Free Web NovelChapter 809: Chapter 430: Let the Dead ’Speak
After Li Xiang finished speaking, his lips twitched slightly, revealing an elusive smile:
"A very moving love story, but unfortunately... there’s something unusual here."
"Based on the information we have, the relationship between you two might not be as pure as you described."
"I suspect that there’s an unspeakable secret between you—one that involves significant interests that could turn you against each other."
"No! Absolutely not!"
Li Xiang suddenly became agitated, leaning forward, causing the handcuffs to clang loudly against the table.
"There is only emotion between us, pure emotion!"
"It was just because I loved too deeply that I foolishly embarked on this road of no return..."
Jiang An did not respond immediately and instead glanced at the digital clock on the wall. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The glowing numbers indicated that it had been exactly twenty hours since he took over the case. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Although Li Xiang had admitted to being involved in the murder of the female victim’s husband, the key now was to uncover the truth behind the second death.
Fortunately, with Li Xiang as the major suspect being controlled, the pace of the investigation could still be managed.
"Li Xiang," Jiang An stood up, his voice low and full of pressure, "you still have one last chance."
"Confess now, and you might still get a lenient sentence."
"If we find decisive evidence..."
He deliberately paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, "By then, you won’t even have the chance to confess."
After saying this, Jiang An signaled Qin Feng beside him with a look, and the two of them left the interrogation room one after another.
As the iron door closed, Qin Feng couldn’t wait to speak:
"Mr. Jiang, wasn’t your deduction just now too far-fetched?"
"The hotel surveillance showed the two of them conspiring to murder the woman’s husband, and the scene evidence pointed to it being a premeditated collaborative murder."
"How did it suddenly turn into Li Xiang alone killing the woman?"
"If there was indeed discord between them, why not wait until after they fled to act?"
"Why act at the moment when the risk is highest, just after committing the first murder? It doesn’t fit the crime psychology!"
Jiang An stopped, speaking in a deep voice: "It’s precisely because it doesn’t fit common sense that it’s the key to solving the case."
"Remember, the truth that seems most impossible is often the truth."
"I dare say, between this pair of ’fugitive lovebirds’, there’s a secret darker than love..."
After listening to Qin Feng’s words, Jiang An’s mouth involuntarily twitched for a moment, "According to common sense, this situation shouldn’t have occurred."
"But the peculiarity of this case lies precisely here—during the autopsy, we found very obvious subcutaneous hemorrhaging on both shoulders of the victim."
He paused, then slowly added: "This type of bleeding, I believe, could not possibly be caused by that traffic accident."
Qin Feng nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing this, Jiang An raised his hand and lightly patted him on the shoulder twice.
"Look, the bleeding points are probably around here, about the size of an adult’s palm."
"Are you saying that the victim’s shoulders were forcefully pressed down by someone before she died?" Qin Feng immediately caught the key point.
"Exactly!"
Jiang An said, "And that’s not the only oddity."
"The hair at the back of the victim’s head, the occipital region, has some hair missing."
"Hair falling out? Wouldn’t a body submerged in water show the same signs after decomposition?" Qin Feng raised a reasonable doubt.
Jiang An shook his head vehemently, speaking with certainty, "The possibility is extremely slim! With normal post-mortem hair loss, the hair follicles wouldn’t bleed at the root."
"But this body is different, I clearly saw punctate bleeding at the roots of the hair, and the area isn’t small."
As he spoke, he pointed to the back of his own head with his finger, "In my experience, for someone to reach a level of elevated blood pressure capable of bursting the capillaries in the hair follicles, they would have to be under extreme excitement or... intense struggle."
"So, the punctate hemorrhaging on the occipital region is likely a trace left by resistance."
"I see!" Qin Feng nodded in sudden realization, unable to resist giving a thumbs-up, "Mr. Jiang, that’s brilliant! But..."
He suddenly lowered his voice, "When you asked the last crucial question earlier, Li Xiang’s expression became noticeably unnatural, he was almost breaking out in cold sweat."
"Killing one person and killing two people are a world apart in terms of nature."
"If we can confirm he killed the woman, our achievement will be significant!"
Excitement was short-lived, and Qin Feng quickly calmed down, furrowing his brow once more: "But if these two were in an illicit relationship, the emotional entanglement itself could explain the murder motive."
"However, to prove Li Xiang had the motive to kill the female victim, we need to find a stronger reason."
"Damage marks alone may not form a complete chain of evidence to nail him down."
Jiang An nodded in agreement, his gaze becoming deep, as if rapidly flipping through various possibilities in his mind.
"Motives don’t just appear out of thin air."
"They had an affair, a relationship that can’t see the light of day, known to few, which makes it difficult to investigate."
"But in my view, a love murder is just one possibility, we need to cast the net wider—for instance, could it be financial?"
He rubbed his chin, paced a couple of steps, and continued analyzing: "Li Xiang looks decent enough, but does he have other clandestine affairs?"
"Could it be that he got tired of the female victim and wanted to get rid of this ’trouble’, thus resorting to violence?"
"Those need to be key directions for investigation."
"Understood!" Qin Feng immediately grasped the intent, "I’ll arrange the personnel right away, proceeding on two fronts: one team to investigate any potential financial disputes between the female victim and Li Xiang, such as debts, joint ventures, etc."
"Another team will delve into Li Xiang’s social relationships, particularly checking if he has other extramarital lovers besides the female victim."
Jiang An mused for a moment, but raised his hand to halt them: "Let’s not rush to broaden our scope just yet."
"I have an idea, let’s directly visit Li Xiang’s home."
"That’s where he lived for a long time, let’s see if there are any clues."
"Perhaps, we may find the motive we’re looking for."
Soon, Jiang An, Qin Feng, and several reliable operatives hurried to Li Xiang’s house.
Standing at the entrance, Jiang An surveyed the surroundings and whispered to the group: "Brothers, this time we need to comb through like a comb through hair, examining this place meticulously."
"Focus on two areas: first, look for any female items, especially those not belonging to the deceased woman, to see if Li Xiang had any undisclosed female relationships."
"Second, leave no drawer, cabinet, or corner unchecked, searching for any traces of financial disputes with the deceased."
"Understood!"
The group responded in unison, then dispersed, putting on gloves and beginning a carpet-style search.
Half an hour later, the young officer Li suddenly rushed out from the master bedroom, clutching a slightly yellowed piece of paper, excitement on his face: "Mr. Jiang, I found something! It was in a hidden compartment of the bedside table drawer next to the wardrobe in the master bedroom, a loan contract!"
Jiang An took the paper, examining it closely under the lamp.
This was a handwritten loan agreement, dated six months ago, with a loan amount of 250,000 yuan, borrowed by Li Xiang from the female victim in this case.
The contract explicitly stated that the interest was to be calculated according to the bank’s contemporaneous rates, concluded with clear signatures and fingerprints from both parties.
"My, 250,000..."
Jiang An muttered, unconsciously tapping the edge of the paper with his finger.
He suddenly looked up, "Brothers, stop! We’ve found the motive for the crime!"
"The motive for the crime?"
Qin Feng and Wan simultaneously leaned over, their eyes fixed on the contract in Jiang An’s hand.
"Look," Jiang An spread the contract on the coffee table, pointing to the key clause, "If this contract is real, then Li Xiang owed the deceased 250,000."
"Now both of them are dead, so naturally this debt..."
"Died with them!"
Wan blurted out, his eyes opening wide, "Li Xiang murdered the creditor to escape the debt."
Jiang An smiled slightly, pointing to his own shoulder: "It was the damage to the victim’s shoulder that clued me in."
"That kind of injury didn’t look like it came from a regular altercation, it looked more like... a desperate struggle."
"Making the deceased ’speak’ is now up to us to interpret the language of the body."
