Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Six

The taxi taken by the old woman turned right at the Ohara intersection as soon as she drove on Shanghuan Seventh Avenue, and headed towards Shinjuku on Koshu Street.Corona, whose turquoise and green body was equipped with orange taxi business lights, ran comfortably and steadily 30 meters in front of Aotori.Because it was close to midnight on a Sunday, the traffic in the direction of Shinjuku was not very crowded, or was it because it was carrying elderly guests?Tailgating like a professionally driven cab in a race is quite compelling, but I'm not too worried about it tonight.If there was a problem, it was when she got off the taxi.

The taxi arrived in Nishi-Shinjuku after eleven o'clock, turned left in front of the "KDD Building" and left Koshu Street, and I immediately drove Aoto to follow.The taxi passed the "Keio Plaza Hotel", turned left in front of the "Mitsui Building", and then turned left in front of the "Dai-ichi Life Building", which happened to circle around the densely populated area of ​​super high-rise buildings in Shinjuku.When I was thinking that I should be approaching the destination, the taxi suddenly slowed down in front of the "Hyatt Hotel", and the body began to move to the sidewalk on the left.The taxi driver said something to the old woman, and the old woman moved to the door in the direction of getting off.It's getting close to becoming the situation I was just worried about.She's probably going to get off at this point, but she might also consider getting off at the "Isetan" intersection at the east exit or in the very center of Kabukicho.It seemed that I had no choice but to turn left ahead, stop the blue bird and walk down to follow.Just when I made up my mind, the taxi started to speed up and go straight again, approaching the "Toshin Building" across the road from the "Hyatt Hotel".

The exterior walls carved from obsidian and the huge 36-story building decorated with chrome-coated steel are commonly known as "black buildings".Although it is only 500 meters away from my office, I, who have never been associated with high-rise buildings, have not been here since the "Toshin Group" management rights incident surrounding the center of this building two years ago. The other buildings have more or less changed.The taxi headed towards the front gate of the "Park Side Hotel" that occupies the northwest quarter of the black building, and stopped after entering the porch.I also drove the blue bird in and parked on the outside of the taxi.

The middle-aged driver of the taxi looked at me suspiciously through his glasses when he informed the old woman in the back seat of the fee to wait.His expression seemed to say: "This blue bird seems to have been following me from a long time ago, if it is going to the same destination..." When he received the 10,000 won from the old lady, he Immediately get rid of my affairs from your head and concentrate on settling accounts.I turned off the engine of the Blue Bird, pulled out the key, got out of the car, walked around the taxi, and stopped the doorman who came out to greet the guests.

"I'm in a hurry, please park that car in the parking lot." "I'm really sorry, but the person in charge of parking the car is no longer here—" I put the pre-prepared thank you gift in the palm of the bellman along with the car keys. "You're still here." The male waiter smiled wryly.This is a night where anyone who sees the head of a banknote changes his mind. "Then please go to the information desk to collect the keys. What is your name?" "Sawazaki." After I answered, I walked towards the automatic door. I happened to be with the old woman who got off the taxi, and I opened the door for the male waiter to let her go first.

"Thank you!" she thanked me, shifting the handbag and brick-red suitcase from the left side next to me to her right hand. I wondered if I should say to her: "Do you need to help you with your luggage?" But I knew that the luggage was not that heavy, so I gave up. "How to get to the Sky Lounge? Do you know?" She asked while walking. "I know, I have to take that elevator!" I pointed to the elevator next to the hotel service desk with my finger. "I'm going there too, let me take you there!" "Ah! Thank you for your kindness."

We walked to the elevator through the red-based hotel lobby, which contrasted sharply with the black exterior.The service staff at the service desk just said "welcome" and showed no special concern.At this hour, it might be more noticeable if the old woman and I were alone.Of the three elevators, only the one on the far left is still in operation. The elevator master in uniform, who looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, greeted us with gritted teeth and suppressed a yawn. "Which floor are you on?" "To the Sky Lounge. Same for this lady." "Understood, go directly to the thirty-sixth floor."

As soon as the elevator door closed, the old woman touched my upper arm lightly, and said in a voice as if she was about to tell a big secret: "There is a store called 'Opelix' in the Sky Lounge, and the interior decoration is designed by my son. of." "Really?" I looked like I was taken aback, and pretended to be admiring. The old woman said nothing, and stared ahead triumphantly.There was no sound inside the elevator. As soon as I felt a slight change in the air pressure, the elevator quickly reached the thirty-sixth floor in the time it took to reach the fifth or sixth floor at best.

"I kept you waiting, the Sky Lounge is here." I let the old lady go out first, and asked the elevator master where the public phone was installed.He told me it was in the lobby to the left from the elevator, which I also exited.I watched the old lady walking towards the entrance of the "Opelix" restaurant directly ahead, and walked to the hall on the left. In the center of the hall, a large projector projects the night view of Shinjuku.The only thing that can be viewed for free is the projector screen. For the real night view, please go to any store in the Sky Lounge to watch it after paying.On both sides of "Opelix", there is a bar that claims to be able to drink wine from all over the world, and a coffee shop that sells handmade cakes and charcoal-roasted coffee.The coffee shop is closed.

Behind the projector, the chrome-plated steel surface is carved with texture, cut into shapes of various sizes, and decorated on the wall in a mosaic manner.The designer's name and experience are supplemented on the board, maybe it can't be called a wall at all.On the far right there is a plain wall marked "Dressing Room", with three telephones lined up under the sign.Two are used by women in their twenties and thirties, and the central one is empty.I got closer and found that it was a small green phone with a card, and there was a calling card vending machine next to it.I haven't used a calling card yet.There are telephones and ten-yen coins, but you can't make calls—this is part of the progress of the world.In the future, if you don't have a phone card, you won't be able to engage in the detective business!But the situation is not there yet.I turned back and turned right, toward the restaurant the old woman had entered.

The compartments in the "Opelix" store and the lobby are made of marble corner columns thinned into a spire shape, arranged like the teeth of a comb.Looking forward, there are also nearly black spire-shaped stones staggered in the small intervals between the comb teeth, so it is impossible to see into the store from the outside, and the night view of the 36th floor is also invisible due to this obstacle.To spy on the old woman and the brick-red suitcase, there is no other way but to become a guest of "Opelix". When I entered the entrance and passed the cash register, a man in a black tuxedo who looked like a manager told me that it was only open until twelve o'clock.The old lady was sitting alone at the table in the middle of the store. A few steps before me, the waiter was walking towards the old lady's table to order food.The length of the store is long, and it is more spacious than imagined when looking in from the outside.It may be that it is very late, and there are only about 20 to 30% of the visitors.I followed the same route as the waiter, and sat down at the table behind the old woman. The old woman who took the big menu from the waiter pointed to the top dish on the first page and said, "Because I haven't eaten at all since this morning, I'm really hungry." The waiter looked at his watch, probably to confirm whether all the meals could be delivered within business hours. "Understood. What do you want for drinks?" "Can I have a glass of wine? It's not too sweet." After finishing speaking, the old woman lightly touched the waiter's elbow and whispered, "The interior decoration of this store was designed by my son!" The waiter and I looked around the store together.Like the minaret-shaped stone bordering the hall, the overall color is a contrast of white and black, and Egyptian-style shapes and totems can be seen everywhere.The same goes for tables, chairs, and household appliances. "It's really a very good design." After the waiter finished speaking, he left the old lady's table. What the waiter said may not be flattering, it is indeed a rather unique and exquisite design.But the theme of this store is the scenery seen from the window glass that occupies one side of this long space.From where I was sitting, although I was slightly obstructed by the lights of the Hyatt Hotel on the lower right, I could see the lights lined up on Shinjuku Central Park Street and the flow of lights of vehicles driving on the vertical and horizontal roads.Being able to separate from the various realities that exist there, and just look at it as a shining panorama, will make people feel enlightened!It's not that you see something different, but if you change the height of your horizon, everything looks different. I turned my eyes back to the store, and found that every customer's eyes were naturally attracted to the scenery outside the window. Only the old woman looked around the store with the warm and enthusiastic eyes of a mother looking at a child, and the only one in the store I stared at the back of the old woman.I ordered coffee and a sandwich and smoked a cigarette.At this moment the manager in a tuxedo visited the old lady's table. "Excuse me! Are you the mother of the designer Yuki Takuya? This store is too stupid. Thank you very much for coming! I am the manager of our store, Yoshioka." He was preparing to pour wine at the table, and put a small The wine in the wisteria cage brought by the trolley was moved to the table, the cork was removed and poured into the glass. "I don't know if it suits your taste, but it shows our gratitude. Please enjoy it slowly!" The old lady declined, "No, I can't accept this kind of hospitality from you." While watching their conversation, which was stilted like an old Hollywood movie, I stubbed out my cigarette and left my seat and entered the phone booth in front of the cash register.I put a ten-yen coin into the pink phone and dialed the number for the third time in two days.But no one answered after calling several times. "This is the Search Division of the Shinjuku Bureau." Unexpectedly, it was not the voice of the Nishikori Police Department, but a muddy voice that sounded quite old. "Is it Director Tajima?" "Yes, may I ask who are you?" Unlike Nishikori, he is someone I have only known for two years, but he is a detective who can talk to me more fluently than Nishikori. "I'm Sawazaki——I'm from Watanabe Detective Agency." "Ah! I heard from the police department, it seems to be a very troublesome thing!" I looked back into the store, and the steak set had been delivered to the old woman's table. She tied the napkin to her chest and was about to put the sliced ​​meat on the fork into her mouth. "Where's the police department?" I asked. "He's here, but investigations are underway now. There has been a series of robberies at the cigarette store, and the active culprit who committed the crime in Kabukicho has been arrested." "May I ask you to pass a message to him? It's quite urgent." "Please say." "I'm now tracking the person who has that brick red suitcase that I lost." "Really?" "Please also inform the Mejiro Department of this matter." "Understood." "Also, can you tell me the phone number of the head of the Maori Search Section of the Mejiro Bureau? Please check it out within fifteen minutes, and I will call again at a better time." Director Tajima repeated, "Understood." My sandwich and coffee were delivered to the table.Because I ate dinner too early, I feel hungry now. "Can you tell me where you are now? If my message is only those, the police department will definitely be furious." "Sorry! Please change the term appropriately." Tajima laughed. "Is there anything else?" "No, that's all." Then I cut off the phone and returned to my seat. Both the old woman and I were temporarily concentrating on the matter of eating.Contrary to what she said, the old woman couldn't eat half of the luxurious set meal, and she only ate one bite of the cantaloupe when the after-dinner fruit was delivered.She got up from her chair, seemed to hesitate to leave the suitcase alone on the seat, and finally went to the telephone booth with only her handbag.She took the phone book out of her handbag and looked up the number, spending quite a bit of time.But after dialing the phone, the other party answered the phone and hung up after saying a word or two.From my location, I can see that it is a phone number with only seven digits, without the area codes of other counties and cities. The old lady returned to her table and took a sip of coffee, then put on the coat she had taken off and left her seat immediately.This time she was carrying the suitcase and her demeanor was quite calm.Unfortunately she forgot to pay the bill and the waiter had to chase her.After seeing her walk out of the store, I also walked towards the cash register.