“We don’t burn coal, our home uses gas.”
"Is there a place near you that sells or stores coal?"
"nor."
After asking about the general situation, the police asked the woman to go back.
The crime team focused its investigation on the mystery of the phone call that drove the victim away from home. Meng Xiangyu went out after receiving a call and was killed after going out. It seemed that the person who killed him was an acquaintance of his, so Meng Xiangyu went there after answering the phone without any precautions.
42
The criminal police found that the person who called Meng Xiangyu in the afternoon before he was killed was Lu Tian, the chairman of Xingfa Real Estate Company. They went to the company to interrogate him.
On the way there, Tian Chunda said to his subordinates: "This Lu Tian is a suspect in the murder of Qu Lili, and now he is a suspect in the murder of Meng Xiangyu. He has a big problem."
Meng Xiaochun said: "Maybe the two cases are related. Lu Tian killed Qu Lili, and Meng Xiangyu found clues and threatened her, so Lu Tian killed Meng Xiangyu again."
Tian Chunda nodded, "It's also possible."
Seeing Tian Chunda and others coming again, Lu Tian smiled and said, "Several police officers have visited our company again. Do you have anything new to ask?"
Tian Chunda nodded: "Yes. Did you call Meng Xiangyu around four o'clock in the afternoon on the 12th?"
"Yes, he can repair locks. There was something wrong with my safe door lock. I asked him to come over and repair the lock. He agreed, but he didn't come. I called him again, but his phone was turned off."
"Where were you and what did you do after four o'clock in the afternoon on the 12th?"
Lu Tian lit a Chinese cigarette, took a puff and said, "I work in the company from four to five o'clock. After get off work, I invited a few friends to drink until midnight."
"Oh? Drinking? Please tell me the name of your drinking partner."
"They're all here." Lu Tian wrote down the names of his drinking friends and handed the note to Tian Chunda. It read: Ji Chuan, Chen Xiong.
Lu Tian added: "Jichuan also invited three male neighbors to drink together."
After leaving Xingfa Company, Tian Chunda said to his subordinates: "We need to investigate Lu Tian's drinking friends to see if Lu Tian is telling the truth."
Returning to the criminal police detachment, Tian Chunda asked Xiang Haiyang again: "Haiyang, how is the investigation in the eastern suburbs going?"
Xiang Haiyang replied: "We are currently investigating with all our strength. No one who witnessed Meng Xiangyu and the murderer coming to this area has been found near the body site."
Tian Chunda said to his subordinates again: "Tell me, where was Meng Xiangyu killed?"
"Wasn't the body found in the woods in the eastern suburbs?" said young detective Yu Ping.
Hao Dong continued: "Because there is no blood, it is difficult to determine where the crime scene is."
Tian Chunda said: "Yes, it can be said that the crime scene is where the body was found, or it can be said that the crime was committed elsewhere and the body was transported there. Think about it, the autopsy results prove that the victim's There was coal powder attached to his lungs, which means that Meng Xiangyu inhaled coal powder before he died. However, there was not even a coal dust near the scene where the body was found."
"However, we can't say that the coal powder in the lungs must have been inhaled when the victim was killed, right? It may also have been inhaled a few hours before the victim, or a few days ago." Yu Ping said.
"Ah, that makes sense. This means that the murderer transported the body here after committing the crime elsewhere." Meng Xiaochun continued.
"Then it becomes more and more important to investigate the route taken by the victim." Tian Chunda said thoughtfully. He added: "Let's go and take a look at the place where the body was found."
The police car arrived at the place where Meng Xiangyu's body was found in the eastern suburbs. The detectives got out of the car.
Tian Chunda stood there and looked around at the situation and said, "Hey, let's go over there and have a look!"
The detectives climbed up the narrow slope and came to the high hill. From here you can see the long narrow valley-like street below.
"There are no factories near here!" Tian Chunda said while looking around. Not even a chimney was seen in this area. Only the roof ridges of the rows of residents shone in the autumn sun.
Hao Dong knew what the team leader was thinking. He was looking for a place with coal.
43
The detectives continued their tireless investigation.
First of all, about the traces of the victim Meng Xiangyu. As a result of the investigation in the eastern suburbs, no clues were found. The criminal police analyzed that the time when Mrs. Zhang saw Meng Xiangyu going out was around four o'clock, so it can be inferred that the time when she arrived in the eastern suburbs was between five o'clock and five thirty. This time is the climax of commuting and getting off work. In this crowded situation, who could notice Meng Xiangyu who was caught in the crowd.
So, where was Meng Xiangyu from the time he left home at 4:00 pm on the 12th to the time when his body was found in the woods in the eastern suburbs at 6:30 am on the 13th? The body was accidentally discovered at 6:30 in the morning on the 13th. How long before that the body was placed here? Assuming that the crime was committed between 10pm on the 12th and 1am on the 13th, as confirmed by the autopsy results, where did he spend the six or seven hours he was alive? Still no clues were found.
If Meng Xiangyu had arrived near the scene in the eastern suburbs during the period of his survival, he must have used some kind of transportation. Therefore, the criminal police investigated the buses passing near the scene in the eastern suburbs. However, the bus drivers all said they had never seen a man who looked like Meng Xiangyu. The detectives also visited various taxi companies in the city. As a result of the investigation, no clues were found from the taxi driver.
The test results of the coal powder stuck to the victim's nostrils and lungs came out. This was done by a university geology laboratory. It is said that the quality of the coal is very good.
On the other hand, we also learned a very important situation: an investigation into the actions of Lu Tian's two drinking buddies from the evening of the 12th to the noon of the 13th. Lu Tian and Chen Xiong came to Ji Chuan's house in Sanlibao, the eastern suburbs, for a drink at around seven o'clock in the evening on the 12th.
"What? Sanli Fort?"
After hearing this report, Tian Chunda screamed because Sanlibao was one kilometer north of the woods where the body was found.
According to several drinking friends, Chen Xiong said he had something to do at 11pm and went back first. Lu Tian, Ji Chuan and their three neighbors drank until about 3:30 in the morning. As a result, Lu Tian and their neighbors all stayed at Ji Chuan's house.
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"Chen Xiong left Ji Chuan's house at 11 o'clock in the evening", which attracted the attention of the criminal police. Because Meng Xiangyu's death time was approximately between 10pm and 1am, and Ji Chuan's home was only one kilometer away from the body site.
"This is very suspicious. Let's investigate Chen Xiong again!" Tian Chunda said.
Chen Xiong is a man with a square face and medium height, thirty-five years old. He was a little listless and spoke lazily.
This is how he answered the police's inquiry: "After drinking for a while at Ji Chuan's house, my lover called me and asked me to come over in the evening. I said I had something to come out first. My lover's name is Ai Yuting. I I arrived at her house around 11:30 and stayed there that night.”
Based on Chen Xiong's confession, the criminal police came to Ai Yuting's home, investigated her, and learned that the situation was true.
It was already clear that Chen Xiong left Ji Chuan's house at eleven o'clock and arrived at Ai Yuting's house thirty minutes later. From this point of view, it is impossible for him to have enough time to go to the woods one kilometer away from Ji Chuan's home to kill Meng Xiangyu or transport his body there. Moreover, he slept with Ai Yuting until the next morning, and it was impossible for him to escape and commit crimes during this period.
"So, he didn't have time to commit the crime, so the suspicion is relatively small!" Hao Dong said.
"Yes!" Meng Xiaochun replied.
"Where exactly was Meng Xiangyu killed?" Tian Chunda said while smoking a cigarette.
"Team leader, let's investigate where there are coal storage yards in the city!" Hao Dong said.
"Okay." Tian Chunda nodded.
The criminal police began to visit places with coal storage yards in the city. But until the third day, I still couldn't figure it out.
At this moment, a completely unexpected piece of good news came to the serious case group who was in trouble because their way was blocked by the mountains. As the saying goes, God has eyes. Although this is an old saying, the current team leader Tian Chunda thinks so.
