Chapter 136 Backlight
◎A black figure stood by the door◎
As a nationally renowned writer, Wei Lan was murdered in Luo County, which caused great headaches for the Luo County Public Security Bureau.
After receiving countless calls, the new director Xiang Yingjie was completely overwhelmed.
In the morning, when Li Mingyang reported that Zhao Xiangwan from the Xing City Public Security Bureau had provided important clues and hoped to participate in the interrogation process, Director Xiang almost jumped for joy.
Zhao Xiangwan, this name was like a bolt from the blue to Director Xiang.
——He single-handedly took away the former director Lu Hui from the Luo County Public Security Bureau and changed the situation there all by himself (this is a bit exaggerated; in fact, Zhou Rulan and Zhu Kang were involved, but they were ignored by the story tellers).
——In less than a month, a 20-year-old family murder case was solved.
——The provincial department and Yuezhou District Public Security Bureau police forces jointly cracked down on the Sancunwan black den.
Who is Zhao Xiangwan? He is the mind-reading detective and the legendary figure.
If she is willing to participate in solving the case, it will be a timely help to the new director Xiang Yingjie.
Xiang Yingjie personally led people to the gate of the Municipal Bureau to welcome Zhao Xiangwan and Ji Zhao. His smile was amiable and showed his genuine joy: "Oh, Officer Zhao and Officer Ji are here. Our Public Security Bureau is extremely honored."
Zhao Xiangwan didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with him: "How's the progress on the Wei Lan case?"
Xiang Yingjie was not used to her pace for a while. He paused for a moment and tried to follow her train of thought. "Leaders from Kyoto, the government, and the provincial department have called to inquire about the case and asked us to solve it as soon as possible. Wei Lan was a very famous person, but she died in Luo County where she grew up. It was also the time when the Provincial Writers Association held its annual meeting. This involved many people and the social relationships that needed to be investigated were very complicated. Oh! It's a headache."
After speaking of the difficulty, Xiang Yingjie glanced at Li Mingyang standing beside him and said, "Officer Zhao, how about I act as a contact person and fully cooperate with you in your work?"
Zhao Xiangwan naturally agreed: "No problem."
Next, Xiang Yingjie introduced Cao Guang, the captain of the criminal investigation detachment. Cao Guang is 30 years old, square-faced, of medium height, a native of Luo County, in his prime, with excellent criminal investigation skills.
Cao Guang extended his hand to Zhao Xiangwan: "Welcome!"
Zhao Xiangwan shook hands with him and said, "We came here uninvited. I hope you don't mind."
Cao Guang smiled when he heard this: "Officer Zhao is too polite. After the Little New Year comes the New Year, and you and Officer Ji gave up your vacation to fight alongside us. I really admire your spirit and attitude, so how could I dislike it?"
Zhao Xiangwan realized that Cao Guang was a straightforward and understanding person, and that was good.
So, accompanied by Cao Guang and Li Mingyang, Zhao Xiangwan and Ji Zhao walked into their office together.
The Luo County Public Security Bureau has set up a special task force for the murder of Wei Lan, with Criminal Investigation Brigade captain Cao Guang as team leader and Li Mingyang as deputy team leader. All personnel and materials are at their disposal.
Li Mingyang knew that Zhao Xiangwan was a man who acted decisively and did not like those empty polite words, but he started directly with the case report.
After Wei Lan's death, all the hotel guests were checked. Except for her first love Chai Dingshan who was brought back last night, editor Huang Liang, and reader Zhou Haoman who was squatting in the stairwell, all the participants of the Writers Association Annual Conference were asked to stay in the Furong Hotel and were not allowed to leave without permission.
The on-site investigation and review revealed the following clues.
First, the results of the on-site investigation.
Wei Lan was stabbed in the throat at around 8pm. Judging from the depth of the cut and the direction of the cut, the killer was between 170-175cm tall and right-handed. There were carpets in the corridor and no footprints were left at the scene. There were no fingerprints or other injuries on Wei Lan's body. The cut was clean and neat, and Wei Lan fell to the ground without struggling or calling for help.
Based on the above, the task force deduced that the target was an experienced killer. Judging from Wei Lan's social relationships, most of them were intellectuals, whether husbands, colleagues, or friends, so this murder was initially classified as a hired killer.
Second, Zhou Haoman's explanation.
He is from Luo County, the son of a working-class family. After failing the college entrance examination last year, he relied on Wei Lan's romantic novels to get through a difficult period. He knew that the annual meeting of the Provincial Writers Association was held in Luo County and Wei Lan would attend the meeting, but he became interested. Yesterday, he spent some money to ask the service staff and found out that Wei Lan lived in 301. He knocked on the door at 7 o'clock, but no one opened the door, so he squatted in the evacuation stairwell. At that time, he sat in the middle of the stairs from the third floor to the second floor, took out a novel by Wei Lan from his bag, and read it for a while in the dim light of the stairwell.
Around 7:30, Zhou Haoman heard a man and a woman arguing in the corridor on the third floor. They spoke in Luoxian accents and mentioned that the train was late. When Zhou Haoman looked out of the stairs, the argument was over and he saw nothing. He knocked on Weilan's door again, but no one opened the door for him.
Around eight o'clock, Zhou Haoman was hesitating whether to leave. Suddenly, the fire door of the stairwell was opened, and a figure rushed down like the wind. He didn't even have time to see the other person clearly before he disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
Later, Zhou Haoman fell asleep on his bag while sitting in the stairwell. He was caught by the police and taken to the lobby as a suspect. He cried out in injustice and tried hard to prove that he was not the murderer.
Third, Chai Dingshan's explanation.
The quarrel that took place in the corridor on the third floor at around 7:30 was between Wei Lan and Chai Ding Shan. The two had agreed to have dinner together at 6 pm, but Chai Ding Shan broke the appointment because his train was late. Wei Lan was very angry, so they argued for a few words and left unhappily.
According to Chai Dingshan's account, he lived in Room 506 and called Wei Lan using the hotel's internal line, wanting to apologize in person, but no one answered the phone until the call was connected around 7:30. He asked Wei Lan to meet and said he had a gift for her. Wei Lan then said in an unhappily: Then come on.
Chai Dingshan knocked on the door and handed the prepared gold necklace to Weilan. Weilan looked at it with disdain, took it and turned to close the door. Chai Dingshan wanted to go into the house with him to reminisce, but Weilan pushed him away and cursed, "Get lost!"
Chai Dingshan hurriedly explained: "I was supposed to treat you to a meal, but the train was late, so you were delayed?"
Wei Lan didn't let him in and glanced at him: "I haven't seen you for so many years, and you've become like this?" After saying that, she turned and went into the house, slamming the door.
Chai Dingshan stood at the door, feeling mixed emotions, swore a few words, and left in a huff. According to him, although the corridor was carpeted, it had a strong echo, and the weather was cold, so the doors of the rooms were all closed, and no one opened the door when he was talking to Wei Lan.
Fourth, edit Huang Liang's explanation.
Before he came, he spoke to Wei Lan on the phone. Wei Lan did have the idea of splitting up with Lan Yu Publishing House, and told Huang Liang that she was writing a very interesting 300,000-word romance novel, which could be serialized in "Absurd" magazine, and that she could also cooperate with Nan Xiao Publishing House behind Absurd in the future.
According to Huang Liang, Wei Lan was very confident about the new book and said very mysteriously that it would be an epoch-making new book that would lead the romance novel market in the next decade. She only told him that the book would be named "Wrong Love" and that the specific details would be discussed when they met.
After Huang Liang talked with the editor-in-chief, the editor-in-chief sent him on a special trip to make sure this cooperation was successful. The two were originally scheduled to meet at the coffee shop in the hotel lobby at 5 pm, but because of the train delay, Huang Liang and Wei Lan missed it. The hotel waiter also confirmed that at 5 pm yesterday, Wei Lan did wait in the coffee shop for half an hour, and then left and went upstairs, with a bad look on her face.
In summary, the task force sorted out the timeline.
Wei Lan and Huang Liang had an appointment at 5pm yesterday afternoon, and Chai Dingshan had an appointment at 6pm, but they all broke their appointments because of train delays.
Azure was not in the room before seven o'clock;
Wei Lan returned to the room around 7:30;
At eight o'clock, the killer came, knocked on the door, and killed Wei Lan.
Hearing this, Zhao Xiangwan raised the first question: "At 7:30, Zhou Haoman knocked on the door, but Wei Lan didn't open it. This shows that Wei Lan is very alert. If there is no prior appointment, she will not open the door to strangers casually. Then why did she open the door at 8 o'clock?"
Cao Guang asked: "Do you suspect that Wei Lan has an appointment at eight o'clock?"
Zhao Xiangwan nodded: "Yes, who made an appointment with Wei Lan to meet at 8 o'clock in the evening? Did you ask?"
Cao Guang shook his head: "No, we have questioned every participant of the Writers Association Annual Conference, and no one knew that Azure Eight had an appointment with someone."
Zhao Xiangwan looked at Cao Guang: "Where is the guy called Bookworm?"
Cao Guang looked at Li Mingyang.
Li Mingyang took out the list of all the writers' association attendees, checked them against each other, and pointed to a name and said, "Jiang Chunlai, 33 years old this year, pen name Shudai, a member of the provincial writers' association. He is a full-time writer, mainly writing rural love literature, married, and has a daughter."
Zhao Xiangwan stretched out his hand and said, "Bring me your transcripts."
Li Mingyang handed over the transcript of his conversation with Jiang Chunlai to Zhao Xiangwan.
Zhao Xiangwan read the book quickly and handed it back to Li Mingyang: "From 6 to 7:30 last night, he was in the room?"
Li Mingyang said: "Yes."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "The association had a dinner party last night, how could he be in the room at six o'clock?"
Li Mingyang thought intently: "The association started the dinner at 6pm, held in the Chinese restaurant on the second floor of the hotel, with a total of three tables. Weilan did not attend and went back to her room to rest. Strange, Shudai didn't eat either? Let me see what others say. Oh, here, a person with the pen name Lao Chong once said that Shudai was a little worried during the dinner yesterday, and only ate a few bites before returning to the room."
Zhao Xiangwan said: "Something must be wrong when it's out of the ordinary. It's very likely that Wei Lan was with Shu during the period from 6 to 7:30."
Li Mingyang exclaimed "Ah" again, "They are lovers?"
A man and a woman, alone in a room, were discussing novel ideas together. Who would believe it?
Zhao Xiangwan nodded: "It's just a guess. Ask the nerd again, maybe we can find out who she agreed to meet at 8 o'clock."
Cao Guang was a little excited: "If it was a hired killer, then we have two things to do. One is to find the killer, and the other is to find the person who hired the killer. Currently, only Zhou Haoman has seen the killer's back, so it may be difficult to find him, but maybe we can find the hired killer!"
Zhao Xiangwan said, "Yes, hurry up and ask the nerd."
Li Mingyang frowned and said, "But Shudai is unwilling to admit that he is Weilan's lover. He even hid the tryst from the police. How could he tell us other useful information?"
Zhao Xiangwan stood up and said, "I'll go with you to ask."
Li Mingyang smiled happily: "Okay, I feel relieved with you here."
Cao Guang immediately ordered his men to go to Furong Hotel to summon Shudai.
While waiting, Zhao Xiangwan said to Li Mingyang: "Let's meet Zhou Haoman first and see if he can remember the characteristics of the murderer who he has only met." Although it is just a back view, it may be able to reveal some important information.
Li Mingyang nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, with Officer Ji's help in drawing the portrait, we will be even more powerful."
Everyone walked towards the interrogation room together.
It is a cold month in winter and the weather is very cold.
In the corridor of the Luo County Public Security Bureau building, cold wind came in from the windows at both ends, and it was chilling to the bone.
Li Mingyang glanced at the energetic Zhao Xiangwan and Ji Zhao, and suddenly thought of something, and asked, "We have already inquired about the basic situation of the man and woman you asked us to bring back. Is there anything else you need to know?"
Zhao Xiangwan asked him, "What did Zhao Chenyang confess?"
Li Mingyang replied: "Zhao Chenyang said that he had written a letter to Wei Lan, saying that he had some good writing materials to provide to Wei Lan, and the two of them agreed to meet at Furong Hotel today. The specific time was not agreed upon, and they only said that they would call each other after the meeting."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "What did Luo Yihui say?"
Li Mingyang said: "He said he knew nothing and that he was just accompanying his girlfriend to see Wei Lan."
Zhao Xiangwan curled his lips and said sarcastically, "But he knows that Wei Lan is dead."
Li Mingyang was shocked: "How is it possible? The news of Wei Lan's murder is currently only known to the Writers Association and our internal staff. Even those who stayed and ate at the hotel yesterday only knew that a murder occurred in the hotel, but they didn't know who the specific death was."
Zhao Xiangwan raised his eyes and looked at Li Mingyang calmly: "So, I asked you to bring them to the Public Security Bureau. This Luo Yihui, there is definitely something wrong."
Cao Guang and Li Mingyang looked at each other. "Luo Yihui set out from Zhushi at 8 o'clock this morning and went directly to Zhaojiagou. He had no chance to contact anyone who knew the truth. If he knew that Weilan was dead, he must be a suspect."
Li Mingyang asked curiously, "Officer Zhao, how do you know that Luo Yihui knew that Wei Lan was killed?"
Zhao Xiangwan described the situation at that time to them.
——Zhao Xiangwan told Zhao Chenyang in front of Luo Yihui that Wei Lan was dead. Zhao Chenyang was very panicked and couldn't believe it, but Luo Yihui didn't even raise his eyebrows and said firmly that Wei Lan's death had nothing to do with Zhao Chenyang.
——Zhao Xiangwan lied to him and said that he knew Wei Lan was dead. Luo Yihui said he didn't know, but his micro-expression showed that he was lying.
——When Zhao Xiangwan took his car keys and was not prepared for him to leave, he began to panic and even planned to walk away from Zhaojiagou. It was not until he was stopped that he had to give up this plan.
All of the above are indeed suspicious.
But it's just suspicion.
Li Mingyang said, "Officer Zhao, I've heard that your micro-expression theory is great, but I didn't expect you to be so calm and accurate in judging whether the other party is lying. However, although we suspect Luo Yihui, how can we make him admit his guilt?"
Zhao Xiangwan said: "So, we have to look for evidence."
Li Mingyang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought of something: "Zhao Chenyang said that he had corresponded with Wei Lan. We also found some letters from readers in Wei Lan's luggage, but we didn't have time to read them one by one. Then I will go look for them now."
Cao Guang also said: "Wei Lan's permanent residence is in Kyoto, and her home should have a telephone installed. I asked the Kyoto police to help investigate at the telecommunications bureau to see if there have been any calls from Zhushi or Luoxian recently."
Zhao Xiangwan nodded: "Yes, let's do it this way."
Li Mingyang was a little anxious: "But... the call time is only twelve hours at most, we have to hurry."
Yes, collecting evidence takes time, and cooperating with the Kyoto police in the investigation is even more laborious, but a result must be reached today, otherwise Luo Yihui will be able to leave Luo County and continue to live freely.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xiangwan took a deep breath and said, "No rush."
I hope Zhou Haoman can provide useful information to catch the murderer.
I hope the nerds don't
Let yourself be too disappointed, and be able to sort out the grievances and hatreds on the blue side clearly.
We must first sort out the complex social relations on Wei Lan's side before we can interrogate Luo Yihui.
February 24, Luo County Public Security Bureau interrogation room.
Zhao Xiangwan's first trial today.
The interrogation rooms in the public security bureau are all similar, with white walls, concrete floors, iron chairs, and big bold letters saying “Leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist”… everything is solemn and cold.
Zhou Haoman was not wearing much. He was cold and panicked in the detention center last night. Now he came to the interrogation room and started to shiver while sitting on the iron chair. Zhao Xiangwan asked Li Mingyang to bring a thin blanket and put it on him. Zhou Haoman then slowly stopped the uncontrollable trembling and said gratefully, "Thank you."
Zhao Xiangwan said: "I saw you last night, and you told the police that you were not a suspect, but a witness."
Zhou Haoman nodded honestly: "Yes."
Zhao Xiangwan encouraged: "Then prove it to us."
Zhou Haoman described again the process of squatting in the stairwell yesterday. When he mentioned that at 8 o'clock someone suddenly pushed open the fire door of the stairwell and rushed downstairs, he shuddered: "I, I didn't know he was the murderer at the time. If I had known, I would have tried my best to see his appearance clearly."
[The police won’t suspect me of lying, right? I really didn’t! ]
[If I knew that Wei Lan was killed by him, I would never let him go. ]
[Azure's words are so gentle and warm, how could someone be so cruel as to kill her? ]
It can be seen that Zhou Haoman is a simple and romantic person.
Zhao Xiangwan narrowed her eyes slightly, her amber pupils flashing with a strange light, and her voice was seductive: "Zhou Haoman, cooperate with me now, and we will find the murderer together."
Zhou Haoman nodded without hesitation: "Okay! Tell me what you need me to do."
Zhao Xiangwan's voice was like clear spring water or a spring breeze, warm and lazy. In her voice, Zhou Haoman gradually fell into a hypnotic state, and the scene that happened at eight o'clock last night clearly emerged in his mind.
"I put my bag on my knees and dozed off on the steps. Suddenly I was awakened by a loud noise behind me. I was a little drowsy at the time, so I was startled and turned my head back."
Ji Zhao sat at the table with paper and pen on it.
But he didn't move, still listening quietly to Zhou Haoman's words.
Li Mingyang didn't dare to breathe, staring at Ji Zhao's every move nervously. He had never seen the process of Ji Zhao's simulated portrait, and had only heard the legend within the public security system.
——Based on a portrait alone, a serial killer hanged himself;
——Using a photo, they drew what the child would look like five years later and successfully found the missing child;
——Even if he was a disguised kidnapper, he could still pretend to be genuine and draw her true appearance.
When it was passed on later, it became almost magical.
The great god was right in front of him. Li Mingyang finally had the opportunity to observe him up close. He was so excited that his heart almost jumped out of his chest. He held his breath and stared at Ji Zhao intently.
Zhou Haoman continued to describe that he had good writing skills and the reason he failed the college entrance examination was because his math and English were too poor.
"I was sitting on the sixth or seventh step in the middle. Maybe because I was looking up at him against the light, I could see that he was very tall, with broad shoulders and short hair, very short, close to his scalp. He was wearing a leather jacket, dark green overalls with pockets on the side, leggings, high-heeled leather boots, a thin waist and long legs. He looked very energetic."
"The light in the corridor was brighter, while the stairwell was darker. I was against the light, so I couldn't see his face clearly. I was a little dizzy at the time, so I could only see the outline of his body. He moved very quickly, rushing past me and taking two or three steps at a time, like a tiger."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Didn't he see you?"
Zhou Haoman swallowed his saliva and said, "You should have seen it, right? But he ignored me and just ran past me without even looking at me."
Zhao Xiangwan asked again: "When he passed by you, what did you smell?"
Zhou Haoman closed his eyes and thought, then said uncertainly, "It smells like disinfectant in a hospital. Oh, yes, there's also a smell of gasoline."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Did you see his profile?"
Zhou Haoman tried hard to recall, but his mind went blank. He could only shake his head and said, "I don't remember. He ran by so fast that I didn't even see his face."
Zhao Xiangwan stopped questioning and turned to look at Ji Zhao.
Ji Zhao took the white paper and started drawing in the form of a comic.
Stairwell, backlight.
A black figure stood by the door.
A young man with short hair, broad shoulders, thin waist, narrow hips, and long legs, in a very good figure.
The tight-fitting clothes and smooth muscle lines reveal a kind of wildness, like a black panther walking in the jungle.
It's just an outline, but it makes people feel heartbroken when they see it.
——This man's ferocity can be seen even through the paper.
Ji Zhao turned the paper around and showed it to Zhou Haoman who was wrapped in a blanket.
Zhou Haoman took one look and stood up suddenly, his voice breaking: "It's him!"
Zhou Haoman looked at the portrait in disbelief, then looked at Ji Zhao with admiration: "Oh my God, how can you draw so well?! I, I didn't even see what he looked like clearly, how could you draw this?"
There was no expression on Ji Zhao's face, but his face was so beautiful that it gave people a mysterious feeling, as if he was an immortal banished to earth.
Zhao Xiangwan picked up the portrait and handed it to Li Mingyang: "Hurry up and make a copy. Go to Furong Hotel and ask the waiter if they have seen this person before."
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