Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 781 Zheng Amei's Five or Six Seconds

As they were saying goodbye, Huang Mao's phone rang.

He frantically pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that it was a call from the brigade leader, saying that Zheng Jie had a complete alibi and that he needed to go back and provide some information.

“Zheng Jie is definitely involved in something. You can’t explain this away in a short time. Remember to go see forensic doctor Lao Tang. He interrogated Zheng A-mei, who is Zheng Jie’s mother, with me.”

Chen Shu gave Huang Mao a few concise pointers, but everyone is an adult, and some paths have to be walked by themselves. They can't rely on others to help them for the rest of their lives.

The group returned to the hotel, and Chen Chuan dragged Jiang Hai to a Japanese restaurant on the top floor that was open until the early hours of the morning for a meal. The high-tech, demanding work meals and takeout that had been consumed during this period had long since made this young master's palate completely bland.

On the way back, Chen Chuan kept clamoring for a meal of fresh, original seafood.

Zhu Yiba joked that since they were all contaminated with nuclear substances, he wouldn't dare eat them, and then went upstairs to rest.

Chen Shu was also exhausted and went straight back to his room to sleep.

I slept soundly that night, but my phone remained completely silent.

The next morning, Chen Shu woke up and immediately turned on his phone, which was placed next to his pillow, but he did not receive the message he was looking for.

Switching to the contacts page, Chen Shu looked at the familiar names and phone numbers, but he just couldn't bring himself to dial them.

After agonizing for a long time, I finally sighed and tossed my phone onto the bedside table.

After getting up and washing up, Chen Shu went downstairs for breakfast. While strolling around the hotel to digest his food, he subconsciously turned a corner and went to another direction from the hotel lobby, eventually ending up behind the building.

As mentioned before, it was obvious to everyone that there was something wrong with how Zheng Jie and Zheng Amei acted when facing the police.

However, the existence of problems does not necessarily mean there is evidence. Judging from the phone call Huang Mao received from his superior last night, he must have encountered Naiti during the investigation.

Chen Shu is a policeman at heart; he can't sit still for a moment.

Standing in the open space below the window of the crime scene, Chen Shu looked up at the simple exterior wall and imagined the deceased living on the third floor and Zheng Jie living on the fourth floor.

"According to the time of death determined by the forensic examination, Zheng Jie had been drinking at the bar during that period and had no way of getting away to come to the crime scene."

"But judging from their behavior, whether it's his mother Zheng Amei or himself, they are the murderers if nothing unexpected happens."

"But the windows were locked from the inside, and the room was a sealed room. How did he get in? And how did he get out after the murder?"

"Evidence. Evidence"

"rope?"

"Climb down using ropes? But the window is locked from the inside!"

"Or rather, where exactly is this second, missing rope?"

Chen Shu stroked his chin, deep in thought, as time flew by.
"Conan, are you still working here? Aren't you tired?"

A sound came from behind. Chen Shu turned around and saw Chen Chuan leaning against the wall at the corner, looking over with a half-smile.

Chen Shu glanced upstairs with a lingering sense of unease, shrugged, and said as he walked out, "No, I just can't figure out how Zheng Jie handled the scene."

As they rounded the corner, Chen Chuan caught up beside them, jokingly saying, "My Conan book, leave some work for our brothers in Yunnan Province. Don't always take on everything yourself. It's exhausting being a person like that."

For some reason, Chen Shu suddenly thought of Zhang Yang, who had gone to the border of Yunnan Province. He wondered how she was doing and whether he should give her a call.

I don't even know what I'm struggling with.

Chen Shu couldn't help but sigh again.

Chen Chuan glanced at his old classmate and knew he was lost in thought, looking rather worried and troubled.

As a close comrade-in-arms for more than ten years, Chen Chuan could tell what Chen Shu was thinking just by looking at him.

Chen Chuan kicked at the pebbles on the ground and said helplessly, "Missing your little reporter again? Let me tell you, this time I'm absolutely not going to Myanmar with you again. Bah, is that a place for people?"

After a pause, Chen Chuan emphasized, "I'd rather die than go!"

Chen Shu snapped out of his daze and replied, amused and annoyed, "Who told you we were going to Myanmar?"

Chen Chuan scoffed and said sarcastically, "Judging from the way you were acting all horny just now, you dare say you didn't have that thought?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Shu stopped in his tracks.

He turned to Chen Chuan, stared intently into his eyes, and said very seriously, "From now on, I will never let you be in danger again, I promise."

These words from Chen Shu caused Chen Chuan's brain to shut down instantly, and he froze, taking about two or three seconds to recover.

"Tch~ Isn't this meat cheesy?"

Chen Chuan subconsciously omitted the word "们" from the word "你们" in Chen Shu's words.

He raised his hands to hold the back of his head and walked forward, unusually walking ahead of Chen Shu, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards to the sky.

It's like an AK-47 with a rapid-fire mode activated; you just can't control the recoil.

Actually, as long as you ask me, there's no such thing as certainty or uncertainty, Chen Chuan thought to himself.

The two arrived at the hotel lobby elevator and swiped their cards to enter. The elevator reached the third floor in just a few seconds. This was their hotel floor, and also the site of the murder that had occurred a few days earlier.

As Chen Chuan turned the corner and passed the room where the crime scene was located, he stopped, placed one hand on the door, and joked, "Shu, aren't you going in to take a look?"

Chen Shu shook his head: "They've already been arrested, what's the point of looking at them?"

Chen Chuan was in a good mood and teased, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You're itching to try it, aren't you?"

Chen Shu genuinely wanted to go inside. His intuition told him that after gathering so much information, returning to examine the scene would surely yield clearer answers.

However, seeing that the police seal was still affixed to it, he hesitated.

Chen Chuan leaned against the wall, lit a cigarette, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and looked at his old classmate, who was known for his rigidity, with a smile.

After Zhu Yiba's drunk driving incident, Chen Chuan has become aware of Chen Shu's change. To put it nicely, this change is about being more flexible; to put it bluntly, it's about compromising with reality.

To put it simply, Chen Shu is no longer the upright and selfless person he once was.

Are you starting to... getting used to violating principles?

"So, which Chen Shu do I prefer? Should I just tear it up for him? Seeing how conflicted he is, I'm even more conflicted than him..." Chen Chuan, his face obscured by smoke, couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Huhu.

Wow.

A gust of wind blew in from the half-open window at the end of the corridor. The seal that had been on the door for some time was blown about, and after struggling for a while, it tore open with a hiss and then slowly fell to the ground.

Chen Chuan looked down at the seal lying on the ground, still not quite understanding what was happening.

When he looked up suddenly, he saw Chen Shu, who was already wearing gloves and shoe covers, turn the doorknob and step inside.

"You little rascal, you came out for breakfast and even brought disposable gloves and shoe covers, and you still say you don't want to see anything. You're not being honest!" Chen Chuan laughed, tossed his cigarette butt aside, and stomped it out.

The room was dimly lit, much like it had been a few days before.

Upon entering the room, Chen Shu started from the doorway and proceeded from the outside in, looking at each room one by one, including the toilet, wardrobe, bedroom, bed, tables and chairs, and the window, simulating what Zheng A-mei could do in six-second intervals.

What can you do in six seconds?
Destroying evidence at the scene?

At most, they could hide the evidence in their pockets, but the missing, cut second rope couldn't be hidden.

If it's a small item, Zheng Amei doesn't need to wear gloves at all; she can just open the door, take the item, and put it in her pocket.

Wearing gloves is solely for the purpose of preventing fingerprints.

Where should hotel cleaners' fingerprints not be left?

Toilet, corpse, or bedding?
What kind of place is it that you can't leave fingerprints so the police can find them?
Did I discover this?

Where would I most like to find the cleaner's fingerprints?
After looking inside, Chen Shu walked to the window, pulled the handle, twisted it to lock it, then unlocked it and opened the window completely.

I peeked out and looked around a few times, but didn't find anything.

Remembering that Zheng Jie's room was on the fourth floor, Chen Shu thought carefully for a moment and realized that the last digit of Zheng Jie's room number was almost the same as the deceased's room number, one was number 4 and the other was number 6, so it should be on the upper floor.

Chen Shu turned his body to look up, imagining the scene where Zheng Jie might be lowered down from upstairs by rope to successfully enter the room.

"That's a good idea."

Pulling his head back, and following his long-standing habit of keeping the crime scene as it was, Chen Shu casually closed the window and then locked it again.

Just as Chen Shu turned to walk away, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he turned back to face the window that had been locked from the inside.

"In locked-room murders, whether it's the police or the murderer, the most important thing is to figure out where they came in and how they left."

A few somewhat childish words drifted from the corridor outside. Chen Shu turned around and saw his old classmate leaning against the door frame, looking at him with a smirk.

Chen Shu blurted out, "Chen Chuan, you know?"

"Know nothing!" Chen Chuan leaned against the door frame and laughed loudly. "I've been watching 'Detective Chinatown' for the past few days and I was so bored that I couldn't resist making a scene."

Chen Shu mechanically curled the corners of his mouth, feeling that he had been stupid to seek advice from this notorious playboy in the bureau.

Turning back to the window handle, inspiration surged through Chen Shu's mind like a rising tide.

He looked down at his white-gloved hands, then glanced at the window handle beside him. For a moment, he was certain that he had found the key to the secret room.

To verify his thoughts, Chen Shu walked to the door, took out his phone, turned on the timer, quickly ran from the door to the window, pulled the window lock handle, and finally jogged back to the door.

Looking up, it was only four or five seconds, which was 20% longer than the unusual five or six seconds Zheng Amei had in the video.

Six seconds later, the window is locked from the inside, creating a sealed room.

Zheng Jie's alibi falls apart on its own.

Snapped!
Chen Chuan, leaning against the door, snapped his fingers crisply and smiled, his eyes crinkling.

(End of this chapter)