Silent Testimony - Chapter 68

The assistant to Ma Zhiming, Chao Hui, was 175cm tall and of average weight, which was generally consistent with the eyewitness’s description on the night of the incident. Li Hewei looked at the bulbous nose in Chao Hui’s photo, a typical Chinese facial feature, and couldn’t help but feel conflicted: “I remember the eyewitness was absolutely certain, insisting the suspect she encountered had a somewhat mixed-race appearance.”

Tao Ling offered a reasonable hypothesis: “But the assistant happens to be left-handed and possesses the conditions for committing the crime.”

“You mean he could easily switch the thermos cup? Or directly put sleeping pills in Ma Zhiming’s cup.”

“Exactly.”

Li Hewei leaned against the wall, contemplating the details of the case, her stern face reflected in the glass beside her. Tao Ling pursed her lips and looked at her. “Why don’t we have Sister Wang from the Serious Crime Squad question him first?”

“We can. I’ll take the opportunity to look over his statement.” Li Hewei contacted Wang Cen to get Chao Hui’s statement taken after the incident.

Wang Cen: [Audio at 8 minutes and 15 seconds. I’ve listened to it three times; there are no issues.]

[Okay. I suggest summoning him for questioning, as he had ample opportunity to commit the crime.]

[I’ve already contacted Chao Hui. He’ll be here in 10 minutes.]

Li Hewei scrolled the interface, opened Chao Hui’s statement, and placed her phone between herself and Tao Ling. The audio played. Starting at 5 minutes and 45 seconds, Wang Cen asked him where he was on the night of the incident. Chao Hui responded at a measured pace: “I was drinking for Teacher Ma, got completely wasted, and went back to the room to sleep.”

“Who took you back?”

“Xiao Zhu. He was sharing the double room with me.”

Li Hewei found the photo of “Xiao Zhu” he mentioned. He was not mixed-race with a hooked nose. Combined with the hotel surveillance footage, it was confirmed that neither Chao Hui nor Xiao Zhu left the room that night.

“We can rule him out.” Li Hewei shook her head, her expression growing increasingly solemn. She took a deep breath, forcing a weary smile. “It’s fine, we’ll start over. You hurry back and revise your manuscript.”

Tao Ling still felt they were missing a detail. “Sister Wei, do you have the hotel surveillance footage?”

“Yes.”

Tao Ling’s tone was decisive: “Send it to me.”

“Have you finished revising the manuscript for the physical book?”

“No.”

Li Hewei unconsciously curled her index finger and gently tapped Tao Ling’s forehead. “Then go do your proper work.”

Tao Ling was clearly stunned for two seconds. Then, she raised her hand to rub her forehead, which still retained the sensation of her touch, and retorted in a rare, soft tone: “Working on the case is also proper work.”

Li Hewei seemed impervious to her charm, walking back to sit on the right side of the easel. “Your autopsy work is already complete.”

“I just wanted to…” Tao Ling stopped herself, leaving her sentence unfinished.

“Wanted what?” Li Hewei held the pencil, turning her head to look at her, a hint of sly amusement in her eyes.

Tao Ling’s voice was barely a whisper: “To help share the burden.” She knew Qiu Wan was injured, and the load on Li Hewei’s shoulders had increased. During work hours, Director Liu had called her into the office for private talks repeatedly.

Although she had guessed Tao Ling’s good intentions, Li Hewei was visibly stunned for a moment, a warm current surging through her heart.

“Alright, I’ll send it to you.”

“I need surveillance footage from all key entrances and exits after they checked into the hotel.”

“We only have the video from the day of the incident for now. Do you want the footage from the 5th?” Li Hewei took her phone and searched through her chat history notes.

“Mhm. If an acquaintance traveling with them committed the crime, they would definitely have staked out the location beforehand.”

“Smart. But the Serious Crime Squad seems to have already checked that. I’ll ask Sister Wang to forward it to you.”

“Okay.” Tao Ling returned to her room, and they split up the work.

As it neared midnight, she sat upright at her desk, her right hand gently tapping the mouse. Because she rarely stayed up late, her mind was enveloped by a mist spreading across the screen, and her eyelids gradually felt heavy. Just a little longer. Tao Ling pulled out two wet wipes to clean around her eyes and continued to stare at the computer.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

1, 2,

1, 2

1

The elevator surveillance showed that the other five people in the group checked in with two blue, two white, and one black suitcase. Why did the surveillance footage from the hotel’s vehicle reception point show two black suitcases when they got out of the car?

Tao Ling opened the detailed timeline she had recorded in her notebook, found the reception point video, and reviewed the details. It turned out that one of the 20-inch black suitcases was placed on top, and the driver had to set it aside first when retrieving the luggage.

So she saw two black suitcases at the reception point but only one in the elevator. Tao Ling remembered that Ma Zhiming’s suitcase was white. So, who did the other black suitcase belong to?

She pulled her chair back, left her seat, hurried to the study door, and gently knocked on the door panel.

No response.

Is she asleep? Tao Ling looked down at the warm light seeping from the gap under the door, confirming Li Hewei should be in the study. She carefully turned the doorknob and opened the door. Against the light, Li Hewei was sitting against the single sofa by the door, her head tilted, her smooth long hair half-obscuring her face. She was clearly fast asleep.

As expected, she wasn’t covered. Tao Ling returned to her room to retrieve a silk quilt and meticulously draped it over her. As she bent over, she was close enough to involuntarily gaze at Li Hewei’s serene sleeping face. Her eyes slowly traced the woman’s crescent-like eyebrows and straight nose, finally stopping at the slightly parted red lips…

The scene from the back seat of the car two days ago flashed through her mind. She savored the nearly tangible, lingering scent, and couldn’t help but purse her own lips.

The night outside was gentle. Li Hewei’s eyelashes fluttered, a sign she might be waking up. Tao Ling, who was clutching the corner of the thin quilt in a daze, immediately straightened up when she noticed the movement.

See no evil. She fled in panic.

Li Hewei opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm. She massaged her aching neck, looking at the damp ground outside. Autumn in Puchen always brought rain late at night; one autumn rain, one cold spell. She stood up, shuffling her slippers. Fully awake, she finally registered where she was and why she was covered with a quilt.

The spare bedding in the house was stored in the top compartment of the wardrobe in Tao Ling’s bedroom. Could it be? Li Hewei couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. She turned and walked out of the room, her eyes searching for the girl. The door across the hall was open, but the room was empty, and there was no sound from the kitchen.

Where is she?

“Tao Ling?” Li Hewei’s heart clenched.

Cheng Yingqiu walked out of the washroom, yawning. “Sister Tao Ling went to take out the trash.”

“Take out the trash?”

“Yeah, she forgot to take out two days’ worth of kitchen trash. It started to smell.”

“Oh.” Li Hewei was still worried. She went back to her room, grabbed her phone, and called.

“Hello.”

Li Hewei asked anxiously, “Where are you?”

“Taking out the trash, I’ll be right back.”

“You could have taken it out when you left for work later.”

“I was planning to make vegetable and egg pancakes, but I found the trash smelly, so I thought I’d throw away the expired mooncakes from Mid-Autumn Festival too.”

“Alright. Don’t hang up.”

“Okay.” Tao Ling’s eyes were clear as water at Li Hewei’s unconcealed concern. She clearly heard Cheng Yingqiu’s teasing from the phone: “Aiyo, sister, you look for her as soon as you wake up. You can’t even stand two minutes apart?”

Her heart felt sweet, her ear against the phone was burning. She got to the point: “Sister Wei, are you sure there were only five people traveling with Ma Zhiming?”

“Mhm. Including Ma Zhiming, there were six people in total.”

“There’s an extra suitcase. Did Ma Zhiming have two?”

“Suitcase?”

“Yes, I found that there were seven suitcases in their group.”

“Wait, let me check.”

“Okay.” Tao Ling threw the two bags of garbage into the bin and started walking back, noticing someone following her at a slight distance. She immediately sped up, intending to pass through the non-motorized vehicle shed ahead.

“Tao Ling, Ma Zhiming only had one white suitcase. I’m contacting Sister Wang now to reach out to the rental car company driver.”

“Mhm.” Tao Ling lowered her voice. “Sister Wei, someone is following me.”

“Following you?” The thought of Tao Ling getting hurt right under her nose made Li Hewei’s heart tighten instantly, her knuckles white as she gripped the phone. Worried sick, she didn’t bother changing out of her pajamas. She threw on a trench coat and rushed out the door.

“Yes, but I’m getting into the elevator now.”

“I’ll wait for you at the elevator entrance.” Li Hewei stared intently at the ascending numbers of Elevator 2, her breathing becoming rapid.

“Tao Ling?”

“I… I can’t… the signal is bad… the elevator…” As the elevator descended to the basement level, a man wearing a baseball cap and a dark suit entered. Tao Ling was uneasy, standing against the wall in the corner. She looked down, her terrified eyes watching as a pair of black leather shoes got closer and closer. Before she could react, a handkerchief dampened with water mist covered her nose and mouth.

“Tao Ling?” A busy tone came from the receiver. Li Hewei stared blankly as Elevator 1 stopped at the basement level. She repeatedly dialed the number three times, each call going to an active line, and the fourth call went straight to voicemail. Her heart rate surged. She turned, ran back to her room, grabbed Cheng Zhi Jiao’s car keys, and rushed out.

“Sister?”

“Tao Ling was kidnapped. Call Sister Qiu for support.”

Cheng Yingqiu quickly walked out of the room, looking at Li Hewei at the elevator entrance. “Kidnapped?”

“My phone has a tracking system activated. Tell her to hurry…”

As the elevator descended, Li Hewei contacted the property management. Too frantic to exchange pleasantries, she asked bluntly, “What is the phone number for the community parking lot attendant?”

“xxxxxx”

“Just text it to me. I’m a police officer and need it for a case.” Li Hewei’s mind was a mess; she couldn’t remember the number the person was reciting.

“Okay, please wait a moment.”

The property staff followed procedure, verified Li Hewei’s phone number, confirmed she was a community resident, and then sent the attendant’s number via text message. Li Hewei immediately dialed the number. “Hello, I need your cooperation in a pursuit.”

The attendant was confused. “Huh, what?”

Li Hewei calculated the time and spoke quickly: “I’m a police officer. Please check all vehicles that have exited the temporary parking lot within the last ten minutes.”

The community parking lot didn’t have a code-scanning function, and temporary parking still required the attendant to collect fees and let cars through.

The attendant’s voice was unhurried: “How should I check?”

“Find suspicious persons, stop them all!” Li Hewei said as she walked, the elevator reaching the basement level.

“Hey! A car is coming.” The attendant did not hang up and stepped forward to negotiate. “Who are you looking for? Which resident? Please register.”

The sedan driver ignored him.

The attendant tapped on the car window to remind him: “Hey.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the driver suddenly put the car in reverse, backing up twenty meters, then slammed on the gas, crashed through the barrier, and sped out of the parking lot.

Li Hewei turned right, ten meters away, and started pursuing the car in front.