Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Attack

Shimizu and Nishimoto came to Kashiwazaki Station of the National Railways. Kashiwazaki is an oil city.The Kashiwazaki Oil Refinery is located in this city.Its oil pipeline is connected with Nishiyama Oilfield, one of Japan's three major oilfields, and from here to the Echigo Line. The Shin-Etsu Main Line departs from the coast from Kashiwazaki and extends inland, and Echigo goes straight along the coast to Shinga.Therefore, Kashiwazaki Station has two platforms.The wind from the sea was still cold. The two decided to enter the waiting room and wait for the arrival of the "White Swan" express train.

There were twelve or thirteen other passengers in the waiting room.They all speak the local dialect. Shimizu likes this atmosphere very much.He likes to be alone, even when traveling, he often goes out alone. In a strange town, or at a station for the first time, he likes to quietly listen to the conversations of the local people, and that's what he likes. "There's still time, I'll make a call to Tokyo." Nishimoto said and walked out of the waiting room.Shimizu looked at his watch, it was already 15:30 in the afternoon. The "White Swan" express train arrived at the station at 15:47.There are still 17 minutes before the train arrives at the station.Shimizu lit a cigarette and listened to the conversation of the lively crowd as usual.

Nishimoto returned after seven or eight minutes. "New developments have been made in Tokyo. The woman who leads the case has appeared." Nishimoto said to Shimizu with bright eyes. "Is the matchmaker a woman?" "I know the name, Natsuko Kuhara, about 40 years old, probably the proprietress of the Ginza 'Hipoli' club." "What about your relationship with Kamei?" "No matter how hard I checked, I couldn't figure it out. Natsuko Kuhara's photo was telexed to the Niigata Prefecture Police Department, and they were asked to hand it over to the criminal police on the train at the station."

"But it's strange that we can't find out the relationship between Kamei and her. She spent 10 million yen to murder Kamei. Of course, the hatred is quite deep. This is because she was murdered by Kamei-kun. Arrested, or her lover was arrested and imprisoned by Kamei-kun." "That's what everyone estimated, so we have investigated all the cases related to Kamei." "Didn't Natsuko Kuhara's name be found through such an investigation?" "not found." "Ok……" "It couldn't be that Kamei initiated this case because of women's issues." Nishimoto said with his head tilted.

"What did you say?" "If it wasn't for the hatred caused by performing official duties, then it was caused by Kamei's private life. Besides, it was a 40-year-old woman who got married. Could it be a woman who had a relationship with Kamei?" "but……" "I think that even Kamei may occasionally have romantic affairs in the relationship between men and women." "Kamei is gentle and sincere, and may have been loved by women." Shimizu often cooperates with Kamei to perform tasks.He thinks that Kamei is a senior who is enthusiastic about his work. He is already 45 years old, but he is full of energy.Even the young Qing Shui was shocked by that energy.

Qing Shui also has a feeling that Kamei is a sentimental person, a romantic. So he may accidentally win the hearts of women, especially middle-aged women. The "White Swan" train arrived on schedule.The "White Swan" emblem on the front of the train shines brightly in the afternoon sun. Shimizu and Nishimoto boarded the No. 1 car. The "White Swan" train stopped for 1 minute and departed from Kashiwazaki. They walked towards the No. 2 car and met Totsukawa outside the door of the car. Totsukawa greeted: "You have worked hard." "How is Kamei?" Shimizu asked, looking around at the seats in the No. 2 car hall.

"He's sitting there leisurely!" "We brought photos of Goto Masaya and Hara Katsuichi. I heard that Goto has been arrested." "Yes, it has been caught." "Is this photo still useful?" "Haru Katsuichi hasn't been found yet. Kamei and I know him, but Kusaka-kun and Wakabayashi-kun don't know him, so let them see the photo." "Understood." Qing Shui agreed, and walked into the No. 2 carriage. Nishimoto said: "The person who may have contributed 10 million yen has appeared. But there is no definite evidence. Right now, a 40-year-old woman is being searched. Her name is Natsuko Kuhara."

"Is it a woman?" "It is said that she is the proprietress of the Ginza 'Hipoli' club. It is strange that this name was not found in the case handled by Kamei." "Ask Kamei." "But……" "Is there no picture of that woman?" "It is said that at the Shinga Station, the criminal police from the prefectural police station will send it to the car." "That is, before we talk about Xinxi, even if the woman is in the car, we won't be able to recognize her." Totsukawa said regretfully. The two walked into the No. 2 compartment together.Nishimoto sat down next to Kamei and told him the name "Natsuko Kuhara".

"Section Chief Bendo initially thought that this woman was a reward offerer. Do you have any impression of her?" "Natsuko Jiuhara..." Kamei pondered. "She's the proprietress of the Hippoly club in Ginza." "Although I'm recalling carefully, I can't think of any clues about Natsuko Kuhara. Is this name his real name?" "It's her real name." "I have recalled all the incidents related to myself. But I can't think of anything related to the name Natsuko Kuhara." "How about thinking about your private life? Have you met Natsuko Kuhara somewhere?"

"I don't think I've encountered it. First of all, I haven't been to a club in Ginza or anything other than what I've heard." "It is said that her residence is in Yotsuya's apartment." "It's probably an apartment house worth tens of millions of yen, and I haven't even been there." "Really? But the other party even wants to throw out 10 million yen to kill you." "I thought the same way, but I couldn't think of any clues at all." Kamei said regretfully. He wanted to do his best to find out who would snipe him more strongly than anyone else, because he was the target of sniping, and also for the Katayama policewoman who died.

"I'll take a look in the car." Aoki said to Totsukawa. Goto has been arrested, but Hara Katsuichi has not been found. Fortunately, I brought a photo of Hara Katsuichi.Qing Shui led Ruobin on the passage. After leaving Kashiwazaki, the train left the coast and headed inland. Outside the window, the Xinxi Plain in the rice-producing area is getting wider and wider. Inside the car, the lively conversations were all the passengers who boarded nearby.Passengers from around Osaka and Kyoto were already exhausted. They either lowered their heads and dozed off on their seats, or looked out the window silently. Shimizu and Wakabayashi walked slowly towards the No. 12 carriage.The dining car, which was resting after the hustle and bustle, seemed empty. "No." Ruo Lin, who was walking and looking for the No. 12 car, said. "Perhaps not in the car yet." Shimizu and Nishimoto caught up with the "White Swan" train via the Joetsu Shinkansen.Maybe Hara Katsuichi also planned to wait for this train in Nagaoka and Niigata. It is okay for the opponent to attack Kamei anywhere. "Shimizu-kun, have you ever seen a man's wig?" When returning from carriage No. 12, Wakabayashi discussed with Shimizu while walking, and he told him about the murder of the male waiter. "Hmm, is it the murderer who prepared the wig in advance?" "Yes. Kusaka Detective also said that he was a strange criminal. I don't know why he did it. I don't understand why he killed him and put him there, put him in a wig, and put him in makeup. How about a tanned face?" "That's probably to delay the time of discovery." "It can only be explained that way. The Katayama policewoman was killed, and we thought it must have been done by the male waiter. So we looked around in the car, and because he was wearing a wig and makeup to make his face tanned, we didn't find him immediately. Although So, I still don’t understand the reason for doing so.” "why?" "I think if a body is found, the prisoner is probably going to be in some kind of trouble." "If the police can't find the body, they will search everywhere for the male waiter, without thinking about the existence of the real murderer." "It can only be inferred in this way. We were very nervous because of the murder of the Katayama policewoman, thinking that she was killed because she approached Kamei, but as a result of the search, we found the body of the male waiter." "Wait a minute." Shimizu suddenly interrupted Ruolin's words. "what?" "Wigs and makeup? Well made up?" "Yes, well made up." "Maybe it's an experiment?" "You said it was an experiment?" "It's like experimenting with whether makeup or wigs are more effective." Although Shimizu explained it like this, Ruobin still didn't understand. "What is more effective?" "Go back to compartment 2." Shimizu said as he hurriedly ran. "I'll go to the toilet." Kamei said standing up. Kusaka and Nishimoto stood up at the same time, and Nishimoto said, "Let's go together." Kamei waved his hand: "Forget it, there is no need to form gangs." "That won't work, let's go together." "A large group of you followed me, can the murderer still come? Our purpose is to arrest the murderer." "I understand, it will be invisible to people." Sun Xia stood up first and walked up the passage.Then Kamei stepped out, and Nishimoto followed.They sandwiched Kamei in one after the other. Kamei entered the toilet. Kusaka carefully observed her surroundings while washing her hands in the bathroom.Nishimoto stood a little far away from the toilet as if he was waiting for the toilet. From time to time, passengers passed by here, and the two criminal policemen looked at the passers-by with sharp eyes.However, nothing unexpected happened. Kamei finished and walked out of the toilet.While washing his hands by the sink, he said, "There's no need to be so worried." A middle-aged woman came over and asked Xiben, "Is it empty?" Nishimoto nodded, and the woman entered the toilet and closed the door.A moment after closing the door, there was an exclamation of "Oops" from the toilet. "What's the matter?" Nishimoto asked hastily, but there was no answer. Xiben stepped forward and knocked on the door: "What's the matter?" He yelled and grabbed the doorknob and forced the door open.In the toilet, the woman staggered and fell towards Xiben. "Are you okay?" As Nishimoto was talking, the woman suddenly pushed Nishimoto away violently.The force of the push was so strong that it was hard to imagine that it would come from a woman's hand.The little woman stood with her legs apart in front of the toilet again, took a pistol out of her handbag, and made a pose to shoot. The muzzle of the gun was aimed at Kamei, creating a situation where Kusaka was behind Kamei. The passage near the toilet and washbasin is very narrow, so Kusaka cannot rush to the front of Kamei. Xiben was pushed by the woman against the wall behind the sink and lost consciousness. "Mr. Kamei, I'm here to kill you!" The woman's voice suddenly became a man's voice.Kamei stared intently at the woman's face. No matter how you look at it, she is also a middle-aged woman.Short and slender, she looked like a pretty woman in every way. "Then you are Hara Katsuichi, right?" Kamei said. "Yes, it's me." "Are you killing me to get that 10 million yen bounty?" "Even if I don't get the money, I will kill you." "Then why didn't you shoot at once?" "You are in no hurry to die." Yuan Shengyi smiled "hee hee" and glanced at his watch. Kamei thought to himself that he wanted to escape at Nagaoka at the next station after the shooting. The train should arrive at Changshan at 16:15 and stop for 1 minute.There are still five or six minutes to Nagaoka, which means that he probably won't shoot until he reaches Changshan. If Kamei and the others moved, this person would shoot mercilessly, there was no doubt about it.Hara Katsuichi is a calm and ruthless person. "It was you who killed Katayama and the male waiter at the 'Bai Xue' Club?" Kamei asked Hara Katsuichi another question. Hara Katsuichi looked at his watch again. "I don't know their names, but the two people who got in the way must be killed." "Why did you kill the Katayama policewoman? Why kill her if you want to kill me?" "There is no need to explain to a dying person." "Then why did you put wigs and make-up on the dead male waiter?" Shimizu was running. The murderer put a wig on the murdered male waiter, and also painted him with makeup, not to cover up the body, but to test the effect of doing so. In this way, the murderer may also be wearing a wig and makeup. Yuan Shengyi is a person with a short figure and a long face. Doesn't he look like a woman after makeup? Because it is not clear which wig to wear is more feminine, it must have brought a lot. Whether it is the Katayama policewoman or the male waiter, they all believed that the other party was a woman, so they let down their vigilance and were killed. The murderer must have been confident that the body of the dead valet would not be easily discovered. Then, Katsuichi Hara, who also changed his costume, probably approached Kamei with the same confidence. Thinking of this, Shimizu's expression immediately became stiff. Although Ruobin didn't know the reason, he also felt that some kind of accident was about to happen.So, he also ran behind Qing Shui. They ran through the No. 5 car and the No. 4 car.The passengers stared dumbfounded at the two of them running down the aisle. The train roared and passed the Shinanogawa Iron Bridge. "The train is about to arrive at Nagashi Station, everyone who is changing trains on the Joetsu Shinkansen..." Hearing the sound of the radio in the car, Shimizu felt even more uneasy. When they ran to the door of No. 3 carriage, Qing Shui stopped suddenly. This was because he saw a woman with a gun about to shoot at the opposite side of the car door. At this time, the train has entered the city of Nagaoka, and it will arrive at the station soon, and something will happen... It goes without saying that the murderer is about to shoot Kamei, after which he will immediately jump off the platform and disappear into the crowd without a trace. Detective Nishimoto fell to the floor. In front of the muzzle stood Kamei. Shimizu took out a pistol from his underwear pocket, opened the safety, quietly opened the car door, stooped down and slipped inside, and shouted loudly: "Katsuichi Hara! You are under arrest." The train was about to enter the platform, and the speed slowed down. Yuan Sheng, who was disguised as a woman, was startled when he heard the shout, and he turned around suddenly. Qing Shui shouted again: "Throw away the gun!" "Shoot!" Someone yelled. However, Shimizu did not shoot because he had never shot anyone. However, Yuan Shengyi shot first.Since the gun was equipped with a hand-made silencer, there was only a "poof" gunshot, and the bullet passed Shimizu's face. "Qingshui shoot!" Someone yelled again. But someone pulled the trigger faster than Shimizu, and Kamei had already pounced on Yuan Sheng from behind, and they fell to the ground one by one. While falling to the floor, Yuan Shengyi fired two more shots. Projectiles hit the floor and bounced back, one of them hitting the ceiling. Kamei suppressed Yuan Shengyi and quickly handcuffed him. "Are you okay?" Shimizu asked. "I'm fine, thanks to you saving my life." Kamei said. After the Joetsu Shinkansen opened to traffic, Nagaoka Station was completed with a modern station building. The "White Swan" train arrived at Nagaoka Station at 16:15. There were a lot of passengers getting off, probably because they had to transfer to the Joetsu Shinkansen. There are also many passengers on board. Totsukawa and Kamei decided to contact the station master at this station and send the arrested Hara Katsuichi off the train. The railway police officer took him away, and they will contact the county police station to interrogate Hara Katsuichi. 3 minutes late, the "White Swan" train departed from Nagaoka. Totsukawa said to Kamei: "I think we can stop now." "No, I still want to go to Aomori." Kamei insisted. "Kamei, Hara Katsuichi has been arrested. He confessed that he killed Katayama and the male waiter, and he also got a check for 1 million yen. There is nothing to investigate, the next step is to arrest That woman, Natsuko Kuhara. Even if she didn't take this train, we can still arrest her." "Maybe so. However, it is not clear whether Hara Katsuichi really knows who offered the bounty. Besides, if I turn back halfway and quit, won't people say that I am a coward? Now that we have all arrived in Nagaoka, if I am considered I can't bear to suspend the trip out of timidity. So I think I'll go to Aomori." Kamei said decisively. Totsukawa smiled wryly and said, "You are so stubborn." "Yes, I am stubborn enough." "There are still 7 hours to Aomori. During this period, do you think someone will attack you?" Nishimoto asked, covering his head. "I think it will come." "But, aren't Katsuichi Hara and Masa Goto arrested?" "Whether it's Goto or Hara Katsuichi, what they did was out of personal hatred for me. In a sense, they were lured by the huge sum of 10 million yen to commit murder. If the reward offerer knows When both Goto and Hara Katsuichi fail, I will consider boarding this train myself.” "It is said that the reward offerer may be Natsuko Kuhara, who left the apartment this morning with a small travel bag." "I can't remember the name Natsuko Kuhara. I think if that woman hates me so much, she will come in the car herself after all." That's what he said, but from Kamei's tone, he didn't have his usual sure-fire energy. This was because he couldn't remember the name Natsuko Kuhara after thinking about it. He is almost 50 years old, and his physical strength has somewhat declined, but Kamei still has confidence in his memory.He still remembered all the cases he handled and the names of the criminals he had arrested, and even the names of their relatives. Among the names of the above-mentioned related parties, the name Natsuko Kuhara does not exist at all. Nishimoto said whether it might be related to his private life. If the case was not caused by the performance of official duties and did not involve the people involved in handling the case, it might have something to do with private life as Nishimoto said. Kamei tried to think about his own family situation. He is an ordinary family with a wife and two children, living in an ordinary house. There are more than 40 families living in this house. Although they don't know all about their situation, there have been no quarrels. So there is no reason for him to have trouble with the woman who lives in a high-end apartment. He is not indifferent to wine either.Sometimes I drink, but I just go to the beer hall for a few drinks with my colleagues, and mostly enjoy evening drinks at home. As for drinking in high-end clubs in places like Ginza and Shinjuku, I have never been there once. I have been to those places to investigate the case, but I have never been to the club called "Hipoli". Also, maybe hurt someone else without knowing it? Kamei racked his brains after thinking for a while and couldn't figure it out. With so many doubts and doubts, Kamei looked out the window. Starting from Nagaoka, the Joetsu Shinkansen lines that have been juxtaposed and parallel gradually disappeared from the field of vision. The paddy fields on the cross-country plains are expanding more and more.In autumn, there will be waves of golden rice everywhere, but now it is just a vast rice field. The sun was setting, and it was almost dusk. The time to arrive at Higashisanjo Station is 16:36, 2 minutes late.This is a well-known hardware city, and the car started after half a minute of parking. The next stop is Xinge.The train runs for 30 minutes without stopping in the middle. Kamei said to Totsukawa: "Although the time is early, I want to go to the dining car now." "Is it all right?" "I want to exercise. There are very few people eating in the dining car at this time." "Let's go too." Just as they were about to stand up under the sun, Kamei immediately stopped him and said, "It doesn't matter. If they walk together in a crowd, won't the evil spirits retreat?" "But……" "You guys go later," Totsukawa said. Totsukawa and Kamei walked towards the dining car together. Because it was not yet 5 o'clock, as Kamei said, the seats in the dining car were empty. The two sat down facing each other. "I'm so sorry for speaking out of my temper." Totsukawa looked at the menu and asked, "What's the matter?" "I want to move around and change my mood." "I understand. Sitting still for long periods of time is mentally unbearable." Totsukawa ordered beer first, then Kamei ordered fried cuttlefish.The two had just raised their glasses to the peace so far, and at some point, Kusaka and Nishimoto had already sat down at the table near the entrance of the dining car, huddled down. Probably they couldn't sit still in the No. 2 car. The train passed an iron bridge over an unknown river. Outside the window is still an endless paddy field. "In autumn, the scenery here will be very beautiful." Kamei said while eating. "The rice produced in this area is sticky and tough." While Totsukawa was talking, the conductor he knew came into the dining car. The conductor went straight to Totsukawa's table. "At Higashi-Sanjo Station, I was commissioned to deliver this letter to the Totsugawa Police Department. I have been to compartment 2, but you are not there." Saying this, he handed a white envelope to Totsukawa. "From Tokyo?" "I don't think so. It is said that a passenger entrusted the staff on the station to transfer it." Totsukawa turned the envelope over. The sender's name was not written on the back of the envelope.On the front of the envelope, it was written in a ballpoint pen: Inside the "White Swan" train, from the Totsugawa Police Department. The staff at Dongsanjo Station said that a middle-aged woman asked him to hand it over around 2 o'clock.She said that Mr. Totsugawa Police Department of the Metropolitan Police Department will definitely be there on the train, so be sure to hand over the letter to him. The train conductor just said this and went back. Totsukawa opened the envelope sealed with cellophane tape, and there was a note inside, on which was written only one sentence; "Before arriving in Aomori, I will definitely kill your subordinate Kamei Detective." Totsukawa silently handed the note to Kamei.After seeing it, Kamei frowned and said: "What is the murderer's plan? This is not only a challenge to me, but also to the police department." "No, maybe the opponent hates all the police." "Why did the sender know that the police department took this train?" Kamei asked. Totsukawa said with a smile: "Because Kamei and I are famous for working together. The opponent will probably think that when Kamei is in danger, there is absolutely no reason for me not to be by your side." "The train conductor said that a middle-aged woman handed it in." "The handwriting on this letter is also clearly seen to be a woman's handwriting." "Written by that woman named Natsuko Kuhara?" "Probably she wrote it." "However, I can't remember the name. It's really annoying. If I figure out why I'm being attacked, I'll have a countermeasure." "You can see the photo of Natsuko Kuhara when you arrive in Xinga. Maybe you can clarify something after seeing it. Maybe she used a pseudonym for you?" "may be." Kamei looked at the note again and thought: "Perhaps the murderer just killed me is not enough to relieve his hatred." When Totsukawa and Kamei stepped out of the dining car, they handed the letter to Kusaka and the others. Kusaka and Nishimoto are sitting at the dinner table, watching it all in one go. The two left their seats and chased after Totsukawa and Kamei. Kusaka said, "What is the murderer's intention?" "Killing Kamei alone will not relieve the hatred, and even threaten the Totsugawa Police Department." "So the murderer hated all the police." "That's a possibility. Therefore, no matter how you investigate the case handled by Kamei, Natsuko Kuhara's name will never appear." Back in carriage 2, Kusaka handed over the letter written by the murderer to Shimizu and Wakabayashi. Before receiving the letter, Kusaka, Nishimoto and the others, including Totsukawa, knew nothing about the woman named Natsuko Kuhara.The same is true for Kamei, the target of the attack. After reading this letter, I can say that I understand a little bit. In any case, this letter makes it clear that it is not a child's play for her to spend 10 million yen in an attempt to kill Kamei.It must be out of deep hatred. Totsukawa believes that there must be new ideological preparations. Natsuko Kuhara must be considered.She will come on this train in person, and she must also consider that she will pay a sum of money to hire a professional killer to come on the train. The reward she promised would not only be 10 million yen, but maybe 20 million yen or 30 million yen. Totsukawa stared out the window while thinking about these situations. The twilight was getting thicker and thicker over the Echigo Plain, and it was probably about to rain. After leaving Higashi-Sanjo Station, the train turns north again towards the coast.The once-separated Joetsu Shinkansen gradually moved closer to the train again. Coming soon to Shinken, which is the most representative city on the Sea of ​​Japan side with a population of 600,000. Shinken Station is the confluence of Joetsu Shinkansen and Shin-Etsu Main Line, and has a huge station hall. The "White Swan" train slowly entered the platform. At 17:08, we arrived at Xinxian County, which is the terminal station of the Shin-Etsu Main Line.From here, you will enter the Shiraishin Line and go straight to Shibata Station, heading for the Uekoshi Main Line. At this time, due to the zigzag shape of the line, the direction of the "White Swan" train was changed to the reverse direction.Here train drivers change shifts. Most of the passengers get off here, and a large number of passengers get on.Passengers seem to be replaced here as well. Due to these circumstances, the "White Swan" stopped at Xinxian Station for 17 minutes. Some passengers rushed to the small shop on the platform to buy lunch boxes. The Xin County Police Department sent two criminal policemen to board the car and come to the No. 2 compartment. "Are you the Totsugawa Police Department of the Metropolitan Police Department?" A criminal policeman asked, and when Totsukawa nodded, he handed him the faxed photo, which was a photo of Natsuko Kuhara and Kuroki Isomi. "It is said that this photo was found in Natsuko Kuhara's apartment." "Any other pictures?" "It is said that there is no photo or letter in the room other than this. It is likely that it has been processed." "Is there anything else to tell?" "Koda went into hiding. It is said that you already know about this." "yes." "Shall we also take this train to Aomori?" "No need. If the guards are strengthened too much, the criminals will not show up." Kamei said with a smile. Two criminal police officers from the prefectural police station got out of the car after saying with concern, please pay more attention. The train has not left for a long time. The car bell rang. Shimizu and Wakabayashi, who went down to the platform to do flexion and stretching exercises, entered the carriage, and some passengers rushed to catch the train. The "White Swan" train departed in the opposite direction to when it came, and departed retrograde.Totsukawa and his party sat down facing each other. "The battle in the second half is about to begin." Kusaka said nervously. Kamei looked at the photo sent by the prefectural police station, which was a group photo of Natsuko Kuhara and Kuroki Isomi side by side. Natsuko Kuhara is indeed a beauty.Kamei thought, is this beautiful woman offering 10 million yen to kill me? I thought she was a cold woman, but from the photos, she was a person with gentle eyes. Standing side by side with Isomi Kuroki, she seemed to be immersed in a sense of happiness. ——She thinks I ruined this happiness? Kamei looked at the photo and thought. Kamei couldn't think of the name Isomi Kuroki for the man in the photo, and he had never come into contact with it.This woman is going to murder me? ——Could it be that you have admitted the wrong person?