Chapter 70: Indifferent Bystander

Chapter 70: Indifferent Bystander

Chapter 70: Indifferent Bystander

A body was found on Maple Forest Mountain.

When the police arrived after receiving the report, they found that the body was exactly the same as the body in the case two months ago.

The deceased was Aika Tamura, female, 32 years old, a bank employee.

Usually when the criminal subdues the victim, he will tie the victim's hands behind his back to restrain the victim's movements.

But this corpse had its hands tied in front.

The cause of death was death due to excessive blood loss.

There was an arrow stuck in the center of Tamura Aika's chest, her eardrums were pierced by something sharp, and her eyes were tied up with ropes.

"Inspector Megure. This was found in the deceased's shirt pocket."

Megure Jusan took the transparent bag handed to him by the local. There was a note inside, which read: You have eyes, but can't you see? You have ears, but can't you hear?
This is a statement made by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.

But this case is also different.

That is, the murderer moved the body from the murder scene to the rock, as if he was exhibiting a product.

After searching almost half of the mountain, the police finally found the first crime scene.

There was a puppet tied to the tree, with a big cross drawn on its face with a red pen.

There was a circle of wire tied around his body, I don't know what it was used for.

All of this is exactly the same as the case two months ago.

This is something the police have not announced.

So it can be concluded that it was not a copycat crime.

When all the traces were tied with yellow tape, it was unexpectedly discovered that they were arranged in a neat straight line, as if they were done so intentionally.

The body was sent to the medical examiner’s office.

The final result was: sleeping pills were found in the blood.

There were no bruises around the eyes, and the rope was tied a long time after the victim's death, exactly the same as in the previous case.

"This is where the rope on the victim was first untied. With such a neat cross section, the murderer must have helped untie it, intentionally letting the victim escape."

Because it was dark at night, I couldn't see the road ahead clearly.

So he accidentally slipped and rolled down the rock, hitting his head.

The reason why the hands were tied in front of the body was actually intentional by the murderer.

The purpose is to allow the victim to move around in the mountains to the greatest extent possible.

"But why would they let the victim escape? Aren't they afraid that they won't be caught?"

"To hunt prey, of course."

Megure Jusan was stunned for a moment, and finally looked at the person who spoke, revealing a surprised expression: "Ms. Tang, Ms. Tang?"

"Inspector Megure, I was the one who called the police after all, why are you so surprised?"

After being reminded by the other party, Megure Jusan finally remembered.

I also remember that when I asked why they came back to these desolate mountains, the other party replied: Of course, it was to make an appointment with someone to climb the mountain and to check out the place in advance.

No matter how I think about it, it seems a little suspicious.

"Before killing someone, first make them feel scared. Then chase them step by step like hunting."

"All of this must have been carefully planned. He even watched the victim walk towards the last checkpoint he had set."

It feels like a game.

There is a place selling drinks near the mountainside.

Maybe I can get something out of the boss there.

Of course, it is possible that nothing can be asked.

After all, in the dead of night, most people are still in their warm beds at home, dreaming sweet dreams.

"People who come to climb mountains don't clock in. And if everyone wears climbing clothes, they will feel the same and won't leave a deep impression."

The man's voice sounded a little hoarse. After coughing a few times, he said, "Buy a cup of coffee and continue asking."

While being a member of the public who is keen on providing information, we should not forget our own job.

"Two cups then."

In this cold weather, warm hot coffee can really make the body more comfortable.

After taking the coffee handed over by the other party, Qinghai Chuantang asked again: "It must be troublesome to carry so many things up here, right?"

Another man in black pointed down the mountain and said, "Actually, if you drive, you can go all the way to the parking lot below. Then you can move it up from there, which saves a lot of effort."

"Well, Officer Kawanishi, I'll leave the surveillance to you. If you have any news, I hope you can let me know."

"This is our criminal police's business, so we will naturally take full responsibility. You don't need to get involved."

Qinghai Chuantang touched his nose and realized that the other party's dislike was real.

After leaving Maple Leaf Mountain, Qinghai Chuantang found the address of Tiancun Aika's home.

The one who opened the door was her sister: Mana Tamura.

Things in the living room were piled up randomly, even in a messy way, as if it had not been cleaned for several days.

In contrast, Tamura Aika's room was very clean and everything was neatly stacked.

The books on the bookshelf are specially arranged, just like in a library.

"Back to Basics", "Meditation on the Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew", "Letters from the Devil". He is truly a devout Christian believer.

On the shelf, there was a photo of her and a man.

Although they are quite close, they don't look very intimate.

In the background is a church.

So, Qinghai Chuantang went to the Mihua branch where Tiancun Aika worked to find out more about the situation.

"She left work on time that day, and it was always like this. Apart from work and church, she had no other schedule."

"So she doesn't have a good relationship with her colleagues?" Qinghai Chuantang asked.

"That's not the case. I'm just a little introverted. But it could be because of that incident."

"I heard that five years ago, she made a big mistake at the branch where she worked before. She accidentally processed a transaction of 500 million as 5 billion."

"That's why she was transferred to our branch."

As if remembering something, the colleague continued, "But I heard that she won an award last year, so she will finally be promoted this year."

Qinghai Chuantang wrote down in the notebook, "What was the specific situation at that time?"

"Last time our bank was robbed, the robbers took the child's mother hostage and threatened her with a knife. At that time, Section Chief Aijia stepped forward."

At this point, my colleague smiled and said, "It feels like he has become a different person."

The main religions in Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism, while Christianity accounts for less than 1% of the total population.

So the thought of finding a place for the two of them to take a photo together seemed very simple.

"Beginning the investigation with criminals with similar criminal records is the most basic way for police to investigate cases. So, is there another robbery happening nearby?"

Although there was a misunderstanding in identity.

But he knows how to take the initiative, which shows that he is a master.

Before I could say anything, the other party continued, "I have confessed to the Lord and will not commit the crime again."

"Besides, you have no evidence to prove that I am the criminal. Otherwise, what awaits me should be cold handcuffs."

After hearing this, she smiled.

"Mr. Akio, you are absolutely right. But I came to you because I wanted to know about Miss Aika. I think you should know something."

The smile on Ogoshi Akio's face gradually disappeared. "Did something happen to her?"

"She's dead. To be more precise, she was killed."

His lips trembled slightly.

Akio Ogoshi lost his family at a very early age.

And Aika Tamura was the only person who visited him in prison.

She even helped him prepare for exams and review, hoping that he could become a clergyman and save those who were suffering from sin.

At first, he did resent the other party.

If it weren't for her, why would I end up in prison?
But when in prison, Tamura Aika kept talking and said a lot to him.

He also said that he had committed a sin five years ago, and even after reading the Bible several times, he still felt tortured.

She didn't want to be like this in the future, so she wanted to help him and atone for the mistakes she had made.

What exactly happened five years ago?
Qinghai Chuantang found Tamura Mana again, hoping to get some clues from her.

Unless it is a secret that cannot be told until death.

Generally speaking, people tend to tell secrets to people close to them as a way to vent and relieve their inner emotions.

"Five years ago? There really was such an incident at that time."

It happened right in front of the bank where Aika Tamura worked.

A man held a knife in one hand and dragged a woman by the collar with the other.

The woman finally broke free and knelt on the ground asking a bank employee for help.

But at this time, the man walked over, pointed the knife at her, seemed to say something, and kicked the woman on the back.

The employee broke free and quickly ran to the side, fearing that he would be implicated.

Then the man grabbed the woman's hair and dragged her forward.

The woman broke free again, trying desperately to escape.

But, she was still caught.

The man waved the fruit knife in his hand, as if to warn the people around him not to come forward.

There was a man who seemed to want to step forward to stop all this, but was stopped by his girlfriend, who told him not to take the risk.

After all, an unarmed person, compared to a person holding a sharp knife, has no chance of winning, not to mention that he is just an ordinary person.

It will only cause unnecessary casualties.

In the end, the woman was killed in public by the man.

At that time, someone recorded all of this and uploaded it to the Internet.

After seeing the video, Aika Tamura was shocked and felt very guilty.

I think if I had been braver at that time, perhaps this result would not have happened.

And this has become an indelible shadow in her heart.

"No matter how much I tried to persuade her to forget it, she would just keep repeating, 'If only I had held her hand.'"

If I had done that at the time, perhaps other people would have helped me?

An indelible, strong sense of guilt.

"Save me, save me, save me, I don't even know him!"

Please, please—

help me!
(End of this chapter)