Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen: Journey to Gun Mountain in Kashima
"The police are suspecting father," Mikiko felt heartbroken when she thought of this.At first, she thought it was absurd for the police to consider the honest and decent father whom she absolutely trusted as a suspect.
When she calmed down, she felt that her father was indeed a little abnormal. Because of this, she quickly realized the meaning of Hexi's question like a machine.Although she blamed Kadowaki, the fact that Kadowaki was able to react like this before he gave a specific explanation just showed Kadowaki's suspiciousness.
—Father can't kill—
Mikiko firmly believed in this.But the recent abnormal behavior of her father made her very puzzled. What puzzled her most was his father's three-day trip that started on May 26.She indirectly heard that her father asked for leave, but at that time, her father said that he was away on business.Immediately after that trip, he took his daughter to Mihara.The father explained the trip at the police station, saying that he wanted to enjoy the mountains alone, so he left his daughter at home, and later took his daughter to Mihara to make up for his mistakes.Mikiko thinks her father's explanation is far-fetched. She is Kadowaki's daughter and she knows the inside story.
Mikiko never wanted to disturb her father's personal pleasures, and if Kadowaki had told him that he wished to travel alone, she would not have followed.In the past, Kadowaki always wanted to travel with his daughter. For him, the loneliest thing was going on a business trip alone. Kadowaki never left his daughter at home to go out alone unless he had to.
The travel that is kept secret from Mikiko may only happen when he, as a man, wants to pursue a mysterious pleasure that he does not want his daughter to know.Kadowaki was a well-built man, and he must have made secret excursions, but there was no need for secrecy when climbing alone.If he had that spare time, he would definitely take Mikiko there.
This time, the Men's Association asked for leave without telling Mikiko to climb the steep Northern Alps alone.Although he often climbed mountains when he was young, he has not done such strenuous activities in recent years.This time he was wearing his usual clothes when he left home, and he was still in the same clothes when he came back, but his face was tanned.He did this not so much because he was afraid of his daughter's worry, but as to cover up the real intention of climbing the mountain.
Mikiko was thinking: Mountaineering requires mountaineering clothing and various equipment. Where did my father "arm" him with these things?Maybe Dad used a hotel as a relay station, but why did he have to?
In Zai Di's memory, her father had never climbed a mountain without telling her.This trip does not seem to have a female companion, and the Northern Alps in May is not a place to accompany my girlfriend.
"There must be something else about that trip my father kept from me, but what could it be?"
Mikiko immediately thought of a frightening fact: Junkoshi Murakashi was also killed from the late night of May 26 to the early morning of May 27.My father happened to be in the Northern Alps at the time, and my father had no time to commit the crime—an alibi, in police parlance.It turned out to be infallible, but not normal, so the police came to investigate his case.
"Father is not a criminal! He can't be a criminal. But—maybe father has something to do with the case." Mikiko couldn't shake off these fantasies.
Mikiko began to observe her father.I don't know if Kadowaki noticed it, but Mikiko felt more and more that her father was abnormal.
"Father's heart must be bearing some kind of heavy burden." Mikiko believed that her guess was right.
The Akasaka Bureau's investigation into Kadowaki Hideto's suspicious signs went nowhere, and the Inada Bureau found nothing new.Due to the emergence of Kadowaki, the two investigative headquarters worked together for a period of time, but the contact between them is decreasing day by day, and the detection work is at a standstill.
At present, only the members of Nasugu have not given up their doubts about Kadowaki.
——Why did Kadowaki choose to climb the mountain on May 26 when the cold pool rest center is not yet open and the climbing conditions are harsh?
——Why do you have to camp to survive the cold when you can live in a rest house instead of living there?As long as these two issues are not clarified, no matter how rigorous Kadowaki's proof is, it cannot conceal its abnormality.
In Kadowaki Mikiko's view, apart from these two questions, there is another question, which is "Why did my father climb the mountain without telling me?"
Also, why did he go to Meiyuan again after a short time, why he suddenly went to climb a steep mountain that he hadn't paid attention to for a long time, and why there was about 18 hours of blank time from the evening of the 26th to the noon of the 27th.
The more I think about these questions, the more puzzling I get.
Summer is here, and there is still no progress in the detection work.Once the rainy season is over, the high pressure in Ogasawara will start to move, and there will be continuous sunny days.
Summer is harsh to the detectives who investigate on foot.The success rate of stalking in summer is the lowest, and it is not mosquitoes that hinder stalking, but 110. 110 often receives calls like this: "There is a delirious, ragged man who has been wandering around my house for a long time." Wait for the police to drive on patrol The car blew its siren and went to the scene to have a look, but it was the criminal police who were performing the stalking task.In the summer, such jokes that people can't laugh out often appear continuously.
Still, life is easier when you have a stalker.When the suspects were excluded and there were no targets for investigation, the anxiety and fatigue in the investigative headquarters increased greatly.When the investigation progressed to confirming the innocence of the suspect as the main task, the investigation headquarters was about to be disbanded.The morning and evening routine scouting meetings are nothing but perfunctory.The boss really wanted to give some instructions to his subordinates, but he didn't have specific content, so he had to say some innocuous words of encouragement.The regular meeting at night was even more disappointing. The fatigue, sweat and dust from the day's work were brought into the venue by the scouts.The so-called meeting is just to inform each other that "nothing has been gained", and then everyone looks at each other's dusty face and waits for instructions.Nasu, who was quite capable, didn't know what to say to his subordinates at this time.
It was after such a meeting that Hexi made a strange request.
"Today's meeting is over, everyone has worked hard." As soon as Nasu's voice fell, everyone stood up, and there was a sound of chairs clashing in the room.At this time, Hexi timidly asked Nasu: "Chairman, can you give me two or three days off?"
Nasu was taken aback for a moment, as if he didn't understand He Xi's meaning.Yamaji standing next to Nasu asked:
"You want to ask for leave?"
"Yes. It would be great to give me three days off."
"Are you in poor health?" Nasu looked at Hexi, and finally understood what he meant, but there was still a puzzled look in his eyes.The investigation work is at a stalemate, and it doesn't matter whether you rest or not, but I haven't heard that the case has not been solved yet, and the investigation headquarters has not been disbanded. The investigator who took the main job asked for leave, so of course Nasu had to ask him if he was in poor health.
"No, I'm in good health." He Xi hesitated.
"It's what your relatives have..."
"No, it's not."
"Then why? It's very rare to ask for leave at this time." Nasu asked.In fact, it is not only rare, it is unprecedented, this kind of thing has never happened in the criminal police.
He Xi is still hesitant to reveal his intentions.He regretted that he shouldn't casually bring up the matter of asking for leave at the meeting, maybe someone would think he was showing off.But now he couldn't back down anymore, he said cruelly, "I want to go mountain climbing."
"Mountain climbing?"
"Anyway, there won't be any progress if this continues. It's better to investigate on the spot according to the route Kadowaki said, and maybe we will find something."
It stands to reason that this trip should be considered a business trip, but Hexi is not sure whether the mountain climbing will be rewarding. It can be said that he has the intention of making the trip for nothing, so he asked for leave.
"Field investigation..." Nasu was shocked. He never thought of going to the Northern Alps to track down Kadowaki's whereabouts. Not only that, but neither did the other members of the headquarters.
Mountaineering, a costly and time-consuming recreational activity, has nothing to do with the police. Over time, mountaineering is like climbing to the sky in their hearts.Therefore, when Hexi suddenly mentioned that he wanted to go mountain climbing, everyone present was surprised, although for the police who take the pursuit of criminals as their own responsibility, they should chase criminals wherever they are, even to the horizon.
"Have you ever climbed a mountain?" Nasu asked.
"No, I just went on an outing to Mt. Takao when I was in elementary school."
"Then can you climb the Alps?"
Nasu was a little surprised, and the other detectives who were about to go home also showed the same expression.
"I heard that the mountain roads in the Northern Alps in summer are as easy to walk as the sidewalks in Ginza. There are many villas on the mountain, and there are many people climbing the mountain. I'm afraid it's not a big problem."
"Even so, you..."
"Do you have climbing ropes, ice poles, and hiking shoes?" Tsuji asked.
"Those things are only used when climbing mountains or climbing rocky mountains in winter, and they are not needed in summer." Many mountain roads who are familiar with the situation in the mountains explained.
"On-the-spot investigation? Well——" Nasu nodded, "Maybe you will get unexpected gains, anyway, discussing around the table in the room will not yield any results, then you should go to the scene to have a look." At first he thought Hexi's idea was a bit strange, but after careful consideration, he thought it was a pretty good suggestion.
"Then it's okay to give leave, isn't it?"
"It's not a vacation, I'm sending you on a business trip."
"Business trip? Is that okay? I don't think I'll gain anything from this trip, so it's better to ask for personal leave."
"It's okay if you don't have confidence. Let's go on a business trip. It would be great if Shanlu can accompany you, but the headquarters still needs him, and there are cost issues involved. I can't send two people." Nasu said embarrassingly.In the early days of the establishment of the investigative headquarters, there were many doubts, and the headquarters was full of vitality, and it was justifiable to spend money.Now the investigation work is deadlocked, the work of the headquarters has entered the later stage, personnel have been transferred out one after another, and the cost has been reduced to the lowest level.
It would be very convenient for Shanlu, who is familiar with the situation in the mountains, to go with him, but Shanlu is the oldest criminal policeman in Nasu, and he is indispensable to the headquarters, so he has to assist Nasu in command.If a valuable target is found, it is right to let the mountain road go.But this field investigation was only based on Kasai's idea, so Nasu couldn't let the mountain road and Kasai wander aimlessly in the Northern Alps.
"You have to be extra careful, don't fall and hurt yourself. You are usually steady, so I don't worry, but..." After deciding to go on a business trip to Hexi, Nasu was very worried, fearing that something might happen to Hexi during his trip.
"Don't worry, chief, it's the safest time to climb the Alps this season." Shanlu comforted.
"Why is a man's heart so insatiable?" Mikiko has been thinking about this question over and over again recently.
Mikiko works for Dongdu Travel Agency, which belongs to a large private railway company. Unlike ordinary companies, the "commodity" operated by the travel agency is tourism.
After working, Mikiko didn't feel the excitement and longing for a bright future that she should feel when she first came into contact with new things. What she saw were tourists who were deceived by the tour guide company.
Mikiko's travel agency has 7 to 8 employees to form a basic unit - a group. Each group has 4 to 5 male employees and 2 to 3 female employees.The reason why it is called matching is because the female staff is only a secretary, but it is not a fixed secretary for a male staff, but the secretary of the entire group.The male staff are mainly responsible for publicity work, that is, to promote the travel routes developed by the agency, but they are not the same as general product salesmen. What they sell is an intangible product—tourism.They run around every day, but with little success.What they should have is to induce as many tourists as possible to join the tour group organized by their agency.
They also do work more efficiently by working in groups, so the groups compete with each other even though they belong to the same unit.The head of the company measured the performance of each group by the number of tourists they could mobilize, which made the relationship between the groups very tense.
At first, due to Kadowaki's status, Mikiko was treated as a guest by other employees, and even she gradually realized the cold atmosphere of evaluating work based on numbers alone in the company.
The person in charge of the group is called the director, the three groups form a team, the captain is also the section chief, and the three teams form a department.Being able to be the leader depends on the actual performance, and seniority and education are of little use here.
Mikiko thinks that the company's system is too cruel and ruthless. This kind of system drives employees to work hard and cannot relax at all.Not being able to persist in intense work is tantamount to declaring that one's abilities have declined, and one cannot continue to work in the company, thus becoming a scumbag and the "excrement" of the company.
The male staff endured the torture of work and competed fiercely with each other.The lower-level staff want to become director as soon as possible, the director wants to be promoted to section chief, and the section chief wants to be promoted to section chief.Although they know that rewarding the winners of the competition is only an increase in responsibility and tension, they are still competing fiercely in order not to become scum and not to be "drained" by the company.This kind of survival competition is quite cruel and futile. The winners are not necessarily better than the losers, and the "trophies" they get are also very few.
The director of Mikiko's group is Ohara, a shrewd bachelor under the age of 30.It is said that he used to work in the women's clothing department of a department store, but he hadn't been promoted for a long time. Later, he was asked by a director of Dongdu Tourism Company.Right now, he is trying his best to achieve his goal of being a section chief.He tried his best to take care of Mikiko.Because Mikiko looks beautiful, other members of the group are also taking care of her.But Mikiko quickly mastered her own business by virtue of her strong comprehension, skillfully avoiding their attention.But Ohara's care carried an adhesive force that she couldn't get rid of.Mikiko knows what he cares about her. His concern is mixed with the covetousness of a man for a woman, but his real intention is to open up the channel of his father.
"What a fool, even if he has a relationship with his father, what's the use of it." Mikiko laughed at him in her heart.
In Ohara's eyes, Kadowaki, who had an influence on the Toto Tourist Company, was a very important figure.For Ohara, a clerk who has gone through all kinds of hardships and is at the lowest level, Mikiko is a princess who descended to the earth, that is to say, Ohara, who came from a humble background, sincerely admires Mikiko who came from the upper class.
Mikiko feels at a loss for her admiration for Ohara, and her enthusiasm for him is even more difficult.It's not good for her to be too indifferent to O Yuan, because of work, she bows her head and does not see her when she looks up, and O Yuan is her immediate boss.
Ohara is very good at work and extremely enthusiastic, but he doesn't arouse Mikiko's favor.She feels that Ohara, who regards being able to sign a travel contract and become a section chief as his life goal, has lost his inherent naturalness.
Men work desperately, but in addition to working hard, real men have the ability to flexibly and gently occupy a woman's entire inner world.Ohara does not have this kind of ability, his inner structure is completely different from others, Mikiko thinks he is like an alien.Without knowing it, he just wanted to get close to Mikiko, but Mikiko couldn't tease him.
Ohara dated Mikiko three times, and the last time Mikiko couldn't refuse, because there was no excuse left.Although Mikiko doesn't plan to work in Dongdu for the rest of her life, she doesn't want to make trouble for herself while working, so she reluctantly keeps the appointment.
That night, she had no choice but to go to the appointment, and made a deal with Da Yuanxu.Ohara pretended to be an expert, and led Mikiko to a family that seemed quite famous.This is a pain for Mikiko, she is used to a Western-style life and does not know how to eat on her knees.
The expensive and famous dishes were served one after another, and Mikiko ate them all without knowing their taste.The owner of the restaurant introduced the origin of each dish to them one by one, but he didn't know that doing so would make the female customer's appetite worse.
"Ohara, you're having a great day every day!" Anyway, sitting there was pretty boring, so Mikiko began to mock Ohara in order to get through this time as quickly as possible.
"Do you think so? I'm so happy!" Ohara smiled, and he felt that Mikiko was complimenting him.
"I see in you the image of a real industrialist."
"Really?"
"Really, it can be seen in the spirit of your work."
"I always feel that I don't have enough time. Every job I do will add credit to the company and add to my own achievements."
"Ohara, are you working hard for the company?" Mikiko thinks that only a madman would dedicate his unrepeatable life to the company.
"Isn't being for the company the same as being for yourself?"
"Is it difficult to work?"
"It's nothing difficult. I think that since you're working for this company, you have to share weal and woe with it, otherwise you won't be able to succeed in your career."
"What do you mean by professional success?"
"Elevation in status. A company that sees you as essential must promote you."
"Then, Ohara, haven't you already succeeded?"
"No, no. I have to do more."
"I, I can't understand something about you men."
"Don't understand what?"
"Men work hard and get promoted after doing good work, but doesn't this mean that they have to take on greater responsibilities and take on more difficult jobs? If this is the case, why bother to climb up?"
"This is where men are different from women. Men feel that the more responsibility they have, the more meaningful life is."
"Smell, the meaning of life. But Ohara, no matter how many tourists you attract, once their trip is over, they will leave. Don't you feel empty then?"
"People who feel that way can't make achievements. Does parting mean reunion? As long as you can concentrate on your work, you will be recognized. Society is different from school, and you cannot survive on philosophy in society."
"Then what do you rely on?"
"Strength, in other words, is achievement. I must create unique achievements in the whole company, and then you too..." Ohara stared at Mikiko, and another kind of enthusiasm appeared in his eyes.
Mikiko is the daughter of Hideto Kadowaki. From the perspective of promotion and self-protection, Ohara is not yet ready to take rude actions.Even so, Mikiko felt that it would be better to leave this place as soon as possible, but fortunately, the food was almost finished.
Mikiko resolutely rejected Ohara's request to send her home.As she walked alone, an indescribable sense of loneliness suddenly came to her heart.This feeling does not come from being separated from Ohara.She began to be disappointed in men.It might be premature to be disappointed in a man before she has had a real relationship with him, but the loneliness that hangs over her is precisely this disappointment.
Not long ago, she had developed a crush on three men, and they all competed to propose to her, but before she could reply, the three men disappeared from her sight one by one.Mikiko lost her psychological balance and cooled down.Now only the tenderness of a man who can understand a woman and understand her subtle psychological activities can reinject her with youthful vitality.But Mikiko lives among intriguing men.In the minds of such men, women are just tools to satisfy their physical requirements.Not only that, they will use any means to achieve their own goals, they are rough, but they are very capable of survival.This kind of people all have the same facial expressions and eyes. No matter how sanctimonious they are on the outside, they can't hide the filth in their hearts.
No matter how skillfully Ohara approaches Mikiko, Mikiko can keenly perceive that the passionate expression in his eyes is nothing but an animal-like desire to grab.
Her former strongest protector had been her father, but lately he had alienated her with an unfathomable burden on his soul.As a result, the loneliness felt more like an evil wind blowing into her body.
Mikiko came to Shinjuku listlessly.From here to my home in the suburbs of Tokyo, it takes only 20 minutes by private train.She saw a group of strangely dressed young men and women lined up in the underground passage leading to the private railway from Guodian.
"What are you doing?" Mikiko was taken aback for a moment, but immediately realized that those people were going to climb a mountain and were waiting for the train on the Central Line.
Shinjuku is the starting station of the mountaineering train, and on Saturday nights, there will be a long snake formation of climbers here.Now it is the summer season, and every night there are many climbers crowding in the station to wait for the train.Although it was still a long time before the ticket was checked, the people waiting for the bus in the passage were already standing shoulder to shoulder.People were laughing, as if they were already in the mountains.They came so early, maybe to occupy a seat, maybe because they couldn't sit still at home.
The heat from the young climbers made the underground passage stuffy.Among the hikers in light clothes, there are real climbers in full armor with ice sticks and ropes. They are not as excited as hikers. They lie casually on the passage with newspapers on them. Let's recharge our batteries.
"I'll go mountaineering too." Mikiko looked at them, and the thought came to her. "But, which mountain to go to!" She first thought of Mount Hodaka, but that mountain would remind her of painful memories, and she was not going to go. "What's the name of the mountain that my father went alone? Oh, yes, it's Kashima..." She thought, "My father climbed that mountain that day, which aroused the suspicion of the police. Why did my father climb that mountain alone? The mountain? What did he do on the mountain?" Mikiko seemed to see her father hovering over the top of the strange green mountain.
The idea of climbing a mountain is just a spur of the moment.When he climbed Mt. Hotaka, there were three strong young men who acted as guides for him.Although the Northern Alps has now been developed into a tourist area, it is a high mountain with an altitude of 3,000 meters after all. Once encountering bad weather, Mikiko will not be able to cope.
"Let's go once, even to the foot of the mountain." Mikiko was unwilling to give up the idea just now.She had been to Kamikochi in the summer, and it was as lively as a festival, so she thought that even if the Northern Alps were not so lively, there must be many people going there.
She really wanted to know the general situation of that mountain called Ludao.She remembered that there was a bookstore in the station building outside the station, and if she found a mountain climbing guide book in the bookstore, she could recall the exact name of the mountain her father climbed last time.She stopped in front of the ticket gate of the private railway.
Although the bookstore is about to close, it is still full of people.A man approached the bookshelf that held books on guides and mountain guides, and pulled out a book.Mikiko saw at a glance that "White Horse, No Return, Kashima Gun" was written on the book. "Oh!" She immediately remembered the name of the mountain, and this was exactly the book she was looking for.
Startled by her cry, the man with the book looked up at her.
"Yo!"
"ah!"
The two screamed at the same time.
"It's you!"
"The police also climb the mountain?"
Here Mikiko meets Hexi unexpectedly.
"Are you traveling too?"
"Hey, I want to go to the mountain in the book you took, um, what kind of mountain is Kashima?"
"Oh? You also go to Kashima Gun. What a coincidence. I happen to go there the day after tomorrow. There are too many people taking the evening train. I plan to take the first express in the morning."
"You policemen also climb mountains? That's so unusual."
"I just happened to be going on a business trip in that area. Besides, the police are human beings, and they also need to go hiking often, to rest and rest..." He Xi suddenly stopped talking when he said this.Because this meeting in the bookstore was too accidental, Kasai forgot Mikiko's identity for a while.The encounter with the young woman he has a crush on makes Kasai forget his occupation, and he has the illusion that he is having a private conversation with a bosom friend, and he went to Kashima to shoot just to break through Mikiko's father's defense.
Mikiko sensitively understood the reason why Hexi suddenly stopped talking, that is to say, she understood the real purpose of Hexi's climbing.
"The police still suspect father, and the suspicion is quite deep. They want to go to the mountain where father climbed to investigate father's whereabouts." Thinking of this, Mikiko's face turned pale.
The two of them looked at each other in blank dismay, neither of them spoke again, and the accidental meeting suddenly shrouded in a disharmonious atmosphere.
Hexi has no experience in mountaineering, and only made some preparations for the battle.Shanlu lent him the canvas back bag, waterproof jacket, etc., and these things seem to have been used for a long time.He heard that there is no need for an ice stick in summer, so he didn't prepare for it. In fact, even if he did, he didn't know how to use it.He also familiarized himself with the terrain from Kashima gun to Tang Songyue in advance according to the guide book and map.And just like that, an instant mountaineer appeared.
Now it is the mountaineering season, and the special express train "Azusa No. 1" is overcrowded, most of the passengers are traveling in the mountains, so the luggage racks are almost full of canvas bags and large soft back bags for mountaineering.The people who go climbing are all young people. Although there are some other passengers in the carriage, and it seems quieter than the night train, it is still full of joyful atmosphere of young people determined to conquer the mysterious mountain.Hexi was also infected by this atmosphere, for a moment he forgot the purpose of the trip, as if he felt that he was really going on a vacation trip.
Just two or three minutes before leaving the car, Hexi heard someone knock on the window of the car.He looked out and couldn't help shouting in surprise: "Section Chief!" Because the car window couldn't be opened, he came to the door of the car.
Nasu gasped and said to him, "I'm so glad to see you, I thought I'd miss it!"
"You made a special trip to see me off?"
"You don't have to think about it that way, I'm passing here for work."
Kasai knew that Nasu didn't pass through Shinjuku to go to work, so he said, "I'm sorry for you."
"What's this called? Be careful on the road! It's terrible if something happens. This is a talisman to prevent traffic accidents. Although there will be no traffic accidents in the mountains, my wife said that this thing is very useful, so I will Here it is for you, it may be of some use to you. It may be inconvenient to hold it, but I hope you will take it with you."
Holding the amulet specially sent by Nasu, Hexi felt hot in his heart.At this time, the car bell rang.
"Please pay more attention!" Nasu jumped off the iron plate of the car door.When he spoke, his eyes were full of sincere blessings, as if to say: "Please." He Xi deeply felt the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Notes:
Notes: