Chapter 8 chapter 2

After the first act, the actors all returned to the waiting room, all with serious expressions that were completely different from when they were performing on stage.Kaga didn't know whether it was because of too much effort on the stage or because of the murder, he could only feel the intense panting and the smell of sweat. There was a "Huh?", and Kaga turned his head to see that Mio Asaoka stopped and was looking at him.Kaga nodded, and she walked over. "Thanks for your hard work." Kaga said, but she didn't answer, but asked for help: "Have you learned anything about Oda-sensei's case? Why did the teacher die suddenly?" Then she realized that she had inadvertently dragged He rolled up the sleeves of the policeman's clothes, put them down quickly, said "I'm sorry" in a low voice, and bowed.

"We don't know the details yet," Kaga said. "I haven't recorded a statement for everyone yet." "Ah... that's right." As she said that, Wei Xu blinked her eyes, and the false eyelashes stuck to her eyes trembled slightly.Really like a doll, Kaga thought. "Later, we will make some notes about the incident, and please bear with us." After Kaga finished speaking, Wei Xu nodded slightly and walked towards the lounge.Looking at her back, Kaga touched his cuff, wanting to feel the residual warmth when she grabbed it. Hearing someone calling him, he looked up, and Ota raised his chin to signal him to come over.

They seemed to be checking out the scene during the intermission, but the presence of a few men with keen eyes walking up and down did cause some unexplainable uneasiness to the rest of the audience.Every detective watched quietly. The seat where the incident occurred was located in the middle of the first floor. This seat crossed the entire auditorium and faced the middle aisle. There were no seats in front and a wide view. It can be said to be the best seat for watching dramas.Oda probably also took this advantage into consideration and sat here to watch the rehearsal. Now this seat, of course, including the left and right sides, the rear, and the oblique rear, have posted "no use" notes.

"The audience who bought the special seats are really pitiful." Kaga couldn't help muttering softly. "But you don't need to worry. Takayanagi Jingzi said that in case of regular customers, they took emergency measures and specially reserved a few upper-class seats." "Oh, that's right." Kaga sighed at Ota's words. "Did the local police investigate when they arrived?" "The surroundings of the seats were inspected as carefully as possible before the opening, but nothing was found." "In normal times, I really want to check everything from the stage to the aisle."

"Do you really want to... Really, it's impossible to conduct on-site inspections like this." The audience was completely unaware of the murder that happened here about two hours ago, and all showed expressions of anticipation for the next scene, and trampled on the scene of the murder wantonly. There was a 20-minute intermission. Anyway, there was nothing to do before the end of the stage play. Kaga took out his ticket, found a seat and sat down.The young woman sitting directly behind showed a disgusted expression, obviously feeling that Kaga's height was in the way.He bent forward, trying to keep his seat pressure as low as possible.

The second act begins with a scene in the forest.The prince played by Konno Takehiko appeared on the stage, and he realized Konno's status in the ballet world after hearing the applause from the audience. Since he knew nothing about the plot of the story, Kaga was completely at a loss as to the meaning of the dance drama.He only knew that Prince Konno seemed to have admiration for Princess Akiko, and that Mio Asaoka did not appear. Oda fell down in the third act - Kaga looked back at the case while looking at the dance drama.Does the mark on the back where the poisonous needle has been pricked mean that it was injected by sneaking up from behind?Although this is a bold and reckless act, it is not unreasonable if the prisoner is convinced that the effect of the poison can be instantly fatal.The Shibuya Police Station must have considered this possibility and banned the use of the seat behind the seat at the time of the incident.

If it wasn't for direct injection—— Kaga remembered that mystery novel again.For example, if you fix something like a thumbtack somewhere in advance, you can wait for Oda to pierce his back. Is there a way to do this? While the key point is where that pin is, it's also worth considering when exactly the trick was done.If he fell in the third act, it would have been during the intermission of the previous act, or in the middle of the second act. Konno and Akiko on the stage were still dancing non-stop. If this trick was implemented in the middle of the second act, the suspicion of these two people should be ruled out, Kaga thought.

Just one thing, he thought, although it was possible to stick with a pushpin, what about the poison?In the case of curare poison or aconitum, a little bit of the tip of the needle may kill the opponent immediately, but I always feel that no matter how concentrated the nicotine is, it will not be able to achieve this effect.Even the mystery novel that came to mind just now, Kaga has always been skeptical about this point. First of all, judging by the stain on the shirt, it's not so tiny.It should still be more reasonable to use some method to inject into the body. What method did you use——

Kaga let out a long sigh, as the prince playing Konno was entering the forest to save the sleeping princess. After the second act, Kaga returned to the backstage lounge.The actors were busily moving up and down the corridors, while investigators gathered in the lounge to hinder them.A paper cup filled with coffee was placed in front of Ota, smoking leisurely. "Have you found anything?" Kaga sat down beside him. "How is it possible, we haven't done anything yet." Ota slowly exhaled a halo of smoke towards the ceiling, and said, "It's just that I noticed something."

"What is it?" "Jacket." "Jacket?" "When he died, Oda was wearing a jacket, called a jacket or a leather jacket, or something like that. The ballet members took him off when they brought him here. The jacket or leather jacket just went to the big room. Put it in the living room." "Who let it go?" "Well, I don't know the details now, but there is also a tea-brown stain on the top, on the side of the back against the back." "Isn't it a matter of course if the jacket was on when he fell down?" Kaga said. "That was, it just caught my attention that there was a stain on the inside, but the outside was almost completely free."

"What material is that coat made of?" "It seems to be either silk or linen, but it is a very high-grade material anyway." "Did the appraiser say anything?" "Although it is noteworthy, it is not conclusive." "Well, this explanation is really concise." Kaga made a grimace and mocked, "However, if something has been done, it must be the key." Because the third act was about to start, Kaga got up and was about to go back to his seat, but was stopped by the monitor, Tomii, and told him to come over with Ota.Ota showed a gloating smile, and Kaga made a disgusted expression at him, and followed Tomii. The waiting room where the autopsy had been performed was empty and the body had been removed.Kaga and Ota sat down facing Tomii across the small table. Tomi first asked the two people what their views on this incident were. He might have considered that these two people had been to the Shakugami Department for reinforcements because of the previous self-defense case, and they should have a certain degree of understanding of the Takayanagi Ballet.Of course, Tomii also believes that there must be a connection between the two cases. "To be honest, I don't know anything yet." Ota first stated, "The identity of the deceased has just been found out in that case, and the relationship with the ballet troupe is still unclear. It's just that I think two murders occurred in such a small ballet troupe in a short period of time. It should be assumed that there is some kind of connection. Although I have contact with the members of the dance company, but they give me the feeling that they are hiding something and not telling the whole truth." Tomii nodded "hmm", looked at Kaga and asked, "What do you think?" "I can't say anything about the connection with the previous case." He said, "When it comes to this case, I think it is very surprising that the person who was killed was Oda, because he is very important to the Takayanagi Ballet. character." "Yes, Shizuko Takayanagi told me before, that guy is both a director and an action director, um, and..." "The ballet teacher is also the father of ballet. Akiko Takayanagi is the pillar of the dance troupe's actors, and Oda is the pillar of the director. So if he is not around, it will be very sad for everyone related to the dance troupe. It's a big blow." "You mean that only one person was prepared to kill him?" Tomii stroked his chin with his palm, and the wrinkles between his brows deepened. "It is said that Oda is still single." "Yes, he lives in a rented apartment within walking distance of the dance company." Ota looked at the transcript and explained. "Has he not dated any women?" "Uh, we haven't investigated this far yet." Ota tilted his head. "Is there no connection between him and the girl who was arrested in the previous case?" "You mean Saito Ye Ryuko? No, no relationship has been found between him and Oda." "Her lover is a young dancer named Yagyu Kosuke." Kaga added. "Now, you should be dancing on the stage." "Really, this circle is really small." Tomii smiled wryly, "Is there any conclusion that the Ishigami Bureau is going to deal with Saito?" "In short, I plan to use this period of detention to thoroughly investigate Toshiyuki Kazama, and then decide whether to prosecute... Depending on the situation, it may be punished and reserved." Hearing Ota's words, Tomii said in a melancholy tone, "Things have become troublesome." After Kaga and the others walked from the room to the lounge, they heard warm applause from the audience.Glancing backstage, he became even more uneasy, as if the dance drama had ended. As soon as Kaga came to the aisle, the door on the audience side opened.Although the dance drama was over, very few people stood up, because there was still a curtain call.He turned his eyes to the stage, and all the actors stood together to greet the audience.The three women approached Akiko, Konno, and the conductor of the orchestra with flowers in their hands, and presented them respectively. Although the curtain was closed once, it was opened again because the applause never stopped.Akiko and Konno, including Yagyu and Mio were also there.Wei Xuhe had changed his clothes when he saw it just now. The light blue background of this dress was embellished with golden embroidery, which made people feel elegant and charming. It should be called Princess Florina—she dressed up like this added a radiance to Kaga's eyes. Although the performance is over, the actors still need to change their clothes, and the related equipment on the stage also needs to be cleaned up. It is almost 11 o'clock when the recording begins. Investigators used several rooms to take statements separately.Because Ota and Kaga are familiar with the actors in previous cases, they are mainly responsible for interrogating them. The first one is Konno Takehiko.He may have flushed a little because the performance had just ended, but he still looked a little nervous when he told the story of Oda's death. "I didn't notice at all. We saw Wei Xu and the others dancing at the side door of the stage, ready to go on stage after them. Wei Xu suddenly called out, and that's when I just knew what happened." "In your memory, when was the last time you saw Oda alive?" "It should be before Wei Xu and the others came on stage, it was just before Puss in Boots danced. At that time, the teacher corrected my movements." Ota should have thought about this question for a while, but Konno answered without thinking. "At that time, did Oda's actions leave a special impression on you? For example, who did you talk to?" Kaga asked him, and he closed his eyes and shook his head. "I just remember him staring in the direction of the stage the whole time." Afterwards, Kaga and the others asked about Oda's actions today and recent trends. Konno said that he didn't seem to be particularly impressed by anything. "What must be said is Ye Liuzi's matter." He added, "He still seems to be very worried about this matter, of course not only him, but also all of us." "Did Oda say anything about that case that left an impression on you?" Anything is fine, Kaga said, but Konno replied that he couldn't think of it. Finally, when Ota asked him about his whereabouts today, Konno seemed a little unhappy, with his mouth crooked, he began to narrate reluctantly.Its content is briefly summarized as follows: today he was in the backstage lounge before the second act, and after the second act, except for the intermission and a small part of the third act, he was on the stage. The one behind him who asked questions was Akiko, who also didn't ask anything that Konno didn't mention.Maybe it's because she just finished a dance drama, she looks a little emotional. "It's unbelievable. Mr. Oda will be killed. Could it be an accident?" "Although that possibility cannot be ruled out, according to our investigation, it was not an accident or death." After listening to Ota's words, she sighed deeply, and nodded her head silently two or three times. I also asked her where she was going today. Her schedule was tighter than Konno's. She stayed on stage except for intermissions. Kaga exclaimed, "It's amazing." Princess Aurora in 'Beauty of the Forest' was a special test of the body." Yagyu Kosuke followed Akiko.After sitting down, Liu Sheng glared at the two detectives and the first thing he said was: "Why are you guys again?" "That's what we should say." Kaga replied, Ota snickered beside him. "Is Ye Liuzi in good health? If you lose a little weight when you come back, I won't let you off." "Today's case may also be related to Ye Liuzi. In order to save her, you have to help us." After Ota finished speaking, Yagyu turned his head, "I didn't say I wouldn't help you." There may be resistance, Yagyu's answers to the detectives are very sharp and mean, especially what caught Kaga's attention was his answer when asked about Oda's shirt. "Your coat is wet?" Kaga repeated. "Well, maybe it's just after class, the teacher picked up the jacket that was on the chair and found it a little wet." "Class?" Ota asked. "It's the basic course." Kaga said. "You know quite a lot." Liu Sheng opened his eyes showing admiration. "I have learned a little bit, let alone this, why are you wet?" "I don't know, maybe someone accidentally spilled something on it. Anyway, it's just something like water, so I'm going to put it on the corridor outside the lounge to dry." "Hang up your clothes?" "Yeah, at the end of the second act, it seemed to have dried out, so the teacher put it on again." Kaga and Ota glanced at each other, if the murderer had done anything to the jacket, it would be about this time. After asking this question, he asked a few more specific questions, and then allowed Liu Sheng to go out. "Who poured water on Oda's coat, it is necessary to find out." Kaga said. "That's what I said, but if this is the murderer's work, it will definitely not be easily seen by others. We should confirm everyone's actions." After Ota finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.Kaga answered and opened the door, and Mio Asaoka's uneasy expression was revealed in the gap. Mio was the first person to notice that Oda was acting a little abnormally, so Kaga's question started from here.She calmed down her nervousness, blinked and began to talk about the situation at that time. "Oda's scolding sound is gone, so you feel that something is wrong...Is that right?" Kaga stopped recording and confirmed again. "Yes, the teacher used to remind us no matter how good we danced." "I see, so you didn't look at Oda before that, did you?" "Well, we tend to focus our eyes on further directions in general." Kaga nodded.In this way, the girl's eyes seem to be looking into the distance all the time, maybe because of this reason. "Do you have any clues about Oda's death?" "The clues that come to mind..." "Anything is fine." Then Wei Xu looked down, his lips trembled slightly, and he shook his head. "I can't think of it. We all respect the teacher very much. Although he is very strict with us, he is a very considerate and caring person outside the training ground." "During training, did he have any disagreements with the actors?" "No, we have always believed that it is right to do what the teacher said, and so far we have achieved success after doing what the teacher said. Everyone is very sad about the death of the teacher." Kaga sighed, paying attention not to be discovered by Wei Xu.Despite what she said, there are people who are not at all sad about Oda's death. He then asked her the same questions as Konno and Akiko, but Mio's answers were hardly noteworthy. "Excuse me……" Wei Xu glanced at the faces of the police officers, his eyes rolled upwards. "What?" Kaga asked. "The teacher's cause of death is... what?" Kaga looked at Ota.He scratched the corner of his eye with his little finger and shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, it's inconvenient for us to disclose it now." Kaga said, "before the truth comes to light." "That's right." She didn't seem to expect to get an answer, so she didn't look particularly disappointed, and kept looking down at the ground. Kaga faced Ota and asked him if he had anything else to ask.Ota supported his head with one hand, and waved the other hand. "It seems that Kaga is particularly enthusiastic this time." Just when he was about to answer the senior's words, Wei Xu let out an "ah". "What's wrong?" "Oh, although it's not a very important thing... I remember that when we started dancing, the teacher should be standing on the aisle and watching us." "Stand?" "Well, then I noticed him again and he was already sitting on the chair... or rather fell on the chair." "Are you sure?" "Well, it should be possible." At the same time Wei Xu answered, Ota stood up and quickly opened the door and walked out. The testimony of Asaoka Mio was unanimously recognized by other dancers, especially Takako, who played the role of Puss in Boots before Mio, gave affirmative testimony. "Yes, when we were dancing, the teacher stood in the auditorium aisle, watching the stage with his wrists crossed, because I couldn't help but look at him when he corrected my movements, so I remember it very clearly." Other actors besides her also expressed roughly the same meaning. It seems that Oda has been standing since the beginning of the third act, and only sat down when Wei Xu and the others entered the stage. "Judging from the position of the wound on the back, it seems likely that the poisonous needle that was originally fixed was stabbed the moment I sat on the chair. On the contrary, if you want to inject the poison from the back, it is a hindrance to keep leaning on the chair. Rather unlikely." The appraiser wearing black-rimmed glasses sat in the auditorium and gave a demonstration, while Kaga and his party surrounded him.It was past 12 o'clock at midnight.After the relevant personnel went back first, they began to conduct another on-site investigation. "If you fix the poisonous needle, how exactly do you do it?" Officer Tomii sounded like he was talking to himself. "I think it should still be an article on the coat." Kaga said, "Although it is possible to tamper with the chair, it may be discovered before Oda sat down. The murderer should have hidden the needle under the inner layer of the coat. It is completely understandable that the coat got wet. It became a trick used to hide drug needles." "I feel the same way," Ota said. Tomii nodded and looked at the appraiser. "Would injecting poison at the instant of a needle work on clothing?" "Although it needs to be discussed to know, I personally think it is feasible." "In this case, wouldn't the person wearing the coat feel anything wrong?" "It depends on how clever the technique is, but that coat is a jacket type, and when you put it on, there will be a gap between the clothes and the back. If the needle length is about 1 centimeter, you may not feel it, and it's like just now. As Detective Kaga said, hiding inside the inner layer is a very convincing idea, because from this point of view, why there is a tea-brown stain on the inner layer but not on the outer layer can also be explained. .” "So that's how it is, that's how it is." Fu Jing nodded in satisfaction, "No matter when he moved his hands and feet, can you know when he canceled this trick?" "It's not clear yet." A criminal policeman who belongs to the backbone of the Fujing team said, "Who first proposed to take off the coat when carrying the corpse, and who put it there after taking it off? Looks like it's all over the corpse." "This is the clever move of the prisoner, but relatively speaking, his location was chosen too hastily, so the prisoner is obviously locked in the personnel related to the ballet troupe." Many people agree with Tomii's words. It is true that the space is specific and the crowd is limited to these few people. This view is still very appropriate. However, Kaga didn't think it was the murderer's negligence. The reason why Fu Jing said that was because he didn't know how isolated the world of ballet was.The murderer must have weighed all the opportunities that he and Oda could come into contact with, and felt that it was the most extensive in terms of space and personnel relationship, so he chose today's situation to attack.