Chapter 4 Section 4

After listening to Kusanagi and the others' self-introductions, the first thing Mashiba Ayane said was to ask them where Yoshitaka's remains were. "The body has been sent for a judicial autopsy. We don't know the situation yet, we will find out later, and we will let you know when the time comes." Kusanagi replied. "Yeah...that means I can't see him right away, can I?" She blinked sadly.He seemed to be trying to hold back the tears that came to his eyes.Her skin looked a little dry, which should not be her usual appearance. "If the autopsy is over, we will arrange for the body to be returned to you as soon as possible."

Kusanagi felt that his tone of voice was strangely blunt.Although he would be somewhat nervous when facing the family members of the deceased, his feeling now is subtly different from usual. "Thank you very much. Then I will trouble you." Although Ayane was a woman, her voice was deep and deep, which seemed quite charming to Kusanagi. "We would like to ask you to come with us to the Meguro Office and ask you something. Is it convenient for you?" "Well, the people you contacted me have already told me." "I'm sorry, but I'll trouble you, we've got the car ready."

After letting her sit in the back seat of the Pajero driven by Kaoru Utsumi, Kusanagi sat in the passenger seat. "Where did you receive the notice last night?" Kusanagi turned around and asked. "The local hot spring. I stayed at a former friend's house. Because the mobile phone was turned off, I didn't notice your calls at all. I only listened to the tape recorder before going to bed." After finishing speaking, Ayane let out a long breath, "At the time I thought it was a prank. I never thought the police would call me." "That's true." Kusanagi echoed.

"That... I would like to ask, what is going on? I am completely at a loss now." Hearing Ayane's hesitant question, Kusanagi felt heartbroken.She should have wanted to ask this question from the very beginning, but at the same time, she undoubtedly didn't dare to speak rashly. "What did they tell you on the phone?" "It is said that my husband passed away, because the cause of death is somewhat unknown, so the police will investigate in the future, and did not say any specific circumstances..." The police officer who called her probably wouldn't be able to give details either.However, as far as Ayane is concerned, it must be only a nightmare, tossing and turning all night.Just imagining how she felt when she boarded the plane made Kusanagi almost out of breath.

"Your husband died at home," he said. "The cause of death is still unclear. There were no obvious injuries on his body. It is said that Ms. Hiromi Wakayama first found him lying in the living room." "It's her..." Ayane seemed to be taking a breath. Kusanagi looked at Kaoru Utsumi who was driving, and she happened to glance at him, and their eyes met in the air. Kusanagi thought that her thoughts should be the same as his own at this moment.And at this moment, it was less than 12 hours before he and Kaoru Utsumi discussed the relationship between Hiromi Wakayama and Yoshitaka Mashiba.

Wakayama Hiromi is Ayane's most beloved disciple.From the fact that she invited Hiromi to a house party, you can tell that she regards her as a family member.If such a girl got into her husband's bed, it would be like being bitten by her own dog. The crux of the problem is whether Ayane is aware of the relationship between the two.This problem cannot be explained clearly by saying "everything is hard to hide from the person next to the pillow". Kusanagi has encountered several instances where "the authorities are obsessed, but the bystanders are clear". "Has your husband suffered from any chronic diseases?" Kusanagi asked.

Ayane shook her head: "Probably not. He had been undergoing regular physical examinations during his lifetime, and there was nothing wrong with him, and he never drank heavily." "Then he never fell ill before?" "I don't think so, I don't know. In the end, I really can't believe that this kind of thing happened." Ayane put her hand on her forehead, as if to press the pain in her head. Based on this, Kusanagi judged that it is best not to mention the possibility of poisoning for now.Before the results of the autopsy came out, it was necessary to conceal her husband's suspicion of suicide or homicide.

"At the moment, it can only be said that the cause of death is unknown." Kusanagi said, "In such a situation, no matter whether the matter is part of the case or not, the police must record the situation at the scene as detailed as possible. Because they were unable to contact you at the time, So we invited Ms. Hiromi Wakayama as a witness to conduct a certain level of on-site verification." "I heard this on the phone last night." "Do you often go back to Sapporo?" Ayane shook her head: "After getting married, this is the first time for me to go back."

"Did something happen to your mother's house?" "I heard that my father's health is not very good, so I wanted to take time to go back. But it turned out that he was in good health, so I asked my friends to go to the hot spring..." "I see. Then why did you give the key to Ms. Ruoshan for safekeeping?" "I'm worried about what will be needed when I'm not at home. Because she has been helping me with my work, sometimes the classroom needs materials or works stored at home." "I heard from Ms. Ruoshan that she called because she was worried that your husband needed help, but there was no one answering, and she went to your house in a panic. Did you ask her to help take care of your husband's daily life before you left? Kusanagi carefully chose the right words while paying attention to the key points in her words.

Ayane frowned, tilted her head and said puzzledly: "I don't really know, maybe I did entrust it. But that child is very clever, maybe I don't need to tell her, she will also care about my husband's convenience." ...Well, is this important? Is it wrong for me to leave the key to her for safekeeping?" "No, that's not what I meant. Yesterday we heard Miss Ruoshan talk about what happened, and we just wanted to confirm with you." Ayane covered her face with her hands: "It's unbelievable. He is usually in good health. On Friday night we called some friends and had a party at home. He was quite happy at the time..." Her voice Some trembling.

"My condolences. May I ask how many people participated at that time?" "My husband's college friend and his wife." Ayane said the names of Inokai Tatsuhiko and Yukiko. She took away her hands covering her face and said with a painful face, "I have a request." "What request?" "Must I go to the police immediately?" "how?" "If possible, I would like to go to the house first. I want to know how he fell down at that time... is it possible?" Kusanagi looked at Kaoru Utsumi again, but this time their eyes did not meet.This junior female detective stared straight ahead, seeming to be concentrating on driving. "I see. I'll discuss it with my boss first." Kusanagi took out his phone. He told Mamiya Ayane's meaning, and Mamiya pondered for a moment.Agree to her request. "Actually, the situation on my side has changed a bit. Maybe it's better to take her directly to the scene for questioning. Just take her home." "You said the situation has changed?" "We'll talk about that later." "I see." Kusanagi hung up the phone and said to Ayane, "Then we'll go directly to your house." She murmured, "That's great." Just when Kusanagi turned his face to face the road ahead, he heard the voice of Ayane dialing the phone. "Hello? Is that Hiromi? I'm Ayane." Hearing her voice, Kusanagi panicked all of a sudden, he never thought that Ayane would call Wakayama Hiromi at this time.But he had no reason to stop it. "...Well, I know. I'm going home with the police right now. Hiromi, thank you for your hard work." Kusanagi felt restless, he couldn't imagine how Hiromi Wakayama would reply to Ayane.It's hard to guarantee that she won't be overly sad because of the loss of her beloved, and express all the emotions that have been hidden in her heart before. If this is the case, Ayane may no longer be able to keep calm. "...It seems to be. Are you okay? Is your body important? ...Really? That's good. Hiromi, can you come to my house too? Of course, I don't force you. I just want to hear from you too That's all." It seems that Wakayama Hiromi is still calm when speaking.However, Kusanagi never expected that Ayane would call her. "Are you okay? See you later... Well, thank you, and don't push yourself too hard." He heard that Ayane seemed to hang up the phone, and he also heard her sniffing. "Miss Wakayama said she would come too?" Kusanagi confirmed to her. "Hmm. Ah, can't you?" "No, it doesn't matter. After all, she was the one who found the body at the time. It's better if you ask her directly." Kusanagi said this, but he couldn't calm down in his heart.On the one hand, he became very interested in how the mistress of the deceased described the scene of discovering the deceased to the wife of the deceased. At the same time, he also planned to observe the way Ayane listened to Hiromi's speech, so as to infer whether she had noticed the relationship between her husband and his disciple. Affair. After getting off the Metropolitan Expressway, Kaoru Utsumi drove the Pajero straight to Mashiba's house.I drove this car to the scene yesterday.Perhaps Tian Wei was like this, she didn't hesitate to find her way at all. As soon as they arrived at Mashiba's house, they saw Mamiya, and he and Kishitani were waiting for their arrival at the door. After getting off the car, Kusanagi introduced Ayane to Mamiya. "What happened this time is really heartbreaking." Mamiya solemnly bowed to Ayane.Turning to Kusanagi, "Have you said everything?" "The general situation has already been said." Wengong nodded, looked at Ayane again and said, "I'm really sorry to bother you just after you came back. In fact, we also hope to ask you something." "it does not matter." "Let's talk in the house first—Kishitani, the gate key." In response, Kishitani took out the key from his pocket and handed it over, and Ayane took the key with a puzzled expression. She unlocked the door and walked into the room, followed by Jian Gong and others.Kusanagi also caught up with her suitcase. "Where did my husband die?" Ayane asked as soon as she entered the room. Mamiya took a step forward and pointed out the location. The tape was still there on the living room floor.Seeing the figure of a human being drawn on the ground, Ayane covered her mouth with her hands and was stunned. "I heard from Ms. Ruoshan that your husband collapsed here at that time." Jian Gong explained. Sadness and shock seemed to hit Ayane's whole body again, her knees softened and she knelt on the ground.Kusanagi saw her shoulders trembling slightly, and heard a faint sob. "When did it happen?" she asked quietly. "Miss Ruoshan said it was almost eight o'clock." Mamiya replied. "Eight o'clock... what was he doing at that time?" "It seemed to be drinking coffee. There was a coffee cup rolled on the floor, and the coffee spilled all over the floor, but we had already cleaned it up." "Coffee... did he brew it himself?" "What do you mean?" Kusanagi asked quickly. "He can't do anything. I've never seen him make his own coffee." Kusanagi noticed that Mamiya's eyebrows moved slightly. "You mean, first of all, he couldn't make the coffee himself?" Mamiya asked cautiously. "Before he got married, he seemed to be able to cook himself, but at that time he had a coffee machine." "Where's the coffee machine now?" "No. Because there is no need to keep it, I will deal with it." Gamiya's eyes widened, and he said with a serious face: "Madam, although the results of the autopsy have not yet come out, it is hard to say anything, but your husband seems to have died of poisoning." Ayane's face turned ashen for a moment, then she opened her eyes wide and asked, "Poisoned...what kind of poison?" "This is still under investigation, but we have detected strong toxicity from the coffee that was spilled on the scene. In other words, the cause of your husband's death was not a disease or a simple accident." Ayane covered her mouth and kept blinking, her eye sockets turned red in the blink of an eye. "How? How could he encounter such a thing..." "It's a mystery. So we want you to tell us, ma'am, if you have any idea of ​​the matter." Kusanagi finally understood the meaning of Mamiya's words "the situation has changed" on the phone.He was no longer puzzled by the fact that Mamiya himself had come forward. Ayane put Yu on her forehead and sat on the sofa beside her: "How could I know..." "When was the last time you and your husband talked?" Mamiya asked. "When I left the house on Saturday morning, he went out with him." "Did your husband look any different then? It doesn't matter how trivial the details are." Ayane pondered for a while, then she shook her head and said, "No. I really can't think of any difference between him at that time and usual." Kusanagi couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. It's no wonder that she was hit hard by her husband's sudden death just now, and now she is told that "the cause of death is unknown", "died from poisoning" and so on. Of course, her thinking is inevitably confused. "Chairman, let her take a break." Kusanagi said, "She just came back from Sapporo, so she must be very tired." "Well, that's true." "No, I'm fine." Ayane straightened her back and said, "But please let me change my clothes first. I've been wearing this clothes since last night." She was wearing a black suit. "Since last night?" Kusanagi asked. "Yes, I have been trying to find a way to return to Tokyo as soon as possible. In order to be able to leave at any time, I packed up early." "So you didn't rest all night last night?" "Yes, I can't sleep if I want to sleep anyway." "That's not okay." Mamiya said, "You'd better take a break." "No, I'm fine. I'll come to change clothes." After that, she stood up. Watching her walk out of the room, Kusanagi asked Mamiya, "Have you identified the types of toxic substances?" Mamiya nodded, "It is said that arsenic was found in the leftover coffee." Kusanagi's eyes widened, "Arsenic? Is that what was used in the poisonous curry case last time?" "According to the forensics department, it is estimated to be arsenic. From the analysis of the concentration contained in the coffee, the dose that Mr. Yixiao drank at that time far exceeded the lethal dose. The detailed autopsy results should come out in the afternoon, but it is said that from the condition of the corpse at that time Look, exactly the same as the symptoms of arsenic poisoning." Kusanagi sighed and nodded.It seems that the possibility of suicide or death is infinitely close to zero. "According to her, Mr. Yoshitaka can't make coffee by himself. Then, who made that cup of coffee?" Mamiya seemed to be talking to himself, but of course he said in a voice that his subordinates could hear . "I think he should have made coffee himself." It was Kaoru Utsumi who suddenly interrupted. "How do you decide?" Mamiya asked. "Someone proves it," Utsumi Kaoru glanced at Kusanagi, and then said, "it's Miss Wakayama." "Did she say anything?" Kusanagi began to search in memory. "Do you remember that I asked her about the saucer last night? I asked her if Mr. Mashiba Yoshitaka didn't use a saucer when he drank coffee, and Ms. Wakayama's answer was: He might be drinking coffee alone. No need." Kusanagi recalled the conversation between the two of them. "That's right, I heard that too." Jiangong also nodded, "The problem is, even his wife doesn't know about it, why would his wife's disciple know?" "I have something to tell you about that." Kusanagi put his mouth close to Mamiya's ear, and told Mamiya the deduction he and Utsumi Kaoru made about the possible existence of Hiromi Wakayama and Yoshitaka Mashiba. Mamiya looked back and forth at the faces of Kusanagi and Utsumi Kaoru, and said with a smile, "So you also agree?" "That is to say, you too, Chief?" Kusanagi looked back at him with some surprise. "Don't think I've been a fool all these years, I already felt this way yesterday." Gamiya pointed to his head and said. "Well, what's going on here?" Kishitani interjected. "I'll tell you later." Saying that, Mamiya looked at Kusanagi and the others again, "Don't mention this matter in front of the deceased's wife, understand?" Kusanagi replied "Understood", and Kaoru Utsumi nodded beside him. "Did you just find that poison from the leftover coffee?" Kusanagi asked. "No, there is another place." "where?" "On the filter paper on the coffee pot. To be more precise, in the used coffee grounds left on the filter paper." "Could it be that the poison was mixed into the coffee powder when making the coffee?" Kishitani said. "Generally speaking, it is true that people will have this kind of thought, but another possibility cannot be ignored." Mamiya said with his index finger raised. "It's also possible to mix it into coffee powder in advance." Utsumi Kaoru said. Mamiya shrunk her chin in satisfaction. "That's right. The coffee powder was placed in the refrigerator before. Although the forensics department said that no poison was detected from the coffee powder, it may not be there at the time of the crime. Perhaps the poison was entangled on the surface of the coffee powder, and the coffee powder was scooped out. In time, the poison is removed." "In that case, when was the poison mixed in?" Kusanagi asked. "It's not very clear yet. The forensic department found a few used filter papers from the garbage bag, and no toxicity was detected on them. Of course. If it is detected, it means that someone drank the alcohol before the deceased. coffee." “There are still a few unwashed coffee cups in the sink,” Utsumi said. “It matters when those cups were used. It also matters who used them.” Gamiya licked his lips: "This is already clear, the fingerprints have been verified, one is Mr. Yixiao, and the other is the object of suspicion in your hearts." Kusanagi and Utsumi Kaoru looked at each other. It seemed that their reasoning had been verified, and the search seemed to have come to an end. "Chairman, Hiromi Wakayama is actually coming here too." Kusanagi told Mamiya about the call Ayane made in the car. Gamiya frowned and nodded: "It's just in time, you go and find out when Hiromi Wakayama drank coffee. Remember, don't let her be fooled." Kusanagi replied, "Understood." At this moment, the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs was heard, and several people quickly shut their mouths. Ayane walked into the crowd and said, "I kept you waiting for a long time".She changed into a light blue shirt and black trousers.Perhaps it was because of the make-up that had been applied, the color on his face seemed to have recovered a bit. "Can I ask you a few more questions?" Mamiya asked. "Okay, please." "You should be very tired, let's sit down and talk." The chief pointed to the sofa. Ayane sat down on the sofa, looked out at the courtyard through the glass door, and said, "It's so pitiful, it's all wilted. Before I left, I asked my husband to remember to water it, but he is a little more careful with the flowers and plants." Not even interested." Kusanagi turned his head to look at the courtyard, and there were various flowers blooming in the flower pots. "Excuse me, can I go water the flowers first? Seeing them like this makes me really uncomfortable." Gamiya's expression flashed a moment of embarrassment, but he nodded immediately, smiled and said, "Well, it's okay. I'm not in a hurry." "Sorry." Ayane said and stood up.But she didn't know why she walked towards the kitchen.Kusanagi felt strange, so she leaned over to take a look, but saw that she was collecting tap water with a bucket. "Are there no water pipes in the garden?" Kusanagi asked behind her. She turned her head and smiled slightly: "There is no bathroom on the second floor, the water is used to water the flowers on the balcony." "Ah, that's it." Kusanagi recalled the scene when Kaoru Utsumi looked up at the flowers on the balcony when he first arrived at this house yesterday. The bucket filled with water seemed quite heavy, so Kusanagi offered to help her carry it up to the second floor. "No, I can do it." "You're welcome, just take it to the second floor, right?" Ayane said in a voice that was almost inaudible: "I'm sorry." The two of them lived in a Western-style room that was at least twenty stacks in size. There was a huge patchwork tapestry hanging on the wall, and the bright colors caught Kusanagi's attention. "You made this yourself?" "Yes, it's my recent work." "It's so beautiful. I'm ashamed to say that I thought that patchwork was something like embroidery, but I didn't expect it to contain so much artistic beauty." "It's not really an art either. Patchwork is supposed to be practical and useful. But wouldn't it be more wonderful if it could still be pleasing to the eye?" "Indeed. It's really admirable that you can make such a work. But, it's also a lot of work, right?" "It does take some time, so it requires perseverance. But the production process is also very enjoyable. If it is not full of expectations, it is impossible to make a good work." Kusanagi nodded, and turned his gaze back to the tapestry.At first glance, the color matching of the tapestry is a bit random, but when I think that it is stitched by Ayane with anticipation, looking at it, my heart calms down. Like the room, the balcony is quite large, but because it is full of flower pots, it feels that only one person can barely pass through. Ayane reached out and picked up an empty can that was piled up in the corner. "It's interesting, right?" She said and handed it to Kusanagi. There are several small holes in the bottom of the empty can.She scooped water from the bucket with a can.Of course, water leaked down the hole.She just used the leaked water to water the flowers in the flowerpot. "Oh, use it instead of a watering can." "Yeah, a watering can is hard to get water from a bucket isn't it? So I just poked holes in an empty can with an awl instead." "good idea." "Right? But when I told my husband, he said that he really couldn't understand that I had to spend so much time planting flowers and grass on the balcony." After speaking, her expression suddenly became stiff, and she squatted down.The water in the jar was still dripping and leaking. "Mrs. Mashiba." Kusanagi called her. "Sorry. I really can't accept the fact that my husband is no longer here..." "It happened so suddenly that it was really hard to accept for a while." "You already know, we've been married for less than a year. It's hard for me to adapt to this new life and understand his food and clothing preferences. I always thought that we still have a long and happy road to go in the future." Kusanagi really couldn't think of words to comfort the dejected woman with one hand covering her face in front of her.But the beauty of the flowers around her made people feel so heartbroken at this moment. She said "Sorry" under her breath. "I can't help you now, can I? I know I have to cheer up, but..." "Then I'll ask you about the situation another day." Kusanagi said involuntarily.If Jian Gong hears his words, it is estimated that Jian Gong will have to smile wryly again. "No, I'm fine. I also hope to know the truth as soon as possible. But I can't figure out why someone would poison him to death..." As soon as Ayane finished speaking, the intercom at the door rang.Startled, she stood up and looked down from the balcony. "Hongmei!" She slightly raised her hand and shouted downstairs. "Is Miss Ruoshan here?" Ayane let out an "hey", turned around and walked into the room. Seeing her walk out of the room, Kusanagi followed her.When going down the stairs, he saw Kaoru Utsumi standing in the corridor.She must have heard the doorbell too.Kusanagi whispered to her that Hiromi Wakayama was here. Ayane opened the door of the entrance, and Hiromi Wakayama stood outside the door. "Hiromi." Ayane cried. "Teacher, are you okay?" "I'm fine, thank you for visiting me." As soon as the words fell, Ayane hugged Hiromi and started crying like a child.