"The time of death has been determined. It is between 2:00 and 3:30 in the morning on Sunday, which is August 24. The cause of death is mechanical suffocation caused by strangulation." Xing Mu began to enlarge the detailed photos one by one in On the projection screen, "Judging from the groove pattern on the neck of the deceased and the traces extracted, the tool for committing the crime is a hemp rope as thick as a child's two fingers. This kind of hemp rope is very common in the market, and it is very easy for the murderer to get it. Easy, but difficult to use as key evidence. Toxicology and pharmacology tests have been done, and the deceased was not poisoned, nor did he take any drugs that affect mental and behavior before he died."
"Sunday early morning? That can actually be understood as Saturday night." Mingshu said, "Sha Chun left the Jiangnan Theater at 9:52 pm on Saturday, and was killed more than four hours later... What could have happened in these four hours? Zhou Yuan, adjust the monitoring of the Jiangnan Theater again."
On the projection screen, two simultaneous surveillance images replaced the detailed autopsy images.
On the left, Sha Chunxing left the theater alone, and on the right, her colleagues walked in the corridor in groups, smiling and smiling.
Fang Yuanhang had just been known by popular science as a "model worker" in the current context, and felt sighed for a while.
"Sha Chun left the theater wearing her own clothes, a linen shirt, wide-leg pants, no makeup on her face, and her hair tied in a low ponytail." Mingshu said, "From the surveillance they arrived at the scene in the afternoon, she was also wearing this style. This is the same hairstyle and makeup. That is to say, during the period from the end of the show to when she left the backstage studio, she changed out of her costume and took off her makeup. Then why did she put it on again when she was killed in the early hours of the morning? Costumes and make-up? How do you explain this behavior?"
There was no sound in the conference room, everyone was thinking.
"Has the surveillance at the Jiangnan Theater been completed now?" Mingshu looked at the technical investigation team.
"The public surveillance investigation has been completed, and the surveillance of some private stores has not been retrieved." Zhou Yuan said: "I don't know where Sha Chun went after leaving the Jiangnan Theater."
Mingshu folded his arms and walked a few steps in place.
"Leader, shall I continue?" Xing Mu looked at Mingshu under the cold light of the projector.
Mingshu didn't have time to correct Xing Mu's attitude now, he nodded and said, "Continue."
"You know, to kill a person by strangulation, the strength of the murderer, especially the arm strength, cannot be small." Xing Mu said: "It is generally men who use strangulation. Of course, women cannot be completely ruled out. If the murderer is a woman If so, then she must be stronger, at least her arms have strength characteristics."
Mingshu nodded, "Yeah."
Xing Mu gestured on his wrist and said, "The murderer chopped off Sha Chun's hands after killing Sha Chun. He used an axe with a blade length of about 100mm and a head length of about 150mm. Flat, the murderer has chopped many times, but this is not the reason why the axe is not sharp enough. The material of the axe is high carbon steel, which has a feature of high hardness and is not easy to roll the blade. It is speculated that the murderer was in a position when he committed the crime. A more tense state, and lack of strength to swing the blade."
"I had the strength to strangle Sha Chun, but when I chopped off Sha Chun's hands, I didn't have enough strength to swing the blade." Yi Fei said, "The possibility that the murderer was a woman is not small."
"It's not necessarily." Xu Chun turned around halfway and made a strangulation action, "Whether male or female, to strangle a person, you have to use all your strength. Because the person being strangled is bound to struggle, you not only have to strangle, but also It must be controlled. This process takes a lot of physical strength. After the murderer determines that Sha Chun is dead, his arm may be in a state of disengagement, it will become sore and weak, and in severe cases, he may tremble when he holds the axe. At this time, you need to cut off Sha Chun's body precisely and neatly. Hands are actually quite out of touch with reality.”
Yi Fei said: "That's right. Teacher Xing, what are the acquisition channels and general functions of this axe?"
"This..." Xing Mu smiled and looked at Xiao Man not far away, "Xiao Xiao is more professional than me."
Xiao Man said: "It is mostly used for fire fighting and outdoor work for engineers."
Fang Yuanhang's eyes lit up, "That means it's not easy for ordinary people to get it?"
Xiao Man shook his head, "It's easy to buy online."
Fang Yuanhang: "Huh?"
"Don't be surprised." Mingshu said, "This kind of axe has long been not a special offering for a special profession. In some areas, this kind of axe is used for fighting. This kind of axe is often used in rural areas for wood chopping and home improvement."
Xiao Man said, "That's what it means."
Mingshu raised his chin at Xing Mu, "Continue."
"We will investigate the source of the axe again. I want to analyze the reason why the murderer chopped off Sha Chun's hands." Xing Mu's hands were half-clenched fists, touching his neck, "While the murderer was strangling Sha Chun, Sha Chun's image Struggle like this, trying to pull the hemp rope apart, it is very likely that the murderer will be scratched, or the fibers of the murderer's clothes will be caught. In the former case, the blood or skin tissue of the murderer will be left in Sha Chun's nails. In one case, we can delineate the general scope of the investigation based on the fibers of the clothes. The murderer cut off Sha Chun's hands in order to prevent us from extracting his DNA information, or to prevent us from knowing what clothes he was wearing."
Xiao Man raised his hand and added, "No traces of DNA can be found on Sha Chun's body. It is very likely that the murderer's information is only in the hands that were cut off."
"No." Mingshu interrupted suddenly, "This is a bit contradictory."
Xing Mu asked, "Uh... Where is the contradiction?"
Mingshu said: "Since the murderer had an axe, why didn't he kill Sha Chun with an axe? It is obviously more convenient to chop with an axe than to strangle with hemp rope. Sha Chun did not take medicine and was not poisoned, which means that he was sober at the time and had resistance. Ability, isn't the murderer worried about missing when he uses hemp rope?"
Xing Mu said: "The murderer may have thought that hacking would cause a lot of bleeding, and strangulation would avoid this?"
"Then what is the purpose of the murderer's axe?" Mingshu stood still, "Is it just because he expected that he would be scratched by Sha Chun, so he brought it with him to chop off Sha Chun's hand?"
Yi Fei said: "The Ming team's analysis is reasonable. The murderer prepared an axe, but killed Sha Chun by strangulation. This is indeed a bit strange. What is the purpose of the murderer's axe, which is directly related to TA's cutting off Sha Chun's hands? reason."
Xing Mu is proficient in forensic medicine, but when it comes to the case itself, sometimes he can't keep up with Mingshu and Yi Fei's ideas, "Didn't the murderer cut off Sha Chun's hands because of something in Sha Chun's nails?"
"It's very possible, but not the only possibility." Mingshu said, "If it's just because Sha Chun's fingernails are found to have his own blood and skin tissue, then the murderer can only cut off part of Sha Chun's fingers, or don't have to bother. , and cut off the side that sticks to the nails directly with a knife. Chopping the wrist is not an easy task. The daily knife is constantly chopped, and it must be an ax or a control knife. This returns to our previous question. The murderer predicted his own DNA. Will the information stay in Sha Chun's nails? If it is expected, the TA can also carry lighter tools. It's just to cut off the nails, why use an axe?"
Fang Yuanhang frowned and thought, "It's a fact that the murderer chopped off Sha Chun's hands with an axe. The crux of the question now is, if he didn't want to prevent us from extracting TA's DNA information, why?"
"First, to complete a certain ceremony, which is consistent with Sha Chun wearing a costume and stage makeup when he was killed. To a certain extent, it is consistent. But what kind of ceremony is, I can't be sure yet." Mingshu said : "Second, it has something to do with Sha Chun himself."
Xing Mu said softly, "Me?"
"Sha Chun specializes in the guzheng. Although she can also play the instrument, the guzheng is what she is best at." Mingshu said, "For a guzheng player, isn't the hand the most important thing?"
Fang Yuanhang suddenly felt a chill down his spine, "If the murderer took Sha Chun's hand, he took away her most important thing."
"There can be multiple interpretations here. I'll mention what I think of first, and you'll add them later." Mingshu said, "The murderer hated Sha Chun, so after killing her, he was not satisfied and had to cut off her hand. The murderer thinks that Sha Chun is too mediocre to play the guzheng, these hands are white long on Sha Chun; the murderer is jealous of Sha Chun, or the murderer likes Sha Chun…”
"Wait!" Fang Yuanhang interrupted, "I understand the first two, but jealousy and liking are unlikely, right? Don't the folks in the folk music club say that Sha Chun has no talent, but only knows how to work hard? Like her, as for being jealous?"
"Your thinking is too one-sided." Mingshu said: "People in the folk music club think that Sha Chun has no talent, this is only their internal opinion. What do people outside the folk music club think? I noticed it when I performed on Saturday. Sha Chun is gone. Why? Because in the eyes of a layman like me, she is very professional and charming. Also, I asked Han Mingming, the deputy director of the folk music club just now. She admitted that people who are not talented like Sha Chun in the folk music club do not Less, Sha Chun is particularly outstanding because Sha Chun is unwilling to be mediocre and works harder than everyone else."
Because of his inexperience, Fang Yuanhang couldn't think of Mingshu so much, but his advantage is that Mingshu can quickly follow up with a few points. I admire Shachun's hands that can produce beautiful music, so..."
"So Sha Chun's hand may still be kept somewhere. But if it were the first few ideas, Sha Chun's hand might have been destroyed." Mingshu said.
Fang Yuanhang stood up, "I suddenly have an idea."
Mingshu looked at him, "Speak."
Fang Yuanhang said: "The folk club thinks that Sha Chun has no talent. Could this be a cover up?"
Probably because he jumped a little far this time, and even Mingshu didn't react.
"In order to conceal their gay identity, some gays always emphasize that they are straight men and are homophobic." Fang Yuanhang said, "Among those people in the folk club who say that Sha Chun has no talent, will there be people who actually agree and envy them? Sha Chun's people? I don't think anyone would want to become better, right? Sha Chun's talent is average, but she is diligent and hardworking. People like her should be making progress little by little - maybe as slow as a snail, But over the years, it is definitely better than doing nothing, right? Those people in the folk club who also have no talent and do not work hard look at her, what is the psychology of her? They are jealous and afraid, and they also pretend to be dismissive. Some of them may have thought about working hard like Sha Chun, but they are afraid of being treated as an alien."
There is actually no problem with Fang Yuanhang's idea, but Mingshu couldn't help coughing softly as he listened to his gay come and go.
The meeting room suddenly became noisy, and as soon as the thinking was broadened, everyone began to express their own ideas.
Xing Mu raised his hand several times, but he was ignored because his voice was not loud enough.
Mingshu clapped his hands, "Be quiet, Brother Xing hasn't finished speaking yet."
Xing Mu blushed again, "There is one more detail, I will finish it soon. Zhou Yuan, come and cooperate with me."
Suddenly being named, Zhou Yuan was taken aback, "Me?"
"Well, you are relatively small." Xing Mu took out a prepared hemp rope, "I can't restrain them."
"Mr. Xing, is this going to demonstrate the situation at the time of the incident?" Fang Yuanhang said to himself.
Just when Xing Mu put the hemp rope around Zhou Yuan's neck, Mingshu faintly knew what Xing Mu wanted to express.
Zhou Yuan, who was covered with hemp rope, had a sluggish expression - his expression most of the time - symbolically grabbed the hemp rope around his neck with both hands, and kicked his legs forward twice.
It was a funny move, and some players had already started laughing.
Xing Mu didn't use much force and said, "You have to struggle."
Zhou Yuan struggled cooperatively, first twisting his waist, then rubbing his back against Xing Mu's chest a few times.
In the serious crime team, one of them is shy and the other is afraid of the leader. At this time, under the cold light, you come and go, and everyone laughs.
Mingshu didn't smile, "Brother Xing, are there any signs of Sha Chun's struggles?"
"Yes." Xing Mu let go of Zhou Yuan, and whispered while pulling on the hemp rope: "You didn't struggle like this."
Zhou Yuan is also quite innocent, "You didn't force me to restrain me, how could I struggle?"
Someone else laughed.
Mingshu said: "Okay, let's start after the joke meeting. Brother Xing, let's talk about the main point."
"With strangulation, the victim starts from the early stage of suffocation until his breathing stops, and finally his heart stops as short as a few minutes or as long as tens of minutes. Before breathing stops, if the victim is conscious, he will struggle hard." Xing Mu said : "But the traces of struggle on Sha Chun's body are actually not obvious."
Yi Fei asked, "She didn't struggle much?"
"It should be said that in the early stage of suffocation, she didn't struggle much." Xing Mu said, "Before she died, she still struggled hard. I think this is very strange. Anyone whose neck is bound should struggle immediately. She will struggle in the later stage. I can understand it as a survival instinct. What about the early stage? The early stage struggle is very small, or there is no struggle at all. I think of several possibilities - first, she was poisoned and could not control her limbs; second, the murderer used poisoning She was mentally manipulated by other means; thirdly, she was asleep when she was attacked, and she had not woken up in the early stage of suffocation."
After taking a breath, Xing Mu added: "The first one is temporarily ruled out, because the toxicology failed to detect any abnormality."
"No, the first possibility can't be completely ruled out." Yi Fei said: "There has been such a case in the past - a new type of drug has just appeared and cannot be identified by toxicological tests. Suppose now that a new type of hallucinogen appears, its ingredients Special, we can't test it out?"
Xing Mu nodded, "That makes sense."
"But compared to the first possibility, the second possibility is indeed bigger." Yi Fei added: "After all, Sha Chun's death is ritualistic."
Fang Yuanhang said: "Isn't this related to the cult committing crimes? First, Sha Chun was mentally manipulated, then killed, and finally his hands were chopped off. What kind of teachings do you take with your hands?"
Xiao Manbai Fang Yuanhang glanced at him, "Are you thinking too far? Our current investigation direction is still not focused on cults. It is very strange to have his hands cut off, but to be honest, Sha Chun plays the guzheng. Ordinary resentment commits the crime, and the murderer may also cut off her hands. Most of the murders are committed by acquaintances, and now we have not thoroughly investigated Sha Chun's background and interpersonal relationships, so we have pushed the possibility to cults, Xiao Fang, what do you think?"
Fang Yuanhang touched the back of his head and felt that he was indeed too excited.
Xiao Man's words made the conference room quiet for a moment.
Mingshu continued to analyze the words of Xing Mu and Yi Fei, "The third possibility involves the location of the crime. Sha Chun is sleeping, where is he sleeping? Why is he wearing makeup and stage clothes when he sleeps? Is the burial place the first place to be buried? A scene?"
No one can answer these questions yet.
Mingshu knocked on the table, "Xiao Man is right, now we still need to investigate Sha Chun's interpersonal relationship. Her colleagues in the entertainment group, people who often watch her performances, her relatives and friends. There is another clue, folk music. The people in the department said that Sha Chun will take private get off work after work, so let's make sure what private work is."
Another sleepless night.
When it was about to dawn, Fang Yuanhang shouted in the corridor: "Master, Master!"
Mingshu had just come out of an inquiry room when he took a can of Red Bull and lay on the railing of the terrace.
In a big city like Dongye City, there is no dark night at all.
There are also many people working at night, and before dawn, some people are already on the road. The neon is always bright and the light is endless.
Detectives aren't the only ones sticking out in the dark.
"Master!" Fang Yuanhang's voice approached.
Mingshu drank the last sip of Red Bull, crushed the jar and threw it into the nearby trash can, "Come on."
"After a preliminary investigation, this person named Ran He is quite suspicious." Fang Yuanhang opened a folder and took a photo of the photo, "I am in charge of inquiring about this person. From beginning to end, he has been saying that he has a relationship with Sha Chun. It's good, not like a friend, but occasionally we talk about performances. I asked him what he thought of Sha Chun being excluded from the orchestra. He first said that Sha Chun was not excluded, and then changed his tone, saying that some colleagues did not Sha Chun is very opinionated about working overtime, but he has never targeted Sha Chun himself, and he has helped Sha Chun appropriately."
Before listening, Ming Shu said, "This kind of person should not exist in the orchestra."
"That's right! He's lying!" Fang Yuanhang said, "Everyone else said that Ran He was the one who targeted Sha Chun the most! They also shared a detail—the day the folk music club moved to the new building, Sha Chun I wasted time on the bus and was ridiculed by Ran He the whole way!"
Mingshu sneered, "Everyone else should agree?"
Fang Yuanhang said: "This is very ironic, no one mentioned himself, but from the testimony of others, Ran He started in the car that day, and then most of the people in the car were talking about Sha Chun's delay in time. ."
Mingshu leaned against the wall and looked at the inquiry room diagonally opposite.
Ran He is inside.
Not long ago, Mingshu learned from surveillance and Han Mingming that after the performance on Saturday night, most of the orchestra members had dinner at a night stall called "Baby Shrimp" near the Jiangnan Theater, and Ran He took something at home as an excuse. by leaving alone.