CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: ASIDE FROM HER HUSBAND, HE KNOWS THE VICTIM BEST

The originally very anxious Li Jian, upon hearing Jiang An’s words, suddenly became less urgent.

At this moment.

There was only one thought in his mind.

And that was.

On what basis are these two conclusions made?

In an instant, Li Jian’s mind flipped through all the case files from that year.

Including all the on-site photos, autopsy pictures, and external investigation materials.

After a moment, Li Jian still couldn’t understand the source of these two conclusions.

He said, "I’ll come over right away."

Then, Li Jian smoothly turned around and left in the opposite direction.

minutes later.

Captain Li Jian pushed open the door and walked into the criminal investigation team meeting room.

Jiang An and Zhang Yean were standing in front of the projector’s screen.

He said softly, "So late, and you two are still working overtime. It’s hard work."

Zhang Yean smiled and said, "Mr. Li, aren’t you working overtime too?"

"Oh! I was just conducting an interrogation in the interrogation room."

"Zhang Qian’s ex-boyfriend, Li Dong, was brought back and is now being interrogated in the interrogation room."

"Boss, has there been any progress in the interrogation?"

Li Jian shook his head.

"The results are not very ideal."

"Li Dong hasn’t admitted to anything."

"Regarding Zhang Qian’s death, he claims to know nothing."

Zhang Yean asked, "Is there a possibility he’s lying?"

"Just now in the interrogation room, judging by his condition, it doesn’t seem like he’s lying."

Zhang Yean said, "If he’s not lying, does that mean he isn’t a suspect?"

Li Jian replied, "As of now, the entire interrogation process shows no signs of lying. However, it’s too early to conclude whether he’s a suspect or not."

Then, he turned his head to look at the projector.

An image of the living room coffee table appeared on the big screen.

He said, "Jiang An, the two conclusions you mentioned on the phone are quite unique, explain your basis."

Then, Jiang An moved the mouse and opened the photo of the floor next to the deceased, Zhang Qian.

You could see footprints and bloodstains on the ground.

Jiang An pointed at these footprints and bloodstains, first explaining the concept and formation principle of blowback bloodstains, then analyzing the hierarchical relationship of the entire footprint.

Captain Li immediately gave a thumbs up after listening.

Li Jian was very familiar with this site.

The footprints at the scene added up to at least two hundred.

Due to inadequate awareness of scene protection, many people entered the scene.

Li Jian looked at the screen and said, "I really didn’t expect you to find the most special one among these complex footprints."

Li Jian said in a deep voice, "We have reviewed this case many times."

"We’ve also viewed the on-site photos many times."

"No one has ever looked at them so carefully."

Mr. Li said, "I think analyzing a case is actually like doing a problem."

"Sometimes, after doing a lot of problems and checking them many times, obvious mistakes are hard to find."

"The main reason is that we have a preconceived notion."

"If you hadn’t expressed a different viewpoint at the meeting today, we would probably still be following the old line of investigation."

Li Jian sighed and said, "Looking back, why hasn’t this case been solved all this time."

"In fact, during the investigation of the case, we made a preconceived mistake."

"After determining the nature of the death, we searched for evidence that supported our viewpoint."

"We ignored or even consciously excluded evidence that did not support our viewpoint."

Jiang An lightly nodded after hearing this.

For Captain Li Jian’s insights, Jiang An was no stranger.

In a past life, Jiang An had served as a case consultant at the police station and had made similar mistakes.

After confirming his viewpoint, he would continually strengthen his arguments, ignoring other possibilities.

This is the greatest taboo in criminal investigation.

Then, Jiang An continued, "As for my second conclusion, the suspect is quite familiar with one of the deceased."

"The main reason is because of this picture."

Immediately, the photo on the projection screen switched to a picture of the coffee table.

Jiang An explained the items on the coffee table, the number, and characteristics of ceramic cups to Mr. Li.

Li Jian’s eyes widened instantly, filled with admiration.

Everyone had seen these cups in the photo back in the day.

But.

No one paid attention or thought about them in depth.

Li Jian remembered that the ceramic cup not only appeared on the coffee table, but there were similar cups in the kitchen as well.

He let out a long sigh, realizing his failure to notice back then.

After a moment, he said, "However, discovering it now, I think it’s not too late."

Jiang An and Zhang Yean both nodded firmly.

Then, Zhang Yean asked, "If a familiar person is involved in the crime, and there’s been previous reconnaissance behavior before the crime."

"The victim’s circle of friends and social circle becomes very important. The killer could be among them."

Mr. Li nodded.

He said, "But there are four victims in this household. If we have to sort out each victim’s personal relationships, it might take a long time."

Jiang An said, "I analyzed in the meeting that the suspect’s motive is very clear, and the purposefulness of the murder is very strong."

"His target is the deceased, Zhang Qian."

"Moreover, Zhang Qian indeed suffered cathartic injuries from the perpetrator."

"Therefore, I suggest starting with Zhang Qian’s social network."

Mr. Li: "Today, Chen He found Zhang Qian’s cousin."

"She only pointed out suspicions about ex-boyfriend Li Dong and didn’t mention anyone else."

After a moment, Jiang An said, "Actually, I think the main way to gain insight into a person’s social network is to look for their closest associates."

"The closest associates?"

Zhang Yean sighed and said, "All of Zhang Qian’s closest people are dead."

"Her mother, sister, and husband were also killed."

"With all the familiar people dead, where else can we investigate?"

Just as the sentence fell, Jiang An said, "Mr. Li, there’s actually another very familiar person still alive."

"Who?"

"Li Dong in the interrogation room."

"He and Zhang Qian were in a relationship for four years."

"You could say, besides her husband and blood relatives, he’s the only man who was with her for a long time."

"If you investigate from this man’s angle, you may find more clues."

Captain Li nodded lightly after listening.

"This is indeed a very good idea."

"After all, this is a murder act."

"The motive for murder should not be trivial."

"Some suspects may spend many years planning, only to commit the most extreme act of murder in the end."

Finally, Li Jian said, "From this perspective, delving into Zhang Qian’s personal relationship information, perhaps Li Dong is the best choice."