Chapter 8

Later, Lin Xiuran continued, pulling out his fingers. “If it stabs the heart, the victim might die within a few minutes, too late for any rescue. This could be the cause of death, but due to the missing internal organs, we cannot rule out other potential causes, such as massive bleeding shock caused by abdominal organ damage, or death from a knife piercing an artery in the neck, or other reasons. Moreover, relying solely on the skeletal traces, we cannot confirm that the stabbing to the chest occurred while the victim was alive.”

Xu Yao added, “I think it’s unlikely to be a knife in the neck. If the neck was knifed, there might be a large amount of sprayed blood, but we didn’t find a significant blood response on the blood-stained clothes that had been cut and cleaned. This doesn’t seem to fit.”

Lin Xiuran explained, “These are just forensic inferences. These are the main findings from the autopsy. Other details are irrelevant, such as no bleeding points on the back, no damage to the skull, no fractures in the hyoid bone, and no other scars on the body. The body is severely mutilated, so we cannot obtain more information through forensic dissection alone.”

After Lin Xiuran finished speaking, he began to tidy up the relevant images. Once everything was packed, he summarized, “Let me review my findings for everyone. From the condition of the body, the estimated time of death for the victim was between 6:00 PM and 12:00 AM on that day. Due to being soaked in ice water and losing crucial information, we can’t pinpoint the time of death more precisely. The cause of death is suspected to be a knife stabbing through the chest into the heart. I believe this might be a case involving someone known to the victim, not a serial case. Based on the knife wounds, the dismemberer should be a single individual, not very strong, certainly not a robust man, but also not extremely frail—at least an independent adult. The perpetrator has some understanding of the human body and organs, possibly with a certain medical background.”

Lin Xiuran, who turned thirty this year, was currently in the prime of his forensic career—experienced and energetic. His calm demeanor, clear logic, and concise manner made him an efficient forensic expert, contributing significantly to solving cases. After his analysis, everyone had gained some new insights into the case.

“I previously retrieved the surveillance route. Although there are no complete images, it can be roughly determined that the victim returned home around 8:30 PM,” Zhu Xiao gathered various clues and supplemented the timeline.

Xu Yao also summarized the physical evidence information. “In terms of physical evidence, the previous evidence chart has been compiled. Similar to Dr. Lin’s discovery, the victim was in a cohabiting relationship, meaning there was another person in the house before. The results of hair and DNA comparisons from the comb and pillow match, confirming the same individual. There are many traces inside the house, fingerprints on doorknobs, in the toilet, in the dining room—fingerprints are everywhere. On the knife thrown away with the body parts, we also obtained a clear fingerprint, matching some of the fingerprint traces inside the house.”

The presence of fingerprints was undoubtedly good news. Song Wen asked, “Where is the process of retrieving fingerprints at?”

“At Commissioner Gu’s office.”

With most fingerprint data already obtained from second-generation ID cards, it just needed to go through an approval process. After comparing with the household registration data, the person’s identity could be determined.

“With fingerprints on the murder weapon, can we now identify the suspect?” Fu Linjiang asked.

Lao Jia nodded and said, “This person disappeared after the crime. I guess they went into hiding. I thought this case would be difficult, but now it seems that solving it is just around the corner.”

“Let me see the murder weapon that was found.” Song Wen extended his hand for the evidence, and Xu Yao handed him a evidence bag containing a bloodstained knife.

Song Wen examined it carefully and raised a different point, “I think this may not be the murder weapon. Based on the two notches in the ribs we just observed, we can determine the width of the weapon and simulate its shape. Only a double-edged knife could create such wounds. This knife might just be a tool used for dismembering.”

Lin Xiuran took the knife and looked at it, nodding, “Yes, such a tool can only create wounds on a single rib. It does not match the wounds on the chest.”

“Is it possible that the killer used this knife to stab the victim in the abdomen, and the knife in the chest was done with another weapon?” Fu Linjiang proposed another hypothesis.

Song Wen lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then shook his head, “It’s a bit too complicated. At this point in the case analysis, I’m a bit puzzled. With the body destroyed like this, does it make sense to conceal the cause of death? When dismembering at the permanent residence, wearing gloves, and leaving fingerprints and blood on a lost murder weapon, it doesn’t make sense. The killer spent the entire day yesterday handling the body. Since they wore gloves, they should have cleaned up all traces. The killer didn’t deliberately handle fingerprints in other rooms, yet left traces on the murder weapon. This doesn’t match his usual cautious behavior.”

The appearance of this knife was too coincidental. Fingerprints were everywhere in the house, but there was no gain on the main tool used for dismembering the body. Yet, fingerprints appeared on the knife thrown with the body, stained with blood. Many aspects of this situation didn’t make sense. It seemed like the killer left something for them intentionally.

After a moment of silence, Song Wen, with a sharp gaze, spoke of another possibility, “This knife might be intentionally misleading us.”

Everyone fell silent for a moment. To mislead the police in their judgment? Then the purpose was to frame Lin Zhenghua’s cohabitant?

“What do you think, Lu Siyu?” Song Wen suddenly looked up and asked.

“Me?” Lu Siyu was surprised to be suddenly singled out and unconsciously licked his lips.

Song Wen said, “It’s okay. Say whatever comes to your mind.”

Lu Siyu glanced through his notebook, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “This case is quite brutal. I think the person who dismembered the body has a strong psychological endurance. The way of dismemberment, excluding female suspects cannot be ruled out.”

Lin Xiuran nodded, “Because of empathy, when a female perpetrator kills another female, compared to a male perpetrator, there is less abuse to the chest and reproductive organs. When a male perpetrator kills another male, they are also less likely to target male organs. In rare cases, this may happen due to a love rival relationship, using such behavior for emotional retaliation, or the perpetrator is inherently twisted.”

The perspective raised by Lu Siyu was something the others hadn’t considered. Song Wen followed his thoughts, suddenly understanding something, raised an eyebrow, and looked at him, not expressing any opinions.

Lu Siyu, sensing Song Wen’s gaze, looked up and saw Song Wen looking at him, then quickly lowered his head and started jotting something down in his notebook.

Fu Linjiang nodded in agreement, “If it’s just for killing and covering tracks, there’s no need for these unnecessary actions. Shredding or simmering would make more sense. Also, the killer used a lot of unnecessary effort when handling the body.”

In other words, these steps for body disposal were too extreme. The killer seemed not to care whether others would identify the victim. Instead, they deliberately concealed the wounds and certain details. What kind of logic was this?

Song Wen swiveled the chair and made a decision, “Anyway, the case has made significant progress up to this point. Whether the cohabitant of the deceased is the murderer or not, we need to investigate thoroughly. His fingerprints appearing on the relevant tools indicate his involvement. The more information we gather, the more helpful it will be for solving the case. Zhu Xiao, hurry up and summarize information about the deceased. Clarify the identity of the cohabitant. Fu Linjiang, you continue investigating the case with Lao Jia. Now, I think it’s necessary for us to meet the family of the deceased.” He stood up as he spoke, “That’s our other suspect.”

Zhong Qing, a 38-year-old housewife, was Lin Zhenghua’s wife. Zhong Qing graduated from a medical school, worked as a nurse in cardiovascular surgery for a year, and married Lin Zhenghua at the age of 22. A year later, she gave birth to their son. Shortly after the child was born, Zhong Qing resigned from her job and became a housewife.

To outsiders, Lin Zhenghua worked outside, had a good income, while Zhong Qing managed the household efficiently. Their son, Lin Shang, had excellent academic achievements and attended a prestigious school. It seemed like a happy and harmonious family.

But in places unknown to everyone, they had their hidden pain.

Song Wen looked at the woman in front of him. Zhong Qing was about 1.6 meters tall, somewhat petite. She took good care of herself, maintaining her figure without gaining weight. Her real age was hard to guess; she looked like a woman in her early thirties. Her eyes were swollen, and she seemed a bit helpless, rubbing the hem of her clothes. Today, she was notified to claim the body.

After signing a series of documents, Zhong Qing was led to the mortuary’s storage area. Lin Xiuran was a professional forensic doctor, and every body he dissected would be carefully sutured afterward. This body was no exception. After the limbs were pieced together, everything was treated as much as possible to make the body look less chaotic.

The cold storage door was opened slightly, revealing only Lin Zhenghua’s head. Zhong Qing covered her mouth, nodded, and then took two steps back, tears streaming down her face.

Song Wen took her out of the mortuary, and they sat in the special waiting room for family members. Song Wen asked Lu Siyu to pour her a cup of warm water and handed her the death certificate. Song Wen had seen too many reactions during the process of claiming a body. Each person’s response varied—some were frightened, unable to accept, hysterical, fainting, indifferent. Comparatively, this woman’s reaction was relatively calm.

“Now, we are still investigating the cause of your husband’s death. Can we ask you a few questions?” Song Wen waited for Zhong Qing’s emotions to calm down and then began to question her. It was a routine inquiry and part of the detective’s job.

Zhong Qing held the water cup in her hands, seeming to draw strength from the slight warmth of the water. She straightened her back and nodded. Her actions revealed that she was an educated woman, and her words and actions were quite restrained.

With her consent, Song Wen looked at Lu Siyu, indicating for him to start the questioning. This was Lu Siyu’s first time interrogating a suspect. He looked up at Zhong Qing, seeming a bit nervous, licked his lips lightly, and asked, “When was the last time you saw Lin Zhenghua?”

“About a week ago. He… doesn’t come home often. We are basically living separately.” With Lin Zhenghua dead, concealing those details was meaningless now, and disguising a harmonious family had lost its purpose.

“Do you know if your husband was cohabiting with someone else outside?” Lu Siyu continued to ask.

Zhong Qing nodded gently, “Yes, he rarely touched me after our son was born. He rented a house outside for years, sometimes staying away for several consecutive days, and occasionally coming home to see our son.” She took a sip of water and continued, “Their circle is quite chaotic. In recent years, as far as I know, he has changed partners several times. The latest one was called… “

“Called what?”

Zhong Qing struggled to recall and uttered a name, “Something… Hui.”

“Do you think anyone among them would want to harm your husband?”

Zhong Qing shook her head.

“Have there been any unusual occurrences recently?”

Again, Zhong Qing shook her head. Then, as if recalling something, she nodded and said, “But recently, he seemed troubled, and he once borrowed money from me, though his reasons were quite vague.”

“Borrowed money?” Song Wen furrowed his brow; this couple truly led separate lives.

Zhong Qing explained, “After we got married, half of his salary was supposed to be given to me, and he could spend the other half. Lin Zhenghua’s salary has never been low. Besides our living expenses, I managed to save some money. However, recently, he suddenly wanted to borrow money from me.”

Continuing the questioning, Lu Siyu asked, “Did you lend him the money?”

Upon hearing this question, Zhong Qing hesitated for a moment, lowered her head, and muttered like a mosquito, “Not initially, but later… I gave him one hundred thousand.”

One hundred thousand, another crucial point. Could Lin Zhenghua’s death be related to money? Considering the amount he had on hand, it was likely more than that. He had Zhu Xiao check Lin Zhenghua’s income, around five hundred thousand per year. But if it was about money, why were there no signs of robbery inside the house? The victim’s phone and wallet were not missing.

“On the night of the incident, from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., where were you, and what were you doing?” After seeing Zhong Qing’s distressed expression, Lu Siyu didn’t delve deeper into the money issue. Instead, he asked other questions.

Zhong Qing recollected and twisted her handbag strap, “That night, my son had a tutoring class, and I took him there. It started at 8:30.”

“How many students were there in the class?”

“It was a small class, a total of eight students.”

With a small number of students in the tutoring class, if she claimed to have been there, it would likely be difficult to fake.

“It started at 8:30, and until when did it last? What were you doing while your son was in the tutoring class?”

“From 8:30 to 10:30 at night, a two-hour English class. I waited for him at a nearby café. Since I often went there, the staff knew me.”

After asking a dozen or so questions, Lu Siyu looked at Song Wen, seeking his opinion and if there were any additional questions he wanted to ask. Song Wen spoke to Zhong Qing, “Do you love Lin Zhenghua?”

Zhong Qing, seemingly unprepared for this sudden question from the head of the criminal investigation team, and such a sharp one at that, was momentarily tongue-tied.

Song Wen suppressed his usual smile, his gaze steady. He continued to press, one word at a time, “Married to a homosexual, living in disharmony. Have you never thought about getting a divorce?”

Zhong Qing had never been asked such a question. The enduring pain was suddenly laid bare, and her face turned red, “I… I…”

Staring directly into her eyes, Song Wen pursued relentlessly, “Don’t you hate him?”

Lu Siyu glanced at Song Wen, the man’s gaze as sharp as a sword. His previous questions were relatively gentle, but now, Song Wen aimed directly at the heart of the matter.

Upon hearing the final question, Zhong Qing suddenly seemed like a snake struck at its vital spot. She lost control, tears streaming down heavily from her eyes. However, she tried to force a smile, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes, creating a stark contrast on her distorted face…