Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Shock

The first search section of the Metropolitan Police Department was greatly shocked. The news that Sanae Hojo from the First Section became an important suspect in the "murder case" of the Shimonoseki Police Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture spread like wildfire, and public opinion was in an uproar. It was 9:50 a.m. when the news reached the first investigation department. At 10:30, Totsukawa and Kamei left the Metropolitan Police Department and headed for Shimonoseki.This is because of the urgency of the situation. No one in the upper echelons of the police panicked, because public opinion had speculated on the matter.

If the news reports describe the active criminal policeman as a murderer, then the prestige of the police in the eyes of the public will plummet. The staff will be appeasement. In any case, the first thing to do is to get to the bottom of the truth. Judging from the phone call from the Shimonoseki Police Station, Hojo Sanae has remained silent on the matter. Totsukawa and Kamei planned to fly to Fukuoka and then transfer to the Shinkansen, so that they could reach Shimonoseki as soon as possible. So they boarded the IAL flight to Fukuoka departing from Haneda Airport at 10:50. During the flight, Kamei asked Totsukawa:

"Recently, there have been several phone calls from Hojo Criminal Police. Could it be related to this incident?" "I'm also thinking about that phone call." "Is it really about her marriage?" "Yes, it doesn't matter whether it's a detective agency or a Xingshin agency. Anyway, they did understand Hojo from the perspective of marriage." "If the man killed on the 'Fuji' express train was Hojo's boyfriend, it would be a great disadvantage to her!" Kamei said worriedly. "We can't limit the murderer to Hojo alone. Maybe this is some kind of trap!"

Totsukawa said tactfully. "trap?" Kamei said to himself, seemingly puzzled. Although Totsukawa thought it might be a trap, he was also confused about what was going on, and he didn't have any clues. At 12:30, the plane arrived in Fukuoka. They came out of the airport, called a taxi, hurried to the train station, took the Shinkansen "Echo No. 542" train, and went straight to Shimonoseki. Thirty minutes later, they arrived at Xiaguan Station. At the station, a policeman named Shirai from the Shimonoseki Police Department came to meet them. Shirai looks to be in his thirties.

"Frankly, we couldn't figure it out either, because it seems that this active detective has been involved in the murder case." Although Shirai said so, in Totsukawa's eyes, he didn't seem to "do not understand", but he found it quite interesting. "How is she now?" Totsukawa asked.While letting them into the patrol car, Shirai said: "She didn't say anything, and we were very embarrassed. If we didn't say anything, we couldn't help her." "Is she hurt?" Totsukawa asked. "There was no injury, just an overdose of sleeping pills, but consciousness has been restored."

"Do you think she attempted suicide after the murder?" Kamei asked. "No! No! We don't think so, but the papers say so." "Does the man who was killed have anything to do with Hojo Detective?" Totsukawa asked, frowning. "We are looking forward to hearing your opinion on this point." Shirai said. On a door in the courtyard of the Shimonoseki Police Station, there was a note reading "Investigation Headquarters for the Fuji Express Sleeper Train Murder Incident". After entering the house, Police Department Shirai took out a letter from the drawer and put it in front of Totsukawa.

"It was put in Ms. Hojo Sanae's handbag. Because it was not sealed, we read the contents of the letter. After reading the letter, we will know the relationship between the victim and the Hojo detective." Shirai said. Totsukawa took the envelope silently. "Ms. Sanae Hojo" is written on the cover, and it is a courier letter with an address. Looking at the sender again, it is "Michihiro Yamano, Seijo, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo." "Is this man the victim?" Totsukawa asked Shirai while pulling out the letter from the envelope. "Yes. Judging from the driver's license on the deceased, it was this man."

Shirai replied. Totsukawa looked at the letter quickly. Totsukawa silently handed the letter to Kamei. "I think the relationship between the two men is pretty clear." Shirai said. Indeed, he understood, but Totsukawa said cautiously: "She denies it!" "But both the train conductor and the flight attendant proved this. The criminal policeman Hojo went to the flight attendant's room in person and asked to broadcast in the train, looking for a man named Yamano Michihiro! She also said that this man must be on the train. She also gave her business card It was given to the train conductor! Therefore, the two of them must have met on the train."

Shirai said. "If she was looking for that man named Yamano Michihiro without knowing that he had been killed, wouldn't it be possible?" Totsukawa asked back. "We also thought about this, but we wondered if it would be like this: she killed someone, and then pretended not to know and went to the radio to find someone. From the perspective of the method of committing the crime, isn't there such a person? This is how the newspapers advertised , inferred." Shirai said in disbelief. There was no other way, so Totsukawa and Kamei had no choice but to visit Hojo Sanae first.

Hojo's face was still pale.When Shirai Police Department went out and there were only three people left in the room, Sanae bowed her head feebly and saluted: "I'm so sorry." "Don't be sad. Tell us what's going on." Totsukawa said very gently. "I don't remember exactly what happened on the train. I did say to the conductor to ask for someone on the radio, and then I went back to my car, and then I drank a box of orange water. But I was so sleepy right away, So I fell asleep. Probably someone put sleeping pills in it." "Where's the orange juice?"

"I bought it at Tokyo Station. I drank a little before going to the flight attendant's room." "You think someone came into your room during this time and put sleeping pills in the orange water?" "Yes, I think so." "Did you lock the door then?" "Because I was afraid that Michihiro Yamano might come looking for me, I didn't lock the door." "What is your relationship with that man named Michihiro Yamano?" Kamei asked. "It doesn't matter." Sanae replied bluntly. "But this letter is in your handbag! Is it all right that you looked for Michihiro Yamano on the train again?" Totsukawa asked puzzledly. "A month ago, a classmate from the university called and said that he was going to get married soon. He thought he still didn't know about the other party, so he asked Xingxin to conduct an investigation. I asked about it from my classmates. Arrived. I only found out about this kind of thing after that.” "I have also received several calls to inquire about your affairs, but you happen to be resting." Totsukawa said. "Yes, I know that." "It's exactly as I expected. At your age, it's time to think about getting married." "No, that's not what I meant. At first, my friends and relatives also inquired about my friendship, and they were the ones trying to figure it out." "What's the difference?" Kamei asked. "Yes. One day, suddenly in the middle of the night, a man called and said: 'Miss Sanae, I did something wrong today, and as an apology, I will send you a bouquet of roses.'" "Did he say his name?" "I asked. He said his name was Shan Ye. I was very angry. Really, I still have this matter to this day! I don't know this man at all, but this man is stalking me." "Have the flowers arrived?" "It was delivered, and I saw it as soon as I got home the next day. Hana had a note with it saying: 'Sorry! Michihiro Yamano'." "Could it be that he fell in love with a woman with the same name and surname as you, and mistaken you with that person, so he called?" "I thought so too, but when he called again later, he also knew that I was a member of the first search department of the Metropolitan Police Department." Sanae said. "So, maybe some woman pretended to be you and Michihiro Yamano knew each other?" "I think so. Maybe he looks like me and is a fake. I wanted to tell you about it, but then I thought I'd better settle it myself. This letter came just at this time. Here's a ticket for the 'Fuji Express'." "So that's the case. You plan to find that Yamano Michihiro in the train, and use him to find the counterfeit?" "Yes, and I believe that the fake person must be in the car. Of course, this is just a flash of my awareness. I think this woman must look like me, because Xingxin's phone said so." "Yes, during the call to me, the other party also asked the lady named Sanae Hojo if she is 1.60 meters tall, and the other features she said are similar to you!" Totsukawa said. "So, I asked for two days off. Who knew that I got into the car and made it like this. I'm so sorry!" Sanae bowed her head sadly. "It happened, don't be sad." As soon as Totsukawa finished persuading Kamei, Kamei said: "Maybe you fell into a trap." "Who set this trap?" "It must be the person who wants to kill Yamano Michihiro!" Kamei said. "Then, by investigating the people around Michihiro Yamano, we can catch the murderer. Let me do it!" Sanae stood up and begged. "I can understand your feelings, but now you are still an important suspect in the Shimonoseki Police Station. Both Kamei and I think you are not the murderer, but the police here don't think so." Totsukawa said in a very embarrassed way. "I see." Sanae nodded. "Be patient a little longer! We'll catch the murderer soon, and then you'll be cleared." Kamei patted Sanae's shoulder lightly, and said comfortingly. But when Totsukawa and Kamei came out, both of them said that things were not that simple. "This is a murder case entangled in marriage!" Totsukawa said.Kamei also nodded. The two left the Xiaguan Police Station and went to a nearby small restaurant for dinner. This was the topic of conversation when they ate. "It was Yamano Michihiro who was killed." Kamei said while fiddling with his chopsticks, "He has seen the fake Hojo Sanae, and he is still in love with her!" "right." "This stand-in may look very similar to Hojo Sanae! She is a very beautiful and attractive woman, so Yamano Michihiro was immediately attracted." "And there's a business card. This substitute gave Sanae Hojo's business card to Michihiro Yamano. He knew from the card that Sanae Hojo was a criminal police officer, so he thought she should be trustworthy." "In this way, we can think that someone who received Hojo Sanae's business card is related to this matter. This is the most likely!" Kamei said. "Or I got Hojo Sanae's business card from somewhere else for something." Totsukawa added. "Is Hojo being used by someone by accident?" "I'm thinking about that too." "What do you think." "It is a fact that a woman who is very similar to Hojo-kun exists, but I don't believe that it is very difficult to find someone who is very similar to her in order to use Hojo-kun. Therefore, I think the opposite is the case. Hojo-kun's appearance was used for some reason in the incident." "You mean there was that woman who looked very similar to Hojo first?" "Yes, there is a young and beautiful woman next to the murderer, and this woman must have confused Hojo at some point, so the murderer became interested in the Hojo detective. He found that Hojo was very similar to that woman, so it can be inferred that the murderer It was this that killed Michihiro Yamano." "So the murderer knew Hojo-kun got on the 'Fuji' express train?" Kamei asked. "I think it was orchestrated by them." Totsukawa said with certainty. "Then what happened to the specific plot?" "This is what I would do if I were a murderer." So Totsukawa told Kamei his speculation: A woman who looked very similar to Hojo Sanae approached Yamano Michihiro with her business card. Because of the woman's beauty and charm, Yamano soon indulged in her association. On the other hand, the murderer conducted a so-called marriage investigation on the real Hojo Sanae through Koshin, and he was actually fully understanding Hojo Sanae. From the beginning of the investigation, Hojo Sanae will hear the wind.Of course, that's exactly what the murderer was aiming for. Because Sanae didn't know that there was a murder plan in it, she just thought that a woman with the same name as her was often confused, and this "Sanae" and another man had developed to the point of getting married.The most unfortunate thing is that the woman not only has the same name as herself, but also basically looks the same. So Sanae is of course very interested in everything about this woman. At this time, a love letter was written from Michihiro Yamano.Of course, it is very likely that the impostor told Sanae's address to Yamano. In the love letter, Yamano hoped that Sanae would take the "Fuji" train with him and sent him the train ticket.So Sanae decided to go to the car to meet these two people. She thought that she would definitely see the woman who looked very similar to herself after getting in the car, but she didn't expect it to be a trap. "Hojo-kun is still young after all!" Kamei said regretfully. "What's the meaning?" Totsukawa asked Kamei in puzzlement. "Ordinary people will be skeptical about this matter, and will not easily get involved in unclear marriages. Although Hojo is very smart, but too young, he often has sweet dreams about things like marriage, so You'll be caught in a trap." "That's right, it's understandable for Hojo to do so at his age." Totsukawa said with a smile. Totsukawa left Kamei in Shimonoseki, and returned to Tokyo first. He thought it was necessary to investigate the deceased Yamano Michihiro. But as soon as he returned to Tokyo, he saw the headlines of the newspaper reports about the incident: Hojo Sanae's name was published in extra large font in the report.Some newspapers introduced in detail how she searched the first section of the Metropolitan Police Department. "It's unbearable!" Totsukawa was very anxious. If it is not resolved as soon as possible, troubles are still to come! He returned to the First Search Section and immediately reported to Section Chief Bendo. "So, detective Hojo fell into the trap of the murderer?" Honda's expression was somewhat surprised. "Definitely is." "It was too hasty for her to go to the 'Fuji' train." "Regarding this point, she herself regrets it. In any case, the murderer must be caught as soon as possible." "Any clues?" "There will be." Totsukawa answered bluntly. After reporting to Honda, Totsukawa took Nishimoto Detective to Seijo, Setagaya Ward. The deceased Michihiro Yamano lived in an apartment there. Judging from the place name "Chengcheng", one can imagine that this is a luxury apartment area, but after actually arriving, it is just an old building. "There are two rooms in a flat, and the monthly rent is 100,000 yen." The administrator said to them. There are two rooms, one with 6 straw mats and the other with 3 straw mats. Totsukawa and Nishimoto went to Michihiro Yamano's room on the fifth floor. This is a room with little daily furniture. Only the TV set in the house is considered valuable, and it is 25 inches.There are also several videotapes of foreign TV programs and a video recorder.Probably watching videos is his spare time! "Look at this!" Nishimoto suddenly pointed to a framed photo on the table and said to Totsukawa. The photo shows a woman in a police officer's uniform. Of course, it looks a lot like Hojo Sanae. "Is this a temper tantrum?" Totsukawa murmured. "It's really like it!" Xiben emphasized again. "What does this Mr. Yamano do?" Totsukawa asked the administrator. "I asked, what electrical company do you work for? Is it 'N Electrical Company', or what kind of section chief!" "A technician?" "No, ordinary staff." Admins seem to know a lot. "What about his family?" Xiben asked on the side. "Just one person." "Do you have any older siblings?" "I heard that my parents passed away a long time ago, my brother... I don't know." The administrator looked unconcerned. This mountain doesn't seem to please the administrator very much, maybe the relationship between them is not good. Totsukawa used the phone in the room to contact N Electric Company. Sure enough, it's from this company.I found this employee named Michihiro Yamano in the Personnel Management Section of N Electric's Tokyo head office, and it was the Personnel Section Chief named Aoki who answered the call.He sighed and asked: "Are you asking Yamano-kun?" When Totsukawa said that the person killed on the "Fuji" train was his subordinate named Yamano, he was taken aback. "Then I'll go to Xiaguan right away." Aoki said. "Please come to the Metropolitan Police Department before you go!" Totsukawa said to Aoki. As soon as Totsukawa and Nishimoto returned to the Metropolitan Police Department, Section Chief Aoki also arrived. "I'm so surprised." A pair of small eyes behind the Aoki glasses blinked rapidly up and down. "What kind of person is he?" Totsukawa asked straight to the point. "He doesn't like to show his face, but he is very serious about his work, so his boss appreciates him very much. He plans to promote him to be the section chief when the next personnel change is made! He seems to have heard about it himself, and he also said that he will even take care of the marriage. Please everyone Son." "Is there anyone who hates him?" When Totsukawa asked, Aoki immediately said: "If he's not popular, he can't be the chief of the unit!" "Has anything happened to him before?" "never heard of that." "His hometown is Oita, right?" "Yes. This time, he asked for leave and went back to his hometown because it was the anniversary of his mother's death. His mother did pass away at this time last year." "Do you have any brothers?" "There is an older brother in Tokyo." Aoki replied. "What about the others?" "There is also a younger sister who is married and seems to be in the United States now." "Does Oita's family have any property?" "This... I don't know." Aoki replied. "Has Michihiro Yamano revealed anything about the marriage?" "I heard that he was stepped on by a young girl once on the tram to work. Since then, the two have known each other. Ah, I have seen a picture of that girl, a policewoman." "So that's how it is." "That girl is so beautiful!" After Aoki finished speaking, he immediately frowned again: "The newspaper said that the murderer who killed Yamano-kun was the policewoman, is it true?" "No, it's not." Totsukawa said in a positive tone. "But the newspapers said that the murderer was the policewoman." "There is no evidence yet to settle the case!" "That is to say, my family doesn't talk about my family?" Aoki immediately looked at Totsukawa with a sarcastic look. Totsukawa looked at Aoki as if he didn't understand and asked: "What does 'my family' mean?" "No... nothing, I mean maybe the murderer is in the company, which is not very good." Aoki knew that the joke was too much, so he quickly changed his words. "Not necessarily in the company, anyway, there is no evidence yet." "But Mr. Police Department, Yamano-kun is not the kind of person to be hated! Moreover, recently he has become obsessed with that female police officer again, so... besides that woman, it is hard to think about anyone else. Hate him!" Aoki said as if he had discovered the murderer. After understanding the situation, Aoki left for Tokyo Station.After Totsukawa sent him away, he called Kamei in Shimonoseki and told him what he had learned about Yamano Michihiro. "That is to say, the clue of killing money and killing one's life is broken." Kamei said after listening. "His brother came from Tokyo today." "What kind of person is it?" "I opened a club in Roppongi called Isao Hoshino." "Why different surnames?" "It seems to be the adopted son of the Hoshino family. He opened a club and bar in a prosperous area of ​​Tokyo." Kamei said. "So he's rich." "yes." "What did the elder brother say about his younger brother being killed?" "He read in the newspaper that it was Hojo who did it, so he insisted that Hojo Sanae was the murderer. As soon as he arrived here, he made a big noise and demanded that Sanae be sent to prison as soon as possible." Kamei said. "I expected that from him." After Totsukawa finished speaking, he told Kamei: "It would be great if a motive could be discovered!" "Then you found no one who hates the dead?" "From what I know so far, it's all good for him, and it's said that he and that policewoman had a hot fight." "No one believes that fake thing?" "We already have a photo of that impostor, he looks so similar! We can tell the difference, but outsiders will never be able to tell the difference, they look too much alike!" Totsukawa said not without regret.