allendalepharm Chapter 22: First, muddy the waters, then get the solid evidence.
Chapter 22: First, muddy the waters, then get the solid evidence.
"Chief Inspector, how can you prove she is the suspect?"
"Is there any direct evidence at present?"
"Will the police, in order to appease the public, pin the blame on a murderer?"
"..."
Immediately, reporters at the scene raised questions.
Many people speculate that this is another cover-up by the police, or even a case of framing an innocent person.
It just so happened that a murder occurred, so they arrested the woman who might have been present as the murderer and then pinned the fraud charge on her.
Driven by certain individuals, speculation is increasingly leaning towards conspiracy theories.
There's nothing we can do; the reputation of the police station is what it is, and any questioning of it will arouse public suspicion.
That's what word-of-mouth is all about!
Zhang Defa frowned, opened his mouth but didn't know how to answer.
How did what was originally positive publicity suddenly turn into negative publicity?
He was originally just standing around doing nothing, only pushed forward by his subordinates, and had no idea what had actually happened.
All I heard was that Shen Lang caught the female swindler; I didn't even know about the internal strife and murder.
Now, when faced with questions from reporters, they can only remain silent to avoid saying too much and making mistakes, which could be seized upon and widely publicized.
However, when faced with persistent questioning from reporters, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt.
Zhang Li, in particular, sat on the ground and wailed, repeatedly shouting that she was wronged.
Anyone who didn't know better would really think she was a scapegoat wronged by the police; she seemed even more wronged than Dou E.
On one side is a pitiful, vulnerable woman, and on the other is a police station with a poor reputation. It's obvious which side the public will support.
Zhang Defa's face was grim. He turned his head and glanced at the young police officer next to him, glaring at him.
If no answer is given soon, things will get out of hand.
"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, leave it to me!"
Shen Lang gave a confident look, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Please don't make wild guesses. The police make arrests based on evidence!"
As soon as he said that, everyone in the room looked at him strangely, and even the reporters who were vying to ask questions fell silent.
The police station arresting people based on evidence... it was practically the most ironic joke of 1937.
Shen Lang didn't care about the strange reactions of the crowd, and he had already guessed that this would be the reaction.
Once everyone's attention is diverted from Zhang Defa, the mission is accomplished.
A good employee is one who is quick to respond to their leader's needs and thinks what their leader thinks.
He waved his hand in response to the reporters' questions.
The two team members immediately placed the body wrapped in the sheet on the ground.
When the bed sheet was lifted, the blood-soaked corpse of a woman was exposed to everyone.
Many timid women screamed in fright.
Shen Lang said loudly, "This is her accomplice. They got into a fight over the spoils and he was stabbed in a vital spot and died on the spot."
Then, leaning forward and looking down at the woman slumped on the ground, he asked in a deep voice, "Caught in the act, with witnesses and physical evidence, do you admit to your crime?"
Zhang Li trembled with fear, her face filled with panic: "I...I...she ran right into the knife!"
Although it was a rebuttal, it was tantamount to admitting to the murder.
Caught red-handed at the crime scene, with even the administrator acting as a witness, there was no way to deny it.
Wow!
Instantly, the scene erupted in uproar, with everyone gasping in astonishment.
Unexpectedly, the police did not wrongly accuse anyone this time; this woman was indeed a murderer.
Albert's expression changed several times, also surprised by the fact that he had been caught red-handed.
However, as a journalist without integrity, he immediately thought of new points of contention.
He shouted, "Even if she killed someone, how can you prove she's a con artist? How can you prove it wasn't a cover-up by the police? Isn't deceiving superiors and concealing the truth a common tactic among you Chinese?"
Shen Lang placed the box on the ground and opened it, revealing a stack of banknotes of varying denominations, along with some gold and jewelry.
He gestured, saying, "These are all stolen goods found in her house."
Everyone craned their necks to look, and were amazed when they saw what was inside the box.
A rough estimate puts the total amount at least over two thousand yuan.
Two thousand yuan in legal tender is a huge sum of money. If it were converted into the monthly wage of an ordinary female worker of nine yuan, she would have to work for two hundred years without eating or drinking to earn that amount.
With such a large sum of money in front of them, it's quite convincing.
Albert's forehead veins throbbed as he faced the evidence.
For this foreigner, the truth is not important; creating buzz is the most important thing.
He also used this method of distorting facts and instigating conflicts to rise from a newcomer to a well-known reporter in the concession in just two years.
Not only did it elevate his social status, but it also brought him a large amount of wealth.
Even the salary has increased from the initial 80 yuan to a high salary of 300 yuan!
More importantly, he was unwilling to accept it and felt greatly humiliated.
Because the person who refuted him was someone he looked down upon from the bottom of his heart, a Chinese person whose land had been ceded to him!
He retorted through gritted teeth, "How can you prove that the money was obtained through fraud, and not stolen after killing this woman?"
This person is determined to stir up trouble.
Shen Lang smiled confidently, a smirk playing on his lips. "You want evidence? I'll give it to you!"
Then his gaze swept across the crowd.
Soon, a familiar voice came from the back of the crowd: "Make way, everyone make way!"
Fish Head, accompanied by an elderly woman with gray hair, squeezed through the crowd from the back.
Shen Lang addressed the crowd, "Fellow reporters, you all should recognize her, right?"
Immediately, a chorus of responses erupted from the crowd.
"Isn't she the victim who blocked the door this morning?"
"Yes, she's the one who reported being scammed."
"I even took a picture; it's exactly the same!"
Reporters responded one after another, and some even produced photos taken that morning showing the old woman blocking the door and crying.
When Zhang Li, who was slumped on the ground, saw the old woman, her face clearly showed panic.
Shen Lang asked gently, "Auntie, do you know her?"
The old woman followed the direction of the finger and saw the woman on the ground. Her eyes widened, and she shouted excitedly, "It's her! She cheated me out of my money! She's a liar!"
Shen Lang nodded slightly, took the old woman's hand, and asked, "Auntie, could you tell me more specifically what you were scammed out of?"
The old woman thought for a moment and then said, "I gave her two hundred yuan in legal tender, a gold ring and a jade bracelet. Oh, and the bracelet had a crack from being dropped, so I covered it with gold."
Shen Lang crouched down and rummaged through the box, quickly pulling out a jade bracelet wrapped in gold.
The old woman recognized it instantly and exclaimed excitedly, "It's this bracelet! It's my bracelet!"
With witnesses and physical evidence, the case is now definitively proven.
Shen Lang raised his head, looking down at Albert, whose face was ashen, and said righteously, "Remember, the police force upholds the law impartially, and you can't just smear it to create a stir!"
clap~
His impassioned words immediately drew applause.
Shen Lang grinned and leaned closer to Zhang Defa, whispering, "Mr. Zhang, it's time for you to return the victim's belongings to them personally. The reporters are all here anyway."