Luo Fei nodded and replied, "Master, how could I possibly speak carelessly about such a thing?"
Zhang Haiyang glanced at Luo Fei, then at the people on the balcony, and said to Luo Fei, "Come with me."
Zhang Haiyang walked straight to the balcony.
"Captain Zhao, we've thoroughly checked the entire room, and found nothing. Other than traces of the deceased, there's no evidence of a second person's presence in the room," reported the cold female detective with a ponytail to Zhao Donglai, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Donglai looked around and then said firmly, "If this case is truly a murder, there will definitely be traces. No matter how perfect a crime is, it always leaves traces. Keep looking."
"Captain Zhou, Luo Fei has made a discovery." Zhang Haiyang's voice rang out abruptly, drawing everyone's attention to him and Luo Fei.
Captain Zhou, Captain Zhao, and several members of the detective team instantly focused their attention on Zhang Haiyang and Luo Fei.
"Luo Fei, what have you discovered?" Zhou Weimin asked eagerly upon hearing that Luo Fei had made a discovery.
Perhaps it was the confidence instilled by his instincts, but Luo Fei didn't feel nervous with everyone's gazes on him.
"Captain Zhou, Captain Zhao, I smell a faint scent of cigarette smoke in the room. The victim herself didn't smell of smoke and shouldn't be a smoker, so I suspect this smoke scent was left by the killer smoking in the room," Luo Fei said steadily.
After Luo Fei finished speaking, several members of the detective team began to discuss quietly.
"I didn't smell it, did you?"
"I didn't smell it either."
"Did you smell it, Sister Yang Mei?" the short-haired girl with glasses quietly asked the cold-looking girl beside her.
The cold-looking girl shook her head with a frown.
Everyone then suspiciously looked at Luo Fei, so many hadn't smelled the smoke, only Luo Fei had.
"Are you sure?" Zhao Donglai asked, not sounding overly skeptical. He felt there was no reason for Luo Fei to lie—he was just surprised at Luo Fei's keen sense of smell, noting something others hadn't.
Seeing everyone's disbelief, Zhang Haiyang quickly spoke, "Captain Zhao, Luo Fei has a keen sense of smell. Remember the Gu Youguo case? Luo Fei detected the smell of a decomposing body, which led us to discover the murder and capture Gu Youguo."
Luo Fei followed with a firm reply, "I'm certain there's a cigarette smell in the room."
"Even if there's a smoke smell in the room, it could have been the victim's own doing. Just because the victim doesn't smoke regularly doesn't mean she couldn't have smoked once, maybe she was in a bad mood and smoked a cigarette," the crew-cut detective speculated doubtfully.
Before Luo Fei could respond, the cold-dispositioned girl refuted the crew-cut detective's words, "If the smoke came from the victim, then at the very least, we should find a lighter, leftover cigarettes, or cigarette butts in the room."
Zhao Donglai looked at Luo Fei deeply, then spoke, "If there's cigarette smoke in the room, then it's highly likely left by the killer."
"Now, based on the information we have, let's think it through. First: From the situation of the body's fall at the scene, combined with Luo Fei's report of cigarette smoke in the room, we can tentatively determine this case as a murder."
"Second, the victim was thrown from the balcony while unconscious or deceased. Based on the balcony's height, the victim's weight, the scent of cigarettes in the room, and the distance of the body's landing, one point is certain: the killer is a strong male, at least 1.75 meters tall."
"Third point, the victim's time of death was around six in the morning, which means the killer left the crime scene after six. But when did the killer enter the victim's room? How did he enter? How did he leave? What was his relationship with the victim? It's also important to note whether the killer is someone from the community or an outsider—these are things we need to investigate."
"The last point, and the most crucial one, is the killer's motive for committing the crime. Why did the killer want to kill the victim?" At this point, Zhao Donglai looked inquiringly at everyone.
"There are no signs of items being rummaged through in the room, and the victim's wallet, cash, and jewelry in the closet are untouched. So we can rule out robbery as a motive for murder," the crew-cut detective immediately stated his thoughts.
"It's probably not a crime of passion either. The room is so neat, there aren't any men's belongings, indicating the victim lived alone, so a crime of passion is unlikely," the short-haired, glasses-wearing detective added.
"It's also unlikely to be a vendetta..."
Everyone expressed their views on the killer's motive, debating contradictory deductions.
At this moment, Luo Fei was also pondering the killer's motive. As an author of mystery novels, he had a knack for logical reasoning.
After everyone had spoken, Zhao Donglai suddenly looked at Luo Fei and asked, "Luo Fei, what about you? What do you think the killer's motive was?"
The Gu Youguo murder case and Luo Fei's recent detection of cigarette smell deeply impressed Zhao Donglai about this young detective, prompting his sudden inquiry.
He wanted to see how Luo Fei would fare in areas beyond his keen sense of smell.
Luo Fei hadn't expected Zhao Donglai to ask him, and was quite surprised. Regarding the motive Zhao asked about, he had been thinking about it, but honestly, with the limited information available, Luo Fei found it difficult to deduce the killer's motive. Luo Fei personally couldn't figure it out.
"I don't know the killer's motive, but I think the killer and the victim were familiar with each other," Luo Fei replied.
"Tell us your reasoning," Zhao Donglai asked curiously.
Well, Luo Fei nodded and continued, "From what I observed, the only way to enter the victim's room is through the door. I also noticed that the door can only be locked from the inside with a latch. Once latched, no one can open it from outside; entry is only possible if the person inside unlocks it willingly for someone outside."
"The victim was killed around six in the morning, and at that time, the door should have been locked. If a stranger was entering the room at that time to kill the victim, there would be no opportunity for them to get in, let alone commit murder."
"If the killer entered the victim's room during the day, it indicates a premeditated murder plan. If that was the case, he wouldn't wait until six in the morning when daylight hits, and most people are waking up for work, as this would increase the risk of exposure. The killer wouldn't be that foolish," Luo Fei analyzed.
"Makes sense, indeed, the possibility of the killer being a stranger is extremely low. It's likely a crime committed by someone familiar," Zhou Weimin nodded in agreement.
"Luo Fei is right. If the killer were a stranger, it wouldn't make sense logically, so I also lean towards it being a familiar person's act. Additionally, to add on, I don't think this case is a premeditated murder event. The killer acting at 6 a.m., like Luo Fei analyzed just now, is an extremely unreasonable timing for committing a crime. By that time, daylight is present, and in the community, many people, not just working people, but even elderly people often get up early for exercise. Hence, the timing of the crime suggests it was a spur-of-the-moment, impassioned act," Zhao Donglai remarked.