The next morning, Uncle Jiange took me to the county public security bureau again.
When we arrived, Captain Hou of the Criminal Police Team was sitting at his desk working on the thick pile of files, which he needed to read carefully and then sign. I'm actually embarrassed that we disturbed him so suddenly, but Uncle Jiange doesn't seem guilty about it.
"So, have you made any new discoveries? After the pleasantries, Captain Hou asked straight to the point.
"I think I might have a little bit of a new idea, but I'm not sure what it is. Uncle Jiange replied in his usual tone, as if he had a good idea, but he did not tell what he knew. I came here to see the evidence, and then I could find out if my little idea was right or wrong. "
"Okay, no problem. The relevant evidence of this case is all in the evidence room, which one do you want to find? "
"Keys, a little key, I think so, a little key. Uncle Jiange replied.
Captain Hou scratched his head: "Well, I don't seem to have noticed any keys in my impression, but let's check it again when we get to the evidence room." "
"Nope." In the evidence room, after double-checking the relevant forms, Captain Hou told Uncle Jiange, "I'm sure we didn't find any items like keys at the scene." "
"Well, well, it seems that my little idea is not so true." Uncle Jiange looked a little disappointed.
"But here are some other evidence, maybe you are interested, you can take a look." Captain Hou handed the evidence registration form in his hand to Uncle Jiange.
Uncle Jiange took the form and flipped through it.
Just as he was about to return the flipped form to Captain Hou, he suddenly stopped and became very interested in something listed above.
He pointed to the things listed on the table: "What are these plastic fragments listed here?" "
Captain Hou looked at it, then stretched out his right hand and scratched his head again, and said a little embarrassed: "Let's take it out directly and take a look, I don't remember ~~~~"
Checking the number, he took out a transparent evidence bag from the corresponding drawer and handed it to Uncle Jiange.
The bag contained tiny pieces of plastic that looked like they had peeled off from something. Uncle Jiange put on his gloves, poured them out of the evidence bag, put them on his hands, and observed them carefully. He touched it lightly with his fingers, and it felt smooth, thin, and brittle, like a polymer material. There are about four or five pieces in total, each about a centimeter square, irregular in shape, and one of them shows a certain arc, as if peeling off from a round object. The color should be transparent, but most of it has been blackened, and some parts have been burned, giving off an unpleasant plastic smell. Uncle Jiange carefully examined each piece with a magnifying glass and found that there were some small letters on it, like a model or a brand, but only a part of it could be seen, and he didn't know what it meant.
"Are you sure what this is?" Uncle Jiange asked Captain Hou.
"Not yet, we have some guesses, but not quite sure. "
"Looks like a lighter. "
"Lighter?" Captain Hou took the plastic pieces from Uncle Jiange and looked at them carefully.
"Yes, lighter. Disposable lighters, to be exact. "
"When you say that, it does look quite similar. "
"But you didn't find the nose?" Uncle Jiange said.
"I really haven't found it yet." Captain Hou honestly admitted, "It is said that Li Shilan's kitchen should not have this kind of lighter, and although Li Shilan likes to smoke very much, he uses Zippo, and he has never seen or heard of him using this disposable lighter." So we didn't guess in that direction. "
"Then you need to go back to the scene and look for it seriously." Uncle Jiange replied meaningfully.
Just after returning to the Li family manor, Uncle Jiange just wanted to take a break, when Captain Hou's phone called again, asking him to answer it quickly.
"I just left you guys with something new? Uncle Jiange asked with some surprise, he thought there were no clues in this case.
"Yes, we just got the autopsy report of the corpse in the freezer in the basement of the Li Family Manor, you must not have thought of the result. Captain Hou's voice was full of excitement and surprise.
"Okay, any conclusions? Uncle Jiange asked, he was also a little curious whether the body had anything to do with this case.
"After police investigation, the body in the refrigerator was a homeless homeless man nearby, and the cause of death was sudden death due to myocardial infarction, and the time of death was several days earlier, earlier than Li Shilan's death. Captain Hou said, then paused and continued, "Moreover, we also found an even stranger thing, that is..."
"What's stranger? "
"That is, we found something strange in the stomach of the corpse, such as some relatively high-end ingredients, which supposedly would not be something that a homeless man like him could afford, and he didn't know how he got in and didn't know where it came from." Captain Hou said, with some doubt and surprise in his voice.
"High-end ingredients? Does this have anything to do with the fact that we found his body in the home of the big rich? Uncle Jiange asked.
"I don't know, but I think it could be an important clue that might uncover the truth of this case." Captain Hou said, and then said, "You'd better come quickly, we need your help, this case is getting more and more complicated." "
"No, no, no, you think too much, I think this case is actually not that complicated, I think I already know what is going on." "
"You already know what's going on? How do you know? Captain Hou asked, a little surprised and a little curious, how Uncle Jiange deduced the truth of this case.
"I analyzed it based on some clues we found before, some common sense, and some intuition. Uncle Jiange said, his voice revealing a hint of confidence and a hint of mystery.
"Then can you tell me your analysis? I would also like to know what you think. Captain Hou said, he was a little unconvinced, but also a little curious, what is Uncle Jiange's analysis.
"Don't worry, there are still some logic in this case that I haven't sorted out yet, and I need to do further investigation, and when I think clearly, I will naturally tell you everything about the whole case." Uncle Jiange said calmly, "In short, I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, and I'm still collecting more information." "
We went back to the guest room, closed the door, and began to discuss this complicated case. Liu Jiange took out a piece of paper with some information and doubts that we had collected.
He pointed to the first article and said, "Did Li Shilan make a will to designate who to inherit?" I don't know, it is only known that the designated beneficiary of the high-value insurance he purchased is his only son, but no will has been found. This is strange, he is a rich man, how could he not leave a will? Did he want all his property to go to his son? Could it be that his son was the murderer? "
He then pointed to the second article and said, "Why did Li Shilan go to the thrift market to buy a very old gas stove?" We learned from his wife, nanny, and the owner of the thrift market that he bought it more than a month ago, and he deliberately picked the oldest and most leak-prone one. Was he trying to kill himself? But the cause of his death was a gas explosion, not carbon monoxide poisoning. Moreover, he already has a very new gas stove in his kitchen, so why buy another gas stove? Was he trying to create an illusion that he had died unexpectedly? "
He pointed to the third and said, "Why hide the body of a sudden death of a homeless man in the basement freezer?" This is the most puzzling point. We learned from the medical examiner that the body was a man in his forties who had died of a heart attack more than a week earlier. He is unidentified and does not have any identity documents or relatives. How did he get into Li Shilan's basement? How did Li Shilan know of his existence? Why keep his body in the freezer? Did he want to do something with his corpse? "
Finally, he pointed to the fourth and said, "Li Shilan was very drunk, how did he go to the kitchen and lock the door?" We learned from his wife and nanny that he had returned home around 1 p.m. on the day of the incident, when he was so drunk that he could barely walk. How did he get into the kitchen? The kitchen door was locked from the inside without any signs of damage. Did he lock it himself? Why would you want to do that? Did he want to isolate himself from the outside world? Or did someone lock it for him? Who is that person? "
After saying this, Liu Jiange sighed and said: "This case is too complicated, and we still need more clues and evidence to find out the truth." "
I nodded and said, "We can't miss a single detail, maybe there are clues we need." "
Liu Jiange nodded and said, "You are right, we need to carefully analyze all the information to see if there are any missing or contradictory points." "
He picked up a pen and paper and began to write his thoughts and questions next to each piece of information. I also picked up a piece of paper and started taking my own notes. The two of us worked in silence for a while, then exchanged papers to see if the other had any different views or findings.
I looked at Liu Jiange's paper and found that he wrote next to the first message: "Does the son have a motive to kill his father?" How are they related? Does he have an alibi? Did he have any accomplices? "I think these are very important issues, and I wrote something similar on my own paper. I think Li Shilan's son is a very suspicious figure, and he may have killed his father in order to inherit his father's property and insurance money. We need to investigate him more deeply to see where he was and how he acted at the time of the crime, as well as his relationship with his father.
I looked at Liu Jiange's paper again and found that he had written next to the second message: "Was the old gas stove deliberately placed in the kitchen?" Is someone trying to create a fake cause of death? Is someone trying to destroy the scene? Is someone trying to cause an explosion? "I think these are also very likely situations, and I wrote something similar on my own paper. I think the old gas stove is a very key piece of evidence, it may be a tool used by the murderer to cover up the truth, it may be a tool used by the murderer to destroy evidence, or it may be a tool used by the murderer to create a greater disaster. We need to examine the old gas stove more closely to see if it has been passive, whether it has left any traces, and whether it is related to other items.
I looked at Liu Jiange's paper again and found that he had written next to the third message: "Does the body of the homeless man have anything to do with Li Shilan?" Is someone trying to do something with his corpse? Did someone want to replace Li Shilan's body with his corpse? Is someone trying to use his body to create a fake identity? "I think these are also very likely situations, and I wrote something similar on my own paper. I think the body of a homeless man is a very strange find, it may be a tool used by the murderer to carry out the plan, it may be a tool used by the murderer to mislead us, or it may be a tool used by the murderer to evade the law. We need to conduct a more detailed identification of the homeless man's body, look at his identity, and see how he and Li Shilan are connected.
I wanted to read the fourth article, but found that Uncle Jiange was already bored next to him, and it seemed that the things I wrote on the paper were really nothing to see for him, so I was embarrassed, so I said to him, or let's do something else, go out and walk, the weather is very good outside.
Uncle Jiange looked at me, smiled, and said, "Okay, where do you want to go?" "
I thought about it and said, "I'd like to go see that thrift market, I heard there's a lot of interesting stuff there, maybe we can find some clues." "
Uncle Jiange frowned and said, "Are you still thinking about the case?" I don't think there's anything to see there, it's all rags, and it's dirty, messy. "
I said, "No, I think it's interesting, maybe we can find something unexpected, and I want to know why Li Shilan went there to buy a gas stove." "
Uncle Jiange sighed and said, "Well, since you want to go so much, let's go, but maybe you can find some information that you didn't notice before." "
So we went out the door and strolled towards the thrift market. The thrift market is still a bit far away to be honest, and at the other end of the county, I began to regret a little why I didn't drive over, but Uncle Jiange insisted on walking over, saying that it was actually good to see the scenery on the road.
I followed him, observing my surroundings as I walked. Yongjia is a small county, but it is actually very prosperous and has its own characteristics. In summer, there are not many people on the road, mostly plainly dressed farmers, or students riding bicycles, or vendors pushing carts. When they see us, they will nod slightly, or say hello, or smile, and appear very kind and friendly. There are not many shops on the side of the road, most of them sell daily necessities, or snacks, or haircuts, or car repairs. At the door of the store, there are some signboards, or some advertisements, or some posters, or some samples, attracting the attention of passers-by. There are many cars on the road, most of them are cars, or electric cars, or tricycles, or motorcycles. They were shuttling on the road, either stopping on the side of the road, or honking their horns, or making some noise to the music. The wind on the road is not very big, but it is also a little cool, blowing on the face, making people feel refreshed and comfortable. The sunlight on the road is not very strong, but it is also a little warm, shining on the body, making people feel warm and comfortable.
Uncle Jiange and I were walking and chatting about the sky, he told me some of his previous experience of solving cases, I told him some stories of my work for teachers Ma on the Internet, we both found it very interesting and happy.
Finally, when we arrived at the thrift market, we watched each family and chatted with the stall owners from time to time. They were very warm and polite, greeted, greeted, chatted with us, and introduced us to some things they knew about Li Shilan's family, although they were all rumors, or speculation, or irrelevant details, but also let us know more about this case, and also let us feel more about this small county.
The thrift market is a large open space filled with stalls of all kinds, some selling old furniture, some selling old clothes, some selling old books, some selling old appliances, some selling old toys, some selling old accessories, you name it. The distance between the stalls is small, almost next to each other, so walking in it, it feels crowded, cluttered and lively. The things sold in the stalls, some are very new, some are very old, some are expensive, some are cheap, some are useful, some are useless, some are interesting, some are boring, each has its own characteristics, each has its own value.
Uncle Jiange and I walked and watched, sometimes we would stop, carefully observe some things in the stalls, sometimes ask some questions, or bargain, or buy some things, sometimes chat with some stall owners, or inquire about some news, or exchange some opinions, we all found it very interesting and rewarding.
Coincidentally, we met a stall owner who sold old furniture and actually lived near Li Shilan's house, and he saw us staying in Li Shilan's house for the past two days, and we recognized him. He was a middle-aged man, thin in stature, with gray hair, wearing a blue T-shirt, gray pants, a pair of black leather shoes on his feet, a cigarette in his hand, and a smoke ring in his mouth. On his stall were some old tables, chairs, cabinets, beds, sofas, coffee tables, and some old lamps, mirrors, picture frames, vases, ornaments, all looking old, very ordinary, very ordinary. Next to his stall, there was also a little girl, presumably his daughter, wearing a red blouse, a black skirt, a white hat on her head, some freckles on her face, big, bright and cute eyes. She sat on an old couch with a comic book in her hand, watching intently, occasionally smiling, or frowning, or turning the pages, looking happy and comfortable.
"You're here today!" He greeted us in a loud, welcoming and kind voice.
"Yes, in fact, we want to see the old gas stove that Li Shilan's family bought." Uncle Jiange replied, his voice calm, polite, and polite.
"Oh, the stall that sold him the gas stove is over there, number 1208, not far away." The stall owner pointed to us enthusiastically, his fingers were very thick, dark, dry, and his nails were long and pointed, "This accident in Li Shilan's family is also quite strange, you said that his family is so rich, why did you buy a second-hand old gas stove?" "
"That's what we'd love to know." Uncle Jiange smiled, his smile was gentle, friendly, sincere, his eyes were bright, he was smart, he was sharp, his eyes were very focused, curious, and he was very keen.
"Hey, don't say it, their family is really evil enough." The stall owner looked around, lowered his voice, and told us, his voice was very dry and mysterious, "Just the night before their house caught fire, I ended my business at night and passed by their door, guess what I found?" "
"Found what?"
"In the room on the second floor of their house, the window was not closed at that time, so when I walked in front of his house, I heard his voice and a woman's voice, not Liu Xiaojing, it was another woman, and the light was on in the room at that time, so I could see clearly."
"Oh? Did you hear what they said? "
"I didn't say it very clearly, I don't know how it happened, but there was a sentence with a very high voice, and I heard it, and the woman called 'I don't want your money!'" "
"Is it? I'm really curious! Do you know anything else? Uncle Jiange asked.
"Well, nothing else, I'll contact you if I remember."
"Okay, this is my call, call me if you remember." Uncle Jiange took out a note and handed it to him.