Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Old Friends

During the "Honjin Murder Incident" in the rural areas of Okayama Prefecture in the fall of Showa 12, Police Officer Isokawa and Kazuko Kaneda worked together to solve the case. In a blink of an eye, nine years have passed. Affected by the war, Officer Isokawa, who has been a soldier for several years, is still a police officer.After the war, he was transferred to the criminal department of the county. Because of his prudent handling and senior qualifications, he was called an old fox by his colleagues, and he seemed to be doing well. Officer Isokawa came to Kasaoka to investigate the case of pirates, and later heard that there was a murder case on Prison Gate Island, and that Kosuke Kindaichi was also on the island, so he came to Prison Gate Island soon.

"Qing Shui, why are everyone fully armed? Do they just go across the sea to arrest people whenever a case occurs on the island?" Kosuke Kindaichi was surprised by the policeman's clothes, and couldn't help asking in wonder. "It's a bit strange, besides, there are too many people here this time... Eh? They are here to arrest you, right?" Shimizu said gloatingly. "If you want to catch me, all you need is you alone, right? In terms of strength, I can't compare to you." Kosuke Kindaichi said in a teasing tone. "Is that right?" Shimizu couldn't believe it, and asked back.

The boat was gradually approaching the island. Police officer Isokawa seemed to see Kosuke Kaneda who was waiting on the shore, showing his white teeth and smiling, while waving his hands on the boat towards the shore. Seeing this situation, Qing Shui quickly asked in surprise: "Mr. Kindaichi, was Officer Isokawa waving at you just now?" Kindaichi Kosuke said with a loud smile: "Yes, he was waving at me. But it doesn't matter, everyone will misunderstand others, but I want to ask you, it's best not to tell him what locked me up last night." While comforting Qing Shui, he pushed aside the crowd of onlookers and walked to the trestle bridge.

As soon as the boat docked, the first person to jump up was Officer Isokawa. "Old friend! How are you?" "Good, How about you?" "You haven't changed at all!" Officer Isokawa and Kosuke Kindaichi exchanged warm greetings. "How is it possible? I have experienced many vicissitudes! Officer, you are getting old too." Kindaichi Kosuke said with emotion. "Yes! Nine years ago, there was no gray hair!" Officer Isokawa agreed. "But now you look more Futai than before, you must have been promoted!" Kosuke Kindaichi asked Isokawa with a concerned tone.

"The salary is a bit high, but most of my former colleagues have become bureau chiefs, and I am the only one who has been a police officer for ten years!" Isokawa touched his nose and said with a little self-mockery. "No way, it's war!" "It's true. I haven't seen you for so many years. It's too boring to talk about it when we meet. By the way, Shimizu!" Officer Isokawa put on a businesslike face and asked Shimizu a question. Shimizu on the side kept staring at the two of them with wide-eyed eyes, and Officer Isokawa's questioning voice brought him back to reality with difficulty.He immediately answered in a flustered manner:

"Have!" "What's the matter with this murder case? Have two girls been killed in a row?" Qing Shui seemed to have a mouth full of words to say, but he couldn't utter a word after murmuring for a long time. It seems that after he knew that he had misunderstood Kosuke Kindaichi, he was too nervous to speak. Kindaichi Kosuke immediately returned to the field: "Let's talk about this matter at the police station! By the way, police officer, why are these people all armed?" I saw that apart from Officer Isokawa, there were six other police officers who disembarked. They all had pistols on their waists, as if they were ready for battle, which was a bit scary.In addition to the police, there is also a gentleman in a suit, who is probably a forensic doctor!

"Mr. Kindaichi, we just happen to have a case to handle, that is to say, even if Shimizu doesn't call, we still have to come to this island! I guess, maybe he is responsible for your case here." Officer Isokawa explained the reason to Kosuke Kindaichi in detail. "he is……" Kosuke Kindaichi looked at Officer Isokawa's face in surprise. "It's a pirate. Did you hear what Shimizu said? The day before yesterday we were chasing pirates in the nearby waters, but they escaped. Yesterday we caught a person in Uno. According to his confession, we know that a pirate has jumped into the sea Escape, from his statement, we speculate that the escaped pirates were either on this island or on neighboring Manabe Island. Mr. Kindaichi, have you heard such a thing?"

Kosuke Kindaichi froze suddenly, his mind was like a movie stop frame, and the thief in the kitchen of Senkoji Temple appeared in the kitchen. "Mr. Kindaichi, have you thought of anything?" Officer Isokawa asked quickly when he saw Kosuke Kindaichi's expression. "Wait, wait a minute, please don't bother me for the time being, I, I have a big misunderstanding, let me think about it, if this is the case..." Kosuke Kindaichi frowned, squinted his eyes, and scratched his head, looking thoughtful. If the "thief" first sneaks into Onitoumoto's house, and then steals the cigarettes that Sanae rolled for her uncle from the confinement room, and then he goes to Senko Temple, sits in front of the sesame oil cash box and looks at the road below the mountain, smoking continuously It is also reasonable to smoke five or six cigarettes, get addicted to cigarettes, and then go to the kitchen to eat up the rice in the rice bucket.

Then again, if that was the case, what did the thief have to do with the murder? When the thief came to the temple, he saw Hanako was still in the temple, so did he kill Hanako?But the time is wrong!Why did he kill Hanako for no reason? According to Kosuke Kindaichi's speculation, when Monk Akatsuki returned to the monastery, the big-bellied thief must still be in the monastery, which can be seen from the monk's strange behavior that night. On the other hand, when Hanako was killed, it was earlier than when they returned to the temple.No matter how daring that person was, it was impossible for him to stay at the scene of the murder for so long.

Did the thief arrive at the monastery before everyone went down the mountain?Or was Kindaichi Kosuke doubting the words and deeds of the monk that night, and thinking that the thief was still in the temple at that time, all of which were his own hallucinations and delusions? If that person is the murderer, monk Ming Ming has never lived with him, so why should he protect him?However, Monk Liaoran seemed to know the truth, and he also said, "No matter who it is, there is nothing you can do to a madman".Also, knowing the behavior of the monk at that time... These problems are becoming more and more complicated, and it is really confusing!

Was that pirate the murderer?When did he come to the monastery?When did he go to the ghost head's house?If you can figure this out, it will be of great help to solve the case. Kosuke Kindaichi recalled the night when Hanako disappeared, and when Asheng and Sanae were looking for her at home, they heard Sanae's sharp screams coming from inside. Not long after, they heard the lunatic Everyone thought that the lunatic had an attack again, so no one took this matter to heart. Now that I think about it, there is a blind spot in this matter—— The lunatic usually listens to Sanae very much, no matter how violent the disturbance is, as long as Sanae calls him once or twice, he will calm down; in this case, when the lunatic fell ill that night, Sanae should not make such screams, and When she came back into the room, her face was bloodless, her round eyes widened as if she had been extremely frightened. What was Sanae intimidated by?Did she see a strange man near the confinement room?Did she see the man stealing cigarettes through the lattice door? If that's the case, why didn't she call everyone to help instead of letting him go?No!Not only did Sanae let him go, but when she returned to the living room, she didn't even mention it, and acted as if she was also frightened by the madman. Why? In addition, shoe prints are also a problem.There are bat-shaped shoe prints on the right foot, and only one was found under the corridor. The other places in the small courtyard are also very humid, so there should be shoe prints too! Did someone wipe off the shoe prints?Could this be Sanae's doing?Does Sanae know that man?Who is that man? "Officer, officer! Who is that man who jumped into the sea?" After sorting out the questions in his head, Kindaichi Kosuke scratched his head and stammered as if he had discovered the point. "Unfortunately, we don't know either. The pirate caught by Uno also said that he didn't know much about the person who jumped into the sea, because this person joined only recently, and his name was Taro Yamada. No one knew whether the name was true or not. .” Officer Isokawa looked at Kosuke Kindaichi with a regretful expression on his face, and then he said: "This man is a well-built young man in his thirties. He is tanned. He seems to be a soldier recently demobilized from Nanyang. In addition to wearing military uniform and military shoes, he also has a gun and a lot of bullets on him. He jumped When I was at sea, I was probably afraid of getting my gun and bullets wet, and put these things in my leather pocket and put them on my head. He was a difficult guy. By the way, Kindaichi, you suspect that this guy has sneaked into this small island Yet?" After Officer Isokawa finished speaking, he asked a worried question. "Yes, I suspect that he has a very important relationship with this case. Shimizu, if he sneaks into the island, where do you think he will hide?" Kosuke Kindaichi looked at the police officer Atsukawa, and then at Shimizu, as if he already had the answer in his heart, but he was not sure whether the answer was correct. "I think it's probably hiding in Mount Suribachi!" Shimizu replied calmly. "Mt. Suribachi is the mountain opposite Ganko Temple. There are cottages left by pirates, anti-aircraft surveillance posts and anti-aircraft artillery positions during the war. At the same time, many labyrinth-like holes have been dug. I think, there It's the perfect place to hide." Shimizu cleared his throat and said: "Officer! I heard your conversation just now and reminded me of a clue. Someone may have seen the pirate last night. I didn't believe it at first. According to what you said, it seems that it should be the pirate." "Who saw it?" Kindaichi Kosuke looked at Shimizu in surprise. "Doctor Murase, this drunk not only saw him, but also fought with him." Shimizu said with certainty. "Ah! I see. No wonder the doctor's hand hangs around his neck." Kindaichi Kosuke showed a look of bewildered bewilderment. "That's right! The doctor couldn't beat him, and he pushed him to the bottom of the cliff and broke his left hand. At first I thought it was the doctor who was drunk and fell off the cliff by himself. He made up a lie to lie to me because of the ugliness! Now I Only then did I believe that someone really sneaked into this island." Qing Shui stared at a pair of eyes and said with lingering fear. The three of them talked while walking, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the gate of the police station.When they turned their heads, they saw a long line of people behind them, almost like a funeral procession. Kosuke Kindaichi looked at Police Officer Isokawa and said: "Officer, should you go to see the corpse first, or listen to Qing Shui's introduction of the details of last night's incident?" Officer Isokawa tilted his head, thought for a while and said: "I want to know what happened before looking at the corpse. By the way, where is the corpse now?" "It's been sent home. Here, it's the castle-like mansion on the cliff opposite. That's the house of the Onitomoto family." Kindaichi Kosuke pointed to the house of the family and said to the police officer in Atsukawa. "Hey, come here!" Officer Isokawa called one of the policemen and said: "You take the forensic doctor to the autopsy first. Forensic doctor, please." Under the guidance of the police, the forensic doctor went to the house of the ghost head, while the remaining three entered the police station. What's interesting is that not only urbanites like to watch the excitement, but people on small islands like to watch the excitement even more. The police station is crowded with men, women and children. At this time, it happened to be lunch time, and the policemen opened their lunch boxes; Kosuke Kindaichi also accepted Shimizu's hospitality honestly. The policeman's wife, Azhong, relied on her female intuition, and soon discovered that her husband had changed a lot. He was particularly attentive to Kosuke Kindaichi, which made her feel funny.And this meal, Kosuke Kindaichi ate it very deliciously. At this moment, he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since he woke up in the morning!Qing Shui forgot, and so did he. Kosuke Kindaichi stutters when he is excited, but his thoughts are organized when he is calm.After sitting down face to face with Police Officer Isokawa, he explained to Officer Isokawa clearly and in detail what happened after arriving at Prison Gate Island until the night before.However, he intentionally omitted Wantai's last words, because he vaguely felt that it was not the time to speak out, and it seemed that once he said it, it would cause trouble for someone on the island. Although Police Officer Isokawa wanted to intervene repeatedly, Kosuke Kindaichi didn't give him a chance, and immediately diverted the topic away as soon as he finished speaking. "Officer, I'm really not qualified to talk about what happened last night. I was probably too tired the night before, so when I lay down, I couldn't wake up. I didn't know there was another murder on the island until this morning." Kosuke Kindaichi did not know anything about Yukie's death under the hanging bell at first. He looked at Shimizu and said this to Police Officer Isokawa. "Are you so sleepy that you can't wake up?" Officer Isokawa asked suspiciously. "I misunderstood this point. Before explaining this matter, could the police officer tell me who this Mr. Kindaichi is?" Shimizu asked with a confused and innocent look on his face. "Didn't I tell you who Kindaichi is the night before yesterday?" Officer Isokawa couldn't understand Shimizu's question, and asked sharply. "Yes! It seems to be a suspect in a major case..." Shimizu hesitated, wanted to speak but dared not speak, and looked at Police Officer Isokawa with an innocent look on his face. "Is this Mr. Kindaichi a suspect in a major case?" Police Officer Isokawa first widened his eyes and gave Shimizu a hard look, then he covered his stomach and rolled back and forth laughing. "Hey, Shimizu, what are you doing? This Kindaichi..." Officer Isokawa briefly explained his relationship with Kindaichi, and then asked: "What the hell did you do to him?" "Because I heard the police officer say he was a wanted criminal, and the case happened as soon as I got back to the island, just in case, I put him in the detention center last night .” Qing Shui's voice became smaller and smaller, his face was flushed red, and he was so ashamed that he wished he could get into the hole. "You put him in detention?" Officer Isokawa asked Shimizu with wide eyes as if confirming the criminal. "This is a very interesting experience!" Kindaichi Kosuke smiled, and immediately said seriously: "It's also my fault. I deliberately said some nonsensical words. No wonder Qing Shui doubted me. I did it on my own! But then again, I can't sell melons by Wang Po and speak brazenly about me. It's a famous detective, isn't it?" Kosuke Kindaichi laughed heartily again at this moment. Police Officer Isokawa had a straight face at first, but when he heard Kosuke Kindaichi's happy laughter, he couldn't help but also said with a smile: "Haha... I really can't stand you being so honest. Forget it, Shimizu, Jin Tianyi doesn't hold grudges, so don't take it to heart! Now let's listen to your story about last night's murder!" As soon as Police Officer Isokawa mentioned the "murder case", the expression on his face also became serious. "yes!" Qing Shui nervously wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, and then stammered about what happened last night. But because he stuttered so much, if it wasn't for Officer Isokawa or Kosuke Kindaichi bringing up important topics from time to time, it would be impossible to figure out what he was talking about. Shimizu was indeed very nervous. Firstly, he should not have detained Kosuke Kaneda last night; secondly, the audience at the scene was the famous old fox police officer in the county, and a famous detective who even looked at that police officer differently! oh!God!The man in front of him with a disheveled look is actually a famous detective!