National Forensic Doctor

31: Chapter 31: Fond of Arson 31: Chapter 31: Fond of Arson Wei Zhenguo went out in the afternoon, and the next morning, he returned with heavier bags under his eyes and deeper wrinkles.

Accompanying him was a youth of not yet 20, short and lean, with an air of indifference, only his eyes swiftly darting around.

Once the formalities were complete, Wei Zhenguo immediately took the person into the interrogation room.

The interrogation room of the criminal police team was on the first floor, merely a small room of thirty to forty square meters.

In the center of the room were iron railings, with iron gates and locks dividing it.

The half of the room by the door, enclosed by the iron railings, was the interrogation area, equipped with a desk, a computer, and chairs.

The inner end was the suspect restraint area, with nothing but a single, lonely interrogation chair.

The interrogation chair was euphemistically known in the industry as the “tiger bench.” The chair was made entirely of steel, its base fixed to the floor, with ankle rings fitting snugly around the ankles of the suspected criminal, and armrests with wrist cuffs to enclose their wrists.

A police rope hung from the backrest, which could tie the suspect’s body to the chair.

This whole restraint apparatus was not only to prevent suspects from becoming violent and harming others but also to prevent them from self-harm.

For the police, any injury occurring within the interrogation room needed to be handled prudently, not something that could be simply explained away in a few words.

“Open,” Wei Zhenguo said, supporting the suspect with his hand, signaling a colleague to open the door.

Click.

The iron lock and door opened.

Wei Zhenguo led the suspect inside and then motioned for his colleague to close the door.

Click.

The iron door and lock closed.

After the two sounds had echoed, the suspect’s indifferent expression had quietly vanished.

Wei Zhenguo then pointed to the tiger bench and said, “Sit down.”

The suspect swallowed and asked, “Why should I?

What crime have I committed?”

“Enough talk,” Wei Zhenguo frowned, his brow so tight as if it could trap a skewer of lamb without dropping it.

This time not indulging the other party, he restrained the person into the interrogation chair with the help of a colleague with little effort.

Several clicks later, all the locks were in place, and the suspect couldn’t help but frown as if he could squeeze a cotton swab between his brows.

Click.

Click, click.

Wei Zhenguo and his colleague then opened the iron door to go out, closed the door properly and sat in the office chair across from it.

The walls of the interrogation room were extremely thick and sound-absorbing.

Once the outer door was closed, the room became completely silent.

An unsettling silence.

Even those who had been in the interrogation room before would feel oppressed upon reentering.

Wei Zhenguo kept a stern face and let his colleague ask the questions first.

After the routine questions of name and age, seeing that the suspect’s emotions had somewhat stabilized, Wei Zhenguo ominously said, “Lü Xin, do you know how we caught you?”

“I…you’ve got the wrong person,” Lü Xin stiffened his neck.

“As people leave traces, geese leave calls.

With such advanced technology nowadays, do you really think we don’t know what you’ve done?” Wei Zhenguo’s voice rose as he said, “I don’t need a confession to send you away.

If you don’t admit it, you will be sentenced longer.”

These words were half true, half false.

Indeed, there might be convictions with zero confessions, not a few in number, but compared to physical evidence, the power and value of a confession were still greater.

Not to mention, when leaders inquired about a case, the first question was always “Have they confessed?” and the answer investigators most wanted to give was naturally “They have.”

Today’s case was even more special, as Wei Zhenguo hoped to use a minor case to lead to a major one.

Yet he had insufficient evidence not only for the major case but also for the minor one to conclude it.

Although Jiang Yuan managed to match Lü Xin through incomplete fingerprints, the requirements for conviction were higher than for investigation.

Investigation only needed eight matching characteristic points on fingerprints, but identification required thirteen.

Just that fact alone made the incomplete fingerprints insufficient.

Not to mention, fingerprints as indirect evidence couldn’t alone prove guilt.

However, none of the anxiety or difficulties could be seen on Wei Zhenguo’s face, which only showed wrinkles and darkness.

“Have you ever been punished by the public security organs?” asked Wei Zhenguo, knowing very well, for it was with this that the fingerprints were matched.

Lü Xin continued to be silent.

“I’m asking you a question,” the police officer beside Wei Zhenguo barked.

Lü Xin was startled, and after a few seconds, finally said, “Yes, I’ve been punished.”

It was precisely because he had been punished before that he knew the principle “leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist” was real, especially during the trial phase.

Resistance meant a heavier sentence, often several more years in jail.

Similarly, this kind of information was all recorded; he couldn’t hide it.

Wei Zhenguo took over, his voice neither high nor low, and asked, “Why?”

“Wasn’t everything dealt with already…”

“You answer what you’re asked.”

Lü Xin’s face was taut, and after waiting a while, he finally said, “Just fighting, detention is all.

I also took other people’s stuff.”

“You got into a fight because you set the restaurant kitchen on fire, is that right?”

“Yes, it was an accident, they wouldn’t let it go,” Lü Xin said with disdain.

Wei Zhenguo curled his lips, The information from the police on the previous case was inadequate; clearly, they had been fooled by this guy and hadn’t dug deeper.

A suspect in an arson case, setting fire to a small restaurant’s kitchen, how could it be accidental?

It was clear that after he came to the city, he got the itch again.

Wei Zhenguo tapped the table lightly and said calmly, “You’re lying.”

Lü Xin looked innocently at Wei Zhenguo.

“You didn’t accidentally start a fire in the restaurant kitchen; you did it intentionally.

Your fingerprints are on the oil bottle found at the scene,” Wei Zhenguo said sharply, as he signaled a police officer next to him to show the photos.

Across the railing, the breaks in the fingerprint weren’t very clear; it was assumed to be a complete print.

“That was…

that was when I grabbed the oil bottle during the fight.”

“What did you grab the oil bottle for?”

“I wanted to hit someone with it, but then I put it down again.

I didn’t use the oil bottle to hit anyone,” Lü Xin replied fluently.

Wei Zhenguo chuckled and said, “Because you were thinking of using the oil bottle to start the fire, right?”

Lü Xin’s gaze flickered, and he hastily said, “That’s not true.”

“You seem to like setting fires, don’t you?”

“No.”

“Then how do you explain the fingerprints I found at this origin of the fire?” Wei Zhenguo took out another fingerprint chart and slowly said, “Once could be a coincidence, but twice, three times?

Do you think the judicial system is foolish?”

Lü Xin’s lips moved, and his expression could no longer hold firm.

He was now beginning to regret why he hadn’t worn gloves…

but when the mood struck, where could there be gloves handy?

Besides, wearing them would be inconvenient and easily arouse suspicion if seen.

Wei Zhenguo waited a sufficient length of time and then said with an oppressive voice, “Talk.”

“I…

I didn’t…”

“If you don’t confess, I’ll convict you with the fingerprint evidence.”

“Not that, I…”

Wei Zhenguo slapped the table with a “smack” and commanded, “Speak!”

Lü Xin’s body shuddered, and after hesitating for several seconds and looking at both men, he finally said, “I didn’t really want to set fire, I just didn’t like the look of that waste collection station, and while I was smoking, I just absentmindedly lit the paper…”

Recently, he had just this one incident of arson, and the damage wasn’t significant; the fire was put out not long after he left.

He figured that it must have been the waste collection station owner or some helpful citizens who extinguished it.

For a case of this level, Lü Xin believed he wouldn’t be sentenced too harshly.

Wei Zhenguo and his colleague exchanged glances, silently communicating with each other.

The case Lü Xin was confessing to clearly wasn’t one of the few that they were handling.

This meant that the Lü Xin they were dealing with was a habitual offender who had committed more crimes.

Wei Zhenguo’s heart stirred, but he showed no emotion on his face as he looked at Lü Xin and said coldly, “Tell it in the order of time and place.”

“Yes.

This March, in Xihong District, at the Wulipu waste collection station,” Lü Xin, having started confessing, seemed to relax and began to give a detailed account.

…