Not finding any clues from Mo Shang's mouth, Li Mu had to change the direction of the investigation, hoping to find possible witnesses by expanding the scope of the inquiry.
Naturally, the first person to bear the brunt of the murder was the first person who discovered the murder. The poor helper is still in a state of disbelief. After some comfort from Li Muhao, he slowly recalled what happened at that time.
"I am responsible for the hygiene of the three carriages at the back. According to the regulations on the train, I have to ask the guests in the compartments at Si and Xu every day if they need cleaning. I remember that I saw the lady at Si o'clock today. , but she seemed to be arguing with Mr. Mo at the time, so I just looked at her and left."
"Later, I went there again at night. The door to the private room was closed at that time. I knocked for a long time but no one responded. Just then, Mr. Mo came back, and I realized that Madam was the only one in the room. "
"You should know what happened next. Master Mo couldn't open the door with his key, as if someone was blocking the door. He said that his wife was not in good health, so Lao Xi and I rolled out of the carriage. , I saw Madam through the window. She was sitting in front of the door, motionless. No matter how much we knocked on the window, there was no response. We were worried that something had happened, so we quickly called Mr. Xie."
The helper named Lao Ping didn't know any more information. After verifying what he said with other helpers on the train, Li Mu asked him to leave and continued to find Xie An for questioning.
"This couple's box is the most luxurious and expensive on the entire train, so I have a deep impression on them. As you know, Li Shaoxia, these distinguished guests are my food and clothing parents. Take good care of them. When the time comes, the boss will Only then will my salary be increased."
Xie An's mood has basically stabilized, and he is very cooperative when facing Li Mu's inquiries. However, the importance of this job to him is inadvertently revealed between the lines, so that Li Mu reminded him several times before returning to the topic.
"Master Mo and his wife had a quarrel in the morning. I have also heard about it. There are many people on this train and news spreads very fast. Besides, my wife is extremely beautiful and fragrant, so she naturally became one of those individual passengers. The object of gossip."
"I was busy looking for a car at the time, and I thought I would pay a visit after it was over to see if there was anyone who needed my services. But when I arrived, I found that the box door was closed, and I knocked twice but no one responded. , I guessed that Master Mo and the others should have gone out, so they left."
Li Mu was a little surprised by Xie An's words. He didn't expect that the conductor had also been to Jin Fenghua's box before the incident.
"When did you come? Did you come alone? Did anyone else see you?"
Xie An rubbed his chin and thought for a while, then said that he should have arrived just after the Youshi hour, because he passed by the dining car at that time and saw that the chef had just started preparing dinner, so he was very sure.
But because the rear part of the train is always an independent box, which is very private, no one else saw it at the time. He just stayed outside the door for a while, then returned to his room to sleep, and finally went to bed. At midnight, he was woken up by a helper and came to the scene of the crime.
After seeing off Xie An, Li Mu came to the tenth carriage from the bottom. This was the boundary between ordinary seats and private rooms. In order to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the guests in the private carriages, a dedicated person was arranged between the two carriages, although it was not a big deal. He is a monk in charge of security, but he is also a strong man. Others call him Da Zhuang.
"Do you think there were many people who came in and out between this time and this time? There were quite a few of them. There was an adult wearing a black silk robe, and two ladies with long hair. Well... you said it was night, let me think about it, it should be There must have been seven or eight people, I can’t remember clearly.”
This big guy is obviously a bit strong-limbed and simple-minded, but he can't remember clearly what happened that day. It's just that the man in black clothes he mentioned must be Mo Shang, and the time he left the box was between 6:00 and noon. look.
After Li Mu described Jin Fenghua's appearance, Da Zhuang also patted his chest and promised that he had never seen Jin Fenghua ten carriages after he left. Although the reliability of this statement is very doubtful, Li Mu has no better verification now. Method, I can only temporarily believe this strong man's words.
He also interviewed several possible witnesses one after another.
After the conversation, Li Mu basically sorted out the timeline of the entire incident. Although he now has amazing memory and thinking ability, he still habitually spreads a blank piece of paper on the table and writes down everything he gained from the conversation. The clues were written down.
"Mo Shang and Jin Fenghua have an arranged marriage. They have no real feelings for each other. Jin Fenghua is a promiscuous nature and often cuckolds Mo Shang. For this reason, the two often quarrel. This is the testimony from Mo Shang. There is no other basis for the testimony. For the time being, Doubtful."
"At 6 o'clock today, the helper Lao Ping went to the box of Mo Shang and Jin Fenghua and saw the two having a fierce quarrel, and then left alone without disturbing them. This was confirmed by other helpers and is very credible. "
"After six o'clock, Mo Shang left the box alone and went to the dining car to drink. He stayed there for a whole day and did not get up and return until nearly midnight in the evening. There are many witnesses who can prove this, so he did not lie."
"Conductor Xie An went to Jin Fenghua's box when he was in Youshi. According to him, he didn't stay long. He knocked on the door and left after getting no response. No one can testify to this either."
"In addition, according to Da Zhuang's recollection, there were seven or eight people who went in and out of the box area in the last ten sections after Youshi. However, the specific faces of these people are unknown, and the murderer may also be hidden among these people."
Li Mu listed the clues one by one, not even a very subtle description was missed. He knew very well that the key to solving the case was often hidden in the inadvertent. Any seemingly unrelated clues connected together could mean something. Holding the truth.
"There are still not enough clues, but the time when the murderer committed the crime can basically be locked between Youshi and Zishi. What happened to Jin Fenghua in these three hours? He was actually killed by draining all the blood from his body."...
As for the cause of Jin Fenghua's death, Li Mu also checked the condition of the body again. There were no wounds on her body. All the blood finally flowed out from the seven orifices, as if a pressure pump was installed inside her body to actively pump the blood out of the body. The exit was squeezed out.
"This extremely cruel method of murder represents two things. Either the murderer has a deep hatred for Jin Fenghua and hopes that she will experience such hellish torture before she dies, or the blood of the deceased is of great use to the murderer, and every drop of it will be of great use to the murderer. I don’t want to waste it.”
Li Mu cast his gaze out the window. The bright moonlight shone in the valley. The endless forest was dark, far less bright than the lights in the carriage. But only he knew in his heart that on this train heading north, it was... There is a murderer lurking without blinking an eye. He is very hungry and may be looking for his next target.
