Free Web NovelChapter 232: Chapter 229: The Ex-Husband Died_1
January 30, 2012.
Zhou Ning arrived at the technical department early. As soon as he entered the office, Sun Gaotie came in, holding a stack of test results. Seeing Zhou Ning, Sun Gaotie hurried over.
"Team leader, the autopsy and initial crime scene sampling results have come out. Take a look. Oh yes, there are also samples taken from the deceased’s home, as well as the lab fingerprint comparison results."
Zhou Ning took the reports and carefully read through them.
By the end, Zhou Ning slightly furrowed his brows, just as Mr. Zhao and Xu Dayuan entered, pausing upon seeing Zhou Ning’s expression.
"What’s wrong, Zhou Xiaozhou? Is there a problem with the test results?"
Zhou Ning shook his head, his face serious as he spoke.
"On the contrary, we can almost say that we found nothing significant. There were no drugs or anesthetic substances in the victim’s body. The analysis of the stomach contents revealed beef, onions, and broccoli. Judging from the degree of digestion, the victim died within an hour after the meal.
At the first crime scene, besides the fingerprints left by the victim, no valid fingerprints were found. As for the victim’s home, we collected fingerprints belonging to Fang Wenjie, the victim, her nanny Wen Xiue, and the victim’s ex-husband, Qin Xuejin."
Xu Dayuan frowned and threw a phone call record onto the table.
"Our progress on this side is not good either, so I didn’t call a case analysis meeting. The last call she made was at 12:34 PM on January 3rd. The call to her mobile phone came from a landline. We checked and it’s a phone in the deceased’s former office, and it’s in a public area without surveillance.
As for the two residences of the deceased, one showed no signs of habitation and was covered in white cloths. We asked the property management, and Fang Wenjie had not been there in a year. The other place is the one Mr. Zhao and their team sampled. As for the deceased’s white CC, it has still not been found."
Xu Dayuan rubbed his head, looking dejected.
"Last night we had people contact that Qin Xuejin, but no one answered the phone. Early this morning, I sent Mr. Bai and Mr. Tao to Qin Xuejin’s home and company, hoping to find him. As for the victim’s company, I’m a bit puzzled?
Why was a financial director of such a large group suddenly dismissed, and why was it done so conspicuously? Could it really be as they say, because Fang Wenjie was cooking the books?"
Mr. Zhao curled his lip.
"The financial director of a big group like this is usually a close confidant of the boss and an absolute professional. They have a deep understanding of various tax laws and policies, and through legitimate tax avoidance, they can save a considerable amount of money. Otherwise, why do you think Fang Wenjie was so wealthy?
They would never deliberately falsify accounts. Listed companies have regulatory authorities, and who doesn’t know that would be asking for trouble, effectively ruining their lives—such a person wouldn’t last in this line of work.
Moreover, if they really did cook the books, it was arranged by people above them. With such an uncertain and vague dismissal, not to mention the signing of a confidentiality agreement, I feel like they might be covering something up."
Xu Dayuan nodded in agreement and patted Mr. Zhao on the shoulder.
"I completely agree with you. It seems we have to pay another visit to the victim’s company. I’ll speak to Mr. Hu and ask him to let Guanghai Pharmaceuticals know we want to see the content of the confidentiality agreement. And have you thoroughly searched the victim’s home?
Is it possible that something was hidden and you didn’t find it? I think, given that she was dismissed yet Guanghai Pharmaceuticals was so cautious, Fang Wenjie must have been in control of something—at the very least, she knew the company’s insider information. It looks like we have two avenues to investigate now."
Zhou Ning nodded. Xu Dayuan’s reasoning was very sound. A former financial director had just been dismissed and then disappeared and was murdered on January 3rd. Both her ex-husband and Guanghai Pharmaceuticals were suspects.
Just then, Xu Dayuan’s phone rang.
The caller was Tao Zhenshan, and Xu Dayuan quickly answered.
"What’s up, Mr. Tao?"
"Boss, I’m at Qin Xuejin’s house. You need to come over immediately; there’s been an incident. Qin Xuejin is dead."
Xu Dayuan’s eyes widened, hardly believing his ears.
"Qin Xuejin is dead? A body has been found?"
"Yes, I haven’t entered the scene yet. Better have the second team come take a look, too."
Zhou Ning, overhearing the conversation, quickly waved at Mr. Zhao and the others.
"Get your gear ready; we’re heading out now."
Mr. Zhao pointed upstairs.
"What about those leaders from Huining Province? You’re not going to deal with them?"
"They are visiting Qin University today, to tour the research center and to get an understanding of some equipment. Doctor Lu called earlier this morning. Stop blathering and hurry up."
...
Half an hour later.
Beizhai Street Rose Court.
Mr. Zhao looked toward the north and kept clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Qin Xuejin really wanted to reunite with his broken marriage, huh? The house he bought is right next to his ex-wife Fang Wenjie’s place in Shangliu Jiayuan. The direct distance between the two homes is only seven or eight hundred meters; you can see his ex-wife’s house from the north window."
Xu Dayuan turned his head to look at Mr. Zhao.
Instantly, Mr. Zhao shut his mouth and followed the others to the second-floor, door 201, which was Qin Xuejin’s home.
Tao Zhenshan stood at the door smoking. Seeing the group arrive, he quickly extinguished the cigarette, carefully wrapped it up, and put it in his pocket so that not even a trace of ash fell to the ground.
"Head Forensic Doctor Zhou, you’re here."
"Describe the situation."
Tao Zhenshan pointed at the deceased’s apartment 201 and then began:
"This morning, when we arrived at the deceased’s building, we started contacting the property management. The manager checked the surveillance and found that the deceased had not gone out since returning by car the night before last, which was January 28th. Moreover, his car occupied two parking spaces. No one answered the phone calls, and no one opened the door when they knocked.
Upon hearing this, it seemed to me that something was amiss, so I quickly had someone climb up to the second floor from the air conditioning unit platform on the south side. That’s when we saw someone lying face down on the ground, with blood all around. It looked like he had been dead for quite some time, so I immediately called you. The lock has been opened by someone, but no one has entered the room yet."
Xu Dayuan patted Tao Zhenshan on the shoulder, feeling fortunate that it was Tao Zhenshan who had come. If Mr. Bai had been the one, with his careless nature, he probably wouldn’t have noticed anything wrong. But it was also fortunate that the deceased lived on the second floor.
"Is there no anti-theft net outside?"
Tao Zhenshan shook his head.
"No anti-theft net - the community management doesn’t allow them. Any that were installed previously have all been taken down. Besides, I’ve already had someone check the surveillance, but the camera that covers this building’s entrance is blocked by several trees and doesn’t show anything."
Mr. Zhao leaned over the north window to take a look and indeed saw several dense cedar trees, which were still thick with branches and leaves even in winter, but the color was not as bright green.
Xu Dayuan said solemnly:
"Once you enter, you’ll see that this community has more green and floral areas than a typical one. If it were a regular development of high-rises, at least twenty more buildings could be constructed here. But their selling point is this aspect, after all, it’s next to the planned World Expo Park. Mr. Zhao, you guys go check out the scene first."
Zhou Ning nodded at Mr. Yang and Mr. Zhao, signaling them to go in first.
Without any objection, they put on their investigative overalls, took their kits, and went in. Zhou Ning also got dressed, put on his clothes neatly, fitted his gloves together, and walked to the door.
Sun Gaotie didn’t need to be told, he diligently collected fingerprints from the door, with special attention to the combination lock.
Zhou Ning stood in the entryway, a spot from which he could see most of the room. On the ground, neatly placed, were two pairs of shoes, both size 43. One pair was covered in mud and had been bagged by Mr. Zhao as evidence.
The living room had a sunken half level with floor-to-ceiling glass windows surrounding it. Around the sunken area was a circle of sofas with striking design features. The furnishings and decorations exuded a sense of technology, especially the living room chandelier, which hung down to one meter above the ground—a cluster of stainless-steel metal fish.
In the center of the living room lay a male corpse. When Zhou Ning saw the body, his pupils contracted.
The body was curled up on the right leg, prone on the ground, with a large pool of blood nearby. The deceased’s head was tilted to the north, eyes wide open and mouth agape, neck bearing a very deep wound.
Next to the body, there was a neat pile of clothes. In addition to defensive wounds, there were also stab wounds inflicted in anger. The scene was nearly identical to the death scene of Fang Wenjie.
Mr. Zhao drew several areas on the ground, placed evidence markers, and finished taking photos. A white line circled the body to demarcate the area. He then stood up and gestured to Zhou Ning.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, the living room has been processed and photographed. You can come over and take a look now."
Zhou Ning nodded, said nothing, and walked towards the body, with Zhu Xingxing trailing behind him. However, Xu Dayuan stopped him.
"Hold on, Zhu. Let Zhou Xiaozhou finish looking."
Zhu Xingxing didn’t say anything further and quickly withdrew to the entrance, while Mr. Zhao and the others continued to check the other rooms of the deceased’s home.
Zhou Ning, stepping on the investigation mat board, quickly approached the side of the deceased.
The deceased’s corneas were moderately opaque, with the center just vaguely revealing the position of the pupils, suggesting that the time of death was between 24-30 hours since complete corneal opacity would take at least 48 hours.
Zhou Ning measured the rectal temperature and then inspected the body’s external condition. There were livor mortis on the front, significant rigor mortis, although the hands and feet showed only slight rigor. The deceased’s forearms and fingers had no defensive wounds, but the anterior of the right tibia showed a narrow area of swollen bruising.
Looking at the position and width, it seemed like he had been kicked with a shoe with a wide edge. There was also slight bruising below the knees. Zhou Ning frowned slightly.
Had the deceased been kicked and then knelt on the ground? Was there no resistance at all when it was a matter of life and death?
Zhou Ning’s gaze shifted to the sofa next to the pool of blood; the fabric was slightly wrinkled as if someone had been sitting there and then got up, leaving behind a very faint figure-8 crease. It was fortunate that the sofa’s material was not very elastic, or else this trace would not have been left.
Zhou Ning raised his hand and called toward the bedroom.
"One of you who’s finished, come here for a second." freёwebnovel.com
Mr. Zhao popped his head out and hurried over, nearly slipping on his shoe cover at the staggered level and almost falling. Noticing a spilled humidifier with water stains on the side, which he hadn’t seen when entering, he immediately collected a water sample and then joined Zhou Ning.
"What’s up, Zhou Xiaozhou?"
"Cut out this piece of fabric from the sofa and send it straight back for analysis," instructed Zhou Ning.
Mr. Zhao was taken aback, his face fraught with difficulty.
"Cut it out? This is a piece from the Italian brand Chateau Furniture, this whole set of sofas is worth over 200,000, won’t the victim’s family make a fuss?"
Before Zhou Ning could respond, Xu Dayuan was already shouting from behind.
"Are you asking for a kick? Just cut it out!"
"Consider it done!"
