Doubt Cloud
Four hours have passed, and the autopsy has co to an end.
Lin Yan put down the surgical knife, and her back was already soaked: Its done, all the samples have been collected, right?
An assistant forensic examiner nodded, Yes, they will be sent to the laboratory shortly.
What about the docuntation? She looked at Duan Cheng, who patted his own cara, No problem, its all here.
She nodded slightly in acknowledgent, then turned around and took off her gloves, throwing them into the dical waste bin. In that mont of bowing her head, she seed to be lost in thought for a mont.
From his perspective, Lin Yans profile was unnaturally pale under the harsh light.
Seeing her unmoving, Duan Cheng asked, Forensic Doctor Lin?
Lin Yan turned her head and continued, Take samples of the deceaseds lung, myocardium, liver tissue, and bone marrow fluid for diatom examination1.
Fang Xin looked troubled, For diatom examination, well have to send it to the provincial headquarters.
How long will it take to get the results?
Probably about two days or so.
Lin Yan took a deep breath, restraining the urge to curse, I could have done this simple diatom examination back in my sophomore year. Yet you still have to send it to the provincial headquarters. Why not just send it to the central headquarters?'
To be honest, the forensic departnt has limited funding and a shortage of manpower. When we had a high number of cases before, we even outsourced the autopsies to third-party institutions. Its not that we cant do it, but
Another forensic examiner chid in.
Lin Yan raised an eyebrow, In the end, its all about money, isnt it? Easily solvable. Ill go to sleep now; you guys clean this up.
She nodded her chin, stretched lazily, and walked away with an air of arrogance.
Quickly disposing of the clothing tainted with the stench of the corpse, Lin Yan stepped into the shower. The water temperature was chilly, and when the water jet hit her head and body, she shivered. Leaning against the wall, she slowly regulated her breathing.
After five minutes, Lin Yan ca out, towel-drying her hair. She took out an expensive perfu from the storage cabinet and sprayed it on herself as if it were free, covering any lingering faint odor of decay. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief and grabbed a box of chewing gum from the cabinet.
Opening the lid, she poured two pills into her palm but suddenly heard a faint sound at the door. She turned around to find Song Yuhang standing quietly in the darkness, watching her.
The light in the dressing room was dim, and Lin Yan smiled, Is there sothing you need?
She closed the cabinet door, towel-dried her hair, and started to leave. As she did so, she handed the bottle to her, Chewing gum, it helps to stay alert. Want two pieces?
Song Yuhang made way for her, No, I ca to ask about the autopsy results.
Lin Yan halted her steps and yawned, Sister, could you please check the ti? Can the police just keep people working endlessly?
As she said this, she turned her head, revealing a makeup-free, naturally beautiful face with excessively fair skin. The dark circles under her eyes were evident due to staying up late.
Song Yuhang checked her watch, Its now 5:30 in the morning. Ill give you one hour of rest ti, be ready for the eting at 6:30 sharp.
Lin Yans feet slipped, and she gritted her teeth, May I ask, are you even human?
Song Yuhang smiled slyly, No, Im not.
Lin Yan nodded in agreent, I can tell. No wonder youre still single in your thirties. I suggest you stop causing trouble for my brother. Its better for everyone if you stay single.
What does being single or not have to do with anything? Are two people together always happy? She shook her head gently, seemingly disagreeing with that viewpoint.
Lin Yan instinctively retorted, Of course being with soone is better than being alone. At least theres soone to listen to you, even if its about insignificant things.
But Lin Yan was such a person. She feared loneliness, afraid of waking up in an empty room at midnight. She feared dreaming of Chu Nan, and even more afraid of not dreaming of her.
She needed soone to listen to her talk about insignificant things.
Even if that person only loved her body or her money, it didnt matter because, besides money, there was nothing else she could afford to give.
As for happiness, what was that?
Since her eighteenth birthday, she had not genuinely laughed from the depths of her heart.
Engaging with others, the most taboo is to share shallow words but deep thoughts. Lin Yan snapped back to reality and smiled self-deprecatingly, Theres no need to tell soone as old-fashioned and rigid as Song Yuhang about these things.
She walked away, and heard the person behind her softly respond, I may not know if it makes you happy or not, but if its not sothing you truly love, its hard to persist for over ten years. Without genuine respect, its impossible to achieve excellence.
I may not be anything special, but at least I am a police officer. Solving cases is my duty.
Lin Yan sneered and stopped responding, her thin figure disappearing into the long corridor.
To an outsider, this conversation might seem enigmatic, but two intelligent individuals need not say much to understand each other.
Song Yuhangs gaze shifted to the autopsy room just a wall away. Perhaps she didnt know, but she had also watched the video of the autopsy process.
In that mont of silent mourning, her expression was really unlike Lin Yan.
Back in her office, Lin Yan found the two candies already lted, and the thin sugar coating felt uncomfortable in her hand.
She stuffed them into her mouth, taking a big gulp of bottled water, and then lay back in her chair for a mont before taking out her phone to make a call.
Hello? Its , Lin Yan. I need ten centrifuges Yes Have them delivered to the Municipal Public Security Bureau after dawn.
Director Lin, this the ti is too tight
Lin Yan sneered coldly, If it cant be delivered before the next quarters financing
No, no, no Director Lin, lets talk about it.
Lin Yan hung up the phone with a snap and then her gaze fell back on the chewing gum bottle on the table.
After a mont of contemplation, she decided to pick it up and put it inside a drawer.
An hour later, Lin Yan was awakened by the rapid tapping of the keyboard. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and her uniform jacket slipped off her body.
She ruffled her hair, trying to catch the falling jacket, but couldnt rember if she had covered herself with it last night.
Her mory seed fragnted.
Zheng Chengrui noticed that she was awake and hurriedly ca over, offering her freshly stead buns, fried dough sticks, soy milk, and a just-cooked egg.
Forensic Doctor Lin, youre awake. Eat up, after Team Leader Song finishes, shell call us for a eting.
Her stomach rumbled tily.
Impatiently, Lin Yan waved her hand, I know, go away. You being around makes it hard for to eat.
Alright, alright, enjoy your al.
The chubby person seed accustod to being ordered around by others, and his temperant was unusually accommodating in front of Lin Yan.
If its not enough, I still have more.
Lin Yan opened the plastic bag, took a tissue, rolled it into a small ball, and took a small bite. She frowned and then spat it all out, throwing the rest into the trash bin.
Is this ant for humans to eat? Looks like pig feed to .
The chubby persons face turned red, This this is the cafeteria food
Everyone in the room looked over, and Lin Yan leaned back in her chair, a mocking smile playing at the corner of her lips.
Only you guys can stomach this.
So peoples faces showed a hint of anger, but they were pulled away by their companions, and others also got up from their seats.
Lets go, its ti for the eting.
Once everyone had left, Lin Yan leaned back in her chair and called for a food delivery. While waiting for the delivery, she went to wash her face and rinse her mouth.
When she returned to her seat, Cantonese-style dim sum was already placed on her table.
Three servings of dim sum, two stead dishes, and two bowls of congee; this was not an ordinary food delivery but a nutritious breakfast prepared by the Lin familys chef.
She ticulously prepared all three als of the day, aiming for a balanced and not overly high-calorie diet.
As a result, she rarely indulged in outside junk food, let alone street food like buns.
However, she knew she couldnt finish so much food. Like a cat, she tasted a little of each, feeling satisfied, and then discarded the rest into the trash bin. She dabbed her mouth with a tissue before leisurely making her way to the forensic examination room.
Wheres Forensic Doctor Lin? Song Yuhang swept her gaze around the room, and there was an empty seat at the forensic departnt.
Here she cos. Under everyones watchful eyes, the esteed forensic doctor Lin arrived, wearing slippers, and strolling in tardily. Her curly hair was let loose, and she was still wearing the tank top she changed into last night after washing up. The black tight-fitting top perfectly outlined her figure, accentuating her generous curves that were about to burst out. Below, she wore loose-fitting, short sport pants in the sa color, showing off her long legs and slim waist, captivating everyones attention.
Beautiful indeed, Lin Yan stood out as a complete anomaly among the crowd of people dressed in neatly buttoned uniforms.
Fang Xin glanced at her, then at herself, feeling ashad and lowering her head.
From the mont she entered, Duan Chengs eyes had been glued to her, and it was evident what he was thinking without even having to ponder.
As for Zheng Chengrui, he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Song Yuhangs lips pressed into a straight line.
Zhang Jinhai spoke up at the right mont, breaking the silence, Alright, everyone is here. Lets discuss the case.
The deceased is Ding Xue, thirty years old, an English teacher at Jiangcheng First High School. She went missing from her ho on the evening of May 14, 2008, between 8:00 and 10:00. At 10:23, she sent a text ssage to her husband, Sun Xiangming, the contents of which are as follows.
The printed text was enlarged on the PPT.
Sitting across from Zhang Jinhai, Song Yuhang turned her pen in her hand, We havent found the deceaseds personal belongings, so we cant confirm whether the text ssage was sent by the killer or the victim herself. There is a high possibility that she had already been killed at that ti.
As she finished speaking, Lin Yan leaned back in her chair, supporting her head with her hand, feeling drowsy, and let out a yawn.
Its impossible. Based on the corpses condition, rigor mortis, liver temperature, and a comprehensive analysis of the environntal climate, the estimated ti of death should have been between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM three days ago.
Zhang Jinhai considered for a mont, How is the surveillance investigation going?
Zheng Chengrui stood up hesitantly, Still looking We havent found any suspicious individuals entering or leaving the park.
Lets assu the killer was after her valuables. After she sent that ssage, the perpetrator might have robbed her and then pushed her into the water.
Suggested one of the investigators.
So, the key to solving the case lies in the victims phone. According to the victims husband, she had an iPhone worth over 4,000 yuan with her when she left on the day she went missing. She also carried cash and bank cards in her handbag.
We have already monitored all the accounts under the victims na. If anyone withdraws money, the nearby police stations colleagues will rush over imdiately.
Song Yuhang nodded, Send people to the major second-hand markets in Jiangcheng City, especially the used mobile phone markets. If theres anything suspicious, bring them in for questioning right away.
Lin Yan stretched lazily, as if the discussion was happening without any relation to herself, and yawned lazily.
By the way, have you considered that Lianhua Pond might not be the first cri scene?
Of course, weve already considered it. Why else would we conduct surveillance and investigations? one investigator chid in.
Lin Yan stood up and took out a USB flash drive from her pocket. She directly brought the computer over and inserted the USB, sliding the mouse a few tis. Several images appeared on the large screen.
These were found during the autopsy. The blood in the right ventricle of the victims heart is significantly diluted, with lower blood viscosity, density, hemoglobin levels, and red blood cell count compared to the left side.
This is highly unusual in forensic dicine because such indicators are not expected in cases of drowning in freshwater.
Zhang Jinhai almost spat out the water he was drinking, Wha what does that an? Are you saying she drowned in seawater?
Although Jiangcheng City is the closest coastal city in the province, the nearest seaside park is still over two hundred kiloters away from the city center.
According to Sun Xiangmings account, Ding Xue left ho around 8 or 9 PM and died between 11 PM and 1 AM the next morning. This tifra doesnt allow for a round trip to the seaside park. Even if the perpetrator rushed to drown the victim in seawater and hurried back to dispose of the body, it would be risky. What if they encountered a police checkpoint on the highway? It would be like walking into a trap.
A sense of silence enveloped the room as everyone scratched their heads, feeling sowhat frustrated. They had spent the whole night, yet their efforts yielded no results, making the case even more intricate and complex.
Lets send the samples for diatom testing to the provincial laboratory. If we can determine the specific water body where the victim died, it will greatly assist our investigation.
No matter the situation, Song Yuhang always spoke with seriousness and composure.
Lin Yan leaned restlessly in her chair, shifting back and forth. Her seat was next to Song Yuhangs, and she inadvertently leaned in, coming in close proximity to her. A sweet feminine fragrance wafted into her nose.
She instinctively moved away, avoiding the physical contact, but she couldnt escape Song Yuhangs shining eyes, which seed to carry a hint of an attempt to take credit.
Why bother sending it to the provincial laboratory? I can handle it myself, Lin Yan glanced at her watch. Hmm, the equipnt I ordered should be arriving soon.
The underlying implication was clear: If I crack the case, you better thank properly, Team Leader Song.
Song Yuhang remained expressionless, as if she hadnt heard anything, and turned her face away. Alright, for now, lets do it that way. Well split into three teams. One group will investigate the second-hand market, another will go to the victims ho, and Ill go to Jiangcheng City First High School to gather information.
Jiangcheng City First High School.
When Lin Yan heard the na, she silently repeated it in her mind and then extended her hand, saying, Im going too.
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The diatoms test is based on the principle that diatoms can be detected in the organs of drowned victims if they aspirated diatom-rich water into the lung before death. Diatoms are unicellular, photosynthetic and autotrophic organisms that live both in fresh water and saltwater.
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