"That's a good question." Zuo Yan continued, "I can tell you clearly that of course, I have evidence, and it's very conclusive evidence."
As he spoke, he tapped on the phone a few more times and opened an audio file.
A few seconds later, a man's voice came out of the phone's player.
"I'm Pat Miller. It's six o 'clock in the evening on October 12th. In an hour, I'll be meeting Sam Herbert …"
Zuo Yan only played the first few sentences before he pressed the stop button.
As for Sam … Just by listening to the beginning of the conversation, his expression changed involuntarily.
"The reason you have the confidence to say what you just said is no doubt that you didn't leave any evidence of your interaction with Miller." Zuo Yan wasn't surprised by the change in Sam's expression. He just continued, "Indeed … Miller is very cautious. In order to not leave a record of the call, when he first came to find you, he used the method of 'suddenly talking to you in a public place'. After that, every time you met up with him, he used the method of 'leaving a secret message on a public internet message board to set a time and place'.
"Most of the places you met up with him were business centers with a lot of people. The surveillance cameras in those places were installed and managed by the businesses. It's different from the police surveillance cameras on the streets … The businesses usually don't keep their surveillance cameras for too long. The time it takes for them to clear the video files is as short as a week, and as long as two months. So, even if the scene of your meeting was captured by a camera, you don't have to worry about the video being kept for too long.
"I have to say that this method of 'talking face to face' is very good. It greatly increases your efficiency and safety … Including the key step of 'payment,' you paid in cash in person, and didn't involve a bank transfer.
"Everything that you did … is almost untraceable.
"However, it is also because of this that the cautious Miller will definitely have a backup plan. After all, he still has to take a 'final payment' from you after the deed is done. He has to be prepared in case you renege on your debt or try to kill him to keep his mouth shut. Otherwise, he would have taken the blame for you for nothing.
"So, this evening, before he met you, Miller made a recording of the deal between you and him from the beginning to the end. If anything unexpected happened, for example, if you refused to pay him the balance of the payment, he could threaten you with this recording, which was recorded before the time of the crime …" Lin Sanjiu continued. "So, Miller made a recording in advance of the time of the crime to threaten you.
"Wait a minute." At this time, Feng Bujue interrupted, "Miller was also involved in the case. If he handed the recording to the police … Wouldn't he die together with Sam?"
"It's not 'die together.'" Zuo Yan looked at his Brother Jue and replied, "If Miller turned himself in to the police with the recording, considering the content of the recording and the circumstances of his confession, he would most likely be given a lighter sentence as an 'accomplice.' As for Sam … Based on the fact that he was declared a liar by the court in the will case, plus the fact that he had a clear motive and planned the crime, he, as the 'main culprit,' might not be able to get out of prison for the rest of his life."
Zuo Yan wasn't retelling Vidocq's inner monologue, but saying it himself. Before coming to this room, Vidocq had already gone through the whole case in Zuo Yan's mind. So, for this kind of immediate problem, Zuo Yan could deal with it on his own. This was also a kind of tacit understanding between him and Vidocq.
"Similarly …" After a short pause, Zuo Yan continued, "If Miller was arrested during the crime, this recording could also be used as evidence to reduce his crime. It's better to be prepared."
"Hmm … I see." Hearing that, Feng Bujue pretended to be deep in thought and nodded in contemplation.
He, this is an act …
In fact, Brother Jue didn't only understand this after listening to Zuo Yan's words. He had already thought of this a long time ago. But … In order to make the case last until Chapter 33, Feng Bujue had to ask these questions at the right time.
From Zuo Yan and Vidocq's point of view, Feng Bujue's questions were reasonable, and could help them explain the case and the logic of each person's actions more clearly. So, they answered patiently.
"Eh?" After pondering for a while, Feng Bujue suddenly thought of something. He raised his voice and asked, "How did you get this recording? Did Miller have this recording with him? "
"Look carefully, Brother Jue," Zuo Yan smiled and waved the phone in his hand. "This is not my phone."
Feng Bujue had noticed that the phone that Zuo Yan was holding was different from the one that he had given to Daoist earlier, but he was asking the obvious.
"This phone is Miller's." Zuo Yan continued, "Of course, he didn't have it with him when he committed the crime. Otherwise, Mr. Herbert would have found the recording before any of us." As he spoke, he glanced at John, hinting at the fact that John had already searched the body before the police arrived. "About an hour ago, the police who confirmed Miller's identity found the phone through a search of his residence on the island. Ten minutes ago, I used the fingerprint of the corpse to unlock the phone's screen and found the recording."
"Oh … I see …" Feng Bujue said, "This is a safe way to go about it. If Miller was caught by someone other than the police before and after the crime, he wouldn't have the recording with him. So, he wouldn't have to worry about the evidence being destroyed. Once he was officially arrested by the police, he could have the police go to his house and find the phone."
"Unfortunately … Miller never expected that he would die …" Zuo Yan continued after two seconds. This time, his tone had a subtle change. It seemed that Vidocq was online again. "Fortunately, he left behind enough information for me to deduce the truth of the case."
As he spoke, he once again looked at Sam.
At this moment, Sam's face was pale with a tinge of green. The cold sweat on his back had soaked his shirt.
Facing Zuo Yan's gaze, Sam didn't say anything. He knew very well that at this moment, the more he said, the more mistakes he would make. Although he had already felt despair when he heard the recording, at the edge of the cliff called "collapse," he still held on to a branch called "luck," so that he wouldn't fall.
"Humph … Now you're quite quiet." Zuo Yan said coldly, "After I proved that you didn't 'not understand what I'm talking about' and that 'you and Miller do know each other,' don't you think it's a little embarrassing for you to behave like this?"
Vidocq was aggressive, and Sam continued to keep quiet out of fear.
"Okay … Anyway, we can finally talk about your motive …" Zuo Yan paused and said, "As I said before, your real motive … is not 'John took away the inheritance that should have belonged to you,' but … 'John, a bastard who is not related to you, killed your father and took away the inheritance that should have belonged to you.'"
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