296 Interrogating the Suspect
The boatman confirmed, "No, I was so terrified at the time that I didn't linger. I ran straight to the County Government Office to report it."
Qiao Muchen nodded and looked at County Magistrate Han. "Sir, please come over here."
Magistrate Han immediately followed him.
Qiao Muchen pointed to the riverbed. "Sir, this area is secluded, and people rarely visit, so there are few footprints. After the boatman reported the crime, the yamen clerks quickly secured the scene, so it hasn't been disturbed."
"However, as you can see, there are many chaotic footprints around the corpse. It seems more than just the boatman has been near the body."
At this moment, Zhao Zhitong continued, "Among these footprints, one set matches the boatman's in size. Indeed, as he said, he left quickly after seeing the corpse."
"However, another pair of footprints lingered near the corpse for quite some time. They are uneven in depth—the person has a limp."
