Chapter 4 first quarter

February eleventh, Sunday. Mizuho was lying awake on the bed when he heard the scream.Since then, she hasn't fallen asleep much, and greeted the dawn drowsily. Mizuho looked at the clock, the hands were pointing to around seven o'clock.She climbed out of bed, changed quickly and ran out of the room, just in time for Kaori to be driving down the hallway in her wheelchair.She said good morning to Jiazhi from behind. "What's the matter with the sound just now?" Mizuho asked. "It sounds like Aunt Suzueda's voice." Kaori replied anxiously. "Did something happen?"

"Anyway, let's go and have a look." Mizuho and Kaori took the elevator downstairs, and basically everyone gathered in the living room.Qing Jiang, Shizuka, Nagashima... and Kondo and his wife were both present.Their eyes were all focused on Ling Zhi, she seemed to have just come up the stairs leading to the basement, and saw her pale face, standing there in fear as if possessed by a demon. "Master, he..." A dull voice leaked from her trembling lips. "Master, he... is dead." In the next instant, a strange blank time passed.Everyone present stood there without any reaction.

Katsuyuki, who was the first to take action, pushed Suzue away, and ran down the stairs with an agility that didn't match his fat body, with Yongdao and Qingjiang following behind him.Just as Mizuho was about to follow her downstairs, "You're lying..." Kaori's trembling cry came from behind. Everyone went downstairs, and the door of the music room in front of them was half open.With Katsuyuki taking the lead, Mizuho and his party entered the room. Seeing the state of the scene, Mizuho couldn't help covering his mouth with his hand.Yongdao and the others couldn't help being dumbfounded.

"What the hell is going on...?" Sheng Zhi forced out his voice, and the rest of the people were speechless.At this time, the rest of He Hanako also came to the room, and He Hanako couldn't help crying when he saw the tragedy in front of him. Zong Yan fell in front of a shelf placed in a corner of the room, with his upper body lying on the ground, and his body below the waist twisted to the side.The right belly part of the robe was stained with blood.Pieces of the puzzle were strewn about him and around him, as if adorning his corpse.Looking at the scene, the puzzles appear to have fallen off a shelf.The puzzle box was also toppled over, the lid on the front of the tape box.If you look closely, the clown doll is also placed there, and the lid of the puzzle box just fits on the glass box containing the doll.The title on the lid reads "Portrait of Napoleon".

Zong Yan's body was shocking enough, but it was not the only thing that shocked everyone.Beside Zong Yan, there was another corpse lying.The corpse fell beside Zong Yan in a crouching position, with a knife stuck in his chest. "What's the situation?" Katsunoki spat out the same lines again, "Why did Rieko Mita die here?" While the police were searching the scene, Mizuho and his party returned to the reception room.Katsuyuki and Wahako were sitting side by side on the sofa, and Mizuhonagashima and Aoe were sitting opposite them.Next to Mizuho was Kaori in a wheelchair.Jiazhi's face, which had been bluish until just now, finally regained some color.

Matsuzaki stood a little away from the crowd and stood in front of the shelf by the window.On the shelf is Zong Yan's unfinished "Mother Goose" puzzle.With his head down, he was bored with the puzzle pieces. For a moment, the entire reception room fell into silence. Everyone present was full of thoughts, but they could not express their thoughts in words. At this moment, Mizuho remembered what happened in this room yesterday afternoon, and the rumor of the "tragic clown" that the puppeteer named Wu Jing said resurfaced in her mind again. When Mizuho left the music room, the lid of the puzzle box was still on the head of the clown doll.The thought of that uncomfortable face filled her with a tinge of fear.

——Speaking of which, that person might visit again today.But now is not the time to talk about ownership of that puppet. What kind of expression will Wu Jing have when he learns about the incident?Mizuho's brain was occupied by this untimely imagination. "It's really slow." Shengzhi opened his mouth first to break the silence, and everyone cast doubtful glances at him, "I mean the incident hearing." He explained. "Does this kind of thing really take so long?" Now, Shizuka and the first discoverer, Suzuki, are being questioned by the police respectively.

"Because the deceased was a big man." Qing Jiang sat on the sofa with Erlang's legs crossed, and said gloatingly. "Today is Sunday and no newspapers will be published, but tomorrow's newspapers will definitely put this incident on the headlines. As long as the world pays attention to this incident, the police will want to solve the case as soon as possible. So they will do their best to search thoroughly from the beginning. Even if it’s just a small incident, it will definitely be nuanced.” "What kind of questions are we going to be asked?" Matsuzaki stopped fiddling with the puzzle and lit his cigarette with a disturbed expression.He and Shengzhi were the only ones in the group smoking, but the smoke from the two of them made the air in the whole room cloudy.

"It's probably a question about interpersonal relationship or uncle's recent behavior." Qing Jiang replied again. "Mr. Matsuzaki, you should be asked about things in the company, such as whether there have been any changes in the company recently. Also, what happened last night." "What happened last night?" Shengzhi asked back with a puzzled expression, "You mean what the president did last night? Or..." "Of course it's everyone's actions. Is there any need to ask? They will definitely interrogate us separately, and then look for contradictions in the testimony meticulously. Once they find something unnatural, they will get to the bottom of it. This is what the police do. The method of solving the case. Don't worry, as long as everyone is true, the police will naturally not find fault. But if someone's words and deeds are suspicious..."

After finishing speaking, Qing Jiang looked around at everyone present. "Judging from your tone, it seems that the murderer who killed those two people is among us?" Shengzhi's expression was distorted, and he stared at Qingjiang head-on. "I didn't say that. What I wanted to say is that the police will consider all possibilities." "Have you also gone to the music room to see the scene? The situation is clear at a glance. It must be that Mita killed the president and then committed suicide. In other words, this is completely a death for love." After Shengzhi opened his mouth to explain his thoughts, he seemed to be more convinced of his point of view, and nodded emphatically.

"Martyrdom? It's an old saying. Do you have any basis for saying that?" Qing Jiang's tone seemed more than generous, which provoked a burst of unexplained anger in Sheng Sheng. "Isn't that situation clear enough? The president was stabbed in the side, and Mita stuck a knife into his chest." Qing Jiang shook his head to express that he did not agree with his statement. "Anyone can do this level of disguise. Third-rate TV dramas often have such plots. Besides, what is the motive for killing?" "There must be a motive. There are various relationships between those two people... Cough." As expected, Katsuyuki was still scruples about Kaori who was on the sidelines, and coughed deliberately in an ambiguous manner. "But that's not a conclusive basis, is it?" "It is true, but at present it seems that this possibility is the highest." "Has anything been stolen?" Yong Dao interjected with a little scruples.Mizuho felt that when he spoke at this time, he didn't want to express his own opinion, but his real intention was to break the conversation between the two of them. Katsuyuki and the others focused their attention on him, "That is to say..." Yongshima licked his dry lips and continued. "In other words, could this be the work of robbers..." "I think this argument is more convincing, but first investigate whether the doors and windows have been tampered with." Seeing that Qing Jiang agrees with Nagashima's point of view, Katsuyuki wrings out his cigarette in depression. "But then again..." Matsuzaki asked in trepidation. "Why is Mita here? She should have gone back yesterday evening." "I must have been called by Mr. Zongyan again." Kazuko, who had remained silent until now, spoke in a flat tone.She didn't call Zong Yan her righteous brother. "You said it was called by the president? In the middle of the night?" In response to Katsuyuki's rhetorical question, she leaned over and nodded clearly. "Yes, he often secretly recruited Miss Mita into the house through the back door, and the two met in the music room. Sometimes they stayed until dawn..." After finishing speaking, Kazuna swallowed heavily as if trying to restrain her anger. "Sister Lingzhi told me that, sometimes that woman's car would show up in the parking lot early in the morning. I thought yesterday was my sister's forty-ninth day, and that person would be more self-disciplined. I didn't expect... " "Now is not the time to talk about such things." Katsuyuki glanced at Kaori who was sitting at the foot of the room.Kaori folded her hands on her lap, and her body remained motionless. Mizuho at the side had a new understanding of Zong Yan's audacity.His mother, Kotosui, once said that after Koichiro's death, Souhiko's adultery only showed some germination, and Laizi's death seemed to intensify his unethical behavior. After a while, Shizuka finally came back, and beside her was a fat man with an inch-length head.Shizuka sat down in silence, closed her eyes, and remained motionless like a stone statue, as if refusing others to talk to herself. After the man who came with him looked around the room, his eyes stopped on the Kondo couple. "May I ask you a few questions?" Katsuko and Wahako looked at each other, and then looked at the policeman. "The two of us together?" The policeman thought for a moment in silence, "Then let's start with Mr." As Qing Jiang said, the police seemed to intend to question each case one by one. Katsuyuki and the police were about to leave the room, "Oh!" There was a scream from the corner of the room, accompanied by the sound of objects falling to the ground.Turning around, I saw Matsuzaki standing stupidly holding a puzzle frame, with puzzle pieces scattered under his feet. "I just think it's too obtrusive to put this thing here, and want to move it somewhere else..." Matsuzaki knelt down and began to pick up the debris, and Mizuho stood up to help. Most of the painting of "Mother Goose" was damaged, but its prototype can still be seen from the remaining parts. "I see that the painting is almost finished, and I want to try to finish it to divert my attention. It's only a little bit... This is good, the work is all in vain." Matsuzaki picked up the debris on the ground with his stubby fingers and muttered in a low voice. "This is a puzzle, right?" The police looked at the fragments on the floor, "There is also a jigsaw puzzle piece called 'Portrait of Napoleon' scattered at the scene of the crime. Mr. Takemiya seems to be interested in this." "He was still putting together this puzzle in this room last night." Shengzhi added. "He became more obsessed after drinking, and ignored our conversation. I really don't understand how interesting this thing is." It seems that after dinner last night, Zong Yan, Sheng Zhi and others came to the reception room for a drink.Mizuho remembered that Suzue also said last night that Katsuyuki and the others were playing puzzles with Zongyan. "We just went to Mr. Takemiya's room to investigate, and there is also an unfinished puzzle of 'Gleaners of Rice'." After speaking, the policeman turned to Shengzhi and urged again, "Then, please forgive me." Shengzhi nodded slightly, and left the reception room with him. After that, everyone present was called out one by one, and the last one to be questioned was Mizuho.The location of the inquiry is in the cafeteria. Two policemen are in charge of questioning Mizuho.One of them was the fat policeman just now, his name was Yamagishi.The other was a tall, thin cop named Nogami.Yamagishi was over forty, and Nogami looked to be in his mid-thirties.Both of them had expressions that could not be deceived. "What time did you go back to your room last night?" Yamagishi asked in a low voice full of coercion. "It must have been just after eleven o'clock." "Is it just you?" "No, Miss Kaori is with me." Yamagishi nodded.They should have heard this information from Kaori. "Did you stay in the room after that?" "Well, Jiazhi chatted with me until half past eleven. After I sent her back to the room, I took a shower and went to bed." "Have you ever woken up at night?" "Have." Hearing Mizuho's answer, a gleam flashed in the eyes of the two policemen. "About what time did you wake up?" Yamagishi asked. "I don't know the exact time. I read a book for a while, and then went downstairs to get a can of beer. It was three o'clock when I returned to my room." "Did you be woken up by something?" "No, it's just that I didn't sleep well, maybe because the heater was too hot." After careful consideration, Mizuho chose this prudent answer. "Is that so... Indeed, it's a bit too hot." Yamagishi looked around the room, "Did you encounter any strange things when you went downstairs to get the beer? For example, what sounds did you hear, what did you see, and who did you see?" "When I first woke up and opened the window, there was something interesting." Mizuho told the two policemen about the light in Zongyan's room, and they leaned forward excitedly. "How long did the lights last?" "I don't know very well...it probably lasted for a dozen seconds." "Did you see anything in the window?" "No." "Did you hear any sounds before you fell asleep? Even if it's just one sound." "Sorry, my room is on the south side, so I can't hear any movement." The two policemen didn't understand the meaning of Mizuho's words for a while, but Yamagishi nodded in understanding immediately. "So it turns out that the crime scene is in the basement on the north side of the mansion, which is farthest from your room." On the side, Nogami took notes and nodded. "Then let's go back a bit. Do you know where Zong Yan was doing before you returned to your room at eleven o'clock last night?" Mizuho put her fingertips against her lips, recalling the scene of last night in her mind. "He had gone to the reception room before that." The policeman nods. "Do you know that Mrs. Zongyan planned to go to the music room late at night last night?" "have no idea." "Does he have such a habit?" "I don't know." Mizuho shook her head and replied, she looked at the two policemen. "How do other people—for example, uncle and the others answer this question?" The two policemen didn't expect to be questioned back, and a moment of surprise flashed across their faces. "Other related people know that Zong Yanshi has the habit of going to the music room to listen to music for an hour or two before going to bed. But everyone agrees that Zong Yanshi did not seem to go to the music room last night. Many people have witnessed him leaving the reception room. Go straight back to your room." "In other words, uncle secretly left the room to go to the music room after everyone fell asleep?" "It can only be understood in this way. You also said just now that there was light in Zong Yan's room near three o'clock in the morning. He may have left the room at that time." Mizuho recalled the scene at that time in his mind.If it was true what the policeman said, if he had gone downstairs to get the beer earlier, the situation might have changed... Saying this, Yamagishi cleared his throat on purpose. "It seems that you have been away from this home for a year and a half. I heard that you have gone abroad." "yes." Mizuho nodded. "I stayed in Australia for a year and just returned to China recently. The company of my late father's friend opened a branch there, and I worked there. It's a social practice." "So that's the case. No wonder it's said that today's women are more mobile.——In other words, you didn't meet anyone else before you returned to your country?" "Yes, but Kaori will often write to me to report the current situation." "You and Zong Yan haven't seen each other for a year and a half. What kind of conversation did you have after meeting?" "It's all trivial conversations, such as whether I'm married or not. I'm just making do with it, and my uncle doesn't have much interest in my affairs." "What's your impression of Zong Yanshi? Has he changed from before?" "It's not very clear..." Mizuho tilted his head to express his doubts, "I can't tell, there is no special change." "Ms. Mita Rieko—that is, the woman who died beside Sohiko, have you met her before?" "Yesterday was the first time we met. It was just a simple exchange of greetings, and we didn't have any special conversations." "That's it..." Yamagishi nodded in understanding. "By the way, do you have any clues about this incident? For example..." His hands on the table rubbed against each other, "For example, is there anyone who hates Zong Yanshi and treats him as a thorn in the side?" "Hate Uncle..." Several faces appeared in Mizuho's mind for a moment.And Yamagishi seemed to have seen through her subtle thoughts, stood up and approached her. "Is there such a person?" But Mizuho shook his head: "No, I have no idea at all." The policeman kept this posture and stared at her pale face for a while, then sat down heavily on the sofa again. "You are quite calm about this incident. Mr. Qingjiang... Is that the right name? Although that person is also very calm, there is still a kind of calm that makes people feel abnormal." Mizuho didn't know how to answer, but just kept silent. "With all due respect, it's not just you, everyone in this house seems a little too calm. But of course, you must be saddened by Zong Yanshi's death in your heart?" Mizuho looked at the policeman, and the policeman met her gaze directly, as if waiting for her reaction. "Well, of course everyone is sad from the bottom of their hearts." Mizuho's tone was calm without any waves.