Chapter 28 Chapter 27

After leaving the station, I arrived at the car rental company within a few minutes of walking.They reserved a small car known for its fuel efficiency and easy driving. He and Rino got into the car together, and drove out carefully after inputting the destination into the satellite navigation system.He hasn't driven for a long time. Go straight along Zhanqian Road, which is lined with small shops, and you will soon come to a large intersection.According to the map, after turning left at this intersection, drive along that road for about 20 kilometers.There isn't much traffic on that road, so driving should be easy.

"I mentioned Mr. Kudo's official website just now. After reading it, I learned a few things." Cang Tai said, looking forward. "What's up?" "For example, Katsuura is not a special place for Mr. Kudo, it's just that the right house happens to be in Katsuura, and he didn't even mention the place name Katsuura on his blog. I used various I did a keyword search, but I didn’t find that Mr. Kudo has a villa in Katsuura on the Internet.” "So, what do you want to say?" "This raises a fundamental question. Assuming that Takami Iba went to the villa to get close to Mr. Asahi Kudo, how did she know that the villa is in Katsuura? She only started to go in and out of 'KUDO's land' after she went to Katsuura , so, before that, I should have never seen the picture of that villa."

"I don't know, maybe her friend is a fan of Mr. Kudo Asahi, those crazy fans know everything." "However, even if she knows the location of the villa for some reason, it is impossible for her to come to the door without authorization in order to make friends with Mr. Kudo Asahi. Because the villa is not open to the public, if she goes to the door without authorization, it will cause alarm. Instead of doing this, It's better to go to the social occasion of 'KUDO's land', in fact, she also met Mr. Kudo there." "So, what the hell is going on here?"

"Hmm..." Although Cang Tai hadn't completely sorted out the assumptions in his heart, he still decided to speak out his thoughts, "I'm thinking, maybe it's the opposite." "Why the opposite?" "Iba Takami's original purpose of going to Katsuura had nothing to do with Mr. Kudo, but for some reason, she had to get close to Mr. Kudo." Rino remained silent, probably thinking about the possibility of what Sota said. "For example," Cang Tai said, "if her original goal was that old house." "Old house? You mean Mr. Kudo's villa?"

"Yes, as I said just now, the villa is the only intersection between Mr. Kudo and Katsuura. If Takami Iba tried to get close to Mr. Kudo after visiting Katsuura, it must have something to do with the villa. Maybe she is also interested in that old house. interested in." "You mean, she's going to buy it?" "Maybe, maybe for some reason, she wanted to buy that house, but after visiting the site, she found that someone had already bought it. So, she investigated the owner and tried to get close to him-thinking from this perspective, it can explain her behavior, of course, there are still many questions."

"Why did she use a fake name? If you want to buy that house, you just need to negotiate with Mr. Kudo, don't you? Also, your assumption just now can't explain why she joined the 'turmoil'. Her purpose is not my grandpa's Yellow morning glory? Isn’t it for this purpose that you approached Mr. Kudo first?” Sota was a little overwhelmed by Li Nao's repeated questions. "Unfortunately, I can't answer these questions at the moment. It may involve more complicated things than we imagined, but one thing is certain. What Takami Yiting wants to do cannot be made public, so after seeing me, Disappear immediately."

"It doesn't seem to be a good thing, although I don't want to speak ill of your first love." "It's okay, I think so too. If it's not a bad thing, there is no need to use a fake name at all, and there is no need to escape." "...Yeah." Rino said hesitantly. After the car drove on the road for a while, Cang Tai gradually regained the feeling of driving. He held the steering wheel and couldn't help thinking.How can we find out Takami Itaba's purpose?Even if it is related to Kudo Asahi's villa, even if you find the villa, you can't find a clue to solve it just by looking at its appearance.

Takami Iba's calendar shows that she stayed in Katsuura for nearly a week, why did she stay for such a long time? Sota told Rino this question, and Rino also agreed, "That's right, it's strange. Even if it's to buy an old house to inspect it, it usually doesn't take so long." "yes." However, Rino's opinion enlightens Sota.If you want to buy an old house, at least you will first inquire about the situation nearby. "That's right!" he blurted out. "Have you thought of anything?" "First, go around the villa and ask around. Maybe someone has seen Yiting Xiaomei."

"Wow, it feels like the criminal police in a serial drama are handling the case." "Let me declare first, please don't act any more strange dramas like you did in Qingming University." "Why? Wasn't that a great success?" "That's just a coincidence. If someone becomes suspicious this time, it will be a disaster if they go to the police." Li Nao smacked her lips loudly, and said boringly: "Okay." After driving for about 30 minutes, the satellite navigation system finally instructed to turn right.It was a small intersection with no signal lights. After turning, it was a very narrow road.Cang Tai held the steering wheel and gradually became uneasy.On the left side of the road is a river, on the right side is a mountain, and in front of the mountain is a piece of farmland, with no houses in sight.

"Wow, in this kind of place? There's nothing at all." "If it is here, even if it makes a relatively loud noise, it will not disturb the neighbors." The satellite navigation system showed that it had arrived near the destination, and it seemed that the only way to find the house was with the naked eye. "The satellite navigation system is really useless, what are you kidding, it brought us to this kind of place." "From the photos, the house seems to be further inside." "But there's no way out here." The asphalt road is coming to an end. Although there is still a road ahead, it is a dirt road overgrown with weeds, and the road surface is even narrower. It will be a disaster if the car cannot get out.

"Ah, is that the house?" Rino exclaimed. Cang Tai stepped on the brake and looked in the direction of her finger. There is a small forest in front of the weedy plain, and there is a bungalow in the middle of the forest.On closer inspection, there is a well-mowed path that leads to the house, and the car can also drive in. "Let's go and have a look." Cang Tai took his foot off the brake. A few minutes later, they stood in front of an old house, Cangtai nodded after comparing with the photos. "Yes, this is the house." The large rouge-colored roof, the walls with intricate patterns of wooden boards, and the lattice windows are all exactly the same as in the photos, only the colors of the surrounding trees are different. There is an open space in front of the house, which can accommodate five passenger cars, but I don’t know where the land belongs to this house. Maybe the flat land from the asphalt road to here belongs to this house. If so, the house occupies at least Four hundred pings. The entrance is a sliding door, and a walkie-talkie is installed next to it that doesn't match the old house.Cang Tai pressed it and heard the ringtone of the intercom coming from the house, but after waiting for a long time, no one answered. They went around to the back of the house and found a platform built of bricks, which may be used for barbecue, and there is a beer box next to it that can hold twenty empty beer bottles. Discuss musical situations. Cang Tai looked at the house again.From the outside, this is just an ordinary old country house, but it must have been redecorated with the latest technology inside, and it will be very comfortable to live in. "I picked this up." Rino picked up an old magazine and walked over, it was a music magazine. "It's definitely Mr. Kudo's villa," Sota inspected the surroundings, "I said just now that I want to ask the neighbors, but there is no one here." "Do you want to go back to the national highway?" "That's the only way." They drove back slowly. "What happened to that house?" Cang Tai asked while driving, "Why is there only one house built there alone?" "Maybe there used to be a village here, but then it became like this because of the decrease in population." "But why did that house stay?" "Probably the people who used to live in that house didn't want to leave." "Really? I think the traffic there is very inconvenient." "Everyone has different preferences." After returning to the national highway, they looked for a store where they could inquire about the news.Although I hoped to find a store that has been open for many years, I couldn't find it for a long time.In desperation, I had to walk into a convenience store.The clerk was a young man, and there were no other customers in the store. After Cang Tai bought the chewing gum, he showed the photo of the old house to the clerk, and asked him, "Do you know this house? It's just a little further inside the path ahead." "I don't know," the clerk tilted his head, "I came here to work from the next town by motorcycle, and I haven't been there before." No wonder, since there's nothing there at all, and of course there's no reason to be there. Li Nao frowned and stood in the drink area, Sota asked her: "What's wrong?" "I'm thirsty and want to buy beer, but this store doesn't seem to sell alcohol." Cang Tai leaned back, "Beer? You let me drive and drink beer by yourself?" "Oh, yes," Rino stuck out her tongue, "I'm sorry." Rino didn't seem to do it on purpose, Sota smiled bitterly and looked at the drinks on the shelf, at this moment, he suddenly thought of something. "There are beer crates behind that house, did they bring it themselves?" "No way? It should be delivered by the wine shop." Rino opened her mouth in surprise after finishing speaking. Cang Tai ran to the cashier and asked, "Is there a liquor store near here?" The clerk was a little overwhelmed, but still told them: "I only know that there is a store about five minutes ahead." "Are there any other stores?" "I don't know," the clerk shook his head. "Sometimes customers come to ask, but I always tell them the store." "Really? Thank you." Cang Tai winked at Rino and walked out of the shop. They got in the car parked in the parking lot of the convenience store and went to the store the clerk said, but after driving for a long time, not only did they not see the liquor store, they didn't even see the house.Just when they were feeling suspicious, they saw several shops in front of them, and the liquor store was one of them, selling juice, snacks and dry goods at the same time. A little old man was watching the store, and Cang Tai bought potato chips and oolong tea because he was too embarrassed to buy anything. After paying the bill, he showed the old man Kudo's villa.After the old man put on his reading glasses and looked at the photo, he nodded his head with "um, um". "I know, my son has delivered goods a few times, I remember the surname..." "Is that Mr. Kudo?" Hearing Cang Tai's prompt, the old man patted his thigh hard. "Yes, yes, that's the name. When they came to order beer, I was taken aback when I heard the address, because I always thought the house was unoccupied." "Did you know about that house before?" "I don't know about it, I just pass by the house." "Do you know who lived there before it became empty?" "I don't know, I seem to have seen an old woman go in and out there ten years ago, but I don't know if she lives there." "Do you know anything else about that house, please? Nothing matters." "I don't know, so I can't tell you anything. What happened to that house?" "Because we're investigating something..." "Then you can ask the people who live there now, maybe you know something." If it was possible to do so, it wouldn't take so much effort, but since I couldn't tell the truth to the old man, I could only nod my head noncommittally and say, "Yes." "Excuse me," Rino said, "You said you passed that house before, so, will you go there?" "Of course, as long as a customer orders, it will be delivered wherever it is." The old man laughed. He has no front teeth. "However, there are no other houses nearby." Cang Tai said. "Yes. Going further from that house, there is a small village. Now only old men and old women live there. Ah, by the way, you can ask the people who live there, and you will definitely get news." It turned out to be that way.Cang Tai remembered the small road in front of the asphalt road just now, and the small village seemed to be there. After thanking them, they left the liquor store.Get in the car and drive to the villa again. After returning to the villa, I had to park the car in front of the house because I couldn't park the car on the narrow road. They walked on an unpaved path, surrounded by trees, and couldn't see clearly ahead. It even made people worry whether there was a village in front of them. After walking for a while, the road gradually widened, and I saw several wooden houses, all of which were old.One of the big houses is particularly eye-catching. There is a forest behind the house, which feels very grand. They walked over, trying to find the location of the entrance, when they heard a voice, "Who is this?" A hunchbacked old woman came out of the warehouse next to her, "How can you just break into someone's house?" "Ah, I'm sorry." Cang Tai hurriedly apologized.It turned out they had trespassed on private land. "You are looking at my house, what's the matter?" "Uh, that..." A thought flashed in Sota's mind, "We are researching traditional Japanese houses, and we think this old house is very grand." "Oh, yes? Well, it's an old house, built before the war." "It's amazing." Cang Tai was not acting, but was really surprised. "Do you want to come in and take a look?" "Okay, be sure to let us visit." The old woman walked towards the house with her back hunched, Cangtai and the others followed behind her. The entrance is under the huge eaves, there are four large lattice doors, and the old woman walked in. "Excuse me." Cang Tai said hello, and then walked in, the place where the shoes were taken off was paved with stone slabs. Pointing to the beams and railings, the old woman explained to them how strong the house was and how carefully it was built.She told them that her dead husband put quality first in everything. The old woman wanted to show them the room inside, but Cangtai and the others politely declined because they didn't have time. "Really? Then please come back when you are free next time, and I will show you around." "Thank you. By the way, on the way here just now, I saw another old house. Is there no one living there?" "Huh? Which house is it?" "Just off the asphalt road." "Oh," the old woman nodded, "It turned out to be that house. It seems that someone bought it recently. I saw a man coming in and out, but I don't know who it is." "Who lived there before?" "That house..." The old woman suddenly lowered her voice when she said this, "A long time ago, there lived a couple named Tanaka. Like my family, since the husband died, only the wife lived there. " "Do you have a relationship?" "Well," said the old woman in a deep voice, "I will say hello when I meet them on the road, but that's all, because they don't interact with others very much." "Is there any reason?" Hearing Sota's question, the old lady showed a hesitant expression, and then said to herself: "Anyway, there is nothing to hide now", and then said: "Their son committed a crime in Tokyo." "Crime? What crime?" "Big case. Got mad in the street and killed several people." Sota couldn't help but straightened his body, and exchanged glances with Rino.What the old woman said was too unexpected. "How long ago?" "Well, how long ago? About fifty years ago." "Fifty years..." Because it was too far away, there was no sense of reality at all, "Of course he was arrested, right?" "Of course, it was also published in the newspapers, and there were many rumors. When I found out that he was the son of the Tanaka family, I was shocked." Listening to the old woman's words, Cang Tai thought to himself, is what happened so long ago related to what he is investigating? "Why did that person kill?" Rino asked. "He's gone crazy. He's obsessed with a foreign female star. That female star died, so he doesn't want to live anymore. Anyway, it's such a mess." "What's the name of that female star?" "I don't know her name, I only know that she is very famous." This incident is indeed very strange, but no matter how I think about it, I don't think it has anything to do with Yi Ting Xiaomei. It was a long time ago when she was born. Cangtai took out a photo from his bosom to show the old lady, it was borrowed from Tian Yuan, it was suspected to be a photo of Itami Takami, "Has this person been here before?" The old woman squinted her eyes and looked at the photo, then shook her head, "I haven't seen it before." "What else do you know about that house, please? Anything trivial, like, what was her husband's former occupation?" The old woman frowned and thought for a while, and finally sighed forcefully. "Sorry, I can't think of anything else. As I said just now, we have no relationship. I'm really sorry." "No, we interrupted." Cang Tai bowed to the old woman. Back in the car, Sota sat in the driver's seat and looked at Kudo's villa again. "The result is still no clue." He murmured. "Isn't that all right? The murder." "That happened in Tokyo, not in this house." "Oh... that's right." Cang Tai started the engine and looked at the time, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon.Thinking that I haven't eaten lunch yet, I suddenly feel hungry. After returning the car to the car rental company, they walked into the cafeteria in front of the station.The sashimi set meal here is shockingly cheap. Rino was operating her mobile phone while eating. "What are you doing?" Cang Tai asked. "I'm looking for that female celebrity, the female celebrity who is fascinated by the murderer." "You still can't let go of that?" "Because I am very concerned. This is the only thing we have found out about that house, so I want to find out." "Okay, but how do I check? At present, I only know that it is a foreign female star." "I guess foreign means America, so I searched for Hollywood stars and 1960s and found a few people so far. Claudette Colbert, Greta Garbo, Heidi Lamarr ……Have you heard of it?" Cang Tai shrugged, "I haven't heard of it at all." "I haven't heard of it either, there are Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Fontaine, Rita Hayworth..." "I know Rita Hayworth, she's mentioned in "Stimulus 1995." "Did the Japanese know these people at that time? Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor... I have heard these names before." "I heard from the old lady that the actress died at that time. Didn't Elizabeth Taylor die recently?" "Ah, that's right, then exclude Elizabeth Taylor." Rino was eating sashimi while operating the phone.Cang Tai couldn't help muttering in his heart, "This will cause indigestion." "Ah!" she exclaimed suddenly. "What's wrong?" "Vivien Leigh," she said, she turned the LCD screen to Cang Tai, "he died in 1967." "Oh," Cang Tai couldn't help exclaiming, "about fifty years ago." "She starred, and there should be many fans of her in Japan." "Maybe it's her." "I don't know yet, I'll check to see others." "I'm here to help too." Cang Tai put down his chopsticks and took out the tablet computer from the leather bag next to him. After a while, he also found a female star who matched the conditions.Judy Garland, who died in 1969. "Her representative works are "The Floating and Sinking Record of the Star Sea". I have heard of these two movies, but they are not very famous in Japan." "I think so too. Look, I found another person." Rino said, "Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. It is said that news of her death was reported all over the world, which caused a great shock and sorrow." "I've heard that she died very strangely. So it happened in 1962." Although Cang Tai has never seen a movie in which Marilyn Monroe played, her figure immediately appeared in his mind, which is the classic picture of flying skirt, but it is just a black and white image seen from a nostalgic program on TV. Rino suddenly opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with her hands. "What did you find again?" She looked at Cang Tai and blinked several times in a row. "I looked up Marilyn Monroe on the Internet and found something amazing." "What's up?" "Initials. Monroe fans sometimes call her by her initials." "So what? Marilyn Monroe...so it's MM." After saying it, something seemed wrong. MM—I seem to have heard it somewhere.He quickly remembered, "Ah, the MM incident..." Li Nai opened her eyes wide. "Your brother once asked me if I heard about the MM incident from my grandpa." This is definitely not a coincidence, Sota threw the tablet into the purse, "Hurry up and eat, we are going back to Tokyo."

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