"He was drowsily napping in the back seat of the car. As they neared the tunnel entrance, he vaguely looked out and seemed not to see any vehicles at the entrance. Later, when he closed his eyes, preparing to continue napping, the car accident happened in an instant."
Hattori Heiji paused before finishing his sentence.
"However, he wasn't sure if he saw clearly at the time, as he was still half-asleep. So, in the end, the Police did not include this detail in their report."
Hearing this, Takato frowned slightly, feeling there must be a problem here. If what that director saw was true, then, similarly, the driver also did not see any vehicles at the tunnel entrance before entering the tunnel.
In that case, it would be understandable that the driver did not slow down or turn the steering wheel before entering the tunnel. But is such a situation really possible?
Putting down the information in his hand, Takato thought for a moment, then said, "We still need to go to the scene to take a look."
"Huh? You want to see the scene? Then I'll immediately contact Officer Otaki to take us there."
Hattori Heiji said, a little excited, upon hearing this.
"Don't be so anxious, we're not going right now."
Seeing Hattori Heiji's reaction, Takato quickly stopped him.
"I want to go tomorrow. Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, which is roughly when the accident happened, we'll go see what can be seen outside the tunnel entrance at that time."
"Huh? So you want to re-enact the case?"
Hattori Heiji understood it that way.
"It's not that complicated. It's just to see if, during the time frame when the incident occurred, there were any other factors at that tunnel entrance that might have affected the driver's vision. After all, what that director said could also be true."
Takato explained.
"Alright, I'll have Officer Otaki pick you up then. Anyway, it's not time for school yet at six o'clock, so I can go take a look too."
Hattori Heiji said this, and then their meeting for the evening concluded.
The next morning, a little after five o'clock, Officer Otaki drove his Police car, carrying Hattori Heiji, to the hotel where Takato was staying, and together they headed to the site of the car accident.
Leaving at a little past five, it was already past six when they arrived at the accident site. The sky was gradually brightening from a hazy dimness. The Police car, which had its lights on, no longer needed them after driving for a while.
Arriving outside the tunnel entrance where the accident occurred, Officer Otaki parked the vehicle on the emergency lane nearby. Then, the three of them got out and slowly approached the tunnel entrance from outside the highway.
By this time, the sky was bright, and the visibility of the road was very clear. The road at the tunnel entrance was a two-lane, two-way road.
"Look, the visibility of this lane is very clear. If there was a car at the tunnel entrance, the driver couldn't possibly not see it."
Officer Otaki said.
"Indeed. Looking at it this way, if the accident really was a car rear-ending a large truck, then what the director said about not seeing any vehicles at the tunnel entrance doesn't quite make sense."
Hattori Heiji said thoughtfully.
"Well, actually, the traffic department, based on the debris at the scene and the damage to the vehicles, has already determined that the accident was caused by a car rear-ending a fully loaded large truck."
Officer Otaki said.
"Then could the car have rear-ended the large truck in another place with poor visibility, but due to some reason, it was transported here? After all, there were no brake marks from the car left here!"
Hattori Heiji suggested a possibility.
"Then the director's statement becomes even more unexplainable."
Takato said, "According to that director, he clearly saw the tunnel entrance before the accident, so the location couldn't be wrong."
"Then it's very strange that he didn't see anything, because the visibility here is so good, it's impossible not to see a car at the tunnel entrance."
Hattori Heiji said.
"Then, conversely, since the visibility here is so good, yet that director still didn't see any car at the tunnel entrance!"
Takato said this, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
"Hey, Detective Brother, have you thought of something?"
Seeing Takato's expression, Hattori Heiji was a bit surprised.
"It's too early to say anything now."
Takato didn't explain, turning to Officer Otaki and asking, "Did the Police later look for drivers who passed through here on the day of the accident?"
"We did find a few drivers and questioned them, but they either passed through the tunnel before dawn on the day of the accident, or after the accident occurred. We didn't find any drivers who actually witnessed the incident. Moreover, there aren't many vehicles on this road during this time of day; apart from some vehicles that deliver goods into the city at this time, very few other vehicles pass through."
Officer Otaki explained.
"So, during that time slot, there are certain cars that regularly pass through that tunnel?"
Takato asked.
"Yes, because considering that the hit-and-run vehicle was a large truck, all the vehicles that regularly pass through there for deliveries were investigated by the Police, and their drivers were questioned. However, none of them witnessed the accident."
Officer Otaki replied.
Hearing this, Takato pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then were there any drivers who usually take this road, but didn't on the day of the accident?"
"That... I think there were."
Officer Otaki recalled.
"What was the reason they didn't take this tunnel road that day?"
Takato asked.
"Huh?"
Hearing this question, Officer Otaki didn't know how to answer for a moment, then pulled out his phone.
"I'll ask about this specifically."
Saying this, Officer Otaki dialed a number and ran to the side to make a call.
Meanwhile, Hattori Heiji, after hearing the questions Takato just asked, fell into thought.
Before long, Officer Otaki finished his call and returned.
"I just asked a colleague from the traffic department. They said that since they were looking for witnesses to the accident at the time, they didn't conduct detailed inquiries with those few drivers who didn't take the tunnel road that day, so they don't know why they didn't take this tunnel road."
After hearing Officer Otaki's narration, Takato sighed, feeling a bit helpless.
"Then please have the Police inquire with these drivers again about why they didn't take the tunnel road they usually take that day. This is very important!"
Takato suggested, and Officer Otaki immediately made a call to instruct a Police Officer to handle the matter.
By this time, almost an hour had passed since they arrived at the location.
"There's no point in staying here anymore; let's go back first."
Takato said. Hattori Heiji still had school, so the three of them got into the car and left.
In the car, Hattori Heiji was still deep in thought, and finally couldn't help but ask Takato.
"Hey, Detective Brother, you already understand what the whole thing is about, right!"
"Yes. I have some ideas."
Takato said, "If the results of the Police's subsequent inquiries match my expectations, this is definitely a man-made car accident! A huge conspiracy!"