Akama indicated that Shirota was to respond in person.
‘I can assure you this is not the case. We believe the management of the facilities to be of paramount importance. As such, we assign some of our best officers to work there. With respect to the case you bring up from two years ago, the conclusion was that the suicide had taken place in exceptional circumstances – the man having chosen to adopt a highly unorthodox method – and that nothing suggested negligence in the facilities or their management.’
The answer.
Mikami shifted his focus back to the two reporters from the Toyo. They showed no signs of having any further questions. Tejima was scribbling in his notepad while Akikawa was an image of composure, arms crossed in front of him.
Mikami breathed out in silence.
Akikawa had decided to keep the detail about the guard’s ‘catnap’ on hold. No – it was more likely that Arakida hadn’t told him about it yet. It wouldn’t benefit him to have given away anything more the previous night; if he was planning to use the story as leverage, it made sense to keep it secret for now. He might have won over a local police reporter, but that didn’t mean he would underestimate the reach of one of Tokyo’s major papers. If he leaked two stories – both hinting at the same thing – he couldn’t guarantee that the Toyo wouldn’t choose to ignore Akikawa and come down from Tokyo with the intention of exposing the conflict raging in the Prefectural HQ.
‘Are there any more questions?’ Shirota asked, hinting that he wanted to bring the conference to an end.
No hands came up, and no one spoke. The whole thing had been for the Toyo’s benefit. The atmosphere was phlegmatic, the assembled faces bored.
‘This concludes the conference.’
Akama and Shirota both stood; they bowed and made their way towards the exit. What they were thinking was clear from the way they walked, in their relaxed shoulders. We got through it. They wouldn’t realize it had all been a trap until later that night.
Mikami walked out of the Press Room.
Go and see the director.
The press had to come first. He could go and see Arakida afterwards. He would request a meeting with them in his capacity as press director, rather than turning up because he’d been summoned. He wouldn’t be able to hold out, not without the armour his work provided.
Criminal Investigations . . . gone. He hoped the meaning behind those words would be apparent on Arakida’s face.
47
Mikami called everyone to his desk, this time including Mikumo.
He tasked them to find out what each of the twelve papers – excluding the Toyo – wanted, before the day was out. The current mood was hostile towards the Toyo. How many would cave in with regard to the boycott if he tried bringing the ‘press director’s apology’ to the table again?
‘See if you can get everyone on the fence to come down on our side. Make sure we have the majority, then set them up for a general meeting tomorrow.’ Mikami realized he was raising his voice. He caught Suwa’s eye and added, ‘It’s okay, Akama wants me to offer an apology.’
Suwa seemed finally to breathe. He slapped himself on the sides of his cheeks to fire himself up, effectively starting again. He looked ready for business when he addressed Kuramae and Mikumo.
‘Right – let’s go put an end to this damn boycott.’
They heard footsteps in the corridor.
Suwa twisted sharply around and paced away from Mikami’s desk, in his element as he greeted the two reporters who had just entered. Yamashina from the Times and Yanase from the Jiji Press.
‘Suwa, how much do we owe you?’
‘Five thousand.’
They’d come in to settle the bill for the previous night’s drinks. Yamashina caught Mikami’s eye as he fished out his wallet. He wanted to say thanks for the story on the bid-rigging charges.
‘You’ve got a pretty good voice, Yamashina,’ Mikumo flattered. She looked slightly flushed, perhaps from working up the courage to speak.
‘Me? Haha.’ Yamashina smiled shyly, pointing a gratified finger at himself. ‘No way, not as good as—’
‘Yanase, you got a moment?’ Suwa cut in. He gestured towards the couches, businesslike all of a sudden.
Yanase cocked his head to one side while Yamashina’s smile faded, the latter clearly wondering why Suwa hadn’t extended the request to him, too. Yanase took a seat and gave Suwa a questioning look. Suwa sat so close Yanase had to shunt along the couch.
‘Let’s start where we left off last night. Everything will work out if we offer a proper apology. That’s what you think, yes?’
He was keeping his voice and his expression low-key. Yanase, the de facto head of the moderate faction, put on a pained look.
‘Well, I suppose . . .’
‘Great. We’ll all be looking for new positions if the commissioner’s interview goes down the drain. If we’re unlucky, we might even get booted from the force.’
Yamashina was peering at the couch, still on his feet. Suwa ignored him and focused on Yanase.
‘See if you can’t spread the idea among the others. We know everyone wants good coverage. That walking interview – it does make for a good shot.’
‘Well . . . yes, but it was decided at the GM. It’ll be difficult to overturn the decision to boycott that one.’
‘And GMs are great for changing decisions, too, right? Set one up for tomorrow.’
‘I don’t know . . .’
‘It’s not as though the last one was normal. I imagine it was like a hornets’ nest after the tumult outside the captain’s office.’
‘True. But the vote was unanimous; that does carry a lot of sway.’
‘I hope you’re not planning to leave me and Kuramae destitute here. What about Mikumo? She’ll be sent back to work in the koban.’
‘Of course that’s not what I want. Don’t forget that management’s weighing in on some of us. And this all started with anonymous reporting – some of the papers have you blacklisted, at least until they get some tangible concessions from you.’
‘We’ve already told you we’re planning to improve on our services. And we’re going to apologize, too. We’re taking this seriously.’
‘Well, I can see that. But—’
‘Hey,’ Yamashina interjected from the side. ‘I could suggest it. That we hold another GM.’
Suwa feigned annoyance.
‘Yamashina, I’m trying to have a talk with Yanase.’
‘I’m saying I’m happy to make the suggestion, Suwa. You want us to convene another meeting? No problem. Although I can’t guarantee what the outcome will be.’
Suwa kept his eyes on Yanase and said nothing. There was a pause, then Yanase sighed and the issue was settled.
‘Fine. Yamashina, if you’re happy to make the suggestion, I’ll back you up.’
Mikami felt again as if he were watching a master craftsman at work. With two papers supporting the motion, the GM would be sure to go ahead.
The two reporters disappeared back into the corridor; Suwa began to discuss with the others their plan for approaching the remaining papers. The foundations were already in place for overturning the boycott. Mikami got up from his seat.