freenovelworld Chapter 1491 New Clues to a Turning Point
Chapter 1491 New Clues to a Turning Point
This discovery brought the case to a standstill. Wang Hao and Liu Hong did indeed appear near the crime scene and left behind several pieces of physical evidence, but their movements during the time of the incident contradicted the details of the crime. To resolve this discrepancy, Li Ming decided to adjust the direction of the investigation, focusing on verifying the specific conflicts and disputes between the two and Zheng Guobin, as well as the content of their phone calls in the early hours of the day of the incident.
Further investigation into the inappropriate relationship between Zheng Guobin and Liu Hong revealed that their affair had lasted for two years. Zheng Guobin had promised to buy Liu Hong a house, but had failed to deliver on his promise. Recently, due to business difficulties, Zheng Guobin borrowed 5 yuan in cash from Liu Hong, which he has yet to repay. Liu Hong repeatedly pressed for repayment, but Zheng Guobin made various excuses, leading to a heated argument between them. After learning of this, Wang Hao confronted Zheng Guobin, resulting in a physical altercation in front of Zheng Guobin's supermarket. This is a key reason why Wang Hao was included in the investigation.
The phone call Wang Hao received in the early hours of the day of the incident, after the technical team recovered the call records, was confirmed to be from supplier Li Jianguo. In the call, Li Jianguo urged Wang Hao to help him collect payment from Zheng Guobin as soon as possible, otherwise he would stop supplying him. Wang Hao had privately promised to help Li Jianguo collect the debt in exchange for a lower supply price. The argument between Wang Hao and Li Jianguo on the phone stemmed from this matter.
To verify why Wang Hao's vehicle lingered near the warehouse for 12 minutes, the team members, considering Liu Hong's characteristics and the conflict between the two, made a reasonable deduction: Wang Hao and Liu Hong may have wanted to take advantage of the early morning hours to go to Zheng Guobin's warehouse to find where he hid money, or to take goods from the warehouse to repay debts. Liu Hong's earring most likely fell off accidentally during the search. The bloodstains and fibers in Wang Hao's trunk may have been from bloodstains and clothing left by Zheng Guobin inside the warehouse; Zheng Guobin had previously cut his arm inside the warehouse, leaving bloodstains. Fearing discovery, the two left hastily after only 12 minutes without committing any crime.
To verify this hypothesis, Xiao Yang led the technical team back to Zheng Guobin's suburban warehouse for a more detailed investigation. Behind a hidden shelf in a corner of the warehouse, the team discovered slight signs of disturbance, with two blurry shoe prints on the floor. These prints matched the patterns of shoes typically worn by Wang Hao and Liu Hong. Furthermore, a small amount of Liu Hong's hair was found on the shelf, further confirming that the two had entered and searched the warehouse. Simultaneously, the team also found gauze used by Zheng Guobin when he had cut his arm; the bloodstains on it were identical to those found in the trunk of his vehicle, ruling out the possibility that it was left behind during the crime.
A more crucial alibi came from the surveillance footage inside the building's elevator. While the old building complex lacked security cameras at the building entrances, it had simple monitoring equipment inside the elevators. The footage showed that Wang Hao and Liu Hong took the elevator down to the convenience store around 2:15 AM to buy bottled water. The convenience store's security camera also recorded the two. The store owner recalled that the two did indeed come in to buy something; Wang Hao even complained, "Tonight's really unlucky," while Liu Hong kept her head down and didn't say anything. Around 3:00 AM, the two took the elevator back up, leaving the complex around 4:00 AM.
Zheng Guobin's time of death was precisely determined to be between 2 and 3 a.m. on the day of the incident. This means that during the crucial period when Zheng Guobin was murdered, Wang Hao and Liu Hong were in the residential area. Multiple surveillance cameras and witnesses corroborate this, and their movements were complete, indicating they had no opportunity to commit the crime. Furthermore, the technical team discovered that while the male diamond-patterned rubber-soled shoe footprints retrieved at the scene matched Wang Hao's shoe size, the pressure distribution on the footprints differed from Wang Hao's walking habits. Wang Hao, due to years of driving a truck, tended to have heavier pressure on the forefoot of his right foot, while the even pressure distribution on the footprints at the scene was more consistent with the walking characteristics of someone who walks regularly or engages in manual labor.
When all the clues were pieced together, the truth gradually became clear: Wang Hao and Liu Hong, due to emotional and debt disputes with Zheng Guobin, went to his warehouse to search for valuables, inadvertently leaving behind traces such as earrings, fibers, and bloodstains. Fearing discovery, they fled, but neither of them committed the murder of Zheng Guobin, providing a sufficient alibi. Therefore, Wang Hao and Liu Hong were officially ruled out as suspects.
This reversal brought the case back to square one, and the atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Division office grew increasingly tense. "After working for so long, we've even ruled out the most suspicious person," team member Xiao Li said dejectedly. "Now not only is the killer's identity unknown, but even our previous investigative directions have been overturned. Where do we even begin?"
Li Ming paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Being ruled out as a suspect isn't a bad thing; at least we avoided a detour. Since Wang Hao and Liu Hong aren't the murderers, the real killer must be hiding in Zheng Guobin's other interpersonal relationships. Previously, our investigation focused on debt disputes and improper relationships, neglecting Zheng Guobin's family relationships. Now, re-examining Zheng Guobin's life, especially his marital status and kinship, might lead to a new breakthrough."
Following Li Ming's instructions, Xiao Zhou led his team to abandon the pursuit of Wang Hao and Liu Hong, instead entering their information into the national fugitive system and handing it over to public security organs in various regions for assistance. The focus was on investigating their debt disputes and illegal trespassing. Returning to the Criminal Investigation Detachment, they devoted themselves to investigating Zheng Guobin's family relationships. By retrieving Zheng Guobin's household registration file and marriage registration records, the team discovered a crucial piece of information that had previously been overlooked: Zheng Guobin's current wife, Zhang Guilan, was his second wife; they had registered their marriage five years prior, and the divorce process between Zheng Guobin and his first wife, Tian Yajuan, was fraught with conflict and contradiction.
To understand the specifics of their divorce, Xiao Zhou led his team to Tian Yajuan's registered residence—an old residential area in the Xicheng District of the city—and found her. Faced with police questioning, Tian Yajuan initially appeared very resistant, unwilling to discuss her past with Zheng Guobin. "So many years have passed, I don't want to mention that person again," Tian Yajuan said, her tone filled with resentment, her eyes turning cold.
Xiao Zhou patiently comforted her, saying, "Ms. Tian, we know you had a conflict with Zheng Guobin, but he has now been murdered, and we are doing everything we can to track down the killer. Any information you provide may help us find the real culprit as soon as possible, bring him justice, and allow you to completely let go of past grievances." Perhaps it was the word "murdered" that touched Tian Yajuan, for she remained silent for a long time before finally opening up and recounting the whole story of her divorce from Zheng Guobin.