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墨書 Inktalez
Sitting in the room, I pondered deeply. The fire had ignited for no apparent reason, which was utterly baffling, especially on such a clear day without thunderstorms. The deceased had not come into contact with any electrical wires, so given the current circumstances, there seemed to be only one possibility: perhaps there was something on the deceased that had a very low ignition point. In a sunlit room, as the temperature gradually rose, it could have reached the ignition point and suddenly caught fire. The deceased might not have had time to react due to exhaustion or obesity and was then engulfed by the unexpected flames.
With this thought in mind, I called Ah Huang and shared my speculation with him. He sounded somewhat surprised on the other end of the line. "That's unlikely. What kind of fire could instantly kill someone without giving them a chance to struggle or run away?"
"Who knows? It could really be an accident."
There was a moment of silence before Ah Huang firmly stated, "No way. Let's wait for the investigation results!" I had nothing more to say and quietly hung up. Ah Huang was a determined person; once he set his mind on something, it was hard to change it. I secretly hoped there wouldn't be any surprises; otherwise, Ah Huang would drag me around for investigations again. I could understand his eagerness—he had become the acting Vice Captain at a young age and naturally wanted to solve more cases to prove himself. However, I suspected he didn’t have many capable subordinates in the police force yet, which is why he often liked to take me along.
But I didn’t mind; running around and seeing the world was actually quite nice and satisfied some of my vanity. After all, I had admired Sherlock Holmes when I was younger.
On the second week of April, early in the morning, Ah Huang called me. "The technical assessment results are out! Guess what they found?"
"How am I supposed to guess?" Ah Huang's voice was filled with barely contained excitement; I suspected he might have hit the jackpot.
"The technical examination revealed: first, there was a cup on the computer desk with remnants that tested positive for milk but also contained components of sleeping pills. The cup bore fingerprints from both Yueyue and the deceased; second, upon examining the floor of the room, aside from Yueyue's and the deceased's footprints in the living room and study, there were also footprints from a third person. Based on the analysis of these prints, it appears to be a male approximately 1.7 meters tall and weighing around 60 kilograms; third—and most importantly—there were trace amounts of phosphorus and sodium on the floor and on the unburned sofa! The technicians believe there is a 90% chance that flammable materials ignited first before burning the deceased completely. Where did this flammable material come from? Clearly, it wasn’t something the deceased brought with him; someone must have placed it in his clothing. What do you think? There must be something wrong here!"
"I’ve already reported the relevant evidence to our superiors, who have confirmed that I will lead this case. I'll find someone to handle external work while I come pick you up shortly; you need to accompany me today because I think you can provide important insights!"
This was truly a murder case! I thought to myself as I stopped worrying about what else Ah Huang might say. The weather in early April was no longer cold, but I still couldn’t help shivering at the thought of suddenly bursting into flames while asleep—being consumed like a candle in an instant by fire. How cruel this murderer must be!
After some time, I sat in Ah Huang's police vehicle as we headed straight for Yueyue's school. As he drove, Ah Huang said, "In our initial meeting, everyone felt that Yueyue is still a major suspect for several reasons: first, since the room was locked from inside, no outsider could have entered; aside from the deceased himself, only Yueyue could have had a key. According to Yueyue herself, she left home very early in the morning—so who put sleeping pills in the deceased's cup? Was it Yueyue or this third person? Did they know each other? Who placed phosphorus and sodium on the deceased? Additionally, since this area is older and lacks surveillance cameras, we cannot identify who entered the study; we can only open this gap through Yueyue!"
"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat confused.
"Could it be that Yueyue conspired with this third person to harm the deceased? It seems quite possible—for instance, if Yueyue met a boyfriend and wanted to get rid of the deceased, she might resort to such methods."
I thought for a moment but still felt something was off. "Ah Huang, phosphorus and sodium are both easily combustible at room temperature; we both know that. But if phosphorus was used, why include sodium? Moreover, as far as I know, sodium is not easy to obtain and is quite expensive on the market. If I were a murderer, I'd either use sodium or easily accessible phosphorus—why use both?"
Ah Huang remained silent for a moment, "Well, that's indeed a problem."
Watching Ah Huang drive thoughtfully, I didn't disturb him further. As I gazed out the window at the retreating people and scenery, I pondered what kind of hatred and unresolved grievances could lead someone to want to eliminate the Victim. Was it Yueyue? Thinking of her youthful and beautiful face, I found it hard to believe that her heart could be so dark.
Suddenly, I realized that I couldn't be Sherlock Holmes because I was too emotional and sentimental. At least, I couldn't think rationally like Ah Huang. I chuckled at myself; it was laughable that I once wanted to be a lawyer. Looking back now, it seemed those professions were truly not suited for me.
The journey continued in silence until we arrived at the university where Yueyue studied, a well-known institution in the area. After Ah Huang contacted Yueyue, he parked the car directly in the campus parking lot and led me to the entrance of a dormitory building.
Before long, Yueyue came down dressed in sportswear, her face filled with confusion. "Officer, you’re looking for me again. What’s going on? Is there any progress in the case?"
Ah Huang replied seriously, "We are here to confirm some details with you."
Seeing Ah Huang's serious demeanor, Yueyue's expression turned slightly unnatural. "Well then, Officer, please ask your questions." She tucked her hair behind her ear gently.
"I need you to answer whether you were seeing other men while you were with the deceased. When you left the room this morning, did you put sleeping pills in his cup? Who else has a key to your room?"
I noticed Yueyue's expression suddenly shift to anger. "Officer, are you suspecting me?! Don’t forget that I was the one who called the police!"
Ah Huang said, "We are conducting an investigation; please answer my questions properly."
Yueyue turned her head away, clearly suppressing her emotions. After a while, she turned back and said, "I am not as lowly as you think! Yes, I was with him; I liked how he pampered me. I enjoyed that kind of spiritual and material care. I relied on him to complete my studies and establish myself in this city! But I would never be with other men at the same time; what would that make me?"
Her emotions were heightened; after pausing for a moment, she continued: "This morning, I poured him milk and called him to wake up and drink it while he worked online in his study. I put sleeping pills in it because we went to see fireworks the night before and returned late; he didn’t sleep well. He has a habit of taking naps after handling some matters in the morning before picking me up from class in the afternoon."
Wiping her eyes, though there were no obvious tears, I sensed that her eyes were still moist. "As for the keys, I only have one set! I've always carried them with me." She pulled out a keychain with several keys on it, one of which was larger and clearly for a security door.
Ah Huang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, if you remember anything else, be sure to tell me. This is just standard procedure. If you want to catch the murderer, you need to cooperate with us."
Yueyue nodded and slowly turned to head upstairs.
Ah Huang turned to me and said, "I want to verify her alibi. I need to find some witnesses. Do you want to come with me, or would you rather wait here?"
I shook my head, indicating that I wasn't interested. Ah Huang nodded and turned to leave. I wandered around the school instead. It wasn't far from the entrance, and I saw many luxury cars coming and going. Young, beautiful girls were getting in and out, and I couldn't help but sigh. I wondered if this was what going to college was really about anymore.
After what felt like a long time, Ah Huang called me and asked me to meet him at the parking lot. By the time I arrived, he had already started the car and was waiting for me, though he seemed a bit downcast. "How did it go?" he asked.
Ah Huang shook his head. "No leads. Maybe she was telling the truth; there were no other rumors about her. They only mentioned that she was being supported by a wealthy man, but nothing about a boyfriend. She attended class that morning and was even marked present."
So who was the third person who entered the study? How did he have the keys to the victim's house? Why did he want to kill the victim? If he intended to kill her, why use two different types of accelerants? The timing of entering while the victim was asleep after taking sleeping pills seemed too coincidental!
Many questions lingered in both my mind and Ah Huang's.
(To be continued; tomorrow will be even more exciting!)
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