Hidden Nexus (28 page)

‘Let’s get back to what we know,’ insisted Sergeant Mori quietly and returning to his seat. ‘I think we should continue to build up what we understand of Yamada Eri’s last movements and not be too distracted by your Yoshihara theory. It might be a complete dead-end as you say.'

Inspector Saito appeared quite offended. ‘I’m sure there is some link up somewhere along the way, even if I can’t prove it now, but okay, let’s do as you suggest – what do we know?’

‘We know she was at her office almost all of the day,’ started Mori. ‘And that she left the office at around five taking the train alone to Shinbashi where she met up with Ozawa, before they both had an apparently secretive meeting with a third party as yet unknown. According to Ozawa, this meeting finished at seven-thirty after which they made love in his car when finally she returned home and was murdered not a hundred meters from her house.’

‘The love making doesn’t fit your theory of Ozawa wanting to ‘eliminate’ her, does it Inspector?’ chipped in
Junsa
Saito.

‘No, no it doesn’t. You’re right.’ He scratched his ear and looked despairingly down at the table. ‘It’s the motive for all this that I can’t get my head around.’

All three of them sat back in their seats and lapsed into silence each one thinking through what had just been said. Their individual thoughts were interrupted by a polite tapping on the office door and a timid-looking Deguchi popped his head into the room.

‘What do
you
want?’ said Mori tersely.

‘The pathology report – I thought you should have it,’ said Deguchi, bowing.

‘Is there anything new in there?’

‘Not really.’

‘Okay – leave it here.’

‘Do you need anything else?’

‘No, nothing – thank you,’ said Mori gruffly.

Deguchi retreated leaving the three of them in silence once again.
Junsa
Saito picked up the pathology report and started flicking through it.

‘Do you think he was snooping or being genuinely helpful?’ said Mori.

‘Snooping – I’m absolutely sure,' replied Inspector Saito. 'Sakamoto must be intrigued as to what we are up to, but then again he’s fairly single-minded so perhaps he doesn’t give a damn what we are thinking.’ He dipped his hand into the donut box once again, lifting out a cinnamon ring. ‘Does anyone want any more coffee?’ he asked getting to his feet, ‘I’m going to get another from
Doutor
.’

‘I’m fine thanks, sir. I'll spend the rest of the morning in the toilet if I have any more,' replied Mori.

'Too much information,' smiled
Junsa
Saito, deciding that despite her colleague’s warning, that she would like another one too, but she insisted that should get it. It wouldn’t do to have the senior man, the injured senior man, waiting on her. Five minutes later she returned with two fresh cups of coffee. It appeared the two men had made no further progress in her absence so she sat down and picked up the pathology report once again.

‘Here’s something interesting,’ she said excitedly a few moments later. ‘It looks like there were two types of bruising on the victim’s neck. Do you think that means she was attacked twice?’ She passed over the report to Inspector Saito who quickly read through the key passages.

‘Interesting!’ He placed the report back down on the table. ‘Two types of bruises meaning, like you quite rightly say, possibly two attacks.’ His mind was racing now, trying to tie in all the possibilities. All three looked at each other simultaneously. It was Inspector Saito who spoke the words they were all thinking, ‘She was raped – by Ozawa!’

Sergeant Mori and
Junsa
Saito nodded in agreement.

‘Right! Now we have a motive - a decent motive!’ He was alive now and spoke with increased volume and pace. ‘When will the DNA results come back?’

‘Sadly, not for a few days – probably around next Tuesday or Wednesday.’

‘Pity! That’s a little too late for us, still we’re getting somewhere. We also need to check out forensics to see what trace evidence there is and whether we can link that to Ozawa.’

Junsa
Saito sat quietly in her seat. She felt privileged that her input had not only been accepted without question but also valued. She was more used to carrying out background checks and basic research than being at the hard face of an investigation. She found that she quite liked it. One thing however, was nagging away at her.

‘
Why would Ozawa rape Yamada san in Tokyo then allow her to take the train home and then murder her in Kamioka? It doesn’t make sense, sir?’

The two men thought about this for a second. ‘Maybe she managed to escape from him and it was only by the time that she got to Kamioka that Ozawa managed to catch up with her,’ suggested Inspector Saito.

‘We only have Ozawa's word that she took the train - we have no absolute proof that she took the trains at all,’ mentioned Mori. ‘Ozawa could have murdered her in his limo and then dumped her near her house to avoid suspicion from falling on himself. Think of all the other lies and cover-ups he and his staff have been throwing in our direction. It’s a definite possibility.’

‘But wasn’t she seen on the convenience store CCTV camera, though?’

‘I could always re-check that,’ said
Junsa
Saito.

‘And I think it would also be a good course of action to get hold of the company limousine driver, don’t you?’

‘Agreed!’ said
Junsa
Saito and Mori in concert.

'Ah! I've just thought of something,' said Sergeant Mori, looking not unlike Inspector Saito had a few moments before. A disconcerting look had spread quickly across his face. 'Ozawa mentioned he was at home with his father after eight. He has an alibi!'

'He's lying!' said Saito flatly. 'Think of all the other lies and misdirection he's spun for us. Still it all needs checking and re-checking. You two sort all that out. Meanwhile I have to report in to the Chief Super. I’ve strict instructions to keep him completely up-to-date.’

‘Including fights with the Yakuza?’

‘Yes, well – I’d rather keep that quiet.’

It was then that Inspector Saito’s eyes caught sight of the headline in the morning’s paper that was lying on his desk. Pity though, that this trained eye was not drawn towards political scandal and gossip for this may well have triggered a new and worthwhile line of thinking in the Yamada case. Instead his eyes settled on a story concerning the abduction of a woman and her eldest child by the religious cult
Shinrikyo (
Religion of Truth). Quite suddenly his thoughts switched to his own wife and children and a line of investigation in that mystery that he’d not previously considered.

*

Five minutes later and Inspector Saito was sat once again in front of the Chief Super awaiting his attention. The Chief Super kept him waiting appearing to pay overly studied attention to the document he had in his hand. Eventually he glanced up.

‘What happened to you? Walked into a door or something?’ The Chief Super nodded in the direction of Saito’s nose.

‘Something like that,’ mumbled Saito.

‘So, come on - the truth! What really happened?’

‘Yakuza!’ admitted Saito reluctantly.

‘Yakuza! What on earth have they got to do with anything?’

‘I’m not sure yet, but I suspect
sokaiya
. From what I could pick up at a shareholders’ meeting I went to last night the Yoshihara definitely had men primed to make trouble if things didn’t go their way.’

The Chief Super sighed. ‘I confess. I no longer understand the way you think, Saito san – Yakuza, shareholder meetings… What has this all to do with Yamada Eri?’ He removed his glasses and polished them with painstaking meticulousness and for a few moments the conversation stalled as he carried out, and Saito lamely viewed, this ponderous activity. The Chief Super replaced his glasses and then sighed deeply once again.

‘We’re really looking at Ozawa, sir – head of Niigata Kyubin.’

‘Ozawa now? I thought you just said you were looking at the Yoshihara?’

The Chief Super for a further time appeared confused.

Inspector Saito leaned forward and tried to express his thoughts as clearly as he could. ‘Ozawa is in the frame for possible rape and we’re still in the process of checking it all out, but it’s the background to all this which is much more interesting, mainly surrounding the business practices of Niigata Kyubin and their possible links to the Yakuza – hence my mention of the Yoshihara. But, in case you are wondering, there’s still nothing to lead me to think the husband had anything to do with this, sir. Like I said, more nefarious business practices than jealous husband. I confess, at the minute, the only link back to Yamada Eri is possible rape but the whole Niigata Kyubin set-up looks suspicious and underhand. And Sakamoto…,’ he asked, switching the focus of the conversation. ‘Has he found out anything further?’

The Chief Super paused. ‘Not that he’s told me. Yamada is still being held, although since his initial confession he’s not added much more.’

‘Not surprising.’

‘Quite.’

The Chief Inspector thought for a moment.

‘I’ll expect a full written report by the end of the day,’ he finally said looking into the eyes of his Inspector. ‘And Saito… mind how you go. We wouldn’t want you walking into any more… er… doors, would we? Oh, and one other thing. I understand that you saw fit to bring in recruitments, too. Without my express say so, I might add.’

‘It’s only short term, sir – just until the end of the week. I didn’t think you would mind. You are always keen that I work with a larger team.’

‘Yes, well… On your way then,’ grunted the Chief Super. ‘But no more expenses unless you clear it with me first. Got it!’

Inspector Saito left the office once again with the feeling that whatever he did always seemed to be the wrong thing in the eyes of his Chief Super.

Little did he suspect the manoeuvrings that were going on behind his back to destabilise his position.

Tuesday 4
^th
January 9:00am

‘What? Nothing!’ Sakamoto slammed his coffee cup down onto the table causing a proportion of its contents to slosh over the lip and onto his hand and table. He angrily wiped away the spilt liquid with his handkerchief.

‘I did my best,’ mumbled a contrite Deguchi.

‘Well your best wasn’t good enough,’ glowered Sakamoto. ‘What was the point of you going over there, and surrendering useful information, if you got nothing back in return?’

‘Yes, sir.
Gomenasai
.’

Deguchi bowed low, despite the fact that he considered the task that he’d been ordered to do to be completely beyond his usual remit – and spying on colleagues was that something!

Like many within the department Deguchi had mixed feelings about Sakamoto. He recognised that Sakamoto had the uncanny knack of getting results, that he was ordered and efficient in the execution of his cases and that he was logical and driven in his thinking. He recognised too, that the wider team generally received only perfunctory thanks when things went well and plenty of admonishment when things went badly. Sakamoto was a relentless task master and if Deguchi was honest he was his least preferred senior officer. Neither did he care that much for Inspector Saito, either. Saito tended to regard Deguchi’s somewhat plodding, unimaginative approach with disdain. But at least he respected the way in which Inspector Saito had worked hard over the years to achieve his position. Like most of the department he had also found it hard to hide his incredulity at Sakamoto’s rapid advancement through the ranks. The man had talents, but he wasn’t
that
good. The nastier rumours that had circulated suggested that on the way up Sakamoto was in the habit of greasing a few palms. Certainly, some hidden force had been parting the waters for him.

Deguchi however, was nothing if not obedient and rumours and innuendo not-withstanding he remained head bowed and allowed Sakamoto full reign to unleash his displeasure at Deguchi’s expense.

‘
Gomenasai
,’ he said once more. ‘But I did overhear them mention Ozawa, though, sir,’ he offered as a merest morsel of consolation.

‘Ozawa?’

‘Head of Niigata Kyubin – Yamada Eri’s company.’

‘Yes, I know that!’ said Sakamoto irritably. ‘But why would he be concerned with Ozawa? What's that about?’ he mused, tapping his fingers on his lips.

‘I understand that he and Yamada Eri attended a meeting together in Tokyo on the evening she was killed.’

‘What’s that got to do with anything? She was killed in Kamioka!’

‘My thoughts exactly, sir.’

‘She was killed near her home, not in Tokyo which is why, in my book, it places the emphasis of any enquiry onto a local perpetrator – namely her husband. You know Deguchi,’ Sakamoto said, fixing Deguchi in the eye and pointing his finger at him in a professorial manner. ‘It is often the simplest route to solving a crime that is the surest, with the obvious candidate not being by-passed in favour of a more convoluted solution.’

‘I understand,’ replied Deguchi deferentially.

‘Which is precisely what Saito appears not to be doing, luckily for us. He can make a fool of himself, chasing down meetings in deepest Tokyo, but not me!’ He raised himself out of his seat and made his way over to a near-bye filing cabinet and opened the top drawer. ‘But that tie, Deguchi, the tie! What news on that?’

‘None, sir.’ He looked down at his fingers – embarrassed. ‘We’ve searched and searched again, the area where she was murdered and all the waste bins, nooks and crannies, you can name in the surrounding area. There’s nothing. We’ve looked over his house, his loft, everywhere.’

‘Remind me precisely what he said he did with it?’ Sakamoto pulled out a file and then closed the drawer.

‘He said he hung it back up in his closet.’

‘And you’ve checked all his ties?’

‘Every single one, sir?’

‘And?’

‘Well – some are obviously more worn than others-’

‘Get the whole damn lot down to forensics,’ interrupted Sakamoto.

‘Okay, sir.’

Deguchi paused.

‘Well on your way. No need to hang around here taking up space.’

Deguchi picked up his things and was happy to escape from Sakamoto’s office. It had crossed his mind, and he was about to mention this to Sakamoto, as to whether or not Yamada had used some other piece of material as a ligature, something other than a tie, but he couldn’t think what that might be. Certainly a handkerchief would be too small and a scarf too thick - a belt possibly?

He felt pleased at this sudden burst of inspiration but for the moment chose to keep his thoughts to himself. It was rare that Deguchi was ever congratulated for showing his initiative but here was his chance. He would return once more to Yamada’s house but this time check out his overcoat belt, possibly even his trouser belts and also see if forensics had picked up any more clues from the injuries sustained to Yamada’s Eri’s neck – in terms of the material of the ligature.

The fact that Yamada had insisted that he’d used his tie, Deguchi chose to ignore for the moment.

*

A frustrated Sakamoto remained in his office flicking paperclips into his now empty cup. He didn’t want to admit it, dared not admit it, but he wondered if this case was getting away from him. He couldn’t deny that the absence of the murder weapon was a severe dent to his position as if they couldn’t find it then it placed doubt on the reliability of Yamada’s confession and the foundations of the whole case would surely crumble.

It galled him that the Chief Super had seen fit to off-load Deguchi onto him whereas Saito had been given Mori. He knew of course that Deguchi was an unreliable
Junsa
and he’d already made a note of his errors and short-comings so far and had dug up other evidence in case he needed it in his own defence.

He considered also Inspector Saito’s movements and thinking. It had pleased him no end to hear that Saito had taken a beating – again. It wasn’t particularly that he revelled in seeing others hurt but more that it lent weight to the growing collective feeling that Saito was becoming more and more incompetent as every year passed by. No-one would ever say this outright but it would just come to pass that it was obvious what everyone believed, leaving Saito increasingly isolated and redundant – and that was a very pleasing thought, indeed.

It was also clear to Sakamoto that his curiosity was getting the better of him, insisting that he know further the details of Saito’s direction of thinking and so under the guise of searching for liquid sustenance, he could never really admit to himself that he was up for a bit of snooping, he marched down the corridor, through the open-plan main office and down the stairs to Saito’s floor. As usual Saito’s door had been left casually open but thankfully his office was empty. With an unusual amount of apprehension Sakamoto entered the room glancing around him into the outer office to spot if anyone was taking an interest in his movements. None were that he could see. It didn’t take him too long to spot a number of reports lying on Mori’s desk – the pathology and forensic reports, but also notes that Mori had been typing up. He scanned them quickly, grateful that Mori’s style was succinct and to the point.

It was then that he spotted an unwelcome line bursting with undesirable suppositions. At this point they were only theories but if Saito was intent in following up this line of enquiry then Sakamoto knew there would be hell to pay and it would be he, Sakamoto, who would bear the brunt.

He quickly returned to his own office. He had phone calls to make – and he had to make them urgently.