Criminal Investigation Notes

Chapter 34:

The scene was so astonishing that Jiang Xiang quickly picked up his camera and took continuous shots.

Su Hui whispered, "Maybe the master bedroom on the second floor has more clues."

At that moment, Lu Junchi, who had come up from downstairs, pushed open the door and froze when he saw the walls.

Captain Qi, who had just finished his phone call on the side, was also shocked. He furrowed his brow and asked, "What are these bloodstains?"

He had investigated the scene with his team before, but he didn't notice so many traces. It was his mistake, but there didn't seem to be anything abnormal about these walls before. Who could have imagined that a normal residential house, sprayed with luminol, would reveal so many traces?

Lu Junchi combined his own investigation information and said, "The neighbors were reluctant to speak at first, but finally admitted that they often heard fighting and arguing near this house. This case is different from the other one, and the murderer is likely among the family members."

Su Hui looked at him and nodded, "It can be basically confirmed that Xie Peilans killer should be her husband Li Congbo. This husband is a habitual offender of domestic violence..."

Captain Qi Zhengyang was still somewhat skeptical about the truth and didn't want to face it: "I have dealt with some domestic violence cases, but I don't think Li Congbo is the type of man who would harm his wife so brutally. He appeared to be of average height, had a higher education, and lived with his family." In his opinion, Li Congbo did not seem like a man who would kill his wife.

TN: You already missed a shitload of crucial evidence Captain Qi. I think your "hunch" is irrelevant at this point. Just sit in the corner and think about what you've done! 

Captain Qi held a doubtful attitude towards Su Hui's deduction, and for good reason. If he admitted Su Hui's correctness, he would have to confront some of his own mistakes and rashness during his previous law enforcement cases.

"People can't be judged by their appearances, and this husband is probably good at acting," Su Hui mercilessly exposed the truth, without considering Captain Qi's face. "As for what you said about him appearing to be heartbroken, I think it might be because he doesn't want to face the consequences of his actions, and he's scared of his prison sentence."

After hearing Su Hui's words, Lu Junchi suddenly raised his head. He felt a familiar tone in Su Hui's speech.

Usually, Su Hui spoke strictly, conservatively, and cautiously, but at this moment, Lu Junchi heard some other implications in his tone.

It seemed that at that moment, Su Hui had become sharp and confident.

Captain Qi's face was flushed, but he had to face the reality that there were many pieces of evidence that were difficult to explain. "So are you saying that the husband did all of this?"

Su Hui put away his smile and seriously analyzed: "Two nights ago after they had an argument, they started to physically fight. Li Congbo thought that Xie Pailan was provoking him, so he brutally attacked her head. He paused twice during the process, but he became angrier and hit her harder each time. Throughout the entire process, his parents-in-law stayed upstairs in their room and said nothing. Because such incidents had occurred more than once in their family, sometimes they would intervene, but their son would attack them too. They thought this time would be the same and everything would be okay. But they didn't expect that Li Congbo would kill Xie Pailan."

Previously, Su Hui had been conservative because he didn't have enough evidence, but now with ample evidence, he recounted the entire incident.

Lu Junchi also said: "This is consistent with what I discovered. Neighbors had seen bruises on Xie Pailan's face before, but she had always claimed that she had fallen down the stairs by accident. And this deduction also explains why there was no surveillance footage or evidence of an outsider coming in because the killer was inside the house the whole time."

"If Li Congbo did kill his own wife, how could he be so brutal?" A young police officer beside them asked, his voice trembling.

"Many people believe that in cases of domestic violence or family killings, the killer will show mercy and try to minimize the pain suffered by the victim, but in reality, this is a misconception," Su Hui said as he stood up from the steps, holding his cane. When analyzing these professional issues, Su Hui's delicate face remained expressionless, but his thin body exuded a domineering aura.

"This is a typical case of emotional violence. In an excited state, the behavior and emotions of the violent offender are uncontrollable. Sometimes, the closer the relationship, the more cruel and fearless the offender becomes, and the process is prolonged. Malice from someone familiar is much stronger than from a stranger.

Su Hui summarized, 'Generally speaking, only husbands would hold such deep hatred towards their wives.'

Familiarity between people reduces the sense of distance, but also allows evil to become more unbridled and without limits. When committing violent acts, grace and tenderness are forgotten, while mistakes, disobedience, and daily frictions are magnified infinitely.

Some people may appear gentle and refined on the outside, but behind closed doors they can turn into incredibly brutal beasts, capable of unimaginable deeds. These heinous acts are repeated in cases of domestic violence, child abuse, patricide, matricide, and so on. Each one is chilling.

'Why was there no record of reporting domestic violence when the wife had been suffering for a long time?' asked the young police officer.

Jiang Xiang gave him a poke to signal him to stop asking useless questions. 'Searching for evidence of domestic violence, determining it, and finally getting a divorce, is not that easy,' he said.

Qi Zhengyang pondered for a moment and then asked, 'But it's not just the wife who was injured, the mother-in-law was also hurt. If you say it was the husband who killed his wife, then how do you explain the injuries sustained by the mother-in-law? Also, how did they find out about those robbers?'

"Either there was a violent transfer of weapons, or..." Su Hui shook his head as he denied his previous reasoning, "It's not a violent transfer of weapons, because that rarely happens with a change of weapons."

Su Hui thought of a possibility that made him feel a little sick just thinking about it. He spoke softly, "To know for sure, we'll have to ask the injured mother-in-law."

At this point, Su Hui stood up and grabbed the railing. "In addition to conducting blood analysis on the wall, you can also examine the husband's clothes. If he's the killer, the blood stains on his body would have been splattered, resulting in some unique blood drops that are different from those caused by contact."

" If this case is not the work of the same killer as the previous series of robbery and murder cases, I suggest not combining the cases. However, there must be some points of connection between these two cases that we have yet to discover," said Lu Junchi, turning to QI Zhengyang.

Qi Zhengyang's face turned red and white, and it was only after he was called upon that he let out a sigh.

"Now that we have so much evidence, go back and ask the husband for his statement again to see if he will confess to killing his wife," Lu Junchi arranged.

"Thank you, Captain Lu. I will do my best to properly interrogate him this time," Qi Zhengyang said. His previous actions had some flaws, and Lu Junchi's way of asking him to look for the mistakes himself was a way to save face, and this was his chance to make up for it.

Lu Junchi turned to Su Hui and said, "Professor Su, let's go visit the mother-in-law in the hospital and see what she has to say."

In the hospital ward of the first affiliated hospital of Huadu, the corridor was always noisy with nurses and doctors coming and going.

Lu Junchi had recently spent a day in a bed here and was familiar with the area. He and Su Hui walked into the ward together.

Lu Junchi closed the door and turned to Fu Mei lying on the bed.

Fu Mei is the mother-in-law involved in the second recent case. This middle-aged woman is 56 years old but looks much older than her actual age. According to the testimony of several witnesses, she was stabbed under the rib cage by intruders who entered her home at around 9 o'clock the night before last. After surgery, she survived the attack and has just woken up after one day.

Now, her husband and son have to take care of their one-year-old baby while she is left alone in the hospital.

Sitting on the hard wooden stool beside her bed, Su Hui habitually touched his cane with his fingers.

He realized that in this family, the mother-in-law was at the bottom of the food chain after the death of her daughter-in-law.

Lu Junchi walked over and sat down next to him. After verifying various information with Fu Mei, he said, "The police have already conducted an investigation, and the facts of what happened that night do not match your testimony."

Fu Mei turned her head. Her eye bags and *nasolabial folds were slightly drooping, making her look tired. "I did not lie," she said.

*The nasolabial folds, commonly known as smile lines or laugh lines are facial features. They are the two skin folds that run from each side of the nose to the corners of the mouth. They are defined by facial structures that support the buccal fat pad. They separate the cheeks from the upper lip.

"Really?" Lu Junchi questioned. "We reconstructed the bloodstains in the room, and Xie Peilan's death process lasted for at least half an hour. During that half hour, did you and your husband really not hear anything?"

Fu Mei gritted her teeth. "We didn't hear anything... Our home was robbed. Officer, you should go after the robbers."

"Regarding that night..." Lu Junchi continued to ask.

Fu Mei closed her eyes and refused to cooperate any further. "Officer, I'm a bit tired. I've already told you everything I know."

Just as they were talking, Lu Junchi's phone rang. He picked it up, looked at it, and whispered to Su Hui for a while.

Su Hui looked incredulous. "Li Congbo has confessed to everything?" His voice was not too loud or too soft, and Fu Mei could hear it clearly.

Fu Mei's eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise. "What?!"

"Mmm, just let them come and arrest them directly later," said Lu Junchi, standing up and seeming to have no intention of continuing the interrogation.

Before she could react, Su Hui turned to Fu Mei with a pitying look and stood up as well, saying, "Auntie, let's leave it at that for today."

Fu Mei's expression changed instantly. "Wait a minute. You guys explain clearly to me... what did my son say?"

"Auntie, your son has already confessed to killing his wife that night," Su Hui replied, turning to face her.

Fu Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. Her mind seemed to explode with emotion as she stared straight ahead.

"But you've been keeping secrets all along, and they told me first," Su Hui continued, looking at Fu Mei's face turning pale. He sighed and said with a bitter smile, "You've been betrayed by them."

Lu Junchi pretended to be displeased and pulled Su Hui back a bit, saying, "You shouldn't have told her that."

Words like "family" and "betrayal" weighed heavily on Fu Mei's heart like stones.

Struggling to sit up, Fu Mei reached out her hand and shook it, almost losing her balance. "This can't be true! You guys... you're lying to me..."

Hearing her words, Lu Junchi paused for a moment and turned back with some anger in his voice. "Fu Mei, you stabbed yourself, didn't you? Your goal was to clear your son's name, but your actions have hindered justice, and now you're a criminal too!"

The police could not have found out such detailed information without a confession. They must have obtained testimony from Li Congbo...

Fu Mei was instantly devastated by these words, and tears streamed down her face.Her persistence had become meaningless.

TN:First of all happy new month fujoshis and fudanshis. 

ALSO!!!!

*Clears throat* I would like to dedicate a verse to Captain Qi. It's from Humble by Kendrick Lamar because he has a lot of audacity. Here it is, enjoy!

B*tch, be humble (hol' up, b*tch)Sit down (hol' up, lil', hol' up, lil' b*tch)Be humble (hol' up, b*tch)Sit down (hol' up, sit down, lil', sit down, lil' b*tch)

*Bows and exits the stage swiftly amid thunderous applause* Thank you! Thank you very much!

Advance chapters are available on Patreon. Just tap on the link below. 

 Additional releases can be sponsored through KOFI or Paypal donation.