Chapter 36 Chapter Thirteen

Namwon did not receive any contact the next day. But around 2 p.m., Fujimoto called.He didn't say a word about the results of the investigation, he just said that he wanted to see Nanyuan. Nanyuan immediately rushed to the tea shop at Shinjuku Station to meet Fujimoto. "As you said, President Hashimoto is suspicious. But he didn't kill Taguchi-san." Fujimoto said slowly. "Why are you so sure?" "He has an 'alibi'!" "Is it the testimony of the secretary named Hayashi Kanako? She must have said that they came to the company together at 1 pm on July 30, when Mr. Taguchi was killed."

"No, other testimony." "What testimony?" "It's this photo. And I want to know more about this photo with you." As he spoke, Fujimoto took out a photo and placed it in front of Nanyuan. This is a black and white 6 inch photo. It seems that it was taken in the square in front of the station. Hashimoto stood there smiling.A van passes behind him. "Is this his 'alibi'?" Namwon looked at this photo and asked. "Yes. This is in front of Izu K station." "Really? But why Hashimoto's 'alibi'? It's just a black and white photo!"

"Hashimoto said it was taken by the secretary you mentioned named Kanako Hayashi. It was taken when they went to Izu together on Sunday, July 30th." "So the two of them are friends?" "Hashimoto doesn't want to hide his friendship with Lin Konako. But look behind him, the luminous clock on the building." "12:58." "Yes. It was 12:58 in the morning. There was no way they could have killed Taguchi-san at 1:00 p.m. at K station in Izu at 1:00 p.m. on the Tama River beach in Tokyo." "But how can you prove that this photo was taken on July 30?"

"I asked him that too. Here's his answer: Isn't there a van behind him? It's smoking black smoke, which is caused by an incomplete combustion of the engine. When it passed the square, it was caught by the police. I stopped it because I was reprimanded by the police for polluting the air. That day was July 30. Of course, I contacted it right away, and it turned out to be true. On July 30, a passenger and cargo dual-purpose vehicle that failed the inspection in front of Station K The car was seized by the police at 1.05pm on July 30. That is, after this photo was taken."

"Could it have been programmed by Hashimoto in advance? He is that kind of person." "For example?" "The van in the photo is a fairly old car and it was purposely made to pass the station at 12:58 with black smoke at that time. He took the photo in front of it." When Nanyuan said that Fujimoto laughed: "That's what I thought too. I looked into it and it's not the case at all." "Why not?" "On July 30, the square in front of Station K caught a car that failed the vehicle inspection. The police at the police station in front of the station said so; I asked the shops in the square again, and they also said the same. So this photo can only be taken on July 30.”

"So Hashimoto's 'alibi' is sufficient?" "Yes. Just..." "Just what?" "I wanted the negative of this photo, but he said he lost it."