Novice Forensic Doctor

Chapter 586: Chapter 556: Grass by the Nest_1

Xu Dayuan squinted and quickly flipped through his previous WeChat messages.

"Now that you mention it, I seem to recall there was some news about Huining before. These two names do look familiar; I believe I’ve seen them somewhere...found it..."

Mr. Zhao tiptoed, his hand which had been covering his mouth now lowered, and he hurriedly urged,

"Leader, speak without gasping for breath. Hurry up and say where you saw it?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"When we were investigating Li Li, the teachers at the dance school mentioned that Li Li had few friends, just two from elementary to junior high that she kept in very close contact with. We checked these two people, and one of them lives in Qindao and was on a self-drive tour in Yunan Province during the time of the crime. The other settled in Huining Province. It’s just that the one on the self-drive didn’t answer her phone, but we managed to contact the hotel."

Zhou Ning was shockingly perplexed, what kind of situation was this? They say rabbits don’t eat the grass around their burrows, but Xu Qingquan seemed to particularly enjoy doing just that. After finding someone who was his sister-in-law and a mistress, he got involved with the mistress’s sister and treated them equally, gifting each a car.

Although he was in an orchestra and had plenty of time, one of the women was in Huining, so how did he manage to juggle between the three of them?

Wrong!

It’s not just three people, there’s also a fiancée; that makes four women.

The group blinked, turning their gaze to Mr. Qu, who was squatting on the ground, continuing to type. Before long, he found some information and raised his computer for everyone to see.

"We’ve found Xu Qingquan’s flight booking information and hotel spending records. There have been records of flights to Huining since February 2012, going one day and returning the next, which indeed generally matches the timing of his performances. As for hotel registrations, we won’t mention Huining. In Qindao, starting from February 2012 as well, he has been staying at the Sofia Grand Hotel every other week on Thursdays, and the accompanying guest information shows the person’s name is Wang Meiling."

Mr. Zhao blinked and calculated with his fingers.

"So it seems, Xu Qingquan is a match for his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law only has a mistress while he has mistresses number three, four, and five, and what’s key is that these mistresses also share a friendship, having played together since childhood. Do they not know about each other?"

Xu Dayuan did not answer this question, but after seeing this, he put his phone away.

"Before we only conducted routine investigations on these two people, but now it appears it was done too hastily. Not to mention anything else, these two people were in a competitive relationship with Li Li. Continue with the crime scene survey; I need to make some arrangements immediately. We must send someone to question these two individuals."

Zhou Ning nodded, watching as Xu Dayuan left.

Zhou Ning looked around; in Xu Qingquan’s trash can, there were no condoms, and together with Xu Qingquan’s hotel and flight information, it was apparent he did not want to bring women to his own home, which seemed to be the only consideration for his fiancée.

Just as Zhou Ning was about to call for withdrawal, Mr. Zhao leaned close to Zhou Ning and poked him with his elbow, asking,

"Zhou Xiaozhou, according to what Xu Qingquan’s sister said, Xu Qingquan and his fiancée are always ready to get married, and we two also need to prepare for marriage. Don’t you think there’s something missing in this house?"

Mr. Yang came over, pointing to a box next to the living room sofa, and said,

"Are you talking about atmosphere, like the character ’Xi’ and balloon arches and such? Those are usually prepared a day or two in advance after setting the date. Otherwise, the balloons would deflate, replacing several shriveled ones is even more troublesome."

Mr. Zhao shook his head, staring at Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning knew Mr. Zhao wasn’t referring to that and after thinking carefully about his own wedding preparations, which had been delayed due to his recovery after surgery and hadn’t been rushed, Mrs. Xia and his second aunt had urged them to take care of one thing since it takes a long time and should be completed in the summer. Realizing what it was, Zhou Ning’s eyes lit up.

"Wedding photos, there are no wedding photos of the couple here, and no preparations for a wedding quilt either."

Mr. Zhao snapped his fingers, his small eyes widened, and he said excitedly,

"Here, people who get married in October usually have their wedding photos done by May or June because if it’s later, they tend to tan, and even with retouching, the results wouldn’t be as good. As for the wedding quilt, although it’s not like before when you had to make your own cotton quilt, various four-piece sets are also prepared in advance and delivered to the bridal room. This isn’t something you prepare last minute right before the wedding, right?"

Mr. Yang also had a realization and gave Mr. Zhao’s shoulder a pat.

"That makes sense. I married early as well, and even I had our wedding photos taken in advance, since making big frames takes a long time. After setting the date, my mother-in-law also found an experienced elderly lady to help make our quilt, which was delivered to our new home several months in advance."

Mr. Zhao nodded, and Zhou Ning thought about it; these things had already been prepared by Mrs. Xia, except for the wedding photos which they hadn’t taken mainly because Zhou Ning hadn’t fully recovered.

"So, this place doesn’t at all resemble a new home. The house has been bought for half a year and Xu Qingshu is indeed very satisfied with Xu Qingquan as a fiancée, but it seems like Xu Qingquan and the fiancée herself haven’t paid much attention."

Up to this point, Zhou Ning was also confused. Initially, it seemed like Kong Wanshan and Xu Qingquan were very suspicious, but as the investigation deepened, Kong Wanshan was essentially ruled out since it was not possible for him to divorce, and he was in the midst of a cold war with Li Li.

As for Xu Qingquan, he’s just a time management master who was seeing several women at once – would he choose a clingy person who liked to control him as his wife?

The answer was obviously negative. To gain approval from Xu Qingshu and choose this fiancée, her looks, capability, temperament, and quality were all basic requirements, but what was crucial must have been the freedom she allowed Xu Qingquan, even boundlessness.

Therefore, the fiancée’s understanding of him was also limited.

Zhou Ning sighed. The investigation had now reached a deadlock. The victim Li Li had limited information on her – they knew she was poisoned with vitamin A but not the source of the cake. There was no surveillance, fingerprints, or witnesses, and two other romantic partners, Kong Wanshan under her threats wanted to end the relationship, and Xu Qingquan was simply a playboy.

"Alright, since we haven’t found anything significant, we should leave. There’s nothing more we can do here for now. It depends on when Xu Qingquan wakes up. Furthermore, we have to wait for the investigation to trace the cake’s origin. The fact that the perpetrator didn’t leave any fingerprints on the cake box, shows such an ability to evade detection. It’s going to be difficult to find any traces."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Mr. Zhao waved his hands.

"Don’t be discouraged, although there hasn’t been much progress in the case, we’ve now got a clear understanding of Li Li’s social relationships. I am curious to know what Kong Wanshan would feel if he found out about Li Li having an affair with Xu Qingquan and her introducing her two best friends to him."

Zhou Ning glanced at him, then looked at Zhu Xingxing who was behind.

"Your curiosity is too much, Zhu Xingxing, give him a good scolding."

Zhu Xingxing, looking unconcerned, waved his hand and said:

"He’s just all talk, acting like he wants to save the world when he speaks, but he chickens out when it comes to taking action. That’s what I worry about the least. However, boss, I have an idea. Since the cake box is used for baking, why don’t we start by checking the sales channels? First off, men rarely buy this stuff, right?"

Mr. Zhao looked at all the men present, each one a standard example for appearance, and after assessing them, he shook his head.

"Real men don’t seem to have a need for this sort of thing. Among us, only Mr. Yang can cook a few dishes, and that’s just enough not to poison us. Baking is completely out of our league, and when it comes to making dumplings, I can only roll out the dough."

Sun Gaotie raised his hand.

"I can make stewed snacks: stewed intestines, stewed pig liver, stewed chicken wings, stewed chicken feet, stewed tofu skin. This is simpler than cooking instant noodles—just clean them, blanch them, then throw them all in. As for making dumplings, I can’t roll out the dough, but I can stuff them, and I can eat them."

Mr. Zhao slapped Sun Gaotie on the back with a smack, and everyone had an accustomed look on their faces.

"If you can’t speak properly, don’t say anything. My comparison was just that, a comparison. Do real men bake cakes at home and decorate them themselves? That high dose of vitamin A—who can make sense of it?

You know it involves mixing it with vegetable oil, cream, and egg whites, and then beating them to the right consistency. Then there’s the decorating—doesn’t it require coloring and various tools?"

Mr. Zhao’s lecture made Zhou Ning pause slightly. That was a very reliable statement; doing all those things requires expertise. Zhou Ning waved his hands at those present.

"Let’s go. Is the cake box at the inspection department or in the evidence room?"

...

Back at the technical department, it was already past four in the afternoon, and the group managed to have their late lunch.

By the time Xia Momo arrived, Zhou Ning had already brushed his teeth and come back.

"Why the rush to find me?"

Zhou Ning waved his hand, and the two walked over to the computer in front of Mr. Zhao. Many photos were displayed on it, all of them showing the cake box from various angles. The parts with the cake stains were carefully magnified and photographed, appearing to be in the shape of a flower.

"We believe this cake box is not one that’s sold outside but rather one bought by someone skilled in baking to package and give as a gift. Based on the size and the marks remaining on the box, can you reconstruct what the original cake might have looked like?

I see the edges of the box are stained with a lot of cream, and this cream isn’t too runny. I’ve already asked Mr. Zhao to consult Mrs. Cui about whether vitamin A has this effect or not."

Xia Momo leaned in front of the computer, zooming in and adjusting angles, spending a long time before she finally stood up straight.

"I need to see the real thing. Also, does it have any particular smell when sniffed?"

Zhou Ning closed his eyes, trying to recall. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

"It seems like a sweet scent, no, it’s more like mango. As for the cake box, it’s over this way."

Saying so, Zhou Ning turned to the side, and inside an evidence box was that cake box. Xia Momo went to open it but was stopped by Zhou Ning.

"We found it in a trash can. Although it wasn’t mixed with anything else, there was a lot of toilet paper and such inside, and given the weather, having sat so long in the evidence room, the smell is not pleasant."

Of course, Zhou Ning was too embarrassed to outright say that the item was found among many condom wrappers, and thinking about the numerous watermelon seeds in there was somewhat nauseating.

Xia Momo shrugged off Zhou Ning’s hand and opened the box, carefully inspecting it from top to bottom.

At that moment, the door opened, and Mr. Zhao stepped in quickly. Seeing Xia Momo inspecting the evidence box, he did not dare to speak up but quickly approached Zhou Ning. Zhou Ning asked in a low voice:

"Did you ask?"

"Mrs. Cui said that generally, the better quality vitamin A has no smell. Only a select few brands with fish-derived extracts might carry a faint fishy smell. However, the cream would completely cover up that slight fishiness."

Zhou Ning nodded, aware that some people call it vitamin A, while others call it cod liver oil or retinol—it’s all the same thing, just sold at different prices.

"Has the analysis report come out yet, identifying which brand of vitamin A it is, and can the carrier oils be distinguished?"