Chapter 148 Reasoning

"Why do you know everything?"

It wasn't surprising that Xing Zhengtao was so astonished, as each of Ye Fan's questions was simply too remarkable.

The three questions Ye Fan posed had all hit the mark. Apart from the team members responsible for this locked-room murder case, only Cao Guanghai and a few other captains within the entire Capital Order Bureau knew these critical details.

Meeting Xing Zhengtao's gaze, Ye Fan's expression remained calm as he said, "I overheard your conversation earlier. From the snippets I gathered, I was able to piece together some clues and use them to do some reasoning in my mind, which led me to deduce the most likely scenario."

"Of course, it's just a hypothesis—I'm not saying it's the truth. If you're willing to listen, I'll share; if not, I'll leave and won't interfere with your work."

Ye Fan's stance was clear.

If they trusted him, he would speak. If not, he wouldn't go out of his way to ingratiate himself.

Xing Zhengtao opened his mouth and looked at Cao Guanghai, eyes full of inquiry.

Cao Guanghai's brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Ye Fan, just tell us your hypothesis."

This case had been dragging on for so long, and the pressure on him as bureau chief was immense.

Higher-ups frequently asked for updates on the case, but the Order Bureau had made no progress and still couldn't identify the killer.

Even though Ye Fan was young, his calm demeanor made Cao Guanghai take him seriously. Furthermore, from their brief exchange, he had realized that this young man was anything but ordinary.

Calm disposition, articulate, and clear-minded!

Besides, regardless of the credibility of Ye Fan's hypothesis, there was nothing to lose by listening.

Hearing this, Ye Fan nodded slightly, pulled a chair over, and sat down at the desk. He didn't start speaking immediately but first organized his thoughts.

After about half a minute, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Based on your conversation just now, we can confirm one thing: the four witnesses first screamed and then went upstairs to the second floor, where they discovered the victim."

"Is the medical examiner's determination of the time of death roughly the same as when the witnesses found the victim?"

"Yes!"

Cao Guanghai remained silent while Xing Zhengtao, trying to suppress his shock, confirmed with a nod.

Was this also deduced? Unbelievable!

Receiving the confirmation, a faint smile appeared on Ye Fan's lips.

"Gentlemen, I will now use the known clues to infer the killer's method. If anything contradicts the data the Order Bureau has, you may interrupt me at any time."

Cao Guanghai and Xing Zhengtao exchanged glances and nodded.

Ye Fan's thoughts flowed rapidly, and his voice dropped.

"In the evening, the four witnesses were playing mahjong in the first-floor living room when they suddenly heard a scream from the second floor. They rushed upstairs, with the killer arriving last as he needed to put on gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. When the four reached the victim's room, they found the door shut and kicked it open."

"Since it was nighttime, the room was dark. The killer, hiding among them, stealthily approached the victim amidst the chaos of looking for the light switch and delivered a fatal stab to the victim's chest."

Cao Guanghai squinted and interrupted, "Why the chest? Why not another area?"

"There are many lethal areas, but the chest is the most direct and least likely to leave significant evidence."

Ye Fan explained, "If the killer had slashed a major artery, there would be blood everywhere, greatly increasing the risk of exposure. The chest is, therefore, the optimal choice."

After speaking, he looked up at Cao Guanghai and asked, "Was the fatal wound on the victim's chest?"

"It was!"

Cao Guanghai nodded with difficulty.

He couldn't help but wonder how Ye Fan's mind worked.

Terrifying!

Ye Fan wasn't surprised by this outcome.

During that brief moment earlier, he had considered a dozen possibilities in his mind; this was the safest one and the most plausible.

"I am certain the fatal wound was on the chest because of the limited time available to the killer. He had to kill the victim as quickly as possible."

"The fatal wound was likely caused by a dagger or folding knife, weapons that are easy to carry and conceal."

"After killing the victim, the killer quickly stowed the weapon and gloves into his pocket. When the other three turned on the light, they only saw the victim lying on the ground with blood on her chest."

"In such situations, the first reaction is not to check if the victim is dead but to call the Order Bureau."

"With that brief delay, the victim's heartbeat would have already stopped, and the killer could then find any excuse to visit the bathroom and dispose of the dagger and gloves down the toilet. By the time the Order Bureau arrived, all traces would be gone."

"This is a murder using a time-lag tactic. While most people would use various methods to establish an alibi, the killer did the opposite. The most dangerous place became the safest. He used a time lag to create the illusion of a locked-room murder!"

At this point, Ye Fan smiled at the two stunned men.

"Although this method sounds simple, it requires meticulous planning. It suggests that the killer was very familiar with the other three witnesses and the victim. He leveraged their habits and personalities to execute such an intricate murder plan."

"Hiss!"

Xing Zhengtao gasped, face full of shock. "I need a moment to process this."

He turned to face the wall.

Cao Guanghai lowered his head, his expression changing rapidly.

He wasn't sure if Ye Fan's deductions were correct, but one thing was clear: the Order Bureau's clues aligned perfectly with his reasoning without any deviation.

After a few seconds of silence, he raised his head to look at Ye Fan. "So, you're saying that when the four witnesses heard the scream, the victim wasn't dead yet? What was happening to her at that moment?"

"Exactly. The victim was probably just frightened and had fainted."

Ye Fan nodded, musing, "As for what exactly startled her, I can't say. I know too few details and haven't been to the scene."

"That's easy to fix."

Cao Guanghai stood up abruptly. "Let's go. I'll take you there now."

Cough cough!

Seeing this, Ye Fan promptly refused, "Chief Cao, I still need to have dinner with...my sister later. No, I can't go."

"..."

"..."

_________________

you can join my patreon for early access

patreon.(com)/jodex7