Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 341 The Man Who Hired a Killer
Zhou Yi calmly said, "We can't rule out that possibility. If the interrogation of Huang Yanli doesn't ultimately reveal that she was the one who called Fu Daqing from Hongcheng, then we'll probably have to conduct a large-scale investigation throughout the city. Of course, if things go smoothly with our Captain Wu, we should be able to find out who the person who initially hired him was from Fu Daqing's mouth by tomorrow."

Guo Yuanchao's expression was solemn. The relief he had initially felt due to the progress of Pan Hongjie's case had vanished.

If that's the case, I wonder if the seven-day deadline given by the city for solving the case will be enough.

He made up his mind that if things really came to this, he would have no choice but to go to the city government with the facts of the case that had already been uncovered and plead with the city leaders for two more days' grace.

Pan Hongjie couldn't stand it anymore and sent someone to check if Lao Chen and his men had returned with their men.

Guo Yuanchao asked if anyone had anything to add. If not, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone should hurry up and investigate and confirm what needed to be confirmed.

The people in the room gradually walked out.

Guo Yuanchao called Pan Hongjie out for a private talk.

Xia Yu looked at Zhou Yi with reverence, clearly wanting to express his gratitude.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder and smiled knowingly.

Zhou Yi turned and left the municipal bureau building to get some fresh air.

There were too many people in the second team's office just now, and we stayed there for a while. The stuffy air made my head feel dizzy, and even my thinking slowed down.

It was already dark outside. Zhou Yi took a deep breath and suddenly felt that the air was a little damp.

"Is it going to rain again?" Zhou Yi looked up at the sky, which was dark and gloomy.

He really disliked the weather in Anyuan; the rain seemed endless, which made him feel irritable.

However, the moisture in the air cleared his mind considerably. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to ponder his earlier speculations.

If someone else hired Fu Daqing to commit murder in Anyuan, then there are two possibilities.

The first possibility is that this person is Zheng Guangming.

It's possible that Zheng Guangming learned about his wife and eldest son's affair, along with issues of property and the appearance of Bai Xiuxiu, which led him to harbor murderous intent towards Huang Yanli.

No matter how useless Zheng Tianlan is, he is still his own son.

Even if Zheng Tianyu wasn't his son, he was still his grandson.

Only Huang Yanli is an outsider.

Can be killed!

If Zheng Guangming wanted to hire someone to commit murder, it shouldn't be difficult for him to find someone like Fu Daqing.

However, judging from the final result, it is very likely that when Fu Daqing and Li Youqiang went to kill Huang Yanli, the assassins lacked professional ethics and were bribed by Huang Yanli at a high price.

Then he turned around and killed Zheng Guangming and Bai Xiuxiu.

If that's the case, Zhou Yi felt it was a bit far-fetched, comparable to a TV drama plot.

However, in his previous life he had seen far more outrageous cases than this. The fact is, even the most brilliant screenwriter can't create something as absurd as reality.

The second possibility is that the person who hired the hitman is someone else entirely.

Moreover, it must be someone who had some dealings with Fu Daqing five or six years ago; only in this way would Fu Daqing be willing to take on this job.

After all, killing is not the same as beating someone. A self-taught assassin needs psychological preparation and a foundation of trust.

Zhou Yi actually preferred the second option, but if that were the case, it probably wouldn't be closed at this point, unless Fu Daqing confessed voluntarily.

When he thought of Fu Daqing, he thought of Wu Yongcheng and the others. Judging by the time, they should have arrived in Lujiang by now.

I wonder if that person is Fu Daqing? If so, he should be under interrogation right now.

He took out his phone to call Chen Yan and ask about the situation.

Just as I was about to dial, the phone rang.

It was Qiao Jiali calling.

"Hey, Sister Qiao."

Zhou Yi had just shouted one sentence when he noticed that the background noise on the other end of the phone was somewhat noisy and familiar.

“Zhou Yi, we’re already on the train to Anyuan,” Qiao Jiali said. “Xu Nian and I are together.”

"So fast?" Zhou Yi was surprised. "I thought you would come first thing tomorrow morning."

“There were indeed no tickets left, and we would have to wait for the earliest train tomorrow morning, but Xu Nian said she wanted to come as early as possible because she wasn’t very confident about the fingerprinting process. So I thought of asking the railway police for help, and luckily the person I asked knew you.”

"You know me?" Zhou Yi found it strange.

"Yes, they said you recently helped them catch a few pickpockets, so you solved the problem for us right away. We're in the railway police's rest room now because Xu Nian brought some equipment with her."

Zhou Yi suddenly realized that Qiao Jiali was probably referring to the railway policeman she had met on the train when she came to Anyuan, who hadn't left his name.

"Sister Qiao, what time will you arrive in Anyuan? I'll come pick you up."

"Around 4:30 a.m.

"Okay, I understand. You guys can rest well in the car."

On the train, after hanging up the phone, Qiao Jiali said to Xu Nian, who was sitting opposite her, "When we arrive, Zhou Yi will come to pick us up." Xu Nian nodded, looking thoughtfully at the dark night outside the train window.

"Xu Nian, you should get some sleep. You need to be well-rested to handle the case properly."

Xu Nian smiled faintly and said, "Sister Qiao, you should go to sleep first. I'm not sleepy yet."

The train rumbled along the tracks. In the lounge, Xu Nian listened to Qiao Jiali's even breathing, but her eyes were unusually bright.

She had a question she would have to ask Zhou Yi in person later.

At the Anyuan City Public Security Bureau, Zhou Yi hung up the phone and was about to call Chen Yan when he heard Pan Hongjie's voice calling him from behind.

"Zhou Yi".

He could only put away his phone, then waved to Pan Hongjie in the corridor and walked quickly over.

"Captain Pan, I'm here."

"Zhou Yi, do you see any way to get the forensic doctors from Hongcheng to come over with their equipment as soon as possible?" Pan Hongjie asked.

Zhou Yi countered, "Is Director Guo worried about confirming the deceased's identity?"

"Well, Director Guo said that if it cannot be confirmed that the deceased is Zheng Guangming, it is easy to cause controversy. After all, this is related to the public opinion and security environment of local economic construction and development, so Director Guo hopes to confirm it. In addition, I am also worried that if Huang Yanli insists on it, and we do not yet have conclusive evidence to prove it, then this matter will be deadlocked."

Zhou Yi knew that Pan Hongjie's concerns were not unfounded.

Under normal circumstances, to confirm that a criminal suspect is the murderer, there are several key pieces of evidence: alibi, witness testimony, and physical evidence.

From the perspective of judicial decisions, these three types of evidence have different weights.

Physical evidence is the most objective and stable form of evidence, and it best meets the requirements of Article 50 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which clearly stipulates that "all cases must be judged based on evidence and thorough investigation, and confessions should not be readily accepted."

While eyewitness testimony is important, it is easy for false or misleading testimony to occur, so it needs to be verified through detailed investigation and research.

In other words, it's not enough for a witness to say they saw you commit murder to prove that you actually did. It requires considering the case details and other relevant evidence to prove that the witness was telling the truth.

Especially if the witness testimony comes from a related suspect involved in the case, its admissibility in court is even lower.

Unverifiable witness testimonies are considered isolated evidence, and procedural law explicitly stipulates that isolated evidence cannot be used to determine a case.

Finally, there is the alibi, which is a form of evidence against the crime. During the investigation of a case, the police require the suspect to provide an alibi, while in judicial proceedings, it must be presented by the defense.

Like witness testimonies, alibis require investigation and confirmation based on relevant objective facts; you can't just say whatever you want.

Based on the current situation of the case, the strongest piece of physical evidence is the 50,000 yuan that Huang Yanli withdrew from the bank the next day.

After the money was given to Fu Daqing and Li Youqiang, it was placed in the car. Later, Jiang Wei killed Li Youqiang and drove away, taking the money and hiding it.

There are two points of evidence for this money that can be admissible in court.

First, although banks cannot record regular banknote serial numbers, they will record consecutive new banknotes.

Secondly, since the money changed hands several times, fingerprints could be extracted from it, including those of the bank teller, Huang Yanli, Fu Li, and Jiang Wei.

If the fingerprints of these individuals are extracted and matched to confirm that they are indeed from these individuals, then they can be used as physical evidence.

Regarding witness testimony, if Huang Yanli vehemently denies it, Fu Daqing's confession alone is insufficient to serve as witness testimony, since Fu Daqing himself is a suspect in connection with the case.

Regarding alibis, since it was a hired murder, they are not of any factual value.

Director Guo's concern is likely that if Huang Yanli insists that Zheng Guangming is the one who died, it will be a very troublesome situation.

"Team Leader Pan, I just called. My colleagues are on their way to Anyuan with the equipment. They should arrive around 4:30 a.m. I'll pick them up then."

Pan Hongjie was overjoyed: "That's great! Hongcheng has really been a great help this time. Once this case is closed, I'll have to make time to go to Hongcheng and properly thank Deputy Chief Wu and all of you."

"By the way, we need a car to pick them up. You can take the one from our team." As he spoke, Pan Hongjie took out the car keys and handed them to Zhou Yi.

Where will your colleagues stay after they arrive?

"We can just stay at the same hotel I'm staying at, and book two extra rooms. But I reckon that once our forensic doctor Xu arrives, he'll be right there and starting work."

Pan Hongjie rubbed his hands together: "Okay, I won't say anything else. If you need anything or have any difficulties, just let me know. If you can't find me, just look for Xia."

"Okay, thank you, Captain Pan."

“We’re all family, don’t be so formal. If it’s 4:30, you’ll all be leaving by 4 at the latest. Zhou Yi, how about this, you go to our duty room to rest and take a nap. We have an alarm clock in the duty room, you can set one yourself so we can pick up your colleagues later.”

"The interrogation of Huang Yanli..."

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, a police car with flashing lights drove into the city bureau. Chen Dejiang and another policeman, one on each side, escorted a person out of the car.

As soon as people got off the bus, a torrential downpour began.

　I'd like to say a few words about this case and the major case below.

　　1. I know everyone is eager to see the grand plot, but as I said before, I'm still writing the detailed outline, and I don't want to mess it up. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that there will be many unexpected and explosive plot twists.

　　2. The An Yuan case—this case was indeed excessive, but it wasn't just a small case because of its excessiveness. After all, the prototype was the bizarre case "Smoke Locks the Funeral Home," and I added at least one more layer on top of the prototype, making it a rather complex and major case. Of course, it's already being brought back down to earth.

　　3. I promise that on the day this case concludes, I will release four chapters totaling 1.2 words. I'm currently working on a draft, so if any readers have monthly votes, please consider supporting me. Thank you.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)