latelenovela Chapter 825 Another Clue: Wang Jianjun and Widow Li
Chapter 825 Another Clue: Wang Jianjun and Widow Li
Qin Chuan leaned forward, placed his hands on the table, and looked at Zhao Kaifeng with a firm gaze: "Zhao Kaifeng, you must understand that the police will not wrong an innocent person, but they will also never let a criminal go free. Now you only have one path in front of you, which is to truthfully confess everything and strive for leniency."
A flicker of struggle crossed Zhao Kaifeng's eyes. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. The room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the ticking of the clock on the wall, as if counting down. After a while, Zhao Kaifeng slowly raised his head, a hint of despair in his eyes: "Wang Jianjun and I did have a big argument over the distribution of profits, and I was very angry, but I really never intended to kill him. After our argument that day, I went home and never saw him again." Zhao Kaifeng's voice trembled with a sob, as if pleading with the police to believe him.
Li Ming frowned and pressed on, "Then how do you explain your frequent visits to secluded places and your contact with people with criminal records before and after the incident?" Li Ming's questions came like a machine gun, giving Zhao Kaifeng no chance to catch his breath.
Zhao Kaifeng's eyes darted away again. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Those people... those people are friends I knew from my days in the underworld. I was looking for ways to make money with them, and it really has nothing to do with Wang Jianjun." His answer was clearly lacking in confidence, and his voice grew softer and softer.
The interrogation lasted for several hours, during which Zhao Kaifeng consistently maintained his innocence in the murder. He alternated between emotionally charged defenses and silent responses, his inner turmoil evident in his expressions and words. His initial cunning gradually turned into panic, and his body, initially feigning composure, began to tremble slightly.
Emerging from the interrogation room, Qin Chuan frowned, looking exhausted. "Zhao Kaifeng is definitely hiding something," he said to Li Ming. "Continue to dig deeper into his relationship with Wang Jianjun, and the details of their actions before and after the incident. We must find a breakthrough."
Li Ming nodded. "I think we can start by examining their financial transactions to see if there are any irregularities. Maybe we can find clues related to the case." He also realized that it would be difficult to make a breakthrough based solely on Zhao Kaifeng's confession; they needed to look for new evidence from other sources.
However, the subsequent investigation did not make much progress.
Since the interrogation of Zhao Kaifeng remained deadlocked and made no significant breakthroughs, Qin Chuan decisively adjusted the investigation strategy, instructing Li Ming to shift the focus of the investigation back to the village and delve deeper into Wang Jianjun's interpersonal relationships.
The next morning, Li Ming, accompanied by several criminal investigation team members, once again entered Hongxing Village. Sunlight streamed onto the village's dirt roads, raising clouds of dust. They first went to the small shop at the village entrance, a place where villagers usually gathered to chat. Li Ming entered the shop, which was filled with a mixture of the smells of cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks. The shopkeeper, a man in his fifties, was sitting behind the counter, watching television with his legs crossed.
"Uncle, excuse me, are you familiar with Wang Jianjun?" Li Ming politely offered him a cigarette and asked. The uncle took the cigarette, looked up from the television, sized up Li Ming and the others, and then gestured for them to sit down. "Wang Jianjun? I know him very well. He's lived in the village for many years. But you know, he's been acting a bit strange these past two years," the uncle said as he lit his cigarette.
"What's so strange about it?" Li Ming pressed. The uncle took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, and slowly said, "He and his wife were living a good life, but then he suddenly moved away. He came back half a year ago, and since then he's been acting mysteriously, often associating with people he doesn't know."
"Do you know who he's close to in the village?" Li Ming continued. The uncle frowned and pondered for a moment, "If we're talking about close relationships, it seems he's quite close to Li Mei, the widow at the west end of the village."
"Li Mei? Can you tell us about her and Wang Jianjun?" Li Ming's eyes lit up, feeling he had grasped a crucial clue. The uncle put down his cigarette, sat up straight, and said enthusiastically, "This Li Mei, her husband left early, and she raised the child alone. Life wasn't easy for her. After Wang Jianjun came back, he would often run to her house, I don't know what he was doing. Some people even saw the two of them taking a walk together in the woods outside the village."
Li Ming and his criminal investigation team meticulously recorded this information, then bid farewell to the uncle and headed to Li Mei's house at the west end of the village. Li Mei's yard wasn't large, with several sunflowers planted at the entrance, looking vibrant in the sunlight. Li Ming knocked on the door, and after a while, a woman with a haggard face but still remarkably attractive opened the door; it was Li Mei.
"Hello, we're from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. We'd like to ask you about some things," Li Ming said, showing his identification. Li Mei's face flashed with panic upon seeing the police, but she quickly regained her composure and stepped aside to let them into the house. The interior was simply furnished but very clean.
"Ms. Li, what is your relationship with Wang Jianjun?" Li Ming asked bluntly. Li Mei lowered her head, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes with both hands, hesitated for a moment and said, "We...we are just ordinary friends. He sees that I have a hard time on my own, so sometimes he comes to help me with some chores."
"Just ordinary friends? From what we understand, your relationship seems to be more than that." Li Ming stared intently into Li Mei's eyes, trying to find a clue in her expression. Li Mei's eyes darted away, and her voice became much softer: "We really are just ordinary friends. He comes over to chat with me occasionally, nothing more."
At this moment, a criminal investigation team member looked around the room and found a note on the table with some numbers and dates written on it. Li Ming picked it up and looked at it; the numbers and dates seemed to match some of Wang Jianjun's activity times. "Ms. Li, can you explain what's on this note?" Li Ming handed the note to Li Mei.
Li Mei's face turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth, but couldn't speak for a moment. After a long while, she whispered, "This...this is the IOU that Wang Jianjun wrote for me when he borrowed money from me."
"Borrow money? How much did he borrow? Why did he ask you for money?" Li Ming pressed. Li Mei was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "He borrowed 20,000 yuan. He said he had an urgent matter and needed the money. I felt sorry for him, so I lent it to him."
"Has he paid me back yet?" Li Ming continued to ask. Li Mei shook her head. "Not yet. He said he'd pay me back once he made some money."
After leaving Li Mei's house, Li Ming and the criminal investigation team interviewed several villagers, confirming that Wang Jianjun and Li Mei did indeed have frequent contact. Moreover, some villagers reported that a few days before the incident, they saw Wang Jianjun leaving Li Mei's house looking flustered, and he rarely appeared in the village after that.