frightfiction Chapter 1010 Crime Scene Identification, Case Closed
Chapter 1010 Crime Scene Identification, Case Closed
The interrogation continued until four in the morning, and Zhang Tao's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. As he described in detail the repeated blows to Wang Dehui's head with a crowbar, he unconsciously raised his handcuffed hands and waved them in the air. Meanwhile, in the forensic department, technicians were carefully comparing hair and bloodstains extracted from the gaps in the tricycle—evidence he had so meticulously concealed would ultimately become irrefutable proof to convict him.
Three days later, the scene identification began.
The morning mist still shrouded Yangling Village. Eight police cars slowly drove in along the muddy village road, their flashing lights flickering in the fog. Zhang Tao, handcuffed, sat in the back of the escort vehicle, his face ashen, his body trembling slightly. When the vehicle stopped in front of the abandoned warehouse, he suddenly began to gag violently, but nothing came out; he could only let out painful whimpers.
Li Ming lifted the police tape and signaled the officers to take Zhang Tao out of the car. A faint smell of blood still lingered in the damp air, and dark red bloodstains on the mottled earthen walls of the warehouse were particularly glaring in the morning light. Zhang Tao stared at the wall, his steps faltering, as if dragged by an invisible force, unable to move for a long time.
“Let’s begin,” Li Ming said in a low, cold voice. “Start with how you discovered Wang Dehui’s hidden money.”
Zhang Tao swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "That day...that day I was playing cards at the village entrance when I overheard some old men chatting. They said that Dehui always carried cash with him when he went to town to buy goods, hiding it in a secret compartment in his tricycle." His eyes were vacant, as if he had returned to that afternoon that determined his fate. "So I started following him and figured out his buying routes and times."
He moved with difficulty to the warehouse door: "On the evening of August 12th, I knew he had just returned from town, so I stopped him here." He raised his handcuffed hands and pointed to the corner of the warehouse, "I took a crowbar and made him hand over the money. At first, he pretended to be stupid and said he didn't have any money with him."
Zhang Tao's voice began to tremble: "In a fit of anger, I smashed the shelf next to me with a crowbar, and pots and pans shattered all over the floor. Only then did he get scared and shakily opened the hidden compartment. But there wasn't much money inside, just a few thousand yuan!"
"And then?" Xiao Wang asked, holding his notebook and staring intently at Zhang Tao.
"He suddenly grabbed an enamel basin and smashed it at me. I was stunned and blood gushed from my head instantly." Zhang Tao's voice turned fierce. "I got really angry and swung a crowbar at his head! Once, twice, three times..." His hands waved wildly in the air, as if he were reenacting the violence. "I don't know how many times I hit him. By the time I came to my senses, he was already lying on the ground, his head smashed beyond recognition."
Li Ming pointed to the bloodstains on the ground: "Was the deceased killed here?"
Zhang Tao nodded, his body beginning to tremble violently: "I panicked at the time, I had no idea what to do. There happened to be a roll of hemp rope used for bundling goods in the warehouse, so I used the hemp rope to tie his hands and feet." He walked to where the tricycle was parked, "I stuffed the body into the tricycle and covered it tightly with a waterproof tarpaulin."
"Why did you choose to dump the body under a bridge?" Xiao Sun held up the photos of the scene and compared them carefully.
“I thought that place was deserted and no one ever went there.” Zhang Tao’s voice trailed off. “I took advantage of the darkness and drove the car along the path toward the underpass. I was terrified of being discovered on the way, and I was so nervous that I thought the police were coming every time I heard a sound.”
The group escorted Zhang Tao to the bridge arch. In the dried-up riverbed, pebbles and weeds were mixed together. Zhang Tao pointed to a sunken spot: "Right here... I dragged the body off the car and threw it in." A flicker of fear crossed his eyes. "I even took the tarpaulin with me, just in case I left evidence."
"What happened to the tricycle and the murder weapon afterward?" Li Ming pressed.
“I went to the repair shop overnight to change the tires and washed the tricycle inside and out several times.” Zhang Tao lowered his head. “The murder weapon… I originally wanted to throw it in the river, but I was afraid someone would retrieve it, so I hid it in the cellar at home. I thought that would cover it up…”
By the time the scene identification was finished, the sun had risen, dispelling the thin mist. Zhang Tao was escorted back to the police car. He took one last look at the place that had changed his life, and tears finally welled up in his eyes.
At the same time, a plan to arrest Li Fengqiang was launched. According to the investigation, Li Fengqiang ran a daily necessities wholesale store in the Chengxi Wholesale Market, and would usually go to the warehouse in the afternoons to inventory the goods. Li Ming decided to set up an ambush near the warehouse to carry out the arrest.
On the day of the operation, plainclothes police officers were scattered around the warehouse. Xiao Wang, along with two team members, disguised themselves as delivery workers and guarded the back door of the warehouse. At 3 p.m., a black sedan slowly drove into the warehouse compound. Through the car window, Xiao Wang immediately recognized Li Fengqiang sitting in the driver's seat; he was the person they were looking for.
"Action!" Li Ming gave the order over the walkie-talkie.
Xiao Wang and his team quickly approached the car and yanked open the door. Before Li Fengqiang could react, he was pinned to the ground. "Li Fengqiang, we are police officers!" Xiao Wang flashed his badge. "You are being questioned for assisting in the disposal of stolen goods. Please come with us."
"What are you doing? What law have I broken?" Li Fengqiang struggled and shouted, but was quickly handcuffed and put into a police car.
In the interrogation room, Li Fengqiang tried to appear calm, crossing his legs: "Officer, you've arrested the wrong person, haven't you? I'm just running my business honestly, what have I done wrong?"
Xiao Wang pushed Zhang Tao's interrogation video in front of him: "Look at this, Zhang Tao has confessed everything. On the night of August 12th, he killed Wang Dehui, and then contacted you to help dispose of the stolen goods, right?"
Li Fengqiang's face turned deathly pale instantly, but he still tried to argue, "He's lying! I don't know any Wang Dehui at all, and I've never helped him with anything!"
"Is that so?" Xiao Wang sneered, pulling up the call records between Li Fengqiang and Zhang Tao. "On the night of the incident, you two spoke on the phone three times. How do you explain that? Also, we found Wang Dehui's ledger and some cash in a hidden compartment in your warehouse." As he spoke, he showed the photos of the physical evidence one by one.
Li Fengqiang's mental defenses began to crumble, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead, but he still stubbornly insisted: "I don't know how these things ended up with me. Maybe someone framed me!"
"Trying to frame me?" Xiao Wang pulled out the warehouse surveillance footage, which clearly showed Li Fengqiang hiding a black bag in a secret compartment. "What's in this bag? Should we get a professional to identify it?"
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Li Fengqiang finally broke down, slumping into a chair: "I confess, I confess everything... Zhang Tao called me that night, saying he had killed someone and asked me to help dispose of the money and ledgers. He said he would give me half the money if I helped. I was blinded by greed and agreed..."