Chapter 12: Revealing the Real Culprit

For the next two days, Chen Shi continued his routine of driving a taxi, always giving the impression of a chatty driver who could engage anyone in lively conversation.

The police visited all of Chen Shi’s friends, including the buddies he had a barbecue with on the night of the incident. Unsurprisingly, they found nothing, as his friends informed him through WeChat and phone calls.

Lin Dongxue had the technical team conduct a drug test, which confirmed the presence of ether in the victim’s body. She shared this information with Chen Shi.

That morning, Chen Shi was enthusiastically discussing the economic situation in Southeast Asia with a passenger when he received a call from Lin Dongxue.

Excitedly, Lin Dongxue said, “We found her! The victim had a close friend named Gao Xiaohui, who is a doctor at a private hospital.”

“Send me the address.”

“I’ll send it via WeChat.”

“Are you there now?”

“Yes, her office hours end at noon, which is in ten minutes. I’m heading up to find her now!”

“Wait!”

“Hurry over here. Bye!” With that, Lin Dongxue hung up.

Holding a registration slip in the bustling hospital lobby, Lin Dongxue took a deep breath and got into the elevator.

Gao Xiaohui was a dermatologist and venereologist. Lin Dongxue knocked and entered her office. The doctor, a well-dressed woman with neatly tied hair, smiled and asked, “What seems to be the problem?”

Lin Dongxue showed her badge, “I’m with the police and need to ask you some questions.”

Gao Xiaohui raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “A police officer? Is this about Gu Mengxing? I heard about it through friends. It’s hard to believe; we were college classmates. I can’t believe she’s gone…”

As she spoke, Gao Xiaohui dabbed her eyes with a tissue, showing a hint of sadness.

Facing a possible suspect for the first time, Lin Dongxue felt a bit nervous, but a part of her refused to back down. She was determined to get to the bottom of this.

“When was the last time you saw Gu Mengxing?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“A few months ago. She invited me out for dinner.”

“And… what were you doing on the night of the incident?”

Gao Xiaohui’s mouth opened slightly, “Officer, isn’t that a bit sudden? Are you suspecting me? We’ve been friends for years!”

“I’m just asking,” Lin Dongxue blushed.

“I was having dinner with some colleagues. I have the receipt from that night. I’ll find it for you.” Gao Xiaohui rummaged through a drawer and handed Lin Dongxue the receipt. The date and time were correct, leaving Lin Dongxue at a loss, biting her lip nervously. Gao Xiaohui smiled and asked, “Anything else? If not, I need to clock out.”

“Did you… have any personal grudges against Gu Mengxing?”

Gao Xiaohui looked surprised, “No, as I said, we were college friends and got along very well.”

Frustrated, Lin Dongxue clenched her fist. Just then, Gao Xiaohui stood up, “Sorry, I need to leave. I don’t want to miss lunch in the cafeteria. Excuse me!”

At that moment, the door swung open, and Chen Shi stood there, slightly flushed from running. He asked, “Dr. Gao, I have a few more questions.”

“Who are you?” Gao Xiaohui asked.

Lin Dongxue, feeling relieved, said, “This is my partner. He was parking the car.”

Chen Shi signaled Lin Dongxue to stay quiet, closed the door, and gestured to the chair, “Please sit, Dr. Gao.”

“I’m off work. Can we make this quick?” Gao Xiaohui seemed a bit impatient.

“Afraid not!” Chen Shi smiled, “Let’s talk about how you killed Gu Mengxing!”

Gao Xiaohui’s eyes widened, and Lin Dongxue had a similar expression. None of her forensic science classes had ever covered such a direct approach.

“What are you talking about!?” Gao Xiaohui raised her voice, “What does Mengxing’s death have to do with me? You can’t just burst in here with groundless accusations. I can sue you for this!”

“Dr. Gao, we’ve met before, haven’t we?” Chen Shi pointed to his face.

“Have we?”

“It was dark, so you might not have seen my face clearly, but I remember you. You took my cab that night.”

“You are…” Gao Xiaohui’s expression showed a hint of panic.

“You seem to recognize me. I’m the driver who picked you up that night,” Chen Shi smiled. “And your destination was very close to the crime scene!”

Realizing she had stepped into a trap, Gao Xiaohui instinctively adopted a defensive posture, folding her arms, furrowing her brows, and pursing her lips—actions that did not escape Chen Shi’s notice.

Chen Shi took out his phone and showed her a picture of a women’s coat he had bought from a scavenger lady. “Does this look familiar?”

Gao Xiaohui bit her lip, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That night, the temperature in Long’an City was between 10 and 16 degrees. Wearing this coat would have been appropriate, but I remember you were dressed very lightly when you got into my car. I wondered why a beautiful woman like you wouldn’t feel cold.”

“What are you getting at!?”

“Is this coat yours?”

“No, I’ve never seen it!”

“Really? What if the police find your fingerprints, hair, or skin flakes on it? How would you explain that?”

Gao Xiaohui suddenly fell silent. This was a bluff on Chen Shi’s part; he hadn’t had the conditions to perform such tests, nor did he have comparison samples. But from her reaction, he was now more convinced of her guilt.

“Calm down and listen to me. That night, Gu Mengxing and someone else left a room at the Fengzhilin Hotel around 8 PM. You approached her and walked with her to the riverbank. You then used ether to knock her out and strangled her with a rope. But the anesthesia wasn’t deep enough, and Gu Mengxing woke up and struggled, grabbing a button from your coat.

“After the murder, you took Gu Mengxing’s purse and left in a hurry, only to realize halfway that a button was missing from your coat. Panicked, you disposed of your clothes and took a cab back to the crime scene. You didn’t expect the driver, me, to be so chatty. Seizing the moment, you used Gu Mengxing’s phone to send texts to her boyfriend, fueling the ongoing online rumors about ride-sharing murders.

“After getting off the cab, you returned to the riverbank, retrieved the button from Gu Mengxing’s hand, staged the crime scene by tearing her clothes, and threw her purse into the water. Your plan almost succeeded, and the police initially suspected a ride-sharing murder. Thanks to you, I was also brought in for questioning. But your biggest mistake was taking my cab!”