Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

Ugaki asked the company for leave from November 3rd to 8th.This holiday includes a holiday day as well as Saturday and Sunday.In fact, he only took three days off. It is reported that the apartment administrator saw him leaving the apartment with a small suitcase on the morning of the 3rd. Undoubtedly, Ugaki did travel on November 3rd. Then, without any doubt, he flew from Narita Airport to the Philippines. If I asked the Immigration Bureau about the situation, it seemed like a big deal, so I decided to ask the airline. Flights from Narita Airport to Manila may go to Bangkok and Singapore in addition to Manila.

First, I checked the flight departing from Narita Airport in the morning. There are two eligible airlines, Japan Airlines and Philippine Airlines. Totsukawa asked them to check the passenger manifest for November 3rd. As a result, Philippine Airlines replied that Ugaki Wataru's name was on Flight 431. Totsukawa was disappointed by the simplicity of the matter. "Ugaki went to the Philippines." Totsukawa said to Kamei with a smile. "It's gone." "It's not worth worrying everyone!" While talking, Yayoi Shimazaki called. As soon as Totsukawa answered the phone, Yayoi hurriedly said;

"I'm so sorry, he's gone on a trip." "That's right. We checked. He took Philippine Airlines flight 431 on the 3rd." "Have you checked? I'm sorry." "How did you know about it?" Totsukawa asked. "Called this morning. He said he was in Manila on the 3rd and 4th, and he didn't contact him in time because the hotel's phone was out of order." "Where did you get the call from today?" "From Bangkok. I'm so sorry." After Yayoi apologized again, she hung up the phone. "Ugaki and Shimazaki got in touch, from Bangkok."

Totsukawa said to Kamei. "This is just a trick!" Kamei laughed.Then, looking at Totsukawa, he asked: "what happened to you?" "No, nothing..." Totsukawa put down the phone slowly. "Look at your expression, there is something wrong!" Kamei asked. "yes." "You said it!" "How disgusting! I found out that Ugaki had indeed gone on a trip, so I was a bit disappointed. At this moment, Yayoi Shimazaki called and said 'I'm sorry' and 'I'm sorry' or something." "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, nothing wrong." "But why are you a little unhappy?" Kamei asked. "Oh—since you begged us, why apologize again! I suddenly feel that she seems to be a little out of order." "She's so worried!" "I can understand this. But usually, even if you don't get in touch for a while, you won't let the police look it up right away." "Yes. Maybe it's because she knows us that she came to ask for help." Kamei said. "There is a possibility. Does the girl seem odd to you?" "No. I think she's a smart girl."

"Yes. I think so too. In this case, why didn't she ask the airline? That way, she can know whether Ugaki really went on a trip without asking us." "Maybe the airline didn't want to tell. We're the police, so they came to help right away." Kamei said. "Maybe. But when she came to beg us, she never said such a thing once. She didn't say that she asked, and the other party didn't tell me anything like that!" "That's what happened." "In other words, she didn't ask the airline at all. That's what I can't figure out."

Totsukawa said. Kamei nodded in agreement, but continued: "It must be that she was too worried and didn't know what to do, so she came to the police directly." "Maybe." Totsukawa said.However, he still looks suspicious. Because, although it is a small doubt, it is still difficult to figure it out. One of the most important factors for this idea is that Ugaki Wataru and Shimazaki Yayoi are related to the French incident.There is another very important reason, that is, Totsukawa is the criminal policeman who handled this incident. (Is it the criminal police's fault?) You can also think so.

Criminal police sometimes have suspicions where ordinary people don't think so.There are good and bad sides to this, Totsukawa thought. "You can't get around it." Kamei read through his mind and said. Totsukawa smiled wryly. (I'm not as good as Kamei!) He said it with that in mind. "Once it's stuck, you can't get it off." "What's the matter? Let's find out if Yuyuan is in Bangkok now." Kamei asked. "Even if you check..." "On November 3, Ugaki did board a Philippine Airlines flight to Manila." Kamei confirmed.

"yes." "Then, isn't it traveling as planned? There is no reason why you have to return halfway, right?" "Yayoi Shimazaki seems to have said that Ugaki didn't get in touch because the hotel phone in Manila was out of order." "Don't you believe it?" "Please speak frankly what you think." "But, police department, Yu Yuan is only 28 years old, and he is still single. I don't think his salary will be high, and he won't live in a high-end hotel in Manila. Maybe he will live in a small, cheap hotel." "So it's not surprising that the phone is out of order."

"Yep." "Then Ugaki should also know that Yayoi Shimazaki is worried about him." "Yes. That's why I called from Bangkok." "But why not call from the airport?" "From the Manila airport?" Kamei asked. "That's right. When we left for Bangkok. Could it be that the phone at the airport is also broken? If it were me, I would have already connected." Totsukawa said. "I think so." "We seem to be digging into a dead end!" "It can also be considered that there is almost no waiting time at the airport."

"I also tried to convince myself with various reasons, but I still can't figure it out anyway. Because Ugaki is one of the people involved in the French incident." Totsukawa said. "Fortunately, Yu Yuan will be back on the 8th, and everything will be clear by then." Said the young Nishimoto detective. "But there are still three days." "Maybe nothing happened. It's a lie that the phone went wrong." Nishimoto said. "Lying? Who do you think is lying?" Totsukawa asked Nishimoto. "It's Ugaki. I think he forgot to call Yayoi in a moment of negligence. As a man, this is a common thing, and it's hard to say that he forgot, so he made up nonsense and said that the hotel phone was out of order. His girlfriend in Tokyo can't go. Hotel investigation." "Do you have a similar situation?" Kamei asked with a smile. "Hey. Sometimes I am obsessed with something and forget to make an appointment to call. If you tell the truth, you will definitely be blamed by the other party, so you can only make up a proper lie." Nishimoto said. Maybe that's the case, Totsukawa thought. (It seems a bit over-the-top.) Totsukawa was lost in thought. Even so, Totsukawa's doubts did not disappear.