The Novelist Forced to Become Famous

Chapter 258: Secret room

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With the authorization from the host, Jian Jing immediately and politely asked everyone else to leave and went to inspect the scene on her own.

‌First, examine the body.

Rat was wearing a black tuxedo, lying on his side on the carpet, with a painful expression. His right hand was holding the handle of the dagger that had stabbed into his chest, as if he wanted to pull it out, but he didn't know if it was because he didn't have enough strength or something else, so he couldn't succeed. His left hand stretched forward, and not far away was the mobile phone on the coffee table.

There was blood around the wound, but the amount of blood loss was not large. There were some bloodstains on the carpet, two or three spots. Judging from the position of the deceased, he crawled two steps before swallowing. The place where he was stabbed was next to the wall, where there was a wine cabinet. The cabinet was opened and a bottle of red wine had been taken out, but there was still time to open it.

Preliminary inference was that when the deceased was about to pour the wine, he suddenly turned around and was stabbed in the chest. He fell to the ground and crawled two steps to grab his mobile phone, but failed and died halfway.

The final time was 23:30. By identifying the signs of livor mortis and rigor mortis, it can be determined that the time of death was within 3 hours.

At 22:30, everyone gathered in the hall waiting for the Rat, and Jian Jing rushed to the scene as soon as possible. In addition, the security guard never left the other door of the auction room, so it was very likely that someone else committed the crime.

Therefore, if there are special circumstances, the time of death can be determined before 22:30.

Then reveal other clues on the scene.

The lock core that was pried open was damaged, but from a structural point of view, it is a very typical handle lock, that is, the kind without a door handle on the outside. If it is locked, it can be opened by pressing the handle.

There is a square knob on the side facing the room, which can lock the door horizontally. The metal has a good luster. I picked it up and examined it briefly under the light, and there was no trace of any fingerprints.

In addition, the key to the room was in the deceased's chest pocket, and the auction room had windows and other doors.

This is a complete closed-room murder case.

But anyone who has read detective works will easily imagine that a very simple tool can be made using fishing line (or something like a ribbon) or something (like ice) to lock the door from the outside.

Or it is possible that he could use a fishing line (…), lock the door from the outside with the key, and then quietly put it back in his pocket.

There were only traces of wire cuts on the key, as well as sticky residue from tape, so it was hard to guess what method was used.

In addition, the fruit plates on the coffee table were not made of processed oranges and cut into pieces, but whole oranges and apples. In the trash can, you could find peeled oranges.

Jian Jing took out a pair of gloves from her handbag and put them on, then carefully pulled out the dagger.

With a slight sniff, besides the smell of blood, there is also a watery fragrance.

This should be a water knife.

But it is not the stainless steel knife you can see everywhere. There is a beautiful pattern on the surface of the blade, and the handle is made of wood, which is heavy and substantial.

If I remember correctly, this should be forged from Damascus steel and is a work of art.

Well, Mr. Xi is very stylish. He is so particular even when peeling an apple.

He put down the weapon and began to look for documents.

From the fragmentary words from the crowd, I had already learned the arrangement process - after the buyer entered the auction room, he wrote his price on a piece of paper and sealed it with wax.

During this stage, the Rat will not check anyone's offer to ensure that no clues are revealed to those who come later.

At 22:00, he would be alone in the auction room, open the envelopes, select the buyer with the highest price, and notify the other party individually of the result in the subsequent meeting.

But in the auction room, neither the envelope nor the quotation sheet was found.

The above is the result of the first site survey.

Jian Jing then found two security guards and asked them about what happened tonight.

Therefore, the entire topographic map must be described in more detail, roughly as follows:

... [Lobby]... .

... ..through... ... [Bathroom]... ... ... ... .

... .. passageway... ... ... ... .[waiting room]

... ... ... ... ... ... ... corridor... ... ...

... [Room 3]... [Room 2]... [Room 1]...

... ... ... ... .Close the channel... ... ... ... .

... ... ... ..[Auction--Sale--Room]... ... ... ...

... ... .Bodyguard a... ... ... Bodyguard b... ... ..

Let me reiterate: After 19:00, everyone gathers in the lobby and through the L-shaped passage, you can enter the bathroom and the waiting room at the end of the corridor. After passing through the waiting room, there will be a corridor leading to three safe rooms.

Passing through the safe room, you can reach a closed passage, which is opposite the door of the auction room. The auction room has two doors. The front door faces a large corridor guarded by two bodyguards, and the back door can be entered.

Jian Jing asked security guards A and B respectively.

Their confessions are as follows.

Jian Jing: "Tell me about your work tonight."

Bodyguard A: "Tonight's work is relatively simple. My men and I only need to guard the door to make sure no one is allowed in or out, and follow the orders of the boss when he needs anything."

Jian Jing: "What time does work start?"

Bodyguard A: "7pm. It should end at 12pm."

Jian Jing: "Has it always been you and your wife? Do you take turns?"

Bodyguard A: "Yes, it's the two of us."

Jian Jing: "When was the last time you saw the deceased?"

Bodyguard A: "Actually, I can't see anything today. The door is very soundproof."

Jian Jing: "Did the deceased speak to you?"

Bodyguard A: "A little after nine o'clock, he opened the door and told us to ask the waiter to bring in water and red wine."

Jian Jing: "What time was it? Was there anyone inside?"

Bodyguard A: "I don't remember clearly, please be careful."

Jian Jing: "Have you left your seat today?"

Bodyguard A: "I left twice. Once at around 9 o'clock to find a waiter, and once at 10 o'clock to go to the bathroom."

The questioning ends here.

‌ asked bodyguard B the same question again.

He corroborated a's statement about getting the toilet at around nine o'clock, and then told me that he had only gone to the toilet once, around eight o'clock, and had been guarding the door since then.

Likewise, because of the good sound insulation, he didn't hear any sound.

Jian Jing asked the secretary Tina again, and she said that the two bodyguards were hired by the deceased from a security company. The company had a good reputation and provided personal protection for many celebrities and politicians. Their identities had been strictly checked and no problems were found.

In other words, they should not be easily bribed to betray their masters.

In addition, like the other door, the door lock remained unlocked when they broke in, and the bodyguards had no way of entering unless the deceased opened the door himself.

Moreover, the corridor they were guarding was one of the main passages with surveillance, which could also prove their innocence.

In the entire area, the road at one end was blocked.

At the other end of the hall, although there were waiters coming in and out of the hall and the band was performing, they all went in and out through the hall door. Jian Jing could guarantee that, except for the other ten guests, no one else had entered the L-shaped passage.

In other words, the murderer was among the guests.

So the next step, of course, is to screen the identities of the ten guests.

Jian Jing made a form for them and filled in her impressions and analysis of each person.

--

Ox: His speaking habits are somewhat different from those of people in China. When he was chatting with the Monkey before, he seemed to have spoken Hokkien, maybe Southeast Asian Chinese

Tiger: Cold and polite, speaks fluent Chinese, and has a strong Japanese flavor. I met him once in Room 1.

Chen Long: He's a strange guy. He seems a bit lonely. I've never met him alone.

Snake: Sick, coughing all the time, and no sense of existence

Wu Ma: A handsome guy with abdominal muscles, and also a middleman. He also participated in the secret auction and said he was quoting for others. Who commissioned him

Sheep: A middle-aged lady with taste, a collector and antique shop manager

Monkey: A member of the group, an appraiser, and very reluctant to see the bronze head fall into the hands of outsiders (is that his motive?)

Rooster: A Chinese woman who immigrated to the UK. She is an acquaintance of Monkey and intends to join other customers to bid for the bronze head.

Dog: Does the foreign lady who bought the violin have a motive for committing a crime

Pig: A local tycoon who comes here for the national treasure right from the start. Is he determined to get the bronze head

--

The fog is thick.

Jian Jing sighed and prepared to go to the three safe rooms.

There, I ran into Tina.

He told Jian Jing: "I have arranged for bodyguards to take turns guarding the safe room 24 hours a day."

Jian Jing asked: "Where's the surveillance?"

"It can't be installed inside, so a temporary one has been installed outside." Tina's efficiency is pretty good and her considerations are very thoughtful.

Jian Jing felt a little relieved, and asked Tina to ask the staff to change the door lock and deliver the key to the cabin.

Tina agreed immediately.

After doing all this, Jian Jing returned to the cabin to rest and prepare to question the suspects one by one tomorrow.

Maybe because of the case, he was worried and didn't notice the shaking of the yacht at all, so he fell asleep immediately.

The next day, I asked the chef for a Chinese breakfast. After finishing my meal, I went straight into the auction room.

‌ I brought a makeup box. The first layer is commonly used cosmetics, and the second layer is trace detection props - don’t ask why you should carry this with you, it’s better to be prepared, it’s a wise saying.

It took some time to extract a few fingerprints from the murder weapon. I sent it to Tina, asking her to find someone as soon as possible to compare the fingerprints with those of the deceased.

There were fingerprints of many people on the outer door, but the inside was wiped very clean without any fingerprints left.

After doing all this, it was almost ten o'clock and Jian Jing began to ask the guests for statements.

‌It was decided to visit each of them one by one in chronological order.

It needs to be reiterated before this, the current estimated time of death is between 20:30-22:30.

The first one is the Pig.

He was the first to leave the hall and expressed his appreciation for the national treasure very early on. He left from 19:05 to 19:27, a total of 22 minutes.

Jian Jing asked him, "Are you the first one to bid?"

Haizhu admitted immediately: "Yes."

‌: "Is it going well?"

Pig: "Of course."

‌: "Which number did you take the photo of? Can you tell me?"

Haizhu hesitated for a moment, then said fearlessly, "It's actually quite obvious, I took the photo of number 2."

Jian Jing said: "I noticed that you left around 22:15. Where did you go?"

Haizhu's eyes dodged: "What, you went to the toilet."

Jian Jing: "Have you entered the auction room yet?"

Pig: "Yes, absolutely."

She glanced at him, scanned every corner of the cabin, nodded, and ended her questioning.

The second one is the tiger.

During the auction, he left twice, the first time from 19:15 to 19:30 and the second time from 20:40 to 21:20.

Very suspicious.

Jian Jing asked: "Tell me about your actions yesterday."

Yinhu sat upright with his hands on his knees: "Please allow me to explain. I didn't succeed the first time I tried, so I tried the second time."

Jian Jing pretended to be surprised: "Why?"

"Because there are people in the auction room," he said, "I thought it's not urgent anyway, so I might as well come back and rest for a while and come back later."

Jian Jing nodded, not saying whether she believed it or not, and just asked: "What happened during your second time?"

Tiger recalled: "Everything was normal. I wrote down the price on the list, sealed it and gave it to Mr. Rat."

Jian Jing: "Was he still alive at that time?"

"I'm afraid so," he said.

Jian Jing asked: "Did the deceased say anything to you? How did he look?"

"Very friendly. When I was thinking about the price, he said there was no rush and asked if I wanted a glass of sake."

Jian Jing thought for a while and asked, "At that time, were there any plates on his table?"

Yin Hu: "Sorry, I didn't pay attention. The auction items occupied my mind."

Jian Jing: "Which collection item are you bidding for? Can you tell me?"

Yinhu hesitated and said, "Number 2."

"Are you sure about your offer?" he asked.

Yinhu answered concisely and forcefully: "I have tried my best."

"I think you should have some confidence in your heart." Jian Jing smiled and pointed out his third departure. "At 22:10, I saw you leave. Did you confirm the bid?"

Yinhu said expressionlessly: "No, I'm out of convenience."

"Oh, that's it." He smiled apologetically and suddenly looked at the trash cans under his desk. The trash inside had been sorted into different categories. The empty mineral water bottles, even the wrapping paper and bottle caps were separated.

"Japanese?"

Yin Hu pursed his lips and answered stiffly: "I think this has something to do with the case."

"Just asking." He didn't take it as an offense and said goodbye and left.

The third one is the Dog, a foreign noblewoman. According to the Rooster, she is a Chinese and a famous musician. She will leave the hall between 19:20 and 19:36.

Jian Jing and ‌‌ had never had any private contact, so this time they were talking face to face, so she couldn't help but look at each other carefully.

She was a woman who was not very pretty but had a very good temperament. She had dyed blonde hair with black hair showing at the roots. She had blue eyes, a pale face, and obvious dark circles under her eyes. It was obvious that she did not get enough rest last night.

"Oh my God." The dog said with a worried tone, "How could this happen?"