Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Chapter 696: Chapter 696: The First Crime Scene

"At the same time, in the Crime Scene Investigation office.

Lu Chuan had already completed the micro-evidence collection from the body in the early morning and was now in the lab doing the final analysis.

This time, Old Bai and Yang Sen did not assist, instead letting Yang Lin help Lu Chuan.

The instruments used for micro-evidence analysis are different from the usual ones used in crime scene investigation.

Even the solvents used to identify certain substances were different from what Yang Lin studied in school.

The biggest difference between micro-evidence identification and ordinary evidence identification lies in timeliness and frequency.

Because the weight of micro-evidence is calculated in grams or even milligrams.

Therefore, evidence identification analysis must be particularly careful and meticulous.

In the judiciary, not all evidence can be used for analysis, some must be preserved as exhibits.

As a result, micro-evidence analysis often cannot become judicial evidence.

However, the inability to become judicial evidence does not mean it’s useless.

The results of micro-evidence analysis can provide ideas and clues for solving cases.

Yang Lin, in the police station before, naturally hadn’t encountered this kind of precision instrument, so this was a very rare learning opportunity.

Compared to Old Bai, Yang Sen, Liu Guodong, and others, Yang Lin’s foundation is very solid, having undergone systematic training, which is much better than the others who learned through unconventional ways.

What Yang Lin lacks now is the accumulation of experience.

Thus, following Lu Chuan to learn micro-evidence analysis is very beneficial for Yang Lin’s growth.

In fact, Yang Lin’s growth status is the normal growth process of a crime scene police officer.

Following mentors to the scene, accumulating experience bit by bit, learning step by step, becoming familiar gradually.

Like forensic doctors, all crime scene and criminal investigation officers grow by handling cases.

Only through many case experiences, encountering many situations and perpetrators, does experience naturally accumulate.

Like some criminal investigation experts in the provincial department, except for the emergence of some small specialists such as psychological profilers and criminal sketch artists in recent years, which of them isn’t a veteran in their forties or fifties?

As for Lu Chuan...

An anomaly, don’t worry about it.

Not many clues were actually found on Zhang Cuicui’s body.

The micro-evidence collected by Lu Chuan only found some plant-like barbs on the deceased’s ankle.

There was also some red residue.

Other than that, there was nothing special.

After examination, the plant barbs on Zhang Cuicui’s ankle were identified as spines from a fruit called Fire Cactus Fruit.

This Fire Cactus Fruit is about the same size as a Dragon Fruit, but its outer color is yellow, and the internal flesh is green, similar to cucumber flesh.

"Old Lu, I checked online, this Fire Cactus Fruit isn’t widely sold in Haizhou City, and it’s quite expensive."

Lu Chuan nodded.

Fire Cactus Fruit is sold by the piece, and it’s said to reduce ’heat.’

Usually, when eating this thing, some honey is needed.

When Lu Chuan was hospitalized a few days ago, his mother bought him quite a lot.

However, Lu Chuan didn’t like the taste of the flesh; most of it was consumed by Zhang Hui.

"Zhang Cuicui was in the fruit business, so she had regular access to such fruits, but I examined the wound on her ankle from contact with the fruit closely."

Lu Chuan enlarged the photo of the barbs on the body.

"Much like the scratches on the body hung on the cross, these wounds from the spines were inflicted post-mortem."

"In other words, these spines might have attached during the transportation of the corpse."

"Additionally, the red stains found under the armpit of the corpse were confirmed to be Dragon Fruit juice after testing."

These two test results provided Lu Chuan with a basis for speculating on the tool used to move the body or the location after the murder.

Zhang Cuicui herself was in the fruit wholesale business.

So, after confirming the results, Lu Chuan immediately called Qin Yong.

"Search Zhang Cuicui’s fruit company?"

"Yes!"

"There are post-mortem fruit spines and Dragon Fruit juice on Zhang Cuicui’s body; the deceased must have come into contact with these after death."

"What we can confirm now is that the church on Mingde Road was not the first crime scene, so I suspect the first scene where Zhang Cuicui was killed might be the storage warehouse of her company."

"Alright! I’ll immediately arrange for the action team to search!"

...

An hour later.

North Mountain Fruit Market, Warehouse No. 4.

As Zhang Hui and others opened the warehouse door, they were met with a scene full of blood.

The walls of the entire warehouse were covered with splattered blood.

Due to the low temperature in the cold storage, the blood hadn’t dried but coagulated into dark red liquid.

Almost as if the murder had just occurred.

Zhang Hui immediately reported to Qin Yong: "Captain, we found the site."

The first crime scene was found; the rest of the task was for Lu Chuan’s team.

Compared to the church on Mingde Road, there were a lot more traces here.

The floor was littered with dense bloody footprints, and there were numerous bloody handprints on the walls.

A blood-stained dagger was casually discarded on the ground, with the blood on it not yet dried.

Lu Chuan quickly arrived at the scene and busied himself with Yang Lin and Yang Sen.

By around five in the afternoon, the entire scene was finally cleared.

"I’ll go back to compare fingerprints first."

At the crime scene, the perpetrator’s handprints on the wall were very clear.

With the presence of blood stains, it was like a stamp.

Lu Chuan believed he would get results soon.

As for the footprints at the scene, they confirmed Lu Chuan’s previous suspicion.

There were two perpetrators.

The investigation had made a significant breakthrough.

In the crime scene laboratory, Lu Chuan successfully identified all the fingerprints in less than twenty minutes.

However, the result...

The identification results were somewhat difficult for Lu Chuan to accept.

In the meeting room, all the case handlers were present.

Lu Chuan had already reported his identification results.

"This... can’t be, right?"

Sun Jun looked at the fingerprint identification analysis report in shock.

Suspects: Li Pingzhang, Song Tiezhu.

Zhang Hui also frowned, looking at the report in his hand: "Old Lu... is there a problem with this?"

Li Pingzhang had basically been excluded as a suspect since he had no time to commit the crime.

As for Song Tiezhu, although still under investigation, he was indeed at a gambling den that evening, and Zhang Hui had sent people to investigate that underground casino.

Song Tiezhu also had no time to commit murder.

But then, why did their handprints appear at the scene?

Moreover, how did Li Pingzhang and Song Tiezhu know each other?

Why did they team up to kill Zhang Cuicui?

It doesn’t make sense.

Both of them were expecting to profit from Zhang Cuicui.

With her dead, where would the money come from?"