Chapter 48 - Light and Shadow 27 (148–152: Return to Engaru, Re-investigation of Isaka Group, Banquet at Yusen, Sada Minoru's Envelope)
October 19th, shortly before 10:00 AM. Three figures stood in the waiting room of Sapporo Station, preparing to return to Engaru. After leaving the Sada residence last night, there had been enough time to take his family out for dinner, and Nishida had ultimately succeeded in fulfilling his family duties. Consequently, despite the short duration, it had been a meaningful stay, including the investigation. On the other hand, Takeshita still looked tense even after finishing the job, perhaps because he was agonizing over—or rather, obsessed with—how to bring "Oshima" onto the investigative table. Yoshimura looked satisfied, having bought plenty of souvenirs even in Sapporo. Oh, and it goes without saying that Takeshita hadn't forgotten to buy his favorite Marusei Butter Sand, despite whatever else he might have said.
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Exactly two weeks after setting off for Tokyo on October 5th, Nishida and Yoshimura returned to the land of Engaru. When they had landed at Shin-Chitose, it felt as though they had been away from the prefecture for a very long time, but this time, it didn't feel like they had been "away" for quite so long. Judging by the fact that Yoshimura said something similar the moment they stepped off at Engaru Station, this difference in perception wasn't unique to Nishida.
According to Nishida's arbitrary and biased interpretation, the "air" when returning to Hokkaido from a place like Osaka had a massive gap that could be called a difference in climate. However, returning to Engaru now after a buffer in Sapporo, they were still within the same prefecture; one could say the difference was at most the gap between urban and rural. Satisfied with his own answer that this difference had produced such an illusion, the three of them greeted Section Chief Sawai in the Detective Division.
"You've worked hard during this long period. There was a sudden change in the situation that I never would have imagined when I sent the two of you to Tokyo, but even in this form, there's no doubt that your investigation wasn't in vain and served as a help in clarifying the case. Bringing Motohashi to indictment with heads held high—that is our duty now."
The Section Chief addressed them with unusually formal words, causing Nishida, Takeshita, and Yoshimura to straighten their backs. Then, as an instruction to the entire Detective Division, he stated:
"We've received word from Headquarters (T/N: refers to the main office/HQ) that after interrogating Motohashi in Sapporo for a while, they'll follow a procedure to let us conduct an inquiry as well, combined with a reconstruction of the crime. Regardless of the actual substance, there's no doubt it will take the form of us conducting an inquiry, so please maintain your sense of tension until the very end!"
Once the "return ceremony" was over, Yoshimura began distributing souvenirs from Osaka and Sapporo, and the atmosphere finally became relaxed. It seemed the direct-shipped peach souvenirs from Kurashiki were particularly well-received. According to what he heard from Komura, Station Chief Makita, who had received a share from the Detective Division, was apparently satisfied, saying:
"As expected, the real thing is different."
It made the effort of going all the way to report the investigation results to Yoneda's mother in Kurashiki feel worthwhile.
However, they couldn't indulge in the afterglow of the reunion forever. Nishida asked Komura and Kurosu, who had participated in the investigation in Kitami alongside the Kitami Regional Headquarters team while he was away, to provide detailed information on what had happened in the interim.
The first thing to hear about was the raid on the safety deposit box Kitagawa had entrusted. Komura placed the investigation reports and materials—excluding clothing, which were held by the Kitami Regional Headquarters forensics—on the desk and began explaining to Nishida. There seemed to be several photos of the clothing items.
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"First, regarding the deed that the Team Leader is likely most curious about... it's this," Komura said, pulling out a piece of paper similar to Sada Minoru's. Since there was no doubt it was the real thing, Nishida immediately compared it with the deed he had taken on the business trip and the four forged deeds newly found at the Sada residence.
"Sada's older brother, Yuzuru, mentioned it, but this one is definitely more stained," Nishida first stated his impression upon comparing the two, then began checking the text and other details side-by-side. The wording was identical, and since the handwriting in brush and ink was similar, it was undoubtedly written by the same person—in other words, Sada Toru.
And when compared with the four forgeries "seized" from Sada Akiko, they were indeed a perfect match. It was confirmed that this had been used as the original master for printing. It was speculated that they probably used the "dirty one" as Sada Futoshi called it—the Hojo one—just in case something went wrong and it got damaged. Even so, for one of the forgeries that could be called a finished product, the expression of stains and oxidation was quite impressive, showing the effort Sada Minoru had put in. One could glimpse the intention to get it as close to the original as possible.
"Regarding Kuwano Kinya's portion, neither of the blood seals are thumbprints, after all," Kurosu remarked, peering in from beside Nishida and Komura.
"That... Yoshimura said the same thing when we first 'laid eyes' on the deed at Sada Minoru's place," Nishida replied. Yoshimura, who was at his own seat a short distance away, reacted to this.
"Did you call me for something?"
"No, just that you said something similar to Kurosu. So don't worry about it at all," Nishida said curtly, as if telling him not to get involved further.
"Regardless, there's no rule that a blood seal or thumbprint absolutely has to be the thumb. Even in our depositions, we have people press their index fingers for thumbprints, so it's not a strange story, is it?" Nishida's explanation was exactly the same as the one he'd given Yoshimura.
"That's true, but it just feels off to me," Kurosu said, appearing unconvinced.
"To begin with, the 'bo' in 'boin' (thumbprint) is supposed to mean thumb." Komura added the same supplement Nishida had used when explaining to Yoshimura before. Nishida naturally knew this, but he hadn't bothered to say it this time because it was a hassle...
"I know. However, in the custom of thumbprints, either the thumb or the index finger was supposed to be fine." Nishida spoke in a clearly annoyed tone. It was his own way of making an excuse or a statement of intent—that he knew, but had deliberately chosen not to say it because he didn't have time to explain it every single time.
"But maybe this Kuwano didn't want to be seen as the same as Isaka or Hojo? In Minoru's letter and Hojo Masato's letter, he's treated as quite the intellectual type, so maybe he didn't want to be seen as the same as the guys who were just laborers—to put it bluntly—and went out of his way to use his index finger."
"Why do you think that?" Nishida questioned Kurosu.
"Well, isn't it obvious? If they signed and sealed in the order of the deed, two of them used their thumbs, but only Kuwano used a different finger, right? It's like he can't read the room, or he's an unpleasant guy, right? Minoru's older brother, Toru, used his thumb properly. You'd hate a guy like this too, wouldn't you, Team Leader?" Kurosu answered with a smirk. Then Takeshita, who had apparently been listening, suddenly came over to them.
"I think that might be wrong," he interjected.
"Is it?" Kurosu looked quite dissatisfied.
"If he were the type of guy to be that stuck-up, I don't think he would have been this popular. There are plenty of people in the world who are smart but have no personal magnetism, but one can read from Toru's letters—and the letters Hojo Masato sent to Masaharu—that Kuwano was trusted by the other laborers engaged in Senzaki's gold panning. That kind of thing shows in one's attitude." Nishida agreed with Takeshita's personal view. However, Komura raised the biggest question, which Yoshimura had also mentioned before.
"But they say that Kuwano betrayed them and took the gold meant for Hojo and Mende's children, so it's a nasty business." Kurosu nodded repeatedly at this.
"Maybe his true nature came out after all?" he countered. Indeed, that sudden change was a betrayal that one wouldn't want to forgive in a decent human being.
"Well, criticizing Kuwano's character now won't solve anything, and it's not related to Sada's murder, so shall we move on?" Sensing that the "air" had turned slightly sour, Komura said this to change the subject and pulled out a copy of the letter Toru had written. It was clearly a copy. Sada Minoru had likely looked at this at the site in Ikutahara—this was pure speculation from here—while being deceived by Isaka to search for the location of the gold. And after he was murdered, this passed to Kitagawa and the others, and Isaka was subjected to a conditional struggle using the past murder as leverage. That was the flow the police were considering.
"This must have been the most important thing for Kitagawa and Shinoda, but how was it stored in the safety deposit box?" When Nishida asked, Komura replied:
"As you suspected, it wasn't inside the bag; it was in this envelope, separate from the bag, inside the safe," he said, showing a large envelope.
"As I thought, this must have been their trump card." Nishida spoke proudly, as if his reasoning had hit the mark. Takeshita also had a look of agreement.
"Then, moving on. The ticket. You were curious about this too, weren't you?" Seeing that the two were satisfied, Komura moved the topic to the ticket, assuming there were no issues with the letter.
"It's obvious, but Sada Minoru's fingerprints were found on it, so there's no doubt Sada himself changed the ticket." To Kurosu's supplement, Takeshita replied:
"Well, of course. Wouldn't it be impossible for Kitagawa and the others to change it after he was dead? To kill him at the scene, bury him, come back, and change it at the 'window' of Kitami Station before the Ootori departed?" Takeshita said this while checking what looked like a rubber stamp on the ticket that read "September 26th, Changed, Kitami Station."
"Presumably, Sada changed it at the Midori-no-Madoguchi (T/N: JR ticket office) at Kitami Station before checking out, but if that's the case, wasn't there any witness information from the hotel front desk or elsewhere? There was nothing like that in the materials I received," Nishida raised the question again, but Takeshita gently offered his opinion with a nuance of "it can't be helped":
"Depending on the time, it's crowded with other guests checking out. There's a possibility they just couldn't confirm it properly."
Then, Komura spoke up.
"The conversation between the Team Leader and the Senior Staff just now reminded me!"
"What is it? It's bothering me, so tell us quickly!" Nishida complained to Komura.
"Team Leader. Actually, I was also curious about the ticket change... Just to be safe, I looked through the original investigation materials at the Kitami Headquarters regarding the witness interview of the hotel receptionist."
"That's a good initiative," Nishida said, his tone shifting to one of admiration for Komura's proactive investigation. "And?"
"Thank you. Well... unfortunately, regarding the morning of September 26th, 1987, there was no witness information about him leaving the hotel once before checking out. However, it's a hotel in front of Kitami Station, and there should be a fair amount of people coming and going in the morning, so I thought that was just how it was. But while I was looking into that, I noticed information that around 10:00 PM on the 25th, the day before the disappearance, Sada, who was holding a large envelope, asked the front desk if there was a mailbox nearby or a large main post office that would be open at that hour. When the hotelman at the front desk said, 'I'm not sure if it's the closest, but there's definitely a mailbox in front of the station, and the Kitami Post Office might be open. Also, we can take it at the front desk and send it for you,' he said, 'No, I'll send it myself,' and went out. A short while later, he apparently came back normally. There didn't seem to be anything unusual about him."
"So that happened. We only saw something like a summary of the investigation materials," Nishida said.
"No, that summary was quite solid. I checked everything against the originals this time, and it covered almost everything. They probably just thought this information was purely unnecessary. After all, he just went to mail something. However, what bothered me slightly was the testimony that 'about 20 minutes might have passed' by the time he returned. Since it was unfamiliar territory, he might have gotten lost, and since the front desk doesn't check the elapsed time for every single person, I don't know if that's correct. But that Kitami Central Hotel is along the main street in front of the station, so the mailbox is close and it's unlikely he'd get lost... Maybe he was taking a pleasant stroll, thinking he'd successfully squeezed some money out of them at the dinner... Or maybe he walked all the way to the Kitami Post Office." Komura stated his view and his doubt simultaneously.
"An envelope, huh... Well, looking at the circumstances before and after, it doesn't look like an action that was involved in the incident. That being the case, one could say it couldn't be helped that they didn't expand the investigation there, even before Oshima's obstruction, and now that he was murdered by Isaka and the others' conspiracy, it's meaningless, but I am a bit curious about what he sent." Nishida tilted his head as he spoke.
The explanation from Komura and Kurosu to Nishida and Takeshita continued after that, and eventually Yoshimura joined in. The "lecture" went on for about two hours straight.
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"How about it? To celebrate being able to return to Engaru today, why don't we have a drink at the Boss's place?" Yoshimura called out to Nishida, who was relaxing slightly after finishing his work. It wasn't clear what there was to celebrate, but in the sense that the investigation had progressed and they had returned safely to Engaru, it wasn't incomprehensible if one interpreted it broadly.
"Does that mean you want me to treat you?" Nishida asked, stretching against his backrest.
"Well, I wouldn't mind splitting the bill," Yoshimura dodged.
"In that case, I'll treat you. It must have been tough for the three of you, and the guys who stayed behind had it hard too. I'll treat everyone as a way of saying thanks for your hard work." Everyone except Nishida and Takeshita rejoiced at Section Chief Sawai's sudden "kindness."
Nishida confirmed, "Is that alright?"
Sawai spoke cheerfully. "Why not? We've been investigating for four months since June, and it looks like we might finally be able to solve the Sada case to some extent. Though the matter of young Yoneda was unfortunate." In contrast, Takeshita didn't look festive at all; he remained at his desk, deeply reading the letter Shiino had sent to Motohashi after the verdict. Even if they could indict Motohashi, for Takeshita, it was likely not a case that would simply "end."
"Senior Staff, don't have such a gloomy face; let's go out for a drink today," Yoshimura said.
"Oh, I don't mind that particularly," Takeshita raised his cheerless face. "But I have to receive a report from Headquarters about Motohashi's interrogation today as well, so it'll be after that arrives before we can head out."
"I'm jealous. Komura-san and I are on night shift. Senior Staff, if you don't want to go that badly, please swap with me..." Oba spoke from behind Takeshita with an envious gaze.
"Really, Senior Staff, you're too obsessed with that letter. No matter how much you strain yourself, what you don't know, you don't know. I told you in Osaka too, you should step away from it for a bit." Yoshimura placed a hand gently on Takeshita's shoulder. Takeshita tried to brush it off lightly, but at that moment, Oba said to Takeshita:
"This person is quite meticulous, aren't they?" he remarked, looking down at the letter.
"Hmm? What about it?" Takeshita turned and asked.
"The handwriting is beautiful."
"Is that all? Well, it is a fine hand..." Takeshita replied as if talking to himself, his arm hanging limply from the armrest.
"There's that, but this letter... it's as if it was written on manuscript paper; every single character fits perfectly into its own space." When Oba pointed it out, Takeshita noticed that despite the stationery only having vertical lines, it was written as if following the squares of manuscript paper—as if a uniform square space was imagined for each character. Takeshita had been obsessed with the idea that the text itself had some meaning, but he listened to Oba's opinion, realizing there was that way of looking at it too.
"By the way, Section Chief. After he's transferred to Engaru, will the interrogation be led by the Kitami Regional Headquarters after all?" Komura asked.
"Basically, yes. However, the fact that they're bringing him here means that, given Section Chief Kurano's personality, I'm sure they'll allocate a fair amount of time for us to conduct an inquiry as well," Sawai answered.
"To be honest, there are a lot of things I want to ask," Takeshita muttered, casting his gaze out the darkened window.
"Takeshita especially, I imagine. Well, he'll likely be sent to Engaru after the detention is extended (Author's Note: Due to issues with the Code of Criminal Procedure, it's quite doubtful if Motohashi's inquiry would take this form, but please understand this is a novel), so there's still time. You shouldn't rush too much." Nishida offered this advice. It was doubtful whether it resonated with Takeshita, though...
The phone report from Toyama came about an hour later, at 7:00 PM. Like yesterday, it had ended with a re-confirmation of the inquiries so far. The timing was good, and after being seen off by Komura and Oba, the Violent Crimes Unit, including the Section Chief, headed for "Yusen."
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"Oh! It's been a while! Yocchan, thanks for the peaches! I enjoyed them with the customers!" The vigorous voice of the Boss, Aida Izumi, washed over the detectives as they appeared through the noren (T/N: split curtain at shop entrance). Apparently, without Nishida noticing, Yoshimura had sent peaches to the Boss from Kurashiki.
"We finally caught a break. We just got back from Osaka today!" Yoshimura responded first.
"I heard that serial killer was the one who did it? Things have turned into something incredible!" The Boss also seemed to have grasped the Sada case from the TV and spoke about Motohashi's involvement. He didn't seem to have seen the part about Nishida and the others escorting him.
"Sorry, but we can't talk much about that." Sawai put a damper on it. Indeed, investigative information cannot be scattered among the public.
"That's how it is, Boss." Yoshimura acted important, borrowing the Section Chief's words. Then:
"Is that so. That's a shame. Regardless, JR's Takamiya-san is here today. Good timing!" the Boss said to Nishida. Takamiya was the veteran JR driver who, during the investigation into Yoshimi's "accidental death" along the tracks—the starting point of the series of incidents—had given Nishida and the others a hint that the recent "ghost rumors" might be man-made.
"Ah, it's true! Takamiya-san, thank you for your help back then! If I hadn't heard that story, I don't know where we'd be now..." Nishida said upon finding Takamiya, bowing and reaching out for a handshake.
"No, no. It seems like a lot of crazy things have happened since then! I'm surprised too." Takamiya shook Nishida's hand back.
"From that advice of yours, Takamiya-san, we figured someone was doing something bad there, and now it's come to this! To us, the Boss here and Takamiya-san are truly lifesavers!" It was a bit of an exaggeration, but in fact, without the Boss, Takamiya, and Yoshimura who had gone to listen to them, the investigation would have ended with Yoshimi's accidental death.
"Well, thank you for looking after my subordinate. I can't thank you enough." Sawai also bowed from the side and greeted Takamiya. To the bewildered Takamiya, Nishida introduced him:
"This is my Section Chief."
"I see, Nishida-san's Section Chief! You're lucky to have such capable subordinates, hey!" Perhaps because he'd had a bit to drink and was feeling bold, Takamiya was in high spirits, slapping Sawai on the back repeatedly. Since he was indeed a "lifesaver," Sawai just kept a wry smile, but perhaps bound by his own words of "can't talk much," he whispered to Nishida:
"Don't talk about the details."
Takamiya saw this, and though not necessarily inspired by Sawai's action, he suddenly began whispering to Nishida.
"By the way, after you guys came to interview me... I think it was around the end of June. I saw it, you know. A hitodama (T/N: spirit flame/will-o'-the-wisp)." Nishida was startled and stared intently at Takamiya's face. Since he'd been drinking, Nishida thought he might be joking. However:
"No, really. It was just like the one I saw long ago... I was surprised because I hadn't seen one in decades... I was on the Okhotsk from Abashiri on the night run, and I thought my heart was going to stop." Since he looked serious, Nishida was convinced he wasn't lying.
"Is that so... If you say you saw it, Takamiya-san, then I suppose you did." Nishida had no choice but to say that, but:
"Well, I guess there's no point in hearing a story like this, but they say truth comes out of falsehood... It's just a story about how things like that can happen. Ironically, the other young guys didn't see it... Ah, sorry for saying unnecessary things to a busy man like you." Takamiya sat back down in his seat. Yoshimura, who had been watching, asked:
"Did something happen?"
"No, nothing," Nishida dodged, and proceeded with his other colleagues to the seats in the back indicated by the Boss.
Immediately after taking their seats, everyone still drifted with a somewhat restless and unsettled feeling. Nishida thought at the time that perhaps they were a bit tense because the investigation was entering a crucial stage. That said, the members other than Takeshita seemed to have (already) achieved a certain sense of accomplishment; once the drinking party began with the Section Chief's toast, their spirits rose, they felt better, and their tension began to loosen.
Nishida went on an "expedition" to the table where Takamiya was drinking with his colleagues to pour him a beer and keep him in good spirits. And since the memory of Takamiya saying "treat me once the case is solved" remained in a corner of his mind, he thought now was the only time to fulfill that promise. Whether the case was truly solved was debatable, but it had certainly progressed significantly, and since he didn't know when they would meet again, it was only right to treat him now.
"I'll pay for those two," he told the Boss, who had come to place dishes at the detectives' table.
Shortly after 8:00 PM, Takamiya and his companion prepared to leave the shop. When the Boss informed them of "that fact" during the payment, Takamiya turned back toward Nishida.
"Well, Detective-san, sorry to have you pay for this guy too. You actually remembered such a half-baked verbal promise... The police aren't all bad! Then I'll accept it without reservation!" He raised a hand in greeting to Nishida, then smiled cheerfully and walked out through the noren.
"Team Leader! Setting Takamiya-san aside, you even paid for a stranger? You're generous!" Yoshimura and Kurosu, who were tipsy and had been with him during the interview with Takamiya, teased him, but Nishida brushed them off and poured a large amount of soy sauce onto his sashimi appetizer.
Not long after, as all the other customers had left, the Boss came to the detectives' table and began sharing drinks with them. The Section Chief had said not to talk about the case, but including that Section Chief, they began to laboriously appreciate each other's hard work in the investigation so far to a "harmless" degree. Motohashi hadn't even been indicted yet, and in Takeshita's terms, they hadn't even smoked out the "mastermind," but it might have been inevitable that a consciousness of it being mostly over would emerge.
Yoshimura grumbled on and on in a slurred voice about his visit to Yoneda Mitsuko, the mother of the first discovered murder victim, Yoneda Masatoshi, in Kurashiki during this Osaka business trip. He lamented the outcome where the victim, Yoneda, had originally been from a single-mother household, leaving his mother Mitsuko alone in the end, and they couldn't build a case against the culprit (because the most likely suspect, Shinoda, was already dead). Upon hearing this, the Boss, who had also grown up in a single-mother household, said with a somber look:
"That's a pitiful story."
"Young Yoneda's body was found thanks to the story from Takamiya-san that you told us, Boss. When you think about it, there's something fateful about it... And from the matter of the Kitami Tonden Times you told us about, the case kept expanding, and now it's come to this..." Nishida also spoke with deep emotion as he gulped down his sake.
"But it's unbearable when underprivileged people meet an unfortunate end. The world just doesn't work out right..." When the Boss said this, Sawai spoke in a low but powerful voice that left an impression on Nishida:
"We, as police officers, must be the ones to avenge that resentment. We're not in a position to be this festive yet, since we don't know how things will turn out." Upon hearing that line, the Boss silently stacked the empty plates and withdrew to the kitchen.
Past 9:00 PM, as it was time to wrap up, Sawai was asking the Boss something. It was likely about the bill. Takeshita was the same as ever, but Kurosu, Sawada, and Yoshimura were quite drunk. As they finally prepared to leave the shop, Nishida first paid for Takamiya and his friend's portion. Then, as the five of them said "Thanks for the meal" to Section Chief Sawai and Sawai tried to pay the Boss:
"Take the portion Nishida-san treated and the Section Chief's portion, and send it as a kouden (T/N: condolence gift of money) to the mother of that victim called Yoneda," the Boss said, pushing back the entire amount.
"Eh?" Everyone present stood there with their mouths agape in surprise.
"Just do it! It's my feeling! Make sure you send it!" He showed an attitude that clearly said "don't say anything more." Having grown up in the same situation of a single-mother household, he must have had his own thoughts on the matter.
Neither Sawai nor Nishida wanted to be tactless about the Boss's chivalry.
"Alright, I understand. We'll definitely send your feelings to Yoneda Mitsuko," they said and stepped through the noren.
"Man, the Boss is so cool! I want to be like that too!" Yoshimura said something flippant outside the shop, but in fact, the Boss's feelings had deeply reached the six detectives. And as each was about to head home, Sawai caught Nishida.
"I'm returning the portion you treated earlier," he whispered, pressing five Natsume (T/N: 1000 yen) bills into Nishida's hand.
"No, it was my promise..." Nishida tried to decline, but Sawai gripped Nishida's hand firmly and said:
"I'm the one responsible for the investigation. In the end, it's only right that I pay."
Not unlike the Boss earlier, it would be tactless to refuse any further. Nishida decided to gratefully accept his superior's consideration. And then, he stated:
"I will also send the amount I just received to the Yoneda household." Sawai nodded silently.
The next day, it goes without saying that Yoshimura sent a cash registered mail from the post office first thing in the morning to Yoneda Mitsuko, combining a separate condolence gift from the Violent Crimes Unit—different from the one Nishida and the others had given in Kurashiki—along with the amount entrusted by the Boss.