Chapter 35 - Light and Shadow 14 (87–91: Osaka Investigation Arc — Details of Motohashi's Crimes)
Perhaps because he couldn't suppress his racing heart the previous day, Nishida hadn't slept much; he had read the secondhand books he'd bought in Jinbocho and was suffering from a lack of sleep. However, even on the Shinkansen, which was crowded for a Sunday morning, he wasn't hit by the sandman, so he spent his time on the train reading books just like the previous night.
Among them, "Hokkaido Rekishi no Anbu," which dealt with the dark history of Hokkaido's development from the early days of development until around the end of the war, was quite a worthwhile read. If the front side of development was immigrants and the Tonden-hei, the back side of development was convict labor and tako-beya labor. And it was easy to understand the flow from the era when the targets of tako-beya labor were Japanese people brought from the mainland (Honshu) by deceiving them about the treatment (Author's Note: Although there are cases where it is said they were brought by means akin to kidnapping, since the actual situation is unclear, it would be difficult to generalize on this point. Furthermore, there were cases where the recruitment in the Korean Peninsula and China, mentioned later, was similar to this, which may have given rise to the so-called "forced entrainment myth," but there is similarly a problem with whether it should be generalized, such as the frequency. However, it would also be impossible to say that such things "did not exist") to the era when, because Japanese people were drafted as soldiers during the war, there was a shortage of manpower, and the targets changed to Koreans from the Korean Peninsula and Chinese from the mainland. It said that the majority of the forced entrainment myths were the reality of recruitment through false content and forced labor, which were born from the form of tako-beya labor that had existed since before then (Author's Note: In Hokkaido, there is the fact that quite a few deaths occurred among Korean and Chinese laborers due to reckless labor conditions mainly in construction work during the war, and there are cases where their burial was quite careless. On the other hand, because there are many mistakes on both the left and right, such as confusion with the so-called formal "conscription (limited to the Korean Peninsula)" or completely voluntary migrant work [most of the Zainichi people remaining in Japan today are this or immigrants during the Korean War after the war], I believe that accurate recognition is impossible unless this is organized. Famous places include the Uryu No. 1 Dam and the Moiwa Power Plant, where this kind of victim increased after the 1930s and many cenotaphs have been erected, but the current situation is that it is difficult to unearth historical facts as long as there is blind conflict between the left and right wings. The left wing still insists on general "forced entrainment," and the right wing emphasizes "free will," but nothing will be solved by doing that. Harsh labor conditions that cause many deaths and injuries cannot be justified in the first place, even with free will).
On the other hand, if you ask what kind of measures the administration, especially the police, were taking, although there are cases where they "arrested" the business side for the time being, it seems that, like the current crackdowns on adult entertainment shops based on prostitution or the Labor Standards Inspection Office's crackdowns on Labor Standards Act violations, the basic stance was a pose of "doing work for the time being." He had generally known, but it was a painful story even for the incumbent Nishida. Especially overlooking things due to "under the sleeve," that is, bribery, is something that cannot be forgiven. In any era, the arbitrary investigation of the police distorts society. However, if you are inside, it is an organization where you cannot resist even if you know. Of course, even if bribery is out of the question, self-justification through the logic of "necessary evil" exists not only in the past but also in the present.
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They arrived at Shin-Osaka Station before noon, ate lunch in the station building, and headed to the Osaka Prefectural Police by taxi. The Osaka Prefectural Police, located beside Osaka Castle, was a building that didn't have height but seemed to have floor space (Author's Note: It seems a new building was constructed in 2007, and it seems to be a quite modern building), and immediately after getting out of the taxi, Nishida and Yoshimura were looking up at the exterior of the headquarters of the second-largest police organization in Japan from below. However, as if they had remembered, they immediately stepped into the reception inside.
As Kurano had said, when they identified themselves at the reception, a staff member immediately came down from upstairs to guide them. He identified himself as Sugai, the Section Chief of the Investigation Cooperation Division. It seems the Investigation Cooperation Division also appeared on the Prefectural Police side. Sugai seemed to be a staff member of an age slightly older than Nishida. Guided by Sugai and waiting in the reception room of the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Investigation Department after taking the elevator, the majestic form of Osaka Castle was reflected outside the window.
"How nostalgic. It's been since the autumn of my second year of high school."
Yoshimura stood up and was staring at it intently. Just like Tokyo, it seemed he had come here for the first time since a high school field trip.
Meanwhile, Hiramatsu, the Section Chief, appeared, bringing Murono, who had the long title of "Second Violent Crimes Investigation, Murder Investigation First Team Leader"—a title unique to a large-scale Prefectural Police (Headquarters also has similar departments)—and another subordinate from the same department, Senior Staff Hatayama.
Kurano and the others hadn't arrived yet, but it seems there was a contact that they had already arrived at Itami Airport, and—
"I'm sure they'll be here soon. Well, let's wait slowly until then," Hiramatsu said, sounding easygoing while drinking tea. For an elite detective, he seemed to have an unexpectedly relaxed personality, but Nishida thought he was probably the type who would change completely once it came to work.
However, Murono and Hatayama probably had the intention of "preparing" to some extent before the "meeting" between the Prefectural Police and the Hokkaido Prefectural Police officially began, as they were talking casually but also lightly probing Nishida and Yoshimura, who were directly involved in the investigation, on a few points.
"According to the contact from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters, the body of the person named Sada, whom Motohashi reportedly killed, was apparently discovered just this summer, but is that true?"
They seemed frankly surprised that the timing was strangely good. Now that it was mentioned, it could certainly be called good timing.
"That's right. It's a coincidence, but the timing was good... He went missing eight years ago, and we think he was killed at the same time. In the process of investigating another murder, this case also surfaced... In the midst of that, we found the body—or rather, the remains—in our jurisdiction around the end of August. So the fact that the perpetrator came forward at this timing is like a bolt from the blue, for better or worse... And since it's Motohashi who's the perpetrator, I was really surprised."
Nishida answered Hatayama's question like that.
"Does that mean it wasn't a coincidence, but that you found it based on information that surfaced in the investigation of another case to some extent?"
"To be honest, I guess it's a product of both parts where I had conviction and parts where it was exactly a coincidence. In reality, the fact that he wasn't found for eight years proves that the body doesn't come out so easily. After all, from the place where the body was first buried, it was hidden further inside a grave several years later."
Nishida spoke to Murono and Hatayama with a sense of reality while recalling the investigation up to that point. Since it was a hassle to explain the "grave marker" matter including history, he just spoke of it as a "grave."
"A grave, huh... I see, they hit upon a place that's hard to discover as a hiding place. I think you did well to find it. However, what do you mean by 'hidden later'?"
Murono showed interest in the details.
"I also saw it in the report from the Prefectural Police, but it seems he confessed that there were two collaborators. Actually, the other murder case we were chasing is a case in which one of them is thought to have been involved... Probably, the one who moved the body to the grave several years later is that very person; that's the storyline we're currently thinking of."
"Ho..."
It was unclear how much Murono and Hatayama understood what Nishida said, but since it was a quite complicated story, Nishida gave up in a sense, thinking it couldn't be helped even if they didn't clearly understand at this place.
"By the way, regarding Motohashi, it was said that he suddenly confessed his crimes including the ones for which he was found guilty, but was there anything that served as a catalyst?"
Yoshimura asked back, choosing the right moment.
"Well, even though I say he confessed everything, when we ask 'Who asked you to do the killing?', he only says 'I don't want to say' about that... While he hadn't even admitted to the murders until now, he's admitted to them and even admitted that he was doing the murders upon request, so things are progressing, but... That aside, as for the catalyst, we don't really know either, which is a pathetic story..."
Hiramatsu suddenly spoke up. And—
"The prosecutor in charge, who rushed over and interrogated him together after receiving the contact from the detention house, also said that what can be considered is that the purpose is to delay the execution. However, since there might be no meaning in just confessing to the cases already finalized in court, we think he also confessed to the cases of the Hokkaido Prefectural Police that hadn't been discovered. Initially, we even thought the confession itself was false in order to delay the death penalty. After all, we don't know who the other party is, and of course, because it's Motohashi, he won't say who the requester is... The location is also just somewhere near Kitami, so we don't really know. However, since he specifically brought up the place name Kitami in Hokkaido out of the blue, we thought we'd try looking into it just in case..." he continued.
I see, as Hiramatsu said, if the perpetrator of a series of cases that were almost all in Kansai and rarely in Tokyo suddenly brought up a place name in the eastern edge of Hokkaido and confessed to a murder, the psychology of wanting to check it would have worked.
"And then it was a bingo. We who heard it were surprised."
Saying so, Hiramatsu let out a dry laugh.
"No, we were surprised too. We were in Tokyo for that investigation at exactly the timing. We came here directly from Tokyo today too."
"Ah, so that's how it was. I heard from Section Chief Kurano, who's coming now, that 'two people are coming from Tokyo, so take care of them.' I was wondering a bit if they were coming from the Metropolitan Police Department."
The Section Chief, who couldn't completely hide his Kansai dialect here and there, seemed to have been satisfied by Nishida's story.
"Since you were in Tokyo for the investigation, is the Motohashi case also related to Tokyo?"
Hatayama opened his mouth again.
"No, it's just a part of the background investigation of the victim's human relationships."
"That side, huh... I see."
At Nishida's brief reply, Hatayama couldn't find any more words, or he didn't mention anything more.
"That's right! I was thinking of making this a souvenir for Hokkaido in Tokyo, but since I ended up coming here suddenly... Since there's also an expiration date, please eat it here."
Yoshimura, as if he had remembered, offered the package of Funawa's imo-yokan that he had bought at the department store yesterday and kept in the hotel refrigerator.
"Well, well. This, I actually quite like it as a Tokyo souvenir. I'd like to have some right away."
Hiramatsu accepted it with a smile, called a female staff member, and ordered her to cut it and bring it right away. Nishida and Yoshimura also shared in the leftovers, although they were the ones who bought it.
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While they were doing that, a contact came from the reception via the extension that Kurano, Takeshita, Shibata, and Tamaru had finally arrived, and Sugai went down to meet them.
"They've finally come. Now, it's time for work..."
Hiramatsu said so, stuffed all the imo-yokan into his mouth, and washed it down his throat with tea. The two from Engaru also felt somewhat restless when they heard of their superior's arrival and sat back in the sofa.
"Sorry for being late. I'm Kurano, the First Investigation Division Section Chief of the Kitami District Headquarters; this is Shibata, the Forensics Division Senior Staff; this is Takeshita, the Detective Division Senior Staff of the Engaru Station; and Section Chief Tamaru of the Investigation Cooperation Division from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters. We'll be in your care from now on. Also, this is just a small thing, but a souvenir."
When the four including Kurano exchanged greetings after entering the room guided by Murono, Nishida felt the loose atmosphere from earlier tightening up. Since it is an organization called a District Headquarters under the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters, compared to a Prefectural Police Headquarters, it is undoubtedly a lower rank, but when a person who is the First Investigation Division Section Chief in a District Headquarters and a person who is the First Investigation Division Section Chief in a Prefectural Police Headquarters face each other, even if they are not in a hostile relationship, he felt something like a clash of auras—to use a cliché expression—flying back and forth. However, Nishida and Yoshimura chuckled a bit at the fact that the souvenir was the Kitami specialty "Hakka Juhyou."
"By the way, when did you guys come?"
Kurano said as if he had suddenly noticed the two beside him.
"About 30 minutes ago."
They had followed the time period Kurano had emphasized yesterday, but Kurano feigned ignorance and said,
"Ah, is that so. That was unexpectedly early."
He replied curtly.
The Prefectural Police side responded in the reception room until the four who had just arrived settled down, but perhaps because there were many people, as planned, they moved from the reception room to a small conference room, and a full-scale small-scale investigation meeting began immediately. Both sides, who had been exchanging information "unofficially" like a trade of jabs until just now, were now in a place to "officially" put out investigation information, with Sugai and Tamaru also present.
First, it was announced by Hiramatsu and Sugai that the Hokkaido side's interrogation of Motohashi would be conducted from tomorrow morning. It seems to be for the convenience of the detention house. Perhaps because they didn't want the media to get wind of it until the formal announcement, the Prefectural Police side also didn't seem to be acting openly. Also, regarding this Kitami case, it was explained from the Prefectural Police side that their recognition is that the Osaka Prefectural Police basically has no investigation authority at all. This is because, regarding the already discovered murder, the guilty verdict has already been finalized, so it cannot become a "Nationwide Specially Designated Case" (Author's Note: Basically, a major crime spanning multiple prefectures, which the National Police Agency designates and each prefectural police investigates in cooperation. However, even if it is a case that occurred in one prefecture, if cooperation from other prefectural police is requested and the National Police Agency decides, it becomes a Nationwide Specially Designated Case) designated by the National Police Agency.
However, in the cases other than the one related to the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, since the rifling marks of the handgun used matched, it had been treated as a Nationwide Specially Designated Case in the past. The Metropolitan Police Department and the Hyogo Prefectural Police, who were investigating the finalized cases Motohashi confessed to, had already interrogated Motohashi on October 5th upon contact from the Prefectural Police. At that time, because he didn't answer or dodged when asked about things beyond what he had spoken himself, the Metropolitan Police Department had quickly "withdrawn," thinking there was no meaning in interrogating him further (actually, it was meaningless because the trial was finalized on the premise of guilt). The Prefectural Police side and the Hyogo Prefectural Police side hadn't completely given up yet, but it could be said that there was no meaning beyond clarifying the actual situation.
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The cases Motohashi Yukio executed are the following four. In all cases, since the sound of a handgun being fired was not confirmed in the surroundings, it was seen that a silencer was used.
◯Monday, March 16, Showa 62 (1987)
In Neyagawa City, Osaka Prefecture, a 38-year-old housewife (Hirata Toshiko) was found dead at the entrance of her home by her second son, an elementary school student, who had returned home, having received two bullets in the chest. It is seen that she was killed on the afternoon of the same day.
◯Friday, March 17, Heisei 1 (1989)
In Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, the president of Touou Service Co., Ltd., Hisatomi Taketo (52 years old), was found dead in the office by an employee who came to work the next day, having received two bullets in the chest. It is seen that he was killed on the night of the 16th, the previous day, after all other employees had gone home.
◯Wednesday, August 22, Heisei 2 (1990)
In Minoo City, Osaka Prefecture, in the living room of a detached house, a company employee, Sasaki Takao (48 years old) and his wife Fumie (45 years old), were found dead, with Takao having received one bullet in the head and Fumie having received two bullets in the chest. From the estimated time of death, it is seen that they were killed from the evening to the night of August 20th.
◯Saturday, April 20, Heisei 3 (1991)
At the entrance of a detached house in Shimogion-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, a former company executive, Yukihashi Masatsugu, 75 years old, was found dead by a maid, having received two bullets in the chest. It is seen that he was killed on the night of the 19th, the previous day.
And on April 23, Heisei 3 (1991), in Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, Motohashi Yukio's passenger car was caught in a checkpoint for another robbery case, a handgun was found in the car, and he was arrested in the act for violating the Swords and Firearms Control Act. After that, in a rifling mark check of the handgun, it matched the rifling marks of the bullets left at the previous crime scenes. It was a flow where he was re-arrested on suspicion of murder.
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In any case, in the subsequent investigation, a confirmation was presented from the Prefectural Police side themselves that they would not seek disclosure of investigation information from the Hokkaido side one by one. However, there was a request that if a case that had not come to light surfaced through the investigation in a related matter, they would like it reported immediately. In other words, they made a polite request for investigation cooperation while respecting the Hokkaido Prefectural Police. Naturally, there was no reason for the Hokkaido side to refuse that, and both Tamaru and Kurano accepted it tentatively at this point.
The reason the Osaka Prefectural Police made such a request was that there was a high possibility that there were people involved in mediating the Sada murder request to Motohashi in local Osaka. This time too, the response of the Prefectural Police side should be appreciated, and it was natural as police work to build a good cooperation system across "fences."
And it was requested that both Murono and Hatayama of the Prefectural Police be allowed to participate in the Hokkaido side's interrogation tomorrow to an extent that they would not be a nuisance. It seems there was a "faint" expectation that depending on the Hokkaido side's interrogation, the means of contact from the requester in other murders and the means of receiving rewards might be understood. That's because even from the recent confession, it is still unknown how it led from the requester to Motohashi. It seems the method of handing over money that probably existed has not been clarified yet either, and they felt a desire to bet on the last ray of hope.
But the Prefectural Police side said that even in tomorrow's interrogation, they hardly expect Motohashi to spill the beans on that part. It seems to be a level of consciousness of "just in case." If you think about it well, it would be opportunistic for Motohashi, who had endured even the severe interrogations until now, to suddenly spill the beans on the core part of the underworld mechanism, which is the contact route and the flow of money, even though he finally confessed to his crimes themselves.
Kurano and Tamaru consulted in low voices about this proposal, and Kurano finally decided to approve it. However, Kurano requested Hiramatsu to keep the questioning to a minimum in case a time limit was set by the detention house. Also, regarding the disclosure of investigation information, Tamaru added that the final adjustment would be a consultation at the top level of the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters and the Prefectural Police, so they themselves cannot take responsibility for the final decision-making. It means it is only a verbal promise at the current point. It's probably because he felt later that it's not a story of a dimension that can be settled with the authority of the Investigation Cooperation Division Section Chief.
After that, a detailed personal history of Motohashi was explained by Hiramatsu. Motohashi had led a delinquent group as the general leader of the Kawachi area in Osaka since his high school days. He was seen as having not only strength in fighting but also a sharp mind and qualities as a leader, and he became a member of the "Aoi-ikka," a Kansai-based designated organized crime group.
That said, it seems it wasn't an organization that boasted the power it has now back then. He was favored by the current boss, "Tatsukawa Kousuke," and was walking the path of promotion smoothly, but he took responsibility for a scandal by a direct subordinate of Motohashi toward the group, left the Aoi-ikka in August Showa 61 (1986) (formally, he was expelled), and was active as a lone wolf yakuza. The view is that he eventually became a hitman.
However, Hiramatsu said there was also a view that even after leaving, his relationship with the Aoi-ikka was not completely cut off behind the scenes. There is even a theory that becoming a hitman was done as one of the demands from the "group" in a sense. In addition, a detailed story about the process by which Motohashi began to confess was told from Hiramatsu's mouth.
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On the morning of October 2nd, he told the guard who came to collect breakfast, "I have something I want to talk about," and the chief guard heard the story in front of the death row cell. However, because the content was a confession of murders for which a guilty death sentence had been finalized, he immediately reported to the head guard. After a re-interrogation by the head guard, upon the instruction of the Osaka Detention House Director (formally the Correction Director), a contact came to the First Investigation Division which was investigating at the Prefectural Police.
Because of the nature of the content, the First Investigation Division also immediately dispatched Hatayama and another detective. They conducted an interrogation and he also confessed to a murder that had not come to light. At this point, they consulted with the Prefectural Police senior executives. They decided to first interrogate him about the cases that had come to light and then process the cases that had not come to light. They contacted the relevant agencies outside the Prefectural Police (such as the Ministry of Justice which manages death row inmates and the Public Prosecutors Office which indicted him), the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Hyogo Prefectural Police, and began interrogations. After that was finished, the Osaka Prefectural Police Criminal Investigation Director finally decided to inquire with the Hokkaido Prefectural Police. Thereafter, Hiramatsu, who received instructions from the Director, reported to the Hokkaido side by fax through the Investigation Cooperation Division of the Prefectural Police—that was the flow.
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However, at the time of this report, Hiramatsu did not deny that the Prefectural Police side was also half-doubting, or even more, suspected Motohashi's bluff aimed at delaying the execution of the death penalty. That's because it is almost impossible to execute the death penalty without investigating whether there is really another murder case that has not come to light. Since the death penalty has already been finalized, the sentence cannot become heavier than this, so it was naturally worth it for Motohashi to "try betting" on it. However, even if Motohashi's testimony was a fact, this would affect the timing of the execution of the sentence, so it was worth it for Motohashi to confess regardless of whether it was true or a lie. From Kurano, the following were listed as items to be confirmed with Motohashi in the interrogation.
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◯Determination of the person Motohashi says he killed
Regarding this, although the probability that it is Sada Minoru is high, since he has no recognition that the person is Sada, they will adopt a means of having him choose from multiple photos including Sada and dummies. Since the case of Sada being killed has hardly been reported even in Hokkaido, Motohashi is also incarcerated in the Osaka Detention House, and there is a high probability that no one other than the people involved in the case could know; it corresponds almost to a 'revelation of a secret'.
◯Determination of the person who requested the murder from Motohashi
In order to identify the person who was requested to commit the murder in Kitami, they will adopt a means of having him choose from photos of Isaka Daikichi and other dummies, just like the determination of the murder target. However, from the previous circumstances, Motohashi has remained silent about the requester of the Sada murder, and they are skeptical about whether he will specifically spill the beans on this. Since the police have not yet determined to what extent Isaka Daikichi was involved in the case, it does not become a 'revelation of a secret'.
◯Determination of the two collaborators
Identification of the two people who took him to the scene at the time of the murder and buried him. Same as above, they will have him select from photos of Kitagawa and Shinoda and dummies. This is also subtle at the current point whether he will spill the beans considering Motohashi's previous words and actions.
◯Murder method and murder location (including disposal site)
Since it was a shooting and the location was in the suburbs of Kitami and there was a railway line nearby, photos of the vicinity of the murder scene were also taken in this investigation, so they will show them including dummies and confirm. Also, they will judge from the memory testimony of the time. Regarding these, like the murder target, they almost correspond to a 'revelation of a secret' (due to the regional limited nature of the case reporting and the small amount of reporting itself within the prefecture).
◯Interrogation of the situation before and after the murder
Hearing how he went to the scene, how he killed him, and the state of the burial after that. This corresponds to a 'revelation of a secret' because the details have not come out at all.
◯Confirmation of the circumstances from the time leading up to the crime until the time he returned
Interrogation regarding the situation from receiving the murder request until returning to his hometown.
◯Analysis of the components of the bullets from the handgun Motohashi was using, not Motohashi himself, and the trace metal components detected from Sada's remains. It will be evidence of complete involvement in the murder. Regarding this, it is a joint work between Shibata and the Forensics Division of the Prefectural Police.
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With this as the basic line, the Hokkaido side told the Prefectural Police side that they plan to interrogate Motohashi. Finally, they confirmed the Prefectural Police side's participation in the interrogation again, and the long meeting finally ended.
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After the meeting ended, the six members of the Hokkaido side, including Kurano, checked into the "Daito Hotel" near the Prefectural Police to drop off their luggage. Unlike the business hotel they stayed at in Tokyo, because it was a hotel of a famous major Kansai private railway group, it was a room with a quite luxurious interior. After that, except for Shibata who immediately entered the component analysis in Forensics, they had a dinner meeting between both investigation teams set up by Sugai at another restaurant near the hotel. Perhaps because it was hosted by the Prefectural Police which has a budget even though it was official-to-official entertainment, it was a reasonably grand Japanese meal. It was strangely impressive that Yoshimura was eating deliciously while remaining silent.
In the conversation at that place, Hiramatsu, Murono, Hatayama, and Sugai of the Prefectural Police side were surprised to learn that this investigation was conducted through the independent investigation of the Engaru Station, a small local station, and even overturned the previous investigation results. It is certainly unusual to investigate a murder case without cooperation from Headquarters, and it is also unusual to expose that a mere disappearance case from several years ago was a murder without anyone's confession. Perhaps they had a consciousness of looking down on Nishida and the others to some extent, but it must have been considerably wiped away.
When the dinner meeting ended, since there was also investigation from the next day onwards, they dispersed as they were, and the Hokkaido members returned to the hotel while looking at Osaka Castle at night. Osaka Castle in the daytime is good, but Osaka Castle lit up was spectacular. According to what they heard at the hotel front desk, the lighting up had started in the early Showa 30s (around 1955), and they were also surprised by the length of its history.
After taking a bath in the room, while relaxing with a can of beer, Takeshita from the next room visited. It seemed he wanted to hear the story about the investigation in Tokyo directly from Nishida, not just the report to the station.
"Regarding Masamitsu, the conclusion seems to be that it's unlikely he was directly involved in the case, but I learned from the Team Leader's report from Tokyo that he was complaining quite a bit about his father Daikichi to a colleague in the autumn of the year before he quit the construction company and returned to Kitami. What do you think about that?"
"Asking me what I think means something is bothering you, right? Takeshita, are you thinking that Masamitsu went wild because he was told some secret by Daikichi?"
"You found me out... I suspect that he might have confessed what Daikichi did in the series of events, or at least a part of it, to his son..."
Nishida also recommended a can of beer taken out from the refrigerator to Takeshita who spoke like that, and—
"However, he might have just asked Masamitsu, who seemed to have an attachment to Tokyo, to 'please succeed the company.' Timing-wise, he quit Daikoku Construction the following year and succeeded the Isaka Group as it was, so it's not that strange a story."
He raised a doubt.
"That might be so. However, as far as I sniffed around in Kitami after the Team Leader went to Tokyo, it seems that the year before Daikichi resigned as president—that is, the autumn of '92 when Masamitsu reportedly went wild one night—it seems a problem with Daikichi's heart began to appear around the summer of that year, which became the catalyst for having his son succeed him. In fact, he died in December '93, and it was said to be from illness, but accurately, he died of a heart attack."
"I had heard about the death from illness before, but it was a heart problem..."
Even the police didn't grasp the cause of death more clearly than it being death from illness. In that respect, they might have been negligent, but if the investigation couldn't be done properly due to pressure, maybe there was no need to know in detail.
"However, I've also heard that before then, there was no talk of any problem with his heart. He was in tip-top shape, and in fact, he seems to have gone to golf often until then. That's glimpsed even in the articles of 'Zaikai Hokkaido', right?"
Now that it was mentioned, the magazine article that Sada saw and suspected the identity of Tasuke and Daikichi was also with a photo of Daikichi's golf tournament. Nishida was satisfied, but conversely, his doubt also grew.
"Then why the heart?"
"Before heading out for the fire in Shirataki yesterday, I actually stopped by Takashima Hospital in Kitami, which was Daikichi's family hospital, and was listening to the story. Well, I had asked them many times to let me hear the story and finally... Anyway, I had them check the medical record and confirmed it; three years ago, from mid-August '92, the condition of his heart began to worsen, and he visited the hospital on the 17th. It seems it was a finding as if quite a bit of mental stress had accumulated."
"August 17th, huh..."
Nishida stopped drinking his beer and listened to Takeshita's words.
"The fact that Daikichi's heart became strange before August 17, '92—this is certain. And although it seems unrelated at first glance, just before that, on August 10th, Shinoda received a call from Daikichi at the construction site in Yubetsu and probably went to the site in Ikutahara to check the body to see if Sada was properly dead. From there, it's the flow of the excavation of Sada's body and the move to that grave marker. And we suspect that the murder of Yoneda occurred in that process."
"That's how it is."
Nishida first confirmed that Takeshita's words were just a "review" and took a sip from the can once. Takeshita remained silent until Nishida stopped drinking, but when he saw that Nishida didn't drink much beer, he immediately moved his mouth.
"The chronology of that call and the occurrence of Daikichi's heart trouble bothers me. The heart is literally an organ that is directly and considerably affected by the mental aspect. I can't help but feel that the mental burden is linked to the cause that made Daikichi have Shinoda confirm Sada's body—probably a threat from someone to Daikichi. What do you think?"
When Nishida heard that, he stood up and opened his bag. And he took out the investigation notebook from before, which was completely filled, and while flipping through it quickly—
"I think you've heard the report of my business trip to Sapporo from the Section Chief one by one, but do you remember the story of a person named Kutsukake, who was in charge of the investigation at the time and is now a Section Chief at the Sapporo Nishi Station?" he asked.
"Yes, I do," Takeshita replied immediately.
"The timing is not clear, but he reportedly heard from a Maru-bou (detective in charge of organized crime) of the Kitami District Headquarters, probably within the last five years, a rumor that Isaka Daikichi was being threatened. The story was that he himself had obtained it as information from the people of the Souryuu-kai, who have a relationship with the Isaka Group. Regarding that?" he further confirmed.
"Yes, I remember hearing it."
When Nishida heard that, he moved to the core of the story, thinking it would be quick.
"If that story of the threat to Isaka is the same as the one in the call between Shinoda and Isaka three years ago that we learned of, it'll be interesting... And it's even more so if it's intertwined with your reasoning about the relationship with Daikichi's heart, Takeshita."
"It's quite interesting. Sada (T/N: possible typo — original reads Sada, likely intended Daikichi) was mentally worn down by that threat, and after that, he had no choice but to let Masamitsu succeed the company, and at the same time, it shortened his life..."
Takeshita spoke in a quiet but confident tone.
"Hmm, as one theory, it's not impossible. And the son, Masamitsu, didn't dislike being handed the 'headship of the family' simply on the dimension of having to withdraw to Kitami, but went wild after hearing the fundamental reason for it."
"The fundamental reason you're thinking of, Team Leader, means that he confessed the crime Daikichi committed, whether in part or in full, to his son Masamitsu?"
"That's right... Of course, this is a story based on your opinions so far. For Daikichi, it would have been fine just to have him succeed due to poor health, but even if he wanted to escape from psychological pressure by confessing to his own son, it wouldn't be that strange. No, if he was being threatened, he might have had no choice but to say it. It's not necessarily just work that is handed over. There's a possibility that it included the response processing to the subsequent threats."
"I see, that's possible."
Takeshita nodded. However, Nishida's theory was, as he himself admitted, nothing more than a reconstruction based on Takeshita's theory, but it seems Takeshita dared to ignore that and went along with the talk.
"However, if he was being threatened by Kitagawa or Shinoda after the Sada murder, Daikichi seems too mentally broken compared to then. I feel a bit of a sense of wrongness in that difference."
"Certainly, that point is concerning. However, I think the five-year difference for an elderly person is unexpectedly large. Because they go downhill mentally and physically, it might not be a difference that is completely unimaginable."
"I see... Certainly, there's a time lag of five years from the murder of Sada to the murder of Yoneda... Hmm, in that sense, it's not impossible."
Nishida said so and snapped the notebook shut.
Takeshita opened the mouth of the can for the first time here, and after drinking a considerable amount in one gulp, he started the talk anew.
"By the way, regarding the story that Daikichi was probably threatened about the Sada matter three years ago, do you have an eye on the culprit, Team Leader?"
Nishida was a bit taken aback by the abrupt question and—
"No, I can't even imagine..." he only said.
"Is that so... But, besides knowing about Sada's disappearance, there's someone who knows that it might be related to Isaka in the summer three years ago, right? Even excluding Shinoda and Kitagawa who were almost certainly directly involved."
"...Sada Minoru's bereaved family and his older brother Yuzuru?"
Nishida realized it for the first time after being pointed out by Takeshita.
"Yes. Currently, the ones who know that are the police at the time—that is, Mr. Nagumo, right?—or the people of the Kitami District Headquarters or Sada's family."
"But... the Sada family, huh... I don't think that's it, you know?"
It was a statement at the end of being swept away by emotion, which could even be called a failure as a detective. There's no way those people of the Sada family would do such a thing. It was a conclusion based on such a thought. Takeshita poked at that.
"No, Team Leader! Objectively speaking, the most suspicious ones are a fact. And that threat didn't necessarily come from malice, you know?"
Nishida asked for an answer, as if seeking salvation.
"Takeshita, what does that mean?"
"The important thing is that even if the Sada family members submitted new information—the letter and the contract—to the police in the early winter four years ago, in '91, the police were useless. In that case, it's not strange if they felt like they'd try to expose it somehow themselves."
"In other words, they went on a diversionary operation against Isaka?"
"Yes, that possibility is possible. Since they probably didn't clearly understand the relationship between the letter, the contract, and Daikichi, they hinted at something about them to see Isaka's movement. They thought he might make a blunder..."
Nishida also put the can to his mouth here. It was an amount that just moistened his lips, but Takeshita waited until his superior put the can on the table and—
"The problem is... even if it's a diversionary operation, when you think about how to link Isaka's action against it to the case, they can't be on watch 24/7, so if you ask if it's realistic for an amateur in investigation to do that, it's a problem. In that case, it ends up being for the purpose of 'money' just like the dead Minoru..." he continued.
"No, I still say that's not it!"
Nishida denied it flatly.
"They're not that kind of people! I can tell. In the disposal of Minoru's property, the wife and children weren't at least in trouble for money four years ago when they discovered the contract and the letter!"
Perhaps because he was a bit tipsy, it had become a somewhat childish statement.
"Is it a detective's hunch? Or is it just emotion?"
Takeshita poked a painful spot.
"Both."
"I see..."
Takeshita spoke in a tone of being troubled, but—
"If you say so much, Team Leader, then maybe that's how it is..." he said quietly. Whether that meant he understood or just followed suit, Nishida couldn't tell at that moment.
"Actually, I said it myself first, but if Isaka was threatened by the Sada family and Daikichi was troubled enough by the mental strain, when you think about whether the Sada family had approached the truth that much, as I said earlier, honestly it's difficult. Just by looking at the letter and the contract, you can't clearly tell. Unless the bereaved family was reading 'Zaikai Hokkaido' or the Isaka Group's company history as enthusiastically as Minoru, there's almost no possibility that they linked 'Isaka Tasuke' of the letter and contract and 'Isaka Daikichi' as the same person. In the end, if it's just a 'same surname' that can be understood immediately, even if he's threatened, Daikichi should be able to ignore it as a 'complete stranger.' Regarding the fingerprints on the contract, it's impossible for a layperson to judge. Anyway, Isaka was interrogated by the police and yet he's the kind of guy who's getting through it by even using politicians, so he should be able to play dumb if he wants to."
Takeshita suddenly changed to a very weak way of speaking. Nishida thought that if that was the case, he shouldn't have said something bothering from the beginning. Anyway, Nishida was somewhat relieved by the "change" in Takeshita's words and actions, but then he was troubled in a different sense.
"Then what happens? Is it the police side?"
"Actually, there's no conviction to say it's impossible. However, if a researcher (T/N: possible typo, original reads 捜査員, likely intended investigator) of the Kitami District Headquarters who received the contact is involved, I don't know why they kept quiet about the information the Sada family brought out in the early winter four years ago, in '91, until the summer of the following year... that is, August '92. Isn't the timing too halfway? Naturally, if they're going to threaten him, they should have investigated whether it's a fact or not regarding the contract and the letter. Whether that was information based on what was done as an investigation—in other words, whether the threat was made after it was concealed as an investigation—or whether the investigation itself was negligent and the investigator who learned the information investigated it personally and then threatened him... Anyway, in either case, if you investigate, you can immediately tell that they are the same person. So if they're going to threaten him, they'll threaten him immediately; if they're going to achieve results, I think they can choose to take it to an investigation at an early stage. For that reason, regarding the time lag, I think it can only be explained by something like they happened to see the Isaka Group's 40th anniversary company history later and learned about the name change of Tasuke and Daikichi by chance... Well, even so, it's not convincing."
He tilted his head several times, perhaps because it didn't make sense.
However, Nishida thought that regarding the consideration of the threat to Isaka, Takeshita was thinking about all sorts of possibilities.
"Certainly, the timing when the information of the letter and the contract went from the Sada family to the police was the winter of '91... If Daikichi was threatened in August of '92, there's a strangely long gap in that timing. This explanation is difficult. Perhaps someone we haven't thought of at all until now learned something midway and intervened; that possibility cannot be denied. It's better not to have too much preconception."
Since his superior expanded the talk, as a subordinate, he was somewhat saved, and—
"That's true. Are there various possibilities... For now, it might be better to focus on the interrogation of Motohashi in front of us."
He went along with Nishida's opinion.
"I think that's wise."
Nishida said so and finished his beer.
"Even so, the interrogation of Motohashi, huh... I guess it won't be straightforward..."
Takeshita also finished his beer and put it on the desk.
"Will tomorrow mostly decide things or not... I'm looking forward to it, but for some reason, I'm also scared."
Nishida said so with a smile, and the sharp subordinate also smiled with a slightly flushed face at that moment.
"Now, that's it for tonight! Let's sleep to prepare for tomorrow."
"Then, shall we do that?"
Saying so, Takeshita was about to throw the beer can into the trash can, so Nishida stopped him and urged him to return to his room as he was, and Takeshita said—
"Thanks."
He said a word of thanks for that and left the room.
When Nishida was finally alone, despite having said "let's sleep," his eyes were strangely wide awake, so he stared firmly at Osaka Castle, which could be seen outside the hotel window, lit up.
"Will the curtain finally be raised on the Osaka 'Autumn Campaign' tomorrow..."
He said so as if telling himself, and closed the curtains with a flourish. And he turned on the TV and was watching the news from inside the bed for about 30 minutes, but by the time he suddenly noticed, the early morning news had already started.