Reasoning Notes

Chapter 7 Reasoning Notes 1:12 Tsundere Detective (7)
We were taken aback.Qiao Qi nodded hesitantly, and the waitress smiled immediately.

"You are finally here, please come here."

She deftly ushered us to a table in the corner.After we sat down, she brought us three more cups of coffee.

"Excuse me," I called to stop the waitress who was about to leave, "how do you know her name is Qiao Qi?"

The waitress stopped and stood by our table.She said, "Oh, that's right. Three days ago, classmate Qiao Qi reserved a seat with us."

"Three days ago?" I looked at Qiao Qi, but she shook her head violently, indicating that she hadn't booked any seats at all.

"Someone else made the reservation for you." The waitress explained, "Three days ago, a gentleman came to reserve a seat and showed me Qiao Qi's photo. However, the seat he reserved was for one person. , I didn’t expect three people to come today.”

That's why the waitress didn't recognize Qiao Qi immediately.

"Is that gentleman wearing a peaked cap, sunglasses, and a mask?"

Regarding my guess, the waitress immediately widened her eyes in disbelief: "How do you know?"

"So, you can't see that person's face."

"En, um." The waitress nodded hurriedly, her charming eyes revealed a trace of admiration, she probably regarded me as a famous high school detective.I took out my notepad again and meticulously recorded the enquiry.

"Did that gentleman make any special requests when he reserved the seat? For example..." I tapped the table with the tip of my pen, "Did he require this table, or is there no limit to the number of seats?"

"Well. He specifically asked for this seat."

"Oh, is there anything else?"

"What's more, his reservation time is from [-]:[-] am to [-]:[-] pm, for a total of seven days."

"Has the money been paid?"

"Well, it's all paid."

So, that man won't show up again.

"Then, Miss Waiter, can you recall any strange features of that gentleman? Even the slightest."

"Well..." The waitress frowned and pondered.At this moment, the phone at the counter rang, and a man who looked like a manager called her name from inside the store: "Du Juan, answer the phone quickly!"

The waitress named Du Juan didn't have time to say anything else, so she hurried to the counter to answer the phone.

I took the opportunity to observe the seats we were sitting in. Why did the kidnappers choose this seat specially?

Seeing me squatting down to check the bottom of the table, Xia Zao'an hurriedly drew back her feet and kept her feet together, for fear that she would lose everything.

"Hey, big pervert! Want to take a peek?! Don't think that taking the No. 1 exam will make you mess up! Be careful with three punches from me, the farmer, it will hurt your kidneys!"

"No." I looked at her innocently.Under the denim shorts she was wearing, she showed a pair of white and beautiful long legs, which was really eye-catching, but I am not that kind of womanizer.I said seriously: "I want to check this table!"

"Why are you checking this table so carefully? You obviously want to take a peek!"

"Are you finished yet?" I didn't bother to argue with her, and continued to check the seat.

But in fact, this seat is nothing special.However, I noticed that all the seats have a wooden shelf for storage. The wooden shelf has three layers, is circular, and is divided into two halves by a wooden board in the middle.Qiao Qi and Xia Zaoan put their backpacks on the top layer.

Qiao Qi is using a black backpack, which is very different from Xia Zaoan's pink backpack.

I made a note of this.I have to say that many of the details I recorded are superfluous, but perhaps the key to solving the case lies in one of the inconspicuous details.

After a few minutes, the waitress who answered the phone came back again.

"I'm sorry, I thought about it carefully just now, but I still can't remember the characteristics of that gentleman, sorry!"

"no problem, no problem."

I watched the waitress walk away, and then looked around the shop.Since it is the weekend, there are many customers sitting here, and the laughing people are enjoying the leisure time comfortably.A classic old song is played in the store, "Black Tea House" sung by Priscilla Chan, presumably this cafe is named after it.

I checked my phone, we arrived at the cafe at ten past eleven.In the few 10 minutes since then, the kidnappers have not called.This is beyond my expectation.We sat dryly while waiting for the kidnapper's next instructions.

I saw customers in the cafe coming in and out, and the waitress named Du Juan was a little flustered for a while.She finally had time to rest, and another male waiter came in from the back door, cursing something dirty.I saw the waitress go over and say something to him, then go out the back door.

The male waiter turned his head and gave her a blank look. As he walked over, he stroked the bloodstains on his left hand with his right hand.Walking up to the manager, he complained dissatisfiedly: "Manager, that damned mother-in-law Du Juan went to the back alley to feed the cats again. Damn stray cats scratched my hands."

The manager, who was working hard at the counter, didn't bother to talk to him: "Just don't mess with that cat? What does it matter to you if people feed stray cats? Can you show some love?"

"..." The male waiter closed his mouth in disgust.

I looked at the clock in the cafe, it was eleven thirty-five.

I observed the people in the store again, including white-collar workers, families, and students in school uniforms.This cafe seems to be very popular with the public.At this point there were only two tables left vacant, one of which was our neighbor.There is a "reserved" sign on the table, but the person who made the reservation has not yet come.

I wondered if the next seat would also be booked by the kidnappers?But what is his purpose in booking two tables?Seems unnecessary.

Just as I was thinking, I suddenly felt a sharp gaze coming over, like a hound watching its prey.My heart skipped a beat.

Is it an accomplice to the kidnappers?Is he in charge of spying on us?
I slowly shifted my gaze, trying to keep my expression as natural as possible.I saw that gaze came from the right front of me, the third seat by the window, and a man with an indifferent expression was looking at me presumptuously.

As a kidnapper, he is too arrogant.

He might not be the kidnapper.

I continued to watch the man with conflicted feelings.No matter how I pretended to be natural, the man must have sensed that I was watching him, but he didn't dodge, and still looked at us with great interest.That piercing gaze seemed to dissect the three of us thoroughly.

He is not a kidnapper.I thought to myself, the real kidnapper would never deliberately attract our attention like this.Reminiscent of the man who was fully armed to hide his true face, the man in front of him was too revealing.This does not conform to the characteristics of the kidnappers in this case to hide their eyes and ears.

I boldly looked at the man over there, but unexpectedly, his eyes still did not move away.It was a man in his 30s, with decadent messy hair and unshaven beard stubble on his chin, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, behind the white smoke was a pair of breathtaking eyes.

Seeing such a man, I first thought of the criminal police.Ordinary people do not develop such a shrewd eye.However, he is not like a criminal police officer.His condescending attitude, it is difficult for me to have a good impression.

After meeting my gaze, he unhurriedly exhaled a puff of smoke, then lowered his head to write quickly.

There are several papers on his desk.The man pressed the miniature tape recorder on the table from time to time, while recording the contents of the tape recorder.

He's more of a reporter.Thinking of this, I was relieved.

After a while, I heard someone shouting at the door: "Qiao Qi! Is there anyone named Qiao Qi here?"

A young lad yelled at the door.

All the customers in the shop looked at him, and the young man also felt a little embarrassed, but he continued to call: "Qiao Qi, Qiao Qi, the delivery has been received."

express delivery?
Qiao Qi and I looked at each other, not knowing what to do.As for Xia Zaoan, at some point she took out a comic from her backpack and was reading it with great interest.At this time, she was still immersed in the comics, "giggling" from time to time, which formed a great contrast with our anxious mood.

This guy has nothing to contribute at all!The hateful thing is that the manga she read is still "Kindaichi Boy Case Book".

The courier is still calling.The waitress named Du Juan hurried over and brought him to us.

"Qiao Qi, right? Can you show me your ID card?"

After confirming Qiao Qi's identity, the courier handed her the package and left with the signed receipt.

"What is this?" Xia Zao'an finally turned her attention back.

The package was placed on the table and I took a deep breath.The package was tightly wrapped in wrapping paper, and the items inside were probably of the same specifications as an LCD screen, which was naturally sent by the kidnappers.That's why we're so nervous.No one knows what's inside.

After a moment of silence, I started to tear off the wrapping paper.

What appeared in front of us was a black briefcase, and what was packed in the briefcase was a stack of documents.

"Cut! I thought it was money." Xia Zao'an immediately said disappointedly.

She didn't even have to think about it, how could a kidnapper give money!
But what does this imply?

I dug out the documents and looked them over, but it turned out to be just some old documents that I couldn't understand.But there is nothing else in the briefcase. What is the purpose of the kidnapper giving us this briefcase?

I folded the papers and put them back in the briefcase as they were.

When I put the briefcase on the shelf below the backpack, I secretly saw the man who looked like a reporter looking over there again intentionally or unintentionally.

It's just that due to the angle, he couldn't see the lower two floors of the shelf.So he bowed his head resentfully and continued to write the manuscript.

Suspicious guy!
(End of this chapter)