Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The Shadow of a Woman

The news that the Katayama female detective was killed in the "White Swan" train spread to the First Search Section of the Metropolitan Police Department, which dealt a major blow to Section Chief Honda and his colleagues. "No matter what, we must find the guy who offered a reward for the murder of Detective Kamei!" Section Chief Honda encouraged and urged his subordinates again. "The problem is that woman in her 40s is the one who bought 1 million yen from Koda Keigo at the restaurant. Why did she do such a troublesome thing? The check was transferred from Idoguchi Kazuya to Koda of the S team , he gave it to the 40-year-old woman again. If this woman is found, then maybe the inside story of the case can be clarified.”

"But the information we have is too general. We only say that it is a woman around 40 years old." Xiao Lin said. "No matter what, we have to do everything possible to find her. It was she who sent a check for 1 million yen and wanted to kill Kamei." "Catch that guy Koda, he must know that woman. Even if Koda is not the provider of the bonus, he must have been entrusted by the woman to collect the check. Checks written by Itoguchi are very trusted in society." "And Kyoko Sanada, please help edit and stitch together the photos of the 40-year-old woman. During this period, Kamei is still in danger. For this, let's work hard." Honda said.

Four detectives set out to find Sanada Kyoko and Koda. Sanada Kyoko was found, and she began editing and stitching photos.But Kobayashi and Tanaka, who went to Koda Keigo's place, called back and said, "That guy's whereabouts are unknown." Kobayashi's tone of voice was very urgent. "What did you say?" "He hid and didn't show up. Judging from the attitude of the reception staff here, I think Koda seems to have escaped from Tokyo. The people in the S group said that they don't know his whereabouts. I asked my colleagues in the fourth department, and they also It is said that the backbone of the S team is silent, it seems that Koda is hiding."

"Probably planning to hide until Kamei is killed and then show up." "then what should we do?" "Koda is a smart man, he will not kill Kamei personally. So there is no need to track down his whereabouts, let's go back and look for the woman who is about 40 years old." After the editing and splicing of the woman's photos were completed, they were immediately copied in large numbers. "What a beautiful woman." Kobayashi said with admiration. "Is this what she looks like?" "Sanada Kyoko said it was exactly like herself."

"What did she say about Koda's whereabouts?" "She said she didn't know, maybe because she is Koda's mistress." "No, Koda is currently hiding in a safe place, gleefully watching us from afar." "This bastard!" "Kyoko said that she saw that woman in her 40s in the lounge of T Hotel." "That's what it said." "Then go to the lobby of Hotel T to check first. Maybe the receptionists and waiters there have seen this woman. Maybe she lived in the hotel on Tuesday. If that's the case, maybe she has been caught. address and name?"

"We'll investigate right away." Honda turned his gaze to the blackboard.The timetable of the "White Swan" train from Osaka to Aomori is written on the blackboard. "What time is it?" Honda seemed to confirm the time. "It's more than 3 o'clock in the afternoon." Yamamoto detective replied. "The train is leaving from Itoigawa Station. At the next station, Kashiwazaki, Shimizu and Nishimoto detectives can board the 'White Swan' train." "Is there no problem?" "They just reported that they have reached Nagaoka, so there will be no problem."

"I want Kamei to see the picture of that woman as soon as possible. Maybe Kamei will know who she is." "How?" "Send the photo to the Xinge County Police Station by telex, and ask them to let Kamei in the 'White Swan' car see it as soon as possible." Although the identity of this woman is not known, considering that after she got the 1 million yen check issued by Idoguchi, Goto boarded the car and attacked Kamei, it seems that she probably hated Kamei very much. Kobayashi and Tanaka came to the T Hotel near Shimbashi. They first showed the photo to the receptionist.

"On Tuesday last week, this woman stayed in the lounge. Do you still remember this woman?" Kobayashi asked the receptionist. Put the photos of Koda and Sanada Kyoko side by side and say: "Perhaps these two have come with her." "I'm going to ask everyone." The receptionist summoned the waiter and the waitress in the lobby to show them the pictures. "I've seen this woman before." It was a waitress in the tea room who spoke. "Have you really seen it?" Tanaka Ding asked. "Yes, because she is beautiful, so remember."

"When did you meet?" "I think it was Tuesday last week." "Did you see it in the lounge?" "It was in the tea room at the beginning. I entertained it, so remember it." "What does she want?" "Probably for coffee." "What about the future?" "Fifteen or sixteen minutes later, I saw the two men and women in the photo. After they arrived, the woman hurried out of the tea room and went to them." "Didn't you notice anything about her situation? It doesn't matter what the details are." "I noticed that she was wearing a very beautiful watch. I don't know if it is real, although the diamonds set on the watch are shining very beautifully, but it must be a counterfeit."

"That's the real thing worth 14 million yen." "Then he's a rich man." "Hmm! Like a rich man." "Did she do something? Murder or something?" "We just wanted to talk to her." "Oh! She's carrying a Chanet French-made black handbag." The tea-room waitress added. She also wanted to have a handbag like that, so she recognized the logo at a glance. "That kind of handbag has a metal chain and can also be worn on the shoulder. Its price is nearly 200,000 yen." "Do you remember anything else about these three people?"

When Kobayashi asked, the waitress shook her head again and again: "Because other guests came again, and I haven't seen anything since then." "Is she a guest staying in this hotel?" "No, she's not a guest at our hotel. If she was, I'll remember." The thirty-five or six-year-old receptionist said confidently. As a hotel waiter, such a situation can be mastered. "There are many clubs in Ginza near here. That's why Sanada Kyoko said that the woman might be the proprietress of a club in Ginza." Tanaka, who had been recalling Sanada Kyoko's introduction, interjected at this moment. "However, at this time, no matter which store is closed." The "White Swan" express train roared through the 352-meter-long Neck Tunnel. In this very long tunnel there is a station called Tsutsuishi. The "White Swan" express train passed this small station in a blink of an eye. Kusaka and Wakabayashi are still looking for a male waiter at the "Shirayuki" club in Shinjuku. The two of them found the No. 12 car from the No. 1 car, but they did not find him. Sun Xia asked Ruo Lin, "Is it true?" Because only Ruolin knew the male waiter. "Isn't it?" Ruo Lin shook her head angrily. "The toilet has also been checked, and he is not there." "That's strange. Do you still think that the waiter really didn't get out of the car?" "That's right. He came here just to attack Detective Kamei." "Then why can't you see it?" "not understand." "Let's go to the soft seat compartment to have a look." Kusaka and Wakabayashi returned to soft-seat car No. 6 again. The soft-seat carriage was still empty, and there were not many passengers. "No." Ruo Lin stood on the passage, looking around. Some of the few passengers were sleeping, some were looking out the window, and some were reading magazines and newspapers. "look carefully." "However you look, the bellboy is not there." Although Ruobin was so sure, Higaka still looked around, suddenly he pointed to a sleeping man on the seat in the middle of the carriage and said, "Is that the man?" "No, the waiter is younger than him." "Let's take a good look." Higashita strode towards that person's seat.The man was probably sleeping, sitting there face down. Putting his hand on his shoulder, Kusaka said: "Hey! Hey!" As soon as he shook his shoulder, the man also shook. As soon as Hiroka put his hand down, his body suddenly fell and lay prone on the floor. Sunset turned him over.At that moment, the man's wig fell from his head. "Ah!" Ruo Lin yelled loudly. "I've put on makeup." Sun Xia whispered. Why put make-up and wigs on dead people? "Take a closer look, is he the male waiter you mentioned?" Kusaka asked. Ruolin said with a sudden change of expression: "That's the male waiter. But a man wearing makeup and a wig, what is his intention?" "I am not sure as well." Kusaka examined the body very carefully.He saw purple-black marks on the dead man's neck. "It was strangled, not with the hands but like with a rope." "Who killed him?" Ruo Lin asked palely. "Probably the guy who killed the Katayama policewoman." "But, wearing a wig and makeup, why on earth?" "Massage was probably applied to the body to delay discovery." "Even the facial makeup is applied, which is unusual." Ruolin frowned. The male waiter was pale because of his night business.The killer applied makeup to make his face sun-tanned. "It's really unusual." "I know what you're going to say. You wanted to say that the murderer didn't plan it." "Yes, the murderer usually carries wigs and makeup props." "If it's women wearing fake long hair and make-up props during travel, it's not surprising." "The question is whether this wig is for men or women?" Wakabayashi held this curly wig in her hand and looked at it.For Wakabayashi, who is young and has never touched wigs, he can't see the way at all. Moreover, in the current era when hairstyles and clothing are not divided into men and women, there are many cases where men and women have similar hairstyles, so it is hard to tell whether it is for men or women. Kusaka reported the situation to Totsukawa and left.During this period, Wakabayashi showed the wigs to two young female passengers. "Is this wig for men or women? Can you tell the difference?" Ruolin suppressed the embarrassing thought of asking them for advice. The two young traveling companions were female employees in Osaka, and they said they were traveling in Aomori.They put the wig on themselves. "I think it's for women." "Men usually don't wear this kind of wig, but it's good for men to wear long hair like this." They said in unison. The sun returned. "I reported it to the police. Is it male or female? Got it?" "I've inquired. It's probably for women. But men also use it." "Then it doesn't mean that the murderer is male or female?" "Yes. Judging from the cosmetics, I guess the murderer is a woman. She killed Katayama and this guy." "Because modern women still have some strength." The Totsugawa Police Department came and stood beside Kusaka looking at the dead body of the male waiter. "This is the second victim now." "We checked things around him and got his name." Kusaka showed Totsukawa the driver's license in his pocket. The certificate reads: Yu Arakawa. "Tell Kamei this name, maybe he will think of some clues." "Is Kamei okay?" Kusaka asked worriedly. "It doesn't matter. Now the train conductor is sitting beside Kamei and chatting with him, and the murderer has committed crimes and killed two people in a row, so he won't immediately kill the third person." "What will happen to this body?" "Get down to Naoetsu at the next station." Totsukawa looked out the window as the train entered the tunnel again. Nearby is the famous surface landslide zone.Therefore, there have been many accidents on the line laid along the seashore.And it caused a lot of casualties, so people re-laid the tunnel. The train drove in and out of the tunnel, the light outside the window flickered on and off, and as soon as it turned bright, it drove into the tunnel again. Totsukawa walked towards the No. 2 car where Kamei was. The train conductor sitting next to Kamei stood up and gave up his seat to Totsukawa. "Another person was killed." Totsukawa whispered to Kamei. Kamei let out a long sigh when he heard this, "Maybe it was a mistake to trap the prisoner on the 'White Swan'." "If you think so, you're falling into their trap. Do you remember the name Arakawa Yuu? This is his driver's license." As he spoke, he showed Kamei the certificate. Kamei turned his gaze to the photo on his ID. "I can't remember, what kind of person is he?" "I don't know either. I only know that he works as a waiter at the 'Bai Xue' club in Shinjuku. He came here to monitor Wakabayashi." "Then who killed it?" "It's not clear, anyway, that guy is sniping Kamei's group." "Really." "Can't you really think of any clues about this man?" "I've thought about this guy over and over again, but I can't remember it. Does he have any previous convictions?" "I don't know. I plan to ask the prefectural police station to investigate when I arrive in Naoetsu." "It won't be Ruolin..." "You mean he might have avenged Katayama? He wouldn't do such a stupid thing. First of all, it's not clear whether this person killed Katayama." "right." "Kamei, since the attack has started, let's wait and see until Aomori. If you can't catch the murderer, even if you return to Tokyo, someone will kill you." The train entered the tunnel, passed through the tunnel immediately, and then drove on the plain again. On the right side of the train, people can see the Shin-Etsu Main Line getting closer. Soon it was Naoetsu. The time to arrive at Naoetsu Station is 15:18. It was 1 minute late at Itoigawa Station, but now it has arrived on time. Totsukawa decided to get Arakawa Yu's body off the train, and entrusted the Niigata Police Department to investigate, but all the operatives continued to travel to Aomori. The train stopped for 2 minutes and continued to move forward. Both the driver and conductor have changed shifts at this station, and the train runs on the main line of the Shin-Etsu Line from here. While parking, Ruolin bought four bottles of fruit juice from the platform shop. After giving it to Totsukawa and Kusaka, he asked: "How about sending a cup to Kamei?" "Well, that's fine. The murderer probably already knows that we are guarding Kamei." "Here comes the juice for you." Wakabayashi said happily, and walked towards Kamei. Kusaka said to Totsukawa, "That guy has a lot of respect for Kamei." "yes?" Totsukawa smiled.Because, if Kamei heard such a statement, he would definitely jump for joy. "Who is that murderer?" "Is it the murderer who killed Katayama and Arakawa Yuu?" "Does the police department also believe that the same person killed them?" "Nine times out of ten it was done by one person. The modus operandi is similar." "If you consider the wig and makeup, it should be made by a woman." "The Katayama policewoman is a judo class, and ordinary women cannot easily kill her." "That is the case, but..." "This strange criminal should still be in the car." "Won't the murderer get off at Naoetsu Station?" "If she had gotten off at Naoetsu Station, then she wouldn't have had to kill Katayama and Arakawa. After she killed them both, the next thing she would do was to kill Kamei. That's how I see it. " "Is the murderer Hara Katsuichi?" "Maybe. But that guy didn't take this train." "Although I don't know Hara Katsuichi, but..." "Kamei is the one who is most familiar with him. I've seen him before. If I meet him, I should be able to recognize him." "If Detective Shimizu got on the bus from Kashiwazaki, and they brought Hara Katsuichi's photo, then we would all know very clearly." "Then take the photo and look around in the car." "It's nerve-wracking work." Kusaka put the juice she bought by the window, stroked her eyes and said. "That's right, I don't know who the guy who attacked Kamei was, nor did I know when he did it." Totsukawa went on to say: "There are still nearly nine hours to Aomori. If you are too nervous, you will be exhausted." "It doesn't matter. When we arrive at Kashiwazaki, Shimizu and Nishimoto will be in the car." The "White Swan" express train, starting from Zhijiangjin, is rushing along the seashore.The surrounding area is famous for its heavy snowfall.After mid-April, although there is not much remaining snow, the Sea of ​​Japan seen from the window is still gray. The sky, too, was leaden, and only the foam of the waves was white. National Highway No. 8 borders the Sea of ​​Japan. It runs parallel to the left side of the train, with unmelted snow on both sides. Now the road changes to the right side of the train.At this moment, the car window approached the beach and faced the sea directly. The distance was so close that the sound of the waves could reach the ears. Kamei was also looking out the window at the Sea of ​​Japan. The Xin County Police Department replied: Once the "White Swan" express train arrived at the local area, the edited photo of the woman would be handed over to the Kamei detective in the car. The "White Swan" train arrived at Xinxian at 17:08, and there was still an hour and a half left.During this period, if the identity of the woman to be investigated is clarified, Kamei can be informed of this situation. "The one and a half hours before arriving in the new county is a matter of success or failure. Let's work hard." Section Chief Honda encouraged his subordinates. The investigations so far are all about the bounty offerer.It's not a murder case, it's not an injury case. However, the nature of the case is fundamentally different now. It is a murder case with two victims. No matter what, the murderer must be arrested and brought to justice.Moreover, the murderer must have something to do with the woman in the photo. At the same time, the Metropolitan Police Department has also increased the number of criminal police officers to solve the case. The two detectives Kobayashi and Tanaka decided to visit the jewelry and gold shops near Ginza. According to the testimony given by Kyoko Sanada, she said the woman was wearing a watch worth 14 million yen. The two criminal police took the edited photos of the woman and the photos of the watch, and went shop by shop. Although there are many jewelry and gold shops in Ginza, there are only a few that sell watches worth up to 14 million yen. If the investigation in Ginza is fruitless, the police plan to search the whole of Tokyo. The first store visited did not respond as expected; neither did the second.In the third "Ming Tian" jewelry store, I got a harvest. Akita, the jeweler's owner, wore glasses, looked at the watch carefully and replied affirmatively: "I remember this watch being sold in our store." Xiaolin showed Mingtian the stitched photos and asked, "Did you sell it to this woman?" Ming Tian glanced roughly, "It's not her." "No? Please take a closer look." "We sold the watch to a male customer." "A man? Do you know his name?" "Yes, I know." Ming Tian went to the back room and returned with a business card. "This is the one." "It's Akira Igarashi, the owner of Pinocchio's Restaurant, is this really him?" "Yes, he is our regular customer." "Although it is a watch worth 14 million yen, you have sold a lot." "No. Watches priced above 10 million yen are rarely sold, and we have never sold the same one here." "What kind of person is this Akira Igarashi you are talking about?" "Don't Mr. Detective know about Pinocchio's Restaurant?" "Just know the name of this restaurant. It must be a well-known high-end restaurant." "Not bad, yes." "If so, then we have nothing to do with it. Then the owner is a very rich man." "He still has a villa in Hawaii." "It's becoming more and more irrelevant to us." Kobayashi smiled wryly and asked again: "How old is he?" "I think fifty-seven or eighteen." "That means this watch is a present for my wife." Ming Tian laughed when he heard Tanaka say that. "Yeah, what should I say?" "To be honest, besides his wife, he should have a good woman." "Then I can't say anything." "We are investigating a murder case. If you know the situation, please tell us." Xiao Lin emphasized. Ming Tian said: "I don't know what kind of woman that is. However, I know that Mr. Akira Igarashi bought another gemstone for his wife." "When did he buy this watch?" "It was June 7 last year." "Then the woman's birthday will be soon after June 7th?" "This..." "Have you heard anything about that woman from Akira Igarashi? It doesn't matter what kind of situation it is." "Mr. Igarashi is a person who doesn't like to talk too much." "Something was said about that woman." "this……" Ming Tian pondered for a while and said, "On June 7th, when Meng bought this watch, I said that this watch is an excellent gift, and the woman who receives this kind of gift will be very happy." "After you said it, what did Mr. Akira Igarashi say?" "He said he bought it to make her happy." "I want her to be happy? Isn't it a birthday present?" "I also find it strange, but Mr. Akira Igarashi did say that." "The others?" "That's all, I don't know anything else." "Let's go to that restaurant and check it out." Kobayashi whispered to Tanaka. That restaurant is located in Roppongi, Kobayashi and the others went to Roppongi by subway. It was a fancy French restaurant.It is indeed a high-end building. At the entrance of the hotel lobby, the receptionist in uniform stands there waiting for the guests. Photos of domestic and foreign celebrities who have visited are ostentatiously hung in the lobby of the restaurant. Kobayashi showed the manager his police ID and told him he wanted to meet the boss. The manager wearing a bow tie gave Kobayashi and Tanaka to the sofa in the front hall and said, "Now the boss and his wife have gone to Hawaii, and they will be back the day after tomorrow." "That would be too late." When Tanaka said this loudly, the manager panicked and asked timidly, "Did something bad happen to our boss?" "No, it's not." Kobayashi said gently. "That's good, but..." "While the boss is not in the store, did you entrust you to manage the store?" "For the time being." "From this alone, it can be concluded that you are very trusted by the boss." Kobayashi looked at the manager as if flattering him. The manager didn't seem to hate such flattery, he said with a smile on his lips, "Now I still have the trust of the boss." "Come here, please?" After Xiao Lin finished speaking, he asked the administrator to walk to a corner of the front hall with him. Kobayashi winked at Tanaka and told him to stay where he was, then asked in a secret tone: "You are like the boss's right-hand man. Don't you know more about the boss than his wife?" "Hmm! Maybe there is such a thing." "The boss is a rich man who owns a villa in Hawaii, and he is generous. Can these not attract some women?" "He is popular, and he is very attentive to women." "You've heard that the boss has a very beautiful mistress in her 40s. Don't you know? If you know, please tell me. I won't get you into trouble." "Is it a woman in her 40s?" He looked up thinking. "Does he have several friends?" "Because of his professional relationship, he often goes to some clubs and other places in Ginza. He has a close relationship with several club proprietors. Most of those proprietresses are around 40 years old." "For example, among these people, is there any woman whose boss can give a watch worth more than 10 million yen as a birthday present?" Kobayashi stared closely at the manager's face. Hearing this, he said with bright eyes, "That's the proprietress of Hippoly." "Did you mean the name of the club?" "Yes, the name of the club in Ginza. She's our boss's favorite. Probably her." "Do you know her name?" "I heard once, what is her last name..." "Is it this woman?" Xiao Lin showed the edited photo to the manager, and he said bluntly, "That's her, she is even more beautiful in person." "Know her name and address? Go to the Hippolyte which may be closed by now." "The boss' driver should know. He has taken the boss to her house many times. Please keep this secret from me." The manager hastily added. When Akira Igarashi and his wife went to Hawaii, the driver stayed there and looked after the door for the boss. It was a mansion of nearly 1,800 square meters located in Aoze. The two criminal police invited Suzuki driver outside the mansion.The driver was a fifty-six or seven-year-old man who used to drive for government officials for a long time. After resigning, he became Akira Igarashi's driver.He gave the impression of a man with a sense of justice. This time it was Tanaka who spoke first, and he said with a serious attitude: "A homicide is being investigated right now." As he spoke, he showed the driver the edited and spliced ​​photo, "This is the proprietress of the 'Xipoli' club, please tell us her name and address." "I don't know her name, but I know her address. I'll take you there by car." Suzuki said. The boss's Mercedes-Benz car carried two criminal policemen to Yotsuya's apartment.It is a beautiful and gorgeous 13th floor condominium with full parking lot.There are not many apartments with parking in the city center.Therefore, the housing price must be expensive enough. Suzuki whispered to detective Tanaka: "It's No. 6 on the 8th floor of this apartment." In front of the manager's office is a row of mailboxes.Looking forward, room 806 is the mailbox of "Jiuyuan". During the time when Kobayashi took the elevator to the 8th floor, Tanaka went to see the manager. After showing his ID to the manager, he said: "I want to inquire about Ms. Jiuyuan who lives in Room 806." The manager asked worriedly, "What's the matter with Mrs. Jiuyuan?" "I just want to meet her and learn something about her. Is this the person?" Tanaka said that the manager looked at the edited and stitched photos. "Yes, it's her." "What's her name Jiu Yuan?" "Natsuko Kuhara." As soon as the manager finished speaking, Xiao Lin hurried down the elevator and said hurriedly, "She's not at home." "Do you know where she is?" Tanaka asked the manager. "She went out early this morning with a white travel bag." "What time?" "She went out around seven o'clock. I think she usually goes out in the evening. Why did she go out so early today?" "Did you not inquire where she was going?" "I asked, but Mrs. Jiuyuan smiled and didn't answer. At that time, I thought she was going to have fun, maybe she went to a hot spring or something with a man." "Don't you know anything about Natsuko Kuhara?" "Which situation are you referring to?" "Either way is fine." "That being said, you should not interfere with the residents' private life..." Kobayashi whispered to Tanaka quietly: "Check the room and have a look." "But there's no search warrant." "Then I'll contact the section chief." Kobayashi borrowed the phone from the administrator's office and asked Section Chief Honda for instructions to search the house. "The woman's name has been clarified. She is the proprietress of the Hippoly club in Ginza, and her name is Natsuko Kuhara." "Natsuko Jiuhara? I don't know him. Does it have something to do with Kamei? Ask Natsuko himself to find out." "When we arrived at her apartment, she had gone out in the morning and her whereabouts were unknown, so I wanted to check her room." "A search warrant?" "Yes, can we get the search warrant immediately? We have to try to find out her relationship with Kamei." "The search warrant doesn't mean you can get it if you get it." "Would like to check before the 'White Swan' express arrives at Niigata." "Give me your phone number there, and I'll let you know as soon as I get a search warrant." "Understood." Xiao Lin hung up the phone after reporting the phone number. Waited about 15 minutes. Section Chief Honda may be negotiating toughly with the Minister of Criminal Affairs. The phone rang.Honda said to Kobayashi who answered the phone: "I got the search warrant. Send Detective Suto to it now." "Then we're going to check that room." After Kobayashi finished speaking, the two criminal police officers entered Room 806 together with the manager. As soon as the door was opened, a white Persian cat rushed out from the crack of the door. Xiao Lin quickly picked it up and put it back indoors. Although this is a suite with two bedrooms and one living room, all the household appliances are foreign products.The inner living room is also covered with expensive Persian rugs. "Like living here alone." Taguchi turned on the light and said while looking around the room. The bed is also very large, a double bed made in the United States.Two frames of works by famous printmakers hang on the wall. Kobayashi asked the manager, "Natsuko Kuhara bought this suite, right?" "Yes. The flats are all being sold on installments." "How much is the house price?" "I heard it was around 60 million yen." Kobayashi opened the drawer of the three-mirror dressing table.Swiss watches and gems estimated to be worth 400,000 to 500,000 yuan were casually placed inside, but the watch that was said to be worth 14 million yen was not seen. Tanaka checked the end of the drawer of the western-style chest of drawers, but found nothing. "This is a family without letters and photos." Tanaka said in a daze. There were no letters in the folders on the wall either. "Probably dealt with." "Is it destroyed?" "Yes. It will be troublesome if the police find something around you." While Kobayashi was speaking, the young detective Oto walked in quickly, out of breath. He brought home search warrants. Kobayashi asked the administrator to examine the search warrant. There is only one photo left in the room.It is in a picture frame and placed on the shelf in the bedroom together with the celadon vase.In the photo are a man and a woman standing shoulder to shoulder, one in a kimono and the other in a suit. That woman was none other than Natsuko Kuhara.The man's age was estimated to be in his mid-forties. Zhong showed the photo to the Suzuki driver in the parking lot. "Is this person Akira Igarashi?" Suzuki shook his head vigorously and replied, "No." "Then who is he?" "I don't know either. I've never met the man." Judging by the look and tone of his words, it doesn't look like he's lying. Tanaka returned to the room and said, "The driver said that this man is not Akira Igarashi. I don't know who he is." Kobayashi pondered: "Could it be that the man Kamei knew was not Natsuko Kuhara but this man?" "That makes sense. If this man was arrested and imprisoned by Kamei for some crime, it makes sense for her to want to kill Kamei. She couldn't kill Kamei herself, so she offered a reward of 10 million yen to recruit gangsters Go attack Kamei." "Try to find out the man's name." "Wait a mininute." Tanaka saw the back of the photo when he looked at the frame containing the photo from the outside. "It's really written on the back." On the back of the photo is written October 6 Isomi Kuraki (46 years old).Xia Zi (37 years old). "If she's 40 now, this was filmed three years ago." Kobayashi said while looking at the photo. "From the way Isomi Kuraki and Natsuko write, they seem to be a couple." "That's not clear. It could also be her own desire to be a couple." "Isomi Kuroki?" Tanaka kept repeating the name. If it was a case handled by the First Investigation Section, most of the names of the parties involved, Tanaka, would be remembered.But he couldn't think of a clue.So is Kobayashi. "In any case, we have to go back and investigate." Tanaka said. The two returned to the first search department with the photo. Honda couldn't think of any clues about this person's appearance or name.He decided to re-investigate the case that Kamei had handled. They consulted the case files and questioned the criminal police who often formed a team with Kamei at that time. In some old cases, some of the criminal policemen in the same group had retired, so they had no choice but to make inquiries by phone. However, no one could think of a clue about the name Isomi Kuraki, not even the name Kuhara Natsuko. Perhaps Kuroki Isomi is currently serving his sentence in a certain prison, and we should investigate this person. Honda asked his superior, Mikami, the Criminal Minister, to investigate.But there is no such person named Kuroki Isomi in any prison in the country. However, this Natsuko Kuhara bought the 1 million yen certified check from the "Idoguchi" jewelry store from Koda, and this situation is definitely not wrong.Moreover, the fact that the check was handed over to the person who attacked Kamei was not wrong. Honda decided to telex the photos of the two people with a brief description to the Xinge County Police Department.Please send the county police station to Kamei along with this photo of the two of them.Maybe Kamei would have some clues for them both. Honda was still full of doubts after he arranged these things, he said to himself: "I can't figure it out." "What's the problem?" Kobayashi asked. "The murderer invested a huge sum of 10 million yen in an attempt to kill Detective Kamei. This is not an ordinary hatred. The person who seems to have invested 10 million yen has also been found. Generally speaking, the murderer and Kamei The entanglement between them should be clear at a glance, but why is it still not clear?" "Yes, so far, in the cases that Kamei has handled, the names of these two people have not appeared." "Is it not related to the case?" "You mean..." “根据目前的调查情况，这两人和龟井处理过的案子根本不沾边。调查不充分，固然也在常理之中，或许是两者的确没有关系的。” “那么久原夏子为什么要谋杀龟井呢？” “我忽然想起莫非和龟井刑警私生活有关。人们往往有在不知不觉中伤害别人的情况。” “但是，我认为龟井是位感觉敏锐的人，如果由于自己的行为使别人受到伤害，他就会立刻察觉到的。这一袭击悬赏案件发生之后他还觉察不出来吗？” “我也这样想过，可是人也有疏忽的时候，在美国的一本小说里描写过这样的情节：一名公共汽车乘客在无意中把喝光的可口可乐空罐扔出了窗外。那乘客早已把这件事忘了。可实际上那个空罐却直接中在崖下一位正在散步者，他被击中身亡了。” “以后怎样了呢？” “死者是个青年，他有未婚妻。她知道空罐是在崖上行驶中的公共汽车里扔出的，然而却不知道7名乘客之中是谁扔出的，所以她就把7个人全杀死了。” “这个故事我也知道。”本多不高兴地说。 搜寻任务很不顺利，他正为此生气发火呢。 也许像小林说的那样。龟井刑警是个很敏感的人，他富于同情心而又易于动感情，难免会在不知不觉中伤害了别人。 久原夏子也许和当前这起案子没有关系。从幸田手里买进“井户口”珠宝店的支票，说不定是一时的偶然行动。 不过，情况如是这样，那么她为什么隐没不肯露面呢。 在“白天鹅”号列车里，对龟井行凶而被逮捕的后藤，连同他所持有的“井户口”珠宝店的100万日元支票难道也属偶然吗？ “要想方设法搞清久原夏子的情况。” 本多说道。 到“希波利”俱乐部去，说不定能打听到一些情况。 开店时间是下午7时，而到那时来不及了。 于是，他们决定让小林和田中两人再去一次久原夏子的公寓，向其他居住者打听一下她的情况。 然后让木本和金子两名刑警去新宿区公所，查一下久原夏子的户籍卡。 可是那幢公寓住户的户籍卡中却没有夏子，像是仍保留原来的户籍而又买下了现在的那套公寓住宅。 木本和金子接着又去了新宿的出售公寓的不动产公司。 东京不动产公司是一家大公司。担任经营业务的职员回答了他们的查问，说： “关于久原夏子的情况我们还记得的，那是她在一年半以前买下那套公寓住宅的。” “我想看一下当时写的契约书。” 那位职员从资料柜找出旧的文件让木本他们看。 书上记着夏子买下公寓住宅时的原地址，根据这份文件的记载，那时她的住所是在横滨。 “我们去看看吧。”木本对金子说道。