The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 616 - 343: Reverse Investigation Thinking

"That means two people worked together, one lifting the feet, the other lifting the head — throwing it into the water."

He then continued, "Did you notice the location where the body was discovered? It’s quite a distance from the riverbank."

"The fish pond is a closed stagnant system, with very low water mobility; theoretically, the body wouldn’t have moved significantly."

"Given such a far drop distance, if it’s a single person disposing of the body, and it’s tied with so many heavy objects, it’s almost impossible to accomplish."

"Therefore, I speculate it was a two-person operation."

"And in such a process of disposing the body, some items or tools used in the crime might have fallen into the water."

At this moment, Wan interjected, "Mr. Jiang’s right."

"But speaking of which, even if the water draining doesn’t find critical evidence this time, at least we can catch a few big fish."

"The fish pond hasn’t been dredged in three years; we might even catch a fish weighing over ten pounds!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yean immediately frowned, showing a look of disgust, "You dare to eat fish from there?"

"Don’t forget the water has soaked a corpse!"

Wan dismissively shrugged, "Younger sister, what’s the big deal?"

"The corpse is well-preserved and shows no signs of decay."

"Moreover, the forensic report clearly states that the body surface has no traces of fish bites."

Jiang An also added with a smile, "Exactly."

"Just like when we swim in the river, we leave skin cells but not tissue fragments."

"As long as there’s no obvious body decay, the water pollution level is actually quite limited."

"Stop, stop!"

Zhang Yean waved her hands quickly, her complexion pale, "Talking about human tissue makes me nauseous, can we change the subject?"

.......

Subsequently, Wan led three other officers into action.

He contacted the local water department, brought in a high-power water pump, and borrowed several large drag nets from nearby villagers.

Once everything was ready, they drove to the crime scene.

Meanwhile, after a brief rest at the office, Jiang An headed straight to the evidence laboratory.

As he pushed open the door, he saw Zhang Yean and three technicians busy at work.

His gaze swept over the lab bench, where two large boxes of evidence were placed, and he frowned deeply, "Wasn’t this case treated as a regular criminal case back then? How come there’s so much evidence?"

Zhang Yean stopped her work to explain, "Though the case was defined as ordinary, the victim’s family was extremely agitated and visited multiple times."

"Hence, the leadership at the time required that all possibly related items be preserved."

"Regardless of whether they seem valuable, at least we have a clear conscience."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An showed an expression of approval, "That’s been a big help to us."

"These pieces of evidence could very well be key to breaking the case."

Saying so, he took a pair of new latex gloves from the storage cabinet on the wall and put them on.

"Come on, let’s sort through them together; I can take the opportunity to get familiar with the details of the case."

Everyone collaborated in division of labor, starting the meticulous sorting of evidence.

The lab was left with only the rustling friction sound of evidence bags and the tapping of keyboards; everyone was fully absorbed in their work, afraid to miss any clues.

One hour later, as Jiang An was sorting through evidence, his hand paused slightly, his fingertips gently stroking the edge of a wallet.

Next to him, Zhang Yean noticed this subtle movement keenly. Adjusting the heavy camera strap on her shoulder, she leaned in and asked, "Mr. Jiang, did you find something unusual?"

Jiang An did not answer immediately but rotated the wallet in his palm, fully exposing the lining to the light.

"It’s not exactly a discovery," he began slowly, his voice thoughtful, "but this wallet is indeed somewhat peculiar."

"Specifically, what’s wrong with it?"

Zhang Yean pushed her glasses, her eyes behind the lenses becoming focused.

"Do you remember the photograph of the wallet taken during the scene investigation?"

Jiang An pointed with his index finger to the inner layer of the wallet, "In the victim’s wallet, there were only a few coins, but from the photo, the wallet was not small."

"Now with the physical object in hand, it’s more obvious — look at these wear marks on the lining, particularly the leather wear at the card slot, and the fold marks on the bill compartment..."

Zhang Yean suddenly inhaled sharply, "Are you saying..."

"This wallet has long been used for holding cash."

Jiang An nodded affirmatively, "These wear patterns are typical and caused by frequent cash handling."

"Moreover, look at this hidden compartment design; it’s clearly for secretly storing more wealth."

Zhang Yean suddenly furrowed her brow, "But if the killer’s motive was money, why not take the whole wallet?"

"Wouldn’t that be more thorough?"

Jiang An held the wallet up to the light, squinting as he inspected the seam of the lining, "Have you considered the possibility that the killer might be using reverse psychology on us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Imagine,"

Jiang An put down the wallet, gesturing with his hands, "If the killer looted all the wealth, it clearly becomes a malicious homicide."

"But if they left the phone and a small amount of cash, and then sunk both the body and the motorcycle into the water..."

He paused, "In the absence of clear evidence of homicide, it could easily be identified as an accidental drowning."

Zhang Yean’s pupils slightly widened, "Indeed... if we hadn’t discovered the wallet and phone, we would likely have closed the case as an accident."

"But this detail of retaining some money..."

"This very detail exposes the problem."

Jiang An picked up the conversation, "An ordinary robbery wouldn’t ’thoughtfully’ leave the victim with spare change."

"This deliberate retention instead indicates that the killer has a profound understanding of our investigative thinking."

"Oh my god."

Zhang Yean inhaled sharply, "According to your logic, the killer is not only smart but also very familiar with police investigative procedures?"

Jiang An’s mouth curled into a smile devoid of warmth, "At least no rookie. I suspect he might have studied criminal investigation or..."

He gave Zhang Yean a meaningful glance, "Had related professional experience." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Perhaps he anticipated our anticipation."

.....

At nine-thirty in the evening, Jiang An stood before the evidence table, with 74 pieces of evidence neatly arranged in front of him.

His fingertips hovered over a newly organized list, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

"Tomorrow, we’ll need to re-inspect that motorcycle."

Jiang An said, "Focus on examining the deformation marks."

"Additionally, the DNA lab should prioritize processing the extractions from the victim’s fingernails and the motorcycle’s handle samples."

"Wait!" Zhang Yean raised her head in surprise, "Didn’t you just mention it might be a murder for money? Now you’re..."

"Both possibilities exist."

Jiang An picked up an evidence bag and examined it under the light.

"It might also be a traffic accident, and the perpetrator deliberately staged a robbery scene to escape responsibility."

"Look at this photo; the scuff marks on the motorcycle handle are more consistent with deformation caused by an impact."

Zhang Yean’s gaze toward Jiang An was full of admiration, "Younger brother, your thinking jumps so quickly."

"From a robbery case to a traffic accident; this transition..."

"Just leaving no stone unturned."

Jiang An glanced at his watch, which pointed to ten-thirty.

"I wonder how Wang’s pumping operation is going over there."

He took out his phone and dialed the number of the field investigator.

"Wan, how’s everything over there?"

From the other end of the phone came the roar of water pumps and Wan’s hoarse voice, "Mr. Jiang!"

"This pond looks shallow, but the water volume is much more than estimated."

"Three pumps working simultaneously, yet only two-thirds have been drained..."

"It’ll probably take another two hours."

"Thanks, have you guys eaten?" Jiang An interrupted.

"In the middle of nowhere, can’t even find a restaurant!"

Jiang An immediately said, "Hold on, we’ll bring over some night snacks to eat together."

Wan’s voice instantly became lively, "There are four brothers here; bring more, okay."

"Oh, and remember to buy a few cans of Red Bull to perk up."