Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The Hometown of Depression

The hometown of Kazuo Ishida's mother is a small town called "Munouchi", which is located inside the banners of Kochi Prefecture and adjacent to Ehime Prefecture.With a population of less than 5,000, it was originally a mountain village in the upper reaches of the "Shimanto River", but after the war, it merged with several surrounding villages and became a town. There are abundant mountains and forests here, and the forest and green land coverage rate is 90%, which is about 180 square kilometers.Forest trees such as cedar and cypress, as well as mushrooms are rare specialties in the prefecture.

The town is a typical Taniguchi market town developed on the hills along the Shimanto River.In addition, the ayu produced in this river is a must, and diners from Tokyo and Osaka often come to taste it. To Kochi Prefecture, you have to go through the air route, and then transfer to the railway and long-distance bus.It was already dusk when Okawa and Shimoda arrived in this area. This area is under the jurisdiction of the Nakamura Police Branch of the Kochi Prefectural Police Station.There is a police station of the department in the town.Visit there first.This is a kind of "meeting ceremony" when performing tasks in other police station areas.If this kind of "loyalty" is lacking, it will be difficult to get assistance from the local police.If it is not done well, the search work may be disturbed or hindered.

When conducting investigations in other police precincts that are not familiar with the geography, it is impossible to act without the assistance of local police.Conversely, from the point of view of the local police, if they learn that the police from other places are messing around in their jurisdiction, they will not feel happy. Okawa and Shimoda visit the police station of the Nakamura Police Station. A very kind middle-aged police officer named Motegi received them. "Where is this? You have come from a long distance. It has been very hard. I heard from the office that the two of you are coming, so I came to this Gong clan."

His attitude is quite amiable.It seems that Nasu has taken care of him from Tokyo. According to the Motegi Police Department, Ishida Kazuo's mother's natal family is a time-honored wood wholesale shop in the town, whose surname is Fuguya, and the current head of the family is the sixth generation. "His family has been matrilineal for generations, and the current head of the household is also a son-in-law. The head of the previous generation was the elder sister of Kazuo Ishida's mother as you said. Now she has lived in seclusion, but she is quite tough and her ears can still hear."

The Motegi Police Department made a brief introduction to what they wanted to know. Okawa and the others reckoned that if "Eiko Kosaka" was born in this town, she must be from around Ishida's mother's family, the Funaya family. To be on the safe side, I asked Motegi first, and the other party said that she had no impression of the woman "Eiko Kobata".Motegi was not born in this town, so that may have been the case before he took office. That night, it was already very late, so they stayed at the hotel in the town arranged by Motegi, and waited until the next day to start the investigation.

The town developed on a slope in the deep gorge of the Shimanto River.The slope is very large, and the low houses are gathered at the bottom of the valley.Although it was more than eight o'clock in the evening, there were few passers-by, as if it was late at night.Although the houses are densely arranged, there are very few people with lights, and almost no human voices can be heard.Rather than saying it is silence, it is better to say that everyone is living with their breath held. In the town, there are no registered playrooms or restaurants like those in ordinary towns in Japan. At dinner, the owner serves up a plate full of the famous salt-grilled ayu.

"Oh, it's great!" Okawa was overjoyed when he saw the fresh and tender sweetfish. "It's just such a little famous product, there is nothing more delicious." A middle-aged female waiter said.Apparently, it was because Motegi Police Department added that he was a "criminal from Tokyo", so he was a little panicked. "Where, where, it is enough to have such a name." Shimoda praised in a kind tone in order to appease the other party's nervous mood. "That's right, there are also guests from Tokyo and Osaka who come to eat this food."

The female aunt was in a good mood because she was praised.When criminals come to unfamiliar places, it is often the taxi driver or the waitress in the hotel who can find an introduction for them.Because these people are the earliest point of contact between the local and the traveler.For criminals, they are a valuable source of intelligence. "Are you a local?" Shimoda quietly took the first step. "Yes, from Ayuzawa in this town." "Is it Ayuzawa? It seems that there are a lot of ayu (sweetfish)." "In order not to trouble the children, I came out to work part-time. Young people went to Kochi and Osaka."

"I heard that crab roe is also famous in this area." "You can also catch a lot of crabs. In the past, our shop also prepared some vinegar crabs, fried crabs and so on according to the requirements of customers." "Don't do it now?" "It's all because there are nasty parasites in the crabs. The health center inspected them hard and forbid them to eat them. I'm really sorry for the two of you talking about this while eating." "No, it's okay, we're not that allergic. But is there anyone on the street who got sick from eating river crab?"

"It's less recently, but if you check it, maybe there are still. When we were young, we often grilled the crabs we caught at the river stalls, so maybe we have that kind of disease. But don't be afraid, that kind of disease Bugs can't get infected if they don't eat crabs." It seemed that the waitress thought that the two of them were worried, so she said that.As long as you go to the health station to check, you can find out the situation.The lung parasites seem to be still "alive" in this place. I also briefly inquired about the situation of "Eiko Kosaka", but there is no such person in the circle of women's tea houses.

The next morning, Motegi Police Department lead the way to Funatani's house. It has a spacious frontage befitting of a long-established store.According to Motegi, however, business has been sluggish recently due to a drop in log production and the onslaught of new building materials. Ishida Kazuo's mother's older sister, Ah Xiang, is sixty-six years old and has no other diseases except presbyopia.Although he has retired, he holds the real power of the Zhougu family. I heard that a criminal came from Tokyo, so I made quite preparations to receive the guests. Zhou Guxiang is a hale and hearty old man, but her skin is slightly loose, and her behavior and speech still have the momentum of "reign". After the criminals met her, they asked her if she knew "Eiko Kosaka" and described the characteristics of this person. Fuguya said, "Oh, what kind of girl is Eiko Kosaka, I don't know?" She shook her head. It looked like she, while fit, was unresponsive to the matter.The criminals were disappointed. "You have a nephew named Kazuo Ishida in Saitama Prefecture. Most of them are acquaintances of Mr. Ishida, maybe people from this town." Okawa clung to the stubborn old lady and continued to question her.It seemed that she didn't know about Ishida Kazuo's whereabouts.Relatives who live far apart often don't know the news if they don't make a special contact. "At first I thought Yinan was a perceptive child, so I planned to marry two aunts and let him inherit the family business with my girl. I knew his temperament since he was a child, and he was a smart child. I thought he would definitely make my family happy. business flourished.” Fuguya Xiang didn't answer the question asked, but talked about the unexpected situation. It seems that she still regrets that her daughter failed to marry Ishida. "Why don't you ask them to get married? Is it because they can't get along?" Okawa's excitement suddenly deviated from the theme. "No, my daughter and a man have been in love with each other since they were young, and they hope to form a good relationship." "Then why didn't you do it again?" "My daughter suddenly said that she didn't want to." "Your daughter, oh, yes, she is now the shopkeeper's. Why is the shopkeeper unwilling?" "I don't understand either. I asked her several times, but she only said she didn't want to, and nothing else. She's so stubborn!" Okawa and Shimoda exchanged glances.It was the first time they had heard that Ishida was going to marry his cousin. In the end, the engagement was broken off. There seemed to be some secret in this strange ending.The criminal's sensitive sense of smell seemed to smell a little fishy. So the focus of the criminals' attention turned to Axiang's daughter, Minzi, who is now the inner treasurer of the Zhougu family. "Can I see the shopkeeper inside?" "Call me here. But she also has a husband and has three children. Besides, it's something that happened in the early years. It might be annoying to get to the bottom of it." The old lady Axiang smiled with a sophisticated expression, and all the formality of the first meeting disappeared. Minzi came after a while.She had the appearance of thirty-five, and she was clearly a mature married woman.This is an age that does not show the fatigue of life, and she shows a mature charm that is good at combining the tension of running a large store with the busyness of being a shopkeeper. Since she had considered marrying Ishida, they were about the same age. After being introduced by Ah Xiang, Okawa immediately got into the core issue. Ah Xiang probably felt that it was inconvenient for the people present to speak, so she left the meeting at some point. "What we want to ask is, is there any reason why Madam suddenly dislikes Mr. Ishida?" Minzi understood the meaning of this question, and his expression became stiff all of a sudden.But she suppressed the excitement in her heart with the strength of will and replied: "There is no special reason. I was also very young at the time, and I suddenly became disgusted with him for no reason because of a trivial matter. This was more than ten years ago." Things are gone, I can’t remember.” Minzi replied with beautiful standard words.But she could see from the expression that the criminal was not satisfied with her answer, so she added: "When you were young, this was a common thing, because the other party had a little problem, or the tone of speech was not what you wanted. I just couldn’t bear it, and hated it even after seeing it. Now it seems like a trivial matter, but at the time it was considered a big problem.” "Then, Madam hated Ishida because of trivial matters, and then married her current husband?" "yes." "I'm sorry to break up with Mr. Ishida. I hate him. When?" "It must have been ten years since a man joined the Kawagoe City Hall, when I was twenty-two or three years old." "May I take the liberty to ask, in what year was your wife married?" "When I was twenty-three." "Mr. Ishida got married at the age of twenty-four, right?" "We are the same age." "Ishida-san got married after you got married, didn't you?" "Yes. But it was by chance." "But as far as we know, you and Mr. Ishida had planned to get married since childhood, but when you were 22 or 3 years old, you suddenly became disgusted with him because of some trivial things, and married another man." "That, that's because when you get older, your emotions change and you become more sensitive." Because of being questioned, Minzi's tone was a little panicked, and she said again: "The feelings of a young woman, even after the woman has passed that age, she can't figure it out. Since I have a husband, it's hard to talk about such things in depth. .” She seemed to have stopped the conversation in order to hide her panic, and turned her face away.However, the more she concealed it like this, the more the criminal's concern became more concentrated.Behind the reasons for their dislike of Ishida, there may be something they want to explore. "Ma'am," Okawa asked in a different tone, "Do you know why we need to inquire about the past between Madam and Mr. Ishida?" "How do I know that?" "Why don't you ask us why we came from Tokyo to investigate Mr. Ishida's past?" "This, this is what I was going to ask." "Mr. Ishida's whereabouts are unknown now." "Really?! I don't know at all. Because I haven't been in touch recently." Minzi showed a surprised expression, but she hadn't figured out the serious content of this disappearance. "Mr. Ishida Kazuo may have been killed." Okawa showed this trump card as if stabbing at the other party, "Kill... killed? Who killed him?!" Minzi was tongue-tied for a moment and was at a loss.Growing up in this peaceful mountain gorge, I never imagined that criminals would investigate their relatives as victims of homicide cases. "It is not certain that he has been killed, but it is highly likely." Okawa seemed to be testing the effect of this trump card, so he added this sentence.His words seemed to have had a considerable impact on Shizi. Okawa went on to ask: "We are definitely not here to get to the bottom of my wife's past youth, but to find Mr. Ishida as soon as possible. I have no other intention. I beg your assistance." "..." "lady." The other party fell silent, and Okawa wanted to shake her even more strongly. "Is the reason why I hate a man useful for the search work?" Minzi finally raised his head and asked back. After listening to it, I realized whether it was useful or not, but Okawa said confidently and decisively: "It is useful." "Then I'll tell you. But this is a secret I haven't told anyone since I parted company with the man." "We have always kept our personal secrets strictly, and we will never cause trouble to Madam." Apparently he had heard Da Chuan's assurance, but he was still a little uneasy. Minzi stood up and closed the door tightly before continuing: "Actually, I want to marry a man in the name of his official fiancée. Between us Love has been cultivated, and there is no obstacle to marriage. When the specific date of marriage has been discussed by the old people, a man came to pursue me..." When Minzi said this, his cheeks flushed.Although she was a married woman who was used to sex, she felt ashamed and blushed like a girl because she wanted to expose the secret of her youth that had been hidden in her heart to a third party.But this is mature shyness.Because she already knows what sex life is, there is a certainty in this shame, which is somewhat coquettish. The criminal urged the conversation to continue with his professional eyes.They understand that dealing with a person's shyness in private affairs and dealing with them in a transactional manner from their own work will make it easier for the other party to speak. "I have no reason to refuse. The parents of both parties have agreed, and I also love a man. I had the opportunity before, but I didn't do it. But the result didn't work out." The red tide on Minzi's face continued to spread. to the root of the ear. "What does Weicheng mean?" Okawa didn't understand the meaning of these words. "It just couldn't be done. There is something wrong with a man who can't." "Can't? That's Yang...can't it?" Okawa wanted to use medical terms, but he might have an obscene tone, so he faltered and repeated what the other party said. "Yes." Minzi lowered his head. "But, but Ishida is married." Although she was divorced later, after nearly two years of married life, she later had a Turkish bath waiter as her lover. She also cheated on Ninomiya Kayoko and had a relationship with the mysterious woman Eiko Kosaka.What 'can't', is simply a womanizer. "I heard that he recovered after getting married, but it was really not yet." "However, it is not uncommon to fail once or twice. Of course, I am not saying that I have experience in this area." The conversation touched on very delicate issues, and Okawa kept wiping away his sweat. Shimoda, who was still a bachelor, just listened, but didn't speak.It seemed he had no room to intervene. "It was the first time for both of us, so we panicked, which was even worse, and we gave up the idea at the time. Later, we met a few times, and things got worse. Each time, we became more anxious and fell into a vicious circle. A man said that it was because of the strong yearning. Looking back now, it was because of too much mental tension. If both parties eased the tension, they would return to normal. As a result, the psychological impact on each other, On the contrary, it made my spirit even more tense. Especially for me, my parents always said that after marriage, I must give birth to offspring who will inherit the family business, so I was hit harder. I have never had sex, and I don’t know what sex is life. But I also understand that it is impossible to have children if a man and a woman are not united. A man also seems to understand that I, as a daughter, should carry on the family line, and the successor of the next generation must be successful. So after we met a few times , just break up silently and understand each other. This is the real reason for the so-called hatred of a man." She was free from shame.As long as the shy door is broken through once, the rest is the mature noon woman's generous statement. "So that's the case. Then you and Mr. Ishida will never have this kind of relationship again?" "Later, a man has been obsessed with not being able to marry me. Even after I got married, he came to beg several times. He said that his impotence was cured, even if he was only given one chance, of course I did not agree. He always comes back once or twice a year to woo me, which makes me really embarrassed. This is something that neither my mother nor my husband has disclosed. Although there is no relationship, but if my husband finds out, he will be upset .” It was only because of Ishida's impotence that he was able to keep his virginity by accident.But from her original intention, she wanted to promise everything about herself to Ishida.Just like a dish that was served to guests once, even if it has not been touched in essence, it cannot be regarded as a new dish.Although the guests have not eaten, they have been baptized. "Do you know what kind of opportunity Mr. Ishida's impotence was cured?" "Probably because of the marriage." "However, it has been two years since they separated, and they have never had any children. Moreover, they have continued to live a single life after the divorce." "Please ask him, or the divorced lady, about these things." "Of course we have inquired about the divorced wife, but we haven't heard back about her origin, and we don't know her current address. Excuse me, when did Ishida come here to tell you that his illness has been cured?" "This question, I seem to remember that it was after a man got divorced." "That is to say, after the divorce, I came across a chance to cure this disease by chance." Okawa took a roundabout approach.Because of impotence, a person cannot cure himself.After the divorce, Ishida must have met the woman who healed him from his impotence. Could that woman be "Eiko Kosaka"? "Ma'am, do you know a woman named Eiko Kosaka? That's how the name is written——" With great difficulty, Okawa wrote down the question to be asked in the main topic on the recording paper and showed it to her. "I don't know." There was no reaction in Minzi's expression. "It is said that this is a tall, charming woman of twenty-five or six years old. Have you seen such a person among Madam's acquaintances or Mr. Ishida's surroundings?" "No." There was still no reaction on Minzi's face. The criminals became more and more anxious.If things go on like this, wouldn't it be futile to go to Kochi Prefecture so far away? "Mr. Okawa, do you think Ishida has brought any women here?" When the question and answer was at a stalemate, Shimoda criminal made a new reminder. "Eiko Kosaka" is very likely to suffer from pulmonary parasites.It used to be thought that this was her birthplace, but looking at it now, she might just be a woman brought by Ishida from other places, who contracted lung parasites locally. "By the way, forget about this possibility." Da Chuan patted his thigh, but Min Zi answered the question first: "You said that, but I remembered that there was indeed a time when a man brought a female companion." "Really? When was that? What kind of woman?" They cheered up again and asked further. "About the beginning of May last year, when I was not at home, I received a call. I left a message to pass it on to me, saying that I live in Bailongge, Jiaomaogu Hot Spring, and wanted to call me. Every time he comes It was my house, so I thought it was weird. But I called anyway and a woman answered the phone and said he was in the shower. I knew right away it wasn't a hotel attendant." "Why do you think so?" "First of all, she doesn't have any local accent. When she answered the phone, she just said 'hello', and then waited for me to say something. If it's a hotel maid, she should say something, and the more important thing is that the guest takes a shower. At that time, she will not go in casually." "Indeed. But since you are here for you, why did you bring a female companion?" "I think this is a man's show off. After a man had to separate from me, he seemed to feel guilty all the time. He felt that the inability was only cured in words, and no one would believe it, so he brought a female companion." "Is it as evidence? Maybe it is. What did Mr. Ishida say about the female companion he brought?" "That time, I still couldn't see it in the end. Maybe it was because the woman answered the phone when I called, so I felt very uncomfortable. After that, I just said a few words on the phone in a hurry, and then he went back." If it was last May, Ninomiya Kayoko would also be among the targets.Kazuo Ishida visited Sushi in early May last year.This is a question that was answered during the original survey.In other words, Ninomiya Kayoko was also brought here to show off to Funaya Minko. "This Jiaomogu Hot Spring? Where is it?" "It's about 20 kilometers away from the city, upstream. Because there are hot spring hotels there that are better equipped than in the city, almost all the people from other places live there." So, the attention of the criminals turned there. The two of them did not stop, and immediately drove to Jiao Maogu Hot Spring.The further upstream you go, the narrower the river becomes.Steep rocks stand on both sides of the bank, and in some places the water is deep and slow, and in others it is an abyss, forming a valley.The valley is about one kilometer long.In between there is a cliff of about seventy meters of quartz trachyte, which forms a rock barrier and creates a waterfall.Here the stream beats against the rocks and falls into a navy-blue abyss.Near the canyon, a modern hotel was built.Teahouses and shops selling souvenirs are lined up along the highway. In all teahouses, there are two dishes of salt-boiled crab and salt-grilled sweetfish.Just in midsummer, there are many people in the canyon happily playing in the water. Bailong Pavilion is at the core of the canyon.Behind the hotel is a waterfall called Bailongtan. The 80-meter-long waterfall falls in two parts.Legend has it that the descendants of the ancient prince Ping's family lived in this gorge, so many places named "Dunshengyan", "Qingshengyuan" and so on are related to Ping's family. Bailong Pavilion is a modern hotel with reinforced concrete structure. After the criminals arrived at the Bailong Pavilion, they immediately started an investigation.Here too, seeing the criminal police from Tokyo, I became very nervous. The criminals estimated that if it was May last year, the book of the accommodation should still be kept. Their estimates were not in vain, and Ishida Kazuo finally found out the registration for the two-day stay from May 3rd.There is no falsification of names, addresses, and occupations, and they are all truthfully registered.But the fellow travelers stopped inside, and only wrote "there is one person outside." "Is the waiter who received this guest still there?" Okawa asked the boss as if praying. "Ah, this is a guest who lives in the Penglai room, received by the old lady." The boss looked at the shop book and replied.Although the expression is a little nervous, but the words are quite leisurely. "Is the old lady there?" "Yes, call me right away?" "Please." Seeing the urgent look of the criminal, the boss ran like someone chasing him.Now is the season when the hotel starts to be busy, and there is no time to think carefully about this kind of thing. After a while, a short woman with reddish-brown hair in her fifties was led by the boss. "This is Mr. Criminal from Chengjing. If you ask anything, just tell him." The old lady was dragged to the front of the criminal, looking panicked. "Oh, I'm really bothering you when you are busy. I heard that the customers listed in this store book are served by you." "Yes, the guest room in Penglai Pavilion is my reception." The old woman blinked her eyes. "Is it the man and woman in this photo?" "You asked me out of the blue, let me think about it." The old lady looked at the photos of Ishida and Ninomiya that Okawa handed over for a while, but she couldn't remember them.Because it was a normal frontal bust, without any features. "Please think about it carefully. It was not too long last year on May 3rd. The 'outsider' registered here refers to a companion who should be a coquettish woman around twenty-five years old." "yes……" The old lady still didn't respond.She has to receive all kinds of guests every day, and it is indeed a bit difficult for her to express her impression of a specific guest from a year ago. Besides, May 3rd is the peak tourist season and there are many guests. "By the way, maybe they also ordered crabs." Okawa suddenly remembered this.He didn't know how long it would take to get sick after being infected with lung parasites.But the first time I ate this kind of crab roe, maybe it was then. "Crab..." The old lady seemed to be searching her memory. "Yes, there is a high possibility that this couple will eat crabs." Okawa leaned forward. "You say that, I just remembered that there is a customer who likes to eat river crab. It was in May last year." "What kind of person is that guest?" "It's a couple who said they came from Tokyo. They wanted to eat river crabs, so they ordered dishes. They also boiled them in salt and served with a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar. There are not many customers who eat crabs these days. " "Most of them are these two guests. How about it, look at the photos again, can you remember?" Thinking of crabs, the old lady remembered a little bit. She looked at the photo of Ishida and Ninomiya that Okawa handed over again and said, "It seems to be this guest." "What is the woman who followed, can you remember?" "The woman is not quite the same as this picture." "What's the difference?" "That girl looks like a flower blooming, so gorgeous." "How's your size?" "It's a big guy." Although Ninomiya Kayoko is plump, she is only about 1.60 meters tall.Okawa described the characteristics of Eiko Kosaka again. "Perhaps it was the lodger." The old lady's eyes showed that she really remembered something. "What kind of guest?" Okawa and Shimoda looked at the old lady pleadingly. "She is a very good-looking female guest. Her hairstyle and clothes are different from the people in this place." "She was about twenty-five years of age, maybe a little older. A charming, voluptuous woman." "You said it was coquettish. How many guests have we seen? This is the first time we have seen a woman as beautiful as her." "Is it really that pretty?" "Yes, even we women will not be allowed to leave when we see it." "Then, did that man call this woman's name?" "I did, but I don't remember." "Then address, occupation, etc., haven't you heard anything about it?" This "outsider" was about to be uncoupled, and Okawa and the others desperately chased it down. "That woman, according to my opinion, is a master who combs hair. In today's terms, she is that-beautician." The old lady said suddenly in a confident tone. "Beautician? Why?" "The way her hair is cut is different from that of ordinary people. It's called the 'latest hairstyle'." "Is this the latest hairstyle? Recently, even ordinary women have fashionable hairstyles! This is especially true for actors." "She's not an actress. Not only the hairstyle, but also a bit of a waist." "Is the beautician a water snake waist?" "I also often go to the beauty parlors in the street, and I see that they are all bowed at work, so they all become water snakes." Okawa was surprised by the keen observation of the waitress in the hotel in the deep mountains.But there are many other occupations for the water snake waist. But she seemed to have seen through Da Chuan's mind, and added: "This woman looks like a beautician, there is another reason." "what reason?" "She asked me seriously how many beauty salons there are in this area. I replied that there were three or four. She said, then, is there any room for opening? She might plan to open a beauty salon soon Bar." That's all the information I got from the old waiter in Bailong Pavilion. To sum it up, the situation in the mountainous area of ​​Kochi County is only: On May 3rd and 4th, Kazuo Ishida and a woman who may be a beautician stayed in Kakumo Onsen for two nights.According to the incomplete impression of the old female waiter, that woman does not look like Ninomiya Kayoko. The two investigators returned to Tokyo with shame. "The statement that Ishida suffers from incapacity is really interesting." After listening to the reports from the two, Nasu said with his big sunken eyes. "The man who squeezed 450 million yuan from a woman was actually a person suffering from impotence. I was also surprised to hear that." Okawa echoed. "Well, what I find interesting is the relationship between Ishida and Ishida after that. The female waiter in the hot spring hotel said that she looked like a beautician. It may be that Eiko Kosaka cured his impotence, and then fell in love with Turkey. The waiter in the bath was also posted as Kayoko Ninomiya. From this, it seems that Ishida likes service-oriented women." "Yeah, so what's going on with this Eiko Kosaka?" "Maybe it's an Oedipus complex?" "what?" "It's a variant of the Oedipus complex in psychology. His incapacity may be the morbidity derived from it. Because it feels as if his mother reappeared, Eiko Kosaka came, so his physical inability The phenomenon has been healed. If you think about it this way, you can think that the 450 million yuan that was finally squeezed out of Ninomiya Kayoko was quietly transferred to Kosaka Eiko's hands." "That's right. Ishida lost his mother prematurely. We should go to the Turkish bath attendant and check his sexual proclivities." "Well, how about checking to see if there are beauticians around Ishida?" Although Eiko Kosaka's real identity and her address are still unclear, but because of a trip to Kochi Prefecture, she learned another unexpected side of Ishida's life.If, as Nasu said, Ishida had Oedipus emotional symptoms, then Eiko Kosaka, who helped him overcome this obstacle, transferred this psychology, and she could manipulate his actions at will. The profession of beautician, as the saying goes, "the master who combs the hair", is often more women than men.They can show the strong character and ability to live as a master. I searched and inquired around Ishida again to see if there was a beautician.Thus, Okawa and Shimoda found out that Ishida was a frequent visitor to a "Royal Hair Salon" in Kawagoe City before coming to Musashihara City. The results of the query in the Royal Hair Salon are: "Mr. Ishida only comes here once or twice. He was a customer when he was working at the municipal government of this city, and he often visited our store until he was transferred to Musashihara City." "Do men also come to the beauty salon?" "Come too. Recently, young people are coming to beauty parlors instead of barbershops. Haircuts are of course focused on getting their hair neatly cut, but beauty parlors focus on grooming and hairdos with great care. .” "Before moving to Musashihara City, he always came to your store. It seems that he likes it very much." "The customers in beauty parlors are generally fixed. They are very sensitive to their hairstyle preferences. If they change shops, they often cannot make them according to their preferences. For beauticians who have thoroughly understood the preferences of customers, use Without giving detailed instructions, you can rest assured to ask them to comb their hair." "So of course there are beauticians who often cut someone's hair?" "Yes, for regular customers, there are regular beauticians. In addition, there are also some customers who come to the store frequently because of the good style and atmosphere of the store." "Does Ishida have a regular beautician?" "Yes. Setsuko Arai, who leads us here, is always appointed to do his hair." "Is there a beautician named Eiko Kosaka in your store?" "We have never had this person in our store." "Is that Setsuko Arai a tall, alluring girl in her twenties or six years old?" "Yes. He said he was twenty-four when he resigned, so it must be that age now." "Resigned? So you are no longer in your mansion?" "Four years ago, I was working as the leading beautician in Changfu, but later I said that I wanted to start my own business, so I resigned." "Four years ago? That was when Ishida was transferred to Musashihara City." "When you say that, I remember that the two of them didn't come to our shop at almost the same time. However, I think Mr. Ishida didn't come because Setsuko is gone. If a good beautician If he is gone, then his guests will not come." "Is Setsuko Arai's workmanship good?" "Not only is the craftsmanship good, but also enthusiastic about research, and often introduces the latest hairstyles from abroad. According to technology and working years, we are ranked into five levels: leading beautician, beautician, assistant beautician, beautician and trainee. And she is the lead beautician. As my right-hand man, she is the person I trust the most. In addition, she is tall and beautiful, and she is also the most popular among male customers. According to our shop, we hope that she will stay again Do it for a while." "Ishida and Setsuko Arai didn't show a particularly intimate look?" “这个吗，节子因为对谁都那么和蔼可亲，所以男顾客差不多都是慕其名而来的。不过，未发现她与石田先生有什么特别亲近的地方。” “石田先生对于打扮特别讲究吧？” “现在这时候，不特别讲究打扮的男人也到美容院来。石田先生从未烫过发，理发也是最标推式的，所以他是个不找麻烦的顾客。” “那么石田是冲着新井节子才来的了？” “男顾客都是朝她来的。” “石田是由于什么样的机会才到贵店来的呢？不如说家住的地方离这里近，或者有谁介绍等等。” “因为他夫人是常客。” “什么？石田的妻子吗？” “起初他夫人是节子的固定客人，后来中途就变为石田先生常来，夫人不来了。” "why?" “可能是觉得夫妇二人都到美容院里来怪难为情的。” “您怎么看？是不是因为新井节子与石田相好起来，对妻子冷淡了，所以才不来的？” 或许这正是离婚的原因。 “哎呀，这么想恐怕太过分了吧。” 店主人含混其词地说，却没有谈出自己的意见。 总而言之，石田代替妻子到皇家美发厅来的事实，是不应当放过去的。 “目前新井节子在什么地方？” “她不来上班以后，就杳无音信了。如果是在什么地方开了业。只要告诉一声，我是想送一只花篮祝贺一下的。现在的年轻人都是薄情的。” “是不是因为还不能独立开业，所以想通知您也通知不了吧？” “也许是这样。可是至少现在在什么地方，寄张明信片来告诉一下也好呀，我对那孩子可是很器重的，什么都教给她做。” “她的老家啦，娘家啦什么的，不知道在什么地方吗？” “她是看了报纸上的广告来应聘的，所以不大清楚。听说她的出生地在冈山一带。” “履历书和登记表什么的，没有填写过吗？” “只要有职业许可证，就不用那些东西。即使没有许可证，如果素质好，也可以作为见习生采用，然后在实习过程中取得国家考试合格证。” “那么新井节子原来就取得了美容师的资格了吗？” “自然已经取得了。” 为了当美容师，必须通过国家考试取得资格。如果到相关的机关去进行查询，也许就会详细了解到新井节子的身分。但那只能查到原籍和当时的住址，与现在的住址，恐怕联系不到一起。 “这里有没有新井节子小姐的照片？” “好象没照过什么相，我想大概没有。” “能不能找一下？比如店里集体出去慰安旅行啦，或者过新年时照的啦，都行。新井节子小姐自己有照相机吗？” “对了，我可是让节子给照过相。”店主忽然想起来了。 “那上面有没有照上新井节子小姐？” “大概没有。因为节子光忙着照，自己就一点儿没照着。” “这样的照片也行，如果能找到，请给我们看一看。” “请等一等。” 店主进到里屋寻找了一阵子，不一会儿就返回来说：“大概就是这些照片。节子把照相机带到店里来，说是还有剩余的胶片，就给我们照了相。” 说着，就拿出了好几张四寸的风景照片。好象是在美发厅前面照的，店主人和几个店里的人员穿着日常的衣服。 “这里面有新井节子小姐吗？” “刚要给她照的时候，胶片就用完了，所以只有我们几个人，真对不起。”店主人颇为遗憾地道歉说。 “不、不，决不是这个意思。” 大川和下田由于未能捕捉到新井节子的影象而感到失望，但是却被印像纸上的一个地方吸引了注意力。在每张照片的差不多同一个位置上，都有细微的影子。他们看出这同二宫加代子“松岛之行”的照片和畑尾久夫夫妇新婚旅行中被奈良的鹿吞食的照片具有同样的形状。 用不着进行严密的检验，就可以断定这是同一架照相机的镜头映出来的，因为在长时期的调查过程中，这阴影的形状已经牢牢地印在刑事们的脑海里。 接着，从土耳其浴池的服务员山本岛子那里得到了如下证言： “的确，石田先生喜欢服务型的女性。大致上到土耳其浴池来的男人多数都喜欢叫女人为他们做一切事情。自己什么也不做，把身体交给女人，从按摩直到来真格的，全都不管了。常听说，单身时到土耳其浴池来玩过的男人，一旦结了婚之后，就得自己采取主动了，可是自己又不知道怎么办，所以就变得不能了。可这也不是我们的责任。上次我也说过，我们不过是性欲的自动机器而已。不用麻烦男人动手，把性的行为都交由我们一手服务到底，这就是我们的生意呀。” “在这些所谓的客人中，你特别与石田一男有了你说的那种'对等的恋爱'关系，其中有什么理由吧？” “就是感情上自然地合得来，说是理由就其是理由吧。另外，他这个人，好象在寻找母性的本能。对于他，你就总有想把一切都照料周到的心情。” “石田有没有不能的表现？” “不能？嗯，您指的是阳萎吧。到土耳其浴池来的客人当中，有的是来找欲望发泄对象的，有的是因为厌烦了一般的性欲生活。后一种类型的人，多少都有点儿阳萎的味道，于是就由我们为他医治好。石田先生虽然有点儿属于后一种类型，但却没有阳萎的现象。” 在石田母亲的老家，他的父亲还健在。He said: “或许因为母子的关系，我原来开业的旅馆开不下去了，一男的母亲操劳过度死去之后，他就从大学退学了。一男上学的学费我还是拿得出的，可是他说不想念了，中途辍学，找了个工作入了市政府。 “那孩子不知为什么从小就不喜欢父亲，都不正眼看我。吃饭也不和我在一起，虽然住在一起，却总是避着我不见面。 “偶然有个公开教学，我这当家长的若是被请去，他就从学校跑掉。当时认为这个年龄的孩子常常对父亲有一种对抗情绪，可是长大之后对我的厌烦情绪更加严重了。 “结婚之后，就完全象陌生人一样，连家也不回，甚至他不久以后离婚的事，我们都不知道。可是归根到底，又没有什么原因。虽然是我的儿子，可我实在是受够了。” 石田的父亲凄凉地说。他把旅馆转让给别人之后，便在饭能市内惨淡经营着一家杂货铺。因为儿子这样，所以石田一男下落不明也唤不起他多少悲伤。自从他们分开生活之后，就同互相不存在差不多了。 然而，男核子的恋母厌父情绪，是与对于同性别的父亲强烈的憎恨相辅相成的。或许是由于自己所爱的母亲因为父亲事业上的挫折所造成的负担而死去的，所以潜在的恋母情绪就更加重了。因而到了中年，仍然常常返回母亲的故乡来，可能正是这种心理情绪的反映。 于是，双亲、曾是未婚妻的表妹、在两年婚后生活中纠缠着的美容师新井节子、土耳其浴池的情人、与二宫加代子的情事等一系列的人物和事件，深刻地勾勒出石田一男扭曲了的性格。