Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 017 Eyewitness
In the professional academic community, there is a saying that corpses can speak, that corpses do not lie, and that crimes can even be solved through corpses.
The biggest basis for this statement comes from two points. One is the method of committing the crime, which guided the detectives to find the murder weapon; the other is the micro-trace evidence. With the continuous advancement of science, in addition to fingerprints, genes and other evidence, more and more evidence can be used to find the real murderer.
Kirk's experience fully supports the above two points, but a third point can be added:
A corpse represents a person's condition. We can piece together the person's state before death from the details and use this to determine the scene and motive of the crime.
To give a simple example, if the deceased was wearing a wedding ring but dressed up to go on a date and was killed, then the possibility of a murder of passion increases dramatically.
To give another simple example, a woman in a gorgeous dress appears in a garbage dump in a slum, then her motivation for appearing here may be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Scenes, states, and motivations, in essence, are all about reading people, which is precisely Kirk's professional skill.
His gaze returned to the victim in front of him.
"He has a floral shirt, a fancy necklace and ring. Judging from his muscle lines and beard shape, he should be exercising and taking care of his body regularly."
"The base note is a musky cologne, but it's a bit pungent. Even the smell of blood can't cover it up. It looks a bit cheap."
"A brand-name belt buckle with a big logo is a sign of masculinity, as if it is a womanizing charmer who is always looking for a good woman."
"His skin has traces of tanning. If he is willing to go the wolf-dog style and chase some empty, lonely and cold middle-class housewives, the chances of success are not small."
Kirk, who had already stood up, came to Adrian's side, but his eyes were still on the victim, continuing to search for details that he might have overlooked.
In fact, over the past three weeks, Kirk has been adapting to sharper and more sensitive observation and perception. Sometimes, the amount of information is so overwhelming that he wants to close his eyes, shut down his five senses, and take a break. Otherwise, the surging information may overwhelm him.
Because of this, Kirk always looks like he hasn't woken up yet.
"Looking at his nails and fingers, he probably doesn't mind smoking some... plants, but he's not a fan, just occasionally."
"Playing the drums, but very poorly, purely as an excuse to attract women and brag about being in a band."
"Working in a creative industry with no creative intent, I guess..." Kirk shrugged slightly, "Advertising?"
puff.
Adrian was almost defeated, and it took great effort to suppress his laughter, but the sound was still rolling faintly in his chest.
Kirk glanced at his partner and continued speaking without pausing, "What I mean is that his work is insignificant and should not lead to his death. So the most likely possibility is that he has an emotional entanglement."
"Macy's, Easter..."
"This is supposed to be a family festival, but what is a playboy doing here when he doesn't need to shop? And in the homewares section?"
unreasonable--
This also means that the victim most likely came here specifically, and his purpose of coming here was the cause of the accident.
Lover? Rival?
I raised my head and looked around, and the floor was still crowded with people.
Originally, during the Easter shopping period, the furniture area was not a popular area and the sixth floor was a bit deserted; but now, because of the accident, everyone came here to check in and the crowd was surging.
However, the mall security has expanded the isolation area to prevent passers-by from taking pictures or looking in as much as possible. It can be clearly seen that the onlookers who were blocked outside were stamping their feet with expressions of frustration and regret.
"Detective, are all the suspects still in the furniture section across the street?"
Adrian: ...
The words got stuck in his throat and he almost coughed them out. He quickly cleared his throat, and Adrian lowered his voice to remind them, "Those are eyewitnesses."
Kirk's mouth twitched downwards slightly, and he murmured in disbelief, "Heh."
He did not respond directly to Adrian, but said meaningfully, "Let's assume that the victim came here specifically to find the murderer, and a conflict occurred. After the murderer impulsively committed the crime in public, how do you think the murderer would react?"
"Fleeing the scene in a panic," Adrian blurted out.
Kirk nodded slightly. "But the point is, you have interviewed so many witnesses, but no one saw anyone running away in a panic."
"If it was a customer who panicked and didn't know where to go, he would definitely hit passers-by and cause a series of accidents."
"If it was an employee, they could have taken a shortcut and left the scene without alerting anyone, but the problem is that we asked the floor manager and no employee had left their post. Everyone was still at the scene."
The answer is already apparent——
The murderer is still at the scene and is very likely one of the eyewitnesses.
“Huh!”
Adrian was only a beat slow, and he quickly reacted, his eyes lighting up.
I turned to look at Kirk, only to find that he had already started walking towards the furniture area on the opposite side of the floor.
Adrian hesitated for a moment, but after thinking it over, he gave the patrolman a look and asked him to cover the man with the white cloth again, while he chased after him.
After turning a corner, the furniture area comes into view.
What you see in front of you should be a bedroom model room, with a double bed , a lazy sofa, a TV cabinet, and piles of plush toys piled on the mattress. There are also dressing tables, storage cabinets, wardrobes, etc. Beige and emerald green are the main colors. While maintaining the breath of spring, you can also feel the special customization for Easter.
However, the romantic atmosphere is incompatible with the oppression of the murder case, and it can be clearly felt that the witnesses in front of them all seem uneasy.
Two mall security guards stood guard here, but no police—
From a legal perspective, witnesses' cooperation with the case is voluntary. If they refuse to cooperate, they are free to leave the scene. The New York police do not have the power to detain them, so only the mall security is responsible for guarding the scene, hoping that they can continue to wait for the arrival of the FBI detectives.
As soon as the two suits appeared in sight one after the other, the people in the "bedroom" started to stir, and all kinds of eyes were focused on the two policemen. Even before Kirk could stand firm, some people couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hey you!"
"Yes, I'm talking about you. When can we leave?"
"You can't just leave us here like this. Unlike you guys, I still have my own life, okay? How long are we going to stay here?"
In one quick step, a middle-aged lady in a women's suit appeared in front of Kirk and started to criticize him. She had short hair and was carrying an Hermès bag. She looked to be in her late thirties. From her tone and expression, it could be seen that she was used to giving orders.
But the key point is, why would a lady carrying an Hermès bag appear in Macy's?
Perhaps, this Hermès bag is her only presentable appearance, which is specially used to show off to outsiders, just like she is trying to show off something.
So, facing the lady with glaring eyes and domineering attitude in front of him, Kirk's eyes fell on her, and then he shifted his gaze slowly, ignoring her calmly, and walked past the lady and walked towards the two people on the right, leaving the lady behind.
