Matsuoka would use me if he were director.
Mikami felt uncomfortable that the idea had popped so readily into his mind. There were issues he needed to address now; it wasn’t the time to be looking four or five years ahead.
‘If it’s nothing to do with Kenji, what else could have turned him against us?’
Mochizuki was slow to respond. His eyes seemed to size Mikami up before he spoke again. ‘You’ve got a good idea already, haven’t you?’
The question caught Mikami off guard.
‘A good idea? Of what?’
Instead of answering, Mochizuki returned to the last question. ‘You remember he had a receptionist called Yoshida? If he’s upset about anything, it’ll be her, not Kenji.’
Motoko Yoshida. She had taken the kidnapper’s third call in Amamiya’s office. Mochizuki had ignored Mikami’s question, but his curiosity had been piqued nonetheless.
‘Why?’
‘She was seeing Kenji. How would we put it – double adultery? We had to consider the possibility she was an accomplice, so we were pretty hard on her.’
Mikami hadn’t known that.
Still . . .
‘Why would that get to Amamiya, though? He didn’t like Kenji; if she was with him . . .’
‘Thing is, he didn’t know about their relationship. Motoko lost her parents when she was young, had been through a lot. Amamiya had been a good neighbour, taken her under his wing and given her a job at his company. She was interrogated for days on end, ended up having a nervous breakdown. She quit her job. If Amamiya has a reason to despise us, that would be it.’
‘When did this happen?’
‘It wasn’t long after you left Second Division.’
‘Wait. You’re saying Amamiya turned against us that long ago?’
Mochizuki focused on empty space, taking in Mikami’s surprise. ‘Well, I wouldn’t say it happened overnight, because of that one thing. His withdrawal was more gradual. You know how it is when someone’s anger or bitterness continues to grow over time.’
‘You’re right, I suppose.’
‘And the fact that we haven’t arrested the perp, that’s got to factor pretty big in it.’
Was that what it was, after all? Had Amamiya simply become disillusioned with the force for being ineffective – had he run out of patience? If that was the case, Mikami feared he might not be able to make the commissioner’s visit happen. Amamiya’s scepticism had been building for years; regardless of their sincerity, the police would need to demonstrate a similar investment in time and manpower to remedy the situation. The commissioner was scheduled to arrive in a week. That left little time to win Amamiya over, especially if you took into consideration the time he would need to spend in negotiations with the Press Club. Mikami fixed his eyes back on Mochizuki. The question he’d put on hold was on the verge of coming out.
‘What did you mean just now?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Don’t pretend you don’t know. You suggested I had a good idea of why Amamiya turned against us.’
‘Same applies to you. Isn’t it time you showed your hand, Mikami?’ Mochizuki responded, his tone sharpening. Until that point, Mikami hadn’t noticed that Mochizuki was getting angry.
‘Showed what hand?’
‘Come on – tell me the real reason you came to see me. You’re not the type to get worked up about a big shot coming down to light some incense.’
He won’t understand.
Mikami grimaced. A visit from the commissioner general. Explaining why it was important in a way that an ex-detective like Mochizuki would understand would be tantamount to admitting he’d become Akama’s guard dog.
Mochizuki leaned forwards. ‘You’re here because you also want to ask me about the Koda memo.’
Mikami didn’t know how to respond. The Koda memo? Also?
Mochizuki was quick to provide the answer. ‘I sent Futawatari packing, and now you’re here to sweet-talk me. No?’
Mikami just stared. He had assumed Mochizuki had been poking fun earlier; the words took on a different meaning now. Stranger things have happened. The reunion was today? I guessed as much.
Shinji Futawatari had been here too. What for? And what was the Koda memo?
There was only one Koda that came to mind. Kazuki Koda, a member of the Home Unit during Six Four.
‘Well? Out with it. What are you up to? The two of you, nosing around, into Six Four. Didn’t you two hate each other. Or . . . what? . . . are you all happy families now you’re camped in Admin?’
‘Just wait a moment,’ Mikami finally managed. ‘What the hell is the Koda memo?’
‘How should I know?’
‘Koda – the Koda that left?’ Mikami was remembering. Kazuki Koda had resigned. Just six months after Six Four. His brain was finally catching up. ‘Why did he leave the force?’
‘Officially, the same reason as me. I don’t know what really happened.’
Personal reasons. The term was a catch-all; Mikami was starting to get a bad feeling.
‘What’s he doing these days?’
‘He went missing.’
‘Missing?’
‘Yeah. No one knows where he is.’
‘And Futawatari didn’t either?’
‘Looked that way. He was asking if I knew Koda’s address.’
‘So, the Koda memo, are we sure it was something Kazuki Koda wrote?’
‘Like I just said, I’d never heard of it.’
‘But Futawatari seemed to know about it?’
Mochizuki seemed to have come to a realization during the exchange; he stared at Mikami with eyes that had lost their sharpness.
‘You are here for something else . . .’
‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,’ Mikami half yelled. His head was racing. Had Akama opted for a double-sided approach? Perhaps he was using Futawatari in tandem with Mikami to gather intel to persuade Amamiya to ensure that preparations for the commissioner’s visit went smoothly.
No, that wasn’t it.
He wouldn’t have thought to prepare for that. If he had, that would suggest he’d somehow known in advance that Amamiya would turn the commissioner’s offer down.
‘What time was Futawatari here?’
Mochizuki scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. ‘A little before midday. He called on the phone, came straight over after that.’
Before midday. Around the time Mikami had been at Amamiya’s. Definitely too fast. It ruled out some kind of double-pronged strategy on Akama’s part.
In which case . . .
Mikami considered it for a moment, but his thoughts halted when another question popped into his head.
‘And he asked you about something called the Koda memo?’
‘Yeah. He wanted to know who had it, so I told him I had no idea – told him I’d never heard of the damn thing, let alone knowing who had it now.’
‘And that’s the truth? You really don’t know?’
‘Come on, Mikami . . .’
‘Okay. He seemed happy with that?’
‘Sure, left without a fuss. Even gave me a look to apologize for intruding on my work.’
‘And you just let him go, without asking anything back?’
‘Hmm?’