Chapter 9 CHAPTER VIII REASONS FOR DELAY

August 3 at 9:00 p.m. Although the search meeting was over, there was still a heavy air in the search section of the Nishi-Fukuoka Bureau.The yellowish fluorescent lamp illuminated the smog that filled the room.On a windless summer night, even with the windows open, it's sweltering. The condensed air is like a stalemate, which is boring. It has been two weeks since Tanno Tatsuhisa's body was found.During this period, the relationship between the victim Danye has been ascertained, and there are two or three suspected murderers, but there is no direct and definite evidence for which one is the real murderer, so the investigation of the case is still in place these days.

Suspicious suspects are Gunji Xianghei and Kurahashi Mitsuo, and some people think that Tanno Reiko is also related to this incident.Of course, such an inference is not without reason. First of all, the county commander Xianghei—two days after the incident, Kurahashi himself went to search the headquarters and explained the reason for Danye's "disappearance".It turned out that the county secretary asked Danye to endorse the check, but Danye couldn't refuse directly, so he had to hide and wait until the Kyushu Iron and Steel incident became clear. After this, the investigators of course immediately visited the county secretary. Under questioning, the county secretary admitted that he asked Danye to endorse, but Danye disappeared before he got an answer from Danye.The county secretary never believed that Danye's disappearance had anything to do with the endorsement of the check, so he seemed indifferent to Danye's disappearance.Dan Ye was not the only one who endorsed the check requested by the county secretary, so he was not in a hurry to find out where Dan Ye was.I have never heard of Wangxiangzhuang.

and.The county secretary explained to the criminal police at the end of the past few days that he had asked Danye to endorse and guarantee.It's because Tanno used to be his subordinate.He felt that publicizing the matter might hurt his face, so he didn't want to mention it. But this may also be the county secretary's own excuse.The truth probably is.The county secretary has known the reason since Danye disappeared, and looked for him everywhere, and finally found him in Room 15 of Wangxiangbi.It is not impossible for the two to have an argument and accidentally kill Dan Ye. Furthermore, the county secretary did not have proof of his alibi on July 16.If it is said that the murder was based on such a motive, the county secretary should be the biggest suspect.

Suspects belong to suspicions.The search of the headquarters was unable to take action to arrest the county secretary, because there was no direct evidence to prove that the county secretary was the murderer. First.There is no evidence that the county secretary was present in Room 15 of Wangxiangzhuang.At that time, he himself was facing a critical moment before bankruptcy, so of course he had no reason to go to Danye in person.But there was no clue that he had asked someone to look for it. Second, although the county secretary did not provide an alibi, there was no clue that he entered and exited Wangxiangzhuang on the morning of the 16th when the case occurred.Other people in Wangxiangzhuang did not see Junsiqi that morning, and there were no witnesses at the mountain entrance of Wangxiangzhuang, the Fujiang store on the west side, and the Xili residential area on the east side.The west side is sparsely populated, but the east side is a new residential area, with many supermarkets and shops, and many people leaving get off work in the morning and evening. Therefore, if the murderer enters and exits Wangxiangzhuang from the east side, it will not be easy to attract attention, and the search operation of the police will also be difficult. unfavorable.

Gunji's fingerprints were not found in Room 15 at the scene, and no fingerprints were found on the bronze ashtray used as the murder weapon.It is likely that the murderer was very careful and escaped after wiping his fingerprints.Several fingerprints collected from various places in the room, including Tanno's own, were not consistent with the fingerprints of people around Danno, and it was inferred that they were left by the past tenants. Another important reason for determining that the murderer is the county secretary is the issue of women. On the morning when the case happened, a young woman walked out of room 15 at the scene. This woman is believed to be the same woman who entered and exited the room before Danye moved in from June 25 to July 9. This woman is related to the case. very likely.

According to Canghashi's testimony and phone calls, this woman may have seen the murderer's face, and she disappeared after the murder, so it can be concluded that she gave Danye's house key to the murderer before the murder. However, this woman could not be found around the county secretary.Finding this woman is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is too difficult, so the search is still in place. There is no trace of this woman around the victim Tanno Tatsuhisa. Shouguang searched the headquarters and focused on Danye's secretary Takami Yurie, but the investigation only got a rumor that the relationship between Danye and Lily was not only the relationship between the chairman and the secretary, this was an open secret inside Danye Steel.Danye is a bachelor, and Lilyzhi is a woman who knows how to please men. They often take walks together, and rumors spread naturally.Tanno has always ignored these rumors.But Lily Branch neither admits nor positively denies it.

But when the police questioned Lily Zhi, she denied it.She said that she respected the chairman very much, and she was also valued very much. When the two of them were alone together, Danye never touched her, and Lily Zhi didn't dare to think so much. Although she had heard the rumors, but her mouth grew on others, she had no choice but to keep silent. No matter what Lily Zhi said was true or not, if she insisted that she was the key woman, it would be very reluctant. On the morning of July 16, Lily Zhi did not have an alibi. On the 15th and 16th, Lily Zhi was on a physiological holiday, but the vacation was canceled due to the sudden disappearance of the chairman, and she was at work in the afternoon of these two days.Lily branch came from a farm family in Oita prefecture. She came to Fukuoka to work and lived with relatives along the Muromi River east of Tanno Steel Company. On the morning of the 16th, she rested in her room.The Lily branch that the people in Mengli saw while eating lunch, but she did not have an alibi on the morning of the 16th.

From June 25th to July 9th, it is certain that the woman Sudou saw for the second time was not Lilyzhi, because this period was from the end of the month to the beginning of the month, and it was the busiest period for Danye Steel, and Lilyzhi could hardly go out during the day , They all stay in the company to handle things, which is proved by the company colleagues. For the sake of caution, the gathering staff showed Lilyzhi's photo to Sudou and Koizumi Yuko, the tenant of Room 10. Because the women they witnessed were all covered with hats and sunglasses, so they couldn't be sure.Koizumi Yuko felt a bit like it, but he couldn't be sure.

Since the key woman is not Takami Lilyzhi, the search of the headquarters focuses on other women who have close contacts with Danye. It mainly focuses on the bars and restaurants that Dan Ye used to frequent, that is, waitresses, hostesses and other women, but the gains in this area are not great. The three women who had a relationship with Danye were only temporary sexual objects, and did not have a closer relationship with Danye, and these women all had alibi on the 16th. In this way.The person Danno can rest assured to hand over the room key to her also knows his younger sister Lianzi.This is why Lianzi is considered to be related to the murder case.Furthermore, Lianzi is his younger sister, and her visit to Wangxiangzhuang must not be a matter of love between men and women, but there are other reasons.

Neither Sudou saw the woman nor Koizumi Yuko met the girl, and Lianzi failed to prove her alibi, which is more unfavorable for Lingzi than Lilyzhi.Lianzi's working hours in the production department of the TV station are not fixed, and it is common to go out during the day. Although Lianzi said that she did not know the place of Wangxiangzhuang before the body was found, it is difficult to prove that she had never been to the place before. The investigators also showed Yuko Koizumi's photo of Lianzi, and Sudou had already met her in person.But in the end, Sudou said "very similar", but Koizumi Yuko shook his head and refused to speak.

According to Nakagawa Keigo, he has certain doubts about Lianzi, because Lianzi's attitude has changed significantly from the time she first mentioned Danye's disappearance to Nakagawa to the time when Wang Xiangzhuang found the body. On July 13, Lianzi, who visited Nakagawa for the first time, only explained that her brother had been missing for 5 days, but did not show anxiety, and showed hesitation about the search proposed by Nakagawa. On the morning of the 18th, Lianzi urgently demanded a public search. On the 20th, she appeared on TV and personally asked the people of the whole country to help find Danye. Between the 13th and 18th, something must have happened to cause Lingzi's attitude to change suddenly.Don't tell me, Danye was killed on the morning of the 16th. Is this fact related to the change of Lianzi's attitude?One thing, also on the 16th, Kyushu Steel declared bankruptcy. After Nakagawa discovered this.Once visited Reiko Tanno at a quiet house near Fukuoka Castle alone. Regarding the reasons for the sudden change in Lianzi's attitude that Nakagawa asked, Lianzi said frankly and decisively. "I have a reason - it's just a puff on TV." "Arrogance?" "Yes, thanks to the broadcast of the TV program, I was able to get the news and find the beginning of the matter. In fact, I didn't have much expectations for the TV. I just thought that even if my brother didn't see me on TV, it would be impossible. He'll be told he's a saving grace, and then he'll show up." "You still believe that Danye went into hiding out of his own volition?" "Although I believe it, I don't have much confidence. I'm still very worried, that's why I asked you to discuss it... However, one thing has been settled. If my brother won't come back, I will be nervous. If I go on TV, my brother will have to do it for the sake of face." I will hurry back, and if he doesn’t come back, something will happen—that’s my purpose.” Lianzi, who was in her own home without makeup, still had the image of her girlhood in Nakagawa's memory.However, perhaps because of her occupation, Lianzi speaks quickly and methodically no matter what. "A certain matter you are referring to has been closed. Do you mean the bankruptcy of Kyushu Iron and Steel?" "yes……" "So, do you know the reason why Brother Ling disappeared?" "Although I don't know the exact reason...but I know a thing or two based on my guess." "Did you listen to what Cangqiao said?" "No, no one told me." Hearing Cangqiao's name, some shadows appeared in Lianzi's eyes. "In mid-June, my brother was very troubled by Mr. Junsi's injustice. He once mentioned it to me. After that, Kyushu Iron and Steel's operating conditions became worse. I can imagine that my brother must leave in order not to directly refuse In short, since Kyushu Iron and Steel has declared bankruptcy, there is no reason for my brother not to come back." Lianzi said, biting her lips. "So that's why you have changed so much." Nakagawa's tone became softer and softer. "You want to use your appearance on TV to contact Brother Ling directly or indirectly, and you can also find out who the contact is." Lianzi raised her head, the shadows in her eyes deepened. "Mr. Kurahashi said that he didn't know the reason for Mr. Tanno's disappearance and where he was hiding until he received a call on the evening of the 15th. I think he knew it a long time ago, right?" "Maybe!" Lianzi seemed to be about to cry. "My brother discusses most things with him...I don't know what's going on." Lianzi's head never lifted up again. Since this is the case, it is inconvenient for Zhong Chuan to stay any longer. Lianzi sent Zhong Chuan to the gate.Nakagawa browsed Lianzi's room again, it was small, exquisite and tidy. A pot of pink carnations was placed in the living room, matched with cream-colored curtains and home decorations, exuding an elegant atmosphere.This place is in great contrast to where Tanno lives. "Why don't you live with Brother Ling? You brothers and sisters depend on each other for life, and the relationship should be better. If you stay with Brother Ling, he will have a better life." Lianzi looked at Zhong Chuan with wide eyes, seemingly hesitating to speak. "Did you have any difficulties when you moved out of your home in Nishishincho three years ago?" "No." Lianzi replied in a low voice. Lianzi shook her head, tears slowly oozing out. Staring at the smoke in the room, Nakagawa was still thinking about Lianzi's tears.At this moment, Section Chief Munakata's bright voice broke the silence. "At least three people know the reason for Tanno's disappearance. What else has become clear?" Section Chief Munakata wore a pair of glasses on his stern face. His calm eyes looked a little stern through the glasses, but he was also kind, and he would not show anxious expression even if he encountered a complicated case.Team Leader Nakagawa, Director Odagiri, Detective Toda, and Detective Kazuki all faced Munakata, waiting to continue the discussion.After about 80 investigators held a briefing on the case, Section Chief Hirochi of the County Police and others left first, and Section Chief Munakata asked the four of them to stay for a while. "Jun Si Xiangping, Kurahashi Mitsuo, and Tanno Reiko all know the reason for Tanno's disappearance. If someone finds out the hiding place from Tanno's mouth, it is very possible to kill him by taking the opportunity." "I thought Cangqiao should be the first to know about it." Fei Tian leaned his upper body and said eagerly.Toyoda, who just graduated from university and claims to be a "logic" school, had an aversion to Canghashi when the crime happened, which is obvious to all.Although criminal police are also human beings, they must not be moved by personal anger when handling a case, otherwise the direction of investigation will inevitably deviate. "Not only did Kurahashi know the reason, but he also probably persuaded Danye to reject the request of the county secretary. Judging from Tanno Yasuhisa's character and his past relationship with the county secretary, Danno himself might accept the request of the county secretary, but because of Kurahashi's strong opposition, Danye had to dodge..." Although Toda was a little emotional, Nakagawa also agreed with his reasoning. And the county secretary also noticed Danye Steel's intentions. When he visited the county secretary last time, didn't he keep saying that Cangqiao was a very ambitious person? "Cangqiao tried his best to encourage Danye to disappear, and then use the opportunity to kill Danye." "and then?" Zongxiang asked. "That woman is most likely Lianzi." Minister Odagiri stared straight at the ceiling, seeming to be talking to himself.Toda turned around and said to Odagiri, "Pieko knew what Kurahashi was thinking a long time ago, so she pretended to take care of Danno and went in and out of that room frequently, but she still couldn't stop Kurahashi's attack. What Sudou saw The woman may have appeared since Tanno moved in on July 9th, but he didn't see it." "But why did that woman go to room 15 on the morning of the 16th?" Odagiri was still staring at the ceiling. "That's what I've been thinking about..." Toda's burning eyes turned to the window again. "However, Cangqiao has an alibi. If you suspect him, you must first invalidate his alibi." Munakata quickly looked at everyone's faces, lit a cigarette again, and the room fell into silence again. "I also think Cangqiao is very suspicious. Apart from the alibi, there is another big contradiction." Nakagawa, who had remained silent all this time, said these words calmly.Everyone's eyes focused on him in unison. "Kanghashi said that he and Danye left the company and hid in the mountains, and used this opportunity to kill Danye. If this is true, he is too calm." "Are you saying it was too late for him to do it?" Munakata's reaction was quick. "Yes, the news of Kyushu Iron and Steel's bankruptcy has already spread. It's either today or tomorrow. Once it is announced, Danye will naturally go home. If it was announced a few days earlier and Danye didn't come back, it will definitely attract everyone's attention. Looking for him, so it is impossible for Cangqiao to kill Danye as soon as he moved into Wangxiangzhuang. Danye disappeared on July 9, was killed on July 16, and Kyushu Steel declared bankruptcy on the same day. It seems that Cangqiao did The case is calm and careful." "Before Danye called on the night of July 15th, Cangqiao already knew where he was hiding." The youngest Xiangyue detective, fair complexion.His cheeks flushed as he spoke.He is very enthusiastic about his work, but because he is young and has little experience, it is easy to believe what others say. "One more thing, if Cangqiao had wanted to do it a long time ago, it might have been because he never had the chance." While talking, Odagiri rubbed his sparse forehead with his fingers. "But aren't all the conditions the same?" Xiangyue said. "No, it's quite different. On the third day Tanno lived in Room 15, someone moved in to Room 16 next door. He is the local history researcher Shinjiro Mori. He always chats with Danno for a while every day. If Cangqiao missed the first two days before Danye moved in, he would have to wait until after the 15th to make a move." "Oh……" Xiangyue felt the same way.Munakata also said, "Moriri doesn't pay attention to Tanno's movements all day long. He is a writer. He goes to bed in the evening and gets up to work at midnight, and Tanno always chats with him at two or three o'clock in the afternoon. Besides, everyone there Every room is equipped with sound proof devices, and the sound from the next door can hardly be heard. If Canghashi has a plan to commit an attack, he will wait for every opportunity. Even if Mori lives next door, he can pick a time when he will not find out. "Well..." Odagiri said thoughtfully. Munakata changed his posture and crossed his hands. "Is there any other reason for Canghashi to delay the action?" Touda seems to have decided that Kurahashi is the murderer. Everyone fell into deep thought again. Considering the "reason" mentioned by Toda, Nakagawa initially decided that Kurahashi's alibi was false, and that he deliberately made an alibi for Shoko.However, since 6 a.m. on the 16th, Kurahashi has been with the chairman of Takubo Construction Company, and 4 other people have also proved that Kurahashi has not left all day, so his alibi is true and unshakable. .Another example is the phone call, the hotel and the telecommunications bureau have records to check. It is very reluctant to list Kurahashi as the murderer.If you continue the discussion like this, time will be wasted in vain. Munakata broke the silence again. "On the contrary, what will happen if we do it before the 15th?" "The body must have been found early." Xiangyue answered seriously.Zhong Chuan couldn't help laughing wryly at his attitude towards him, but after thinking about it, he held back again, his words were actually not ridiculous. The body of Tanno, who was killed on the morning of the 16th, was found on the afternoon of the 20th. If Tanno had been killed on the 14th or 15th, would the body really have been discovered "earlier"? —Maybe, but not “of course”.The reason is that if Tanno was killed before Moriya left Room 16 at 11:00 am on the 15th, Moriya would definitely feel strange, so Tanno's case would be discovered the next day. Thinking of this, Zhongchuan has a new view. Is the murderer really waiting for the opportunity to kill every day? Did he really think about the trouble when the body was found the next day? If this is the case, he will definitely wait until Mori leaves before making a move. Wangxiangzhuang is a very quiet place, people who come to rent a house want to be quiet and don't want to be disturbed, so there is very little communication between the tenants, and there are not many examples of such close communication between Mori and Danye.The caretaker comes every three or four days, and never pays close attention to every tenant. Therefore, Danye in room 15 was killed, even if Mori in the adjacent room was still there, it would not be easy to find out. On the other hand, Danye himself wanted to hide and did not want to be known by others. I am afraid that the only one who knew that he was in "Room No. 15 of Wangxiangzhuang" was the murderer, which is why people have not found Danye's body for a long time. Maybe this is also the reason why the murderer chose Wangxiangzhuang as the murder scene. But what good was the body in finding it later? —There is an answer here.If more than 48 hours have elapsed after a person's death, it is difficult to estimate the correct time of death from the outside of the corpse or the dissection of internal organs. The same is true of Tanno's case.From the autopsy at the scene and Professor Okumura's autopsy, Serizawa's forensic doctor determined that the time of death was between 10 am on July 14 and noon on July 16. Based on the state of the scene and the testimony of some people, the date of death was further estimated to be About 4 hours between 8 am and 12 am on the 16th, but this is not scientifically verified. Zhong Chuan quickly recalled the incident, and suddenly a surge of anger rose in his heart. He saw the murderer's intention, and this intention predicted Gu Xu's police search in advance, which can also be said to be a challenge to the police. What is the reason for the time when the murderer commits the crime is judged to be between 8:00 a.m. and noon? The morning newspaper on the 16th has been brought into the room, while the evening newspaper on the 16th to the newspapers before the 20th when the body was found are all clamped on the door.Similarly, the milk delivered on the morning of the 16th has been drunk, and the empty bottle is placed in the sink, while the milk after the 17th has not been touched.Secondly, the residents of Room 11, diagonally opposite Room 15, saw the curtains of Room 15 opened at around 7:00 am on the 16th, and some people walked around. From these three points plus Cangqiao's phone call, it is enough to prove that the murderer committed the crime on the morning of the 16th. However—after further deliberation, leaving aside the issue of the phone call, the three clues that determine the time of the initial crime can actually be forged. The woman who walked out of Room 15 on the morning of the 16th reflexively appeared in Zhong Chuan's mind.Why was she still in room 15 the morning of the incident?It's a mystery.Perhaps she came here just to suppress the illusion that Danye was still alive on the morning of the 16th. Assuming Danno had been killed before the morning of the 16th, the woman secretly sneaked into Room 15 on the morning of the 16th, opened the curtains at 7 am as usual with Danno, and put on Danno's pajamas in case others saw her.Sure enough, the tenant in Room 11 accidentally saw the curtains open. At 8:00, she took down the morning paper stuck between the door and put it next to the pillow on the bed.Likewise, she took the milk into the kitchen and poured it out, leaving the empty bottle in the sink.This woman was probably very scared when she was doing these things, and immediately put down the curtains at 9:50, and left quickly (the tenant in Room 11 saw that the curtains in Room 15 had been lowered at around 4:00 p.m., but they did not know when they were lowered. of). Zhong Chuan felt that his reasoning was quite reasonable, so he spoke out. Everyone listened with bated breath.After Nakagawa finished speaking, excitement appeared in the eyes of the calm section chief Munakata, and he immediately said to Xiangyue, "Go to the identification department and ask the section chief for an autopsy report." The results of the autopsy, although the forensic doctor has reported it verbally, still needs to submit a formal identification, which must be handed over in half a month or a month at the latest.For Danye's case, the appraisal report had been sent to the appraisal department two days ago. Not long after, the detective Xiangyue came back with Li Ben from the identification department.Rika handed over the certificate of appraisal to Munakata.Li Ben has only worked in the identification department for more than four years. Munakata first found out where the stomach was recorded. "The surface of the rice grains is cracked and softened. The tomato, fish cake, and vegetable leaves are still in shape. The food is about 100 grams. Judging from the state of digestion, the death time is about 2 hours after the meal, and there is no bleeding." Munakata read out the items recorded in the certificate.The time of death was presumed to be 2 hours after the meal, which was reported orally after the autopsy.Danno usually eats breakfast at home around 8 am. On the morning of the 16th, he took the morning newspaper into the dormitory at around 8 am and read it. He had breakfast at around 8:30. Kill, this is the speculation at the beginning.Canghashi said that he had called at around 10:00 but the line was busy, and at 10:30 there was no answer. Something happened to Danye within 30 minutes, so this speculation is roughly consistent. "Nothing about milk." Munakata asked a question. "The milk and the morning newspaper were also delivered around 8 o'clock, so it was probably drunk around breakfast. So it's strange that there is no milk in the stomach residue." "We also thought this was unbelievable at first, but we heard from the professor—" Li Mu didn't hear Nakagawa's reasoning, so his tone was still relaxed. "The speed of digestion is different for everyone, especially milk is liquid, and it takes a short time to pass through the gastrointestinal tract, but there is still some white coagulation remaining in the stomach. There is no milk residue in Danye's stomach. Probably drank it long before dinner." "meet." Munakata nodded slowly. "That is, it is impossible to determine whether milk was consumed or not." "That's right." "I don't think I drank milk at all." Toda said hurriedly. "The woman was an accomplice. She poured out the milk. Regardless of the state of decay of the body, there must be some state of retention in the stomach that can tell what food was eaten and the time of death." "Press……" There was another short silence, but this time the silence was not as depressing as before. Everyone started a new reasoning again, and the room was filled with nervous nitrogen. "If the time of the murder is misrecognized due to forgery..." Odagiri stared at the ceiling again and muttered to himself. "The timing of the feigned crime is obviously to cover up the alibi so that an alibi can be obtained." "Cangqiao's doubts are getting bigger and bigger..." Feitian wished that Cangqiao was the murderer. "But if that's the case, why is the phone busy?" "There was someone talking on the right side of the car at 10 o'clock, that is to say, there was someone in room 15 at the time, probably that woman..." A cover-up without proving it on the spot." Once this cover-up is seen through, there is only one difficulty left.Zhong Chuan also had the same idea as Toda in his heart, the murderer was Kurahashi, and that woman was his accomplice. Who is that woman? Is it Lianzi? Of course it's not impossible, and it's very likely.She is Kurahashi Mitsuo's fiancée, and she is also the person closest to Tanno. Moreover, when Sudou and Koizumi Yuko saw the woman, Reiko did not have a clear alibi.When Zhongchuan visited Lianzi late at night the day before yesterday, Lianzi once uttered unfavorable words against Cangqiao, probably trying to cover up her relationship with Cangqiao as an accomplice. However, Nakagawa was willing in his heart that this inference was wrong.Lianzi is the younger sister of Nakagawa's classmate, and she still has the innocence of her girlhood. No matter what, she will not kill her own brother.This may also be due to Nakagawa's personal feelings.During this hesitation, Zhong Chuan had another idea. Could Cangqiao have other women besides Lianzi? ——It was another brainstorm, even Zhong Chuan himself was quite surprised.