The Ultimate Inspector, Kang Ji-hyeok - Chapter 74



Only Noblemtl

I asked Hyunju Lee again, who didn’t answer.

“Witness. I ask again.”

Hyunju Lee, in the witness stand, had a look of anxiety on her face, like a little kid caught lying.

“Were there only two people in the car?”

“yes.”

She surprisingly barely answered.

“There were two other people in the backseat, and wasn’t it true that Mr. Ji In-hu was pressured by them to take propofol?”

The whole courtroom was in an uproar.

Attorney Jang Ji-geun stood up and pointed at me.

“The prosecutor is now pressuring the witness with his own imagination!”

“Inspector! Explain slowly.”

The judge’s face softened and he spoke seriously.

He probably thought he knew a lot about this case by now.

But my question changed the very basic premise of ‘suicide’.

I had to turn the whole ‘assisted suicide’ thing upside down in one fell swoop, so I built up and waited for this moment.

He turned his head and explained to the judge with a stern face.

“At first, I also thought it was suicide. I looked at the incident with that premise and realized that I had missed a lot of things. After going to the scene and checking, I began to question whether it was suicide itself.”

Beep.

The screen showed car tire tracks.

It looked like the ground had been dug up.

“The police also thought it was suicide and conducted the initial investigation, but they missed obvious evidence.”

I walked slowly to the center of the court.

“These are the tire marks of the victim’s car. Luckily, it hadn’t rained since the incident, so they were still well-maintained around the scene.”

“We all know that this suicide case involved the use of gas and propofol in the car. What’s so strange about the presence of tire tracks?”

The judge asked questions actively.

I said while glaring at Lee Hyun-joo, who was sitting on the witness stand.

“Witness! Were there really only two people in the car, the victim and the witness? If you’re lying, you’ll be charged with perjury.”

“Yes, inspector. It was just the two of us!”

Hyun-joo Lee, who was on the witness stand, answered with her eyes wide open, as if she had been possessed by evil.

It’s like a cornered rat biting a cat.

Beep.

Another wheel mark appeared.

It wasn’t as deep of a fan as the previous photo.

“These are the tire marks made by the car that my investigator and I were in around the scene. Now, let’s compare them to the marks made by the car used in this case.”

Two evidence screens were displayed simultaneously along with the previous wheel tracks.

The audience started to stir first.

“Oh my. The wheels were a lot more worn out before?”

“It was so bad that the difference was obvious.”

The difference was so great that anyone could tell it with the naked eye.

The judge nodded and said.

“I see. The depth of the wound is different.”

“When detectives investigate murder cases, they sometimes check the depth of tire marks at the scene to see how many people were in the car. There are cases where the number of criminals is important.”

I turned my head and glared at Lee Hyun-joo, who was biting her lower lip.

“Ms. Lee Hyun-joo. From the beginning, you put Ji-in-hu in this car in order to kill him. And there were already two large men weighing over 90 kg in the backseat.”

Attorney Jang Ji-geun also stood up, placed his hands on his hips, and shouted.

“Prosecutor Kang Ji-hyeok! What kind of nonsense is that! Can a prosecutor just make up a story without any evidence?”

I looked at him and said with a pitiful face.

“It seems the lawyer was fooled by the witness as well. It’s too bad. I thought they had a trusting relationship······. Both cars are Genesis. They weigh 2.2 tons, so the base weight of the car with the two tire marks is the same. So······.”

Beep.

Among the evidence, the National Forensic Service’s opinion appeared on the screen.

[When comparing the depth of the wheel tracks under the same conditions, it can be confirmed that Car A weighed at least 180 kg more than Car B.]

“The weight of the car is similar, and the fact that there were two investigators and me in it is also similar… No, actually, the two of us are a little heavier.”

widely.

I hit the table in the witness stand and shouted at Lee Hyun-joo.

“The two people behind him must have used the seat belt to immobilize Ji In-hu and then injected him with propofol. They injected 90% of the propofol that was supposed to be used in half into the victim. Ji In-hu must have passed out immediately!”

Attorney Jang Ji-geun also raised an objection.

“Even if it’s weight, isn’t reconstructing your thoughts now the same as writing a real novel! Where is the evidence for that?”

“It was one of several investigations that we missed when we first investigated the case because we were focused on suicide cases. We found new evidence as we reinvestigated it.”

Because the police are busy, it is a reality that when investigating a suicide case, the initial investigation is more sloppy than in a murder case.

‘I should have been more thorough when I was a detective. I should reflect on that.’

If it had been a ‘murder case’ from the beginning, there would have been evidence to be found.

The evidence that I saw because I was convinced it was a murder was not visible to those who were convinced it was suicide.

A commotion.

The audience was in an uproar, and only then did the judge begin to search through the newly presented evidence.

I looked at the judge and spoke cautiously.

“Your Honor, the evidence discovered through reinvestigation is evidence of a murder case, so please check it again.”

Beep.

The evidence screen showed a photo of a wound on Ji In-hu’s neck and a report from the National Forensic Service.

The report stated that the abrasions on the neck and a small piece of flesh on the seat belt matched the DNA of the deceased.

“According to the National Forensic Service’s report, there were some abrasions around the neck, and DNA that appeared to be Mr. Ji In-hu’s flesh was found on the seat belt that we re-examined this time.”

The judge reviewed the newly discovered evidence again and asked me with a serious face.

“Did you find out who those two people are?”

“Although he is in a slightly weakened state, considering the brutality with which he committed the crime, immobilizing an adult male with a seat belt, and weighing over 90 kg, I do not believe he is an ordinary person.”

chuck.

I took the papers and showed them to the judge.

It was a photo of Lee Han-soo, Lee Hyun-joo’s older brother, coming out of a club with gangsters.

“His older brother, who was accepted as a witness at the next trial, runs a club and has close ties to these gangsters. I plan to ask him.”

“Hmm. That’s quite possible.”

The judge looked at Lee Hyun-joo on the witness stand and asked.

“Witness, answer me. Were there two big, thug men in the back of that car?”

Lee Hyun-joo lowered her head and did not answer.

Attorney Jang Ji-geun stood up and raised an objection.

“Since the direction of this case has suddenly changed, please give us a chance to defend ourselves in the second trial, Your Honor.”

The judge nodded.

It was a very possible story.

“Okay. The court also needs time to review the new evidence presented by the prosecution in the reinvestigation. It has become clear that this is not a suicide but a murder case. I will accept the defense’s objection and end the first trial here.”

Shh.

I smiled, hiding my face behind the documents.

I overcame that seemingly stubborn judge!

“···thank you.”

Attorney Jang Ji-geun returned to the defendant’s seat with defendant Lee Hyeon-ju’s face turned pale.

“The first trial ends here. The second trial will begin with the questioning of the defendant’s older brother, Lee Han-soo, as a witness, and we will identify the culprit of the murder case. The second trial will be held in exactly two weeks.”

bang!

bang!

The judge unusually chose two weeks instead of one month, indicating the high level of evidence that this was a murder case.

It was a good sign that there was no need to waste time.

I met attorney Jang Ji-geun and Lee Hyeon-ju in the exit hallway.

The two looked at me with resentful faces.

Attorney Jang Ji-geun spoke first.

“Prosecutor Kang. You made a mistake.”

“No. This was a crime meticulously planned by the siblings. I was just correcting the initial investigative mistakes.”

“You have a pierced mouth······.”

“Hey. Jang Byun. Tell Lee Han-soo. In court, they say, a witness can turn into an accomplice… no, an accessory.”

“What? What did you say?”

I quickly ran out of the hallway without looking back.

‘Lee Han-soo. This is a declaration of war to you.’

Hyejin, who had been waiting, accepted my information.

“Thank you for your hard work, Inspector. Today was the best.”

“Hyejin’s role in organizing the National Forensic Service data was huge.”

“Hehehe. Thank you. But where is Detective Kim Ji-cheol going in such a hurry?”

“Ah. That’s probably because I asked you to install CCTV.”

“Is that so?”

I returned to the office in the car driven by Hyejin.

“I’m leaving work early today. Thanks to everyone, I was able to complete this trial without any problems.”

As the evening sun began to set, the office became empty.

“Anyway, I always keep my word about leaving work on time.”

Wheein.

At that time, I received a call from Ji-cheol on my cell phone.

“Did you install it correctly?”

– Yes. It was custom made, so I dug into the tree and installed it properly.

“Thank you for your hard work. Did you equip all four?”

– Yes. I installed it as instructed so that it won’t fly away even if a typhoon blows.

“Okay, let’s see each other tomorrow after you get off work.”

– No. So you both got off work? Did you both get off work on time?

Ji-cheol looked disappointed, but I hung up the phone firmly.

Sigh.

A strange laugh broke out.

It was also enjoyable to work as a team with good people.

“Shall we have a cup of coffee and start working overtime?”

Before I knew it, darkness had fallen heavily outside the window.

The sky was full of dark clouds.

“Suddenly dark clouds? It looks like something is going to happen······.”

Heavy clouds suddenly covered the night sky and soon a heavy rain fell.

* * *

The next morning.

I could still hear the sound of rain falling.

The one who woke me up while I was reviewing the investigation records all night was Secretary Lee Hyeon-ah.

“Sir, I think you should get up! On TV right now······.”

The moment I locked eyes with her, my insight flashed.

I felt like the hairs on my body stood on end.

“Really? Did he commit suicide?”

“yes?”

“Did Lee Hyun-joo commit suicide?”

“How did you know that?”

“Shit.”

I jumped up from my seat and went outside.

There was an urgent news report on the office TV.

– Let me say this again. Lee Hyun-joo, the suspect in the assisted suicide case who returned after the first trial last night, jumped from the roof of a 20-story apartment building.

Outside the window, rain was pouring down in torrents.

– I heard a loud thud around 2am yesterday, but it was raining so hard that I didn’t go out.

The apartment residents were being interviewed with scary expressions on their faces.

As I stared blankly at the screen, Hyuna handed me coffee.

“Have some coffee, Inspector.”

“thank you.”

It was when I was sipping coffee and concentrating on the TV news screen.

Wheein.

The cell phone rang.

It was Hyejin.

“where are you?”

– I rushed straight to the scene of the incident.

“What about the rooftop?”

– I can’t go up. It’s a sea of ​​water because of the rain that fell all night······.

“Okay. Come back. The evidence will disappear anyway in this heavy rain.”

– All right.

Thankfully, Hyejin went to the scene of the incident first instead of going to work.

Perhaps it was just an intuition as a detective.

Kuk.

I clenched my fist.

It wasn’t because of the coffee, but my anger towards Lee Han-soo who sacrificed even his own younger sister that shook me.

Wheein.

The cell phone rang.

It was a call from Chief Prosecutor Lee Cheol-jung.

“Yes. This is Kang Ji-hyeok.”

– Don’t worry too much. I’ll stop it, so don’t worry.

It was an urgent voice.

Chief Prosecutor Lee Cheol-jung, no, my father-in-law was worried about me.

Strangely enough, I feel a lot better now.

Just that one word.

“Thank you, Father… no, Chief Prosecutor.”

– Okay. I’ll cut off contact with the press for the time being and just deal with small cases. Don’t worry about the special forces.

“All right.”

I hung up the phone with the chief prosecutor.

dump.

I just sat down on the sofa where I had been sleeping until just a moment ago.

I calmed my anger by listening to the sound of rain hitting the window.

Wheein.

A message came in on my phone.

[What should I do? I guess I should stop seeking revenge for a while. Hehe. Why are you so obsessed with revenge? You should eat delicious things slowly. If you rush, you’ll get sick. Kang Ji-hyuk.]

It was a restricted text message.

‘What is this kid doing? Are you teasing me or giving me advice?’

Swish.

The rain outside fell harder and hit the windowpane.