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

“Yes,” Yang Lin sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “The shoe prints can only determine the suspect’s height range, the tricycle tire prints don’t offer any further clues, the black fibers need to be tested to confirm whether they are related to the fabric on the body, and the woman’s shoe prints and cigarette butts are even less likely to determine whether they are related to the case. We also have no clue about the deceased’s identity. The clothing was ordinary, and we couldn’t find any items that could prove her identity. The pockets were emptied, which is obvious that the suspect had deliberately cleaned them.”

Yang Sen sat on the grass, flipping through the investigation records: "Do you think the suspect could be a herdsman from the neighborhood? He's familiar with the grassland environment, has a farm tricycle and a motorcycle, and knows about the abandoned sheepfold as a hidden location. But the owner of the size 44 shoe print is 180-185 centimeters tall, which isn't common among herdsmen. And how do you explain the woman's shoe print? It can't be a couple or accomplices, can it?"

“It could also be outsiders,” Yang Lin countered. “The farm tricycle and motorcycle could have been rented or stolen. Although the abandoned sheepfold is hidden, all the shepherds in the area know about it, and outsiders could find it by asking around. As for the woman’s shoe prints, they might have been left by a passing shepherd, and it just so happens that the timing coincides with the time of the incident.”

The two discussed for a long time but still couldn't determine the connection between the clues. Yang Sen suddenly remembered something: "That's right, the tire tracks of the tricycle at the bottom of the irrigation ditch, could they have been used to transport the tools used in the crime? For example, could the suspect have first used a motorcycle to take the victim to the pasture, then used a tricycle to transport the tools to bury the body, and then used the tricycle to transport the tools away after committing the crime? But we didn't find any traces of burial, and the body was exposed under the slope, which doesn't seem like there was a burial plan."

“That’s also a point of suspicion,” Yang Lin nodded. “If it was premeditated murder, they should have found a more secluded place, or buried or disposed of the body. But the deceased was lying at the bottom of the slope, which would have been easily discovered by the shepherd. Could it have been a spur-of-the-moment murder, and the suspect fled in a panic without having time to dispose of the body?”

He pointed to the empty mineral water bottle and cigarette butt next to the body: "The deceased and the suspect may have known each other and came to the grassland together, perhaps to talk business, fish, or for other reasons. Later, they had an argument, and the suspect decided to kill them on a whim. The mineral water and cigarettes may have been drunk and smoked by the two of them together, so these traces were left at the scene."

Yang Sen added, "What about the black nylon rope? If it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, the suspect wouldn't have prepared the rope in advance. Could the rope have been brought by the deceased? Perhaps it was used to tie things up, and then the suspect used it to attack the deceased during the altercation? But there were no signs of binding on the body, and the wear and tear on both ends of the rope doesn't seem to be from an attack."

“And the deceased’s bare feet,” Yang Lin asked, puzzled. “The deceased was wearing work pants and a T-shirt, but no shoes. Did the suspect take the shoes, or were they never wearing shoes to begin with? If they were taken, why would the suspect do that? Did the shoes have any identification markings?”

The more they discussed, the more questions arose. As the sun began to set and the temperature on the grassland started to drop, Yang Lin stood up: "No matter how many clues we have, it's useless. Most of them need to be tested to determine their value. The black fiber needs to be analyzed for composition, the cigarette butt needs to have its DNA extracted, the tire print needs to be compared with the database, and the woman's shoe print needs to be investigated among the surrounding herders—we can only go back now and wait for the test results before we can analyze them further."

Yang Sen nodded and put away his investigation tools: "That's all we can do. Hopefully, the tests will yield a breakthrough, otherwise these clues are all scattered and it's impossible to identify the suspect, let alone confirm the victim's identity."

When the two returned to the scene of the crime with the newly discovered clues, Lu Chuan was waiting for their report. "Any new findings from the expanded investigation?" Lu Chuan asked. Yang Lin handed over the investigation logbook: "We found a size 44 leather shoe print, a farm tricycle tire print, black fibers, a mineral water bottle cap, a size 42 women's cloth shoe print, and a half-smoked cigarette butt that matched the one found near the body. However, the clues are fragmented, and we cannot determine their connection or identify the suspect and the deceased. We need to take them back to the branch for testing and analysis."

Lu Chuan looked at the records, his brows furrowed: "Send all samples back to the technical department immediately, prioritizing the testing of black fiber components, cigarette butt DNA, and tire tread patterns. In addition, for agricultural tricycles and black motorcycles, contact the police stations in the surrounding towns to assist in investigating vehicles with recent abnormal usage records—such as those that have just had their tires replaced or have black fiber residue on their bodies."

Regarding the identity of the deceased, Lu Chuan added, "We compiled the characteristics of the deceased's clothing, height and build based on shoe prints and the appearance of the body, estimating it to be about 175-180 centimeters, and sent it to the missing persons registration departments throughout the city, especially the surrounding pastoral areas, to see if there are any recently missing persons who match the characteristics."

Yang Lin and Yang Sen immediately took the evidence to the branch office. The technical staff were already prepared and quickly began testing after receiving the evidence. "The black fiber is preliminarily identified as canvas, which matches the material of the cloth clutched in the corpse's right hand, but further testing is needed to determine if it came from the same item; the tire print has been entered into the database and is being compared with vehicle information in the surrounding area; DNA is being extracted from the saliva sample on the cigarette butt, with results expected in 8 hours; the woman's shoe print cannot be matched at the moment, and we need to check the footwear of nearby herders," the head of the technical department reported to the two men on the preliminary testing progress.

As evening fell, the two returned to the pasture to mark the locations of the newly discovered clues again and cordoned off key areas such as the abandoned sheepfold and irrigation canal with caution tape. "We need to arrange for someone to stand guard here to prevent herders or sheep from accidentally stumbling upon the signs of vandalism," Yang Lin told Lu Chuan. "In addition, the irrigation canal needs to be further investigated; we might find the murder weapon, such as a weapon or other items that the suspect may have discarded."

Lu Chuan nodded: "I've already contacted the nearby police station and arranged for officers to be on duty 24 hours a day. That's all for today. Go back and keep a close eye on the technical department's test results, and report back immediately if there's any news."

As the sun set, the investigation team withdrew from the grassland, leaving only two police officers on duty at the cordon. Yang Lin and Yang Sen sat in the police car, watching the grassland gradually darken outside the window. They knew that these seemingly scattered clues might be the key to solving the case—but until the test results came out, all speculations were just conjectures, and the mystery of the deceased's identity and the suspect's whereabouts remained shrouded in mist.

"Do you think that woman's shoe print might be the key?" Yang Sen leaned back in his chair, looking tired. "If we can find the owner of the shoe print, we might be able to trace it back to the suspect." Yang Lin looked at the fiber sample bag in his hand and replied softly, "Hopefully, but for now we can only wait for the test results. At least we know that the suspect may have two modes of transportation, and we've clarified the height range, which is better than starting with no clues at all." (End of Chapter)