Chapter 36

“This household’s head of the family is surnamed Zhou, named Zhou Chuguo. The deceased include him, his mother Chen Cuihua, and his wife Yang Li. This morning, someone heard screams from inside their house. When they rushed over, they found the door half-open, and there were bodies inside, so they called the police,” Zhang Dahai explained as he led them inside.

Lin Xiuran followed them inside, and Song Wen and Lu Siyu also put on gloves and shoe covers, entering the courtyard. Three people were already standing in the yard. Beside them, a middle-aged man with glasses, holding a forensic investigation box, stood next to a chubby guy taking photos. There was also a young police officer with acne, looking at the bodies in fear, hesitant to approach.

Zhang Dahai introduced, “Li De is the forensic doctor from our county police station, and he has worked with Dr. Lin before. The evidence collector Xiao Wu, that little detective named Meng, just call him Xiao Meng.”

Lin Xiuran looked around. It was evident that this small courtyard was the crime scene. He asked, “Are all the photos taken?”

Zhang Dahai nodded with a smile. “They’re all done.”

On the ground near the entrance, lay two bodies, a man and a woman, both around thirty years old. Presumably, it was Zhou Chuguo and his wife Yang Li.

As it was nearing summer, the two were not dressed heavily. The faces of the two corpses were pale, rigor mortis had set in, and their bodies displayed a somewhat eerie stiff posture. The buttons on the woman’s clothes were undone, and one of the man’s shoes had fallen to the side. There was a burn mark on the man’s right hand, clearly a sign of electrical shock.

Lin Xiuran furrowed his brows after glancing at them. “Have you moved these two bodies?”

The forensic doctor, Old Li, standing in the yard, was taken aback by the question and looked to Zhang Dahai for help. He didn’t intend to move these two, but Zhang Dahai had given orders in the morning.

In response to Lin Xiuran’s question, Zhang Dahai had to explain on the side, “When we arrived, these three were already dead. At that time, Zhou Chuguo’s hand was still holding onto the doorknob. We cut off the power, and to open the door smoothly, we pulled his hand down… Nothing else was touched. Oh, and we didn’t undo those buttons.”

“The undone buttons might have resulted from struggles. In such cases, it’s best not to move the bodies. Wait until we arrive to handle it,” Lin Xiuran said. He squatted down, roughly inspected the two bodies, looked at the burn mark on the man’s hand, and sensed the rigor mortis. “The time of death is between six and eight in the morning. The specific details depend on the autopsy results, but the cause of death should be electrocution.”

After saying this, he stood up and walked inside. Now, after a morning of sunlight, the accumulated water in the yard had reduced, but the dampness remained. In the center of the courtyard, in a puddle of water, lay an elderly woman, likely Zhou Chuguo’s mother, Chen Cuihua.

Lin Xiuran walked over for a detailed inspection. He lifted the elderly woman’s drooping hair and examined her face. The woman lay in the water on the ground, possibly hitting her head when falling. There were traces of blood on her forehead. Her face was pale, her eyes half-open, and her posture lying on the ground resembled a lump of flesh. Due to the electrocution, her fingers were spasming, resembling the tightened claws of an animal, as if trying to grasp something.

“Now, it’s confirmed as a murder. The perpetrator is very familiar with the surrounding situation, likely someone known to the victims. We can rule out random crimes. It would be best to apply for additional personnel and thoroughly investigate nearby stations to prevent the suspect from escaping,” Song Wen said, putting on gloves. “Pay attention to the movements of people in the village as well.”

Only now did Zhang Dahai think of this. His expression changed slightly as he took out his phone. “I’ll make the call right away.”

Song Wen could tell that Zhang Dahai was more of a blunt instrument, unable to rely on for much. The young police officer and the evidence collector clearly lacked experience, probably having seen few dead bodies. He directed them to carry out the basic on-site investigation, then turned back to ask Zhang Dahai, “Did the village chief come? With such a big incident in the village, was he here?”

“Don’t mention it. The old village chief had a stroke years ago and just passed away two months ago. There are a few people in the village currently fighting for the position of village chief. Those people usually fight fiercely, but when a real problem arises, they all back down one by one. Now the deputy chief is handling affairs. He came this morning before you arrived, emphasized the importance of solving the case, and asked for full cooperation from the village,” Zhang Dahai explained, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket and offering one to Song Wen.

Song Wen waved his hand. “I don’t smoke.”

Zhang Dahai persisted, “Come on, don’t be polite. Although these cigarettes may not be as fancy as the ones from your place, they’re still good.”

Song Wen, with a stern expression, said, “This is a crime scene. If you want to smoke, do it outside.”

Only then did Zhang Dahai give in, sighed, and put the cigarette behind his ear.

Lu Siyu knew Song Wen’s personality. In daily life, he would show the respect due to an elderly person, but when it came to work, Song Wen would become serious. Whoever didn’t do their job well would face his sternness, regardless of qualifications or age. He wouldn’t give any face, straightforward and uncompromising. Zhang Dahai tried to flatter, but it backfired. Song Wen made sure to teach him a lesson.

Then Song Wen asked Zhang Dahai, “What were the occupations of these deceased individuals?”

Zhang Dahai replied, “Chen Cuihua had been unemployed for a long time, Zhou Chuguo was the accountant in the village, and Yang Li worked in farming while taking care of the family.”

Song Wen nodded, entered the house, looked around, and noticed that Chen Cuihua lived on the first floor, and Zhou Chuguo and his wife lived on the second floor. This family seemed entirely unprepared for misfortune. There were still uneaten leftovers in the kitchen. From the outside, the house was well-built, suggesting a prosperous life. However, for some reason, the interior decoration was very simple, and the items on the table were all vegetables, making it look like a financially tight situation.

“There are no signs of disturbance inside the house. The rooms and doors show no traces of outsiders entering. The perpetrator didn’t even enter the yard. The money placed on the table at home wasn’t stolen. It’s not for money, and everyone’s clothes are intact, so it’s not for lust. It should be for revenge or other reasons. The killer wanted this entire family dead,” Song Wen said while inspecting the scene.

Lu Siyu nodded. “This case is definitely not incidental. The perpetrator went through careful preparation and planning, waiting for such a heavy rain.” Electrocution allowed the killer to commit the crime without entering the house, making it easier to hide the identity.

“Last night, it rained from six to eight. After eight-thirty, the rain completely stopped. So, the time the electric wire was set up should be between eight-thirty and seven the next morning. The killer knew that as long as there was heavy rain, the yard would flood,” Song Wen said, returning to the entrance, opening and closing the door. “The electricity is directly connected to the iron gate. The threshold is relatively high, making the yard safe when the door is closed. There’s no way to detect the wire on the gate. Zhou Chuguo likely opened the door in the morning, got electrocuted, couldn’t break free, and when Yang Li tried to pull him away, they got stuck together. She stepped into the water in the yard, essentially bringing the electricity into the yard. Chen Cuihua, who rushed out after hearing the commotion, was also electrocuted.”

This family of three had no idea that their iron gate had been turned into a murder weapon by the killer, resulting in their demise on this fateful morning.

Lu Siyu, recording quietly on the side, couldn’t help but visualize the tragic scene from the morning. The electric arcs crackled in the yard, and the three individuals didn’t even have time to scream. They convulsed continuously, and soon, they became completely still. The sensation of electric currents entering the body was an unbearable stabbing pain, like hot needles burning into the skin, like caterpillars rapidly crawling through the flesh, until those currents hit the heart, causing sudden cardiac arrest.

Lu Siyu labeled each specific location measurement, slightly frowned, looked at the gloved fingers that are not convenient to bite and opened his mouth to hold the pen in his hand. What kind of person was harboring such a great hatred for this family?

After marking the specific positions on the outside, Lu Siyu walked into the room. His gaze fell on a notebook, and he casually opened it, finding Zhou Chuguo’s ledger. Every account was meticulously recorded, down to the smallest detail, with different colors used for various life events. There were several similar ledgers on the shelf. Next to them was a biscuit tin. Lu Siyu opened it with his hands and found various receipts, neatly stacked. He looked at the earliest receipt, dating back several years.

“… Judging by this height, the perpetrator should be over 1.75 meters tall, a man. At least, the person handling the electric wire is likely a man. The killer should be familiar with the deceased family, as only someone acquainted would know their location and situation, how to rig the wire, and where to tie it. The killer possesses some electrical knowledge and likely wore insulated gloves to carry out the operation,” Song Wen quickly assessed. Then, he looked outside and asked Zhang Dahai, “Have footprints at the entrance been collected as evidence?”

Zhang Dahai replied, “Captain Song, you know, it rained heavily last night, and this morning, people who reported the case were also observing at the entrance. There are not many valuable traces.”

Song Wen didn’t buy his excuses, thought for a moment, and said, “That’s not right. It rained last night, and the ground at the entrance is damp. The terrain is higher, making it easier to leave footprints. Moreover, the killer needed to be close to the door’s blinds to set up the wire. That angle should have been a blind spot, and onlookers wouldn’t have stepped there.”

Song Wen crouched down at the entrance and saw two overlapping footprints in that position. The upper one had more distinct patterns, and Song Wen found it very familiar. He then turned his head with a hint of anger and looked at Zhang Dahai. “Captain Zhang, aren’t these your shoeprints?”

At a glance, Zhang Dahai’s shoeprints matched the ones on the ground. His face turned red, “Uh, well… I probably didn’t pay attention when I checked the wire this morning.”

Zhang Dahai had boasted about the intact crime scene, but in the end, Lin Xiuran and Song Wen found flaws, akin to being slapped in the face twice. He had taken the yard as the crime scene without careful consideration, not realizing that the killer hadn’t entered but had only lingered at the entrance.

Although Song Wen was frustrated, he had no way to change the situation. Everyone knew the importance of preserving the crime scene, but in reality, the scene was often compromised by the reporting party or early arriving crowds, making subsequent investigations challenging. The front part of the footprints in front had been damaged by Zhang Dahai, making them indistinct and unrecognizable; only half of a heel was left outside.

Song Wen lifted his head and asked, “Have photos been taken here?”

Zhang Dahai, now awakened from his stupor, instructed the forensic expert to take photos and the young detective underneath to extract and measure the footprints.

Watching the chaotic figures of the team, Captain Song, the workaholic, sighed helplessly. These teammates were really hard to handle.

Lu Siyu walked over to inspect the damaged evidence and said, “At least, there’s still half of a shoeprint left. Let’s take a photo first; it can be used for partial footprint identification.” He blinked, trying to visually separate the two footprints, then spoke after a moment, “This footprint is approximately size 43, with a thick sole and wave patterns at the heel. From this, we can infer that the person handling the wire is male, around 180 cm tall. Judging by the positions of the two footprints, this person’s stance is slightly pigeon-toed.”

Although Zhang Dahai was a bit confused, he understood the importance of the footprints. Scratching his head, he said, “I heard there’s an expert at the Provincial Police Academy who can determine identities just from footprints. It’s quite magical.”

Lu Siyu glanced at him and casually said, “You’re probably talking about my mentor.”

Each person’s footprint was one of the most basic behavioral characteristics, related to age, weight, height, and even past experiences. No two fingerprints in the world were identical, and similarly, even if wearing the same shoes, two footprints wouldn’t be exactly the same. After Wu Qing retreated from the front line, he conducted systematic research on evidence at crime scenes, such as footprints and bloodstains, and even published several papers. Lu Siyu benefited greatly from studying under him.

With a smile, Zhang Dahai turned to Lu Siyu and said, “A great master has excellent disciples. This case should be solved quickly with his guidance.”

Ignoring him, Lu Siyu continued to press the shutter button on the camera.

“Expand the search area. Check if there are similar footprints in other places in the village. In the afternoon, we can narrow down the suspects, try individuals with similar shoes one by one, and see if it’s the same person,” Song Wen instructed, looking at the scene and emphasizing, “After restoring power later, measure the current and voltage on the door when it’s electrified. Be very careful during the measurement, and after that, carefully remove it and check where the wire is connected, the brand, length, and any other information.”

Zhang Dahai reluctantly nodded. In the county of Luning, where he was stationed, there were only a few homicide cases each year, most of them relatively simple in nature—either with eyewitnesses or crimes of passion. If not for the unusually high death toll and the eerie circumstances of this case, he wouldn’t have called Song Wen’s team.

Accustomed to being domineering in his territory, Zhang Dahai was used to everyone respectfully addressing him as Constable Zhang. However, now that he had brought in this captain of the criminal investigation team, who was efficient and didn’t care about his face, he felt both angry and resentful. Still, he had to follow Song Wen’s lead on the surface.

During this time, Lin Xiuran had finished examining the three bodies. He stood up and said, “On Zhou Chuguo’s body, there are signs of a struggle under the ribs and knees. Currently, it’s impossible to determine if these marks are related to the case. The three individuals were almost simultaneously electrocuted. For more details, we’ll have to wait until the autopsy results at the funeral home. Later, let’s split into two teams.”

The vehicle for transporting the bodies was already parked at the door, and it seemed that Lin Xiuran was in a hurry. Old Li and a few others helped Lin Xiuran lift the bodies onto the vehicle.

“We’ll stay in touch,” Song Wen said, waving his hand after seeing Lin Xiuran off. He then looked at the scene and summarized, “Male, around 180 cm tall, acquaintance, knowledgeable about electricity, and has a grudge against this family. The crime occurred from last night to this morning. Captain Zhang, this is your area. Do you have any suspects?”

Zhang Dahai, somewhat afraid of Song Wen, thought for a moment and said, “Seems like there might be some suspicious individuals… However, I haven’t been back to the village for a long time. I need to verify.”

Song Wen continued, “Screen the people who meet the criteria first. If you find any with significant suspicion, we’ll conduct individual investigations.”

Zhang Dahai nodded quickly. “Alright, alright, it’s a simple matter. I’ll check the residents’ information and screen those who fit the criteria. I estimate there are about a dozen in the village.”

At this point, Lu Siyu frowned and said, “Constable Zhang, I saw children’s clothing in their house. You mentioned that Yang Li has been staying at home, taking care of the family. Where is their child?”

Bringing up this matter, Zhang Dahai looked a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat and explained, “The Zhou couple had a son, but it’s a rather tragic story. Their child, a boy named Zhou Cong, had an accidental drowning two months ago when spring had just begun.”

“Why didn’t you mention this crucial information earlier?” Song Wen, hearing this, scolded Zhang Dahai. Technically, this information should have been shared when they first arrived at the scene, but it was only mentioned when Lu Siyu noticed it.

Zhang Dahai looked awkward. “Well, you didn’t ask just now.”

“So coincidental? Was it a drowning accident?” Song Wen asked, frowning. This family seemed to be cursed by the Grim Reaper—losing their son to drowning just two months ago, and now the adults facing another tragedy. Although it was considered an accident, the timing was too close. Perhaps the child’s accident was not as simple as it seemed, and it might be related to the current case.

Zhang Dahai explained, “Well… the child drowned when he went out to play with his father. He got lost, and half the village went to help search nearby. Eventually, he was found by the river. At that time, it was early spring, and the river occasionally had rising water. In less than a minute, the water level, which only reached ankle height, could rise to an adult’s waist. The child probably didn’t notice and got caught up in the rising water while playing.”

“What happened afterward? Was there an autopsy? Was it confirmed as an accident?” Song Wen continued to inquire.

Zhang Dahai, with some anger in his voice, said, “Their child, Zhou Cong, was only six and a half years old. The family didn’t want an autopsy; they said they didn’t want the child’s body to be dissected after death. We advised them to sign for the autopsy just to be cautious. However, when we opened up the body, all we found was drowning fluid. The child had drowned! We had to sew it back up. Because of this, Zhou Chuguo didn’t look at me with a good face for a long time.”

Fearful of any oversight, Song Wen asked Zhang Dahai again, “From the outside, this family’s house looks well-off, but why does it feel financially tight inside?”

Zhang Dahai explained, “Well, you folks don’t know our local customs. Here, there’s a saying: ‘Empty the family fortune to marry a wife, joyfully sell a daughter.’ In these parts, girls are scarce, and there are many eligible men. The marriage market here has driven prices up. For each marriage, including the betrothal gifts and other expenses, it sums up to tens of thousands.”

“For you city folks, this might be a negligible amount, but for rural people, it’s a lifetime’s savings… Many families bite the bullet to ask for a wife, even borrowing money to marry. Some families, with both sons and daughters, sell their daughters and use the dowry money to marry off their sons. After marrying, there’s still the need for a banquet, inviting the whole village. Country folks care about their face; they want Maotai liquor and Zhongnanhai cigarettes. The money collected for the wedding is never enough; they end up spending extra.”

“The Zhou family is the same. They spent most of their savings building the house, and a few years ago, they spent the remaining money to marry off their daughter. They even incurred debts. Now, their life is just scraping by.”

Song Wen sighed, “Here it seems close to Nan City, why are marriage prices higher than there?”

Zhang Dahai laughed, “The more rural a place, the more traditions it holds. Many girls here want to leave, and in the end, they get taken away by you city folks.”

After chatting for a while with Zhang Dahai and realizing that there might not be any other clues for the time being, Song Wen said, “If there’s no evidence indicating that the child’s death is related to this case, let’s focus on this case first. Constable Zhang, we’ll trouble you with the rest.” With that, he pulled Lu Siyu, saying, “Let’s go, it’s time for lunch. We’ll eat.”

TN:

The author really likes portraying the police minus MCs as incompetent and/or ignorant + arrogant ☠️. This was a major sore spot for the readers of Criminal Investigation Notes haha.