Ази Хелл - Глава 42
A: I don't know.
Q: Did the perpetrator hit the woman on the head with a hammer?
A: (Silence)
Q: Did the perpetrator not move the body?
Answer: (Shakes head)
Q: Did the perpetrator move the body?
A: I don't know.
Q: Did the perpetrator not place anything in front of the body?
A: (Silence)
Q: Did the perpetrator place many things in front of the body?
A: (Silence)
Q: Did the perpetrator put the shoes and socks on the corpse before stabbing it?
Answer: (Shakes head)
Q: Did the perpetrator put the shoes and socks on the corpse after stabbing it?
A: I don't know.
...
The psychological testing equipment clearly showed that Qu Baoyuan responded strongly to all even-numbered questions in terms of skin conductance, respiration, and pulse. All odd-numbered questions were irrelevant to the crime scene; only even-numbered questions accurately described the situation. These two types of questions were used for cross-referencing responses. Someone who hadn't been to the scene wouldn't have any psychological or physiological response to any of the questions. Only someone who committed the crime at the scene would show no response to odd-numbered questions but would definitely respond to even-numbered questions. This is because even-numbered questions asked about the actual circumstances of the crime scene, stimulating his sympathetic nervous system, increasing his respiratory rate, and intensifying his cardiovascular activity. These psychological and physiological memories and responses are things that ordinary criminals cannot change on their own, nor can they conceal. In other words, once someone has done something, whether they say yes or no, or remain silent, it cannot change their inevitable psychological and physiological responses, and these response curves are clearly displayed on the screen.
To ensure the accuracy of the test, they allowed Qu Baoyuan to rest fully before performing the test a second time. They then performed the test twice more, giving him ample rest time each time.
Qu Baoyuan's reactions to the four on-site test questions were all very strong.
The testing experts said that Qu Baoyuan was really interesting; after each test, he would politely say thank you twice!
Wang Liguo's eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly asked, "What did you say? Do you know what you're saying?"
The expert said—I mean, he always says thank you twice after each test—is there a problem with that?
Wang Liguo said, "Of course there's a problem! You know what? When the murderer fled from the second crime scene, he actually gave the woman in the room a hand salute and said thank you twice! My intuition tells me we've caught him, but we haven't gotten the evidence yet!"
Wang Liguo immediately reported the test results to the bureau chief.
Wang Liguo heard the director's heavy breathing as he gripped the microphone. He knew the director had been under even more pressure than he had these past few days. Wang Liguo said, "Our next step is to gather evidence as quickly as possible."
The bureau chief quickly arrived at the Criminal Investigation Brigade, and his discussion with Wang Liguo's task force led to the immediate decision to conduct a DNA test on Qu Baoyuan. Technicians examined the gloves found at the second crime scene and discovered sweat stains and skin fragments inside. They also collected a blood sample from Qu Baoyuan, and both samples were sent to a research institute of the higher-level public security department for analysis.
After waiting for the test results for two days, Wang Liguo could finally sleep peacefully.
At 5 p.m. on August 16, 2003, his comrades pulled Wang Liguo out of the office building, but he refused to go any further, saying he wanted to wait for news.
His colleagues said that everyone has a cell phone, so he won't miss anything no matter where he goes.
He said that wouldn't work either.
He was still wearing the sky-blue tracksuit that Xiao Li had bought for him—a tank top and shorts, no longer quite sky-blue—and slipped on a pair of slippers. He followed everyone into the small restaurant across from the office building, where he simply ordered a few dishes and a few bottles of beer.
The food hadn't arrived yet, and everyone stood silently at the door, looking at each other. As long as the case remained unresolved, nothing seemed to interest them, and nothing seemed meaningful. So, they simply kept quiet.
Wang Liguo's phone rang.
He didn't speak, he just listened to the other person.
He paused for a moment after turning off his phone, then raised his arms high, his pale face gazing up at the blue sky, and roared hoarsely, "It's broken! It's broken!"
His disheveled comrades stared at him wide-eyed as he told them the results of the analysis: the DNA from the sweat stains and skin fragments in the murderer's gloves matched the DNA from Qu Baoyuan's blood sample.
Business owners, passersby, and even those with nothing else to do gathered around. They often saw this group of tired, dirty-looking, and haggard police officers eating and resting in this small restaurant. They knew what they were busy with all day, and they immediately understood what they were talking about. But they still had to ask, "How is it? Has the case been solved?"
Wang Liguo told them it was broken, broken, broken!
It was 5:30 p.m. on August 16th.
It is said that by 6:30 p.m., the whole city knew that the psychopathic killer had been caught.
In a heroic city of over two million people, it's incredible that news of a solved case spread like wildfire within just one hour, from one person to ten, ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand, relying solely on word of mouth, mobile phones, and telephones. It's said that at that moment, almost every mobile phone was either on the phone or sending/receiving text messages.
Starting at 6:30, people flocked to the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Gujing District. Firecrackers went off one after another, and soon the street was filled with the smell of gunpowder and tens of thousands of people. The crowd was so large that it was impossible to move.
Perhaps people wanted to see that deranged killer? But many people who were interviewed afterward said, "Why go see him? What's so interesting about him?" Everyone was just happy, and wanted to let the police officers who had been working day and night know that everyone was grateful to them, truly grateful to them.
People set off firecrackers to celebrate the capture of the psychopathic killer, bringing peace back to the city's night.
That night, every restaurant, big and small, was brightly lit and packed with guests. Even the roadside barbecue stalls were full. Saunas, hair salons, massage parlors, nightclubs, and bars were overflowing with people. It was as if overnight, everyone in the city had left their homes to stroll through the night markets, eat late-night snacks, and enjoy the nightlife. The gloom and gloom of the past few days had been swept away. Everywhere was filled with the sounds of firecrackers, dazzling lights, and joyful laughter—a scene of peace and tranquility. This city, known for its beautiful women, was immersed in a grand festival. Especially the single young women, who seemed to have all received a precious and auspicious gift.
Facing the television reporter, Wang Liguo's eyes glistened with tears as he said, "When being a criminal investigator is tough and difficult, you can only grit your teeth and persevere. No matter how difficult it is, you have to keep going. For the sake of the people's peace, you can't waver, you really can't waver. But once the hardship is over, the joy of being a criminal investigator—the things I was willing to risk my life for—I finally got them. Our investigative direction and results were correct; my firm beliefs were validated. This joy, this sense of accomplishment, is stronger than anything else; it's more gratifying than winning the lottery."
Yang Ming asked the bureau chief, "At the time, did you really think you could solve this case? What made you so confident?"
The bureau chief shook his head and said, "I'm confident, yet I'm not confident. I'm confident because we're using the combined intelligence of over 700 police officers to outwit a criminal. No matter how high his IQ is, can it surpass the combined intelligence of all 700+ of us? So, although this case is different from previous murders, it will definitely be solved; it's just a matter of time! But I'm also not confident because the uneven quality of our officers, our outdated equipment, our backward technology, and our severely insufficient investigative funding have resulted in our low crime-solving capabilities. We can only resort to this manpower tactic, relying solely on sheer numbers. How can this continue in the long run? Won't it wear down our team? Even now, many of our comrades are still holding handfuls of gasoline, travel, and meal receipts waiting for my signature, but where is the reimbursement money? Our current state is clearly inadequate for the ever-changing crime landscape, and it certainly won't work if this situation doesn't change. This is why we've implemented a retrospective investigation mechanism during investigations. We've put in a lot of hard work, but why have we put in so much hard work?" It is precisely because some people are irresponsible and do not put in their full effort that much of our work is fruitless. In order to avoid such hardship and fruitless labor in the future, we must investigate and eliminate the factors that cause our work to be fruitless. That is why some people have left our team and others have been disciplined.
Yang Ming told me that after hearing the director's words, I didn't know what to say for a long time. For some reason, I felt that the director was like my father. At that moment, I really wanted to tell him that he was like my father.