Against the wall stood a wooden table, and they were piled beneath it.
At the bottom was a little boy, whose height suggested he couldn't be more than five years old. He lay face down, and from You Mingxu's angle, she could see his buttocks and legs.
On top of him lay an eight or nine-year-old girl, still wearing her school uniform, completely soaked in blood. You Mingxu could see her pale, lifeless profile.
At the very top was a woman, around forty years old, lying over the two children with her knees slightly bent. One of her arms was pinned beneath her body, while the other hung naturally, not in a protective embrace. The woman had several deep wounds on her body.
"They were stacked here by the killer after they died," You Mingxu said.
Xu Mengshan nodded, and Fan Jia added, "Otherwise, the mother would have been holding her children, and the body positions wouldn't be so unnatural." Xu Mengshan continued, "There are no signs of struggle on the kitchen floor either."
The three fell silent for a moment. The police officer from earlier went on, "Based on neighbor identifications and ID documents found at the scene, we've confirmed the mother's name is Xie Huifang, 41, an accountant at a small trading company nearby. The daughter, Zeng Zinan, is 9 and a student at a local elementary school. The son, Zeng Zixuan, is 4 and a half, attending a nearby kindergarten.
According to several neighbors, Xie Huifang walked home for lunch every day to save money and rest. The two children were usually at school and didn't come back. However, at noon today, a neighbor saw Xie Huifang bring her son home, saying he had a cold and she was taking care of him."
"Over there," Xu Mengshan said. Everyone followed his gaze to the TV cabinet in the living room, where two opened boxes of children's cold medicine sat.
"When did the daughter come back?" Fan Jia asked.
"Also at noon," Xu Mengshan replied. With keen observation and some knowledge of forensics, he crouched by the bodies and said, "They've been dead for about 6 to 8 hours."
"Why did the daughter come back?" Fan Jia inquired.
"Probably for this," You Mingxu said, picking up a piece of paper from the kitchen counter. It was a notice for an elementary school summer camp activity with a payment request, dated today.
"Ah..." the local police officer sighed. "What a tragedy."
"Was anything missing from the scene?" You Mingxu asked.
The officer nodded and answered, "There's a jewelry box on the dressing table in the master bedroom, open and empty. Also, a woman's wallet was found on the floor—Xie Huifang's documents are still inside, but the money and cards are gone. We haven't found the victims' phones either."
"Could it have been a robbery?" Fan Jia blurted out impatiently. "For that, he killed three people?"
You Mingxu said, "Don't jump to conclusions so quickly!"
Fan Jia immediately fell silent.
The three followed the officer to the master bedroom. As they passed through the living room, You Mingxu looked up. The curtains were open, and with the narrow spacing between buildings, she could clearly see into the apartments across the way. Several residents were peering curiously in their direction. You Mingxu could even make out the expressions on their faces.
Xu Mengshan placed the empty jewelry box and the woman's wallet into evidence bags.
They were the first detectives to arrive at the scene; Lao Ding was still on his way with the forensics team. The three split up to investigate. You Mingxu entered the secondary bedroom and paused in surprise.The room's style, like the rest of the house, was simple, cheap, and unremarkable. However, there was a semi-old desk inside with high school textbooks and workbooks on it. Pens and notebooks lay in disarray. Beside them stood a model airplane, and a soccer ball hung on the wall.
You Mingxu called over the local police officer: "Does a junior high school boy also live in this apartment?"
The officer immediately went to inquire, and sure enough, a neighbor confirmed that Xie Huifang's nephew, Li Biran, 15 years old, attended a nearby high school. He usually boarded at school and sometimes came over on weekends. Since it was Monday, he wasn't present.
"Notify him immediately," You Mingxu said.
At this point, You Mingxu had only glimpsed the surface of this case. It was like looking at the sea through clouds—everything remained shrouded in twilight. Yet, she had an intuition that this case was far from a simple burglary-turned-homicide.
She crouched beside the old, rustic double bed in the secondary bedroom, lost in thought for a while. So absorbed was she that when someone softly called "A Xu" beside her, it sent a shiver down her spine.
She turned to see a handsome face. Yin Feng blinked his large, watery eyes, crouching next to her.
You Mingxu sprang up: "What are you doing here?" She glanced incredulously at the living room, the police officers, and the caution tape at the door behind him.
Yin Feng stood up immediately, like a child caught by a parent—somewhat deflated and blushing, his slender neck drooping. He then lifted the ID badge hanging on his chest and whispered, "My rank is high."
You Mingxu stared at the provincial department-specialized pass that granted him access to almost all public security organs in the province, feeling a twitch in her temple.
"But you still can't follow me around," You Mingxu said patiently. "You'll interfere with my investigation. Go back now!"
Thus, the great writer resumed his usual demeanor—head lowered, silent, stubborn as an unyielding young wife. You Mingxu swallowed her frustration, feeling slightly less stifled. She was already in a bad mood today, and now he was adding to the chaos. She growled, "I'm saying this for the last time: go back. Otherwise, don't stay at my place anymore."
"A Xu," he said softly, "I just don't want you to face these things alone."
You Mingxu was taken aback, surprised by his lucid remark. He had already hung his head, turned, and begun shuffling slowly toward the door. His posture made her both amused and exasperated, with a tinge of guilt. She hesitated, "You..."
Before she could say more, footsteps echoed from the doorway, accompanied by Ding Xiongwei's voice. You Mingxu inwardly groaned. Captain Ding was the type who despised unrelated people interfering with investigations and would fly into a rage—especially in such a serious case.
She grabbed Yin Feng's arm and pulled him back into the room. After a moment of stunned silence, Yin Feng began to beam: "A Xu..." But You Mingxu had already hardened her expression and whispered sternly, "Stay here and don't let Captain Ding see you. Don't come out until I call you. Understood?"
Yin Feng didn't speak, but his eyes gleamed intently at her, as if he understood. Just then, Captain Ding and the others entered the living room. You Mingxu released Yin Feng and walked out.Fan Jia and Xu Mengshan had been investigating other parts of the house earlier, so they hadn't noticed Yin Feng's arrival—after all, not just anyone could cross the guarded police line into a crime scene. At that moment, Xu Mengshan emerged from the kitchen, glanced at You Mingxu, and immediately noticed the figure standing behind her in the room. He shot her a questioning look. You Mingxu remained expressionless and shook her head slightly, signaling him not to ask. However, Xu Mengshan had already recognized Yin Feng. He looked at You Mingxu again, his expression turning somewhat peculiar. You Mingxu felt another pang of irritation in her chest but pretended not to notice.
The forensic team immediately began their work, and everyone reported the information they had gathered to Ding Xiongwei. The forensics team soon delivered preliminary results, confirming Xu Mengshan's estimation of the time of death—the victim had been killed between 1:00 and 2:00 PM, with the murder weapon identified as a common watermelon knife available on the market. Apart from the footprints of the three victims, there was another set of size 39 footprints at the scene. However, the perpetrator had worn shoe covers, and the bloody handprints on the wall also belonged to the killer, who had worn gloves. The killer had likely touched the woman's wallet and vanity case, as traces of blood were found on them.
Additionally, Fan Jia reported: "Xie Huifang's husband is named Zeng Qiang. He works in Northeast China and has been contacted. He won't be able to arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest. Xie Huifang's younger sister and brother-in-law have also been notified and will arrive tomorrow. We've already sent someone to the middle school to pick up Xie Huifang's nephew."
After hearing all the reports, Ding Xiongwei pondered briefly before determining the investigative direction: "Xia Dong, you'll focus on reviewing the surveillance footage around the neighborhood. Luo Ping, take Team A and follow the lead of the stolen items—prioritize investigating habitual thieves in the area and individuals released from prison in the last six months."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Ding Xiongwei turned to You Mingxu, his gaze profound: "You Mingxu, take Team B and conduct an in-depth investigation into the victim and her life relationships. See if you can uncover anything."
"Yes!"
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