sjar Chapter 1095 Eliminating Li Jianjun's Suspicion
Chapter 1095 Eliminating Li Jianjun's Suspicion
On the kang (heated brick bed) in the east wing, a blackened quilt lay, and beneath the pillow, half an IOU peeked out. The handwriting, "I owe Li Jianjun RMB 30,000," was wrinkled and blurred by tears. A gourd of wine was tied to the table leg, its stopper lying on the floor, wine stains spreading irregularly in the mud. When Xiao Wang shone a UV lamp on it, a blurry fingerprint appeared on the edge of the kang, the fingertip pointing towards the door, as if he had hurriedly crossed the edge of the kang while leaving.
When they went to town to find Sun Laosi's parents, his father was squatting under the eaves of his daughter's house, weaving baskets, the bamboo strips twisting and turning in his hands. "Laosi has always been stubborn," the old man said, bamboo shavings stuck in his fingernails, "but he wouldn't dare kill anyone!" His wife was crying inside the house, her voice drifting through the paper window: "He called me that day, saying he was going to work in another city, and told me not to worry about him... I should have stopped him."
Xiao Wang took out a photocopy of the body photo. Sun Lao Si Niang only glanced at it before collapsing on the threshold: "It's not my son!" She grabbed Xiao Wang's arm, her nails almost digging into his flesh. "My son's right little toe is syndactyly. Look at the toes in this photo, they're clearly distinguishable!" Xiao Wang looked through the autopsy record. The forensic doctor had indeed not mentioned the syndactyly feature, which deepened his doubts.
"Did Sun Laosi mention owing Li Jianjun money to you?" Xiao Wang handed over a cup of hot water. The old lady's hand was still trembling, and water droplets dripped from the rim of the cup onto her faded apron. "He did!" The old man threw the bamboo strips on the ground. "He said Li Jianjun was a loan shark, and with the interest compounding, he wanted 50,000 yuan back. He even said he'd break one of his legs if he didn't pay!" He suddenly remembered something. "Last Wednesday night, around 10 p.m., I saw Li Jianjun's black motorcycle parked under the old locust tree at the village entrance, its headlights pointing in the direction of Sun Laosi's house."
DNA sampling was conducted in the corridor of the town's health center. As Sun Lao Si Niang's blood was being drawn, tears dripped into the alcohol swab: "Please don't wrong my son. No matter how much of a scoundrel he is, he wouldn't do something so heinous." The nurse put the blood sample into a test tube labeled "Comparison Sample B." Xiao Wang noticed that her lancet was 5ml, which matched the size of the needle mark on the corpse's left arm—the forensic doctor had suspected that the deceased had received a blood transfusion or had blood drawn before his death.
When they returned to the village, Li Jianjun's gate was locked, and his red motorcycle was not in the yard. A neighbor said that he had driven his truck to the county town early that morning to pick up goods, and the truck bed was loaded with new fishing nets and tarpaulins. "Jianjun and Sun Laosi have been enemies for a long time," the neighbor said, squatting against the wall smoking, his cigarette butt poking countless small holes in the ground. "Last year, Sun Laosi even stole fish from his fishpond, got caught and beaten half to death, and vowed revenge right then and there."
Xiao Wang re-examined the area under the willow tree by the pond. Technicians used magnetic powder to reveal several new footprints: size 42, rubber sole, with a triangular notch at the heel—completely different from the tire tread of Sun Laosi's tricycle, but matching the tread pattern of the rear tire of Li Jianjun's motorcycle. There was a fresh scratch on the willow bark, with remnants of silvery-white paint, which, upon testing, matched the paint composition of the bumper of Li Jianjun's truck.
The DNA comparison results came back early the next morning. Xiao Wang took the report to Sun Laosi's house. The old lady was burning incense before a Buddha statue, the smoke swirling in front of a photograph on the altar—Sun Laosi in the photograph was wearing a military green jacket, and the scar on his left wrist was clearly visible under the flash. "We've ruled out Sun Laosi as the deceased," Xiao Wang said softly, "but the fingerprints we found on the edge of your kang (heated brick bed) match Li Jianjun's prior criminal record."
Old Man Sun suddenly stood up, the bamboo basket slipping off his lap and falling apart: "I knew it was Li Jianjun! What did he do to Old Man Sun?" Xiao Wang didn't answer, his gaze falling on the tricycle key under the altar. The keychain was a faded red knot, the same color as the fibers found by the pond. He spoke into the walkie-talkie: "Check Li Jianjun's truck GPS track from July 12th, focusing on where he went between 10 PM and 2 AM."
As the abacus clattered again from Widow Zhao's shop, Xiao Wang stood by the pond, the reflection of the unidentified corpse still shimmering in the ripples. Sun Laosi's disappearance, like the victim's identity, remained a mystery, but the paint shavings under the willow tree, Li Jianjun's fingerprints, and the missing tricycle, like scattered beads, awaited to be strung together to unravel the enigma. A rustling sound came from the distant cornfield. Xiao Wang gripped the handcuffs at his waist, knowing the answer might lie hidden in the setting sun.
As soon as Li Jianjun's truck pulled into the yard, Xiao Wang stood by the cornfield. The fishing net in the truck bed was still dripping wet, the new tarpaulin gleamed with a plastic sheen, and a few withered corn leaves clung to the edges. "Li Jianjun," Xiao Wang's voice cut through the lingering sound of the diesel engine, "we need to know where you were on the night of July 12th."
Li Jianjun wiped the diesel fuel off his hands, the black grime between his fingers deeply embedded: "Officer Wang, I was loading goods in the county town that day and didn't head back until after 10 p.m. There's CCTV footage from the logistics park to prove it." He pointed to the dashcam in the truck's cab, "This thing was on the whole time. You can check it. Except for stopping at a service area for half an hour to eat instant noodles, I didn't go anywhere else."
Xiao Wang climbed into the driver's seat; the dashcam screen still bore the marks of sunlight. At 10:03 PM on July 12th, the logistics park in the footage was brightly lit. Li Jianjun was helping to move cardboard boxes, his tattoo on his left arm particularly clear under the light—a dragon pattern across his shoulder, completely different from the fingerprint lines on the edge of Sun Laosi's kang (heated brick bed). "Have you been to Sun Laosi's house?" Xiao Wang suddenly asked, his fingertip pointing to the red tricycle that flashed briefly in the dashcam footage.
Li Jianjun paused for a moment, and the diesel drum slammed against the truck bed with a "bang": "I went to collect the debt last Monday, but that kid hid in the house and wouldn't open the door. I sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, cursed a few times, and then left." He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a bruise on his arm. "His wife scratched me. You can ask Widow Zhao from the convenience store; she was there trying to break up the fight."
In Widow Zhao's small shop, the abacus beads clicked loudly. "That's right," she said, flipping through the ledger. On the page for July 10th, it read, "Li Jianjun, two bottles of beer," the handwriting scribbled. "Sun Laosi's wife pounced on him like a madwoman, her fingernails almost scratching a chunk of flesh off Li Jianjun. I couldn't hold her back." She suddenly lowered her voice, "But Li Jianjun wasn't one to be trifled with either. He kicked down Sun Laosi's door right then and there, saying he'd break his arm if he didn't pay back the money."
Xiao Wang asked the technicians to check the GPS track of the dashcam. The data showed that from 10 pm to 2 am on July 12, Li Jianjun's truck was driving on the provincial highway. At 1:17 am, he entered the service area. The surveillance camera captured him buying a bucket of braised beef noodles at the convenience store. The payment record matched the bank statement perfectly. "The surveillance camera at the service area can clearly see his face," the technician Xiao Li zoomed in on the image. "He has a mole behind his right ear, which matches the features of the figure in the surveillance camera."