Chapter 799: The Ancient Painting Appears

After bidding farewell to He Jingjing, Chen Shi expressed his desire to revisit Mr. Shen’s shop.

The shop had already been sealed off. Lin Qiupu used a key to open it, and the three entered the darkened store. There were many fragments on the floor, with sunlight streaming in through the windows, causing dust to dance in the air.

“Can I reconstruct the crime scene here?” Chen Shi asked Lin Qiupu.

“You can!”

“I saw the crime scene photos this morning. The posture in which the deceased was lying was quite suggestive…”

“Hey, let’s maintain some decency at a murder scene!”

Chen Shi mimicked the deceased’s pose, which resembled a ballet move, contorting his body 180 degrees. “The fatal blow was to the back of the head?”

“Yes.”

“Dongxue, you play the role of the accomplice. Lin, you be the murderer.”

The three took their positions and simulated the scene. During this reconstruction, they discovered a discrepancy. The victim was found with his head facing inward, but the murderer supposedly stood at the victim’s feet. It was impossible for the murderer to have struck the victim’s head with an ashtray from that angle.

“I speculate that the accomplice may have witnessed the aftermath of the crime,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

Chen Shi got up, dusted himself off, and said, “How do you think the murderer committed the crime?”

Lin Qiupu replied, “Since the victim was found in such a posture, he was likely sitting on a chair. The blow to the back of the head may have occurred when he turned around unexpectedly. The autopsy report indicates only one fatal blow, with subsequent blows administered as the victim was dying.”

“If the murderer was Liu Feng, would the victim adopt such a relaxed posture in his presence?”

“Your reasoning is too rigid. Although the victim feared Liu Feng, he wouldn’t have anticipated that Liu Feng harbored murderous intentions. For instance, Liu Feng may have deceived him into turning around to fetch something.”

“Do you suspect the accomplice?” Lin Dongxue proposed.

“Where would the suspicion come from?” Chen Shi asked with a smile.

“He knew that Lie Guoxiao coveted this painting. Moreover, Liu Feng had a conflict with Mr. Shen. As an outsider, he seized the opportunity to intervene, killed Mr. Shen, framed Liu Feng, and took the painting.”

“But this painting is currently impossible to monetize. It’s a hot potato. Whoever holds it is under serious suspicion.”

“When driven by greed, people don’t think that far ahead.”

Lin Qiupu objected, “The tiles on the neighboring roof were shattered by him, and the time of the murder and the report to the police was only half an hour apart. The scene was in complete disarray, possibly disturbed after Mr. Shen’s death. The accomplice didn’t have time to do all this… Moreover, the spit found at the scene has been proven to belong to Liu Feng.”

“That spit was dry when I saw it. It didn’t soil the painting on top, indicating it was expelled earlier, possibly during the day.”

Chen Shi walked to the cabinet and pointed to the labels on the cabinet doors. “Speaking of the chaotic scene, these cabinets are clearly numbered, and Mr. Shen’s ledger corresponds to these numbers. The murderer had no reason to rummage like this.”

“Are you suggesting that someone deliberately caused the chaos to create the impression of a robbery gone wrong?” Lin Qiupu said.

“One possibility is simply greed, wanting to take this painting. Another possibility is that this person had a grudge against Mr. Shen and used this incident as a cover to kill him. The third possibility… No, that possibility is too absurd,” Chen Shi said.

“Why don’t you say it?” Lin Dongxue urged. “After all, this is a discussion. Bold assumptions, careful reasoning.”

“The third possibility is that the murderer is also in the pawnshop business. They dared not speak out but used this method to shift the blame to Lie Guoxiao, removing him through the hands of the police.”

Using someone else’s hand to commit murder!?

Lin Qiupu suddenly thought of He Jingjing. She had done this in the past and had successfully evaded justice.

“Too absurd!” Lin Qiupu shook his head.

“Of course, the most likely motive is a combination of factors. The murderer had a conflict with Mr. Shen, had been extorted by Lie Guoxiao, and also wanted this painting, ‘Mountain Residence XX’. Doesn’t that sound more reasonable?”

Lin Qiupu smiled bitterly. “Reasonable, yes, but finding such a person would be difficult.”

“Difficult? Expand the search, investigate Mr. Shen’s social circle. Don’t focus only on Liu Feng. I’m 90% sure that Liu Feng is just a scapegoat!”

Lin Qiupu was conflicted. All the existing evidence pointed to Liu Feng, and even if it were presented in court, it would be difficult for a lawyer to refute. Yet he sensed various uncertainties in this case, suggesting another possibility.

Suddenly, Lin Dongxue said, “The incident occurred in the early hours. Did the suspect arrive at that time, or did they come even earlier, engaging in a conversation with the victim? What if something was left unresolved, prompting one of them to turn murderous?”

“Anything that could provoke a person to kill is usually related to interests.”

“What if this person knew about Mr. Shen’s current predicament and took advantage of the situation to buy the painting at a very low price?”

“Ha, your thinking is quite active now. I didn’t even consider that. It’s an interesting breakthrough.”

Praised by Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue blushed shyly. “To be honest, this case is definitely related to this painting. If only we could find it now.”

Lin Qiupu suddenly turned from the window, holding his phone. “The painting has been found!”

“What!?” Both were startled.

“It was found at Liu Feng’s house. Chen Shi, are you coming with us?”

Although it wasn’t necessary to go there personally, this clue was too important. They had to see it with their own eyes.

Liu Feng’s home was a small, ordinary apartment. Judging by its desolate appearance, he rarely came back. Xu Xiaodong, who came to search in the morning, found a plastic bag under the bed. Upon opening it, they 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’s troublesome if it gets dirty. We need to take it back for authentication.”

“I just wanted to see if it’s real. Chen Ge, can you tell?” Xu Xiaodong asked.

Chen Shi chuckled, “If I could tell, I wouldn’t be driving a taxi.”

“Take it back to the bureau. I’ll contact an expert in ancient paintings for authentication,” Lin Qiupu said.

Xu Xiaodong nodded and stuffed the scroll into an evidence bag. Chen Shi reminded him, “Put the bag it was in inside as well. By the way, where was it found?”

“Under the bed.”

Chen Shi squatted down to look under the bed and then walked around the room, checking the window, and carefully inspecting the lock. Suddenly, he said, “This door has been forced open.”