"Wait a minute." Writer Wu stopped Officer Liang, his face dark as the bottom of a pot. "It's just a small matter, and you want to search my luggage?"
Officer Liang said calmly: "I have the right to do so."
Writer Wu clenched his teeth, his cheeks bulged out, and after a while, he said, "Don't you just want to know whether I went to see her? Yes, I did. I went to see her around ten o'clock."
Officer Liang asked, "What did you do?"
"What can I do? Just talk to her about some private matters," said writer Wu.
"You had an argument?"
Writer Wu hesitated and said, "We argued for a while, but we finally came to an agreement."
"What did they quarrel about?"
"It's just a private matter. There's no need to tell you. Anyway, she was still alive and well when I left." Writer Wu said this with full confidence.
And it was indeed so. Kang Mucheng met Painter Chang afterwards and there was nothing unusual about her.
Could it be that the suspicion still falls on Kang Mucheng, the last person to see her
Jian Jing couldn't sit still anymore and decided to return to the scene for further investigation.
There was a nightgown hanging on the hanger in the bedroom. This should be one of the two-piece suits. The suspender skirt underneath was found in the bathroom, and the silk nightgown underneath was hung up - wow, she seemed to be wearing this to chat with Kang Mucheng.
Red chicken.
On the bedside table was a mobile phone, a small glass of water, and a box of tissues, all of which were common items. On the dressing table was a red wine glass with lip prints on the rim. After checking the color number, it turned out to be a male-attracting color that had not been put away on the table.
She tried to replay the scene of last night in her mind: after twelve o'clock, Painter Chang and Kang Mucheng finished chatting about the publication of Yangguan's works in the small study, and returned to their rooms to prepare for bed.
She put in hot water, bath salts, and half a glass of red wine, and then someone knocked on her door.
The most likely murder weapon was the pillow, so Painter Chang must have invited someone into the house. She was drunk, and perhaps her mind was a little unclear. They sat on the sofa and chatted for a while, and the other party suddenly picked up the pillow and covered her face... No.
The scene is marked with a red cross.
She checked the nails of the painter Chang, and they were very clean, without any dandruff or clothing. But no matter how drunk a person is, he will instinctively struggle when his breathing is obstructed, right
Painter Chang showed no signs of having fought with anyone and seemed to have died unconsciously.
Could it be that she was too drunk and unconscious, and someone with murderous intent entered the room and smothered her to death, then pretended that she had drowned in the bath, locked the door, climbed over the balcony and left
"How is it, any new discoveries?" asked Officer Liang.
Jian Jing rubbed her temples and smiled bitterly: "To be honest, the more I think about it, the more confused I get."
Officer Liang crossed his arms: "Want to hear my opinion?"
"you say."
"I think the painter and Kang Mucheng got along well and, under the influence of alcohol, they wanted to communicate further," Officer Liang said calmly. "The painter took the initiative to invite him into the room, and then an accident happened. The painter suffocated to death."
Jian Jing covered her face, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Are you talking about sexual asphyxiation?"
"You think you know Kang Mucheng, but many things are hard to say." Officer Liang is knowledgeable and said calmly, "He couldn't have expected such an accident, right?"
Jian Jing opened her mouth, speechless: "I can't defend him on this, but if you think so, we can take another look at the body. The body won't lie."
After inspection, no traces of male remains were found in the painter's body, and no used umbrella was found in the entire room.
Jian Jing was obviously relieved and said, "If it was on the bed, it would be more convenient to use a pillow. Why would you use the pillow on the sofa?"
Officer Liang shook his head: "Just because the pillow is placed on the sofa doesn't mean it's always there."
"There were no signs of sleep on the bed. The painter's quilt and pillowcases were all made of silk, so it would be very obvious if he had done any strenuous exercise." Jian Jing said, "Also, although the water temperature may cause some discrepancies in the time of death, I still tend to believe that the painter died around two or three in the morning."
This reason was very convincing. Officer Liang thought for a moment and asked, "What about Eddie? He said he came to see the painter around ten o'clock, but he didn't say why, and no one could confirm it."
Xiaotian confirmed the time when Writer Wu went to look for Painter Chang, but no one could prove Eddie's whereabouts. He did not see Mr. Tao and Kang Mucheng on the first floor, nor did he meet Xiaotian and Xiaolu who came back at about the same time, and Writer Wu never mentioned it.
They found Eddie and asked him again.
Eddie was very perceptive: "Are you doubting me now?" Without waiting for their answer, he said irritably, "Why would I harm Lisa? If she dies, I won't benefit at all."
"We just want to understand the situation." Officer Liang remained calm. "Why did you come to see the painter last night? Did she behave in any unusual way?"
Eddie licked his lips and said in a hoarse voice, "Take the money. I want money from Lisa. Is there a problem?"
Officer Liang was excited: "Will the painter lend it to you?"
"You didn't understand. I asked her for money." Eddie suddenly calmed down and said, "I owed someone some money, and I wanted Lisa to pay it back for me. She was not very happy and refused to give in, so we had some conflicts a few days ago. I was thinking of finding another way out."
At this point, he glanced at Jian Jing, clearly implying that she was the so-called "way out."
"Tonight, they came to ask me to pay back the money again. I had no choice but to go to Lisa again." Eddie said, "She promised to help me pay back part of it. I went back after achieving my goal. Tell me, what good will I get if she dies? Who will help me pay back the money?"
Officer Liang frowned, carefully judging the truthfulness of Eddie's words.
Jian Jing said, "Does the painter usually drink before going to bed?"
"Yes, Lisa has trouble sleeping. Not only does she drink alcohol, but sometimes she also needs to take medicine to fall asleep."
"Does she have the habit of locking the door?"
"If she's ready to go to bed, she'll lock the door." Eddie emphasized, "I said, Lisa has a bad sleep and she doesn't like others to disturb her rest."
Jian Jing seemed to understand something: "So your room is in the building next door?"
“Obviously.”
She frowned, feeling more and more confused: the water and bath salts in the bathtub, the red wine on the bedside table, undoubtedly showed that Painter Chang was getting ready for bed - this kind of private habit was difficult to disguise - at this time, whose arrival would make her open the door and invite the other person in
Kang Mucheng? If he wanted to have a romantic encounter with a beautiful woman, why didn't he just accept it beforehand? There was no need to go back to his room to work for a while before going to see her. Jian Jing didn't think he would do that either.
But if it wasn't Eddie, who could it be
At eight o'clock in the evening, Jian Jing and Officer Liang reviewed all the confessions and finally concluded that writer Wu was lying.
According to the timeline, Writer Wu claimed that he and Painter Chang had reached an agreement on something. However, during a conversation between Kang Mucheng and Painter Chang later, the painter implied that it didn't matter whether they became enemies or not.
The manuscripts packed up in the study proved this, but Painter Chang still decided to publish the letter in which Yangguan mentioned writer Wu, which seemed to imply that there was something fishy about "The Lost Yumen".
This is obviously contrary to what writer Wu said.
Moreover, according to Jian Jing's impression of Painter Chang, it is very unlikely that Writer Wu would want to persuade her after they had a quarrel. It is more in line with her character to decide to make a big fuss in anger.
But there is a problem. In the middle of the night, if Writer Wu goes to see the painter, will the painter open the door for him
"What about climbing over the balcony?" Officer Liang said solemnly, "We always thought that the murderer came in through the main door, locked the door, and then climbed over the balcony to leave. Is it possible that he climbed in from the beginning?"
Jian Jing asked back: "Then why do you want to wipe off the fingerprints?"
Officer Liang's shoulders slumped. She insisted, "We'd better go through the scene again. There must be important clues that we have overlooked."
Jian Jing agreed.
The two focused their attack on the balcony, lying on the ground and searching bit by bit.
Just as she was about to scrub the balcony with her knees, Jian Jing finally found a clue that was easily overlooked with her extraordinary observation skills.
On the inside of the balcony railing of the studio, there is a piece of yellow oil paint that has not yet dried. Judging from the position, it seems that the painter Chang got it on his hand and accidentally wiped it off while holding the railing.
And now, part of the paint has been scraped off.
Jian Jing high-fived: "Writer Wu."
"Huh?" Officer Liang asked in confusion.
Jian Jing explained: "I glanced at Writer Wu's slippers before, and there was something yellowish-brown on the tip of the shoe. I thought it was just dirt, so I didn't pay much attention to it."
At that time, her main attention was on Writer Wu himself, occasionally shifting to the suitcase, and only glancing at the shoes. If it weren't for the help of the intermediate observation card, she would probably miss this small detail.
Officer Liang showed a hint of joy: "It seems we are very close to the truth."
Jian Jing said nothing. She was not so optimistic, as she had not figured out some issues yet.
Of course, this does not prevent them from confronting writer Wu.
Writer Wu naturally would not admit to climbing over the balcony, but when the shoes were turned out, the evidence was irrefutable and he had to admit it even if he didn't want to.
"Mr. Wu, you have to come with me." Officer Liang was ruthless and showed no mercy.
Writer Wu's face turned pale and blue for a while, and what he blurted out was: "It has nothing to do with me. She was already like that when I went in!"
As if he was afraid that he would miss the chance to explain himself, his attitude changed 180 degrees and he quickly confessed, "I thought she was taking a shower in the bathroom and had no idea she was dead. Then I made a noise by accident and there was no movement inside, so I took a look and saw that she was just lying there, not breathing at all."
"what have you done?"
"Of course I locked the door! If someone found out I sneaked into her room in the middle of the night, I would never be able to clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River!" Writer Wu said angrily, "Her death had nothing to do with me. I just did what I had to do and left without even touching her."
Jian Jing caught the key message: "Lock the door? Is the door open?"
"Nonsense, how could I get in if the door wasn't open?" Writer Wu could tolerate Officer Liang's unreasonableness, but he refused to give in to her, a junior in the industry, and said in a rough voice, "There was no sound in the room, and the door was open. I thought she was not there and was fooling around with someone. You should know that she is dead in there. I would not go in even if you kill me."
His self-defense was surprisingly logical.
Writer Wu was already in his fifties or sixties and had neglected exercise. It was a bit of a stretch for him to climb over the balcony and steal things while Painter Chang was sleeping.
Painter Chang is neither deaf nor blind, so what should he do if he is caught? It would be better to sneak in when no one is around.
"Did you wipe the fingerprints off the door lock?" Jian Jing asked for confirmation.
"Yes, no?" Writer Wu looked uncomfortable. Funny enough, details like wiping fingerprints were a point of knowledge he remembered when he read a mystery novel - although he criticized the story completely.
Jian Jing was silent and thoughtful.
Officer Liang responded impartially: "Please explain clearly what you did in that room."
At this point, Writer Wu knew he couldn't hide it anymore, so he said reluctantly, "It was something Old Yang promised to give me."
Officer Liang asked him to open the suitcase.
Writer Wu refused several times and finally opened the box and took out a piece of unfinished manuscript.
This is Yang Guan's early manuscript, titled "Yumen Yushi".
"Back then, Lao Yang and I talked about some things in the northwest. We both wanted to write something, but he ran out of inspiration after only writing three chapters. I found some more information and wrote the article. Our sources are the same person, so it's normal that they are a bit similar. Lao Yang never said anything when he was alive."
Writer Wu was very smart. He knew that romantic affairs were not a big deal, but some things could ruin his reputation, so he had to clear himself of them. It happened that Yangguan and Painter Chang were both dead, so there was no evidence, so he could do whatever he wanted.
However, the two people present did not have the heart to pursue this for the time being.
Officer Liang asked: "Where did you find this manuscript?"
"A safe. Where else could it be?"
Jian Jing checked the scene and knew there was a safe under the bedside table. Because it required a password, she did not open it and could not help wondering: "Do you know the password?"
"The safe was open when I went in."