NOVEL NEXT Chapter 237: Scene Replay! (Monthly ticket bonus!)_2
Dean exhaled slowly, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. He squinted through the smoke as if his soul had traveled back to the time of the crime, witnessing the atrocity unfold. "Among the three, the person who stabbed the old lady was definitely the leader. He killed the old lady first, cutting off his accomplices' escape. The others, whether they liked it or not, had to commit to their own objectives. I've said it before. They each had different targets of hatred. This also led to the three adults dying in very brutal ways. As for the little girl..." Dean sighed. "Her age was awkward—old enough to remember but not mature enough in mind, wasting the time her mother bought with her life to escape. To keep the secret, the other two killers, ignoring the pedophile among them, shot the little girl. In this trio, the pedophile was likely the weakest, perhaps even lacking the courage to act all along. So, faced with the threats from his accomplices, he could only watch as the little girl was killed and then, heartbroken, he helped her change into her clothes, cleaning up her appearance in death!"
Upon hearing Dean's narration, Holz was still puzzled. "If that's the case, then why would the other two killers involve a pedophile?" Bringing such a liability would just increase their own risk of exposure, wouldn't it?
Dean tapped on the little girl's door. "Have you forgotten the characteristics of a pedophile? When I entered, I didn't see any signs of forced entry on the front door, so it must have been the old lady who opened the door willingly!"
CLICK.
After listening, Holz, somewhat disheartened, also lit a cigarette for himself. This was actually against the rules, but he now needed the nicotine to alleviate the sense of loss inside him.
Damn it. I actually forgot that point!
One of the characteristics of a pedophile is that they are likely to be an acquaintance, a neighbor, or someone similar! Even if they're not acquainted, once a pedophile has targeted someone, they will find a way to become acquainted with the family, making it easier to satisfy their desires! And because of the peeping, such perverts also tend to be very familiar with the target's home situation, so as to avoid the embarrassment of being exposed! This should be the reason the other two killers roped in the pedophile Dean deduced!
...
This allowed Holz, yet again, again, and again, to witness the precision of Dean's logic and his control over details!
When you get knocked down enough times, you get used to it. So Holz's sense of disheartenment came quickly and dissipated just as fast.
He looked at Dean, calmly blowing smoke rings. "If that's the case, then wouldn't investigating the neighbors surrounding the victim's family yield quick results?"
Dean nodded, then shook his head. "There will definitely be results, but they may disappoint you."
Holz: "???"
FK!
He understood every single word Dean said! But put together, they made him feel that his fairly decent intellect was somewhat lacking in front of Dean. Just as Holz had managed to adjust his mood, it fell once more. The confidence he had rebuilt during his time away from Dean was almost gone after just a short while back in his company.
He spoke listlessly, "I'm somewhat confused."
Dean carefully collected his cigarette ash and butt, stowed them in his pocket, then explained with a hint of disappointment, "I've said before that this group of criminals has two characteristics!"
Having dealt continuously with highly intelligent individuals like Carol and Little Mike, crushing someone with just a tad of cunning like Holz offered no thrill.
"Two characteristics..." Holz muttered as he lowered his head, recalling what Dean had said. Two characteristics. One is 'multiple people.' The other is 'having a detailed and thorough premeditation of the crime, even coming up with ways to escape punishment!'
Dean had already analyzed 'multiple people.' As for the second one... Holz inhaled sharply, coming to a sudden realization as he thought about the three criminals Dean had mentioned before and their different 'targets.' "Dean," he exclaimed, "are you saying that the reason the criminals didn't clean the crime scene is that from the beginning, they were prepared to take all the blame once the police tracked them down?"
Dean nodded, pleased.
Holz wasn't too dumb; he had a bit of acumen.
"There's no such thing as a perfect crime in this world," Dean continued. "Because no matter how criminals deal with the traces they leave, there will always be some clue left behind. The difference lies in whether the police can discover these clues! But when the trial has mechanical rules and procedures, then there *is* such a thing as a perfect crime!
"It's been said before: in the United States, to ensure the 'fairness' of trials, there are, on the surface, strict requirements for case handling procedures, evidence chains, and so on. Under normal circumstances, this does indeed help reduce the occurrence of wrongful convictions, upholding the basic 'rights and interests' of citizens.
"But what if several people confess to the same crime at once? It's important to know that a criminal's confession does not mean the case is closed. Because if a plethora of doubts emerge during the trial, the situation changes. Even if the defendant is clearly questionable, the final outcome might still be an acquittal in order to maintain judicial 'fairness.' That's how absurd it is.
"This is also why lawyers here, particularly those specializing in criminal defense, even when cognizant of the irrefutable evidence against their clients, are still confident in winning their cases! Because they are all aware of one fact: there's no perfect crime in this world, but if they can find loopholes and points of contention in the legal process, then they might just make a perfect defense!"
Thinking of that outcome, Holz couldn't help but glance at the sweetly 'sleeping' little girl on the bed, a flash of discomfort crossing his eyes. "Dean," he said, "could it be you're overthinking it? If it's really like this, it's too unfair for this family!"
"Don't worry, those tricks won't work on me!" Dean said with a light smile as he started heading downstairs.
Leaving Holz and the others behind to deal with the aftermath.
After Dean left the house, he wandered around the victim's neighborhood. The houses in this community were not close to each other. Public facilities were dilapidated, and poorly maintained street lamps were everywhere, translating into a low occupancy rate. This was also why no neighbors called the police immediately after hearing gunshots; it was very possible that hardly anyone lived in the vicinity.
Moreover, such places were usually a mixed bag where public security wasn't good. Residents, upon hearing gunshots, would instinctively act like turtles withdrawing into their shells—turning off lights to avoid drawing attention and steering clear of attracting trouble to themselves and their families. So, it wouldn't be difficult to narrow down the list of suspected pedophiles!
After making a round, Dean stopped beneath the room where the little girl was. He looked toward the attic window of a two-story house opposite, then shifted his gaze toward the yard of that house, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Found it!