frightfiction Chapter 1189 Xiao Wang retrieves the video
Chapter 1189 Xiao Wang retrieves the video
"The wiping direction was from the driver's seat to the passenger seat, suggesting that the suspect left it when cleaning up traces inside the car." In the passenger-side storage compartment, Xiao Yang found a crumpled gas station receipt dated August 14th at 3 PM, showing a fuel cost of 50 yuan and the gas station address being near the East Suburb Expressway exit.
“This receipt might be able to find the suspect’s whereabouts,” Li Ming said, holding the receipt. “There are surveillance cameras at the gas station at the East Suburb Expressway exit. If we check the footage, we can see the suspect’s appearance.” Xiao Yang, however, was a little worried: “But the receipt doesn’t have license plate information. It can only determine the time and amount of refueling. If the suspect deliberately covered up the license plate or used a car with a fake license plate, the surveillance camera might not be able to capture any useful information.”
The three returned to the cement plant's duty room and retrieved the gate's registration records. At 4:15 PM on August 14th, the man in the black jacket registered a vehicle with the license plate "京A?9?9XX36," but the contact number was invalid, and the ID number was also found to be forged. "The suspect clearly came prepared," Xiao Sun frowned. "He registered with a fake identity and deliberately chose to enter the plant area in the evening to avoid surveillance and attention, making it easier to dispose of the body."
Xiao Yang suddenly remembered the tear marks on the body's skirt: "The tear in the body's dress was very clean, not like it was torn by a wire, but more like it was cut by a knife." He pulled out photos from the scene, "Look here, there are obvious cutting marks on the tear edge, about 10 centimeters long, pointing from the hem to the waist. It's possible that the suspect used a knife to cut the clothes wrapped around the body when moving it." Xiao Sun added, "If it was a knife, we should have found knife marks or knife residue at the scene, but we haven't found any yet. It may have been taken away by the suspect, or hidden in some secluded place in the factory area."
“The white fibers clutched in the deceased’s right hand are the same material as the dust net, indicating that she was still alive when she was thrown into the pile of materials, or had just died and struggled,” Li Ming analyzed. “The circular ligature mark on her ankle was probably caused by being bound with rope or tape, indicating that she was controlled before her death.” He looked at the reddish-brown soil under the corpse’s fingernails: “This soil is not from the cement factory; it may have come from the suspect’s residence or the hiding place before the body was disposed of. Once the composition of the soil is determined, the scope of the investigation can be narrowed down.”
While expanding the investigation to the residential area surrounding the cement plant, Xiao Yang saw footage from 4:30 PM yesterday in the surveillance camera of a small shop. A silver van stopped in front of the shop, and a man in a black jacket got out and bought a bottle of mineral water and a pack of cigarettes. The cigarettes were Hongtashan brand, consistent with the brand of cigarette butts found at the scene. "The man was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, so only his eyes were visible," Xiao Yang zoomed in on the footage. "He had single eyelids, a mole at the corner of his eye, was about 175 centimeters tall, and of medium build, consistent with the height estimated from the work boot prints."
Xiao Sun found a Hongtashan cigarette box in a trash can next to the convenience store. There was a blurry fingerprint on it: "The fingerprint matches the feature points of the incomplete fingerprint on the wall. It should be left by the same person." He put the cigarette box into the evidence bag. "But the fingerprint is incomplete and cannot be directly compared. It needs to be sent to the laboratory for enhancement."
As dusk fell, the three investigators had covered the cement plant and a 3-kilometer radius around it, collecting 2 fingerprints (1 complete palm print), 32 footprint rubbings, 15 fiber samples, 8 biological samples (cigarette butts, mineral water bottles, hair), and 2 items (gas station receipt, cigarette box). Xiao Yang categorized and boxed all the evidence, labeling them with the location and time of collection; Xiao Sun organized the investigation records, drawing a site plan of the footprints and traces.
“We have many clues, but they are all quite scattered,” Li Ming said, looking at the investigation records. “The deceased’s identity cannot be confirmed; he was not carrying an ID card or any obvious identification. Although the suspect left fingerprints, footprints, and fibers, there is a lack of information that directly points to his identity, and the owner information of the silver van cannot be verified.” He paused. “Next, the technical department needs to expedite the processing of these evidence items, especially DNA and fingerprint database comparisons. At the same time, we need to expand the scope of surveillance and investigation at gas stations and convenience stores to find more traces of the suspect.”
Xiao Yang nodded: "Soil composition testing is also crucial. Once we determine the source of the reddish-brown soil, we can find the area where the suspect was active before dumping the body. In addition, the brown powder inside the white plastic bag in the victim's dress pocket also needs to be tested. It may be residue from items the victim came into contact with before her death, which will help determine her occupation or living environment."
Xiao Sun added, "And that silver earring, it's exquisitely designed, probably a branded piece. By checking jewelry stores, we might be able to find purchase records and thus identify the deceased." He pulled out photos from the scene, "The deceased's dress was made of pure cotton, the style was rather old, and the price shouldn't have been high. It was probably purchased from a wholesale market. Checking the clothing wholesale markets in the eastern suburbs might yield some results."
The three men sat in the police car, watching the streetlights gradually illuminate the night outside. The rotary kiln at the cement plant was still roaring, its lights glaringly bright in the darkness. Although a day of expanded investigation had yielded numerous clues, crucial leads regarding the victim's identity and the suspect remained elusive, leading to a temporary stalemate in the investigation.
“However, these clues at least confirm that the suspect premeditated the crime, was familiar with the cement plant environment, and may have been here before or worked nearby,” Li Ming said firmly. “As long as the technical department’s test results come out, we can connect these clues and definitely find a breakthrough.” He started the car. “Tomorrow we will split into two groups. One group will follow up on the technical department’s test results, and the other group will continue to visit residents and shops around the cement plant to find witnesses. I believe we will make progress soon.”
As the police car drove away from the cement plant, night had already enveloped the entire eastern suburbs. Only the distant streetlights and the cement plant's lights outlined vague silhouettes in the darkness. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun looked at the investigation records in their hands. Every piece of data, every trace, could be the key to solving the mystery. They knew that although many questions remained about the case, as long as they persisted, they would eventually find the path to the truth from these scattered clues.
In the factory's duty room, Xiao Wang rubbed his sore eyes and was reviewing the video footage.
His fingertips tapped repeatedly on the keyboard, replaying frame by frame the surveillance footage from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on August 14th. The cement plant area on the screen was a hazy gray, with materials piled up like silent hills in front of the camera. Occasionally, a worker would push a cart past, leaving a brief silhouette. He had been watching the surveillance for four hours straight, his eyes bloodshot, and three empty instant coffee packets on his desk, yet he still dared not slack off in the slightest.