Silent Testimony - Chapter 92

Hesitation marks. Generally found in suicide cases, they are superficial wounds caused by a person’s hesitation or multiple attempts before the final act. However, a faint red, knife-tip-shaped mark was present near Du Guozhou’s fatal wound. Tao Ling had initially assumed it was due to a crude crime scene, poor lighting, or the killer’s fluctuating emotions while trying to locate the aorta.

But as she observed the perfectly clean margins of Tao Yang’s wounds, she was certain that this killer possessed extensive anatomical experience and a calm, steady temperament. Such a person would not make a mistake.

Tao Ling immediately called Qiu Wan. “Sister Qiu, these two cases might not have the same killer.”

“Why?”

“The level of familiarity with human anatomy is different.”

Tao Ling explained her reasoning in detail. Qiu Wan, walking briskly through the night, replied, “Understood. When are you coming back?”

“Right now. I want to confirm my judgment.”

“What do you need prepared?”

“Their remains.” Tao Ling was already out of bed, pulling out her suitcase to pack.

Qiu Wan hesitated. “Are you up for this?”

Tao Ling paused for a fraction of a second while folding her clothes, letting out a silent sigh. “No problem.”

“Alright. Stay safe.”

It was nearly 11:00 PM when Tao Ling arrived at the bureau. Receiving her message, Qiu Wan hurried to the autopsy suite.

“Sister Qiu,” Tao Ling and An Yu greeted in unison. They were moving the bodies onto the dissecting tables.

“Let’s begin.”

“Look here,” Tao Ling pointed to the knife-tip-shaped red mark on Tao Yang’s chest. “Du Guozhou’s body does not have a similar mark.” She used her gloved hands to open the aortic wound for inspection. “The weapon pierced the aorta directly without any pause. It shows the killer knew the exact distance from the skin to the artery.”

Qiu Wan nodded. “Go on.”

Tao Ling turned to Du Guozhou’s fatal wound, examining the internal details. Her furrowed brow gradually relaxed. “Sister Qiu, the killer paused twice midway. Only on the third attempt did they finally rupture the aorta.”

“I see what you mean,” Qiu Wan noted. “The one who killed Tao Yang was swift, precise, and ruthless—one shot. The one who killed Du Guozhou was hesitant.”

“Not necessarily hesitant; he just wasn’t sure if he had hit the mark.” Tao Ling stood up, discarded her gloves, and walked to the sink. “Two possibilities: One, Du Guozhou’s killer is a copycat who doesn’t know the first killer. Two, they know each other, and the first killer was right there beside him, or directing him in some way.”

Qiu Wan considered this. “The latter is more likely, given that Tao Yang’s body was only discovered afterward.”

“Exactly.” Tao Ling turned on the tap.

“Xiao Tao,” Qiu Wan bit her lip. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Your brother… he was soliciting prostitutes. The leaders from the Shujiang branch believe this gives Hewei a strong motive for murder.”

Tao Ling’s right hand visibly trembled. She had seen the chat logs mentioning a “strong motive,” but she hadn’t known the specific reason.

Solicitation. Tao Ling tightened the faucet, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Recalling Tao Yang’s once-solemn promises made her shoulders shake. After a long silence, she replied coldly, “Then he deserved it.”

“Xiao Tao?”

“I’m fine. It’s a common failing in men, but I believe Sister Wei wouldn’t be so foolish.” Tao Ling grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands and walked out. “What about the investigation? Three days and no results?”

“We have something. I led a door-to-door canvass. The neighbor across from the Li family’s rental unit just returned from visiting relatives. She said she saw someone moving a freezer into the apartment in July last year. She chatted with them briefly.”

Tao Ling stopped. “What did they say?”

“She asked if they were moving in. A man wearing a mask said nothing, but another man smiled and complained about how heavy the freezer’s contents were.”

“The man in the mask is the key,” Tao Ling noted, rubbing the soft skin of her palm thoughtfully.

“Yes. He looked at the apartment with an agent on June 29th. He specified certain communities and a rent range of 600–1000 yuan. Only the Li family’s place fit.”

“What about his name and number on the agency records?”

“Fake name, dead number. I suspect he took the opportunity to make an impression of the key and had a duplicate made.” Qiu Wan pulled out her phone to show a photo. “And there’s a tattoo.”

“A tattoo?”

“The neighbor said when the masked man bent over to lift the freezer, she caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the back of his neck. Based on her description, I found this image.”

Tao Ling stared at the carp pattern with ripples in the top right corner. Her mind raced—she had seen this before. Somewhere.

“Xiao Tao?” Qiu Wan called softly.

“Give me a moment to think.” Tao Ling hurried back to the office, dragged over her suitcase, and pulled out her notebook containing her surveillance observations.

Feb 5, 2016, 20:32–20:48: Taxi with plate Shu A29U3R stayed on Chaoyang Street near the hotel for 16 minutes. Left after making a call. (Chaoyang Street Cam 3).

She sat at her desk and pulled up the footage. At 20:39, the driver leaned his head out of the window.

“Stop,” Qiu Wan commanded. “Is that the shadow below the back of the neck you were talking about?”

“Wait, there’s more.” Tao Ling clicked forward. At 20:42, the driver reached out to smoke. His cigarette fell, and he stepped out to pick it up. Tao Ling hit pause.

An Yu gasped. “Good heavens, Xiao Tao, your eyes are incredible.”

Qiu Wan compared the footage to the tattoo sketch. It was a match. She immediately messaged Officer Zhou: [Check taxi Shu A29U3R.]

Fifteen minutes later, Zhou reported back: “The owner is a man named Gui. He picked up the car at 4:30 PM on Feb 5th. At 6:10 PM, he parked at a noodle shop on Wen’an Road to eat. Shortly after eating, he fell asleep in the car.”

“Drug-laced water again,” Qiu Wan growled.

By 3:00 AM, the office was silent. Wang Cen was nearly nodding off when she suddenly saw a figure carrying a woven bag on a camera from February 5th at 23:27. She zoomed in; the tattoo was faintly visible.

At the same time, Tao Ling was scouring another angle. At a certain intersection, a taxi was waiting for a red light. In the low-quality feed, her eyes widened.

She clearly saw a familiar scarf in the backseat—the same one Li Hewei had been wearing that night.