Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chain Parasitism

Over the past few days, low pressure has appeared periodically on weekends, but this Sunday was a rare sunny day.In this clear sky that appeared between the rainy seasons, countless particles of light sprinkled the earth. In this blue sky, the laughter of children is rippling.These are not the voices of ten or twenty people.If their parents are included, there may be more than a thousand people.This is not a sports meeting.So many people formed a two-and-a-half-kilometer-long strip, noisy and lively. "Hey, there are mantis shrimp here!" "Forget about mantis shrimp, clean this place up!"

"There are black fish!" "What kind of black fish can be found here, is it a catfish?" Normally, people would hold their noses and walk through this gutter respectfully, but now there are thousands of children gathered here, running around barefoot and chattering to their heart's content. This is called "Senkawa Josui", and it is a 25-kilometer river stretching from Musashino Women's College in Shinmachi, Hoya City to Kichijoji Bridge in Musashino City.Musashino City can no longer sit idly by as the amount of water released from the upper reaches of the Tamagawa River decreases day by day and the Senkawajoshui is polluted by dumping garbage. Therefore, it has appealed to the residents living along the river basin a few years ago, and every June, the Senkawajoshui Start a campaign to clean up the river.

As the years have grown, the movement has become a well-known festival.The number of elementary and middle school students in the two cities and Nerima Ward, as well as the number of applicants from various groups in the city, has increased year by year, and this gutter is turning into a "river of people".This event is known locally as the "Fireworks Contest". The width of the ditch is two to three meters, and there are wire fences on both sides.Although it has been designated as a forbidden area recently, today is the day when everyone is forgiven.Big city kids who are hungry for nature can find even a little bit of nature in such a sewer, so laugh and play.For them, it doesn't make much difference whether it's the swampy sewage or the clear stream with silver scales jumping.The children were covered in mud and were working hard to clean the river.

Empty cans, bottles, tattered clothes, wood chips, waste tires, etc. were all picked up and piled up on the embankment.In this way, the river gradually cleans up. Someone yelled "Oh!"It must have touched a decomposed dead animal such as a dog or a cat.Pupils in the lower grades of elementary school leave their work of removing garbage to catch mantis prawns and catfish. There are happier things waiting for them.At the end of the big battle of this stream clearing event, two thousand loach will be stocked into the river, so there are many children who came here just to witness this grand occasion.

The top of this river ditch is the line of the state-owned electric train that travels frequently. Because the river ditch is not wide, there is a section of the river that is covered with a cement cover, forming a culvert that even the naughtiest children cannot pass through.Although it is not a very long culvert, due to the bend of the river, the exit on the opposite side cannot be seen from this side. Here the water is deeper than the open water, and under the filth and muddy water, strange things seem to inhabit, and even grown-ups dare not go into the middle of the culvert. "Hey, there are a lot of shrimps and catfish in places like that." A naughty child tried his best to persuade his companions to go over.

"But..." Even those naughty little guys were a little scared. "What, are you scared?" the little leader among the children teased. "Then you go!" "Hmph, coward!" Now that the little head has spoken, there is no room for retreat. "follow me!" He straightened his back and took a step into the dark ditch.Just now, the water was only below the ankle, but suddenly it was as deep as the knee.Enduring the eerie feeling, he took another step forward.After finally figuring out the situation, the pupils got used to the darkness. "Hmph, nothing happened."

He became more courageous, slapping the water and walking forward vigorously. The minions gathered together at the entrance, all looking to see what happened. "It's okay, come in!" In order to reassure the minions, he stepped forward even harder.As he dropped his foot toward the bottom of the river, he slipped on a soft object.Unable to straighten himself and momentarily lost his balance, he splashed a large black spray and fell into the water.In an instant, in order to support his body, he wanted to grab something, and his fingers plunged into the soft object like tofu.After feeling like a balloon bursting, a strong rancid smell rushed straight to the child's nose.It was not so much fear as the foul smell that made him cry out.

He can no longer put on a leader's posture.The child ran towards the exit of the culvert where his companions were standing like a mud monkey. At around 10:00 a.m. on June 19, a report of a woman's dead body was found in Senkawa Josui near Sekizen-Sidao Street, Musashino City. The report was sent to the Musashino City Police Department and Tianmu Police Station via 110. The scene is located in the river of Senkawa Josui near Musashino Women's College, at the junction of Sekizen 4th Street in Musashino City and Shinmachito Street in Hoya City.A few years ago, Musashino City held the annual river cleanup activity of Senchuan Josui, and the discoverer of the female body was an elementary school student who participated in this activity.

The corpses lying in the mud of the river ditch were first salvaged and parked in a nearby empty field for inspection. The first judgment of the inspection was: the deceased was female, aged 20 to 30, 1.60 meters tall, and plump. Wearing a light brown skirt, a flowered shirt-like blouse on the upper body, and a 4cm high heel, slightly fat pointed leather shoes on the right foot. The one on the left foot fell into the mud in the water and was found later.I don't have anything with me, and I don't have any personal accessories like rings, necklaces, earrings, watches, etc. The scene caused a great commotion, because it happened among thousands of citizens and children gathered in response to the Senkawashangshui Cleanup Movement, so they were surrounded by water.And the people who made noise there were the children who first discovered the corpse, so they couldn't be treated coldly.

At this time, the newspaper office that smelled the smell sent a helicopter.Since the corpse of the decomposed woman was found in Sangshui, where the river cleanup was in progress, the news reports were of high value. A careful and careful examination cannot be carried out calmly here.Due to the high possibility of homicide, the inspection was stopped halfway and transferred to the forensic research of Kyorin University, which is in charge of forensic anatomy of unnatural deaths in the Sandama area. Here a further close look at the corpse was made. Dead bodies are characterized by: There is a scar from an appendicitis operation on the lower right abdomen. There is a scar on the root of the nail of the little finger of the right hand that was cut by a knife, and the nail is deformed.In addition, there is a straight line from the lower part of the nose to the left cheek, like a blood channel after the skin is pinched.The shape of her face is round, and it was severely deformed due to the decay of the corpse, but it can still be inferred that she had regular facial features during her lifetime.

There are groove marks on the neck where something like a rope has been twisted.The left and right eyelids and conjunctiva had hemorrhages and spots.This bleeding point is evidence of death by hanging. The police immediately tensed up.Even if there were no traces of these homicides, the possibility of a modern woman committing suicide lying in the mud of the Qianchuan Shangshui culvert is very small.Therefore, the case was determined to be a homicide case, and a special investigation headquarters was established at the Musashino Police Station. The scene of the accident happened to be located on the border with Hoya City and within the jurisdiction of the Tanashi Police Station.However, because the body had already been salvaged to the jurisdiction of the Musashino Police Station, the Musashino Police Station took the lead and the Tianwu Police Station coordinated the investigation.The Metropolitan Police Department dispatched the first enhanced team (the fourth Nasu search team responsible for homicide) to participate in the operation. The results of the autopsy at Kyorin University are as follows: 1.Cause of death: Suffocation caused by compression of the neck by strips (strings, hemp ropes, ties, belts, etc.).See drowning and sludge in the alveoli and stomach. 2.Identification of suicide: homicide. 3.Elapsed time after death: 7 to 10 days. 4.Whether she was raped: There was no sign of sexual intercourse before or after death. 5.The blood type of the deceased was AB. 5.Other references: A. The cadaver has a linear inflammation below the nose obliquely to the left cheek, which is a symptom of linear dermatitis.It is caused by the venom of a certain beetle. B. The lung parasite "liver leech" was found to be parasitic in the lungs. The first point of the search is to find out the identity of the victim.The victim did not have anything on his body that could indicate his identity except his clothes.The only certifiable garments are mass-produced ready-to-wear items. However, her identity was soon revealed.The physical characteristics of the deceased were entered into the wanted database stored in the criminal computer information management system of the police intelligence management center, and the person corresponding to the characteristics was immediately obtained. According to this see the following information: ⑴Name: Ninomiya Kayoko (2) Date of Birth: February 16, Showa 20x ⑶ Gender: Female ⑷Occupation: Former staff member of the credit department of the Omiya Branch of the Sekiyo Bank ⑸Address: Qingyezhuang Apartment, No. 10, Erdao Street, Gaobicho, Omiya City ⑹Birthplace: Shango City, Saitama Prefecture ⑺Criminal number: №xxx ⑻Wanted number: №xxx ⑼Wanted charges: Fraud, embezzlement of public funds in business ⑽Wanted Category: Level 1 ⑾Wanted unit: Omiya Branch of Saitama Police Station ⑿ Note: The wanted person defrauded a total of 450 million yen in the bank mentioned in Item 4 from June 1950 to June 1950 for about two years by taking advantage of his position. Since June 10 this year, he has been in hiding. This is exactly the worst that the Omiya Police Station fears will happen. The most likely culprit who killed Ninomiya was the person behind the embezzlement of public funds.Others are impossible.Due to the murder of Ninomiya Kayoko, the criminal can monopolize 450 million yuan, and the heat (dangerousness) of these banknotes will cool down. Moreover, Kayoko's body was discovered by accident during the grand battle of the Senkawa Josui Cleanup Movement hosted by Musashino City.Without this opportunity, it would have been buried in the mud at the bottom of the underdrain, quietly rotting away. If the criminals knew there was a campaign to clear the river, they would have dumped the bodies elsewhere.Although the identity of the victim has been ascertained, there is nothing left of the criminal or any data that can be used to infer the criminal. The criminals had safely held the 450 million yuan banknotes in their hands, and leisurely disappeared into the dark night. The search had just started when it hit a wall. Among the investigators drawn from the Musashino Police Station to participate in the search of the headquarters, a police officer became interested in the inflammation on the victim's face and the parasites found in the lungs. The middle-aged criminal named Okawa visited Professor Inoue, the doctor who performed the autopsy, in order to obtain more detailed knowledge. "Sir, the blood spots from the nose to the cheeks of Kayoko Ninomiya are said to be dermatitis caused by the venom of a certain beetle. Do you know the exact name of this beetle?" "Of course I know. It's mainly a green-winged ant-shaped paederus, which belongs to the Paedoptera family of the order Beetles. The Berthrin secretion secreted from its body can cause linear dermatitis in people." "Then, sir, where does this creature called the green-winged ant-like paederus inhabit?" Okawa began to ask the bottom line about the "living place" of this kind of worm, which is hard to pronounce. "It can be seen all over Japan. It is a common insect found all over the world except the United States." "You mean the whole of Japan?" Da Chuan was a little discouraged, but pulled himself together and asked, "But sir, the parasite that ate in the victim's lungs..." "Ah, the lung parasite liver leech?" "Yes, what are the characteristics of this kind of insect called liver leech?" "This is a worm of the Cerebral Fluke family among trematodes. Its adult worms are mainly parasitic in the lungs of humans, dogs, cats and other animals. This is a worm with a very strange developmental history. It needs to parasitize and grow in other animals three times. First, its eggs are excreted to the outside world along with the sputum or excrement of its host—human or animal, and enter the water. Mu' hairy larvae. The larvae parasitize the body of freshwater shellfish such as black snails that inhabit small rivers or ponds. This shellfish will be eaten by the second host algae, and then in the body of the algae crab Produced as small spherical larvae. After the crab it parasitizes is eaten raw by humans or animals, it sheds its shell in the intestine, passes through the intestinal wall to the abdominal cavity, enters the lungs, and then ends its life. It creates a cavity in the lungs , ovulates in the trachea, so coughing produces bloody sputum, which is often mistaken for tuberculosis," "Where does this parasite called the lung liver leech live?" "In human lungs, of course." "No, I mean that, where is the habitat of the shells or crabs that give birth to worms?" "Black snails and algae crabs? These are also found everywhere. Small rivers, ponds, and mountain streams are all its habitats." "Is it everywhere?" "In short, except for Hokkaido, it is almost all over Japan. Yes, yes, there is one good thing for you to see." Professor Inoue took down a collection of newspaper clippings from the data shelf in the laboratory and said: "This is the distribution map of the epidemic areas of lung and liver leeches investigated by Xiongmin Yokogawa. According to this map, the counties where the two epidemics of human parasitism and algae crab parasitism occurred at the same time It's west of the central part." He opened a map to show him. "Professor, in these double-distributed places, the green-winged ant-shaped paederus just mentioned also exists?" "Of course it is. Because the latter is distributed all over the country. Haha! You are looking for the triple zone where the green winged paederus and the lung liver leech parasitize the human body, as well as the algae crab parasite!" The professor seemed to have just realized Okawa's intentions. Dazhou nodded. "We don't offer other opinions except for the judgment and identification of the entrusted dissection. Since you asked, you can talk about it. The linear dermatitis caused by this kind of insect bite is common in the south. Especially in Shikoku In June, this kind of insects bloomed in large numbers in the area, which caused great distress to the local people." "It seems that in the Shikoku region, except for Kagawa, the other three prefectures are overlapping areas where lung and liver leeches parasitize humans and algae crabs parasitize." Okawa looked at the distribution map, his eyes sparkled. "Is such that." "Before this victim was killed, can it be determined that he had been to one of the three prefectures of Tokushima, Kochi or Ehime?" "That's not necessarily certain. First of all, there are places where all three elements are present, and the onset of lung and liver leeches has to wait for the parasites to enter the body, which takes a long time. But linear dermatitis will only appear in a day or two. Assuming that the source of the two symptoms was ingested somewhere in these three counties, or there was contact, then at least two visits to the place are necessary." The starting point that Okawa finally found, still can't get rid of the fog that hides the criminal's gap.He thanked the professor and took his leave. Whether it is lung liver leeches or blue-winged ant insects, since they are distributed all over Japan, they are actually like falling into a sea of ​​smoke. However, when he returned to the search headquarters with disappointment, a criminal named He Xi from the first search section of the Metropolitan Police Department whispered a message to him.It is said that Ninomiya Kayoko likes to travel and often went to various parts of Japan during her lifetime. "Then he must have taken a lot of photos." Okawa thought of a possibility. "I heard that there is a photo album. The Omiya Police Station took out the former boss in question from that album, but it turned out to be useless." Hexi criminal replied in a calm tone.He looked less like a hard-faced criminal in the Metropolitan Police Department than a clerk in a bank, or a manager in a hotel lounge.On closer inspection, he even buttoned the bottom of his suit jacket. "Yes, that's the photo album!" Okawa couldn't help but screamed.In that photo album, maybe the "hometown" of lung liver leeches and linear dermatitis is posted. "What happened to the photo album?" Hexi cast a surprised look at him.Okawa told him his point of view. Hexi clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Okawa, this is a good idea. Lung liver leeches and linear dermatitis were once raised as problems in the search meeting, but they didn't think of comparing them with Ninomiya Kayoko's photo album. good idea." Okawa's idea was reported to Nasu, the First Investigation Division who was in charge of the on-site command of the investigation headquarters.Although a coordinated search was carried out with the Omiya Police Station, not all the information was transferred here. Once several police stations are formed to cooperate in handling cases, sectarianism and competition for fame will easily occur.The reason is that the "plainclothes" block system that forms the basis of the criminal police structure is the soil for cultivating sectarianism.The consciousness of running to other plots first and insisting that I will do it is very strong.Now it has been changed to the overall system, but the spirit of the small block system is remnants of the traditional concept, not only in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but also in the national police is also a common undercurrent. Not only in one subject, but if other subjects are also involved, it will be more complicated.In addition to this, the police in the prefectures and counties are also added, and there are really many hills. The more people involved in the investigation of the same case, the more lack of ideological communication, and the easier it is for the command system to become chaotic.The materials are also kept in their own hands as much as possible, and they are unwilling to tell other departments and members.In addition, behind the collective search, there will be situations where people who cut corners are hiding. At present, there is no such obstacle with Saitama Prefecture, but since the search headquarters has just been established, the exchange of information and other work is not very thorough. Nasu adopted Okawa's idea and immediately applied to the Omiya Police Station to use the photo album of Ninomiya Kayoko. The investigators sent Ninomiya Kayoko's photo album from the Omiya Police Station. The landscape photos posted on it are only marked with the date, but there is no record of the location where they were taken, so we have to analyze and imagine them one by one from the background of the characters. The photographs searched by Okawa and others are especially important to see if there are any photographs taken in the Shikoku area.Linear dermatitis is a frequent endemic disease in Tokushima, Kochi, and Ehime prefectures, and the parasitic ratio of lung and liver leeches in humans and algae crabs is also large in these places.If Kayoko Ninomiya had traveled anywhere in these areas before she was killed, it is highly likely that the criminal was with her. Is the travel location of this traveler posted on the photo album?This is what Okawa focuses on. Among these landscape photos, some of them can be deduced from the shooting location based on the background of the photograph. Among them, Matsushima, Nikko, Kyoto, Nagasaki, and other places have been clearly identified, but there are also some very common backgrounds, and it is impossible to tell what the place is. "Songdo, she probably went there in March two years ago." Said He Xi, who was looking at the photo album together. "This seems to be a photo taken on a cruise ship in Matsushima." "This photo looks like it was taken on the deck of a cruise ship. It can be used as a clue to infer the location of the photo. The roof of the Fifth Hall and the vermilion bridge are captured in the background. The date of the photo is March 50x Thirteenth." "According to this date, I traveled after I broke up with Isomura." Kasai added as if he had thought over and over in the back of his mind. "It should be like this." "But I'm afraid it's impossible to set up a tripod and take pictures with a Selfie on a boat." "Then, maybe the tourists on the same boat were asked to press the shutter on their behalf." "There is a possibility of this, but apart from that, there are a few photos that seem to have been taken on the same boat. If this is the case, I don't think it seems like they were asked to press the shutter one by one. , most of them asked the same person to take pictures.” "Why do you feel that way? I don't think so." "You see, the characters are all arranged in the center of the face. If they were taken by different people, this would not be the case." "That's right. Then Ninomiya Kayoko should have a companion..." "It's natural to think so." "Then Isomura reluctantly followed after the breakup?" "Isomura said that he and Kayoko have not seen each other since they broke up. I don't think what he said was a lie. Investigate his actions around March 13th to see if it can prove that he was not there, then we will get it right away Clear. But just now we proposed to break up, and the maid finally agreed, and they went out together again, which is unreasonable." "Then who is it? . . . " "I think this is someone I met while traveling in Songdo. And it is worth noting that she started committing crimes shortly after the trip to Songdo." "That is to say, the person I met while traveling in Matsushima was the criminal who drove Kayoko Ninomiya to commit crimes and then killed her." Okawa's eyes lit up. "... Of course it's not certain, but the dates agree." "Oh, these photos taken by Songdao all have traces in the same place!" This time, Okawa made a new discovery.These photos are all taken horizontally, there are eight of them in total, but there is a mark like dust on the same place in the upper right corner. If it is caused by the negative film, there will be no marks on the same part of the printing paper for a long time. "But you can see that there are no traces on other photos." Okawa said, pointing to the photos other than Songdao. "That's right, it's only in Matsushima that there is dust on the camera lens." "There is also a possibility that another camera was used only in Matsushima." "By the way! There's either dust or a crack on the lens of the other camera." "It's necessary to check Kayoko's camera." Immediately called Ninomiya Kayoko's camera, checked in detail, and confirmed that there were no cracks or stains on the lens that were similar to those in the photos taken by Matsushima.Kayoko has no other cameras. If it is dust on the lens, it may have been wiped off after the photo was taken. If it is a crack, then it is not Kayoko's camera that was used to take pictures in Matsushima. So the photos were sent to the photographic inspection department, and the parts with marks on the photos were enlarged for identification. It was found that the marks on the eight photos were exactly the same, and they were all printed on the negatives, so they were identified as cracks on the lens. . The lenses on the lens are made from a combination of individual lenses.Occasionally, there will be cracks in the lens of the book, which will be projected on the negative film.This can also be said to be a flaw of the lens.It is said that if it is a sharp point on the surface of the lens, there will be a slight change in shape when each frame of negative is changed. This is how it was established that the photographs taken in Matsushima were not taken with Kayoko's camera. So, whose camera is it?Of course, it should be the camera carried by the "traveler" that He Xi speculated.Probably, after returning from the trip, the companions gave these landscape photos to Kayoko Ninomiya, who met during the trip, in order to win the favor of her. Through the local Shiogama Police Station, we found out the sightseeing cruise company that belonged to the cruise ship Kayoko Ninomiya was on on March 13, 1950.But because it was more than two years ago, the staff at that time had already resigned, and no one knows about it now.The tour boats in Songdao Scenic Area are divided into several routes from the trestle bridge in front of Wuda Hall. As long as there are guests, they will run at any time.Although March 13th is not yet the season for sightseeing in Matsushima, Kayoko's photo shows a group of older men and women who seem to be a group, wearing half-length shirts with fonts on their backs. coat.There was something written on the collar of the coat, but it was too small to read clearly. "If you can find someone in this group, ask someone, maybe someone will remember Kayoko's situation." The young Shimoda criminal, a member of the Nasu group, added. "Judging from the clothes, it looks like some kind of agricultural co-operative group." Another person who was also in the same group crossed the prison and said, looking sideways at the photo. "Yeah, people here seem to be holding cameras." Nasu pointed to a photo with the islands in the bay as the background.The photo shows Kayoko posing on the deck, with several men and women standing to her right, one of whom is pointing the camera at Kayoko.Presumably someone was posing for a photo at the same angle as her.Perhaps this person's camera was aimed at Kayoko. "It is indeed holding a camera." The oldest senior officer in the Nasu group, the director of the mountain road, said criminally. "If it's in this direction, will Ninomiya Kayoko's companions be captured in this person's camera?" Shimoda's words represent everyone's thoughts. "That's exactly what I thought. The direction of the camera is very strange. I don't know what it is aimed at. If it is aimed at Kayoko, then the image of the companion who is facing her and taking pictures of her in the opposite direction is likely to be the same. It was photographed in." Nasu nodded. "If this group is figured out, then the person holding the camera will naturally figure it out too." The young Shimoda is not far behind. Using it to amplify the results of the appraisal, it was deduced that the handwriting on the collars of the coats of the group tourists was "Tama Agricultural Cooperation and Cooperation Du". The place name "Tama" should be Tama City or Tama District in Kawasaki City.In addition, there are Tama Lake Machida, Tama River, Tama New Street, Tama River Garden, etc., but none of them can be referred to simply as "Tama". Therefore, a quick inquiry was made to Tama City and Tama District of Kawasaki City, and it was found out that the Tama Agricultural Cooperative, which registered in Tama District, had organized members of the cooperative to take a three-night and four-day trip to the Northeast region the year before last. A cruise ship crossing Matsushima Bay. Okawa and Kasai-san immediately went to Tama Agricultural Cooperative, which was registered in the household, and showed them the enlarged photo.They identified the man as Bunzo Yano, a member of the cooperative. At the Tama Agricultural Cooperative, they were told that Yano Bunzo's address was No. 204x, Wangzenji Temple, Tama District. The two searchers went to Yano's residence without stopping.Yano happened to be at home, and was shocked when he saw the criminal's sudden visit.But after listening carefully, he found a photo album from the house. "Ah, I remembered. At that time, there was a pretty young woman. The man accompanying her was snapping and taking pictures of her. With a little bit of jealousy, I secretly took a photo. Yes, right here." On the page of the photo album that Yano opened for them to see, there was a four-inch landscape photo.It was taken from Ninomiya Kayoko's side obliquely behind.Several members of the tour group are visible in the background.However, it is a pity that the "traveler" holding the camera in front of Kayoko only captures the front part of the hand, and the face and body cannot be seen on the screen. "Is this the only one of the woman you took?" "yes." "Then do the negatives still exist?" Okawa was a bit reluctant to let it go, and asked again.He wondered if the useless parts were trimmed and subtracted when the photo was printed in the photo development shop.If the images have been reproduced, then there may be images of fellow travelers (photographers) on the base plate. "If you look for it, I think there will be." "Please take the trouble to find it." The two of them spoke as if they were entangled. Yano was a very honest man, so he went into the back room, rummaged there for a long time, and finally took out several boxes containing film. "Yes, yes. I put them in the innermost part of the compartment, and I found them with great difficulty. There should be some of these boxes." On the outside of the film box that Yano took out, all marked Tohoku Travel, "Matsushima", "Lake Towada", "Oga Peninsula" and so on with a magic pen. Da Chuan took out the box of film with 'Song Island' written on it, unfolded it with He Xi and the other two, and inspected it frame by frame. "Ah, there it is! This is the one." When he took out a negative and looked at it to the light, He Xi suddenly shouted. Finally found the negative of the photo in the album. However, they had to feel frustrated because the photo was enlarged according to the original version without any extravagant cropping.The enigmatic companion of Ninomiya Kayoko is also missing from the bottom plate. "Do you remember what kind of man this woman's companion was?" Even just figuring out that the fellow traveler is a man is already considered a gain. "Well, what kind of man are you asking, because it was a long time ago..." Yano showed a very embarrassed expression. "Why do you think the two of them are together? Could it be that the man was just temporarily invited to press the shutter of the camera?" He Xi asked the question from another angle. "Because they seem to have been together before boarding the boat. It seems that they just met each other not long ago. During the conversation, the words they used were very polite." "Don't women call men by their names?" "Yes, but I don't remember." "Don't you remember what kind of clothes men wear?" "A normal suit with a coat outside." "What about the color?" "I think it's a dull color." Only the wrist is shown in the photo, although it is dark, but the exact color is still unclear. "How about tall and fat?" "Medium build, not fat. He is a very ordinary staff member, with no special features. In addition, I was almost secretly filming, so my attention was mainly on the woman, and I didn't look at the man. If you call me my wife I know, but it's a troublesome thing." Yano looked out of the room worriedly and scratched his head.Ninomiya Kayoko is not a beauty type person.But she has seductive tenderness and a mature figure, and she is a woman who pleases men. As a result, only these situations were obtained from Yano Bunzō.Although it was just a photo of the "traveler's wrist", I thought it might be of reference value, so I still took it. When he was on his way home in frustration, Okawa suddenly raised his head as if thinking of something. "What's the matter?" He Xi asked seeing his expression. "Hexi-jun, why didn't we pay attention to such a simple matter!" "how?" "Is Yano the only one with a camera in the tour group?" "Yes! I'm afraid the others who are on the tour will have cameras too." Hexi also understood the meaning of Okawa's question.That is to say, there is a possibility that Ninomiya Kayoko's companions were captured by the cameras held by other travelers. They went to Tama Agricultural Cooperative, where they registered, to check the list of people who traveled to the Northeast in March of the previous year. A total of 62 people participated in the trip, including six staff members.This is a member who has a share capital of 10 million yen or more that is entertained by the agricultural cooperative.Three of them were deceased. According to the list of confessions captured by the Doku Agricultural Association, as much as possible, the "commemorative photos" and plates of the travelers who participated in the Northeast travel were collected.But the results of the cleanup were not satisfactory, and a considerable part has been lost. In the photos proposed by Okawa with great difficulty and collected by everyone separately, none of the people who took pictures of Ninomiya Kayoko's companions.Maybe the guy was filmed in the missing part.But that's not going to be found anyway. "The companion who goes to Songdo is not necessarily limited to this circle, and may emerge from other places." Although Nasu comforted Okawa in this way, he failed to free Okawa from his depression. After "Matsushima", Kayoko Ninomiya has already started committing crimes, so the search of the headquarters must not let go of this fellow traveler.And this is also the only man who appeared beside Kayoko in "After Isomura".After Songdo's trip, she sent eight photos to her, showing such enthusiastic people, but did not reveal their addresses and identities. "Is it possible that from now on, you have plans to use Kayoko, so you are hiding from the camera?" He Xifa asked. "Since it's a villain who manipulated Kayoko to steal 450 million yuan, he must have committed crimes elsewhere, and he probably has developed a habit of avoiding the camera." Okawa replied angrily. In short, it is futile to look up the companions from the "commemorative photos" of Tama Nokyo and others who traveled with Ninomiya Kayoko on the same boat. A few days later, Okawa received a call. "Hello, are you Mr. Criminal who came that time?" The voice on the phone transferred from the switchboard was very familiar to me, but I couldn't remember who it was for a while.Just when Okawa was hesitating how to answer, the other party said: "I'm Yano, from the Tama Agricultural Cooperative. I met you a few days ago for taking pictures of Matsushima." "Ah! Mr. Yano." Okawa remembered. "That time you asked me if a woman ever called a man by his name." "So you remember?" Okawa couldn't help raising his voice.He called on purpose, he must have some information to provide. "No, it's not that I remembered, it's that I thought of something." "Things that come to mind? What's the matter?" "When I photographed the woman, there was a friend of mine standing next to the man she was traveling with. He was the bust in my picture." "What's the matter with your friend?" "Look at the picture, if you have one. He's got a portable radio in his hand. Do you see that?" "Yes." Okawa took the photos collected from Yano last time before his eyes, and nodded. "The radio was also equipped with a cassette recorder. At that time, he told me that he was recording the introduction of Matsushima by the tour guide lady, but he seemed interested in the couple, so he approached him and secretly recorded it. Then My friend has a mischievous eccentricity, and often keeps a bug in his pocket, and whenever he gets a chance, he will record other people's private conversations for fun." “这个人是谁？”大川握着电话的手，不由得用了一下力。 “请不要露出是我说的。” “不会给您添麻烦的。” “叫藤井增吉，住在稻田堤。” 大川详细地询问了藤井的住址后，就挂上了电话。 “影像”消失了，“声音”却留下来了。大川抑制着激动的心情，把刚才收到的密告情报告诉了河西。 可是河西却没怎么动心。 “是很有价值的密告，可那时的录音带，能保存下来两年吗？” “照片都保存下来了，录音磁带也有可能。” “照片和录音可不一样，同一卷胶片不能照两次，可录音带能反复使用。每次新录音对，旧的录音就消掉了。” “啊，可也是。” 大川觉得高涨起来的情绪，又被泼上了冷水。仔细一想，两年前录的音，保存下来的可能性是很小的。 “不过，也不是完全没有机会了。去找一下那个叫藤井的人好不好？”河西想安慰一下一开始就受到挫折的大川。 刑事变然到来并询问起两年前录音带的事，使得藤井惊慌失色，他误以为自己的坏毛病引起了警察的注意。当说明了情况之后，他终于放下心，开始合作了。 “去松岛时得录音，我还保存着。特别是旅行时的录音带都是很好的纪念品，照片是一些死东西，可是录音却是活的东西。” 藤井既已知道这不是来追究他窃听癖的事，所以就洋洋得意地陈述起来。 他们两人调取了藤井找出的盒式磁带，赶紧回到了本部。 在本部那里。那须警部正在焦急地等待着。 他听说磁带还保存着，就瞪大了眼睛。他本来没报多大希望。 “如果这上面的'声音'保存得很好，那该多好。” “咱们先放一下看吧。” 搜查队员们屏息竖耳听着录音。 录进来的杂音相当多。 磁带转动以后不久，导游小姐用动听的声调介绍的内容就传了出来。 对于五大堂、福浦岛、桂岛等，随着游览船的行驶，配合着进行介绍。介绍完之后，乘客们的嘈杂声放大起来。也许是为了节约磁带，中间有几处停顿。 “要紧的地方没有录进来呀。” 搜查员们的期待，好象正向着绝望的悬崖倾斜过去。 “藤井增吉说过他录下了二宫加代子的同行者的谈话吗？”山路问河西说。 “他说记不得了。不过，作为他本人，对于情侣的谈话感兴趣而偷着录音这种事，是很难说出口的。” 正在交谈之间，磁带继续转动，已经剩下不多了。 “嘘！”突然那须用手指挡住嘴唇。要大家静下来。 ——真是给您添麻烦了—— 有一个女人的声音意外地从很近的地方说话了。这也许就是二宫加代子的声音。在她之前有个男人的声音说了些什么，但都听不清楚。后面又有男的回答了什么。 ——如果有缘分，以后还想再见到您—— 这大概是船已经游览了一圈，快要回到出发的码头时，女子在告别。那男人的声音仍然很远。这录音机看来是在女的身旁。 ——如果没有x田先生帮忙，我恐怕要在仙台露宿了—— 录音机里的声音说到这里，就传来了游览船上播放的《萤火》之歌。这时磁带也放完了。 “以《萤火》来结束磁带，也够讽刺的了。” “这里面的男女二人是否就是二宫加代子和她的同行者呢？” “首先让相关的人听一听加代子的声音来判明一下，因为是藤井增吉抱着很大兴趣录下的，恐怕没有什么错。” “这里说的x田或什么田，大概是那男人的姓。” “我听着象是菱田……” “根据这段录音，二宫加代子是在仙台托这个男人替她安排住宿的。” “如果把仙台的旅馆、饭店都筛洗一遍，也许就能弄清二宫加代子同行者的名字。” 搜查员们都用兴奋的语调议论着。到底是找到了这个同行者的蛛丝马迹。 很快就找来对加代子熟悉的人听了录音，得到的证言是：“特别象她的声音”。 与此同时又询问了矢野文藏和藤井增吉，确认了男人的姓名是“石田”或“菱田”，而藤井所录的音中的人，就是与二宫加代子结伴同行的男子。 接着，开始查找他们两人可能住过的“仙台之宿”的地点。仙台市约有九十家旅馆和七家洋式旅社，搜查工作是从数量少的洋式旅社开始的。 各旅社大致都保存着三年以内的住宿登记卡。搜查进行得很快，但是各旅社前年三月十二日都没有二宫加代子和菱田或者林田这类名字的住宿登记。 于是搜查工作又转向了旅馆。最后终于在该市北部的青叶神社附近一个叫“仙台绿色饭店”的小旅馆里发现了二宫加代子的住宿登记。在这里发现了“菱田和也、东京都涩谷区富之谷1－8－3、花园公寓大厦503室、职业：建筑设计师”。这样一张住宿登记卡。 “菱田和也，到底找到他了！” 大川呻吟般地说道。他想到在达到这一步的路上，有多少次丢失了跟踪的足迹。现在的问题是还不知道菱田是否还住在登记卡上写着的地址。也许那地址和姓名全都是伪造的。 搜查员们立即赶住登记卡上写明的地点。 花园公寓大厦是实际存在的。 它就位于与明治神宫场地相接壤的地方。这里是名副其实的幽静之所在。那是一幢八层高的出租公寓，三室一厅的全套房间租金为十八万日元。如果不是有点儿财力的人，是租不起的。 但是在要找的503室里住着的却是别人。那是一位叫大山恒夫的牙科医生，五十三岁。大约在三个月前搬进来的。 已经很明白，这里住的人无论年龄还是职业都完全不符。大山说，他对菱田这个人，一无所知。 问到公寓的管理人贝，他说在大山以前，这里曾租给一家“国际智能开发公司”作为事务所使用。这是目前颇为时髦的“头脑工厂”，是将无形的脑力作为资本来进行买卖的一种新型企业。 但是那段时间，这里出入的净是些不三不四的人，经过调查发现所谓“国际智能开发公司”，原来是个桌子公司。 假若自己筹款购置场地、修理房舍、建立事务所，就需要庞大数目的资金。于是在这里出现了一种称做桌子公司的新行业。在租来的地方设上事务所，里面安上电话、摆上许多桌子，然后再把这些桌子出租给另外一些人，供他们在这里办公用，在这里租地方办公的人，只需设一名联络员，负责接电话、处理邮件。一台电话、一张桌子就可以同任何人签定合同了。 这种来租赁桌子的人，既无合同人，也无保证金和铺底，却摆出象是有一个事务所的样子，对外张罗业务。 因为名片上印着在首都中心区的第一流地点设有事务所或者住所，所以信用度很高。 利用这类事务所做交易的人当中，当然也有定期进京来的地方上的一些严肃的工商业者，但是也不乏利用这样的机内在都城里干坏事的人。加之经营者本身既然是借用别人的房舍和设施来经营桌子公司的人，那么也聚拢不来什么正经的人。 花园公寓大厦的503室，也就不知不觉地被这种低劣的桌子公司所盘踞了。利用它来打交道的人，是股东总会的操办人，不动产经纪人，冒牌电影制片商，同业报纸的混子，票据诈骗集团，沉船打捞队，私人调查行业，个人争议调停人，私人办的学习班，票据、广告、选举等的掮客，等等。几乎城市里所有的恶党一概俱全。 当然，“国际智能开发公司”这个字号是没有正式登记注册的。向大厦的管理员一问，回答说是在这里租用该公司的桌子办公的人当中，有菱田和也模样的人。 邮到503室转交菱田和也的挂号邮件，因为“国际智力开发公司”的工作人员常常不在，所以通常由管理人员代为收受，所以他记得这个名字。 “您不记得那些奇件人是谁吗？” “因为只是代收，所以就没有注意这方面。” “是什么邮件？” “好象是直接邮送的广告之类的东西，详细的就不知道了。” “那么邮件是怎么处理的呢？” “后来照看电话的姑娘回来之后，我移交给了她。” “为什么把房间租给了这样的冒牌公司？” “因为他们既有铺底又有保金，而且房费也一次都没有缓交过。出入公司的人只是相貌不太正派，可是并未给别的住户带来什么麻烦，所以找不出撵他们出去的理由。作为办公室出租。这也是常有的事。”管理员诚惶诚恐，搓着手回答说。 “国际智力开发公司的代表是个什么样的男人？” “不是男人，是个女的。” “女的？！” “叫小坂瑛子，二十五、六岁，是个相当漂亮的美人。这样的女子经营桌子公司，尚属罕见。”管理人顺手拿了一张纸把那女子的名字写给他们看。 “说是美人，也有各种各样的人，她是什么类型的呢？” “签合同的时候，只见过一面，是个大个头儿、妖艳的女子。” “那么小坂瑛子为什么搬出去了呢？” “大约在三个多月前，她自己突然提出要解除契约。对于我们来说是求之不得的。” 搜查员心中盘算着，那时节正是二宫加代子开始着手干“最后的大活儿”的前夕。 “那么辽移的去向不知道吗？” “什么也未告诉我们。” “迁移之后，给他们寄来的邮件在处理上很犯愁吧？” “犯愁的不是我们。他们自己不说什么，我们并不主动去问。常常因为有各种各样的内情而将去向隐匿起来的人是很多的。” “那就是说，只要付了房租钱，你们一概不加干涉，对吧？” “大致是这样的。”管理员难为情地抚了一下脸。 “小坂瑛子是否在503室居住过？” “当时是作为办公室使用的，记得她好像没有住过。不过在套间里面的房间里倒是安了一张床，有的在那里临时休息过夜。详细情况也是不大清楚的。” “如果她不是住在503室，那么就是在别的地方居住，那么关于她的住处你有什么线索吗？” "Ok……" “这个女人到503室来过没有？”搜查员将二宫加代子的照片拿给他看。 “这个公寓里有很多女性出入，所以记不清楚，而且也不是总观察着出入的人。” “小坂瑛子与四国地区，特别是德岛、高知、爱媛三个县有没有什么关系？比方说是那里的出身或者是常去那里旅行……” "Ok……" 管理员歪着头寻思着，对于这样纠缠不休的询问简直没有办法。 为了慎重起见，对于该公司租房时互换的合同书上填写的小坂瑛子的住所，调查了一下。结果是既无这个地址，也没有这个人。小坂一开始就是用假地址和假姓名租进这所公寓的。 租用公寓经营桌了公司的人当然不会在合同书上一本正经地登记自己的其实住址和姓名。对于想隐匿自己身分的人来说，桌子公司对他们是非常方便的。无论是借方还是贷方，即不承担任何责任。不知道菱田和也同小坂瑛子之间是单纯的租赁办公桌的关系，还是有别的特殊的关系。 正当在花园公寓的调查几乎陷入绝望的境地时，下田却得到了——条线索。那是在“国际智力开发公司”隔壁的504室住着的一位名叫竹松京美的女子提供的。 她是在银座的夜总会里当女招待的。 “好象是去年的十月左右，隔壁的社长送给我一条珊瑚项链。说是去高知方面旅行带回来的礼品。我们之间不过是在走廊上打个照面这样的交情，平素也没有什么交往，真是叫我吃了一惊。他也许对我有意思啪。” 她回答着下田的询问，咯咯地笑了起来，向她一打听，那位社长的相貌、风度，象是指菱田。 “他说是从高知带来的特产吗？”下田向前凑了一下问道。 “啊，是的。现在还保存着，我拿给您瞧瞧吧！” “请务必。” 过了一会儿，她从里屋拿出来一条用粉红色珊瑚精心加工制作的项链。 “就是这条。珊瑚的颜色越浅越贵重，这条就不是便宜货。当时曾犹豫收人家这么贵的东西能行吗，结果还是收下了。那位社长先生怎么了？虽然有点儿可疑的地方，但是印象还不坏。” “那只装项链的盒子还在吗？” "exist." “也请给我们看一看。” 竹松京美拿来的盒子里有“高知名产”的标签和商店的字号。 “您得到它的时间是去年的十月吧。” "That's right." “我负责替您保存好，能不能借给我们用一下。” “行倒是行，可是这条项链怎么了？该不是偷来的吧。” 她的脸上显出不安的神色。似乎由于感到事关重大，怕被牵连进去。 “不用怕，不过是个小案件需要参考一下，项链很快就会还给您的。”下田安慰对方说。 一个可能是叫菱田和也的人，去年十月到高知去旅行过的事实，将由于送给504室房客的珊瑚项链而暴露。也有另外一种可能，就是他把别人送给他的项链又转送给了竹松京美。但菱田本人去过高知的概率最高。 在大宫区的青叶庄和在涩谷区的花园公寓所了解到的情况，在菱田和也的相貌特征方面是大体一致的。被害人二宫加代子尸体上所残留的线状皮炎，是包括高知县在内的四国地区三个县中发病率最高的地方病，并且肺肝蛭在人体积藻蟹体内行生的病例，在这一地带也有发现。 对菱田的怀疑愈发集中了。但是他的去向却杳无音信。好不容易发现了可疑的人物，却全然不知他身在何处。 虽然对售项链的商店“播磨屋”进行了调查，但因为这种东西是高知县特产的礼品中最畅销的货，所以要求店员把每个顾客的印象都说出来。确是强人所难，而实际上也是办不到的。 至此为止，杀害二宫加代子的嫌疑者的足迹便完全中断了。剩下的是被掏走四亿五千万元的空壳，宛如被巨大的寄生虫所蚕食掉的残骸遗留在那里。这只寄生虫不但侵吞了金钱，而且连女子的生命也吸吮掉，然后隐匿了起来。 搜查工作终于走进了死胡同。 “二宫加代子在被肺肝蛭感染上之前，已经感染上更大的一条寄生虫了。”大川楞然地说。 “犯人是不是象肺肝蛭一样，已经感到加代子身上再没有可吸吮的养分，而转移到别人的身上去了呢？” 下田接着这么说了一句。但往下谁也不想再接着说下去。 搜查本部遭受着沉重的徒劳感和强烈的绝望感的双重打击。

---

Notes: