Lady Joker, Volume 1 by Kaoru Takamura (lightest ebook reader .txt) 📕

of Hatano’s wife was indeed the younger brother of Okamura, then perhaps this brother had heard about the girl his grandson had intended to marry. Shiroyama pondered this as he listened to the investigator’s story with astonishment.

“As to the circumstances of how the original or perhaps a photocopy of Seiji Okamura’s letter, presumably sent to your company’s Kanagawa factory back in 1947, found its way into Hatano’s hands, we do not yet know. But the fact that it ended up with Hatano means that it must have been leaked from your company.”

“That seems right.”

“Of course, it’s possible that the letter was forged. In any case, according to professional assessment, the style of writing in Seiji Okamura’s letter seems characteristic of a man in his thirties or forties at the time and who completed high school before the war.”

“And that means—”

“As we told you in the beginning, at this point it is our view that an individual with some kind of connection to Hinode is involved in the crime group that targeted Hinode Beer and its president. It’s clear that this individual harbors feelings of strong hostility or antagonism toward Hinode. This is why we’ve also asked your General Affairs Department to submit a list of retired employees from the past twenty years.”

“I understand. And—”

“At this point we don’t have the evidence to make any specific accusations, but for instance, I would say that whoever leaked Seiji Okamura’s letter in the first place must be on the inside at Hinode, and since it’s plausible that person bore malicious intent, he or she should be considered as one of the candidates.”

“I follow what you’re saying.”

“Of course, it’s also possible that the person from whom the late Hiroyuki Hatano received the copy of the letter had machinations against Hinode. Actually, there is someone we already suspect, and I’m sure in due time he will be pulled into the fray on a different case.”

As the investigator said this, Shiroyama observed how his gaze and tone of voice again shifted slightly, and Shiroyama felt another visceral chill. He was nearing his limit, having held his breath each time in anticipation of the next revelation.

“Who is this suspect?”

“An executive at Toichi Industry, a front company associated with the crime syndicate the Seiwakai, who styles himself as a corporate extortionist. It’s hard to believe he acted alone, so we suspect that he had the backing of a somewhat larger organization . . . Well, how about it, Shiroyama-san? When you decided to file a complaint against Hatano the dentist, wasn’t your company also aware of such matters?”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what sort of matters you are referring to specifically—”

“I see . . . Well, I’ll refrain from questioning you any further about the extortionist,” the investigator said with an ambiguous smile. Shiroyama no longer had the energy to respond. “With that said, two people are dead because of the 1990 incident with the mysterious tape, while members of Hatano’s family are still alive. You can bet that sooner or later this kind of story will be blown out of proportion, never mind what’s true and what’s not.”

Shiroyama listened, aware that a definitive threat had finally been made. Images flashed through his mind of lurid headlines in the weekly tabloids—exaggerated stories about the student who had left in the middle of his second employee interview and his relationship with Shiroyama’s niece Yoshiko.

“I’m sure you already know, but hundreds of reporters from every media outlet are out there, sniffing around in a frenzy. The more they pry the harder it becomes for us to conduct our investigation, and the damage incurred to your corporate image will be considerable. We, for our part, would like to avoid such a situation, as the only people to benefit from it are the perpetrators. To that end, the only thing for us to do is to apprehend the perpetrators as soon as possible. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

“In order to do so it is imperative that you—the victim and the only person to have had direct contact with the criminal group—tell us everything.”

“As I already said repeatedly, I’ve told you everything I can remember.”

“I’ll ask again. Did the perpetrators tell you anything else other than their demand for six hundred million and that they would get in touch with you later?”

“No. That was all.”

“But who would ever pay a ransom when there’s no hostage or blackmail bait? If tomorrow the perpetrators gave you instructions on how the cash should be delivered, would your company pay the six hundred million?”

“No, we would not.”

“Then why did the crime group let you go? If they said, ‘We will contact you about how to deliver the money,’ common sense tells us that statement is based on the assumption that a certain negotiation would take place. How do you make sense of that?”

“I have told you everything that actually happened. It is your job to make sense of the situation.”

“Then—say, if tomorrow the perpetrators demanded their ransom, how does your company intend to respond?”

“We would report it to the police.”

“We would only ask you the same questions.”

“And I would only be able to give you the same answers.”

“I understand. The perpetrators told you they would be in touch about how to deliver the money, correct? Did they say anything more? There were no provisos about what they would do if you don’t agree to their demand?”

In that moment, Shiroyama was overwhelmed by the thought of what might happen if he were to admit right then and there that the beer was being held hostage. He wondered whether the police would be satisfied with that revelation and whether it was the right thing to do. He had debated this over and over again, but each time had failed to come up with a definitive conclusion. Once they found out that the hostage was the Hinode beer, the police might beef up police patrols at Hinode and spearhead increased security measures at their factories, news of which would