Chapter 12 (1/2)

An Awe-Inspiring Analysis

Constable Wang was sullen and silent, unhappy to be trapped in the hot seat.

Recently, Magistrate Zhu would inquire about the progress of the murder case first thing in the morning. When Constable Wang had nothing valuable to contribute, he would be met with a string of profanities.

The pressure was wholly directed at the head constable. The other constables huddled beneath his wings—unhelpful ingrates who made his life harder.

Constable Wang’s annoyance was logical—he believed the burden was undeserving for someone as old as him.

Xu Qian took the scroll and went back to his table. As he perused the script, his colleagues gathered around him and exchanged glances.

The best way to get into Constable Wang’s good books was to solve the case.

If the case was not solvable, Xu Qian could make it up to Constable Wang by taking him to the brothels. Their friendship of years would not be jeopardized by such a small issue.

Xu Qian objected to fishing because of his principles. By taking on the case, he was also sharing the burden with Constable Wang.

[The murder victim was Zhang Yourui, age 51. As one of the wealthiest men on Kangping Street, he owned several plots of fertile lands in Changle County and three shops that sold fabric,

rouge

and general supplies.

[His first wife died young and he remarried. The second wife was 20 years his junior and came from a good family. His only son was by his first wife.]

20 years age difference… Xu Qian wanted to puke.

‘What’s the saying? Work hard for your future wife who is still in kindergarten?’

[Four days ago, Zhang Yourui went to the countryside to collect rent. He came back at 3.00 in the morning. The sleeping wife was awoken by a scream and went out to check. She found Zhang Yourui dead in the courtyard and reported seeing a black shadow jump over the wall.]

The murder was described as such.

Xu Qian read the coroner’s report and noticed a discrepancy.

He made a mental note and continued to the testimonials by family and staff. Then, he shut his eyes and sorted his thoughts.

Constable Wang let out a huff and asked mockingly, “So, Constable Xu, who’s and where’s the killer?”

“Patience. From what I’ve read, the shoe prints on the outer wall and the wife’s testimonial suggests the thief jumped over the wall. Is that the working theory?”

Constable Wang uttered an affirmative reply.

“The prints lead away from the crime scene, likely formed during the escape,” Xu Qian said.

Constable Wang frowned. “What’s the problem?”

“Why are there shoe prints?”

“There was mud.”

“Why was there mud?”

“There’s a flower bed by the wall.”

Xu Qian nodded. “Then why does the scroll say nothing about shoe prints leading into the courtyard?”

Constable Wang was speechless.

The other constables tried to lend a hand. “Perhaps the thief noticed the mud when he came in and didn’t leave any prints.”

“He was in a hurry after the murder and accidentally stepped into the mud.”

Xu Qian’s eyes swept across the room. “That is a possibility but did anyone check for a shoe print in the flower bed? Logically, if the thief could enter the courtyard without stepping on the flower bed, he should be able to leap over the wall without leaving a trace when he escaped.”

His colleagues exchanged looks and said nothing.

Their silence was damning—clearly, no one thought about that.

None of the constables followed up on the details.

“Ningyan, what are you getting on about?” someone said indignantly.

Xu Qian turned to the frowning Constable Wang and said, “The victim sustained a blow to the back of his head. It was a blunt weapon, yes?”

Constable Wang nodded. “He died at the scene.”