Chapter 95 - Name and Reality 18 {Combined 34/35} (73–74, 75–76: The appraisal results from Suehiro reveal a shocking truth)
Shortly after 10:00 AM on June 19th, amid a sluggish investigation, a report on the appraisal results was sent via FAX from Suehiro without any prior notice. Since no contact had been made during the appraisal process, Nishida had assumed that, at the very least regarding the mitochondria, they had been able to investigate. However, as he and Yoshimura looked over the report, their initial casual glance quickly turned into an intense, fixated scrutiny.
Incidentally, of the two blood samples, the one taken from Kuwano's blood seal on the deed owned by the Sada family was labeled S. The one taken from the blood seal on the deed found in Kitagawa's safety deposit box at Hokumo Bank—which the Hojo brothers were believed to have originally owned—was labeled H and sent to Suehiro.
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◎ Comparison Result Report
◯ First, I report that DNA data and mtDNA data were successfully analyzed from the following biological samples:
1) Two blood samples adhered to paper (DNA data for S is A, mtDNA data is a; DNA data for H is B, mtDNA data is b)
2) One blood sample adhered to cloth (DNA data is C, mtDNA data is c)
3) Saliva DNA data body (DNA data is D, mtDNA data is d)
As a result of comparing the above DNA and mtDNA data, the following findings were determined:
Ⅰ) A and B, and a and b, respectively match (this was confirmed based on the prior assumption that they were blood from the same person). Hereafter, for blood samples on paper, only A and a will be considered.
Ⅱ) a, c, and d match (the blood owners of the three types of biological samples—paper, cloth, and saliva—are highly likely to be maternal blood relatives).
Ⅲ) A and C match.
Ⅳ) The DNA data for each combination of A and D, and C and D, do not match.
Therefore, based on Ⅲ and Ⅳ, A and C are blood from the same person, and D is blood from a different person.
However, based on the proximity of the DNA data and the match in mtDNA data, A (C) and D can be considered maternal blood relatives.
These comparison results can be judged as a nearly 99 percent match, even taking into account the number of years elapsed.
Appraiser: Masataka Suehiro, Professor, Biometric Identification Laboratory, Faculty of Bioscience, Ryogoku University
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"What on earth does this mean?"
Nishida asked Yoshimura with wide eyes. Though he knew asking was pointless, as Yoshimura likely shared the same question...
"I mean... didn't Suehiro just misunderstand or make a mistake? A and B are the analysis from Kuwano's blood seal, and C is the analysis from the scrap of cloth believed to be taken from the deceased Onodera's clothes, right? D should be the DNA data analyzed by the SIL from Oshima's saliva. So while A and B matching is a given, there's no way C should match A. It's almost impossible they were twins given their birth dates... Well, regardless, the fact that Kuwano, Onodera, and Oshima were connected maternally is the same as before, so that part is fine, that part..."
Yoshimura also showed signs of partial disbelief.
"It seems best to check with Suehiro directly."
Saying so, Nishida decided to contact him immediately.
Suehiro, who answered the phone, was clearly displeased. It seemed he was in the middle of an experiment. Nishida apologized for that before starting the conversation.
"I received the report by FAX. Thank you for your hard work despite your busy schedule."
"Look, I sent it, so that should be enough, shouldn't it?"
He spoke sulkily, but Nishida continued regardless.
"Well, there was a point that caught my attention—or rather, seemed strange—so I wanted to confirm it with you."
"Strange?"
His tone became even more dissatisfied.
"According to this report, A and B naturally match, but for some reason, they also match C. Isn't it more likely that A and B match D? Perhaps you mixed them up when writing?"
Actually, when he finished reading the report, though he didn't say it directly to Yoshimura, Nishida had a certain hope. That is, if the report was mistaken and had confused a match between A (B) and D for a match between A (B) and C, then the Kuwano on the blood seal of the deed—who hadn't matched via fingerprints—and the current Oshima Kaiji would match from a different scientific perspective: DNA.
If that were the case, it might allow for a somewhat forced interpretation that the fingerprint mismatch occurred due to some intervening factor. It was a faint hope, but if it came true, there would be some prospect of the story making sense, so Nishida was secretly desperate.
"Listen, Nishida-san. I don't like to toot my own horn, but in this field, I am recognized by myself and others as a top-class researcher in Japan! You yourself requested the analysis and comparison based on that premise, didn't you? Although this is a private university, the university is giving its full cooperation, and of course, my staff's technical skills and research facilities are top-class. Moreover, I was managing the analysis strictly, seeing it with my own eyes! To show such an attitude when I've presented the results like this is a bit rude, don't you think? It's true the degraded DNA information is from quite a while ago, but with our technology, it wasn't that difficult an analysis. Though, of course, that's only because it was us."
While he kept his tone suppressed, his pride as a researcher seeped through, and it was a statement that clearly conveyed he was quite offended. However, Nishida was not the type of man to be intimidated by a scholar's anger; he wouldn't be fit to be a detective otherwise. He persisted stubbornly.
"According to our investigation, A and C should each be different people. Perhaps something got mixed up?"
Before he could finish, Suehiro interrupted and began to argue forcefully.
"I can state with certainty that did not happen! We redid it three times properly, and the results matched! The storage condition of the sent samples was also solid! Someone who can't do that much can't become a proper researcher! Especially this time, even if it's not official, it's an analysis request from you police. Since I'm involved in something that could change a person's life with a single piece of DNA information, I am supervising my staff with a great deal of tension. I myself am naturally participating in the decoding, analysis, and comparison with tension. In those results, there is no element for a rudimentary mistake to creep in! That is all I have to say. I don't have any more time to spend on this, so I'm hanging up! And from now on, I refuse any contact regarding this matter. Other matters are a different story. Goodbye!"
Nishida was left with the conversation abruptly closed, but in Suehiro's stubborn attitude, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of pride and responsibility as a researcher rather than mere arrogance. His words carried a weight of conviction that transcended personal likes or dislikes.
"I don't know what he said since I couldn't hear him directly, but were you arguing? It felt like that..."
Yoshimura asked Nishida, but Nishida only gave a half-hearted reply.
"Yeah. He said he's confident in the results."
He couldn't say anything else for a while. But if it came to this, did he have no choice but to accept Suehiro's report as fact? If so, then Onodera, who was supposed to be dead, and Kuwano were not just relatives—now they were the same person.
"Is it that Kuwano and Onodera weren't actually cousins, but—though I said it was 'unlikely' earlier—they were actually twins after all? Well, I've heard that back in the day, birth registrations were quite lax... So, they gave one of the twins to an older sister and her husband who had no children, but for some reason, the birth registration was delayed by three years... But that feels a bit forced."
As if sensing Nishida's thoughts, Yoshimura voiced a possible reason.
"I can't say it's impossible, but three years is too long. One year would be the limit at most. Besides, no such information came from Amai. Of course, it's quite possible he just didn't know about it."
"But I've heard that in the old days, birth notifications were quite haphazard, and people would even do adoptions on their own whim, right?"
Yoshimura was clinging to the theory he had once rejected himself.
However, if Suehiro was confident, they had no choice but to move in that direction. (Author's Note: Please note that while a certain amount of DNA sample is required, it has now been confirmed that even the DNA of identical twins can show subtle differences. However, this requires a situation where a certain number of years have passed since birth. Link: http://japanese.engadget.com/2015/04/29/dna/)
"Certainly, it's not unthinkable that a twin brother of Kuwano was adopted by an older sister and her husband who had no children despite marrying before the younger sister, but even so, I can't for the life of me understand the meaning of a three-year time lag."
Answering thus, Nishida crossed his arms and began to think deeply. However, in less than ten minutes, an idea flashed within Nishida.
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"We might have been making a terrible mistake..."
Nishida muttered this while staring at a single point in the air where there was only a wall. Yoshimura, who had been silently watching him, felt an unapproachable atmosphere and asked tentatively.
"W-What's wrong?"
"Think about it carefully! The results of that report just now are everything! Believe in science! Science over human testimony and assumptions!"
"No, I do believe in science, but..."
Ignoring Yoshimura, who was clearly unable to keep up with Nishida's suddenly high tension, he began to explain without pausing for breath.
"Until now, based on the testimony and reports from that time, we thought the one who died in the explosion was Onodera... Or rather, we were convinced of it. But what if the one who died was actually Kuwano?"
"Huh?"
"Don't you get it yet!? The only person who told the surviving policeman that three Konomai Gold Mine employees, including Onodera, had died was Kuwano Kinya himself. Moreover, it was an explosion, the bodies were in pieces, and the scene was in total chaos with casualties among the police as well. Of course, unlike now, there's no doubt they didn't check every single person with ID cards to see if the one testifying was actually Kuwano. Recognition as one of the group of blasting technicians who came from Konomai, having been seen by the police beforehand, was probably enough. They probably didn't even introduce themselves to everyone. And the other Konomai employees who came later wouldn't have been in a situation to show photos like the police and check 'if this guy was the one who testified.' Besides, after returning to Konomai, Kuwano's personal belongings had disappeared, so if Kuwano intended to vanish from the start, there wouldn't have been a detailed investigation afterward. In other words, there was no way to properly confirm whether the one who testified was Kuwano himself, nor were they in a situation to confirm it!"
Yoshimura, who finally understood the reason for Nishida's excitement, became agitated as if dragged along by it.
"Now that you mention it, the fact that the one who died was Onodera was entirely based on the testimony of the Kuwano who disappeared! If the one who died there was actually Kuwano, and the one who testified and fled was Onodera, that explains the DNA matter! In other words, the DNA of Kuwano from the blood seal on the deed before the accident matched the DNA of Kuwano's bloodstains that were scattered after he was caught in the explosion. And Onodera, who fled carrying the blood-stained scrap of cloth as a memento... Ah!"
Following Yoshimura's realization of something significant, Nishida immediately took over the story.
"Exactly! It's highly likely that Onodera himself, who took that scrap of cloth as a memento, impersonated Kuwano Kinya, and later became Tadokoro Yasuo—that is, Oshima Kaiji! Until now, the story required three people: the Kuwano who fled, the Onodera who died, and Oshima, who for some reason inherited the memento and was possibly a maternal relative of the two. But with the reasoning from these appraisal results, the relationship between the two cousins, Onodera and Kuwano, is sufficient. And the scrap of cloth that Onodera, alias Oshima, likely gave to Tada Sakura in Tokyo where he ended up, is now here!"
"But while the logic holds up beautifully, the problem is whether we can prove that story..."
Nishida outwardly scolded Yoshimura for his somewhat timid remark.
"You idiot! What did we go to Tokyo to get! We have Onodera's thumbprint from the contract, don't we! And Oshima's fingerprints have been stored here as data for all fingers, left and right, since the Onneyu investigation seven years ago!"
When Yoshimura tentatively peeked at his superior's face, he saw a full smile despite the strong words. Yoshimura thought that he was already certain. Immediately after, the two of them sent the image data of Onodera's contract to forensics and requested an appraisal, adding an order to do it as quickly as possible...
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Shortly before evening, right after the call from forensics came in confirming a match, the two of them burst into the forensics room and listened to the explanation from the staff member named Shigeta, who was in charge of this appraisal. Although there was some roughness in the thumbprint on the contract, nine points matched with certainty, and the remaining three points were shown to be at a level that could be considered a match. As soon as they finished listening, they went out into the hallway, and Nishida tried to contact Takeshita.
He knew that releasing investigation information to the outside was strictly forbidden, but the "excuse" that it was a report of the results as a thank-you to Takeshita for his cooperation crossed Nishida's mind.
However, Nishida himself knew that wasn't the real reason. He had to admit that he simply couldn't suppress the feeling of wanting to share the joy of the story coming together so beautifully with Takeshita, who had been involved in this case as a comrade-in-arms.
Fortunately, Takeshita answered the phone immediately. If it had been an answering machine, his momentum would have been dampened, but with his feelings still high, he explained the new facts discovered so far. However, although Takeshita was initially excited and happy like Nishida, as the conversation progressed, he seemed to be organizing things in his head, and by the end, he had almost returned to his usual calm tone.
"I think the fact that the situation, which previously required three people, can now be explained entirely by two people—Kuwano and Oshima—has certainly removed a major hurdle in constructing the story. And it becomes clearly visible that the reason for the discrepancy in personality or character between the pre-war Kuwano and the post-war Kuwano was this. The credibility of Matsushima Kotaro's testimony tape just before he was murdered had temporarily dropped due to the fingerprint mismatch, but if Oshima's actual identity was the cousin who impersonated Kuwano Kinya after the mine explosion accident, we can say it has been restored as the logic holds up once again. Since Isaka knew the pre-death Kuwano and clearly knows that Oshima impersonated Kuwano, this should also explain the strangely convoluted phrasing he used when he told Matsushima that 'Oshima's previous name was Kuwano.' There was no need to reveal the core part—that Oshima was the cousin who impersonated the dead Kuwano—to Matsushima. However, even so, a major problem remains unsolved..."
"What on earth is it!"
Nishida questioned with a hint of irritation.
"Even if this is known, as long as it doesn't directly lead to material for arresting Oshima, there's no doubt that a major difficulty still remains for the purpose of the investigation."
Takeshita conveyed his thoughts to Nishida, but immediately continued before Nishida could complain again.
"Furthermore, regarding Oshima's involvement in Sada's murder, I feel that Oshima's weakness toward Isaka from before Sada's blackmail—that alone—cannot be emphasized as a motive for Sada's murder. Certainly, the fact that Isaka held information that couldn't be known from the family register—namely, that Oshima was impersonating Kuwano Kinya—would function as a weakness for Oshima toward Isaka even more than if Oshima had actually been Kuwano Kinya. But as I said before, Isaka had already been extracting benefits from Oshima under those conditions. In a sense, one could say they were already in an even relationship at that point. Whether the weakness of impersonation had enough value—in other words, enough disadvantage for Oshima—to make him involve himself in murder in addition to political interest-peddling... Of course, if he didn't want his true identity revealed, it would have value, but for Isaka himself to reveal it now would be equivalent to abandoning the profits he would gain in the future, and I think Oshima would see through that."
Takeshita stopped talking for a moment as if gauging Nishida's reaction, but then began to speak again as if nothing had happened.
"And there's also a problem when considering the logic of the story. Oh, but before that, there's one thing that needs to be made clear. Regarding the 'why did he flee' question we had before, I think this discovery has certainly provided an answer. I think that point was definitely good."
"And what is that answer?"
When Nishida asked, Takeshita replied:
"Get a grip! Onodera went out of his way to impersonate the dead Kuwano. Naturally, upon receiving news of the accident, support staff would be dispatched from Konomai, right? Oshima, alias Onodera Michitoshi, must have understood that, and in fact, they did come to the scene. In other words, if he stayed there and his impersonation of Kuwano was discovered by those staff members, it would be meaningless!"
I see, it would certainly make his lie to the police about being Kuwano pointless. Since he claimed to be Kuwano, it could be inferred that he naturally had no intention of returning to Konomai, and in that case, fleeing from the scene would be the logical conclusion.
"Ah, it certainly would be."
Nishida was fully convinced.
"Based on that, didn't this discovery give birth to a new major question in the logic of the story? It's about the reason why Oshima, alias Onodera, ended up impersonating Kuwano. If it was just that he had no intention of returning to Konomai for some reason, that wouldn't be a reason to impersonate Kuwano. Also, it doesn't seem like an action taken on a whim; I can't help but think there was some proper reason... But for now, I can't even imagine that reason myself... Thinking about it this way, in the end, the story itself isn't completely clear yet. As I've said many times, even if the subject who fled changed from Kuwano to Onodera, now the reason for impersonating Kuwano will be questioned. Of course, the story has become much clearer than before, but because it has become clearer, other problems may have also grown larger."
After saying that much without a hitch, Takeshita fell silent as if waiting for Nishida's reaction.
"Good grief, you're the same as ever..."
Nishida clicked his tongue, but then countered as if he had just thought of it.
"Wasn't impersonating Kuwano precisely so he could use the gold dust deed that Kuwano must have had to take the gold dust for himself?"
Hearing that, Takeshita began to speak.
"I see. It's true that the fact that Oshima, alias Onodera, appeared at the Sada house in Otaru with Isaka after the war, impersonated Kuwano Kinya, found out the location of the gold dust from the Sada parents, and took it all for himself seems almost certain to be a fact, so there might be a direction for that kind of thinking. If I recall, in the letter left by Sada Toru, Kuwano Kinya didn't have a particularly distinctive appearance; he was just tall and somewhat educated... Onodera is a cousin, after all. While you might not be able to say they looked alike, if he insisted he was the Kuwano who had no major characteristics and held the deed, the parents would have no way to check even fingerprints, so it wouldn't be strange for them to believe him. Oshima himself has a decent educational background, so there would be no major problem in terms of education."
Nishida felt a momentary surge of joy upon hearing Takeshita's response up to that point. However, Takeshita continued:
"However, just as there was talk of Hojo Masato's younger brother, Masaharu, inheriting the gold dust from his older brother, since the cousin Kuwano himself was actually dead, I can't say for sure that there wasn't such a talk for Onodera, whom he had called all the way to Konomai. Not only that, considering that most of the Kuwano and Onodera clans probably died in the tsunami, wouldn't it have been normally possible for Oshima, alias Onodera Michitoshi, to inherit it in a somewhat legitimate form if he had the deed? To repeat, in the first place, the reason Onodera ended up working with Kuwano was through Kuwano's introduction, so even if it was a sudden death, he wouldn't have inherited the deed in a way that looked like theft; there must have been some level of agreement. In that case, it honestly makes no sense to go as far as taking the risk of being caught to impersonate the man himself."
Nishida had no words to return.
And Takeshita added:
"In the first place, there were three people who knew the living Kuwano himself at the time the deed was created: Sada Toru, Isaka Daikichi, and Hojo Masato. And if the story the eldest brother, Sada Yuzuru, heard from his parents at their family home in Otaru after the war is true, then including what was discovered this time, Isaka must have cooperated with Onodera to falsely claim he was Kuwano while knowing he wasn't the real Kuwano Kinya, and found out the location of the gold dust from the parents. When Isaka visited the Sada house alone once, he was refused the location by the parents as per the instructions in Toru's letter, so he might have wanted to rely on Onodera even if he wasn't Kuwano himself, but there are many unknown points, such as how the two of them met up. And it seems this point will also be involved in the subsequent relationship between Oshima Kaiji and Isaka... This might also be called a newly emerged mystery."
However, Nishida did not delve too deeply into this point and said:
"Hmm. That's certainly true... On the other hand, regarding the 'strangely convoluted phrasing' Takeshita mentioned earlier, I now well understand the meaning of the statement Matsushima Kotaro made in the tape: 'The deed contains his old name from when he and I stole the inheritance together, before he became Tadokoro Yasuo,' which Isaka supposedly said after the dinner the day before the murder, which also included Sada Minoru. After all, since Kuwano Kinya is not the real name of Oshima Kaiji, who is Onodera Michitoshi, but merely an assumed name, the roundabout phrasing 'old name' is more appropriate than the expression 'real name'..."
However, Takeshita, perhaps thinking that what he wanted to say hadn't been well understood by Nishida, raised another question.
"Regardless of that, looking at the result, although Sada Toru and Hojo Masato both died in the war later, at the time Kuwano died and Onodera impersonated him, there was no talk of either of them being dead yet. Naturally, Onodera would have no reason to mistakenly believe that all the people listed on the deed who were supposed to actually know Kuwano were dead. As a matter of hindsight, even if he had some common interest with Isaka and was allowed to impersonate Kuwano Kinya, such an impersonation shouldn't have worked on someone like Sada Toru, who seemed to have a sense of responsibility and was entrusted with the inheritance management by Senzaki, since he knew the real Kuwano. Of course, regardless of how much Onodera recognized that, it would have been much more straightforward to honestly say his cousin had died and he had inherited it to obtain the gold dust. After all, although it wasn't on a large scale, the news of the mine accident itself was reported within Hokkaido, so he should have just honestly said Kuwano was caught in it. Therefore, at the time of the mine accident in Showa 17 (1942), there should honestly have been no merit for Onodera to impersonate Kuwano in terms of obtaining the gold dust. As I said before, the risk of being caught, being suspected, and having things become complicated in the process—even if he could eventually receive the gold dust—is too great. But he impersonated him. This is what's bothering me. We should think there was another reason."
Hearing this opinion, Nishida felt his fever cooling down as if cold water had been poured on him again, but what he was saying made sense. Certainly, in the inheritance of Senzaki's gold dust, there should have been almost no merit in impersonating the dead Kuwano immediately after the explosion accident.
And even if the credibility of Matsushima's tape testimony had increased with this discovery, it was still completely impossible to arrest Oshima based on that, and while one mystery was solved, another mystery had emerged. It was a big step forward, but perhaps it should be seen that there was also a small step back. Despite the new and major progress, Nishida was somehow starting to feel gloomy.
But at that moment, Takeshita began to confess his unexpected state of mind.
"I don't know what you meant by 'same as ever' earlier, but if you meant I'm cold or not getting excited, you're wrong! To be honest, I'm not calm at all right now. I'm just frustrated. I'm just pretending to hide it!"
"Frustrated?"
"Of course! I have no choice but to listen to this interesting story as a third party, left out in the cold, instead of as a member of the investigation team! I'm really frustrated. Needless to say, even if it's the path I chose..."
Nishida received Takeshita's words, which were restrained but still showed emotion, with surprise. But come to think of it, there was no way Takeshita wouldn't feel that way. Nishida felt ashamed of himself for judging him based only on the surface of his words.
"Sorry... But it's precisely because I don't think of you as a complete third party that I called you like this. Please understand that much."
To the line he squeezed out, Takeshita also apologized, returning to his usual tone.
"Yes, I got a bit too emotional. However, I think it's certain that new mysteries have also popped up like a game of whack-a-mole. Although it's also certain that it's a big step..."
"Well then, for now, that's how it is..."
Nishida tried to end the conversation while feeling somewhat awkward, but upon hearing the words "No, I'm really sorry even though you went out of your way to contact me," he decided to convey his true feelings in his own way.
"To be honest, I wanted to tell you first, Takeshita. So, even though my thoughts weren't quite organized yet, I just got happy..."
To Nishida's frank words, Takeshita replied as if embarrassed, probably intending it as an apology:
"Yes. I know... But what I'm really waiting for is the news of Oshima's arrest! Please make it happen!"
Then, perhaps to hide his embarrassment, he suddenly changed the subject and said in a different tone:
"Oh, this doesn't really matter, but it seems Representative Masukawa is going to be arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office for bribery."
"What?"
When a surprised Nishida looked at the television in the room, nothing had been reported yet.
"Are you sure?"
To the doubtful tone, he said with full confidence:
"The media has already been notified. Well, it won't take long for the breaking news to come in."
"I see. Even so, for Masukawa to be taken down..."
"Well, it's probably what they call the Takamatsu Theater. Crushing conspicuous enemies even within the same party. That's probably it. Oh, I have some work coming in, so sorry, I'll end it here."
Whether it was related to Masukawa or not, Takeshita hung up the phone immediately after saying that.
"What, he's also in a hurry..."
Nishida, who had the subject changed and the curtain of the conversation brought down unilaterally, leaned back in his chair and tried to think about the new developments and the arrest of Masukawa—who, like Oshima, was from the Minyu Party and elected from Hokkaido—when at that exact moment, Onga shouted to Nishida:
"It seems the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office has pinched Masukawa Tatsuzo for bribery!"
On the television screen he pointed to, the evening news in the prefecture had switched to a special program. Was the arrest of Masukawa—who, like Oshima, was a powerful politician elected from within the prefecture (Author's Note: already appeared in "Meian 9")—proof that the internal dynamics of the Minyu Party were changing, just as Takeshita had pointed out? He was never a politician with a good reputation, but it was a situation that would have been unimaginable until a few years ago that it would lead to an arrest drama (Author's Note: On this day in 2002, Representative Suzuki Muneo was arrested for bribery).
Afterward, Nishida and Yoshimura reported this matter to Criminal Investigation Director Koyabu and Section Chief Mitani. The two were naturally surprised and praised them, but while it was certain that the background of the case and the mystery of the fingerprint mismatch had become clear, since it was not information that directly led to an arrest, they ordered Nishida and Yoshimura to keep quiet about this matter.
In fact, whether the true identity of Tadokoro Yasuo, alias Oshima Kaiji, was Kuwano Kinya or Onodera Michitoshi, it would be meaningless unless Oshima Kaiji himself could be arrested. The need for evidence or information that would clarify Oshima's involvement in the case remained unchanged.
The two detectives renewed their determination for the next investigation.
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Shortly after the new light and shadow became visible, on the afternoon of June 21st, unexpected big news came in one after another. It was from Sudo of the NPA Organized Crime Department.
"Good news just arrived from Sendai! Listen calmly!"
"Good news?"
"Yes, good news! An unbelievable development! Sendai Chuo Station contacted me saying the DNA collected from Higashidate and the hair root of that hair matched!"
"Wait a minute! Wasn't Higashidate the suspect who was supposed to be the most unlikely in terms of other circumstances, like leaving the gang, even if his alibi was questionable?"
Nishida could not hide his surprise.
"That's right, but I can only say that that assessment seems to have been wrong."
"Of course I understand that, but I don't understand the flow of how Higashidate was chosen as a member for the shooting at all, now that it's come to this."
Nishida said so and couldn't help but tilt his head, even though it was clearly good news.
"No, no, conversely, that might have been what the other side was aiming for."
Sudo seemed to suspect a camouflage theory.
"Even so, he didn't get a 'promotion' but left the gang, right? Isn't it dangerous to let him go outside?"
"Hmm... Well, it's not completely impossible that leaving the gang was a condition, right? Since he's been involved in a case of this magnitude, although it's dangerous to let him 'outside,' he won't talk so easily because he himself would also be caught..."
At the point where not only Nishida but also Sudo was somewhat at a loss for an answer, it was clear that they weren't satisfied with anything other than the fact that the DNA matched, but there was no point in dwelling on it now.
"By the way, if that's the case, will there be talk of dispatching investigators from here to Sendai Chuo?"
Nishida didn't have much of a sense of elation, considering the culprit of the shooting case had been identified with a high probability. Even if it was 100 percent scientifically, at this stage, he might have had a half-doubting thought somewhere that it only served as proof that he had been in the car. However, looking at it comprehensively, there should have been no room for doubt that he was involved in the shooting case.
"For now, I've told Sendai Chuo Station to contact you. Please work out the details between yourselves. I'm just contacting you first as a sort of bridge-builder."
By this point, Sudo also seemed a bit like he wanted to complain, having had the rug pulled out from under him by Nishida's reaction. However, for Nishida, rather than feeling sorry for Sudo, the problems first caught his eye. If they could have constructed a story that was immediately convincing, like Suehiro's appraisal results yesterday, between the two of them, it would have been good, but this time there was no such thing.
For the time being, upon receiving the report from Sudo, an emergency meeting was held, and the entire team of investigators was informed of the facts as they were. While many things regarding the murder of Sada Minoru and Oshima Kaiji are kept hidden from the investigation team except for Yoshimura, it was natural since they were pursuing the shooting case itself as a team.
Team Leader Onga suggested:
"The details will come after the contact, but since it's almost certain we'll be dispatching investigators, it might be better to decide now."
So when Nishida said, "True. Then let's have Senior Staff Kusaka and Mayuzumi go this time," the two of them made faces as if they couldn't believe it.
"Is it okay? Not the Assistant Section Chief and Senior Staff Yoshimura?"
I see, until now all business trips had been made by Nishida and Yoshimura. Although that was mostly because they were related to the murder of Sada Minoru, from the subordinates' point of view, they might have felt they were "not trusted." Nishida reflected on the fact that his thoughts hadn't reached his subordinates until now.
"Yes, of course. I'm counting on you."
Nishida felt that Onga's expression had also softened, perhaps. He might have had some thoughts.
"Understood. I'll prepare myself mentally!"
Hearing Kusaka answer briskly, Nishida said with a smile:
"I'll leave everything from the meeting with them to you two. Of course, if you need me to step in, don't hesitate to say so!"
When the meeting ended, Yoshimura followed Nishida out into the hallway.
"I never felt any dissatisfaction from those guys until now, but was I being a bit of a grandstander..."
Nishida, who was addressed thus, also responded:
"I suppose so... But except for going to hear the story about Kagami's murder, we couldn't leave it to anyone but ourselves, right? I think it couldn't be helped. On top of that, it's true that I lacked consideration."
"But from now on, there might be movement in the Sada case as well. After all, the problems with the investigation seven years ago have been largely resolved with current DNA comparison technology, so after that, it's just a matter of whether there's enough evidence to make an arrest. While we're already moving as a whole team for the shooting case, on the other hand, for the Sada case, even if those guys know to some extent, I'm thinking about when the right timing is to tell them the details."
Yoshimura's statement made sense. While it's certain that the upper management of the Kitami Regional HQ, as well as the subordinates, know to some extent that they are pursuing the Sada case, the subordinates in particular shouldn't clearly know the whole picture of the case. However, since an atmosphere had emerged that suggested movement would also begin regarding the Sada case, there was a possibility that their cooperation would become necessary. It could be called a new worry born from the progress of the investigation.
On the other hand, regarding the murder of Sada Minoru, considering the reality that most of the parties involved are dead, it's also certain that the realistic path, as before, is to think of the easiest order for investigation, arrest Oshima and his associates for the hospital shooting case first, and then trace back to the Sada case from there.
Thinking that way, it wasn't a strange choice at all to focus all efforts on the shooting case first and tell the other comrades the details of the Sada case afterward.