Diary of a Criminal Investigator

That’s right!

The suicide location!

All three people committed suicide in parking lots.

Is this a coincidence too?

"Everyone, look, this is the surveillance footage from the time of Wang Gang’s death."

Lu Chuan switched the projection and played a clip of the video before Wang Gang’s death.

"Take a look, see if you find anything."

Lu Chuan had captured a very short segment from the video, less than two minutes, which everyone finished watching quickly.

It started with Wang Gang parking his car in the underground garage, walking out of the car, retrieving wood charcoal from the trunk and placing it in the passenger seat to light it, then closing the car door.

"Seems like there’s nothing special, right?"

The entire suicide process of Wang Gang could be described as smooth.

The time from parking the car to lighting the charcoal was very short, less than three minutes.

"Everyone, observe Wang Gang’s actions after he got out of the car once more."

Lu Chuan replayed the entire video again.

This time, someone noticed it.

"The surveillance!"

"Wang Gang glanced up at the surveillance when he got out of the car!"

Yes!

Lu Chuan rewound the video to the scene where Wang Gang got out of the car and looked up at the surveillance.

"Notice how Wang Gang scanned the area when he exited the car and located the surveillance camera before heading to the trunk."

"Why?"

"Why did he do that?"

"Was he... trying to record the suicide process?"

Someone tentatively voiced their opinion.

"Exactly!"

Lu Chuan stood up and walked to the front of the projection.

"The three people who committed suicide chose different parking lots, but these parking lots all share a common feature: they have surveillance."

"We’ve handled plenty of suicide cases here, has anyone ever seen someone specifically go to a monitored area to record their suicide?"

"But the deaths of Wang Gang, Zhao Jun, and Li Hao were all recorded."

"To me, it seems like they intentionally sought out places with cameras to record their death process and prove it’s suicide, unrelated to anyone else."

"But even so, think about it, why did all three choose parking lots?"

"Couldn’t they record it on their phones at home? Or use their phone in the car?"

"Moreover, each of them left a will in the car after their death."

"If one person left a will, we could say they had long considered suicide, but all three left wills, and all placed them in their cars; doesn’t that seem too coincidental?"

Indeed!

This indeed seems unlikely.

The method of death, the location, along with certain details like where the will was placed.

The suicides of these three people seem like they were cut from the same mold.

If there was a script guiding the suicides, these three must have followed the same script.

"Therefore, I personally believe that although Liang Juan isn’t directly connected to the suicides, she must have played a role indirectly."

When the three committed suicide, there’s evidence Liang Juan was not present.

So, a direct connection doesn’t exist.

Plus, based on the current clues, we can’t say Liang Juan is responsible for their suicides.

All three were retired seniors, over 60 years old, responsible for their own actions.

Furthermore, driving someone to suicide isn’t something accomplished by mere instigation.

"Captain Lu, what should we do next?"

Although Lu Chuan analyzed everything, revealing the suspicions behind the suicides clearly.

But, suicide is suicide.

Although the bodies weren’t subjected to autopsies, initial practical results show there are no drugs or alcohol involved.

The fact of suicide is clear.

Or even if Liang Juan did instigate the suicides, can she really be charged with a crime?

Would it be like telling someone on the street to go commit suicide, and if they did, would it be related to us?

If you’re told to die and you actually die, does the person who told you have to be guilty?

That doesn’t seem... logical either.

And from what we know about people who interacted with Liang Juan.

It doesn’t seem possible that it was about money, leading the three to suicide.

Logical incoherence!

This feeling is shared by everyone.

It feels like Liang Juan has some connection with the three suicides, but there also seems to be none.

Ultimately, Liang Juan has no reason to harm them.

The three had already transferred their cash deposits to Liang Juan, didn’t aim to get what’s in the will, and even said they’d give their houses to her.

If Liang Juan wanted their houses and tried every means to persuade them, instigate them to commit suicide, it would make sense, but now she didn’t want the houses.

What’s to be done, Lu Chuan doesn’t know either.

To arrest Liang Juan?

There isn’t substantial evidence.

The three charcoal suicides...

Wait a minute!

Charcoal?

A scene suddenly flashes in Lu Chuan’s mind.

"Chen! Get the photos of the trunk!"

Although Chen didn’t understand what Lu Chuan was doing, faithfully executing the leader’s decision was undoubtedly right.

"Fire Shepherd’s charcoal?"

The photo featured a panoramic shot of the entire trunk, with a central placement of a charcoal box.

Wang Gang retrieved the charcoal from this box, lit it in a metal basin, and placed it in the passenger seat.

"What brand is the charcoal from the other two people?"

"Find out! Find it right now!"

Ten minutes later.

"Captain Lu, confirmed, it’s all Fire Shepherd."

Lu Chuan’s eyes lit up: "Three people committed suicide, even using the same charcoal brand... coincidence?"

Nonsense!

"Investigate! Find out how the three people got their charcoal."

"And the charcoal-burning basin!"

An hour later.

In the villa area, Lu Chuan, Wang Zhaokai, and Chen Jiang arrived at Liang Juan’s house.

"Ms. Liang, we are criminal investigators from the Criminal Investigation Team."

"Regarding the suicides of Wang Gang, Zhao Jun, and Li Hao, please assist us in our investigation."

This was Chen Jiang’s second meeting with Liang Juan.

The counterpart, like the last time, while not particularly remarkable in looks or figure, was dressed meticulously.

Even at this moment faced with the summons from the Criminal Investigation Team, he remained unflustered and elegantly rose.

"Officer Chen, might I ask you to wait a moment, I need to fetch a jacket upstairs."

Chen Jiang looked at Lu Chuan, who glanced at the accompanying female officer: "Zhao, please accompany Ms. Liang."

"Yes."

Liang Juan saw it but said nothing.

Soon, the two came down again.

In the inquiry room.

"Ms. Liang, over the past month, we’ve discovered the suicides of Wang Gang, Zhao Jun, and Li Hao sequentially."

"All three had interactions with you, do you have any explanations for their deaths?"

Chen Jiang was in charge of this inquiry.

"No, I can only say I’m very disappointed and regretful."

"The three were exceptional; we had beautiful memories together, but... unfortunately, we lacked the fate to see it through to the end."