Chapter 203: On-Site Investigation

Lin Qiupu left first, leaving Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue to continue the investigation. Chen Shi stared at the victim’s seat, deep in thought, while Lin Dongxue urged, “Help with checking the luggage!”

“You start. There are some things I want to check,” Chen Shi said.

He lifted the curtain and entered the flight attendants’ rest area. Lin Dongxue and the other officers began taking out luggage from the overhead bins and under the seats for inspection. Each checked bag was marked off on the passenger list.

When she opened a leather briefcase, Lin Dongxue felt something odd about its outer wall. She called others over but had no tools to open it. Just then, Xu Xiaodong ran in, saying, “Where’s Brother Chen?”

Lin Dongxue stood up, feeling dizzy. After a moment, she said, “Did you finish your experiment?”

“Yes! The test showed that airport security can be bypassed. Look!” Xu Xiaodong took off his shoe and pulled out a small folding scissors from under the insole. “I went through security, and they didn’t detect this in my shoe.”

“Great, let me use those scissors.” Lin Dongxue took them and frowned. “What’s that smell?”

Xu Xiaodong scratched his head and grinned. “What do you expect? They were in my shoe.”

Lin Dongxue used the scissors to cut open the suspicious briefcase and found some pills hidden in the lining. Xu Xiaodong exclaimed, “Drugs! An unexpected find.”

Lin Dongxue marked the luggage owner’s name and flagged it for further questioning. The pills would be sent for testing later.

Chen Shi came out from behind the curtain and asked, “Finished?”

“Halfway there!” Lin Dongxue replied, looking down the long aisle.

“I don’t think the weapon is in the luggage. The killer wouldn’t be that stupid. Check the seats and trash bags.” Chen Shi picked up a trash bag, finding food wrappers and a crumpled piece of tinfoil inside.

He said, “I’m going to find Peng. You guys keep going.”

“Hey, aren’t you going to help?” Lin Dongxue called after him, but he was already gone.

Xu Xiaodong said, “Brother Chen is always like that, but his hunches are usually spot on.”

“Stop standing around and help with the search,” Lin Dongxue ordered.

Besides the briefcase, they found some rubber knives in another bag. The discovery startled everyone, but when Lin Dongxue picked one up, she realized it was just a toy, bending harmlessly against her hand. Still, she marked the owner’s name for caution.

By the time they finished checking all the luggage, it was already eleven o’clock. Lin Dongxue was exhausted. At that moment, Chen Shi returned with Peng Siyue, who was carrying a forensic kit. Chen Shi asked with a smile, “Finished?”

“You had it easy, not helping at all,” Lin Dongxue complained.

“Sorry, I had an idea and needed Peng’s help.”

“Captain Peng, there are some pills here that need testing. Also, a few suspicious bags—I’ll question their owners.”

Chen Shi took a look at the pills and asked, “Found in the luggage?”

“Yes.”

“Forget about those for now. We have less than four hours left. If we follow procedure, we won’t solve this case even by the day after tomorrow. Go talk to the flight attendants and find out which passengers used the bathroom after takeoff. Record everyone who passed by the victim.”

“Oh, and keep an eye out for anyone wearing a dark blue khaki jacket, especially if the sleeves are slightly damaged,” Peng Siyue added.

Lin Dongxue nodded. “Got it!”

After the other officers left, Chen Shi told Peng Siyue, “Let’s get started!”

Peng Siyue took out reagents and a handheld UV light, starting to collect samples from the floor, moving from the restroom to the aisle, while Chen Shi examined the plane’s tiny kitchen, which was really just a food heating area.

“Peng!” Chen Shi called.

Peng Siyue turned around and caught something thrown at him. It was a still-warm, tinfoil-wrapped item.

“What is this?”

Chen Shi had one too. “In-flight meal, a hamburger. I just heated it. Let’s have a snack.”

“Can you stop treating the crime scene like your home?”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it.” Chen Shi unwrapped and took a bite, immediately regretting it. It was the worst burger he’d ever tasted—just a big bun with a slice of ham and some lettuce, completely flavorless.

He abandoned the burger, placed the bread on a seat, and carefully smoothed out the tinfoil, folding it into a flat, awl-like shape. He used it to stab the bread, and the tinfoil awl pierced the bread easily.

Chen Shi pricked his finger with the tinfoil awl. Though sharp, it didn’t pierce deeply. He refined it further, making it tighter and sharper. This time, it drew a small bead of blood from his finger. He felt a spark of inspiration.

“Chen!” Peng Siyue called.

Chen Shi quickly sucked the blood from his finger and ran over. Peng Siyue’s UV light revealed a blood smear on the floor, as if someone had wiped it with their foot. “It seems like someone wiped this blood with their shoe.”

Chen Shi looked back. “This is two rows away from the victim’s seat.”

“We found similar traces in two more spots, about ten centimeters apart,” Peng Siyue added, checking further forward. “There’s no more blood ahead, just these three spots.”

Chen Shi speculated, “The blood dripped from the weapon. Did you analyze the substance in the wound?”

“Not yet. But the pills were identified as a sedative. The victim likely took them before the attack and was in a subdued state, hence no struggle.”

“Any blood in the restroom?”

“No.”

“What about the other restroom?”

“Let’s check.”

They moved to the other end of the plane, where Peng Siyue sprayed luminol reagent and used the UV light in the sink and toilet, finding nothing. Then, he inspected the sink again and discovered minute blood traces.

“This blood is recent, likely from the victim. The killer washed their hands here.”

“So the killer murdered him at one end and washed up at the other? Makes sense. When the victim was discovered, everyone would focus on the front, leaving the back unnoticed.”

“Could the weapon be here too?” Peng Siyue pointed at the toilet.

“I heard airplane waste is dumped mid-flight, freezing into a blue icicle. Is that true?”

“Some planes do that, but not this model. The waste is stored and collected by ground staff after landing.”

“Is this common knowledge?”

“What!?”

“I mean, would the killer know this and thus avoid disposing of the weapon here?”

“How would I know!”