Malice (24 page)

On the rape:

I don't know much about that. No, for real. I knew he had his eye on some girl. Long hair, kinda short, pretty girl. Fujio was big as a gorilla, but he had a thing for the real little ones, that was his type. That's all in the book, too. I was pretty impressed when I read that. The writer really knew his stuff. Of course, it makes sense if it was Gooch writing it.

Then there's that bit about Fujio disappearing every once in a while? I think in the book, he keeps stepping out right during the middle of sixth period, I mean before school was even finished. But that's not exactly right. He didn't leave in the middle of sixth period, he'd leave right when it was done. That's why he was never in homeroom at the end of the day. As for where he was going, the book got
that
right. There was a street that pretty little girl always walked home along, and that's where he'd go. But he never brought any of us with him. He went alone. So I can't really say what he was up to. Except, I bet what the book says is close enough. I can totally imagine him hiding behind some tree, checking her out, laying his plans. Kinda creepy when you think about it, right? (Laughs)

Except, when he did that thing to the girl, he wasn't alone. He brought someone with him. I don't know who. No, for real. I'm not trying to protect anyone. Why would I? It wasn't me! Look, I did some bad things, but I'm not helping anyone rape someone. You gotta believe me.

It was only one other person?

I know what the book says, about the guys keeping a lookout and the videotape and all, but that's not how it went down. There was just one other kid, the guy holding her down. And it wasn't a videotape, it was just a picture. Taken with a Polaroid camera. Fujio took the picture himself, the way I heard it. I don't know what happened to it though. I'm pretty sure that bit about Fujio selling the tape to the yakuza was all made up, too. I never saw the picture, at any rate. (Laughs) I wanted to at the time, though, sorry to say. But it never got as far as me.

Actually, you know who might know something? Nakatsuka. He was like Fujio's right-hand man, and Fujio used to give him stuff to hold on to, you know, in case the cops ever searched him. (Laughs) If Fujio gave that photo to anyone, it would have been Nakatsuka. Course I doubt he'd still have it.

I don't have his contact info here, but his first name was Akio. Akio Nakatsuka.

Didn't Nonoguchi tell you anything about all this? I'm pretty sure he knows most of it. That's how he wrote that book, right? Maybe it's not the easiest stuff to talk about, but still.

Why is it hard to talk about?

Well, come on. Who wants to drag lousy stuff that happened to them when they were a kid out into the light? Most people bury it and move on.

Was Nonoguchi bullied?

Gooch? Sure, but not for long. Fujio never took him seriously, not at first. No, he had his eye on Hidaka. Thought that kid was too big for his own britches. He pulled out all the stops, really gave him a thrashing, but Hidaka never flinched. So Fujio just kept getting worse, trying to put the little punk in his place, you know? And that's how it escalated to that stuff in the book.

Hidaka was the victim?

That's right. It was Hidaka we wrapped up in that cellophane. Pretty sure the acid out the window was meant for him, too.

Not Nonoguchi?

Oh, no, by then Gooch was with us, totally. One of the guys. He was the closest thing to an underling Fujio ever had. We used to send him on errands, and stuff like that.

Weren't Hidaka and Nonoguchi friends?

Hardly. Well, I don't know what happened after they graduated, of course. They come across as best buddies in all the newspaper reports, but that must've been after middle school, because it certainly wasn't true back when I knew them. I mean, Nonoguchi used to rat out Hidaka to Fujio all the time, telling him things Hidaka was saying behind his back. If it weren't for that, I doubt Fujio would've been so gung ho about showing Hidaka who was boss.

On the character Hamaoka:

Oh, yeah, that was Hidaka. No doubt about it. I know Nonoguchi wrote the book, but since he had to do it in Hidaka's name, maybe that's why he made him the main character?

Which character in the book was Nonoguchi?

Huh, kinda hard to say. Just one of the bullies, I guess.

Course, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? A bully publishing a book under his victim's name? What's up with that?

Interview: Koichi Mitani

I'd appreciate it if we can keep this short. I've got a meeting to get to.

I'm not even really sure what it is you expect to learn from talking to me. I know you detectives have to scour every bit of your suspect's past, but the last time I knew Nonoguchi was when we were in high school!

I've spoken to his elementary school friends as well.

Wow, you're going that far back? Well, I don't know what to say about that. I suppose I wonder if it's really necessary. Not that I'm telling you how to do your job. (Laughs)

So … Nonoguchi was a pretty normal high school student, nothing special. We talked a lot, mostly because we liked the same books and movies and stuff like that.

Did he ever talk about becoming an author?

Oh, sure, he told me that was his ambition. I remember him writing some short stories in his notebooks and showing them to me. I don't remember most of them, but he wrote a lot of science fiction, as I recall. The stories were pretty good. At least good enough to entertain a high school student.

On Nonoguchi's choice of high school:

I don't know. I think it was probably just because his grades in middle school were the right level for admission to our high school?

Wait, actually, now that you mention it, he did say something once about another high school that was closer to his house that he could've gone to, but he didn't want to for some reason.

Did he say why?

I think it had less to do with the school itself, and more to do with the neighborhood. He seemed really down on the whole place.

Did he mention his middle school?

Only that the people there were low class. Can you believe it? Low-class town, low-class school, low-class students—stuff like that. He was pretty cool normally, but whenever he'd talk about where he was from, he'd get all worked up. I clearly remember getting sick of it, so he must have talked about it more than once. Yeah, he was pretty strange back then. Most people think the town they grew up in is the best, right?

I think he felt like he'd gotten a bad deal because his father had to move there for work. He used to tell me he was only there temporarily, which is why he didn't really know anyone in the neighborhood and didn't play with any of the kids there. Of course, I didn't care about any of it. It was him telling me all this. Like he was making excuses for something. Besides, he didn't move away after all, at least not when I knew him.

There was another thing, too.… I think at one point he tried to switch elementary schools, but it didn't work out for some reason. He told me they wouldn't let him switch
because
he was going to school every day. He thought that was pretty ironic, “suffering through that hell day in and day out, and then getting punished for it.” He said there was this kid, one of his neighbors, who used to come and pick him up every morning to walk to school together, which he couldn't stand. Like it was all some big neighborhood conspiracy to drag him down, right?

I remember thinking, I wish someone would come over and get me to go to school every morning! Talk about nice. But Nonoguchi was always Nonoguchi.

Was Hidaka the boy that walked to school with him?

He never said. In fact, he never mentioned Kunihiko Hidaka at all. This whole thing in the news was the first time I ever heard about him.

On Hidaka's novels:

Actually, I hadn't read any of them. I do read, but mostly mysteries. Light stuff, like those travel mysteries where they're going off someplace and somebody gets killed, you know those? I tend to stay away from the backbreaking stuff. If you have to work to get through a book, it's not very relaxing, is it?

Anyway, when I heard about the murder, I did pick one of them up. Sent chills down my spine to think that Nonoguchi was the author.

Which book?

Sea Ghost.
The one about the artist whose wife cheats on him? It made sense in a lot of ways.

How so?

I mean, you could tell Nonoguchi wrote it. It just felt like him, you know? It was like his personality was stamped on every page. That stuff doesn't change from when you're a kid.

Actually, Hidaka wrote
Sea Ghost
.

What, really? Shows you how much I know! Guess I'd better stick with the light stuff. (Laughs)

Sorry, I've got to get to that meeting.

Interview: Yasushi Fujimura

Yes, I'm Osamu's uncle. Osamu's mother was my sister.

And as for our request for the profits from those books, it's not like we're just mindlessly clamoring for money. Frankly that's insulting. We just think things should be put right, that the air needs to be cleared. That's all we're saying.

But Osamu did murder Mr. Hidaka.

Of course, and he should be punished for it. He needs to pay his debt to society, and I think that was Osamu's intention when he confessed.

That only makes it more important that everything's on the table, you understand. It was a terrible thing he did, certainly, but he didn't do it without reason. It's important to think about his relationship with Mr. Hidaka, isn't it? This ghostwriter thing—he was writing those novels for Mr. Hidaka until the day he just couldn't take it anymore. That's what everyone—all the authorities—are saying.

In other words, some blame rests at the feet of Mr. Hidaka. It's not just Osamu who's in the wrong here. Why should Osamu be the only one punished? What about Mr. Hidaka's part in all this?

I don't know much about the literary market, but I hear that Kunihiko Hidaka's novels sold quite well. He was one of the top-ten highest earners, I hear. But who really earned that money? Wasn't he selling novels Osamu had written? Does it make sense for only Osamu to be punished, while the money he earned remains in someone else's hands? I don't think it does. If it were me, I would return that money. It's only fair.

I'm not sure the bereaved family agrees.

Oh, I'm sure they don't. That's why we're bringing in lawyers to get everything straight. I'm just trying to help Osamu out here. I don't want the money. It wouldn't be my money, anyway. It would go to Osamu.

But isn't this a matter for civil court, Detective?

Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your sister, and the neighborhood where her family lived.

Oh … so you didn't come here about the royalties? Right, well, my sister moved to that area shortly after Osamu was born. Built herself a house. Her husband's relatives sold them some land cheap, which is why they ended up in that particular spot.

Did she like it there?

Not much, no. She told me once that, had she known what sort of place it was beforehand, she never would've built there.

What didn't she like about it, specifically?

That, I'm not sure. I sort of avoided the subject. Speaking of which, why do you ask, Detective? Does this really have anything to do with the case? I understand you have a job to do, but worrying about my sister's choice of neighborhoods seems like stretching it a bit far!

Not that we have anything to hide.

Interview: Akio Nakatsuka

Nonoguchi? I've never heard of any Nonoguchi.

He was your classmate in middle school.

Really? Okay, like I'd remember
that.

On the murder:

Sorry, haven't picked up a paper in a while. And I don't know anything about any authors.

He was your classmate, too.

Well, whaddya know. So, Detective, what's this have to do with me? I'm between jobs right now, and I kind of have to get down to the employment center, so I don't have a lot of time.

Do you remember anyone named Hidaka?

What? Yeah, I remember a Hidaka. He's the one who got offed? No kidding. Guess you never know how someone's going to check out till it happens.

So how's asking about his school going to help your investigation? Didn't you just say you already know who killed him? What's left to find out?

We're just making sure we have all the facts.

Things must be pretty quiet for you to be checking things after the murder's already solved!

On bullying:

Oh, c'mon. You don't think I—

Fine, yeah, I knocked Hidaka around a couple of times. Never for any particular reason. Just keeping him in his place, you know.

But that Hidaka, he was one tough cookie. I don't think we ever got money out of him. Most of those kids, you put the fear into them and they'll give you a thousand, two thousand yen just like that. So, yeah, we paid Hidaka special attention. Looking back at it, the kid had guts. Course at the time it just pissed us off.

On Nonoguchi:

Look, man, I told you I don't know any Nonoguchi … wait, unless you mean the Gooch? Yeah, that's right, his name
was
Nonoguchi, wasn't it. I remember him. He was Fujio's moneybags.

You know, the thing you carry money in? Whenever Fujio needed some cash, the Gooch was good for it. And he had him running errands all the time. Man, what a wimp that guy was.

Do you know what happened after Fujio left your school?

No, we all split up after that. I didn't see the Gooch very much after that either.

On the assault:

Yeah, I heard about it, that girl from the Catholic school, right? But I don't know much. That's the truth. Me and Fujio were close, but he never told me stuff like that. And I hardly ever saw him after he left. They had him grounded for months.