The famous detective in the comic world

Chapter 273 The Purpose of Blackout

"Hmm..." Looking at these testimonies, Ho Nan fell into deep thought: "It seems that there are really not many strange things happening... Maybe we can see something different when we have new clues afterwards. So, Tom, there are I have to ask you something—what exactly is the safety hazard of the distribution box that Lorenzo said?"

"...It's just that the circuit is aging and it's easy to be overloaded." Tom sighed: "Also, the power consumption that can be loaded may be a bit too low for this year. I took over this villa eight years ago. During that time, the distribution box has not been maintained ... it is already very old."

"I see." He Nan thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I noticed that there are two people whose descriptions are extremely detailed." Shirley pointed out this point: "Miriam's description is too detailed, and the chat records have to be dug out so long. And Lorenzo...his The description is too brief, not even much more than Tom, who was not there. Given that the power outage was operated by the murderer and has an ulterior motive, these two people are more suspicious."

"Why?" asked Tom, puzzled.

"On the one hand, it's because the murderer's mind is extremely concentrated during this process, and it's easy to write down all kinds of cumbersome details... On the other hand, it may be because he is guilty, afraid of revealing useful clues and causing himself to be suspected, so he avoids the details. Let’s talk.” Shirley then explained: “Of course, it’s also possible that Miriam still remembers what happened at that time. I heard that you hired a detective, so I tried my best to explain it in detail and hope to help. And Lorenzo, Or it could simply be that I didn’t remember too much.”

"That's right." He Nan also nodded, but he didn't really agree.

He felt something strange in his heart, but he was not sure now, and it was inconvenient to tell the deceased.

He Nan and Shirley exchanged glances, and found that she thought the same way.

The testimony of the two people just now has something in common.

Half a year ago, there was a power outage that was supposed to be unexpected...

...their conversations had something in common.

"Tom, when you held the party, were there many mice in the house?" He Nan asked, changing his mind.

"A little...but I'm sure there aren't that many." Tom looked at the rats running around, his expression full of disgust: "These damned guys... Even if I rarely live here, I don't want them to live here at all ! That's why I put rat poison here...!"

"You dropped rat poison on the day of the crime, didn't you, Tom?" He Nan asked.

"Yes." Tom nodded. "I was busy hanging those shiny baubles on the Christmas tree, so I left it to Lorenzo. When it got moldy, I drove to the village and bought a new one."

"It's the same as when he went to the village to see if there were any fuse boxes and wires..."

"Yes, the same time."

"But what Lorenzo just said was that he drove to the village to buy fuse boxes and wires." He Nan continued to ask: "Are you sure you went there to buy rat poison?"

"Maybe there are two reasons..." Tom frowned: "Is this matter we are talking about really important to solve the case?"

"A lot of times the lies are hidden in the subtleties. If necessary, I even need to go to the village to get the certificate...for example, visit the store in the lower village to see if they have accounted for Lorenzo's purchase records that day. There may be related discoveries made by the sixth person." He Nan paused when he said this, and then drew a topographical map on his notes before speaking again: "Let's go, Tom, I want to go to the second floor next Check out the balcony. In the police report, Lorenzo claimed that he last saw Beth at half past midnight, right? He said she was on the second-floor terrace overlooking the night view...how was the weather and moonlight going to be that night?"

"It's snowing heavily." Tom followed He Nan's footsteps, lost in memory: "The moonlight... seems very bright."

"That means the visibility is very good." He Nan pondered for a moment, and then said again: "I was wondering if your wife saw someone outside? We still haven't ruled out the possibility of a joint crime. In other words, there are two murderers, one is you One of the three friends, the other is an outsider. It is convenient to do a lot of things in this way. However, the most likely one is... the prisoner is among them."

"Since it's snowing heavily, footprints will be left outside." Shirley asked: "Have you ever looked outside after you found Bessie dead? Are there any new footprints and ruts?"

"I...of course we have seen it." Tom gritted his teeth: "But there is nothing! Do you think it is possible for the murderer to hide outside?"

"For example, in the grass outside the boiler... that place is very secret, did you go around and look outside the villa?"

"No...not there. What are you drawing?"

"The topographic map of the basement." He Nan put away the ballpoint pen, stopped and showed him the contents of the notes: "The scale is not so detailed, but the size ratio of each room, the length of the corridor, etc. almost."

"Why draw it?"

"Because I can only verify a conjecture by drawing it." He Nan said so, and circled it with a ballpoint pen on the note: "As I said before, there must be a purpose for two power outages, and the second time may be easier to understand , the high probability is to reduce the visibility to facilitate killing. We are only talking about the first time now - to understand the intention of this power outage, we have to analyze what the power outage may bring to the plan. "

"... What consequences?"

"It can be roughly divided into four points, not necessarily all of them exist. The first is to frighten the deceased and change his follow-up actions. In this case, if it exists, it will cause the party to be suspended, and Bessie will then start to act alone. Fear Uneasy, I started to look for something. The second is to set up organs in the hall, and there seems to be no evidence to support that it happened.”

When He Nan said this, he took a deep breath, and then continued: "The third...the sixth person entered the house, taking advantage of the darkness in the hall, and sneaked through from the first floor. The entrance is probably a hole in the basement. In this guess, it is not the mechanism that cuts off the power, but the sixth person who pulls the switch. He will hide in a room along the way from the power distribution room to the stairs. After you pass here, hold on tight. During the blank period before the power is restored, come to the hall."

"This...doesn't that mean that the murderer was not far behind me?" Tom broke out in a cold sweat.

"No, that's impossible." He Nan shook his head: "This conclusion was overturned by the topographic map."

(End of this chapter)