Chapter 14 love death in downtown

After the man exited the ticket gate, he dumped his travel bag into his left hand and put his light yellow raincoat on his shoulders.It looked a bit pretentious, but he didn't realize it himself.For him, it was an extremely natural movement, and he had already developed this "pretentious" behavior unconsciously. As soon as he reached the station square, he paused. On the left is the taxi parking lot, where four taxis of the same color are parked for guests.Just like in Tokyo, there is no need to queue for a taxi here, as long as couples with children get on the bus first. He glanced there, then strode away.

After four o'clock in the afternoon, the sky darkened.It's been gloomy all day today, and it seems to be raining now, so it's much darker than usual. When the signal light changed, he quickly crossed the crosswalk.Although it is the seat of the county government, there are many government agencies and companies.But it's not time to get off work, so there aren't many pedestrians. After crossing the crosswalk, he immediately entered the teahouse at the intersection.This is a large, inconspicuous shop with only one facade. After entering the store, he glanced at the room as if looking for someone, and found that the innermost seat was empty, so he threw the travel bag over and put the raincoat on it, and sat across the table across the table. .

"welcome!" A tall barmaid came to serve with water and towels. "Have a cup of coffee. Can I then call the landlady?" "Boss lady?" the barmaid asked in surprise. "Well." The man simply agreed, picked up a towel and wiped his face and neck. "Please wait." The barmaid lowered her head and walked towards the entrance, whispering something to the woman standing in front of the cashier.That may be the so-called boss lady.Another barmaid also walked to the cashier. There are eight tables in the store, and there are three groups of customers besides him.A group looks like young students, a group looks like company employees, and a couple look like lovers.

After a while, the woman at the cash register walked towards him, looking straight at him. She was about thirty years old, wearing a navy blue sleeveless dress, and her snow-white arms formed a sharp contrast with the navy blue, which was very dazzling. "Welcome, what can you do?" She looked him up and down. "I have something to trouble you..." He got up and moved the travel bag and raincoat on the seat opposite to one side. "Please, please sit down. How about a cup of coffee?" "How dare I ask you to spend money." The proprietress shrugged her shoulders and sat down opposite him.Then she glanced at his travel bag.

"Ah, you are a traveler?" Her accent was a bit strange. "The traveler is too exaggerated..." The man smiled, "I'm here to set off. But just tonight, I'm a bit boring, I think..." "But, how did you choose me?" "No, it's the sixth sense. Because of my work, I've been running around all day, and I've already developed this ability. Once I enter the store, I don't need to ask anything, and I know it at a glance." "Really? But this time I just missed it." The proprietress looked at him mockingly. "Impossible?" the man whispered, "I didn't miss it. If I had missed it, the proprietress would have been angry. For example, she would have said, 'Hey, did you make a mistake...'"

"Hey! Get me a cup of coffee too." The proprietress didn't answer him directly, but raised a hand to greet Mrs. "I'll also have a cup of coffee." The proprietress said to the barmaid, "Coffee Joyale (French high-end coffee, boiled sugar cubes and brandy, coffee added during mashing), please use Napoleon (French wine)." Then she looked at him as if asking for advice. "..." The man silently put sugar into his coffee, and then poured some milk into it. "I said, the coffee Royale here is very expensive. May I thank you?" "Really...please."

The man seemed to be aware of it. He stirred the coffee with a spoon and nodded slightly. The proprietress dragged the invoice on the table and quickly pulled out the brooch pinned to the dress.This golden butterfly brooch can be turned into a mechanical pencil on the head. She wrote "8000" on the receipt with the mechanical pencil. "That's all?" "Oh, of course you'd be glad if you tipped me a bit." "No problem." The man said, reaching into the inner pocket of his coat. "Wait a minute, I don't know if he's free yet. What do you want?"

"Well, please try to find a non-professional..." "Okay. Please wait a moment." The proprietress stood up and walked to the cashier again.The buttocks were tightly wrapped by the skirt, twisting and twisting... The man took a cigarette from his pocket, pulled one out and put it in his mouth. A barmaid standing next to him immediately came over to strike a match and light a cigarette for him. He faced her for four days. The barmaid hastily averted her eyes. He suddenly thought, it can't be this girl, right? Whether to choose her or the proprietress, he couldn't make up his mind for a while.

There is a phone next to the cash register. The lady boss is talking to someone. She covers the receiver with her hand and bends over, looking like she doesn't want anyone to hear her. Two more guests came in.The two bar girls stepped forward to give a welcome speech.The proprietress ignored the arrival of the two guests and continued to call her. The call ended shortly after.She walked towards him solemnly and sat in the seat she had been sitting just now. "OK." She leaned forward and whispered to him, "However, it's not right now. How about waiting until six o'clock?"

The man looked at his watch, there was still more than an hour, and he had to find a place to have a drink during this time. "Is that all right?" The proprietress lowered her voice, "At six o'clock, take a taxi to the 'King Butterfly Hotel'. Golden gold, butterfly's butterfly. Taxi drivers know that place." "Every taxi driver here knows the hotel?" "It's about the same... If you don't know, go to Ice Room Street first. When you get there, you can see the neon lights of the hotel..." "Golden Butterfly on Ice Room Street." The man nodded vigorously and muttered several times.

"Yes. Just tell the waitress that your name is Zhushan and that someone is waiting for you here." "Wait for me. Is that right?" "Huh?" The proprietress raised her eyebrows in surprise. "No, I mean, is this a code..." "Oh, no need. It has nothing to do with the hotel. The hostess there thinks you're lovers and you're just meeting at the hotel." "What if I don't like that woman?" "I don't think so. But, which type do you like?" the proprietress asked sarcastically. "Not that, but..." "It doesn't matter. You just..." The proprietress said confidently.Then stood up, "But, is your body okay?" "Coffee Joard?" he asked. "Coffee Joard?" he asked. "Oh, I almost forgot." She made a self-deprecating grimace, and stretched out her hand. "Ah, the money is also paid here? But the coffee. If Yale hasn't come yet..." "Coffee Joyal has been ordered, but it hasn't arrived yet. I'm sorry. I'll drink it after a while." She stretched out her hand again as she spoke. With a wry smile, he took out 8,000 yen from his wallet. As soon as Koide picked up the phone, there was a woman crying. "Hey, hello, I'm Koide..." Koide thought that the other party might have made a mistake, so his tone was quite blunt. His head felt terribly heavy. Although he had been drunk for two days, the alcohol still had some effect. "I'm sorry, it's so early in the morning..." the woman said while sobbing, "I'm sorry..." Koide glanced at his watch, he was used to sleeping with it on. At 7:20, I was woken up an hour and a half earlier than usual, and of course I had a headache. "I'm Xia Dai." The woman said her name. "Miss Xia Dai? Miss Xia Dai...from Bujing?" "Yes, Koide-kun, are you busy today?" Natsuo Nyoi is the wife of Tatsuo Ninoi.Three years ago, I worked with Koide in the mail room of the "Central Daily" agency. "It's not busy, what's the matter?" "I want you to accompany me to City D..." "City D? County D?" Koide asked in surprise.For this abrupt request, he couldn't understand what Xia Dai said. Koide was interested in Xia Dynasty.It can be said that he still likes her very much from the bottom of his heart.He proposed to Xia Dai, but was rejected.Before him, she had agreed to the marriage proposal of her colleague Bu Jing and was already engaged. Soon, Fu Jing resigned from the "Central Daily" agency due to a certain incident.From then on, they just wrote a New Year card to greet each other, and he never saw Xia Dai again. What reason does Xia Dai want him to go to City D together? "he died." Xia Dai seemed to have stopped sobbing. "Dead? Him, Bujing?" "This morning, the police from City D called." "Police? So, there was a traffic accident?" For a while, Bujing was particularly fond of driving.I once asked Xia Dai to send a message, inviting him to go for a drive on Sunday. "..." Xia Dai didn't answer.Sobbed again. "What's the matter? Don't keep crying!" "Suicide. With a woman..." "Really..." Koide blurted out without thinking.For a moment, he couldn't understand why Bu Jing committed suicide. "Yes, that's what the policeman said." "It's not a mistake, is it?" "He did go to City D on a business trip, and he brought his driver's license with him. So I don't think he will be mistaken." "I see. I'll go with you." Koide said. A feeling that I can't understand arises spontaneously. Neither angry nor sad, Koide felt restless. "But, your job..." Xia Dai asked worriedly.Although she begged him to go with her, but seeing how readily he agreed, she seemed a little uneasy. "It doesn't matter. It will be Sunday soon, and I will take a rest. Go to City D and go from Ueno Station?" "Yes, there is an express train at half past eight..." "Well, just take this bus. I may arrive earlier here, and I'll buy a ticket and wait for you." After Koide finished speaking, he hung up the phone.His apartment was in Negishi, and he planned to take a taxi to Ueno Station before it would be too late. However, there is still a problem to be solved. It is necessary to contact the people in the newspaper office about the shift change. Calling the newspaper office now, I have to wake up the staff on duty, I feel a little sorry.The person on duty at this time is the time to sleep soundly. Koide thought about it, called his sister-in-law, and asked her to call the editor-in-chief around ten o'clock. "Okay." The sister-in-law agreed.She got up early because she had children going to school. "It's a rarity. It's a must. You're on good terms, aren't you?" "Maybe……" He replied with a smile, Koide had a delicate mood.If Bu Jing is dead, it is not impossible to marry Xia Dai... Soon after Xiaode arrived at the station, Xia Dai also arrived.She was wearing a black dress, probably mourning.Not haggard at all, as imagined.After careful makeup, there is no trace of tears. Xia Dai was holding a travel bag in his left hand, and a weekly magazine rolled into a cylinder in his right hand. Xiaoide bought soft seat tickets.If you buy an ordinary ticket with reserved seats, it is not convenient for four people to sit together and talk. After the two sat side by side, they didn't say a word for a long time. Because of Koide's subconscious feelings towards Xia Dai, he couldn't speak in a relaxed tone.In addition, when he was talking to his sister-in-law just now, he had the fantasy of marrying Xia Dai... Xia Dai may be thinking that seeing the scene where her husband died in love with another woman is really not a pleasant feeling. The train started, and Koide finally opened his mouth.Just sitting there facing each other silently until the station D, wouldn't it be a waste of more than two hours. "Does he often go to City D?" "I don't know. Recently he didn't tell me where he went on a business trip..." Sitting side by side, Xia Dai's tone became less reserved. "after married……" "It's just been two years." Xia Dai answered Xiaoide's question first. "Is your relationship good? It's a bit too much for me to mention this..." "He's emotionally unstable. When he's in a bad mood, he doesn't talk to me for days, maybe it's because of the incident that happened right after we got married. He's quite eccentric. But I can understand..." Two months after getting married, Bujing resigned from the "Central Daily News" because he was implicated in a case of intimidation. During the interview, he learned the privacy of a director of a large company, and inadvertently disclosed it to his high school classmates.The classmate used this to blackmail the director, who sued him and was arrested by the police.But that classmate told the police that Bu Jing instigated him to do it.Bujing was also arrested by the police and detained for ten days.After investigation, the facts of instigation could not be established, so the prosecution was exempted.Even though it was an inadvertent disclosure of other people's privacy, he had to resign from his job at the "Central Daily News".After many efforts, he wanted to transfer him to a certain local branch, but he refused and stayed in Tokyo.He thought that if he went to another place, he would never have a bright future in his life.Even after quitting his agency job, he still had a lot of ego as a freelance writer. Although he will not be prosecuted, because he has been arrested, he will definitely be downgraded.Many publishers think so.So he couldn't get into the first-class weekly magazines.Out of helplessness, he joined a third-rate weekly magazine and worked in the editorial department of "Weekly Insider". "What does he do there?" Koide asked. "Everything. Many pages in each issue..." "That's right. He has strong interviewing skills and writes beautiful articles. Probably he wrote it by himself." "It's also written by him." Xia Dai handed the magazine in his hand to Xiaode. The latest issue of Insider Weekly. Koide frowned, the cover design was too eye-catching.The half-naked woman smiled provocatively, and the taste of that smile was really low.The whole cover looks garish, and the main titles are printed on the cover. "The report on the far right on the cover was written by him. If he really died, that report would become a posthumous work. I want you to read it too. I bought it at the station's commissary." "Haha... this is..." Koide tilted his head.As Xia Dai said, the report of "The Merry Senator's Conduct". Xia Dai said that although he didn't know the title of the report on the far right, he knew it was this article at a glance. "Humph--" Koide muttered softly, flipping through the magazine.If this kind of report becomes a posthumous work, it is too sad for Bubin... Two and a half hours by express from Tokyo, MQ's electoral district is located there. M.Q's nickname is "bald Q", but M.Q's likes this nickname very much. —It is also strong evidence that his head is somewhat bald. Tracking M·Q's actions, he was surprised to find that he is a womanizer.Although he is not a great politician, he must be the first sex expert in our country. Bujing's report said so. "That's the problem." Koide said in a low voice. "Question? What do you mean?" "Here. Is it written about 'bald Q'?" Lowering his voice, Xia Dai stretched his head forward, and a faint scent of perfume wafted over. "Oh--" "There really is a senator nicknamed bald Q. Q writes for a long time...his name is Miyatomo Hisaku." "Oh, isn't it M·Q?" "What? Ah, when capitalized as a surname, it is pronounced as Q, and it has been spelled in Roman letters for a long time. It should be K. His constituency..." Koide took out his notebook.For the convenience of interviewing, there is a list of cultural celebrities and members of Congress at the back of the notebook of the "Central Daily" reporter. Miyatomo Hisaku's constituency is D County District 1. Koide held his breath, and after a few seconds he let out a long sigh. "What's the matter?" Xia Dai asked worriedly. "Actually, this 'bald Q' is the senator of Hisasaku Miyatomo. He was elected by county D. The district of county D includes city D...Fui died in city D. There is no strange karma here. ?" "Really? In this way, it takes two and a half hours from Tokyo Express to reach County D!" "This M.Q is probably Gongyou Hisaku. Those in the know know that this refers to Gongyou Hisaku. It's really troublesome!" "trouble?" "All in all, this kind of report is too purposeful. Its purpose is nothing more than election... Distribute this magazine to City D, and everyone in City D will know that 'Vald Q' is Hisaku Miyatomo. In other words, this The purpose of this article is to make people think that Hisaku Miyatomo is a 'lusty senator'." "So, it's to slander Senator Gongyou?" "You can put it this way. In the past, I wrote weird articles before the election and spread them everywhere, but now I use this kind of periodical..." Koide felt very desolate. Nobui, who is much better at interviewing than Koide, actually wrote such an article. Koide has often had conflicts with his boss recently, and always wants to transfer out.After reading the report written by Fujing, I had to hesitate. "But is there any hindrance?" "It violates the Public Office Election Act. In particular, the 'illegal use of newspapers and magazines' is more applicable." "Why did he violate those laws?" Xia Dai sobbed again. "The election has not yet started, and it is not during the election period, so it cannot be regarded as a violation of the public election law. The problem is that because the real name is not used, it cannot be said that it was written by Gong Youjiu, and the crime of defamation of reputation cannot be deducted. In this sense, it can be regarded as A smart move." "Then, he came to City D just to write this report." "may be……" "Did you fall in love with a certain woman at that time?" Xia Dai sighed deeply. She cared most about who the woman who died in love with her husband was. It took less than five minutes to arrive at Station D by taxi from Station D, and met with the Kinmatsu Trainee Police Department of the Criminal Section Chief Search Unit.He was the police officer who called Xia Dai this morning. Chimatsu is about forty years old and has a very strong physique. He looks like a well-ranked judo player and looks like a policeman. After looking at Koide's business card, he asked, "What's the relationship with the deceased?" He looked Koide up and down while asking. "We used to be colleagues, like brothers. Madam said it was timid to come alone, so I won't come with her." "Really? I'll take you to the forensic science classroom of the city university to see the remains..." "Forensic science class? So, an autopsy is required?" Koide asked in a low voice. "It's all handled that way." Chimatsu was influenced by Koide, and also lowered his voice. They went to City University in a police car.Koide and Natsuyo sat in the back, and Chimatsu sat in the passenger seat. On the way, Chimatsu gave an overview of the matter. ——There is a street in D City called Ice Room Street, which is the most prosperous area in D City.Caballeros, bars, and love hotels here are in perfect order. There was a "King Butterfly Hotel" there, and it was in Room 305 that Bujing died of love. "It was discovered around five o'clock this morning. He asked the hostess to wake him up at five o'clock. At five o'clock, the hostess called his room several times, but there was no response. When I went inside, both of them were dead. .” "How to commit suicide?" "Poison. Probably cyanide. Mixed it in beer and drank it together." "The moment the chief arrived at the scene, did he feel that they were dead in love?" "yes." Chimatsu thought about it for a while, then nodded: "Open the door and take a look, there is nothing unnatural at the scene. Why? Do you have any questions?" "It's not a question, but I'm a little surprised that the guy will commit suicide. Poison in the beer? So is there any beer left in the beer bottle?" "There is still half of it left. There is no poison in the bottle." Chimatsu said decisively. Open the door to see two people are dead.Looks like cyanide poisoning.There is no poison in a beer bottle.It is possible that the two agreed to drink together, or one of them forced the other to drink first. Which situation is it?Can not but consider. "That..." Xia Dai asked very politely, "What's that woman's name?" "My name is Mie Takeyama. She is a bar girl in a bar in Tokyo. Because she has a national health insurance card, I went to her place of residence to investigate. The news that I just returned said that the bar is called 'White Mosquito' and is located on Yutu Street." "Xiguchi Yali (the Japanese pronunciation of white mosquito)? How do you write Chinese characters?" Koide thinks it may be a foreign language, or "white squid (white squid and white mosquito have the same pronunciation in Japanese)" or something... "That...is it white white, a mosquito that bites people?" Xia Dai asked. "Yes." Jinsong tilted his body, stared at Xia Dai's face and asked, "Madam, do you know?" "Ah, Yutu Street, it's close to where my husband works. He once brought home matches from that shop (the matches in Japanese hotels and bars all have his shop name printed on them)." "I see..." Chikamatsu nodded in satisfaction. This kind of satisfaction is that men and women who understand love and death have known each other long before they were alive. "I said," Xiaode asked Xia Dai, "didn't you find out that he has a woman?" "I don't know. I don't care too much about him... Maybe I'm not a good wife." Xia Dai's voice was a little dry, and he was a different person from the crying and crying when he called in the morning. The body was placed in the corpse placement room of the forensic science classroom of the City University.The two faced the corpse, yes, it was Tatsuo Fujing. He was wearing a bathrobe printed with a butterfly pattern and the characters of King Butterfly. He was lying on the corpse cart. The bathrobe was very neat and the belt was well tied. "Is this the yukata?" Koide asked Chimatsu. "Yes. It seems that after taking a bath, drinking beer in a yukata..." "Please wait..." Koide deliberately blocked Natsuyo's sight with his body, and lifted the hem of Natsumi's yukata.He didn't put on his clothes, and the black object was limp. "What did you find?" Chikamatsu asked. Koide led Chimatsu to a corner of the resettlement room. "Did the two do it?" Chimatsu stared at Koide silently. "What's the matter? Still can't figure out such a simple thing?" "There is no trace." Jinsong replied reluctantly. "Really? So, where is that woman?" "over there." Chimatsu pointed to another corner of the room.It was also placed on the corpse truck and covered with a white cloth. "Can I see it?" Koide asked. "Well... ah, yes." Chimatsu walked over there.Koide glanced at Xia Dai, she nodded silently, and slowly followed behind Chimatsu. Chikamatsu lifted the white cloth.The moment he saw the woman, Xia Dai yelled "Ah". "What's the matter?" "Both don't look distressed at all." Xia Dai's voice was so low that only Xiao Chu could hear him, and he closed his lips tightly after speaking. As Xia Dai said. This woman is about the same age as Xia Dai, about twenty-six or seven years old.The oval face has a classic beauty.Double eyelids can also be seen from the closed eyes.There was no expression of pain, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. She is also wearing a hotel yukata just like Fui, the difference is that the pattern is red, while the yukata worn by Fui is blue. Her bathrobe was also neat and uncluttered. "Both of their bathrobes are neat, have you tidied them up?" Koide asked. "Yes. The bathrobes must be untied for autopsies and photographs. It is necessary to see if there is any trauma... When they were transported from the hotel, the waitress tidied up their clothes and said, let the dead be open." It's too inappropriate to wear the bosom. In fact, their clothes are not messy at all. But the clothes of ordinary people who are dying of love are very neat." "The woman's lower garment?" "Undress?" "Briefs. He didn't wear them..." "Well..." Chimatsu seemed a little hard to answer, "She didn't wear it either." "Where are her briefs?" "In the bin in the bedroom. Petticoats, briefs and stockings all together." "Where's his panties?" "Inside the cage at the entrance to the bathroom, there are shorts and a vest." "meet--" Koide was puzzled. "What's the matter?" Chikamatsu stared at Koide tentatively. "Don't you find it strange?" "Well... At first, I also felt a little puzzled. It's a little different from the general love death. However, I didn't think too deeply." "Is there any paper containing medicine at the scene?" "The trash can is next to the mirror stand. The red medical wrappers are thrown in a ball." Chikamatsu said in a tone as if convincing himself. The Kingdee Hotel is a typical love hotel, far less luxurious than the love hotels in Tokyo from the outside. Xia Dai and Xiaode walked into the Kingdee Hotel side by side without any discomfort.Although there is no arm, it can make others look like lovers. As soon as you enter the gate, it is the place to take off your shoes, and the floor is covered with a big red carpet. On the left is the service desk, and a waitress in navy blue overalls came out to welcome the two of them. "Is room 305 available?" Koide asked. "Huh?" The waitress stared at Koide in surprise. "I'm sorry to trouble you this morning. We are relatives of the deceased. We came here to thank you, and we want to see that room." "Ah..." She thought for a while and said, "Okay! That room is still empty, I will lead you there." They took the elevator to the third floor.Room 305 is on the left after getting off the elevator. When entering the room, Koide noticed the door lock.There is a button on the inside door handle, which locks the door when pressed.The form of the room is similar to that of a love hotel in Tokyo. There is a small table and two chairs next to the door. "Oh...too much trouble for you...isn't the manager here? Who cleaned up this room this morning?" "That person is off work..." "Is that so . . . so; no one has seen them both?" "The housekeeper is not here, but the person who led them into the room is still here. Call her?" "Please." Xiao Chu handed five hundred yen to the waitress. While the waitress was leaving, Xia Dai asked: "What do you want to do? I don't understand what you asked just now..." "I don't want to do anything, there are many things I don't understand." Koide sat on the chair.Xia Dai scanned the room curiously. "Okay? Maybe you don't want to hear it, but I have to ask you anyway. What do you think of both of them being naked?" "This, this matter..." Xia Dai blushed. "According to Chiamatsu, the two of them drank beer in bathrobes after taking a bath, so neither of them took off their clothes. In other words, it is extremely natural to plan to fall asleep together after drinking. But the plan to go to bed together Why did the two of you die before this?" "..." Xia Dai seemed to understand the question raised by Koide.Suddenly his expression became tense, and he listened carefully to Koide's words. "I don't think this sudden change is valid. Men and women who die in love should embrace each other after making love. Generally, men and women who die in love leave behind a tragic scene. But the result of the inspection is that there is no such sign." "Maybe I used that..." Xia Dai said shyly. "But, is it necessary for people who are about to die to use contraceptives? Even if they use contraceptives, there will be some traces, right?" "It's a little strange for you to say that. Then, Xiaoide-kun, how do you explain this?" "I don't understand either. So we need to collect all kinds of evidence." Xiaode said and stood up.Xia Dai was startled, his body stiffened. Koide walked from behind Xia Dai to the refrigerator at the other end of the room, and opened the refrigerator door. Beer, soft drinks, strong drinks, cheese for drinking, canned food, etc. are placed in an orderly manner. He closed the refrigerator door and saw beer mugs and wine openers on top of the refrigerator. Last night, it was a thirty-five or six-year-old waitress who led Nonoi and Takeyama Mie into the room, also wearing a navy blue overalls, with "Umeno" written on the name tag pinned to her chest. According to her, the two came to the Kingdee Hotel separately. — It was the woman who came first. She stood at the gate and asked: "I promised to wait here, but I haven't arrived yet?" "No one is coming, please invite first." Mei Ye said. She led the woman to room 305.The woman said her surname was Zhushan, so of course he should also be surnamed Zhushan.But Umeno thought it must not be his real name.People who come here don't use their real names, which is common for Umeno and the others. It is common for Umeno and the others to use their real names. The woman said she planned to stay overnight, but Umeno must wake her up at five o'clock the next morning. All guests who come to stay must be registered. "After your husband comes?" "Okay, I'll write it." Whispering, he wrote: "No. ××, Gantagi 1st Street, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, employees of the company, Takeyama Tatsuo (30), Tsumie (26)." The woman arrived at the hotel at about 5:45, and the man arrived at 6:56. "Excuse me, did a woman named Zhushan come here first?" She led him to room 305, Mei Ye didn't feel anything abnormal about this man. According to the woman's surname written in the registration book, the man's surname is "Zhushan", but the man inadvertently said "Zhushan Jun", which clearly shows that his surname is not Zhushan. He looked like he was traveling, with a large travel bag on his back and a raincoat over his shoulders.During the process of leading him into the room, Umeno didn't say a word to him, he didn't say a word—— "So that's how it is..." Koide said after listening, "Other than that, what doubts do you have? You can say anything..." "So, I don't know what to say about this? The woman looks about my age, about thirty years old. But the registration book says that she is twenty-six years old, is she lying..." "Huh? Just now, the corpse looked less than thirty!" "And..." Mei Ye seemed to think of another thing, "Just now I thought of something strange. When I led the man into the room, he said, 'Ah! It's you?', which made me think it was a joke Wrong room, scared me..." "It's you?" Does this sentence have some unexpected meaning?Koide asked a question. "That's the impression it gave me." "After this, you never entered the room again?" "Yes, in this kind of hotel we'd better not go in and out of the guest's room frequently, like tea, thermos, etc. are all prepared in advance... Ah, sorry, how long are you going to stay here?" In the middle of talking, Umeno suddenly remembered something and asked in a panic. "No, let's go right away... It was just after six o'clock when the man came? Did he eat afterward?" "We don't provide special services if the general customers don't ask." "Your job?" "I turned over at 11 o'clock in the middle of the night yesterday. I asked the guest in room 305 to wake him up at five o'clock in the morning and wrote it on the bulletin board." "Then you go to work at five and leave at eleven?" "yes." Mino nodded affirmatively. "Then you were the last person he saw before he died?" "Huh?" Umeno immediately looked at Koide in surprise, and frowned vigorously. "So to speak. There seems to be a smell..." At this time, she found Xia Dai, and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. "Why, is there anything I want to ask?" Koide said to Xia Dai. "Yes, just one thing...has my husband been here before?" "This..." Mei Ye tilted her head and said. "You don't have to worry, please tell us the real situation." "I saw him for the first time..." "Then who has seen him many times?" "No, that's not what it means. It's the first time I've met him. It wasn't discussed between us waitresses." Umeno's tone became more and more certain. ——"Ah! It's you?" The words that Fui said kept ringing in Koide's ears. What does this sentence mean? Get to know each other first.And the status of the other party is at least equal to him, or even higher than him.With Bu Jing's personality, he always calls "you" or "hey" to those who are lower than him. Then there is the meaning of surprise in this sentence.If that woman is what he expected, shouldn't he say "it's you"?Instead, say "how long have you been waiting"?Or "Long time no see".Thinking about it in this way, this bar girl like Zhushan Meijiang can't meet this requirement. There is no doubt that they realize this.But the second point is more difficult to figure out. In the past, Koide had a drink with Nyui.He doesn't use "you" with barmaids in bars and restaurants.They are all called "you", "hey" or "××zi", and older middle-aged women are called "auntie". To whom can he call "you"?Anyway, I wouldn't call "you" to the barmaid at the bar near the magazine office. It can be imagined that Mie Takeyama probably made an appointment with Fujing.He shouldn't be surprised by Zhushan's arrival. If he said "Ah! It's you", there are many contradictions in it. Could it be that the waitress named Umeno lied?But she didn't need to lie, judging from her expression, she was very serious. On the evening of the second day after Koide came back from City D, he went to "White Mosquito". The entrance of "White Mosquito" is extremely narrow.It is a very long and narrow room. The "White Mosquito" is a stand bar (a bar for standing and drinking) with no seating.There are three girls.They stand at the counter and double as bartenders. When he first entered, there were still four or five guests, and none of the bar girls were free.After a while, the customers left, and the store suddenly became quiet. "My guest, this is your first time here." It seemed that the oldest lady came to Koide. "No, I came here with a friend named Bujing a few days ago!" "Oh! With Abu?" The other party asked in surprise. "Did he die in love with the woman here?" Koide asked in a low voice. "Yeah, it was a surprise. A big surprise. It's unbelievable." Koide invited the barmaid to have a glass of beer, and asked her name, and it turned out that her name was Sayoko. According to Sayoko, Fui knew Sayoko best in this shop. "It's definitely not a lie. He did pursue me, but he wasn't too bold..." According to this, Sayoko really has some similarities with Mie.Cloth well likes this type of woman. “那天，美江该休班吗7没打电话请假？” “那天没有打电话请假。不过头一天晚上她曾说'我有笔外快要挣，想休息一天'。” “挣外快？不是去约会？” “可是，那天晚上她喝的太多了，也许有口无心……” “那么布井能对她称'您'吗？” “阿布？”小夜子不由地笑了一下，“那人讲话措词可不文雅。对我称'阿夜'称美江为'阿美'有时喊'喂'、'你'什么的。一开始美江都有点生气……” “是吗？谢谢。您能不能将布井单位中跟他关系比较好的人告诉我呢？” “可以，跟他比较好的人……有个年轻人叫矢渊。阿布常常带他到这儿来。” 据小夜子说，今天还在附近见过矢渊。说不定过一会儿就能来这儿。 小出因为有事，给了小夜子一干日元的小费，便出了“白蚊”。 第二天利用矢渊午休的时间，小出约见了他。由于还没吃饭，便去了西餐馆，他们边吃边谈。 矢渊刚刚大学毕业，和布井的关系相当亲密。 他有些自嘲地说： “他还经常对我说教呢！不早点离开这地方的话，要倒楣的。” “关于他情死这件事，社里的人都说了些什么？” “什么？您指的什么？” “比如，有关他和美江那女孩的事，大家都知道吗？” “啊，那事呀，大意外了。” 矢渊正想把牛排夹到嘴里，又放到了盘中，“从总编以下，都感到吃惊得很。” “那么说，果然成了茶后饭余的话题了？” “总编笑了。叫布井君去D市出差是打算让他采访写篇报导。本地的文章已经有了。写一些外地的风土人情，比较受读者的欢迎。他带了好多出差费、采访费，要知道我们的费用都很紧张。” “矢渊也去过吗？” 小出用开玩笑的口吻问道。 “因为我是新手。这是一种慰劳性质的出差。写出好的报导来后，总编……” “原来如此，对布井来说，这还是桩好差事？” “您看过了吗？《风流参议员的品行记》那篇文章了吗？” “啊，那又怎么啦？” 小出惊讶地反问道。他从D市回来后，给政治评论员看那篇报导，并向他询问。 “问题就在这里！”那位政治评论员立即说道，“那个选区定员为两人。国民党只有宫友久作一人。在这之前，大野原仪一郎落选厂。大野原声称一定要雪耻，因此他从其他党派中将国民党的席位搞掉，所以想方设法攻击宫友。看来这次是大野原出钱请人写的文章。宫友查出写文章的人，扬言要向地方检察院起诉，清查文章的背景。” 布井却因为那篇报导，得到了一次慰问性质的出差。 “另外，总编还说D市那边都安排好了，肯定会让他满意的。可是，布井为什么带着美江一块儿去？” “安排好了？” “好像是一个读者打来的电话。托了站前一家叫'壬壬（桃的片假名，读作moxao。）'茶馆的老板娘，给找了一位'非职业的'去了一定会受到无微不至的照顾的。这种出差只是把身体运过去就成，所以说是桩美差。” “原来如此，也许美江是通过别的管道成为'非职业的'。” "..." “是的。”矢渊将肉塞了一嘴，使劲地点了点头。“最终却带了个伙伴去情死，有这道理吗？” “情死？”小出厉声问道，“会不会是美江主动？” “是吗？可布井没有非死不可的理由呀？” “那么，美江有什么动机吗？” 矢渊疑惑地说： “那女孩子财迷得很。按理说不会吧？” “原来如此，那个接到电话说能受到'壬壬'照顾的人是谁？” 小出心中有个假设，如果那个假设成立的话…… “是总编。在开会时接的电话。总编一边记录一边还问着什么……” “那位总编怎么称呼？” “叫水尾忠作……” 矢渊一边讲一边用疑惑的眼光看着小出。 三天后，小出再次来到D市。他拿着手提包和雨衣。那是费了许多口舌从夏代那里借来的。 “为什么您非要拿他的东西去呢？”她疑惑地问道。 “我要替他复仇……” 小出虽然这样回答，可在夏代眼里看来并不是这么回事。 他之所以热衷为“布井复仇”，并不是出于作为一名记者的职业道德，而是这件事与夏代有关系。 到了D站的广场，他环视了一下四周，立即信步走了过了过来。 穿过人行横道，走进一家茶馆。店门口立着一块小小的招牌，上面写着“壬壬”。 “欢迎光临！”收银台里那个三十来岁的女人说道。 “您好。过一会儿还要麻烦您……”小出在收银台前站住说道。 “啊？”对方疑惑不解似地反问道。 “您就是老板娘？” “正是本人……”老板娘依然十分警惕， 她穿着一件红色连衣裙，不过她的脸型还是适合穿和服。 “那好。一会儿麻烦您。” 小出用一种近于威吓的口气说道，向里边走去。里边第三张桌子空着，他便在那里坐了下来。 “您……要点什么？” “咖啡。然后请去问一下老板娘有空了吗。我有事想请教她。” “啊——”吧女诧异地看了小出一眼。便向收银台走去，跟老板娘说了几句话，返了回来。 “老板娘说马上就来……” 正如吧女所说，老板不久就来到了他的跟前。 “我是这家店的经营者。”她说着拿出了一张名片。 小出看了看那张小型的名片，只见上面印着： “壬壬纯茶馆桃山秋子” “谢谢……”小出低头致礼。 “您，不给一张名片吗？” 桃山秋子挑战似地问道。 “对不起，我不想自报姓名。即使不告诉您我是谁，不过我还得劳驾您。” “啊？什么？” “来D市的时候，有人说去托壬干的老板娘，能给介绍有趣的地方。于是今天我也想请老板娘给我介绍一个。” 这时，吧女端来了两杯咖啡。 “您要几匙？”桃山秋子一边用匙子舀着砂糖一边问道。 “不，这样就行。我不放砂糖。” “那么，对不起。我来点……” 她将砂糖和牛奶一起倒进了自己的杯子里。 “怎么样，我托您的事？”小出又逼问道。 “您说的话我一点儿也不明白。您是不是听错了？” “不，绝对没错。前些日子，我的朋友还对我说，老板娘给他介绍了一个。” “朋友？哪一位？” “他可高兴呢。特地往东京给我打电话。说壬壬的老板他介绍了一个，他马上就去旅馆……” “打电话，什么时候？” 桃山秋子的表情更加不安了。 “大约六点以前吧。六点多一点去'金蝶旅馆'话，就有一位女子在等他……老板娘，您也给我安排一个如何？” 小出对咖啡连碰也没碰，说话时一直仔细地观察着她的表情。 “难办呀！”桃山秋子厌烦地皱了皱眉头。 “有什么难办的？您再照老样子给我安排一个不就行了吗？” “不行了。最近员警活动频繁，我一开始还以为您是员警呢！这附近埋伏了很多便衣。” “真的，为什么突然要这样做呢？” “我也不太清楚。前些日子，我介绍的一位客人……” 说着，桃山秋子突然闭上嘴，目不转睛地盯着小出。 “老板娘介绍的那位客人是不是殉情死了？” 听到此话她突然站了起来。 “您究竟是谁？快出去！你要再不出去，我要叫员警了！” “您安静一下好不好。”小出稳操胜券，“让其他客人听见了不好。再说，即使把员警叫来，我不会有任何麻烦的。” “……”桃山秋子咬着嘴唇，又重新坐了下来。 “那天晚上，我听说布井进旅馆房间的？那间说了句'啊！是您'这句话。我就在想这人是谁呢？他来D市'采访'是安排好了的，也就是他到金蝶旅馆是托D站前壬于茶馆的老板娘您给安排的。一看来人他却说道'啊！是您'那句奇怪的话。我想那人一定使他感到惊讶。旅馆的女招待说那个女人在登记簿上写的是二十六岁，其实看起来有三十多岁。” “……”桃山秋子紧闭着双唇，可是肩膀却激烈地抖动着。 “那位最初在305室与布井见面的人我怎么琢磨也像老板娘您，可是情死的女尸却是另外一个女人。她是被掉包的。有没有这个可能性呢？” 小出继续直直地盯着桃山秋子。也许她会服毒自杀…… “大概您和布井一块洗了澡，您比他先出来，准备好了啤酒。等着布井穿好浴衣出来便给他倒了一杯啤酒。布井的杯子里早就下了毒药，倒酒的时候布井并没发现。然后跟他干杯，他便立即一命呜呼了。另一方面，你还有一个男同伙。他将竹山美江带到这个旅馆的另一个房间。竹山美江这个人很财迷，有五万元钱便能把她弄来。她临走前一天曾对同事说她要出去挣笔外快。你的那位同伙用同样的办法将竹山美江杀死。谁都知道那种旅馆客人不叫的话女招待是不会出来服务的，所以不用担心被人发现。看看没有客人走动的时候，那个同伙便把美江的尸体扛到305室，当然连衣服和杯子一起带过来。布置好情死的场面后你便去了那男子的房间，从那儿你俩大模大样地出去了。女招待是晚上十一点钟换班，即使掉了包也不会被识破的。不过现在咱们把金蝶的那个女招待叫来，大概她会做出最初与布井会面的那个女人就是您的证词。” “可是，我没有必要杀死那个叫布井的人……” “不，对水尾忠作来说，杀死他是必要的。有关水尾的事情，我做了两天的调查。他是D县人，是低于大野原仪一郎的校友。大概是大野原委托布井写中伤宫友的文章。可听说宫友要起诉布井。为了让布井一人承担这个责任，便精心策划了这起所谓的情死事件。喂！想叫员警吗？” 小出盯着呆若木鸡的桃山秋子，站起身来。