Chapter 27 Section 27

A few minutes before ten o'clock in the evening, Kaoru Utsumi called.At that time, Kusanagi was in Sasaya.He pulled his Skyline over to the side of the road and picked up the phone. "Couldn't you be on the phone more often? How many hours has it been since you got off the bus in the valley?" "Sorry, I was so busy walking around that I lost track of time." "You have been around until just now?" "Yes. I almost asked all the simple hotels around me. I'm exhausted." As he said this, Kaoru Utsumi's voice still sounded very energetic.Kusanagi couldn't help sighing secretly, this guy is really amazing.

"You have been around for so long, I guess you should have gained something, right?" Kaoru Utsumi paused for a moment, then replied, "It can be regarded as a little gain." "Okay, where are you now?" "I'm heading towards Asakusa." "Asakusa? What are you doing in Asakusa?" "Go to dinner. I haven't had time to eat before. There's a nice restaurant in Asakusa." "Okay, I'll go too, just tell me how to get there. I'll treat you to this meal." "Really? If that's the case, then I'll change to another one."

"Don't push my nose on my face. Tell me quickly, what's the name of that restaurant?" After finding out the name of the store, Kusanagi confirmed the location with the navigation and started the engine. The restaurant that Utsumi Kaoru mentioned is located next to Azuma Bridge, on the side of the small road between Edo Road and Sumida River.Coincidentally, there is a coin-operated parking lot not far in front of that place. Kusanagi and Utsumi Kaoru sat facing each other across a dining table designed to resemble a huge log.Because Kaoru Utsumi recommended the beef tongue set meal, Kusanagi also ordered the same one.

"Okay, let's talk about the results of your investigation." Kusanagi pulled the ashtray in front of him and lit a cigarette. Kaoru Utsumi took out a navy blue manual from his satchel. "Mr. Kusanagi, your reasoning is very accurate. Tsukahara is indeed looking for Xianba Yingshou. He holds a photo of Xianba, and whenever he meets someone, he asks if he knows the person in the photo. Today alone, I went from nine hotels I heard the same information. Other hotels also said that although they didn’t know who Tsukahara was, there was indeed a man in his sixties who visited their hotel before.”

Kusanagi breathed on the ceiling. "It seems that there should be no mistakes. Alright, what's next? Did Tsukahara ask about Xianba's current residence?" Kaoru Utsumi looked up at Kusanagi and shook his head. "I guess he didn't find out. Because of this, he found so many hotels to inquire about." "That is to say, many people have seen Tsukahara around the Bridge of Tears before, but no one has seen Xianbo?" "I also let them see the photos of Xianbo, but no one said they saw them." "It's not what I expected." The waiter brought the food.On the huge dinner plate, there were seven pieces of beef tongue.Surrounded by plates of yam paste, wheat rice, salad, and oxtail soup.

Kusanagi put out the cigarette in the ashtray: "It looks like it should taste good." "Mr. Kusanagi, when you were in the valley, you guessed that I couldn't find any news about Xianbo?" "Basically. Even if Xianbo was homeless, I don't think he would have gone there. It was a long time ago when homeless people went to simple hotels in the valley. Nowadays, that The place has become a designated accommodation place for foreign travel friends who enjoy cheap Japanese travel. Therefore, the accommodation fee has also increased a lot, and it is not affordable for people without work. Tsukahara has retired for a while, he probably The situation is no longer clear. In other words, he knew this, but he still decided to investigate. It is said that Tsukahara was a criminal policeman back then, and he did this to avoid negligence."

Kusanagi took a bite of the beef tongue, and couldn't help saying "delicious".The texture and taste are simply fabulous. "Damn, I really want to have a beer." "In these days, people who have no jobs are probably transferred to Internet cafes." Kusanagi poured the yam paste on the barley and nodded. "Does it need to be said? Nowadays, no matter young or old, once they become refugees, the first place they will go to is the Internet cafe. Compared with the simple hotels in the valley, not only the price is cheap, but also overnight. Some The Internet cafe also has a bathroom—oh, this yam and wheat rice tastes pretty good too.”

"Then, I'll go to the Internet cafe tomorrow. Then again, why is Tsukahara looking for Senba?" Kusanagi took a sip of the oxtail soup and clicked his tongue.Afterwards, he reached out and took out the manual from the pocket of his coat that was on the seat next to him, and flipped through it. "I went to the Ogiki Office and investigated the records of Senba when he committed the crime. Since it was a murder case, an investigation headquarters must have been established at that time. Tsukahara teamed up with an inspector named Fujinaka. Now that person is still in the Ogiki office, but he went home to recuperate due to illness. I called to inquire about the situation, and the person said that meeting him was not a big problem, so I went to Fujinaka's house Let me tell you, don’t be intimidated. They live on the 30th floor of a small high-rise building. His wife is in the massage industry. The Tsukahara’s house, who only went there during the day, is also a criminal policeman. People, the disparity in family circumstances is really big enough.”

Fujinaka Hiroshi is about fifty-five or sixteen years old. Although he is not too old, perhaps because of his thin body, he feels as if he has entered old age.It is said that he has been suffering from heart disease, but this is not the cause of his thin body.In fact, he originally had the kind of physique that would keep him from gaining weight no matter what he ate. "I remember that case. Although I formed a team with Tsukahara Police Department, I was of little help until the case was resolved. It is precisely because of this that I have such an impression of that case. Deep." Saying that, Fujinaka narrowed his eyes.The measured tone in which he speaks reminds one of a teacher in school.

"When Tsukahara-san arrested Senba, weren't you with him?" "No. I was in another place at the time. What a pity. If I had gone with Tsukahara-san, I would have been able to witness the arrest with my own eyes." It seemed that he didn't think the murderer would be caught by him.Kusanagi felt a little unbelievable, he didn't expect there to be a policeman like Fujinaka in this world. "You said just now that you were of little help until the case was resolved. So, after this case is over, do you still have any contact with Mr. Tsukahara at work?"

"The contact is not completely absent, but at best, it is just to lead the way or something. The circumstances of that case are very simple, and there is no doubt in the criminal's confession, and all aspects of the situation have confirmed the truth of the criminal's statement .But there is one thing, but I still can't figure it out." "What's up?" "Location." Fujinaka replied immediately, "The victim's body was found on the streets of Ogaki. It was a very ordinary residential area. According to Xianbo's confession, he and the victim were in a nearby park at the time. After chatting for a while, the other party laughed at him, turned around and was about to leave, but he chased after him and stabbed him." "I've read the information about the case. What do you think you don't understand?" Fujinaka straightened his back and said, "I don't understand why the location is there. The victim, Nobuko Miyake, lived in Kiba, Koto Ward, while Senba lived in an apartment in Edogawa Ward. From the distance, Both of them live less than ten kilometers away from each other. Why did they choose Diqi, which is in the opposite direction when they meet?" "Regarding this point, Xianbo has already explained in his confession. Xianbo said at the time that he wanted to ask Miyake out, but the other party said that he was in Ogiki. If there is anything, let Xianbo go to find her." Fujino nodded. "Xianbo said that he didn't know why Miyake went to Ogaki. At that time, he only thought about getting Miyake to pay back the money, so he didn't care so much. Therefore, when investigating the case, we decided to investigate Let’s take a look at Miyake’s whereabouts. For example, what places did Miyake go to before meeting Xianbo, and what did she do when she went to Ogiki. At that time, we walked around the street for a long time. Although we caught it quickly before The murderer, but the subsequent process was very long. No, it was not only a long time, but nothing was found in the end. What I didn’t understand until the end was this matter.” "Is this really that important?" "To be honest, I don't think it's very important. The murderer confessed to the crime, and there is nothing contradictory in the content. Even if there are some unclear points, there is nothing to tangle with. However, Mr. Tsukahara did not give up. He not only went to inquire with me, but also often investigated the situation of the victim by himself. After the judgment of the trial was handed down, he came to greet me. At that time, I saw his expression as if At that time, I felt that he, a conscientious criminal policeman, was fundamentally different from me." When he spoke, Fujinaka was like a retired veteran recalling the past, with a calm expression on his face smile. After listening to Kusanagi's narration, Kaoru Utsumi picked up the chopsticks that he had put down before. "That is to say, what Tsukahara suspected was not Xianbo, but the victim's whereabouts?" "According to Fujinaka, the situation is like this. But I have always wondered why Tsukahara is so entangled in this point? It is true that sometimes it is necessary to deeply understand the hidden truth behind the case, but not all things In addition, the whereabouts of the victim before the incident, logically speaking, should have nothing to do with the case itself. Even so, Tsukahara is still entangled in this matter, there must be a reason." "what is the reason behind the scene……" "Perhaps, Tsukahara felt that if this point could not be ascertained, the truth of the case would not be revealed. In other words, what Xianbo said was not all the truth, he was actually lying——when writing the confession report, Tsukahara may have such a feeling in his heart." "Is there any basis for it?" "No. Maybe it was just told to him by the detective's intuition during the interrogation." "Since you think Xianbo is lying, why didn't Tsukahara go further into the matter during the interrogation?" "I'm afraid it's because he doesn't have conclusive evidence. There are no contradictions in the confession, and the situation has been confirmed. If this is the case, he can't go any further. Judging from the records, the whole There is nothing strange about the case. The only problem is why the victim went to Diqi at that time, but since Xianbo can't explain it, then this is no longer a big problem." Kusanagi ate a piece of beef tongue that was slightly cold, and took a mouthful of rice with yam and grated wheat.He patronized and said before that he didn't even have time to taste the taste of the food. "Why don't we investigate the situation of the victim, Nobuko Miyake?" Kaoru Utsumi said. Kusanagi took a sip of the oxtail soup and nodded. "It's exactly what I want. Let's investigate tomorrow. But having said that, it may be quite difficult to investigate these things. After all, Tsukahara has also investigated before." "Then I will continue to investigate the situation about Xianbo." "Are you going to try your luck at an Internet cafe with Tsukahara and Senba's photo?" "Can't you?" Kusanagi curled his lips, tilted his head and said, "It's not impossible..." "What?" Utsumi Kaoru cast him a challenging look. "There is a simpler and more effective way than this. To find a homeless person, it is more convenient to ask them when they all gather together than to go to Internet cafes one by one." "Wait until they get together?" "Even those who live in no fixed place and have no fixed occupation... No, it is because of their status that they gather somewhere. The reason why people on the streets can survive is thanks to What about that place?" Kaoru Utsumi thought for a while with a serious expression.Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and asked, "You mean cooking for disaster relief?" "Exactly." Kusanagi smiled slightly, "There should be quite a few volunteer groups nearby who regularly organize cooking and disaster relief activities." "You borrowed this idea from me for the time being. I have to investigate it as soon as possible." Kaoru Utsumi wrote a few strokes in the manual. "What should I do here? The victim seems to be from Chiba, but she has cut off contact with her hometown and relatives a long time ago. Although Miyake was a desk lady before, she wants to come to those shops where she worked. , I’m afraid it’s already closed. Even if it’s still open, no one will remember a person who sat there decades ago.” From records at the time, the motive for the crime appears to have been money related.Therefore, the police also investigated Nobuko Miyake's financial situation during his lifetime.She has almost no savings in the bank and has to pay by card for everything.After the incident, the police also found many people who said they had lent money to Miyake. "On the eve of the incident, the victim and Xianbo went drinking together. It was because the manager of the tavern knew Xianbo very well that the subsequent arrest was so smooth. Why don't we go to that tavern?" "Well, that's a good idea. But after all, it happened fifteen years ago. I don't know if that tavern is still there." "I think the possibility that the tavern is still there is greater than the possibility that the bar where Miyake was seated back then is still there." "That's right. Well, let me borrow your idea for a while. I remember that the location of the tavern seems to be in Ginza. Why don't you just go and see it later." Utsumi Kaoru smiled: "Now, you and I are even." "Stop talking nonsense. You owe me a lot." Kusanagi picked up a cigarette. After leaving the restaurant, Kusanagi's cell phone rang as soon as he walked to the automatic payment machine in the parking lot.The other party is calling from a public phone. "It's probably from that guy." After speaking to Kaoru Utsumi, Kusanagi answered the phone, "Hello?" "I'm Yukawa. Is it convenient for you to talk now?" "I just had dinner. Utsumi was with me too. What's the matter?" "Things have progressed a little bit. I can't explain the situation to you in detail now, but I have discovered a person who may be related to the case." Kusanagi couldn't help but tightened his grip on the phone: "Can you identify that person as a suspect?" After a pause for a few seconds, Tang Chuan said, "That's your freedom." "OK. Who's that guy?" After a short silence, Tang Chuan said, "It's the operator of this hotel." "Huh?" Kusanagi couldn't help exclaiming, "Hotel? Uh, what's the name of the hotel you live in...?" "'Green Rock House'. The name of the owner is Shigeharu Kawabata. He seems to have been working as a company employee in Tokyo before he inherited the hotel. About this person... No, I would like to trouble you to investigate this person and his family. Details."