Silent Witness - Chapter 11

In the Technical Unit’s laboratory, Li Hewei strode in after driving back from Willow Min River. Her long legs carried her swiftly to An Yu’s side in just a few steps. She rested her hands on the back of An Yu’s chair, her gaze sweeping across the information on the computer screen. “When will we have the results?” she asked.

“No more than twenty minutes.”

The woman who claimed the deceased might be her boyfriend lived near the Public Security Bureau. Thirty minutes earlier, she had arrived with a middle-aged woman to identify the body. However, due to the corpse’s advanced decomposition and bloated state, they couldn’t recognize the face. The middle-aged woman insisted the deceased was her son, so An Yu followed protocol and had her bl00d drawn for testing.

“Alright, thank you for your hard work.” Li Hewei turned to leave and noticed two women huddled together on the bench outside the autopsy room. The younger woman was constantly comforting the distraught elder beside her. “Auntie, maybe it’s not him?”

“It’s Guang, I recognize him.”

“Yang Guang used to go on business trips often, sometimes for three to five days, sometimes for half a month.”

“This time is different. He’s not replying to messages, not answering calls.”

Li Hewei overheard the conversation and, combined with the information she had gathered over the phone, realized their ages, heights, and disappearance times matched perfectly. Based on her experience, she estimated an eighty to ninety percent chance of a match. She moved to her office to await confirmation.

Fifteen minutes later, An Yu sent her a private message: Sister Wei, DNA analysis confirms they are biologically related as mother and son.

Okay, I’m on my way.

Li Hewei immediately instructed Zhao Xiaoting: “Xiaoting, inform the family and offer them comfort.”

“Understood, Sister Wei. Leave it to me.”

As Li Hewei entered the lab, Qiu Wan followed closely behind, closing the door to shut out the heart-wrenching cries from outside. She sincerely praised, “We really needed you for this. The victim’s girlfriend said the sketch resembled Yang Guang by about sixty to seventy percent. They only reported him missing because of that sketch.”

The victim, Yang Guang, was a 29-year-old tour guide at Yuanhong Travel Agency. His frequent business trips had prevented his family from noticing his disappearance sooner.

Li Hewei offered a polite acknowledgment: “You’ve all been working hard these past two days. Finding the body disposal site will greatly aid the investigation.”

“Let’s head to the meeting room for a quick briefing.”

Li Hewei was surprised to be called to a Major Crimes Unit meeting. “Huh?”

Qiu Wan explained, “It’s a briefing on this murder case. I know Sister He and the others are busy, so you’ll represent the Technical Unit.”

“Alright,” Qiu Wan said as they walked. “I’ve noticed you dislike meetings?”

“Put yourself in my shoes—who would enjoy them?” Li Hewei had canceled the weekly meetings, replacing them with brief morning briefings every other day. Each morning, she would post a concise summary of the previous day’s police reports and case updates in the work group chat.

A smile involuntarily escaped Qiu Wan’s lips. “I dislike them too. Unless absolutely necessary, I just send announcements in the group chat. I rarely call formal meetings.”

Li Hewei suddenly felt puzzled. Her colleagues often described Qiu Wan as cold and ruthless, but in her experience, the woman was surprisingly approachable. Moreover, Qiu Wan smiled frequently—at least more often than Tao Ling ever had in her presence.

However, during the meeting, Li Hewei’s perception was immediately shattered. The 15-minute session revealed a stark contrast: Qiu Wan, seated at the center, maintained a stern expression. Whether analyzing case details or encouraging her colleagues, she was a completely different person from the warm individual Li Hewei had encountered earlier. Later, after observing Qiu Wan more closely, Li Hewei had an epiphany: who could maintain a cheerful demeanor while surrounded by a room full of men?

Besides, given their shared orientation, it was only natural for Qiu Wan to feel more comfortable around women.

After the meeting, with the victim’s family’s emotions somewhat stabilized, Qiu Wan took the deceased’s girlfriend to the interrogation room for a formal statement. With nothing else to do, Li Hewei watched the proceedings through the surveillance cameras.

“Miss Zhou, when was the last time you contacted Yang Guang?”

Zhou Lin recalled, “Last Saturday, the 25th. He said he’d be taking a tour group to Jiangcheng on the 26th for a 13-day trip.” She handed her phone to Qiu Wan.

Qiu Wan reviewed the chat history, confirming her account.

Zhou Lin had sent WeChat messages and voice calls to Yang Guang at 9:13 PM on the 26th, 1:27 PM on the 27th, and 8:09 AM on the 28th. She received a reply at 3:46 PM on the 28th:

I’m busy.

Three words. Qiu Wan reasonably deduced that the killer had used the deceased’s phone to send this message, attempting to mislead investigators.

Zhou Lin and Yang Guang had been together for seven years and planned to marry by the end of the year, but tragedy struck unexpectedly.

After completing the statement, Qiu Wan had Zhou Lin sign it. Li Hewei had already strolled back to the office and was settling into her workstation when a lunchbox appeared before her.

She looked up to see Zhao Xiaoting beaming. “Sister Wei, Tao Ling bought lunch and asked me to bring yours up first.”

The police station cafeteria provided meals around the clock, so there were no scenes like those often depicted in novels, where officers were too busy to eat anything but instant noodles or bread at their desks—unless they were simply craving something different.

“Oh, thank you,” Li Hewei said, lifting the lid of her lunchbox and taking out a spare spoon. She began eating slowly.

Zhao Xiaoting also picked up her lunchbox and, taking advantage of the break, vividly recounted the story of Yang Guang and Zhou Lin.

“I’m telling you, Yang Guang is definitely a scumbag.”

An Yu laughed at her. “What have you dug up now?”

“Seven years! They dated for seven years without getting married. The Major Crimes Unit next door contacted Yang Guang’s colleagues, and they all said he kept postponing the wedding, like his personal life was a total mess.”

He Ying, after washing her lunchbox, wiped it dry with a paper towel. “A mess? You’re exaggerating, aren’t you?”

“No way! Officer Liao said Yang Guang was constantly in contact with five different women every day. Zhou Lin was just one of them.”

Li Hewei unconsciously frowned.

“I bet he finally tripped up after walking too many dark paths.”

Just then, Tao Ling entered carrying two lunchboxes. An Yu greeted her, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Li Hewei added casually, “Tao Ling, thank you.”

Shu Prefecture cuisine tended to be spicy, but Li Hewei, who grew up in Shenzhen, couldn’t handle the heat. Tao Ling, noticing she had avoided the heavily seasoned dishes and only picked at the mild stews the previous night, assumed her preferences had changed. She had specially asked the cafeteria auntie to add yuxiang rousi (fish-fragrant shredded pork) and stir-fried vegetables to her lunchbox.

Tao Ling smiled back. “You’re welcome.”

Zhao Xiaoting quickly said, “Then I’ll continue.”

Li Hewei drank some water to quench her thirst. “Go ahead.”

“Maybe one of his girlfriends found out he was cheating and killed him in a fit of rage.”

“Hmm, Team Leader Qiu said the suspect was around 175 cm tall. But after subtracting the heel height, they’re probably only 172 cm.” He Ying pointed to the blackboard under the wall clock. “This is an experiment Xiao Meng and I did with the Major Crimes Unit. Xiao Meng is 171 cm tall and weighs 59 kg, and her shoe print was this size. Xiao Liao from the Major Crimes Unit is 172 cm tall and weighs 70 kg, and his shoe print was this size. From this, we can deduce that the suspect weighs at least 68 kg.”

“A woman who’s 172 cm tall and weighs 68 kg is pretty common.”

“True. Didn’t you say Yang Guang was in frequent contact with five women? Team Leader Qiu will probably investigate them.” He Ying chuckled. “Our approach to analyzing cases is starting to resemble the Major Crimes Unit next door.”

Li Hewei got up to refill her water, adding, “Let’s keep up the good work.” She glanced sideways at Tao Ling, who was buried in her phone. When she looked closer, she realized Tao Ling was browsing a rental website.