At this moment, I found myself alone in the laboratory. Numerous dolls were still placed on the experimental tables. A lab technician said, "Team Leader He, the fabric of these dolls is fishbone fleece, but this one is peacock fleece and peach fleece, and there's also PV fleece. I didn't expect he could use so many materials to make dolls himself. In my opinion, the murderer could have easily obtained these materials."
"Are you sure they are homemade?"
"Certain. The craftsmanship is very crude, not like machine production. If I'm not mistaken, these dolls were definitely hand-knitted one by one with needle and thread. Given the quantity, one person likely couldn't have done it. Also, these people must have worked in a knitting factory before."
I thought the lab technician, Xiao Zhou, had insightful observations, so I praised him and urged him to work harder to find more clues. He smiled, nodded, and sat down, busying himself again with the microscope and other equipment.
I dispatched Gao Mingqiang and Xiao Yuande, tasking them with visiting knitting factories in Guangming City to see if any had recently lost a large amount of plush materials. Although this was a considerable workload, according to criminal geographical profiling, the killer wouldn't stray far from the crime scene to procure the materials. I designated a radius of 2 kilometers around the crime scene for them to investigate.
Indeed, they found something. At a knitting factory named Ronghua, not far east of Xinghe Bridge, the warehouse manager reported that a significant amount of plush materials had recently gone missing from their warehouse—fishbone fleece, peacock fleece, and peach fleece, along with PV fleece. These were exactly the same materials as those on the dolls.
The perpetrator likely stole the fabric from here, though it was also possible for an employee to commit theft from within. I personally went to Ronghua Knitting Factory with Gao Mingqiang and Xiao Yuande to survey the warehouse. Various precision instruments were deployed as we examined the floor and walls. A police officer was also speaking with the manager.
We spotted numerous footprints on the floor. However, people regularly entered the warehouse to move goods, so most of the footprints belonged to factory employees. My instruments indicated at least a dozen sets of prints. Nevertheless, I applied my meticulous approach, collected all the footprints, and took photographs. I then noticed signs of boxes having been moved in the warehouse. I sprinkled some alginic ash and discovered a palm print on one of them. I hypothesized that the killer might have inadvertently moved this box to reach a lower one, leaving their handprint. However, there were no other prints elsewhere, which seemed inconsistent if the killer was wearing gloves and was usually cautious.
I photographed the handprint and asked the employees to compare. As expected, the print belonged to Xiao Liu, a workshop worker and warehouse mover, so his presence there was normal. I then observed all the employees present, including technicians from the workshops, and found their demeanor to be normal.
However, I addressed them sternly, "A significant amount of material has gone missing from the warehouse, which is related to a murder case we are investigating. Anyone who has recently taken these plush materials, step forward immediately. Otherwise, if we find out, even if you're not involved in the murder, you cannot escape charges of harboring."
All the employees exchanged confused glances. Some began to blame each other, "Xiao Liu, Xiao Qin from the warehouse, was it you? Only you two can freely enter and exit the warehouse; we usually stay in the workshop!"
"Exactly. If you two made a mistake, quickly admit it to the police officers and don't waste our time. We still have work to do," grumbled an uncle.
An aunt added impatiently, "Nothing like this has ever happened in our factory. What's going on? Xiao Liu, Xiao Qin, say something!"
Surrounded by numerous employees and subjected to constant accusations, the two were at a loss for words. I moved into the center of the crowd and urged them to remain calm. I patiently asked the two, "Have you taken any plush materials recently?"
"No, police officers. We work conscientiously and honestly at the factory. The materials are taken by us to the workshop for processing. How could we possibly take some along the way? Besides, we wouldn't know what to do with just the raw materials!" Xiao Liu, the first to answer, displayed very normal micro-expressions. I then turned my attention to Xiao Qin, a girl who looked about twenty, dressed in a simple factory uniform.
Xiao Qin became a bit nervous under my gaze, but she shook her head and said, "I haven't either. I've been with Brother Xiao Liu the whole time. If he didn't take any, I naturally wouldn't have either. You can check the surveillance footage near the warehouse. Besides work hours, we haven't been near there recently."
These two were likely a couple; their anxious behavior towards each other indicated as much.
I nodded. Someone had already been sent to retrieve the surveillance footage. I first walked around the perimeter of the warehouse, looking for footprints, hairs, or anything on the surrounding cement ground, but the ground was too dry, and even my instruments couldn't detect any useful traces.
The police officers sent to check the surveillance hadn't returned yet, so I went to the duty room. I found them still engrossed in the screens. They greeted me upon my arrival.
"Team Leader, we've checked. No suspicious individuals have been near recently, only factory employees like Xiao Qin and Xiao Liu. They moved goods twice during this period. One time, they were unloading from a truck and bringing it into the warehouse."
Following the officer's account, I intently scrutinized the surveillance footage. I asked him to rewind further, all the way back about five days. Everyone grew tired, but I remained energetic and focused. Around 9 PM one night, the surveillance feed suddenly went black. The officers and I questioned the guards, who all shook their heads. "We don't know what happened. We checked at the time and thought the machine was broken."
I asked, "This situation must have been due to interference. It only lasted five minutes, but that's enough time to move some items from the warehouse. When you saw this, didn't you investigate? If the warehouse lost something, you'd be held responsible, wouldn't you?"
"Uh, at that time, we were..." Seeing the guard stammer, I knew something was up. After some pressing, they finally admitted that they were playing cards at the time, revealing their lack of diligence during work hours.