Chapter 46 - Light and Shadow 25 (140–142: After Returning to Sapporo, Revisiting Sada Akiko's House)
They departed the detention center, weaving through the gates where the press were still loitering, dropped off Toyama at the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters, bid him a temporary farewell, and showed the driver the address of the Sada residence.
They arrived at the Sada residence at 5:30 PM. They were able to arrive much earlier than they had thought yesterday. The rain had already stopped. The interior was somewhat cluttered as it was in the middle of renovation work, but the reception room on the first floor was in a neat and tidy state, just as before, except for the fact that the books piled in the hallway, which Yoshimura had knocked over during their previous visit, had been moved. Takeshita was looking around the inside of the house, which he was visiting for the first time, throughout. Nishida felt a slight sense of discomfort at his way of moving his eyes as if searching for something, even though it was happening in someone else's house.
Despite having told her it was unnecessary to go to any trouble, Akiko tried to entertain them with elegant cake and tea in the reception room as Yoshimura had expected, and Nishida and the others handed her the sweets they had bought in Osaka, which were clearly not an equal match.
By the way, since it was the first meeting between Takeshita and Akiko, Nishida first introduced him briefly, and both parties exchanged greetings. However, Nishida also felt that Takeshita's piercing gaze was fixed on Akiko, and Akiko likely felt it too. For the time being, they were shown the investigation results contained in the envelope from the detective agency, which had been newly discovered.
The thin light-green envelope from the "Kataoka Detective Agency" had an address in Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Inquiry agencies (including detective agencies) are, like security companies, places for re-employment of police retirees, and Nishida assumed that this agency would also have connections with the police (Author's Note: At this time, the so-called "Detective Business Act" had not been enacted or enforced, and in a sense, it was a free-for-all that did not require authorization from the Public Safety Commission). However, the problem was, naturally, the contents. Over the phone, it was said to be an investigation into the whereabouts of Masaharu, the younger brother of Hojo Masato. Nishida took several sheets of paper out of the envelope and placed them so that Takeshita and Yoshimura could also see them.
○ Investigation Results
Regarding the location investigation of "Hojo Masaharu" for which we received a request, Kumazawa Fisheries in Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture, went bankrupt in Heisei 3 (1991)... although we dispatched an investigator to the site... We also investigated the history of his working in Takikawa... The conclusion is that, unfortunately, his whereabouts as of August 10th could not be determined. As for the expenses, we will charge the amount stated in the separate invoice.
○ Invoice
For 15 days from July 27th to August 10th, the basic daily fee is ○○○, so the total is... Also, as separate transportation and stay expenses for the investigator's dispatch, it is □□□, so the total is... Since we could not confirm the location this time, there is no success fee, and the total will be △△△.
The content was almost exactly what Akiko had conveyed over the phone, but he felt it was necessary to actually go and ask the "Kataoka Detective Agency" in Chuo-ku in what form this investigation had been requested. Then, he decided to tell her that he wanted to see the "actual" book that Minoru had actually looked at and used as a reference for the forgery.
"If it's alright, could you show me the book you told me about the other day, the one Minoru-san had?"
Nishida had already obtained a replacement based on the title Akiko had told him, so he thought there was no need to see the content, but he reconsidered that he should directly confirm whether Minoru himself really had it.
"Ye-yes..."
Akiko nodded awkwardly, immediately took it out from a pile of books in the living room, and handed it to Nishida. It was definitely that book. When Nishida opened it to page 83, which he had memorized, a receipt was tucked inside. Like the Ainu language dictionary he had seen in this house before, this receipt must have served as a bookmark. With this, if they could later create the original plate and perfectly reproduce the bond, they should be able to conclude that Minoru looked at this book and, using a Print Gocco, printed the forgery on aged paper exactly as described in the book. Based on the trial production they had done in Osaka, it could definitely be done.
"Now then, let me check the Print Gocco unit itself..."
At Nishida's request, Akiko brought the Print Gocco. Nishida and the others took it in their hands, checked it from top to bottom, checked the model number, and returned it to Akiko.
Since this was also confirmed, Nishida judged that the things to be done at the Sada residence were finished.
"Well then, since everything that needs to be confirmed is done, I'll just borrow these documents. I was given a day off tomorrow, but I want to make it a half-day and check with this detective agency... I might be able to return them sometime tomorrow. If I can return them, I'll call you in advance..."
When Nishida started to say that, Yoshimura had a gloomy face, probably because he realized his full day off had become a half-day. And to Nishida's statement,
"Yes,"
Akiko replied in a voice that was hard to hear.
"Understood. I'll call you once before returning them. Well then, we have business to attend to, so we'll be leaving..."
Just as Nishida was about to stand up, Takeshita, who was next to him, suddenly said something unexpected to Akiko.
"Ma'am... Tomorrow, we will visit this place called Kataoka Detective Agency and ask various questions. Naturally, we will be checking thoroughly if there was anything else your husband had this detective agency investigate."
"What is this guy suddenly saying!?"
Nishida was taken aback, his mouth hanging open as he thought that, but then,
"Ah! Could it be he's saying that an investigation into an affair by the husband against the wife or something like that might come out? But if that's the case, it doesn't matter as long as we keep quiet to the wife. In the first place, there's no way this lady would have an affair..."
Speculations about the meaning of Takeshita's words flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern. Akiko was also clearly bewildered.
"I'm very sorry, but ma'am. Isn't it true that the construction didn't start the day before yesterday, but much earlier?"
Takeshita continued to pile on meaningless questions—no, his tone was clearly an interrogation.
"What are you suddenly saying!? No, ma'am, please don't mind him. This guy has some strange points!"
As expected, Nishida also scolded his subordinate's discourtesy and apologized deeply. However, Akiko looked down and suddenly said in a thin voice,
"I'm sorry..."
So he apologized again, saying, "Well, I apologize for offending you. I'm truly sorry." However,
"It's not that. It's exactly as Takeshita-san says, really..."
Akiko suddenly began to confess, her voice in a tone that seemed about to vanish and her body curled up small. Nishida, who had been standing, sat back down on the sofa as if the strength had left him.
"Akiko-san, what on earth does that mean!?"
"Actually, it was October 6th when these detective agency documents came out. The renovation work started on October 4th..."
Hearing Akiko start to speak in a mumble, Takeshita asked calmly.
"I believe something else came out along with them, what do you say... Probably, that book also came out together with these detective agency investigation documents, didn't it?"
The book Takeshita was referring to was the one currently on the table, "Bijutsuhin Ura no Sekai: Kore ga Kindan no Nisemono Seisaku Manual." Although his words were polite, Takeshita's face remained stiff like a Noh mask as he stared at Akiko. Akiko remained silent for a while, but as if she had made up her mind, she began to open her mouth again.
"I suppose I really can't lie to a detective... Heaven's net is wide and coarse, but nothing slips through; you saw right through it... I'm sorry, Nishida-san, Yoshimura-san, and Takeshita-san... When the construction contractor handed it to me saying 'There was something like this,' and I looked inside, it seemed to be related to the cause of my husband being killed, and I was lost as to whether I should tell you, Nishida-san... But then, right after that, I received a call from Nishida-san as if he were guessing the book that had come out... And on top of that, the talk about the Print Gocco... I felt like I was being monitored... That's why I only called to say that the investigation results for Hojo-san, which didn't seem to be a problem for my husband's reputation, had come out. I'm truly sorry..."
After saying that painfully, Akiko stood up and began to fiddle with something in the cupboard of the living room cabinet.
Takeshita watched this in silence, but it was as if he already knew to some extent what was going to come out. Nishida also anticipated what was about to appear based on the content of Akiko's statement. And without taking much time, Akiko took something out from there and placed it in front of the three detectives.
"This is..."
Yoshimura raised his voice. There was first an envelope from the Kataoka Detective Agency, the same as the one containing the investigation results for Hojo Masaharu. And then, clearly visible, were several of "those" bonds, plus what looked like multiple masters for the Print Gocco. It was unclear what Yoshimura had raised his voice at, but Nishida also couldn't help but be surprised because, aside from the Print Gocco masters, they were unexpected items. Even Takeshita didn't seem that surprised, but he probably hadn't perfectly predicted the "appearance" of all of this.
"Is this really all of it?"
Takeshita confirmed with Akiko while checking all of it.
"Yes, this is all of it..."
At this time, Akiko was different from before; she looked Takeshita straight in the eye when she made that statement.
"Team Leader, let's check the contents immediately."
During this time, Nishida, who should have been in the position to take command of the investigation, had been swept along by Takeshita's words and actions and had failed to take the lead, but he snapped back to his senses at his subordinate's statement.
"That's right... Well then, excuse me while I take a look..."
Nishida said that and first took the contents out of the envelope, and it seemed to be an investigation report, the same as Hojo's. But upon reading it, he immediately noticed that it was the investigation results for the identity of "Isaka Daikichi" and "Isaka Tasuke." Of course, the investigation result was "Yes."
Nishida and his team already knew this, but it was stated that Isaka "Daikichi" had changed his name from Isaka "Tasuke." As evidence of this, along with a copy of the family register (which was available for viewing in a fairly loose form even by people other than the person themselves until Heisei 20), the "Isaka Group 40th Anniversary Company History" that Takeshita had found was cited. As expected, since it had been made public, it seems it had easily caught the eye of the investigator.
They had hypothesized that Minoru, who noticed the similarity between the characteristics of Isaka Tasuke described by his older brother Toru and the photograph of Isaka Daikichi in "Zaikai Hokkaido," had confirmed they were the same person by some method, but this proved that Minoru had been investigating Isaka using a detective agency. When it was handed over from Nishida and Takeshita and Yoshimura also saw it, Nishida saw them move their lips to each other while saying "As I thought..."
Next, Nishida picked up the bonds, of which there were about four. While watching that out of the corner of his eye,
"Are those the ones that were created..."
Takeshita said. The reason he used the word "created" instead of saying they were forged was probably that his subordinate, who usually spoke bluntly, was being considerate of the widow in front of him.
"That's right... Three are on new paper, and one more is on paper that feels old, but probably all of them..."
Nishida replied to Takeshita. Most likely, the three sheets of new paper were for checking the printing condition, and the one on old paper was a serious trial production, or perhaps something created to be used separately. It goes without saying that the forgery presumed to have been handed to Isaka Daikichi must have been of the same or higher quality than the one created with this old paper. In that case, he thought it would be almost impossible to see through it at first sight unless a blood test was performed on the blood seal. Even for someone like Isaka who had seen the real thing, it was probably so.
"Shall we compare them with Sada-san's bond that the Team Leader has?"
When Takeshita said that and they compared them with the bond on hand, the newly discovered bonds were slightly different. Since each was created by hand, even if the same person—that is, probably Sada Toru—was writing the same characters, subtle differences would naturally appear.
"Which means there's a high possibility that these were created based on the bonds originally held by the Hojo brothers, which were kept in the safe deposit box in Kitami."
Nishida judged and said. Regarding the bonds that seemed to belong to Hojo, Nishida hadn't had Komura copy and send them, so at this point, it was impossible to conclude whether they had become the originals...
Akiko watched the "work" of Nishida and the others, but she kept her eyes downcast throughout and had a face that looked like she was about to cry. She might have been severely tormented by the consciousness of having done something wrong. However, rather than comforting her now, the first thing was to investigate the materials in front of them.
When Nishida checked the four "masters," he slid the Print Gocco unit, which had been pushed to the corner of the table, toward himself and attached one to it.
"Is there any paper I can use?"
Before Nishida could say it, Akiko had picked up a flyer with a blank back and was about to bring it to him, so it was offered in front of Nishida at the same time he finished speaking. Nishida gave a slight nod and immediately tried to print.
"Ah, as I thought, it's no good..."
As expected, the ink seemed to have dried up over the course of eight years. Each was likely a master for the signature part of each of the four people on the bond, but he couldn't print. However, ink was on each of them, and most of it was black, but there was a red dot part on each, and he could infer that those parts corresponded to the "blood seal."
"Well, there's no doubt about it, but for the sake of caution, we'll have to rely on Forensics for this."
As Yoshimura said, they would have to rely on Forensics, or in some cases, the SIL. Nishida intentionally did not react to Yoshimura's statement, but with his eyes closed, he addressed Akiko like this:
"I'll be honest with you. If things are hidden, it will naturally hinder the investigation, so for our part, even if it's the bereaved family of the victim, the concealment of evidence is not an act of a kind that can be permitted. I'm saying this while being aware that you have cooperated with the investigation in various ways and that there has been progress at the same time..."
His voice sounded as if it were being squeezed from the back of his throat. It was a word he didn't want to say precisely because he felt Akiko's feelings keenly, or rather, even if that were the case, it was a word he had to say.
"However, the content that came out this time is something that could be predicted to some extent already, and I don't think it particularly became an obstacle to the investigation. And it's probably true that this came out recently. Since you told us the truth immediately, I have no intention of blaming you for anything. More than anything, with what came out this time, we are now able to prove that our speculations were facts..."
When Nishida said this much, Akiko bowed her head deeply while uttering the word "I'm sorry" in a voice that was almost inaudible.
"Well then, we'll be borrowing these... Since it's come to this, we probably won't be able to return everything sometime tomorrow, and there might be items returned by people from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters rather than by us, the officers from Engaru. Please be aware of that."
After finishing speaking, Nishida stood up with a heavy heart while holding the evidence, and Takeshita and Yoshimura, who was holding the Print Gocco unit which he hadn't intended to take back until a moment ago, followed him. And after bowing toward the apologetic Akiko, they headed toward the entrance in silence.
The three of them, ignoring Akiko who was seeing them off, quickly got into Toyama's private car with the driver. When Nishida caught a glimpse of Akiko's appearance from the rear window of the moving car, he turned forward and, without even a glance at Takeshita next to him, offered a gentle word of caution, or rather, a question:
"It's like you to do that, but was that for the best?"
"Yes, that may certainly be true," Takeshita said, also staring straight ahead. However, to Nishida, that profile looked like nothing other than that of a person who was not moved by anything.
"However, even if that's the case... As a human action, even if a few question marks are attached, as a detective, you are certainly correct."
Nishida, despite having said something negative once himself, asserted that, partly because he had seen Takeshita's attitude, and then asked again:
"When I talked about the investigation result report about Hojo Masaharu that was at the Sada house in Osaka yesterday, was the reason your behavior was strange because you noticed this?"
In response, after swallowing his saliva with a sound that could be heard, Takeshita said,
"It's not so much that I noticed it, but rather that I felt a sense of incongruity... When the Team Leader confirmed with the wife over the phone whether there was a book related to the creation of forgeries, I heard that it didn't take much time and the other party admitted its existence. Which means, at the time she received the call, she had certainly noticed the existence of that book. However, she said the investigation result report for Hojo Masaharu had only just come out from the attic yesterday... If you take only the investigation of Hojo, even if it's not something she particularly wouldn't want to be known, it's not strange that Minoru himself would have wanted to hide it considering the final purpose of his actions. However, on that premise, when you compare the book and the investigation result report, the book, which is like a 'forgery creation manual,' was somehow in a place where it would catch the family's eye, which lacks consistency. In that case, if he were to hide the report, wouldn't he have hidden that book as well? Or rather, more to the point, since the report and the book were for the same purpose, wouldn't he have hidden them together? Such a suspicion welled up. And today, when I entered the Sada house, I checked the progress from the materials and the state around the entrance and the covered walkway. I felt that it was quite settled for something that supposedly started the day before yesterday. I got the impression that the construction had progressed to some extent, or rather, was about to end. In that case, the possibility occurred to me that the book was actually hidden in the attic together, and when the Team Leader called, the book and the investigation report for Hojo Masato had already been discovered together. However, when the Team Leader confirmed the existence of the book with the wife, she didn't mention the report for Hojo Masato at all. And then, afterward, she called the Team Leader as if it had just been found. I thought about why that was."
He spoke at length and calmly, laying out the logic.
"And the result is this?" Nishida could only say.
Takeshita didn't particularly react to that and continued,
"From the impression I had heard from the Team Leader and Yoshimura, and the impression from actually meeting her today, hearing her speak in front of me, and seeing her expression, I thought, at least intuitively, that she is not a person who is very good at lying. That's why, when the Team Leader suddenly brought up the talk about the book on the phone, I think she couldn't deny it well. Normally, it wouldn't be strange if she had denied the existence of the book as well, but she couldn't. In other words, if what she is asked is the bullseye, she is not the type who can lie enough to deceive the other party. There was a high possibility that such a person was clearly lying about the process of the series of 'discoveries.' At the same time, she actively 'confessed' on her own that there was a report for Hojo Masato. In that case, I reached the conclusion that she might be wanting to hide something... something even bigger than the book or Hojo's investigation result report. And I was also convinced that if I confronted her head-on about it, she wouldn't have the mettle to keep up the lie."
He finished speaking to the end.
Nishida heard Takeshita's explanation and truly thought, "I've been beaten." This was because he had completely trusted Akiko.
"However, as of now, I can say that so proudly precisely because I was right, but human actions change depending on the timing and the situation at that time. This time, it just happened to be right..."
Takeshita spoke dispassionately, but since he had decided on that pursuit in a short time after actually meeting Akiko and observing her state, it was an action he could only have taken if he had considerable confidence. "I'm glad this guy is here," Nishida thought, feeling encouraged.
"In any case, regardless of what the facts are, since it's thought that Sada Minoru is not a simple victim, we have to have all information properly brought out for the investigation... It's a world where it's even possible for a case to go unsolved because of a lack of that," Takeshita continued, stating clearly.
Because it was a sound argument, neither Nishida nor Yoshimura had the means to counter it, but Nishida felt a sense of inconclusiveness and defeat somewhere.
Until now, regarding the subordinate named Takeshita, he had thought that while he was excellent as a detective in terms of pure investigative ability, on the other hand, as a detective who was also an organization man, he was a man who lacked flexibility and had flaws. However, looking at Takeshita's attitude today, setting aside his intellectual capacity, and even including his lack of flexibility, he was far more cold-blooded than himself, who had been swayed by emotion, and he was strongly made to think that he had aspects that were suited for being a detective.
The car, with all four passengers maintaining silence, was heading west on the Sapporo Shindo, the same route they had taken on the Sasson Expressway above earlier, toward Hokudai-dori (the street that passes in front of Hokkaido University). Then suddenly Takeshita said,
"I forgot to mention it, but the price on the receipt that served as a bookmark earlier was the same as the list price of the book. It was a pattern of receipt without a product name, but it's probably for that book. The date was September 3rd. Since he should have gone to Kitami on September 23rd, he might have been preparing the forged bond from quite a while before."
He told Nishida, who was in the middle of writing in his investigation notes.
"I see..."
Nishida said that and added a note about it to the notes he was just writing.
However, he found himself starting to think that the reason this "capable subordinate" still couldn't read the "hidden" meaning in the letter from Shiino to the imprisoned Motohashi—which Takeshita was obsessed with as a foothold to Oshima Kaiji—was because the "hidden" meaning didn't actually exist in the first place. It was a doubt precisely because he understood Takeshita's talent. However, it was still too early to convince Takeshita of such a thing and make him give up. That thought also existed.
They returned to the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters as they were, submitted the plate, the bond thought to be a forgery, and the Print Gocco unit to Forensics, and requested an analysis and restoration to a state where re-printing was possible. Then, they contacted the Kataoka Detective Agency through the Sapporo Chuo Station from Headquarters to say they would be coming for an inquiry tomorrow morning.
As expected, there seemed to be a retiree from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police there. By contacting them, there was a possibility that something might be hidden, but it would be the same if they went suddenly without a warrant. And rather, there was also a somewhat convenient "speculation" that by requesting cooperation in advance, the other party would also prepare with a cooperative attitude. Even if it was a speculation, it probably wasn't far off if there was a retiree from the Hokkaido Prefectural Police.
Normally, it would have been a flow of a complete day off, but he couldn't waste the short time he was in Sapporo. Unfortunately, it was becoming a flow where even a half-day off would ultimately be impossible. At least until before Takeshita interrogated Sada Akiko, he had been thinking of going out with his daughter after she came home from school and having dinner out with the family. However, now, his hope had completely shifted to a wishful observation that he wanted to at least keep the time for dining out.
Afterward, they were treated at a high-class sushi restaurant that Toyama frequented. It was on a different dimension from the sushi Nishida had treated his two subordinates to the other day. At the restaurant, while enjoying the food, opinions were exchanged regarding the interrogation of Motohashi starting the next day. As a reality, at this point, the participation of the Engaru group had not been guaranteed, but Toyama said,
"The help of you guys, who are most familiar with the case, will definitely be necessary, and it's certain that he will be sent to Engaru for on-site investigations and interrogations, so probably before too long... It's impossible for our investigators alone to fully grasp everything from the reports, this case... That's why I'm counting on you."
He told the three of them as if to convince them.
"Please leave that to us."
Nishida expressed his gratitude to Toyama on behalf of the group, but in reality, he had enough pride to think, "There's no way they can do it without us."
As expected of a restaurant frequented by high-ranking executives, both the ingredients and the prices were top-notch, but at the same time, the sense of tension never loosened, and with his intoxication remaining halfway, Nishida and Yoshimura returned to their homes by taxi before 9:00 PM. Takeshita, who had neither a home nor a parents' house, headed to a hotel near Susukino that Toyama had booked for him.
After returning home, Nishida handed the sushi he had received as a souvenir from Toyama and the Osaka souvenir to his wife and daughter, and seeing that both were quite happy, he felt as if he had finally obtained a brief moment of rest. However, since it seemed he would end up giving up his plans for tomorrow's holiday after all, Nishida might have found it difficult to bring it up, and he went to bed without being able to say anything.