Chapter 4: The Buddha Hall in the Snow

Kanako and Superintendent Mizukawa quickly got to work, and they used their cameras to record some details of the place from time to time, while Miki wandered around the temple with Hayashi Shuichi.

Lin Xiuyi first visited the temple, in addition to the Buddha hall that entered the mountain gate, there were only a few inconspicuous buildings on the left and right. Behind the Buddha hall is a cliff, and below the cliff is the road when Lin Xiuyi came.

If it weren't for the murder ten years ago, no one would have remembered this abandoned temple for a long time.

For the whole impression of this case, Lin Xiuyi just read it from the newspaper clipping in Kanako's hand. The day of the incident coincided with winter, and it was close to the end of the year, and the mountain road leading to the temple was impassable due to snow and ice, so the construction of the temple had to be stopped. The villagers who were responsible for the rebuilding of the temple were forced to stay at home and wait for the snow to melt the next year before returning to the mountains to continue the reconstruction of the temple.

Although the construction work has stopped, there is still a need for people to regularly visit the mountain to inspect the situation of the temple, because they are worried that the unfinished temple will be taken by the animals in the mountain and vandalized. Second, I was worried that the heavy snow would collapse the newly built Buddhist hall.

The night before the incident, there had just been a heavy snowfall, and the villagers in charge of patrolling the mountain in Futu Village came to the Futu Temple along the mountain road as usual, but found that the mountain gate was wide open, and they went straight to the courtyard out of curiosity. found that a woman dressed in white in the Buddha hall had fallen to the ground, with a cold and shining rib on her chest.

The villagers who found that the situation was wrong quickly notified the Yamanashi County police, and because the location of the incident was very remote, the scene was completely preserved, and after the police investigation of the scene, the police found that the case was full of suspicions. In this snowy courtyard, no footprints of anyone other than the footprints of the villagers who reported the crime were found. However, the police examined the blood fingerprints of a third person on the handle of the knife, in addition to the villager who reported the crime and the victim.

To add to the police's distress, the woman's death was only one hour away, and according to the meteorological department, the heavy snowfall had ended long before that. This means that last night's heavy snow could not cover up the murderer's traces when he left. But if the woman was killed, how did the killer leave the scene?

Because the woman died in the Buddhist hall, and the legend of the demon monk murdering the woman under the mountain was circulated in the Futu Temple, the case quickly aroused the interest of the media. When the media learned from the police that the scene of the crime was actually a closed room homicide, this made the case even more famous. However, it is a pity that the case happened ten years ago, and the technical conditions at that time were not mature, so many clues could not be investigated by current technical means, and the large-scale investigation by the police in Futu Village did not find the owner of the blood fingerprint, so this case became an unsolved case.

Eliminate the gimmicks in the newspapers that are created to attract attention. The only clue to this case is the bloody fingerprint where the owner was not found. The snow around the courtyard separates the temple from the outside world. A crime scene separated by snow, a murderer who disappeared out of thin air. This kind of plot is exactly like a mystery novel. Coupled with the legend of Futu Village, it is no wonder that this case can arouse the interest of TV adaptation.

"Xiuyi-kun, do you know how the murderer did it?" Miki has always been interested in Lin Xiuyi's criminal investigation skills, so she took the initiative to ask Lin Xiuyi to come here to investigate the scene. This time it's a tricky secret room murder, and unless the killer can fly, how can he get out of here.

"Ah, I see, there must be a secret passage leading to the outside. That's why the murderer left the scene unconsciously!How come the Yamanashi Prefectural Police can't even think of this?" said every season pretending to be smart.

"I can't rule out this possibility, but before the incident, the villagers were rebuilding the Futu Temple, if there is a secret passage, they won't be able to find out?" Lin Xiu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said.

"But, Xiu Yijun. If there is no secret passage, how can the murderer leave after killing the dead? The villager who came to check on the situation told the police that he didn't meet anyone on the way here! It took us an hour just to climb up, but it was winter when the crime occurred, and the villagers spent more time walking on the snow-covered mountain road than us!" Miki retorted unconvinced.

"Mr. Lin!"

Just when Lin Shuichi and Miki were quietly discussing the case, Kanako Kimura suddenly ran over.

"What are you talking about? Are you discussing the matter of the female deceased?" Kanako asked curiously.

"Yes, we were discussing whether there was a secret passage here, and I think the murderer escaped from the secret passage, so he didn't leave any footprints. And if there is a secret passage, maybe it is the place where those demon monks used to hide treasures, and maybe there are treasures in it now!" Miki said optimistically.

"Secret Passage! I actually think so too! When the script is officially written, I also plan to use Secret Passage as the final explanation for this secret room murder incident! But in fact, there is one thing I didn't tell you this morning, the true identity of the dead woman was not disclosed in the newspaper, and I only know that her name is Ayu, and she has been working as a waitress in Umegagaki House before her death. I learned this news from the senior reporter who wrote the story in the first place! But don't rush to mention this to Umegaki Juko, the female general of Umegaki House, I want to find a suitable opportunity to consult her about the events of the year!" Kanako requested.

"This is natural! We will never say it!" "Miki stretched out her little thumb to Kanako and said mischievously, Kanako smiled, and actually stretched out her hand to reassure Miki!

"Mr. Lin, our work is over, we can go back!"

As soon as Lin Xiu and the others finished speaking, Superintendent Shuichuan beckoned them to leave. Everyone packed up their things and walked down the mountain together. Although the road down the mountain was not strenuous, it took several people about half an hour because the road was not well maintained. Who knew that as soon as I arrived at the foot of the mountain, I saw two people, Aizawa and Hanagata, just passing by.

"Aizawa, aren't you going fishing, why did you come back so early?" Lin Xiuyi took the initiative to ask.

"Hanagata accidentally fell into the river just now, and I'll accompany him back to change clothes!" Aizawa said, pointing in the direction they were coming.

Only then did everyone notice the shape of a flower that looked like a chicken in soup, and they all couldn't help laughing.