Chapter 51 (1/2)

Snap, snap.

In the corner of the living room in Unit 2084, the camera on the tripod flashed. The forensic team was busy collecting evidence.

There was almost no empty space in the room. Officer Wang Fengnian stood in the corridor with a ghastly face and talked to his colleagues about the progress of the case.

“According to the surveillance footage in the elevator and hallway, a man in a yellow-black food delivery uniform took the elevator to the 20th floor at 3:43 p.m. After he knocked on the door of Unit 2082 and talked to a young man for ten seconds, he went to Unit 2084 and asked the victim, Zeng Weiming, to open the security door so he could deliver food.”

A young officer reported, “After the security door was opened, the man quickly covered Zeng Weiming’s mouth, entered the house, and closed the door. Nobody entered or left Unit 2084 before Officer Wang opened the security door at 7:24 p.m.

“The evaluation of the crime scene by the forensic team showed that the suspect must have murdered the two victims between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m, climbed down from the 20th floor by using the water pipe beside the balcony at 6:30 p.m, and left the estate gate at 6:48 p.m.

“There was no order for Unit 2084 in the food delivery system, and the suspect was wearing a fake licensed motorcycle helmet and mask. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the suspect based on the footage. We have contacted the traffic management department to see if we can find the motorcycle that the suspect used.

“As for the victims’ daughter, we are trying to contact her as soon as possible.”

Officer Wang nodded, glanced at his house unit number, and felt afraid for a while.

The suspect had made a fake motorcycle license in advance, printed a fake delivery bill, and signed it. His methods were cruel and vicious. He had carried out his plan neatly and cleanly, without making any noise, and had even prepared counter-surveillance means.

This seemed to be a vendetta-related premeditated crime, but the suspect had deliberately signed the delivery bill before knocking on the door of Unit 2082, which was Wang Fengnian’s house. In other words, the suspect was capable of harming anyone. Before he’d tried to murder Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni in Unit 2084, he had tried his hand on Unit 2082 as a warm-up.

It had been a close call. The cruel suspect had nearly murdered his daughter…

The young officer said, “The only person who had seen the suspect is your daughter’s classmate. The forensic team is now sketching and reconstructing the suspect’s face with his help.”

Wang Fengnian nodded. “Let’s go and take a look.”

Officer Wang opened his security door, only to see his wife and daughter hiding in the bedroom and whispering to comfort each other. The day before, they had walked their dogs with their neighbors. The next day, they had died. This was really unacceptable.

Li Ang, who was sitting in the living room, was wearing a grayish-brown deerstalker on his head and had a bottle of yogurt against his mouth. Somehow, he had found Wang Congshan’s easel stand. While pondering, he quickly sketched with a pencil.

The young forensic staff member who was supposed to be doing the criminal sketch was sitting next to him and curiously watching Li Ang sketch.

Wang Fengnian’s eyes twitched. “Little Zhang! What are you doing?”

The forensic staff member was startled. “Sorry, Leader Wang. This young comrade can sketch by himself, and his technique is very good. I’d rather let him sketch.”

“You even know how to sketch?” Wang Fengnian cast a suspicious look at him.

“A little.” Li Ang took a sip of his yogurt and turned around the drawing easel with a smile. Even though Wang Fengnian didn’t understand much about sketching, he could roughly see that the sketch’s portrait lines were clear and very regular and the details were perfect. Unlike a quick sketch, this was like a piece of art that belonged in a gallery.

“This painting follows the style of the Academic School. I used to study it for some time based on the sketch portraits of French painter Bernard Romain Julien, who made copper plate etchings.”