Chapter 350: Chapter 338 Footprint Analysis_1
With that roar, everyone turned their heads toward the direction of the door.
Cheng Zhi directly rushed to Zhou Ning and Cheng Xinghui, snatched the bottle away as if it were some rare treasure, and held it protectively in his arms, his face full of anger.
"I can cooperate with you, let us talk about what happened, we talk. Let us recall the details, we recall. But you cannot touch my child’s finger. It is said that ’our body and hair are received from our parents,’ and I do not agree. Son, come with me; our cooperation ends here."
As he spoke, he reached out to pull at Cheng Xinghui. Mr. Sun and the others wanted to step forward, but they were stopped by Xu Dayuan.
"As a parent, I understand your thoughts and respect your choice. Indeed, as you said, you have been very cooperative, telling us the details about that young fellow, Chen Gang, recalling all the details. For a parent, isn’t it just reliving that agony once more?
I’ve said before, we do not force anyone to cooperate with the police. The lack of trust in us is a sign we haven’t done our job well enough. However, I want to show you something. Come here."
As he spoke, Xu Dayuan patted Cheng Zhi’s shoulder, gesturing for him to look towards the glass whiteboard beside Zhou Ning, which had many photos and information about the victims summarized by Zhou Ning.
Moving closer, Cheng Zhi was also shocked by the photos, as very few people could endure seeing such gruesome images. Xu Dayuan grabbed several close-up shots of severed fingers, highly swollen and bloody, vague in the flesh. Even though Fang Yue’s amputated finger was not bloody, the charred blackness from the burning was just as horrifying.
"Originally, we didn’t think of combining the cases. However, after analyzing the weapon, we found that the weapon used to sever your son’s fingers was the same as the one used on the Zhu Family. Then we reviewed the archives and found that the ransom from the kidnapping of Cheng Xinghui in the year 2000 was never found.
Even if one of the kidnappers was shot dead, the case was not complete. The archive indicated that there were at least two adults at the scene, and the weapon used for injuring was not recovered. Although we are eager to find the kidnapper in this case, could this not also be the person who harmed your son?
This person has been on the run for 12 years. Do you want them to remain at large for another 12 years, causing more people to be brutally amputated, kidnapped, or killed?
Furthermore, that person escaped by luck, probably his first crime, inexperienced, and psychologically unstable. The Zhu family case happened in 2004, by which time he could demand eight million in ransom and still killed his hostages. If he knew Cheng Xinghui was that surviving child, what would he do?"
Cheng Zhi fell silent. The now much larger Cheng Xinghui wrenched himself free from Cheng Zhi’s grasp and snatched the bottle back, handing it solemnly to Zhou Ning.
"Dad, with a missing finger, I can’t work in many fields, such as being a police officer, a doctor, or the civil servant you admire so much. Since being rescued, for twelve years, I have frequently been tormented by nightmares of the kidnapping.
Before, you told me it was just a dream, that it wasn’t real. You even took me to get charms, but I know that it wasn’t a dream. Although I was young, I remember the pain of having my finger cut off every day. I don’t want to continue this torture. I want to help the police catch the criminal. Dad, don’t you want to catch the person who hurt me?"
The gaze of his son softened Cheng Zhi’s heart, and he embraced him, patting his back firmly.
"My son, it’s Dad’s narrow-mindedness. Since you agree, let’s cooperate."
Zhou Ning handed the bottle to Mr. Zhao, then wrote down a name and phone number in his notebook, tore the page out, and handed it to Cheng Zhi.
"This is a friend of mine who runs a psychological counseling clinic. I’ve told your son before, I was also disturbed by similar nightmares, and it affected my ability to live and work. Talking to him really helps and gradually I was able to move past it all. However, psychological trauma should not be ignored, especially at his age, it’s detrimental to his development."
Cheng Zhi took it with both hands, no longer showing his earlier aggression and defiance, as after all, they were sincerely considering his child’s welfare. Although he was not highly educated, he could feel their goodwill.
"Thank you very much. Is there anything else we should do?"
Zhou Ning shook his head and looked towards Xu Dayuan, who grabbed Cheng Zhi’s hand and shook it vigorously.
"I make a promise; you and your child will continue with your normal work and life. I will have Chunyang’s team watch over you; until the criminal is caught, we will not withdraw anyone."
Cheng Zhi smiled, contented; this was what he loved to hear.
"Then we’ll be leaving now. Thank you, Director. Call me if you need anything later. And for the number that this young director gave, I’ll consult it soon. Son, say goodbye to everyone, let’s go!"
After the father and son said their farewells, He Chunyang immediately escorted them out, and the group entered the conference room at Xu Dayuan’s gesture.
At this point, the room was still passable for foot traffic. Everyone took their seats, and Xu Dayuan nodded toward Mr. Sun.
"Mr. Sun, I won’t repeat myself, so why don’t you tell us about the kidnapping case from February 3rd, 2000 and the information on the suspect who was shot and killed."
Mr. Sun indeed had no time for small talk and went straight to the introduction:
"This case occurred on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, February 3rd, 2000, early in the morning. At that time, Cheng Zhi was at his busiest, with people coming and going in the wholesale department. His elder daughter had just finished her homework, only to find her two-year-old little brother, Cheng Xinghui, missing next door.
Everyone started searching, and after a headcount, they realized that Chen Gang, who had been working in their store for four or five years, was also missing. That’s when they hurried to call the police. The police station informed us, the criminal police squad, and upon arrival at Cheng Zhi’s home, we conducted a scene investigation.
Mr. Liu was there at the time; he conducted the investigation and found three mud footprints on the floor of Cheng Xinghui’s room, size 42, which were prints from the common cotton shoes from Old Jing City. When they asked around, Chen Gang’s shoe size and style matched exactly, so we started to set up control and went looking for Chen Gang’s residence.
When we arrived at his place, nobody was there, but at 15:30 that afternoon, we received a phone call from Cheng Zhi. The kidnapper had a child deliver a note and a finger from Cheng Xinghui, demanding that he deliver nine-hundred thousand in cash within thirty minutes to the park opposite the county cultural palace’s west gate, using a backpack. This sum was exactly the total amount of money that Cheng Zhi had received that day.
We thought for sure that Chen Gang was the mastermind so we quickly went to the west gate of the park opposite the cultural palace to wait, but the person didn’t show up when the time came. While Cheng Zhi was looking around for us, he received another phone call, this time the kidnapper instructed Cheng Zhi to throw the backpack into the trash can at the central park.
We were too far away and could only signal Cheng Zhi to follow their instructions. Just as an old man approached the trash can, we rushed over, only to realize it was a setup; the old man was just a sanitation worker, and with the central park full of people and trees behind the trash cans, someone had already taken the backpack.
We started to re-investigate Chen Gang’s background. His parents had died early, and he’d been working with Cheng Zhi since he was fourteen or fifteen, with his uncles indifferent to him. His three-room rundown house was drafty everywhere. Such a man, with little education and years of work in the wholesale department, shouldn’t have been capable of such scheming.
After a meticulous investigation, we learned that Chen Gang had recently been frequenting a Pear Orchard near the reservoir, guarded only by a deaf elderly night-watchman. On the morning of February 4th, we surrounded the Pear Orchard, observed the footsteps on the snowy ground, and finally closed in on a cluster of houses to the north.
Just when we were about to cast our net, the detectives found fresh footprints that matched the size 42 Old Jing City cotton shoes’ pattern from Cheng Xinghui’s room. We quickly closed in.
During the forced entry, it seemed like we heard a noise, and a shadow attempted to flee over the wall. After firing a warning shot, the figure persisted in escaping, so I shot at the fugitive’s legs. Unexpectedly, he slipped down the wall and the bullet hit his back, killing him instantly.
Searching the house, we found Cheng Xinghui in a wardrobe. However, due to excessive blood loss, the child was barely crying. We immediately took him to the hospital. Mr. Liu dealt with the aftermath on the scene, but he said the fresh footprints found by the wall were different from those in Cheng Xinghui’s room, but Chen Gang was already dead. After investigating for a few more days without any new discoveries, we closed the case."
Liu Yongxin nodded his head.
"Back then, I brought in forensic experts from the municipal police to take a look. The two footprints, although the same size and pattern, differ in pressure points. Moreover, the prints found in Cheng Xinghui’s room were pigeon-toed, while the ones by the wall were splayed. The footprints were very deep."
As Liu Yongxin narrated, Mr. Sun had already opened the case file, distributing photos. Zhou Ning glanced at them and immediately handed them to Mr. Zhao.
"Take a look."
Mr. Zhao carefully compared the two photos and used a magnifying glass. After making some calculations on paper, he looked up and said:
"The owners of the two footprints, their height, weight, and personalities differ greatly. The footprint in Cheng Xinghui’s room, mixed with mud and melted snow, makes me wonder about the room temperature. What was the outside temperature at the time? Knowing this could help estimate the time someone took the child away."
Without hesitation, Mr. Sun dialed Cheng Zhi’s number and after asking, he looked at Mr. Zhao.
"That day, the 29th of the twelfth month, there was a blizzard. The outside temperature was minus twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius, not too cold. As for Cheng Zhi’s house, although it was on the second floor, they were using a small heater for fear of the child getting carbon monoxide poisoning. The room was around ten degrees Celsius. He said that his child would stay healthy like that but would get sick if the temperature was any higher."
Mr. Zhao nodded, seeming to gain confidence after passing the intermediate exam and having read so many books and papers on trace examination with Zhou Ning. His expression was calm as he raised his head after making calculations.
"Considering the mud and the ash in the footprint, he must have entered the second floor from the backyard. The snow he stepped on was loose, fresh snow, which would have melted into water within 20-30 minutes in a ten-degree Celsius room. So I think that when Cheng Xinghui’s sister went in, the person had just left.
The person who left this print was between 170-172 cm tall, slim, weighing about 100-110 pounds, introverted, with shoes slightly too large and signs of flat feet.
The other footprint outside in the snow suggests a person between 175-178 cm tall, of average build, weighing 140-150 pounds, with a resolute personality, landing on the balls of his feet, with a wide stride and powerful running ability. The actual shoe size should be 43, and the shoes were brand new, with glue particles still on the pattern; they didn’t seem like his own shoes."
Mr. Zhao’s analysis left Mr. Sun speechless. Looking at Xu Dayuan and the others, he pointed at Mr. Zhao and remarked:
"This kid’s explanation is spot on; did he just become this good at bluff, or is he actually this skilled?"
