If no other victims had appeared, this case might have solely revolved around Elder Liang, but after such a long investigation, we hadn't found any significant clues. Instead, we'd brought in a host of suspects, and none of the conclusions pointed to the killer.
It seemed we could only continue the process of elimination for now. After confirming Zhou Henling's statement, everyone was exhausted and deeply disappointed. Frankly, I'd expected as much; my skills in observing micro-expressions rarely failed me.
Seeing everyone else slumped over their desks asleep, I let He Xin rest as well and returned to my office, intending to catch a quick nap. Liu Yuning, as if on cue, entered and ended up sleeping beside me.
Lately, I'd been visiting the morgue less often due to ongoing renovations. When I went back this time, I discovered that Director Zhang had refurbished it again. The surrounding environment had improved considerably, with many trees planted, making the air fresher. I liked this feeling; it allowed me to fully immerse myself in my work, which was highly effective.
This time, perhaps to re-examine the body, I brought Liang Zhongshu's corpse here. I placed it in a recessed area and conducted various forensic examinations. It was then that I discovered some imperceptible signs of pushing on the deceased's neck. I used seaweed ash to restore them and found the fingerprints of Elder Liang, along with another person's.
If I wasn't mistaken, someone had pushed him at the time, but Elder Liang had then touched his own neck, thus confusing the traces.
Otherwise, I would have noticed it earlier. I separated the two sets of fingerprints, made another impression, and compared them on the computer. It turned out to be a woman's fingerprint. According to the technical data, it belonged to a woman approximately 1.65 meters tall and weighing 50 kilograms. Didn't that sound very much like Zhou Henling?
This woman hadn't told us earlier about her altercation with Elder Liang. It seemed I needed to find her again. Fortunately, she hadn't left the interrogation room yet.
I took out the photos I'd just taken and returned to her, showing Zhou Henling the marks on Elder Liang's neck.
"How do you explain this? Aren't the fingerprints left on Elder Liang's neck yours? If you don't admit it, we can compare your hand now. You won't refuse, will you?"
The situation was so obvious that Zhou Henling no longer wanted to conceal anything. She dared not. She told me everything: "I did have an argument with Elder Liang. He even pulled my hair. Look here!"
Zhou Henling tilted her neck, showing us a spot near her forehead. As her head drooped, we noticed missing patches of hair.
I hadn't expected that the usually demure Elder Liang would resort to hitting someone and pulling hair when angered. If not for these events, this secret would likely never have been revealed. I continued to question Zhou Henling, "When you choked him, was he still conscious?"
"Of course he was. Officer He, what do you mean? Do you think I choked him to death? You and I are from the same profession. Don't tell me you can't see that the ligature marks of that degree are not fatal? He was killed by the books later!"
Zhou Henling retorted indignantly, her fists clenched tightly, as if she detested my insinuation.
"I didn't mean that. If you had told us the truth from the beginning, we wouldn't have brought you back today. This is all your own doing, do you understand?"
"I'm speechless. This incident was not serious to begin with. Even if you knew, what difference would it make? It has nothing to do with the case. His fate was due to his own carelessness."
"How do you know it was his carelessness and not someone entering the study at the time?"
I asked tentatively. Zhou Henling shook her head helplessly, "What is there to not know? This fellow always liked to stay there and read. Perhaps he had some physical condition and accidentally knocked over a bookshelf, then was hit by the books."
I said, "During our autopsy, we found no signs of any illness on Elder Liang."
"I meant age-related ailments, but I'm not sure of the specifics. Well, if there's nothing important to ask, please don't waste my time. I'm also very busy and have to get back to class, you know?"
I considered it. For now, there was nothing more to ask. Besides, Zhou Henling's explanation was plausible; even if she had argued with Elder Liang, she had left before his death. As I watched Zhou Henling leave, I once again felt that Elder Liang's death was an accident.
At the case discussion meeting, everyone engaged in a heated debate about the current findings.
"What do you think? Could Elder Liang have committed suicide because he couldn't bear it?"
"Suicide? Have you ever seen anyone commit suicide in such a way? Besides, the scene looks like the books fell accidentally!"
"But Zhou Henling, the suspect who was at Elder Liang's house, had already left!"
"Zhou Henling isn't even considered a suspect yet, as the timeline doesn't match!"
"I think it really was Elder Liang's carelessness. Should we drop this case? Continuing like this will definitely be a waste of time." Facing pressure and suggestions from everyone, I was indeed contemplating giving up. However, at the very last second, a police officer rushed into the conference room and announced, "Bad news! We just received a report that an old forensic doctor named Zhang Hongchang has had an accident at home."
"Another one?" I muttered in surprise. Everyone had already reacted and rushed out of the conference room. Nothing else mattered now; we had to get to the crime scene immediately.
Upon arriving at Zhang Hongchang's house, it was another decent residential area. The environment was moderate, neither high-end nor rundown, with many green plants surrounding it, covering almost the entire community.
As we went upstairs, a detective led us through the elevator to unit 703, which was Zhang Hongchang's residence.
Another old forensic doctor, living in a residential complex. As we entered the house, we found him sitting peacefully in front of the television.
This time, it wasn't in the study but in the living room. The deceased showed no apparent injuries. He stared intently at the TV screen, as if his attention was solely focused on it, not shifting for a second. His head was slumped, his complexion bloodless, and his clothes showed no signs of struggle. I approached him and gently moved his neck, revealing severe, mild muscle contraction and rigor mortis.