Chapter 1445 - Suspect
"Yang Xinwu? I've never heard of this Elder—" Su Wan poured tea for Mu Min.
"He's a teacher at Fangcaodi. No position, so not well known."
"A teacher at Fangcaodi?" Su Wan said maliciously. "That really sets the imagination running."
"Obviously, this Elder Yang and his life secretary are the primary suspects. From a case-solving perspective, the picture is already quite clear. However, the evidentiary chain isn't complete yet—especially the supposed record of Yang Jihong seeing Lin Xiaoya off at 22:10 that night. That creates complications."
"This little trick proves nothing. The body is right there inside the residential area—it's practically a confession..."
"I find that point strange too. Taking the body outside to dispose of it would have made the investigation far more difficult." Mu Min nodded. "But in most cases, criminals panic. Few can truly think with foresight and hindsight."
The residential area was deserted. During working hours, nearly all the Elders were out; the maids were either busy with housework at home or running errands. Only a handful of cleaners swept the streets.
The crime scene remained undisturbed. Because neither Elder police officers nor Elder forensic doctors had been in Lingao at the time of the incident, only their disciples had responded—their skills, naturally, were limited. As a result, beyond documenting the scene and taking photographs, little had been disturbed. A cordon had been erected around the area, prohibiting entry and exit. The third-floor roof access—the location of the fall—was also sealed.
Within the cordon, the corpse's position was marked in lime. Bloodstains on the cinder ground remained clearly visible.
"Where's the body?" she asked Wu Xiang.
"Sent to the Forensic Center."
"When will the autopsy report be ready?"
"Probably a few more days. Chief Su is in Kaohsiung. The General Affairs Office says she won't be back for several days."
A naturalized police officer had been assigned to guard the scene. Noticing the senior officer's arrival, the man—who had been standing slouchily—snapped to attention and saluted.
Seeing naturalized officers always irritated Mu Min. Though they wore the same uniform, the staff of the Political Security Bureau were universally capable and upright, radiating the proper bearing of "secret police." By contrast, the officers under her command looked seedy at best—some were simply reassigned slightly-disabled soldiers. Not only did their spirits pale in comparison; their uniforms invariably hung on their bodies like flour sacks, armed belts dangling loosely. This one carried an old 9mm revolver and a baton.
"Name, Constable." Mu Min asked without lifting her eyes from the corpse outline.
"Yao Dacheng, Regional Commander!"
"Very well." She softened her tone. "When was the body discovered?"
"22:16 last night, Chief. We were on duty. After receiving the call from the local duty room, we handled it as priority one and arrived within ten minutes." Yao Dacheng seemed quite proud of his speed.
"Who found the body?"
"Her." Yao Dacheng gestured over his shoulder.
A slightly plump middle-aged naturalized woman in a gray "cadre suit" skirt walked over. She was the manager of the local Elder Service Agency. Her face was ashen, her expression haggard.
"How did you discover the body?"
"My dormitory is on the third floor. I got up to use the toilet in the night. Coming back, I noticed the door to the roof was open—it's usually not locked, but it's always closed. I went up to have a look and saw—" She pressed a hand to her chest. "A corpse below. It was too terrible, all that blood..."
"Did you hear any unusual noise before that?"
"No. I was asleep."
"Why are you sleeping here? Which Elders are housed in this dormitory building? Is there a roster?"
Mu Min found the building at the crime scene somewhat unusual—it was considerably smaller than the others.
"This isn't an Elder dormitory." The Service Agency manager's face grew more drawn. "This is the Service Agency building."
Such a major incident in the Elder residential area—and of all places, the girl had to fall to her death directly outside the Service Agency. Forget keeping her manager position; she might well be arrested, tortured, and made a scapegoat...
The Service Agency, as the name suggested, was an institution serving the Elders within the residential compound. The building housed a sizable laundry offering washing and ironing; a convenience store providing simple fast food, snacks, and daily necessities; a sewing service for clothing repairs. The offices and staff dormitories for the cleaning and gardening teams also occupied this building.
"How many people were in the building on the night of the incident?"
"Besides me, about five or six. Per General Affairs Office regulations, every department maintains a duty staff, available to serve Elders at any hour."
"Give me a list."
"Yes, Chief."
"Let's inspect the roof."
The rooftop was a flat design, rare in the residential area. According to the manager, this was primarily to facilitate drying laundry.
"The person probably fell from here." Wu Xiang pointed to a section of damaged railing.
Photographs of this spot were in the file. The rooftop railing was wooden and quite simple. At the gap, the upper of the two rails had broken completely off; the lower remained intact.
"Where's the upper railing?"
"Sent to the Identification Center."
"The broken section shows severe corrosion—probably rotted hollow long ago. It snapped after being struck by a heavy object." Wu Xiang said.
Mu Min remained silent. The National Police had no identification professionals. The so-called Identification Center had been cobbled together by a few officers with criminal investigation backgrounds, drawing on materials from the Great Library and lessons gleaned from the television series CSI, combined with their own experience. Heaven alone knew what useful findings they might extract from the railing.
Beyond that, the rooftop yielded no useful clues: no footprints worth extracting, no clothing fragments or other residues.
But by now, Mu Min had a reasonably clear picture of the case, and the suspects were evident. Though the motive remained murky, as far as the crime itself was concerned, this was a very simple case.
"Alright, tell them they can clean up the scene." Mu Min peeled off her gloves. "Have them take statements. Little Wu, go to the General Affairs Office Transportation Office this afternoon and get a statement from the coachman who took Lin Xiaoya out last night."
"Yes, Chief."
"The coachman obviously couldn't have seen Lin Xiaoya," Su Wan said.
"Correct. After driving the carriage to the dormitory building entrance, Yang Jihong came out and asked him to go upstairs and help move some things. Then she told him they'd be sending someone out together. After arriving at the destination—Bairen City Station—she had him go to the station shop to buy something. When he returned, she said the person had already entered the station and left. The coachman never actually saw this supposed passenger throughout the entire trip."
"Because the passenger never existed in the first place."
"Evidence needs to form a chain." Mu Min continued. "My people took Lin Xiaoya's photograph and questioned the on-duty police at the station, ticket agents, and clerks in nearby shops during that time period—no one had seen her."
"At this point, there's really no need to investigate further. Elder Yang and his life secretary are clearly the primary suspects."
"Yes. Perhaps the Identification Center will find new clues on the railing—undoubtedly that's the weapon used to beat Lin Xiaoya."
At this, both women fell silent. The next step was to summon and interrogate Elder Yang—beyond the police's authority. It required Executive Committee approval, possibly even approval from the Standing Committee of the Council of Elders.
"This process will probably drag on for a long time..."
"Not necessarily." Mu Min's voice carried an edge. "An Elder killing a naturalized citizen—three cups of wine as penance, at most." She exhaled with frustration. "What a pity. Such a young girl, at an age like a flower..."
She suppressed her emotions and returned to narrating the case.
After leaving the residential area, Mu Min attended to paperwork. She sent a letter to the General Affairs Office requesting access to Yang Jihong's personnel file—and, if possible, Yang Xinwu's Organization Department file as well. Then she proceeded to the Maid School. Holding a pass issued by the General Affairs Office, she was admitted to this place that remained mysterious even to most Elders.
Led by a female staff member, Mu Min walked down a corridor toward the Director's office of the "General Affairs Office Life Secretary Training Center." On one side of the corridor lay a central garden, lush with greenery and blooming flowers. On the other side were classrooms with large glass windows. Through them, students could be seen in class. Fragments of instruction drifted into the corridor.
"...Now let's review section seventeen—pay attention to the beat, movements must be steady..."
"...When cooking noodles, first note the heat control..."
"...The arrival of the Elders has freed our suffering people from the sea of bitterness..."
"...Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road, the setting sun connects the green sky..."
Dong Weiwei was already waiting in her office—Mu Min had called ahead.
"Thanks for your trouble, coming all this way."
"Not at all—you're the one working hard. Children to care for at home, and still here doing work for the Elders, um..."
"Training little wives." Dong Weiwei sighed. "As a woman, this job is quite disgusting. But at least it's more relaxed than the Social Work Department. When my child is older, I'll transfer. What do you need to check?"
"I want information about Lin Xiaoya's time at school."
"I've prepared her file." Dong Weiwei handed a folder across the desk to Mu Min. "Poor child—she was supposed to report to Fangcaodi in three days."