Chapter 22 Section 22

Kusanagi parked his car Skyline to the side of the road and compared the navigator with the surrounding scenery.A winding path with many houses on both sides.Between the houses, you can occasionally see some woods and fields. "It should be near here." The houses were built a little away from the road, making it difficult to confirm the street signs next to the houses. "I'll look for it." Utsumi Kaoru got off the passenger seat. Kusanagi opened the car ashtray and lit a cigarette.The car is my own, so smoking will not be restricted by others.Open the window, and the hot summer air immediately poured into the car.

The two have arrived in Hatoya City, Saitama Prefecture.Tsukahara Shoji's home should be nearby. Yesterday, after being called to the Shinagawa office, Tatara's first words were "There must be something wrong with this".Seeing Kusanagi's incomprehensible look, he added: "Xianbo is handsome." "Before I retired, Mr. Tsukahara and I went for a drink together. At that time, I asked him which of the cases he encountered in his life impressed him the most. In fact, I just asked casually at that time, but Mr. Tsukahara has a good memory, but he remembers all the cases and criminals that he personally took over. There is nothing that impresses the most. If I have to say, every case has a deep impression-I was originally I thought he would answer me like that."

However, Tsukahara Shoji's answer was completely beyond Tatara's expectations. "Xianbo Yingjun——After thinking for a while, Mr. Tsukahara named such a person. I was stunned at the time, because I had never heard this name mentioned before. According to Mr. Tsukahara, this person was the After I killed the person who was the former lady sitting on the stage, I only got some impressions. At that time, the case was solved quickly, and there were no problems during the public trial. What impressed me the most from what he said was After such a case, I asked why." However, Tsukahara did not answer Tatara's question at the time.After a while, Tsukahara just shook his head, and said to Tatara: "I just said it casually, don't worry about it."

"I have been a criminal police officer for many years, and it is true that some people do not stick to the size of the case. They always think about the criminals who have been interrogated by themselves. Moreover, many times they can't explain the reasons. So I didn't Ask more. But if Mr. Tsukahara had been to that place before he died, then the matter is another matter. You must help me find out about this matter." After receiving the instructions, Kusanagi immediately took action, hoping to meet this Xianbo.However, after checking and checking, Kusanagi still failed to grasp Xianbo's whereabouts.According to the investigation of Utsumi Kaoru, after serving his sentence, Xianbo was introduced by an acquaintance to work in a waste recycling company in Adachi District, but not long after, that company also closed down.After that, it was no longer possible to find any news about Xianbo.

So what about Tsukahara?Since Tsukahara cares so much about Senba, he should also contact Senba after he is released from prison.Kusanagi originally wanted to investigate Tsukahara's manual and mobile phone, but these things were all at the glass police station. Kaoru Utsumi trotted all the way back to the car. "Found it. Not far ahead. There's a place to park over there." "Thank you." Kusanagi put down the car's handbrake. The place where Tsukahara Shoji lived was a simple two-story wooden building.When they came to the door, Tsukahara's wife Sanae welcomed the two of them into the house very simply.Kusanagi and Utsumi Kaoru were taken to a Japanese room with a view of a small courtyard.Although there is a Buddhist altar in the Japanese room, there is no photo of Tsukahara's remains on the altar.

"I've already contacted the funeral company and asked them to bring the body over tomorrow." Sanae looked haggard, and her voice was weak. Kusanagi said some polite words first, and then told Sanae that Tsukahara's death might not have been a simple accident.Sanae didn't show much surprise.It seems that Duo Liang should have told her the results of the autopsy before. "Ever since I heard the news of his death, I feel that something is wrong. It is impossible for him to fall into the rocky ground after being drunk..." Sanae shook her head, "No, this kind of It's impossible."

Sanae's voice was calm, but there was a strong sense of conviction and will in it.For many years, she has been silently supporting this famous criminal policeman behind his back.In her heart, there must be a strong will that cannot be seen from the outside. Kusanagi told Sanae about Tsukahara's visit to Xianba's house before she died, and asked her if she knew anything.Sanae frowned and thought for a while, with a puzzled expression on his face. "The police in Glasspool also called me and asked me the same question. My husband always missed the cases he had handled in his lifetime. It shouldn't be surprising that such things happened. I’ve never heard him mention the name Xianbo before, so there shouldn’t be any correspondence between him and Xianbo.”

"Will you leave some search materials of Mr. Tsukahara here?" After hearing Kusanagi's question, Sanae shook her head. "Those things should have been burned after he retired. Not only is it useless for him to keep, but it will also involve other people's privacy." "Indeed. That's it..." From Tsukahara's behavior, Kusanagi faintly sensed his serious and stubborn character. "However, there may still be some related things left in his study. Do you two want to take a look?" Then there is trouble.Kusanagi replied. Tsukahara's study is a six-fold Japanese room on the second floor.There was a wooden table by the window, and a bookshelf next to it. Books by Shiba Ryotaro and Yoshikawa Eiji were neatly arranged on the bookshelf, but there was not even a book related to the police.On the bottom shelf of the bookshelf, there are several thick phone books.

With Sanae's permission, Kusanagi opened the desk drawer and looked, but there was nothing related to the case inside. The phone downstairs rang.Sanae said "excuse me", then turned and left the study. Kusanagi took out the phone book on the shelf with a puzzled expression. "Is there a problem?" Kaoru Utsumi asked. "According to the habits of their generation, this thing should be placed next to the telephone landline. However, there is not even a cordless telephone handset in this study." "Well, that's true." "Also, this is the Yellow Pages of the entire Tokyo Metropolis. It was published about a year ago. Now that they have retired from the Metropolitan Police Department, why does Tsukahara still need this thing?"

Kusanagi put the phone book on the desk and started flipping through it.After turning a few pages, he noticed that one of the pages in the phone book had a corner folded.If you look carefully, the numbers of some simple hotels are recorded on it. Most of the addresses are in Taito District and Arakawa District, and most of them live in Nansen.The location is near the Bridge of Tears. Kusanagi and Utsumi Kaoru glanced at each other, flattened the folded corners, and closed the phone book.Just as I put the phone book back on the bookshelf, I heard footsteps going upstairs in the corridor. "It's a call from the Glass Police Station, saying that the county police will send someone over tonight to ask me about my husband. How should I answer them?" Sanae asked.

"Just answer them truthfully as if you were facing us," Kusanagi said. "That's right. By the way, did you two find anything?" "I didn't find anything, I'm sorry." Kusanagi shook his head and stood up, "If you bother me, we will leave first. But, can you lend us a photo of your husband before he was alive? It is best to be able to see Get a picture of what he looks like." "Why didn't you tell Mrs. Tsukahara about the phone book?" As soon as the car started, Kaoru Utsumi asked.She has endured this sentence for a long time. "It's still not certain that the phone book is related to the case. You can't say something uncertain with the family of the deceased. This is the iron rule of being a criminal policeman." "But I think it is very likely that this matter is related to the case." "Not necessarily. Do you think there is a connection between the two events?" "Probably." Kusanagi glanced at Kaoru Utsumi in the passenger seat, and said, "Your answer is really straightforward." "After retiring, Mr. Tsukahara went to get a yellow page to go home. What is the purpose of this? If he did this to investigate the numbers of those simple hotels, then there can only be one purpose." "What purpose?" "Looking for someone." Utsumi Kaoru's answer was still so straightforward, "Perhaps, Tsukahara is looking for a person whose address is uncertain. Then, why is that person's address uncertain?" "Because this person has a criminal record, he has no place to work, and he can't rent a house at the same time...does that mean?" "Is this reasoning thinking a little too jumpy?" "No, I think this reasoning is reasonable. Although it is not yet certain whether Xianbo lives in this kind of hotel, it is very likely that Tsukahara will resume employment immediately after retirement." Therefore, if we continue to search like this, we may be able to find Xianbo——that's what Kusanagi thought in his heart. "May I ask a question?" "what?" "Should we tell the local county police about this? If we tell them, they should come forward and look for Xianbo." "Those guys are not familiar with the place, it would be faster for us to deal with it ourselves." "It seems that you don't plan to tell them. Then, I guess you don't plan to tell them that Tsukahara said that the case that impressed him the most was the Xianbo case?" Kusanagi frowned. "What? Why are you so entangled today?" "Didn't the management officer order you to assist the local county police to the greatest extent?" Kusanagi pouted, sighed and said, "If you just provide them with this information, they probably won't be able to solve the case." "What do you mean by that?" "Last night, I called 'Green Rock Village' and chatted with Tang Chuan." "Calling the hotel? Why don't you call his cell phone?" "I called, but his phone couldn't get through. From what he said, he seemed to have done some kind of experiment, and because of the waterproof performance, he broke the phone. Well, I won't talk about these things. Of course, That guy also knew that someone died in the hotel, but he didn't seem to know the details. So, I told him the current progress of the case and my appointment as a contact person." "Teacher Yu Chuan must have been taken aback, right?" "He was very calm, so he just said, 'That's true'. Although he didn't know that the deceased was a retired detective from the Metropolitan Police Department, he definitely felt that there was something wrong with this matter." "Teacher Tang Chuan thinks so too? He also found something suspicious?" "The problem with the clogs. It is said that the clogs that Tsukahara was wearing at that time fell into the rocky ground together with the body. According to Yukawa, the embankment was built so high that it was difficult to climb up it wearing the clogs." He said that he wanted to express his own point of view, but after all, the police in Japan are very good, and there is no need for a layman like him to intervene, so he didn’t say anything.” Kusanagi recalled the past The mocking tone of Yu Chuan's speech. "He's still the same. Well, did he say he'd like to help with the search?" Seeing that the traffic lights ahead turned yellow, Kusanagi put his feet on the brake pads.After stopping the car in front of the stop line, Kusanagi turned to Kaoru Utsumi in the passenger seat and said, "That's the problem. Guess what he said then?" Kaoru Utsumi rolled his eyes and said, "I won't assist the police in handling cases anymore... right?" "You think so too? I thought so too at the time. But that guy said at the time, okay, although he can't provide me with any important information, he will do his best—" Kaoru Utsumi's eyes rolled again. "Did he really say that?" "Although it was me asking him for help, which I shouldn't have said, I was taken aback myself at the time. I almost didn't ask him what the hell was going on. I was worried that he would be violent again after I said it. , so I held back and didn’t say anything.” "Wise. Then, what is the connection between this matter and your reluctance to inform the county police?" The traffic light turned green, and Kusanagi moved forward. "Before hanging up the phone, Tang Chuan said to me abruptly that this case might be difficult. I asked him what he meant by this, and he began to be vague. For a moment, I seemed to understand something. Surely the fellow knows something besides the clogs. While it may not have gotten to that stage at the moment, there is no doubt that the fellow is interested in the case. After you have spoken to him, you You’ll feel the same way I do.” "I'm well aware of his keen observation for criminal searches..." "Not only about things, but also that guy has outstanding observation skills about people. That guy will be interested in the case, which means that there must be someone around him who holds the key to the case. So I don't think you need to rely on those county police, go to Tang Chuan If it is, maybe the case will be solved faster." Kusanagi glanced at the passenger seat, "What do you think? My guess is right?" "No, the aim is very accurate. In fact, he has helped us solve many cases. But even so, it is not necessary to hide information and not inform the county police, right?" "It's not to completely block all the news, one for another. You think about it, although everyone in our Metropolitan Police Department knows that Tang Chuan is powerful, but in the eyes of other county police, he is just an ordinary It’s just common people. They would never think of asking him to help in the search. Tang Chuan does have a genius reasoning ability, but a clever woman can’t cook without rice. If there is no information in hand, then his ability will be useless It’s over. We are the only ones who will provide him with information. Therefore, although I feel a little sorry for the county police, we must first secure powerful information. How? Now you understand, right?” Kusanagi saw Kaoru Utsumi nodding from the corner of his eye. "Ms. Tang Chuan never mentions the content of the reasoning until he has real evidence. Sometimes he will suddenly ask you to investigate some inexplicable things. Indeed, we may be the only ones who can get along with him. .” "Let's act as hands and feet and let that guy's mind cover for us. Isn't this the usual pattern?" About twenty minutes later, Kusanagi stopped the car on the side of Meiji Road. "You have all the information about Xian Bo's handsomeness, right? Do you have a photo of his face?" "There are only photos of him before he got out of prison." "That's enough. In addition, you bring this thing with you." Kusanagi took out a photo of Tsukahara Shoji from the inner pocket of his jacket, "Then please." Utsumi Kaoru took the photo with a blank face, Kusanagi glanced at her, pointed to the front and said, "Why are you still standing there? What do you think this is?" At the intersection ahead, there is a sign with the words "Bridge of Tears".There are signboards of simple hotels everywhere. what.Kaoru Utsumi picked up the messenger bag and opened the door on the passenger side. "No matter who you are facing, let the other party take a closer look at the photos." After receiving Kusanagi's instructions, Utsumi Kaoru nodded heavily, and slammed the car door hard.