Chapter 3 Section 3

Along the gentle slope, there are row after row of mansions.Just under the light of the street lamps, it can be seen that every household is decorated extremely elegantly.It seems that this neighborhood is not for those who buy a detached house and almost lose their fortune. Seeing several patrol cars parked beside the road, Kusanagi said, "Driver, just park here." Getting out of the car, he looked at his watch as he walked.It was past ten o'clock in the evening.Kusanagi thought to himself, there is still a show I want to watch tonight.It was a domestic movie that he couldn't make it to the theater to watch in time. Later, when he heard that it would be broadcast on TV, he resisted not going to the disc rental store to rent a DVD to watch.I just received the task and went out in a panic. I forgot to set the automatic recording.

Perhaps because of the late night, there were no onlookers in sight.It seems that the people from the TV station have not yet been killed.There was a hint of expectation in his heart, hoping that the case would be resolved smoothly on the spot. The police officer in charge of security stood outside the gate of the mansion where the incident was reported with a serious face.Kusanagi showed him the police handbook, and he nodded to Kusanagi and said hard work. Kusanagi looked inside the house before entering, and the voices of the people in the house could be heard on the street.All the lights in the room seemed to be on.

A figure stood by the fence.Although the light was dim and he couldn't see clearly, Kusanagi deduced who it was from his petite body and hairstyle.He walked over to the man. "What are you doing?" Hearing his voice, Utsumi Kaoru didn't show the slightest surprise, and slowly grabbed his face towards him. "Thank you." There was no cadence in her tone. "I'm asking you, what are you doing here if you don't go into the house?" "It's nothing." Kaoru Utsumi shook his head expressionlessly, "I just looked at the fence, the flowers and plants in the garden, and those flowers on the balcony."

"balcony?" "It's over there." She pointed upwards. Kusanagi looked up and found that there was indeed a balcony on the second floor, and many flowers and leaves had protruded from the edge of the balcony.But this is not a particularly rare sight. "Don't say I'm long-winded, let me ask you, why don't you go into the house?" "Because there are a lot of people inside and the population density is quite high." "Is it because you hate crowded places?" "I just think it's meaningless for a large group of people to observe the same place, and it will hinder the work of the forensic department, so I decided to go around the yard first."

"Are you on patrol? It's just for viewing flowers, right?" "I've just checked around." "Okay, have you seen it live?" "I just said, not yet. I turned around and came out as soon as I entered the entrance." Seeing that Kaoru Utsumi answered so naturally, Kusanagi looked at her face puzzled.He always thought that it was an instinct of the criminal police to hope to arrive at the scene earlier than anyone else.However, his common sense does not seem to apply to this young female detective. "I understand your thoughts. All in all, you come with me first. There are many things that are best seen with your own eyes."

Kusanagi turned and walked towards the gate, and she silently followed behind him. The room was indeed filled with a room full of investigators, including criminal police officers from the precinct police station, as well as Kusanagi and their colleagues. Seeing Kusanagi, the junior Kishitani said to him with a wry smile, "It's really hard for you to come to work so early." "Come on. I said, is this really a murder?" "This is still unclear at the moment, but the possibility is not low." "What's the matter? Tell me briefly." "To put it simply, the male owner of this family died suddenly, alone in the living room."

"Alone?" "Come here, please." Kishitani led Kusanagi and the others into the living room.This is a spacious room of about thirty, with a set of green leather sofas lined up side by side, and a marble coffee table in the center. On the floor next to the coffee table, the outline of a fallen person was drawn with colored tape.After looking down, the three of them turned their faces to Kusanagi and said, "The name of the deceased is Mashiba Yoshitaka, and he is the male master of this family." "I know that. I heard it before coming here. Is it the president of some company?"

"It seems to be an IT company. Because today is Sunday, he didn't go to work. As for whether he has been out during the day, it is not clear right now." "Is the floor wet?" There were still traces of some kind of liquid spilled on the wooden floor. "It's coffee." Kishitani said, "When the body was found, it was spilled all over the place. The forensic officer took a sample with a straw. A coffee cup rolled down on the ground at that time." "Who found the body?" "Uh——" Kishitani opened the police handbook and read Wakayama Hiromi's name again, "I heard that she was a student of the deceased's wife."

"student?" "The deceased's wife was a famous quilter." "Patchwork? Can someone who makes that kind of thing be famous?" "I heard it is. I didn't know it before." Kishitani turned his gaze to Kaoru Utsumi, "maybe she knows. Mita Ayane, that's how Chinese characters are written." On the police handbook that Kishitani opened, the words "Ayane Mita" were written. "I don't know," she replied bluntly, "Why do you think that ladies should know?" "No, I'm guessing." Kishitani scratched his head.

Seeing the back and forth between the two of them, the corners of Kusanagi's mouth wanted to laugh.The junior Kishitani seems to be planning to show off the prestige of a senior in front of this junior who is looking forward to it with great difficulty, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work with this policewoman. "How did you discover the body?" Kusanagi asked Kishitani. "Actually, the wife of this family went back to her mother's house yesterday. Before she went back, she handed over the house keys to Miss Ruoshan for safekeeping. I heard that she didn't know when she would come back, just in case. I did it. Ms. Ruoshan called Mr. Mashiba Yoshitaka tonight because she was worried that he needed help, but no one answered the phone or landline. She was beating her heart, so she ran here. She said that the person who called It's past seven o'clock, and it was almost eight o'clock when we arrived here."

"So she found the body, didn't she?" "That's right. She used her mobile phone to call 119. It is said that although the emergency personnel arrived, the person was confirmed dead, so she invited a nearby doctor to check the body. However, the cause of death was found to be suspicious during the examination, and the emergency personnel So the district police station was contacted. That's how it happened." Kusanagi snorted, nodded, and glanced at Kaoru Utsumi: She left his side at some point and ran to the front of the cupboard. "So, where is the body finder now?" "Miss Ruoshan is resting in the patrol car now, and the section chief is with her." "The old man is here. I really didn't notice that he was sitting in the patrol car." Kusanagi frowned, "Has the cause of death been found out?" "The suspicion of death by poisoning is very high. Although there is also the possibility of suicide, it is also likely to be homicide, so we were called here." "Huh?" Kusanagi watched Kaoru Utsumi walk into the kitchen. "Wakayama Hiromi? When she entered the house, was the door locked?" "I heard it's locked." "What about the windows and glass doors? Are they locked?" "When the police officers from the district police station came, except for the window of the toilet on the second floor, the rest of the doors and windows were locked." "There is a toilet on the second floor? Can people come in and out through the windows?" "I haven't tried it, but I guess it won't work." "In this case, it must be suicide." Kusanagi sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs, "How could they think that someone poisoned the coffee? How did the murderer leave this house? Isn’t it strange? How could the police station in the jurisdiction think that it might be a homicide?” "Indeed, if that's all, it may be difficult to consider the possibility of homicide." "Other than that, is there anything else going on?" "I heard that when the investigators of the police station in the jurisdiction were investigating the scene, a cell phone rang. It was the cell phone of the dead Mr. Mashiba. It was picked up and found that it was a call from a restaurant in Ebisu. In fact, Mr. Mashiba was here. This restaurant has reserved two tables for eight o'clock. It is said that it is for two people to dine. Because the customer has not come by the scheduled time, the person in the store called to inquire. I heard that the reservation was made around 6:30 this evening Yes. As I said just now, Ms. Wakayama called Mr. Mashiba after 7:00, and no one answered at that time. People who ordered meals at 6:30 committed suicide after 7:00. This is really strange. I personally think that the judgment of the police station in the jurisdiction is still appropriate." After hearing Kishitani's words, Kusanagi frowned.He bent his fingers and scratched the corners of his eyebrows: "In this case, why didn't you say it earlier?" "In the process of answering your question, I forgot to tell you in time." "I see." Kusanagi patted his knees and stood up.At this time, Kaoru Utsumi had come out of the kitchen and returned to the cupboard.Kusanagi walked behind her and asked her, "Xiao An kindly told us what happened in the case, why are you running around?" "I'm listening. Thank you, Mr. Kishitani." Kishitani shrank his neck and said no thanks. "Is there something wrong with the cupboard?" "Look here." She pointed to the inside of the cupboard and said, "Don't you think there is something missing on this shelf compared to other places?" Indeed, the place was unnaturally empty, and it felt like some tableware should have been left there before. "But it is so." "Just now I saw five cleaned champagne flutes in the kitchen." "Then those wine glasses should have been placed here." "Probably so." "And then? How to explain?" Hearing what Kusanagi said, Kaoru Utsumi raised his head to look at him, and moved his lips a few times.But then she shook her head as if disproving her guess. "Not a big deal. I just use it for guessing parties." "It makes sense. Since this family is so rich, it is estimated that this kind of house party is often held. But then again, even if there was a party recently, it cannot be said that the deceased did not have any worries about committing suicide in his heart." Kusanagi turned his head to look at Kishitani, and continued, "Human beings are complicated and contradictory creatures. Whether it was a lively and happy party at the party a minute ago, or a reservation for a table a second ago, when you want to die Die any moment." Kishitani gave a "hmm" and nodded with an unclear attitude. "Where's his wife?" Kusanagi asked. "Hey?" "The victim... No, where's the wife of the deceased? Have you contacted her?" "It's said that we haven't been in touch yet. According to Ms. Ruoshan, the deceased's wife's natal family is in Sapporo. And that place is a bit far from the city. Even if we do, we probably won't be able to make it tonight." "Hokkaido? Then I guess I won't come." Kusanagi secretly rejoiced in his heart.If the deceased's wife wanted to come back, then someone had to be left waiting for her tonight, and at this time, Mamiya, the chief of the department, would definitely hand over the job to Kusanagi. It is getting late now, and it is estimated that tomorrow will start to ask the surrounding neighbors about the situation.Just when Kusanagi was looking forward to closing the team tonight, the door opened, and Mamiya's Chinese character face appeared in front of Kusanagi. "Kusanagi, are you here? It's really slow." "I've been here a long time ago. I have already heard the general situation from Kishitani's introduction." Gamiya nodded, turned around and said, "Please come in." Then, walking into the living room was a slender woman about twenty-four or five years old. Her medium-length hair still retained the black color that is rare among women nowadays, which made her skin fairer.It's just that at this moment, her complexion is more appropriate to say that she is pale than fair.But in any case, she was undoubtedly a beauty, and she was very elegantly made up. Kusanagi immediately guessed that she was Hiromi Wakayama. "I heard just now that you found the body as soon as you entered the room, right? In this case, you should have seen it from where you are standing now, right?" Perhaps recalling the time when the body was found. "Yes, I think it's around here," she replied in a low voice. Perhaps because of her thin body and pale complexion, Kusanagi could hardly see her standing.No doubt the shock at the discovery of the body still persists. "You came here nine nights ago, that was the last time you entered this house before the crime happened, right?" Jian Gong confirmed to her. Wakayama Hiromi nodded, as if to answer. "Is there any difference between the situation in the house now and then?" No matter how small the change is, please tell me. " Hearing these words, she looked around the room timidly, but immediately shook her head. "Not sure. Because a lot of people came here the day before yesterday, and everyone had already eaten at that time..." Her voice was trembling. Mamiya frowned and nodded, the expression on his face was like saying "I can't help it". "I'm really sorry to trouble you after a tiring day. Please rest well tonight. However, we will ask you about the situation again tomorrow. Is it convenient?" "No problem, but I don't think I have much more to tell you." "Perhaps you are right, but we still want to know the situation in as much detail as possible. Please cooperate with our investigation." Hiromi Wakayama still lowered her head and answered "Yes" briefly. "I'll send my subordinates to take you home." After finishing speaking, Mamiya looked at Kusanagi, "How did you come here today? Did you drive?" "Sorry, I came here by taxi." "What are you doing, today?" "I don't drive very much these days." Just as Mamiya clicked his tongue, Kaoru Utsumi interjected, "I'm driving." Kusanagi was taken aback, and turned his head away: "You came by car? It's cool enough." "I was notified when I was driving out for dinner. I'm sorry." "There's no need to apologize. Since that's the case, are you willing to drive Miss Ruoshan home?" Mamiya asked. "Okay. But before that, can I ask Miss Ruoshan a question?" Kaoru Utsumi's words made Mamiya look surprised, and Hiromi Wakayama seemed to get nervous all of a sudden. "What's the matter?" Mamiya asked. Kaoru Utsumi stared at Hiromi Wakayama, stepped forward and said, "It seems that Mr. Yoshitaka Mashiba suddenly fell to the ground and died while drinking coffee. Does he usually drink coffee without a saucer?" Wakayama Hiromi seemed to be taken aback, her eyes widened, and her gaze was dodgy. "Uh, this...maybe he doesn't need it when he drinks alone." "That means, there were guests here yesterday or today, do you know?" Hearing what Kaoru Utsumi said with certainty, Kusanagi couldn't help but look at her side face, "How do you know someone came?" "There's an unwashed coffee cup and two saucers in the kitchen sink. If it's just Mr. Mashiba himself, there shouldn't be any saucers." Kishitani immediately walked into the kitchen and came out soon after. He confirmed, "Utsumi is right. There is indeed a coffee cup and two saucers in the sink." Kusanagi and Mamiya looked at each other, then turned their eyes back to Wakayama Hiromi. "Can you think of anything about it?" She shook her head in panic: "I... I don't know. I haven't been here since I left here the night before. I don't know if anyone has been here. " Kusanagi looked at Mamiya again, only to see Mamiya nodded thoughtfully, and said, "I see. Thank you for helping us so late. Utsumi, please send her back. Kusanagi, you go too .” Kusanagi replied "Yes".He understood the purpose of Gamiya.Wakayama Hiromi obviously has something to hide, Mamiya intends to let him spy on her. The three came out of the house, and Utsumi Kaoru said: "Please wait for me here, I will drive the car over." He said that he came with a car with a normal license plate, so the car was parked in the coin-operated parking space. While waiting for the bus, Kusanagi watched Hiromi Wakayama from the side.She looked completely devastated, not just terrified by the sight of the dead body. "Aren't you cold?" Kusanagi asked. "I'm fine." "Did you plan to go out tonight?" "How...how is it possible." "Really? I was thinking just now, maybe you have an appointment with someone tonight." Hearing Kusanagi's words, Hiromi Wakayama's lips moved a few times, and she looked a little embarrassed again. "They should have asked you many times before, may I ask you again?" "What's up?" "Why do you think of calling Mr. Mashiba tonight?" "I've already said that because the teacher gave me the key, I feel that I have to contact her family from time to time. If Mr. Zhenchai needs anything, I must help..." "But the phone didn't go through, so you came to his house, didn't you?" She nodded slightly and said "yes". Kusanagi tilted his head and asked puzzledly: "It happens often that the mobile phone is not connected, and the landline is the same. Didn't you ever think that maybe Mr. Mashiba was going out at that time, and you happened to be unable to answer the mobile phone?" Wakayama Hiromi was silent for a moment, then shook her head lightly: "I never thought about it..." "Why? Are you worried about something?" "I didn't worry about anything. It's just that I was very flustered at the time..." "Well, I'm panicking..." "Can't you? Could it be that you can't just come to his house to see because of panic?" "No, that's not what I meant. I was just thinking that it's very rare for you to be so responsible just because you've been entrusted with the key. I'm very moved. And in terms of the result, your panic is unfortunate. It has come true, and I think your actions are worthy of praise." Wakayama Hiromi didn't seem to believe that Kusanagi's words were his true thoughts, she turned her face away. A rouge Pajero stopped in front of the house.Kaoru Utsumi opened the car door and jumped out. "Four-wheel drive?" Kusanagi opened his eyes wide. "The driving experience is not bad. Please get in the car, Ms. Wakayama." At Utsumi Kaoru's urging, Wakayama Hiromi sat in the back seat, and Kusanagi then got in the car and sat next to her. Kaoru Utsumi sat in the driver's seat and began to set up the automatic navigation.She seems to have confirmed that Wakayama Hiromi lives near Gakugei University Station. "Excuse me..." Hiromi Wakayama said just after the car drove not far away, "Mr. Mashiba... Didn't he die because of an accident or suicide?" Kusanagi forgot to glance at the driver's seat, and happened to meet Kaoru Utsumi's eyes through the mirror. "The results of the autopsy have not yet come out, so everything is still hard to say." "But all of you are criminal police officers in charge of homicide cases, right?" "We are indeed criminal police, but for now, we are still at the stage of being suspected of homicide. It's not that we can't disclose it to you anymore, but we don't know it too well." Hiromi Wakayama whispered, "That's it." "Miss Ruoshan, please allow me to ask you a question. If this case is indeed a homicide, do you have any clue about the murderer?" Hearing this, she seemed to gasp, Kusanagi stared at the corner of her mouth. "I don't know... I know almost nothing about Mr. Mashiba except that he is the teacher's husband." She replied weakly. "Really. It doesn't matter if you can't think of it right now, if you think of something in the future, I hope you will let me know." However, Hiromi Wakayama didn't answer, and didn't even nod her head. Putting her down at the door of the apartment, Kusanagi switched to the passenger seat. "What do you think?" Kusanagi asked, looking forward. "He is a strong person." Kaoru Utsumi replied immediately while starting the car. "Strong? Are you?" "Didn't she hold back tears all the time? In front of us, she didn't even shed a tear in the end." "Maybe it's because she's not that sad?" "No, I think she has been crying. She should have been crying while waiting for the ambulance to arrive." "how do you know?" "Look at the makeup on the corners of her eyes. Her makeup has traces of hastily repaired after it was smudged." Kusanagi stared at the side face of this junior: "Really?" "It shouldn't be wrong." "A woman's vision is really unique. Hey, I'm just complimenting you." "I know." She replied with a smile, "Mr. Kusanagi, what do you think?" "In a nutshell, it's really suspicious. Even if you're taking care of the house keys, a young girl won't casually go to a man's house alone." "I have the same feeling. If it were me, I wouldn't go." "If it is said that the woman and the deceased actually had an affair, wouldn't it be a bit too mysterious?" Utsumi Kaoru breathed out: "It's not mysterious at all, I think this is the only possibility. Besides, aren't the two of them planning to have dinner together tonight?" Kusanagi slapped his knees and said, "You mean the restaurant in Yebisu?" "When the time came, the customers didn't come, so the people in the store called to inquire. They said that the reservation was for two people, which means that not only Mr. Mashiba did not show up, but his companion also did not show up." "And if his companion is Hiromi Wakayama, things will make sense." Kusanagi immediately said confidently, "It's absolutely unmistakable." "If there is a special relationship between the two of them, I think that will be confirmed soon." "How to say?" "Coffee cups. The coffee cups in the sink may have been used by both of them. If the hypothesis is true, one of them should have her fingerprints on it." "I see. But even if the two of them really had an affair, it can't be the basis for taking her as a suspect?" "Of course I know." She said, and she stopped the car on the left side. "Can I make a phone call? I want to confirm something." "Okay, but who are you calling?" "Of course it's Hiromi Wakayama." Ignoring Kusanagi's surprised expression, Utsumi Kaoru took out her mobile phone and dialed.The call was connected immediately. "Excuse me, Miss Wakayama? I'm Utsumi from the Metropolitan Police Department. I was really rude just now... No, it's nothing important, but I forgot to ask you about tomorrow's arrangements...Is it, I understand. You are so I'm really sorry to bother you even though I'm tired. Good night." After finishing speaking, Kaoru Utsumi hung up the phone "What's her plan for tomorrow?" Kusanagi asked. "It is said that it is not sure yet, and it is estimated that they will stay at home. They also said that the quilting classroom will also have to suspend for a while." "Well--" "But my purpose of making this call is not just to confirm her arrangements for tomorrow." "what do you mean……" "Her voice was obviously crying. Although she tried her best to conceal it, it was still very obvious. It is estimated that when she got home, there was only one person left, and all the previously suppressed emotions burst out." Kusanagi leaned her upper body straight on the back of the chair and said, "You called her just to confirm this." "Perhaps, sometimes even when we face the fact that we are not particularly close to the death of someone, we will be shocked and cry involuntarily. But if a certain period of time passes, we still cry..." "In other words, she has an extraordinary feeling for the deceased, right?" Kusanagi smiled slightly, looking at his junior, "You have a way." "Thanks for the compliment, I'm ashamed." Kaoru Utsumi smiled and put down the handbrake of the car. The next morning, Kusanagi was woken up by a phone ringing.The call was from Mamiya, and it was just after seven o'clock. He opened his mouth and said sarcastically: "You are really early." "I should be thankful that I can go home and sleep. I'm going to the Meguro Police Station for a meeting this morning, and the search headquarters will probably be established. Starting tonight, I'll probably have to live there." "You called specifically to talk about this?" "How is that possible. You go to Haneda right away." "Haneda? Why did you let me go there..." "Haneda is like picking someone up at the airport. Mr. Mashiba's wife is coming back from Sapporo, so you pick her up. You drive her to Meguro Station." "Have you asked her consent?" "Of course I did. You call Shang Neihai, and she will drive out. The flight will arrive at eight o'clock." "Eight o'clock?!" Kusanagi immediately jumped up from the bed. Just as he was washing up in a hurry, the phone rang again.This time it was Kaoru Utsumi calling, saying that she had arrived at the door of his apartment. The two headed for Haneda Airport in the same Pajero as last night. "It's really bad, such a bad thing happened. No matter how many times I encounter it again, I will not adapt to the drudgery of meeting the family members of the deceased." "But the section chief said that Kusanagi is the one who is best at receiving the family members of the deceased." "Huh? The old man still praises me like that?" "I also said that your face can give people the most reassuring feeling." "What do you mean by that? It means I look confused, right?" Kusanagi clicked his tongue loudly. At five minutes to eight, the two arrived at the airport.Walking into the waiting hall, I saw passengers coming out one after another.Kusanagi and Utsumi searched for Mashiba Ayane with their eyes, and their targets were the camel coat and blue suitcase. "Could it be that person?" Kaoru Utsumi stared in one direction. Kusanagi followed her gaze, and sure enough, she saw a lady who matched the requirements walking out.Her sad eyes were slightly lowered, and there was even a serious atmosphere covering her whole body. "Probably... it's her." Kusanagi's voice was hoarse. He felt restless, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.Even he himself didn't understand why his heart was so restless. -------------------------------- Note: