Chapter Twenty-Six: Yun Shuang’s Method of Solving Cases

Yun Shuang raised her eyebrows slightly at the questioning from Magistrate Ding and chuckled, "You are not wrong, Magistrate Ding..." It seemed that this magistrate was quite capable after all.

Seeing her maintain a humble and reasonable demeanor, Magistrate Ding raised his chin with a hint of self-satisfaction, "After all, I have been an official for over a decade; such a minor case should not stump me..."

"But... who says there aren't impulsive murderers in this world?" Yun Shuang interrupted his words calmly. Noticing the magistrate's eyes widen in surprise and dissatisfaction, she continued, "There is a type of crime called impulsive crime, where the murderer commits the act out of emotion without sufficient preparation. If the murderer in this case is not a familiar acquaintance of the victim, then this crime may very well fall into that category. Furthermore, it is even possible that the murderer had been hiding in this room, waiting for the right moment to strike."

Before the fire of anger could rise in Magistrate Ding's heart, it was instantly extinguished. Although her perspective was somewhat unconventional, it was indeed plausible.

However, he was reluctant to admit that a young girl had outsmarted him. His expression turned stern as he replied, "Miss Yun has a point, but don’t you think your reasoning is a bit forced? In the first scenario you mentioned, how fortunate would the murderer have to be to time it just right for the victim to be looking at the wall as he entered? As for the second scenario, how long would the murderer have to hide in that room to find the opportunity to kill? The greater likelihood is that he would have been discovered before he had a chance!"

No matter how one looked at it, the possibility of someone familiar with the victim being the perpetrator was much greater!

This instinctive suppression of someone who suddenly intruded on his territory was common in the police station where Yun Shuang used to work. She glanced at Magistrate Ding with a half-smile, simply stating, "You are right, Magistrate Ding, but I believe we cannot overlook any possibility in an investigation," before moving to another area to assess the situation.

It seemed that in this confrontation, he was the one who had won, yet Magistrate Ding felt a strange discomfort in his heart, as if he had lost.

At that moment, Yun Shuang crouched down beside the shattered vase, examining it closely, and thoughtfully asked, "What do you all think caused this vase to break?"

"Isn't it obvious? It must have been broken when the murderer was fleeing! If it wasn't the murderer who broke it, then could it have been the victim?" Magistrate Ding hastily brushed aside his lingering discomfort and retorted, "The victim was in the bathtub the entire time; the only places with water stains in the room are around the bathtub. If the victim had ever left the bathtub, there would surely be water stains elsewhere..."

Now it was early autumn, and the cool weather meant that the water stains on the floor would not dry easily.

"Fleeing?" Yun Shuang smiled lightly and said, "This vase is situated by the window diagonally across from the sliding door, and we are on the third floor. Let alone jumping from such a height without any protective measures—an ordinary person would surely be injured, if not killed. And if the murderer exited through the window, how could the people on the second and first floors have not noticed?"

The lobby of the Yi Garden Inn had windows all around, so how could the murderer know that there wouldn't be someone sitting right by the window when he went down...?

Yang Yuanyi immediately chimed in, "How could there possibly be no one sitting by the window! In this refreshing autumn weather, any normal person would want to sit by the window! Just now, I asked the inn's staff, and although there weren't many guests when the victim was attacked, there were still several tables of patrons right by the window, one of which was directly opposite this room! If someone came down from above, they surely would have seen them!"

Magistrate Ding was taken aback and said, "Weren't you just saying that the murderer might have acted impulsively? It’s only natural that they wouldn’t have thought of an escape route at that moment!"

Yun Shuang glanced at him sideways. It seemed that Magistrate Ding sensed something and hurriedly added, "Familiar acquaintances can also act impulsively! I've investigated cases for so many years, and this kind of thing is too common!"

Yun Shuang raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Suddenly, she stood up and glanced around the room, saying, "This room is quite spacious."

Magistrate Ding looked at her warily, worried she would challenge him again. "This is the most expensive room in the Yi Garden Inn; of course, it’s spacious."

"This area by the window is also quite roomy," Yun Shuang remarked. "How panicked must the murderer have been to bump into such a small low table in such an open space?"

The low table, where the vase was placed, was actually a few steps away from the window. As she spoke, Yun Shuang walked back to the bathtub, raised her hands and mimicked the action of strangling someone, saying, "Suppose I am the murderer, and I strangle Miss He here. The process goes smoothly; although Miss He struggles, she dies before she can make a loud sound. At this moment, I am extremely flustered and eager to leave. According to what you said, Magistrate Ding, I haven't thought through how to escape, so I must have been foolish enough to think of jumping directly from the third floor."

Magistrate Ding: "..."

Yun Shuang appeared to be analyzing the case normally, yet he inexplicably sensed an air of sarcasm in her words.

As she continued, she began walking from the bathtub towards the window, saying, "I am so flustered that I stumble and dash about..."

She pretended to be in a panic; however, even with her exaggerated display, she still maintained some distance from the place where the vase was located.

Yun Shuang tried several times, and on the last attempt, she exaggeratedly walked in a serpentine manner before finally reaching the spot of the vase.

Everyone: "..."

What kind of method of investigation was this?

More importantly, this woman appeared so calm and rational; who would have thought she could be so abandoned in her approach to the case, ruining her own image!

After the surprise at Yun Shuang's unexpected side passed, everyone finally resumed their thoughts. Yang Yuanyi took a deep breath and said, "That’s not panic at all! That’s clearly someone drunk trying to swing their fists!"

The display of panic was utterly theatrical.

If that were true, then the murderer must have been quite the drama queen!

The other two constables nearby couldn't help but exclaim, "But if that vase wasn't broken when the murderer was fleeing in a panic, could it be... that he broke it on purpose?!"

"Is he out of his mind? Why would he deliberately break a vase, inviting people to witness his crime?!"

Seeing that they finally grasped her line of reasoning, Yun Shuang smiled and said, "Although the inner room is not as neat as the outer room, I took a closer look just now, and the only places that are messy are by the bathtub, where the vase was shattered, and the vanity directly facing the bathtub. However, while the vanity is somewhat disheveled, the jewelry box of the victim shows no signs of having been opened, and none of the drawers or cabinets were ransacked, indicating that the murderer was not after money or other possessions of the victim. Therefore, it’s unlikely that the vase was broken during a search for something."

If it wasn't broken while fleeing in panic, nor while searching for items, then the possibility that the murderer intentionally shattered the vase... was indeed quite high.

When you rule out all impossible scenarios, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

The two constables who had just spoken stared in confusion.

They… they were just casually speculating, yet they had struck a chord?

So, this murderer was truly someone seeking attention, a fool?