Chapter 73

At ten o’clock in the morning, punctually, Song Wen appeared in the conference room of the Nancheng City Police Bureau with Lu Siyu.

As it was a day off, the police station was quiet, but all relevant team members were present.

Once seated, Song Wen took charge of the meeting directly, saying, “Let’s first summarize the case of Xia Weizhi’s death. Can we determine the cause of death now?”

Lin Xiuran’s eye circles were still dark, indicating that he hadn’t slept the entire night. He projected a photo of white bones onto the screen. From the image, it was apparent that the assembled white bones were still incomplete.

“After a night of salvage, we recovered a total of more than a hundred pieces of white bones, such as metatarsals, phalanges, and other smaller and lighter bones, estimated to have been lost. In eighteen years, the body has completely skeletonized, and the cause of death is still undetermined. Early this morning, from the crack in the sewer wall, we found a broken fingernail. The location of this fingernail is relatively high, so it has been well-preserved.”

As he spoke, Lin Xiuran took out several photos. One of them showed the sewer wall, covered with various scratches, intricately carved by hands on the wall.

With the photos illuminated and processed, they looked even more horrifying, giving people a creepy feeling.

That woman had once endured torture in this dim underground place, ultimately meeting her demise.

“In addition, we found a small butterfly knife, suspected to be the murder weapon. However, it’s evident that this weapon didn’t kill Xia Weizhi. She was probably pushed into the sewer after losing consciousness,” Lin Xiuran said, projecting an image of a small butterfly knife onto the screen using the projector.

Lin Xiuran continued to summarize the situation, “We can basically determine that the victim, Xia Weizhi, was lured to the entrance of the sewer approximately eighteen years ago on the night of September 12th. The victim may have been injected with drugs or seriously injured. Subsequently, the suspect threw Xia Weizhi into the sewer. She regained consciousness inside, struggled and called for help for about an hour and a half, then died. During this period, no one heard her cries or discovered her. This area happened to be a blind spot in the visual coverage of the nursing home, so there were no searches conducted here later.”

Pointing to a photo, Lin Xiuran said, “Now, let’s talk about that fingernail. This is the position where we found the victim’s fingernail. There is some good news; the location of this fingernail is relatively high and in a recess, so it has not been contaminated by the sludge in the sewer. I detected a drop of blood on this fingernail that does not belong to the victim. Unfortunately, due to the mixture of the victim’s and the suspect’s blood, we cannot currently analyze the suspect’s DNA. The forensic team is attempting to separate it, but don’t hold too much hope. The blood sample is heavily contaminated, and with current technology, there’s a possibility it may not be separable. Currently, we can only confirm that the suspect is likely male.”

Sometimes, the evidence at the crime scene worked in mysterious ways. Even after fifteen or twenty years, as long as there was a small bloodstain, the perpetrator or suspect could be identified. However, blood contamination caused by mixing has always been a challenge in criminal investigations, especially when dealing with limited and precious blood samples on the fingernail. At the moment, they couldn’t determine who the killer was.

Hearing the forensic findings, Fu Linjiang pressed his temples, “So, were the eyewitnesses lying back then?”

Song Wen said, “It hasn’t been ruled out yet. It’s possible that the man killed Xia Weizhi.”

Zhu Xiao had already started contacting the eyewitnesses from that year. However, it was not only challenging to reach them, but even after contacting them, obtaining useful information was rare.

As a forensic examiner, Xu Yao displayed several pictures, “The sewer covers have changed from the past. They used to be made of metal and had some weight. However, the cover at the entrance of the Wushan Nursing Home’s sewer is small, and it’s an old-fashioned type. With tools like sticks, an adult can pry it open, and even a stronger underage person could manage.”

“At least this fingernail and the butterfly knife can prove that Xia Weizhi died due to homicide,” Song Wen said, leaning on the table. “What thoughts do you have about the murderer’s motive?”

The known information is too limited, requiring brainstorming and even speculation.

Fu Linjiang said, “I think we can’t rule out the possibility of an accomplice committing murder to silence her.”

Lao Jia added, “Is it possible that Xia Weizhi was not the killer of the elderly but a scapegoat?”

Song Wen shook his head, “I believe in the judgments of the police back then. At least from the evidence chain, Xia Weizhi was, at the very least, an informed participant and operator. This is consistent with Du Ruoxin’s testimony; she couldn’t be completely innocent.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “We can’t rule out a possibility. Due to the police investigation, some elderly people may have learned that some of their peers died due to murder, leading to a desire for revenge against the deceased. Consequently, they killed Xia Weizhi.”

As former residents of the nursing home whose lives and the lives of their loved ones were threatened, they had the most reason for murder and revenge. The claim that an elderly woman saw Xia Weizhi going downstairs was the final statement. Her husband had also died in the nursing home. Vengeance and retribution. If those elderly people collaborated to kill Xia Weizhi and pushed her into the sewer, then even some of the testimonies from back then might not be admissible. How many of those elderly people, who were already in their twilight years back then, were still alive now?

If the killer was already dead, the difficulty of this case would increase.

Song Wen organized his thoughts, saying, “Regardless of what happened back then, whether it’s the suspect or the witness, they are all related to the people in the nursing home at that time.”

As he said this, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open. Song Wen looked up and saw Commissioner Gu standing outside with a serious expression. Lu Siyu also stopped recording, looking towards them.

Behind Commissioner Gu were four or five people. His expression was solemn, and as soon as Commissioner Gu arrived, Song Wen automatically made way for him. Commissioner Gu stood in front of everyone and said in a deep voice, “Today, everyone is working overtime here early in the morning. It’s really hard work. I have two pieces of news to share with you.”

He cleared his throat and announced, “First, Bai Luorui committed suicide in the detention center.”

This sentence stirred up waves of shock. Lao Jia couldn’t help but exclaim, “How is that possible?” They had gone to great lengths to capture her yesterday, and now, within a day, something had happened.

Zhu Xiao frowned and said, “It’s impossible. When I escorted her to the detention center, I had already searched her and changed her clothes.”

Lin Xiuran and Song Wen exchanged glances, shaking their heads slightly. Apparently, they were also unaware of this.

Commissioner Gu continued to explain, “Bai Luorui claimed that her bracelet had been worn for too long and couldn’t be removed. In the detention center, she brought the bracelet into the cell, poison was hidden in it, and last night, when no one was paying attention, she committed suicide. The hospital just reported that she’s already dead.”

Upon hearing this, Song Wen frowned slightly. When he arrested Bai Luorui, he had observed that bracelet. Her bracelet seemed to have been worn since childhood, and who could have imagined that the bracelet could be opened, and Bai Luorui had hidden poison in it.

Song Wen asked, “Have you interrogated the last person who had contact with Bai Luorui? Is it possible that it was a murder?”

Commissioner Gu shook his head, “The detention center has conducted an internal investigation, and surveillance footage has been retrieved. There was no one nearby during the time of her death. Their conclusion is that the suspect committed suicide.”

In an instant, Song Wen understood the meaning behind Bai Luorui’s last words – if I also reach that day, I will definitely cleanly end my own life, without burdening others. As proud and resolute as she was, she might have chosen death to put an end to everything from that moment onwards.

After hearing Commissioner Gu’s announcement, Lu Siyu bit the pen in her mouth, nibbling on it repeatedly.

Only the dead were truly safe, and now many answers would become secrets with Bai Luorui’s death.

“Secondly… this morning, I reported the news of Xia Weizhi’s confirmed death to the Provincial Bureau. Consequently, the Provincial Bureau has decided to conduct a special investigation into the Wushan Nursing Home case, and it will be supervised by Xu Changying, who has been dispatched by the Provincial Bureau.” Saying this, Commissioner Gu pointed to a tall and thin man behind him.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, with a straight posture and sharp eagle-like eyes. Stepping forward, he greeted everyone loudly, “Hello, everyone. I’m Xu Changying.”

Commissioner Gu continued, “Song Wen, your team has made significant contributions to solving the case, but for now, take a break. Don’t stretch yourselves too tight. Later, you’ll hand over to the special task force.” Then he turned to Lin Xiuran, “Chief Lin, cooperate well with Captain Xu’s work. Starting today, Captain Xu will turn this small meeting room into a temporary office and work with everyone for a while. Please take care of him and cooperate as much as possible.”

The second piece of news from Commissioner Gu caused as much shock as the first one. This meant that Song Wen’s team would be withdrawn from this case.

For a moment, there was a flurry of discussions.

Lao Jia couldn’t help but sneer, murmuring quietly below, “Here comes the peach picker~…”

The case of Zhang Peicai had always been handled by Song Wen, and now, after many years, the suspected case was brought out, and the suspect was proven to be dead…

So, at this moment, for some people, the truth seemed no longer important. A case from over a decade ago, the suspect was dead, as long as a convincing culprit was found, the case could be closed. Some meticulous individuals might still investigate who killed Xia Weizhi. If they were less careful, reporting a few names of deceased elderly people, linking them to the primary suspect, the case could be closed.

Lu Siyu, however, had a completely different perspective from Lao Jia. He secretly checked the map on his phone. The Provincial Bureau was a three-hour drive from their location, and it was evident that the team had rushed over upon receiving the news this morning.

Xu Changying, this name was not unfamiliar to Lu Siyu. The captain of the Provincial Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Team, 33 years old, with a remarkable career, had repeatedly solved various major cases. He was also a favorite subordinate of Commissioner Gu. His qualifications made him suitable for investigating this long-pending case. Since the Provincial Bureau had dispatched him, it didn’t seem like they intended to use a scapegoat to close the case.

Lu Siyu bit the pen cap, lifted his head, and looked at Xu Changying. Sensing that Xu Changying was looking at him, Lu Siyu quickly averted his gaze. The man’s gaze was sharp, like that of a hunter, making him feel uncomfortable.

Upon hearing this news, Fu Linjiang furrowed his brows in contemplation. It was possible that the higher-ups thought their team was too young and inexperienced to handle the Wushan Nursing Home case. However, in such situations, they would typically join the special task force to investigate together. Now, Commissioner Gu directly ordered Song Wen to hand over the case, which was not only unusual but also somewhat uncomfortable, giving the impression of taking over someone else’s territory.

As soon as this command was issued, everyone present was deep in thought. It seemed like they might not continue their work on the case. Commissioner Gu introduced a few other members of the special task force and made arrangements for their work. Afterwards, he glanced at Song Wen standing on the side and called him, “Song Wen, come with me.”

Song Wen knew Commissioner Gu had something to explain, and he followed him into the director’s office at the municipal bureau.

Sure enough, as soon as they entered, Commissioner Gu got straight to the point, “Bai Luorui’s death is not your responsibility. It happened after she was transported to the detention center, so don’t dwell on it. Don’t let this add to your pressure.”

Song Wen replied, “I didn’t find the poison; it’s still hard to avoid blame.”

Commissioner Gu sighed, “It’s not just you who didn’t notice. I didn’t, the detention center staff didn’t, and the on-duty personnel didn’t pay attention to her abnormality either. Everyone bears responsibility. Anyway, let’s discuss this matter later. At least Du Ruoxin and Wei Hong are still here. Zhang Peicai’s case will be slowly clarified. This case, you handled it well.”

Song Wen remained silent. The more Commissioner Gu praised him, the more he knew this was just a prelude to discussing handing over the case. Commissioner Gu did this to prevent any resentment.

Taking a sip of tea, Commissioner Gu continued, “As for the Wushan Nursing Home case, its impact is too significant, involving many people. Back then, Wu Qing broke his leg investigating this case. Although that was more than a decade ago, there’s still a possibility of danger. I reported to the Provincial Bureau early this morning, and they decided to take charge. It might be a good thing; we can finally get rid of this hot potato. Given your limited experience, this kind of reassignment is normal. Don’t think too much about it.”

Song Wen raised his head and said, “I understand. I will follow the arrangements of the higher-ups. If the case were in the hands of another captain, it would likely be taken over as well. I will gather the information with my team shortly.”

Commissioner Gu knew Song Wen’s temperament. Although he was usually easy to talk to, he could be quite competitive at times. Taking the case from Song Wen in front of everyone, Commissioner Gu had been concerned about his reaction. However, what Commissioner Gu didn’t expect was that Song Wen cooperated so readily this time and handed over the case without any resistance.

Leaning back in his chair, Commissioner Gu said, “You’ve just solved a case and become a hero for the municipal bureau. After the handover, take your team and rest for a couple of days. The Dragon Boat Festival holiday hasn’t ended yet, no need to be so tense. Cases are never-ending. When there’s a new one, I’ll assign it to you.”

Song Wen nodded and said, “Alright, Commissioner. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Well… nothing here.” Saying this, Commissioner Gu felt increasingly puzzled. However, looking at Song Wen’s expression, he couldn’t discern anything unusual. He could only hope that Song Wen was genuinely as indifferent as he appeared.

Song Wen walked out of Commissioner Gu’s office, and in the discreet corner of the first-floor corridor, he dialed Li Luanfang’s number. As soon as she answered, without waiting for her to speak, Song Wen said, “Mom, don’t think I don’t know who’s playing tricks behind the scenes.”

He didn’t quarrel with Commissioner Gu because he understood the situation and knew about Song Cheng’s temperament. This interference must be Song Cheng’s doing. Without a direct order from the Provincial Bureau chief, Commissioner Gu wouldn’t make such a decision. It was like sending someone to pull their team out of this case.

The reason Song Wen agreed so quickly was twofold. First, he knew this was Song Cheng’s arrangement, and second, because Lu Siyu was paying too much attention to this case. Perhaps, in a way, this was a good thing.

TN:

There are only three possible endings —aren’t there? — to any story: revenge, tragedy or forgiveness. That’s it. All stories end like that.

I wanted to avoid the cliffhanger endings by finishing the cases but the author isn’t following my plans! This case ends here with more questions than answers. See you in the next one~