Chapter 43: Multiple Investigations

After identifying a few missing persons who matched the profile, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong visited each of their residences one by one, but none of them perfectly matched the deceased.

By the end of the day, both were exhausted. Lin Dongxue collapsed on her sofa and fell asleep as soon as she got home.

The next morning, she woke up to the sunlight hitting her eyelids. It was already 7:40 AM. Without a moment to spare, she hurried to her office.

Just as she clocked in, she ran into Chen Shi, who was carrying a black bag and greeted her with a wide smile. “Miss Lin, didn’t sleep well last night?”

“Please, I ran my legs off all day and got nothing,” she retorted.

“Did you brush your teeth?” he asked.

“Do I have bad breath?” Lin Dongxue quickly exhaled into her hand and sniffed.

“You usually wear a fresh shirt every day, but you’re still in yesterday’s shirt, with eye gunk too. So, I figured you didn’t brush your teeth… Here, take some gum,” Chen Shi said, handing her a pack of Green Arrow gum.

“What’s in the bag?” she asked, chewing the gum.

“Samples,” he replied.

They went to the technical team office, where Peng Siqi strictly forbade smoking, but the room still had a stale smell. The tired faces of the technical staff showed they had pulled an all-nighter.

Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi were investigating from two different angles, which significantly increased the workload on Peng Siqi, along with his other tasks.

“Thanks for your hard work, Captain Peng,” Chen Shi said with a grin.

Peng Siqi stood up, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The workload was too heavy to finish in one night. I only managed to get a few of the results you asked for.”

He handed over a few printed documents. Chen Shi glanced at them. “These will do. Also, can I get a copy of the stomach content analysis?”

“Xiao Wang, make a copy of the autopsy notes from yesterday for him,” Peng Siqi instructed.

Chen Shi placed his bag on the table. “These are ashes from various common cigarette brands. I’ve categorized them. Compare them with the ashes found on the deceased. It should be quick with samples. Let me know when you have results.”

“You’re not shy, are you?” Peng Siqi muttered.

Chen Shi patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks, brother.”

“Save the flattery.”

After Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left, Peng Siqi opened the bag. Besides the cigarette ash samples, there was a steaming hot breakfast. He smirked and called over an assistant. “Go analyze the cigarette ashes from yesterday.”

As they walked, Chen Shi looked through the documents in his hand. Lin Dongxue impatiently asked, “What do they say?”

“They found saliva from at least six people on the victim… Your theory about ‘multiple times’ doesn’t hold up.”

Lin Dongxue blushed. “I was just brainstorming. Isn’t it good to have multiple ideas in the initial stages of an investigation?”

“I’m not criticizing. Just encouraging you to think more.”

A large group of officers emerged from the conference room, laughing and chatting, looking quite pleased. Lin Dongxue recognized those expressions: they only appeared when there was a significant breakthrough in a case.

Her heart sank as she saw Lin Qiupu, the last to leave, who smiled and asked, “How’s it going? Any progress?”

“Judging by your expression, you’ve made a major breakthrough, right?” Chen Shi remarked.

“Yes, but I’m not telling you!” Lin Qiupu teased.

“Hey, we agreed to share information!”

Lin Qiupu squinted at him. “Then you first.”

“We haven’t started yet.”

“Haha!” Lin Qiupu laughed. “You better hurry. We’ve found blood on the knife carried by the fugitive Jia, and it’s confirmed to be human. He recently committed a violent act.”

Lin Dongxue’s mouth fell open. Could it be that this time, she would lose to her brother?

“Jia must have many friends,” Chen Shi said slowly, holding up the analysis results. “Saliva from six people was found on the victim’s skin. How do you explain that?”

Lin Qiupu suddenly frowned. “The inconsistencies in a case are often the key breakthrough points. I’ll look into it.”

“I don’t know who said that, but I think you’re applying it wrong. This inconsistency doesn’t fit your overall theory.”

“Oh, really? We’ll see!” Lin Qiupu walked away, then turned back. “The person who said that is a hundred times better than you!”

“Is that so? I’d love to meet them,” Chen Shi replied with a smile.

After Lin Qiupu left, Lin Dongxue said, “According to my brother’s theory, the six people’s saliva can be explained. Remember the first case? Maybe the victim got contaminated before the murder.”

“I’ve considered that, but it’s unlikely.”

“Why?”

“Six men and one woman? Even adult films aren’t shot like that!”

Lin Dongxue blushed and snapped, “Pervert!”

“Why are you mad? I’m just discussing the case.”

Chen Shi called over Xu Xiaodong. The three of them got into his car. Xu Xiaodong was excited. “Brother Chen, where are we investigating today?”

“Let’s get breakfast!”

“Huh? It’s only eight!”

Chen Shi smiled, opened the GPS on his phone, found the body dump site, and drew a circle with his finger. “We’ll start with the restaurants within ten kilometers of the dump site.”

“When will we ever find anything?” Xu Xiaodong deflated.

“With the clues we have, this is the only way.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Can’t we narrow it down? There must be over a hundred restaurants within ten kilometers.”

“Let’s see.” Chen Shi took out the photocopied notes and spread them out.

The three of them examined the list of food items. Lin Dongxue said, “Green peppers, millet peppers, black beans… These are common ingredients in Sichuan or Hunan cuisine.”

Xu Xiaodong added, “With soft-shelled turtle and scallops, it’s definitely a higher-end restaurant.”

Chen Shi noted, “There are four types of seafood. I think the restaurant must have an aquarium. A high-end Sichuan or Hunan restaurant with an aquarium. Let’s go! Start searching!”

The task was tedious and boring. By noon, they still had no leads, so they decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant.

“What do we do if we find nothing?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“We keep searching and expand the area,” Chen Shi replied calmly.

“What if we still don’t find anything?” Xu Xiaodong asked.

“The dumpers were likely more than one person and had a car. Since there were multiple people, they would’ve discussed where to dump the body. When people collaborate, they tend to make safer, more conservative choices. They likely chose a familiar place, not too far from the crime scene. I estimate it’s within ten kilometers.” Chen Shi ladled himself some soup.

“How do you know there were multiple people?” Xu Xiaodong asked, puzzled.

“The site is by a road with lots of stones. We’ve confirmed the body was in a box, but there were no drag marks on the stones. This means the body was carried by two people, not dragged by one.”

Xu Xiaodong nodded in admiration. Lin Dongxue raised an objection, “But what if the killer was really strong?”