Dark Cave - part 4 - Chapter 20
Kurumada Kosuke stood up, opened the wooden door of the private room, looked around, and closed it again. ” Let me ask Dr. Yamashita a question first , ” Kurumada Kosuke said after sitting cross-legged, ” Your visit to Jiangjing this time is not just for academic exchanges, right? ”
Yamashita Yuji nodded and said, ” To be honest, you must have guessed what has been bothering me. ”
Kosuke Kurumada said: ” Dr. Yamashita, your father was murdered five years ago. Seventeen pieces of ceramics were stolen . They were all Mr. Yamashita’s most successful works. Appraisers from art auction houses in New York and Tokyo estimated that the lowest price of the ceramics was $500,000. The top works, such as “Fireflies Facing Each Other”, were estimated to be worth more than $3 million at the time. ”
Yamashita Yuji nodded and said, ” My father’s lawyer also gave an estimate, which is indeed very close to Kurumada-kun’s estimate. ”
Kurumada Kosuke showed a hint of pride on his plump face, and continued: ” The lost items are all fine works, which means the criminals are very knowledgeable, so it is very likely that they are a professional thief gang. The police have been monitoring some suspects, but have found nothing. Inoue-kun is well versed in art and people in the art trade, so I asked him for help, because the art trade and art theft gangs have … how should I put it, a very subtle relationship. Inoue-kun is worthy of being a top reporter. Through a series of investigations, he now has a fairly in-depth understanding of art theft gangs . ”
Inoue Jin said: ” According to my clues in the art trade, art theft gangs have been very active recently and are eager to try, because they know, like us, that Dr. Yamashita is persistently looking for the murderer of Mr. Yamashita Masahiro. If there is progress in solving the case, the precious ceramics will hopefully be brought to light, and the ‘ yin and yang ‘ state before these artworks are recovered is the best opportunity for experienced art thieves to take action. ” Inoue Jin paused, ” In other words, I suspect that professional art thieves have already come to Jiangjing, and once the artworks are revealed, they may become their prey. ”
Yamashita Yuji nodded in thanks: ” Thank you both for the information. ”
” We just want to remind everyone that if you find a piece of pottery by Master Yamashita , the safest thing to do is to contact the police, ” Kurumada said .
Yamashita Yuji thanked them again and said, ” We also have something that we hope you can help us with … Sometimes , I always feel that you may understand my father better. ”
Kurumada Kosuke and Inoue Jin repeatedly said ” I dare not ” and ” Where ” . Yamashita Yuji said: ” Have you ever heard of Reiko? ” The two reporters looked at each other, and Kurumada Kosuke said: ” Master Yamashita kept silent about his private affairs during his lifetime. After your father passed away, we were determined to co-author a biography of him, but it was difficult because there was so little information. However, we carefully read his haiku and ancient long poems, and Reiko was mentioned many times. She should be his first love in his youth, and it seems that she disappeared from his life soon after. ”
” She disappeared temporarily. ” Yamashita Yuji said, ” We found some new information. Lingzi … He Lingzi reappeared later . She was in love with my father for three years, and then they parted ways. Before he died, he bought a grave in Jiangjing and buried him with Lingzi … I think if we can find out more about Lingzi, it may reveal some clues to the cause of my father’s death. ”
The two reporters looked confused, obviously not understanding the connection between the two. Inoue Jin said: ” Okay, we will do our best. However, I believe Dr. Yamashita must also know that your father’s relationship with China is more than just cultural exchange. ”
” I know this. When my father was young, like most young men, he enlisted in the army and became a military doctor in the Kwantung Army. ”
After this was said, Guanjian and Anzaki Sachiko both exclaimed softly . The two reporters also looked solemn. Kurumada Kosuke said: ” You young people may not know that among our elders, only a few men had never joined the army. ”
Suddenly, Guan Jian, who was sitting upright , stood up and opened the wooden door in a blink of an eye. Because he could vaguely see a dark shadow passing through the frosted glass between the wooden doors. But there was no one in the corridor. He shouted: ” Someone! ” and ran to the right by instinct . At the end of the corridor, he could only turn right, which led to the lobby. The light from the other end of the lobby shone over, and a dark shadow was reflected on the wall.
The shadow faded and disappeared quickly. Guanjian had just turned around the corridor when a waiter brought a bowl of soup. The two bumped into each other and the turtle soup spilled all over the floor. Guanjian kept saying ” I’m sorry ” and looked forward again, but there was no suspicious figure at all .
” Did you see anyone running over there just now? ”
” You’re the only one I saw running. ” said the waiter unhappily.
Guanjian quickly crossed the lobby and ran out of the store. Although the weather was cold, there were still many people walking around. Anzaki Sachiko and Kurumada Kosuke came over later. Guanjian said, ” Maybe I’m just paranoid. I feel like someone is eavesdropping on us. ”
Anzaki Sachiko suddenly said: ” Strange, where is Mr. Inoue? ”
Inoue Jin rushed out of the private room and chased a few steps in the direction of the lobby and the store door. He was very familiar with the layout here. After thinking for a while, he turned around and chased in the opposite direction, hoping to outflank the escaped person. The corridor began to twist and turn, with private rooms on both sides. This was basically a dead end with only one fire safety door. He hesitated for a moment and pushed the door open to go out.
security gate is a dark alley at the back of the ” Wave House ” .
For some reason, he felt that danger was nearby. Before he could turn around, his vision suddenly went dark.
A black figure, like a dark cloud, loomed over him. Just as he was about to scream, a cold hand grabbed his neck.
After the banquet, Inoue Jin said he was too drunk today and hurriedly took a taxi to leave. Kurumada Kosuke kept saying it was strange. After Yamashita Yuji and Chiba Fumika also got in the car and left, Guan Guan said: ” Mr. Kurumada, if you have anything to say, you can tell me. ”
Kurumada Kosuke coughed, his face became serious, and he glanced at Anzaki Sachiko. Guan Jian said: ” Ms. Sachiko has always been very helpful to me. We trust each other very much. If you have anything to say, just say it. ”
Kurumada Kosuke nodded: ” I was overthinking it. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to be alone with you tonight to tell you about my latest discovery … It’s about Miss Huang Shiyi. ” Guan Jian ‘s heartbeat suddenly began to speed up.
” Forgive me for being nosy. I’ve already said this during dinner. I like to solve mysteries. The murder of Miss Huang Shiyi shocked me, so I started my own investigation. I’m sorry to say that I made almost no progress until yesterday. I learned something in an interview that I’m sure must have touched you greatly … but I can’t help but tell you …”
” This person claims to be a graduate student of Jiangnan Medical University named Fang Ping, doing a project at the Institute of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. He said he has important clues related to the murder of Huang Shiyi. ” Officer Chen led Bayu Sheng to the interrogation room.
Fang Ping’s thin face seemed to be always uneasy. When she saw the two police officers coming, her lips began to tremble.
” Fang Ping, don’t be nervous, speak slowly. ” Bayu Sheng diligently made a cup of tea for Fang Ping.
Fang Ping took a deep breath and finally said in a slightly calmer tone: ” On the afternoon of the day Huang Shiyi was murdered, I happened to see … Professor Ren … hugging Huang Shiyi. ”
Bayu Sheng and Officer Chen both had blank expressions on their faces.
” I saw it secretly. They didn’t see me. Huang Shiyi struggled to get free. Her face was very ugly. She said something harsh to Professor Ren and walked away with a red face. ”
” Is that all? ” Officer Chen asked.
” That ‘s all. So after I heard about Huang Shiyi’s accident, I have been hesitating whether to report Professor Ren. I think he would never do such a thing as murder … He is my mentor. If he is exposed, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the institute. What should I do then? ”
Bayusheng asked: ” Why did you think of telling us now? ”
” Yesterday, a famous Japanese reporter came to me and spoke standard Mandarin. He asked me how much I knew about Huang Shiyi’s case … The reporter was so cunning. He got a few photos of the lab party from somewhere and pointed at the intimate look of Professor Ren and Huang Shiyi in the photos. He asked me if I felt anything unusual. Maybe I had been holding it in for too long, so I couldn’t control myself and told him everything. ”
” Fang Ping, thank you very much for your clue. At the same time, I would like to ask you to help us pay attention to the scientific project of academic exchange in Japan. If you hear of any special discoveries, please let us know as soon as possible. ”
Fang Ping nodded , stood up and walked out, then suddenly turned around and said, ” I heard that a key figure woke up from the experiment and said that more people were going to die. “