S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 123

Screen Murderer 19 – Bait

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Gongsun was discussing with Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang at the entrance of the warehouse when Lao Wang, the head of the forensic team inside the warehouse, began waving them over excitedly as if he had discovered something significant.

The ground was covered with plaster casts of footprints made by the forensic team. Carefully avoiding these plaster moulds, the three of them approached Lao Wang's location.

Lao Wang was standing behind a pile of flower fertiliser at the moment, pointing at a human shape on the ground and saying, "Here!"

Everyone stared at the spot on the ground where Lao Wang was pointing... and saw a human shape in the soil.

The shape was somewhat blurry, with a clear handprint on the left side and traces of movement by the feet.

The loose soil on the ground was particularly good at preserving such marks. Judging from this mark, it seemed that someone had been lying here and then sat up by pushing against the ground.

Lao Wang took a clear palm print, took a photo of the scene and compared it to the fingerprint database, and confirmed that it belonged to the deceased Liu's ex-boyfriend, Chen Gui.

"Just now, Uncle Ye said he saw soil on Chen Gui."

Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao to show the photo to Bai Ye.

However, after Zhan Zhao showed the ground photo to Bai Ye, Bai Ye's response was – the soil on Chen Gui's back was yellow.

Everyone was stunned and looked towards the small pile of yellow soil beside Xiao Liu's body.

Flower soil and flower fertiliser are mostly made of grass ash and charcoal ash, so they are basically black. The pile behind Xiao Liu was yellow soil, earthy-coloured.

Inside the warehouse, the ground was all charcoal soil, so it was all black.

Chen Gui was lying on the ground, so the soil on his back should be black, how could it be yellow?

Everyone looked again at the men's jacket on Xiao Liu.

Moving Xiao Liu's body aside, the back of the jacket was covered in yellow soil...

Moreover, as Gongsun said, Xiao Liu was hung, then fell and was strangled to death. She struggled before her death, so there were friction and damage marks on the back of her jacket, and skin tissue and blood stains were found between her fingers.

However, after Lao Wang took samples, black soil was found on her sleeves and legs, but there was none on her back... which is a bit strange.

This indicates that Xiao Liu didn't change her clothes after death... Then if it was before death, why was the soil on the back of Chen Gui's clothes also yellow?

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment, then opened his phone and looked for the photos of Boss Wang's flower shop he had saved before.

After scrolling through a few, Zhan Zhao pointed to one and showed it to Bai Yutang.

In the photo of Boss Wang's flower shop, there was a pile of yellow soil against the wall in the middle.

The two exchanged glances and immediately rushed over.

As they left, Zhan Zhao also made a call to summon an ambulance.

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao with some confusion – Why call an ambulance? No one's injured.

Zhan Zhao winked at him.

Prying open the lock of Boss Wang's flower shop and entering, everyone was taken aback.

The flower shop was in a mess, several pots of flowers had fallen and the pots were broken, and there was soil everywhere, as if there had been a fight here.

On the pile of yellow soil in the middle of the flower shop, one could vaguely see a human-shaped imprint... There were black footprints on the ground, leading along the aisle towards the back door... and the back door was slightly ajar.

Opening the back door, Zhan Zhao found that not far ahead was a bend in the road. Turning the corner and continuing straight would lead to the shop where Bai Ye bought fish...

Based on these scattered clues, Zhan Zhao roughly constructed a possible crime scenario.

Zhan Zhao considered two possibilities: Chen Gui was the murderer, or Chen Gui was not the murderer.

If Chen Gui was not the murderer, the process would be roughly as follows:

Xiao Liu died yesterday afternoon, and for some reason, she was wearing Chen Gui's jacket at the time.

Both of them were attacked in the flower shop, and the assailant might have thought they were both dead.

The bodies of the two were taken to the warehouse. Chen Gui was thrown on the ground first, while Xiao Liu's body was hung from the beam to create the appearance of suicide by hanging.

Perhaps the killer intended to handle them one by one, disguising both deaths as suicides.

However, Xiao Liu woke up during the process, the rope broke during her struggle, and the killer had to strangle her.

After killing Xiao Liu, the killer might have staged it to look like Chen Gui killed Xiao Liu and then committed suicide, then left.

But Chen Gui woke up, saw that Xiao Liu was dead, and realised he was framed as her murderer, so he locked the door and hid in Xiao Lu's flower shop.

Because of the cold, he put on Xiao Liu's jacket, so why was there yellow soil on Xiao Liu's jacket? Perhaps it was because Xiao Liu was wearing Chen Gui's jacket.

The yellow soil on Xiao Liu's jacket was moist and wouldn't shake off easily, so Chen Gui gave her his jacket.

Chen Gui might have been hiding in the flower shop all along. Hearing the commotion outside, he realised the body might have been discovered. Taking advantage of the chaos, he snuck out from the back door, only to run into Bai Ye.

Alternatively, if Chen Gui was indeed the murderer:

Chen Gui and Xiao Liu had a dispute here. Chen Gui knocked Xiao Liu unconscious and dragged her to the warehouse, intending to make it look like she hung herself.

However, after hanging Xiao Liu from the rope, he fell down himself and lay on the ground.

The rope holding Xiao Liu snapped, and she fell. Quickly getting up, he strangled Xiao Liu and then ran to the flower shop... The sequence of events after was the same.

Everyone frowned.

"The first possibility seems more plausible." Bai Yutang pondered and said, "If Xiao Liu was killed by Chen Gui, why would he leave his jacket on her? Shouldn't he have taken his clothes when moving the bodies?"

Gongsun nodded in agreement, "And if he killed someone, why hide in this flower shop? He should've run away immediately, shouldn't he? Is it because he knew someone was after him that he hid here? That's what we call hiding in plain sight, isn't it?"

Zhan Zhao agreed, but everything was still speculative, further evidence was needed. There were still many clues at the scene: the clothes, skin tissue under Xiao Liu's nails, footprints, and evidence collected from the flower shop all awaited analysis.

At this moment, Ma Han called to ask if Zhan Zhao had summoned an ambulance. The ambulance had arrived, and two paramedics brought a stretcher.

Zhan Zhao told Ma Han to lead the paramedics into the warehouse, then told Zhao Hu to lie on the stretcher, covering his face with clothes. The two would carry the stretcher out, get into the ambulance, and go to the hospital, all in a high-profile manner.

"Understood." Ma Han hung up and let the paramedics in.

......

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang left the scene of the flower shop to the forensic team. The forensic team took Xiao Liu's body back to the SCI office, and the forensic room, which had only been empty for a few days, now had three more bodies. Gongsun sighed, "Peaceful times are hard to come by."

As Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang approached the flower shop's entrance, they saw the owner of the neighbouring flower shop loading pots of exquisite orchids onto a truck. He had just learned that Zhan Zhao and the others were police officers. He had thought they were asking for clues, however, after calling the Bai Group, he found out they had indeed ordered flowers. Moreover, the twins had shown the flower photos to several department heads earlier, and many expressed interest, so they ordered several batches.

The owner was busy with his work, and inside the flower shop, the owner's wife sat on a stool, wiping the pots and her tears.

Zhan Zhao walked in.

Seeing Zhan Zhao, the owner's wife looked up with a hint of grievance, "I didn't mean to harm her. I just have a bad habit of gossiping about others..."

Zhan Zhao reassured her, "She didn't commit suicide, she was murdered."

The owner's wife was startled, her eyes widening as she looked at Zhan Zhao, "Really?"

"Mhmm." Zhan Zhao nodded.

"So I didn't cause her death?" The owner's wife's face showed some relief.

Zhan Zhao said, "But..."

"I know, I know!" The owner's wife quickly nodded, "I won't spread gossip anymore! I was wrong!"

However, Zhan Zhao shook his head and said, "I actually want you to spread this."

The owner's wife was puzzled, "You want me to spread it?"

"That's right." Zhan Zhao nodded and squatted down to talk to the owner's wife, "Can you tell people in the flower market? Tell them the police said Xiao Liu didn't commit suicide, she was murdered. Ask them if they've seen any suspicious individuals. Also, tell them the police found two people in the warehouse. Xiao Liu is dead, but the other has been taken to the hospital."

"Really?" The owner's wife was surprised and then asked, "Oh! Was it her lover?"

Zhan Zhao smiled, "Mhmm!"

The owner's wife asked, "Can I really say that?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, "This way, not only can you help us investigate the clues, but you can also clear your name. First, you didn't cause her death, second, you weren't spreading rumours. But..."

Zhan Zhao said sternly to the owner's wife, "From now on..."

"I'll change!" The owner's wife resolutely nodded, "After helping you spread the word this time, I won't gossip behind people's backs anymore!"

Zhan Zhao nodded with a smile.

The owner's wife put down her things, wiped her face, and quickly ran out.

The flower shop owner shook his head helplessly, saying his wife was great in every way except that her mouth wasn't guarded when she spoke. This incident would probably teach her a lesson!

At the entrance of the flower shop, Bai Yutang saw Ma Han and the others pushing the stretcher out with the paramedics.

Needless to say, 120 was quite skilled.  They gave Ma Han an IV bag and had him hold it.

In a flurry, everyone pushed the stretcher into the ambulance. The paramedics turned on the siren, and Ma Han even activated the police lights, clearing the way with a wailing sound as they sped off to the hospital.

The people in the flower market were abuzz with discussion, wondering if Xiao Liu hadn't really died. They had just seen the police carrying out a body bag, what was going on?

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao and whispered, "Cat, you think the murderer might go after Chen Gui?"

Zhan Zhao nodded, "I don't think Chen Gui is the murderer, what about you?"

Bai Yutang agreed, "And he might know something, both he and Xiao Liu knew."

"If someone is really after Chen Gui, we can use this as a diversion, hopefully buying him some time. It would be best if he comes to the police station." Zhan Zhao said, then asked the forensic officers, "Was there a cell phone belonging to the victim at the scene?"

The forensic team shook their heads. In this day and age, the first thing they usually look for is phones, tablets and cameras at crime scenes. But there were none to be found.

"There was no phone in Wang's belongings." Bai Yutang said. "The laptop in the shop is also missing."

Zhan Zhao frowned, "Could it be that Boss Wang didn't just hear something, he also photographed something?"

Bai Yutang thought it was a possibility too. Just then, his phone rang; it was Luo Tian.

Luo Tian and Qin Ou had gone to investigate Boss Wang's home. When they arrived, they found Boss Wang's house has been rummaged through, as if someone had been searching for something.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchanged a glance – Sure enough!

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the flower and bird market had also changed a bit.

That owner's wife was resourceful. There were WeChat groups among the merchants, and she had sent a mass message to clear her name.

Furthermore, many people had taken photos of the ambulance transporting someone away earlier and posted them all in the group.

The owner's wife also added Zhan Zhao on WeChat to report any updates to him promptly.

......

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang took another stroll around the flower and bird market. By this time, Ma Han and Zhao Hu had already reached the hospital.

The paramedics had contacted the hospital in advance, and they were quite cooperative. Several doctors came out to greet them and immediately took Zhao Hu to the emergency room. After drawing the curtains, a nurse even brought in a syringe, startling Zhao Hu into jumping up.

The doctors restrained him, took his blood pressure, and checked his heart and lung functions.

Ma Han stood outside the room, making phone calls.

Zhan Zhao told him to go inside and see if there were any hospital staff they could talk to.

Ma Han went in and handed his phone to a hospital administrator.

After some discussion, the hospital found a quiet spot and quickly prepared a temporary ward for the "patient" who had undergone emergency treatment.

On the way, following Zhan Zhao's instructions, the doctor told Ma Han, "He'll need to stay in the hospital for three days. Once he stabilises, he can be transferred to the police station."

So, Hu Zi ended up in the hospital, confused and admitted. Ma Han stayed by his side in the ward.

Hu Zi lay on the hospital bed, picking his ear and asking, "Do you think they'll take the bait?"

Ma Han thought they might just pull it off, "We've played the whole act out. Let's see what happens in three days."

......

Inside the Bai Group building.

After lunch, Bai Jintang walked into his office with a cup of coffee and immediately sensed something was off.

Looking around, Bai Jintang's eyes finally landed on the short cabinet beside his desk.

On the otherwise empty cabinet sat a potted white moth orchid.

Bai Jintang examined the orchid closely and noticed its white petals with golden edges, and its pistil was patterned like a leopard's skin...  it was quite exquisite.

"Isn't it beautiful?!" The twins rushed in, pointing at the flower, "It's a premium moth orchid! Just delivered, this pot is the most unique!"

Sipping his coffee while admiring the flower, Bai Jintang felt an elegance tinged with allure and restraint mixed with a hint of provocation. The aura was reminiscent of Gongsun's. Nodding in satisfaction, he said, "Mhmm, it's quite nice."

‿︵‿︵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 18, 2024 by Angel

Edited: October 3, 2024 by Angel