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墨書 Inktalez
Jiang Ping understood my meaning and quickly shook his head. "That's impossible. Mr. Zhao just left the house before you arrived, probably only half an hour ago. It can't be him."
The Lan Officer's words seemed to dismiss my suspicions. "The preliminary determination of the time of death is between eleven last night and two this morning. During that time, did you see or hear anything unusual?"
Unusual? I recalled the mysterious knocking from last night, but Gao Jun had only returned home around nine o'clock. After a moment's hesitation, I decided not to mention it; after all, no one wanted to be associated with a homicide investigation. Instead, I asked, "Is the crime scene very close? Can it be seen from the balcony?" I remembered that not long ago, Gao Jun and I had been on the balcony, and everything seemed normal then.
"The body was found in the woods fifty meters north of the building this morning by a student who came to sketch. However, based on the evidence at the scene, that was not the primary crime scene. The primary scene should be within your residential community." The Lan Officer continued to explain as he noticed our confused expressions. "Due to last night's rain, the victim left footprints in the muddy ground of the woods. These footprints extend from your community. They show signs of stumbling and running, then falling and crawling, ultimately stopping in the woods. Therefore, we deduce that the victim likely sustained fatal injuries within your community and fled before collapsing at the final location."
"Then we can just follow the footprints back..." Jiang Ping interjected.
"Once on the concrete surface of the community, it becomes difficult to distinguish the footprints," Lan Officer replied with a hint of frustration. "Although last night's rain left clear prints in the mud, it also washed away any blood that may have been spilled along the way."
"Oh," Jiang Ping sighed regretfully and asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"Here's the situation," Lan Officer said, scanning us with keen eyes. "From a logical standpoint, the victim would choose the shortest path to escape a dangerous area. Therefore, if we trace the footprints in a straight line back, it's highly likely he began his flight from downstairs in your building."
He paused for a moment, seemingly allowing us time to think while also focusing our attention further before delivering his most important message: "The police hope you can assist us in several ways: first, try to recall any details from that time and report any unusual findings immediately; second, help us locate the murder weapon. No weapon was left at the scene; based on our investigation, the fatal wound was located near the heart, suggesting it was likely a small knife or dagger about ten to fifteen centimeters long. It may now be carried or hidden by the assailant; if you discover anything similar, please inform us."
Jiang Ping nodded repeatedly. "Of course. The sooner we solve this case, the safer our neighbors will feel."
"That's about it for now. Please share this information with your family as well," Lan Officer said as he turned to me. "You live across from them, right? I won’t need to visit your home then. If you think of anything else, contact us promptly."
With that, he left behind two business cards and hurried away.
After the Lan Officer left, I returned to the room next door. Gao Jun was sitting in a painting chair, focused on mixing colors. When he saw me come back, he paused his work and asked, "So, did you find the answer you were looking for?"
"I haven't, but I will tonight. Jiang Ping has promised to let me meet her daughter—Tong Tong!" I replied somewhat defiantly.
"Xiao Yun, I want to ask you to agree to something for me." Gao Jun stood up and walked over to me, speaking seriously.
I rarely saw such an expression on his face and seldom heard him use the word "request" with me.
I nodded, waiting for him to continue, feeling a slight sweat in my palms from nervousness.
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