Chapter 4 Chapter of Exploration Kyoichiro Kaga's Monologue

Four full days have passed since the arrest of Nonoguchi Osamu. He admitted all the facts related to the crime.There was only one thing, he kept silent and refused to answer for a long time-about his criminal motives. Why did he kill Hidaka Kunihiko?It was a good friend he had known since childhood and a benefactor who took care of him at work, about which he refused to say anything. "I killed people, and the motive is not worth mentioning at all. Just take it as my impulsive and reckless action." When facing prosecutors, Nonoguchi used the same words. However, I can more or less guess that all this has something to do with the original manuscript of "The Door of Ice".

Incidentally, the manuscript has been found.As I guessed, it was also stored on the hard drive of the word processor.In addition, it is believed that the floppy disk Nonoguchi brought to Hidaka's house on the day of the crime was also in the desk drawer, and that floppy disk was compatible with Hidaka's computer. I have always believed that this crime was not pre-planned, and the entire investigative team thought so too.If this is the case, then the question arises: Why did Nonoguchi happen to be carrying the disk for the next serialization of "The Door of Ice" with him that day?No, it should be said, why did Nonoguchi write the manuscript that was supposed to be Hidaka's work in advance?

Regarding this point, before I arrested Nonoguchi Osamu, I had established a hypothesis.I believe that on the extended line of this hypothesis, the real motive of the crime can be found. All that was left was for Nonoguchi to confirm this hypothesis himself, but he didn't say anything.Regarding why he had the disk of the original manuscript of "The Ice Gate" on his body, he said: "I wrote it for fun. I wanted to scare Hidaka, so I brought it. I Told him to use this if he couldn't meet the deadline. Of course, he didn't take me seriously." Needless to say, this set of confessions is not convincing at all.However, he has the attitude of believe it or not.

So, we operators had to search Nonoguchi's house again.The previous time, I only checked the file of the word processor and the drawer of the desk, not a search at all. As a result, we collected 18 important pieces of physical evidence, which can prove that my hypothesis is indeed established.This includes eight volumes of thick university notes, eight 2HD disks, and two volumes of manuscript paper bound into volumes. After investigation by the criminal team, it was found that these were all fiction.From the university notes and the handwriting on the manuscript paper, it can be confirmed that these were indeed written by Nonoguchi himself.

In the beginning, we found something unbelievable from a certain disk.No, personally, that was to be expected. Inside the disk is the original manuscript of "The Door of Ice".But that is not this time, but all the chapters that have been published in the magazine before. I asked Mr. Yamabe, the editor of Smart Society, to help me read those manuscripts. His opinion is as follows: "This is indeed the part of "Fair of Ice" that has been serialized so far. Although the plot of the story is the same, there are several parts that we have written. What is not in the manuscript on the Internet, there are also exactly the opposite situation. In short, there are indeed subtle differences in the use of words and stylistic performance between the two."

That is to say, the same phenomenon not only appeared on the original manuscript that Nonoguchi used as an alibi, but also appeared on this disk. So we collected all of Hidaka Kunihiko's works, and everyone distributed them for reading.Incidentally, many operators said with wry smiles that it has been a long time since they studied hard like this. As a result of this effort, we discovered startling facts.In the eight university notebooks found in Nonoguchi’s room, five novels were written in them, and the contents of them are exactly the same as Hidaka Kunihiko’s published works so far.The title of the book and the names of the characters may be slightly changed, and the form may be slightly different, but the evolution and progress of the story are exactly the same.

The other discs contain a total of three novels and 20 short stories, all of which are the same as Hidaka's works, and 17 short stories are the same.As for those short stories that cannot be made up, they belong to the category of children's literature and are published under the name of Nonoguchi Osamu. As for the two short stories written on manuscript paper, there is no similarity in Hidaka's works.Judging from the old condition of the manuscript paper, it should have been written a long time ago. Maybe if we explore further, we may find nothing. In any case, it is already unreasonable to find so many manuscripts in the non-author's residence.What's more, although these contents are not completely consistent with the published works, there are only slight differences, which is also incredible.As for the works written in the college notes, there are even traces of annotations and corrections, and it can be seen that they have been deliberated and modified several times on the way.

Having said that, I have to assert that my assumption was correct. My assumption is: Nonoguchi Osamu should not be Hidaka Kunihiko's shadow writer, right?Because of all kinds of strange entanglements, this murder case was induced? I asked Osamu Nonoguchi about this in the investigation room, but he denied it without changing his face. "no." So, how to explain the novels in those notes and diskettes?Facing these questions, he just closed his eyes and kept silent.No matter how the senior prosecutor in the same seat pressed him, he just didn't answer. Then, an unexpected thing happened during the interrogation today.

Osamu Nonoguchi suddenly pressed his stomach, in great pain.Seeing how painful he was, I even thought he had hidden poison and committed suicide by taking it. He was immediately taken to the police hospital, where he was resting in bed. The boss called me in and told me a surprising thing. He said Nonoguchi seemed to have cancer. The day after he fell ill, I went to the hospital where Osamu Nonoguchi was staying.Before visiting him, I went to visit the attending physician. The doctor said that his cancer cells had metastasized to the peritoneum that wraps his internal organs. The situation was very critical and surgery should be performed as soon as possible.

I asked him is it a relapse?As a result, the doctor replied, "It is." There is a reason why I ask this.Because the results of the investigation showed that Osamu Nonoguchi also had part of his stomach pouch removed two years ago because of the same condition.Because of the operation, he took a few months off from school.However, no one among his colleagues seemed to know what sickness he had asked for leave, and the only one who knew the inside story was the principal. Strangely, Nonoguchi had not been to the hospital until his arrest.He should feel unwell—that's the doctor's opinion.

Will surgery help?I try to understand further.As a result, the rational doctor tilted his head slightly and said, "Half and half?" It sounds to me like the situation is more serious than imagined. Afterwards, I visited Osamu Noguchi in the ward—he lived in a one-occupancy suite. "Not only did the arrested person not go to prison, but he lived in such a nice place happily, I feel very embarrassed." Nonoguchi raised his thin face and greeted me.This person's appearance is much older than the ones I have known before, is it just because of the passage of time?I can't help thinking again. "how do you feel?" "Well, I can't say how good it is, but for a sick person, it's not bad." Nonoguchi hints that he already knows the fact that he has cancer.Since it was a relapse, it was no surprise that he would know. Seeing that I was silent, he asked himself first: "By the way, when will I be sued? If you move too slowly, I'm afraid I'll lose my hair before the verdict comes out." I couldn't tell if he was joking or serious, but he must have had some degree of awareness of death to say such a thing. "It is not yet possible to prosecute because the information has not been collected yet." "Why? I have already pleaded guilty, and I have evidence. As long as I prosecute, I will be found guilty. Isn't that good? Don't worry, I will never overturn my confession just before the verdict is announced." "That's not to say, we haven't identified the motive for the crime." "Bring this up again?" "As long as the teacher doesn't make it clear for a day, we will keep asking." "There is no motive at all. Didn't I tell you that this crime was all due to impulse? Impulsively, I killed people as soon as I went crazy. It's as simple as that, and there is no special reason." "So, I want to hear why you are mad. No one gets angry for no reason." "Because of a small matter, it should be said that I think it is a small matter. To be honest, I don't remember why I was so angry at the time. Maybe it was the so-called ghost upper body? So, even if I wanted to explain it, I couldn't explain it clearly. This is real." "Do you think I'll accept that statement?" "You just have to accept it." I shut my mouth and stared into his eyes, and he looked at me without hesitation, his eyes full of confidence. "I would like to ask you again about the notebooks and floppy disks I found in the teacher's house." I tried to change the subject, but Osamu Nonoguchi showed an annoyed expression. "That has nothing to do with the case, please don't think about it." "If that's the case, could you please elaborate on what exactly those are?" "It's nothing. It's just a notebook, it's just a floppy disk." "But it's Hidaka Kunihiko's novel. No, to be precise, it should be said to be a work that resembles Hidaka Kunihiko's novel. It's almost like a draft of a novel." Hearing my words, he burst out laughing: "So I'm the knife catcher behind Rigao? Ridiculous! You think too much." "However, it makes sense to think so." "Let me tell you a more reasonable answer! That is a kind of learning. People who want to become writers have their own unique learning methods. Like me, by copying Hidaka's works, I learned his Writing style and presentation. It’s not something special, it’s what a lot of immature writers do.” His explanation did not surprise me, because Hidaka Kunihiko's editor in charge had also made the same inference.However, the editor said that there are still three points worth discussing.First, the discovered manuscript is not exactly the same as Hidaka Kunihiko's work, and there are slight differences between the two.Second, even if it is a kind of learning, it is not normal to copy so many other people's works.Third, although Hidaka Kunihiko is a best-selling author, imitating his articles does not mean that he can write better. So I raised these three points and tried to question Nonoguchi Osamu to see how he would explain it.Unexpectedly, without blinking his eyes, he immediately answered me: "About these, I can answer you all logically. In fact, at first I just simply copied it, but gradually I felt that it was not enough to do so. .So when I thought about how I would write and express myself, I tried to write it down. Do you understand? I used Hidaka’s article as a model, and tried to create something better. This is the purpose of my study. As for the problem of copying a lot, it just means that I have studied for a long time. I am single and have nothing to do when I go home, so I can devote all my energy to the practice of writing. Finally, Hidaka’s Whether the article is good or not is a matter of opinion. I really appreciate his writing style. Maybe there are no profound skills in it, but it is a good article that is concise and easy to understand. Isn’t it the best proof that he can attract so many readers ?" Nonoguchi Osamu's rhetoric does make sense.But if these are true, why didn't he make it clear earlier, such doubts floated in my mind.He kept his mouth shut until sick and bedridden.Could it be that he had to wait until he was admitted to the hospital and was no longer under interrogation before he could come up with such an excuse?This is my reasoning, but it is very difficult to prove this right now. As a last resort, I had to present the newly discovered evidence.It was a few notes found in Osamu Nonoguchi's drawer, with something like a story outline scrawled on it.Judging from the names of the characters, I know that it is related to "The Ice Gate" that Hidaka Kunihiko is serializing.However, what is written in the outline is not what has been published before. No matter how you look at it, it looks like the follow-up development of "The Door of Ice". "Why did you write about the subsequent development of "The Ice Door"? Can you explain it?" I asked Osamu Nonoguchi, and he replied: "That is also a kind of practice for me. As long as you are a reader, no matter who you are, you will unconsciously speculate on the future plot? And I am just a little more active. It’s just about making it concrete, and it’s nothing to be surprised about.” "Haven't you quit your teaching position and started to become a professional writer? Is it necessary to do this kind of exercise again? Even sacrifice your own writing time?" "Please don't be sarcastic. I'm not a professional writer yet, and my skills need to be honed. Besides, I have a lot of time because there is no job coming in." Osamu Nonoguchi's words still didn't convince me.Maybe it was my expression that gave away this idea, he looked at me and continued: "You seem to insist on treating me as Hidaka's knife catcher, which is really flattering me. I don't have that kind of ability at all. On the contrary, listen to me You said that, and I thought in my heart, how wonderful it would be if all this is true. If it is true as you reasoned, I will definitely shout loudly: 'I wrote all those works, and the real author is Wild Osamu Noguchi!' But unfortunately, I didn't write it. What I write, of course I will publish it under my own name. There is no need for me to borrow Hidaka's name, don't you think?" "I think so too, that's why I find it difficult to understand." "There is nothing incomprehensible at all. You only draw strange conclusions when your speculation is biased. Your thinking is too complicated." "I don't think so." "Please just think like this. I hope this topic ends here, and you can sue me as soon as possible. I don't care what motives you use, you can write whatever you like in the report." Nonoguchi Osamu has already put his mind to it look. After walking out of the ward, I regurgitated the conversation just now.I thought about it, and I always felt that there were many unreasonable things in his confession.However, as he said, my reasoning is indeed not thorough enough. If he is really Hidaka Kunihiko's ghostwriter, why should he have to do this? Is it because Hidaka Kunihiko is already a best-selling author, and compared to a newcomer, will publishing a book under his name sell better?However, Hidaka’s works before he became popular should also be written by Nonoguchi. If this is the case, wouldn’t it be good for him to publish it as his debut work? Do you want to keep your identity as low as possible since he also holds a teaching position?No, that would be weird.As far as I know, there is no teacher who can't get along in school because he is a writer as a side job.Moreover, if Nonoguchi had to choose one of the two, he would definitely give up his job as a teacher without hesitation. Also, as he himself said, if he is really a shadow writer, why should he deny it at this point?For him, the title of "Hidaka Kunihiko's Shadow Writer" must be honorable. So, isn't Nonoguchi Osamu Hidaka Kunihiko's knife catcher?And the notes and disks found in his room, as he himself confessed, have no redundant meaning? Impossible, I dare say. I have some familiarity with the character Osamu Nonoguchi.According to my understanding, his self-esteem is very strong and he is very confident in himself.It is simply impossible to say that he copied someone's work as an exercise in order to become a writer. After returning to the headquarters, I reported the conversation with Osamu Nonoguchi to my boss.The Kota Police Department listened to my report with a bitter face from the beginning to the end. "Why did Nonoguchi conceal his motive for the murder?" After listening to the report, my boss asked me. "I don't know. Even the fact of the crime has been admitted, but the motive for the murder has been hesitant. I think there must be a big secret hidden in it." "Do you still think that has something to do with Hidaka's novel?" "I personally think so." "You said Nonoguchi Osamu was the real author, but he himself didn't admit it." Obviously, the police department did not want to spend any more time on this case.In fact, some of the media got the news from nowhere, and they have approached the search team to ask about the possibility of Osamu Nonoguchi catching Kunihiko Hidaka.Of course, the police try to avoid a definitive response.However, perhaps as early as tomorrow morning will see the news revealed in the newspapers.If that's the case, the phone calls to inquire must be overwhelming. "He said that it was because of the quarrel between the two, that he killed the other party in a moment of madness, but if we can't even find out the content of the quarrel, we can't close the case. I even think it's fine if he refuses to reveal the real motive. Now, can you ask him to give full play to his talent as a writer and give him an appropriate explanation? However, it would be embarrassing if the judge found out his language problems during the trial." "I think the confession that he impulsively killed each other because of a quarrel is not credible. After leaving Hidaka Kunihiko's house, Nonoguchi walked around the courtyard and invaded through the window of the studio. It can be seen that he had committed murder at that time Intention. I am afraid that before this, what unhappiness happened between him and Hidaka, which caused him to have a specific murderous intention?" "So, what did they talk about before?" "In Osamu Nonoguchi's notes, there are only some innocuous conversations, but I think what they talked about should be related to future writing activities." Kunihiko Hidaka is about to move to Canada. If Nonoguchi is really the one behind him, then there must be many problems to be overcome in terms of future work.Perhaps when discussing how to cooperate in the future, Osamu Nonoguchi became dissatisfied? "In other words, they are talking about the conditions for continuing to be a shadow writer?" "maybe." We have thoroughly checked the bank accounts of Osamu Nonoguchi.To put it bluntly, there was no sign that Kunihiko Hidaka was sending him money on a regular basis.However, if this case can be measured simply by money received, it will be easier to handle. "It seems that it is better to investigate the past of Hidaka and Nonoguchi again." The police department came to a conclusion, and I also agreed. On this day, another detective and I went to visit Hidaka Rie.Instead of staying at the home where her husband was killed, she moved back to her natal home in Mitaka.It was the first meeting the police had with Nonoguchi since her arrest.The boss had already talked to her about the arrest of Nonoguchi Osamu on the phone, but she probably didn't know about the ghost writing. If she received a follow-up call from the media, she must be at a loss.And I can imagine that she herself might have a bunch of questions she wants to ask us. I briefly explained the whole incident to her again, and then mentioned the original manuscript of the novel I found in Nonoguchi's repair room. She really looked terrified. I tried to ask her what she thought about the resemblance between Nonoguchi's manuscript and Hidaka Kunihiko's novel. She replied that she had no idea. "It is absolutely impossible to say that my husband stole the idea of ​​the novel from someone, or used other people's works as a pedal. Because he always racked his brains and worked very hard to brew a novel, let alone I asked someone to write it for me...I can't believe it anyway." Although Hidaka Rie's tone was calm, anger appeared in his eyes. However, I can't accept everything she says.She has only been married to Hidaka Kunihiko for a month, so it's hard to say that she understands everything about him, right? Perhaps aware of my thoughts, Hidaka Rie continued: "If you think that we have been married for a short time and we don't know each other well, then you are wrong. I was also the editor in charge of my husband's book." We have also confirmed this.She used to work in a certain publishing house, and it seems that it was because of this that she met Hidaka Kunihiko. "At that time, the two of us had a difficult discussion about the next work. Although I was responsible for editing only one novel in the end, but without our discussion, that work would not have been produced at all. So it is related to Mr. Nonoguchi It's just nonsense." "What's the name of that work?" "Call, it was published last year." I hadn't read that novel, so I asked the Detective Panther if he knew anything about it.Regarding Hidaka Kunihiko's novel, many criminal policemen tried their best to read it again. The detective's answer was clear and meaningful.He said that in Osamu Nonoguchi's notes and floppy disks, there happened to be no manuscripts that matched the content. In fact, there are many similar works.What they have in common is that they are all works within three years of Hidaka Kunihiko's debut.And for nearly half of the works after that, no matching original manuscripts could be found in Nonoguchi's room.According to my judgment, Hidaka Kunihiko hired Osamu Nonoguchi to be the knife catcher, and on the other hand, he should also engage in creation.Therefore, it is not surprising that there are works like Hidaka Rie said "it would not have happened without our discussion". I changed the content of the question slightly to ask her if she knew Osamu Nonoguchi's motive for killing Kunihiko Hidaka. "I've been thinking about this, but I really can't figure out why. Why did Mr. Nonoguchi want to talk to the foreigner... To be honest, I still can't believe that person is the murderer, because he is so close to us , I've never seen them fight or quarrel. I still think there must be something wrong." From her expression, I can't tell that she is acting. When I was leaving, Hidaka Rie gave me a book.The gray cover is covered with gold dust, and it is a separate book.Maybe she gave me the book in the hope that after I read it, I would stop doubting Rigao's strength? That same evening, I started reading that book.Having said that, when I asked Nonoguchi Osamu Hidaka Kunihiko if there were works like mystery novels in Hidaka Kunihiko's works, this was what he mentioned.I don't know if there is a special purpose in it, but after further thinking, maybe he specially cited a work that has nothing to do with him. Describes the story of an old man and his young wife.The man was a painter and his wife was his model.The painter has always suspected that his wife is unfaithful to him. From this point of view, it is no different from that written in ordinary popular novels.However, the fact is that the wife is a double personality patient, and since the painter learned of this, the whole plot took a sharp turn for the worse.One of the wife's doubles has a young lover, and the two are planning to murder the painter.However, the other clone is loyal to the painter and loves him from the bottom of his heart.The painter was considering whether to send his wife to the hospital for treatment. At this moment, a note was placed on the desk: "Will the psychiatrist kill 'she' or 'me'?" That is to say, after the treatment, there is no guarantee that the clone who loves the artist will be left behind.Needless to say, the note was dropped by the Demon Wife. The depressed painter dreams of being killed every night: his wife with an angelic face smiles at him, then the bedroom window opens, and a man rushes in from outside.The man attacked him with a knife, and suddenly, the man's body became his wife... He repeated this dream. In the end, his life was really threatened.In self-defense, the painter stabbed his wife to death.However, since then he has had new troubles.The moment before his wife was killed, she seemed to have just changed her personality. He didn't know whether he killed an angel or a devil?This has become an eternal mystery. The above is my rough arrangement.Perhaps people with strong reading skills will have a more special and higher-level explanation.For example, the declining libido of men, or the ugly motivation hidden in the artist's body, I am afraid that these things need to be deeply experienced.However, I have always been very good at Chinese, so I don't know how to divide sentences into chapters, and I can't see the quality of expression. I'm sorry for Hidaka Rie, but "not very interesting" is my real opinion on this book. Here, let's compare the resumes of Hidaka and Nonoguchi. Kunihiko Hidaka studied in a high school attached to a private university, and then went straight to the Philosophy Department of the Faculty of Letters.After graduating from university, he worked in advertising companies and publishing houses one after another. During this period, he won the Newcomer Award for a short story and started his writing career since then. It was about ten years ago.In the first three years when he first started writing, his books did not sell well, but in the fourth year, a copy of "Dead Fire" won him a literary award, and since then he has gradually become a popular writer step forward. On the other hand, Osamu Nonoguchi attended a private high school different from Hidaka, and after failing once, he was also admitted to the Faculty of Letters of a certain national university, specializing in Chinese.When he was in college, he majored in education, so he taught in a public junior high school after graduation until he resigned this year. During this period, he stayed in three schools. two schools. Osamu Nonoguchi made his debut as a writer three years ago when he wrote a 30-page novel for a half-yearly children's magazine.But he has never released a booklet of novels. According to Osamu Nonoguchi, the two, who were on different paths, met again seven years ago.At that time, he accidentally saw Hidaka's name in a certain novel magazine, so he went to visit him after missing him. I have reservations about this.As mentioned earlier, after the two of them met, about a year later, Kunihiko Hidaka won the literary award.However, the award-winning "Dead Fire" was the first work that was consistent with the content of Nonoguchi's manuscript.The encounter with Nonoguchi brought good luck to Hidaka. This kind of speculation should not be groundless. I went to the publishing house that published "Deadfire" and asked the editor in charge at that time.The editor was Mimura, an unassuming middle-aged man who had now been promoted to editor-in-chief of a fiction magazine. My question has only one key point, which is to clarify whether the work written by Hidaka Kunihiko at that time was within his long-standing strength?Or is it a rare masterpiece that fell from the sky? Hearing my question, Mr. Mimura didn't answer the question first, but asked me instead: "Are you looking for evidence for the rumors of shadow writers circulating recently?" He seemed a little nervous, which I can understand.For their editors, although Hidaka Kunihiko is dead, he still cannot slander his reputation. "Since it is a rumor, it means there is no basis for it. I just want to confirm it." "I don't believe you would ask such an outlandish question if it were unfounded." Mimura pierced me with one word, and then replied: "As far as the conclusion is concerned, "Dead Fire" is indeed a watershed for Mr. Hidaka in his writing. Some people say that because of that work, Hidaka has lost his level. The skin has changed." "So, it's much better than the previous works?" "Well, you can say that. However, to me, that's not too surprising, because that person is already a very capable writer. It's just that his previous works are too rough, and readers have to choose There are many mistakes. Some people also say that his ideas are not conveyed very clearly, which is handled very well in the book "Deadfire", have you read it?" "I read it, it's a wonderful story." "Is it? I still think it's Hidaka's best work." "Dead Fire" tells the story of an ordinary office worker on a business trip and saw beautiful fireworks.The man was inspired and determined to become a master of pyrotechnics. The story itself is very interesting, especially the description of pyrotechnics is even more brilliant. "That book was completed in one go, without serialization or anything." "yes." "Mr. Hidaka, did you discuss it with you before writing?" "Of course, no matter when you work with any writer." "At that time, what did you and Mr. Hidaka talk about?" "The first is the content, the title, the plot, and then the characters' personalities and so on." "Did you two think about it together?" "No, basically Mr. Hidaka has already thought about it. That's for sure, because he is a writer. We just listen to the writer's story and state our own opinions." "For example, setting the protagonist as a pyrotechnic master, is this Mr. Hidaka's own idea?" "certainly." "Then how do you feel after hearing that?" "Feeling, what do you mean?" "Didn't you think that it was indeed Hidaka-san's idea?" "I didn't think of that in particular. However, I'm not surprised at all, because there are not a few writers who write about pyrotechnic masters." "Are there any parts that were modified because of your suggestion, Mr. Mimura?" "That part doesn't take up much. We read the finished manuscript, and only raise it when we find any problems. As for how to modify it, it's the writer's business." "The last question, if Mr. Hidaka takes someone else's work, rewrites it with his own vocabulary and expressive techniques, and then asks you to read it, will you be able to tell that it is someone else's work?" After thinking for a while, Mimura replied: "To be honest, I can't tell the difference. Because to judge whether it is a work of a certain writer, it depends on the use of words and the way of expression." However, he did not forget to add, "However, Mr. Criminal Police, "Dead Fire" must be Hidaka's own work. I have met him several times during his writing period. He is always very distressed, and there are still problems that cannot be solved. If it is a draft, it should not be so hard." Regarding this, I didn't dare to say anything, I just said thank you and got up.However, the opposite argument came to my mind. I thought to myself, it's hard to fake happiness when you're in pain, but easy to fake pain when you're happy. My shadow writer hypothesis has not been shaken. The latent factor of crime is often a woman, this saying is familiar.However, in response to this case, the police did not conduct an in-depth investigation of Nonoguchi Osamu's relationship with men and women.For some reason, there seems to be a consensus among the investigative team that Nonoguchi Osamu and this kind of thing have nothing to do with it.Perhaps it is the image of Nonoguchi himself that gives us such an illusion.Although he is not particularly ugly, it is hard to imagine what a woman with him would look like. However, we were mistaken.Even he seems to have a close relationship with women.The investigators who went to Nonoguchi Osamu's residence again found this clue. They found three pieces of evidence, one of which was an apron.The checked pattern is obviously designed according to women's preferences. It is placed in the drawer of Nonoguchi's cabinet, and it can be seen that it has been washed and ironed before being put away. The lady who came into the house occasionally, used it when she helped him with the housework?The police guessed so. The second piece is a gold necklace, which is wrapped in wrapping paper with a gift box. It is a world-renowned jewelry brand. It looks like a gift for someone at first glance. The third piece is the tourist application form, which is folded small and put into the jewelry box together with the wrapped necklace.The application form is a fixed form of a travel agency, and the content on it shows that Osamu Nonoguchi once planned to travel to Okinawa.The date of application was May 10, seven years ago, and the expected departure date was July 30, which shows that I planned to use the summer vacation to play. The problem occurs with the name filled in the participant field.The name tied with Nonoguchi is Hatsuko Nonoguchi, who is twenty-nine years old. We immediately launched a full investigation on this woman and concluded that this woman does not exist.To be precise, there is no such person among Nonoguchi Osamu's relatives or family members.It is reasonable to speculate that he and a certain woman pretended to be married and planned to travel together. From these three pieces of evidence, we can infer that at least seven years ago, Nonoguchi Osamu had an object that could be called a lover.Regardless of the current relationship between him and this object, as far as he is concerned, he should still miss this woman.Otherwise, he would not solemnly collect the souvenirs of the two. I reported to my supervisor that an investigation will be launched against the woman.I'm not sure if she is related to this case, but speaking of seven years ago, exactly one year before Hidaka Kunihiko published "Dead Fire", what happened to Nonoguchi Osamu at that time, you should be able to see this woman know it. First, I tried to ask Nonoguchi himself.Facing him who was propped up on the hospital bed, I told him about the discovery of the apron, necklace and travel application form. "I want to ask you, whose apron is that? Who are you going to give that necklace to? Also, who do you plan to travel to Okinawa with?" Facing this topic, Nonoguchi changed his usual attitude and showed an attitude of refusing to discuss it. He was obviously panicked. "What is the relationship between these things and this case? Yes, I am a murderer and must be punished by law, but do I have to disclose even irrelevant personal privacy to the world?" "I didn't say to make it public, you just need to tell me one person. If the results of the investigation find that these things really have nothing to do with the case, I will never ask you again, and of course I won't publish it to the media. And , I assure you, I will not cause trouble for that lady." "It has nothing to do with the case, and I can't be wrong if I say it." "If this is the case, please tell me straightforwardly, teacher, your current attitude will only make the police more suspicious. And the more suspicious the police means that we will investigate more thoroughly. After our thorough investigation, many things can be true. Dabai. However, once the police are dispatched, the chances of things being exposed in front of the media will be high, which is what you don't want to see, right?" 然而，野野口修并不打算说出那名女子的名字，他反过来向我质问搜查的作法。 “总而言之，你们不要再到我的屋里乱翻了，那里面还有人家寄放在我这里的重要书本。” 按照医生的嘱咐，会客时间是有限制的，于是我也只好离开了病房。 不过，这趟并没有白来。我有把握，只要查明神秘女子的身分，肯定对理清案情会有帮助。 只不过，要从何查起呢？我先向野野口家附近的邻居打听，询问是否看过女性从他屋里进出，或是听到屋内传来女性的声音。只要一被问到男女关系，就算口风一向很紧的人，也会出乎意料地积极提供情报给你。 但是这种探访一无所得，就连住在野野口左侧，按理说经常在家的家庭主妇也说，她没见过女性访客到野野口家里。 “就算不是最近的也行，难道几年前也没看过吗？” 因为听说这位太太已经在这里住了十年了，所以我才这样问她。她和野野口是同一时期搬进来的，应该有机会看过他的情人才对。 “如果是更早以前，或许有吧，可是我不太记得了。”她回答道。这或许是最合理的答案。 我试着重新彻查野野口修的交游范围，连他今年三月才离职的那所国中也去了。不过，有关他私生活的领域，知道的人真是少之又少。从以前他就不太和人来往，而自从生病以后，更是从未在校外和学校里的人碰过面。 没办法，我只好前往野野口修更早之前待过的那所学校。七年前，他打算和情人一起去旅行时，应该就在那所国中教书。不过，老实讲我不太想去，因为那也曾是我执教鞭的地方。 我计算好下课的时间，往那所学校走去。记忆中的三栋老旧校舍，已经有两栋翻新。 若说有什么改变的话，也仅止于此。操场上足球队正练习着，与十年前的光景一模一样。 我提不出勇气走进校门，只好站在外面看着放学的学生从我面前走过，突然，我发现人群里有一张熟识的面孔。那是一名叫刀根的英语老师，大概大我七、八届吧。我追上去，叫住了她。她好像记起了我的脸，惊讶地笑着。 我和她寒暄了起来，形式化地询问她的近况。之后，我直接挑明想问她有关野野口老师的事。刀根老师好像马上就联想到最近引发话题的人气作家遇害案件，表情严肃地答应了我。 我俩走进附近的咖啡店，这家店以前还没有。 “关于那件事，我们也很惊讶，想不到野野口老师竟然会是杀人犯。”接着她以兴奋的语气补充道，“而你加贺老师竟然还是案件的侦办人，真是太巧了。” “拜这巧合所赐，我成了最辛苦的人。”听到我说的话，她点了点头，好像深表认同。 我赶紧进入正题。第一个问题问她：知不知道野野口修有无特定的交往对象？ “这个问题可难了。”这是刀根老师的第一反应，“以我女性的直觉来说，应该没有。” "yes?" “不过所谓的女性直觉，只是光凭印象去做猜测，偶尔也会有相差十万八千里的情形，所以我想把一些基本资讯也告诉你会比较好。野野口老师曾相过很多次亲，这你知道吗？” "No, I do not know." “他相亲的次数还蛮频繁的，有些应该是当时的校长介绍的，所以我才想他没有女朋友。” “那是几年前的事了？” “就在野野口老师离开我们学校前不久，应该是五、六年前吧。” “那这之前怎样？他也是频繁地相亲吗？” “这个啊，我记不太清楚。我问问其他老师好了，当时的那些老师大都还留在学校里。” “拜托你了，多谢帮忙。” 刀根老师拿出电子记事簿，输入待办事项。 接着我提出第二个问题：关于野野口修和日高邦彦的关系，她是否得知二一？ “对喔，那时你已经离开学校了。” “'那时'是什么时候？” “日高邦彦得到某新人奖的时候。” “那后来怎样？我连重要的文学大奖都很少去注意。” “我也是，平常我根本不知有这么个新人奖存在。不过，那时很不一样，野野口老师特地把发表新人奖的杂志带来学校，让大家轮流翻阅。他说这个人是我的同班同学，兴奋得不得了。” 这件事我没有印象，应该是我离职后才发生的。 “这么说那时野野口老师和日高邦彦就有来往啰？” “我不太记得，不过我想那时应该还没有吧？可能是过了一段时间之后，他们俩才再度碰面的。” “您说过了一段时间之后，是指两、三年以后吗？” "probably." 这与野野口修自己所说，是在七年前拜访日高邦彦，而重新展开交往的说法不谋而合。 “对于日高邦彦，野野口老师怎么说？” “怎么说是什么意思？” “什么都行，不管是对他的人品或是对他的作品。” “我不记得他对日高本人说过些什么，倒是对于作品的部分比较常批评。” “你是说他不太欣赏他的作品吧？他都是怎么说的？” “细节我忘记了，不过大体都是相同的意思，什么曲解文学的含意啦、不会描写人性啦、俗不可耐之类的，就是这样。” 我心想这和野野口修本人的说法倒是大相庭迳。他还说自己抄写这种作品，将它当成学习的范本！ “即使瞧不起，他还是读了日高邦彦的书，甚至跑去找他？” “话是没错，或许那是出于一种文人相轻的心理。” "What's the meaning?" “野野口老师也是一心想成为作家，看到童年的故友超越自己，难免会觉得心慌。可是他又不能当作没这回事，所以还是读了对方的书，这样他才有资格说那是什么东西、自己写的要比它有趣多了。” ——这也不无可能。 “日高邦彦因《死火》获得文学大奖的时候，野野口老师的表现怎样？” “我很想说他嫉妒得快要发狂，不过看来好像不是这样。相反地，他还到处跟人炫耀呢。” ——这句话本身可以做出各种解释。 虽然没有查出与野野口修交往的女性是谁，不过这番谈话依然颇具参考价值，我向刀根老师道谢。 确认案情的调查工作告一段落后，刀根老师问我对于现在这份工作的感想以及当初转业的心路历程，我捡一些无关痛痒的事情告诉她。这是我最不顾谈的话题之一，她大概也察觉到了，没有苦苦追问下去。只是，最后她说了一句：“现在，校园暴力事件还是层出不穷。” 应该是吧，我回答道。只要提到校园暴力，我就会变得敏感，因为我的脑海里总忘不了过去的失败。 走出咖啡店，我告别了刀根老师。 在我和刀根老师会面的隔天，我们找到了一张照片。发现者是牧村刑警，那天我和他再度前往野野口修的房子展开调查。 不消说，我们的目的是想要查出与野野口修有特殊关系的女性是谁。围裙、项链、旅游申请表——现在我们手中有这三样证据，应该会有更关键性的物品才对。 或许会有那个女人的照片，我们满心期待着。既然他连纪念品都郑重地收藏，不可能不随身放着对方的照片。不过，一开始我们确实找不到那种东西。就连厚厚的相册里，也看不到凑得起来的人物影像，真是太不寻常了。 “为什么野野口手边不留女人的照片呢？”我停下翻找的动作，询问牧村刑警的意见。 “应该是他没有吧？若他俩曾经一起旅行，才会有拍照的机会，要不然要拿到对方的照片可没那么简单。” “是这样吗？连旅游申请表都好好收着的男人，竟然连一张对方的相片都没有，有可能吗？” 既然有围裙，就表示那个女的经常到这里来，那时应该就会拍照了吧？野野口修有一台能够自动对焦的相机。 “你是说应该会有照片，只是不知道藏哪去儿了？” “是这样吧。不过，他干嘛藏起来？野野口被逮捕以前，应该不会想到警方会来搜他的屋子。” "I have no idea." 我环顾了一下房子各处，突然脑中灵光一闪。我想起日前野野口修讲过的一段话：你们不要再到我的屋里乱翻了，那里面还有人家寄放在我这里的重要书籍。 我站在一整面书墙前，从头开始，按照顺序找起。我猜想这里面应该有野野口所说的，不愿别人碰触的重要书籍。 我和牧村刑警分工合作，一本一本仔细查看，确认里面是否夹藏着照片、信或便条纸之类的东西。 这样的工作持续了两个小时以上。不愧是靠文字吃饭的家伙，他的书真不是普通多，我们周遭堆起的书就好像比萨斜塔一样歪斜着。 我心想，会不会是我们想偏了，就算野野口修真的把照片或什么资料藏起来好了，他应该不会藏得连自己要找都很困难。照理说，应该是随时可以拿出来，也可以随时收好才对。 听完我说的话，牧村刑警坐到放有文字处理机的书桌前，试着揣摩野野口修的工作情景。 “工作做到一半，突然想起那个女的，这时她的照片如果摆在这里就好了。”他所说的位置就在文字处理机的旁边，当然，那里并未放有任何类似相片的东西。 “不会被别人发觉，又是伸手可即的地方。”牧村刑警配合我的指令开始寻找，终于他的眼光落在厚厚的《广辞苑》上。后来他自述之所以注意到它的原因，是因为“书页之间露出几张书签的纸角。我心想这也难怪，因为查字典的时候，偶尔会同时对照好几个地方。然后，我突然想起高中时代，有些朋友读书的时候会把偶像明星的照片当作书签夹在书里……” 果真被他的直觉猜中了，那本《广辞苑》里总共夹了五张书签，而其中一张是年轻女性的照片。那张照片好像是在哪边的休息站拍的，女子身着格子衬衫、白色长裙。 我们马上对该名女子的真实身分展开调查，不过并未花上多少时间，因为日高理惠知道这个人。 照片中的女子名叫日高初美，是日高邦彦的前妻。 “初美小姐的娘家姓筱田，我听说她在十二年前和外子结婚，应该是五年前吧，她因交通意外亡故。我没亲眼见过她，我当外子的编辑时，她已经去世了。不过，我看过家里的相簿，所以认得她。是的，我想这张照片中的女性是初美小姐没错。”如今已成未亡人的日高理惠看着我们拿来的照片，这样说道。 “可以让我们看一下那本相簿吗？” 听我这么一说，日高理惠抱歉似的摇了摇头：“现在已经不在这里了。我们结婚的时候，包括那本相簿，还有初美所有的东西，几乎都教我先生给送回了初美娘家。或许寄去加拿大的行李里，还能找出一、两件这样的东西，不过我实在不确定。反正不久那些行李又会被退回来，到时我再找找看好了。” 可见日高邦彦对新太太还蛮体贴的，这样解释应该没错吧？结果，被问及这点的日高理惠并不怎么愉快地说道：“或许外子是体贴我，不过我个人对于他保留初美的东西，并不怎么排斥，因为我觉得那是很正常的事。只不过，我几乎很少从外子口中听到初美的事情，或许是因为谈论她会让他感到痛苦吧？所以连我也不太敢提这个话题，这并非出于嫉妒，只是觉得没必要罢了。” 感觉上，她讲这番话时好像极力压抑自己的感情。对于她的说法，我并未照单全收，总觉得有一半不是真心的。 反倒是她相当好奇，为何我们持有她丈夫前妻的照片。她问我们这和案情有关吗？ “是否有关目前还不清楚，只不过这张照片是在很奇怪的地方找到的，所以我们就顺便调查了一下。” 如此模棱两可的回答当然无法满足她的好奇心。 “你所说的奇怪地方是哪里？” 当然我不可能告诉她是在野野口修的房里。 “这个还不方便透露，对不起。” 不过，她好像运用女性特有的直觉自行推理了起来。结果她露出“不会吧”的神情，接着说：“我想起替丈夫守灵的那个晚上，野野口先生问了我一个很奇怪的问题。” "what is the problem?" “他问我录影带放在哪里？” “录影带？” “一开始我以为他问的是外子收集的电影影片，后来才知道不是这个，他说的好像是采访时所拍的带子。” “你先生采访的时候会用到录影机吗？” “嗯，特别是采访动态的事物，他一定会带录影机。” “你是说野野口问带子在哪里对吧？” "yes." "Then how do you answer him?" “我说好像已经送去加拿大了。因为和工作有关的东西，全是外子负责打包的，所以我不太清楚。” “结果野野口怎么说？” “他说行李寄回时，请让他知道。他解释说，有一卷工作要用的带子寄放在日高那里。” “他没有说里面拍的是什么吗？” 回答“是”之后，日高理惠试探地看着我说：“或许某人在里面也说不定。” someone?她是指日高初美吧？不过，我并未加以评论，只请她行李从加拿大寄回时能通知我们一声。 “野野口还曾经和你讲过什么让你印象深刻的话吗？”说这句话时，我并没有多大的期待，只是形式性地问一下。 没想到日高理惠稍微迟疑地回答：“老实讲，还有一件事。这是更早之前的事了，野野口先生曾提到初美小姐。” 我有些惊讶：“他提到些什么？” “有关初美小姐死亡的那起意外。” "How did he say?" 日高理惠有片刻的犹豫，接着她好像下定了决心：“他不认为那是单纯的意外，野野口先生是这么说的。” 这句证词引起我的关注，我拜托她再说清楚一点。 “没有什么更清楚的，他就只有这样说而已。当时我先生刚好离开座位，很难得只剩我们两个独处，我已记不得他为何会提到这个，只是这句话让我一直忘不了。” 这句话确实让人印象深刻。 “如果不是意外，那又是什么？当时他说明了吗？” “嗯，这点我也问了，我问他那是什么意思。结果野野口先生好像话一说完就后悔了，他要我忘了刚刚他所讲的，也要我不要告诉日高。” “结果你怎么做？你有跟你先生说吗？” “没有，我没说。刚才我也提过，我们总是避谈初美的事，况且这种问题也不好随便问。” 日高理惠那天的判断应该没错吧？ 为了保险起见，我们拿了相片给熟识日高初美的人确认。譬如经常在日高家出入的编辑或是住在附近的人，结果大家都说相片的主角确实是初美没错。 问题来了，野野口修为何会有日高初美的照片？ 光凭这个还不足以做出任何的结论吧？把围裙放在野野口的房里、从他那里获得项链的礼物、曾经打算和他共赴冲绳的女子会是日高初美吗？那时她已是名作家日高邦彦的妻子，所以他们俩算是外遇了。野野口修与日高邦彦再度相遇是在七年前，而日高初美是在五年前去世的，他们俩确实有充分的时间可以培养感情。此外，在野野口修的房里找出的旅游申请表上，上面写的名字其中一人叫做野野口初子，会不会是初美的化名呢？ 这些或许是我个人的看法，不过我觉得它们绝对不可能和这次事件毫无瓜葛，而野野口修死都不肯透露的犯罪动机肯定也与这有关吧。 我打心里认定，野野口修帮日高邦彦捉刀的事绝对没错，因为很多证据都指向这种情况。只是，为何他会甘于接受这样的待遇呢？这点我怎么都想不通。根据警方手边掌握的资料显示，野野口未曾从日高那边拿过什么好处。此外，从最近与编辑访谈的过程中，我也得知作家是不可能出售自己的作品的，比起钱，世人的肯定要重要得多。 或许野野口有很大的把柄落在日高的手里？如果真是这样，那会是什么？ 这时我不得不想到他与日高初美的关系。当然，因为这样就推论日高邦彦发现了奸情，以默许为条件，要胁野野口修帮自己代写作品，未免太过牵强。毕竟，初美死后野野口依然持续提供日高作品，这要作何解释？ 不管怎样，有必要查明野野口修与这两人的关系。可惜的是他俩都已过世，没办法当面问个清楚。 正当我这么想的时候，日高理惠的话突然窜入脑海。她说野野口修认为初美的死并非单纯的意外。他说这句话是安着什么心？如果不是意外的话，又会是什么？ 我着手调查那起交通事故。档案资料显示，日高初美死于五年前的三月，深夜十一时左右，在前往便利商店购物的途中惨遭卡车辗毙。事故现场刚好是弯道，视线不良，再加上当时又下着雨，而她打算穿越马路的地方，并未画上斑马线。 警方最后得到的结论是，这起意外肇因于卡车司机的疏忽。对于一边是车子、一边是行人的交通事故而言，是非常合理的判决。不过，根据记录显示，司机本身好像并不承认那是自己的过失，他坚持是日高初美自己突然从马路上冲出来。如果这是真的，找不到现场目击者的驾驶可算是倒霉了。不过，这份供词是不足采信的，因为处理交通事故的警察都知道，几乎所有撞死人的驾驶一开始都会推说是行人的错。 不过，我试着站在假设的角度去想，如果那名司机的说法是正确的，如果真如野野口修所言并非单纯的事故，那只剩下两种可能：自杀或是他杀。 如果是他杀的话，表示有人把她推了出去，真要是这样，犯人必定也会出现在现场。而且要等卡车到面前了，再把人推出去，然而若是这样，司机没看到凶手就奇怪了。所以唯一的可能就是自杀，也就是说野野口修不认为日高初美的死是出于意外，他认为她是自杀死的。 为何他会这么认为呢？难道掌握了什么确实的证据？譬如说寄到他家的遗书什么的。 野野口修应该知道日高初美自杀的动机吧？而那个动机是不是和他们的恋情有关？ 我心想，她的不贞最终还是教丈夫发现了，为了不想承受被抛弃的命运，她悲观地选择了死亡？如果真是这样，那她和野野口之间只能算是玩玩而已。 看来，无论如何都必须针对日高初美进行调查。得到上级的批准后，我和牧村刑警连袂拜访她生前的娘家。 筱田家位于横滨的金泽区，是一栋座落于高地上，院落扶疏的雅致日式建筑。 初美的双亲都还建在，不过这天她父亲好像有事外出了，只剩母亲筱田弓江招待我们，她是一位娇小、气质高雅的妇人。 对于我们的造访，她好像并不惊讶。得知日高邦彦被杀的消息后，她就有预感警察迟早会找上门来，反倒是我们这么晚才来，让她颇为意外。 “从事那种工作的人，性情难免有些古怪。特别是工作遇到瓶颈的时候，他就会发神经，初美是这样抱怨过。不过，平常没事的时候，他倒是个体贴的好丈夫。” 这是丈母娘对日高邦彦的评语。她说的是真话？还是台面话？我无法判定。对于上了年纪的人，特别是女人，我总是读不出她们的真正想法。 据她说，筱田初美和日高邦彦是在两人工作的小广告公司认识的。我们这边也已经确认过，日高大概在那家公司待了两年。 交往中，日高转往出版社工作，不久两人就结婚了。很快的，他荣获新人奖，成为真正的作家。 “开始我家那口子也在担心，把初美交给一个常换工作的人，不知好还是不好。不过老天保佑，那孩子好像不曾为钱伤过脑筋。后来邦彦成了畅销作家，我们正高兴再也不用操心了，没想到初美却发生了那样的事……人死了就什么都完了。” 筱田弓江的眼睛显得有些湿润，不过她强忍泪水，没在我们面前哭出来。经过五年，她似乎比较能够控制自己的情绪了。 “听说她是去买东西的途中发生了意外？”我不经意地问起事故发生的细节。 “嗯，事后邦彦告诉我，那天她打算做三明治当宵夜，却发现吐司没了，才出门去买。” “我听说卡车司机一直坚持是初美小姐自己冲出来的。” “好像是这样。不过，初美从来就不是那么毛躁的孩子。只是当晚视线不良，她又横越连斑马线都没有的道路，难免会有疏忽，我想她那时可能比较心急吧。” “那时候他们夫妻的感情怎样？” 我的问题让筱田弓江显得有些意外。 “没有特别不好啊，这有什么关系？” “不，我没特别的意思。只是出车祸的人很多都是因为有心事，想着想着才会发