Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven Murder Scene

Although Monk Liao habitually expresses his views in haiku, at this juncture, these words inevitably make people a little surprised. "Helmet crimping bug hissing..." His nondescript metaphor may sound ridiculous at first, but it casts a shadow over everyone's heart. Of course, Monk Liao Ran didn't mean to joke, he just got used to it hard. Although Kosuke Kindaichi thought so, he still couldn't erase the unpleasant feeling in his heart. Regardless of the occasion, death should be a very solemn matter, and it is unreasonable for a monk to joke about such a serious matter.

Under everyone's gaze, Monk Liaoran also realized that he had lost his composure. He touched his face with his hands again, as if to erase the guilt in his heart, and then muttered: "Namo Sakyamuni Buddha, Namo Sakyamuni Buddha..." Kindaichi Kosuke regained his composure and said to Shimizu: "Since we know that Xuezhi is inside, we should move the bell up as soon as possible!" "Regarding this matter……" Shimizu was so helpless that he didn't even bother to say anything. "I have ordered the young man to prepare. Takezo, are you not ready?"

Monk Liao Ran continued. "I think it's coming soon." With his right hand across his forehead, Takezo kept looking down the slope. "Takekura, how can we hang the bell up?" Shimizu asked impatiently. "There is no other way, it seems that we can only build a shelf around the bell, and put a tackle on it, and hang the bell up." Zhuzang looked at the hanging clock, then at Qingshui, and said hesitantly. Fortunately, such tools are available in the village, and it will be done soon. "Oh, I see." The bell was placed on the edge of the cliff, Kosuke Kanedaichi turned his head and circled around the bell, Shimizu followed behind him.

"Mr. Kindaichi, why did the murderer use such a heavy thing? It is impossible for him to build a frame first and then use a pulley to lift it! And there is not so much time..." Shimizu asked very puzzled. Kindaichi Kosuke nodded, and said loudly: "Please step back a little bit, yes, yes, this is good, please don't go over there." Like a director on stage, he asked everyone to step back and look around again.After a while, as if he suddenly discovered something, he started to scratch his hair. "That's right! Let me tell you, how could the murderer pick up such a heavy bell? It turned out to be using the principle of mechanics. Well, yes, it's the principle of mechanics."

Kindaichi Kosuke scratched his head, with an expression of sudden realization, and said loudly to Shimizu: "Qingshui, please help me see if there is a hole dug around the edge of the bell, ah! Look over there is the base of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva or some god! It is one foot away from the hole, no, about one foot and five inches , the bell is next to it, and then..." Kosuke Kindaichi pointed in the opposite direction to the base, and said in an excited tone: "Look, there is a very thick pine tree on the cliff over there, and the pine tree is almost in a straight line with the hole dug under the Bodhisattva pedestal and the bell. It is the branch that grows downward. In other words, the bell is supported by this mechanical principle."

Although Kindaichi Kosuke spoke eloquently, Shimizu was at a loss to hear.However, he still nodded in the direction pointed by Kindaichi Ko's assistant. I saw that there was indeed a hole about five inches in diameter at the edge of the bell, and there was a Bodhisattva pedestal about one foot and five inches away from the hole. There used to be a Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva on the pedestal, but I don’t know Since when, the statue has disappeared, and the base seems to be worn out, only the lotus flower on the base is still there. A very thick pine tree grew on the edge of the cliff. The branches of the pine tree extended down to about two or three feet above the cliff, and could be clearly seen even standing on the coast.

"and then?" Shimizu looked at Kosuke Kindaichi with a look of "please continue." Kosuke Kindaichi walked from the Bodhisattva base to the pine tree, and kept saying: "Five times...about five times, that is to say, the ratio between the distance from the hole to the base and the distance from the base to the pine tree, if the former is one, the latter is five; applying the principle of leverage, if Q is the weight of the bell, and P is the force supporting the bell, then P = one-fifth of Q. In other words, the distance from the hole to the base is inversely proportional to the distance from the base to the pine tree. Master, you know The weight of the bell?"

While explaining to Shimizu, Kindaichi Kosuke asked Monk Ran. "This……" Knowing that the monk looked confused, he tilted his head and thought for a while and said: "By the way, there should be records when donating. Do you remember, Liao Ze?" "Master, I hadn't come to the temple at that time." During the war, Kaizawa was conscripted to the munitions factory in Mizushima, so he has not been involved in this matter yet. "Master, I think it's about forty-five!" Village Chief Araki interrupted from the side. Dr. Murase hung his left hand around his neck and stood there with a sad face.

"Forty-five guan? I didn't expect this bell to be so light. One-fifth of forty-five guan is nine guan. It only takes nine guan to lift this bell. Now just find a strong Rod, will prove my point." "Sir, is this stick all right?" Takezo casually picked up a thick and long wooden stick from under his feet. Kosuke Kindaichi was taken aback, glared at Takezou, then snatched the stick away, and asked out of breath: "Takezo, where did you find this stick?" "I found it in the grass over there just now. This stick was originally used to tie the boat when it was about to berth. I don't know who got it here."

"The stick used when the boat is mooring? So, anyone can get it easily? No wonder the murderer threw it into the grass over there..." Speaking of this, Kosuke Kindaichi looked at Takezo with a look of sudden realization, and immediately said to Shimizu: "For the murderer, finding the stick was not a problem at all, so he just threw the stick near the scene without any care." "Mr. Kindaichi, then this stick..." "Look, the front end of the stick has traces of being damaged by the edge of the hanging bell, and here is the base of the Bodhisattva... Empty words are useless, let me prove it!"

Kindaichi Kosuke then yelled for everyone to come and help. According to Kosuke Kindaichi's request, Monk Kyoran, Ryozawa, Village Chief Araki, Dr. Murase, Takekura, Sanae, and Asheng formed a semicircle in order, and Asheng's eyes were always looking at the distance blankly; Shiho, Gibei, Ukai and the others at the office also looked at them nervously. Although the sun was shining brightly and the sea breeze was gentle, everyone's eyes were gloomy. Even the strong Shiho couldn't help fiddling with his clothes uneasily with a look of fear. Kosuke Kindaichi seemed very excited. When he put the stick under the bell, the front end of the stick shook slightly, leaning slightly on the Bodhisattva pedestal, pointing into the air like a suspender for drawing water. Kindaichi Kosuke looked around at the crowd and said: "Who's going to press this awesome thing? Zhuzang, come and try it." Zhuzang immediately showed a hesitant expression, looked at Monk Ran, and walked over slowly. "Suppress this stick?" "Yes, hold one end of the stick, just a little bit of strength is enough. Then, you lie down on the stick and try." Kosuke Kindaichi instructs Takezo how to hold down the stick. Zhuzang spit out some saliva and rubbed it on his hands, then he held the stick tightly and lay down on it with his whole body. He saw that the end of the lever with the Bodhisattva base as the fulcrum gradually sank. Lift up. People shouted in surprise, and the voice spread like waves. Kosuke Kindaichi stood in front of the bell. "Everyone, don't get close, please don't get close to anyone! Zhuzang, it's still a little bit close, use a little more strength, yes, that's it." Takezo blushed, and pressed the end of the lever with his whole body.He was sweating profusely, and the veins on his neck were swollen like earthworms, but he was worthy of being a body trained at sea. Although he was short in stature, he was still quite strong.Under the command of Kosuke Kindaichi, he finally pressed the stick below the navel. "Yes, yes, that's it. Look carefully, isn't there a pine branch behind? Put the stick under the branch, be careful, so that the stick will not bounce after letting go. That's right, that's it, let go now Look." Takekura followed the method instructed by Kosuke Kindaichi, breathed smoothly, pressed one end of the stick under the pine branch, and then let it go slowly. The pine branch shook violently two or three times, but did not break, and gripped the end of the lever firmly. The bell is now tilted at an angle of about twenty degrees, about one foot seven or eight inches off the ground, forming a dangerous balance. All the people present were panting heavily and began to discuss a lot, because a gorgeous printed dress appeared under the hanging bell, and Xuezhi was kneeling and sitting in the hanging bell. "Ha ha ha ha……" Zhibao suddenly burst out laughing, and everyone looked at her in surprise.She was not at all like her usual performance, laughing arrogantly, that laughter was vicious and pungent. "Isn't this a copy of the legend of Daocheng Temple? It's just the opposite!" Shiho said with a mocking expression, and at the same time, she squinted at the pelican and said: "The character inside the bell should be you, right? In the story, An Zhen is hiding inside the bell. Qingji can't get in, but now..." When Zhibao said this, he patted himself on the head as if he suddenly thought of something, with a look of sudden realization. "Ah, that's right! Xuezhi's mother is an actress, and she is best at acting in the play "The Bell in Daocheng Temple". It was when Sansong saw her in this play that he fell in love with her and married her as the sequel. Haha It’s so obvious, retribution is not good, the evil results planted by the parents, if the retribution is on the child, and... and..." "Shiho, shut up!" Gibei scolded Shiho loudly, but she still didn't flinch like a fighting cock. "Husband, why can't you just watch a good show and not talk about it? What's the matter with you? Haha, everyone is crazy, all of you are crazy." Shiho yelled wildly, completely ignoring everyone's disgusting gazes. "Shiho, don't shut up!" Gibei let out a yell, and stared at Shiho with piercing eyes, then he turned his head and said to everyone: "I'm sorry everyone, Shiho's hysteria has struck again. Don't look at her unrelenting mouth, she's terrified in her heart! She trembled when she got on the dog's nose, and now she can't hold it anymore. Shiho, go home!" Yibingwei held her while talking, intending to drag her away from the scene. "I don't want to, I don't want to leave! I want to see what kind of expression Xuezhi will die with!" It seems that Zhibao is indeed in a state of hysteria. At this moment, her eyes are confused, she puts on a coquettish posture of a girl, shakes off Gibei's hand, stomps her feet and plays tricks, just like a vexatious child. Kazuko Kaneda saw Zhibao playing tricks, but he didn't expect to see Zhibao lose control at this moment, he couldn't help but feel an indescribable nausea in his heart, and couldn't help but think of Shimizu once said, "Everyone on Prison Gate Island is crazy. up" sentence. "Shiho, why are you doing this? Ukai, you grab her hand; Shimizu, you are welcome to come to me at any time. If there is anything, I, Yibingwei, will do it bravely. Ukai, let's go! What is this? What is it...it's a mess." Gibei and Ukai half-delayed and pushed Shiho out of the crowd. "I don't want it, I don't want it! Yukai, you idiot, let me go! Husband, hubby..." Zhibao acted like a child, pulling her clothes, tearing her hair, and yelling loudly. It was only when Yibingwei and Ukai dragged her down the mountain that everyone breathed a sigh of relief. . Monk Liao Ran smiled and said: "Watched a good show for free! Now Yibingwei is ashamed and thrown home." After finishing speaking, he spit out a mouthful of phlegm towards Zhibao's back as if spitting out something dirty. Shimizu glanced at the hanging clock, cleared his throat, and said to Kindaichi Kosuke: "The murderer raised the bell like this to a gap, and then put Xuezhi's body in, didn't he?" "Yep." Kosuke Kindaichi was thinking about what Shiho said just now, but now he heard Shimizu's question, he hurriedly recovered and answered. This is the first time Kosuke Kindaichi heard about Yukie's life experience. It turned out that Xuezhi's mother was an actress, and she was best at performing the play "The Bell Entering the Daocheng Temple". Later, he and Sansong fell in love with her, took her as a concubine, and then married her as his second wife. He had heard from the owner of the barber shop that this woman had passed away a long time ago, so he had never asked about the mother of the three sisters Tsukiyo, Yukie, and Hanako, and he had never thought that this woman would be related to this case.But according to Shiho, maybe this is the secret key to the crazy murder case! "As long as it is supported by pine branches, the bell can be lifted slowly. Therefore, the murderer only needs one person to stuff the body in." Kindaichi Kosuke explained to Shimizu. At this time, everyone peeked at the gorgeous printed kimono from under the hanging clock. Although the weather was sunny and sunny, everyone felt that the scene was dark and cold like a map of hell. "Did Xue Zhi be imprisoned under the bell alive?" Sanae asked calmly. In fact, Sanae was not less shocked and shocked than Shiho, but she was not as hysterical as Shiho, nor did she have any panic, but stared at the hanging clock with lifeless eyes. Kosuke Kindaichi said to Sanae in a gentle tone: "You can see that there are marks of being strangled near her throat. It can be imagined that Xuezhi died without feeling the fear of suffocation." "But, sir!" Pointing to the hanging clock, Takezo asked puzzledly: "It's fine for the murderer to kill Xuezhi, why put her body in the bell? What is the murderer's purpose? Why is he so despicable?" Kindaichi Kosuke was silent for a while, and then said in a flat tone: "I don't know why the murderer hangs Hanako on the ancient plum tree and puts the snow branches under the hanging bell. If the murderer is not a lunatic, these abnormal methods must have some meaning. As long as you understand these meanings, you can detect them." This case is over. But I don't understand, I just think... the murderer is a big madman." After Kosuke Kindaichi finished speaking, he scratched his hair and sighed heavily. At this time, a group of young people came to Tiangou nose with big wooden sticks, pulleys, steel cables and other tools. "Mr. Kindaichi, I'm sorry. I locked you in the detention center last night and took the key away. I don't think you have anything to do with this case, but I still can't believe you. Maybe it's because the case is so bizarre. Maybe you are too mysterious, and I still can't figure it out. How did you know that the murderer put the body under the bell in this way? Why do you know the murderer's process so well? Mr. Kindaichi, what are you doing? Who is it? The murderer, or the murderer's accomplice? You must explain clearly, as long as you speak clearly, I can trust you with peace of mind. " Shimizu said to Kindaichi Kosuke with a painful face. At this time, the young man who came up set up the high platform, installed the pulley, hoisted the bell, and then removed Yukie's body for an autopsy by Dr. Murase. The doctor judged that Xuezhi was strangled to death between 6:00 and 7:00 last night, and the murder weapon was something like a Japanese hand towel. Afterwards, with the help of Takezura and a group of young people, Xuezhi's body was carried to the home of Kitou. Monk Liao Ze, Village Chief Araki, Dr. Murase and others also went to the home together. Qing Shui sat on the edge of the cliff, biting his nails and thinking hard. Shimizu hadn't slept for two consecutive nights, and he looked very haggard. Coupled with the mysterious identity of Kosuke Kindaichi, his face, which was already distressed enough, looked more like a big bitter melon. Kosuke Kindaichi put his hand lightly on Shimizu's shoulder. "Clear water." Shimizu just stared at him blankly. "Shimizu, please look into my eyes!" Kindaichi Kosuke's peaceful tone contained a majesty that could not be violated by others. So Shimizu looked obediently into Kindaichi Kosuke's eyes. "Look at that bell again!" Following Kosuke Kindaichi's order, Shimizu looked at the bell lifted by a pulley. "I swear to the hanging clock that Hanako's death and Xuezhi's death last night have nothing to do with me. Please look into my eyes, and you should know, do I look like I'm lying?" Shimizu stared at Kosuke Kindaichi without blinking his eyes, sighed and said: "Mr. Kindaichi, from your eyes, you don't seem to be lying, so I believe you! But, I don't know, who are you? What are you doing on such a small island where no birds lay eggs? I don't understand why you are here." After speaking, he stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the protruding place on the edge of the cliff, stretched out his hand to cover his eyebrows and looked into the distance. I saw a motorboat coming from the direction of Manabe Island, and the motorboat sailed quickly, but it was not the "White Dragon". As soon as Shimizu saw the ship, he immediately cheered up, grinning, showing his snow-white teeth, and at the same time, he glanced at Kosuke Kaneda with a weird and excited look. "Hey, Mr. Kindaichi, do you know? It's the anti-smuggling boat of the Water Police Agency. I believe that old fox officer Isokawa is also on it. Mr. Kindaichi, are you afraid? Do you want to escape? But it may be too late to escape now , even if you want to escape, I will not let you go, if you do something bad, retribution will be imminent. Hahaha..." Shimizu laughed loudly as if finally relieved. Kindaichi Kosuke looked relaxed and didn't even look at Shimizu. After a while, the anti-smuggling boat of the Police Department had already parked at the port, and the connected boats rowed out from the berth, and the residents of the island also gathered in twos and threes at the berth to watch curiously. As soon as Shimizu and Kosuke Kanedaichi saw the big ship berthed, they quickly stepped down from Tengubi and went to wait for the boat to berth. However, Shimizu was still puzzled by Kosuke Kindaichi's reaction: "Mr. Kindaichi!" He stroked his beard, glanced at Kosuke Kindaichi from the corner of his eye and said: "What is your relationship with Police Officer Isokawa? Is he here to catch you?" "Shimizu, will Officer Isokawa really come today?" Kindaichi Kosuke asked with an innocent expression. "I think he will come! When I called the General Administration this morning, I heard that he was still in Kasaoka. Haha! Look, isn't that Officer Isokawa?" Several police officers got off the launch, and the third person to disembark seemed to be Officer Isokawa. "Sure enough, it's Luanchuan, he's getting old too!" Kosuke Kindaichi said with emotion.