Chapter 1547 — The Appraisal Results

"Shielding him? Why would I shield him? I am only doing things by the book. By your way of doing things, one glance at a man makes him a suspect. If you happened to hold a grudge against someone, would the whole thing not descend into chaos?" Song Lingshan said with a frown.

"I, Wang Hekan, am an elite of the detective world. Even foreign police have sought me out to crack their cases. Is my caliber something you get to question?" Wang Hekan laughed coldly. "I say there is more than likely something going on between you and that Wei Zhao. But let me give you a warning: do not play favorites. Otherwise, though I am not one of your police, I do carry some weight, and I will ask your bureau's Chief Chen to have you recuse yourself from this case!"

Song Lingshan was instantly choked with fury. What was the matter with this Wang Hekan? She had merely spoken a few words in Wei Zhao's defense, and this was how he reacted? Did he truly believe, so firmly, that Wei Zhao was the suspect?

"Every conclusion must wait until the technical department's appraisal report comes out!" Song Lingshan said. "If Wei Zhao really did it, then of course I will not shield him. But if it was not Wei Zhao, then I ask Detective Wang not to jump to conclusions in the future!"

"Hmph! Then let us wait and see!" With that, Wang Hekan stormed out of the meeting room, saying as he went, "You people ask me to solve the case, I offer my opinion, and you still will not listen. It is enough to make a man die of rage!"

"Captain Song... this..." Liu Wangli was in a difficult position as well.

"Take it to the technical department for appraisal. If it really was Wei Zhao, then I will have no choice but to make the arrest myself," Song Lingshan said with a sigh.

"All right... Captain Song, then I will be on my way..." Liu Wangli nodded, and carried the copy of the materials off to the technical department.

Song Lingshan felt rather helpless. How could the evidence point to Wei Zhao? Had Wei Zhao truly done this, or was someone framing him?

After hesitating for a moment, Song Lingshan decided to call Wei Zhao and sound him out. If he really had done these things, then unless his mental fortitude was extraordinary, he would surely give himself away. But if it truly was not Wei Zhao, then she would ask him to help crack the case!

For only by catching the true culprit could Wei Zhao be cleared of the crime!

Yet when Song Lingshan dialed Wei Zhao's mobile number, she was somewhat disappointed, for from the other end came the sound of the phone being switched off. It seemed Wei Zhao had not turned it on, or perhaps when he left the house he had simply not brought his phone at all!

And so Song Lingshan was left with no other option but to wait for the technical department's appraisal report.

But while she waited for the appraisal report, another major case broke out!

The same suspect again: at the seaside of Songshan City, after robbing a group of young men and women who were picnicking by the shore, he lifted them up one by one and hurled them into the ocean! Because one young man's head struck a reef in the water, he was gravely injured and died in the hospital despite all treatment, while the others suffered minor injuries of varying degrees.

The one who reported the crime was a photographer, a freelancer who made his living submitting work to newspapers and magazines! He had witnessed the entire crime and had filmed the whole process, yet he had not gone to the rescue in time, causing the man with the head wound to miss the optimal window for emergency treatment!

Photographers of this sort, who care more about getting a good shot than about calling the police and saving lives at the first moment, may well be condemned, but there was nothing Song Lingshan could do about it.

Fortunately, this time the photographer's camera was of very high quality, and the pictures it produced were not only clear but of high resolution. It had captured not only the suspect's car, but every physical feature of the suspect as well!

That would make the technical department's appraisal all the more effective! So when Song Lingshan received these materials, though she felt in her heart that this person resembled Wei Zhao somewhat, and that handing the materials to the technical department might work against him, she had no choice but to do so!

When Liu Wangli saw these materials, he too felt uneasy at heart. After all, he and Wei Zhao were more or less friends, and Wei Zhao had made considerable contributions to solving cases in the past. To have him turn into a suspect now, whose heart could possibly rest easy?

"Captain Song, it may not be Wei Zhao either. Do not let your thoughts run away with you..." Liu Wangli consoled her.

"It is all right... I understand." Song Lingshan nodded.

Very soon, the technical department's appraisal result came out: the degree of similarity was ninety percent! Because the suspect in both the surveillance footage and the later photographs was masked, and Wei Zhao's file contained only a photograph, with no detailed data such as height and weight, it could only be said to be ninety percent similar, and not a hundred percent!

But this result still vexed Song Lingshan greatly. Ninety percent meant that, barring accidents, this person very likely was Wei Zhao!

"Well? Did I not say it was him? With my pair of fiery golden eyes, no criminal can escape the sight of this Wang Hekan!" Wang Hekan, looking at the appraisal report, said to Song Lingshan with immense smugness. "Can we make the arrest now?"

"We can summon him for questioning, but this still does not establish that Wei Zhao is the suspect!" Song Lingshan said.

"Hmph! A man will not shed tears until he sees the coffin!" Wang Hekan curled his lip and said, "When will you summon him?"

"We go to Wei Zhao's villa right now!" Song Lingshan shot back irritably, then said, "Liu Wangli, come with me!"

"Why not take me along? Is there some trickery going on?" Wang Hekan cut in.

"You are not with the police. Under these circumstances, it is not appropriate for you to come," Song Lingshan said.

"What is inappropriate about it? You are trying to hide something, aren't you? What is there that I cannot see?" Wang Hekan insisted. "Do not forget, my status is that of an expert invited by you! I am not some random passerby!"

"Very well, then come along." There was nothing Song Lingshan could do but bring Wang Hekan with her as they set off for the Gu family villa.

School was now on holiday, and everyone was at home reviewing and preparing for exams. That was just as well, though, for the weather was frighteningly hot, and with no air conditioning in the classrooms, people would be left drowsy, which only impaired the results of their studying all the more.

At home, however, everyone was far freer: they could drink iced beverages, eat cool fruit, and read their books.

"Sister Yaoyao, I am so hot, I am about to melt. What am I supposed to do?" Shen Yushu was so hot she did not know which way to turn, and could not get into her reading at all. She spun around the room like a headless fly. "No good, no good, I am going to take a shower..."

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