But Ryōko's attitude is hard to understand. Why did she travel with Otoki and have dinner with her? The girl was her husband's mistress and therefore her rival. I understood the situation when I learned that it was Ryōko who paid Otoki's hotel bill at Atami. Ryōko was aware of the liaison and apparently had agreed to it. She even went so far as to give Otoki a monthly allowance. Remember: Ryōko was a very sick woman; she had been forbidden by her doctor to have intimate relations with her husband. In other words, Otoki was Yasuda's official mistress, with Ryōko's approval. It was a curious triangle. We may find it hard to accept but these situations do exist in modern society. Of course, it was common practice in feudal times.
At first they probably planned to have it look as if Sayama alone had committed suicide. But this was dangerous. Since he would leave no letter, it would appear suspect. So they decided on the love suicide. In such a case, the police investigation is seldom strict, and sometimes there is no autopsy. And there would be no follow-up. This was a safer way to commit the murder. Poor Otoki was chosen to be the innocent partner in the double suicide.
Yasuda had no real affection for Otoki. To him, she did not count. True, she was his mistress, but he could easily find another. As for Ryōko, she looked upon the girl simply as a pawn in her husband's plans; she used her as a necessary figure in the fake suicide. Yet deep in her heart she must have hated Otoki. Ry5ko was really a frightening woman. Her mind was as sharp as a sword and as cold as the blood in her veins. After the murders she carefully arranged the folds of Otoki's kimono and changed the girl's soiled socks for a fresh pair she had brought along expressly to make it appear as if Otoki had been prepared to die, that she had done so willingly. Ryōko thought of everything.
That night the Yasudas stayed at Hakata. He took the first plane back to Tokyo the following morning, then changed at Haneda to a connecting plane for Hokkaido. Ryōko returned to Kamakura by train.
The reason why Yasuda left for Hakata on the twentieth, a full six days after Otoki and Sayama, was because he was afraid it would arouse suspicion if he followed them too closely. Actually, after Otoki's departure on the fourteenth he showed up at the Koyuki Restaurant two or three days in succession. He even listened calmly while the waitresses talked about Otoki and her trip with a lover. He had to give the impression that he was in no way involved. Otoki was kept waiting at Atami for five days.
Thus Tatsuo Yasuda, prompted by Division Chief Ishida to whom he was greatly obligated, disposed of Assistant Section Chief Sayama. This saved Ishida. And not Ishida alone; there were other government officials under whom Sayama worked who heaved a sigh of relief when they learned of his death. And Tatsuo Yasuda, one of Tokyo's leading dealers in machinery, came out of it with Ishida now deeply in his debt.
The relations between Yasuda and Ishida were closer than was known to outsiders. Yasuda must have worked hard on Ishida to further his business with the X Ministry. I am sure he gave him many gifts and invited him to many parties. We may take this for granted from the fact that Ishida was at the center of the scandals. Moreover, we know the sort of man he is. Up to this time, Yasuda had not had particularly important business dealings with the ministry. Therefore, we were aware only of their overt relations and couldn't see what else was going on. Yasuda was cultivating Ishida with an eye to the future, using to the full his charm and his money. He succeeded in winning him over. He knew the division chief was worried about his involvement in the scandals that were coming to light, and he took upon himself the responsibility for eliminating Sayama who held the key to the investigation within the ministry. It is even possible that it was Yasuda who suggested this solution and got Ishida to accept. To be sure, Ishida had no intention at the start of murdering Sayama. He probably wanted only to drive him to the point of suicide, as has happened before in similar cases. But that did not seem possible. Therefore Yasuda thought of murder, a murder which would be made to look like suicide. A double suicide would be even more convincing. In the case of a simple suicide, there is always the suspicion of murder, but when a double suicide occurs and a woman is involved, there is far less cause to be suspicious. Yasuda was very clever. As it happened, we were all deceived.
Ishida may not have suspected that the plot would lead to murder. In the belief that Yasuda only intended to drive Sayama to suicide, he willingly entered into the plan. He procured the blank passenger forms on the Sei-kan ferry; he made the false statements about the trip to Hokkaido, and he arranged for the use of assumed names on the different planes. Because of his position, he travels easily and often and it is simple for him to take along an assistant who will do as he is told.
Later, when he learned that Sayama and his woman companion had committed suicide by taking cyanide, he took fright. He was certain Yasuda had done it. From that moment, I believe Yasuda started to threaten, to put pressure on him. Ishida now found himself at the mercy of this man. I am sure it was at Yasuda's suggestion that he sent Sasaki, a member of his staff, to the Metropolitan Police Board to give evidence on the train trip in Hokkaido. Of course, this turned out to be Yasuda's undoing.
Yasuda had lost interest in Otoki and used her as an instrument in the murder of Sayama. The motive for Ryōko's participation was probably more than just a desire to help her husband. She could have wanted to kill Otoki, even though she accepted her as her husband's mistress. This had not changed her feelings as a woman and wife. Because Ryōko, a wife in name only, deep in her heart was probably more than normally jealous. The white fire of jealousy was burning within her like phosphorous, waiting for an opportunity to burst into flames. Otoki is the real victim of the drama. Yasuda himself may not have known whether his real purpose was to kill Sayama in order to put Ishida in his debt, or to get rid of Otoki who had become a burden to him.
All that I have written to you is my own analysis of the case- aided by the letter the Yasudas left.
Yes, Tatsuo Yasuda and his wife Ryōko were found dead in their house in Kamakura when we arrived to arrest them. They had taken cyanide. This time there was no attempt at mystification. Tatsuo Yasuda knew we were on his trail. He took his own life, followed by his wife whose physical condition had become critical. Yasuda left no message; it was Ryōko who wrote the letter. In it she admits the crime. Frankly, I am skeptical. I find it hard to accept that a man as tough as Yasuda would commit suicide. I believe that Ryōko, who knew her end was near, could have planned it and taken her husband with her. She was that kind of a woman.
I must admit I was relieved to find the Yasudas dead, because there is almost no material evidence in this murder case. It is all circumstantial. I am even surprised we were able to secure a warrant for their arrest. It was the type of case which, if brought to trial, one could not be sure of the outcome.
Speaking of the lack of evidence, this applies also to Division Chief Ishida. He was transferred to another division and, believe it or not, was given a promotion. This may appear incredible to you, but such things happen. He will probably become a bureau chief or a vice-minister, and may even run for a seat in the Diet. I feel sorry for these poor subordinates of his whom he uses as stepping stones. However, even if they know they are being abused, they will try to stay in his good graces by showing their loyalty. Their desire for advancement is pathetic. Which reminds me: Kitarō Sasaki, the man who made the trip to Hokkaido with Ishida and who was of help to Yasuda, was made section chief. Here again, there is nothing we can do. The Yasudas are dead.