Forensic Forensic - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After three trips to the hospital a day, the guards at the gate all recognized Luo Jianan. They would automatically press the barrier when they saw his car approaching. Police vehicles didn’t charge parking fees, but the lot was full at the moment, so the guard directed Luo Jianan’s car to the open space behind the family building.

After getting out of the car, Luo Jianan flicked out a cigarette and handed it to the guard, asking for information. He showed him a photo of the suspect and asked if he remembered which direction he’d left. The guard, smoking, stared at the photo for a moment, then shook his head. “Thousands of people come and go in this place every day. You should ask our Section Chief Fang to check the surveillance footage. As long as he went through the main entrance, he’d definitely have it on camera.”

“Thanks, buddy.” Luo Jianan patted the man on the shoulder, turned, stubbed out his cigarette on the trash can, and told Qi Ming to go find Section Chief Fang.

The security office was on the twenty-second floor of the outpatient building. The crowd waiting for the elevator was as crowded as a temple fair. The two of them waited three times before finally squeezing in. As Qi Ming entered, someone behind him pushed him against Luo Jianan. They stood face to face, their breaths tangling. Luo Jianan’s holster jabbed against Qi Ming’s ribs, causing considerable pain. He had intended to endure it until there were fewer people around so they could move aside. However, the elevator stopped at each floor, and with patients and their families getting in and out, and people pushing wheelchairs, the space became increasingly tight.

Desperate, Qi Ming reached into Luo Jianan’s coat, attempting to push his holster aside. To avoid his breath on Qi Ming’s face, Luo Jianan kept his face tilted upwards. Suddenly, he felt a hand pressing against his shirt and instinctively grasped the other’s wrist. He was about to yell, “How dare the police steal?” when he realized it was Qi Ming’s arm.

“Why are you touching me?” Luo Jianan asked, baffled.

“That thing’s digging into me.” Qi Ming didn’t dare say “holster,” fearing to startle the other passengers. “Don’t you feel it when it’s so crowded?”

“I’m used to it. Wait a minute, I’ll just get it down.” Luo Jianan reached into his arms, only to bump his elbow against the person next to him, earning a glare. “Fvck, why won’t it go down…” Luo Jianan didn’t dare to move, but no matter how hard he pulled on the holster, it wouldn’t budge. “Loosen the buckle at the back for me.”

Qi Ming reached under his jacket and undid the buckle at Luo Jianan’s back, practically hugging him. An elderly woman in a wheelchair next to them watched the two of them groping each other in the elevator. Her dim eyesight led her to mistake Qi Ming’s long hair for a young woman. She raised her head and sighed to her partner, pushing the wheelchair, “Oh, it’s great to be young.”

Hearing this, Qi Ming’s hands stiffened slightly. Against the thorny web of vision that crisscrossed his eyes, he flicked the buckle open.

The old man turned to look at Qi Ming and Luo Jianan, coughing softly and asking them to be mindful of their presence. He didn’t discriminate against LGBTQ people, but this was a public place after all. Hugging and kissing in an elevator was unacceptable.

After adjusting his holster, Luo Jianan felt the burning gazes from his surroundings. “Is there something on my face?” he whispered to Qi Ming.

Just then, the elevator door opened again, and Qi Ming felt the urge to slap this slow-witted fool out of the elevator.

——————————

Section Chief Fang checked the surveillance footage, confirming that Tang Jianzhong’s twin brother, Tang Jianxiao, had walked west after exiting the hospital. Luo Jianan took another crowded elevator down and ran to the hospital gate to check the security cameras along the way. Qi Ming hadn’t taken the same elevator with him, but had taken the medical elevator.

Luo Jianan stood on the sidewalk and called Chen Fei. “Boss, I need to activate all traffic surveillance within three kilometers of the street in front of Renhe Hospital, heading east to west. It should be able to track the suspect.”

“Okay, I’ll have Dawei and Xiaoxu go to the traffic police later. You take Teacher Qi home to rest.” Chen Fei was unaware that Luo Jianan was temporarily staying at Qi Ming’s place. “You don’t have to go back to the police station. You’ve been up all night. Drive safely.”

“I’m investigating this case, so why aren’t I allowed to participate in the arrest?” Luo Jianan’s dissatisfaction was obvious.

“Don’t be ungrateful, brat! I’m telling you to go home and rest now. That’s an order!”

“I’m going to sleep in the duty room.”

“Don’t worry about missing the arrest. As soon as I find the suspect’s hideout, I promise to call you first, no matter what time it is.”

“That… works fine. Thanks, boss. Honestly, I could fall asleep with a brick as my pillow right now… Boss, I’m hanging up now. Qi Ming is calling me.” He switched the call to Qi Ming and asked, “Where are you?”

“I’m in the first ward of the obstetrics department in the inpatient department. I just came to see the doctor about Zhang Xiaohua’s condition.” Qi Ming’s voice was a little anxious. “Her condition is very serious. The doctor recommended an induced labor, but she refused. She took advantage of the doctor’s absence from the office during the examination and ran away!” ”

“When did it happen?!” Luo Jianan rushed to the inpatient building upon hearing this. “Where are the police officers who were monitoring her?!”

“Just now. The police were guarding the entrance to the examination room. She escaped through the window. The examination room is on the first floor.”

“A pregnant woman like her couldn’t get far. I didn’t see her at the main entrance.”

“The hospital has a back entrance. The police were already chasing her there, but there’s a street right outside with plenty of taxis.”

“Damn it! Does this stupid woman want to die?!”

“She said it’s a boy this time and she has to stay, no matter what.”

“Fvck him!”

After hanging up with Qi Ming, Luo Jianan quickly called Section Chief Fang and asked him to arrange for a search around the hospital. A large group of people worked for over two hours, and by dark, they still hadn’t found Zhang Xiaohua. Luo Jianan also asked the medical troublemakers who were waiting for her whereabouts, but they all said they didn’t know. They even claimed the phone number Zhang Xiaohua had left them was fake.

Luo Jianan called Chen Fei to report, asking whether a warrant should be issued for Zhang Xiaohua’s arrest for escaping detention. Chen Fei sighed deeply and said, “Let her be. It’s her own choice.”

After two days and one night of tossing and turning, Luo Jianan was exhausted. He sat down beside the hospital’s flower bed, hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at his dimmed phone screen. Qi Ming walked over to him, hesitated for a moment, then patted his shoulder. The doctor’s diagnosis indicated that Zhang Xiaohua could die suddenly at any time without treatment.

“Zhang Xiaohua doesn’t trust the doctors. She thinks they’re just trying to scare her. She also claims the hospital is taking revenge because she stood up for the deceased’s family and wanted to kill her son.” Qi Ming sat down next to Luo Jianan, gazing at the traffic on the street. “If someone has a filthy heart, they’ll see everyone as filthy.”

Luo Jianan nodded helplessly. “Are you hungry? Let’s go eat something first.”

“No, I just want to sleep.”

Standing up, Luo Jianan took out his car keys—which still had Qi Ming’s house keys hanging from them—and waved them at Qi Ming.

“Let’s go home and sleep.”