Diary of a Criminal Investigator

In the interrogation room, Zheng Gaoxue was sweating profusely from fear under Wang Zhaokai’s scrutiny.

As of now, what can be ascertained from all the investigation results is that Zheng Gaoxue met Qin Weiwei in person on the afternoon of the crime.

The two were previously in a romantic relationship, and the breakup was quite unpleasant.

Zheng Gaoxue had also developed a gambling habit.

And he studied low-voltage technology in school.

The small black box found in Qin Weiwei’s home distribution box is very likely placed by him.

After the incident, he left Haizhou City the morning of the same day.

So many clues intertwined, in Wang Zhaokai’s view, make Zheng Gaoxue the suspect.

However, no matter how Wang Zhaokai interrogated, Zheng Gaoxue steadfastly refused to admit that he killed Qin Weiwei.

"Officer... I really didn’t kill her."

"If you didn’t kill her, why are you lying?"

"I’m a grown man... stealing from my girlfriend... it’s embarrassing to admit."

Wang Zhaokai...

"Do you know where this is? This is the Criminal Investigation Team!"

"Embarrassing?

It’s ridiculous that you think so."

Another office.

"Captain Lu, if Zheng Gaoxue is the murderer, then it’s most likely for financial gain."

"But nothing valuable was missing from the victim’s home, and there are transfer records for the 20,000 yuan he borrowed from Qin Weiwei."

"Could he be the murderer?"

Whether he’s the murderer or not, it’s not up for speculation.

Although all current clues point to Zheng Gaoxue.

But Lu Chuan decides to verify it nonetheless.

The killer didn’t leave the scene without leaving anything behind.

The four words on the bathroom mirror are the most compelling piece of evidence.

"From the handwriting, it doesn’t quite match."

Lu Chuan has a systematic skill in handwriting identification and analysis, so he asked Zheng Gaoxue to sign a slip to see if his handwriting matched the ’give me my life back’ written on the bathroom mirror.

"Have him copy this out, and bring it to me later."

The most rigorous handwriting identification analysis requires comparison with the original writing, meaning to compare certain words, you have them write the exact words.

Although Lu Chuan’s previous analysis from the signature didn’t match, to be more thorough, he decided on a direct comparison.

If they directly asked him to write ’give me my life back,’ he would likely alter his handwriting if he was indeed the writer.

So Lu Chuan chose a passage with those four words interspersed in it.

This would lower the suspect’s guard.

Additionally, the killer wrote those words to disappear within a short time.

If Lu Chuan hadn’t been observant, he wouldn’t have noticed at all.

Four hours passed with Wang Zhaokai and Zheng Gaoxue wrestling, but still, he didn’t confess.

"Damn, this guy is impossible to crack."

Leaving the interrogation room, Wang Zhaokai shook his head.

"Either he’s really not the murderer or he has incredibly strong psychological fortitude."

Four hours, faced with so much evidence, any ordinary person would have cracked by now.

"Alright, take a break, Captain Lu wants this copied by Zheng Gaoxue."

Wang Zhaokai looked...

"A notification letter?"

As a suspect, Zheng Gaoxue must sign a notification letter after being arrested and before being interrogated.

It’s a necessary procedure.

"Isn’t a signature enough for this?"

Chen Jiang shook his head: "Captain Lu wants to compare his handwriting, this has some words identical to those on the bathroom mirror."

"Alright then, take a break, I’ll head in."

"Okay."

Wang Zhaokai returned to his office, took a sip of water, and rested for a while.

Four hours of talking, leaving his mouth dry.

Chen Jiang accomplished his task smoothly, and the item was copied in less than ten minutes.

In Lu Chuan’s office.

After receiving the copied notification letter from Zheng Gaoxue, Lu Chuan casually circled four words.

Give me my life back.

The result further validated Lu Chuan’s previous handwriting identification analysis.

"Not him."

From the perspective of handwriting identification analysis, even if someone tries to conceal it, some details will inevitably be exposed.

Coupled with the comparison of other strokes, Lu Chuan is sure the handwriting on the bathroom mirror at the crime scene wasn’t written by Zheng Gaoxue.

"The autopsy results show that Qin Weiwei actually died from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by extreme emotional fluctuation due to excessive fear."

"Judging from the scene, it’s highly likely that the person who wrote the words and tampered with the distribution box at Qin Weiwei’s home is the murderer."

This judgement is something the Criminal Investigation Team can internally agree upon.

Imagine, Qin Weiwei, living alone, suddenly sees ’give me my life back’ on her bathroom mirror in the middle of the night.

Then the lights in the house start flickering non-stop.

Isn’t that atmosphere terrifying enough?

Of course, these alone probably wouldn’t scare someone to death.

So, most likely, there are other factors at play.

However, there’s currently no direct evidence.

Wang Zhaokai also came over.

He heard Lu Chuan’s assessment.

"The handwriting isn’t his?"

"Correct, the handwriting isn’t his. Moreover, if Zheng Gaoxue is the murderer, his motive should have been Qin Weiwei’s money."

The reason Zheng Gaoxue and Qin Weiwei broke up was because of money.

So, if Zheng Gaoxue did murder, why would he violate her body after she died but not take the money?

The Criminal Investigation Team has already investigated Qin Weiwei’s bank account transactions.

On the afternoon of the crime, she did indeed transfer 20,000 yuan to Zheng Gaoxue.

After that, there were no other transactions.

As a freelance model over the years, Qin Weiwei managed to save some money.

She fully paid for her house and had more than 200,000 yuan in savings.

Of course, suspicions about Zheng Gaoxue cannot be fully ruled out either.

Because how the handwriting on the bathroom mirror is linked to Qin Weiwei’s death, no one can be entirely certain.

At present, these clues remain just speculations.

"Should we release him?"

"Let’s wait; hold him overnight, and if nothing new emerges, release him tomorrow, but keep constant surveillance on his movements."

Though Lu Chuan’s handwriting analysis ruled out Zheng Gaoxue, it’s always wise to consider unexpected possibilities.

For example, what if the murderer had an accomplice?

Anything could happen.

The next day.

Zheng Gaoxue was released from the Criminal Investigation Team.

The case investigation has now reached an impasse.

There are plenty of leads, but most have reached a dead end.

The locked-room murder, how it was carried out, how the killer operated, and how they escaped—

everyone pondered tirelessly all night without answers.

The lock on Qin Weiwei’s house was an old style that could only be bolted from the inside.

The window showed no signs of being climbed, and it was also locked from the inside.

Could the killer turn into air?

What to do?

Lu Chuan once again returned to the crime scene.