Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Evaporation

Machida City is a suburban residential area in Tokyo, and its urban appearance is rapidly developing.As the train approached the station, outside the window was a cityscape of row upon row of residential buildings.The area around the station is thriving, presenting a bustling scene of street shops in a boomtown.There is a paid parking lot near the station square, there are about twenty cars and small trucks, and there are many parking spaces.Perhaps because of the daytime, many vehicles are driving on the road.At the toll booth at the entrance, an old man in overalls was reading a book because he had nothing to do.

Taeko Hanemura had seen Tsuneko Ogata's own car before, and Shuzo Koyama remembered her license plate number, so she looked around at all the vehicles in the parking lot, but they didn't find that car. "There are no cars here!" Taeko Hanemura said, looking at the parking lot. These words aroused Koyama Shuzo's memories. I remember Shoji Hirashima's written report that Tsuneko Ogata was driving a white car when he recovered the recording tape.Besides the license plate number, the body color is also a clue.But there is no car here, maybe Tsuneko Ogata drove out or parked at her home.

Tsuneko Ogata lives at 5-6 Second Street, Nakamori Town.According to the large instruction map on the station square, it is quite a distance from here.The bus going there will leave in ten minutes.They got off at the bus stop in front of the Nakamori Post Office. Machida Street is a bus road located on flat ground that connects Yokohama and Hachioji.The location of Nakamori Town is a place close to Yokohama between Machida City and Yokohama.This area can be said to have a new look. It is not so much a new street as it is a newly developed residential city, full of large residential buildings run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

Needless to say, 5-6 Second Street was the real address.From the gate of the post office to the south, there are miscellaneous forests along the way, and the straight road is flanked by small shops and houses next to each other.There are several small intersections between the shops and the houses, and No. 5 Second Street is just where the third intersection enters east.There are plots of land for sale, new housing estates and farmhouses that have passed down from the past and are still connected to each other.The new house is small, but has a yard and a small grove.Five or six farmers gathered together, surrounded by windbreak forests.

There is a guide map standing at the intersection, indicating the location of the respective houses. On the guide map, there is the word "Ogata family".The two of them walked forward with this goal, and almost no one passed by in this area. Taeko Hanemura tapped Shuzo Koyama's elbow, and she found the "Ogata House" signboard on the right side of the road.The total area is about 260 square meters, and the Japanese-style two-story building inside covers an area of ​​about 80 square meters. On the surface, this house has a history of about seven or eight years since it was built, and there is a small garage with a closed rolling door next to it.Not only the garage, but the gate and all the other doors were tightly shut.

Shuzo Koyama and Taeko Hanemura walked side by side through the gate of Ogata's house and walked for more than 100 meters. There are few houses here. It is a large area of ​​miscellaneous forests, rice fields and dry land. They stopped at the place where the road extended into the dry land. Taeko Hanemura said, "That seems to be her home!" "Why don't you pass by Ogata's house?" "Did you see that?" 'Hey, what do you see? ' Xiaoshan Xiusan asked. Hanemura Taeko raised her eyes to look at his face: "On the road opposite Ogata's house, there are four or five women from neighbors gathered, and they seem to be standing there talking. When I passed by just now, I glanced there."

"I didn't look at you. It's time for housewives to go shopping in the evening like now, and it's also a time for them to do household chores together." "No, they seem to be whispering something, which is different from the usual atmosphere of washing clothes and chatting by the well. Among them, two women are looking at the Ogata family." "You are watching while walking, and you are observing so carefully just by scanning for a while." "That scene came to my eyes instantly, and it can be regarded as my intuition. I think they were talking about the Ogata family with each other, and it was not auspicious! Yes, it would not be a good thing for women to gather on the road and chat. Most of them are gloating, as can be seen from their expressions."

"..." "I think the whispers among the housewives must be about the Ogata family. It seems that saying that General Iron is keeping the door means that something bad happens to the Ogata family." "You mean you've had some bad luck?" "Hey, I always think that's the case. The Ogata family with the doors and windows closed must have some misfortune." "Then why don't you go to the women to inquire? I'm a man, so it's inconvenient to inquire about such things. According to my intuition, they won't leave for the time being."

"But I don't know how to ask." "Can you pretend to be a cashier of an insurance company or a cosmetics company or something else? Just say, I have been to Ms. Ogata's house, but it seems that there is no one at home, maybe I am traveling? If they whisper The content is the Ogata family's business, and it will definitely respond to you." Taeko Hanemura was told by Shuzo Koyama, as if she had made up her mind, she walked alone, turned around where she came from, and came to the door of Ogata's house again. Taeko Hanemura looked at General Tie to open the door He pressed the doorbell on the door frame with his hand, and then assumed the posture of waiting for an answer from the house.

At this moment, the four neighbor women who had been standing on the opposite road turned their faces towards her at the same time. Taeko Hanemura thought to herself, as Shuzo Koyama said, they took the closed door of the Ogata House as a topic of discussion, and when they saw a visitor, their attention naturally shifted to Taeko Hanemura. Hanemura Taeko pressed the doorbell again with her back to them, but there was still no response in the room, so she pretended to be helpless and looked at the Ogata family. "Hello." A greeting came from behind, "There is no one in the Ogata family."

Taeko Hanemura turned her head and saw a chubby middle-aged woman with black-rimmed glasses shaking her head among the four women.So she walked towards them. "I'm from the life insurance company." She put her long hair up and tried to put on a smile on the salesman's face, "...Is there no one in the Ogata family?" In addition to the fat woman with glasses, there were also women with bad complexions, short women, and broad-shouldered women, all in their thirties and forties.The woman who called her from behind was the oldest. "Are you looking for the husband or wife of the Ogata family?" asked the same woman wearing black-rimmed glasses. "It's Mrs. Ogata." "If you're looking for your wife, you might not come back for quite some time." The woman with glasses said in a sarcastic tone. "Did you say two or three days or about a week?" Taeko Hanemura asked the other party further in a gentle tone, "Oh, then, when are you coming back?" The woman with glasses and the other three women looked at each other silently. "Is it a couple traveling together?" "No, it's just Madam alone, it doesn't seem to be traveling." "Oh, so that's the case. In fact, it was Madam who called me to invite me to come today, so I came to visit. I didn't expect..." "When was that call?" The short, thin woman interjected, speaking quite quickly. "That's right!" Taeko Hanemura felt that she couldn't show her flaws, so she said carefully that it was ten days ago. "Well, ten days ago? If it was ten days ago, Madam was still at home. She disappeared a week ago." The woman with glasses said to the other three women. Hearing that Tsuneko Ogata disappeared a week ago, Taeko Hanemura was shocked.To say "missing" is not a common way of saying it.If not travel, what would it be? "Maybe something is wrong?" The woman wearing glasses seemed to say on behalf of everyone, but the other three women also looked at each other with complicated expressions on their faces. A very contradictory mentality. The woman wearing glasses didn't seem to have that mentality, her mouth was slightly opened, as if she was waiting for Taeko Hanemura to ask further. "Well, if Mrs. Ogata has something to do, are you worried about something..." Taeko Hanemura frowned, trying her best to show a worried look for the client. "Oh..." The woman wearing glasses hesitated for a while, looking at the expressions on the faces of the other three people as if they were discussing and asking for opinions. They seemed to be talking to each other with smiles. "That...she is my old client, I will never disclose the situation you told me to others." Taeko Hanemura said in a low voice, half of the expression on her face was worried about the Ogata family, and half was to take the initiative to get close to them . At some point, she was already standing beside them. "Since it's work, let me tell you!" The woman wearing glasses finally moved her lips. "Okay, please tell! No matter how you are asked, I will never tell others!" Taeko Hanemura said to them again as if she had sworn. "Then please! Please keep it secret. Don't say that we provided you with this information." "You don't have to worry." "Actually..." The housewife wearing glasses glanced at the three women again. "Ms. Ogata disappeared a week ago!" She came to Hanemura Taeko and said in a low voice with her mouth close to her ear. "Hey, is that true?" Seeing Hanemura Taeko's dumbfounded expression, the housewives felt as satisfied as they expected, and nodded repeatedly. "It's true. In fact, her husband has already reported the case to the police four days ago and asked to find him." Because this situation was so unexpected, Taeko Hanemura was stunned, unable to speak, but her eyes were so wide that her pupils were about to pop out of their sockets.In fact, even though it was an accident, but... "I can't believe it! So, there is still no clue about Mrs. Ogata's whereabouts," Taeko Hanemura asked, swallowing. "I heard that the police have contacted her husband and said they haven't found any clues yet." Taeko Hanemura heard from Shoji Hirashima that Tsuneko Ogata lived with her husband. "Huh, so that's what happened!" Taeko Hanemura seemed to hold her breath for a while, and then she pretended to be worried and asked, "Well, did Madam run away from home or was kidnapped by someone and her whereabouts are unknown? " "Well, I really don't know. Her husband didn't say anything about the reason why the lady left home." "Did the lady go away while her husband was away?" "Madam seems to be doing some temporary work outside, and she didn't come back after going out for work." Assuming that you don't go home to work as a temporary worker, it will probably be Wednesday.All of a sudden, Taeko Hanemura's heart became anxious and restless. "Which day was there was no news from Madam?" "Oh..." The woman wearing glasses looked at the other three housewives. The broad-shouldered woman said: "Madam disappeared on the twelfth of this month. Her husband told me so, and I remember it clearly." "If it's the 12th, it's probably Wednesday, right?" Sako Hanemura said to herself, and quickly took out her notebook to check the calendar on it. May 12th was indeed Wednesday. "Ms. Ogata goes to Tokyo every Wednesday as a temporary worker, do you know that?" asked the short woman with thin lips. "Yes. Because Madame said that there is no one in her house on Wednesday, and I hope you don't come to her house to collect insurance premiums on that day." "Oh, so that's what happened." The short woman nodded in agreement with this answer. "Then, Madam has to go out to work as a temporary worker once a week. What kind of work is that?" Taeko Yumura wanted to check whether the housewives knew about this situation. "According to Mrs. Ogata, she is investigating the sales of a new product at Shimbashi, and drives to work every Wednesday morning." Investigating the sales of a company's new products in Shimbashi... Taeko Hanemura remembered that there were many bronze plaques hanging at the entrance of the ratings survey company building with many company names on them.In order to conceal the job content of the temporary workers, Mrs. Ogata used ingenious excuses, and the excuses were those copper signs. Suddenly, the housewives fell silent.Because, a tall and skinny man walked out of the dual-purpose door of Ogata's house.The housewives immediately became uneasy, some looked down, some turned their backs there, and said nothing about Mrs. Ogata's situation, and left as if they suddenly remembered something urgent. Hanemura Taeko turned her face and stood there looking at it. The tall man looked about fifty years old, with a large thinning hair, which may be the reason for the thinness. Compared with the long face, the chin appeared sharper.Dark complexion, sunken eyes, but bright eyes.Judging from his appearance in only a tunic and trousers, and from the way the women who were talking about him scattered when they saw him, there was no doubt that he was the husband Ryohei Ogata.Taeko Hanemura returned to Shuzo Koyama and reported the whispers of the women around Ogata's house. "The twelfth is Wednesday, and the housewives in the neighborhood also know that it is the day when Tsuneko Ogata went out to work as a temporary worker, but Ogata Gakiko described her job as investigating the sales of new products, concealing the fact that she went to work for a TV ratings and investigation company. I think she is unusual." Taeko Hanemura said. "She said she was investigating the sales of a certain new product, so there must be a company signboard with similar content hanging at the entrance of the building?" Xiaoshan Shusan also guessed so. "So Dafan can subtly cover up the job content of temporary workers?! I think her excuse is too good." "But Tsuneko Ogata never came back after going out to do a temporary job on the 12th?" "That's what the women just said." "I'm really surprised! I've always had a strange premonition, but I didn't expect it to come true. And, the woman really disappeared!" Koyama Shusan unconsciously stroked his beard. Touch the beard. "How does her husband look?" "It seems to be listless and overwhelmed. That's natural." "How do those housewives see Tsuneko Ogata's disappearance?" "They speak hesitantly and have a lot of worries. However, they seem to want to reveal something to me in their hearts." "It's possible. They want to say something but they want to hide it. They are hesitant. This is human psychology. Women, especially, are very vacillating. Also, most of what they reveal is their own inference, right? !" "Hey, hey, despite being cautious, they still suspect that Tsuneko Ogata's disappearance is related to an extramarital affair." "Does that mean Tsuneko Ogata has a lover?" "That's not the case. They said Tsuneko Ogata is beautiful and always talks about how she likes to dress up; they also said that this is not their own deduction, but the police station told them that they started the investigation from extramarital affairs." "Police, Ryohei Ogata seems to have officially asked the police to find his wife, but are the police looking for his wife seriously?" "I don't know. Recently, the police may also investigate the wife-seeking case submitted by the victim's family as a suspected murder case. That's what the newspaper said." "Well, that's what the newspaper said, but..." Shuzo Koyama widened his eyes as if he had noticed something.Then, based on the information provided by Taeko Hanemura, he continued: "Recently, there have been many cases of running away from home and being killed. The police launched investigations at the request of the family members. These cases were published in the newspapers. However, the cases published in the newspapers were generally murdered. It is very suspicious. It is said that the police disclosed the situation to nearby women for investigation." He peeked at the expression on Taeko Hanemura's face. "Oh, I don't know about that situation! Regarding the extramarital affair speculation, I think those wives are hard to tell, and they may lie and claim that it was the police." Taeko Hanemura even tilted her head. "Among the temporary recycler women we've seen, Tsuneko Ogata is the most beautiful and fashionable." She seems to have something in her words: the theory of extramarital affairs is not unreasonable. "There is also the appearance of her husband, who seems to be much older than her. I heard that he is a clerk in a commercial company in Tokyo. Hirashima-kun also introduced her husband." Sako Hanemura said. Shuzo Koyama heard from Shoji Hirashima about the results of the "follow-up investigation".Shoji Hirashima inspected Ogata Tsuneko’s residence the next day after verifying his residence. Her husband, Ryohei Ogata, looked almost fifty years old, with sparse hair on the back of his head, wearing a wool sweater on his upper body, and wearing a work pants.Since his back was facing outside, he couldn't see his face clearly.That beautiful Tsuneko Ogata only came out of the house once, and there was only a husband and wife in the house, and there seemed to be a difference of more than ten years in age. "There is a big age difference between the husband and wife, and Hengzi Ogata is beautiful. Based on these circumstances, the housewives in the neighborhood have different opinions about her having an extramarital affair." Taeko Hanemura made a fuss about Shuzo Koyama, worried that talking with him in a dimly lit place with no pedestrians would be misunderstood as a relationship.If you pass in front of Ogata's house, you are worried that the nearby housewives are talking there again, so you take another road and walk towards the station. "Besides, what else could be the reason for Ogata Gakiko's disappearance?" Shuzo Koyama said along the way. "The rest is probably money." "Oh, it's possible. We followed and observed those recyclers for a long time, and found that almost all the housewives looked exhausted. They dozed off listlessly as soon as they got on the tram." "The number C I followed and observed, she hesitated for a long time to buy a shirt at the open shelf counter of the Baidai store, and finally chose one, and it was a cheap one. From the recycling of housewives From the point of view of the staff, the money problem is so likely..." The disappearance of Tsuneko Ogata was due to running away from home or with someone outside.If the former, it is undoubtedly an extramarital affair; if the latter, it is a money issue.In short, both are currently difficult to determine.Those housewife recyclers didn't go to Ginza after delivering the recording tapes to the company, but whether they went straight home or dozed off on the train home, there was no major financial entanglement like Tsuneko Ogata's disappearance.However, that is the common impression of women recyclers in appearance.If it belongs to the personal inside story of the tail shape, it is special. On the train bound for Shinjuku from Machida Station on the Odakyu Line, Shuzo Koyama was still thinking. When he was young, he said to Taeko Hanemura, who was next to him with her hair covering her ears, "Besides, there seems to be other reasons." Taeko Hanemura was reading a magazine, looking up with her pure eyes: "What is that? Maybe it has something to do with the letter writer who signed the letter by Umeko Hattori, Oiso-machi." Taeko Hanemura's gaze flickered. "What are the related factors?" At this time, the sun outside the universe was already thick. "Hey, as soon as you mentioned the related elements, I managed to answer! I can't say whether it is that kind of element, but such an idea suddenly popped up in my mind." Hanemura Taeko didn't say anything, and returned to the expression of no eyes.This is just the whim of the little tiger, with a disinterested expression on his face. Around the station, there are lively lights on the street.The tram passed there and went on in the dark again, and the distant lights on the plain flickered intermittently. There's a bit of what's been learned so far, but it's not as interconnected as a distant flickering light.Shuzo Koyama talked to himself, but he couldn't say that it was related to the disappearance of Tsuneko Ogata and the letter from Umeko Hattori who wrote the letter.However, Shuzo Koyama suddenly thought of one thing at this moment. The day the recycler Tsuneko Ogata disappeared was Wednesday, May 12th, and it has been a week since now.Wasn't it also the time when the newspaper published a letter from the writer Umeko Hattori?Just to be on the safe side, he asked Hanemura Taeko which day the letter was published in the newspaper. "It was six days ago, and that was the newspaper on May 13." Taeko Hanemura answered his question sleepily. On the second day after returning from Oiso Town, Shuzo Koyama went to the district library to check the bound volumes of three newspapers.Tsuneko Ogata disappeared on May 12. He wondered if there was such a report in the newspaper.The rumors that Taeko Hanemura inquired from near Ogata's house are not sufficient, and I don't know how detailed and thorough they are.There are three avenues for understanding this situation. First, go to the Metropolitan Police Department or police station that received the report to inquire about the details.Needless to say, even if I went there, who had nothing to do with the case, the police would definitely not say anything. Second, find out what happened after meeting Huanzi Ogata's husband.It's hard to do, though, and there's no reason for him to talk. Third, go to the ratings survey company in Xinqiao to inquire.Tsuneko Ogata is a recycler of the company. Although he is a temporary worker, he seems to have been working for a long time, which is similar to that of a regular employee. Especially Tsuneko Ogata disappeared on a recycling day on Wednesday, so the company should know.However, this point is even more impossible to implement than the first two points. Although there is no reason for the other party to tell me like the former, I just monitor and track the recycler.Even though the motive is "curiosity", in a sense, this behavior is the same as covert investigation.During the course of the secret investigation, the company was not even visited. From this point of view, there is no hope at all to inquire about the situation from these three aspects.Although I thought about it on the train last night, I don't know whether the letter from the reader in the newspaper is related to the disappearance of Kanko Ogata. As the tram jolted and swayed, the thought bubbled through his mind like a bubble.If so, all that remains is to consult the articles that have been reported in the newspapers. In the library, he consulted three bound volumes of newspapers and periodicals.After Ryohei Ogata submitted a request for finding his wife to the police, the newspaper stopped reporting it.But recently, a young child's whereabouts were unknown, and it was immediately reported in the newspapers. Things like husbands submitting petitions to the police to find their wives may not be reported.If such a news report is published for a while, the housewives in the neighborhood who are talking about Tsuneko Ogata should tell Taeko Hanemura.The reason why they didn't say it was because it hadn't been published in the newspaper yet. Koyama Shuzo also flipped through the newspapers before May 12th.He didn't want to look for reports related to the disappearance of recycler Tsuneko Ogata from there, but just occasionally read it, and gradually, he was attracted by the wonderful reports on the social page. which has headers like this: The abducted girl Keiko returned home safely, but the suspect and the place of detention are still unknown After reading the headline, Shuzo Koyama began to recall, how could there be such an abduction case.Just now, the reason why I felt that if it was a child abduction case, it might be reported in the newspaper immediately, seems to be because this situation has been kept in my brain.The cadre of a certain company lives in Matsumon, Shibuya Ward. His third daughter, Keiko, is six years old. She disappeared suddenly while playing in a nearby park.This happened on April 16, and the police launched an investigation as a kidnapping case. "Ah, I also saw these things through the newspapers." Shuzo Koyama was slowly flipping through the bound newspaper while recalling.The seats in the district library are almost all occupied by junior high school students and high school students, and there are not many adult readers. Shuzo Koyama returned the bound newspaper and walked out of the library, feeling a pain in his head. The news published in the newspaper seems to have nothing to do with the disappearance of Tsuneko Ogata, a recycler from Sumachida City.In fact, this is a matter of course, and it is impossible for the newspaper to publish everything.The idea that you can find something by reading the newspaper is just an immature fantasy. The weather outside was fine, Shuzo Koyama was walking home - there were many pedestrians coming and going on the road, but they were all people who had nothing to do with him. He was walking slowly, and suddenly felt that someone was staring at him from behind, so he turned around suddenly, but they were all strangers, and no one was paying special attention to him. Shuzo Koyama returned to the cafe feeling uncomfortable, only to see Shoji Hirashima had come to the shop and was waiting for him drinking coffee. "Hello!" Shoji Hirashima straightened his slightly hunched back from the table and smiled at Xiaoshan Xiu three times. Sister Kumiko walked up to her brother and said, "He's been waiting for you for almost an hour!" "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Koyama Shuzo immediately sat next to Hirashima Shoji after speaking, and did not expect Hirashima Shoji to visit his cafe. "Nothing, nothing, because there is no contact at all, so I came without saying hello." Xiao Shanxiu looked around the store, there were young couples and students, about ten people, most of them were regular customers.Shoji Hirashima sat in the corner seat from the beginning. "Miss Hanemura told me about the situation of Oiso and Tsuneko Ogata of Machida City yesterday." After Koyama Shuzo calmed down, he lowered his voice and asked, "So that's the case. Then, what do you think?" Shuzo Koyama noticed that Shoji Hirashima came here because Taeko Hanemura had told him about Tsuneko Ogata's situation. "You've worked hard!" Shoji Hirashima said first, "...the writer who was published in the newspaper and signed Hattori Umeko, I felt suspicious from the very beginning, and the two TV stations rushed to Oiso to look for...then A letter from a reader really shocked the TV station and the production company." "However, Hirashima-kun, although the name of the writer is fictitious, but I went there to find the two TV stations of the writer, and I think the one who later went there and claimed to be RBC TV station is also a fake." Shoji Hirashima stirred with a spoon in the cup that Kumiko brought, and he drank an unknown number of cups.After thinking for a while, he said, "That's not like a TV station, maybe it's a production company. Maybe because the production company thinks it's a small company, they pretended to be RBC TV station. The VVC TV station that went to Daiso earlier may be real." "Press, I think so too." "Regardless of the TV station or the production company, they can all be interpreted as looking for Hattori Umeko, but..." Shoji Hirashima deduced that it was the production company that went into Oiso later, but his tone was not so sure.Shuzo Koyama didn't know what was going on. "As I heard last time, the content of the letter is the same as the internal report of the ratings research company. I think many parties are trying to find out who wrote the letter." Shoji Hirashima said. "Secondly, it's surprising that Tsuneko Ogata's whereabouts are unknown in Machida City! Because Tsuneko Ogata, No. D, was followed by Hirashima-kun." "That's right, I was at a loss when I heard from Taeko Hanemura that there was no news about Koko Ogata." Shoji Hirashima looked stunned. "Is that so? Because you went to Machida City and even investigated her family structure. I also talked with Taeko Hanemura, and said that you will be surprised when you know this situation!" Koyama Shuzo looked at the eyes of Hirashima Shoji. wrinkle. "I'm really surprised! Because I have seen Tsuneko Ogata herself, and I have also observed her husband and her house, and I always feel like something happened to someone else." "I understand how you feel. But after hearing the general situation from Taeko Hanemura, how did you deduce the disappearance of Tsuneko Ogata?" "There is no conclusive basis, and it is impossible to judge at the moment, but as a guess, there are three points that can be considered. First, she clearly has a husband, but she has extramarital affairs with other men. Second, there is a big age gap between her and her husband. Then there is the matter of money. The lending and borrowing of money often leads to disputes until tragedy strikes." "Well, that's how it is." "However, I think this possibility is the least. As far as the housewives we observed, although they are temporary workers, they are exhausted by the recycling work. Also, I think their family's economic conditions are not well-off." "Yeah, because I'm not rich, sometimes it's inevitable to borrow money, and there will be disputes about the borrowed money." "If it wasn't for borrowing huge sums of money, it wouldn't have developed into a vicious case." "That's actually... Hey, speaking of this, you can also consider whether it has something to do with the TV station." "I discussed this possibility with Taeko Hanemura on the train ride home. Tsuneko Ogata disappeared after leaving home on the morning of Wednesday, May 12, and Wednesday was a day for collecting recording tapes. No doubt, the housewives in the neighborhood I didn’t know she was a recycler hired by a ratings survey company. Since she disappeared on that Wednesday, I think it might be related to the TV station.” "You mean the TV station surveys the ratings?" "No, then I don't know." "I have something to show you." Shoji Hirashima took out the folded paper from his pocket, unfolded it and showed it to Shusan Koyama, it was about the size of a manuscript paper, it was an internal publication folded in two, and the front and back were printed font.The upper part of the first page is printed with a rectangular border, and the masthead of "TR Newsletter" is printed in red, and the font is unique. "This seems to be a publication of TV stations and radio stations." Hirashima Shoji said. No doubt the "T" refers to the TV station and the "R" refers to the radio station.Below the headline is a report on the dialogue between the director of a certain TV station and a reporter.The second page is information reports, for example, the personnel changes of high-level cadres of various TV stations; a certain TV station has successfully developed technology; a certain TV station has purchased the latest foreign equipment; information about overseas TV station industry, etc., are all reliable reports.The third page is light reports, for example, the inside story of new shows, interviews with actors, anonymous symposiums, etc.The fourth page, that is, the bottom page, reports the voices of the production sites of various TV stations and the voices of readers.The bottom section of this page publishes the personnel changes of each TV station.In short, it is a modest internal publication. There are many advertisements for TV stations and radio stations in the bottom three paragraphs of each page. Koyama Shuzo roughly flipped through the content of each page, but he didn't understand what Hirashima Shoji intended for this TR newsletter. "You don't have to read such content." Shoji Hirashima reached out to Shuzo Koyama to pick up the TR newsletter on the table, and flipped to the fourth page. "It publishes the appointment and dismissal orders of various TV stations and radio stations. In this issue of the TR newsletter, it seems that the appointment and dismissal orders of the ratings survey company are published, as well as the last situation before the change of each station." "Yes, yes, ah, even the personnel changes of the ratings research company are published!" He was a little surprised. "Sure enough, it's a ratings survey company! Please take a closer look at the company's appointment and removal matters." The personnel changes of the TV viewing survey company are as follows: 1. Approve the retirement of Saburo Nanso, the head of the materials department, and enjoy ministerial treatment. May 5 2. Appoint Toshio Kondo, Deputy Chief of the Materials Section, as Chief of the Materials Section. May 5 3. Appointment of the materials department member Shan Jifu as the deputy chief of the materials department. May 5 4. Approve the application for resignation from the Deputy Chief of the Management Section, No Hirota. May 15 Today is May 20th.Koyama Shuzo raised his face and looked at Shoji Hirashima, as if asking what was going on. Are there any doubts about the appointment and dismissal of the ratings survey company published in the TR newsletter?Shuzo Koyama watched the expression on Shoji Hirashima's face. "It's like this. The management department of this company seems to be the department responsible for investigating TV ratings, including recyclers who go to sample households to recycle recording tapes." Shoji Hirashima murmured. "Hey, is it true?" Koyama Shusan only asked this sentence, making him feel that there seemed to be something in it.Since the person who resigned was a cadre in charge of the department related to the sampled households, it might have something to do with the women recyclers, and he suddenly understood why Shoji Hirashima came here. "The management department is actually the department responsible for ratings surveys. I didn't realize it at all." In order to inquire about what Hirashima Shoji had already learned, Koyama Shuzo said, "I didn't realize that there are many differences in the scope of duties of the management department depending on the company." "I called the editorial department of this TR newsletter, and I got this answer. Although I am not interested in the personnel changes of TV stations and radio stations, it is really a coincidence that there are reports of personnel changes of the ratings research company. It caught my eye tightly." "Understood! Then, Hirota Nagano, deputy chief of the management department, asked to resign. What's the special meaning?" "Before talking about this situation, we must understand the structure of the management department of the ratings research company." "Ah, ah, so that's what happened." "The main responsibility of the Management Section seems to be to manage the sampled households, from selection to the signing of the sampled household contracts with the selected TV households, and the collection of recording tapes." "Then their remit also includes women recyclers?" "Of course! The recyclers seem to be selected by the department as well, and they are designated to be responsible for the collection of sample households." "There are other responsibilities! Take the recording tapes they collected from the sampled households from the recyclers, and put them into the instrument to restore the numbers. This number is the basic data for calculating the ratings ranking." "It's the central department." Koyama Shuzo said softly. "Yes, it is the department that calculates the ratings ranking based on the basic receipts from the sample households, that is, the central organization of the ratings survey company." "Hirashima-kun, where did you hear about this?" "That's what someone from TR's newsletter editorial department told me on the phone. Needless to say, that must be the case." "In that case, it means that the editorial department of TR Communications is very clear about the organizational structure and respective functions of the ratings survey company." Shuzo Koyama has always had a sense of mystery about ratings survey companies, so he was surprised when he heard the news. "Although it claims to be a ratings survey company, it is actually a commercial company, and its organizational structure and responsibility structure are absolutely secret. But other circumstances, such as the actual household effects of the sampled households, household information such as the head of the sampled household, name and address, etc. It’s all confidential. Even the editorial department of TR Communications is not aware of the situation.” Shoji Hirashima said. "The editorial department of TR Communications is probably a professional publication. Even so, maybe you don't know the confidential part of the ratings survey company?" “大概是不知道的，你看一下排列在那里的广告。基本上都是民营电视台和民营电台的！而且都是应酬广告。根据这样的情况可以判断，该TR通讯编辑部的属性，说是行业刊物，但它不是揭行业短处的刊物，是行业内部的友好俱乐部通讯刊物！” “这么说，报道方面也是把友好放在第一位的吧？” 小山修三重新翻开摆在自己面前的TR通讯阅读。 “因此从这家TR通讯编辑部的角度来看，收视调查公司不会有什么问题。不管怎么说，报道的主要对象是各电视台。” “但是从我们的角度分析，希望了解收视调查公司的情况，哪怕一点点信息也行。” “那呀，没指望。”平岛庄次摇摇头。 "why?" “因为这家收视调查公司是由各民营电视台出资设立的，各民营电视台都是它的股东。我认为，TR通讯编辑部也不会为难这家收视调查公司，否则会得罪各重要股东的。” “各民营电视台之所以不希望TR通讯编辑部挑剔收视调查公司，是因为在收视率内容方面，民营电视台与收视调查公司之间很默契。” “啊，这到底怎么回事呀？我觉得可以这么说，收视调查公司计算的收视率确实已经成为民营电视台之间的收视率基准。绝对保护收视调查公司的观点，已经成为民营电视台的统一认识。如果阴暗面被揭露出来，收视率是上帝的神话就会崩溃，受收视率左右的电视台内外秩序就会乱成一片。”平岛庄次接着说出受收视率统治的内外秩序会出现一片混乱的理由，“收视率是上帝之神话，既是掌管电视行业秩序的绝对权威，又是让广告赞助商和社会大众相信收视率是公平的科学调查结果。我认为，收视调查公司的收视率在维持电视行业内部和外部社会的信用秩序。因此，电视台也不太希望收视调查公司被挑出什么毛病，否则会导致原有的秩序崩溃而不受让会大众欢迎的吧？！” “如果是这意思，我明白了。”小山修三用手帕擦拭粘在胡须上的咖啡，点点头。 “……原来如此！那么，TR通讯当然不能彻底调查那家收视调查公司！因为那里是禁区。” “对于温和型的行业刊物来说。那里确实可以说是禁区。” “那，上面刊登收视调查公司任免事项和管理科副科长的辞职批复有什么意思呢？” 小山修三猜测，这大概也是平岛庄次来这里的目的吧？瞧他那模样。他觉得平岛庄次从极其普通的任免事项介绍报道中嗅出了点什么，咽了口唾沫后期待他住下说。 “我先补充一点，收视调查公司管理科里有正副科长各一人、股长两人和科员八人。这是我向TR通讯编辑部打听时他们告诉我的，因为内部的组织结构是不保密的。”平岛庄次一边看小笔记本一边说，“两个股长是这样分工的。一个股长的工作职责是，选定抽样家庭，与抽样家庭交涉签订合同，酬谢抽样家庭，负责出借收视记录器和回收记录纸带，也就是负责管理那些妇女回收员。另一个股长的工作职责是，把回收来的记录纸带放在仪器里还原成数字，然后进行统计。从某种意义上讲，是负责技术管理。所谓记录纸带，有点像常见的卷筒纸，但细长，表面像键盘穿孔器那样有许多孔洞。统计，可能是采用电脑计算。各电视台的节目顺序，包括小数点以下的百分比，都要在第二天才能计算出来。这，通常由电脑操作。” “往下说！” 平岛庄次继续说：“……提出退职申请的管理科副科长，其职责是实际指挥这两个股长工作。科长是总管理，副科长在科长与股长之间，是具体的事务工作。无论什么企业，都是这种分工管理模式。” 平岛庄次一个劲地把综合评论作为前提，没有直接进入话题中心。现在终于说了：“可是，五月十五日退职的管理科副科长长野博太，就是那个在收视调查公司大楼门前做午后工间操的人。” 'what? ”小山修三吃惊地看着平岛庄次。 他开始回忆：宽额，圆脸上戴着眼镜，两脚叉开，两手忽上忽下，还不时地转动腰部，小肚子朝外凸出。眼镜后面的一对眼睛很大，一边左右打量，一边煞有介事地做着体操。那个时候，凑巧是妇女回收员开始返回公司交付记录纸带的时间。 长野博太站在门口做操，是观察是否有人跟踪和监视妇女回收员。关于该情况，小山修三、平岛庄次和羽根村妙子都察觉到了。原来，做操的人就是被批准辞职的长野博太，还是收视调查公司的管理科副科长。现在回想起来，其职务与当时警惕周围的举止相符。小山修三虽然吃惊不小，可没有感到意外。 “你怎么知道他就是长野博太？” “我装作一无所知的模样打听，于是收视调查公司的接待小姐告诉我了。我是装扮成书店伙计问她的，我比划着长野博太的长相，说他应该是贵公司的职员，承蒙他向我们商店预定书籍，可我粗心大意，忘了他的名字。我这么一说，接待小姐回答说：'啊，那是长野博太副科长，可他已经不在我们公司工作了。'不用说，接待小姐没有提起他辞职的事情。另外，她也许不知道是哪种原因而辞职的。我也没问……但是，长野博太副科长离开公司是有原因的！” “这是怎么回事？”当平岛庄次说到收视调查公司管理科副科长退职一事时，小山修三瞪大眼睛注视着他。 “那也是从TR通讯编辑部得到的暗示，因为我说出了自己是海鸥制片公司的平岛庄次。尽管我们公司不大，但毕竟是制片公司，TR通讯编绢部的人就不会像对待其他询问那样冷淡。还有，我提的问题是长野博太现在的年龄。” “是怎么回答的？” “哎，希望你听听。不愧是行业刊物！TR及通讯编辑部的资料库里，保存着收视调查公司的职员一览表。” "what!" “他们查阅职员一览表后把长野博太的年龄告诉了我。原来，他刚满三十四岁。” “比较年轻。” “是的。大学毕业进公司，那么年轻就被提升为管理科副科长，受到公司器重的他现在却辞职不干了。我觉得肯定有问题。” “我想，可能是找到了更好的工作，或者自己单干经营什么……” “这情况我难以开口询问，但还是要求TR通讯编辑部打听一下收视调查公司有关长野博太辞职的原因。我对他们说了，海鸥制片公司得到过他的关照，不能不关心他现在的情况。多亏制片公司这块招牌起了作用，一个小时后对方来电话回答说，关于长野博太退职，收视调查公司的答复非常暧昧，似乎是不太希望向外界公开似的。不用说，TR通讯编辑部不能再打听了。” “这么说，长野博太的退职……” “是啊，形式上要求退职，实际上可能是被迫退职。这是我的判断。” “你那么早下结论，能与实际情况相吻合吗？” “我打听到了长野博太的住址，也是根据职员一览表的。他住在杉井区高圆寺栎树栋住宅区3－8－23。” “你说什么？”小山修三大脑的角落里涌现出当时的情景。 如果是高因寺住宅区，岂不是与羽根村妙子跟踪的B号住址相同吗…… “喂，喂，听平岛君的口吻，是调查过长野博太的情况了吧？” “其实，我今天下午去了高圆寺，确实是太想了解长野博太被迫辞职的原因。” “啊啊，果然是那么回事！所以你来咖啡馆等我。”小山修三这才明白了他的来意。 “那，结果是怎么回事？” “长野博太三天前就失踪了。” “长野博太三天前出走后就没有回来过？” 小山修三问后，又一次盯着平岛庄次睡眼惺忪的眼睛。 “是啊，他夫人在家呢！就是3－8－23房屋。她说，丈夫因找新的工作单位去了大阪。我则自我介绍说是某制片公司的，是来拜访她丈夫的。”平岛庄次说。 “三天前？如果是三天前，那是十七日吧！也就是他辞职申请被批准后没几天嘛！” “是的，我因为听说他是去大阪找新的工作单位，所以越来越觉得长野博太多半是被迫辞职。否则，他不可能匆忙去大阪找工作。” “他在大阪那里有亲戚还是熟人？” “他夫人无精打采的，我没向她打听。” “他夫人垂头丧气吗？” “喂，看上去神情沮丧。” “这么说，果然像你说的那样，长野博太被解除收视调查公司的工作？” “也许比解除工作还要严重！是被迫退职。如果真是解除工作，在任免事项上有可能写成退职。” 小山修三单肘支撑在桌上，无意识地抚摸胡须。 “……原因是什么呢？” “那是我想了解的地方。” “是挪用公司公款吗？” “他的职责范围触及不到公司巨款。” “那么，也许操作过给抽样家庭的酬谢金吧？” “哦，那没几个钱！每月支付给每户的酬谢金，充其量只有两三千日元吧？！” “一个月给抽样家庭酬谢金只有两三千日元？那么便宜？绝对不可能那么少。为了保证收视记录，凡是有节目的时侯就必须整天开着电视机。这么麻烦的事情，偏偏……” “是的……我就觉得支付给抽样家庭的酬谢金不会很多！” “尽管那样，可总数量不少哟！假设支付每户三千日元，关东地区的抽样家庭有五百户，那就是一百五十万日元呢。” “那只是收视调查公司对外公布的数字而已。” “啤，原来是这样。问题就出在那里！假设三百户，那就是九十万日元吧？” “其实，抽样家庭在关东地区实际有多少，每户一个月的酬谢金是多少，与管理科副科长挪用联系不上。” "why?" “我想，那样的酬谢金是以支票或者汇款形式由财务科直接汇给抽样家庭的。” "..." “长野博太被迫退职是其他原因。” “企业内部派系的斗争是常有的事。”小山修三嘟哝着说。 “不，不能那么想。他只不过是管理科副科长。容易被卷入派系斗争成为牺牲品的，多半是企业里的高层干部！”平岛庄次这么说。 “那么说，是为了女人？”小山修三觉得以前也说过类似的话。 那是说谁？对，是说D号尾形恒子。顿时，他好像察觉到什么了，兴奋得心脏怦怦直跳。 因为，第一次监视收视调查公司大楼门前的时候，记得那天，尾形恒子穿黄色上衣和红色喇叭裤。自五月十二日星期三以来，尾形恒子行踪不明，音讯全无。而批准长野博太退职的通知，是三天后的五月十五日。据妻子说，丈夫长野博太是五月十七日去大阪找工作的。这两个日子都很接近。 “有关长野博太和D号之间的情况，由于D号身世尚未了解清楚，因此目前什么也不能说。”小山修三说道。 “根据长野妻子的说话语气，我丝毫不觉得他的辞职与婚外恋有关。” “我想，无论什么男人，如果是婚外恋，多半要对妻子隐瞒。” “不，不，那是最近的情况。如果被迫辞职或者说被公司辞退，丈夫就无法隐瞒，不得不向妻子坦白婚外恋情况。” “他会那样吗？” “会的，我曾把长野博太的退职和昨天羽根村小姐提供的尾形恒子失踪联系起来推测过。就像我刚才说的那样，长野妻子的话里没有提到过什么女人。所以，我在推测其他理由。” “已经有谱了吗？” “不知是否能对上号，就是上次刊登在报上的读者来信，住在大矶町服部梅子……我考虑过，那封读者来信很有可能是内部检举的匿名信。我还推测，那封来信多半是长野博太寄给报社的！” 小山修三听了以后大惊失色。假设署名大矶町服部梅子的写信人真是收视调查公司管理科副科长长野博太，那么由下而上一脉相承的相互关系隐约浮现在眼前。“服部梅子”的读者来信多半是“内部揭发”。这一推断，小山修三曾经也想过。因为，管理科副科长知道所有抽样家庭的个人资料。 如果民营电视台和制片公司有这样的舞弊行为，即采用向抽样家庭赠送礼品的方式，诱惑抽样家庭锁定该台频道节目，或者诱惑抽样家庭锁定该制片公司在某电视台上的演出频道，那么，能一目了然的也大多是管理科副科长。 虽然企业内部有人把公司的绝密信息，即抽样家庭的地址、户主姓名泄露给民营电视台和制片公司，但在外人看来，检举人只有以“读者来信”的形式揭露十佳收视率背后存在舞弊行为。“读者来信”称那是回收员说的话，然而它其实是写信人声讨舞弊行为的檄文。 “由此看来，长野博太是冒名服部梅子的写信人。但是，怎么断定写信人就是收视调查公司内部的人呢？”小山修三满腹狐疑地问平岛庄次。 “因为是知情人！由此大致推测出属于内部检举的形式，顺藤摸瓜便可缩小嫌疑人范围，由此找到最清楚内情的知情人，但还必须符合两项条件，一是在公司内部被冷落的人；二是不再有晋升希望而牢骚满腹的人。” “长野博太大概对公司有意见吧？” “那情况我还不清楚，因为我是以一般惯例分析的。” “假设长野博太退职批准书是五月十五日公布，几天后独自一人去大阪找新的工作，那么，可能是非常匆忙。” “好像是的。因为，他本人可能没想到读者来信会败露。” “但是，就那种程度的信会被解职吗？” “可能是特殊企业的缘故吧？正如我刚才说的那样，如果有人揭发公司内部公布十佳收视率背后的舞弊行为，那么，以严格公正标榜的收视调查公司，就必须向民营电视台和制片公司的股东道歉；面对加盟会员的广告赞助商也会无地自容。不能说，顶多就是读者来信而不把它当一回事情！” “长野博太夫人大凡也不清楚丈夫到底去了大阪哪里？”小山修三说出自己的猜测。 “哎，这世上，不知道丈夫去哪里的妻子好像还没有。” 平岛庄次立刻打消小山修三的猜测。 “……当然，我担心遭到拒绝，没有向夫人打听长野博太去的地点。” “也许蒸发了？”小山修三冷不防嘴里冒出这么一句。 “蒸发？嗯，这是现在最流行的说法。”平岛庄次脸上浮现出滑稽的表情说，“应该明白，长野博太是不希望自己蒸发的！因为对他而言目前是激烈动荡的时期。拜访大阪朋友后，不管能否立即找到新的工作，总之，我能揣摩出他的内心是想趁该机会在关西转一段时间。他不与家庭联系，独自过段流浪生活……” 其实，小山修三嘴上说的“蒸发”意思与此不同，是大脑里有不祥预感后才脱口而出的。平岛庄次把“蒸发”想得很简单。在平岛庄次接下来的话里，小山修三明白了。 “男人的蒸发例子还是不少啊！不用说，最近，蒸发后不再出现的情况好像少了，多则隐居一两年，这大多是中年人，其目的是想寻求自由，或者是由于单位和家庭有压迫感，还有感到生活像干燥的沙漠那样令人窒息。” 平岛庄次也处在“中年男子期”，好像对此颇有同感。 “是刊登在报上的吗？”小山修三这么说，是因为他想起今天在图书馆翻阅报纸合订本时，里面有关于蒸发的一两篇报道。然而现在，蒸发也不那么罕见了。 “虽说报上也经常刊登蒸发之类的报道文章，好像是前些天的报纸吧，说是某电视台技术员在外景拍摄现场下落不明。那篇报道文章竟然在报上占据了相当大的版面，可报道他第二天回家的消息时，篇幅却变小了许多。也许，该技术员只想让自己阵发性且短时间蒸发。” 小山修三想起平岛庄次说的“报上也出现蒸发”的话来。“除报上的报道以外。还有没有听说过蒸发的例子？” “有。”平岛庄次点点头。 “虽说不是直接知情人，可他是广告代理公司职员，据说蒸发已经快一个月了……” “是广告代理公司职员蒸发快一个月吗？” 小山修三对长野博太的话题不怎么感兴趣，觉得好像是无关的闲聊。 “是我们公司业务员从AAB电视台那里听来的。”平岛庄次说，他们海鸥制片公司也时常做AAB电视台委托的制片业务。 “那家与AAB电视台有业务关系的日荣广告代理公司，是家中型广告代理公司，该公司广告代理员近一个月来音讯全无。AAB电视合营业部的人向该公司的其他同事打听，回答说还在旷工，而且本人连家也没有回。哎，是蒸发了！” “这是怎么回事？”小山修三这么说只是打算敷衍对方。 “嗯！”平岛庄次张开嘴说，“日荣公司里有叫小高的职员，据说特别讨女人喜欢，年龄三十二岁，工作上敬业，但是热衷于与女性交往。”平岛庄次一边笑一边说。 “是个花花公子吧！”小山修三的说话声音仍然是无精打采。 “嗯，可以这么说吧。不过，他不是那种用钱勾引女人到处玩耍的花花公子。其实，他就是想那么做也没有钱，相反女人主动与他亲热，这男人讨女人喜欢，无论是单身女子、家庭主妇还是寡妇，他都交往。” “真不简单！他长得帅吗？” “我想应该是英俊男子吧。可谁知问了以后，根本不是那么回事，据说长得有点穷酸相。虽说体型瘦长，但对女人非常殷勤，细致周到。好像天下所有女人对那种热情的倾倒，远远超过男人的英俊外貌和魁伟体形。” “嗨，女人也不全是那样。小高勾引的对象，比起酒吧女郎之类的女性来，主要是那些涉足不深的女子吧？” “去酒吧之类的地方需要花钱。他好像喜欢在街头、咖啡馆和百货店里勾引普通女子和陌生的有夫之妇。” “什么，在百货店？” “是的。听说他本人也从不隐瞒那样的经历，还常对公司同事说，他在百货店里如果见到陌生女人独自逛商场，使伺机主动迎上去搭讪引诱对方去咖啡馆。还据说，他迄今交往的女人已经不止七八个……” 小山修三的脑海里忽然掠过这么一个情景，身着和服的C号在百货商店挑选衬衫时，有一打扮入时的三十岁左右男子走到她旁边，若无其事地凑上前跟她小声说话。该男子身着深蓝底色和红色线条方格图案的西装，系一条深红底色和黄色斜纹的领带，上衣口袋插有与领带相配的手帕，个头不