Chapter 91: Body in the Grease Trap
Chen Shi instructed the security guard to check the surveillance footage from 8 PM last night to 6 AM this morning and to ask his colleagues if they had seen anyone suspicious carrying a large box or pushing a cart.
Chen then set his phone, video still running, on the counter and grabbed a hose. Lin Qiupu on the phone protested, “Hey, don’t wash it down like that!”
“The body’s already contaminated, covered in grease. Do you want Lao Peng to test every single thing? He’d die from exhaustion,” Chen replied.
Lin Qiupu was at a loss for words and said, “Just be careful.”
Chen turned on the tap and cleaned the body. The deceased was a man in his fifties, short and stout, balding, completely naked except for a pair of red underwear and a white sock on his left foot.
Tao Yueyue stared at the body and said, “This man looks so sad.”
“Of course, he was killed. Wouldn’t you be sad?” Chen replied.
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Can’t you take this more seriously? And why is there a kid there? This isn’t something for kids to see,” Lin Qiupu said through the phone.
“Captain Lin, just watch quietly and don’t direct me. I’m not under your command,” Chen said.
Lin Qiupu was speechless with anger.
Chen squatted down, examining the man’s hands with gloved fingers. “Captain Lin, note this down. The deceased was probably a white-collar worker. His fingers and nails show wear typical of someone who uses a computer extensively. His physique suggests a lack of exercise.” Chen then sniffed the body’s face, continuing, “Strong smell of alcohol. He either drank before death or was force-fed alcohol.”
“Are you sure it’s not the grease?” Lin Qiupu, now acting as a recorder, asked.
“You come and smell for yourself.”
“How can I come over!”
Chen opened the man’s eyelids, revealing cloudy pupils. He also felt the man’s arm muscles, saying, “There’s no livor mortis due to the body being moved, but signs suggest time of death is about 24 hours ago.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“What’s the cause of death?”
Chen pried the man’s mouth open with a finger. The nearby cooks frowned, but Tao Yueyue watched intently, pointing out, “Uncle Chen, there’s sand in his mouth.”
Chen nodded and raised his voice, “There’s some sand and pinkish foam in the mouth. His skin is slightly wrinkled, and there was sand under his fingernails… looks like drowning.”
“But you said he was murdered!” Lin Qiupu seized the opportunity.
Chen ignored him and checked the body’s bones. With the man’s obesity, he had to press hard to feel the bones. Tao Yueyue asked, “How can such a fat person drown?”
“Fat people don’t always float, especially if someone’s pushing them down with a stick from the shore.”
“What did you say?” Lin Qiupu asked, alarmed.
“The scapula, ribs, neck bones, and skull all show multiple fractures on the side facing up, indicating someone stood on the shore and beat him down, causing him to drown.”
“It’s murder!” Lin Qiupu exclaimed.
“Wait, there’s a bruise on his abdomen. This shape…” Chen heard a crunch and looked up to see Tao Yueyue eating a cucumber. “Where did you get that?”
“From the table. I’m hungry,” she said innocently, taking another bite.
Chen laughed, asked for her new phone, used the flashlight to photograph the bruise, and then used the phone to measure the bruise’s dimensions. “It’s a shoe print, 24 cm long. The person is likely around 5’9″ to 5’11”, probably a man.”
He turned the body over and told Tao Yueyue, “Look away, this isn’t for kids.”
“No!”
Chen had no choice. He pulled down the man’s underwear and found bruising on the waist. “He was kicked against a wall, causing the bruising on his waist.”
“Wouldn’t he have been kicked into the water instead?” Lin Qiupu asked.
“That’s the reality.”
“So the killer argued with the victim, then pushed him into the water.”
“And then retrieved the body, stripped it, and discarded it?”
“That’s the reality!” Lin Qiupu insisted.
A security guard entered, saying they had found some clues. Chen nodded, wrapped the body in several layers of bags, and had the cooks help load it into his car. He handed over the vegetables he had bought, saying, “That girl ate a cucumber, so take these vegetables.”
“We probably won’t open today,” one cook joked, accepting the vegetables. “By the way, will the restaurant be closed for a few days?”
“No, continue as usual. It’s not a crime scene.”
From the phone in his pocket, Lin Qiupu shouted, “Don’t make decisions on your own!”
Chen pretended not to hear and added, “Keep the grease trap, cover it. The police will come for it later; there might be evidence inside.”
“Understood! Officer, you work fast,” the cook praised.
After the cooks left, Tao Yueyue asked, “Is this man sleeping with us tonight?”
“No, he’ll stay at the police station.”
“Will the police cut him up?”
“Yes, it’s called an autopsy, to solve the case.”
“Poor man.”
“Don’t tell kids such things!” Lin Qiupu shouted from the pocket.
Chen took out his phone, said “no data left,” and cut off the video call.
Confirming the car was locked, he discarded the gloves and went to the security office with Tao Yueyue. The guard who had guided them pointed to a young guard, “Xiao Wang was on duty last night. He saw two people carrying a large box.”
Xiao Wang said, “A man and a woman. The woman wore a fur coat and leather pants with dyed hair.”
“And the man?”
“Very ordinary.”
“What do you mean by ordinary? How tall?”
“Shorter than me.”
Chen estimated Xiao Wang’s height, guessing the man was under 5’7″. “You didn’t stop them?”
“I… I was busy.”
“Playing League of Legends?”
“Honor of Kings.”
Chen laughed, “Show me the footage.”
Fast-forwarding to the relevant time, they saw the pair entering, pushing a large box. The man wore a down jacket and hat, the woman glasses, both faces obscured.
About fifteen minutes later, they left, still pushing the box, but seemingly with less effort, implying it was now empty.
Chen wrote down an email address, “Send the video to this email. This is a murder case; you might be called to testify. Be ready.”
“Do I get paid for that?” Xiao Wang asked.
“No, but you’ll be in the news.”
“I’ll do it!”