Silent Witness - Chapter 5

“Sister Wei,” Tao Ling called out softly for the third time. Li Hewei finally snapped out of her reverie.

“What is it?” she replied, feigning nonchalance as she shielded her phone with a piece of paper. She had failed to clear level 200 five times in a row—quite embarrassing.

Trying too hard to hide something, Tao Ling thought, her surprise tinged with a hint of wistfulness. She had first met Li Hewei at age twelve, when her brother, Tao Yang, constantly praised her beauty, character, and impeccable demeanor. During summer vacation, he had dragged her to a string orchestra performance at Puchen No. 1 High School. Among the twenty-odd musicians, Li Hewei played the violin, seated in a corner on the far right of the stage. Yet even in that inconspicuous spot, her radiance couldn’t be concealed; she shone like the moon surrounded by stars.

Back then, too young to know better, Tao Ling had blurted out, “Sister, you’re so beautiful!” Tao Yang, completely captivated, couldn’t tear his eyes away.

After graduating from middle school, she followed her brother on his tricycle as he delivered fish to restaurants, bringing her into close proximity with Li Hewei for the first time. Impressed by her warmth and refined manner, Tao Ling eagerly woke up early for over fifty consecutive days to help with deliveries, never tiring of the task.

Later, they became university alumni in the same major—Tao Ling a freshman, Li Hewei a second-year graduate student interning at the Public Security Bureau. During a chance encounter, Li Hewei added Tao Ling on QQ, offering to help with any academic questions. Afraid of bothering her, Tao Ling kept the QQ connection dormant for three years, never sending a single message. It wasn’t until her brother called from Yueyang to brag about Li Hewei’s career transition that Tao Ling remembered her now-professional acquaintance.

Over the next year, their interactions grew increasingly frequent, resembling those of ordinary sisters-in-law. Li Hewei showed genuine concern for her well-being, and she reciprocated with warmth and affection, often confiding in Li Hewei about the challenges she faced during her internship. Yet, at some point, her messages began going unanswered for long stretches, or she received only perfunctory replies.

Initially, she assumed Li Hewei was simply busy with work and didn’t dwell on it. However, the truth was far more unsettling. In early May, after completing her onboarding procedures and two weeks of training, she officially reported to the Technical Unit. As her direct supervisor, Li Hewei treated her with lukewarm indifference, showing even less warmth than she showed to ordinary colleagues.

After repeated attempts to connect with Li Hewei only to be met with coldness, she couldn’t help but suspect that Li Hewei was trying to distance herself from the Tao Family. This suspicion was confirmed on the first Saturday of July, a rest day, when her mother received a call from Li Hewei saying she planned to apply to the court to declare her brother missing and needed the family’s household registration booklet.

She understood Li Hewei’s actions—after all, their marriage existed in name only—but she couldn’t immediately accept this abrupt, almost hostile severance. She would simply have to adjust gradually.

Still, it was baffling to see someone who used to work tirelessly from dawn till dusk, whose phone contained only pre-installed apps and messaging tools, now playing Happy Match?

“Hey,” Li Hewei said, noticing her stunned expression.

Tao Ling’s thoughts snapped back to the matter at hand. “The diatom species detected in the deceased’s small intestine, spinal cord, and lung tissue don’t match the water samples from the scene.”

“What about the respiratory tract and other gastrointestinal organs?”

Tao Ling understood her concern and analyzed the data carefully. “Although nearly two-thirds of the diatom species are inconsistent, they can be clustered into a single group.” They had used microwave digestion coupled with scanning electron microscopy for diatom analysis, then performed cluster analysis on the data to determine whether the victim had drowned or been dumped after death.

“Were any other unusual substances detected in the small intestine or lung tissue?” Li Hewei frowned. Now that they had confirmed the body had been dumped after drowning, they needed to narrow their search area. Otherwise, the Major Crimes Unit’s investigation would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Tao Ling shook her head. “Not yet. Sister An is still in the lab.” An Yu, the laboratory forensic pathologist, was three years older than her. The average age in their Technical Unit was only 27. As Director Liu put it, they were a young and dynamic team.

“Hmm.” Li Hewei glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand was already pointing to 11. She looked away, slid the mouse to shut down her computer, and said, “Let’s head back. Tell An Yu to wrap up too.”

“Okay.” Tao Ling turned to leave, but her right foot had barely crossed the threshold when Li Hewei called out, “Wait.”

Li Hewei stood up, phone in hand. “I’ll go with you.” After taking a few steps, she sensed Tao Ling’s turbulent emotions. Uninterested in delving into their past, she said frankly, “You know my current situation. If I’ve ever wronged you, I apologize now. Let’s wipe the slate clean.”

“After the National Day holiday, I’ll file for divorce. We’ll still be colleagues, so let’s not be too formal with each other.” Li Hewei was skilled at socializing. Though still single, she had a handful of close friends.

Tao Ling swallowed hard. “Okay.”

An introvert? Naturally quiet? She’s surprisingly good at ending conversations. Li Hewei didn’t know how to respond. The two women walked into the laboratory in silence, one behind the other.

Seeing them enter, An Yu poured silver sulfate powder into a test tube. “Sister Wei, give me half an hour to finish two experiments.”

Working in a disciplined unit had its drawbacks—everyone was always thinking of selfless dedication. Li Hewei, who advocated for reasonable overtime, said gently, “Do them tomorrow. Go pack up.”

Five minutes later, Li Hewei watched An Yu disappear into the night on her electric scooter. Turning her head, she saw Tao Ling approaching with her bicycle, stopping beside her.

“How long does it take you to bike home?”

“About ten minutes.” Tao Ling lived on East Street, near Puchen’s bustling vegetable market.

“Okay, be careful,” Li Hewei said, watching Tao Ling turn out of the Public Security Bureau’s gate. She followed closely behind, hailed a taxi, and slid into the passenger seat. “Driver, follow the bicycle ahead.”

The female driver glanced at her emerging from the police station but kept her questions to herself, silently pressing down on the accelerator.

“Don’t follow too closely, thank you.”

The driver couldn’t resist asking, “Officer, what’s going on?”

“A colleague is heading home, and I’m a little worried,” Li Hewei replied. She knew Tao Ling’s fate but wasn’t sure when or where it would occur. A young woman walking alone at 11:30 p.m. was naturally cause for concern.

The driver chuckled. “You two must be close.”

“Mm,” Li Hewei replied, not elaborating. Close? she thought. This is just doing my job.

The taxi twisted through narrow alleyways before coming to a stop near an old apartment building. Li Hewei leaned forward to watch Tao Ling carry her bicycle up the steps. The dim light illuminated the first, second, and third floors before the sound of a door closing echoed through the night.

Not very tall, but surprisingly strong, Li Hewei mused.

Eager to finish her shift, the driver asked, “Officer, where to now?”

Li Hewei rolled up the window and leaned back against the headrest. “Imperial Garden International.”

The car pulled away from the alley, leaving behind dilapidated buildings weathered by time, like an old man clinging to life in the night, their musty, decaying scent making Tao Ling’s bedroom seem utterly out of place. The nearly 9-square-meter space was meticulously clean and tidy, furnished with a 1.2-meter single bed, a cloth wardrobe, and a desk. Beneath the desk sat two cardboard boxes overflowing with books. To the left, a scroll hung on the wall, inscribed with the calligraphy: “Do good deeds, ask not about the future,” the flowing, elegant strokes suggesting a lifelong practice of calligraphy. Tao Ling sat at her desk for a couple of minutes, found her pajamas, and quietly moved toward the bathroom. Liu Yun, coming out to get water, called out to her, “Xiao Ling, just off work?”

Tao Ling turned, her cheeks flushed, a throbbing ache at her Taiyang Point, as if she had heatstroke. “Yes, I ran into a particularly tricky case.”

Liu Yun noticed something was off. She bent down, pulled open a drawer, and placed a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid on the nearby plastic stool. “Drink this after your shower,” she said. Then she asked, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Are you off?”

“Not necessarily.”

“Your father’s 50th birthday is coming up. We’re having two tables at our old home. We’ll eat longevity noodles tomorrow night, and the main meal will be at noon the day after.”

“I know. I’ll try to finish my work early.” Tao Ling, feeling truly unwell, reached for the Huoxiang Zhengqi Ye, punctured the cap, and took small sips of the slightly bitter medicinal liquid.

Liu Yun hedged, “Is your sister-in-law free?”

Tao Ling’s brow furrowed instantly. “Old Tao wants her to come?”

“Well, they haven’t gotten divorced yet. She’s still part of the Tao Family, after all.”

“Mom, did he tell you to say that?” Liu Yun, a native of the countryside with only an elementary school education, had married Tao Luhai at 19. In her mind, whatever her husband said or did must have its reasons.

“Ah, it’s not wrong, is it?”

“Who says she’s part of the Tao Family? Even if Elder Brother hadn’t gone missing, her surname is Li—she’s clearly a Li Family member.” Tao Ling believed in individual autonomy and despised the notion that a woman should blindly follow her husband’s family. After speaking, she knew Liu Yun couldn’t explain this to Tao Luhai. Suppressing her emotions, she said in a low voice, “I’ll try asking her.”