Chapter 2 Chapter One

On May 16, although it was almost the beginning of summer, the night was still chilly. In the Shanjiang Branch of the Songshan District Prosecutor's Office, there are two people on night shift.One is the 36-year-old Clerk Hirata Kenkichi, and the other is the 30-year-old Takeuchi Hirazo Clerk.The branch is adjacent to the Shanjiang Branch of the Songshan District Court.Sugie City is located on the west coast of Shikoku Island. It has gradually prospered from a fishing port in the past. Now it has a population of 150,000. It used to be a city of princes in ancient times. The branch doesn't even have buildings, and the few one-story houses are like the buildings of rural elementary schools.Entering the foyer, there is an office on the front, and the prosecutor's office next to it, which is no different from the teacher's office and the principal's office in an elementary school.The prosecutor's quarters are just behind the office.

At around eight o'clock that night, the two men patrolled the courtyard with flashlights, and then returned to the duty room.Before seven o'clock, there was a young clerk working overtime to mimeograph wax-type materials, smearing his fingers black.Then he got off work and left. On the night shift, the clerk and the clerk take turns on duty once a week.This branch has a prosecutor, eight clerks and seven clerks. After the first tour, the two made tea and drank water in front of the boiling water stove. "The weather changes too much! I have a little neuralgia, so I am most afraid of this kind of weather." Hirata Kenkichi said to Takeuchi Heizo.

The whistle of a ship sounded in the distance. "Let's play chess for a while!" Takeuchi said. "Yeah, you can play chess..." Hirata didn't seem too interested. Takeuchi knew that Hirata liked to play chess, and thought he would immediately agree.Seeing that he was not so enthusiastic, I thought that he must have severe neuralgia tonight. Both are locals. However, Hirata, who refused to play chess, said otherwise. "I can't bear it anymore. I'll go out and have a drink and I'll come back. I'll leave it to you here." It is of course a violation of discipline for the staff on duty to go out without authorization, but if two people take turns going out for a few drinks, no one will say anything.And people who go out can buy some wine for those who stay behind, which has become a habit.

Takeuchi knew that Officer Hirata liked to drink a few sips, and also realized that he went out to drink because of neuralgia, so he agreed. "Then go! There is no problem for an hour." The clerk still has to be more respectful to the clerk. "The next inspection is at twelve o'clock, I have to warm up my body first!" Hirata looked up at the electronic clock hanging on the wall, the hands were close to 8:20. After Clerk Hirata left, Clerk Takeuchi stayed alone, browsing the weekly magazines boredly. Since the branch is far away from the city center, it is even quieter at night.It started to rain lightly outside, and stopped after a while.From time to time, sirens sounded from the sea—on such a cold night, the ocean was often densely covered with fog.

Takeuchi didn't dislike the contents of the cup either, thinking that Hirata might bring back two liang of sake and chowder casserole.He knew the taverns that Hirata often went to. Turning from this street into the alley, it was the place where the taverns were concentrated.There are bars, sushi restaurants, chowder shops, popular restaurants and more.Among them is a "treasure house" they call "Red Lantern", which is a tavern that Hirata often goes to. The proprietress of "Treasure House" is a fat woman who is good at the wine business. About twenty minutes later, the phone in the duty room rang.Takeuchi picked up the phone, and Hirata told him to go too. "I'm at the Treasure House. How about it? Come and have a few drinks!"

Takeuchi refused to say that the two people on duty were not allowed to go out together. "It's telling anecdotes here! It's no big deal if you leave for ten or twenty minutes. Come and have a few drinks, and I'll go back with you soon." Hirata persuaded him persistently. "But, as soon as I go out, there will be no one here, so it's not safe!" Takeuchi replied. "Even if it's not safe, there's nothing to steal there, and there's no police to call. It's been safe and sound recently!" Hirata said. Even if a thief breaks into the local prosecutor's office, there is nothing of value to steal.Even if it was stolen, it would be nothing but useless things.In fact, when the two officers on duty were all out, what they were most afraid of was the phone call from the police station in the middle of the night to contact them about the case.As long as it is not a major case, the police do not need to report directly to the prosecutor, but they should also temporarily contact the affairs officer on duty.After accepting the case, the duty officer of the prefectural prosecutor's branch reported the case to the prosecutor the next morning.

However, just as Hirata said, the police station has not received a call like this in the past two or three months.Of course, because this is a relatively prosperous port city, there are many foreigners.Both crew and fishermen.For these reasons, it is inevitable that conflicts such as fighting, drawing a knife and wounding others will occur.But as the annual statistics show, cases are rare.Perhaps it is because of the simple folk customs of the ancient city. Especially recently, it has been calm.So Hirata called to assure that he would be fine if he left the branch for thirty minutes tonight.

Takeuchi is not so much worried about the patronage of thieves as he is afraid of the police station calling.In particular, the prosecutor's dormitory is behind the house, and once it is exposed, it will be a matter of responsibility.But because of Hirata's warm invitation, Takeuchi had no choice but to agree to go out for 20 to 30 minutes, and then hung up the phone. Clerk Takeuchi carefully wiped out the cigarette butts in the ashtray. Heizo Takeuchi opened the lattice door of the tavern with red lanterns hanging on it. "Welcome!" The proprietress saw him at a glance, and smiled courteously at him.There are many customers in the shop.Officer Hirata sat drinking in the corner, and when he saw Takeuchi, he grinned, and the faint smile revealed the guilt and pleasure of leaving his post without authorization.Takeuchi sat on the chair next to Hirata.On Hirata's plate, there are mixed boiled eggs and skewered yam.

"Take a cup and drink!" Takeuchi asked the proprietress for wine. "Try to go back as soon as possible!" He said to Hirata. "It's okay, what's the rush?" Hirata said with a drunken smile.The wine glass in front of him was already half empty. "However, it will be troublesome if something happens. Maybe the police will call!" Takeuchi was still worried. "Where! It's going to be fine. It's been normal all the time! Besides, it's not a big problem if you only come out for thirty minutes. Well, don't think about it, let's have a few drinks!" Hirata patted Takeuchi's back, tried to persuade.

In front of Takeuchi, sake and chowder were also set up.He clinked glasses to Hirata and took a sip of wine.Perhaps because of leaving the duty post, the taste of this wine is also very fragrant. There are four or five customers in the store, all men who look like crew members.The sailors of these fishing boats are talking and talking. "I'm afraid we won't be able to get ahead!" said the clerk, holding the cup. "I can't turn over like this for the rest of my life. Just ignore him! Let's just muddle through!" Hirata confided his despair about the future.

However, from Takeuchi's point of view, Hirata's position is one level higher than his own.Therefore, Hirata, who is an office officer, is considered to have good official luck.Takeuchi always felt that Hirata was using irony to show off that he was an office officer, so he was a little annoyed. "I don't want to be famous anymore." Hirata poured a sip of wine into his mouth. "You're already one level above me, which is good enough." "What, that's what you said. In fact, there is no difference between the secretary. From the perspective of the prosecutors above, we are just doing odd jobs. That little salary is not even enough for the children to go to school. Hey, at most it is Enough to drink a little wine and be merry." "Then it's the same for me! My son has finally entered junior high school, but I don't want him to go to school anymore." "Even if he enters a nearby local university, it's useless to graduate. If you want him to be an official, you still have to go to Tokyo!" Hirata munched on the taro. The following is the statement of Clerk Heizo Takeuchi. Officer Takeuchi and Hirata drank for a while at the "Treasure House" tavern.Originally intended to stay for twenty minutes or so, but procrastinated for a while.Because Hirata's words aroused troubles, and Takeuchi never refused to drink, so he couldn't help but drink more and more vigorously. Then I looked at my watch, more than thirty minutes had passed.Takeuchi hurriedly got up to leave, but Hirata stopped him and said that it would be okay to stay for another twenty or thirty minutes. "It's okay, the police won't call. It's fine if we stay for an hour." Hirata also drank too much. Seeing what his boss Hirata said, Takeuchi finally dispelled his worries and drank again.Afterwards things are blurred. All he remembered was an altercation with the crew who had come earlier.One of the crew stood up holding the beer bottle, and Takeuchi was a little scared, so he escaped alone.At that time, Hirata seemed to be passively persuading him, but I don't remember clearly. Takeuchi escaped from the "Treasure House" tavern, and did not go directly back to the branch of the District Prosecutor's Office, but went into another bar.Because after escaping from the "treasure house", a young barmaid on the street dragged him into a bar.He was afraid of bringing trouble to the prosecutor's office, so he followed the woman into a certain bar in a panic.Can't remember the name of the bar. There were no other guests here, but four or five hostesses.Thinking that Hirata didn't help when he quarreled with the crew, he became a little angry, and drank a lot of alcohol in that bar.He thought that Hirata had gone back to the duty room, so he felt relieved.In fact, he was also afraid that if he went out rashly, he would run into the crew members who had quarreled again. Deep in his consciousness, he vaguely remembered getting into the car with several women.Drive through a very deserted driveway and enter another town.It was almost one o'clock in the morning. Later, when he entered a strange hotel, several women sat in the living room and pestered him for beer.Worried that he didn't have enough money with him, but thinking he was a waitress at a local pub anyway and would be able to pay the bill later, he told the shopkeeper to just serve the beer.He remembered that he also drank two bottles.Then he fell asleep and didn't know anything. It was around nine o'clock in the morning when I woke up, and I was woken up by the hotel attendant.He asked where it was, and the waiter said it was Xiaozhou, and he was shocked.It is about 40 kilometers from downtown Shanjiang to Xiaozhou. On the way, you have to cross the "Yeqi Ridge". When did I come here?Xiaozhou used to be a princely city with a salary of 20,000 shi, and it was quite prosperous here.The waiter told him that the hotel was called "Liu's House". Takeuchi wanted to sort out the memories of last night, but he only left the impression that "Treasure House" fled to other bars after a quarrel, and he couldn't recall the whole process accurately.He remembered that he came here with some women, and when he asked the waiter, he replied that the women said that you were too drunk and let you sleep until nine o'clock in the morning.They had left at seven o'clock in the morning. After hearing what the hotel waiter said, Takeuchi Heizo tried hard to recall what happened last night, but he just couldn't remember it, and only vaguely remembered coming here with the barmaid.He was ashamed of himself for being so ugly, having heard that he was very drunk at the time. Then he went to check out, and the front desk said that the fees of the women had already been settled by themselves.He felt a little strange, but what worried him most was that he was going out overnight during the night shift.Officer Hirata must be very angry.Although I was invited to go out at the beginning, it was really embarrassing. Takeuchi left the hotel in a hurry to take the bus, and had to cross mountains and ridges to return to Shanjiang from Xiaozhou.On the way, the "Yeqi Ridge" is luxuriantly forested, covering the sky and the sun.He sighed in his heart, those women could actually get me into a car and bring me to this kind of place last night! Thinking about it carefully, maybe they thought he was rich, so they wanted to drag him to Xiaozhou for another drink.However, seeing him drunk and unconscious, and finding that he had no money at all, he had to spend the night in that hotel.If there is only one woman alone, it will be interesting.However, there were four women at first, so it was obvious that they wanted to catch him as a fool.But what about women paying out of pocket?Could it be that he peeked at his wallet and knew he had no money, so he paid the bill in desperation?Takeuchi only paid his share of the fee. The bright sunshine of the morning deepened his remorse.How should I justify my return to the local prosecutor's office?You can't say that you went to a secluded island with a few girls when you were drunk, right?Officer Hirata is jointly and severally responsible for this matter, so he will find a way to cover it up for himself.What excuse?It is necessary to unify with him first. What a fool this is!If it gets out, he will be held accountable and punished.Immediately, the faces of his wife and children appeared in front of his eyes. Prosecutor Segawa Ryoichi is young and promising, which is why he is very strict about following the rules. Takeuchi got off the car near the prefectural prosecutor's office with trepidation.I don't know when, he found people passing by one after another on the road, and felt very strange in his heart. The closer he got to the branch, the more people there were, and it seemed that something had happened.Those people looked like they had just watched the excitement and were about to go home. Takeuchi had an ominous premonition, so he stopped a person to ask. "Last night, a fire broke out in the district prosecutor's office!" Takeuchi was taken aback.Hearing these words, he lost his balance suddenly, and approached the ground inspection branch in a daze.A burnt smell rushed into the nostrils, and there were people watching the remaining green smoke after the fire.The branch was there yesterday, but it has disappeared now.Aspen trees stood alone with their branches burned, and firefighters ran to and fro over the charred ruins. Takeuchi stood behind the human wall and watched. "Oh, this is terrible!" someone said sadly. Takeuchi was startled and looked back.It was the owner of an urban printing factory who often came and went, and he stood behind with a serious expression. "Mr. Takeuchi, the burn is serious enough!" He lost no time in expressing his concern. "Yeah, it's really..." Takeuchi was speechless, thinking that he was the person responsible for the fire, even seeing the boss of the printing factory who often nodded and bowed to look for him felt scared. "I can't believe it! It was fine when I came here yesterday, but it became like this overnight. This will make you miserable!" "yes……" From the tone of the boss, he didn't know that it was Takeuchi who was on the night shift last night. "However, only the warehouse and the duty room were burned down, which is considered lucky!" It turns out that although one-third of the wooden house has been burned to ashes, the other two-thirds are still there.The remaining part turned into black charcoal. Only then did Takeuchi notice that the warehouse and duty room were burned.A large number of documents related to the case are kept in the warehouse.Of course, the materials in recent years are stored in other rooms, so there is no loss.He just burned all the old case materials, which he thought was a blessing in misfortune.It should not affect the current work. After a little relief, he wanted to calmly inquire about the fire situation.In fact, he now had to meet someone from the prefectural prosecutor's branch, but he wanted to know the truth first. "What time did the fire happen last night?" Takeuchi seemed to be asking about other people's affairs. "The siren sounded after twelve o'clock in the middle of the night. I was shocked and hurried over. Thirty minutes after the fire engine arrived, the fire weakened." The owner of the printing factory replied. "If the fire trucks had arrived earlier, Mr. Hirata would not have suffered such misfortune. Alas! It doesn't help to say that, since the wooden house is on fire, it will be too late." Bad luck for Hirata?Hearing this, Takeuchi gasped and pricked up his ears. "Mr. Hirata..." he asked with wide eyes. "What happened to Mr. Hirata?" "Ah? Don't you know?" This time the owner of the printing factory was taken aback. "Really? Of course, everyone is busy at the moment, and I can't meet the people in the prosecutor's office. I want to express my condolences...Mr. Hirata died in the fire." "died?" "Yeah, burned to death in the duty room." Takeuchi was shocked.Hirata burned to death!It's just unbelievable.But since the owner of the printing factory made it very clear, he must be right.Takeuchi was terrified and quietly slipped away from the scene. Hirata burned to death!Hirata burned to death!The voice of the printing factory owner thundered in Clerk Takeuchi's brain like thunder. At that time, Hirata must have left the "Treasure House" tavern and returned directly to the duty room.And because he was drunk and asleep, he failed to find the fire, and was engulfed by the fire after suffocating. Takeuchi is extremely terrified of his current situation.He covered his face and walked away quickly and recklessly.The owner of the printing factory hasn't seen anyone from the Prosecutor's Office yet, so he doesn't seem to know what's going on.Now the boss must be looking for his whereabouts.I have been away from my duty post since eight o'clock last night. When drinking, I was particularly worried that the police station would be contacted by phone, but right now a major accident involving human life has occurred.Hirata, who was on duty, burned to death... What happened? Takeuchihara wanted to apologize after returning, but now it seems that he has become a criminal.Suddenly, the face of Prosecutor Segawa appeared in front of his eyes.The 31-year-old prosecutor was transferred from the Songshan District Prosecutor's Office to the Shanjiang Branch last fall.Because it is a grassroots branch, only one prosecutor is set up.He usually requires strict discipline, but also has the innocence of young people.He likes to play chess, and he has played against him many times.He often repents when the old man is checkmate. However, this young prosecutor has now turned into a terrifying monster.Not only that, even the District Prosecutor's Office, which has been working for many years like his own, has suddenly become a stern court. Clerk Takeuchi is in charge of sorting out investigation reports in this branch with only one prosecutor.Although I don't do interrogation and investigation myself, I don't know when I formed a sense of power over suspects and defendants.The attitude of the other party also contributed to his sense of power. They bowed their heads and ears to a clerk as they did to a prosecutor or a police officer. Although Clerk Takeuchi is not like this, he is naturally empowered just by working here, so there is a sense of power at work in the illusion.The suspect and the defendant flattered, pandered, whimpered, and begged for mercy in front of the prosecutor, and they had almost the same attitude in front of the clerk Takeuchi.That humility made the interrogator (Takeuchi wasn't like that, but even just doing auxiliary work would feel the same way) unbearably restless.He also sternly reprimanded the other party because he disliked the other party's groveling. Thinking that he suddenly fell into the suspect's situation, he couldn't help but feel confused.Once arrested, they will be tried by their superiors and colleagues on charges of absenteeism and fire responsibility.Since I didn't return all night, I might have to bear the responsibility of being burned to death by the Hirata affairs officer.Now, the affairs officers are looking for their whereabouts according to the instructions of Prosecutor Segawa.Thinking of this, Takeuchi lost his mind, his hands and feet became numb and lost his senses. Takeuchi thought of fleeing from downtown Shanjiang as soon as possible.In retrospect, I can't figure out why I had such an idea.Originally, I knew very well that if I ran away, I would only increase my suspicion.But at that time, he was only afraid of being arrested.Hirata's sanity was thrown into confusion by being burned to death. He got on the bus in a daze. After driving, he found that this was the northbound lane parallel to the railway line, and the end point was in the outer suburbs.Fortunately, no one in the car noticed him.Although there are familiar faces, he would never have thought that he was the person responsible for the fire at the District Prosecutor's Office who had escaped.Even if he knew that he was a clerk of the local prosecutor's branch, he would only think that he was out to handle errands for the aftermath of the fire. Takeuchi got off at the terminal.In front of a small railway station, he bought a ticket to Hachimanhama in a daze.Why would he buy a ticket to Hachimanhama? Even he himself was confused.Anyway, it's far away from Songshan City, especially the district prosecutor's office there.An instinctive reaction in his subconscious made him think of the town he was traveling in. It takes more than an hour to get to Yawatahama.Still like a sleepwalking patient, he got off the bus and got out of the station in a daze.He has been here many times, so he is very familiar with it.But there are neither acquaintances nor friends. He felt a little hungry, so he went into a public restaurant and asked for a bowl of noodles.But the food was tasteless, and only half was left.Although my stomach is empty, I have no appetite at all. After leaving the restaurant, he walked aimlessly on the streets of the downtown area.Seeing a small theater, he walked in ignorantly.There were not many spectators inside, so he sat down in a row of empty seats.A historical film was shown, a modern film was shown, both dull.Of course, even if you see an interesting picture, the plot will not pass through your brain.Only the current sad situation weighed heavily on my heart.Looking back, what happened last night was like a nightmare.Sitting in the theater watching a movie at this moment, I feel that I have been completely liberated. If you can get rid of it completely, it is really wishful.In fact he thought so.What a relief if last night had nothing to do with the present! He watched two movies almost in a state of no-self.It was evening when we walked out of the theater, and the shops were brightly lit.The sky gradually darkened, and the colorful clouds gathered towards the western sky.Seeing this scene, Takeuchi immediately thought of home.He wants to be with his family. He returned to the station and took the down train back to Shanjiang.He chose to go where the street lights couldn't reach.Opening his foyer, two men who were talking to their wives stood up to greet him.They are colleagues from the District Prosecutor's Office. Regarding the fire at the Shanjiang Branch of the Songshan District Prosecutor's Office on the night of May 16, the District Prosecutor's Office and the Shanjiang Police Department under its jurisdiction jointly launched an investigation. According to the judgment of the fire department, the fire broke out near the house on the east side of the second warehouse.In the warehouse of more than 30 square meters, old materials such as trial records are kept.The so-called second warehouse is named after the old materials that have not been used in recent years are stored, and the materials related to recent trials are stored in the small warehouse opposite. There is no possibility of using fire in such a place.Moreover, the season has reached mid-May, and there is no need for braziers in the duty room. However, if there is an arson case in the prosecutor's office, then the problem will be serious.That's why authorities are in no rush to announce the cause of the fire. The fire engulfed a large amount of materials in the second warehouse, burned down the corridor, and burned up the eight-seat duty room until the interrogation room next door. This is an old wooden house, and there was an occasional light rain, but the fire was so fast that it was surprising.Behind the office is the prosecutor's dormitory. Prosecutor Segawa Ryoichi rushed out as soon as he spotted the red flames, but it was impossible to extinguish them. Segawa just took office last fall, and he is still single.A grandma came to help him with cooking and housework.Grandma comes here at seven o'clock in the morning and returns at five o'clock in the evening.The dormitory can accommodate family members, so Segawa living alone seems very empty.He slept in an eight-bunk dormitory in the opposite direction from the office and had no family members, which were the reasons for the delay in finding the fire. Fire engines arrived and were finally able to extinguish the fire forty minutes after it started. Prosecutor Segawa felt very strange. It stands to reason that the two officers on duty should report to him first, but they didn't.I can't remember who is on duty tonight, but according to the routine, the prosecutor and the clerk should spend the night in the duty room. Prosecutor Segawa had a premonition in his heart and asked the firefighters to search for the still burning scene.So, a charred body was found under the burned and fallen beams.Judging from the location, it was in the duty room, and the posture of the corpse was lying flat on the tatami mat.But he was still wearing a suit, no pajamas, no bedding. Prosecutor Segawa confirmed that the man was the officer Hirata on duty, and requested to search for the body of another officer on duty.At this time, other colleagues came after hearing the news, and he learned that the other duty officer was Clerk Takeuchi. The firefighters, of course, went all out searching for the bodies until dawn.But he couldn't find it in the end, so it was concluded that Clerk Takeuchi was not at the branch of the District Prosecutor's Office that night. One watchman burned to death and another watchman is missing.The matter was as serious as the cause of the fire. The body of Secretary Hirata Kenkichi was sent for autopsy.The trachea and lungs were inhaled of soot, and the nasal cavity was also blackened.Otherwise, no trauma.This situation shows that I was suffocated to death in a living state.In other words, there is no suspicion of homicide. Hirata lay on his back on the tatami without spreading out the futon.He didn't roll out the bedding, what's going on?The time of the fire was presumed to be just after midnight, so he lay on the tatami without laying a futon in the middle of the night because he was just dozing off.In fact, Hirata was still wearing a suit. Clerk Takeuchi, whose whereabouts are unknown, did not roll out the bedding either. In Hirata's stomach, undigested yams, eggs, and tofu were found.I also drank a lot of wine.But no other drugs, such as sleeping pills, were tested. From these circumstances, it can be deduced that Hirata and Takeuchi left their duties that night and slipped out of the workplace to drink.Only Hirata returned first, fell into a deep sleep due to drunkenness, and was later suffocated to death by thick smoke.Takeuchi did not return to the district inspection branch, and fled directly... The next day, the authorities quickly launched an investigation following this clue, and the taverns frequented by the officials of the District Prosecutor’s Office were found out—at around 8:30 last night, the Hirata affairs officer went to the "Treasure House" tavern, and then Takeuchi also came up.According to the proprietress, it was Hirata who called Takeuchi. There were four or five customers in the tavern, who seemed to be crew members somewhere, talking about topics they cared about.While drinking, Hirata and Takeuchi talk about the lack of future in the District Prosecutor's Office.Takeuchi said that he wanted to go back early, but Hirata tried his best to dissuade him.At that time, Takeuchi was always worried that the police station would have a phone call, but Hirata said that there was nothing to worry about, and the two continued to drink.The two heated up six pots of sake, an average of three pots per person. Later, Takeuchi said that he was really worried that there was something wrong with the prefectural prosecutor's branch, so he left without listening to Hirata's dissuasion.Hirata stayed there for another twenty minutes, complaining while drinking the rest of the wine, and finally got up to leave.It was about half past nine when Hirata left. According to what the proprietress said, it can be clearly inferred that Hirata returned to the duty room drunk and fell asleep on the tatami without laying a futon. The problem is that the whereabouts of the Clerk Takeuchi who left the tavern first is unknown, so it can be speculated that he went somewhere by himself.Because he and Hirata talked about his career has no future, it can also be speculated that Takeuchi suddenly became bored with the night shift after drinking. Another theory is that he was taken somewhere by someone else, that is to say held hostage or kidnapped.But this is unlikely, because the printing factory owner testified that he had spoken to Takeuchi at the scene that morning.According to the boss, Takeuchi was caught in the crowd watching the fire scene in a daze.Judging from his state at the time, it seemed that he didn't know about the burning of Officer Hirata.Takeuchi looked terrified when his boss told him. If Takeuchi was violently kidnapped by a third party to somewhere last night, it would not be logical to return to the scene of the fire the next morning.It is very likely that he stayed somewhere overnight after drinking last night. When he heard that there was a fire in the district prosecutor's office, he rushed back in shock.But at the scene, he met the owner of the printing factory and heard that his companion on night shift, Hirata, was burned to death. He was overwhelmed by the crime of desertion, so he went to hide somewhere. In any case, Takeuchi's actions must be tracked down at this time.The District Prosecutor's Office deliberately did not ask the police for assistance, and only sent internal personnel to find out Takeuchi's whereabouts.This is also because the matter is an internal matter of the District Prosecutor's Office, and they do not want the police to know about it. Another reason is that the District Prosecutor's Office and the police have not been in coordination. Clerks of the District Prosecutor's Office searched for Takeuchi everywhere.There is no sign of him staying in hotels in the city, so it is speculated that he may have taken a taxi or chartered car to another place.Asked the relevant industry, there is no clue.There are ships in Sugie to Beppu, Kyushu and to Hiroshima via Hachimanhama. After understanding, there are no ferries after nine o'clock in the evening. Colleagues came to Takeuchi's house and asked his wife about the situation carefully.Takeuchi's wife and daughter were terrified, saying that Takeuchi had never expressed dissatisfaction with the District Prosecutor's Office, let alone leaving his post and fleeing elsewhere.He only has relatives in Nagoya, and only a few friends in the city of Sugie.I have no clue about my husband's current situation. Officer Hirata, who was on the night shift, was burned to death.Takeuchi must be found, and the details must be heard from him.A solution can only be made later. Prosecutor Segawa ordered to tidy up the fire scene with a dignified expression. At around eight o'clock in the evening, the client, Takeuchi, suddenly appeared at his door. The two district prosecutors who were questioning his wife and daughter caught him and took him to the prosecutor's dormitory. Takeuchi was so excited that he bowed again and again when he saw the prosecutor, and apologized repeatedly with "I'm sorry, I'm sorry". "Things have already happened and cannot be undone." Prosecutor Segawa asked someone to put a cup of tea in front of Takeuchi, and handed him a cigarette to calm him down. "On the night you were on duty, you were called by Mr. Hirata to drink at the Treasure House Tavern. Then you came back alone. You have already asked the proprietress of the Treasure House Tavern about these things. What happened next, please tell me in detail!" the prosecutor Said to Takeuchi sharply. "Mr. Prosecutor, I did leave the tavern first. But I had a quarrel with someone else." Segawa Ryoichi ordered his subordinates to collect evidence based on what Prosecutor Takeuchi Heizo said.What Takeuchi said was inexplicable.On the night of his duty, he left Officer Hirata and went to Xiaozhou's hotel to spend the night. He came to the scene of the fire the next day but escaped again.After careful scrutiny, it can almost be concluded that Takeuchi is closely related to the suspicious fire. Takeuchi himself said that he had an argument with the crew members present at the "treasure house", and then ran out of the tavern in fright.But the proprietress of Treasure House Tavern denied such a fact.This, too, is a dubious point of divergence.The Prosecutor's investigations are therefore extremely delicate. First of all, Takeuchi's own current situation, I am still in a state of excitement.Since he is not a suspect in the case, he cannot be detained in the prosecutor's office.In order to prevent him from committing suicide, another subordinate was assigned to accompany him.And stayed by his side after Takeuchi came home. Then send people to find the hotel where Takeuchi stayed in Xiaozhou.Because the city is not big, I quickly found the "Liu's" hotel. "This person did come that night." The red-faced waitress pointed to the photo of Takeuchi brought by the secretary and nodded for confirmation. "He came around half past twelve. There were four young women with him, who were obviously barmaids. The man was so drunk that he was dragged in by the woman. They said the customer was drunk Great, first open a room for him to sleep for a while. I just happened to be fine for the time being, so I took them up to the second floor. The man was lying on the quilt and snoring loudly." "What is the woman who came with you doing?" "They were chatting in the next room, as if they were gossiping about the guests in the bar. Later, they said that the guests could not be woken up, so they had to go back first and entrusted us to take care of the guests." "I see!" "But I thought it was weird, so I asked them to wait for the guests to wake up before leaving. Because I heard that some bad women pretended to take care of drunk guests and took the opportunity to steal. I didn't let them go just in case." "What did the other party say?" "They disagreed, saying that he couldn't wake up at all, and that he had to leave because it was too late. I asked the proprietress for instructions, but the proprietress also said that they couldn't let them go, and they had to wait until seven o'clock tomorrow morning. I strongly urged them to stay, and they would Sleeping with clothes on. At about seven o’clock in the morning, the four women got up and paid their own room fees, and said that the male guest’s room fee would be demanded from him after he woke up, and then left. It was also dawn, and we also There's no reason to stop them." "Do you know which bar they belong to?" asked the clerk of the local prosecutor's office. "I didn't ask for the name of the store. But I heard they chatted like they were from Shanjiang. Because they said they traveled all the way across the mountains." The waitress at Liu's Hotel replied. "If it's a barmaid, she probably smoked here, did she leave any matches from the bar?" "No, I didn't keep it. The man didn't find the match after he left, so he didn't keep it." "When the male guest got up, couldn't he remember how he was brought here?" "That's right! He couldn't understand, and kept asking us about last night's situation, when did I stay here?" "Is that male guest familiar with the woman who came with him?" "It seems to be the first time we met. But he seems to be desperately trying to remember where he drank." "Those women left Takeuchi-kun, no, the male guest and left. Did they take a taxi?" "No, they said they would take the first bus back." "Is it the bus to Sugi?" "yes." "You said they came from Shanjiang by car the night before, so do you remember which company that taxi belonged to?" The affairs officer tried his best to catch clues. "The car was gone when I heard the hall bell go out and I didn't see the license plate number." "The male guest didn't say that he had a quarrel when he went to the tavern, and then fled into a bar?" "I haven't heard of it." This is more or less the case.Using these circumstances as clues, the investigators questioned twelve or thirteen bars one by one in Shanjiang, and all the bars gave the same answer. "No, nothing like this has ever happened in our store." Next, find evidence that Takeuchi fled after he came to the district prosecutor's office the next morning to see the fire scene.Takeuchi said he fled in a daze and got on a bus, then changed to a train at the terminal and got off at Yawatahama.I found the bus attendant and asked. Fortunately, she recognized Takeuchi, so she was able to prove it. The officers went to Yawatahama.As Takeuchi said, there is a popular restaurant in front of the train station.The girl who works here still remembers Takeuchi, who was angry because Takeuchi asked for noodles and left half of it.She thought the noodles in her restaurant were delicious, but the customer didn't finish them, so she felt disgusted. The movie theater is indeed on the route that Takeuchi said.女检票员虽然记不清竹内的长相，但也说因为是首场放映观众很少。两部电影的梗概也与竹内所说一致。两部影片放映结束的时间也一致。 检察官考虑的是，竹内去八幡滨会不会是找谁取得联系。但是去当地调查的两个部下报告说，没有发现这种迹象。 濑川检察官断定竹内所说基本属实。竹内确实因为火灾责任重大以及平田事务官被烧死而惊慌失措，本能地逃到了八幡滨。 但是还有一点不吻合。竹内说在“宝屋”酒馆跟船员模样的男人吵架后逃到某家酒吧，而“宝屋”酒馆却说没有此事。 此外，他曾经逃进去的那家酒吧也没找到。因为竹内当时喝糊涂了，根本记不起那家酒吧的位置。 “是不是你记错了？”濑川检察官问竹内。 平日里他是个忠厚老实的事务员。濑川虽然上任不久，但非常熟悉竹内的性格，应该说他胆小怕事。所以十分理解他因为对自己擅离职守导致惨祸惊恐不安而精神错乱。 竹内不是撒谎的人。平日闲暇时他是自己下象棋的对手，但这次陷入了困境。竹内仍然脸色苍白地低着头。 “不，这一点我记得很清楚。”竹内没有动摇。“反正对方是船员的模样，所以我有些害怕。因为当时平田袖手旁观我很气愤，所以决不会记错。而且我觉得自己会被打死，就拼命地向外跑。” “为什么吵起来的？” “这……我喝醉了，所以记不清了。我记得是对方先挑起来的。” “知不知道他们是哪里的船员？” "have no idea." 事务员竹内平造坚持说，自己是在吵架之后逃出酒馆的。而那个“宝屋”老板娘却说没有此事。这个酒馆很小，老板娘独自打理。如果还有其他的女服务员或女招待的话，或许还能查清，然而此时无法做到。 另外，当时店内顾客只有平田事务官、竹内以及船员模样的男子，这也是无法查清事实的原因。平田死了。竹内所说的对手来自何方无从得知。换句话说，竹内是在跟老板娘抬死杠。 竹内外出喝酒一直没忘自己是擅离职守。但由于当时平田说了令他不痛快的话语，他为了排遣这两种压力不由自主地多喝了些酒。所以竹内说的也可能是醉酒后的错觉，或者是竹内为了解脱责任，凭空编造出子虚乌有的口角以及逃进酒吧的情节。 但是如果竹内说的都是真话，那就是“宝屋”酒馆老板娘和市内的酒吧在撒谎。但是他们有什么必要撒谎呢？酒馆和酒吧作伪证并没有什么既得利益。不过，老板娘也有可能是在推诿责任，因为竹内犯下重大过失是从到该店喝酒开始的。但这种推测也站不住脚，尽管她们是从事娱乐服务业的，也没必要如此害怕引火烧身。 但是，这里还有几种方法可以证明谁在撒谎，就是把小洲的柳家旅馆服务员带来查看杉江所有的酒吧。如果她对哪家酒吧的女招待有印象，至少可以证明竹内逃入酒吧之后的情况属实。杉江总共也没有几家酒吧。 检察官立刻派出两名事务官，再次去小洲办理此事。 他们走后，检察官陷入了沉思。当晚平田把竹内叫出去了。是平田先去的酒馆，然后极力鼓动竹内赶快过来。这种情况以前是否也曾有过？ 检察官召集全体事务官和事务员，让他们讲讲值班离岗的经历。最初大家都畏畏缩缩，后来坦白说都是轮流离岗外出的。 “但是，两名值班员同时外出是绝对不可能的！”他们异口同声地答道。 濑川检察官问过值夜班的情况之后思索，平田为什么要把竹内叫出去呢？平田也应该十分清楚，值班室没人是令人担心的事情。他比竹内职位高，更应该自觉责任重大。 平田真是为了找人陪他喝酒而打电话把竹内叫去的吗？濑川对此深感怀疑。 第二天，带领小洲柳家旅馆服务员查看杉江市内酒吧的事务官回来报告。“实在查不清楚。服务员说所有酒馆里的女子都没有见过。” “都没有见过，是说她们都不是把竹内拉进酒吧的人？还是说她记不清了？”检察官问道。 “应该是记不清了。她们很晚才来，而且一来就是四个，又吵又闹的，认不准是哪一个。” “酒吧的女招待见到这个服务员有没有反应？” “我也留心观察过了，好像都很陌生，完全是第一次见面。” “旅馆服务员没说有谁很像吗？” “那倒是有。但只是觉得有点儿像，不能确定就是本人。比如只是觉得发型有点儿像，圆脸或长脸有点儿像而已。” “是吗？这可就难了！” 人类的视觉似乎很明确，但又不准确，这是检察官在进修时经常被灌输的教条。在某项实验中，先把若干男女集中在一个房间，然后让他们进进出出。过后让观众写出他们的特征，十个人中没有一个人能把容貌、穿着及花色准确地对号入座。这是在《犯罪论》中经常提到的实验结果。 应该怎样解释旅馆服务员的话呢？到底是虽然在去过的酒吧里确实有那几个女子，但因为记忆模糊而无法指认呢？还是那几个女子根本就不在杉江市的酒吧里呢？ 如果是前者的话，即使柳家旅馆服务员不记得那几个女子，但那几个女子却应该记得她，是那四名酒吧女招待故作不知。但是，如果她们抽走了顾客的钱夹而故作不知，那倒也能解释得通。然而她们对竹内秋毫无犯，这就令人费解了。 火灾起因最终被判为失火。因为无法找到纵火的决定性证据。当地警察到火灾现场进行勘查，但是因为濑川判定为失火，也就没有深入调查。 胖乎乎的消防署长也会见了检察官。“那就下结论，是由于漏电导致了火灾！”署长像是在送人情。 检察官本人对失火颇感疑惑，但如同没有理由判定为纵火一样，也没有根据断定为失火。他没有对警方明说，他的疑惑就是竹内令人费解的行动，为推测纵火罩上了浓厚的阴影。 那么，如果是纵火的话，又能找到哪些理由呢？也许这是某些人对检察厅的恶意骚扰。一般来说，案犯是由警方侦查逮捕的，而判案定罪是由检察厅进行的。从被告的角度来看，检察官也许比警察更可恨。 但还有一个假设，纵火犯的目的并不是烧毁检察厅，而是烧死平田事务官，这未必没有可能性。因为平田当晚喝得烂醉，连西装都没脱就倒在榻榻米上沉睡。所以也可以推测，是犯人把另一名值班员竹内叫走并整夜不归。平田之所以烂醉如泥，有可能喝了安眠药之类，但尸检却没有查出来。 但是，如果这样推测，竹内的可疑行动似乎能够解释清楚，可以认为他是被别人叫走而整夜未归。如果真是这样，酒馆老板娘和酒吧女招待都曾向对方提供了协助。 也就是说，竹内在酒馆与船员们发生了口角，他被吓得跑出酒馆躲进陌生的酒吧。虽然竹内自己记不清了，但并非他自己进去，而是酒吧女招待把他拉进去的。这不是单纯的招揽生意。 但如果这是周密策划的行动，那就需要相当的组织性和预谋。这座城镇里有这类人物吗？非常值得怀疑。首先，杀死平田的原因尚未查清。 濑川检察官派事务官着手调查平田的私生活。但是，他只去松山玩过赛车彩票，并没有与他人结怨，也没有不正常男女关系。 但是，检察官有了新的想法。濑川检察官想到的是，在第二仓库中存放了某种资料。这里保管的都是近年几乎不用的旧资料。 也许这与案件无关，但是了解情况是检察官当然的职责。这些旧材料的目录保留了下来，叫做《刑事案件簿》。负责保管资料的是案件科的事务官，也就是被烧死的平田健吉。从他负责管理的书架中找到了六册案件簿。 濑川挨着查看编号——第二册缺失。刚好是一九五〇年到一九五一年之间的资料。由于办案有时需要查阅旧资料目录，也可能是有人找平田事务官借走了。他问过了所有的人，都没有借过这册目录。 《刑事案件簿》是由平田保管的，如果缺失了一册，也可能是平田曾经动过。虽然不抱太大希望，还是料想平田有可能把资料带回了家。于是派事务官去问，平田的遗孀说没有这册资料。 从一九五〇年四月到一九五一年三月的《刑事案件簿》为什么下落不明？关键人物平田已死，无法讯问本人。 平田保管着案件簿文件柜钥匙，可以清理文件柜却无法开锁。于是专门请来家具店的工匠，打开了锁子。因此，别人不可能擅自拿走资料。那就是说，平田生前把资料拿出去再也没有归还。 没有资料目录，所以无法查清第二仓库中保存过此间哪些案件资料。濑川去年秋天刚从松山地检厅到此赴任，对当时的情况并不了解。检察官问部下对这份资料有无印象，但他们也都比平田来得晚，没有确切的印象。 濑川对此事格外在意。只有这一册下落不明或许只是个偶然，但从他的职责来讲必须查清此事。当时的案情记录除了由负责的事务官整理之外，检察官应该在《担当案件簿》上有所记录。濑川想到了这一点，然后查到从一九五〇年到一九五一年底负责记录的检察官是大贺庸平。 这位大贺检察官先是回到了松山地检厅，然后调到东京地检厅工作了三年，之后就退休了。 “大贺在东京开了一家律师事务所。”部下告诉他说。 濑川决定回宿舍后查阅东京律师协会的名单。濑川检察官在宿舍里查阅了东京律师协会下属的律师名册，大贺庸平的住址是东京都练马区关町一丁目××街区。 濑川检察官生于东京，在他的记忆中练马区的关町是个偏僻的远郊，位于从高田马场到村山方向去的西武电车线途中。那里还残留着武藏野的风貌，还有很多杂树林和农田。濑川写了一封信。大贺庸平是自己的前辈，向他请教要尽量郑重其事。 “此次失火责任全在卑职，特向尊台并历任前辈深表歉意。烧毁的第二仓库如您所知，放满了旧案资料。这些珍贵资料已悉数化为灰烬。卑职必须尽快查清失火仓库存放过哪些案件资料，于是查阅了案件分管事务官的目录，发现唯独缺失了从一九五〇年四月到翌年三月之间的目录。原想可能是有人借去未还，但经多方查问并无下落。此事只有不幸被烧死的平田事务官知晓，但当事人已经死亡，现已无从查到这册资料，颇感困惑。 “于是我想到，尊台在此期间担任本支部检察官，或许您曾对经手案件作过记录，或者还有印象，故此冒昧写信请教。时隔十三四年之久，不知是否还有详细记忆。哪怕偶尔想起亦可，恳请告知当时尊台负责的案件。诚惶诚恐，伏乞回音。” 濑川写好信封，把信纸装进去放在桌上，然后抽起烟来。 查阅律师名册之后，得知大贺检察官生于一九〇六年六月二日，现年五十九岁。虽说五十九岁仍不能看作迟暮老人，但十三四年前的事情他还能记得多少呢？而且只限于一九五〇年四月到翌年三月。 屋里只有濑川独自一人，寂静无声。 明天必须去一趟松山。濑川吸完一根香烟，开始写辞职申请，承担火灾的责任。 濑川去松山地检厅出差，从杉江乘列车大约两个小时。正是午休时间，濑川先去见过山川次席检察官。 “报告书我看过了，火灾原因归结为漏电，是吧？”山川看着濑川说道。 “是的。”濑川简短回答。 “消防署认同这个结论吗？” "I agree." “警察署没说什么吗？” “没说什么。我和局长也见过面了，但是检察方面已经下了结论，他们不会干预的。” “是吗？”山川似乎放心了。 “好吧。你要注意别留下什么漏洞。”这是在提醒他对警方保持警惕。 “次席检察官先生，我已经写好了辞职申请。”濑川按了按衣袋。此前已在电话中报告过了。 虽然支部没有全部烧毁，但火灾也属重大事故。而且当晚两名值班人员擅离职守，自己负有监督不力的责任。而且值班人员一人被烧死，问题更加严重。 “是吗？”次席检察官微皱眉头。“好吧，先放下再说。”似乎考虑到濑川的情绪，他语调轻松。 “我已经做好了接受处分的准备。” “别想得过于严重了！” 地检厅并非没有失火的先例。当时，首席检察官和责任人受到了减薪处分。但濑川所说的做好了接受处分的准备，指的是更严厉的处分。因为从未发生过值班员擅离职守，而且一人烧死的双重事故。濑川也做好了这封辞职申请被批准后的打算。即使不会免职，也免不了降职。 “不管怎么说，你去见一下长官吧！”次席检察官催促道。这是指首席检察官。 首席检察官正在自己桌旁吃外卖的炸虾盖饭。 “我严重失职，心中非常歉疚。”濑川向首席检察官低头行礼。接近退休年龄的首席检察官放下捧在手中的大碗，拿起桌上的眼镜擦擦戴上。 “我看过你递交的报告书，也听次席检察官说过了。”首席检察官好像吃炸虾时塞了牙，折了一根火柴棍抠牙缝。 他叫天野，原来是大阪地检厅的次席检察官，两年前调过来的。 “善后工作基本结束了吧？” “是的，暂先清理了火灾现场。接下来准备尽快修复受损资料。” “嗯。”首席检察官还在抠牙缝。“对死亡的事务官是怎么处理的？”首席检察官问端坐在桌前的濑川。 “我们提交了申请，希望按照殉职对待。” “啊，我看过了。可以这样办理……那另一名值班员呢？” “他有些精神错乱，目前命令他在家中坐禁闭……全都因为我监管不利。这是我的辞职申请。”濑川从上衣口袋掏出信封递上。 “啊，是吗？”首席检察官扔掉了火柴棍。“那暂时放在我这里吧！”检察官把申请书抽出来浏览一下，又装回信封，放进了抽屉。他没有退回，濑川感到自己的处境没有了着落。 “好了，在案情查清之前，你还是要一如既往地干好工作！”首席检察官用平淡的语调说道。 "yes." “被烧毁的资料能顺利复原吗？” “因为烧毁的都是旧资料，从性质上来讲，很不容易复原。但我想尽快展开工作。”濑川脑海中掠过那册缺失的《刑事案件簿》。但是，现在还不到向首席检察官报告的时候。 “我今天要坐四点钟的飞机去东京。”首席检察官突然说道。 濑川想到他可能是特意去法务省报告火灾情况，心中直打鼓。 “我要去开全国首席检察官会议。” 听到这里濑川想起，一周前松山地检厅曾经发出通知，征集对上会提案的参考意见。 “火灾的情况我要向法务省长官报告。” 看来对濑川的处分要根据报告结果来定。他又感到自己可能会被免职。 “我也觉得……”首席检察官取出一支香烟点着，然后吐出一口烟雾。“减薪恐怕是避免不了喽！”首席检察官也有监管责任。他语调轻松，脸上浮出微笑。 “我给长官添了这么大的麻烦，实在是歉疚不已。” 最痛苦的莫过于连累了上级。此时濑川甚至希望他的辞职申请能得到批准。 人生中很难预料什么时候会碰上倒霉事情。此前濑川一直都很顺利，却在这里栽了跟头。就算今后还能继续从事检察官工作，但在个人履历上也会留下很大的瑕疵。 下午四点之前，因为要去松山机场送首席检察官，濑川与地检厅的其他同事乘上了一辆轿车。首席检察官与次席检察官坐在前面轿车上。濑川在随后紧跟的车上看到两人低声交谈的背影。他们可能是在协商全国首席检察官会议的内容，但濑川总感到是在协商如何处理自己的辞职申请。他又感到身体飘在了空中。 穿过市区，轿车来到郊外。路旁一侧是鳞次栉比的旧时武士宅第的院门，屋宅已经开始凋敝。西斜的太阳照在褐色土墙上，发出橙色光泽。 濑川身旁坐着松山地检厅的检察官，他似乎已经知道濑川递交了辞职申请，刻意避开火灾的事，说些不着边际的话。 机场建筑很小，候机室大约有二三十人或站或坐。首席检察官似乎没有买够带去东京的礼品，还在柜台前购物。 濑川不经意地看到了三个拿着手杖的年轻女子，她们正在巡视货柜挑选土特产。她们年龄大约在二十一二到二十四五之间，手杖是巡访四国八十八寺院拜佛时专用的。她们好像来自外地，身着素雅的时装。近年来，年轻的巡山拜佛者兼做休闲旅游，所以充满了现代气息。 飞机起飞之前，送行的人们既无聊又着急。地检厅的人也心神不定地说着闲话。首席检察官买好礼品之后，同行的事务官接过去提在手中。 濑川又不经意地望望小商店，三个女子似乎已经选好了东西，正在打开钱夹。这时坐在长椅上的男子站起身来，走到女子旁边说了些什么。他上穿灰色运动衫，下穿茶色裤子，人高马大。他阻止了三个女子，自己向售货员付了款。女子们向他道了谢。 濑川推测他们可能是同行的，但从服装来看又不像。那男子应该是来送行的。付过帐之后，男子回到前面的长凳前。这时可以看到他额头很宽、卷发，气色很好。年龄大概在四十二三岁。 三个女子在男子旁边坐下，等待登机时间。正面电视机正在播放古装电影。 濑川没有仔细看那三个女子的面部特征。似乎最年长的二十四五岁的女子细长脸，下巴稍长，化着淡妆。 广播通知登机了，乘客们陆续向出口走去，送行的人们排列在两旁。 濑川走到首席检察官旁边时，一个刚赶到的男子从他前面穿过。他上穿华丽的薄绸衫，腰系宽幅的蜡染腰带，脚穿人字袢拖鞋。寸头，矮个，稍胖，二十四五岁，一副游手好闲人的打扮。 “祝您一路顺风！” “家里的工作就辛苦你了。” 进京开会的首席检察官与送行的次席检察官互致告别。首席检察官巡视到濑川的目光意味深刻，濑川也目光深沉地望着他。 首席检察官前面隔着五六个人，刚才看到的那三个女子正向登机口走去。转眼再看，刚才替女子们付钱的穿茶色裤子的壮汉正站在栏杆前。他身旁是那个刚才从濑川面前跑过去的矮胖寸头穿和服男子。三个女子向正面的飞机走去时，回身向他俩挥着手杖致意。寸头男子举起了一只