“Officer, have you made a mistake? How could our Old Miller possibly be a criminal?” Joan Brooks questioned loudly.

“Officer, are you sure you’re not making a mistake? You can’t frame a good person.” Charles Miller shouted.

“We’re investigating the case to prove your innocence. I hope you’ll cooperate.” Paul Bennett waved his hand.

Brian Hall, Lily Turner, James Reed, and David Thompson split up to search.

Paul Bennett stared at Charles Miller: “Where were you last night?”

“At home.”

Paul Bennett snorted, “Lying. This morning, a neighbor saw you coming back from outside.”

“Oh, I remember now. I was planning to go out of town to meet a friend this morning, but halfway there I changed my mind and came back.” Charles Miller argued.

“Officer, is it a crime for our Old Miller to meet a friend?”

“Where did you go to meet your friend?” Paul Bennett pressed.

“In the city.”

“The Qindao Brewery?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Being honest will get you leniency, resisting will make things worse. If we find evidence in your house, it’ll be too late.” Paul Bennett warned.

Charles Miller shouted, “I have a clear conscience.”

A moment later, several criminal investigators came out one after another.

“Captain Bennett, there’s no stolen money in the bathroom or kitchen,” David Thompson said.

“Nothing unusual in the east room either,” Lily Turner said.

James Reed also shook his head, “Nothing found in the car.”

Paul Bennett frowned. If they couldn’t find evidence, the investigation would become difficult.

At that moment, Brian Hall came out of the living room, wearing gloves and holding a pair of shoes. “Whose shoes are these?”

Charles Miller was stunned for a moment before responding, “They’re mine. What about them?”

“Captain Bennett, after comparing them with the footprints at the scene, I’m sure these are the suspect’s shoes.”

“Charles Miller, how do you explain this?” Paul Bennett demanded.

Charles Miller was nervous at first, then a bit dismissive: “Lots of people wear these liberation shoes. There are at least eighty or a hundred pairs at our factory, all the same. Why say these are mine?”

“Exactly, shoes nowadays are all machine-made, they all look the same,” Joan Brooks chimed in.

“Shoes may look similar when they leave the factory, but everyone’s body shape, foot shape, walking posture, and habits are different. After being worn for a while, shoes develop unique wear patterns, just like fingerprints—they’re one of a kind,” Brian Hall said confidently.

“The set of footprints found at the Qindao Brewery matches the wear patterns on these shoes exactly. You definitely went to the Qindao Brewery!”

Charles Miller looked nervous and lowered his head in silence.

“Our Old Miller used to work at the brewery. Isn’t it normal for his footprints to be there?”

“Normal?” David Thompson sneered. “Does your family not use the front door and always climb over the wall?”

“Old Miller, say something!” Joan Brooks tugged at her husband’s sleeve.

“I’m being wronged. I don’t know anything.” After saying this, Charles Miller lowered his head again.

Convict me with just a pair of shoes?

Pah!

“Captain Bennett, should we arrest him and take him back to the station for questioning?” James Reed was eager.

“No rush,” Paul Bennett shook his head slightly.

Footprint identification is different from DNA analysis. The latter is done by machines, with accurate data as the standard.

Footprint identification relies on professional skill and experience, with no clear standard. The identification feature system is not yet fully developed.

According to regulations, footprint identification can only be used as a direction for investigation, not as conclusive evidence.

If they took him back now and Charles Miller refused to confess, they still couldn’t close the case. Only by finding the stolen goods could they complete the chain of evidence.

“Brian Hall, any other findings?”

“There’s coal cinder on Charles Miller’s shoe soles.”

“Coal cinder?” Paul Bennett glanced around. There was no coal found in Charles Miller’s house, and as far as he remembered, there was no coal at the Qindao Brewery either.

Brian Hall analyzed, “Since there’s no stolen goods in the house or car, Charles Miller probably hid them outside, somewhere that likely has coal.”

Paul Bennett pointed at the car nearby, “Check if there’s any coal cinder on the car tires.”

David Thompson and James Reed immediately went to check.

“Nothing on the front tires.”

“Nothing on the rear tires either.”

“That means the place where the stolen goods are hidden has coal, but probably not much. If he’d been to a coal yard or similar place, there would definitely be coal dust on the tires,” Paul Bennett analyzed.

Brian Hall searched around the yard: “Captain Bennett, there are shoeprints here.”

Paul Bennett ran over to take a look: “These shoeprints have traces of coal dust.”

Brian Hall followed the footprints westward, reaching the base of the west wall. On the other side was another household.

“Is anyone home at the neighbor’s to the west?”

The village chief thought for a moment, “Next door is Old Reed’s house. They’ve all gone out to work, no one’s living there.”

“Bring that ladder over,” Brian Hall said.

Hearing this, Charles Miller trembled, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground...

Chapter 0004 New Skill

Brian Hall climbed over the yard wall and jumped into the neighbor Old Reed’s house.

He glanced around and immediately noticed some coal piled in the corner by the wall. The footprints with coal dust traces came from that direction.