Two days later, the investigation of the case continued in the past two days, and both Li Mingming and Hou Xiaoya insisted that the gas explosion in the Li family manor was their own and had nothing to do with anyone else. However, inquiring about the details revealed that there were quite a few contradictions in the confessions of the two, and it was not clear that many details of the crime scene were not clear. Li Mingming is relatively better, because after all, it is his own home, and he still remembers some information such as kitchen and restaurant furnishings.
However, the police conducted several inspections at the scene and failed to find more evidence to clear or identify the suspicions of the two. Thus, the case reached a stalemate.
This morning, before I woke up, someone came to my room and knocked on the door.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes and opened the door, and it turned out to be Uncle Jiange, who was already dressed. He wore a black short-sleeved shirt, a hat on his head, and a travel bag in his hand, looking like he was going to go far away.
"Hurry up and get dressed, get ready, let's go out." Uncle Jiange said to me.
"Where to?" I was surprised.
"To Shanghai."
"What are you going to do in Shanghai?"
"Go meet someone."
On the way, Uncle Jiange explained to me that the police had found the middle-aged Cantonese man whom the old man we met the other day on the slope of the park opposite the Li family manor who used to wander around the neighborhood.
"That day, the old man said that there was a Cantonese man who often wandered around, so I kept an eye on him and asked the police to find him and make a mock portrait."
"Oh, but how did the police find people?" I'm curious.
"Originally, I never found it, and the person the old man said has not appeared again recently."
"And then there was a turnaround?"
"Yes. After He Xiaoya turned herself in, I suddenly thought, is this mysterious middle-aged man not actually directly related to the Li family, but to He Xiaoya? So I asked Captain Hou to investigate He Xiaoya's previous part-time work experience, found the electronics factory where she worked last year and before, and sent the simulation portrait to the police in Guangzhou, where the electronics factory is located. They quickly found out that He Xiaoya had a boyfriend named Meng Pengcheng when she was working in the factory before, and he was a technician there. "
"And then they broke up?"
"Yes. According to colleagues in the factory, the two of them began to fight in the second half of last year, and He Xiaoya wanted to break up with him, but he kept pestering, and then after the New Year this year, He Xiaoya never went back to work. "
"Then why are we going to Shanghai again?" I didn't figure out the twists and turns here.
"He Xiaoya did not go back to work, and soon after her boyfriend Meng Pengcheng resigned."
"He went to Shanghai?"
"Yes. The police tracked down Meng Pengcheng and left Guangdong after resigning, and now works as a workshop technician in a factory in Shanghai's Zhangjiang district. "
"So does he have anything to do with this case?"
"I don't know, this is the mystery we will solve in the past today."
We took a high-speed train, which took more than three hours, to Shanghai, then took another taxi, and took more than forty minutes to reach the factory in Zhangjiang District.
A blue sign reads "Shanghai Huaguang Electronics Co., Ltd." in white lettering on the factory gate. It is a company that specializes in high-end electronics and is said to have many international customers.
Uncle Jiange took out his police card, said a few words to the security guard of the factory, and led me into the factory gate.
The security guard looked serious but polite, he let us register at the door and then gave us two visitor cards to wear on our chests. He also told us that there are a lot of confidential equipment and technology, so don't just take pictures or record them. We nodded in understanding.
We followed the signs and found the workshop where Meng Pengcheng was. It's a quiet electronics factory with no noisy machine sounds, only a slight hum of electricity. The walls of the factory are white with some circuit diagrams and safety signs hanging on them. The floor of the factory was gray with some wires and cables.
There are many workbenches in the workshop with a wide variety of electronic components and tools. The workers, wearing protective glasses and masks, worked intently.
Uncle Jiange inquired about a female worker in overalls, and she pointed to a middle-aged man with glasses and a little gray hair, saying that it was Meng Pengcheng. He is the supervisor of this workshop and is responsible for managing and supervising the production process.
Uncle Jiange walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Hello, I'm a policeman, I want to talk to you." "
When Meng Pengcheng heard this, he was startled, turned around, and saw Uncle Jiange and me. A flash of panic flashed in his eyes, and then he quickly regained his composure.
At this time, I found out that he was not a middle-aged man, but a young man, but he looked a little old and thin. His hair is thinning, his forehead is high, and the corners of his eyes are somewhat drooping. He wears a white shirt with an open neckline to reveal a gold necklace. He wears a precious watch on his hand and a ring on his finger, shining with the sparkle of diamonds.
For a moment, I thought this person might be a confident, ambitious, but also somewhat vain and uneasy person. He may work hard, but he also cares about what others think. It may be a little lonely, because his appearance and age do not match, making it difficult for him to make real friends or lovers. It also makes him more paranoid.
He said: "Police? What are you looking for me for? "
Uncle Jiange said, "Are you called Meng Pengcheng? Are you He Xiaoya's ex-boyfriend? "
Meng Pengcheng said: "Yes, I am Meng Pengcheng, He Xiaoya is my former girlfriend, how do you know?" "
Uncle Jiange said: "We are from Zhejiang, and we are investigating the murder of the Li family manor. Do you know the case? "
Meng Pengcheng said: "The murder of the Li family manor? I don't know, I don't have anything to do with the Li family, I've never been there. "
Uncle Jiange said, "Is it? Then why did you appear in the park opposite the Li Family Manor? We have your portrait, a clue that an old man gave us. "
Meng Pengcheng said: "I appeared in the park? Are you mistaken, I've never been to that park, and I don't know any bosses. "
"Is it? But after many verifications, we confirmed that the person was you. "
"I think you're mistaken for the wrong person. "
"We found out that you used to be boyfriend and girlfriend with He Xiaoya. "
"Yes and how? She and I have broken up. "
"Can you tell me where you've been for the last two or three weeks?" "
"Yes, no problem. You can ask my colleagues, I've been at work for the last few weeks, I've never taken time off, and I'm working overtime on weekends. "
"Before? Have you never been to Yongjia? "
"I went before, more than half a year ago. At that time, just after the New Year, I found that He Xiaoya had not returned to work, I didn't want to be separated from her, so I came to find her, I wanted to save her. But I've never been to the park you call that. "
"So did you save her? "
"No, I lived in Yongjia for about half a month that time, but she was very resolute and must break up with me, she said that she no longer loved me and could not be with me. "
"Do you know why she broke up with you? "
"You know, she said, she fell in love with someone else, she fell in love with him at first sight, he loved her too, and she asked me not to bother him anymore. "
"What do you say? "
"I was so angry that I asked her who that person was and told me I was going to kill him! But don't get me wrong, officer, I was really just talking on impulse, and I didn't actually do anything. "
"And then? How did you do it later? "
"Then I left, and I didn't want to go back to Guangdong, so I came to Shanghai and got a job here. "
"What are your plans for the future?" "
"I would try to forget about her and start my life all over again. Actually, I'm already doing it. "
"So do you have a girlfriend now?" "
"No, I don't have time to fall in love right now, I want to concentrate on my work, strive for an early promotion, and make more money." "
"Do you still want to see He Xiaoya? "
"I don't want to, I don't want to see her again, she is no longer the she I think she is, she has changed, she has betrayed me, she is no longer worthy of my love." "
"Do you hate her? "
"No, I don't hate her, I'm just sad, disappointed, helpless. I don't understand, why did she do this to me, I was so good to her, but she wanted to abandon me, didn't she feel sorry for me? "
"Do you think she's sorry for you? "
"Of course, she's sorry for me, she owes me an explanation, she owes me an apology, she owes me a loyalty, she owes me a love. "
"Do you want her to return you? "
"No, I don't want her to pay me back, she can't afford it anymore, she's no longer eligible to pay it back, she doesn't deserve my love anymore." "
"So what do you want? "
"I want her to be happy, I want her to be happy, I want her to be with someone she loves, I want her to have a better time than me, I want her to forget me, I want her to never think of me again." "
"Do you really think so? "
"Yes, I really think so, I am not a selfish person, I will not be jealous of the happiness of others because of my own misfortune, I will not curse the love of others because of my own love, I will not want the pain of others because of my own pain, I will not want the loneliness of others because of my own loneliness. "
"You are a very kind person, you are a great person, you are a very respectable person. "
"Thank you for the compliment, but I don't think I'm anything great, I'm just an ordinary person, an ordinary man, an ordinary man who has loved. "
"Have you ever loved her? "
"Loved, I used to love her, I used to think she was my everything, I used to think I would be with her for the rest of my life, I used to think I would give her happiness, I used to think she would give me happiness. "
"So what now? "
"Now, I don't love her anymore, I've let go of her, I've let go of the past, I've let go of everything, I'm ready to face the future. "
"Do you have any expectations for the future? "
"Yes, I look forward to the day when I will meet someone who truly loves me, someone who really understands me, someone who really suits me, someone who can really spend my life with. "
"Do you think you'll meet someone like that? "
"Yes, I believe it will, I believe in fate, I believe in fate, I believe in love, I believe in miracles. "
"I bless you and I hope you find your happiness. Uncle Jiange said sincerely.
"Thank you!"
"Well, we'll be here today, I'm sorry to disturb you, thank you for your time, if there are any problems we will come to you again."
"Do you believe him?" Leaving the electronics factory, I asked Uncle Jiange.
"I think I believe him, his demeanor, his expression is sincere, I can't see the characteristics that people have when they lie, I believe he has really let go." "
After we returned to Yongjia the next day, we first went to the county public security bureau, met Captain Hou, and told him in detail about the situation we had investigated.
"So, this clue is broken again? Captain Hou smiled wryly and shook his head.
"I can't say that, I think we still got some information." Uncle Jiange said, "I always felt that there was something strange in this. "
He denied that he had been to the park opposite the Li family manor, but the portrait made according to the description of the old man, although it was only a portrait, really looked at him. "
"Yes, that's right, if the person the boss sees is not him, who will it be?" Uncle Jiange pondered and said, "This clue is worth continuing to investigate in depth. "
"Okay, I'll let people keep looking. Oh, by the way," Captain Hou said, "I have another message for you." "
"What?"
"The pair of women's panties you sent over a few days ago, the identification results are out."
"How?"
"The sperm spots on it were extracted by luck, and DNA was extracted from Li Shilan's charred body for comparison and confirmed that it was Li Shilan's."
"That is to say, the child in Zhang Mengling's belly is Li Shilan's, and we have been wrong in the wrong direction before, thinking it is Li Mingming's child." Uncle Jiange made such an inference.
"But how do you know that these underpants are Zhang Mengling's, not Liu Xiaojing's?"
"At that time, there were several pairs of women's underwear in the laundry basket, but from the point of view of material, style and brand, it was obviously divided into two grades, and a few of them looked obviously much more high-end, so I guessed that this one must be Zhang Mengling's. "
"That's it, basically no problem, you can confirm it again when you go back." "
"However, the sperm spots on it can actually be detected? Originally, I was already hopeless, and the washed should be basically unmonitored. "
"Yes, in fact, we didn't have hope, that is, a dead horse as a live horse doctor, but I didn't expect to detect a little trace sample." Probably because Zhang Mengling's underwear was all washed by hand, so she didn't wash it thoroughly. And," Captain Hou paused, "after testing, we found that those traces may have been contaminated a day or two before Li Shilan's death. "
That means that it is very likely that the woman she saw the night before Li Shilan's death was Zhang Mengling. "
"It's very possible."
"But we also have to consider other possibilities, that woman may not be Zhang Mengling." Because Zhang Mengling lives in his house, he wants to have sex with people, almost at any time. "
"So you mean, he might have met another woman outside?"
"Very likely, didn't He Xiaoya say that the person she saw that night was her?" "
"Looking back, why do you think that this mysterious person is very important and must find out who it is?" Captain Hou asked.
"This is a little intuition of mine, I think this mysterious person is likely to be the key breakthrough for us to solve the case."
"But we investigated around Li Shilan and did not find anyone who matched the characteristics." Captain Hou sighed.
"So we need to expand the scope of investigation, Meng Pengcheng is a person who meets the characteristics, he is not directly related to Li Shilan."
"But at present, this person is not him, and he has a very sufficient alibi, which really proves that the person is not him."
"But why is he so characteristic? This is strange. "
"This goes back to what we just said, I will send someone to continue to investigate." Captain Hou said.
"The investigation must be investigated, but more importantly, we need to figure out the direction of the investigation in advance," Uncle Jiange touched his round head, "In this way, we may be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort." "
"First of all, we can consider the interest relationship that this mysterious person may have with Li Shilan." Captain Hou said.
"Yes, for example, he may be Li Shilan's business partner or customer, supplier or so on, and he may have lost his interests in cooperation with Li Shilan, this is a type of person." Uncle Jiange analyzed. "
Could it be that some criminal gang targeted the Li Shilan family's family property and then stepped on a spot around here? Captain Hou added a second possibility.
"It's possible. There is also the fact that the mysterious man's family may have an emotional entanglement with Li Shilan, so he is here to monitor. Uncle Jiange continued to analyze.
"Are you saying that Li Shilan was having an affair?"
"Isn't this possibility non-existent, didn't we just find out that the child in Zhang Mengling's belly may be Li Shilan's?" Uncle Jiange drew a few lines on the notebook in front of him with a pen, "Is there a possibility that in addition to Zhang Mengling, there are other people who have also experienced a similar situation. "
"Could it be that the mysterious man is not spying on Li Shilan, but on the rest of his family?" I interjected and said a sentence.
Uncle Jiange looked at me and said, "You are very smart, of course, we can't rule out this possibility, and the relationship between Li Mingming and He Xiaoya shows that this situation may exist, and we all have to take it into account." "
"So, what is the purpose of this mysterious man? What did he want from Li Shilan's family? Captain Hou asked.
"It depends on what his relationship with Li Shilan is, and if it is a relationship of interests, he may want to blackmail or threaten Li Shilan, or want to destroy his business or reputation, which is a possibility." Uncle Jiange said.
"If it's a relationship, he may want to take revenge or save Li Shilan, or he wants to reveal his secrets or crimes, which is another possibility." I said.
"So, why didn't he act directly? Why lurk here? Captain Hou asked.
"It depends on his character and ability, maybe he is a timid or cautious person who does not want to expose himself easily, maybe he is a cunning or shrewd person who wants to wait for the best moment, maybe he is an incompetent or powerless person who does not have enough resources or means to carry out his plan." Uncle Jiange said.
"Or he is not a person at all, but a member of a group or organization who is only here to carry out their orders or tasks, and their true purpose and motives are not yet known to us." I said.
"These are possible, but we can't just guess, we need to have evidence to back up our reasoning." Captain Hou said.
"Yes, we need to find out the identity of this mysterious man, his whereabouts, his contact details, his background, his motives, his purpose, his means, his accomplices, his next steps, etc. Uncle Jiange said.
"So, what are we going to do next? I asked.
"We have to act separately, on the one hand, we need to continue to conduct an in-depth investigation of Meng Pengcheng to see if he has other secrets or clues, or whether there are other people who are related to him, or whether there are other places that are connected with him." Captain Hou said.
"On the other hand, we need to conduct a comprehensive review of Li Shilan's family and business to see if he has his wife or lover, or whether there is other business cooperation or competition, or whether there are other contradictions or disputes." Uncle Jiange said.
"On the other hand, we need to track and monitor the movements of this mysterious man to see if he has other targets or whereabouts, or whether there are other ways or means, or whether there are other accomplices or organizations." I said.
"In this way, we can find the true identity and purpose of this mysterious person from multiple angles, and also prevent him from causing more harm to Li Shilan's family." Captain Hou said.
"Okay, then let's do it, I hope we can solve the case soon." Uncle Jiange said.
"I hope so too. I said.