Chapter 12 chapter eight

Ukai walked back to Kosuke Oyamada again with stumbling steps, and Ryuhei followed behind.The detective said goodbye just now, and walked back in less than five minutes. Oyamada showed a puzzled expression when he saw this. "Oh, did you forget to take something?" "I'm sorry to disturb your vacation interest many times." Ukai said in a pleasant tone and saluted respectfully. "It's not that I forgot to take something. In fact, I solved the mystery of the case, so I want to tell you." "I see, thank you for telling me... I really want to say this, but I'm not really interested in this kind of thing. To me, it doesn't matter who kills Tajima."

"Anyway, please don't say that. Would you like to listen? If I'm wrong, please feel free to criticize me." No one persuaded him to sit down, but Ukai sat on the chair in front of him and began to speak unilaterally. "Having said that, I would like to ask a question first. Mr. Oyamada, did you lie to us just now?" "Lying? No, I'm not lying. What's your question?" Oyamada had a completely clueless expression on his face, but Ukai continued without taking it seriously. "When I asked if you had an alibi from midnight to one in the morning, you said, 'I'm here fishing with my grandson at this time.' Right?"

"Where am I lying like this? It's all true. I went fishing with my grandson. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but I swear I'm not lying." "Yes, of course. It should be true that you and your grandson are fishing, but not here." Ukai pointed to the vast sandy beach in front of him and continued. "There is absolutely no way to fish here. From one o'clock in the morning to one o'clock in the morning, about six or seven hours ago, since the tide is just ebbing now, it should be almost high tide at that time, so this place must be on the bottom of the sea. There is no way to fish on the bottom of the sea, right?"

"Alas..." Oyamada seemed to have been hit by a cold arrow, his mouth opened slightly, and he laughed a little after a while. "Hahaha, you're right, this kind of thing is a matter of course, right? When I said 'here', I just meant 'the coast around here'. It doesn't mean that the high tide and low tide stay in the same place." "Of course that's true. By the way, I don't know the geographical environment around here, but I can roughly infer the situation at the time of the incident. For example, the concrete stairs, the upper part is very strong, but starting from the middle, the further you go The lower part is more and more damaged by the erosion of sea water, and the fresh seaweed moistened by sea water grows on the steps. The moment I saw that scene, I had a flash of inspiration!"

To be precise, it was the moment when I stepped on the seaweed and fell.This kind of thing is not important, so Liuping continued to listen without making a sound.Ukai reasoned further. "In other words, as long as the tide is high around here, the sea water will reach the middle of the ladder, and this may be the case at midnight this morning. When the tide is high, the sea water will be as high as the steep bank, and the vast sandy beaches around will all sink into the bottom of the sea. Then , where on earth are you enjoying your fishing all this time? If the sand isn't fishing, then there's the steep bank. If it's a steep bank, it means you're fishing on the sidewalk along the coastal road. Right?"

"That's right. I do fish late at night on the sidewalk of the coastal road facing the sea. Any questions?" "No, there's nothing wrong with this matter, after all, it's not prohibited by the law. After all, this is a well-known shoal area, that is to say, fishing here is mainly cast fishing, right?" "Yes... I said you, enough is enough, what are you talking about? Aren't you here to explain the case?" "That's right, then let me talk about the case. First, I will explain the case that happened in Xiaguan." "Why Shimonoseki! A case like this in a remote city is not important at all, is it?"

Oyamada felt absurd, and his tone became rude.Liu Ping, who was on the sidelines, also felt that he was inevitably angry.But Ukai took it easy and continued at his own pace. "Okay, please don't say that. This matter is intriguing. Next to the Kanmon Strait in Shimonoseki is National Highway No. 2. It happens to be a coastal road like the Shirahama Kaigan Road in Kuzuigawa City. It's nothing special, just an ordinary asphalt road. .But accidents where the windshield of a car driving on this national highway often shatters suddenly, do you know why?" "Why...God knows. Maybe someone threw stones at the car as a prank?"

"No, it's not a rock, and it's not a prank. The reason is fishing." "fishing?" "On the national road next to the strait, there are a group of people enjoying fishing on the sidewalk facing the sea. It is a good place to cast fish. When casting fish, in order to throw the bait as far as possible, fishermen will swing the fishing rod widely. At this time, the front end of the fishing rod will Extending to the driveway in an instant, the lead pendant in front of the fishing line swayed like a pendulum, and went deeper into the driveway. If a vehicle is unlucky and passes by at this time, the lead pendant will hit the windshield and cause the glass to break, which is the cause of the accident. Therefore Shimonoseki seems to be banning fishing along the coastal roads now."

"What, that's what I'm talking about. This kind of accident doesn't just happen in Xiaguan. You can see this kind of wicked fisherman everywhere you go." "Oh, sure enough?" "Of course there is." "Then, there really is... in this city of Cuidichuan...?" Ukai looked at Oyamada and said so.Oyamada, who had spoken so far without changing his expression, immediately twisted his expression. "...You, what do you want to say?" "Similar things probably happened on this coast road. About six or seven hours ago, on this coast with high tide, fishermen stood on the sidewalk and enjoyed the fun of casting fishing towards the sea. At this time, a truck passed by. Cargo wagon with box benches."

"..." "There is someone inside the box-shaped bench. It is Tajima Goro. Tajima hid in the box-shaped bench in order to avoid being photographed for evidence of an affair. But the box is very small. Although Tajima is not tall, he is also an adult male, so he cannot grow up. Time hides in it. He probably couldn't help it when the truck was passing the coastal road, so he opened the lid and poked his head out." "In this case, it's impossible for the young man directly behind the truck to miss it?" "This is not necessarily true. The width of the cover is about 50 centimeters, and the height of the chair back is about 30 centimeters. If the cover is fully opened at 90 degrees, the cover will be higher than the back of the chair. But the difference between the two is only 20 centimeters. The ten-centimeter-high bench is only slightly increased to one meter high. Mr. Oyamada, do you think this reckless young man will notice this slight difference?"

"Who do you call a reckless young man!" Liuping resolutely protested to Yukai. "Well, that's how it is. I probably didn't notice it." "Hey... don't agree with it yourself, you guy!" Liuping couldn't help but swear at the client, and Ukai hurriedly comforted him. "Okay, Liuping, you calm down. Think about it, the night is so dark, the bed of the truck must be very dark. You keep a good distance to follow the truck, and every time you turn, the truck will temporarily pass from you. The field of vision disappears, and the outline of the box has increased by 20 centimeters at some point in this situation, that's all. You probably didn't notice it." Then don't say I'm a reckless youth!Liuping was dissatisfied, and Yukai ignored him and continued. "After opening the cover, even if Tajima probes from the box, he doesn't have to worry about the leveling. Because the opened cover becomes a screen, blocking the leveling sight of the rear tracking. Let's tidy up the situation. The truck driving on the coastal road, the cargo bucket is placed The box-shaped bench. The lid was open, and Tajima poked his head out of it, and the bike-tracking Liuping didn’t notice it. Can you understand it here?” "Well, well, I think it's quite possible..." "The next thing is the problem. The season is summer, and it is Saturday, which is very suitable for night fishing. The late night coastal road that is about to be full of tide, some fishermen enjoy the fun of casting fishing. This person is standing on the sidewalk, without confirming the situation behind him. Swing the long fishing rod to your heart's content. If the length of the fishing rod reaches four or five meters, the front end of the fishing rod will extend to the side lane, and the lead pendant in front of the fishing line will cross the side lane and extend to the opposite lane on the other side. The driveway is the driveway leading to the city of Kuzuigawa, which is the driveway that the truck is driving through. The front end of the fishing line can extend there, right?" "Ah, well, it should be." "If the lead pendant in front of the fishing line hits the windshield of the truck at this time, it will have the same phenomenon as Shimonoseki. But the lead pendant did not hit the windshield, but hit the cargo bed of the truck, from which The back of Tajima Goro's head was poked out from a box-shaped bench. The bruises on the back of his corpse's head, which looked like they had been hit hard with a mallet, were actually caused by a lead fall." "You, wait a minute!" Oyamada interrupted Ukai's explanation hastily. "Tajima didn't die from a blow to the back of the head. He should have died by cutting his throat. The murder weapon was a sharp knife. How did the knife wound come about?" "It's nothing, it's very simple. The injuries to the back of the head and neck were caused almost at the same time. The moment the lead fall hit the back of Tajima's head, a sharp 'blade' cut his neck. Do you know what kind of 'blade' it is?" Right? It’s the tip of the lead pendant, the tiny ‘blade’ at the very tip of the fishing line.” As if guided by Ukai's words, Oyamada finally came to a conclusion. "Hook! It's a fishing hook! I see, it was the fishing hook that pinned his neck..." "Yes. At the same time that the lead pendant hit the back of Tajima's head, the fishing line and hook immediately wrapped around his neck. The next moment, the fisherman, who knew nothing about it, waved his pole towards the sea indifferently, and the truck continued driving The fishing line and hook wrapped around his neck were pulled forcefully, causing the hook on his neck to be like a sharp knife, cutting open the carotid artery in an instant." "what!" "The lead pendant and hook that became the murder weapon left Tajima under the pull of the fishing rod and returned to the fisherman. Tajima, who was wounded in two places, fell into the box and finally bled to death. Fishermen on the sidewalk may feel the hook Pulling something, not realizing exactly how it was being pulled. On the other hand, the truck was unaware of what was happening on the bed and continued into the city.” "So that's how it happened..." "It all happened in the blink of an eye. Maybe it happened when Liuping's eyes left the truck's bed for a while, or it happened when the truck turned out of his field of vision for a moment. Assuming that Liuping witnessed this scene with his own eyes, it was late at night after all. , the line, hook, and lead are too small and too fast for him to see it at all." "Indeed. Why, then, does the open lid close?" "It should have been closed naturally with the vibration of the vehicle, maybe it was closed due to the impact of a car accident at the intersection. Not long after, Hoshino mother and son and Liuping found the body." "I see. It sounds amazing, but maybe it's what you said." Oyamada nodded as he finished speaking. "This is indeed an accident that would not be surprising even if it happened... Let me ask you, is this an accident?" "Of course. I really don't think this phenomenon was intentional by someone. It was in that condition when the body was found, so it looked like a brutal murder at first glance, and it seemed like an almost impossible crime, that's all. In fact, it must be An accident caused by many unfortunate coincidences. Even so, the person who caused this accident must bear the responsibility for negligent death, after all, he lost his life." "So that's it, so you mean, I'm the one who should take this responsibility?" Oyamada patted his chest lightly, Ukai shook his head pretending to be stupid. "Oh, I never said that?" "I knew it from what you said. I was the one who was fishing on the coastal road from midnight to one in the morning. I didn't know that the moment I swung my pole, the lead weight and hook in front of the fishing line hit Tajima on the truck. He cut his head and slit his throat. It’s really funny, it’s like the god of fate sympathized with me, a poor man wearing a cuckold, and let me succeed in revenge without knowing it. It’s really a prank of fate.” "You admit, then, that it is your responsibility?" "How is it possible. Do you think this kind of karma will really happen in this reality? Hmph, it's impossible." "You said just now that this was 'an accident that would not be surprising even if it happened'?" "That's right. But I'm the only one, no matter what happens, I won't cause such an accident. I'm not that wicked, and I will definitely pay attention to the situation behind when I'm fishing. As a senior fisherman, I'm confident that I will never miss this aspect. Besides, I am definitely not the only one who enjoys fishing here late at night. There must be young people with bad morals, or elderly people with fading attention. They may also be beginners who don't know fishing etiquette...beginners... ..." Oyamada paused suddenly, as if thinking of something important.Pelicans make up instead. "Yes, you are right. There should be beginners around here who forgot to pay attention to the rear when casting... such as that boy." Tsurukai pointed to the beach in the distance.There was a teenager with a Shiba Inu enjoying the fun of casting.Oyamada immediately pushed aside the chair and got up. "Don't, don't talk nonsense, what evidence do you have for saying such things!" "There is no evidence. I always speculate based on the facts that it is probably the boy. As far as I can see, the boy didn't pay much attention to the rear when he was casting. In fact, the boy once swung his pole without paying attention to the surroundings, which caused him The pet dog in the back jumped up in fright. This is a sandy beach, so it will not cause any problems, but it is very dangerous if you do it on the sidewalk of the coastal road. From my point of view, the length of the fishing rod is four meters, plus the length of the fishing line, The lead weight and hook should be able to easily cross the two-way single-lane road, no matter which lane the truck takes, it is likely to have an accident." "This, this is far-fetched. What kind of evidence can this statement be taken as? The kid really hasn't learned fishing etiquette, he is really a beginner. Even so, why can you assert that this accident was caused by him? Maybe Are there other vicious anglers? No, maybe I am as experienced as I am, and I can’t guarantee that I haven’t neglected to pay attention to the rear, and you certainly don’t know whose hook cut Tajima’s neck.” "Well, you're right, I don't know. After all, I'm just an ordinary private detective. However, the police may know. The Sunagawa Police Department occasionally uses sharp reasoning skills. Know the truth. In this situation, the police have a trump card called "scientific handling of the case". For example, investigating the lead pendant and fishing hook that became the murder weapon should be able to find a very small amount of blood attached to it. If it matches the blood of Goro Tajima , it will become ironclad evidence...By the way, are the fishing rods and equipment used by that boy the same as yesterday?" "Yes, it hasn't been changed. The hook and lead pendant are the same as last night. But even if the police investigate his hook and lead pendant, they may not be able to detect human blood, and may not be able to detect anything. No, nothing can be tested. The possibility is higher. In this case, it can completely prove his innocence, which means that the accident was caused by others." "In that case, I have nothing to say. But..." Ukai lowered his voice to incite the other party's uneasiness. "What if it really turns out? That boy is still a child, so of course he won't be severely punished..." "Then what do you say to do? No, don't mention this, what do you want to do? Do you want to tell the police?" "How is that possible. If I were to inform the police, I would not come back here. My client is you. From my position, I must act only in consideration of your interests. What kind of decision do you have to make after hearing the inference just now, It is up to you to decide. It depends on whether you want to tell the police everything to confirm the truth, or immediately take the boy's fishing rod, tear off the lead pendant and hook at the front of the fishing line and throw it into the sea..." "This, this kind of thing... My approach...do I still need to think about it!" Oyamada turned around and shouted at the boy standing on the beach in the distance. "Hey! Kenta, put the fishing rod right now... Ugh!" Oyamada shouted as if seeing an unbelievable scene.Liuping was surprised and looked at the boy, his eyes widened in the same surprise.The boy's fishing rod was greatly bent, almost becoming a huge semi-ellipse.The boy's excited voice sounded from the white sandy beach. "Grandpa, grandpa, look at it! This fishing rod is bent like this! It's tuna, tuna! It must be a tuna!" "Well, hey, Kenta, it's not important..." "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa good good!" "……what!" There was a sound like strings being plucked on the beach. At the same time, the boy who gritted his teeth and pulled the rod couldn't control his strength, and sat down on the beach.Shiba Inu gave a "bark", and Oyamada said "Ah".After a moment of silence, the boy got up from the beach with a disappointed expression. "Damn it, I ran away!" the boy yelled remorsefully, and retracted the fishing line with the reel, and then he yelled in shock. "Ah, the line is broken. The fish just now bit off the whole set of bait...Grandpa, the hook and lead pendant have been bitten off by the fish, what should I do...?" The boy showed a naive expression.Oyamada didn't respond to the boy, just squatting on the beach powerlessly.Then he nodded deeply as if he wanted to convince himself, and said softly repeatedly: "That's great...that's good...that's good..." Yukai stared at the client's back, shrugged his shoulders and smacked his mouth softly. "Tsk, what a pity! I expected to catch such a huge tuna...Ryuhei, are you right?" "Are you sorry for this?" The fish bite away important evidence to prove your reasoning?Also, I think you already know that you can't catch giant tuna off the coast of Kuzuigawa.Liuping whispered in his heart, and sighed deeply. "Ukai-san, I always feel suddenly exhausted..." The bizarre case that troubled the brain from late night to early morning ended like this at the end.Liuping felt that he had been tricked by the god of coincidence.Ukai ignored the leveling and let out a leisurely voice. "Anyway, there's nothing I can do. In this way, the truth will sink to the bottom of the sea forever. Hey, Liuping, it's useless to continue to disturb them. It's really time to leave this time. Then, Mr. Oyamada, let's take our leave. Ah, yes By the way, Mr. Oyamada, I want to remind you one last thing... Regarding the reward for what I just said, please don't forget to contact me. I will wait. I believe in you. You must contact me. Absolutely. ..." The detective reminded him repeatedly, and the client who was squatting on the beach nodded repeatedly in response.