The Anonymous Tip

The door closed behind Dija with a quiet ka-chunk as she leaned against it, unable to keep the mischievous smile that spread across her face.

In the past six months of her working here, she had learned that Christian trusted others a little too easily. She would buy him lunch tomorrow to make up for her inconveniencing him.

Dija was startled from her thoughts when she saw Mr. Fujioka sitting behind his dark oak desk, staring directly at her as he held a landline to his ear. He did not look amused by her sudden entrance. The grin fell from Dija’s face immediately.

What are you doing, he mouthed.

“Sorry, it’s urgent,” Dija whispered.

“Yes, Sheriff Hunley. I’m grateful that you could spare some time to speak with me. I’ll let you know what I find. Good luck with the investigation. …Thank you, you as well.” Mr. Fujioka hung up the phone. “I asked Christian not to let anyone in. You’re fortunate that the sheriff and I were wrapping things up when we were,” he admonished.

“Christian was doing his job, I just didn’t listen,” Dija defended him immediately. “I apologize. This really is urgent. And it has to do with the person you were speaking to just now.”

Mr. Fujioka raised his eyebrows. “Have a seat, let’s hear it.”

Dija did so, sitting forward on the cushioned chair across from his desk. “I have an anonymous tip about the missing persons case. Was that what you were talking about with the sheriff earlier?”

“It was,” Mr. Fujioka nodded. “They’re trying to keep things under wraps, but people are starting to panic. The sheriff notified me that an auto worker has gone missing now, too. That’s six people in two weeks,” he sighed, his teeth gritted in frustration. “Tell me about your tip.”

“Here.” Dija retrieved the letter from her jacket pocket and passed it to Mr. Fujioka. She paused, mulling over her next words carefully, before continuing. “It looks like someone is suspecting the sheriff’s department of a coverup.”

Mr. Fujioka’s eyes widened. “That’s a pretty serious accusation.” He unfolded the letter and began reading aloud.

“‘Dear Ms. Mansoor,

I am writing to you about the current missing persons investigation led by the Faribalut sheriff’s office. I am a concerned relative of one of the missing persons in question. I have reason to believe that the search which the sheriff’s office is conducting is a facade, that their “work” is simply a deception to appease public questioning. I don’t yet know why they would do this.

You may be wondering why I chose to contact you, in particular, at the Faribault Press. I have been following your work closely. Your sense of justice in rooting out corruption within the local judicial system and the righting of wrongful convictions have convinced me that you are the correct person to share my suspicions with.

I will continue correspondence with you via these letters. Please investigate the sheriff’s department at my behest, and I will continue to learn what I can from my position. Thank you for your consideration,’” Mr. Fujioka finished.

“Like you said, it’s a serious accusation,” Dija said.

Mr. Fujioka shook his head. “They haven’t provided any evidence that the investigation is corrupt in some way. All they have is ‘reason to believe,’ and that’s just not enough to consider this tip a valid request to pursue. I know Sheriff Hunley personally. He’s not the kind of man who would just let people go missing like this for some kind of bribe.”

“Maybe what this tip is talking about isn’t concerning the sheriff in particular, but this is too consequential to ignore,” Dija insisted. “If what this person is saying is true, the ramifications are beyond comprehension. You said it yourself: six people have gone missing in two weeks. That’s multiple families waiting for an answer about their loved ones, and there’s no sign that these disappearances will be stopping any time soon.

“I propose that I visit the sheriff’s department myself, and ask for an update on the investigation. This tip gives me the right to do so,” Dija gestured to the letter in question. “I’ll see what I can learn about the department’s investigation practices; what they’re willing to share, and what they insist on keeping hidden.” Dija suddenly frowned. “Before you hung up, you told the sheriff that you’d ‘let him know what you find.’ Did he ask you to contribute to the investigation?”

Mr. Fujioka smiled thinly. “About that—I was just about to call you up to my office before you showed up on your own.”

“Sorry,” Dija mumbled. “So it’s something that you wanted me to help with?”

“According to the sheriff, even the out-of-locale detectives they’ve hired are hitting a dead end in this investigation. He wants to go at it from a different angle,” Mr. Fujioka explained. “A journalistic one. I was hoping you might be able to help with—”

“Yes!” Dija jumped forward in her chair. Mr. Fujioka bit back an amused grin. Clearing her throat, she leaned back again. “Yes, I’d be honored to assist.”

“So, how about this: you lead the case. The sheriff wants to inform us of the investigation in its entirety—in confidence within a few of us at the Press, of course—and you’ll be the first. Keep contact periodically with Jo to help you record what you find, and to bounce around ideas as you go on. I’ll call ahead at the station and make sure that the person you speak to is someone we can trust to be honest. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like I’ll be working undercover to check for misconduct and assisting the investigation at the same time. That’s perfect. Thank you so much, sir,” Dija looked at him gratefully. “But, what do you mean by making sure that the person I’ll speak to is someone we can trust?"

“You’ll see,” he grinned. “Just make sure to be focused on your work when you go.”

Dija looked confused. “Of course I will. Why would you say that, Mr. Fujioka?”

“You’ll see,” he repeated with a laugh. “You know, you’re an adult now, Dija. Hardly the child that went on playdates with my own. Surely, you can call me Tamaki at this point.”

“We’re in a professional setting, and you’re my superior. Besides, you’ve always been Mr. Fujioka to me,” Dija smiled.

“Alright. Go tell Jo about this, arrange your questions, and then head over to the station. But, do your best not to look like you suspect them of something. The last thing we need is for the investigators to start doubting our integrity, and then share nothing with us at all. Good luck.”