Chapter 44 Synchronous Progress

Chapter 44 Synchronous Progress

Chapter 44 Synchronous Progress

The window is open.

There are other ways to get into the room, if they are not caught by the surveillance camera.
Qinghai Chuantang looked near the window but didn't find any footprints or anything like that.

There is a cabinet on the left with two boxes on it.

The boxes were not placed close together, leaving a gap in the middle, as if hiding something.

Qinghai Chuantang pushed the box open and saw a sticker on the wall that read: In case of fire, please destroy the wall.

I knocked on the wall a few times, but the sound didn't seem right, somewhat hollow.

"Could it be possible?"

Megure Jusan showed a surprised expression.

The cabinet door was opened, revealing a pile of cardboard boxes of various sizes.

When the box was removed, a whole piece of cloth was revealed. It was nailed to the wall, like a curtain, used to cover something.

When the cloth was lifted, a big hole was revealed, which seemed to look through somewhere.

"Kawanishi, quickly contact the forensic department!" Megure Jusan shouted hurriedly.

Opposite, there is a model room that many people come to. There are all kinds of fingerprints everywhere, maybe the criminal is attracted by this.

Investigate surveillance and conduct a visit and survey of people entering and leaving the model room, and perhaps you will find something.

At the same time, you should also confirm the other party's alibi and then check them one by one.

One of them caught their attention.

He was wearing a hat, a mask on his face, and carrying a suitcase in his hands. He really didn't look like he was here to look at the house.

"Inspector Megure, can you apply for a residential search warrant to search Mr. Hitoshi's home? Perhaps we can find the suitcase there."

Megure Jusan hesitated for a moment, "Ms. Tang, do you suspect that old couple? But..."

"Ten years ago, both of them were already in their sixties. Now they are in their seventies. If they want to subdue a strong adult man in his twenties, it may be a bit difficult."

Qinghai Chuantang shook his head.

"You can't say that. My grandmother was over 80 and she still had the strength to beat me."

Megure Jusan was silent for a moment, perhaps thinking about something.

Finally, he nodded and agreed to the other party's proposal.

Evil lies in the ordinary.

Sometimes a cruel person may have an angelic face.

After the residential search warrant was obtained, Kawanishi Kiyoshi and Takagi went to Terauchi Hitoshi's home. After searching, they found a gray suitcase that was exactly the same as the one in the surveillance footage.

Of course, this alone cannot confirm that the old man is the murderer. The suitcase needs to be sent to the forensic department for inspection.

Not long after, Qinghai Chuantang received a text message with the current address of Akimoto and her daughter: Meisen Apartment, No. 143 Cookie Road.

Qinghai Chuantang went to find her.

The person who opened the door was Chizu Akimoto. When she saw the stranger coming, her face was full of vigilance.

The door was half-open, as if ready to be closed at any time.

When Qinghai Chuantang explained his purpose, Akimoto Chizu turned around and closed the door without saying a word. Fortunately, she stopped him in time.

"Just take a moment, okay?"

Akimoto Chizu hesitated for a moment, glanced inside the house, then walked out and closed the door ajar.

"Why did you come to me? We are living in hiding now, don't you understand?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you. It's just that a case has reappeared ten years later. If we want to catch the criminal, we must need Miss Tomomi's testimony."

"Then you shouldn't come to us!"

Akimoto Chizu's expression was a little anxious. "It is because of you that we escaped. Don't you understand all this?"

After saying that, Akimoto Chizu turned around and prepared to go in, but was stopped by Qinghai Chuantang.

"At that time, someone went to the ward, right?"

Akimoto Chizu paused, then slowly turned around and looked at her, tears in her eyes.

"Even if I know, what can I do? Do you know what kind of life my children and I have led over the years? Do you know?"

Qinghai Chuantang replied: "It is precisely so that you can live a normal life again that we have to catch the criminal as soon as possible, right? How long can he hide like this?"

"Are you planning to hide it forever? Have you thought about having children? I heard that she seemed to have been stimulated by something. Do you want her to live in a muddle for the rest of her life? Don't you want her to live a normal life again?"

Akimoto Chizu hesitated.

Finally, she nodded and agreed to Qinghai Chuantang's request to meet her daughter.

After entering the room, Akimoto Chizu knocked on the door several times, but there was no response.

"Tomoko, is mom coming in?"

Still no response.

Akimoto Chizu opened the door carefully and motioned for her to come in.

Tomoko Akimoto was sitting on a chair with a computer in front of her, playing games.

Holding the mouse in one hand and typing on the keyboard with the other, his movements were very skillful yet felt mechanical.

It's just those few buttons pressed over and over again, as if they have become some kind of muscle memory.

Her eyes were fixed on the screen, her face was dull, and she even had heavy dark circles under her eyes, making her look a little old.

Ten years ago, Tomoko Akimoto was 15 years old, and ten years later, she was 25 years old. But she looked like she was 40 years old.

"Tomoko Akimoto?"

"I have a few questions for you."

The other party did not make any response and continued to play the game mechanically.

Perhaps only in this way can I numb myself and stop myself from thinking about those frightening things.

"Why did you suddenly disappear then?"

Tomoko Akimoto stopped what she was doing and her hands began to tremble.

"Did you see anyone?"

Her hands were shaking badly.

"Maybe, is it him?" Qinghai Chuantang handed a photo to her.

Tomoko Akimoto looked up at her, her eyes wide and her whole body trembling.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something.

"Go away."

"Go away, go away, go away!"

Akimoto Tomoko seemed to have suddenly gone crazy. She kept repeating this sentence, then smashed the keyboard and mouse beside her, screaming and calling for her mother.

Akimoto Chizu immediately stepped forward and held her in her arms, constantly comforting her: "Don't be afraid, Tomoko, don't be afraid, mom is here, mom is here."

That terrifying figure suddenly appeared behind the curtain.

I didn’t see the man’s face, but the dark figure was like a shadow, entwining me and couldn’t be shaken off.

She remembered that the man said: "Even if you are alive, you are not alive. If I meet you again, I will definitely kill you."

Fear rose in her heart, so when her mother came again, she said: Let's run away, let's run away now.

And so, he escaped for ten years.

"You saw everything just now. I'm tired of moving again. I don't have that experience. Please tell them not to come again. Maybe it's good to just hide like this for the rest of my life."

"Feel sorry."

Qinghai Chuantang said softly.

Then he took out a brochure from his bag and handed it to the other party.

The above contains the phone numbers of organizations that provide protection and support to victims. You can get the corresponding help by contacting them.

"And this." Qinghai Chuantang handed her an envelope, "Take it as your daughter's medical expenses and living expenses."

After leaving, Qinghai Chuantang contacted Megure Jusan.

Lure the snake out of its hole.

The multi-purpose knife case has been put aside for the time being, awaiting the latest developments.

Next, we will begin the investigation of the locked room serial case.

The way the rope is tied is special, probably due to professional or lifestyle habits.

There were no signs of resistance on the victim. The drug test results showed the presence of sleeping pills, but no signs of injection were found on the victim.

Then, the criminal may have put sleeping pills into the water or food, which is a very common method of committing crimes.

It is a senior citizen center, and it is more likely that the person there is a social worker or the person in charge of the residents’ center in the area.

Because we meet each other quite often, it is easy to gain the trust of the elderly.

A social worker named Tiandao Hui has been working here for a long time. Many of the cases that have occurred in the community were discovered by him.

"Thank you so much for coming. The weather has turned cold, and there must be a lot of furnaces waiting to be repaired. Thank you for your trouble."

"Yes, but I will also take time to take care of the elderly."

"Thank you so much, I feel so relieved thanks to you. Please come this way, the event will start soon."

The man put on a blue vest and walked towards the open door.

Qinghai Chuantang saw his tag clearly: Hideki Oi, volunteer.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Tajima Teru walked over with an apologetic expression.

"It's okay." After saying that, Qinghai Chuantang asked curiously, "But, are there any activities today?"

"It's like this," explained Tajima Teru. "Every year, the welfare home invites volunteers to come and present them with a plaque of appreciation. Please follow me."

After making a "please" gesture, Tiandao Teru led her to the office area.

After returning to the department, Tiandao Teru was silent for a long time before he slowly sighed.

"Five years ago, I couldn't get in touch with an old man I was responsible for for several days, so I came to his house. After all, when people get old, the date of their death is like a song without a prelude, and suddenly the sound comes out."

"When I knocked on the door and got no response, I found the password in the notebook, unlocked the door and walked in."

"After I went in, I saw the old man sleeping on the floor, covered only with a thin blanket. It was already very cold, so I thought it was a bit strange, so I uncovered the blanket and took a look."

“I didn’t expect that the old man’s hands were tied behind his back and the blanket underneath him was stained with blood.”

Tajima Teru sighed again.

“After the police arrived, they found no other signs of intrusion except mine.”

"Because of that case, I was once suspected of being a suspect and was investigated by the police. Although I submitted an alibi and cleared myself of suspicion, all kinds of fake news are still circulating on the Internet."

The locked room murder case first occurred in Yuanrong Road, and the most recent place is near Chengchuan Road.

When a serial killer commits more and more crimes without being discovered, his self-confidence will gradually increase as he continues to commit crimes, and the crime scenes will be closer and closer to his residence.

Therefore, the probability that the criminal lived in Shirokawa-do was relatively high.

(End of this chapter)