CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 177: THE SIXTH FINGER

This case has already been a puzzle for more than a month, during which he stayed up many nights and put in a lot of effort.

But now, success is just one step away.

After night fell, the detective team’s office was still brightly lit.

Jiang An, Wan, and Zhang Yean, accompanied by Mr. Li and Mr. Zhao, went to the canteen’s private room.

Seeing Mr. Zhao’s worried face, Mr. Li comforted him, saying, "Man is steel, rice is iron; you still have to eat, otherwise how can we find another murderer next?

Mr. Zhao sighed.

He said, "If we crack the case, we can have a drink tonight to celebrate."

"But I didn’t expect a surprise on the way."

Mr. Li raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder.

"We have been in criminal investigation for so many years, haven’t we encountered things that are reasonable but unexpected?"

"After one person is caught, it’s not uncommon for a case of harboring another person to emerge."

"It’s just that I didn’t expect them, at such a young age, to form such a strong criminal partnership."

"Even Wang Chuang chose to give up when facing the chance to make contributions."

"There must be factors we didn’t foresee behind this."

Zhang Yean interjected, "For these left-behind children, lacking parental care for a long time."

"They are often influenced by some notions of brotherhood, highly valuing so-called ’brothers’."

Finally, Mr. Zhao shook his head, "Personally, I think the possibility of breaking through with just confessions is very small now."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Li also frowned.

He turned to look at Jiang An to his right.

"Mr. Jiang, you are an expert in crime scene investigation and a leading figure in forensic science."

"In this case, besides confessions, do we have other ways to find a breakthrough?"

Jiang An put down his chopsticks and said solemnly, "In this case, since there are two suspects, there must be traces of both at the scene."

"I always believe that at any crime scene, as long as you’ve been there, you will leave traces."

"Some traces might not have been found yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Zhao sighed.

"Mr. Jiang, after your guidance, we’ve inspected the scene three times."

"Importantly, before you came, we had investigated many times and still didn’t find any particularly crucial evidence."

At this moment.

Jiang An’s mind once again flashed the entire scene process.

He suddenly thought of the location of the parking lot sign being found in the wardrobe.

Since this sign was found there.

This fully indicates that the person looking for valuables indoors was Wang Chuang.

According to the initial scene reconstruction, there were two suspects in committing the crime.

So, the other person played the role of controlling the female victim in the bedroom.

Only through contact can material transfer occur.

Jiang An’s brain was rapidly processing.

The female victim’s head was injured by a blunt object.

Based on the initial tool analysis, the tool used to hit the victim’s head was a stool.

From this angle, the other suspect must have contacted the stool.

Stool!

Suddenly, an idea flashed across Jiang An’s mind.

Is it possible to find traces of him on the stool?

Thinking of this, Jiang An turned to ask, "Mr. Li, has the stool in the bedroom undergone trace examination?"

Mr. Li nodded.

"Since you proposed that the stool was the crime tool, I immediately arranged for the evidence lab to carry out an examination."

"They found a small amount of blood at the corner of the stool, which tests revealed to be from the female victim."

"From this point, it fully matches your deduction analysis."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang An asked, "Are there fingerprints on the stool?"

Mr. Li shook his head.

"Initially, I specifically requested the evidence lab to check for fingerprints."

"But, only the fingerprints of the two victims were found, no third person’s fingerprints."

Hearing this, Jiang An turned to look at Zhang Yean.

"Senior sister, you are our fingerprint expert in Jiangcheng City."

"Although the stool has been examined, I think it’s necessary to ask you to examine it again."

Zhang Yean put down her bowl and chopsticks, saying, "Mr. Jiang, no problem."

"I’ll go to the lab right after eating to examine the stool and see if there might be any suspect’s fingerprints left."

Upon hearing Jiang An’s arrangement, Mr. Li and Mr. Zhao had no objections.

After all, breaking the case is the priority now, not face.

Jiang An pondered slightly and said, "This stool was initially examined by Han City’s colleagues, and this examination must emphasize key points."

"Pay special attention to unconventional examination parts, such as corners and edges."

From Jiang An’s reminder, Zhang Yean instantly understood.

Generally, when lab techs examine fingerprints, they often search based on their living habits.

However, there can be exceptions, potentially missing examination areas.

At this moment, Mr. Li also understood and nodded, saying, "If fingerprints of a third person are found on this tool, it might be another suspect, and we can completely compare in the database."

Hearing this, Mr. Zhao spoke softly, "We’ve entered Wang Chuang’s personal information into the database but found no criminal record."

"I suspect the other suspect might also be a left-behind child; even if we find another suspect’s fingerprint, entering it into the database might not yield any match."

Mr. Li comforted him, saying, "Mr. Zhao, we proceed step by step."

"Furthermore, if we don’t use this approach, we don’t have a better method."

After dinner, Zhang Yean immediately returned to the evidence lab.

Following Jiang An’s work plan, she donned gloves and quickly examined the stool for fingerprints again.

Meanwhile, Jiang An, Mr. Li, and Mr. Zhao sat in the office, sipping tea.

The three sipped tea and discussed the next investigation direction.

Mr. Li said, "If expert Zhang Yean doesn’t find any fingerprints on the stool."

"I think we should use the traditional survey method to make inquiries."

"We’ll thoroughly investigate suspect Wang Chuang’s personal life relationship network."

"Since during interrogation, Wang Chuang strongly defended the other suspect; their relationship must be unusual."

Jiang An nodded after listening.

"Mr. Li, your method is very good."

"Although this traditional inquiry method is old-fashioned, it’s also a good one."

After a slight pause, Jiang An said solemnly, "However, even if we discover another suspect, we must find solid evidence."

"Suing based only on confession lacks evidential strength."

Mr. Li took a sip of tea.

"Exactly! If we only have confessions, it surely isn’t enough to prove his relationship with this case, unless Wang Chuang can identify him face to face."

Mr. Zhao shook his head.

"Currently, getting Wang Chuang to confess another person is very difficult, let alone identifying him face to face."

At this moment, Jiang An’s phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen; the caller was Zhang Yean.

Then, he placed the phone on the table, answered it, and turned on the speaker.

"Hello! Senior sister!"

On the other end, Zhang Yean excitedly said, "I have good news, something important was found here."

"What discovery?"

The three immediately became excited.

"I discovered a palm print on the inside bottom of the stool, but can vaguely see six finger imprints."

"Six fingers?"

Instantly, the three were stunned, looking at each other in confusion.