Free Web NovelChapter 116: Chapter 115: Found the Murder Weapon_1
Xu Dayuan finished his question and stared at Luo Suqin.
The old lady wrung her hands together, just lightly shaking her head.
"We only have this one cell phone, why must the census require seeing the person in question?"
At this moment, Mr. Zhao walked in from the outside, holding a cotton swab and looking towards Zhou Ning.
Zhou Ning approached, and Mr. Zhao whispered:
"I found blood traces in the gaps of the tricycle’s rear bin with the Luminol reagent. I think if we disassemble the rear bin, we could collect more blood traces."
Seeing their actions, Xu Dayuan understood everything and walked over to the old lady’s side.
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Xu Dayuan, the captain of the Qindao City Criminal Police Brigade First Team, not some beat cop. We found dismembered skeletal remains around the Xinghua City Xiaolongshan Han Dynasty Tombs, and after reconstructing the skull, the deceased was identified as Zhang Min’an.
Just now, my people found blood traces in your house. Are you still going to tell me your spouse went back to his hometown? If he did go back home, then tell me, which day and which train did he take? I can check that."
Luo Suqin was stunned, clutching the corner of her clothes and shaking her head while collapsing into a chair.
Xu Dayuan rubbed his hair and snatched the tablet out of Mr. Liu’s hand. It displayed Luo Suqin’s household registration information, with the marital status clearly stating ’unmarried.’ Seeing Luo Suqin’s reaction, he felt exasperated.
"You must have seen the news from a couple of days ago as well. This case has been exploited by foreign media, stirring up controversy, discussing the public security issues of Hua Country and human rights problems. Not only is the Qindao City Public Security Bureau under great pressure, but so are the city officials and the Ludong Provincial Committee.
Let’s not wear down each other’s patience. I will ask again, what exactly is your relationship with Zhang Min’an? Don’t tell me he’s your spouse, as Zhang Min’an’s registration records indicate he’s a widower."
There was silence, and Luo Suqin did not speak for a long time.
Xu Dayuan tried to rise, but Zhou Ning held him down; being impatient now was pointless. From Luo Suqin’s reaction, it was clear that even if she wasn’t the murderer, she knew something.
Zhou Ning held up the evidence bag in his hand, and Luo Suqin glanced sidelong at it; the evidence bag was transparent, and its contents were clearly visible.
"Luo Suqin, I am a forensic doctor. Just now, we found a razor and a toothbrush at your house. These items, along with the blood traces from the vehicle, will be compared with the victim’s DNA, and the results could be available in three to six hours.
What you say then, as opposed to now, will be entirely different. So I advise you to think carefully, and then answer Officer Xu’s question.
Furthermore, I know that Zhang Min’an had bone cancer. The duration of his illness couldn’t have been short; he probably mistook it for rheumatism and sought treatment both in Qindao and in the provincial capital, but he didn’t pursue further treatment.
Because further treatment would mean amputation; of course, during the diagnostic process, it might have been found that he had another form of cancer. This problem on his leg might only be metastasis from the bones. Am I right?"
The word ’amputation’ seemed to strike Luo Suqin, her face turned pale, and her forehead was covered in sweat. Though she remained seated, her gaze seemed unfocused. She covered her chest, breathing with difficulty, and squeezed out a few words.
"I... didn’t expect, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. I haven’t... killed anyone, I really haven’t... killed anyone..."
Then her body leaned sideways, falling backward.
Zhou Ning was standing behind Luo Suqin; he caught the old lady and laid her down on the ground, placing his left hand at the position of the carotid artery, and shouted towards Mr. Zhao at the door:
"Mr. Zhao, look for medicine in the bedroom, check the bedside table and the cabinet, see if there’s any nitroglycerin, Mr. Liu, call an ambulance."
Both men sprang into action, and Zhou Ning loosened Luo Suqin’s belt and began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, while Xu Dayuan stood by, stamping his feet in anxiety.
Such an emergency had caught them off guard; at least she had to be saved first, or else the case would be at a standstill again.
Mr. Zhao searched quickly, coming back with nitroglycerin. Zhou Ning inserted the medicine into Luo Suqin’s mouth, and Mr. Zhao took over CPR from Zhou Ning, who seemingly lacked the physical strength. The sound of the ambulance approached from a distance.
As the paramedics entered, Mr. Zeng and the others also rushed into the yard. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Xu Dayuan waved his hand, indicating for everyone to make way for the medical staff first. The emergency doctor checked the patient, and Zhou Ning glanced at the time and explained the onset of the illness along with the rescue process.
The emergency doctor immediately measured Luo Suqin’s blood pressure, performed an electrocardiogram, and administered emergency medication. Watching the stable condition, he nodded to Zhou Ning.
"The condition has stabilized, we’re heading to the hospital now. Is this person a crime suspect or a family member? Are you coming with us?"
Seeing Xu Dayuan’s gesture, Mr. Zeng quickly ordered two people to follow.
After the emergency personnel left, Xu Dayuan stood in front of the main house’s door, surveying the whole courtyard.
"Alright, Mr. Zeng, you take people to assist with the trace search. The houses in the village, even if they’re sold, cannot have their household registration transferred, can’t be newly built or expanded, and are not eligible for demolition compensation. They only have usage rights. Mr. Liu, come with me to canvas the neighboring residents and then visit the village committee to understand the situation."
Having said that, Xu Dayuan took his team and left, while Mr. Zhao sighed, wiping sweat off his forehead.
"Tough luck, if only I had known to bring some trace detection teams from the other groups. We only have one camera; how long is this going to take? Comrade Zhou Xiaozhou, where shall we start first?"
Although he was grumbling, the look he gave Zhou Ning was filled with excitement.
In fact, Zhou Ning had already inspected the main house earlier. It had a cement floor with patches and fine cracks. If there were bloodstains on such a surface, they would certainly remain. This wasn’t the primary crime scene.
Thinking of the saw marks on the victim’s bones, Zhou Ning turned his gaze to the east wing room.
"The west wing room is filled with grains, and items like freshly pressed peanut oil. Let’s go check the east wing. The presence of the tricycle here suggests this is either a toolshed or a storeroom. If we can find an electric saw, it will be easiest to extract the remaining substances on it, completing the evidence chain."
Zhao Xinli smiled broadly, donning his equipment, and with a carrying case in hand, hurriedly rushed to the door of the east wing. The two officers also came over and took Luminol reagent distributed by Mr. Zhao to begin spraying in the east wing.
As the reagent finished dispersing, a police officer closed the door, and Zhou Ning turned on the ultraviolet light in his hand. In the dim room, the floor and a table beside it were covered in blue-green fluorescence, with traces of drips, splatters, wipes, and dilution states all present.
The shelf had a metal lockbox surrounded by fluorescent handprints, as well as light, faint traces of wiping and flowing.
Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao walked over, turned on a flashlight, and shone it on the metal box. As the light from the flashlight passed over, they could see that the box’s surface had been cleaned. Mr. Zhao lifted the box and set it on the table.
By this time, the room’s door had been opened, and the lights turned on. Mr. Zhao exhaled, feeling both nervous and excited.
"Time to open the mystery box, let’s see if we can find the murder weapon!"
He reached out to pull, the lid did not open, but the sound of the lock clattered, causing the padlock to jiggle.
Mr. Zhao’s expression faltered, and he pulled down his mask a bit, hands on his hips.
"Luo Suqin actually used a combination lock. I rushed out so quickly I didn’t bring the big bolt cutters for picking locks. Do you have those big cutters in your car? If not, we’ll have to buy one from a nearby hardware store!"
Zhou Ning raised his hand to stop Mr. Zhao’s actions. The combination lock had four digits. After a brief thought, he began to spin the dials, attempting 1116, Luo Suqin’s birthday, but it didn’t open.
Then he tried 0817, and this time, when he pulled, the lock’s latch sprung open. Mr. Zhao gave a thumbs up.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, your brain really works wonders. Could it be both their birthdates?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"The password is Zhang Min’an’s birthdate."
Mr. Zhao grabbed the edge of the box and gave it a tug. Inside, there was a handheld single-tooth electric saw.
This time they didn’t need the Luminol reagent to see the bloodstains—the on/off switch and the notches had traces of blood, and there were remnants of white bone fragments on the saw blade.
"We’ve found the murder weapon!"
