Forensic Forensic - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Luo Jianan wore a sour expression all day long at work. Although he only had to drive Qi Ming from the hotel to the bureau early in the morning, Captain Chen had ordered him to be at Teacher Qi’s disposal, meaning he had to be ready at any time. This was unacceptable; he was a police officer. Where would he find the time to be a free chauffeur for a consultant who didn’t even have a forensic license?! Furthermore, he really should have thrown the key that Qi Ming had forced on him down the sewer.
“Captain, we have a lead.” Colleagues Xu Jie and Qiao Dawei walked into the office and placed a medical record on Chen Fei’s desk. “An individual named Wang Xinji from the Tonghe Hospital Orthopedics Department suffers from cervical spinal stenosis. He was scheduled for a follow-up visit this Monday but never showed up. His age and physique match the victim. We went to his home; no one was there. Should we apply for a search warrant?”
“Let me take a look first.” Qi Ming appeared at the office door. He walked over to Chen Fei’s desk, pulled the X-ray film from the medical record, held it up to the window, and nodded with certainty: “That’s the deceased.”
“Do your eyes come with a built-in DNA identifier?” Luo Jianan mocked him.
“Bones are like fingerprints; everyone’s are different. With the lesion from cervical spinal stenosis, it’s even easier to judge.” Qi Ming seemed slightly impatient. If others weren’t waiting to hear, he wouldn’t have bothered explaining to Luo Jianan. “But any further explanation would delve into professional matters, which you wouldn’t understand.”
“Right, you’re the professional. You’re so amazing.” Just as he spoke, Luo Jianan’s phone dinged. He looked down, smiled mockingly, and said, “Looks like you don’t need a non-professional like me to help you inquire about Qi Zhen’s whereabouts after all.”
Hearing his sister’s name, Qi Ming’s expression instantly tensed. “Who did you say?”
“This girl.” Luo Jianan turned the phone screen toward Qi Ming. “Your sister.”
Hearing Luo Jianan’s insulting tone, Xu Jie couldn’t help but chuckle. Qiao Dawei nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to be respectful. Qi Ming didn’t care about Luo Jianan’s tone; he strode forward, snatched the phone out of his hand, and stared intently at the photo. Although many years had passed, and the girl in the photo was clearly older than when he and his sister had separated, he immediately recognized her as Qi Zhen from her facial features.
“Where did you get this photo?” Qi Ming pressed Luo Jianan.
“Ah, that’s a professional matter. I told you, you wouldn’t understand.” Luo Jianan returned the barb. “She’s not called Qi Zhen anymore. She changed her name after the adoption to Han Yue.”
Qi Ming placed the phone on the desk, bracing himself with his hands on the edge, breathing rapidly. Seeing this, Chen Fei quickly stood up and ordered: “Stop lounging around. Xiao Xu, Da Wei, immediately apply for a search warrant to collect evidence at the victim’s home. Xiao Luo, take Teacher Qi outside for some air.”
Sitting on a stone bench by the flower bed, Luo Jianan took out a cigarette, then tapped one out and offered it to Qi Ming. Qi Ming glanced at the pack, took one, and lit it with Luo Jianan’s flicked open lighter.
“I called the welfare home,” Luo Jianan broke the silence. “I found a girl named Qi Zhen, which I guessed was your sister, as not many people share that surname. The staff gave me the address of the family who adopted her. Then I checked that family’s information in the municipal bureau’s household registration system; it was canceled. I wondered if they had emigrated, so I called my buddy in the Exit-Entry Administration. He just confirmed that they immigrated to Canada ten years ago.”
Qi Ming nodded, routinely crushing the cigarette after only one puff. Knowing where she was made things easier. He would hire a private investigator and find his only living relative, even if it took ten or twenty years. Qi Ming stood up, letting out a long breath. “Thank you, Nangua.”
“Hey, show some sincerity.” Luo Jianan narrowed his eyes. “It’s very impolite to call people nicknames.”
“Then tell me your name again.”
“Luo Jianan. The Luo from Luolie (to list), the Jia from jiating (family), and the Nan from… gusheng you shinan (solitary living with stone nan).” Luo Jianan looked provocatively at Qi Ming. “Do you want me to write it down?”
Qi Ming contemplated for a moment and said, “‘Cold green with many cliff bamboos, solitary living with stone nan’—from Su Shi’s poem Entering the Gorge… Hmm, it seems the person who named you has a profound understanding of classical Chinese poetry.”
“Of course! My grandfather was a—” Luo Jianan paused, his face falling. “I mean, don’t use compliments like that against me! Also, you struggle to remember names, but you’re quick to recall classical poetry.”
“I don’t like useless things occupying my brain cells.”
“Hey! I’ll bloody—” Luo Jianan made a gesture of rolling up his sleeves to hit Qi Ming.
“I remember it now,” Qi Ming said, unhurriedly flashing him a smile. “Luo Jianan. I will remember it the same way I remember Su Shi’s poem by—”
He paused, then suddenly stood up and ran toward the Forensic Office. Luo Jianan, momentarily dazed by his smile, snapped out of it and chased after him, asking as he ran, “Did a bullet bite your butt? Why the rush?”
“I just remembered the line from Su Shi, ‘Water celery covers the ground, reed sprouts are short, it is the time for fugu to rise.'” Qi Ming ran to the sliding door of the forensic autopsy room, yanked it open, and shouted, “Old Han, run an LC-MS analysis on the body! I suspect the victim died from fugu toxin poisoning.”
Old Han froze for a moment and said, “The municipal bureau doesn’t have an LC-MS analyzer. The Provincial Department’s Judicial Expertise Center does. If needed, I’ll take a sample now.”
“How long will that take?” Qi Ming put on a pair of rubber gloves from the box, gestured with his open hands towards Old Han, and tilted his head. “Take a nerve sample for me. I’ll run a quick test.”
Extracting a nerve sample was delicate work, and Old Han’s swiftness drew an approving look from Qi Ming. Once the sample was on the slide, Qi Ming used a dropper to add a few drops of detergent. After waiting a few minutes, he had Luo Jianan switch off the main lights and shone a UV lamp onto the slide—tiny, pinprick-sized faint specks of light appeared on the slide. Luo Jianan’s eyes widened when he saw them.
“What is that?”
“The product of fugu toxin hydrolysis in alkali. An LC-MS analysis can provide a precise conclusion.” Pulling off the gloves and throwing them in the trash, Qi Ming turned on the main lights. “Send a bl00d sample for testing, Old Han, to confirm my findings.”
“Fugu… propeller… Hmm…” Luo Jianan scratched his head. “I’m starting to think the killer might be a fisherman.”
“Not bad,” Qi Ming casually replied. “I thought you only had muscle in your brain.”
Luo Jianan clenched his fist—Damn it, even fugu isn’t as toxic as your mouth!
After listening to Luo Jianan’s report, Chen Fei pondered for a moment and said, “Xiao Xu and Da Wei are still investigating the victim’s house. We’re short-handed. You go to the Water Affairs Bureau and check the registered fishing boat information. Teacher Qi gave us the propeller’s dimensions. Screen the boats according to those specifications.”
“So, I don’t have to be a chauffeur for that fortune teller anymore?” Luo Jianan felt a ray of light shine through the window.
“Just come back quickly when you’re done. The Water Affairs Bureau isn’t far.”
“…” Luo Jianan’s brow furrowed so tightly it could squash a fly. “Captain, do you have a problem with me?”
“I have a problem with all you little rascals!” Chen Fei slammed his hand on the desk. “All day long, it’s nothing but breaking regulations! When are you going to give me some peace of mind!”
Deputy Captain Zhao Pingsheng quickly intervened: “Old Chen, cool down. They’re young. Their drive is a good thing.”
“A good thing? This one right here—” Chen Fei pointed at Luo Jianan. “Shooting his gun at the train station entrance? You thought there weren’t enough people there, right?”
Luo Jianan stiffened his neck and argued confidently: “Captain, we have to be honest. If I hadn’t fired a warning shot, what if the suspect had run away?”
“Then why don’t you mention that you scared over two hundred passengers into hitting the floor?”
“No one had a heart attack, did they?” Luo Jianan quickly slipped out of the office after speaking.
If Zhao Pingsheng hadn’t stopped him, the case files in Chen Fei’s hand would have hit Luo Jianan’s head. “Alright, Old Chen, don’t get mad at the kid.” Zhao Pingsheng refilled Chen Fei’s cup with water, placed it on the desk, and patted his arm. “Think about yourself back then. You were no less trouble for the Old Captain.”
“Karma,” Chen Fei sighed. “I used to make the Old Captain curse. Now his grandson makes me curse.”
“I think Luo Jianan is a good kid, truly. Think about his undercover work—it was so risky, yet he went without batting an eye.”
“Yes, he hasn’t disgraced his grandfather.”
“Speaking of which, it’s been a while since we visited the Old Captain. If we don’t have overtime this weekend, should we go to the cemetery together?”
Chen Fei nodded wistfully. “Yes, it’s been too long since I visited him.” He patted the desk. “The Old Captain was a police officer his whole life. To die right at his desk in the end, do you think that counts as falling in battle?”
Grasping Chen Fei’s hand, Zhao Pingsheng nodded. “Of course, it does. But you need to take good care of yourself, old man. Don’t leave me to face the rest of my life alone.”
“This is the office. Be mindful of appearances.” Chen Fei sternly pulled his hand back, picked up his cup, and took a sip of water to hide his embarrassment, but immediately spat it out—
“Damn it! Boiling water?! Are you trying to scald me to death!”
While the young lady at the Water Affairs Bureau office was copying the ship registration data for him, Luo Jianan chatted casually with an older woman next to him. The woman smiled and asked him, “How old are you?” and “Do you have a girlfriend?” Hearing he didn’t, her smile widened into a chrysanthemum-like grin: “Then let Auntie introduce you to one.”
Luo Jianan quickly waved his hands, saying no. His family had been three generations of only sons in the police force; his grandfather was a detective, and his father was SWAT. He had seen his grandmother and mother secretly wiping away tears countless times, worried about their husbands’ safety. So, he truly didn’t want to bring misfortune upon another good girl. Being alone was fine, wasn’t it? When he got home, he could collapse right into bed, and no one would complain that he hadn’t showered after three days of overtime. He didn’t have to find an excuse for drinking late with his buddies. The best part was, he didn’t have to comfort anyone!
He once had a girlfriend, back when he was in the police academy. She studied English at a foreign language institute and dreamed that Luo Jianan could visit her overseas when she went abroad for graduate studies. But the truth was, Luo Jianan couldn’t go abroad at all. Unless it was for official business, he couldn’t get a passport—go see his girlfriend? He couldn’t even go see his mother if she lived abroad!
Later, the girl left for the UK, and their contact was cut off when Luo Jianan went undercover. When he rejoined the police force and used his old phone number again, he saw her post a wedding photo on her WeChat Moments. The groom was a foreigner. Well, he hadn’t been cheated on. He had gone undercover without leaving her a word; how could he expect her to wait? His colleagues advised him to find someone within the police force. But if both husband and wife were police officers, they’d be working day and night, leaving their home incomplete. What was the point of forcing it?
Unless he genuinely met someone he loved earth-shatteringly, Luo Jianan thought, he wouldn’t get married in this lifetime.
Holding the copied data, Luo Jianan returned to the bureau. Just as he opened his computer, his phone vibrated. Seeing it was Qi Ming calling, he immediately ignored it.
Less than five minutes later, Qi Ming’s voice sounded behind him: “Officer Luo, drive me back to the hotel.”
“Can’t you see I’m busy right now?” Luo Jianan snapped at him without turning his head. Take a taxi yourself! Is he seriously trying to work a free chauffeur to death?!
Qi Ming looked at the ship registration information on the computer screen. He bent down and gripped the mouse—while Luo Jianan’s hand was still on it—and quickly scrolled through the pages. He said, “Exclude ships with a draft exceeding two meters. The riverbed is high; anything over that depth will run aground.”
With Qi Ming gripping his hand and his breath against his neck, Luo Jianan felt uncomfortable all over, and his face was heating up. Yet, Qi Ming seemed completely oblivious, still looking intently at the computer screen.
“Hey, hey, mind the public display. This is an office.” Xu Jie plunked down on Luo Jianan’s desk and chuckled, “So sticky! Aren’t you hot? Jianan, should I turn on the air conditioning for you?”
“Turn on your sister! Get lost!”
Qi Ming let go and stood up, looking down at Luo Jianan, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He hadn’t done anything, had he? Why was the other man’s neck red?
Xu Jie shrugged and tossed the documents in his hand onto the keyboard. “Although we still have to wait for the DNA comparison between the toothbrush extract and the body, I believe Teacher Qi’s judgment is correct. The victim is likely Wang Xinji. The shoes on the shoe rack are all size 43, consistent with the body.”
“Did you find any contact information for relatives?” Luo Jianan rubbed his face; it felt hot.
“Wang Xinji isn’t local; that was a rented house. Once the DNA results are out, we can check his permanent residence records,” Xu Jie thought for a moment. “A neighbor said they often saw a woman in her forties entering and leaving his room.”
“Wife? Lover?” Luo Jianan asked.
“Not sure. Dawei took the neighbor to the sketch artist. Once the sketch is done, we’ll run it through the facial recognition system.”
“The results won’t be out until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.” Luo Jianan stood up and nodded to Xu Jie. “Your job is to take over this work for me. Exclude anything with a draft over two meters, and print out the remaining data.”
“Damn it! I’ve been working overtime all week!”
“Then you drive him back to the hotel.” Luo Jianan pointed back at Qi Ming.
“No way. This is a vital task assigned to you by the Captain.” Xu Jie gave Qi Ming a broad smile. “Teacher Qi, see you tomorrow.”
“Uh… see you tomorrow.”
Qi Ming couldn’t for the life of him remember the name of the police officer who was always smiling.
As the streetlights came on, the SUV was stuck in the dense traffic of rush hour, inching forward after a long delay. Luo Jianan noticed Qi Ming was continuously gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought. The streetlights through the car window cast a faint halo on him.
“Thinking about your sister?” Luo Jianan asked.
“Mm.” Qi Ming responded faintly.
“Did you two… get separated when you were very young?”
“I was eight, she was four.”
Luo Jianan hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What about your parents?”
“They both died. Our uncle refused to adopt us and threw us into the welfare home.” Qi Ming sighed lightly. “I was adopted before Qi Zhen and lost contact with her ever since.”
“Then… were your adoptive parents good to you?”
“They weren’t adoptive parents; they were two men.” Qi Ming turned his head to look at Luo Jianan. “A couple from the US. Of course, the welfare home didn’t know their relationship; only one name was on the application form. I begged them to take Qi Zhen too. They didn’t want us to be separated either, but the welfare home only allowed single men to adopt boys, so we had to give up. Yes, they were very good to me. They funded my education and left all their inheritance to me when they died.”
It wasn’t until the car behind them honked that Luo Jianan snapped out of his shock and drove forward a little. Swallowing hard, he asked, “So, your shares in the Holiday Hotel were left to you by them?”
“Not just the Holiday Hotel. They had many investments. In fact, I’m not really sure how much money there is; it’s all managed by a trust fund company.” Qi Ming gently adjusted his glasses. “They died only a week apart. I consider that lucky. People who love each other shouldn’t have to endure the pain of separation.”
“Wow, that’s really—” Luo Jianan didn’t know how to express his inner turmoil; he had been in a state of excessive shock since he heard “two men.”
“Really what? Unbelievable?” Qi Ming let out a long breath. “If you have any opinions to express, I’m all ears.”
Luo Jianan quickly clarified: “No, no. I know people like that too. Don’t worry, I’m not prejudiced.”
Qi Ming scoffed: “Why would I be nervous? I didn’t say I like men.”
“Oh, well, that’s good.” Luo Jianan was inexplicably relieved.
“What did you say?”
“Huh? Oh, I mean, that’s great. I can introduce you to a girl sometime.”
“You’re single yourself. Where are you going to find a girl for me?”
“I’m just too lazy to date. If I really wanted to, I’d have plenty of girls to choose from.”
Hearing this, Qi Ming shook his head, smiling. “Unless I genuinely meet someone I love, I definitely won’t settle.”
Hmm, his view on relationships is quite similar to mine.
Luo Jianan thought, while feeling that something was slightly off.