“Such deep cunning? Not showing a hint but harboring murderous intentions?” Liu Jiaming frowned, finding it hard to believe. Could such a cheerful and gentle woman, so seemingly harmless, actually be deadly?
“The evidence we have now is still insufficient, all the clues point to her, but without definitive proof that she is the murderer, we can’t convict her,” Fang Zhenyue nodded to Sanfu, “Take Jiaming with you and bring Zheng Lishan to the interrogation room for a private questioning.”
“Yes, sir!” Sanfu responded solemnly, then led Liu Jiaming out of the private room.
As they appeared before the onlooking reporters, Sanfu’s expression was particularly commanding, as if determined to make the murderer confess.
The door to the private room closed again, sealing off the backs of Sanfu and Liu Jiaming, as well as the prying eyes of the reporters.
Lin Wangjiu looked at Fang Zhenyue and sighed, “Let’s wait a bit longer. Once the forensic inspection is over, we can let the others go.”
We need to confirm the suspect quickly, or else we’ll have to release everyone.
“The murder weapon is right at the scene, but no fingerprints were left. None of the statements from everyone present reveal the murderer. The KTV server who entered the room didn’t see anything useful… Maybe wait until Sanfu and his team have questioned Zheng Lishan before deciding on the next steps?” Gary felt his brain cells were drained, unable to think of anything else useful.
“The forensic department hasn’t yet found what was wrapped around the knife handle during the murder,” Yi Jiayi furrowed her brows, trying hard to remember.
In her mental image, she clearly saw that object.
The murderer, Zheng Lishan, had used a cloth to wrap around the knife handle, which is why no fingerprints were left on it.
However, the forensic colleagues didn’t find any trace of the cloth on the handle, no threads or fabric imprints.
Jiayi had seen only a thick white cloth in her mental image, without any distinctive patterns or shapes.
What could that piece of cloth be?
“If it was toilet paper, wrapping it around the handle would definitely imprint the contours of the handle, even if it was later crumpled and unfolded. But every area of the room has been checked, and nothing was found,” Fang Zhenyue frowned. At this point in the case, could we only hope that Zheng Lishan confesses?
But would such a calculated person, ready to commit murder without showing a hint of hatred, confess under police interrogation?
“Could she really have eaten the paper that might have gotten splattered with the victim’s blood? That’s too cruel,” Gary’s expression gradually distorted, his stomach even feeling a bit nauseous.
“No, the forensic team just checked the toilet paper provided by the KTV. It’s of poor quality; even a little rubbing causes it to drop many tiny paper particles. There were no such particles near the victim’s table, which means that the paper used to wrap the knife handle wasn’t from here,” Fang Zhenyue continued.
“The forensic team also examined other people’s tissues, which would also leave some paper particles after wiping something.”
“Moreover, judging from the blood around the body, when the knife was inserted, there was first a dispersal spray of blood followed by vertical dripping. Before the murderer took the object wrapped around the knife handle, it must have already been heavily stained with blood,” explained Fang Zhenyue.
Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, Fang Zhenyue realized he was thirsty. He frowned, endured for a moment, and was about to continue when Yi Jiayi unexpectedly handed him a bottle of mineral water.
He nodded, twisted the cap off, took a swig, and continued, “We all have used facial tissue and know that once it gets a bit wet, it soaks through. According to the estimated blood loss at the moment the knife was inserted by the medical examiner, even four or five layers of tissue might not prevent traces on the handle.”
“Now, since the knife handle was found clean with no clues, it can only mean that either she wrapped it in many layers of strong, non-flaking paper or a sufficiently thick piece of cloth.”
Yi Jiayi quickly took notes, valuing Sir Fang’s deductive process as something precious to study carefully later, not wanting to miss a word.
“This makes it impossible to be ingested,” said Gary, his features furrowing. He then asked, “Otherwise, shall we take Zheng Lishan for an X-ray?”
“The murderer must have taken meticulous precautions, preparing the knife in advance and also planning ahead on how to hide her fingerprints. It’s unlikely she would resort to swallowing an indigestible amount of thick paper or fabric, especially when moving around with such items would be too conspicuous,” Fang Zhenyue said, looking down at his palm, the lines crisscrossing like intertwined clues.
He needed to find the most crucial and main thread, surely hidden somewhere!
“What could it be that we have completely overlooked?” Yi Jiayi asked, looking at Fang Zhenyue’s notes and frowning.
Suddenly, Fang Zhenyue froze, turning to stare at Yi Jiayi, his eyes sharp as cold blades, casting a chilling glow.
Startled by his intense gaze, the young policewoman jumped, but the man simply said, “Continue.”
“Ah… the books say, when the police search for evidence, they need to capture unusual clues. Like a skewed TV, a kitchen knife on the living room table, a frame fastened to a table, an expensive bag in a poor household… all these items that ‘shouldn’t be here’ or ‘seem to have been moved’ can become clues, so it’s crucial for detective work to focus on these,” Yi Jiayi continued, a bit confused about what Fang Zhenyue wanted to hear, rambling to gather her thoughts.
Fang Zhenyue, as if hearing some particularly useful information, suddenly pointed with his finger, nodding, “So, what could it be that the police wouldn’t notice in that private room?”
Yi Jiayi, inspired by a sudden revelation overlapping with Fang Zhenyue’s words, envisioned the object in the murderer’s hand, the nondescript features of the item wrapping the knife handle magnified in her mind.
“It’s something from the KTV! Something that’s naturally found in the store, available in every private room!” Yi Jiayi slammed her hands on the table, uncontrollably exclaiming, “I’ve got it!”
…
Fang Zhenyue and Yi Jiayi went back and forth in the private room, their voices growing louder and faster, emotions rising, setting the atmosphere, but…
Lin Wangjiu and Gary looked left and right, feeling as if they understood, yet also as if they hadn’t fully grasped everything.
Uncle Jiu, being the more seasoned one, followed Yi Jiayi’s words and scanned the private room they were in. Although much smaller, its decor was just like a crime scene.
Thick golden lace was draped over the bright red sofas, which might look a bit tacky now, but would certainly appear splendid under bright lights.
This KTV venue was well-decorated and expensive, with high-quality materials used for everything, even the tablecloths and curtains, which were both elaborate and substantial.
So, Yi Jiayi and Officer Fang were suggesting that the material used to wrap the knife handle came from the KTV’s room?
But the sofa covers, tablecloths, and curtains were all quite large—surely not possible.
Could it be?
As Jiayi suddenly stood up from the table, Uncle Jiu also thought of something and rushed out following her.
Officer Fang Zhengyue hurried to remind them, “Mind your image!”
Outside was swarming with reporters!
As the door swung open, Yi Jiayi looked back at Fang Zhengyue, grinned, and stuck out her tongue before turning back to face the police and cameras on the other side of the corridor cordon, her expression now serious and solemn.
Lin Wangjiu also shed his lazy demeanor, striding next to the young female officer into the supreme private room across the hall, his presence commanding.
Fang Zhengyue trailed behind, amused yet exasperated at their silhouettes. In the reporters’ lenses, he appeared the most casual.
As soon as Yi Jiayi entered the KTV, she located the seat where Zheng Lishan had sat, based on a seating chart drawn by her forensic colleagues, and then her gaze landed on the microphone on the table, wrapped in a thick red lace cover—luxurious detail that defined this KTV’s standards.
“Brother Tony, the evidence bag!” Yi Jiayi excitedly eyed the microphone yet hesitated to touch it, fearing contamination of the evidence.
Lin Wangjiu had also figured out that this was what Jiayi was referring to. He stood by, watching as Tony hurried over, coordinating with Jiayi to carefully remove the lace cover.
The red fabric, even if stained with blood, wouldn’t show it easily. Tony compared it to the knife handle, and it fit perfectly.
Wearing gloves, he carefully turned the lace cover inside out; the inside was white and shockingly stained with fresh blood.
Chen Guangyao also ran over to look, and with just one glance at the blood pattern, he excitedly declared, “This is it! It’s the one!”
With the light shining down and a close inspection, they could see some patterns even without collecting samples. “Tony, collect the fingerprints first!”
“Yes!” Tony immediately grabbed the tools and began carefully collecting fingerprints.
Fang Zhengyue stood by with crossed arms, watching Yi Jiayi glow with excitement as she alternated between directing and intently observing.
The previously furrowed-browed detective now relaxed, his face smoothing into ease.
“Did Jiayi find this?” Chen Guangyao looked up at Yi Jiayi after Tony had finished collecting the fingerprints.
“Yep.” The young policewoman grinned sheepishly, wanting to laugh proudly and freely but also feeling a bit shy, yet her eyes sparkled brightly, unable to hide her sense of achievement.
Chen Guangyao recognized that look—it’s the expression one has when doing something they find meaningful, even if there’s just a slight success.
She really is an enthusiastic and spirited young officer.
That’s my girl