nycdaug Chapter 879 Year
Chapter 879 Year
From the perspective of defense lawyer Lin Shen, the serial disappearances ten years ago are interwoven with the current murder charges. Through clues such as mysterious letters and disappeared witnesses, a suspenseful atmosphere is created, showing the contest between justice and evil in the process of unraveling the mystery. Silent Testimony The crystal chandelier on the dome of the courtroom hurts my eyes. Chen Mo, sitting in the dock, lowers his head, and the handcuffs on his wrists glow blue under the cold light. This is the 37th criminal case I have taken over, but it is also the most bizarre one - the police accuse him of brutally killing three women, and all the evidence points to the unresolved serial disappearances ten years ago. "Lawyer Lin, the surveillance video held by the prosecution shows that your client's car was parked at the scene of the body dumping on the night of the incident." The presiding judge knocked the gavel, and the sound echoed in the empty courtroom. I opened the case file, and the cross-shaped knife wound on the victim's neck in the photo was shocking, exactly the same as the scars on the body of the missing person ten years ago. Chen Mo finally raised his head, his eyes were cloudy but revealed a stubbornness: "I didn't kill anyone, those people are here to atone for their sins." This statement caused an uproar in the entire courtroom. I pressed his trembling shoulders, but felt a cold sweat on his back. During the recess, the bailiff handed over a brown paper bag with "Gift for Lawyer Lin" written crookedly on it. I opened the envelope and a yellowed photo slipped out - three girls were smiling brightly in the amusement park. The date on the lower right corner was July 2013, 7, three days before the first missing person was killed. On the back of the photo, it was written in blood-red marker: "They know the truth, but choose to remain silent." My heartbeat suddenly accelerated. Ten years ago, when I just entered the industry, I participated in the legal aid of that case. There was no such photo in the file at that time. Back at the law firm, assistant Xiao Xia rushed over with a mobile phone: "Lawyer Lin, another witness has withdrawn his testimony!" I looked at the news on the computer screen. The convenience store owner who had agreed to testify in court suddenly changed his words and said that he had never seen Chen Mo's car on the night of the incident. It was pouring outside the window, and the rain was winding along the glass into strange patterns, which looked very much like the wound on the victim's neck. Late at night, I was studying the case files in the office. Suddenly, my phone slid out of the table with a vibration, and a video was sent from an unfamiliar number: in a dim warehouse, a hooded man was carving a cross on a wooden board with a dagger, and a vague whimpering sound came from the background. "Next, it's you." The text message came along with the video, and goose bumps instantly appeared on the back of my neck. The next day, I decided to visit the family of the victim ten years ago. Pushing open the iron door of the old residential building, a musty smell hit me. Li Fang's mother was mumbling to herself in front of her daughter's portrait. The girl in the photo frame was wearing a white dress and smiling sweetly. "The police said that they couldn't find the body back then, and they couldn't even have a decent funeral..." The old man suddenly grabbed my wrist, "Lawyer Lin, I heard that someone saw a cross in the mass grave in the west of the city!" The mass grave in the west of the city was overgrown with weeds, and crows made harsh calls on the dead trees. I stepped on the mud and pushed aside the weeds, my heart almost jumping out of my throat - seven simple crosses were neatly arranged, and on the wooden sign in the middle, Li Fang's name was clearly engraved. There seemed to be something buried under the soil. I trembled and peeled off the surface, revealing a piece of white bones, and on the finger bones was the strawberry hairpin mentioned in the news that year. "You shouldn't come here." A cold voice came from behind me. When I turned around, in the beam of the flashlight, the convenience store owner was holding a shovel and grinning, and half of his cross-shaped birthmark was exposed on his cuffs. At the critical moment, a gunshot pierced the night sky, and the boss fell to the ground. Chen Mo walked out from behind the tree, the gun in his hand was still smoking. "Follow me." He pulled me and ran wildly, and the sirens of police cars came from far away. We hid in an abandoned factory. The moonlight shone through the hole in the roof onto his face. He looked exhausted. "Ten years ago, the three girls witnessed the murder, but they chose to remain silent because of fear." He ripped open his shirt, and the hideous scar on his chest was winding like a snake. "I am the only survivor back then." It turned out that Chen Mo was once a hostage of a serial killer and was seriously injured by a stab during his escape. The murderer committed suicide after being arrested, but ten years later, the same case reappeared. "Those new victims are all people who knew about the crime but didn't report it back then." Chen Mo clenched his fists. "I followed them to find the real murderer, but I was made a scapegoat." The phone suddenly rang. It was Xiao Xia's number. After the call was connected, Su Man's laughter came. The new lawyer who was supposed to study abroad had a twisted sense of pleasure in her voice at this moment: "Lin Shen, didn't expect it? My father was the serial killer back then. You messengers of justice have destroyed my family!" In the background, Xiao Xia's faint cry for help came. When we found the warehouse in the suburbs according to the location, Xiao Xia was tied to a chair, and Su Man held a dagger against her throat. "Ten years ago, those girls could have saved my father!" Su Man's eyes were crazy, "Now, it's their turn to repay the debt!" Chen Mo suddenly rushed over, and the two wrestled together. In the chaos, the dagger pierced Chen Mo's abdomen, and the blood stained his white shirt red. The sound of sirens came from far away. The moment Su Man was subdued, Chen Mo grabbed my hand: "There is another person..." His voice became weaker and weaker, "The forensic doctor back then..." Before he finished speaking, his hand fell weakly. I looked at his face that was gradually losing its vitality, and finally understood why the police's autopsy report was full of loopholes. A month later, the forensic doctor was arrested on the dual charges of bribery and tampering with evidence. In court, I presented the clues that Chen Mo wrote with his last strength, as well as the key physical evidence found in the mass grave. When Su Man was taken away, she suddenly turned back and smiled at me: "Do you think this is the truth?" That smile made me shudder. Late at night, I looked through the case files from ten years ago again. A note fell out between the yellowed pages: "Some testimonies will never be spoken." The handwriting was Chen Mo's. Thunder roared outside the window. I looked at the dark night sky and suddenly realized that perhaps there really are testimonies that are forever silent in this world, and what we can do is to ensure that justice is never absent even if it is late. In front of Chen Mo's grave, I put down a bunch of white chrysanthemums. There is no epitaph on the tombstone, only a small cross. The wind swept across the cemetery, and faint cries came from afar. I don't know which victim's family is still mourning for their deceased relatives. The phone suddenly vibrated, and an anonymous text message came: "The game has just begun." I held the phone tightly, looking at the overcast sky, knowing that this battle with darkness is far from over.