Chapter 6 message

Suda Takeshi's body was found in the woods on the east side of Ishizaki Shrine.It was the old lady who walked around here every morning who found the body. The corpse was stabbed in the abdomen, and the police judged that the abdominal injury should be fatal.Traces of struggle were clearly left on the ground. "Too cruel." One of the investigators sighed in a low voice.Takeshi's entire right arm had been chopped off, and there was a lot of blood around the body. "The method of stabbing the abdomen is the same as that of Akira Kitaoka who was killed. Is it the same murderer?"

Ono looked down at the corpse and asked. "It's not clear yet." Takama replied in a low voice, "Although they were all stabbed in the abdomen, Kitaoka's arm was not chopped off." "But his dog was killed." "……indeed." The dog and the right arm—what the hell is going on?Takama couldn't help talking to himself. Gao Jian went to the forensic doctor and asked what the murder weapon was.Murayama, a forensic doctor, is about fifty years old. He pushed his prescription glasses and replied: "It should be the same as the boy's before. It's a thin knife, not a kitchen knife or a climbing knife."

Was it really the same murderer? "Is the arm chopped off with that knife too?" "No, that kind of knife can't cut off an arm." "What is that for?" "Nine times out of ten it's the saw." "The saw..." "Yes, and it took quite a while." Saw──Takama couldn't help but swallowed.In the uninhabited shrine forest, the figure of the murderer sawing off the arm of the corpse with a saw is hard to imagine what would happen in the normal world. "What about the approximate time of death?" "Last night from 8 to 10 o'clock, the details will not be known until the autopsy report is released."

The same time as when Kitaoka was killed.Takama thought to himself. When he was lost in thought, he heard Ono calling him.Ono and the people from the supervisory department bent down and looked at the corpse. Gao Jian walked over, Ono told him: "It seems to have written something." "Character?" "it's here." Ono pointed to the ground on the right side of the corpse.After a closer look, there was indeed something written on the ground with a branch.Those four characters look like katakana. "Is it a─ki─ko─u...?" "Ok." Indeed, as Ono said, it looks like "a─ki─ko─u", but I don't know what it means.

"I don't understand." Gao Ma tilted his head and thought. "I really don't understand it, and it doesn't look like a person's name." Takama said it several times in his mouth. a─ki─ko─u, a─ki─ko─u... "If it was written by Takeshi Suda, this is also the difference from Akira Kitaoka's murder. Kitaoka did not leave any message." "Yes indeed." After Takama listened seemingly casually, he turned and prepared to leave, but stopped immediately. ── Kitaoka also left a message. Gao Jian walked back, reconfirmed those words, and his heart beat hard.

"Ono," Suda mother and son are waiting in the office of Ishizaki Shrine. Because they were in charge of the Kitaoka incident before, Takama and the others went to the mother and son to understand the situation.I really don't want to go!Takama thought. Accompanied by the district criminal police, Suda Shimako and Yuki sat on the cold tatami in the small office.There was tea in front of them, but neither of them drank it. The temperature of the tea was as cold as the air in the room. Yong Shu bit his bloodless lips, and sat down on his knees, with wiped tears on his face.Clenching his hands tightly around his legs, fighting back his grief, Takama noticed that his nails were cleanly clipped.

"My condolences……" Takama said after seeing Suda mother and son.Although he originally wanted to say something more pleasant, he couldn't think of what to say for a moment.He tried to recall what he had said to the family of the deceased before, but his mind was still blank. "I want to ask, when did Wu Zhi lose contact?" Takama asked.Zhimozi put down the handkerchief covering his eyes and held it tightly in his hand. "Last night. He went out and said he was going to practice and he didn't come back. I was worried." "What time?" "I remember it was around 7:30," Yong Shu replied from the side, "When my brother went out, my mother hadn't come home from get off work yet."

Gao Jian remembered that when he went to their house before, Shimozi was not at home. "Is there anything unusual about your brother when he went out?" "It's the same as usual." Yuuki shook his bloodless face instead of answering. The mother and son's answers to Takama's questions are roughly organized as follows. Takeshi went out around 7:30, but when Shimako came home for dinner around 10, he still didn't come back.I thought he was too involved in practice and forgot the time, but an hour later, he still didn't return home.Yong Shu went to the shrine to look for him, but couldn't find him.At that time, Yuki only searched in the shrine, and did not go to the forest to check.

After that, Yuki rode his bicycle to check the place where Takeshi might go for a run, but he didn't see his brother.After twelve o'clock, he finally gave up and went home. "I was going to call the police last night, but thought he might go home by himself and decided to wait until this morning." Shimoko wiped his eyes again with a handkerchief.Her eyes were red, presumably congested from lack of sleep even before she heard the news of her son's death. Then, Takama asked her if she had thought of any possibility of Takeshi's murder?Both Shimako and Yuki asserted that they didn't know at all, and they had no clue that Takeshi's right arm was sawed off.Zhimozi couldn't help crying again.

"correct!" After hesitating for a moment, Takama asked them if they had heard of the word "magic ball", but as Takama expected, both mother and son said they didn't know. After thanking them, Takama handed it over to Ono and returned to the crime scene by himself.The body has been cleaned up, and Team Leader Benhashi is giving instructions to the young detective. "Did you find anything?" Takama asked. "No." Benqiao frowned. "Neither the murder weapon that was stabbed into the abdomen nor the saw that sawed off the arm were found."

"Where are the footprints?" The ground in the woods is very soft, logically speaking, there should be footprints. "There are a few footprints, but they are all Takeshi's. There are scratches on the ground in some places, and the murderer seems to have erased his own footprints." "Is there something that can find fingerprints?" "There's little hope at the moment. And—" Benqiao put his mouth close to Gaoma's ear and said, "I can't find his right arm either." Takama frowned. "It is understandable for the murderer to take away the murder weapon, but it seems a bit abnormal to take away the right arm as well." "It's not a little bit, but it's quite abnormal. I don't understand the murderer's purpose in doing such a cruel thing. Someone joked that maybe it was a member of the baseball club of another school who was tortured by Suda Takeshi before, so he was cruel. Poisonous hands, I scolded him severely." Motohashi always hated other people making jokes, but Takama secretly felt that this possibility could not be completely ruled out. "If it's a vendetta, it means that there is a deep hatred. The murderer prepared a saw, which shows that he planned to saw off his hand before the murder." "Does anyone have such a big hatred for Suda Takeshi? By the way, how is the situation with the family?" "I asked all the questions..." Takama reported to Motohashi after sorting out the conversation between Suda and his son.Perhaps because there are no clues worth referring to, Benqiao is still frowning. Gao Ma and the others were about to leave when they received news of witnesses.The proprietress of a nearby grocery store seemed to have seen Takeshi last night and said that he was calling a pay phone around eight o'clock. "I heard that Suda called for about three minutes, but I don't know who to call." A young scout visiting nearby reports to Motohashi. "Did the proprietress hear what he said? Even a few words are fine." "I also asked, and she said angrily, how can I eavesdrop on a customer's phone call? But she remembered that Suda seemed to say 'OK, then I'll wait for you' before hanging up the phone." "Okay, then shall I wait for you...?" "It may also be 'I'm waiting for you', the proprietress can't remember." "Yes." After listening to the young investigator's report, Motohashi looked at Takama and said, "Who did he call?" "There is no clue at the moment." Gao Jian shook his head. "However, what is certain is that Takeshi is waiting for someone at this shrine." "He should have seen the other party, and the other party also brought a knife and a saw." "It should be." Takama nodded. Before leaving, Takama visited the grocery store.Pass through the torii of Ishizaki Shrine and walk down the stone steps, which is a gentle downhill path.There is a T-junction ahead, and the grocery store is at the intersection.Gao Jian walked on the narrow ramp and looked around. On both sides of the ramp were old houses surrounded by earthen walls.Takama remembered hearing from an investigator that the residents in this area were all farmers, so they went to bed early at night.After eight o'clock, there were no pedestrians on the road. At nine o'clock, the lights of every house were turned off, and it was dark all around. Only the lights in front of the shrine of Ishizaki Shrine were on.Because the money in the money box is often stolen, a lamp was specially installed to keep it on all night.Suda Takeshi also practiced with that lamp. After a while, we came to the intersection of T-shaped roads, and the grocery store was on the corner on the right.There are some food for sale inside, and there is a cigarette shop next to it.A thin woman in her fifties was sitting in the store, looking like she was about to fall asleep.There is a red telephone on the shelf in front of the store. Takama went to the grocery store, bought two packs of Hi─lite cigarettes, then reported his identity and asked the lady boss if the man from last night used this phone? "Yes." The woman replied a little impatiently. "Did he have a note in his hand when he dialed the phone?" "A note? Oh, it seems that he took a note. He looked at the note and dialed the phone." This means that Takeshi didn't remember the phone number of the other party, so he copied the number on the note.The note was not found on the body, perhaps the murderer took it. The fact that Takeshi couldn't remember the other party's phone number couldn't pinpoint the suspect.Because Takeshi's family doesn't have a phone, he rarely calls. Takama asked the proprietress again, is there anything unusual about the man on the phone?The proprietress replied that she didn't pay attention. After leaving the grocery store, Takama walked while thinking.Who did Wu Zhi meet with last night?Why make an appointment to meet where no one is? He immediately wondered, could the other party be the murderer who killed Akira Kitaoka?Did Wu Zhi know who the murderer was and asked him out last night?As a result, he was also killed by the murderer. ──If so, why did Takeshi know the murderer?Why did he hide it from the police? In addition, there are incredible places.Why did the murderer saw off Takeshi's right arm?Although killing people is not an easy task, sawing off the arms of corpses is even more troublesome.For the murderer, the longer he stays at the scene, the more dangerous it is. Why did the murderer willingly take such a risk and still have to saw off Takeshi's right arm?What is the reason for doing so? ──Besides, there is also the message before the death of "Magic Ball"... Of course, Gao Ma has not forgotten this word, to be exact, this word has always been hovering in his mind. The last time I saw these two words was in Kitaoka's photo album, where he wrote "I saw the magic ball" under the photo of Koshien. Takama firmly believes that it is no accident.Both Kitaoka and Takeshi left the same note before their death. Magic Ball──What is the meaning of their last words? Just as Tajima entered, his right hand was suddenly grabbed.Looking back, he found that Sato was looking at him intently, raised his chin, and motioned to follow him.Tajima looked into his serious eyes, turned and followed without saying a word. ──It seems that the media has not come yet. The other students don't know about Takeshi's murder.On the way to school, Tajima met several classmates, but no one brought up this topic.How would Sato know?He looked at the back of Sato's dusty team uniform and thought. The third-year students such as Miyamoto, Naoi, and Sawamoto had already gathered in the activity room of the baseball club. Judging from their expressions, it was obvious that they already knew about the murder. "Everyone is here." Suddenly there was a voice from behind.Even without looking back, he immediately knew it was Morikawa. "I guess everyone has heard about the murder. The police contacted me early in the morning and made an appointment to come to the school today to understand the situation. Although I don't know what the police will ask, it should be the situation within the baseball club. Especially Suda and Kitaoka They are all third graders, so they should be questioning you, so I invite you third graders to gather first." Morikawa looked at each person's face in turn, and explained word by word. Sato should be entrusted by Morikawa to contact everyone, no wonder he knew about the murder early in the morning. "Do the police think any of us are the murderers?" Naoi lowered his head and said.His voice was frustrated. "It should be considered a possibility." Hearing Morikawa's words, everyone raised their heads. "It's not important. What we have to do now is to tell the truth. So, I want to ask you first, do you really know nothing about the killing of Kitaoka and Suda?" Morikawa looked at everyone's faces in turn again, and this time he looked carefully.Everyone shook their heads slowly. "Okay, then I get it. Leave other matters to me. You don't have to worry, but don't practice for now. In the current state, you probably won't be able to concentrate on practicing... right?" After finishing speaking, Morikawa opened the door of the activity room and was about to go out when someone called out to his back: "Please wait a moment." It is Naoi. "What's wrong?" Morikawa asked. "What about the leader? Do you think any of us are murderers?" Tajima looked at Naoi's face in surprise, he didn't seem to be joking, he stared at Morikawa intently, waiting for his answer. Morikawa opened his mouth heavily. "It's all because I'm so incompetent, and it's the same in the game. I can only trust you, although it doesn't help much at all." After Morikawa finished speaking, he walked out of the club activity room.The lingering sound of closing the door echoed for a long time. The remaining five people did not speak, and the activity room was filled with stale air. "Let me say it first," Sato said first, "I didn't leave the house last night." "so what?" Naoi glared at Sato with sharp eyes, and Sato took a few steps back in shock from his gaze and said, "The truth, the team leader didn't say that, as long as we tell the truth, we have to make it clear." "You mean, the murderer was someone other than you?" Naoi immediately walked up to Sato and grabbed his chest.Sato shook his hand away desperately, and kept repeating: "The truth, I'm just telling the truth." "stop." The tall and tall Miyamoto stepped forward to persuade the fight, but Naoi finally let go. "Why did we kill Suda? The police are not stupid." Miyamoto comforted. "how could I know?" Sato said angrily, "They may think that we are jealous of Suda and Kitaoka, not only the police, but also the schoolmates." "So, are you going to prove that you have an alibi?" Naoi wanted to attack Sato again, but Miyamoto stopped him. Tajima watched their conversation coldly, feeling empty.Their teammate died, but they argued endlessly, just like when Kitaoka was killed, they only worried about who would be the next general.No, they at least mentioned the name of the old man a little bit, which is a little bit better than last time. Tajima is convinced that there is no murderer between them, because the genius Suda cannot die at the hands of these people. At this time, Zemoto, who had always been silent, opened his mouth quietly. "However, I am afraid that we will all be regarded as suspects and be investigated by the police for alibi." Everyone else looked at him, he lowered his head again, but said in a very clear tone: "Because the first step in an investigation is to start with suspicion." "Alibi, you don't need to be very detailed, right? Just tell the general situation?" Perhaps it was Zemoto, who has always been taciturn, who spoke, and Miyamoto seemed a little scared. "I don't know, maybe at least explain the time clearly." "What a headache. I don't have an alibi." Miyamoto was really worried. "I'm at home and have witnesses to prove it." Sato said again, but this time Naoi didn't say anything, just gave him a hard look. ──What was I doing at that time? Tajima couldn't help thinking for a moment, then lowered his head, ashamed of himself for having such a thought.He ignored anyone and walked out of the activity room alone. This morning, Takama and Ono came to the reception room of Kaiyang High School.On the sports field outside the window, female students in physical education class are playing volleyball.They should already know that Suda Takeshi was murdered. After knocking on the door, Morikawa walked in.He nodded to Takama and the others, and sat silently on the sofa, rubbing his face with his hands. "Principal, they should be in a panic, right?" Asked by Takama, Morikawa nodded with a tired face. "I was slammed by them for not being a good supervisor. I was tempted to retort that I was just the leader of the baseball team." "What about the members of the baseball club?" "They were flustered too, but that's no wonder." "I want to ask some questions." "You want to ask me? Or someone from the baseball club?" "Both.──When was the last time you saw Takeshi Suda?" Morikawa sighed heavily and replied: "At Kitaoka's funeral. I was a bit busy afterwards, and I couldn't even participate in the baseball club's practice, and I didn't attend their class." "Did Suda say anything about Kitaoka's murder?" "No," Morikawa shook his head. "We didn't talk about it. I just told him that I would have a headache later, and he replied that he would find a way." Find a way──What is he going to do?Takama was puzzled. "You know that Suda's right arm was sawn off, right?" Asked by Takama, Morikawa frowned. "What is the purpose of such a cruel act?" "Does this remind you of anything?" "There are a lot of people who hate Suda's right arm. But it's a different level." Takama remembered that the investigator had said the same thing before. "Do you have a saw at home?" "A saw? Yes, yes..." As soon as the words fell, Morikawa frowned displeasedly, "Do you suspect that I saw off Suda's arm with a saw?" "Don't be angry, just to be cautious. I will go to your house to borrow a saw tonight." Morikawa impatiently took out the key from his trousers pocket and placed it in front of Takama. "This is the key to my house. After entering the door, there is a shoe cabinet with a toolbox on it. Find it yourself." Gao Ma looked down at the key, and then said: "Excuse me." Picking up the key, he handed it to Ono beside him and said, "Remember to take the key back immediately." "The criminal police will go to the homes of other club members to borrow saws, right?" Gao Ma didn't answer, but Morikawa was right.If it was the saw that sawed off Takeshi Suda's arm, he could make an immediate judgment based on the blood reaction. "I want to ask one more thing," Takama said, "When you hear the word magic ball, what do you think of? The magic of the devil, the ball of baseball." "Magic Ball?" Hearing the unexpected words from Takama's mouth, Morikawa asked with a surprised expression, "Does this have anything to do with the murder?" Morikawa was very surprised when Takama told him about leaving a message before his death, but he replied that he had never heard of the word "magic ball", and he did not remember that Takeshi Suda and Akira Kitaoka had mentioned these two words. "However, why did they leave these two words?" Morikawa tilted his head to think incomprehension. Then, Takama asked Morikawa about his alibi last night.Morikawa seemed to have expected it a long time ago, and did not show a surprised expression, but replied: "Last night, I was at home alone." Then he said: "This time it is really a person, so there are no witnesses." "Have you called anyone, or received a call from anyone?" "Not last night." "Do members of the club know your home phone number?" "Should know, because there may be urgent matters to contact, but if they need me, they usually come to my house directly, just like Kitaoka." "So far, has Takeshi Suda called you?" Takama looked at Morikawa's expression and asked, but Morikawa's expression hardly changed. "No. I remember that he doesn't have a phone at home. Besides, he can't come to discuss with me if he has something to do." "So that's how it is." Takama nodded, but still couldn't prove that Takeshi didn't call Morikawa last night. "I'm going to check with the members of the baseball club, okay?" "Okay, I've already greeted them. I'll go find them." After Morikawa finished speaking, he left. After the door closed, he heard his footsteps going away. Ono, who hadn't spoken just now, whispered: "I heard that Mr. Morikawa's current situation is very difficult. His relationship with that female teacher has been scrutinized. Although we didn't leak the news, the whispers are really scary." "How was it inspected?" "It should be not conducive to education or something. I heard that one of them is going to be transferred from this school." "Yes……" This city is not big, and it is indeed very likely that they will be transferred.It may be that Takama and their investigative actions have led to the constant whispers. But even if there are no rumors, once they get married, one of them will be transferred to another school, and Takama just did what must be done when handling the case. Even so, Takama still felt uncomfortable about this matter. ※※※ With the assistance of Morikawa, Takama and the others successfully learned about the situation from the third-year students of the baseball club, but after asking four people—Sato, Miyamoto, Naoi, and Sawamoto—they did not get any information that could be a clue.Although all four of these people had telephones at home, Suda never called them, and it was impossible to guess who Suda might call. When asked for an alibi, everyone said they were at home.Sato said that there were also friends of his father present, and only family members could prove the others. Everyone has no clue about the murder.Although they are full of curiosity about the murder of their classmates, they extremely hate having anything to do with themselves. The last person to enter the reception room was a club member named Tajima. He was a backup pitcher, and Takama felt that he was different from the previous ones.At least Tajima hopes to help solve the case, and at the same time regrets Takeshi's death from the bottom of his heart. Although he actively cooperates, whether he can actually help is another matter.He also doesn't know much about Takeshi. "Your community is so disunity, you can go to Jiashiyuan." Takama couldn't help expressing his feelings, but Tajima didn't show any displeasure at all, and just said sadly: "So, it's impossible to go again in the future." On the phone, he answered like everyone else, and he was at home with his family last night.The alibi for high school students at night is usually the same. Takama asked Tajima if he had ever heard the word "magic ball".When the first four people heard this question, they answered that they didn't know without thinking. Only Zeben, who looked very timid, said to himself: "The ball Suda throws is a magic ball." It can be seen that Takeshi's ball is really powerful. Kyohei Tajima first explained: "The magic ball refers to a very amazing change ball." Then he tilted his head and said: "But it doesn't match Suda's feeling." According to Tajima, Suda has always struck out opponents with his fastball. "To tell you the truth, I also saw these two words in Kitaoka's photo album," Takama said, "In his photo album, there was a photo of Koshien, and it said 'I saw the magic ball'. This sentence What does it mean? If it is interpreted literally, it means that Kitaoka saw a ball that can be called a 'magic ball' in Koshien. How about it, do you still have no idea?" The others answered very simply: "No." Tajima thought about it again, and repeated in his mouth: "I saw the magic ball in Koshien..." "How about it?" Takama asked, tapping his fingers on the table in the reception room.Tajima may be recalling what happened in Koshien, his eyes looked into the distance, and he seemed to be pulled back to reality when he heard Takama's voice. "How is it?" Takama asked again. "Can you let me think about it?" Tajima said. "I want to think back to that game." "Yes……" Gao Ma looked at his face, and he couldn't judge whether it was worth looking forward to, but he felt that there was no need to worry too much. "Okay, then if you think of anything, feel free to contact me." Hearing Takama's words, Tajima nodded in relief. After seeing off Tajima, Takama and the others walked out of the reception room with Morikawa. "Although it's a bit rude to say that, there seems to be something wrong," Takama said frankly about his feelings for the members of the club as he walked out. "I always feel a little out of place." "It won't be so ridiculous," Morikawa frowned painfully. "For them, it was like a dream to join the baseball club with Suda, which also included going to Koshien. Now that they wake up from the dream, they have to face the old reality, and this gap makes them feel at a loss. .” "Are you the same?" Takama asked. "Yes, me too." Morikawa replied without hesitation. After saying goodbye to Morikawa, Takama and the others went to the reception center to say hello.The switchboard team at the reception center was answering the phone. Judging from her tone of voice, the other party seemed to be a reporter from a newspaper office who came to inquire about Takeshi Suda.After noon today, I am afraid there will be a large influx of media. While waiting for the switchboard lady to speak on the phone, Takama looked around and found a staff attendance sheet hanging by the window.If the front of the staff name tag is black facing outward, it means attendance, and for absentees, the red face on the back is facing outward.Takama glanced casually, and found that the back of the sign that said "Maiko Tezuka" was facing outwards. ──Is she on leave? Maiko Tezuka is not asking for leave.After a closer look, I found another small sign above the name plate, which said "leave early". ──Leaving early?What's up with her? Gao Ma was feeling puzzled when the switchboard lady at the reception center hung up the phone.He told the switchboard lady that he had finished questioning the relevant teachers and students, and then left Kaiyang High School. On this day, when Takama returned to search the headquarters, he learned that Takeshi Suda was not Shimako's biological son.Benqiao looked for him with a serious face, and after Gao Jian walked over, Benqiao told him about it.When the investigators were investigating Takeshi's blood relationship, they only learned about it after directly asking Zhimozi, but she didn't deliberately conceal it, but she didn't have the opportunity to say it before. She explained the situation as follows. Takeshi's biological mother is Suda Akiyo, the younger sister of Shimako's husband Masaki.Ming Dynasty was a very ordinary girl who worked in the post office. When she was twenty years old, she had sex with someone and became pregnant. Ming Dynasty's mother was still alive at the time, and together with Masaki asked her who the other party was. Although they had no idea that Ming Dynasty had a date, if they were in love with each other, they might as well get married as soon as possible. Unexpectedly, Ming Dynasty was determined not to disclose the other party's name, only saying that it was inconvenient to say it now.When Masaki and the others repeatedly questioned, she faced each other with tears in her eyes. When Masaki and his mother were at a loss for what to do about it, Ming Dai ran away from home one day.She didn't bring much luggage, and Masaki guessed that she left with the other man, but she didn't leave any clues. "So, they eloped." Benqiao said, "I heard from Zhimozi that she heard rumors that the man she was dating was not young, but she didn't know the specific situation, because the Ming Dynasty completely concealed it. In short, the two of them are like this Disappeared." "What happened after it disappeared?" Takama asked. "There was no news for a long time, and finally there was news after five years. Someone sent a postcard to Masaki, hoping to take his sister back." Please come and pick up your sister right away—that's what the postcard says. Masaki hurried over.The address on the postcard is a small fishing village at the front end of the Boso Peninsula. Since fishing alone cannot make a living, the fishermen rely on bamboo weaving to supplement their household income. Ming Dynasty lived in that village. When Masaki arrived, he found the emaciated Ming Dai lying in a dirty quilt, and a woman from the neighbor was taking care of her.According to this neighbor, the Ming Dynasty has been in poor health for a while, and can hardly eat anything except water and porridge.The postcard sent to Masaki was also written by that neighbor. Seeing Masaki, Ming Dai smiled on his thin face.Hearing Masaki say to her, let's go home together!She also nodded with tears, but when Masaki asked about the man, she still refused to answer. Neighbors secretly told Masaki that the man came back once a week for the first three years, but he did not come back two years ago, nor did he send money to Ming Dynasty.The half-finished bamboo baskets and bamboo weaving tools are scattered in her room. Fortunately, what Masaki faced was not all bad news.Ming Dynasty's son is four years old. Although he is very thin, he is very lively.When Masaki went, he was throwing stones by the nearby river. "Is he Takeshi?" Takama asked. "That's right. Masaki brought Ming Dai and Takeshi back to his hometown. At that time, Masaki had married Shimako and gave birth to Yuki, so it suddenly became a big family. And only Masaki made money in the whole family. The Ming Dynasty was sick again. For a short period of time, they were very hard-pressed." "What do you mean by a short period of time?" "Not long after, Ming died. She committed suicide." "..." "She committed suicide by cutting her wrist, leaving only a suicide note, asking them to take care of Wu Zhi." "That's why Masaki kept Takeshi." "That's right. Unexpectedly, Masaki died unexpectedly two years later. I can only say that this pair of brothers and sisters is too pitiful." Takama shook his head slowly.He wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words. "Do Takeshi and Yuki know about this?" "You should know. Mrs. Zhimozi said with tears that even if they are brothers, their relationship may not be as good as them." Takama thought of the faces of the two brothers. He remembered that when he met Yuki for the first time, he once said to him: "You and your brother look very similar." It turned out that they looked alike not because they were brothers, but because they were cousins.I remember that at that time, Yong Shu was very happy to hear that. "What do you think?" Motohashi asked Takama, "Do you think his life experience has anything to do with this murder?" "have no idea." Gao Jian tilted his head, and then said: "This is my personal opinion, I really don't want the two to be related, otherwise it would be too miserable." "I'm feeling it too." Benhashi nodded vigorously. ──However. Takama thought.Even if it is not directly related to the murder case, I am afraid it cannot be avoided.Because, it was this situation that created the talented pitcher Takeshi Suda── In the afternoon of the next day, Ono sorted out the relevant information about the magic ball.He has a friend who worked as a sports reporter in Tokyo before last year. "When it comes to magic balls, the most famous one is of course the palm ball." Ono said proudly. "Koyama means Hanshin Koyama? Isn't he a fastball pitcher?" Takama remembers that the year before last, the Hanshin team won the championship because of Koyama's fastball. "Koyama went to the Orion Stars this year. Of course, his ball speed is very fast, but since last year, he has also started throwing palm balls. When he played against the Cardinals in Showa 33 (1958), the first He hits the palm shot for the first time. He's got super quick ball speed, he's solid on the ball, he can shoot the palm ball again, and he should win 30 games this year." "Yes." "The Hanshin team also has Gene Martin Bacque's butterfly ball, which is not only fast, but also unpredictable. His fingers are very long, and everyone described it as if five snakes were entangled with the ball. His performance this year is also very good. .And then there's the finger ball. But when it comes to finger balls, the first to use the finger ball was almost ten years ago." "This information," Gao Ma scratched his head. "It doesn't seem to have much to do with this murder case. Of course, it's really interesting to hear you talking about it." "Ah... I'm so sorry." Ono bowed to apologize, and opened the notepad. "I also asked about high school baseball, and there hasn't been any talk of magic ball lately." "yes……?" Holding his cheek, Takama wrote the word "magic ball" on the note paper on the table. ※※※ This issue was also discussed at the investigative meeting. Who left the word "magic ball"?I always thought it was written by Takeshi Suda, but some people think that may not be the case. First, if it was written by Takeshi, when did he write it?If it was written after being stabbed in the abdomen, what was the murderer doing when he was writing?If Takeshi wanted to write on the ground, the murderer would of course stop it, or erase what he wrote, at least it would be impossible to just watch him finish writing. Of course, it is even less likely that it was written after the murderer left.Because the murderer left after sawing off Takeshi's arm, Takeshi should have died by then. So if Takeshi wrote it, it was written before the killer arrived at the scene.So, why write these two words?It should be impossible to predict that he will be killed, and leave a message before death. For these reasons, the idea that the word "magic ball" was written by the murderer surfaced.Although I don't know what the murderer's purpose is, some people think that this symbolizes the murderer's hatred for Suda Takeshi. Maybe there is some truth to this statement. ──If it was written by the murderer, does it mean that after tracing these two words, the truth cannot be found?Because it is impossible for the murderer to leave information that would endanger him. Takama tapped the word "Magic Ball" written on the paper with the end of a pencil, wondering if he should continue to investigate this issue. ※※※ That night, Morikawa called Takama's apartment.Morikawa said on the phone that Tajima from the baseball club was at his home and wanted to tell Takama something. "What's up?" Takama grabbed his shirt and asked on the phone. "I haven't asked him yet, it seems to be related to the magic ball." "I'll be there right away." Gao Jian hung up the phone abruptly and rushed out. Arriving at Morikawa's apartment, Tajima Kyohei waited there nervously, and bowed respectfully when he saw Takama. "Have you got any success with the saw?" Morikawa teased as he handed over the cushion. "No, I got nothing, and I'm causing you trouble." Takama answered honestly.Police investigated the saw in the home of Morikawa and other club members and found nothing suspicious. The search headquarters believes that the murderer did not use the existing saw, but bought a new saw specially for the crime. Several investigators have launched an investigation in a nearby knife shop. "What are you going to tell me?" Takama asked, and Tajima licked his lips with his tongue. “呃……可能不是甚么重要的事，也可能是我完全猜错了。” “没关系。如果都猜对了，所有的案子都很快可以破案。” 高间故意用轻松的语气说，然后又问：“听说是关于魔球的事？” “对，昨天你问了之后，我一直在想这件事。你昨天告诉我，北冈在相簿中写了'看到了魔球'，我就想到一件事，但因为没甚么自信，当下就没有说出口。” “有话尽管说吧。”高间面带笑容地说。 “我想起那天须田投了一个不同寻常的球。” “不同寻常的球？” “就是那场比赛最后一球。”田岛说。 “暴投的那个球吗？” 森川在一旁插嘴问，高间也想起来了。 “对。”田岛缩起下巴。“比赛结束后我问了须田，最后那一球到底是怎么回事？因为我不相信控球精准的他在当时的状况下，会投出那样的球。须田只回答说失控了，但我不认为是这样。我并不是很清楚当时的情况，那颗球在本垒板前突然往下坠落，以前须田从来没有投过这种球。” “所以，你认为当时须田投的那一球是他新学到的球技，这就是所谓的魔球，对吗？” “对。”田岛回答。 高间看着森川，征求他的意见。森川想了一下说： “有可能。那场比赛后我也问了北冈，他向须田发出了甚么指示？北冈没有明确回答。因为我不想让他们以为是在责怪他们，就没有继续追问，但他们两个人对那球的问题却支支吾吾的。” “会不会是须田练习了新的投球方法，在那里一试身手？他很有可能做这种事。” 田岛说。 “所以，他是和北冈一起练习新的投球方法。”森川说。 但高间否定了他的意见。 “不，应该不是这样。北冈的相簿中，在选拔赛的照片下方写着'看到了魔球'。从这句话来看，当时北冈也是第一次看到。” “是喔……这么说，须田之前都是独自练球罗？” “不，这不可能。”田岛很有自信地说，“须田和北冈在神社秘密练球，一定也练习了这种变化球。” “不，我记得他们是在选拔赛之后才去神社练球。”高间解释说，“选拔赛之前，都是须田独自练球，北冈的母亲和须田都这么说。” 须田武志在选拔赛上第一次尝试了变化球，北冈看到之后，在相簿上写下了“看到了魔球”这句话。之后，他们开始练习魔球──高间在脑海中整理出事情的先后顺序。 田岛以一脸难以接受的表情偏着头想了一下，用坚定的语气说： “不可能。佐藤说，他曾经在下雪的时候看到须田在石崎神社练球。选拔赛后，这里根本没下过雪。而且，佐藤还听到了接球的声音，绝对是北冈和须田一起练球。” “是喔……”森川狐疑地看着高间问：“怎么回事？” 高间问田岛： “佐藤说看到北冈和须田一起练球吗？” 田岛想了一下，摇了摇头。 “他没这么说……但除了北冈以外还有谁？” 高间看着森川，森川也耸了耸肩回答：“的确想不到还有其他人。” “佐藤家离这里很远吗？” “不，不会太远。” “你画地图给我。” 高间从记事本上撕下一张纸，放在森川面前。他的心跳加速。 ──如果不是北冈，到底是谁在接武志的球？ 武志的尸体被人发现的两天后，在须田家附近的集会所举办了葬礼。因为经济因素，只能举办简单的葬礼，但很多人都前来吊唁。 勇树站在集会所门口，向前来烧香的人鞠躬道谢。除了武志班上的同学，勇树的很多同学也都来了。他真心诚意地向每一个人说：“谢谢。” 森川和其他几位老师也来烧香，手塚麻衣子也来了。麻衣子穿了一袭黑色洋装，表情有点紧张。她和森川的关系已经在开阳高中内传开了，甚至有几名家长向校长抗议。她昨天请假，前天又早退，听说她在职员室遭到了排挤。 勇树看着麻衣子走过自己面前，烧香后合掌祭拜，她比别人祭拜的时间更长。当她走过面前时，勇树又说了一声：“谢谢。”她微微向他点头。 ※※※ 葬礼后，高间刑警不知道从哪里冒了出来，说有事想要问他。勇树说，只要不会占用太多时间就没问题，高间把他带到没有人烟的小巷子。 “你手上的盒子是甚么？” 高间首先问起勇树拿在手上的木盒子。 “这是哥哥的宝贝。”勇树回答。 “可以给我看一下吗？” "sure." 勇树打开盖子，里面有一个护身符、用竹片编的人偶，和一个像是铁钳的东西。 “这是哥哥亲生母亲的遗物，”勇树告诉高间。“我希望他在天堂的妈妈也能参加他的葬礼，所以带来了。” "That's right..." 高间抓了抓鼻头。 “你说有事要问我，是甚么事？” 勇树盖好木盒的盖子问。 “嗯──关于你哥哥晚上去神社练球的事，是不是有人陪他一起练习？”高间问。 “不是北冈哥吗？” 勇树之前曾经听眼前这位刑警和武志谈起这件事，他记得是这么一回事。 “不，我是说除了北冈以外的人，在选拔赛之前。” 勇树摇摇头。 “我之前也说过，哥哥从来不会告诉我练球的事。” “是吗……他果然都没有告诉你。” 高间有点失望。 “为甚么问这个问题？除了北冈哥以外，我哥还曾经和其他人练球吗？” 勇树反问道，高间露出尴尬的表情，不置可否地说：“嗯，只是问一下。”然后又说：“我想再问一个听起来有点奇怪的问题。” “好啊。”勇树说。 “最近你哥哥有没有和你提到过变化球的事？” “甚么？”勇树没听清楚。 “变化球，就是投手投出的曲球。” “……这个问题真的很奇怪。” “所以，我一开始就声明了。怎么样？他有提过吗？” 勇树只能重复和刚才相同的话。“我哥几乎不会在我面前提到棒球的事。” 虽然眼前的刑警有点失望，但勇树也无可奈何。因为勇树完全不了解武志的棒球人生，虽然现在对此感到懊恼，却也为时太晚。 “是魔球的事吗？” 勇树问，高间点点头。 “目前警方认为你哥在练某种新的变化球，并称之为'魔球'，只是还不知道和命案有甚么关系。” “是喔……”勇树想到一件事，决定告诉刑警，“难以相信哥哥在练变化球。” 高间纳闷地问：“为甚么？” “因为哥哥打算靠快速球进入职棒。他之前说过，如果从高中就决心要进职棒，不需要投变化球，最多只能投曲球。如果为了学投其他的球影响了投球姿势，就会偷鸡不着蚀把米。而且球探好像也告诉他，高中时代只要投直球就好。” “球探？” 高间瞪大了眼睛，从他的表情来看，应该是第一次听说这件事。“球探？是职业球队的球探吗？” “对。”勇树说。 武志升上二年级后，某个东京球队的球探经常造访须田家。他在更早之前就已经相中了武志，但并没有特别游说他进入职棒球队，每次都和他聊职棒的情况后就离开了，也会给武志一些建议。 “不过，这件事请你不要说出去。虽然我搞不太清楚，但好像被人知道哥哥和职棒的人见面，会有很多麻烦。” “我知道，好像会违反业余棒球的规定。你哥哥打算进入那个球队吗？” “不知道。哥哥常说，只要进入职棒，无论去哪一队都无所谓。” 在勇树的记忆中，武志从来没有为特定的球队加油。为棒球赌上青春的武志没有喜欢的球队听起来有点奇怪，也许对武志来说，职棒球界整体就像是一家大公司，每支球队就像是公司内的不同部门。 “那个球探多久来一次？”高间问。 “好像三、四个月来一次，今年二月有来过。” “是喔……你记得他叫甚么名字吗？” “我记得，他叫山下先生，个子很高大。” “可能以前是棒球选手吧。” 高间说完，在记事本上写下了那个球探的名字。 高间的问题全都问完了，临别前他感慨地说： “你哥哥好像是为了当棒球选手来到这个世界。” “没错，”勇树回答，“哥哥来这个世界就是为了打棒球。” 高间刑警点了两、三次头，缓缓迈开步伐。勇树跟在他的身后，在内心呐喊。 ──没错，哥哥是为了打棒球才来到这个世界，不是为了死在树林中。 好想知道真相，无论如何，都想知道真相──勇树强烈地希望。 那天晚上，勇树和志摩子难得有时间在一起慢慢吃晚餐。自从武志死后，他们都没有时间静下来吃饭。 吃到一半时，志摩子停下筷子，呆然地看着隔壁房间。 “怎么了？”勇树问道，也跟着看往那个方向。 志摩子没有马上回答，继续看着那个房间。然后，拨了拨凌乱的头发说： “我在想，以后再也不会洗那套制服了。” 隔壁房间挂着刚洗好的制服。开阳高中的一号球衣，膝盖的地方有点磨损了。 我会自己洗──武志每次都这么说。你在说甚么啊，有时间洗衣服，赶快去练球吧──志摩子也每次都这么回答。 “妈，”勇树叫着她，“哥向来都很感激你。” 志摩子的眼神飘了一下，似乎有点不知所措，然后，嘴角浮出淡淡的笑容低下头，轻声说了声：“真是傻孩子。”不知道她在说勇树还是武志。 “我只是希望家人和和乐乐地过日子……” 她问勇树：“之前觉得不快乐吗？” “很快乐啊。”勇树回答。 “对啊，妈妈也很快乐……” 志摩子说完，再度垂下双眼，用一旁的擦手布擦着眼泪。 ※※※ 晚餐后，从玄关传来敲门声。收拾好碗筷，正用抹布擦矮桌的勇树和站在厨房的志摩子互看了一眼。照理说，这么晚不会有人上门。 勇树立刻想到可能是山濑。那个家伙我行我素，很可能现在上门催债。不知道为甚么，山濑很怕武志，但现在他已经有恃无恐。 "Which one is it?" 志摩子不安地问，她也以为是山濑。 “不好意思，”──门外传来男人的声音，但不是山濑。“我叫竹中，因为有东西想要交给您们，所以这么晚上门打扰。” 志摩子又看了勇树一眼，问他认不认识这个人？勇树摇摇头，他从来没有听过竹中这个名字。 她打开门，一个身穿丧服的男人站在门口。男人年约五十多岁，身体结实挺拔，五官轮廓很深，看起来很顽固。 “不好意思，突然登门造访。” 头发花白的男人说完，对他们鞠了一躬。他鞠躬的动作很诚恳，背仍然挺得直直的。 “我以前是须田正树先生的同事，须田先生很照顾我。原本打算更早登门拜访，但因为您们搬家了，我无法联络到您们。” “所以，您是电力工程公司的人？” “对。”竹中回答。 “喔，是吗……？”志摩子听了，立刻请他进屋。“请进，家里很小。” 竹中脱了鞋子进屋后，跪坐在角落的武志骨灰前。 “我在报上看到了这次的事，所以才知道您们住在这里。” 竹中解释之后，又鞠了一躬说：“真的是飞来横祸，请节哀顺变。”志摩子和勇树也跪坐着向他还礼。 竹中徵得志摩子的同意后，为武志上了香。他在武志的骨灰前合掌祭拜了很久，勇树看到他嘴里念念有词，但听不到他在说甚么。 上完香后，他转身看着志摩子，从怀里掏出一个白色信封。 “以前须田先生曾经多次借钱给我，我一直想要回报他，请您们务必收下。” “不，我们素昧平生，怎么可以……？” 志摩子推辞着，竹中摇着头，把信封推到她面前。 “我只是归还所借的东西，您也可以认为是给武志的奠仪。” “喔，但是……” “请您不必想太多。” 竹中环视屋内后站了起来，“我该告辞了。” “呃，我马上来泡茶。” 志摩子慌了手脚，他伸出手制止道： “不用了，我还要去其他地方，今晚就先告辞了。” “呃，可不可以请您留下联络方式？” 听到志摩子的要求，竹中想了一下，然后拿出记事本，写下联络方式后，递给志摩子。他的字很漂亮。 "Then I will take my leave first." 竹中在门口又鞠了一躬后，听到他离去的脚步声。 竹中的脚步声消失后，母子两人又互看了一眼，搞不清眼前的状况。刚才那个男人到底是甚么人？ 勇树拿起信封，确认信封里的金额。因为他觉得可能是恶作剧。 看到信封里的金额，他吓了一跳。 “妈，太惊人了，里面有三十万圆。” “甚么？怎么会？” 志摩子也走了过来。信封里的的确确有三十张一万圆的纸钞。 “勇树，赶快去追他，一定要问清楚。” "it is good." 勇树冲出家门，追向男人离开的方向。虽说父亲以前曾经照顾他，然而三十万圆实在太多了。 但是，勇树没有追到，那个男人可能是开车来的。勇树只好回家。 "what to do?" 志摩子看着钱手足无措。“我看还是明天联络他，我们不能收这么多钱。” “我觉得还是收下吧，”勇树说，“只要有这些钱，就可以还钱给那个山濑，以后也不用再烦恼了。” 志摩子向山濑借了十万圆。勇树讨厌山濑三不五时以借钱为藉口，不怀好意地纠缠志摩子。志摩子不去上班的日子，勇树好几次放学回家，都看到他旁若无人地坐在家里。 "That's right." 志摩子露出为难的表情。 “总之，先把钱还给山濑，其他事之后再考虑。我马上去还钱，如果不赶快还给他，那家伙绝对又会上门。他一定觉得反正哥哥已经不在了，没甚么好怕的，以后我会保护你。” 勇树把手放在志摩子的肩上。 “谢谢，但是你不用担心。” 说完，志摩子看着信封，再度偏着头纳闷。“话说回来，刚才那个人为甚么……？” 从勇树口中得知曾有职业球探上门这件事的第二天，高间来到该球队事务所的会客室。电话联络时，原以为忙碌的对方不可能立刻安排见面，只希望预约对方的时间，没想到对方一听到是须田武志的事，马上提出希望立刻见面的要求。 高间取出Hi─lite 香烟抽了一口，环视室内。墙上贴着选手的月历和日程表。 目前几乎可以确定，武志在石崎神社练球的对象，除了北冈以外，还有另一个人。棒球社的佐藤是在选拔赛之前看到武志练习，他并不知道陪同练习的是不是北冈。因为那天下雪，所以查出了具体的日期，但据北冈明的母亲所言，那天晚上他并没有出门。 那么，须田武志到底和谁一起练球？ 如果当时的练习和“魔球”有关，那么，练球的对象就变得极其重要。 但是，勇树认为武志不可能练变化球的意见也很耐人寻味，而且据说这是职业球探的建议，高间认为有必要向这名球探了解情况，所以今天特地登门拜访。 高间抽完第一支烟时，门打开了，一个身材魁梧的男人走了进来。 身穿灰色西装的他一进门就鞠躬道歉，“不好意思，让你久等了。”他的声音洪亮，可以感受到肺活量很大。高间也起身回礼，双方交换了名片。高间从名片上