Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Another Incident

Criminal Minister Mikami presided over the press conference. The focus of the press conference remained on the case and the nagging question of "Friday's Killer." "Don't you think the two cases are too similar?" a reporter asked. "If Tanaka wants to imitate Murder Friday, the similarity is taken for granted, and it's strange not to be similar!" Mikami replied. "What do you think about people with type B blood? Isn't Tanaka, who was arrested as a suspect, blood type O?" The reporter was not satisfied with Mikami's answer and asked again.

"It is said that there are very few people with type B blood among Americans, but there are more people in Japan. There are 7 people with type B blood in the first department of our Metropolitan Police Department. It cannot be denied that the victim, Matsuki Kaori, and The person with type B blood had sex. Then Tanaka raped and killed her. In this way, Tanaka's blood type O is also understandable." "Can you prove that your assumption is correct?" "I think it's okay. Matsuki Kaori is 24 years old, she is pretty and quite open, so she will have many boyfriends. It's not surprising that some of her boyfriends have blood type B."

"But I think this way: Tanaka had sex with Matsuki Kaori at his home before sending the victim to the apartment, and the woman accepted it; then the man with blood type B broke into her room, raped her and killed her Isn't this kind of reasoning more natural?" "I don't think so." Mikami retorted. "Isn't it more logical to think that people with type B blood are Friday's murderers?" The reporter clung to it. Mikami got a little impatient: "Friday's killer has been prosecuted and he is currently being held in the Tokyo Detention Center. Criminals operating in society are imitating Friday's killer. And I repeat, Tanaka has been arrested, it is a fact."

"Didn't you always think that Yuichiro Saeki, who was indicted, was Friday's murderer?" "There is no doubt about it. We believe that Yuichiro Saeki is the murderer on Friday. At the same time, I must explain that once such a major case as the murderer on Friday occurs, it will inevitably cause a chain reaction. Similar situations have occurred before, such as the case of arson on Tuesday. You know, during that time, arson attacks happened every Tuesday. The whole of Tokyo was in terror. The criminals were very cunning and hard to catch. Didn't you also attack us in those days? It's the same as it is now .”

Mikami stopped talking at this point, with a smug smile on his face.He paused and continued: "The arsonist was from the barber shop. The barber shop was closed on Monday. He started drinking at the bar late Monday night until almost dawn and committed arson on his way home before dawn on Tuesday. He set fire a dozen times He was arrested just now! After that, there were many arson cases imitating him. I think this time is no exception. Tanaka also imitated Yuichiro Saeki, raped and killed the woman." "Then do you think the same case will happen in the future?" the reporter asked.

"If you write in your reports and news that Yuichiro Saeki may not be the murderer of Friday, then I think such cases will still happen. Because the imitators kill people in the same way, it can all be attributed to the murderer of Friday." Perhaps because of Mikami's self-confidence and arrogance, newspapers and television did not publish or broadcast news that expressed doubts about the police's handling of the case. Just as Minister Sankami imagined, when the criminal police investigated the victim's social relationship, they found that Matsuki Kaori was indeed a "modern" girl.In addition to Tanaka, there are many men who have had sexual intercourse with her.Among them, two men were found to have blood type B: Hongtaro Honda, 26 years old; Seiichi Tsuji, 25 years old.These two people belong to the same company as Kaori.

According to the results of the investigation, the criminal police first called Honda Hongtaro.He works in the personnel department of N Property Company, and recently decided to marry a college classmate.Because of this relationship, when the detective asked him about his relationship with Matsuki Kaori, he seemed very embarrassed. "Please don't keep bringing up the matter between me and Miss Matsuki Kaori, it's too much of a hindrance to me." Honda showed a troubled expression to the detective. "You've had that relationship with her in the past, haven't you?"

"Yes, but we broke up a long time ago. Because she has already climbed Tianzhong." "Did you meet her on October 3rd?" "The 3rd... is Friday, right? I went on a date with my current girlfriend that day, and we went to the movies together." After investigation, what Honda said was true, and he had an alibi. Then, the criminal police found Tsuji Seiichi again.He began to deny that he met Matsuki Kaori on Friday, but he couldn't stand the police's questioning, and finally confessed. "Let me tell you the truth. After get off work on October 3, I met Ms. Matsuki on a date."

Tsuji Seiichi said. "And you took her to your house?" the detective asked. "Yes, to my house." "Where did you have sex with her?" "um, yes." "What time is it?" "What... what time is it?..." "Is it between evening and nine o'clock?" "Yeah. I remember, we played until almost nine o'clock. At my house until nine o'clock at night." "Where do you live?" "Near Mitaka Station on the Chuo Line." "Is what you just said true?" the policeman finally asked. "It's all true. Exactly."

He smiled slightly after speaking. Because of Seiichi Tsuji’s confession, the police re-analyzed the case on the evening of October 3: after Seiichi Tsuji got off work, he invited the victim Matsuki Kaori and took her to his apartment. sexual relationship.At this time, Seiichi Tsuji's semen entered Matsuki's vagina. After 9 o'clock, Matsuki Kaori left.On the way back to the apartment, she met Tanaka who was driving. Tanaka asked Matsuki Kaori to sit in his car and took her back to the apartment.They arrived at the apartment around 10 o'clock.The apartment manager met them at the foot of the stairs.Tanaka sent her to the room on the second floor, so he naturally wanted to make out with her.Because Matsuki Kaori and Tsuji Seiichi had just had sex, they refused Tanaka's request.Feeling the contusion, Tanaka's superiority became furious, so he raped her and killed her to silence her.After killing Kaori, he suddenly thought that the administrator had seen him, so things would definitely be exposed.After thinking about it carefully, he decided to turn Kaori's death into the crime of "Friday Murderer".So Tanaka stripped Kaori naked, and then fled...

After making such a logical and seamless reasoning analysis, Minister Mikami held a press conference the day after the incident.The focus of the meeting was Seiichi Tsuji. "Everyone, now you shouldn't suspect that the murderer is Tanaka! The semen of two men was found in Matsuki Kaori's body, and Type B belongs to Seiichi Tsuji." "Did Seiichi Tsuji admit that he did have sex with the victim on October 3?" a reporter asked. "That's right. Seiichi Tsuji testified that she was at his house until 9 o'clock. His home is in Mitaka. If you doubt it, you can interview Seiichi Tsuji and ask if this is the case." Mikami said confidently. ... Totsukawa and Kamei also expressed joy and encouragement about the new progress of the case. "It is said that those eventful journalists were also convinced after seeing Tsuji Seiichi." Kamei said to Totsukawa. "Do they think everything makes sense?" "I think so." "What about Tanaka? Did he confess to killing Matsuki Kaori?" "No. It is said that he still denies. The criminal police gave him the testimony of Seiichi Tsuji, but he denied it even more, and said that the police were stupid! He still repeated that he took Kaori Matsuki immediately after get off work on October 3rd. Went to her apartment, where they were very affectionate. After 10 o’clock, the administrator saw her back to the apartment. He entered her apartment room, drank a cup of coffee and went back.” "Isn't this repeating what I said before?" "yes." "Seiichi Tsuji, a young man, took Matsuki Kaori back to his home after get off work, did anyone see it?" "No. It's the same with Tanaka." "What kind of person is he, do you understand?" "I met him when I went to the first department of N Products Company. He is of medium build, neither fat nor thin, and is a sporty young man. He is very polite to others and has a good relationship in the company. His testimonial materials are credible. " "Don't you feel anything suspicious?" "what?" "Tsuji Seiichi is a rare and polite person among young people, isn't he?" "right." "That's exactly the problem. Guo Qing took the pine tree incense back to his residence, and let her go home alone after seeking pleasure, but he didn't send her home in person? This is unreasonable. And it was late at night, so I I would never have done that; besides, Matsuki Kaori was walking home alone, and met Tanaka who was driving on the road, how could it be such a coincidence?" "That makes sense, and it's worth noting. I thought there might be some reason why Seiichi Tsuji didn't go see her off." "Don't you think Seiichi Tsuji might be lying?" "I don't think he's lying, because there's no need for it! He has no grudge against Tanaka. Seiichi Tsuji and Kaori Matsuki had sex on October 3. It's normal for an open girl." "According to you, it is absolutely certain that Tanaka is the murderer!" Totsukawa said so, but there was a different opinion in his heart. Friday, October 10th is Japan's Sports Day. Jiji Noriko, who works for a magazine in the central area of ​​Tokyo, went to Oku-Nikko to enjoy the red leaves with her lover Sugiyama Kazuo.Sugiyama is the dean of the Department of D University and is currently a reporter for Chuo Shimbun.They spent a day in Oku-Nikko before driving back to Tokyo at 9:00 pm. The magazine where Kiko works publishes a men's weekly magazine called "Men's Weekly".Next week she will travel to Australia to shoot a column for the magazine.The weekly magazine is dominated by nude photos, so she goes to Guam or Hawaii once a month.Kiko, who is proficient in English, mainly works with photographers, actors and models, and connects them with local people. After they drove the car to Takaido, where Kiko lived, they got off the car and went to a nearby bar to have supper together.The two chatted while eating Italian pie. Sugiyama said as if remembering something: "Today is Friday." The 23-year-old Noriko certainly knows about "Friday's Murderer".So she also casually asked Sugiyama: "Isn't that case already solved?" "Yes, the murderer has been prosecuted and will have a public trial next month. He will undoubtedly be sentenced to death." "Then there's nothing to worry about." "You can't be paralyzed, there are already gangsters imitating this kind of case." "A similar case happened last Friday, right? I think I read about it in the newspaper." "Yes. The murderer was a company employee." "But I'm not afraid, I learned karate in college." Kiko seemed to be emboldening herself, and laughed after speaking. "It's true that you have learned karate, but you haven't gotten to the top yet!" Sugiyama teased her. After supper, Sugiyama sent Kiko to the door of her apartment. He wanted to take her all the way to the room on the second floor, but just met the administrator, so Sugiyama left in peace. Kiko went up to the second floor alone.She stood in front of her door, took the key out of her handbag and opened the door.Just as she was about to enter the room, a man pushed her into the room from behind. Ji Zi was pushed face down on the straw mat, and the man was firmly on top of her.His hand stretched from the back of her neck to her throat, strangling Noriko out of breath. "Don't bark!" The man growled in a low voice. "It hurts, it hurts so much!" Kiko struggled and whimpered. The man strangled her neck with one hand and lifted her skirt with the other.Kiko's tanned and slender legs were exposed to her thighs. "Wearing a bikini, flirting with men, fooling around!" The man said in a low voice. Kiko wanted to yell, but her neck was strangled and she couldn't make a sound. "Is this a new patterned bikini? The untanned part is too white. I know everything about you..." The man was babbling softly and at the same time started tearing at Noriko's underwear. Ji Zi was dizzy badly, and her consciousness gradually became blurred.She realizes she will be killed by him.At this moment, footsteps sounded in the corridor, and then someone knocked hard on the door.Startled, the man relaxed his hand.The knock on the door became louder and louder, and the man hurriedly fled to the window, opened it and jumped. Almost at the same time, Sugiyama broke through the door and went straight to Kiko. It turned out that when Sugiyama returned to his car, the image of the dead body of Matsuki Kaori who was killed last Friday was always flashing in his mind, so he was worried, so he went back upstairs again. Sugiyama hugged Noriko, panting and asked: "Are you ok?" Ji Zi continued to cough violently, and every time she coughed, her tears flowed down, looking in pain.After coughing for a while, Noriko said in a weak voice: "It's okay!" She said with a miserable smile on her face after suffering. Sugiyama settled down for Kiko, and immediately called 110 to call the police. The time at this time is 11:05 p.m. on Friday, October 10. After receiving the alarm, Totsukawa and Kamei went straight to the scene of Shimo Takaido. When they arrived at the apartment near Takaido Station on the Keio Line, Totsukawa and Kamei immediately met with the victim Nagiko.The case had just happened, and although Kiko was frightened, she was not traumatized, and because of the professional reporter, she answered Totsukawa's question very clearly. "Fortunately, he came back in time," Kiko said with a friendly look at Sugiyama, "I was rescued from danger." Sugiyama smiled and put his arms around her shoulders. There are obvious red spots on Kiko's neck, which are the marks left by the murderer when she strangled her neck. "Did you see the murderer's face?" Totsukawa asked. "He pressed on me from behind and strangled my neck. I couldn't turn my head back and couldn't see his face." Ji Zi said hoarsely.Perhaps because her throat was still sore, she coughed lightly again, "But I heard the voice." Totsukawa's eyes lit up: "real?" "The gangster babbled something while strangling my neck." "What did he say?" "I don't understand what he's saying, but he understands my situation very well." "Would you please explain it carefully?" "I know everything he said about you." "What's there?" "Says my tan goes well with a bikini. And he knows my bikini pattern, which is weird." "Is your swimsuit here?" "exist." Noriko took out the bikini swimsuit from the closet and showed it to Totsukawa.This is a unique bikini swimsuit in a bold pattern. "The murderer revealed the pattern of this swimsuit?" "Well, you're right." "Then the murderer must have seen you wearing this swimsuit on the beach or in a swimming pool or something." Totsukawa said. Kiko shook his head: "No." "why?" "I'm the editor of a weekly. Do you know the magazine?" "I've only heard the name. Is it a popular magazine?" "It's a very colorful magazine. The cover photos are full of swimsuits and nude photos of young actresses and singers. These photos are taken in Guam, Saipan or the Philippines, and sometimes Australia. I often travel with them. Recently I went to Cebu Island in the Philippines, where I wore this swimsuit for the first time, and I had never worn it in a domestic swimming pool before." "Where did you buy this swimsuit?" "I didn't buy it. It was a swimsuit trial-produced by N Rayon Company for next year, and it was a gift from that company." "You only wore this swimsuit in Cebu, Philippines?" "Yes. But it's frightening that the murderer somehow knew about it!" "How many people are going to Cebu Island with you?" Totsukawa asked. "The photographer, Mr. Shuicheng, his assistant Nishimoto, me, and two swimsuit models, a total of five people." "I heard that there are many Japanese tourists in Cebu Island?" "Yes. The scenery there is beautiful and pleasant, so many people in Japan go sightseeing." "Have any of the tourists seen you in a bathing suit?" "I don't want to see it." "why?" "There is a sandy beach on the west coast of Cebu Island that is exposed when the tide is low. We asked people to send it there by boat to take pictures, and there were no Japanese around." "You were wearing this swimsuit then?" "Yes, only once at that time." "In this way, the murderer can only be one of the photographer and the assistant?" "I don't think so." "really not." "Yes, really not." "You didn't see the murderer's face, did you? Then how could you decide it wasn't those two people?" "I heard the murderer's voice. That tone is definitely not that of the photographer, let alone his assistant Nishimoto." "What if the voice is fake? The fake voice sometimes sounds like someone else." "No, that voice is not faked. It is the speaking habits of ordinary people. It is very strange. It is the first time I heard it." "Then why does he even know the pattern of your swimsuit?" "This is indeed a strange place. I feel terrible since I was rescued. I don't know where that villain peeked at my appearance in a swimsuit." "Is there such a possibility that you tried it on in the house. Someone peeked at it when you tried it on, and from then on he had the idea of ​​attacking you." "This possibility does not exist. Because this bikini was given to me after I arrived in Cebu Island. So I didn't try it on here." "Understood." Totsukawa nodded, then turned to Sugiyama and asked, "Did the murderer escape through the window because you knocked on the door?" "I think so." "Did you see the escaped murderer?" "I didn't see it, what a pity." Sugiyama smacked his lips and said, "I was always a little worried about her, so I came back and knocked on the door. But there was no response, so I slammed the door open because I thought it was strange. At this time, the murderer jumped out of the window and fled. When I ran to the window, the murderer was gone." "Police!" Look at Kamei around the window calling Totsugawa. "What's up?" Totsukawa responded and walked over. "Look, there's blood on the window hook." Several people gathered around at the same time, confirming that it was blood. "When you looked out of the window, did you scratch your finger on this window hook?" "No." Sugiyama spread his hands for everyone to see, "Not at all!" The blood on the window hook was identified as type B blood. Minister Mikami is very interested in the emergence of another murderer with type B blood. "B blood type again?" Mikami asked after hearing Totsukawa's report. "The murderer who raped Nagiko and tried to escape was a man with type B blood." "How can you be sure it's the murderer? There are victims, and there are also victims' lovers!" "We have checked the blood types of the two of them. The victim Nagiko is type AB, and Sugiyama is type O." "What if the blood on the window hook is old blood? If it is old blood, then it has nothing to do with this case?" "From the condition of the color, the bloodstain was left within a few hours." "It's over!" Minister Mikami said with his arms folded on his chest. "The newspapers are going to make a fuss again. They will say, did you catch Friday's murderer? Isn't he still committing crimes calmly? Could it be that you... ...Totsukawa-kun, do you also think that Friday's murderer is still wandering the streets of Tokyo?" "The fact is this: last Friday, the girl who was killed on October 3 had sex with a man with blood type B before she died; the blood type of the murderer who attempted rape this time is also type B, these two things are facts If this continues, this person with type B blood will commit crimes again. In other words, Friday’s murderer is still wandering the streets of Tokyo.” Totsukawa expressed his opinion. Mikami's expression became more and more ugly, he said unhappily: "It's too bad even you think so. Friday's murderer has been prosecuted, and a public trial will soon be held. At this moment, the front-line criminal police still think that the real murderer has not been caught. What will be the consequences? This not only severely damaged the prestige of the police, but also completely destroyed the public's trust in the police. Can you understand?!" "But minister, the man with type B blood is indeed related to these two cases. This is a fact. We can't turn a blind eye to this!" "What are you going to do?" Mikami asked. "I request the investigation of these two cases to find out the truth." "You can do it. But you have to be careful, even if the case is wrong, you can't just say that Friday's murderer is someone else!" "I know. I must be careful and investigate seriously!" Totsukawa said piously. In the several cases that have occurred, although Totsugawa was generally able to stand on the same side as the police, he complied with the relevant decisions of the police.But he has disagreed with the identification of Friday's killer.As far as character is concerned, Totsukawa has never been obedient to the upper-level departments, and sometimes even contradicts him. Kamei has long been aware of this, so he is also very worried about him.After Totsukawa reported to Minister Mikami alone this time, Kamei became more and more uneasy. "Minister Sankami is not satisfied with you, is he? Is he angry?" Kamei asked worriedly. "Regardless of the minister, my professional mission requires me to pursue the truth." Totsukawa replied. But things are not as simple as Totsukawa thought. According to the instructions of Minister Mikami, the Shitakaido Police Station has set up a search headquarters for the October 10 case.Whether to set up a search headquarters is mainly because it is determined that this case is different from the murder case of Matsuki Kaori.Mikami believes that the murderer in the case on October 3 was Tanaka; the murderer in the case on October 10 was someone who imitated the "Friday Murderer". After Totsukawa took on the case, he first started with investigation and research: if the murderer was seen after jumping from the second floor of Yongkiko's house, it would be a very powerful clue. For this reason, Totsukawa mobilized 15 criminal police officers to investigate.There was no gain on the first day, but he found the witness he expected on the second day.This person is 40 years old and is a company employee who lives in a community 200 meters away from the apartment.At that time, he was playing mahjong at a friend's house. On his way home, he walked near the scene when suddenly a man came running out of the darkness. Considering the time and the scene, the man who ran out of the darkness was probably the murderer who attacked Yongkiko.To this end, Totsukawa immediately went to visit the witness. The person interviewed was Yasushi Hasegawa, of medium build, well-proportioned fat and thin, a typical company employee, the section chief of a steel company. "I was walking near the apartment, and I was taken aback," Hasegawa Yasuo said to Totsukawa. "A man ran out of the darkness and almost knocked me down. The guy didn't even say a word of kindness. I was so angry at the time." Gotta die!" "Did you see that man's face clearly?" Totsukawa asked. "No, because he ran out suddenly. But I watched his back carefully." "What is he dressed in?" "Blue twill trousers, and white sneakers that young people often wear. The top is a white jacket... no, it is a baggy white coat that is currently in fashion." "What hairstyle?" "It's long hair." "What about height and age?" "The height is about 1.70 meters. He is very young, and he is a young man." "Is it a young man from the appearance of his clothes?" "No. It's the way he is running. No matter how you look at it, he looks like a young man." After hearing what the witnesses said, Totsukawa smiled wryly.When witnessing the second case investigation, Shinsuke Miki once said that the murderer was a young man, also about 1.70 meters tall.It seems that the two perpetrators are very similar. "Anything else you noticed?" Totsukawa continued to ask. "When I got home, I found blood on the front of my shirt, maybe from the guy who hit me." "Where's that shirt?" "I'm going to take it to the laundry tomorrow." "Let's check it out before sending it off, shall we?" After obtaining Hasegawa's consent, his suit jacket was immediately sent to the police research institute for blood type investigation.The result of the investigation was that it was type B blood. But other than that, the killer has been missing. Totsukawa also investigated the station attendants of the last train on the Keio Line, but no young people wearing white clothes and shoes were found at any station.It seems that the murderer may have escaped on foot, or he may have hidden the car nearby in advance and drove away after committing the crime. The attempted rape and murder reminded Totsukawa of other things related to the case.First, the attacked Tonji Noriko recently went swimming in Cebu Island and her body was very tanned; second, the murderer knew the pattern of her swimsuit and said that the tanned skin marks matched the swimsuit; third, except for the only Except for Tomoko Yoshikawa, the other five victims were all very tanned. Totsukawa thinks this is no accident.It is especially worth noting that why did the murderer know the pattern of Yongji's swimsuit? This case has closely linked Kamei and Totsukawa. Totsukawa expressed his opinion to Kamei: "It is no coincidence that all five victims share common characteristics." "You mean the victim's tanned skin?" Kamei asked. "Yes. The only exception is Tomoko Yoshikawa, but she was not ambushed but lured, and the attack method was different." "But, Police Department, I think so..." Before Kamei could finish speaking, Totsukawa looked at him and said: "I know, Kamei, if you want to include past victims in a reasoning, you have to admit that Yuichiro Saeki was not Friday's murderer, right?" "Yes. That's what I was about to say." "So far, even you can hardly think that these criminals are not murderers?" "That's right, but..." Kamei hesitated to speak. "The rape of a young girl with tanned skin should not be regarded as random by the murderer. It must be realized that this is a hobby of the murderer. Some people say that the last two cases were committed by the murderer imitating the Friday gangsters. Does the dark skin also imitate?" "Then the police department, do you think that Friday's murderer is not Saeki Yuichiro, and the real Friday's murderer has not been arrested yet?" Kamei asked. "Yes. Yuichiro Saeki was not Friday's murderer. It is undoubtedly wrong for us to arrest him. And in the case of Matsuki Kaori who was killed on October 3, the murderer was not Tanaka." "But the police department, I have another question: In the October 3 case, the witness Seiichi Tsuji was a person with type B blood. He testified that he had had sex with Matsuki Kaori that night. If this is true Well, it wasn't Friday's murderer who raped and killed her. It's worth considering!" "For the sake of accuracy, would you like to meet Seiichi Tsuji in person?" "What did you see him for?" "Go and threaten him, and say that if you don't do it well, you will find him Friday's murderer and you will be sentenced to death. If he lied before, he will definitely show his tail." Kamei nodded knowingly, and immediately went to visit the witness Tsuji Seiichi. Kamei returned three hours later and reported: "Sure enough, it's not what the police department expected." "Did he really lie?" "Yes. Seiichi Tsuji was involved in a car accident at 9:31 that night." "So that's it. He was trying to hide the accident, right?" "Yes. The criminal police came to ask him if he had sex with Matsuki Kaori that night? He just pushed the boat along and testified that the time of the car accident, that is, around 9:30 p.m. on October 3, was that Matsuki Kaori had My family slept together until about 10 o'clock, which denied me the possibility of a car accident. This means that Friday's murderer is at large and is still looking for opportunities to continue committing crimes." "Yes, we must report this to the Chief of the First Search Section and the Minister of Criminal Affairs." Totsukawa's words stopped, and he fell into deep thought again. After listening to Totsukawa's report, Honda, Chief of the First Search Section, sighed and said: "It's over." Then he fell silent.After staying for a while, he sighed again: "That's terrible. Totsukawa." "Section Chief, since it is a fact, I think it should not be rejected. Seiichi Tsuji's lying is a fact. If you don't admit this fact and insist on prosecuting Friday's murderer, people will be victimized one after another in the future." Totsukawa said looking straight into Honda's eyes. "I understand very well." Honda said, looking into the distance, "I'm afraid the Minister of Criminal Affairs will not accept it, because it is tantamount to declaring the police a failure." "It's even worse not to face the facts, but to criminalize innocent people. I'm afraid there will be more victims next Friday." "Maybe." "The real murderer has not been arrested, so he must commit the crime. But we can't stop the case, because we believe that the murderer on Friday has been arrested. Not only that, once a new victim appears, we think the murderer is Her lover or her boyfriend, because they already have a preconceived notion that it wasn't Friday's killer, but a copycat." "What do you think we should do in the present situation?" "It's very simple. I hope that we will be free to investigate so that I can have the confidence to apprehend the real Friday killer." "Do you have a clue?" "There are some clues. But the whole case has gone wrong since Yuichiro Saeki was identified as Friday's murderer. If it was discovered earlier that Tomoko Yoshikawa was the only victim, things would be easier." "Do you think it's an exception because it's the girl who seduces at the bar?" "Not only that, but the main thing is that her skin is not tanned." "Skin tan?" "Yes. So far, among the six victims, two have been rescued and four have been killed. Except for Tomoko Yoshikawa, the other five have tanned skin. Not only the face, but the whole body is tanned It’s dark. So the bikini marks are white and sexy.” "You mean the murderer has a penchant for tanned girls?" "Looking at several cases together, you can't help but think so." "But I still have two doubts." "Which two?" "First, why did the murderer only target girls with tanned skin? Can you guess the reason?" "Of course I can't guess." "Secondly, how the murderer captures this kind of girl, I have already mentioned this point, don't you know?" "Tomoko Yoshikawa's attack was an accident, that's how I see it." "Yes. There is a tennis craze at the moment, and young girls like to play tennis. But girls who play tennis and golf can only tan their hands and faces, and the rest will not be tanned. As you said, the murderer only chooses tanned skin Women, how did you choose them? This is indeed the crux of the problem. Since the investigation of the case that happened every Friday, there have been no other rapes and homicides, because the murderer has known in advance that the target is tanned." "You're absolutely right." "Then how to solve this doubt? I have considered that the murderer is a monitor of a swimming pool in Tokyo. This assumption cannot be established because some of the victims have never been to a swimming pool." "Yes. What's even more strange about this case is that the murderer knew a lot about the victim, even the pattern of the swimsuit that Tokiko Tokiko only wore in the Philippines. This can't help but cause us to think deeply." "You mean you can limit the range of murderers?" "no." "no?" Honda showed a surprised expression. "Yes. If the attempted rape case is regarded as an independent case, then the scope of the murderer can indeed be limited, because the person who knows the pattern of Noriko's swimsuit is the murderer." "yes." "Noriko permanent, female models, photographers and assistants in Cebu Island, and Kiko's lover Kazuo Sugiyama, these people must know the swimsuit pattern. But Kiko testified that neither Sugiyama nor Sugiyama was the one who beat her. Not the people who went to Cebu Island. Moreover, if it is believed that the murderer since the first case-Friday’s murderer was attacked, then the photographer and news reporter Sugiyama who also went to Cebu Island has to be excluded.” "Having said so much, don't you still know nothing?" Honda muttered incredulously. "But two things are certain." Totsukawa said confidently, "One is that the murderer has a special preference for tanned women, and the other is that he knows the victim very well." "Can you find Friday's murderer with these two points alone?" "Let me try it." "You should pay attention, except for Tomoko Yoshikawa, do the five victims have anything in common besides tanned skin?" "No, at least not at the moment. They are all young girls with different ages, places of birth, graduate schools, and educational qualifications. According to the previous investigation, only they are the customers of the Sanlin Beauty Salon, so it is determined that the murderer is A hair stylist. But the sixth person, Jiji Noriko, has never been to this beauty salon." "They don't live in the same place, do they?" "Yes, some are close, and some are far away." "So you can quickly find the murderer?" "Must be found." "If the minister firmly refuses to agree, what else are you going to do?" "Do it. I am determined to find the murderer before next Friday, and to save the young girl from being victimized again." "Even if you can find the murderer and arrest him, it is not a victory for the police. On the contrary, it is a failure. And both Saeki Yuichiro and Tanaka were arrested by mistake." "I know, but I can't turn a blind eye. Do the section chief and the minister have the same opinion?" After thinking carefully for a while, Honda suddenly smiled and said: "You don't have to worry about me, I will report the truth to the minister. It is the minister's business to agree or not, but I think you can do it according to your ideas." "Thank you. Thank you Section Chief." "You should also note that it is best not to present your thoughts to the press at present. This is not to cover up the truth, but so as not to hinder the work of the investigation. Accidental arrests are more important to the press than arrests of real murderers. !" "I see." Totsukawa nodded happily. "Where are you going to start looking?" "I'd like to visit Nagiko again. Anyway, she's the girl who was rescued from Friday's murder. Maybe she'll have something new to tell." Jiji Noriko is writing in her room.Totsukawa came to visit her. "The day after tomorrow," Kiko told Totsukawa in high spirits, "I will go to Australia's Great Barrier Reef to collect information." "It's great to go to the Great Barrier Reef." Totsukawa said with a smile, "Before you leave, I have something to ask you." "If you ask about the murderer, I once said that I have never seen his face. Sugiyama also asked me to recall what kind of person he is?" Kiko shrugged lightly and said. "It's natural to throw you from behind and not see your face." Totsukawa said. 纪子的表情显得有点意外，接着问道： “你不想问凶手长得什么样子？是不是找不到凶手而失望了呢？” “我不是失望，只想得到真实的答案。桥田由美子、谷本清美、君原久仁子、松木香织，这四个人的名字你听说过吗？” “不，从来没有听说过，真的。” “那四个人都是在星期五被杀的女人。” “真的？那我就是第五个人了？” "right." “可我听说星期五的凶手已经被逮捕了？” “逮捕的不是真凶，凶手是另外的人。” “我真奇怪，凶手怎么会盯上了我？” “为什么觉得奇怪？” “在附近有家纺纱厂的女工宿舍，那里有许多年轻活泼的女孩。凶手为什么不去袭击她们，而单单来袭击我，真弄不明白。他为什么敢潜进这栋公寓来。” “可能凶手觉得你有吸引力，凶手看上你了。你回忆一下，在电车或者街上是否有人跟踪过你？” “我的感觉一直很敏锐，没发现有任何人盯过我，真对不起。” "No, it's okay." 十津川微笑着点了点头。 十津川不否认永久纪子确实是个很机敏的姑娘。而且强奸犯盯住女人的眼神往往具有一种独特的可厌感，如果星期五的凶手这样干肯定会被发觉的。这样看来，星期五的凶手没有跟踪过纪子。也就是说，凶手不是在街上偶然看见她由此产生杀机的。推而言之，前四个受害者也许都是这样。 十津川的心里踏实了许多，他深深懂得在侦破工作中，虽然是从反面的否定也是确定真正凶手的条件。这也是收获呀。十津川向纪子致谢后同龟井一起离开公寓。 “又没有什么收获！” 龟井不高兴地说道。 “不，收获很大。从她谈的情况可以判断，被害人之间没有什么联系，这已经再次被证实。同时我们可以说，凶手不是在大街上或电车上发现跟踪她们，而是有自己特有的环境。” 十津川反驳了龟井，讲述了自己的看法。 “独特的环境？” “是的。凶手用他的独特的环境来捕捉猎物。” “可据我所知，这五个女人间没有任何关系吧？即使三林美容院也不是她们都去的地方。那他的独特的环境在哪呢？还有，凶手一定在那个环境里能看到她们晒黑的皮肤，甚至连比基尼的花纹都看得清清楚楚，是不是？” “是的。否则就非常奇怪了。” “那就是说，凶手好像有个'后宫'，'后宫'里藏着这些女人，他每天都能观看她们的裸体。” 龟井半开玩笑、半戏谑地说道。 十津川听了龟井的话并没有笑，只是轻声地重复了一句：“后宫？”停了停后他突然对龟井说道： “龟井，你说对了。凶手也许拥有'后宫'，并从中选出了五个牺牲者。下一个牺牲者大概也会从那'后宫'中挑出来。皮肤晒黑、与比基尼泳装很相配的女人。” “可是，我不曾听过现在有'后宫'啊！” “是凶手自己认定的'后宫'！” 十津川突然停住脚步，向附近的书店大踏步地走去。