184: Finding the real killer, a ray of hope

Other foods containing ricin were consumed by the deceased, Zhu Zhirong.

Listening to Gao Ze's response, Liu Wenzhong fell into thought, finding it more and more plausible the more he considered it.

Because the deceased died in a bar, they habitually assumed that he died from drinking poisoned wine containing ricin, and indeed, poisoned wine containing ricin was detected.

However, Fan Wenhao, the bar owner who drank the red wine, was unharmed.

If Fan Wenhao was truly the murderer, would he need to make it so obvious?

If Fan Wenhao was not the culprit, then the murderer framed him, using other ricin-containing food to make the deceased, Zhu Zhirong, consume it.

"Officer Gao, your speculation is unconventional, but I think it's possible!"

"Not just possible, I think that's exactly what happened!"

Gao Ze raised his eyes, gazing at Liu Wenzhong and asked, "Besides ricin and alcohol, what else did the forensic doctor find in the stomach of the deceased, Zhu Zhirong?"

"There were also residues of bar snacks, noodles, fruit, and other decomposed substances like a lot of protein, fructose, and starch."

Liu Wenzhong shook his head and said, "However, these bar snacks were brought by the bartender for Zhu Zhirong and Fan Wenhao to share, and both of them ate them."

"There's no reason why Zhu Zhirong would eat it and Li Hao would be fine!"

"It's simple, it must be something only the deceased, Zhu Zhirong, ate!"

"What kind of thing?" Liu Wenzhong looked at Gao Ze in confusion.

"I don't know, but we can look for it!"

Watching Gao Ze's gaze begin to rummage through the private room's trash can, Liu Wenzhong smiled bitterly, "Officer Gao, we've already searched every trash can in the private room. Besides some vomit, fruit, and snack residue, there's nothing valuable."

"Just because you've searched doesn't mean I have!"

"I need to conduct an on-site inspection myself!"

Enduring the stench of vomit in the trash can, as well as the pungent smell of rotting fruit peels, Gao Ze patiently searched.

But unfortunately.

Indeed, as Liu Wenzhong said, it was all vomit, fruit peel residue, and snack bones.

These items had all been examined by the forensic doctor, and no residual ricin was found, so they were worthless clues.

"Officer Gao, are you still going to look?"

Gao Ze finished searching the trash can, but his gaze still surveyed the private room. Liu Wenzhong shook his head and sighed, "More than a dozen Huangpu District Criminal Police officers have searched many times and found no clues; you won't find anything either."

"Is that so?"

Gao Ze didn't stop, and without lifting his head, he lifted the sofa in the private room and said, "Back then, in the Feng Changlin villa massacre case, you didn't find any clues during your investigation, but didn't I find them?"

Liu Wenzhong's words immediately choked.

The Feng Changlin villa massacre case was the one where he and Gao Ze first met. At that time, their Huangpu District Criminal Police had investigated the villa, but their investigation was not as meticulous as Gao Ze's, and they missed many clues.

"It's different now. We learned from that case, and our current investigations are very thorough."

"Is that so?"

Gao Ze's hands suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a pink candy wrapper stuck to the inner wall of the sofa. He picked it up, placed it in front of Liu Wenzhong, and asked, "Then what is this pink candy wrapper?"

"Pink candy wrapper?"

Liu Wenzhong's pupils instantly contracted, and he asked in surprise, "Officer Gao, where did you find it?"

"On the private room floor?"

"But that's impossible. We lifted the sofa, and we didn't find this candy wrapper on the private room floor."

"It wasn't on the floor; it was stuck to the inner wall of the sofa, and I discovered it."

"Oh, so that's it!"

Liu Wenzhong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My colleagues' on-site investigation might indeed have had oversights, and your correction is very timely. However, this pink candy wrapper might have been left by a previous bar customer who didn't care about public etiquette and just stuck it to the inner wall of the sofa."

"Is that so?"

Gao Ze shook his head with a smile and said, "I found this under the sofa along the white marked line of the body."

Judging from the white marked line of the body, the position where I just found this pink candy wrapper was where the deceased Zhu Zhirong's right hand was hanging. Regarding this, Team Leader Liu, do you have any explanation?

"It seems this pink candy wrapper must belong to the deceased, Zhu Zhirong."

"Officer Gao truly lives up to his reputation as the lucky charm of our Donghai City police force. As soon as he arrived at the private room, he found an important clue that many of our Police Officers missed. I'd even want Officer Gao to stay in our team with such luck."

"It's a pity your rank is already the same as mine."

Liu Wenzhong smiled awkwardly, not arguing, and had a Police Officer bring Li Hao into the private room, questioning him:

"Li Hao, do you remember this pink candy wrapper?"

"Do you remember your friend Zhu Zhirong eating candy?"

"He did!"

Li Hao nodded and said, "My friend Zhu Zhirong ate a pink hangover candy, and I also ate one, but the hangover candy I ate was packaged in a green wrapper!"

"What?"

"You ate one too, and it was green packaging!"

Liu Wenzhong's eyes widened in disbelief, and he quickly asked, "Who gave you the hangover candy, and how many did you eat?"

"The hangover candy was given to my friend Zhu Zhirong and me by the bar's resident singer, Liu Luomei. We each ate one. What's wrong?"

Seeing Liu Wenzhong's huge reaction, Li Hao looked bewildered.

"Then why didn't you say so earlier, you idiot?" Liu Wenzhong roared.

"Say what earlier?" Li Hao argued softly:

"Didn't you Police Officers find poison in the red wine? And I already told you that Zhu Zhirong and I drank a lot of alcohol and ate quite a few snacks, candies, and fruits in the private room."

"Hangover candy is candy; I told you."

Liu Wenzhong: "???"

He felt like his lungs were about to explode from anger.

Such a crucial clue, and Li Hao just glossed over it like that.

"It's meaningless to dwell on the candy and the hangover candy."

Gao Ze asked Li Hao, "Why did the bar's resident singer, Liu Luomei, give you hangover candy to eat?"

"Zhu Zhirong and I drank a lot in the private room and felt quite bored, so Zhu Zhirong took me to the bar lobby to hang out, and we met the bar's resident singer, Liu Luomei."

Li Hao said, "Liu Luomei is very beautiful and has a good relationship with Zhu Zhirong. After she found out we had drunk a lot, she gave us each a hangover candy."

While speaking.

Liu Wenzhong took out the photo he had just handed to Gao Ze, pointed to a young woman in one of the photos and said, "This girl with wine-red hair and a slender figure is Liu Luomei, the bar's resident singer."

"She also entered and exited Zhu Zhirong's private room at that time!

When our police team arrived at the bar, we found her right inside Zhu Zhirong's private room, guarding Zhu Zhirong with many others. Her wine-red hair and fiery figure left a very deep impression on me then."

LSP!

Glancing at the beautiful girl in the photo, Gao Ze sighed inwardly and said, "Send the candy wrapper to the Forensic Appraisal Center. I believe this candy is the real cause of Zhu Zhirong's death."

"Also, interrogate Liu Luomei and the bar owner, Fan Wenhao."

After speaking, Gao Ze waved his hand and left swiftly.

"You, Officer Gao, are you leaving?"

"This is the work of your Huangpu District Criminal Police, not mine. Of course, I'm leaving. But don't worry, I'm not going home just yet; I'll go to the Forensic Appraisal Center first to look at Zhu Zhirong's body."