The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 154 - 135: Leaving Nowhere for the Murderer to Hide
After a moment, Jiang An analyzed and said, "If anything special happened yesterday, it might be that we found the murder weapon at the scene."
"The murderer also paid particular attention to that murder weapon."
Upon hearing what Jiang An said, others began to recall.
"Indeed, that fruit knife was only discovered yesterday afternoon."
After thinking for a while, Zhang Yean said, "Are you suggesting that Zhang Biao discovered we found the murder weapon under the iron can, feared his crime would be exposed, and temporarily chose this switch-and-hide method to fake his death and evade the investigation?"
Jiang An looked around, "I think this possibility is very likely."
"Because if the murderer is Zhang Biao, the murder weapon came from here, and Zhang Biao’s fingerprints would definitely be left on the knife handle."
After saying this, the others nodded in agreement.
Jiang An continued, "Moreover, there are oil residue remnants on the knife handle and steel bar. The oil on the steel bar has been identified as canola oil."
"Coincidentally, right next to the kitchen’s gas cylinder, there’s a nearly empty bucket of canola oil."
Following Jiang An’s direction, there indeed was a 5-liter bucket of canola oil on the ground beside the stove.
Through Jiang An’s analysis, everyone seemed to have figured something out.
After a long while, Wan suddenly said, "In this case, Zhang Biao indeed fits the profile of the murderer."
"Whether it’s the murder weapon or the switch-hiding method of death, both suggest he’s highly suspicious."
"But why would a security guard attack a worker?"
"And what kind of conflict could have prompted murder between two men?"
Chen He was equally puzzled. "Yesterday, when we were investigating here, we learned detailed personal information about Zhang Biao."
"Zhang Biao had an introverted personality, was relatively modest, and never had conflicts with others since joining the factory."
"If Zhang Biao is the murderer, it doesn’t make sense logically or in terms of motive."
Suddenly, Jiang An asked, "Is there anyone else who knows both Zhang Biao and Liu Jun?"
Zhang Yean recalled and said, "I remember, when accompanying Mr. Chen to investigate Wu Juan, she mentioned that a female worker in the logistics department also contracted HPV."
"Do you think this female worker is related to Zhang Biao and Liu Jun?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Wan also said, "We went to Zhang Biao’s hometown and found that a few months ago, Zhang Biao had taken the logistics cook Li Lan back home. Is this woman you’re talking about named Li Lan?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I heard Wu Juan say her name is Li Lan."
Instantly, everyone’s attention turned to Li Lan.
Zhang An asked, "What’s the relationship between Li Lan and Zhang Biao?"
Wan replied, "They’re from the same village, and I heard the job was introduced by Zhang Biao."
Everyone fell into an intense brainstorm.
Liu Jun and Li Lan have the same disease!
Li Lan and Zhang Biao are from the same village!
What kind of relationship exists between Liu Jun, Li Lan, and Zhang Biao?
After a moment, the five of them looked at each other.
Li Jian spoke, "Could it be that Liu Jun infected Li Lan with the disease, and Zhang Biao is suspected of revenge?"
Chen He nodded, "To establish connections between these three to form a motive for murder, this seems to be the only possibility."
However, Zhang Yean asked, "Captain, can this disease alone certainly create a strong motive for murder?"
"This kind of sexually transmitted disease shouldn’t be very complicated to treat, right?"
Wan also chimed in, "Exactly!"
"Isn’t it a bit excessive that such a disease alone could lead to murderous behavior?"
Jiang An thought for a moment and said, "Regarding HPV infection, it’s not inherently a terminal illness."
"However, HPV virus is prone to recurrence, highly likely causing cervical cancer and uterine cancer in women, so its most terrifying aspect is it can trigger cancer."
After thinking for a while, Li Jian said, "Let’s head to Zhang Biao’s hometown immediately and investigate Li Lan."
Then, the five of them got into the car and set off right away.
After 2 hours.
They found Li Lan’s residence through the village chief.
The five stood at the gate of a two-story courtyard, Li Jian asked, "Is anyone home?"
After a moment, a middle-aged woman with sparse hair came out.
She asked feebly, "Who are you looking for?"
Li Jian said, "Is Li Lan home?"
The woman opposite nodded, "I am Li Lan!"
Li Jian hurriedly showed his credentials.
"Hello, we are the criminal investigation team from Jiangcheng City Bureau, and we have a case we’d like to investigate."
The woman was taken aback, and then slowly opened the courtyard door.
Throughout the process, the five noticed Li Lan’s slow movements, and she looked very weary.
Not only was her hair sparse, but she was also thin and frail.
Upon entering the courtyard, they saw a child playing inside.
Li Jian asked, "Do you know Zhang Biao?"
Li Lan nodded, "Yes! He’s from our village."
"Do you know Liu Jun from the Jiangtai Construction Site?"
Upon hearing this name, a trace of anger flashed across Li Lan’s face.
Then, she nodded.
"What is your relationship?"
The woman thought for a while, then laughed loudly.
"There is no relationship anymore."
"What was the relationship at the beginning?"
Li Lan took two steps back and sat in the chair.
"Seeing me like this now, you probably already guessed what disease I have."
"Three months ago, I was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer."
Li Jian continued to ask, "Does this have anything to do with Liu Jun?"
"Of course it does, it’s because of him that I got infected with HPV and developed cervical cancer."
Hearing this, Li Jian remembered Jiang An mentioning the dangers of HPV.
Li Jian understood instantly.
"Has Zhang Biao contacted you in the last couple of days?"
Li Lan shook her head.
"Not in the last couple of days, he called me last week."
"What did he say?"
"He asked how my illness was."
Li Jian asked again, "What is the relationship between you two?"
"Friendship."
None of the five people believed this answer.
Then, Li Jian sternly asked again, "Did Zhang Biao really not contact you in the last two days?"
"No!"
"We need to look at your phone."
The woman looked up at Li Jian.
After a long while, she said, "Go ahead, anyway, I don’t have long to live either!"
"If I can help you solve the case, it would be a meritorious deed."
She took a phone out from her pants pocket.
Wan took the phone and examined it carefully.
He pulled up the call records; there was a call from a week ago.
Then, Wan opened the WeChat chat records as well.
Yesterday at noon, Zhang Biao transferred 10,000 yuan to Li Lan.
Wan handed the phone to Li Jian for a look.
Li Jian asked, "Why did Zhang Biao transfer money to you?"
"A year ago, he borrowed 10,000 yuan from me, and this was the repayment."
Li Jian took the phone and scrolled through Zhang Biao’s chat records, finding only this one transfer record.
What about the other chat records?
Had they never chatted?
Or were they deleted?
At this moment.
Jiang An walked around the yard, his eyes sweeping over every area, noting all the details, as meticulously as a scene investigation.
Suddenly, a pair of men’s leather shoes in the corner of the yard caught his eye.
He walked closer to inspect them, finding that the soles were stained with some red clay, similar in color and texture to the soil on the windowsill of Building No. 5.
Next, he stood up and glanced into the storeroom through the window as he passed by.
Jiang An noticed four fishing rods in the corner of the room.
Seeing this, he looked around but saw no trace of any man.
He then slowly walked to Li Lan’s side.
"You said only you and your son live here, may I ask where your husband is?"
"We divorced three years ago."
"Now, it’s just me and my son living here."
Jiang An didn’t show any unusual reaction.
He walked over to Li Jian and casually brushed his arm.
Li Jian got the hint and immediately stepped out with Jiang An.
Once outside the yard, Jiang An said, "Mr. Li, I think this woman is lying, there’s another man in the house."
"How do you know?"
Li Jian looked surprised.
"Because I found a pair of shoes in the corner of the yard, and the soles are covered in red mud, which is very similar to the mud by the windowsill of Number 5 Building."
"Also, I saw four fishing rods in the storeroom."
"Red mud?"
"Fishing rods?"
Li Jian’s mind suddenly connected to the recreational farm in the southern suburb of Jiang City.
"When we visited the farm before, we also saw a lot of red mud."
"And there are many fish ponds there as well."
Li Jian and Jiang An exchanged a sharp look.
He glanced back at the two-story house, "Are you saying Zhang Biao might be at home?"
Jiang An nodded.
Li Jian took a deep breath and touched his waist.
"This time, we’ll ensure the murderer has nowhere to hide."
