caught your attention?"
"...No, nothing in particular. However, I did feel he didn't have much energy until dinner the day before he returned to Sapporo. Then after dinner, he said 'I'm going out for a bit' and went out casually, and I remember locking up after confirming he'd come back around 11:00 PM from behind. Not many guests go out in the middle of the night, after all... And for some reason, he was strangely energetic at breakfast on the last day. As I said before, he was saying 'I'm glad I came.'" Hearing that, Nishida was convinced that no more major stories would come out, so he said, "Understood. If there's nothing else in particular..." and after a pause to gauge the owner's reaction, he said, "Sorry for all the trouble, and thank you for your cooperation," and left the inn's entrance with Yoshimura.
"That old man was rude. He probably didn't take me seriously because I'm younger than you, Team Leader." Yoshimura showed his resentment openly a while after leaving the inn. "Well, don't let it get to you. There are people like that in the world, and even if he didn't take you seriously, he answered what you asked properly, after all." "I suppose so, but..." While kicking a stone on the roadside, it didn't seem like the subordinate's feeling of indignation would settle, but Nishida stopped in front of a large bookstore on the way back to the station and notified him, "I want to buy something, so I'm stopping by. You can head back first." "No, it's fine. I'll go with you." Yoshimura said that and entered the bookstore with Nishida.
"Even so, they said they put up flyers in Ikutahara too, but no contact came from that side, right? After he went to Ikutahara by train, if he went to the site to confirm the contents of the letter, how did he go? If he'd picked up a taxi or something, it wouldn't be strange for the driver to remember." Yoshimura spoke to Nishida, who was looking for something. Nishida also thought he was right. In the unlikely event that a taxi driver in front of Ikutahara Station had agreed to go to that Jomon Tunnel, it should have left an impression, so it wouldn't be strange for the bereaved family to be contacted.
"It's impossible that he went on foot, right?" "That's certainly not it." Nishida gave a half-hearted agreement since he was looking at the item he wanted.
"Ah! Right. Even if we say Ikutahara, it's not necessarily Ikutahara Station. It could be Ankoku Station. If you're going to the Jomon Tunnel, that way is closer in terms of the route!"
"Well, if it's a local train, it stops there, so it's not an impossible story. However, I wonder. Even if he got off at Ankoku Station and picked up a taxi, the number of taxis in Ikutahara is limited, right? Is it possible for those people not to see the flyer or poster at Ikutahara Station in the same town? No matter how you think about it, there's no driver who wouldn't stop by Ikutahara Station, the largest in Ikutahara, right?"
"Hmm, I guess you're right, Team Leader. After that, maybe they just missed it..."
"We naturally need to consider the possibility that they missed it. In that case, we might need to check with the taxi companies in Ikutahara too."
"Right. That aside, what are you looking for, Team Leader?"
"Oh, yeah, a notebook for investigation notes. Mine is full." Nishida took a notebook out of his breast pocket and showed it.
When Yoshimura saw it, he said with surprise and half-exasperation, "Heh—you've written a whole lot. It's become like an investigation diary rather than just investigation notes... Wait, are you writing about things like the tea and cake we were served at the Sada house yesterday, the books I kicked and knocked over, and Sada's hobbies? This stuff has nothing to do with the investigation, right? It's more like a combination of an investigation memo and a diary than an investigation diary."
"Well, it's true it's unrelated, but I've decided to write down everything during an investigation. Especially for this case. Something that seems unrelated might be linked to the main part of the case. In fact, your story about the antique shop and the funeral home led to the discovery of Sada's body, right?"
"Oh, that's right. That certainly had nothing to do with the investigation back then. I see, when you put it that way, you're right." Yoshimura turned to an impressed tone and flipped through the pages further. "Wait? You've even written about when you took leave and went back to Sapporo. Let's see, 'Took Yuka and Mika to the department store and bought clothes for the two, hmm, hmm, learned about Kitaoji Rosanjin at the Kitaoji Rosanjin exhibition, for example...'"
"Hey, don't read every single thing." Nishida felt embarrassed hearing Yoshimura read it in detail, so he tried to make him stop.
"Even so, the wife I met in Sapporo was so beautiful and kind she's too good for you, Team Leader, and it's good that Mika-chan takes after her." While listening to Yoshimura's teasing "counterattack," the figure of the sulking Yoshimura from a moment ago had vanished. "Shut up. You're bothering the other customers!" Nishida scolded Yoshimura like that, but in his heart, he was also happy that he'd cheered up completely. While doing that, he purchased the new notebook he wanted and left the shop, and the pace of the two returning to the station through the now completely dark center of Engaru naturally quickened.
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On Monday, September 15th, Respect for the Aged Day (Author's Note: As you know, the date was fixed back then), Nishida and Yoshimura were off duty since it was after their business trip. On the other hand, Takeshita, who was waiting for contact from Shibasaki at the Abashiri Station, received a call from Shibasaki instead of a fax. It seemed that in the victim's interview statements, there were no statements from Kitagawa or Shinoda, or even anyone from the Isaka Group. However, he said it was unknown whether those two were not at the scene because of that. This was because he had obtained testimony from the person in charge back then, who had now retired, that for minor damage, they hadn't taken statements from all victims to simplify the investigation, and at the same time, he had obtained testimony that there were workers from the Isaka Group who were at the scene and suffered minor damage. This matched the information he had obtained from Igarashi at the Doho. The conclusion was that from the information from the Abashiri Station, they couldn't get confirmation that Kitagawa and Shinoda were not at the construction site in Abashiri during the few days from September 26th. Takeshita breathed a sigh of relief at this point that no bad results had come out, but he knew he couldn't be at ease with that.
"I wonder if there's some way to find out if there was a day those two weren't there..." Takeshita was thinking, but he couldn't easily come up with anything. Seeing Takeshita like that, Kurosu gave him advice, "If the workers suffered injuries from the ammonia leak, wouldn't they have received workers' compensation? There's also the method of checking from there..."
"I see. Workers' comp... The Labor Standards Inspection Office might be involved. You've been a help!" Saying that, he looked up that the jurisdiction in charge was the Kitami Labor Standards Inspection Office and contacted them. However, since it was a holiday, no one was there. This is a pattern that happens because the police basically work in shifts and have a weak awareness that Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are days off. Moreover, since the next day was Saturday, the investigation was carried over to Monday, September 18th.
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On Saturday, September 16th, Nishida and Yoshimura were visiting Ikutahara Kotsu, the only small taxi company in the town, in Ikutahara. When they explained the situation to Masuko, the president who looked to be in his late 70s and quite elderly, he called out two drivers who were said to have already been there eight years ago. Although, if they heard correctly, those two were the only drivers even 20 years ago. The president laughed heartily, saying it wouldn't be a big problem to stop work for a short while since there were hardly any customers anyway. The two introduced themselves as Kagawa and Tokuda. Both were veterans in their 50s.
"Regarding this, do you have any memory of it?" Yoshimura showed the photo of Sada Minoru, but neither of them showed a reaction.
"I don't have any memory. In the first place, I certainly remember the flyers being there, so that means we didn't have any such recognition four years ago, right? However, from what I hear, it's either the 15th or 16th of August, right? It's exactly Obon. Around that time, during Obon, relatives of our regular customer, Inagaki-san, come to visit the grave, so our two cars were out on a full-day charter, right, President?" When Masuko was asked for agreement like that, he said nostalgically, "That's certainly how it was... when Inagaki-san was still alive."
"Because of that, there must have been days when we didn't stop by the station at all on the relevant date. It's possible we just didn't happen to see him." Tokuyama's explanation was easy to understand. "In that case, I wonder how Sada went to the site..." Nishida was troubled.
"In the first place, the idea that he went to the site is just a guess from that inn old man's mouth, and there's no confirmation, so it's suspicious," Yoshimura's resentful remark had a certain amount of credibility, but Kagawa said something unexpected.
"It's true we're the only ones doing taxis in Ikutahara, but taxis from Engaru also come often. It's not impossible that they picked him up while they were here."
"Does that happen? However, according to the testimony we have, he was apparently turned down by all the taxi companies in Engaru? And despite the flyers and posters of the victim being at Engaru Station, there was no contact at all from taxi-related people."
"Detective, isn't that just the story of when the company received the call? If you negotiate directly with the driver, they might just ignore that. As long as it makes money, they don't care. Besides, Engaru taxis come here quite a bit. Like us, there are surprisingly many residents who travel between Engaru and Ikutahara by taxi. The trains are few, after all. Isn't it possible he picked up an Engaru taxi in front of the station? Also, it's not guaranteed that all Engaru taxi drivers saw the flyer, right?" Kagawa dismissed Nishida's doubt. Masuko, who had been listening in silence the whole time, gave a wry smile, saying, "You guys would certainly do that." But Tokuda, hearing that, said, "What are you talking about? In the first place, you wouldn't have turned him down, President? Even if we hated it, you'd take a job even if it was going to hell!"
"You caught me! Ha ha ha ha," Masuko laughed with a wide mouth. The president was older than the two employees, but Nishida imagined from the way the three were that they had probably had a relationship like brothers for many years.
"Then, we should do our own inquiries properly even with the Engaru taxis, right?" When Yoshimura confirmed, Kagawa and Tokuda nodded, saying, "That's right. You should definitely try investigating properly!"
"What about individual taxis?" When Masuko asked, Nishida said, "Apparently they were also turned down," and he seemed satisfied, saying, "I see. Then just the company ones are fine."
When Nishida and Yoshimura finished the inquiries, they stopped by the three taxi companies in Engaru—"Engaru Hire," "Engaru Kinoshita Taxi," and "Monbetsu Engaru Kotsu"—on the way back from Ikutahara. They had the office staff make enlarged color copies of Sada's photo and had them posted in the drivers' waiting room. Then they asked them to contact the station if they remembered anything and finally returned to the station.
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When they entered the Detective Division room, Sawada said as if he'd been waiting, "There was a call from Section 1 Head Kurano of the Kitami Regional Headquarters, and he asked me to give a message to the Team Leader. 'I looked into the matter you asked about when we last met, but regarding Takanashi Tetsuo and Mende Shigeyoshi, there are indeed no records of pre-war search requests or the like. It's unknown whether the reason is the loss of records or if the report itself wasn't made. Regarding the request to the Hiroshima Prefectural Police, which is highly likely to be Mende's birthplace, it's also unknown for the same reason.'"
"So we can't find out from there either... It's a story from a long time ago, so I expected it, but it's a shame." Nishida said that to Yoshimura, showing his regret.
Taking a breath, Nishida remembered and took out the cardboard box containing the materials regarding the remains of Senzaki, Mende, and Takanashi, and took out Mende's materials. "Still, Mende was likely a Wajin (Author's Note: A normal Japanese person) judging from his clothes and his name, but I wonder what this Ainu hand guard is..." Nishida, who took out the Ainu hand guard "Tekunpe" that Mende was said to have been wearing when his remains were found from a plastic bag, still couldn't understand it. Even if there's a theory that the Tekunpe itself was originally made by imitating Wajin hand guards, based on a light investigation, it was definitely a Tekunpe with distinct Ainu patterns embroidered on it, which was different from those. Even after putting it back in the plastic and putting it away with the cardboard box, Nishida couldn't imagine at all how Mende, who was highly likely to be from Hiroshima based on his surname, and the Tekunpe were linked.
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On Monday, September 18th, first thing in the morning, Takeshita called the Kitami Labor Standards Inspection Office. It was to confirm whether the ammonia leak incident for cooling equipment during the construction of the Abashiri Times Square at the end of September eight years ago had been handled as workers' compensation.
Naturally, the person in charge wasn't the person from back then, but since it's not a region where many workers' compensation cases occur within the jurisdiction, there was a return contact in about an hour. It was good news that, as Kurosu had pointed out, there had been an application for workers' compensation and the Labor Standards Inspection Office had investigated. Furthermore, when he received a report that they had recorded the attendance books (Author's Note: De-zura-cho, something like an attendance record for workers at a construction site) for all personnel from the workers to the field managers who participated in the construction site, Takeshita almost did a little dance. He was to have the copies of the attendance books for the Isaka Group workers faxed immediately.
Takeshita and Kurosu, who checked the faxed attendance books intently, took less than five minutes to confirm that Kitagawa and Shinoda were not working at the site on September 26th and 27th and were treated as being on leave. The fact that the two definitely had no alibi immediately after Sada's disappearance was proven.
And they immediately told the Section Chief and Nishida. Sawai and Nishida, who looked through the attendance books they were handed, made small fist pumps without even coordinating. "Both Takeshita and Kurosu did well! With this, Kitagawa and Shinoda's involvement is almost backed up. Hey, Yoshimura, you also did well, even if it was by chance." The Section Chief didn't spare his praise for Yoshimura, who was watching the situation from a slight distance. Indeed, if he hadn't bought Sapporo Times Square and Marusei Butter Sand as souvenirs, Takeshita might not have remembered the existence of the accident. Yoshimura didn't say anything in particular, but he had a face that said he wasn't displeased. As a matter of fact, the fact that Yoshimura was becoming a key man on the investigation side of this case, even if he didn't intend to, was something that had to be admitted given the accumulation of "achievements."
"By the way, how's the taxi matter?" The Section Chief changed the subject to Nishida's case. "Unfortunately, nothing has come out at all. Since nothing came out even when the bereaved family did it four years ago, there's a possibility there was an 'omission,' but I think it's a slim hope after all..." Sawai, who heard the story, didn't even change his expression, saying, "That part doesn't relate to the main part of the case, so if you don't know, you don't know. It's a story from a month before the disappearance, after all." He didn't seem to care much. Nishida also thought it wasn't that important to trace Sada's footsteps before the case, but he thought that clarifying the flow until Sada made contact with Isaka would be for the sake of the bereaved family. If it can be known, it's better to know. It's a different story if that takes up time and affects the investigation itself.
"If no information comes in from taxi drivers in either Engaru or Ikutahara, then either the driver forgot, or he went near the Jomon Tunnel by another method, or the old man at the inn was mistaken and he didn't go to the site... Now, I wonder which is the truth." Yoshimura seemed to still have feelings about Shinoyama.
"If he hadn't gone, he wouldn't have said he was glad he came, right? I think what Shinoyama says is also reasonable?" Nishida rebuked Yoshimura, but he ended with a half-hearted attitude, saying, "Is that so..." While being irritated by such a Yoshimura, he thought, "In that case, I'll have Maruyama cooperate..."
"Maruyama, the Ikutahara Police Box?"
"Yeah, Maruyama. Since he has connections with the whole town, all sorts of buried stories might come out."
"Team Leader, but since the flyers and posters were posted, doesn't the fact that no stories have come out mean that's how it is? Besides, even if you ask about a story from eight years ago in a place with only old people, it's doubtful whether the result will follow."
"No, if it's a resident near the other stations in Ikutahara you mentioned, like Ankoku, there's a possibility they haven't seen it, and it's not like there are only old people, and not all old people are senile."
"Ah, when you put it that way, compared to the taxi drivers, the local residents are more likely to be influenced by the nearest station... Right, he's probably not that busy either, and he should listen if we ask. Shall we bet on a sliver of hope?" Yoshimura also finally agreed to Nishida's plan.
Acting as soon as he thought of it, he went out of his way to the Ikutahara Police Box and handed Maruyama an enlarged color copy of Sada's face photo, and requested information collection from the local residents. Maruyama readily agreed to cooperate without a single unpleasant face.