Chapter 72 Red Spider Lily 11

After the morning meeting, Luo Siwei arranged the next direction of investigation for the police officers.

Huo Cunsheng and Guo Zhengyao continued to hunt down No. 43 with their men, Shen Qing led the team to search, and Tang Xi continued to investigate online information.

Luo Siwei and Ni Xiang began to investigate Ding Zhaomo's death fourteen years ago.

Due to the long time since the incident, many people who knew about the incident at the time are no longer around. Ding Zhaomo's father has passed away, and his mother remarried and moved far away. Luo Siwei called the old lady, but she seemed to have memory problems and was clueless about her son's affairs. The previous renovation company had long since closed down, and the owner had emigrated and was unwilling to comment further. The workers who were at the villa at the time of the incident had also lost contact. There were very few people who could provide any clues.

However, faced with such a situation, the police still have to continue investigating.

Luo Siwei learned from the information that the police officer who handled Ding Zhaomo's death from carbon monoxide poisoning fourteen years ago had been transferred to the Fifth Precinct, so she took Ni Xiang directly to the Fifth Precinct to look for him.

Among the several branches of Donglan, the fifth branch is the farthest. It takes nearly an hour to get there by subway. On the way back, you will receive a message welcoming you from Donglan City.

They took the subway all the way to the Fifth Precinct. Luo Siwei said to Ni Xiang, "Wait a moment. I'll go say hello to my former senior."

Ni Xiang was curious: "Do you know anyone here?"

Luo Siwei nodded slightly: "It's been many years since we last met..."

Luo Siwei then went to the Criminal Investigation Office on the second floor of the Fifth Precinct. She knocked on the door and mustered up the courage to ask, "Is Officer Meng Zhimeng here?"

A young police officer who looked like a team secretary stood up and said, "Captain Meng isn't here. He's out on the scene."

Luo Siwei explained her purpose, and the young officer called Meng Zhi. He came back and said, "Captain Meng can't make it back right now, so I asked you to give him his contact information. You can contact him later."

Luo Siwei got Meng Zhi's contact information, thanked him, and went to find the branch leader with whom he had already made an appointment.

After communication, they were able to meet with the criminal police who handled the case that year.

The criminal police captain who handled this case fourteen years ago was named Yang Peiyun. He is now fifty-four years old and is nearing retirement. He has been transferred to an idle department. Officer Yang has gray hair and a slightly plump figure.

They found a small meeting room and sat down opposite each other.

Ni Xiang adhered to the principle of talking less and doing more, and was responsible for taking notes on the side, while Luo Siwei asked Yang Peiyun about the details of the Ding Zhaomo case.

Old Yang was confused at first, frowning and thinking for a long time before he said, "Oh, the one with the charcoal burning accident, right?"

Then he tried to explain himself: "You young people don't know that ten years ago, the internet and mobile phones weren't as developed as they are now, and people's safety awareness wasn't as high. Every winter, people died from charcoal burning, suicide, and accidents. That winter was especially cold, and during that time, more than a dozen people died. As for this death..."

Old Yang flipped through the copy of the case file Luo Siwei and the others had brought and showed it to them. "The forensic autopsy confirmed that the death was caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. The person who called the police was a worker who lived with him. Apart from the fact that this happened in a villa that was under renovation, there's nothing unusual about it."

Luo Siwei asked, "During your investigation, did you find anything special at the crime scene? For example, some details?"

"Unusual..." Old Yang scratched his head helplessly, recalling carefully, "The young man was the only one in the room. The charcoal basin was placed on the ground with a brick used for decoration underneath. The windows were closed. No other fingerprints were found. It was just an ordinary scene."

Luo Siwei asked again: "What kind of person is Ding Zhaomo?"

Old Yang said, "He was the foreman there. Many of the workers on the renovation team had low education, so it was these small-time foremen who were in charge. I remember that Ding Zhaomo was very popular. The workers on the renovation team said that he was kind and helpful to others when they were in trouble. But after the incident, everyone on the renovation team was terrified, and some workers were crying. They were even more heartbroken than his relatives."

Luo Siwei asked: "What directions did you investigate at the beginning?"

At this point, Old Yang sat up straight. "There were eight workers working at the villa back then, and we interviewed four of them. We've ruled out suicide and revenge. Ding Zhaomo, while young, has worked at that construction company for over three years. During our investigation, we didn't find any evidence that he had any grudges against anyone."

"Then we ruled out the possibility of financial loss. Ding Zhaomo was exceptionally frugal. I remember the socks he was wearing when the body was being prepared had been patched by himself. The foreman's salary was higher than the workers', but he wore hand-me-down clothes and used an old phone. He lived and ate with the workers, so he had virtually no expenses."

"We have also checked with his relatives and friends. Most of his parents and relatives are out of town. He has an alibi and it is impossible for him to have committed murder."

Ni Xiang was recording on the side, and Lao Yang thought for a while and then spoke.

"If I were to say there were some odd things... Ding Zhaomo had been living with several workers. He later said one of them snored and couldn't sleep well, so he moved to a room downstairs to sleep alone. He even installed a makeshift door. When we found his body, the door was locked."

"There's another thing. Ding Zhaomo was so frugal, but there wasn't much money in his bankbook. It was his father who came to handle his affairs. He was an old drunkard who was obsessed with money and reeked of alcohol. He said Ding Zhaomo was an unfilial son who never sent money home and must have been keeping a mistress outside. Later, he kept shouting that someone had stolen his son's money, which was why there was no inheritance for them. Fortunately, the renovation team gave a satisfactory compensation. The owner also paid some money, so the family stopped making trouble."

Luo Siwei listened carefully. Back then, electronic payments weren't as convenient as they are today. Cash withdrawals were mostly made in cash, making it difficult to track the flow of money. It would be difficult to track where Ding Zhaomo's money went.

In any case, the trip was not in vain. They gained some information. Asking in person really helped them learn more details than reading archival materials.

Luo Siwei pondered. Zhou Zitu and Ding Zhaomo were from different places of origin. Their only connection was that she was the owner of this villa, and Zheng Wanshan had brought her to the construction site to inspect the progress. What kind of relationship could there be between them? Why, more than a decade later, was Zhou Zitu still afraid of a dead person?

Assuming that Zhou Zitu was involved in Ding Zhaomo's death, could she be the murderer? Then what was her reason for killing?

Luo Siwei focuses on the murder of passion. Is it possible that there was another relationship between Ding Zhaomo and Zhou Zitu?

But it seemed that one of them was the villa's hostess, and the other was the foreman of the construction team. Their status was quite different. Or maybe... Ding Zhaomo accidentally learned a secret that could threaten Zhou Zitu?

Thinking of this, she asked again: "Besides his parents, does Ding Zhaomo have any other relatives and friends? Does he have a girlfriend?"

Lao Yang pressed his solar plexus and thought for a long time. Finally, he said apologetically, "I'm really sorry. It's been more than ten years. This is all I can recall..."

Then he said cautiously, "We did conduct a thorough investigation back then, for over a month. However, due to the limited criminal investigation technology back then, there weren't as many cameras and electronic data. If the case wasn't closed, the villa couldn't be renovated, and the family wouldn't receive compensation. In the end, several parties were begging us to close the case, our superiors were pressing for results, the forensic doctor had irrefutable evidence, the family was anxious to cremate the body, and we simply couldn't find a single suspect... So, we ultimately concluded it was a heating accident."

At the end of his words, Yang Peiyun looked at the two female police officers in front of him with a wary look in his eyes: "You guys from the Municipal Bureau are here now, isn't it... there's something wrong with this case?"

Luo Siwei and Ni Xiang both came from the police station and are very familiar with this situation. The police officers in the police station are afraid that the higher-ups will overturn the case, especially those like Lao Yang who are nearing retirement. He is afraid that if something is found out, his reputation will be ruined.

Luo Siwei didn't elaborate: "We recently received a case, and the crime scene was that villa, so we came here to investigate."

Old Yang lamented, "What a shame! That villa is quite nice, big and luxurious. Why does it always happen like this?"

Before leaving, Luo Siwei stood up. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Did Ding Zhaomo's clothes and belongings remain at the police station?"

In cases reported to the police, after a forensic autopsy and police investigation, the body is dissected to determine the cause of death, and the clothing and personal belongings are sealed as evidence. Once the case is determined to be an accident, the family can claim the deceased's belongings and belongings, and the body is cremated.

This is the rationale and process, but some families, for various reasons, will not come to collect the deceased's belongings. Those items left behind cannot be discarded according to regulations and will eventually be placed in the police storage room.

After listening to Lao Yang's story, Luo Siwei felt that Ding Zhaomo's alcoholic father would not care much about it, and maybe some of his things were left.

Old Yang said, "I don't know about that. I handled this case at the Jinnan Police Station back then. You can go to the evidence storage room over there and look through it yourself."

Luo Siwei and Ni Xiang rushed to the storage room of Jinnan Police Station. The staff there were very polite, but after searching for a long time, they couldn't give them a clear answer. Finally, they took them to a storage room and told them to search on their own.

The storage room was about 20 square meters, with small windows and a dim light. Only when the lights were on could one see clearly what was going on inside. There were more than a dozen tall storage shelves in the room, piled high with storage boxes of all sizes. There were even some boxes placed in the corners of the floor.

Ni Xiang looked at the storage room that looked like a small garbage dump and frowned. "Oh my God, I'm afraid no one has cleaned this place for three years."

Luo Siwei picked up a box and looked at the blurred years on it: "Maybe more than three years, this one is from the last century."

It was obvious that no one had taken care of this room for a long time. The boxes were covered with dust and some were moldy. The labels on the boxes were incomplete and not arranged according to the year or other rules.

Luo Siwei estimated the workload, rolled up his sleeves, put on gloves, and said, "Hurry up and make quick work of it."

Since the writing on many boxes was already blurred, they could only open the boxes to check and identify them.

Ni Xiang is a little allergic to dust and starts sneezing when there is too much dust. Luo Siwei handed her a mask.

Ni Xiang thanked him and put on the mask.

Each box contains relics related to the case.

Those boxes felt like opening a blind box of relics, but fortunately the items inside allowed them to quickly identify whether the deceased was a man or a woman, old or young.

The first box Ni Xiang opened contained a bloodstained shirt, the bloodstains long since dried. After confirming it wasn't hers, she opened the second one. She did her best to put the ones from related years together, men on the left and women on the right, so that if someone else encountered them in the future, it would be easier to find them.

The boxes often reveal surprising items: necklaces, rings, small purses, keychains, even cell phones and Walkmans. Women's belongings often contain cosmetics.

The two began searching from both ends, Ni Xiang looking for the one on the north side, and Luo Siwei looking for the one on the south side. As time went by, they got closer and closer, but Ding Zhaomo's belongings were still not found.

Ni Xiang asked Luo Siwei, "Captain Luo, what do you think of Ding Zhaomo?"

Luo Siwei said: "There is too little information at the moment."

Ni Xiang said, "Well... I've seen so many photos and information, and listened to what Officer Yang said, but the image of that person is still blurry in my mind."

Luo Siwei said, "That feeling is correct. When a person is alive, you can understand them through observation and conversation. But once they die, you can only know them from other people's words. No matter who tells the story, those stories are one-sided and tinged with personal color."

While chatting, Ni Xiang opened another box. The owner of the relics should be a little girl. Inside was a stack of beautiful colorful rubber bands, a rabbit bag and a broken kettle with a line of words written crookedly on it, "Xinxin loves mom."

Ni Xiang's nose suddenly felt a little sore, and she said with some regret: "The deceased was a child. Why were these relics thrown here? Didn't any family come to claim them?"

She couldn't imagine how sad the girl's mother must be.

"Some family members may have died together. Others have family members who are away, and there are no valuables among their belongings. They think it's unlucky, or they're afraid of seeing things that remind them of their loved ones. In short, there are various reasons." Luo Siwei kept moving, taking a box down from a high place, checking the time and finding it didn't match, and then put it back. She brushed the dust off her hands, "People are like this. When a person dies, no matter what happened in life, it all turns to smoke."

Ni Xiang listened to Luo Siwei's words, feeling as if she understood, yet also as if she hadn't fully grasped them. She was still too young, her parents still alive, and she hadn't thought deeply about death. Now, standing in this storage room, discussing this topic, Ni Xiang suddenly realized that if one day she died, her bones placed in an urn, her belongings collected...

As she was thinking about it, Ni Xiang suddenly felt cold. She wondered if her computer and mobile phone would be looked through by others, and if her notebook would be thrown away casually. Would the things she cherished so much become garbage?

What would others say about her? Would they cry for her? Would they feel sorry for her? Would they simply not care? Or would they simply forget about it?

They will probably forget about it, because their lives will go on. Who would always think about a dead person?

Ni Xiang asked in a trembling voice: "So after people die, they no longer exist, right..." After asking, she realized that what she said was nonsense. Fortunately, Luo Siwei didn't care.

"Of course." Luo Siwei kept moving. "It's like when you're sick. Even if your family and loved ones are very worried, no one can feel your pain. When you're sad, few people can truly empathize with you. So, if you're dead, you're dead."

Luo Siwei's voice was cold, but her words were realistic, like tearing off a Band-Aid covering a wound, exposing the truth before her eyes.

Luo Siwei concluded: "So be brave, but try not to die. Learn to love yourself first, then you can love the world."

Ni Xiang sighed, "I kind of understand what you mean. My grandmother passed away seven years ago. I was so heartbroken when she passed away and cried for a long time. When the adults took my grandmother to the crematorium, I stopped them and said I didn't want her to go. The following year, on her death anniversary, I went to her grave and cried until I passed out. The third year... for some reason, we were unable to return to our hometown. Now, several years have passed... My grandmother's face has become blurred in my mind. When others ask me about it, I can say with relief that my grandmother is in heaven. I have completely adapted to life without her."

Those unforgettable feelings gradually turned into a numb feeling over time, and finally turned into a sense of loss.

When the two of them talked to this point, Luo Siwei suddenly stopped rummaging through the box.

Ni Xiang turned to look at her and found that Luo Siwei was holding a box in her hands. After checking it again, Luo Siwei said, "I found it."

The two men searched for the whole morning, and fortunately, Ding Zhaomo's belongings were still there.

Ni Xiang hurriedly put the box she was checking back to its original place. She squatted on the ground for a long time, stood up, pounded her aching waist, and walked to Luo Siwei.

What Luo Siwei found was a small box with the same year on the lid, a T-shaped letter written on the side, and a number of landline phone numbers marked on it.

Inside were men's clothes, plain, old-fashioned styles, and patched socks. Luo Siwei paused as she picked up something from the box. It was a women's hair ornament, the kind you'd find on the street for a few bucks. Luo Siwei took the small hair ornament out and placed it in an evidence bag.

Then she flipped to the bottom and found an old flip phone. The phone had long been out of battery and had many scratches on it, like an antique that had just been unearthed.

Ni Xiang said: "I hope it can still be turned on."

Luo Siwei said, "I'll ask the technical department to try to restore it when we get back. Also, pay attention here." After she finished speaking, she pointed to Ni Xiang and saw a photo sticker on the back of the phone.

This was a habit many people had in the past when using flip phones. Although the photo stickers have faded and become blurry over the years, the images on them have been preserved.

It was a photo taken of Ding Zhaomo and a girl. The expressions of the two were very intimate. The girl was very young and dressed a little ordinary, but her youth was the advantage. She had delicate features and a pointed chin. She smiled happily at the camera.

Ni Xiang tried to identify her. "Is this... Zhou Zitu?! But... I can't see clearly. The photo is a bit blurry. I just think their features look a bit similar." She tried to reason, "Is it possible that Zhou Zitu was actually Ding Zhaomo's girlfriend, and she murdered her boyfriend to marry a rich man?"

"There must be a story behind this. Let's investigate it carefully." Luo Siwei said as she took out her mobile phone and took a few pictures of the photo sticker. Then she put the old phone into the evidence bag.

The two men packed up all their things and walked out of the storage room.

After taking a few steps, Ni Xiang received a call. She held the phone and listened while telling Luo Siwei about the situation.

"Captain Luo! It's Deputy Captain Guo calling. Someone found Xu Chile..." Just as she said this, Ni Xiang frowned, and she put the phone close to her ear with a look of surprise on her face. She raised her head and said, "Xu Chile's body was found. He's dead..."

After saying this, Ni Xiang looked at Luo Siwei somewhat at a loss.

Luo Siwei remained calm. She took Ni Xiang's phone and chatted with Guo Zhengyao for a few words. The body was found in a river in the west of the city, and Guo Zhengyao was organizing police officers to salvage it.

Luo Siwei hung up the phone and lowered his head in thought.

Now there is no evidence to prove the truth.