Forensic Forensic - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Gao Jinhai was in his mid-fifties, with a square head, a broad face, a stocky build, broad features, thick eyebrows, fierce eyes, and thick earlobes drooping down his cheeks. He looked blessed yet dignified. Upon noticing Luo Jianan’s police badge, he extended his hand, which had been toying with a walnut, and gestured for the two uninvited guests to sit down. Luo Jianan and Qi Ming exchanged a glance, then settled on the long sofa and the single sofa in front of the desk, respectively. A graceful tea connoisseur in a cheongsam brewed them a cup of Kung Fu tea, then sat down behind a nearby guzheng and played “High Mountains and Flowing Water.”

“Mr. Gao, you have a refined taste,” Luo Jianan said, taking a sip of tea. The tea was good; it would have cost at least a thousand yuan per pound in its native region.

Gao Jinhai laughed heartily, stroking his half-bald head. He spoke with a full, energetic voice, “As for traditional culture, young people like to listen to pop songs, but we old folks still need to listen to this kind of music.”

“What I’m about to say today might not be so pleasant, Mr. Gao.” Luo Jianan rubbed his hands. To be honest, he didn’t think Gao Jinhai was a kind person; he was more like a smiling tiger. “The police are currently investigating a headless corpse case, and the clues point to a fishing boat. You’re an expert in this area, so I have some questions for you.”

Gao Jinhai stood up, pulled two cigars from the cigar box, and handed them to Luo Jianan and Qi Ming. Qi Ming waved his hand, indicating he didn’t want to smoke. Luo Jianan took them, snipped off one end with a cigar cutter from the coffee table, and lit it with a match Gao Jinhai had struck. His principle was that there was no need to be indifferent when investigating a case; the more relaxed the atmosphere, the more likely one would get what they wanted.

“I don’t claim to be an expert, but I’m very willing to cooperate with the police. Officer Luo, please let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.” Gao Jinhai lit a cigar for himself. As he smoked his cigar and toyed with walnuts, he looked like a wealthy merchant from the Republican era.

Nodding, Luo Jianan asked, “Well, do you know any fishermen who specialize in pufferfish?”

“Oh, pufferfish are all farmed,” Gao Jinhai thought for a moment. “There’s an area on the other side of the cross-sea bridge where you can still catch wild pufferfish, but no one eats them. The big boats use that line, and the stench of oil is strong, so they throw everything they catch back into the sea.”

“We’re looking for a fishing boat.” Qi Ming frowned and brushed away the smoke drifting toward him. He felt a little annoyed by Luo Jianan’s beating around the bush. “One with a draft of no more than two meters, and a propeller of about sixty to eighty centimeters.”

Gao Jinhai looked Qi Ming up and down and smiled at him. “Those aren’t fishing boats under my command. They’re either private boats fishing for moor eels or grouper, or they’re pollution-removal vessels.”

Luo Jianan finally understood why Xu Jie and Qiao Dawei had visited three docks without success. The kind of boat Gao Jinhai was talking about wouldn’t pay to dock at a large dock. Gao Jinhai calmly observed Qi Ming and Luo Jianan’s expressions, sensing their disappointment with his response. He adjusted the collar of his Tang suit and said with a faint smile, “Of course. Anything used at sea, even a piece of wood, needs my approval.”

Putting down his cigar, Luo Jianan said, “Mr. Gao is undoubtedly a leader in the industry. Now, I’d like to trouble you to provide information on the pollution-removal vessels and their owners.”

“Officer Luo, you’re joking! How could I possibly remember information on hundreds of vessels?” Gao Jinhai looked at Luo Jianan with a forced smile.

Luo Jianan pondered for a moment and asked, “What are your conditions?”

“Officer Luo, I just love dealing with smart guys like you.” Gao Jinhai stood up, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out a document, handing it to Luo Jianan. “Customs detained three shipments of my cargo. They weren’t valuables, just small items. They said the paperwork wasn’t complete. Now they want me to pay 400,000 yuan in taxes. What do you think? Huh? That’s not even taxes, it’s fines. Those three shipments combined aren’t even worth 400,000 yuan.”

Luo Jianan’s face darkened. He tossed the stack of papers onto the coffee table and said sternly, “If you knew about this and didn’t report it, I can sue you for obstruction of duty.”

“I didn’t hide the murderer, nor did I obstruct your investigation. How can this be considered knowing about this and not reporting it, Officer Luo?” Gao Jinhai snorted. “At worst, I’ll just pay the fine.”

Qi Ming tilted his head and gave Luo Jianan a look. In order to find clues during an investigation, compromises are necessary. It’s like offering a reduced sentence in exchange for the testimony of a tainted witness, only now it’s about saving the witness money. Luo Jianan was well aware of this, but he didn’t like being led around by the nose.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Gao. The police don’t accept threats. Teacher Qi, let’s go.” Luo Jianan stood up, signaling his departure. He knew Gao Jinhai was worried they wouldn’t return once they left.

Sure enough, Gao Jinhai immediately said, “Why are you in such a hurry? Have some tea. Come on, Officer Luo, sit down. You have to respect an old man. Even in public, you should call me uncle, right? By the way, when I was carrying goods back from Hong Kong with Old Eagle, you were still in kindergarten.”

At the mention of “Old Eagle,” Luo Jianan’s eyes immediately grew wary, and he instinctively reached up to touch the scar behind his ear. The Eagle Gao Jinhai was referring to was once the most powerful local tycoon. He’d been undercover for three years just to put him behind bars. To quickly gain Eagle’s trust, he’d taken fourteen stab wounds. Though his wounds had long since healed, hearing his name brought back vivid memories of that life-or-death struggle.

Gao Jinhai’s mention of Eagle was a hint that his connections were extensive enough that they weren’t the only option. Cooperating with the police was undoubtedly the quickest and least expensive option.

“Mr. Gao, although I’m your junior, I have a piece of advice I hope you’ll listen to.” Qi Ming looked directly into Gao Jinhai’s eyes.

Luo Jianan stared at Qi Ming, unable to fathom his intentions.

Gao Jinhai smiled calmly, “Feel free to ask. Ah, my greatest strength is that I listen to others’ opinions.”

“It’s not about the case, Mr. Gao.” Qi Ming raised his hand and gestured to Gao Jinhai’s left. “You’ve been out at sea all year round, right?”

Gao Jinhai nodded.

“In recent years, have you experienced numbness and pain in your left lower limb during rainy weather?”

Gao Jinhai nodded again, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Qi Ming continued, “From the way you walk, I can tell your left hip joint is severely worn. You should seek medical attention immediately. Delaying treatment may require an artificial hip replacement, a major surgery that requires prolonged bed rest and can lead to a host of complications.”

Gao Jinhai stopped spinning the walnut in his hand and leaned forward slightly, holding onto the armrest of his chair. “Wow, I didn’t expect there were doctors in the police force?”

“I’m a forensic consultant, specializing in cadavers.” Qi Ming’s words made Gao Jinhai’s mouth twitch slightly. Luo Jianan, stifling a sly smile, fanned the flames. “Our Teacher Qi is an expert from the United States. You must listen to him, Mr. Gao.”

Gao Jinhai nodded with a wry smile. “Ah, young people these days are incredible. You know what? I always thought your legs hurt from being at sea all year round, cold and damp.”

“You tend to put your weight on your left leg when you walk, so you must have been straining with it when you worked at sea. The cold and damp you’re talking about can cause rheumatism, but that usually affects the knee or ankle joints, while your problem is clearly in the hip.” Qi Ming finished, taking a sip of tea.

Gao Jinhai chuckled twice and said, “Okay, I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow. Honestly, at my age, I still don’t even know which way the hospital door faces.”

“Good health is a good thing, but now that I’m old, I still need the necessary checkups.” Qi Ming put down his cup and looked at Luo Jianan. “Can we go now?”

“Ah? Oh, let’s go.” Luo Jianan stood up again.

Gao Jinhai didn’t try to stop them this time. Instead, he stood up together and said to them, “Officer Luo, Teacher Qi, let’s just be friends today. Ah, I’ll have someone deliver the information to the police station tomorrow. And as for the fine…”

“I’ll talk to the captain, Mr. Gao, but I can’t guarantee I can help.” Luo Jianan also gave in.

“Call me Brother Hai, don’t be so formal.” Gao Jinhai waved toward the girl playing the guzheng. “Xiao Liu, give each of the two officers a seafood gift box and put it in the car.”

“That won’t work. We can’t accept things!” Luo Jianan quickly stopped the girl. “Sit down. Don’t take anything. I don’t want it even if you take it.”

“That’s being so formal, Xiao Liu. Go!” Gao Jinhai’s businessman-like demeanor immediately emerged.

Qi Ming intervened in time to defuse the argument.

“Don’t bother. I’m allergic to seafood.”

On the way back, Luo Jianan asked Qi Ming, “Are you allergic to seafood?”

“No, I just said that to prevent him from stuffing your trunk full of seafood.” Qi Ming looked out the car window and, after a moment, burst into laughter. A little confused by his laughter, Luo Jianan asked, “Did you take the wrong medicine?”

Qi Ming waved his hand, took off his glasses, wiped them with a handkerchief, and smiled, shaking his head. “I suddenly remembered a case from before.”

“Oh? Tell me about it?”

“It happened in Tennessee. There’s flooding there every year, and people often go missing. I was an intern there, accompanying my professor to identify bodies. You know, after being soaked in water for a week, coupled with the high temperatures, bodies swell up like balloons.”

Luo Jianan thought to himself, of course I know, but the problem is, what’s so funny about that?

“There was a rookie who got sprayed with rotting tissue while taking a DNA sample. The stench couldn’t be washed off for a week.” Qi Ming laughed as he spoke, not caring how embarrassed Luo Jianan’s face wrinkled. “Later, after we returned to school, one day he suddenly found a dried fish in his lab coat pocket. It must have been sprayed from a corpse. It didn’t come out during the laundry, so it got dried in the dryer… After that, he never ate fish again. When people asked him why, he said he was allergic.”

I don’t want to eat fish anymore, Luo Jianan rolled his eyes. This kind of cold joke, which probably only forensic pathologists could understand, is really disgusting. Old Han had been called in to perform an autopsy at the hospital, and the medical examiner’s office was deserted. Luo Jianan pulled up a chair and sat down, lifting his long legs onto Old Han’s desk. He casually picked up a copy of the “Forensic Medical Association Monthly” and flipped through it.

“Take your legs off.” Qi Ming stood beside him, holding a box. “This is a controlled environment. If you want to stay here, put on your shoe covers.”

Luo Jianan glanced down at Qi Ming’s bamboo slippers, rolled his eyes, and stood up. “Ah, it’s hard to be a good person. Aren’t you afraid of being alone—” He raised his chin towards the morgue across the way. “Those things are afraid.”

“I don’t know who’s afraid.”

Qi Ming muttered softly, set the box on the table, and opened the lid. Luo Jianan, wearing shoe covers, approached, fanning himself casually with a book. He leaned in and asked, “What’s this?”

“Bones—Luo Jianan!” Qi Ming took a sharp step back as the book in Luo Jianan’s hand stirred up the ashes in the box. Luo Jianan’s face was covered in ashes. He spat to the side, dusting off his clothes as he asked, “What the hell is this? Why is it so astringent?”

Qi Ming turned the exhaust system up to full blast and said, “Ashes.”

Luo Jianan nearly choked on his own spit. Covering his mouth, he rushed out of the medical examiner’s office and headed straight for the bathroom at the end of the hallway. Miao Hong, who had just come down to retrieve some documents, was nearly knocked over by her apprentice’s impetuousness. Then, the sound of vomiting from the bathroom made her frown.

“What’s wrong with Luo Jianan? Are you pregnant?” Miao Hong asked Qi Ming with a smirk as they entered the medical examiner’s office, where he was cleaning up the scattered ashes on the table.

Qi Ming smiled and shook his head, not responding. A moment later, Luo Jianan came in, leaning against the wall. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water and gulped down half of it in one gulp. Miao Hong opened Old Han’s computer and, while printing out documents, teased her own apprentice, “What’s going on, Luo Jianan? Who did this?”

Luo Jianan pointed at Qi Ming with a shaking finger.