Chapter 14 Section 1

There was nothing interesting in the morning papers, and Shunsuke Kusanagi browsed the sports section while drinking milk from a paper package through a straw.The "Yomiuri Giants" he supported were overturned by their opponents in the ninth round.He twisted his face, closed the newspaper, then reached into his pajamas, and scratched his waist. The sunshine in May shines on the table, on which there is a box of instant noodles after eating.Since the golden week, the weather has been sunny. Kusanagi sucked up the milk with a "chichi" and threw the empty carton into the trash basket next to him.The trash basket made of rattan was already full, but after he threw it like this, some trash overflowed.Empty bento boxes from convenience stores, sandwich wrappers, etc. after eating.He hardly ever cooks for himself, and the trash can is mostly left over from the convenience food.

He casually picked up the trash, and by the way, looked around his room with one bedroom and one kitchen—the quilt was not folded, and there was no place to stand on the floor except for the aisle.He couldn't help sighing: In this case, even if he has a girlfriend in the future, he wouldn't dare to bring her back. He hesitated, whether to clean it, and just got up to make a phone call.He found the wireless telephone extension among the mountains of weekly magazines. It was Yuri Morishita calling, she is Kusanagi's older sister. "Why are you? Old lady." "Don't be impatient. If it's not something, I don't want to call you. It's because I have no choice." Lily said eloquently.Kusanagi has been willing to bow down to her sharp teeth since she was a child.

"Understood, what are you talking about?" "Aren't you going to work today?" "Excellent, how do you know?" "Mom told me." "So this is ah." Kusanagi's parents are still alive and live in Edogawa Ward. 3 days ago, he just talked with his mother on the phone to discuss the practice. "I have something to discuss with you. Can you come to Shinjuku around two or three o'clock this afternoon?" "Today? Immediately? In such a hurry?" "It's really urgent, so it's settled, anyway, you don't have a date."

"Then date you, old lady? It's so boring." "Don't be afraid. I don't have time to date you alone. I'll take a girl there. You should have a good talk with her." "Oh?" Kusanagi felt a little moved when he heard the girl, "How did you know each other?" "She is my friend's younger sister." After finishing speaking, Lily added, "She is a beautiful woman. I heard that she used to be a hostess lady. She is about 5 years younger than you." "Huh?" Kusanagi became more and more interested, "Age doesn't matter."

"So you're willing to see her?" "Do I have any other options' What's bothering her?" "Yes, I have encountered a lot of trouble. As soon as she told me about the matter, I thought it would be most appropriate to discuss it with you. You must come. I believe you will be of great help." "Okay, got it. So what are we going to talk about?" "Let's talk about it slowly after we meet. All in all, it's a disappearance incident." "Missing? Who is missing?" "Her husband." In the coffee shop of a high-rise hotel near the west exit of Shinjuku Station, Kusanagi and Lily met.Lily and the others arrived first, and when Kusanagi came in, Lily waved at him.There was a woman sitting next to her. She was indeed young and beautiful, but she still had the steady aura of being a married woman.Kusanagi thought to herself, it would be great if she was not married yet.

Lily introduced them. The woman's name was Yayoi Kanzaki. "I'm sorry to bother you on your day off." Yayoi lowered her head. Lily sitting next to him said, "You don't have to be polite to him, anyway, he has nothing to do right now." "I heard that your husband is missing?" Kusanagi went straight to the point. "Yes." Yayoi nodded. "When did it start?" "5 days ago. He went to the company that day and never came back." "5 days ago...did you call the police?" "I have reported to the police, but until now, there seems to be no clue..." She lowered her head and replied.

According to her introduction, her husband Toshiyuki Kanzaki works as a service engineer in a health care equipment company, mainly responsible for equipment maintenance in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.She said that her husband is rarely in the company, and basically drives around in a light van during working hours.According to people in the company, he left the company in the afternoon 5 days ago and disappeared with his car and people. "The company has investigated all the places where my husband may have been, but his whereabouts are still unknown. It seems that he left a nursing home at 5 pm, and then went nowhere.

Yayoi seemed to be trying to keep herself calm, which could be felt from the way she tried to suppress her voice.Still, Kusanagi noticed redness around her eyes. "As long as there is no traffic accident..." Lily said with some anxiety. "Although we can't say for sure yet, I think the possibility of a traffic accident is relatively low." "yes?" "Because after receiving the missing report, the first thing the police have to do is to compare the traffic accident information across the country. Every traffic accident related to a light passenger car should have been investigated, unless the accident happened in a very remote countryside. .But the place where your husband last appeared was Hachioji."

After listening to his explanation, Lily nodded and whispered, "That's right." "Is it possible that your husband ran away from home? Is it impossible at all?" "Impossible," she shook her head, "I can't think of any reason for him to do this, and besides, would anyone run away from home wearing a single shirt?" "Then is there anything missing from your home? For example, passbooks and the like." "The police asked the same question. I searched and found that nothing was missing. At least he didn't take anything of value."

"Really?" Kusanagi nodded. But this does not completely rule out the possibility that he ran away from home.Kusanagi knows that there are many people who leave suddenly without taking anything, and those planned disappearances often do not reveal their intentions in advance. They will skillfully transfer bank deposits and take away the valuables at home bit by bit. . "I understand what you said," Kusanagi said, "But frankly speaking, I don't think I can help. Since you have already called the police, let's wait for the news from there." "How can you be so unenthusiastic?" Lily squinted at him.

"I'm just a policeman. What I can do, the local police will do; conversely, if the local police can't do it, I can't do it either." He swallowed a sentence: My job But investigating a murder case is not such a trivial matter. Lily was silent, the air was a little stagnant.Kusanagi drank the already cold coffee by himself. "Actually..." Yayoi raised his head and stared at Kusanagi's face, "There is one thing that I doubt." "What's up?" "After my husband left Hachioji's nursing home, he may have stopped by someone's home." "Oh... where?" "Before, he sold water purifiers and often went to other people's homes." "and then?" "He seems to have a close relationship with a single old lady. In addition to repairing the water purifier, he often stops by her house. According to him, the old lady's legs and feet are not good, and her heart is not good. He can't help but compare her to her. care." "After he stopped selling water purifiers, did he often visit her?" "Probably once a month. Sometimes, he would bring back the dim sum buns given to him by the old lady." "Where does that old lady live?" "Fuzhong." Yayoi opened the bag, took out a postcard and put it on the table. It was written in beautiful pen calligraphy, and the sender column said "Takano Hideo", and the address was indeed Fuchu. "Have you contacted Ms. Takano?" Kusanagi asked while flipping through the postcard. "I called her home." "What did she say?" "This..." Yayoi lowered her head, looking hesitant, then raised her head again, "She died, just a few days ago..." -------------------------------- Note: