Chapter 22 chapter Five

Just after nine o'clock that night, Ryoko, who had finished the search meeting held at the Takinogawa Station, was walking alone at night on the way to Kami-Nakazato Station. Go down the ramp leading to the station while looking at the grounds of Hiratsuka Shrine on the left.There are very few pedestrians on the road. Why on earth did the prisoner create a secret room?Why do you not want the chamber of secrets to be unlocked? Probably Ryoko was thinking about these issues along the way, so that she almost didn't notice the sound of footsteps approaching quietly from behind. The moment she felt the breath, a hand was placed on her shoulder.Ryoko immediately grabbed him with both hands, turned around and twisted his wrist onto his shoulder.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" The cry sounded familiar.That was Detective Fujimoto.Ryoko let go of her hands. "What, isn't this Officer Fujimoto? I thought it was a pervert." "It's too much for you to suddenly twist someone's hand." Detective Fujimoto complained while touching his right wrist. "It's not that you suddenly put your hand on my shoulder." "Sorry. I just wanted to scare you." "Did I say you are a primary school student? Then, what's the matter? Today's work is over, and there is no need for me to quarrel with colleagues who don't get along with me. "

After Ryoko finished speaking, Detective Fujimoto showed a shy look that didn't fit his personality and said: "No, that, actually, there is a delicious Italian restaurant near here. So I thought, occasionally, I would like to ask you to go there with me to eat something Desserts are good too.” Ryoko looked at the other person's expression.Through the street lamps, his rude face could be seen turning red. What the hell is blowing.Ryoko smiled and said: "Okay. Take me there." The one taken by detective Fujimoto was a small restaurant called "Qianhe Restaurant".Opening the door, the old lady in the attitude of a waiter said "Welcome".She was slender and virtuous in appearance, and she must have been a beauty when she was young.

There were no other customers in the store, and the middle-aged chef in white clothes in the kitchen opposite the counter was cleaning the dishes.Ryoko and detective Fujimoto were seated. "The pasta here is delicious, and the desserts are superb. I used to despise people with a sweet tooth, but the desserts here have changed me. I'll order crème brûlée and espresso. How about you? ?” "Same as you." Fujimoto ordered food to the old woman.After she smiled, she walked into the kitchen and informed the chef. Soon after, the old lady brought creme brulee and espresso to the stage.

Using a fork to put the caramel-laden baked brae into the mouth, chewing the creme brulee makes one feel as if the fatigue of the whole day has melted away. "I didn't know desserts could be that good. Have you tried them before?" "Yeah. I like to eat too. When I was young, I often had something to eat when I went to my grandmother's house." "Your grandmother's hobby was making desserts?" "This is my grandmother's home." "--Ugh?" "This shop is run by my grandmother. Qianzuru in "Chizuru Restaurant" is my grandmother's name. The one standing there is my grandmother, and the one in the kitchen is my uncle."

Detective Fujimoto looked bewildered, and turned his gaze to the old woman who served as the waiter, Ryoko's grandmother. Grandma smiled at Detective Fujimoto and nodded.Fujimoto's vulgar face became even more flushed, and he nodded in panic.I can vaguely see the uncle in the kitchen laughing. "Sorry for scaring you. It was my fault that I didn't tell you immediately when you said you were going to bring me to this store. I didn't say it on purpose because I wanted to hear your evaluation of this store. Thank you for your praise here The pasta and desserts are delicious."

After Ryoko finished speaking, Detective Fujimoto's blush intensified again. At this moment, the door of the store opened, and there was a slender man.Estimated age is about thirty years old. Walk into the store as if sliding.I thought he would find a place to sit down, but I didn't expect to walk straight to Liangzi's table. "I'm sorry to disturb the two of you during the meal. You are Inspector Ryoko Mizuhara and Tsuyoshi Fujimoto from the Metropolitan Police Department's First Search Section, right?" "—Yes. Who are you?" Ryoko looked up at the man.High nose bridge, slender and delicate eyes.

"Excuse me. I'm a Chamber of Secrets collector." "—Collector of the Chamber of Secrets?" This name has been heard from senior detectives.When a so-called locked room murder occurs, a mysterious figure suddenly appears and solves the incident.However, Ryoko never met his criminal policeman, and she once thought it was a legend or a joke among the policemen.Could it be that this man is? Indeed, from the description of appearance alone, it is indeed consistent with the Chamber of Secrets collector... Ryoko and Fujimoto looked at each other in confusion.When looking at the grandmother and uncle, the uncle seemed inexplicable, but for some reason, the grandmother looked at the man who claimed to be a secret room collector with wide eyes.

"I heard that you are searching for the secret room murder that happened in Nishinohara, North District, right? Can you tell me the details?" "Why do you know our names?" Could it be that someone from the investigation team was playing a prank? "Because I'm a collector of secret rooms." The man replied that it was not an answer. "What evidence do you have to prove that you are a true chamber collector?" "I don't have any physical evidence. To prove that I am a secret room collector, the only thing I can do is to disclose my ability to solve the secret room incident. Therefore, to prove that I am a secret room collector, you must tell me the details of the incident."

"To tell you the details of the incident, you must prove that you are a secret room collector." This goes on and on in circles. "I can only ask you to trust me. Please." After speaking, he bowed his head deeply.Ryoko looked at Fujimoto and asked, "What do you think?". The colleague folded his arms and replied: "...I don't see that he is lying, and I don't think he is acting. I think it can be believed." Having said that, Ryoko made up her mind. "Then, let me speak." Ryoko explained the contents of the search so far in detail.

"...That's it. Although the prisoner is still unable to determine who it is, it has been narrowed down to three people. If you are in the secret room, you don't need to go out. The people in our search team have already solved it." "I see, that's amazing. However, although you have solved the 'how to make a secret room', haven't you solved the 'why to make a secret room'?" "Indeed..." "As long as the mystery related to the Chamber of Secrets exists, I have a mission to solve it." "Do you know why the prisoner created a secret room?" "It's not clear yet. I'm going to analyze it now.—Can I sit with you?" "Please." After the Chamber of Secrets collector sat down without saying a word, he ordered an Italian espresso to his grandmother. There was an expression of uncontrollable surprise on Grandma's gentle face.What exactly is going on? "There are eight conceivable reasons why the prisoner deliberately created a secret room." The Chamber of Secrets family began to speak calmly. "There are eight kinds?" "The first reason is to make people think it was a suicide or an accidental death. As long as the scene is in a situation where prisoners cannot enter and exit, people will think it is a suicide or an accidental death." "but……" "Yes, if it is to be considered a suicide, the victim should be disguised by holding a pistol, but the prisoner took the pistol away, and did not make any disguised suicide or accidental death. Therefore, this reason Denied. The second reason is to put the blame on someone who can enter and exit the secret room, or who has been in the secret room with the victim. For example, if the crime scene is locked, and the holder of the key If there is only one person, then only that person can enter and leave the scene, and the criminal can blame the other party for the crime. Or if there is another person at the locked crime scene besides the victim, then the only person who can commit the crime That person, the criminal can blame that person for the crime." "but……" "Yes, since the victim did not give anyone the key to the entrance, there is no one who can enter and exit the secret room. Moreover, there are no other people who were with the victim at the scene. Therefore, this reason is also denied. The first The three reasons are to prevent the establishment of evidence for the crime by creating a secret room. Because as long as the secret room is not unlocked, the police cannot arrest the criminal. In this incident, the prisoner seems to have tried his best to eliminate the possibility of unlocking the secret room in advance. .Because if the secret room is unlocked, even if the solution is different from the actual one, the crime will still be proved, so it is natural for the prisoner to eliminate the mystery. If you think about it this way, the third reason is indeed correct. However, to be honest, the secret room this time is not at all something difficult to understand that hinders the establishment of criminal evidence. In fact, you policemen also easily unlocked it. Thinking about it this way, this reason is also negated. Although it can be considered It is the prisoner himself who thinks that the secret room is difficult enough to hinder the proof of the crime. However, judging from the previous elimination of the secret room, the prisoner gives the impression that he is well-prepared. It is really unimaginable for such a person to be unable to judge the crime objectively. Whether the second secret room is enough to hinder the establishment of criminal evidence." Grandmother brought coffee.The secret room collector returned a salute, took a sip in an elegant posture, and continued: "The fourth reason is to prolong the discovery of the victim's body. If it is made into a secret room, no one can enter the scene. The discovery time will also be delayed. It may be that the prisoner has some reason for not wanting people to find the body so quickly. However, let’s make a secret room to prevent people from entering. The prisoner only needs to lock the door with a key, it is not necessary at all Use such a troublesome trick to lock the windows. Therefore, this reason is also denied. The fifth reason is to make people think that the scene of the secret room is the scene of the crime. As long as the scene is a secret room, and there is a murdered body lying in the secret room, the police People generally think that there is the scene of the crime, right? In fact, the victim may have been moved to the scene of the secret room after being killed in other places. This may make people mistakenly recognize the scene of the crime, and maybe the prisoner will get something There may be benefits, too.” "However, the victim was shot through the left chest by a bullet, and the bullet was stuck on the wall. There is no doubt that the crime scene is the victim's own apartment." Detective Fujimoto interrupted: "Yes. Therefore, this reason has also been denied. The sixth reason is that the prisoner accidentally thought of some secret room trick and wanted to try it. This product based on self-showing and vanity is also It's 'The Chamber for the Chamber of Secrets'." Ryoko was puzzled: "No matter how you say it, no one would kill someone for such a reason, right?" "It's not killing people to create a secret room. The motive for killing is something else. Maybe the prisoner thought, 'I'm going to kill anyway, so why not try the secret room I thought of'. However, from the point of view of the prisoner doing everything possible to eliminate the incomprehensible behavior Look, the other party should have a certain degree of understanding of the secret room tricks. Then, the other party should be able to realize that the secret room this time is a very ordinary trick, right? If it is a very original trick, forget it. Even if I thought of it by chance, I would not execute it. Therefore, this reason was also denied. The seventh reason is to hide the real secret room." "Hide the real secret room? I don't quite understand what you're talking about." The content is getting more and more unusual. "For example, a certain character commits suicide in a room with locked doors and windows in a state of secret room. Then several people including the prisoner came to that room, broke the door and found the body. The prisoner, for reasons such as insurance money, I don't want that person to commit suicide. But because the scene is a secret room, generally speaking, we can only draw the conclusion of 'suicide'. So when other discoverers ran to call the police, the prisoner locked the doors and windows with needles and thread. Hands and feet, intentionally leaving traces of tampering. That way, the police who conduct the search will find that trace and think that the secret room when the discoverer came to the scene was made by the prisoner with needles and thread. In this way, there is no trace of tampering. The real secret room - the fact that the deceased actually committed suicide is concealed. The real secret room means suicide or accidental death. In order to conceal it, it is necessary to use an artificial secret room instead of a 'real secret room' to disguise it .” "So, I know. However, in this case, the victim was obviously a homicide, neither a suicide nor an accidental death. I think the possibility that the scene was originally a 'real secret room' does not exist." "You are right. This reason was also denied." "And lastly—what's the eighth reason for making a Chamber of Secrets?" "The eighth reason is that the behavior during the process of creating the secret room is the real purpose of the prisoner. Just doing that kind of behavior will appear unnatural, so the secret room including the behavior itself was created to achieve the hidden behavior. Its own protective color effect." "Oh? I don't understand what you're talking about this time either." "For example, in this incident, maybe the real purpose of the prisoner was to 'make the paper feed roller of the word processor wind up the string'. But just doing this kind of behavior seems unnatural, That's why we co-authored and created the secret room to achieve the protective effect of hiding the behavior itself." "Is the real purpose of the prisoner to wind up the string with the paper feed roller? Why would the prisoner want to do such a thing?" "No, that's just an example I gave, and I didn't say that was the real purpose of the prisoner. So far, it is not clear what the real purpose of the prisoner is. However, among the eight reasons for making a secret room, the first The eight reasons are the reasons for this incident, which should not be wrong."