Chapter 46 Red Leaves 07

In the hospital ward, Luo Siwei finished reading the information, and Chi Li asked her, "Did you find anything?"

Luo Siwei had just finished her burger and tossed the packaging into the trash can nearby. She then spread out some documents on the bed and asked, "Have the police started their investigation yet?"

Chi Li said, "The forensic doctor extracted DNA and dental molds from the remains. Guo Zhengyao and his team are comparing missing persons records from previous years. The first step is to confirm the identities of the deceased."

Luo Siwei nodded, agreeing with this approach.

She analyzed, "I feel like victims 1, 2, and 4 have different characteristics from victims 3 and 5. The killer's target has clearly changed."

Serial killers generally have specific preferences, and their methods of killing often follow certain patterns and details. However, in real-life serial murder cases, there are still cases where the killer suddenly changes his target.

The reason for this phenomenon may have a lot to do with changes in the murderer's life, such as moving, quitting a job, having children, having a close cohabitant, or some major changes in life that will be reflected in the case.

For example, some murderers used to target beautiful young girls, but later they started killing middle-aged women.

Some murderers get married and have children, which may change the time of their crimes.

Luo Siwei continued, "Also, judging by their clothing and belongings, the two elderly men were dressed in ordinary, even simple, attire. However, judging by their clothing and accessories, the other three victims appeared quite wealthy. Their status and activities also differed."

Solid gold bracelets, branded belts, and genuine leather shoes—these items clearly fell far short of the two elderly people's living standards.

Luo Siwei put aside the files of two elderly people whose causes of death were unknown, leaving behind the information of the first, second, and fourth deceased persons.

She looked at the two piles of information in front of her: "The method of killing the elderly is completely different from that of killing others."

"Another thing I noticed is the evolution of violence."

Luo Siwei further analyzed: "Dead person No. 4 had a head injury and injuries to her body. I think the killer must have tried to save her. Then there was victim No. 2, who was strangled to death, a relatively less violent method of death. And for the last victim, the murder weapon was a knife. The killer is becoming more and more cruel."

"I think the murderer is not a perverted killer who enjoys killing people." Chi Li said, "It is also possible that there are two murderers in this case."

He did not use cooperation to commit the crime, but used two murderers.

Luo Si thought carefully: "You mean... maybe murderer number one killed two elderly people, and murderer number two killed three middle-aged wealthy men and women?"

Chi Li nodded: "It is even possible that those old people were not killed, but their bodies were just abandoned here."

There is currently no sufficient evidence to show that the two elderly people died of murder. The elderly were over 70 years old and may have died of natural causes.

It is possible that the second murderer accidentally discovered the pit where the body was discarded, and he used it as a place to destroy the body.

Luo Siwei immediately started to speculate: "Perhaps Murderer No. 1 and Murderer No. 2 are father and son, or perhaps they're relatives. The father told his secret to his son, and the son started a new round of killing. Or maybe they're just ordinary partners, and Murderer No. 2 accidentally learned about this and used it as leverage to blackmail Murderer No. 1."

Chi Li said: "Interesting speculation."

Luo Siwei said: "I came to this conclusion under your inspiration."

She felt that Chi Li had a unique charm. When he began to analyze the case, he could always lead to some directions that she had not considered, which made her suddenly enlightened.

After looking at the information for a while, Luo Siwei said, "Looking at the information about those two elderly people, I suddenly remembered a story. It's about a place where elderly people are carried to the mountains and left to fend for themselves. I think there's even a movie about it..."

She couldn't remember the name of the movie for a moment.

Chi Li, who was standing by, knew which one she was talking about, and said, "Abandoned Mother Mountain."

Luo Siwei hummed, lowered her head, and continued to think intently. She looked for a moment before speaking again, "It seems there are many victims now, but I think we should find the key ones. I would tend to focus on the first and fifth victims."

Chi Li asked: "Why?"

Luo Siwei explained, "The fifth victim's death was relatively recent, so he must have left behind more clues. The first victim died the longest, but was the first to be dumped here. Simply put, these two people are the beginning and the end of the story."

Chi Li nodded, agreeing with her idea. When there are not many clues and insufficient police force, focusing more energy on the most important things can enable the police to solve the case faster.

After a while, Chi Li took out an apple from the bag and went to the bathroom to wash it. Luo Siwei was about to take it and eat it directly, but Chi Li turned around and borrowed a fruit knife from the nurse's station and started peeling the apple.

It was the first time that Luo Siwei received such treatment. She hugged her knees and looked at Chi Li, waiting to eat the fruit.

The soft light from the roof illuminated Chi Li's face, from his drooping eyelashes, his high nose bridge, to his slightly pursed lips. Chi Li's expression was focused, his fingers long and slender, with distinct joints. One hand held the knife, and the other hand turned it steadily, the apple peel extending continuously from his hand, long and thin.

Luo Siwei looked at it for a while and felt like he was appreciating some exquisite work of art.

Chi Li peeled the fruit, cut it into slices and placed it in a disposable cup. He also inserted a toothpick into the cup and pushed it in front of her.

Luo Siwei took a bite. The apple was crisp and sweet. She asked Chi Li, "Don't you want to eat it?"

Chi Li shook his head.

That night, Luo Siwei was studying materials, while Chi Li was writing a report in a notebook beside her. The two of them were sometimes quiet and busy with their own things, and sometimes they were communicating with each other.

Luo Siwei was still a little weak, her eyelids drooping as midnight approached. She washed up and lay down on the hospital bed. Chi Li turned off the lights, and the laptop screen emitted a faint fluorescent light.

Luo Siwei didn't remember what time she fell asleep. At first, she heard the sound of typing next to her. The sound was faint, but it made her feel particularly peaceful.

Then she fell asleep.

In the morning, Luo Siwei was awakened by the arrival of the ward round nurse.

She looked at the seat next to her, it was empty, as if Chi Li had never been here with her, and everything that happened last night was just a dream.

The nurse then gave her an IV and brought her a bowl of soy milk and fried dough sticks. The nurse said, "Your boyfriend bought you breakfast. He told us to keep it and specifically told us to heat it up when you wake up."

Luo Siwei quickly corrected: "That's not my boyfriend, that's my boss."

The two young nurses looked at each other and smiled: "Oh, your leader is quite thoughtful."

Another young nurse nearby said, "There aren't many men who are this reliable and steady these days."

Luo Siwei thought, this is the treatment for work-related injuries, she asked: "What time did he leave?"

The nurse said, "It's half past five in the morning. She said she has work to do."

When the doctor came to check on her in the morning, Luo Siwei asked the question that concerned her most: "Doctor, how long do I need to stay in the hospital?"

The doctor said, "He must be discharged tomorrow morning at the earliest."

Luo Siwei said: "I am fully recovered now, do I still need to live here?"

Luo Siwei rarely sleeps so long, she feels that she can run 3,000 meters without any problem now.

Seeing her hospitalization was like being in prison, the doctor reluctantly compromised and said, "Give her another IV and oxygen treatment this morning, and a blood test at noon. If everything is normal, I'll ask the director if we can expedite your discharge."

In the morning, Luo Siwei was receiving intravenous fluids and breathing oxygen, but he was still thinking about the case.

At noon, Ni Xiang came to help Luo Siwei deliver something and also brought the latest progress of the case.

After a night of investigation, the police finally confirmed the identity of the first deceased.

Ni Xiang said, "The reason we were able to find him was because of a few keys that were salvaged. One of the keys had tape on it, and after forensic analysis, they found an address and room number on it. The address was Room 301, Building 3, Fulu Community."

"Later, Tang Xi investigated the address and retrieved records from the Housing Authority. He confirmed that the landlord was a man named Bao, whose physical description matched that of Body No. 1 we found earlier."

Ni Xiang flipped through a page of information and said, "This is this person, Bao Hongyuan. He's been missing for a year now, and no one has reported him to the police."

Luo Siwei asked: "Why didn't anyone call the police?"

Generally speaking, if a living person disappears, relatives and neighbors would have discovered it long ago.

Ni Xiang said, "I've looked at Deputy Captain Guo's investigation records. Bao Hongyuan's parents passed away when he was young, leaving him with a lot of old houses. Later, when they were demolished, he was given a lot of houses all at once."

Luo Siwei had also heard of some such stories, where some originally ordinary people became wealthy landlords thanks to demolition.

Ni Xiang continued, "Relatives were jealous and wanted a piece of the action, but he refused them one by one. Later, another relative came and wanted to rent one of the houses, but Bao Hongyuan produced a contract and forced the relative to sign it, saying he wouldn't rent a house without a contract. The relative got angry and said he was unkind and had forgotten the kindness they had shown us. In the end, the house was never occupied. From then on, several relatives broke up with him."

As she spoke, she took out a data sheet, which showed the properties under Bao Hongyuan's name. There were more than ten properties densely packed together, but most of them were in the Fulu Community, scattered across several buildings.

"The one with the check mark is the largest. It's his own house. He has so many houses that he simply stopped working and relies on collecting rent every month to make money. The rent from his house is enough for him to eat, drink and have fun."

Luo Siwei looked at the information on the file stating that he was unmarried and childless: "Does he have any close women or friends?" People around him are often the first to be cleared of suspicion.

Ni Xiang shook her head. "He was scammed by a woman who was trying to kill pigs, and his friends kept hounding him for money, so he abandoned them all. The neighbors also said he was a loner, and I'm afraid the people he was closest to were his tenants."

Luo Siwei nodded in understanding and said, "No wonder no one called the police. Those tenants just wish the landlord wouldn't come to collect the money."

Why would such a person be thrown into the bottom of a well and die there?

Was the murderer after his money, or was he after a vendetta?

Thinking of this, Luo Siwei asked, "Have you guys learned about Bao Hongyuan's financial situation? Especially before and after he was murdered, were there any large outgoings? Or any unusual circumstances?"

"I've checked, and there are still several million in cash in his account." Ni Xiang said as he flipped through the account and found another record sheet.

The above is the deposit and withdrawal information. It can be seen that part of the rent collected by Bao Hongyuan was deposited into the account, and part was paid in cash. He would make deposits regularly. After the time of death estimated by the forensic doctor, some payments continued, but no more money was withdrawn.

Luo Siwei saw something from the record: "Here, he entered the wrong password several times and his ATM card was frozen."

Ni Xiang asked: "Was it done by the murderer?"

Luo Siwei shook his head. "There are too few clues at the moment, so we can't be sure. Maybe it's a suspect, maybe it's a relative, anyway, someone has set their sights on his money."

The bank card was frozen some time ago, and the surveillance video might not be retained, so she continued to watch it.

Apart from having a few more houses, Bao Hongyuan looks like an ordinary person in other aspects.

What made him the murderer's target? Hatred? Jealousy? A murder of passion? Or was he simply involved in something else?

Luo Siwei frowned. If he wanted to understand the situation clearly, he would better go to Bao Hongyuan's residence.

Thinking of this, she looked at the map and then at the time. The community was not far from the hospital. She immediately stood up, changed her clothes and put on her shoes, and said, "Let's go to the Fulu Community for an inspection this afternoon."

Ni Xiang was stunned: "Captain Luo, you should take a good rest..."

"With such a terrible case, I can't rest..." Luo Siwei said, "I'm really recovered. It wasn't a serious matter. If I stay here any longer, I'll get sick. Besides, I'm just visiting, not doing any strenuous exercise. If I feel unwell, I can just go back to the hospital."

Ni Xiang understood her anxiety. After seeing the tragic state of the corpses at the bottom of the cave, she had not slept well last night.

But she had always been a good kid, always following the rules, and had never done anything out of the ordinary. She asked doubtfully, "Will the doctors and nurses let you go?"

Luo Si looked at her with a slight smile, reached out and patted Ni Xiang's shoulder: "Aren't you here?"

Ten minutes later, Ni Xiang walked to the nurse's station and asked, "Excuse me, has the report for bed 14 come out today?"

The nurse hurried to the computer and said, "Let me check it for you." She took a look and said, "The two results so far are normal. The other one will be out a little later..."

While they were chatting, distracting the nurses' attention, Luo Siwei had already changed out of her hospital gown. She did not choose to bend over to pass through, but instead acted like a patient's family member and walked quickly straight past the nurses' station.

When she reached the end of the corridor, she turned around and gestured to Ni Xiang.

The nurse looked up after checking and said, "The results of the other test are expected at 4 pm. I will notify the patient if I come out early."

Ni Xiang understood: "Thank you, I'll leave first and come see her later."

The two of them reunited, walked out of the inpatient department, and got away.