Free Web NovelChapter 474: She wants to see you_1
Zhou Ning glanced at Liu Yufei, who was tugging at the old lady’s sleeve and heading to the adjacent room, clearly understanding what Zhou Ning meant.
With Chen Meilin in tow, they arrived at the second autopsy room, where two tiny corpses lay on the dissection tables, only their heads exposed. Their bodies were covered with blue disposable surgical drapes, and the sight lacked the gore and brutality of the scene.
Zhu Xingxing was supporting Chen Meilin; Zou Jialong was carrying the consent forms that needed signing, following them. After all, they were inexperienced with such family meetings and all kept their eyes on Zhou Ning.
"You can step forward to see the children, but you must not touch them to avoid interfering with our subsequent autopsy. However, I must tell you that determining the cause of death from a high fall is one of the most difficult judgements in forensic examinations. After all, it’s hard to distinguish whether the fall was a push or an accidental slip based on the traces."
Chen Meilin, propped against the autopsy table, struggled to control her emotions. Hearing Zhou Ning’s words, she turned abruptly and grabbed Zhou Ning’s hand, clearly grasping what he implied.
"Are you saying that my children’s deaths were not accidental, is that what you think?"
Zhou Ning didn’t nod, his hand aching from Chen Meilin’s grip, but he didn’t shrug her off.
"Earlier, Liu Da explained to you that every word we speak must be based on evidence. However, after our examination of the scene, we made some discoveries that did not correlate with traces that the two children could have left if they fell on their own. This is why we insist on performing autopsies, hoping to find corresponding evidence on the children’s bodies.
Still, I reiterate what I said earlier: for high falls, there are very few traces left, and it is extremely difficult to prove whether it was forced or an accidental fall.
So you need to carefully recall the details, the more you remember, the more effective it will be for our autopsy and examination. Later on, go with Liu Da to make a statement, and here, please sign the consent form for the autopsy."
Without much comfort, nor deliberately avoiding the fact of the children’s autopsy, Zhou Ning’s words made Chen Meilin put away her tears of sorrow. After a moment’s thought, she grabbed the consent form that Zou Jialong handed to her and signed it.
Then, she stepped back and bowed deeply to Zhou Ning.
"Officer, I trust you. I was unable to take care of both my children at the time, and that was my fault, for not taking good care of them. But I want to know the truth, everything is in your hands now."
Zhou Ning nodded slightly; Zhu Xingxing helped Chen Meilin out. As she left, Chen Meilin’s gaze lingered on her children’s bodies, her suppressed agony indescribable, and everyone in the autopsy room clearly understood.
Shortly after, the old lady was brought over by Zhu Xingxing, appearing anxious and fearful, and Zhou Ning’s gaze swept over the elder.
"We have already explained the situation to Chen Meilin, but given that the children’s parents are divorced and have one guardianship each, I still need to inform you. Listen carefully, it’s a notification: we suspect the children’s fall was not accidental and that an investigation will be conducted. This is the consent form, whether you agree or disagree, write it down, sign it, and it will be kept on file afterwards."
The old lady waved her hand, not reaching for the consent form or pen, instead glancing at the children.
"I can’t read. Just have my son sign it; he’s the children’s guardian."
Zhou Ning fixed his gaze on the old lady’s eyes, and with just a brief sentence, one could see the change in the old lady’s state of mind compared to when they were at her house.
No matter how good her grandchildren were, they were now dead, an undeniable fact. At this moment, all that was left was a son, and the instinct to protect him made her hesitate.
Zhou Ning didn’t speak; he just watched the old lady.
"As I said, whether you agree or not, you have to sign. Make your reason clear. If you feel you can’t read, I can have someone read it to you, then record a video to write down whether you agree or disagree. But the signature and thumbprint must be done by you."
Faced with such an attitude, the old lady could no longer refuse.
"Alright, I agree, I’ll sign!"
With that, she shakily took the pen, wrote the word "agree" at the bottom, then signed her name and pressed her thumbprint, while Pang Tianhang held the law enforcement recorder, capturing everything on video. Though they were rookies, they were meticulous about safeguarding procedures.
After signing, the old lady was escorted out by Zhu Xingxing, who quickly returned to find Zhou Ning and team ready to proceed.
"Boss, which one do we start with?"
"Start with the boy. I’ll lead."
Everyone hurriedly gathered, ready to begin. The preparatory work was complete, just waiting for the signed consent. The two interns then removed the children’s clothing and diapers, took photos, and after a brief introduction from Zhou Ning, he began the explanation which was followed by the autopsy.
Comparing with the fracture locations shown in the X-rays, Zhou Ning examined them one by one. Samples of the contents of the children’s stomachs were also preserved. After the collection was completed, Zhou Ning stepped back and closed his eyes.
Zhu Xingxing quickly stepped forward to start suturing. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
She didn’t choose the commonly used large needle but the smallest curved needle for a careful suture.
Without needing to be told, the four switched autopsy tables and began processing the girl’s body. The autopsy was conducted swiftly; the two interns were barely able to keep up with Zhou Ning’s actions.
Only then did they realize that this was Zhou Ning’s true level of skill. He usually only slowed down to teach the apprentices, and his speed implied something everyone clearly understood.
The two small bodies were sent away, and Zhou Ning stripped off his gear, heading straight for his office without a word.
On the whiteboard, the autopsy findings were summarized one by one, both front, and back. After reviewing them, Zhu Xingxing had already transcribed the contents into the autopsy report when the door opened.
Mr. Zhao and the others came in quickly. Even Mr. Yang was taken aback by what was on the whiteboard.
"Boss, you were so quick today!"
Mr. Zhao shot him a glance, signaling him not to talk nonsense and to hurry over.
"We collected hundreds of samples at Zhang Bo’s home and outside his door, including fingerprints and some footprints. We also collected unidentifiable footprints from the hallway and doorway. Before coming up, we went to the brigade and took blood samples, fingerprints, and footprints from Zhang Bo, his mother, and Chen Meilin. We also brought back the coats of all three."
As for the laboratory results, they will be out within the fastest half an hour, oh and about the smeared milk stains, the test results have already come out."
Mr. Qu had finished printing and handed the comparison report to Zhou Ning. freewebnσvel.cѳm
The content was straightforward. The fingerprints found on the master bedroom window belonged to the youngest victim, Zhang Yangrui. A comparison between the milk stain sample, the contents of the baby bottle, and the stomach contents, oral residue, and milk stains on Zhang Yangrui’s clothes that were just sent for examination revealed they were all identical.
"Very well, this proves that the child had some regurgitated milk after drinking, and his clothes were stained as were his hands. Before falling from the building, the not-yet-dried milk stains were smeared onto the window. Did you measure the height at which Zhang Yangrui and Zhang Ruixue could reach with their hands?"
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"I measured it. The tallest child, Zhang Ruixue, with a height of 73 centimeters, could reach a maximum of 94 centimeters with her fingertips, and that’s on tiptoes."
Zhu Xingxing quickly glanced at the autopsy report, which she had prepared in advance, and continued, "The deceased Zhang Yangrui weighed 21 jin (roughly 10.5 kg), and Zhang Ruixue, at a height of 73 centimeters, is quite thin, weighing only 24 jin (roughly 12 kg). Excluding blood loss, her weight is less than 26 jin (roughly 13 kg); with this height and weight, the probability of her lifting Zhang Yangrui is not high.
Zhou Ning nodded, pulled out his cell phone, and called Cui Lili’s number. It was picked up after just two rings.
"Mrs. Cui, this is Zhou Ning."
"Yeah, if you’re calling to rush the tests, I can’t speed them up, but I have already instructed my team to stop all other work and prioritize your case."
"I’m not calling to rush the tests. I want to ask about the clothes of the two children just sent in, whether fingerprints can be extracted from the material, or if there might be DNA residue from being grasped, and is it easy to extract?"
Cui Lili paused for a moment before continuing:
"I can try. Are you suggesting that someone held the children from behind, causing them to fall off the building?"
Zhou Ning grunted affirmatively.
"Yes, according to the results of the on-site investigation, it was not possible for the two children to climb up on the 1.2-meter-high bay window by themselves, open it, and climb over the sill. Moreover, both children’s hands and forearms showed no signs of gripping anything, and their fingernails were also clean, which does not match with an accidental fall from a height."
"Understood, but don’t rush me on this. You know that the fuming method I use takes a lot of time and doesn’t guarantee success on the first try. I will do it as quickly as possible, hoping to get you results within three days at best."
Zhou Ning expressed his gratitude and hung up the phone.
Zhu Xingxing widened her eyes, as she had already picked up on some clues from Zhou Ning’s brief account. Just as she was about to say something, Mr. Zhao cut her off, glaring with a rare seriousness. Zhu Xingxing quickly shut her mouth.
Zhou Ning stood up, glanced at the autopsy report that Zhu Xingxing had organized—it wasn’t complete, but the autopsy part was fairly well done—then gestured to Zhu Xingxing to print it and looked towards Mr. Qu.
"Cracked the phone’s password?"
"Cracked it. It’s a four-digit number: 9226. As to what it represents, I’m not sure."
"Have you seen the content?"
"It’s been reset, and I’m not good at this part. It’s already been sent to the tech department. My juniors are better at handling this. Do you need to go have a look now? They might be almost done."
"Can the screensaver be retained after resetting the content?"
"Maybe it was set again after the reset."
Zhou Ning nodded as this explanation made sense and glanced at everyone.
Today, Liu Yongxin and Xia Momo went to Qin University, and the rest were people from his own team. He waved his hand and said:
"You guys just wait here. I’ll take Mr. Qu to have a look, and then head over to the Criminal Police Brigade. If any reports come out, tell me immediately."
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"Don’t worry, I will inform you of any news right away."
Zhou Ning said nothing further and walked out with Mr. Qu. Mr. Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and made a gesture to Sun Gaotie, who peeked out the door.
"The boss is gone, what’s up Mr. Zhao?"
"Zhao Xinli, why were you glaring at me just now?"
Zhu Xingxing, somewhat displeased, heard Zhao Xinli let out a slight sigh.
"Let me tell you, in regard to this case, whatever Zhou Xiaozhou instructs you to do, give it 120% of your attention and make no mistakes. Mr. Zou and Mr. Pang, stop whatever you’re doing. Just wait in the lab, and send back any bit of news you get. If you can help with data entry, then go do it."
Zhu Xingxing looked confused, this was unlike Zhao Xinli. While he wasn’t one to shirk or deceive, he had never overextended himself like this.
"What’s really going on?"
Mr. Zhao grew impatient.
"Just do as you’re told, why all this fuss? Two children died right before our eyes. Do you want to personally experience what that feels like?"
