The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 843 - 444: A New Approach to Solving the Case

At this moment, the Criminal Investigation Team’s office was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.The team members sitting around the conference table glanced at each other, exchanging looks of bewilderment, yet no one dared to speak.

Confusion and frustration were etched on everyone’s faces.

Just a few hours ago, they were fully convinced that the foot massage parlor owner was the suspect.

However, after several hours of interrogation, the case had not become as clear as they had anticipated.

From the tight logic in the owner’s answers to the subtle micro-expressions displayed during questioning, there was not a single flaw to be found.

Her statements were orderly and clear, her emotions steady, leaving no gaps in her responses.

Jiang An leaned back in his chair, fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

Yet his gaze remained fixed on the whiteboard in front of him.

Documenting the entire case’s clues and doubts.

The number of victims written on the board had increased from the initial 2 to 5, and the name "Owner" was starkly marked next to the "Suspect" column.

However, next to her name, Jiang An had clearly marked several lines of key information in red pen: quite familiar with the 5 attendants, clearly aware that even if they disappeared, no one would pursue it, let alone report it, and most importantly — all 5 victims were females.

Five minutes later, Jiang An’s eyes suddenly brightened.

If all 5 missing attendants were females, then how should the gender of the killer be determined?

From a criminal psychology perspective, female serial killers of females indeed occur.

The key point was, five in a row?

How plausible is this possibility?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and reexamined the suspect marked as "Owner."

Preliminary investigations showed that the "Owner" had seemingly harmonious relationships with these 5 victims.

Their departures were also without farewell — all of this, clearly presented some inexplicable contradiction.

Could it be they’ve been looking in the wrong direction from the start?

Or is there a more complex, hidden motive behind the scenes?

At this moment, Wan stepped forward, breaking the silence with a low voice: "Mr. Jiang, I’m wondering if our current investigation direction needs some adjustment?"

"Is it possible that the killer isn’t the target type we’ve locked on to?"

"For instance... could it be a case of random, indiscriminate killing?"

Jiang An lifted his head, shifting his gaze away from the crime scene photos and evidence reports spread across the table, shaking his head slightly.

"I’ve considered the hypothesis of indiscriminate killing."

"But there are several key points that don’t add up — if the killer selected targets randomly, why is the crime scene so concentrated in one foot massage parlor?"

"And look," he spread out a few victim photos on the table, "all victims were female, and all were staff members at this parlor."

"This specificity and targeting are too strong, not consistent with the randomness and broadness typically shown in indiscriminate killings."

As he finished speaking, Zhang Yean frowned: "Mr. Jiang, if we continue to focus our investigation on the owner, we may find it difficult to make breakthroughs."

"Everyone witnessed her performance in the interrogation room, whether it’s micro-expressions, body language, or the coherence of her statements, there are no significant flaws."

"I’m wondering if the case could be triggered by malicious competition between peers?"

"Competition between peers?"

Wan thoughtfully repeated, then nodded, "That’s a direction worth considering."

"I’ve investigated, that street is part of the old district, with at least six or seven similar-scaled foot massage parlors, with quite fierce business competition among them."

"If peers are resorting to extreme measures to compete for customers or territory, from a motive point of view, it is certainly possible."

But he paused, and then changed his tune: "However, if peer competition has escalated to the point of murder, the cost seems too high."

"And as far as I know, these employees are highly mobile, most without formal contracts, working here today, could be elsewhere tomorrow."

"Even if one aims to strike against a competitor, using such methods seems overly risky and doesn’t make sense."

Soon, a murmur of discussion filled the office.

A young policeman was the first to speak: "Indeed, such internal competition within the industry is quite common, but typically it doesn’t escalate into such violent crime."

"If many practitioners are dissatisfied with the status quo, they often choose to simply leave, establish themselves elsewhere, or switch to another parlor."

An experienced veteran detective nodded in agreement: "Indeed, committing serial murders due to competition, this motive seems insufficient."

"We have to consider the cost-benefit of the crime — the risk is too high, while the actual economic benefit to be gained is very limited."

Jiang An listened quietly to everyone’s discussion, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

After a long time, he looked around the office at each colleague and slowly spoke: "All the possibilities put forward are valuable."

"But we cannot be misled by appearances, we must grasp the core contradictions of the case."

"The brutality of this case, the professionalism of the crime methods, and the killer’s familiarity with the crime scene environment all indicate that this can’t be explained by a momentary impulse or ordinary dispute."

"We need to delve deeper into every detail, leaving no stone unturned."

"Whether it’s indiscriminate killing, peer competition, or other motives we’ve considered before, now all should be equally prioritized for investigation."