Free Web NovelChapter 36: 36 Chapter What happened? _1
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
"The evidence is not solid."
Zhou Ning nodded and placed the evidence bag containing the kitchen knife on the table.
"When Chen Zhenya was strangled, the latex glove tore. I don’t think the killer would have noticed since it was the period when his adrenaline was surging. The thrill of revenge dominated all his thoughts. There might also be residue on the knife, so let’s see if he can keep his luck going!"
Liu Yongxin, seeing the kitchen knife, showed an excited smile on his face.
"Is that right? Have you found the primary crime scene?"
Zhou Ning nodded and recounted everything about the findings at Bi Hai Lan Tian Garden to Liu Yongxin in detail.
"Never underestimate the aunties in the community; their observational skills and information are always top-notch. Let’s not dawdle; it’s time to get to work."
Having said that, the two began to carefully examine the handle of the kitchen knife. According to the shape of the wounds on the victim’s face, Liu Yongxin deduced that the killer was right-handed. If the tear in the glove wasn’t discovered, it must have been in a hidden spot, so it could only be under the palm or on the side of the little finger.
After a search, they indeed found a small triangular piece of the latex glove at the very end of the knife handle.
It was scraping right at the root of the knife shaft, tucked into the recess of the handle that flips upward. The knife was old, and the handle was movable.
The fragment was stained with blood, causing Liu Yongxin to flash a toothy grin.
"Hurry up, call Mr. Liu up here. Don’t take it to the county hospital. Send this piece and the weapon together to the city bureau. I’ll call the forensic center there right now and ask them to do a thorough job."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment and also took out the evidence bags containing the victim’s clothing.
"Since we’re sending it for examination, and it’s a favor to ask, why not send the victim’s clothes too? I’ve noticed some dried marks on the fly of the victim’s pants, but I’m not sure if they’re urine or something else."
Liu Yongxin nodded in agreement, which was natural for him.
Zhou Ning took out his phone, called Mr. Liu upstairs, and after a series of instructions, Mr. Liu hurried off. Then Liu Yongxin called an acquaintance at the city bureau. He was even more polite than when he spoke with Xu Dayuan, but indeed, asking someone to work overtime did require a good word.
After getting home and taking a shower, Zhou Ning buried himself in bed.
Exhaustion and sleepiness flooded over him. Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone rang. Zhou Ning quickly grabbed the phone and, seeing Xia Momo’s name, immediately answered the call.
"Hello, Mr. Xia!"
"Zhou Ning, am I disturbing your work?"
"No, I’ve finished work and am at home."
Xia Momo evidently let out a sigh of relief, and her tone became more relaxed.
"I don’t have anything in particular; I just wanted to ask how the model is and whether it has been helpful to you?"
Zhou Ning smiled as if Xia Momo’s dimples were right in front of him.
"I’ve been so busy that I haven’t even gotten around to thanking you. The model has been a great help. We’ve identified the victim today, thank you, Mr. Xia."
"Don’t mention it—just get some good rest. I won’t disturb you any longer, as long as I could help."
Zhou Ning sat up.
"Okay, you rest well too. You didn’t sleep at all last night. Oh right, this case is quite urgent, so I won’t be coming to your class tomorrow."
"I understand. Let’s talk after you’re done. And if you don’t have time on the weekend, you can come by and pick up a few plaster figures from me. Practice when you have time in the evening. Just take a photo of your drawings and send them to me on QQ."
"Alright, I’ll give you a call when I’m coming over."
"Good night."
"Good night."
After hanging up, Zhou Ning plugged his phone into the charger and fell asleep. Of course, two minutes later, he found himself back in that room without doors and windows, in front of a pile of books, as the system’s notification tone sounded again.
Case one....
...
The next day.
As soon as Zhou Ning arrived at the team’s office, he saw everyone busy with their work.
Zhao Xinli followed Zhou Ning into the office with a mysterious look on her face. Without waiting for Zhou Ning to ask, Zhao Xinli started chattering.
"Last night, Yu Jingwei and his daughter were brought in. We’ve already taken blood samples for testing to see if they match the DNA you’ve collected. This comparison should be quick, right?"
Zhou Ning glanced at his watch.
"The results should be out by now, sent them last night."
Zhao Xinli raised an eyebrow and bumped Zhou Ning’s arm, aiming for his shoulder but missing due to the height difference.
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and check online!"
Unable to argue with this guy, Zhou Ning didn’t bother to argue and hurried to boot up the computer, which started up with a sound like a tractor engine, marking the successful startup of this old and worn machine.
Zhao Xinli kept complaining on the side.
"We’ve even become a district, so why don’t they update our equipment? This old computer isn’t even wanted by junk collectors."
"If you’ve got the guts, say that to Xu Da."
Zhao Xinli immediately backed down, grinning without showing his teeth as he waved his hands.
"I’m just venting. But I heard we’re about to move to a new building soon. It’s supposed to be completed by the end of the year, and we can probably move there by next May. Finally, we’re leaving this tiny second floor, and you know what? I’m going to miss it a bit."
Zhou Ning gave him a blank look, said nothing, and went straight to his email. Sure enough, ten minutes earlier, an email had arrived from the city’s test center.
After opening and downloading it, they both stared at the screen. Zhao Xinli didn’t understand, but Zhou Ning read through the report one by one.
The stains on the front flap of the trousers were identified as the victim’s liquid foundation.
The two DNA samples found on the nylon rope and the knife belonged to the same person. This discovery didn’t surprise him, as it was expected.
However, when he flipped to the last report and saw the conclusion, Zhou Ning froze.
"What’s up, what’s up, spit it out!"
"The 82nd blood sample sent for testing does not match the DNA sample number 2, they are not from the same person, meaning Yu Jingwei’s DNA doesn’t match the DNA found on the nylon rope and the knife."
"Wrong suspect?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Zhou Ning nodded and quickly printed out the report and handed it to Zhao Xinli.
"Hurry, take this to Xu Da."
Zhao Xinli grabbed the report and ran off, bumping into Liu Yongxin, who was humming a tune as he came in. They nearly collided, and without waiting to speak, Zhao Xinli ran towards Xu Dayuan’s office. Watching Zhao Xinli’s figure, Liu Yongxin walked in, puzzled.
"What’s gotten into that kid so early in the morning? What happened?"
"The test results just came from the city bureau. The trace on the trousers is the victim’s liquid foundation, and the DNA we collected from the knife matches that from the nylon rope. However, the blood sample from Yu Jingwei tested last night doesn’t match this DNA."
Liu Yongxin froze too.
"Does this mean we’ve been following the wrong lead?"
Zhou Ning didn’t say a word, bit his lip, and fell into deep thought. If the killer had followed Chen Zhenya to his home, killed him, and obtained the house’s password, that could explain things.
But hiding the body in the house rented by Yu Jingwei, that wasn’t somewhere just anyone could enter. At present, only four people could get in: the landlord had the keys, Yu Jingwei had the keys and the password, and the other two were Song Luqing and Wang Ye, who were staying there.
Thinking of Wang Ye, Zhou Ning remembered the fat old lady mentioning that Wang Ye had a daughter studying at the harbor elementary school. He had overlooked this detail before. Zhou Ning raised his head and headed straight to Xu Dayuan’s office.
Upon entering, he found Zhao Xinli standing in front of Xu Dayuan. Xu Dayuan looked up as Zhou Ning walked in.
"What’s the matter, Doctor Zhou?"
"Xu Da, let me interrupt for a moment. I have an idea. The aunt who provided the clue mentioned that Wang Ye has a daughter at the harbor elementary school. Could we perhaps talk to the child to find out more?"
Xu Dayuan looked serious.
"Are you suggesting that the victim may have previously molested the child?"
Zhou Ning nodded and then shook his head, clenching his fists.
"Maybe it’s more than that. The old lady said the girl was lucky to be found in time, so the family didn’t pursue it further. A father knowing about such an incident would be devastated, and the possibility of revenge is very high."
Xu Dayuan stood up and grabbed his hat to put it on.
"You and Mr. Zhao come with me to the school. Oh, and bring Mr. Feng."
Mr. Feng was the only female officer in the team, fifty years old, who usually handled clerical work in the team. If there were female suspects or children involved, she was generally the one to accompany them, as it was more convenient.
As everyone was heading downstairs, Liu Yongxin gestured a phone symbol at the office door to Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning understood Liu Yongxin was telling him to call if there was news. Zhou Ning nodded and quickened his pace to follow the others.
The cars set off together when Xu Dayuan remembered something, slapping his thigh forcefully.
"I’ve been so busy I forgot, isn’t it Sunday? The school’s closed today, isn’t it?"
