Chapter 3 ominous hotel

"Mr. Nishimura, call! It's from the police station." The female staff member Umezawa Yasuko raised the microphone to her eyebrows and called Nishimura Gong in a sharp voice. Nishimura got up from his chair, thinking: "Sure enough!" He had been looking forward to this call since yesterday.He checks his watch: 10:45.The timing was also predictable.He felt that he was getting excited, so he warned himself: "Don't be negligent! Acting skills are needed now." So, he turned around and sat down again, pursed his lips deliberately, and said in a mocking tone: "Not like, not like! It's still the same old way! Who can be fooled by this?"

All the staff in the design department of Nitto Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. laughed loudly at Nishimura's words.Only Umezawa Yasuko, who was ridiculed, blushed with shame, looking pitiful. Today is April 1st.In this office, people have been tricking each other early in the morning, and the April Fool's game has been done several times.Therefore, Umezawa Yasuko just said "the phone number from the police station", except for herself and Nishimura, no one believed it. "Oh, it's not a lie! It's true! The other party said that the matter is so important that you have to find Mr. Nishimura!" Umezawa Yasuko saw that the laughter seemed to be endless, and he couldn't help screaming hysterically.

Someone said: "Hahaha! Just give up your heart!" Nishimura thought to himself: "You might as well answer the phone." He got up and smiled at Umezawa Yasuko and said, "Okay, I'll help you out, willing to be fooled, how about it?" He walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello, I'm Nishimura..." "Mr. Nishimura Gong, right? I'm Urata Police Station. I don't have time to exchange pleasantries. Is your wife's name Kayoko?" "No, it's Kayuko. This name is rare, and people often get it wrong..." "Oh, it's Kayuko! I probably misheard on the phone. What are the words?"

Nishimura explained the word "Kayuko". "So... Madam, did you go to Atami last night?" "Yes, I went to Atami. What happened to her?" Nishimura asked knowingly.He knows what the answer is.He purposely speaks loudly so his colleagues can hear him.However, it may not be necessary at all.Colleagues have been listening curiously to the call from the police station on April Fool's Day. "Well—ma'am, passed away this morning." As expected!Nishimura smiled secretly.He was satisfied that everything was going according to plan.However, although he was happy in his heart, he roared angrily:

"Hey, hey! I don't know who you are, but you have to have some common sense, know what can be joked about and what can't! Even if it's April Fool's Day, you can't lie to people about dead people! How wicked!" Anger is acting too.For the worst case scenario, if the police suspect him because of Kayuko's death, the colleagues who were present at the moment will testify for him: "He listened to the phone, but he didn't believe it at first!" This is Nishimura's clever plan. "Oh, this is not a joke! What a coincidence. It's true! Just now Atami Police Station called, saying that my wife has passed away, and I want you to go there right away."

"Huh? What did you say? I didn't drink, but please say it again!" The opposing police officer was probably already sweating.It seems that while he was talking, he was thinking about how to convince Nishimura. "I mean, although Atami's phone call is not very clear, but the wife has indeed passed away. Also, her body is in Shiomizhuang Hotel, please go and claim it. That's the thing. Do you hear me clearly? ? It's Shiomiso!" The voice stopped here.It seems that the police have done their duty and are ready to hang up the phone. "Ah, wait!" Nishimura hurriedly called out to the other party.It's not acting.If the police took measures to record this call (but the Japanese police do not seem to be as clever), then the following words may give the police the impression that Nishimura is "innocent". "Hey, my wife passed away. What happened? Until yesterday, everything was normal for her..."

"This is a preliminary report, and the specific situation is still unclear. It seems to be a sudden death..." "Sudden death? Did you jump into the sea?" "Oh, I'll let you know when I have a detailed report." The phone is disconnected.Nishimura still held the microphone to his ear, dumbfounded.He wanted to be seen in a state of collapse when he heard of his wife's tragic death.Yet his mind was working faster than ever before, and his thoughts were exceptionally clear.He stood blankly, thinking in his heart: "So far, there are no loopholes, right?" His answer is: Everything is going well, there are no loopholes.

"What happened?" Umezawa Yasuko came over and asked with concern.Nishimura pretended to wake up when he heard the sound.He looked around and saw that he was the target of all eyes. "It is said that my wife died in Atami and asked me to pick up the body..." He cut off the conversation at this point, turned to the section chief and said, "So, please let me leave early today." Perhaps out of politeness, the section chief quickly got up and answered: "Ah, let's go! But, it's too sudden! Why did Madam go to Atami?" "Oh, the school reunion in the girls' school days. There are so many people on Saturday and Sunday, so I chose it on a weekday..." This is all true.Kayuko had been looking forward to this trip to Atami with joy since a week ago.Thinking of this, Nishimura felt a little sentimental, which is incredible.

As Nishimura was preparing to go home, a colleague said: "Ah, wait a minute. Ask again to see if it's true." As he spoke, he called the Putian police station.He asked the other party, did the police station hang up the call to Ridong Motor Company three minutes ago?The answer is naturally "hang up". Colleagues watched Nishimura leave the company with sympathy. Nishimura went out and walked about 50 meters, looked around; convinced that no one was following or watching, he walked into a public telephone booth.After dialing the number, he asked the female pharmacist Oe Yasuko of Sanada Pharmacy to answer the phone.

Oe House is Kayuko's cousin.Last spring, she passed the national pharmacist examination and worked in Sanada Pharmacy.Before that, when she was studying at the University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, she boarded at Nishimura's home.She is 6 years younger than Kayuko, good at dressing up, and full of sensuality. She called Kayuko her "cousin" and Nishimura her "cousin".However, one night one month before graduation, she changed the name of Xicun to "Gong".After graduation, she moved out of the Nishimura home and now lives alone in an apartment. "The house? Something serious happened. Kayuko is dead!" Nishimura hurriedly said as soon as the house picked up the receiver.

"Ah! You mean cousin?" There was a hoarse voice from the house on the phone.It seemed she was taken aback. "Ah? You mean cousin?" As soon as the house said, he remembered that today is April 1st. "No, no, no, I won't be fooled! But, you are really old and cunning!" She said, giggling into the microphone. However, she was laughing at Nishimura's naivety.She thought: "Speak out the lies of his usual wishes on April Fool's Day, which shows that he is too naive." The house is in full swing again.She thought: From this sentence, it can be seen that Nishimura usually wished for his wife to die.She also knew that Nishimura had such a conscience-stricken mentality for her sake, and she herself hoped that Kayuko would die as soon as possible. Nishimura is the first man of the house.Until now, the house still has no regrets about falling in love with this man.Because of this love, she feels that her lonely life is quite meaningful.However, this sense of fullness occasionally left her, making her feel unbearably lonely.Nishimura never stayed overnight when he led the house to the hotel, and he had to rush home.This is because she is afraid of Kayuko.When Xi Cun bid farewell to the house, he agreed on a time to meet again, said "see you next time", and left in a hurry.The house always bit his lips and watched his back, thinking: "I'm afraid his two arms are going to hug Kayuko again." As a result, she felt a tingling pain in her arms. Therefore, she herself is looking forward to the death of Kayuko.More precisely, she has murderous intentions towards Kayuko. The house still remembers the day when the killing intent sprouted in his heart.One day, Nishimura went to the Sanada Pharmacy to buy contraceptives.Before that, Nishimura always went to the pharmacy of the house to buy the cosmetics used by Kayuko.Since he is a relative of the house, the owner of the pharmacy treated him very favorably and agreed to sell it to him at a discounted price.In order to save a few pennies, Nishimura even went to the mistress's shop to buy things for his wife. Although the house was surprised by his stupidity, it was strange that she was not angry about it. "He bought the cosmetics back, my cousin is naturally happy. But her husband came here to meet me!" Perhaps the reason why the house is so condescending is its condescending contempt for Kayuko. However, as for the purchase of contraceptives, the house couldn't let it go so calmly and easily.She also thought that maybe Nishimura came to her pharmacy to buy such things on purpose to stir up a fire in her heart, and she thought she had received the highest upbringing of women, so she was unwilling to be driven by feelings like jealousy .However, she cannot control her emotions. "He took that kind of pill..." The house remembered the scene where Nishimura gave her that kind of pill when they had a hasty tryst in the hotel, and then imagined that Nishimura gave Kayuko the same pill in the same way.She seemed to smell the smell of Nishimura's body, and heard his fierce panting."It's not for me, it's for that Kayuko!" she thought, and the house was furious.And she couldn't openly protest against it.Kayuko is the wife of the Ming media... Nishimura and Kayuko are husband and wife, why should the house accuse him of holding his wife in his arms? "It seems that we have to make up our minds!" House thought, "We must stop Kayuko from continuing to be Nishimura's wife." However, it is impossible for Nishimura to divorce, even if it is wishful thinking.First, Nishimura was unable to pay the divorce alimony.The house where they live in Meguro is also property under the name of Jia Yuzi.The reason why he married Kayuko was because he took a fancy to her real estate and dowry.From this point of view, unless Kayuko is killed, the heart of the house cannot find peace... As a result, the house has murderous intentions, carefully planned, and has put the plan into practice... "Hey, I didn't lie to you!" Nishimura replied impatiently, "I thought it was a lie at first, but it seems that he is really dead!" "Hmph! April Fool's Day is a lie. I saw through it. I still don't admit it. I'm not happy at all!" The house said so, but it was pleasantly surprised: "So, that plan succeeded?" "I swear, okay? I'm not lying! She went to Atami to attend the class reunion yesterday, but they said she was dead." Nishimura's tone was serious, and it definitely didn't sound like a lie. "Really?" The house swallowed.She tried her best to calm down her tumbling heart.Even for Nishimura, she was unwilling to reveal her inner ecstasy. "What disease is it?" "It's not clear yet, the police said it was a violent death." "Sure enough!" thought the house, "There is no doubt about it. Kayuko fell victim to that plan." "Gon, what are you going to do?" "Well, let's talk about getting the body back. What about you?" "Of course I'll go with you." However, the house does not want to see the remains, but has another purpose.She thought: "Surely the police haven't found that thing yet?" She wanted to finish the last trick without anyone noticing. The two agreed to meet at the station hotel restaurant at the central entrance of Tokyo Station 40 minutes later, and then cut off the phone. After putting down the microphone, the house sat down on the wooden chair beside her.Then she took a medicated vitamin gummies from the glass case and popped it into her mouth.She doesn't smoke and always chews gum when she's thinking. However, she couldn't think calmly.She clearly knew that the topic she should think about was Kayuko's death and future countermeasures, but there seemed to be a slight abnormality in a part of her central nervous system.When she was a student, she experimented with stimulants to stay up all night, and she felt much the same way she did now.This state of mind can be explained by a lack of realism. "My cousin is dead." The house thought, "Yes, I killed it! I killed it at a distance." However, she immediately asked herself: "Is this true? Is it credible? It can't be a trap, can it?" She felt no guilt at all about killing someone.Man is mortal.Kayuko is not dead now, and in another thirty or forty years, she will inevitably die.Die now, but a little earlier.What's more, Kayuko was convinced that her husband loved her when she was dying.The so-called happiness is a subjective consciousness.That being the case, Kayuko's life can be said to be happy... "But, is she really dead?" The house still couldn't get rid of this idea.If she really died, she chose a satisfactory place to leave the world.She died in Atami, so naturally she had nothing to do with the house, and even Nishimura was free of suspicion. The house spits out the gummies, wraps them in foil, and throws them in the wastebasket. "It's useless to think about it, let's go to Atami and have a look." The house stood up. Nishimura arrived at the agreed place one step ahead of the house.But as soon as the waitress brought the coffee that Nishimura wanted, the house opened the glass door of the dining room and walked in. House wears a sky blue tunic that reveals a black suit.Tall and striking, she made a rhythmic tuk-tuk as she walked in high heels.Even the waitress, who was accustomed to the young beauties among the customers, couldn't help turning her head to look a few times.Nishimura thought: "Every time I see her, she becomes more beautiful." His heart was filled with a sense of satisfaction.It feels sky blue, which is the color of the house. "This beauty is finally my wife!" After this, his expression suddenly brightened, not like a man who is about to claim his wife's body! "Wait a minute?" asked the house.As soon as the words came out, she realized that the tone was the same as when the two had a tryst in the past, so she quickly closed her lips.After a while she said again: "This time, it's really sad..." "Alas!" Nishimura also hastily sighed.Seeing his frowning, the house thought to himself: "After all, he loves his wife, right?" Sure enough, she was useless. After the house sat down, facing Nishimura, he felt that it was better not to explain the matter to him. "Just now I hung up the call to the police again. It is said that Kayuko committed suicide." Along the way, the house has done expression exercises repeatedly.At this moment her eyes were wide open, and she seemed extremely surprised. "Oh? How did you commit suicide? Jump into the sea?" "No no. It seems to be potassium cyanate." Nishimura said quickly and anxiously, then lowered his eyes, and tapped the cigarette case of "Peace Dove" with his fingers. "Really! But why did she want to commit suicide? Could it be that she found out about our affairs?" The house heard that the police judged it as a suicide, and knowing that the matter was developing along the track she laid, she felt more at ease and spoke fluently. "I don't think..." "If it's for that, I can't stand it! What am I supposed to do?" "What should I do? But Kayuko is definitely not that kind of woman. If she finds out about us, she won't commit suicide! If she wants to commit suicide, she will make a hysterical riot beforehand, so I can't step down!" "That's right..." The house echoed, looking for something to say, "But isn't there any sign of this at all?" "Ah, she thought I couldn't do such a thing at all!" Nishimura said, closing his eyes.Seeing his expression, the house thought to himself: "It seems that he has some kind of affection for his cousin after all!" Nishimura closed his eyes and was using his brain.He thought: Jia Yuzi became a victim of his murderous plan, and this matter had to be concealed from the house. On the way to the restaurant, he thought that if he had the right opportunity, he would raise the matter with the house and ask the house to work together to cover up the crime.The act of killing Kayuko itself proves his love for the house, so the house will definitely blame him for being too cruel.However, judging from the conversation just now, the house does not seem to be happy about Kayuko's death.She even said that if Kayuko committed suicide because she was aware of the relationship between the two, she would "can't stand it".At that time, the expression of the house seemed to be aware of its guilt and felt guilty.Even if Kayuko really committed suicide, and the house is so ashamed, if she knew that Kayuko was actually killed by Nishimura, she would be so frightened that she would go crazy, right?Nishimura thought: "This road won't work." The house's attitude inevitably aroused suspicion for him.And when the police suspected him as a murderer, the house might refuse to marry him.Not only did she refuse to marry him, she might not allow him to get close at all.In this way, the matter of killing Kayuko itself is meaningless.He told himself again: "Let's keep the secret in our hearts." Seeing that Nishimura always did not open his eyes, the house felt uneasy.She made such a plan so carefully, and carried it out so boldly, it seemed that she was just a sentimental act and could not please Nishimura. Nishimura used to have this habit of suddenly falling into thought during conversations. "What are you thinking?" When asked by the house, Nishimura quickly replied: "Huh? Oh, thinking about work problems." The house doesn't believe it.She thought, perhaps Nishimura was grieving for his wife and haunted by guilt.Yet the house didn't blame him.At such a time, being neglected and feeling the desolation of being alone may be an inevitable punishment for women who fall in love with married men. However, the house secretly expects that after Kayuko's death, Nishimura will change this habit. "But he hasn't changed..." The house felt that this stalemate was very unpleasant, so he stretched his hand across the dining table and patted the back of Nishimura's hand lightly. "Hey, should we go?" "Ah, it's time to go!" The two got up and left the restaurant. Nishimura Gong decided to kill his wife one night two weeks ago. That morning, after breakfast, Nishimura was reading the morning paper, when Kayuko said to him: "Hey, the house is not coming recently, what's going on?" In front of Kayuko, Nishimura was reluctant to talk about the house. "It's not surprising. The house is so beautiful, there are so many boyfriends, and the dates are too busy." "Really? But I'm worried about her! This girl is very proud..." "pride?" "Yes. She said once that 'bachelors are as ignorant as children, so it's not interesting.' If she has any jokes with married men, she'll be in trouble!" When Nishimura heard that the house said such things to his wife, his love for the house spontaneously arose.Once a woman falls in love, she always wants to find someone to talk about.It's like making a new dress and wanting to show it to your friends. "I'm in love now" means that this woman is attractive now.House naturally wants to talk about her love life to others, but she can't say it.Her love affair has no place in society. The feeling of "unspeakable" loneliness may have forced the house into a very lonely situation.Maybe she was really miserable, so she expressed her thoughts to Kayuko in an abstract way.Nishimura is sentimental about this psychology of the house. "However, maybe it's true. In her situation, young men are afraid that they will be unreliable?" "If this is the case, it will be troublesome. Hey, if a man has a wife, will he still love other women?" "Well, it's possible." "You could too?" "Heh, I'm a man too!" "Oh, dirty! If you do such a thing, I can't forgive you!" "You can't spare me? What will you do with me?" He pretended to smile and made a strange face, thinking: "You might as well listen to what she has to say, and use it as a reference." "Kill that woman first, and I will commit suicide too!" Kayuko said, and added: "Otherwise, I will ask for one million yuan in alimony and divorce you!" Nishimura believes that Kayuko really dared to think and do these two answers.Kayuko does have a hysterical side.If it hits her menstrual period, she is likely to kill her husband's mistress in a fit of rage.Even if they don't kill them, there will be an uproar, and the extraordinary method of throwing acid on the face of the rival may be adopted.And judging by the depth of her obsession, it is entirely believed that she will demand more than the statutory amount of alimony in the divorce proceedings.After the divorce, they will continue to entangle, making Nishimura never have peace.Nishimura believes that this is beyond doubt. However, just this is not enough to make Nishimura want to kill his wife.As long as, as always, there is a chance to have a tryst with the house without telling his wife, that's all.Unexpectedly, Jiayuzi said something again: "Anyway, you have to be careful! The lady next door said that just recently, she saw a girl who looked like a house coming out of a hot spring bath in Shibuya." "Oh? Then she also saw the male companion in the house?" "Yeah, it looks like you!" "Hmph, nonsense!" Nishimura prevaricated like this. However, thinking about it later, I think Kayuko may be aware of the relationship between the two.Nishimura had never used the hotel and house in Shibuya for a tryst, so the fact that the wife next door had seen a man and woman who looked like them was probably fabricated by Kayuko. "But why did she make up such a lie to ask me?" The answer was obvious: it was trying to get a secret out.She wanted to test her with words to see how her husband would react. "I thought I did it very secretly...Maybe it was an inadvertent omission..." Knowing that his wife had noticed something, Nishimura was very disturbed.What's more, he already had a preconceived opinion, thinking that after Jiayuzi fully grasped the details, any means would be used.Jiayuko who quarreled with the house; her face was corroded by acid, and her face was covered with bandages, leaving only the eyes of the house.These scenes overlap alternately and are reflected on the screen of his consciousness.The complicated and busy scene during the divorce judgment also flashed in his mind. "Since Jiayuko has noticed, there are only two ways to go!" Nishimura believes that he either breaks up with the house, or puts Jiayuko to death, there is no other way. However, Nishimura is unwilling to break up with the house... The house hatches a plan to kill Kayuko, half in a dream state at first.She conceived various plans.Just thinking about these plans gave her a deep sense of satisfaction.This is because she has already conceived a happy ending in her mind: after all the plans are successful, Xi Cun, who is free, will propose to her.But at this stage, it can be said that it is just a game. Gradually, however, this kind of game took up most of her daily time.Whether she was reading scholarly texts in the formula room of the pharmacy or knitting to the fire in her apartment, her mind was always drawn to this kind of play. One day, she suddenly had a thought, so she opened her notebook and wrote down the plan. The house first determined: this plan can neither make herself suspected, nor can it make Nishimura suspect, which is a necessary condition.If the outcome is that either of the two of them is arrested and served a sentence, killing Kayuko is meaningless. This gets tricky.If the murder weapon is used, either the house visits Kayuko, or the house invites Kayuko, and the two must be one of them.But on both occasions it is likely to be witnessed.If poison is used, due to professional relations, there are ready-made drugs on hand, but how to make the other party take the medicine is a difficult problem to deal with.If poison is mixed with food, it is still necessary to go to Kayuko's house.There is danger here.Another way is to put the medicine in the candy and give it as a gift, but this may kill Nishimura by mistake.Realistically thinking about it, I just realized that it is so difficult to kill a person, which surprised the house. The house is desperate for devising its own original method of killing.So she recalled the murder schemes described in the detective novels she had read in the past, and tried to use them appropriately.But that didn't work either.The first is that pistols are hard to come by, and locked-room murders don't work in Japanese-style houses. "Is there no way to do it?" She thought she hadn't thought of an idea, so she continued to explore. In the meantime, she suddenly remembered a lecture she had heard in the "Applied Chemistry" class in college.The lecturer was Professor K, who told a story during the lecture.The professor took it as casual chat, so there is no need to record it.But the house was deeply interested in it and took notes anyway. She took out the notebook from the drawer and flipped through it. Considering that toothpaste can be swallowed by fire, it should not contain harmful substances.This is because people will inevitably swallow the ingredients of toothpaste with saliva, but the amount is very small. Below these lines was written a subheading: "The Murder of Gita Klitescu." The content of this case is as follows. In 1933, in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the beautiful actress Gita Kritescu died tragically.According to the results of the autopsy, the police concluded that it was suicide.His father suggested that since his daughter committed suicide without reason, it must be homicide.However, the police refused to accept the case due to lack of evidence.There is no clue that anyone had a motive for killing Geeta. However, his father still did not give up. He accused the factory technician Libby Chiu Lie of being the murderer.According to the investigation, Libby did have the motive to kill Geeta.Geeta had been his mistress for five years, but had recently broken off relations with him.Moreover, she was scheduled to marry diplomat Hot Kuza in the near future.So Libby probably killed Geeta out of jealousy. However, the police investigated Libieu's whereabouts and found that he had traveled a week before Gita's death, and he was not in Bucharest when Gita died.Since he was clearly not there, he could not be arrested.A search of his home was conducted, but nothing was found.So it's still suicidal.But an enthusiastic policeman, hearing that Libby's brother, Alexander Chiullier, was a doctor, went to pay him a visit.When he was talking to Alexander, he found a syringe hidden between two books. He became alert and asked Alexander directly why he left the syringe there.Alexander panicked, and immediately confessed: "A month ago, my brother took this syringe away. Later, I learned that my brother was suspected of being suspected of the death of his mistress Gita Gilitescu. I was very worried, so I went to my brother's house to get it. Return the syringe." The police immediately handed over the syringe for testing, but the cyanide that killed Gita was not found.But it was true that Libby had borrowed the syringe, and that was a month ago.As a result, the police conducted a more detailed search of the victim Gita's residence and found a tube of toothpaste.They squeezed a little toothpaste out of the tube and tested it, and found a lot of cyanide mixed in the toothpaste.Squeeze out a little more testing, but it's pure stuff.This shows that the murderer Libby had unscrewed the cap of the toothpaste tube, inserted the injection needle into the tube, injected the poison, and then traveled, creating the false appearance that he had nothing to do with the crime. The house mulled over the murder of Gita Kritescu.It's an excellent way to kill the victim at a distance.This is different from administering potassium cyanate directly to the deceased.Because the victim did not fall to the ground while brushing his teeth, the police did not think that the death was related to toothpaste.I am afraid that the cause of death will not be suspected until the autopsy finds that cyanide has infiltrated the gums?So just go to Kayuko's house and replace the toothbrush and toothpaste before the police find out the cause of death.As for the disposal of syringes and medicines, due to professional relations, it is very simple. So there's only one problem.She had to promise that Nishimura would never use that toothpaste.If we can figure out a way to make Nishimura not use that toothpaste and let Kayuko use it alone, then the problem will be solved... It is not difficult to come up with this method. First you have to be ready to act. When the house met Nishimura, after the kiss, he said: "Gon, your mouth stinks!" "Oh?" Nishimura wiped his mouth with his hands, showing an expression of unhappiness. "I'm sorry. It smells like smoke. What brand of toothpaste do you use?" Nishimura said the brand name of the toothpaste. "Ah, no wonder! Next time I'll bring you the best toothpaste. It's for smokers. It contains a drug that breaks down nicotine. Brush your teeth with it, and the yellow color will fade away." After that rendezvous, when Nishimura showed up at the Sanada Pharmacy, the house handed him a bottle of smokers' toothpaste and a new one for women. "Remember, this is yours, and that one is for my cousin. It is a new product, very popular, and contains delicious spices." Of course, the toothpaste for women has already been injected with poison through the nozzle of the syringe. Before the poison was injected, the house was tested.She injected food red into another toothpaste, and learned through experiments how deep the injection should be to squeeze out the poison after a week.On this basis, she executes the plan. This is what happened six days ago.So if Kayuko started using that tube of women's toothpaste as soon as she got her hands on it, her time of death has indeed come by now. On the other hand, Nishimura Gong also carefully considered the plan to murder Kayuko. First, he considers what means should be used. The first thing that comes to mind is physical means.Strangled, strangled, stabbed with a sharp weapon, or pushed his wife off a height... However, his knowledge of forensic science was zero.He believes that the police will obviously judge homicide by using such methods, and he is likely to leave certain traces.For example, if the neck is strangled with both hands, there will be scratches on the victim's neck, so who can know the height and strength of the murderer based on this, such examples have been heard.In this case, I am afraid that any method of killing is inevitable, right?Assassinated with a sharp weapon, the bloodstains are difficult to deal with; pushed down from a high place, it doesn't matter if you die immediately, but as long as you linger for a while before dying from the injury, it may be known to a third party. In this way, Nishimura's plan was a difficult fetus. However, at this time, Kayuko told Nishimura that she would like to attend the girls' school reunion in Atami on the evening of March 31.Nishimura naturally agreed.It was rare for Kayuko to go out. "When that day comes, I want to have a good time with the house!" "Ah, of course I want to go! If you don't get rest all the time, you will age prematurely!" Just as Nishimura said this to Kayuko, he suddenly thought of an idea. "Can you take advantage of this opportunity?" If you can manage to make Kayuko die in Atami, who would doubt Nishimura Gong in Tokyo?The question is, how can one be killed at any time and at any place? For the next two days, he explored this issue in depth.It turns out that the only way is to kill people by poisoning.Moreover, it would be ideal if the police authorities could judge it as a suicide.So he carefully analyzed the various situations. First, the police will question him about the cause of the suicide (if the wife can leave a suicide note, it will be perfect, but it is hopeless). How did he answer?He should say: "If you want to talk about the reason, in retrospect, she has been always restless recently, that is, neurasthenia?" "Oh, that's right! But, what is the cause of the neurasthenia? For example, is it because the husband's love has turned to someone else..." "Impossible! I am of good character and pure white!" "But there must be a reason. . . . You don't know anything?" "That's true!" Nishimura pretended to think for a moment, and then said: "There is a possibility, but I can't be sure. She wants to have a child very much recently, but this kind of thing..." "Are there any children?" "None. I wanted it before, but now I'm dead. Maybe one of our husband and wife is flawed." In fact, the couple has been using contraceptive measures for six years after marriage.Nishimura believes that it takes a lot of energy to have children, and it is better to use that energy to build a prosperous family.Kayuko also agrees with this idea.Whether she supported it out of her heart, or simply to obey Xi Cun, it's hard to say... However, no one knows the inside story.In the eyes of the police, don't the Nishimura couple look like a pair of "sad couples who can't ask for a child"?The policeman will say: "Really? What a pity! That's probably what happened..." In this way, the authorities will sympathize. The police will reason like this: Kayuko wants to have children wholeheartedly, and her desire may be quite strong.After sending my husband out every morning, I was thinking about this matter all day long.Day after day, empty and lonely.In order to relieve her melancholy, she went to Atami full of hope, thinking that attending the class reunion would make her feel young and lively again.Things backfired.Most of the old classmates who attended the party had children, and one of them had a child who just entered elementary school in April, which in turn stimulated Kayuko's desire for children even more.The sense of loneliness and emptiness that I could not have children suddenly became very strong.So, Kayuko committed suicide by taking poison. "But why did she bring poison with her when she came to Atami?" Nishimura deliberately asked this question to cover himself. "A man who suffers from neurasthenia, who is constantly thinking of death, always carries poison with him." "Really? If only I found out sooner..." And so, it was all over.Journalists, too, believe the police and write reports like this: "Mrs. Kayuko suffered from childlessness, resulting in neurasthenia, and died of drinking poison during the attack." Nishimura thought: "It seems that this will work." So he followed this path to implement the plan. On the morning of March 31, when Nishimura was leaving the house, he handed Kayuko two chocolate candies.One of them was wrapped in gold paper, and the other was wrapped in silver paper. “这药能治两日醉呢。明天早晨吃下去就行了。” “两日醉！”佳由子笑了，“放心吧！我可不像你，不会狂喝滥饮的。” “哎呀，就算喝得不多，总有一部分酒精留在体内嘛。据说这是最有害的。尤其是妇女，它会分解女性荷尔蒙，导致皮肤粗糙…，”西村说得活灵活现。他想：“无论如何得叫她明天早晨把这颗巧克力吃下去！”这“导致皮肤粗糙”的说法一语惊人，打中了要害。 佳由子立刻认真地问道： “是吗？要把两颗一起吃掉，对不对？” “啊，先吃包金纸的，过三分钟再吃包银纸的，这就行了。稍有点苦味，所以掺了巧克力。” “知道了，先吃金纸的。”佳由子站起身，把两颗巧克力糖丸放进手提包。西村认为这就等于已经成功了。他在下工厂时，往金纸巧克力丸里掺了工业用氰酸钾。 吃下那颗巧克力，佳由子过不了三分钟就会一命呜呼。所以，她枕边会留下一颗银纸包的巧克力糖丸。警方会立即对剩下的这颗巧克力进行化验。结果找不出任何异常成分，这是理所当然的，因为西村没给银纸巧克力掺任何东西……也许会有一个聪明的员警提出一种假设说：“佳由于服毒以后，由于味觉难受，想吃下这颗巧克力调解苦味，可是来不及吃下去就死了。” 西村想到：“巧克力丸是没法查出来源的。”这两颗巧克力，是从银座一家糖果店里买来的，西村去买的时候，正是店里顾客最拥挤的当口。 西村最后对佳由子说道： “啊，对了！我忘了嘱咐你：这药要在喝酒以后过了一段时间才能吃，否则没有效力。” 这是西村的预防之策，以免佳由子在宴席上当场吃下那颗巧克力。 这一来，计画就毫无漏洞了。 湘南电车比较宽敞，大约因为这一天不是节假日。西村和房子在窗边的席位上相对而坐。邻席上空无一人。 “你还记得咱们上大阪时的情景吗？”房子主动拉开话题。大约半年前，西村曾去大阪出差。当时房子从横滨乘上同一列火车，两人一道旅行。房子心想：“那时我只要和他在一起就觉得满足了，根本没想到要杀死表姐，夺取她的丈夫。” “嗯，还记得。那时你兴高采烈。那身白衣对你太合适了！” “那现在呢？现在不美了？” “我没这么说……”西村闪烁其词。 房子又想；“他终究还是惦着死去的表姐吧？” 西村觉得，房子上车以后，与他们先前会合时表现得有所不同。尤其是提起他们过去一道旅行的往事时，她的兴致稍有提高。这件事在某种程度上改善了西村的心境。他想：“如果她还像刚才那样沉溺在犯罪意识里，连今后的设计也没法跟她商量。” 不过，他自己有几分心事，倒也是实在的。在尽情享受同房子一道旅行的乐趣之前，他必须先把自己的思绪整理清楚。 到达热海之后，刑警们少不得对他盘问一通。应付的办法，早就预想好了，而且经过了反复练习。不过，他仍然放心不下。他打算把能够设想到的一切提问统统拿来审问自己，从而备下一套无懈可击的回答。他想：“就像参加中学人学考试以前那样作好准备。”当时，父母亲按照入学试题集向他提问，反复进行口头问答的练习…… “哎，你怎么啦？是呀，我很理解你为表姐去世而悲痛的心情……”房子又抽了抽鼻子。 “哎呀，说不上悲痛嘛。说实话，倒是松了一口气。”西村慌忙答道。不过，他算定了这样回答准能讨好房子。 “真的吗？”房子说着，把头缩到西村面孔的下方，窥探他的神色。她万没想到，西村竟会公然说他“松了一口气”，所以房子一时不知说什么才好。 “当然是真的！咱们不必提心吊胆了嘛！”西村说罢，点燃了香烟。房子悄悄地望望四周。她想：“要是有谁听见了，怎么得了！”然而，看来没有任何人对他们表示关心。 “这真叫我高兴哪！”房子轻声表白。西村最爱听房子说“真叫我高兴哪”这句话，所以房子也就常常有意这么说。接着，她耸耸肩膀，又悄声说道： “表姐呀！你一定在天国对我们发火吧？” 西村见房子耸肩动臂，心想：“怎么？房子又显出本来面目了！不过，要是她在警官面前表现这种态度，会露马脚的！” “哎，房子！”他轻声呼唤。 "what?" “咱俩一起跑去，员警会不会生疑呀？” “不会呀！我是表姐的表妹，有血缘关系嘛！” “是吗？可我总不放心。佳由子死了，我觉得痛快，可千万别流露在脸上！” “就算流露在脸上，又有什么关系呢？哪一条法律规定了亲人死后必须悲痛？” 西村想：“这倒也是！他认为，要求房子谨慎从事，未免不合情理。房子以为佳由子真是自杀而死的。一方是杀人凶手，另一方却与罪案毫无干系。先前他和房子不能畅快地交谈，原因恐怕就在这里。 “这人究竟是怎么回事呢？”房子有些担心地想到。“佳由子死了，我感到痛快，可千万别流露在脸上！”这话的真正含意是什么呢？房子觉得需要谨慎从事的应该是她自己。她的担心是有理由的。“这是因为我就是凶手！”可是西村居然也为此操心，这就非常费解了。房子嘴里衔着香烟，怀着诧异的心情，看着无精打采地眺望窗外景色的西村。 西村心里惴惴不安，只因为房子的气色过于开朗。他担心两人今后的关系会招致员警的怀疑。他觉得，还是适度地透露真相为妙。他应该暗示曾往巧克力糖丸里投毒一事，这样房子才会配合他假装哀痛。想到这里，西村说道： “哎，房子，其实呀……” "Ok?" “啊，没什么！”西村欲言又止，突然改变了主意：还是不说为好，他噤口不言了。他想起了先前在餐厅里与房子会合时的情形。如果说出了真相，房子固然会在警官面前为他作一番精彩的表演。可是事情完结以后，她一定会和西村分道扬镳，这岂不断送了西村的一番苦心！ 房子也在默默地沉思。她自以为明白了西村想说什么。她推测那句话的后半截应该是这样：“其实呀，我知道佳由子是你杀害的！”不过，他无疑是不愿伤害房子的感情，于是截住了话头。房子确信就是这么回事。正因为西村察觉了她的罪行，所以刚才还担心她会把秘密暴露给外人。若非如此，西村的担忧就毫无理由可寻了…… 房子咬住嘴唇，心想：“怎么办才好呢？” 走进潮见庄旅馆，西村便向老板说明来意。这位老板身穿皮上衣，约莫50岁。他毫不掩饰自己的不快，也不答话，领着这对男女走进一个挂着“丝柏房”木牌的房间。 房间里已经坐着两个男人和一个年近30岁的瘦条型女人。在他们旁边的地铺上，躺着一个脸上盖着白布的人体。那三个人见西村和房子走进房间，其中一个系深蓝色领带的男子说： “啊，是西村贡先生吧？我是热海署的泷口警部。远道赶来，辛苦了！可是刚到就得麻烦你，请辨认遗体吧。”他说着，一把掀开白布。 这无疑是佳由子，而且分明已经死了。不过，据书本上说，氰酸钾中毒的典型症状是皮肤呈青紫色，这在佳由子身上却看不出来。 “可她肯定是死了。”西村想到。这一瞬间，他觉得心里某一部分极度紧张，其余部分却反而松弛下来。这是一种奇怪的感觉。 “是内人。”他简短地说道。 “果然如此！那么得马上解剖遗体了。我们认为是氰酸钾中毒，不过还得履行手续……”泷口警部说到这里，用目光对另外那个男人示意。 那个男人和潮见庄的老板不慌不忙地给佳由子脸都盖上白布，弯身去抬遗体。 “表姐！” 这时候，房子发出一声尖叫，很似凄厉的哀号。她扑到地铺上，一把抱住佳由子。 西村着慌了。他惟恐房子一时感情冲动，无意中暴露了他们之间的关系。“表姐呀，原谅我吧！我和表哥……”如果她张口说出这样的话，显然会引起员警怀疑。于是，他赶紧走上去，摇着房子那丰腴的肩胛劝慰道： “房子呀，你得冷静些！” 房子用手绢捂住眼睛，嘤嘤哭泣，站了起来。西村认为有必要为房子的感情冲动做出解释，便说道： “这是内人的表妹，以前住在我们家，去年春天才搬走。和内人就像亲姐妹一样。” “哦哦。”泷口警部嘴里应着，实际上却好像漠不关心，也许是习惯了这种场面的缘故吧。西村想到：“热海一带的警官都给温泉泡得昏头昏脑了吧？” 警部说话了：“虽然不是时候，可我还想提几个问题……” “哦，这就来了！”西村想着，故意摆出正襟危坐的架式。 “啊，请问吧。” 警部拿出笔记本。这时候，仍然用手绢捂着两眼的房子说： “嗯——我想整整容再来。” “啊，请便，请便。出门左拐就是洗脸间。”警部详为指点。房子起身出去了。 房子到了走廊上，在手帕掩盖下伸伸舌头，心想：“这警官对女人倒挺殷勤。”接着她按照指点快步走去。 刚才走进“丝柏房”时，她首先查看佳由子枕边有没有牙膏和漱洗用具之类的东西。如果毒药过早发作，佳由子就来不及收拾这些东西，所以洗漱用具就会留在她身边，而员警不久也会注意到其中的奥妙。在这种场合，就必须钻个空子把那些东西藏起来。可是，她发现佳由子身边没有牙膏之类。于是她松了一口气。“肯定是讲究整洁的表姐忍着气闷的痛苦把它们收在手提包里面了。”那只手提皮包就搁在房间一隅，摆得稳稳当当。不过危险仍然存在。凭房子的经验，住旅馆的人常常把随身携带的物品忘在洗脸间里。特别是有人在等着你漱洗完毕的情况下，更容易忘记把手镜、肥皂和牙刷这些小件物品装回洗漱用具盒里。佳由子也可能疏忽大意的，万一她把牙膏忘在洗脸间了，结果不堪设想。“能不能想个办法去查看一下又不至于引起怀疑呢？” 于是她想出了扑到尸体上恸哭的主意。哭得泪流满面，要去洗洗，人家决不会疑心。她还知道，男人对于哭泣的女人总是宽大为怀的。所以，这是一箭双雕…… 洗脸间很好找。她迅速地环顾四周，见走廊上远近无人，便走了进去。然而洗脸间里根本没有牙膏或牙刷。 房子更加自信了。“这一来，十有八九可以放心了。”于是，她随便洗洗脸，便往“丝柏房”走回去。 西村摆好回答提问的架式，觉得眼前的场面和预想中的大相径庭，便有些不知所措了。 在他想像中，佳由子身边应该围着一大群女客。至少佳由子那几位密友，时常上西村家里走动的，无论如何应该在场。可是房间里只有一个女人，看似佳由子的老同学，但西村并不认识她。这个妇人在西村走进房间时，只是默默地行了个鞠躬礼，此后再也不望西村，老是沉静地注视着她自己的膝盖，身子几乎纹丝不动。看来她对佳由子的死深感悲痛。“想来佳由子生前不会与这个女人有什么深交，可是她……”西村对这个妇人在场特别挂心。 还有一件事使他忧心忡忡，那就是佳由子的遗体凭靠的枕头边并不见那一颗巧克力糖丸。在他的预想中，那里应该剩有一颗银纸包裹的巧克力，和一片从糖丸上剥落下来的金色包装纸。而且，他还想好了下面的一问一答： “夫人有躺在床上吃巧克力的习惯吗？” “嗯——好像没有……” 不过，死者枕边为什么不见巧克力糖丸呢？稍一思考，也就立刻明白了。他恍然大悟：“哦，一定是交给鉴定部门化验去了！”可想而知，尽管这里的员警在温泉里泡昏了头脑，他们毕竟不会忘记采取这样的基本措施。 除这几点以外，提问和回答都是按照他的预想进行的。 房子回到“丝柏房”，在离西村稍远处就坐。这种做法，也许难免给人以不自然的印象，但她很想看到西村回答警部提问时的表情，所以甘冒风险。 当时，西村正在诚惶诚恐地低声回答问题： “这倒使我想起来了。她急切地想生孩子，可是……” “有孩子吗？” “一个也没有。也许我们夫妻某一方是有缺陷的？如今我也死心了。” “什么？”房子想到，“岂有此理！”她知道西村买过避孕药。既然想生孩子，又何必买避孕药呢？ 她再次窥探西村的表情。西村说话时，眼光落在他正对面的警部的膝头上，但他或许感到了房子的视线，斜眼向她投去一瞥。那眼神竟是十分阴险，是房子在他眼睛里从未见过的。房子不由自主地回避那道目光，然后想到：“看来他正在挖空心思编造表姐自杀的动机。也许他以为表姐之所以寻死，是因为知道了我和他的关系。他担心警部疑心及此，便捏造另外一种动机。” 房子如此解释西村睁眼瞎说的原因。这一来，她被竭力掩盖两人私情的西村感动了，对那阴险的眼神并不在意。 “原来是这样！”警部说着，会上了笔记本，“说来未免失礼了：你们养不出小孩，原因恐怕在丈夫这一方。” “嗯？”西村不相信自己的耳朵。 “唉，夫人已经怀孕啦！你没发觉吗？” 房子大吃一惊，忙朝西村望去。就在这一瞬间，坐在他们身后倾听警部与西村之间问答的那个女人，发出一声短促的叫喊，当即起身离坐，朝门外跑去。 西村从警部这里得知，佳由子已有三个月身孕。这件事对他好似晴天霹雳。紧接着，一个念头一闪而过：“这莫不是警方的圈套？”然而警部并没有留心察看西村的表情。“难道真有其事？真是岂有此理！”他脑子里纷乱如麻，不知说什么才好。 自从他们结婚以来，西村一直用避孕药防止生育，从不曾失败。难道偏偏是这一次…… “啊，恕我没有早说。”对于西村的心慌意乱，警部似乎毫不顾虑。他说起了另一件事情：“刚才跑出去的女人，就是情夫的妻子……” 西村根本不懂这话的意思。“情夫……情夫……” "what?" “唉，和夫人一起服毒的就是那个女人的丈夫呀！” “哦？除了内人，还有人死了？” 西村嘴里发问，心里却在思忖：“有两个人分吃了那颗巧克力？差错究竟出在哪儿呢？” 房子的脑子里立刻浮现出一幅场景。 早晨。洗脸间里。佳由子洗漱完毕，正要回房。一个陌生男人走来，面带难色，自言自语： “这家旅馆怎么不备牙膏呢？”佳由子听见了这句话。 “先生，如果女用牙膏也行的话，请用我的吧。” 男人道谢之后，便用那支牙膏…… 想到这里，房子心里发慌了：“要是这样，那支牙膏会在哪儿呢？” “西村先生，这么说你并不知道？我们通知了浦田警署的，也许他们对你难以启齿吧。你夫人是与一个男人殉情自杀呀！” “可内人说是同学会……”西村没有把话说完。他想：“那是佳由子骗我吧？” “为了解释清楚，还是从头说起吧。”警部再次拿出记事本，边看边说。 据警部说，前天夜里，佳由子偕同一个男人住进了潮见庄。他们在留宿登记表上填写了如下内容：原岛研一（37岁），妻加代子（31岁），住东京都新宿区下落合二丁目。今天早晨，女招待叫他们起床，发现他们双双死在同一张床上。枕边有一张纸片，好像包过药剂。经检验，纸片上有氰酸钾。男方身上带有名片，女方所带的手提皮包内侧有名片，于是很快就查明了两人的真实身份。 “也就是说，从夫人的角度看来，她和丈夫长年在一起未杯小孩，而这一次却有了身孕，肯定会暴露她的外遇。她想瞒着丈夫堕胎，可是想不出妥善的办法。怀孕的迹象一天比一天更明显，她觉得走投无路了……” 警部以同情的语气结束了他的说明。 警部走后，西村和房子面面相觑，双方都是神色茫然。过了一阵，还是房子先开口： “万没想到表姐有了情夫！” "what!" “怎么？你吃醋了？” “怎么是吃醋呢……只是觉得很难相信。” “确实不可思议2不过这样一来，咱们就可以卸掉心上的负担了，对吧？她不是因为知道了咱俩的事而自杀的嘛……” “嗯…其实她用不着这么死心眼。向我坦白她有了情夫，我也不会生气……” “为什么？因为自己也有情妇？” 女招待走进房来，打断了他们的交谈。她来问两位客人是否在这里过夜。 “是啊，索性在这儿等到遗体火化以后再把骨灰带回去，今晚就在这儿留宿吧。房间得另换一间。还有——这是不用说的，两个铺位要分开。” 房子背着女招待伸了伸舌头。 “啊，对了！还有一件事。给贵店添了很多麻烦，待会儿请老板来一趟吧，我想向他道歉。” “是，我都照办。那就先请入浴吧。二位入浴时，我把行李搬到'桐木房'去。” 女招待走了。 “怎么样？来个家庭合浴吧？”西村说道。 “想得倒美！仍然有这份胆量？” “哈哈哈……那好，今天就委屈一下吧。” 两人嘻笑调情，说些不合天良时宜的鬼话。 从温泉里出浴以后，西村回到“桐木房”。这时房子尚未出浴。 已经死去的佳由子，仍然抱曳着西村的思绪，但那与房子公开同居的期待，更多地占据了西村的心。此刻房子大约还泡在温泉水里，西村的心多半牵挂在她的身上。他的渴望与时俱增。“现在的这对夫妻，与过去的那对夫妻迥然不同。”接着，西村起了一个青年人的念头。他和房子即将重新建立起新的关系，为了新起点上的第一次接吻，事先应该尽可能地消除口里的烟味。于是，他把佳由子的那只小提包打开，取出那套女用漱洗用具，离开房间去刷牙。 房子把房间环视一遍，发现毛巾架上挂着一条湿浴巾，便知道西村已经出浴了。他不在房间里，也许是上厕所去了吧。“乘此机会把那管牙膏处理掉吧。”房子把佳由子的小提包打开一看，方知里面没有洗漱用具。她想：牙膏很小，说不定藏在底下了。于是她伸手在包里探模。没有牙膏，倒是找到了两颗巧克力糖丸。她记得西村曾经嘴对嘴给她喂过巧克力。这回忆使她心里涌出一股蜜泉。“今天也要这么干！”她剥下金色的包装纸，用嘴衔住了巧克力糖丸。接着，她等着西村回房。 然而西村迟迟没有出现。她等得不耐烦了，便把糖丸吃了下去。“还有一颗呢，用它接吻就行了。” 大约10分钟后，，旅馆老板发现了两人的尸体。客店里怪事迭起，他只好自叹倒楣了。