Chapter 1150: Clues

The Cai family truly invested heavily; with Wang Yan's help, they did not have to scramble for furniture from neighbors as in the original story, where one household contributed a cabinet and another a stool, demonstrating the neighborhood's sense of human connection.

Since Wang Yan was helping this time, new furniture was naturally preferable, especially given his guaranteed craftsmanship and fair pricing, so Old Cai's family began borrowing money from relatives and friends, collecting fifty here and a hundred there, eventually gathering over a thousand yuan.

This was no small sum; in those days, a typical worker's monthly wage was only forty or fifty yuan. Even Wang Yan himself, despite earning so many merits, received just over seventy yuan per month, which was already considered very high; Old Ma, combining his merits, seniority, and squad leader position, earned roughly the same.

The Cai family's financial situation was naturally quite good; Old Cai had driven trains for many years, and with his professional title, performance awards, and seniority, he earned seventy or eighty yuan monthly, while Cai Xiao earned slightly less, around fifty yuan, and Mother Cai, a housewife, earned extra by doing handicrafts in her spare time.

The family could earn over a thousand yuan annually, but after deducting living expenses, their savings were relatively modest, meaning this thousand-plus yuan would take the family a proper three to five years to repay.

This was quite normal; although the Cai family enjoyed high income for those times, they were not wealthy tycoons but an ordinary household, and such families almost always incurred debt for weddings, little different from several decades later.

A few days later, when Cai Xiao returned, Wang Yan took him to the furniture factory, where they ultimately spent eight hundred and fifty yuan; Wang Yan paid for a standing wardrobe as a wedding gift, which was included within that eight hundred and fifty.

Wang Yan was naturally a man of principle; since Cai Xiao greeted him affectionately as "older brother" upon meeting, Wang Yan would not be stingy.

After all, he truly lacked nothing financially; in fact, even if he paid for everything, his funds would have been sufficient, but he simply could not reveal them, as Cai Xiao was not his son; lending two hundred yuan and gifting a standing wardrobe was already the limit.

This matter was temporarily settled, awaiting their wedding the following spring...

Wang Yan's life remained ordinary: providing footprint identification for various requesting units, occasionally participating in collective operations, sometimes riding trains to catch thieves or human traffickers, and naturally, taking on cases to solve.

Wang Xin placed a Juan Sect file on the office desk, asking, "How about looking at this case?"

Ma Kui examined it first, then passed it to Wang Yan, while Wang Xin remarked from the side, "In the winter two years ago, a track maintenance worker discovered a crushed corpse on the railway section between Ningyang and Yinzhou. The forensic examination identified the deceased as a female aged twenty to twenty-five, with signs of sexual assault. There were ligature marks on her neck, suggesting death by strangulation. Additionally, her body bore multiple injuries, likely inflicted by the perpetrator's beating."

"We investigated the surrounding areas but found no matching missing persons reports. It was ultimately classified as a rape-murder with body disposal, and after extensive interviews and investigations yielded no results, the case was shelved. Oh, right, you actually examined these footprints once before."

Wang Yan looked at the new white paper added to the Juan Sect file, which bore his own handwriting and even his signature; within Liaoning Province, regarding footprints, his signature alone constituted evidence, simply because every footprint identification he had ever performed was correct, and he had helped solve hundreds of cases across the province, while the unsolved ones were not due to errors in his footprint analysis but rather insufficient clues that couldn't even narrow down the suspect pool...

"Height one meter seventy-five, weight one hundred twenty jin, age around twenty-two or twenty-three," he said after examining the footprint photo and confirming once more, "Do you have any ideas?"

Ma Kui also turned to look at Wang Xin.

The latter shook his head honestly: "No, I was just thinking that since our previous case also involved a dismembered body, perhaps we could try again; based on current information, the body wasn't thrown from a train but transported from elsewhere, meaning the killer isn't from Ningyang but someone not too far away, definitely within this range, and the deceased was likely similar; since both were in Ningyang and a homicide occurred, there must be some traces left behind."

Ma Kui shook his head: "Solving a case requires two things: first, identifying the deceased, and second, identifying the killer; unlike the previous Liang Lihong case, where we had clues to determine her identity and thereby confirm the killer, this case has only one clue—the footprint—with nothing else known, so how can we proceed?"

"Just as we discussed last time, dig out the old records and check; we might find a clue," Wang Xin said optimistically.

"What you said makes sense," Wang Yan nodded with a smile; he hadn't reviewed this case before, having only examined the footprints previously.

But now, reviewing it made little difference; for cases leaving biological evidence, once DNA extraction and comparison technology was applied domestically, such evidence would be immediately compromised.

However, from another perspective, waiting so many years to solve the case, allowing the killer to remain at large, always felt wrong; moreover, someone who has killed once is different from someone who hasn't—those daring to kill once will dare to kill again, posing a hidden danger.

Yet police were humans, not gods, so they could only helplessly shelve the case, occasionally reviewing it or hoping for technological breakthroughs...

"See, that's exactly what my older brother said earlier," Wang Xin nodded happily, "Actually, I do have an idea, though I'm unsure if it's feasible."

Ma Kui retorted impatiently, "Then spit it out."

Wang Xin chuckled and said, "The deceased wasn't old, and her clothing wasn't poor quality, suggesting her family situation was decent; when someone like this goes missing, their family surely reports it, and all units receiving such reports would file a case; if we retrieve the missing persons lists from Ningyang and nearby areas, isolating females of similar age into a separate list, we can likely confirm the deceased's identity."

"Once we confirm the deceased's identity, our subsequent investigation will be much easier."

Ma Kui smiled: "Then tell me, why didn't the comrades handling the case originally do this?"

"It's different, Old Ma; back then, retrieving the lists required comrades running from place to place, whereas now the lists are certainly consolidated; regardless of other areas, let's first retrieve Ningyang's list with just one trip to the Municipal Public Security Bureau; including everyone from that entire winter, how many people could there be? Indeed, many went missing, but surely not tens of thousands in just one winter; we can definitely handle it."

"If Ningyang yields nothing, then we drop it; we simply can't afford to waste time; I suspect their original failure to act stemmed from the same reasoning; they had too many ongoing cases to manage; fortunately, our team has my older brother, whose results come quickly, allowing us not only to lend a hand but also to review past cases."

"You know, you're actually using your brain now."

Wang Yan also nodded with a smile: "Alright, you go retrieve the lists; I'll examine the body shortly, aiming to pinpoint the deceased's age more precisely."

Wang Xin widened his eyes: "You can do that too?"

"The school taught it, and I read some books to study further; your brother is a genius, so don't struggle against yourself."

"Hurry up and go, second place in the police academy!" Old Ma teased good-naturedly.

Wang Xin exhaled deeply, shaking his head helplessly: "Since Yu was born, why was Liang also born..."

Although he had grown accustomed to being thwarted, each time he was outshone so blatantly, it still felt unpleasant; immediately, he scurried off to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to retrieve the data...

Old Ma asked curiously, "Can you really determine it accurately?"

"Look, we're practically family, yet you don't trust me?"

"What level of accuracy?"

"Perhaps slightly worse than my footprint identification; after all, these are all theories, and I've only examined a few corpses; true knowledge comes from practice," Wang Yan said modestly.

"Then let's go; I'll handle the procedures, and we'll visit the funeral home."

When a homicide remained unsolved and the identity unknown, in those days, after the forensic examiner issued a report confirming the cause of death and extracting various information, the body was sent to the crematorium for incineration and then stored at the funeral home, to be returned to the family only after the deceased's identity was confirmed; the previous Liang Lihong case followed this exact procedure, having already been cremated with only some bones remaining.

The current situation was identical; a two-year-old corpse certainly couldn't be preserved, as conditions didn't exist back then, so cremation was the only option; however, what Wang Yan intended to examine were the bones.

Inside the funeral home, under the watchful eyes of the staff and Ma Kui, Wang Yan, wearing gloves, rummaged through the bones back and forth, pretending seriously for quite some time before finally making his judgment.

"The previous forensic examiner's assessment was correct; twenty-one to twenty-five years old is accurate; let me refine it: between twenty-two and twenty-three years old; later, we'll first investigate based on these two ages, accounting for both lunar and solar calendars."

"So certain?" Old Ma looked thoroughly skeptical.

"Who can be absolutely certain? Let's first investigate this age range; if that fails, we'll expand; originally, there weren't many people anyway; this is just a precise strike to avoid unnecessary detours, which is beneficial."

Thus, the two went to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to meet Wang Xin, and the trio began searching individually for missing persons matching the criteria.

First, they defined the timeframe as seven days before to half a month after the incident, widening the window to account for possible delays in the deceased's activities; second, the gender had to be female; third, the age range selected by Wang Yan.

Ultimately, they narrowed it down to three candidates.

Without further delay, the trio split up, each responsible for one candidate, and dispersed to conduct interviews.

In the afternoon, Wang Yan and Ma Kui returned to the bureau successively, while Wang Xin didn't return until near evening.

"Found her," Wang Xin declared upon arrival, immediately draining the hot water Wang Yan had left cooling.

Opening his little notebook, he said, "Her name is Feng Xiaoling, twenty-three years old; on the afternoon of November 15th two years ago, she went to watch a movie with a friend and then disappeared; in the latter half of the night on the 16th, a track maintenance worker discovered the body, which matches perfectly; here's the photo; take a look; she wasn't bad-looking."

Handing over the photo, he continued, "I also asked the friend's name and address but haven't visited yet; my skills are shallow, and I fear delaying matters."

"Oh my, I truly underestimated you," Ma Kui said with a chuckle.

"Well, I do have self-awareness; this friend's name is Zhang Yinglan; together with Feng Xiaoling, they were both workers at the canned food factory; they met after starting work, usually kept close, and often went out together during their breaks."

"Additionally, Feng Xiaoling was already engaged, planning to marry the following spring; the fiancé's name is Zhao Youmin, working at the district government; previously, she had another relationship that went well with someone named Yu Huaiwen, but they reportedly had a falling out and ended it; Feng Xiaoling's parents said their daughter was usually very quiet, never offended anyone, nor quarreled or made enemies with anyone; there were no unusual circumstances before; her sudden disappearance and murder is all we know so far."

"So what are we doing? Going now, or waiting till tomorrow?"

"Definitely tomorrow. The food's already made at home, let's go back and eat," Wang Yan said with a smile. "Besides, showing up at night is easy to misunderstand. Going during the day is better."

"That's true." Ma Kui nodded.

Wang Xin picked up the cigarettes Wang Yan had left on the table, lit one, and smoked it contentedly. If he weren't mooching cigarettes off Wang Yan every day, he'd have quit by now…

"See what I told you? There's a lead now, isn't there."

"Don't get cocky. A lead only matters if it breaks the case. If it doesn't, it's just wasted effort."

"That's not right, Old Ma. You still have to follow the lead and check it out before you know if it's useful or not."

"Fine, what you said is useful."

The two bantered and bickered. Wang Yan used the time to look at a few more footprints, and then the three of them left together, ambling home for dinner…

Early the next morning, Feng Xiaoling's family came to the bureau. Even though Wang Yan and Ma Kui had given Wang Xin their full trust, since the family was there, they showed them the photos and brought out the bloodstained clothes. They confirmed it was what Feng Xiaoling had been wearing that day. They also took the chance to ask some questions, but there were basically no discrepancies and no further leads. After that, they arranged for someone to take the family to the funeral home to collect the remains.

The three-man team, meanwhile, acted together, questioning everyone connected to Feng Xiaoling.

For a homicide, the first move is to look at acquaintances—basically, that solves nine out of ten cases. The vast majority of murders come from conflicts between people who know each other: killings for revenge, for love, for money, involving family, lovers, friends, even neighbors.

The remaining ten percent is everything else. Crimes by interest groups, criminal gangs, and so on, plus some spur-of-the-moment cases—greed at the sight of money, lust at the sight of beauty, that sort of thing.

So last night, the three of them didn't make other plans. Once the victim's identity was confirmed, thoroughly investigating her network of relationships was the necessary first step.

The three spent several days making visits. It's no exaggeration to say they knew Feng Xiaoling more thoroughly and in greater detail than her own parents did.

But it was precisely that thoroughness and detail that made it feel worse—because they had nothing to show for it.

Wang Xin stared at the scribbles in his notebook, looked at the relationship web drawn on the newspaper, and slumped dejectedly into his chair: "Dead end. Old Ma, you were right—the lead was useless. Well, not totally useless, I guess. At least it let her parents give up hope."

Ma Kui, on the other hand, was unaffected—the only one feeling dejected was Wang Xin. After all, he was the one who'd suggested it, and he was the one who'd found the victim's family first and confirmed her identity. He'd pinned high hopes on cracking this case. But when the results fell short, the disappointment was that much greater.

Ma Kui said: "This is normal. Don't act like the world is ending. If everyone were like you, with all those cases piling up, wouldn't the officers in charge have cried themselves to death long ago? Being a cop means being unbreakable—you absolutely cannot lose heart."

"I was just saying. It's been almost half a month. Everything that should've been checked and everything that shouldn't have been checked—we checked it all. And it came to nothing. Of course I'm frustrated."

"What's useful, what's useless? You have to wait and see."

"No, that's not what you said last time. Great, you've got an answer for everything."

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement and said: "If this road's a dead end, then change direction. If nothing else works, we can wait for technology to catch up."

Wang Xin let out a long breath and said: "Based on what we've got, the most likely scenario is a random crime of passion. Feng Xiaoling and that Zhang Yinglan finished their movie and were walking home when they ran into the killer. The killer saw Feng Xiaoling was pretty and dressed well, so he wanted both her money and her body.

We investigated Feng Xiaoling—she's soft on the outside but tough inside, so she definitely fought back hard. The killer was afraid of being discovered, so he killed her. Then with some tool, he hid Feng Xiaoling's body, took it out of the city, and dumped it on the railway line.

So there are two possibilities: either the killer lived nearby, or he was passing through. And then two more possibilities: he had a vehicle, or he was on foot.

Anyway, no matter how you look at it, what we need to do next is carefully check the route from the cinema to Feng Xiaoling's home."

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow at him: "See, putting that brain to use does pay off. Pretty clear thinking. Here's what we'll do—you go to Feng Xiaoling's home and get two more photos, or get the negatives and print two more. Tomorrow we'll take the photos and ask around along that route."

Wang Xin didn't waste any words. He acknowledged and left to get the photos.

He knew his own place clearly: Wang Yan was the big shot, Ma Kui was the nominal leader, and he himself was dispensable—basically the muscle. So just as he'd said himself before, all the legwork in the group fell to him…