Chapter 205: Chen Canjun Has a Criminal Record?

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Whoa!” Zhou Qiang exclaimed, eyeing the records in front of him. “Are these records from the local police station? Did you investigate him as a suspect?” As Zhou Qiang looked through the documents, he couldn’t help but feel surprised. After all, from the beginning, Su Xuan had suspected individuals closely related to Chen Jianguo, including his own family members. This seemed quite extraordinary.

“How did you manage to do this? First, you suspected Lan Xiaofen, and now you’re suspecting his younger brother,” Zhou Qiang said with a questioning tone. “These are all relatives of the deceased. Besides, I heard that in the previous case you assisted with, you also immediately began suspecting the sister of the person involved. Do you have a tendency for this kind of suspicion?”

Before Zhou Qiang could finish his sentence, Su Xuan bombarded him with the pile of evidence. “Tendency my foot,” he retorted. “My suspicions are well-founded and based on evidence. They’re nothing like those wild speculations you’re imagining.”

Zhou Qiang simply nodded in agreement, understanding that Su Xuan’s deductive abilities were exceptional. However, there were moments when he couldn’t help but wonder how Su Xuan’s hunches could be so accurate.

“I’m curious, what did you find in these documents?” Zhou Qiang asked. He could tell from Su Xuan’s expression that he had discovered something significant. Su Xuan’s calm demeanor hinted that he might already know who the culprit was.

“Take a look at this,” Su Xuan replied, his tone resolute. “If he indeed has this tendency, then it’s very likely… he committed the crime.”

Su Xuan’s words were decisive. Initially, he suspected Lan Xiaofen because she was the first person to have a conflict with Chen Jianguo. However, the behavior of Chen Jianguo’s younger brother, Chen Canjun, when they discovered the body was peculiar.

What was even more crucial was the level of his sin value. Chen Canjun already had some sin value on him. The day when Lan Xiaofen and Chen Jiahui had an argument, Su Xuan had already identified him and noticed the sin value above his head. However, this value had increased by twenty points overnight, which had piqued Su Xuan’s interest.

Su Xuan had started his investigation after sensing that something was amiss.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Chen Canjun had a prior criminal record. However, he had been a minor at the time, and his actions hadn’t resulted in anyone’s death, which allowed him to evade punishment. Nevertheless, he did have a police record from his time at the police station.

Now, with knowledge of Chen Canjun’s criminal history, Su Xuan began to form a theory. Compared to others, he was more inclined to suspect Chen Canjun. However, when he voiced this theory, it left his colleagues astonished.

“That’s impossible,” one officer exclaimed. “There’s no conflict between Chen Jianguo and Chen Canjun. Their relationship has always been good.”

“Even though their wives have been arguing,” another officer chimed in, “the two brothers have always been close. They work in the same field and even share the same workplace. People from their unit have commented that they get along like real brothers.”

The officers’ strong doubts and amazement at Su Xuan’s theory were evident. How could someone with such a close relationship possibly be responsible for Chen Jianguo’s murder? This question had also crossed Su Xuan’s mind.

“This is what I suspect,” Su Xuan began. “I think Chen Canjun might have some psychological issues. On that day, Lan Xiaofen’s words had a significant impact on him, making him believe that his brother, Chen Jianguo, had something going on with his own wife.”

He continued, “This led to a period where Chen Canjun thought his brother was involved with his wife. As a result, he physically assaulted Chen Jiahui.”

Su Xuan’s words were shocking, leaving everyone in the room surprised. They immediately turned to him with questions.

“What?” one officer exclaimed. “Chen Canjun attacked Chen Jiahui? When did this happen?”

Determining the exact timing was a bit tricky. Su Xuan had gathered this information by asking at local pharmacies after sensing that something was wrong. Chen Jiahui, being an employee with medical insurance, used it for her purchases. She typically bought pain relief medications approximately once every three months. However, when there was a dispute with Lan Xiaofen, it occurred every two months.

These medication purchases indicated a history of domestic violence, with Chen Canjun as the aggressor and Chen Jiahui as the victim. On the evening in question, Chen Jiahui had visited a pharmacy. Chen’s residence was on the outskirts of town, quite remote. To reach the pharmacy in town by walking, it would take an hour for a round trip. However, with a donkey, it could be done in just half an hour or even less.

According to the surveillance footage from the pharmacy’s entrance, on that particular evening, Chen Jiahui walked there herself. After purchasing the medication, she spent over half an hour at the adjacent fruit shop buying some fruits. This seemed to be her routine – after buying medicine, she would habitually visit the fruit shop.

Based on testimonies from the fruit shop’s staff and the pharmacy employees, this was indeed a pattern of behavior for Chen Jiahui. She would routinely buy fruit after getting her medication. The accounts from neighbors in their vicinity also indicated that few people knew about her being a victim of domestic violence. It seemed that she wanted to conceal the fact that she was buying medicine, so she added fruit shopping to create an excuse.

“So, on that day, Chen Jiahui was away from home for at least one and a half hours,” Su Xuan explained calmly to his puzzled colleagues. He continued, “Chen Canjun has no alibi for this one and a half hours.” In their initial statements, Chen Canjun claimed that he had been comforting his wife at home the whole time. However, the fact was that Chen Jiahui had been assaulted at home and left the house around 9:4.0 PM. When she arrived at the pharmacy, it was around 10:30 PM. This indicated that she spent over 4.0 minutes on her way from home to the pharmacy and another half an hour at the fruit shop before leaving.

“Let’s calculate based on her physical ability and the time she spent going to the pharmacy,” Su Xuan suggested. “Previously, she walked there empty-handed, which took her forty minutes. So, it’s reasonable to assume it took her about fifty minutes to return with something in hand. According to the surveillance near the neighborhood, she was indeed seen on the nearby road at around 10:56 PM. Therefore, my earlier estimation of one and a half hours was actually an underestimate.”

Su Xuan slapped the table firmly, capturing the attention of his shocked colleagues. He looked around at them and asked, “Do you think… during those two hours, did Chen Canjun have enough time to commit the crime?”

The colleagues fell silent, contemplating the question. “Although… we didn’t see Chen Canjun leaving his house, right?”

“The surveillance cameras near their house were not working,” added Zhou Qiang.

That’s right. The surveillance cameras… were indeed malfunctioning..