deep white secret

Chapter 22 Identity Determination
Ning Xia followed Xu Jie obediently. Xu Jie immediately made understanding and judgment wherever she looked.

Ningxia was silently prepared, and Xu Jie would ask questions at any time.

This is a house of more than 30 square meters, with one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom. The room is dilapidated and messy. Even if the windows are open now, there is an unpleasant musty smell.

Entering the door is the living room. An old-fashioned leather sofa is leaning against the corner. The leather edge of the sofa is opened to reveal the sponge inside. The sofa is piled with clothes.

The kitchen is on the north side, with the glass door pulled halfway, and under the aluminum alloy window is a workbench with cooking knives, pots and pans, and many instant noodle bags next to it.

The folding dining table was piled with beer bottles and garbage, and the wooden cabinets were stained and damaged, with sawdust exposed in the damaged areas and stained with oil.

The bathroom door was closed, and next to it was the bedroom, which was also the scene of the crime.

Xu Jie walked over first, and the young forensic doctor in the room stood up and took off his gloves.

"Captain Xu, you are here. We are waiting outside. After Captain Xu has seen the scene, we will take away the body."

The forensic doctor was a working partner of the criminal investigation team, so there was not much exchange of greetings. The young forensic doctor handed the scene to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie and Ning Xia entered the bedroom.

The first thing Ningxia saw was that the window was half open and the deceased was tied to a chair. There was a slight wind blowing in from the outside one step away from the window.

The deceased's hands were tied behind the chair, and long rope ends were piled on the ground. The deceased's head was tilted to one side, with a large white fresh-keeping bag covering his head.

The deceased was barefoot, wearing black shorts, and a dark blue sports short-sleeved upper body. His shoes were under the bed, but he was tied up at the end of the bed by the window.

There was a glass ashtray placed by the bedside, which was full of cigarette ashes. The cigarette butts had been taken away by the forensic doctor for examination.

Against the wall is a table, which is piled with daily clutter. The sheets are dark brown and wrinkled everywhere. The middle part is darker in color. The pillows are greasy and dirty.

After looking around the room, Ning Xia looked at Xu Jie.

He was observing the ropes with which the deceased was tied, and then looked at the plastic bag on the deceased's head.

The forensic doctor had already marked the scene. Xu Jie avoided the marked position and squatted down several times to observe the ground.

Ning Xia followed Xu Jie, her mind spinning rapidly.

Although the deceased was tied to a chair, he looked burly and not short. The fresh-keeping bag was put over his head, so the appearance of the deceased could not be seen clearly.

There was no blood at the scene, and it didn't look bloody, but the way he was killed made Ningxia feel a little strange.

Ningxia waited for Xu Jie to ask her questions.

At this moment, a male voice suddenly came from the corridor:
"God, what's going on?"

A middle-aged man with a gift box in his hand appeared at the door of the room. Ningxia immediately greeted him. The middle-aged man put down the gift box in his hand and pointed at the deceased with a look of horror on his face:
"What's going on? Is this Zhang Qiang?"

"This is the scene of the crime, please stop, do you know the deceased?"

The man nodded quickly:

"My surname is Yang, a staff member of the Resettlement Department of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Zhang Qiang is a released prisoner arranged by our bureau."

Xu Jie came out and said to Officer Yang:

"I'm Xu Jie, the captain of the city's criminal investigation detachment. Can you tell me more about it?"

"It's the holiday today, and the bureau sent me to express condolences to them and give them some holiday gifts."

The identity of the deceased was confirmed, but Xu Jie felt a shadow cast in his heart.

The three of them walked downstairs, and member Yang was still in shock. Although he didn't see Zhang Qiang's death, member Yang's face was pale.

"How long has Zhang Qiang been out?" Xu Jie asked.

"102 days till today."

"How's it doing?"

"Zhang Qiang ended his sentence early because of his outstanding performance. In addition, he learned skills and was assigned to the street. We placed him in Dafu Mall. I have been following up regularly. He is doing well."

"Zhang Qiang lives alone, what's going on at home?"

"I can't remember this accurately. This time our Civil Affairs Bureau has placed 37 people. If Team Xu needs it, I will go back and send you the materials."

Xu Jie stretched out his hand:
"Thank you, this saves us a lot of effort."

After Section Officer Yang left, Ningxia saw several policemen carrying Zhang Qiang's body out. The crowd stretched their heads and looked around, and could only see the white cloth covering the body of the deceased.

Xu Jie went to the policeman who took them upstairs just now:

"I have a few questions for Zhang Qiang's neighbors. Where are they?"

The policeman pointed at three people sitting on a bench in the square talking:
"It's them."

Ning Xia followed Xu Jie and walked over, and the three of them stood up.

Two people were in their 40s, a man and a woman who seemed to be a couple, and a young man in his 20s.

"Are you the deceased's neighbors?"

The young man looked sad and spoke first:
"Yes, I'm next to him, at the middle door."

"What do you do?"

"I work in the front restaurant."

The young man is not tall, strong and honest, wearing blue half-sleeves that have been washed white, and a pair of slippers on his feet.

"you are sleeping?"

After Xu Jie asked, the young man nodded frequently:

"The police officer knocked on the door and woke me up, and I didn't know that something happened nearby."

"Where were you last night?"

"I worked the night shift yesterday, and it was two o'clock in the morning when I came back."

"Did you notice anything unusual when you came back?"

The lad shook his head.

"I found that you can see the south window of the deceased's house from downstairs. Do you have any impression whether the window of his house was open or closed when you came back last night?"

The young man shook his head:

"I didn't notice, but at that time only the street lights in the square were on, and the lights in the building were all dark."

"Do you usually have contact with the dead?"

"No, my working hours are irregular, and I haven't seen him a few times. He seems to be quite tall."

Xu Jie turned to the two couples and asked:
"What about you? The police asked you just now. Did you hear anything last night?"

"No."

"Did you see the dead yesterday?"

"We met when we came back from a walk in the evening. He seemed to have just come back. Downstairs, I saw him carrying a bag upstairs."

"Say hello?"

The woman shook her head:
"Although we live next to each other, there are many people renting rooms in this building, and there are always people coming and going, so the neighbors don't know each other."

"You were at home last night?"

"Ah."

"I didn't notice someone coming in and out of the opposite side? Think again, such as the sound of talking and closing the door, especially around nine or ten."

This time the woman timidly said:

"If that's the case, I seemed to have heard a clang before going to bed last night, but I don't know if it was from the other side."

The man quickly told the woman seriously:
"Are you sure? Don't talk nonsense."

The woman is sure:
"The officer said it was past ten o'clock. I have the impression that I was just about to go to bed at that time, so I am sure. But if it wasn't the sound of the door closing, I can't be sure."

"What about normal times? Have you noticed anyone coming in or out across the street?"

All three shook their heads.

The woman said:
"It seems that he likes to drink. I see beer bottles in the corridor every few days. I don't see anyone coming in or out. I don't know what he is doing."

After the woman finished speaking, she looked sad:
"Comrade police, please solve the case as soon as possible. We can't live here anymore. It's scary just thinking about it."

The residents gathered around the entrance of the corridor gradually dispersed, walked up to Xu Jie and the others, and took a deep look at them all.

(End of this chapter)