National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 642 - 586 Another Person

Chapter 642: Chapter 586 Another Person

"Zhang Enfan, take a look at this photo."

Meng Chengbiao sat opposite Zhang Enfan, his presence domineering.

Zhang Enfan hung his head, not resisting, silent.

Resisting interrogation was also exhausting. For one thing, it was a nine-to-five job, during the legally stipulated time, the police could summon him for questioning.

Secondly, he could scorn the law and use silence to resist interrogation, but the police could talk. They could discuss policy with him, talk about the law, or they could use psychological tactics, swaying him with photos of his family, the bonds of his loved ones.

Meng Chengbiao had carefully researched Zhang Enfan’s situation and knew that he did not resist examining the evidence.

One might even say Zhang Enfan was eager to actively examine the evidence.

So, taking advantage of the moment Zhang Enfan looked up, Meng Chengbiao placed a photo of Jiao Lina in front of Zhang Enfan.

Not just any photo of Jiao Lina, but one Meng Chengbiao found in her social circle, liked by Zhang Enfan’s alternate account—a photo of her in a white dress, the hem fluttering, her smile lively and sincere.

Zhang Enfan’s eyes visibly changed.

Somewhat fierce, somewhat bleak, like an enraged wolf in a circus, wanting to bare its teeth, yet its chains did not even clink.

"A girl in the prime of her youth shouldn’t have met such a fate," Meng Chengbiao continued, placing another close-up photo of Jiao Lina’s smiling face in front of Zhang Enfan.

The close-up, also from Jiao Lina’s social circle, was a bit playful, a tad confident.

Meng Chengbiao went on, "Jiao Lina was an orphan, without the love of parents. Her original hope must have been to find a true loving partner..."

He placed down a photo from Jiao Lina’s Cranial Reconstruction Skill procedure.

The image from the cranial reconstruction carried the forensic doctor’s characteristic chill, devoid of smiles, and even less so of a living person’s emotions.

Zhang Enfan froze for a moment. This photo always felt a bit strange to him, involuntarily bringing back some memories.

Meng Chengbiao put down one last photo without saying a word.

It was a photo of Jiao Lina’s skull.

The stark white skull was slightly yellowed, its empty eye sockets large and deep, the nose without its bridge pear-shaped, and the central vomer bone as thin as paper, bent and twisted.

Whoosh.

Zhang Enfan’s handcuffs and shackles stirred.

A police officer nearby was about to scold him but was silenced by a gesture from Meng Chengbiao.

Giving Zhang Enfan a dozen seconds to think, Meng Chengbiao finally asked, "Tell me, why did you strangle such a girl in the prime of her life?"

Zhang Enfan’s expression visibly stiffened, then he looked straight at Meng Chengbiao.

Meng Chengbiao inwardly cursed, Zhang Enfan’s expression revealed that he had inadvertently provided him with unexpected information. What was it? Was he dissatisfied with the "prime of her life" that he had mentioned? Or was the description of being strangled incorrect?

The determination that the death was by strangulation had been made by Jiang Yuan. Meng Chengbiao had never doubted it, and there was no way Zhang Enfan could be unaware of his own method of killing...

"She was strangled?" Zhang Enfan spoke for the first time after many days of interrogation.

No matter what, this was a breakthrough in the interrogation. Meng Chengbiao’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but he ultimately decided to trust Jiang Yuan and affirmed, "Yes, she was strangled."

Zhang Enfan gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound.

Meng Chengbiao resisted the urge to speak.

He knew that if he chose the right angle of attack now, he might have a chance to breach Zhang Enfan’s defenses. However, Zhang Enfan’s earlier expression had already proven that selecting the right angle of attack was risky.

And if he didn’t ask questions now, he might get a chance to wait for Zhang Enfan to open up again, providing information that would aid his judgment...

"They told me it was an accident," Zhang Enfan spoke again, indeed offering new information, but its magnitude left one unsure how to proceed.

"Who are they?" Meng Chengbiao’s voice was gentle.

"My aunt." Zhang Enfan said, "My third aunt."

In Meng Chengbiao’s mind, the image of a traditional rural woman emerged. This must be the aunt who introduced Jiao Lina to Zhang Enfan.

"What did she say?"

"She slipped and broke her neck walking down the mountain road on a rainy day. I was out of town, and by the time I got back, it was too late to see her." Zhang Enfan’s response was succinct, yet he captured the crucial points very well, and a contemplative look began to appear in his eyes.

Meng Chengbiao asked, "Why didn’t you report it to the police?"

"She worked as the accountant for a casino. That day she was carrying money down the mountain, and she fell not far from the casino, so we couldn’t report it to the police." Zhang Enfan paused, then continued, "She had an account in her name and was carrying several hundred thousand yuan. The money wasn’t missing..."

"A girl carrying money down the mountain?" Meng Chengbiao asked.

Zhang Enfan’s eyes hardened as he slowly said, "My little nephew was with her."

Meng Chengbiao quickly recalled the related familial relations and said, "Your nephew is your third aunt’s grandson?"

"Yes... My third aunt only has this one grandson. Zhang Haobin." Zhang Enfan’s eyes narrowed, and after a moment, he slowly said, "He’s almost 20 years old, strong and well-built, crude and lascivious."

...

In the conference room, the police officers looked at each other.

The case had made a significant breakthrough, which was undoubtedly great, but the direction of this breakthrough was completely unexpected.

After finishing the interrogation, Meng Chengbiao came back, sorting through the materials while saying, "Although Zhang Enfan had many reasons to kill Jiao Lina, and there were witnesses saying he was decisive and might have killed before, he had no reason to make up a story that would damage the reputation of his family and himself."

"Unless it was to take out his own nephew, Zhang Haobin," said Wang Chuanxing.

"Zhang Haobin in the Zhang family gang is the type that’s all muscle and no brains, posing no threat to Zhang Enfan," Meng Chengbiao said.

"What about Zhang Haobin’s third aunt and her family?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Meng Chengbiao said, "Pretty much the same. Plus, they no longer have any foundation to vie for power or profits. The whole Zhang family has been caught, and his third aunt’s family will all go to prison too."

Wu Junhao nodded in agreement and said, "His third aunt handled quite a bit of money and was one of the operators of a small restaurant, not poor by any means, but she was not prominent within their family."

Meng Chengbiao said, "Zhang Enfan is a very strong-willed person and also persistent. He managed to stay silent for so many days, so if he specifically mentioned that Zhang Haobin is strong, crude, and lascivious, it must be targeted."

"Rape and murder?" Wu Junhao slowly said what everyone had guessed.

Meng Chengbiao nodded and said, "Zhang Haobin is 20 this year; three years and two months ago, he was just over 16, the age when sexual curiosity is high. Jiao Lina was beautiful, with a good figure. On a rainy day, her clothes getting wet could have triggered Zhang Haobin’s impulse..."

"Would he dare?" someone asked.

Meng Chengbiao sighed, "I wouldn’t dare, but judging by Zhang Enfan’s assessment of Zhang Haobin, he thinks Zhang Haobin would."

"Rape, murder, then call his parents over to secretly dispose of the body, and inform Zhang Enfan to secretly bury her..." Tang Jia joined the discussion, grinding her teeth with anger, "They’ve gone too far in bullying people!"

"Zhang Enfan was kept in the dark," Meng Chengbiao paused, then added, "We must also be wary of Zhang Enfan slipping away. With his current charges, he could still get out, but if he gets tied to a murder case, then it’s not possible."

Even if Zhang Enfan turned himself in, with so many charges stacked up, if he was involved in the murder case, it would almost certainly mean the death penalty.

Conversely, if the murder case were set aside, even if he had to stay a long time in prison, he would at least be alive.

"Split up for the interrogation. Pay attention to technique," Jiang Yuan directed Meng Chengbiao.

The body had been washed before burial, and with over three years gone by, it’s very hard now to technically pin the crime on anyone in the Zhang family.

In the previous cases, several people had reasons to lie, pointing the finger at others.

When playing games like Werewolf or Murder Mystery, you can easily decide on the verdict, but for such a serious murder case, the evidence must be scrutinized.

The interrogation records are the same.

Meng Chengbiao slowly nodded, his expression grave.