Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

Yatabe took the next bus to Kotake Town in J County.On the way, I passed the ruined ski resort on the slope of Yagi Mountain.The snow in this area is very deep in winter. Kotake is the departure station for trains to Nagoya.Fuchu, Mino Yazawa, Seki, Minokamo... the train went all the way south, from the mountains to the plains. At Tajimi Station, transfer to the downbound line of the Chuo Main Line.The train headed towards Kiso Fukushima and Shiojiri.Yatabe bought bento boxes and a map of the prefecture at the platform stand. After leaving Tajimi, the train drove into the mountains again.Yatabe sat by the window on the left side of the train.There are cedar forests on both sides of the train, so the car is very dark.

He ate his bento, drank the tea from the teapot by the window, and looked out the window casually.Opposite is the National Highway.There is also a national road on the high mountain opposite the national road, and several bridges can be vaguely seen.It says on the map that the national road close to the train is the Zhongshan Road, and the national road higher than it is the Central Expressway.No wonder the cars on the national road in front did not dare to drive too fast, but the cars on the road above were extremely bold.Railway, Nakasendo and Expressway are parallel. Watching, Yatabe noticed that the cars on the expressway were going faster than the train he was on.The Nakasendo is not very wide, so I fell behind in this race between trams and cars.Of course, the cars on the Nakasendo are ordinary passenger cars, and the trucks on the expressway are slower than the trams.Most of the trucks are large trucks and are used for long distances.

There are not only freight trucks on the road, but also trucks transporting sand and gravel.Several of them are yellow concrete mixer trucks.A mixer filled with concrete is slowly turning on the car body.Against the backdrop of the surrounding green forests, the yellow car body is particularly conspicuous. There are many billboards erected along the line, printing the names of local famous wines, famous kilns, and hot spring hotels.Ghost Rock Hot Spring, Shanshen Hot Spring, Dazhi Hot Spring, Baihu Hot Spring... After all, it is a mountainous area, and there are hot springs everywhere. He thought of the Nakahashi group again: they bought a "Liuyue Hotel" at the end of Karino Onsen.

Mr. Uemura of the Fujise group said that there was absolutely no need for the Nakahashi group to build an office there.So why did they acquire that hot spring hotel for renovation?Could it be that they fell in love with the hot springs there and wanted to build an office with hot spring facilities? The body of Miyoko Sawada was found at the Momijisou Hotel in Kibune, Kurama.Of course, there is no hot spring hotel there.The body had just taken a bath before it was found.That was done deliberately by the murderer to confuse the police.The scene of her murder is elsewhere.The murderer bathed the victim in order to create the illusion that "Room 208 is the scene of the murder".The hot water in the tub kept the body warm.

Hot water and hot spring hotels—he always felt that there was some connection between them. Judging from the scope of work of the Nakahashi group, there is no need for them to set up any office.Then what was the real purpose of their acquisition of Liuyue Hotel half a month ago? Yatabe took out the map of R prefecture.There is a distance of about 150 kilometers between Karino Onsen and Kurama Kibune.National Highway No. 8 runs parallel to the Hokuriku Main Line, and the Meishin Expressway from Maibara to Kyoto runs parallel to the Tokaido Main Line starting from Maibara. The Hokuriku Expressway from Karino to Yonebara is still under construction, and the national road between the two places is very congested, and it will take at least five hours one way.

"It's so hot..." The old lady next to her said to Yatabe. "Ah... yes..." The old woman hadn't opened her mouth before, maybe she finally felt that it was not easy to meet by chance, and it was not good not to talk a few words. "Where are you going?" She interrupted Yatabe's train of thought. "Oh...go to Ena." "Ena, I'll be there soon...I'm going to Iida, I have to get off at Nagiso Station, and then take a bus and walk for a while. I'm coming from Hiroshima, and this old bone is fast along the way Tired and falling apart. My daughter married to Iida, and she gave birth to a grandson for me, so I must go and have a look..."

Yatabe looked at the map he had just bought on the platform of Tajimi Station. The old woman is right. To go to Iida City, you have to get off at Nagiso Station (formerly known as Sanruno Station), then change to a bus and climb over the Taiping Hillside.However, the new Central Expressway has been completed, and it is possible to go directly to Iida from Ena.It takes less than an hour by taxi. Starting from Iida, follow the National Highway 152 along the Tenryu River and walk 70 kilometers south to reach Futamata in Tenryu City.The Chuanming Dam is three kilometers north of Futamata, and it is also next to the national highway.

Although Yatabe had engraved these geographical knowledge in his mind long ago, he had no intuitive impression without looking at the map. Yatabe walked out of Ena Station. The person soliciting business for the hotel saw that Yatabe was carrying a suitcase, and immediately leaned forward. "Are you going to Jinlong Hot Spring? Or to visit Huina Canyon?" A curved signboard hangs at the entrance of the station shopping street: Welcome·Jinlong Hot Spring Ena Canyon Prefectural Natural Park "No, I'm going to Baichuan, can you call a car for me?" The taxi leaves the shopping street.

"Where are you going in Baichuan?" the driver asked while driving. "I can't say exactly where it is. Do you know that there is a county road expansion project going on over there?" "Oh, that's right, there is indeed construction there. That road has never been repaired, and it is very narrow. After this widening, it will be much more convenient for us to go to Baichuan in the future." "Where are they working now?" "The road from Ena to Zhongma has been widened three years ago, and the Kasagi hillside in front is being repaired now. The engineering there is very difficult and must be time-consuming."

"I just want to visit that construction site." "okay, I get it." After a while, the taxi drove to the river. "This is Kisogawa." The driver introduced while turning the steering wheel. The taxi drove across the iron bridge. "This bridge is called Dongyun Bridge." "Oh, is this a dam?" To the right stands a huge white wall.That is the dam that blocks the entire Kiso River, and there is a power station next to it. "That's right, it's the Kasagi Dam. This dam is also mentioned in the folk songs of Ena Gorge. There is a weir in Ena, and the river is illuminated by lanterns. It used to be Mitake, the white snow of Kiso..." The weir at the end ", referring to this dam."

"Master, can you drive more slowly?" He has always been interested in the dam. "There is a driveway on that dam that goes directly to the mountains via the north shore of the man-made lake." The dam is like a towering city wall, so naturally the dam lake below cannot be seen. Yatabe looked towards the power station next to the dam.The power station seems to be undergoing maintenance or expansion, and there are two yellow concrete mixer trucks parked next to each other. "On the opposite side of the dam is the Ena Gorge of the Kiso River. Of course, you can't see it from here. You can take a cruise to see it." Driving across the iron bridge, the dam and power station disappeared from view.The driver continued to introduce: "On the south side of Daba Lake, there are strange mountains and rocks such as Yuansha Rock, Pingfeng Rock, Twin Rock, Frog Rock, Lion Rock, Golden Bed Rock, Battleship Rock, and Dog Hui Rock. Battleship Rock is particularly large and exposed to the water. The height of the part is 50 meters, and it is still 50 meters underwater. The dog standing next to the battleship rock will be scared and back away, so it is named Inuhui Rock." " "..." "Pingfengyan looks like a six-curved screen. There is a yellow rock Rhododendron on that mountain, which is said to be the original species of Rhododendron." Yatabe is not interested in yellow azaleas.He was more interested in the yellow concrete mixer truck. "Genzai Rock is a four-meter-square rock protruding from the shore, and there is a cave inside. It is said that Yoshimura Gensai once lived in it during the Warring States Period. Takeda Shingen asked him to come out of the mountain, but he refused, so Shingen ordered his men The cave was set on fire. Burnt rice was also found in the cave, and it is said that it was the rations that Yoshimura Gensai kept in the cave.” The driver seems to often take guests to Huina Canyon, introducing many attractions along the way to arouse the interest of tourists. "There is also a Pinzi rock on the opposite bank. On top of two square rocks, a square stone is stacked, which looks like the character "Pin".It was the name given by the great writer Shiga Shigeo, who also named the Ena Canyon. " "..." "On the other side, there are scenic spots such as Yuten Inari, Wa Yakushi, Rokujizo, Kotokuji Temple, etc. There are also many large rocks on the shore." "..." "You must go and see it if you have the chance. It's very good to take a cruise around." "Thank you." Yatabe finally agreed. However, the driver's "tour guide" is much more than that.The taxi headed west along the Kisogawa River, halfway into a forked mountain road.His tongue was spinning like a steering wheel. "This is Kawai, and the river next to it is Nakano Katagawa." The passengers were silent, but the driver became more and more enthusiastic. "This is the entrance to Iichi Plateau, and to the west is Hida Kisogawa National Park. The fresh greenery in spring and the red leaves in autumn are very beautiful. You can go up the mountain for sightseeing by hiking. It is summer, and there are tents on the plateau. That's called Iidi. Plateau Education Tent Village". " Yatabe could hear his voice, but didn't listen to his words at all. He saw a frog in the small river behind Hongyezhuang Hotel.It sometimes faces up on its belly and sometimes on its back, constantly rotating.In the large public baths at Karino Onsen, a backstroker swims while turning—the two overlap with a yellow concrete mixer truck. "If you look to the left, you can see the top of a mountain, right? That is Mt. Akiba, 790 meters high. On the right is Mt. Kasagi, 1,130 meters high. At the foot of the mountain is Fudo Waterfall."The county road expansion project site you are going to, that is, Zhongma, just go around the foot of the mountain and you will be there, just in front of the hillside. " "Master driver." Yatabe asked as if waking up from a dream, "Did you mention Mount Akiba and Mount Kasagi just now? May I ask if five-color stones are produced on those two mountains?" "Five-color stone?" "Stones that turn red and blue in the sun for a while. The scientific name is diabase tuff". " "This..." The chattering driver faltered for the first time, "I don't know either..." "Have you seen it?" Yatabe didn't want to hear any sightseeing introductions. It would be great if the driver could tell him if there were any diabase tuff nearby. "I don't think I've seen it before..." "Really... This kind of stone will change color in the sun, haven't you heard relatives and friends mention that there are five-color stones here?" "No……" The driver saw the disappointed look of the passenger in the rearview mirror, so he also remained silent and started driving the car with all his heart. This county road was just widened three years ago. It is very wide and smooth.The whole road is widened along the old road.The engine roared because of the uphill. The taxi made several sharp turns at the foot of the hill. "Guest, look, there is the construction site of this road expansion project." Yatabe saw it without the driver saying anything.Dozens of workers stood busy on the road. Then he saw a row of security fences blocking half the way.Each guardrail is printed with the words "Zhongqiao Group". There are two road rollers parked on the road, as well as dump trucks and jeeps loaded with gravel.New roads were dug on both sides of the road.It should have been dug a long time ago. There is no soil on the road, but weeds are covered with it.Yatabe did not see the worker's hut.In order not to hinder the traffic of vehicles, the construction workers made way for half of the road. When Yatabe heard that there was a bus stop here, he asked the taxi driver to go back. A worker with a red pennant in a straw hat with a wide brim is directing traffic.Yatabe approached him and asked, "Which one is the director of the construction site?" The worker stared at Yatabe holding the suitcase for a long time: "What's the matter?" "I used to work as a truck driver in Nagoya. I don't know if there is a need for people to drive trucks and dump trucks here..." "I don't know, our place is already overcrowded." "Is that so...I want to ask the director myself." One of the people wearing yellow helmets walked towards Yatabe—because he saw the two standing and talking. "What's the matter with you?" It was a slightly obese man.Yatabe bowed his head.The man holding the red flag briefly conveyed Yatabe's meaning. "I am the field director. We have no shortage of drivers now." "I can also drive a bulldozer and a concrete mixer truck." Yatabe put his luggage on the ground. "Oh, you can also drive a bulldozer?" When the site director heard this, he looked at Yatabe again.It can be seen from his eyes: the driver of an ordinary vehicle is enough, but if someone can drive a construction vehicle, it can be considered. "yes……" "How many years of experience do you have?" "More than ten years." "Where did you do it before?" "I mainly worked in the Tohoku region. I worked in three or four local construction companies in Aomori, Akita, and Iwate prefectures for two or three years." Yatabe pretended to be a stranger.He thinks that the drivers of bulldozers, cranes, and concrete mixer trucks are special, and there should be many foreigners.Taxi drivers are no exception. Yatabe guessed right, but he was worried that the on-site director would ask him which company he worked for.Fortunately, the question was not raised in the end.Maybe the Northeast is too far away, he doesn't know much about it - that's why Yatabe made nonsense that he came from the Northeast. He was also worried that the director would ask him to show his driver's license.Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary.The director seemed to believe his words—the middle-aged man in faded and worn-out clothes, holding a suitcase, looked like a migrant worker who went to and from various construction sites. "Is that so...then let me think about it..." The on-site director retracted his chin, thinking for a while. "Thank you so much!" If the director asked him to start work immediately, he would be exposed. The answer "Think about it" hit Yatabe's heart. "Where do you live now?" "In a small hotel in Tajimi. Well, I'll come back tomorrow, and then you can tell me whether to hire me or not." It would be troublesome for the other party to contact him, so Yatabe preemptively made this suggestion. Of course, he had no intention of working here.His purpose was just to contact the Nakahashi group. "No, don't come tomorrow." "what?" "The man who made up his mind is not here. Come back in three days." "The one who made the decision? Could it be the director of the on-site office?" "No, it's our president." It was Taio Nakahashi. "Do you have to wait until three days later?" Yatabe pretended to be worried.He wanted to find out the whereabouts of Taifu Nakahashi. Even such a small matter as hiring a driver requires the president to personally intervene—although the Nakahashi Group is a new construction company, its scale is still small after all. "Well, the president went on a business trip recently, and he won't be back until two days later." "What can I do now... I have already stayed in the hotel in Tajimi for five days, and I have almost used up all my expenses... If I don't know whether you will hire me after three days, I have to find someone to borrow money to pay for the room What about the money... where did the president go on a business trip? Will he be back the day after tomorrow?" "The schedule is set, the president will be back in three days." "You will definitely call the president every day to report, right? Can't you discuss with him on the phone? I can drive cranes and bulldozers, but the most convenient thing to drive is the concrete mixer truck." "How can you say this when you call the president. Come back in three days." "Is that so... What can I do..." Yatabe squatted beside the suitcase, holding his head in his hands. "...Did the president go to Tokyo?" He groaned, pretending that he couldn't wait for three days, and asked where the president went on a business trip. The field director really took the bait. "No, he went to Hannan." "Hannan? Is it in Kyushu?" "It's right next to Atami." "Atami...then did he go to the hot spring?" "In such a downturn, how can the president have the time to soak in the hot spring..." The on-site director smiled. "That's right... Is the president going to Hannan to discuss business?" "That's right." "Is it? ... Isn't it talking about construction projects?" Taio Nakahashi is moving into other fields.A man who developed from a "Latin man" to the boss of a construction company is full of ambitions. "Why do you care so much?" The on-site director interrupted Yatabe's speculation.He looked Yatabe up and down again: "How do you know that we are constructing here?" He showed a skeptical look. Seeing that the other party became suspicious, Yatabe panicked more or less. "I heard about it at Tajimi." "Oh? See you, Taji..." "I heard in Tajimi that the expansion project of the county road is being carried out by the Nakahashi Group, so..." "We often go to Tajimi to buy necessities such as food, and we also order from the store in Tajimi, and we also hire a lot of temporary workers from Tajimi. It's okay that people in Tajimi know that we are doing this project. It's strange. But after you heard about it, why didn't you come over and look for a job right away?" "..." "Didn't you say you stayed at the hotel in Tajimi for five days?" "yes……" "As soon as you arrived at the hotel, you should have heard about it, but why did you wait for five full days to come? It doesn't make sense. Didn't you just say that you are running out of money? Then how can you wait It took so many days?" The field director discovered a loophole in Yatabe's lie. "No...the thing is like this..." Yatabe stood up slowly, scratched his head, desperately thinking of an excuse. "...Actually...I don't live in the hotel alone..." "Oh, do you still have your wife with you?" "It would be bad if my wife heard it...it was another woman..." "Hehe, that's how it is." There was no doubt in the eyes of the on-site director, and a smile appeared in the corner of his eyes, as if to say: I have seen this kind of thing a lot. "Women always like to be clingy. I wanted to come earlier, but she made it... so I was delayed..." "It seems that it is not easy for you." "I'm really sorry……" "It seems that you haven't known your little girlfriend for long, right? And she must be a foreigner, right?" The on-site director's eyes seemed to say: How about it, did I guess right? Yatabe decided to follow suit. "You're absolutely right." He lowered his head and put his hands on his forehead. "Middle-aged people like you are different from young people. I have seen this situation a lot." He is very satisfied with his "hit the nail on the head". "So I really can't wait for three days..." "I understand your situation, but our company has to let the president make up his mind, and I can't make the decision. When the president comes back, I will mention this matter to him." "Thank you so much..." Yatabe bowed his head in thanks, and a new idea popped up in his mind. "Director, I have an unfeeling request, can you please ask the president one more thing?" "What's the matter?" "Can you help my woman find a job too?" "..." The field director stared at Yatabe without saying a word. "I know I'm too thick-skinned... But my salary alone can't support two people. In fact, my woman used to work in the labor dormitory. She can clean, cook, and wash clothes. " "Oh……" The director's eyes lit up again—this time it was curiosity. "Could it be that your girlfriend is a married woman?" "Yes... I'm really sorry..." Yatabe shrank his neck and smiled humbly. How could he make up a "worker's dormitory woman"?It turned out that in the area under their jurisdiction, there was a murder related to the site of the river control project.A married woman had an affair with her husband's co-worker and the two teamed up to kill her husband. "How old is your little lover?" "Thirty-one, ten years younger than me." "Thirty-one... It's the age of a wolf like a tiger, you really have a hand." "Hey Hey……" "Stop laughing, it's disgusting." "Excuse me……" "No need to apologize. By the way, is that woman's husband a colleague of yours?" "yes." "How does it feel to steal someone? Isn't it good?" The site director smiled. "My wife will definitely be scolded if she hears it... To be honest, it's really good..." Yatabe hopes that through such a dialogue, the opponent's guard will be relieved and the atmosphere will be eased. "I guess it's..." The site director nodded with a sinister smile, as if he was imagining the scene of two people committing adultery. "But isn't her husband angry? You didn't fight?" He asked again. "We were afraid that he would find out, so we eloped." "Where is the construction site?" "Uh... the mountainous area in the eastern part of Iwate Prefecture is a tunnel project." Yatabe swallowed his saliva. "Everything has to be decided after the president comes back, but I will recommend you to the president." The site director replied. He became more and more interested in Yatabe—he was also very curious to see what the adulterous wife looked like and what her figure was. "If possible, I hope the Nakahashi group can ask my woman to help out in the dormitory..." "Well, we're more interested in her than you, the concrete mixer truck driver..." "what?" "It's like this. Now there is only one helper in our staff dormitory, and we are short of people. She is also the worker's wife and has a child. I can still take this idea. Let her come to work tomorrow." "It's not enough to just hire her, I want to work with her..." "Really, it will take three days until the president comes back. I will discuss it with him and say that I want to hire more helpers to live in the staff dormitory. By the way, I will hire you to drive a bulldozer and a mixer truck." "Oh, I became her gift instead..." "I can't help it. Who told us that there is no shortage of drivers here... By the way, do you want to go to the staff dormitory? Ask the helper, and go back so I can talk to you." "Okay, where is the dormitory?" "On the opposite side of the mountain. The path leading to the village is next to the county road. It takes seven or eight minutes to walk along that path. There are two two-storey temporary houses. There are some building materials piled up at the door. You can tell at a glance Yes. I'm busy, I don't have time to accompany you there, just tell the maid that Yamamoto asked you to go find her." "Then I'll take a look, thank you so much." Yatabe bowed deeply to the field director Yamamoto and lifted the suitcase.He also felt that he was quite like a migrant worker from other places.The director walked towards the place where the workers were working. After walking along the path covered with summer grass for seven or eight minutes, I saw the two-storey temporary house that the director said. A platform was opened from the trail at the foot of the mountain, and behind it was a forest of cedar and pine trees, like a thick barrier.The blue temporary house is very conspicuous against the backdrop of the woods.The windows of the makeshift house were left open, and men's underwear hung from each window.The white clothes looked like stickers in the thick green forest.Looking around, there is no one. Dark steel piled on the red soil of the platform.There was a big yellow truck parked next to it, which looked like a decoration. The yellow body is more conspicuous than the white underwear.But it wasn’t just its color that attracted Yatabe—it was a mixer truck that mixed sand and gravel and mixed concrete. When he passed the dam, he saw a similar mixer truck at the power station next to the dam. That's right, the Kasagi Dam.This dam is also mentioned in the folk song of Ena Gorge... When the taxi driver introduced Folk Song and Pingfengyan to him, he kept staring at the yellow mixer truck. Unexpectedly, there is a similar mixer truck here... Yatabe approached the yellow mixer truck in front of the temporary staff dormitory.To be precise, it was a mixer truck. The mixing truck is very large, and the most important part is the cylindrical mixing drum.Every time Yatabe sees the mixer truck with the constantly rotating mixing drum passing through the bus, Yatabe can feel a little bit of courage. He looked up at the mixer truck beside him.The light car body looks like it weighs eight tons and ten tons.If you add the concrete that is being mixed, it will be even heavier. However, the car parked at the door seemed to have been unused for a long time.The mixing drum was covered with white concrete droplets, which had dried out.The huge tires were full of mud.Judging by how dry the dirt is, the car has been here for quite some time. He looked back at the temporary house.The white underwear upstairs and downstairs reflected the dazzling sunlight, and the neat row of windows was still dim, and there was no one.So Yatabe was able to settle down and observe the mixer truck carefully. This was the first time he had looked at the mixing truck carefully.The cockpit takes up one-third of the front of the car, and the rest is the mixing drum.The middle big two small mixing drums are perpendicular to the cockpit.Opposite the cockpit is a trumpet-shaped funnel for pouring sand, stones, cement and other materials, and one end of the funnel is connected to the end of the mixing drum.The concrete material poured from the funnel will slide into the inclined mixing drum and be mixed together under the rotation of the mixing drum. The mixing drum is about three meters long and about two meters in diameter at its widest point.The capacity is about ten tons. The mixer drum is so big that it can fit three or four people.The diameter of the trumpet-shaped funnel is also about one meter, which is enough for people to slide in one by one. The lower part of the funnel is cylindrical, and there is another component below it. The lower part of that component is also inclined cylindrical, so that the concrete that has been mixed during the driving of the car can be poured through this opening as soon as it arrives at the construction site. Out. Of course, in addition to the mixing drum and those components, there are also parts such as the base for installing the components on the car, and the motor that makes the mixing drum rotate. People can get into the mixing drum from the trumpet-shaped funnel.Moreover, people can also be stuffed in through the mouth of the funnel.The idea that Yatabe had been brewing in his heart for a long time finally took shape. "What are you doing?" Suddenly, a woman's questioning voice came from behind.Yatabe was taken aback and looked back. She tied her hair up in a thin scarf and wore a sleeveless top and jeans rolled up below her knees.It looked fashionable at first glance, but upon closer inspection—the tea-colored scarf was dirty, and it was still made of rayon; the white top was also dirty, and looked gray; and the jeans were clearly men's overalls.The face, exposed shoulders and arms were tanned, the forehead was lined and the veins in the wrists were prominent. Yatabe understood at a glance: she was the staff dormitory maid mentioned by the on-site director. "Hi, it's really hot today." He turned around and bowed. "Ah?" The helper's eyes were sparkling. "I just met Mr. Yamamoto, the field director." Yatabe said as politely as possible. "Mr. Yamamoto? What are you talking to him about?" "It's like this..." Yatabe explained to her succinctly that he wanted to introduce his own woman to work as a servant here, and Boss Yamamoto asked him to inquire about the situation for reference. "Ah, that's how it is..." The weather-beaten middle-aged servant not only lost his guard, but even smiled, "Now I am alone, and I am almost overwhelmed! I have to take care of more than forty of them by myself , I haven’t rested for a long time, and I’m almost exhausted. It would be great if your wife is willing to help, please come here as soon as possible!” The dark-skinned woman grinned, revealing a row of Snow white teeth. "Director Yamamoto said that the president has gone on a business trip. I will have to wait for the president to decide whether to hire me or not. I can't let my wife work here alone..." "Do you want to work here too?" "Yes, the husband and wife work together." "The president said he was on a business trip, but he actually went to play golf. He should be back the day after tomorrow." "Director Yamamoto said that he has gone to Kannan near Atami. Is there a golf course in Kannan?" "It seems there is, otherwise how could he go there to play? Hey, our kind of rough people have nothing to do with that kind of rich people's sports." "You are right." The helper in front of him complained that his workload was too much, and he wished to have more people to help.But that's not what Yatabe cares about - his attention is drawn away by the mixer truck in front of him.It took him a lot of effort to suppress the excitement in his heart. "Is there anyone in the dormitory now?" He looked up at the window and asked. "No one, still working on the construction site." That's great, so I can ask her about the mixer truck with confidence and boldness.He lied to the on-site director that he was proficient in operating a mixer truck. If he asked some questions that only laymen would ask in front of other workers, he would be suspected.The trouble was, he had no idea how much the helper knew about mixer trucks. "By the way, I'm asking you something. Is this mixer truck unused?" "It has been parked here for three or four days, and it seems to be malfunctioning." Under the influence of Yatabe, the helper also looked at the mixer truck. "Fault? Is there no one to fix it?" "No one here knows how to repair it, so we didn't send it back, and just threw it here." "Send it back? Where are you going?" Yatabe asked. "A concrete factory." "Oh, it turns out that this car is not a car from the Zhongqiao team..." "Of course, the mixer trucks belong to the concrete plant, and the construction company that contracted the project borrowed them from them. So if the car breaks down, it has to be sent back to the Central Concrete Manufacturing Company, but this car has been sitting here. People control." "Where is the Central Concrete Manufacturing Company?" "The head office seems to be in Gifu City. There are quite a lot of branch factories, and they can be found everywhere. The Nakahashi team has borrowed three cars in total. Apart from this one, there are two more, all of which are borrowed from Umezawa's factory." "Mezze?" "It's only 30 kilometers to the northwest. The factory is next to the Umezawa River, and the location is quite remote." "Then the sand and stones they use to produce concrete should have been obtained from nearby?" "yes." "Oh I got it……" Yatabe's blood boiled.He felt that what he had been looking for for a long time was close at hand.Not only that, but you can also observe the structure of the mixer truck so closely to confirm that the actual situation is consistent with your own speculation. Yatabe looked up and down again at the giant yellow mixer truck. "Do you think people can get into the big tube through the mouth of the funnel?" "God knows... I haven't seen anyone get in anyway..." "Really..." Yatabe didn't ask further. "What's wrong with this car? It's such a waste to put it here." He said, scanning the mixer truck. "I am not sure as well……" "Oh, if you don't pay attention, after talking for so long, it really interrupts you in your busy schedule." "Hurry up and ask your wife to come over. It's much easier for two people to do this job together." "I will, thank you very much." The servant watched Yatabe leave the platform with fiery eyes. Yatabe returned the same way, but this time he did not go to the construction site, but went to the bus station behind the distant mountains. The bus headed towards Huina Town, passing through Huina Canyon on the way.Before driving over the Higashiun Bridge, Yatabe saw the hydroelectric power station of the Kasagi Dam again.The two mixer trucks parked by the station just now disappeared.The huge dam moves slowly by the left window.He got off at Ena Station and walked immediately to the taxi stand. He walked to the front taxi and said to the driver through the window: "Please go to Mei Ze." The driver turned around—unexpectedly, he was the driver who drove Yatabe to the construction site on Kasagi Hill just now. "Oh, what a coincidence!" "Have you finished your work at the construction site?" the driver asked while starting the car.Yatabe, who was sitting in the back seat, noticed that the driver's lips were very thin—people with thin lips tend to talk. "Well, it's over. I heard that Umezawa has a concrete factory, right?" "That's right." "Then drive there." "Okay, sir, are you an architect?" "That's right." "Building seems to be very profitable..." "Where, where." "Didn't you just go to the construction site on Kasagi Hill? That project was contracted by the Nakahashi Group. They were originally a small company, but they have recently developed into a large construction company. Construction does not make money, so how can they develop so fast. " It seems that the rumors of the Nakahashi group have spread. "yes?" "Although construction work is rough, it can earn a lot of money." "Our company is not that capable, and life has been difficult recently... Oh, is this road different from the one just now?" "Turn over the Kasagi hillside and walk towards Shirakawa. This is a road to the west. The road ahead will be wider." This is also a county road.Taxi driving in the mountains. "The road to Umezawa is in the mountains, so you can't see much scenery. If you feel bored, let me sing you a folk song of Ena?" "Okay, let's sing and listen." Yatabe was in a good mood and became interested in listening to the song. The puzzle seems to have been solved. Why did the body of Miyoko Sawada, found at the Momijisou Hotel in Kurama Kibunecho, have almost no body spots?Yatabe has discovered the secret. He had previously determined that the body was transported to the hotel from a distant murder scene.However, no plaques corresponding to the time of death appeared on the body. Although he had figured out a way to prevent the appearance of corpse spots, the question of "how to move the corpse" still stumped him.In order to prevent the blood of the dead body from accumulating and sinking, the dead body must be turned over continuously during the process of transporting the dead body.How to move the corpse while turning it over?Yatabe was puzzled.However, a concrete mixer truck solved his doubts. At least, Yatabe felt that the problem had been solved, no wonder he was in such a happy mood. "There is a weir in Ena, and the river is illuminated by lanterns. It used to be Mitake, the white snow of Kiso..." The driver showed his voice.Yatabe was not stingy with words of appreciation either.He was in a really good mood. However, at this time, Yatabe still didn't know anything about the structure of the mixer truck... The taxi drove along the mountain road for fifty minutes.After driving to the basin, you can see many huddled families.Among the low roofs, there are a few tall buildings.The roofs, the white walls of the building, and the meandering river are all dyed red by the setting sun.The long summer day finally ushered in the dusk. “客人，那儿就是混凝土工厂。”司机指着出租车正面的建筑说道。 工厂依山而建，最大的特征就是高耸入云的铁塔。传送带从铁塔中伸出，把混合好的混凝土输送出来。山体被树林所覆盖，只有邻近工厂的那一侧露出了灰色的岩石表面。工厂旁边流淌着一条小河。 开山取石，把大石头弄碎变成小石子。再捞出河里的沙子进行搅拌……当然，光是就地取材是不够用的，工厂肯定会动用卡车从其他地方运些原材料过来。 出租车离工厂越来越近了。传送带下停了一辆黄色的搅拌车。从传送带上掉下的混凝土掉进喇叭状的漏斗里，灌进了搅拌筒中。 工厂员工把矢田部带去了会客室。会客室很小，就在混凝土传送带旁边，感觉地板都在不断震动。 会客室的墙上贴着几张死板的工厂照片，上面都是中部混凝土制造公司在各地的工厂的全景。每张照片都拍到了工厂旁边的山、几座巨大的铁塔和停在铁塔下方的搅拌车。 四十来岁胖胖的男子和一位三十多岁身材高大的男子敲门进了房间。他们都穿着灰色的工作服。胖的那个是所长，戴眼镜的高个男子则是制造课长。矢田部出示了名片，要求与负责人见面。 矢田部与两人闲聊了几句，还夸奖了工厂依山傍水的好环境，这才开口说道：“我今天上门拜访，不是来查案的，只是有事情想请教一下。” “是有关混凝土制造的事情吗？” 所长圆滚滚的脸上露出落落大方的笑容。他一听矢田部不是来查案的，好像放心了不少，又好像在掩饰内心的不安。 不过，面对孤身一人从外县来的乡下刑警（而且还是个其貌不扬的中年男子），所长并没有起多大戒心。 “不，是有关搅拌卡车的。请问卡车是归混凝土制造公司所有吗？” “那是搬运混凝土的卡车，每家生产商都有。我们公司大概有二十多辆吧。”所长说道。 “是不是把混凝土倒进那个大圆筒里，让它一边转一边跑，把混凝土送到各个建筑工地去啊？” “没错，那个筒之所以要不停地旋转，是为了防止混凝土凝固，并且让砂石和水泥得到充分搅拌。” “那筒里应该有用来搅拌混凝土的页片吧？会跟筒一起转动的那种。” “是的，我们管它叫扇叶"，用筒前面的马达驱动，筒也会跟着转。 " “马达不转的时候，人能不能进到那个筒里去？” “能啊，不然就没法打扫筒的内部了。” “那人要从哪儿进去呢？” “筒后边有一个灌水泥用的仓斗……” “仓斗？啊，是不是那个喇叭形状的漏斗？” “对对，只要把那个漏斗拆下来，人就能钻进去了。” “啊，那个漏斗是可以拆卸的吗？” “可以啊，一拆就下来了。” 矢田部还以为人能直接从漏斗口里钻进去。漏斗的直径有一米左右，如果能把漏斗拆下来，人就能更容易地钻进筒里了。他还是第一次听说，专业人士管那个漏斗叫“仓斗”。 “我们平时只知道查案，很多涉及到专业知识的事情就搞不清楚了，所以必须得请教各位专家才行。” “原来是这样啊……刑警也不好当啊。”所长表示同情，可他的表情仿佛在说：无知的刑警真是可怜。 “这次您要查的案子跟搅拌卡车有关吗？”一直听所长和刑警对话的制造课长扶了扶眼镜，插嘴问道。 “这次倒不是在查案，只是想多了解些常识罢了。” 矢田部回答道。眼镜后，一双细长的眼睛犀利异常。看来这样的答案无法令他满意。矢田部心想，决不能让对方察觉到自己的意图。 他忽然想起了警视厅编写的《图解·搜查必备资料》来。这本书上有国内外各种房屋建筑的组成部分、家具、器皿、交通工具的叫法和图解。 矢田部就用这本书当挡箭牌了。他说，这次他们署要编一本自己的《图解·搜查必备资料》，要参考一线调查人员的意见。以前的图解上只有普通的轿车和卡车，没有水泥搅拌车。现在科技进步了，新机器越来越多，书本总是跟不上科技进步的速度，所以署里想补充一下新知识，其中自然也包括搅拌卡车的知识。当然，最好的方法是直接咨询卡车的生产厂商，只是他今天正好路过这里，一时兴起，就打听起搅拌卡车的构造来了。 “原来如此，原来是这样啊……” 略显神经质的课长比所长的反应更明显，他相信了矢田部的说辞，这才放下心来，看来对方真的不是来查案的。 “搅拌卡车生产商会给我们提供产品目录，里面有车的内部构造的图解，我叫人拿来给您看看吧，总比我用嘴解释强。”他吩咐女员工把目录拿来。 而胖胖的所长也松了口气：“那我就先告辞了。” 说完，便离开了会客室。 产品目录里有搅拌卡车的断面图和各个组成部分的说明。 “我们公司用的是这种型号的车。”课长指着重达10吨或11.5吨的车型说道。车辆的详细规格如下： 搅拌筒容量8.9m 最大混合容量4.4m 搅拌筒安装角度16° 筒长3610mm 搅拌筒最大直径2100mm 仓斗尺寸1000×1000mm 水箱容量200L 搅拌筒容量很大，几乎有9m。即便两头较小，也能装下五六个人。各组成部分的说明如下： 油压泵马达无论低速高速都能保持稳定，保证搅拌筒匀速旋转。牢固耐用，能够长时间运转。 搅拌筒支撑组件硬度高，强韧耐磨，能将搅拌筒对车身的冲击降到最小。排泥装置（滑槽、副滑槽、加长副滑槽）耐磨性高，压平结构让混凝土的流动速度更快，加快倾倒时作业速度。 适宜搅拌的L型扇叶附着的水泥少，搅拌、排除性能佳。 门外响起一阵嘈杂的脚步声。下班时间到，工人们回来了。 “图上说搅拌筒的旋转速度是可以调节的是吧？”矢田部向留在会客室里的课长问道。 “是的，可以调节。” 如果要用这种车搬运尸体，必须放慢搅拌筒的旋转速度，否则会在尸体身上留下不自然的痕迹。 筒里装着的不是混凝土，而是水。尸体就浮在水中。产品目录上说，水箱的容量为200L，这些水是用来和沙石进行搅拌的。除去混合物，搅拌筒的容量大概有9m，只要灌满水，尸体就能在筒里“游泳”了。 搅拌车开到目的地，也就是发现尸体的现场附近之后，凶手再把尸体从筒里搬出来，这时就需要排出筒里的水，用的就是所谓的“排泥装置”。只是排出来的不是混凝土，而是水。那些水可以直接倒进那条坡度很陡的小河里。 搅拌卡车如果在深夜开去红叶庄或附近的人家，马达的噪音和放水的响声肯定会被人听见。所以一系列工作应该都是在远离人家的下游进行的。那里比较偏僻，到了晚上就是一片漆黑，不用担心会被行人看见。 “上面说搅拌筒能够长时间运转"，”矢田部向身旁的课长问道，“那搅拌筒在运转的时候，搅拌车能在路上开多久呢？ " 假设泽田美代子的遇害现场距离尸体发现现场有一百五十公里距离。根据矢田部的推测，一路上大概需要五个小时，所以他才会问“搅拌筒能连续运转几个小时？”——距离京都鞍马贵船町的红叶庄酒店大约一百五十公里的杀人现场，就是刈野温泉。之前他一直很疑惑中桥组为什么要收购温泉尽头的柳月旅馆。但看过搅拌卡车的产品目录之后，他立刻明白了其中的缘由。 筒里灌的不是普通的凉水，而是热水！ 矢田部激动不已，提问的口气也不一样了。然而，戴眼镜的课长却吃吃笑道：“哎呀，开不了几个小时，毕竟筒里还装着混凝土呢，又是搅拌又是旋转的，最多只能跑一个多小时吧。所以距离工地一小时车程的范围内，一定会有一座小型混凝土工厂。” “那是因为搅拌筒里灌着混凝土的关系吧？” "Yes, that's right." 矢田部暗自心想，要是筒里装的是热水，肯定能多跑好几个小时。 “这个扇叶的X型是连着的吗？”矢田部看着产品目录里的截面图问道。图上写着“适宜搅拌的L型扇叶”字样。用于搅拌的扇叶，是基于与船只的螺旋桨相同的原理。 “是的。”课长也朝图解看去。 矢田部疑惑了。要是筒里交叉着这样的扇叶，尸体就没法旋转了。尸体碰到旋转的扇叶，肯定会被切断，就像被卷进螺旋桨里一样。 不过，既然筒里装的不是混凝土，那筒里的扇叶是不是就可以拆下来呢？这样一来就不会切到尸体，也不会在尸体身上留下任何痕迹了。 “扇叶没法拆，是直接装在搅拌筒内侧两端的。” 课长迅速回答道。 扇叶的两端用螺丝固定。矢田部还以为，只要拆下螺丝，就能把扇叶拆下来。他的心顿时凉了半截。 “再说了，搅拌筒是跟着扇叶转的。扇叶不动，搅拌筒也不会动的。”课长补充道。 搅拌车的原理，让矢田部瞠目结舌。 然而，课长刚才的一席话，又给矢田部留下了一线希望。 “您的意思是，是扇叶推动搅拌筒旋转的是吧？” "yes." “也就是说扇叶是贴在搅拌筒内壁上的？” “没错……啊，我明白了。光看这个截面图，您可能会以为扇叶贯穿于搅拌筒里，其实扇叶是装在搅拌筒内壁上的，就像您刚才说的那样。看截面图容易误会。” “那……那也就是说，正因为内壁上装着扇叶，所以筒中形成了空洞，是吧？”矢田部两眼放光。 “是啊，混凝土就灌在那空洞里。” “课长，我有个不情之请，能不能让我见识见识搅拌筒里面究竟是什么样子的啊？” "what?" “我想参考参考。耳听为虚，眼见为实嘛。现在厂里有空余的车吗？” “有几辆车刚跑完活回来。我不是不给您看，可搅拌筒还没洗过，里头黏着很多混凝土呢，会把您的衣服弄脏的。” “没关系，我不在乎，只要不给您添麻烦的话……” “那我让人给您拿套工作服过来，您换身衣服再进去吧，我再让人拿个手电筒过来。” “真是太麻烦您了……” “看来刑警也不好当啊……”矢田部的好学精神令课长感动不已。 等待工作服送到的时间里，矢田部又随口问道：“建筑公司有搅拌卡车吗？” “没有，都是我们混凝土制造厂借给工程现场事务所的。” “用完的车当天会还回来吗？”矢田部想起中桥组的帮佣说过的话。 “不一定，有当天就还的，也有一借就是好几天的。” 能打听到这些，矢田部已经很满意了。鲁莽提出有关“中桥组”的问题只会惹火上身。 年轻的部下把工作服拿来了。 两枚手电筒的光圈在巨大的空洞中来回扫荡。一支手电是矢田部的，另一支则是中部混凝土制造公司梅泽工厂的制造课长的。搅拌筒里的混凝土还没干透，两人的工作服上沾满了白色的混凝土。 圆筒内是倾斜的，很难站稳。底面、两侧的墙壁和天花板都是弯的。不过，里头的空间的确够大。最大直径超过2米。全长3.6米，容量8.9m，能装下9000L的水。 “这就是扇叶。” 课长用手电照亮了墙上的金属物体。三片连续的螺旋形扇叶贴在墙上。产品目录上的截面图上画出的几个X形物体就是这扇叶。 “油压泵马达驱动扇叶旋转，用来搅拌混凝土。”在空洞的搅拌筒中，课长的声音听起来完全不同，余音绕梁三尺。 在搅拌筒里装上9000L的水，一桶水在扇叶的搅动下泡沫横飞——矢田部想象着这样一幅场景。人在水中搅拌，如轻轻的叶片一样上下左右，翻滚旋转。 身高一米六左右的人，在全长3.6米、最大直径2米以上的容器中翻转，肯定会撞到天花板、内壁和底部。四周可都是坚固的金属啊。 然而，在京都鞍马贵船町的红叶庄酒店发现的泽田美代子的尸体完好无损，没有掉一块皮，也没有一处碰伤。 “如果在筒里灌满水，把猫狗的尸体放进去，再让搅拌筒转起来，尸体会不会碰伤啊？” 矢田部不能用人的尸体打比方，只能说是“猫狗的尸体”。他的声音在空洞内形成异样的回声。 “啊？把猫狗的尸体塞进来？”奇妙的问题让课长摸不着头脑。 “就是个假设嘛。” “那肯定会碰伤的啊。就好比滚筒洗衣机里的衣服一样，上下左右到处乱碰，一会儿撞到内壁上，一会儿撞到扇叶上，早就粉身碎骨了。” 部长的答案果然如矢田部所料。 矢田部走近搅拌筒尽头，用手电筒照了照固定扇叶的部分。在亲眼看见之前，他还以为只要把螺丝卸下，就能把扇叶拆下来了。原来如此，就像课长说的那样，扇叶是固定住的，不用电锯之类的工具是卸不下来的。 然而，即便能把扇叶卸下来，也很难保证尸体完好无损。毕竟在激烈的水流之中，尸体会与四周的内壁产生激烈碰撞。 假设凶手把尸体装在睡袋里。这样虽然能减少擦伤的几率，但普通的睡袋根本撑不了这么久。矢田部推测车辆需要行驶五个小时。在五个小时的冲撞下，睡袋肯定四分五裂了，尸体的皮肤也会受到损伤，身上穿的衣服肯定也会被水流卷下。 矢田部爬出搅拌筒。仓斗已被拆下。天黑了。他的心好像也被混凝土堵住了一样，灰蒙蒙的。 两人回到事务所，脱下工作服。 年轻的员工端来了两杯热茶。矢田部与课长面对面坐下，喝了几口茶。头顶的电灯发出昏暗的光。 “您究竟在查些什么啊？”课长盯着矢田部问道。刑警提了个奇怪的问题：要是把猫狗的尸体放进筒里会怎么样？难道编写《图解·搜查必备资料》会用到这些信息吗？ 矢田部无法道出实情。况且，他还有其他问题要问。 “没什么，我刚才也说了，我这次不是来查案的。只是一看见实物，我就会不由自主地假设各种情况，随口问问罢了。”矢田部笑着回答道。 “这样啊。看来干哪行都不容易。”课长好像接受了矢田部的说辞。 “对了，我顺便问一句，”矢田部说道，“您刚才提到建筑公司的搅拌卡车是从混凝土厂借来的是吧？” "Yes, that's right." “有没有建筑公司借了车不还的啊？” “哦，有几辆车借给附近的一个工地了，一直没还回来呢。” “附近的工地？” “一家叫中桥组"的建筑公司承包了惠那和白川之间的县道拓宽工程。我们借了他们三辆车，可他们一直没还，说是等混凝土浇筑好了再还。 " 看来劳工宿舍的帮佣说的是实话。 “要是借给工地的搅拌车出了故障，他们是不是得把车送回来修啊？”矢田部想起，帮佣说那辆搅拌车已经在宿舍门口停了三四天了。 “出了故障当然要送回来，毕竟工地没人会修，不送回来，他们也只能干瞪眼啊。” 矢田部没有提起“中桥组”，以防对方看出自己是在调查和中桥组有关的事情。 “不过如果是小故障，他们也不会立刻送回来的。毕竟在工地干活的都是些粗人，大部分情况下，建筑公司会等水泥全浇筑好了再把车送回来。要是车还没回来，附近又有新的工程开工，我们的车就不够用了……”课长感叹建筑公司的“粗鲁”。毕竟是体力活，粗鲁一些也是在所难免。 “对了，我再跟您打听件事儿行吗？”他提出了最后一个问题，“……贵工厂生产混凝土的时候，应该会用到沙子吧？是不是还会用到碎石子啊？” “对，最近因为胡乱开采的关系，河里的沙石越来越少了，政府的规定也越来越严格，所以我们会从山里开采石块，弄碎了代替河里的沙石。” “那碎石里有没有一种叫五色石"的石头啊？ " “五色石？啊，是辉绿凝灰岩吧？有啊。”课长满不在乎地回答道。 “啊？有吗？”矢田部大吃一惊，身子不由得向前探去。 “工厂北边大概三十公里的山区就有辉绿凝灰岩。我们使用的就是那里开采的碎石，里头就混着辉绿凝灰岩。” 高中老师的回信中提到，金铃湖周边的地层中存在许多辉绿凝灰岩。梅泽以北三十公里——也许那里的地层和金陵湖周边的地层是连着的。 “不好意思，”矢田部激动地问道，“要是工厂里有辉绿凝灰岩的碎石，能不能分我五六颗呀？我那上初中的侄子对矿石特别感兴趣，想要几颗辉绿凝灰岩做标本……” "no problem." 课长命令年轻