Chapter 5 Chapter 4 The Upside Down Proof

On the morning of the 26th, Shanlu and Murata were going to visit Secretary Osawa at the hotel.General hotels, clubs and other high-end service industries do not welcome criminal police to visit from the main entrance.Therefore, the two avoided the main entrance and came to the entrance where the staff came in and out.The guards here are dressed in a uniform, which is completely different from the gorgeously dressed guards at the main gate. Shanlu and Murata accidentally discovered that the guard here turned out to be a retired criminal policeman.They had seen him on scouting the day before yesterday.Everyone was already familiar with each other, so Yamaji immediately proposed to meet Osawa Hirohide, the first secretary of the manager's office.

"Is it Mr. Hirohide Osawa from the manager's office?" After the doorman made a respectful report to Osawa on the intercom, he immediately got an answer. "Meet in the lounge above, I'll take you there!" The guard took Shanlu and Murata to the passageway that the staff often walked in a short while.The low greenhouses and gray walls, compared with the magnificent guest rooms of the hotel, this place is like a prison, which is really a disgrace. Waiters, waitresses, elevator ladies, and uniformed workers shuttled in twos and threes.Only the clothes are beautiful and colorful in this deserted passage.

Shanlu and Murata took the service elevator of the first workman and slowly ascended. The door opened, but they found that it was the first floor.It was only then that Shan Lu and the others realized that the place they took the elevator just now was the fifth floor underground, and Shan Lu couldn't help cursing in his heart: "Damn, when did you go underground when you came in from the door and didn't go down the stairs?" After reaching the first floor, he was led into another passage.The guard pushed open a door, and the criminal police immediately felt as if they had entered another world.

The creaking sound of leather shoes on the concrete floor was instantly swallowed up by the thick carpet, and a huge ornate crown chandelier hung in the spacious and tall main hall.The walls on both sides are decorated with resplendent murals, beautiful and harmonious music echoes in the hall, and male and female guests dressed in costumes flow in the soft light like tropical fish, most of whom are foreigners. The detectives usually seldom pay attention to their clothes, but at this moment they suddenly feel a bit inferior.Not to mention every guest around, even the uniform of the doorman is far beyond the crude attire of the criminal police.The doorman let them sit on the sofa and left.

"Today is the second day of opening, right?" "No wonder it's so lively." "It's the biggest restaurant in the East, and there are naturally many people who join in the fun." "It's the end of the year, and there are more idlers." The two detectives whispered. At this time, a tall, thin man in a black dress who looked about thirty years old came over.He nodded very politely and said: "I have kept you waiting for a long time. I am Daze. You have worked hard these days." The personable Daze calmly introduced himself and invited the guests to sit down.

After exchanging a few words of pleasantries, the two turned to the topic. "I'm here today to ask you about the Sulesen case." After exchanging business cards, Shanlu explained his intentions straight to the point. "People related to the case need to know, so please don't mind when you answer." Murata added. "Anything I can answer is fine, please ask." Osawa's face showed the well-trained and modest smile of the reception staff. "May I ask where you were between 6:55 and 7:00 after the fall of Sulesen Guangsheng?" The eyes of the two detectives focused on Daze's face at the same time.

"You only asked about my whereabouts in such a short period of time. It's really difficult to answer." Daze rested his chin on his hands and pondered, and couldn't see any special changes from his calm expression.But for those who are good at suppressing emotional ups and downs, "expression" means nothing. "Although the time was short, it was within this short period of time that a case as big as the day before yesterday happened. You won't even forget what happened the day before yesterday, right?" Shan Lu asked immediately. "Oh, it's not that I forgot, but it's hard to justify where and what to do in five minutes, ten minutes."

Such an argument is justified.If you ask what you did on a certain day, or what you did on a certain night, it's good to say that you are affectionate.However, it is indeed difficult to ask for an alibi within five or ten minutes. "So, you can't tell where you were during that period of time?" Shanlu asked indifferently. "Yes, at that time I was walking on the road to attend the reception held in Rongxin Building opposite. Before I got to the entrance of the opposite building, I heard the noise of passers-by. When I heard someone fall from the restaurant After that, I hurried back."

Ozawa answered calmly. "Did you meet no acquaintances then?" "No." "As the first secretary of the manager, how can you be late for the reception?" "It's going to open the next day, and there are various chores to deal with, so I'm late for a while." Shanlu felt that his answer was basically reasonable.It is conceivable that on the eve of the opening, sporadic affairs piled up like a mountain, and it is really not easy to get out of the pile of trivial affairs. "But, Mr. Police Officer," at this moment, a sarcastic and indifferent expression appeared on Osawa's smiling face.

"Mr. Police Officer, you just asked me where the incident happened, but you ignored an important question: I heard that the general manager was pushed down, but I was not in the general manager's room on the sixteenth floor at that time. The people at the service station will be able to figure it out... Sorry, Mr. Police Officer, I want to say something bluntly. As an experienced police officer, I probably can't even deduce such a simple logical relationship: How could people push the victim down the stairs? Since you can prove that I was not at the scene at the time, what is the point of you taking the trouble to investigate where I was outside the scene at that time?"

Daze, who has been questioned by the criminal police, began to "counterattack". The counterattack was so fierce that Shanlu and Murata were almost overwhelmed. Asking someone who wasn't there at the time to prove that he was somewhere off the scene is probably a bit boring.Of course the police understood this, but they had to question Daze.This is because he was the only one of the five people who had booked a room on the sixteenth floor whose whereabouts were unknown when the case happened.What the police station considered doubtful was being viewed as absurd by the respondents.Osawa confidently emphasized that anyway, he was outside the hotel at the time, and it didn't matter even if no one proved it. "What do you think?" After Osawa left, Shanlu, who was still sitting on the sofa in the lobby, asked Murata Criminal Police. Cooperating with experienced veterans from the Metropolitan Metropolitan Police Department's Detective Section 1, the young Murata had to say cautiously: "Osawa's defense is basically reasonable, but I don't think it's that simple." "Oh, which one?" "Osawa said with overconfidence that he was not on the 16th floor at that time because he had been confirmed by the service station. Generally, the best way to prove that he was not on the scene is to prove that he was at xx outside the scene when the incident occurred. But Osawa argued that since he had proved that he was not at the scene, there was no need to prove that he went somewhere other than the scene. Naturally, this was not unreasonable. But how did he know that the service station had certified him?" "Perhaps he knows we've investigated the service station." "Possibly. But I always get the feeling from the way he speaks that he knew from the start that the service station had certified him. So it's not a question of whether he was there. His alibi is certainly established, but Its form is just the opposite of the usual alibi. "If the person at the service station refuses to provide proof, Ozawa will have to produce a formal alibi. Because he was the only one who was missing at the time among the people who booked a room on the sixteenth floor." "Because the service station has testified for him, he is relieved." Shanlu expressed roughly the same opinion. "That's right," Murata went on, "I speculate that there may be two situations: either Osawa was connected to the case, and he must have known that the service station would prove that he was not there; It turned out to be a pure coincidence." "So the person at the service station is an accomplice?" Shanlu raised the question again in a suspicious tone. "No, that's not what I meant. I wonder if Osawa's ingenious arrangement made the service station definitely make such a certificate?" "..." Shanlu was attracted by Murata's idea. He frowned and thought about it, but didn't answer. "The people at the service station started to be on duty at 6:30. Thinking about it carefully, this is beneficial to Daze. That night was the eve of the opening, and the guests hadn't moved in yet. But the waiter was there three days before the incident happened. In about ten minutes, they started to be on duty with their eyes wide open. According to their own words, they were on standby. Isn’t that a bit excessive? There was no such thing in service stations in the past.” "So, the waiter is on duty according to Osawa's will." Shanlu's sixth sensory nerve was suddenly strongly stimulated.He vaguely felt that Daze was not at the scene but went missing, and he seemed to have grasped the clue.Even if the waiter is not an accomplice or accessory, will he be used as a tool of Osawa?This is a new explanation. In the case of no guests, it is a bit excessive to suddenly let the waiter be on duty from 6:30. "It is necessary to ask the waiter again, whose order is on duty?" The two climbed up to the sixteenth floor on foot.The service station works in three shifts, divided into morning shift, middle shift, and evening shift, and Xitian and the others happen to be on the morning shift.But the restaurant has just opened, and although it is a shift, in fact, it is often too busy for all the staff to dispatch. Oi, who was on duty, said that they were on standby here according to Nishida's order that day. Then I asked Nishida again, and learned that it was Secretary Osawa who informed them in advance that the manager and general manager would inspect the museum at around 6:30, so they would be on duty from 6:30. "Secretary Osawa! It's really Mr. Osawa!" The detectives couldn't help but blurt out.As soon as the reconnaissance work started, there was some clues, and Shanlu and Murata felt a burst of joy. "Yes, but what's so strange about that?" Nishida was a little baffled by their astonishment, and asked in amazement. "Then what happened later? Did the manager and his party come to inspect?" "No, because there was a fall." "Did Secretary Osawa not tell you the time for inspection?" "He just said it was a while." "Has there ever been an inspection by managers before?" "Yes. The general manager, manager, ministers and section chiefs, there are forty or fifty people at a time. We call them the 'Guard of Honor'." Nishida said with a smile. "Does this 'Guard of Honor' always engage in real attacks?" "Sometimes it's notified in advance, sometimes it comes out of nowhere, but it's always adaptable. The cadres are all nervous before opening." As soon as the words fell, Nishida seemed to be somewhat regretful and silent.So far, the criminal police have almost understood everything they want to know. "There is one more thing I need to ask. Was this kind of inspection always notified by Secretary Osawa?" "Not necessarily. Sometimes it is through Osawa-san, but sometimes it is notified from the General Affairs Division." Nishida, who had always answered readily, was suddenly at a loss for words.She seems to have become wary of the criminal police, or she is obsessed with protecting herself wisely, so she is unwilling to say unnecessary words in exchange for the "little shoes" of her boss. If you keep asking, it's hard to get anything.If it is not done well, it will lead to a confession that distorts the facts.The two criminal policemen decided to go to another department to investigate. From the staff of other departments, they learned that, except for the 16th floor, none of the work posts were notified of the leadership inspection that day.More importantly, the inspection was not suspended because of a sudden falling incident, but because there was no arrangement from the beginning. "Do you need to ask the manager about this?" "Didn't the manager attend the reception at that time? It is impossible for those present at the reception to inspect." If the inspection notice was someone under the guise of the manager, it would be even more difficult to dispel the suspicion of Osawa. The two detectives decided to immediately question Inohara Xingping.Although the other party is the manager of the largest hotel in the East, it has nothing to do with the criminal police.Because it is now a homicide case, anyone involved in the case must be subject to review. Since Zhu Yuan is not a suspect, he must obey the other party's arrangement if he wants to meet. They made a request for a meeting through the secretarial section. Not long after, they received a reply saying that they could only meet for five minutes. "Five minutes, as expected of the manager of a big hotel, you're really amazing!" Shan Lu said with a wry smile. "No way, Inohara is His Majesty the Emperor in this restaurant. Besides, it has just opened, so it must be very busy." Murata defended the manager. The two pushed open the door behind the service desk with the words "for staff only" written in English, and entered the prison-like passage again. The manager's room is located at the innermost part of the passage, which really makes people feel otherworldly. The whole space is designed with the owner's mood as the center, and its luxury can be compared with the guest area.The room is also equipped with sound insulation equipment, and the noise of metal impacts such as typewriters and telegraphs in the front office can not be heard here at all.The best rooms in the hotel are for guests. The first level of the staff's office is an ordinary room without windows like a submarine, except that the entire wall here is inlaid with special transparent glass.Therefore, although the room is isolated from the outside world, it creates a sense of unity with the outside world.Right in front of the room is a unique Japanese garden.The lawn in the courtyard looks like an indoor green carpet, thick and soft.Even if you are indoors, it is like being in the lovely nature. Mountain Road and Murata, who had been tired for several days, couldn't help taking a deep breath, as if they wanted to use the fresh air from the garden to dispel the depression in their chests. "Oh, it's just opened. It's like a war. I'm sorry I haven't made time. Please take a seat." Inohara Xinghei seemed very magnanimous to this stingy five-minute meeting, and he gave up his seat enthusiastically. There is no Ozawa in the room, only a young woman writing something on a table near the corner. Maybe Chu Tian sensed the eyes of the detectives, Inohara ordered the woman: "Go out first." The new young manager seems to be quite good at reading. "Mr. Manager is very busy, we try to finish as soon as possible." The mountain road cuts to the chase and gets right to the point. "Mr. Manager, before the incident happened, did you order Secretary Osawa to notify the service station on the sixteenth floor for inspection?" "Oh, about this matter, I remember ordering it. However, it was decided to attend the reception at the same time not long after, so the inspection will not be carried out in time." "Have you been notified to stop the inspection?" "There is no special notice. Because it's just an internal matter of the company, it doesn't matter whether you notify or not." "But Secretary Osawa only notified the sixteenth floor." "This... Oh, probably because my room is on the sixteenth floor." Just as he finished speaking, the phone on Inohara's desk rang.He picked up the phone and said briefly: "Everyone is here, okay, I'll go right away." Then he said to the criminal police with an amiable smile: "I'm sorry, because I have to attend an important meeting, please forgive me. Let me take my leave first. Oh, by the way, I will send someone to pick up the high-end coffee made by the hotel, please sit down for a while." After Inohara finished speaking, he stood up. In this polite smile, one could feel the majesty of this young operator in command of a large hotel. Yamaji and Murata thanked the manager for his kindness and left the manager's office.Then he investigated the personnel department and several departments in the company, and then returned to the headquarters.At this time, the winter sun had already set behind the hotel. At scouting meetings, the execs gathered the information they had scoured.It can be said that the reconnaissance work of this day was quite fruitful. The first is the crossing team. They verified the reliability of the service station and the motives of Yazaki Hiroshi and Okaki Takeo who were in their room when the incident happened. Then there was the Yamaji group, who tracked down Osawa's "reversed alibi", pointing out that the service station was "on duty" by Osawa's orders (though in the name of the manager).As soon as Shanlu's report was over, the detectives started talking. "Manager Inohara did order Osawa to notify the inspection, but Osawa only notified the sixteenth floor of the incident. Soon there was a fall from the sixteenth floor, and the inspection was not carried out, which is understandable. But , Daze ordered to be on duty before 6:30. Su Lisen fell between 6:50 and 55. Such ample time in the middle is enough to notify the whole hotel. But why did Daze only notify The sixteenth floor? If the case is related to him, then for Chu, as long as the sixteenth floor attendant is on call, it can prove that he is not on the scene." Murata spoke instead of Yamaji.He has now changed the word "on duty" to "on call."After speaking, he looked around at the people present, and he could see that everyone was very interested in the arguments of the Shanlu group. "So Osawa may have committed the crime, but what is his motive for committing the crime?" Nasu asked. "Unfortunately, no evidence of motive has been found so far, but there are indeed many unreasonable things." "Be sure to find out the motive." What Nasu is worried about is that if people who have no motive for committing crimes are traced only based on some unnatural phenomena, it will lead to blind investigation. On the first night of the opening, dozens of staff members came to the hotel from all directions, and it was impossible for everything to be arranged in a thoughtful and smooth manner.Just based on the fact that Daze only notified the 16th floor, it is a bit far-fetched to suspect that Daze may have committed the crime. Generally speaking, the eyes of detectives are very sensitive to even trivial anomalies in the supernatural; From the perspective of the sleepless hotel staff, I am afraid not only can't see anything abnormal in it, but they may even think that the detectives are oversensitive.From the point of view of the hotel staff, Nasu emphasized that "the eyes of the criminal police may sometimes be too sensitive to observe problems due to their occupation, and they may even be a bit picky."Often times, a strong desire to solve a case drives detectives to go after whatever they think is suspicious.And it really caused nervousness, falling into the maze and being unable to extricate themselves, so that the good chance of solving the case was missed. Shanlu went on to introduce Osawa's resume: Osawa Hirohide is currently 28 years old and graduated from the private F University four years ago.In the same year, he passed the official entrance examination and entered the core enterprise of the Inohara Group - Dongdu Expressway Electrified Railway Company.From then on, he was quickly appreciated by Ruyoshi with his flexible mind and shrewd skills, and was promoted to work in the manager's office.At the same time that Xingping became the manager of the new hotel, he was transferred from the Toto Expressway and served as the first secretary. He was born near the foothills of the Northern Alps, so he loves mountains.In high school and college, he was the leader of a mountaineering team and climbed mountains of considerable height.After taking part in work, he stopped mountaineering.Besides mountaineering, he is good at many sports.He also likes photography very much, especially likes to capture his favorite natural scenery anytime and anywhere.Although he is 28 years old this year, he is still single and has no specific relationship with women. "Because I only had rough contact with the personnel department of the hotel and people around Osawa, the materials I got are only superficial. If we continue to investigate deeply, we may find some new things related to the case." After Shanji finished his report, he raised his face and looked at Nasu, as if waiting for him to decide whether to continue the investigation. The last ones to speak were the Grass Field and the Kasai Group, who were responsible for investigating the fifth item, namely, the motives of Inohara Manager and Guest Room Manager Yamamoto Kiyoyuki. "We have not had direct contact with Manager Inohara and Minister Yamamoto." Hexi's opening remarks immediately caught the detectives' attention.Hexi is an old detective. Experienced detectives know that asking him directly about things related to him may sometimes backfire.Even if it is a well-known matter, you should try to avoid asking yourself and the people around you.This is especially the case when one's position on the case is delicate and complex. "It is too early to confirm that Inohara and Yamamoto have motives for committing the crime. However, it has been found that the relationship between Su Lisen and Manager Inohara seems to be quite tense recently due to disputes over business issues." "Oh," everyone made surprised voices in unison.All the detectives are very interested in Hexi's words. "It is said that between the former manager and Su Lisen, in addition to entrusting the operation of the business and taking care of the low-interest foreign exchange loan contract, they also negotiated a secret agreement to ensure that the occupancy rate of the guest room is more than 90%. This is Rukichi Inohara. The direct impetus to make up your mind to build a hotel. However, after Inohara Rukichi’s death, Su Lisen suddenly said that he did not remember such a treaty, and even claimed that it was unreasonable to maintain the occupancy rate of more than 90% of the guest rooms, and it was a dream It is also impossible to do, regardless of whether they make money or not, they have to pay 5% of the total income as a management commission fee. The young manager Inohara was angered by this unreasonable and greedy behavior. For those who do not keep their promises, the Inohara Hotel must be run by the Japanese themselves. "For this reason, there was quite a fierce quarrel between the two. It is said that they almost scuffled more than once. But the staff are very strict with their mouths, and some things involve the complicated relationship between the leaders in terms of business. I am very cautious about these things, so I only collected them in a hurry. If you continue to investigate in depth, you may get more valuable materials." "Is there no scandal between Su Lisen and the manager's wife?" Nasu, who had been listening calmly, raised his eyelids. Inohara Ayako is a frivolous woman, and Sulesen is a notorious swinger, a man who is willing to "take care" of his subordinates' wives.There's a good chance they hooked up.If this is the case, Inohara Xinghei has a very strong motive for committing the crime.Disputes at work and the possession of his wife were sufficient motives for murder. Because Inohara held an absolutely reliable alibi before.Moreover, the confrontation with Su Lisen has not been discovered yet, so he has not considered whether there is an improper relationship between Su Lisen and Inohara's wife. Madame's debauchery is linked. "Unfortunately, the reconnaissance has not gotten here yet." Hexi seemed to have noticed this problem, and felt regretful from the bottom of his heart. "How is the head of guest room Yamamoto in Room 1607?" Nasu asked urgently, wanting to know about Yamamoto's situation. "Some very complicated plots have been clarified. Please report directly to the grassroots police investigating this matter." "I got into the staff lounge to find out..." Cao Chang's demeanor is very similar to that of a famous French comedian. He speaks funny and witty. Those who are investigated by him often forget his identity and will not feel that he is a criminal policeman.He is indeed a master at stripping the opponent's protective armor. Nasu couldn't help laughing, Kusaba chose the rest room of the hotel staff is indeed perfect. "Yamamoto was originally the acting chief of the service department of Dongdu Hotel. Before the opening of Inohara Hotel, he was elected as the head of the guest room. But Su Lisen thought that Yamamoto's language level was too low and not enough for that. Su Lisen was picky about Yamamoto It is to install the subordinates I brought from the United States. According to the management entrustment contract of N.I. Company, N.I. Company has the right to transfer the personnel of the staff. So even if the hotel sympathizes with Yamamoto, there is nothing they can do, but let him bring him first. Sooner or later, he will be removed from the position of minister. He himself often complains about his bad luck, and regrets that he might as well continue working in the Dongdu Hotel. He couldn't hold his head up." After hearing Kusaba's introduction, Nasu opened his eyes half-opened and said: "So, apart from Daze, all four people who lived on the 16th floor that night had motives for committing crimes. Only Daze has not been found to have a motive for committing crimes, but his actions are still suspicious. All in all, the five people who have a room on the 16th floor are all suspicious. From now on, we will continue to investigate in groups. Wangdu-kun and Lin-jun are chasing clues for Yazaki and Oaki; Yamaji-kun's team is investigating Osawa, saying that he has no specific women Relationship, I always feel that it is impossible, and a thorough investigation may reveal the problem; Mr. Hexi is in charge of the manager of Inohara, especially to investigate the disputes with the head office of Su Lisen in the United States in depth; Mr. Caochang continues to spy on Su Lie Whether Mori has an improper relationship with the manager's wife, and the motive of Minister Yamamoto's crime." Nasu then divided the scope of responsibility for the other detectives according to the degree of difficulty, and the meeting came to an end. This meeting only took all the people living together on the 16th floor as suspicious objects for data collection, and did not specifically solve the problems existing at the crime scene.