Chapter 7 Finally, and the biggest case

In fact, it was already planned to go to Green Leaf City this afternoon. Today is my nineteenth birthday. Every year on my birthday, I always choose a place that I have never been to and have fun. This has become my habit.Although it has been nineteen years since I was born in this small town, I have never been to the most famous place in this small town. Recently, I learned from TV reports that this ancient city, which is very famous in history, is now dilapidated, and the original majestic castle is now only a few ruins.Since I lost my mother three years ago, I have been living with my father, but I am not very social, so whenever my father is away, I can only be at home by myself.However, since my father remarried with a woman more than ten years younger than him three years ago, my family suddenly had a new mother and a younger brother brought by her. Since then, my life has completely changed.

"My subordinate has a girl named Yaguchi, do you know her? She looks very young, but she already has a very beautiful two-year-old boy." One day my father introduced me to a woman who looked younger and more beautiful than I was brought home.While drinking tea, the woman praised our house not only for its warmth but also for its niceness.At that time, I was usually timid when I met outsiders, and I asked her very naturally: "Can you tell me your name too?" "True tree, true or false, tree of trees. People always think I'm a boy when they see this name." As she spoke, she smiled at me.In fact, I thought at the time that although her surname was Yaguchi, it would soon be changed to my family's surname.Because I changed my name to Makoto as my mother before the two of them remarried.

I like this new brother more than this new mother.When I first met him, he was just learning to walk, and he was like a cute little pet.Although this five-year-old brother still retains the innocence and purity of a small animal, he has grown into a cute kid with a smarter mind than adults. He has also become my best chat partner every day. Since two newcomers came to my family, I naturally became more cheerful than before, and even had a lot of contacts and exchanges with other people.Since the year before last, I have had a boyfriend who is in the same class. Last year, on my birthday, and by the way, I went to Tokyo with him for the first time to take the university entrance exam.After the exam, we held a celebration ceremony at a restaurant in Shibuya that we had only seen on TV.

Regrettably, I didn't pass the exam in the end. After that, he went to Tokyo to study alone, and the relationship between us became more and more distant, almost like breaking up. Therefore, I was going to take my best friend Guanghui to go to the nearest scenic spot in Sendai, which I have never been to before... But just after noon, a phone call suddenly came from the kindergarten, saying yes : "Jun Guanghui was stung by a wasp just now." It was Maki, my new mother, who answered the phone just in time for the two of us to have a simple lunch together. "Stung by a wasp? Where did the wasp come from in this cold winter?"

My mother glanced at me, and then said: "Don't pay attention to it, it must be another harassing call." After she finished speaking, she wanted to laugh again, but she frowned strangely and didn't laugh out loud... An hour later, when she stood In front of the kindergarten principal, my mother also showed this dumbfounding expression. After receiving the call, the mother drove straight to the hospital in the suburbs where Guanghui had been sent, but she was told there had never been a child patient with this kind of injury... She immediately returned to the hospital. I called the kindergarten from the hospital, but the teacher there said:

"Mr. Guanghui was picked up by his father thirty minutes ago...it is said that his mother was stung by a wasp at home." So the mother hurried to the kindergarten again and quarreled with them for a long time. Finally, a young teacher named Yoshimura who had just come to work in the kindergarten for a few days came out and admitted everything. I used to be the father of Mr. Guanghui, so when the other party proposed to pick up Mr. Guanghui, I asked the child: "This is really your father, right?" Mr. Guanghui nodded heavily after hearing this..."It seems that this What the teacher said didn't seem like a lie, so she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, it happened to be the busiest time here before noon, and the other teachers couldn't remember what Mr. Guanghui's father looked like, so they mistook him for the child's father..." The kindergarten principal gave such an irresponsible explanation to the mother lightly.And the mother frowned, not because she heard the director's words, but because she immediately heard the sound of nursery rhymes from her coat pocket... "Umm...ummm...yes..." She could only agree repeatedly, but hung up the phone without saying a word.Turning around, she said to the principal and the others: "I'm really sorry, it seems that Guanghui was picked up by my husband... He said he was just playing a silly joke on me. Guanghui is safe and sound, don't worry .”

After speaking, my mother took my hand, turned around and got into the car parked in front of the door, and drove the car away as quickly as if I was fleeing.I always feel that things are a little strange, because if she finds out that it was just a joke made by her father, she should be relieved, but why is she so sad?Seeing her concentrating on holding the steering wheel tightly, her face seemed to be stiff, looking extraordinarily serious.When she saw my puzzled eyes, she also realized that she was driving in a daze, so she slammed on the brakes and pulled the car to the side of the road.

"The call just now was actually from the kidnapper. It seems that Guanghui has been kidnapped." At the same time she said this, I felt the car that was supposed to be parked suddenly shake... It seems that my mother really felt the huge mental shock, and her body trembled involuntarily. The mother's too thin body shook like an earthquake.I found out later that the kidnapper told my mother on the phone: "You are in the kindergarten right now? Then please tell the teachers right away, 'It's just a joke made by the father of the child. In fact, the child is safe and sound'. After paying a gift Go back home immediately and wait, and I will call you again later." Then he threatened again: "If you think the child's life is important, please do as I tell you immediately."

"Kang Mei, call your father quickly." Mother said to me in a trembling voice.She was already panicked and bewildered, and I was also at a loss because of the fright. After listening to her words, I came back to my senses. I took out my phone and was about to call my father... But at this moment, my mother's cell phone It rang. "It's your father calling." Mother yelled, and quickly pressed the phone tightly to her ear. "Hmm, um...it seems to be a real kidnapping, but..." Someone called his father's company just now and told him about Guanghui's kidnapping.The father was taken aback, and quickly called the mother to confirm whether it was true.

"Did the kidnapper call you?" Mother asked. "No, it's not the kidnapper who's calling." "Who is that? How could he know..." "It's the police, the Miyagi Police Headquarters. It is said that the kidnappers called the police on their own initiative, and they clearly told the police that the child is in his hands, and the name is Guanghui. The police don't think this is a false report. Fucking phone calls, so a police officer called and asked if there was such a thing, so I asked you to confirm if it was true...” I hugged my mother tightly, put my ear close to the phone, and listened to the conversation between the two of them.Later, my father told me that when the kidnapper called the police, he said: "I kidnapped the son of the president of Xiaoshan Food Company. I have already told his wife, and I will ask the police to tell the president. In order not to make you think I was making fun of the police, I asked the child to talk to you directly." The kidnapper's tone was very flat, as if he was reading some manuscript.Then let the child speak, also in the same tone: "My name is Xiaoshan Guanghui, because I have been kidnapped, please inform my father." He spoke slowly, word by word. "Isn't this kid suffering from a cold? Why does his voice sound so hoarse?" said the policeman who called.As soon as the father heard it, he knew it was his son's glorious voice.Because Guanghui shouted and shouted while playing video games, his voice was hoarse. "By the way, it seems that when the kidnapper called to inform you, he didn't let Guanghui say a few words to you... I think you should do as the kidnapper said first, and go back home and wait for his call. The police will come soon When you get home, don't act without authorization before they arrive, and I will go home right away," said the father. When our car turned left at the intersection in front of the station, snowflakes suddenly fell from the sky... When we passed under the overpass above the intersection, a piece of white dust in the gloomy sky seemed to play a song of light and snow Grand duet.Looking up, the overpass above the street looks like a small overpass. Whenever I pass under the bridge, it makes me imagine that I am in the future world. I especially love crossroads. Now our family is actually like pedestrians we met by chance at a random intersection. My father, Maki, and Guanghui walked out of the four intersections respectively, and then met in the middle of the intersection. My boyfriend and I were also at the intersection last year at this time.The intersection in Shibuya, Tokyo that day seemed like a battlefield in some distant country. He and I were holding hands and walking towards the station. When we passed the intersection with mixed notices, we almost stepped on a pile of things and had to let go. opened. There is something like water under my feet... No, it is not water, but a transparent, sticky strange thing like heavy oil, and it emits a sweet and fragrant smell... until we came back that night When I arrived in Sendai, I found out from TV that it was actually honey.First, honey was sprinkled on the crossroads, and then the kidnappers released many bees to fly around... The kidnappers cleverly used the bees as weapons, first abducted the child, and then deceived the child's mother with the lie that "the child was stung by a bee in the kindergarten." It's..." "Mother--" I couldn't help shouting.No, I don't know if it yelled or if it yelled and mother didn't hear at all.My mother seemed to be frightened and just sat there blankly, but my thoughts flew to a distant place. As if being wrapped in the wind and snow and drifting around, my thoughts seemed to come to another strange world. Suddenly, I seemed to return to that unforgettable evening in Shibuya a year ago ... The bizarre kidnapping appeared in front of him like a fantasy that never happened.Strange Santa Claus, a swarm of bees, honey, a huge ransom that didn't lose a penny... At that time, even I, who came to Tokyo from a small place, felt like this crossroads in another world, and I heard later It is unbelievable that it has become the stage for an incredible kidnapping case.However, the case that happened in my house now makes me feel that it did not happen in reality, it can only be said to be a nightmare, which is unbelievable. That's because, since this case started off in much the same way as last year's uncanny kidnapping, it foreshadows an uncanny kidnapping too. That alone was clearest in my deadened mind, for I had already surmised, unfoundedly, that this case was going to be more complicated, more like last year's.About an hour after my mother and I returned home, another incident exactly like the kidnapping case happened. I'll write them in chronological order.When we got home, my mother hurried straight to the living room, and it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as the mother entered the door, she hugged the telephone set on the cabinet in her arms, and sat down on the sofa without moving.It was as if what was tightly hugged in my arms was not the brown telephone, but my son's glorious little life... After about 20 minutes, my father also returned home. Mother rushed over desperately and hugged her father, tears gushed out like a breached embankment, she leaned on her father's chest and wept like a tearful person, after two or three minutes, she finally Suddenly stopped crying, looked at his father and asked: "Strange! Why are you so calm?" When she spoke, her eyes looked so cold, as if she had distanced herself from her father all of a sudden. "The more you are at this time, the more calm your mind should be. If you panic like you, it will delay things." Hearing what my father said, my mother became even more restless. "Don't think I don't know. It's because Guanghui is not your own son that you are so indifferent. If Xiaokangmei is kidnapped and her life is in danger, you will definitely panic. Even Kangmei is the same... Don't look at her usually pretending that she loves Guanghui, but at this time she can see her sincerity. To her, what does Guanghui's life matter? Maybe she still feels that Guanghui is a burden in her heart, and she can't wait to be killed That’s good! You can see that she has no expression on her face as if wearing a mask, and she doesn’t even worry about Guanghui’s safety..." I was about to shake my head to deny what my mother said, but my mother's voice was getting louder and louder. I didn't expect that she, who is usually well-educated on the surface, would scream and curse hysterically like a middle-aged shrew.I couldn't help being stunned, and I couldn't make a sound. "What can she do? It's not that you don't know that Kang Mei is sick and can't speak!" The father couldn't help yelling angrily, and the mother was taken aback, then suddenly quieted down, as if she had returned to her usual mother's appearance.However, she suddenly became like this not because of her father's yelling, but because someone rang the doorbell at the entrance... As if they came to see our house, four policemen came to the door all of a sudden, all in plain clothes . The secretary Tokuda who came back with his father hurriedly welcomed the four police officers into the living room... Fifteen minutes later, these police officers had already arranged everything and were just waiting for the kidnappers to call.On the table are telephones, tape recorders and other communication equipment. "Mr. Guanghui will definitely come back safe and sound, don't worry...it just so happens that a police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department who has been engaged in the detection of kidnapping cases for many years and has handled many major cases came to Sendai on a business trip, and someone else will arrive in a while , he has concluded that Mr. Guanghui's life will not be in danger." An older police officer named Chuanshan said. "No, maybe it's not a coincidence that he came to Sendai..." After finishing speaking, he added another sentence. Of course, the police officer he mentioned at this time has been engaged in solving kidnapping cases for many years and has quite a lot of achievements. I never thought that he was in charge of investigating the so-called "bee case" that happened at Shibuya intersection in Tokyo a year ago. The Police Department. The police station stood in front of the entrance of my house just after three o'clock in the afternoon.Even when he announced his various positions in the Metropolitan Police Department in one breath, and finally announced his name "Hashiba", I still didn't associate him with the case, only saw him wearing A set of light brown suit with pinstripes, the appearance is very free and easy, the 30-70 parted hair comb is not messy, but what is surprising is that his every move looks very mechanical and rigid, which makes people think of relying on manual labor. A vegetable that sustains life.Unexpectedly, after the Shibuya crossing case happened, some media ridiculed him as "a man who was led away by a woman's ass". Let me very disappointed. A year ago, because I happened to pass by that crossroad that day, I didn't expect to encounter the scene of paying the ransom, which made me particularly interested in that miraculous case. So I looked around in various newspapers and magazines, and read almost all the reports on the case. After the police department entered the living room, they greeted their parents first, and then said: "Actually, I had anticipated this case a long time ago, so I came to Sendai yesterday." As he spoke, he took out a white envelope from his coat pocket, took out a piece of paper inside and showed it to everyone, and said, "To be honest, the kidnappers invited me here. Let me come to this city to handle this case .” The piece of paper in his hand turned out to be a Shinkansen soft-seat ticket from Tokyo to Sendai, the train number was MAX Yamabiko, and the departure time from Tokyo was 12:08 noon today, which happened to be the time when the case happened. "This ticket was mailed to me by the Metropolitan Police Department yesterday. It contained only the ticket and no letter. The sender only signed the word 'Lan'." The police department turned the envelope over, and sure enough, there was only a flamboyant brush character "Lan" written on the sender column on the back, which looked like a depiction of an orchid.Only then did I finally get to confirm. "Ah! So he is the police department!" Since a year ago, I have become a fanatical follower of this kidnapper who calls herself "Lan", just like girls of the same age in almost the whole country, and I admire her so much.At the same time, he was naturally particularly interested in the popular man of the Metropolitan Police Department who was ruthlessly knocked to the ground in the first round of the two-person contest—"Police H".Since the newspapers and magazines that reported the case did not disclose the real name and photo of this person, this instead prompted me to give full play to my advantage, that is, my rich imagination-which is actually just imagination in the end, to paint for him in my mind. It looked as it should have been imagined.Although the police department standing in front of me today is not as cold and heroic as I imagined, the ability and freedom of a man who can gain a foothold in a big place like Tokyo with many capable people is still the same as I imagined . People nowadays say that nouveau riche are of the worst quality. Apart from having a lot of money, they look very rustic in food and clothing. My father is exactly this kind of person. When compared in front of the police department, it is obvious that he is not only obscene, but also looks like a A rich man like a miser. My father inherited a small dim sum shop located on Aoba Street from Sendai Station to the city from his grandparents. It specializes in producing a kind of Sendai-style dim sum, replacing the red bean paste of the feather biscuits with Western-style ones. The shape of the cream has also been changed to a Western-style packaging that is more popular with young people, and it has a very nice name called "Gorse Flower".Unexpectedly, this change made this unpopular dim sum famous and loved by people from all walks of life, and the sales volume suddenly doubled.This happened not long after I was born. I heard that my father’s most successful trick was trying to get one of the most popular pop singers in Japan to mention his favorite food in a TV interview. The product "Gorseflower", and added eloquence to say that this kind of dim sum is my favorite since I was a child.After this interview was broadcast across the country, calls from all over the world kept ordering, and my father made a lot of money because of it.Not long after, he replaced this small workshop-like shop with a large-scale processing factory in the suburbs of Sendai, established his own independent sales network throughout the country, expanded his business to the whole of Japan, and became a A well-known big entrepreneur in the country.Saying that he is an entrepreneur only sounds foreign in name, but in fact he is just a nouveau riche and a miser... On the big cabinet in our living room, in addition to the TV, there are also several golf trophies, a colorful Kutani vase, and a large plate full of my father’s push. This "Gorse" snack on the top spot is for entertaining guests. There is also a huge grandfather clock with a golden pendulum in the living room, a real piece of skin peeled off from a leopard is covered on the sofa, and a processed deer with long horns is hung on the wall. head... Perhaps it was this kind of nouveau riche's behavior of showing off his wealth that attracted the kidnappers to follow him?Photos of my father posing in various poses in this living room have already appeared on the covers of various financial magazines.However, what disdains me the most is his face when he is submissive, nodding and bowing in front of the police department, just like a piece of old-fashioned Yu Erzhong dim sum just out of the oven, with his flushed face and round cheeks. The sharp eyes of the police department were fixed on the father's shiny face. It seemed that the police department also found the motive of the kidnappers from his father's chubby face. "I think this kidnapper named 'Lan' must be familiar to you. On this day last year, she planned and carried out a major case that shocked the whole of Japan." When the father and mother heard these words, they immediately remembered the case that happened at the Shibuya intersection. "Oh. Isn't it the female bandit leader whose mock portraits are shown on TV all day... I heard that the police haven't caught her yet. So, she came to Sendai again and kidnapped my child. Right?" Mother was still trembling when she said this, and she leaned tightly on her father, holding his hand. "It's very possible..." The police department nodded solemnly, "I felt it in this case last year. The kidnappers did this to a large extent to challenge the police. The Shinkansen in my hand The ticket was obviously the letter of challenge from her, so I hurriedly put down my work and rushed to Sendai. There are several old classmates of mine in the Sendai prefectural police headquarters, and I have already told them that according to my prediction, The departure time on the ticket is 12:08 noon. A new kidnapping case is very likely to occur in Sendai. In case something happens, let them notify me immediately. Sure enough, the thing I am most worried about is Appeared." The police department also told us that his direct participation in the investigation of the case has been approved by the prefectural police headquarters, and he has also received an order from the Metropolitan Police Department to participate in the investigation before leaving Tokyo. He also said that although the trip was heavy on his shoulders, he was here as a guest after all. In fact, the commanding authority on the front line was still the most senior of the four officers sent by the local county police, the two-haired man named Chuanshan. In the hands of Bai's old police department, I just came to assist him.But in my opinion, several police officers from the local area are silently burying their heads in debugging the machine or checking the equipment, and only this police officer from Tokyo is talking non-stop with the relatives of the victim arrogantly. A recital venue where he performed alone.The Chuanshan Police Department who was in charge of the command in name only raised his eyes from time to time and sneaked a few dissatisfied glances at him... The other three simply put on a gesture of nothing to do with themselves, whispering secretly in private. It seems that there are various factions in the police, and the relationship between them is quite complicated. However, it seems that the bridge field police department is focused on work and doesn't mind the interpersonal relationship within the police. What he cares most about is the complicated relationship between our family as the relatives of the victim... At least I think it must be Is such that. Mother, oh, that is Masaki, while listening to the words of the police department carefully, she turned her head to look at my face worriedly from time to time... I know very well that my mother was so angry and hot-headed that she said many things that should not have been said. I don't know how much harm these words have caused me... At this moment, she has calmed down a lot, and she seems to have regretted it, so she is very concerned about my expression. In fact, my attention was not on my mother, but on the expression of the bridge police department. When my mother mentioned the words "kidnapped my child", the eyes of the police department flashed a gleam of light. This didn't escape my eyes...Usually at times like this, the words spoken by a mother must be "our child", not to mention that the father's body is still tightly next to the mother. At this moment, the eyes of the police department have paid attention to the expression on my mother's face from time to time. Following my mother's line of sight, the police department is also staring at my face.Suddenly, his eyes on me stopped, and he smiled and nodded to me silently... I always feel that he secretly smiled at me and hinted at something when no one else noticed. like.But at that time, just a thought flashed in my mind: "Could it be..." In fact, not only my father, but even the boyfriend who broke up with me last year never really showed concern for me before.So far, there are only two people who really care about me and who can take the initiative to reach out to comfort me. One is my biological mother who died, and the other is this younger brother brought by my stepmother. In fact, the person in our family who is most worried about Guanghui's safety is not the real tree, but myself.It seems that even this has been seen through by the police department.The moment he smiled and nodded slightly at me, I already keenly sensed... "After I arrived in Sendai yesterday, I kept thinking about who the kidnappers will kidnap this time. I spent a lot of energy looking for clues everywhere, but I didn't know that it was your family until the case happened. So my thought was Instead of passively resolving the incident after the incident, it is better to find out where the kidnappers are going to attack, and then we can take the initiative... As long as we can find out who the kidnappers are targeting in advance, we can prevent problems before they happen. It's just waiting to catch them all. Normally, it's almost impossible to find out who the kidnappers are going to attack in advance, but this 'Lan' has a distinctive feature when committing crimes, that is, she is very picky about who she chooses to kidnap. The selected target must meet several conditions. My idea this time was to start with the selection of the target that meets her attack conditions. Since this "Lan" made the big case that caused a sensation in society last year, and then I wrote a long letter to the Metropolitan Police Department to openly challenge the police. This year, she will definitely not let it go and sing this drama again. Part of the content of that letter has been disclosed in the media. The conditions for the target she wants to choose should be very clear..." The police department spoke eloquently for a long time, and then inspected the ten people present one by one to see how they reacted. There were two more people than just now because another young police officer was sent from the prefectural police headquarters for reinforcements. In addition, the servant of our family did not leave the police officer after he was brought into the living room. I know almost nothing about this little girl who came to our house as a servant half a year ago... I don't know if Li Jian is her first or last name, anyway, that's how she is called.In addition, she looked young, and it was hard to tell if she was really a girl, so we naturally didn't let her listen when we talked about important matters.But since the police department said just now, "This servant girl should also stay and listen, maybe I have something to ask her."We can't object.I saw that I didn't expect the police department to say that. I saw her eyes wide open, her whole body stiffened with nervousness, standing by the door and walking or not walking, she looked like a young girl girl. Everyone focused their attention on the Qiaochang Police Department, and I was the only one who stared blankly at the snow scene flying all over the sky outside the window.This window was carefully wiped with a rag dipped in anti-fogging agent, so it looks very bright, and the line of sight is not blocked by anything... Outside the window is a very delicate western-style balcony, and there is a large courtyard outside the balcony. The stone lanterns and dripping cliffs in the yard are purely Japanese. My father said it was a compromise between Japanese and Western architecture, but in my opinion, it was nothing more than a messy hodgepodge. Father can mess around as he pleases, making these incongruous landscapes, which are annoying from the bottom of his heart, and he can also show his so-called style of nouveau riche and rich man's vulgar taste everywhere, precisely because of relying on the exclusive product "gorse "Having accumulated a huge fortune for him, it seems that this kind of dim sum is the same as his father's ideology, and it is fundamentally a freak mixed with foreign and Japanese. It is precisely because of this heavy snow that everything outside the window is shrouded in whiteness, which calms down the battlefield of the battle between Japanese and Western styles, allowing them to quietly blend into a piece of pure white... Together with the snow scene in the yard, the large chandelier in the living room reflects everything in the house on the window glass, allowing me to see clearly. After patrolling the crowd for a week, the Bridge Field Police Department set their sights on my face.My eyes met his through the mirror-like window pane...and at that moment, he smiled at me. I think, compared to the police officers sent by the prefectural police headquarters, I am even more familiar with the Shibuya intersection case!Among the people present, I dare say that apart from the Bridge Field Police Department, at least I know this "Lan" better than the other eight people.Therefore, when the police department just said that she "selected the conditions set by the kidnapping target", I had already thought of what it was. The police department's smile just now seemed to see through my thoughts, and I felt this again. It was the father who finally broke the silence in the living room.He said: "Although I was also very interested in the case that happened last year, I forgot about it after a long time. Then tell me, what conditions did she set for the selection of the target?" "In the kidnapping case she planned, the first condition is that there must be children in the family... But it is by no means that she will start as long as there are children in the family, so this condition is the least important. However, in this case In addition to the conditions, she did not choose an ordinary family, but aimed at children with complicated family relationships, which is a very necessary condition..." Father and mother subconsciously looked at each other, secretly groaning. "If you want to talk about this condition, I think our family meets it. Many people know that the kidnapped Guanghui and I are indeed not related by blood... We both remarried with a child each." It seems that the police department agrees with this statement. He nodded his head twice and said: "However, it is very difficult to find a target for the kidnappers among the hundreds of thousands of citizens in Sendai City, so in my opinion, she still has one more important condition..." Having said this, the police department suddenly stopped talking.I don't know if he wanted to delay the time, but he checked his watch several times in a row.In fact, I noticed the watch in his hand as soon as the police department entered the living room just now. Based on the heavy light flashing from the glass on the watch cover, I concluded that it must be a super high-end brand-name watch. "Well, I'm not afraid of being ugly, let's just say it. Of course, I'm not saying that your family must meet this condition... The money this 'Lan' wants to swindle is not ordinary money, but special money .” "Special? How do you say that?" asked the father. "This person has a bit of a heroic spirit, and all he wants to ask for is some stolen money. Do you understand this sentence? The so-called stolen money is black money obtained by breaking the law..." "..." "Well, let me ask you again, have you ever earned this kind of black money?" "No, of course not." Father shook his head excitedly.But I can clearly see the opposite answer from his frown. Maki shook off her husband's hand on his shoulder, and said in a trembling voice, "But you...didn't the police check you last year..." The mother's words blurted out, and the father yelled angrily: "You are a woman, what are you talking about!" "But even in the newspapers..." "That's because the police deliberately made things difficult for me. Didn't they come up with nothing after checking again and again? Later, the police made an apology to me, didn't they?" Seeing that the couple started to quarrel immediately, the police quickly tried to persuade them, "Isn't that what happened..." "It's all caused by a small piece of news in the newspaper, insisting that I bribed the judges when I participated in the Famous Dim Sum Grand Prix. It's all groundless news." Hearing what his father said, the police department could only shake his head helplessly, and said: "I also read this report yesterday. Even if it is true, I don't think it's because of such a trivial matter that this 'Lan' took aim at your family. It should have nothing to do with this matter." The police department went on to say: "Actually, after I arrived here, I have read all the relevant news in the newspaper within a year, and the purpose is to know what happened to these bourgeois in Sendai around their process of getting rich... . . . " He interjected, as if justifying himself, and then added with absolute certainty: "I think this is the only thing that won't attract 'Lan''s attention. What she's aiming at should be more serious illegal money...that is to say, money obtained through criminal means." "I've never earned this kind of money!" My father couldn't bear it anymore, and retorted angrily loudly, "You mean, if the kidnapper is 'Lan', she must have done this, right? But it's still a假设，不也存在其他人假借'兰'的名义作案的可能性吗……假如是一个男人，他对去年发生的那桩案件特别感兴趣，自己策划了绑架案件后又把它嫁祸到'兰'的身上，这种可能性不能说绝对没有吧？” “说得对，这种可能性也不能排除。” 警部出人意料地老老实实承认了后，又问： “你心里有什么猜疑到的人吗？你对这位'其他人'是不是心里有数……” “我看就有这种可疑的人。刚才警部也说过，'家庭关系十分复杂'，我看我们正符合这个条件……”父亲的脸色马上变得严峻了起来，“我指的就是光辉的亲生父亲！那家伙倒是……” “你胡说八道！”话还没说完，真树在一边气急败坏地喊叫起来，“盐田他凭什么要绑架自己的亲生儿子！” “去年东京这桩绑架案刚发生不久，他不是还向我们提过想见见光辉吗？肯定是这家伙从电视上看到案子的报道后，知道被绑架的就是这么大的孩子，这才想到要打光辉的主意吧……” “盐田再怎么傻也不会去想绑架自己的亲生儿子吧？你在这里胡说些什么！” “可是，我听说他刚被证券公司辞退不久，最近又频繁地打电话找你，不会是偷偷向你要求接济吧？” “这事是谁告诉你的？我接过的几回都是骚扰的无声电话，就算电话是盐田打来的，他不说话你怎么能判定他想跟我要钱？” “可是，一年以前不也是你说过，盐田对这桩发生在东京的绑架案表现出异常的热心，你甚至还怀疑他是不是绑匪集团里面的人呢，对吧？” “我看对那桩绑架案表现得尤其关心的人远在天边，近在眼前，你怎么就没看出来？” 母亲——不，真树那歇斯底里的喊叫声突然变成了冷冷的讥讽，说完还向我身上瞟了一眼。 “要说这位康美大小姐可不简单，连一般大人都不买的下流杂志她都敢买，我看她贪婪地收集刊登报道那起案件的各种杂志，然后藏起来偷偷阅读……就连那些无声电话，我也怀疑就是她打来的，她现在有口说不出话，就算打电话想说些什么，反正也说不出来。” "Shut up!" 父亲的怒火终于被点燃了，骂出声来的同时狠狠地在真树的脸上甩了一个大耳光。真树一时被打愣了，只是毫无表情地瞪着父亲，半天也说不出话来，过了一会儿，她突然双手掩面，“哇”的一声号啕大哭了起来。 桥场警部只是冷静地看着夫妻俩吵架的全过程，顶多劝上一句：“你们俩请都冷静一下。” 这时，他又说道：“刚才要是我说得再肯定点儿就好了。绑匪除了这位'兰'以外，绝不可能是别人……你们看，这信封上的签名'兰'这个字，她的笔迹很有特点，别人是模仿不来的。我可以肯定地说，这位盐田作案的可能性几乎是零……当然，你们家小姐也绝不可能作案。” 说完，警部又看了我一眼。这回我们的目光是在窗玻璃上相遇的。就连客厅里的样子——父亲和真树吵得不可开交的全过程，我也是从窗玻璃的反光里看见的，朦朦胧胧地就像虚幻的感觉。 真树的眉根挑得高高的，面目狰狞得像个母夜叉。可是映在玻璃窗上后，与窗外飞舞的雪花重叠在一起，看上去反而倒像戏台上的人物一样充满了美感，让人产生一种效果上的错觉。可是自从看见她的这副样子，我在心里就已暗暗下定决心，从此再也不会叫她一声母亲了…… “哦，刚才是我对不起，心里光惦记着光辉的事了，对绑匪的怒气一时无处发泄，头脑一热就动手打了你……说实话，光辉对我来说，也是心肝宝贝的孩子。” 父亲这样对真树道了歉。也许起码一半是看在警部和周围几名警官的面子上才这么说的吧？ “相反，这么一来事情就越来越清楚了，绑匪是想把去年那桩案件在仙台再现一次……记得去年案件发生时，被绑幼童的两位父母在等绑匪来电话时，也同样像这样吵得不可开交……” 话刚说了一半，警部又稍微停了停，换了话题说道： “去年那起案子谜团就够多了，看来这一次要再多一个谜了。” 我估计他没说出口的半句话一定是：“为什么孩子的父母双亲总是到关键时刻互相推卸责任呢？” 县警本部来的船山警部一直默默地看着这位东京警视厅的警部在唱独角戏，这时才终于开口问了一句： “刚才你说再多一个谜，是指什么？” 也许是我过虑吧，总觉得他问的话显得很不高兴似的…… “我所说的谜就是，绑匪为什么要完全照搬去年那起充满谜团的案件？要说他们考虑不周吧，看来又不是如此……总之，从这点上来说，倒有点像是其他人作的案，又把它归罪于'兰'身上似的。” 桥场警部边说边摇了下头，可是马上又完全否定了自己刚说完的话，接着说道：“不过，这桩案子肯定是'兰'做的，绝对就是她。” 最后这句话警部像是说给自己听的。 “那你看是不是这名绑匪'兰'的自我表现欲太强，一定会向警方表示'这起案又是我做的'？” 最后才来的那名年轻警官插嘴问了一句。 “这你可说对了。”警部像演戏似的大声答道，“这么做就是给警方，尤其是给我看的。刚才我也说过，这桩案件中还有一个未解之谜，其实我早就知道这个谜底了。去年她写给我的信中有豪言壮语，说是'能在众目睽睽的环境中，让人不知不觉地把装有赎金的袋子取走'。其实她明明知道赎金交付地点周围有许多警察进行布控，许多眼睛都紧盯着装赎金的袋子，可是她偏偏要向我提出挑战，说是在这种情况下依然能够神不知鬼不觉地把装赎金的袋子取走。想让我看看她是怎样在我眼前变戏法，把根本不可能的事情变为可能的。正因为这样，她才把这桩案子完全弄成与去年涉谷发生的案件一模一样……绑匪的心思一定是这样的。” “这么说来，绑匪是为了向警方挑战才绑架走了光辉。为了跟你们打赌玩，竟然把一个孩子的生命拿来当儿戏，这种做法实在太过分了……” 父亲说着又摇了摇头，表示“简直难以置信”。 “我说的话不会听起来太乐观了吧？确实，我认为这桩案子在绑匪们看来，与其说是作案，倒不如说像在逗警方玩……正因为这样，我才敢断定她们要觉得逗够了就会把孩子平平安安地送回来，作为孩子的亲属，你们完全可以放心，请你们务必相信我的话……” 真树一听，打断警部的话说道：“警察说的话还能相信？说句难听的，去年的那起案子中，不是连你们也被绑匪耍得团团转，最后还是让她逃走了吗？康美放在自己房间里的那些报纸杂志上就是这么写的！” 话音刚落，她就已经后悔了，只见真树用双手扶住额头，低下了身子。隔着桌子，警部正用不满的眼光紧紧盯着她……真树像是被警部的眼光看得无处躲藏，才低头掩面不再说下去了。 “夫人，看来你是常到康美的房间偷偷学习吧？我想这也许不是故意的，只是偶而为之，对吧？有意思的是，绑匪怎么会偏偏选中你们这个对去年发生的案件十分熟悉的家庭作为下手目标呢……” 警察故意说了句打趣的话，这让客厅里的紧张空气顿时缓和了许多。可是他紧紧盯着真树的目光依然冷峻，也许他心里已经十分讨厌真树了吧……这一点上他和我怀有同感，替我这个说不了话的人狠狠贬损了真树两句。 看来我的想象并没有错，警部从窗玻璃上注意到我的视线，不由得转过身来又对我轻轻露出一丝笑意。 不知为何，我总觉得自己仿佛成了警部的助手。看来我的猜测并没有错，过了一会儿警部找了个机会偷偷把我叫了出去，小声告诉我：“有件事别对别人说，我想麻烦你帮我干点事。”可是，还有些在他对我说这些话之前发生的事必须先讲清楚。 警部对大家说：“为了让大家相信我说的话，我先做个预言，大家看准不准。我清楚绑匪过会儿打电话来时将会怎么说……” 接着，他把一会儿绑匪要说的话，以及我们该如何回答，一一告诉了父亲……警部的话音刚落，电话铃就响了起来。 这简直是我十九岁生涯中所听到的最可怕的声音……仿佛就像一只金属的恐龙张着血盆大口躲在我的身后似的。这只恐龙在一口吞掉了我心爱的弟弟后，又蹑手蹑脚地朝我袭来了，我已经听见了在我身后的它断断续续的心脏跳动声…… 可是绑匪的声音出人意料地平静，当父亲在警部的示意下刚拿起话筒，只听绑匪的声音说道： “请孩子的母亲接电话。” 绑匪的声音不知为何倒让我感觉放心了不少。真树上前接过电话，用悲痛的语气说了几句通常作为母亲在这种场合都会说的话后，整个过程就完全按照绑匪的意图展开了。绑匪说道： “那位警察就在你旁边，对吧？请警察出来跟我说几句……哦不，不用让他接了，反正我说的声音你们都能听得见。” 对方的话虽然粗鲁，但声音像在伤口上裹了块纱布似的，显得既温和又亲切。比起他的话来，反倒是真树哭哭啼啼的声音更让我感觉厌烦些。 有关这次电话以及下午四点对方第二次打来电话的内容，这里就不必详细记述了。绑匪两次打来的电话几乎都和警部所预料到的完全一致。而他们说的话也和去年他们绑架了圭太君后和孩子母亲通话的内容基本相同。去年绑匪与圭太的母亲的通话内容已经全部在报纸和杂志上登载过了，有些甚至在电视的新闻节目中也做了介绍……我还记得当时报道中还提过，绑匪的声音听起来让人感觉很亲切，由此看来，也许这次打电话来的就是去年的同一个人吧，我的感觉起码是这样的。 电话刚打完，警部就像自言自语似的嘟囔着说道： “看来这桩案件和去年发生的十分相像啊。连电话的声音都和我去年听到的相同……这种时候作为孩子的母亲也只能言听计从，毫无选择余地了，绑匪还是按照去年一样的说法，牢牢掌握了主动权。” 电话快挂断时话筒里传来了引擎声，同时，对方所说的最后一句话是“那好，下午四时再联系，下回你们把电话打过来”都和去年发生的绑架案中的情况完全相同。 不但绑匪说的话相同，连打电话时绑匪让光辉说出来的几句话也几乎和去年圭太与母亲的通话内容一模一样。先是真树关切地问儿子“没事”，光辉也一模一样地回答“没事”。 “不过，和去年的案件比起来，光辉的声音要沉着得多。去年圭太君在接电话时以为母亲被绑架了，说话时都快急哭了。” 警部又接着说道：“也许绑匪已经交代过孩子，只准他们照母亲说的一模一样的话来回答吧。” 真树听了往前探了探身子，像是想反驳一句什么，但警部根本没看在眼里，只顾自己说下去： “还有些地方与去年不同。去年案件发生时绑匪最后说的那句'四点再联系，下回你们把电话打过来'，声音明显要小得多，几乎让人听不清楚，还有，最后电话里听见的嗓音完全听不出是什么声音，可是这回能清清楚楚地听见是汽车开动的声音。看来他们一定是把车子停在停车场或者路边打来的电话。现在光辉君一定还在车里。这点倒是与去年相同。另外……” 警部摆出一副罗丹的雕塑“思考者”那样的姿势，依然还是自言自语似的说完这些话后，扭头和追踪来电位置的本地警官小声交谈了几句，然后又对我们说道： “绑匪用手机进行联系，以及用车子到处转移，以便让我们无法摸清来电的具体位置，这也和去年那桩案子完全相同。也许现在起到四点钟再次和我们联系之前，对方正从刚才打电话的地点离开，转移到另一个地点去吧。刚才他们打电话用的手机号码是零九六二三……” 他说完对方的手机号码后又问：“这部手机一定是谁丢失的吧？因为去年的案件中绑匪就是用被害人亲属丢失的手机和孩子家里联系。” 说完，他环顾了众人一周。不，尚未等他环顾完一周，已经有人回答了。 “这部手机是我丢失的。昨天夜里喝醉了回家，直到今天早晨才发现丢了……以为是忘在小酒馆里了……” 答话的原来是父亲的秘书。 “看样子无论什么细节都得和去年一样了啊……” 警部哭笑不得地说道。自从下午四点给绑匪打去电话，听到绑匪所说的话，他又接连苦笑了好几回。 第二次与绑匪的通话也基本上重复了去年案发当天下午四点的通话内容。在此我就不赘述了。更有意思的是四点以前警部和我所说的话……记得那是三点半左右，我离开客厅正想回二楼自己的房间去，警部发现后，也和刚才一样若无其事地跟在后头走到了走廊上。 不过，他当时并不是找我来的，而是和那位最后到来的县警本部的警官说了些话……有些秘密的话要说。 我回到房间后，只把门开了个一两厘米的缝隙，从缝隙里能看见楼下大厅里的样子。 这座欧洲宫殿般的弧形楼梯上铺着一层镶着金银丝线的红色中国地毯……选择这种华而不实的装饰品的正是我那位喜欢炫耀自己拥有的巨额资产的父亲。 大厅里整整一面墙上挂满了各种画，这些都是不懂艺术的父亲光凭价钱贵就买回来的。墙上映照出两个被灯光拉长了的影子。两个影子紧挨在一起，是由于警部和那位年轻警官为了不让客厅里的人听见而凑在一起小声地说着话。 我看不见两个人的身子，但玄关大厅里空荡荡的无遮无挡，所以我躲在房间里仍然隐隐约约地能听见他们说话。 “也就是说，他除开贿赂评委来获得大奖这件丑事之外，并没有听说他有违法资金来往的事情，对吧？” “是的。与他公司有关的人以及税务师等等我全都打听过了，没抓到他任何把柄……说是自己很能赚钱，存下不少资产什么，其实都是他自己胡乱吹出来的。此人性格非常死板，看样子不像是能私藏大量赃款的那种人……” 他们的话虽然很难听清，但我把耳朵贴近门缝还是能听见，用不着偷偷凑近他们身边去听。 只听警部说，自己有要事要离开一会儿，让那位年轻警官在那儿等着，便只身上了楼梯。我蹑手蹑脚地轻轻关好门，回到床上坐下了。 门外传来上楼梯的脚步声，接着，有人经过走廊，走到了我房间的门前。 门咚咚地敲响了几声，我悄悄凑近门边看了看，并没有马上开门……我屏住呼吸等着下一次敲门声，当敲门声又响起来的瞬间，我打开了门。 敲门的手突然敲了个空，警部一下子没站稳，往前趔趄了一小步才站住，不自然地举着手站在门边冲我尴尬地笑了笑，然后压低嗓门小声对我说道： “我能进来一会儿吗？有些事情想问问康美小姐。” 其后的二十分钟……整整二十分钟我都是在和警部的一问一答之中度过的。警部问我，而我只能用笔在本子上写作为回答。说是问我点事情，其实和讯问差不了多少。 “我刚才提过'赃款'的事，你还记得吧？你父亲是不是真在什么地方藏匿了这种来路不正的钱呢？关于这件事，你都知道些什么？” 我摇了摇头，接着在本子上写下了：“父亲只是钱多闹的，显得不安分而已，并没有存过什么来路不正的赃款。” “钱多闹的？这句话还说得挺巧妙。” 警部微微笑了笑，我一看警部明白了我的意思，也高兴地点了点头。 无论是家具、摆设、真树的那些服装，甚至还有她完全是用金钱堆砌出来的那张脸……这些无不是因为父亲的钱闹出来的，对于父亲来说，他也体会到了炫富的快乐，并不想把钱攒在哪儿或者偷偷藏匿在哪儿。 “你父亲的钱不存在来路不正的问题，这一点毫无疑问，我相信康美小姐说的话。可是这样一来就不好解释了……这位'兰'为什么偏偏瞄上了你们家呢？这个问题康美小姐怎么看？” “她们绑架光辉也许不是真想要我们的钱吧？” “这话也有道理。可是，你为什么会这么认为？” “兰想制造一桩和去年完全一模一样的案子，这话不正是警部你自己说的吗？那么就像那位圭太一样，绑架他只是为了做幌子，这难道不可能吗？” “就连幌子的'幌'这么难写的字你都会……是啊，写字不但是你将来的谋生工具，也是你一辈子的生活工具啊。” 警部佩服地说了一句，又扭头环视了一遍我的满满堆放着各种各样书籍的房间，指着我写的最后一行字说道： “其实我的想法与你不谋而合，看来这桩绑架案件背后一定还隐藏着更大的案件，真正的被害人连自己实际上被绑架了也许都不知道呢。你觉得你们家或者周围的人有谁可能要成为那位真正要被绑架的人？” “有哇，有一个。”我毫不犹豫地这样写道。因为自从刚才在客厅时起，我一直就在思索这个问题。 "Who the hell?" “你还不明白？” “不明白。”我用食指冲自己的胸口比画了一下。 “你是说，康美小姐你自己？” “正是。我一直都处于被绑架中，就在这个家，这个房间里。准确地说，从父亲……从三年前父亲与真树结婚起就被绑架了，我一直拼命在寻找从这个牢狱中逃脱的办法。不过，逃脱的路只有一条。” “……什么路？” “把自己的身体作为牢狱，逃进来后再把锁锁上。” 警部大惑不解地默默看着我。 “我说自己已经被绑架了，是因为绑架了我的既不是父亲，也不是真树，而绑匪正是我自己。我自己把自己绑架了。” 我一口气写下了这些字。“你的字写得可真叫快。”警部感叹地夸奖了一句，“你写的字几乎赶得上我说话的速度了。” 我只是默默地看着警部。 “你怎么啦？”他问。 我摇了摇头，在纸上写道：“我只是在笑。” 警部满脸惊讶地凑近我摊在桌上的本子看了看。似乎对我面无表情地写下的这句话大惑不解似的。 “哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈、哈……”我把这个字一连写了几十遍，然后又写道，“这就是我的笑声。” 警部陪着我在纸上写下的笑声也自然地笑了笑，既不像其他大人似的用怜悯的眼光看着我，也没有做作地大笑，自从刚才在客厅时我见过他的笑开始，我就对他微微撅起嘴唇露出的冷冷的不怀好意的笑容十分喜欢…… 接着，我又写下一句：“真对不起，这只是开个玩笑，与案件并无关系。” “不、不……噢，既然你对真正被绑架的被害人心中无数，那就算了，可是，你看周围有谁可能拥有来路不正的钱财？对此有何察觉吗？” “有，有个人。这回可是真的。” "Who?" “真树。也就是光辉的母亲。” 警部并未露出吃惊的样子。相反，他赞同地点了点头。看来他早就有同样的想法。 "Is there any proof?" “此人现在拥有近三亿财产，全都是用非法手段盗取来的。” “从谁那里盗取来的……” “从父亲手里。因为父亲的财产将来由我继承，也可以说是从我手里盗取来的。” "..." “前年，也就是她嫁进来的第二年，父亲患上一场大病，几乎就活不成了。当时她夜以继日地侍奉在床前，把父亲照顾得无微不至，很快便讨得了父亲的欢心，结果把这个家的整座楼的房产都变更到她的名下，然后她又用父亲的钱为自己购买了公司的大量股权。” “可是她这么做，从手段上来说并不算违法吧？” 警部的言外之意也许是说，如果这样的话，“兰”是没理由要瞄上她的钱的。于是我摇了摇头，又在本子上写道： “虽然说不上违法，但她的这种钱财是带着罪孽的不道德的钱，当年她根本就谈不上什么爱情，完全就是冲着父亲的财产才和他结婚的。我们家的所有亲戚，以及公司里的人全都心知肚明，这件事已经传得尽人皆知，我想，兰稍加打听就能知道她的底细。” 警部听了，若有所思地点了几下头，考虑了五六秒后说道：“你的意思是说，兰的真正意图是胁迫真树付出这笔赎金？之所以绑架光辉君，是想从他母亲手里把这笔来路不正的钱夺走，是这样吧？” I nodded.但警部摇着头说： “可是，真树她手头并没有多少现金啊。虽然我还不知道兰最后会提出索要多少赎金，但如果这样的话，最终这笔钱还得由你父亲替她出，对吧？这么做不是让你父亲和你白白遭受双重损失吗？兰瞄上的并不是这种钱。如果真树真是这种贪得无厌的女人的话，我倒觉得更为可能的是，这起绑架甚至可能完全就是真树自己导演的一场无中生有的闹剧。她把你们家的房产和股权弄到手后还贪心不足，企图利用自己的孩子设下骗局，把你父亲的所有财产剥夺干净，然后再把这件事嫁祸到兰的身上，是不是有这种可能？” “可要是这样的话，那个签名又该如何解释？” 我写完后，又用手指了指警部上衣的胸口，他的上衣口袋里正放着兰寄来的那个信封。警部一听，马上掏出信封，对着上面签名的“兰”字仔细端详了起来。 “你说得对，既然有兰的签名，那就说明除了她，这起案子绝不可能是别人干的。” 警部喃喃地念叨着，然后又抬起手腕看了看表，说： “时间所剩不多，我们还得抓紧点了。还有一件事我想问问，觉得你或许知道，所以才来问你……其实也不算什么大事。我想知道，光辉君是个聪明孩子吧？” 我点了点头，又咧了咧嘴，表示“非