for this is something he said on the night of the murder. Something that, from the moment I heard it, made me consider the possibility that he was the killer. Though I understand it is extremely inefficient to operate on a gut feeling, I decided to give intuition the reins, if only this once.
That Osamu Nonoguchi was keeping a record of the case came as a great surprise to me. Were he the killer, it would be against his best interest to make known any details about the case. However, when I read his account, I realized he had exactly the opposite goal in mind.
The account is written in an orderly fashion, and this very orderliness gives it persuasive power. As you read it, you forget that the events it portrays might not necessarily be the truth. Therein lies Nonoguchiâs aim: to create a fictional account of the events in order to divert suspicion from himself.
He must have realized it was only a matter of time before he became a suspect. He was looking for a way out when who should appear before him but someone he knewâa man who used to be a teacher at the same school. He decided to use this man by writing a false account and giving it to him to read. Nonoguchi probably reasoned that since the man hadnât been much of a teacher, he probably wasnât much of a detective either and would easily be taken in by his trick.
Perhaps Iâm reading too much into this. Perhaps I am trying so hard to keep my personal feelings out of the investigation that I am blinding myself to the truth. Still, in his written account, I discovered several traps carefully laid for the unwary reader. Then, ironically, I found vital evidence in that very account proving that he, and only he, could be the killer.
I carefully went back over my own line of conjecture and, when I was satisfied, made my report. My superior in Homicide is meticulous and cautious, but he agreed with my line of reasoning. In fact, from the very first time theyâd met, he, too, had suspected Osamu Nonoguchi. Though Nonoguchiâs account doesnât mention this, the night of the murder he seemed excited and unusually talkative. Both my superior and I recognized this as one of the classic indications of guilt.
âThe problem,â my superior said, âis evidence.â
I couldnât agree more. Though I was confident that my scenario was correct, it was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
There was another problem: motive. Though I gathered no small amount of information on both Kunihiko Hidaka and Osamu Nonoguchi, I couldnât find any reason, none whatsoever, for Nonoguchi to bear him any malice. To the contrary, if anything, Nonoguchi should have been grateful, considering how Hidaka had helped him advance his career as a writer.
I reflected back on the Osamu Nonoguchi I knew from our time together as teachers. As a composition teacher in middle school, heâd struck me as a man who kept a cool head and performed his assigned task without much error or deviation. Even when something unexpected happened, such as trouble with a student, he never got ruffled. Instead, he would refer back to the records of any similar events and use them as a guide to the course of action least likely to cause difficulties. He was good at this. To put it less generously, he avoided making decisions on his own and played everything by the book. A former colleague had this to say:
âMr. Nonoguchi never really wanted to be a teacher, you know. He plays it cool like that because he doesnât want to waste time actually worrying about his students or take on any responsibility beyond his basic duties. Thatâs why he doesnât get involved.â
Her theory was that Nonoguchi wanted to quit as soon as possible and become a full-time writer. He never went to faculty parties and the like because he was at home writing.
Osamu Nonoguchi did indeed quit teaching and become an author; yet it remains unclear what he really thought of
That Osamu Nonoguchi was keeping a record of the case came as a great surprise to me. Were he the killer, it would be against his best interest to make known any details about the case. However, when I read his account, I realized he had exactly the opposite goal in mind.
The account is written in an orderly fashion, and this very orderliness gives it persuasive power. As you read it, you forget that the events it portrays might not necessarily be the truth. Therein lies Nonoguchiâs aim: to create a fictional account of the events in order to divert suspicion from himself.
He must have realized it was only a matter of time before he became a suspect. He was looking for a way out when who should appear before him but someone he knewâa man who used to be a teacher at the same school. He decided to use this man by writing a false account and giving it to him to read. Nonoguchi probably reasoned that since the man hadnât been much of a teacher, he probably wasnât much of a detective either and would easily be taken in by his trick.
Perhaps Iâm reading too much into this. Perhaps I am trying so hard to keep my personal feelings out of the investigation that I am blinding myself to the truth. Still, in his written account, I discovered several traps carefully laid for the unwary reader. Then, ironically, I found vital evidence in that very account proving that he, and only he, could be the killer.
I carefully went back over my own line of conjecture and, when I was satisfied, made my report. My superior in Homicide is meticulous and cautious, but he agreed with my line of reasoning. In fact, from the very first time theyâd met, he, too, had suspected Osamu Nonoguchi. Though Nonoguchiâs account doesnât mention this, the night of the murder he seemed excited and unusually talkative. Both my superior and I recognized this as one of the classic indications of guilt.
âThe problem,â my superior said, âis evidence.â
I couldnât agree more. Though I was confident that my scenario was correct, it was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
There was another problem: motive. Though I gathered no small amount of information on both Kunihiko Hidaka and Osamu Nonoguchi, I couldnât find any reason, none whatsoever, for Nonoguchi to bear him any malice. To the contrary, if anything, Nonoguchi should have been grateful, considering how Hidaka had helped him advance his career as a writer.
I reflected back on the Osamu Nonoguchi I knew from our time together as teachers. As a composition teacher in middle school, heâd struck me as a man who kept a cool head and performed his assigned task without much error or deviation. Even when something unexpected happened, such as trouble with a student, he never got ruffled. Instead, he would refer back to the records of any similar events and use them as a guide to the course of action least likely to cause difficulties. He was good at this. To put it less generously, he avoided making decisions on his own and played everything by the book. A former colleague had this to say:
âMr. Nonoguchi never really wanted to be a teacher, you know. He plays it cool like that because he doesnât want to waste time actually worrying about his students or take on any responsibility beyond his basic duties. Thatâs why he doesnât get involved.â
Her theory was that Nonoguchi wanted to quit as soon as possible and become a full-time writer. He never went to faculty parties and the like because he was at home writing.
Osamu Nonoguchi did indeed quit teaching and become an author; yet it remains unclear what he really thought of
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