Chapter 15 Chapter Thirteen Back to the Present

As soon as Totsukawa returned to the office, Detective Kamei approached worriedly and asked, "What happened?" Totsukawa told Kamei detective what the criminal minister said. "The minister is worried about that kind of thing?" Kamei detective said a little surprised. "But, Mr. Turtle, I think the Minister's concern is justified." "Does he think Sasaki will really investigate that incident again?" "He thinks so." "But I don't think Sasaki will do that at the moment." Kamei detective said. "I think so too, but maybe I'm wrong."

"So, Sasaki wants to do that?" "I didn't know Sasaki's wife was dead until I heard what the minister said." "Really? But what does Mrs. Sasaki's death have to do with that incident?" Detective Kamei looked at Totsukawa with a puzzled expression. "After Sasaki quit his job as a police officer, in order not to worry his wife and children, he has been concentrating on his new job until today. Needless to say, of course he forgot about that incident. But after his wife died, he lost one of his shackles. , the young daughter is also in her twenties and can take care of herself, so the minister is worried whether Sasaki will investigate the incident again."

"I see." Detective Kamei nodded and said, "So, the minister has been investigating Sasaki? Otherwise, how could he even know about Mrs. Sasaki's death?" "Is that why the minister is worried? I think the minister is not unreasonable to be worried, because twenty years ago he forced Ishizaki to hang himself and was severely criticized by the media. If he investigates that incident twenty years later, he must It would be very embarrassing for the police, because the media would accuse them again." "But Sasaki is currently a civilian, what does he want to do, can we stop him?" Kamei detective asked.

"That's why the minister warned me to stop Sasaki before he started his investigation." While recalling Mikami's expression, Totsukawa said to Detective Kamei. "I really don't understand—" Detective Kamei said with a puzzled expression: "What can Sasaki do alone? Twenty years have passed, and this is a big blank, even though he, like the deceased Kosakai, doesn't think Ishizaki and Isamu Nakanishi are the murderers, and they don't want to find out the real murderer, so the minister has nothing to worry about?" "Well——" Totsukawa said this, and after thinking for a moment, he said: "The minister didn't explain it very clearly to me, but I think he is worried about Sasaki."

"What are you worried about?" Kamei detective asked. "This is just my speculation. The person involved in that incident is still alive. If someone investigates that incident again, it will not only hurt the prestige of the police, but also anger the other party. The minister is worried that the other party will fight back." "So Sasaki is in danger." "The minister is also worried. However, what worries the minister most is the prestige of the police." Totsukawa said. "Police, what are you going to do?" Detective Kamei asked with a serious expression.

"To be honest, I probably won't investigate that incident myself. If Sasaki wants to re-investigate that incident, I just want to watch from the sidelines. But I can't ignore the Minister's worries, so for Sasaki's good, it's best to warn him not to investigate. That incident." "Police, do you also think that Sasaki will be in danger?" Detective Kamei asked dubiously. "I think so." Totsukawa replied honestly. Although the dead Kosakai said maybe Ishizaki was not the murderer.However, Totsukawa didn't know whether Kosakai's thinking was correct.

Although Totsukawa had consulted the report of the Investigation Section 1 investigation of the incident twenty years ago, he only had a rough idea. Therefore, he couldn't make a correct judgment, but it was conceivable that if Sasaki went to investigate the incident again, it would definitely cause an uproar. This year, what Totsukawa was worried about finally became a reality. Sasaki, who had worked in the company for twenty years, quit his job and began to investigate the incident. At this time, his daughter was already twenty-five years old, and his wife who wanted him to forget that incident had also died of illness.

For Sasaki, there is no longer any worries at this time, so he can rest assured to investigate that incident, right? When Totsukawa heard that Sasaki had begun an investigation, he called his home worriedly. It was July 9 this year.The person who answered the phone was Sasaki's daughter Ji Jianzi. Ji Jianzi said that his father went on a trip. Totsukawa told Ji Jianzi that if Sasaki came back, please contact him immediately, but he never received a call from Sasaki. Totsukawa called Sasaki's house again. This time it was Ji Jianzi who answered the phone. She said that her father hadn't come back yet, and that he had left a note for her on the night of July 8, and then read him the message on the note.

Upon hearing the place name of Otaru, Totsukawa felt that Sasaki had started to investigate the incident. Because Kosakai mentioned to him that there was a female office worker who died in the Otaru Canal. It is said that the office worker told Kosakai that Ishizaki was not the murderer. Obviously, Sasaki was investigating the female office worker who died in the Otaru Canal twenty years ago. I'm afraid he is skeptical about the death of the female office worker? Just as Totsukawa was worried, Sasaki did not come back on Toka as scheduled. Daughter Ji Jianzi called Totsukawa because she was worried about her father's safety.She said she was going to Hokkaido to find her father.

Totsukawa felt very anxious, because he thought that Sasaki would be in danger if he went to investigate the incident twenty years ago. It would also be dangerous if Sasaki's daughter went to him. If someone does not want the incident of twenty years ago to be exposed again, he will definitely kill Sasaki and kill Ji Jianzi. Ten Jinchuan told Ji Jianzi to stay at home and wait for his father to come back. However, Ji Jianzi, who has a strong personality, cannot stay at home and wait for his father to come back. That's why Totsukawa sent young Kusaka detectives to ambush near her home in order to secretly protect her.

Sure enough, as Totsukawa expected, Ji Jianzi was attacked. A stranger sneaks into Ji Jianzi's house. Fortunately, the criminal police under the sun came to the rescue in time, and Ji Jianzi was not killed. "I don't think that person was just out to steal property." That's what Detective Kamei told Totsukawa at that time. "Old Turtle, do you think so too?" "Sasaki started to investigate that incident, maybe he has found out something, so that person sneaked into his house?" Kamei detective said. Totsukawa felt the same way, and the incident ended up being an attempted theft. Totsukawa also agrees with this approach. Because he didn't want Sasaki Ji Jianzi to be in danger. But Ji Jianzi was completely unaware of the police's painstaking efforts. She insisted on going to Hokkaido to find her missing father. "It's nerve-wracking." At that time, Totsukawa frowned and said so to Detective Kamei. "She's going to be more and more dangerous." "But we can't stop her from going to Hokkaido to look for her father, because it's only natural for a daughter to look for a father whose whereabouts are unknown." "How should this be done?" "I think we have to send someone to Hokkaido to secretly protect her." After Totsukawa said so, he asked Kusaka Detective to rush to Hokkaido. Even in Hokkaido, what Totsukawa was worried about became a reality. Although the murderer did not kill Ji Jianzi this time, he killed the merchant woman she wanted to meet. Sasaki, who returned to Tokyo, was also killed in Inokashira Park. When Sasaki died, he was holding a note with Totsukawa's phone number in his hand. It seems that he wanted to tell Totsukawa what happened before he was killed. It can be seen from this that Sasaki must have investigated something, otherwise, he would not have risked his life to call him. The search headquarters was established immediately. But as soon as the investigation started, the murderer came forward and confessed to killing Sasaki, and the case was closed. The murderer named Bei Yuan, no matter how you look at it, is just a gangster, saying that he killed Sasaki passing by to rob money. (I do not believe.) Totsukawa thought so, but the search headquarters did not investigate in detail. Because the search headquarters believed that the murderer was acting on a whim and had no enmity with the victim, so there was no need for a detailed investigation.In addition to the murderer's surrender, the police found the murder weapon, so Bei Yuan was prosecuted and the search department was disbanded. But Totsukawa was puzzled by this incident, because it was related to the incident twenty years ago. Sasaki not only re-investigated the incident, but also wanted to call him to tell him the results of the investigation, so he was killed. Totsukawa goes to Inokashira Park, the spot where Sasaki was killed. It may be that the typhoon is coming soon and it will rain heavily, so it is only four o'clock in the afternoon, and there is no one in the whole park. Suddenly someone called the "police department." Totsukawa turned around and saw that it was Detective Kamei, who was walking towards him while waving his hands. "I think you must be here." Detective Kamei said with a smile while walking side by side with Totsukawa. "I'm just here for a walk." Totsukawa said. "I know. The murderer is Bei Yuan?" "Yes. Although he was the murderer of Sasaki, someone must have instructed him behind the scenes. The question is who is that person?" "You're right. Although Kitahara has a criminal record of harm, he has no record of robbery or murder. I also think he was ordered by others to kill Sasaki." "I'd love to go and talk to him again." "But, he has been transferred to the local prosecutor's office!" "I know that. I think that incident twenty years ago was the motive, Mr. Turtle, do you agree with me?" "Of course. Since he wasn't killed by robbers, the only reason I can think of is because he went to re-investigate the incident from twenty years ago." "The murderer didn't want him to investigate that incident again, so he killed him to silence him?" "Yes. I think so." "What did Sasaki find out?" Neither Detective Kamei nor Totsukawa could answer this question. It began to rain lightly. They went into a nearby cafe. "The murderer of that incident will never be Ishizaki who committed suicide." While slowly sipping his coffee, Totsukawa said to Detective Kamei. "Because Sasaki was killed?" Kamei detective asked. "Yes. In the incident 20 years ago, the police arrested a sensualist, and the sensualist died in the hospital. Ishizaki, who was being tracked down by Kosakai and Sasaki, also hanged himself. If the murderer was one of these two, twenty Years later, Sasaki went to investigate the incident again, and no one should feel uneasy. If the murderer is someone else, Sasaki's doing so will definitely cause great trouble and trouble to that person." "I still think of one thing." Kamei detective said. "whats the matter?" "Even if Ishizaki is the murderer, I don't think he will commit suicide." "You mean he was killed?" "Yes. People who don't want him to be arrested may kill him. Twenty years later, will Sasaki be killed again in order to prevent Sasaki from finding out about this matter?" Detective Kamei Said. "If Ishizaki is arrested, the person who will be implicated is Horie Diet Member." "Yes. Congressman Horie loves Ishizaki very much. If Ishizaki is arrested, Congressman Horie will definitely be implicated. Although Congressman Horie doesn't want to kill Ishizaki, his cronies will kill him, right?" "Pretend him as a false protest because he couldn't stand the police's pursuit?" "Yes. But twenty years later, Sasaki went to investigate the incident again, and he killed him because he was worried that the truth would be found out?" Kamei detective said. "But, Congressman Horie is dead!" "But don't you think that the man who killed Ishizaki twenty years ago is still alive?" "Are you saying that the murderer was one of Horie's Diet members' cronies?" "Yes." Kamei detective said. "It's an interesting speculation—" Totsukawa pondered. "Gu Lao's opinion and mine are very correct," said Totsukawa. Detective Kamei opened his eyes wide and said, "You mean both are possible?" "My opinion is that Ishizaki is not the murderer. The murderer is someone else. Kameo's view is that the cronies of Diet Horie feared that Diet Horie would bring disaster to Diet Horie, so he killed Ishizaki. If these two views are connected together, What do you think will happen? The murderer is someone else. If that person is arrested, it will cause trouble for Congressman Horie. He has to find a way to prevent the police from arresting that person, so he kills Ishizaki, pretending to be a death protest, so that Put pressure on the police." "At the same time, Ishizaki's mouth can be sealed." "Probably, right? Anyway, the murderer must be someone Ishizaki knew." "Could the murderer be someone close to Ishizaki?" "I think the murderer is also very close to Congressman Horie, so once the murderer is arrested, it will affect the reputation of Congressman Horie." "Sasaki knows who the murderer is?" "I don't think he knows. If he knew, he would definitely leave evidence. He went to Otaru this time, probably because he found clues about the murderer, so he wanted to call me to discuss it." After Totsukawa finished speaking, he suddenly had a puzzled expression on his face. "When I think about Sasaki being killed, I can't help but feel that the murderer doesn't want people to investigate the incident twenty years ago." "Afraid of being found out the truth of the incident?" "Yes. If that's the case, it will be very dangerous, just like Sasaki was killed. Anyone who comes into contact with the events of twenty years ago will be in danger." "You mean Sasaki's daughter is also in danger?" Kamei detective asked. "Yes. At present, she is the most dangerous, because she has a strong personality, and she will definitely investigate the matter of her father alone. In this way, she will inevitably come into contact with the incident twenty years ago. Once she is exposed to that incident, she will Life is in danger." Totsukawa said worriedly. "What should I do?" Kamei detective asked. "Better tell her not to investigate." "Will she say yes?" "If Sasaki is safe and sound, maybe we can ask Sasaki's daughter to dissuade Sasaki from investigating the incident again, so as not to cause a murder. But now that Sasaki has been killed, his daughter will definitely find out why his father was killed. Never listen to our advice." "Does she believe that her father was killed by Kitahara?" Kamei detective asked. "Maybe I will believe it for a while, but I look at her with suspicion." Totsukawa said with a shrug. Detective Kamei lit his cigarette and stared at the pool in the park. "I want to help her." Kamei detective said. "It's true, but once we help her, we will also be exposed to the incident twenty years ago!" Totsukawa said. "Will the higher-ups agree?" Kamei detective asked. "The higher-ups will never agree. Since the murderer of Sasaki has been arrested, this case should have been closed. What's more, what we want to investigate is an incident 20 years ago. The minister will never let us investigate." Totsukawa said in a heavy tone. Said. "But, we can't ignore Sasaki Kitiko's safety!" Detective Kamei said anxiously. From Totsukawa's point of view, Detective Kamei is a hard-working person, his only shortcoming is that he has a more irritable temperament. Because of this, Totsukawa often joked with Kamei detective: "Kamei, seeing that you are so anxious, sooner or later you will become a desperate Saburo." "I also want to protect her." Totsukawa said: "But, what can we do? We are all policemen, and we must act according to the instructions of our superiors. If other incidents occur, we must do our best to investigate them. To protect her?" "I know that very well—" "Old Turtle, there is something I want to remind you—" Detective Kamei didn't wait for Totsukawa to finish speaking, so he said: "I know what you want to say, are you telling me not to act rashly?" "Oh! Yes. Gui Lao, you are not only older than me, but also more impulsive than me, so I am worried." "You can rest assured." Kamei detective said with a smile. A few days passed by in a row. On the surface, Sasaki's murder appears to have been forgotten. Because newspapers and television no longer reported this event. However, some people should never forget this event. Totsukawa is one of them. Even if he is investigating other incidents, as long as he has time, he will think of Sasaki's murder and Sasaki's daughter.Especially Sasaki's daughter, Ji Jianzi, made him even more concerned. Because Totsukawa thinks that Sasaki Kitiko will not be satisfied that the murderer of his father has been arrested. She knew that her father was investigating the events of twenty years ago again, so it was impossible for her to believe that her father was killed by robbers. (It's best not to act rashly.) Totsukawa reminded himself so. In the past, because there were no cases, young criminal policemen could be sent to protect her. Now that there are cases to investigate, it is no longer possible to do so. Kusaka Detective reported to Totsukawa when he was investigating the murder in Kabukicho, Shinjuku: "I saw her." "Is she the one you're talking about, Sasaki Kitiko?" "Yes. I saw her at about ten o'clock tonight." Kusaka Detective said. "Is she alone?" "yes." "I don't think she's going to the movies." After Totsukawa said that, Detective Kusaka said with a serious expression: "I felt a little strange, so I followed him for a while." "What did you find?" "She seems to be looking for someone from Group N." "Group N is an underworld organization based in Shinjuku, right?" "yes." "Bei Yuan is also a member of Group N?" "After Bei Yuan was arrested, people in Group N said that he had left the organization a year ago, but whether this is true or not, I don't know." "She really didn't believe that it was a murder by robbers." "She probably thinks that Beiyuan was instigated by someone to kill her father? In order to prove this, she wants to talk to people from Group N." "But it's dangerous!" "It's very dangerous." The criminal policeman said. Although it is not known whether Sasaki's killing has anything to do with Group N, it is very dangerous for Ji Jianzi to ask people from Group N to inquire about Beiyuan. Since other incidents are currently being investigated, Totsukawa has no spare time to take care of the N group. "Where is the headquarters of Group N?" Totsukawa asked Kusaka Detective. "On the second floor of the K building in Kabukicho." "Did she go in?" "No, maybe I didn't have the courage to go in? I don't know where I went after that." "It's really nerve-wracking." Totsukawa asked after muttering to himself, "Are you currently investigating the murder in Kabukicho?" "yes." "Does that incident have anything to do with Group N?" "No. I think the police department also knows that the suspect is someone close to the victim." "Mr. Sunxia." "yes." "Maybe it really has nothing to do with Group N. However, for the sake of caution, I hope you will pay attention to the movements of Group N from today onwards. You don't have to ask the people in Group N face to face, just observe the people who enter and leave the headquarters of Group N. That's it." Totsukawa said. After Kusaka Detective went to the Shinjuku Police Station where the investigation headquarters was established, Totsukawa stared out the window with embarrassment. "What are you worried about?" Kamei detective asked. "It seems that we can't get rid of Sasaki Kitiko's idea of ​​investigating the death of his father." Totsukawa said, looking out of the dark window. "However, as long as the person involved in that incident is still alive, she will never be allowed to do that." Detective Kamei said. "It would be great if it can make her feel scared. The problem is that she will risk her life to investigate in order to know the truth about her father's murder. That's why I feel very headache." "If she is killed, maybe we will be involved in the events of twenty years ago." "Guilao, don't scare me." Totsukawa said. "But the police department, if she is killed, what action will the superiors take? Will they replace Sasaki and his daughter to investigate the incident twenty years ago?" "I don't know. Because she hasn't died yet, and I don't want her to die," said Totsukawa.