Chapter 19: The Devil is in the Details

Lin Dongxue couldn’t understand why he was reacting so strongly. With a puzzled look, she watched him as Chen Shi wryly said, “I just overturned your earlier assumption. You said the murderer was hiding in the bathroom. How would the victim go to the toilet if someone was hiding there?”

After thinking for a moment, Lin Dongxue realized that made sense, but she still sensed a flaw. “That’s not right, the urine might not necessarily be the victim’s. Perhaps it was the hidden killer who couldn’t hold it anymore and went to the bathroom without flushing, to avoid alarming the household.”

Chen Shi laughed, “You’ve started to think for yourself, that’s good. We’ll know whose urine it is after the lab tests it… let me know the results later.”

Scratching her face, Lin Dongxue said, “I don’t understand. Three people died here, the scene is a mess, you’re not even looking at the murder weapon, and yet you’re focusing on the urine. Is it that important?”

“Miss Lin, the devil is in the details! In any case, every abnormal detail must be thoroughly investigated; often, this is the key to solving the case.”

“Who said that?”

“I summed it up myself.”

“You came up with it on your own? Where did you sum it up?”

Chen Shi, unfazed, responded, “I usually watch TVB crime dramas and love to make my own conclusions. Is that a problem?”

“Yeah, right!” Lin Dongxue muttered under her breath.

Once again emphasizing, Chen Shi stated, “I believe this male corpse raises many questions. When the forensic team arrives, make sure to investigate this thoroughly.”

Just as he mentioned it, a siren sounded from downstairs. Chen Shi immediately left the bathroom, urging, “Hurry up.”

He swiftly moved to the living room to examine the female corpse there, following the same procedure. “The time of death is also around midnight. There are abrasions and bruises on the knees and elbows, likely from a fall, and a mark on the right side of the forehead…” He glanced at the back of a wooden sofa, “seems to have been caused by hitting the wooden back of the sofa. This should be an antemortem injury. Moreover, there’s a defensive wound on her hand; the murderer should have left traces on his body.”

Chen Shi spoke rapidly, while Lin Dongxue, notebook in hand, could only jot down the essentials.

After finishing, Chen Shi moved to the bedroom to inspect the elderly victim’s body. “Time of death is the same, almost no signs of struggle on the body, seems she was killed in her sleep. Did she scream when she was killed? Do a sound test, quickly, go outside the room!”

“Okay!” Lin Dongxue immediately stepped outside, and Chen Shi inside asked, “Can you hear me clearly?”

“Yes!”

Lin Dongxue re-entered the room, and Chen Shi commented, “Wooden door, the soundproofing doesn’t seem very good. The old woman might have made a noise when she died, possibly alerting someone outside…” He stroked his chin, picked up the murder weapon, a cleaver, for a glance, “Kitchen’s cleaver, missing one from the rack, probably this one. The blade’s edge is rolled, and from the wound’s shape, the murderer chopped several times, causing the wooden handle to crack. Wait, there’s blood on the handle!”

Chen Shi was utterly immersed in analyzing the case, while Lin Dongxue watched him in disbelief, seeing a seasoned, quick-thinking detective. She could hardly believe that Chen Shi was just an ordinary taxi driver.

“The trace blood on the handle could be a crucial piece of evidence.” He then sniffed near the victim’s mouth, “The victim ate something before death, seems like sweets. There was a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup in another bedroom, and I saw a large pot in the kitchen too, take a sample later for analysis, it might contain sedatives… strange, did the murderer do this? Was it premeditated?”

“Who’s in there!” A stern shout came from the living room, startling Lin Dongxue, who was intently listening to Chen Shi’s analysis.

Turning around, she saw Lin Qiupu leading several officers inside, thinking they had found an intruder, guns at the ready.

Upon recognizing the two, Lin Qiupu’s brows knitted, “You again!?”

Chen Shi stood up, smiling, “Captain Lin, no hard feelings.”

“Who allowed you to barge into a murder scene and tamper with everything? Do you realize how much trouble you could cause for the police investigation? Lin Dongxue, as a detective, instead of securing the scene, you brought an unrelated person in?”

Facing Lin Qiupu’s scolding,Lin Dongxue nearly broke into tears, stuttering, “He… We were worried there might be survivors, so we came to check.”

Chen Shi, pointing to his gloves, said, “Captain Lin, calm down, I wore gloves.”

“You even had gloves ready!?”

“No, I just grabbed them from the kitchen.”

“What!?” Lin Qiupu’s voice suddenly rose an octave, “You took something from a murder scene? Do you realize what your actions…”

“I know, I know, I know!” Chen Shi interrupted, quickly conceding, “I understand I was wrong, okay? I won’t disturb your investigation any longer, Captain Lin. I hope you solve the case soon. I’ll be on my way now!”

As Chen Shi nonchalantly left under Lin Qiupu’s furious gaze, Lin Dongxue tried to explain, “Brother, he was actually inspecting the scene and his analysis made sense. We discovered some inconsistencies…”

“Lin Dongxue!” Lin Qiupu roared back, his voice nearly rattling the ceiling, “You are completely undisciplined! Stop him! If I find even a single fingerprint or footprint of his, I’ll detain him for obstructing justice!”

Lin Dongxue shrank back, tears brimming in her eyes. Lin Qiupu suddenly softened but couldn’t bring himself to comfort her in front of his subordinates, so he simply said, “Just go outside!”

Outside, Chen Shi was smoking in the hallway. Lin Dongxue approached him angrily, “It’s all your fault for insisting on coming in!”

“Blame me, then. How about I make it up to you? Dinner’s on me tonight—how about hot pot?” Chen Shi suggested with a smile.

“Don’t push your luck!” Lin Dongxue retorted.

They stood silently for a moment, while the sounds of cameras clicking and the forensic team working echoed from inside. Chen Shi exhaled his last puff of smoke, crushed the cigarette butt, and said, “This case isn’t as simple as it seems on the surface. Your brother won’t be able to crack it.”

“So, it takes the great detective Chen to step in?” Lin Dongxue said sarcastically, secretly thinking how self-assured he was.

“I wouldn’t say detective. I’m just a good-hearted citizen with a strong sense of justice.”

“Yeah, right, as if you’re not getting a bit carried away.”

“Let’s not talk about that. I’m serious—this case is tricky. Do you want to make a mark?”

Lin Dongxue twirled a strand of hair around her finger, hesitating, “Always going solo, won’t the team criticize me?”

“Do you want to make a mark or not?”

“Yes!”

“Then let’s do this!” Chen Shi grinned. “I’ll help you one more time!”