S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 122

Screen Murderer 18 – Change Clothes

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Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were both utterly shocked. Another person had died unexpectedly. In a distant flower shop, two people had lost their lives...

The two separated from the crowd and walked in. They saw people gathered around a warehouse with its iron door slightly ajar.

The only security guard in the flower market was standing by the door, saying no one was allowed to approach, I've reported to the police! No one is allowed to touch anything nearby, and nothing can be taken from the scene!

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang nodded in agreement –  Mhmm, good job sir!

Bai Yutang approached the old man and showed him their credentials.

After looking at the credentials, he immediately let them into the warehouse.

As soon as they entered, an unpleasant smell hit them.

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang frowned slightly.

This was a warehouse where the flower and bird market stored fertilisers and soil. There was a thin layer of peat on the ground, with scattered footprints everywhere.

Beside a mound of yellow soil as high as a small hill, a woman was leaning against it, her face pale and lifeless.

Bai Yutang looked at the scattered footprints on the ground and couldn't help but frown. It seemed that many people had come in after discovering the body.

He didn't move forward but instead stood not far from the body, crouching down to observe.

The deceased appeared quite young and was good-looking, dressed in a men's jacket, jeans, and sneakers...

Bai Yutang stared at the black jacket on the deceased that was clearly one size too big – It was clearly a men's jacket and quite a fashionable one at that.

Judging by her face, the woman was Boss Wang's wife, Boss Liu. Boss Wang was of shorter stature and had a simple demeanour. Working with soil and fertiliser while gardening every day, he wouldn't usually wear such nice clothes to work, moreover, the jacket didn't seem suitable for Boss Wang's age.

Bai Yutang recalled what the owner of the orchid shop had said about Boss Liu having a lover... So, if this jacket didn't belong to her husband Boss Wang, then it must belong to that lover, right?

Could this mean that Boss Liu was with her lover before her death? But this warehouse had an unpleasant smell, and there was only one door which was surrounded by soil... Would they really come here to have an affair?

Bai Yutang examined the victim's neck carefully and noticed a clear mark – Was she strangled?

Subconsciously, Bai Yutang looked up and saw that the warehouse was made of container panels and a steel frame. Above Liu's body, there was a steel beam with a hemp rope hanging from it, and the rope was broken...

Bai Yutang frowned at the rope – Hung and fell down? But the rope was hung quite high, and Boss Wang would need a stool to reach it... Where was the stool?

Bai Yutang glanced at the pile of flower fertiliser beside him. If someone stepped on it, it would be possible, but the difficulty level would be high.

Seeing the chaotic footprints on the ground, Zhan Zhao didn't enter either. He asked the old man standing at the entrance, "Who found her?"

The old man pointed to a young lad beside him and said, "Him! He was the first to find her."

Zhan Zhao took a look. The young man the old man pointed to seemed to be about sixteen or seventeen, maybe even younger, wearing a T-shirt and jeans with some soil on him. Beside him was a burly man wearing work clothes and arm sleeves.

The young lad was named Xiao Wei, and the burly man was his father, they owned a flower shop nearby. Xiao Wei was still in high school but was said to be quite responsible, he helped his father with work on weekends. He had come to collect flower fertiliser just now. Most shops in the flower market store their fertiliser here. Upon opening the door, he was so frightened that he almost wet himself and scrambled out to call for help. Many people gathered around upon hearing the commotion and immediately recognised the victim as Xiao Liu. The security guard was alerted, and the police were called.

Xiao Wei's father seemed quite anxious, insisting that his son had nothing to do with the case and had only come to collect fertiliser.

A few nearby uncles and aunties chimed in, saying that Xiao Wei had rushed out screaming as soon as he opened the door, it couldn't be him.

Zhan Zhao waved his hand to calm everyone down and asked Xiao Wei, "Was the door locked when you entered or was it open?"

Xiao Wei took out his key and said the door was locked.

"Do you all have keys to the warehouse?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Xiao Wei nodded, "This warehouse is shared, it's usually open. The security guard locks it when he finishes his shift, and whoever needs to take goods during the day opens it. Sometimes, it doesn't get opened for a whole day."

Zhan Zhao asked the security guard, "When was the last time you locked this warehouse?"

The security guard thought for a moment and said, "Uh... it was the night before last. When I came to lock up last night, it was already locked."

Zhan Zhao looked around. There was a surveillance camera not far away, but it didn't seem to cover this area.

"Is there no surveillance here?" Zhan Zhao asked.

"There's one over there." The security guard pointed behind Zhan Zhao, against the wall... The camera was obscured by a large mound of flower soil piled high beneath it.

Zhan Zhao had to step back a few paces to see the camera, feeling somewhat frustrated. "It's blocked..."

"Even if it wasn't blocked, it might not work anyway." The old man said, pointing at the camera. "Look, the light isn't even on! This market has been around for a long time. In areas where most shops are located, they repair the cameras if they break. But in these less frequented corners, no one cares if they're broken. There's nothing valuable in this warehouse, just soil, so no one steals anything..."

At this time, the other members of the SCI team arrived.

Gongsun came running with Ma Xin and Xiatian carrying a medical kit.

Zhao Hu and Ma Han also arrived, while Luo Tian and Qin Ou went to investigate Boss Wang's house.

Earlier, Bai Yutang had asked Jiang Ping to look into Boss Liu's relationships. After some investigation, Jiang Ping found out that Boss Liu was thirteen years younger than Boss Wang, and they had been married for a short time. The criminal investigation team had also looked into Liu. She used to work in a shopping mall. Ai Hu and the others even talked to her former colleagues, who said she had a previous boyfriend whom she was planning to marry, and their relationship was good. However, Liu's family faced some problems and incurred a lot of debt... After Liu married Wang, she quit her job at the mall. Liu's previous lover was named Chen Gui, a man with a criminal record. However, the police confirmed that at the time of Wang's death, Chen Gui was working at a moving company in S City, with a solid alibi.

Jiang Ping also sent over a photo of Chen Gui.

Zhan Zhao took the photo and went to find the owner of the orchid shop they had spoken to earlier.

The shop owner's wife nodded after looking at the photo, confirming that the man she had seen having an affair with Xiao Wang was indeed Chen Gui.

In no time, the news that Xiao Liu had died in the warehouse spread throughout the flower and bird market.

Bad news travels fast. Since Boss Wang's death, people had been gossiping behind Xiao Liu's back, especially after the orchid shop owner claimed she was having an affair. Once that rumour spread, more people started talking... As a result, with today's discovery of the body, suspicions of suicide arose.

Those who had gossiped about Liu began accusing the orchid shop owner's wife of being the cause of her death with her constant gossiping.

The shop owner's wife felt regretful, her husband had been telling her, "I've told you not to spread these rumours!"

"But what if I really saw it?"

The couple argued at the shop entrance. Zhan Zhao felt awkward and quickly left, bumping into someone as he stepped out.

When Zhan Zhao turned around, he was startled to see Bai Ye carrying two large bags of fish. The bags, filled with oxygen, were puffed up like gas cylinders. At a distance, one might mistake them for gas canisters.

Zhan Zhao glanced down – Wow! They were all calico koi.

Zhan Zhao couldn't laugh or cry, "What kind of obsession is this?"

These koi were quite large. Zhan Zhao remembered reading in a magazine that this type of koi was expensive. Suddenly curious about Bai Ye's financial situation, he asked, "Uncle Ye, how's your financial situation?"

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow and stared at Zhan Zhao for a moment, then asked, holding the ‘gas canisters’, "Do you want to treat me?"

"Definitely not!" Zhan Zhao shook his head firmly and muttered, "I'm just asking."

Bai Ye told him, "Basically free."

Zhan Zhao blinked in surprise, "Free? As in financially free?"

Bai Ye nodded with a smile, "Mhmm."

Zhan Zhao took a sharp breath.

Zhao Jue and Eleven also arrived. Zhao Jue held two large turtles, while Eleven carried a cage containing three lop-eared rabbits – one black, one white, and one golden.

Zhan Zhao found the rabbits too adorable and wanted to take a photo.

He opened his phone, but the photo of Chen Gui from earlier was still displayed.

Bai Ye suddenly said, "I've seen this man."

Zhan Zhao looked up from his phone, surprised, "When?"

"Just now." Bai Ye pointed towards the entrance.

"He left?" Zhan Zhao quickly ran towards the entrance while calling Bai Yutang.

Soon after, Bai Yutang whooshed past Zhao Jue and the others, reaching the entrance.

Zhan Zhao was also at the entrance.

The entrance of the flower and bird market was bustling with traffic. There was a bus stop next to it and an exit to the subway station across the street, making the crowd as dense as during rush hour... Where could they possibly find someone?

Bai Yutang had to call Jiang Ping to check the surveillance footage.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang couldn't find the person, so they returned to ask Bai Ye.

Bai Ye said that he had just walked out from the shop selling koi and saw Chen Gui rushing out. Because he was tall, wearing a jacket one size too small, covered in soil, and looking back as he walked, it seemed like he was trying to avoid someone...

Being someone with a special status, Bai Ye instinctively paid more attention.

As Bai Ye spoke, he glanced at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang.

Zhan Zhao listened attentively, puzzled – Covered in soil? Was he also in the warehouse? Why did he change clothes?

Bai Yutang's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the two bags of fish Bai Ye was holding.

Bai Ye seemed to have bought almost all the calico koi in the market, big and small alike. Their quality was quite consistent, all silver-white with patterns resembling calico cats on their backs.

Bai Yutang couldn't take his eyes off the fish.

"Chief!"

At this moment, Zhao Hu came running from afar, calling out to the two, saying that Gongsun had found something.

Zhan Zhao grabbed Bai Yutang, who was still fixated on the koi, and they both ran.

Zhao Jue and Eleven didn't wait for the SCI team. Since they didn't have a car, they hailed a taxi and left.

As Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang reached the corner, they glanced back at the entrance.

They saw Zhao Jue hailing a taxi while holding the turtles. Eleven got into the taxi carrying the rabbits, and after placing them down, even helped Bai Ye take the bags of fish. After Zhao Jue got into the taxi, he directed the driver... His hair even was grabbed by the turtle, and he hastily tried to free it from the turtle's grip.

Watching the taxi drive away, both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang felt a bit sentimental. Without that organisation, perhaps their lives would have been just like this...

Returning to the warehouse, Gongsun was standing at the entrance.

The forensics team was collecting footprints from the ground. Despite the messy scene, with Lao Wang's experienced eye, they found intact footprints near the body and even on the pile of flower fertiliser.

Gongsun was removing his gloves as he told Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang something less surprising – It was not a suicide.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged glances and asked, "When did she die?"

"Yesterday afternoon." Gongsun replied. "She's been dead for some time. She was strangled."

"So, someone staged her hanging?"

Gongsun shook his head, "Not exactly."

Both Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stared at Gongsun, puzzled by his ambiguous answer.

Gongsun pointed to the rope, "She did hang herself initially, but the rope snapped and she fell. Then, someone strangled her."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: April 16, 2024 by Angel

Edited: September 26, 2024 by Angel