Chapter 25 blood red clouds

The first incident occurred on Saturday, April 10, at about ten past eleven in the evening. The discoverer was Suzuko Ozawa (30 years old), a waitress at the "Heluzhuang" hotel (runner Akikichi Noriko, 43 years old) at No. 27, Cainu Street, K City. Cai Nu Street has a unique meaning in K City.Because there are many "love hotels" on this street. There are motel areas in K city, which are distributed beside the national highway. Although the "motel" in the motel area and the hotel in Cai Nu Street are both called hotels, their functions are quite different. The motel pursues a luxurious appearance, and the internal facilities are also perfect.The love hotel with female title reflects a stable style.For example, the advertisement of the "Heluzhuang" hotel in the city's taxis reads: "The best resting place surrounded by greenery, all in the form of single rooms."

The case happened in a "single room" in "Heluzhuang".This single room is called "Red Leaf". As soon as you enter the gate of "Heluzhuang", there is a gravel-paved parking lot that can park several cars. But recently, fewer and fewer guests use this parking lot.Maybe people with private cars go to the motels in the southwestern part of Mill City.Almost all motels do not allow others to see the guests' cars, and the confidentiality is much stronger than that of "Heluzhuang". Behind the parking lot is the hotel lobby. Guests who come to "Heluzhuang" are led to individual rooms by the hostess in the lobby.

"That guest..." the discoverer, Ozawa Suzuko, said to the police officer of the K North Department, "At about 8:30, I saw two people coming together, so I led them into the 'Hongye' and asked them about their past. No night. They said no night and no need for food. I said please, and locked the door of 'Hongye' from the outside." "From the outside?" asked the police officer. "Yes, there are fourteen single rooms here, and there are only four hostesses. This way, the guests will know immediately when they come out. Also, if the guests come out and wander in the yard, it will embarrass other guests, so they are locked from the outside. Lock it."

"Has it always been this way?" "This... I have been here for a year and a half, and I was told to do this as soon as I came in..." "So, what do you do when the guests go back?" "Call to inform the bill. When we receive the call, we will go to serve immediately." "So that's how it was. The couple entered Hongye around 8:30. Then the woman left first. What time was that?" "I think it was about ten o'clock. The woman called and said she was the only one going back first. So I opened the door for her and she said he wanted to rest a little longer and be back around eleven o'clock."

"No payment?" "No... usually the man pays." "When the woman went back, what happened to the lock?" "It's locked again. After I lock the door, send the woman out of the gate." "That's right?" the police officer asked again. "Yes." Ozawa Suzuko said with certainty. This is very important in a sense. But after eleven o'clock, there was no news from the male guest who stayed in "Hongye". Suzuko Ozawa called "Momiji". "Heluzhuang" stipulates that after eleven o'clock, the accommodation fee will be charged.If you don't stay overnight, you must check out at 11 o'clock.

But the man didn't answer the phone. Feeling slightly uneasy, Suzuko walked towards "Momiji".She thought to herself how did this person escape? There is a glass window in the room, and it is impossible to get out without using extreme measures. It is not impossible if the glass is cut. "But..." Suzuko said to the police officer, "I didn't expect the guest to be dead. There is no sign of the atmosphere of those two people." "What does that atmosphere mean?" "When I led them to the 'Hongye', I didn't see anything abnormal at all. There was nothing strange about the woman who went back first."

"For example, is there any sign of avoiding her eyes? Is there something to prevent people from seeing her face clearly?" "The eyes... she's wearing a pair of sunglasses..." "Sunglasses? Don't you find this strange?" the police officer looked at Ling Yu and said. "A large proportion of the guests who come here wear sunglasses." "Indeed. Makes sense!" The officer nodded. This is a love hotel.Men and women who come for a tryst should of course avoid being heard.Wear sunglasses that cover half of your face. ——Suzuko shouted in a low voice: "Yes, not far away!"

Shouting Suzuko, she entered the private room (all private rooms have wide doors and glass windows). As soon as you enter the door is the living room, the innermost is the bathroom, and the right is the lounge and bedroom.Ling Yu first opened the sliding door of the lounge. There was only a small table and chairs inside, but no one was there.On the small table were tea sets and thermoses, a bottle of beer and a glass, and two small plates of thinly sliced ​​yokan. Among them, the tea set is equipped in the room, and the thermos bottle and fruit plate are brought by Suzuko when she brings the guests in.

The yokan was never touched.Suzuko said that this kind of phenomenon is not uncommon. There are many customers who only drink beer and do not eat snacks. The beer was taken from the refrigerator equipped in the room. The beer bottle was already empty, and it was probably drunk by the man. The moment Suzuko entered the lounge, she didn't notice anything. She continued to shout: "I'm sorry!" and opened the sliding door from the lounge to the bedroom. The bedroom was pitch black, Suzuko pressed the switch on the wall and turned on the light. The bedroom is as big as six mats, and a large mattress is spread in the room.The man was lying on the mattress.

"Sir, it's already eleven o'clock!" Suzuko yelled, shaking the man. ?At that time, she screamed. His body was like an object, unresponsive, motionless, with the yukata string still wrapped around his neck. The discoverer of the second case was Taisuke Tsuboi who held a study class in Sakurada Street, K City. Tsuboi came out of the apartment at 5:30 on Monday, April 11th.His students were going to have a baseball game with the class on the next street, and he was going to show their support. Once out of the apartment, Tsuboi ran into one of his students, Ronta Goro. Goro Takita is wearing a uniform, gloves and a bat.Although he is only a first-year junior high school student, he looks like a high school baseball player on TV.

"Sir! Hee! That's amazing!" Shen Tian Goro didn't say hello when he saw Tsuboi, but pointed to the east. "Oh! Isn't that Zhaoxia!" Today's sunrise is five twenty-five.The sun was blocked by the hills and hadn't come out yet. According to the shade of the red morning glow, we could know the general direction. "Sir, why is the morning glow redder than the evening glow?" Wu Lang asked. "No way?" "Sunset is not so red. Look, it's as red as blood!" "Blood?" Tsuboi asked back.Children's imaginations are often surprising.Even so, it is indeed a bit whimsical to associate Zhaoxia with blood. "Huh! Look, that cloud looks like a bandage! It feels like blood is oozing from the bandage..." "Indeed, after what you said, it does feel that way." Tsuboi agreed.But he didn't think that way in his heart, he just respected Wu Lang's feeling. But three hours later, he found Nosue Hisako's body.Later he remembered that the conversation with Goro at that time might be a kind of premonition! Baseball starts at six o'clock.They borrowed a playground from an elementary school and agreed to use it until half past eight. Started a little late.There were a lot of four balls (in baseball terms, four balls.) and turnovers by both teams, so it was time consuming and the game didn't end until 8:20. The game score was nine to seven.The opponent won.But Tsuboi's students don't care a bit about losing.It is enough to be able to play on a regular court without any restraint It's just that Tsuboi himself felt a little regretful because he didn't see Nosue Hisako. Jiu is Tsuboi's fiancée.We are planning to hold a wedding at the Civic Hall this fall, and even the auditorium has been reserved. When the locals heard the news that the students in Tsuboi were going to hold a competition, Hisako said happily: "Then, I'll go cheer too! Come out early in the morning, everyone must have eaten. I'll send you rice balls!" "That's great! In that case..." "Okay, tell the students, they must be so happy! How have they ever enjoyed such a service..." But Tsuboi did not tell the students that someone might bring them meals. He didn't want to disappoint the children in case special circumstances didn't come. Be trustworthy when dealing with children.Once you agree to them, you have to satisfy them no matter what the situation arises.Otherwise they would say "Mr. Lie". Until the end of the game, Hisako Nosue was not seen. Tsuboi thought that if he told the children rashly that someone brought them food, maybe the children would say, "It's because the food was not delivered that they lost the game." . Tsuboi wondered why she didn't come? She works as a nurse in an internal medicine hospital in the city. It shouldn't be because of an emergency that you can't get out of your body.This is a private hospital, closed from Saturday afternoon to Sunday, long time is free. "So, I thought after playing..." Tsuboi said to the police officer of the K South Bureau, "I stopped by her apartment to see. I think she probably had a cold and was lying in bed..." "Is she weak?" "No, nothing. Generally, there is no special reason, and she never misses the appointment..." —— After Tsuboi said goodbye to the students on the playground, he greeted the gatekeeper and walked out of the school gate. After walking less than 20 meters, I heard Goro Shirota calling him: "Wusheng, where are you going?" Goro saw Tsuboi walking in the opposite direction to the apartment, and called Tsuboi because he felt strange. "What's the matter, why don't you go with everyone?" "Well, most of them ride bicycles, so I want to go with sir..." "Really... Teacher wants to see a friend." "The one who comes here often?" Goro asked mockingly. "Eh? Who?" "Xue, isn't that the woman who played poker at Mr.'s house in Zhengyue?" "Ah, is it? That's the case. How about it, can you come with me?" Tsuboi rented a room near his apartment to hold a study class.After he married Hisako Nosue, he planned to rent a courtyard to hold study classes and live there, and let Hisako handle all chores. So Tsuboi felt no pressure at all to take the students to Hisako's apartment. In the end, thanks to taking Goro with me. Goro never panicked or panicked when things happened, which played a great role in protecting the scene. "When we got to the door of the apartment, no matter how hard we pressed the doorbell, there was no response." Tsuboi said, "I wasn't surprised either. As soon as I turned the doorknob, the door opened. I thought she was out shopping, but Takita-kun and I We entered the room together. I found her lying on the living room. I was wondering why she was sleeping here? Suddenly, I found that her posture was wrong, and she didn’t respond to how I called. When I got closer, I saw her eyes were open, and her eyes were open. I didn’t turn around, and didn’t show any expression. I yelled loudly: ‘My lord, it’s terrible! She’s dead!’” Takita Goro reacted quickly at that time, and he immediately said after hearing Tsuboi's shout: "Sir, stay the same, don't move! I'm going to call the police!" As he spoke, he ran out quickly, and called the South Bureau to call the police from a public phone nearby. Wu Lang didn't call 110, but the direct line of the South Bureau's Search Section. Wulang's uncle is a criminal police officer in the South Bureau, and he memorizes his uncle's phone number by heart. "After Takita Goro went out to make a phone call, you were left alone in the house. What did you do?" the police officer asked Tsuboi. "Nothing..." After Tsuboi answered, he argued again: "It's a bit embarrassing to say, I'm completely out of my mind. I thought that instead of calling the police first, I might as well call the doctor first. Just as I was about to reach for the phone, I suddenly thought Those who left fingerprints retracted their hands again..." "Have you thought about calling a doctor first?" "Yes, I suppose what if she's still alive?" "Didn't you confirm that she was dead just now? Takita clearly heard you shouting 'She's dead!'." "Hey, I think I did say that. But I didn't check her breathing and pulse..." "You didn't feel her pulse, how can you conclude that she is dead?" "I don't dare to say, it's just based on my feeling. Who wouldn't think she was dead when they saw that look in her eyes?" "In short, why did you want to call for a doctor when it was initially concluded that she was dead?" "Didn't I just say that? I'm completely out of my mind. Please don't talk about words." Tsuboi replied in a protesting tone. For the first case, that is, the "Heluzhuang" case, a search headquarters was set up in the North Department of K City the next morning. From the analysis of the situation at the scene, it seems to be a murder case. The victim's body was sent to the forensic science classroom of the City University's Department of Medicine for autopsy. Before the results came out, the cause of death could not be determined, but the identification section member of the County Police Department said: "It may be organophosphate poisoning." When the corpse was found, although the neck was wrapped with a yukata strap, there was no life reaction (forensic science term. The human body was injured or infected during its lifetime, and the local and systemic reactions appeared.).Most likely it was entangled after death. From the perspective of poisoning, it is impossible for the man to commit suicide by taking poison after the woman left, so it is determined to be homicide. It must be the woman who wrapped the tape around the body.The identity of the victim was immediately established. There is a wardrobe in the lounge of "Hongye" in Heluzhuang, and the clothes of the victims are all in it.The business card was found in his coat pocket. ——Jomoto Internal Medicine Hospital, M.D., Shiromoto Tetsuya Shiromoto Natsue, the wife of Shiromoto, who was picked up by the police car at "Kawaluso", confirmed that the corpse was her husband. According to her, Shiromoto left home that day claiming to attend the meeting of the K City Medical Association, and could not provide any clues to the woman Xiajiang Shiromoto who appeared in "Heluzhuang" with her husband. The first meeting was held Sunday morning to set the course of the investigation. First, investigate the whereabouts of the victim on the day of the incident.Second, investigate the relationship between him and other women. Regarding the first point, is there a meeting of the medical association on Saturday?If so, who did he meet after the meeting?Is this person a doctor present at the rally, etc.If the person who met him last can be found, it can provide important clues to find out his whereabouts. Second, it is very important to investigate his relationship with women. "Heluzhuang" is a love hotel specially opened for men and women to have sex.The women who went there with Jomoto must have a special relationship with him.Investigating his relationships with other women could lead to suspects. After the investigation policy was determined, just as the investigators were about to go out to perform their respective tasks, a call came from the South Department of K City. "Around nine o'clock in the morning, a female body was found in an apartment under the jurisdiction of the South Department. It is still unclear whether it was suicide or homicide. This woman is a nurse at Chengben Internal Medicine Hospital. The victim in the hotel is the dean of Shiromoto Internal Medicine Hospital, we want to check whether this woman has anything to do with the murder case?" "What kind of poison is it? Have you figured it out?" On the phone, the police department of the first search section of the county police station roared and asked, this police department is the commander of the hotel case. "It's not very clear, but according to observation, it may be pesticides." "Understood. We will go over here immediately!" The police department replied. The main components of so-called pesticides are organophosphorus compounds.From this analysis, these two cases can be considered for joint investigation... On the morning of the 12th (Monday), the North Bureau decided to disband the newly established "Internal Medicine Hospital Homicide Investigation Headquarters."The suspect in this case committed suicide and was judged as forced sex death (love death that forced the other party to commit suicide). The file sent to the local prosecutors reads: One of the bases for the suspect Hisako Nosue (28 years old) to commit suicide after killing physician Tetsuya Shiromoto (46 years old) is that " The testimony of Suzuko Ozawa, the hostess of "Kawakaso". After seeing Hisako Nosue's body, she said: "Probably this person!" "Are you sure?" Ozawa Suzuko hesitated for a moment, as if remembering, she nodded vigorously. "As I said before, she couldn't see her eyes clearly with glasses, but I remember she had a mole on the left side of her nose." After the incident, Suzuko once told the police: "That woman's belly is brown, and it feels like it was painted." Hisako Nosue had a mole on her face. But this so-called mole was painted with cosmetics.Suzuko observed this quite accurately. "Are there any features in those glasses?" "The lenses are very large. Very dark. It's almost like a mirror from the front. It can show my fetus. However, whether it is her or not, I can't say for sure." "Indeed." The officer nodded. There was one of those sunglasses on Hisako Nosue's dresser. "Can you still remember the sunglasses? For example, what does the space between the lenses look like?" "Ah! It seems to be set with a small gem." "Is it like this?" The police officer opened a small cloth bag for Suzuko to see. "Oh, that's it, that's right!" she asserted after staring at it for a full three seconds. "Also, that woman is wearing a blue dress, is there any in it?" The police officer took out a lot of clothes for Suzuko to identify. "Oh! This is it!" This time, she immediately pointed out Nashi's clothes. "Okay, thank you very much! You have worked hard!" The officer thanked her with satisfaction.Hisako Nosue was wearing a white jacket and dark blue suit pants when he died.The dress is hanging on a hanger on the bedroom wall. This means that she replaced it and hung it on the wall when she came back. According to the testimony of Suzuko Ozawa, specific details such as panties, sunglasses, and dresses can prove that Nosue Hisako is the woman who appeared in "Kawaluzhuang". Someone in the investigative meeting was eager for conclusions. But there are also different opinions. "If the victim's wife doesn't believe that her husband had that kind of relationship with the nurse. Besides, it's not clear whether it was coercion, and the motive for suicide has not been clarified. After we clarify these issues, it is not too late to make a conclusion .” "The relationship between a man and a woman, not the person who can figure it out? Maybe the doctor got tired of her and asked her to break up." "That's strange. According to Tsuboi Taisuke, the discoverer of Hisako Nosue's body, Hisako and Tsuboi are planning to get married this fall. If Dr. Shiromoto proposes to break up, she should be happy?" "But think about it the other way around. Dr. Shiromoto knew that Hisako was going to get married and forced her to break off the marriage. In a fit of anger, she killed him, and later, out of fear, she committed suicide by taking poison. The time of Hisako Nosuke's death is estimated to be between ten o'clock and twelve o'clock on Saturday night. Doesn't that make a lot of sense?" "If you kill Jomoto in order to marry Tsuboi, and then commit suicide, that's a contradiction in itself. How can you marry Tsuboi after you're dead?" "The crime of homicide has a very complicated psychology. It is not feasible to use the way of thinking of ordinary people to figure out the psychology of the perpetrator. She will fall into an abnormal psychological state and be condemned by her conscience. After committing the crime, she will be afraid of being exposed. Take your own life." At the end of the discussion, the conclusion was: "Hisako Nosue committed suicide after killing Tetsuya Bamoto in order to end this improper love relationship." On the Saturday following the incident, Tsuboi asked Takita Goro to introduce him to his uncle who worked in the Southern Bureau. The newspaper published the conclusion of the police that Nosue Hisako died because of forced temperament. He could not agree with this conclusion and wanted to know more about the situation. Goro's uncle is called Furuoka, and he is about the same age as Tsuboi.According to Goro, his uncle is a third-dan judo player, but he doesn't look like a judo practitioner at all. He was very thin and a little too pale for a man.If you didn't know, you would think he was a cosmetics salesman. The two called and agreed to meet at the teahouse next to the administrative hall. The location was designated by Yoshioka.Although it was Saturday, there was no one other than them, and it was a good place for conversation. "I heard from Goro that Mr. Nosue Hisako's body was found by Mr. Nosue. I heard that you wanted to talk to me. I guessed it was because of that case. I went to see the file first. I heard that she was engaged to you? " Yoshioka speaks in a rather gentle manner. "Oh, so I don't believe she's forced to die. The day before it happened, she called me and promised to cheer for the baseball game on Sunday morning...that baseball team is my study class..." "I heard what Goro said, but unfortunately we lost that game. But when was that call made on Saturday?" "Around three o'clock in the afternoon." "Did sir call her?" "No, she called me. In fact, she was scheduled to come to my place that Saturday night, and she called me to tell me that she couldn't come because of something." "Did she say nothing?" "No, then..." Tsuboi said as if complaining, "Because she was on the phone at the hospital, so she couldn't tell me in detail. But she said that she would tell me when we met tomorrow, and happily said that the next day will be sure. Go cheer on my baseball team," "I see..." Yoshioka narrowed his eyes, maybe he has this habit when thinking about problems.His expression didn't look like that of an individual policeman, "Does this kind of thing happen often?" "This kind of thing?" "For example, I made an appointment with you, but I said that I couldn't come because of something." "When it comes to dating, we're very time-constrained. During the day she's at work, and my classes run from evening until nine o'clock. So she's been coming to my apartment lately...yes, there's an appointment and she's I didn't come, I talked about it two months ago. And I didn't call beforehand, and I only called to apologize at eleven o'clock at night..." "At that time, how did she explain it?" "It said there was an emergency. She should have left work at seven o'clock. Just as she was about to leave work that day, a call came and asked the doctor to come out. Because it was a serious case, I had to take the nurse... It was past ten o'clock after the consultation. Too tired, she called and said to choose a date after the date." "..." After listening, Yoshioka didn't ask anything, just stared at the empty coffee cup. Yoshioka thought that it might be the special relationship between Shiromoto and Hisako that night... Yoshioka's silence illustrates this point. Tsuboi himself couldn't get rid of this doubt. At that time, Hisako's explanation was convincing: "I'm sorry, I also want to make you happy..." Apologizing to her, he comforted her and said, "Okay, you are too tired, take a good rest!" Now it seems that there are indeed doubts. No matter how serious the patient is, the doctor and the nurse will take three hours, right?Once suspicious, thinking of Hisako's attitude later on, there is indeed a bit of warmth. Tsuboi remembered that Hisako came to Tsuboi's apartment a few days later, and he asked Hisako, "Did the seriously ill patient escape?" "Uh-huh," she answered absently. "What's the matter? You don't seem to remember?" Tsuboi asked again. "Eh? Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't think about that patient at once. I probably escaped danger. It's been a long time." Hisuko frowned and shook his head. Tsuboi didn't ask any further questions at that time.Although Hisako didn't understand what she said, she didn't ask her to explain again. But thinking about it now, her attitude at that time was indeed a little strange. There must be something going on between Rikuko Shiromoto and her "outpatient night".It may be a lie to say that it is a "diagnosis".Because she was lying, when Tsuboi asked about the patient, she couldn't answer... "Yoshioka-kun." Tsuboi couldn't bear the dull atmosphere and wanted to change the subject. "Oh?" Yoshioka opened his eyes in surprise. "Didn't her body be dissected? Since it was dissected, did she have sexual intercourse before she died? I want to know something about this." Tsuboi would not intervene in Hisako's case if there were traces of sexual activity. If there is sex, it means that she has betrayed Tsuboi.For the woman who betrayed him, it has nothing to do with him whether he dies or not. "There seems to be no trace of sexual activity." Yoshioka said in a flat tone. "Really not? That's strange? She went to the hotel called 'Heluzhuang' with Shiromoto. The police didn't see it with their own eyes, right? If there were no sexual traces in her body, maybe it wasn't her!" Tsuboi realized that he was becoming irritable, but couldn't hold it back.Tears couldn't help but flow down... The voice naturally also improved. But Yoshioka was not affected by Tsuboi's excitement, and still said in a calm tone: "No, I can't say no. There is no semen in her body. If she used a condom, no semen would be left even if she had sex. So even if there was no sex, it cannot be said that she was not the one who went to 'Heluzhuang'. If she had killed Jomoto before she had sex, it's possible. No, it's not just a possibility, that's about it." "Chang Ben died in bed, right?" "Oh. There should be hair, pubic hair, etc. on the scene. But there is nothing around Shiromoto." "Has the prisoner been cleaned?" "It is impossible to remove all traces. The victim died from the pesticide mixed with the beer. But the beer bottle and glass were placed in the lounge. It is conceivable that he died in the lounge and then transported to the bedroom. of." "But the prisoner is a woman, how did you get the corpse into the bedroom?" "It's not impossible. Shiromoto only weighs fifty-five six kilograms, so he's not too big. If the prisoner is a nurse, he should be very good at how to hug someone." "Then you still think she is the prisoner?" Tsuboi sighed. "I'm a criminal police officer." Yoshioka smiled wryly, "Although I didn't handle the case, I think the conclusion of the county police department should be correct. As her fiancé Mr. Tsuboi, I don't understand how she feels... even My nephew Goro also doesn’t believe that woman will kill people. I also have doubts, but it’s not strong enough to say it’s counter-evidence.” "What's that?" Tsuboi quickly responded to Yoshioka's words. "The lock on Nosue Hisako's door. According to Goro, Mr. rang the doorbell that morning but there was no answer, so he turned the doorknob and the door opened. Is that right?" "Yes, I remember it very clearly. At that time, I thought she might have gone shopping nearby!" "Isn't it strange to say that this is not surprising? How can someone who is planning to commit suicide not lock the door? Of course, it cannot be said that if the door is not locked, there is no possibility of suicide. Besides, there is no suicide note, maybe the husband hid it. This is also a suspicious point .” "I'm hiding, what do you mean?" "When Goro went to call the police, you were left alone in the room. Mister has plenty of time to hide the suicide note. No, I'm not doubting Mister, it's just a way of thinking." "You're not joking. I haven't done anything. Do I have to? Why should I hide a suicide note?" "Just an analogy. What if there is something in the suicide note that is against the husband?" Yoshioka squinted at Tsuboi. "Really..." Tsuboi waved his hand hastily, "I'm so surprised, you actually doubt me? I swear to God, I never hid any suicide note. Not only the suicide note, I didn't keep anything in that room touched." "Really? That is to say, there is no suicide note! However, there are many episodic suicides (suicides caused by momentary insanity.) There is no suicide note, and the motive is unknown. According to the testimony of the hostess of 'Heluzhuang', there is Mozi , sunglasses, and a blue dress as evidence. Therefore, it is easy to deduce that Hisako Nosue died of compulsive temperament." "Wait a minute, please," Tsuboi said, "What about the sunglasses and moss? Are those also evidence?" That Sunday, Tsuboi, as the discoverer of Hisako's body and her fiancé, was questioned by the police for more than two hours, but the police officer only asked Tsuboi questions, but did not answer Tsuboi's questions. The police published in the newspaper that "Hisako died by force".However, the newspaper did not mention that this conclusion was based on the testimony of the hostess of "Heluzhuang". That night after Tsuboi finished his work, he went back to the public house and sat at the table, intending to focus on what he heard from Detective Yoshioka. The first thing Tsuboi considered was the problem of moles. He seemed to see a mole on Jiuzi's face that day, but he forgot about it later, and now that he remembered that she shouldn't have such a mole, he had to think about why she only went there that day What about painting a mole on your face?Is it the habit of meeting Dr. Shiromoto? No... Tsuboi shook his head, this matter has to be considered in reverse. The starting point is that there is no special relationship between Hisako and Jomoto at all.If there is no special relationship, it would not be Jiu who went to "Kashikaso" with Shiromoto on Saturday night. So who is that mysterious woman?Assume she is a son-in-law. In other words, Azi and Hisako are completely two people. Under this premise, Tsuboi's thinking has gone a step further. The first question is, why did the waitress at "Heluzhuang" mistook A son, who was completely another person, for Hisako? She cannot be considered perjured.If she's lying, she can't tell about sunglasses, etc.It can only be said that she has "a particularly good memory and professional sensitivity". She said "because she was wearing sunglasses and couldn't see her eyes".It seems that what she said is the truth, which also shows that she herself has been deceived. Why can she make such a wrong judgment?Probably because that ruffian entered "Heluzhuang" and always wore sunglasses in front of Suzuko Ozawa.That is to say, in Ozawa Suzuko's eyes, Mrs. A is wearing sunglasses and has a ruffian on her left cheek. Early the next morning, she took a police car to identify Hisako's body.Hisako has a mole drawn on his left cheek. So she decisively pointed out that "it is indeed her".In the police car, the policeman said to her, "Go and see if it is the woman from last night."The words worked on her subconscious mind.So it is very natural for her to have delusions when she sees a woman with cockroaches. In addition, in Hisako's apartment, there happened to be sunglasses and a blue dress of the same style as A's, which further enhanced the credibility of Ozawa Suzuko's testimony. But what about the sunglasses and blue dress in Hisako's room? That was put there by son A, there is no other possibility. The second premise is that son A visited Jiuzi that night. Son A has the words of an accomplice. "A son or an accomplice visited Hisako that night." A son first killed Dr. Shiromoto in "Heluzhuang", and then came to Hisako's apartment.Hisako invited her into the house (Hisako called that day, and canceled the appointment with Tsuboi on the grounds that someone came. That "person" was Azi). Hisako poured notes for the visitors, brought snacks, treated them warmly, and probably made coffee. When Jiuzi left his seat, A put the pesticide into the coffee. Pesticide T is highly toxic enough to cause immediate death.Hisako fell to the ground as soon as he entered. Ayu saw that Jiuzi was completely dead, and did the following things.Wash the cups and put them back in the cupboard, and put the glasses on the table.Of course, before that, Hisako's fingerprints were pressed on the sunglasses.Then he took off the blue dress he was wearing and hung it on the hanger on the wall in the bedroom.In this way, everyone thought that the owner of the dress was Hisako. Detective Yoshioka referred to the sunglasses, blue dress, beanie, etc. as evidence.But thinking about it this way, these so-called evidences are not real. Tsuboi couldn't help shouting excitedly... So what kind of woman is A-son? At least she knew Jomoto and Hisako to some extent.Otherwise, Hisako would not invite her into her room, and she would not go to the hotel with Shiromoto to open a room.Or it turned out to have a special relationship with Jomoto. In terms of age, considering the fact that the waitress can have an illusion, it should not be much different from Hisako.Hisako is twenty-eight years old and looks a little older.Then A's age should be between 28 and 32 years old. In addition, one of her characteristics is that she has a mole? Tsuboi suddenly thought of this. After A son killed Shiromoto in the hotel, he suddenly realized that his mole might be discovered by the waitress.Although wearing sunglasses can only cover the eyes and part of the face, but the mole may have been left in the memory of the waitress... Covering up with makeup won't work. If you take off your makeup, it will give people a deeper impression. After thinking about it, son A came up with a reverse way of thinking. Painted a mould on the face of the dead ghost Hisako, causing the waitress of "Heluzhuang" to have an illusion. Therefore, the police will make a wrong judgment that the woman who went to the "Kawakaso" hotel with Shiromoto is Hisako. Child A must have made this wishful thinking. Tsuboi's palms began to sweat. These are the conditions for child A. So what motive did Azi want to kill Shiromoto and Hisako? First of all, it must be considered that because of "love", Shiromoto was killed in the "love hotel", which proved the relationship between the two. For example... Tsuboi thought: Recently, one of Jomoto and Ayu proposed to break up.For Shiromoto, child A is nothing more than an object to play with, and sooner or later they will break up (considering Shiromoto's age, social status, etc., this reasoning is not unreasonable).So it should be Shiromoto who proposed to break up. So son A turned from love to hatred, and finally developed into killing intent.But son A didn't need to kill Jiuzi. Tsuboi was asking and answering his own questions. If Ayu suspects that the relationship between Hisako and Jomoto is ambiguous.That is to say, son A thinks that Shiroki has a new woman, and neglects himself.And she mistakenly believed that this woman was a woman who had been murdered because of infatuation for a long time. It is very possible that she also had murderous intentions for Shiromoto's "new lover". Whether this answer is correct or not, Tsuboi himself is not sure. Too much imagination and not enough evidence.不过也不能说自己的推理没道理。 坪井将笔记本展开，打算将以上的推理和思考加以整理。 正当此时，他有了一个新的想法。探查A子的突破口，应该从城本的患者中查找。 A子与城本之间有特殊的关系这是毋庸置疑的，甚至可以说就是情人关系。 那么他俩是怎样认识的呢？坪井认为A子是城本的患者可能性比较大。 根久子说城本医院好像很忙，患者一天到晚不断。女患者特别是年轻的家庭主妇比较多，大概因为附近是住宅区的缘故吧。 在这么多女患者中有个把人对城本抱有好感不算奇怪。其中—个女人引诱了城本，城本顺水推舟……或者是城本利用出诊的机会与之幽会。 第二天下午，坪井在城本内科医院拜见了城本的遗孀城本夏前一晚坪井想查查女患者的目录，看看有无符合A子条件的女人。为此他想请求城本夏江让他查看医院的病历。 夏江在中午过后接到了坪井的电话。 “坪井君？是患者吗？”她惊奇地反问道。 “对不起，我是贵院的护士野末久子的未婚夫。” “野末的？真的？”看来她相当吃惊，通过电话都能感到那种气息传了过来。 “哦，关于前几天那个案件，我有几个不同的看法，想征求一下夫人的意见。” “是吗……那好哇！”她干脆俐落地答应下来。 “呃？那么，我什么时候去拜访您？” “三点过后就可以，我丈夫的头七仪式马上就完了。有关那个案件我不想多说，不过既然您是野末小姐的未婚夫，我也想听听您的看法……” “明白了，那么，一会儿见。”坪井挂上了电话。 三点，坪井到了城本内科医院，夏江将坪井领到诊疗室。 “现在是非常时刻，请您多多原谅。那边还有好多亲戚……真不得了。这所医院不行了，我正打算找个可靠的人委托他来替我管理。” 遗孀夏江看起来和蔼可亲，对初次见面的坪井能讲那样的实话。 “对不起，在您百忙之中打扰您……” “您真是野末小姐的未婚夫？不是骗我吧？我怎么一次也没听野末小姐提起过您？” 夏江穿着和服。坪井对服饰虽不太懂行，但他知道人要根据年龄着装。比方今天穿丧服就比较合适。 没有想到她的口气相当开朗。假如说话低沉，甚至还有些怨恨，坪井就不好张口了。 “我刚才在电话里已经讲了。这次我来……” “您受惊了，您假如是野末小姐的未婚夫的话，对他们那种死法，肯定受了很大的打击。可是，您想说什么呢？”夏江快言快语道。 “野末久子跟您先生的事，夫人对此事怎么看？” “这个……对已经死去的人我恨不起来……” “不，我不是这个意思，您没想到他俩有些奇怪吗？” “那倒没有。我至今也不相信这件事。出事后我想来想去，总觉得有点不对劲。在我的眼里，他们完全是医生跟护士的关系。患者中也没有人看出猫腻。可旅馆的女招待却说野末小姐跟我丈夫—起去那种地方。” “就是这点。我认为是不是那位女招待产生了错觉？” 坪井赶紧说出了关键问题。由于夏江一句“至今也不相信”的话、使他感到高兴。 “错觉？那么说，难道跟我丈夫一起去'河鹿庄'的不是野末小姐？” 夏江眨了两三下眼睛，紧紧地盯着坪井。 “哦。我认为给先生下毒的不是久子。” 坪井将前一晚考虑的事情一一向夫人讲明。 夏江虽然也不时插几句，但始终非常专注地听坪井谈话。听完后，她深深地叹厂口气。 “太让人吃惊了！那么说来确实如此。野末小姐第二天与您有约会，头天晚上却去服毒自杀，真是有些莫名其妙。即使她是犯人、又没有被追捕，至少没有自杀的必要……” “您没想过假如她不是犯人？” “那个，现在让我急于……” “不，我不是那个意思。先生有情人这件事，夫人原来没有察觉到吗？” “不知道。您从野末小姐那儿听说过吗？” “没有……为什么？”坪井反问道。 “比方说，我丈夫要是有女人的话，在哪儿联系见面？都去干什么？” “这个……我想一般都是用电话联系吧。” “是吗？我这儿有医院用和家庭用电话。所以他要与女人联系，肯定要用这部电话，也就是医院用电话。也有我丈夫打出去的，也有对方打过来的……假如野末小姐与我丈夫是同伙的话，对于我丈夫来说，不就有些不自由了吗？野末小姐与我丈夫整天在一起工作……再加上凡是外边来的电话都应该由野末小姐来接不是吗？所以不跟野末小姐串通好了，我丈夫与其他女人联系是不可能的……” “的确如此，不过，我什么也没听说过。” “明白了。”夏江失望地说。 “呢？什么意思？” “野末小姐是被杀害的……我丈夫在情人旅馆被害。假如野末小姐还活着的话，马上就知道犯人是谁。不是吗？” “啊？”坪井纳闷了。 “在情人旅馆男的被杀，女的逃掉了。员警肯定要查我丈夫和那女人的关系。一定会先来医院调查。野末小姐大概会将我丈夫的情人的名字告诉员警？作为犯人野末小姐活着对她来说是个很大的威胁，不对吗？” “是啊……的确有道理。” 坪井的声音高了起来。这种说法，比他昨晚的推理更具有说服性。 “还有，”夏江若有所思地说，“您也许不知道，我现在终于有了获救的感觉。” “哦？什么？” “我以前对野末小姐十分信赖。工作方面那就甭提了，她从来也不多嘴多舌……所以从员警那儿听说野末小姐强迫我丈夫自杀时，从某种意义来讲，比我丈夫被杀打击更大。他俩的关系让人吃惊，为什么要情死呢？我既着急，又搞不懂。刚才听了您的话才知道野末小姐与我丈夫之间没有那回事，心里舒服多了……虽然死者不能生还，那也是没法子的事。” “……”坪井沉默了。他想不出合适的语言应答。 “可惜的是，到现在只是推理，最重要的是不知道那女人的名字。”说着，夏江打开城本的抽屎，“不知道那个线索是否藏在这里面。” 接着她喊道：“呃？这是什么？里面有东西？” 说着她拿出了一个白纸包。原来是个系着红白纸绳（在日本扎红包用的硬纸绳有红白相间的和金银相间）的贺仪袋。 夏江灵巧地解开绳子。从里面拿出一遝万元一张的钞票来。 “是钱！” “哦，请等一下，让我数一数……” 她用手指蘸了口唾沫，然后开始数钱。坪井也下意识地一边看着一边跟她数数。 全部共五十张。 “是五十万元。” 夏江将钱放在桌上，拿起贺仪袋左瞧右瞧。在最上方只写了“礼”字，既没有写着送给谁的，也没有署名。 “奇怪？真让人不可思议。这究竟干什么用的？” “那不写着'礼'字吗？是不是哪位患者痊癒后送的谢礼？” “不对。送给大学医院的先生还差不多，这么家小医院，哪能送这么厚的礼！” 她拿过一张，冲着亮光看了看。 “哦，也许他想自己来支配这笔钱。” 她将这遝钱再次放入贺仪袋中，然后掖到和服的带子（日本女式和服的带子很宽，有十五厘米左右，可以临时掖点小东西。）里，在上面拍了拍。 这时她发现抽屉还敞着，赶紧把它关好。 “看来抽屉里的东西就这些了。假如我知道了那女人的名字再跟您联系……” “夫人！”坪井先咽了口唾沫说道，“能否把病历借给我看看？” “病历？谁的？” "all." “全部？干什么用？” “咱们不是认为先生的那个女人就在患者中间吗？查一下病历，挑出二十七八岁至三十二三岁的女患者，然后一个一个地调查，看看其中有没有鼻子左边长痦子的女人。” “哦……您要看全部病历，这办不到。医生有保守患者秘密的义务。病历上面写着除了本人不得让他人查看……” “可是病历不是用德文写的吗？我又不懂德文。” 坪井不懂夏江的态度为什么变得如此之快，但看出她有些胆怯。 “不行，您说您不懂德语，也许您能看懂呢？假如真有必要查看病历，这项工作由我来做……我丈夫的女人也许在患者中，也可以找别的根据嘛！” “哦，就这样吧……我明白了。我另外再想想办法。” 坪井只得罢手。从她的表情判断，再怎么求她，也不会让他查看病历的。 坪井从城本医院出来往公寓走，一路上嘟囔了好几遍，也许太强人所难了。 他虽然对夏江说“再想想别的办法”，可是实在也设想出什么好主意来。 星期日下午，市中心商业街上的人成几倍的增长。凡是三十来岁的女人过来，他都要看看鼻子左边是否长颗痦子。观察了一会儿、使他感到有些绝望。 这个年龄段的女子倒是很多，可左脸颊上长痦子的女人一个也没有。 昨晚当想到“A子”可能是左脸颊上长痦子的女人，本以为前进了一大步，看来也没什么意义。 总而言之，没有任何权力，不依靠组织的力量，个人是很难完成此事的。 坪井又一次想对吉冈说，请员警出动搜查。发挥员警的力量也许查出A子格外简单…… 不过，吉冈可能听不进坪井的话。 坪井所谓进一步的推理，久子不是杀害城本的犯人，但拿不出真凭实据。这种外行人的推理，是惊动不了员警的。 警方一旦做出结论，要他们推翻自己的结论再去做调查，没有强有力的证据是根本办不到的。 坪井在屋里四周转来转去，突然脑子闪过蓝色连衣裙的事。 那件连衣裙不也是一个证明吗？ 根据坪井的推理，在久子卧室的墙壁上挂着的连衣裙实际上不是她的衣服，而是嫌犯人子看见她毙命后，脱下来留在现场的。 如果沾在上面的汗渍不是久子的，说明那件连衣裙就是A子的。现在的法医学应该能从沾在衣服上面的汗渍中鉴定出血型来。 所以，将那件连衣裙和久子的其他衣服做一个比较鉴定，就能证明那是不是久子的东西。 想着想着，坪井欣喜若狂。蓝色连衣裙是“河鹿庄”的女招待小泽铃子提供的有力的补充证据。若是能鉴定出那件连衣裙不是久子的衣服，让员警重新调查也不是不可能的。 于是……他展开空想的翅膀。 他要让刑警们章着那件连衣裙到市内妇女用品商店、百货店等地方探查。一定会有店家承认这是从自己的店里卖出的，有可能查出买主。 特别是要委托吉冈做法医学鉴定。 那天夜里，他梦见了久子。 久子靠在他的肩膀上，用手托着腮帮站在酒吧的吧台边。最初他与久子相识就是在斯坦德酒吧（站着喝酒的酒吧。）。后来他俩也经常去那儿。 梦中的久子喝着一种奇怪的饮料。葡萄酒杯里装着像棉花糖似的轻飘飘的白色东西，可上面一层红的像血似的。 这颜色坪井像是在哪儿见过。 坪井问久子：“你喝的什么？” “这个？想让我告诉你？云，这是天上的云彩。” 久子望着坪井愉快地笑着。 久子的亲姐姐住在市郊县营住宅区。久子的姐姐永子是久子惟一的亲人。她的丈夫在县土木科任技师。 案发后，从市立医科大学运回久子尸体的就是姐姐和姐夫。 因为报纸上大肆刊登说久子是“强迫性情死”。姐姐他们忌讳别人讲闲话，连告别仪式也没举行，将遗体从医大直接送往火葬场。 去久子公寓里整理遗物的非永子莫属。 久子生前只带坪井去过一次。那天是星期天，永子的丈夫木塚和上小学一年级的孩子都在家里。木塚少言寡语，待人冷漠，但对坪井还算不错。 “下盘棋如何？” 坪共向木场挑战，结果坪井输了四个子。 坪井一边想着一边看着县营住宅区的导游图。 这儿的房子全都一样，一家挨一家。他只来过一次，很难找到永子的家。 正当此时，他发现了一个人便向前走去，原来是永子站在那儿。 “啊，您……” “果然是坪井君，我总觉得很像，从刚才我一直瞅着您。您到我家来？” 永子是近视眼，戴着无边眼镜，她将眼镜拿在手里，过来使劲地瞅着坪井。 “哦、我有件事想跟您商量……啊！那……” 坪井说到半截，吃惊地喊了一声。因为他看到永子穿着一件蓝色的连衣裙。 “呃？怎么啦？” “衣服，这件衣服是久子的遗物？” “晤，这件不是。怎么啦？” 永子纳闷地问道。 “她的遗物当中不是有件蓝色的连衣裙吗？” “蓝色连衣裙？哦！那件衣服哟。”永子微微地皱了一下眉头。 她说“那件衣服哟”证明她知道那件衣服和案件的关系。 “那衣服，在府上？” “哦，今天早上才从洗衣店里取回来……” “拿去洗了？”坪井的声音忍不住提高了。 "yes……" 永子对坪井的反应感到吃惊，便往前走了一步，“姐妹们都说那件衣服不洗洗的话感到有些不舒服。久子就是穿着那件衣服跟城本先生去旅馆开房间，再加上服毒自杀……本来想扔掉它，可那是件高档服装，就没舍得扔掉……” “高档服装？” “是的，那孩子的衣服属那件最高档。虽然我看不懂缝在里面的商标，但感觉像是外国货。站着说话多不好，咱们回家吧，边走边谈。” 永子先行了一步。手里拎着的购物袋里面只装着钱包，瘪瘪的。 “您干什么去了？” “我去看牙医了。有几颗龋齿……” “是吗？我也经常害牙痛，可是懒得去牙医那儿……言归正传，接着刚才的话题，那衣服上的商标在哪儿？” “在衣襟这儿。”永子用右手指了指脖子后边，“一般的衣服都将商标缝在这儿对吧？可那件衣服不同。那孩子其他衣服都不这样。所以，我还纳闷为什么单单这件衣服跟其他衣服不一样？” "yes?" 坪井咬着下嘴唇。永子的话证明了他的推理是正确的。 可偏偏永子把那件衣服拿去洗了，太遗憾了。 永子一回到家就给寿司屋打电话订外卖。 订好了饭以后，坪井就把杀害城本的不是久子，久子也是被同—个犯人所杀的推理讲给永子听。 “所以说，把那件连衣裙洗了，真有点可惜。不然的话，也许能证明留在衣服纤维中的汗渍不是久子的。” “……”永子一言不发默默地流着眼泪。 “别这样，我没有埋怨姐姐的意思。有关连衣裙的事，我也是昨晚才想起来的……只是员警不应该急于做出那样的结论来。” “哎！久子现在该恨我了。就这么一个有用的线索，被我给毁了……” 永子用手帕擦着鼻涕，站了起来跑到厨房去了。 坪井想要是不对永子讲那件连衣裙的事就好了。 永子与久子感情很好。双亲早逝，姐妹俩相依为命。 水于也许由于刚才的话题受了打击。但愿别钻了牛角尖，得个神经官能症什么的…… 过了一会儿，永子回来了。好像洗过了脸，化的妆已经完全没有了。 “对不起，让您见笑了。” “哪里，哪里……” 坪井苦笑了一下，他看着永于的素面，想像着鼻子左边要是有颗痦子会是什么样子。 “喂，坪井君，我刚才洗脸的时候，突然想起一件事来，您从久子那儿听说过'礼'的事吗？” “'礼'？什么事？” “您稍等一下。”永子站了起来走到隔壁房间，从日式橱柜上的文件箱里找出一个白纸包来。 "This is it." "Ah, this..." 坪井接过来一看，和前一天在城本医院见到的贺仪袋一模一样。只是这个没有扎着红白相间的纸绳，但也写着个“礼”字。 他打开一看，不同的是里面什么也没有。 “这？这是怎么回事？” “在久子的文件箱里找到的。虽然里面什么东西也没有，可我想起一件事来。” “……”坪井默默无语。 “这是上上个月末的事了。在发工资之前，大概二十二三日。我家的财政稍微有些危机，就到久子那儿去借钱。她说可以，便从一本书里拿出一遝钱来，借了两万给我。当时我觉得那遝钱有十万元。” ——永子惊讶地问久子： “你们这么早就发薪水了？” “哦，二十五日发薪水。这是额外的收入，是患者送的礼金。” 久子回答道，但没说明患者为什么送礼—— “所以我一见这个贺仪袋，就想起那件事来……不知是个什么样的患者给护土十万元钱，我想太多了。那孩子没对您讲过吗？” “没有，我这是第一次听说。” 坪井一边回答，一边想，医生五十万元、护士十万元……绝对没错，这是同一人送的。 “莫非她帮人干了什么坏事？” “坏事？比如……” “给人家私自堕胎？” “那也不是什么危险的事哟！”