Chapter 38 first quarter

On July 18, the day after Keiichi Iwamura was killed. The Shachuan police department and the Shiki detective went to Gotokuji's house again, focusing on solving the Hotokuji homicide case. "It is speculated that the murderer has only one goal, which is to kill Mr. Toyozo. The killing of Keiichi Iwamura is a by-product. Therefore, the core of the case is Mr. Toyozo and the Gotokuji family, and the key to solving the case is also here. Especially the strange situation at the crime scene, If you can’t find out what the meaning is, there’s no way to solve the case.” The Sunagawa Police Department, so determined, took Shiki back to the original crime scene.The two detectives meet the Lucky Cat again under the summer sky.

The greenhouse where Toyozo was murdered remains as it was then.The adult lucky cat still blocked the entrance and kept looking into the greenhouse.This scene is still abnormal, but pedestrians seem to be completely used to it these days, and they no longer stop to look at it. The beckoning cat, which was supposed to be auspicious, was inexplicably underwhelming because it was covered in field dust.Seeing the lucky cat, which was ignored by passers-by and whose appearance was gradually getting dirty, the Sunagawa Police Department made a joke. "Fufu, the beckoning cat is gradually becoming a wild cat."

This joke seems strangely true. Detective Shiki stroked the surface of the lucky cat with a layer of dust with his index finger. "Why did the murderer not hesitate to hire Keiichi Iwamura, but also transport the beckoning cat to the murder scene? In the end, this is the biggest problem." "That's the way it is." The Sunagawa Police Department lit a cigarette and began to lobby as if talking to themselves. "For example, this is a 'Farewell Cat' prepared for Gotokuji Toyozo, who is about to die, or a 'Set Cat' to make Maki, who was forced to witness his father's death, deepen the horror impression. There are indeed two possibilities. But I think even that is too big."

"Too big?" "Yes, this cat is too big. Whether it's a "farewell cat" or a "set cat", it definitely doesn't need to be so huge. It might not look good if it's too small, but as long as it's a big enough beckoning cat, it's definitely enough. You don't Do you think so?" "Indeed." Shiki nodded tentatively. "But the premise is that the murderer has a "big enough beckoning cat" at hand, right?" "Of course there is." The Sunagawa Police Department gestured towards the back door of the Haode Temple with the light of a cigarette in its right hand. "The beckoning cats adorning the entrance of this mansion are not unique to the front entrance. There are "big enough beckoning cats" at the back door that fit the back door. The giant beckoning cat at the front entrance is about the height of an adult, and the one at the back door is about the size of an elementary school student. tall, the volume of the back door beckoning cat is obviously more suitable as a "farewell cat" or "setup cat". The tall beckoning cat for adults is too big to pass through the exit, but the tall beckoning cat for children can be moved into the greenhouse. If it is not enough, you can use two. The most important thing is that it saves effort. You don't need to borrow Suzuki's Maidi, and the volume can be carried with both hands.

Well, why didn't the killer use those two?Why go to great lengths to move the adult Lucky Cat to the scene of the crime?There must be some kind of more specific "killer lido" in it. " "'Rido the Murderer', so it was used to create an alibi...?" "Probably." The Shachuan Police Department lightly breathed out a puff of smoke towards Sheng Xiakong. "Detective Shiki, the specific time when Toyozo-san was killed in front of Maki, what do you think it was?" "The forensic doctor's judgment was two hours from 11:00 p.m. on the 14th to 1:00 a.m. on the 15th. However, according to Maki's testimony, when the murder happened, there was already an adult lucky cat at the exit of the greenhouse, so it is speculated that the murderer was Committing crimes between midnight and one o'clock in the morning."

"Why? Why is that so?" "Ah? Why do you mean..." "Why do you speculate that the time of the murder was after midnight? I want to know the basis." "Because the adult Lucky Cat appeared at the scene of the crime at midnight. The next day after the incident, the police department obtained testimonies from the onlookers, which clearly proved this. People who passed the road before midnight did not see Lucky Cat Cats, on the other hand, everyone who passed by at midnight... No, there was one exception, but almost everyone saw a beckoning cat. What's more, the information obtained from the Tsubaki Building yesterday clearly proved that Keiichi Iwamura carried the lucky cat on the night of the incident.If Iwamura's statement is to be believed, then the time when he carried the Lucky Cat was precisely at midnight, which was completely consistent with the witness testimony of the onlookers. "

"That's true. The time when the adult Lucky Cat appeared at the scene of the crime was at midnight when the 14th turned into the 15th. This part should be correct." "Since Maki witnessed this adult lucky cat at the time of the crime, it means that it must have been after midnight. In other words, the time of the crime was between midnight and one o'clock in the morning. I think it is logical to speculate like this." No, is that true?Zhimu felt uneasy suddenly unable to stand on his feet. It was a wonderful feeling like being played with by a murderer.The conclusions drawn by oneself should be correct according to reason.Although it is correct, it is only to confirm what the Sunagawa Police Department just said about the "killer Lido".

The Sunagawa Police Department really questioned this point. "Really?" The police department flicked the ash into his portable ashtray, showing a dissatisfied expression. "If the murder time is set between one and two in the morning, no one will be the murderer. Shiki, is that right?" "Well, I'm beginning to think that this is a trick of the murderer." As the police department said, no one would be the murderer.The suspect who may be the real murderer had an alibi on the night of the crime. The Sunagawa Police Department put the cigarette in the ashtray and pressed it out, and took out the old manual from the suit pocket instead.He looked at the notes above, briefly reviewing the suspects' alibis.

"The first is Shinichi, the eldest son of the Toyozo family. He drank at Godenen" from 11:50 p.m. I stayed in my bedroom before the minute, no alibi." "I remember him saying that he was listening to the Rhodes football game on the radio alone." "Well, but I can't completely believe this statement. Then there is the second son, Mikio, who stays with Dr. Yajima in the living room of Gotoku Temple from 11:50 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., watching movies on satellite channels and Talking about movies, so it’s also a perfect alibi. On the contrary, he was alone in his bedroom before 11:50, so the alibi is not valid.”

"It's not right to use Dr. Yajima as a witness in his alibi. After all, the doctor himself is also an important suspect in this murder." "Doctor Yajima is indeed one of the suspects, but I don't think he was in collusion with Mikio. In the end, if Mikio and Dr. Yajima committed a crime together, they certainly don't need to deliberately hire Keiichi Iwamura. If you want to recruit adults at midnight Caimao moved in, the two of them moved quietly together, and then they only need to confess together that "we have been watching TV together in the living room", no one can deny their statement."

"Exactly." "Again, Kyoshiro Kenzaki is left, but he also has an alibi on the night of the crime. He visited Ryoji Yamamura's house at 11:50 p.m. and played mahjong all night until the next morning. It is also impossible for him to commit the crime. However, at eleven o'clock in the evening, he was almost alone in the warehouse, so there is no alibi for this period of time." "Where's Mrs. Changdai?" "It's true that she didn't have an alibi, but she couldn't have committed the crime. Hey, if she pretended to be a man, she might be able to kill Toyozo-san, but no matter how you think about it, it's hard for her to kill Iwamura." "why?" "Don't ask such easy-to-understand questions. Because the scene of the crime is a men's restroom!" "Ah, that's true." Women entering the men's restroom can be very noticeable.If Changdai was the murderer, he probably wouldn't deliberately choose such a place to strike.It's certainly possible for her to take on inconspicuous guises (such as pretending to be a cleaning lady), but it should be difficult to switch quickly from a funeral kimono.So the murderer should be a man, and it is only natural to think about it carefully. "How about the helper Katsuragi? He's a man." "His situation is the opposite. Maybe he can kill Iwamura, but he can't kill Toyozo-san. This is a problem before the alibi. With his size, even wearing a cat mask will not help." "I see, that kind of bloated body like a tumbler can't be hidden even if you want to." According to Maki's testimony, the murderer has no obvious physical characteristics, and even can't tell whether he is male or female. Obviously, only Guimu is not in the scope of the condition. "In short, that's about it." The Sunagawa Police Department closed the manual. "If we set the murder time between 1 and 2 in the morning, no one will be the murderer. Because the male suspects have their own alibi. But..." At this time, the Shachuan Police Department moved its face close to Shiki's face, emphasizing its own thoughts. "However, who proved their alibi? The manager of the bar "Idyll"? A movie on the satellite channel? Or a late-night poker party? No, it wasn't them. It was this cat who made their alibi valid!" When the Sunagawa Police Department said this, it seemed as if it was being beaten hard, and it slapped the Lucky Cat on the back, which was about the same height as itself. "This is an exaggeratedly large adult lucky cat that is conspicuous even if it doesn't want to, providing a fake alibi for the real murderer! It can be said that the murderer deliberately hired Keiichi Iwamura to make this huge lucky cat appear at midnight The only purpose at the scene of the crime. In other words, this lucky cat is like an "out of alignment clock hand". Such a large hand is eye-catching, but it does not necessarily show the correct time." "Hearing what you said, I began to think so too... But what happened in reality? What happened here on the night of the crime?" "Hmph." The Sunagawa Police Department hummed in displeasure. "If we can find out, we can solve the case." It seems this question is stupid.Shiki wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief.