Chapter 276: The Actual Time of Death

Lin Dongxue made a call and had the police bring in a computer to play the surveillance video from that night. Around 10:30 PM, a man entered the community. Miss Jiang pointed at the screen and said, “That’s him!”

They fast-forwarded the video, and at 12:19 AM, Miss Jiang identified the same man leaving the community right behind her.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Was he in your sight the whole time he was in the community?”

“Yes, I guarantee it.”

“But he arrived first.”

“He wouldn’t kill anyone, really. He’s a very kind person, never had conflicts with anyone. If it weren’t for my situation, he wouldn’t have been so upset that night.”

“What were you doing in the community?”

“Talking. I was trying to calm him down. Honestly, I was very worried about my cat, Mimi, but I kept telling him that it wasn’t worth doing anything impulsive. I said I didn’t care about the apartment; I just wanted to be with him.”

Lin Dongxue knew that even if the man had entered the community first, he couldn’t have killed anyone because Ma was still alive at 11:10 PM.

Lin Dongxue said, “I need his contact information and name. I’ll verify his statement later.”

“Officer Lin, I promise you, he wouldn’t kill anyone…”

“Don’t worry, we won’t wrong an innocent person. When we find out the truth, I’ll be the first to let you know.”

“Thank you!”

After Miss Jiang wrote down the contact information, Lin Dongxue asked, “One more thing. When was the last time you used that key to open the door?”

“Two days ago. I don’t know why it doesn’t work now. Have you tried it?”

Lin Dongxue escorted Miss Jiang out but found Peng Sijue and a man in a lab coat standing in the corridor. Peng Sijue said, “Miss Jiang, does your cat have cat scratch fever?”

“I don’t know.” Miss Jiang looked puzzled.

“What’s going on, Captain Peng?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“It could be an important discovery… Miss Jiang, could you bring your cat for this vet to examine?”

Seeing Miss Jiang hesitate, Lin Dongxue said, “How about the vet and I go to your place to check?”

Chen Shi stepped forward, “I’ll drive.”

The four of them arrived at Miss Jiang’s place, which was actually her boyfriend’s apartment. Despite the mess, it felt warm and cozy, unlike Ma’s place, which was spotless but oppressive.

Photos of Miss Jiang and her boyfriend were on the table, showing a younger Miss Jiang. She said, “He’s kept these pictures all this time. I’m really touched.”

“It seems he loves you very much.”

Miss Jiang glanced at Chen Shi standing by the door and whispered to Lin Dongxue, “Is that officer your boyfriend?”

“Ah… well…”

“I noticed the way you two look at each other. You make a good couple.”

“Thank you!” Lin Dongxue said, blushing a little.

When the cat saw strangers, it darted under the sofa. After much effort, they caught it, and the vet examined it, saying, “The cat shows signs of illness. We need a fecal test at the pet hospital… Has it ever scratched you?”

“No, Mimi is very well-behaved and never bites or scratches anyone.”

Chen Shi asked, “How was its relationship with Ma?”

“People say pets resemble their owners. Since Ma Jianjun and I often argued, Mimi didn’t like him much. Sometimes when he tried to hold her, she would fluff up her tail and hiss at him!”

“Hiss at him?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“It’s a threatening gesture cats make,” Chen Shi remembered how his own cat, Maoqiu, used to do the same when it first arrived.

Concerned about Mimi’s health, Miss Jiang agreed to go to the pet hospital. After a half-hour examination, the vet confirmed, “This cat indeed has Bartonella, commonly known as cat scratch fever.”

Chen Shi relayed the results to Peng Sijue, who said, “Come back. I may have made a significant discovery.”

Returning to the station, Peng Sijue pulled out Ma’s already autopsied body and pointed at a faintly red scratch on the back of the hand. “I initially thought it was a cat scratch, so I didn’t include it in the report.”

“But you didn’t realize the cat carried bacteria?” Chen Shi asked.

“Yes. It seems the victim didn’t properly treat the scratch, leading to mild infection and inflammation. This caused his liver temperature to be slightly higher than normal, which means we misjudged the time of death. The actual time of death is around 11 PM!”

Lin Dongxue was shocked. Chen Shi said, “I remember you mentioned the victim had consumed a lot of soda.”

“We found four soda cans, all consumed that same day.”

“Was he drinking soda because he felt unwell?”

“Soda contains caffeine, similar to painkillers, and the cool sensation can make a mild fever feel better… Soda was originally a cold remedy, but became a beverage due to its good taste.”

Lin Dongxue said, “That’s impossible! At 11:10 PM, the victim was talking to us through the window. It was recorded by the camera, and I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Was it really him speaking?” Chen Shi asked.

“Absolutely, because we had spoken before. The voice was exactly the same.”

“But did you see his face?”

“The room was dark, but I could see a silhouette. It was him! Captain Peng, could his fever have subsided by then?”

“Blood tests indicate it hadn’t.”

Chen Shi said, “The killer set up a delayed Weibo post to make us believe the victim died at that time. The victim must have died before midnight.”

“But not before 11:10 PM,” Lin Dongxue emphasized.

“How about we go to the scene and test how much time the killer would need?” Chen Shi suggested.

The three returned to the scene. Lin Dongxue stood outside the window and said, “At 11:10 PM, the man cursed at the reporters through the window for about two minutes, then went back inside… Five minutes later, he sprayed water out the window, drenching the reporters’ equipment.”

Chen Shi noted on his phone, “So at 11:17 PM, the victim was still alive. What happened next?”

“The reporters checked their equipment and changed clothes, which took about twenty minutes.”

“Where were you?”

“Standing outside the building with Officer Luo and Xu Xiaodong.”

“I remember you mentioned the TV station’s equipment was soaked.”

“Yes, the TV station suspected someone from Uncle Geng’s side did it, and the two sides almost fought.”

“Was your attention always on the building’s entrance?”

“No, how could I stare at the same spot for half an hour? I didn’t know a murder had happened.”