"What's the result?" Zuo Yan took the opportunity to ask.
"The result shows …" Vidocq replied, "The authenticity of the will has two very significant points of doubt.
"First, the paper used in the will was made with a fairly advanced papermaking technology at that time. Until the day Old Herbert passed away, this kind of paper had only been on the market for less than a year. But … the date of signature on the will was six years ago.
"Second, the signature … Although it does look very similar, if the handwriting is enlarged to a certain proportion, through the analysis of the ink stains, some differences that can't be seen with the naked eye can be found …"
"Is that even possible?" Zuo Yan was puzzled.
"Of course." Vidocq replied, "The current criminal investigation technology is almost omnipotent, but not all cases can be solved with the best technology. After all … 'resources' are limited.
"For example, let's say that a pickpocket stole a wallet on the street, and there were two hundred dollars in cash in it. Then, you went to the police station to report the case. In such a situation, the police will at most give you a written statement and then check the CCTV footage of the place where the purse was stolen. Both of them will be recorded together. When the day comes that the pickpocket who stole from you is caught red-handed for some other crime, he might confess that he stole your purse in the past when he confesses to the crime. At that time, your record will be used and you will have a 'possibility' to recover the lost item. "
"According to what you said, it's actually impossible …" Zuo Yan pouted and complained.
"Well, you can understand it that way." Vidocq continued, "But … Think about it, if the police insist on arresting the pickpocket, is there really no other way?" He paused, "Obviously, there is a way … They can find a team to thoroughly check all the surveillance video near the crime scene, find out the whereabouts of the pickpocket before and after he met you. Then, they can follow the clues and find out the approximate area where he lives. Then, they can send someone to take his image and search the area until they find the person's residence. If that's not enough … we'll use the legendary 'facial recognition technology' to match the faces of the suspects in your case with the images captured by cameras all over the country. We'll check and identify them one by one … "
"Uh …" Zuo Yan had already understood the main point of the other party's words. He interrupted, "It's a bit outrageous to do this for something worth only a few hundred dollars."
"Yes, that's what I meant." Vidocq said, "In a country with an area of more than nine million square kilometers, there are thousands of small cases like this every day. Putting aside those that haven't been reported, if every case is investigated using the method I just mentioned … How much manpower and resources would it take? Therefore, criminal investigation resources are usually used in major cases that are more harmful to society or involve more money, such as … the Herbert family's inheritance dispute. "
"Then …" Zuo Yan saw that Vidocq had brought the topic back, so he continued, "After confirming that the will was forged, Sam had nothing to say, right?"
"No, Sam was very shocked and angry about the result. He immediately asked the court to re-evaluate the will and claimed that the first evaluation result was' wrong and absurd, '" Vidocq said.
"In other words … he was so embarrassed that he became angry and insisted on fighting until the end?" Zuo Yan asked.
"Looks like it," Vidocq said.
"Hmm?" Zuo Yan heard something from the other party's tone and repeated, "'Looks like it'?"
"Yes, it just 'looks like it.'" Vidocq continued in a mysterious tone, "I will explain this later. Let's talk about the next development first …" He paused for two seconds and continued, "For most people, including you, the jury, and the judge, the results of the evaluation were enough to determine the direction of the case. Sam's reaction was indeed very much like 'insist on fighting until the end.' Even Sam's lawyer advised him to settle, but Sam firmly denied that he forged the will and decided to fight until the end.
"So, he lost the case, appealed, and lost the case again. In the end, not only did Sam Herbert not inherit a single cent of the family property, but he was also forced to move out of the old Herbert's house and became a homeless man.
"Fortunately, his brother, John, said that he would not further pursue Sam's responsibility for the 'forging of the will.' He was also willing to give Sam a hundred thousand pounds out of brotherhood to let him settle down and live.
"Unexpectedly, Sam rejected John's' kindness' and claimed that he deserved the inheritance in the first place. He refused to let others use his own money to give him charity.
"After that, the two brothers cut off all contact. John inherited all the family property, including most of the shares of the Herbert Company, and Sam disappeared from the public eye. Once a rich playboy like him lost his money, he quickly became invisible. This development was expected."
"Then in your opinion …" Zuo Yan knew Vidocq very well, and he knew that the latter had something to say. "Is there anything else in this matter?"
"This is the part I want to 'explain' …" Vidocq lazily turned over in bed. "Oh … wait …" He seemed to suddenly think of something and changed the topic. "Haha …" Vidocq liked to call Zuo Yan second-rate because soon after the two met, he defined the latter as a 'second-rate detective'. Why don't I test you … "
"Again?" It was not the first time that Zuo Yan had been "tested" by Vidocq. Although he could keep up with Vidocq's thinking in most cases, the gap between him and Vidocq did not seem to have narrowed at all. It was still the gap between a "second-rate detective" and the "king of detectives."
"I'll tell you the answer directly this time. You tell me the reason." Vidocq did not care whether Zuo Yan was willing or not. After this sentence, he immediately revealed the truth. "The person who forged the will … is actually John."
"Huh?" After Zuo Yan heard this, he was stunned for a full twenty seconds. Then, his eyebrows gradually relaxed, and he suddenly understood. "Oh … So there is such a trick …"
"Haha …" Vidocq collapsed on the bed and laughed. "Not bad. You understood in half a minute."
"After hearing the answer, and then thinking about it … Sam's reaction seems very reasonable." Zuo Yan read, "Because he has a clear conscience about the will, he agreed to the appraisal. After the appraisal results came out, Sam was naturally very surprised and thought that the court had made a mistake. However, others did not think so. They thought that Sam was angry after being exposed and was ready to fight to the end.
"But … all of this, from the beginning, was within John's calculations."
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