Chapter 22 grab evidence

Sachiko Edamura took the business card of "Women's Corridor" and came to Ome City, Nishitama County Belongs to the Police Department.What I got from walking and talking with Masaichi Okano last night in the dark streets near the apartment has turned into this action today. In the end, "Women's Corridor" is famous, the business card of the editorial department received a spell-like effect, and she easily passed through the gate that was strictly closed to the common people. He took the initiative to introduce a lot of situations. With this business card, "celebrities" can generally be seen, even those who are difficult to approach do not need an introducer. The title on the business card is the most powerful introducer. The last time I met Goichiro Hatano with a business card.

Sachiko thought it was a good thing she didn't destroy the "Women's Corridor" business card.That magazine is so stingy, but its influence outside is extraordinary.It is a strange thing that the influence within the institution is so different from the influence in the society. The people inside are not very good, and the institution is famous.Sachiko thought that if she took out the business card of "We You Interviewed a Reporter", the investigation chief would look suspiciously at the typeface on the famous card and drive her out of the door. Xingzi thought, since she still has this business card, she should make full use of it. Once the editorial department of "Women's Corridor" finds out, they may come to criticize, but it's not a big deal, and it's not used to do bad things.

There are mountains and forests to the west of Qingmei. I heard that many people committed suicide or died in love there. I want to write a reportage on the essence of these incidents, so I came here to collect materials.This is what Sachiko Edamura, a reporter from "Women's Corridor", said to the Chief of the Investigation Section.Today, Sachiko deliberately wore a smart suit. The thin-haired detective chief is convinced that his talk will be published in a leading women's magazine, and doesn't know he's being tricked.He took out the statistics and other transcripts and introduced them enthusiastically to her.

"Are more men or women among suicides?" Sachiko who was taking notes continued to ask.Around the section chief, some plainclothes and uniform policemen glanced at Sachiko from time to time at work. "Men overwhelmingly." The section chief reported the figures on the statistics sheet. "Why? Women are cowardly by nature, there should be more of them." "Generally people think so, but in fact female suicides are only one-third of male suicides. Women often say they want to die, but they seldom take action. According to foreign statistics, the rate is roughly the same. Moreover, it is difficult for women to have determination To commit suicide alone in the mountains and forests in this area, what a coward! It’s easier to die indoors, that is, in your own home or in a hotel by blowing a gas pipe, taking poison, or hanging to death.”

"Most women commit suicide by hanging?" "Yes, there are gas suicides. It may be troublesome to buy medicines in pharmacies. Suicides by poisoning have not been many." "What are the causes of women's suicide?" "Young people are mostly due to love affairs, and middle-aged people are often due to family reasons. However, in the recent period, women's psychology has become more and more realistic, and that kind of trouble has gradually decreased. Perhaps women's suicide is like frequent menstruation. Mostly episodic." How is Hatano Masako's body?

"...Men mostly do it for financial reasons, and most of the suicides are middle-aged and above, and they are all well-prepared." It doesn't matter what the man is. "Recently, it is said that middle-aged female suicides are mostly due to family reasons. Are there any examples of this in your district? The most recent examples will do." "Yes, by the way, about half a month ago, at Miyake in front, the wife of a manager in Tokyo hanged herself in the forest. The reason seems to be that her husband was mentally distressed because her husband had another new love. The wife was single. into the mountains."

Prey caught. "The body was found soon?" "No, a week later, in a place where people don't often go, it was found by people in the village." "The body is probably rotting, right?" "Yes. The hanging rope broke and the body fell to the ground." "In that case, it's hard to tell if he died by hanging? Has the skin on his neck changed?" "You can still tell how rotten it is, because there is a ditch in the neck." "Hanging ditch?" "When the neck is strangled, a rope groove is generally formed around the neck, because the knot is tied at the back of the neck, and the groove is inclined backward. When strangling or strangling, the victim must resist, and the skin around the neck will Abrasions are left, whereas hanged ones don't. Usually, that's the way to tell the difference."

Sachiko thought that Masako Hatano might have been strangled to death by the murderer's arms.She guessed that there was no wound on the neck because there was no hand restraint, but an arm strangulation.Sachiko asked the investigation chief a question as a general speculation. "Well, the skin on the neck won't fall off if you strangle her with your arms, but if you want to suffocate her to death, the murderer can't do it if his arms are weak. I heard that there are such killing methods in foreign countries, what about the Japanese?" "Even if you don't die, you have to be in a state of suspended animation, right?"

"Fake death? Well, yes, it means being unconscious, oppressing the carotid artery that supplies blood to the brain, and losing consciousness." "Will that unconscious state come quickly?" "Very soon. When hanged, the feet are off the ground, the body weight hangs on the neck, compresses the carotid artery, and immediately loses consciousness." "Has the female corpse been dissected?" Sachiko asks the core question. "In principle, an autopsy is performed on dead bodies." "Have you checked out the contents of your stomach?"

"If the time is not long after a meal, the food will remain in the stomach, and after a long time, it will enter the intestines." "What about the woman?" Sachiko asked nonchalantly. "Oh, please wait a moment, I'll bring the information." The section chief was very enthusiastic. There was a traffic accident nearby, and it was reported that someone was injured, and several police officers rushed to the scene. The section chief was looking for information and said: "The woman's food is half in the stomach and half in the duodenum. This is the state two or three hours after eating."

"Do you know what she ate in that state?" "I know, even if it is in the form of porridge, it can be scientifically identified." "What about the woman?" His tone was calm, but his heart was pounding. "Look, it's clear that there are mushrooms, shrimps, bamboo shoots, pork, and green peas." "Chinese food?" Sachiko couldn't help asking loudly. "Yes, bamboo shoots and shrimp are not easy to digest, so they can be clearly distinguished. That's right, they ate fried noodles, which is recorded in the autopsy report." —Hatano Masako has eaten fried noodles, and she is accompanying the astor who loves Chinese food.The inferences I came up with during my walk with Okano last night turned out to be good.Since the time of Masako's death is unknown, I don't know when the food was eaten. Anyway, it is true that the two had dinner together. However, Sayo Okano left Jiyugaoka's beauty salon at around 4 o'clock. If he had dinner with Masako not long after that, it would be too early.It takes nearly two hours to drive from the city to Mitake, so it will arrive at around 6:30. It was still on at 6:30.Doffer had to wait until after dark to commit the crime anyway, so it might have been around eight or nine o'clock.That is to say, there is an interval of two or three hours, and it is during that time that people eat fried noodles. where is it?If it is on the way to Mitake, it may be on the street of Ome, or it may be in a restaurant that you see casually from the car. It is not a quiet place, but on the side of the road where cars pass by. "Oh, by the way, and," said the investigation chief who was looking through the transcript, "there is a cherry stone..." "Cherry pit?" Sachiko asked back, and suddenly realized, "Oh, it's ice cream, and there are cherries on the ice cream." "Yes, yes." The chief replied with a smile. "I would like to ask one more question." "please." "You just said that women usually don't go into such a secluded forest alone. There are many houses on the way to the forest. That woman must be very conspicuous going in that direction alone. Has anyone seen it?" "Oh, no one saw her." "If you take the tram and get off at Cheongyake Station, the station staff will see her, and no one at the station has seen her?" "I haven't heard of it. We didn't investigate the witnesses specifically, because it was an obvious suicide, not a homicide. Her husband also said that there was a suicide note at home." Sachiko smiled.That being the case, there is no need to explore it, because no one saw Masako passing by, and it was because it was a car. "Mr. Chief, I want to see what kind of place women choose to commit suicide. Can you draw a sketch and let me know where the woman's suicide scene is?" "Okay!" The section chief immediately drew a sketch and marked the site with an x. "Do magazine reporters look everywhere?" he said as he handed her the sketches. "For reference, this is also work, there is no way." Sachiko smiled again and bowed to the section chief. Sachiko left the police station and headed for the station square.Among the long line of taxis waiting for passengers, the front one happened to be an elderly driver who seemed kind.She took a car to Mitake and came near the Tamagawa Bridge.There are public restaurants and small restaurants next to the bridge, but there are no Chinese restaurants.Public restaurants probably have fast food noodles, not fried noodles.She asked the driver to go to the store to check, and sure enough there was no fried noodles. "Come here again, take a look." She showed the driver a sketch of the scout's long circle. Drive across the bridge and on the road to another village.On the right are mountains, on the left are low hills and fields with dense forests.The driver, sketch in one hand, stopped about 300 meters from the bridge. "Is this the mountain road?" He pointed to the mountain with a face. Looking towards his finger, he saw a narrow path leading to the depths of the forest among the dense overgrown grass. "Can I get in the car?" "Here?" The driver's eyes widened. "This road is full of mountains, and I can't get out anywhere." "I want to see in the mountains." "That's not easy, it's uphill over there." "Just drive wherever you can. I will give you a reward in addition to the fare. After getting off the car, please take a walk around the area together." It may be that this sentence moved the driver's heart. Not only is there a tip, but he can also play in the mountains with a woman, which is not a bad thing for an older man. The tall weeds were waist deep, and the heat in the grass was stifling.The mountain road is red soil. —— The driver goes ahead.The sketch returned to Sachiko's hands.The cicadas screamed annoyingly, and the birds slapped off the leaves and flew away. When we came to a place about 150 meters away from the road, a steep slope suddenly appeared below the mountain road. "Pause here." Sachiko stared blankly at the steep slope below.There are dense miscellaneous trees on the steep slope, and countless branches stretch out on the slope, and ropes can be tied to any branch. Seeing this terrain, Sachiko understood.It was never known before how a man could hug the fat, heavy body of the unconscious Masako Hatano to the rope tied to the tree.Take advantage of this steep slope, tie the rope around your neck, and push it up the steep slope.With just one push, her feet left the ground, and her center of gravity fell on the rope tied around her neck, completely compressing the carotid artery.She was suffocated to death unconscious. The means are clear.Sachiko stared at the spot and noticed some grainy purple seeds in the grass. "Driver, what's the name of that grass seed?" The driver standing next to Sachiko looked at her and said: "Which one? It's called Zhu Lian. Look, there are barbs on the stems, and small purple flowers bloom in autumn." "When will the seeds set?" "Start giving seeds in early June." On June 10, the pig scorpion had already set seeds. "Does this grass seed stain your clothes?" "Well, it's good to stain clothes." Sachiko asked the driver to pick some grass seeds.The driver took a few steps down the slope and picked twelve or thirteen grains.Sachiko wrapped the grass in white paper and put it in her handbag. "Look, my trousers are stained, ah, the thorns are tied to my trousers." The driver asked her to watch.The lower half of the navy blue serge trousers was covered with purple grass seeds. "Really!" Sachiko looked very interested. The two left there and went back to the parking place. "Where are you going?" "Back to Ome." Before getting into the car, she glanced at the tires.The car was driven hard onto the mountain road, and the tires were covered with red soil and weeds.But there are no pigs in this area. "I'm sorry for making your car dirty too." "No, it's okay, I'm going to wash the car anyway." She got into the car. "Are you going to the station square in Ome?" "Yes....Hey, can I find a Chinese restaurant on the side of the street in Ome? It can be from Qinghai to Lichuan." She didn't call a taxi to go to Hachioji and Tachikawa.Going east on the main street from Mitake, we drove past Ome's neighborhood in a short while.Higashi Ome Station is just on the side of the block, and there is a Chinese restaurant there. "Driver, stop." The car stopped 10 meters before the restaurant. "What's wrong?" "Go back to the restaurant." The middle-aged driver backed up.Cars came from behind one after another, and they couldn't reverse for a long time. The Chinese restaurant is a small restaurant in the countryside, just near the road going to Mitake.The signboard of "Helaixuan" is hung on the door, and the same shop name is written on the large cloth belt with lace at the door. Sachiko peered into the display window outside from the car, and saw that there were Chinese dishes made of plastic in the display window. Among the samples were fried noodles, brightly colored mushrooms, bamboo shoots, shrimp, shredded pork, etc. covered on brown wheat-raised noodles. The remnants in Hatano Masako's stomach are exactly the same according to the head of the investigative section of the police station. However, still can not rest assured.Samples of this kind of chow mein are readily available, and they are similar in any restaurant, so it cannot be said to be completely accurate.However, when Sachiko's eyes reached the bottom floor of the display window, she was sure of it.There is a sample of ice cream, and there is a bright red cherry on the white ice cream—— "Driver, do you want fried noodles?" Sachiko asked. "Okay, I happen to be a little hungry." The middle-aged driver was very happy, but he was worried about the lack of a parking lot.The road is narrow, and the up and down lines are mixed in one line. A short, snub-nosed woman in her 30s walked out of the curtain, pointing to the right. "Same plane, if you want to stop, walk 20 to 30 meters over there, there is an open space behind you, you can park there." Sachiko got out of the car, and the driver reversed the car over there. (Yes, Dolph also came by car.) Looking at the driver backing up, Sachiko thought. (Dofu is going in the direction of Mitake, so it is on the opposite side. However, if you have to turn right into the open space, it must be difficult to pass when there are many vehicles.) In fact, it took the driver seven minutes to drive to the open lot and walk back to the restaurant. "I want two servings of fried noodles, and two servings of orange juice first." There was only one housewife in her 40s in the store, and a couple of customers sat in the corner surprised, which was suitable for inquiring about the situation. The driver on the other side was embarrassedly sucking orange juice through a straw. "Driver, how many kilometers is it from Mitake to Shibuya?" When the food she ordered didn't come, she talked to him. "Well, less than m kilometers, probably..." "What about fuel consumption? About 15 kilograms? If you encounter traffic jams and the car can't start, it will consume even more fuel." Consumes 15 liters of petrol, of course refueling the next day.Okano's findings are consistent with the inference.Okano is someone who can be used, and he will continue to be used in the future. She thought of his strange excitement when he walked in the dark street last night, and her face and body were stiff, and her fingers seemed to be trembling.This is just right, Okano is a man with romantic inspiration, and his "youthful" impulse Shanshan is late.A man who struggled tenaciously with poverty in his youth was repressed in this respect, and no woman could look down on her own inferiority complex and shut him up in the gray kingdom. Now, a drop of faint rose color fell into Okano's heart, tearing the gray membrane and making it tremble.Can't help but take advantage of Okano's abnormal psychology—— Two servings of chow mein were delivered, exactly the same as the samples in the display window.Mushrooms, bamboo shoots, shrimp, pork.The driver ate very well. "Two ice creams!" The proprietress brought it over.Boxed ice cream topped with a bright red cherry. "The fried noodles are delicious." Sachiko said a compliment to the proprietress.Maybe because it is a country dish, it tastes a little spicy. "Really? Thanks!" The proprietress with a flat nose showed her golden teeth. "Are there many customers?" "Well, more and more gradually." "I often see people passing by in cars, don't they?" "Hey, this place is on the side of the road, so you can see more." "My friend passed by your restaurant when he went to Mitake, and said that the fried noodles here are delicious, so I also came here admiringly." "Really? Thank you." The proprietress's mouth full of gold teeth remained open for a long time. "My friend, the man is nearly 30 years old; the woman is about 40 years old, and she is obese. She passed by half a month ago, remember?" After hearing Sachiko's question, the proprietress frowned. "Oh, there are so many visitors from Tokyo to Tamagawa, I can't remember exactly." "Really?" She was not reconciled, "It was the evening of June 10th, that girl was very fat, and she was wearing a green Bragi." It is common, not unnatural, to remind one of one's friends. "It sounds like I've seen such a guest before." The proprietress seemed to remember something. "Slightly, that man is this person." Sachiko took out Dove's photo from her handbag.This is the final photo she took, with Dove standing under a tree in the park. She took out the photo and asked, pretending not to inquire about the situation, but out of curiosity. "Ah, I remembered, this person has been to the store before." The proprietress held the photo in her hand and said, looking at it intently. "real?" There was a burst of excitement in my heart. "Yeah, half a month ago, it was in the evening, yes, yes, with that fat woman. When the man drove the car into the open space, he blocked the truck coming from the opposite side, and the truck driver reprimanded him, so I have an impression." "Oh, and this?" The guess in my mind when I saw the driver in a difficult situation just now was right. "The driver of the truck often goes to the store to eat instant noodles. His truck pulls timber from the glacier. Seeing that the driver was about to fight with him, I went to try to persuade him, and the customer thanked me. Yes, yes, The fat woman's face turned pale with fright." "Oh, there is such a thing!" "The young truck drivers in this area have a bad temper." The proprietress glanced at the taxi driver who was eating ice cream. "Are they eating fried noodles here?" "Yes, probably because they are hungry, they both ate everything." The proprietress's memory seems to have fully recovered. "Chow mein like this?" "yes. "What did you eat later? Ice cream or something else..." "It's ice cream. It's the same as what you two ate, ah, it's really the same, fried noodles and ice cream are the same." The proprietress laughed. "What did the two of you say?" "They were talking quietly, and there were other guests, I didn't hear clearly." "Did they say where did it go from here?" "I didn't say it, but it seems that I came from Tokyo. I probably went to the Tama River to enjoy the shade. There are a lot of couples in the Mitake area at night. There are also love hotels for those people in that area." Unsightly wrinkles formed on the bridge of the nose. "It's amazing." "For customers, the lady is very old." To recognize it so clearly, it is obvious that there is no mistake. "Yes, they are related." Sachiko has always remained a friend. "Really? There are more and more couples like that these days." The wrinkles on the nose gathered again. "The truck driver lost his temper because there was a couple in the truck, right?" The wrinkles on the nose gathered again. "Maybe, I heard that Heizi was dumped by a woman, and I'm really upset." "Kuroko?" "It's Saburo Kurohara. He also has dark skin. Everyone calls him Heizi." "Is it someone from around here?" "Working at the Ome Forestry Company behind Ome Station." Saburo Kurohara of Ome Forestry Company.Sachiko thought, this must be remembered. "The couple didn't pass by here on their way back?" "No, maybe it was too late when I went back, and I stayed there. I closed at 9 o'clock." The proprietress didn't seem to connect the female guest with the suicide in the Mitake forest.She did not mention this matter in her words, which means that no legends have been heard here.This incident proves that the investigation chief's view that Masako came to Miyake alone is incorrect.The police did not allow the proprietress to identify the photograph of the suicide. "Thank you, it's delicious." Sachiko gave her another tip. It was very lucky to find the restaurant where the food in Masako's stomach was found, and Sachiko herself didn't expect it to be so smooth. "Go to Ome Station." She said to the driver. "Understood, to the Ome Forestry Company?" The middle-aged driver also heard the conversation just now. Sachiko got into the taxi and looked at the driver's seat.The company is called "North Tama Transportation Company", and the driver is Suzuki Kinji.This person can also be a "witness" for the proprietress of "Helaixuan". Get on the bus and come to the station square.Turn right on the plaza, behind you is the truck loading yard and lumberyard. The office of "Ome Forestry Company" is located near the lumberyard. It is a two-story building painted with blue paint and a water-quality structure. Three empty trucks are parked in the open air on the square next to it. "Just get here, and take the tram on the way back." Sachiko also tipped the middle-aged driver. "Thank you, you entertained a meal and gave a tip." The driver kept nodding. "Did you hear what the proprietress of the Chinese restaurant said just now?" "That's interesting to hear. Are you here to inquire about the truck driver?" "For some reason, I want to investigate some of my friend's situation. You should also remember what you said just now." "Understood, as long as you need, I am willing to serve you at any time." "thanks!" The driver didn't know what was going on, but seemed interested. The same thing was said to Saburo Kurohara, a truck driver of the "Qinghai Forestry Company". The person who passed the office called Kurohara Saburo.Hei Yuan was a young man in his twenties and thirties, with dark skin, no wonder he was dumped by a woman because of his looks. "There was such a thing in front of Helaixuan's gate. The car on the downlink was about to turn right and blocked my car. I got angry and couldn't help scolding the man with the woman. Laixuan's proprietress came out to persuade..." Kurohara Saburo smiled when he recalled the past. "What kind of car is that?" "The latest Model T, Model T limousine, the body is gray." It was Doffer's car.The driver remembers the car most accurately. "Is there a woman sitting in it?" "Yes, sitting in the back seat may be because the woman is too fat, so she didn't sit in the front assistant's seat. She is so fat, how uncomfortable it is to sit in the assistant's seat." Not necessarily.Hatano Masako didn't sit on the assistant's seat because she was afraid of being conspicuous, and sitting in the back was not easy to be seen.It was Dove's idea. "When was that? Remember?" "Half a month ago." "It should be the evening of June 10." Hearing Sachiko's words, Kurohara clapped his hands. "Wait, I was going to Shenchuan at that time, and I was in a hurry. Let me take a look at the driving diary." Kurohara ran to the office. The "evidence" is about to emerge.Sachiko took a deep breath. The driver Hei Yuan came back with "Driving Diary" in one hand. "It really is what you said." Kurohara opened the diary for June to the middle.On the "February 10th" page, it is written: "Depart from the Glacier Difficult Wood Farm at 5:10 p.m., arrive at Shenchuan Lumber Store at 9:15 p.m., and return to the company at 20 p.m.." "It's June 10th. I left the glacier at 5:10 and arrived at the gate of Helaixuan at about 6:30. It happened to be the peak time on the uplink. Of course I was in a hurry." Heiyuan emphasized. "that's right." Dove left Jiyugaoka around 4pm and passed Ome at exactly that time and everything fit. "I was busy with work, and he was taking a woman for a ride, and I couldn't help but get angry." "I can understand." "Oh, those lovers, the fat woman seems to be older than the man. The man has fair skin and elegant manners. He must be the young favorite of Mrs. Leisure. That guy is as weak as a woman." Sachiko felt that Dove's life was in her hands.