The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 632 - 350: Isn’t This Way Too Much of a Coincidence? (2)
At the same time, on the other side of the city, Captain Li Jian was leading his team into an old teahouse named "Qingxin Pavilion."
Faded red lanterns hung at the entrance, and opening the intricately carved wooden door, they were greeted by the rich aroma of tea and the clamor of voices.
"Three of Bamboo!"
"Pong!"
"Win!"
Among the shouts that rose one after another, Captain Li’s sharp gaze locked onto a mahjong table in the corner.
Four middle-aged men were concentrating on the game, with a few banknotes scattered on the table.
When Captain Li showed his badge, the four players were stunned, one of them even knocking over a teacup, spilling brown tea all over the table.
"Don’t move!"
Li Xu shouted sternly, watching them frantically stuff money from the drawer into their pockets, ready to flee.
"There’s no need to panic," Li Jian raised his hand, signaling them to calm down, his voice steady and powerful.
"This time, we’re not here to catch you gambling."
He glanced around at the four of them and continued, "I’m from the Criminal Investigation Unit, not the Security Department. As long as you can provide us with valuable clues, today’s incident can be overlooked."
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the bald men heaved a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "It really was a false alarm. I thought it was the Security Brigade."
He chuckled awkwardly, showing a few yellow teeth, "You’re solving a murder case, right? I know some people in the underworld, maybe I can help and earn some credit."
Beside him, Li Xu snorted, "You wish, still thinking about earning credit?"
His sharp gaze swept over the mahjong tiles and the scattered banknotes on the table.
"Just not being arrested is already lucky for you."
Li Jian pulled up a chair and sat down, looking directly at the bald man with a deep gaze, "We’re here today to ask about events from three years ago."
"Three years ago?" The bald man was stunned for a moment and exchanged a puzzled look with the other three, "What happened three years ago?"
Li Jian took a photo out of his pocket and pushed it to the center of the table, "Once when you played mahjong, you played with Lao Wu, and he won 20,000 on his own, do you remember?"
The photo showed a young man’s smiling face, sunny and bright.
The bald man stared at the photo for a few seconds, suddenly slapped his thigh, "Oh! It’s him!"
His expression became complicated, "Of course, I remember it. That night we were all shocked, that kid’s luck was wickedly good."
The man with a mustache interjected, "That was the most uncanny game of mahjong I’ve ever seen in my life."
"Three households lost, only he won."
He shook his head, a hint of fear in his eyes, "But in the end, he still died."
"It’s ill-gotten wealth, at least we’re still alive now."
Li Jian keenly captured this information, "How did you know he died the next day?"
"I heard it the next day at the market, they said he died in the river."
"Everyone said it was a motorcycle accident." He put down his teacup and lowered his voice, "But I don’t think it’s that simple..."
Li Jian didn’t respond or explain the police’s investigative conclusions.
As a detective, he knew the importance of confidentiality principles, "Tell us about the specifics of the night you played mahjong?"
The bald man recalled, "That night the three of us arranged to play cards with him, initially intending just to have a couple of light rounds."
"We didn’t expect his luck to be ridiculously good, right from the start he won a pure color hand, and later he feasted on three households, winning every single hand."
The mustached man took over, "I lost so badly that I didn’t even have money for cigarettes and ended up borrowing 3,000 in high-interest loans from the casino."
Li Jian’s gaze swept over their faces, "After he left, did any of you know his whereabouts?"
The four exchanged looks and finally, the bald man shook his head, "He left with the 20,000 he won, and we don’t know what happened afterwards."
Li Jian nodded lightly, committing these details to memory.
At this moment, one of the officers suddenly leaned in to whisper to Li Jian.
"If he was carrying that much cash, the murderer likely knew about it."
"Which means, the killer should be in his circle of friends."
"Nicely analyzed."
Li Jian gave an approving look, stood up, and adjusted his police uniform.
"That’s all for today. If you think of any new clues, feel free to contact me anytime."
Meanwhile, Jiang An, Wan, and Zhang Yean continued to gather information.
Jiang An said in a deep voice, "Are you really not aware of the others’ finances?"
Li Chuang smiled helplessly and replied, "Mr. Jiang, if you ask about other things, I’ll answer without hesitation."
"But this question really is difficult for me to answer."
"I don’t know their financial situation at all."
"Besides, I haven’t specifically investigated it in the past."
"Actually, like I said from the start, none of our group of friends are exceptionally wealthy or particularly poor, everyone is about the same."
Hearing this, Jiang An nodded.
He said, "Thank you."
Just as he finished speaking, he saw an elderly man limping with a cane, walking into the courtyard.
From a distance, you could see the elderly man’s left foot and left hand were stiff and distorted, very uncoordinated.
As a seasoned forensic doctor, Jiang An understood with just one glance.
This condition must be the sequelae of a stroke.
Moreover, based on the brain-to-limb control angle analysis, it seemed the elderly man suffered a right brain hemorrhage.
Then, Jiang An turned his head and asked, "Who is this?"
"Oh! He’s my father, suffering from the after-effects of a brain hemorrhage."
After hearing that, Jiang An nodded.
"It must have been a right brain hemorrhage."
Li Chuang nodded and said, "Mr. Jiang is exactly right, my father did have a right brain hemorrhage."
"At that time, they performed a craniotomy, saved his life, but he became disabled."
"Has he undergone rehabilitation training?"
The man opposite answered, "He has already undergone very formal rehabilitation training, but still with no effect."
"Alas, there’s no effective treatment at the moment."
Jiang An nodded and said, "That’s not surprising."
"I’ve studied medicine too; the sequelae of this condition are very serious."
"Haven’t considered continuing rehab?"
"When he was discharged three years ago, I ran around looking for a rehabilitation hospital."
"Now it’s been three years, the best recovery period is long gone."
A careless remark suddenly made Jiang An pause.
His pupils constricted, very sensitive to the mention of "three years ago".
Knowing this murder case also happened three years ago?
Could it be just a coincidence?
Slightly sorting his thoughts, Jiang An discreetly observed Li Chuang.
Then he indirectly inquired, "Craniotomy costs are generally quite high."
"Indeed, it’s not easy."
Li Chuang helplessly shrugged, "I was an only child when I was young, spoiled and cared for by my parents."
"Now, the responsibility of caring for the elderly falls on me."
As he spoke, Jiang An constantly watched for any subtle changes in Li Chuang’s expressions.
After observing their conversation, Jiang An suddenly noticed Li Chuang was speaking with his head down without direct eye contact.
This averted gaze is exactly a trait of lying.
Could there be something he’s hiding about this matter?
Then, Jiang An looked around, gazing around Li Chuang’s yard, noticing only an old electric scooter and some wood piled up in the yard.
These signs showed that his life wasn’t affluent.
However, thinking that these two were once best friends.
Their relationship shouldn’t have any issues, right?
Just as he had a fleeting negative thought, Jiang An dismissed it immediately.
He shook his head, saying, "I shouldn’t infer the suspect in this way."
Then Jiang An nodded, "Good brother, thank you for your strong cooperation with us this time."
In the conversation, Jiang An turned to look at Wan and Fang Yan. "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, do you have any questions left to ask?"
Both shook their heads and said, "No, I think we can wrap this up."
Just at this moment, Supervisor Zhang Chao suddenly called.
After answering the call, Zhang Chao said, "Mr. Jiang, it seems I’ve found the locals who sold the guns three years ago."
