Chapter 95 Section five

Take the Tozai Line of the Yingtuan Subway and get off at Urayasu Station, turn back along Kasai Bridge Street towards Tokyo, walk a short distance, turn left at the old Edogawa, a white building that is close to a square stands on the small road, with gateposts The company name "SH Grease" is written on it.Not seeing the guard, Sasagaki went straight into the gate. Across the parking lot where trucks are parked side by side, upon entering the building, there is a small reception desk to the right.A woman in her forties is writing.She looked up to see Sasagaki, frowning in surprise.

Sasagaki showed his business card, expressing that he wanted to see Kazunari Shinozuka.After looking at the business card, the man's expression did not soften, and the business card without title seemed unable to dispel people's guard. "Do you have an appointment with the director?" she asked. "director?" "Yes, Kazunari Shinozuka is our director." "Oh... yes, I spoke to him on the phone before I came." "Please wait." The woman picked up the phone beside her and dialed the internal line to Shinozuka's office.After saying a few words, she put down the receiver and looked at Sasagaki: "He wants you to go straight to the office."

"Ah. Excuse me, how do I get to the office?" "The third floor." After she finished speaking, she lowered her head to write again.It is the address of the recipient who is writing the New Year's card.From the address book spread out on the side, it seems that it is her personal property, and the New Year's card is obviously not sent in the name of the company. "Where is the third floor?" Hearing Sasagaki's question, she showed the impatient expression of the boss, and pointed behind him with a signature pen. "Take the elevator inside to the third floor, walk along the corridor, and there is a sign of the director's office on the door."

"Oh, thank you." Sasagaki bowed his head in thanks.She had already buried herself in her own business. Sasagaki came to the third floor according to the instructions, and he understood why she didn't bother to explain.The space configuration here is very simple, it is a zigzag corridor, and all the rooms face the corridor side by side.Sasagaki looked at the sign on the door while walking, and after the first corner, a sign saying "Director's Office" appeared.Sasagaki knocked on the door. "Come in" came from inside, and Sasagaki pushed the door open.Shinozuka Kazunari stood up from the seat in front of the window.He was wearing a brown double-breasted suit.

"Hi, long time no see." Kazunari greeted Sasagaki with a smile on his face. "Long time no see, how are you doing?" "It's still alive anyway." In the center of the office is a set of sofas.Kazunari asked Sasagaki to sit down on the loveseat sofa, while he himself sat in the single armchair. "When was the last time we met?" Yi Cheng asked. "Last September, in the reception room of Shinozuka Pharmaceutical." "Yeah," Kazun nodded, "It's been more than a year. How time flies." During this period, Sasagaki and Issei contacted by phone, but did not meet each other.

"This time I also called Shinozuka Pharmaceutical first, and they told me that you have been transferred here." "Well, yes, starting from September this year." Yicheng lowered his eyes slightly, as if he hesitated to speak. "I was shocked to hear that you became a director. What a promotion! It's amazing to be so young!" Sasagaki exclaimed. Yicheng raised his head and smiled wryly. "Do you think so?" "Yes, isn't it?" Yicheng stood up without saying a word, picked up the telegram on the desk, "Bring in two cups of coffee. Well, right away." He put down the receiver, stood up and said, "I mentioned it on the phone last time, my cousin Kang Qing is finally married."

"October 10th, sports day," Sasagaki nodded, "the wedding must be very grand and luxurious, right?" "No, very low-key. After their wedding in the church, they held a banquet in a hotel in Tokyo. Only close relatives attended. It is said that because both parties are remarried, they don't want to be too ostentatious, let alone my cousin has children." "Is Mr. Shinozuka also present?" "Yeah, relatives. But," he continued, sitting down on the chair again, sighing, "they probably don't want to invite me." "You said you were against it until the wedding?"

"Yes." Kazunari said and nodded, staring at Sasagaki, his eyes full of seriousness and urgency. Sasagaki remained in close contact with Shinozuka until this spring.Kazunari seeks clues to find Karasawa Yukiho's true identity, while Sasagaki tries to find Kirihara Ryoji.However, neither side could get key clues.During this time, Shinozuka Yasuki became engaged to Tang Zeyusui. "It's rare to get to know Mr. Sasagaki, but in the end, I still can't find out her details, and I can't let my cousin see the truth." "It's no wonder that she has deceived countless men in this way." Sasagaki continued, "I am also one of them."

"Nineteen years...isn't it?" "Yes, nineteen years." Sasagaki took out a cigarette, "Is it okay?" "Yes, please." Kazunari put the glass ashtray in front of Sasagaki, "Mr. Sasagaki, I have begged you several times on the phone before, today you are willing to share this nineteen-year-long story with Tell me all this?" "Ah, of course. I can say that I came here specially for this purpose." Sasagaki lit the cigarette.At this time, there was a knock on the door. "Just in time, the coffee is here." Yi Cheng stood up.

While drinking coffee, Sasagaki began to talk.From the discovery of the dead body in the abandoned building that was stopped halfway, the suspects were changed one by one, until Tadao Terasaki, who was regarded as a key figure by the task force, died in a car accident, and the process of ending the investigation was sometimes detailed and sometimes Briefly explain.Shinozuka Kasunari was still holding the coffee cup at first, but he put it on the table halfway through listening, folded his hands on his chest, and listened intently.When Nishimoto Yukiho's name appeared, he switched his crossed feet and took a deep breath.

"This is the outline of the pawnbroker's murder." Sasagaki drank the coffee, only lukewarm. "Is this an unsolved case?" "It didn't become a cold case right away, but new testimony and clues are getting less and less, so there is an atmosphere that it will become a cold case sooner or later." "However, Mr. Sasagaki did not give up." "No, to be honest, I also gave up half of it." Putting down the coffee cup, Sagaki continued to talk. Sasagaki discovered the record about a month after Terasaki died in a car accident.The task force found no evidence sufficient to prove that Terasaki was the murderer, and no other suspects were found. As this state continued, there was a sense of burnout within the task force, and the team itself was about to be disbanded.The oil crisis has filled the whole society with a sense of murder, and violent incidents such as robbery, arson, and kidnapping have occurred one after another.It may be the true thought of the high-level Osaka police that a large number of manpower cannot be invested indefinitely for a murder case.Moreover, the real culprit may already be dead. Sasagaki himself also had the idea of ​​retreating.Before that, he had handled three unsolved cases. These cases that later became unsolved cases often had a unique temperament.In some cases, everything is in the clouds and fog, making it impossible to start. However, compared with such cases, there are more cases where it seems that the murderer can be caught quickly at first glance, but in the end it ends up as an unsolved case.The pawn shop murder case at that time had this ominous flavor. Sasagaki re-examined all previous investigation reports at that time, but it was actually just a whim.Because there is nothing else to do with this case.He flipped through a large number of investigative reports in a near-browsing manner.A lot of information does not mean that there are many clues. On the contrary, it can be said that because the investigation has never been focused, meaningless reports have increased blindly. Sasagaki's hand flipping through the documents stopped when he saw the investigation report recording the boy who found the body.The boy's name is Kikuchi Michihiro, nine years old.The boy first told his elder brother who was in the fifth grade of elementary school. After the elder brother confirmed the body, he told his mother.It was actually Tomoko, the mother of the two brothers, who called the police, so the investigation report was compiled based on the words of Kikuchi's mother and son. The report records the discovery of the body, which is already familiar to Sasagaki: While the boys were moving in the ventilation ducts of the building, playing a game they called "time tunnel", Michihiro and his companions got lost, wandering blindly in the ventilation ducts. Chuang came to that room and found a man lying there.He felt strange, and when he took a closer look, he found that the man was still bleeding, only then did he realize that the man seemed to be dead.He knew that other people should be notified, so he was anxious to leave the scene. The problem is the next record.The report reads: "The boy was very scared and wanted to leave as soon as possible, but the door was blocked by debris and bricks, making it difficult to open. The boy managed to open the door and went outside, looking for his friend, but he couldn't find him, so he hurried home." Seeing this, Sasagaki felt strange.He had a problem with the "Block for waste, bricks" part. He recalled the door at the scene, which opened inwards.Kikuchi Dohiro's description pointed out that "it is difficult to open", so these "waste and bricks" should be placed in a position that would hinder the door switch.Was that intentionally placed by the murderer?Was there a deliberate block placed on the inside of the door in order to delay the discovery of the body? impossible.Open the door and go outside, how to place obstacles behind the door?So, how to explain the boy's description? Sasagaki immediately confirmed.The "Interrogator" column on this report was filled in by the Kosaka Police Department of the Nishibush Police Department. Kosaka remembers this part vividly, but doesn't explain it clearly. "Oh, that incident is a bit vague." Kosaka frowned and said, "He doesn't remember much. When he was about to open the door, there were many things blocking his feet, but he wasn't sure that the door couldn't be opened at all. It can still be opened to the extent that people can pass through. No wonder, he must have been very frightened at that time." "Since the murderer can pass through, at least the door can be opened and closed." Kosaka added. Sasagaki also found this part of the appraisal report, but unfortunately, the relative location of the door and "waste, bricks" was not recorded in detail, because Kikuchi Michihiro moved those things and destroyed the original appearance . Therefore, Sasagaki gave up the investigation in this area.Because he, like Police Department Suzuki Kosaka, believed that the murderer should have left through that door.Except for him, no investigator has doubted this. Sasagaki didn't think of this little doubt until about a year later, when Nishi Bunyo's death made him turn his suspicious eyes to Yukiho.Sasagaki thinks this way: Assuming that there was indeed an obstacle placed in the door, then the degree to which the door can be opened will become a limiting condition, thereby filtering out suspects.At that time, he was thinking of Xuesui.He thought that if it was her, even a fairly narrow gap should be able to pass through.Although he didn't know how much the child could remember about what happened a year ago, Sasagaki went to find Michihiro Kikuchi.The boy, already in the fourth grade, said something that surprised Sasagaki. Kikuchi Dohiro said that he did not forget what happened a year ago, and even said that now he can explain it in a more orderly manner.Sasagaki thought it was possible, and it must have been extremely demanding to ask a nine-year-old boy who was shocked by the discovery of the body to describe the conditions in detail.But a year later, he has grown up a lot. Sasagaki asked him if he remembered about the gate, and the boy nodded without hesitation.Sasagaki asked him to describe the situation in as much detail as possible, the boy was silent for a moment, and said calmly: "The door cannot be opened at all." "What?" Sasagaki asked in surprise, "It's completely... how to say?" "At that time, I wanted to inform others as soon as possible, so I went to open the door immediately. However, the door did not move. Looking down, there were piles of bricks underneath." Sasagaki was shocked: "Really?" The boy nodded vigorously. "Why didn't you say that then? Did you remember it later?" "That's what I said at the beginning. However, after hearing what I said, Mr. Police said it was very strange, and asked me if I remembered it wrong. I became less and less confident, and I couldn't figure it out. But , I thought about it later, the door really couldn't be opened at all." Sasagaki couldn't help feeling sorry.Valuable testimony existed a year ago, only to be distorted by investigators' self-righteousness. Sasagaki immediately reported the matter to his boss, but the boss's reaction was very cold, saying that the child's memory is unreliable, and even said that there is something wrong with his head if he believes the testimony that was corrected a year later.At that time, Sasagaki's boss was no longer the team leader Nakazuka when the murder happened.Nakazuka had been transferred earlier, and his successor boss was extremely prestigious, and he thought that instead of pursuing an unremarkable murder case that was about to become an unsolved case, it would be better to solve a more sensational case, so as to make a name for himself. Although Sasagaki is known as the investigator of the murder case of the pawnbroker, but only part-time.His superiors disapproved of his subordinates pursuing cases with little merit.In desperation, Sasagaki had to investigate alone.He knew the direction he should go. According to the testimony of Michihiro Kikuchi, the murderer of Yosuke Kirihara could not have opened the door and left, and all the windows at the scene were bolted from the inside.Although the building was abandoned before completion, the glass is complete and the walls are undamaged.In this way, there is only one possibility-the murderer is the opposite of Kikuchi Michihiro, and fled the scene through the vent. If the murderer is an adult, it is impossible to think of this method.Only a child who has ever played in an air duct would have thought of that idea.Therefore, Sasagaki completely locked the suspicion on Yukiho. However, his investigation did not fall as expected.First of all, he hopes to prove that Xuesui has crawled and played around in the ventilation pipe, that is, to find the exact evidence that she has participated in the "Time Tunnel" game.However, he hit a wall here.He asked the children who knew Xuesui well, and they all said that she had never played that kind of game.He asked several children who often played in that building, but no one had seen the girl.One of them said to Sagaki: "Girls don't play in such a dirty building. There are dead mice and a lot of weird bugs in it. And if you crawl through the ventilation pipe, your whole body will be dirty. " Sasagaki had to agree with this statement.In addition, a boy who had crawled through the ventilation pipe dozens of times stated that girls could not play the game.According to him, there are some steep slopes in the ventilation pipe, and sometimes you have to crawl and climb. If you don't have full confidence in your physical strength and sports cells, you will definitely not be able to move as you want inside. Sasagaki took the boy to the scene to test whether he could escape through the ventilation duct from the room where the body was found.It took about fifteen minutes for the boy to emerge from the ventilation duct on the other side of the building's entrance. "I'm exhausted." This is the boy's feeling. "There is a section in the middle that is very difficult to climb. If the arm strength is not enough, it will definitely not be able to climb up. It is impossible for girls!" Sasagaki couldn't ignore the boy's opinion.Naturally, among elementary school girls, some of them are as strong and athletic as boys, but when he thought of Yukiho Nishimoto, he couldn't believe that she would climb like a monkey in the ventilation pipe.According to his investigation, Nishimoto Yukiho's athletic ability is not particularly good. Suspecting that an eleven-year-old girl is a murderer, is it just my own imagination?Is Kikuchi Michihiro's testimony really a child's illusion?Sasagaki's heart began to waver. "I don't know what the ventilation pipe you're talking about looks like, but it's really hard to imagine girls playing that kind of game, especially Karasawa Yukiho." Kazunari Shinozuka said with a pensive expression.Whether he called her by Yusuho's old surname was purely because he was used to it, or because he didn't want to admit that she now bears the same surname as his own, Sasagaki doesn't know. "And now I'm at a dead end." "Didn't you find the answer?" "I don't know if it can be called the answer." Sasagaki lit a second cigarette, "I tried to go back to the original point and put aside all the previous opinions, so that things that were completely invisible before appeared before my eyes gone." "You mean..." "It's very simple." Sasagaki said, "It's impossible for a girl to pass through the ventilation pipe, so the one who leaves the scene through the ventilation pipe is the boy." "Boy..." Shinozuka Kazunari seemed to be pondering the meaning of the word, and asked after a moment of silence, "You mean, Kirihara Ryoji...killed his biological father?" "Yes," Sasagaki nodded, "That's the result of reasoning."