Chapter 1174 - 600: The Case Files from Back Then! (2)

The man lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "It’s been so long, what’s the point of bringing this up again."

At this moment, his face was filled with exhaustion and sorrow, unwilling to talk much about the past.

Seeing this, Jiang An asked, "Was there any unusual behavior before Yanzi suddenly committed suicide? For example, feeling down or behaving strangely?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the man fell into deep thought, then shook his head helplessly after a long pause.

"No, everything was normal, didn’t notice anything wrong."

"Did she ever have conflicts or arguments with anyone? Like relatives, friends, or quarrels with family?"

The man continued shaking his head, "None, she has a gentle temperament and never gets into arguments."

"What was the situation on the day of the incident?" Jiang An continued to ask.

"That day, her mother and I were working in the field, and her sister went to school, so she was alone at home. That afternoon was originally no different from usual; I came home after finishing the farm work to eat, and saw the meals were already cooked and placed on the table, but there was a farewell letter left by the stove."

"Is the farewell letter still there?"

The man shook his head, "It was burned long ago."

"What did the farewell letter roughly say?"

"It said sorry to mom and dad and hoped her sister would take good care of us, just a few words."

Jiang An asked again, "Did you feel anything amiss or abnormal about your daughter’s death at the time?"

Upon hearing this, the man shook his head with an agonizing expression, "For our family, the elder burying the young is certainly a huge anomaly. But at the time, with the farewell letter, police and forensic experts came to investigate, and the conclusion was suicide, so we could only handle the aftermath as suicide."

Hearing this, the four quickly pieced together the case: there was a farewell letter, and the death location was remote.

Even if it was foul play, it’s unlikely someone would transport and stage a hanging there.

From all perspectives, it indeed matches the characteristics of suicide.

During the conversation, everyone could clearly sense the unspeakable grief and anger this elderly father felt about his daughter’s passing.

Just as Jiang An contemplated the next question, Chen Guan suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought over these years that your daughter’s death might have another cause?"

The man suddenly raised his head, his eyes complex, and said, "At the time, we did express our doubts, but police said there were no issues, defining it as suicide."

"Moreover, it’s been eighteen years, are you here today because you’ve found new evidence?"

This question left Chen Guan unsure how to respond; after a pause, he said, "We haven’t found direct evidence yet; we’re just here to understand the situation from back then."

At this moment, his phone suddenly rang, displaying a call from Mr Zhang in the archive room.

Chen Guan glanced at it, stood up, and walked outside the courtyard to answer the call, "Hello, Mr Zhang."

"Mr. Chen, I’ve just reviewed the archive and indeed found the materials from that suicide case eighteen years ago."

"So soon?" Chen Guan was somewhat surprised.

"Mainly because there was a lot of material for this suicide case!"

Chen Guan asked puzzledly, "How much material can a suicide case have?"

"The suicide case itself was simply documented, but the deceased’s mother reported the situation to the police multiple times over the years, insisting her daughter was murdered; this led to many explanations and examinations, leaving quite a bit of communication records and materials."

"Murder? Is there any evidence?"

"No direct evidence, she just steadfastly claimed her daughter was too cheerful to commit suicide without reason, believing she’d fallen victim to foul play, refusing the suicide conclusion. But most materials date back fifteen years ago, with no records in the fifteen years since."

"What’s her mother’s name?"

"Zhang Guifang."

"Alright, got it, thanks."

After hanging up, Chen Guan stood silently outside the courtyard for a moment.

If Yanzi’s mother always believed her daughter was murdered, has this father truly accepted the suicide conclusion calmly?

His earlier demeanor was overly calm, even lacking much desire for confession or appeal to the police.

This would seem a bit illogical.

An unusual case must have its reasons!

As a seasoned criminal investigator, Chen Guan had seen many cases of extrajudicial justice and private vendettas.

If the father secretly investigated, found who he believed was the killer, and buried three victims near the pine tree where the daughter hanged, it would make sense.

He could even use the excuse of missing his daughter and visiting her on the mountain to check if the burial spot was discovered, which psychologically also makes sense.

Having thought this through, Chen Guan’s mind became clear, increasingly convinced the gray-haired elder before him had significant suspicion.

He immediately strode back into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered, he heard fragmented mutters, "My daughter was killed... my daughter was murdered..."

Everyone turned toward the sound to see an elderly woman, who had been sitting in the courtyard, leaning against the doorframe with empty eyes, muttering those words repeatedly.

Everyone looked at her, and the man reluctantly shook his head and explained, "Ever since Yanzi’s incident, her mom’s mental state hasn’t been good, always muttering their daughter wasn’t a suicide."

Vice Director Chen Guan asked solemnly, "And you? Do you think your daughter Yanzi committed suicide?"

The man slowly shook his head, "The police and forensics came, the farewell letter was at home, I could only believe it was suicide."

"But to this day, I still can’t understand why she took that path."

He paused, then stared directly at the four in front of him, "So many years have passed, what’s the point of bringing this up now?"

"Could it be that you’re here today because you’ve discovered she wasn’t a suicide?"

These words stumped the criminal investigators on the spot.

Chen Guan stepped forward and said sternly, "Your wife Zhang Guifang, fifteen years ago, multiple times went to the police, insisting your daughter was murdered; are you aware of this?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang An, Director Hou, and Qin Feng all looked at Chen Guan.

They hadn’t known this information prior, but quickly realized it was a clue Chen Guan obtained when answering the phone earlier.

The man replied calmly, "I know, she couldn’t let it go, always went to the police."

"But every time, the answer was the same: the conclusion was suicide."

"How’s that? Have you found new evidence now?"

Upon saying this, Chen Guan fixed his gaze on the man’s eyes and said clearly, "We came here today partly to verify the case from back then."

"On the other hand, because we discovered three buried corpses near the pine tree where your daughter hanged."

After dropping this bombshell, Chen Guan watched the man’s reaction closely.

Jiang An, Director Hou, and Qin Feng all turned to look at him.

The man’s eyes revealed a hint of panic, then quickly calmed down, shaking his head and said, "Corpses? Three? I don’t know about this."

"Do you truly not know, or are you pretending not to know?"

Chen Guan stepped forward immediately, asking heavily.

"I really don’t know." The man defended with a bitter smile.

"Since that’s the case, please come with us to the police station to assist further in understanding the situation."

Seeing the man’s expression, Jiang An felt instinctively that the man was surely hiding something unsaid.

After a long while, the man let out a bitter laugh, with a complex expression, and said, "What, my daughter passed away eighteen years ago, and now you’re suspecting me?"

As soon as the words fell, Chen Guan sternly said, "We don’t suspect you of murdering your daughter, but suspect your involvement in the triple murder case under investigation."