You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 304 If you can do it, go ahead!
Deyang Bus Station.

The Friendship Guesthouse is located in the alley across the street.

The wall-mounted fan whirred and whirred, dispelling the summer heat.

Yao Weihua unbuttoned his top and asked the guesthouse owner again to confirm.

"Sir, are you sure the woman in the photo is from Zongjiang County?"

The owner, wearing a t-shirt, was nearly sixty years old and was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"No, it's just their accent."

What time did she check into the hotel on the night of January 23rd?

"Didn't I already tell you? Do I have to repeat myself?"

"Excuse me, let me double-check."

Yao Weihua took out a cigarette; there was only one left in the pack. He reluctantly handed it to the other person, saying, "Please have a cigarette."

The owner's attitude softened considerably, and he replied, "That girl checked in at 8 p.m., and her accent is definitely from Zongjiang County. We also showed you her ID card, which can prove it."

Yao Weihua listened attentively, but he had difficulty understanding the local dialect the other person was speaking.

Moreover, he had to verify the information from multiple sources, and he was determined not to make a mistake with the clues he had finally found.

Did she say anything to you?

“I did say that. She asked me what time the bus would arrive in Zongjiang County the next day, so she’s not from Zongjiang, so where else could she be from?”

"the next day?"

"It means tomorrow."

"I understand."

"By the way, you two aren't probably local cats."

"What do you mean?"

"The meaning of 'public security'."

"We're from Qin Province."

"I knew it! That girl is really pretty. What did she do wrong?"

"That's hard to say," Yao Weihua said with a laugh.

"Fine, don't tell us then. It's nothing more than murder and arson. You guys are still responsible, much better than our local cats. You came all this way to investigate the case, it's really hard work."

Yao Weihua was pleased to hear this, and all his resentment disappeared. He nodded and said, "Thank you, sir. May your business prosper."

"You're welcome. Would you like to have some food before you leave?"

"Garlic bird, garlic bird." Cat waved his hand, imitating the local accent: "Thanks."

The two of them stepped out of the guesthouse and were immediately enveloped by the sweltering heat.

The summer heat in Sichuan Province is like a steamer, baking your skin.

Yao Weihua immediately broke out in a sweat and quickly slipped into the nearby convenience store to buy two bottles of frozen Beibingyang soda.

Using the bottle opener hanging in the refrigerator, he pried open the bottle cap, handed it to the cat, and then pried open the second bottle.

The cat found two straws, inserted them into the bottle, and the two of them took a big gulp at the same time.

The cool liquid, once it entered my stomach, immediately made me feel refreshed.

The shop owner's three-year-old son sat on a small stool, blowing bubble gum while watching them curiously.

He was wearing open-crotch pants and sitting with his legs spread apart.

Yao Weihua found it offensive and glared at him fiercely.

The child burst into tears, and the bubbles he blew popped on his face.

Cat paid the bill, and the two of them walked along the eaves of the convenience store, preparing to leave.

The proprietress behind the counter, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, called out, "Hey, you haven't paid for the bottle!"

Yao Weihua turned around and asked, "What did you say?"

"Bottles, bottles! Don't you know how to dry them? Bottles cost money, two cents each."

Yao Weihua glared at her, finished his soda in one gulp, and slammed the bottle down on the counter: "Here you go!"

The cat returned it to her as well, and then burped.

Cat was delighted to have found a clue; at least today's trip hadn't been in vain.

"Old Yao, shall we go to the bus station and ask?"

"Why are you asking? It's so hot."

"If we don't investigate now, we definitely will have to later."

“Didn’t you hear the guesthouse owner say that this ‘Yin Hong’… her real name should be Zhang Chen? She took the morning bus. Let’s come back tomorrow morning and ask her. If we go to ask now, we’ll just be wasting our time.”

"That makes sense, but why did she switch back to her real name? She always carries that ID card with her, 'Zhang Chen'?"

Yao Weihua said, "Switching back to her real name means facing her past. Let's go, let's meet up with Captain Yang first, see how things go, and then decide on the next investigation mission."

The other end.

Yang Jinwen and Cai Ting began reviewing the case reported by Zongjiang County on January 23rd, going over it again and again.

Six months later, there are two unsolved murder cases. The first case was in the woods outside Cangshan Town. The body was found on the afternoon of the third day of the second lunar month. The case file includes photos of the victim and the scene.

The cause of death was a blunt force trauma to the back of the head, likely caused by being hit by a brick.

The victim was a 55-year-old male named Zhang Kangmei. His height, appearance, and clothing were described in detail. His money was stolen, suggesting it was a robbery-murder case.

The local criminal investigation team investigated for two months but failed to find the murderer.

The second case involved the murder of a homeless man. The incident occurred near the post office in Shiquan Township late at night on March 18th, and the person who reported it was a post office employee.

The homeless man's specific identity was never found, let alone the murderer. The case became a cold case, with no way to find the killer. The local criminal police team judged that it might have been a random killing. They investigated the entire township, but still couldn't find the killer.

Both cases were temporarily shelved, and the case files were naturally put on hold.

The criminal investigation team has limited resources and cannot devote all of them to a single case.

Furthermore, since technical means are ineffective, the only way to determine whether it is a case of property theft or a revenge killing is through interpersonal visits.

If no clues can be found, there's nothing that can be done.

It wasn't until after the millennium, with the development of information technology in household registration management and the use of DNA, that it truly shone brightly.

Criminal investigation teams across the country were either chasing fugitives or on their way to make arrests. As a result, a municipal bureau cleared 90% of the unsolved murder cases in a single year.

Yang Jinwen carefully analyzed the two cases. The reason the old man was killed was for theft, which did not quite fit the case he was looking for.

The homeless man was beaten to death, which does seem like a random killing. If it wasn't committed by a seasoned criminal, and there were no similar murders afterward, and the criminal investigation team had investigated and ruled out suspects who might have caused the conflict, then it's likely that the homeless man was killed.

Therefore, it can be inferred that a murderer encountered a homeless man late at night, and under some influence, developed hatred, leading to the murder.

The murder occurred without any dispute or conflict of interest, and the homeless man posed no threat to the perpetrator. Furthermore, the local criminal investigation team had sought witnesses, some of whom claimed that the homeless man was from out of town and had mental health issues.

The homeless man lived in an alley next to the post office, where he had built a makeshift shack, about the size of a doghouse.

On the night of the incident, nearby residents saw that the homeless man was already sleeping in the shack.

Therefore, it was even less likely that the homeless man would have had a conflict with anyone that night.

However, Yang Jinwen noticed one thing: at the very end of the alley was a local town night market, with grilled fish restaurants, barbecue stalls, and a billiards hall.

Yang Jinwen squinted and looked for Lin Qiao.

"There are some suspicious points in this case."

Lin Qiao immediately asked, "Did that woman do it?"

Yang Jinwen shook his head: "No, regarding the case of the homeless man's murder, we can investigate the people who were drinking at the night market that night."

I reviewed the case file, and there was a gap in the investigation in this area.

If no motive can be found, it cannot be ruled out that the killer was intoxicated, had a violent tendency, and might be a young local thug who killed a homeless person out of disgust.

Lin Qiao frowned, pondering his words, and the more she listened, the more likely it seemed.

Yang Jinwen's words were tantamount to providing a criminal profile.

Standing to the side with her hands behind her back, Chen Xiao stared at Yang Jinwen with watery eyes and asked in her soft, gentle Sichuan accent, "Captain Yang, isn't it too hasty to look for the murderer before even finding out the homeless man's identity? I've seen this case; the local criminal investigation team wanted to find out the homeless man's identity first before continuing the investigation."

Cai Ting watched from the side and felt that Chen Xiao didn't actually want to talk; he was just making up an excuse to strike up a conversation with Yang Jinwen.

Leprechaun!

Cai Ting rolled her eyes; she was already feeling irritable after looking at case files all day.

Lin Qiao nodded in agreement: "That's right. If the identity of the deceased is unknown, even if the murderer is found, it will be difficult to send him to the prosecutor's office for prosecution. In comparison, finding the identity of the deceased is much simpler."

"Sigh..." Yang Jinwen sighed.

Lin Qiao said, "Captain Yang, to be honest, this case was reported to our Criminal Investigation Detachment. Our captain sent people to follow it for more than a month, but we haven't made any progress. It's not that easy to find out the results."

Yang Jinwen waved his hand: "Actually, it's very easy to find out. Instead of looking for the identity of the deceased, we should find the murderer first. Anyway, someone was killed. No matter who the deceased is, the murderer should be brought to justice. He shouldn't be allowed to live comfortably in the world."

"Then how do we investigate?" Lin Qiao felt that Yang Jinwen's words were too arrogant, and his eyes seemed to say, "If you're so great, then go ahead and do it."

Cai Ting looked at Yang Jinwen and shook her head slightly, indicating that he should leave it alone. Her own case was just starting to make progress, so she didn't have time to worry about theirs.

Besides, even if the case is solved, they won't gain anything.

Yang Jinwen didn't pay attention to her gaze. Although the local criminal police detachment was not very cooperative, it did not prevent them from reviewing the case files.

So he said, word by word, "I just said that the murderer killed someone under some kind of influence. It is judged that the murderer was drunk at the time and killed someone when he was not in his right mind."

Moreover, he's probably not very old and has a bunch of cronies who probably get together to drink often.

If possible, we shouldn't investigate the deceased's identity; instead, we should use reverse thinking to investigate.

Lin Qiao asked in confusion, "What is reverse thinking?"

Yang Jinwen replied, "The incident occurred late at night on March 18th, after the Spring Festival. There wasn't a large floating population then, and the perpetrator most likely lived in a rural town. Otherwise, it's inexplicable that the perpetrator would be near the post office late at night."

The investigation will focus on young men who suddenly went out to work or left home after March 18th.

If the murderer is afraid, he will stay hidden outside and dare not come back. He may inquire about the homeless man's murder through relatives and friends.

If he discovers that the police are no longer investigating the case, and he goes into hiding for a while, he might come back. Then, by following this lead, we might be able to find him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiao's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but swallow.

Besides policewoman Chen Xiao, whose eyes were filled with stars, Cai Ting's eyes also began to sparkle.

"Awesome!" Lin Qiao slammed his hand on the table.

(End of this chapter)