Silent Testimony - Chapter 19

In the evening, as dusk settled, they finished their meal and continued to stare intently at the monitors.

Zhao Xiaoting looked exhausted, pinching her brow: “My eyes can’t handle looking at this for too long.”

“Everyone, hold on a little longer. Whether you find anything or not, we clock off at nine sharp,” Li Hewei said. She was watching the video at 2x speed and had only reached the late night of July 22nd.

After she spoke, the room fell silent again, broken only by the clicking of computer mice.

Around 8 o’clock, Tao Ling, after repeated confirmation, looked up, searching for Li Hewei, and called out softly: “Sister Wei, I found something.”

“What did you find?” Li Hewei pulled her hand from her chin and quickly walked over.

As Li Hewei approached, getting closer, Tao Ling opened her clearly annotated draft paper: “I recorded the information of vehicles leaving the parking lot every day. This is the first time I’ve seen this one. The driver was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, deliberately keeping their head down to avoid the surveillance.”

“License plate number and exact time?”

“A Nissan Sylphy, white paint, license plate Shu A2wk89, 1:37 p.m. on July 23rd.”

An Yu raised a key point: “A sedan worth around 100,000 doesn’t match the status of a villa owner.”

“Maybe it’s just a visitor?” He Ying suggested, “We can ask the Serious Crime Squad to check the visitor registration ledger.”

“Okay, everyone, find the video around 1 p.m. on July 23rd and look for the car Tao Ling mentioned.” Li Hewei quickly walked back to her desk, sat down at the computer, and slid her mouse, scanning the unzipped folder. Unexpectedly, she couldn’t find the video for the 23rd. She sent a WeChat message to Qiu Wan: 【Captain Qiu, surveillance footage 8 is missing the video for July 23rd.】

Ten seconds later, the other party replied: 【The image processing unit for surveillance footage 8 and 9 malfunctioned. Both the 23rd and 24th had black-and-white images.】

Surveillance footage 8 and 9 were the two cameras closest to the entrance of Sun Hao’s villa in the indoor parking lot.

【Don’t you think that’s suspicious?】

She forwarded the screenshot from Tao Ling to Qiu Wan: 【At 1:37 p.m. on the 23rd, the parking lot exit captured a suspicious vehicle. The front view is unclear for the driver’s face. We are looking for video from other angles.】

“Xiao Li, at 1:42 p.m., this car was spotted on the road opposite the villa area, but the car has privacy film on the windows, so we can’t see the interior from the side.”

“Sister Wei, same here.”

“Me too.”

“My angle allows me to see the interior through the front windshield, but just like Tao Ling said, the driver’s head is down.”

Colleagues successively found the sedan’s whereabouts, but none could provide effective clues. Li Hewei’s index finger hovered over the message editing box. Qiu Wan walked in from the door, saying seriously: “Sisters, bear with me. Come with me to Wanfeng City in the Northern Suburbs.”

“Mhm, I was just about to request that.” Li Hewei made arrangements: “Sister He and Xiaoting will work overtime with me tonight.” Her gaze shifted, stopping on Tao Ling, who seemed already prepared to leave, and she added, “And Tao Ling.”

Crime scene investigators must wear uniforms and carry investigation kits when going to a scene. Li Hewei and Qiu Wan waited outside the locker room door. Qiu Wan leaned against the wall with her hands in her pockets, chatting with Li Hewei: “Director Liu said the treat he’s offering is just boxed lunches. This time, over eighty people are involved in the investigation. Just the boxed lunches will cost nearly 2,000 yuan.”

“I know. It’s explicitly stipulated that cadres above the section level cannot host extravagant banquets.”

A smile touched Qiu Wan’s lips: “So, I’m treating your technical team to a meal separately.”

A smile also reached the corners of Li Hewei’s eyes and brows: “Oh? Is that necessary? The weekend gathering is only for four people, but our technical team has eight. You’ll be spending a lot.”

“Hotpot. Five or six hundred yuan for one meal. I can afford that.”

“What about your Serious Crime Squad? There are at least three tables of police officers and auxiliary police.”

Qiu Wan shrugged: “Director Liu’s boxed lunches will satisfy them.”

Li Hewei’s smile deepened: “Good idea.”

Qiu Wan was about to say something, but her phone suddenly rang. It was Director Liu calling. She answered.

“Hello, Xiao Qiu.”

“Yes, Director Liu, you’re on.”

“Sun Hao stated he is out of town and did not consent to you entering his private residence late at night.”

Qiu Wan’s delicate brows instantly furrowed: “I have everything ready here. Can’t we make an exception?”

“Citizens legally enjoy the right to privacy. With insufficient evidence right now, I cannot approve your application.”

Li Hewei pondered for a moment, suggesting: “Captain Qiu, let’s go to Wanfeng City first and talk to the security guard on duty that day.”

“Mhm, alright.” Qiu Wan agreed. After negotiating with Director Liu for another half-minute, he promised that if they found any other clues, she could try to communicate with the director again.

Around 9 p.m., a seven-seater investigation vehicle stopped smoothly at the East Gate of Wanfeng City. Qiu Wan and Li Hewei got out, while the other three remained on standby.

The security guard had been notified beforehand. Seeing the two women approach with a determined air, he immediately pushed the door open to greet them.

“Officers, coming over so late at night, you truly are dedicated.”

Qiu Wan pulled out her police ID. Her expression was serious when on a case: “Hello, Criminal Investigation Detachment, Pucheng Public Security Bureau.”

“I know, I know.” The security guard motioned to them, “It’s hot outside. Shall we talk inside?”

The two followed him into the security booth. They didn’t sit down, choosing to stand by the door.

Qiu Wan handed him a printed photo: “On July 23rd, this white sedan entered the parking lot at 10:23 a.m. Do you remember it?”

The security guard took the photo, examined it carefully, and frowned in thought: “Yes, I remember it quite clearly.”

Qiu Wan was pleasantly surprised: “Please tell us the details, such as the driver’s gender and appearance.”

“It was a woman. She was wearing a mask and didn’t speak. I asked a question, and she just nodded.”

Qiu Wan pressed: “Why was she wearing a mask? Didn’t you find it strange at the time?”

“She had a severe cold and coughed twice. Her voice sounded particularly hoarse.”

“Did you register her?”

The security guard reached for the visitor log: “We must register. Look here.”

Qiu Wan held the log with her left hand, took a photo, and sent it to her colleague working overtime at the police station: 【Check her out.】

“Brother, I remember that projects under Rongke Group pay special attention to security. Why didn’t she write down which villa number she was visiting?” Li Hewei scanned the log, catching a detail.

The security guard’s face suddenly changed. He swallowed, stammering: “She… she gave me a pack of cigarettes after registering, so I didn’t look closely. That was Da Zhong Hua (Great China) brand, ninety-five yuan a pack at retail.”

Qiu Wan was deeply disappointed: “You may have made a mistake that cost us dearly.” To make matters worse, a colleague informed her that the woman used a fake ID. The clue seemed to have ended again.

Li Hewei comforted her: “Don’t rush.”

“Mhm, I can’t rush.” Qiu Wan reviewed all the evidence since the incident, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She asked the security guard, “Which company supplies the tap water to your community?”

The security guard, still reeling from his self-reproach, blurted out: “Bei’an Water Conservancy Development Company.”

Qiu Wan searched for the water company’s on-duty number and pushed the door open. The call connected. She explained the details, and the person on the other end asked her to wait two minutes.

“Officer, there was abnormal water consumption at Villa No. 1 on the 23rd.”

To be safe, she also contacted the power company and received the same result.

Sun Hao was not home. Why the abnormal water and electricity consumption?

“Call Director Liu. The application will definitely be approved. I’ll have them get ready.” Li Hewei started walking back.

Thirty minutes later, Aunt Zhang, who cooked for Sun Hao, rushed over to open the door. The officers, fully equipped, walked straight to the swimming pool.

Li Hewei had minored in Forensic Material Evidence in college. She and Tao Ling meticulously observed every blade of grass and tree around the swimming pool.

Qiu Wan, meanwhile, communicated with the housekeeper: “Aunt Zhang, when did you start your break?”

“The 20th. Young Mr. Sun said he was going to Lang City to escape the summer heat and wouldn’t be back until the end of August.”

July 20th. This date was consistent with the date provided by the person who had allegedly committed perjury.

“Did any of Sun Hao’s friends or relatives visit the villa during this time?”

Aunt Zhang shook her head: “No. Young Mr. Sun’s friends always notify me in advance when they plan to visit.”

Li Hewei walked past them, asking the same question she had asked at Sun Luying’s villa: “Sister Zhang, when was the pool water changed?”

“The 23rd. I specifically came over to open the gate.”

Qiu Wan quickly asked: “What time on the 23rd?” Choosing to commit the crime on the day the water was changed indicated the killer’s anti-detection skills and psychological fortitude. However, they overlooked that the police could check the exact water and electricity consumption values through the utility companies, precise down to the decimal point.

“8:00 a.m. This is Villa No. 1, so we started earliest, and the pumping and disinfection were completed near 9:00 a.m.”

There were nine villas in the community, so there was the sound of machines pumping water all day long, conveniently masking the abnormal activity at Sun’s residence. The housekeeper left shortly after 9 a.m., and the killer entered at 10:30 a.m. But how did the deceased end up at the villa?

Who was Yang Guang’s last contact, the person who made him willingly go to Wanfeng City?

Li Hewei folded her arms, preoccupied by the mystery. She unconsciously moved behind Tao Ling.

“Sister Wei.” Tao Ling looked up at the two osmanthus trees outside the wall. Noticing Li Hewei’s approach, her eyes softened into a smile.

Li Hewei followed her gaze upward: “Yes?”

“If there’s a northwest wind, the petals could be blown into the pool.”

“Yes, but that’s just a conjecture. We need solid evidence, as osmanthus trees are planted in many places in Pucheng.”

“Sister He said the killer was cunning and cleaned up all the evidence. But didn’t Locard say that every contact leaves a trace?” Tao Ling turned back, asking softly, “Sister Wei, what do you think?”

Li Hewei looked into the other person’s clear, poetic eyes. Meeting her gaze, she uncharacteristically didn’t look away. A gentle arc curved on her lips, and her tone was incredibly solemn: “I also firmly believe that if this is the primary crime scene, there will definitely be traces left behind.”