Chapter 11 Chapter 11 A flash of inspiration for a ride

Reminded by Ayuko Iegata's deduction, Ochiai took Sayama as his target. Soon, he discovered that Sayama lacked important conditions as a murderer.When Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan were killed and Zhu Shi disappeared, Sayama was overseas.He has a solid alibi. However, if Sayama is not the murderer, then who is the murderer?And the speculation that Sayama bought a murderer to kill is also difficult to establish.If the purpose of killing co-conspirators and witnesses is to silence, it will not help to buy another murderer. Sayama is very likely to be the murderer in the murder of a female supermarket clerk in Kumagaya City, and Furukawa and Shengchuan also fit the characteristics of the murderer's accomplices.However, Sayama will not kill Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan, and it is impossible for him to attack Zhu Shi.In other words, another murderer killed Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan, and made Zhu Shi and Jiaxing disappear.In other words, the murder of the female shop assistant four years ago and the series of events after the wedding are independent, and the murderer is not the same person.

What is the motive of the second murderer?According to Ayuko's deduction, Kagata and Zhu Shi happened to pass by the scene where the female shop assistant was killed and witnessed the murderer's crime, so they were silenced by the first murderer (Sayama?).Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan were also killed as accomplices of the first murderer.However, if the alibi of the first murderer is proved, what motive did the other murderer have to kill these four people? According to Ayuko's inference, these four people are all related to the murder of the female shop assistant.These related characters either disappeared or were killed because of another motive after the female shop assistant was killed.However, the idea that Iakata, Akatsuki, Furusawa, and Masukawa are the people involved in the murder of the female shop assistant has been deeply ingrained in Ochiai's consciousness.The series of events that happened around him before and after the wedding should all be an extension of the murder of the female shop assistant.What these four people have in common is that they are related to the murder of the female shop assistant.Could it be that they were disappeared or killed by another murderer for another motive?Their disappearance or killing has nothing to do with the murder of the female shop assistant?If Kagata had nothing to do with Zhu Shi's disappearance, and if Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan were also killed by other murderers, then not only would there be a second murderer, but there might also be a third and fourth murderer who were different from the murderer who killed the female shop assistant.There was no way such a thing could happen, Ochiai was sure.

Although it is said that Sayama is not qualified enough to be the murderer who killed the four people, Ayuko is correct to deduce that the murderer's motive is based on the murder of the female shop assistant.Ochiai was also convinced of this.But in this case, the murderer who made Kagata and Zhu Shi disappear and killed Sheng Chuan and Gu Ze would have no criminal motive.Ochiai wanted to analyze this with Ayuko.So, this time it was Ochiai who proposed to meet Ayuko. On an ordinary afternoon in mid-March, the two met in the bar of a downtown hotel designated by Ochiai.In the bar of the hotel in the afternoon, there are few people, which is a good time for secret talks.Couples who enjoyed the afternoon affair also quietly met in the hotel bar.

"I'm sorry to call you here." Ochiai, who arrived earlier than the agreed time and was waiting at the agreed place, greeted Ayuko who arrived on time.Because it was only the second time they met, the two of them were still a little unfamiliar.But each other was left behind by their lovers, and this feeling conveyed a wonderful sense of intimacy between the two.They picked a table facing the corner of the bar and sat down.From the perspective of others, they may think that they are dating for an afternoon affair. Ochiai told Ayuko the result of her own thinking after the last time.

"Aside from that Sayama Hidemo, is there anyone else acting suspiciously?" Ayuko asked after thinking about Ochiai's words for a while. "Other than Sayama, there was no one related to Guzawa and Masukawa among those who attended the wedding. The police seem to be targeting Sayama as well. I heard from Sovale's company staff that Sayama was also summoned by the police." "Does that person named Sayama have an alibi?" "I went to Europe on November 20 last year and stayed there for a month. The murders of Guzawa and Shengchuan and the disappearance of my wife happened during this period."

After hearing Ochiai's words, Ayuko was also puzzled. "However, I believe that as you speculated, the disappearance of Mr. Iakata and my wife, as well as the killing of Furusawa and Masukawa are all due to the murder of the female shop assistant. There cannot be other motives other than that. Since The cases of the four people happened one after another before and after the wedding, and there must be the same reason. I don’t think these four things can be unrelated and independent of each other.” Ochiai was completely engrossed in Ayuko's reasoning.As Zhu Shi's husband, he witnessed his wife's unusual frightened expression when she saw Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan.Because of this, he believed in Ayuko's reasoning even more.

"However, if Sayama is not the murderer, and these four incidents are related to each other, where is the other murderer?" "I've also thought about this. Although it is indeed related to the murder of the female shop assistant, isn't there another murderer?" "Another murderer? Are you saying that the murderer who killed the female shop assistant was not Sayama?" "Sayama is also one of the murderers." "Are you saying that apart from Sayama, Guzawa, and Shengchuan, there is another murderer?" "If there are four murderers, then Sayama is not necessarily the murderer who killed those two people."

"But if the motive is to silence, what's the point of leaving Sayama behind and killing the other two?" "So, Sayama is also very dangerous." "Are you saying that Sayama will be killed too?" Ayuko was surprised. "There's no guarantee he won't be killed." "However, if Sayama is also one of the murderers, after Guzawa and Shengchuan were killed one after another, he should also know that he will also be in danger, right?" "Of course Sayama knows who the murderer is, but because they are the same breed, he can't report on the other person."

"Then the fourth murderer was also invited to Ochiai-san's wedding?" However, Ochiai just said that among the guests present at the wedding, apart from Sayama, there was no one related to Furusawa and Masukawa. "That's where the explanation doesn't make sense. As you said, the witnesses and accomplices were picked up by the murderer three years after the clerk was killed, provided that they had to re-meet somewhere. Suppose the re-meeting location is The venue for the wedding, but there was no suspicious-looking person other than Sayama. Is there any chance for them to meet again after three years apart from the wedding? Besides, I think the four murderers are too many."

"After listening to what you said, I suddenly had an idea. Just like we speculated that there were four murderers just now, we can also assume that there are other witnesses besides Kagata and his wife." Ayuko proposed a new Assumptions. "A third witness?" "The witnesses are not necessarily just two people." "So, is it necessary for that witness to make your husband and my wife disappear, and also kill Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan?" "I can't figure this out either. Assuming that you saw something that the third witness couldn't let you see, wouldn't that be a motive for the murder? However, since the witness and the murderer in the murder case of the female shop assistant happened to be present, they saw For things that cannot be seen, I don’t know why the witnesses had to attack them in order to silence them.” Ayuko shook her head impatiently because she couldn’t think of an answer.

"Madam, do you say that your husband once wanted to be a lawyer and then gave up?" "He said he gave up because of a certain opportunity. I think that opportunity was the murder of the female shop assistant." "Is there such a person who, like your husband, witnessed the crime, but did not reach out to the victim. If this matter is made public, it will be a fatal blow to the witnesses." "I think that if someone is indifferent to witnessing a murder, he will be condemned by his conscience for the rest of his life." "If you are an ordinary citizen, you will only be condemned morally, and you will not be held accountable by law." "Are you held accountable?" "For example, if a police officer or firefighter witnesses a crime but does not help, if it becomes public, then he is not eligible to be a police officer or firefighter." "You say it's possible that a police officer or a firefighter may have witnessed the incident?" "No, I just thought of this possibility. I think the witnesses may not help the criminal activities because of their profession, and this may become the motive for the murder." "Are there police officers and firefighters among the wedding guests?" "No. There's not even a person with this kind of background." Ochiai's hard-won hypothesis hit a snag again.But he felt that through a discussion with Ayuko, he had taken a big step towards the place where the murderer was hidden in the aimless darkness. A comparison was made between the nails found in the 50km wild car and the nails of Hidemo Sayama.The composition of nails is roughly similar to bone.60%-70% of bone is lime salt.Lime salt is mainly composed of phosphoric acid, carbonic acid, magnesium phosphate, fluorinated lime, etc.Comparing the content of these ingredients, you can roughly determine whether it is the same person.Because apart from identical twins, no one has the same striped DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid).But the technology is not yet widely available. However, the results of the comparison showed that the composition content of the nails was quite different, so it was determined that they were not the nails of the same person.It is precisely because the hope is too great, so the disappointment in the search of the headquarters is even greater.The nails left in the victim's car were not Sayama's.Certainly not the victim's.So where did this nail come from?The Search Headquarters, which had planned to wait for the same result, could request the issuance of an arrest warrant, received a severe blow after hearing the results of the inspection, and could hardly cheer up again. If the fingernails as the only evidence are not Sayama's, they can only be used as circumstantial (indirect) evidence.The evidence for this situation is very weak.In this case, Sayama cannot be arrested. "It may also be the nails of Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan." Aoyagi said. This is a new focus of the case.If they're part of a gang, it's most likely their nails.However, the search headquarters was helpless against Aoyagi's proposal.When they started investigating the murders of Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan, the police did not think about the problem of nails, so they did not regard nails as a breakthrough in forensic medicine.The bodies of the two were dissected and returned to their relatives. With a glimmer of hope, the search headquarters asked Keio University and Kyorin University's forensic science teaching and research section, which were commissioned to dissect and identify the bodies of the two men.Because even if there is no entrustment, the anatomy surgeon may retain some parts of the body, such as internal organs, hair, teeth, nails, etc., as needed for future research. Fortunately, the nails of both are preserved in the reference rooms of the two universities.The police immediately entrusted to verify whether the nails were the same. The results showed that the ingredients did not match, and it was judged that the nails in the car and the nails of the corpse under inspection were not from the same person.So far, the physical evidence of the three suspects who killed the female shop assistant has been completely denied. Although the physical evidence suspected of killing the female shop assistant was denied, Sayama's suspicion was not ruled out.The search headquarters still believes that Sayama is very suspicious. "Even if Sayama kills the female clerk, it is impossible for him to kill Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan. It is impossible in terms of time and space. Then, who killed those two people?" Ushio was in a daze.It is now speculated that the murder of the female shop assistant was a joint crime of the three, and Sayama killed Furusawa and Shengchuan in order to silence them.However, an obstacle to this inference is the alibi of Sayama's trip to Europe.If Sayama's suspicion of killing the female clerk is not ruled out, then what is the motive of the murderer who killed Guzawa and Shengchuan? "It's a pity that Sayama can't be arrested until now, and it's a pity for the victim and her family!" Aoyagi said.Oxtail's eyes suddenly widened in a daze. "What did you just say?" Oxtail cast his eyes on Qingliu, his eyes radiated a dazzling light. "That bastard Sayama had something to do with Teruko Isukino's murder, there's no doubt about it. But we couldn't arrest him. So I say the victim's family will feel more regret than us." "This is it. Qingliu!" Oxtail shouted. "This? What is it?" "The people who hate the killer most are the victim and her family." "That is to say, the person who killed Guzawa and Shengchuan was the victim's family, that is Teruko's father?" "Although it cannot be determined now, his father must have hated the murderers very much and even wanted to kill them." "But how did his father know that Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan were the murderers of his daughter?" It is still impossible to conclude that Furusawa and Shengchuan are the murderers who killed the female shop assistant.Judging from the evidence of the situation, they are now only suspects.No matter how much resentment may be hidden in the hearts of their killers, it also seems abnormal to kill them before the police can judge the killers.Moreover, it is unlikely that the victim's family would have known that the police were targeting Furusawa and Masukawa as suspects. "There may be someone who knew about the killer before the police." "Who? Who is that person?" "Didn't you say so, Mrs. Ochiai." "Mrs. Ochiai?" "You said maybe Zhu Shi and Jiaxing happened to pass by the crime scene and witnessed the crime process?" "Yes. Then Zhu Shi..." "Yes. Ochiai Zhushi, if she witnessed the crime process at that time, then she should have seen the murderer's face clearly. Then she met the murderer at the wedding and knew the identity of the murderer." "So you're saying she informed the victim's father of the killer's identity?" "Zhu Shi will notify him." "But why, why would she do it?" "Zhu Shi witnessed the crime with her own eyes but did not lend a helping hand, and kept it secret afterwards. She may have been condemned by her conscience all the time. Therefore, after meeting the murderer again three years later and knowing the identity of the murderer, she notified the victim anonymously father." "If it was the shop girl's father who took revenge, why didn't he kill Sayama?" "We can infer that Zhu Shi didn't notice Sayama at the wedding. Sayama sat separately from Guzawa and Shengchuan. It seems that Zhu Shi didn't mention Sayama to Ochiai. There should be such a possibility. Sayama was not noticed. arrive." "If Gu Ze and Sheng Chuan were killed because of the vengeance of the female shop assistant's father, how can Zhu Shi's disappearance be explained?" "If Zhu Shi didn't notice Sashan, but Sayama did notice Zhu Shi." "If this is the case, Sayama must know that Zhu Shi witnessed his crime. However, the disappearance of Kagata is still an unsolved mystery." "I still can't explain the reason for his disappearance. I just want to explain that if Furusawa and Shengchuan are the murderers who killed the female shop assistant, then the victim's father will have a motive for killing them." "I heard her father was hospitalized." "Yeah, so we're going to meet her father." Ushio and Aoyagi recalled the scene of visiting the victim's home in Kumagai City.Weeds are overgrown in the courtyard, and the eaves of the house are crooked. At a glance, it looks as desolate as an abandoned house.The small family where the father and daughter depended on each other for life was destroyed from the very foundation because of an incident that struck like a hurricane.Before this, the police had never considered the victim's family as a search target.However, considering that the victim may take a vengeance, it has the possibility of becoming a criminal. The idea of ​​oxtail adds a living eye to the chess game that has become a dead chess game. Ayuko tells Okamoto the result of her second meeting with Ochiai. "Then Ochiai said that there are more than three people in the criminal gang?" Okamoto confirmed what Ekiko said. "Yes. That's why he said that Sayama's current situation is also very dangerous." "But four accomplices are a bit too much." "Mr. Ochiai also said that he thinks four murderers are too many. Inspired by Mr. Ochiai's deduction, I guess that just as there may be four murderers, there may be a third witness." "The third witness?" Okamoto's expression was a little surprised. "Last time I told you that when I first met Mr. Ochiai, I drew the inference that my husband and Mrs. Ochiai might have witnessed the crime." "Yes, you said so." "Just like there will be four murderers, my husband and Mrs. Ochiai may not be the only witnesses." "You mean that besides the two of them, there were people who witnessed the crime." "There is no evidence that this person does not exist." "Even assuming there is a third witness, what does that person have to do with this?" "I think if I saw something that the third witness couldn't see, it might be the third witness's motive for killing." Ayuko told Okamoto the inference she deduced during the meeting with Ochiai. "So, are you saying that the third eyewitness killed Furusawa, Nobukawa, and your husband, Atsushi Ochiai?" "Mr. Ochiai said that if the fact that the police officers or firefighters witnessed the incident but failed to rescue them was made public, it would be a fatal blow to the police officers or firefighters." "It's really an interesting inference, but if it is used to explain the motive of the murder... According to Ochiai, the murderer killed at least two people, and it was related to the disappearance of the two people. Moreover, if the inference is true, the criminal gang must also see Here are the witnesses." The loophole pointed out by Okamoto was also noticed by Ayuko herself. "That's true, that's where my inference doesn't make sense. However, if the criminal gang knows that they were seen by witnesses, then the witness will be a great threat to the criminal gang." "Whether it's the fourth murderer or the third witness, the scene is too lively. According to your inference, maybe the fifth or sixth murderer or witnesses also came out. I think we should start from another Think about the murderer." "Another line?" "The Victim's Line." "The victim's line?" "The people who hate the murderer the most should be the victim's family." "Do you think it's the victim's family avenging the murderer?" "I think it's very likely." "Wait a minute. How could the victim's family know who the murderer is. Moreover, even if he finds out who the murderer is by some means, he may not necessarily take revenge. According to the normal order, the police should be notified first." "Maybe something happened to the victim's family that couldn't follow the normal order and couldn't wait any longer." "Something that can't wait any longer? What kind of thing is that?" "For example, if the family member of the victim has an incurable disease and is on the verge of death, then he cannot wait for the police's search results with peace of mind." "However, how did the victim's family know about the murderer before the police?" "I don't know that. But so far, we have not considered the family of the victim. This is a blind spot in the search." "That's true. The victim had a father." "You met the victim's father, didn't you?" "Yes. It looks like a 70-year-old old man. It may be that the death of his daughter has hit him too hard, which has accelerated his aging process." "Do you feel that there is something wrong with his health?" "No, didn't pay much attention, but looked haggard." "Is his haggardness caused by the pain of losing his daughter and his physical and mental illness? It has been three years since his daughter was killed and he met you. Even if he is sad, three years is enough for him to heal the wound." .” "People have wounds that never heal." "Perhaps the inner pain ate into the body of the victim's father?" "Hearing what you said, I seem to have the same feeling." Ayuko recalled her impression of Fifty Kono when she first met him.His eyes were sunken, and his forehead had deep wrinkles that seemed to have been carved with a chisel.If he was the father of a 21-year-old daughter, even if he married late, he should only be in his fifties or sixties.But at that time, seeing the aging degree of Fifty Gongye, he seemed to be seventy or eighty years old, only the eyes in his deep-set eye sockets still shone with a sharp light. "However, even if Ishikono killed Guzawa and Shengchuan, he shouldn't have any resentment towards my husband and Mrs. Ochiai." "Not necessarily." Okamoto's words seemed to have other meanings. "You said he resented my husband and Mrs. Ochiai?" "According to your reasoning, your husband and Ochiai Zhushi witnessed the crime. For the father of the deceased, he may resent the two witnesses who witnessed his daughter's murder but remained indifferent." "We just discussed how Guzawa and Shengchuan were known to be the murderers. If Ishikono was the murderer, how would he know that my husband and Mrs. Ochiai were witnesses?" "This can only be clarified if we meet him in person. Let's go see Shifu Gongye again." "What did you say when you saw Fifty Kono? Did we ask him that you killed Guzawa and Shengchuan, and where did you hide my husband and Mrs. Ochiai?" "How is it possible to ask that? Let's inquire quietly, what might his reaction be?" "Yes. Let's go see him again." Ochiai frowned as soon as he came out of the hotel gate.The weather was fine when we went out, but suddenly it turned into rainy and snowy weather in early spring, as if it was winter again, and the chill penetrated to the bone.The queues waiting for taxis are arranged like long snakes.Ochiai regretted asking the driver to take the car back.He didn't want to wait for a taxi shivering in the cold spring.However, if you call a car to pick him up now, you will have to wait at least thirty minutes.At this time, he had just attended the inauguration reception for new employees of a company with a cooperative trade relationship, and was planning to go home.Ochiai stood hesitantly at the hotel gate. "Hey, Mr. Ochiai, who are you waiting for here?" A voice of greeting suddenly came from behind, and Ochiai turned his head to see that it was a colleague he met at the reception just now, talking with a smile on his face. "I'm not waiting for anyone. Just let the car go back first, and now I'm thinking about how to go back." Ochiai replied. "Mr. Ochiai's home is in Seijo, right? It's in the same direction as mine. I'll give you a ride." That colleague enthusiastically suggested.For Ochiai, this is a savior in times of trouble.Although there is no wife waiting when I get home, it is better than sleeping in a hotel.Ochiai expressed his gratitude to his colleague and took his car.The colleagues have been sending Ochiai to Chengcheng's doorstep. "Thank you very much for today." Ochiai thanked his colleagues and hurried into the house.After entering the door, I was greatly relieved. Suddenly, Ochiai remembered something.A light flashed in his mind. "you are back." Ochiai didn't answer the old maid who was standing at the door and the maid's granddaughter Axiang, he stood blankly on Sanhe soil.He couldn't hear what the maid was asking.The sudden flash of inspiration illuminated a dark corner of his mind, and Ochiai stared at that place in ecstasy.