Chapter 16 6. The woman in the hallucination

On the second day after the murder broke out, the shopping mall on the third floor, which was rarely visited by people, was bustling again. Only yesterday's murder scene, no one dared to approach, and around the No. 15 counter, there was a terrifying The horror atmosphere, the blood on the floor, although it has been scrubbed clean, is still gloomy.The guests circled around from a distance, gesticulating and chattering. These spectators are very curious. They watched the scene repeatedly and earnestly, but they are still not satisfied. Some people have been here since the morning and have stayed for two or three hours. There was nothing to see, so I went down from the third floor, but after a while, I reluctantly returned from downstairs to the third floor.There seemed to be some vague expectation in their hearts. In their view, since such a serious incident happened yesterday, maybe something will happen today. This strange psychology has involved people's unwillingness to leave.

The two salesmen at counter No. 15 looked like strange animals locked in a cage. They were stared at by customers with curious eyes. The two of them were in the same mood as the two waitresses in the coffee shop on the seventh floor. They were unwilling to come to work, but they reluctantly came to work because they were afraid that it would arouse suspicion.Akira Isono and Junko Fushimi kept their pale faces, and they hadn't said a word since they went to work. Shibazaki Zhujiang, who is at the clothing counter next to him, seemed very active today.There are a lot of customers in her special counter, and the atmosphere is more relaxed. However, most of the customers come to inquire about the news out of curiosity.

"Hey! Did you witness the theft and murder at that counter?" Some customers asked openly. "However, you are very lucky because you are not your customer. You can imagine how frightened the salesperson at the counter was." Some customers also said unnecessary comforting words. Zhu Jiang just responded with a smile and didn't say a word, she was afraid of being caught by the police and causing unnecessary embarrassment for herself. Just after noon, the police inspector Waiting for Power came again, and the relevant personnel were called into the office in turn and questioned repeatedly.

Just after the police officer's interrogation ended, Kosuke Kindaichi, who was led by Liusuke Suoya, also stopped Isino, Fushimi, and Shibazaki for detailed questioning, and the three were really bored.After cross-examination, Kosuke Kindaichi walked into counter No. 15 and asked while looking: "So that's the case, then, are you there?" He was referring to Fushimi Junko. "When that masked girl came to the counter, you happened to be away from the counter, didn't you?" He asked Isino Akira again. "Yes, I went to the toilet." Isano bit his lower lip, expressing some impatience.Her skin was extremely fair, and she could even vaguely see the capillaries under the skin.

"Fushimi is a novice and doesn't know the internal situation. If I was there, the problem might not be so serious. Because of this, I didn't sleep well all night." Kosuke Kindaichi nodded his head slightly: "It seems that Director Sawai is the one who should be unlucky. But, do you know that masked girl?" Akira Isono secretly glanced at Liusuke Suoya, blushed slightly, and said, "No! I don't know each other. The director has repeatedly told us that even if we see her stealing goods, we must pretend we haven't seen her, so, I don't know much about her, except that she always wears a thick veil, covering her face tightly."

"That's right, no, but I suspect that recently someone is also wearing a black veil and a black coat, pretending to be 'Princess Helan' to steal. Didn't you notice it?" "Ah?!..." Isino Akira turned pale with shock, but then shook his head and said, "I didn't notice it at all." Kosuke Kindaichi's investigation was finally over, and he went down from the third floor with Liusuke Usiya.Fushimi Junko, who watched their backs, asked suspiciously: "Isano, do you think he looks like a plainclothes policeman?" "I think it looks a bit like it." Isino Akira said listlessly, "Maybe it's a private detective?"

"Maybe." "It must be, the manager must have entrusted him to come here. Don't look at him with a dull appearance, maybe he is still a great person! From his eyes, I feel that he may have found something suspicious." "Fushimi!" "What's up?" "Stop it! My head hurts just thinking about it..." "Hmm! Your complexion is very bad." "I didn't sleep well last night." "I didn't sleep well either. However, you haven't witnessed it with your own eyes. I saw it with my own eyes! When I think of that scene, I just..."

"Fushimi!..." Isono Akira was a little angry.Then, she begged Fushimi Junko again, "My good sister, stop talking, I beg you!..." "Okay, I won't talk anymore." Shunzi nodded, and stood aside sullenly. The guests on the third floor were still coming and going, standing in the distance and pointing to counter No. 15.Chirping.Akira Isano felt annoyed and confused, it was almost unbearable, and his complexion became more and more ugly.Shunzi also pouted and muttered in a low voice: "It's so annoying! We're all exhibits, why didn't anyone drive them away!"

At this time, there was a sudden sound of "cracking" and "cracking" footsteps, coming from far to near, and walking towards the No. 15 counter.Shunzi turned her head, was stunned, gasped and screamed, "Isino Akira, look!... That... That woman is here again!" Isono looked up, and his ugly face suddenly became like a blank sheet of paper. The person who came was wearing a black coat, a black veil, and black gloves.She came to the No. 15 counter, pointed to the jewelry in the glass cabinet, and said in a mosquito voice, "Take that..." Fushimi Junko suddenly yelled like a lunatic: "Quick... come here! It's her, she killed the director yesterday! I remember very clearly that the right cuff of her coat is embroidered with a light-colored pattern."

In an instant, the third floor was completely silent, and all the noisy people stood still like wooden stakes. The masked girl was still standing in front of the counter as if nothing had happened.Fushimi Junko twisted her body, trying to escape, but her feet seemed to be nailed to the floor, and she couldn't move a step.Isono Akira's face turned blue, his eyes were wide open, shooting out a desperate and fierce light. Shibazaki Zhujiang next to him drilled like a snake, looked at the masked girl in fear, and shouted hysterically: "Ah! This coat, this veil..." At this moment, Aki Isono turned around suddenly, ran out of the counter, passed through the women's clothing department, and ran towards the staff stairs.

Everyone was stunned for an inch. Fushimi Shunzi and Chai Qizhujiang stared at her back in shock. The masked girl was still calmly standing in front of the counter. Just as Akira Isino ran up to the stairs, he suddenly convulsed and took several steps backwards. "Where are we going?" Kosuke Kaneda stood in the middle of the stairs with a smile, and Rokusuke Usaya was behind him, dumbfounded, with a puzzled expression in his eyes. Isono Akira's face was pale, ugly like a crushed persimmon.She took two deep breaths and thrust her hand into her pocket. "Ah...stop!" Kaneda Kazuko took a long stride, "Scratch!" Chi jumped down from the stairs, quickly grabbed Akira Isino's hand that was in his pocket, and took out a few small capsules from the palm of Chi's hand. "This thing is not edible! It must be potassium cyanide! Mr. Police Officer, please keep it, this is important evidence!" Waiting for the power inspector to come down from another staircase: "So, who was the masked woman yesterday?..." "Yes, it's Akira Isono! Shibasaki! Shibasaki!..." Shibazaki Zhujiang was so frightened that his face turned ashen, and he walked over tremblingly. "Do you still recognize the coat that the masked girl was wearing?" "That...that was made by a customer, and it was worn on the simulated model in the design studio." At this time, the girl with many faces who was standing in front of No. 15 just now also leaned over and said, "Is my business over?" "Ah! You have worked hard and performed very well. Please take off the veil." The veiled woman removes her veil and turns out to be the proprietress of the coffee shop. Isono Akira, who was tightly grasped by the wrist by the police inspector, collapsed on the floor as if his muscles had been pulled out. The lobby on the third floor, which was already lacking in vitality, looked even more desolate at this moment.