Hesitating for Even a Second Would Be a Disrespect to Black Stockings

“What did you say? You… you already know who the killer is?!”

I was just washing a peach, and in that time, you figured out who the killer is??

You have to understand, in the time it took, a normal person probably wouldn’t even have finished reading the case file.

When Han Fei had pushed the door open earlier and asked Xu Mo if he had finished reviewing the case file, it was more of a casual question. Even if Xu Mo had said he hadn’t finished, Han Fei wouldn’t have thought much of it.

Who would’ve thought that Xu Mo would directly say he had a rough idea of who the killer was.

“Actually, I’m not entirely sure. This is just my personal speculation, and I don’t have full confidence in it,” Xu Mo didn’t overstate his claim.

From the case file alone, this case seemed almost flawless. The cunning killer had left virtually no trace at the crime scene.

This was a murder case that had occurred five years ago.

Early that morning, around five o’clock, the police station received a report from a sanitation worker. While starting his early shift, he had noticed a private car parked in the middle of the road.

Out of curiosity, the sanitation worker approached the car, intending to remind the driver to move it since parking in the middle of the road was dangerous. But what he saw shocked him—the driver was already dead, his throat slit, and blood splattered all over the car.

The police rushed to the scene immediately after receiving the report. The crime scene was located on a somewhat secluded side road.

Upon arrival, the police conducted a thorough investigation. They found some fingerprints and hair in the car, but after analysis, all of it belonged to the victim and his family.

Later, after further investigation, the victim’s family was also ruled out as suspects.

Additionally, the forensic report indicated that the victim had died around midnight. Besides the fatal wound on his neck, there were also signs of electrocution. The victim had been stunned with a strong electric current before being killed.

Based on the shape of the wound and the electrocution marks, the killer had likely been sitting in the passenger seat. They had first stunned the victim and then killed him with a knife. The method was highly skilled—a single, fatal strike with no signs of struggle from the victim. The initial assumption was that this was the work of someone close to the victim.

Later, the police interviewed the victim’s colleagues. According to them, the victim and a few others had been working overtime that night. They had left the office around 11:30 PM, and the victim had driven home alone. His colleagues confirmed that no one had been in the passenger seat when he left.

At first, the police suspected the victim’s colleagues, especially since the forensic report suggested the killer was likely someone familiar with the victim. With the family ruled out, the colleagues or friends seemed the most probable suspects.

However, after a series of investigations, the police found that the colleagues had solid alibis.

Next, they looked into the victim’s friends, but they too had strong alibis.

Adding to the complexity, the road where the crime occurred was relatively secluded. The victim had taken that route as a shortcut to get home faster. The road had no surveillance cameras, and only a few scattered streetlights barely illuminated the area.

Traffic and foot traffic on that road were minimal, with only a few people passing by during the morning and evening rush hours. The rest of the time, it was nearly deserted.

With no surveillance or eyewitnesses, the case hit a dead end. No matter how hard the investigators tried, there was no progress. The clues were simply too scarce.

“So, who do you think the killer is?” Han Fei finally snapped out of his daze and asked.

“The victim’s family, colleagues, or friends?”

“No, no, none of them. Captain Han, you’re stuck in a mental trap. Who said this had to be someone the victim knew?”

“Not someone he knew?” Han Fei frowned slightly. “That can’t be. How could the victim let a stranger into his car, let alone sit in the passenger seat? The forensic report clearly states that the killer was in the passenger seat when they attacked.”

“Why not?”

Xu Mo began his earnest yet seemingly absurd explanation: “Captain Han, let me ask you this—if you were driving and saw a pitiful, attractive woman in a miniskirt and black stockings waving for you to stop, would you let her into your car?”

Han Fei hesitated for a full five seconds: “…No.”

“Exactly!” Xu Mo acted as if he hadn’t heard Han Fei’s response. “I would too. A woman in a miniskirt and black stockings waving on the side of the road? How could you not stop? I’d hesitate for a second, and it’d be a disrespect to the stockings!”

Han Fei: “???”

“I said no, I said no! I’m not that kind of person!” Han Fei argued firmly.

“Captain Han, I suggest you look in the mirror, repeat what you just said, and then judge whether you’re lying using the same methods you use when interrogating suspects. Honestly, I don’t even want to expose you. You’re a detective captain, for goodness’ sake. How can you not even lie convincingly…”

Before Han Fei could respond, Xu Mo continued.

“Anyway, the stockings aren’t the point. The point is, doesn’t this hypothesis prove that the person in the passenger seat might not have been someone the victim knew? It could’ve been a stranger he picked up on the road.”

“Let’s not worry about how the killer convinced the victim to stop. Just consider whether it’s possible that the victim stopped to pick up a stranger. So, is it possible or not?”

Han Fei was silent for a while before finally squeezing out two words: “Possible.”

“Then that settles it. So this case doesn’t necessarily involve someone the victim knew. The killer might not be a relative, colleague, or friend. It could be someone else entirely,” Xu Mo shrugged.

“You’ve been talking for so long, but you still haven’t said who you suspect.”

Hearing this, Xu Mo casually pulled out a few photos from the case file—pictures taken at the crime scene back then.

While the police had cordoned off the area during the investigation, there were still onlookers outside the perimeter. These people had been captured in the photos.

“I suspect the killer is in this photo.”

“You think the killer is among the onlookers? What’s your reasoning?”

“It’s simple. This case was executed too perfectly. No fingerprints, hair, footprints, or murder weapon were left behind. The scene was completely clean. If I were the killer, I’d definitely return to the scene to admire my handiwork and see the police scratching their heads. It would give me a sense of accomplishment.”

Xu Mo paused, then continued,

“Also, Captain Han, why do you think the killer didn’t dispose of the victim’s body but instead left it in the car, parked right in the middle of the road?”

“Isn’t that a deliberate show of skill? The killer must be extremely confident, even arrogant. I believe someone like that would definitely return to the crime scene after the fact.”