I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 142 The Murder Weapon Type is the Same

The wait lasted for an hour, but Qiao Yuanqi remained patient and showed no dissatisfaction. He was an experienced veteran detective and knew that time was the least valuable resource in criminal investigations.

An hour passes in the blink of an eye; a few casual words with the person being interviewed and it's gone in a flash.

The conference room door opened, and Ji Bowen led everyone in, holding the autopsy report and the interrogation record of the deceased's wife.

Qiao Yuanqi looked over, stood up and nodded to Ji Bowei. He knew a little about the situation at the Gu'an branch. In two or three years at most, this Deputy Captain Ji should be able to become Captain Ji. His future was bright.

"Team Leader Joe."

"Captain Ji, it's been a long time."

After exchanging greetings, Qiao Yuanqi shifted his gaze to Han Ling behind Ji Bowei.

His frequent appearances on the bulletin board over the past year, including his personal first-class merit award, made it hard for him not to pay attention.

The Major Crimes Unit of the Gu'an Branch has truly recruited a rare talent this time. Given time, the Qingchang Police Team may produce a star police officer.

Everyone took their seats.

Ji Bowei looked at Feng Yao questioningly, and the latter nodded slightly, indicating that Ji Bowei would take charge of the rest.

Feng Yao hadn't agreed to anything yet, just to wait for Ji Bowei. Since he had decided to delegate power, he wanted to do it thoroughly, letting the deputy captain speak directly with the captain of the Languang branch.

"material."

After receiving permission, Ji Bowei spoke, and the criminal police officers in the squadron immediately operated the computer, and Xiong Chuan's personal information was quickly displayed on the large screen.

"Captain Joe, this is the victim of the 804 case."

Upon seeing this, Qiao Yuanqi and the other three immediately perked up, leaning forward and squinting to get a clearer view.

"Is he there?" Qiao Yuanqi asked his deputy captain. "I don't remember him."

The vice-captain had a good memory; without even thinking, he shook his head and said firmly, "He's not here."

After saying that, he looked at Ji Bowei and Feng Yao and explained, "Captain Feng, Captain Ji, among the victim's interpersonal relationships we have, there is no such person as Xiong Chuan."

The very first message exchanged between the two parties regarding the case left everyone present speechless.

The lack of overlap in their interpersonal relationships suggests that the two victims are likely strangers to each other, or that they are well hidden and have not yet been identified.

At least, through investigations of call records, online chat logs, and visits to the victim's relatives and friends, Xiong Chuan was not found.

More than a month has passed since the case with Lan Guang was not found. It is highly likely that the two are strangers.

Strangers could be a problem.

Once the cases are combined, the investigation will be extremely difficult.

"Captain Ji, I want to know the shape of the murder weapon." Qiao Yuanqi looked at Ji Bowei.

Ji Bowei replied: "It is 15 to 20 centimeters long, the blade is tough, single-edged, and extremely sharp. Based on the shape of the stab wound, we judge that it is very likely a kitchen knife, such as a fruit knife or a Western chef's knife."

After speaking with the forensic pathologist, we are currently leaning towards a Western-style chef as the lead surgeon.

After hearing Ji Bowei's words, Qiao Yuanqi frowned, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

Ji Bowei waited for the other party to speak.

After a long pause, Qiao Yuanqi spoke up: "It's the same on our side. We determined that the wound came from a Western-style chef's knife."

Fruit knives have relatively weak penetrating power and thin blades. When they encounter bone, they may bend or break, and the edges of the wound may show signs of pulling or irregular marks. This knife does not have these characteristics.

Furthermore, fruit knives generally have smaller handles, making them less suitable for a full grip and thrusting motion, potentially resulting in shallower wounds and inconsistent angles. Western-style chef's knives, on the other hand, perfectly meet these requirements.

The fact that the murder weapons were of the same type suggests that the perpetrator in both cases was likely the same person.

Ji Bowei fell into thought, seemingly lost in thought.

Qiao Yuanqi couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Captain Ji, the modus operandi is consistent. They knocked the victims unconscious first and then moved them to the wilderness to kill them. The murder weapons are also consistent. They all used the same type of sharp knife to pierce the heart. If we reach a consensus and report to the Municipal Bureau to merge the cases, we can review the files now."

As he spoke, he tapped the files on the desktop.

Ji Bowei asked, "Were the victims of Lan Guang involved in prostitution, gambling, or drugs?"

"Gambling, prostitution, and drugs?" Qiao Yuanqi was slightly taken aback, then shook his head: "No, the victim's name is Wu Cuicui, she is thirty-eight years old, her private life is very clean, she is just an ordinary married woman with two children, and she has no messy social relationships."

Ji Bowen took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, saying, "Captain Qiao, how do you want to investigate?"

Qiao Yuanqi: "Based on our investigation, we will delve deeper into the connection, or common ground, between Wu Cuicui and Xiong Chuan to find new directions."

Upon hearing this, Ji Bowen glanced at Feng Yao, seeing his complete trust, and then said, "Captain Qiao, I'm afraid that won't work. This case just happened last night, and the situation is unclear. We need to conduct a preliminary investigation; we can't just jump straight into a conclusion." Qiao Yuanqi replied, "To put it bluntly, this is a serial murder case. Captain Ji should understand that, so..."

“Captain Qiao,” Ji Bowei interrupted, “you are considering the issue from the perspective of Wu Cuicui’s case, and you are eager to find new clues through Xiong Chuan. I think we should proceed step by step and pay attention to Wu Cuicui’s traces in the course of normal investigation, rather than thinking of combining cases. At least for the next 72 hours.”

Qiao Yuanqi fell silent.

The two criminal investigation teams discussed the case, and it's normal to have disagreements. He also admitted that he did want to solve Wu Cuicui's case through Xiong Chuan's death.

There's nothing wrong with talking about it; of course, each team leader is more concerned about the cases in their own jurisdiction.

Seeing that the two sides were about to argue, Feng Yao spoke up: "Both captains are trying to solve the case, and their directions are correct. It's just a matter of priorities. Police resources are limited, and how to make the most of these limited resources is indeed a question we should consider."

Team Leader Qiao's idea is to focus on Wu Cuicui, since she was the first victim, which is fine. Team Leader Ji's idea is to temporarily set aside Wu Cuicui and focus on investigating Xiong Chuan, which is also fine, since the case has just happened and we don't know what happened yet.

We need to reach a consensus as soon as possible. We can't just go to the municipal bureau and start arguing in front of the branch officers, can we?

The two sides have exchanged autopsy results, and the cases are highly likely to be merged. It will definitely be reported to the Municipal Bureau, but before reporting, the two branches need to have a clear internal discussion and work together as a unified force.

Working in isolation is not an option; it could lead to problems such as duplication of effort and poor communication.

Han Ling and the others sat there listening silently. They could not and dared not interrupt when the captains spoke.

In Han Ling's view, he naturally stood on Ji Bowei's side and would definitely investigate Xiong Chuan first. You have been investigating for more than a month and have not found anything. What use is there in adding Xiong Chuan?

This is the difference between merging and not merging cases. Once cases are merged, there will be many more directions, and the error rate will be higher, which is why we are very cautious.

However, there's really nothing for the two sides to argue about. When dealing with suspected serial murders, the normal procedure for the branch office is to operate on two parallel lines: one line reports to the municipal bureau, and the other line immediately launches an investigation.

No operation can bypass the established procedures, and Captain Qiao was getting a little anxious.

Perhaps the fruitless investigation over a month had gradually worn down his patience. Now that a new murder case had occurred, he was eager to find a breakthrough, which led him to consider interfering in the investigation by the Gu'an branch.

Can understand.

When a murder case occurs, every team leader is under immense pressure.

"I'm sorry," Qiao Yuanqi said.

Feng Yao smiled and said, "Captain Qiao, you're too kind. It's all for the case. Here's what we'll do: time is of the essence. I'll go to the Municipal Bureau with Captain Qiao right now. Ji Bowei will be in charge of the investigation of Case 804. We'll start a two-pronged approach."

Concealing a serial murder case is a serious violation of regulations, but the city bureau's analysis and discussion need time, and the case cannot be temporarily put aside, so a two-pronged approach is being taken.

Qiao Yuanqi nodded: "Okay, that's settled. Um... Captain Ji, during the investigation, please keep a close eye on Wu Cuicui. If you find anything, please notify me immediately."

Ji Bowei agreed: "No problem."

Without delay, Feng Yao, Qiao Yuanqi, and the others quickly left the conference room with the case files. Ji Bowei, who remained in the room, led the Major Crimes Squad to formally discuss the case and assign investigative tasks.

Whether the cases are merged or not is none of their concern; Feng Yao and the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division will handle it themselves. The Major Crimes Squad only needs to focus their attention on Xiong Chuan.

"The autopsy report shows that Xiong Chuan did not relapse," Ji Bowei said. "Although he did not relapse, this line of investigation still needs to be investigated. There are three directions: prostitution, gambling, and drugs, none of which can be ignored, but the focus is on gambling."

Judging from the current situation, gambling is the most likely source of disputes.

Wu Cuicui, the deceased in Languang District, did not engage in gambling, but this is not something the Gu'an Precinct should consider. Xiong Chuan's death needs to be investigated as a separate case.

As for merging the cases and establishing a special task force, that's a story for later. They obtained a lot of information through their investigation of Xiong Chuan, which helped the Municipal Bureau to put both cases into one information pool and look for patterns that could not be found by looking at one case alone.

At that time, the municipal bureau will mobilize stronger technical resources, such as higher-level forensic doctors and higher-level trace evidence experts.

And, broader powers of cooperation in investigations.

Ji Bowei continued, "We must check the surveillance footage around the crime scene. The suspect was most likely driving, so we need to track down every vehicle that headed toward the crime scene without missing any."

Now, retrieve Xiong Chuan's call and online chat records to obtain preliminary information about his interpersonal relationships. Captain Hu will assign tasks to each investigation team. At least four people are required to investigate gambling. Be careful.

Hu Lihui nodded: "Okay."

The meeting ended half an hour later. Now is the golden period for investigation. All existing clues are still clearly traceable, the suspect's range of activities is relatively controllable, and the psychological defense is most vulnerable.

Over time, the suspect's sense of impunity will grow stronger, and they will become more composed when facing the police. This is one of the reasons why the golden period for investigation exists.

If you've just killed someone and then run into the police, even someone with a strong mentality would panic to some extent.

……

P.S.: Chapter Two will be released at night.

(End of this chapter)