Zhou Yi’s eyes lit up with curiosity as he looked at her.
But the young nurse just pouted. "Forget it. I’m not telling you."
"Come on, don’t do that. Leaving a story half-told is pure torture."
The young nurse shot back playfully, "What if I tell you and you go telling other people? I don’t want to be known as a gossip."
"I’m just a regular patient’s family member. I don’t know anyone at this hospital. Who would I even tell?"
The nurse hesitated for a moment before saying, "That’s true... All right, but you have to promise you won’t tell anyone."
Zhou Yi had already figured it out. ’This nurse loves to gossip but is afraid of getting into trouble, so she’s been holding it in.’
That’s why he emphasized that he was a stranger who didn’t know anyone, hoping to ease her worries so she would spill the beans.
"Okay, so..." The young nurse lowered her voice. "About half a month ago, I saw Du Xiaolin arguing with a woman at the back entrance of the hospital."
"What were they arguing about?"
The nurse shook her head. "I was a little far away, so I couldn’t hear clearly. I just heard Du Xiaolin yelling at the woman, calling her old and washed-up, saying she deserved to be abandoned, things like that."
"Anything else?" Zhou Yi asked quickly.
"Someone else came along, so they stopped arguing. Du Xiaolin just walked off with her nose in the air."
"Did you get a look at the woman she was arguing with?"
The nurse shook her head. "No, her back was to me. She was wearing a gray wool coat. I didn’t see her face."
Suddenly, the nurse grew wary. "Why are you asking so many questions? Hey, you look a little familiar."
She pointed at Zhou Yi, realization dawning on her. "I remember now! You’re the man who came to the nurses’ station last night looking for Du Xiaolin! Who are you, really?"
Seeing how guarded she had become, Zhou Yi knew he had to slightly break his promise to Wu Yongcheng.
He beckoned for her to lean in closer.
The nurse leaned in doubtfully, and heard Zhou Yi whisper, "Actually, I’m a police officer."
"A p-police officer? For real?"
"For real. My name is Zhou Yi, from the City Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division."
"Oh my god, did something happen? No wonder the security department isn’t letting us leave."
"I can’t disclose the specific details right now. You can wait for an official notice from the hospital. I’m not here on a case today, just as a patient’s family member, making small talk. But what you told me... you should keep it confidential for now, especially from the people around you."
The young nurse nodded immediately, then asked, unable to resist, "Did something happen to Du Xiaolin?"
"Why would you think something happened to Du Xiaolin?"
"Because after my shift yesterday, I went to the storage room to get something. But the main door to the storage area was locked at night, so I had to loop around to the front. I happened to see her walking out of the main hospital entrance."
"Walking... Is there a problem with that?"
Zhou Yi already had a guess, but he needed the nurse’s words to confirm it.
"Du Xiaolin usually rides her bike to and from work. She only takes the bus if it’s raining. But last night, she didn’t ride her bike. I thought it was strange at the time."
’Just as I thought! This completely confirms my suspicion that Du Xiaolin walked home.’
’But why wasn’t there any record of this in the original cold case file? Did the investigators miss it? Or is there something more to it?’
"Where do you employees usually park your bikes?" Zhou Yi asked quickly.
"Right behind the inpatient building, in that blue bike shed."
"Does Du Xiaolin’s bike have any distinguishing features?"
"Features... let me think."
"She rides a pink Forever-brand bicycle, with a string of plastic peonies hanging on the basket."
Zhou Yi thanked the nurse and headed straight for the employee bike shed.
It was not yet seven o’clock, and the day shift nurses and doctors started at eight, so there weren’t many bikes in the shed.
He quickly found the Forever-brand bike that matched the description. Just as he expected, the back tire was flat.
But as he squatted and carefully inspected the entire tire, he couldn’t find any damage.
’So, the only possibility is that the air was let out of the tire.’
’In the middle of the night, Du Xiaolin would have instinctively assumed the tire was punctured.’
’Then, the next day, the culprit would use a pump to re-inflate it during work hours.’
’That way, even if investigators became suspicious, they would see a perfectly fine bicycle and have no reason to doubt it.’
’At most, they would only suspect that Du Xiaolin didn’t ride her bike home because someone picked her up.’
Moreover, Zhou Yi was certain the culprit couldn’t have rushed back to the hospital to pump up the tire right after the crime. There was a risk of being seen by the hospital gatekeeper.
’So they must have done it during work hours.’
’Only a hospital employee could have done this. Even an outsider connected to Du Xiaolin couldn’t have pulled it off without drawing attention.’
Zhou Yi took a deep breath and scanned his surroundings. He soon spotted an air pump in a corner of the shed, near the wall.
A few words were written on the pump in black marker: "Public equipment. Do not remove."
’It seems the killer had a meticulous plan in place.’
’Using the public pump was the safest option. Even if the police thought of it, they wouldn’t be able to check for fingerprints.’
Zhou Yi looked at the bike shed and its surroundings. ’This is tricky. There’s nowhere to hide and watch from.’
’A stranger like me waiting here for a long time would easily arouse suspicion and tip off the culprit.’
Just as he was wondering what to do, Zhou Yi looked up and suddenly saw a second-floor window. It had a clear view of Du Xiaolin’s bike, though the bike shed’s roof blocked the view of the back wheel.
’But it’s the only convenient observation spot. At my speed, if someone touches the bike, I should be able to run downstairs and catch them in the act.’
Having made his decision, Zhou Yi immediately ran to the second-floor window and looked down, keeping a close watch on the bike shed.
About twenty minutes passed, and people started trickling in for work.
But they all basically rushed into the shed, parked their bikes, and left.
Zhou Yi glanced at the sky. It was probably almost eight o’clock, and there was still no movement around Du Xiaolin’s bike.
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly saw Du Xiaolin’s bike move slightly.
Judging by the light and shadows, there had to be someone under the shed’s roof.
Without wasting a second, Zhou Yi flew to the stairwell, ran down, and shot out of the building in a flash.
He saw the back of a figure in coarse blue work clothes squatting next to Du Xiaolin’s bicycle. The public air pump was on the ground beside them.
Zhou Yi felt a sudden sense of dread. Just as he was about to speak, the person stood up.
It was a scruffy-bearded old man. He had just finished pumping the tire and was about to put the pump away when Zhou Yi’s sudden appearance startled him.
"Whoa, who are you? You scared the daylights out of me."
"Who are you?" Zhou Yi asked sternly.
"I’m Old Liu from the boiler room. I’ve never seen you around before, young man."
Zhou Yi’s heart sank. ’Damn it, I miscalculated.’
’A killer this meticulous wouldn’t stick to their original plan after attacking me last night.’
’How could I have missed something so simple?!’
Suddenly, Zhou Yi felt like he was being watched. He whipped his head around.
In the distance, a dark figure flashed past and was gone.