Chapter 2 Chapter 2 The Murder Weapon
After the victim was transported away, blood remained on the lawn.
There were 3 large bloodstains, and several small bloodstains scattered around, as if it had just flowed out of the victim's body, and exuded a frightening luster.The courtyard is about 30 square meters, almost in a square shape, surrounded by hedges and whitewashed wooden fences, and various flowers and plants are planted under the wooden fences, including roses, geraniums, begonias and pine peonies.These red and pink flowers sway in the evening breeze in early summer.The inside of the fence is "buried" in the green.At the root of the rose, there are many weeds that have just been eradicated.The weeds and the dew left on these flowers conjure up images of the tenacious survival of these plants, year after year, day after day.However, this calm, peaceful atmosphere was changed in this courtyard by a little blood on the lawn below the rosebushes.On the road outside the courtyard wall, a dozen or so spectators had already gathered.They were peering curiously into the yard through the bushes and hedges.It is now the middle of June and the longest daylight hours.Although the weather gradually darkened, the flashlights and lights used to take pictures here, as well as the flashlights of executive officials, all glowed white in the twilight from time to time, attracting many people.
The site is located near Tsuruma Park in the center of Nagoya, on the corner of a harmoniously constructed residential street.Usually there are very few pedestrians on this street, but at this time, many police cars were parked.
When taken away by the ambulance, the victim seemed to be still breathing, but with so much blood, could he make it to the hospital?The Criminal Division of the Central Police Station is supplemented by the Constant Police Department. Just now, while looking at the small middle-aged man lying on the ground covered in blood from his abdomen to his thighs, he stepped over the fence and entered the room.It is now 8:10.It has been 40 minutes since the report was received.Since the matter has not yet spread, so many journalists have not arrived, so the area around the scene is still relatively quiet.Youheng has been a little lazy recently, so he, who is known as an "actionist", is not in the mood to arrest this common murderer as soon as possible.What he wants to do right away is preferably to listen to the victim's own account, and to learn about the situation from an eyewitness.
The inner room—in fact, there are only two rooms on the first floor of this family—faces the courtyard, making people feel that this is a combined living room, kitchen, and a coffee table and a color TV set in the room.The TV was off by this time—it had been on when Heng came.
On the wall hung an engraving depicting a street scene abroad.On a wheelbarrow were white and pink roses picked from the garden.The room was filled with the mood of a young girl's life.You Heng said to the detective Xiao Lin who followed in, "The appraisal is over, can you borrow the murder weapon?"
Before Xiaolin could answer, Youheng opened the door of another room.In the Western-style room on the north side, two relevant personnel stood up at once, a woman in her twenties and a young man in his twenties wearing jeans.There was a police officer standing between the two of them. He was looking into the courtyard, and when he saw Youheng coming in, he turned around immediately.Youheng closed the door casually, and the square room in the study or office suddenly fell silent.Youheng pulled a chair casually and sat in front of these two people.He glanced at the young man first.
"What's your name... Opin?"
"Okuhira Seiji." The young man named Okuhira Seiji swallowed a mouthful of saliva and replied.He was a little nervous and stuttering.
"how old are you?"
"18... soon..."
"Did you just graduate from high school?"
"Yes. This year..."
"Working in a car repair shop now?" After arriving at the scene, Youheng immediately learned about the simple situation of the incident.
Opin nodded gently, lowered his head and took a deep breath.
Although he is already an adult at the age of 18, this young man still looks like a teenager.You Heng re-examined him while thinking.He is about 1.70 meters tall, but the shoulders and waist wrapped in the beige denim overalls still look so thin.This body type is a common look among young people in recent years.He didn't have long hair, but it was longer in the front and fell in waves on his forehead.
His nose bridge is high, there is no excess fat on his face, and he looks very thin.His eyelashes were long, his gaze was intense, and he had lips that were soft and swollen like a woman's.When Youheng saw him for the first time, he immediately connected him with a famous actor who was often seen in some advertising posters or TV commercials and was so adored by teenagers.In the eyes of Youheng, who has won the second dan in judo at the age of 36, a young man like Oping is too unmanly.
"Where do you live?"
"Akebono Street. No, my family owns a restaurant on Akebono Street, but I live in a public dormitory in Kitayama-cho not far from there."
"Are you alone?"
"Yeah." In other words, it's a 10-minute walk from here to Kitayama Town.
"Where do you work?"
"The 'open space' industry in Fujimi Town..."
"So, when you passed by this courtyard just now, did you come home from get off work?" You Heng asked, while taking another look at the young man.The denim jacket he was wearing appeared to be freshly laundered, and there were spots of blood from the right waist to the knee.Since this is a light-colored garment, the blood stains are very eye-catching.
"No... I got off work at 6 o'clock, and I went back to the public dormitory I mentioned earlier. Then I went out from there."
"Where are you going?"
"I went to meet a friend, a classmate of mine in high school. We met on the street by chance, because I heard that she lived in this area, so I..." He said it was in a suit tailoring school The girlfriend of the study met on the street by chance two weeks ago, and later the two sides exchanged addresses and phone numbers.Today she made an appointment to meet at a nearby snack bar called "Galen" after get off work.The time was set at seven o'clock.
He usually commutes to get off work by motorcycle.There were a lot of people on the street when I got off work today, so it was a little later than usual.So when he got home, he changed his clothes in a panic, and left the public dormitory where he lived on foot. It must have been 5:00 or 7:00.
"It's been too much time for the appointment, so I walked a little panicked. I heard the place on the phone and knew it right away, because I often pass by that area when I commute, but I don't know the exact location of the snack bar. I don't know..." Sweat dripped from Opin's pale face, as if his throat was choked by something, and he had to pause several times in a sentence, "Besides, because I don't know the exact location, I plan to Asking passers-by...then saw the courtyard door of this house was open, and saw this person..."
Although the door was open and the yard faced the road, the perimeter of the yard was blocked by a circle of shrubs that were slightly taller than adults.At one end of the circle of plants there is an entrance, made of a white wooden fence that forms a "gate".So it was actually the door that was open, and in the corner on the other side of the yard all that could be seen was a woman stooping to weed.
"After you came in, you planned to ask her about the location of the snack bar, right?" - Aoping weakly complained about the process, while Youheng asked repeatedly.Things gradually got to the core of the case.
"yes."
"Exactly, about what time?"
"I think it was about 7:15."
This matches the original report.If it is around 7:15 pm on June 18, in Nagoya, the outdoors are already quite dark.In such a case, it is difficult to distinguish the exact object shape.
"What are you asking?"
Opin raised his head, stared upwards and replied: "I walked up to her, but I haven't figured out how to ask... I just patted her shoulder from the back..."
"Ok."
"The woman suddenly screamed and immediately stood up and swung the sickle at me."
At this time, the door was knocked lightly twice, and detective Kobayashi walked in, holding a small wooden sickle in his hand, and he silently handed the sickle in front of Youheng.The handle of the sickle is covered with silver powder left after identifying fingerprints.
The blade is 20 centimeters long, and the handle and the blade are not bent at right angles, but somewhat sloped. At first glance, it looks like a crescent-shaped short knife.There were still a few dried blood stains on the blade of the sickle, which had a strange dark green luster under the light.
Everyone's eyes were suddenly attracted by the bluntly shining murder weapon.
The woman raised her shoulders in shock, and covered her mouth with one hand, as if she was going to cry out.She must have recalled the tragedy at that time.
"At that time, you were planning to ask for directions, so you patted her on the shoulder from behind. This woman stood up in surprise, turned around and swung the sickle with her right hand to chop at you?"
The young man stared blankly at the scythe, and took a long time to look away, staring at You Heng and nodded: "Yes..."
Youheng looked at the woman again, and she repositioned herself, and looked at Ao Ping again with trepidation.But she didn't seem to intend to deny Opin's words.
"What did you do after that?" You Heng continued to ask.
"I was taken aback at the time, thinking that this woman might kill me..."
"Is there any reason?"
"It's nothing! However, she suddenly looked like that..."
"You suddenly felt a kind of danger, is it like this?" Youheng asked.
"Yes, yes! Moreover, 'Danger' was in my head at the time! At that time, not only was she holding a sickle in her right hand, but she also looked quite powerful, as if she was going to chop me to death... This Suddenly, I heard a bang behind me, and I turned around suddenly, and saw a man fell on the ground." Opin finally finished speaking, and he stopped several times during this process, and kept wiping his forehead. The sweat flowed down his neck and onto his body, and even his breathing was very flustered.
Youheng asked him again, and the detailed scene at that time appeared in front of him again.Opin's cheeks were contorted with pain, but he got the point across.According to what he said -
Opin was frightened by this woman, he quickly stretched out his left hand to grab the woman's right wrist, and grabbed the handle of the sickle with his right hand.Because the blade was facing him, he tried his best to pull the sickle behind him.So, the sickle flew out from behind him.However, at this time, a person happened to pass by here alone, and saw the scene of two people "fighting" in the courtyard, so he might plan to come and have a look.But his luck was too bad, Opin used too much force, and the sickle shot out, stabbing the victim obliquely... It seems that the whole process is like this.
"When you were fighting with her and grabbing the scythe, didn't you notice someone behind you?" Youheng asked, staring at Opin.
"Yes..." Opin tilted his head, squeezed out the words between his teeth, and looked into the air with uneasy eyes.
"Shouldn't he be shouting something when he came over? Didn't you hear that?"
"Well, maybe, but I was only guarding against the sickle!"
"Really? Then you somehow feel that there is someone behind you?"
"Yes. If I recall now..." Hearing this, Youheng nodded slightly in satisfaction.
"Do you know this woman?"
"No, as I said, this is the first meeting tonight."
"So have you seen her before?"
"Hmm... because I basically take this road to and from get off work, I should have seen this woman in this yard. The flowers in this yard are very beautiful, so I have a little impression."
"Haven't you been in?"
"No, it's the first time tonight." Opin bit his lip tightly and stared angrily at the woman's knee as the first time he came in had such serious consequences.
"So, do you know that man?"
"No, I don't know him at all." Opin immediately raised his head and shook his head vigorously.
"Hmm..." You Heng's eyes left Ao Ping temporarily, and then turned to the woman sitting with her back against the mirror of the dressing table.The woman was wearing a bright blue striped T-shirt and a pale tan cotton skirt.There were also a lot of blood stains on the hem of the skirt.She has a slender figure and an oval face, giving her the appearance of a very dignified lady.However, her cold eyes and tense expression gave people a feeling of pity.
"What's your name?" You Heng asked as gently as possible.
"Masayo Kitazawa." Her voice was very calm.
"age?"
"29 years old."
"Where do you work?"
"The Nagoya branch of 'Merubis Ante Co., Ltd.'..."
"Is this a foreign company or something?"
"Well, it's a British company that deals in imported cosmetics and chemicals."
"Oh."
Youheng took his eyes away from Changdai and looked around the room.The room resembled an office, but with an imported rug on the floor, a steel and wood desk, small cabinets and a three-way mirrored dresser.There is also a faint scent of high-end soap floating in the room, which You Heng noticed just now: "Do you live alone in this house?" Even the second floor looks like there are rooms, but you can't tell. There is no sign that other people live here.
"Yes, this is the room I borrowed. It used to be the home of the branch secretary's secretary, but she resigned after she got married, and the whole family moved to the place where her father worked, so they lent it to me temporarily. "
"So you're single?"
"yes."
You Heng inquired about the woman's family situation, and then immediately returned to the core of the matter: "Just now Mr. Ao Ping said that he wanted to ask you, is that true?"
Originally, this questioning should be done back to back, but what happened tonight is rarely seen, and there are very delicate plots. In order to temporarily understand the ins and outs of the whole case, Youheng intends to understand the situation in front of the two parties. .
"Yes..." Changdai nodded with a stiff facial expression.
"But he just said something and touched your shoulder with his hand, and you suddenly slashed at him with the sickle. What did you think at that time? Did something else happen?" At this time, the door He was tapped twice again.Xiao Lin, who had been standing behind Youheng, opened the door, whispered something to the people outside, and then immediately returned to Youheng, "The victim has died in the hospital. The cause of death was severed femoral artery in the thigh, and he lost too much blood." , died before waking up.”
Changdai, who had been holding his breath and listening, suddenly became ugly, his shoulders collapsed, and he sobbed softly: "I didn't mean it..."
"This is my responsibility." Kitazawa Masao shook his head several times in pain and said.She looked at the sickle in You Heng's hand through the gap between her fingers covering her face.
"You mean responsibility?"
"Yes. Just now I have been weeding by the wall with a sickle. But I didn't expect the blade to be so fast." Changdai raised his head again:
"Half a month ago, I heard that a young girl was raped by a young man on the way to get off work in the underworld on the north side of Crane Dance Park."
"There is such a thing. The case is serious. Several passers-by saw it at the time, but no one went up to save her. The newspapers criticized this social atmosphere of indifference to others!"
"Maybe it's for this reason or something. At that time, I suddenly thought of that incident. Human feelings are as thin as paper! In this world, you have to protect yourself. At that time, I was thinking about these words dimly, and I also remembered 10 years ago. In the farmland on the upper reaches of the Oi River in my hometown, I found a girl who was seduced by bad guys and then raped and killed..."
"..."
"It was a middle school student. The last time the family saw her was picking flowers in the yard in the evening. The next evening, her body was found in the lower reaches of the river, but the cause of death was not drowning, but being strangled. Signs of being raped. According to the police, she was lured into a field, raped, killed, and thrown into a river. Finally, the criminal was caught."
Hearing what Changdai said, Youheng gradually got an impression.It was a case that occurred in a mountain village in Shizuoka Prefecture, a neighboring county, about 10 years ago, and the investigation work was once in a maze.
"I think that girl must have been tricked away by bad guys while picking flowers in the yard. How she was tricked away at that time, and how she was humiliated and killed in the silent mountain, I dare not even think about it. What a terrible thing! When I was thinking about it, someone suddenly patted me, so..."
"Oh……"
"I didn't hear a sound at all, because the yard was full of grass, so there was no sound. I'm really not talking nonsense, I was frightened, I stood up all of a sudden, turned back and chopped the sickle at the man At that time, I couldn't even think about what he was going to do. I always thought that I was the girl in the fantasy, and I wanted to protect myself. But that person fell backwards, and the sickle fell out of my hand..."
"He didn't snatch it from you?"
"I suppose he didn't snatch it. Mr. Opin has a strong hand, and he snatched it."
"After he snatched it, the inertia caused the sickle to fly backwards, and a passerby just happened to come over, right?" Youheng asked.
"Yes—maybe it's just a coincidence..." Changdai's eyes were even darker at the moment, and she closed her eyes after she finished speaking in a low voice.
"What's the name of the victim...?" The driver's license was in the pocket of the deceased's coat, and the police had taken it to contact relatives according to the address and name on it, so Youheng couldn't remember it all at once.
"It's Mr. Nakao." Masato replied.
"Hmm. You should have noticed Mr. Nakao coming here, right?"
"Yes. This... I saw it, but Mr. Opin didn't have time to go... No time because it all happened in a flash."
Youheng thought, after the appraisal, drive away the onlookers, and then go to the yard to see the scene.However, there is a distance of about 8 meters from the entrance of the wooden fence that entered the yard to the rose where the incident happened. It took two or three seconds, and this moment happened to be the moment when Okping snatched the sickle from Changdai's hand and raised it the highest. Even if she saw the danger, she couldn't stop it.
This point should consider the conditions of Opin.Because he had admitted that he felt as if someone was behind him at the time, and his scythe was thrown behind him, anyway, he should have a duty to consider the situation behind him.However, his back was facing the entrance of the yard, and he noticed someone behind him a little later than Changdai.In other words, when he realized that there might be someone behind him, the inertia made him unable to stop.Even so, whether he snatched the sickle from Changdai, threw it at Nakao by accident, or found Nakao, and then slashed at him with the sickle, is no longer confirmed.And Youheng repeatedly asked about the scene in front of the two people on purpose, which also proved that neither of them intentionally hurt the other or the deceased.So far, Changdai admitted that the two people that Opin said may have met by chance during the day, and that the official "meeting" was tonight is all accurate.
"Do you know the dead Mr. Nakao?" Yuheng asked Changdai again.
"Yes..." She nodded with a painful expression.
"Has Mr. Nakao been here before?"
"Come here."
"What does he do?" Youheng asked, and the scene of the middle-aged man with a short stature being carried into the ambulance once again appeared in his eyes, and his lower body was already stained red with blood.Beneath his black striped suit, there was a pink tie clip pinned to his tie, glittering like jewels.He was over fifty, and he looked like a gentleman, like one of those people who wear gold and silver.
"The owner of a cloth shop. The factory is in Gifu."
"Are you from Gifu?"
"No, he lives in an apartment in Nagoya, which seems to be his office, because his apartment is closer to my office." They often meet in restaurants during dinner during the day, so they can be regarded as "semi-familiar faces" .At that time, he also asked Changdai's address several times, and Changdai told him indifferently.Just one Saturday evening after telling him his address, Nakao said that he happened to be here because of work, and went to her house for a sit down.
This time, he only drank some tea and left after sitting for 10 minutes.In the next three months, he came again two or three times, and said something to take care of her: "However, each time he didn't say anything complicated, and he stayed for 30 minutes at most before leaving. He said that I The flowers in the yard are blooming beautifully, and he also said that he was born in a farm family in Ichinomiya, and he is very attached to the land, and now he lives in an apartment, without flowers and plants, and has no access to the atmosphere of the earth..."
Youheng carefully pondered the meaning of Changdai's words, and asked after a while: "When Mr. Nakao comes, is it usually at night or in the evening?"
"On Saturday afternoon, because my company is closed on Saturdays, I stay at home when I have nothing to do."
"Come in from the yard?"
"No, most of them came in from the direction of the gate, but today I closed the gate, and he came through the wooden fence gate, who knows..." Changdai hurriedly stopped the end of the sentence, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingers .
After that, the two were asked to go to the General Administration and be investigated again by the Chief of the Criminal Section.
In the police station, the two of them were called into small rooms and asked about the situation in detail again.There were no gaps in the confessions of the two men.Even the wife of the deceased Nakao Hirokichi was called to the hospital, and the relevant personnel asked her about some things.However, nothing unexpected happened.Nakao Hirokichi, 52 years old, his cloth management company has about 40 employees. It is basically a textile factory, that is, it buys raw materials from textile companies, then weaves them into cloth, and then sends them to the printing and dyeing factory to print and dye them in certain colors.The products they produce are sent to shops or vendors, which has formed such a business form.In the area from Ichinomiya and Gifu's Okita to the Noo Plain, there are many such small textile factories and textile companies, which are called "fiber towns".Since the current textile industry has basically been mechanized, the number of employees in small factories and companies is decreasing day by day.Therefore, a factory with 40 employees is considered a large factory in this area.The Nakao family moved to live next to the factory in Gifu just four years ago.He lived in the Fushimi apartment in Nagoya to make it easier for his two children to go to college in Nagoya.His eldest son entered a private university in Osaka this spring, and his second son just entered his first year of high school.There are 4 people in the family.
Nakao's wife, Tomiko, has been suffering from tuberculosis for some time and is very weak.She replied that she had never heard her husband mention the name "Masayo Kitazawa".She had no conflicts with the deceased, and the deceased had no problems with colleagues, relatives, or relatives that could lead to homicide.Therefore, this incident is going to be handled as "manslaughter".Since Opin did not intend to kill the deceased, the charge of "injury to death" does not apply.In law, there is such a principle: the principle of non-intentional behavior is not subject to legal punishment, so the punishment for "manslaughter" is very light.
However, such incidents are extremely rare and too accidental, so Youheng Police Department, who is in charge of the investigation of the case, has always had doubts about it.One of the reasons is probably that the impression these two parties gave him was unusual.
When he first saw the 18-year-old Seiji Okiragi, he had an anxious revulsion.Is Opin's attitude impatience, or resistance?It is natural for him to feel tense, restless, and sweaty after such a big event, otherwise it would be a strange thing.
After Youheng handles cases for a long time, he has a feeling of distrust and disgust towards young people like Aoping.Maybe it was his sense of experience.This kind of "bean sprouts" body shape that cannot be lifted by hands or shoulders, only troubles about clothes, the indifferent attitude adopted in important jobs and life, and the style of avoiding current difficulties are all unforgivable. of.He could even associate Opin's character with his appearance.
As for Masao Kitazawa, he felt that she was a girl with good popularity and a strong personality. Maybe her personality formed a kind of temptation for middle-aged or just entering middle-aged men.From this point alone, one can understand how eager a man like Nakao, who is driven by fatigue all day, is eager to invest in a calm harbor.Moreover, from this point, many doubts can be associated.Therefore, Youheng put more power into collecting evidence from witnesses.If there is a little bit of hypocrisy in the words of the parties involved, then the only one who can expose the lie is the third person who witnessed it.However, when it comes to finding witnesses, it is almost impossible.
First, it was already 7:15 p.m. when the incident occurred, and the sky was already very dark at that time.
Second, the proportion of the yard on the site facing the street is very small, and it is difficult to observe the situation of the whole yard.
Between the road and the yard, there are shrubs with a height of more than 2 meters. Since it is the season of flourishing branches and leaves, there are almost no gaps.There is an 80 cm long entrance at the west end of the bush, which is also blocked by a white wooden fence gate.The neighbors on both sides of this yard are all residents of detached houses, and they are separated into their own worlds by cement walls or tile walls, and there are no windows on the walls.On the opposite side of the courtyard, that is, across the road with a width of about 12 meters, there is a 4-story apartment building made of cement.On the east side of it is a rather large Western-style building with many prefabricated cement panels in the backyard; on the west side is a monthly-subscribed garage.Therefore, the only witnesses we hope to find are the residents in the apartment across the yard, or people who pass by the yard and just look into the yard.So, the police divided into groups of two to find out.
The apartment facing the yard is on the northwest side. In order to prevent the sun from shining in the west, parasols are installed on the windows. The outer wall of the wall is under construction and many materials are piled up, so it is unlikely that the yard can be observed. Big.And because the renovation project ends at 6 o'clock every day, there will be no workers left.As a result, nothing was found on the apartment side.
Another group went door-to-door and interviewed neighbors, and only a few people were outside by chance at the time of the incident.However, when asked whether they had noticed any accident in the yard where Changdai lived, no one could give a satisfactory answer to the police.Most of the neighbors came to the street when they heard the siren of the ambulance, and it was at this time that they knew that there was a murder around them.Judging from the case report, Changdai called at 7:20, and the ambulance arrived at 7:30.Youheng and the others arrived at the scene of the crime only 5 minutes after receiving the order from the county police.
A housewife who lives east of Changdai said she heard a woman screaming from the courtyard at the scene at about 7:15, but this can only be assumed to be Changdai after Okping stabbed Nakao Shout out, and Chang-dai admits it too.As a result of the investigation, neither group found any direct witnesses.
There is only a very narrow gap between the garage on the west side of the apartment and a building behind the apartment, and a very simple log cabin is built under this gap.This is what You Heng noticed after carefully observing the surroundings of the scene.The small wooden house was built of thin and dirty wooden boards, facing the road at right angles, and because there were two ginkgo trees in front of it, it was not noticed much.Although it was extremely shabby, it was compared with the tall and luxurious apartment next to it, because it was actually a two-story building.It seems that there are people living on the first and second floors.The garage is in the shade on the first floor, and the second floor is also facing the sun, which is also a blind spot for observation in the courtyard where the crime occurred.However, just to be on the safe side, Youheng still went there to have a look.No one agreed on the first floor.
However, Youheng did not give up, and came to the northernmost room on the second floor and knocked on the door.
It was past 9:30 in the evening.You Heng seemed to have a premonition, and when he stood in front of the door of this room, he was very nervous, and his heart was "thumping".The outside of the second floor is the road.Standing here, through the leaves of the ginkgo tree, you can clearly see the courtyard of Changdai's house illuminated by street lights.This is almost a blind spot, You Perseverance's heart suddenly tightened, and some kind of anticipation gushed out.If there are any witnesses here, the situation in Opin will be turned 180 degrees.Thinking of this, Youheng seemed to be even more convinced that his premonition would come true.Maybe it's a chain reaction.
When he was sure that the light from the room was still coming through the window, he knocked on the door.A woman inside agreed.
The door opened, and a woman about the same age as Changdai, with a slightly fat body, was standing at the door.She wore a flower-bottomed dress, looking like a housewife.Her forehead is very bright, and a thick layer of rouge is applied to her slightly black round face.She looked at Youheng and the detectives behind him with her crescent-like eyes that were heavily lined with eyeliner.
Youheng let her see her police ID, told her to know something, and then walked in.It was a two-bedroom apartment, and the TV was still on in the back room, but it didn't look like anyone else.
"Do you know what happened in the yard opposite at around 7 o'clock this evening?" Youheng asked, pointing to Changdai's yard below.
"Well, it seems that a man who went in to quarrel was stabbed to death with a knife."
"How did you hear that?" Youheng asked again.
"Didn't the neighbors and the newspaper reporter ask the lady in the yard a lot of questions?" The woman replied in a dissatisfied tone.
The police department and the young criminal police who came with him were let into the room and sat down in the room that doubled as the kitchen.This housewife is called Akashi Harue, and her husband works in a transportation company.Because I drive a container truck, the time for commuting to and from get off work is not fixed.He hasn't come home this evening, as if they don't have a baby yet.
"Do you have any relationship with Ms. Kitazawa Masao?" Youheng asked.
"No, I don't know him at all." Qingjiang denied it.
"But at least you know the name?"
"I know that. However, we have never spoken to each other. Unlike us, he is very busy!"
"Are you busy with work?" You Heng asked again.
"We don't know if she works or not...Anyway, when she gets off work a little later, there is always a foreign car, a big foreign car, to take her back. Probably her boss, that person came down first and opened the door for her Woolen cloth!"
At this time, Youheng remembered that Masao Kitazawa was working in a British branch.But this housewife seemed to observe Changdai's daily life very carefully, which surprised Youheng: "Is she busy with other things besides work?"
"It seems that there are quite a lot of people going in and out of her house."
"What kind of people are they?" Youheng asked with interest.
"There are all kinds of people, such as the man who was stabbed today..." Qing Jiang curled her lips after speaking, as if she couldn't understand how many men came and went around a single woman.
"Does Mr. Nakao always come to her house?" Youheng asked cautiously.
"I don't know the name... Anyway, it's him! Sometimes we meet each other!"
"Roughly how many days do you come here?"
"It's not clear... I only noticed it this spring. I... probably come once every ten days." This is quite different from Changdai's two or three times in three months. access.
"What time are you coming?"
"In the afternoon or at night, it's getting dark. Sometimes I leave very late. I didn't mean to stare at people, but I just stayed in the kitchen and naturally saw her yard." Saying that, Qingjiang raised her chin and pointed to the window.
"Okay, I understand, but... why does Nakao-san come here so frequently?"
"Oh, what about this... In a foreign company, public and private are very clear, and it is rare to receive guests in one's own home." Qingjiang said, wrinkling her brown eyebrows, and her tone flowed It revealed that she did not deny the idea that this visit had an obvious personal purpose.
"When you saw it, were the two of them usually in the living room?" Youheng asked again.
"Sometimes I sat on a chair facing the courtyard... Sometimes I couldn't see him for a while, I thought maybe he was gone, but sometimes I suddenly saw him coming out of the courtyard. Maybe, at that time, the two of them went up to the second floor Right?" At this point, Qingjiang's crescent eyes that had been lined with eyeliner narrowed into a line again, emitting a sly look, which made Youheng immediately understand what her eyes were "explaining".
“嗯……”有恒做出了十分理解和重视对方的说法的表情之后又问道，“你刚才说有不少人常常出入她的家，那你认识那个叫奥平的青年人吗？”
“再详细一点儿的我就不知道了。”晴江答道，然后又稍稍凑过来说道，“那个孩子每天骑摩托车从这条道上下班，不过这样的年轻人挺多的。可有一点他和别人不一样，他每次骑车开过北泽女士的家门口时，总要降下车速。因为这时他的摩托车发动机声音要低下来，我一看，他一般都是在向北泽女士家窥测似地，边看边慢慢开……”
“窥测？”有恒皱了一下眉头。
“好像他对那个女人特别感兴趣，好歹北泽也算得上是个出众的美人吧，只是最近脸上的皱纹多了起来。”
“和夫人年龄差不多吧？”在有恒旁边的刑警一边记录一边插了一句。
“什么呀！她可比我大呢！”看样子晴江知道北泽的年龄。从刚才晴江所暗示的事情来看——假定晴江说的是事实的话，那么，中尾弘吉与北泽昌代之间就肯定不仅仅是一般的认识，而且还有着不寻常的男女两性之间的关系；另一方面，奥平诚次也对昌代有着不一般的关心，也就是说，可以认为他对于中尾有一种潜在的敌意情绪……
“好，我再问你一下今天出事时的情况。”有恒用严肃的目光盯着这个女人。因为他已经感到从这个女人嘴里知道了重要情况，还想进一步从她的口中得到更充足的证据，因此他的口气不知不觉郑重起来，“这个事情发生时，也就是7点15分左右，你在干什么？”
“嗯……”晴江一下子也紧张起来了，她好像有点犹豫地看了一眼有恒。
“窗户或门什么的开着没有？”有恒又追问了一句。
“窗户开开了。因为那会儿我刚从外面回来，一边换衣服一边打开了窗户，放一放屋里的热气。”
“是这扇吗？”有恒又叮问了一句。于是，一个年轻的刑警站起来，打开了洗碗池上方的窗户。有恒站过去看了看。在这儿可以一览无余地看清在蓝白色路灯照耀下的昌代院子里、外的全貌。，“那么，你听到喊叫声或是看到人影晃动了吗？”
“这个吗……不过，为什么你们问我，干吗不去直接问北泽女士呢？”
“不，我们一定要有一个第三者的叙述。我们向周围的人都打听了一下，但都不是直接听到或看到的，最后没办法才找到这儿的。”有恒说到“最后”两个字时，不但加重了语气，而且特意盯了盯晴江。
“按两个当事人所说是这样的：北泽女士举起手中镰刀朝奥平砍过去，而奥平用力夺过来，正当他因惯性而使镰刀向身后划过去时，正好中尾先生赶上来，于是便砍中了中尾先生……那么，当时北泽女士和奥平争夺镰刀的情景你看到了吗？”有恒问道。
“大概……我想我看到了。可一开始我不知道他们在干什么。”
“后来看清了吗？”
“嗯，是的，后来我看清了。”晴江答道。
“从这里应当可以看清两个人争斗的。那么，怎么样呢？真的是奥平在夺过镰刀时，偶然砍中了中尾先生的吗？会不会是他先回过头，认准了是中尾时才砍了他的——？”
听到这里，晴江不禁抬起她那有些微微发红的脸，看着有恒。像是被这些刑警的情绪感染了一般，晴江的双眼都发出十分兴奋的目光来：“那个孩子是先回过头来着。当时，他从北泽女士手中夺过了镰刀时，中尾先生喊叫着什么冲了过去。这时，奥平猛一回头，和中尾先生扭打在一起，一刀砍了下去。”
“为什么和中尾先生扭打之后才砍他？”有恒情不自禁地屏住呼吸，看了一下其它刑警。如果奥平是回过头确认了来人是中尾，然后才用镰刀砍的话，那可就不是“过失杀人”了，这是明显无误的“故意伤害”！
有恒慢慢地坐了下来。他的心中充满了满足感，一块石头落了地，同时认为这次来这幢小楼没有白来！
奥平诚次，18岁。他被以“故意伤人致死”嫌疑，于案发两天后，即6月21日早晨，送到了名古屋地方检察厅。
这个案件分配给了刑事部少年组检察官千鸟朱子审理。
一般说来，平均每天有五六件案子由县内警方送来，然后由刑事部长根据具体情况分配给每名检察官审理。刑事部内设有暴力组、少年组、毒品组、公害组和外事组，基本上是按案件的性质分给各组的检察官，但也有例外，如某组的案情多，办不过来，或正好该组检察官外出，此案又是急求办理的情况下。平均每个检察官常常同时办理5个案件，最多时超过10件的时候也不少。由于这次的案情是一个18岁的青年人，于是就分配给了少年组的千鸟。
朱子首先过目了一下从中央警察署送来的材料，然后告诉正在旁边办公桌上整理别的检察官的材料的事务官矢津，请他把那个少年带到办公室来。朱子的办公室在检察厅四楼，刑事部的西侧。在这间细长的办公室里，她和矢津的办公桌摆成了一个“L”型。在窗边，可以看到整个名古屋城墙和墙边的绿草，天气好的时候还可以隐隐约约地看到远方的伊吹山。今天早晨一起来就是梅雨天的阴暗天空，连天守阁的楼顶都隐埋在白云之中。被刑警押解的奥平诚次来了。
刑警解下了奥平的手铐，让他坐在了朱子办公桌前面的一把椅子上。然后刑警站在了他的斜后方。大概是奥平觉得这名检察官是一位刚刚30岁的女性吧，他有些惊讶地盯着朱子看了一会儿。大凡带到这儿的少年犯或嫌疑犯的表情都十分沮丧，而奥平从正面凝视着朱子的表情却显得那么天真无邪，或是从那个角度看，他有一种感情失落的样子，给人一种眼睛像被什么东西晃得睁不开的感觉。
“你有兄弟吗？”在问过他的姓名后，朱子用很随便的口气问道。
“有，一个哥哥，一个妹妹……”奥平的回答也有些生硬了。
“哥哥在哪儿工作呀？”
“去年从S大学毕业后，在一家保险公司工作。”
“妹妹呢？”
“正上高三。”
"Where?"
“在K女子大学，每天走读。”每当说到大学的名字时，奥平都说得十分具体。
“那么，就你一个人没有上大学了嘛。为什么？”
“我入学考试不及格，成了待业青年，家里也没有我的地位，父亲也说我，可我也死了这条心……”他盯着朱子答道，说话时露出了两排洁白的牙齿。材料中这样写着：他的家在距离案发现场一公里左右地方的一条商业街上，经营着一家中国餐馆。
“好吧，我想就关于案情，向你打听一下……”
朱子打开卷宗，向奥平慢慢地宣读他的“犯罪事实”。朱子在嫌疑犯一带进办公室时，就想听一下他对关于材料中的哪些指控有不同意见和有什么样的辩解。在24小时内，她必须根据嫌疑犯的申诉与材料的内容进行核实、处理，并决定是释放还是押送监狱：“——刚才我念的这些都是事实吗？”
“不，不是！”奥平一反刚才的常态，一下子变得急躁起来，他皱着眉头抗议道，“我不是和中尾先生扭打后才动手砍他的，我只是在夺过北泽女士的镰刀时……”
“那么，是你在和北泽女士争夺最激烈时，听到了后面有人来的声音，回过头去砍的吗？”
这次奥平急促地煽动着他的鼻翼，连连摇着头：“根本不是那么回事儿！我根本就没有回过头去！！”接着，他向朱子说明，当时他从北泽手中夺过那把镰刀后，由于惯性使他向后跌过去，于是才砍到了中尾的大腿上。他连比划带诉说，极力为自己辩解着。
“你没有觉察到背后有人？”朱子问道。
“这个……事后警察也这样问我，我没有觉出背后有人来，但也许当时我有感觉？”奥平模棱两可地说道。
“你是不是知道来人是中尾先生后才砍过去的？”
“凭你们怎么说都行！反正我当时在夺过镰刀时，都说背后传来了什么声音。死了的中尾先生和他的家属当然会这么说了！”奥平的目光一下子暗淡下来了。
“你是从什么时候认识北泽昌代女士的？”朱子又换了一个话题。
“你问什么时候……反正……怎么认识的……也就是老从她的庭院门口过，这么个认识程度。”
“那么你在富士见町的汽车修理工厂上班后，每天都从那儿走吗？”
“我从上高三时就经常从那儿经过，学校在高辻町，我现在住的公共宿舍也从那儿路过。”
“从高校三年级开始一直住在公共宿舍吗？”
“是的，因为住在餐馆的二楼上太吵，没法看书、学习，又有父亲在一旁斥责着，我只好躲出来，住在公共宿舍。从那时一直住到上班以后……”
“那么，你从很早以前就注意到北泽女士了吧？因为她可是个相当出众的女性，你不是常常偷看她的院子吗？”
听朱子这么一问，刚才奥平那一张天真无邪的脸变得扭曲了。他皱着眉，紧咬着上下嘴唇，露出了一种当前青少年常有的表情：“也许我偷看过，但并不是为了看那个女人。我们年龄差那么多，而且我也根本没有那个意思。不过是院子里常常种着各种各样的花草才引得我一边观赏一边开过去……”
“你说的事件发生的那天晚上，你是第一次去？”
"yes."
“你知道中尾先生常常去北泽女士的家吗？”
“不，一点不知道。”
“关于中尾先生的事儿，你知道什么？”朱子追问道。
“我什么也不知道。所以，那个男人倒在地上时，我还弄错了，以为他是北泽女士的父亲呢！”也许是太累的缘故，奥平睁开了他那无力的眼睛，矇矇眬眬地看向窗外。在惨白的天空映照下，奥平那张清瘦的脸庞上，放着淡淡的光泽。此时此刻他的辩解，和当时在警方那儿的一样，一点没有改变，也和唯一的目击者——到目前为止唯一的目击者赤司晴江的证词完全矛盾，而警方送来的“犯罪事实”，则是基于晴江的证词而作的。
朱子让刑警暂时把奥平带下去。她开始考虑把他先送到少年鉴别所去。如果是成年人，也就叫监狱或拘留所了。但如果是未成年人，尽管是嫌疑犯，只要与命案有关，一般是不会轻易放走的。
接下来朱子就要做认真而谨慎的调查了。做为参考人，她必须把现场第一个出现的北泽昌代带上来。朱子首先看了一下材料。在她看了北泽昌代的年龄和工作地点后，马上想起来就是曾经见过的那个女人，即她和乡原武彦在白川乡过了一夜之后的第二天，在御母衣湖畔遇到的那个女人。
北泽昌代那明显的椭圆形脸庞，顿时浮现在朱子的脑海里。在风中摇曳的吊桥、淡绿色的湖水也渐渐在她的头脑中扩散开来，只是回忆起来不再有当时的紧张感了。
Notes:
Notes: