"I think this person is the most likely suspect."
In the back seat of a black Santana 2000, Zhou Yi pointed at the personnel file in his hand as he spoke. This Santana 2000 was the official vehicle of the Third Detachment. The detectives usually drove it when responding to calls in plainclothes. Interestingly, the model was actually manufactured in 1995, so the name had nothing to do with the current year.
Chen Yan was driving, while Wu Yongcheng sat in the passenger seat. They had picked up Zhou Yi at the hospital entrance, and Wu Yongcheng had handed him the files of several selected medical staff who worked the mid-shift.
Zhou Yi had taken the files from Wu Yongcheng and skimmed through them. "Zhang Xinli, thirty-one years old, unmarried, from Zhang Family Village in Quyang County. She became a nurse at a community hospital after graduating from nursing school, and was transferred to City Third Hospital three years later."
"Why do you think she is the most likely suspect?" Wu Yongcheng asked.
"There were six people on the mid-shift in the emergency department yesterday: two doctors and four nurses. The two doctors are one man and one woman," Zhou Yi explained. "First, we can rule out the male doctor."
Wu Yongcheng glanced at Zhou Yi through the rearview mirror. "You’re still certain the killer is a woman?"
Zhou Yi nodded, but added, "I’m ruling out the male doctor not because of his gender, but because he didn’t have the time to commit the crime. He was the doctor treating my grandfather, so he left a deep impression on me. When I left the hospital, he was still in his office.
"As for the female doctor, she is in her forties, married with children, and her husband works in the military. It is virtually impossible for her to be romantically involved with the victim.
"Of the remaining three nurses, this one named Huang Qin is a Hongcheng local. Judging by her parents’ workplaces, she comes from a well-off family. Her address indicates she lives with them. Under those circumstances, it would be difficult for her to dispose of the murder weapon and bloody clothes, and she would easily expose her time of the crime."
Wu Yongcheng nodded. This completely aligned with his own judgment when he read the files earlier.
"What about Liu Qi? She’s from neighboring Wuguang City and lives alone in Hongcheng. Her rented apartment isn’t far from the hospital, so she definitely walks home from work. She has all the conditions to commit the crime." As Wu Yongcheng spoke, he instinctively reached into his pocket, but found it empty. "Chen, where are my cigarettes?"
Chen Yan, who was driving, paused. "What cigarettes?"
"Didn’t Zhou Yi ask you to buy me some?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fresh pack of Daqianmen cigarettes was handed over. Wu Yongcheng turned around to see Zhou Yi looking at him with a smile.
"Look at him. You should learn from Zhou Yi," Wu Yongcheng said as he took the pack.
Chen Yan was completely bewildered. He thought, "Wait, why does it feel like I’m the rookie here?"
"Huh? Why is this missing a cigarette? Did you smoke one?" Wu Yongcheng asked.
Zhou Yi shook his head. "No, I don’t smoke. I used that cigarette to run an errand."
Zhou Yixin thought, "Captain Wu sure loves to smoke. He even haggles over a single missing cigarette."
Wu Yongcheng lit a cigarette, raising his eyebrows in pure enjoyment.
"That Liu Qi does indeed have the right conditions," Zhou Yi continued, "but the reason I didn’t put her first is actually quite simple."
"What is it?"
"Age."
"Age?"
"Liu Qi is twenty-three this year, two years younger than Du Xiaolin," Zhou Yi explained. "At her age, she is just entering the prime years for marriage. This means she generally wouldn’t be in a rush to get married. Even if she encountered relationship problems, she would rarely go to extremes.
"If she had just come of age, lacking mental maturity and social experience, the possibility of her taking extreme measures would be quite high, since young people are prone to impulsiveness.
"But she graduated from nursing school and has been working for four years, so she already has a basic level of social experience. If a relationship falls apart at this age, it’s normal to be sad and heartbroken, but the likelihood of going to the extreme of committing murder—especially a carefully planned one—is very small."
"According to your logic, wouldn’t Zhang Xinli be even more mentally mature?" Chen Yan asked.
Wu Yongcheng slightly shook his head. He had already figured out the logic behind Zhou Yi’s analysis.
"No," Zhou Yi countered. "Zhang Xinli is thirty-one this year. At this age, the biggest problem regarding love and marriage is sunk costs."
"Sunk what?" Wu Yongcheng was taken aback.
"Oh, it’s a financial term. Simply put, women at this age have invested a massive amount of time, energy, and even money into a relationship—costs that cannot be recovered. Therefore, it becomes even harder for them to accept a breakup or a divorce.
"Because as they grow older, their available choices diminish. So when faced with romantic betrayal or abandonment, they are more prone to extreme behavior."
Thirty-one wouldn’t be considered late for young urban women in the modern era that followed, but in the 1990s, even in the city, such a woman was deemed an old maid. Not to mention in the countryside. In that era, an unmarried woman in her thirties would have people pointing fingers and gossiping behind her back wherever she went.
Wu Yongcheng strongly agreed with Zhou Yi’s analysis. From this perspective, Zhang Xinli was indeed a bigger suspect than Liu Qi.
"Chen, head to Zhang Xinli’s place," he ordered.
Chen Yan chuckled. "We’ll be there in three more intersections."
"That fast?"
"Master, I’m not an idiot. When Zhou Yi started talking earlier, I already began driving in the direction of her place."
"Good boy. At least you have some situational awareness."
Although Chen Yan was not as seasoned or sharp-minded as Zhou Yi, Wu Yongcheng was still very satisfied with this apprentice who had followed him for two years. He was an incredibly grounded and reliable worker. He might not be the best at reading the room, but it was precisely this kind of person who stuck more rigidly to their principles. If he teamed up with Zhou Yi, the two of them would make excellent partners.
Wu Yongcheng had already made up his mind. Regardless of whether this case could be solved within twenty-four hours, he was definitely keeping Zhou Yi on, even if he was just a temp.
The three of them soon arrived at the address listed on Zhang Xinli’s file. It was a relatively new-looking residential complex.
"Captain Wu, does the hospital allocate housing?" Zhou Yi asked.
"Not to my knowledge. At most, they provide dormitories. The hospital’s scale is limited, after all; it can’t compare to a massive state-owned enterprise like the steel mill."
Following the building numbers, the three found their way to the fifth floor of a certain building. Wu Yongcheng walked in front, with Zhou Yi following closely behind. As they rounded the stairs on the third floor, Zhou Yi distinctly noticed Wu Yongcheng’s footsteps pause for a fraction of a second.
"Captain Wu, what’s wrong?" he asked alertly.
"Chen, is it 501 or 502?" The layout here had two apartments per floor.
"501," Chen Yan replied.
Wu Yongcheng glanced at Zhou Yi and pointed. Zhou Yi looked up, only to see a large "Double Happiness" character prominently pasted on the door bearing the 501 plaque.
Zhou Yi immediately frowned, wondering if he had made a mistake in his judgment.
Wu Yongcheng had already stepped up to the entrance and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, a woman’s voice called out from inside, "Who is it?"
"We are from the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the City Bureau. Is Zhang Xinli home?"
After a moment, the door opened. A sleepy-eyed woman in pajamas looked at the group. She asked with a hint of confusion, "I am Zhang Xinli. What do you need me for?"