Chapter 47: Jia’s Escape
Seeing the employees about to come out, the two hurriedly hid in a small storage room next to the meeting room, which was used to store products.
Lin Dongxue whispered, “Why don’t we just storm in?”
“We have no evidence. If we bring too many people, we might get turned away. That would complicate things… Actually, what we’re doing now is illegal trespassing.”
“What!?”
“Don’t worry, if there’s a problem, I’ll take the blame. That’s the advantage of being a civilian… The hallway is clear. Let’s check out the meeting room.”
Sneaking into the meeting room where the morning meeting had just been held, they noted that the floor plan of this floor was a square, with office areas on the north and west sides, the main entrance on the south, and the meeting room on the left of the entrance.
Just then, Xu Xiaodong called, whispering, “Are you done yet? I can’t keep up the conversation here.”
“Not yet, hang in there!” Chen Shi replied.
“Damn, I’m running out of cigarettes.”
“Ask to review the surveillance footage. Occupy the computer so the guards don’t notice us.”
“Good idea!” Xu Xiaodong hung up.
“The kid still has a lot to learn,” Chen Shi remarked.
“Where did you learn all this?” Lin Dongxue asked, tilting her head.
“Life experience… Let’s get started!”
Chen Shi opened a box revealing a battery. Once connected, the ultraviolet light could be used.
Lin Dongxue held the box while Chen Shi inspected the room. He suddenly stopped, saying, “Look here.”
“Did you find blood?” Lin Dongxue asked excitedly.
“No, but you can see marks on the floor indicating that a table was here, similar to the integrated iron frame table used to tie up the victim!” Chen Shi stood up and surveyed the room, noticing a row of windows had been blocked and painted over. “This place was probably designed as a cafeteria. The small storage room we were in just now was the kitchen, which was later converted into two rooms—a meeting room and a storage room.”
“A company with such a bad reputation wouldn’t thoughtfully prepare a cafeteria for its employees,” Lin Dongxue scoffed.
Chen Shi took a small bottle from his pocket, removed a cotton swab soaked in alcohol, and collected a sample from the floor. He sniffed it, saying, “There’s a smell of alcohol. The employees might have had a meal here, maybe a gathering.”
“Blood! Where’s the blood?” Lin Dongxue urged impatiently, fearing an employee might walk in and catch them red-handed. As a police officer doing such sneaky work, it would be incredibly embarrassing.
They scanned every inch of the floor but found nothing. “No blood,” Chen Shi concluded.
“Was your theory wrong?” Lin Dongxue asked.
“The victim died of positional asphyxia, so there wouldn’t be blood dripping at the time of death, only when the head was sawed off. Let’s check the stairwell.”
“But the receptionist is still there!”
“Oops, I forgot.”
They waited until the receptionist went to the restroom, then quickly slipped out. Chen Shi didn’t leave immediately but took a wireless camera from the bag the bald man had given him and placed it in a potted plant next to the meeting room door, covering it with leaves.
Lin Dongxue’s eyes widened. So that’s what it was.
They silently moved to the stairwell and repeated their previous search.
Again, no blood.
Chen Shi pressed his fingers to his forehead. “It seems the body was moved intact. The blood might be in the vehicle… or outside!”
“If it’s the latter, we’ll never find it… Could the victim have been killed elsewhere?” Lin Dongxue speculated.
“Whether the victim was killed here or not, let’s rule out all possibilities first! We’re done here.” Chen Shi called Xu Xiaodong, signaling him to retreat.
“Done? Aren’t we going to see the manager?”
“What’s the point? We’ll come back tomorrow with more force.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Didn’t you see? I planted a camera. Once we catch them on tape during their morning meeting, we can accuse the manager of sexual harassment, giving us a legitimate reason to investigate.”
“Smart! But isn’t your evidence collection method a bit…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll send the footage anonymously, and you can follow proper procedures to get a warrant. That’s the advantage of being a civilian.”
“You’re full of tricks.”
Meeting up outside the building, Chen Shi drove them to the city bureau. “See you tomorrow or the day after. I have some jobs to run. Haven’t worked for two days.”
“Chen, do we have any tasks?” Xu Xiaodong asked.
“Just rest!”
Lin Dongxue said, “Are you sure the murder happened at the company? What if you’re wrong? Shouldn’t we investigate other leads?”
Chen Shi shook his head. “Investigations are like blind men feeling an elephant. Everyone focuses on their piece, and the truth emerges when we put it all together. One person can’t do everything. You can learn this from your brother—when he catches a lead, he pursues it relentlessly. That’s commendable.”
“You don’t sound like you’re praising him.”
“Interpret it as you wish. I’m off.”
As they got out, Xu Xiaodong suggested, “It’s eleven. Want to grab lunch? My treat.”
“You have a fortune or something, always treating?” Lin Dongxue retorted.
“You never accept!”
“Sorry, I’m not hungry.”
Just then, Lin Qiupu came out with a stack of documents. “Any progress? We have some. The blood on Jia’s knife matches the victim’s blood type.”
Lin Dongxue’s heart sank. Were they really going to lose to Lin Qiupu this time? “What about the DNA?”
“It’s being tested, but I’m confident it’ll match. What about you? Don’t hide anything.”
Lin Dongxue told him everything they found. Lin Qiupu smirked, “I think he’s overcomplicating it. Even if the company has bad practices, they’re ordinary people. Ordinary people committing their first crime are usually sloppy. This was too clean—a seasoned criminal did it.”
Lin Dongxue was speechless. She didn’t want to say anything that might be used against her later. She was already starting to doubt Chen Shi’s theory. Could luck really always be on his side?
Just then, Lin Qiupu received a call, his expression changing. “Damn, Jia escaped from the hospital! Follow me, we need to search for him!”