I'm Not a Detective

The "mountain whale" mentioned by Tatsuo Uchii does not refer to the legendary creature that lives in South America and floats in the Andes Mountains. He is Japanese, and "mountain whale" is a euphemistic way for wild boar to be called by the Japanese.

Qingjian Ruri knows this very well, because her mother sometimes calls pork "mountain whale meat", which is probably a habit she has developed since she was a child.

Japan has had many "meat-eating bans" on and off, and the regulations are messy. For example, people who eat sheep and rabbit meat must be banned for five days, people who eat pig and mutton must reflect for two months, and eating dog meat is seriously illegal and will be suspended. It was a heinous crime to get up and fight, and eating beef was a heinous crime. Only the nobles could barely satisfy their greed.

Well, at that time, beef was a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, and the nobles ate beef to cure diseases. It was the ancient version of Japan where there were policies from above and countermeasures from below.

It was because of this unfortunate "meat ban" that all domestic pigs in Japan were forced to become extinct. Hunters who were lucky enough to kill wild boars were unable to sell them, so they nicknamed wild boar "mountain whale meat" and set up stalls. Come and sell it, and when others ask, they will tell you it is a whale from the mountains, and the buyer can eat it with confidence.

Of course you can eat fish from the mountains, but I’m not prohibited from eating fish.

Of course, there is another way of saying "mountain whale", which means that wild boar is the king of the mountains, just like whales are the king of the sea.

Wild boars are actually very ferocious. When they are mad, they are sometimes more ferocious than bears. They charge wildly and have sharp tusks that can cause injuries if they are scratched or killed if they are stabbed. They are also equipped with natural armor and are invulnerable. Their vitality is very tenacious and they can drag their intestines. If you run around for a day, you won't be killed easily. That is to say, humans have developed firearms. Without firearms, people would not be chasing wild boars. Wild boars can chase a group of people. Even if you have a shotgun in hand, it is best not to mess with it. It is definitely the most dangerous prey in the mountains and forests. The possibility of an accident is extremely high, and it is not uncommon to lose your life.

In many places in Japan, it is assumed that wild boars belong to the local "mountain gods". After all, in ancient times, if you wanted to kill wild boars with bamboo arrows and bamboo spears, it was really difficult. Wild boars do not value fixed territories and often wandered out of the mountains. Entering human territory to eat, drink, and cause havoc. According to my personality, of course I have to beg it to stop making trouble. I don't even dare to call him by his name, so he calls me "Master Mountain Whale".

Qingmi Ruri knew the meaning of "Mountain Whale" and also knew that Takeshi Nanabahara was testing Tatsuo Uchii. He didn't care about this. When he got out of the door, he curiously asked: "What were you talking about "Okinoshima Four Volumes" just now? It makes sense to suddenly appear in Hirano, but what does this mean?”

Takeshi Nanabahara was looking at the photos of "The Four Branches of Okinoshima" over and over again, and said casually: "Didn't he say that he ended up living here because of the opening of Edo City?"

"Tell me more about it." Qingmi Ruri knew what "Edo Kaicheng" meant. She didn't pay much attention to the liberal arts, but she was only in the first year of high school and didn't study comprehensively. No matter how much she studied, she couldn't think of anything. She was very curious.

Takeshi Nanabaru explained absently: "At the end of the Overthrow Movement, the Tokugawa shogunate surrendered without a fight, and the city of Edo was opened peacefully. There was no bloodshed and no battle to defend the city. However, not everyone was willing to give up resistance. Some people thought that 'Tokugawa broke away from the feudal lord'." In the name of the regiment, he fled to Hokkaido and established the Ezo Republic.

These people did not come to found the country empty-handed. They either raised money, stole money, or robbed openly. They took away a lot of property from Edo. The "Okinoshima Four Scrolls" originally collected by the Tokugawa Shogunate are He disappeared at that time, but Edo was very chaotic at that time. Arson or fires often occurred, and theft and robbery were commonplace. As a result, no one could figure out whether the "Okinoshima Four Scrolls" was burned or stolen. Still got swept away.

So it makes sense that these four paintings appear in Hirano now. In all likelihood, they arrived in Hokkaido at that time, were left among the people, or were simply hidden by someone who fled to Hokkaido, which can be considered an alternative sense. The inheritance is orderly. "

Qingjian Liuli understood and looked at the photos on the promotional page and sighed: "So that's it. I didn't expect that there are just a few paintings and such a legendary story. So this is not a fake?"

Takeshi Nanahara nodded lightly: "At least I don't see any problems. From a historical perspective, it makes sense that it was missed."

Qing Jian Liuli's curiosity was satisfied, and she felt very happy from the inside out. She said with some envy: "Then these four tattered scrolls, no, these four famous paintings, are 200 million yen?"

Two hundred million yen, this was a huge sum of money. If it were converted into five hundred yen coins, she couldn't even imagine how big it would be. If she had 200 million yen, the first thing she would do would be to hang Takeshi Nanahara up and beat her. After the beating, she would give him money. A bowl to clean shoes and cook rice to eat.

Takeshi Nanahara was drooling a little, wishing he could travel through time and space to pick it up first. He regretted: "It was more than 200 million yen. The monkey was already dead at that time. Nori Ichinose was no longer afraid of beheading, although he still settled in Okinoshima. , but he has been in contact with old friends again. When several people visited him, he proudly showed these paintings. They were mentioned in the notes left by those people, and some of them were drafts. , some have seen one or two of them, some have seen the finished product, count the time..."

He briefly recalled and combined the notes of those people, "He spent two years to complete the creation in the ninth and tenth years of Qingchang, and he died in the snow at the end of Qingchang's tenth year. "Okinoshima Four Scrolls" is his last work. It has a higher collection value. If it only sells for 200 million yen, I will buy even more. The price is equivalent to picking it up for free.

If it were a normal auction, it would be easy to sell more than 300 million yen. If the warm-up is good enough, the atmosphere is warm enough, and enough interested investors are attracted, it is possible to sell more than 400 million yen. This kind of stock is very small and cannot be sold. Insurance companies will like art works that may depreciate but can steadily increase in value, and they won't mind if they get a premium. What's more, they themselves like to push up the price of this type of art. "

Four hundred million yen...

Qingjian Ruri couldn't help but become more leisurely and fascinated. If she had 400 million yen, according to Takeshi Nanahara's money-grubbing character, she could make him walk upside down in the future, right? You won't bully her when nothing happens. You will definitely give her a smile 24 hours a day and provide for her every day, right?

She was imagining Takeshi Nanahara following her around like a dog, when soft applause came from the side, and a middle-aged man in his thirties exclaimed: "This must be Nanahara-san, I didn't expect that... With such an in-depth understanding of the art industry, it’s no wonder that he can become a special consultant to the police department.”

Nakano Eri and Qingjian Ruri looked over immediately. Qingjian Ruri asked carefully: "Are you..."

The middle-aged uncle smiled brightly and said, "I am Kazuo Heikai. Just now Director Uchii asked me to wait for a few people to come over and assist the police in the investigation."

He has the kind of superficial enthusiasm that is unique to the Japanese service industry. He deliberately stood in the corridor and waited. He happened to hear Takeshi Nanabaru's words. Qingmi Ruri and Nakano Eri quickly thanked them and said politely, "Excuse me." ”.

Kazuo Hirate invited them into an office with polite words and served them tea. Qingmi Ruri curiously continued the topic and asked: "Can it really be auctioned for 400 million yen? ?”

Kazuo Tairadate smiled reservedly and said: "We will work hard. It is our job to let the art treasures reflect the value and status they should have. However, the auction results are not yet clear. I can only say that there is great hope."

Damn it, four tattered scrolls can really be sold for 400 million yen. Qingmi Ruri decided to go home and look through her warehouse. She vaguely remembered that she also had some tattered scrolls at home. If there were famous paintings from hundreds of years ago, she would tell them. .

But she had not forgotten the case, and she still held on to the last hope that it was a fake, and tried again: "During the public exhibition, were there any experts who appraised it? Has anyone raised any questions..."

Kazuo Hirakate laughed dumbly: "The curator has staked his fortune and reputation, how could we ignore such a big business. It was repeatedly appraised before collection, from paint to paper to painting style, and three appraisers analyzed No one raised any questions, especially since we not only collected these four works, but that family also had many old items inherited from the Tokugawa Hata family, and we also collected them, all of which were genuine.

It seems a bit lucky. Curator Uchii first saw that family setting up a stall to sell used goods, and found a broken sword with the Tokugawa family crest. Then he went to his house out of curiosity to check, and accidentally discovered "Okinoshima Four Scrolls" has absolutely no possibility of forgery. "

Takeshi Nanahara was thoughtful, and this routine sounded a bit familiar, but Qingmi Ruri had completely given up, and returned to the topic and asked: "Okay, Hirakate-san, I heard that you and Director Uchii-san were together on the night Matsuuchi-san was killed. Together?"

"Yes, I'm surprised why you guys always come to ask this question." Kazuo Hirakate complained vaguely and smiled, "The response to the public exhibition was very good right after it started, attracting the attention of many people in the industry, and some people have even started to pay attention to it privately. I made an inquiry, and after the museum closed that day, the curator was very happy and asked me to go have a drink with him to celebrate and talk about the preparations for the auction, so I went.

We first went to Shibamotoya, where we drank a glass of beer and a few bottles of soyaki. Then the curator felt a little tired, so he invited me to go to Onkawaya to take a bath and have a massage and relax. We squinted for a while. He seemed to be a little drunk, so I sent him home, but he still wanted to chat and asked Mrs. Uchii to call to order takeout. I lived alone anyway and had nothing to do when I got home, so I continued drinking with him. We continued chatting and finally drank too much and fell asleep in his guest room. "

Takeshi Nanahara interjected with a smile: "Do you remember the time during the break?"

"About ten o'clock..." Kazuo Hirate said with a smile, "I was a little drunk at the time and was so dizzy that I didn't pay attention to the time, but it was 9:07 when I sent him home, so I can guarantee that I will be there at 9:00. I stayed with him until ten o'clock and drank a lot. During this period, he didn't even go to the bathroom. It's completely impossible for him to run out and kill people. You guys really think too much."

Takeshi Nanahara asked: "Nine o'clock and seven? Why do you remember this time so clearly?"

Kazuo Hirate said indifferently: "After getting out of the taxi, Director Uchii was a little dizzy, and he was afraid that Mrs. Uchii would blame him for coming back too late, so he casually asked me what time it was, and I looked at the watch, so I have an impression." After a pause, he stated his complaint more directly, "Director Uchii and Matsuuchi-san have hardly interacted with each other. I really can't understand why he is on the suspect list. He has no reason at all. Treating Sonne-san like that..."

Nanabaru Wu nodded and said thoughtfully: "Indeed, I still don't understand what his reason is."

Heitate Kazuo was stunned, but Takeshi Nanahara immediately smiled and said: "I mean, if he killed Matsuuchi-san, I didn't expect him to have any reason."

Kazuo Hirate was relieved and said, "It's impossible for Director Uchii to do such a thing. He treats people very well."

Takeshi Nanahara smiled and said: "It can be seen that his personal cultivation is very good. So when Mrs. Uchii ordered takeout, where did she order it from? Was the takeout delivered?"

"Of course it was delivered." Kazuo Hirakata recalled it and said with a smile, "It arrived in about fifteen or six minutes. It's a mutton dish combo box from Yang Wanwu House. It's steaming hot, fresh and salty, and it's very suitable for drinks and dishes at the moment. I ate a lot.”

Qingmi Ruri flipped through her small notepad and quickly found out about the Uchimaru House mentioned in the police briefing. The police had already inquired about it in the preliminary investigation. It was indeed reported to Uchii around 9:15 on the night of the Uchimaru House incident. Mrs. Uchii’s ordering phone number was indeed sent to Uchii’s house and handed over to Mrs. Uchii. Coupled with the testimony of Kazuo Hirakate, it can be proved that Uchii Tatsuo did not have the time to commit the crime, and it was impossible to kill him.

The most important thing is that it is completely unexpected that Tatsuo Uchii had any motive for committing the crime. It is impossible for him to kill a casual friend for no reason, right?

It is possible in mystery novels, but if the police want to submit a suspect to prosecution, they must provide the murderer with a clear motive and unquestionable witness or physical evidence. Otherwise, the prosecutor will be the first to refuse and it will be impossible to bring him to court. .

There are only two suspects in total. The first one is a fake hunter, which is definitely not the case. The second one looks like a real hunter, but there are witnesses and supporting evidence. The alibi is completely established and the crime cannot be committed. Is the "hunter reasoning" bankrupt? Okay, is there another murderer?

Qing Jian Liuli was very sad, and for a moment she looked at Nanabaru Wu with worried eyes.