Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

With all suspicious persons and vehicles ruled out, Li Lijuan has become the new suspect. Her experience of domestic violence gives her ample motive for the crime, and her whereabouts being unknown during key periods further strengthens the suspicion.

“Next, we will focus our investigation on Li Lijuan,” Zhang Hui said, looking at Li Lijuan’s bank statements. “We will check her call records from the afternoon of July 11 to see if she contacted anyone else; we will interview residents around the park to find possible witnesses; and at the same time, we will investigate her marital status with Zhang Baode to see if there are any divorce disputes or property division issues, in order to further confirm her motive.”

As the sun set, Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui left the rented apartment. Li Lijuan stood at the door, watching their car drive away, her eyes filled with complex emotions. Wang Shuai knew that although there was no direct evidence yet, Li Lijuan was a crucial lead. Finding evidence of her whereabouts during key periods would unlock the truth of the case.

Back at the Criminal Investigation Division, Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui reported their findings to Lu Chuan. “The suspicious persons and vehicles have been ruled out. Now, Li Lijuan is the prime suspect,” Lu Chuan said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. “Continue to investigate Li Lijuan thoroughly, and at the same time, do not relax your investigation of the people inside the furniture factory, especially the carpenter Lao Li. Although there is no direct evidence at the moment, the suspicions surrounding him have not been completely resolved.”

As night deepened, the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division remained bright. Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui sat in the conference room, organizing the investigation materials on Li Lijuan. Every detail could be the key to breaking the case. They knew that as long as they persisted, they would eventually find clues leading to the truth, give Zhang Baode's death a reasonable explanation, and ensure that Li Lijuan, who had suffered domestic violence for a long time, received the treatment she deserved—whether it was legal punishment or psychological redemption.

As the morning sun climbed onto the windowsill of her rented room, Li Lijuan sat at her dressing table, repeatedly wiping the scar on her left wrist—the wound inflicted by Zhang Baode with a beer bottle. Although it had scabbed over, it was like an indelible brand. Unbeknownst to her, downstairs in the van, Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui were watching her window, clutching crucial evidence they had just obtained, their eyes filled with unwavering determination.

The in-depth investigation into Li Lijuan began with verifying her whereabouts. Wang Shuai and his team visited the "walking park" that Li Lijuan mentioned. From 2 pm to 5 pm on July 11, the park's surveillance cameras covered the main passageway, but Li Lijuan was nowhere to be seen. "We retrieved the surveillance footage from all the shops around the park," team member Xiao Zhang pointed to the screen. "At 3:15 pm on July 11, Li Lijuan appeared at a hardware store on the east side of the park and bought an 18cm hand saw blade and a pair of black gloves. The payment record shows that she paid in cash, which matches the whereabouts of the 5000 yuan cash withdrawn from Zhang Baode's salary card on July 10."

More importantly, the hardware store owner recognized Li Lijuan: "She was wearing a mask and her hat was pulled down low. She said, 'I need to saw some wood at home.' I even asked her if she needed help sharpening the saw blade, but she said, 'No need, I can handle it myself.' She looked very nervous." The owner recalled that when Li Lijuan left, she was carrying a black cloth bag, which was the same style as the cloth bag carried by the suspicious man in the surveillance footage.

The investigation into the flow of funds also made a breakthrough. Zhang Hui retrieved Li Lijuan's bank statements and discovered that on the morning of July 12, she deposited 3000 yuan in cash into her younger brother Li Lei's account. "Li Lei said it was 'money borrowed by his sister,' but he couldn't explain why it was deposited in cash," Zhang Hui pointed to the bank statement. "What's even more suspicious is that on the evening of July 11, at 8 pm, Li Lijuan withdrew 2000 yuan in cash from an ATM near the furniture factory. The time of the withdrawal coincides closely with the time of the body disposal, suggesting that it was used to pay for the assistance of those involved—although Li Lei has been cleared of suspicion, the possibility of other accomplices cannot be ruled out."

During the search of Li Lijuan's rented apartment, technicians made a significant discovery. In a corner of the bedroom wardrobe, there was a faded blue work uniform with a small amount of dark red stain on the collar. After being sprayed with luminol, a pale blue fluorescence clearly appeared—testing revealed the stain to be Zhang Baode's blood. "The style of this work uniform is consistent with that of factory workers," the technician pointed to the cuffs. "The cuffs show obvious signs of wear, which perfectly match the wear characteristics of the suspicious man's work uniform in the surveillance footage. Moreover, the fibers on the clothing match the blue fiber composition extracted from the climbing marks on the wall."

Li Lijuan's communication records also revealed inconsistencies. At 4:30 PM on July 11, she made a one-minute call to an unregistered virtual number. "Based on cell tower location data, the call location of this virtual number was near the furniture factory," Wang Shuai analyzed. "Combined with the time of the suspicious man's appearance in the surveillance footage, it is speculated that this call was between Li Lijuan and her accomplice, confirming the time and place of dismemberment and disposal of the body."

When this evidence was presented to Lu Chuan, he immediately ordered: "Arrest Li Lijuan immediately! Be vigilant, she may be carrying a weapon and has some counter-surveillance awareness." At 9 a.m., the arrest team split into three groups: one group guarded the front door of the rental house, one group went around to the back door, and one group waited at the entrance of the building, forming a tight encirclement.

When Wang Shuai knocked on the door of the rented room, Li Lijuan's panicked voice came from inside: "Who is it?" "We're from the community, here to register population information." Wang Shuai deliberately lowered his voice, trying to make his tone sound natural. The door clicked open, and Li Lijuan, wearing a light-colored dress and clutching a rag in her hand, turned pale instantly when she saw the policeman at the door, and instinctively tried to close the door.

"Li Lijuan, we are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division. We are now arresting you in accordance with the law on suspicion of intentionally killing Zhang Baode." Wang Shuai brandished the arrest warrant, his voice booming. Li Lijuan's body trembled violently, the rag in her hand fell to the ground, and tears suddenly welled up in her eyes: "I didn't kill him! He deserved it! He beat me for ten years, I just... I just wanted to get rid of him!"

Two officers quickly stepped forward, handcuffed Li Lijuan's hands behind her back, and put them on. "You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used against you in court," Zhang Hui read a statement of rights. Li Lijuan became increasingly agitated, crying out, "He beats me every day, and when he's drunk, he takes it out on me. My daughter is only eight years old, and she always hides in a corner crying. I had no choice; I had to kill him!"

During the search of the rented apartment, technicians found a saw blade covered in sawdust under the kitchen sink—the very 18cm hand saw blade that Li Lijuan had purchased from a hardware store. The blade's edge showed obvious traces of human tissue, which, upon testing, matched Zhang Baode's DNA. In a storage cabinet on the balcony, they also found a pair of black gloves with tears at the fingertips and white paint residue on the edges, perfectly matching the paint composition extracted from the scene. (End of Chapter)