Chapter 8 Chapter 6: July 1990: Sapporo-Kushiro

Twenty years ago, biologist Tian Yuchen also commissioned Seiji Nakamura to design and build his own villa - "Black Cat House".Last year, a murder occurred in that house.In order to unravel the mystery, Shikatani Kadomi and Jiangnan Xiaoming traveled to Hokkaido.This is Thursday, July 5th.Five days ago, when they visited Professor Jindai in Yokohama, Kaguya wanted to leave Tokyo at that time.The reason why it was delayed was mainly because of Jiangnan's arrangements. Compared with other professions, the work of an editor is much more free, but he is still an office worker after all; besides, it takes a considerable amount of time to deal with the essentials and adjust the plan.Every time around this time, Jiang Nan misses the time when he had nothing to do in college and played mahjong to pass the boring days.

On the afternoon of July 5, the two flew directly to Sapporo.Before they were going to Lake Akan, they went to H University to find relevant personnel who knew Dr. Tianyu and listened to the relevant situation. Of course, they also told the author of their notes, Ayuta Touma, about their arrangements.Originally, he was going to go with him, but the day before yesterday, he suddenly felt unwell, and the doctor told him to rest for a few days.So Shikatani Kadomi and Jiang Nan Xiaoming went to Sapporo first. If Ayuta's body recovered, the three of them would meet in Kushiro the day after tomorrow.

"I have a few things to report to you, Mr. Jiangnan. In the past two or three days, I have collected a lot of new information. There are also some interesting things." "I also found a situation." "Then you go first." "Among the people who joined the club at the same time as me, there was a kid who liked music very much. He also had a rock band in college. After work, he was still running around in recording studios everywhere. With the attitude of trying it out, I asked Does he know the 'Siren' band in the notes, he even said that he met them once in the recording studio."

"It's a gain." "He said he had seen them in a store in Kichijoji last spring. He still remembered that the female singer's name was Lizi." "What about the names of the other members?" "Sorry, he didn't remember..." On the plane from Haneda to Chitose, Shikatani chatted with Jiangnan.A few days ago, because Jiang Nan was busy with work, they hadn't seen each other for three days. "I investigated the real estate owner named Kazama who lives in Saitama, and found that there is indeed such a person." "Have you found the university where his son is?"

"Found it. With a little effort." "Tell me briefly." "I made up a good excuse and called the school, but I was ignored. Perhaps there has been too much marketing targeting students lately." "Actually, the students who were cheated are also responsible." "Oh, tell me." "When I was in college, I was cheated and bought an expensive English conversation textbook." Jiang Nan confessed truthfully.That was when he was 20, his sophomore year in college.At that time, he was deceived by the salesman's smile and lobbying. Thinking about it now, he can't wait to hit himself on the head.

"Everyone will have unpleasant memories." Lu Gu smiled wryly, his eyebrows furrowed into a figure-horoscope shape, "Later, I had no choice but to use a little interpersonal relationship." "In M University, is there anyone you know?" "Do you remember my brother who studied criminal psychology in Fukuoka?" "Yes, it's called Lu Gumian, right?" "Yes! My brother's friend teaches languages ​​there, and I've seen him too." "You know plenty of people." "It's because my brother knows a lot of people." Lu Gu wrinkled his nose.

"You just asked that teacher to help you investigate?" "Yes. He is really nice, and he readily agreed without asking any further questions. The matter finally became clear. Last year, Kazama Hiroki was a second-year student in the Faculty of Commerce. Before entering school, he wandered in the society for a year. On After college, because he didn’t have enough academic credits, he stayed the first grade and took another second grade. His parents’ home is in Omiya City, and until last year, his father was indeed engaged in real estate business.” "Until last year... don't you do real estate business now?"

"yes." "Have you contacted them?" "No. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." Jiang Nan didn't understand what Lu Gu meant, and tilted his head.Deer Valley squinted at him. "At the end of last year, Yuji Kazama died in an accident. Not only Yuji, his parents, and a younger sister, all four members of the family died. It seemed to be a traffic accident. The car and dump truck that the family of four were riding in collided head-on .” The news came so suddenly, Jiang Nan didn't speak for a long time, subconsciously went to his chest pocket to take out a cigarette, touched it for a while before remembering that he had finished the last cigarette just now.

"I'm afraid the police investigating Ayuta's life experience were also unable to investigate because of this reason." Lu Gu scratched his pointed chin.Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Nan asked, "What happened to the Kazama family's villa?" "It seems to be private property. According to common sense, it should be handed over to relatives with inheritance rights." "So, it is possible for Hikawa Hayato's parents to get that villa..." "Probably." In that notebook, Hikawa called Kazama Hiroki's father "Uncle", so Hikawa's mother may be Kazama Hiroki's father's older sister or younger sister.

"Have you investigated the glacier yet?" "Of course I checked." Lu Gu replied, "He is a graduate student in the Department of Science and Engineering of T University, majoring in morphology. I claimed to be his friend and directly called the laboratory of the Department of Biology." "What's wrong?" "Among the graduate students of T University, there is indeed a person named Hayato Hikawa. But unfortunately, he went to study in the United States last year." "If you put it that way, Glacier seems to have revealed such thoughts in that note."

"I heard it was at the University of Georgia, but the person who answered the phone didn't know the specific contact information. Later, he told me the phone number of Glacier's home, which happened last night." "Then you called his house?" "Yes. But I called several times last night, but no one answered the phone. This morning, I called again, and someone from their family answered. This time, I claimed to be a teaching assistant in the laboratory and asked many questions. " "You're still an ever-changing soul boy. —Didn't you talk to his mother?" "The servant said that his mother couldn't come to answer the phone. At that time, I thought something must have happened to his family and he was very busy. Later, I realized that was not the case." "what happened?" "His mother can't answer the phone. She can't use the phone, she seems to be deaf." "So that's how it is." "I heard from the servant that Glacier hasn't been back once since he arrived in the United States last fall." "So, he doesn't know about the death of Kazama's family?" "Yes. I was also puzzled, so I asked. According to the servant, after arriving in the United States, Glacier first lived in an apartment, but he quickly changed places. After moving, he did not give the new address and phone number. Tell the family. Therefore, at the end of last year, when the Kazama family had an accident, Hikawa's family could not notify him at all." "Didn't you contact any American university?" "Because of the language barrier, there seems to be no connection." "They shouldn't give up so easily. Don't they worry if they don't know the whereabouts of their son?" "My old man said a word back then: no news, it means he is safe and sound. Therefore, if there is no news of his son for a year or so, he will not worry much. The situation of Bingchuan's family is not the same as ours. How should I put it? ?The family relationship is relatively weak. Bingchuan’s father is very busy at work and rarely comes home, while his mother has a nervous breakdown and is very worried about her son. Bingchuan was not very attached to his parents since he was a child. Parents are the antitype. Their family is such a family." "I see." Jiangnan imagined in his mind the appearance of that young man who had never met and was one or two years younger than himself, and couldn't help sighing. "Anyway, we're going to meet his mother too. We'll see when we're done with this trip." Yuki Kazama died in a car accident and was unable to contact Hayato Hikawa.The remaining two people - Kenjiro Aso and Shin Kichinouchi couldn't find it... It seems that the only way to solve the mystery is to find the "Black Cat House" directly. "In addition, I also got an interesting piece of information about Dr. Tian Yu." Lu Gu continued, "This happened last night. A few days ago, the girl named Hao Shi we met called me." "Haoshi? Is she the granddaughter of Professor Shendai?" "Yes. That day, after we left, Professor Jindai remembered what Dr. Tian Yu once said. Hao Shi called to tell me." Lu Gu paused for a moment, looking out of the window, and Jiang Nan followed his gaze.The plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, and the figures of two people sitting side by side were slightly reflected on the porthole. "I live in the mirror world." Lu Gu looked straight at the porthole and muttered. "Mirror World..." "Dr. Tianyu once said such words to Professor Kamiya." "what does that mean?" "According to Haoshi, Professor Jindai seems to understand the meaning of this sentence, but he deliberately didn't tell her. Maybe he thinks it's very interesting to leave a mystery for me, a reasoning writer, and I hope I can solve it." "That professor seems like the kind of guy to do that." "One more thing. Didn't Dr. Tianyu send a postcard to Professor Jindai when the villa was completed 20 years ago, inviting him to visit? The postcard was found. It was Haoshi who rummaged through the boxes in the study and found it." "Really? Then..." "I asked her to tell her the address of the 'Black Cat House' on the phone, but the villa seems to be located in the forest, and there is no house number. I really want to see the postcard with my own eyes, but when she called yesterday, it was already It's late. I asked her to send a courier and try to deliver the postcard to the hotel we booked in Kushiro the day after tomorrow." "It's good to have readers who admire you." Jiang Nan said half-jokingly, but Lu Gu didn't respond, he frowned, put his hands behind his head, and sank deeply into the back of the chair. "My report ends here." Before 5 pm, they arrived at Chitose Airport.Although it was evening, the sun was still high.Tokyo is still in the rainy season. I am afraid that today is also a gloomy and wet weather, but here is a clear sky, which makes people feel refreshed. "Hokkaido is so nice." Lugu looked up at the sky, full of emotion, "When I was a child, this is the land I yearned for. I really want to live here for a while." "It's the first time I've heard you say that. Is there any special reason?" "Hey, a little bit." "Is it because there is no rainy season here?" In fact, Jiangnan also thinks that Hokkaido is good.However, he was born and raised in Kyushu and felt that he could not bear the cold winter here, so he never thought of living in Hokkaido.Lu Gu "hummed" with his nose. "It is true that there are no typhoons and plum rains here. But the key is not these, but that there are no disgusting things here." "Those disgusting things? What are they?" "What else is there, it's cockroaches!" Lu Gu said out smoothly.Looking at his expression, it seems that saying the word "cockroach" made him feel filthy. "What? Mr. Lugu, you also hate cockroaches? Of course, no one would like that thing." "There is nothing more evil than the cockroach. It is like the politicians of this country, dirty, arrogant, greedy; like the old women who gather in the teahouse at noon, shameless and selfish.  … Oops , I just think about it, and I feel uncomfortable. Besides, Mr. Jiangnan," Lu Gu said solemnly, his eyebrows trembling constantly, "every time those cockroaches are cornered, they will fly towards my face. come over." "I see." Jiang Nan never knew that Lu Gu had the weakness of being afraid of cockroaches.He thought of a prank - show him the "Creep Worm" filmed and produced by George A. Lomello next time. It took a long time for Jiang Nan to hold back his laughter.It took about an hour to travel from Chitose Airport to downtown Sapporo by express bus.After they checked in at the hotel next to Avenue Park, they went to the hotel's coffee shop to have dinner. Jiang Nan felt that it was rare to come to Hokkaido, and proposed to find an authentic local restaurant and taste the delicious specialties, but Lugu did not take any action, just blindly vague: "Okay, okay".The way he looks, he must be concentrating on the problem.That face, which was not very kind at first, looked more serious now.Although Jiang Nan knew him well and knew his temperament, he was still a little scrupulous.If you just dragged him out blindly, it might make him angry—"We're not here to travel!"—As a result, Jiang Nan didn't pull Lu Gu out of the hotel after all.Lu Gu didn't seem to understand Jiang Nan's thoughts at all, and finished eating the "Beihai Macaroni Noodles" without saying a word. "That's right, that's right, Mr. Jiangnan!" Lu Gu suddenly stretched out his brows that had been tightly furrowed, "I forgot to tell you. Yesterday, that girl—— Haoshi told me something." "What's the matter?" "Do you know the clock house designed by Nakamura Seiji? Professor Jindai asked Haoshi to tell us that if you want to know the current owner of the clock house, he can introduce it for you." "The clock shop? Is it the clock shop in Kamakura?" Jiangnan subconsciously reached into his trouser pocket and touched his beloved pocket watch.Deer Valley, on the other hand, seemed very calm. "Of course it's the clock house." "The current owner... isn't the current owner Gu Olundian's younger sister? Right now, Gu Olundian seems to be living in Melbourne." "By the way, Nori Koo's younger sister is Terumi Adachi." Lu Gu nodded, and drank the coffee with a lot of milk in one gulp. "You may not remember. The reason why Nori Koooron commissioned Nakamura Seiji to design the house, and the latter readily accepted it, is because Adachi Terumi's husband knew Nakamura Seiji's mentor. There is such a layer of interpersonal relationship in it. " "So that's the case. Then the mentor you mentioned is Professor Jindai?" "It seems so. Recently, I feel more and more that the world is too small." Lu Gu narrowed his sunken eyes and smiled faintly.He looks tired.Compared with before, I often see his tired face recently.The job of being a writer is not easy, or is it because he is getting old? Counting, Lugu is also 41 years old this year.But he never talked about getting married, and never heard that he had a girlfriend.Those vitriolic colleagues even rumored that he was gay, but Jiang Nan didn't think so (at least Jiang Nan never felt any personal danger). "Is he going to be celibate..." Thinking of this, Jiang Nan stopped his thoughts and returned to the current question.I heard that Dr. Tianyu has been celibate, is there any special reason? Jiang Nan expressed his thoughts, "What?" Lu Gu raised his eyebrows. "You haven't figured it out yet?" he asked back. "Didn't you raise this question that day? Do you still remember the answer given by Professor Age of God?" "Hey—yes, I remember, it's what Qingji Nakamura said to Professor Jindai on the phone?" "Yes. He said that Dr. Tianyu has special hobbies, that's what happened." Seeing Jiangnan tilting his head, puzzled, Lu Gu curled his lips and sneered. "What? You don't understand what it means?" "yes." "There's nothing you can do if you don't understand. I'll tell you in just a few days. Now I also need to sort out my thoughts." The next day, July 6, the two left the hotel and went straight to H University. Although they did a little research beforehand, the campus area was too large, and it took them a lot of trouble to find the place they were looking for.After wandering around the campus for about half an hour, they came to the research building of the Biology Department of the Department of Science and Engineering, which was an old red brick building.Maybe in winter, heavy snow covers the houses, whether it is inside the university or on the street, the walls of all buildings are yellow in color. Perhaps because of the upcoming summer vacation, the number of students on campus is much smaller than expected. At the entrance of the research building, Lu Gu stopped a student and asked him where the evolution laboratory was.Just talking about an evolutionary research room, the other party couldn't figure it out, and finally told them: the first floor is the classroom, and the second floor and above are the research rooms of various disciplines. The two hurried straight to the second floor, tried to knock on the door, and asked the college students and graduate students there about Dr. Tian Yu, but no one seemed to have heard of Dr. Tian Yu's name.It was not until the seventh room that a satisfactory answer was obtained. "I've heard of this name, and I've read his thesis." The man who spoke leisurely was a man in his 30s with fluffy hair and the appearance of a teaching assistant. "Tian Yuchen also... When did he become an associate professor here?" "We don't know the specifics, but it must have been 20 years ago. Later, because of some problems, he resigned." After listening to Lu Gu's words, the man tilted his head, thinking. "About how old are you?" "More than 60." "What is your major?" "I heard that they study the theory of evolution." "Really? The theory of evolution? That should be a scholar of zoology." The man muttered, and thought again. Soon, he seemed a little sorry: "I don't know too well. But I did hear about him somewhere, or read his papers." "Do you know Dr. Tian Yu's professor?" "Well... In the past few years, the old professors have retired one by one... Ah, by the way, Teacher Tachibana is still here, maybe she will know." "Teacher Tachibana? Are you the teacher here?" "Yes. Teacher Tachibana. The top of the upper floor is her office. She probably came to work today." "You won't be angry if you visit her suddenly?" "It doesn't matter. In our subject, she is the most amiable teacher. —By the way, just to be cautious, I'd better call and ask for you." "Thank you so much." The man picked up the phone, checked the internal number, and dialed.It seems that Mr. Tachibana is in the research room, and he readily agreed to the request. "She's waiting for you in the office." Putting down the phone, the man smiled contentedly, "She seems to know about Professor Tianyu very well." Lugu and the others knocked on the door, and a woman's gentle voice came from inside.At first, Jiang Nan thought it was the clerk of the laboratory, but after seeing the sign on the gate, he realized that it was Teacher Ju himself. Professor Tachibana Teruko—it turned out to be a female scholar. "Oh! You are a reasoning writer? What a rare visitor." Taking Lugu's business card, Teacher Tachibana smiled innocently, not at all like an old professor, "Please sit down, and that gentleman please sit down too. I'll pour you a glass Tea." She is an old woman with white hair, not tall, with a slender figure, wearing a slightly bulky white dress.She sat on a brown leather chair and looked at them with a smile.That look makes people think that she is not a university teacher, but an amiable female doctor. "I heard that you want to inquire about Teacher Tianyu, right?" She quickly poured tea and sat across from the two of them, "Just now Mr. Zetian from downstairs called and suddenly mentioned the name of that old friend, I was really surprised at the time "—Zawada seems to be the name of the man just now—"I haven't heard the name of Teacher Tianyu for many years." "How long has Dr. Tianyu stayed in this university?" Lu Gu asked immediately after coming up. Mrs. Orange was wearing a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, and her small eyes kept blinking: "It's been more than ten years ago-oh, drink it while it's hot. This is not long ago, my daughter who married to Kyoto brought it to me. gifts." "thanks." "By the way, why do you, a speculative novelist, inquire about Teacher Tianyu? Could it be to collect novel materials?" "Well, yes. Kind of like that." "There seems to be something wrong?" Teacher Tachibana held a teacup and watched the two of them.Although she still smiled kindly, her eyes were sharp. Lugu felt that he couldn't hide too much when dealing with her, so he gave a general explanation of the history of his coming here, but he didn't talk about the contents of the notebook. "...In the past, I was more interested in that architect, Qingji Nakamura, so I wanted to see that villa as much as possible. Because the villa is in Akan, we stopped here to see if anyone knows Dr. Tianyu. That's it." "Loss of memory? That's quite painful." Teacher Tachibana believed Katani's words, "Is Mr. Ayuta Fuyuma here today?" "Originally we came to Sapporo together, but he suddenly fell ill." "Are you still going to Ahan?" "Yes. Tomorrow we will go to Kushiro, where we will meet Mr. Ayuta. We will start looking for that villa the day after tomorrow—by the way, Professor, do you know the villa of Dr. Tianyu? It is the villa called 'Black Cat House'. " "I don't know the name of that villa, but I heard that he built a villa in Ahan before." "Is it 20 years ago?" "Yes, that's when. The university was messed up because of the student movement." Lu Gu finished the tea in the cup and sat upright. "Therefore, we want to inquire about Dr. Tian Yu's situation in as much detail as possible. Even I, a writer, am very interested in him." "You said you want to know more about it, but that happened many years ago." Teacher Tachibana shook his head, as if he didn't have confidence in his memory. "You guys should ask. That way, it will be easier for me to remember." "Then let's ask... first of all—when did Dr. Tianyu come to this university?" "This... I was still a teaching assistant at the time, probably 30 years ago." "That means it was around 1960?" Lu Gu took out a notebook from the pocket of his winter jacket, and asked while taking notes, "I heard that he is an associate professor, is he the same major as you?" "No. Our majors are different. However, in terms of subject areas, we are adjacent majors." "He came to this university directly after returning from studying abroad?" "Yes. He stayed at the University of Tasmania in Australia for two or three years. He is a few years younger than me—just 30 years old, and he became an associate professor." "Is he a good man?" "It's more than excellent, it's a genius. But because of that, it has brought bad results and is very isolated in academia." "Considered heresy?" "Let's put it this way. He's not good at dealing with people either. In fact, he shouldn't be a scholar, but an artist. He doesn't seem to be interested in things like honor and status in society... Right, right , he likes to draw and often paints in his room." "Is it in the university's office?" "Yes. He's a weird guy. He looks very masculine, and he seems to be very popular among female students." Maybe it's a psychological effect, and Teacher Tachibana's voice is a little fuzzy at this point. "Professor, do you have a good personal relationship with the doctor?" "Because we are fellow villagers, it is easier to communicate with other people." "My hometown... I heard that the doctor's hometown is Kushiro." "That's right. My hometown is also Kushiro. ——He would often tell me about his time studying abroad and drive me home. He likes to drink, and sometimes he would take me there. Some people spread rumors indiscriminately, Said we have that kind of relationship." The old woman closed her eyes, looking very nostalgic for the past years. "I heard he's been single all this time, isn't it?" "Yes. As far as I know, he has always been single." At this point, Teacher Ju's tone changed a little.She continued, "How should I put it? Teacher Tianyu doesn't seem to be interested in women." Lugu pursed his mouth and hummed softly a few times, seeming to be chewing on the meaning of Teacher Tachibana's words.Then he asked the next question slowly. "Did you know that he once adopted his sister's daughter?" "You mean Risako, right?" Teacher Tachibana casually said the name. "Have you seen her?" "Teacher Tianyu often brings her to the university. She is a cute child, not talkative, not the lively and cheerful type. Teacher Tianyu loves her very much." "Do you know anything about her mother?" "Only once." "where?" "She opened a bar by herself, and Teacher Tianyu took me there." "What kind of person is he?" "It's...don't remember exactly. It's beautiful—it's kind of like a goblin, but that's what it feels like anyway." "I heard that she died after giving birth to Risako." "Yes. At that time, Teacher Tianyu was moaning all day long. That was his only relative." "Why did he resign later? I heard that something went wrong." "That matter..." Teacher Ju's expression became serious, he hesitated to speak, sighed, and said again, "He drank too much and caused some trouble. Teacher Tianyu used the strength of alcohol to contradict his boss, It seems that he beat someone. It was in broad daylight, at school. Originally at school, he was regarded as a strange person, and no one came out to protect him, but in the end..." "So it is. When did that happen?" "Ten years ago." "Do you know what Dr. Tian Yu did after being dismissed by the university?" "It seems to have been in Sapporo for a while." "I heard he's bankrupt, is that true?" "That's what I heard too. He left Sapporo secretly, like absconding." Teacher Tachibana lowered his eyes, "In a sense, he is a simple person. To put it bluntly, he is ignorant of worldly affairs. For He also doesn't care about money... If he really went bankrupt, he must have been scammed." "Are you ignorant of the doctor's current movements?" "Yes. I've heard some rumors that he committed suicide or something. Those are irresponsible rumors. No one mentioned it anymore recently." "Where's Risako? Do you know anything?" "she……" Teacher Tachibana was silent for a long time again.For her, it was getting harder and harder to speak about Dr. Tianyu. "A few years before Teacher Tianyu left the university, she disappeared suddenly. She went on a trip with Teacher Tianyu and disappeared in another place... Teacher Tianyu searched everywhere, but she still couldn't find it. Depressed and started drinking in broad daylight." "At that time - when Risako disappeared, how old was she?" "Going to middle school soon. About 12 years old." This is the crucial question.Who is the skeleton mentioned in Ayuta Fuyuma's Notes?If what Mr. Tachibana said is correct, it is very likely that it is the bones of Risako who has been missing for many years... Kaguya closed the notebook, pressed the tip of the fine ballpoint pen to his chin, and nodded alone.Teacher Tachibana looked at him, and soon, Lugu raised his head. "I'm very sorry for taking you so long. I want to ask one more question at the end." "You look like a detective in a TV show." Teacher Tachibana laughed amusedly, "You're welcome. I'm going to retire soon. Occasionally having such exciting conversations can also delay aging." "It's easy for me to say that. Even I find these questions too abrupt." "No, no, I don't think so." "That's good. The last question - I mentioned Professor Jindai to you from the very beginning, Dr. Tian Yu's college friend, he told us that the doctor often said a word - 'I am the person who lives in the mirror' .I don’t know if you’ve heard this phrase before?” "The person who lives in the mirror..." Teacher Ju lowered his voice, repeating the words in his mouth repeatedly, "I remembered. I heard him say that several times." "What does this sentence mean, do you know?" "I don't know. I don't know what it means. I have asked the doctor several times, but he just laughed and didn't answer, and deliberately diverted. However, once, he slightly..." "Told you?" "He didn't answer my question directly. He was talking about another matter, but when I thought about it afterwards, I felt that it had something to do with that sentence." Lu Gu looked at Teacher Tachibana in puzzlement.She continued: "At that time, Dr. Tianyu described her physical characteristics. Total visceral inversion—have you heard of it? Including the heart, all internal organs are upside down. Teacher Tianyu was born with this body structure." - Total visceral inversion. Jiang Nan applauded in his heart—it turned out to be such a thing.It turned out that his internal organs were all upside down, so he used the rhetorical technique of "I am the man who lives in the mirror" to describe (or confess) his deformity. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you?" Teacher Tachibana stood up, "There is a delicious sushi restaurant nearby, how about we go together? Mystery novelist! Tell me about your work during the meal!" They ate for a long time at the sushi restaurant recommended by Mr. Tachibana.After the meal, at the suggestion of Teacher Ju, they visited several other laboratories and asked insiders about Dr. Tian Yu's situation, but they did not get any more information, so there are only two points worth noting.One is Dr. Tianyu's working status when he was an "associate professor". Everyone said that Dr. Tianyu often brought painting tools into the office, so it can be imagined that he is not a person who is enthusiastic about research and teaching in this university.I miss a lot of classes, I don’t attend professor meetings, and I let the students in the seminars go as they please.It seems that he doesn't focus on his own scientific research, especially in the next few years, his research results are almost zero.The suspension of classes before and after the winter and summer vacations is much more surprising. It is said that in the most excessive year, he actually suspended classes from mid-October, and did not come to school until early February after the Chinese New Year.Some people said that with his appearance, even if there was no drinking and fighting incident, he would probably be punished accordingly. Another one is related to the bankruptcy of the doctor. When he was still serving at the university, he borrowed money from many people. When he was fired, he was already heavily in debt and unable to repay.The rumors that he left here like absconding are not entirely groundless.If these rumors were true, his villa in Ahan would naturally be sold to the creditor. After changing hands several times, it fell into the hands of the real estate owner Kazama last year. After being busy for a long time, the two didn't return to the hotel until the evening. Lu Gu and last night looked like different people, they looked energetic and seemed to want to have a few drinks outside.But Jiangnan was exhausted today, and he couldn't cheer up.In half a day, I met dozens of strangers, and they were all students and scholars from unfamiliar laboratories.Although Lu Gu was basically talking, he was also thinking about speculation.Jiang Nan felt extremely sore in his shoulders and neck, and his stomach was also uncomfortable. At this time, he accidentally thought of the "Ten Jiao Pavilion" incident four years ago.At that time, he and Lu Gu were running around like detectives.Now he still remembers that he was tortured by a strong sense of futility and self-loathing at that time... The situation was different then, but he still felt that he could not become a "famous detective".No, I am not even qualified to play a role like Holmes' assistant Watson. "The matter is already very clear." In the coffee room yesterday, after Lu Gu finished eating "North Sea Loria", he said happily, "We are really lucky to meet Mr. Tachibana. What do you think? Jiangnan Jun." "Yes." Jiangnan stretched consciously, trying to cheer himself up, "I was really surprised when I heard that Dr. Tianyu suffered from visceral inversion." "Yes. It's generally called right-sided heart disease. In layman's terms, the heart is on the right side. In fact, other organs are also reversed. Of course, there are also cases where the heart is on the right side, but this will cause many problems." "If all the organs are reversed, will it have no effect on health?" "That's what I heard. Many people only find out that they suffer from visceral inversion during the school's health check." Lu Gu took out the first and last cigarette of the day from the cigarette case, "he He actually expressed his own deformity with the words "I am a person living in a mirror", which shows that Dr. Tian Yu is more suitable to be a writer or painter than a scholar. I must read his writing when I have time. thesis." "Teacher Orange also mentioned the disappearance of his adopted daughter." "Yes. It's a pity that I don't know the exact year. But I calculated the time based on their words and made such a table. You can take a look." As he spoke, Lugu opened the notes and on one page , wrote a simple chronology related to Dr. Tian Yu: 1947 Entered T University and became the first batch of students after the new academic system took effect.Together with Jindai, he participated in the activities of the doujin magazine. 1951 Entered graduate school. 1953 Entered the doctoral school of T University. 1957?Study abroad at the University of Tasmania. 1960?Became an associate professor at H University. 1964?Risako was born, Tianyu's younger sister died, and he adopted Risako as his adopted daughter. 1970 Built the Kuronekokan in Akan. 1976?Risako (12 years old) goes missing. 1978 Left H University. 1982?Bankrupt, whereabouts unknown. "Through this chronology, I can roughly imagine some things that happened around Dr. Tian Yu in the past. If speculation is allowed, based on this chronology, I can explain what he was thinking about at that time, what kind of impulse he had, etc." "right." 江南无精打采地附和着，鹿谷继续说下去。 “我们可以暂且把鲇田手记中出现的白骨假定为是那个失踪的理沙子。十几年前，她在黑猫馆死了。从她的尸体被藏匿于地下室甬道这个事实来分析，可以认定是他杀。而且，正如手记中冰川隼人所分析的，那个凶手很有可能就是理沙子的养父、别墅的主人——天羽辰也本人。” “是的，你说的有道理。” “但是为什么博士要亲手杀死自己疼爱有加的养女呢？你考虑过这个问题没有？江南君。” "this……" “虽然有点主观臆断，但我还是得出一个结论。橘老师不是用微妙的语气说博士对女性不感兴趣吗？而且，中村青司也说他有特殊嗜好。怎么？还没明白过来？” “是的，我还是不太明白。” "Oh, is it?" 鹿谷叼上烟，点上火，有滋有味地抽起来。他拿起放在桌边的黑色活页本。里面是那本手记的拷贝件。 江南也有一份拷贝件，原件则归还给了鲇田本人。鹿谷没有再说什么，神情严肃地翻开活页本。 “你能告诉我结论吗？” 江南表现出不满，鹿谷露出一丝苦笑。 “你自己再好好考虑一下。我也有许多地方不太明白。尤其是这本手记中的内容，我是越看越觉得有许多纳闷之处。”鹿谷从衬衫的口袋里掏出红色签字笔，在手记的拷贝件上写着什么。江南则无聊地撑着胳膊，看着鹿谷。 “对了。”很快，鹿谷又抬起头，“刚才我给鲇田老人打了一个电话，听说他的身体已经恢复了。他说只要明天没有大雾影响飞机着陆，晚上之前，可以赶到钏路的酒店。” “明天一大早就要出发？” “是的。我想在傍晚前赶到。在那里还需要调查几件事——今天晚上要早点休息。” 第二天，他们乘坐的是途经石胜线的特快列车“天空”号。 虽然昨天很早就上床了，但是由于精神极度亢奋，怎么也睡不着，一直到上火车的时候，江南还睡眼迷离的。鹿谷好像也一样，不停地揉着眼睛，打着呵欠。从札幌到钏路的五个小时不到的路程中，两个人都没有说话，在摇晃的列车上呼呼大睡。下午3点前，他们到达钏路。与东京相比，札幌的气候就很舒服了，而这里则更为凉快。路上的行人大多穿着长袖衬衫。听说在这里，即便是盛夏，平均最高气温也不会超过20度。薄雾弥漫下的城市让人感受到别样的风情，仿佛整个城市都渗透出淡淡的水汽。 刚到酒店，鹿谷就马不停蹄地开始行动了。 他先从前台借来两本钏路市的电话簿，一个是按字母排序的，一个是按行业排序的，坐在大厅的沙发上，翻阅起来。但是他好像没有发现自己想找的电话号码。过了一会，他轻声叹口气，把电话本一扔，看看坐在旁边发呆的江南。 “在那本手记的开篇，好像提到了足立秀秋那个人，是吧？” “是的。他是不动产业主风间在这里的代理人。” “是呀。我觉得在天羽博士转卖别墅的时候，他大概就在当地从事房屋买卖的生意了。如果那样，他本人就很有可能住在钏路市内。我天真地认为只要查找这里的电话簿，说不定就会有意外的收获。” “电话簿上没有他的号码吗？” “很遗憾，没有。” 鹿谷把电话簿还了回去，顺便和酒店的工作人员东拉西扯起来。江南坐在沙发上，看着放在大厅里供客人浏览的观光图，鹿谷他们的交谈声时不时地传进耳朵里。 “你看见过UFO吗？” “哎……没有。” “听说这一两年，有不少人看见了UFO。” “哎……我没怎么听说。” “那你知道阿伊努族和失踪大陆的关系吗？” "..." “算了，算了，你不知道也没什么。” “哎呀，真对不起。” “你看见过熊吗？” “在动物园里看见过几次。” “难道在钏路市内不会出现吗？没有出现过，是吧？” “是的。这怎么可能。在山村里好像有熊出没。” “明白了。真是非常感谢。” 鹿谷回到江南身边，坐在沙发上，满脸严肃，抄着双手。 江南问他刚才为什么打听那些事情，可鹿谷却一言不发，撅着嘴，摇摇头，似乎在说——别烦我。突然，鹿谷一把夺过江南打开放在膝盖上的观光地图，指着上面一点，说道：“这就是那个监狱遗址。你看。在那本手记里，冰川隼人向鲇田老人提到过。” 江南顺着他指的方向，看了一眼。是一个叫“塘路湖”的细长湖泊。它位于钏路市东北，广阔的钏路草原东侧。 “这上面不是写着'乡土馆'嘛。其实这过去是北海道集治监狱钏路分监狱的主建筑，据说是网走看守所的前身。” “原来如此。 “看来离这里还蛮远的。先坐半个小时的火车，再步行十分钟。如果有时间，我倒想去看看。”鹿谷把地图还给江南，嘟哝一声，站起身，“鲇田老人还要过一会才能来。在他来之前，我先去办点事。” “行呀。你准备去哪呀？” “先要到租车点预约车。然后打个电话到警察局，问问去年月发生在阿寒的凶杀案。然后到书店去。这附近好像有大型书店。” “书店？你要买交通地图呀？” “不是，交通地图，我早就准备好了。我想买稍微专业一点的书籍。偶尔也要学习学习。” 鲇田冬马顺利地到达了钏路。 他来到酒店的时候，江南正在一楼休息室喝着红茶，重新翻阅着手记的拷贝件。当他眼睛的余光看到一个老人走进大厅，马上就断定那是鲇田。他穿着茶色的裤子和外套，头上戴着茶色的无檐帽，右手拄着拐棍，慢腾腾地朝前台走去。 江南站起来，朝老人走去：“辛苦了”，他打声招呼，鲇田老人回过头，看见是江南，顿时显得很开心。 “总算到了。”他声音沙哑地说着。 “您身体没事了吧？” “只是得了热伤风。现在，我的身体抵抗力下降了。基本上好了。”说完，他笑了起来，满脸皱纹。与前几天在新宿酒店里相比，他脸上明显透出疲惫之色。他住院几个月，又出了这么一趟远门，肯定累坏了。 “对这个城市，感觉如何？有没有想起点什么？” 鲇田拉拉遮住左眼的眼罩，嘟囔了一下：“是呀。我觉得挺熟悉的。过去肯定来过这里……” “在札幌，我们获得了许多与天羽博士有关的情报。那个别墅肯定在阿寒。” "yes?" “明天，我们就租辆车，去那里。别墅的大概位置，我们也弄清了——那天我们离开酒店后，您还是什么都没有想起来吗？” “是的。”老人点点头，满脸惆怅，“脑子里时不时会闪出一些片段，但怎么也抓不住，想不起来。” “明天肯定会有进展的。” 江南虽然微笑着，但心里却突然苦闷起来。 “明天会有进展的”——那些进展是这个满身创伤的老人所期求的吗？说不定，对他而言，就这样忘记从前，生活下去反倒是幸福的。江南也没有什么确凿的理由，就是这么下意识地感觉着。 等到鹿谷从外面回来，三个人一起吃了晚饭。虽然鲇田老人坚持说自己没事，但他的身体好像还没有完全康复，晚饭后，早早地回房间休息了。 明天预定是上午9点半出发。明天在火车上，可不能像今天这样呼呼大睡，因此江南和鹿谷也要早点睡觉。 “有样东西给你看看，等会到我房间来。” 鲇田老人走后，鹿谷冲江南说道。两人先各自回房间淋浴，洗完澡后，江南来到隔壁鹿谷的房间。当时瘦高的鹿谷正躺在床上，心不在焉地看着电视。 “今天可是星期六呀。”鹿谷说着，“我想看《乌贼天》，但那个电视剧太晚了。”他拿起遥控器，来回换着频道。虽说这里不是东京，但仍能收到不少电视节目。 江南看见桌子上随意地放着一本书。 “这是今天买的？” 从书名和包装来看，好像是动物学方面的书籍。 “你说那本书？”鹿谷欠起身，用两手的食指按按凹陷的眼窝，“确实学到不少……” “警察的答复如何？你不是给他们打电话了吗？” “不行！”鹿谷微微地耸耸肩，“警察说我唐突地问那些问题，他们无法回答，还问我是谁。结果一无所获。哎呀，就是有那样的警察，和那帮政治家一样，都弄不清自己是什么玩意。” “你没有把大分县的老哥抬出来？” 鹿谷有两个哥哥。一个是研究犯罪心理学的长兄，还有一个是大分县搜查一科的警官，江南和他见过几次。 “那也太无聊了，我没提。”说完，鹿谷轻声叹口气。 上高中的时候，江南曾经因为驾驶摩托超速被警察逮住过。当时警察的态度不可一世，很骄横，真让人想破口大骂，想到这，他就非常体谅鹿谷叹气的原因了。鹿谷也曾经说过，即便是警察，也是林林总总，鱼龙混杂的。 “你不是说有样东西要给我看吗？” 随即，鹿谷便从桌子上拿过一封信：“今天到达酒店的时候，我从前台拿到的。本来想早一点给你看，但你容易把事情表现在脸上。”说着，打开信封，将里面的东西掏出来。原来是一张发黄的明信片。 “我知道，这是浩世寄过来的。这就是当年天羽博士寄给神代教授的明信片？” "yes." 鹿谷点点头，扫了一眼明信片上的文字。他让江南坐下来，自己则坐在床铺一端，郑重其事地说起来。 “江南君，你在看手记的时候，就没有纳闷过？当鲇田老人得知几个年轻人弄死雷纳后，为什么那么乖乖地听从冰川的意见，不去报告警察呢？” “那是因为鲇田曾默许他们吸毒，害怕这件事情暴露后给自己带来麻烦。” “手记中是这么写的。而且这么说，也是符合常理的。但是你就没有觉得他内心其实很矛盾吗？” "That's true." “还有就是他在尸体面前表现出的冷静态度。把脉，根据尸体的僵硬程度就能毫不费事地推断出死亡时间……” “你的意思是说他处理得太专业了？” “就是。还有，当冰川提出将尸体藏匿在地下室的时候，他也没有激烈反对。这也让我不能理解。当他决定支持那个提议的时候，是那么想的——'这么处理有难得的好处'，但这到底是什么好处呢？”江南不知如何作答。鹿谷瞥了一眼电视里的新闻节目后，缓缓地将明信片放入信封里。 “总之，你先看看。这是一封普通的明信片，文字也没什么特殊的，但是却包含有今天疑问的答案。” 7月8日，星期天的早晨。 鹿谷门实、江南孝明，还有鲇田冬马三个人开车前往阿寒。他们借的是马力强大、四轮驱动的灰色“赛弗”。鹿谷开车，鲇田坐在旁边，江南坐在后排。 一大早，钏路的街道上，大雾弥漫，连前方几米远的行人都看不清。鹿谷打开车前的黄色雾灯，慢悠悠地穿过街道，沿着240国道，朝阿寒开去。离开市区后，浓雾也逐渐散去，车子的速度也上来了。进入阿寒市后，鹿谷好几次停车向当地人问路，没有一个人知道别墅的确切位置。直到路过一个旧电器店的时候，里面的老板才为他们提供了有价值的情报。过去为了修理电器，他曾经到过那个位于森林深处的宅子。 “竟然也有怪人，会把房子建在那么偏僻的森林里。好像那个人还是札幌的大学老师。” “是不是叫天羽呀？”鹿谷问道。 对方歪着脖子：“那我就忘记了。” “那已经是很久以前的事了。对了，那里还有一个小女孩。” “后来，你没有再去过吗？” “我记得好像没有再去过。” “直到去年，有个叫鲇田的人在那里当管理员，你认识吗？这位就是那个管理员……他出了点事故，想不起来过去的事情了。”鹿谷指指坐在旁边的鲇田老人。旧电器店老板歪着脑袋。 “是吗？我还以为现在那里没有人居住了。” “你听说过足立秀秋这个名字吗？” "never heard of that." “前段时间，那个宅子里有人死了。你知道吗？” "have no idea." 旧电器店老板凭着当年的记忆，给他们画了一幅通往别墅的路线地图。鹿谷道谢后，将地图交给鲇田老人，开车出发了。 中途路过派出所的时候，鹿谷连车子都没有停。也许昨天给警察打电话的遭遇，让他很长时间里不愿与他们啰唆了。 离开阿寒市，他们沿着被当地人称为“球藻国道”的大路，朝北奔向阿寒湖。按照旧电器店老板指示的符号，他们向西，拐进一条小路，后来又左拐右绕的，进入了繁茂的枞树林中，道路状况也恶劣了，全是简易的土路。 将近中午的时候，他们三个人总算到达了那个宅子前。