Chapter 7 Chapter 7 The Secret of the Past

A search headquarters was established at the Chofu Police Station.Because they had to cover up the truth of the kidnapping, there was dissatisfaction among the criminal police, as if they were searched blindfolded. "It's really stuck." Totsukawa said to Kamei. "The Shizuoka Prefectural Police Station is probably also in a difficult situation!" Kamei said worriedly. "Although I want to keep in touch with them frequently, since the kidnapping incident cannot be made public, even a joint investigation headquarters in name cannot be established." "How is Shinichiro Nishio?"

"I heard that at the Ministry of Transport today, we are discussing the rationalization plan of the National Railways with the President of the National Railways." "Is the meeting going to continue until tomorrow?" "Yeah, we can only wait for 48 hours to make the kidnapping public." "I can't bear it." "It's too much. But the kidnapping case is even more puzzling to me. How about we re-examine the relevant situation?" Totsukawa said, "①The tape of the conversation between the prisoner and Shinichiro Nishio (the tape has been copied by the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Station Sent here); ②Reproduced photo of the suspect; ③One-shot photo of Qingliu Yuan holding the 11th Evening News (also copied); ④ Evening News found at the scene; ⑤Rope from the same scene; The prisoner’s pen and paper (also copied). These 6 points, let’s do it all over again.”

First, re-listen to the tape. "There is nothing strange in the recording." Kamei said, "The prisoner ordered Nishio to prepare 100 million yuan in cash, put it in a travel bag with a diameter of less than 60 centimeters, and take the 'Travel' from Mishima at 3:47 p.m. Echo' train. Kidnapping, it's a natural thing to do, nothing special." "The second point is that there is probably no problem with the prisoner copying the photos. Because it is a common thing to be somewhat different from the person himself." "Next is this photo." Kamei fetched Aoyagi Genichi's photo.

"Observe carefully. From the background, it is indeed a room in the house. There is nothing wrong with it." "The following is the evening paper." Totsukawa picked up the Morning News evening paper left behind at the scene.On the first page, it was printed in large type: "Anti-nuclear demonstrations broke out in Europe again", and contained photos of protesters holding placards. Aoyagi Genichi in the primary photo was taken with this side facing the camera.Undoubtedly, it was the evening paper. "It seems that there is nothing suspicious..." Totsukawa said to himself while flipping through the evening paper.Suddenly, "Oh!" shouted loudly.

"What's wrong?" Kamei stared at Totsukawa closely. "Kamei, take a closer look at this newspaper!" "I've already read it, it's nothing..." Kamei said, taking out the newspaper and flipping through it, "This is undoubtedly the evening paper of the 11th." "I know that. The problem is the advertisement in this paper!" "Advertisement? What's wrong with the advert?" Kamei expressed disbelief. "For example, at the bottom of the third page, there is an advertisement for a department store. Look there." "Ah, is this it? M Department Store's spring sale. What's the matter?"

"Take a closer look at M Department Store." "There's nothing suspicious..." As soon as we talked about this, Kamei suddenly called out, "Ah, M department store Shizuoka branch! This..." "That's right! Advertisements in magazines and books are the same as those in Tokyo, but advertisements for high-end apartments are all in Shizuoka City or Shizuoka County." "By the way, I'm still thinking about why the apartment above is so cheap. It turned out to be an apartment advertisement in Shizuoka Prefecture. So, this Daily News is the Shizuoka version?"

"correct." "But, Police Department, why is there a Shizuoka version of the newspaper in Tokyo's commercial housing market?" "This is the criminal's negligence." Totsukawa smiled. "In other words, the prisoner is from Shizuoka Prefecture?" "Yes, this prisoner came to Tokyo. In the commercial housing in Chofu, he asked Gen Aoyagi, who was imprisoned, to hold the evening paper of the 11th in one hand and took a photo. If the prisoner is more careful and buys the Tokyo edition of the evening paper, it will be fine But he was negligent. He bought the evening paper in Shizuoka and brought it here. There is no other explanation."

"But it's hard to confirm that the abductor is from Shizuoka Prefecture! He imprisoned the hostages in Chofu, Tokyo, and took the "Echo" from Tokyo instead of Mishima. How could it be that he didn't order The staff of the dining car 'Echo', as soon as the train leaves Tokyo, will you hand over the letter to Nishio?" "Yeah, so the man in the copy is not the kidnapper." "You mean an accomplice?" "No." Totsukawa shook his head, "It's not an accomplice in the general sense. If there was an accomplice, he wouldn't have left a Shizuoka newspaper at the scene."

"What's the matter?" "When I mentioned Shizuoka Prefecture, I thought of Shinichiro Nishio's villa in Shuzenji like a reflex." "Of course, I also thought of this, but Nishio is not kidnapping a prisoner, but a victim who paid a ransom of 100 million yuan." "That's true. But I was thinking of the secretary Jundao. On March 11, we watched the villa all night. Around 4:00 p.m., Jundao drove somewhere and came back at night. Where to go We have no way of knowing. Did you go to Tokyo? Drive to Mishima and take the Shinkansen from Mishima to Tokyo. It takes 1 hour and 5 minutes from Mishima to Tokyo. Taking Chofu into account, there are two An hour is enough. Leave the villa at 4 o'clock and arrive as soon as 6 o'clock."

"So, the appointed time for Genichi Aoyagi's death should be between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the 11th." "Yes. Assuming that Kimishima is a prisoner, it is inferred from the timing. Kimishima took the instant camera and took the Shinkansen from Mishima. It is probably where he bought the Morning News Evening News. After arriving in Tokyo, he temporarily Negligence, let the imprisoned Qingliu Yuanyi take a photo with the newspaper. Then kill Qingliu Yuanyi immediately, and then return to the villa in Shuzenji. From this point of view, Kimishima’s actions are also reasonable.”

"But, Police Department, in this way, that Kimishima should be the kidnapper?" Kamei shook his head and said, with a look of incomprehension on his face. Totsukawa waved his hand: "Not necessarily, the person who called Nishio was not Kimishima, but another one." "Then, Kimishima has no reason to kill Aoyagi Genichi?" "I imagine this, what do you think? Someone is blackmailing Shinichiro Nishio. The method of blackmail is not to take Genichi Aoyagi as a hostage, but a secret—Nishio's secret." "Didn't the police department say that Yuki Sasaki, who was killed, held the handle on Nishio, so that he could coerce Nishio to buy a high-end apartment for her, and give her a sum of money every month?" "That's because there is no sign of adultery between Nishio and Sasaki Yuki. In addition, what I heard from the female lawyer Yuki Takako made me feel more and more impressed. Kusaka-kun said , It was a man who killed her on the express train Sakura. I wonder if that man didn't intend to kill Yuki Sazuki at first?" "Go on." "There is a motive to kill Sasaki. Except for Nishio, we have not found anyone else. Nishio is a prisoner? Or is it that the prisoner doesn't have any hatred for her, but hates Nishio, and wants to get the secret from her to blackmail Nishio. The prisoner wanted to take her out of the express train Sakura and ask her the secret. The prisoner intended to knock her unconscious and take her away, but he hit a vital part by mistake, and she was beaten to death. When she died, she happened to be sent to The sun has witnessed the toilet." "Indeed it will be." "The prisoner who was in trouble knocked out the sun and took the opportunity to transport the body out of the train. As for how it was transported, we still don't know. The prisoner transported the body to Tokyo and faked her suicide. Then, the prisoner set out to find the The secret of intimidating Nishio, searched her room, but found nothing, and finally found it in the apartment where she used to live. The criminal used this as a trick to blackmail Nishio.” "However, how is this matter related to Nishio's secretary, Kimijima, who killed Genichi Aoyagi?" "Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi are both from Hakata. At first, the two started a partnership in Hakata, but it didn't go well, so they came to Tokyo. According to Aoyagi's wife, after arriving in Tokyo, Aoyagi never went back to his hometown. .Although he is keen on collecting folk crafts from his hometown." "Did you do something in your hometown of Hakata, so you can't go back!" Kamei said while thinking, "Maybe so. This not only shows that Aoyagi has guilt in his heart, but also for Nishio, isn't it also a dark history for him? " "Is this the reason to threaten them?" "The two of them must have done a lot of bad things. Xiwei thought of the phone call that threatened him on March 10. If he handed over the money, it might be over. But Yuanyi Qingliu, who knows everything about him, is still there. As long as he lives , Maybe he will be blackmailed at any time. Thinking of this, Nishio had the idea of ​​faking the kidnapping incident and killing Genichi Aoyagi. In order to make it happen, he ordered his secretary Kimijima to do it." "indeed so." "Let's listen to another conversation between the prisoner and Nishio." Totsukawa turned on the tape recorder again.There was a call from the prisoner to Shuzenji Villa and Nishio's answering voice, "Didn't you find anything?" After hearing it a second time, Totsukawa asked Kamei Michi. "It sounds like Nishio asked the prisoner several times to return the hostages, but he didn't mention Genichi Aoyagi's name and the identity of the deputy general manager. It's a little weird to call the people who worked hard together when the central loan was founded as hostages. .” "The prisoner didn't take Aoyagi as a hostage. He used letters, photos, or audio tapes with Nishio's secrets as a means to blackmail him. Therefore, Nishio said that as a matter of course." "If that's the case, all kinds of questions have arisen again." Kamei said. "Tell me. Tell me one by one. If you can answer your questions correctly, it will prove that my reasoning is valid." Totsukawa said, lighting a cigarette. "First, it's a matter of time. If the reasoning of the police department is correct, Nishio is taking this opportunity of being blackmailed by a prisoner to fake the abduction incident and kill Aoyagi Genichi who knows about his past. However, to the Deputy Secretary of State for Transport The threatening phone call was made on March 10th. And Genichi Aoyagi disappeared on the night of March 9th. Does it have to be reversed?" Kamei asked sharply. "It makes sense." Totsukawa nodded, "This question, I think about it this way, what do you think! According to Aoyagi Genichi's wife, when Aoyagi went to work on the 9th, he said that Nishio entrusted him with a special job. If the company It could have been said that way. That is a private matter. Will Nishio ask Aoyagi to find out because Sasaomoto Yuki was killed, fearing that the secret in her hands would fall into the hands of others. And Aoyagi, Also because of his own responsibility, since the 9th, he has been running around desperately without returning home. On the 9th, he stayed in a hotel or other place in Tokyo, and was afraid that it would take time to go back to Bu's home. He just reported the situation to Nishio , So, Xiwei knows where he is. And. On the 10th, someone really got hold of the secret and blackmailed Xiwei. As soon as Xiwei started to kill Aoyagi, it might be because he was angry with Aoyagi's incompetence." "Can I ask another question?" "of course can." "On the 12th, according to the prisoner's intention, Nishio took the 'Echo' train from Mishima? The radio asked him to go to the dining car, and got the envelope given to him by the prisoner? He threw the 100 million yuan travel bag from the window of the train commander's room. Instructions to go to the Oi River beach and one-time imaging photos..." "That photo was originally in Xiwei's hands, and he put it in quickly while others were not paying attention." "Then the envelope contains only instructions?" "In addition to the order, I think there is also a 'secret' that forces Nishio to spend 100 million yuan." "Is it an excuse for blackmail?" "yes." "However, I put the important handle in the envelope and gave it to Xiwei. What if Xiwei doesn't pay the ransom?" "Of course, the prisoner wouldn't put the whole secret in. If the blackmail secret was a letter, the prisoner would only put half in. Nishio quickly swapped it with Genichi Aoyagi's photo." "Will the other half wait for the 100 million yuan to be mailed to Nishio?" "So, Nishio stopped the public search. It will take 48 hours. It is said that it is because of the meeting to rationalize the national railway, but I don't believe that reason. I got 100 million prisoners. I am planning to send the other half to Nishio. If I catch up What will happen to the public search? The prisoner was just using secrets as an excuse to blackmail. But he didn't know when he became a kidnapper and killed the hostages. If he knew this, he would naturally get angry and detain him. The other half. Nishio is afraid of the hand, so he prevents a public search for 48 hours." "Two days, the mail will arrive?" "yes," "What became the focus of the question was Nishio's 'secret'. What was it? How did Yuki Sasaki, an unknown actress, get hold of it?" "Of course it's a question." Totsukawa nodded, "I heard that Yuki Sasaki once worked as a TV reporter. Will he go to Hakata to interview Dao. He accidentally found out Nishio's secret?" "Around the TV station, let's investigate it." Kamei said. "About a year and a half ago, Yuki Sasaki suddenly moved into a high-end apartment. I think she knew the secret of Nishio at that time." Totsukawa added. "Understood. I will investigate with Kusaka-kun." After the two rushed out to search the headquarters, Totsukawa fell into deep thought.It is impossible to know whether this reasoning he put forward is correct.There are a few other questions that I haven't figured out yet: How did the prisoner and the corpse disappear from the Sakura express train?The mystery has not yet been solved. The second is the man in the copied photo. From the time the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Station sent the telegram, I thought I had seen it somewhere, but I never remembered it.What parts might be different?Eyebrow?Eye?If it is a little bit worse, if you say no, you will suddenly remember it. About two hours later, Kamei called: "I'm at STB TV station now." "What did you find?" "I found an interesting thing. About a year and a half ago, Sasaki Yuki went to Hakata for an interview as a TV reporter." "Is it?" "The task of her interview is very interesting. At that time, Nishio Shinichiro became the Deputy Minister of Transport. It is said that he is from Hakata City, and Nishio was born in the suburbs. After he became famous, he would donate pianos to the elementary school in his hometown every year and donate money to build it. The park, and the building of a public hall for the citizens, are very popular in the local area. Yuki Sasaki went to interview these achievements of Nishio." "Maybe it's because she is smart and capable. She has visited Nishio's activities in Hakata and caught his fatal wound from it?" "I think so too. But what is that? I still don't know?" "At that time, what kind of interview newsletter did Yuki Sasaki publish?" "We watched the TV back then, and there was nothing radical about her communications." "Kamei-kun!" "what?" "You and Kusaka-kun, go to Hakata immediately, go to the birthplaces of Nishio and Aoyanagi, and thoroughly investigate the two of them. Kusaka-kun's brother runs a tabloid office in Hakata. I heard that after his brother died, his sister-in-law took over. , may be able to help us." "Understood." Kamei said, and then added, "We were also going to ask you to go to Hakata." Kamei and Kusaka took a JAL flight from Haneda Airport to Fukuoka. When we arrived in Fukuoka, it was the sunset.Take the train from Hakata Station of the National Railways, and after about 20 minutes, you will arrive at the place where Shinichiro Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi were born and raised. Nearby, there is a railway line laid for the transportation of coal.After the downturn in coal production, the trucks on this special line decreased sharply and lost their vitality.To Kamei's surprise, there are new and polished buildings such as elementary schools and public halls scattered on the deserted street. "It's all donated by Shinichiro Nishio." Kamei said in surprise - Shinichiro Nishio's name was engraved on the clinic. "Maybe there is also a bronze statue for Nishio here!" Kusaka said. "Is your house near here?" "It takes twelve or thirteen minutes by car." "What's the name of your brother's newspaper?" "Hakata Shimbun. Now my sister-in-law inherits my brother's behest and continues to run it!" "Probably also reported Shinichiro Nishio. Because this subject is full of good stories, it caters to people's wishes." "Yes, I will check with my sister-in-law later." "Let's do it this way. Let's go to the nearby police station and check on Shinichiro Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi, shall we?" Kamei said. Near the clinic named after Nishio, there is a police station.There were two policemen in their forties and sixteen years old.Kamei told them that they were from Tokyo. The two policemen were taken aback and hurriedly asked them to sit inside and serve them tea. "We want to know about the situation of Shinichiro Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi." Kamei took out a cigarette and handed it to the two of them. "Mr. Nishio is a well-known person here!" said one person. "yes!" "Someone started a movement to build a bronze statue of Mr. Nishio. Are all the powerful people here all members of the 'Reward Society' who support Mr. Nishio?" "So, if you speak ill of Mr. Nishio here, you will be immediately attacked!" "That's right. Mr. Nishio doesn't just donate money. If we don't have this amazing company, our livelihood will be difficult. This pottery factory using the soil from the nearby mountains was built by Mr. Nishio. Ah, people are still expecting more Something to be proud of. Also, all our young people who have been to Tokyo have been taken care of by Mr. Nishio. Some of them have become Mr.'s personal secretary!" "Is it Kimishima?" "You know a lot." The policeman rounded his eyes in surprise. "I've seen him before." "Everyone is envious of Kimishima. Being able to be Mr. Nishio's secretary is destined to be promising." The policeman said enviously from his heart. "I heard that Genichi Aoyagi is from the same place as Mr. Nishio, and they are doing business together here?" "Ah, is it Genichi Aoyagi?" The policeman suddenly remembered, "I know that man who went to Tokyo with Mr. Nishio. He is like Mr. Nishio's shadow." "On the 11th, he was killed in Tokyo." "yes?" "You don't seem too surprised?" "Ah, that's because he has nothing to do with this place. If something happened to Mr. Nishio, it would be a catastrophe." "A year and a half ago, a female reporter from a TV station came to interview Mr. Nishio, right?" As Kamei spoke, another policeman said with a smile: "I remember that, but she is a beautiful woman. I also watched that show. The notice was written on the bulletin board of the residents' committee. Everyone has watched it." "I think she is a reporter, and she must meet all kinds of people. I don't know who she will meet?" "What happened?" "That female reporter was killed on March 5! Two people related to Mr. Nishio were killed in a row." "Has the culprit been found yet?" "Come here, maybe you can learn something." "why?" "I think the incident seems to be related to Mr. Nishio's past." "It's nothing. Mr. Nishio is an excellent person. Now he has become a deputy minister of state, and has something to do with crime? It's unimaginable." The two policemen said, serious. Kamei was surprised by this earnestness, and he continued to ask, "It's not that Mr. Nishio has anything to do with crime. Mr. Nishio went to Tokyo from here 20 years ago, right?" "I heard it was August 10, Showa 35." "It's so detailed" "Because the Reward Society here has published a biography of Mr. Shinichi Nishio, which is clearly written!" "I want to read that biography." "Please!" The policeman took out a book from the cabinet behind him, "I gave it to you, please read it slowly." ——What a gorgeous book!"Biography of Mr. Shinichiro Nishio" is written in bronzing characters on it. On this day, I stayed in a nearby hotel. The next day, Kamei said to Kusaka while eating breakfast, "Now let's go to the prefectural police headquarters." "Is there anything to investigate?" "Yesterday, I read the biography of Shinichiro Nishio, which is very detailed. I graduated from Kyushu University with honors in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Then I went to Tokyo and became famous. However, there is no word about what happened in the year I went to Tokyo. It was a turning point in his life, and it should have been written in detail. Instead, he only wrote one line: On August 10, Showa 35, he went to Tokyo with a dream.” "Did anything embarrass Nishio Shinichiro happen this year?" "So, I thought of the county police headquarters to investigate." Kamei said. After breakfast, the two came to the Fukuoka Prefectural Police Headquarters and asked to investigate the past. "Did anything happen here on August 9 or 10, Showa 35?" Kamei asked the staff in the reference room. "Showa 35?" The data officer looked up the data at that time, "Ah, on the night of August 9, a robbery murder case occurred. As a result of the case, no criminal was found, and it became a case of no suspense." "Is it the night of August 9th?" "Yes, it was discovered the next day, the morning of the 10th." "What kind of case is it?" "A 60-year-old wealthy widow was killed and robbed of 5 million yuan." "5 million? Is it the money at that time?" "Yes, a widow named Zhakou. She lives alone. She inherited a huge amount of property from her husband, but she hates depositing in the bank and keeps cash in her hands, so she was targeted." "Of course there are suspects?" "Yes, it says here that nearly a hundred suspects have been investigated." "Are there also the names of Shinichiro Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi among them?" Kamei asked. The data officer in his fifties smiled wryly and said, "How do you know?" "I've heard a bit of it. What's the matter with the two of them?" "At that time, they opened an electrical store together in the local area, and the business was not good. On the second day of the incident, they suddenly closed the store and went to Tokyo. Therefore, they were targeted." "Did the murdered woman, Zhakou, know them?" "The store is near her home, and she asked them both to buy TV sets, so they are familiar with each other. They also know that she is rich, and their store is in a difficult situation due to debt. I paid off my debts and went to Tokyo. Up to now, I have become a veritable Mr. Nishio." "As a result, no evidence was found of the two committing a crime?" "Yes, the case has passed the statute of limitations. However, among the investigators, there are still people who believe that the culprits are Shinichiro Nishio and Genichi Aoyagi." "At that time, who found the body?" "Oh—according to this document, it's a 35-year-old woman named Fumyo Shimazaki." "What do you do?" "A maid who took care of the daily life of the victim, Mrs. Zhakou. On the morning of the 10th, she came to Zhakou's house as usual and found the body." "Where does this person live now, do you know?" "Probably still living in the old place." The data officer said, and suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, a reporter came to investigate this matter a month ago." "Is it a journalist?" "Although I was given a business card, but..." the data officer flipped through his pockets, "Ah, here it is. It's Hakata Shimbun's good fortune." "It's brother!" Sunxia couldn't help shouting, "Does brother's death have anything to do with this case? Brother committed suicide, but—"