Chapter 24

Re-examination

After lunch, Xie Qing returned to the dormitory for a nap. Around 1 PM, her mobile phone rang. Seeing it was Tan Yi, she answered.

“Hello.”

“Xiao Xie, are you at the bureau?”

“I’m in the dormitory.”

“Come to the main gate. We’re going to the old city to re-examine the scene.”

“Okay.”

…

Xie Qing had been eager to go. She quickly dressed, went downstairs, grabbed the investigation kit from the office, and hurried to the main gate.

“Qing Qing!” Li Ke’s head popped out from the front passenger seat of the police car.

Xie Qing quickened her pace, “Coming, coming.”

Fu Da opened the car door, “Xiao Xie, get in from my side.”

Xie Qing complied, lifting her foot and getting in.

With three people in the back, Fu Da sat in the middle, and Xie Qing by the door. Without Du Zhun and Li Ji, there wasn’t much conversation. Except for Li Ke, who tried to chat with Tan Yi, the others closed their eyes and rested.

Thirty minutes passed quickly, and the police car stopped outside the Lei family’s alley. As they got out, they heard intermittent, heart-wrenching cries from a girl.

Xie Qing’s heart sank.

Li Ke grabbed her elbow, “Qing Qing, Lei Miao is so pitiful!”

“Yes,” Xie Qing sighed, “Such a sudden tragedy is hard for anyone to accept.”

Fu Da said, “Whether they accept it or not, time will take everything away and heal everything.”

Detectives often face the ugliness of human nature and the life-and-death separations, making them live with a clear understanding but also a bit detached.

Xie Qing nodded, “Accepting the unacceptable is a form of torment. Even if accepted, it leaves scars that are hard to heal.”

Tan Yi, walking ahead, suddenly turned and gave Xie Qing a deep look.

Xie Qing didn’t notice his reaction. She was thinking about how long it would take for her parents and brother to forget her after she left.

Ten days or half a month? No, maybe not that short. Even if they didn’t miss her, they would miss the monthly support payments.

The neighbors’ door was wide open, and the crying stopped abruptly as they passed.

A thin middle-aged woman pushed a dispirited, pale middle-aged man out, followed by a red-eyed, sobbing girl.

Lei Guang and Lei Miao were there.

Tan Yi stepped forward and said politely, “The police are re-examining the scene. Rest assured, we will ensure justice for them.”

“I don’t want justice! I don’t want justice!” Lei Miao suddenly broke down, pounding on the door with her fists, “I just want them back, alive, sobbing…”

Lei Guang held his head and cried, snot and tears dripping onto his thighs, quickly soaking them.

Li Ke wiped her tears and grabbed Lei Miao’s hand, “Don’t cry, don’t hit. Hurting yourself won’t help!”

In the face of such immense pain, any words seemed pale.

Lei Miao shook her head, looking crazed, crying uncontrollably. Li Ke couldn’t console her but managed to hold her back from hurting herself.

Tan Yi’s gaze fell on Lei Guang’s wife, Miao Xiaohong, but he spoke to Lei Miao, “The dead cannot come back to life. Mourn and move on. You can do three things now: first, manage your emotions; second, think carefully about any suspicious events before the incident; third, wait for the killer to be brought to justice.”

His slow, low voice had a calming effect.

Two minutes later, Lei Miao calmed down.

Tan Yi said to Fu Da, “Brother Fu, you and Li Ke talk to them and comfort them. Liu Ge, Xiao Xie, and I will be back soon.”

Fu Da agreed, taking out a small notebook, “Alright, you go ahead.”

Xie Qing took her eyes off Lei Guang and his wife and followed Tan Yi to the Lei house.

The door was sealed.

The local police opened the lock for them. As they pushed the door, the left panel made a slight creaking sound.

Tan Yi entered first and turned on the incandescent light. The blood on the cement floor was gone, leaving stains that looked like indelible smudges.

The three began re-examining the scene—footprints and the murder weapon were the only clues left by the killer. With no fingerprints or blood on the weapon, they had to focus on the footprints.

Xie Qing crouched down, carefully examining each mark. As the blood on the shoe soles decreased, the footprints at the door were the lightest. To cover up the crime (ensuring no blood on the soles outside), the killer had scuffed the floor, creating large smudges.

The blood footprints at the kitchen door were very clear. The footprints between the doorway and the first body were heavy, with no visible shoe patterns, just dark patches.

Xie Qing returned to the kitchen door, shooed away some flies, and took a magnifying glass from the investigation kit to examine the clearest footprint. She also measured the stride length and width.

Liu Feng asked, “Xiao Xie, any findings?”

“Not sure yet.” Xie Qing pointed to the footprints with the tape measure, “Brother Liu, can you check if the blood here is heavier and lighter in some spots?”

Liu Feng crouched and walked a few steps to Xie Qing’s side, “The flies are active, making it hard to tell.”

The public toilet wasn’t close, so the flies’ contamination wasn’t severe but still present.

Xie Qing agreed, “It’s okay, just take a look.”

“Alright.” Liu Feng took the magnifying glass and studied the area below the shoe tip for three to five seconds, then the arch for ten to fifteen seconds, “There is a difference, but it relates to walking habits. Everyone exerts pressure differently.”

“Thank you, Liu Ge.” Xie Qing took back the magnifying glass and examined other clear footprints, finding the same pattern. However, Liu Feng was right; it was a stretch to make a judgment based on this.

Tan Yi frowned and stood up, “Xiao Xie, if this is a clue, how do you think it was caused?”

Xie Qing asked instead, “Captain Tan, is Lei Sheng still under investigation?”

Tan Yi replied, “Captain Li is investigating, but besides the height match, we have no strong evidence.”

“Yes, I know.” Xie Qing acknowledged.

Liu Feng said, “You might not know, but in Anhai, 1.78 meters is a common height. Lei Sheng could be innocent.”

“I agree.” Xie Qing said, “Captain Tan, my next point is still speculative but offers another perspective.”

“Still about height?” Tan Yi crouched down and extended his hand.

“Yes.” Xie Qing handed him the magnifying glass, “Men’s footprints usually show clear pressure points, with the outer edge landing and inner edge lifting, but the killer’s prints are unusual, lacking these features. I wonder if someone with size 43, 44, or 45 feet squeezed into size 42 shoes, would they walk differently? Curling toes, lifting the arch, walking with an outward gait, and shortening their stride?”

Tan Yi and Liu Feng both looked at her.

Xie Qing explained, “This is based on the lack of footprints on the roof. Imagine the killer planned meticulously, used a key to enter, took off their shoes at the door, and wore socks into the courtyard. The door noise startled Lei Youming, who was getting up at night.”

“Lei Youming saw someone entering from inside the house. In the dark, he couldn’t tell who it was, so he went out to check. In the courtyard, he encountered the killer. Recognizing the familiar face, the old man relaxed, but the killer struck ruthlessly.”

“After killing, the killer tried to mislead us by finding a pair of size 42 leather shoes, stepping into the blood, walking around, washing off fingerprints in the kitchen, and then changing back into their own shoes at the main gate, taking Lei Youming’s shoes with them. It was almost perfect.”

After a moment of thought, Tan Yi said to Liu Feng, “Brother Liu, let’s switch shoes.”

Liu Feng, who was 1.77 meters tall and wore size 42 shoes, and Tan Yi, nearly 1.9 meters tall and wore size 44 shoes, each took off one shoe and swapped.

Tan Yi experienced the feeling Xie Qing described—his big toe couldn’t stretch out and had to curl inside the shoe. To avoid too much pain, he couldn’t take big steps or walk fast. Only by curling his big toe and arching his foot could he feel somewhat comfortable.

After switching back, Tan Yi said, “Xiao Xie’s discovery is valuable. It resolves the logical oddity I previously noted.”

Liu Feng asked, “What did you find odd, Captain Tan?”

Tan Yi replied, “I examined the scene and the autopsy report. The killer didn’t sever the major arteries of the elderly victims, and there were no splatter bloodstains at the crime scene. This means the killer’s shoe soles could have remained clean, but both feet were covered in blood, which doesn’t align with normal behavior.”

This was why he wanted to re-examine the scene.

Liu Feng nodded repeatedly, “If it’s as Xiao Xie said, everything makes sense.”

Xie Qing added, “Lei Yan and Lei Youming both wore size 42 shoes, while Lei Guang’s shoes were at least size 43.”

Tan Yi smiled, “Alright, let’s search the house for leather shoes and have Lei Miao identify if any are missing.”

Ten minutes later, five or six pairs of leather shoes were laid out at the Lei family’s door.

Fu Da and Li Ke brought Lei Miao out, and Lei Guang and his wife followed. The neighbor’s wife peeked out from her door but quickly retreated when she saw Xie Qing looking at her.

Xie Qing said, “Sister, come out and help identify if any shoes are missing.”

As she spoke, she kept an eye on Miao Xiaohong, who was staring intently at Lei Miao, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the wheelchair.

Was Miao Xiaohong nervous?

Xie Qing felt she might be unfairly labeling Lei Guang and his wife as suspects.

This habit needed to change.

She looked away and glanced at Lei Guang as she passed—he seemed much calmer than Miao Xiaohong, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

What was he expecting? To find the killer?

Xie Qing mentally noted this.

Lei Miao began looking at the shoes but gave up within a minute.

She squatted down and cried, “I don’t recognize my dad’s shoes, let alone my grandpa’s. My mom always said I just needed to study well and not worry about anything else. Now she’s gone, and I feel like an idiot. I don’t know anything. I’m useless, useless!”

The neighbor’s wife hugged her, crying, “Good child, it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. Don’t worry, Auntie recognizes them. Your mom always bought shoes with me. Whether old or new, I’ve seen most of them.”

“Really?” Lei Miao stopped crying, “Thank you, Auntie. Thank you. Please check if my dad’s and grandpa’s shoes are missing.”

“Alright, Auntie will check right away.” The neighbor helped Lei Miao stand up, muttering, “Before the demolition, your mom was careful with money. The Lei family rarely bought leather shoes… Oh, indeed, a pair is missing.”

Li Ke asked, “What’s missing?”

The neighbor replied, “Lei Yan’s black leather shoes he bought two years ago. The soles are soft. I saw him wearing them a few days ago.”

Xie Qing asked, “Should we search the relevant people’s homes for these shoes?”

“Not for now. Let’s go back first.” Tan Yi said to Lei Guang, “Rest assured, the killer is someone familiar with anti-investigation skills. We have a lead and will soon find evidence to bring justice.”

Lei Guang said, “That’s great. Thank you for your hard work.”

Lei Miao was still crying.

Li Ke patted her shoulder, “Be strong. You need to handle their funeral.”

Lei Guang quickly said, “My niece is still young. I’ll take care of everything. Officer Tan, when can we hold the funeral?”

Tan Yi replied, “Wait for notification. It won’t take more than two days.”

Lei Guang nodded, “That’s good. My niece attends a prestigious university and took leave to come back. We can’t delay too long.”