HBWnovel Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Jian Jing asked each person one by one about when they saw the red cloth.
Janitor: "I was mopping the floor outside the whole time. After I finished mopping, I went to the bathroom and didn't go in there at all."
Event Manager: "I was the one who opened the door. Knowing that none of you had arrived yet, I ate breakfast in the office. When I heard people coming, I went there with them. I didn't pay attention. It seemed to have been there all along."
Planner: "I arrived very early, but the reading room had already been set up pretty much yesterday. I didn't look closely. The flower basket still hadn't been delivered. I was on the phone with them the whole time."
Copywriter: "As soon as I got here, I went to the reading room. It was around 7:10. It seemed like the red cloth was already covering it."
Operations: "I walked around in the hall. The cloth was already there, but I was busy coordinating with the media and didn't look closely."
Editor: "I was here at 7:30 and it was already here. At the time I wondered who had put it there, it's so ugly."
CEO's Assistant: "It was there when we arrived."
Store Manager: "I just took a look at the entrance. I didn't go in. I'm not very clear since I just got here."
Jian Jing sorted through their testimonies. If no one was lying, then the red cloth was already covering something there at 7:10, but whether there were books or bones underneath could not be determined.
Perhaps the initial red cloth was just a smoke screen, and someone took the chance to switch out the contents, or perhaps someone else snuck in after the door opened and hid the bones.
Kang Mu Cheng asked: "With your method, do you think someone was bribed?"
"Yes." Jian Jing nodded. "It was deliberately placed at my book signing. It really doesn't seem like a coincidence."
Kang Mu Cheng's expression was cold. He pondered and said: "I'll call everyone over and ask them one by one. I don't believe I can't get it out of them."
"Wait, I want to take another look at the bones." Jian Jing hesitated and said softly, "I suspect they are real."
If the bones were simulated fakes, then they could be determined to be a prank. No matter who did it, settling the score afterwards wouldn't be too late. But if they were real, then the nature would be very different.
Chun Feng had only mentioned it in passing that forensic doctors were busier than the police. To ask them to examine the bones, they would have to wait until the afternoon no matter what.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com
Relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. It was time to draw some more cards.
"System, draw ordinary cards."
[Drawing cards...]
[Draw complete]
[Name: Skill Card - Basic Calligraphy]
[Description: Improve your calligraphy skills]
[Note: Having good handwriting leaves a good impression]
[Name: Skill Card - Basic Public Speaking]
[Description: Improve your public speaking skills to speak eloquently in front of many onlookers]
[Note: This skill, when used well, has unforeseeable consequences]
Drawing two skill cards in a row couldn't be considered bad luck, especially since she would need to sign and write a thank you speech soon. It could be considered timely rain, but it was of no help in solving the case.
She grimaced in pain. She silently chanted: I want to crack this case. Give me something practical.
[Name: Knowledge Card - Basic Forensics]
[Description: Gain shallow knowledge of forensic science]
[Note: Give voice to the deceased, plead for the wronged]
Many people had looks of surprise on their faces.
"The deceased was a young woman, around 163cm tall, with a history of right arm fracture." As Jian Jing reported the information, she carefully observed everyone's expressions. "Also, she was likely murdered. If anyone thought this was a prank and moved the bones here, admitting it now is not too late. Otherwise when the police come, you'll be implicated in a murder case."
This was half true and half false.
The true part was that she observed the skull had depressed fractures, which should be fatal injuries. But she could not confirm it was murder or accident. She deliberately exaggerated the severity in order to bluff them.
"Murder? Is that real?"
"It's got nothing to do with us. It's all just bones now, must have died many years ago."
"Who moved this stuff here? The murderer?"
Their reactions were normal, ranging from shock to fright, with only the store manager and event manager exchanging a look with strange expressions.
Jian Jing's heart stirred. She asked: "Is there anyone who recognizes this person?"
Perhaps the bones appearing here were not meant for her, but rather for Tian Tian Bookstore.
Sure enough, although no one directly answered, after the conversation ended, the event manager took the initiative to find her and confessed: "I know who put the bones there, but I didn't know it would turn out like this."
Jian Jing calmly said: "Who did it?"
"Last night, I received a call from someone claiming to be your fan who wanted to give you a surprise." The manager said embarrassingly. "He paid 30,000 for me to go open the door early this morning."
She raised her brows: "And you believed it?"
"Uh, yes, I thought it was just a fan." The manager was slightly uncomfortable. "This kind of thing happens a lot."
Jian Jing sneered internally. They took her for a fool. She dared to bet the manager certainly thought it was someone from a rival company intentionally causing trouble, but seeing the money, he still pretended to believe it. If she hadn't claimed it involved a murder case, he wouldn't have admitted it so readily either.
"What did you mean by 'turn out like this'?" She held in her anger. "Do you recognize that person?"
"No no," the manager waved his hands. "The person who came I don't recognize. I'm saying...the woman you mentioned just now sounds a lot like a former colleague at our bookstore."
He wasn't stupid. If the corpse had nothing to do with the bookstore, readily admitting it would just be asking for trouble. But hearing the description, it really sounded like a certain familiar colleague. If the police happened to find any threads, his suspicion would suddenly rise.
Better to take a small fault than get implicated in a murder case.
The manager was very cooperative: "Her name was Lv Xue. She used to be our bookstore's librarian. One day when she was shelving books, someone pushed over the ladder and she fell and broke her arm. But it was a blessing in disguise since she got promoted to purchasing manager afterwards. One year ago, she suddenly resigned and we didn't know where she went."
"Did anyone have a grudge against her?" Jian Jing asked.
The manager revealed an ambiguous smile. "Lv Xue was very popular, you know how it is. There's always people who can't stand it."
Jian Jing fell deep into thought. If the deceased was a former employee of Tian Tian Bookstore, it was very meaningful for the bones to appear here.
She had two hypotheses: The person who left the bones was the murderer, and for some reason, deliberately exposed the victim; or conversely, the person who left the bones was not the murderer, and did this to lure out the real killer.
"Did you see that person?" Jian Jing repeatedly confirmed.
"No, he just asked me to open the door before 7 o'clock," the manager said. Although young, he was already a seasoned professional and knew that in some cases, not knowing was better than knowing. Seeing who had come, he realized telling the truth would not benefit him and could easily cause trouble. His previous testimony was genuine - after opening the front door, he went to the office to check his phone and eat breakfast until Jinwu's people arrived.
But this raised one issue: Did this person really exist? If so, why didn't the surveillance cameras capture him?
Jianjing carefully reviewed the angles of the surveillance cameras and found a slight possibility: there was a blind spot at the front door on the first floor where someone could hug the wall and avoid detection. Then, hidden behind the bookshelves, they could go up the stairs and vault over the railing to the second floor, avoiding the cameras monitoring the stairs.
Although it required considerable agility, it was not impossible.
To determine if such a person existed, the police would need to check footage from surrounding surveillance cameras, which would be difficult for an individual to access.
She had to change strategies and figure out the killer's identity.