Chapter 42 Section VIII

After Yabe said he wanted to go for a walk, he left the hotel.Dark clouds are still low. Although Fuutarou Egami did not come to Kannichizhuang, nor did he call Kannichizhuang, but Yabe is still convinced that Egami came to Sendai, and the "north" that Egami said must refer to Sendai, and it will never be any other place , Yabe thought so. There are row upon row of low houses near Kannichiso, has Fuutarou Egami been here? Since he had run out of cigarettes, Yabe went into the small cigarette shop. The shopkeeper was an old woman who was nearly sixty years old. After buying a pack of cigarettes, Yabe asked the old woman about Kazuhiko Iseki's personality.

"He is really an admirable boy," said the old woman loudly. "When he left home to study painting, his parents were very worried. Three years ago, when he came back suddenly, it seemed that his whole person had changed. He put all his energy on the hotel, a hard-working person like him. , which is very rare at present.” "Is he not married yet?" "Yes. Because of his serious work and good character, many people came to match him, but he rejected them all." When the old woman said this, she suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Because he has a crush in Tokyo, and he can't forget that woman. Unfortunately, that woman is already married to another man."

"Women from Tokyo?" "Four or five days ago, there was also a person like you who asked me about Mr. Jingguan." "Oh?" Yabe couldn't help but yelled out.That person is probably Jiang Shang, right? Yabe quickly brought the photo of Fuutarou Egami in front of the old woman, and said, "Is it this person?" "Yes." The old woman nodded with certainty. "It's this person." "What did he ask you for?" "Just like you, ask me about Mr. Jingguan's personality and life. Do you also want to be his matchmaker?"

"Yes." Yabe smiled ambiguously and left the cigarette shop.As soon as he came outside, the smile on his face disappeared immediately. (Egami Fuutarou really came to Sendai.) He just inquired about Kazuhiko Iseki's personality near Guanrizhuang, and did not stay at Guanrizhuang, so it can be seen that he is staying in another hotel, and that hotel should not be too far from here. The Yabe family investigates hotels along the Hirose River.The first two or three hotels didn't gain anything, and the fourth hotel didn't have any prospects. As the distance grew, Yabe's hope gradually diminished. It wasn't until the sixth "Kitanokan" hotel that there was no response.

"I did see this person five days ago in the morning." The middle-aged hotel owner said looking at the photo. "He claimed to be Mr. Sawamoto from Tokyo." "Zeben?" It seems that Egami Fuutarou is using a pseudonym to stay at the hotel, probably because he doesn't want to be known by Iseki Kazuhiko?Maybe it was because he didn't want to startle the snake and attract Jingguan's attention so that he could find evidence of the murder.If you think so, it can explain why Jiang Shang didn't go directly to Guanrizhuang to visit Jingguan. "How many days did this person named Zeben stay?"

"He checked into this hotel on November 22. He said he wanted to go out for a walk at noon on the 24th. He didn't come back once he went out. Since he had paid for three days' accommodation in advance, it didn't matter, let alone him. The luggage is still here." "You mean he arrived on the morning of the 22nd and disappeared after noon on the 24th?" "yes." "What did he do during this period?" "First he inquired about various things about Kannichiso Hotel, and then he often went out. He said he liked to walk around." "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. He said he wanted a map of Sendai, so I'll give him one." "A map of Sendai?" "Yes. Because he said he wanted to visit all of Sendai." "Did he say anything when he left the hotel on November 24th?" "When he was about to go out, I asked him if he wanted to come back for dinner tonight. He said that he might come back very late and told me not to prepare dinner for him. Do you think it would be better for me to call the police?" "No." Yabe said. "It's better not to call the police, maybe he has returned to Tokyo."

"But, his luggage..." "Can I see it?" "Can." The hotel owner took out a brown travel bag from inside, which was unlocked, and Yabe unzipped it. There was nothing he was looking for in it, only a change of clothes, toilet utensils, and a map of Sendai. There should be Mariko Tajima's diary, but he couldn't find it after searching the luggage bag. Egami probably left with that diary hotel? "Did you give him this map?" "yes." Yabe opened the map and saw that it was a street map of a big city with a square of one meter.Yabe wondered if Egami would write something or make a mark on it, so he looked carefully, but there was nothing.

"When did he say he wanted a map?" Yabe asked. "Is it the day you arrive?" "No." The hotel owner shook his head and said. "It was the evening of the second day." "On the twenty-third day..." Yabe felt a little surprised.What's the matter with asking for a map not on the day of arrival, but in the evening of the next day?I really can't figure it out. After Yabe asked the boss to keep the travel bag temporarily, he left the hotel.