"I had my informant inquire about Tatsuo Yasuda. He confirmed the fact that both men were on the same train as far as Sapporo. Yasuda was also traveling second class but he was in a different coach. I'm told he came by several times to talk to Ishida so was clearly identified. Moreover, Yasuda is well known, for he is often seen at the ministry."
Mihara was bitterly disappointed. Once again, there was someone ready to testify that Yasuda was on the train. And this time it was not a witness provided by Yasuda. Ishida was a high ranking official; his itinerary for the trip to Hokkaido must have been arranged many days before. His name was on the passenger list of the ferry. There was not even a shred of doubt.
Mihara could not hide his disappointment. The chief got up from his desk, "Come on," he said, "the weather is fine. Let's take a walk."
Outside, it was warm and sunny. The bright sunlight was a sign of approaching summer. Men were walking about in their shirtsleeves. Coming out of their dark office in the Metropolitan Police Board building, their eyes were dazzled by the strong light. They crossed the street through heavy traffic and strolled along the palace moat. The white walls of the palace towers reflected the brilliant sunshine. Coming to an empty bench, they sat down. To the passers-by, they looked like a couple of company employees escaping from the office for a brief respite.
"While you were in Hokkaido I had the relations between Sayama and Otoki checked," the chief said. He took out a packet of cigarettes and offered one to Mihara.
Mihara looked at him. He had investigated the two who had committed suicide. For a moment he could not understand the reason. What did the chief have in mind?
"It probably wasn't necessary to check the relations of two people so intimate that they committed double suicide, but I wanted to be absolutely sure," the chief explained as if answering Mihara's unspoken question. "You know, they must have been meeting very secretly because nobody really knows anything about them. The girls at the Koyuki Restaurant were astonished that Otoki had committed suicide with Sayama. Waitresses usually learn about these love affairs very quickly, but in this case they didn't even suspect them. However…" The chief stopped and drew deeply on his cigarette as if to impress Mihara with the importance of what he was about to say.
"However, it's certain that Otoki had a lover. She lived alone in a small apartment where she received many telephone calls. According to the caretaker of the building, it was always a woman's voice on the telephone and she gave the name of Aoyama. Sometimes, when he took the message, he could hear music in the background, so the call might have come from a coffee shop or some similar place. The caretaker believes that she was calling Otoki for someone else, and he's sure that when Otoki came to the phone a man took over. Each time Otoki got a phone call from the woman she would immediately get dressed and go out. This went on for six months, until her death. She never had a man visit her in her apartment. She appears to have been very discreet in her relations with men."
"Do you believe the phone calls were from Sayama?" Mihara asked. He was feeling very uneasy.
"It was probably Sayama. We had Sayama checked also, but that was even less profitable. He had always been a man of few words, I'm told, and in addition, was very shy. Not the type to talk to others about his love affairs. Since we know that he committed suicide with Otoki they must have been lovers."
There was something unconvincing in the way the chief announced his conclusion which increased Mihara's misgivings.
"Then I had Tatsuo Yasuda's private life checked." The chief looked up at the pine trees across the palace moat. A palace guard was standing at the top of the stone wall.
Mihara stared at him. He realized that while he was in Hokkaido invisible currents had been eddying around the chief. Yet Inspector Kasai, after all, was only one of the figures in the investigation.
"We didn't have much luck there either," Kasai stated bluntly. "Tatsuo Yasuda apparently visits his wife once a week. So it's more than likely that he has affairs with other women. But there's no evidence of this. If he does have a mistress, he's very clever about keeping it a secret. This is merely an assumption, of course; Yasuda may be a faithful husband. They seem to be a devoted couple."
Mihara nodded. This had been his impression also when he called on Mrs. Yasuda.
"It would appear that Otoki, Sayama and Yasuda, if he does have a mistress, are all very skillful at keeping their love affairs secret."
His words struck Mihara forcibly. What had been only a slight hint suddenly became clear.
"Chief, has there been some new development?" He tried to suppress his excitement.
"Yes," Chief Kasai replied. "The section chief has become interested in this double suicide!"
Mihara knew at once what this signified. The section chief was being subjected to pressure from higher up.
Mihara's surmise was correct, Inspector Kasai admitted.
When Mihara came into the office the following day the chief called him over to his desk.
"I want you to hear this. Ishida sent us a message." He placed his arms on the desk, his hands clasped. It was a typical gesture when perplexed. "He didn't come in person. He sent someone from the ministry. Ah, here's the man's card."
The visiting card read: "Kitarō Sasaki, Official of X Ministry." Mihara looked at it, waiting for the chief to speak.
"Ishida said that he had been questioned the other day about Tatsuo Yasuda and when he found that the interrogation originated with the Metropolitan Police Board he decided to present his statement to us directly. He said that on his official trip to Hokkaido on January 20, Yasuda was on the same train. They were in different coaches but Yasuda dropped by to talk to him from time to time. If we want this corroborated we can question Katsuzō Inamura, an official of the Hokkaido government, who joined him in his coach some time after Otaru. Inamura was on the train from Hakodate, and when Yasuda came to say goodbye, before getting off at Sapporo, he introduced the two men. Inamura would undoubtedly remember the meeting. That's the gist of his statement."
"He really went out of his way to protect Yasuda, didn't he?" Mihara observed.
"You can look at it that way, of course. But perhaps he wanted simply to cooperate with the police when he found we were investigating him." The chief was smiling. The meaning of the smile did not escape Mihara.
"What do you suppose the relations between Ishida and Yasuda are?"
"One is a government official, the other a manufacturer doing business with the government. I leave the connection to your imagination. Just remember that Ishida is the principal suspect in the government bribery case. However, we have found nothing between them that is suspicious. Of late, Yasuda has been doing a good deal of business with that ministry, so I am quite sure he has been giving presents to the division chief. Ishida's willingness to protect Yasuda may be in return for these favors." The chief was pulling his fingers until the joints cracked.
"Even so, even if true, there's little we can do. As a matter of course, I sent a wire to Hokkaido for confirmation of Ishida's statements, but I expect nothing new in the reply. What it all amounts to is that Yasuda was not lying when he said he was on the Marimo on January 21."
One more witness to testify that Yasuda was on the Marimo! Mihara returned to his desk, deeply discouraged.
It was past noon. Mihara went up to the dining hall on the fifth floor of the Metropolitan Police Board building. The room was the size of a small department store restaurant. Sunlight poured in through the tall windows. Mihara had no appetite. He ordered a cup of tea and while sipping it, started to write in his notebook: