Chapter 7 fourth quarter

"Can I ask you a few questions about yesterday morning?" Mizuho asked seriously. "what is the problem?" "I want to know where you were when you got up and went downstairs yesterday morning. First question, who was in the living room when you went downstairs?" Qing Jiang shrugged jokingly: "Interrogation and investigation? Obviously I am the role of detective. Sure enough, do you think the murderer is an insider?" "Didn't I just say that? I suspect you. Answer my question carefully, and don't try to get away with it." "I'm not the only one who is suspicious, right? Forget it, let's play with you for now. Yesterday morning, when I woke up, Kondo and his wife were already here. It's really rare to see couples who get up early."

His testimony was consistent with Suzuede's and seemed to be trusted on this point. "I want you to elaborate on your whereabouts after that. Aunt Suzueda found the body. What were you doing before the riots started?" "It's okay to tell you..." He raised his eyes and looked at Mizuho, ​​"But your question is really interesting. Was it yesterday morning? Uncle Zongyan and the female secretary were already dead at that time, so it would be useless to discuss it... What is your purpose?" ?” "Now is not the time to talk." Mizuho replied.Qing Jiang smiled wryly and scratched his nose.

"Isn't it time...? It's a common line in third-rate mystery novels. The characters who say this line usually have a short life. Well, it shouldn't work on you. After me, Mr. Nagashima and Mr. Matsuzaki also came downstairs. Mr. Nagashima saw me reading the sports column of the newspaper, so he sat next to me and chatted with me about the records in the newspaper. Mr. Matsuzaki seemed to be talking to the Kondo couple. Grandma also came down on the way, and she was sitting at the dining table drinking tea." "Grandmother came down alone?" "No, Aunt Suzue was also there. She must have gone upstairs to wake grandma up. After that, Aunt Suzue went downstairs to the basement, and then there was that mournful cry."

There is no contradictory testimony in this passage.It seems that the focus is on the time when Suzuki went up to the second floor. "Did anyone leave the drawing room before the commotion started?" "I don't know very well, whether there is or not... I remember that no one has gone to the bathroom." "That is to say, no one has left the living room?" "No. Five people, including me, basically stayed in the living room together." If Qing Jiang hadn't lied, the five people present at that time would have no time to deal with the buttons. "Is the interview over?"

Qing Jiang stared at Shui Sui's face, as if he wanted to see through her heart. "Well, let's ask this question first for today." "For now?" Qing Jiang smiled superficially. After a while, Jiazhi got up and came downstairs.She came to Shui Sui and Qing Jiang. "What are you talking about?" Her tone was a little irritated. "Nothing to talk about." Mizuho replied. "Talk about the incident." Qing Jiang interjected, "We are discussing the possibility that I was the murderer of my uncle." Jiazhi stared at him: "What's the result?"

"It turned out to be very likely." "Is that so, congratulations." Jiazhi turned her head to one side, ignoring Qingjiang. "Huh? What is this book?" Seeing a book on Kaori's lap, Mizuho asked.The book is a bit old, with a black cover. "Well, I want Sister Shuisui to take a look at this book. This is Dad's puzzle book." "Puzzle?" Mizuho took the book and glanced at its contents.The book briefly summarizes puzzles such as building blocks, wisdom wheels, and mazes.The content is not too complicated, it seems to be an introductory book on puzzles.There are also some entry-level tricks on the books.

"Miss Shuisui said yesterday that she wanted to read books about puzzles and tricks, right? I don't know where Dad left the other books. I can only find this one in my room." "Hey... Has Kaori read this kind of book?" Qing Jiang came behind Shui Sui, glanced at the contents of the book and said. "I don't read this kind of book. Dad forgot it in my room before. How about Sister Shuisui, is it boring?" "It's very interesting. Can you lend me a look? But I don't have time to watch it these two days..." "It's okay, you can return it anytime, don't worry about it."

"If Mizuho is not in a hurry, can you lend me a look first?" After Qing Jiang finished speaking, he exchanged glances at Mizuho and Kaori. "Can't you?" "But I brought this book because I wanted to show Sister Shuisui." "I don't care." Mizuho said, Kaori looked troubled. "Why do you want to read this book?" She asked Qing Jiangdao. "I'm very interested, why Takemiya Munehiko is so obsessed with such things." He took the book from Mizuho, ​​clapping his palm on the black cover. "Forget it...be careful not to get me dirty."

Jiazhi's tone was full of reluctance, Qingjiang seemed to enjoy her reaction, and smiled slightly. It was time for breakfast, but Shizuka hadn't come downstairs yet.Suzue said that Shizuka was not feeling well, so she stayed in the room for dinner. After breakfast, Mizuho went to Shizuka's room.She told Suzuki that Shizuka's utensils were brought down by the way, and the other party thanked him with great trepidation. When Mizuho arrived at Shizuka's room, Shizuka was finishing a simple breakfast and lying in an easy chair listening to music.This room is also equipped with a simple sound system.

"Feeling better?" Mizuho tried to make his voice cheerful: "It's much better, I just felt a little uncomfortable when I just woke up." Shizuka sat up and rubbed her right shoulder. "By the way, it's so quiet outside today, it's so quiet that it makes people uncomfortable." Yesterday, a large number of media crowded outside the door, and the noise did not subside until midnight. "They should stop for a while in the future," Shui Sui said. "Let's hope so. But the police are still coming and going in our house?" "Should... it will last for a while."

Afterwards, Shui Sui told Shizuka about Qing Jiang's morning run being followed.Shizuka sighed after hearing this, but she didn't sigh at the police's actions. "That child, you really can't take him lightly for a moment." There was a hint of sternness in Shizuka's serene tone.She was talking about Qingjiang. "The reason why your grandfather likes him is that he can find similarities with himself in him-a shrewd mind and calculating all the time. To put it nicely, it is unmoved by things, but to put it badly, It's just a lack of emotion." Mizuho remembered that Kaori had said the same type of thing. "That child, what did you say about this incident?" "Remarks?" "Is he doing any inexplicable reasoning? For example, Shengzhi is very suspicious, and Liang has a motive." "..." Shui Sui was speechless. "Sure enough." Shizuka nodded. "That child may be hoping that the murderer is one of us." "how is this possible……" Although Mizuho said so, she could indeed feel this from the previous conversation with him. "If there is a one in ten thousand chance that Kaori and that child are really married, Katsuyuki and Ryoko will become thorns in the eyes of that child. Therefore, if one of them can be eliminated through this incident, It couldn't be better for him." "Grandma...Grandma, are you also suspicious of Uncle Kondo and Mr. Matsuzaki?" Shizuka stared at Mizuho intently and shook her head slowly. "Nonsense. I wouldn't suspect anyone. Why would you think so?" "because……" Seeing that Mizuho was hesitating, Shizuka turned her head slightly, and her eyes wandered as if remembering something. "In short, I hope the police can solve the case soon." She whispered. As soon as Mizuho arrived downstairs, he saw the police coming in from the entrance, and seemed to be planning to go to the basement.It was the same two police officers yesterday, Yamagishi and Nogami. "We plan to investigate the scene again." After seeing Mizuho, ​​Yamagishi stopped and said. "Is there any progress in the case?" "We are doing our best to search." Yamagishi's eyes were serious. "Investigation and evidence collection in nearby areas is also underway. Unfortunately, no strong testimony has been obtained. We are also reviewing other possibilities. Searching for this kind of thing must be exhaustive." "Other possibilities refer to... internal crimes?" Mizuho asked, his eyes fixed on the policeman's face, not ignoring any reaction. "How to say it..." Shan An tilted his head expressionlessly, "It depends on what you think." "Is there zero possibility that Ms. Mita is the murderer?" Although Mizuho knew that the possibility was very low, she still tried to confirm it. "It can't be said that there is no such possibility at all. But this possibility is indeed not high. If you really intend to die for love, there is no need to deliberately pretend to be an external criminal." Indeed. "Then, is it true that Miss Mita was implicated in her death by her uncle?" Faced with Mizuho's question, the policeman looked away and fell silent, as if he was deciding whether to confess to her. "It's too early to tell." Yamagishi's tone became serious. "We investigated Ms. Mita's apartment and found that the closet door was wide open and the clothes were scattered on the bed. At first glance, it gave the impression that she was in a hurry to go out. Why is she in such a hurry?" "I don't understand." Shui Sui shook his head. "Besides, it's also puzzling for the two to meet in the middle of the night. According to the testimony of the maid, Ms. Suzueda, it's true that Ms. Mita visited at night before, but it was just after twelve o'clock. And on the day of the incident, why they had to choose such a late night, and it was just after the forty-ninth day of the deceased wife to meet—this is also incomprehensible." "So, that means the murderer also intends to kill Miss Mita?" "I don't know either." The policeman replied. "Our search has not progressed so far. But..." "but?" "The results of the autopsy came out." He continued, "The results of the autopsy showed that Ms. Mita was killed at least half an hour after Mr. Zongyan's death. If this result is true, what did the murderer do during the interval? Mita What is Rieko doing again?" As the policeman spoke, his face gradually approached Mizuho.Mizuho couldn't help but backed away.But Yamagishi immediately lowered his face and straightened his tie. "All in all, there are still many unknown points.—Do you have any other questions?" "there is none left……" "So excuse me." After speaking, the policeman walked down the stairs. Mizuho sat on the sofa on one side, thinking about what Yamagishi said just now.Was Rieko Mita killed so much later than Sohiko? What exactly does this mean?Mizuho's brain started to work. ——At first, I thought that the murderer's target was only my uncle, and Ms. Mita was killed because she happened to be there.but it is not the truth.The murderer must have killed Miss Mita for some reason.According to Aoe's motivation, Uncle Kondo and Mr. Matsuzaki only need to kill Uncle, and there is no need to kill Ms. Mita at all... In other words, the murderer is someone who has hatred for Sohiko and Rieko Mita at the same time. Mizuho went back upstairs again and walked towards his room.By the way, how far did the police investigate?Did they find any important evidence that could prove that it was an internal crime? When she got to the door of the room, she heard music coming from Kaori's room opposite.She knocked on the door of Kaori's room, and there was a tired response from the room.Mizuho opened the door, and in the dark room, Kaori sat on a wheelchair with her eyes closed. "Don't you feel stuffy? Open the curtains." Mizuho went to the window and opened the thick curtains.Dazzling sunlight shines into the room through the white lace curtains. "It's so dazzling." Jiazhi leaned down, covered her eyes with her hands, and then slowly raised her head: "It seems that some policemen have come to the house." "Did you hear that?" "It's just a feeling. Sister Shuisui, are the police suspicious of our family members?" "The suspicion is the work of those people." Mizuho replied in a relaxed manner. "But if it's an ordinary family, the police generally won't suspect family members, right?" Jiazhi continued to understand, "It is because this family is not normal that it is suspected." Mizuho was speechless, and looked away as if evading. (clown perspective) Yesterday's fat and tall cops came to haunt me like annoying flies again. The two of them first searched the room for traces of any mechanism that had been arranged by someone.After confirming that there were no such clues, he walked to the telephone station and began to consult the telephone directory. "There's no way to tell if Zong Yan made a phone call that night." The tall policeman sat down on the sofa in front of the stereo, took out a cigarette and said. "However, it should not be wrong that he did fight. Maybe not in this room, but in his own room." The fat policeman on the side also began to puff.They can't seem to have a conversation without smoking. "From the situation in Mita Rieko's room, we can see that her visit here that night was obviously an unexpected incident. In this case, it can only be considered that she was called here by someone on the phone suddenly that night. And the obvious reason for this behavior There is only Zong Yan alone, if there are other people, Rieko probably wouldn't make this trip in the middle of the night, right?" "The question is...why did Zongyan ask Rieko to come home in the middle of the night?" "That's the problem. If we can solve this problem, we will not be far from the truth." After finishing speaking, the fat policeman stood up, folded his arms, rested his chin with one hand, and began to pace the room thinking. "The first thing to be clear is, did the murderer only want to kill Zongyan, and also wanted to kill Rieko?" "I think the killer wanted to kill both of them from the start." The tall policeman turned around to face the fat policeman, "Rieko shouldn't have been there when the murderer killed Zonghiko. If she had been there, she would have run away, right? She would have called for help, right? In other words, the murderer killed Zongyan continued to lie in wait for Rieko to arrive at the scene. When Rieko arrived at the scene, he killed her with a knife before she could cry for help." "That's it, it is indeed a reasonable idea. If it is true as you said, the murderer must have known in advance that Rieko would visit, but how did he know? Zong Yan called Rieko to come to the house, it should be an emergency what." "Perhaps the murderer saw or heard Zong Yan call her." "That's the question, why did the murderer see or hear this call?" The fat policeman's questioning made the tall policeman fall into deep thought, and he shook his head resignedly after a moment. "Yeah, why is that?" "See if you can think like this..." The fat policeman took out a ballpoint pen from his coat pocket, held it in his hand like a knife, and pointed at the tall policeman. "If you don't want to die, quickly call that woman and tell her to come here... The murderer may have threatened Zong Yan like this." "I see……" The tall policeman replied, staring at the tip of the ballpoint pen. The fat policeman put the ballpoint pen back in his pocket. "Or, it can also be considered that the murderer eavesdropped on Zong Yan's phone call. There are various other possibilities, but what is certain is that when Zong Yan made the call, the murderer was already in the mansion. So, who is the murderer? How did you sneak in? At that time, the rear door lock should not have been unlocked." "Sure enough, the murderer is someone from inside the mansion." The tall policeman stood up vigorously. "It's still impossible to say for sure, but it's probably close to ten." "The team responsible for the investigation and evidence collection around the mansion also said that they have not obtained any information about any suspicious people they witnessed. Although the incident happened in the middle of the night, such investigation results are rare." "The question is who has the motive. The murderer is someone who has the intention to kill both Zongyan and Rieko. It is really difficult to rule out." "The crime this time is beyond the reach of women and the elderly. So we only need to consider Kondo Katsuyuki, Matsuzaki, Nagashima, and Aoe—these four men." "No, it's this kind of thinking that is taboo to solve a case. Even women, when they are serious, we can't predict what they can do." "In that case, Takemiya Mizuho is quite tall, so he might be able to overthrow Zong Yan." "exactly." "We can't rule out this group of women in the investigation of motives. Kondo and Matsuzaki have the line of interest disputes, and these women have the line of resentment." "That's right. Based on the information collected so far, Shizuka and Kaori seem to have a strong hatred for Munehiko and Rieko over the suicide of Takemiya Raiko. It's not just them, Suzue and Kaori may also have feelings in their hearts Hate." "The search has just begun." "yes……" The dialogue between the two policemen seems to have no end in sight.As a spectator, I sometimes sighed and sometimes smiled wryly at the content of their conversation. Their reasoning is indeed well thought out.If this momentum continues, the truth may be revealed sooner than imagined. But I have a hunch they're a long way from the heart of the matter. It seems that there will be no major changes in a short period of time.