operant homicide

Ren Chu stood under the moonlight generously.

"That's it."

She called out his name: "Lemei."

The figure put the tomb board back to its original place, stood up slowly and turned around, revealing his face.

Le Mei quickly glanced around, but she still kept a smile on her face, appearing calm and unhurried. If someone pointed at her and said "the murderer has been cornered", it would definitely be regarded as nonsense.

"Don't look left and right, I came alone, there are only two of us here tonight, feel free to speak freely." Ren Chu also smiled, but judging from her eyes, there was no softness in it.

"Did you expect that I was eavesdropping?" Le Mei asked without changing her expression.

"It's better to say that you have been monitoring our conversations and actions for the past two days."

"What did I say that raised suspicion?"

"It's because you don't say anything that you are the most suspicious. As a relative of the deceased, you never once asked me about the investigation. When I started to confirm that you were the murderer, I felt even more suspicious. Strange."

"Even if I am the murderer, what if I am a murderer who is too confident and thinks that it is absolutely impossible for you to find out the truth?"

"No, you are not confident at all," Ren Chu looked at her calmly, "You have a strong desire to control, and once things exceed expectations, you will lose your sense of security. For example, when you listened to our conversation on the stairs that day, you were actually panicked. Well, in order to regain control of the pace, I simply took the initiative to introduce Uncle Le's "unknown" secrets, and induced me to find out the script of "the biological father committed suicide with guilt". But things backfired, you didn't expect that I discovered contradictions instead, and everything fell short. "

"Although I can't quibble about being caught by you under such circumstances, but your arrogant look is still so annoying."

Le Mei took a few steps forward. She laughed mockingly or threateningly, and stretched out her hand behind her back, showing off an electric shock device.

"But seriously, it's not wise of you to come alone."

At this time, the distance between them was less than five steps. According to the comparison of force, once a attack was made, within ten seconds, this delicate and frail detective would be slaughtered by the murderer without any resistance.

"But before that, I have to correct one thing,"

Even in the face of such a disadvantage, the detective did not show any signs of timidity. She said unexpectedly, "Le Chengmin committed suicide."

The surrounding silence oppressed the heart.It took a long time before someone spoke again.

"I don't know what you are planning by telling such a lie." Le Mei sneered, staring at her with a terrifying expression, "But no matter what, I advise you not to waste your time."

"First of all, you answer me, is the document you received the paternity test of Xu Chao and Le Chengmin?"

"Don't ask questions knowingly."

"Now, do you still naively think that the detective agency sent the wrong address? Let's put it this way, what was said about Lin Lan and me at noon, except for the fact that the evidence is hidden in the tomb, the rest is the truth."

After listening to her words, Le Mei opened the tomb board while being vigilant. The empty tomb box made her speechless for the first time.

Taking advantage of her shaky heart, Ren Chu continued to chase after the victory: "The answer is that the appraisal certificate has long been in the hands of the deceased—about the entrustment a year ago, he would not give up suicide until he found out Xu Chao's identity. It was destroyed, and there must be fingerprints of the deceased who should not have existed on it, and this evidence is the most convincing."

"Of course, in addition to the documents, what is more worth pondering is, who wrote the threatening letter? - I have been racking my brains to think about this question,

First, if Yan Kaifeng was not a villager who knew him very well, why would he be chosen to deliver letters among so many people? Therefore, outsiders who were not familiar with the situation were excluded.

Furthermore, why did you choose him as a messenger? Although this person is easy to buy, his reliability is very low. He might sneak a peek and tell others—he did.It can be seen that the writer of the letter originally intended to let the content leak. Once this is done, its use is only to make people doubt the cause of death of the deceased.

Therefore, the identity of the person who wrote the letter is clearly revealed. The deceased knew that he would not escape bad luck, so he deliberately left clues of "killed" to guide others to investigate. "

Hearing this, Le Mei changed her face and stared at her angrily.

"It's all nonsense! There's no reason for him to do that!"

"Hmph, you think that all your actions are of your own will, but have you ever thought that you were induced by the dead to become a tool to complete his suicide?"

Instead, Ren Chu took a step forward, as if deliberately provoking people.

Le Mei gritted her teeth and grabbed Ren Chu's arm, and pressed the electric shock rod to her heart.

"You are telling lies, Ren Chu! I know you have always been a liar with a smooth tongue, as long as I understand this, you will not be able to shake me!"

The detective saw that the murderer was stern, so he looked straight at her without flinching and said, "What I'm stating is the truth. I pondered over and over why the document was sent to the villa by mistake? It can only be sent by mistake on purpose, because it was just for you to see." Yes, things are so clear at a glance, do you still want to escape?"

"Shut up!"

"You said he had no reason. Is there really no reason? You are a liar full of lies." Ren Chu sneered, and his voice suddenly became sharp, "You killed Xu Chao!"

Le Mei suddenly felt struck by lightning.

"——At the beginning, after Xu Chao learned of his life experience, he had no intention of working for a long time. In the past year, except for writing some articles aimed at general social phenomena, he did not make any radical remarks that touched the interests of others. It is conceivable that the murderous intent she suffered It's all tied to that 'secret'. It is absolutely impossible for the deceased to kill his own daughter in order to silence her, the only possibility is you."

Le Mei shuddered all over, but she denied it categorically: "No, she committed suicide, and it's none of my business!"

Ren Chu hoped to find shame and remorse from this face, but unfortunately, she still only saw obsession and stubbornness, which made her even more angry.

"Listen, Xu Chao finally wrote in his diary 'But the moment before he drowned himself in the great river, he will find the wonderful meaning of "Om" in the eternal sound of the river'." She lamented, "August [-]th It was less than a week before she committed suicide. After reading the book "Siddhartha", I knew that in Hesse's writing, Siddhartha woke up from a big dream before diving and gained a new life. In other words, Xu Chao used this as a metaphor , not only did not reveal the will to die, but after a thorough understanding, he was full of longing for the future."

Her gaze became sharp again, and she said sternly, "It's a pity that she didn't wait to come to Qiaowenda, so poisonous snakes and wild beasts devoured her. You see, it's clear, the deceased stepped on this road to avenge the murder of his daughter." Lu, is there a better reason than this? You think you are ignorant, but how can the truth be hidden forever!"

"shut up!"

"The deceased who suspected the cause of Xu Chao's death learned everything through Detective X—one of his daughters killed his other daughter in order to cover up his crime. It is really desperate! And the most unforgivable thing, of course, is to act as a The self who is the source of all tragedies..."

"...I tell you to shut up!"

Ren Chu, who was too aggressive, suddenly felt a sharp pain, and the numbness caused her to fall to the ground. Fortunately, the other party just wanted to shut her up, and the attack was not too heavy.

And the perpetrator looks more heart-rending than the victim.Le Mei's expression was almost crazy, she covered her eyes with her left hand, and she was crying.This is a man who is inherently fragile, supported only by false beliefs and pretense.Once the disguise collapsed, she dared not face her real self at all.

She cried for a while, looked at Ren Chu who fell on the ground with teary eyes, and said tremblingly: "But he chose to avenge his own daughter, didn't he, let me kill him with my own hands, and then send me to the guillotine, this is His punishment for me..."

"wrong."

Although Ren Chu's breathing was unsteady, she supported the tombstone next to her and stood up.

Le Mei said tremblingly, "Where did I go wrong?"

"He did decide to punish you and himself, but now it's all your fault."

Ren Chu said with a pale face: "At 9:11 on September 15, you did receive a call from the deceased, but the content was quite different from what you said. ——I guess it was the deceased who asked you to meet, claiming to have something important to discuss .He painstakingly created the conditions for you to kill him. He deliberately made an appointment in a remote and uninhabited place, and told you not to be known by anyone when you go out. At about 44:20, you saw the deceased—you must have read the document at that time Well, maybe, at that time, you were only going to ask him for proof. However, before you could open your mouth, the deceased asked you to surrender with him. At that moment, the impact of emotions and thoughts may be the direct cause of your murderous intent. reason."

"I have to say that the deceased is very accurate about your psychology, but think about it. Before everything actually happens, no matter how many inferences, clues, and premises there are, it is impossible to make a 100% prediction. When he planned everything, probably I have imagined two endings: one, you surrender yourself with him obediently, and get redemption together. Two, you destroy him, and you also destroy yourself. He gave you the right to choose."

Hearing this, Le Mei's face was ashen, her tears flowed down, and she knelt on the cold ground.

"You win."

Her empty voice, devoid of all content but trembling sound waves, declares her final defeat.

When Le Mei was five years old, she experienced the sadness of being an orphan.This experience was very important to her. Even if she was adopted by her uncle and her husband and had no worries about food and clothing, her heart could not be healed.Because she had lost it before and was afraid of losing it again, she could only hold everything tightly in her hands to feel a little at ease.

But living in this society, the deep-rooted desire for control and inferiority complex had to be subtly decorated. Only in this way can she become an outstanding and dazzling person in the eyes of others.

When she learned that Xu Chao found out what her uncle had done before, she was undoubtedly terrified, just like when she was told that "parents will never come back", she felt like her fate was repeating itself.At first, she hoped that Xu Chao would be accommodating, but Xu Chao, who prided himself on himself, said to her with pity: "When you love someone, you can't tolerate his mistakes."

That noble posture made Le Mei even more hideous.

—Are you born nobler than me?No, because the matter has nothing to do with oneself, it is just and awe-inspiring to say it!This kind of person is more despicable than anyone else. If the world is fair, you should also experience the suffering of fate.

Insidious thoughts take hold in the unconscious, turning fear into jealousy and jealousy into rage.In one thought, she seemed to be possessed by a devil, and she felt that it was only natural to deal with this person cruelly.Xu Chao, who was in the light, could never have imagined that the malice that dominates this friend at this moment is about to release a cold arrow that is more vicious than the enemy.

Taking advantage of her turning around, Le Mei stunned Xu Chaohou with the electric shock baton she carried with her, and immediately left the scene as if nothing had happened.Three hours later, she sneaked into the apartment again and staged a false electrocution suicide.In fact, she did this murder full of loopholes. If the police investigate carefully, they may not find her. Sad, but chose to fulfill her daughter's "last will", so that the police closed the case with suicide.

On the one hand, she was thankful for this, and on the other hand, she also felt strange, but when she knew the relationship between her uncle and Xu Chao, she could rely on fragmentary clues and associations to gain insight into the crux of the problem so quickly, and even act on the spot to mislead Ren Chu's investigation. Such a calm and terrifying decision is unique in her life. This may be the powerful driving force and wisdom of human beings' desire to survive.

From the moment she became a murderer, she had no way out, and about how she killed her uncle afterwards, to be honest, Le Mei didn't want to look back at all. Her throat was so tight that she didn't have the courage to live.

That day, when she heard her uncle tell her to surrender, he even hinted that he had obtained conclusive evidence of the crime.She was plunged into an abyss of shame and embarrassment, a terror of doom and the rage of being betrayed took hold of her, and it was this morbid rage that kept all virtues at bay.Le Mei committed herself to evil again. From the person who raised her, she saw the same abomination as Xu Chao at that time.

She killed him easily with a rope—easy, now that I think about it, because he didn't struggle much at all.

As soon as the matter was over, anger had its feast, and contentedly gave way to fear.In a panic, she ran to her uncle's residence to search for "criminal evidence", but found the suicide note—so far, everything went smoothly as if with the help of an evil spirit, a cunning plan suddenly came to her mind.

She thought that if the police could conclude that it was a suicide, even if the "criminal evidence" could not be recovered, the matter could be covered up.It can be seen from this that her hard-hearted heart is by no means taken lightly, and in the entire follow-up process, she was able to carry out her plan with few flaws.

"... This is the whole story. I knew that one day, I would pay for it." Le Mei murmured.

Ren Chu looked at her quietly without saying a word. At this moment, she couldn't think of what to say.

"Ren Chu," Le Mei raised her head and called out to her, choked up, "I'm glad we can meet again, really, but let's say goodbye."

"Goodbye." Ren Chu finally said as a friend.

The two parted ways at the foot of the mountain, Ren Chu watched her leave, the moonlight followed the figure away, fading away like fog in the night.

When Ren Chu stepped into the villa, he saw Lin Lan glaring at her.

"Courage is commendable, Mr. Detective!" He sneered again and again, and said eccentrically, "I can't believe that you left us and went out alone. Forgive me, I can't think of how to praise you!"

Ren Chu explained to him: "Don't be angry, I can't lead a group of people to besiege her. With Le Mei's personality, she can only let her guard down if she thinks that she has always been in control."

Lin Lan laughed heartily after hearing this, but not heartily. He said with a sneer on his face, "Come on, put away that sophistry, you are an individualist!"

With Lin Lan's temper, probably he can only wait for him to calm down.

Ren Chu no longer tried to persuade him, she sat down on the corner of the sofa that Zhen Yang vacated.

Zhen Yang handed her a cup of coffee, seemingly hesitating to speak.She felt a mixture of pain and cruel relief now.

Chang Wei's mood was also not calm, he was not a weak person, but at this moment he felt his eyes were hot.

Under Lin Lan's urging, Ren Chu told them everything in detail.But when it came to Le Mei's method of arranging the suicide scene, Lin Lan was the first to refute.

"Don't be kidding, didn't you say it? It's impossible for the corpse to be transported up like this!"

"You are always so impatient, it's not too late to object after I finish speaking."

As he spoke, Ren Chu put the coffee on his knees and began to explain in a straightforward manner: "Actually, human beings are very subjective creatures, and our perception of external stimuli does not correspond linearly to physical stimuli, including those recognized as the most reliable Including vision, all senses reflect part of reality, but are also divorced from complete reality. This is the basis of psychophysics, and I will not hold a popular science conference, but you must understand that it is through these "loopholes" that people will be deceived. "

"If the mass of the barrel is ignored, the rice weighs 50kg, and the corpse is about 60kg. However, because the physical size of the stimulus is different from the sensory size, it is necessary to convert the physical quantity into a psychological quantity."

"More accurate is the power law proposed by Stevens."

Ren Chu found a pen and paper under the coffee table, and she wrote, "P=K(S)^n."

"P is the required sensory value - because the quantitative estimation method is used, the initial number is based on the subjective label. For example, if we move a 50kg object, we will also assume that this is a 50kg weight, so we will make it 50. S represents the objective stimulation amount. K and exponent n=1.45 are constants. Then S=50, P=50, K=0.17 is calculated, and then 60kg of the corpse is substituted into the formula, P=64.38, and the psychological difference is 14.38, which will undoubtedly fail. But I also mentioned the threshold to you before. My breakthrough point is: as long as the stimulus difference can be controlled within a certain range, people will not notice the weight change. Again, people are governed by subjective feelings creation."

Lin Lan quickly said: "Then how to control it, don't forget that there is a bucket that cannot be tampered with."

"Because of psychological subjectivity, no stimulus exists in isolation. Laming put forward the principle of relativity of judgment, thinking that stimuli cannot be retrospectively referred to, and only have an immediate upper and lower relationship. For example, a person is a computer with limited capacity. The latter stimulus will Cover up most of the traces of the previous stimulus, so you can only use adjacent stimuli as a reference, not jumping comparisons like a ruler.

"Like you pour water into a water glass in the morning to form a continuous scale between octaves, Lemei also splits the rice gradient in one bucket and distributes it to the other buckets to fill the gap. For the sake of simplicity, and The 12kg of rice in the No. 50 barrel is divided into 1234556789 ten parts-in fact, it will definitely not be divided into such a standard, and they are put into No. 2 to No. 11 barrels respectively. Now, No. 1 barrel remains unchanged at 50kg, while No. 2 barrel is 51kg , into the formula P2=50.87, 0.87 is the difference in feeling.

"Then, when the No. 3 barrel is moved, the No. 2 barrel will replace the No. 1 barrel as the benchmark, and under the guidance of preconceived ideas, the mover will treat the No. 2 barrel as 50kg, so in fact, S2=51, but It feels like P2=50, and K=0.17. At this time, S3 is 52kg, and P3=51.4 is brought into the formula. Calculated like this, P4=51.40, P5=51.36... The rest is omitted. In the last container, P12 = 51.23, minus 50, the difference is 1.23. So, you see, in this almost fanciful way, the difference in weight is divided into insignificant components."

Hearing this, both Zhen Yang and Chang Wei seemed to understand, but Lin Lan was the only one who praised it.

"This man's wisdom is truly vicious!"

Ren Chu continued: "The corpses transported to the ancestral hall together with other sacrifices are first placed in the side hall separated from the main hall, and then the corpses are hoisted into the main hall while no one is around, and then the weight of the barrel is adjusted. Reversion would do. But let me say that there is one serious flaw in the execution of the plan."

"What flaw?"

"In order to fake suicide, the deceased should have been hung for at least 8 hours before being moved again. It may not be obvious from the body spots, but the movement will inevitably change the stiffness of the body. However, before the forensic doctor arrived, the villagers unconsciously helped the murderer to cover up this. , is really regrettable.”

"I have another question," Lin Lan asked. "How can you be sure that Le Mei will eavesdrop on us? It's just based on personality?"

Ren Chu drank all the coffee, she put down the cup, and said: "As I said, before things happen, no one can make a 100% prediction anyway. It's just a matter of probability. Of course it's good for her to fall into the trap, even if she doesn't come , I also have incriminating evidence that Le Chengmin hid."

"Ah! Where did you find it!" Lin Lan almost jumped up, "You are too cunning to hide it until now!"

"I told you that day that the evidence was hidden in the grave of the deceased, but it was too conclusive. It would irritate Le Mei if it was revealed on the spot. As I said, she has a personality that cannot accept strong threats."

"Sophistry!" Lin Lan accused loudly, "The saying 'open after death, for all to see' is far-fetched at all."

"It's a long story. Before his death, Le Chengmin gave Zhen Yang a painting to indicate where he hid."

"What!" Zhen Yang and Chang Wei looked at each other in disbelief.

Lin Lan hurriedly said, "Let me see it too!"

"Ah, oh!" Zhen Yang hurried to the room and took out the painting.

The picture scroll was spread out on the table, and Lin Lan looked at it with furrowed brows.

"I understand!"

Soon, he exclaimed suddenly, and revealed the "last" mystery.

"Look at the four things from top to bottom here, don't they add up to form a tomb character?"

After the matter came to an end, the next morning, before parting, they went to pay respects to Xu Chao's grave together.

This time is the same as last time, there are four people, and the missing positions can never be filled again.

Maybe Le Mei is right. Memories are just memories. People can’t stay the same. Whether it’s appearance or heart, even if it’s only a few days, but looking back now, it seems that years have passed. This is the vicissitudes of the mood. .

After packing their luggage, they asked the owner of the non-staple food store who went to the city to buy them to take them for a ride.The pickup truck zigzags along the mountain road.

Due to lack of sleep, Ren Chu leaned on Zhen Yang's shoulder to catch up on sleep, the carriage shook her a little bit.

"Ren Chu!"

She turned her head as if feeling something, as if she saw Le Mei waving goodbye to them with a grateful smile under the shade of trees at the intersection, but in a blink of an eye, the wind and smoke cleared away, it was just an illusion.