The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

As he said this, Zhang Biao changed his tone, showing a thoughtful expression: "But speaking of which, if it’s merely a simple transaction, could it really escalate to the point of murder?"

"After all, she’s a woman who fell into disrepute, and most customers come and go for money; those who would truly invest emotionally are likely very few."

A young officer beside them whispered: "But if it involves emotional entanglement, wouldn’t the motive for murder be obvious?"

Zhang Biao nodded, yet his expression remained solemn: "I’ve pondered over this repeatedly. Her previous boyfriend had already broken up before the incident and is confirmed dead, so the suspicion can be largely excluded."

"So, what if the killer is someone she met while working in the salon..."

He slightly shook his head, "It’s hard to imagine a relationship based on transactions would make someone impulsive enough to kill."

"At least in my past case-handling experience, I’ve never encountered such a scenario."

The car fell into a brief silence, with only the streetlights outside swiftly passing by, casting fleeting shadows in the night.

At eleven o’clock at night, they drove from Guangbei City and reached the criminal investigation team.

As the car slowly entered the open-air parking lot, someone noticed that the light in the Deputy Director’s office was still on, quite striking amid the dim building.

"Captain Zhang, look, the light in Director Lu’s office is still on; guessing he’s waiting for us to come back."

Zhang Biao followed his gaze, a barely noticeable solemn expression flickering across his face, and replied softly: "Seems like it. Staying so late, he must have something urgent."

Sure enough, as the group just stepped onto the second floor, they saw Director Lu, Jiang An, and Director Hou sitting by the tea table inside the office, talking softly, with several cups of unfinished tea beside them.

Seeing them push the door open, Director Lu immediately stood up, speaking with concern: "You’re back, the journey must have been tiring."

"How’s the situation?"

Looking at his expression, Director Lu already guessed the outcome with almost certainty: "How does it look? Is it not very promising?"

Zhang Biao nodded, sighed deeply, his tone filled with fatigue: "Our trip to Guangbei City indeed didn’t yield any directly relevant clues."

"We’ve visited all the places we should, asked everyone we need to, but still didn’t find any breakthrough along the line."

He paused a moment, as if to calm his emotions, then continued: "However, we did gain a deeper understanding of Jiang Qin—she was not always a production line worker at the electronics factory, as previously thought."

"For a year and a half in-between, she actually worked at a salon."

As soon as the word "salon" was mentioned, the air in the office seemed to freeze momentarily.

Everyone’s face showed a hint of astonishment, especially Director Hou.

He had also followed up on this case before and had done preliminary investigations into Jiang Qin’s background.

Now, he couldn’t help but lean forward slightly, raising his eyebrows: "Salon? This really wasn’t grasped at all before."

Zhang Biao quickly went on to explain: "Yes, this was something Chen Qiao reported to us."

"If she really had such an experience... then how closely does it relate to our current case?"

"Relying solely on having once worked in a salon, and then inferring a direct relationship with the murder, seems a bit of a leap in logic. After all, profession background and murder motives can’t be directly equated."

Continuing, Zhang Biao said: "According to her, Jiang Qin had dated a boyfriend during that period, though that man died in a site accident two months before the incident."

Director Lu and Director Hou listened, their heads nodding in agreement.

Director Hou took the lead to speak, his tone cautious: "Indeed, the point Jiang An mentioned is crucial."

"In case-solving, we must consider evidence and logic."

"Even if she had some kind of... special work experience, without finding specific behavior or motives linked to this case, it is indeed difficult to establish a connection solely on that basis."

Director Lu also mused: "Yes, the biggest taboo in case-solving is preconceived notions."

"We’ll record these details and continue digging deeper, but right now, this period of experience alone isn’t enough to explain the key doubts in the case."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biao quickly responded: "Indeed—this time in Guangbei City, we’ve almost combed through all possible clues, yet we haven’t found anything of substantial value."

At this moment, Jiang An, beside them, gently frowned, pondered a moment, and asked: "She worked in that salon back then... Were there any specific people who frequently contacted her? Or were there customers she cared about or even avoided?"

Zhang Biao shook his head, looking somewhat helpless: "These details are now very difficult to verify."

"That salon closed down several years ago, and the original owner and employees are out of contact."

"Later, we went to her hometown, where people from her previous workplace said she worked at the salon for about a year, then returned to the countryside to marry and almost lost contact with past colleagues."

The office was quiet for a moment, only the slight sound of pages turning was heard.

After a long time, Director Lu put down the information in his hand and broke the silence: "Everyone’s been working hard these past few days, let’s head home tonight for some good rest. However—"

He changed tone, his gaze sweeping over those present, "This afternoon, I went over the crime scene again with Director Hou and Mr. Jiang. We did discover some new findings, so it’s been worthwhile."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biao, who was originally somewhat dispirited, was instantly invigorated, his body instinctively leaning forward: "Director, what clues were found?"

"Today, everyone’s been feeling heavy-hearted, just hoping for some progress!"

Director Lu turned around, explaining: "The technical investigators conducted further testing and analysis on the cups and watermarks left at the scene, and results show that during the incident time frame, the location of the deceased should’ve experienced a reception—meaning there wasn’t just her alone in the room."

"Reception?"

Zhang Biao repeated softly, his eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

"Exactly." Director Lu nodded, "Considering there were no signs of forced entry and the items were relatively naturally placed, we are currently inclined to believe the culprit likely knew the deceased, possibly even quite familiar."

"This provides a new angle for the nature of the case and the direction of investigation."

Suddenly energized, Zhang Biao pursued further: "Director, is this assessment reliable? Could it serve as a primary focus for subsequent screening?"

Director Lu nodded slowly, saying: "Personally, this discovery during the site survey is indeed significant."

"Not only were regular tea serving marks found, but even the positioning and orientation of chairs in the room aligned with common sitting habits during visits; this indicates that during the incident, the room was likely in a state of relative calm, potentially carrying a reception nature."

Zhang Biao fell into brief contemplation, then raised his head to ask: "Following this trajectory, should we further narrow the suspect’s scope to the vicinity of the crime scene, particularly those who had regular contacts with the victim or could’ve been invited into the scene?"

Director Lu affirmed: "Exactly, this is indeed the key direction for our upcoming investigation."

"The condition of the site suggests familiarity to the suspect, possibly normal contacts with the victim for a period of time."

Zhang Biao turned to Jiang An, his tone carrying admiration: "Mr. Jiang is indeed impressive."

"We’ve studied this scene and case files countless times, yet you came up with new investigation approaches from these details shortly after arriving, bringing us crucial breakthroughs."

Jiang An merely smiled faintly, his expression still cautious: "For now, these are merely speculations based on site traces, lacking substantial evidential validation, so everyone should remain prudent."

He paused briefly and continued to ask: "Additionally, regarding Jiang Qin’s early experience working in that salon, are there any leads worth delving deeper into? Such as her personal interactions, unusual events, or undisclosed disputes?"

But Zhang Biao shook his head, his tone sounding slightly helpless: "Regarding that period, besides Chen Qiao, almost no one else knows."

"Even her family has always thought she worked at an electronics factory during those two years."

"In other words, her life during that time is nearly a blank slate, making investigation extremely challenging."

After hearing, Jiang An nodded gently, remained silent, but a deep expression crossed his eyes...

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