Chapter 9 – Preliminary Scene Investigation

Pei Yu heard Dou Hua’s footsteps behind him as he entered. Perhaps it was the sight of Du Xue slumped against the wall, but the rookie’s balance faltered for a moment. He managed to steady himself, however, avoiding a stumble. Pei Yu felt a flicker of relief seeing that Dou Hua had the presence of mind to stop in time, preventing any secondary contamination of the scene with a frantic rush forward.

“Should… should we call an ambulance?” Dou Hua asked him.

From his first glance at Du Xue, Pei Yu was certain that she was a corpse, stripped of every spark of life. Yet, before he could say it wasn’t necessary, Zou Sheng spoke first. His voice was thick and nasal, the telltale sign of recent weeping.

“There’s no point. She’s already dead.”

Pei Yu looked at Dou Hua and gave a small, solemn shake of his head.

“Take the photos. Secure the scene.”

A vibrant life snuffed out so soon, at an age meant for blooming—it was a tragedy that invited a heavy sigh. Between that and the cloying scent of iron hanging in the air, the atmosphere in the living room felt suffocating. Once the scene was secured, Pei Yu directed Dou Hua to lay down the investigation stepping pads. Behind him, he heard the scratch of a pen as Liao Ming pulled out his notebook to begin the preliminary questioning of Zou Sheng.

“When did you discover she was dead?”

Zou Sheng’s voice remained muffled. “Just now. Around ten-fifteen, I think—right before I called Officer Dou. I opened the door and… there she was.”

Liao Ming followed up immediately. “Why call him instead of the emergency line?”

Zou Sheng sounded surprised, as if the question hadn’t occurred to him. “Isn’t calling him the same as reporting it?”

Liao Ming paused for a heartbeat, dropping the subject. “Do you live here too?”

“No, I live in the building at the end, on the first floor.” Zou Sheng seemed to point toward the window. “It’s a four or five-minute walk.”

“Then how,” Liao Ming asked—Pei Yu didn’t need to look to know the Captain’s gaze was piercing—“did you get inside?”

“I… I have a key.” Zou Sheng fumbled, the frantic jingle of metal echoing as he fished them out. He pointed toward Du Xue. “She gave them to me a while ago.”

Liao Ming pressed on. “So you come over every day?”

“No, no,” Zou Sheng denied quickly. “Sometimes Xue was in a bad mood and didn’t want to see me. I didn’t come every day, just every few days to check on her.” Pei Yu heard the man let out a heavy, ragged sigh. “Her mental state was never great. I was always worried she’d do something rash, something stupid… I lived in constant fear. And in the end, she really couldn’t find a way out. Sigh…”

The scratching of Liao Ming’s pen ceased for a moment, letting the man’s emotions settle. “When was the last time Du Xue contacted you?”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” Zou Sheng sniffled, the sound of rustling fabric following as he pulled out his phone. “I’m not trying to hide anything, Officer. I’m just… I’m overwhelmed.”

Liao Ming stepped closer to examine the screen.

“At 4:06 PM today, Du Xue sent you a message saying…” Liao Ming read it out, word by word. “…’I want to see you. Come talk to me at nine tonight.’”

Perhaps haunted by the words of the departed, Zou Sheng sighed again, his voice sinking lower. “Yes. It was so rare for her to say she wanted to see me, but… Sigh… I never imagined seeing her like this. It breaks my heart… Sigh…”

“Rare?” Liao Ming’s voice grew perceptibly sharper. “If you wanted to see her so badly, why were you so late for the appointment?”

“I… I wasn’t late… I…” Zou Sheng seemed at a loss for words.

“What were you doing between nine and ten-fifteen?” Pei Yu could hear the edge in Liao Ming’s tone.

By then, the stepping pads were in place. He gestured for Dou Hua to collect the footprints near the deceased while he opened his kit to begin the preliminary examination. From behind him, he caught a clear note of panic in Zou Sheng’s voice.

“I was… I was waiting outside her door.”

“Waiting for her?” Liao Ming clearly didn’t buy it. He turned his voice toward Pei Yu. “Pei Yu, time of death?”

Assessing the body temperature, the stage of rigor mortis, and the fixed lividity of the corpse spots, Pei Yu spoke. “Four-fifteen this afternoon.” He was also certain the living room was the primary scene; the body hadn’t been moved after death.

“So,” he heard Liao Ming turn back to Zou Sheng, “you’re claiming you didn’t know she was home the whole time?”

“I… I really didn’t.” Zou Sheng sniffled. “I knocked for ages after I got here, but no one answered. I had no choice but to wait at the door.” Zou Sheng’s voice regained a bit of confidence as he realized why he was being interrogated. “Officer, you don’t actually suspect I had something to do with this, do you? Xue was my girlfriend. Her death guts me. And besides, it’s obviously a suicide.”

“Whether it’s a suicide isn’t for you to decide,” Liao Ming retorted.

Liao Ming began asking about Du Xue’s background. Pei Yu completed his surface exam. Beside the small bucket, he found the fruit knife used to open her veins and a box of Oxazepam. It looked very much like a suicide. He reconstructed the scene in his mind: around 3:00 PM, she likely swallowed the sedatives, then cut her wrists. To ensure the blood didn’t clot, she specifically submerged them in water. Her resolve to die was absolute. She would have slowly drifted into unconsciousness, then a coma, before finally passing.

Death occurred at 4:15 PM, yet Zou Sheng claimed he received a text at 4:06 PM. Could someone on the brink of death type and send a precise message? Or was the text a fabrication? 

Pei Yu dismissed the thought for a moment; if it were a clear suicide, why would Zou Sheng invite trouble? 

He placed Du Xue’s phone in a bag. He looked up to see Dou Hua crouched nearby, meticulously lifting prints from a kettle. The rookie’s focus was a relief; the fear that he might vomit at his first death scene vanished.

He picked up the Oxazepam box and realized it was empty. Not just the pills, but the foil blister packs were gone too. Had she swallowed those as well? He bagged the box. The truth would have to wait for the autopsy. He stood up and signaled Liao Ming before heading toward the bedroom. 

A scene investigation required checking every corner, inside and out.