Chapter 88 - Name and Reality 11 {Combined 21/22} (46–47, 48–49: Kuwano Kinya's Trail Surfaces Again; Kawakita; Nayoro)
Returning to the Tokyo branch, Igarashi immediately contacted Takeshita. First, after conveying everything he had heard from Kusumi to Takeshita, he said,
"I'm sending the materials I got now. Check the details there."
"Understood."
Upon hearing Takeshita's reply, Igarashi began sending them via fax in order. First was the report of the accident at the time. Takeshita took the pieces of paper as they came out with a whirring sound and glanced at them casually rather than reading them intently. He intended to read them thoroughly after everything had been sent. However, Takeshita's expression changed as he skimmed the second page. Information that he could hardly believe was written there.
Reflexively, he immediately made a confirmation call to Igarashi, who was in the middle of the faxing process.
"Igarashi-san! The name of this person who went missing... there's no mistake, right!?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"What about it, you say..."
He said this much and swallowed his next words. There was no way Igarashi could know the meaning of this name. It was only natural that he didn't think anything of it.
"So, what is it?"
"No, it's a problem on this end, and I realized it had nothing to do with you, Igarashi-san, so it's fine now... Sorry. Please continue the work!"
"What's with you... Well, whatever. Incidentally, there are other materials about the guy who went missing, so look at those too. I don't know the reason you're curious, though."
Igarashi sounded deflated, not understanding the meaning of Takeshita's excitement from earlier, but Takeshita heard those words and decided to wait for a while in silence. Then, he took the last material from the Personnel Department from the fax and looked at it.
"To think such good fortune would come flying in!"
He blurted out, nodding to himself several times to show his joy.
The name of the person who went missing was "Kuwano Kinya." It wasn't a common name, and looking at the date of birth in the materials, there was no mistake that he was the same person as that Kuwano Kinya. The trail of Kuwano, which had been lost since the chaos after "Mende Shigeyoshi" was murdered in Showa 16, was now identified up until May 26th of the following year.
According to the materials, he had entered the Konomai Gold Mine as a "miner" in November of Showa 16, but later, when it became known to the field supervisor that Kuwano had graduated from a former middle school, he was re-contracted as a dynamite technician apprentice.
Among the mine workers, who were often crude—that is, the miners—it's not hard to imagine that a person with a high level of education for the time could become a valuable asset as someone to handle dangerous dynamite used for tunnel expansion. In other words, it was no wonder he was promoted from miner to technician apprentice. And there was one more interesting description.
'At the time of contract, both thumbs are missing, but there is no major hindrance to work, and since physique and muscular strength are above average, he is hired as a miner after considering his previous experience as a laborer.'
I see, Takeshita understood deeply that the reason why only one person had pressed their blood seal with their right index finger instead of their thumb on that deed was because of the "disability" in both of Kuwano's thumbs.
He added to his previous "consideration" that the reason for re-hiring him as a technician might have been such a consideration, although it was described as "no influence as a miner," in addition to his educational background. And to suppress his rising emotions, Takeshita deliberately took out his mobile and called Igarashi again.
"What now!"
He answered almost shouting, but when he recognized that Takeshita was excited again,
"Just like before, what on earth happened...?"
He was speaking in a way that suggested he found it rather creepy, as if trying to soothe him.
"Igarashi-san, I'm very sorry, but could you contact the people at Sanyu Metal Mining once more?"
"Hey! You were able to confirm it because I sent it, right?"
"No, I was able to confirm that, but I want to request a new investigation!"
"A new one!?"
Igarashi shouted in dissatisfaction in front of the receiver.
"That's right!"
"I have a mountain of work here too, so I'd like you to give me a break!"
He received a full-fledged protest, but as it was a "crucial moment," the junior ignored it and just listed his requests.
"I don't know if it exists, but I think there might be something like an employment contract from that time for this person named Kuwano Kinya! After all, since this much material remains, I don't think it would be so strange."
"And so..."
Igarashi told him to continue the story dismissively, as if he had given up.
"On that contract, there might be a thumbprint. I want to confirm that."
"Thumbprint? Ah, since it's a contract, you mean a thumbprint in the sense of a seal... Even so, I don't understand the meaning!?"
Igarashi still didn't seem to see the story at all, but it couldn't be helped if he didn't know the details of the case. On the other hand, Takeshita had a "reading" that they might not have bothered to use a seal for the contract of a mere worker at the time.
"Anyway, I want the contract from when Kuwano Kinya contracted with Sanyu Metal Mining!"
"I don't see the story at all... But since you're asking me that much, there must be some meaning. Fine! I'll cooperate specially! But I don't know when it will be! My limit is between my own work. Besides, the mood over there became a bit hostile..."
He had the previous exchange with Kusumi in mind, but that was a story Takeshita didn't know.
"I'm annoyed, but it's for my cute junior! I'll contact you again if I can get an appointment with them!"
"Please!"
Takeshita bowed to the invisible person.
"That aside, work for me once in a while. It's not worth it to always be relied on..."
Igarashi left a parting shot, and the conversation between the two ended.
"That's right, I have to contact Nishida-san immediately!"
Takeshita called Nishida without even having time to react to Igarashi's parting shot.
After hearing the detailed explanation from Takeshita, Nishida naturally let out a voice of surprise.
"To think Kuwano was at the scene of the mine explosion... If Takeshita hadn't become a journalist, this fact wouldn't have come out, right? I might still have some luck."
"You're right. It's not for me to say, but I feel something like destiny."
Takeshita also agreed with a deeply moved tone.
"But even so, the trail from there until he appeared at the Sada family in Otaru after the war is still unknown."
Nishida made a remark that suddenly returned to reality from his simple joy.
"That can't be helped for now... More importantly, if we're lucky, we might be able to collect Kuwano's fingerprints from that time! At that time, I'm thinking that for miners and such, a thumbprint might have been more convenient for the company from a crime prevention perspective than a seal when contracting with the mine. Of course, now it would be a problem as mere prejudice... Anyway, if there's a contract, I reckon we can probably check it. If the contract isn't an index finger, it will be troublesome when matching it with the blood seal, but well, if he has no thumbs, it would normally be the index finger."
Takeshita presented his reading while soothing Nishida.
"I see, a contract... Is it likely to work out?"
"I'm asking Igarashi-san now."
Nishida was impressed by how well-prepared he was for the immediate answer, but personally, Nishida thought it would be more convenient for the overall story if the fingerprint on the contract matched Oshima's. If for some reason only the fingerprint of the blood seal was not Kuwano's own, the possibility that the Oshima = Kuwano theory he had considered before could be revived if Oshima and the thumbprint of Kuwano on the contract matched. Nishida still had some lingering attachment to that theory.
"Even so, Sada Minoru's older brother Toru must have been considerate of Kuwano, so he didn't write about the missing thumbs in the letter. The old man Amai in Miyako thought 'he might have been better at calligraphy' because he might have still had his thumbs when they were meeting directly... If such a situation had existed when he was with Amai, he would have remembered it clearly. So, the signature on the deed became poor due to the influence of the missing thumbs, I see."
Nishida spoke to Takeshita with deep emotion, but he was told,
"Who is Amai?"
When he thought about it, there was no way Takeshita could know about Nishida and Yoshimura's visit to Iwate.
"Ah, sorry. I went to Iwate recently to do some inquiries, and Amai is an old man I met then who was Kuwano's junior from his days at Kamaishi Second Middle School. You've heard about Kamaishi Second Middle School from Takagaki-san, right?"
"I see, understood. That person's name is Amai. Even so, you went to Iwate?"
"Yes. I also went to Taro, where you and Kurosu went seven years ago. There..."
Nishida was about to say that and stopped himself. He was a trustworthy man, but he thought it was better not to reveal the mystery of "Abe" now. He dared to swallow his words, thinking that this information should not be leaked outside the police for now.
"Something?"
"No, just that seeing the seawall in person, the height and scale were amazing."
While inwardly apologizing to Takeshita, who was cooperating with him like this even after Nishida had left the police, Nishida dared to feign ignorance. Of course, Takeshita was definitely a trustworthy person, but he had stopped himself at the last second, thinking that unnecessary things should not be conveyed.
"Anyway, I'm counting on you for the contract matter."
When he said that, he was told,
"Yes. I'll contact you if I find out anything."
Even though he was a former subordinate, his words sounded reliable to Nishida. Therefore, he felt even more sorry for keeping quiet.
Monday, June 3rd. The World Cup had opened, and the country was showing prosperity. With the Japanese national team's first match against Belgium scheduled for the next day, the 4th, the media hype gave the impression of being at its peak. However, Takeshita was waiting for a fax from Igarashi rather than the hustle and bustle of the world.
After putting out a short correction article regarding the number of deaths, Igarashi had already reported that he had "received word from Sanyu Metal Mining that a contract exists," so there was no room for doubt about its existence. And the "seal" of Kuwano in that contract was indeed a "thumbprint," just as Takeshita had thought. Moreover, because of the missing thumbs, it was clearly stated in the margin of the contract that the thumbprint was with the right index finger. It was exactly the same condition as the deed.
Therefore, he could have had Sanyu Metal Mining send the fax directly to Takeshita, but Takeshita thought that "checking the actual item" was the first priority, so he had asked Igarashi to visit them as he was.
And he had specified another destination. To Nishida at the Kitami Regional HQ. If the police's appraisal matched the blood seal on Kuwano's deed and the thumbprint, the man who told the policeman at the scene about his colleague's death and disappeared after the Yubetsu Mine Accident would surely match the Kuwano Kinya "on the deed."
However, Takeshita had a slight anxiety along with his expectations. It was how clear the thumbprint of the right index finger on the contract was. And with a fax, there was a possibility that it would be slightly blurred. Furthermore, if the condition of the contract was bad, a copy would be faxed. If that happened, the clarity would drop further. In preparation for that case, he had asked Igarashi in advance to consider a means of having it scanned and attached to an email as image data in case of emergency.
Igarashi had been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the various demands, but since it had become a "large-scale" matter, he seemed to understand from his experience as a journalist that it was at an important stage regarding a past case. Although it was reluctant, it seemed to Takeshita that he had accepted the demands more readily than before.
Finally, at 2:00 PM, a call came from Igarashi.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I just confirmed the original. However, as you feared, the paper is quite tattered, and the thumbprint feels strongly like it was 'just pressed.' Basically, it's a substitute for a name seal, and I can't find much significance in detailed identification like a registered seal. What do you want to do? Shall I have them scan it?"
"I see... Then can you ask the people at Sanyu to do that? Of course, with the best image quality."
"I got the image matter. I'll tell them."
Saying that, since he didn't hang up the phone, he could hear him asking the person in charge for something on the other side of the mobile. And after a while,
"They'll send it to you when the scan is complete. By the way, how about your former boss's place?" he confirmed.
"No, if it's a scanned image rather than a fax, it won't deteriorate even if I re-send it from here. I'll send it over there."
"That's true too. Understood. Uh, then please do."
Igarashi seemed to have told the person in charge that. And when the work was completed,
"It seems the transmission is complete. Check it. It's an email with the suffix @sanyu material co.jp."
"Understood."
Takeshita said this and clicked the "Send/Receive" button of the email software he had already launched. He immediately confirmed that the email had arrived, and after virus-scanning the attachment, he opened it.
"Ah, I've confirmed it! Thank you very much! Please also convey my regards to Sanyu Metal Mining!"
Holding the mouse and sandwiching the mobile between his right ear and right shoulder, he told Igarashi, and the call was cut off with a "Got it. See you later."
Immediately, Takeshita carefully checked the scanned image. As Igarashi said, even in the image, the thumbprint was somewhat unclear in parts. It seems the choice of scanning was correct. And he indeed confirmed the note in the margin that said, "Due to missing both thumbs, the finger seal is with the right index finger." Furthermore, whether the contract as a miner was diverted as it was to a contract as a dynamite technician, a correction seal was pressed on the job type part, and it had been rewritten from miner to blasting technician.
To be honest, since the contracts were separate, it wouldn't have been strange if there had been one each for the miner and the technician, but Takeshita hadn't thought that far ahead. It was fine in the end, but as someone with a tendency toward perfectionism, he was a bit dissatisfied that he hadn't noticed that.
However, he didn't want to worry about it forever, so he immediately switched his mind and checked the image further. In the reason for hiring column, as in the report, the part about the reason for hiring as a miner, "Hired because there is no hindrance to work despite missing both thumbs, and physique and muscular strength are excellent," had the addition, "Work attitude good. Calm and collected, and intellectual level is also high, so re-hired as a blasting technician."
"Alright... the rest is just to entrust it to Nishida-san and the others!"
Takeshita muttered this and contacted Nishida's mobile.
While receiving the call from Takeshita, Nishida received the email and confirmed the image. It was definitely a contract in the name of Kuwano Kinya. The date of birth and permanent residence were also listed, and those also matched Kuwano.
"I've certainly received it! But man, I have nothing but gratitude for Takeshita! It's a career change that I can only think of as an act of God."
"Even after changing jobs, I never thought I would be involved in that investigation in this way when I quit the police. As Nishida-san told me before, I want to believe in something like destiny."
Takeshita was also speaking as if savoring various things.
"Anyway, that's that! Now the priority is to send it to Forensics and see if it matches the blood seal. I'll contact you when the results are out!"
"Please do."
Originally, even though he was a former investigator, there was the problem of how much to tell Takeshita, who was an outsider. But regarding this fingerprint matching, it wouldn't have been possible without Takeshita's offer, so he had to give him that much flexibility or it would be truly apologetic.
"Yeah, leave it to me! Then," as he was about to hang up the phone,
"That's right! I want to request Nishida-san to investigate if there are any materials about the Yubetsu Mine Accident left at the Engaru Station. Will you take it on?" Takeshita said hurriedly.
"I see... If it has some connection with the case we're following, I don't think it's that difficult to inquire with the Engaru Station, but are you going to use it for something?"
"No, I've finished writing the article, but since I've been involved, I feel uneasy if I don't investigate thoroughly until the end. After all, this matter is also a blessing in disguise related to the correction article... I have to do that part properly too... Well, if it were during my days working in Engaru, I could have investigated it easily, but at that time, such a thing didn't even cross my mind."
"Well, you didn't think it would turn out like this... Understood. Things are a bit chaotic, so it might be in about a week, or maybe even further ahead, but is that okay?"
"That's perfectly fine. I'm not in a hurry."
This time, he hung up the phone after confirming that Takeshita had said so.
Then, Nishida copied the image and transferred it to the Forensics Division, and conveyed that effect via extension. Since he had already made arrangements here as well, they would probably perform the matching work immediately.
When he had finished that much, Yoshimura spoke to him.
"Can we go with the matching?"
"I think it's probably okay."
"I hope so. Also, just in case, I think it's better to confirm the matter of the fingers with the old man Amai?"
"Normally speaking, we can infer that he didn't know, but yeah... let's do that."
He agreed with his subordinate's proposal.
"Please do."
Yoshimura nodded with satisfaction, but Nishida poked at him.
"Hey! Aren't you going to do it for me?"
"I shall yield that to the Assistant Section Chief."
He joked, but then spoke to Nishida with deep emotion.
"But man, seven years ago, the only 'projectile' was the fax, so in a case like this, we would have had to rely on the mail or something."
"You're right. But I think there was at least the internet and email in '95, wasn't there?"
"That's true, but at that time, not to mention ordinary people, the police weren't using it normally yet, right? Even for mobiles, the penetration was apparently around 10 percent. Most were PHS. (Author's Note: Whether the police were utilizing mobile phones for business in '95 is honestly doubtful, but since it's easier to do that in the novel, I have utilized them effectively until now.) We were already using them since we're the police, though."
Yoshimura seemed to be honestly acknowledging the spread of IT technology in seven years.
"Well, I guess so..."
Nishida sounded a bit awkward, but as Yoshimura said, seven years ago, the idea of using that kind of 'tool' for investigation didn't exist, and they weren't in such an environment. He had to admit that point.
"Mobiles, which were full of out-of-service areas around Kitami at that time, can now be connected in quite a few places. In tourist spots, you can even contact people on top of high mountains now. Before, they really became disconnected as soon as you stepped out a bit..."
Yoshimura insisted on the degree of spread of the new 'conveniences of civilization' as if to drive the point home, but Nishida didn't have much intention of going along with it one by one and was just letting it slide. More than that, he was concerned about whether the fingerprints would match.
The person in charge of the matching was a veteran forensics expert named Kawakita, whom he had asked because he was good at fingerprint matching. He was a person who had been in forensics for 30 years. However, whether he was not interested in promotion, his position remained at the Senior Staff level despite his age. Of course, his 'skill' was certain, but he was concerned about how long it would take to confirm the appraisal.
He didn't think it would take two days, but even in an era when fingerprints with a suspicion of matching are presented by database matching, the final confirmation of fingerprint matching is done by human eyes (Author's Note: I believe it's still in that format today. The matching on computers in detective dramas is just the selection of 'candidates,' and confirming it relies on human eyes. It seems it has become an era when quite high-precision judgment can be done by programs. Reference: http://www.e-kantei.org/shimon/012.htm). Furthermore, this time, it would be a somewhat rough fingerprint matching. It might take a little time.
Thinking it might be too soon to go and see how things were, he went to the Forensics Division after about two hours had passed, and Kawakita was in the middle of the work.
"How is the progress?"
"Assistant Section Chief Nishida, I think it's probably going to work. The fingerprint patterns match, so I'm doing it with the 'feature point extraction method' now, and 5 out of 12 points match, and I think it's safe to say they'll continue to coincide."
"I see! That's something to look forward to. How long will it take?"
"If I want to do it properly and don't work overtime today... maybe tomorrow morning."
With a glance at Nishida as if he wanted to say something, Kawakita announced the outlook.
"Ah, I see... understood, I'll leave it to you."
"Sorry, Assistant Section Chief. Today is my wife's birthday. Are you in a hurry? If so, I can ask a young one. I don't mind."
The veteran forensics expert asked as if testing him, but Nishida flattered him.
"No, if it's by tomorrow morning, I'd definitely like to ask you, Kawakita-san."
Probably a young one would be fine too, but the reality was that he wanted to ask a staff member with solid skills.
"Is that so? Then, understood that it's by tomorrow morning!"
While Nishida was higher in rank, he couldn't speak so arrogantly to someone older in terms of human relations. He decided to 'retreat' as he was.
And since he had some time, Nishida contacted Amai. This was because as far as he had heard from Amai in Miyako, he hadn't mentioned Kuwano's 'missing thumbs on both hands' at all.
Then, as expected, he was able to get the statement that as far as Amai knew, Kuwano's missing fingers were definitely not there at that time—that is, until the summer of Kuwano's first year after entering the former Second High School. Amai had previously said that the reason Kuwano dropped out of the former Second High School, probably due to the influence of the tsunami, and didn't become a teacher or something was his own will, but after hearing the story from Nishida, he remarked,
"I don't know when he got injured, but maybe that was the reason he couldn't get a job as a teacher or a job with good general social treatment."
But at the same time, he also said,
"Even under such circumstances, the fact that he is engaged in hard physical labor... after all, there might have been his own active will. If not, it's too unnatural."
He seemed to think that if it were a desk job that didn't attract people's attention, even in a state of missing fingers under the depression, Kuwano's level could have definitely managed somehow if he himself wished for it. It must mean he had that much ability. Specifically, he seemed to be imagining things like foreign language translation. Nishida also thought that if it were that, even at that time, 'appearance' wouldn't have been questioned much even if fingers were missing.
However, it is not clear at present whether the missing thumbs on both hands happened after he started physical labor or if it had already occurred before that. The probability seemed higher for the former, and as a flow of the story, that was easier to understand, but in that case, the reason he couldn't get a 'good' job would certainly not be the missing fingers.
"Did he have an industrial accident while working as a physical laborer?"
Nishida and Yoshimura pondered what had happened to Kuwano for a while after contacting Amai, but naturally, they didn't reach a conclusion.
At 11:00 AM on June 4th, Nishida and Yoshimura visited Kawakita and asked for the results.
"To conclude, 10 out of 12 points are a perfect match. There are two matching points that are slightly unclear and can't necessarily be concluded, but it's just that they can't be concluded, and the possibility that they match is high. Since it's not an appraisal for indictment or anything of that level, it'll probably be fine to assume they match. It's also a plus that both are said to be the right index finger."
Kawakita told Nishida the conclusion with a smile.
"I see... that was a help."
When Nishida was satisfied and about to fold the paper on which the simple appraisal results were written, Kawakita suddenly changed the subject to Nishida's assigned case.
"Assistant Section Chief Nishida, were you following the shooting incident from seven years ago?"
"Huh? Ah, yes..."
"The case where Detective Kitamura was killed in the line of duty, right?"
"Yes."
"Does this have anything to do with that case?"
"Well, it's not direct, but indirectly..."
To Nishida, who was hesitating to say, he said quietly but strongly with a serious face,
"I don't understand the details, but you must catch them... I was once indebted to Kitamura's father in the past... So I'm counting on you."
"Was that so? Of course, that's the intention! But I was honestly surprised that you were an acquaintance of Kitamura's father."
"Kitamura's father was doing forensics in the police. He guided me and took care of me in various ways during my days working at the Nayoro Station. To think his son would end up like that... I had heard various things and was surprised because I hadn't met him directly since a few years after I left the Nayoro Station, even though his son was a detective. At that time, I was at the Otaru Station, so I couldn't attend the funeral."
"Heh, his father was in forensics? I had been investigating with Kitamura until the incident, but he hadn't even said his father was a policeman, and I only heard that he was a policeman somehow at his wake, so I didn't know at all that he was in forensics."
Previously, when escorting Motohashi to Engaru, he had heard that Kitamura's motivation for joining the police was reading mystery novels like Sherlock Holmes in his childhood, but at that time, Kitamura hadn't mentioned that his father was a policeman. When he found out at the wake, he didn't think anything of it in particular, but thinking about it now, he thought such a story could have come out at that time.
"I see... Well, he was a stiff, man of few words, and it seems he and his son clashed in various ways at times, so that might have led to him not saying anything to you... At that time, when his father had some drink, he used to complain to me too, about his son."
After saying that in a suggestive way, he said,
"Anyway, definitely catch them. I'm counting on you!"
Saying that, he lightly tapped Nishida on the back.
To the two who returned to the Violent Crimes Unit in high spirits, Sanada pointed to Onga, who was on the landline.
"Assistant Section Chief! Right now, there's a call from Sudo-san at the NPA."
Onga also spotted Nishida and told the person on the other end,
"He just returned, so I'll hand him over,"
and then made a gesture with three fingers, indicating he would transfer it to line 3. Nishida lightly raised his hand and took the call.
"Hello."
"I've kept you waiting too, Assistant Section Chief Nishida. For now, I've summarized the guys who seem to fall under that, so I'll send it by fax, take a look. I've listed those whose alibis at the time of the incident are not clear. I intend to investigate these four more closely from now on."
"I see, thank you for your hard work. Then I'll take a look later. Anyway, from this end, we can't move in the Kanto area, so please do."
When Nishida said that, the fax of the list was sent immediately.