The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 31



Only Krnovel

Episode 31

“When I came in, there was definitely a blanket under my face······.”

She squinted her eyes.

I tried hard to remember.

“Were there knife marks on the blanket?”

I couldn’t see it in the photo.

The blood was clotted and mixed together, and the thick blanket made it even worse.

“No. It was covered as if it was trying to hide its dead appearance. Yes, that’s right. That’s right.”

She was sure.

“okay.”

I looked around.

They said that the blanket that had been covering the body was taken away to be wrapped around the body.

Is it fun?

This room is so quiet.

Even if she was a grandmother, if someone broke in and didn’t kill her properly in one go, there should have been signs of resistance······.

“But there was something strange.”

“Something strange?”

“Inspector. Please go to the bathroom over there.”

We headed to the bathroom.

A small bathtub caught my eye.

“There’s blood in the bathtub?”

“That’s right. When I came in, it was still hot enough to steam.”

“Was the bathtub water hot?”

“Yes. That’s why it was full of steam.”

Did you fill the bathtub with hot water?

“I guess the water overflowed.”

“That’s right. Yes. So I remember getting there and turning off the faucet. The bathtub was overflowing.”

This wasn’t in the report.

The first rule of criminal investigation seemed to be correct.

‘Everything is on the spot.’

“That’s why I said we absolutely have to check the scene.”

He muttered like that and headed to the kitchen.

Because there’s something there that clearly shouldn’t be there.

“Prosecutor. Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok?”

“Why are you calling me?”

He answered, looking carefully around the kitchen.

“The inspector usually doesn’t come to the scene, so why did you come?”

I glanced at her.

Well, I thought the same thing when I was a detective.

“So, how great would it be if we did a proper initial investigation. Without missing anything······.”

Found it.

Empty space.

One of the spaces where several kitchen knives had been inserted was empty.

“This is it. A weapon.”

“Yes? We’ve done all the fingerprint and bloodstain tests on the knives here.”

“Nothing came out, right?”

“Yes. It’s clean.”

“The weapon must be the knife that was stuck in that empty space.”

“Oh, so that’s why!”

Her face looked surprised.

“It would be a fruit knife. It’s a little small for my hand, but it would fit perfectly in the hands of a high school girl.”

I walked slowly, counting my steps as I opened the door to my granddaughter’s room, where she had disappeared.

“Is this it? The room where the missing granddaughter is?”

“Yes, here it is.”

I quickly scan the room.

All while developing your memory and insight to the fullest extent.

It is now.

That ability must be properly utilized······.

The child’s room was clean.

There wasn’t a single common idol item.

The desk I study at was also clean.

“Your granddaughter is Park Ji-yeon? She’s clean for a girl.”

“yes?”

“Usually girls’ rooms are dirty.”

“I guess Mom cleaned it up?”

“Mom and Dad went on a trip abroad for their wedding anniversary.”

“Oh. That’s right.”

The first person to report the incident was the son of the murdered Ms. Kim Kkot-bun.

It was my wedding anniversary and I went on a four-day trip to Laos with my wife.

He returned home late because he had an overnight flight, and since there was no sign of people, he quickly looked around and found his grandmother’s body and his missing daughter, so he reported it.

“She’s a high school girl who keeps her room incredibly clean. Not like other girls her age.”

“Did grandma clean it up?”

He said, glaring at her.

“Didn’t you write the investigation report yourself?”

“Yes. Our team leader······.”

“Haven’t you read the investigative report?”

She bowed her head.

“There are other things to investigate, so I will not be able to properly······.”

Yeah, that’s true.

If it’s a slope, it’s a place where you can deal with all sorts of miscellaneous cases······.

“According to the report, the grandmother had been going to a Korean medicine clinic four days ago because her back was hurting badly. She was probably lying in her room with a blanket on the day of the incident. So it’s impossible for her to have cleaned her granddaughter’s room so cleanly.”

I found something awkward.

“Why is that here?”

I looked at a teddy bear as big as an adult’s head.

It was a cute teddy bear that girls would love.

“That’s a teddy bear.”

“This doesn’t suit me.”

“Even if it’s old and tattered, why doesn’t a teddy bear look good in a girl’s room?”

“That teddy bear was popular about 7 years ago. Maybe when I was 10? I got it as a gift then.”

Thud thud.

I picked up the teddy bear and looked at it carefully.

And he carefully handed it to her.

“Add this teddy bear as evidence.”

“Yes? Evidence of the incident?”

“Please keep it safe, as it will be used in the trial later. Don’t be clumsy.”

She didn’t grumble at me.

I accepted it carefully.

“That’s right. Detective Kim Hye-jin. Please take pictures of the flower pots around the hallway and use them as evidence for this case.”

She nodded.

Then I pointed to her phone and said,

“Please call your local police station and check one thing.”

“What do you want to check?”

“It takes about 15 minutes from the main road to here, but I was wondering if there have been any reports of dead cats or dogs found on the streets near the crime scene on the main road in the past month?”

Sergeant Kim Hye-jin picked up the phone and called the police station.

In the meantime, I once again recalled the scene of the incident from the front door.

I checked every single window.

“They put up a window frame to prevent theft.”

There is no way out through the window.

“It’s a locked room murder case, what is it? And the police concluded that it was a kidnapping of a high school girl?”

I grumbled and opened the refrigerator door to check inside.

I found the meat frozen solid in a black plastic bag in the freezer.

“Is it beef?”

The beef was frozen solid and wrapped in a black plastic bag.

I felt creepy when I looked at the bag.

Druk.

I took out the beef from the black plastic bag. The beef that had been frozen solid was revealed.

“Bingo. Found it.”

I put the beef back in the black plastic bag.

At that time, Sergeant Kim Hye-jin called me with a surprised face.

“Sir, I heard you received a report a week ago that two cats were dead.”

“Are you saying he died from being stabbed with a knife?”

“How did you know that? They said he was stabbed.”

“Ask him to send you a photo, and bring it to me tomorrow as evidence as well.”

“Understood, Inspector.”

Now all the puzzles are solved.

“Detective Kim Hye-jin. Add the beef in this black plastic bag as evidence and ask your parents to confirm when they bought the beef.”

I found everything I needed.

I opened the door and went out.

Detective Kim Hye-jin followed him out, carrying some additional evidence in both hands.

“I’ll give you a ride. To the Western District Prosecutor’s Office.”

He shook his head.

We walked together along the main road.

Visualize in your mind all the evidence and events you have seen so far.

The suspect caught this time is······.

No way. Is that the guy?’

My insight has brought out something!

I’ll have to check.

“The suspect the police hastily caught. Why are you so sure he’s the culprit?”

“Some detectives are people who are usually under special management.”

“Well then. First of all, you have a criminal record.”

“that’s right.”

Ex-offenders are managed by detectives.

If a similar incident occurs, they will be the first target.

Sometimes errors occur there.

The error of trying to tie things together because of too strong a conviction and then coming up with an alibi makes the whole case tangled······.

“The guy ran away when he saw us, and when we finally caught him and questioned him, he had no alibi for the time of the incident. He was talking nonsense.”

That’s what happened.

As expected, it’s him!

“Sergeant Kim. Go back and switch the suspects you forcibly arrested. It’s not that guy.”

“Huh? Sir, what do you mean by that? A change of suspect?”

I opened the briefcase I brought and looked through it.

The case file should definitely be here······.

Found it!

I handed her a document and a USB.

“Around the same time as this incident, there was an incident in which an elementary school student was beaten up for a game item at a PC room in Sillim-dong. This is the CCTV footage of that incident.”

Officer Kim Hye-jin looks at me with a surprised face.

“It’s a minor case I was looking into… The suspect caught is Kim Geon-ho, right?”

“···How do you know, I haven’t mentioned your name to the media yet?”

“I am the suspect in the PC room elementary school student assault case. I am a man with a sporty hairstyle, 180 cm tall, and weighing 100 kg.”

“yes that’s right.”

“He has four previous convictions. One of them was the attempted kidnapping and rape of a high school girl here in Guro. That’s probably why your team leader arrested him.”

Officer Kim Hye-jin’s eyes grew even wider.

I squinted my eyes and sighed.

“Tell them to hand him over as a suspect in the Sillim-dong PC room elementary school student assault case. If you catch a random guy and shake him around, an important game will be lost. Do you understand?”

“How do you know the word ‘shake’? That’s a word used only among detectives······.”

Sigh.

I smiled without realizing it.

Yeah, that’s right. That’s right.

I guess the inspector doesn’t know the language.

“I’m interested in detective work. I’m studying because I’m thinking of opening a detective agency after I quit being a prosecutor······.”

She had a ridiculous look on her face.

“Sergeant Kim. Let’s go to the Western District Attorney’s Office later with that photo. Move quickly. We have a lot to do today. Oh, and the suspect issue is a secret between us and the police. Don’t tell the press.”

“Why?”

“Please do so. Otherwise, you will say that I will make a big deal out of it.”

“Understood, Inspector.”

Back to the Western District Attorney’s Office again.

Before we knew it, it was a time filled with the red glow of the setting sun.

“Wisdom. Isn’t the sunset really pretty? I took revenge on the Chinese guy who killed you.”

Rattling.

Bench in front of the Western District Attorney’s Office.

I took out a can of my favorite sweet coffee.

“I’m going to fight my own battle. That son of a bitch is dead, so you can relax and rest in peace. I’ll see you soon.”

The sweet taste of coffee filled my mouth.

My head becomes clearer.

After all, sugar is the best for the head.

“Should I try working overtime? I think I’ll have to write a new incident report······.”

* * *

The next morning.

After working all night, everyone went to work while I was taking a nap on the sofa.

“Prosecutor Kang. Please wake up.”

Secretary Lee Hyeon-a said, handing me an iced Americano.

“···I fell asleep for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“No. I have made an extra copy of the report you printed out.”

“Thank you anyway.”

“I put one copy on Inspector Choi’s desk. He’s probably looking at it now. But I’m surprised, Inspector.”

“yes?”

“I thought you had a full grasp of this case already? I just got a call.”

“What kind of phone call are you talking about?”

Secretary Lee Hyeon-a said with a smile.

“Mr. Kim Geon-ho, who was a suspect, was transferred to Prosecutor Choi, who was originally in charge, as a suspect in the PC room elementary school student assault case.”

I took a sip of iced Americano.

The savory taste spread throughout my mouth.

It tasted refreshing.

“Coffee is good.”

“Yes. It’s my regular. I go there and buy it as soon as I get to work.”

Ring ring ring.

While we were talking, another phone call came.

Detective Cha Hyeon-su received it.

“It’s been a while, Kim Hye-jin. Why are you calling? What? Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok?”

The car detective turns his head and looks at me.

So the two of you knew each other.

“Yes. I met you at the scene of the incident yesterday. What did you say? Are you bringing photos?”

The detective nodded and spoke quietly.

“Okay. Bring the materials in. I guess you were already waiting.”

The investigator, who was about to hang up the phone, had wide eyes.

“What? Who showed up?”

Insight kicked in.

no way?

The car detective looked at me and said.

“The missing granddaughter of Grandma Kim Kkot-bun has returned?”

Shh.

I smiled.

He must have shown up since the news said yesterday that the suspect was caught.

So, I asked the press yesterday to keep it a secret.

“Detective, bring my granddaughter here.”

“Your granddaughter? You mean Park Ji-yeon?”

“I need to interview a witness for the case, so tell him to bring him over while he’s here.”

“Understood, Inspector.”

Detective Cha relayed this to Sergeant Kim Hye-jin.

“Yes. He’s not a suspect. It’s just a witness questioning, so you can bring him. You don’t need a lawyer.”

That’s why it’s easier to be investigated as a witness than as a suspect.

If you don’t think you need to bring a lawyer.

“Please give me an interrogation room right now. The questioning of witnesses may take a long time.”