Free Web NovelChapter 290: Chapter 285 List_1
Although Zhou Ning was slender, he was tall with long arms, and even though the height of the window was uncomfortable, it would have been possible for someone to climb in if there was a chair to stand on outside. However, they would probably have to be even thinner than previously analyzed.
Xu Dayuan looked down below the window. This wasn’t a modern building equipped with cabinets or range hoods; in fact, the window served as a vent for smoke.
Therefore, the inner and outer frames of the window, as well as the metal hook, were all coated in a thick, black layer of grease, some of which seemed ready to drip at any moment.
With his arms folded, Xu Dayuan stared at the window, suspicion inevitably rising in his heart. This didn’t look like someone had climbed through here, did it?
"According to your analysis, someone could indeed enter through here, but to squeeze in at this height, their hands and body would definitely be covered in grease. Have you seen any grease around the crime scene, especially on the murder weapon or the victim’s body? Or found any residue?"
Zhang Chunbo and Bai Hua shook their heads. They had been initially skeptical of this analysis too, but after inspecting the site, they found no traces, except for a partial footprint on the muddy ground and a dagger on the victim’s body.
At that moment, Mr. Zhao crouched down below the window while Mr. Yang helped him photograph all of the grease around the window thoroughly. Yang Xuetong even sprayed Luminol, but there was not even a hint of fluorescent reaction.
Zhou Ning leaned in for a closer look. All the grease, whether appearing ready to drip, showing wave-like traces, or flowing downwards, and even that which had dandelions and various dust stuck to it, showed no signs of being grasped, smeared, or even touched.
This wasn’t something you could avoid if you wanted to. Zhou Ning gestured for everyone to step back and lifted his hand to brush the back of it against the grease on the left side. His glove picked up a black patch of grease and dust, leaving a noticeable mark on the window.
Xu Dayuan, with a stern face, turned to Zhang Chunbo and said,
"This window isn’t the way the murderer came in or out, it seems we’ve been looking in the wrong direction."
Zhang Chunbo and Bai Hua were stunned. This conclusion and judgment were hard for them to accept. After all, they had inspected the courtyard multiple times and thought this window was the most likely point of entry, but now it had been ruled out.
The crucial issue was that the evidence presented by the task force left them without the ability to contest it, but if so, how did the murderer get in?
Zhou Ning approached and spoke slowly,
"Can we borrow a taller ladder? The folding ladder in our vehicle isn’t tall enough."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chunbo’s fighting spirit was reignited. He turned and went to arrange for someone to borrow a ladder. In rural areas, almost every household has such ladders since even those living in houses with ridged roofs like to sun dry things on the side facing the sunrise.
And for those with flat roofs, even more so. They would sun dry various kinds of fish and radishes or even sew quilts while sitting on the rooftop.
In no time, two ladders were borrowed. Zhou Ning gave some instructions to Mr. Zhao and his group, and in pairs, they began to inspect the perimeter walls, especially the section with the footprint.
Mr. Zhao went outside, climbed up the wall, and observed the area right above the footprint. The clicking of his camera lens was continuous. After moving twice, Mr. Zhao gestured to Zhou Ning. Though he didn’t shout excitedly, his expression said it all.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, there are signs of shattered glass in the wall glass here. It’s not just one or two pieces. Look, for about a meter, there are no sharp glass fragments, and on both the inside and outside of the wall, as well as on top, there’s no broken glass."
Zhou Ning glanced at the spot. It was about a meter away from the footprint, and the ground below was hardened. But if someone jumped down from such a height, how would they get back?
Could it be that the intruder brought two ladders to climb the wall?
Zhou Ning motioned to Yang Xuetong and Sun Gaotie, gesturing for them to bring over the ladder.
"Take the ladder to the courtyard outside for Mr. Zhao to see if a single person can place it over the wall by themselves."
The two carried the ladder quickly out of the yard. The ladder was made of bamboo and about 3.5 meters tall; it wasn’t too heavy, but a problem with bamboo is that it creaks. The sound as they carried it was quite noticeable.
Zhou Ning stood by the wall inside the courtyard. Mr. Zhao, having heard their conversation, understood what Zhou Ning was trying to do. He hurriedly collected samples from every piece of the broken glass on the wall before tossing his camera and test tubes down to Zhu Xingxing.
At that moment, Yang Xuetong, and his companion carrying the ladder reached the wall below. Mr. Zhao climbed down a bit, took the ladder, and began to climb up unsteadily.
He balanced himself by holding onto the edge of the ladder with one hand and carrying the ladder with the other, making a continuous clatter. When he got to the top of the wall, before he was able to completely place the ladder over, his hand slipped, and the ladder fell outside. The noise was so loud that Zhou Ning immediately gestured for him to stop.
"Stop there. Even if it were an aluminum ladder, I’ve looked up that a four-meter bamboo ladder weighs 9.4 kilograms. To lift it up with one hand and then unfold it, the noise would not be slight. The female victim’s sleep wasn’t as deep as a male’s, and it was summer without air conditioning. The doors and windows would be open, and that noise would be enough to wake her."
Mr. Zhao nodded, climbed down quickly, and everyone returned to the courtyard. They were at a loss for a while.
"No trace of entry or exit at the small window, and climbing over the wall seems far-fetched. So how did the murderer get in?"
Mr. Zhao’s question was something Zhou Ning couldn’t answer as he shook his head slightly.
"If we can’t figure it out, let’s not dwell on it for now. Let’s conduct a careful search of the house, both upstairs and downstairs. The villagers have reported that the Wang family were originally landlords in Jiaotuan Village and even compensated with gold bars. Given these rumors, let’s check for any signs of disturbance in the victim’s house. Call for Doctor Bai."
Mr. Zhao nodded his head. He understood what Zhou Ning meant, allowing Doctor Bai to follow so that if any police traces were left behind, they could avoid redundant crime scene investigation and sampling.
The four of them scattered, directly calling for Doctor Bai to come upstairs, and Xu Dayuan approached.
"I’ve called the people from the village committee. You should come and listen," he said.
Zhou Ning followed Xu Dayuan to the outside of the courtyard.
The village committee members kept nodding to Xu Dayuan and none dared to come forward to shake hands actively, after all, Xu Dayuan’s grim expression seemed somewhat too stern.
"After investigation, we have learned from villagers that following the policy reform, Hai’an City compensated the Wang Family, claiming they returned the gold bars that were confiscated from the Wang Family in the past. We want to verify whether this is indeed the case," Xu Dayuan said.
The village chief nodded.
"Our previous chief had mentioned that compensation had been provided to Wang Hongzhan’s parents. According to the records, a considerable number of gold bars and silver dollars were confiscated from the original Wang Family yard, and in the seventies, seven or eight gold bars were returned to the Wang Family. But as for the exact weight and number, I really don’t know. I only know about this matter," he explained.
Previously, during their investigation, Zhang Chunbo and his team did not discover any gold bars. According to this result, the nature of the case can also be shifted toward a financially motivated crime.
Zhou Ning came closer and asked,
"Does the village have a list of students that Ho Dongmei gave supplementary lessons to?"
The village chief glanced at Zhang Chunbo before nodding.
"Zhang Da had already asked about it, and we compiled a list. Some only attended for a few days, and some had been following the lessons ever since Mr. Ho arrived till the day before the incident. We have made a record of all of them," he stated.
Speaking of which, the village chief nudged the man beside him, who hurriedly took out a list and handed it over to Xu Dayuan.
Xu Dayuan glanced at it, noting the substantial number of names, and passed it directly to Zhou Ning. Zhang Chunbo continued,
"At that time, we investigated each person on the list one by one. The majority are children under ten years old, with only three young lads between 12-16 years old, who are quite slim and tall—Wang Guangliang, Jiao Tinglong, and Li Zhenxue.
These three individuals, who live not too far from the victim’s house, had their footprints and shoe prints carefully examined. Compared with the footprints left at the scene, none matched, and moreover, no neighbors reported seeing them going out at night."
Zhou Ning reviewed the list, and indeed, according to the statistics, the largest shoe size was 40, which was significantly different from the crime scene investigation results.
"Village chief, you must have a list of the permanent residents here, right? I want all the contact information and ID details for the male residents, including the family members of these students receiving the supplementary lessons and the nearby neighbors. Additionally, has anyone gone to work outside the village after August last year?" Zhou Ning enquired.
Such questions left the village chief stunned.
"Please wait. I need to go to the village committee to check the records. I do have the names of the villagers on my phone, but it’s not complete. Some do not have phone numbers, like those over fifty-five years old might have landlines or Little Smart phones," he explained.
After waiting for a while, a clerk came with a large notebook recording all the villagers’ information. Zhou Ning called Mr. Qu over along with a local technical department person since the handwritten content would take time to discern, and they needed help with organizing and sorting through it.
Zhou Ning continued with his inquiry,
"Back to the earlier question, after August last year, has anyone gone out to work? Or perhaps someone who was already working outside but returned last summer. Do you recall anyone like that?" freёwebnovel.com
The village chief of Jiaotuan Village thought for a moment, seemingly less panicked than before, and then slowly spoke,
"Now that you mention it, there is indeed one person. Dazhuang originally worked in the south, but at the end of May, beginning of June, he came back with a broken leg to recuperate for two months. He was constantly scolded by his wife as a good-for-nothing. In mid-August, he hurriedly left, which, if you calculate it, was three days after the incident at the Wang Hongzhan’s house."
Zhou Ning glanced at Mr. Qu, who hurriedly searched for Jiao Dazhuang’s information, and checked it against the data found on the police system.
"Jiao Dazhuang, 33 years old, a junior high school graduate, works in the low-voltage electrical components manufacturing industry in Jiangzhe Province. He worked at the Zhongtai Electric Appliance Group for seven years. His wife, Zhu Xiaohui, 34 years old, works in farming. His elder son, Jiao Renyou, 10 years old, attends the third grade at Malan Town Primary School, and his name is on the list of Ho Dongmei’s students," he recited.
"Is there anyone else?" Zhou Ning asked.
The village chief shook his head.
"To tell you the truth, our village of Jiaotuan is densely populated but short on land. Those who have gone out and not returned have mostly settled in cities, just like Wang Hongzhan. Even those without much ability tend to work outside year-round and seldom return in between. There are virtually no male laborers between twenty and forty years old in the village. Fieldwork is done mostly by the elderly and the women," he explained.
Xu Dayuan came over and signaled to Zhang Chunbo.
"Bring Jiao Dazhuang’s wife, Zhu Xiaohui, over for questioning," he instructed.
