Chapter 48
Lu Jing

About twenty minutes later, the army-green City Hunter stopped in front of the detention center gate. The four of them got out of the car and entered the gate with their credentials.

A middle-aged man came out to greet them, “Captain Tan, I presume? My name is Xue, I’m the deputy director here. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Director Xue,” Tan Yi said, shaking his hand. “These are my colleagues.”

With important tasks at hand, Xie Qing and the others quickly greeted him and followed Director Xue inside.

Director Xue explained, “Let me brief you on the situation. The suspect’s name is Lu Jing, thirty years old, a worker at a paper mill. A few days ago, his wife was murdered at home…”

Since there were no other fingerprints on the knife and no valuables were stolen from the house, he became the only suspect in his wife’s murder and was sent to the detention center awaiting trial. Although Lu Jing refused to admit to the crime, the Fengshan sub-bureau’s investigation concluded that the facts were clear and the evidence was solid, so they handed him over to the detention center to await trial.

Tan Yi asked, “How did Lu Jing attempt suicide?”

Director Xue replied, “He tried to hang himself. He tied his clothes to the iron bars. He was determined to die. If our people hadn’t seen him, he would have succeeded.”

Tan Yi asked, “How has he behaved since he arrived?”

Director Xue sighed, “He caused a lot of trouble as soon as he arrived, acting very erratically. His reaction is quite different from those of actual murderers. Fortunately, the prosecutor’s office sent the case back, so I can breathe a little easier.”

Xie Qing nodded. If Lu Jing had really committed the murder, he would likely have a resigned attitude rather than acting out continuously. However, it was also possible that Lu Jing had some legal knowledge and believed the evidence was insufficient to convict him, so he made a fuss to draw attention.

They arrived at the infirmary.

While Tan Yi and the doctor discussed the situation, Xie Qing observed Lu Jing.

Lu Jing lay flat on a small bed, eyes closed. He was a large man with a rough face, and he didn’t look like a good person. There were obvious ligature marks on his neck, and the marks behind his ears indicated a suicide attempt.

The doctor said Lu Jing was able to communicate.

Tan Yi sat by the bed, and Li Ke and Li Ji automatically took out their notebooks.

Tan Yi said, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Tan, and I’m the captain of the city bureau’s criminal investigation team. I’m responsible for investigating your wife’s case. Can you talk now?”

Lu Jing opened his eyes and turned to look at Tan Yi. Tears suddenly rolled down his cheeks, “I didn’t kill her, I didn’t kill her, sob sob sob…” He pounded the bed and cried uncontrollably.

The doctor received a signal from Director Xue and approached the bed, but Tan Yi stopped him.

Three to five minutes later, Lu Jing calmed down and hoarsely said, “I have a bad temper and often hit her, but I never thought of killing her. I drank a bit and fell into a deep sleep. I really don’t know which bastard killed her.”

“You didn’t hear any noise?”

“No, I sleep like the dead. Once I’m asleep, not even an earthquake can wake me.”

“Then how did you wake up?”

“I woke up because I needed to pee.”

“Do you lock your door at night?”

“The main door is definitely locked. If it’s not locked, it won’t close. But sometimes we forget to lock the inner door.”

“So, you opened the main door?”

“Yes, I opened the main door and called for help. If I had killed her, would I have stayed?”

“Do you or your wife have any enemies?”

“I never offend people outside. I don’t know about her.”

“Do you have any valuable items at home that someone might want?”

“No, our salaries are low. We only have a black-and-white TV at home, nothing else of value.”

“What about your parents? Any old grudges?”

“They’re ordinary people. My dad doesn’t even dare to kill a chicken. How could they have enemies?”

Leaving the detention center, Li Ke said, “No wonder he was sent here. He deserves it!”

Li Ji agreed, “Exactly, he deserves it. He knows nothing, has no skills, and only knows how to beat his wife. If he’s not the killer, who is?”

Tan Yi glanced at him.

Li Ji shrank back, “Captain Tan, I’m just venting. I mainly think Lu Jing is a coward who bullies the weak. It’s despicable.”

Tan Yi said, “Indeed, it’s despicable. Take it as a lesson.”

Li Ji straightened up, “Don’t worry, Captain Tan. I’m not like him! My family isn’t well-off, but my dad treats my mom very well. He does the laundry and cooking, and my mom doesn’t have to worry about anything.”

Xie Qing nodded to herself. No wonder Li Ji had such a good character; he had a role model.

The four of them got into the car, and Li Ke started peeling hazelnuts again, “Qing Qing, do you think Lu Jing is the killer?”

“I don’t think so,” Xie Qing started the car, “Captain Tan, are we going to the sub-bureau?”

Tan Yi said, “Yes.”

Li Ke said, “I don’t think so either. Someone that stupid shouldn’t have such good acting skills.”

Xie Qing was about to agree when her phone rang. She drove onto the main road and answered the call.

“Qing Qing, where are you?”

“Just left the detention center.”

“We’re going to Grandma’s house tomorrow to deliver New Year’s gifts. Are you coming?”

“Brother, I have a case to work on. I can’t go back.”

“Alright, I’ll let Dad know.”

“Thanks, big brother.”

“No problem. Qing Qing, I have something else to discuss with you. Is it convenient?”

“I’m driving, so it’s not very convenient. If it’s not urgent, I’ll call you back when I’m free.”

“It’s about the land. We can discuss it when you get home.”

“Alright, we’ll talk at home.”

…

Fengshan District Sub-bureau.

Tan Yi had contacted the sub-bureau’s duty officer in advance. As soon as the car arrived, Captain Cheng Yuxiang appeared and warmly welcomed them to his office.

Once everyone was seated, Cheng Yuxiang complained, “Ah, Lu Jing’s case is really troublesome. The couple argued every two days and had a big fight every three days. Lu Jing often hit her. They were fighting the night of the incident, and the neighbors heard it clearly. A few hours later, Wei Fenfang was dead. There were no signs of forced entry, and the murder weapon was a knife from their home with no other fingerprints. Captain Tan, if he didn’t kill her, who did?”

He was eloquent and spoke quickly, summarizing the case in a few words.

Tan Yi said, “All the evidence points to Lu Jing. I understand your frustration.”

“Right?” Cheng Yuxiang looked relieved, “Killers always have a lucky mindset. How could they confess so easily?”

Tan Yi nodded, “That’s true, but now that the prosecutor’s office has sent the case back, we have to investigate. Don’t worry too much, Captain Cheng.”

Cheng Yuxiang sighed and handed over a file, “It’s tough work during the New Year. Here are all the case files. Let us know if you need anything. We’ll cooperate fully.”

Tan Yi stood up, “Alright, we’ll go to the crime scene now and won’t disturb you further.”

Cheng Yuxiang said, “Okay, I’ll see you out.”

As they left, the duty officers started discussing.

“Wow, do they think this group of rookies can overturn the case?”

“Yeah, I want to see what they can find.”

“Don’t underestimate them. They’re all top students.”

“So what? Does being a top student beat our ten-plus years of experience?”

“They’re good-looking and talented. They’re definitely better than us.”

“You don’t know, do you? The best-looking one is Forensic Doctor Xiao Xie, a top student from Jinghua University, the one who was in the newspaper.”

“So what? Being in the newspaper makes her a superwoman?”

“Such a delicate girl becoming a forensic doctor, don’t you think that’s impressive enough?”

“That’s true. I heard she handled the Giant’s View case.”

“Watch, if they can overturn this case, I’ll take her surname.”

“Stop talking nonsense. How can you not have the surname Xie?”

“Hahaha…”

…

The snowflakes, as small as millet grains, became denser but still couldn’t cover the busy main road.

Xie Qing and the others headed to 339 Guqiao Road.

Li Ke pouted, “I bet Fengshan District will be talking about us again.”

Li Ji said, “It’s part of the job. Offending people is common. Don’t overthink it.”

Xie Qing added, “A gentleman knows what to do and what not to do. Knowing what can be done and doing it, knowing what cannot be done and not doing it, is the way of a gentleman. Overthinking is just self-inflicted trouble.”

Li Ke, overwhelmed by her words, said, “Stop showing off your knowledge. Just saying ‘self-inflicted trouble’ is enough.”

“Hahaha…” Tan Yi and Li Ji laughed together.

Tan Yi felt a bit emotional. After working for so many years, it was the first time he felt this relaxed and happy. Although Anhai was just a prefecture-level city, he had met some excellent colleagues.

…

The alley was dark and quiet, so quiet that they could hear the indistinct voices from the houses ahead. The courtyard wall wasn’t high, with broken glass embedded in the cement on top. The gate was an old-fashioned one with a latch for security.

Li Ji removed the seal on the door and pushed it open, making a loud creaking sound.

The courtyard was small, about four or five meters in total. There was no storage room. The west side of the courtyard was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and the east side had a pile of firewood and a brick coal bin. The ground was cement, with only a trail of Lu Jing’s bloody footprints and nothing else—if it hadn’t rained or snowed on the night of the incident, it would be hard to find the killer’s footprints.

Li Ji said, “If Lu Jing isn’t the killer, and the gate was latched, how did the real killer get in?”

Tan Yi put on gloves, found a stool from the clutter, and moved it outside the gate. He stepped on it, took out a flashlight from his bag, and turned it on.

Li Ke said, “Captain Tan’s bag is also like a treasure chest.” She used the word “also” because Xie Qing’s bag was the same.

Li Ji wandered around the courtyard, leaving footprints everywhere in the shallow snow, “My bag has everything, too; I just didn’t bring it out.”

Li Ke responded, “Oh, I’ll get one tomorrow.”

Li Ji said, “A promising student.”

Li Ke scolded, “Get lost.”

Tan Yi moved to another spot. A few minutes later, he took out tweezers and a bag from his bag and picked something off a piece of glass.

Xie Qing asked, “Did you find fabric fibers?”

“Yes.” Tan Yi checked all possible places to climb over the wall before jumping down.

Li Ke didn’t understand, “Why didn’t the Fengshan District people find this?”

Tan Yi said, “It’s a very fine thread. In daylight, the light is scattered, so it’s easy to miss.”

The flashlight provided directional light.

The group entered the main room, and Li Ji turned on the incandescent light.

The yellowish light illuminated the chalk outline of a body with shocking, messy black bloodstains. Upon closer inspection, there were a few drops of spatter blood on the right side of the outline—the main room was the kitchen, and the bedroom was to its right. If Lu Jing came out of the bedroom and found the victim, pulling the knife from the victim’s left side would cause the blood to spatter in that direction.