freenovelworld Chapter 1255 The Murder in the Park
Chapter 1255 The Murder in the Park
Xiao Zhou pressed for details, making sure everything was complete. Qin Zhangfeng lowered his head, his voice barely audible: "I was so nervous at the time, I just wanted to hide the tool bag as quickly as possible so you wouldn't find it. Few people go to abandoned mines, I thought no one would find it. I also threw the dagger in the mine, together with the tool bag."
"After you disposed of the body, did you clean the motorcycle? Why was there still black soil and lubricating oil left in the garage?" Xiao Zhou continued to ask. Qin Zhangfeng wiped away his tears, his voice tinged with exhaustion: "After I got home, I simply wiped the motorcycle down, but I didn't notice the black soil in the wheel wells, nor did I notice that the lighter under the driver's seat had fallen out. The lubricating oil probably leaked onto my motorcycle because Zhang Haibin's tool bag broke. I didn't pay attention to it at the time and didn't clean it up."
The interrogation lasted four hours. Qin Zhangfeng fully confessed to the entire process, from developing the idea of murder after being discovered for embezzling, to luring Zhang Haibin to the mountains with lies, to killing Zhang Haibin with stones and a knife during the altercation, and then disposing of the body to destroy evidence. Every detail perfectly matched the results of the crime scene investigation and the forensic autopsy—the location of the stone injury corresponded to the blunt force trauma to Zhang Haibin's temple, the location of the knife stab wound matched the stab wound to the chest, the location where the tool bag and knife were discarded matched the results of the subsequent police search, and even his description of "Zhang Haibin scratching his arm when he resisted" corroborated the origin of the skin tissue fragments found under Zhang Haibin's fingernails.
When Xiao Zhou asked him to sign the interrogation record, Qin Zhangfeng's hand trembled violently, and the pen tip left crooked marks on the paper. "I'm sorry to Zhang Haibin, and I'm sorry to his family," he said, and after signing, he suddenly bowed deeply to Xiao Zhou. "I know I've committed an unforgivable crime. I'm willing to accept the punishment of the law, just to give Zhang Haibin's family an explanation and to make up for the mistakes I've made."
When Xiao Zhou stepped out of the interrogation room, it was already dawn. He looked at the interrogation record in his hand; every page meticulously documented Qin Zhangfeng's confession, perfectly matching the chain of evidence. He took out his phone and sent a message to Li Ming: "Qin Zhangfeng has confessed to everything. The details of his confession are consistent with the investigation and autopsy results. The chain of evidence is complete, and the case can be formally transferred to the procuratorate for prosecution. At the same time, he has also confessed to embezzling over 100,000 yuan of public funds, which can be transferred to the disciplinary inspection department simultaneously."
Li Ming quickly replied: "Thank you for your hard work. Justice will prevail. Please arrange to inform Zhang Haibin's family as soon as possible so that they can rest assured."
Standing at the door of the interrogation room, watching the sun gradually rise outside the window, Xiao Zhou knew in his heart that this murder case stemming from embezzlement had finally come to an end with Qin Zhangfeng's confession. Zhang Haibin's soul could finally rest in peace, and his family would finally receive a just outcome. As for Qin Zhangfeng, in order to cover up his embezzlement, he chose to take another's life in an extreme way, and he would ultimately pay the price for his cruelty, spending the rest of his life in prison to atone for the crimes he committed.
Meanwhile, other members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, acting on Qin Zhangfeng's confession, went to search the abandoned mine in the mountains. They quickly found Zhang Haibin's black canvas tool bag and the murder weapon, a sharp knife. The wrench, screwdriver, and other items in the tool bag were intact, and the bloodstains on the knife matched Zhang Haibin's DNA perfectly, further strengthening the chain of evidence. This gripping case of a decaying corpse in the mountains finally revealed its full truth in the face of irrefutable evidence and confessions.
Less than two weeks after Zhang Feng's case was closed, the Criminal Investigation Division received another report.
A body was discovered during morning exercise in Dongfang Park. Li Ming led a team to conduct an on-site investigation and interview the person who reported the crime.
At 5:30 a.m., the morning mist in Oriental Park had not yet completely dissipated, but elderly people were already exercising on the stone path. 68-year-old Zhang Jihai carried a birdcage and walked towards the sycamore grove in the northwest corner of the park as usual—there were a few old deck chairs there, which was his and his old friends' regular spot to rest and chat.
As they approached the sycamore grove, a strange smell wafted over. It wasn't the freshness of morning dew, nor the fragrance of grass and trees, but a dull, decaying odor. Zhang Jihai frowned and, using the faint morning light, looked towards the deck chairs. He saw a person curled up on the innermost blue deck chair, covered with a dark coat, motionless.
"Old Li? Old Zhang? Which one's asleep?" Zhang Jihai called out twice, but received no response. He slowly walked over, and when he was still two steps away from the recliner, he saw the man's posture clearly—his head was slumped against the back of the chair, his face was deathly pale, his lips were purple, and his eyes were tightly closed; he didn't look asleep at all. Zhang Jihai's heart tightened, and he reached out to touch the man's arm, but as soon as his fingers touched the coat, he recoiled as if he had been electrocuted—the touch was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.
"Someone's dead!" Zhang Jihai's voice instantly changed, and the birdcage in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter. The thrush inside flapped its wings in fright. He staggered back a few steps, pulled out his phone, his hands shaking so much he could barely press the unlock button, and finally managed to dial the police number, his voice trembling with tears: "Hello... officers! In Oriental Park... on the deck chair in the sycamore grove, there's someone who's not breathing! Please come quickly!"
Forty minutes later, three police cars, sirens blaring, pulled up at the entrance of Oriental Park. Li Ming opened the car door, his black leather shoes stepping onto the wet stone pavement, morning mist condensing into tiny droplets on his shoulders. He glanced at his watch; it was 6:15. The park was already bustling with people doing their morning exercises, many peering around the sycamore grove, their voices rising and falling in unison.
"Seal off the scene immediately!" Li Ming ordered his team members behind him. "Use warning tape to cordon off the sycamore grove, leaving a two-meter buffer zone, and prohibit unauthorized personnel from approaching, especially the ground around the deck chairs, so that people don't step on it." The team members acted quickly, and orange warning tape was soon set up outside the sycamore grove, keeping the curious crowd outside.
Li Ming walked to the cordon and beckoned over Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun: "You two are in charge of the initial on-site investigation. Focus on three areas—the area around the body on the deck chair, the ground under the deck chair, and the stone path from the entrance of the sycamore grove to the deck chair. Be careful to collect footprints, fibers, cigarette butts, and other small traces, especially the soil and fallen leaves on the ground. Check for dragging or fighting marks. The morning mist hasn't dissipated, and the ground is damp, so the traces should be better preserved. Be careful and don't miss anything."
"Understood!" Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun replied in unison, quickly slung their investigation bags over their shoulders, put on gloves and shoe covers, and bent down to crawl into the cordon.
The light in the sycamore grove was still dim. Xiao Yang turned on the high-powered survey light, and the beam first fell on the corpse on the recliner.