Chapter 35 first quarter

The commemorative activities for the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Kyushu Television Station have generally ended smoothly.At around six o'clock in the afternoon on the last day, in the hall on the first floor of the Civic Hall in the special venue, the staff of Kyushu TV held a celebration ball together. Sugihara Keko and the others were scheduled to go to the dance venue after the open-air "Hometown and Performing Arts" video program was broadcast in the front garden at half past five.The reporting department is recording at the dance venue; however, since all the programs required to be broadcast have been produced, the recording of the programs at the dance venue seems much easier.

During these three days, the staff of Kyushu TV Station had no free time at all.They have to guide the people participating in the meeting, rehearse some scenes, prepare the program, and officially broadcast the program and so on.During the preparation period, due to the disappearance and suspicious death of Section Chief Sen Jie, all the staff in the production department were immersed in an uneasy and gloomy atmosphere. However, the production of the program is still going on normally until the end of the commemorative activities. Everything is going according to plan and executing smoothly.

Of course, Sugihara Keiko is also a part of this running machine.Because of this, when the commemorative activities ended, a sense of relief and a sense of exhaustion suddenly hit Sugihara Keiko's whole body.Especially when the program is officially broadcast, the more intense the work intensity, the stronger the sense of exhaustion after the work is over. Keiko Sugihara walked slowly on the path in the garden.Since the video show was over, the crowd dispersed in a flash, and it didn't seem so chaotic here.It's already past seven o'clock in the evening, and the dance party is going on lively, but at this moment, Sugihara Keko's mood is a bit depressed.

This may be due to her physical fatigue, but there may be other reasons, because in the depths of Sugihara Keko's heart, there is an impulse of restlessness and anxiety. One more point, since the evening of the day before yesterday, Keiko Sugihara has not been in contact with Yosuke Tachibana.The day before yesterday, when he came back from the venue, Saeki had brought Keiko Sugihara a message about Yosuke Tachibana. If it was convenient, Keiko could call the branch office in Tokyo and he could be contacted. However, since that time, Tachibana Yosuke has never heard from him again.In addition, in these two or three days, Keiko Sugihara had no chance to leave her post; other staff members in Kyushu TV Station were also very busy one by one, maybe Yosuke Tachibana also had no chance, Call Sugihara Keiko.

Even so, when Keiko Sugihara heard that Yosuke Tachibana participated in the seminar that ended yesterday, she thought that he would come to Fukuoka by noon today at the latest; however, until now, she has not seen The figure of Yosuke Tachibana himself.Sugihara Keiko wanted to ask about the photography department, but she was so busy that she didn't have any free time, and it got dark after a while. However, Keiko Sugihara has gained something: From the message sent by Yosuke Tachibana the day before yesterday, Keiko Sugihara learned that she had indeed been sent to the Ministry of Justice to check Kiko Fuchijo’s passport on June 4. I went back to the country.

What does this mean? A few days ago, two members of the International Women's Association, who Sugihara Keiko found with great difficulty and conducted an investigation with her, both proved to her that Ji Hisako Fuchigami died from the evening of June 2nd to June 5th. During the day, I have been acting with them and enjoyed the scenery of Hawaii.If this matter is true, it would be impossible for Kikuko Uchigami to return to Japan on June 4, even if the time difference of 19 hours is subtracted from Japan's time. The mystery created by this fact is naturally one of the reasons why Keiko Sugihara felt empty in his heart.

Tachibana Yosuke had already explained the investigation process to Sugihara Keiko in detail on the phone, so this result made Sugihara Keko unable to judge which conclusion was correct.However, before the result of this judgment came out, Keiko Sugihara based on his own inference, believed that the "alibi" of Kikuko Fuchigami on June 4 should be established. In this way, the authenticity of Kiko Hisako Fuchigami's "alibi" in the death of Senbo has been conclusively confirmed. If Hidetoshi Mabi and Morihiro were not killed by Kiko Hisaka, then maybe Kiko had nothing to do with Horikoshi Sanae being hit four years ago and the driver hit and run.

Could it be that what Masao Kubogawa and Fumyo Mori said were all lies? So, up to now, that night, Moribundai's groundless and unsubstantiated confession, no matter what, it is impossible to determine whether it is true or false. "Is there something wrong?" Sugihara Keko touched his heart and asked himself. Sugihara Keiko suddenly felt as if she had a confused mind, attacking herself in a daze.So, she reorganized the date of the incident, from front to back. After Xizi Sugihara sorted out the date again, this unsolvable mystery once again formed a hole in Xizi's heart, and what floated in this hole was only a ruthless and cruel mockery of herself...

Keiko Sugihara went into the bathroom, reapplied her makeup, and dusted off the dust on her body.In any case, since early in the morning today, Sugihara Keiko no longer has the time to pay attention to her own image. When Keiko Sugihara came to the hall, he was suddenly surrounded by a gorgeous and warm atmosphere. This is a dance scene that can accommodate more than 200 people. Of course, the staff of the TV station are already inside, and there are also relevant dignitaries in the local political and financial circles, as well as the work of various news organizations in the same industry. personnel, including actors and critics specially recruited from Tokyo for this commemorative event.In various circles of chatting and laughing, kimonos, suits and other kinds of clothing constitute a gorgeous and colorful picture.

Keiko Sugihara stood at the entrance of the hall.Suddenly, someone patted her from behind.Sugihara Keiko looked back, and saw Tomioka Mikio in a black dress standing behind Sugihara Keiko. "Tired enough?..." Tomioka asked with a smile. At this time, as colleagues, it is natural to greet each other. "Miss Keiko doesn't look too happy!..." Tomioka Mikiko took a few steps away from Sugihara Keko, and looked at Sugihara Keko again. At this time, Saeki who was behind him suddenly burst out laughing "Wow ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha", both of them were holding glasses of champagne in their hands, and their faces were a little rosy.

Keiko Sugihara stared at the various people in the venue as if nothing had happened, but she still did not see Yosuke Tachibana. On the stage inside, the director of the production bureau greeted the people present, and then handed over the microphone to the sponsor of the "Your Tea Time" program and the deputy general manager of the food company.After emphasizing that this program has been highly praised in the international market, this obese man with the demeanor of a director turned the topic to the column "Your Afternoon Tea Time" and quickly I am happy to prove that the increase in the ratings of this column is inseparable from the boom in frozen food sales.He also said that not only in terms of business, the content of this program also stimulated the desire of housewives to seek knowledge, improved their cooking skills and shortened their time. Keiko Sugihara ignored Tomioka and the two of them; while she looked around, she walked towards the venue. However, before seeing Yosuke Tachibana, Keiko Sugihara's eyes stopped suddenly.Keiko Sugihara suddenly saw Mariko Kitasaka in a dress with khaki stripes and colorful butterflies printed on a white background.Because of Mariko's indelible contribution to the program, today, Mariko Kitasaka received a certificate of appreciation from her sponsor. However, as if it had nothing to do with her gorgeous and eye-catching appearance, Mariko Kitasaka still had a cautious smile on her face, and she was listening carefully to the people on the stage with her neck down. .It seems that Mariko Kitasaka is trying her best to avoid people's attention to Mariko herself.The performance of Mariko Kitasaka is even more impressive. I don't know when, Sugihara Keiko suddenly noticed the charm of Kitasaka Mariko, so that the longing in the past became almost longing and envious.Maybe it's because I'm too tired right now, this kind of mood suddenly stimulated Keiko Sugihara's emotions. Mariko Kitasaka is different from Keiko Sugihara. Her happiness of "If you want the stars, you will not give the moon" is something that Keiko Sugihara can't get in her life.If Keiko Sugihara and Mariko Kitasaka have the same fate...!Sugihara Keiko thought about this in her heart. At this moment, a young girl from the TV station who was in charge of the reception came towards Sugihara Keiko and whispered something to her: "Miss Sugihara, there is your number in the lobby..." All the scheduled TV programs had already been played, so Sugihara Keiko felt a little strange; however, she still followed the girl. In the storage area in the empty cloakroom, Keiko Sugihara picked up the phone left there. "Is it Axi? It's me!..." Yosuke Tachibana's voice came from the microphone. Sugihara Xizi's heart was suddenly filled with a complicated feeling of peace of mind and anger: "Bastard, what the hell is going on?!... You dead ghost, hurry up and get back to me!..." Sugihara Keiko couldn't help saying loudly. "I'm at Cape Hado right now! This is the national dormitory." On the phone, Yosuke Tachibana's voice was so low for some reason. "Why are you at Cape Hado?...Bastard, what's going on?" Sugihara Keiko asked loudly viciously. "——This morning, I actually went back to Fukuoka quietly, and I went directly to Kyushu TV. At that time, I saw that you were broadcasting a program. Moreover, I went to the office of Kikuko Fuchigami. There, I I chatted with her for a while, and then brought a picture of the woman who helped us with the show on the TV station, and went to meet Mitsuhiko Hamaguchi's sister." "Ah?...how is it?" Sugihara Keiko asked excitedly. Yosuke Tachibana was silent for a while, lowered his voice again, and continued. "According to the records of the Ministry of Justice, Kiko Fuchigami's passport proves that she returned to China from Haneda Airport on June 4, and left the country from Itami Airport on June 5. However, your investigation proves that she returned from June 4. From the 2nd to the 5th, I have been staying in Hawaii. So, which one is the truth?...There must be only one of them that is correct." When Yosuke Tachibana said this, he paused.Keiko Sugihara on the other end of the phone nodded repeatedly, urging him to continue talking. "Then, this situation can only show that there must be someone else who used the passport of Norihisa Fuchijo to secretly enter and exit the country once. If I want to talk about it in detail, someone used the Her passport secretly returned to Japan on June 4th..." Yosuke Tachibana analyzed firmly, "It was probably on the night of June 4th that this person returned to Japan and killed Mabi Hidetoshi, He went abroad again on June 5th, and then that person returned his passport to Kiko Fuchigami, who was still in Hawaii on June 5th, and after that, Kiko Fuchigami flew to Los Angeles again. This person After she left, she returned to the country with her own passport." "Then, this person..." Sugihara Keiko exclaimed in a low voice. "It's too simple to speculate on this. First of all, this person should stay in Hawaii on June 3. Moreover, he is still the person who can lend a passport from Kikuko Fuchigami." Yosuke Tachibana said seriously Said, "Anyway, this person is going to borrow Kiko Fuchigami's travel voucher to go through customs, so she must be similar in appearance to her." Hearing this, Sugihara Keiko suddenly remembered that when she was interviewing staff of travel agencies, companies, and a few people with overseas travel experience for the production of this commemorative program, she occasionally heard them talk about this kind of thing. That is to say, at the airport customs in Tokyo or Osaka, when the customs officer checks the photo on the passport and compares it with the person, he simply "scans" it, and the work is very sloppy. , Cleverly muddled through. In foreign tourist destinations, due to differences in race, there are more things that use similar looks.Therefore, in the case of the recent surge in the number of group tours in South Korea, the customs officers often complain because of the excessive labor intensity. Especially in the peak tourist season, thousands of people enter and leave the country every day, which is simply commonplace.In addition to those who were notified by the relevant departments, if one person and one person are verified, the customs officers must be exhausted. However, Keiko Sugihara still vaguely remembered: It was mentioned in a women's weekly magazine that there was another situation: one of the twin sisters planned to use the other's passport to secretly leave the country from Haneda Airport, Instead, it was spotted by the customs officers at a glance. However, this kind of thing also varies from person to person, coupled with the difference in customs inspection conditions at that time, not all of them can be checked out.For example, Keiko Sugihara remembers: In recent interviews, I have heard of this situation. Several people who look similar have deliberately imitated the hairstyles and hairstyles in the photos, and even have scars and birthmarks. Customs officers... "In addition to this point, there are other points." Tachibana Yosuke continued. "It's about the key in your apartment. I remember we said once, assuming that the murderer was in an ambush in your room and killed Zhenbi Xiumin, and that the person entered the scene through the door instead of through the glass window. , then, before committing the crime, this person should have stolen your key and made the same one. Of course, this person knows that you will occasionally forget your key in the office, and this People have the opportunity to frequent the production department..." "How is it possible!..." Sugihara Keko screamed in surprise, feeling dizzy. "The last point, does Section Chief Asen love this person very much?" Yosuke Tachibana's tone suddenly dropped again. "When I heard the confession of Mori Fumyo, I immediately felt: Asen may have fallen in love with Kiko Fuchigami. In fact, in fact, Section Chief Mori Jie cheated his wife. In order to hide the crime committed by this woman For the crime, he replaced the woman's name with the name of Kikuko Fuchigami." Yosuke Tachibana analyzed seriously. "There is another point. For this woman, she has more opportunities to contact Mrs. Wen Dai. However, Kiko Fuchigami is farther away from her. However, in any case, Asen is trying to do everything possible to cover up the murderer. It can also prove that he loves this woman very deeply." Yosuke Tachibana took his time and gradually analyzed the case, making Keiko Sugihara on the other end of the phone hear the climax again and again. "Indeed, she has been with Mr. Senjie these past few months, and she must be a woman who has devoted great love to Asen." "Then, what is this woman's name...?" Sugihara Keiko had already guessed it, but she felt a sense of terror when she said it from her own mouth. After a brief silence, Yosuke Tachibana finally spoke, "Of course it's Mariko Kitasaka." "Bastard, how could it be...?" Keiko Sugihara groaned in despair. "I have been looking for Kiko Hisako Fuchigami all day today, and I plan to find out about the growth process of Mariko Kitasaka. Because, only after investigating these things will I understand something. Fortunately, she also reluctantly agreed." Tachibana Yosuke said, flipping through the notes, and said, "Actually, both Mariko Kitasaka and Kiko Fuchigami were born in Kumamoto Prefecture; however, Mariko Kitasaka has been living in Nagasaki from the time she became sensible to the time she got married. Yes. Her mother was unable to take care of her due to her illness, and it happened that her aunt had no children at home, so she was adopted into her aunt's house, where she has been living forever." "She still has such...?" Sugihara Keiko muttered. "Then, I went back to Kyushu TV, took the solo photo of Mariko Kitasaka, and went to Mitsuhiko Hamaguchi's sister who lives in Cape Hado. After seeing the photo of Mariko Kitasaka, she thought: Mariko Kitasaka must have been with her for four years. Before, the woman who sent my brother back was exactly the same. She answered very simply." Yosuke Tachibana nodded with certainty, and finally came to a conclusion, "In this way, there is no longer any hesitation. This is Mariko Kitasaka's past." Listening to Yosuke Tachibana's report on the other end of the phone, Keiko Sugihara felt her mind churning with ink waves, and she couldn't say a word. "In this way, the innocent image that Mariko Kitasaka has maintained until today will be completely over. Probably, this will also endanger the reputation and status of her husband who is a professor at the National University!..." Lihua Yosuke sighed and said, "That's why she has to escape from the disgraceful past, but if she can't escape this time, the legal punishment she will suffer will be even more serious." When Tachibana Yosuke said this, he sighed with emotion and paused for a moment.Sugihara Keko on the other end of the phone suddenly felt dazed and couldn't say a word for a long time. "Of course, in this series of incidents, Ji Hisako Fuchigami also played a disgraceful role, but it will certainly not be as serious as the crime of Mariko Kitasaka." In the middle, Mariko Kitasaka is under the guise of traveling abroad with her husband. Also, at the International Cemetery - in the dark at the time, Masao Kubogawa, who expected Noriko Fuchigami to appear, put Kitasaka in a hat and sunglasses Mariko, treat her as Kiko Hisako Fuchigami!..." In the gaze of Keiko Sugihara, who was staring at the chandelier, the flesh-colored ceiling was shaking in blue-black swirls.Holding the phone receiver, she suddenly didn't know what to say. "Hey, Miss Xizi, are you still listening to the phone?" Yosuke Tachibana's voice finally brought Keiko Sugihara back from his thoughts.She couldn't help blurting out: "So, you're not coming to the ball?" "Hmm!... I'm planning to go to the Fukuoka Police Station in charge of the murder of Zhenbi Xiumin in a while." After Tachibana Yosuke finished speaking, he added another sentence: "However, to be honest, this time it may be Mariko Kitasaka who will be summoned by the police." "Yeah..." Sugihara Keiko sighed, and the long phone call finally came to an end. Keiko Sugihara seemed to have forgotten the time and stayed there silently.She felt that a long-standing idol was collapsing in her heart.For myself, this may be the end of the fantasy of an idol. The award ceremony is being held in the dance hall.A representative of the sponsor is reading the letter of thanks.Kitasaka Mariko stood aside with a stiff expression.On her downcast white face, there was still an intelligent and reasonable expression, but, in the eyes of Sugihara Keiko, Kitasaka Mariko's face suddenly changed into a beautiful, pitiful, young girl's face . At the same time, Keiko Sugihara seemed to see two silver lines flowing down from Mariko Kitasaka's face.From people's point of view, those tears must have been tears of gratitude and excitement, but only Xizi would understand what those two lines of tears really meant. For some unknown reason, two lines of tears suddenly spewed out from Sugihara Keko's eyes. Sugihara Keiko was shocked and saddened that Kitasaka Mariko, who had always believed that her disgraceful history would be completely concealed and went to another world, turned out to be a "weak" woman who was being pursued hard.This pity made Xizi suddenly forget that she was still a murderer.Sugihara Keko's heart is full of infinite emotion and sympathy for the difficult fate of the same woman. The awards ceremony was over, and it was time for the dance party to come to an end. Keiko Sugihara bypassed the crowd and walked towards Mariko Kitasaka, who was still bowing her head. "Mrs. Mariko, I have something to tell you." Keiko Sugihara suddenly shouted. Hearing these words, Kitasaka Mariko raised her head abruptly, her eyes glistening with wisdom stared viciously at Sugihara Keiko. Keiko Sugihara looked at the sadness that was gradually showing in Mariko Kitasaka's eyes, and said, "If possible, please be sure to..." Keiko Sugihara suddenly stopped, her eyes were fiercely looking at Mariko Kitasaka, as if there was a timid look of "but" in Mariko Kitasaka's eyes. "Then, please wait by that flower bed." After finishing speaking, Mariko Kitasaka lowered her head and hurried past Keiko Sugihara as if nothing had happened. Keiko Sugihara stayed under the mercury lamp away from the crowd. 10 minutes... 20 minutes... 30 minutes passed... However, Mariko Kitasaka never appeared.