“Jiang Yanzhi, ask him about the note.” Afraid the questioning was going off track, Xu Jiu couldn’t help pressing the call button and speaking up. Taken aback by the sudden sound in his earpiece, Jiang Yanzhi glanced over, nodded slightly, and asked “Where’s the note?”
“Threw it away ages ago. Why on earth would I keep it? That’d be evidence wouldn’t it?”
“How can you be sure Wang Jianjun left that note?”
“If not him then who else? Only a handful of us even knew about this.” Zhao Bing took a few seconds to process it then grew agitated. “Wait a second what are you implying? Are you saying the one who left me that note wasn’t Wang Jianjun? If it wasn’t him who’s going to pay me those twenty thousand?”
“Charge you with intentional homicide. You might not live long enough to spend the money.”
“That’s impossible. Wang Jianjun told me to do it. If anyone’s getting shot it’s him. What’s it got to do with me?”
Wang Jianjun had gone to great expense to keep Chen Qingqing’s unborn child so why would he turn around and have Zhao Bing kill it? If not Wang Jianjun then who? Who was that unknown woman? Had she impersonated Wang Jianjun left the note for Zhao Bing to murder Chen Qingqing’s baby and then killed Chen Qingqing and her entire family herself? What motive what grudge could drive someone to such lengths of violence?
Only one person crossed Xu Jiu’s mind someone who’d stood apart from everything from the very beginning.
Without pausing to leave word for Jiang Yanzhi Xu Jiu rushed out of the observation room and straight to Li Mingyuan’s office. Li Mingyuan was sorting through reports. She got straight to the point.
“Has the murder weapon in the deaths of Chen’s father and mother been confirmed?”
“Yes. The kitchen knife from their home. Killer thought they were clever washing the blood clean as if that’d be enough. The blade’s nicked and blunted treating the police like fools.”
Xu Jiu took the printed autopsy report. The wounds on both victims were roughly 1.3 meters above the soles of the feet angled left to right and top to bottom. The killer was estimated to stand between 170cm and 175cm striking with their right hand.
“Right hand.” Xu Jiu murmured. “Could the killer’s right hand have been injured?”
When a knife plunges into flesh blood sprays making the handle slick. In the force of the blow a hand can easily slip down the handle and cut itself on the blade across the palm or between thumb and forefinger.
“Funny you say that we found exactly that.” Li Mingyuan leaned in. “When we took the handle apart for testing there was blood that didn’t belong to any of the victims. No match in the system yet though.”
“I have a suspect.”
“Who?”
Xu Jiu spoke the name. Li Mingyuan beamed clapping a hand on her shoulder. “You’ve got a natural gift for this line of work. Why not become my apprentice? Save yourself decades of going in circles.”
“Our job might not win popularity contests but it’s steady work for life.”
Xu Jiu had spent nearly twenty years as a medical examiner in her past life. Starting now would indeed save detours. Add both lifetimes together and her tenure would stretch all the way around the sports field. She was about to decline when another thought took root. As Li Mingyuan’s apprentice she’d have free run of the precinct easy to keep close to Jiang Yanzhi. Only by staying right beside him could she keep him safe. He was always so careless with himself. Step out of sight and who knew how badly he’d get hurt.
“I want to be your apprentice.”
That was the moment Jiang Yanzhi walked in just in time to see Xu Jiu raise her hand as if taking a solemn vow.
“Li what do you think you’re doing?”
Li Mingyuan grinned clapping his large hand on Xu Jiu’s back. “What d’you think? Found myself a star pupil. Which means by rank you’d best call your sister teacher now.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Your opinion doesn’t carry much weight here. She’s my apprentice now.”
Jiang Yanzhi stepped forward took Xu Jiu by the arm and pulled her toward the door his face hard. “Don’t even think about it.”
Even though he’d softened his grip his hold still ached against her bones she couldn’t help a quiet gasp. Jiang Yanzhi released her at once turning her wrist over to check sure enough a red ring was already forming.
“Tsk.” Li Mingyuan pulled him aside. “You big oaf all rough and no care. Hurt my apprentice? Ten of you wouldn’t make it right.”
Caught off guard Jiang Yanzhi stumbled back hard against the metal cabinet with a dull thud. Xu Jiu flinched hurrying over. “Are you all right?”
Jiang Yanzhi looked down took her hand and rubbed it gently. “Does it still hurt?”
Li Mingyuan rolled his eyes. “Worry about yourself. Your arm’s bleeding.”
Only then did Xu Jiu notice the bandage Jiang Yanzhi had worn since lunch blood had seeped through staining the cloth bright red.
“Why the tears?” Jiang Yanzhi couldn’t bear seeing her cry. Setting aside his own injury he pulled out a fresh blue checkered handkerchief kept on hand for just such moments. He’d never expected to use it so soon.
“There now there now don’t cry my dear apprentice.” Li Mingyuan soothed. “I’ll tie your brother’s bandage all pretty with a bow shall I?”
Jiang Yanzhi said sharply “She is not your apprentice.”
“She’s got the makings of an excellent medical examiner. Why can’t you as her brother respect her choice?”
“She’s too timid she’d have nightmares.”
Li Mingyuan’s jaw dropped. He’d seen Xu Jiu calmly peel back bandages to examine wounds Jiang Yanzhi had been there too. How could he say such a brazen thing?
Midway through dressing the wound Jiang Yanzhi’s phone rang. An officer from the local station they’d found Yuan Shuai.
“Where is he?” Jiang Yanzhi’s expression darkened as he listened. “On my way.” He stood.
“Easy now.” Li Mingyuan tightened the bandage. “If you rush off before this is done who’s going to dry your little sister’s tears?”
Xu Jiu saw the change in his face. “Found Yuan Shuai? Where is he?”
“Hospital.”
When they arrived an officer was waiting outside the ICU. Through the glass Yuan Shuai lay pale and still beneath a ventilator his head wrapped in thick layers of bandage.
“What happened exactly?”
The junior officer explained that word had gone out to community watch teams then the hospital called. A shepherd had found him the taxi was abandoned in a ditch along a quiet country road. Curious he’d looked inside and found the driver slumped over covered in blood still breathing barely. He’d gotten him to the hospital just in time. Yuan Shuai had suffered severe head trauma nerve damage and central nervous system suppression kept him unconscious. He remained in critical condition no one knew when or if he would wake.
“Where’s the taxi now?”
“Still down in the ditch. We didn’t touch anything just in case.”
Jiang Yanzhi clapped the officer on the shoulder. “I’ll head over there. Call if anything changes here.”
They drove together toward Taiping District. “They meant to silence him.” Xu Jiu said. “That’s why they took him so far off any known route.”
Jiang Yanzhi nodded. “Hardly anyone passes through there half an hour’s walk from the nearest houses. It was planned.”
“Any word from Qin Shuo?”
“Just checked in keeping watch. Nothing out of the ordinary yet.”
Leaving the city behind they drove another five minutes before spotting the ditch now ringed with police tape. Jiang Yanzhi parked stepping out they saw how thoroughly the killer had worked. Seats and floor mats stripped clean apart from blood on the driver’s side not a mark left visible.
While officers worked Xu Jiu walked the perimeter and found it a brick tossed into a furrow caked in mud to hide bloodstains. Clever except the wet blood had seeped through staining the earth dark red. She slipped it into an evidence bag then bagged samples of the surrounding soil.
Jiang Yanzhi watched her his brow furrowing. “You’re really set on this?”
She looked up. “If I’m an examiner I get to stay with you every day. Isn’t that what you want?”
“But you once said you wanted to be a teacher.”
“That was when I was little. And besides don’t you think I’ve got a knack for it?”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. I want to be with you big brother.”
He took the bag from her glancing down. “Big brother again?”
She caught his gaze dart away and smiled. “What would you rather I call you? Big brother Jiang Yanzhi or coward?”
They stood watching as the taxi was winched out and taken in for forensics. Xu Jiu brushed dirt from her hands. “Come on let’s pay Wang Jianjun’s house another visit.”
Wang Jianjun had been taken away only that morning now neighbors peered from windows as they arrived. An elderly man stepped forward with questions only to jump as Qin Shuo dropped from a nearby tree.
“Where on earth did you spring from?”
“Just enjoying the shade.”
“At this hour? You’ll be eaten alive by mosquitoes.”
“Then best get yourself indoors sir let the police handle things.” Once the man had gone Qin Shuo turned to them. “Chief you’re finally here. I’ve been running in circles all afternoon.”
“Find anything?”
“Neighbors say Wu Cuilan’s first two children died through neglect on her husband’s side she’s never forgiven them cut ties entirely. Wouldn’t let Wang Jianjun have anything to do with them either.”
“And?”
“She went to the clothing market this afternoon bought quite a bit. I kept my distance looked like clothes. Then she walked two blocks and dumped a bag of ashes. Burned something.”
“Guilty conscience.” Xu Jiu said.
“And Li Tianci came to see her.”
“Li Tianci?” Xu Jiu frowned. “What did they talk about?”
“Too far to hear clearly. Chief what makes you suspect Wu Cuilan?”
“Her injured hand too perfectly timed.”
“Going in now?”
“Yes.”
Wu Cuilan opened the door her face hardening at the sight of them. “What is it? You’ve already taken my husband have you come for me too?”
“Smart woman.” Xu Jiu leaned against the doorframe. “That’s exactly why we’re here.”
“What have I done? You can’t just.”
“You had Zhao Bing kill Chen Qingqing’s child. Then you followed her home and killed her and her parents.”
“I never don’t you dare make things up.”
“If you’re innocent why burn evidence?”
“What evidence? Just old rags and sheets.”
A confession practically given away. Xu Jiu’s gaze fixed on Wu Cuilan’s bandaged right hand. “You know what they say no plan is perfect.”