Chapter 34 first quarter

Tadaro Risuke was lying on the bed and received a letter from Kinan.Yesterday, he was discharged from the hospital in Iida, Shinshu, and returned to Tokyo.According to the doctor's instructions, he planned to rest for a few days. It was the old lady who waited on him.Assistant Kisaki also often visits him. "Teacher, you don't have to worry about your work. Just rest for a few days!" Kisaki said. Kisaki had been his assistant for many years and was able to work independently.Tashiro let him do the general work freely. Tashiro needed to rest after being discharged from the hospital, and he had to let go of what he was thinking for the time being, and he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

As soon as he came back yesterday, he hurriedly called Kuno's house.Kuno has not yet returned from Yamagata Prefecture. This is impossible!The nurse at Iida Hospital once told him that a person surnamed Kuno called him from Tokyo. Could it be that Kuno lied and said that he was on a business trip to Yamagata Prefecture, but he was actually still in Tokyo! ? He didn't dare to expose Kuno's lies to Mrs. Kuno, so he didn't ask a question on the phone.But Tashiro was still thinking about Kuno's whereabouts in his heart, and he was worried that something would happen to Kuno.

Today he received a letter from Mu Nan, postmarked "Shinshu Omachi". At this moment, Tian Zuo still had the image of Mu Nan returning excitedly after hearing what he said. Mu Nan sent him a letter from Omachi, explaining that Mu Nan flew to Omachi immediately after returning to Tokyo. Tashiro tore open the envelope and read Kinan's letter.As expected, Mu Nan went to the accident site. "...Forgive me that you have returned to Tokyo from Iida, Shinshu. This letter is addressed to your residence in Tokyo. "Are you well? "I heard what you said, and I feel it is very valuable for reference. It is not so much a reference, but rather that it touched my heart. After I returned to Tokyo, I immediately asked for leave from the newspaper office and rushed to Omachi coming.

"Perhaps you have already guessed that the wooden box you mentioned is the wooden box containing soap materials that was thrown into Kizaki Lake and Aoki Lake. I have searched all over. Yesterday I entrusted the nearby youths to salvage in Kizaki Lake. The lake is wide, and I searched roughly according to the location you mentioned, but found nothing. I was afraid that I made a mistake, so I fished in other places, but nothing was caught. I was desperate for Lake Kizaki, and today I moved to Lake Aoki. , I started searching early in the morning, and the results were the same as yesterday at Muzaki Lake. I still didn’t find the wooden box at Aoki Lake. Those young people were very enthusiastic about looking for it for me, but they found nothing. I thought I had made a mistake again, so I went again Searching in every corner of Qingmu Lake, the result is still nothing.

"In this way, no wooden boxes were found in either Aoki Lake or Muzaki Lake, which makes me suspect that no wooden boxes were thrown into the lake at all. Is it your illusion that the wooden boxes were thrown into the bottom of the lake? "However, the content of your talk deeply touched my heart. Because I don't think it should be an illusion, because it is full of truth. However, I have searched so hard, but I still can't find it, which makes me doubt your words. The truth. But the more I think about it, the more I feel that you are telling the truth. Although I can't tell you the full extent of my thoughts at this moment, I think your thoughts and my intuition are completely consistent. .As long as your thinking and my hunch are correct, then our search should not be aborted.

"I plan to continue the search tomorrow, but fortunately the newspaper is willing to pay a considerable amount of money, so there will be no financial difficulties. "Now I have a question. It is written on the wooden box that it contains soap materials, but according to your investigation, it is paraffin wax. To inject such a large amount of paraffin wax into the wooden box, it requires a considerable equipment. Due to the need for confidentiality, this equipment must be installed In a place where no one can see it. I have only just thought of this, due to my negligence. What do you think? Is there any clue to this?

"Of course, you can also imagine that this wooden box is not limited to the three places of Aoki Lake, Kizaki Lake and Suwa Lake, and may be sent to more other places, but in any case, it is related to the lake, because the crime committed Some believe that sinking to the bottom of the lake is the safest. "The remaining question is, where is this paraffin made? Please let me know as soon as possible if you have any clues. "In addition, if you have any new discoveries, please let me know." Tashiro Toshisuke's reply to Kinan is as follows: "...Since then, my body has gradually recovered. At this moment, I have returned to Tokyo from the hospital in Iida, Shinshu. I am recuperating at home. I am grateful for your concern.

"The letter mentioned that you searched for the wooden box of soap I mentioned. It was really hard. But I didn't find it in Kizaki Lake or Aoki Lake. It was beyond my expectation. You said maybe it was my illusion , but I myself have always believed it to be true. "I once told you that I heard the sound of objects being thrown into the lake at both Lake Kizaki and Lake Aoki, and I saw the ripples on the lake with my own eyes, and it was confirmed at two stations near the lake that a man picked up the wood. The facts about the crates. Both wooden crates were consigned from Shinjuku Station.

"At Lake Aoki, I witnessed a man pick up a wooden box and take a taxi away. The man was a short, fat man whose face was not clearly seen. His name appeared to be Kawai Goro. "The station where the wooden box arrived was Tsukiba Station. The wooden box said soap material, weighed 5.8 kg, was 50 cm long, 40 cm wide, and about 40 cm high. "The wooden box received at Haikou Station is said to be a candle. The contents are the same as the above wooden box. It weighs 4.1 kg, is 80 cm long and 20 cm wide. It is a slender wooden box. The shipper is Matazo Arakawa. Please Consider that one recipient is named Kawai Goro, and the other sender is Arakawa Matazo, and it is clear at a glance that they are both pseudonyms. Both names are related to 'storytelling'. Kawaai Goro is similar to Kawai Matagoro; Arakawa Matazo Imitation of Araki Mataemon. These two pseudonyms are completely like a joke, but it can't hide its disguise.

"Secondly, the factory you mentioned has exactly such a place to go. My friend Kuno is also a photojournalist, and this factory is located in a vacant lot near his home. "This vacant lot belongs to a landowner who doesn't live in Tokyo. He didn't plan to sell the land in blocks. At some point, someone actually built illegal buildings on his land. I have seen it with my own eyes. Enclosed by board walls, inside is a soap factory under construction. "The soap factory was demolished suddenly for no reason, because the landowners found out that this illegal building ordered them to demolish it, which is a matter of course. But I don't think the guys who built the soap factory planned to build it all in the first place. They Surrounded by slab walls, I don’t know what the hell was going on inside during the construction of the factory. After the goal was achieved, dismantling the factory would arouse people’s suspicion, so they deliberately informed the landowners, causing protests from the landowners, and then demolished the factory .

"I have conducted considerable investigations into this factory, but have not been informed of the truth so far. After reading your letter, I concluded that this fake factory is the factory that injects paraffin wax into wooden boxes. "My body has not fully recovered, and I cannot go out for activities for the time being. After finding out about your situation, I also plan to conduct an investigation at the same time. As mentioned above, the wooden box must be at the bottom of the lake. I wish you success in your search tomorrow." Tashiro Toshisuke finished writing the letter to Kinan and put it in an envelope. "Auntie! Please send this letter of credit courier." At this time, the phone rang, and the old lady went to answer the phone. "Sir, it's Mr. Kuno calling." Tashiro hurried to answer the phone. "Oh! Is it Tashiro? How is the injury? You are shocked." When Tashiro heard Kuno's voice, he became short of breath. "No, the injury is not too serious, and it is almost healed." Speaking of this, Tashiro suddenly remembered something. "When did you come back from Yamagata Prefecture?" Kuno was silent for a while, and said after a while: "I just came back, and I heard from my wife that you were in great trouble. I was shocked and called you quickly." Kuno's voice was a bit strange, as if he didn't want to mention "that" issue. Tashiro almost asked him: Didn't you call Iida from Tokyo? Anyway, there is always a problem here. Tashiro changed the subject. "It's been a long time since I had a drink with you. I can't go out for activities right now, and I want to talk to you about something. If it's convenient, would you like to come over?" Tashiro asked him tentatively. Kuno's answer surprised him. "Yes! I wanted to visit you. But you see, I just came back, and I have a backlog of work that needs to be dealt with. I really can't get away. Please forgive me." After finishing speaking, he paused. "Anyway, I'm going to see you in the near future, please take care! I'm sorry for today, goodbye." Kuno hung up the phone. If Tashiro lost ground, he fell into deep thought. Mu Nan's reply: "Your express letter has been received, thank you. It is great to hear that your body has recovered. The second search of Lake Aoki and Lake Kizaki mentioned in the last letter has ended yesterday, and the results are still there. Same as last time, nothing. "After searching so carefully, but still not finding it, I cannot but infer that the wooden box is not here at all. "However, I don't doubt what you think. Both lakes are very deep, and I'm afraid we won't be able to get them by our more primitive methods. It seems that without spending a lot of money and making a lot of money to search, I'm afraid it won't What are the results. "Therefore, I intend to temporarily suspend the search for the above two lakes, but this does not mean despair. "The first thing I want to thank you for is the fact that we have finally found out where the paraffin in the wooden box we were considering was poured in. After reading your letter, I have confirmed my thoughts. "I once visited Mr. Kuno's home. It happened that Mr. Kuno was away on a business trip. I didn't see him, but only saw his wife. On the way home, I walked along the narrow street and came across the open space you mentioned by chance. . "The place where the car driver Xiaoxi witnessed the proprietress of the 'Elm' bar was under the huge zelkova tree, which left a deep impression on me. "The vacant lot that I happened to see happened to be the location of the paraffin factory I wanted to know. It was beyond my expectations. I thought it was the factory you mentioned injecting paraffin into the wooden boxes. Surrounding it with a wall, pretending to be a factory, its purpose is to cover up criminal activities, this method is so ingenious, it is amazing. "The location of the factory and the choice of Shinjuku Station as the delivery station are understandable. Secondly, after the purpose is achieved, the factory will be demolished. As you said, letting the landowner issue an order for demolition will not arouse people's suspicion. In short, it all seems very natural, a strategy to confuse people's attention. "From this point of view, this case is a considerable degree of intelligent crime, and it is not a single plan, but a complex criminal act composed of comprehensive strategies. "The reason why I gave up the search of Muzhi and Qingmu Lakes was because when I was searching Qingmu Lake, a strange figure appeared among the spectators. "I heard that this person is from Shinshu Kashiwabara. He asked me what I was salvaging? I told the truth. He said that he had witnessed such a wooden box being thrown into the lake in Nojiri Lake. And he was familiar with the place where it was thrown. "I want to take a look with him. I believe that this time I will find the wooden box. "In addition, I will send the important conclusions I have written about this incident. At this moment, I am eager to go to Lake Nojiri to salvage the wooden box. I will leave this writing."