My Dear Miss Medical Examiner

Chapter 79-1

Chapter 79-1

Doubt

When Lin Yan received a phone call from Song Yuhang, she was still not fully awake. Slowly and sluggishly, she reached under her pillow to retrieve her mobile phone. With a hoarse voice, she said, “Hmm?”

Just hearing that voice reminded Song Yuhang of the exceptionally romantic moments from last night, making her ears slightly warm. She covered her lips with a clenched fist, coughed softly, and walked to the side to speak.

“Hello, I originally wanted you to sleep a little longer, but there’s a case now… Sorry, I’ll make it up to you after your vacation.”

Lin Yan, who was originally drowsy, widened her eyes instantly upon hearing this. She bounced off the bed, let out a soft hiss, and then fell back down, not knowing where it hurt. Rubbing her waist, she said, “I’ll be there in a moment.”

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Half an hour later, a police car with the words “Crime Scene Investigation” stopped abruptly at the entrance of the urban village.

The car door opened, and a group of people came out in an orderly manner. Lin Yan was the last to get off, supporting herself with the car door in a slightly unnatural posture.

Song Yuhang walked up and helped her down, at the same time taking the investigation kit from her hand.

Lin Yan wanted to take it herself, but Song Yuhang slung it over her back and wrapped her arm around Lin Yan’s shoulder, lowering her voice and saying, “You’ve worked hard. Are you still in pain?”

Lin Yan was dressed very neatly today, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants, with the words “Crime Scene Investigation” written on the back of her black training uniform. She wore combat boots and had her curly hair tied up, exuding a touch of heroic elegance. What’s more, she even fastened the collar button, completely concealing any ambiguous marks on her neck.

Song Yuhang glanced at her and couldn’t help but suppress a smile.

Lin Yan twisted her waist and gritted her teeth, saying, “What do you think, Officer Song?”

Song Yuhang laughed, and as they were speaking, the two of them had already arrived at the entrance of the courtyard. With so many people around, she had to be careful not to attract attention. She patted Lin Yan’s shoulder and motioned for her to come closer.

It looked like they were discussing something, but in reality, they were.

“If you ask me, it’s simply too little. Practice makes perfect, you know.”

How come she hadn’t noticed before that Song Yuhang had such thick skin? If it weren’t for the crowd, Lin Yan would have slapped her. Even so, she pushed her away and took the investigation kit from her shoulder, walking towards the house. The mask covered a large part of her charming face and also concealed the blush that had appeared on her cheeks.

Song Yuhang slightly curved her lips and followed her inside.

As soon as they entered, their eyes were stung by the pungent smell of coal. Lin Yan coughed and waved the air a few times.

Song Yuhang walked to her side. “When we came in, the room was filled with smoke too. This has already been ventilated. It’ll be better soon.”

There was only one rear window open in the room.

Lin Yan glanced at it, put on gloves from the investigation kit, and walked to the bedside.

Fingerprints and DNA extraction are already in progress.

Song Yuhang lifted the source of the coal smoke. The fire in the stove had already gone out. She poked it with a pair of tongs, and it was tightly blocked. There were still unburned coals underneath. She also tapped the chimney, confirming that it was blocked as well.

No wonder the smoke couldn’t escape.

Duan Cheng took photos of the body, zooming in and pressing the shutter. “Sister Lin, the victim’s cheeks and lividity appear cherry red. Combined with the strong smell of coal in the room, it’s likely death from carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Lin Yan opened the deceased’s eyelids and took a photo with a penlight. She then used her bare hands to pry open his mouth, using a tongue depressor to hold it open while inspecting. Another forensic investigator held a forensic light for her.

“We’ve made progress, but usually, victims of acute CO poisoning experience severe headaches, dizziness, and palpitations in the early stages. Despite the pain, their consciousness remains, and the instinct to survive would compel the victim to crawl towards doors or windows. Therefore, in our crime scene investigation, we might find many traces of dragging or the person dying on the ground, near windows, or behind doors.”

She didn’t even lift her head or pause her actions.

“Take a look at this scene. Isn’t it excessively clean?”

Upon her reminder, Duan Cheng noticed that not only were the victim’s clothes intact, but even the area where he was lying had no wrinkles on the bedsheet. This indicated that there was no intense struggle at the time of death, and he hadn’t even shifted in his spot.

“When you were surveilling, did anyone follow him?” Song Yuhang asked.

A few members of the surveillance team stood in a row, shaking their heads. “No one followed him. He came back alone and never left again. We were watching the whole time, there’s no way we could have missed it.”

“Did anyone enter the courtyard during that time?”

The leader of the surveillance team shook his head. “No, it’s a single-family house. We were all stationed nearby, and there shouldn’t have been any blind spots in our line of sight. If someone entered, we would have definitely seen them.”

Just as they were talking, Fang Xin walked over with an evidence bag.

“Captain Song, there are no fingerprints at the scene belonging to a second person.”

Song Yuhang furrowed her brow and gestured for everyone to disperse and interview the surrounding crowd.

She surveyed the furnishings in the room and picked up a discarded cigarette from under the coal stove. She shone her flashlight on it, and it was all too familiar—Zhonghua, a Chinese brand, that she often smoked.

Song Yuhang called someone over to bring an evidence bag and placed the cigarette inside before walking over to Lin Yan.

Duan Cheng stood on the other side of the bed near the window, taking photos. “Sister Lin, is it possible that he was suffocated in his sleep?”

Lin Yan removed the victim’s clothes and observed the characteristics of the body. “That possibility cannot be ruled out. However, with such a strong odor, he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway.”

“Unless…” She pressed on the victim’s chest, rigor mortis had already set in, and a prominent cherry red color appeared on the skin.

Lin Yan removed her mask, leaned in close to the victim’s mouth, and took a strong sniff.

Song Yuhang stared intently at the back of Lin Yan’s neck, fearing that if she didn’t stand steady, she would personally step forward.

Fortunately, Lin Yan stood up and said, “There’s a smell of alcohol. Fang Xin, collect a blood sample for alcohol concentration testing.”

Fang Xin acknowledged and walked over, carrying the forensic kit.

When Lin Yan turned around, her gaze coincided with Song Yuhang’s. She smoothly averted her eyes and pulled her mask back up.

Song Yuhang walked over to her and took the forensic light from someone’s hand to shine it for her.

“When we entered, he was already lifeless, lying on his side facing inward,” Song Yuhang pointed with her hand.

“According to the surveillance team’s report, he came back alone and never went out again. No one entered, the doors and windows were closed, no signs of a struggle, and there were leftover burning coals in the stove. Lin Yan, can you estimate the time of death and rule out homicide?”

Lin Yan looked at the repulsive face of the deceased, not only because of the unpleasant sight of death but also because of the despicable things he had done to Bai Ling.

He didn’t deserve to be called a human being, and it’s better that he’s dead.

But…

Lin Yan closed her eyes for a moment and let out a sigh, “Based on the body temperature and the degree of rigor mortis, the estimated time of death is within 1 to 4 hours. However, we can’t determine if it was an accidental death because there was a smell of alcohol in his mouth.”

During the police’s thorough search just now, no alcohol bottles were found in the house, and Song Yuhang frowned.

“So, it means he came back here after drinking. It’s around 10AM now. If we go back four hours, where and with whom did he drink? It’s all closely related to his death.”

Lin Yan nodded and removed her gloves. “That’s right. Let’s take the body back to the bureau for further examination.”

Several detectives wearing gloves came in and put the body into a body bag. Lin Yan removed her mask and walked out. The carbon monoxide in the room made her chest feel heavy, or perhaps it was because she hadn’t rested well last night.

Song Yuhang glanced at everyone who was busy and brought a bottle of mineral water from the car for her. The cap was already unscrewed.

Lin Yan took it and took a few sips. When she tilted her head back, a faint trace of red was revealed where the windbreaker was unbuttoned.

Song Yuhang still had some concerns. “Have you eaten?”

Lin Yan shook her head and wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand. “No, I came as soon as I received the call.”

“I knew it,” Song Yuhang muttered in complaint.

Lin Yan rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to her. She didn’t bother to consider who called her to come over and who kept her up so late last night, making it difficult for her to get up.

The next moment, that person sneakily took out a box of milk and bread from the pocket of her police uniform coat, inserted a straw, and handed it to her.

“Have some. Otherwise, you’ll feel nauseous on the way back.”

Lin Yan refused verbally but kept her gaze on the packaging of the carton. Song Yuhang chuckled, took a few steps closer, and stuffed it into her hands. “There are many people around. Don’t make me feed you.”

Lin Yan pretended to strike, and Song Yuhang jumped back a couple of steps. As everything was almost packed up, she had to go and sit in the front police car, separate from the forensic team. So Song Yuhang patted her shoulder, brushed past her, and left with a meaningful remark.

“See you tonight.”

Lin Yan stomped her foot. “Who wants to see you tonight? Get lost!”

On the way back, Lin Yan still appeared groggy and lethargic as if she hadn’t fully woken up.

Duan Cheng looked at her swaying form and asked, “Sister Lin, did you go clubbing again last night?”

Lin Yan yawned and leaned back in her seat, lazily lifting her eyelids as a response.

She thought to herself, she really went all out. She only slept around four or five in the morning. Damn it, how can Song Yuhang still be so lively today? Is she made of iron?

“Sister Lin, where do you usually go for drinks and clubbing? I also want to go and experience it. These days have been too stressful, and I haven’t relaxed in a long time…”

Fang Xin patted him and said, “What’s it to you?”

Duan Cheng turned around, seeming to have found some amusement. “Hey, let’s go together. You haven’t been there either, right? I heard the recently released movie ?Painted Skin? is pretty good, but I never had time to watch it…”

“Why would I go watch a movie with you?”

“Well, we’re both free, right?”

……

With their back-and-forth banter, the car had already arrived at the entrance of the municipal bureau.

The interrogation room.

Song Yuhang sat at the head, and Lin Yan sat next to her.

The whiteboard in front of them was adorned with the photo of the deceased and the compiled clues.

The forensic personnel flipped through the pages and projected the contents onto the large screen for presentation.

“The deceased, male, Gao Qiang, 26 years old, the second son of Hongwei Property Limited, his father was implicated in a major financial scandal, violating integrity discipline, and is suspected of committing crimes related to his position. The public security authorities have initiated an investigation. Later, the company went bankrupt, and Gao himself was wanted by the police for a serious embezzlement case involving a female accomplice. He was found dead this morning in a village within Dongcheng District, suspected of gas poisoning, but homicide cannot be ruled out.”

The investigator spoke at a steady pace, without rushing.

Song Yuhang frowned slightly as she looked at the photo on the screen. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and sporting a small braid. He exuded an air of sophistication and contrasted sharply with the shabby and unkempt person at the crime scene.

She exchanged a glance with Lin Yan, and Song Yuhang remembered.

That night at the Milan Bar, when he and Lin Yan danced and then tried to harass Bai Ling, it was she who stopped this person.

Song Yuhang lightly tapped her finger on the table. “Investigate this person’s social connections, especially his friends. Hongwei Property went bankrupt some time ago. Focus on those who had financial disputes with him.”

Speaking of Hongwei’s bankruptcy, Song Yuhang glanced at Lin Yan, and Lin Yan casually raised an eyebrow.

Why are you looking at me? Flies don’t bite seamless eggs.¹

Song Yuhang understood and tugged at the corner of her lips before refocusing.

“Contact the cybersecurity team and start checking the surveillance footage. Trace his movements around his residence and the main roads in the vicinity for the past few days, see where he went and who he interacted with.”

“It’s the end of the year, and to avoid causing panic among the public, this case must be solved quickly. Whether it’s suicide, homicide, or accidental death, we still have to do what needs to be done, understood?”

“Understood!” came the uniform and synchronized response.

Song Yuhang nodded, preparing to adjourn the meeting.

“Oh, one more thing. Notify all the local police stations to strengthen patrols. With the approaching Spring Festival, the more festive and family-oriented the days become, the less we can afford to relax. Thieves and burglars take advantage of this time to boost their performance. We must ensure that the people have a good year.”

Someone below chuckled softly, “Captain Song, we’re also boosting our performance at this time. We catch one after another, and we’ll earn our merits for next year’s medals.”

The young detectives burst into stifled laughter, and even Song Yuhang couldn’t help but curl her lips for a moment before quickly returning to her indifferent expression.

After Zhang Jinhai left, this young team did not sink into despondency. Instead, under the leadership of Song Yuhang, they flourished like sprouts after the rain.

If he were watching from above, he would be pleased.

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Song Yuhang glanced at last year’s group photo of the forensic team on the wall and stood up. “Alright, let’s adjourn the meeting. Everyone go about your tasks, and inform me immediately if there are any updates.”

Song Yuhang naturally had her own tasks to attend to, and Lin Yan turned around to change clothes, preparing for the autopsy.

They washed their hands, put on protective suits, neatly tucked their hair under caps, and donned safety goggles in one smooth motion.

Entering the cold autopsy room, the ventilation fan was already running.

Duan Cheng switched on the camera.

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1. The phrase “Flies don’t bite seamless eggs” is a Chinese idiom that is often used to convey the idea that troublemakers or malicious individuals tend to target those who have vulnerabilities or weaknesses.