Chapter 484: Killing the Donkey After the Millstone is Removed

Lin Dongxue quickly asked, “Where is she?”

“She’s at a place we’ve already been to,” Chen Shi replied.

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment, and suddenly it dawned on her. “I get it. Xiao Qin went missing on the evening of August 3rd, and on August 4th, Zhang Xiao’s ‘murder workshop’ was accidentally discovered by a neighbor who called the police. He couldn’t have known that in advance, meaning he wouldn’t have prepared another hiding place. One place is enough to kill two people. Xiao Qin is still in that neighborhood.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “But we’ve been to the scene several times. There’s no other victim. The dismembered body had been dead for several days.”

Chen Shi said, “Remember the living room was covered in newspapers but was very clean? I think that was meant for killing Xiao Qin. When he was discovered, the suspect had to move her and abandon the scene.”

Lin Dongxue added, “We reviewed the surveillance footage repeatedly and interviewed many residents. If there were suspicious individuals coming and going, we wouldn’t have missed it.”

“Let’s take another look!” Chen Shi suggested.

The three drove back to the neighborhood where the initial report was made and returned to the crime scene. Chen Shi recalled the day’s events, saying, “There were so many people under the building that day. Later, the police arrived. It would have been hard for the killer to leave with Xiao Qin. Did they go upstairs?”

“Or… did they rent another hiding place in this building?” Lin Dongxue speculated.

Chen Shi pondered and then said, “Xiaodong, get the property manager.”

Xu Xiaodong found the property manager, who had a list of residents. It showed that several units were rented out. The team knocked on each door, feeling tense every time.

It turned out none of the tenants were suspicious.

Finally, they reached the top floor. Chen Shi pointed to the iron-chained door to the rooftop and asked the property manager, “Can you access other buildings from this rooftop?”

The property manager said, “Yes, but each rooftop door is locked from the inside, just like this one. You can’t open it from outside.”

“Do you have the key?”

“Yes!”

“Open it.”

They opened the door and stepped onto the rooftop, which was filled with air conditioning units, solar water heaters, and several cylindrical water tanks. Chen Shi climbed a ladder up to one of the water tanks. The property manager said, “No way, there can’t be anyone in there. It’s locked.”

“What’s that smell?” Lin Dongxue sniffed the air.

A strange scent, not quite foul but chemically, wafted from the water tank’s crevices. Chen Shi felt dizzy and suddenly said, “Get back. This smell might be toxic!”

They quickly moved upwind. Chen Shi realized it was likely cyanide, which smelled faintly of bitter almonds. Staring at the locked water tank, he knew something was inside.

“Call Lao Peng!” Chen Shi ordered.

A few police cars arrived shortly after. Peng Sijue sent several tech officers in hazmat suits to the rooftop. They opened the water tank, and the radio crackled with the on-site report, “Captain Peng, there are bodies in the water tank. Two of them.”

“What?!” Lin Dongxue exclaimed.

“Describe them,” Peng Sijue instructed.

“A man and a woman. The woman is underneath, and the man is on top. Both are submerged in waist-deep water. The bodies look discolored, likely due to poisoning. The smell is intense even through the gas masks.”

“Be careful. Don’t touch the water. Keep the area ventilated and let the smell disperse.”

Three hours later, the bodies were retrieved and laid out on the rooftop. Surprisingly, one was Xiao Qin, and the other was the suspect, Zhang Xiao, whom the police had been searching for.

The toxin in the water appeared to be hydrocyanic acid, a deadly gas produced by the reaction of hydrochloric acid and cyanide. Even a small inhalation could be fatal. The tank’s sealed structure had contained the gas, but Chen Shi still felt dizzy after catching a whiff.

Peng Sijue said, “You should get checked at the hospital.”

Chen Shi waved it off. “If it was going to kill me, it would have already. It’s like eating too many almonds. I’ll be fine.”

Upon examining the bodies, it was clear they died simultaneously, likely on the evening of August 4th. Xiao Qin’s thin clothes and tightly bound limbs showed signs of severe trauma.

The officer who discovered the bodies said Xiao Qin was face-up at the bottom, with Zhang Xiao lying across her. His arm was pinned under her body, suggesting they fell together.

Turning Zhang Xiao’s body over, they found no external injuries to his back, making it unclear if he had been pushed.

Chen Shi asked, “Did Zhang Xiao smoke?”

Peng Sijue replied, “Probably. We found many cigarette butts at the dismemberment site, likely his.”

Chen Shi speculated, “If he smoked, his sense of smell might be dull. Hydrocyanic acid smells faintly of bitter almonds, but many people can’t detect it. It’s instantly lethal when inhaled. I think the killer poured acid and cyanide into the tank beforehand, sealed the lid, and when Zhang Xiao opened it to dispose of Xiao Qin, he inhaled the gas and they both fell in.”

Lin Dongxue noted, “But the tank was locked when we arrived.”

“True. Lao Peng, how quickly does hydrocyanic acid dissipate?”

“It’s lighter than air, so it disperses fairly quickly.”

“How long would it take?”

“We’d need to test it.”

Chen Shi continued, “The killer must have locked the tank before the gas fully dissipated. He was likely wearing a gas mask and ambushed nearby. He probably called Zhang Xiao there to dispose of Xiao Qin, setting a deadly trap. This person is Zhang Xiao’s accomplice, who staged a perfect betrayal, killing Zhang Xiao without leaving a trace and taking the money.”

Lin Dongxue added, “I suspect the blocked sewer was also his doing, forcing Zhang Xiao to flee and lose his judgment.”

Chen Shi nodded, “This guy is smart. If we hadn’t found the bodies in the water tank, we’d still be looking for Zhang Xiao, thinking he was on the run. Now Zhang Xiao is dead, the trail is cold, and the accomplice is hiding with the money.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “Didn’t the bank cameras catch someone withdrawing money?”

Lin Dongxue sighed, “The footage didn’t capture his face. It’s too difficult to identify him from that. After all this work, the trail goes cold again. It’s so frustrating!”