by Nick Tanner
‘No one individual but-’
‘But-’
‘About four years ago there was a similar explosion at a Pachinko parlour, again in Koyasu. Not necessarily identical to what happened this week but very similar. Now the interesting thing was that this particular Pachinko parlour was operated by the Kobayashi Yakuza and back then, you may remember, they were involved in a turf war with the Yoshihara group. There were a lot of tit-for-tat attacks, some quite minor, some quite serious and the whole dispute seemed to come to a head with this attack on the Pachinko parlour. Of course we couldn’t pin it on anybody, any more than you will be able to do with this latest attack. But if I was looking for anyone to focus on I wouldn’t be looking any further than the Yoshihara.’
‘Are you sure about this – this similarity with this previous event?’
‘Look – there was no conclusive evidence, but I’m as sure as I can be. Sometimes you have to back your own hunches and I’m pretty sure on this one. But tell me, I’m curious. Why do you want to know?’
‘It may be nothing – it may be something, but Yokohama Black Panther were engaged in merger talks with a company called Niigata Kyubin. These talks failed and suddenly two of the individuals who were apparently central to those talks are dead – the Chief Executive of Yokohama Black Panther and an Office Lady from Niigata Kyubin.’
‘An Office Lady?’
‘Well, yes, I know. I’ve not got down to the bottom of it but she seemed to have the ear of the Chief Exec of Niigata Kyubin. It still maybe a complete co-incidence and it doesn’t necessarily lead me any closer to her murderer but what it does do is to cast doubt on the suspect that we are currently holding.’
‘Well, I hope my information can help. When I get any updates I’ll be sure to contact you.’
‘I’d appreciate that. Thank you for your help.’
They concluded their conversation and Saito once again sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head.
The scope of the investigation had definitely widened.
Before he settled down to find out what more he could about YBP, the Yoshihara and Kobayashi Yakuza groups Inspector Saito left HQ, this time remembering his gloves, and walked round the corner to his favourite bento – lunch box store. The sky was grey and the air was still freezing as he shuffled along, keen to complete his shopping as quickly as possible. Once more he felt relieved to be treading familiar ground and to be slipping back into familiar routines - and slipping out to the bento store was definitely one of those routines. He selected a bento with fried chicken and macaroni salad and then returned to the office and was half way through it, and his research, when Sergeant Mori retuned with Junsa Saito in tow. In terms of his study the Inspector hadn’t found much that he already didn’t know and what was new to him was relatively useless, however he felt he was in a good enough position to update Mori and Junsa Saito on his thinking by the time they arrived back.
They quickly completed their introductions, or re-introductions, bowing to each other. Saito was keen to get going and wasted little time in chit-chat or catching up in reminiscing.
‘It’s time we started moving, though,’ he said rising from his seat and pushing the remains of his bento-box into the bin. ‘We can’t really afford to waste any more time, but before we charge off, what do you think of this - particularly the conclusions?’ He tossed the Inspection report over to Mori who read it through quickly and who then, in turn, passed it to Junsa Saito.
‘Interesting?’
‘Interesting!’ Mori scratched his stubble and looked to Junsa Saito.
‘I don’t understand,’ said Junsa Saito flicking through the pages. ‘This all looks very suspicious but what’s this got to do with Eri Yamada?’
Mori explained what he could.
‘It’s a complete punt,’ added Saito in a tone that suggested there was little hope. ‘But for the moment it’s all we have as an alternative to charging Hideki Yamada.’
‘Don’t you think that all this might be just a case of an opportunist attack, a mugging, for example?’ suggested Junsa Saito.
‘Unfortunately not,’ replied Sergeant Mori. ‘My very first thought when I saw the body of Yamada Eri was just that, but neither her laptop, phone, money or cards were stolen and if memory serves me correctly she had been carrying quite a lot of cash. No! I don’t think this was a mugging unfortunately – not that if it was, it would help us catch the perpetrator.’
‘Muggers don’t usually strangle and murder, either!’ added Inspector Saito.
Junsa Saito felt a little disheartened by this swift put-down by her new colleagues. She had no time to dwell on her feelings however, as Inspector Saito was swift to issue their new instructions.
‘There are still so many things that we need to check out – mainly at Niigata Kyubin so Junsa, can you and Mori go back there and see if you can find anything in Yamada Eri’s computer or paper files to suggest that she was working on anything sensitive. You’re looking for motive. In addition, ask around a lot more about what her last day was like. Apparently she spent the entirety of it in her office but at some point she had sex with someone.’ He blushed slightly as he said this last line, although he didn’t know why.
Junsa Saito held him with her light brown eyes making him feel even more uncomfortable. She was hanging onto his every word. ‘She wasn’t raped at the scene, then?’ she asked.
‘Apparently not,’ interrupted Sergeant Mori again. ‘All her clothing was intact – skirt, tights, knickers and so on. Her coat was also still fully buttoned. She definitely did have sex that day but the evidence suggests that this was some time before she died and not at the murder scene.’
‘We also need to find out with whom that was with,’ continued the Inspector. ‘I doubt it was Takeda, but put the squeeze on him a bit more. This time make him know that we know that he is lying. It may well be that you will turn up something of more importance – particularly her lover, if indeed that is the right description. Meanwhile I’m off to a YBP shareholders’ meeting which luckily for us is happening today. I need to see the lie of the land as far as they are concerned and I might be able to find out why that merger fell through. So? Any questions?’
‘Only one concerning accommodation,’ mentioned Mori. ‘It’ll be a waste of time if you,’ he turned to Junsa Saito, ‘have to travel down from north Tokyo every day, but the station house is fully occupied.’
‘You can bunk down with me, if you want,’ said Inspector Saito without looking up.
‘What?’ Mori looked at his boss with a look of astonishment written all over his face. Junsa Saito remained expressionless.
‘You can stay with me!’ Saito this time looked and addressed Junsa Saito. ‘We’re only talking for a few days, aren’t we? And anyway we’re short of time, so like you say Mori, it would help to maximise what time we do have.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Junsa Saito politely.
‘I wouldn’t say if I wasn’t sure – I have rooms that are empty. It’s no problem. No problem at all.’
Mori shrugged his shoulders. He wasn’t convinced. Everything he knew about his superior indicated that Inspector Saito preferred to be alone and he preferred to keep his private self, private. Mori himself had only entered Saito’s house on very few occasions, experiencing each time the customary qualm of semi-apprehension as if he were trespassing within the inner sanctum of a temple's grounds. But if his boss was opening up it had nothing to do with him. It solved a problem after all. He gave Junsa Saito a look which said ‘good luck’.
Junsa Saito looked awkwardly back.
‘So, what time do you want to meet back here?’
Saito glanced at his watch. ‘About six!’ He then quickly left, once again failing to pick up his gloves and scarf.
‘Are you really ok with that arrangement?’ asked Mori as he and Junsa Saito walked down to the parking bay.
‘It’s fine. It’s convenient.’
Mori gave her a l
ook that suggested that it probably wasn’t fine even if it might be convenient.
‘No, really, it is fine, I like Inspector Saito. He’s soothing.’
Mori raised an eyebrow. He’d never heard Saito described in such a way. He opened the car and they got inside.
‘He reminds me of my father,’ continued Junsa Saito after they had got going.
‘You’re joking, right?’
‘No. No – not really.’
Mori thought about asking her more about her father but decided against it. ‘I have to admit I was surprised when he made the offer. He’s a very private man and despite all the years of working together I can’t say that I know that much about him. Except one thing - you do know he lost his wife and children, don’t you?’
Junsa Saito looked back at him in shock ‘What really? How?’
‘That’s the point. He doesn’t know – not exactly. One version is that she just upped and left him, the other is that they were murdered. Another possibility is that they were abducted.’
‘When did all this happen?’
‘About seven years ago. Apparently, and understandably, he hasn’t been the same man since.’ He looked across at her with a sympathetic look on his face.
‘How terrible! Maybe it’s his sadness that I can feel.’
‘Does sadness soothe you?’
She didn’t reply and instead sat silently for a while, thinking. ‘And he has no clue about what happened?’
‘None what-so-ever and I think it undermines his confidence in himself as a detective. No-one ever says anything but I know there are those who have used it against him – Sakamoto for instance.’
‘The less I know of the local politics, the better! I have my own battles to fight.’
‘Sure.’ Mori gave her an understanding look.
They returned to sit in their own silence with their own thoughts.
Mori had worked with many people over the years but he couldn’t recall ever having sat next to one so young as Junsa Saito – he couldn’t recall ever having worked with a female Junsa before, but that not-withstanding it hadn’t taken him long to form a positive impression of her. She possessed a focussed simplicity but more importantly there was no side to her. He felt immediately that he could trust his thoughts to her, however stupid, and be confident that they would be treated with respect. He was also confident that they could spark up an effective working relationship over the next few days.
As they drove silently through the streets Mori also reflected that he was much happier with the direction the case was taking and his role within it. He was always much more content when engaged in rolling up his sleeves, gathering evidence – doing the donkey work, some might say, and then from a solid base of facts, when he felt comfortable, he could start to build a case. And so it was that he felt immensely pleased that gathering evidence was precisely what he was setting out to do.
He only wished his head cold would start to shows signs of running its course. He still felt groggy from the medicine he’d taken the night before and despite the re-vitalisation of the case his movements and thinking were still slow and stiff. Overall though, he felt much more positive.
Junsa Saito also sat with positive thoughts rippling through her mind. Sergeant Mori had a gentle demeanour about him and she was pleased that with both Inspector Saito and Sergeant Mori there was none of the macho arrogance that seemed to be perpetually on display with other colleagues that she’d had the displeasure to meet. She placed Mori in his mid-thirties. Obviously he was much older than her but she wondered if he was married. He didn’t look married. She didn’t think any wife would send her husband out as unshaven as Mori was and she was sure that his shirt was un-ironed. She didn’t usually act on her cupidic impulses but as she snatched the occasional glance in Mori’s direction she knew that already she had become deeply attracted to him. She smiled warmly to herself and her whole body silently, girlishly giggled at the pleasant thought of getting to know him better.
29 - The investigators return to Niigata Kyubin and a code is revealed
Monday 3rd January 2:35pm
Mori pulled in, once again, to the Niigata Kyubin compound and with little fuss or obstruction they were directed into Eri Yamada’s office. It was neat, tidy and small.
‘Are you any good with computers?’ Mori nodded towards the rather ancient looking PC on the desk.
‘Not bad.’
‘Okay, I’ll leave you to get with that while I talk to a few of the staff. Call me if you need anything.’
Junsa Saito turned to face the computer screen and inputted the username and password that she’d been given. As per the nature of the room Eri Yamada obviously was equally as tidy as far as her e-filing went. For the moment Junsa Saito ignored these files and instead checked out her e-mail and e-calendar. Both were surprisingly limited which she found strange. From what she'd been told there was also precious little of this information type on her phone, too. She opened the desk drawer to see if there was a diary – there wasn’t one that she could see. She then scanned the rest of the room. Nothing immediately jumped out at her. She found this all quite unusual. Either Eri Yamada wasn’t in the habit of attending meetings or the meetings she did attend, she’d been instructed to keep a secret. Next Junsa Saito looked more closely at the kind of e-mail Eri Yamada received. There were quite a few relating to various reports that were needed or information that was requested but none that appeared to refer to anything that she deemed to be crucial or sensitive or secret. Neither did the e-mails refer to any meetings. She wondered if the PC might have been tampered with in some way. The lack of any e-information was frankly unbelievable in her opinion. Finally she glanced over the small bookcase to the side of the desk but it housed nothing more than a series of legal tomes and case study reports which were quite enough of a deterrent to prevent her from looking any further but it was then that she spotted a book-mark ribbon – just a centimetre, poking out from behind the final book in the case. She eased her finger behind it and then with a feeling of elation felt the definite outline of a slim-line appointment diary. Seconds later she had removed one or two of the legal books and had the diary in her hand. Immediately however, her elation dissolved into disappointment as she quickly realised that it was for the previous year and her frustration grew as she flicked through one blank page after another, but then as she approached the month of December a whole series of notes were written down. She stared at the cryptic hand, which stuck to using only the Hiragana script. She read:-
Tuesday 7th J, j – ˆ – w 1700
Wednesday 15th u – r 1600
Thursday 30th J, – W1830
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Tuesday 7th O, Na –Yo –Pu 1700
Wednesday 15th Fu –Hi 1600
Thursday 12th O, Wa –Shi 1830
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She sat down scratching her head and then decided to search out Mori to get his opinion. It was the sort of thing that required a sharper mind than hers.
She found him sitting with one of the legal clerks.
He looked up as she approached. ‘I’ve had a brief chat with, er… Miyagi san and now I’m with-’
‘Arai. Arai Haruko,’ said the young woman in front of them.
Junsa Saito gave a short bow and then sat down beside them both.
‘We’re trying to get a picture of Yamada san's final movements. Do you know much of what she was doing last Thursday?’ asked Mori turning back to face Haruko Arai.
‘She was in her office all day,’ answered Haruko, falling into line with what everyone else had told them.
‘Do you know what time she left the office?’
‘She was still here when I left.’
‘And what time was that?’
‘After seven.’
Sergeant Mori scratched his head. ‘And according to you she never left her office between arriving in the morning at about nine an
d leaving after seven.’
‘That’s right.’ Haruko Arai smiled innocently back at them.
Mori looked at Junsa Saito who looked disbelievingly back at him. He was getting increasingly irritated and increasingly angry and his cold wasn’t helping to lighten his mood.
‘Okay, there’s no other way of putting this, but the time has come for answers. We have clear evidence that Eri Yamada had sex sometime on the day she died. Now unless she sneaked someone into that small room and was fucked over her office table without anyone out here noticing I’d like to hear about it.’
Both Junsa Saito and Haruko Arai looked back in surprise at the sudden graphic outburst.
‘Well?’