Simulating_Crimes_C16

Chapter 16: Previous Theft Conviction at the Crematorium, Suspect Identified!!!

“Name?”

“Chen Kequn.”

“Age?”

“60.”

“What is your current job?”

“What job? I’m retired. I can’t work anymore.”

“Alright, old man, next person please.”

…

Su Ming’s earlier suggestion had clearly been accepted by Xu Changsheng.

After thinking for a few seconds, the experienced Xu Changsheng agreed with Su Ming’s deduction.

The suspect capable of committing a second crime against the victim’s body was most likely one of the local residents around Huainan River.

Additionally, though there were many elderly people outside the police cordon, after excluding those who were too old or physically impaired, there were only about ten or so left.

Thus, Xu Changsheng had set up a temporary questioning area.

Wang Hu would question each person briefly while he and Su Ming stood behind, observing the responses and body language of the individuals being questioned.

From the crude handling of the victim’s body, it was clear the suspect wasn’t particularly skilled in committing crimes. Xu Changsheng thought that, by observing facial microexpressions and body movements, they could likely figure out who was involved.

As the questioning continued, the only person who still seemed suspicious was a middle-aged man. This man had previously tried to hide in the crowd when Xu Changsheng announced the temporary inquiries and seemed to want to leave when the questions began. His position in the lineup appeared deliberately last, as if he were preparing for the questions in advance.

These two behaviors had certainly caught Su Ming’s attention.

…

At this moment, the middle-aged man, dressed in an old T-shirt, casual pants, and worn sandals, showing clear signs of poor financial conditions, stepped forward. Su Ming pressed down on Wang Hu’s shoulder, signaling him not to speak, and spoke first.

“Name?”

This question, just like the others, caused the middle-aged man to relax a little, but he still answered nervously.

“Xu Yiguo, I’m Xu Yiguo.”

“How old are you?”

“45.”

The second question also made Xu Yiguo feel at ease, and he had already prepared for the next question in his mind.

“What did you use to cut off the victim’s fingers?”

“I haven’t worked in a while, just a waste collector, doing odd jobs at construction sites…”

His response stopped suddenly, and Xu Yiguo froze, his hands shaking slightly. He forced himself to calm down and said, “Officer… What did you just ask? What cutting? How could I have cut her fingers? I’ve never seen her before, I only saw her today!!”

“Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”

Seeing Xu Yiguo’s obvious panic and confusion, Su Ming revealed a mocking smile and shrugged.

“Oh? Got the wrong person?”

“You must know how to swim, right? And you’re probably decent at it, at least good enough to drag someone through the water?”

“Have you ever worked with corpses, like in slaughterhouses, fire-fighting, medical fields, or recovery operations?”

This question made Xu Yiguo’s expression change immediately. He avoided Su Ming’s gaze, his forehead breaking out in tiny beads of sweat.

“No, no, I never did any of that.”

“I’ve just worked construction, but got fired by my boss… So now I…”

Before Xu Yiguo could finish his sentence, a woman from the crowd who hadn’t yet dispersed suddenly shouted.

“Xu Yiguo, are you trying to fool the young officer? Didn’t you work at the crematorium a few years ago?”

“Wasn’t it because you stole jewelry from dead bodies and got reported by the families? You lost that job and have been drifting around ever since!”

“You never worked at a construction site, just did some odd jobs, right? Oh, I get it now!”

“Damn, you didn’t kill her, did you?!”

Her loud voice immediately caused a stir among the crowd, with people discussing the new revelations.

“Did Xu Yiguo really kill her? No way?”

“Of course he did, he has a criminal record! He stole jewelry from corpses at the crematorium!”

“And he’s not just a thief! I heard he owes a lot of money from gambling, so killing someone wouldn’t be surprising!”

“By the way, I just remembered, last night, Xu Yiguo went home in the middle of the night, and then left again. Maybe that’s when he committed the murder?”

“Get him now! We don’t know what’ll happen if a person like that is living near us. Next time it could be us!”

…

The gossip from the crowd reached Su Ming and his colleagues. The information about Xu Yiguo’s gambling debts, previous theft at the crematorium, and his suspicious behavior the previous night all stood out.

These details strongly suggested that…

After the victim was murdered, Xu Yiguo committed a second crime! Not only did he damage the body and steal important evidence, but he also used construction waste to tie the body up, hiding the traces of the crime!

Clearly, Su Ming didn’t follow the usual interrogation methods. He had dismantled Xu Yiguo’s prepared responses, and the crowd had collectively pointed him out!

At this moment, Xu Changsheng, standing behind, a seasoned criminal detective, knew that the first suspect was right in front of them.

No longer being polite, he coldly threatened Xu Yiguo.

“Xu Yiguo.”

“I’m giving you one last chance to return the items you stole from the victim last night, and to tell us everything you know about this case.”

“You still have a chance for a lighter sentence.”

“Otherwise, even if you didn’t kill her, hiding the body and destroying evidence is enough to charge you with obstruction, and you could be in prison for ten years!”

“I’ll count to three.”

“If you don’t speak now, we’ll take you to the police station, and we’ll search your house!”

“Three!”

“Two!!”

“One!!!”

As soon as Xu Changsheng finished counting down, Xu Yiguo could no longer bear the pressure and, in a breakdown, screamed.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll say everything!”

“I didn’t kill her, I didn’t kill her! I just saw her floating in the river, and I thought, since she’s already dead, those jewelry pieces are useless, so I took them!”

“I didn’t do anything else. Even though I later used a stone to weigh her down, she was still fished out with a fishing rod, wasn’t she?”

“I didn’t kill her, I really didn’t!”

After hearing this, Xu Changsheng finally let out a long breath. He took silver handcuffs from his waist and quickly cuffed Xu Yiguo’s hands, completely restraining him.

“Let’s go!”

“Take us to your house right now. I need to see all the items you stole from the victim!”