Chapter 27 Chapter Six

Miura did not believe that the fire 11 years ago had anything to do with the murder. If the fire 11 years ago was a homicide, then 11 years later, there would have been many homicides related to this case. Therefore, Miura firmly believes that this incident is an independent incident. The next day, Totsugawa Police Department and Kamei Detective of the Metropolitan Police Department brought Kakizawa Midori to Komoro. After Totsukawa introduced Midori to Miura, he showed him the essay written by Kojiro Kawauchi.This is material copied from a magazine. "The murdered Kawauchi said that the important plot was made up."

Totsukawa said to Miura. After reading the copy, Miura said: "Three people did die in the fire 11 years ago." "That's right. Kawauchi said that the pair of lovers and the beautiful woman like Edo Kawako who were burned to death were all made up. He said that he wrote it in order to make this essay attractive to readers." Totsukawa said. "That's right! Without these plots, this essay would not be very interesting. Three people died at once, this story is so attractive." Miura nodded. "I believe what Kawauchi said on this point. As a writer, you always have to fabricate some plots to make the work interesting. However, it is a bit puzzling to connect with Kawauchi's murder."

Totsukawa said. "Then you think this essay is true?" Miura asked. "I don't know which parts are true, but I don't think it's all false." Totsukawa said cautiously. "However, it is also possible that the murderer killed Kawauchi in a fit of rage because he wrote a false plot. It is somewhat incomprehensible that the person who wrote the book was killed because he wrote a true plot." When Miura said this, Midori Kakizawa, who had been silent all this time, said loudly: "Because it says my sister!" Miura glanced at her and said: "You think the woman who was burned was your sister?"

"Ok." "And it was the lovers who set fire to your sister?" "Yes, definitely." "There is no evidence! First of all, Mr. Totsukawa is not sure about the authenticity of this essay, and it is also uncertain whether the existence of the lovers is fictional or not!" Miura also became very cautious. "But my sister..." Midori shouted dissatisfied. Miura hurriedly comforted loudly: "I know, you think that female guest is your sister. Although she was burned to death, it's better than not being there all the time. But the only 'witness' of this incident, Kawauchi, was killed. Alin criminal police confirmed that three men and women were burned to death at the time, and there was no other confirmation. The woman who was burned to death could not even see her face clearly, and only recorded that her height was 1.63 meters and her weight was 55 kilograms."

"That's my sister!" "But it's not uncommon to be 1.63 meters tall and weigh 55 kilograms. Based on this alone, you can conclude that she is your sister?" Miura asked. In the end, Totsukawa and the others put aside arguing about this for the time being, and stayed in a hotel arranged by the Komoro Police Department. Dinner is eaten in the fast food restaurant on the first floor of the hotel. "I just think the woman guest who was burned to death 11 years ago was my sister." At dinner, Midori expressed her views on Totsukawa again. "Is it because Kawauchi said that the female customer looks like Edo Kawako?"

Kamei asked from the side. Upon hearing this, Midori suddenly became angry: "You said she is not my sister?!" "No, that's not what I meant. I just said don't rush to this conclusion. We still need to find evidence. The current situation is that the details of the lovers and the arson were fabricated out of thin air?" Kamei said. "So you don't want to help me?" "No. We're here with you because we want to get to the bottom of it. We're looking for evidence." Kamei quickly explained. "Can you find it?" Midori asked, looking at Totsukawa dubiously.

"After all, it was a murder. We can catch the murderer, and the police here will help us. If the murderer killed him because of this essay written by Kawauchi, then he at least knew the truth about the fire 11 years ago. In this way, the fictional plot becomes reality. This is exactly what we expect." Totsukawa said.Then he said to Kamei: "I'm sorry, you should go back to Tokyo." "Have you found out about Kawauchi's friendships in Tokyo?" "Nishimoto and the others are investigating this, but I'm more interested in Kawauchi's relationship with women." Totsukawa said.

"Especially the woman wearing sunglasses that the Miura Police Department said?" "Yes, it would be best to find out the identity of the woman. I don't think they met on the train by chance," Totsukawa said. "Okay, I'll go back to Tokyo tomorrow morning." Kamei said. The next day, Kamei returned to Tokyo with the portrait described according to the testimony of the flight attendant Aoki. Totsukawa said to Midori after breakfast, "Shall we take a walk on Komoro Street?" "This time?" "Don't you want to take a look at the burned hotel?" Totsukawa asked.

"Then let's go." Midori agreed. Compared with Tokyo, the weather in Komoro at this time is a bit cold, which makes people feel that autumn is coming. If you are visiting, you usually go through the underground passage to the "Kaikoen" on the opposite side, and then take a walk by the riverside of Chikuma River, but today Totsu River really does not have this time.They walked through the square in front of the station and the commercial street, heading towards the former site of the "Chen" Hotel. An apartment building has already been built in this place.It only takes two hours by express train from Komoro to Ueno, so this area has become an ideal place for office workers to live.

Midori walked around the apartment and said to Totsukawa: "The hotel was so small back then!" "I heard that it is an old-fashioned two-story hotel. Usually there are only their family members and a servant. They quit the servant when they are free. The servant was not there because there were few customers on the day of the fire." Totsukawa said. The two went to a nearby police station. Fortunately, a police officer in his forties remembered the fire. "At that time, there were no buildings in this area. It was quite desolate!" The police officer said quite emotionally.

"Do you remember about the fire?" "I remember. I wasn't in class that day, but I was there when the fire caught fire. It was too big to get through." "Is there really only one resident?" Totsukawa asked. "That's what they say, and it's published in the newspapers." "Does that hotel make money?" "Ah, I don't know. It's a small hotel. Later, several restaurants were built here. It's not easy to run anyway!" "I heard someone set fire to it?" When Totsukawa asked, the police officer nodded and said: "Yes! Because there has never been a fire in this area. But the police have found nothing." Next, Totsukawa and Midori went to the cooperative credit unions in the area.They asked about the economics of the Morning Hotel 11 years ago. After looking through the account books at that time, the chairman said: "At that time, the hotel had a loan of 10 million yen, and it still owed 6 million yen when the fire broke out!" "Has the loan been repaid?" "At that time, Chuanchi sold the land and paid off all the fire insurance money. But I heard that besides our cooperative credit union, there are still many debts!" Totsukawa investigated the neighborhood again, and sure enough, the hotel seemed to have a lot of debts. At that time, many people nearby had been borrowed tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of yen by them. So at that time, it was said that they used the method of setting fire because they could not pay off their debts.But later this legend died down quickly, because the hotel's insurance amount was very small at that time, so many debts were not paid, and the creditors, the owner of the hotel and his mother, all died in the fire. Totsukawa brought Midori to a local tea shop. Midori was very depressed because she didn't hear the proof of intentional arson and the fact that there was such a strange couple of lovers at that time. Midori stared blankly at the coffee in front of her and said, "It's a pity, no evidence was found to see if the dead person was my sister." "Don't be discouraged, there will always be some clues." Totsukawa said calmly. At this time, Totsukawa was thinking about other issues. Kawauchi wrote this in his essay: He used the money from selling the hotel land to go to Tokyo to finish university.But judging from the current investigation, in order to pay off the debt, it seems that there is not a penny left from the sale of the land. Did he write that out of vanity? "Mr. Police Department," Midori said to Totsukawa. Totsukawa woke up from his contemplation with an "ah" and looked at Midori. "I think my sister must have visited the scenic spots here when she lived in Komoro. I want to see them too," Midori said. "Okay! Maybe you can find someone who remembered your sister 11 years ago!" "That's what I mean too." So the two walked out of the tea shop and first went to the "Huaiguyuan". They walked through the underground passage and came to the entrance of the "Reminiscence Garden" - the Sanyuan Gate. "Huaiguyuan" is a park built with the characteristics of the historic sites of Komoro Castle, and the main scenery is only the ancient stone walls. Due to the cold weather, there were hardly any people.Totsukawa couldn't help straightening the collar of his coat. Midori's mind seems to be entirely devoted to searching for traces that her sister may have left in those days.But the traces of 11 years ago should not be left behind. Totsukawa looked at Midori in disbelief.She is 25 years old.Just the same age as her sister Kyoko who disappeared 11 years ago. "You were 14 years old 11 years ago?" Totsukawa asked. "what." "What impression did you have of your sister at that time? What kind of person was she?" "Very beautiful, and smart. And very confident." Midori said. "Then you must have a boyfriend?" "But I was a kid then, I didn't know." "Is your sister gentle?" "Of course." Probably she was trying to recall the image of her sister 11 years ago in her heart. "how about you?" "I?" "Yes, of course you should have a lover, right? You are beautiful, and you are 25 years old." Totsukawa said seriously. "Lover, yes. But I only think about my sister now." Midori said. "Why did your sister travel alone 11 years ago and come to Xiaomoro? She likes to travel alone?" "She likes to travel." "Always alone?" "I don't know..." Green shrugged.