Chapter 3 Chapter 3 October 29

The police insisted that the most likely cause of this homicide was that Imai committed suicide by taking poison after strangling Takeshita Saeko to death.In order to confirm the cause of death, Imai's body was sent to the University Hospital for autopsy, and the body of Takeshita Saeko, who died in the same room, was also treated in the same way. Sachiko advocated that Imai's body should be transferred to herself, but the police did not agree. This is a homicide case, and Imai is suspected of the murderer, so even though Sachiko is dissatisfied with the police's handling, there is nothing he can do.Although Imai has committed suicide, it cannot change his identity as a suspect.

Daisuke Kaji asked Yano, "What kind of woman is Kajiko Takeshita?" Yano was quite helpless, "The police are currently investigating this woman. The address she wrote on the registration card was fabricated by herself." "So, do you know the real name of Takeshita Saekako?" "It's still unknown, that woman met Imai in secret, and her address was fabricated at will, which further shows that she does have the motive of extortion." "If you find out the real identity of the woman, can you tell us?" "Of course." Yano readily agreed.

Kaji Daisuke and Sachiko left the police station. Daisuke Kaji looked up at the sky reflexively.Although it was late autumn and the cold wind was blowing outside, there was a cloudless sky above. Daisuke Kaji paid attention to the weather changes before the game based on the habits he had developed in his past career.Tomorrow is the first game of the Japanese professional baseball league, and it will be sunny and crisp in autumn.If Imai is still alive, maybe he will be like him, looking up at the sky now, praying to God to bring good luck to the team and himself. Sachiko didn't know Kaji Daisuke's state of mind at this time, and was still immersed in the grief of losing Imai.

She said bitterly to Kaji Daisuke: "I never believe that the husband would kill that woman and commit suicide himself." Kaji Daisuke said, "Didn't the police say that he had potassium cyanide with him?" "Although this is the case, I can't understand that if he really wants to commit suicide, he should at least call me and tell me the reason for suicide, or leave me a suicide note or something. But this time he didn't say anything to me and committed suicide like this. Well, how is this possible?" Daisuke Kaji nodded in sympathy, "You are quite reasonable. Imai is a serious man. When he committed suicide, he should write his reasons in his suicide note. But if what happened at that time was a very violent act of impulsiveness, maybe Imai made a hasty decision before he had time to think about it, and the police currently think so."

"I still can't figure it out." Sachiko was still stubborn. "Then how do you think Imai died?" "Although I don't know, it is really incomprehensible for him to act in this way if he strangled the woman first and then poisoned himself as the police said. I understand that he is a coward. If the other party In a hurry, he would rather run away than kill someone." "So, do you think that Imai didn't commit suicide, but was also killed by others?" The two stood in front of the gate of the police station and argued with each other, attracting the attention of many passers-by.

Sachiko seemed to notice it, and suggested, "Let's talk while walking." At this moment, suddenly a large black car jumped out in front of the two of them, and slammed on the brakes.A middle-aged man got out of the car in a panic and yelled at Sachiko: "Madam, why didn't you contact us?!" His tone was obviously blaming. Sachiko replied softly: "This is purely a private matter of my family, so don't disturb you." The man seemed very dissatisfied with Sachiko's answer, and his tone became more and more fierce: "Imai is the pitching coach of our team, and his scandal is also a disgrace to our team. You should understand this."

Daisuke Kaji looked at him coldly, he knew the person.This person is Inoue, the head of the publicity department of the Tigers. Inoue was also the head of the promotional department of the team during the West Japan Tigers era.When the team was acquired by a new company and changed to the East Japan Tigers, almost all the old staff of the team resigned at that time, and only Inoue stayed. "You blamed Madam, wouldn't you use a better method?" Daisuke Kaji couldn't help but said to Inoue. Inoue seemed to have just noticed Kaji Daisuke standing aside, so he said arrogantly to Kaji Daisuke: "Why are you here? You have nothing to do with professional baseball."

Daisuke Kaji replied neither humble nor overbearing: "I came as a friend of Imai." Inoue's words were even worse, "Imai is the pitching coach of the East Japan Tigers. He doesn't even mention people like you. How can you be his friend?" Daisuke Kaji suppressed his anger and said coldly: "Please pay attention to the occasion when you speak, this is not the team office, let alone the stadium." "I'm talking to Coach Imai's wife, don't want you to interrupt." Inoue's attitude was still very arrogant. Daisuke Kaji said bluntly: "Do you want to keep your wife's mouth shut? Are you worried that the abnormal death of the team's pitching coach and a woman in a hotel room will affect the team's reputation?"

Hearing what Kaji Daisuke said, Inoue immediately showed a painful expression on his face: "You used to be the 'Ace of Hearts' of professional baseball. You should understand how important the Japanese professional baseball league is. The league will start tomorrow. In this league, the Japanese Tigers must defeat the Tokyo Elephants, which claim to be the leader of the baseball world, and become the No. It will definitely shake the morale of the army, and you can’t win against the Tokyo Elephants. Would you like the Tigers to fail in this league?” "Then what should we do?" Kaji Daisuke was speechless after hearing Inoue's words, and just muttered softly.

Of course, Daisuke Kaji remembered that when he was expelled from the football world, the team kept looking at him coldly and did not help at all. Not only that, the team also took the opportunity to deduct his one-year contract salary.Although the team is ruthless, it also bears the name of the Tigers.At this point, Kaji Daisuke really couldn't bear to attack the team, because he has always had an indelible nostalgia for the Tigers. Seeing that Daisuke Kaji did not answer, Inoue couldn’t help feeling a little proud. He let it go: “Professional baseball players are idols for children. They should be strong and cheerful. Our team leader Hirota, That's what team managers ask of us."

Daisuke Kaji smiled wryly and shook his head again and again: "Okay, do you still want to give me lessons?" Inoue looked serious, "Please help us, please don't tell anyone about this before the end of this baseball league, Ma'am, please." Sachiko nodded frequently, but said worriedly: "I promise not to tell, but I can't control the police and the media." "Look at my wrist." Inoue showed a conceited expression. "Your wrist?" Daisuke Kaji repeated Inoue's words, and couldn't help but glance at him contemptuously, "I think your wrist will be wasted." "Why?" Inoue asked puzzled. Daisuke Kaji snapped angrily and said, "Look at the gate of the police station. The report car of that Tokyo Shinbo is coming. Can you seal the mouth of that newspaper?" Looking in the direction of the police station, Inoue couldn't help but gasped. Sure enough, in front of the gate of the Shinjuku Police Station, there was a car with the flag of the "Tokyo Shimbun" parked. Tokyo Shimbun is the backstage and sponsor of the Tokyo Elephants.Two years ago, the Tokyo Elephants and the Osaka Sharks were tied in a tie.At a critical moment, the Tokyo Shimbun revealed the scandal of the Sharks' "Ace of Hearts" player Hamada.Overnight, Hamada fell into a desperate situation of discredit, and the Osaka Sharks also collapsed and lost in an instant at a good time when they were bullish. As a public media, Tokyo Shimbun does not see the role of its fair reporting, but everyone has clearly seen the fact that a large part of the success of the Tokyo Elephants should be attributed to the strong support from the side of Tokyo Shimbun.Inoue is well aware of the power of the Tokyo Shimbun.Seeing that this was the case, he had to bid farewell to Sachiko and Daisuke Kaji in a hurry, got into the car and slipped away in a panic. Looking at the shadow of Inoue's car going away, Sachiko felt a little dazed. She asked Kaji Daisuke: "What should Inoue do when he goes back?" Kaji Daisuke smiled wryly: "What else can I do? Isn't it just to go back and meet the team?" It seems that the Imai scandal will definitely be published in the newspapers, and you will have to suffer for a while." Daisuke Kaji's prediction finally came true.In the evening edition of the Tokyo Shimbun that day, the column reported Imai’s scandal, and the headline of the Dou University prominently wrote: East Japan Tigers pitching coach strangles woman and commits suicide in Shinjuku Grand Hotel! Bad omen ahead of the Japanese professional baseball league "China Central Television" also kept broadcasting Imai's scandal, and soon other newspapers and TV stations also rushed to follow suit, and their propaganda was basically the same. The Shinjuku Grand Hotel strangled a young woman to death and then died of poison, which was his last resort to liquidate his evil love" and so on. Kaji Daisuke had a premonition that after the scandal was revealed, the media reporters from various newspapers and TV stations would inevitably pester Sachiko endlessly, so he settled Sachiko in his nightclub in advance.He saw media reports on the Imai scandal from the TV and evening papers that night, and at the same time, he saw many media reporters flocking to the East Japan Tigers office and Inoue Publicity Section Chief to meet with reporters. Kaji Daisuke lit a cigarette and stared at the TV report camera. Sachiko sat aside and watched TV silently.On the TV, Inoue, who had just fled away in a hurry, is now pretending to be calm, putting on a confident look, maybe he and the team's top management have already figured out a plan for the aftermath. On the TV, Inoue stated affirmatively to the reporters: "Of course I know about this." A reporter immediately asked sharply: "So how do the East Japan Tigers plan to deal with this? The Japanese professional baseball league starts tomorrow." Inoue pretended to be calm and replied slowly: "Actually, Coach Imai's woman problem has been around for a long time, so we have dismissed Imai from the position of coach since yesterday, and the newcomer Saeki-kun has been promoted to the position of coach. At the same time, Saeki-kun I also participated in the team's coaching meeting today as a coach." "There is such a thing?" Sachiko was shocked when he heard this, and couldn't help crying out in a low voice. "It's just talking." Daisuke Kaji spat and said disdainfully.He understood Inoue's intention of lying. If the team knew about this in advance and replaced Imai's coaching position in advance, then Imai's scandal would not hurt the team's reputation. On the TV screen, footage of Hirota leader and new pitching coach Saeki appeared.Zuo Bo was originally the team's reserve coach, a typical slave who obeyed orders. On the TV, I saw Zuobo giving a generous speech: "Yesterday, the team suddenly asked me to be the pitching coach. I was surprised at first, but in order for the Tigers to win this league, I will do my best to be a good coach." Work." A reporter asked: "It was just said that Imai's coaching position will be dismissed from yesterday, and he will be replaced by reserve coach Saeki. What exactly does this mean? Is the position of the two swapped?" "This is completely wrong." Inoue hurriedly explained, "According to what I just said, dismissing the coaching position is dismissing the employment, so Imai who committed suicide in the hotel is no longer a member of the East Japan Tigers." The reporter stared at it tightly again: "You mean this matter has nothing to do with the Tigers?" Inoue said: "The disclosure of the matter is the police's business. We also want to know the results of the police investigation. However, what I want to explain is that this matter is purely Imai's personal behavior and has nothing to do with the team." A reporter from Tokyo Shinbo asked a sinister question: "Can we contact Mrs. Imai's family? We also want to interview Mrs. Imai, but we don't know the address. Did the team hide Mrs. Imai's family in advance? gone?" Inoue waved his hands again and again to deny: "That's absolutely not the case, and we can't get in touch with Mr. Imai's family now." Another reporter asked: "I would like to ask the team leader Hirota a question, will this scandal shake the morale of your team's players?" Team leader Hirota has been sitting on his seat with a gloomy face since he entered the venue. After hearing the reporter's question, he replied coldly: "I think the players are all mature adults, and this kind of thing will never shake them. military spirit." The reporter asked again: "How do you comment on Imai's matter?" Hirota said: "He is an excellent coach who is enthusiastic and responsible for his work, but he is a little narrow-minded. It is a pity that such a thing happened today." A reporter asked, "Tomorrow, the player who will serve the first ball for your team was originally announced as Dongtian. Will it change now?" Hirota said: "No, why do we need to change people?" The reporter said, "Because it was Coach Imai who trained Higashida to be a top pitcher." Just as Hirota was about to answer, Inoue took the lead and explained: "You are wrong, Higashida was brought out by Saeki-kun when he was in the reserve team." Saeki nodded with a smile, showing a smug expression.He further explained: "At first, Higashida was not suitable to participate in the first-team game, so he returned to the reserve team for training. The advantage of his playing is that the serve is powerful, but the disadvantage is that the ball is too poor. For this reason, I asked him according to his characteristics. Changed the original shoulder throw to side throw. Of course, this tactical change was carried out with the consent of Hirota’s team leader. Unexpectedly, this change was a great success. Higashida made rapid progress and became the team’s top player in a short time. pitcher. In this baseball league, we expect him to be the backbone of our pitching team and play a huge role.” "I don't believe it!" Sachiko couldn't help crying out while watching the TV screen. At this time, the TV screen has switched to other news.Daisuke Kaji turned off the TV, poured a glass of cocktail for Sachiko, and asked with concern, "What do you mean by saying you don't believe it?" "I can't tell you the specifics. Anyway, I think the leader of the Tigers on TV just now said that my husband was dismissed in advance and replaced by Saeki, and that Higashida was trained by Saeki. They are all lies. Imai personally told me that he put Higashida cultivated." Daisuke Kaji smiled ambiguously, and he explained: "After the scandal happened, the team must of course eliminate Imai's influence in all matters for its own benefit. Anyway, Imai can't talk. I believe that Higashida's pitching method The change is indeed due to Imai, but if you still insist on this statement, if Higashida thinks of Imai when he throws the ball in the game, can he still play well? So now Saeki speaks out to confuse the public and take credit Yuji also wants the players to forget about Imai as soon as possible.” Sachiko asked again puzzled: "Why do they hate my husband so much?" Daisuke Kaji also explained: "The owners of the East Japan Tigers do not so much love professional baseball as they cherish their own value. It is said that they are extremely disgusted as long as a player or coach is involved in a scandal. Because once a scandal occurs, they The value as a publicity media is gone, or it has had a negative impact. Therefore, the leader of Hirota is very aware of the position of the owner, and he will abandon Imai without hesitation once the scandal of Imai is exposed." Zuozhizi was still unwilling: "Anyway, I can't accept the police's statement. Maybe my husband was also killed by others." "I also feel the same way as Madam." Daisuke Kaji knew Sachiko's difficulties, so he explained vaguely.He knew that it would be very difficult to prove Imai's innocence, because it was almost an undeniable fact that Imai took one million yen to the Shinjuku Grand Hotel to have a tryst with a woman named Takeshita Sae Kaji without telling Sachiko.Secondly, the inference made by the police based on the scene of the incident also has a certain basis, that is, after the two met, they clashed due to language differences.These have been proved by many people, so it is almost impossible to overthrow this inference. Thinking of this, Daisuke Kaji changed the subject and said to Sachiko: "I think it will be very beneficial to find out the truth of the case by finding out the true identity of Kazuko Takeshita first." Sachiko didn't respond to Daisuke Kaji's topic, but kept thinking.She said in a daze: "I don't believe that my husband is frivolous. He won't ruin his reputation. He was very popular with the audience in the player era, and he had a romantic affair, but since he became a coach, he has devoted himself to I have never heard any gossip in my work, so I can't accept this statement anyway." Listening to Sachiko's heartfelt words, Kaji Daisuke couldn't help recalling the scene of Imai's time.At that time, Daisuke Kaji and Imai were colleagues. Knowing that Imai was beautiful, he had a certain popularity with the audience.But technically, he's just a second-rate player.At that time, there were endless scandals about the personable Imai dating various women.Although this guy can't be said to be a good player on the court, he is an energetic star in the red light district, so some people jokingly called him the "Ace of Hearts" in the red light district.However, Imai is now a middle-aged man of forty years old. Although he was in the limelight in the player era, he has long since become a coach. Few people know his name.Daisuke Kaji thought about it for a second, and a new idea appeared in his mind: Could the woman of Sae Kaji Takeshita be the woman he met in Imai's time?Since the East Japan Tigers decided to participate in the professional baseball league this year, it has been widely reported in the sports news media, and the picture of Imai as a pitching coach will inevitably appear in various sports news newspapers.So the woman he met in the past may use this opportunity to find Imai to blackmail. Thinking of this, Daisuke Kaji immediately called Yano. Daisuke Kaji said: "Mrs. Imai and I have a question to trouble you. Has the woman who died with Imai been investigated clearly?" Yano replied: "We have made a little progress." "Then please tell us quickly. We want to know about everything." "That woman's real name is Saeko Takeshita, but her address is fabricated." "How do you know her real name?" "From her fingerprints. She has a history of assault, so we know her real name through fingerprints." "Then shouldn't we find out her address?" "We're investigating this." "What is this woman's occupation?" "Working at a nightclub in Shibuya." "What's the name of the store?" "Called the 'Olive Tree' nightclub." "Have you figured out the relationship between that woman and Imai?" "This is currently under investigation." After Kaji Daisuke hung up the phone, he decided to go to the "Olive Tree" nightclub to find out the situation. "Then what should I do?" Sachiko looked at with teary eyes. Looking at Sachiko's eyes, Daisuke Kaji's heart suddenly felt hot. 13 years ago, Sachiko also said this sentence, but compared with now, the nature is completely different. At that time, Daisuke Kaji was suddenly fired from the professional baseball world. When he was at a loss, Sachiko also asked Daisuke Kaji "what should I do?"Maybe she was looking forward to the answer from Daisuke Kaji: "Come with me!" However, Daisuke Kaji didn't have the courage to say this at all. He had just been expelled from the professional baseball world. question.Daisuke Kaji couldn't remember how Sachiko answered the question at that time, but it must have been vague and perfunctory.Therefore, the disappointed Sachiko had to leave Daisuke Kaji and married Imai. Although Sachiko's question aroused Kaji Daisuke's surging thoughts, he suddenly changed his words: "You should stay in the store. Put a temporary rest sign at the door of the store to prevent outsiders from entering casually. If there is anything If you find out, call me immediately, as long as the phone rings twice in a row, I will talk to you immediately." "Don't call me if you have nothing to do, understand?" "I'll go together, okay?" Sachiko asked carefully with a pale face. "Reporters from newspapers and TV stations are looking for you everywhere now, so you should stay in the store." Daisuke Kaji said and left the store. Before you know it, night has fallen, and the surrounding area of ​​Kabukicho in Shinjuku has become a sea of ​​neon lights. Daisuke Kaji drove towards Shibuya in a taxi and got off at Dogenzaka, only to find that the "Olive Tree" nightclub was built on a steep slope.Daisuke Kaji went up the stairs. The nightclub was located on the fifth floor of a seven-story building with a mixed population. The place was very spacious and there were a lot of ushers.As soon as Daisuke Kaji entered, the waiter wearing a bow tie and the waitress wearing a bright dress at the door greeted him politely.Kaji Daisuke entered the nightclub with a small waitress about thirty-five or sixteen years old. According to her, she had been in this nightclub for five years.Daisuke Kaji felt that the waitress was quite talkative, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Is there a waitress named Daisuke Takeshita Saeka here?" "Are you a policeman?" The other party immediately asked alertly. Daisuke Kaji pretended not to know the inside story: "Why do you ask me like that?" "Recently, the police have often come to the manager and mother-san, asking various questions about Sae Kajiko." Daisuke Kaji knowingly asked, "Are you talking about the murder at the Shinjuku Hotel?" "Yes." The waitress seemed to relax her vigilance, "I only found out about this from watching TV, and I was really shocked. I heard that the murderer is the coach of the East Japan Tigers baseball team." Daisuke Kaji showed his hole cards and said, "I am the coach's friend." When the waitress heard this, she immediately opened her eyes wide and looked at Daisuke Kaji again with scrutiny, and then timidly asked: "Then, the matter has gotten worse. Are you also a professional baseball player?" Daisuke Kaji said lightly: "I used to play in the same team as Mr. Imai, and now I left the team to open a small store in Shinjuku." "Oh, that's it." The other party couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief. Daisuke Kaji took advantage of the situation and asked again: "Does Imai come to your store often?" "That coach, he has never been to our store." "You're right. Tigers usually go to nightclubs in Ginza or Shinjuku. So where did Imai and Sae Kajiko meet?" "I'm not too sure about this. Sae Kajiko is in charge of external sales in our store. There seem to be some male customers outside. Maybe the coach is one of them?" "How long has Sae Kajiko been in this store?" "It's only been about a year since I came here." "What does she look like?" "She's a little beauty, very attractive to customers. But she doesn't talk much, and always looks preoccupied. So some customers complain that she treats people coldly and is not easy to get along with." Kaji Daisuke asked deeply again: "Do you and Sae Kajiko usually talk?" The waitress said: "We meet every day, of course we talk. The one who talks the most is a male guest like you." "At that time, did she mention Imai's name?" "Can't remember." "What about the other men?" "I really don't know. But I heard that a big man has become her backer, so sometimes she looks very complacent. The waitresses here think that the big man will become her husband." "Big man?" Daisuke Kaji suddenly became interested. The waitress was getting more and more excited: "Yes. I asked her who the big shot was, but she didn't tell me." Daisuke Kaji knew the exact address of Kajiko Takeshita from the waitress. It was an apartment called Fujinomiya in Harajuku. Kaji Daisuke left the "Olive Tree" nightclub and went straight to Harajuku by tram.Unexpectedly, when I went there, I saw a police car parked at the gate of the apartment.Apparently, the police are investigating the matter of Takeshita Saeko here. Kaji Daisuke couldn't get close for a while, so he had to enter a nearby bar to observe the movement secretly.After ten o'clock in the evening, the police car still hadn't left.Daisuke Kaji had no choice but to return to his nightclub in Shinjuku sadly. Seeing Daisuke Kaji, Sachiko greeted Daisuke Kaji with a relieved expression on her face, and asked, "Is there any result in the investigation?" Daisuke Kaji looked at Sachiko with some frustration, and said, "I still haven't found any relationship between Imai and the woman who was killed. The waitress there said that she has never seen Imai go to that nightclub." "So the two of them have nothing to do with each other?" Sachiko looked a little excited. But Daisuke Kaji's conclusion poured cold water on her again: "There is no evidence that they are not related. Think about it, Imai took 1 million yen to go on a tryst with that woman without telling you. You also see I have seen the blackmail letter signed by that woman, and these are all facts. Therefore, in order to clear the suspicion that Imai is not the murderer, there must be sufficient evidence to show that the two have no relationship." Sachiko looked at Daisuke Kaji in surprise, "How can it be done? Both of them are dead!" Daisuke Kaji replied firmly: "I don't know what to do, but for the sake of Imai's reputation, we must go out and double check." In order to keep abreast of the development of the situation, Daisuke Kaji turned on the TV. The TV station is broadcasting the evening news at eleven o'clock in the evening.The announcer ended the broadcast without mentioning Imai's scandal. Daisuke Kaji was a little disappointed after watching the TV.He thought to himself that judging from the fact that the news didn't mention anything just now, the police might have found nothing, or they hadn't found any evidence of Imai's relationship with that woman.So I had to keep silent. It was nearly midnight, and Sachiko didn't seem to be sleepy. Kaji Daisuke also couldn't sleep for a long time.In his mind, there are not only thoughts about the mystery of Imai's death, but also the inexplicable excitement that Sachiko is close at hand.Despite several glasses of whiskey and ice, one's mind was still not intoxicated.Daisuke Kaji remembered that when he was permanently expelled from the baseball world, he did not drink for several days in a row. Tonight was the second rare time. Dawn appeared on the horizon.Daisuke Kaji walked out of the shop with a cigarette in his mouth.Surrounded by silence, after a night of hustle and bustle, Kabukicho seems to be taking full advantage of the short time to take a nap.The wind in the morning is cold, blowing gently, rolling up the leaves and paper scraps on the street and dancing in the air... Daisuke Kaji knew that today was October 29, the first day of the Japanese Professional Baseball League. The morning wind was getting stronger, and Daisuke Kaji suddenly remembered that the weather was suitable for home runs. Suddenly, Daisuke Kaji's eyes ignited the fighting passion of an excellent pitcher before the battle.