Chapter 16 Chapter Four

The next day, starting at 2:00 pm, a search meeting was held in the West Office of the Jurisdiction.The director of the West Bureau served as the chairperson, and the Osaka Prefectural Police Investigation Division 1 from the Miyazawa Police Headquarters, the criminal police of the Fourth Division, the members of the Appraisal Division, and the criminal police of the Western Bureau of the Criminal Division attended the meeting. After the director's simple greetings, the Miyazawa Police Department reported the facts that have been clarified so far. "The victim was Uchino Asami, twenty-five years old, a waitress working at the bar 'Emperor' in Kitashinchi. The presumed time of death was yesterday, November 22, between 5:30 and 6:30 in the afternoon. Cause of death The back was stabbed with a thin-bladed knife, and it was generally believed that he died on the spot. In addition, the top of the head was broken, the face was injured, and the neck was also broken. This was caused by the impact on the ground. There was no living body reaction to the injury, This was caused by others dropping the body after the victim was stabbed to death.

"The discoverers were Yuko Ibe, who lived directly downstairs in the victim's room, and Moriichi Nedo, who visited his room rashly. The two saw the whereabouts of the victim's body by accident while looking out the window facing the backyard. The two After going downstairs to the backyard, it was confirmed that the victim was dead. The two were in a state of anxiety and didn't even look at their watches. "Subsequently, Nedo Mori left the scene, and Yuko Ibe notified 110. Initially, she gave false testimony to the search team that one person witnessed the victim's whereabouts. Knowing that staying with a man other than your marriage partner in the middle of the night will hinder the marriage. Then, in order to clarify the fact that Nedo Moriichi witnessed the same time, I confirmed with him, and the fact that the two witnessed it was clear.

"Then, as you all know, according to the testimonies of the two, the situation at the scene becomes an unanswerable matter. Because both the doorknob and the door chain on the entrance door of the victim's room were locked firmly, and the window was closed except for the dead body. Except for the one where the person pushed down, all the half-moon locks have been locked. The door lock of the entrance door, just take the victim's key and lock it. Now, the door lock key is not found in the victim's room, so it should be taken by the prisoner Let's go. However, the chain locks and window locks have to be locked indoors. However, there are no prisoners in the room.

"The victim's room was on the sixth floor. It was impossible to go down to the ground from the open window. Escape to the roof was considered. The door to the roof was locked and no one was on the roof. Only the landlord had the key. , even if the prisoner escaped through the roof, it should not be possible to lock the door of the roof exit. "If Yuko Ibe and Moriichi Nedo's so-called testimony about Asami Uchino falling from the window was a lie, the mystery of the disappearance of the prisoner in the victim's room could be solved. However, there is no reason for the two to lie. Investigating the friendship relationship As well as the stakes, the two have no contact with Uchino Asami. In addition, the two have not been in contact since they broke up two years ago until last night, and there is no sign of the two confessing.

"If the two testimonies are true, how did the prisoner escape from the victim's room? Also, why did the prisoner let the body drop? Also, why did it take at least three hours after the crime to drop the body? " A criminal policeman said: "How about doing tricks on the chain lock? When the chain is locked, if the link is untied. In this way, it becomes two separate chains, and you can walk out of the room freely. After that, put the chain link back on outside the room, and the chain lock will return to the locked state." "It won't work." Nan Jian, who had carefully investigated the chain lock at the scene this morning, shook his head, "The chain is very strong, and the rings of the chain are joined together, and the openings of the rings are also welded. Complete ring. Therefore, it is impossible to remove the ring."

"So, how about cutting off the ring and sticking it with adhesive after you go out of the room?" "That's also confirmed. There are no signs of cutting anywhere." Another detective spoke: "Because the victim's room is on the sixth floor, it is absolutely impossible to go down to the ground from the open window. Is this true? Pass the rope or something directly below to Yuko Ibe's." In the room, wouldn’t it be fine to go in through the window?” "This won't work." Kusumi said, "When Yuko Ibe witnessed Asami Uchino fall and went down to the backyard from the fifth floor, she closed the window and locked it. Therefore, the prisoner could not break into Yuko's room and escape. In addition, there are shops from the fourth floor to the first floor. No one was there when the accident happened. Of course, the windows facing the backyard were locked. This morning, the searchers were present when the tenants on each floor opened their doors. The windows facing the backyard It has been confirmed that the windows are indeed locked. In other words, the prisoner cannot enter the windows of the room below the fourth floor. In addition, the other windows in the victim's room are locked, and there is no possibility for the prisoner to escape from there."

Other detectives found something. "Then, the prisoner passed the rope from the sixth floor all the way to the ground. Put a hook on the front end of the rope, hang it on the railing of the window, and let the rope hang down to the ground..." "You boy, can you do such a thing?" Coupled with the complaints of other criminal policemen, laughter was everywhere.The director showed displeasure and muttered a few times. "No, of course I can't, what about mountaineers and the like?" "We have also discussed that possibility." Nanjian replied, "In that case, the prisoner should have come down with the rope in his hand and his feet on the wall. Because it is difficult to go down from the sixth floor to the ground with only wrist strength." It can’t be done. But, the walls in the incident are all covered by creepers. If you step on them, the creepers will definitely be broken, and there should be no traces of tearing. The possibility of going down was denied."

"How about using something like a creeper as a natural ladder?" "I've considered that too. Let the guy with the lightest weight step on the ivy and try it. However, the ivy will fall off as soon as the weight is put on it. As long as it bears the weight of the person, the ivy will fall off one by one, and the prisoner will come from it." It fell from mid-air. By the way, there is no such thing as a ladder hidden behind the creeper." "Can't you operate the lock and chain lock of the entrance door through the window through which the victim's body fell?"

"No. Even if there is a building facing the window, it is not impossible to imagine the possibility of a magic hand reaching out from the opposite building to lock it. Unfortunately, there is only the backyard and the window outside the window. The Kizu River that flows in front of it," said the Miyazawa Police Department. "Then, let's put the puzzle of how the prisoner left the scene first. Do you have any comments on the puzzle of why the prisoner let the corpse fall?" "Do you have a strong hatred for the victim? Therefore, after the murder, let the body fall and cause damage."

"Although there have been a few cases of damage to corpses out of hatred, no matter which one, the form is that the prisoner was already dead and stabbed with a murder weapon. In this case, it should be stabbing dozens of people with a murder weapon and a knife. This is the first time. It is impossible to solve the riddle by specifically letting the corpse fall in order to vent hatred." In addition, no other comments were made.The Miyazawa Police Department turned to the motive discussion. "I have interrogated the 'King's' mother-san and the waitress colleagues. Everyone said that they couldn't think of a reason why the victim would be killed. Although it is a money-greedy character, it seems that there is no money dispute.

"According to Mama-san, the victim had a male client named Matsushita. He liked the victim so much that he saw him once a week. It is said that even the suicide note designated the victim as the heir to the estate. It is possible that this man named Matsushita wanted to be together. I came to the victim's room after work, and there was an argument over some reason, and the victim was killed. Since the victim was said to be greedy for money, he might have complained about the lack of money, and the argument arose. Unfortunately, 'Emperor''s mother-san, waitresses, and bartenders don't know Matsushita's residence, and his occupation is unclear. At present, this man is the only one who is quite suspicious, and it is necessary to find his residence anyway. "Next, regarding the eyewitness testimony, unfortunately, the person who lived in the house opposite the victim went on a trip the day before yesterday, and the eyewitness testimony seems to be hopeless..." At this time, the door of the meeting room opened, and a criminal policeman walked in and whispered something to the director.A look of astonishment appeared on that face.The director muttered a few times, and said at the same time: "...the Chamber Collector seems to be here."