Chapter 69 You keenly sensed that someone was using the clock to conceal...
The photos of the scene were taken from multiple angles and directions. In addition to the deceased, there were also physical evidence scattered around and the surrounding environment.
From the photos, we know that the deceased Zhuo Xuanya was running at night in a park near her home as usual on the day of the incident. Therefore, she did not have a backpack on her body, only a mobile phone and headphones, and a sports watch on her wrist. From the dial interface, we know that Zhuo Xuanya exercised for 32 minutes before her death, from 21:42 to 22:14, and then died.
Zhuo Xuanya died on a small path only two meters wide, far away from the main roads of the park. The only place with a large flow of people nearby was a pavilion more than 40 meters away from the death site. However, there were dense trees between the two places, and there were no street lights except on the main roads. Therefore, Zhuo Xuanya was not discovered by passers-by until her death.
After looking at a few photos, Pang Le couldn't help but sigh, "I have to say, Sha Junhao's choice of the murder location was very clever, giving him ample time to escape. If we didn't know it was premeditated, we'd really think it was a random killing in the heat of the moment."
Ji An said, "We initially investigated this case as a common homicide, but we couldn't follow up on several avenues. Ultimately, we considered it a crime of passion."
"How many entrances and exits does this park have, Sister Ji?" Guan Xia asked.
Ji An took the computer from a nearby cabinet and said, "There are four entrances and exits in total. To facilitate access for nearby residents, we opened one each for the east, south, west, and north. Zhuo Xuanya's house is closest to the south gate, so she usually enters and exits through it."
"Apart from the entrance and exit, is there any other way to enter? Is it possible to climb over the wall or something?" Pang Le took the computer from Ji An and asked suddenly.
Ji An thought for a few seconds and shook his head. "I've been to the scene. This park is built on a mountainside. Aside from the entrance, the mountainside is very steep. There's no vegetation on the mountainside, making it difficult for a normal person to climb up. Even if someone did climb up, it's impossible for no one to notice given the densely populated residential area nearby. After all, the incident happened after 10 pm, and most residents were at home."
Pang Le nodded. "Then, we only need to check the surveillance videos at the entrance and exit, and we will definitely be able to find Sha Junhao."
Although all three of them were impressed by Sha Junhao's appearance, Ji An still printed out his photo, a very clear close-up shot, and placed one for each of them next to the laptop.
Pang Le did not open the computer immediately, but looked at the photos carefully a few more times before starting to work.
There were three people in four directions. Guan Xia felt that it was unlikely that Sha Junhao would enter or exit from the south gate, so she asked for the surveillance video of the north gate. Pang Le was just the opposite. She felt that Sha Junhao would do the opposite, so she took the mobile hard drive of the surveillance video of the south gate. Ji An was not picky at all and just took one from the west gate.
As it turned out, Guan Xia and Pang Le were wrong. The three of them watched until around five in the afternoon when Ji An finally said, "I found it. It's here with me."
Guan Xia and Pang Le looked at each other subconsciously, then jumped up and ran to Ji An.
Guan Xia first glanced at the time in the upper left corner of the surveillance video and found that it was 22:57 on the evening of September 12, which was almost the closing time of the park.
Pang Le also noticed this and said, "This Sha Junhao has a strong mentality. After killing someone, he stayed in the park for over half an hour and didn't leave until it was almost closing time."
Guan Xia was also a little surprised, and couldn't help but start to wonder what Sha Junhao did when he stayed in the park after killing someone. Would he observe nearby to see if anyone found Zhuo Xuanya's body, or would he simply contact Yuan Yue in some hidden corner and tell her that Zhuo Xuanya was dead?
Guan Xia thought about it for a few seconds, and soon her attention was attracted by the images in the surveillance video.
The camera should be installed on the street lamp on the left side of the park gate. The lighting conditions are relatively good and the pictures are very clear. Sha Junhao, wearing a black T-shirt and casual pants, is walking with several young people. They seem to know each other. He even has his arm around the shoulder of one of the young men with a flat head, and is talking about something with a smile on his face.
The flat-headed man whose shoulders he had his arm around was playing with a basketball in his right hand. From time to time, he threw it into the air and caught it with his fingers, letting the basketball spin on his fingertips. It was obvious that he loved this sport very much.
"He didn't come alone?" Pang Le asked in surprise, "Who are these people around him? Are they his friends? He actually has friends in Fu'an City?"
"They might not be friends," Guan Xia said. "Sha Junhao isn't very old. He was just 21 when the crime happened two years ago. Remember what Xu Nian and the others said when they introduced Sha Junhao's social background? His interpersonal relationships are extremely complex, and many of his friends are on the fringes of society. This means he's much more mature and sophisticated than his peers. Didn't he stay in the park for a long time after killing Zhuo Xuanya? Maybe he went to play basketball with someone to minimize the police's suspicion of him."
"That makes sense," Pang Le said, "but it sounds like this Sha Junhao is even scarier. He killed someone and still had the mood to play basketball. Is this really his first time killing someone?"
Ji An said, "So far, there's no evidence linking Sha Junhao to other murders before this one. However, from what I've learned, Sha Junhao must have harbored murderous intentions towards his father, Sha Guo, from a very young age, at least during adolescence. He likely spent years rehearsing and rehearsing his murderous plan. While this is most likely his first time killing someone, psychologically, he must have been prepared for it."
"Even so, he's still a ruthless person," Pang Le commented, then asked Ji An, "Sister Ji, is there a basketball court in this park?"
Ji An nodded confidently, "Yes, it's a big one. There are a lot of people playing basketball there. If Sha Junhao deliberately makes friends, it would be easy for him to blend in with them and confuse people."
"Well, the case is solved," Pang Le stretched lazily and said, "Xu Nian and his team have found clear evidence in the Yongquan City case. With this surveillance video, even though there's no concrete evidence yet, it should be enough to reopen the backlog case."
Ji An said, "That's enough. I'll take you to the hotel and then I'll contact Xu Nian's classmate. Then we can book the plane tickets tonight."
The goal was achieved on the first day. Guan Xia and Pang Le were surprised and couldn't help but smile. It seemed that by this time tomorrow they would be able to lie in their bed at home. They didn't feel it before, but now they started to miss it after just one day away.
After finishing what needed to be done, Ji An was busy finishing up, while Guan Xia and Pang Le began to look around boredly.
Although the living room of this house has been turned into a simple office, it can be seen that the decoration at that time was very thoughtful. Both the color of the sofa and the color of the paintings on the wall are very harmonious and warm. The only thing that is a bit abrupt is that above the TV background wall, there is a square clock hanging. The gold and white color scheme is in harmony with the overall decoration style. However, few people hang clocks at home now, so it is inevitable that it will attract some attention.
Pang Le followed Guan Xia's gaze and saw it too. He couldn't help but turn around and ask Ji An, "Sister Ji, was this house originally renovated by Zhuo Xuanya's father? Why is there a watch? I haven't seen one in years."
Ji An took a moment to glance up and said, "Zhuo Mingyan bought this house hoping for appreciation when he heard there were plans for a large shopping mall and a subway nearby. A few years later, he heard the project was planning to relocate, and selling it would be a bit of a loss, so he decided to renovate it and either live in it or rent it out. Zhuo Mingyan said Zhuo Xuanya and Yuan Yue renovated it together because their old house already had a watch like this, so they probably got used to it and put one up in this house too. What's the matter?"
Guan Xia and Pang Le just asked casually, and were about to look away after getting Ji An's answer, but unexpectedly the system interface was triggered and popped up.
The words flashed quickly, Guan Xia was surprised for a moment and then looked at it carefully.
You are questioned by the police, and you suddenly remember that at 15:23 on the afternoon of June 15, when you entered this house with your friend, you vaguely felt that you were being spied on. You couldn't find the reason, so you put it out of your mind. However, this feeling kept following you for several hours. You carefully observed your surroundings and finally found traces on a clock hanging on the wall. You keenly realized that someone had installed a surveillance camera using the clock as a cover, so you decided to tell the police.
After reading the few lines of text on the system interface, Guan Xia felt a chill on her back. This house was the temporary gathering point for Ji An and his team to investigate the death of Zhuo Xuan. The surveillance camera was located right in front of the conference table. Doesn't that mean that every time they analyzed and discussed the case in the past two years, it was under the eyes of the same person?
Guan Xia didn't even need to think to guess who installed the surveillance camera. It couldn't be anyone else except Yuan Yue.
Guan Xia's expression changed too obviously. One second she was curious, and the next second her expression was stiff. Pang Le noticed it almost immediately. He glanced around vigilantly and asked Guan Xia, "What's wrong with you?"
Guan Xia took a long time to calm down, and then she said in a calm voice, "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered that I forgot to turn off the air conditioner when I left. I don't know how much electricity bill I'll have to pay when I get home."
Pang Le had left for the airport with Guan Xia that morning, so she naturally knew whether the air conditioner was turned off or not. Upon hearing this, she gave Guan Xia a knowing look and then agreed, "It seems so. I left the house first, and I didn't turn it off when I left. So what should I do? Send a message to your neighbor and ask him to turn it off for you?"
Guan Xia pretended to be helpless and said, "This is the only way. I'm sending him a message now. I hope he's at home."
As he spoke, Guan Xia walked briskly back to the conference table, picked up his cell phone and typed a few words.
Pang Le stood close to Guan Xia, and when he saw the words clearly, he couldn't help but reveal a somewhat horrified expression.
After Guan Xia finished typing, she sent the message to Ji An. Thankfully, Ji An's phone was vibrating. She glanced at it casually and continued to work for a while before picking up the phone and saying, "It's late now, it's time for dinner. Let's go, have dinner together and go back to the hotel, then I'll go out."
Pang Le quickly replied, "Okay, I was in a hurry to eat at noon and I didn't eat much. I'm hungry."
"Okay, then Pang Le, you go turn off the lights and I'll draw the curtains." Ji An turned off the computer and stood up. "Let's pack up quickly, otherwise we'll be stuck in traffic."
Pang Le rushed to the door almost as Ji An finished speaking, and turned off the light with a click. The area around the conference table in the living room suddenly fell into darkness, with only a ray of light coming in through the gap of the tightly closed kitchen door.
Ji An pretended to complain that Pang Le was moving too fast, and groped his way to the window. Pang Le took a few steps back towards the restaurant, walked to a blind spot in the surveillance camera, and turned on the small device she bought online to illuminate the camera. As expected, there was a small flashing red light at the top edge of the clock.
Ji An didn't delay for long. He quickly opened the curtains in just a few seconds. At the same time, Pang Le put away the small instrument and said to Guan Xia naturally, "I'm too lazy to walk back. Can you help me with my bag? Once we're done, let's go eat. I'm starving."
Guan Xia agreed, quickly picked up their bags and walked to the door. Pang Le had already opened the door. After Ji An came over with his things, he almost couldn't wait to walk out the door.
As the door slammed shut, Pang Le couldn't help but lower his voice and asked, "What's going on? Why is there a surveillance camera in a place like this? Was it installed by Yuan Yue? Doesn't that mean she heard everything we just discussed?"
One second, she was sighing that everything was going smoothly, but the next, this unexpected change occurred. Guan Xia subconsciously looked up and looked around, but didn't find any cameras. Then she said in the same voice, "This house was renovated by Zhuo Xuanya and Yuan Yue before she died. Who would have thought she would install surveillance? I now suspect that the house where Zhuo Xuanya lived before might have had some as well."
Guan Xia said casually, she was more worried about another problem now. She recalled carefully that they had mentioned Sha Junhao several times in their previous discussions. If Yuan Yue had been remotely monitoring this place, then when she heard this name, she would definitely know that their investigation was very close to the truth. Yuan Yue might escape, but she might also take other radical actions.
"Sister Ji," Guan Xia thought about it and felt that the direction of the situation was very difficult. Just as she called out, Ji An said in a serious whisper: "I will contact the police in Fu'an City. Guan Xia, you contact Xu Nian. There may not be time for them to continue the investigation. The most urgent thing is to catch the person first."
Pang Le also reacted, "We just mentioned Sha Junhao in our discussion. This guy wants to run away."
Guan Xia and Ji An no longer cared about Pang Le. They couldn't wait to make a phone call in the elevator. Fortunately, there was a signal, so Guan Xia could communicate smoothly with Xu Nian.
As soon as the call was connected, Guan Xia said, "Xu Nian, things have changed. Yuan Yue is likely to run away, or she may do something else."
Guan Xia did not express her guess. She did not know Yuan Yue's motive for killing Zhuo Xuan Ya yet. But no matter whether it was out of jealousy or for some other reason, in the current situation, in addition to absconding, it is very likely that he would do something to harm Zhuo Xuan Ya's parents. Of course, this is the worst possible guess.
Xu Nian was silent for two seconds, and very straightforwardly, without asking about the cause and effect, he said: "Okay, I will notify someone to buy plane tickets now, and we will rush to Fu'an City as soon as possible."
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