“Someone is dead someone is dead” the aunt screamed and ran frantically outside. The man behind her fell hard onto the ground and the flashlight rolled away casting wild beams of light across the night sky. Xu Jiu tried to step forward for a closer look but a large hand completely covered her eyes and she could see nothing.
“Don’t look” Jiang Yanzhi said. He kept his hand over her eyes and spoke calmly to Qin Shuo who stood pale faced nearby. “Call the team over now.”
Qin Shuo nodded and hurried away. Xu Jiu held Jiang Yanzhi’s fingers and pulled a small gap open to see into the room. The scene was chaotic. Tables and chairs lay overturned and belongings were scattered everywhere. The large color television the aunt had mentioned had a huge dent in it from being struck. A television like that would cost nearly a thousand yuan more than half a year’s wages yet someone had smashed it without hesitation.
She could make out the bodies of Chen Qingqing’s parents. Their clothes were torn with multiple wounds that appeared to be from sharp objects. It was unclear which single strike had been fatal or if death had come from blood loss. Chen Qingqing hung above them her face swollen and discolored deep purple consistent with mechanical suffocation. The body hung high and a low stool lay overturned nearby. She could not see the neck clearly and could not confirm the exact cause of death.
Xu Jiu blinked rapidly against his palm. “Still looking” Jiang Yanzhi asked from above. His fingers tightened and her world went dark again. She could not move his hand away.
“What do you think happened” she whispered.
Jiang Yanzhi led her outside and directed the lingering villagers to withdraw and wait by the gate. Far from the house she could no longer see anything clearly.
“From what I saw it seems Chen Qingqing’s parents found out about the baby. There was a fierce argument. In a moment of rage she killed them and then took her own life” Xu Jiu murmured.
“Did you also learn that from television”
“Yes” she brushed her nose lightly. “Where else would I know such things”
Jiang Yanzhi studied her intently his gaze sharp as if searching for something in her expression. She turned away uncomfortably and looked toward Qin Shuo who was running back from the next courtyard.
“Called in” Qin Shuo wiped sweat from his face. “Forensic Li and the others are on their way.”
“Good”
“What do we have here” Qin Shuo asked.
Jiang Yanzhi repeated what Xu Jiu had said. She kept her head down avoiding his eyes. After more than forty years of life she had never imagined she would one day try to hide like this.
Qin Shuo swore under his breath. “What madness. Family should be able to talk through problems. Even if she was wrong they could have scolded her. And she did this to the people who raised her”
“Secure the scene. Do not let anyone disturb it” Jiang Yanzhi said.
“Understood”
Jiang Yanzhi told Xu Jiu to wait in the vehicle then stood with Qin Shuo at the gate to register everyone who had entered the courtyard. Xu Jiu watched from the car window. Lights had come on all along the street and crowds gathered outside the Chen house. The entrance was completely blocked. Even two strong men could not hold back every curious onlooker. They could guard the gate but not the walls. Several young men climbed up trying to peer inside. Every detail at a crime scene mattered and damage could make finding the truth impossible.
“Get down. Do not tamper with evidence” Qin Shuo shouted.
The leader grinned from the wall. “Officer we are just looking. What happened to the Chen family” He called to his friends. “Come up. There are so many of us they will not do anything.”
Xu Jiu scoffed quietly. They assumed no one would be punished among a crowd. She was about to step out when Jiang Yanzhi spoke his voice low and firm. “Get down.”
He was tall and imposing and his expression was severe. As a child he had been handsome with bright eyes and fine features but he had rarely smiled and other children had feared him. Xu Jiu had once chased away a boy who teased him with a slingshot. “Brother Yanzhi they are just jealous because you are good looking” she had told him then.
The young man on the wall hesitated. “We are only looking.”
“Get down” Jiang Yanzhi repeated.
The men climbed down. One twisted his ankle on the way and limped away in pain. Local police arrived and strung up tape to secure the area. The crowd quieted though whispers continued. Xu Jiu watched Jiang Yanzhi through the window tracing the outline of his face with her eyes. Thirty years was such a long time. Long enough for lines to appear around her eyes and strands of white in her hair. Long enough for others to forget. To everyone else Jiang Yanzhi had become a faded scar part of the past but no longer painful. Xu Jiu however remembered every moment. She did not know if it was an accident or her own deep longing that had brought her back and sometimes she wondered if it was all a dream.
Jiang Yanzhi looked toward the car as if sensing her gaze. He spoke briefly to Qin Shuo then walked over and tapped on the window. She fumbled for the handle and rolled it down. He leaned in and handed her his jacket. “This may take a while. Sleep if you can.”
She looked at the jacket then at him. He wore only a thin black shirt and his eyes looked suddenly moist. How could she have ever lost the one person who truly cared for her His hand trembled and the jacket fell onto her lap. He lifted his hand as if to touch her then stopped remembering how she had pulled away before.
“Why are you crying”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Are you frightened I will take you back to the city now”
“I am fine. I just wanted to see you.”
He looked uncertain. “Is everything truly all right at school”
“Yes. You see I am well.” And so are you.
Headlights appeared in the distance. The team had arrived. As he began to pull his hand away Xu Jiu held it and pressed her cheek against it feeling the calluses on his fingers from holding pens practicing martial arts and handling firearms. These were the hands that had walked her to school peeled oranges for her and taught her to write. She had let go and lost him for so many years.
Jiang Yanzhi stayed perfectly still. An old van rattled to a stop and several people stepped out all familiar to her from another life. Among them were Li Mingyuan Su Changsheng the captain and Zhang Haiyang. They exchanged brief greetings. Jiang Yanzhi summarized the situation while Li Mingyuan and his assistant began their work taking photographs and making notes.
“Everyone interviewed” Su Changsheng asked.
“Yes. The mother worked in the fields and the father played cards at the village store. Neither left the house after noon.”
“And Chen Qingqing”
“No one saw when she returned.”
Su Changsheng nodded. “We will wait for the forensic results. If everything matches we may close both cases together.”
Xu Jiu watched Su Changsheng from the car. Even now he carried the demeanor of authority that would one day define him. He noticed her watching and looked back sharply. She had never liked him. He preferred compromise over truth and sought good results rather than honest answers. After Jiang Yanzhi’s death Qin Shuo had never gotten along with Su Changsheng and their dislike had lasted all the way to their becoming deputy chief and chief.
“Someone in the car”
Jiang Yanzhi nodded. “My sister. She was the one who deduced Chen Qingqing was the mother in the abandoned baby case.”
“She shows promise. Will she join the force”
“No she wants to be a teacher.”
Su Changsheng could not see her clearly through the glass. “A fine choice for a girl. A peaceful life.”
Xu Jiu stayed seated. She watched Jiang Yanzhi rub the back of his neck and a memory surfaced. Her father Xu Yongcheng had mentioned Jiang Yanzhi was in hospital and Liu Shuran was with him. Xu Jiu had worried but also felt hurt. Xu Zhen had offered to visit in her place saying she already had plans. Xu Yongcheng had slammed his chopsticks onto the table calling her ungrateful. The meal had ended badly and Xu Jiu had blamed Jiang Yanzhi for everything. She had never asked how he had been hurt.
She opened the car door walked over and stood before him facing Su Changsheng. “Captain Su I am Xu Jiu. Xu Yongcheng is my father.”
Su Changsheng’s expression brightened. “Manager Xu from the trading company”
“That is right.”
“I have heard so much about his capable daughter already helping in the business. I did not realize you were still so young.”
“You mean my elder sister Xu Zhen.”
“I see. Both daughters are accomplished then.”
Xu Jiu understood. Her father’s influence could be useful. She would not let others take advantage as they had in her past life.
Su Changsheng turned to Jiang Yanzhi. “Why did you not tell me about this sister of yours”
Jiang Yanzhi said nothing but looked at her with an unreadable expression. She turned away and listened as someone retched loudly inside the house. Summer heat accelerated decomposition and the smell was overpowering even through masks. Zhang Haiyang ran out doubled over and vomited beside the ditch.
“Where are you going” Li Mingyuan called from inside. “Who will record and take pictures”
Xu Jiu stepped forward. “I have studied some forensic science. I can help.”
Before Jiang Yanzhi could speak Su Changsheng answered. “That would not be right. Your father would never forgive us if anything happened.”
“My family supports my interest. You are welcome to visit our home and see for yourself.”
“Then help out for now. Your brother can write a report explaining your involvement.”
Xu Jiu walked into the scene. Jiang Yanzhi followed and caught her wrist stopping her. In the moonlight his eyes were dark and intense. His arm was strong beneath his shirt. He seemed to carry the night itself in his bearing.
“Who are you really”