Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Return Did I say it wasn't him? ...
Qiu Jiang learned from two police colleagues that the deceased's daughter was taken away by ambulance due to excessive fright, and sighed slightly.
After all, the death of a loved one is a heavy blow to most people in this world, but they also have their own work to do. They could only express their regret to her and focus on their own work.
The two of them did not go into the grocery store immediately, but went to ask nearby residents about the situation from the afternoon of the third day to the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year to see if they could get some useful information from them.
After asking questions for about half an hour, the two men entered the grocery store again. At this time, the body had been moved away and the investigating colleagues had also left. Only Ji Mingcheng, Wang Li and Jia Wang were left.
When he met them, Wang Li first gave them a brief introduction to the situation.
"Because the murder had occurred several days earlier, and the deceased's daughter had also entered the area after returning from her hometown, the footprints on the ground were very messy, so numerous that I couldn't even count them. However, there were two single-layer footprints that weren't covered by other traces. These were the two."
He pointed to the bags of peanuts scattered on the floor at the back of the storage room, where he saw two obvious footprints heading towards the wall.
That is the single topmost trace that Lu Jianian just mentioned.
After they finished reading, Wang Li continued, "The dagger that stabbed the victim was the same brand as another rusty dagger hanging on the wall. Judging by the neat scratches on the plastic bag, the victim definitely didn't use the rusty, blunt dagger on the wall. Plus, the victim's feet were small, so it's unlikely they left such large footprints. So, I tend to think the murderer likely obtained the weapon from here, and therefore, the two footprints are very likely left by the murderer."
really.
Qiu Jiang remembered that the footprints that Forensic Doctor Lu had just referred to seemed to be these two, which showed that their speculations were consistent.
Besides, she had just seen what the black shadow did with her own eyes, so of course she knew where the murderer had passed by.
She immediately added, "There's another footprint on the left side of the drawer where the money was kept. I guess the murderer wanted to steal the money but didn't know the victim was still in the store. The victim discovered him stealing the money, which led to a conflict between the two and the impulsive murder."
Of course, she knew that words alone were not enough, so she had paid attention to asking about this matter when she went to visit with Deng Xingwang just now.
"The merchants and neighbors on both sides of the grocery store often come to buy things here. According to them, the deceased usually took his family back to his hometown to celebrate the New Year on the 28th or 29th, and would not return until after the Lantern Festival. This has been no exception in recent years. This time, someone saw the family leaving, but on the afternoon of the third day of the New Year, the deceased suddenly returned alone, looking unhappy and cursing. I wonder if he had a quarrel with his family."
"So the deceased came back suddenly." Ji Mingcheng said.
"Yes." Qiu Jiang nodded.
Wang Li was puzzled. "So if the murderer is Mao Bo, then he followed the deceased back, killed him after being discovered during the robbery, and then fled? This doesn't seem logical."
After all, even if Mao Bo knew that someone was in the store and still dared to rob it, he would not be like what they said in the team car, that he could not afford to buy drugs because he was short of money and had a drug addiction.
This doesn't quite fit Mao Bo's personality and logic.
Could it be that the murderer is not Mao Bo?
Just as this thought came to his mind, Deng Xingwang came in handy and said excitedly, "No, Mao Bo didn't go back to his hometown with him. It's not legitimate."
"What do you mean?" Wang Li asked.
Ji Mingcheng frowned, "No marriage certificate?"
Deng Xingwang snapped his fingers and said, "Captain Ji is right."
He gossiped, "That Mao Bo and the deceased's second daughter, He Meifeng, met on a blind date in the first half of last year. The woman had been married before, but her husband died and she never remarried, though she's never been short of men. They were living together within two or three days of their blind date. Initially, they lived in the woman's assigned housing, but only brought her in about four months ago."
"But the deceased really disliked Mao Bo. She thought he looked unpleasant and had a dull mind. She told her second daughter, He Meifeng, that if they dared to get married, her inheritance would go to her eldest daughter alone, leaving her nothing. The mother and daughter had a big fight, but the two still didn't split the money. But He Meifeng didn't dare bring Mao Bo back. And do you know what the most bizarre thing is?"
Deng Xingwang kept the secret a secret, but he couldn't hide it at all, so he immediately said, "Then Mao Bo came to the deceased's house and begged him to help run the store for free. He wanted to show her his true love for her second daughter, He Meifeng. Plus, the deceased's daughter also pleaded for him, so the deceased reluctantly let him stay to help run the store."
"We also heard that Mao Bo wasn't the type to stay in one place for long. He was like someone with ADHD. Moreover, when people asked about the price, he would always look dazed and giggle, which scared away many customers. Gradually, the customer loss became quite serious. This made the deceased very angry, and he immediately drove Mao Bo away."
After Deng Xingwang finished his rant, Qiu Jiang summarized, "Because the deceased didn't like Mao Bo, and he and He Meifeng weren't married, he naturally wouldn't have brought him home for the New Year, and he wouldn't have known the deceased had suddenly returned from his hometown."
This would explain why Mao Bo suddenly came back to steal on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
"And most importantly, someone vaguely saw a figure resembling Mao Bo's back on the third night of the Lunar New Year. They called out to him, but he quickly ran away."
After Qiu Jiang finished speaking again, the chain of evidence was actually very clear.
As long as the fingerprint comparison results come out and prove that it matches Mao Bo's fingerprint, then Mao Bo can be charged with robbery, murder and absconding with a 100% certainty.
But before that, Mao Bo must also be tracked down.
Just when she was about to ask whether she should go and check on the man's whereabouts, she suddenly discovered that Chang Xuemin and the other two were missing.
Could it be...
When she looked over, Ji Mingcheng raised his lip slightly. He didn't explain their doubts, but praised them, "You two did a good job collecting evidence."
Qiu Jiang and Deng Xingwang's eyes lit up when they received the praise.
"Thank you, Team Ji."
Ji Mingcheng looked down at his watch and said, "The deceased's family is almost here. Qiu Jiang, Xingwang, get ready. We'll conduct some basic questioning with them."
"Wang Li, call and ask Chang Xuemin and the others about their situation."
"Jia Wang, go ask the neighbors nearby and see if anyone else besides Mao Bo has been seen entering or leaving this grocery store between the afternoon of the third day and the early morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year?"
When these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.
"Captain Ji, do you suspect that someone else has been here?" Jia Wang asked after hesitating.
Ji Mingcheng frowned deeply and rubbed his eyebrows. "It's nothing, just go and ask."
"yes."
Jia Wang walked straight out and called Qiu Jiang as soon as he reached the door.
"Jiang Jiang, a van has arrived. It might be the deceased's family."
Qiu Jiang craned his neck to look, then quickly turned around and said, "Captain Ji, Xingwang and I will go out and take a look first."
"Um."
The two went out together, but unfortunately, after waiting for a while, they found that the person who got off the bus was carrying a large bag of melon seeds in a transparent plastic bag to accuse them.
As soon as he saw that the grocery store was open, the man in his forties who got off the car wanted to rush in.
As he reached the cordon, he finally came to his senses and looked inside suspiciously, only to see a policeman in uniform.
This time he called out to them excitedly.
"Comrade, what happened? Is the owner of this store still here? I need to talk to her about something."
The two police brothers looked at each other and then shouted at him, "You can't find her, go back."
"No, she has to compensate me. Look at the melon seeds I bought from her, a full 50 kilograms, and they were all wilted and rotten. I was embarrassed enough during the New Year. I trusted her so much, but the staff in her store did things like this. Don't you think they're cheating me? So I have to find her."
"I won't bother you with any messages, I just need you to tell me where she is. I want to go talk to her."
His voice was filled with anger. If he hadn't felt that the atmosphere was a bit strange, and that they were guarding here, he would have rushed in to settle the score.
But they were not calm at all now. They pushed open the cordon and rushed in, which made people feel uneasy.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Don't you know what this line is? And you still want to go in?"
"Hand me over, or I'll have you taken to the police station for obstructing public service."
The two of them ran over quickly to stop it.
"Comrade, please just let me in. I'll just ask her to return the money and that's it. You can't let me lose face and pay for it. I can't swallow this."
He was furious and pushed them to go inside.
At this point, the people around him couldn't help but ask him, "This person is gone, how can we refund you? Even if we really refund you, do you have the guts to take the money?"
Meng Dachun's eyes widened. "Dead? How is that possible? That old lady was in better health than me. I might even live longer than her. How could she just disappear so suddenly?"
Qiu Jiang and Deng Xingwang also rushed to the cordon and blocked his way.
"There's been a murder in this grocery store right now, and the other shop owners are not here. If you want compensation, you'll have to wait."
"Murder?——"
Meng Dachun screamed in surprise.
"She, she, she... was killed?——"
It’s the Chinese New Year.
Meng Dachun felt so unlucky that he stamped his feet repeatedly, "Pah, pah, pah, bad luck, bad luck."
This time, he even threw away the melon seeds he wanted to return, as if he was avoiding the plague. Before getting in the car, he patted his whole body hard, and then got in and drove away, not wanting to stay any longer.
It’s just like a sentence.
He comes and goes in a hurry, like a gust of wind.
Qiu Jiang and the others watched silently, not knowing what to say for a moment, but one thing was certain, that was they had to continue waiting.
Seeing that everything was finally quiet, Deng Xingwang poked Qiu Jiang, "Jiang Jiang, why did Captain Ji ask Brother Jia to ask that question? Did he think Mao Bo wasn't the murderer?"
Qiu Jiang immediately shook her head. "I think Captain Ji is also leaning towards the idea that Mao Bo is the murderer. As for why he is investigating this way, I don't know either."
She drew two little people on the notebook, marked one with the words "Mao Bo" and put a question mark on the other little person's face.
At this moment, Ji Mingcheng brought Wang Li and the others out of the grocery store and said to them, "That's all for today. Let's go back first."
"ah?"
"Aren't we supposed to wait for the deceased's family to come back?" Deng Xingwang asked anxiously.
Qiu Jiang asked, "Captain Ji, what happened?"
Wang Li answered them, "Team Ji just received a call from Director Chang saying that the deceased's family encountered rain and snow on the road, and the highway was severely congested. They can't make it back today, and they are not sure whether they can make it back tomorrow."
Deng Xingwang scratched his head. "There's really no other way. I'll drive there."
Ji Mingcheng threw the car keys to him.
He reached out and took it, then turned and left.
Ji Mingcheng briefly explained a few words to the police officer and ended with a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, leader. We will take good care of it."
"Thank you."
"No thanks, no thanks."
It was almost three o'clock when they left, but it was already six o'clock in the evening when they returned.
After driving through this densely populated area of urban villages, we soon got onto the main road of the city. After driving a few roads, we saw a vast expanse of fireworks and orange-red.
The small orange lights and small red lanterns on both sides of the road complement each other, and with the golden embellishment of stars, it looks like a fairyland on earth.
This is a magnificent sight that was far beyond the reach of ancient productivity, so beautiful that it is breathtaking.
Qiu Jiang quietly appreciated the beauty. Even the traffic jam that turned into a hot pot seemed to become a surprise of romance.
While she was enjoying the view, the car did not become quiet.
Deng Xingwang and Wang Li were talking in the car. More importantly, it was Deng Xingwang who was driving and talking. Wang Li occasionally agreed with him, while Ji Mingcheng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, leaned back in his chair and was very quiet.
It seems like he is dozing with his eyes closed.
Yes, he has been working since the third year of junior high school. First it was the cruise ship case and then this case. In addition, leaders often come to talk to him. If he wasn't tired, he would really be a god.
Sensing his condition, Deng Xingwang spoke not too loudly, just loud enough for them to hear clearly without feeling irritated.
"This street is really well built. Look at that high-rise building going up on the right. I heard there are eighteen buildings in the complex, which is definitely a large community. The most important thing is that the complex is extremely expensive. And yet, 60% of the units are already sold before they're even finished. I wonder where all these rich people in Anxi come from?"
"So much?" Wang Li hadn't expected that. He glanced at the place Deng Xingwang mentioned and asked, "How much is this house per square meter?"
"Two thousand? Or three thousand?"
"Two thousand eight." Deng Xingwang uttered a staggering price.
Wang Li had difficulty breathing and made the gestures of "two" and "eight" in a daze.
Seeing Deng Xingwang nod, he covered his face.
"I can't afford it. My neighborhood only has 610 square meters."
Moreover, even in his community, his monthly salary could barely buy two square meters. If he moved to this community, it would take nearly three months' salary to buy one square meter.
So when will we be able to afford a house?
Deng Xingwang was also still frightened.
"Originally, my aunt wanted to buy a house here for my brother to marry, but when she heard the price, she felt a pang of heartache and took a quick-acting heart-saving pill. In the end, she emptied her coffin savings to buy me a house. But my parents definitely won't bite their tongue and buy me a house here. According to them, instead of buying such an expensive house, it would be better for them to save more money for me so that I can buy things and spend them as I like, live a happier life, and not be so tired."
"But I really want to buy one for my parents, but the price is too high and we can't afford it." He said frankly and asked Wang Li, "Brother Wang, did your partner let you buy a house?"
That’s right, Wang Li had a girlfriend, a teacher. He met her once. She was very pretty and full of bookish air, which made people feel comfortable at first sight.
Wang Li's eyes softened a little. "She said we should save money together to buy a small apartment first, and then upgrade when we have more money."
"Hehe, sister-in-law is really good-tempered."
"Well, she has a good personality."
Deng Xingwang didn't expect to be eating dog food, and laughed for a moment. But when the topic turned to housing prices, he said, "I feel that no place in our country can compare to the expensive housing prices in Hong Kong."
Wang Li was also familiar with this. "Households there are already expensive, and I heard that the Hong Kong property market has skyrocketed in recent years due to the handover. Prices have increased five or six times in just a few years. I guess the price per square meter there is enough to buy a house in a nice residential complex here."
After they finished speaking, they looked at Ji Mingcheng. They guessed that as a Hong Kong native, Captain Ji knew more about it. However, he seemed not to have heard and continued to rest with his eyes closed, so they did not hold out hope that Captain Ji would answer them.
Who knew that after waiting for a while, he actually answered.
"almost."
Wow.
The guess came true.
Ji Mingcheng slowly opened his eyes and gently pinched the inside of his eyes with his slender fingers. "But not everyone can afford to buy a house."
Deng Xingwang nodded, "I understand. After all, the price is too high."
At this time, Wang Li suddenly asked Xiang Qiujiang, "Jiang Jiang, are you planning to buy a house?"
Qiu Jiang turned her head and said, "I'm not considering it yet."
"Ah? Your store's business is good. It shouldn't be stressful to save up to buy a house, right?" her partner asked her.
"That's right, but we all want to cure my brother's leg first. Before the New Year, I asked Brother Guo to help me find a famous orthopedic surgeon in the provincial capital. Brother Guo helped me find a very good one and also asked for me. If I want to cure my brother's leg, it will probably cost around 100,000 yuan."
"One hundred thousand?"
For an ordinary family, one hundred thousand is definitely not a small amount of money.
Qiu Jiang said, "But our family is very happy. After all, my brother still has a chance to stand up again. As long as he can get better, no matter how much money he spends, we are happy."
At this moment, Ji Mingcheng, who had his eyes closed, suddenly asked, "Do you need help?"
Qiu Jiang was stunned for a moment, then smiled after hearing his words. "Then I'd like to trouble Captain Ji to top up some more money so we can earn some extra income."
Of course Qiu Jiang was joking.
Who knew that the next second they would see their team leader Ji handing over a sleek black wallet with his slender fingers from the front seat.
"Get it yourself."
Before Qiu Jiang could decide whether to accept it, he said, "Top up 2,000 first, and bring me pork rib soup and barbecued pork buns tomorrow morning, and a plate of dried plums."
Ji Mingcheng arranged everything very clearly.
Qiu Jiang blinked and said bluntly, "Then I'll accept it. Consider the dried plums a gift, and I won't charge you for it."
Ji Mingcheng had no objection and said down-to-earthly, "Then bring me more."
I never expected that I would hear such words from their quarter-final team one day. It’s really a bit hard to get used to it.
Fortunately, she still knows that customers are God, not to mention such a big customer.
"No problem, leave it to me."
She took out twenty large blue bills from his wallet without any hesitation, closed the wallet and handed it to him.
After Ji Mingcheng took it, Deng Xingwang also started ordering food.
"Then I want six steamed buns with minced meat and vermicelli. My uncle loves them. I'll send some to him tomorrow to try."
Wang Li also ordered two things.
Qiu Jiang was no fool, so she naturally knew why they ordered the food. She was touched and said, "Then I'll bring you some more plums tomorrow. I pickled them, and they're delicious."
She pickled two jars before the New Year. She gave one jar to her sister-in-law and her family to take back to her parents' home, and the other jar became her New Year's snack. She also took a cup to eat when she went to Team Ji's house to visit the cat.
Even Captain Ji, who was so picky about food, thought it was delicious. It seemed that her cooking skills were indeed good and it was not just her illusion.
It's quite fulfilling.
"Then we'll just wait."
"no problem."
Because it was already time to get off work, Deng Xingwang simply drove the car to the police station, dropped Wang Li off, and then started driving towards his home.
When they arrived at their own community, Ji Mingcheng was driving.
The two of them were completely on the same route, except that Deng Xingwang's house was very far from both of theirs, and with the traffic jam, it was obvious that they would be alone in the car for a long time. They couldn't stop talking, so she began to ask, "Captain Ji, why did you ask Brother Jia to check if anyone else went to the grocery store between the third and fourth days of the Lunar New Year?"
Ji Mingcheng looked straight ahead and drove steadily.
"What do you think?"
Qiu Jiang thought for a moment and said tentatively, "I think the murderer must be Mao Bo. After all, based on what the neighbors said about Mao Bo's height, we can infer that his shoe size should be between 40 and 43. We found size 42 shoe prints on the floor in the storage room and next to the cash drawer, and most of them are on the top floor, as if they were made recently. Plus, someone saw a figure similar to Mao Bo's from behind on the night of the crime, so I have no doubt who the murderer is."
Just at this moment Ji Mingcheng's cell phone rang.
He casually glanced at the number and asked her to answer it.
Qiu Jiang was suspicious for a moment, and after confirming with him, she took his phone and pressed the answer button.
"Hello."
"Ah Cheng, the results are out..."
Lu Jianian was silent for a moment, "Qiu Jiang?"
"It's me, Forensic Doctor Lu. Are the results out?" Qiu Jiang asked him quickly.
After hearing a soft "hmm" from the other end, Lu Jianian said, "We compared the fingerprints you sent with Mao Bo's right index finger and found two fingerprints that are exactly the same. You can ask Jason to pick up the relevant report around 10 o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Forensic Doctor Lu."
"You're welcome."
Qiu Jiang handed the phone to Ji Mingcheng's ear, indicating that he could speak.
The two of them exchanged a few words and then hung up.
When he put down his phone, he met her sparkling eyes.
"So there's no doubt that Mao Bo is the murderer."
Ji Mingcheng raised his eyebrows, "Did I say it wasn't him?"
Qiu Jiang: "..."
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