"Right, this time it's definitely not an accident or suicide, it's murder. But who exactly? Didn't Zhou Henling already rule that out?" Ling Xiaotao asked curiously.
"Yes, in fact, I've had someone keeping an eye on her. But there's been no progress so far. Theoretically, if there was a problem, she should have appeared near the second victim's home, but the surveillance team hasn't reported anything to me."
"Sigh, maybe it has nothing to do with her at all. Just look carefully at the surveillance. I think there's a high possibility that the surveillance system was tampered with this time."
As Ling Xiaotao and I were discussing, Xie Chuchu came over with a report. "The victim also had traces of midazolam in his system. It seems like he, like Old Liang, had significant emotional issues. This cannot be a coincidence."
"He also needed to take sedatives. I'll go and check the channels through which they obtained this medication."
With that, I asked them to handle the remaining work, and I returned to the Punishment Squad office. I asked Xia Hou to follow me to the Information Department. We first communicated with He Xin and learned more about midazolam. Then, we found the hospital where Old Liang and Old Zhang had previously obtained this medication.
It's quite interesting. Both individuals obtained the medication from the same hospital, Guangming City Central Hospital.
Xia Hou and I quickly went to this hospital, which we've visited frequently. With the help of the director, we found the chief physicians of the two victims. It turned out to be the same doctor.
Dr. Huang told us that they had been receiving treatment there for three months because they couldn't control their emotions, which led them to seek his help.
"So, did they come at the same time?"
"No, that's not necessarily true. Both came because of this situation and were prescribed midazolam. They had some symptoms of mania. I can't imagine forensic investigators having such symptoms."
"Mania? How severe were their conditions?"
"Slightly. Not very serious, but if they didn't take their medication, they would easily become tense and angry over minor issues."
"Then who came here for treatment first?"
"It should have been Old Liang. What case are you investigating? It seems quite strange."
I deliberately said sternly in front of Dr. Huang, "Liang Zhongshu is dead!"
"What? That old forensic investigator is dead..."
"It happened these past couple of days. It's because he was seeing a doctor here that we've come to find you!"
"Then I wouldn't know. I have nothing to do with this case. Please don't suspect me, officers."
At this moment, Xia Hou said, "That's not what we meant. Actually, I wanted to ask if any other forensic investigators have come here for treatment?"
"Forensic investigators? It's just the two of them. After all, I do remember people in this profession. We even discussed some medical issues back then. It's rare to find common ground."
I observed that Dr. Huang's reaction was normal, and he likely wasn't lying. I asked Xia Hou to continue investigating the hospital situation while I returned. On the way, I kept thinking, did the murderer know about the two deceased victims' manic conditions beforehand? This reminded me of the last case, where the murderer particularly hated those who mistreated their parents, which was his motive.
And this time, for what reason? As I delved deeper into Old Zhang's situation, I discovered that he had also retired a few days prior. He was also divorced and had a daughter who was a surgeon.
After the news of the victim's death was released, this woman named Zhang Xinya came to the provincial department.
When I saw her, I directly asked some questions, mainly to compare Old Zhang's family situation.
Speaking of her father, Zhang Xinya was not as indifferent as Liang Lao's returned son. She was more concerned. "Sigh, I'm not sure. I blame myself for not paying much attention to my old father after getting married. But he's a pretty cool person, not very sociable, and doesn't like going out. He prefers to stay home and read. But he was a good father. Even after the divorce, he took good care of me!"
"Oh? Then how did they get divorced?"
"Given my dad's profession, how else could they get divorced? He was constantly dealing with corpses, and didn't have time to care for my mother. Later, my mother couldn't take it anymore and divorced him. After that, my father and I lived together. Today, I'm also a surgeon."
"I know. Then when was the last time you saw him?"
"About a month ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I brought him mooncakes. My husband also chatted with him about some things. My father really likes talking to him, especially since he's a doctor. If he hadn't known he was a doctor, my father probably wouldn't have agreed to our marriage."
"Then what's your relationship with Old Zhang like?"
"It's pretty good. We sometimes text each other."
This point seemed different from Liang Lao's family situation. I could tell that Zhang Xinya genuinely loved her father, whereas Liang Lao's son's relationship with him was truly estranged.
The murderer likely wouldn't care about this. I went to investigate Old Zhang's past relationship with his wife. The more I investigated, the more I realized that Liang Lao's situation with his wife and Old Zhang's situation with his wife were very similar. Both divorced due to their professions, and there was also infidelity.
That's right! Old Zhang's personal relationships at the academy were also unusual. I went to the forensic academy where he worked before his death and learned the situation. Several female students reported that Old Zhang had been involved with them.
Alright, the murderer's true anger was likely due to this. Then, could the key to this case actually be the wives of the two old forensic investigators? However, Liang Lao's wife had already passed away.
I asked He Xin to find Old Zhang's wife, Li Hai'er. She was an old lady in her sixties. Xia Hou and I visited her home. When we mentioned her husband's death, Li Hai'er said sadly, "I knew he would have an accident eventually. I didn't want him to be a forensic investigator back then because the job was too dangerous and the workload was immense. He was almost always at the bureau every day, but I never complained. I just advised him. I never really let go of our feelings. The reason we divorced was due to the things that happened behind the scenes, it wasn't really related to his work."
"Wasn't he a professor? Shouldn't he have been at the academy? How could he have been so busy with police matters?"