pappabearbooks Chapter 870 - 456: Reflections on the Investigation’s Early Direction
Chapter 870 - 456: Reflections on the Investigation’s Early Direction
The captain of the second team nodded in agreement: "Our team’s situation is similar, no breakthrough findings."The third team captain added with a hint of regret: "No left-handed individuals were found in the area we are responsible for."
Jiang An still harbored a glimmer of hope, believing that the characteristic of being ’left-handed’ might still become a breakthrough in the case.
After all, in the crowd, the proportion of left-handers is already low; if used appropriately, it should be a highly valuable screening label.
Mr. Qin suddenly interjected, his voice strict and undeniable: "Did you investigate the direct relatives in the household registry?"
"Is it possible that certain individuals were overlooked?"
The three captains exchanged looks, all showing signs of helplessness.
The captain of the first team responded on behalf: "Mr. Qin, we conducted the investigation strictly according to the data in the ’One Label, Three Realities’ system, and the actual visiting range is broader than the system registration."
"We also verified some individuals who have passed away but whose registrations were not promptly canceled."
"One could say, the coverage of the current investigation has reached the limit under existing conditions."
Just as Mr. Qin was about to suggest further expanding the investigation range, Jiang An softly said: "As of now, I believe the delineated investigation range is already ample."
"This distance fully covers the suspect’s possible activity area."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present, continuing:
"Think about it, the crime scene is secluded, the road conditions are not suitable for vehicles to quickly enter and exit."
"If the killer arrived by car, it would instead draw attention, leaving behind driving records, surveillance footage, and other clues."
"From a psychological perspective, if he’s randomly searching for a target without a purpose, he wouldn’t choose such an inconvenient, sparsely populated place."
"Hence, I still lean towards believing the killer is hiding nearby, someone we haven’t yet identified as a ’nearby person.’"
After saying this, Jiang An’s gaze returned to the stack of data on seven left-handed suspects in his hand.
After a long while, he reached for the adjacent case file, flipping to the page recording the photos of the body’s wounds.
The photo clearly showed the state of the deceased’s neck wounds: the left side had a distinct sliding pressure mark, the right side also had similar marks, and both sides’ sliding extent exceeded the norm.
Jiang An squinted slightly, his mind recalling several previous cases of disguised asphyxiation deaths he participated in.
In those cases, the neck pressure marks mostly remained fixed in position and stable in shape.
Even if minor sliding occurred due to the victim’s struggle or the perpetrator’s hand movements, it was far less significant and continuous than what was shown in the photo before him.
Why were the marks on the left and right sides of the neck so different in this case?
Even considering possible hand sliding during the exertion process, causing such a large range of sliding marks, is it reasonable?
Just as he was lost in thought, Political Commissioner Li slightly twitched his lips and said in a deep voice: "Comrades, everyone has worked hard."
"The case itself is complex, with chaotic clues; considering that we’ve reopened the investigation for less than half a day, getting this far is not easy."
"Today, everyone should first go back and get a good rest, gather your energy."
"Let’s delve deeper into the materials and ideas we have now, and see if we can find a breakthrough from different angles."
He scanned the room, adding firmly: "We must strive to solve this case early, to give an explanation to the deceased and society."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
The three team captains almost responded simultaneously, their tense expressions noticeably relaxing.
They quickly organized the documents before them, turning and leaving the meeting room in succession.
Inside the meeting room, only Director Hou, Jiang An, Mr. Qin, and Political Commissioner Li were left sitting opposite each other.
The room was very quiet, as if the air had solidified.
Mr. Qin folded his hands on the tabletop, his knuckles slightly pale due to exertion.
He slowly turned his head, his gaze lingering on Director Hou’s face for a moment, his tone steady and restrained: "Director Hou, after revisiting the case details, I have an immature suggestion."
"Should we invite the deceased’s husband back once more for a more in-depth conversation?"
He paused for a moment, drawing out a document from the folder, "While rereading the case file, I paid particular attention to a detail—less than two weeks after Wang Xiu’s death, her husband hurriedly moved away from the area. This timing is quite subtle."
"From a criminal psychology perspective, such eagerness to leave the shared living environment with the deceased, though not directly indicative of guilt, indeed constitutes a behavior characteristic worth considering."
Political Commissioner Li leaned back slightly against the chair, his fingertips forming a tower-shape.
He nodded gently, "The direction Qin suggested is quite valuable."
"Suspects often unconsciously expose their mental state through certain actions post-crime."
"This sudden change of environment does indeed possibly conceal information we need."
Subsequently, Director Hou rubbed the pen in his hand, pondering: "If we could derive specific circumstances at the time of the incident by combining new information obtained from follow-up visits, it is indeed a feasible approach."
He switched the focus, his tone becoming cautious: "However, we need to stay clear-minded."
"The value of this clue needs objective evaluation; achieving a breakthrough ultimately requires more empirical support."
"By the way, your city bureau should have already conducted a fairly comprehensive background investigation on her husband early on, correct?"
"Indeed."
Mr. Qin immediately nodded in response, "At the onset of the case, we designated him as the primary object of investigation following standard procedures."
"According to the basic principles of criminal investigation, when one spouse dies abnormally, the other naturally becomes a key subject of inquiry."
"We extracted his attendance records, surveillance images at traffic checkpoints, and other information for a month before and after the incident."
"We particularly focused on verification of his whereabouts during the incident timeframe; all evidence collectively formed a comprehensive closed loop, proving he was on a business trip elsewhere, indeed lacking the means to commit the crime."
"Therefore, after collective discussion within the task force, we ruled out his direct suspicions back then."
After these remarks, the meeting room again fell into silence.
Everyone was mentally retracing every detail of the case, trying to find that overlooked key point.
In this silence, Jiang An softly placed the case file he had been holding down.
"Director Hou, Political Commissioner Li," his voice was clear and steady, "I have been contemplating a technical issue."
He opened the autopsy report, pointing to the neck’s close-up photo: "Previously, based on the damage characteristics, we concluded the suspect exerted pressure using the left hand, a conclusion that holds from a forensic standpoint."
"The distribution of subcutaneous bleeding and locations of cartilage fractures in the deceased’s neck clearly indicate the direction of force came from the right side, matching the biomechanical characteristics of left-handed exertion."
"However," Jiang An surveyed the three on-site, his tone became serious, "there’s a logical aspect that requires clarification here."
"Can we directly conclude the suspect is left-handed because they used the left hand to exert pressure?"
He paused momentarily, continued: "From a criminal science perspective, the choice of limb during the crime is influenced by multiple factors."
This issue was like a stone thrown into a calm water surface, stirring waves of deep thought on the three faces.
Exchanging glances, they realized this seemingly obvious inference might truly have logical gaps.
Using the left hand in crime, aside from habitual reasons, does it also imply other possibilities?
Such as whether the suspect’s right hand was injured at the time?
After a long while, Director Hou slowly sat up straight, a flash of enlightenment in his eyes: "You’re suggesting that we might have been influenced by this ’left-handed’ label in our judgment?"