Matsuda Family, Maebashi City.

When a black official car slowly parked on the side of the road, Criminal Qingshan got out of the car, then stood outside the courtyard of a house and asked loudly:

"I'm sorry! I'm County Police Aoyama, is anyone here?"

Ichiro and Doihara, who were following Aoyama, were standing outside the door, looking at the overgrown weeds in the courtyard and frowning.

This is a one-family house that looks pretty good from the outside. Unfortunately, the owner of the house neglected to clean his courtyard, so it looks messy. However, from the corner of the courtyard, there is a dried up pool.

It can be seen that this place was once carefully decorated.

Criminal Qingshan stood outside the door and asked again, but unfortunately no one responded inside. Just when everyone thought there was no one at home, the hostess of the neighbor's house suddenly opened her door and asked curiously.

.

"I'm sorry, may I ask... who are you..."

"Ah... I am the prefectural policeman Aoyama, and these two are Doihara Criminal Police and Furuta Criminal Police from Tokyo. Excuse me... the Matsuda family..."

"Hey... Mrs. Matsuyama had a cerebral infarction a few years ago, and now her daughter is taking care of her. Maybe Haruko has gone out! Ah... Haruko... these police gentlemen seem to be here to see you!"

As the lady next door was talking, she saw a lady about twenty years old walking to the door carrying two bags of food, and then looked at them curiously.

"You are..."

"Ah! You are Mr. Matsuda's daughter, Haruko! I have taken the liberty to come and visit you. I am Aoyama from the Maebashi Police Station. These two gentlemen came all the way from Tokyo. They have some questions they would like to ask you about!"

"Ah...please take care of me when we meet for the first time!"

"Please take care of me!"

"Please come in with me. We haven't had any guests at home for a long time. Please don't mind!"

As Haruko spoke, she struggled to carry the shopping bag, then walked outside the courtyard door, opened the courtyard door forcefully, and let Qingshan and the three of them into the home.

"I'm back, Mom!"

After several people changed their shoes at the entrance, Haruko put down the things she bought, and then invited them to the living room. When Aoyama and the three of them entered the living room, they discovered that there was also a treatment bed here.

There was an old woman with a haggard face on the bed, looking at them with some surprise.

"Mom, it's the county police and they're here! Is there anything you need me to do?"

"ah……"

Haruko's mother just raised her hand slightly, as if she wanted to say something. But in the end, she couldn't make a sound. Haruko on the side saw her, and just helped her mother tuck the quilt, and then said with some embarrassment:

"Guys, please take a seat wherever you want! There's a bit of chaos at home, I'll make you some tea!"

"Ah... I'm done!"

…

A few minutes later, when Haruko returned to the living room holding several cups of tea on a tray, Aoyama asked with some restraint:

"May I ask Mrs. Matsuda, she..."

"After my father passed away, it wasn't long before my mother fell ill! I couldn't take care of the ranch at home, so I rented it out to others to run."

“What a shame!”

…

Qingshan said something with deep feeling. Haruko asked him somewhat puzzledly:

"Mr. Qingshan, are you here today because of my father's case..."

"Ah, we have made some new discoveries, so I want to ask you again about the murder of Mr. Matsuda. I hope it won't cause you any trouble!"

"Are you...still investigating Odousan's case?"

When Haruko heard Ichiro's explanation, she immediately asked with some anticipation.

"To be honest, when we were investigating another case, we discovered similarities with Mr. Matsuda's case, so... we came to visit you specially! Let's see if we can find out anything new from you.

!Excuse me...do you still remember the case back then?"

"It turns out...it's because of other cases!"

After Haruko said this, she suddenly looked a little lonely. Ichiro on the side saw this and closed his notepad first. Then he looked at the furnishings in the room and said with some sympathy:

"Miss Haruko, it's really not easy!"

"Um?"

"Back then, my grandmother was ill for many years, and my mother was the only one who supported the family..."

After Ichiro finished speaking, he suddenly looked at the statue beside him and asked:

"Excuse me...can I offer some incense to Mr. Matsuda?"

"Ah, of course!"

Haruko heard Ichiro's request and hurriedly bowed. Ichiro and Doi Nori slowly came to the shrine, each picked up a stick of incense and inserted it into the incense burner, and then tapped the bronze bell beside it.

, and bowed with his hands clasped together.

"Although we are here this time because of other cases, if there are any clues, we will try our best to find the murderer of Mr. Matsuda. Please rest assured about this. In addition...if possible, we

I would also like to ask you what happened before and after Mr. Matsuda’s death!”

"Um!"

After hearing Doihara's words, Haruko hesitated for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. So the three of them returned to the coffee table. Haruko calmed down her emotions first, and then slowly said:

"The cause of the matter begins with the conflict between the village and the nearby power plant three years ago..."

"We in Fujimi Village have started operating ranches a long time ago, and everyone has been working hard to produce more and better-tasting milk. Later...because Fujimi Village was merged into Maebashi City,

Maebashi City Hall planned a waste incineration power plant in our area, and the conflict between the villagers and the power plant began.”

"Excuse me...when was the power plant built?"

"About five years ago!"

"Five years ago?"

"Hey!"

"But...why didn't you suddenly have a conflict with each other until three years ago?"

"How should I put it? Since every household here operates a ranch, we certainly don't want a power plant that burns garbage to be built in the village. However, because it was Maebashi City's decision, even though the villagers tried their best,

Still could not stop the construction of the power plant. Just like that, the power plant started construction amidst the opposition of the villagers."

"Originally, the power plant has assured us many times that after it is completed, it will never cause any pollution to the surrounding environment. In addition, they also promised to purchase the milk we produce here and provide it to canteens across the country! Therefore, the village

The opposition voices gradually became less and less...until three years ago..."

"Three years ago?"

"Hey! Three years ago, there were several sudden deaths of cows in the village. At first, we thought it was a plague. But...the sudden death of cows only happened sporadically in several houses near power plants.
Chapter completed!