I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 129 Girlfriend Ren Yi

As dawn broke, the special task force for the Du Juncai poisoning case was established. It was just a formality; the branch office sets up a special task force for almost every murder case to better coordinate resources from all parties.

In the case-handling hall of the First Squadron, some people were eating breakfast while yawning, while others were taking a nap during a break. The atmosphere during this rare rest time was rather dull and lacked energy.

Han Ling was half-lying on the chair, fast asleep, when Tong Feng walked in from outside, carrying the breakfast he had just bought, and ruthlessly woke him up.

"Eat your breakfast, wake up!" Tong Feng placed breakfast on the table.

Han Ling woke up with a start, rubbed her eyes, and complained as she opened her breakfast, "I can't sleep well in either my past or present life, I'm really impressed."

"Past life and present life?" Tong Feng took a big bite of his steamed bun. "Were you a policeman in your past life? Did a fortune teller tell you that? Is it accurate? I'll take you to get your fortune told sometime."

Han Ling: "In my past life, I was an assassin, a really good one."

Tong Feng chuckled: "In my past life, I was president, a world-class one, capable of wiping out a country in a minute."

Han Ling: "Okay, you're still better... How's the interrogation of Pan Xia going?"

"Don't even mention it." Tong Feng casually pulled over a chair. "He really angered Captain Ji. He admitted that he went to Ping'an Garden by sneaking through the fence, but he only said that he was just wandering around and didn't go to Du Juncai's house. No one would believe that."

When the case was brought up, other colleagues chimed in: "I still think it's unreasonable. Why would Pan Xia bring Lü Zhanpeng to turn himself in? It doesn't make sense. Did she really do it?"

Zhang Yandong stuffed the last of his breakfast into his mouth, tilted his head back and gulped down warm water, then said, "The technical squadron will re-examine the area today to see if we can find any trace of the fourth person."

Currently, Pan Xia is the only suspect. If she isn't the murderer, how did she enter and exit the premises?

This is a question worth considering.

The floor was dusty, and there were only three footprints. If it wasn't Pan Xia who did it, the murderer couldn't have just drifted in, could they?
Regardless of whether the method of the crime was more sophisticated or more secretive, the fact that the water in the water dispenser contained cyanide is enough to prove that someone entered and poisoned the water dispenser when Du Juncai left home yesterday afternoon.

Definitely.

Han Ling had seen Du Juncai drink water from the water dispenser at noon, and he did not show any signs of cyanide poisoning.

Unless, of course, Du Juncai himself put cyanide into the water dispenser.

"It's either one or the other," Fang Zhou said. "Either Pan Xia did it, or the killer used a method that left no trace, making it impossible for the technical squadron to find."

Han Ling: "I've thought of a possibility."

Everyone turned to look at them.

Han Ling choked on the steamed bun and lightly pounded his chest, asking Tong Feng for help. The latter quickly handed him water and said, "Detective Ling, you can't choke to death! We're counting on you to solve the case. Hang in there, Ling!"

Laughter came from the room.

Han Ling took a few sips of water, ignoring Tong Feng's teasing, and said, "There are only three people's footprints in the room, which means only three people have entered and exited. However, footprints are only a side indicator; they can provide clues but cannot be used as evidence."

The technical squadron's method of determining the owner of footprints is rather one-sided: shoe size and pattern. For example, if I were wearing Lü Zhanpeng's shoes, how could they determine I had entered or exited the area without other clues?

The new possibilities made the First Squadron ponder deeply.

Wearing shoes that are too big for big feet and shoes that are too big for small feet is one of the counter-surveillance tactics used by suspects.

Fangzhou emphasized: "We need to inform the technical squadron; they should be able to identify the problem using this method."

If the shoe size and the pressure applied do not match, then in the eyes of a forensic examiner, the footprint will have some subtle traces, such as concentrated pressure on the sole and toes, heel slippage, and toe slippage.

Han Ling: "What if the shoe size matches?"

Fangzhou: "That makes things difficult."

Men's foot sizes tend to be concentrated in certain areas, mostly between size 40 and 44, with size 42 being the most common peak.

There isn't a huge difference between size 40 and size 44. Even if you switch to a larger or smaller size, the difference in feel won't be particularly noticeable.

Unless it's a size 44 foot wearing a size 37 shoe, or a size 37 foot wearing a size 44 shoe, the incongruity will be strong and the footprints will be obvious.

"Following this line of thought, the murderer is someone Lu Zhanpeng knows?" Tong Feng said, analyzing as he spoke. "Could it be a conspiracy? No, if they were familiar with Lu Zhanpeng, they could have gotten his shoe model and size. It's also possible they used a framing method to evade investigation."

Zhang Yandong said, "It's also possible that someone is an acquaintance of Du Juncai, deliberately wearing the same shoe style and size as Du Juncai."

The technical squadron needs to conduct in-depth footprint analysis, attempting to deduce which pair of shoes the suspect was wearing by analyzing overlapping traces.

Fang Zhou stood up: "I'll go find Captain Hu and Captain Ji and ask the technical squadron to keep a close eye on them."

Seeing Fang Zhou leave, Tong Feng looked at Han Ling and said, "Shall we go too? Du Juncai's girlfriend is a graduate student at Qingchang University, majoring in chemistry. She'll be easy to find."

"Chemistry major..." Han Ling said helplessly, "This sounds like it's related to cyanide again. Could she be the one who did this? Be bold in your suspicions, but verify carefully. Let's go!"

There were few reservations in the internal discussions within the squadron; they could say whatever came to mind. Theoretically, everyone around Du Juncai could be the murderer.

If a husband dies, one will suspect his wife; now that a boyfriend has died, one will naturally suspect his girlfriend.

"Ximen Qing and Wu Dalang." These were Tong Feng's last words as he walked out of the investigation hall.

It took the colleagues in the room a while to realize that they were talking about Lü Zhanpeng and Du Juncai.

Ximen Qing was actually Lü Zhanpeng, and Du Juncai was actually Wu Dalang. The adulterous couple conspired to kill Du Juncai, the difference being that one used arsenic and the other used cyanide.

This example is inappropriate.

The two drove to Qingchang University; this was the second time this year they had come here because of a murder case.

The first time was because of the case in Weijiazhuang Village, where the victim, Cao Kexuan, and his girlfriend, Zhu Yuntang, were both students at Qingchang University.

Knowing the ropes well, the two first contacted the school leaders and the security department, and then called Du Juncai's girlfriend.

The girl's name was Ren Yi, she was 24 years old, a second-year graduate student, and a local from Qingchang. They agreed to meet at the entrance of the laboratory building in half an hour.

"A second source of cyanide."

On the way to the laboratory building, Han Ling spoke.

Cyanide is extremely difficult for ordinary people to obtain, but it gave Lü Zhanpeng and Ren Yi a natural advantage. One worked at a testing company and was frequently exposed to it.

One is a graduate student majoring in chemistry at Qingchang University. Daily experiments are a core part of their studies, so they may also come into contact with them, depending on Ren Yi's research direction and specific projects.

The two waited at the laboratory entrance for twenty minutes before Ren Yi appeared.

He's over 1.7 meters tall, has a neat short haircut, and a well-proportioned figure. He makes a good first impression, but his looks are a bit ordinary, and he dresses simply.

If you dress up a bit, your excellent temperament can add a lot to your overall look.

The two found a place to rest nearby and sat down to talk about Du Juncai.

"Dead?!" Ren Yi, who had just learned of her boyfriend's death, suddenly stood up, her face filled with astonishment. "How did he die??"

Han Ling raised her head slightly: "We suspect it was murder."

The words "murder" left Ren Yi bewildered. She stood there stunned for a long time before slowly sitting back down.

There was only shock, no sadness or tears. They were probably stunned. In psychology, this is denial or emotional detachment, a self-protective mechanism of the brain under extreme shock.

Of course, it's also possible that they genuinely don't care.

Han Ling asked routinely, "You haven't been in contact since yesterday?"

Ren Yi: "He's busy with work, and I've been busy with experiments lately, so we only keep in touch occasionally."

Han Ling: "Where were you yesterday afternoon? From one o'clock to six o'clock?"

Ren Yi was still processing the shocking news and subconsciously replied, "I was in the lab and left at 6:30."

Han Ling: "Also in the lab on Sundays?"

Ren Yi: "Well, the timing of our experiment is uncertain."

Han Ling: "Are you alone?"

Ren Yi: "With my classmates and my mentor, my mentor left at four o'clock."

Han Ling: "From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. yesterday, you were in the lab with your classmates the whole time and didn't leave alone at all, is that right?"

Ren Yi nodded: "Yes."

Han Ling: "What are your main research topics?"

Ren Yi seemed somewhat dazed, still accepting reality, and mechanically replied, "Materials chemistry."

Han Ling: "Will cyanide be used?"

Ren Yi: "Yes, we use cyanide precursors to prepare Prussian blue-like materials."

Han Ling waited for a while, but the other party did not ask the police why cyanide was mentioned.

He didn't say how Du Juncai died. If Ren Yi shows even the slightest sign that she knows her boyfriend has been poisoned, she will be listed as a suspect.

"When did you two start dating?" Han Ling asked casually.

Ren Yi recalled briefly and said, "It was during the second semester of my junior year, almost my senior year."

Han Ling: "It's been almost three years."

Ren Yi nodded: "Mm."

Han Ling: "Did he choose to stay in Qingchang because of you?"

Ren Yi: "It's partly my fault, but mainly he wanted to stay in a big city to develop his career."

Han Ling: "You two were in a relationship for three years, but you didn't live together?"

Ren Yi: "I am quite traditional in my views on love, and it is impossible for us to live together before marriage."

Upon hearing this, Han Ling hesitated for a moment before tactfully asking, "Were you ever truly together?"

It took Ren Yi a few seconds to understand what that meant, and she replied, "No, not at all."

Oh?
This answer surprised both Han Ling and Tong Feng. Nowadays, college students have a more open view of relationships. Let alone being in a relationship for three years, it's not uncommon for them to have sex every three days. It all depends on personal wishes; they do whatever makes them happy.

Maintaining distance for three years is already considered a rather extreme period, and in this regard, it's usually the woman who refuses.

Of course, this has nothing to do with right or wrong, but rather with personal values ​​and comfort. Some girls simply uphold the belief of premarital chastity, and others need to respect and understand that.

Du Juncai has been dating for three years without breaking up, so it seems he has accepted her.

"Did any other guys pursue you in college?" Han Ling continued the conversation.

Ren Yi answered every question, nodding gently.

Han Ling: "Tell me the names, name as many as you have."

Ren Yi still has a relatively deep memory of her undergraduate life and quickly named several suitors, including Lü Zhanpeng.

What is your impression of Lü Zhanpeng?

Ren Yi thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, but he's not my type, and he's never explicitly pursued me, it's just that kind of... that kind of..."

She couldn't find a suitable adjective.

Han Ling: "Silently protecting?"

Ren Yi: "That's roughly the idea."

Silently protecting someone—is that the ultimate form of being a "simp"?
(End of this chapter)