Chapter 5 Tourist Train Bombing Mystery

This is a tourist train running on the Minamiaso Railway in the third area.It consists of a carriage and travels within a seventeen-kilometer interval. As soon as it drove out of the Fengfei Main Line, it immediately crossed the arched iron bridge across the Baichuan River.Because its color is integrated with Baichuan, iron bridge and plain, this tourist train has become the most characteristic landscape in this area. On April 15th, the 13:07 tourist train from Liye left the station with twelve or thirteen passengers. Since this is the driver-cum-conductor's vehicle, there is no conductor following the vehicle.

Driving across the iron bridge of Shirakawa, the first stop is Changyang Station. In the Aso crater here, it is the season when new greenery begins to sprout.And soon rice seedlings will be planted in the paddy fields in this area. In this piece of fresh green, the white tourist train runs during it, forming a beautiful scenery. The tourist train stopped at Kashi, Aso Shimoda, and Nakamatsu stations in sequence, and then arrived at Aso Shirakawa.This is the station marked by a triangular tower with a clock.Rather than saying it is a station, it is more appropriate to say that it is a big toy. The white and blue shape reminds people of cakes.

A young man and woman among the tourists quickly took pictures. After the train leaves Aso Shirakawa, there are two stops before the terminal Takamori. Takachiho in Miyazaki Prefecture can be reached from Takamori. The time to leave Aso Shirakawa was 13:29. At this time, there was a loud noise inside the car and an explosion occurred.Accompanied by the violent explosion, a dazzling light penetrated the compartment.Some seats were blown away, and there were panic and miserable shouts in the car. Several passengers got out of the car halfway, and there were only seven or eight passengers in the car at this time.They all fell to the floor of the car.Among them is the young man and woman taking pictures in Aso Shirakawa.

The windows of the car were all shattered, and the car body broke off the rails and fell under the roadbed. Fifteen or sixteen minutes later, ambulances and patrol cars arrived quickly from Aso Town. Ambulance crews and police struggled to free the passengers and driver from the overturned carriage. Everyone was covered in blood. Some passengers have died. The bombed compartment was filled with the disgusting smell of blood and the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke. The explosion appeared to have occurred in the center of the car, where the seat was blown up; two passengers sitting there died of their injuries.

The driver and some passengers were taken to hospital immediately.Five of the seven passengers died, and two seriously injured were unconscious. Only a little bit of consciousness is the driver named Inoue.He was also hit on the head by fragments of the windshield blown away by the explosion, requiring a total of twelve stitches, and he also felt sharp pains in his lower back. An hour later, three criminal police officers from the Kumamoto prefectural police arrived and quickly believed it was a homicide. The three criminal police first investigated the damaged vehicle, and then questioned the only driver who was still conscious.

However, since he turned his back on the passengers, he could not provide any valuable clues. "Anyway, it happened suddenly. The train overturned without knowing anything, and I was covered in blood." That's all the driver said. Indeed, there was this sudden explosion behind him, and his head was thrown against the windshield by the shock wave, and of course he didn't remember anything. So the criminal police decided to investigate the identity of the victim. Someone must have blown up the train on purpose.Therefore, the murderer either hated the Minami Aso Railway, or hated the passengers on the train.

The former needs to be investigated in other aspects, but what can be done at present can only be the investigation of drivers and passengers. The driver was still conscious, and two passengers were unconscious.Therefore, the investigation of passengers can only be identified from the items they carry. Of the seven passengers, two were local passengers.Among the remaining five people, four are from Tokyo and one is from Osaka, all of whom are tourists. The Ichiji Police Department of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police, who directed the investigation, wrote down the names of the victims in his notebook.

The names and addresses of these people are known from their driver's licenses and business cards in their carry-on items. Driver Inoue said that Kasahara Show and Ezaki Midori were a couple, and they kept taking pictures of the scenery along the way after getting in the car. Three cameras were found in the charred compartment. The film in one of them was completely exposed because the camera was blown up; although the other two also suffered damage to varying degrees, fortunately the film was intact. Yizhi decided to develop the two films immediately. On the other hand, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was asked to investigate four people whose addresses are in Tokyo, and the Osaka Prefectural Police to investigate another person from Osaka.If there was any hint of hatred among the five, it would be presumed that the murderer had hated him for his brutality.

For the two local people and the driver Inoue, Ichiji decided to conduct an investigation by himself. Inoue and his wife live in Tachino.He is honest, trusted by the company, and has never had a driving accident. "He is somewhat deadly, but this is one of the reasons why the company trusts him." Those who know him say so about him. Hideo Adachi of Takamori opened a small hotel locally. This is the shop he inherited from his father's generation, and the main source of customers is the guests who travel to Takachiho.It's just that there are relatively few customers recently, and there are some difficulties in operation.But it has not yet developed to the point where suicide must be used to solve the debt problem.

The other is Takemura Ji, a widow who lives with her son and daughter-in-law.Although he is sixty-six years old, he is in good health and still works as a handyman in a hospital in Aso Town.She is popular, and it doesn't seem like anyone hates her. Another point is that Yizhi wants to know about Minami Aso Railway.Because he wants to rule out that someone who is dissatisfied with the company will take revenge by bombing the train. In the era of national railways, it was planned to extend this line from Takamori to Takachiho, and then pass through Takachiho to Nobeoka. However, before the "Takamori-Takachiho" was passed, the plan was temporarily suspended due to poor operation and a deficit.

Due to the opposition of the local people to stop the plan, this plan was implemented again as a long-term plan for the third region.So on April 1, 1986, construction of the Minami Aso Railway officially started. The operating companies of Takamori Town and Shirasui Town along the line financed the construction of this railway, and at the same time, a non-governmental "Aso Southern Agricultural Association" also contributed funds and sponsored it. Although Kumamoto Prefecture's economy is not functioning well, and it is in deficit all year round, the county government has also provided funding, but it has not participated in direct management. The Liye-Gaosen section is 17.7 kilometers.There are eight stations along the route.There are four sections of the vehicle.And depending on the season, the number of trains will be increased. The number of runs on weekdays is twenty-two per day.The staff is thirteen people. Since the distance of 17.7 kilometers is relatively short, there is no wrong-way equipment for up and down in the middle, so a one-way driving method is adopted. That is, the down train returns after reaching the destination and becomes the up train. Just an extra two cars during the morning commute rush hour. Compared with the era of national railways, the deficit in train operation has been greatly reduced. In addition, counties and towns along the line have invested in construction, and old station buildings have also been rebuilt one after another, so passengers are quite satisfied with this. With local residents eager for the extension to continue and to see the line as their own, it's hard to think anyone will do the damage. Then look at the results of the survey of passengers from Tokyo and Osaka. Ichi thinks so. The Osaka Prefectural Police responded immediately. Koji Yano (died) was a railway union employee working for Abeno, Osaka. His daughter is married and his wife died three years ago.Yano is currently single, and because he likes to travel, he often travels on vacation. This time, I also proposed to the company to rest for three days, and told my daughter and son-in-law that I would go to Asu.Although he had told others about this plan, he was usually not hated by anyone. These are the reports from the Osaka Prefectural Police. On the afternoon of the 16th, relatives of the passengers arrived one after another. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has not responded, but this afternoon, Totsugawa Police Department and Kamei Detective from the Metropolitan Police Department's First Search Division suddenly rushed to Takamori. The car that was damaged by the bombing has been transported to the docking line in the terminal Gaosen Station. Totsukawa and Kamei first proposed to see the bombed carriage, and asked Ichito to lead the way. Totsukawa only glanced at the scene and said in surprise: "It was not lightly blown up!" The window panes were all blown out, and the roof of the carriage was blown through. Of course, there were no seats, and there were dark brown blood stains everywhere. "It's a miracle that only three survived!" Yi Zhi said. "Why did this incident alarm the Metropolitan Police Department?" He had been having this question since he saw Totsukawa, so he asked. "About this reason, I want to find a secluded place to talk about it later." Totsukawa replied. "Then go to the Takamori Police Station! We set up a search headquarters there." Yizhi said. After they arrived at the Takamori Police Station, Totsukawa first met with the head of the headquarters. "Please tell us about your investigation." After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Totsukawa said. "We investigated the injured driver Inoue of the Minami Aso Railway and the two local passengers who died, but we did not find out that the train was blown up because of revenge. The difficulty is that we are also facing an unspecified majority. Passengers may have opinions or resentment towards Minami Aso Railway. Although the people along the line are very supportive of the opening of this line, the attitude of passengers is not clear. But so far, the letters received by the operating company are all expressing gratitude No one has criticized the content, yet." Yi Zhi said. Kamei nodded. "We also got here from Liye. The radio in the car was warm and friendly, and the job of the driver and conductor is also satisfactory." "The scenery along the way is also very beautiful. The 68-meter-high Shirakawa Bridge did not scare me, who is afraid of heights." Totsukawa said with a smile. "Then, what I just asked..." Ichiji said to Totsukawa. Totsukawa's smile disappeared immediately, and he said seriously, "Because one of the passengers was a man named Eiji Kato." "Ah, that's a man in his forties. He's dead. Why, Mr. Totsukawa knew him?" "Very familiar. We are colleagues in the same department." "Really?! He doesn't have a driver's license, we don't know that." "He is not on duty, maybe he is traveling. Anyway, he asked for leave to go out." Ten Tsukawa explained. "Then he is an ordinary passenger?" Yizhi asked cautiously. "That's right. However, Katou is pursuing a case that is stuck in a labyrinth by himself." "The case of falling into the maze?" "It was a murder that happened two years ago. Three young girls were murdered in succession. But it seems that the murderer suddenly stopped committing crimes. We are wondering if the murderer is dead?" Totsukawa said. "But did Mr. Kato take the Minami-Aso Railway for this case? Maybe it was purely for tourism? If it's the latter, then the bombing incident has nothing to do with him." Ichiji retorted. Totsukawa didn’t object right away, “It’s like this. He said his family traveled to Shikoku. Not only that, he also booked hotels in Kochi and Matsuyama. But he didn’t go to Shikoku, but came by the Minamiaso Railway in Kyushu gone." "When did he leave Tokyo?" "On the afternoon of April 14. According to his daughter, he will take the Shinkansen to Okayama, and then cross the Sego Bridge from Okayama to enter Shikoku. Since he has not been contacted, his family members think he must come We've arrived in Shikoku." "Has the hotel in Shikoku canceled the reservation?" "Not yet. He is a very serious person, and we don't think he forgot to cancel the reservation." Totsukawa said. "Maybe he just forgot this time. Will it be an exception this time?" "no, I can not." "Ah, is that so?" "Of course, this is just our speculation. Could it be that he found someone who caught his attention on the Shinkansen on the 14th? That is to say, someone related to the murder." After Totsukawa finished speaking, Kamei added another sentence. "So we thought he might have followed this guy here." "If this conjecture is accurate, can it be said that the murderer noticed that the Katong Criminal Police was following him, so he planted a bomb on the train to kill him and other passengers?" "Yes. That's why I came here with Detective Kamei." Totsukawa said. At this time, a young police officer handed them coffee. Ichiji took a sip and continued: "After taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo on the afternoon of the 14th, he lived somewhere in Kyushu that day." "Probably some restaurant in Fukuoka or Kumamoto?" "Let's investigate this point, because we are locals after all." Yizhi said. "It says there are three cameras, has the film in them been developed?" Kamei asked. "One of them has been exposed, and the other two films have been developed." Yizhi said, showing the developed photos to Totsukawa. A total of twenty-six. But there are only two photos taken in the compartment.The rest are the scenery of Kumamoto Aso taken from the car window. Two of them were taken by two young men and women. "This is the couple's camera, as you can see, they took pictures for each other." Yizhi shrugged and said. Photos are really of no reference value.Other passengers also had photos taken in the compartment, but nothing of value was found either. "Can you take us to the explosion site tomorrow?" Totsukawa asked. Totsukawa and Kamei stayed at a hotel in Takamori that day. After dinner, Totsukawa and Kamei carefully read the materials of the serial killing incident two years ago that they had brought. A total of three young girls were killed in a period of one and a half months.One is a female college student and the other two are female employees. There is no relationship between these three people at all.Therefore, it is very difficult to find the murderer from the motive at the beginning. Later, the police believed that it was a perverted murder, and listed several suspects, but due to insufficient evidence, the investigation of the case fell into a maze. "The dead Katong detective denied from the beginning to the end that the murderer was a pervert." Kamei said. "Does he have a specific goal? I didn't see it in the investigation report he wrote." "I didn't ask about it either. But he told me once. Since I wasn't in charge of the case, he told me secretly." "What content?" Totsukawa asked. "He didn't mention the specific name. He just said that he was a man. From the outside, he was very ordinary and normal. He definitely didn't look like a murderer. In another point, he thought it was an acquaintance or friend who committed the crime. But he couldn't be arrested because there was no evidence. And He didn't report it to his boss at the time, he just laughed it off." Kamei said. "It seems that when he traveled to the four countries this time, he must have found that man before he decided to follow him." "That's right. He chased him all the way to the Minami Aso Railway, but the murderer killed him instead." "But did the murderer get out of the car after planting the explosives? If so, he would not be among the dead!" "Thus……" Totsukawa nodded.But he looked a little hesitant. Kamei stared at Totsukawa strangely. "Isn't it right? I think the Kadong detective came here after chasing the murderer, and was unfortunately killed by the murderer." "Is such that." "But you don't seem to agree." "We tried to recall the process from Tateno to the Takamori terminal," Totsukawa said. After leaving Tateno, the train crossed the Shirakawa Bridge over the Shirakawa Valley.It is sixty-eight meters above the water. The railway tracks in this area run through the mountains.But once you enter the long tunnel and drive out, you will be surrounded by ordinary paddy fields.Shirakawa Valley disappeared from nowhere. "Because there is no one selling tickets, and there are no staff at the station, so the fare is collected by the driver alone." Totsukawa said while recalling. "Well, I remember that. At that time, I thought drivers in this industry were tired enough!" "Yeah. He has to be very serious. He can only start the car after confirming every passenger." "No, but what does it have to do with this incident?" Kamei asked puzzled. "The man the Kadong detective was following must have been on the train. He realized that the police were going to blow up the train and kill Kadong after they were chasing him. Probably put explosives under the seat or on the luggage rack. And he got off halfway. Che, this is because he doesn't want to 'die for love' with Katong." "right." "The Kato detective should also be monitoring the murderer. But why didn't the murderer get out of the car and Kadong didn't? Because he can't get out of the car." Ten Jinchuan said. Kamei's eyes lit up all of a sudden, "Yes, the murderer got out of the car, and the Kato detective who was following him did not get out of the car slowly, which is a bit unreasonable!" He said to Totsukawa. "right." "Could it be that the murderer injured the Kadong detective, and he couldn't get out of the car because of coma or something?" "Let's investigate tomorrow." Totsukawa said. The next day, after breakfast, Totsukawa called the Kumamoto University Hospital, where the autopsy was performed, and asked about Eiji Kato's condition. The doctor who performed the autopsy replied: "I think the cause of his death is that he was hit by an external force on the head and his skull was fractured." "Are there any other injuries?" "Not found." The doctor replied. It seems that the murderer got out of the car and fled after beating Kadong to death. Why didn't he subdue the murderer in time? Totsukawa thought for a long time but couldn't solve the problem in his heart. At ten o'clock in the morning, Ichiji drove to pick up Totsukawa and Kamei. "Has the couple from Tokyo woke up yet?" Totsukawa asked. "I was sent to the hospital in Kumamoto, but I still haven't woken up." Ichiji said in a very regretful tone. "I think the murderer probably got off the car in Aso Shirakawa. Is there any clue yet?" Kamei also asked. "We also believe that the murderer got off the train there, because the explosion occurred immediately after the train left Shirakawa. So we investigated whether there were any suspicious people among the passengers who got off at that station. But there were no witnesses." .At present, I only know that two people got off and one got on." Yi Zhi replied. Moreover, the person who came up was from Takamori Town and had died.Bad luck.Yizhi added. The car came to a stop near the scene.The three of them got out of the car and walked towards it on foot. "There's a short railway bridge a little ahead of the station, very close to the station. If there's an explosion on that, the train falls into the river and there's no one alive." Ichiji said while pointing in the direction of the Aso Shirakawa River. Sure enough, there was a short bridge about thirty meters away, and the Baichuan River was flowing seven or eight meters below it.If there was an explosion on the bridge, the train would surely fall into the water. "What kind of explosive?" Totsukawa asked. Breeze blows from time to time.This is a slightly warm spring breeze. "Under investigation, it seems to be glycerin explosives, and a timer was used." Yizhi replied. "The explosion happened in the middle of the train, and the damage was severe?" Totsukawa asked. "Yes, the ambulance crew said the same. Fortunately, the driver was far away, and the couple sat in front for a better view, which also saved them," Yizhi said. The three of them got back into the car and headed for Aso Shirakawa Station. The platform of this station is very long, but the building of the platform is as pitifully small as a log cabin. There is a row of rental bicycles outside the station. If the murderer got out of the car here, where would he flee to? Minamiaso Railway was suspended for three hours after the accident.Because this is a monorail line, the descending trains cannot pass. In this way, it is impossible for the murderer to escape by train. Will you use rental bicycles? But when you borrow a car, people will remember your appearance! Or just walk? Totsukawa thinks so. The weather was fine then, and the time was exactly half past one in the afternoon. In this case, the possibility of walking is great. "There is an entrance to the Aso Mountaineering Road ahead. From there, you can go up the mountain to reach Tarumama Onsen. It takes about 20 minutes to take a bus from Aso Shirakawa here. It takes two to three hours to walk." Ichiji said to Totsukawa said. "How about going forward?" Kamei asked. "There are several places ahead. You can reach Aso Station on the Hohi Main Line through Nakadake Crater; you can also reach Panshan Avenue. There are also several buses passing by." "I can go back to Tateno by bus," Kamei said. National Railways runs parallel to Minamiaso Railway.Of course, there are roads where buses can run side by side. "I don't know who the murderer is, whether it's a man or a woman, and it's very difficult to investigate." Yi Zhidi said in embarrassment. Totsukawa and Kamei opened the map of Aso surroundings brought by Ichiji and looked at it. Here is known as the world's largest crater. There are also many scattered hot springs.Connected to Panshan Road, there are also many restaurants and hotels; there are also many bus, rental bicycle and taxi business offices. Although it is believed that the murderer came down from Aso Shirakawa, since the murderer used a timer, the possibility of getting off at the first few stops cannot be ruled out. In addition, as Yizhi said, even the murderer is not known whether it is a man or a woman, it seems that the investigation of this incident will be in trouble again. "We're going for a walk, can you go back first?" Totsukawa asked suddenly. "Where are you going? I can take you there." Of course, Ichiji couldn't walk back by himself, so he followed Totsukawa and Kamei slowly along the national highway. It is not so much walking as thinking.Therefore, they often leave the main road and walk by the edge of the paddy fields. Moreover, Totsukawa bent down from time to time, looking for something in the grass. "Why did you say you were suspicious just now?" Totsukawa asked. "Are you asking about the fact that the murderer got off the train but the Kadong detective didn't follow?" "Yes. And the time bomb the killer used." "Any thoughts on this?" "Yes. For example, why did the murderer carry the bomb with him?" Totsukawa said. The Kato detective said that he was going to Shikoku, but he came to Kyushu suddenly, probably because he accidentally discovered the suspect in the murder case that was trapped in the maze. If this is the case, it is difficult to explain that the murderer kept the time bomb on his body in order to kill the Kadong detective. "There are only two possibilities. One is that after the murderer came to Kyushu, he found that he was being targeted by the Kadong Criminal Police, so he found a time bomb and killed the Kadong Criminal Police; Carrying a time bomb, he attacked the Kato detective," Totsukawa said. Kamei retorted: "I think it is unlikely that the murderer will get the bomb soon after arriving in Kyushu. This is because the murderer may not immediately think of using the bomb when he finds himself being followed by the Kato detective and wants to kill him. Under normal circumstances, it is relatively simple and quick to buy a dagger, or it is more convenient to get a pair of pliers, wrench and so on." "That's true. The method of using the bomb does not seem to be aimed at the Kadong detective. However, the murderer used the bomb after all." "Hey, it makes sense anyway!" Kamei said, looking at Totsukawa. "Kamei, please analyze why the murderer used the bomb; why the Kato detective didn't get out of the car but stayed in the car. I want to find the answer to these two questions." Totsukawa said, frowning. The two walked and chatted. There was a tea shop near Gao Sen Police Station, and the two walked in.They wanted to find the answer anyway and go back. This is a small but unique shop.There were only a couple of young people who looked like a sightseeing couple. Totsukawa was still thinking about these things while drinking his coffee. Kadong Detective is a very stubborn person, so he will never sit back and watch the case he is in charge of fall into a maze and give up. He tracked the suspect to Asu, and the other party got out of the car. He would never stay in the car, but would get out of the car immediately and continue tracking. Could it be that the murderer didn't get out of the car and died in the car? But such an explanation is very difficult. "There is only one answer." Totsukawa said after swallowing a mouthful of bitter coffee. "Yes, I thought about it too, but it's a bit reluctant..." Kamei hesitated. "Okay, let me listen to you first, maybe the two of us are thinking of getting together!" Totsukawa said. "According to the character of the Katong detective, he will not leave the person being pursued. Therefore, I think the murderer did not get out of the car, but stayed in the car." Kamei said. "and after?" "Later the train exploded, and it should have been planted by another person. I don't think it was the person who was following Kadong. Because as a murderer who is closely monitored, the Kadong Criminal Police will not ignore his every move. So I Thinking it was someone else who planted the ticking time bomb. Isn’t that a bit forced?” "No, I don't think so." Totsukawa smiled. "So, I think the same as you?" "Yeah, I don't have any other opinions. Although it's a bit reluctant, it's impossible to have another answer." "In this way, another problem arises; could it be that the Kato detective followed the wrong partner?" Kamei asked. "Do you know the Katong detective in particular? Do you think he would make such a mistake?" "No, he won't." "And if he had made a mistake, the killer wouldn't have had to detonate the bomb." "Yes, that's why we can only draw the conclusion that the murderer Kadong is tracking is among the dead passengers!" "Yes. Including that couple, and people from Tokyo. Let Nishimoto and the others in Tokyo investigate, maybe they will find something." Totsukawa said. As soon as he returned to the Takamori Police Station, Ichiji said to Totsukawa: "Mr. Kato's daughter is here." "Is it Miss Hiroko?" Kamei asked back. Hiroko is twenty-two years old this year.She looks very similar to her dead father. Hiroko came to bid farewell to his father's body. "Because Mr. Kamei said that he wanted to see something like his father's notebook when he was alive, so I brought it." After finishing speaking, Hiroko handed Kamei a diary.This is not a special notebook for the police, but an ordinary notebook on the market.Maybe I bought it to record things that have nothing to do with my career. Totsukawa and Kamei read carefully. Although this is a diary, Kadong doesn't seem to want to write it as a diary, but just writes down some things casually. Most of the things that Kato wrote down were different from the search policy, so I wrote it down specially. Totsukawa first noticed that a capital initial of "T·H" often appeared in the diary. It seems that Katong is targeting this person for investigation. At the same time, there is also a follow-up record for this person. There are also records about T·H's experience.Katong wrote: Currently an assistant to the chief credit officer of a major bank, he joined the bank after graduating from a commercial college.But he was one of those without a formal college degree. He works hard and works hard.But it was also because of being too "real" that the husband and wife were at odds. They divorced two years ago and had no children. Quite nervous, coupled with high work pressure, once attacked a female employee who was returning home from get off work late one night.After his arrest he claimed to have been intoxicated.Because of his first offense, he was released and did not report to the bank where he worked. I was an ordinary student in middle school and college.Because I don't talk much on weekdays, I don't have many friends. The divorced wife met and married through someone's introduction.Since the matchmaker was the boss of the bank, he thought it was the beginning of failure in his life.Contrary to his taciturn and introverted personality, his wife is lively and active by nature, so it has become a typical "wife-controlled" family.He has been in a subordinate position for nine years, and the reason why there is no divorce may be related to the introduction by his superiors. "Tou Hirayama is a forty-year-old who matches 'T·H'," said Totsukawa. "Yes, it is him." "Could it be that Kadong followed Hirayama Toru to Aso?" After Totsukawa finished speaking, he immediately called Isao Nishimoto in Tokyo. "The investigation of all personnel is not over yet!" Said Isao Nishimoto. "No, this time we will focus on investigating Tou Hirayama. Is there anything about him?" "The general investigation is over," Nishimoto replied. "Then tell me." "He works at the Yotsuya branch of M Bank. He is the assistant to the head of the credit section." "It really is him." "He joined Bank M immediately after graduating from a commercial university. He has worked for twenty years. Although the section chief is a graduate of a university course, Toru Hirayama is very proficient in business, so the business work in the section is actually decided by Hirayama." "Is it possible to become the section chief?" "Yes, it seems that it was decided last year. But for some reason, he was only appointed as the assistant to the section chief." "What reason?" "It's being investigated, it seems to be some kind of improper financing." "In this case, we must investigate in detail." Totsukawa urged. At this time, Kamei took over the microphone again, "When the serial killings happened two years ago, was this Hirayama Toru ever a suspect?" Kamei asked. "That was handled by the Qingshan Group. Only Kadong thought so. However, no evidence was found, so he was later removed from the list of suspects." "But why did Kadong follow this man?" "I don't know. Kadong didn't say why, as if he was dissatisfied with the dismissal of his views, so he didn't tell anyone." Xi Bengong replied. "Why did Hirayama come to Aso?" Totsukawa asked again. "The bank said he had asked for four days of leave. The reason for the leave was only to travel. His hometown is in Kumamoto, Kyushu. Maybe he took this route." "Is it in Kumamoto City?" "It's in the city. But his parents died long ago, and there are no relatives of him there." "The high school he attended in Kumamoto?" "yes." "So he went to Aso at that time?" "It should be like this." Xi Bengong replied. Totsukawa believes that the Kato Criminal Police came to Aso after following Hirayama Toru. He also told Yizhi all these things. After listening carefully, Ichiji asked Totsukawa: "So, this incident is someone trying to murder the bomb planted by Kato detective Hei Santou?" "Yes, I think so too." "Then investigate the situation of Hirayama Toru when he lived in Kumamoto City." Ichiji said. Kumamoto's investigation will soon have results. "There are important clues." The next day, Ichiji said excitedly when he saw Totsukawa. "What clue?" Totsukawa asked eagerly. "When he was in college, he often went to Asu alone, not with friends or classmates, but by himself!" "At that time, he should often take the Minami Aso Railway of National Railways!" "I think so. Then get off at Takamori Station, and take seven or eight minutes by car to reach the farmhouse boarding hotel. There are also hot springs at this moment!" "That's quite interesting." Totsukawa nodded. "This autumn, another large-scale simple farmhouse boarding house will be completed. It is said that including the cost of land purchase, it will cost 120 million yen!" "Maybe that's why Toru Hirayama took time off to become a real estate owner?" Kamei said. Totsukawa and Kamei very much hoped that Yizhi would take them to see this building. Recreational facilities such as tennis courts and racetracks have also been built around this building and the National Holiday Village. The boarding building funded by Toru Hirayama is in a corner of this building.It is a wooden two-story building, and the exterior has been finished. And it is the style of the white log cabin that appears in foreign fairy tales. They inquired with the local construction approval department. At that time, Hirayama paid 100 million yen, including the land purchase fee, and it was paid in one lump sum! "Is Hirayama's family 'big money'?" Totsukawa asked Ichichi. "No, I heard it's just an ordinary working family. Since he works at M Bank, could it be that he raised 100 million yen to do it?" "But 100 million yen is not a small amount!" Totsukawa said incredulously, tilting his head. At night, Nishimoto called. "I think maybe he got a kickback from some shady financier?" Nishimoto explained to Totsukawa. "This is 100 million yen!" "That's right. Didn't it mean that he did that illegal financing that exceeded six billion yen?" "Just one person?" "Yes, I gave it to one person." "But such a large amount of financing has to be approved by the president." "Yes. But in the branch he was in, the branch manager was much younger. Pingshan had been doing business for more than 20 years, and he always obeyed Pingshan's words. He was really terrified when he heard about this." "Who is the improper financier?" "M Bank refused to disclose it under the pretext of commercial confidentiality. It took me a lot of effort to find out that it was a company called K Kosan. It said it was a company specializing in imported goods, but I don't know what it actually does. Anyway, it is now closed. The whereabouts of the president are also missing." "B?!" “对，公司在西新宿的大楼里。从业人员有二十五六名。听同一个大楼里其他公司的人讲，那是一家神秘兮兮的公司。” “那为什么平山要给那家公司融资？作为银行方面，他应当知道他们马上会倒闭的呀！”十津川问道。 “是啊，但K兴产在第一次融资时是两年前。” “也就是说是发生连续杀人的时候？” “对。开始是五亿、十亿，后来才是六十亿。” “也就是说，对方知道平山是连续杀人的凶手，对他进行了敲诈？” "I think so." “可为什么公司倒闭，社长又逃之夭夭，这有什么必要？现在还没有任何线索吗？” “我已经把社长和从业人员的照片搜集齐了，要不要送过去？” “不用了，明天我和龟井就回东京了。”十津川说道。 很明显，事件的根源在东京。 第二天，十津川和龟井就急速赶回了东京。因为时间紧急，他们是从熊本机场乘飞机返回东京的。 他们于上午九点半钟到达了羽田机场。 西本和日下两人开车来接他们。 西本在车中让十津川看了三张照片。 “这是K兴产的社长和两名骨干。” “全都失踪了？”十津川一边看照片一边问道。 “不，只是社长失踪了。这两个人的住址找到了。”西本答道。 这是三个人的职务。 “本田和久保对六十亿日元的融资一事有什么交待？”十津川又问道。 “他们说K兴产是藤原社长的独断公司，大小事都是他一人说了算，所以他们说他们一点儿也不知道那件事。” “现在这两个人干什么呢？” “这两个人又办了一家不动产公司，在全日本跑来跑去作业务。两个人都说在南阿苏铁道事件时他们都不在东京，但决没有来阿苏。” “四月十五日他们说自己在哪儿？” “本田和久保都说在关西。” “有证明吗？” “大致他们在大阪的饭店里住了三天，十四、十五、十六日。” “大致？” “对，因为他们住的是双人房间，所以一个人出去不住在房间也无法知道。”西本解释道。 一到警视厅，十津川便决定立即调查一下两年前发生的连续杀人事件与K兴产不正当融资有何关系。 西本和日下调查了不正当融资事件。 关于连续杀人事件的情况是这样的。 被害者是上述三名女性，几乎是间隔半个月被害的。而且，K兴产的第一次不正当融资是同年七月开始的。 “也许有人目击了这第三名死者。”十津川看着连续杀人的卷宗说道。 沼田夏子在位于东京站的八重洲口的商社总部里工作，住在中野区本町的公寓里。 当天她下班后和女友们在新宿看完了电影，又喝了点酒回家的。 夜里十一点多钟，她在快到公寓时被人刺中了后背致死。 平时她去东京的公司上班是乘中央线，那天夜里也是在新宿上了中央线电车返回公寓的。 同时，平山也是从四谷上中央线回中野的家的。 大概是平山在中央线的电车内物色好了猎物，跟踪并杀害了她的。 而且K兴产三个人中的哪个人目击了这一切。 “马上查一下这三个人的住址，要两年前的。”十津川说道。 于是日下迅速地翻了一下自己的笔记本。 “本田也位于中野哪！”十津川念叨了一句。 “对，那时他也住在那里。”日下说道。 “地点和沼田夏子的公寓近吗？” “在同一个本町，我想会不远的。” “那么应当是偶然目击了杀人事件的吧？” "right." “现在本田住在什么地方？” “住在四谷的公寓里。有意思的是，在给K兴产第一次的融资后本田马上就搬进了那栋四谷的公寓里。” "Isn't it expensive?" “可不是，价值一亿日元哪！”日下笑了笑说道。 “包括社长藤原在内，他们三个人是一种什么样的关系？”十津川问西本和日下。 “一句话，这三个人都是很'神秘'的人。而且三个人都有诈骗罪的前科。” “什么样的诈骗？” “诈骗钱財呗！他们三个人攒起个皮包公司，然后骗进产品代销，而且都是低价卖出；弄到一笔钱后就逃之夭夭。到了月底该结账时债主找不到人了。这是典型的诈骗！” “这三个人一直就是同伙作案了？” "yes." “藤原一直当社长？”龟井问了一句。 日下答道：“是的。一看照片马上就会明白，这三个人当中，就数藤原有模有样，像个老板的样子。我想这就是让他当老板的原因。” “实际上呢？” “因为藤原失踪了，详细的情况就不知道了，但我总觉得实权好像在那两个人手中。” “见见这两个人！”十津川果断地说道。 当天下午，十津川和龟井到四谷去找本田。 说是价值上亿日元的公寓，但在这一带并不算大，而且房间也不大。 本田笑容满面地把十津川和龟井迎进房间。他住的是一套两居室的公寓。 “还不知道藤原社长的下落吗？”十津川开门见山地问道。 “很遗憾，还不清楚，我也拼命地到处寻找、打听了。” “干嘛要'拼命'地找呀？” “嗨，没有办法嘛！我们从M银行借的钱全让他一个人卷走了。我们得快点把他找到，了解债务问题嘛！” “那你们借了六十亿贷款的事情是真的了？” 十津川一问，本田立刻耸了耸肩膀答道：“这笔款子的事情我一点儿都不知道。因为贷款、融资的事情都是社长一个人经办。” “藤原社长一手操办？” “可不是。” “一下子贷款六十亿，你们不觉得奇怪吗？” “那倒不会，我们公司常常受资金不足的困境，所以能多贷款是巴不得的呢！但没有想到社长会一个人独吞了。”本田答道。 “知道有个叫平山的人吗？” 十津川又换了一个话题。 “谁？干什么的？” “给K兴产贷款了六十亿日元的M银行四谷分行的信贷员。” “噢，那社长一定很熟了。不过我可不认识这个人。我也从没有见过。” “那么，沼田夏子呢？” “也是M银行的人？” 本田一副糊里糊涂的样子眨了眨眼睛。 十津川笑了一下说道：“不，是在一家商社工作的职员。” “那和我没有关系。” “两年前的六月二十一日夜里，她在回中野区本町的公寓途中被人杀了，是那起连续杀人事件的受害者之一。” "yes!" “你就是这个样子？” “这个样子？我和杀人凶手又没有关系。” “真的吗？”十津川故意又问了一遍。 “当然没有关系！我没有办法帮助你们。” 本田没好气地盯着十津川。 “那时你不是也一直住在中野的公寓里吗？而且和她还是同一个本町的公寓。我并不是认定你是杀人凶手，不过我觉得你应当说，'啊，那时我也住在那里呀'。”十津川说道。 听到这话，本田的脸色一下子变得很难看，但马上又恢复了原来的样子，“原来这样呀！不错，我的确也住在中野区。” “实际上，叫平山的M银行的信贷员是两年前连续杀人案件的嫌疑人。” "..." 本田突然一下于沉默了。大概他认为马上点头赞成这个看法太明显了吧。 “不过，他于四月十五日在阿苏被人杀了。是乘坐南阿苏的旅游列车的时候。” “可和我有什么关系？” “炸药把车厢都炸飞了。凶手为了杀平山，还连累了无辜的乘客。” “等一下，你为什么对我讲这些？”本田立刻插了一句问道。 “我认为你也许知道凶手。” “我？我什么也不知道！我干嘛要杀死一个我不认识的人？！” “因为那笔六十亿的融资款呀！他可以被杀死而灭口的！” “那你们应当先怀疑我们公司的社长嘛！是他独吞了那六十亿，后来又失踪了的！”本田不服气地说道。 “这并没什么可奇怪的。他失踪了，我认为没有必要再去杀人、引火烧身了嘛。”十津川说道。 这时本田的表情非常复杂。 “反正我是这么认为的：我是清白的，不过也有责任。请不要缠着我不放。我会协助警方的。” “真的会协助我们？” “这是一个公民的责任嘛！” “那好，谙和我们去一趟阿苏，乘坐一下南阿苏铁道的旅游列车怎么样？”十津川说道。 一听这话，本田顿时防备般地向后退了退。 “为什么非要我去？” “四月十五日的爆炸案中死了五名乘客，但有三人被救了。据他们讲，火车爆炸前有一个男人慌慌张张地下了车。根据他们的描述，那个人和你有些相似。” “根本不是我！！” “也许吧。但我们希望你去见一下那三个人，这样就会弄清是不是你了嘛！”十津川坚持说道。 这时，本田的眼睛里流露出了一种不知所措的神色。很明显，此时此刻他不知道究竟是同意呢还是拒绝。无论他是什么态度，他都感到自己已经被列人怀疑对象的名单中了。 “如果有时间的话，本人当然乐意效劳。可现在我太忙了，十分抱歉。”本田试探地说了一句。 “那么请你马上安排一下，我们想尽快去一趟阿苏！” 十津川绷着脸扔下这句话就和龟井离开了这里。 十津川没有去见另一个人久保，而是带着龟井回到了警视厅。 “那个本田就是杀人凶手！”十津川十分自信地说道。 “对，我也有这个感觉。”龟井附合道。 “我一说要一块儿去一下阿苏，他顿时就含糊了。表面上他说要配合警方工作，可还是不敢去阿苏。我一看这家伙的脸就看出他非常心虚！” “下一步怎么办？他要是真答应去了，那个司机也未必记得他；那对情侣也还昏迷着哪！” “我们给他下个套儿……” “套儿？怎么下？” “我们公开一下根据目击者记忆制作的罪犯画像。”十津川说道。 龟井奇怪地看着十津川问道：“怎么做？我们实际上没有目击者呀！” “参考他画一下！”十津川把本田的照片放在龟井眼前说道。 龟井一看就笑了，“原来如此呀！这招儿不赖！” 于是他们马上叫来了专画图像的刑警，很快完成了一幅与本田相似的头像。 十津川于第二天特意带着这张画像的复印件，和龟井再一次去了本田的家。 “昨天夜里，熊本县警方用传真机传来了一份画像，是根据那三名目击者的证词画出来了。你看是不是很像你？” 十津川说着把复印件递了过去，而本田只是草草看了一眼就马上把目光转向别处说道： “是吗？我可不觉得像我！” “不，很像哪！我就是为了这件事才马上来找你的。” “为什么'马上'找我？” “当然是带你去一下熊本，让那三个证人当面辨认一下了！”十津川故意用夸张的样子说道。 本田的脸一下子红了，“警方仅仅根据画像像我就要逮捕我？！”他激动地大声抗议道。 “警方也有规定嘛！根据有效的证据，是可以立即逮捕罪犯的！”十津川威胁道。 本田低头看了一下手表，“我还有事儿，能不能过一会儿再定？” “好吧，我们等你安排好了再走。” 说完，十津川带着龟井离开了这里。 他们一出来，就马上命令等在外面的西本和日下：“好好盯住他！” “本田要跑？” “对，我吓唬了他一下，看样子他要逃。”十津川说道。 本田的确有这个可能。但他会怎么行动，十津川还不明白。 十津川回到了警视厅后，马上给熊本的伊知地打了电话，把本田的事情详细讲了一遍。 “我们以你们的名义画了画像，很对不起；我们是为了给罪犯作个圈套。” “本田真的会是凶手？” “我是这样认为的。”十津川老老实实地答道。“如果他是凶手，那他就应当认为那三名目击者认出了他。” "Is such that." “可实际情况是，那名司机根本就没有见过他，那对年轻的伴侣也还昏迷着哪！” "I know that." “万一本田真的来了怎么办？” “我的前提是认为本田就是此案的凶手，如果我们的这个办法可行的话，他一定会采取行动杀那三名目击者以灭口。所以我认为我们可以再找三名假的人。” “假的人？” “对。假冒的司机和那对情侣。” “可这太危险了，有谁会……” “是危险，反正就拜托你了。那对年轻的情侣是东京人，由我们负责找；司机就拜托你了！” “好吧。”伊知地同意了。 “不过我还有一点耽心的事情，如果本田是凶手的话，他是和这三个人同乘一辆车的，他一见面，不就认出来这三个人是假冒的了吗？” “我认为不要紧，凶手在当时肯定是全抻贯注地监视着平山和跟踪平山的加东刑警的，因此他不会特别注意其他乘客的。” “可乘客的照片都登在报纸上了呀！凶手一定会看报纸的！” “这个……”十津川犹豫了一下，然后又马上答道，“不是当时发生了剧烈的爆炸吗？所以让他们把头和脸都用绷带包上就行了。扮那对情侣的人由我们来找，然后去你们那里。” 商量好后，十津川便悄悄地寻找和那对情侣相似的警官来。 最后他终于找到了新宿警署三十来岁的男警官和世田谷署二十二岁的女警官各一名。 这两个人长得和照片上那对男女情侣还真有几分相像。 十津川立刻把事情介绍了一下之后便让他们去了阿苏。 当天傍晚，熊本县警的伊知地便打来了电话。 “那对真的情侣住在熊本的综合医院里，但我们决定让他们马上出院；那两名警官已经住进了高森的饭店里了。我想让他们在那儿的温泉里恢复一下体力。” “那两个人怎么样呀？”十津川担心地问了一句。 “不要紧。他们在熊本的医院里了解了许多情况；高森的饭店人员也把他们当成了那次旅游列车爆炸后的幸存者。不会露出破绽的。” “司机的替身呢？” “找了，但没有合适的。不过井上司机表示要亲手抓住罪犯，明知这样危险也要协助我们，于是我们也让他一块儿住进了高森的饭店，让他恢复一下。” “那两名警官头上包上绷带了吗？”龟井问道。 “都包上了。因为爆炸时那两名真的游客真的受伤了。” "That's right." “那么，那个本田呢？” “还没有任何活动，但他已经找了好几次久保了。” “两个人会来我这儿吗？” “这要看本田和久保的关系到什么程度了。大概他们两个人故意让藤原社长一个人背上这个黑锅再'失踪'，然后他们再伺机平分这六十亿；如果事实的确如此，我认为他们这次还会一块儿'失踪'的。”十津川分析道。 “南阿苏铁道的爆炸是他们两个人干的？” “他们两个人在爆炸发生的当时在大阪的饭店里住了三天，这是他们的'不在现场证明'。但因为是两个人合住的一间，有可能是另一个人作掩护，制造了'不在现场证明'，如果是这样的，我想这次他们还会采取这样的方法进行伪装和掩护的。”十津川对伊知地说道。 果然，和十津川预料的一样，第二天本田和久保终于出动了。 两个人乘坐新干线去了关西。 十津川将跟踪他们的任务交给了日下和西本功，自已则和龟井抢先一步，乘飞机直奔熊本。 一到熊本，十津川立即去了高森，下午便到达了高森警察署，见到了伊知地等人。 “这会儿本田和久保应当在大阪订下房间了。”十津川一边看着手表一边说道。 过了五六分钟，果然西本打来了电话。 “他们两个人住进了大阪的S饭店，是双人间，我认为他们又会和上一次一样，制造一次'不在现场证明'。”西本在电话里对十津川说道。 接完这个电话，十津川和龟井立即乘车去了那两名警官住的饭店。 建于温泉边上的这家饭店也开展了温泉疗法。因此这里是一处非常理想的休养之处。 三浦和东条英子两个人头裹绷带、身穿睡衣等候着十津川和龟井的到来。 “马上就要开始了。” 十津川严肃地对他们两个人说道。 于是他们两个人顿时紧张起来。十津川并没有宽慰他们，他认为紧张要比松懈好得多。 十津川交待完任务后又马上返回了高森署。伊知地也面带紧张的神色对十津川说道：“刚才熊本的医院里接到了一个电话，是询问住院的那对情侣的情況。是个男的打来的。” “医院是怎么回答的？” “和咱们讲好的一样，说是为了让他们恢复一下，已经送到高森的饭店里了。” “打电话的男人说自己