Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Building Blocks of Reasoning

While Kosuke Kindaichi was visiting Denenchofu, Yukiko's body was transported to Sasaki's home in Seijo.When encountering this kind of situation, men often seem helpless.Therefore, this time, Nanako Nakajo went through all the relevant procedures instead of Yusuke Sasaki. When Yukiko's body was brought to Sasaki's house, it was Nanako who followed her by car.Yusuke came back by taking her car. Sadako Sakaguchi, the old lady in Chengcheng's family, has already prepared the mourning hall, Buddhist altar, and other things. Although Sadako Sakaguchi is close to sixty years old and her hair is nearly half white, her body is still very strong. Her strong physique can always give people the feeling of longevity.

She was Mayako's maid who served Mayako before she and Yusuke remarried. Although I don't know how she understands this incident, but at this moment, she will never reveal any words that are unfavorable to Yusuke. of. This old woman has a son, but because the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not good, she thinks that living in her son's house is better than working here.Since she is working here, she will never say anything unfavorable to her master. Of course, she will also have certain opinions on Sasaki Yusuke, but she is so sophisticated that she will not express these inner thoughts on the surface. .

However, even such an old lady can't deal with people, that is, she wants to avoid Nanako when she sees Nakajo.It's not that she doesn't understand that Nanako may become her new mistress in the future, but there is an unknown reason that transcends the interests of master and servant, which makes her always want to avoid Nanako Nakajo. Nanako has also started to turn a blind eye to her recently. She was also helping the funeral home today. Together they arranged the coffin, Buddhist altar and other items. When everything was ready, after the funeral home left, she said with an excuse: "I still have work in the kitchen." Then she got away and ran away.

In this way, it will be more convenient for Yusuke and Nanako today.Following the formality, the two of them joined hands to salute with incense sticks in hand, and then stayed in the living room. "You must be going out?" The tone was like that of a slovenly person. "Yes, I have already promised..." "So what if you agree? You can miss the appointment." "But the other party is a newspaper office. If I miss the appointment, they should say that I am pretentious, and I don't know what they will write in the newspaper." "Is it a reporter from the Ministry of Culture?"

"Well, yeah, what's..." "It seems that you still want to report on Ms. Nanako Nakajo's artistic views..." "Of course, I'm also vain, and of course I want to be featured in newspapers. Moreover, now is the best time. I feel that I am in the best condition right now. This exhibition is also going well... " "Are you planning on marrying me?" "Yeah, yeah, that's the matter..." Nanako didn't look at the man opposite at all, she took out a cigarette from her handbag and lit it, and said, "Don't worry about this matter, It’s no fun to be misunderstood by others; besides, I still want to be an artist for a while.”

"Do you value fame and fortune in art more than marriage?" "Hehe, maybe it is. Others know honor and disgrace because they have enough food and clothing, but I seek fame in art because I have enough food and clothing." Suddenly, as if remembering something, Nanako pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and said, "I have an appointment to call Denenchofu." After Nanako dialed the phone, she chatted with the other party's fucker for a while.At the beginning, Nanako didn't change her expression, she always kept that happy tone. However, in the middle of the phone call, Nanako's tone suddenly changed, her breathing became rapid and her tone became chaotic.

Sasaki Yusuke, who was sitting in the easy chair and listening to her call, felt strange at this moment, and couldn't help but look back at her, because she rarely lost her composure like this. When Yusuke was looking at Nanako suspiciously, Nanako suddenly put down the phone and turned around, her face was full of anger. "Mr. Ryutaro's wife, that woman named Zhumi is pregnant! She gave birth to a child this morning!" "What?" Yusuke, who jumped up from the easy chair, was also full of embarrassment.After he and Nanako looked at each other for a while, they slowly sat back on the chair, and Yusuke's attitude showed a dismissive expression.

"So what?" The man still had a calm expression, and when he spoke, it turned out to be loud.This made Nanako even more impatient. "What's the matter? She's the one who was holding a belly that was about to fall yesterday..." "So, so what?" Nanako glared at the man in front of her, as if trying to identify whether he was really so calm, or just pretending. The man gave a chuckle, stood up from the chair, and walked towards the woman. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he changed his way to the door, and locked the door from the inside. Twenty minutes later, Yusuke opened the door himself and sent Nanako out, talking softly like a cat in Nanako's ear.

"Okay, you go, you go and promote yourself to the newspaper reporter, but after the interview is over, you have to come back quickly, ah, at this time, if there is no woman around, it would be too embarrassing .” Nanako's hair was a bit messy, and her fair face was slightly flushed, revealing fine beads of sweat.As she straightened her hair, a combination of shame and anger made her a little overwhelmed. Because the body of the person killed by the "blue lizard" came back, the gate of Sasaki's house was full of spectators, and Nanako seemed a little shy in the sight of those spectators.

Behind the curtains of the living room, which can be clearly seen by people who come and go, just now, an incident that is very incongruous with today's day happened. Will the scene be seen by these spectators?Nanako felt a burst of humiliation, and she couldn't help burning with raging anger. Nanako didn't defend herself. She never thought that at this time, on such an occasion...it was her own negligence.No, it was before that, what Fuck said on the phone had already made her lose her mind, and Nanako, who had always been confident, was no longer confident now. The man took advantage of this gap skillfully and succeeded.

Holding the steering wheel in her hand, Nanako's eyes were cloudy and bloodshot.The turbidity may be due to the incident just now; the reason for the congestion is due to the injured self-esteem and resentment towards oneself.Her heart boiled with anger. It just so happened that it was time for traffic jams again, which made Nanako even more irritable, and the time agreed with Utsuki Shinsaku from the Culture Department of "Maisho Shimbun" was four o'clock.She had to arrive at the department store where she held an art exhibition in Ginza on time before this time. She didn't want to lose this opportunity. She imagined that when the article about herself was published in the cultural column of "Daily News", nothing could stop her from accepting this interview.Now, she was annoyed that she could not resist Sasaki's temptation. When Nanako arrived at the M House department store in Ginza, she was already twenty minutes late than the agreed time, which was exactly the time delayed by that unpleasant affair.She was thinking about how to treat that man in the future if she was not able to accept the interview because she was late, and rushed to the painting exhibition hall on the sixth floor. Nanako asked the lady at the reception, "Has the gentleman from Daily News come?" "Oh, it's this gentleman, right?" The lady handed over the business card of the Ministry of Information and Culture of each dynasty and Utsuki Zhenze. "This gentleman is admiring the paintings inside now." "Oh, is it?" Nanako suppressed her eagerness to run inside, first she put on a sweet smile on her face, then she walked towards the inner hall with calm steps, but her heart was still beating violently. As soon as she entered the hall, she saw a young lady standing near the entrance, admiring the paintings on the wall. She glanced back at Nanako and then turned her eyes away. She spotted Utsuki Shinsaku right away.No, rather than "discovering", it is more practical to say "seeing", because in the hall, there are only Utsuki Shinsaku and the lady who turned her eyes away just now. "Are you Mr. Utsuki Shinsaku?" Nanako asked enthusiastically when the young man heard the footsteps and turned around.In her hand, she held the business card that the reception lady gave her just now. "Well, I am Shinsaku Utsuki from "Main Asa Shimbun". Are you Ms. Nanako Nakajo?" The young lady who was standing at the entrance looking at the painting glanced at Nanako again. "There's a traffic jam on the road... keeping you waiting." "It's nothing, I just arrived, and I happened to be admiring your work." "Ha, I made you laugh." Nanako laughed secretly, "That... I'm really sorry, can I have dinner with you tonight?" "Ah, thank you." Utsuki replied very politely, "Thank you for your kindness, but I have to report back to the agency before six o'clock today, and I will add another news report tonight..." "However, there should be plenty of time before the morning paper is finalized, right?" "Well, even so, my report has to be sent to Osaka, so it's really urgent." "Ah, yes, what a pity." "Well, there will be opportunities in the future. Okay, how about we go to the coffee shop over there?" "There are always a lot of customers over there. I don't know if there are any seats left." "Don't worry, I've already reserved a seat just now." "Really, you are really thoughtful." When the two of them walked out of the hall together, the lady from just now was no longer there.However, Nanako didn't notice this situation at all. The seat that Utsuki Shinsaku booked was at the back of the coffee shop.A few pots of bonsai separated this seat from other seats, especially in this mixed department store, such a place for conversation made Nanako very satisfied.There was a mirror on the wall, Nanako chose a seat facing the mirror and sat down, Utsuki took a seat next to her, and immediately took out a notebook and a pencil. "It's like this..." Utsuki Shence kept that kind of superior smile on his face, and said: "You were on TV the afternoon before yesterday. At that time, our minister happened to see it. He admired you very much, so this time let me I'm here for an interview." "Ah, is that right, isn't it for the painting?" "Of course it's painting. Didn't you talk about painting last time on TV? "The Relationship Between Architectural Changes and Painting in Postwar Japan"... You were talking about this topic at the time..." No matter what kind of person, there will be weaknesses.Nanako's weakness is what she has repeatedly emphasized, her desire for fame in art. "So, which day's newspaper do you plan to publish today's interview?" "Isn't today Monday? I think Miss Nakajo knows that our newspaper has a column called "Reading and Knowledge" in the morning paper every Wednesday. It is published in that column. The title is "Architectural Style and Avant-Garde Painting, how do you feel?" "Ha, very good, will my name be on it?" "Of course, I also want to pick a painting you like the most from your exhibition hall, take a picture and take it away." "Really? I've prepared the photos, take them all!" "Really, it's so good... Then, I'm going to start asking questions. You should belong to the 'Hibiscus Club', right?" Utsuki Shinsaku must have come here after understanding the knowledge of painting in advance, and he has mastered how to talk without making the other party suspicious. Nanako's weakness was gradually taken advantage of by Utsuki Shinsaku, and she unpreparedly focused on expressing her views on the topic of Utsuki Shinsaku.Two or three tables away from them, the young lady just now was sitting impressively. She observed Nanako's expression from the mirror from time to time, but Nanako just talked and didn't notice this situation. In fact, that young lady is Kuniko Ozaki, she can be said to be elusive, just now she was at Denen Chofu, playing the role of Kōsuke Kindaichi's secretary, but now she is behind Nanako. Guozi observed Nanako's face from the mirror, while tilting his arms and thinking, looking uncertain. At this moment, Kosuke Kindaichi was walking along the streets of Gotanda Nichome, but he was not wandering aimlessly. He asked questions to passers-by on the road and young people in front of the fruit shop over and over again.When he turned into the next street, Kosuke Kindaichi couldn't help but smile. This is not only because he saw a familiar cooking stall with red lanterns hanging on the other side of the street, but also because he saw the familiar figure of the owner Fukuzo Tamura standing in front of the stall, he was Busy making a charcoal fire. "Hi, boss, thank you for your hospitality last time." "Huh?" The old man stopped the fan that was fanning the flames in his hand, with a look of suspicion on his face. "Excuse me, who are you?" "Have you forgotten? Not long ago, it was the night of the 'Dragon Palace Hotel' accident. The policemen from the Takanawa Police Station and I received your hospitality here." "Ah, it was that day..." The old man said with a smile on his face, "By the way, you came with that Mr. Police Department called 'Wait for Li'?" "Remember, the taste of the cooking you entertained us that time was really unforgettable." "Hahahaha, you are too polite, you are alone today..." "Ah, it's nothing. It's just that I want to ask you something about the last incident. I happened to pass by here, so I turned around." "Ah, is that so?" After the old man replied softly, he showed suspicion on his face again, "I'm sorry, sir, what do you do? Last time, those policemen called you sir... " "It's nothing. I'm just a private detective who has been with the Waitoli Police Department for many years. I have a close relationship with the Police Department." "Really, oh, hurry up... please come in and talk." The old man hastily opened the sliding door behind him. "Ah, well then..." The storefront inside the sliding door is neatly organized.Although it was only a small house, it was surprisingly clean inside, even the glass on the door was as clean as if it had just been replaced. "Please, would you like something to eat?" "No, no need, I just need to ask some questions, but my attire is too rude." "Please, please, hello...old woman! Where have you been? There are guests here, please bring the cushion." An old lady with a good temperament came out from the inside with a cushion. While looking at Kosuke Kindaichi curiously, she asked, "Who are you..." "Okay, I'll tell you later, you go back inside first, oh, by the way, bring the tea and ashtray." "Oh, please don't be polite." Kosuke Kindaichi said after taking a seat on the cushion, "Are you two in your family?" "No, there is also a son and a daughter. The eldest son died during the war. Now these two children are already working." It seems that their little days are not bad.After the old lady brought tea and an ashtray, she went back to the inner room without a word. "You said you were asking..." "Ah, that's right." Kosuke Kindaichi moved his knee forward and said, "That night, when you said you saw a man running out of the alley behind the Dragon Palace Hotel, start your Say it was twelve or three minutes to nine?" "Hey, yes, then why..." "However, those policemen said at the time that this was impossible. They said that the time when the man ran out should be after nine o'clock. You used the policeman's watch to compare the time with your alarm clock and said yes The alarm clock was slow, and you adjusted the time of the alarm clock later. But at that time, how many minutes was the alarm clock slow?" "Well, by the way, the alarm clock was not slowed down to ten minutes at that time. I remember it should be slowed down by eight minutes." "Are you sure?" "Of course... I'm not old enough to be confused yet. It was just over a month ago. Besides, what happened that night again, of course I remember it." "In other words, if the alarm clock was set off for eight minutes, if it was twelve or three minutes to nine o'clock, then the correct time when the man ran out should be four or five minutes to nine o'clock." "You speak well, what's the matter..." "Mr. Tamura." Kosuke Kindaichi stared into the other person's eyes and said, "According to what I said just now, the time when that man who looked like a panther ran out of the alley behind the Dragon Palace Hotel was definitely not nine o'clock. More minutes, but it should be a few minutes before nine o'clock!" "Hi, absolutely right!" The old man gave a solid answer. "Please keep this matter confidential. If necessary, I will report to the person in charge of the search, but please don't mention this matter to anyone." "Sir, is this matter..." The old man couldn't help becoming nervous. "It's nothing, I'm not sure at this stage, but..." "but what?" "If this case is solved, it will become an important piece of evidence. Then, you can be regarded as a meritorious person. But..." "But... what?" "If this matter is announced to the public at this stage, you may be in personal danger. You should also have read from the newspapers that the murderer of this case is a very cruel guy." "Ming...understood." Fukuzo Tamura rolled his Adam's apple up and down, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and said with a look of fear on his face, "I will never...never say anything, put my mouth Tear, I will never..." "Okay, then please pay attention, thank you." When Kindaichi Kosuke swayed the double sleeves of his kimono and walked buoyantly on the street full of New Year's atmosphere, his mind was filtering through the scenes like a revolving lantern, as if in his mind, reasoning The building blocks piled up one by one.