Chapter 791: Chapter 421: The Killer’s Method Is Very Unique
As his voice faded, several officers exchanged glances, showing expressions of confusion in their eyes.
Zhang Yean whispered, "If it wasn’t the victim riding it, nor someone pushing it, this is bizarre!"
Amidst the murmurs, Jiang An remained silent for a long while before speaking again, his voice even deeper than before.
"This case is likely much more complicated than we initially imagined."
"I currently have a hypothesis, but I wonder if everyone can accept it—"
Immediately, the group fell silent and all eyes turned to him.
He slowly said, "I believe that in this case, we cannot dismiss one possibility—that the murderer himself was the person riding the motorcycle into the water."
As soon as this hypothesis was put forward, Wan quickly reacted: "But Mr. Jiang, we confirmed with the salvage team previously; that section of the river is quite deep, and the current isn’t slow."
"If the murderer personally rode the bike with the deceased and ventured into the water, how would he escape?"
"Wouldn’t this method of committing the crime be too risky?"
Another officer beside him chimed in, "Indeed! It sounds too dangerous."
Jiang An didn’t directly refute them but nodded gently, with his tone growing even calmer.
"Yes, the risk is extremely high—but precisely because the risk is high, it might be very ’effective’."
Seeing the lingering doubts in the eyes of others, he further explained, "It’s like weaving a lie."
"If eighty percent of what you say is false and only twenty percent is true, it’s easy for others to see through."
"But if ninety percent of what you say is truth and only ten percent is false—it can mislead even the professionals."
He looked steadily at everyone, "What we are facing now might be precisely such—a deadly lie wrapped in a large amount of truth."
Upon hearing this, several people showed expressions of understanding.
After a brief silence, Zhang Yean spoke first: "You mean, the murderer might have ridden along and fallen into the river, swimming back to the shore from the water’s edge?"
Jiang An nodded, analyzing steadily: "This possibility cannot be excluded."
"From the site marks, if the motorcycle fell into the water due to normal loss of control, it wouldn’t have been particularly fast at the moment of entering the water."
"A motorcycle doesn’t form a closed space like a car, so if the person is prepared at the moment of entering the water, there’s a complete chance to escape quickly and swim to the shore."
"But—"
Zhang Yean immediately interrupted, frowning as she brought up another doubt.
"If that’s true, why does the victim’s wife show obvious signs of drowning?"
"She had every chance to escape, even to call for help, right?"
Jiang An nodded gravely, lowering his voice a little: "This is precisely the most contradictory and worth scrutinizing part of the entire case."
"Assuming the wife was an accomplice, why would she accompany her husband to death?"
"If she wasn’t an accomplice, why didn’t she struggle or cry for help when her limbs were free and she was conscious?"
"It’s important to know that although the river is secluded, it still has surrounding villages."
"If she shouted loudly, the murderer would find it hard to escape."
"Indeed, this point is too critical..."
Beside him, Wan echoed in a low voice.
At this moment, the whole group seemed to be immersed in a real-life detective drama, with everyone rapidly constructing various possibilities in their minds.
Jiang An was also engaged in this intensely tense thought process—he knew well that detective work requires strict logic as well as bold imagination.
Behind every crime is the perpetrator’s "rational script" built upon their cognition and experience.
And the task of detectives is to continuously hypothesize and verify in order to approach the hidden truth.
If we dare not imagine, how can we insight into the complexities of the human heart?
About 5 minutes later, Jiang An suddenly raised his head and cast a sharp glance at everyone, slowly speaking: "I propose a direction: is it possible that the male victim was already dead before falling into the water?"
"And the woman, though she fell into the river, still had a chance to survive."
He paused briefly, then continued: "In other words, there might be premeditation between the murderer and this woman, collaborating to plan this murder."
"But during the execution, unexpected circumstances occurred..."
"Unexpected circumstances?"
Wan urgently asked, "Do you mean to say, that the male actually can swim, initially planning to fake death to escape, but instead the woman encountered misfortune?"
Upon hearing this possibility, Jiang An nodded solemnly.
Standing beside him, Qin Feng also nodded, gravely speaking: "Indeed, this possibility can’t be excluded."
"The requirements for self-rescue and rescuing others are completely different in terms of physical and mental demands."
"In the past cases I participated in, there have been many instances where the rescuer, although skilled in swimming, eventually drowned due to exhaustion, complex water currents, or being entangled by the drowning person."
He paused briefly, adding, "Especially at night or when water conditions are unclear, the danger multiplies."
Jiang An slowly responded, scanning everyone present: "If it’s just an accident, then it might still be our initial and simplest assumption."
"But now, I strongly feel that there might be another, more complex motive behind this case."
Hearing this, Zhang Yean leaned forward slightly, asked: "Another? You mean...?"
"I’m wondering," Jiang An’s voice lowered, yet every word was clear, "from the very beginning, if there was premeditation, the murderer’s target might have been just one person."
"But during the execution, changes in circumstances made it necessary for him to eliminate the other person as well."
He paused briefly, leaving a moment of silence before continuing.
"Or perhaps, he initially planned for a double murder."
"Double murder?"
Several officers almost simultaneously echoed the term, looking at each other with shock in their eyes.
"Exactly," Jiang An affirmed with a nod, "the murderer likely used this so-called ’accident’ to eliminate both targets simultaneously."
"The male victim was the main target, while the female victim might have died due to knowing too much, having a complex relationship, or simply being innocently involved."
This bold hypothesis plunged everyone present into brief silence.
Some subconsciously shook their heads, others concentrated on thinking.
From the perspective of criminal psychology and behavioral patterns, most murderers tend to adopt the simplest and most direct means to achieve their goals.
This kind of "double kill" requires precise planning and extreme calmness, presenting nearly cruel demands on the murderer’s psychological qualities.
After a while, Zhang Yean mused: "If that’s the case... then this case is far more convoluted than we imagined."
"It’s like the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
"But what motive would the murderer have for doing this? Revenge? Love? Or does it involve a larger chain of interests?"
Jiang An stood up, with a determined look: "Currently these are just speculations."
"What we need most right now is evidence."
He looked at everyone, his tone resolute and commanding: "Immediately return to the scene, focus on surveying along the riverbank."
"If the murderer indeed emerged from the water, traces will certainly be left—muddy footprints, trampled grass, even clothing fibers."
"Previously, we mainly focused on the area near the entry point."
"But this time, we need to expand the scope, covering upstream and downstream entirely, without missing an inch!"
"Yes!"
The officers answered in unison, quickly packing up their gear, ready for action.
Thirty minutes later, the police car stopped once more by the riverside where the incident occurred.
The police tape swayed gently in the wind, while most of the onlookers had dispersed.
Jiang An got off the police car, standing on high ground, gazing at the river where the water surface was wide and hidden currents were faintly visible.
Near the banks grew clusters of reeds, with complex terrain.
He paused quietly, as if placing himself in the murderer’s perspective, slowly beginning to speak: "If I were him, after committing murder and falling into the water... which path would I choose to climb ashore?"
