Chapter 6 Chapter Six

"What happened later, what happened later?" I anxiously asked the old man Ma Yechuan. "I, stay outside, regretting all the time in my heart. Thinking about what should I say to the mother in case something happens to the child? Being forced by the child, I really made a stupid decision Ma Yechuan sighed deeply, "Compared with the future, I was more concerned about how to deal with the aftermath of this incident. In fact, the chairman of the school was his aunt, but at that time I I don't know yet, I thought it was his mother. "But then again, although it is a judgment without common sense at all, that little kid named Mitarai has some kind of incredible power that makes people make that kind of decision and makes people trust him. He It’s as if the whole body is exuding magnetism.”

I nodded.I also understand this very well.That magnetic force, helps Mitarai do some pretty amazing work.It can even be said that that power itself is the proof of a person who can accomplish great deeds. At the same time, he also makes those around him useless. No matter what, Mitarai can do it alone, without seeking the so-called "help from others", which makes people around her feel more and more powerless.This world is formed by everyone helping each other, no one will exist in isolation. Anyway, the man Mitaraiji has possessed this quality since he was a child.I have come into contact with many people in my life so far, but there is only Mitarai like him.

"So, what's the result?... Has it finally made you regret it?" I asked. If it is now, I think, as long as Mitarai said so, the matter will definitely be resolved smoothly.But anyway, it was in kindergarten.Even with Mitarai, there are bound to be miscalculations or omissions in calculations. "If you say regret, maybe it's regret." "That is to say..." I opened my eyes wide in surprise. "After a long, long time, I was completely terrified and felt that I was going to fail. No matter how good the relationship is, even if the chairman has bought a lot of electrical appliances from his shop, Nakai owes her favor; but the reality is, after all, It's reality, this person has completely lost his mind." Ma Yechuan inspector said excitedly, "The more I think about it, the more I feel that it is impossible for him to return to his usual attitude. Men's hatred for women is very strong. , Before that, we had suffered many times because of similar cases. When it comes to human criminal psychology, it is nothing more than pornography and desire. That five-year-old kid has to deal with the inferiority of adults."

"Then what happened later, what happened later?" I asked excitedly. "Thirty minutes passed quickly, and the house was still quiet, and there was no movement. I was so anxious. There was no woman's voice, and there was no scream. I wanted to curse, and I wanted to yell: 'Bastard! What the hell is going on inside!...' I wanted to yell again: 'We're rushing in!' But, I finally held back, worried that if I yelled out, it might ruin the whole situation, so I could only force myself to restrain myself. In fact, it was much easier to rush inside and do a big job at that time.

"At that time, I had completely given up on the police job or something. I was thinking about going back to the countryside to be a farmer with my wife, or finding a department store and being a security guard or something. I think this is also my life. Then, the glass door on the balcony opened with a rattle, and Nakai walked out with the woman." "What?..." Inubo Satomi and I held our breaths and leaned out. The old man Ma Yechuan looked leisurely and contented, and was not in a hurry to continue telling the story.And those of us who listened with bated breath were a little impatient and impatient.

"And then, what's going on?" I asked urgently. "I don't know until now. Why Nakai said that is a mystery to me. That guy said so, he looked at me standing downstairs, from behind like this, restrained wearing mourning clothes The woman asked: 'Hey, let me ask you, do you know Lily of the Valley?'" "Lily of the valley?!..." Satomi and I exclaimed in unison. "Yes, that's right. At that time, I was also stupid. I thought about what to do, what was the question. So I asked back: 'What lily of the valley? Isn't it just a flower, so what about flowers? After I finished asking, my head was hot for a while, and after being hung out for so long, I finally couldn't help but yelled: "Stop asking such boring things, come down quickly!" After yelling, I felt something bad , Talking like this will anger the other party again."

"Yeah, and then, the other party is really angry?" "No, not at all. Shiran Nakai said 'I'm sorry, wait a little longer', and he answered me like this." "Huh?..." Quanfang Limei was full of doubts. "I thought I was hallucinating. Zhongjing's tone was not harsh. Although it was rough, it no longer had the murderous look it had at the beginning, and became peaceful." Ma Yechuan shook his head and smiled wryly, "What did he say?" It means, wait a little longer, and I'll come down right away. Is that what you mean?"

"That's right." Inubo Satomi agreed, holding her head. "So I understood that the child's persuasion work seems to have mostly worked. I feel relieved." Ma Yechuan smiled wryly, shook his head with a long sigh, "At the same time, I felt as if I saw magic, and my heart Thinking, how the hell did that kid do it, what did he do?" "Well!..." I nodded. "Until now, this is still a mystery in my heart." "Mystery?..." I stared at him with wide eyes. "Well, it's a mystery. Because after that day, Mr. Mitarai Kei refused to tell me what he said to Nakai inside."

"'After that day', that is, the scene was safe and sound that day?" "Yeah, nothing happened. There was only one time in the middle, when I heard Nakai's roar, saying, 'It's so noisy! Is there any other way to understand your words!...' It scared me to death." Ma Yechuan shook his head with a wry smile, "However, there was only one sentence at the time, and then the door on the first floor opened, and Mr. Mitarai suddenly walked out. A five-year-old child came out bouncing around, He had a paper bag in his hand." "Paper bag?"

"Yes. That's right. Then I ran over quickly and asked him how he was. He said nonchalantly that Mr. Nakai will come out immediately." "Oh...then he came out later, Nakai?..." "Mrs. Chieko's daughter asked her mother if she was okay, Mr. Mitarai Kei replied: 'It's all right!...' Then..." Ma Yechuan smacked his lips in disbelief, nodded with a wry smile, "Yes, that's right Come out, Nakai walked out of the house alone, and threw the kitchen knife in front of us." "Oh." Inubo Satomi and I nodded. "We just lost our chance to be a hero. The police department of this department was very upset. I quickly approached Nakai and put handcuffs on him. When we were about to get into the police car, Nakai said that he hoped to stop at his electrical store on the way. Let’s ask him why, and he said he wants to pay back the money.” Ma Yechuan shook his head helplessly and smiled wryly, “That guy in Zhongjing took the cash and deposits from the store, borrowed money everywhere, and collected a lot of money. He carried it with him at that time and almost never used it. He prepared the money for a woman, that is, Chieko Suzuki. He originally wanted two people to elope with the money and live in another place, but was rejected by the other party. So nothing was spent. He said he would give the money back to his wife and kids. I said I got it and I would drive over and stop. Put him in the car."

"Well, so to speak, at least the problem of absconding with money has been solved neatly." "Yes, Nakai has at least been cleared of charges of theft and absconding with money." "Indeed." I nodded. "When he boarded the police car, he said something like this to the Mitarai child: 'Thank you, little friend.' He also said that he should apologize to everyone at home and school. Tell him to 'Be careful with women when you grow up, Don’t be like an uncle’. Then the kid said: ‘Well, got it.’” "It turned out to be like this." I smiled smugly. "Mrs. Qian Huizi also came out and saw her daughter again. This matter will be settled." "What's in the paper bag Mitarai took?" "Oh, there are milk bottles filled with sand, broken and broken toys, and so on, things for children to play with." Ma Yechuan said with a wry smile, "Then, I hurriedly used my bicycle to send Mitarai back to Home, apologized to his aunt, and explained that the son was very active this time, solved the case, and so on. He also said that there might be a certificate of award, and it was indeed issued later.” "Then, what did his aunt say?" "Oh, that person is very strict. She lost her temper at first, saying, do you know how worried I am, and so on. But when I mentioned the certificate, her attitude immediately improved. The old man Ma Yechuan shook his head with a smile, "Well, that's the kind of person who values ​​public opinion very much. Well, in short, because it's a private university, it's all about word of mouth, and there's no way around it." "Hmm... so, what happened to Nakai after that? The final charges were hostage-taking, murder of Otozo Suzuki, and..." "No, he didn't kill anyone. Because when Otozo fell into the sea from the pier, it was at two o'clock in the afternoon. At that time, Nakai was in his own electrical store. This is very clear. Many people saw his wife and customers. Nakai." "Huh? Then why did Mitarai say with certainty that Nakai killed Suzuki Otozo?" "Yeah, but, after that was over, I went to see Mr. Mitarai -- five-year-old Mitarai -- and I think he asked about it, and he said this: 'That was my mistake. '" "Wrong?" My eyes widened in disbelief. "Yeah, he said he made a mistake. No matter how many times he asked, he said the same thing. After that incident, I ran to Mitarai's house again and again, and kept asking patiently. The child was often in the yard or by the pond, Playing with the little animals." The old man Ma Yechuan said with a blank wry smile, "I've been obsessed with this matter and asked many times, but that kid didn't give in at all, only saying that he made a mistake. .Is that person really like this? Has Mr. Ishioka had a similar experience?" "Maybe there were similar things. However, when he talks like this, he is definitely lying. That guy..." I sighed helplessly, "Of course, I'm talking about the Mitarai who grew up, but, On this kind of issue, he will never make a mistake. To say that kind of thing after the fact is to lie, and there must be some intention." "That's right, I thought so too." "Anyway, you don't have to ask Mitarai Kei. What did Nakai himself say?" "Well, Nakai, if he could talk, I wouldn't have worked so hard. Although that guy went to Nakai Electric Appliances in a police car, his wife refused to meet him." "Oh?" "And, afterwards, never visited the police station." "Where's the money?" I asked. "His wife asked the police to return the money to the relevant creditors, saying that she no longer wanted to have any contact with her husband. So, it should be handled properly by the police. Zhongjing's store has some operating debts, but , because the shop and the land are all his own, so after selling the shop, all the debts have been paid off, but there is almost no money left." The old man Ma Yechuan nodded with a wry smile, and sighed, "His His wife divorced him and went back to his hometown in Ibaraki with the children. After all, there was such a big mess, and it was published in the newspaper, let alone for a woman, and the other party lived right under the nose. For his wife , is something that cannot be tolerated.” "Indeed, in this way, the business of the electrical appliance store will no longer be possible." "As for the husband, he was disheartened. During the interrogation, he suddenly snatched the police officer's pistol, and Banggou shot himself." "What?!... There is such a thing?" "It's so satisfying. When the police officer walked up to Nakai, he took the opportunity to pull out the pistol from the holster and pointed it at his head, bang!... bang! bang!..." "It's so strong!..." I said with emotion. "For Nakai, if he can get his wife's forgiveness, he can start over from the beginning. He has always said this to the police officer who escorted him. However, his wife cannot forgive him. So, he thinks, he can only die. .” The old man Ma Yechuan sighed helplessly. "In this way, everything is unknown. What happened before, and what Nakai did to Suzuki Otozo. The child didn't say anything, and I made a promise not to ask why, so I can't Keep going. That's a man's promise. "Later, I kept interviewing many people, such as Yokoyama who played foreign films, Chieko Suzuki and her daughter Eriko from Suzu Bar, and Nakai's wife. I asked them very thoroughly, because I felt unclear. It was so uncomfortable. Every time I saw them, I would ask them. "That's it. I know how much hard work that child has put in to get back the shards of glass that I threw away in a daze from the garbage truck, but I still don't know what the meaning of those shards is. Understood. Mr. Yokoyama also said that he didn't know anything. No one knew, except for the kid Mitarai, and the murderer Nakai. But Nakai was dead, and the kid Mitarai didn't speak. And I promised him, never Keep going, so the ending is a mystery." The old man Ma Yechuan looked bewildered, shaking his head and sighing. "Forty years have passed, and it has always been a mystery. That's why I read all the works of Mr. Shioka, thinking that I might be able to find the answer to the mystery, but I have never seen it. Now , I want to ask, what is going on, Teacher Shigang, do you understand?" He asked such a question, but I could only shake my head vigorously, while looking at Inubo Satomi next to me.Rimi shook her head too. "That's the whole story of that case. That's all I can think of. It's still unbelievable." Inubo Satomi lowered her head, thinking quietly.After thinking for a long time, he said, "Well, Mr. Mitarai... At that time, he said that Nakai killed Mrs. Suzuki's husband. I think it was him. When Nakai took hostages, Mitarai didn't I didn’t mention that matter, I think it’s because, if you don’t do that, Mrs. Suzuki Chieko may be seriously injured, and may even be killed. Compared with pursuing Nakai’s murder suspicion, he chose to protect Suzuki Chieko’s life. Because Mrs. Chieko, It's his friend—Eriko's mother. Mitarai-san was entrusted by Eriko before, so no matter what, he must protect Mrs. Chieko and prevent this poor child from losing his parents." "Hmm... Maybe that's the case." Ma Yechuan nodded in agreement. "As for the murder issue, I originally planned to pursue it later, but Nakai committed suicide, so Mr. Mitarai probably thought, let's forget it, let's call it a day. So, after that, he decided to keep it a secret Don't open your mouth." "Can kindergarten children think so far?" I said incredulously. "I can, because it's Mitarai Kai." "Well, it is indeed possible." Ma Yechuan also said, "Although the child is still in kindergarten, he already has such thinking ability." "Well, but, why keep your mouth shut? Even if you say it, it's nothing." I said impatiently, "Anyway, Nakai is dead, and his wife has left the town. He has no reason to cover up the murderer." "That's right, that's what I don't understand. However, Mr. Mitarai did say that Mr. Nakai killed Mr. Suzuki. Then, on the rainy day when Mr. Suzuki died, Mr. Nakai must have met Mr. Suzuki." , there must have been contact." Satomi Inubo speculated with a smile. "Well, that's right, that's right." I also echoed, "What did Mr. Nakai do that day?" "Well, I've investigated everything. Otozo Suzuki fell into the sea and died at about two o'clock in the afternoon. At that time, Zhonghe was in his shop. That's for sure. But, he was in the Before two o'clock, he returned to the store at one o'clock, in other words, before two o'clock, he was not in the store during the period of ten to fifteen minutes." "However, ten minutes or fifteen minutes, it's too late to get to Isoko, right?" "Impossible, but..." "Mr. Suzuki fell into the sea around two o'clock, is this time certain?" I asked the old inspector. "Sure. Because there are many witnesses, and there are many fishing people at the scene." "Mr. Suzuki is the only one in the car?" "He's the only one. That's clear." Ma Yechuan nodded affirmatively. "That's it." I nodded in understanding. "In addition, during lunch that day, Mr. Zhongjing also disappeared for a short time. Around twelve o'clock to one o'clock, he said that he wanted to have dinner with a client, so he left his shop." The old man Ma Yechuan said seriously, "Summary For a moment, it is an hour between twelve o'clock and one o'clock, and in the ten minutes between one forty and fifty, or fifty-five minutes, he is not in the store." "One hour and fifteen minutes. What about before and after?" "I haven't left in the morning, and I've been in the electrical store all the time. Afterwards, around three o'clock, he disappeared again. However, Otozo was already dead at that time, so it probably doesn't matter." "In that case, the person who had lunch with Nakai might be Mr. Suzuki?" I asked. "Yes, I thought so too. So Nakai went out to the Bell Bar, and had lunch with Mr. Suzuki between twelve o'clock and one o'clock. Then, before one o'clock, Mr. Suzuki left the bar and drove to After leaving Isoko, the police went back to their store. 'Ling' is very close to Zhongjing Electric. If you walk, you can walk there in about two or three minutes, and if you walk quickly, it only takes one minute. Therefore, if it is in a bar, something happened. If something happened..." "Did the two of them break the glass there?" Inubo Satomi asked. "If Nakai broke it...maybe it's possible?" Ma Yechuan said. "The glasses in my store were all broken. Would Mr. Suzuki just throw them away and go out to buy fish?" I asked. "At 1:45, Nakai disappeared from his store again, right? If it was at that time..." Inubo Satomi speculated. "No, this should have nothing to do with it." The old man Ma Yechuan immediately shook his head and denied, "Probably because of other things, such as running away with a woman, making calls from public phone booths on the street, and asking someone to borrow money. Here, my wife is right in front of me, there is no way to make this kind of phone call." "That makes sense." I nodded. "Then, there is one more thing that seems to be very important." The old man Ma Yechuan suddenly said seriously, "It seems that Zhongjing should have had a physical relationship with Suzuki Chieko, um, it can be regarded as sleeping several times The place where the two of them secretly met seems to be Suzuki's house, when Otozo is out." "Eh?..." Satomi seemed taken aback. "It's really indecent to say it. Because Suzuki Otozo always goes out at a fixed time to buy supplies in the store, it seems to have created convenience for this kind of secret activity." "Then it's no wonder that Mr. Nakai became like that. It's understandable. The two of them are already in a relationship, right?" I said, my tone becoming a little sympathetic. "But, according to Mrs. Chieko, it's just for work." Satomi said. "for work?" "To attract customers to the store. Besides, customers spend a lot of money in the store, so, as a thank-you gift, and so on. It's the same thing in this business." "Hey, can you understand Mrs. Suzuki Chieko's mood?" "Of course I can't do it, but I can infer it. I feel that I have reached that point." "Is that so... Obviously a man with a husband..." "Of course, I think it's absolutely wrong to do this, so it will end like this in the end." Inubo Satomi said seriously. "That's true." I nodded and asked suddenly, "Then, could it be that Nakai put something in Mr. Suzuki's food during the meal?" "That's right! There is such a possibility!..." Inubo Satomi also waved her fist in agreement. "That's right, this place is indeed the most suspicious, so I conducted a detailed investigation." The old man Ma Yechuan nodded and said, "In the trash can at the Bell Bar, there are empty cans left over from eating, which should be from the lunch of those two people. and bread and butter. In the freezer—oh, one of those old freezers with ice on top of the box." "Ah? What's that?" Satomi asked in surprise. "Well, young people like you probably haven't seen it before. In the previous freezers, I bought ice cubes from the ice shop and put them on the top shelf to cool down the food below." "Eh? That's why it's called a refrigerator!..." "Yes. But it was only June, so there should be no ice cubes, and there were milk and other things in the freezer. In addition, the plates and cups in the store were all cleaned. We cleaned all these things. A careful inspection did not reveal any toxins." "Those cans were indeed eaten at noon that day when the two of them had lunch, right?" "Well, Mrs. Qian Huizi said she didn't eat it, so it should be those two people who ate it." "What did Mr. Nakai say?" "Nakai died before making his confession. In addition, when it comes to poisonous substances that can be obtained on a daily basis and are capable of killing people, potassium chloride found in places such as gilding workshops is the most famous." "Yes." I nodded. "Then there are termite repellants and the like, or arsenic-based poisons from pesticide manufacturing companies. For ordinary people, that's all, right? But these two types of poisons, once ingested, will attack immediately, and It’s very painful. I can’t say it’s completely unbearable, but at least after taking the poison, it’s absolutely impossible to drive leisurely for an hour.” Ma Yechuan smiled and shook his head, “Depending on the dosage, sometimes It will cause severe vomiting. These highly poisonous substances will cause people to die of pain. However, in this case, the above-mentioned situations did not occur. Therefore, the inference of poisoning is also wrong. In addition, based on the normal interpersonal relationships of Nakai Electric Co., Ltd. From the perspective of relationship, there are no companies or factories that can obtain these poisons, so this line of thinking is wrong.” "Well, as expected, you have already investigated." Inubo Satomi nodded helplessly. "Of course, the police are not that stupid. Anyway, we have investigated all the clues that should be investigated. Next, there is the line of nicotine-based toxins. Although it is also possible, it is quite special. Moreover, people who are poisoned will suffer very much, and their properties are the same as those of the first two poisons. Therefore, the conclusion is that Suzuki Otozo’s death was not caused by poisoning.” "Well, that's it." I nodded and admitted defeat. "In that case, it's not poisoning. I think it's definitely right." Satomi said. I also felt the same, and echoed: "I also thought it was poisoning." "And that one? Thick glass shards or something, what's that?" "Yes!..." Ma Yechuan said. "Why did so many glasses break? Is it a quarrel?" "It doesn't seem to be. I asked Mrs. Suzuki Chieko, and she said she didn't know. She didn't understand why the cup was broken. Thick glass shards are even more bizarre. Mrs. Chieko said that there is no such thick glass in her store. Glass, something made." Ma Yechuan smiled helplessly, "Bottles, ashtrays, glasses, teacups, vases, lamps, light bulbs, etc., I have thought about all kinds of things, but there is nothing like that. There were no televisions back then, so I can't think of a clue. Also, she said nothing else was broken in the store except the glasses. It's so weird that I can't figure it out, I surrender." "I see. So, what happened to that bar?" "The men in the town take good care of Mrs. Chieko, and often go to support her. Although there is no male master, the business is even better. It's ironic..." "Mr. Ma Yechuan, have you been there too?" Inubo Satomi asked suddenly. "Well, I've been there. Sometimes, I went with friends in the town. But after about a year, she found a new man, closed the shop, and moved to Motomachi. Listen Speaking of opening a bar in Motomachi, the man this time seems to have no money at all. He is poorer than any man in Kashiwaba Town who is interested in her. Therefore, everyone can't figure it out, and there are many discussions. .” "So, what about Eriko? She moved, so she and Mitarai-san are separated." "Well, it seems to be in the same elementary school, Wadayama Elementary School in Yamate. After that, people often saw her in the business district of Women's University Street, as if they were chasing Mitarai." Ma Yechuan smiled wryly. He said, "What's that called... Children's Detective Team?! It's probably like that, everyone patrols the streets of Kashiwaba Town together." Said the former inspector. "Oh? Speaking of which, I really like it." Satomi nodded with emotion. "In short, it is a case full of mysteries." Ma Yechuan concluded. "Suzuran's words are also true!..." Inubo Satomi added. "Yes, and that sentence is also a question that I don't understand. If you think of it, please tell me." The old man Ma Yechuan nodded with a smile, turned to me and said with a smile, "Mr. Shigang , please, the next time you talk to Mr. Mitarai, please ask him what happened to the case in Showa 29. This is my request. Before going to that world , I want to know the answer no matter what." The former inspector said.