Chapter 62 [VIP] The Murder Case at the Secret Room Inn (1)

Chapter 62 [VIP] The Murder Case at the Secret Room Inn (1)

This year, Meng Siqi had a comfortable time; Ye Xiuhui no longer shouted at her, and Meng Tingzhe deliberately avoided her.

On the contrary, whenever Meng Hui had free time, he would chat with her for a few minutes. However, he was too busy and hardly stayed home since the second day of the New Year. Time passed quickly, and Aunt Chang returned on the third day, cooking several dishes that Meng Siqi liked. Meng Siqi went back to work on the fifth day, just in time to finish the holiday.

On Lantern Festival, Meng Hui came home, and the family gathered again. After dinner, they sat in silence. Suddenly, Meng Hui took out a box, "Daughter, this is a gift from your father."

Meng Siqi never expected Meng Hui to buy her a gift. Ye Xiuhui showed no expression when he said this, while Meng Tingzhe's lips curled slightly.

Meng Siqi walked over, took the box, and opened it upon returning to her seat. It was a ladies' mechanical watch, clearly expensive from its brand.

She felt delighted immediately. She usually asked Zhao Leiting for the time during police work, so this watch was very important to her.

She hurriedly said, "Thank you, Dad."

Meng Hui looked content and satisfied.

At that moment, Ye Xiuhui gave a faint smile of helplessness. Instead, Meng Tingzhe smiled and said, "Sister, this watch really suits you."

Meng Siqi smiled and pursed her lips but did not respond. As the biological daughter of the Meng family, she deserved this gift and would cherish it.

"Tingzhe," Meng Hui instructed, "get your sister a pager later."

Meng Hui must have wanted Meng Siqi to be more accessible. Meng Tingzhe's lips curved into a hesitant smile, but he did not respond immediately.

Pagers were very expensive in those days, costing thousands, and she could have one, but it wasn't necessary. Because of the high price, almost no one in the bureau had one, and she didn't want to be an exception. Using a walkie-talkie was enough for her.

She said proactively, "Dad, even our bureau chief doesn't use one. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to have one."

Meng Hui laughed and said, "Is that so? Then forget it. We can't outdo the bureau chief, after all."

For some reason, Meng Tingzhe's lips curled into a strange smile, as if he thought she was putting on a show.

Meng Siqi deliberately put on the watch, surprised to find it fit perfectly. The watch was made of silver, smooth and shiny, adding to her elegance when worn on her fair wrist.

She was very pleased and lifted her hand, "Look, Dad, you have such good taste."

Meng Hui laughed and said, "I'm glad you like it."

Meng Siqi truly liked it. She felt a growing sense of presence in the Meng family. She wasn't sure if it was because of the third-class merit award or if Meng Hui genuinely favored her. In fact, these things didn't matter much; what mattered was that Meng Hui acknowledged her as his daughter.

She wasn't trying to please the Meng family. She had a stubborn streak, and she would always remember the scene of her father, a police officer, being shot and paralyzed. That was the source of all her strength.

After Lantern Festival, the bureau was already bustling with activity. Meng Siqi had already handled a few minor cases nearby with Feng Shaomin, solving them quickly.

That morning, she had just brewed some fruit tea and was about to record the details of the recent small cases when a police officer rushed in and said urgently, "Captain Han, there's a murder case."

Han Changlin, who was just holding a teacup to refill it, asked, "What's the situation?"

"Qiankang Tourism Development Zone, Romantic Poetry Inn, a woman was murdered; the local police station has already cordoned off the scene."

Han Changlin put down his teacup and shouted, "Second team, everyone, let's go."

Meng Siqi’s heart had just tightened up, and upon hearing Han Changlin’s order, she immediately got up to pack her gear—her police ID, radio, notebook, and so on, not missing a thing.

Five minutes later, all members except Tang Xiaochuan boarded the police car. Tang Xiaochuan was on leave for a day and happened to be absent today.

Haijiang Province borders the sea, but Jinyang City is located in the western part of Haijiang Province, not connected to the sea or the river. The only river, Shu River, seems like an accidental leakage of river water that prevents Jinyang City from being without water or a river.

However, Jinyang City has advantages different from those of coastal cities in Haijiang Province. Jinyang City has eight counties, many of which have mountains. Qiankang County, close to the city center, has a mountain range that is not very high but has beautiful scenery. This area has been developed as a tourist attraction by the city, usually attracting visitors from neighboring provinces and cities, though it is not a particularly famous site.

The car drove out of the city and onto a narrow road, gradually winding its way up. Meng Siqi had experienced too many high-speed drives, and the signs of motion sickness were almost completely blocked out. This time, she even deliberately admired the scenery outside the window.

The mountains in this tourist area are not very high, but the scenery between them is picturesque, with rolling green hills enveloped in mist, resembling dragons exhaling smoke. Although it may not be a renowned mountain, coming here can cleanse the mind and soothe the soul.

The car stopped in front of a homestay halfway up the mountain. Everyone got out one after another, and Meng Siqi, who hadn’t breathed such fresh air in a long time, took a deep breath as soon as she stepped out of the car.

Turning around, she saw the entire homestay surrounded by police tape. From the outside, the homestay appeared to be made of wood, or possibly brick walls covered with wood, with a black-tiled roof and two stories. At first glance, it looked like a typical tourist-oriented homestay.

Beside the police tape stood a few police officers, one of whom was probably in his forties, with thinning hair at the front, a round face, and rosy cheeks. Seeing Han Changlin, he smiled warmly and came forward to shake hands, "You finally made it. I’m Captain Yao Bingchun of the Qiankang County Police Station. Welcome, Captain Han."

"Good, did your chief contact the municipal bureau?" Han Changlin gestured to enter the house and asked while walking inside.

Yao Bingchun followed and said, "Yes, we investigated for about two hours this morning and found too many suspicious points. Our chief suggested inviting the municipal team to investigate, and we will provide full assistance."

The second team and the Qiankang police officers entered the house together. Meng Siqi walked at the back, observing the interior decor and listening to the conversation between Han Changlin and Yao Bingchun.

Yao Bingchun introduced, "The victim is a 26-year-old woman named Long Shanwen. She arrived at the homestay yesterday afternoon with three female friends, planning to go on a mountain tour today. The victim had booked the homestay in advance, and she alone occupied it yesterday. In the afternoon and evening, the four of them stayed and moved around in the homestay. This morning, one of her friends discovered the victim and reported the incident."

Han Changlin slowed his pace, "Have all the suspects been controlled?"

Clearly, Han Changlin considered the three female friends as suspects in the case.

"Yes, all of them have been controlled. Besides the victim and her three friends, there were two chefs and one server at the homestay yesterday. We suspect all three friends, but there are too many suspicious points, so we need your help."

"Has the body been moved?"

"No, no, we haven’t had time to move the body yet." Yao Bingchun waved to the police officers, "Bring over the shoe covers and gloves."

Standing at the entrance of the hall, Han Changlin said, "No need, we brought our own."

Everyone put on their gloves and shoe covers. After Meng Siqi finished putting everything on, she observed the living room decor again. It was very simple, mostly wooden structures, with a reception desk, a wooden coffee table, wooden resting chairs, and a clock hanging on the wooden wall showing 9:30 AM.

Han Changlin asked, "Has the forensic doctor examined the body?"

"The forensic doctor is on leave today. We were going to call someone, but considering you’re here and your forensic team is more professional, we didn’t have the doctor examine the body."

"Ah," Han Changlin tugged at his gloves, "Is Chen Jierong’s team not here yet?"

Feng Shaomin said, "I reckon the mountain road is hard to drive on, so we should be the first batch."

"Right," Yao Bingchun said, "You guys are the first batch. Shouldn't Captain Han go in and check first?"

"Alright." Han Changlin paused, his tone becoming more serious, "When everyone goes in, make sure to protect the scene. Strictly speaking, this also counts as a locked room, and every detail is crucial."

"Got it, Captain Han."

A few people entered the crime scene, which was the open courtyard of the guesthouse. From the front hall to the courtyard, they passed through a corridor. Meng Siqi observed that there were corridors on both sides, which should be the accommodation rooms of the guesthouse.

Taking a few more steps inside, the view suddenly brightened. The courtyard was spacious but not large, slightly bigger than a basketball court. Below the steps, the ground was covered with grayish-white anti-slip tiles, extending to the center of the courtyard. In the middle stood a large pavilion with a white jade roof and pillars, intricately carved, with small star-shaped flowers entwined around the roof.

Under the pavilion was a long table cluttered with various items, a dazzling array.

In front of the table seemed to be a person lying face down, dressed in white. Due to the distance, Meng Siqi slowly shifted her gaze from the pavilion to the person, noticing what appeared to be blood clearly visible on the grayish-white tiles from afar.

On either side of the tiled ground was mud, evenly colored, likely chosen deliberately by the guesthouse for its sandy texture. Occasionally, delicate grass sprouted, a light green that added a fresh touch to the courtyard.

There was a large square glass enclosure on the mud ground, like a glass house. It was bright outside, but dark inside the glass house, making it difficult to see what was displayed inside.

A few police officers from the local station were busy near the glass house, presumably examining the traces at the scene.

Before reaching the body, Meng Siqi quickly observed and gathered these basic details.

The group stopped, including Meng Siqi, making a total of six people: their second team and Yao Bingchun along with a young police officer from the station.

Yao Bingchun said, "Captain Han, doesn't the situation of the deceased seem a bit strange?"

Meng Siqi had been following behind, her view obstructed. At this moment, she took advantage of Han Changlin squatting down and Feng Shaomin bending over to move closer to the gap.

As Yao Bingchun said, it was a woman, wearing a thick white dress, lying face down on the ground. Her calves, clad in stockings, were slightly bent, and her high heels remained on her feet.

There was a large pool of blood in the chest area, as if the blood had flowed out from under her body after death, forming a small blood puddle, but the blood seemed to have dried.

Her face was pressed against the cold tiles, one side of her face touching the ground. Perhaps due to the prolonged time, her face had slightly distorted.

From her angle, Meng Siqi could see one of the deceased's eyes, which seemed to be wider than normal, with a lot of white showing, the black pupil seemingly staring at something in front, as if filled with fear.

Before her death, she must have seen or heard something terrifying, as she was clearly frightened to some extent at the moment of her death.

She had long hair, which was disheveled, possibly due to the wind. Her left hand was hooked above her head, the palm exposed, covered in dried blood.

A bloody knife lay not far from her left hand, a short fruit knife with a blade less than 10 centimeters long and a black plastic handle.

When she shifted her angle, her view widened, and Meng Siqi saw her right hand. Her right hand was placed to the right of her head, the palm flat on the ground, fingers slightly curled, except for the index finger, which pointed outward, surrounded by a partially closed circle drawn in blood.

In other words, before dying, the deceased used her last strength to draw a circle about the size of a can lid, with her index finger pointing in the middle, as if indicating something specific. She might have drawn a symbol of a dot inside a circle.

Given her fear and this symbol, no wonder Yao Bingchun found it strange. If it were an ordinary murder case, the scene would be simpler, but this scene clearly gave the impression of being far more complex.

This might be why the Qiankang Police Station decided to hand the case over to the city bureau. For some complicated cases, the station might lack the professional team and resources to solve them.

After examining the deceased, Han Changlin stood up and scanned the surroundings, then suddenly shouted in a stern voice, "Yao Bingchun, get your people out of here!"

With Han Changlin's command, Yao Bingchun stood up, bewildered. He had been in criminal investigation for many years and was usually calm, but he didn't understand Han Changlin's order and asked, "What's wrong, Captain Han?"

"Look," Han Changlin pointed, his finger landing on the footprints in the mud.

Meng Siqi looked up; she had noticed that area earlier. The grass was covered with a thick blanket, with cushions and pillows, littered with empty cups, snack wrappers, and fruit peels, a mess.

In front of the blanket was a television, a recorder, wires, and a microphone. There must have been an event here last night, and around the blanket, there were many disordered footprints of varying depths, with signs of being stepped on.

Han Changlin was referring to this trampling of the footprints.

Yao Bingchun, also experienced in criminal investigation, immediately understood Han Changlin's point and nervously smiled, "Captain Han, please don't be angry. Everyone was just too eager. Early this morning, the colleagues from the station came to examine the details, but they all wore shoe covers."

"Do you think wearing shoe covers isn't destroying the scene?" Han Changlin glared.

Yao Bingchun choked on his words, then quickly waved his hand and called to the officers still investigating in the mud, "Everyone, get out."

The officers, upon receiving the order, immediately walked toward the courtyard entrance, but as they left, they again stepped on the footprints on the ground.

Han Changlin gritted his teeth, clenching his fists. Yao Bingchun, smiling, asked, "Captain Han, do you have any further instructions?"

"You should take a break too," Han Changlin's voice was stern and tinged with frustration.

This effectively negated all of Yao Bingchun's work, and his face immediately changed, but he could only endure it. The young police officer standing next to him said, "Captain Yao, let Captain Han's team inspect first. If you need anything, just say."

The young police officer led Yao Bingchun toward the courtyard gate. As they entered the corridor, Yao Bingchun grumbled, "Who does Han Changlin think he is? Now he's lecturing me."

"You don't know that he's famous in the city bureau for being a powder keg. He starts a fire after just three sentences. Don't provoke such a person. This case looks tough to crack. Let's just endure it for the sake of the job."

Yao Bingchun huffed, "Can he even solve this case? If it weren't for the chief's request, this case wouldn't even be his."

"Oh, it's just work. Calm down, Captain Yao."