The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 638 - 353: But You Want to Take a Shortcut!
After hanging up the phone, Jiang An stood there in a daze, the light of the phone screen gradually dimming.
A tumult of questions surged in his heart: Why did that person suddenly disappear?
What is the connection between this unexpected turn and the case under investigation?
If there is indeed a connection, then who leaked the police’s operation information?
That thought left him chilled.
Having worked in the criminal investigation team for many years, Jiang An knew well that this team was one of discipline and hard work.
Each member was an elite capable of fighting tough battles and winning them.
As deputy team leader, he believed his comrades would never betray the police force or leak case details for personal gain.
After ruling out the possibility of an insider, Jiang An couldn’t help but knit his brows, his lips twitching slightly.
A more unsettling thought surfaced: could this killer really be able to foresee events?
This seemingly absurd conjecture sent a strange chill through him.
Just as he was lost in thought, a sudden urgent shout from Zhang Yean sounded behind him.
It turned out the technical team had completed their data analysis.
Jiang An immediately cleared his thoughts and turned to respond, "Alright, I’m coming right away."
He quickly walked through the corridor and pushed open the door to the finance room, where the female staff member handed over a thick stack of reports.
"He transferred 15,000 yuan right before the surgery."
Jiang An carefully examined the figures on the report, his fingertips lightly tapping on that prominent amount, "15,000 yuan... was it a one-time transfer? Was it deducted by bank or paid in cash?"
"According to records, the money was paid in cash."
Upon seeing this, Jiang An’s brows furrowed even tighter as his gaze swept back and forth across the report, lost in deeper thought.
Jiang An knew clearly that Li Chuang had already exhausted his resources to scratch together 130,000 yuan in such an emergency.
And this last 15,000 yuan was supposed to be his greatest hurdle.
So where exactly did this money come from?
His mind continuously echoed the testimony of the attending doctor.
Li Chuang indeed specifically sought the attending doctor for this last sum.
"Can we find the specific time of payment?"
Jiang An pressed on.
The female finance officer took the report, swiftly browsed through it, and pointed to a line saying, "It’s clearly shown here, the payment was made at 4:23 a.m. that day."
"Around 4 a.m.?"
Wan couldn’t help interjecting, his face full of confusion, "Is the hospital handling payments at this hour?"
"What’s so strange about that?"
The female finance officer chuckled indifferently, "Our hospital has staff on duty 24/7, there’s always someone who might pay at any time."
At this anomalous timing, Jiang An’s doubts deepened.
He made a quick decision, "Brothers and sisters, let’s go."
The three promptly left the finance room, striding swiftly towards the parking lot.
Sitting in the car, Jiang An spoke with a heavy tone, "I increasingly suspect Li Chuang."
Zhang Yean turned to look at Jiang An, "Do you suspect he’s concealing the payment details?"
Jiang An nodded, "Why would he hide this payment from us? It doesn’t make sense."
Wan, at the driver’s seat, also furrowed his brow, "It really doesn’t add up."
"He and the deceased were best friends, logically he should want the killer caught as soon as possible."
Jiang An’s voice suddenly darkened, "You’re right, he might really not want the killer apprehended."
"Why?"
Wan turned around in shock, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Because," Jiang An said word by word, "he is the killer himself."
"What?"
Wan was so shocked he nearly let go of the steering wheel, "That can’t be! They were best friends!"
"Best friends?"
Jiang An sneered, "In the face of a huge sum of money, friendship often collapses."
"Head out immediately, bring him back for questioning."
Wan still half-believed, half-doubted, "Can we conclude he’s the killer solely based on this payment record?"
Just as Jiang An was about to explain further, his phone suddenly rang, showing a call from Li Jian.
On the other end, Li Jian’s voice carried excitement, "We’ve tracked the deceased’s activities on the day and found the people he played cards with."
They all confirmed the game continued late, almost until dinner time.
"Because the deceased won quite a bit, the others were unwilling to let him go, but he insisted on attending a meal."
"Based on the current understanding, this meal was most likely organized by Li Chuang."
"At the time, the deceased even promised to return the next day to continue playing cards with them."
Li Jian concisely reported the team’s findings, and after hearing this, Jiang An immediately responded.
"Thanks, Captain. We’re ready to capture Li Chuang."
There was a moment of silence on the other side, and Li Jian cautiously asked, "Do you have concrete evidence?"
Jiang An replied confidently, "Considering the existing clues, his suspicion is very high."
Knowing Jiang An’s investigative capabilities, Li Jian didn’t ask more, "Stay safe, we’re heading there for support right away."
After hanging up, Jiang An turned to Zhang Yean, "Brother, there’s now additional evidence making Li Chuang a suspect."
"From the card game situation just mentioned by the Captain?"
"Exactly."
Jiang An analyzed, "The deceased did win quite a lot of money, and as his best friend, Li Chuang could fully be aware of it, which could lead to ill intentions."
"But that still doesn’t make sense,"
Zhang Yean raised an objection, "I remember Li Chuang left the deceased with others..."
Suddenly, Zhang Yean’s eyes lit up, "Wait! He mentioned leaving with that new friend!"
Jiang An queried immediately, "What was that friend’s name?"
