Chapter 1 Headless corpse
This year, the weather was particularly cold. Hawthorne, a famous private detective in Shanghai, came to Suzhou to visit friends and relatives, and stayed at the East Asia Hotel next to Guanqian Street.
That morning, outside the hotel, there was a noise, and an old lady was crying and shouting outside.
"I want to see Detective Hawthorne! Dead! Dead!"
Seeing this, Hawthorne ordered his servant Shi Gui to invite the old lady in.
The old man came in to see Hawthorne and repeated, "The wife's head is gone, and her son's head is about to be cut off!"
Seeing the old man's look of horror, Hawthorne poured half a cup of brandy and asked her to drink it.
The old man slowly calmed down and explained the story:
Late last night, her only son You Ming knocked open the door of her room and said in panic that his wife was killed and his head disappeared!
She hurriedly went downstairs to see her wife Wang, who was lying in a pool of blood in front of the escalator, and her neck was cut off.
So I called the police, but early this morning, the police arrested his son.
Lost his neighbor Ni Shan to guide him, saying that Mr. Hawthorne, a detective from the Shanghai Beach, came to Suzhou. Only by finding him and asking him to solve the case can his son be rescued.
So, according to the place where the husband stayed in the newspaper, he came to him early in the morning.
After hearing the old man say this, Hawthorne comforted her a few words, saying that he would help her and rescue her son.
"Old man, I want to go to your house first, is that OK?"
The old lady nodded, then took Hawthorne out of the hotel and walked towards Maqiao's home outside the gate.
When he was about to arrive at the old lady's house, a boy shouted: "Mrs. You, your son has confessed. He killed his wife. The police are looking for you!"
The old man was so scared that he trembled all over, his face was pale, and he fainted on the ground.
Hawthorne asked his servant Shi Gui to support the old man and walked slowly, while he asked the boy to lead the way to the You family.
After crossing the horse bridge, I saw a building. Although it was old, I could still see its former glory. Two policemen guarded the gate.
Hawthorne stepped forward to reveal his identity. When the two saw that they were the famous Detective Hawthorne, they hurriedly bent down and made a gesture of inviting them.
Entering the door was the courtyard, and the inspector of the Fengmen District and Mrs. You's nephew came out of the room.
Hawthorne asked the old lady's nephew to help his aunt to her room to rest.
himself talked to the inspector.
Inspector told Hawthorne that the old lady's son You Ming was an unemployed vagrant who drank and gambled all day long, ruined a good family and often quarreled with his wife.
When I went out in the evening, I had a fight with my wife. According to his confession, he had an argument with his wife because he was drunk and accidentally killed her.
The murder weapon is hidden under the bed.
The inspector took out a sharp knife and said that the blood stains on it were wiped clean by You Ming.
Hawthorne invited his neighbor, private school teacher Ni Shan.
He confirmed: You Ming quarreled with his wife about gambling yesterday evening.
He told another situation. You Ming's friend, a carpenter Xiao Maverick who lives in 官网, came to call You Ming to go gamble. So You Ming asked his wife for money, but was rejected and advised her husband not to gamble again.
You Ming saw that his wife didn't give him money, and even said in front of a friend that he couldn't stand his face, so he cursed his wife. The little maverick thought that You Ming's wife had also hit him, and scolded her with You Ming.
You Ming's wife has always been cowardly and just cried non-stop at that time.
The inspector believes that Ni Shan’s words have nothing to do with this case, and he believes that You Ming is the murderer!
Chapter 2 Tracking and searching for scars
Hawthorne coughed and said his initial view: "This is a headless case. Even if You Ming admitted to murder, the deceased's head was not found, and the case cannot be closed. Does the sir have any explanation for this?" The inspector hesitated for a moment and said: "You Ming confessed that the head was hidden in the box in the room, but searched everywhere, but still could not be found."
" Okay, I'll inspect the scene first. "
Hawthorne walked into the guest hall and saw the female corpse lying three or four steps in front of the stairs, her feet more than ten feet away from the back door. She was wearing a new cotton jacket with black crepes, her two hands spread out, and her skin was thick and thick.
On the ring finger of her left hand, she was wearing a wedding gold ring, but the ring was not worn by ordinary people as if it were ordinary people, but was put on the second section of her finger.
Inspector also noticed it, and he explained: You Mingqi The picture snatched the gold ring from his wife's hand as gambling money; but his fingers were too thick and he couldn't take it down for a while.
plus his wife struggled, and You Ming killed his wife in anger. Due to panic, he didn't bother to take the ring.
Hawthor took out his magnifying glass, carefully checked the blood on the ground, and judged that the deceased had been dead for at least twelve hours.
Inspector looked at his watch and said, "It's 10:45 am now. Twelve hours, was the time of death around ten o'clock last night? "
" should be this time. "
Hawthorne responded and carefully checked the fingers of the deceased.
The hands were used to doing rough work.
At this time, Old Lady You came down from the building crying and said that his wife's life was so hard. She sewed clothes and embroidered them in the middle of the night every day to maintain this family. Now she died in a bad life, and her son was shot!
"Old lady, your son will not be beheaded, but there are a few words to ask you to make it clear. "
After hearing Hawthorne's words, the old lady immediately stopped crying: "If my son doesn't die, I have to live. ”
She answered Hawthorne’s question one by one. The inspector next to her heard it and said sternly: “Don’t lie! You must be transferring your head when you open the box. Tell me honestly, where did you hide your wife's head? "
The old lady was so scared that her face was pale and her feet were trembling. When her nephew saw her, she hurriedly stepped forward to support her: "Auntie, don't be afraid. If you go to the police station, I will go on your behalf. ”
Hawthorne also comforted, “Your son is not guilty, he did not kill anyone. In less than three days, I will definitely let him go home. "
The inspector snorted in his nose and said, "You Ming did not kill anyone? That gentleman thinks the carpenter calf is the one who kills? "
Knowing that the inspector was not convinced, Huothorne said seriously: "I can be sure that You Ming is not a murderer, or whether he is a calf, it is still difficult to determine whether he is a calf. "
Hawthorne began to identify the footprints on the ground. The floor in the house was paved with square bricks, and there were already many people walking by.
Footprints could no longer be identified.
He opened the back door. There was an open space outside the door, which was the abandoned backyard of the You family.
There was a yard door at the end of the backyard, and there was a river bank outside the yard.
In the backyard with weeds, Hawthorne knelt on the ground and found a path where men and women stepped on their footprints.
Both ends of the path are exactly the back door and the courtyard door.
Because it rained last night, the footprints were very clear, and the footprints could be distinguished from different directions of entering or leaving the door.
The courtyard door was closed with a wooden bolt on the door. It seemed that the courtyard door was not open often.
asked the inspector, but they had not checked the backyard. Then someone should have entered and exited this door last night. Outside the backyard door, there is a small river, and ships pass by from time to time. Check along the river bank, The same footprints were found in the same yard.
The murderer came from the water. When he left the boat, he jumped hard and landed in the grass on the shore. His footprints were very deep.
Xiasang was puzzled: Whose woman's footprints belong to?
Back in the house, Hawthorne saw that only neighbor Ni Shan accompanied Mrs. You. The inspector had returned to the police station.
The old lady's nephew went to report the death toll.
From Ni Shan's mouth, Hawthorne learned that the dead woman was surnamed Wang , Her father is Wang Jingsui, and she is a wealthy businessman in Suzhou City. But she is not very good to this daughter.
Although Wang is cowardly, she has a stubborn personality. She feels that her family is poor and humble, so she never goes back to her parents' home.
However, there is a maid who said that she was in the mind of Wang's father and often gives Wang some money and things to her.
Old Mrs. You also said that her wife is diligent in managing the family and does not go out three times a year. Except for the maid Axiang who gave things to her parents' home, she rarely talks to others.
Chapter 3 The murderer's letter
At this time, someone from the police station invited Hawthorne. After arriving at the police station with the police who delivered the letter, Hawthorne went to meet the detained You Ming.
Director listened to the inspector's report and said that the murderer had confessed himself and determined that the murderer was You Ming. After he learned that Hawthorne had a different judgment, he asked him to help solve the case.
"Mr. Hawthorne's name is at its peak. Do you believe that You Ming is not the murderer of his wife, who will be the murderer? Besides, he has admitted to killing his wife. Is there any mistake? Please ask the gentleman to take action and capture the real murderer!"
" Yes, I'm sure You Ming is not the murderer, and there are more than one reason."
Hawthorne gave his own speculations one by one. Director
listened and said, "Mr. Analysis is very thorough. Why did You Ming admit his confession?"
"It depends on the way of taking the confession. Although the confession is inconsistent with the evidence, what is the use of this confession?" Director
nodded and said sincerely, "I will entrust the custody to be responsible for this case. Please do not refuse."
Hawthorne thought for a while and asked the inspector not to interfere with his own case handling, and to cooperate with the police force. After hearing this, Director
agreed with a smile.
The next day, Hawthorne sent someone to various shipyards to inquire. Did anyone rent a boat on the night of the murder?
I went to Zao City to visit Wang Jingsui, the father of Wang family.
At noon, when he returned to the rented hotel, his servant Shi Gui handed a letter from the police station.
only has three words "police station" on the envelope.
Hawthorne opened the letter and saw a pair of gold earrings inside, and the handwriting in a cursive book was rough and powerful. It says:
The woman named Wang was killed by me. A woman has no sin, she is guilty of her father. I have been waiting for revenge for three years, and I have to use my enemy's daughter to relieve my hatred.
I have brought back the woman's head to pay homage to my dead father. After fulfilling your wish, you should travel far.
A real man is open and honest in his work and does not want to implicate innocent people!
attached a pair of women's earrings.
The revenge keeps a pen before leaving.
The murderer is indeed not You Ming! It seems that the murderer has gone far away after committing the crime.
There was still a little blood on the red gold earrings, which reminded people of the tragic situation when the neck was broken.
The person who went to check the boat charter came back and said that it was the murder that night, someone in Yongtai Shipyard went to rent a boat.
"Yongtai Shipyard? Isn't it near Zhuang Xumen?"
"Not bad, next to Wannian Bridge outside Xumen."
When Hawthorne heard this, he hurriedly put on his coat and rushed to Yongtai Shipyard.
When Hawthorne returned to the hotel, it was already late. Shi Gui said to him, "Sir, there is a tall young man in a suit who wants to see you, but he refuses to say his name or purpose. He heard that the gentleman is not here, so he stayed for a while and left in disappointment."
After hearing this, Hawthorne nodded thoughtfully. He looked tired and took care of Shi Gui. If that person comes again, he will call him. Others don't have to pay attention to him, saying that he wants to have a good sleep.
The next day, Hawthorne arranged four policemen to go to the cemetery behind the Sanshan Guild Hall outside Xumen to excavate a new grave, and instruct one of the policemen to find him immediately if there was any situation.
The police dug up the cemetery and hung a newly buried coffin to the ground.
pried open the lid of the coffin and a complete corpse appeared in front of everyone; his face was pale and there were blood on the corners of his clothes.
A policeman said, "There is something wrong with this corpse, how can there be blood on the corner of his clothes?"
Three other policemen went to flip the corpse and saw that it was a human-shaped "corpse" made of wood.
A policeman raised his head and wore a cloth pocket on his head. He pulled it off. His hair was scattered and his neck was covered with blood.
"This is not the head of You Ming's wife, right? Let's take it back to the police station."
Before a policeman finished speaking, the old lady of the You family was brought. She stepped forward a few steps and carefully identified the head.
After a while, she shook her head: "No, no, this is not my wife's head!"
The police were very surprised. It was not her wife's head. What's going on with this wooden corpse? Then he asked around the old lady.
Chapter 4 The truth is revealed
Darihui Bridge No. 9 is an old building with a yard. A wooden sign on the lintel says: Dreams send to Lu.
In the wing room, Hawthorne and a young man in a suit sat across the table. He was talking.
That night, you killed your maid A Xiang. If you kill someone, you want to blame others and come up with a plan to exchange for the dead.
So, you cut off A Xiang's head and asked someone to rent a small boat at Yongtai Shipyard to transport the headless body to the You family.
You knocked on the gate of the You family's courtyard. The one who opened the door was the wife of the You family. She didn't know in advance that it would be you and dared not open the door.
You have been wandering outside the door for a long time, leaving behind messy footprints. As a last resort, you can only reveal your identity. Wang heard that it was you, so he opened the door and let you enter the house.
According to your plan, the deceased Axiang put on Wang's clothes, put on a ring, and then took Wang's clothes and fled the You family.
Mengshengjun, after you took Wang home, you told the public that Axiang died of illness, and then the body was fake and her body was buried in the cemetery of the Sanshan Guild Hall.
sent a pair of Wang's earrings to the police station, trying to fool the police. As for A Xiang's coffin, I have asked the police to dig it out. There should be a result.
At this time, a policeman walked in from outside and said, "Mr. Huo, the head in the coffin was not the head of her wife after being identified by the old lady of the You family."
Hawthorne continued, "It's A Xiang's. Mengshengjun, now you should reply to me. Is what I just said true?"
Luo Mengsheng lowered his head, his body trembled continuously, and said in a low voice: "What Mr. said is true. Yesterday evening, I went to the hotel where you live twice to ask for a meeting, but unfortunately you are not here. I wanted to tell the truth to ask for sympathy. Now that the teacher has the evidence and comes to the door on his own initiative, I have no way out."
"Tell me the truth. If I can forgive, why am I not compatible?"
Luo Mengsheng heard it and his eyes lit up, as if he saw hope. Then he talked about the story.
Seven years ago, he and Wang, namely Wang Yizhu, met while studying in middle school.
Luo Mengsheng had excellent academic performance, Wang Yizhu had a gentle personality, and slowly, the two developed feelings for each other. Under the moon, they were in love with each other. They swear that they would not marry each other.
A year later, Luo Mengsheng left Suzhou and went to Beijing to attend Peking University , but Wang Yizhu did not pass the university and stayed in Suzhou.
On the night of breaking up, the two hugged each other tightly, crying like tears.
Luo Mengsheng wants to give up his studies and stay with Su Qi with his sweetheart.
was stopped by Wang Yizhu.
When he graduated from university and returned to Suzhou, Wang Yizhu had become the wife of Youjia Youming.
Luo Mengsheng's family is poor, and he only completes his studies by rank among the top in college and the sponsorship of the principal of his alma mater.
Wang Yizhu's father Wang Jingsui is a snob and usually welcomes rich people.
Youjia Youming's father was an official and left behind a large amount of property. Wang Jingsui was very coveted and was preparing to marry his daughter to You Ming, so he could get some benefits.
Wang Yizhu told her father that Youming was ignorant, gambling money and drinking, and spending all day long. How could he marry such a person?
said that he had a crush on Luo Mengsheng and would get married when he came back from college.
Wang Jingsui was furious when he heard this. He was both coercive and tempted, and was seeking death. He forced his daughter to marry the You family no matter what.
Wang Yizhu, who has a cowardly personality, finally succumbed to his father's tyranny and married into the You family.
Luo Mengsheng didn't know Wang Yizhu's situation at first. She really couldn't stand her husband's shameless prodigality. She wrote a letter to Luo Mengsheng of her miserable life in the You family.
Wang Yizhu's father, seeing the You family's decline, cut off contact with his daughter.
Although Wang Yizhu asked for help from the end, Luo Mengsheng decided to use her father's name to support her former lover.
But his maid A Xiang is a very greedy woman.
Although she would give her a certain reward every time she asked her to give something to Wang Yizhu, she was not satisfied. She would deduct half of the things she gave every time, and threatened Wang Yizhu not to tell Luo Mengsheng, otherwise, she would tell You Ming about her relationship with her ex-lover.
At first, Wang Yizhu was still holding back the blackmail against A Xiang, but A Xiang became more and more powerful, so Wang Yizhu wrote a letter asking Luo Mengsheng to fire her.
Luo Mengsheng asked Axiang how much things he had deducted. Unexpectedly, Axiang threatened viciously that if she fired herself, she would immediately spread the matter and let You Ming know that it would be strange if she didn't kill Wang Yizhu.
So, A Xiang became a ghost under the knife.
is not over yet, Luo Mengsheng said, "Wang Yizhu is innocent. If sir can support justice for her, I will have no regrets of death!" After
said, tears flowing.
At this moment, a scream came from the back room. Luo Mengsheng jumped up in shock and was about to rush out of the house.
A man who looked like a maid broke into the house and said, "Sir, she has been eavesdropping outside for a long time, and now she has committed suicide!"
Hawthorne and Luo Mengsheng hurried over and saw a young woman wearing a blue cloth cotton jacket with a sharp knife inserted into her heart. A strange smile appeared on his beautiful face.
Luo Mengsheng fell to the young woman and cried out loudly: "Jimengzhu, I killed you!"
After finishing his speech, he fainted.
Suddenly, several policemen broke into the coffin digging. They rushed here, thinking that Hawthorne needed help?
Suddenly, Luo Mengsheng, who fainted, pulled out the sharp knife from Wang Yizhu's chest and roared, "I am the murderer. Are you here to catch me? No need to worry, I will conquer my sin!"
After saying that, he raised the knife and stabbed it into his heart.
Hawthorne and the policemen met and wanted to go forward and grab the knife, but unfortunately it was too late.
The case was revealed, but Hawthorne couldn't be happy at all. What caused this case to happen?
Three days later, the court ruled the tragedy.
Both Mavericks and Youming were acquitted.
Unexpectedly, three days later, You Ming went crazy and was sent to the madhouse .
When Hawthorne learned about it, he said, "I had expected him to be crazy. When I went to the police to see him, I said that he had killed his wife as soon as I opened my mouth. At that time, he was no longer conscious."
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-