Chapter 33: Chapter 33 The old black man who always changes his wife_1
The stillness in the conference room lasted for more than ten seconds.
Xu Dayuan looked at Zhou Ning in surprise. This analysis almost overturned the previous reasoning, but the more he pondered over it, the more it seemed that Zhou Ning was making sense.
As for the restored portrait of the victim, this was completely beyond Xu Dayuan’s understanding. It was not that he didn’t believe but that he simply dared not believe that a new forensic doctor could actually produce such a thing.
"Doctor Zhou has made good points, very sensible," someone said. "Right now, we have no results from the lab tests, and there’s nothing we can do about that. However, since the current direction of the investigation isn’t yielding progress, let’s follow this analysis and check it out. About this reconstructed portrait, Doctor Liu, do you think it resembles the victim?"
Doctor Liu nodded and pointed at the photo as he spoke.
"There’s no doubt about the shape of the face. The bones determine the contour of the face. Although the victim’s facial features were badly mutilated, when Zhou Ning and I conducted the autopsy, we tried our best to push the facial features back to their original positions. The rough appearance is still recognizable.
"Look, the victim had very pronounced bags under his eyes, loose eyelids, and hidden double eyelids. There’s also half of an eyebrow and thin lips left—these significant features match entirely, so I thought it looked very much like the victim at first glance."
Xu Dayuan slammed his notebook on the table, as if to make a decision.
"Take photos, and use this model to start the search. Take frontal and profile pictures and begin at the residential area where the victim was found. Start asking around in every community within a five-kilometer radius, especially the aunties who watch children and the residential security guards. Have them look carefully at the pictures. Let’s get moving."
He Chunyang leaned forward, his voice not very loud as he asked.
"Captain, should we call Chief Zhu to coordinate a joint investigation? We don’t have many hands. If we spread out, we won’t be very fast. I’m worried about delays causing complications."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"I’ll get in touch with him. Doctor Zhou, go take the photos, and then have Mr. Wang print out the pictures and distribute them to everyone. Let’s move! Chunyang, stay here."
Zhou Ning followed Liu Yongxin out, carrying the model.
Xu Dayuan discussed with Chunyang about Yu Jingwei, who had rented the apartment, as if trying to figure out how to bring him back.
Zhou Ning didn’t hear much since he had the next steps of his work awaiting him. He quickly returned to the forensics office; after all, he was curious to listen in, especially since the high-priority task involved three issues, and the ten-day deadline was creating immense pressure.
With the black cloth in place, Zhou Ning took good photos from all angles and sent the images to Mr. Wang. After being busy with all these things, Doctor Liu patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Take a break for a while. You didn’t sleep all night; you’re young, but you can’t treat your body like this—it can’t take it."
Zhou Ning shook his head. As if to remind him, the 48-hour countdown blinked twice and suddenly turned red, showing 24:00. Zhou Ning clenched his teeth in frustration. Now, he truly had troubles he couldn’t speak of.
"Master, I’d like to follow and check the victim information. If we see the victim’s photo, we might recognize him, right?"
Liu Yongxin glanced sidelong at him.
"Not me. I just got a message from Mr. Liu. The lab results from the city bureau will be out in half an hour. I told him to take a photo first and send it to me to look at—that’s more urgent!"
Zhou Ning looked dejected. This was something he wanted to know too. After all, if DNA was found on the nylon rope, it could be entered into the database for comparison and screening.
"Then I’ll..."
Liu Yongxin waved his hand, thinking Zhou Ning was just a curious young man wanting to follow and see if his model would help identify information. He understood this very well.
"Go ahead. I’ve still got several partial fingerprints to compare. There were many fingerprints extracted from the entrance door at the scene. We’ve narrowed it down to three people: a tenant, Yu Jingwei, and two others who were staying there, Song Luqing and Wang Ye. It’s expected to find their fingerprints there. As for others, we haven’t matched anything yet."
Zhou Ning was somewhat surprised that they could confirm Yu Jingwei’s fingerprints. Based on what Xu Dayuan had just said, this person hadn’t returned and was traveling in another province.
"Yu Jingwei’s fingerprints?"
"In 2008, he got a new ID card, which included fingerprint information. So, Yu Jingwei’s fingerprints are on file. His family situation is a bit special—his wife was imprisoned for fraud three years ago. He has been living with his child alone since then. His house and car have been seized by the courts. A misfortune of marriage, indeed!"
Zhou Ning was taken aback. With this information, Yu Jingwei suddenly became a much more significant suspect.
"Does he have any known disputes with anyone?"
Liu Yongxin shook his head.
"How should I know? I’ve only heard bits and pieces from their previous conversations. We’ll have to wait until he comes back."
"Then, Master, I’ll go and take a look. If there’s a discovery, we can confirm it earlier."
Liu Yongxin gestured dismissively.
"Go on, go take a look. It’s good to maintain that enthusiasm, it’s not a bad thing."
...
Two hours later.
It was now approaching noon. Zhao Xinli had taken Zhou Ning to several communities to carry out the search. Many copies of the reconstructed face had been distributed, but there had been no feedback so far.
"Let’s head to Bi Hai Lan Tian Garden."
"Ah, we’re going again? Didn’t they say ’discard far, bury near’?"
"Let’s have another look. I have this feeling that the killer’s act of disposing the body wasn’t his final move. I think those two people checked in temporarily and disrupted his next step. I believe that ’discard far, bury near’ doesn’t apply in this case."
Zhao Xinli didn’t argue; he made a U-turn and headed straight for Bi Hai Lan Tian Garden. As they entered the neighborhood, they saw several elderly ladies gathered in the central square, playing with some children.
Zhou Ning got out of the car and approached the ladies directly. These folks were like the community’s living encyclopedias; they knew about everyone’s business, from weddings and funerals to the inconsequential details of daily life. They even knew who was pregnant, and whether it’s a boy or a girl, they could give you their predictions.
Seeing Zhou Ning approach, they all looked over. This was when being handsome came in handy—an amiable, plump old lady came over and gave Zhou Ning a thorough once-over.
"This young man is so fair and tall, quite handsome. How old are you? Have you got someone special?"
Zhou Ning paused, somewhat flustered by this opening remark, and quickly waved his hands.
"I don’t have anyone."
With these four words, the old ladies all drew closer, and Zhou Ning knew trouble was brewing. He decided to take the initiative and asked.
"Auntie, do you all usually spend your days here?"
The cheerful plump old lady replied while smiling.
"Well, after 10 in the morning. Once the sun’s out, we come out to the yard, walk the kids around. Until the evening, around the end of the workday. Unless it’s cold, we’re here; otherwise, we head home for lunch and a nap. But generally, we’re outside."
The old ladies added their bits and pieces to the conversation, and it sounded like they had just missed the people who had come asking around earlier.
Next, the old ladies started inquiring about Zhou Ning’s personal information. Zhou Ning pressed his hands down and tried his best to produce a smile.
"Aunties, I’m a police officer, and I need to ask you a few questions. After we discuss this matter, I’ll answer any questions you have, okay?"
The plump old lady handed off the child she was holding and shuffled toward Zhou Ning, patting the stone bench beside her.
"Enough with your nagging, ladies. Come on, young man, tell your auntie what you want to ask. I’m quite familiar with everyone in this community."
Hearing that, Zhou Ning took out the two pieces of paper and handed them to the auntie.
"We’re looking for someone, but we don’t know their name. Auntie, can you take a look and tell me if you’ve seen this person?"
The old ladies passed the two pieces of paper around, but perhaps because they were only clay portraits, they all shook their heads. Only the plump old lady seemed to be pondering something; Zhou Ning’s heart stirred.
"Auntie, have you seen this person?"
"I can’t be sure, but the eyes and brows look like an old man from Building 18. He’s very dark, always wears a hat and rides a motorcycle with big and small bags hanging off it. What’s his last name...? I saw him going to the property management office the other day."
Zhao Xinli had come over by this point and crouched down just in time to catch the old lady’s words. He quickly asked.
"Auntie, take your time but think carefully. Do you know which unit he’s in Building 18?"
A lean old lady poked the plump one.
"Are you talking about that dark-skinned old man who keeps changing wives?"
The plump old lady slapped her thigh.
"Right, that’s him, 202 Unit of Building 18, the very first one to the east. He’s a retired official, from which unit exactly, we don’t know.
"From last summer to this one, he’s switched partners four times. The longest one only lasted three or four months. They would often argue. The old man has a bad temper, and no one in the community really socializes with him."
Zhou Ning was thrilled, quickly nudging Zhao Xinli beside him.
"Get in touch with the others, check with property management now!"
Zhao Xinli’s call was already dialing out, giving a couple of brief instructions. Then, he broke into a run towards the entrance of the complex. When they had arrived, he had seen it; the property management office was right next to the gatehouse.
The plump old lady grabbed the sleeve of Zhou Ning’s down jacket and, with a mysterious air, leaned in close.
"What’s the matter, young man? I saw the police cars here yesterday, carting things away and asking questions. What exactly is going on?"
...
PS: ’Discard far, bury near’ refers to an important characteristic in cases of dismemberment (including complete body disposal): the investigation’s emphasis on finding severed body parts, identifying the victim, and the primary crime scene. If the remains have been buried, the crime scene where the parts are found is typically relatively close to the primary crime scene.
