Chapter 9 - Rumbling 4
"How did that come about?"
Kitamura also joined the conversation again.
"It's a long story, is that alright?"
Saying that, Tanaka took a cigarette and a lighter from his chest pocket, lit it, and after blowing out a puff of smoke, he resumed speaking.
"I worked for JNR all the way until retirement. I was in the maintenance field for over 30 years. I was originally born in Rikubetsu (Rikubetsu Town), but after graduating from higher elementary school, I went to a vocational school—ah, detectives, you wouldn't know... For example, it's like what you'd call a technical college now—and after graduating from there, I worked for what you'd call the Forestry Office now for a while, and then I was drafted for the war. I went through various terrible things, but in the end, I was lucky... yeah, really lucky, and somehow survived and returned to my hometown. Then, I lived for a while helping out with the family farm, but it didn't make much money. At that time, through an acquaintance's introduction, I slipped into JNR in Showa 22 (1947) and got a job in maintenance. But about two years after I started working, there were quite a few layoffs, just like when it changed to JR... Fortunately, I escaped that and was able to work all the way through. Between the war and that, I think I've been lucky, you know?"
After finishing speaking this far, Tanaka placed his cigarette in the ashtray, dipped an okaki into his teacup with a 'cha-cha' sound, and stuffed it into his mouth. Nishida and Kitamura watched that and waited silently for the continuation of the story.
"Er, where did I leave off? Ah, the story about when I started working... Well, anyway, I've been doing maintenance around Kitami for a long time, and naturally there were times when I worked around Jomon. You all naturally know, but that's a place where many people died from tako-beya labor during the tunnel construction, so there have been various rumors since back then... I heard stories from our seniors, and I even saw something like a fireball twice and broke out in a cold sweat... Especially when working inside the tunnel, there was an indescribable creepiness. So everyone disliked maintenance work there. But it's work, so you have to do it. I also worked in that assigned maintenance district several times for a few years each. And JNR also, around Showa 35, I think... or was it a bit before that... Yes, yes, it was Showa 34 (1959)! With the encouragement of local people, they decided to hold a memorial, and they built a Jizo statue down from the Rubeshibe side of the Jomon Tunnel. I think... it must have been built on June 24. The reason the date is in my memory is because we held a memorial as JNR on that day every year. I think they're still doing it even after it became JR."
Nishida thought Tanaka's story was likely referring to the Kanwa Jizo Statue near the Jomon Signal Base at the Rubeshibe-side exit of the Jomon Tunnel.
"Among such people, the ones I got to know were Matsushige-san's father and the previous chairmen of the investigation committee. Since then, I've felt that if I'm just scared of ghosts, the people who died won't be able to rest in peace... I've been doing various things as a member of the investigation committee until now. However, the investigation committee is basically made up of people from between Rubeshibe and Kitami, and there are almost no people from across the mountain like Ikutahara. Since the previous generation's time, the remains collection survey on that side has almost never been done by the committee—that's a true story."
At that moment, the sound of Kitamura eating an okaki in a gap in the conversation echoed in the room, and he made an apologetic face, but the old man continued his story without minding.
"So, in Showa 52 (1977), I think, JNR employees who worked around the Jomon Tunnel or drivers who often passed through, OBs and volunteers gathered, and a story came up about collecting remains on a large scale on the Ikutahara side too. I was also on the books of the investigation committee, but I hadn't participated in the remains collection on that side—or rather, the committee hadn't done it properly—so I decided to 'try participating' with my old colleagues. In terms of work, it's not decided that we have Sundays off, so we gathered on our own on days that were convenient for each of us and picked up bones and collected things like mementos. We were doing it from around June, when the snow had completely melted, until around September, I think. After we collected everything, we built a memorial monument and interred the remains, and then we all gathered and had a priest from a temple come and hold a memorial service. After that, unlike the Jizo statue on the Rubeshibe side, JNR didn't take responsibility for the memorial, but the maintenance district guys would pay their respects when they noticed... However, the JR guys probably don't even know if such a memorial monument exists now... Anyway, because of that, I told the chairman when I heard the story from him as advice or whatever, 'There's no need to do it.' Do you understand? Detective."
After hearing the story this far, Tanaka's story didn't seem like nonsense; it seemed like something that actually happened. It was also consistent.
"Is that so?"
After uttering just one word, Nishida finally put his hand to the okaki that had been served and tasted the crunchiness bite by bite. No, rather than tasting it, the reality that what he had assumed beforehand had been overturned meant he didn't actually have the leeway to taste much. While crunching and chewing, he was looking for the next word. Kitamura also likely felt there was no room to doubt Tanaka's story; the notebook he had been taking notes in was already placed on the desk along with his ballpoint pen.
"Tanaka-san, is there anyone else who can prove that story?"
Finally, the words that were natural to ask immediately came out of his mouth.
"My son-in-law was my junior at JNR at the time..."
"Unfortunately, relatives cannot be called witnesses."
When Nishida cut off Tanaka's statement and said that firmly, Tanaka said,
"If you say so, it can't be helped. Then you'll have to ask Mitsuru."
"Who is Mitsuru?"
"It's Okuda Mitsuru, my colleague from the JNR days who participated in the remains collection with me."
"Understood. Could you tell me that person's contact information?"
Nishida spoke quickly, following immediately after Tanaka's statement.
"Ah, that's fine, but I wonder if he's at home now?"
Tanaka stood up, and after a few minutes, he returned to the room with a memo.
"Here."
Nishida, who received the memo from Tanaka, immediately took out his mobile phone when he saw that the phone number was written in addition to the address.
Seeing that, Kitamura whispered into his ear,
"Are you going to call here?"
Indeed, calling in front of the other party seemed generally impolite, but it was because he thought he couldn't give the other party even a moment's gap to coordinate their stories.
Fortunately, Mr. Okuda answered the phone immediately. At first, he didn't readily believe that it was a police official, but when Tanaka took the phone and told him it was a real police official, he began to respond honestly to Nishida's questions.
"So, in Showa 52? you actually did a remains collection with Tanaka-san on the Ikutahara side of the Jomon Tunnel?"
"Yeah, we did. I remember we collected quite a few remains. There's no lie in what Kiyoshi says. I don't quite understand the story, but please believe what he says. Hmm, even so, will what I say actually be of help to Kiyoshi?"
"Yes, it will be an important testimony for Tanaka-san. It was a help. By the way, Mr. Okuda and Mr. Tanaka seem to have a relatively close relationship, but just in case, is there anyone who is clearly a third party who can back up this matter?"
Nishida asked that because he wanted confirmation beyond Okuda's testimony.
"A third party... Hmm..."
Seeing Nishida, who was talking directly with Okuda on the phone, fall silent, Tanaka likely sensed that Okuda was at a loss for a reply and offered a helping hand.
"If it's about not having a relationship with me, a town assembly member from Ikutahara at the time and the priest of a temple in Ikutahara should have participated in the memorial service. If you ask them, won't you detectives be convinced?"
"I see. Such people certainly possess the qualifications as witnesses. Do you remember who they were?"
"Let's see... I think there was something like a program or a schedule for the memorial service, and I think the names of the attendees were listed on it, but I wonder where it went."
Tanaka stood up again. Meanwhile, Nishida asked Okuda about that as well.
"Now that you mention it, I think there were such people. I might have such a paper here. I'll look for it now, so wait a bit. I'll call you later, so tell me your number."
He said, and after hearing the number, he told Nishida he would hang up once.
After a while, Okuda called before Tanaka returned.
"Detective, I found it. Wait a bit, I'll put on my glasses and look... Er, ah, here it is, here it is! One wasn't a town assembly member, it seems he was the mayor. The mayor's name is written as Dooka Tatsukichi. Another is Miyoshi Matsuzo, he's also written as the town assembly chair. I don't remember clearly, but I think there was a story that one of them was the former stationmaster of Ikutahara Station or something, and he came because of that connection. The priest, is it the priest of this Koan-ji? Anyway, is this enough? Detective."
Receiving Okuda's story, Nishida, who had finished taking notes after hearing each character of the names, finally saw Tanaka appear in front of him.
"I can't find it. I'm sorry," he said with a troubled expression.
"No, fortunately, Mr. Okuda just told me," Kitamura said.
"Is that so! That's a help. Could you let me talk to him for a bit, detective?" Tanaka said to the two. And on the phone, Tanaka thanked Okuda with a smile. Nishida took the phone back from Tanaka and returned to the conversation with Okuda.
"Mr. Okuda, while I'm asking, could we borrow that paper for a while? Of course, we will come to borrow it from our side."
"I don't mind, but when are you coming to get it?"
"Is Mr. Okuda's house in Kitami City?"
"No, I'm sorry, it's in Kunneppu Town."
"Is that so. But if it's Kunneppu, it's right near here. In that case, I'd like to visit today, is that alright?"
"Then, you can be here in 30 minutes. I'm living on a pension and don't work, I have plenty of time every day and I'll be waiting."
Since he received permission from Okuda easily, he heard the detailed address and decided to visit directly now.
"Well, we've caused you various troubles today. Since we've heard the necessary things, we'll be leaving now," Nishida said and bowed his head. Tanaka had a look of relief for a moment when he saw that, but
"Even so, I don't know what you're investigating, but I never want to meet with such an experience again," he said in a somewhat dissatisfied tone. Of course, since the detectives had barged in suddenly and asked various things as if they doubted him, it was only natural for him to feel that way. Nishida was also not in a position to say anything about that. However,
"I'm truly sorry," he could only repeat.
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During the thirty minutes or so between leaving Tanaka's house in Kitami and heading to Okuda's house in Kunneppu, the conversation between Nishida and Kitamura was unexpectedly lively, despite having to be convinced of Tanaka's innocence. Perhaps it was because there was a tacit understanding between the two that it would be better for their mental health to do so. He didn't know about Kitamura, but Nishida felt more apologetic for having given Case Chief Officer Kurano a sense of expectation and having him change the assignment specifically, despite only obtaining this kind of result, rather than being disappointed himself.
When they got near Okuda's house and were looking around while slowing down the car, they saw an old man lightly waving his hand while confirming their situation. Since the car they were in was not a patrol car, he was likely suspicious, but seeing a pair of strangers who didn't know the rural residential area wandering around, he likely speculated that they were the people in question. Of course, there was no guarantee that the old man was Okuda, but he had a feeling that the person doing such a thing must be Okuda.
"Are you Mr. Okuda?"
Kitamura stopped the car, lowered the window, and spoke.
"Are you the detectives from Engaru?" he replied.
"Yes. Sorry for earlier. Where should we park the car?" Nishida said.
"Here is fine," he pointed to a relatively wide gravel-covered area in front of the house. As told, they parked the car, and when the two greeted Okuda, Okuda invited them into the house. Nishida was a bit bewildered as he had intended to receive the paper with the names at the entrance and "retreat" just like that, but thinking it would be bad to refuse too strongly, he greeted the wife who was waiting at the entrance and decided to go in.
"It's small and I can't offer much hospitality, but well, you can relax a bit more than in the car," the room they were shown into was a quite large living room common in rural houses, and it was a sufficiently grand structure. When he turned his gaze to the desk, he was a bit surprised to see that tea and tea cakes, and even pickles, had already been prepared. The cakes served at Tanaka's house were one thing because it was a sudden visit, but the difference might have been that they were being treated as "guests" here, whereas they were "uninvited guests" there.
While sitting on the zabuton (T/N: floor cushion) with a sense of being overwhelmed, Okuda began some small talk. Nishida and Kitamura were listening to the stories of the old man, who was the image of a kind, talkative person in the countryside, while giving appropriate nods. They could have prompted him to get to the main point, but it could be said that they were "done in" by his kindness. While listening to the stories and eating and drinking for about 10 minutes in that state,
"Dear, if you just keep talking nonsense, the detectives will be troubled," the kind-looking wife spoke up. The fact that she had been glancing over from the kitchen for a while was likely because she was timing when to say this.
"Oh, I completely forgot! My bad, my bad," he said with a laugh, and picked up something like a booklet from the tatami and placed it in front of Nishida. That "booklet" looked like what you'd call a "program" for a ceremony. It seemed the list of attendees and the like was also listed there.
"Is this it..." Nishida said after quickly flipping through and confirming, then handed it to Kitamura to let him confirm as well. Okuda, who was staring at it, asked Nishida,
"Even so, coming all the way from Engaru to Kitami and Kunneppu to investigate various things, is that Kiyoshi involved in some kind of incident?"
"Well, yeah..." Nishida said, hesitating for a moment.
"However, thanks to Mr. Okuda, I think Mr. Tanaka is almost unrelated to the case," he continued. Originally, there was no need to say this much to anyone other than those involved in an unsolved case. However, he thought that since he had received so much cooperation from Okuda, who was Tanaka's friend, it should be correct as a way of doing things to put him at ease.
"That's right, detective! Because I've known him since the JNR days, and I don't know what kind of incident it is, but he's not the kind of guy who would do something that would get him in trouble with the police. He might have been caught for speeding or something, though," Okuda initially appealed with a serious expression, but in the end, he showed the leeway to smirk a bit.
"Yes, he seemed like a kind person," Nishida said, and while looking at the booklet he had received back from Kitamura, he could see that it was a relatively large-scale memorial service, with a greeting from the mayor and the like.
"Looking at this, it seems quite a few people participated," Kitamura spoke up.
"Yeah, that's right. Weren't there about 50 people joined in? Not only the employees of the JNR Jomon area maintenance district, but also some of the higher-ups from the Railway Administration Bureau and drivers from the driving depot, and influential people from Ikutahara also participated."
As Okuda said, the list of attendees listed each name along with their title or department. The then-mayor and chair of Ikutahara were also listed there.
"It seems there were participants other than the bigwigs from JNR and Ikutahara Town. There are also people whose affiliation or title isn't listed," Nishida didn't miss the fact that there were multiple people of a "different stripe" listed among the attendees.