After visiting Holmes, the deputy director left in a hurry to deal with the pressure from the media and the parliament. The others also returned to their posts, leaving only Lestrade to accompany them.
Although solving the Whitechapel serial murders was the police's top priority, it didn't mean that they could completely ignore other work and cases. London was the largest city in Europe and the world, and police work here was not easy at all, especially during troubled times. Because of the murders in Whitechapel, many unscrupulous people began to become restless. Coupled with the growing panic among the general public, all the police in London had canceled their vacation.
Lestrade had been following up on the first murder case, and he was the one who knew this case best. Naturally, he was the best choice to stay and cooperate with them.
The three got out of the carriage, and the morgue was not far away. So far, a total of three women had been killed, ranging in age from thirty-four to fifty. The bodies of the first two victims had been returned to their families and friends for burial. The third victim, on the other hand, was killed two days ago. Since she had no family, her body was still there.
Just as Holmes was about to enter the door, Zhang Heng stopped him. "Can you give us some time?" he asked Lestrade.
The short police officer gestured for Zhang Heng to go ahead, then walked to the side and waited patiently.
Zhang Heng said, "This case … I hope the two of us can work on it separately."
"Oh?" A look of interest appeared on Holmes' face, and he asked, "Why?"
"I want to verify what I've learned recently," Zhang Heng said.
Sherlock Holmes looked into Zhang Heng's eyes. Zhang Heng did not know if Sherlock Holmes saw something in them. In the end, Holmes just smiled and said, "Well, things will become more interesting with you in the picture. In that case, let's bet on who can catch the murderer first. The loser will have to provide two tickets to the Queen's Theatre."
"… Have you become addicted to watching operas recently?" Zhang Heng did not hesitate and agreed to the bet.
The conversation between the two took less than a minute. After that, Lestrade was called back, and the latter began to explain the case.
"The victim's name is Bernice. She was 46 years old this year. Like the previous two, she was also a prostitute living at the bottom of the East Side. Her body was found behind the fence of the cheap apartment she lived in. The first person to find her was a coachman named Slater. He can basically be ruled out as a suspect."
The short police officer lifted the shroud and continued, "According to the forensic doctor, the time of the crime was around five o 'clock in the morning. The fatal wound was on the neck, and it was cut open by a sharp blade. The technique was the same as the other two murder cases we encountered earlier. At the same time, the murderer also disemboweled her after her death. When the driver found her, a section of her intestines was thrown over his right shoulder."
"But the difference is that part of her uterus and the flesh in her abdomen were also removed. This is what puzzles us the most. I can't imagine what the murderer was going to do with these pieces of flesh."
Holmes' eyes lit up, but he did not rush to say anything. Instead, he asked Zhang Heng, "Do you want to go first, or should I?"
"You go first." Zhang Heng was still looking at the photos, including those of the previous two victims. He studied them carefully, trying not to miss a single detail. At the same time, he wanted to corroborate some of the inferences made by later generations.
Zhang Heng knew that it wasn't realistic to rely on his Lv.1 criminal investigation skills to win the duel with Holmes. There was no room for mistakes in this round, and letting Holmes make the first move would be a more convenient choice. At the same time, he could also observe where Holmes was focusing his attention.
The great detective, however, did not seem to mind at all. He took out his magnifying glass from his pocket and walked up to the corpse.
He quickly transformed into an agile hound, moving the magnifying glass left and right. Ignoring the unpleasant smell, he put his face on the corpse. Five minutes later, Holmes put away the magnifying glass in satisfaction, signaling that it was Zhang Heng's turn.
Zhang Heng took a deep breath and walked up to the corpse. He had learned a lot over the past few months. Anatomy, forensic anthropology, and injury examination were important to criminal investigation, and he had made great progress. Now, he could glean more and more information from a corpse.
The first thing Zhang Heng noticed was the smell of low-quality alcohol in the air. He then noticed that the victim's skin was reddish, caused by the dilation of the capillaries. Combined with the smell of alcohol, it meant that the victim had been drinking for a long time. Then, Zhang Heng noticed the fatal wound on the neck. It was obvious that it wasn't something that could be done with just one stab. The murderer must have been heavy-handed and made multiple cuts, almost cutting the victim's head off completely.
Other than that, there were obvious strangulation marks on the neck. Zhang Heng frowned. The marks didn't look like a rope or a hand, but more like … a handkerchief? Zhang Heng remembered that Jack the Ripper was a woman, but it was too early to jump to conclusions based on a handkerchief.
Zhang Heng remembered Sherlock Holmes's warning that detectives needed to be absolutely rational and objective when handling a case. They must not be prejudiced. Deductive reasoning was more like using clues to narrow down the collection until the answer was found. Once there was a subjective bias, it would unconsciously be biased when collecting evidence. In the end, it was very likely that the detective would stray further and further down the wrong path.
So, Zhang Heng put aside the information he had found so far and continued to examine the corpse.
Other than the wounds on the lower abdomen and neck, the victim's face was also smeared.
"I can see that the guy really hates prostitutes." Leschuder sighed. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have done this to a corpse. I've been a police officer for so many years, and I've never seen anyone treat a corpse like this."
Zhang Heng didn't comment. He turned his head and silently looked at the scratches, then moved his eyes down to the abdominal cavity.
The uterus was a very special place. It was the origin of human life, and the fetus was conceived here. It was obvious that the serial killer also had a special fondness for this unique female organ. In the first murder case, the victim's throat was slit, and she was stabbed dozens of times. Then, the second victim's abdomen was cut open, and the uterus was stabbed. When it came to the third victim, the murderer went one step further and cut off half of the uterus.
He or she was like an excited gold digger who walked into a huge gold mine, digging out the desire in their hearts little by little.
Little Adorkable said:
I will return this update slowly ~?? O ・ o ・)?
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