Chapter 799: The Ancient Painting Appears

Translator: Azza

After saying goodbye to He Jingjing, Chen Shi said he wanted to take another look at Boss Shen's shop.

Boss Shen's shop had already been sealed off. Lin Qiupu opened it with the key. The three people walked into the shop which had no lights on. There was a lot of debris on the ground. Sunlight came in through the windows and dust motes danced in the air.

"Can I do a crime re-enactment here?" Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu.

"You can!"

"I saw the photos of the scene in the morning. The deceased’s prone position was a bit saucy…"

"Hey, watch what you’re saying at a murder scene!"

Chen Shi imitated the deceased's posture and lay down on the place where the deceased had been. The posture was as if he was dancing ballet. His whole body was twisted 180 degrees. Chen Shi asked, "Was the fatal injury at the back of the head?"

"Correct!"

"Dongxue, you pretend to be the employee and Captain Lin, you’re the murderer."

The three returned to their respective positions and simulated the situation at the time. This re-enactment revealed a suspicious point. The back of the deceased's head was facing inside, and the murderer was standing at the feet of the deceased. It was impossible for the murderer to stand there and hit the deceased’s head with an ashtray.

"I guess what the employee saw was probably the scene after the murder had ended." Lin Dongxue commented.

Chen Shi got up and patted off the dust on his body. "Then how do you think the murderer committed the crime?"

Lin Qiupu answered, "Since the deceased fell down in this posture, I think he was most likely smashed in the back of his head when he was sitting on a chair? Most likely, when he turned around, the murderer suddenly smashed the back of his head while he was off guard. The autopsy report said there was one fatal blow and that the other blows were made while the deceased was dying."

"Assuming that the murderer is Liu Feng, would the deceased have such a relaxed posture in front of him?"

"Your reasoning is too rigid." Lin Qiupu said, "Although the deceased was afraid of Liu Feng, he wouldn’t have thought that he would kill him. For example, it’s possible that Liu Feng had tricked him to turn around to get something."

"Do you think the employee is suspicious?" Lin Dongxue put forward an idea.

"Where did the suspicion come from?" Chen Shi smiled as he asked.

"He knew that Lie Guoxiao wanted this painting, and Liu Feng also had an altercation with Boss Shen. This person outside the situation took the opportunity to interfere, killed the boss, framed Liu Feng, and took the painting for himself."

"However, this painting is now impossible to sell. It’s a hot potato. Whoever holds it would be a major suspect."

"They wouldn’t think of that when they were tempted by money."

Lin Qiupu raised objections. "The tiles on the roof next door were smashed by him. The incident report was made only half an hour after the time of death, and the scene was messy. It was only possible that it was messed up after Boss Shen’s death. The employee had no time to do that… Besides, the spit found at the scene has been proved to be Liu Feng's."

Chen Shi said, "It might be a little gross to say this, but I remember that the spit was dry. The painting that fell on it wasn’t soiled. It means that it was spat out earlier, probably during the day."

Chen Shi walked to the cabinet again and pointed to the label on the cabinet door. "Speaking of the mess at the scene, these cabinets are clearly labelled with numbers, and Boss Shen’s record books have the corresponding numbers. The murderer didn’t need to rummage through the place like that at all."

"You mean someone deliberately messed up the place and created the illusion of robbery-cum-murder?" Lin Qiupu said.

"One possibility is that they simply got greedy and wanted to take this painting away. Another possibility is that this person has an old grudge with Boss Shen, and used this incident as a cover to kill him. The third possibility is… No, this possibility is too ridiculous…" Chen Shi said.

"You should say it!" Lin Dongxue urged, "It’s just a discussion anyway. Make bold assumptions and careful arguments."

"The third possibility is that the murderer also runs a pawn shop. They were angry but did not dare to speak up. In this manner, they were able to frame Lie Guoxiao and use the police to eradicate Lie Guoxiao."

Use someone to get rid of another?

Lin Qiupu suddenly thought of He Jingjing. She had done this before and managed to get away with it.

"That's ridiculous!" Lin Qiupu shook his head in denial.

"Of course, it's more likely to be a complex motive. The murderer has bad blood with Boss Shen and was extorted by Lie Guoxiao. At the same time, they also wanted this "Mountain Residence XX Picture". Doesn’t that sound more reasonable?"

Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly, "It’s reasonable, but I’m afraid it will be hard to find such a candidate."

"Will it be hard to find? Expand the search and investigate Boss Shen's interpersonal relationships. Don't just focus on Liu Feng. I am 90% sure that Liu Feng is just a scapegoat!"

Lin Qiupu felt conflicted. The available evidence all pointed to Liu Feng. Even if the evidence was sent to the courts, it would be difficult for a lawyer to refute it. However, he had also noticed all the dubious points in this case, and it seemed that there was another possibility.

Lin Dongxue suddenly said, "The case happened in the early hours of the morning. Did the suspect arrive at this time, or did they come earlier and talk to the deceased? What did they talk about? Could it be that the other party developed murderous intent because they didn’t agree on something?"

"The things that can cause a person to kill are all pretty much related to personal interest."

"Could it be that the person knew about Boss Shen's current predicament and took advantage of the situation, wanting to buy the painting at a very low price?"

"Haha, your thinking is very keen right now. I didn't think of this myself. It’s a very interesting breakthrough."

Having been praised by Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue smiled shyly. "At the end of the day, this case must have something to do with this painting. Haii, if we can find that painting now, it would be great."

Lin Qiupu suddenly turned around from the window, with a mobile phone in his hand. "We’ve found the painting!"

"What?!" The two were surprised.

"We found it at Liu Feng's house. Chen Shi, do you want to go with us?"

Although there was no need to make a special trip over, this clue was so important that the three of them had to see it with their own eyes.

Liu Feng’s home was a very ordinary small apartment. From the deserted look of his home, he seemed to spend little time at home. Xu Xiaodong, who had come to search in the morning, had found a plastic bag under the bed. When he opened it, he found the painting inside.

When the three arrived, Xu Xiaodong and his partner were studying the painting. Lin Qiupu said, "Stop looking at it. It would be troublesome if it got dirty or damaged. We still have to take it back for evaluation as well."

"I just wanted to see if the painting is real or not. Can you tell, Brother Chen?" Xu Xiaodong said.

Chen Shi smiled. "I wouldn’t be driving a taxi if I could tell."

"Bring it back to the bureau. I will contact an ancient painting expert to appraise it." Lin Qiupu said.

Xu Xiaodong said "Oh" before rolling the painting up and putting it into the evidence bag. Chen Shi reminded him, "Put the bag which contained it in as well. By the way, where did you find it?"

"Under the bed."

Chen Shi sprawled on the floor and looked under the bed. Then he walked around the room again, inspected the windows, and carefully inspected the keyholes. He suddenly said, "This door had been pried open by someone."