Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Oigawa Iron Bridge

12:30 of the day. A car is parked next to the Oigawa Iron Bridge on the downbound line of the Tomei Expressway. This is next to the bridge facing Tokyo, near the entrance and exit of the Yoshida Expressway. A black domestic semi-new car. Small red flags indicating a car malfunction poked out of the windows, and the hood was gaping wide. The jack supported the somewhat dirty body from one side. A young man in his mid-twenties crawled under the car.But, if you look closely, he's not checking the car for a problem, nor is he trying to fix what's broken. The man spread his coat on the concrete floor and lay prone on it, holding a rifle in his hand, facing the front view.The heaviness in the hand shows how heavy the real thing is.

The approaching cars drove past the parked semi-new car one after another, but none of the drivers noticed the man lying under the car, holding a rifle and looking straight ahead. The man blinked constantly, peered into the field of vision, and pointed his gun at the car on the downline coming from Tokyo. In the limited field of vision, cars keep appearing: large trucks, racing cars, cars carrying families.The man smacked his lips softly every time a different car appeared. After a while, the car that the man was waiting for appeared in the field of vision. White Horizon GT. The man swallowed hard, repeating the number in his memory over and over again.That's right, it's the number from Tokyo.

A man in his mid-40s drove the Horizon with a middle-aged woman sitting in the passenger seat who looked like his wife. The young man slowly removed the safety from the rifle. His face was a little pale, but his movements were very calm, and it could be seen that his movements were very skilled. When the Horizon GT drove to the middle of the iron bridge, the young man pulled the trigger. The sharp sound of gunfire exploded in the dry winter air. But the sound of the gunfire was drowned out by the noise of cars speeding past, and if anyone heard it, they thought it was just a blown tire.

The bullet shot accurately passed through the windshield in front of the driver's seat and hit the face of the man who was driving. In an instant, the white body of the Horizon GT slid sideways, the tires creaked, and hit the edge of the iron bridge . The car was bumped upright, with the rear end up, over the railing of the low iron bridge, and fell to the river beach under the bridge. With a "bang", following the sound of the car body being damaged, the flames started to burn, and the white car body was immediately surrounded by red flames. The iron bridge also suddenly fell into a state of extreme chaos, and the cars behind hurriedly braked.Then, they collided one after another, and one of the cars even emitted white smoke.

The people who jumped out of the line of stopped cars ran to the bridge and looked down at the burning cars on the river beach. Black smoke rose straight up to the 12-3 meter high iron bridge. Five or six men who were fishing on the nearby river beach also rushed over, looked at the burning car, and stood there blankly, as if they didn't know what to do. Those people who were standing by the bridge and those who were fishing by the river beach didn't know what happened, they just saw a car suddenly crashed onto the river beach, and then it caught fire. On the other side, the shooting man put away his rifle, then dusted off his coat, and put it on calmly.He was the only one who was so composed.

He put away the small red flag indicating a malfunction, closed the hood, and removed the jack that supported the body. Afterwards, the man boldly lit a cigarette, approached the crowd, and looked towards the river beach. After fifteen or sixteen minutes, the police car and ambulance finally arrived.The flames have been extinguished, only the black smoke is still rising.It's just that the ambulance team looked at the twisted and scorched body, seemed helpless, and shook their heads at the policeman in the police car. Seeing this scene, the young man smiled.After capturing the scene with a camera, he returned to his car and drove towards the entrance of the Yoshida Expressway.

When the police from the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Station arrived at the scene in a police car, they only thought it was a traffic accident caused by a car speeding and falling. So they reported to 110 that a car had crashed onto the beach of Oi River and was burning. However, when the fire was extinguished and the rescue team pulled out the two charred bodies, the policeman's facial expressions froze. One body was that of a man and the other was that of a woman.Under the nose of the man's scorched face, a hole was clearly exposed, which could be identified at a glance as the hole through which the bullet had penetrated.

The situation suddenly changed.The personnel in the police car immediately issued a report, and the experienced criminal police from the county police station arrived. "Quickly confirm your identity. Immediately set up card checks at all highway entrances and exits." The criminal policeman shouted with a livid face. Now setting up card checks has no effect. The criminal police are clear about this, because about 20 minutes have passed since the incident occurred.However, what has to be done must also be done. Gloved detectives scrutinized the burnt-out car. Finally, the vehicle inspection certificate that had been burned to 3/4 was finally found.

I finally figured out the name Sato Yosuke, but the part of the address was burnt.However, one of the detectives actually remembered the name. "Hey, this name is the same as the name of the first-class crew member on the 'First Japan' published in the newspaper." The criminal policeman said loudly. Without delay, the license plate number and Yosuke Sato's name in the wreckage were reported to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for inquiries, and the two bodies were sent to the county hospital for autopsy. Checkpoints were immediately set up at all entrances and exits of the Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture.But as the detectives expected, no suspicious car was found.Obviously, one step too late.The results of autopsy at the county hospital are as follows:

The cause of death of the woman in the passenger seat (age 37 or 8) was burnt to death, and the man in the driver's seat (estimated age was about 40 years old), as a result of autopsy, a bullet with a caliber of 5.56 mm was taken out from the back of the head. There is a bullet hole under the nose, which is analyzed in connection with the location where the bullet was taken out. It is believed that it was caused by shooting from the opposite side at an angle of about 15 degrees from the ground at a distance of about 100 meters while the car was driving.The bullet passed through the front windshield and hit the man in the driver's seat.The man is presumed to have died instantly.

Regarding the identification results of the bullets that were taken out: Regarding the bullets, I got the following reply by asking the Self-Defense Forces. The caliber of the bullet is 5.56 mm, which is the bullet used by the M16 automatic rifle.This rifle is now used in the US military, and it has an extremely fast exit speed (1006m/sec per second) and prides itself on its high-accuracy hit rate. The news that Yosuke Sato, a first-class crew member, was shot and killed on the Oigawa Iron Bridge dealt a heavy blow to Totsugawa in Tokyo. His fears were confirmed. "I'm sorry." Totsukawa admitted his mistake to the Chief of the First Search Section with a frustrated look. "You asked me to pay attention, but saw one of them killed." "It's not your fault." The section chief comforted his subordinates. "In this way, you can openly handle the case from now on. I have contacted the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Station and asked them to assist in handling it." "thanks." "The death of the first-level crew member is very regrettable, but it can be considered that our reasoning is correct and the initial threatening letter has been fulfilled. Then, the situation of the remaining three people is already very dangerous." "This time, guard them." After discussing with the section chief, Totsukawa returned to the plainclothes policeman's room and immediately selected three people.All experienced criminal police over the age of 30 formed a team. Totsukawa called the three of them to his side and briefly explained the situation.Afterwards, he said: "Criminals must take the remaining three people as their hunting targets. One of you is in charge of one. First, find out where they are and what they are doing. If you find out where they live, you must keep a close eye on them and never leave. The lives of these 3 people must be saved. You 3 don't need to chase the criminals, I will do it. Your task is to protect those 3 people. Now rush to their respective residences immediately to find out if they are there. Criminals have rifles, don't forget pistols. Call for reinforcements if necessary." Three experienced criminal policemen accepted the task and ran out of the room immediately. Totsukawa was left alone, and he stared intently at the nightfall scenery outside the window.I don't know whether it is the effect of the Chinese medicine given by the section chief, or the effect of the jade wine I drank yesterday. I don't know when the cold has been cured.However, Totsukawa's face became even more gloomy. Is it remorse over the death of first-class crewman Yosuke Sato?No, that matter has been forgotten, but a new anxiety is gripping Totsukawa's heart tightly.If the criminal police find the remaining three people one step ahead of the criminals, they may protect them.If it were the other way around... He hasn't caught any criminals here so far, and he doesn't even know whether they are male or female. Totsukawa looked at the threatening letter borrowed from the section chief with a heavy heart.As stated in this letter, the second life has been lost, but the culprit is still unknown. Afterwards, Totsukawa took out the copy list from the head office of New Japan Airlines. The names of 26 people whose whereabouts are still unknown are displayed in front of them.There was a long list of names printed on the typewriter, and it was chilling to think that these were the dead. Totsukawa lit a cigarette and looked at the list of people typed on three pieces of paper, including five clerks.Modern tankers are equipped with computers, and these five clerks must be professionals who operate computers.This has a very different feel to the tankers of the past. deck department Konishi Shozo (29) Leaf Tanaka (28) Hisata Matsumoto (28) Three Forces (26) Akamatsu Junichi (25) Shigefumi Watanabe (20) Goichi Arai (19) Ministry of Organs Koichiro Shiraishi (42) Seiichi Yamada (30) Fukaya Hiroshi (29) Hisao Taguchi (29) Shotaro Uehara (28) Oishi Hiroshi (28) Kondo Susumu (25) Mizuzu Kazuo (25) Yuichi Nakahara (25) Shinjiro Hamada (24) Ban Yingshou (23) radio department Nagao Yoshihiko (20) Yananuma City One (20) Affairs Department Mimura Jun (29) Takeo Asai (28) Motohiro Hori (25) Ikuta Takatoshi (25) Susumu Hasebe (24) The 39-year-old Kamei detective got off at Chiba Station on the National Railway in order to find the second-class crew member Tetsuo Kono. Kono's home is on Shiomigaoka Street in Chiba City. Kamei hailed a taxi in front of the station, told the driver about Shiomigaoka Street, buried his body deeply in the seat, and lit a cigarette.Kamei's nickname is the turtle, some people think it is caused by his name, but some people say that when he walks, he sticks his neck forward, and his posture is somewhat similar to that of a turtle. Shiomigaoka Street is located between Chiba and Nishi-Chiba. Tetsuo Kono's home was easy to find.However, when Detective Kamei stood in front of the old house, he froze. On the gate, there was a note saying "House for sale, if you are interested, please negotiate with R Real Estate Company". To be cautious, Kamei opened the wooden door and went into the yard, poked his head, and looked into the house, but there was no sign of anyone. In a kennel, not even a dog. Detective Kamei went to the neighbor's house next door and asked a young woman who was putting away clothes to dry in the yard.The woman in leggings and a baggy sweater came over. "Mr. Kono? They left at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and I even saw them off." "Let's go? Are you going to fly to Haneda Airport?" The situation in Brazil suddenly came to the mind of Detective Kamei, so he hurriedly asked.But the woman next door shook her head: "No, it's not. It's Jin Gu." "Where is the Golden Valley?" "It seems to be in front of Futtsu. There is a speedboat tied there..." "Is that the port where the speedboat races are held?" "Oh, that port." "So, where is Kono-san going by speedboat?" "This, maybe it's because he is a sailor. Mr. Kono likes speedboats. This time, he finally sold the house and said that he bought a big speedboat with that money. The second grader of middle school also brought it. The whole family went from Jingu to the city yesterday afternoon. Set off." "Where is it going, do you know?" "It's been a year, and I kept saying that I was going to South America. I also said that I was slowly learning the language there on the boat. Mr. Kono often goes overseas, and I heard that his wife and children have already obtained passports. I'm so envious. " "In terms of the company, what do they plan to do?" "I heard a letter of resignation was issued. That's what it says." "Do you know the name of the speedboat?" "Well, it's named after his wife, and it's called 'Xue 1', because his wife's name is Xuezi." "Did you see the departure of the 'Snow 1'?" "Yes. The wind from the sea was very cold, but we kept waving until the boat was out of sight." If you left Hong Kong at 2 o'clock in the afternoon yesterday, you have already left Tokyo Bay, and it should probably be located in the south of the sea of ​​Miyake Island. "Speedboat?" Totsukawa was stumped by the phone call from Kamei detective.He was talking to himself, not knowing what to do for a while. It is not a problem to contact the Coast Guard and let them find the "Snow 1" and bring it back.But what if Tetsuo Kono refuses to return?Kono has gone through formal procedures for going abroad.At present, he cannot be identified as a suspect in the murder.Not only is he not a suspect, but he left the port at 2:00 p.m. yesterday from Kanaya, Chiba Prefecture. As long as he didn’t return, it just proves that he was not at the scene when Sato’s first-class crew member was shot and killed at 12:30 today. . "No way, come back." Totsukawa said something to Kamei and put down the phone. About seven or eight minutes later, Detective Ogawa, who went to Yokohama to look for Secretary Yoshio Tsuji, called. "Unfortunately, I didn't see Mr. Tsuji." Detective Ogawa came up with one sentence. "What? Did you also leave by boat?" "what?" "No, it's my idea. What's the matter with Secretary Tsuji?" "It seems to be traveling, and the whole family is away. It is said that it is the whole family, but the husband and wife live in the same apartment." "Do you know where you went?" "I asked the apartment management staff and neighbors, but no one knew. I only know that it seems to be driving to go skiing. Because yesterday at around 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the apartment management staff saw the Tsuji couple driving out with skis on the roof." "Was it five o'clock yesterday afternoon?" "yes." "If you want to talk about ski resorts, the scope is too large. Looking at it now, if you go by car, maybe Hokkaido is more likely." "You're right." "The license plate of the car?" "Yokohama No. XXXX. The car is a Sunshine DX with blue metallic paint. I heard it was bought this summer." "Where is the hometown of Tsuji and his wife?" "Yoshio Tsuji was born in Yokohama and grew up in Yokohama. His wife's hometown is Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture." "These two places are not places for skiing." Totsukawa frowned. "Go around and investigate again, and find a way to find out where Tsuji and his wife are going." Totsukawa just said this, and put down the phone receiver.But another call seemed to be waiting, and the phone that had just hung up immediately rang again.It turned out that it was from the Imamishi detective who went to Yokosuka to look for the boatswain Shiro Kojima. "Unfortunately……" Detective Imanishi said on the phone. "So, isn't Bosun Kojima at home?" "That's right. Yesterday, Kojima drove away with his wife and only daughter who was in elementary school. The car was a red Honda Civic with the license plate number Yokohama XXXX." "Are you driving again? Where are you going?" "I've found out about everyone around me, but no one knows. I only heard that the lights were still on at home last night. I think they may have left after dinner." "Didn't expect to go skiing or something?" "Because of this season, I also thought of this. But after asking, the neighbor said that Kojima Boatswain and his wife don't like skiing. The only thing is that the couple were both born in Kansai, can they go there?" "Learn more. Is there anything else?" "not yet." "understood." Totsukawa put down the receiver again. What was the reason? The remaining survivors of the "First Japan" fled in all directions like frightened birds.The ship doctor Taketa moved to Brazil; the second-class crew member Kono left the port in a large speedboat; the other three fled by car, and the first-class crew member Sato was shot dead by criminals. The feeling can only be that a group of wild ducks flew up when they heard the hunter's footsteps, and the hunter shot one of them.Didn't the death of Captain Miyamoto bring the hunter's footsteps? However, the true face of the hunter has not yet been clarified, nor is his motive for killing the six remaining survivors one by one. Totsukawa had no clue at this time and had nothing to do.We can only issue a wanted warrant to search for the cars of Chief Secretary Tsuji and Boatswain Kojima across the country. Totsukawa proposed to the Chief of the First Search Section, asking the police headquarters of each prefecture and county to cooperate and assist in this work.After that, just after falling into the room, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police Department sent new news about the murder of the first-class crew member Sato. When the incident occurred on the Oigawa Iron Bridge (12:40 on December 21), according to the drivers of the trucks and cars passing the downlink scene, as well as the passengers, the following confirmations were obtained: (1) Ten to fifteen or sixteen minutes before the incident, a broken-down car was parked at the head of the Oigawa Iron Bridge. (2) Probably a semi-new Toyota Corolla.Witnesses were not sure because the speed of vehicles passing on the bridge was about 80 kilometers at that time.The license plate number is unknown, but it is unanimously confirmed that the body is black. (3) The broken down car has a small red flag, the hood is open, and one side of the car is propped up with a jack.There is no shadow of the owner in the driver's seat or around the car.At 1:30 pm, when the downline returned to calm, the faulty car also disappeared. (4) Except for the black breakdown car, no one saw other suspicious vehicles near the scene. From the above situation, it can be inferred that the criminal parked his car at the head of the Oigawa Iron Bridge, disguised as a broken down car, and waited for the arrival of the victim's Horizon GT. It can be considered that the prisoner was hidden under the car body supported by the jack, and shot with an M16 rifle in a prone position.According to the field test results, shooting with this posture is consistent with the appraisal results, and it can be directly fired at an angle of about 15 degrees. "Very interesting report." said the section chief. "Interesting things, of course they are." Totsukawa replied with a gloomy face.It seems that he will not be freed from anxiety until he finds out the whereabouts of Chief Tsuji and Boatswain Kojima.Because the criminal's goal is to kill all the six people, then, they must be chasing and killing these two people now. "Has the source of the rifle been investigated?" asked the section chief. "The M16 rifle is only used in the Self-Defense Forces, so I have asked the US military in Japan through the National Defense Agency, but there is no response. However, even if the report of the theft comes, it cannot be expected that the criminal will be exposed." "If you kill someone with a gun, you can think that the criminal is a male." "Probably male, and skilled with a gun." Totsukawa replied with a gloomy face.There are at least tens of thousands of men in Japan who can use guns. "Why did everyone run away from home together as if they had discussed it? The performance of fleeing may not be a good thing." The section chief fell into deep thought with a cigarette in his mouth.Totsukawa also remained silent. "what are you thinking?" asked the section chief. "They believed that Masaga Miyamoto had not committed suicide but was killed, so they were frightened and fled." "But, don't you think there are still doubts in it?" "Several doubts arise. First, since they fled out of fear, why didn't they seek the protection of the police? Can't imagine that they all have allergies to the police. Second, why did three of them want to go to Brazil or South America? The actual situation now is that the ship's doctor Takeda has moved to Brazil; the second-class crew member Kono is also on the way to South America in a speedboat. Thirdly, the first-class crew member Sato was shot. Why does the criminal know the actions of the victim? He only knows the victim clearly Driving by on a certain day, at a certain time, at a certain place, he could have been in an ambush there. It was a strange incident." Totsukawa shook his head.The section chief faced him, as if he wanted to see into his heart. "But, you already have the corresponding answers to these questions." "Limited to a certain degree of reasoning, which is very immature." "It's okay, let's talk about it." "About the first question, I'm wondering if there is some shady secret among the six remaining survivors." "What kind of secret?" "If you want to speculate arbitrarily, can you think about it this way: when the 'First Japan' sank, what did they do wrong, so that the ship that should not have sunk sank. Of course, this is something that is not expected to happen, and also There is no evidence. Regarding the second question, it is considered from the delicate situation they are in. On the one hand, this incident made them a news figure and became famous, but on the other hand, because the whereabouts of the remaining 26 crew members were unknown, 50 The 10,000-ton world No. 1 oil tanker sank, and 580,000 kiloliters of precious oil was lost. They felt guilty in their hearts, thinking that they could not hold their heads up in Japan. Therefore, did 3 of the 6 people agree to go to Japan? Settle in Brazil. This is just my idea, and I have to contact the ship doctor Takeda to confirm." "As for the ship doctor Taketa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the local embassy to investigate and understand." "So, have you made contact?" "We only know that he arrived in Rio de Janeiro. But we don't know where he went afterwards. Is it inevitable for such a big country? Then what do you think about the third question?" "I think it's more of a mystery. To be honest, I haven't found the answer yet. Maybe the culprit is one of the six people, so the whereabouts of the rest are very clear." "It's not impossible to think about it this way. In this way, the remaining survivors who are fleeing now are very dangerous. Of course, the current second-level crew member Kono at sea is excluded." "Then Tetsuo Kono will escape?" "What? Is Kono even at sea in danger?" The section chief laughed, but Totsukawa said worriedly: "Because I don't know what kind of person the criminal is, so I can't feel at ease. Just because his marksmanship is accurate, I can't help worrying." "The Coast Guard said that as long as he left the port after completing formal procedures, he could not interfere." "it is as expected." "A chartered ship from Tokyo left the port last night and headed for Iwo Jima. I have asked the captain, if you find the 'Yuki 1', please tell Kono Tetsuo to contact the Metropolitan Police Department." When the section chief was speaking, a young criminal policeman poked his head in and said to Totsukawa, "Detective Ogawa's phone number." Totsukawa grabbed the phone receiver. "What do you know?" "The whereabouts of Director Tsuji have been clarified." Detective Ogawa's voice 8 degrees higher came from the phone. "where?" "Nozawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture." "Nozawa Onsen?" I've heard of this place name before, but Totsukawa doesn't know where it is in Nagano Prefecture. "Just now, a female staff member who lived above the Tsuji couple came home. She said that when she saw Mrs. Tsuji, she happily told her to go to Nozawa Onsen." "This situation is very important. You must confirm that it is correct. Is it Nozawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture?" "That's right. Yoshio Tsuji's wife also said that she would buy a pigeon cart as a gift for the female employee. The famous folk handicraft pigeon cart is only available in Nozawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture." "Okay. I'm going to Nozawa Onsen now." Totsukawa hung up the phone.It happened that Kamei detective came back, and Totsukawa rushed out of the room with Kamei. "Are you born in Nagano Prefecture?" Totsukawa asked while running down the stairs. "no." "Been to Nozawa Onsen?" "I've been there once." "Can I go by car?" "Probably, you can buy a traffic route map at the gas station on the road." The two ran to the parking lot and jumped into a black Toyota Crown police car that was closed.There is no time to arrange a train ride.The criminal may have gone to Nozawa Onsen. The crown car with the engine tuned, was driven by detective Kamei, who has a driver's license of Class A, and rushed into the street under the twilight.This is a car that can easily reach 200 kilometers per hour. As the end of the year was approaching and the roads in the city were blocked, Totsukawa had no choice but to turn on the siren. The cars blocked in front moved away to the left in fear, and the police car driven by the two quickly passed through the space. "Have you contacted the Nagano Prefectural Police Station?" Detective Kamei asked Totsukawa while showing his superb skills as an A-level driver, allowing the car to speed through skillfully. "I have simply written it down and asked Tanaka to handle it. I guess I am in contact now. But of course, this cannot be relied on. After all, it is our job." Totsukawa seemed to be talking to himself. It was already 9:25 p.m. when the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters received a call from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. It has been snowing in Nagano prefecture since morning. They decided to rush to Nozawa Hot Springs by two criminal policemen in the snow. This year has more snow than any other year.From Nagano City to Iiyama City, snow removal has been carried out on the national roads passing by, but the heavy snow continues. Even if the car wheels are equipped with anti-skid chains, it is still difficult to walk, so traffic is blocked. Broken down cars are everywhere, blocking the road.The jeep driven by the two criminal police had to avoid these faulty cars and move slowly. Every time the criminal policeman who was driving stepped on the brakes, he looked up bitterly at the sky where the snow was still falling.Although the hot air was turned on inside the car, the cold air outside still entered the car unceremoniously through all the gaps. The detective sitting on the assistant's seat rubbed his hands vigorously, and then opened a report cut out of a newspaper, which had a photo of Chief Secretary Tsuji on it.This is a newspaper reporting the news of the 6 remaining survivors. The head of the photo is too small to see clearly, and the face of his wife next to him is even more blurred. The biggest clue is the Tsuji couple's car.Regardless of the vehicle type and license plate number, it is clear.However, at this speed, I really don't know if we can reach Nozawa Hot Spring tonight. As it approached Iiyama City, the congestion became more and more serious.On the road about 1.5 kilometers away, cars were next to each other, and even if the siren sounded, the cars couldn't run. The two detectives lit up their cigarettes without hope. It was already 5 o'clock in the morning when I finally arrived at Iiyama City.The snow on the road leading to Nozawa Onsen from here is even deeper.The two detectives hurriedly swallowed the sandwiches they prepared in advance while they were filling up the jeep at the gas station. "According to this, it will be daylight when we arrive at Nozawa Onsen." One of the detectives sighed in frustration. "It would be nice if the snow stopped." Another criminal policeman rubbed his hands and said, the breath he exhaled immediately turned white in the cold air. "Is this man surnamed Tsuji in danger?" "First class crew has been shot dead in Shizuoka." "It's good that criminals can't move in such heavy snow." After filling up the gasoline, the two got into the jeep, and started on the road in the snowflakes flying all over the sky, crossed the Chikumagawa River, and went straight to Nozawa Onsen. 6 o'clock the next morning. The snow that had been falling for a day and a night finally stopped, and the thick clouds showed cracks. However, it was still dark all around. The half-new black Corolla struggled to the town parking lot in Nozawa Onsen with the groan of snow chains. Nozawa Onsen, known as the "Hometown of Pigeon Cars", because of its rural atmosphere and its vast skiing grounds, has gathered five or six hundred cars, most of which are in Tokyo and Kansai. The man driving the semi-new Corolla parked the car next to the parking lot. During this time, even the shadows of people could not be distinguished clearly. The man moved around while sitting on the seat, and took out a note from his coat pocket.He was smoking a cigarette, looking at the words on the note. As if to remember, the man read the note over and over several times, then made a small ball and lit it in the ashtray in the car.The orange flame flickered for a moment, then went out immediately. Afterwards, the man put on sunglasses, sat motionless in the car and waited for dawn.He closed his eyes and guessed, but because of nervousness, he couldn't fall asleep. After 7 o'clock, the sky finally began to light up, and people's shadows could be seen.In the gaps in the clouds, there was a faint morning light. At 8 o'clock, the staff of the town parking lot came puffing all the way and opened the gate. The man got out of the car, put on his ski boots, and asked the staff: "I want to see if my friend's car is here." After getting permission, he entered the parking lot. He checked the cars parked there one by one.In front of the eighth car, the man stopped and watched intently.Sunshine DX with blue metallic paint, the license plate is Yokohama XXXX. "It's this one." The man muttered to himself. He told the management that "my friend wasn't here," and then went back to his car and removed the tan leather bag strapped there from the roof.As a ski bag, it looked larger than normal, but the man with the backpack on his back walked just like any other skier. On the way, the man inquired about the way to the "Umihira" ski resort, and then walked in the indicated direction. What a rare sunny day.Because of this, even though it was morning, there were already several hundred skiers scattered across a silvery world. Men carry ski bags across the driving range and onto the lifts used by intermediate-level skiers. This is an uphill chairlift that only takes one person, and the total length of the line is 800 meters.While the chairlift was gliding upwards, the man seemed to be observing the terrain, looking down intently. At the finish line, the man walked in the opposite direction to ordinary skiers.The staff who managed the chairlift looked at him strangely, but did not greet him, and did not pay attention to him afterwards. The direction the man was going was a large birch forest, and the mountain white bamboo was also protruding from the ground. This is a place where skiing is not allowed, but it is not marked as a restricted area.The staff may think that when he knows that he can't ski there, he will return naturally. The man stopped until he was out of sight of the staff, and then walked down the slope parallel to the lift.The knee-deep snow quickly covered the man's body, but he kept walking step by step. When he came to the middle section of the mountain chair lift route, the man's forehead was slightly sweating. He let out a breath, then found a small recessed place and sat down.He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his gloved hand, then lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth, looking around at the surrounding terrain.He grinned, probably satisfied with the place he chose. He rubbed his body sitting in the depression to the side, and took off the backpack on his back.Open the zipper of the backpack, and put together with the metal skis is a disassembled M16 rifle. The man took off his gloves and began to carefully install the rifle.In only twelve or thirteen minutes, the rifle was loaded.This is a familiar operation for him. The man looked at the watch on his wrist, and then at a distance of about 30 meters, he stared at the chair lift that was slowly sliding over.From the place where the man was staying, looking up to the lift, the skiers sitting in the lift looked like the moving targets of the electric devices on the shooting range. 8:42 am. Totsugawa and the others, who were speeding along National Highway No. 18, finally entered Nagano Prefecture.While refueling at a gas station in Ueda City, Totsukawa contacted the Nagano Prefectural Police Station. The person who answered the phone was a criminal policeman from the First Investigation Division of the Criminal Department.He spoke in tongues and said: "Two detectives have arrived at Nozawa Onsen and are searching." "Have you found Tsuji and his wife?" Due to the severe cold, Totsukawa asked with a white breath.The stubble of the beard that was too late to shave is still long. "I just received a report that the No. XXXX car from Yokohama has been found. It is currently investigating in hotels and private houses." "Forgive me for being out of bounds on this matter, but I request that all roads be closed immediately in the event of an incident." "Understood. It's just that it's easier to have a general understanding of the criminal." "Unfortunately, nothing is known about this. All that is known is that he was driving a black semi-new Corolla and was using an M16 rifle." Totsukawa himself understood that this was useless information, which meant that he still knew nothing about the criminal. After refueling, Totsukawa and Kameda detectives set off again. The weather is getting finer and clearer.Last night's snow shone silvery in the sun, so white that the eyes were left, Totsukawa narrowed his eyes, wondering if it would be too late. The Nagano Prefectural Police Department said that their two detectives found Tsuji's car, which is true. The two policemen arrived at Nozawa Hot Springs at 8:35.In the town parking lot, they spotted the Sunshine DX car. According to the management personnel of the parking lot, the car was parked here yesterday morning, and it was driven by a middle-aged couple.It seems that they can be regarded as the Tsuji couple. But of course the people in the parking lot didn't know which hotel the Tsujis were staying at. In the past, Nozawa was a hot spring town with a rural flavor.But now, there are 31 hotels alone, especially in the current ski season.About 300 of the 400 ordinary houses have guests who come to ski. The two criminal policemen explained the situation and asked for reinforcements.First, search house by house, starting with the hotel.Although troublesome, there is no other way. 8:50. Yoshio Tsuji and his wife Kinuyo came to the practice field of Uenodaira Ski Resort with their skis on their backs. Kinuyo, who is already 35 years old, laughs and dances like a child, probably too happy. Nozawa Onsen was their wedding trip.Every winter, the couple will come here regularly. However, after returning home from this shipwreck, my husband always looked troubled for some reason.在这样的气氛中，绢代无法张口提及去温泉游玩之事。看来，形成惯例的野泽温泉之行今年是没指望了。可就在前天，丈夫却突然说出要去野泽。 昨天，他们到了野泽，又住在那家“太田旅馆”。卸下行装，他们去买了有名的野泽菜，又花1800日元买了鸽车。鸽车是从江户时代开始制作的一种民间手工艺品，是用野木瓜的藤做成鸽子，然后放在车上。绢代非常喜欢这样有趣的工艺品。 练习场上，到处是滑雪者。然而，除去这逐年增加的滑雪人数之外，那白桦林的景色，那眼前野泽温泉的白色雾气，一点儿都没有改变。 “还和从前一样呵。” 绢代非常满足地朝着丈夫微笑了。 两个人在练习场上滑了五六分钟之后，便向中级滑雪者用的上山吊椅走去。二十人左右的划雪者吵吵嚷嚷地一边说着一边等候上山。辻夫妇也站在了队后。 同一时刻，滑雪场入口处的办公室里的电话铃声响了起来。一个打工的大学生正在看周刊杂志中的漫画，他不情愿地刚一拿起响个不停的电话听筒，里边立刻传来“我是长野县警署的前岛刑警”的喊声。 “由横滨来的一对夫妇到你们那里去了。马上把他们叫到办公室，在我们到达之前，要他们等在那里不要动。” “马上叫来？今天是难得的晴天，滑雪场上有近两千人的滑雪客人呀，又不认识面孔，怎么能领他们来呢？” “有麦克风吧，用麦克风广播。他们是横滨来的辻芳夫夫妇二人。” “可是，只有到滑雪场中间的那个小房子里去广播，整个滑雪场才能够听到。” “那就立刻去那里广播！这是人命关天的事呵！” 那边挂断了电话。“真是的，干吗要这么厉害地喊叫，真让人受不了。”这位大学生一边咋舌，一边又要去拿周刊杂志。可他突然想到，电话里说这事关系到人的性命，而且，对方又是县警署的刑警，别事后找麻烦。想到此，这位大学生慌忙戴上毛线编织的帽子，把长发塞在帽子里，走出了办公室。 轮到辻夫妇二人乘坐上山吊椅了。绢代上了前边的一个，辻芳夫乘上了下一个。 上山吊椅慢慢地滑动起来了。绢代回过头来向丈夫说： “你还应该说祝我滑得好啊。” “你不是总是比我滑得好吗！”辻芳夫笑了。 每年来这里时，妻子销代总是要担心地问起，自己是否还能像去年那样滑得漂亮。而过后她总是要比丈夫划得更出色一些。 “我们会永远到这里来吗？”绢代像个年轻女孩子一样，一边晃着两条腿一边问。 "if you are willing to." “真高兴。噢，我还向M先生的妻子说，给他们带回一些土特产呢，你说带什么好？是鸽车好呢？还是带野泽菜好呢？” 绢代漫不经心地随便问道。谁知，一直都在愉快地答话的辻芳夫，突然沉下脸来。 “你对M先生的妻子说了到这里来吗？” "is it not OK?" 绢代见此，慌了神儿，反问道。 一声尖厉的枪声炸裂了周围的空气。 紧接着，又是一枪。 两颗子弹准确无误地射中了辻芳夫和他的妻子的胸膛。 两个人只留下一声惨叫，便从吊椅上跌落到七八米下面的斜坡上。他们的身下，雪白的白雪立刻被染红了。 就在这一刻，那迟到的广播在整个滑雪场内响了起来！ 横滨来的辻芳夫先生和夫人。横滨来的辻芳夫先生和夫人。因有急事，请到办公室来。横滨的辻芳夫先生和夫人……