Chapter 949: The Lullaby

“Should we go now?” Tao Yuanyuan asked.

“Let’s finish examining the body first,” Lin Dongxue replied. “Let’s turn the body over.”

They dressed the body properly and turned it over, noticing more dust on Xiao Ai’s back. Tao Yuanyuan suddenly said, “Lin, if it rained outside and the ground was wet, how could there be dust on him?”

Lin Dongxue’s eyes lit up. “You’re right. I was thinking he hit something mid-air, but with the rain, it should be mud.”

“Look, there’s a button missing from his sleeve,” Tao Yuanyuan pointed out.

“Good catch,” Lin Dongxue praised.

With their limited expertise, they couldn’t discern much more, so they locked the door. It was now 11 PM, and the hallway was empty. Lin Dongxue asked, “Yuanyuan, are you tired?”

“Not at all… Why isn’t the police here yet?”

“This area is in the suburbs; it’ll take them some time. Should we check the elevator?” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“I think we should check the ground floor first. The missing button and nail might be there,” Tao Yuanyuan said.

“Good idea!” Lin Dongxue agreed, increasingly impressed by Tao Yuanyuan’s keen observations and attention to detail.

They went to the area where the body was found. The rain had made the ground shine under the streetlights. The place was clean, with no signs of debris from the body.

“Looks like there’s nothing here. This might not be the primary scene,” Lin Dongxue concluded.

“Then why did the cleaning lady say she saw him fall? Is she lying?” Tao Yuanyuan wondered.

“She might be lying, but what reason would she have? She has no connection to Xiao Ai… Wait,” Lin Dongxue looked up, “We forgot to take out the room card.”

Tao Yuanyuan understood immediately. The lit window near the fall site was next to the cleaner’s room, not in line with the fall. “She did lie! I get it. The body was moved here, and the cleaner timed her shout so everyone would look and see the body fall. Why would she help the killer, or maybe she is the killer!”

“You’re thinking too deeply. Lying doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the killer. She might be hiding something else,” Lin Dongxue reasoned.

“What could be so important to hide, even at the risk of being a suspect?” Tao Yuanyuan questioned.

“To a stranger, the police are outsiders too. Let’s go upstairs and check.”

They went to the conference room, turned on the light, and saw broken bottles and tissues on the floor. Tao Yuanyuan sniffed, “Someone had sex here.”

“What? You can tell?” Lin Dongxue asked, amused.

“Sometimes in the morning, Uncle Chen smells like this, but I didn’t want to mention it,” Tao Yuanyuan said.

Lin Dongxue laughed. “You’re something else. But try not to use such blunt terms in cases.”

“It’s a straightforward observation. Adults use too many euphemisms for ‘sex’—so many metaphors in the dictionary. If it’s something you can’t talk about, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it,” Tao Yuanyuan stated.

Lin Dongxue laughed harder. “Just say ‘had relations.'”

Lin Dongxue took pictures of the remnants on the floor and approached the window. It was open, and the dust on the sill had been disturbed as if someone sat there.

“Strange, there are no signs of a struggle around the window, as if he climbed up willingly.” Lin Dongxue looked down, seeing the bloodstain, “This aligns directly with the fall site. There are no obstacles… But what if he hit the canopy over the hotel entrance?”

“But we already ruled that out as the primary scene,” Tao Yuanyuan reminded her.

“We must consider all possibilities, even if just to eliminate them.”

“Just think about it. How could someone hit the canopy, then bounce to the ground without breaking a rib?” Tao Yuanyuan argued.

“Thinking about it isn’t enough for court. We should conduct a fall test,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“No wonder being a cop isn’t as glamorous as being a detective. Detectives just think; cops have to check everything,” Tao Yuanyuan noted.

“Your idea of a detective comes from novels. Real detectives mostly investigate affairs and catch mistresses,” Lin Dongxue replied.

Just then, police cars arrived. “Finally, let’s go down.”

The local police, lacking criminal investigation experience, provided manpower support. Lin Dongxue coordinated with them efficiently, showing her seasoned cop demeanor. Tao Yuanyuan watched, contemplating her future as a police officer.

They checked Xiao Ai’s room, found some personal items possibly related to the case, and took the body away. Lin Dongxue handed over her notes and evidence.

At midnight, they returned to their room. Tao Yuanyuan yawned. “Let’s sleep,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Okay,” Tao Yuanyuan agreed.

In bed, Lin Dongxue texted Chen Shi. Tao Yuanyuan snuggled up, asking, “What are you telling Uncle Chen?”

“I forgot to reply earlier. He thought we were in trouble. I told him about the case,” Lin Dongxue explained.

“Is he coming?” Tao Yuanyuan asked.

“Do you want him to?” Lin Dongxue asked back.

“Maybe… I want to see if I can solve the case,” Tao Yuanyuan said, closing her eyes.

“Alright, we’ll handle it ourselves,” Lin Dongxue texted Chen Shi her decision.

After their chat, Lin Dongxue browsed her social media while Tao Yuanyuan lay still. Thinking she was asleep, Lin Dongxue was about to put her phone down when Tao Yuanyuan whispered, “Sing me a lullaby?”

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment, then gently patted her and hummed a lullaby.

Warmth filled Tao Yuanyuan’s heart. She didn’t want to describe it as “motherly” because her biological mother gave her nothing but a miserable childhood.

“Lin, I really wish you were my mom,” Tao Yuanyuan murmured.

“I am your mom now and always will be, sweetheart,” Lin Dongxue replied with a smile. “Let’s turn off the lights and sleep.”