Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Eyewitnesses in Hokkaido

At dusk on the second day, Mihara took the "Towada" express train and departed from Ueno Station to Hokkaido. This is the train Yasuda was on.On the one hand, it is the most convenient train to go to Hokkaido, and on the other hand, it is a "field inspection" of Yasuda's confession. Mihara didn't go to sleep until after the train passed through Belai.There were two people sitting across from each other, speaking with a Northeast accent, chatting all over the world, so noisy that people's nerves could not rest at all.However, toward eleven o'clock, the fatigue of the day finally brought sleepiness.

In the next morning, the morning light is long and the sea is covered by the milky white sky, which is very fresh.Preparations for getting off the car have already begun. The conductor stood at the door, said good morning, and addressed the passengers: "The terminal station, Aomori, is approaching. I think you are tired from the long journey. However, anyone who intends to take the Seikan Ferry to Hakodate, please register on the passenger form. Now, please fill out the registration form first." The conductor handed out the registration form to the passengers who raised their hands.It was the first time in Mihara to go to Hokkaido by boat, so he also asked for a registration form.

The passenger bill is just a form. For unknown reasons, the same form must be filled out on both sides of A and B, and handed over at the ticket office. Arrived at Aomori Station at 9:9.There are still forty minutes until the ferry departs.Before boarding the ship, he had to pass a long platform. Passengers rushed forward in order to get a good seat. Mihara's back was bumped countless times. Arrived in Hakodate at 2:20 pm.Thirty minutes later, the express train "Qiaozao" departed.The travel time is very closely linked. The train journey lasted five and a half hours. Although it was the first time for Mihara to enjoy the scenery of Hokkaido, he didn't feel bored.When I arrived in Sapporo at night, I was exhausted and my butt hurt.

At the station, Mihara found out about a cheap hotel to stay.Although he clearly knew that if he stayed at the Marumono Hotel, he could kill two birds with one stone in the investigation of Yasuda, but due to the lack of travel expenses, he had to be patient. It rained that night.Listening to the sound of rain, Mihara fell asleep in no time due to exhaustion. In the morning, I got up in a hurry after ten o'clock.It rained last night, and the bedding was damp and cold.The weather in Hokkaido really lives up to its reputation. After eating, Mihara went to the Sapporo Central Police Station first.This is polite, first of all thank you for your assistance in the investigation.

"Did the investigation not go well?" The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department actually sent someone to the scene, so it's no wonder that the Sapporo inspector was worried.Mihara quickly explained that this was not the case, and that he came to conduct individual investigations. Hearing that he wanted to go to the Marumono Hotel, the inspector sent an agent to show him the way.Since he could have this convenience, he did not refuse. The hotel has already been investigated, so the answer is simple and clear. The female accountant immediately took out the passenger list and pointed to Yasuda Tatsuro's name.

"He came at nine o'clock in the evening on January 21. The Ministry stayed here on the 22nd and 23rd. He went out on business during the day and came back before dark. There was nothing special, and his attitude was very calm. " What the female accountant said fit Yasuda's characteristics very well.Mihara took over the passenger list with Yasuda Tatsuro on it.After leaving the hotel, I sent the agent back first. The following actions seemed to be more convenient for one person. Futaba Trading Company is on the bustling street, selling machinery and equipment, it is a large-scale shop.The items displayed in the window even have motors.

Hexi is a bald man just over fifty years old, who claims to be the sales director.Seeing Mihara's business card, he opened his eyes wide. "A few days ago, the Sapporo Police Station also sent agents to inquire about my arrival at the station to meet Mr. Yasuda. Do you have any doubts about Mr. Yasuda?" He Xi had a completely surprised expression on his face. "No, there is no doubt. But there are some other things that need to be investigated. As a reference, please don't worry. You and Mr. Yasuda have been in business for a long time." Mihara said calmly. "For five or six years, he was a very honest person in terms of credit." He Xi promised.

In order to reassure the other party, Mihara kept nodding deeply. "Then, when Mr. Yasuda came to Sapporo on January 21st, you were the one who picked up the train at the station?" Mihara came all the way to ask this question that touched the core. "Yes. I received a telegram from him, saying that he was going to Sapporo on the 21st by the 'Kumo' train. Please meet at the waiting room of the station, so I went. Unfortunately, the telegram was torn up and discarded. .” He Xi replied. "Do you go to greet him every time you come?" Mihara asked. "No, I don't pick it up every time I come. It is said that this time it is because it is too late, the store is closed, and there are important things to discuss."

"That's why, so Mr. Yasuda arrived at the station by the train 'Kumao', and went to the waiting room to meet you immediately." After hearing this, Hexi hesitated for a moment before saying: "Yes. But not right away. The express train arrived at the station at 20:34. The disembarked passengers walked out of the ticket gate and walked to the square in front of the station. It was visible from the glass window of the waiting room. I I remember that I waited for a long time, and it took ten minutes to wait for him." After ten minutes, it was no problem.It seems that Yasuda is right, he arrived at the station by the "Qiaozao" train.

Mihara was disappointed.Although such a result was within expectations, he was still reluctant to part with the original judgment.In fact, there is no contradiction between this person's statement and Yasuda Tatsuro's confession: the original judgment seems to be a big problem. Yasuda did arrive in Sapporo by taking the express train that arrived at the station at 20:34 on the 21st.From that night on, he was indeed staying at the Marumono Hotel; there was no flaw at all.Mihara felt that he was standing in front of the stone wall. No matter how hard I try, I still haven't seen any results. In terms of mood, I really feel guilty for the section chief Kasunami who has always supported my work.It is said that the director did not work hard on this case, and only after the section chief spoke on his behalf did he have to continue the investigation. Mihara would not be without a sense of responsibility.

Mihara's complexion was gloomy, and He Xi, who was sitting opposite, looked at it in his heart, and after a while, he hesitated and said in a low voice: "There is one more thing to explain to Mr. Mihara. I don't have much contact with Mr. Yasuda. Since you came all the way from Tokyo just for this matter, I should provide everything I noticed. However, this Just for reference, I don't know if it has any significance." "Understood, what is it?" Mihara looked at Hexi. "Speaking of which, Mr. Yasuda came to me and said that he had important matters to discuss, and the telegram he sent was also worded in this way. However, we met, and he didn't have any important matters to discuss." "Oh, is it true?" Mihara immediately asked back, and there seemed to be a strange sound in his throat. "Really. Moreover, Mr. Yasuda came to our company on the third day and talked about irrelevant matters. At that time, I felt in my heart that this matter was a bit strange." Mihara suddenly felt that the stone wall in front of him had cracked.Heart pounding.On the surface, he pretended to be nonchalant and questioned Hexi in extremely calm words, and Hexi repeated what he had just said. Yasuda Tatsuro had nothing important to do, why did he ask Kasai to greet him at the station? ——It must be that Yasuda hoped for an eyewitness to prove that he arrived in Sapporo on the "Kumo" train on January 21, so Kasai was selected. It must be so.The reason is nothing more than this.He deliberately placed a four-minute witness at Tokyo Station, and he did the same here.These arrangements are all inherited in one continuous line and echoed back and forth. Then, if it was deliberately arranged, what Yasuda did must be completely opposite to the fact that he arrived in Sapporo by taking the "Kumo" train.In other words, did he not take the train? Thinking of this, Mihara consciously discovered the important key, his eyes flashed with brilliance. "Mr. Kasai. The place where you met with Mr. Yasuda is the waiting room?" "That's right." Ever since Hexi slipped his tongue, every time he heard a question, he immediately became uneasy. "Didn't pick up the train at the platform?" "That's right. Because the telegram says to meet in the waiting room," "So," Mihara asked suddenly, "you didn't see Mr. Yasuda get off the train?" "Didn't see it, but—" However, Yasuda Tatsuro from Tokyo arrived at the waiting room of the station at that moment and appeared in front of his eyes. Of course he got off that train——Kaxi's expression expressed this opinion. When Mihara left Futaba Trading Company, before leaving, Zhu forgot how to say goodbye to Hexi.He wandered around the streets of Sapporo, which he had never been before.On the wide streets, birch trees lined up in a straight line, towering into the sky.He didn't seem to see these trees in his eyes, and while thinking hard, he hesitated on the street. Yasuda was lying.He pretended to arrive at the station by the "Kumo" train, and telegraphed Kasai to meet him in the waiting room of Sapporo Station at that very moment.In this way, it becomes "meeting at the station".That's what the call back from the Sapporo Police Department was ordered to investigate. "Meet and greet at the station", in anyone's eyes, is to greet people who have just got off the train.Yasuda took advantage of this illusion. Two waitresses from "Koyuki Restaurant" were arranged as witnesses at Tokyo Station.The same goes for Kasai in Hokkaido. --it is good.We must uncover Yasuda's painted skin. Mihara took out his notebook and looked it up, Yasuda explained to him as follows: On the 20th, take the "Towada" express train and leave Ueno Station in Tokyo, and arrive in Aomori on the morning of the 21st.Take the Seikan Ferry at 9:50 and arrive at Hakodate at 14:20.We left Hakodate by express train "Kumao" and arrived in Sapporo at 20:34. Mihara looked at the timetable, and suddenly took a long breath. ——Why have you never thought of this? Doesn't everyone on the Seikan Ferry have to fill out a passenger form?As soon as the watch is checked, Yasuda's statement will collapse. If he takes the ferry, he must leave his name on the passenger form. Mihara's heart was pounding, and he immediately became uneasy again. A whole month has passed since the 21st of January.Can the ferry passenger list be kept?If it has been abandoned, all clues will be lost. You should go to the station first to inquire.He arrived at Sapporo Station in a blink of an eye. Entering the railway police room, Sanyuan explained his identity and asked about the retention period of the passenger form. "The passenger form of the Seikan Ferry," said the middle-aged police officer in the room, rubbing his face, "the shelf life is six months." six months.That's enough to be sure.A stone fell to Mihara's heart. "Do you have to go to Aomori Station to check?" "Is it the passenger who took the boat from Aomori?" "correct." "Then there is no need to go to Aomori. There is also a copy at Hakodate Station." Mihara was puzzled when he heard this, and the police officer explained: "The ferry passenger form is divided into two copies, A and B, with the name and address of the passenger written. The form is torn apart at the station, Party A is kept by the departure station, and Party B is handed over to the captain and forwarded to the front station. Therefore, Hakodate Station also has a copy." "Oh, that's right." Mihara understood.He remembered that he had also filled out both A and B forms. "Which day do you want to check?" the police officer asked him. "January 21st. That is the ferry to Hakodate at 14:20." "That's the seventeenth ship. If you go to check, I'll call Hakodate first and ask them to prepare the passenger list for that ship." "That would be so convenient, please, please." Mihara explained that he would take the night train tonight and arrive at Hakodate Station tomorrow morning, and then left the police office. The night train starts at 22:00, and there are still eight hours left.He wanted wholeheartedly to find the passenger watch immediately, so he had no ill feeling towards the sixteen hours of the eight-hour waiting time and the eight-hour journey. Mihara couldn't handle the eight-hour wait for the bus, so he had to walk around Sapporo.However, I was too nervous to see anything. It was so easy to wait until dusk.Sixteen hours passed with restlessness and sleep, how slowly the time passed! Just after six o'clock, the train came to Hakodate Station.The cold wind blows. There were still two hours before office hours, and Mihara managed to get to the door to open. The clerk was a young man, and upon hearing Mihara's statement of his purpose, he said: "I received a call yesterday and it's ready. This is the passenger list for the seventeenth ship on the 21st." "First class and second class are separate, which one do you want?" the clerk asked him. "I think the first class will be checked first, and maybe the second class will also be checked." Mihara replied.There are many second-class passenger lists, and it takes a lot of time to read one by one. "There are only so many first-class tickets." It seems that there are not even thirty tickets. Sanyuan lifted the corner of the paper and inspected it in detail.While beating drums in my heart, I read like singing, and the name of Yasuda Tatsuro must not appear.That is to say, seeing the twelfth and thirteenth pictures, ah, he found a familiar name. "Official Yoshio Ishida is fifty years old Tokyo—" Ishida Yoshio is the director of the XX Division of the XX Department, and Mihara has long known.Not only know, but know.The corruption incident that the second investigation section devoted all its efforts to investigate was carried out around this director. ——Is Director Ishida also coming to Hokkaido on this ship? A bad omen emerged in my heart. Mihara carefully checked down.Flipping through five more forms, he almost cried out unexpectedly. Have! "Tatsuro Yasuda, a machine maker, is forty-two years old, Tokyo—" His eyes faltered on the form.Can't believe it.This should never be the case.However, this name was actually placed before his eyes. Mihara did not show weakness.He took out the guestbook signed by Yasuda that he received at the Marumono Hotel from his briefcase, and put it beside him.The handwriting of the two documents, as if mocking Mihara, was exactly the same. Yasuda Tatsuro really took this ship! Mihara himself also felt that his complexion turned pale immediately. Now that the fact of taking the ship has been proved, the fact of taking the "Chaozao" express has of course also been proved.Yasuda Tatsuro's confession is really not a single lie.The idea that the stone wall in front of him has been cracked seems to be a fantasy.In the face of this reality, Mihara felt that he had failed completely.He let the passenger list spread out there, with his head down, unable to move for a long time.